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BERLIN (AP) — The leaders of Germany and India said Thursday that progress is being made on a new free trade agreement between India and the European Union but cautioned that there is still work to be done.
Negotiations have been ongoing for six years and officials had hoped to conclude the agreement by the end of 2012. But the agreement has been hung up over a wide range of issues, including EU demands for intellectual property protections and investor guarantees, as well as import duties on automobiles.
The EU is already India's largest trade partner and the Indian economy is growing robustly, leading German and other European businesses to increasingly look there for new opportunities. India, meantime, is eager for greater integration in global markets as its economic power expands.
Speaking after a joint meeting of their governments, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said they were optimistic the agreement could be concluded soon.
Germany, one of the world's largest exporters and home to several large automakers including Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW, has been in particular worried about import duties on cars and other vehicles.
Merkel said "a balanced treatment of the automobile industry is important" before the deal can be signed. "I think we came a step closer today but there are still different expectations on both sides that we need to overcome," she said.
Merkel suggested in general, however, both sides were willing to make compromises, saying "we cannot expect every country to eagerly accept all of the wishes Germany might have," while adding that she also has "the feeling there is a great readiness to be forthcoming on India's part."
Singh said the two leaders had a "very thorough discussion" of the automobile issue. He said he hoped that meetings between both sides later this week in Brussels would produce further progress.
Regarding wider EU concerns on insurance sector restrictions, Singh said his Cabinet has proposed raising the permitted foreign shareholdings from 26 percent to 49 percent but said the measure still needs parliament's approval.
In other comments, Singh praised Merkel's "insight and commitment" in her handling of the Eurozone's financial woes, saying it "gives me confidence that Europe's crisis atmosphere will be tackled in the months to come."
"We would like a strong Eurozone," he said. "It is in the interest of all developing countries."

subset: commoncrawl


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Dear Editor,
Worldwide, approximately 1 million people die by suicide each year. This represents a global mortality rate of one death every 40 seconds. This toll is higher than the total number of deaths each year from war and homicide combined. For every person who dies by suicide, there are numerous survivors left behind to cope with the tragic loss.
Too often survivors of suicide loss believe the death of their loved ones is somehow shameful or that they or their family are to blame. But research shows that more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have an underlying, although not always diagnosed, psychiatric illness at the time of their death, most often depression.
The holiday season can be a particularly difficult time for survivors. To help, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's International Survivors of Suicide Day will be held on Saturday, November 23rd in more than 300 cities around the world, including right here in Grundy County. Those left behind to struggle with all the "Whys?" following a death by suicide are invited to Engelkes-Abels Dike Funeral Chapel, 680 Main Street, Dike, Iowa on that day. Check-in will begin at 12:30 p.m. with program to start at 1:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.abelsfuneralhomes.com or call 319.830.4333.
Robyn J. Plocher, AfterCare Specialist


text:
The Story: Chapter 9 / The Faith of a Foreign Woman
Pg. 121-128
Ruth 4:1-12
You can purchase a copy of The Story in the Church Office.
© 2018 First Baptist Church Lewisville. All rights reserved. MacroMedia Flash Player 7 and Adobe Acrobat are required to view portions of the site.


text:
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text:
a rural settler scene played out many times in colonial Americas, from the New England backcountry to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Alleghenies. The name 'Hillbilly' reflected both the ethnicity and geography of the Scots-Irish pioneers in North America. Illustration by Fergus Elder.
The article below was submitted by Fergus Elder, a native of Northern Ireland that has lived in Lancashire, UK, for some ten years now, where he teaches school.
One note from the editor's desk... the terms Hillbilly, Redneck, Cracker, etc., all refer to the same group here in my native South. The terms are not necessarily derogatory, it entirely depends on context. All three are still to this day commonly used affectionately within Anglo-Celtic society in the South. This community is more diverse than the media stereotypically defines it and you will find it has Plantation origin Ulster Scots, but also many Highland Scots, Highland Scots from Ireland (Redshanks), native Irish, Border English and Scots, Welsh and even Manx, and all went into the making of the Hillbilly.
The Ulster Origins of an American Icon
by Fergus Elder
by Fergus Elder
Hillbilly. American [sic] colloquialism., often derog. A person from a remote rural area in a southern State. Oxford English Dictionary
Hillbilly. Noun. A disparaging term for an un-sophisticated person.
…a pejorative term for people who lived in isolation in mountainous regions of North America such as the Appalachian Mountains and Ozarks. Webster's American Dictionary
I have chosen an expression which crops up frequently in popular use but which few people (even relatively well informed people) seem to know the origins of; add to this the paradoxical and apparently undeserved present day connotations associated with it, and we have an idiom which is somewhat misunderstood – "hillbilly".
The term hillbilly can be broken down and simplified into the more easily understood, if less comprehensive definition; "hill" – mountain dweller or person who lives in the hills and, "billy" – a protestant of mainly Scots-Irish descent and follower of William of Orange. Bill or Billy is short for William hence, "hillbilly" – a protestant who lives in the hills. Both the Oxford English and Webster's American dictionaries give the definition for hillbilly as being made up of - part modern social perception and part geographical fact. The term itself is an historic one which dates back to the latter part of the 17th Century and the reign of James II. James was the catholic incumbent and as such, was much disliked by the mainly protestant inhabitants of Ulster, who's allegiance lay firmly with the Dutch Prince, William of Orange who, it was hoped might himself accede to the English throne and by doing so, re-establish a protestant monarchy. In 1689, he did just that, with the help of first and second generation Scots and English Planters now living in the north of Ireland. Due to their fierce loyalty to the protestant King, William III, they became known as "Billy-boys", a term still in use today in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, although few would dispute its negative, sectarian connotations. Within a generation, the nickname had crossed the Atlantic to the American colonies and, in its new guise, would reflect the destination of choice for a significant number of 18th century Scots-Irish settlers, namely, the low hills and ridges of the eastern Appalachians ◊. The expression Hillbilly was born.
It is unfortunate, not to mention odd, though, that a title first used to describe a group of pious and enterprising settlers has, in more recent times, become synonymous with rustic vulgarity, ignorance and slovenliness. Is it fair, for instance, that a people such as the descendants of the backwoods and mountain dwelling farmers of Scots-Irish heritage – the original hillbillies - should have become, not only connected with, but the focus of, such long standing ridicule within American society - a society on which they, as a group, have had a no small measure of influence?
Today, the term hillbilly is used insultingly, in reference to, on the whole, white, working class Americans. Interestingly, another word, "redneck" like hillbilly which it pre-dates, can also be traced back to Ulster-Scottish roots. The name is taken from the religious group known as the Covenanters who met in Edinburgh in 1638* to sign a document which would assert their rights as Scotsmen to follow a religion other than that of the Church of England. In doing so they advanced the cause of their own more fervent and, ultimately democratic, Presbyterian faith.
Many signed in blood as a symbol of their commitment and afterwards, would wear pieces of red material around their necks in order to identify themselves with the movement. They became known as red-necks. Later on, as a result of persecution in Scotland, many Covenanters moved, first to the north of Ireland and then to the American colonies. They took the name redneck with them and today, like hillbilly, it is used to the detriment of lower-class whites. It should be pointed out however, that those who signed the National Covenant were in the main, high ranking noblemen and clergy, members of the upper echelon of Scottish society and that those for whom the term redneck was originally adopted were, if not aristocratic, at the very least learned and radical. These are hardly phrases synonymous with apathetic stupidity or ill-educated loutishness.
In America, the term wasn't always meant as derogatory but more likely an innocuous label which allowed for easy distinction to be made between similar frontier settler groups living in relative proximity and comparable circumstances. Groups of settlers such as Germans, Scandinavians and, those (more adventurous) English colonists, willing to leave the safety and security of the cities to step out along the trail - groups who, despite their differences in origin and heritage, shared many qualities and characteristics, not least their protestant faith. Their closely guarded independence notwithstanding, all would have come into contact at one time or another whether to trade goods, to fight, marry or to form political alliances. It stands to reason that each group should refer to the other in the context of where they'd hailed from and where they now lived. Therefore the term hillbilly would have seemed a natural title for the Scots-Irish members of the young society. Better still, not only was the term accurate in a geographical sense but it also had hard line religious and even militant connotations. Given the harsh social circumstances and the political climate of colonial North America, it might be argued that the tag 'hillbilly' was in fact advantageous and even, enviable. Could it have been, in a contrary twist, a term of reluctant respect? Perhaps not, although what is certain is that an expression which latterly became a negatively loaded and judgemental one, formally was simply descriptive, appropriate and "relatively inoffensive"*.
It is estimated that, over the course of the 18th Century, a quarter of a million Scots-Irish emigrants left their Ulster home for America*. They followed in the footsteps of the Pilgrim Fathers of a century before and settled first, not in Appalachia ◊ but in New England. Initially the new arrivals were not welcomed by the Puritan population of Boston however, it didn't matter. An innate desire for the independent rural existence they'd always known caused most 'Scotch-Irish' as they'd become known, to leave the city almost immediately and drive west and north. Families with all too familiar Northern Irish names such as Crawford, McClintock, McFarland and Hunter were moving to outlying English communities, in order to (in the words of one grateful Governor of Massachusetts concerned with Indian attacks on outlying villages) "…help defend the menaced western frontier, 50 miles from Boston."* Other families with names like Anderson, McCulloch and McCurdy moved even further away, founding the towns of Colrain(e) and Warren, Massachusetts. The Alexanders, McKeens and Weirs founded Londonderry, New Hampshire, while members of the Orr family, the Montgomerys, McCobbs and McCrackens headed up the coast into what is now Maine. Some of them remained by the sea and founded Belfast.* Others explored inland, up the Wiscassett and Kennebec Rivers establishing backcountry homesteads and townships where they farmed and fished and reared their families. The hillbilly had arrived in America. He'd travelled from Scotland via Ulster to get there, and he wasn't about to let others' perceptions or prejudices stop him from making his mark.


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Baseball Heads To Houston College Classic This Weekend
Feb. 7, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Leading Off:
The Sun Devils will hit the road for the first time in 2007 when they head to
The Sun Devils vs. The Aggies:
This will be the first ever meeting between
The Sun Devils vs. The Commodores:
ASU and Vanderbilt have met one previous time, March 31, 1973. The Commodores won 6-4 in a game played in
The Sun Devils vs. The Cougars:
The Devils hold an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series with
The Sun Devils moved up two spots in both the Rivals.com poll (#6) and in Collegiate Baseball (#12). Baseball
Historic Offense:
The Devils put on an offensive display of historic proportions last weekend. The 61 runs scored tie a school record for most runs scored in a three-game series, equaling the ASU/BYU series in 1999. The 61-8 run differential (53) tied for the third highest in school history in a three-game set. In 1972, ASU beat UTEP by a combined 54 runs (54-0) and in 1999 ASU beat Howard by that same number (57-3). The series against SUU tied the BYU series in 1999 for second most all-time.
The ASU offense exploded on opening weekend, helping the Devils to a three-game sweep of
National Player of the Week:
OF Matt Spencer made his first weekend as a Sun Devil memorable, as his two home runs and 13 RBI earned him a 'Louisville Slugger' National Player of the Week award from Collegiate Baseball.
Dynamic Debuts:
Several new Sun Devils impressed in their first weekend in Maroon and Gold. In addition to the stellar weekend that Matt Spencer enjoyed, Brian Flores, Mike Leake, Adam Bailey and Kiel Roling also got their ASU careers started off on the right foot.
800 Club:
With the win over Southern Utah on Saturday, head coach Pat Murphy recorded his 800th career Division I victory, 483 of which have come at
Big League Stuff:
This weekend's games at
Coverage In
There will be no radio broadcasts this weekend, but each game of the Houston College Classic will be available via Gametracker on TheSunDevils.com.
Preseason Honors:
Junior second baseman Eric Sogard earned three Preseason All-American mentions, including two First Team honors. Both the NCBWA and Rivals.com had Sogard as a First Team Preseason All-American, while Collegiate Baseball listed him as a Third Team Preseason All-American.
Welcome Back:
ASU welcomes back 15 members of last season's team, including six players who started in 2006. Leading the way is Eric Sogard, who will play second base. Sogard hit .353 last season and tied for the team lead with nine home runs. Joining Sogard in the infield is first baseman Brett Wallace, who had an outstanding debut season in
That's The Pick:
In a poll of all Pac-10 baseball coaches,
Fabulous Freshman:
RHP/OF Mike Leake was rated the 39th best freshman in the country by Baseball
Talented Transfers:
The Sun Devils had two transfers make the top ten of Baseball
Arms Race:
The Sun Devil pitching staff looks a little different from what it was at the end of the 2006 season. The 2007 staff features 13 new arms, with only three returners from last year (Urlaub, Satow, Trink). Leading the charge of newcomers is LHP Brian Flores, who is expected to take over the Friday night starter role. Last season, ASU used 11 different starting pitchers, the most ever in the Pat Murphy era.
You Look Mahvelous!:
The Sun Devils got a surprise during a practice before the season, as actor/comedian Billy Crystal took a break from his performances at Gammage to practice with the Devils.
Road To ASU Baseball:
Freshman UTL Tyler Hoechlin is adjusting to life as a college student and baseball player, but he is well versed in the glitz and glamour of the big screen. Hoechlin starred with Tom Hanks in the 2002 motion picture 'Road To Perdition'. Hoechlin played Michael Sullivan, Jr., the son of Hanks' character. Hoechlin also appears in the CW's '7th Heaven', playing the character of Martin Brewer. Hoechlin will balance school, baseball and the show this semester, filming episodes during off days.
Oh Captain, My Captain:
Head coach Pat Murphy has named junior OF Rocky Laguna the team captain. This is the first time in the 13 years that Murphy has been here that he has named a team captain.
Back For More:
Former ASU baseball standouts Mikel Moreno and Michael Collins are both back with the program for the 2007 season as managers.
Challenge At Chase:
The Second Annual Challenge at Chase will be played on Wednesday March 28th, when the Sun Devils and Arizona Wildcats meet in a non-conference battle at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Feeling The Draft:
There are 18 members of the 2007 Sun Devils who have had their name called during the annual Major League Baseball draft, including four players who have had their name called twice.
Player Round Team Year
Mike Leake 7th Athletics 2006
Matt Hall 8th Angels 2005
Derik Olvey 13th Dodgers 2003
Jarred Bogany 15th Pirates 2005
Tim Smith 17th Brewers 2005*
Ike Davis 19th Devil Rays 2005
Tim Smith 21st Mets 2004*
Brian Flores 21st White Sox 2004*
Petey Paramore 22nd Mets 2005
Matt Spencer 24th Red Sox 2004
Jason Jarvis 25th Cardinals 2006
Jeff Urlaub 26th Devil Rays 2005
Andrew Romine 36th Phillies 2004
Matt Trink 36th Blue Jays 2003*
Scott Mueller 37th D-Backs 2005*
Brian Flores 37th White Sox 2005*
Matt Trink 39th Blue Jays 2004*
Scott Mueller 41st Reds 2004*
Brett Wallace 42nd Blue Jays 2005
Tommy Rafferty 42nd Astros 2004
Kyle Williams 47th White Sox 2006
*-Denotes players drafted twice
Up Next:
The Sun Devils will return to Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark on Thursday February 15 to face the Missouri Tigers. Following that game, ASU and Missouri will both head to Surprise, Arizona for the 5th Annual Coca-Cola Classic, where they will be joined by Oregon State and Gonzaga for the three-day weekend tournament. ASU will play
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I've tried several times to have a moving gif as an avatar but it always comes out messy. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.
Possibly the server is recompressing it to save space depending on how big it is. Is it blocky, random colors, or something? I'm somewhat familiar with this stuff but "messy" doesn't help much. It really does sound like recompression though.
I don't recall ever seeing motion gif's for avatars from anyone so they may just not work at all (due to recompression) or they weren't meant to be allowed in the first place.
Edit: You can tell if its been recompressed by comparing its size and amount of frames, to a copy that you save from CR.
(Set it as your avatar and then download the messed up copy to see if the size in bytes and frame count is different)
Edit2: Well I ran across a animated gif avatar but it was from before the new avatar size limitation.
To prevent a brutal recompression you want to make sure the animated gif has a 1:1 ratio (example 100x100, 200x200, etc... pixel size) and you want it to be somewhat small (I wouldn't go above 300x300) because it will look smaller on the forums. A bigger size is shown on the actual profile page.
Personally I don't like the new avatar guidelines for ratio and size but it makes some sense so you don't have long rectangular pictures for avatars on the forums stretching them.
( ∙_∙)>⌐■-■三Deal With It三(⌐■_■)
It took me several tries to get mine to look correct. It was getting cropped and you couldn't see the whole image. And now I'm being very fail and can't remember exactly what was wrong...
But I think Mycow is on the right track though, double check that it fits the dimension guidelines. I think my problem was I had the canvas or background or a layer or something that wasn't 200x200 and it was screwing up the whole thing.
Unfortunately, strangers do have the best candy.
"Messy" was just the word I used because I wasn't sure what was happening to know what to call it lol. But let me try a smaller size and see what happens. I figure that was the reason but I figured it worked when I display on my profile so it might work as an avatar too.
well if u want it to work perfectly on the forums too without any kind of resize, you want the resolution to be 108x108. Seems to be the standard for every boxed image I see when looking at its properties. I suggested 300x300 as the max cause at that point the resize will probably make it look ugly.
( ∙_∙)>⌐■-■三Deal With It三(⌐■_■)
This will take to long to get into. But, for short:
The past is the past, don't let it cloud who you are now.
1mirg wrote:
This will take to long to get into. But, for short:
Cool thanks
My avatar is really blocky and loosing color! Help me to color in my Umaru? Using this site: http://ezgif.com/
Thank you!
It is our choices that show us who we are, far more than our abilities...


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Red Hook SummerRSS
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A middle-class boy from Atlanta finds his worldview changed as he spends the summer with his deeply religious grandfather in the housing projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Red Hook Summer Reviews
2012-08-26 09:11
Movie Review: "Red Hook Summer"
Rating: R
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Captain America co-creator Joe Simon dead at 98
Posted in: Comics
Joe Simon, a pioneer figure in American comic books who had a defining career moment in March 1941 when he gave the world a star-spangled superhero named Captain America, has died. He was 98.
Simon died Wednesday in New York City after a brief illness, according to a statement from his family, and his death adds a solemn final note to the 70th anniversary of his greatest creation, Captain America, who leaped across the big screen this summer with the Marvel Studios film "Captain America: The First Avenger." That film grossed $368 million in worldwide box office and earned strong reviews despite the early skepticism about the 21st century prospects of a Roosevelt-era character who looks like a walking American flag.
Simon created Captain America with Jack Kirby, a titan figure in American comics, and the two would work together for various publishers over several decades. Their shared credit eventually took on an esteemed aura as the medium edged its way from disposable pulp confection to something more ambitious and a sort of monthly American mythology.
The American superhero concept began in 1938 with Superman, the creation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and while Simon and Kirby followed their lead they also brought a different energy to the men-in-tights genre. Mark Evanier, author of 2008 Kirby biography "Kirby, King of Comics," said the duo became a brand of more renown than the masked characters they put on the covers.
"Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were the first superstar creators of comics," Evanier said Thursday. "Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were hailed because of Superman, but Simon and Kirby were hailed because of Simon and Kirby. They didn't just have one or two great ideas. They were the go-to guys for the next thing in comics."
The pair had notable creations such as the Newsboy Legion, the Fighting American, Blue Bolt, the Boy Commandos and the Challengers of the Unknown, but it was Captain America — a shield-carrying super-soldier created in a lab by American high-tech but defined by earnest patriotism and integrity — that would resonate most.
"I was 24 when I first started creating Captain America, " Simon told the Philadelphia Daily News in 2005. "It's been a guardian angel hanging over me my whole life. Everywhere I went — in the service or wherever — I wasn't Joe Simon; I was Captain America. It was like a cloud hanging over me, but a good cloud. I loved it."
He was born Hymie Simon in Rochester, N.Y., in October 1913, and as a youngster he was drawn to journalism. Instead he ended up in the scruffy, deadline-driven comic book business that scratched out a spot for itself in New York in the 1930s and '40s. His first collaboration with Kirby came in 1940 with a hero called Blue Bolt but the pair struck gold the next year with Captain America — who was punching Adolf Hitler on newsstands months before Pearl Harbor and was a quick hit for Timely Comics, which would later become Marvel Comics.
Simon, who was both a writer and artist, came up with the concept of the red, white and blue character, but it was Kirby — by most appraisals the most important comics artist ever — who created the dynamic artwork in the early issues.
After the success of Captain America, Simon and Kirby followed opportunity over to DC Comics, the publisher of Superman and Batman, where they were working on titles such as Boy Commandos and Sandman. Both went into the military in 1943, and on their return ended up at Harvey Comics on titles including Boy Explorers and Stuntman. In 1954, the pair launched the creator-owned Fighting American, a clear conceptual descendant of their most noted character.
Kirby would move on in the 1960s and with Stan Lee he would find the next major partner in his career, creating the Fantastic Four, Thor, Hulk , the X-Men, Iron Man and others. Simon founded and edited Sick magazine, a publication that took the model of MAD magazine and ran from 1960-1980. He also packaged educational and political comics for various agencies, mostly in New York, and occasionally dipped back into the comics world, with oddball, informed-by-the-era efforts such as Brother Power, the Geek and Prez.
Those comics were commercial fizzles, but they were fascinating to readers such as Neil Gaiman, the Newbery Medal-winning author of "The Graveyard Book" and the writer behind the DC Comics epic "The Sandman."
"What attracted me to Simon's stories was how unlike anyone else's they were, how full of life," Gaiman wrote in a 2010 introduction to "The Simon & Kirby Superheroes" collection from Titan Books. "He created strange villains, part cartoon, part caricature, part embodiment of whatever he wished to talk about. While the trends in comics were toward realism in writing, Joe Simon marched in the other direction, creating his own reality … the oddness of Joe Simon's work is where it gets its power."
Earlier this year, Simon attended the premiere of the "Captain America" film and in the surge of press attention he spoke often about Kirby, who died in 1994. For a younger generation of creators — such as Ed Brubaker, who has been the award-winning writer for Captain America for the last seven years — Simon and Kirby are titan figures.
"Joe and Jack Kirby created Captain America at a time when the U.S. was not in World War II yet, and had to contend with pro-fascist Americans giving them death-threats," Brubaker said Thursday. "I always think about that when I work on the book, the origins of both the character and the comic. Those were two brave guys creating what would be a classic character, who has definitely stood the test of time while other 'flag-wearing' heroes haven't."
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, praised Simon as a dreamer whose work echoes through the years and beyond the pages of vintage comics.
"Today we are saddened by the loss of Joe Simon, a man whose iconic Captain America is still inspiring and entertaining audiences 70 years later," Feige said in a statement. "It was an honor and a privilege getting to know Mr. Simon and his family during the production of 'Captain America: The First Avenger.' We have no doubt that Cap, and Joe's legacy, will live on for many more decades and we are proud that he was able to be a part of last year's [making of the] feature film and we were humbled by his enjoyment of the movie."
The news of Simon's death took on an extra layer of somberness because of the timing — the comic book industry and students of its four-color history were still dealing with the death last week of Jerry Robinson, who was a key figure in the early days of Batman comics and a key creative force in the introduction of seminal characters such as the Joker, Robin the Boy Wonder, Two-Face and Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred. Simon and Robinson both lived long enough to see their creations reach the silver screen with new levels of ambition in the 21st century, but both came up in a scrappy era with business arrangements that denied them the huge paydays that could come now for creators of a Hollywood brand.
Feige added: "Together Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created one of the most iconic superheroes in comic book history and losing Joe is definitely the end of an era."
Simon is survived by two sons, three daughters and eight grandchildren.
— Geoff Boucher
Jerry Robinson, the Joker and Robin creator, dead at 89
Captain America anniversary salute: 70 years, 70 covers
Flashback: Read a Simon and Kirby comic from 1946
Jack Kirby, Marvel's abandoned hero
Marvel flashback: Classic ads from the Golden Age
Gene Colan, comic-book artist, dead at 84
Harvey Pekar, 'American Splendor' author, dies at 70
Archie Comics stalwart John D'Agostino dead at 81
'Empire Strikes Back' director Irvin Kershner dead at 87


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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
Employee Benefits Best Practices Conference Features Region's Most Innovative Employers: New England Employee Benefits Council, Dec. 6, Waltham, MA
By: Marketwired .
Nov. 9, 2012 12:38 AM
WALTHAM, MA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/09/12 -- New England's Best Benefits Practices of 2012, a daylong conference featuring the region's most innovative employee benefits programs, will be held December 6 in Waltham, Mass., by the New England Employee Benefits Council (NEEBC).
The 2012 winners -- Aetna, EMC, FM Global, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Putnam Investments -- will share the details and vision behind their groundbreaking programs.
Also on tap are presentations from Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector Authority executive director Glen Shor and Charles D. Baker, former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, 2010 Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate, and current entrepreneur in residence with Catalyst General Partners.
This year's lead sponsor is United Health Care. Gold sponsors are Aetna, HomeBenefitIQ, Liberty Mutual, Minnesota Life, NFP Thorbahn, Pfizer Integrated Health, Strategic Benefit Advisors and Vanguard. A few Gold and Silver Sponsorships are still available.
The seminar will be held Thurs., Dec. 6, 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the Waltham Woods Conference Center, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, Mass., minutes from Route 95/128.
More information about conference registration and sponsorship is available at http://tinyurl.com/d6oxz4c or by calling 781-684-8700 or writing firstname.lastname@example.com.
NEEBC, Waltham, Mass., is a nonprofit that advances knowledge and education in employee benefits. NEEBC's 1,350 members manage benefits for an estimated 2.5 million employees. Members include employers and providers of benefits consulting and services throughout New England. NEEBC's monthly educational programs feature presentations by guest speakers on topics of interest to the benefits community. Members have the opportunity to discuss ideas, become informed about new developments in the field and network with peers. Web: www.neebc.org. Follow NEEBC on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Neebc and on Twitter at @NEEBC.
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University of Vermont
2011-12 Online Catalogue
Policies and General Information
Payment Obligations
By registering for courses, students are entering into a financial arrangement with UVM and accept responsibility for charges billed to their UVM account. The online registration system will generate charges based on enrolled credits. All tuition, fees, and room and board charges are payable in full upon billing. Students who enroll in advance for course will receive itemized statements of applicable semester charges through their University e-mail, with instructions to settle in full by a specific date (usually three weeks before classes begin). Advance payments are accepted; checks should be made payable to The University of Vermont. Any checks or payments received by the University may be applied to outstanding balances.
Students who cannot meet their financial obligations because of unusual circumstances should contact the Office of Student Financial Services as soon as possible before the payment due date.
Students who have not satisfactorily completed financial arrangements by the announced due date will be assessed a late payment fee and a hold preventing registration and access to grades and transcripts and may have their enrollment cancelled. Disenrollment will automatically place a registration hold on a student's account that will prevent re-enrolling until the student has contacted Student Financial Services to discuss the account. A $50 fee must be paid to allow re-registration.
The University reserves the right to withhold registration material, the diploma, degree, and all information regarding the record, including transcript, of any student who is in arrears in the payment of tuition, fees or other charges, including, but not limited to, student loans, dining and housing charges, telephone toll charges, and parking fines.
Seriously delinquent accounts may be placed with an outside collection agency and/or reported to the national credit bureau system. Students are responsible for all late payment fees, collection charges, attorney fees, interest and any other costs and charges necessary for the collection of amounts not paid when due.
Late Payment Fee
Students who do not settle their accounts by the due date will be charged a late payment fee. Please refer to the Payment Information and Financial Policies information on the following web page: Student Financial Services Billing .
Budgeted Payment
The University offers a Monthly Payment Plan to students/parents who desire to budget annual costs in monthly installments. Specific information is mailed to parents of incoming and returning students in the spring by visiting the Student Financial Services Billing Web page.


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Marie E. Gordon Presidential Scholarship honors volunteer
Barbara and Alan McNeill of Beaumont have established the Marie E. Gordon Presidential Scholarship in Nursing at Lamar University to honor the memory of Barbara McNeill's mother – a multi-talented woman whose dreams of becoming a nurse were interrupted by the Great Depression.
Instead, Gordon devoted more than 30 years to serving as a volunteer at Baptist Hospital, assisting and understanding the important work of the nurses employed there. Gordon also saw her daughter become a nurse, graduating with a bachelor's degree in nursing from Texas Christian University in 1963.
The McNeills established the scholarship in the Lamar University Foundation, which will award it annually to an undergraduate student in the JoAnne Gay Dishman Department of Nursing.
"The Marie E. Gordon Presidential Scholarship in Nursing will forever benefit students majoring in nursing at Lamar University," said Eileen Deges Curl, chair of the nursing department. "This scholarship enables students to focus on studying nursing rather than having to split their time between school and work. We are honored to have such a scholarship provided by the McNeill family, especially because Mrs. McNeill is well respected for her career in nursing."
Barbara McNeill said she had the opportunity to work with Lamar nursing students at Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth several years ago. "We are very impressed with the nursing department at Lamar, with the people who are running it and with the students coming out of Lamar," she said. "We want to help further that effort. I think our community is going to need a lot more nurses. They're going to take more responsibility in the future for medical care."
"Mother had always wanted to be a nurse," Barbara McNeill said. "She fulfilled part of that dream by volunteering at Baptist Hospital and got to know the nurses there and some of the students who worked there. She was always so helpful to them, and they just loved her."
Marie Eddins Gordon was born in 1916 and moved to Beaumont from Kingsville after marrying John B. Gordon, whose uncle, W.D. Gordon was involved with the original Spindletop oil discovery of 1901. She became active in the Women's Club and First Christian Church, where she remained a member until her death in 1998.
"It was Alan's idea to create a scholarship in Mother's name," said Barbara. They had a special relationship, she said, restoring and producing pecans from the Gordon Pecan Orchard on Major Drive.
"Marie Gordon's life was her family, her church, music and her concern and love for others," said Alan, a local attorney. "She would be pleased by this honor of a gift to nursing, a career that serves others."
For information about establishing an endowed scholarship, contact the Lamar University Foundation at (409) 880-2117.


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Indigenous Peoples
Approximately 12,500 years ago the Laurentide Ice Sheet, a continental glacier that covered northeastern North America, retreated from the area of present-day Toronto. Soon afterward small groups of Indigenous people moved into the area to hunt animals such as caribou. Around 5,000 years ago, settlements in hunting territories began to form, and people congregated in large spring or summer gatherings at the mouths of rivers to fish, trade and bury their dead. By 500 CE the population of Southern Ontario had reached 10,000, and was made up mostly of Algonkian-speaking peoples.
The introduction of maize, or corn, 1,400 years ago led to the adoption of farming and of permanent settlement. By 1000 CE Iroquoian speaking peoples had moved into the region of present-day Toronto, and by 1300 had established villages there. By 1400 Iroquoian peoples lived in fortified villages that typically included longhouses and stockades that overlooked fields of crops.
For a variety of reasons, including better soil and warfare with the Haudenosaunee (Five Nations Iroquois) of New York State, Iroquoians in the Toronto area began to slowly move north to join the Wendat (Huron) Confederacy in Huronia. In 1650 intertribal warfare and the diseases brought by Europeans led to the collapse and dispersal of the Wendat Confederacy. The Haudenosaunee established a series of settlements in Ontario, including two Seneca villages in present-day Toronto.
Around this time Algonkian speakers began to move south from the Canadian Shield into the Toronto area. Through a process of negotiation the Algonkian-speaking Anishnabe entered into an alliance with the Haudenosaunee. The Anishnabe established settlements in Toronto while the Haudenosaunee withdrew to New York State. Some members of the Anishinaabe became known as the Mississauga, and dominated the area until the end of the 1700s.
The name Toronto is derived from the Mohawk word tkaronto, which means "where there are trees standing in the water." The word originally referred to The Narrows, near present-day Orillia, where Hurons and other groups drove stakes into the water to create fish weirs. French maps from the 1680s to 1760s identify present-day Lake Simcoe as Lac de Taronto. The spelling changed to Toronto during the 18th century, and the term gradually came to refer to a large region that included the location of the present-day city of Toronto.
At some point between 7,000 and 2,000 years ago, Indigenous peoples discovered an overland shortcut between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. Later known as the "Toronto Passage," this trail was an important north-south route for both Indigenous peoples and Europeans.
European Settlement
French fur traders had known about the Toronto Passage since the early 1600s, and in 1720 they built a small store on the Humber River. This post failed financially and was abandoned in 1730. In 1750 the French built another small trading post. Fort Rouillé (or Fort Toronto), located in Toronto's present-day Exhibition Grounds, was burned in 1759 by its French garrison during a retreat from British forces.
Following the British Conquest in 1759 the Toronto site saw minor traders and Mississauga encampments. The American Revolution, however, sent Loyalists northward to remaining British territory. Their settlements along the upper St. Lawrence and lower lakes led to the creation of the province of Upper Canada in 1791. The province's first governor, John Graves Simcoe, planned a centrally located town at Toronto. Simcoe saw the site as a commanding position for a naval and garrison base to guard a troubled American boundary. In 1793 he had a little town laid out by the harbour, which he named York in honour of the Duke of York, son of King George III. Soon he was using York as a capital of Upper Canada, erecting parliament buildings and cutting roads inland. In 1796 Yonge Street, named by Simcoe for then-British Secretary of State for War Sir George Yonge, was opened. It ran northward to the Holland River, which gave access to Lake Simcoe and was the first stage in a route to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, which had its origins in the Toronto Passage.
York's officialdom and garrison attracted merchants, craftsmen and labourers, while the spreading rural settlement beyond made it a local market centre. By 1812 this frontier village still had only 700 residents, yet its governing role, its harbour and its rough roads to the interior of Upper Canada gave it an initial economic advantage in the Lake Ontario area.
During the War of 1812 York was twice raided and pillaged by US forces (1813), leaving a British-minded populace with keen anti-American memories. After the war, the village was one recipient of the rising wave of British immigration to Upper Canada. By pursuing trade with expanding farming frontiers, York became the province's banking centre. By 1834 the fast-growing town of over 9,000 inhabitants was incorporated as the city of Toronto, with an elected civic government led by the city's first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie. This prominent Reform journalist and politician tried to seize the city by force in the Upper Canada Rebellions of 1837, but his attempt collapsed more from confusion than bloodshed and strengthened Toronto's conservative tendencies.
In the 1840s Toronto increased its commercial lead. Gas lighting and sewers on main streets and steamboat port activity marked its urban rise. In the 1850s railway building connected Toronto to New York and Montréal, the upper lakes at Georgian Bay, and across western Upper Canada to Detroit and Chicago. Toronto was made capital of the new province of Ontario at Confederation in 1867, and by the 1870s it was becoming markedly industrialized. The city's population grew by five times between 1831 and 1891. In the 1880s Hart Massey's agricultural machinery firm, clothing factories, publishing plants and metal foundries grew large. The city's growth was aided by industrial tariff protection after 1879 and the promotional drive of leaders such as railway builder Casimir Gzowski and department store builder Timothy Eaton.
The settlement of the Canadian West and the tapping of Northern Ontario's forests and mines in the 1890s and 1900s opened further markets and resources to Toronto. Commerce with the North and West flowed into the city, which in turn dealt with either Montréal or New York as outlets or suppliers. Major firms such as Eaton's spread their mail-order business into the West. Hydroelectric power provided by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario from Niagara Falls (1911) provided cheap energy that spurred more factory growth. The influence of the city's banks, investment and insurance companies spread to regions well beyond Ontario.
By 1914, although the older and larger Montréal still held the lead, Toronto's financial head offices, factories and stores had made it a second national metropolis. The First World War expanded its investment and manufacturing scope. Manufacturing ranged from large-scale meat processing to munitions, both industries were forwarded by businessman Sir Joseph Flavelle.
In the prosperous 1920s development continued as new suburban municipalities rose around an overflowing city of approximately half a million people. This growth was checked by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Gold and silver mining in Northern Ontario helped some financial sectors stay in above-average health, but overall the city was hard-hit as construction slowed considerably and unemployment skyrocketed. Although the employment rate began to improve slowly in 1934, high unemployment was only ended by the coming of the Second World War. The war revived growth, shaping electronic, aircraft and precision-machine industries. In the postwar era Toronto's economy boomed, fuelled by consumer spending, the baby boom, house construction, and the Korean War of 1950-53. The city's population swelled further, to over a million in Greater Toronto by 1951.
The service needs of this urban complex and its suburbs led to metropolitan government. Set up in 1953 under a vigorous first chairman, Frederick Gardiner, the Metropolitan Toronto Authority handled area-wide requirements while the old jurisdictions attended to local concerns. The subway system, begun by the city in 1949, was built up, parks and drainage projects were undertaken, and arterial through roads constructed. In 1967 small suburbs were amalgamated, leaving a Metro structure of the city of Toronto and five boroughs, of which all but East York had also become cities by 1991.
All lost their individual municipal structures in 1998 when the new "megacity" of Toronto came into existence. Toronto eventually gained priority over Montréal as a national (and international) financial hub. It also now leads Canada in its concentration of specialized services, including professional facilities and advertising, and has a major hold on information media.
Toronto is located on the shore plain beside its harbour. There is a fairly abrupt rise 4 km inland which marks the shoreline of Lake Iroquois, a lake formed by glaciers 12,500 years ago that had a much higher water level than Lake Ontario. This rise led to higher plains, then to rounded lines of hills. Though the low-lying waterside area gave early York dank marshes and mud-filled streets, and the rise behind impeded road lines, these were not long-term barriers to the steady spread of the cityscape. Today, Toronto extends far east and west of the harbour stretch and well inland. The Greater Toronto Area of over 5.6 million (2011 census) reaches north to Barrie, east to Oshawa and west to Hamilton.
The shore plain by the harbour has remained Toronto's downtown core. Governor Simcoe's 1793 layout was a small-town plot with a plain grid of straight streets along the eastern end of the harbour with a military reserve for a garrison post by the settlement's westward entry. As the town grew the basic straight-line grid pattern was essentially extended; however, under municipal self-government from 1834, planning was replaced by uncoordinated private developments.
Nevertheless, the cityscape began to take shape. By the 1840s King Street was a main commercial east-west artery, and Yonge Street a north-south axis, leading to the northern highway the interior of the province. As railways arrived on the waterfront in the 1850s, they built up a transport zone between the city and the lake. Thereafter, industrial areas emerged at either end of the harbour along rail lines, and to the north close-built, working-class districts arose. Larger residences spread above the central downtown, and the homes of the wealthy were on the rise behind the shore plain.
Horse-drawn cars in the 1860s and electric cars in the 1890s encouraged a middle-class movement to roomier suburban fringes, beginning with Yorkville (1883) and ending with North Toronto (1912). Beginning in the 1880s electric elevators, larger iron-framed buildings and telephones facilitated greater business concentration on expensive downtown property. During the early 1900s steel skyscrapers climbed in this central district, where economic land use was roughly divided into wholesaling around Yonge below King, major retailing along Yonge near Queen, and finance down Bay and along King.
Aided by the automobile, the massing inward and spreading outward continued after the First World War until the Great Depression and the Second World War intervened. Public planning revived in the 1940s, and since the late 1940s the city's growth has surged on, with only short downturns. Public planning's impact grew beginning in the 1950s with the Metro structure, and still further with the onset of environmental reformers (or conservers) in the 1960s and 1970s. The balance between the "move traffic" and "save life quality" kinds of planning remains a shifting one. The high-rise now dominates Toronto and can be found in the central business district, in residential apartment masses, and in office towers around main intersections and subway stations.
Despite its modest natural setting and largely plain street layout, Toronto has an interesting building stock and some noteworthy heritage structures. These include the original Fort York complex (rebuilt 1813-15), the Grange, a gentry mansion built about 1817, St Lawrence Hall (1850), originally a public building containing a hall and shops, Osgoode Hall (rebuilt 1857-60), headquarters of the Law Society of Upper Canada, University College (1859), the University of Toronto's teaching arm, the Ontario Parliament Buildings (1892), the City Hall (designed 1890, completed 1899), the Royal Alexandra Theatre (1907) and Union Station (opened 1927), a prime North American survivor of classical railway grandeur.
Later eras have largely produced more and bigger office buildings, hotels and shopping centres, although a few structures stand out. The new City Hall (1965) is striking in design and setting, and Roy Thomson Hall (1982) is boldly original. Though controversial, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal extension to the Royal Ontario Museum opened in 2007 is a striking addition to the original building. The central city skyline soars in mass and height, topped by the 290 m First Canadian Place and still taller CN Tower (1976), a 553 m telecommunications spire. In 1989 the SkyDome stadium was completed. It was purchased in 2005 by Rogers Communications and renamed the Rogers Centre. The building is home to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Argonauts. While the building systems have mostly been imported, Toronto designers have made their marks on them. The lines of high-peaked Victorian brick homes in the older city, for example, have a distinctly Toronto character.
From its start as a seat of colonial officialdom, Toronto had a markedly British population compared to early Upper Canada's more American rural society. British immigration after the 1820s increased this predominance, also bringing a large strain of Protestant Ulster Irish. Late in the 1840s the exodus from famine-stricken Ireland added a sizable Catholic Irish minority as well, leading to religious discord in the city. The Ulstermen's Orange Order became a guardian of British Protestant ascendancy and wielded power in civic politics.
In the later 19th century, British immigrants, mostly from England, continued arriving. However, those born in Canada to British parents were a majority by 1871. Toronto stayed remarkably homogeneous, and many residents were devoted to church life and Sunday observance.
Both the natural increase in population and movement from the countryside to an expanding industrial city became a mounting factor from the 1870s, especially as public health measures improved. Immigration rose again by the 1900s and increasingly brought continental Europeans including Jews, Italians and Ukrainians. Clustering first in poor inner-city areas, by 1920 the new ethnic elements were a small (13 per cent) but compact segment in an Anglo-Celtic, mainly Protestant, community. Their influx continued over the next decade.
After depression and war, another far bigger population inflow developed. British newcomers still led at first, but Italians became a chief component by the 1960s, while Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Balkan Slavs, Greeks and Portuguese steadily widened the non-Anglo-Celtic population segment.
In the 1970s and 1980s, West Indian, South Asian and East Asian migrants contributed to Toronto's increasingly strong immigrant population. Figures from the 2011 census show that 49 per cent of people living in the city are immigrants, 26 per cent of whom were born in Europe, 11 per cent in China and eight per cent in the Philippines. This vibrant immigrant population makes Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world.
Economy and Labour Force
Toronto's economy has gone through the stages of commercial lake port, railway and industrial hub, financial nexus, and high-level service and information centre. At present its port and commercial functions remain important, though relatively less so, apart from heavy retail activity. Its railway role persists, but has been modified by air and automotive transport. Although its industry has lost ground to foreign competition and Canadian decentralization it remains high in value; and its financial power continues to increase and its office-service sector stays pre-eminent in Canada. Toronto has a mixed economy not dominated by one single industry or sector. The city's three largest industries are financial services, real estate, and wholesale and retail trade.
Banking head offices in Toronto include the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of Nova Scotia and the Toronto Dominion Bank. Principal Canadian insurance and investment companies are centered in the city, and the Toronto Stock Exchange is one of the leaders in North America outside New York.
There is a close concentration of Canadian head offices of industrial, resource and retail corporations and of American or multinational giants ̶ from Avalon Rare Metals through to Xerox. Despite its diversity, however, Toronto was hit hard by the combined effects of the Free Trade Agreement with the US and by the recession of the early 1990s, resulting in high unemployment. The global financial crisis of 2008 also hit the Ontario economy hard, leading to a four per cent drop in employment between September 2008 and the recession's lowest point in June 2009. Since then the economy has slowly improved, although Toronto's July 2013 unemployment rate remained high at 8.5 per cent.
The city's labour force is chiefly massed in professional, clerical, manufacturing, retail and service work, in that order. It is widely unionized in public sectors, large private enterprises and skilled trades.
From the York printer's union of 1832, Toronto has been a centre of labour organization, though this did not become broadly based until the growth of industrialism from the 1870s. By the close of the First World War, the union movement was firmly established, and though its fortunes have varied, as in the grim 1930s, since the Second World War organized labour has been an influential economic and political factor in the city. To the present, Toronto labour has been largely stable and fairly conservative in character compared with other cities.
Once Toronto's vital link outward, water traffic still brings bulk goods by lake and direct overseas shipments. Since 1911, port facilities have been repeatedly improved under the Toronto Harbour Commission, notably after the St Lawrence Seaway (1959) opened Toronto's port to ocean shipping. Docks for ocean vessels, new harbour areas behind artificial islands, and large recreational and residential waterside developments mark the port today. Though ice closes navigation each winter, Toronto benefits by having both water and land transportation systems.
On land, the railways both supply the city and distribute its products through both CN and CP Rail, while Metrolinx "GO" trains provide essential commuter services. Bus, truck and car traffic use a similar main road net, especially Highway 401, a multi-laned crosstown throughway, and Highway 400, now the prime route north. By air, Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport is Canada's busiest, and offers national and world-wide travel, while the smaller Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport offers short haul flights to northeastern Canada and the United States. This substantial external transport is complemented by internal transit. Automobile routes such as the Gardiner Expressway along the southern edge of the downtown, or the Don Valley Parkway running northward, bear heavy loads. However, the city has successfully maintained its public streetcar, bus and subway systems. Amid all the metropolitan intensity, there are bicycle paths and quiet walking routes through wooded ravine parklands.
Toronto is well-termed the hub of English-language communications in Canada. It was the headquarters for national newspaper chains such as Southam and the Thomson Group. Canada's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail, has its roots in Toronto's early most influential newspaper, the Globe (1844). The city has three other daily newspapers: the Toronto Star (1892), which has the largest daily circulation in Canada, the tabloid Toronto Sun (since 1971; see Sun newspapers and another national daily, the National Post (1998). The Canadian Press news agency (1917) is headquartered in Toronto and feeds news reports to member journals all across Canada.
The city produces a wide variety of magazines. Three general-interest magazines of countrywide importance are The Walrus (2003), Maclean's (1896) and the women's magazine Chatelaine (1928). Book publishing goes back to the Methodist Book Company (1829, later the Ryerson Press) in what was then the town of York. Other important book publishers such as Macmillan of Canada, Clarke Irwin and McClelland & Stewart have greatly contributed to Canada's literary life and Toronto's prominent place within it.
Canada's first telegraph company was established in Toronto in 1846, and one year later Toronto was connected by telegraph wire to Montréal, Québec City and the American system at Buffalo, New York. The first Toronto telephone exchange was installed in 1879 and a year later, the Bell Telephone Company of Canada (now Bell Canada) was founded and began to build on this infrastructure. During the 1920s early radio stations appeared, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (1936) made the city the chief base for English-language programming. Private stations such as CFRB, CHUM, CJRT and the multicultural CHIN still have wide followings.
In 1952 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation began television services within Canada based in Toronto (see television programming). At present the city has the CBC's key television station, CBLT; the Ontario government's educational station, TVO; and on the private side, the CTV network's premier outlet, CFTO, along with outlets for Global and City chains, for specialty channels such as Vision TV (religious) and for information, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Government and Politics
Today, Toronto's municipal government consists of a mayor and 44 councillors, each representing a ward.
Incorporation (1834)
At its first civic incorporation in 1834 Toronto had a mayor and a city council elected by wards. The mayor was originally chosen from and by council, but in the 1870s became directly elected by the voters. A board of control was added in the 1890s, arising from an urban reform wave for "clean," efficient government, but was abolished in the 1960s. Sizable civic departments grew for services such as roads, water, police and health, while the separately elected board of education became a powerful municipal body in its own right.
Metropolitan Government (1953)
Canada's first Metropolitan Government was formed in Toronto in 1953 when 13 municipalities, including the city of Toronto, were reorganized to form the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. The Metro Council, under a chairman, had prime responsibility for overall concerns such as finance, education, transport, welfare and water supply, to which police and housing were later added. Although the city proper and the other member municipalities kept more local service tasks, the bigger duties and expenditures lay with Metro. As the populations of the surrounding municipalities increased, the Metro chairman, elected by their council, came to replace Toronto's mayor as the chief figure in municipal operations.
Amalgamation (1998)
In 1996 the provincial Conservative government, led by Mike Harris, proposed doing away with Toronto's existing metropolitan structure and amalgamating its member municipalities in one huge "megacity" under a single administration. This project was controversial. Supporters of Metro Toronto worried that these changes would destroy local neighbourhoods, while the Harris government and its supporters wanted to cut costs. This system came into effect on 1 January 1998, combining the former municipalities of Toronto, York, East York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke.
Early Mayors: Mackenzie to Phillips
Civic politics have ostensibly not operated on party lines, though Conservative partisans have usually been dominant. In the 19th century these partisans were backed by the then-influential protestant Orange Order. Radical first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie, was a scarce exception, as was the moral reformer, Mayor William Howland, in the 1880s. Far more typical were respectably cautious guardians who gave fairly competent government but took few chances. Some pragmatic mayors also lasted as sympathetically popular, like Tommy Church through the First World War and after, or Nathan Phillips from the 1950s into the 1960s, who led in promoting the new City Hall.
Mayors of the late 20th Century: Crombie to Rowlands
Some other Mayors were more associated with change, such as Horatio Hocken, who faced the needs of expanding city services before the First World War, or David Crombie and John Sewell in the 1970s, who worked with a newer breed of civic reformers to save the quality of city life from uncontrolled development. Arthur "Art" Eggleton defeated John Sewell in the city's 1980 election. Eggleton was the city's longest serving mayor, and was replaced by Toronto's first female mayor, June Rowlands, in 1991. Rowlands worked to reduce property taxes, but is often remembered for supposedly banning the Barenaked Ladies from performing at City Hall. However, Rowlands only lasted one term and was defeated in 1994 by the left-leaning Barbara Hall, who lost her bid for re-election after amalgamation in 1998.
Megacity Mayors
Drawing on the suburbs' new voting power, North York Mayor Mel Lastman became the first post-amalgamation mayor of Toronto. Lastman undertook several popular initiatives such as improving waste removal and spearheading the development of the city's waterfront, but was a controversial figure and his later years in office saw several public gaffes and scandals.
Lastman withdrew from politics in 2003 and was replaced in the mayor's office by Toronto lawyer David Miller, who undertook a number of environmental initiatives, and expanded transit and social housing programs. Miller was reelected in 2006, but a 39-day city workers strike in 2009 had a negative effect on Miller's popularity, and he chose not to seek reelection in 2010.
That year Torontonians elected Rob Ford, who campaigned for mayor on promises to end wasteful spending and government perks, cut taxes and reduce the size of the city's government. Ford was a polarizing figure, and city council was effectively split into two camps, leading to prolonged and at times bitter debates about a variety of issues such as union negotiations and the future of the city's transit system. Although Ford successfully kept his promise to eliminate the city's vehicle registration tax and cut spending, a series of scandals, including conflict-of-interest cases and allegations of public intoxication, plagued the Ford administration.
Notwithstanding the severity of these controversies, the scandal that made international headlines unfolded following reports by Gawker and the Toronto Star on 16 May 2013. Each publication said they had been given the opportunity to purchase a video, which reporters had seen, of the mayor smoking crack cocaine. In the months that followed, Ford publically admitted to crack-use, city council stripped him of his executive powers and deputy-mayor Norm Kelly assumed many of Ford's duties
While Ford chose to run for re-election in 2014, he took a leave of absence mid-way through the campaign to seek help for his addictions at a rehabilitation centre. Shortly after his return to the race he was diagnosed with cancer. His brother Doug, Toronto Ward 2 councillor (2010–2014), assumed Ford's position as mayoral candidate, while Rob decided to run in Ward 2 where he had previously been councillor. In addition to Doug, the race included two other front-runners: John Tory, former provincial Progressive Conservative party leader, and Olivia Chow, former Toronto city councillor and NDP Member of Parliament.
On 27 October 2014, Torontonians voted in Tory as the new mayor of the city, with Doug and Chow coming in second and third respectively. Rob Ford won his seat as city councillor in Ward 2.
Cultural Life
Toronto is the main urban cultural centre in English Canada. It is the home of the large University of Toronto (1827), Ryerson University (1948), the more recent York University (1959), the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Ontario College of Art And Design, the world-renowned Royal Ontario Museum, the innovative Ontario Science Centre, the Toronto Symphony Orchestraand the National Ballet of Canada. Other nationally eminent artistic, musical and library institutions are found here along with top Canadian centres of medical and scientific research, and the world-class Toronto Zoo. Toronto is English Canada's leading theatre town and its rich multicultural variety is reflected in the performing arts, as well as in ethnic journals and restaurants.
The city has long been a potent factor in Anglo-Canadian literature as a national base for literary periodicals, publishing houses and successions of noted authors from Goldwin Smith and Sir Charles G.D. Roberts ,E.J. Pratt, Morley Callaghan, Marshall Mcluhan, Northrop Frye, Margaret Atwood and Robertson Davies. Similarly, in art, it has been the base for Paul Kane, the Group of Seven, Tom Thomsonand numerous more recent painters such as Harold Townas well as musicians such as Glenn Gould.
Popular concerts attract large crowds, notably at Ontario Place, a lakeside recreational area, or the Canadian National Exhibition, Canada's largest annual exposition. Other leading public draws include hilly High Park, Fort York(restored to the days of 1812), Casa Loma (the grandiose castle home of a 1900s financial magnate), the CN Tower andToronto Islands, a harbour park preserve.
Major Toronto professional sports teams are the Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey), Toronto Blue Jays (baseball), Toronto Argonauts (football), Toronto Raptors (basketball), Toronto FC (soccer) and Toronto Rock (lacrosse). Amateur sports range from yachting to curling, Olympic-level skating, swimming and rowing. Soccer and cricket are keenly popular among the immigrant community. The city has a wide variety of recreational facilities, ranging from the Air Canada Centre to local rinks, public swimming pools and park athletic fields.


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Wild Creamed By Canadiens Tuesday In Montreal
The Montreal Canadiens exploded for four second period goals to snap a scoreless tie in a 6-2 rout of Minnesota Tuesday night. The loss was the first for Minnesota in the month of November (7-1-1).
Neither team scored in the first period, but Montreal seized control in the second period thanks to Max Pacioretty's natural hat trick.
Pacioretty made it a 1-0 game at 2:57 of the period, then struck again at 10:06 to make it 2-0. His third goal came on the power play just 3:30 later and gave Montreal a 3-0 lead.
The Canadiens took a 4-0 lead on Michael Bournival's sixth goal of the season at 16:16, and Wild goalie Josh Harding was taken out of the game and replaced by Darcy Kuemper.
The Wild got their first goal from Nino Niederreiter at 5:30 of the third period to make the score 5-1. Dany Heatley added a power play goal to make the score 6-2 with seconds left in the third period.
The Wild are at Ottawa Wednesday night.


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ATTTO has transformed into ServiceIQ, the new Industry Training Organisation (ITO) for the Aviation, Travel, Tourism, Museums, Hospitality, Retail and wholesale sectors of New Zealand's service industry.
- ServiceIQ - 'shorthand' for service industry qualifications that develop smarter people for smarter businesses - aims to have a world class New Zealand service industry through qualified people.
- By helping produce a workforce with nationally recognised qualifications who contribute to greater productivity and profitability for the service industry, ServiceIQ will help increase our sectors' contribution to the national economy.
- ServiceIQ sets standards, develops qualifications and arranges training for the service industry for the accommodation, aviation, bars and restaurants, cafés, clubs, food services, museums, quick service restaurants, retail, tourism, travel and wholesale sectors of the service industry.


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Notorious, the long-planned biopic of slain hip-hop megastar Notorious B.I.G. has found its star. The Fox Searchlight movie project will now move forward with a 2009 big-screen debut set.
The film, which tells the life story of the late rap icon whose real name was Christopher Wallace, will start shooting on March 24 with a January 16, 2009 release planned.
The production has been looking for the right actor to portray B.I.G. for a year now. Their worldwide search recently came to an end with unknown Jamal Woolard, a Brooklyn native, landing the role. Woolard will star alongside actress Angela Bassett, who plays Voletta Wallace, B.I.G.'s mother.
Derek Luke will play Sean Combs in the movie -- the real-life Diddy is one of the producers. Anthony Mackie is set to portray Tupac Shakur. Notorious also stars up and coming actors Antonique Smith, Naturi Naughton, Dennis White and Julia Pace Mitchell.
Director George Tillman Jr. will shoot the movie in and around the five boroughs of New York.
Voletta Wallace, who is producing the movie, released this statement: "Finding B.I.G. was a task in itself and I'm honored that so many young men came out to audition for the role. However, it was Jamal's charming personality, warm spirit, wonderful sense of humor and beautiful smile that won my heart. He is a talented and charismatic actor and I am excited that he will bring Christopher's character to the big screen."
The Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. B.I.G. became heavily involved in the East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry. On March 9, 1997, he was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles.


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Cemex, Concrete Supply: Carolinas' team
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 14 November 2013 10:15
- Written by CP Staff
Cemex USA and Concrete Supply Co. have announced a Charlotte-based joint venture with 2 million-yd. production capacity across North Carolina and South Carolina ready mixed plants. Subject
to closing of transactions anticipated later this year, it will be majority owned by Concrete Supply Holdings Co., which will act as the managing member.


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SAINT LEO, Fla. -- Barry University women's tennis team beat Saint Leo in a match that lasted roughly seven hours Friday. The win moved the No. 3 Buccaneers to 6-0 overall, 5-0 in the Sunshine State Conference.
Saint Leo fell to 2-2 overall, 1-2 in the league.
Two of the three doubles matches went to a tiebreaker, and four singles matches needed a third set or tiebreaker to decide things. Only Barry sophomore Emma Onila's 6-3, 6-1 win over Coralie Pesenti at No. 1 singles and Bucs sophomore Elisabeth Abanda's 6-1, 6-3 victory over Paula Montoya at No. 5 were decided in straight sets.
Barry's No. 1 doubles team of Onila and Linda Fritschken survived a 9-8 (9-7) battle from Anastasia Wagner and Paula Montoya. Barry's No. 2 duo of Anaeve Pain and Kimmy Twelker got by Laura Kemkes and Pauline Helgesson, 8-6. Saint Leo's No. 3 team of Maria Benkirane and Adriana Daszkiewicz beat Karina Goia and Isabela Miro, 9-8 (7-5).
Barry's Linda Fritschken needed three sets to defeat Wagner, 0-6, 6-3, 6-0, at No. 2. Goia won a lengthy battle with Kemkes at No. 3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 11-9. Pain was a 6-1, 5-7, 10-5 winner over Benkirane at No. 4. Helgesson defeated Barry's Blanka Szavay, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
The Bucs play at Eckerd 10 a.m. Saturday.


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Goals: The primary mission of the European Space Agency's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft is to study the solar atmosphere, helioseismology and solar wind, but it has also proved very useful for spotting comets.
Accomplishments: SOHO has found more comets than any other spacecraft -- or person -- to date. The mission logged its 2,000th comet discovery in December 2010. SOHO also has observed comet 96P Machholz three times during its regular trip around the sun roughly every six years.


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On Monday, local educators from schools across the county were given the opportunity to learn about school shootings and how to prevent them
On Monday, local educators from schools across the county were given the opportunity to learn about school shootings and how to prevent them by the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy. Meeting in the Entergy Room on the ASU-Heber Springs Campus, they were provided with various tips and strategies on identifying common characteristics and patterns of potential school shooters.
Officer Bernie J. Mosely of the Training Academy told educators one of the main obstacles to preventing a school shooting was the belief that "it could never happen here". Most school shootings have occurred in small to medium sized towns with a strong sense of community and no real history of excessive violent crime. This sense of community and low crime rate can often lead to a feeling of immunity and thus create a perfect target for a potential shooter.
Mosely told educators that staying alert to potentially odd behavior and statements by a student is a large part of prevention. If a student is doing something the educator notices as particularly odd or out of character, then they should ask questions. "What are you doing? That one question could be the deterrent in a mass shooting," said Mosely. Oftentimes, potential school shooters will begin asking questions about cameras or security and also about specific areas of the school. This can be done through questions to school staff or by going to city offices to view floor plans of the building. Some will test they security system by entering restricted areas or parking in parking lots for an extended period to see if they are noticed. Many times, the potential shooters will try to gain information on school lunch times, assemblies, etc. All of these tests are an effort by the potential shooter to determine when and where he can inflict the most casualties in the least amount of time. Staying alert to these attention-gathering techniques can be a great help in prevention.
Examples were given of common profiles of potential shooters. Many prior shooters, such as in Columbine and Newtown, were subjected to excessive bullying by other students. Excessive bullying by students over years has been major factor in creating violent tendencies in children. Sometimes a potential shooter may lash out due to losing a boyfriend/girlfriend to someone else. Feelings of depression, low self-esteem, and the overwhelming need to feel control over another human's life are all factors that have commonly been found in school shooters. Some will give verbal clues before they intend to carry out the act. Warning friends not to be at school on a certain day is a big red flag. In an effort to feel a sense of self-importance and self-worth, some shooters fantasize about the media attention they will get from carrying out the act.
Excessive exposure to violence via video games, movies, TV, etc. have served to help desensitize children to violent acts. In the case of "first person shooter" style video games, children get the experience of committing these acts themselves. According to Mosely, educators need to become more alert to red flag behaviors. Many kids will say something threatening in a fit of anger that has no real intent behind it. The threat is based in an anger that is passing and not based in reality. There are a few people, however, whose intent is sustained and real and those are the ones educators must be attentive to. "Times have changed," said Mosely and educators have to understand how keep their students safe in this new atmosphere.


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Find out why a Claflin education is more than a means to a degree.
The best way to get a feel for Claflin is to visit us.
Claflin students work with the best leaders in their fields.
You'll find endless opportunities here to get involved.
There is always something happening at Claflin!
Claflin is #1 in alumni giving among all HBCUs, thanks to you.
Claflin University junior politics and justice studies major Emmanuel Pressley has been on a journey since before he even matriculated to Claflin. He just didn't know quite where it was leading him.
Pressley became Claflin's first-ever Harry S. Truman Scholar on Wednesday – and the only one from South Carolina this year. The Truman is a highly competitive, merit-based award offered to U.S. college students who want to go to graduate school in preparation for a career in public service.
A celebrated prize in its own right, the Truman Scholarship (known also as a "Baby Rhodes") is also considered a steppingstone to other prestigious awards, such as the Rhodes Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship. Winners of Truman Scholarships in their junior year very often return in their senior year of college to compete for the Rhodes and/or Marshall Scholarships. Many win.
"The University congratulates Emmanuel on this high achievement," Claflin President Dr. Henry N. Tisdale said. "His selection as a Truman Scholar is no small feat, and it also represents the caliber of students Claflin University is committed to recruit and retain. We are confident Emmanuel will live up to the expectations of a recipient of the Truman award."
Pressley, who graduated as valedictorian of Hemingway High School in 2011, is one of 59 new Truman Scholars – mostly college juniors – who were selected from among 655 candidates nominated by 293 colleges and universities. He joins the ranks of many U.S. leaders already established in the field of public service, individuals such as Dr. Susan E. Rice, U.S. national security adviser and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; George Stephanopoulos, former Clinton adviser and current ABC journalist; and Janet Napolitano, former U.S. head of national security and former governor of Arizona, among many others.
"I've always been involved in the community," the Hemingway, S.C., native said, adding that his love of helping others stems from watching his mother, Jennifer Pressley, do the same.
"She's a nurse, and she's always been really involved in our community, whether it's helping people out at our church or volunteering with the fire department," Pressley continued. "She's always been involved, and I've had many years, while growing up, to look at that work ethic and look at how she was involved, and to just emulate that in my life."
In addition to joining a network of like-minded public servants, Truman Scholars receive up to $30,000 for their graduate studies. Pressley's goal is to obtain a master's degree in public policy and then attend law school, with the hopes of one day becoming a civil rights attorney and opening a nonprofit organization, which he has named "Second Bridges," that advocates for and assists nonviolent felons in rehabilitating and transitioning smoothly back into society.
"It feels absolutely amazing to be named a Truman Scholar," Pressley said. "When I first matriculated to Claflin and Mrs. (Alice Carson) Tisdale told me about the National Merit Scholarships, with the Truman being one of the most prestigious, I immediately wanted to apply for it.
"For me, the Truman truly embodies what it means to leave Claflin better than I found it, and just blossoming into that visionary leader that Dr. Tisdale always talks about. It's truly a blessing."
Pressley, a member of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College, has been actively involved at Claflin since arriving on campus in fall 2011. He has served as a class senator since his freshman year, and has been appointed to the Honors Council all three years at Claflin. He has volunteered with the local Boys and Girls Club, Longwood Plantation Assisted Living Community and as a tutor on campus.
The summer after his freshman year, Pressley interned for the Family Court Division of the 16th Circuit Court in Jackson County, Mo., as part of the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars Program.
The next summer, he took part in the Ronald H. Brown Prep Program for College Students and interned at the Queens County Supreme Court in Queens, N.Y. While in New York, he also interned with Common Cause New York, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with the citizens of New York in holding their elected officials accountable for their actions.
Last fall, Pressley studied abroad in Florianopolis, Brazil, where he took part in the Culture, Portuguese Language, Business and Courses with Locals program at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina.
"Study abroad really shaped my perspective, when it comes to diversity and the importance of diversity in our workforce, in our schools," he said.
Pressley said such experiences have been enriching and rewarding – and each has pushed him even closer to his goal of becoming a Truman Scholar, and, ultimately, his life goals.
"When I was in high school, my older brother got into trouble with the law, and just before I started college, he was getting released. It was very hard for him to rehabilitate or at least transition smoothly back into society," he said. "That's basically what my nonprofit is going to be about. I want it to combat felony disenfranchisement laws, but also advocate for community outreach in order to connect incarcerated individuals who are trying to rehabilitate back into society with employers, housing opportunities and governmental assistance so that they can become productive and contributing citizens.
"I have found that many of the rights that were fought for during the civil rights movement … are stripped when you become a felon because of the labeling and the stigma that comes with being a felon."
This summer, Pressley will take part in the 2014 Truman Scholars Leadership Week at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., where this year's scholars will receive their awards in a special ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo., on May 25. He will also take part in an intense 10-week LSAT preparation program at the St. John's University School of Law in Queens, N.Y.
"I have an internship waiting for me after my senior year at the Washington Summer Institute, which is a branch of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation," Pressley said.
Becoming Claflin's first Truman Scholar is almost an opportunity that Pressley let pass him by.
He was well on his way to having his application completed when his laptop literally crashed – on the floor of his host family's home in Brazil.
"I lost everything, and I was almost finished with the process of applying for the Truman Scholarship," Pressley said. "So from October until I returned to Claflin in early January, I stopped everything … I stopped doing work towards it. I had lost all of my research, I had lost all of my essays – and we're talking about months of revising, emailing back and forth … it's not something that you can just do overnight.
"But when I got here, I kicked into gear. That's when I said, 'You know what? I'm going to do this.' I started it, and I don't like starting something and not finishing it. It's not a very good trait."
And the long process of working and writing and researching and waiting and preparing for the interview – it all paid off for Pressley.
"There were many nights when I wanted to give up," he said. "But I'm glad I did it.
"I told Dr. Tisdale that the award – and don't get me wrong, the $30,000 is great – but the reward, for me, was the experience, because in the process, they ask you questions that you don't often times ask yourself. It's truly the process of applying and interviewing for the Truman Scholarship that was so rewarding."
Many people helped him along the way, Pressley said, adding that he would be remiss if he didn't acknowledge their guidance and assistance in helping him on the road to becoming a Truman Scholar: President Tisdale, Mrs. Tisdale, Dr. Roosevelt Ratliff, Dr. Deborah L. Laufersweiler-Dwyer, Ms. Susan Lerner, Dr. Carlton Long, Dr. Millicent Brown, Dr. Caroletta Shuler Ivey, Dr. Leonard Pressley, Ms. Pricilla Anderson, Mr. Devin Randolph and Mr. Drexel Ball. Whether it was writing a recommendation letter or helping him prepare for his interview on April 2 at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga., each of them were a godsend in the process, he said.
"And I just wanted to say that my success is not about me," Pressley continued. "I try to remind myself that my success is not about me. Essentially, it's God acting within me to make me a vessel to help others. I'm thankful and highly appreciative for the people who have helped me throughout this process, but I give all glory and honor to God. My success is not because of my own ability – it's because of God."
To those coming behind him who also have aspirations to aim high and reach for what may seem impossible, Pressley has this advice.
"This is one of Dr. Tisdale's five key points that I keep in mind all the time – you have to raise your self-expectancy, because the world is a big world, and you can do some amazing things," he said. "So I would challenge all students – my peers, everyone and anyone who desires to attend Claflin or pursue their dreams or simply make a difference in their world … we all need to raise our self-expectancy and put forth the effort to maximize our potential."
And be passionate about your goals, he added.
"You, me, anyone must be passionate, must know why they want to do it, and it must show," he said. "You must have your passion, and know where it's stemming from.
"I'm extremely excited about what the future holds."
The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the nation's 33rd president. There have been 2,965 Truman Scholars since the first awards were made in 1977.
The Truman is a highly competitive, merit-based award offered to U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals from Pacific Islands who want to go to graduate school in preparation for a career in public service. The scholarship offers:
Who are the Truman Scholars?
They are persons who have been recognized by the Truman Scholarship Foundation as future "change agents." They have the passion, intellect, and leadership potential that in time should enable them to improve the ways that public entities – be they government agencies, nonprofit organizations, public and private educational institutions, or advocacy organizations – serve the public good.
Who is eligible to receive a Truman Scholarship?
U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals who are college or university students with junior-level academic standing and who wish to attend professional or graduate school to prepare for careers in government or the nonprofit and advocacy sectors where they will improve the ways these institutions work. Residents of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana must have senior-level standing.
Information from www.truman.gov