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The Latino GLBT History Project (LHP), in conjunction with Empodérate of La Clínica del Pueblo, a member of the DC Latino Pride Advisory Committee, will host this year's multi-day DC Latino Pride celebration, which is set to take place on four different days over a nearly two-week span. DC Latino Pride celebrates Latino culture, identity and contributions to the community and creates a bilingual space in which Latinos can celebrate with one another.
"The Latino GLBT History Project is proud to continue in the tradition of our founder Jose Gutierrez to celebrate LGBT Latina/o culture and history during the Pride season," David Perez, the president of LHP, said in a statement. "Now in its eighth year, DC Latino Pride has grown into a multi-day celebration gathering upwards of 800 LGBT Latinas/os and allies. The celebration is made possible with the support of over 25 community volunteers and 35 nonprofit, government, and corporate sponsors and partner organizations."
"My colleagues and I are thrilled to represent La Clínica del Pueblo's Empodérate Youth Center on the DC Latino Pride advisory committee," Alexa Rodriguez, transgender youth program coordinator at La Clínica del Pueblo, said in a statement. "It is Empodérate's second year of stepping up in this leadership role to provide staff, volunteers and meeting space to plan Washington's most exciting Latino celebration during Pride season."
The four main events this year will include a coronation and drag show, a panel discussion, an interfaith service, and a dance party.
The first event, "La Coronacion," occurs at Cobalt this Sunday, May 25, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and features the coronation of LHP's 2014-2015 Royal Court members, selected by a subcommittee for their help in volunteering for LHP in some capacity, as well as for their community service work on behalf of other LGBT or Latino causes. This year's honorees are Gladys Gonzalez, Juan Alvarez, and Ana Gomez. The event also features drag performances. A $5 donation is suggested to attend.
The panel discussion takes place on Thursday, May 29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign Equality Forum, at 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW, and focuses on the challenges faced by Latino LGBT youth and the importance of community and family support during the coming out process. The panel is followed by a reception, a community resource fair, free HIV testing and an historical exhibit, "Positivamente Latinos," which includes biographies and photographs of community advocates and gatherings and public health posters aimed at increasing prevention and awareness, and care for those affected by HIV and AIDS, according to Esther Hidalgo, vice president of LHP and co-chair of its Historical Archives committee. Attendance to the event is free, but a $5 donation to benefit LHP's work is suggested.
On Saturday, May 31, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the LGBT-affirming Metropolitan Community Church of Washington DC's Spanish Speaking Ministry, and Grupo Latino Dignity Washington DC, the religious support group for Latino LGBT Catholics, co-hosts an interfaith service at MCCDC, at 474 Ridge St. NW, followed by refreshments. All faiths are welcome to attend.
The final event, DC Latino Pride's official dance party, take places Thursday, June 5, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Town Danceboutique. Featured guests include host Juanita Dior, Lineysha Sparx from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5, DJ Joe El Especialista from El Zol 107.9 FM; DJ X Gonzalez; Jocelyn Carrillo of Majestic; and DC Latina Drag Kings and Bio Queens: Sugar Cane, Dawn McSmiley, Diego El Sabroso, and Enzo. Tickets costs $10 if purchased in advance by visiting LHP's website at latinoglbthistory.org/tickets.
For more information about DC Latino Pride, visit latinoglbthistory.org/latinopride. Those wishing to become sponsors, community partners or volunteer may contact LHP Program Coordinator Jesus Chavez at email@example.com or at 202-670-5547.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it's crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won't you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week's magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!


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Testing your DVB device
This page provides a few suggestions on how to test that a properly installed DVB device1 is functioning correctly. The command line steps described are also indispensable for quick setup and no frills viewing with DVB hardware under Linux.
- physically installed the device into, or attached it to, your system (refer to the manufacturer's instructions for such details) and
- installed the drivers for your hardware and have the proper modules loaded (see "How to Obtain, Build and Install V4L-DVB Device Drivers" for such details)
- Having completed such tasks, you should at least now have a /dev/dvb/adapter0/ directory. (If you have additional DVB devices installed in your system, they will be assigned an increased adapter number accordingly).
Comparison of DTV testing applications
The following table lists the main features of the different command line DTV testing utilities. For specific information on usage, have a look at its specific wiki article.
|feature \ utility
|dvb-apps zap
|dvbtune and dvbstream from dvbtools
|supported delivery systems
|useful for debugging, but inappropriate for newer delivery systems.
|satellite only.
|outdated, but still the most powerful tool for reading and parsing DVB tables. Hint: use another tool to tune and dvbsnoop in parallel to read data. Unfortunally, dvbsnoop misses support for newer descriptors.
|supported features
Using dvb-apps
1. Obtain the dvb-apps package
See the LinuxTV dvb-apps article for details on how to obtain the package. The dvb-apps package contains several useful tools.
2. Scan for the channels you can receive
Refer to the (dvb)scan article for details of how to perform this step. Once familiar with the content of that article, you will recognize that this step can be summarized (in general form) by:
mkdir ~/.{a,c,s,t}zap (dvb)scan /path_to_the_initial_scan_file > ~/.{a,c,s,t}zap/channels.conf
Note that you may have both a program
scan and
dvbscan installed on your system, and only one of them may work.
3. Tune a frequency and program
Refer to the zap article for details of how to perform this step. Once familiar with the content of that article, you will recognize that this step can be summarized (in general form) by:
$ /usr/bin/{a,c,s,t}zap -r -c ~/.{a,c,s,t}zap/channels.conf "channel name"
where, respective to the type of transmission, azap is used for ATSC, czap for DVB-C, szap for DVB-S and tzap for DVB-T. Make sure you do not overlook the -r option for setting up the /dev/dvb/adapterX/dvr0 interface. Otherwise, you cannot record data from dvr0.
4. After you've tuned a frequency and program
a) You could now start up your simple TV watching application and decode the stream you have tuned.
For example, while keeping {a,c,s,t}zap running in the first console shell, open up another console and run
mplayer /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 <options>
If you have more than one dvb device installed in your system, then you will have to pass the correct adaptor number. See the MPlayer article for some further information, as well as the MPlayer man page (i.e. in a console run "man mplayer") for a lengthy list of options.
b) Or, you could now start up a datastreamer
c) Or, alternatively, you may want to see some statistics of what's coming in for each channel and PID. Example:
$ /usr/bin/dvbtraffic
dvbtraffic which will access the /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 logical device. An example of output from dvbtraffic is:
0000 24 p/s 4 kb/s 37 kbit 0010 20 p/s 3 kb/s 31 kbit 0011 20 p/s 3 kb/s 31 kbit 0012 70 p/s 12 kb/s 106 kbit 0015 1 p/s 0 kb/s 2 kbit 0080 26 p/s 4 kb/s 40 kbit 0082 26 p/s 4 kb/s 40 kbit 0087 25 p/s 4 kb/s 38 kbit 0100 25 p/s 4 kb/s 38 kbit 0101 25 p/s 4 kb/s 38 kbit 0102 24 p/s 4 kb/s 37 kbit 0200 8567 p/s 1572 kb/s 12885 kbit <--- 0201 4708 p/s 864 kb/s 7081 kbit 0205 926 p/s 170 kb/s 1392 kbit 0240 49 p/s 8 kb/s 75 kbit 0241 49 p/s 8 kb/s 75 kbit 028b 261 p/s 47 kb/s 393 kbit <--- 0294 174 p/s 31 kb/s 262 kbit 0295 130 p/s 23 kb/s 196 kbit 02bc 75 p/s 13 kb/s 113 kbit 1fff 87 p/s 15 kb/s 131 kbit 2000 15329 p/s 2814 kb/s 23055 kbit -PID--FREQ-----BANDWIDTH-BANDWIDTH-
In this case, for the frequency that has been tuned, PID 0x0200 is for the video stream of an HDTV channel and PID 0x028b is for the associated audio stream (both of these have been highlighted in red in the above output for easier visual identification). These PID values presented by dvbtraffuc are in hexadecimal form and need to be converted to their decimal representation (respectively, 512 and 651) for use in a channel.conf file.
This is the line you would create in the file "channel.conf" given the PID values from the dvbtraffic output shown above:
Nine High Def Gold Coast:746625000:INVERSION_AUTO:BANDWIDTH_7_MHZ:FEC_3_4:FEC_3_4:QAM_64:TRANSMISSION_MODE_8K:GUARD_INTERVAL_1_16:HIERARCHY_NONE:512:651:1138
And finally
Using dvbsnoop
If the testing steps in the dvb-apps section above work fine, you can jump over this section here. On the other hand, dvbsnoop is a small, down-to-earth utility that is very handy for debugging and also seeing what is occuring with a dvb device (i.e. tuning works? data coming in? signal strong enough?).
1. Obtain the dvbsnoop package
See the dvbsnoop article for details on how to obtain the package.
2. Testing with dvbsnoop
Try things like
dvbsnoop -help dvbsnoop -s pidscan
This will give out a lot of numbers, but if you understand the system of DVB you should see if they make sense. Go for one of the PIDs (choose a right one which is a bit difficult as you don't know what they stand for unless you used the scan line above) and try:
dvbsnoop -s bandwidth <PID> dvbsnoop <PID>
The latter will spit out a lot of hexdumps - at least you receive something ;-)
Save a TV program to your hard drive
The handy thing about digital TV is, it comes in as a digital stream that you can save right away to your harddisk without any changes necessary to it. Therefore, hardly any CPU resources are needed -- just a lot of HD space (few GB per hour as the stream is MPEG-2 which is not as compressed as, for example, DivX/MPEG-4; it's even more as mostly one transport stream contains multiple PIDs). There are several ways to do this. For example:
a) Using the combination of {a,c,s,t}zap and cat'ing the logical dvr device to save a program stream to disk
If you have a channel tuned with {a,c,s,t}zap (and note that you MUST also be using the -r parameter to set up the logical dvr device in order for the following to work; see Zap for detail), open up another shell console and run (as root user):
cat /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 > <filename>
The result is that particular program stream will be written to disk, and you should be able to play it back at any later time with your favourite media player.
b) Using the combination of {a,c,s,t}zap and test_dvr to save an entire transport stream to disk
c) Saving to disk with dvbstream
dvbstream is a useful program that, amongst other things, can save a DVB stream to disk. Method 1: First tune into a channel, as described above in the zapping step, and then next have dvbstream save a particular stream to file. For example:
tzap 'BBC ONE' dvbstream 600 601 -o > bbc1.mpeg
The values "600 and 601" are, respectively, the video and audio PIDs for the channel BBC ONE, as derived from the channels.conf file. So this is why it's important that you have your personal channels.conf file with all the PIDs so you can look them up.
Method 2: Alternatively, instead of using a combination of *zap and dvbstream, you can use dvbstream alone provided you pass which frequency to tune and list the correct PIDs. For example:
dvbstream -f 578000 600 601 -o >bbc1.mpeg
Wait a few seconds and then press Ctrl+C to stop. You should then be able to open/playback the recorded file with any of your favourite media players (like Mplayer, (g)xine, noatune, etc. etc ) provided you have the correct decoders installed on your system (which, in general regards to DVB transmissions, are usually going to be MPEG-2, but can now also be MPEG-4).
If the file is rather small, e.g. smaller than 1 MB after a minute of recording, then you can't receive this TV channel - maybe the reception is bad (too weak antenna signal) - or maybe your card's frequency is not tuned for the right sender? Watch out, some PIDs come up a few times (but for different frequencies).
This might not be what you wanna do every day (unless you only watch BBC1 or you can easily memorise all your channels with their two PIDs) - but it's very fast and easy to do these steps for testing purposes.
Next steps - More feature rich viewing software
It is not the intention of this page to provide a detailed description of the use of DVB hardware with more complex Linux viewing software applications. Suffice it to say that you will have some choice. For example:
- for light TV watching with a DVB device under Linux, MPlayer, Xine, Kaffeine, Klear and a few others are often selected.
- alternatively, for "Media Center" type applications, the usual first suspects are Freevo, MythTV, and VDR, but there are others as well
- you could use the streaming facilities of dvbstream, Mumudvb, dvblast, etc... and then watch the MPEG-2 stream (even possible on a different computer) with programs like Xine, MPlayer etc.
For some further inspiration on what's possible with more advanced software usage see:
- the TV Related Software page, a commented software list, and
- Example setups
(note: you'll need to install the VDR Software Decoder Plugin if you want to use VDR for watching with a software decoding card).
- Digital Video Broadcasting – A practical guide by Hugo Mills [1]

subset: commoncrawl


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The former president of Mount Royal University student union has been charged in a bank robbery, and was already wanted for fraud, the Herald has learned.
Meghan Darcy Melnyk, 27, has been charged in the robbery of the Servus Credit Union, 5300 block of 68th Avenue S.E., yesterday afternoon.
Staff members at the bank were able to get a licence plate of the PT Cruiser. It was spotted by a police helicopter and once it parked, a woman was arrested on the scene.
She was alone with a dog at the time.
Police say no weapon was seen during the robbery but a knife was later found in the vehicle.
Melnyk resigned a month ago from her role as student union president.
On Jan. 31, the students' association released a statement saying Melnyk had resigned following the first of two regular periodic reviews. The review "identified several potential anomalies and policy compliance issues for which Council was unable to receive a satisfactory explanation within a reasonable time frame," according to the release.
Vice-president of Student Life Kaylene McTavish said on Thursday the students' association is doing everything they can.
"I hope she finds the help she may need in this circumstance and it's unfortunate. The situation is incredibly unfortunate and I don't wish it upon anybody," she said.
"As the board we are doing everything we can to mitigate any impact on students through any of this situation," said McTavish.
"We are seeking legal counsel. I'm only 22 years old. These aren't my decisions."
Police said they don't know why Melnyk allegedly robbed the bank.
"I can't really speculate on a motive at this point," said Det. Stu Keown of the robbery unit.
The suspect was wearing a tuque and sunglasses.
"From our point of view, it's unusual. On the one hand, there seemed to be a fairly high degree of planning here but on the other hand, frankly, the arrrest was very quick." said Keown.
"I can say that all of the money that was stolen in the robbery was recovered."
Melnyk also faces a charge of possession of a prohibited weapon and being disguised to commit an indictable offence.
Police said that Melnyk had outstanding arrest warrants for fraud, uttering forged documents and breach of probation.
Mount Royal University communications professor David Taras had met Melnyk and was shocked by the news of the charges.
"I can't imagine a situation like this ever happening in a Canadian university," he said.
"I think the shockwaves reverberate through the entire university and the student body. I'm sure SAMRU is just scratching their heads," said Taras.
"This is jaw-dropping news."


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| 7.9°C Belfast
Happy Valley star Steve Pemberton has defended the show's violent scenes, saying it stirred up a "debate worth having".
The 46-year-old actor, who played accountant Kevin Weatherill in Sally Wainwright's gritty BBC drama, dismissed suggestions the programme contained "gratuitous violence", because it showed abusive scenes against women.
"It's a debate that is obviously worth having. But you can't generalise against violence against women on television because it's got to be seen on its own merit," he said.
The fourth episode in the series, which was shown on BBC One, saw kidnapper Tommy Lee Royce - played by James Norton - assaulting police sergeant Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire, and leaving her for dead.
Steve continued: "I think what Sally did was incredibly responsible. This crime of violence against women does exist, and I don't think it was used for cheap effect. It has got the debate out there and I don't think it was done for titillation or purely for excitement purposes."
He added: "It was really well handled. I know everyone is sensitive about it. Sally knew what she wanted to do and the effect she wanted to create."
Happy Valley, which ended its run on screens on June 3, is doing well in the pre-orders chart. It will be available on DVD from June 16.
"When I read the script, I saw it was such a strong piece and the characters were well drawn. It was done on a big scale and nothing is in black and white," Steve said.
"It's still a real surprise that it has taken off the way that it has. There's a lot of good quality drama out there but this has captured people's imaginations. Between Sally and Sarah, the rest of us were proud to be a part of it."


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Reviewed By Dennis S (Largo, FL) Reviewed for a 2015 Kia Sedona —2/8/2016 9:32 PM
Not as tidy looking as the Auto Zone stretch to fit, but more comfortable and easier to clean. Altho there is some creep, it is very easy to reshape to fit without using stretch tie-downs that never work anyway on the nylon type. Very sturdy. Can't imagine why I never considered canvas previously.


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Gallery of success and failures
Throughout this course, you are sure to have many successes and a fair few failures. To get the most from the experience, take every opportunity to celebrate and share your successes, whilst embracing and learning from the failures.
Share your images with Google Photos
You can post your images and short videos to our gallery of your makes, mishaps and marvels. Simply join our teaching physical computing with python and Raspberry Pi album and upload your media. If you are not sure how to do this, review Google Photos Help for more guidance.
Reflect on your learning
Use the comments to share your thoughts on what you learned this week. What went well, and what did you find tricky? You might also like to ask others on the course for support, feedback and advice on the hardware, components and code that you've used.


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That '70s Show star Lisa Robin Kelly was arrested on assault charges after an altercation with her husband, TMZ.com reports.
RIP Jelena and TomKat! Check out the most shocking celebrity splits
Kelly and a man identified as her husband were both arrested Monday night following an altercation at their North Carolina home in which they reportedly assaulted each other. Both are still in custody.
Kelly, who played Eric Foreman's sister on the Fox comedy, was previously arrested in March for a similar incident, through the charges were eventually dropped.


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Easy Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler Recipe
Delicious, no-compromise recipes for those who need to live a gluten-free lifestyle, but don't want it to taste like it.
Quartered plums cook into a rich, jammy base for the tender, flavorful crust in this gluten-free take on Lisa Fain's cobbler in The Homesick Texan's Family Table.
Why this recipe works:
- Sorghum flour and sweet rice flour combine to create a flavorful and tender cobbler topping.
- Thick-cut plums soften and cook down just enough during baking while maintaining some structure.
- Lemon zest adds a burst of freshness to the filling.
Variation: To make Peach-Plum Cobbler, replace one pound of the plums with one pound of fresh, sliced peaches. Other ingredients and cooking time remain the same.
Recipe adapted from "The Homesick Texan's Family Table" by Lisa Fain (Ten Speed Press 2014)
Read more: Gluten-Free: Easy Plum Cobbler
- Yield:Serves 6
- Active time: 15 minutes
- Total time:1 hour
- For the Filling:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) sweet rice flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 3 pounds ripe black plums, pitted and quartered
- For the Topping:
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) sorghum flour
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) sweet rice flour
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- Ice cream, for serving (optional)
For the Filling: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 9-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, sweet rice flour, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Rub mixture together with your fingers. Add plums and stir with a wooden spoon. Transfer mixture to the prepared skillet or cake pan.
For the Topping: In a small bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add buttermilk and melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir until a batter forms. Drop the batter over the plums; the batter won't totally cover the fruit filling.
Bake until topping is set and golden and the filling comes to a boil, about 40 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with or without ice cream. Store leftover cobbler covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This Recipe Appears InGluten-Free: Easy Plum Cobbler
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[Songs of the Day] Peter CottonTale's Valentine's Day Love Jams
Valentine's Day is nothing without the music. Sultry sounds and smooth beats can go a long way towards setting the perfect mood on your February the 14th, and few know this better than the one and only Peter CottonTale. When… Continue Reading


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Veterans reflect on personal costs of war on 10th Iraq War anniversary
Weeks after returning from Iraq, where he and other Utah Marines were part of the bloody, chaotic ground invasion that secured Baghdad, Nick Lopez was on a flight to the Cayman Islands with his family.
As he read a magazine article about the war he'd left behind, Lopez saw a picture of a small Iraqi girl with pink shoes in her father's arms, taken just after the family was caught in crossfire.
The top of the girl's head was gone.
"I started bawling," Lopez remembers. "I was inconsolable on the aircraft."
That episode in the spring of 2003 should have been a clue to Lopez, a Sandy native and long-time Salt Lake City firefighter.
But it took years, anger severe enough to doom his marriage, and a recurring nightmare for Lopez to acknowledge what the ground invasion, which began on March 19, 2003, had cost him.
"I was a first sergeant. I wanted to be sergeant major. I was damned if I was going to tell somebody I had PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) early on," says Lopez, now 47.
The price of war, 10 years on, is still being exacted, even on those who were in Iraq only once and only for a few months. Fox Company of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, known as the "Saints and Sinners" because it is based in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, was attached to the 1st Marine Division for the invasion. Lopez and the nearly 200 Marine Reservists of Fox company were home by late May 2003.
But going to war also left many soldiers with an appreciation for life, a sharper focus on what matters and above all, deep friendships with fellow fighters.
"I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't think of the war," says John Worsencroft, who was 21 when he served under Lopez in 2003.
"There's something to be said for the experience," says Worsencroft, a Murray native who is now a doctoral student in history at Temple University in Philadelphia. His focus is on military and society.
"It's all the clichés you can imagine, but at the same time, it was a very exciting experience, a very frightening experience," says Worsencroft. "It was both formative and transformative. I don't think I'm the same."
As the 10th anniversary of the invasion, the messy April fight for Baghdad and the early months of war approach, many veterans are reflecting on that tense time.
Maj. Gen. Jeff Burton, promoted to adjutant general of the Utah National Guard last fall, led the 1457th Combat Engineer Battalion into Baghdad in May.
"Things were still smoking," recalls Burton. "The people were overjoyed to see us. They pretty well hugged us in the streets. Unfortunately, that didn't last long."
Top military brass made the mistake, he says, of removing mid-level managers who were vital to keeping the Iraqi government and military working. It only compounded the chaos and created animosity, he says.
Burton left Utah with 450 soldiers and had another 200 assigned to his command while in country.
Working with Vietnam-era flack vests and 1980s vehicles that lacked armor, the soldiers dismantled roadside bombs and helped recover bodies, body parts and the injured in buildings that were attacked. They were among the first on the scene when a suicide bomber struck the United Nations compound in August, killing 22 and wounding more than 100.
At one point, the soldiers of the 1457th were charged with rounding up animals that had escaped the damaged Baghdad zoo, even as they were under fire.
"There were lions, tigers, bears, hyenas running all over the place," Burton recalls. They killed donkeys back at the zoo to lure the animals back into their cages.
The 1457th's "fairly miraculous" survival -- no deaths and only seven injuries -- fed into a myth in LDS circles. Burton at one point publicly refuted a falsehood-riddled email that called his soldiers modern-day "Stripling Warriors," as described in the Book of Mormon.
Burton says that although anger and broken marriages have been common among his soldiers, only a handful were so debilitated that they cannot work. He still hears from stressed soldiers.
"One of my soldiers called (recently) and said, "We took a fair amount of life.' This particular soldier is still struggling with that."
Says Burton, "When someone is trying to kill you and you have to kill them, it's not something you're prepared for."
Michael Schoenfeld, a captain and platoon commander at the time and now a major and commander of Fox Co., figures that 80 percent of the company left the Reserves within 18 months of returning from Iraq.
Many no longer could hold a firearm. "It was too difficult for them," says Schoenfeld, who lives in Clearfield and is a policy analyst for the Federal Reserve.
One of the Marines, Walter Smith, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter for the 2006 drowning of the mother of his two children in Tooele. He initially claimed he found her dead in a bathtub, but confessed months later at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Salt Lake City. He was given a term of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison.
Among the horrors Fox Co. suffered was the early loss of Staff Sgt. James Cawley, who was killed when a Humvee driver, awakened and in a rush without night-vision goggles, ran over his fox hole.
Cawley, killed on March 29, was Utah's first fatality in Iraq, but its second of the war. Army Chief Warrant Officer John Daren Smith died Feb. 25 in Kuwait when the Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting went down in a sandstorm. Altogether, 41 service men and women from Utah or based in Utah died in the Iraq war.
Cawley was Fox Co.'s only fatal casualty; the unit was highly decorated with Purple Hearts and other medals.
Schoenfeld believes every warrior comes back with some level of PTSD: "You can't take war out of your memory." But one of the most lasting effects for him is the way he looks at the world.
"It changes your perspective on what's important and not important," he says, recalling that his Marines had to sort through Army trash to find food during the last week of their 400-mile trek to Baghdad. They had no armor, and were in canvas-covered trucks.
Like fellow Marines Worsencroft and Lopez, Schoenfeld says it's difficult to feel comfortable among civilians at times.
"I have a hard time connecting with people I meet and work with and I don't know if that will ever go away," he says.
Lu Lobello is on a mission.
Empowered by his continuing friendships with Fox Company Marines -- helped considerably by social media such as Facebook -- he's on a campaign to eradicate terms such "wounded warrior," and disability labels such as PTSD or moral injury, the term for those who suffer because they took human life.
"I would start filling their heads with the good propaganda," says Lobello, originally from Las Vegas and now in law school in San Diego. Instead of feeling like victims, combat veterans would know that they were only doing the job their nation asked of them.
"I'm trying to change the national discourse," he says.
Lobello last year finally located two Iraqi women, now living in the Los Angeles area, who survived when Fox Co. shot up their car as it hurtled through a Baghdad checkpoint on April 8, 2003. The men in the Kachadoorian family died that day.
The survivors are his friends now, but Lobello insists he did not need to apologize.
"We didn't make a mistake. We purposely meant to shoot them. But our purpose was to kill the enemy," says Lobello. "They understood that I was just doing my job and that they were casualties of war."
Lopez, who was promoted to sergeant major before his retirement in 2010, has long since "manned up" and gone to therapy. "I'd had enough of the attitude that a Marine can't be human," he says.
It was only last fall, when he saw the 2010 documentary "Severe Clear, This is War," that he realized why he flipped out on the plane to the Cayman Islands.
It was because that wasn't the first time he had seen the little girl in pink shoes; he remembered driving by, witnessing the carnage.
But it's his own role in inflicting hurt on civilians that haunts him.
Also on April 8, 2003, Lopez and his team of 25 to 30 Marines took out a white car that hurtled through a wire they'd just strung to keep civilians out of a Baghdad neighborhood.
"We'd already shot up one vehicle, killing two adult males and wounding two others at our site," he recalls. "We all thought they were attacking us. We turned our guns. I put 20 rounds through the windshield."
The driver and a young woman in the back were dead. His Marines rushed in. One sat in a pool of blood, cradling a woman as she died, and two other Marines clamped off the bleeding arteries of a boy who appeared to be 13.
The one walking survivor, a woman, was in Lopez's face, screaming, crying, pointing to her son.
And that's the woman who, in the decade since, has revisited Lopez hundreds of times as he sleeps.
"Time after time, three or four times a month...this woman is crying and screaming. My dreams haven't gone away."
Twitter:@Kristen Moulton


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- Quartz movement
- White mother of pearl dial
- Date feature
- 5 diamond markers
- Mineral crystal
Case Size
Case Material
Stainless steel
Bracelet Material
Stainless steel
Water Resistance
IJL 5 Year Watch Warranty
IJL offers a limited 5 year warranty on all it's watch that it sells. As some brands already offer warranties on their timepieces, this warranty extends those brands' warranties that don't reach 5 years. For more information about this warranty, please go to our warranties page.


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I have a tendency to write a little too breathlessly about projects in development at HBO. So it is important for me to learn that like every other network, HBO passes on some series, no matter how great the talent attached. Variety reports the network passed on The Corrections, the adaptation of the bestselling Jonathan Franzen book about "the troubles of a Midwestern couple and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to 'one last Christmas' together near the turn of the millennium." Writer/director Noah Baumbach (Greenberg) had assembled a stellar cast in Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Dianne Wiest, Chris Cooper, and Greta Gerwig. McGregor, a man of taste and distinction, praised the scripts by Baumbach and Franzen, saying the "lovely writing" convinced him to spend four months of each of the next four years exploring this character. They shot the pilot in February, but alas, the pieces apparently did not come together in a way that met the HBO standard. For more on what we're missing out on, hit the jump for the full book synopsis.
After almost fifty years as a wife and mother, Enid Lambert is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. The oldest, Gary, a once-stable portfolio manager and family man, is trying to convince his wife and himself, despite clear signs to the contrary, that he is not clinically depressed. The middle child, Chip, has lost his seemingly secure academic job and is failing spectacularly at his new line of work. And Denise, the youngest, has escaped a disastrous marriage only to pour her youth and beauty down the drain of an affair with a married man-or so her mother fears. Desperate for some pleasure to look forward to, Enid has set her heart on an elusive goal: bringing her family together for one last Christmas at home. [Amazon]
If the series went forward, the plan was to turn the 576 pages of The Corrections into four 10-episode seasons. As a big fan of McGregor and Baumbach, I was really looking forward to watching them team up in this format with this cast. Oh, well. HBO is responsible for more than their fair share of the quality programming on television right now, with The Newsroom and True Detective still waiting in the wings.


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Mayor's Office
Mayor Chris Beutler today encouraged Lincoln residents to voluntarily conserve outdoor water for the remainder of the summer by following the designated day schedule for outdoor watering.
"From a precipitation standpoint, we are about two inches below normal for the year," said Mayor Beutler. "However, the hot weather and lack of rainfall in Lincoln and most of Nebraska over the last few weeks has resulted in Platte River flows dropping to record lows. Temperatures are predicted to be in the 90s for the next week with no rain in sight. The aquifer is 71 percent full, and the river flow is one-fifth of normal. At the same time, we need to remember that conditions in other parts of the State are impacting our water supply. Many areas in Nebraska are in severe drought."
Because summer weather is unpredictable and conditions are worsening, Beutler said it's important to implement the voluntary designated day outdoor watering schedule in the City's Water Management Plan.
Jerry Obrist, LWS Utilities Coordinator, said the use of designated days helps to level the daily usage of water throughout the week. He also said the City's water fees are structured to encourage conservation. The more water you use, the higher the rate. The price is $1.34 per unit for the first eight units (about 6,000 gallons). The price increases to $1.91 per unit for the next 15 units (11,250 gallons). It increases again to $2.96 per unit for every 750 gallons above 15 units.
A complete description of water rates and the City's Water Management Plan can be found at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: water).
In addition to following the designated day system, the Mayor's Water Conservation Task Force recommends that citizens:
More information on water conservation is available at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: conservation).


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Missing WWII soldier finally honored
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- On a hillside of Arlington National Cemetery, the markers remember the dead. Unlike the rest of the cemetery, though, no bodies are buried in section MK. These markers remember those who were lost but never recovered, the missing in action.
The memorial markers cover just a fraction of the cemetery. Out of more than 400,000 buried at Arlington, there are only 2,740 memorial markers.
A service Friday at a new marker honoring a World War II soldier who went missing in the Pacific theater is indicative of the sometimes tortuous process families have had to undertake to get a stone placed and a reminder of the administrative failures that led to a change in leadership at the cemetery several years ago.
In 2005, Brooklyn resident David Shulman read a newspaper article about a marker placed at Arlington to commemorate a service member who had gone missing in the South Pacific. Until then, Shulman had never realized that his grandfather, Capt. Stan Loewenberg, was eligible to receive a similar marker.
Now, more than seven years later, a corrected stone is in place at the cemetery and a service with military honors is scheduled for Friday.
"I cannot even tell you what a frustrating, absurd process this has been. They should be ashamed of themselves," Shulman said. "My grandfather gave his life to his country. They made us feel like they were doing us a favor."
Getting the first marker placed, actually, was not especially cumbersome. The family called the cemetery, provided some documentation, and after a period of some months received a postcard in 2006 notifying them that the marker had been installed.
But there were errors. The date he had gone missing was incorrect and it stated that Loewenberg had been a member of the 9th Bomber Command, when he had been a member of the 5th Bomber Command.
Loewenberg was one of 12 people who disappeared in March 1943, including the command's brigadier general, Howard Ramey, in a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Pluto."
Loewenberg was a captain in the Army Air Forces, an intelligence officer on a reconnaissance mission, said Justin Taylan, who operates the Pacific Wrecks website, which researches and documents many of the World War II missions in the Pacific theater that produced tens of thousands of MIAs.
The family sought to have the stone corrected. Also, it was important to the family that the stone contained a simple notation -- "MIA" -- to make clear that Loewenberg was never found. Most of the memorial markers just list the date the service member vanished and include "In memory of" to distinguish the markers from gravestones.
It was then that the family encountered years of bureaucratic obstinacy. Calls were not returned. Years passed. The problems were indicative of administrative failings at the cemetery that were well documented. Stories of misplaced remains and other failings led to the removal of the cemetery's top officials, and a new regime was installed to improve operations.
Shulman said the problems continued even under the new administration. Last year, the family sought to have a memorial service scheduled, with the appropriate military honors. But they were told that they were too late. It took intervention from the office of Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and the Army's general counsel to get the service scheduled.
The cemetery's administrator, Renea Yates, acknowledged that cemetery staff may not have been entirely clear on the benefits that apply to the family of a service member who was missing in action. In Loewenberg's case, the confusion was exacerbated by the paper trail under the previous administration.
"Before we got here it was sketchy at best" as to how requests for memorial markers should be handled, Yates said. The cemetery may only process a few dozen requests for memorial markers in any given year.
Generally, any person who is eligible for ground burial at Arlington would also be eligible for a memorial marker if there were no remains. But the MIA's next of kin has to request the marker.
The markers are placed in parts of the cemetery that are unsuitable for burial, on a steep hillside, for instance. The markers are essentially identical in size, shape and color to the iconic gravestones that line the cemetery.
Loewenberg's marker is on a hillside in one of the oldest parts of the cemetery, just below a section filled with the Civil War dead.
According to the Pentagon, there are more than 83,000 MIA from past conflicts. Nearly 74,000 are from World War II.
Yates said she was confident the cemetery has room to continue adding markers at the present rate. She said she didn't know what would happen if the cemetery faced a sudden increase in requests.
Of course, many people don't know that their loved one is eligible for a memorial marker. Susie Shulman of Boca Raton, Fla., the daughter of Loewenberg and the mother of David Shulman, said she hopes word gets out to other families that they have the option to get a marker at Arlington, or any of the other national cemeteries.
"I didn't know you could have a headstone if there were no remains," she said. "Just to have some place to go to to feel that you're paying respect -- it's important. ... He's gone, and we don't know where but we can go and pay our respect."
Information about Loewenberg's March 1943 flight:


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Girls soccer: Camden's season ends with 2-1 loss to Jamesville-DeWitt
CHITTENANGO -- Reaching the Class A girls soccer semifinal round was a record for Camden. Tuesday's match against second-seeded Jamesville-DeWitt was a chance to break that record.
Coach Robert Wilson's Blue Devils will have to wait at least one more year to do that.
Third-seeded Camden (12-5-1) saw its season end with a 2-1 loss to the No. 13 state-ranked Red Rams. Maddy Devereaux found Jessica Holmes for both Red Rams goals, including the game winner in the 65th minute.
"We followed my game plan," said Wilson. "They trusted the coach and our senior leadership gave us an opportunity to upset a great team."
It didn't look like No. 20 state-ranked Camden would have much of a chance in the first half. J-D (15-1-2) controlled possession and Devereaux had the first shot on goal for the Red Rams from 35 yards out in the 14th minute. The kick was easily handled on one hop by Camden keeper Cassilyn Wolff.
Minutes later Michaela Soules had one of the Blue Devils' best chances of the first half. After a foul, the senior kicked the ball into the box where it was cleared by J-D. Soules regained possession and fired an arcing shot that Alison Butler handled on a hop.
Camden's defense made a trio of great plays to keep the game scoreless in the 25th. Laura Ward jumped in front of two Red Rams shots, keeping both away from the net. J-D followed with a long ball at the goal that bounced through Wolff's hands. The ball ricocheted away from the goal and Elaina Sherwood cleared the threat.
J-D's relentless pressure finally got to the Blue Devils in the 31st minute. Devereaux made a long cross to Holmes. The senior forward hit a 25-yard shot that dropped over Wolff's hands and settled in the left side of the net, giving the Red Rams a 1-0 lead. J-D continued to put pressure on, but couldn't add to the lead before halftime.
"It felt like I was walking into a funeral," said Wilson of the atmosphere on the sideline at halftime. "I asked them 'how do you want to go out?'"
The Blue Devils responded to their coach's challenge in the second half, keeping the ball in J-D's half of the field. In the 47th Jenna Sherwood made a pass to Soules, but the senior's shot missed wide right. Soules had another chance from the left side one minute later, but her shot just missed outside the far post. Camden's leading scorer had another chance in the 52nd when Butler came out of the goal for a ball. Soules knocked it away but got tangled up with the J-D keeper. Lydia Stouffer recovered the ball for Camden but missed a shot wide left.
Camden finally broke through in the 56th on Hayley Kelley's fifth score of the season. Butler came out too far trying to stop a cross and the freshman got a foot on it first, rolling it into the net.
"We've been good with sending balls from the outside and finishing (all season)," said Wilson.
Each team had an opportunity to take the lead in the minutes after the goal. The Red Rams missed a shot off the crossbar and Devereaux fired off the rebound. Her rolling shot was handled easily by Wolff.
In the 58th Soules found Sherwood with an excellent through ball. Camden's forward beat Butler to the ball and tapped a shot towards the net. Maddy Frank tracked it down just in front of the net and booted it out of bounds to end the threat.
J-D retook the lead in the 65th when Devereaux and Holmes struck again. Holmes took another great pass, made a quick move and fired a shot past Wolff into the bottom right corner of the net.
The Red Rams kept possession for much of the remainder of the game, but couldn't add to the lead. Kaley Hilts played well to keep J-D off the scoreboard in the closing minutes. The senior made several great plays on defense, clearing a number of threats.
"People underestimate her," Wilson said of the senior. "She's gutsy and skilled moving from left to right. I don't like her being off the field."
Hilts solid play enabled Camden to mount a threat in the final minute. Soules missed a shot on a direct kick over the crossbar and Karly Keil's final shot missed wide left.
J-D will face No. 7 state-ranked Whitesboro in the Class A final Thursday.
Camden (12-5-1): Hayley Kelley 1-0, Michaela Soules 0-1. Saves - Cassilyn Wolff 8.
J-D (15-1-2): Jessica Holmes 2-0, Maddy Devereaux 0-2. Saves - Alison Butler 2.


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Audrey Kathleen Ruston was born May 4, 1929, in Ixelles, Belgium. Though she became famous for her work in films like Sabrina, My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Funny Face, she devoted much of her life to UNICEF, and was awarded the Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work.
The video below is completely unrelated, but I'm into it today: Rocky Rivera doing "Girls," a track featuring a Beastie Boys sample. RIP MCA.
Your open thread begins now. See you Monday!


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Set in the franchise's signature style sci-fi universe, players will take on the roles of both Ratchet and Clank in a journey across the galaxy full of new destinations to explore and conquer.
*Please note that PlayStation Home is only available in the following languages: English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.
Ratchet it up a notch
The excellent Ratchet and Clank series have been firm favourites on PlayStation 2, thanks to their vast worlds to explore, large variety of weapons and gadgets, and fun and challenging enemies to defeat. Telling the story of the Lombax (an alien race resembling bobcats), mechanic Ratchet, and his faithful sidekick Clank, a faulty robot designed for destruction but destined for do-gooding, the four previous games have seen the series' heroes battle planet-stealing warlords, recover biological experiments, stop evil doctors from turning everyone into robots and become intergalactic gladiators. All in a day's work for heroes like them.
Carrying on from where Ratchet: Gladiator left off, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters sees Ratchet and his sidekick enjoying a much needed vacation when they meet a little girl named Luna who's writing a school report on heroes. Before they can even get properly acquainted however, she's kidnapped by mysterious robots, and Ratchet and Clank set out to save her. On the way, Ratchet and Clank rediscover a forgotten race of genius inventors known as the Technomites, and uncover a plot more dangerous than anything they've ever faced before.
Early versions of the game show that the transition from PS2 to PSP has been a smooth one. The new controls are smooth and easy to pick up, and the bright, colourful graphics and fun soundtrack really capture the feel of the previous Ratchet and Clank games.
Along with returning favourite weapons like Ratchet's trusty wrench and the Agents of Doom there are a whole host of brand new weapons to make things uncomfortable for your robotic foes. The Acid Bomb Glove does exactly what its name suggests and fires explosive blobs of acid at your foes, while the Bee Mine Glove fires a swarm of robotic bees that will quickly overwhelm any opponent.
And it's not just weapons that are new; Ratchet has some brand new equipment to go along with the ever-present Clank, still as good as ever for sprouting helicopter blades or propelling you around underwater. Along with Gravity Boots, and his swingshot, Ratchet can now control plants using the Sprout-o-matic and mix and match his armour in a way that wasn't possible on previous versions.
Armour now comes in four different classes: Helmet, Body, Gloves and Boots, each of which has specific properties like fire or ice effects, and can be equipped individually or mixed and matched to create different defenses.
Another reason to get excited is the new multiplayer aspects to the game. Supporting both Ad Hoc and Infrastructure Modes, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters will allow players to play standard Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag modes across huge levels filled with computer controlled enemies to fight off along with your human opponents.
There is also a brand new mode called Iron Lombax, which tasks your team with completing level-specific objectives before your opponents.One level has you trying to turn alien cows into hamburgers by sucking them up with a Suck Cannon and dropping them off in a burger making machine. You then have to move boxes of burgers onto delivery trucks and must reach a set limit before the other team does. This makes for some great frantic multiplayer action as you and your friends struggle to fill the boxes while shooting each other and stealing each other's items.
It's looking like everything that makes the Ratchet and Clank series so much fun is back, along with some great new features that could make this the best adventure the heroic duo have been on yet. Add to this the fact that you can now take Ratchet and Clank with you wherever you go and 2007 is shaping up to be a very good year indeed. Unless you're an evil robot.
See it in action


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Officical licensed GM graphics from Weston Signs Inc. for your truck or SUV. Designed and produced in house using the highest quality materials on the market. We utilize the latest digital print technology with an outdoor specific process for the most durable, sharpest graphics around. All graphics are produced at high resolution to bring out the fine details and colors. All Weston Signs Inc. graphics are also die cut right to the edge with no white or clear showing around the graphic.
Sold as a set of 2
Each decal is 5" h x 16.5" w in size.
GM trademarks licensed by Weston Signs and Decals


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Modification New Yamaha Vixion 2011 | Move to CBR 1100 RR
Modification New Yamaha Vixion 2011 | Move to CBR 1100 RR
Modifikator wardoyo from Dave Motor Concept (DMC) was forced to think and work hard to accept the challenge of M. Safari, owner of Yamaha V-Ixion. Section, which had asked for modified motor mount a model moge, but not like the Yamaha R1 or R6 FZF.
Modification New Yamaha Vixion 2011 | Move to CBR 1100 RR
M. Safari just ask contrived like the Honda CBR 1100 RR. Do not bother? Inevitably, Ward was forced to perform because of mutilation should be out of the grip. "Usually, upgrading motor sport motor sport cruiser so genuine and same brand. But as demand con consumers, must be lived, "said the man who practices in sawangan Depok.
Basic carpenters 'mutilation', not human but the plate, changing the shape judged not work too hard. Moreover, by using the plates, another thing if you use fiber or buy bolt-on variety.
Ward greeting evidence shown on the fairing which is fully formed from the plate. In order to form harmonious and original approach, lights vario Honda is selected, otherwise easily obtainable.
The tank then, ranging from the shape and dimensions to match the fairing. In addition to the tank, the cover was up to the stern of the necessary adjustment forms. Again with the help of the plate and its dimensions were swollen about 5 cm to the left and right.
Modification of the contrived little, according to the owner desires. The trick, according to Ward, by first extending the middle of the original swing arm about 7 cm by means of plates of about 7 cm which tricked the link unitrack.
So deh, Honda CBR 1100 R


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WASHINGTON — Federal health regulators are urging parents to keep their children on attention deficit drugs like Ritalin and Adderall, despite new evidence in government-backed study that the stimulants can increase the risk of sudden death.
Don't miss these Health stories
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Rates of women who are opting for preventive mastectomies, such as Angeline Jolie, have increased by an estimated 50 percent in recent years, experts say. But many doctors are puzzled because the operation doesn't carry a 100 percent guarantee, it's major surgery -- and women have other options, from a once-a-day pill to careful monitoring.
- Larry Page's damaged vocal cords: Treatment comes with trade-offs
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Published Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study suggests a link between use of the stimulant drugs and sudden death in children and adolescents. The drugs already carry warnings about risks of heart attack and stroke in children with underlying heart conditions, but researchers have questioned whether they pose the same risks to children without those problems.
Healthy children taking the medications were six to seven times more likely to die suddenly for unexplained reasons than their peers, according to the study from the National Institute of Mental Health.
The study was partially funded by Food and Drug Administration, but agency experts said its methods — which relied on interviews with parents years after a child's death — may have caused errors. The agency urges parents to discuss safety concerns with their doctor, but to keep children on the treatments.
"Since the deaths occurred a long time ago, all of this depended on the memory of people — relatives and physicians — involved with the victims," said Dr. Robert Temple, the FDA's director of drug review.
Discuss concerns, but keep kids on treatment
The agency urges parents to discuss safety concerns with their doctor, but to keep children on the treatments.
The study compared a sample of 564 children who died of unexplained causes to 564 children who were killed in car accidents. Among the unexplained deaths, 10 children were taking an ADHD drug compared with two of the patients killed in car accidents.
The researchers used car accident victims as a comparison group because sudden childhood deaths are rare and difficult to track.
"While the data have limitations that preclude a definitive conclusion, our findings draw attention to the potential risks of stimulant medications for children and adolescents," the authors conclude.
The FDA said it is collecting data for a larger, more in-depth study of the drugs' risks.
"We're not sure this study tells us something we didn't know," Temple said of Monday's publication. "We didn't think it gave an unequivocal answer as to whether there is such a risk."
About 2.5 million U.S. children currently take drugs for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, according to government researchers. Among the most popular brands are Shire's Adderall, Novartis' Ritalin and Dexedrine, marketed by various manufacturers.
Sales of the drugs topped $4.8 billion last year, according to health care analysis firm IMS Health. The most popular brands include Shire's Adderall, Johnson & Johnson's Concerta and Novartis' Ritalin.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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First of all, I wasn't sure where I should stick this... I hope I chose the right spot!
I am relatively new around here, but I've been visiting so often that Google Chrome has placed Pixel Scrapper in the second place spot of my "Most Visited" page, lol! So needless to say, I've settled in and gotten comfortable.
I am also relatively new to designing, and I am REALLY REALLY challenging myself by entering the Designer Darling competition at Stuff to Scrap. I am definitely out of my league, but I am trying my best! This is my round one submission, I call it Duck... Duck... Bath!
There are no eliminations in Round 1, but there IS voting, and I would really REALLY appreciate any votes you guys could send my way! The voting thread is HERE. All of the submissions (and there are some AWESOME ones) are free for download this week, and the download links can be found HERE. Thank you for reading, and thanks for your support!


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County to examine charity laundry's spending
Auntie Helen's Fluff 'n' Fold, the North Park charity and thrift store that launders clothes for AIDS patients, may be asked to repay San Diego County thousands of dollars because it did not spend grant money as agreed.
County auditors are investigating how Auntie Helen's used $10,000 it received last year on the recommendation of county Supervisor Ron Roberts.
In its grant application, the charity promised to spend the money fixing or replacing washers and dryers but records show some of the money paid for car repairs, carpeting and other items.
"We are in the process of reviewing the Auntie Helen's file and if we find any money was not used for the purpose for which it was granted, we will likely seek reimbursement," spokesman Michael Workman said.
The Watchdog reported last month that Auntie Helen's spent thousands of dollars on meals, gas and other personal expenses, including $20,000 in dental work for the executive director.
The tax-exempt nonprofit was formed in the late 1980s to wash clothes for sick and dying AIDS patients. Its caseload has dropped over the years from hundreds of clients to 87.
According to county documents, Auntie Helen's spent $1,900 of the grant funds on carpeting and installation, $1,775 on clothing racks and $300 on car repairs.
Auntie Helen's executive director Michael Dudley said all of the county money paid for needed projects, but he does expect some funds will have to be returned.
"We're going to pay it back," Dudley said. "We just have to figure what receipts we have and what we owe."
Roberts said he would wait for the auditors' findings before deciding what to do about the spending.
"The initial reports I have received about this grant are troubling," he said. "Right now I am awaiting completion of the auditor's report to determine our options and how we proceed."


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This Spinning Dreams Pinwheel quilting block pattern can be made with expert precision by implementing the use of the templates that we present here.
Scraps can be used or you can use materials that we have suggested. Our suggested material amounts are an over-exaggeration, so if you make a mistake you always have more fabric to work with.
Our pattern makes a 15x15 inch quilting block with a 1/4 inch grace allowance.
This way you can make any size quilt you desire within 15 inch increments of your desired result.
You should already know how to use a paper piecing pattern with templates.
SIZING / FINISHED MEASUREMENTS: Finished quilting block is 15x15 inches with a 1/4 inch grace allowance for piecing.
MATERIALS: Fabric in 5 different colors (1/4 yard each preferred, but less will be used).
YOU WILL ALSO NEED: Printer Paper Pins Needle and thread/sewing machine Template plastic (optional)
This is for the block pattern only.
Because of the nature of this item, no returns are given.
Materials you need at home:
*Fabric in 5 different colors (1/4 yard each preferred, but less will be used). *Printer *Paper *Pins *Needle and thread/sewing machine *Template plastic (optional)


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Sharks Conclude 2013 Draft With Seven Selectionsby Staff Writer / San Jose Sharks
The Sharks acquired the 18th overall selection from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2013 first round selection (20th overall) and a 2013 second round selection (58th overall, previously acquired from Pittsburgh).
Mueller completed his rookie season in North America this year, finishing as Everett's second-leading scorer with 31 points (six goals, 25 assists) in 63 games. His 31 points were second among WHL rookie defensemen and he was named Everett's Rookie of the Year. He was ranked 12th overall by Central Scouting among all North American skaters.
The six-foot-three, 176-pound native of Winterthur, Switzerland represented Switzerland at the 2013 IIHF World Jr. Championships, picking up two assists in six games and at the 2012 U-18 World Championships, where he posted three points (one goal, two assists) in five games.
In the second round (49th overall), the Sharks selected LW Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau from Baie-Comeau of the QMJHL. He prefers to go by Gabreyl Boudreau. Last season as a rookie, Boudreau had 63 points (22 goals, 41 assists) in 67 games, good for fifth on the team. He was the second-leading rookie scorer in the QMJHL last season. Boudreau was ranked 54th overall by Central Scouting among North American skaters.
In the QMJHL playoffs, Boudreau was tied for 15th among all scorers with 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 18 games as his team advanced to the QMJHL Finals, before falling in five games to Halifax.
The five-foot eleven, 167-pound left wing is a native of Beloeil, Quebec.
In the fourth round, the Sharks traded the 111th selection, along with a fifth round selection in 2014 to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2013 fourth round selection (117th overall) and a 2013 fifth round selection (151st overall).
With the 117th overall selection, the Sharks selected goaltender Fredrik Bergvik from Frolunda in the Swedish League. In 14 games with Frolunda, he posted a 1.29 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage, both of which were tops in the league. He also was selected to the U-18 World Jr. camp for Team Sweden but was injured and did not play in the tournament.
With their first fifth round selection at 141st overall, San Jose selected defenseman Michael Brodzinski from Muskegon in the USHL. Brodzinski was tied for fifth among all USHL defensemen scorers with 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 61 games. He was also named to the USHL 2012-13 All-Rookie Team and attended the USA Hockey Select-17 Player Development Camp. He is committed to attend the University of Minnesota.
Later in the fifth round (151st overall) with the selection previously acquired from Chicago, the Sharks selected defenseman Gage Ausmus from the USHL U-18 team. He posted 12 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 56 games. He was ranked 148th among all North American skaters by Central Scouting.
In the seventh round, the Sharks took center Jacob Jackson from Tartan High School in Minn. In 25 games, he posted 56 points (29 goals, 27 assists) in 21 games. He was ranked 170th among all North American skaters by Central Scouting.
With their final selection, San Jose selected Emil Galimov from Yaroslavl in Russia.


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Coca-Cola ventures into premium specialty coffee
Posted by TheShot on 17 Nov 2006 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Foreign Brew, Restaurant Coffee
ChannelNewsAsia published an article today on Coca-Cola's venture into coffee distribution in Singapore: Channelnewsasia.com – Coca-Cola ventures into premium specialty coffee. Coca-Cola has been investing in coffee service for quite some time. In previous posts here, we've covered their development of Far Coast pod systems — among other patents. As one of Wall Street's darling growth stocks, and a stock represented in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Coke continually seeks out new revenue streams to keep the party train going.
Some at the company are banking heavily on future growth in coffee — by essentially leveraging their existing beverage distribution channels to also support barista-free coffee service for restaurants and cafés. (Despite oddities like Coke Blāk, they show no interest in direct retail of coffee products.) Of course, a company like Coca-Cola typically has senior vice presidents and their minions at odds with each other over company strategy, so anything is possible. But for the past few years, the momentum seems to be in the coffee lobbyists' favor.
Normally I'd be quite skeptical of their efforts — and, in particular, any effort to make decent espresso from pods or systems that operate like a push-button soda fountain. However, a couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of having dinner with Kenneth Davids, of CoffeeReview (and author of one of my favorite coffee books, Home Coffee Roasting). David has been consulting for Coca-Cola for five years now — and they've even made him a full-time job offer to leave his coffee consulting practice behind. For Coca-Cola to make moves like that, they have to be serious about coffee — and David would lend them instant credibility. So this is progress that's worth keeping an eye on.
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[…] In the most recent issue of Fast Company, they named Coffee Klatch Belle Espresso blend among the "12 Best Cups of Coffee of 2006″: Fast Company Magazine | 12 Best Cups of Coffee of 2006. The coffees were reviewed by noneother than Kenneth Davids. […]
[…] Today's Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune featured an article on a Twin Cities area roaster who has made quite a name for themselves, Paradise Roasters: A global search for taste of Paradise. Kenneth Davids' Coffee Review has scored some of their roasted bean stocks at above 90 points (out of 100) fifteen times in the past couple of years, which is practically unheard of. Some of the credit goes to Paradise's policy to ship beans within 24-hours of roasting. […]
[…] We've been monitoring Coca-Cola's murky interests in the coffee business for some time now. The most obvious example being their patent filings in recent years, which has lead to — among other things — their launch of Far Coast coffee pod and machine systems for food service retailers. […]
[…] We've been monitoring Coca-Cola's murky interests in the coffee business for some time now. The most obvious example being their patent filings in recent years, which have lead to — among other things — their launch of Far Coast coffee pod and machine systems for food service retailers. […]


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Keywords: Dow Jones; Dow Jones Industrial Average; Exchange Traded Note; Exchange Traded Fund; value investing; Benjamin Graham; investment strategy; dividend yield; intrinsic value; dividend discount model; Michael O'Higgins; Financial Instruments; Investment; Strategy; Financial Services Industry; United States;
Citation:Baker, Malcolm, Samuel G. Hanson, and James Weber. "Dogs of the Dow." Harvard Business School Case 215-020, January 2015. (Revised October 2018.) View Details


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Risk Analysis
Increased awareness of the scope and magnitude of foodborne disease, as well as the emergence of previously unrecognized human pathogens, have prompted regulatory officials to consider new and improved strategies to reduce the health risks associated with pathogenic microorganisms in foods. While regulatory decisions regarding the management of foodborne disease risk have always been made with the aid of the scientific community, the development of formal risk analyses provides a conceptual and transparent framework for evaluating the public health benefits associated with the selection of various policy options. The risk analysis paradigm includes three elements—risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication—and allows regulatory officials to focus finite resources on those hazards that pose the greatest risk to public health.
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is a scientifically based process of evaluating hazards and the likelihood of exposure to those hazards, and then estimating the resulting public health impact. It provides a scientific framework for understanding the impact of a wide variety of variables by considering several key questions, such as:
- What are the factors that result in risk to the public's health?
- What is the likelihood of harm?
- How much harm could occur?
- How much can that harm be reduced by various intervention strategies?
Risk assessments may be qualitative, semi-quantitative, or quantitative. Qualitative assessments usually identify a high, medium, or low level of risk. Semi-quantitative assessments may be used to prioritize risks in relation to one another. Quantitative assessments are often used to identify and evaluate food safety control points or estimate the benefits of various intervention strategies.
Each risk assessment has four parts, as widely recognized in the international scientific and regulatory risk assessment communities and by such authoritative bodies as the National Academy of Sciences and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. First, risk assessors and risk managers must clarify the public health hazard that is the subject of the assessment and any possible policy options that are under consideration. Next, the risk assessors must evaluate the adverse health effects caused by the public health hazard. Then, an exposure assessment must be conducted to estimate the likelihood that the hazard will be present in food, and if present, at what level. Next, a dose-response model is constructed to figure out at what dose or concentration that hazard will cause illness or death.
In the final step of the risk assessment, known as risk characterization, all of the information gathered during the risk assessment process is integrated to show who is at greatest risk, which variables contribute most to the risk of foodborne illness, and which intervention strategies would lead to the greatest reduction of risk.
FSIS has completed several risk assessments, including those for Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs, E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef, and Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. FSIS contracted with Harvard University's School of Public Health for a risk assessment on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
In addition, USDA recently established a food safety risk assessment committee to enhance coordination and communication among various USDA agencies as they plan and conduct activities related to risk assessments. The committee will utilize the agencies' combined expertise, allowing USDA to focus its resources on those hazards that pose the greatest risk to public health.
Risk Management
The risk management phase involves using all of the information gathered during the assessment to evaluate policy options. Risk managers consider the results of the risk assessment in the context of other policy considerations such as cost, feasibility, and the social impact of implementing certain policies. This phase identifies, selects, and implements measures that can be applied to reduce the risk identified during the assessment.
Risk Communication
Risk communication not only refers to communicating the results of the risk analysis to the general public, but also to the ongoing communication among risk assessors, managers, scientists, regulators, and various stakeholders during the entire process. Risk assessors and managers must communicate in order to ensure that all affected parties fully understand the process of and information generated by the risk analysis.


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The Past Twenty-Five YearsBy Charles L. Juhl During the past twenty-five years the Iowa Land Title Association has experienced tremendous change. It began with the transfer of the duties of the Executive Secretary, Al Buchanan of Algona, to a Secretary, Tom Brennan of Sioux City and a Treasurer, Wencl Kadrlik of Garner. Wencl remained ILTA Treasurer for 18 years. Julie Hoegh of Knoxville served as Treasurer from 1996 to 2000. Tom Brennan remained Secretary until his resignation in 1986 and the appointment of Chuck Juhl of Vinton. Mark Mallicoat of Clinton succeeded Chuck as Secretary in 1994 and continued until 2000. In 2000, ILTA hired Dynamic Resources, an association management company of Des Moines to conduct the management duties of the association. Jan Gemar serves as the ILTA representative from Dynamic Resources.
Al continued on as Editor of the Iowa Land Title News until 1983 when Chuck Juhl was appointed Editor. Lesa Saville of Mount Ayr became Editor of the Title News in 1993, Beccy Holle of Harlan in 1997, and Geralyn Greer in 1998. Geralyn continues to this date. The Title News underwent an extensive revamp under Beccy and Geralyn's guidance. The Association also provides information to the membership via an Internet web site at www.iowalandtitle.org and e-mails or broadcast fax for more time sensitive information.
Technology changed business during the past twenty five-years. Fax machines ushered in the beginning of orders arriving in minutes. This began the quest for faster service for customers with completion expected within a very short time. Orders could now be expected from not only our local customers, but from coast to coast as vendor management companies entered the title business working on behalf of national lenders.
Computers became common in the early 1980s and are almost mandatory in the current business climate. Word processors gave way to standardized computer formats and storage of abstracts on computer networks. In 2002, the Standards Committee issued the ILTA Standards on CD after Janice Young of Cedar Rapids indexed it for computer use. Title plant maintenance switched from time-consuming handwritten posting of instruments to the computerized indexing of documents in many companies, often accompanied by scanned images of the documents. Many new companies have built title plants using computer technology exclusively. In the early 1990s the State of Iowa created the Iowa Court Information System linking all judicial districts with the state office in Des Moines. Searches of names can now be done over the Internet from title offices at any time. Title companies are maintaining Internet web sites to advertise their businesses and to receive and deliver orders.
The early 1980s not only brought the worst real estate recession since the 1930s, but also saw the rise of the secondary lending market in Iowa. Loans held previously by local banks or mortgage lenders were now being sold to investors from across the country. These lenders were unfamiliar with the Iowa system of abstracts and attorneys' opinions and sought a title insurance product. In 1986, the Iowa Legislature created the Iowa Title Guaranty Division to provide a product to lenders needing a title policy for the secondary market. Al Buchanan represented ILTA for six years on the Title Guaranty Board, followed by Jay Stewart of Des Moines, currently serving as Chairman. This program required abstracters in Iowa to maintain a forty-year title plant. ILTA initiated a plant inspection process under Chris Hoegh's presidency to assist Title Guaranty in assuring the membership operated and maintained forty-year plants.
Title companies began to include real estate closings as a part of their services in the past few years. As Iowa companies become more familiar with the title process nationwide, a frequent request has been for closing services, particularly for national lenders. Convention and school agendas have seen more time allocated to educating the membership on closings and title policies.
Throughout the past twenty-five years the Iowa Land Title Association members have seen many changes to the business climate: from severe recession to wave after wave of refinance transactions; changes in association personnel to a professional management service; and changes in technology including fax machines, computers, internet service and much more. The constant is the Iowa Land Title Association itself, with the dedication of its members to providing a forum for discussion of issues, and a desire to work together to make the title business in Iowa one in which we can all be proud.