text:
4th Circuit Court of Appeals rules in favor of the freedom to marry in Virginia case
July 28, 2014
Today, July 28, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, VA ruled in favor of same-sex couples' freedom to marry, upholding a marriage ruling out of Virginia from February.
The landmark ruling follows a similar ruling from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that banning same-sex couples from marriage in Utah is unconstitutional. It is the 29th consecutive ruling in favor of marriage for same-sex couples in the past year. Read about all of the rulings HERE.
The decision reads:
We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable. However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws. Civil marriage is one of the cornerstones of our way of life. It allows individuals to celebrate and publicly declare their intentions to form lifelong partnerships, which provide unparalleled intimacy, companionship, emotional support, and security. The choice of whether and whom to marry is an intensely personal decision that alters the course of an individual's life. Denying same-sex couples this choice prohibits them from participating fully in our society, which is precisely the type of segregation that the Fourteenth Amendment cannot countenance.
The decision is in Bostic v. Schaefer, a federal case originally brought by Shuttleworth, Ruloff, Swainn, Haddad & Morecock, P.C., and joined by the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Lambda Legal, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The decision is not effective immediately. Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner explains, "According to the court's judgment in the case, the judgment will take effect after the mandate is issued in the case. The mandate, under the court's rules, will be issued '7 days after expiration of the time to file a petition for rehearing expires, or 7 days after entry of an order denying a timely petition for panel rehearing, rehearing en banc, or motion for stay of mandate, whichever is later.'
This ruling is the second from a federal appellate court since last year's victory in the Supreme Court. Unless it is reversed, the decision will pave the way for the freedom to marry throughout the 4th Circuit, including in North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Maryland, the fifth state in the 4th Circuit, approved marriage for same-sex couples at the ballot in 2012.
That is, the ruling sets a high-court precedent in the 4th Circuit, so judges who hear similar marriage challenges out of NC, SC and WV should apply the precedent. The ruling makes it clear that the U.S. Constitution requires these states to allow same-sex couples to share in the freedom to marry.
Learn all about pending marriage litigation - the 75+ cases in every single state in the country - HERE.


text:
The G3 Initiative unites a town's green vision with tools needed to accelerate local greening efforts. The result is greater watershed protection, community livability and new green economic opportunities.
Building Green Streets and associated green infrastructure projects marry the important concerns that our Chesapeake Bay towns face: jobs, livability and the environment. By doing so, communities that have felt disconnected and disenfranchised from the larger Chesapeake Bay restoration, now gain better access to restoration resources and are recognized as partners in the Chesapeake Bay clean-up effort.
Small to mid-size towns are what this country is built upon. Today, there is a yearning for and a need to return to the community spirit, ingenuity, and community network offered by our small towns and neighborhoods. The communities in the Anacostia watershed share the desire and need to boost their local economies, protect water resources, and preserve their small town community spirit. The Green Streets - Green Jobs initiative will empower these communities to stimulate their local green jobs market, protect the environment and enhance their community. It will help enable families to live, work, and play in the same community.
Launching the Green Streets – Green Jobs Initiative is a key component of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order including developing the Pilot Green Streets-Green Jobs Academy. The Green Streets – Green Jobs Academy represents a "virtual resource? and a collaborative network of stewards, practitioners and sponsors, offering community leaders and local stakeholders easy access to technical, planning, policy, funding and job creation opportunities related to the creation of green streets and green jobs.
The Chesapeake Bay Executive Order commits to holding the first regional Green Streets-Green Jobs training forum in Anacostia in 2011 and three additional training workshops throughout the watershed in 2011-2103. EPA will work with up to 10 community demonstrations per year for the next three to five years to create Green Streets-Green Jobs plans and designs that support local and Chesapeake Bay water quality and watershed protection plans. These demonstrations will combine integrated, watershed scale planning, context sensitive site design, and construction of sustainable best management practices to enhance each community's sense of place, protect water resources, and grow green economy.
We anticipate that community green plans will include a range of sustainable practices (diagram 1.0) such as; enhancing tree canopy along streets and sidewalks by planting native trees, installing energy efficient lighting, and powering those lights with clean energy. Stormwater management features will be integrated into the designs of streetscapes, roads, walkways and bikeways. Other green practices throughout the community will capture, treat and absorb water where it falls. (i.e. rain gardens, rain barrels, and permeable concrete). These efforts combine to create a corridor of green towns protecting the Anacostia watershed, restoring communities, and strengthening sense of place!
1.0 Diagram of practices used in the planning, design and development of a green street
The G3 Forum launches a public-private initiative, Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns, within the Chesapeake Bay and Anacostia watersheds. Restoring the Chesapeake Bay is critical to protecting our nation?s waters as exemplified by the President?s Executive Order on the Chesapeake Bay. The Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Initiative is a designated key element of EPA?s Action Strategy to "get boots on the ground?, and significantly reduce pollution to rivers within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The Forum brings together small to mid-sized towns from across the Anacostia Watershed and Chesapeake Bay . The Forum will be held on April 29-30, 2011 in Silver Spring, MD. Experts in policy, planning, design and financing will be on hand to help equip community and municipal leaders with the knowledge and technical considerations that will inspire the construction of Green Streets along the Anacostia River corridor and beyond.
The G3 Forum sets the stage for EPA?s Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Academy, a "virtual resource?, and a collaborative network of stewards, practitioners and sponsors, offering community leaders and local stakeholders easy access to technical, planning, policy, funding and job creation opportunities related to the creation of green streets and green jobs. An associated Green Street Project registry will provide a mechanism for project proponents to seek partnerships and mentor other communities.
As the first official project, the Green Streets-Green Jobs Academy worked with the Town of Bladensburg, MD to hold a design charrette on October 25, 2010 which
The purpose of the G3 Academy, comprised of technical, financial, planning and design assistance providers, is to bring the information and technology to the local town in a meaningful way. By tapping into the Academy, local governments and communities protect environmental resources by implementing best management practices and create new green jobs through these greening projects.
The registry will allow project proposers to identify project goals and needs. EPA, in partnership with the Green Street Academy will review and fund eligible projects through a variety of sources, as appropriate. We will target 10 pilot projects per year under this collaborative effort within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Other registered Green Streets-Green Jobs proposals will be shared with major funding organizations to expand the number and geographic extent of implementing on-the-ground best management practices.
Dominique Lueckenhoff,

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Danube Waltz on Viking Prestige
Passau to Budapest
Explore four of Europe's most enchanting countries along the storied Danube River; Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. See the range of architectural wonders in Budapest and Bratislava, sail through the spectacular Wachau Valley, and take a tour of the 900-year-old baroque Benedictine abbey at Melk on this amazing 8-day itinerary.
Admire the Wachau Valley's beauty. Learn to waltz at a Viennese...
Viking Prestige carries 188 guests on some of our most popular itineraries. Each of these state-of-the-art vessels has two 340-square-foot suites and 97 staterooms, with French Balcony staterooms on the upper and middle decks and standard staterooms with picture windows on the main deck. Best of all, Viking Prestige is a "green" ship, running on hybrid diesel-electric engines that produce less vibrations for a smoother ride. Cutting-edge design, unmatched comfort and environmentally conscious—Viking Prestige has it all.
Ship Features
- Aquavit Terrace at the bow of the ship for al fresco dining
- 97 comfortable outside staterooms (2 suites, 67 French Balcony, 22 Standard, 6 singles)
- Sun deck with 360-degree views and shaded sitting area
- Observation lounge & bar with panoramic windows
- Restaurant with panoramic views
- Library & Onboard boutique
- Free shipwide wireless internet service
- Laundry service
- Ecologically friendly hybrid engines
- Sony 32" flat-panel TV with CNBC, CNN, ESPN, FOX, National Geographic and more; infotainment system featuring free movies on demand
Since its first sailings along Russia's waterways nearly 20 years ago, Viking® has reinvented river cruising. Today, Viking invites guests to sample the rich cultures and fine wines and cuisine along Europe's great rivers—all aboard the continent's most comfortable, state-of-the-art ships—and the storied rivers of China, Southeast Asia and Egypt. The innovative Viking Longships® are the most award-winning vessels on Europe ...


text:
Front Range Voters Fight Back Against Fracking
Flooding and drilling equipment along Colorado's Front Range this fall. Photo courtesy of East Boulder County United.
By Eric Huber, Senior Managing Attorney, Sierra Club Environmental Law Program
Congratulations, Colorado! On November 5, the cities of Ft. Collins and Boulder each passed a five-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." In the City of Lafayette, citizens passed a fracking ban coupled with an assertion of residents' rights to a clean and healthy environment.
The City and County of Broomfield also proposed a five-year moratorium, which trails by 13 votes as of this writing, making a recount likely. Although a fracking moratorium was kept off the ballot in the City of Loveland based on a technicality, steps are underway to hold a special election on the proposal in 2014. The Sierra Club endorsed and supported all of these ballot initiatives to fight toxic fracking on Colorado's Front Range.
"The industry's record of toxic spills and harmful air emissions is a huge concern for communities faced with the prospect of neighborhood drilling and slickwater fracking," said Lauren Swain, the Rocky Mountain Chapter's Beyond Oil & Gas Team Communications Coordinator. "As long as the industry is exempt from major provisions of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other federal environmental laws, it would be reckless to allow this toxic industrial process to take place near homes and schools."
According to press reports, oil and gas interests poured more than $900,000 into a media campaign to try and defeat these various measures. The campaigns to protect communities from fracking impacts were successful despite the industry's well-funded advertising barrage and the possibility of state and industry lawsuits, like those which followed the City of Longmont's passage of a fracking ban late last year.
In November of 2012 the City of Longmont passed regulations to protect its citizens from oil and gas drilling by prohibiting drilling in residential areas and requiring setbacks away from schools, creeks, and parks. The city also required oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals they truck through town and to consult with the city on wildlife impacts before drilling.
Incredibly, the State of Colorado and (not so incredibly) the Colorado Oil and Gas Association sued the city to get rid of the regulations, arguing that only the state can regulate oil and gas. Soon thereafter, the citizens of Longmont voted to ban fracking within city limits -- and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association sued the city again to undo the will of the people. The State has since joined in with them. The Sierra Club Environmental Law Program intervened in both lawsuits to help defend the City of Longmont.
How the Longmont lawsuits turn out could well determine the legal fate of other ballot initiatives up and down the Front Range, and determine whether hundreds of thousands of people have the right to defend themselves against these industrial activities in their communities.
"These communities are doing their best to avoid becoming like nearby Greeley," said Swain, "which has more than 400 wells already, and over 200 more likely to be drilled in the near future."
Take action: Send a message to Governor John Hickenlooper, telling him that state officials must stand up for public health and cut dangerous emissions from the fossil fuel industry.


text:
Woe is me.
Fate has conspired to deny me a rare Irradiated Roach.
My current goal is to convert my collection of Uncommons to Rares.
While the purchased pets will take some time due to needing Battle Stones, the wild pets are doable, right?
Right off the bat, I hit a roadblock with the infamous Coral Adder.
After camping for over a week, clearing out the critters, checking the rare pet pops... I finally gave up and moved on.
I figure I can blow ONE beast stone on that hard-to-get snake, right?
So, through struggle and pain, I work my way from top to bottom.
There are some rough spots (Death's Head Cockroaches in Hyjal, Widow Spiderlings in Duskwood), but for the most part, it's smooth sailing. Eventually, I get to the bottom of my list.
The one I've been dreading, Larva, goes pretty well - I get a Rare within an hour of grinding Spirit Crabs.
(getting my original Uncommon took much longer, oddly enough)
Then I come to Irradiated Roach.
Knowing it's difficult, I roll a bunch of gnomes on various servers.
Because I already have L60+ Alliance on Sentinels (RP) and The Venture Company (RP/PVP), I start there.
Nothing - so I go above-ground on my 60's and clear all the battle pets in the surround areas, including behind Gnomer.
Check again.
So I roll new "Roachhunter" gnomes on Ravencrest (PvE), Ravenholdt (RP/PVP) and Twisting Nether (RP/PVP).
I also roll similar toons on Drakkari (Latin PVP) and Nemesis (Brasil PVP).
Grind some more above-ground on Sentinels and TVC. Still no joy.
Go to bed around midnight CST. Wake up again around 4am CST, try again.
Try again today at 11:30 CST.
FLUXFIRE FELINES. Everywhere. Can't take a step without kicking one.
And my pet-hunting morality won't let me clear them out because I know other people need them.
But seriously?
Sentinels, above-ground? FFF.
TvC, under-ground? FFF.
Ravenholdt, under-ground? SO MANY FFF.
Ravencrest, under-ground? The mini-map was just green paws - all FFF.
So no roaches for me. Yet.
But Fluxfire Feline? Holy hell.
If you still need one, maybe my bane can be your blessing.
TL;DR: No Irradiated Roach for Gendou, because there are too many Fluxfire Felines.


text:
By Elia Raimondo
Javier Pastore could be on his way out of Paris Saint-Germain in the not too distant future, with AC Milan showing shown an interest in signing the Argentina international, Goal.com can reveal.
The San Siro side are eager to add some more creativity to their squad, and sporting director Ariedo Braida sees the 23-year-old as the perfect addition to Milan's midfield.
The attacking midfielder joined PSG from Palermo in the summer of 2011 and quickly became an important first team member at the Ligue 1 outfit. However, he has been struggling to find his best form after a superb start at the Parisiens and is no longer an undisputed starter under head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
As a result, the midfielder could opt to move on again if his situation does not change, and Milan are closely monitoring developments. PSG are reluctant to sell at this point but could decide to cash in on Pastore if he fails to recapture his best form.
Although the French giants paid close to €40 million for the playmaker 15 months ago, the Rossoneri are hopeful that an offer in the region of €20m plus Ignazio Abate will suffice.
Pastore's current contract runs until June 2016.


text:
Dave's Rating:
Beyond the Valley of the Bourne
When Roseanne re-cast Becky you didn't really mind, right? You kept watching. You probably even kept watching during that last season that was all a dream. I did. I thought, "Well, this isn't really what I signed on for, but sure, go off in your new direction, show." And so it is with the fourth Bourne installment. No, Jeremy Renner isn't playing Jason Bourne. He's a badder mega-soldier, able to scale jagged cliffs and swim frozen rivers and walk up the side of a house. Seriously, he walks up the side of a house. As new Beckys go, they could have done a lot worse.
When Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy got confusing after the first five minutes and forced your attention-paying abilities into high gear, tripping you up with switchbacks, information parsed out on a need-to-almost-know basis and a dozen separate trails of soggy bread crumbs, you realized you were in for a ride. And so it is with the fourth Bourne installment, except the multiple bread crumb trails that fill up the first hour, a slowly winding path where the sightseeing includes Rachel Weisz performing brain-chemistry science and a needlessly complicated explanation of the hows and whys and kill switches involved in covert ops-level mega-soldiers like Jason B. and his Renner-replacement, keep on promising to reveal a very big deal, but eventually turns into Torque.
When hyperactive motorbike masterpiece Torque happened, you said, "HELL, YEAH, TORQUE!" And so it is with the fourth Bourne installment, a film in which two-wheeled, vroom-vroom acrobatics may not take place against a backdrop of screaming neon Mountain Dew product placement and intentional manic humor, but do make you forget about all the slow-rolling espionage tutorial that came before it. They also involve a cyborg-level warrior guy who comes out of nowhere for no other reason than to get Renner involved in wicked speed-joust. This, in turn, results in a Rachel Weisz near-death grimace that will, in a perfect world, get frame-grabbed and turned into an Internet meme.
When The Matrix brought Valley of the Dolls-style pill culture to consciousness-altering, future-tech sci-fi, you didn't think about Valley of the Dolls, you thought about '90s raves. But that's kind of like saying "tom-ahh-toe." All you need to know is that pills make the story go. And when the guy in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed was dying due to lack of oxygen in his brain and only a transplant could save him, you... actually maybe you missed that one. But I didn't. It was great. And so it is with the fourth Bourne installment, a film that veers so far off the course of the trilogy that preceded it that stuff like pills-as-rocket-fuel-for-superhero-powers and crazy brain chemistry experiments seem perfectly normal in its parallel universe. Weisz, before the speeding motorcycle war, says phrases like "mitochondrial protein uptake." This is great, too. Other characters get their turns to make some excellently silly pronouncements about Renner's brain but I won't spoil them. Just know that science is important and if all you take way from the movie is a metaphor about its power to keep people from turning into drooling idiots, then that's perfectly enough.
And when you saw that Bourne trilogy, films that acted as anxious funhouse mirrors for the '00s, each one careening through post-9/11 terror, mass distrust of the government and shaky-cam as the new normal, all the while observing America's relationship to itself and the rest of the world with an ice-cold glare, you knew you were watching something that felt important for its moment. And so it is with the fourth Bourne install -- just kidding, no it's not. Pass the Junior Mints, please. They're pills for your brain.
Movies.com Critic
Valley of the Dolls with Firepower?
Read full review | Comments ()
61 out of 100 Metascore®
Read other critic reviews
You can fly. Eventually.
Songs about butts.
Death to the patriarchy.
Stay home.
All Dave White's Movie Reviews
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2018 FANDANGO MOVIES.


text:
The hepatitis A vaccine protects against
Alternative Names
Immunization - hepatitis A; Vaccine - HepA; Immunization - HepA
Hepatitis A infection is caused by the hepatitis A virus.
Hepatitis A vaccine is called HepA for short. It is made from smaller pieces of the whole hepatitis A virus. After getting the vaccine,the body learns to attack thehepatitis A virusifthe person isexposed to it. As a result,the person isunlikely to get sick with hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A vaccine does not protectagainst other types of hepatitis. Currently, there is one other hepatitis vaccine, hepatitis B (HepB). Soa personneeds to receive HepB to beprotected against hepatitis B infection.
If you have had hepatitis Ainfectionin the past, you do not need the vaccine. Once you have recovered from the infection, you are immune for life.
HepAis one of the recommended childhood vaccines. HepA is given to children 1 year or older as a series of two doses (shots).The second dose is given 6 to 18 months after the first dose.
Children 2 through 18 years old should get two doses of HepA if they live in an area where many people have hepatitis A infection.
Adults 19 yearsor older should get the two doses of HepA if they:
- Work or travel in areas where hepatitis A is common. These areas include Africa, Asia (except Japan), theMediterranean, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central and South America, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean.
- Use recreational, injectable drugs.
- Work with the hepatitis A virus in a laboratory or with research animals that are infected with the virus.
- Have chronic (ongoing)liver disease.
- Adopt children from a country where many people have hepatitis A.
- Men who have sex with other men.
HepA can be received as a vaccine by itself. Or it can be received as a combined vaccine that protects against both hepatitisA and B. Your health care provider can tell youwhich vaccine is right for you or your child.
- Childrenyounger than age 1.
- Persons who received a dose of the vaccine and developed an allergy from it.
- Pregnantwomen should ask their health care provider if the vaccine is safe for them.
- Persons who are ill with something more severe than a cold or have a fever should reschedule their vaccination until after they are recovered.
Most persons who get the hepatitis A vaccine have no side effects. Others may have minor problems such as soreness and redness at the injection site or a mild fever. Serious problems are rare and are mainly due to allergic reactions to a part of the vaccine.
No vaccine works all of the time. It is still possible, though unlikely,to get hepatitis A infection even after receiving all doses (shots) of HepA.
- You are not sure if a person should getthe hepatitis A vaccine
- Serious symptoms appear after receiving the vaccine
- You have questions or concerns about the vaccine
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Recommended Immunization Schedules for Persons Aged 0 Through 18 Years and Adults Aged 19 Years and Older- United States, 2013. MMWR. 2013;62(Suppl1):1-19.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine safety and adverse events. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/safety/default.htm. Accessed April 19, 2013.
Orenstein WA, Atkinson WL. Immunization. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldmans Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders; 2011:chap 17.
Review Date:
Reviewed By:
Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc., Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Bethanne Blackman, Stephanie Slon, and Nissi Wang.


text:
1221 Limeridge Road East
Hamilton, ON
|Doris Dollar, Noelle VanderPol
|Click Here
Highlights or unique features:
|We have a one-floor plan that makes it easy for residents. House Doctor on-site.
Photo Gallery
Retirement Home & Long-Term Care Visiting Tips - download a PDF document that is an excerpt of the 2018 Guide to Retirement Living. This article details how to find "the best" home and contains 250 questions to consider and ask when touring retirement residences and 125 questions to ask when touring long-term care homes. Cost is $5.00 per download.
Emergency File & Information - Are you a caregiver for someone? In an emergency would you be able to access important health and financial information about them? Do you know the kind of information you might be required to have? If you aren't a caregiver, do your loved ones know where your important documents are in the event of an emergency? This useful document can assist individuals & caregivers organize important relevant health and financial information for you or someone you are caring for. A concise chart prepared by a long-time social worker, there is a place for all important information any caregivers might require.
Care Options for Seniors in Ontario - download a PDF document that is an excerpt of our annual Guide. The information in the PDF details the different care options available to seniors, how to discuss the need for care, and other important information for those beginning to search. It is a companion PDF to Visiting Tips. It does not contain information on specific homes or questions while touring homes (see Visiting Tips for a list of Questions to review while touring). Cost is $5.00 per download.
|Resources in the Area - Browse our Resources for Seniors for listings in Hamilton, ON.
Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority
Search the RHRA Public Register for information on Ontario Retirement Homes
Check to see if this home is licensed by the RHRA' with a link to http://rhra.ca/en/register


text:
Style # 228682
Embellished Shorts is rated out of 5 by 3.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Nikkkkki from love these I love these shorts. Super sexy, and look way better in person. I got them in white with the matching blazer and a black cami to wear underneath. I would say they run pretty true to size. I would normally order a size 8, however they were out of stock so I had to get a 6. They are definitley snug, but they still fit pretty well.
Date published: 2014-06-10
Rated 4 out of 5 by spyhunter52 from Cute but runs a bit small Ordered this in white with matching jacket and it makes a very chic and sophisticated suit look. It's mostly linen so be aware they do wrinkle easily. I think it runs small, I normally wear a 0 in bebe dresses and the 2 on me was snug and just barely fit.
Date published: 2014-05-14
Rated 3 out of 5 by Meghen49 from Cute shorts I just like to start that the shorts are cute with the embellishments on the sides however I felt that they looked best with a black top I felt other colored tops did not work has nice because the embellishments. I figured how can you go wrong with matching tops with a pair of white shorts be for me it just didn't pair up nice, I didn't want to just be limited to one color top with these shorts, they also wrinkle pretty bad as soon as you bend over or sit that's it they wrinkle up an that's the way the stay. So to sum up I'm 130 pounds an got these in a 6 an they fit good but as far as matching up tops with these shorts I didn't think they were keepers . Just letting you know what I Thought just didn't work out for me doesn't mean they wouldn't for you.
Date published: 2014-04-20


text:
Keep Windows PCs up-to-date with software updates in Microsoft Intune
|Applies to: Intune in the classic portal
Microsoft Intune can help you to secure your managed computers in a number of ways, including the management of software updates that keep your computers up-to-date by ensuring the latest patches and software updates are quickly installed.
If you have not yet installed the Intune client on your computers, see Install the Windows PC client with Microsoft Intune.
When new updates are available from Microsoft Update, or you have created a third-party update, and they are applicable to your managed computers, a notification is displayed on the Overview page of the Updates workspace. After you choose this notification link, you can then perform various operations like viewing more information about the update, approving or declining the update, and viewing the computers that will install the update if it is approved.
The Updates workspace is not displayed in the administrator console until you have installed the client on, and are successfully managing at least one computer client.
As updates are approved and installed, you can examine the success or failure of the installation in the Updates workspace of the Intune console.
The following sections will help you to keep software up-to-date on your managed computers.
Before you start
Before you begin to create and approve software updates, configure and deploy polices to your computers that control when and how the updates are installed.
To configure update policy settings
In the Microsoft Intune administration console, choose Policy > Overview > Add Policy.
Configure and deploy a Microsoft Intune Agent Settings policy for the update settings. You can use recommended settings or customize the settings. If you need more information about how to create and deploy policies, see Common Windows PC management tasks with the Microsoft Intune computer client.
The following table shows the values you can configure in the policy and also the recommended values that will be used if you don't customize the policy. You can find these settings in the Updates section.
|Policy setting
|Update and application detection frequency (hours)
|Specifies how frequently (from 8-22 hours) Intune checks for new updates and applications.
Recommended value: 8 hours.
|Automated or prompted installation of updates and applications
|Specifies whether updates are installed automatically or whether the user is prompted before installation. Additionally, this setting lets you schedule the installation of updates and applications.
Install updates and applications automatically as scheduled installs updates and applications using the specified schedule.
As a dependent policy setting, Use Automatic Maintenance for Windows computers specifies that updates and applications are installed during the Windows Automatic maintenance window.
Prompt user for installation prompts the user to install updates when they are ready.
Recommended values:
Install updates and applications automatically as scheduled selected
Day scheduled: Every day
Time scheduled: 3:00 AM
Use Automatic Maintenance for Windows computers selected
|Allow immediate installation of updates that do not interrupt Windows
|Allow installs updates immediately after they are downloaded, except for updates that would interrupt or restart Windows. Those updates are installed according to the configuration of the Automated or prompted installation of updates setting.
Do not allow installs updates according to the configuration of the Automated or prompted installation of updates setting.
Recommended value: Allow
|Delay to restart Windows after installation of scheduled updates and applications (minutes)
|Specifies (from 1-30 minutes), the time to wait to restart Windows after the installation of scheduled updates and applications.
Recommended value: 15 minutes
|Delay following Windows restart to begin installing missed scheduled updates and applications (minutes)
|Specifies (from 1-60 minutes), how long to wait to start the installation of updates and applications after Windows is restarted when a scheduled update was missed.
Recommended value: 5 minutes
|Allow logged-on user to control Windows restart after installation of scheduled updates and applications
|Specifies whether the logged-on user can delay restarting Windows (if set to Yes), or be notified of the automatic Windows restart (if set to No). If no user is logged on when the scheduled installation of updates and applications is completed, Windows is restarted automatically when required. When set to No, by default, the time before Windows restarts is set to 5 minutes.
Recommended value: Yes
|Prompt user to restart Windows during Intune client agent mandatory updates
|Specifies whether the logged on users is prompted to restart Windows when an Intune client mandatory update requires Windows to restart.
Recommended value: Yes
|Microsoft Intune client agent mandatory updates installation schedule
|Schedules when the installation of client updates occur.
Recommended value: not configured
|Delay between prompts to restart Windows after installation of scheduled updates and applications (minutes)
|Specifies how frequently (from 1-1440 minutes) the user is prompted to restart Windows when a scheduled update or application that requires restarting Windows is installed, and the user delays the restart.
Recommended value: 30 minutes
Update software made by Microsoft
Updating Microsoft software requires very little work from you. However, before you start, there are two things you should configure:
Product categories and update classifications – Defines the categories and classifications of the updates you want to make available to computers. For example, you might decide that you only want critical updates for Microsoft Office to be installed.
Automatic approval rules – These rules automatically approve specified types of update and reduce your administrative overhead. For example, you might want to automatically approve all critical software updates.
Use the following two procedures to help you get ready to use software updates:
Configure the product categories and update classifications you want to make available to managed computers
In the Microsoft Intune administration console, choose Admin > Updates.
On the Service Settings: Updates page, in the Product Category list, select the update categories that you want to make available to computers. Note that the most common updates are selected by default.
To ensure that computers receive the updates that have been approved by the admin, the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Group Policy setting, Specify Intranet Microsoft update service location must not be applied to computers that have been enrolled with Intune.
In the Update Classification list, select the classes of update that you want to make available to managed computers. Again, the most common options are selected by default.
Choose Save to store your selections.
To configure automatic approval rules for software updates
In the Microsoft Intune administration console, choose Admin > Updates.
In the Automatic Approval Rules section of the Server Settings: Updates page, choose New.
On the General page of the Create Automatic Approval Rule Wizard, specify a name and optional description for the rule.
On the Product Categories page, select any products for which you want to have updates approved automatically.
On the Update Classifications page, specify the update classifications that you want to have approved automatically.
On the Deployment page, do the following:
Select the computer groups to which you want to deploy the new rule, and then choose Add.
To specify an installation deadline for the updates, select the Enforce an installation deadline for these updates check box, and then on the Installation deadline list, select the installation deadline.
If you specify an installation deadline, the managed computer might require one or more restarts after the deadline interval has passed.
When you are finished, Choose Next.
On the Summary page, review the settings for the new rule, and then choose Finish.
The new rule is shown in the Automatic Approval Rules section of the Service Settings: Updates page.
When you create an automatic approval rule, it only approves future updates, and does not automatically approve previously existing updates that already exist in Intune. To approve these updates you need to run the automatic approval rule.
To edit, run, or delete an automatically approved update rule
In the Microsoft Intune administration console, choose Admin > Updates.
In the Automatic Approval Rules section, select a rule, and then do one of the following:
To edit the rule, choose Edit, and then change the rule's parameters in the Update Auto Approval Rule Wizard.
To run the rule, choose Run Selected.
To delete the rule, choose Delete.
Deleting a rule does not affect previous updates that were approved by the deleted rule.
Update software not made by Microsoft
You can deploy updates for software that is not made by Microsoft. You do this by using the Upload Update wizard to get the update into your Cloud Storage space, after which you can approve or decline the update just like with Microsoft software.
To upload and configure a third-party update
In the Microsoft Intune administration console, choose Updates > Overview > Upload.
On the Update files page, choose Browse to select the setup files that are required to install the update package. The file can be a Windows Installer (.msi) file, a Windows Installer patch (.msp) file, or a .exe program file. You can also include any additional files or folders that are in the same folder as the setup file.
The total size of the selected files to upload is displayed. Note that this size does not include the uncompressed or expanded sizes of installation files.
After you specify the setup files, the Update description page displays the name, description, and classification for software information that Intune extracted from the software setup files. You can select a classification to label the type of update you are deploying (Updates, Critical Updates, Security Updates, Update Rollups or Service Packs). Choose Next when you are done.
On the Requirements page of the wizard, choose the architecture (32-bit, 64-bit, or both), and the operating systems of the managed computers to which this update will be applicable.
On the Detection rules page, specify how Intune determines whether the update already exists on managed computers. If you use the default option, Use the default detection rules, Intune always installs the update package on each targeted computer once.
If the update setup file that you specified is a Windows Installer or .msp file, the Detection rules page of the wizard does not appear. This is because Windows Installer and .msp files contain their own instructions for detecting previous update installations.
Select one or more of the following rules to determine whether the update is already installed on managed computers:
File exists
MSI product code exists
Registry key exists
Provide any further information that is required to configure the detection rule such as a file path and name, Windows Installer product code, or a registry key, and then choose Next.
On the Prerequisites page of the wizard, you specify any software that must already be installed before this update can be installed. You can specify None, select a software package that has already been added to, and is managed by Intune, or you can specify one of the following rules to describe the software:
File exists
MSI product code exists
Registry key exists
Provide any further information that is required to configure the detection rule like a file path and name, Windows Installer product code, or a registry key, and then choose Next.
On the Command line arguments page of the wizard, you can add any required installation properties to the installation command line to modify the behavior of the setup file. For example, some software supports the /q property to enable silent installation. Refer to the documentation for your software package to learn about any supported command line arguments. Specify any command line arguments you need and then choose Next.
If the update does not support silent installation, you cannot install the update using Intune
On the Return codes page of the wizard, you can specify how return codes from the update installation are interpreted. By default, Intune uses industry-standard return codes to report a failed or successful installation of an update package. The supplied return codes are:
|Return code
|Success with restart
Any return code that is not listed is considered a failure. Some updates use nonstandard interpretations for return codes. In this case, you can specify your own return code interpretations.
Specify or edit the required return codes, and then choose Next.
On the Summary page of the wizard, review the actions that will be taken, and then choose Upload to complete the wizard.
The uploaded update is stored in your Intune cloud storage. If you have insufficient free space to upload the update package, you are notified of this during the upload process. Intune cannot determine sufficient free space until after the update upload has started, because compressed setup and installation files require more space when they are uncompressed.
After it is uploaded into Intune, a third-party update is displayed in the Updates workspace in the All Updates pane. You can then approve and deploy the update. For more information, see the following "Approve and decline updates" section.
Approve and decline updates
When updates are ready to install, a message is shown on the Updates Overview page of the Updates workspace, under Update Status. Choose this message to open the All Updates page to see which updates are ready for approval.
You can use the Filters list to make it easier to find updates. For example, you can display only updates that failed, or updates that are superseded.
When you select an update from the list, further commands are available that let you manage updates as shown in the following table:
|View Properties
|Displays detailed information about the update including the number of computers to which it is applicable.
|For non-Microsoft updates only. Allows you to edit the properties of the update.
|Approves the selected update and allows you to configure which groups is will be deployed to. For more information, see the procedure To approve updates in this topic.
|Removes any previous approvals for the update and hides the update from the default views. Additionally, any report data for the update will be removed.
If you later want to locate a declined update, set the filter on the All Updates page to Declined. You can then approve this update as required.
If an update was declined because the update was expired in Microsoft Update, that update cannot be approved in the Intune administration console.
If you delete an updates policy that is deployed to computers, the values of those updates policy settings are reset to the default state for the operating system that is installed on the computers.
|For non-Microsoft updates only. Deletes the selected update.
|Starts the Upload Update wizard that allows you to upload non-Microsoft updates that you want to deploy.
To approve updates
In the Microsoft Intune administration console, choose Updates > Overview > New updates to approve.
In the Updates workspace, choose Overview > New updates to approve.
The New updates to approve link appears in the Updates Status area only when there is at least one managed computer that needs an update to be approved.
Select an update, review the update properties at the bottom of the page to ensure that you want to approve the update, and then choose Approve. You can select multiple updates by holding down the CTRL key as you select each item.
On the Select Groups page, select a group that you want to deploy the updates to, and then choose Add. When you have finished specifying groups, choose Next.
On the Deployment Action page, do the following for each group in the list:
On the Approval list, select one of the following:
Required Install - Installs the update on computers in the specified group.
Do Not Install - Reports applicability only and does not install the update.
Available Install – The user can install the application on demand from the Company Portal.
Uninstall - Removes updates from computers in the targeted group.
The update is removed even if it was not installed by Intune.
On the Deadline list, select one of the following:
None - Indicates that no deadline is enforced for the installation of the update and users may decline the update continually.
As soon as possible - Installs the update at the next opportunity on targeted computers.
Custom - Specifies the date and time that approved updates are installed.
One week, Two weeks, One month – Installs the update within the specified time period.
Choose Finish to save the settings, or Cancel to discard the settings and return to the updates list.
Unless the action Do Not Install, Required Install, or Uninstall was explicitly configured for a child group, an action configured for a parent group is inherited by all its children.
You can check the details pane at the bottom of the All Updates page for reminder messages about the update.


text:
Aaron Bassett
remember this – while you were complaining about the syntax, I made something.
And 6 months down the line when someone else has to maintain it I'm sure they'll appreciate your cowboy coding.
Always code as if the person who ends up maintaining your code is a violent psychopath who knows where you live. – Code For The Maintainer


text:
Richard Burruss III, 47
Richard Atwell Burruss III, 47, LaFontaine, passed away on Monday, May 13, at his home.
Born Feb. 6, 1966, he was the son of Richard Atwell Burruss, Jr. and Charlcye Ann Osborne Burruss.
Survivors include his wife of 10 years, April Jade Knight Burruss; three children, Candace E. Burruss, Richmond, Va.; and Autumn Rayne Burruss and Gabriel Yellen Burruss, both at home; one sister, Charlcye McArthur, Tennessee and her children Syrina and Devon; and one brother John Burruss and his wife Tami, LaFontaine and their children, Johnathan, Jayson, and Joshua. He is also survived by one great nephew, Jayden.
Private services are being planned by the family.
McClain Funeral Home of Denver, Ind. has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Posted on 2013 May 17


text:
Biodegradable Toothbrush from Acca Kappa
Italian brand Acca Kappa have been creating luxury bath and beauty products for over 50 years (most commonly seen in Four Seasons Hotel suites worldwide). But in celebration of their 140 year history, they've created a limited edition toothbrush that is hand cut, milled and handle shaped from biodegradable cellulose acetate with natural bristles. The cellulose is non-toxic and transparent, and biodegrades at the same rate as that of an oak leaf.
We first saw this toothbrush at Anthropologie ($5.50), along with other biodegradable personal hygiene items like this body brush ($54), hair brush ($36), and comb ($15). After doing a little searching, we also found the toothbrush available through Amazon for $5.99.
Apartment Therapy supports our readers with carefully chosen product recommendations to improve life at home. You support us through our independently chosen links, many of which earn us a commission.


text: As previously reported by KCII, the controversial "Stand Your Ground" Bill has passed the Iowa House. It's also been called "Castle Doctrine Extension" because the bill expands on a current Iowa Law that allows a person to defend themselves in their home, business, or place of employment. This new bill, House File 2215, would extend that to any place a person is legally allowed to be at, including public places.


text:
Demeyere Atlantis Stainless-Steel Curved Sauté Pans
- Free Fast Shipping
- PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE - Learn More
Easy, hassle-free returns online and in-store for eligible items.Learn More
Earn $50 in reward dollars4 for every $500 spent on your Williams Sonoma Credit Card through December 14. Learn More
- Summary
This elegant Belgian stainless-steel sauté pan enlists the latest culinary innovations, including Demeyere's patented 7-PlyMaterial and TriplInduc technologies, to guarantee flawless heat distribution and control. Ideal for everything from sautéing to searing, the pan has curved sides to facilitate stirring.
- Constructed with seven high-tech layers, including a commercial-quality 18/10 stainless-steel finish.
- Engineered for optimal responsiveness and control, the pan is made of Demeyere's 7-PlyMaterial, featuring a thick aluminum-alloy core sandwiched between two layers of pure aluminum for excellent heat distribution.
- The exterior is finished with a TriplInduc layer, which combines three special metal alloys to ensure a smooth, even heating surface that won't deform with use and boosts induction-cooking efficiency by up to 30%.
- A Silvinox surface treatment maintains the durable, stick-resistant finish and its satin-polished beauty through years of daily use.
- Dimensions & More Info
- 2-qt. curved sauté pan: 7 3/4" diam., 3" high; 3 lb. 11 oz. with lid.
- 2 1/2-qt. curved sauté pan: 8 1/4" diam., 3" high; 4 lb. 9 oz. with lid.
- 3 1/2-qt. curved sauté pan: 9 1/4" diam., 3 1/2" high; 5 lb. 2 oz. with lid.
Additional Information
- Rims are shaped to allow for dripless pouring.
- Heavy, double-sided lids guarantee optimal heat retention.
- Ergonomic stainless-steel handles absorb minimal heat.
- Ideal for use on any type of cooktop, including induction.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Made in Belgium.
- Use & Care
- Ideal for use on any type of cooktop, including induction.
- Oven and broiler safe.
- Allow pan to cool before washing.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Avoid using steel wool, steel scouring pads or harsh detergents.
- Stuck-on food residue and stains can be removed by soaking pan with warm soapy water overnight.
- Mineral deposits can be cleaned with vinegar or lemon juice.
- Shipping
Shipping Information
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3-5 business days. UPS is unable to deliver to P.O. boxes.
Shipping Rates
The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping destination. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Next Day Delivery
For an additional charge of $26 per address, we can expedite delivery to most destinations. This service is not available for some oversize items, items shipped directly from the supplier (including perishable and custom-manufactured items), out-of-stock items and items to be shipped outside the contiguous 48 states.
Orders received by 9:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Thursday will arrive the next business day; orders placed Friday through Sunday will arrive on the following Tuesday.
Return Policy
At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction are our priority. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement.
If within 30 days, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required for all returns and exchanges. Returns with a gift receipt will be refunded in the form of a Merchandise Credit for the amount indicated on the gift receipt. Returns with original receipt will be refunded in the original form of payment, cash and check refunds over $100 will be issued as a company check (may take 14 business days from time of request).
For all cutlery returns (knife sets, single knives, cutting boards, knife sharpeners, and knife storage) please contact us at 888.922.4108 to initiate the return.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, custom upholstery, food, items shipped direct from the vendor, or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. Final sale items ending in .97 or .99 cannot be returned.
Made to Order and Final Sale Furniture items are non-returnable, and cannot be cancelled once the order is placed.
For returns of items purchased from your Williams Sonoma Gift Registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later. View Full Returns Policy.


text:
The National Cotton Council (NCC) and BASF are partnering to continue two successful cotton industry educational programs in 2001: the Cotton Coalition Professional Development Program and the Cotton Physiology Education Program.
The announcement was made by Phil Burnett, NCC executive vice president and chief executive officer, during the 2001 Beltwide Cotton Conferences.
"The Cotton Coalition represents one of the most proactive, effective educational programs available to cotton leaders and spokespersons. Initiated several years ago by American Cyanamid, this successful program will now be continued under the sponsorship of BASF," says Burnett.
The Cotton Coalition is a special project of The Cotton Foundation, funded by a grant from BASF. The program provides professional development training that helps cotton leaders effectively communicate to lawmakers, consumers, the media and others about constantly changing issues, policies and regulations that threaten cotton industry profitability.
According to Burnett, this BASF-sponsored program helps participants better understand the regional, national and international implications of complex economic, environmental and trade issues. Cotton Coalition members receive valuable training in government affairs, media relations and presentation skills.
"After completing a comprehensive training session, Cotton Coalition members continue their roles as cotton industry spokespersons. Their names are placed on the NCC action-alert list, and they are occasionally called upon to speak to legislators on behalf of the cotton industry," says Burnett.


text:
What's in a name?
Plenty, it seems, when it comes to The Weather Channel giving noteworthy winter storms cute little monikers that are more likely to bring to mind beloved cartoon characters than a blizzard.
Case in point: Nemo, the name The Weather Channel has given to the nor'easter ravaging the region.
"Naming winter storms will raise awareness, which will lead to more proactive efforts to plan ahead, resulting in less impact on the public overall," said Tom Niziol, the "winter weather expert" from The Weather Channel.
In addition to raising awareness, naming the snowstorm "Nemo" (which is a Greek boy's name meaning "from the valley" and means "nobody" in Latin) is causing some unintentional giggles, with most people instantly thinking of the fish in the 2003 computer-animated film "Finding Nemo."
"The first thing that actually came to mind when I heard it was they were naming it after a cartoon fish," said Tina Pignataro of Worcester while sitting in the atrium at St. Vincent Hospital.
"Nemo? It doesn't really inspire fear," said Meagan Gauthier of Millbury, who was with Ms. Pignataro.
Instead of an adorable orange fish, Nemo might bring to mind — to literature lovers — Capt. Nemo, the imperialism-hating antihero (and captain of the submarine Nautilus) in Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "The Mysterious Island." He was played by James Mason in the 1954 Disney movie of "Twenty Thousand Leagues."
To date, there have been no official reports of the storm taking offense to imperialism or resembling James Mason.
This winter, The Weather Channel took it upon itself to start naming noteworthy winter storms. The names are assigned in alphabetical order. And, no, Snowstorm Obama is not next on the list.
The National Weather Service doesn't name snowstorms and blizzards, and has no intention to start. However, hurricanes and tropical storms have been given names since the 1940s.
"We have a general policy that we do not name storms," meteorologist Lance Frank at the National Weather Service said. "Outside the naming of hurricanes, we don't name winter storms."
Mr. Frank said hurricanes are named from a list that rotates every six years, and, if it turns out to be a high-magnitude storm such as Irene and, most likely, Sandy, the name is retired.
Ms. Gauthier and Ms. Pignataro agree with the National Weather Service's longstanding practice.
"That's what we always did, the Blizzard of '78, the April Fools Blizzard, the Presidents Day Blizzard," Ms. Gauthier said. "That works for me."
Bryan Norcross, senior executive director of weather content and presentation and senior hurricane specialist at The Weather Channel, said, "A storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation."
Whether intentionally or not, the biggest surprise of The Weather Channel's winter storm name list for 2012-13 is how many built-in pop culture references there are.
"There's a Harry Potter reference, Draco," Ms. Pignataro said. "There's a 'Lord of the Rings' reference, Gandolf," which is actually a name from William Morris' "The Well at the World's End" and not Gandalf from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
"Draco is a little more scary than Nemo," Ms. Gauthier interjected. "We've gone all these years. We're New Englanders. This is nothing new for us. And now, they're naming snowstorms?"
In addition, pop-culture purists can find in The Weather Channel's winter storms list a few combination classical and Shakespearean references (Brutus and Caesar), straight-out-of-Shakespeare references (Iago, the antagonist from "Othello"), a Sly Stallone reference (Rocky), a Hanna Barbara character (Yogi, as in Yogi Bear) — or is it a baseball reference (Yogi, as in Yogi Berra, of "It ain't over till it's over" fame) — and not one but two "Star Trek" references (the omniscient misanthrope "Q," although that could also refer to the man who supplies James Bond with all those awesome gadgets. Then there's the genetically engineered Khan, the role created by Ricardo Montalban — "Khaaaaaaaaaan!"
Actually, The Weather Channel gives alternate explanations for some of those names.
Michael LeBlanc of Sutton said winter storms have special meaning for him, and attaching a lame name to them cheapens the experience.
Mr. LeBlanc remembers the Blizzard of '78 as "high school kids roaming the neighborhood streets, helping people free their snowbound cars," he said.
"Another one was billed as 'The Storm of the Century.' It was a massive snowstorm in 1993 that at one point spanned the entire East Coast. Unfortunately, it struck on the day of my grandmother's funeral. It was a tough time for the whole family, but what made it special was that we were all trapped at my dad's place for the night at a time when we all needed each other the most," he said.
Plain and simple, Mr. Leblanc said, sometimes storms are just storms, and they don't need names.
"I can't picture 'Nemo' evoking any more memories in the future other than catching up with emails, taking the occasional soak in the hot tub with a Twisted Tea, and waiting for the inevitable phone call from Dad down in St. Petersburg asking, 'How's the weather up there?' " Mr. LeBlanc said.
As far as names go, Mr. LeBlanc said if The Weather Channel is going to name winter storms, it should at least use names that evoke a winter tone, such as those of Scandinavian origin.
"Thor. Loki. Or, maybe Beyonc�. Celebrities or even businesses could sponsor storms, with the proceeds going to charity," Mr. LeBlanc said. "But, personally, I would prefer more creative names. Last year, they were calling a tropical storm the Frankenstorm; that's something that people talk about. So how about Stormageddon? Or, even better, Stormapalooza!"
After Ms. Gauthier and Ms. Pignataro argued over whether Athena (one of the snowstorm names) is the Greek goddess of war or of love, the two women rattled off all the Greek and planet names on The Weather Channel's winter storm list, including Euclid, Helen, Plato, Saturn and Zeus.
"Where's Xena, Warrior Princess?" Ms. Pignataro asked.


text:
This past week I republished a 10 Things article from 2005 with the title: "10 Things You Should Still Do to Every Windows PC." Among the suggestions contained in that list was a passing comment about installing iTunes. In 2005 iTunes was the music player almost everyone was using, but apparently something has changed since then.
Now, I am not a big fan of iTunes myself — it always felt kind of clunky to me — but it is what you use to keep the music on your iPods up to date. I think that sentiment is common and widely accepted. However, I received several comments in the discussion thread for that blog post suggesting iTunes should not be installed on any new PC.
That sentiment perplexed me for a second, but I began to wonder if the latest and greatest way to get digital music is via online services. In other words, the Apple iPod is on the decline, which would be a significant development. So, I thought it would be a good time to take a poll.
What application do you use to deliver music to your ears? Do you rely on the iPod or online services? And, if it is via an online service, do you pay a fee or are you content with the free version?
Full Bio
Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.


text:
Supreme Court lets stand ruling that sides with transgender inmates
A Wisconsin law barring state funding for hormone treatments or sex-change operations for transgender prisoners was struck down, a ruling upheld on appeal. The Supreme Court declined the case.
The US Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a case examining whether transgender prison inmates enjoy a constitutional right to government-funded sex change operations and hormone therapy.
The action leaves undisturbed a federal appeals court decision siding with transgender inmates in Wisconsin.
Concerned about the use of state funding for ongoing hormone treatments that help certain male inmates look more female, lawmakers in Wisconsin passed the Inmate Sex Change Prevention Act. The law barred the use of any state funds for hormone treatments and/or sexual reassignment surgery.
Three Wisconsin inmates filed a class-action lawsuit. After a trial a federal judge struck down the 2006 law as a violation of the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. A panel of theChicago-based Seventh US Circuit Court of Appeals agreed.
The appeals court noted that the Eighth Amendment requires state governments to provide medically-necessary treatment to inmates in their prison populations.
Prior to passage of the Inmate Sex Change Prevention Act, medical personnel in the Wisconsin prison system had determined that hormone therapy was medically necessary for the three inmates. As a consequence of the new law, this treatment was discontinued.
The appeals court did not rule that prison officials are required to provide hormone therapy or sex change operations, only that such treatments must be available to inmates if the prison's own medical personnel determine they are medically necessary.
"Surely, had the Wisconsin legislature passed a law that [Department of Corrections] inmates with cancer must be treated only with therapy and pain killers, this court would have no trouble concluding that the law was unconstitutional," the Seventh Circuit said. "Refusing to provide effective treatment for a serious medical condition serves no valid penological purpose and amounts to torture," the appeals court said.
Prison officials had expressed concern that providing hormone treatments that would help certain inmates in an all-male prison appear physically more like a woman might make that inmate a more likely target for sexual assault in prison. Men who receive female hormone treatments develop breasts and experience a redistribution of body fat.
The appeals court dismissed that concern, noting that transgender inmates already face a substantial risk of such assaults.
In her brief to the court, Assistant Wisconsin Attorney General Jody Schmelzer had asked the high court to determine whether the Eighth Amendment requires state prisons to treat "gender identity disorder" (GID) with hormone therapy.
Ms. Schmelzer also asked the court to examine whether the Seventh Circuit overstepped its authority in affirming an injunction invalidating the state's ban on sex-change surgery for prison inmates
"The court of appeals upheld the injunction as to a procedure that no one had requested, let alone shown was medically necessary to prevent a significant risk of serious harm," Schmelzer wrote. "It is undisputed that none of the plaintiffs were deemed in need of surgery or even requested it."
The Wisconsin Attorney General's Office said the appeals court erred by analyzing the case as if gender identity disorder was a potentially fatal physical medical condition, like cancer, rather than a psychological condition.
"Inmates with GID do not have any physical ailment – their bodies are healthy," Schmelzer wrote. "The condition is a psychological condition and psychological treatments such as psychotherapy, antipsychotics and antidepressants are appropriate and work to reduce the risk of self-harm."
The Eighth Amendment does not entitle inmates to specific treatments or the best care possible, Wisconsin officials argue, and courts should defer to the judgment of prison officials.
"A state law should be upheld under the Eighth Amendment as long as it allows for the availability of alternate treatments that, although not curative, work to manage the symptoms of a condition and diminish the risk of harm to a reasonable level," Schmelzer said.
John Knight of the American Civil Liberties Union in Chicago said the Eighth Amendment prohibits deliberate indifference to a serious medical need.
Denial of treatment for severe GID "causes or creates a serious risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and self-mutilation or autocastration for transsexual people," he wrote in his brief.
"Psychotherapy or psychotropic medication alone, without hormone therapy treatment (and in some cases, sex reassignment surgery), is simply not effective," Mr. Knight said.
"For those who need it, sex reassignment surgery can be life-saving," he wrote.
"The Seventh Circuit properly ruled that a state statute that prohibits prison doctors from providing what they deem to be medically necessary treatment for a serious medical condition violates the Eighth Amendment," Knight said.
"Decisions about the proper course of medical treatment should be made by prison medical staff on an individualized basis" rather than with blanket bans on certain procedures and treatments, he said.
The case is Smith v. Fields (11-561).


text: A rhythmic guitar theme with delay effects is introduced at first. The theme repeats with added percussion and then into a quieter section where strings and electric guitar are added along with a continuation of the initial delay effects. The drums build up and after a repeat of the opening theme the music becomes more dramatic with the introduction of high strings and choir playing a slight variation of the main theme. The music continues to build up towards a big ending. This piece would suit a motivational video or production where a catchy theme and dramatic build up is needed.


text:
There are 3 broke links that I found in the extras page. Since I'm not at my computer and won't be able to fix it, here are the redirected links:
Alright, I'm not sur if I'll be able to communicate via message board. If so, I'll post another message. If not, see everyone in 2 weeks. Bye!
I Think I Wish...
A comic by me, AJ ^_^
[ This Message was edited by: Majs on 2002-03-15 17:29 ]


text:
GaNun helped provide the punch to the Lady Bears offense, averaging 4.6 kills per set while hitting an efficient .350 as St. Joseph's moved back to .500 on the season and notched a pair of league victories.
The sophomore recorded her second double-double of the season slamming down a career-high-tying 20 kills with a career-high 16 digs over King's College in their HVIAC opener. The middle hitter has recorded double-digit kills in each of St. Joseph's eight matches.
Last week's AD3I women's volleyball Player of the Week now leads the Lady Bears with her 117 kills and ranks first in the HVIAC, averaging 4.18 kills per set and also tops the league with a .341 hitting percentage.
Fahy helped power the Lady Bears' first win of the season, tallying three goals in the conference win over Medgar Evers and played a part in eight goals in total, finishing with a school-record five assists and 11 points.
The rookie sophomore scored her team-leading fourth goal against HVIAC-undefeated Albany Pharmacy, only the second surrendered by the Panthers in league play this season. The midfielder now has a team-high 13 points on the season which ranks her third in AD3I and Fahy's five assists places her atop the rankings in the Association.
GaNun's award is the second earned by a member of the women's volleyball team this season following the sophomore's AD3I accolade last week. It is the third time that she has been recognized as Player of the Week by the conference after earning the honor on October 9 and October 16 of last season.
Fahy earns the first accolade by a Lady Bear this season and the first of her brief career.


text:
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - The Coast Guard says a man who went missing during a fishing trip has been found clinging to an overturned boat that belongs to Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper.
The Coast Guard says former University of South Florida player Nick Schuyler was rescued Monday off the Florida coast.
Authorities say Cooper, Detroit Lions free agent Corey Smith and former South Florida player, William Bleakley, remain missing.
Coast Guard Capt. Timothy M. Close says Schuyler told rescuers that the 21-foot boat was anchored when it flipped Saturday evening in rough seas.
Schuyler told rescuers the others got separated from the boat and that he had been clinging to it since.
Television footage shows Schuyler conscious but weak as he was being taken off a Coast Guard helicopter at Tampa General Hospital and placed on a stretcher.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


text:
Love this desk by Warren Platner. Bronze base, rosewood millwork, leather top. It's so heavy, but with a chair in front it looks like it's floating.
Michaelon 18 Oct 12
I like the design, I think. It has issues on mobile portrait view, though. Clicking to discuss from the homepage should open this comment form.
Abduon 18 Oct 12
I don't see how it's practal. The stand with its big base in the middle will block the chair going inside and i can't put my feet out. I need the desk to completely open the middle and no wall behing it so i can stretch my legs out,
Tomon 18 Oct 12
Very cool looking table. Also, love the new blog look. Strange that comments are currently hidden (display: none) by default. I had to change that using firebug in order to add this comment. Is this a temporary thing?
Rickon 18 Oct 12
Desk is nice, but the new SvN design is what has my attention. I like it.
Scotton 18 Oct 12
Talking of changes, any updates to share on the future of Sortfolio? The decision to sell and the finding of buyers toward the end of the deadline is an interesting story.
Jason Friedon 18 Oct 12
Scott: Sortfolio has been sold.
Scotton 18 Oct 12
I thought so, but then saw this: http://sortfolio.com/about "Sortfolio is produced, hosted, designed, developed, and promoted by 37signals." Thanks for the confirmation and update, Jason.
Randallon 18 Oct 12
I dig the redesign. (OK, invisible textarea just freaked me out a little, but otherwise, I dig the redesign. And your bio's funny.)
Berserkon 18 Oct 12
I somewhat agree with Abdu. As a working desk it has some drawbacks.
Justin Reeseon 18 Oct 12
1. Love the SvN redesign.
2. Love the new troll styling (Comic Sans, genius)
Jeff G.on 18 Oct 12
Jason Fried is so fast… he's sudden!
Ashrafon 19 Oct 12
Like the new site design. As for the table, I agree with Abdu. Need space to stretch my legs.
ploogmanon 19 Oct 12
I do not like the redesign. There is a tremendous amount of whitespace and on my iMac running Safari the entire blog is centered in my browser windows like a ribbon, that does not bother me but with large default font size etc., not much at all fits on even my large iMac screen at once. Kind of annoying. Really feel like this is a step backward. Maybe this is meant for another device or something? I feel like this now requires immense amounts of constant scrolling. Surprised – I felt like a SVN redesign was due but this is not what I expected. Also, I don't care for the illustrated avatar and it does not resemble JF enough which is probably less of an issue, but just saying.
Peter Urbanon 19 Oct 12
Beautiful design. How old is it?
Justin Reeseon 19 Oct 12
I'm hesitant to sideline the comment thread, but I'm not crazy about having my previous comment silently edited to remove my gentle reproof for giving Abdu the troll label (which I see has since been recanted).
It makes me nervous to contribute knowing that one of you may silently be erasing history and editing other people's comments, rather than just following up with a "good point, we'll change that" comment.
The 37signals blog community is partly random visitors, but a good chunk of us are users and customers of your products who see this as community with a company of people we respect. Silent editing and history erasing are surprising behavior from a company whose ethics I otherwise really respect.
It's not a huge deal, it just doesn't feel like you guys.
@Justin Reeseon 20 Oct 12
My guess is that you received the "troll" label for temporary testing purposes while rolling out the new design. Your comment was far from being a troll, but was the only real candidate for that amongst the comments at the time. So, I am thinking they were "testing in the wild" to see how the troll indicator looked and felt.
Justin Reeseon 20 Oct 12
They didn't give me the label, they gave it to Abdu. I had a third item on my list above saying it seemed a bit excessive.


text:
Mark Waid Explains: Culture Is More Important Than Copyright & It's Time To Look For Opportunities In Sharing
from the say-that-again dept
culture is more important than copyrightI'm trying to understand anyone who would disagree with this statement, but so often we hear people say that they have to defend their copyrights "on principle," even if not defending them is better for culture. But the key point of his article is that fearing file sharing and attacking it doesn't help. It doesn't stop it from happening and it provides no real advantage to those doing the attacking. So he suggests it's time to figure out ways to turn it into an opportunity:
Like it or not, downloading is here. Torrents and filesharing are here. That's not going away. I'm not here to attack it or defend it--I'm not going to change anyone's mind either way, and everyone in America at this point has anecdotal evidence "proving" how it hurts or helps the medium--but I am here to say it isn't going away--and fear of it, fear of filesharing, fear of illegal downloading, fear of how the internet changes publishing in the 21st century, that's a legitimate fear, because we're all worried about putting food on the table and leaving a legacy for our children, but we're using our energy on something we can't stop, because filesharing is not going away.Great stuff. Definitely go read the whole thing. He also mentions that he's got some plans in place for how he's going to embrace things like BitTorrent and run some interesting experiments. He points out that they're experiments, and there's no guarantee they'll work, but he wants to step forward and at least try to embrace it. This is great to hear, and I look forward to seeing what kind of experiments he runs.
And I'll tell you why. It's not because people "like stealing." It's because the greatest societal change in the last five years is that we are entering an era of sharing. Twitter and YouTube and Facebook--they're all about sharing. Sharing links, sharing photographs, sending some video of some cat doing something stupid--that's the era we're entering. And whether or not you're sharing things that technically aren't yours to share, whether or not you're angry because you see this as a "generation of entitlement," that's not the issue--the issue is, it's happening, and the internet's ability to reward sharing has reignited this concept that the public domain has cultural value. And I understand if you are morally outraged about it and you believe to your core that an entire generation is criminal and they're taking food off your table, I respect that.
But moral outrage is often how we deal with fear. It's a false sense of empowerment in the face of fear.


text:
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Blogging communities
We make each other laugh, and empathise with the struggles of people we have never even met.
But blogging is sometimes frustrating. When we write and hit the publish button, we are making a formal request to be heard.
Anybody out there?
Usually not.
Then comes the negative self talk. Nobody cares. Maybe my ideas are not valid. Maybe i don't have anything worthy to add to the conversation. Or a Stewart Smally of SNL might put it:
"I'm not good enough, I'm not smart enough, and nobody likes me."
Sometimes we go to blogs that get ten thousand comments for a post that consists of nothing but drivel. We look at an essay we wrote, or one of our on line friends wrote that clearly has heart and style and relevance, but garners nothing but a big fat goose egg on the stats page.
Hey if nobody is reading, whats the point?
Do you ever feel this way when you blog? If so, what makes you keep typing?
I have my reasons, which might be different than yours, but it is a subject I am exploring, and would like to learn more about. Ultimately, I believe this new world of Social Networking has the power to change the world, and I want to be a part of that. I believe when we empower individuals to speak their truth, and connect to one another, we all have the opportunity to grow as individuals, and improve our lives and the lives of those around us.
I see bloggers out there making a difference in the world of politics, by keeping the professional players honest, and by uniting large groups to pressure the establishment to do a better job.
I see artists and writers inspiring each other through their creative works.
I see self help groups banding together to help people work through their problems.
and beyond that, I feel so privileged to have had the chance to meet people out there who use their blogs to shine their own little lights, and just make my day a little brighter by sharing their souls with the world.
If you are out there, and I have seen your posts, Thank you. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have smiled, or laughed, or had pause for thought because of the things you have shared.
Collectively, you have all made a difference. You have all inspired. You are all a part of this journey. And i for one, am better for it.
I thank you, one and all.
Kelley Bell
6 comments:
- CityVisionary said...
Hi Kelley.
I WILL be following you (as a way to keep my own blog going). I think that your words are read and heard by many, and that you've already brought inspiration and enlightenment to many----including me.
- Rebecca Anne said...
I've gone around in circles about why I blog, why I should keep at it, the why why why.....and usually settle right back on, it's nice to get thoughts out of my mind and it's nice to interact with people I would never have met any other way.
I can't explain why some people are so popular..the drivel..50+ comments, a zillion followers, and why some of the journals I come across that write with such soul and meaning barely get a few visitors.
I'm not even sure where I fall in the scheme of things. But above all, I try to maintain my own journal, and do my best to go around and visit others, which I'm not great at finding the time to do.
Just keep writing and community happens~
- Gabriele said...
VERY GOOD. I do sometimes wonder why I try. I have never written my thoughts out before.
I do check your blog though almost evertime I am on the computer or working on my blog.
I always find something inspiring in your blog. Thank you
- Kel-Bell said...
Awe shucks you guys. Im blushing.
-and feeling like I need to commit more time to reading and commenting on all of your blogs. You gals write some wonderful stuff you know. I am inspired by each and every one of you.
- Gabriele said...
Check again Kelli Bell.
I am not a "GAL" :-)
I so have a very developed Feminine side though
Have a great day.
- Sildenafil said...
It is a great thing to have a blog, one can get to know an d interact with other people.


text:
Cecilia (US - DVD)
Gabe Powers is slathered in even more slanderous smut from Senior Franco...
I can't write these things better than the folks at Blue Underground, so here's the back of the box description for you:
Diary of a Desperate Housewife!
Cecilia, a haughty aristocrat who enjoys taunting her servants with her flawless physique, finds her life turned upside down when she is violated by the victims of her vicious games. This eye-opening experience leads the newly enlightened libertine into a sordid series of swingin' socialite soirees, mind-bending bohemian happenings, and brazen backwoods orgies. But when her loving husband also embraces this omnisexual lifestyle, and her amorous antics arouse violence in her sadistic suitors, can Cecilia escape the cruel consequences of her own erotic excess?
Jess Franco's Cecilia is about twenty percent soft-core sex and about eighty percent filler, and when I say 'filler', I mean very thinly veiled filler. The dialogue is repetitive beyond all rational thought, and besides a few lines of exposition (a word I use very loosely) mostly consists of insipid variations on 'hey, look at that'. Between awkward moments of gyrating hips and breast groping, the film is basically a travel log of France and Portugal covered in the most flat narration imaginable. Have I mentioned that the dialogue is insufferable yet? Because it is. The acting isn't much better.
I've given sleaze merchant Jess Franco more then his fair share of props for not totally dropping the ball with Eugenie de Sade, but this is not one of his more successful endeavours into the erotique. The film is, on the whole, dreadfully dull and slow (one hundred and five minutes crawl by), a much greater poison then bad dialogue, story or acting in a case like this. The girls of Cecilia are hotties, for sure (so long as you can ignore their '80s hair cuts), but no one in the cast has the smouldering animal magnetism of Soledad Miranda (as seen in several of Franco's most successful features) or Sylvia Kristel (as seen in the original Emmanuelle). The lack of a powerful leading lady is another lethal hindrance.
The sex scenes are often undone by bad camera work, including several moments where we can physically see the 'parts' not lining up. Sometimes Franco's camera work is so listless one wonders what the hell he's looking at. Are we supposed to be focusing on that dude's fat roll? There are some shots throughout the film taken around Cecilia's gigantic home or while she rides a horse nude along the beach that are genuinely beautiful, but they depend mostly on the surrealist surroundings rather then the photographer. The editing isn't much more 'studied' then the photography, allowing the lamest sequence continue for painful lengths far beyond the patience of eve the most studious Franco fanatic.
Blue Underground impresses beyond all reasonable expectations once again by providing an image so divinely remastered it boggles the mind. There are new features with decent budgets that don't look this impressive on DVD. The only moments of obvious imperfection come during the opening credits, when the image is lumpy with dirt and streaks of print damage. Franco's love of soft focus robs the film of superior crispness, but details are still quite sharp. Compression noise is also minimal, but is noticeable in warm colours and skin tones. Grain is fine, and colours are vibrant.
Cecilia comes with two audio tracks, one in English and the other in French, both presented in Dolby Digital two-channel Mono. The English track is better defines, but neither track is particularly impressive. Most of the fault lies with the original material, which was most likely all added in post. Sound effects are canned and very minimal, sometime even laughable. At the beginning of the film Cecilia takes a skinny dip with the ne'er-do-wells that 'raped' her, and each full-grown man dives into the water to the sound of a small pebble in a pool. The film's score is looped from a small handful of pieces, mostly made up of organ work. This repetitive music is the only distinctly distorted part of the soundtrack, with the exception of a few stray pops and snaps.
Just like every other Blue Underground release of a Jess Franco film, Cecilia comes with an interview with the director himself. It's really amazing that Franco can remember so many things about specific films in his cannon because he's made about a million of them. This interview focuses most on Cecilia (or as Franco calls it Sexual Aberrations of a Housewife), the shoot in Portugal, the house they shoot in, his actors, LSD parties at Sergio Leone's house, and briefly about Spain's newfound cinematic freedom after the end of General Franco's dictatorship. Again, this seems to have been filmed at the same time as all the other BU Franco interviews, and is subtitled because Franco's English is weak. The interview lasts seventeen minutes, and is followed by the disc's only other extra, a trailer.
More semi-classy smut from Jess Franco and our friends at Blue underground. Cecilia didn't 'do it' for me, but I'm sure Francophiles will be in hog heaven thanks to a well groomed video presentation and another titillating interview with everyone's favourite dirty grandpa. Until next time, we exploitation fans wait with baited breath for the next immaculate reconstruction of a less then immaculate Euro-trash import.
Review by Gabriel Powers
TroyAnderson Reviewer Join Date: November 2007 Location: United States Posts: 37
Got to love the smut.
Sam Spade Member Join Date: January 2007 Location: United States Posts: 2,032
TroyAnderson wrote: Got to love the smut.
...and the beer can in the shot.
...and the beer can in the shot.
Gabe's girl Member Join Date: December 2007 Location: United States Posts: 7
darling, there is a sublte, minimalist beauty in fat rolls that only the well-trained eye can truly appreciate
This product has not been rated
Disc Details
Release Date: 29th January 2008
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Single side, dual layer
RCE: No
Video: NTSC
Aspect: 1.66:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono French
Subtitles: English
Extras: Director Interview, Trailer
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Jess Franco
Cast: Muriel Montossé, Olivier Mathot, Pierre Taylou, Antonio Mayans, Lina Romay
Genre: Romance
Length: 105 minutes
3Review Guide
Follow our updates
Hot Reviews
Candyman: Collector's Edition US - BD RA One For All Kameleon 6 Remote Control UK - DVD HELIOS HVD2085 DVD Anderson Tapes, The UK - DVD R2 Hunt For Red October, The UK - DVD R2
Award Winning
Chronicals of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The US - BD RA Jack the Giant Slayer US - BD IMAX: Born To Be Wild US - BD Bad Santa UK - BD Jurassic World US - BD RA
Horrific Reviews
I, Frankenstein US - BD RA Serpent And The Rainbow, The UK - BD RB Unborn But Forgotten UK - DVD R2 Monster Club, The UK - BD RB Island of Death UK - DVD R2 | BD RA/B
Most Talked About
Halloween (2018) US - DVD R1 | BD RA Venom US - DVD R1 | BD RA Cloverfield Paradox, The US - DVD R1 | BD RA Suspiria (2018) US - DVD R1 | BD RA The Super US - DVD R1 | BD RA


text:
2010-04-21 / People/Social
Renowned Author Tony Abbott talks about his craft with Amityville Middle School students
Amityville English Language Arts (ELA) students met with the author of a book assigned during class. Students at Edmund W. Miles Middle School had an assembly with prolific and popular author Tony Abbott, who not only lectured about his books Firegirl and The Postcard, but also read the first chapter of his newest book, Lunchbox Dream.
You must be an online subscriber to view this story.


text:
As New Jersey nears the fifth anniversary of its family leave insurance law, a report released today by Rutgers University's Center for Women and Work recommended measures to expand the program's effectiveness and workers' use of its benefits.
Under the Family Leave Insurance provision of the state Temporary Disability Benefits Law, workers can be paid up to two-thirds of their wages — to a maximum of $572 per week — for as long as six weeks for pregnancy, to bond with newborns or to care for sick family members. The program is funded through a tax paid by employees.
On a conference call about the report today, Karen White, director of the center's Working Families Program, said over the last three years of the law's implementation, the slight increase in the average weekly benefit in dollars — from $471 in 2009 to $482 in 2011 — has not kept pace with inflation. She recommended a hike in the level of wage replacement in order to make leave more affordable for eligible workers.
"Despite the program's overall success, there remain challenges for workers in accessing the benefits the program provides," White said on the call. "New Jersey took a small step with family leave, and with a few small changes it can do even more."
Business groups sharply criticized the law when it was signed in May 2008, but looking back on the last five years, Employers Association of New Jersey President John Sarno — an early supporter of the law — said "it's clear that the rhetoric that this law would be a 'nail in the coffin' for New Jersey's businesses is totally overblown."
"Employers' fear is generated from misinformation. It's not a leave law, it's a wage insurance, and we look at it as another part of the routine administrative mix for employers," Sarno said. "It's meeting its intended purpose, though it seems to be underutilized, which is pretty much what our view was going in."
While the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development has approved more than 100,000 claims for the partial wage replacement benefit since July 2009, an August 2012 Rutgers-Eagleton poll found roughly 60 percent of the 900 registered voters surveyed had not "seen or heard anything about" family leave insurance. Additionally, while nearly one in five respondents indicated they had taken temporary leave between July 2009 and August 2012, fewer than half had received pay or compensation during that time, according to the poll.
In response, state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Edison) pushed a bill through the Senate Labor committee in October to require employers to proactively inform workers about their rights under the law, as well as oblige health care providers and medical institutions to explain the program to patients with conditions that would likely entitle them to take paid temporary family leave.
But the New Jersey Business & Industry Association called the proposal "information overload," as the group argued the additional requirements would be burdensome for businesses.
"We are never opposed to employees understanding their rights, but the notification process is cumbersome for employees and employers alike, as they're subject to 15 separate state and federal notice requirements — which doesn't count the four notices already required under state law that this bill addresses," Stefanie Riehl, NJBIA assistant vice president, said in testimony at the Senate committee hearing.
However, Sarno noted the law's underuse stems from the fact that businesses with less than 50 employees — which comprise a majority of companies here — are not caught in its web, so "the legislators and the lobbyists are talking about oranges, and the bill is an apple."
"The reason why (the law is) underutilized is not from a lack of awareness, it's because if you have less than 50 employees, then it's not mandatory," Sarno said. "They're all fighting the wrong battle."
On Oct. 1, Buono's bill was referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, where it still awaits a vote. An Assembly version of the bill was introduced by Assemblywoman Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) on Oct. 15, but it also awaits a vote by the Assembly Labor Committee.


text:
Moorhead Dad Charged In Death of Baby Left in Minivan
MOORHEAD (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a Minnesota man with manslaughter after his 5-month-old daughter died after being left for hours in a hot minivan last week.
The Clay County Attorney's office charged 24-year-old Andrew Sandstrom with one count of second-degree manslaughter.
Sandstrom will be summoned to appear in court at a later date.
Police say Christiana Natany Sandstrom died after she was left in her car seat in the van for about four hours on June 11. Temperatures were reported to be about 80 degrees.
Police say Sandstrom forgot about the infant while unloading five other young children out of the vehicle. He called 911 when he realized what had happened.
A home phone number for Sandstrom could not been found.


text:
His death after a two-year battle with cancer was confirmed by his wife, Eleanor Criswell.
Roberts became a star as Adam Cartwright, the heir apparent of the fictional Ponderosa ranch, a role he filled from the show's debut in 1959 until 1965, when he left the cast despite the series' immense popularity. "Bonanza" remained on the air for eight more years without him.
The longest-running TV western after "Gunsmoke" and the first to be broadcast in color, "Bonanza" broke the mold for its genre with its emphasis on character development over gunplay. The cast was headed by Lorne Greene, who played thrice-widowed patriarch Ben, and also featured Dan Blocker as the lovably oafish middle son, Hoss, and Michael Landon as the hot-headed youngest son, Little Joe.
Roberts was the well-educated and mature brother, who played Adam with a suave manner that won a legion of fans. He found the role unfulfilling, however, and left the show at its peak, a decision that caused him to be "scratched off by most of his contemporary fellow actors as some kind of a nut," Times critic Hal Humphrey wrote in 1967.
Roberts had several complaints, chief among which was the relationship between Ben Cartwright and his grown sons. "Isn't it just a bit silly for three adult males to get Father's permission for everything they do?" Roberts said in the Washington Post a few years before he departed the cast. "I have an impotent role. Everywhere I turn, there's the father image."
A political liberal who later took part in civil rights protests, he also chafed at the mostly white complexion of the cast. The notable exception was Victor Sen Yung, who played a stereotypical Chinese house servant.
Born May 18, 1928, in Waycross, Ga., Roberts grew up poor on the edge of the state's Okefenokee Swamp. In high school, he played the horn and acted in school and church plays.
He attended Georgia Tech and the University of Maryland but did not earn a degree from either institution, and he served in the Marine Corps band at Quantico, Va.
He began his theatrical career in 1950 at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C, where he performed in more than a dozen plays. In 1952 he moved to New York City and appeared in one-act operas and ballets with the North American Lyric Theater.
In 1955 he won a Drama Desk Award as the best off-Broadway actor for his performance in "Macbeth." On Broadway he appeared with Joanne Woodward in "The Lovers."
In 1957 he arrived in Hollywood and won roles in three movies, including "Desire Under the Elms" (1958), which starred Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins and Burl Ives.
True stardom eluded him, however, until he landed the part of Cartwright's No. 1 son in NBC's "Bonanza."
He helped his TV family maintain the ranch and fight off desperadoes and other scoundrels for six years, during which he also was given the opportunity to show off his singing voice a number of times.
But he frequently clashed with the show's writers and producer "about the scripts, character development and other things" and grew so unhappy about "artistic compromises" that he became, as one headline described his decision, a "Bonanza Deserter." His character was written out of the show.
Some of Roberts' first television roles after leaving "Bonanza" were on rival westerns, including "Gunsmoke," "The Big Valley" and "The Virginian."
He also appeared on other leading series of the 1970s, such as "Hawaii Five-O" and "Marcus Welby, M.D."
His comeback role was Dr. John McIntyre in the CBS drama "Trapper John, M.D." based on the character from the popular comedy "MASH."
His work in "Trapper John" earned Roberts an Emmy nomination for best dramatic actor in 1981.
After the show ended in 1986, he made guest appearances on other series and TV movies, narrated a documentary and hosted the short-lived "FBI: The Untold Stories" (1991). He retired in the late 1990s.
A son from his first marriage, Chris, died in 1989. He is survived by Criswell, his fourth wife. Services will be private.
Roberts said in several interviews that he harbored no regrets about abandoning "Bonanza," which he said he left "for my own good."
He outlived the other Cartwrights: Blocker died in 1972, Greene in 1987 and Landon in 1991.