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June 15th, 1972, fell on a Thursday. It was day 167 of 1972. The decade was the 1970s.
48 years, 4 months and 14 days have passed since June 15th, 1972.
Songs that were on top of the music singles charts in the USA and the United Kingdom on June 15th, 1972:
The date is June 15th, 1972 and it's a Thursday. Anyone born today will have the star sign Gemini. It's summer, so the temperatures are warmer and the evenings are longer than usual.
In America, the song Candy Man by Sammy Davis jr. is on top of the singles charts. Over in the UK, Metal Guru by T. Rex is the number one hit song. Richard Nixon is currently the President of the United States.
It's 1972, so radio stations are playing songs from artists such as Don McLean, Harry Nilsson, Hot Butter, Neil Young, The Moody Blues, Roberta Flack, Bill Withers and Johnny Nash. People are watching popular TV shows such as "Bonanza", "Here's Lucy", "The Flip Wilson Show" and "The Odd Couple". Kids and teenagers are watching TV shows such as "Lassie", "Captain Kangaroo", "The Brady Bunch" and "Sesame Street".
Popular toys include the likes of "Easy-Bake Oven", "Lite-Brite", "Battleship (game)" and "Big Jim (action figure)".
Trending news stories and fads that were prevalent throughout this time period. These are news stories and events that would have been in the media on June 15th, 1972.
The Billboard Charts in 1972 were dominated by Don McLean, Roberta Flack, Gilbert O'Sullivan, America, Joe Tex, Looking Glass and Al Green.
U.S. President Richard Nixon and his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, were both named as the Time Person of the Year in 1972. Nixon and Kissinger had made history by travelling to China to "open up a dialogue."
Movies released in 1972 included The Godfather, The Poseidon Adventure, "What's Up, Doc?", Behind the Green Door, Deliverance, Super Fly, Cabaret, The Getaway, Fritz the Cat, The Legend of Boggy Creek, Jeremiah Johnson, Blacula and Silent Running.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack would go on to win a Grammy for 1972's Song of the Year.
"The Godfather" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1972.
Basic facts and information about this date:
Notable events that occurred around June 15th, 1972:
Zodiac & Birthstone information:
TV shows that you might have been watching around this time.
Children's and Teen TV shows that would have been airing on this date in 1972.
"All in the Family" - "The Clangers" - "Sesame Street" - "The Brady Bunch" - "The Pink Panther Show" - "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" - "JOT the Dot" - "Underdog" - "The Bugs Bunny Show" - "My Three Sons" - "Captain Kangaroo" - "Lassie"
Toys and games that would have been popular on this date in 1972:
Celebrities and historical figures that were born on the 15th of June:
Who was the US President on this particular date?
Interesting facts about conception dates.
Enter your date of birth below to find out how old you were on June 15th, 1972.
Looking for some nostalgia? Here are some Youtube videos relating to June 15th, 1972. Please note that videos are automatically selected by Youtube and that results may vary! Click on the "Load Next Video" button to view the next video in the search playlist. In many cases, you'll find episodes of old TV shows, documentaries, music videos and soap dramas.
Here are some fun statistics about June 15th, 1972.
A list of random dates that you might be interested in:

subset: commoncrawl


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Obama administration delays penalties for Obamacare sign-up
President Barack Obama and administration officials are not giving up on the Affordable Care Act despite its rocky rollout that has furthered public apprehension about the comprehensive health care reform law, but they are giving up on one thing: the law's mandate deadline for insurance coverage.
Health and Human Services officials said late Monday Americans without health insurance would have until March 31, rather than Feb. 15, to enroll in coverage before incurring a penalty. The enrollment mandate is meant to encourage young, healthy applicants into the insurance markets to lower the premium costs for the broader range of enrollees. It is one of of the law's most controversial aspects, one loathed by conservatives who see it as government overreach.
But after the failed debut of healthcare.gov, the website intended to be a one-stop shop for comparing policies and signing up for coverage, and the subsequent political beating the administration has taken, the administration announced the deadline change.
In guidance announced Monday night, HHS "has determined that it would be unfair to require individuals in this situation to make a [penalty] payment."
White House spokesman Jay Carney recently hinted at a potential delay after he noted there was a "disconnect" between the website glitches and looming penalties. "There's no question that there's a disconnect between open enrollment and the individual responsibility timeframes in the first year only," Carney said at an Oct. 21 press briefing. "And those are going to be addressed."
Republicans have relished the political ramifications of the website failings, using it as an example to justify their opposition to Obamacare. Some lawmakers, such as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., filed legislation that would require a delay in the individual mandate until all the technical issues are addressed. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democrats refuse to move such bills without White House approval, something not expected.
But Republicans, whose attempt to defund Obamacare led to an unpopular 16-game federal shutdown, are trying to regain the edge on the unpopular law by highlighting each one of the administration's health care fumbles.


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How many years have you competed at Rampage?
My first Rampage was in 2010, and then they didn't hold the event in 2011. I was back in 2012 and 2013, had to sit 2014 out with a broken leg/ankle, and then was back in 2015 but crashed out the night before finals after qualifying 3rd. Then I was back competing in 2016 and 2017. All in all, this will be my 7th time stepping into the start gate, and I'm hoping it will be lucky #7.
Who is on your build team this year?
I've had the same dig crew since 2015 and they're back again with me this year. Alex Reveles and Tom Ghelli. Tom actually dug for me back in 2013. He was the GT Demo truck driver at the time and I didn't know much about him. He offered to dig for me that year, and he ended up being one of the hardest working dudes I've ever met. He used to be a Mason, so he's our master rock stacker and can sling dirt like no other. He also doubles as my mechanic and our master chef too. Bacon wrapped pork tenderloins for breakfast are his specialty.
Alex is one of my best friends and I've been riding with him since back in the Aptos Post Office days. He used to dig for my brother, Cam, but after Cam's last year competing in 2013 I swooped Alex up as soon as I could. He's built a lot of things over the years and works smarter not harder. He keeps me safe, and makes sure nothing we build is preposterously stupid. He's also the best at visualizing speed for jumps and drops, so he helps with all my speed-checks while I'm testing my line out.
How will your Fury be set up?
I'm rocking the new Fury this year, and it's taken some getting used to but I've been loving it. The new suspension platform feels like it's capable of taking big hits A LOT better, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can take it off this year. I set my suspension up stiff and slowww, and I run 2.7 Maxxis Minion DHF's front and rear. Utah's the only place that I run 2.7's instead of 2.5's, and I feel like having a wider footprint and higher volume tire just works better out there.
Other than that, Fox made me a custom rear shock that has a longer eye to eye length but maintains the same stroke. That allows me to run 26" wheels front and rear, but brings my BB back up to a normal height. It steepens the head angle a bit, but then I run a 27.5" specific Marzocchi 58 front fork that levels things back out. The geometry remains pretty much identical to the stock setup with 27.5's, but with 26's. Reason for me riding 26's: I'm short, and I need the extra clearance to keep my butt from hitting the rear tire when I pull back to flip off big stepdowns with little take off's.
How do you prepare for Rampage? Does your daily and weekly routine change in order to be physically and mentally ready?
For sure. Mentally, once Crankworx Whistler is over, Rampage is all I think about and I try to spend every day doing as much as I can to prepare. This year has been a bit different. I've been losing a lot of riding spots in my hometown of Aptos, CA as of late, and there isn't a whole lot to ride here as of now. A couple weeks ago I road-tripped out to Utah to just ride for about a week and a half and that was awesome.
When I'm home I do a lot of off-the-bike training. It's something I've been getting more into in the last few years, and I feel that it's something that really helps my riding while I'm out in Utah. I go to a local athlete-based gym in Santa Cruz called Paradigm Sport. The owner, Joey Wolfe trains me there on his own time and beats the living sh!it out of me. Training is something I've grown to like more and more over the years, and I figure the more I suffer in there, the less I'll suffer out in Utah.
How has your approach to the event changed from the first time you competed compared to now?
The first time I competed I didn't know what to expect, I had never even ridden in that kind of terrain. I was pretty relaxed going into it and really didn't have any expectations. I figured I'd just pull out of the competition if I wasn't feeling it. Once I hit the first drop out there though I was hooked. I ended up qualifying 5th I think and was fired up. I didn't think I'd ever make it to finals. I ended up crashing on the last feature in my 2nd finals run, the big stepdown hip to dirt quarter thing that Gee hit and got 3rd with that year. I think I would've ended up somewhere in the top 5 that year if I hadn't washed out.
From then on, I've taken the event more seriously. Part of me misses the mindset I had in 2010 where I really didn't have any stress or any expectations. Now I take it pretty seriously, and I just want to do the best that I can every year. At the same time though, I just want to have fun with it and do what I know I'm capable of. If I back down from something that I know I should've done, that's when I'm bummed once the event is over.
It's a long two weeks, from building to practicing to competing. How do you stay composed throughout the week? Do you even get any sleep?!.
I think having that much time to wrap your head around everything is only beneficial. You pick your line on day 1, but then you have 5 days to dig on it, look at it, and prepare yourself to ride it. We're not even allowed to ride on those days. Then you have 4 days to slowly start testing stuff. It helps you run through all the scenarios and come up with a game plan. Usually, though, you're digging until the last second and have to test everything on the last day of practice, ha ha. But at least by then, you should be pretty ready to hit everything.
As far as sleep. I'm usually so exhausted from digging all day that I don't have any trouble sleeping. There have been a couple times though that I've been stuck awake dwelling over things I'm afraid of, but I try to just not let my mind go there.
It's finals morning. How does your day start and go from there? Who is making you breakfast? And what are they making you?!
Alex usually wakes up a little earlier, gets a pot of coffee goin' and loads the truck up. We're usually out of the house well before sunrise and get to the venue as the sun's about to come up. They have catered breakfast for us at the venue the morning of finals, so I try to get some food down and then pad up and try to get a little bit of riding in before our mandatory riders meeting at 9 am. I'm usually last to the meeting every year, and the past two years I've gotten stuck at the top of the course unable to ride down cause it's too windy. It seems to always be windy at sunrise on the morning of finals for some reason, and that's a bit of a mind f*%k cause you never really know if it's going to die down or not. After our meeting, we hike to the top of the course, hope the wind progressively dies down, and wait our turn to drop in.
What's going through your mind when you are sitting under the starting arch at the top of the mesa?
It's a little different every year depending on the line you have picked out and what you're planning on doing on it. I'd say the number one thing I think about is wind. I'm checking all the flags placed around the hill to see which ones are moving and where the wind is coming from. Sometimes you can lean into it a bit, but usually if it's too windy you're just f*%ked. That's usually the struggle. You want to drop in cause at that point you and your crew have put so much work in, but at the end of the day if it's too windy then you have to be willing to walk away. It's always hard knowing where to draw the line.
What is it about Rampage that makes you want to go back year after year?
I've never been able to put my finger on it, but it's just something that I'm really passionate about. It's a test of will power and dedication, and I've never experienced anything more satisfying than conquering that hill and walking away healthy and happy. It's also a huge thing for our sport and reaches a much wider audience than a lot of other MTB events. I think a lot of us riders take it upon ourselves to help push our sport the best we can and bring awareness to big mountain freeriding, and MTB as a whole. It's all relatable in a way, and I think everyone that has ever thrown a leg over a bike can in some way relate to that feeling we get when we ride that stuff.
What has been your personal favorite Rampage moment?
Hard to say, but in 2015 we built a pretty big drop and the landing was a HUGE build. A lot of people thought we were dumb for trying to tackle such a big job and were certain that we'd run out of time before we finished it. Once we finished it though and I got to hit it for the first time the night before qualifying, I'd say that was one of my favorite moments.
Do you want to give us any clues about what you are planning on pulling off this year?
Well, we have a new venue this year so I'm not too sure what to expect. We'll have to wait and see!
Everyone at GT Bicycles wishes T-Mac the very best of luck for Rampage lucky #7!
Watch Tyler compete at Red Bull Rampage on Friday, October 26 on redbull.com


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2013 Toyota RAV4 First Look
Compact SUV Loses its Signature Spare, V-6 Option
Although probably not originally written in reference to compact SUVs, Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changin'" certainly applies to the 2013 Toyota RAV4. For the first time in eight years, Toyota's compact SUV will not be offered with an optional V-6. And for the first time in the RAV4's nearly 20-year history, it will not have its signature tailgate-mounted spare tire. Thus, two of the items that made it a unique proposition in the compact SUV class are relegated to the annals of history. Has the RAV4 become just another anonymous compact SUV in what's already a crowded and competitive market or is Toyota simply responding to customers' changing needs and tastes? If the yardsticks are a carlike design, fuel economy, and comfort and convenience features, then the 2013 RAV4 is aimed right at the sweet spot of the market.
With the elimination of the V-6, the RAV4's sole engine is now the 2.5-liter four-cylinder. At 176 hp, peak power output of the engine is down 3 hp from the 2012 model's, though torque remains unchanged at 172 lb-ft. But, rather than last year's "they still make those?" four-speed automatic, the 2013 adds two cogs for a proper, class-competitive six-speed automatic. The added ratios make a worthwhile difference in fuel economy, with EPA ratings going up 2/3 mpg city/highway on the two-wheel-drive model, and 1/2 mpg on the four-wheel-drive model to 24/31 and 22/29, respectively.
Toyota did make one concession to spirited driving by an available Sport Mode. When selected, Sport mode changes the calibration of the electric power steering assist, and shift feel of the automatic transmission, with an audible "blip" on downshifts.
All-wheel-drive RAV4s feature Dynamic Torque Control, allowing driver-selectable control of power delivery. In Auto mode, most power is routed to the front wheels, switching to all-wheel-drive as conditions warrant. In low-traction conditions, the driver can select Lock Mode, which delivers up to 50 percent of the power to the rear wheels at speeds up to 25 mph, switching to Auto mode at higher velocities.
The trim levels of the 2013 RAV4 also mark a departure from the 2012. The old trims of Base, Sport and Limited make way for LE, XLE and Limited convention used elsewhere in the Toyota lineup. LE and XLE trims will have a six-way-adjustable driver-side seat, with the Limited trim adding eight-way power adjustment with driver-seat memory and heated front seats. All trim levels feature standard privacy glass, daytime running lights, cruise control, audio with a 6.1-inch LCD touch screen, standard rear backup camera, multi-information display, and Bluetooth hands-free calling and audio. Limited and XLE trims get dual-zone climate control, integrated fog lights, power moonroof, heated outside mirrors with turn signal indicators, and optional navigation with Entune.
The RAV4 Limited will also be offered with an optional blind-spot-monitoring system and rear cross-traffic alert with both an audible and visual warning in the rearview mirror.
In terms of the styling, the 2013 RAV4 abandons the 2012 model's truckish design cues for a smoother, rounder appearance. The front shows influence from the Venza and Camry, with a smooth, raked-back grille and headlights. Around back, the large, prominent horizontal taillights give the new RAV4 a distinctive visual character. The triangular rear-quarter window is the only distinctly identifiable styling element that carries over from its predecessor.
The 2013 RAV4 is within a few inches of the 2012. Its overall length of 179.9 inches is 2 inches shorter than the 2012 model's, with the 104.7-inch wheelbase carrying over from 2012. Height decreases by about an inch and ground clearance goes down from 7.5 to 6.3 inches. Specific curb weight was not released, but Toyota mentioned extensive use of high-strength steel, suggesting a weight reduction.
The RAV4's generous cargo capacity, a key selling point of the previous, carries over with the 2013, with a 38.4-cubic-foot capacity behind the second row and 73.4 cubic feet behind the first row. Towing capacity remains 1500 pounds for the four-cylinder model and since there's no longer a V-6 model, that's how much it can handle, period.
While the loss of the V-6 may turn off some power-hungry potential buyers, the V-6 take rate in this class rarely surpasses 20 percent, so the lack of a more powerful engine will probably not hurt sales. The RAV4's primary competitors, the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape take two competing approaches. Like the RAV4, the CR-V offers only a single powertrain choice while Ford offers three in the Escape. And the 2013 RAV4's sleeker, more carlike styling may appeal to a broader audience than the previous model's dated, blocky lines. Whether Toyota made the right decision with the RAV4's packaging will be validated by sales numbers in the months after its introduction. Our hunch is it will be at least as popular as its predecessor, if not more.


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- You may be looking for the reference book of the same name.
Love & Monsters was the tenth episode of series 2 of Doctor Who.
From a production standpoint, it included a monster created by a child, nine-year-old William Grantham, for a Blue Peter competition. It was the first story in the programme's history written specifically to be recorded at the same time as another story — a process called "double banking". By minimising the appearances of the Doctor and his companion, the production team recorded fourteen episodes in the same time that it took to make thirteen. Russell T Davies was sufficiently pleased with the results that the concept — dubbed a "Doctor-lite" or "Companion-lite episode" — would be a regular feature of each subsequent season.
Because of this episode's Doctor-lite nature, it notably became the first (and currently only) full episode to showcase the Doctor's adventures from the perspective of their bystanders, who are usually overlooked in most stories.
Tardisode 10, the prologue to Love & Monsters, shows a secretary falling victim to the main enemy of this episode.
Synopsis Edit
An ordinary man becomes obsessed with the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler, and uncovers a world of living nightmares.
Plot Edit
An awestruck young man sheepishly approaches the Doctor's TARDIS to find the Tenth Doctor and Rose tackling a Hoix in a warehouse. The Doctor asks the man if they have ever met before. He panics and runs away.
The young man, a typical Londoner by the name of Elton Pope, narrates his story via his video camera. He introduces himself and tells how, when only three or four years old, he came downstairs one night to find a strange man in his house: the Doctor. Elton was caught up in the massacre by the Autons. A year later he watched as an alien ship crashed into Big Ben. Following another alien invasion last Christmas Day, Elton looks for information on the strange goings-on and finds a photo of the Doctor, looking exactly as he did all those years ago. He meets Ursula Blake, who posted the photo on "My Invasion Blog" and believes his story about the Doctor. Ursula introduces Elton to her friends Bliss, Bridget Sinclair and Mr Colin Skinner. They have all heard of the Doctor and meet regularly to discuss their findings. Despite the name Elton coins for them (London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency, or LINDA), they soon become more of a social group, helping each other through their problems and enjoying each other's company.
That all changes with the arrival of Victor Kennedy, an evidently wealthy gentleman who doesn't touch people because he has the skin condition eczema (which, strangely, he pronounces as spelled, i.e. "ek-zee-ma" rather than the correct pronunciation of "ek-sim-a"). He also wishes to find the Doctor, and takes over LINDA, forcing the members to work harder. Bliss vanishes. Elton tracks down the Doctor and then panics and runs away.
Victor is furious, but decides to change plans: they will look for Rose. Elton locates Rose's mum Jackie with surprising ease. He visits her often, supposedly to do odd jobs but really because Jackie finds him attractive. One night Jackie tries to seduce Elton, but a phone call from Rose brings her to her senses. Elton feels ashamed of using her and realises that he loves Ursula. When Jackie finds a photo of Rose in Elton's jacket, she rounds on him and tells him to leave. She says bitterly that no one has any interest in her.
Elton tells Victor he's ruined LINDA and that the three remaining members are leaving, noting that Bridget has gone, just like Bliss. He asks Ursula out to dinner, but Mr Skinner stays behind as Victor offers to help him find Bridget. Ursula forgets her phone.
When they return for it they find Mr Skinner has disappeared and Victor has transformed into a corpulent green alien — the Abzorbaloff, as Elton calls it. The Abzorbaloff reveals he's absorbed Mr Skinner. He is now on its belly. Bridget has been absorbed into his back. Elton asks where Bliss is. The sound of Bliss straining to say something comes from within the Abzorbaloff who takes his weight off one of his buttocks, allowing her to tell Elton, amidst the rumble of flatulence, that he doesn't want to know. The Abzorbaloff wants to find the Doctor for the ultimate feast.
Ursula grabs the Abzorbaloff's cane and threatens to beat him with it unless he returns the LINDA members to their former states. The Abzorbaloff seems genuinely terrified and begs for mercy. Ursula hesitates, which proves fatal as the Abzorbaloff grabs hold of her arm. A single touch is all that is needed for a victim to be absorbed. Elton watches in horror as Ursula is fused into the Absorbaloff's body, her face ending up on his chest. Elton begs for Ursula to be returned, but the Abzorbaloff says that her original form is gone forever. He taunts Elton about the feelings Ursula had for him, which the Abzorbaloff now has access to. Ursula can also access the Abzorbaloff's thoughts. She yells for Elton to flee. He's next to be absorbed.
Elton runs, the creature chasing after him, until the TARDIS appears. An angry Rose has come to confront Elton about upsetting her mother, while the Doctor questions the Abzorbaloff about his home planet, which turns out to be Clom, surprisingly the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius. The Abzorbaloff tells them of his scheme to lure in the Doctor to absorb him for "a delicious feast". Before he can consume Elton or the Doctor, the absorbed members of LINDA distract him. Ursula tells Elton to snap its cane. This destroys the limitation field that maintained its integrity. The Abzorbaloff dissolves into liquid and seeps into the ground along with the people absorbed by it.
The Doctor explains to the distraught Elton that on the night they first met, he was hunting a living shadow which had escaped its home dimension. He caught it, but not before it had killed Elton's mother.
Elton muses that meeting the Doctor is fraught with danger and notes that for a while he had a special group of friends, a group that was destroyed thanks to the Doctor. Elton now understands that death and destruction are what happens to one that touches the Doctor's world, and can't help but wonder how long until Rose and Jackie pay the price. However Elton also understands that it wasn't the Doctor's fault and that he did save Elton one last time: with the sonic screwdriver, he restored Ursula partially. She now exists as a face in one of the paving stones where the Abzorbaloff had melted. The pair have found some happiness despite their ordeal, and Elton comments that he now knows the meaning of Stephen King's quote: "Salvation and damnation are the same thing." He ends on a positive note, saying that the world isn't all it seems — it's better.
Cast Edit
- The Doctor - David Tennant
- Rose Tyler - Billie Piper
- Jackie Tyler - Camille Coduri
- Victor Kennedy/Abzorbaloff - Peter Kay
- Elton Pope - Marc Warren
- Ursula Blake - Shirley Henderson
- Mr Skinner - Simon Greenall
- Bridget - Moya Brady
- Bliss - Kathryn Drysdale
- The Hoix - Paul Kasey
- Mrs Croot - Bella Emberg
Uncredited cast Edit
- Elton John - Himself (archival footage)
Crew Edit
|Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner
|Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
References Edit
- Elton buys a remote zoom for his camera.
- The Doctor uses the absorption matrix.
- Ursula threatens to smack and kick Victor.
Culture Edit
- Johnny Franzetta is a character in Colin's novel.
- Jackie plays "Regresa A Mi" while she flirts with Elton.
- Bliss and Ursula sing "The Riddle Song" and "Brand New Key".
- LINDA covers the song "Don't Bring Me Down" by the Electric Light Orchestra. Elton also dances to "Mr. Blue Sky", also by ELO.
Planets Edit
- The Abzorbaloff is from Clom, the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius, much to the Doctor's surprise.
Locations Edit
- The Doctor refers to the living Shadow that killed Elton's mother as originating from the "Howling Halls".
- LINDA used to meet under the library on Maccateer Street.
- Mr Skinner found a sighting of the TARDIS in Woolwich.
Businesses Edit
- Elton first meets Jackie in the Wash Inn laundrette.
Real world Edit
- Elton mentions that he really likes Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra.
- Victor Kennedy reads a copy of The Daily Telegraph.
- Elton quotes Stephen King.
Diseases and illnesses Edit
- Victor Kennedy claims to suffer from "eczeema", which causes him to blister to the touch. Elton asks if he means eczema and later suggests a rash and an itch as possible symptoms.
Foods and beverages Edit
- Jackie makes Elton a cup of tea.
- Jackie gives Elton a glass of wine.
- Elton buys pizza to eat with Jackie.
Story notes Edit
- The working title for this episode was I Love The Doctor. It was created as a comic strip.
- This episode contains a reference to each of the first four series' story arcs: Bad Wolf, Torchwood, Mr Saxon and missing planet Clom.
- There are references to Rose, Aliens of London and The Christmas Invasion, with new footage showing Elton's point of view of those events.
- The foreshadowing of Rose's departure begun in the previous episode continues with Elton wondering how long it will be before Rose and Jackie pay the price for touching the Doctor.
- In the episode commentary, Russell T Davies notes that in an early draft, Elton had been witness to more events in Doctor Who history, specifically incidents from the 1963-1989 run: in this draft, Elton's third birthday party was evacuated because of the "Shoreditch Incident", his mother was killed by a plastic daffodil, and Elton also witnessed the Loch Ness Monster rising from the Thames. Davies had also considered making the viewpoint character of the story a woman.
- This is the first modern attempt at a "Doctor-lite" episode. In these episodes, the Doctor's appearances are restricted to only a few select scenes, in order to allow two episodes of the series to be filmed at the same time; this scheduling was introduced with the 2006 season in order to allow production of a 14th episode, a Christmas special, in the same time it takes to produce 13 regular episodes. This would become an annual tradition henceforth, with a "companion-lite" episode, Midnight, being introduced during the 2008 season.
- Radio Times credits Peter Kay as "Victor Kennedy/Abzorbaloff", while the on-screen credit reads "Victor Kennedy".
- There are conflicting accounts of William Grantham's reception towards the televised presentation of the Abzorbaloff. Producer Phil Collinson attested in the episode's commentary that Grantham was disappointed by the monster's human-sized depiction, having intended it to be the size of a double-decker bus. However, Grantham stated in the 2010 documentary Who Peter that he enjoyed the Abzorbaloff's presentation. Andrew Pixley's notes for the story in DWMSE 14, published in 2006, provided a middle ground by stating that Grantham enjoyed the Abzorbaloff's depiction, but was bemused by its smaller size.
- The sequence where the Doctor and Rose chase the Hoix through a corridor lined with passageways, ending up completely disorientated, mirrors a running gag popularised by the American Hanna-Barbera cartoon Scooby Doo.
- The episode contains a number of possible hints suggesting Elton may be an unreliable narrator, such as the above-mentioned Scooby-Doo door sequence, the fact that we never see Ursula's face on the camera at the end of the episode, and the slightly exaggerated performances during Elton's recap of his supposed presence at key events in the modern series' timeline.
- On the episode page on the official Doctor Who website, neither David Tennant nor Billie Piper are credited as the Doctor or Rose.
Ratings Edit
- 6.7 million, making it the 15th-highest-watched episode of any programme for the week. (UK final)[1]
Myths Edit
- The Hoix heavily resembled a Sycorax, leading it to be mistaken for one in the "next time..." trailer.
- William Graham was disappointed by the size of the Abzorbaloff, as he meant for the alien to be the size of a double-decker bus (He wasn't. Graham has since confirmed in a YouTube video that although that was the original idea, he was just as happy with the human-sized version depicted on-screen).
Filming locations Edit
Love and Monsters was written specifically to be shot mostly on location, so that another unit could be simultaneously filming another episode in the studio. Consequently, it has one of the highest location counts in the history of Doctor Who.
- Adam Street Car Park, Cardiff — The scenes with the Doctor, Rose, Elton and the Abzorbaloff
- Burnell Street, Newport — Scenes near the warehouses in the teaser
- Frederick Street, The Hayes, Cardiff
- Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University
- Hayes Island, Cardiff — Elton in the flashback to Rose
- Helen Place, Splott, Cardiff — Elton spots Jackie Tyler in the street
- Heol Pentwyn, Cardiff — Elton's childhood home
- Jacob's Antique Centre, West Canal Wharf, Cardiff — LINDA headquarters interiors
- Llandaff Fields, Llandaff, Cardiff — Elton and Ursula's initial meeting
- Maeifa Shopping Centre, Llanedeyrn, Cardiff — Elton finds Jackie shopping
- Newport Docks Impounding Station, Newport — The Doctor and Rose's initial scenes with a Hoix
- The Port of Cardiff, Cargo Road, Cardiff Docks — Elton finds the TARDIS in the teaser
- St. David's Market, St. David's Hall, Cardiff — Elton finds Jackie shopping again
- St. Peter's Sports and Social Club, Minster Road, Cardiff — scenes with "young Elton"
- Wash Inn, Broadway, Splott, Cardiff — Laundry scenes with Jackie and Elton
- West Canal Wharf, Cardiff — Brief sequence of Elton running from Abzorbaloff, just prior to Doctor's arrival
- West Wharf Road, Cardiff — LINDA headquarters exteriors
- The Pop Factory, Jenkins Street, Porth
Studio work was completed in one day at Unit Q2, Imperial Park, Imperial Way, Newport
Production errors Edit
- When Victor Kennedy makes his introduction, walking off from the elevator and introducing himself, a female crew member is clearly visible in the doorway behind his right shoulder as the lights come on.
Continuity Edit
- Elton was present during the events of an Auton attack, (TV: Rose) the crash of an alien spaceship (TV: Aliens of London) and the attempted Sycorax invasion. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)
- Kennedy mentions that the Bad Wolf virus affected the Torchwood files on the Doctor.
- Torchwood Three operative Owen Harper, shortly before his death at Turnmill Nuclear Power Station, would confront another Hoix during a mass panic in Cardiff orchestrated by Gray. (TV: Exit Wounds)
- The Abzorbaloff's victims (bar Bliss) would be among those remembered when Davros asked the Doctor: "How many have died in your name?" (TV: Journey's End)
- The Doctor and Rose learn that the Abzorbloff is from Clom. Previously, while she was in the company of the Ninth Doctor, Slist Fayflut Marteveerthon Slitheen acknowledged Clom in a list of Raxas Alliance members to Rose. (COMIC: Doctormania)
- The Doctor was aware of LINDA as early as his fifth incarnation. (TV: Time Crash)
Home video releases Edit
- This story was released as part of a vanilla along with The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit.
- It was later released in the series 2 boxset.
External links Edit
- Love & Monsters at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: Love & Monsters at The Whoniverse
- Love & Monsters at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
- Love & Monsters at The Locations Guide
Footnotes Edit


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Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Thursday May 24, 2012 5:48 pm
Why Facebook Camera and Instagram can easily co-exist
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Internet, Software
Earlier today, Facebook launched its new photo-sharing app, Facebook Camera. Since then, we've seen tons of comments on Facebook and Twitter from people who are making fun of the company for releasing a new app that competes with Instagram, the photo sharing app and company that Facebook just acquired for $1 billion. Really? I thought it was time that we took a closer look at why Facebook Camera makes perfect sense, and how it really doesn't compete against Instagram at all.
This column is directed towards the techies out there who can't seem to get in the mind of the average smartphones user. What you have to realize is that Facebook Camera has three, and only three, purposes:
- Facebook Camera lets you easily share one or many photos on Facebook
- Facebook Camera lets you easily view a feed of the photos of your Facebook friends
- Facebook Camera allows you to tag, like, and comment on your and your friends' Facebook photos
Done. End of story. It's a simple app, but it does the job that it's supposed to do, and does it while looking great. Now, let's look at what Instagram does:
- Instagram allows you to easily share photos--one at a time--with your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Flickr friends. You can also share on Tumblr and Posterous, as well as through email
- Instagram allows you to easily view the people you follow on Instagram, as well as public tagged photos of Instagram users
- Instagram allows you to leave feedback on Instagram photos
See the difference? In its current incarnation, the only thing Instagram does that affects Facebook is optionally allows you to share one image at a time on your Facebook Timeline. That's it. Facebook Camera allows you to share one photo, or a full gallery if you want, with all your Facebook friends, while also allowing you to easily view the images that your friends are posting. You can also comment and tag photos using the app. These are things that are just out of the realm of what Instagram is there to do. Are there similarities? Sure. Both apps allow you to snap photos and share them, and both have filters...but that's kind of it.
Am I off base? Let me know in the comments!
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Registration is ongoing throughout the school year. All families are encouraged to inquire.
St. Martha offers a full-day kindergarten program. A child must be at least 5 years old as of December 31 to start kindergarten in the fall of that kindergarten year. This means that a 4-year-old child may start kindergarten if the child will turn 5 years old on or before December 31 of that kindergarten year.Your child's birth certificate is required at the time of registration.
A child who turns five years old on or before March 1 is eligible to register for Grade 1 in that fall of that same calendar year. For example, this means to register for Grade 1 in September, children must turn five years old on or before March 1. The child's birth certificate is required and one parent's Catholic baptismal certificate is requested to be presented at the time of registration. Resident Catholic students transitioning from kindergarten to Grade 1 in the same school do not need to re-register for Grade 1. Non-resident students need to inquire with the principal of the school to determine if they will be able to register for Grade 1 based on available room and resources. Parents of students not previously registered at any grade level should call the school for an appointment to register.
The Calgary Catholic School District has designated boundaries for all schools. CCSD uses boundaries strategically to ensure optimal student populations that support viable programming across the district. It is the expectation that students will attend their designated school. Please be aware that school attendance boundaries can and do change to accommodate factors including changing demographic information, the opening or closing of a school, to relieve overcrowding in schools, etc.
Students who are born outside of Canada register through the St. John Reception Centre. It is located at 15-12 Street NW and the phone number is 403-500-2007. Students whose first language is not English may be required to complete an English language proficiency assessment. District interpreter services for this appointment are available upon request at no cost to the family. To book an appointment to register, please call 403-500-2007.


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(It's my life)
Yeah, the only one that I'll ever know
Feeling extra low
Please let me go
Oh Lord, no
(It's my life)
Yeah, the only that I'll ever know
And it stressed me so
Oh God, bless me soul
Oh Lord
[Verse 1]
Whether it's the projects or a trailer park mess
Raggedy the apartment complex
With a stressed out single mom sitting on the steps
Waiting on the mailman, looking for a check
Boys on the corner, pushing out the chest
Questing for anything that resembles respect
Young girls swinging their hair with every step
Looking for affection, settling for sex
Bodies decorated with tattoos and chains
Trying to put armor between you and pain
Wood grain steering wheel, the bass bang
But not enough to drown out the hatred in your brain
The only out is smoking out
Get lean, get wet, get meth, get tore down
Cause who the hell would want to stick around?
Put me in a haze, I ain't never coming out
[Verse 2]
They just wanna get you in the system, stick you into prison
List you in the military ship you to the desert
Gigs don't exist for you to make a decent living
But we got three illegal wars that you can pick from
Keep stressing morals and personal decisions
Tell me what's moral about these conditions
Who decided you don't got enough to teach children?
State spending billions, on stadiums and prisons
How many routes can folks really choose?
When you're oppressed only three lead to you
First one is follow the rules and stay in school
Be the square dude, that society approves
Get a little job or a shitty appartment
Sub-prime mortgage in a failing house market
The after your life dedication and hardship
You died just as poor as you was when you started
Fuck that, what's up with the second option?
You could always hit the corner and try to get it popping
Get fast guap when you're out dropping and clocking
But, chances are that you'll probably die violent
The best hope that you got is getting locked
And end up with a job in a prison metal shop
They ain't paying nothing but three hots and a cot -- shit
Don't you know that's the biggest hustle they got?
Or door three you can get on that welfare
But they ain't trying to help, they'll put you in hell there
Give you just enough so you're not gonna starve
And constantly harass you while you're looking for a job
Do luck up and someone that got you to punch a clock
And they found about it and your check is getting docked
Can't win for losing, dehumanizing
You'll never get caught up, you caught up in a cycle
Brother Ali keeps the engaging and thoughtful visuals coming with "Only Life I Know." The Minneapolis spitter takes it to the streets here, as he can be seen waxing poetic in both a city landscape and a trailer park. These are the folks he's speaking to the most, so it's only right he hits these locales.


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The League's online bill search makes it easy for city officials and others to track the League's position on bills, view letters that the League has sent to legislators or contact the League lobbyist working on a bill. League positions and lobbyist assignments are available for all League-tracked current session bills. For League positions on prior session bills, please send an email to Meg Desmond.
Use the search function below to search by bill number or by a word:
Select the links below to search by League policy areas:
1400 K Street, Suite 400Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 658-8200Fax: (916) 658-8240
Strengthening California Cities through Advocacy & Education


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This abbreviated message preached at Foothills Community Church was part of our annual Thanksgiving service, a service primarily given to public sharing of thanks. Below is the audio and video of my message. The sharing has been removed for the protection of those that shared.
Hear the message here.
Overflowing With Thanks
Posted: Monday, December 01, 2014 – 4:14 PM
|| 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


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Third generation family recipes; fast, friendly service; and a comfortable setting make Z's Meze Market the premier place for authentic Mediterranean cuisine in Bozeman. Z's offers spectacular food with Bridger views, on the patio, a comfortable seat in Z's bright, colorful cafe, and food on the go for Bozeman's busiest.
Z's has the best gyros this side of the Parthenon, and Z's Hummus has been a local favorite for seven years, but gyros and hummus are but a small portion of the culinary delights available for diners at Z's Meze Market.
So come and see us here in Z's Meze Market, Bozeman's new favorite restaurant for delicious, authentic Mediterranean food.


text: The information collected is electronically processed to enable the My Home In website to function properly. The recipients of this data are the owners and tenants who view the website, as well as all other commercial partners of My Home In. In accordance with the French law regulating the protection of computer privacy from 6th of January 1978, amended in 2004, you have the right to access and rectify information about yourself, which you may exercise by contacting My Home In.


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ATLANTA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced almost $1.5 million in funding to three universities to develop sustainable drinking water treatment methods. The research grants are funded through EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program. These grants, which supplement last year's grants to eight other universities, are intended to provide innovative treatment methods to protect people's health by keeping harmful contaminants out of drinking water.
In 2010, EPA announced a new drinking water strategy to strengthen protections against contaminants in drinking water and promote cost-effective new technologies to meet the needs of communities across the country struggling with water challenges. The research sponsored by these grants will help satisfy the key goals of this strategy.
The grantees are:
• University of Florida, Gainesville and University of South Florida, Tampa — Identifying, testing, and evaluating the sustainability of ion exchange processes that can treat entire groups of chemical contaminants.
• Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y. — Engineering, developing, and demonstrating an integrated process comprised of membrane technology and electrical discharge plasma generated via a novel reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrode material.
• University of Nevada, Reno — Quantifying the range of drinking water contaminants and contaminant classes that can be removed by membrane distillation, and developing and testing a small-scale pilot system that operates using waste heat
There are approximately 157,000 public drinking water systems in the U.S. regulated by EPA, states, or tribes that provide drinking water to 90 percent of Americans. More than 290 million people living in the U.S. rely on the safety of tap water provided by public water systems that are subject to national drinking water standards.
More information on the grants is available at www.epa.gov/ncer/dwtreatment. More information about EPA's new Drinking Water Strategy is available at http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/dwstrategy/index.cfm.


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I was re-reading a presentation from Mary Meeker and Matt Murphy from Kleiner Perkins on mobile trends and found 3 killer slides that articulate why we are taking mobile so seriously this year. Often research reports from VCs like KPCB are designed to guide investment choices that will pay off down the road. That runway gets shorter and shorter. These slides tell me what we need to do today rather than 12 months from now. I encourage you to view their full presentation and hope KPCB is comfortable with me sharing three of their great slides.
Social Network Use Accelerating the Use of Mobile
Roughly 30% of Facebook's 600mm+ membership are mobile active users of the service. Even more interesting - these mobile users are 2 times more active than the desktop users. There are all sorts of implications here. "Using" Facebook often means publishing pictures, identifying your location, event posting videos. This is over and above the text-base updates, chat and simple, gestural interactions with friends. Partner apps like Instapicture which help process mobile phone-snapped images into a richer image start to drive their own behaviors (taking "artful" photos).
High-bandwidth content like video and streaming music are changing services like Pandora which sees 50% of their use base subscribing via mobile. We will take our experience with us and expect it to seamlessly follow. That is why I love my Ford Fusion Hybrid (cl) - my iPhone connects when I step into the car and starts playing my playlist with no effort on my part. Hands-free calls drop back to the handset as I get out of the car. Brands who are not creating useful and frictionless mobile content and services will not only not reach people, but people will drop their service or avoid their content just because they find it too hard.
Mobile "Device" Doesn't Mean Phone
I don't know how many handset types and manufacturers their are but I know its a lot. Even with the growing domination by Apple, Google/Android and Blackberry in the smartphone space, there are all the many more Web-enabled non-smartphones as well. That's a lot of devices for brands to make content or applications for. Now add to that tablets, cars and new home appliances and there is a lot more to device types to think about. More importantly, there is a lot more user behavior and intent to think about. What I am trying to do from inside my car (not while I am driving, of course) is likely very different than when I stand in the sile at the pharmacy. Brands must continue to hone their skills at understanding the "user journey" and the different intents all along the way to successfully deliver content and services.
Location-aware Shopping Will Earn Loyalty
I was reading a great study a while back on what engenders loyalty from customers. The assumption that "delighting" customers with great service or imported chocolates quickly gave way to the reality that we really appreciate simplicity. If you can reduce the number of button clicks it takes to submit a claims form or get through a checkout line (I would pay good money to get the Barnes & Noble cashiers to stop asking me if I have my member card each time. I always say no. They always say would you like to open an account. I always say no. Meanwhile, an unnecessary :15 seconds has slipped by. Before you say "get over it," time is all I have; that's my scarce resource).
Smart brands are jumping on location-aware commerce and hopefully many of them have it in their head to simplify and streamline the customer experience. That will earn more loyalty.
The High Relevance of Mobile Ads Done Right Will Outperform All Others
Let's face it, advertising is changing dramatically everyday. And I am not talking about the growth of digital. More and more advertisers see advertising as a way to extend the reach of their efforts to provide something of additional value via utility or entertainment. Advertisers agonize over whether the content they create to market a product actually meets some genuine need for the user. Not the product, itself, but the advertising supporting that product. Mobile advertising must serve a purpose for the user, and it must resist the temptation to fall back to ways interuptive just because it can. The demands and high performance of mobile advertising will do more to change advertisers (and their agencies) than anything since the emergence of 'social media.'


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North Korea Vows to 'Settle Accounts' with U.S., and More
What's News: North Korean leader Kim Jong Eun orders rocket prep after U.S. B-2 drill. A top SAC Capital trader is arrested. And EPA plans to require new standards on gas. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... thus the vowing to quote ... the look the arts but the less this is what's news at this hour I'm Thailand Co ... North Korean leader Kim Jong UN stepping up the bellicose rhetoric was doing that he's rocket forces be on standby to strike the US mainland South Korean won in Hawaii ... the threats are in response to America's use of nuclear capable B two bombers in a joint South Korean military drills ... Junheng sets are seen as mostly in eco worse thing South Korea into softening its policies and to wind direct talks and aid from Washington ... at top trader and S A C Capital Advisors is a rested FBI agents are resting longtime S A C Capital portfolio manager ... Michael Steinberg with insider trading charges ... this makes Mr. Steinberg the most senior employee of one of the nation's most prominent hedge funds ... to be snared in the government's deepening investigation ... Mr. Steinberg has been with the firm since nineteen ninety seven during closely with the SEC's founder ... Steven Cohen ... D tells of the charges are expected to be made public later today ... and the Obama administration is moving toward the top you standards to cut pollution from cars ... the Environmental Protection Agency wants to reduce the amount of sulfur gasoline to an average of ten parts per million ... down from the current standard of thirty parts per million ... the move is prompting an outcry for refiners to say the proposal could raise the cost of producing gasoline by nearly ten cents a gallon ... looking keep us in all the latest news about Mr upbeat and what's news I'm WS J


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Android's system UI provides the framework on top of which you build your app, whether you're designing for phones, tablets, watches, or other form factors. Aspects of UI that are especially important for phones and tablets include the Home screen experience, global device navigation, and notifications.
This page introduces these essential UI elements for phones and tablets with links for more information. If you'd like to see the complete designer guide, visit the material design guidelines.
Home, All Apps, and Recents
Home screen
Home is a customizable space that houses app shortcuts, folders and widgets.
All apps screen
The All Apps screen lets users browse the entire set of apps that are installed on your device.
Recents screen
The Recents screen provides an efficient way of switching between recently used apps.
System bars
The system bars are screen areas dedicated to the display of notifications, communication of device status, and device navigation. Typically the system bars are displayed concurrently with your app. Apps that display immersive content, such as movies or images, can temporarily hide the system bars to allow the user to enjoy full screen content without distraction.
Status Bar
Displays app notifications and system status information.
Navigation Bar
Provides the device navigation controls Back, Home, and Recents.
Learn about controlling the system UI
Notifications are brief messages that users can access at any time from the status bar. They provide updates, reminders, or information that's important. Touching a notification opens the associated app.
More design resources
For much more about designing an app for Android devices, see the following pages from the material design guidelines.


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Bloomberg Online Features Op-Ed by Dr. Wright
An op-ed by Dr. Robert Wright, Nef Family Chair of Political Economy and director of the Thomas Willing Institute at Augustana College, is featured in "Echoes," the economic historic blog of Bloomberg's Views:
Why the Early U.S. Didn't Go the Way of the Euro
We usually don't think of the U.S. as a monetary union, but early in its history it essentially was. Unlike the crisis-wracked euro zone, the dollar zone survived its first few decades without a major crisis, providing the fragile young republic with a period of relative stability during which it began to congeal culturally, economically, politically and militarily.
European policy makers hoped that the euro would serve as the unifying and integrating force of the European Union much as, they believed, the dollar had for the early U.S. What the Europeans failed to appreciate was that early America's real glue was not its dollar union but its fiscal one.
Thought Leader Forum
"How Low Will We Go? Long-term Perspectives on a Flailing Economy"
Featuring Dr. Robert Wright
11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, CJ Callaway's
The EU today and the U.S. in the last quarter of the 18th century are not so different, really. Like many Europeans today, most early Americans saw themselves as citizens of their state of birth first and of the wider union second. For them, the U.S. was a compact between sovereign states. General Robert E. Lee joined the Confederacy because he wanted to protect his homeland, which he considered to be Virginia.
The flow of human capital between the states was legally open but in fact limited by cultural considerations. Ethnically and linguistically, early America was diverse but also insular. Most folk preferred to stay with their own, be they Dutch, Forest Finns, Germans, free blacks, Welsh, Scots, Scotch-Irish or one of four flavors of English, each with their own distinctive dialect and religious, marital and childrearing customs. Even movement to the frontier didn't become vigorous until roads were built and military victories against the natives were won.
Similarly, financial capital flowed across state lines in only limited quantities at first. People could lawfully lend money to individuals or businesses in other states, but few did so for fear of being expropriated. Unsurprisingly, interest rates varied from state to state and region to region. Corporations, which proliferated at a prodigious rate after ratification of the Constitution, couldn't yet operate across state lines without prior legislative approval. (Even the right of the two federally chartered central banks to branch across state lines was questioned.)
The early nation was so fractured that the U.S. Armed Forces relied heavily on state militias until after the War of 1812. So what kept the new nation together?
First-rate economic statesmanship, not a shared unit of account. In the early 1790s, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton defined the dollar in terms of gold and silver, but more significantly he established the taxes and institutions (collection system, central bank) that made it possible for the national government to service its own debts and those of the states. Assumption of state debts, as it was called, was positioned not as a bailout but rather as a way of ensuring that each state shouldered the burden of the Revolutionary War equally. Just as importantly, assumption made bondholders beholden to the national government, cementing the union together as Hamilton predicted it would.
The U.S. Constitution effectively prevented state governments from endangering the monetary union by prohibiting them from issuing money or making anything other than gold or silver a legal tender. The Constitution didn't enjoin the states from incurring debt but -- with the exception of assuming war burdens -- the early national government refused all responsibility for state debts.
State governments refrained from large-scale borrowing until the transportation infrastructure boom of the 1820s and '30s. Several defaulted when the economy turned sour in the late 1830s and early '40s, but Washington policy makers refused to come to their aid. (A few states repudiated their debts, but most restructured by mimicking New York's "stop and tax" program and making constitutional restrictions on deficit financing. To this day, many states try to restrict their own borrowing, some more successfully than others.) The U.S. government also declined to pay the debts of the rebel states after the Civil War and enshrined its decision in Section 4 of the Constitution's 14th Amendment.
By leaving state debts to the states, the national government protected itself, the dollar union and the residents of fiscally sound states from the depredations of profligate or rapacious ones (like Rhode Island, which was so willing to benefit at the expense of other states that it was referred to as Rogue Island). What kept the tender young republic together during its formative decades, then, was not a shared unit of account called the dollar but a shared sense of fairness. Debts incurred in the defense of all were shared by all. Debts undertaken to build a state canal or to thwart federal law were not.
Kelly Sprecher
Communications & Media Relations


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ITS assists with technology purchases including computers and software, and we are able to offer you the lowest price option on Adobe software for use on Oxy-owned computers.
Purchase Requests
Please send purchase requests to the Technology Helpdesk. We'll get a quote for you and send it back for your approval before placing the order. If you're not sure exactly what you need we'll be happy to talk through the options for you to figure out what would best meet your needs.
Standard computers
Dell Latitude laptop computers
Dell Optiplex Desktops
Apple MacBook Pro Laptops
iMac Desktop Computers
Adobe Software
We have a Volume License Agreement with Adobe that allows us to get the best possible pricing for Occidental College Adobe licenses for use on Oxy-owned computers. Pick a single product from their catalog or compare the Creative Suite options. Send your purchase request to the Technology Helpdesk; we'll let you know the cost, and place the order for you after you approve the cost.
For Adobe software purchases for personal use, your status as a current student or employee allows you to order Adobe software at a significant discount from reputable online retailers such as JourneyEd or Academic Superstore. Instructions on what you need to do to verify your current status are available on the websites.


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You are currently using an unsupported web browser.
We support the latest versions of these browsers:
If you have any problems while attempting to download a browser, you should contact your organization's system administrator.
For any questions related to Cvent, feel free to contact our Customer Care team.
Showcase your skills on the most powerful venue sourcing platform. Get Certified for free.
Capital of the German state of Lower Saxony, Hannover is a city of half a million residents best known for hosting huge trade fairs and for Hannover MICE venues that boast spectacular Oktoberfests. Frequently spelled "Hanover," this city on the River Leine is diverse, young at heart, and one of Europe's most popular MICE destinations.
The city's main airport is the Hannover Airport, which is 20 minutes north of the city center and the ninth largest airport in Germany, featuring direct and connecting flights to major European cities and beyond.
Large meetings have no lack of places to convene in Hannover. Located just outside of the city is the spectacular Hannover Fairgrounds and Exhibition Grounds, which serves as the largest exhibition center in the world. Its striking architecture and grassy park-like areas complement its 29 halls and pavilions, fantastic public transportation connections, and more than five million square feet of covered indoor and open-air space.
All average costs based on U.S. Government Per Diem rates as published by the U.S. General Services Administration.
Hannover's marine climate brings mild temperatures, warm summers and winters with heavy rainfall. The city's average annual temperature comes in at a high of 56°F and a low of 42°F. With an average high of 74°F and low of 56°F, July serves as its warmest month, while January serves as its coldest, with an average high of 39°F and low of 30°F.
Deutsche Messe AG
Flughafen Hannover-Langenhagen (HAJ)
Approximate taxi fare: 23 EUR
Set about 20 minutes north of central Hannover, Hannover Airport serves as Germany's ninth largest airport, accommodating more than 5 million passengers each year. The airport features access to domestic, international, regular, and low-cost airlines, with direct and connecting flights to major European cities and beyond. Passengers enjoy a number of shopping and dining options, as well as access to the Hannover Airport train line, which runs directly from Terminal C to the Hannover Main Railway Station in less than 20 minutes.
Greater Hannover Transport Network
The extensive Greater Hannover Transport Network serves as the city's public transport system, operating 170 bus lines, 12 city tram lines, and 18 regional and suburban train lines in and around the city. Fares are based on a zone system. Passengers can purchase a HannoverCard to enjoy discounts on Hannover city tours, dining, and attractions.
Rental Cars
Hannover Airport features rental car stations for Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty, Sixt, and Volkswagen Financial Services Rent-A-Car, all located on the arrivals level between Terminals A and B.
Visitors traveling from Hannover Airport to central Hannover should expect to pay approximately 23 EUR in taxi fare.
There are no current promotions in Hannover, Germany.
Interested in placing a promotion? Call Cvent for information on advertising opportunities at 1-866-318-4358.
Search Germany - Hamburg / North Promotions


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HP's Turnaround Progress Slow but Sure, Says CEO Whitman
Hewlett-Packard, the troubled computing giant that has been trying to turn itself around, reported its second quarter earnings a few minutes ago, and they're a mixed bag: Better than expected on the bottom line, but weaker on the top. HP shares were rising by nearly 13 percent in early after-hours trading.
A conference call with analysts concluded just a little while ago. On it, CEO Meg Whitman and CFO Cathie Lesjak reiterated that the turnaround roadmap they outlined at a meeting last year is still going about as expected, and that it is and will remain a multi-year plan. They've focused a lot of energy on paying down HP's debt and improving its operations while making the investments to inject new life into its products lines.
There were also questions about HP's decision to avoid fighting Dell in the PC business over pricing. Dell has recently said it was getting aggressive in order to take share, while HP has apparently decided to hold on to its profit margins at the expense of sales volume.
It will also be worth listening for hints of and adjustments in the strategy and timing of the turnaround plan put in place by CEO Meg Whitman and outlined at last year's analyst's meeting.
Also, HP earlier today released a video with Whitman summarizing the highlights of the quarter's results.
Here's a partial transcript of the conference call.
2:06 pm: Joining the conference call in progress. Meg Whitman is speaking. She just said that Europe will continue to be challenging and that China is starting to slow down.
Meg says revenue run-off in Enterprise Services will be slower than expected and will affect overall revenue in 2014.
In the Enterprise Group: Converged infrastructure is the future. Also, the two server groups are being merged into one. Project Moonshot lost during the quarter, but it will "take time to ramp." But she's confident that it will work to HP's advantage without cannibalizing the existing server business.
In networking, HP is a strong number two after Cisco Systems, and its switching revenue is as much as the next five competitors combined, she says.
In software, Autonomy is stabilizing, and Vertica is looking good. The business is "well positioned." Autonomy landed All Nippon Airways as a customer.
Now she's speaking about areas where HP's performance needs to improve. PCs is an area where it needs to fight harder. In mainstream servers, HP suffered from the conditions of the market and was tripped up "by our own execution."
In PCs, "We stepped away from many deals to protect our bottom line."
One key difference between the first half of this year and the first half of last year was that the PC industry roared back to life after hard drive supplies were disrupted by the flooding in Thailand.
2:16 pm: Whitman: "Overall our turnaround made progress in the second quarter."
Now CFO Cathie Lesjak is speaking, and she's running through the numbers again.
"IT spending softened and the macro-environment clearly did not improve."
Revenue in most geographic regions was all down.
Software was down some as the industry is shifting to SAAS, Lesjak says.
2:29 pm: Revenue was down in financial services.
Lesjak is now talking about capital allocation and the balance sheet: We delivered more than $5 billion in the first half of the year, which is ahead of our previous guidance. But we do not expect this pace to continue.
Outlook: We remain confident in our ability to manage our cost structure. We are still on track to achieve the savings we've planned, but some business units are using these savings.
Moonshot launch was very successful, but we are not pleased with performance of x86 server sales. Printing continues to perform well.
Generally Lesjak expects lower restructuring expenses. "We now expect 2013 free cash flow to be about $7.5 billion."
2:35 pm: Now time for Q&A. First question is from Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley. Do you still think you can get to revenue neutral in services?
Whitman: We are rebuilding ourselves amid some of the most profound changes to hit the technology industry in a generation. The slower run-off in revenue will hurt us, but if 3Par and other business units perform as we expect, we expect to grow in 2014, but there will still be headwinds.
Whitman talked about some options for capital allocations. She says it's mostly going to be "returns based," meaning a bias toward share buybacks and dividends, and not M&A activity.
Question from J.P. Morgan. Again about services. What is your confidence in the planned services leakage events happening in 2014? Can you still unwind these planned attrition events? Basically he's asking if some ineffective service contracts will get fixed.
Whitman: There is some predictability coming that was not there in 2012. "The control of this business is feeling better than it did before."
Whitman: "We are fixing a lot of the problems that are keeping HP from being great. … This takes time. This is an enormous organization."
Question from Sanford Bernstein: Could you clarify your plan for balancing profitability vs. growth? What is the near to medium term focus on share or profitability?
Whitman: We're here to set this company up for the long term. In ISS (industry standard servers) we did walk away from some deals that weren't profitable. In terms of Technology Services, one big headwind was the attach rate of support to sales of Business Critical Services (BCS, a.k.a. the Itanium server business).
Lesjak: We may well be more aggressive in pricing on an industry standard server if we're getting attached to TS. We'll take a lower margin based on the complete picture, and the long-term outlook on the account.
Question from Shannon Cross. More color on currency effects. Also pricing on the printer front from the Japanese companies.
Lesjak: Currency is about a point to revenue. It had been two points. "HP is exposed to a whole basket of currencies, and we have different hedging strategies."
2:49 pm: Lesjak: We think our cost savings in the second half are creating a war chest for our Japanese competitors.
Whitman: We're going to use that opportunity to fight back. Our competitors are more cost competitive because of what has happened to the yen.
Whitman: "The days of ever-escalating IT budgets in government are over."
3:03 pm: That's it. Thanks for tuning in.


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1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Coffee, definitely. My motto is, "Caffeine is good for you." If I stopped drinking coffee I'd probably fall asleep and nap for a couple of days until I catch up.
4. What else can you do besides write?
I can play the bass and I used to play in a couple of rock bands when I lived in Sweden. It's a lot of fun. Playing with a band takes time though, so I haven't sought out any new "playmates" since I moved to Florida. The dogs listen patiently, so I have a little audience. LOL!
5. Who are you reading right now?
Right now I'm reading the World of Destiny series by Robert Landry. It's about a few survivors struggling to make a new life after the end of the world as we know it. I love discovering new writers!
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
It's a scene from my novel Undercover. This is a contemporary novel, not science fiction at all, and the hero is a Russian spy. He faces an impossible choice when he is on a mission together with an overzealous colleague who sets about killing their target's family. Our hero isn't able to save them, and it scars him profoundly. I was pretty happy with the scene once I was done with it, but my editor thought it was too gruesome and it didn't make it to the final version of the novel. She was probably right - if I had a hard time writing it people might not appreciate reading it... I've been thinking of putting it as an "extra" on my website, but I haven't gotten around to it.
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
Everywhere. The most mundane situations can trigger my mind to play the "What if" game. "What if a spaceship would land right here, right now. What would all these people do?" "What if the guy over there is really an undercover cop trying to infiltrate a gang?" "Ooooh, an airplane. What if it carries someone with a mysterious package, no wait, a bundle of documents, no... Let's make it secret drawings." "This coffee tastes strange. Hmm, what if it contains something that allows people to control other people's brains." You get the idea; my head is filled with stuff like that all the time.
9. Food you could eat everyday.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
13. Celebrity crush.
Steve Bacic, definitely. He is very cute. ;-)
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
Originally born in Sweden, Maria Hammarblad moved to Florida late 2008, and today she lives in the Tampa Bay area with her husband Mike and their rescue dogs. Most known for writing science fiction romance, she also writes contemporary novels and award winning screenplays. Besides a number of self published books, she currently has two novels published through Desert Breeze Publishing and three more scheduled for 2013. Her biggest interest besides writing is playing bass.
Find Maria online at these links:
WEBSITE - http://www.hammarblad.com
- http://www.scifiromance.info
- https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad
- http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarblad
It's a late winter night when Patricia Risden heads home in her car, on a road she's driven many times before. She doesn't have a care in the world, that is, until a man appears from nowhere, right in front of her.
The next thing she knows is being a prisoner of the unscrupulous Alliance Commander Travis 152; an intimidating man who demands information and complete cooperation. Travis soon realizes his mistake; Tricia doesn't know anything, and she is incapable of even getting a glass of water from the ship's computer.
Infamous for being a ruthless executioner, conditioned since childhood to feel nothing besides fear and pain, he still deems her harmless, and finds enough pity for the lost young woman to let her out of the cell; a decision that will change both their lives forever.
Buy Kidnapped:
- http://amzn.com/B00825645A


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This Sunday (January 31) at 3 p.m. Arts at Coker presents an organ recital by Dong-Ill Shin. Coker United Methodist Church is located at 231 E. North Loop Rd.
An organ virtuoso, his playing garners rave reviews from around the world. Dong-Ill Shin has been the winner of many international organ competitions including the American Guild of Organists' National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance in 2004 and the Chartres International Organ Competition in 2006.
Here is a 8 minute video of him playing the fugue from J. S. Bach's Prelude and Fugue in e minor BWV 548 at Torch Center, Seoul, Korea in 2007.
Jack Fishman
Email: email@example.com
Web: www.sasymphony.org
Twitter @SASym
Facebook: San Antonio Symphony
For more blogs by Jack Fishman visit: http://www.sasymphony.org/blog


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A judge forces the federal agency that squashed the PACE home energy program to draft rules and start over.
At Rod Stevenson's sprawling country home in Santa Rosa, Calif., in Sonoma County, once-leaky walls and windows are now sealed tight for energy efficiency, and his roof and yard are glittering with two dozen solar panels.
"We expect to save about $10,000 a year," on electricity and heating bills, Stevenson says, a nearly 70 percent drop from last year.
Stevenson, 62, runs a successful, century-old family business that sells construction supplies and materials to control soil erosion in Northern California. But retirement was hanging over him and his wife. "I really wanted to get to the point where we could get our [utility] bill down to virtually nothing," Stevenson recalls.
So last year, after spotting an ad for a local financing program that lets homeowners slash energy consumption at no upfront cost, he applied. Since October, Stevenson has borrowed $140,000 from Sonoma County to retrofit his $1 million home and add renewable power. The debt gets repaid over two decades through a special assessment of $3,500 on his twice-yearly property tax bill.
"It just made dollars and sense to do it," Stevenson says.
The three-year-old initiative, called the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program, is one of the few and the largest in the country to embrace the contentious Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, model. So far, the financing technique has helped about 1,720 Sonoma homeowners and 50 commercial property owners upgrade their homes and buildings.
One of the richest counties in California, Sonoma has spent more than $56 million in public funds to finance the liens. That investment has created 680 jobs across the U.S. clean economy, including about 70 local positions in construction and engineering, the county says.
Today, cities and counties nationwide are looking to Sonoma for guidance on how to get their own such programs off the ground at a difficult time, when federal authorities have branded PACE a steep risk to the still-shaky U.S. housing market.
Inside the PACE Program Controversy
The PACE financing technique was developed in 2008 by the City of Palm Desert in California's Coachella Valley. The city crafted statewide legislation, called AB811, which gave California cities and counties the greenlight to adopt the model.
The idea was based on a decades-old scheme for infrastructure projects. Local governments that want to build sidewalks or fire stations, for instance, can finance them by tacking special assessments on residents' property taxes. When homeowners sell their properties, the new owners inherit the surcharge.
The PACE program was seen as an engine for energy improvements and job creation at a time when banks were increasingly hesitant to approve loans for expensive upgrades. For every 100 homes that get major retrofits, at least 10 jobs are created, says PACENow, an advocacy group.
More than half of states passed laws permitting local governments to adopt PACE financing. And in early 2010, the Department of Energy awarded $150 million in stimulus to help dozens of localities jumpstart their programs.
Little of that, however, trickled to PACE initiatives. In July 2010, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), overseer of the nation's largest mortgage buyers and resellers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, issued a statement saying PACE posed "significant risks" to mortgage finance companies and urged all local governments to suspend their programs.
Most did just that. And the DOE, unable to persuade the agency to accept the PACE model, instructed recipients of PACE funding to direct that money toward other efficiency programs such as cash rebates for energy-saving appliances.
Today, having a home with a PACE loan is like being branded with a scarlet "R" for risk, advocates lament.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, among others, have refused to accept new mortgages with PACE liens. Owners who want to refinance old mortgages are required to pay off their PACE debt before companies will agree to new terms or conditions on their mortgages.
FHFA says there are valid reasons for this. In most states, PACE payments—like all property tax assessments—are given "first lien" status. Meaning, if a PACE home goes into foreclosure, local governments must get paid back first, followed by mortgage companies—a situation that could cause losses to mortgage firms if homeowners default on both debts.
An FHFA spokesperson says the agency "worked with government agencies and met with PACE representatives regarding the risk from the absence of sound underwriting and the effect of the first-lien positions" in the PACE model. "FHFA is charged with preserving and conserving assets, which includes avoiding safety and soundness risks to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
But advocates of PACE reject the idea that it's risky lending. The National Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, says that of the 2,700 homes with PACE assessments nationwide, only 24 properties—less than one percent—have defaulted on their mortgages. Overall, more than 4 percent of mortgage loans are in foreclosure nationwide.
Proponents even argue that PACE can help the housing industry. By slashing energy costs, homeowners free up more cash to put toward their mortgages. And retrofitting old, leaky houses increases the value of the homes, they say.
For now, the FHFA's warning has stopped "most of the [PACE programs] in their tracks," says David Gabrielson, executive director of PACENow. Of the "hundreds" of programs that were once in the works, he says, only a handful of them, including Sonoma's, remain.
Sonoma's Program: Can It Be a National Model?
Sonoma was one of the first local governments to adopt a PACE program after Palm Desert passed the state's pioneering law in 2008.
Liz Yager, the county's energy and sustainability manager, says that PACE was "a natural follow-on" policy for Sonoma. In 2006, the county agreed to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2015 from 1990 levels. "It just seemed like a great mechanism to do that work," she says of PACE.
The program was also a way to save or create new jobs as the recession slammed the local construction industry, Yager says. PACE "is like a local stimulus package."
Sonoma has roughly 480,000 residents and a median household income of $59,000, about 2 percent more than the state of California and 18 percent above the national average, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Yager says the county's treasury was "healthy" enough in 2009 to provide the $1 million in start-up money needed to design and carry out the PACE initiative.
To fund the PACE liens, the county's financing authority pooled $60 million in savings from the treasury office and the water agency. The county can borrow funds from that pool by purchasing bonds at a 3 percent interest rate—or double the rate it typically pays public agencies when it buys bonds for improvement projects, Yager says.
Homeowners get up to 20 years to pay for the upgrades on their property tax bills at an interest rate of around 7 percent, often a better deal than a regular bank loan.
In Sonoma, the average PACE project costs about $28,000 per home, putting Rod Stevenson's assessment on the high end. For homeowners who don't add solar panels, it can be much cheaper.
Dennis and Albina Layden, for instance, are using PACE to help pay off a $12,000 retrofit on their 1950s-era home in Santa Rosa. Before making the upgrades in late 2010, the couple's house had no insulation in the walls or the attic.
"I'm living better, because the house is warm all the time, and I don't have to wear hats and coats and sweaters," indoors, Dennis Layden says.
So far, Sonoma has spent $56 million of its funding pool, and $9 million in PACE assessments have already been paid back, leaving the county with $13 million left to distribute. Yager says that other Sonoma agencies are considering investing in the PACE program. Further, a new bill in California's legislature would allow local treasuries to invest up to 5 percent of their funds into PACE. That would free up an additional $30 million from Sonoma's treasury for the program, Yager says.
Yager notes that the program has sparked enormous interest from cities and counties nationwide. "We get so many phone calls from people that want to" offer PACE financing.
That interest led the county to create a 140-page "Replication Guidance Package." The guide, published on its website on March 30, is based on California laws and focuses mainly on Sonoma's initiative, but the idea is to give cities and counties a starting point for designing their own models.
Yager and others concede that Sonoma's PACE model won't work everywhere. Few municipalities have the savings to fund start-up costs and program expenses, and banks have grown leery of PACE-related lending. Homeowners, too, have become hesitant to add PACE surcharges to their property bills, now that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have refused to back new mortgages or refinance old ones with PACE liens.
Martin Alvarez, the energy manager for Palm Desert, says that residential PACE applications have dropped from six per month at the start of the program to just two per month in the city of 50,000 people. The FHFA's opposition "has put a significant throttle on our program."
Yager says that participation in Sonoma's program fell from an average 52 applications per month to about 26 applications for the same reason. But she notes that the county's residents are less affected by the refusal of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to back PACE assessments than those in other places. Homes in Sonoma often require bigger loans than the two mortgage giants are permitted to lend.
Where Things Stand at the Federal Level
The FHFA's rejection of PACE dates back to a June 2009 letter it sent to banking supervisors and creditors, mortgage regulators, governors and state legislators, saying that PACE liens would "increase homeowner debt burdens" and spread the risk of default.
Fannie Mae forwarded that letter to its mortgage sellers and loan managers and did so again in May 2010, along with Freddie Mac.
In July of that year, the FHFA released its strongest statement yet, declaring that PACE programs "present significant safety and soundness concerns" to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 12 government-sponsored Federal Home Loan Banks, which provide funding to financial institutions that offer home mortgages. It called for all state and local governments to suspend their PACE programs.
Two weeks later, 60 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to President Obama to express their support for PACE. They urged the president to work with the FHFA to find a way to both allay the agency's concerns and allow PACE financing to continue.
The FHFA's July statement "will have a severe impact on our economy, our local communities, and our goal to move to a clean energy economy and establish energy dependence," they wrote. "Many Americans, states, and municipalities are counting on this program to be restored."
Yager says that Sonoma paused its program after the July letter, but brought it back a week later when the county's board of supervisors declared support for PACE. The county later tightened its application standards, which reflect those proposed in a bipartisan House bill. Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.) introduced the bill in July 2011 to make a nationwide PACE program more palatable to the housing industry. The bill, which has 53 co-sponsors, is stuck in a House subcommittee.
In Sonoma, for instance, applicants can't be in bankruptcy or behind on other property tax payments to qualify, and their home mortgages can't be "underwater," or homes with values less than the size of the mortgage.
Just 1.1 percent of people with PACE assessments have fallen behind on mortgage payments by 60 days or more, Yager says. By contrast, she says, an average of about 8 percent of homeowners across the county have defaulted on their mortgages in recent years.
Sonoma Takes Legal Action Against FHFA
Last year, Sonoma filed a lawsuit against the FHFA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a federal district court in Northern California. Other plaintiffs in the suit are Palm Desert and California's Placer County, which shut down its PACE program, and the Sierra Club, an environmental group. Similar lawsuits were filed in Bablyon, N.Y., which has a PACE program, and in Leon County, Fla., which has a pilot initiative.
In all cases, plaintiffs argued that the housing authority unfairly rejected the PACE program without seeking comments or performing any studies, which is required of federal rulemaking agencies.
In August, the district court judge in California sided with PACE advocates and found that the FHFA violated the Administrative Procedures Act when it issued the letters condemning the program. The decision forced the agency to seek public comments on whether it should maintain, change or do away with its restrictions on PACE. By the end of the 60-day comment period on March 26, the FHFA received more than 32,000 comments, including a letter in support of PACE from the DOE.
The FHFA is slated to issue a draft proposal for rules on the PACE program on May 26. A final proposal is expected sometime later this year.
Forging Ahead with Commercial PACE Models
Despite the obstacles facing residential PACE programs, at least a dozen or so local governments are applying the model to retrofit stores, offices and warehouses, says Gabrielson of PACENow.
"Commercial PACE is directed at buildings that aren't mortgaged by Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac, and therefore don't fall under the restrictions that the FHFA has imposed," he says.
In Sacramento, for instance, the municipal government signed a deal last fall to offer at minimum $100 million in financing to commercial buildings through Ygrene Energy Fund, a Santa Rosa-based firm that specializes in PACE programs. The firm sets up initiatives for local governments, secures financing from Barclays Capital, a global British investment bank, and administers PACE funds.
Ygrene is funding commercial PACE programs in seven cities in Florida, including Miami, and is in talks with more than 10 other municipalities nationwide, the company says.
Sacramento's PACE program could create about 1,100 jobs and spur $150 million in economic activity over the life of the city's five-year contract with Ygrene, according to an economic impact study commissioned by the city.
Yvette Rincon, Sacramento's sustainability program manager, says the city is reworking its contract with Ygrene to potentially offer a pilot PACE program for homeowners as well. The city estimates that up to a third of home mortgages are not backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
"Our unemployment rate is about 11 percent, and in the construction sector it's even higher than that," she says. "We are confident that we'd be putting [people] back to work" through the PACE programs.


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Kibbie: 2012 Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award
Iowa State Senator Jack Kibbie was recognized by the Iowa Hospital Association as 2012 outstanding legislator of the year in the Iowa Senate.
Kris Ausborn, president of the Palo Alto County Hospital Board of Trustees, presented the award to him at the Trustee meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
"We are honored to present this award to Senator Kibbie", commented Kris Ausborn. "Jack has always been available to discuss issues important to our local hospital as well as hospital issues throughout Iowa. We will miss his representation in the Iowa Senate."
Throughout his long tenure in the Legislature, Jack has always been a strong advocate for rural health care issues and in particular has been a tremendous advocate for public hospitals across the state.
Senator Kibbie retired at the end of the 2012 session, though his enthusiasm for policy and politics is likely to continue in new endeavors.
First elected to the Iowa General Assembly in 1961, Jack was re-elected in 2008 to his seventh term in the Iowa Senate. He served two terms as Senate President and represents District 4, which includes Emmet, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas and Humboldt Counties.


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Thousands of employees of Swiss banks are finding that their employers are hanging them out to dry in exchange for hoped-for leniency in connection with American accounts involved in a tax evasion investigation.
Bloomberg reported Thursday that several Swiss banks so far have turned over data that included telephone records and e-mails for employees who were within Swiss law but in violation of U.S. law in setting up accounts for U.S. citizens who were then able to evade taxes.
As previously reported by AdvisorOne, Swiss bank Wegelin & Co. was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on Feb. 2 on charges that it helped its U.S. clients keep money from the IRS. Funds were seized from UBS, its correspondent bank in the U.S., on charges that Wegelin took over U.S. clients from UBS and continued to assist them in hiding money from the IRS. In 2009, UBS reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ and paid $780 million on charges of fraud and conspiracy in connection with the tax evasion scheme.
Other Swiss banks have seen their country's tradition of secrecy worn down as the DOJ continued to pursue its investigation. Swiss companies are forbidden to turn over evidence in foreign legal proceedings; however, the Federal Council made an exception in April after the Swiss government was petitioned by numerous banks in the matter.
As a result, the council gave its consent to allow banks to surrender the names of staff members, a move that Alec Reymond, a former president of the Geneva Bar Association, called illegal in the report. Reymond is representing two members of Credit Suisse's staff.
Douglas Hornung, a Geneva-based lawyer who represents 40 current and former employees of HSBC Holdings' Swiss unit, Credit Suisse Group and Julius Baer Group, was quoted saying, "The banks are burning their own people to try and cut deals with the DOJ. This violation of personal privacy is unprecedented in the Swiss banking industry."
According to Hornung's estimates, at least five banks have given up the data on up to 10,000 employees to pacify U.S. authorities. He also said banks have turned over not just correspondence, but also copies of their employees' passports.
Credit Suisse said that it had been authorized to surrender staff names by the Swiss government. Marc Dosch, a bank spokesman, said in the report, "Credit Suisse provided the U.S. authorities with internal business documents that show how it ran its U.S. cross-border business. The large majority of Credit Suisse employees complied with the applicable laws and regulations and have nothing to fear."
Julius Baer and Zuercher Kantonalbank also said they were authorized to take the action. HSBC said it is cooperating with U.S. authorities and has also turned over documents. Credit Suisse, HSBC and Julius Baer have all said they expect to resolve the issue by paying fines. "The Federal Council had no right to grant permission for banks to send any information to a foreign authority," said Marcel Niggli in the report. Niggli, a professor of law at the University of Fribourg, added, "The companies know the risk of penalties in Switzerland is insignificant compared with the business risk in the U.S. It's a cold-blooded action by the banks."
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the Swiss President and Federal Council head, said in a July 31 letter that Swiss banks, not the government, must be responsible for delivering any data on their U.S. businesses. She also said that despite the authorization by the Swiss government to allow banks to defend their interests, it had not specifically designated which types of information could be provided to authorities in the U.S. Therefore, employees can pursue actions against the banks if they believe that their information was illegally provided.
The argument over disclosure of employee data appears to be escalating, particularly after an Aug. 6 report in Tribune de Geneve concerning the case of two teenagers who were detained at an airport and questioned by U.S. authorities about their father's wealth management business.
"I don't think anybody understood back in 2006 when they were going after UBS the full extent to which the DOJ and IRS would pursue this," said Jeffrey Morse in the report. Morse, a Geneva-based lawyer at Withers LLP, added, "We now live in a world where banks are willing to break local laws if they deem it helpful in defending against the IRS."
Eric Delissy, who headed the legal department at HSBC's Swiss unit from 1998 to 2003, said in the report, "We didn't even have any U.S. clients back then. I feel betrayed." Delissy said that because his name was among those sent to the U.S., he now expects to be arrested if he travels outside Switzerland.
Niggli said that it would be possible for the Swiss government to partially block any prosecution by the country's attorney general of the banks for surrendering the names of their employees to the U.S.
In the report, he was quoted saying, "The respect for the rule of law has declined in a way I simply thought unimaginable a few years ago. The government treats these business interests of the banks as if they were the business interests of Switzerland because the U.S. market is so enormously important."