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UPDATED at 5:05 p.m. on 11-08-12: Ward 1 Councilman Steven Colantuono is re-elected after mail-in ballots were counted. He won by 19 votes. His opponent Sharon Ahearn plans to request recount.
There weren't any big surprises Tuesday night with the results for the winners of City Council seats, however, the race for the Ward 1 council seat was a nail-biter, as Republican candidate and incumbent Steven Colantuono led Democratic candidate Sharon Ahearn by just 29 votes at about 10 p.m., with 240 uncounted mail-in ballots.
The mail ballot count is expected to be released today at noon.
While Colantuono could not be reached for comment, Ahearn said that she was feeling confident through yesterday.
"I'm floored that it was that close," she said.
Former Ward 1 Councilman and School Committee member Bob Cushman said during a phone interview yesterday morning he believes the race was so close due to three flyers that he and about a dozen other residents of Ward 1 created and distributed prior to the election.
The first of the flyers was circulated the last week of September and accused Colantuono of seeking a third term for the sole purpose of being eligible for lifetime health care. It asserted that in 2009 he voted on legislation that would award him, and him alone, lifetime health care, a benefit that would cost taxpayers approximately $400,000. The flyer claims that during this year's budget hearing, Colantuono voted against giving the school department an additional $400,000.
The second flyer brought to the attention of residents the fact that Colantuono introduced and voted for legislation that lowered the car tax exemption from $6,000 to $500, while the third flyer simply reads, "Nothing: That's exactly what Councilman Colantuono did to stop mandatory sewer connection in Gov. Francis Farms Phase II."
Cushman said he, along with a group of about a dozen other people, educated the people of the ward as to the councilman's record and influenced them to vote against Colantuono. He said they realized they did not want to vote in favor of someone who "rigged the system for his own personal benefit," and "refused to explain why and lied about his direct involvement in the process when the Beacon questioned him on it."
"A lot of people were upset about the issue with lifetime health care and with the car taxes," Cushman said. "He led the charge with producing legislation for the car tax that directly hurt a lot of people [and] the issue with sewers was another thing. There were many issues that weren't flattering to his campaign. He didn't really want to address those issues and the flyers told the truth. We have documentation to support what was on them."
He also feels that Ahearn's letter to the editor that ran in the Oct. 2 edition of the Warwick Beacon in which she disavowed any affiliation with the flyers hurt her campaign.
"If she hadn't done that, I think she would have won right out," Cushman said. "She should have embraced what we were talking about. Instead of stating she was not involved and labeling the dozen people responsible for producing and distributing it as bashing her opponent, she should have demanded Colantuono respond to the allegations. Colantuono had so many negative issues, the car tax, sewer, lifetime health care and she did nothing to take advantage of them."
When asked if he plans to consider running for office in the future, Cushman said, "Maybe. All my options are open."
Similarly, Ahearn said running again is also something on her mind. This election marked her first bid for office.
As for Wards 2, 3 and 9, the races had previously been decided, as Tom Chadronet and Ward 9 Councilman Steven Merolla ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections, while Ward 3 Councilwoman Camille Vella-Wilkinson, a Democrat, defeated Paul Machado in the September primary.
In an interview Tuesday night at Vella-Wilkinson's office on Post Road, Chadronet, who was accompanied by his family, said he's looking forward to serving Ward 2. Council President Bruce Place, who serves Ward 2, did not seek re-election.
Chadronet has lived in Warwick for 35 years. Aside from keeping taxes down, issues concerning sober houses in Norwood are at the top of his list.
"I've already started some wheels turning on that," he said. "There are some legal sober houses, and others that don't have proper supervision or documentation. Someone just buys the house and rents the room out by the week."
According to Chadronet, the zoning law reads that up to four unrelated people may live in the same house. He's hoping to change this law and possibly reduce the number to two.
Ward 4 Councilman Joseph Solomon, a Democrat, was successful in his race for the seat against Republican Mike Penta, who sought the position for the first time. Solomon earned 60.9 percent of the vote, with Penta earning 38.9 percent.
Moments before he voted at Shield's Post, Solomon said he was a bit saddened that the election was coming to a close. He enjoys the hype leading up to it, as well as meeting new constituents and catching up with ones he has known for years.
Still, he's thrilled of his win.
"I'm very happy that the people are continuing to pay attention to the results of my hard work over the years and my continued hard work in the future," he said during a phone interview Tuesday night. "It's going to be a great City Council going forward. We've got some good talent on that council and we're going to do some good things for the city of Warwick."
In Ward 5, Democratic candidate Ed Ladouceur took home 55.2 percent of the vote to his opponent's 44.5 percent. He defeated Republican candidate Danny Hall, who made a second attempt for the seat. He lost to current Ward 5 Councilman John DelGiudice two years ago. DelGiudice did not seek re-election.
Ladouceur said he is "absolutely delighted" of his win and also praised and congratulated Hall for running a "really good" campaign.
"He worked hard," Ladouceur said during a brief phone interview yesterday afternoon.
As for his victory, he said he couldn't be happier.
"It's an honor to be able to serve the people of Ward 5 and the entire city of Warwick," Ladouceur said. "I'm anxious to tackle all the issues that I discussed with everyone while I've been walking the ward the last 15 weeks. I'm anxious to get in there. I can't wait to get going. And my volunteers were amazing. They did a fabulous job."
In Ward 6, incumbent and Democrat Donna Travis won against Republican candidate Catharine Leach. Travis reeled in 66.6 percent of the vote, with Leach taking 33.2 percent.
During a brief phone interview moments after the votes came in, Travis expressed her pleasure with her win. She celebrated with family and friends at The Islander at 2318 West Shore Road.
But while rumors have been circulating that she's thinking about running for council president, she wouldn't get into details.
"I'm not going to say anything just yet, but there's a possibility," Travis said. This will be her 10th term on the council.
Ward 7 Councilman and Democrat Charles Donovan won the election with 46.7 percent of the vote over former independent candidates Ward 7 Councilman Al Gemma, who garnished 33.7 percent of the vote, while William Russo earned 19.5 percent. Donovan, who has been on the council since 2000, said he is considering running for council president.
For now, he's basking in his victory.
"I'm thrilled that the people of Ward 7 saw fit to bring me back to serve them for the next two years and deal with the issues that are surrounding Ward 7," said Donovan. "It feels great and it was not an easy campaign. It was a hotbed of activity because you had a political veteran, Al Gemma, and someone who had run twice before in Ward 7, Bill Russo. It was a very hard-fought contest."
Returning to the council after more than 18 years will be Ward 8 winner Joseph Gallucci, who took home 63 percent of the vote to Lyn Jennings, who ran as a Republican and earned 36.7 percent of the vote. He will replace current Ward 8 Councilman Ray Gallucci, who has been on the council for eight years.
"I enjoyed my service to the people of the ward and all the people of the city [and] I look forward to doing the same this time," Joseph said moments after his win at his campaign headquarters on Jefferson Boulevard. "I thank and respect everyone that voted."
Joseph served as Ward 8 councilman from 1977 to 1984, and again from 1990 to 1994, and was also council president from 1977 to 1984. He also expressed his gratitude to his campaign volunteers, especially his brother.
"If it wasn't for my brother, I would not have won," he said. "It's the truth."
What a surprise....after the voters read how Steve Coluntuano voted to enhance his own well being by voting special healthcare legislation, the tides turned. People in Gov. Francis II never forgot Stevie did nothing to help stop mandatory sewer connections. Don't forget Stevie had to help his master, Scottie hide the impending bankruptcy of the Sewer Authority.Nice work on the car tax increase Stevie...I remember what you didn't do for the taxpayers every time I pay my bill.
Ahern was a joke. The flyers did Stevie in...it certainly wasn't anything Ahern did. Nobody knew her.
No matter who wins the Ward1 council race, voters will have the printing presses ready for additional flyer drops.
I happy to announce that Travis and Wilkinson's Wards have been added the the flyer drop lisits. Both have failed to represent the taxpayers...they are lapdogs for the unions. Can't wait to start educating the residents in those wards.
Another disgruntled voter who posts on here blaming everyone but him or herself. If you have all the answers please run for office so your great ideas and outlooks can be better suited for the citizens of warwick not just ward 1.
Basically it comes down to people who borderline bully. If you have been around Cushman seems to be at the top of the list. How can anyone believe anything this man says. He says he has proof put it in print in your column that only the uneducated read and follow.
He sounds a little disgruntled he got beaten 4 years ago to not get his so called health care for life benefit.
I certainly hope he does run for elected office again, he probably won't even garner enough votes to be put on a ballot but if he pulls it off maybe finally when he gets beaten again he will realize the people of Warwick don't like or want him in any office.
Wouldnt that be a hoot ! Donna Travis for council president. Maybe we should have a test for the president seat. We could start by 1 x 1 =? 2 x 2 =? Then it could get heavy and we could ask her to spell and define words like "Hay" and "Hey". To really top it off we could discuss her delinquent taxes as this mental midget isnt competent enough to pay a $36.00 tax bill. (Actual bill below) Lets elect some more elementary school drop outs and see how it goes.
View Bill
Bill Year 2011
Bill 2182889
Owner TRAVIS, DONNA M
View payments/adjustments
Installment Pay By Amount Payments/Credits Balance Due
1 7/15/2011 $30.37 $30.37 $0.00 $0.00
2 10/15/2011 $30.37 $30.37 $0.00 $0.00
3 1/15/2012 $30.37 $0.00 $30.37 $30.37
4 4/15/2012 $30.40 $0.00 $30.40 $30.40
Interest and Penalties $9.72 $0.00 $9.72 $9.72
Bill Year 2012
Bill 22054873
Owner TRAVIS, DONNA M
View payments/adjustments
Installment Pay By Amount Payments/Credits Balance Due
1 7/15/2012 $36.13 $0.00 $36.13 $36.13
2 10/15/2012 $36.11 $0.00 $36.11 $36.11
3 1/15/2013 $36.11 $0.00 $36.11 $0.00
4 4/15/2013 $36.11 $0.00 $36.11 $0.00
Interest and Penalties $5.77 $0.00 $5.77 $5.77
Prior unpaid bill(s) exist for this parcel. Please pay prior unpaid bills first.
View Bill
Bill Year 2012
Bill 12036667
Owner TRAVIS, DONNA M
Parcel ID 375-0211-0000
View payments/adjustments
Installment Pay By Amount Payments/Credits Balance Due
1 7/15/2012 $620.85 $0.00 $620.85 $620.85
2 10/15/2012 $620.84 $0.00 $620.84 $620.84
3 1/15/2013 $620.84 $0.00 $620.84 $0.00
4 4/15/2013 $620.84 $0.00 $620.84 $0.00
Interest and Penalties $99.32 $0.00 $99.32 $99.32
Why does the city still pay her monthly paychecks when she is in arrears in taxes??
Cote is that you that posted that last comment? I thought you were moving to Florida? Wishful thinking......
If I was to move, no one one would be left to keep an eye on the thiefs. Keep daydreaming.
@daydreambeliever - let me try to understand what you are objecting too. A group of citizens get together produce and distribute flyers educating neighbors on the record of the encumbent councilman. The information is factual, yet the councilman refuses to discuss his voting record. And you consider this to be bully tactics. STOP DAY DREAMING and WAKE UP. This is part of the political system - questioning ones record.
Nothing in the flyers was of a personnal nature. Since you are a supporter of the councilman and based on your comments you think its ok for him to receive lifetime healthcare after being in office for 6 years?
The bottom line is that the taxpayers in WARD 1 will not be bullied by Mayor Avedisian, Councilman Colantuono, you or anyone else for that matter. If you cross us you will pay dearly. If you put your own interest above our neighbors, you will pay dearly. And if you continue you will one day get booted out of office.
Pleasant Dreams.
Nobody should ever receive any life time health care for such a ridiculous period of time. That is insaine and shouldn't even be available.
Most of our employees in the city have to serve 20 years plus to obtain this benefit. I will agree with you on that.
As for the flyers being distributed I believe Mr. Cote and Mr.Cushman are not entirely and sincerely being honest about there misgivings in our city the lat few years.
One is a disgruntled businessman who is in the diving business who got persecuted and overlooked for city bids and did violate DEM laws.
Mr Cushman gave the teachers a bevy of a contract a few years ago that caused a ridiculous tax increase.
I agree that any elected officlal should make there voting records public.
We won't all ever agree but that's what makes the voting process and opionions worthwhile. tHis country allows it others don't.
Well the lifetime healthcare for politicians is nolonger available because Councilman Cushman proposed legislation to eliminate it. Councilman Colantuono will now be the last elected official to get it with his re-election.
What do you mean by "are not entirely and sincerely being honest about there misgivings in our city the lat few years".?
What other issues on the flyers do you disagree with?
What do you mean by a "bevy of a contract"? I know the teacher contract was for six years. How much did the teachers get versus the city workers in the same time frame?
@daydreambeliever: I found and have pasted excerpts from a letter Mr. Cushman wrote in the Beacon on 2/12/2012 explaining the teacher contract. It appears he did a better job holding down costs then the mayor did when he negotiated city contracts and that the financial problems during that time were caused by the mayor and city councils poor planning.
[While I do admit aspects of the teacher contract were not perfect, to our credit the School Committee remained steadfast over three plus years of difficult negotiations, refusing to adopt the "go along to get along" philosophy of the mayor, helpful in his reelection campaigns but costly to Warwick taxpayers.
The result, over six years, teacher raises will be 18.5 percent versus municipal raises of up to 21.25 percent. School retirees now pay for health benefits, something the mayor has never accomplished in any negotiations even though he acknowledge that "retiree benefits [are] the big issues of the future," Warwick Beacon, June 1, 2006.
In five years, municipal retiree health coverage has increased 42 percent to approximately $6.7 million, representing more than 5 percent of the city budget. Teacher retiree health costs represent a little more than 1 percent of the school budget. The reason for the wide discrepancy, teacher out-of-pocket prescription drugs expenses are not capped and single plan retirement health coverage terminates at age 65 with no supplemental lifetime coverage of any kind.
Compounding the city's current financial problem was the mayor's refusal to budget for the eventual settlement of the teacher contract, something he repeatedly did in the past for municipal contracts.
The October 7, 2003, Warwick Beacon states, while the amount of money for police raises was not budgeted, "Avedisian is reasonably confident that surpluses in the budget will allow the city to meet the additional cost."
The October 24, 2004, Warwick Beacon describes how the mayor requested more than $1 million to "... be reallocated to cover projected cost overruns in police and fire department overtime, as well as salaries and pension contributions."
The May 12, 2005, Warwick Beacon outlines the mayor's requested increase in spending of almost 9 percent along with a $2.4 million draw down of the surplus to "fund across-the-board pay increases of 3.5 percent, increased health care costs and pension contributions and three new positions."
The School Committee continually recognized the need to set aside funds for the contract maintaining several millions of dollars in the budget over three years while cutting spending and eliminating jobs.
On April 25, 2006, the Providence Journal reported, "Mayor Scott Avedisian has said that he strongly opposes allocating money when there is no contract settlement in sight." Two months later the Warwick Beacon on June 8 reported that the budget passed leaving the school department "without the funds for a future contract with teachers." Several members of the City Council had the courage to stand up and say that the failure to adequately budget for these anticipated expenses would create a financial firestorm in the future, voting against the mayor's budgets. ]
Don't know how the Bob Cushman teachers contract came up but what bothered me at the time and still bothers me is that a large part of the huge contract was for retro payments. That isn't unusual but to pay that large some of money when the teachers worked to rule was terrible
Paying the teachers when they refused to do anything not specifically required by the contract. That was just plain wrong.
We are watching you robbie
"The Captain" wishes he was a captain . .he couldnt navigate a rubber duckie ina bathtub . . .


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"There's a life rhythm within Cable," David Yurman says about the unifying element that runs through everything he creates. "Any place we use it, it's about bringing a certain life to the form." It started with the celebrated bracelet, and found its way into earrings, necklaces, and more. Sometimes, you'll find Cable in surprising places - the inside of a ring, the back of a pendant - where only you can see it. This design by David Yurman features a 5mm sterling silver cable with 14k yellow gold trim and buckle clasp.

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Edition: First large print edition
Description: xxi, 661 pages (large print) ; 21 cm
ISBN/ISSN: 9780316078573 (lg. print), 0316078573 (lg. print),
Language: English
Previously published in the New Yorker
Pt. 1: Obsessives, pioneers, and other varieties of minor genius. The pitchman : Ron Popeil and the conquest of the American kitchen ; The ketchup conundrum : mustard now comes in dozens of different varieties--why has ketchup stayed the same? ; Blowing up : how Nassim Taleb turned the inevitability of disaster into an investment strategy. ; True colors : hair dye and the hidden history of postwar America ; John Rock's error : what the inventor of the birth control pill didn't know about women's health ; What the dog saw : Cesar Millan and the movements of mastery -- Pt. 2: Theories, predictions and diagnoses. Open secrets : Enron, intelligence and the perils of too much information ; Million dollar Murray : why problems like homelessness may be easier to solve than to manage ; The picture problem : mammography, air power, and the limits of looking ; Something borrowed : should a charge of plagiarism ruin your life? ; Connecting the dots : the paradoxes of intelligence reform ; The art of failure : why some people choke and others panic ; Blowup : who can be blamed for a disaster like the Challenger explosion? No one, and we'd better get used to it -- Pt. 3: Personality, character and intelligence. Late bloomers : why do we equate genius with precocity? ; Most likely to succeed : how do we hire when we can't tell who's right for the job. ; Dangerous minds : criminal profiling made easy ; The talent myth : are smart people overrated? ; The New-Boy Network : what do job interviews really tell us? ; Troublemakers : what pit bulls can teach us about crimeRelated Searches:
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Mani pulite
Mani pulite (pronounced [ˈmaːni puˈliːte], Italian for "clean hands") was a nationwide judicial investigation into political corruption in Italy held in the 1990s. Mani pulite led to the demise of the so-called "First Republic", resulting in the disappearance of many political parties. Some politicians and industry leaders committed suicide after their crimes were exposed. Antonio Di Pietro was the main judicial figure in charge of the operation.
In some accounts, as many as 5,000 public figures fell under suspicion. At one point, more than half of the members of the Italian Parliament were under indictment. More than 400 city and town councils were dissolved because of corruption charges. The estimated value of bribes paid annually in the 1980s by Italian and foreign companies bidding for large government contracts reached 4 billion dollars (6.5 trillion lire).[1]
The corrupt system uncovered by these investigations was usually referred to as Tangentopoli (Italian pronunciation: [tandʒenˈtɔːpoli]).[2] The term derives from tangente, which means kickback and in this context refers to kickbacks given for public works contracts,[1] and poli meaning city;[3] it is thus sometimes translated as "Bribesville" or "Kickback City."
- 1 Arrest of Mario Chiesa
- 2 Extension of anti-corruption investigations
- 3 Effect on national politics
- 4 The Cusani trial
- 5 Investigations on other fronts
- 6 Escalating conflict between Silvio Berlusconi and Antonio Di Pietro
- 7 Statutory term strategy
- 8 Lottizzazione
- 9 In modern culture
- 10 Mani Pulite - a Trigger for NGO in Austria
- 11 See also
- 12 Further reading
- 13 References
- 14 External links
Arrest of Mario Chiesa
Tangentopoli began on 17 February 1992 when judge Antonio Di Pietro had Mario Chiesa, a member of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), arrested for accepting a bribe from a Milan cleaning firm. The PSI distanced themselves from Chiesa, with PSI leader Bettino Craxi calling him mariuolo, or "villain", a "wild splinter" of the otherwise clean party. Upset over this treatment by his former colleagues, Chiesa began to give information about corruption implicating them. This marked the beginning of the mani pulite investigation; news of political corruption began spreading in the press.
Extension of anti-corruption investigations
In the 1992 elections, the centre-right Christian Democracy (DC) held on to power when its coalition government kept a small majority, while leftist opposition parties gained support. However, the Italian Communist Party split after the fall of the Soviet Union, depriving the opposition of leadership. Many votes went to the far-right Lega Nord, which was not inclined to form alliances with other parties at the time. The resulting parliament was therefore weak and difficult to bring to an agreement.
During April 1992, many industrial figures and politicians from both the government and the opposition were arrested on charges of corruption. While the investigations started in Milan, they quickly spread to other towns as more politicians confessed. One grotesque situation occurred when a Socialist politician immediately confessed to all of his crimes to two Carabinieri who had come to his house, only to later discover that they had come to deliver a mere fine for a traffic violation.
Fundamental to this increased exposure was the general attitude of the main politicians to drop support for subordinates who got caught; this made many of them feel betrayed, and they often implicated many other figures, who in turn would implicate even more. On 2 September 1992, the Socialist politician Sergio Moroni, charged with corruption, committed suicide. He left a letter pleading guilty, declaring that crimes were not for his personal gain but for the party's benefit, and accused the financing system of all the political parties.
Effect on national politics
In the local December elections, DC lost half of their votes. The day after that, Bettino Craxi, leader of the Italian Socialist Party, was officially accused of corruption. After many other politicians were accused and jailed, Craxi eventually resigned.
On 5 March 1993, the Italian government of Giuliano Amato and his justice minister Giovanni Conso tried to find a solution with a decree, which allowed criminal charges for several bribery-related crimes to be replaced by administrative charges instead; according to Italian popular opinion at the time, that would have resulted in a de facto amnesty for most corruption charges. Amid public outrage and nationwide rallies, the Italian president of the Republic Oscar Luigi Scalfaro refused to sign the decree, deeming it unconstitutional. The following week, a US$250 million affair involving Eni, the government-controlled national energy company, was revealed. The stream of accusation, jailing and confessions continued.
On 25 March 1993, the Italian parliament changed the municipal electoral law in favor of a majoritarian system. Later, on 18 April, the public overwhelmingly backed the abrogation of the existing proportional representation parliamentary electoral law in a referendum (a mixed system was introduced that August), causing Amato to resign three days later. Still shocked by the recent events, the Parliament was unable to produce a new government. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, former governor of the national bank, was appointed head of the government and appointed a technical government without political influences. In the meantime, the investigation of Craxi was blocked by the parliament. Several members of the government, having been in office just three days, resigned in protest; among them were Francesco Rutelli, Minister of the Environment and Vincenzo Visco, Minister of Finance. In new local elections on 6 June 1993, DC lost half of its votes once again; the Socialist Party virtually disappeared. Instead Lega Nord, a protest movement with some ideological elements ranging from xenophobia and racism[citation needed] to independence from the rest of Italy and a general loathing of the political system, became the strongest political force in Northern Italy. The left-wing opposition was approaching majority, but still lacked unity and leadership.
Eventually, all four parties in government in 1992 disappeared, at different times in different ways: the Christian Democracy, the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Socialist Democratic Party, and the Italian Liberal Party. The Democratic Party of the Left, the Italian Republican Party and the Movimento Sociale Italiano were the only surviving national parties; the Republican party is the only one that has maintained its name since.
According to the American ambassador Reginald Bartholomew, behind the operation there was the CIA who helped the Italian prosecutors to accuse the politicians.[4][5][6]
The Cusani trial
On 20 July 1993, the former Eni president, Gabriele Cagliari, committed suicide in jail. His wife later gave back $3 million of illegal funds.
Meanwhile, the trial of Sergio Cusani began. Mr. Cusani was accused of crimes connected to a joint venture between Eni and Montedison, named Enimont. It was broadcast on national television, and was a sort of showcase of the old politics being brought to their responsibilities. While Cusani himself was not a major figure, the connection of his crimes to the Enimont affair called in all the nation's major politicians as witnesses.
A high note was reached in the Cusani trial when former head of government Arnaldo Forlani, answering a question, simply said "I don't remember"; he also happened to be very nervous and did not notice that sweat was accumulating on his lips, and that image was by many considered symbolic of the people's disgust for the corruption system. Bettino Craxi, instead, admitted that his party received $93 million of illegal funds. His defense was that "everyone was doing this" anyway.
Even the Lega Nord was brought in the trial; secretary Umberto Bossi and former treasurer Alessandro Patelli were convicted for receiving 200 million lire of illegal funding (approx. $100,000 at the time).
A bribe to the Italian Communist Party was alleged, but it was not established who had committed the offence. A number of Milanese members of the Democratic Party of the Left were charged with corruption during their time as members of the PCI but they were acquitted. As prosecutor Antonio Di Pietro stated, "Penal responsibility is personal. I cannot bring here a person with first name Communist and last name Party".
The Enimont trial itself was carried out after the Cusani trial, with much less public interest.
Investigations on other fronts
In the meantime, the investigation expanded outside the political range: on 2 September 1993 the Milan judge Diego Curtò was arrested. On 21 April 1994, 80 financial policemen and 300 industry personalities were charged with corruption. A few days later, the secretary of the large Fiat corporation admitted corruption with a letter to a newspaper.
In 1994, Silvio Berlusconi entered politics by storm and won the elections. Many think that this move was to preserve his many industries from possible corruption charges. This suspicion was reinforced on 11 February, when Silvio Berlusconi's brother, Paolo, admitted to corruption crimes. On 13 July 1994, the Berlusconi government made a new law to avoid jail time for most corruption crimes.
The law was carefully timed as Italy had defeated Bulgaria in the 1994 Football World Cup's semifinals, and it is likely that the government expected to exploit an eventual victory to pass the law under silence in a football-crazy country. However, as Roberto Baggio shot high the last penalty against Brazil, and the news was showing images of hated, corrupt politicians getting out of jail, the public opinion became enraged; the images of Francesco De Lorenzo, former minister of Health, were especially striking, since the general public perceived stealing money from hospitals an especially hateful act.
Just a few days before, the arrested policemen had been talking about corruption in the Fininvest media industry, the biggest Berlusconi family property. Most of the Mani pulite investigation pool declared that they would respect the state's laws, but they could not work in a situation where duty and conscience were to conflict: they requested therefore to be reassigned to other duties.
Since the government could not afford to be seen as an adversary of the popular judge pool, the decree was hastily revoked and marked a "misunderstanding"; minister for internal affairs Roberto Maroni from Lega Nord claimed that he had not even had the chance to read it. While the minister of Justice was Alfredo Biondi, allegations that Cesare Previti, a lawyer from Berlusconi's company Fininvest, had written it, are at least credible.
On 29 July Berlusconi's brother was again arrested and immediately released.
Escalating conflict between Silvio Berlusconi and Antonio Di Pietro
At this point there began what has been described by many as the "Berlusconi-Di Pietro battle". While Berlusconi's industries were being investigated, "inspectors" were sent from the government to the Milanese judges' office to look for formal irregularities. None were ever found, but this tactic, coupled with Berlusconi's firm grip on the information system, helped spread what is described in other environments as FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). The battle ended without winners: on 6 December Di Pietro resigned. Two weeks later, the Berlusconi government resigned before a critical confidence vote in Parliament, which was generally expected to go against them.
During 1995, many investigations were started against Antonio Di Pietro, who would years later be cleared of all charges, while Silvio Berlusconi incurred other charges of corruption. It was later found that the main prosecutor of Antonio Di Pietro in these times, Fabio Salamone from Brescia, was the brother of a man that Antonio Di Pietro himself had prosecuted, and who was sentenced to 18 months of jail for various corruption charges. It took however some time before the authorities realized this and ordered Salamone to other duties even though his investigations had taken a completely different direction: Paolo Berlusconi (Silvio's brother) and Cesare Previti (former minister) were accused of a conspiracy against Di Pietro but the prosecutor who later replaced Salamone asked for their acquittal and so did the court.
After being cleared, Antonio Di Pietro went into politics, something he had previously ruled out on the grounds that he did not want to exploit the popularity gained doing what he perceived to be just his duty. His movement is named Italia dei Valori ("Italy of values").
In 1998, Cesare Previti, former manager of Fininvest and then sitting in parliament after the Berlusconi government, avoided jailing thanks to parliamentary intervention, even though Berlusconi and his allies were in opposition. Bettino Craxi was sentenced to several years cumulative jail time in definitive convictions and fled to Tunisia, where he remained until his death on 19 January 2000.
Statutory term strategy
After 1994, the danger of trials being cancelled due to the expiration of statutory terms was becoming very real. This was clear to the judges and to the politicians, and the latter ones (with no distinction between Berlusconi's coalition and the Olive Tree, especially under the leadership of Massimo D'Alema) either ignored the pleas of the judiciary system for more funding to buy equipment, or passed laws that made the notoriously slow Italian trials even slower and subject to earlier prescription.
Furthermore, the intricate nature of Italian laws allowed cunning lawyers to use many delaying tactics: an instructive example was a prosecution of Silvio Berlusconi, where he was accused of misappropriation of funds of his own company, Fininvest, in order to prepare black funds that could have been used for bribes or other illegitimate purposes; on the last possible day, a lawyer from Fininvest appeared in court and complained that his company had not been formally notified of the trial. While this trial was well publicized in the media (and also in Fininvest's media themselves), the formality forced the trial to be restarted from scratch, and Berlusconi was finally acquitted by expiration of statutory terms. Being acquitted in this first trial, he could later benefit from a general reduction of terms for other trials, which in turn expired earlier with a domino effect.
After Silvio Berlusconi's victory in 2001, public opinion had turned so far against judges, where it is not only openly acceptable to criticize judges for having carried out Mani pulite, but also increasingly difficult to broadcast opinions favorable to Milan's pool. Some blame Berlusconi's power in media as having played a role in this change or the inability of the opposite parties to gain the consent of the conservative electors. Even Umberto Bossi, whose Lega Nord has been an opposition party became highly critical of judges.
The term lottizzazione, meaning the way a terrain is divided up in minor parts or lotti, came to indicate the procedure of awarding top positions in important state conglomerates such as IRI, ENEL or ENI to political figures, or at least managers with a clear political orientation. This usually trickled down to lower levels, creating power centres depending on political parties that controlled a significant part of the production system. The available seats were usually awarded so that government parties (and opposition parties like the Italian Communist Party) would get a share of power corresponding to their perceived influence in the government.
In modern culture
In 2005, artist Gianni Motti created a piece of soap, named Mani Pulite based on the scandal. This piece was claimed to have been created out of the fat from a liposuction of Silvio Berlusconi. It was sold at the 36th edition of Art Basel for 15,000 euros.[7]
A 2015 television series titled 1992 is based on the events of mani pulite.[8]
Mani Pulite - a Trigger for NGO in Austria
In 2009 the NGO "Saubere Hände" of Austria[9] was founded. The rank of Transparency International shows Austria on the same level as Ireland and behind USA, Chile and Uruguay. The Austrian NGO tries to fight against corruption by documenting and sharing cases on their home page.
See also
- History of Italy as a Republic
- Giovanni Falcone
- Bancopoli (Italian scandal in 2005)
- Calciopoli
- -gate suffix
Further reading
- Nelken, David (1996). A legal revolution? The judges and Tangentopoli. The New Italian Republic: From the Fall of the Berlin Wall to Berlusconi. Routledge. pp. 191–205.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers at line 47: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stephen P. Koff (2002). Italy: From the 1st to the 2nd Republic. Routledge. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-203-00536-1.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Moliterno, Gino (2000). Encyclopedia of contemporary Italian culture. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-14584-8.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ -poli is also used as a suffix for a scandal (e.g. Calciopoli, Scommessopoli), much like "-gate" in the English language (i.e. Zippergate, bloodgate).
- ↑ http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/interni/ci-fu-regia-occulta-degli-usa-dietro-mani-pulite-rivelazioni-833119.html
- ↑ http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2012/09/01/mani-pulite-de-michelis-cia-copri-lapertura-del-conto-protezione/339642/
- ↑ http://www.lastampa.it/2012/09/02/italia/politica/ho-sempre-pensato-che-tangentopoli-fosse-pilotata-dalla-cia-fibEQb7mFInpsnEmZzOCsK/pagina.html
- ↑ http://www.repubblica.it/2005/f/sezioni/spettacoli_e_cultura/motti/sapovendu/sapovendu.html
- ↑ Young, Deborah. "'1992': Berlin Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 March 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ http://www.saubere-haende.org
External links
- (Italian) Tangentopoli e il crollo dei partiti
- (Italian) Mani Pulite
- (Italian) [1]
- Italy's 'Clean Hands' Judges Bite Their Nails - New York Times


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NAOMI is a beautiful 3-year-old female. She is a long haired mixed breed girl with Himalayan markings. She originally came to the shelter with kittens and with some damage to one of her lovely blue eyes. She has some vision loss in that eye but sees fine overall.
Milford Humane Society
The Milford Humane Society is open for adoptions at 289 West St. (Rte. 140) on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. and on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. Cats are also shown at Petco in Milford on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additional information about the cats listed can be obtained by calling 508-473-7008. The shelter website is www.milfordhumane.org. All Milford Humane cats have been given rabies and distemper shots, have been spayed or neutered and have been tested for FIV and FeLV.
NAOMI is a beautiful 3-year-old female. She is a long haired mixed breed girl with Himalayan markings. She originally came to the shelter with kittens and with some damage to one of her lovely blue eyes. She has some vision loss in that eye but sees fine overall.
PRINCE is a very sweet 2-year-old male. He is short haired, black and white and gets along with other cats.
TARA AND TRISCA are 12-year-old sisters. They are tiger and white and short haired. The are nice girls who would appreciate a quiet home in their golden years.
MACKENZIE AND MORGAN are 8-month-old tortie sisters. One is medium haired and one is short haired. They are very sweet but a little shy. They warm up quickly once they get to know people. They need to be placed together.
GABRIEL is a wonderful black-and-white male. He is short haired and a little nervous in the shelter environment, but very lovable. He's about 2 years old.
BLAZE is a 1-year-old black-and-white male. He also lost his home when his family was evicted and is a little overwhelmed by being in a shelter. He is short haired and will be a nice pet when he has a chance to get acclimated. He has lived with Baby and another cat named Prince.
JAZZIE is a very lovable 10-month-old female. She is a medium-haired black sweetheart who loves everybody. She is also FIV positive but in great health. For information about Jazzie or FIV, call the shelter.
SYDNEY is a spunky little 1-year-old pastel tortie. She is short-haired and will be available after vet clearance.
DIAMOND AND DALY are a 10-year-old brother-and-sister pair. They are declawed and were surrendered when their person became ill. They are black and white and Diamond is a little shy. They need to be placed together.
PHOENIX is an older man. He's about 10 years old and hoping to settle into someone's lap for his golden years. He is short-haired and black with a little white locket on his chest.
GOLDIE is a beautiful long-haired, orange-and-white female. She is very friendly and would be great company. She is 8 to 10 years old. Goldie has patiently waited out a 6-month quarantine and has been given a clean bill of health.
TYLAW is a spunky brown tiger. He is short-haired and about 4 years old. He gets along with some other animals.
NOEL is a short-haired calico. She is about 5 years old. She tolerates other cats but would probably prefer to be an only child.
VIOLET AND AMETHYST are a mother/daughter pair. Violet is about 2 years old and Amethyst is a year. They are short-haired torties and are mirror images of each other. They would like to stay together.
ARCHIE AND REGGIE are black-and-white siblings. They are about a year old. They are very nice but a little shy.
JOEY AND JOSEPH are cute white-and-tiger-striped brothers. They are short haired and about a year old. They are a little shy and would like to stay together in a relatively quiet home. They would be fine with other animals.
Baypath Humane Society
Baypath is on Rafferty Road in Hopkinton. The shelter is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All Baypath dogs have been spayed or neutered, wormed, heartworm tested and have age-appropriate shots. They also have a Safewatch microchip and leave the shelter with a no-slip collar. Baypath also has cats available for adoption.The following animals are available for adoption. Further information is available at 508-435-6938 or www.baypathhumane.org.
COREY is a 7-month-old male Labrador retriever mix. Corey is a big ball of love. He is already 48 pounds. He was found by a police officer when he was about 2 months old. The officer witnessed a guy throwing him out of his car. Corey broke all of his top teeth, but luckily they were his baby teeth so no permanent damage. In spite of this, he is a friendly playful guy. He needs help with his leash work and someone who is patient to help him build confidence. He LOVES other dogs and would do great in a two-dog household
FENWAY is a 5 1/2-year-old male border collie/American blue heeler mix. Fenway is a wonderful adult dog that came to us as a local owner surrender. His family had him since he was a puppy, but due to changes in their work schedule and lifestyle they could no longer give him the attention he needed. This 50-pound dog lived with a toddler and two other dogs. His owners described him as friendly, playful and affectionate. He loved to give kisses to the toddler. He is crate trained as well. We feel that a home with older children or no children may be best as he requires more activity than most dogs, typical of the breed mix. We have been working with him on a leash and he does really well. He is not reactive to other dogs and does really well with positive reinforcement and redirection. He doesn't seem interested in the dogs at all, but we think a home where he is the only dog is best as he didn't always get along with the other dogs in his last household and doesn't seem interested in them in general.
KAYLY is an 8-month-old female beagle mix. She's beautiful, energetic and playful, very friendly and with a sort of goofy personality. Not overly active, but really cute and playful. Great with other dogs and only 31 pounds.
LEROY is a 3 1/2-year-old male Sharpei/bloodhound mix. Leroy was surrendered to us because his family didn't have time for him and one of the family members developed an allergy to him. Leroy loves riding in the car and playing catch. Leroy would do best in a family with teenage kids or an adult-only family. He is not a fan of being teased by children. Leroy has a lot of energy and would really like an owner who will given him lots of exercise. Leroy is OK with other dogs as long as there is a proper introduction.
WALKER is a 1-year-old male shepherd/hound mix. Walker is a such a love. He would surgically attach himself to you if he could. He is a medium sized little guy who just wants to be with you at all times. He is very friendly and does well with children. He has also lived with cats. He would make a great best friend.
LIZZIE is a 10-month-old beagle mix. She is an extremely high-energy puppy who loves to play with everyone. She has a dominant personality and loves to play fetch. She doesn't do well on a leash but she is still young and needs a lot of attention and training as most puppies do.
LULLY is a 1-year-old female border collie mix. Lully came to us from a local family who didn't have time for her. Lully lived with three young children and she was fine with them. Lully is a young and energetic girl who is looking for a very active family who will take her for lots of walks, runs, hikes, bikes, etc. Lully will need some training to help her become a great canine companion. She also needs medication for a heart condition.
BELLA is a 1 1/2-year-old Labrador retriever mix. Bella is a beautiful girl who is looking for a home that has active owners. She loves to walk, but needs training and a harness. She is super playful with other dogs.
NIKE is a 4-year-old Patterdale/terrier mix. Nike is a really sweet and happy mutt who is looking for his forever home. He is a little shy at first but will be snuggling with you in no time. A quiet home that can work on socializing would be great for him. Nike does not like little dogs, so he should go to a home with no other animals.
CHIP is an 11-year-old male Chihuahua mix. Poor little Chip is here because his owner lost her home. According to her, he loves milk bones and people food. He would do best in a quiet household with one or two people, but he is not good with little kids. He loves long walks, runs and sitting in your lap. He is potty trained and would make a great addition to a quiet home.
Greyhound Rescue of New England
Dogs are available at Greyhound Rescue of N.E. Inc., Mendon. The shelter can be reached at 508-478-1617.
Purr-fect Cat Shelter
Purr-fect Cat's felines can be viewed for adoption by appointment. The cats have been vaccinated, spayed or neutered and tested for FIV and FeLV. To arrange a time, please leave a message at the shelter message center at 508-533-5855. The shelter Web site is www.purrfectcatshelter.org.
SADIE is an older kitten. She is a cute medium haired black and white girl. Sadie was rescued by our local A.C.O. and turned over to PCS when she went unclaimed. Sadie is a wonderful cat who is fun to be with and very adaptable. She would be a fantastic addition in an active home with other animals.
CUDDLES is a young adult brown tiger. She is medium haired and was found stray. Cuddles lives up to her name. She loves being with people, is very playful and will make a wonderful addition to almost any family situation.
KIRBY is a young adult black and white male. He is a very personable and friendly cat. He was surrendered to the shelter by his owners because they really couldn't afford to keep him. He is a handsome boy and gets along with the other cats in his room. Kirby is medium haired and should make a great family pet.
COCOA is an older kitten. She is a short haired brown and white tiger with double paws. Cocoa had taken up residency under a shed. At first she was a little tentative but now she is quite comfortable in her new surrounding and seems to like not foraging for food. Cocoa is sweet and gentle and has an extra toe on both of her front feet. A quiet home with no small children would be best for Cocoa. She would appreciate a non-aggressive feline friend.
BELLA is an adult, gray and white short haired female. Little Bella was surrendered to the shelter along with another cat. Both cats were turned over to a relative in hopes that the cats would get along with her cats. However, since neither Bella nor the male cat had been fixed, it was never going to work. Bella is a very sweet and quiet girl who would really love to be the one and only in a quiet adult home.
MAJOR is a young long-haired, white male with tiger patches. This very handsome cat was rescued by a PCS volunteer who had been feeding him and letting him gain her trust. As it turned out, Major was not a true feral cat but most likely dumped by his family. He is handsome, gentle and loves attention. Grooming time is one of his favorite things. He would make a wonderful companion for a single person or couple. Older children would be fine but please, no other animals.
CAGNEY is an older female tabby kitten with some white. She is a very beautiful girl. Born outside to a domesticated mother cat, Cagney had some very feral ways when first taken in by PCS. After four months and lots of kindness and love, she has started to relax and not be so skittish and is letting the volunteers give her their love. She seems to enjoy being by herself rather than playing with the other kittens in her room. Cagney needs the love and peacefulness of an adult home.
DUSTY is a young adult male. He is gray and white. He was surrendered to the shelter due to the inability to get along with one of the other four cats that were already living in the home. He is starting to adjust to life at the shelter and he hopes to find a quiet adult home soon so that he can show you how sweet and loving he truly is. Dusty enjoys having his beautiful long gray fur brushed while he sits and warms your lap.
CHELSEA is a young adult, medium-haired tortie. Chelsea and her sister, Margo, were left at the animal control officer's kennel. Poor little Chelsea was in deplorable condition. She was so skinny and flea infested and after her veterinary visit the blood work showed that she was borderline anemic. The fleas had helped themselves to so much of her blood that we kept her in foster for a few extra weeks to build up her system. Now at the shelter and reunited with Margo, she seems happy and curious.
MAYA is a young adult dilute calico. This beautiful little girl, who is just under a year of age, was surrendered to the shelter as a pregnant cat. As sometimes is the case with very young cats, her kittens did not survive. She has a very laid-back personality and seems to be enjoying the safety and security of being indoors. Maya would be a wonderful family cat.
Glenda Hazard is a writer and editor for Gatehouse Media. She is also a volunteer at Milford Humane Society. She can be reached by email at email@example.com or by phone at 508-490-7454.


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Federal Lawmakers Introduce Social Networking Online Protection Act
While some states are taking steps toward protecting workers against current or potential employers from snooping around in Facebook accounts, federal lawmakers are also pushing similar legislation. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and and Rep. Eliot Engel, of New York, both Democrats, have introduced a new bill to Congress regarding the matter.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Social Networking Online Protection Act is authored by Engel and sponsored by Schakowsky, and would "prohibit current or potential employers from requiring a username, password or other access to online content. It does not permit employers to demand such access to discipline, discriminate or deny employment to individuals, nor punish them for refusing to volunteer the information."
The act would also cover K-12 schools, colleges and universities.
A few weeks ago, Maryland became the first state to officially fight back with a law against the practice of asking for access to Facebook or other social networking while job candidates are on an interview, or already working for an employer.
Schakowsky moves to protect job seekers' Facebook information [Chicago Tribune]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


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Harvey Fierstein Calls Johnny Weir A "Faggot"
Harvey Fierstein can't handle anymore news about Olympic skater Johnny Weir and on-again-off-again husband Victor Voronov. In a new interview with Huffington Post, Fierstein blasts the Olympian with a pejorative use of the F-Bomb.
"Anything but Johnny Weir," Fierstein told HuffPo. "Leave me alone with that faggot. Anything but Johnny Weir and his divorce."
Is it okay coming from one gay man to another, Instincters?
KHarvey fierstein blows dead dogs while Johnny where eats shit sandwiches (hold the bread).Update that mangy old dog, Harvey was "inflating",just staggered to his feet and limped off (didn't look too jazzed about Harvey's mouth coupling either!!!)God bless all you fuzzy little fruits,sincerely ....
Love and Smooches,
Lee Liberace, Queefer Sutherland et.al
PC bullcrap!!!
Harvey, like the rest of us who remember what it like back before we had the visibility and the rights and/or allowances that we do today (and fought for them like we did back then), understands that -- when we're using such terminology among our own kind. Yes, I said "our own kind" because as much as we are becoming a much deserved part of the world as a whole, we are still a community among ourselves.
Words that are used as weapons against us lose a lot of power when we use those very same words among ourselves as part of our collective vocabulary. He, just like I, just like every one of us of a certain generation had to learn that the hard way, but, we did, and have earned the right to use whatever words among our own that we choose.
No Baby, straight people never, ever get the right to call us that no matter what we use. You don't get to be from the community that beat us, murdered us, humiliated us, ignored us, repressed us, separated us, called us demons and mentally ill, and then claim you can call us faggots; not for ANY reason, ever. Equality does not mean ignorance nor loss of memory.
Really? I almost feel ridiculous in commenting, but, the food you eat, the clothes you were, the chicks you screw, the sports you probably don't excel at, the church you go to, the god (if there really is such a thing), the politics you dabble in, opinions you make have all been inspired by some gay figure in that arena at one point or another. Now as far as that ignorant brain of yours, you should probably try blaming that on mommy and daddy. If you feel so compelled walk around dumb, aimless, naked, and starve, otherwise embrace it....has been and will continue to be here for a very fucking long time.
Says the white people. "Gee! what did we ever do to make them so mad about us calling them what they were called when our community owned them and whipped them and sold their kids?" You, lovely white friend, do not get to tell black citizens what offends them or from whom. Be sensitive, suck it up and be kind. We all have to live with history, we can't pretend it didn't happen or that it didn't mean something big. We just have to be kind.
Everybody calm the hell down! Harvey was saying anything that the rest of us weren't thinking. I know I'm tired of Johnny And Victor's relationship make a mockery of the little right that we do have. Harvey Feirstein is a aging old troll fag and he accepts that about himself he'll tell you himself so what?? What we need to do is encourage Mr. Feristein to mentor these two faggots and get them right on together. Trey both could use some mentoring fighting over a Faberge Egg.. Who in the world but a self centered faggot would do this knowing that the world is watching, and you are giving them the ammunition to fire at us. They both Victor and Johnny need to go and have several seats in traffic.
Maybe we're all reading too hard between the lines. Maybe they're friends. Perhaps Jonny is more than fine with his friend referring to him as faggot. Perhaps jonny calls Goddess Harvey something similar or the same. We all have that friendship with someone. Lets stop the "we need to all hold hands dance". Goddess Harvey was clearly aware of the cameras and mics. We'll let harvey deal with jonny. I mean...
In Fierstein's defense, if one were to light Johnny Weir on fire the smoke rising from the carcass would spell out faggot in smoke signals. Is it nice? No, of course not, but it's not the same at all as if the person calling Weir the slur was not gay. Most gay people have been on the receiving end of that slur and many of us are not about to be told when/if we can use it ourselves, especially in regards to media whores like Weir whose every recent move has been an embarrassment to the community.
I don't like it but that fact doesn't matter. Many groups use negative terms to describe others within that group. It's not used in the same context as an angry, homophobic bigot. When Weir made his ignorant Russian culture comments, I had similar feelings but I kept my mouth shut and fingers bridled. He's just a kid.
While I agree with being sick and tired of the Weir drama I dont agree with that term. We dont want anyone else calling us that name except each other? Harvey's fought too hard for our acceptance to fall to the very base line he stood against. Hes one of my heroes and that comment stings a bit. just because Jay Z uses the N word doesn't make it acceptable, only controversial, dangerous and a little bit sad.
I agree with Harvey. Enough is enough. Since his career (Weir) tanked he has become a media whore. If there is camera he has to be in front of it, if there is a reporter than he has to be in print and then turn around and blast those same things. Weir needs to go away, work on his relationship, regroup and figure out what he should do next for a career and stay out of the media. I've been with partner for 18 years and I know more about his marriage than my own and that is just plain old sad.
Between one queen to another, I'd say yes :)
I think it depends on how well you know the person, or how in jest the comment really is. We can all read between the lines when it comes to intent of meaning, but the world jumps to the most politically correct. I think we should ask Johnny Weir if the remark was okay or not.


text:
Roasted Blue Potatoes, Golden Beets and a single Russet, with coarse sea salt, olive oil and pepper.
I'll take golden beets over red any day, any place, any time zone, as long as there's a working oven.
Huckleberry's Bistro style Tofu Scramble with Italian kale, green cabbage, kalamata olives, yellow bell pepper, creminis, lemon juice, shoyu, garlic and spices. I like this style because it channels the scrambles I used to make as a young vegan, over-relying on soy sauce for flavor!
Lightly fried rice with broccoli, carrots, Zesty Lemon Tempehtations (in my freezer from an old product review), leftover brown rice, sesame oil, almonds, tamari, garlic and white pepper. Definitely a 'what do I have to work with??' type of dinner.
Total Hodgepodge dinner. Steamed spinach, baked tofu, kalamata olives and roasted chickpeas (loosely based on Tamari Roasted Chickpeas from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan).
Not boring – just great! Lazy Samoans (with even lazier chocolate drizzlin' and dippin') from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar
My recent flickr stream informs me that I've been saving money by cooking at home lately! As much as I enjoy visiting new and old favorite establishments and socializing, I'm part hermit cat lady and have been spending time the past couple weeks enjoying fortunate holds on dvds the library (30 Rock! LOST! The Departed!)!
Isn't that a swell segue for mention of a presentation I'm giving on this site and Local & Vegan Eating in Portland later this month at the library? Sure! I'm flattered that the library likes vegan bloggers! I'm flattered if one of my friends even half considers going!
Here's the Multnomah County Library Events listing and the Facebook Event. I'm working on my comical winks all afternoon in preparation.


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text:
Prosecutor: Jealous ex-boyfriend stabbed woman 16 times
Prosecutor: Jealous ex-boyfriend stabbed woman 16 times
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa —
Opening arguments were presented Wednesday in the trial of an Iowa man charged with stabbing his ex-girlfriend 16 times, reported the Cedar Rapids Gazette newspaper.
Prosecutors said Shaheed Pendleton was jealous, angry and had been drinking and using cocaine and ecstacy on Oct. 14, 2011, when he stabbed his ex-girlfriend Racquel Truax.
Pendleton is charged with attempted murder, willful injury causing serious injury and assault to inflict serious injury.
Pendleton's attorney Tim Schemmel said Pendleton didn't commit the stabbing, and was himself assaulted that day. He asked the jury to pay attention to the evidence and also "pay attention to what you won't see."
The Gazette reported that the trial is expected to run through Friday.


text:
My bio
I am removing the information on the char's bio page and putting it here for safe keeping.
I can engage you with a railgun or a cock – you won't know the difference – either way you're fucked!
But I won't, because I can control myself, and am not a trigger-happy idiot chasing a meaningless, useless killmail.
And I have a blog too: One capsuleer against all.
By the way, I'm not participating in your CTAs or roams, and I'm not aroused by the prospects of fights and killmails!
Of all the riches and possibilities within null sec, players chose to make it a combat arena. What a pity and short-sightedness.
I've been in 2 major null sec alliances that failcascaded – all because the focus was on pvp – when will YOU learn!


text:
The Greenbrier goes bankrupt
The posh Greenbrier resort, storied destination of presidents and captains of industry and formerly the site of America's most extensive Cold War bunker, has gone bankrupt, but owner CSX will sell it to Marriott.
3 comments
Wow. That's scary.
Always liked the Homestead better.
Ooooh, I love The Greenbrier much better than the Homestead. There is more to do there, unless you play golf. I think The Greenbrier made a huge mistake when they changed the look several years ago. They trashed the Old White lounge while redecorating. It looks like a brothel now! The staff is wonderful at The Greenbrier. Homegrown, down to earth folks who have often worked there for generations, take such pride in their jobs. I hope someone gets a handle on the situation. This never would have happened with sensible managers in charge.


text:
A week already gone in the new year. Bardia has fallen and we are battling at Tobruk. Amy Johnson feared lost, indeed almost certainly lost, with male passenger who baled out with her over Thames Est. also the gallant Lt. Com. Fletcher who dived in and swam to try to help them, he died soon after being taken from the water (Sunday). Baden-Powell's death announced on wireless to-night. He was 83 a good and great man. It is a pity perhaps that England has not always lived up to his Scouts' motto "Be Prepared".
Bardia, in Cyrenaica (eastern Libya) was captured on January 5 1941 by the British and Australian troops, under British General Wavell, taking thousands of Italian prisoners and large quantities of military material (although later re-taken by forces under German command).
Tobruk was a strategically important port in Cyrenaica, close to the border with Egypt. Initially in Italian hands, it became the site of important battles between the Allied and Axis forces throughout most of 1941 and 1942.
Amy Johnson, who was born in Hull, had achieved fame in 1930 as the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. She served as a transport pilot in the war and was drowned in the Thames Estuary on 5th January 1941 after baling out from an aircraft she was delivering to an RAF aerodrome near Oxford.
Lt Commander Walter Fletcher of HMS Hazlemere died as a result of his unsuccessful attempt to save Amy Johnson from drowning.
Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout Movement, died on 8th January 1941 in Nyeri, Kenya where he had been living for a few years in semi-retirement.
We all went to Alford yesterday. While waiting for Father at Mrs Mason's we heard a plane and machine guns. Others heard gunfire at sea. To-night it was announced that an enemy plane was brought down off the East Coast Tue. morning. It was too foggy for us to see the plane but we all thought it was a German. I went to Alford to have my hand put right again, have had to poultice it this time with rock fullers earth made into paste with boiling water to reduce fluid. Rene had her foot attended to, Bromfield says her arches are very good, it was the guiders that were all wrong on top of her foot. We both have to go next week. It was very cold out and a huge fire in his room and when we got out Jean nearly fainted in the street, fortunately the cold air brought her round and she ate a good dinner. We went to the Black Cat Café. It is very nice, we had roast beef and two veg. a pot of tea (we all 3 had two cups) and a cake each for 1/9 each. Not so bad as we got well warmed up. I feel most extravagant, I bought a pair of gloves 9/11 but they are lovely and I had 10/0 given me at Xmas beside the 5/0 Father gave me for licence. Jean's Gym Stockings were 3/11 but they look good. Rene bought wool suit and a tweed hat, both very nice. I bought a pair of photo frames for Ron's and Emmie's photos at Dunns, they were old stock, he brought several for us to choose from, they were reduced from 3/3 to 1/3 each and are rather nice. The shops will be able to clear out heaps of old stock now. Some they have given up hopes of selling. Dunn's have a lot of very decent things quite reasonable. They are stationers. Jean bought Ron a pad of Basildon parchment and 2 pencils for his notes and drawings. She always thinks of him. We must send it next week. He has had a parcel from Emmie with handkerchiefs and cake and cigs as well as our parcel. He got 67% marks in a test the other day so did well.
Mrs Mason, in the village, was a regular 'private hire' customer. She was probably not related to 'the Masons' previously mentioned. (16th Dec. 1940)
No further details have been identified of an enemy plane brought down off the East Coast on January 7th 1941.
Mr Bromfield was the bone-setter in Alford.
Dunns were stationers in Alford.
10.25 pm
I reckon I can hear a plane, hope it's not a "wuffer". I will have a cup of tea and if all is quiet go to bed as I must not be late up. Jean going to school. I have read 3 books. "Limitations" by E.F Benson, very good, "The Face of Clay" Horace Vachell, about a death mask, not too bad, and "Potter and Clay" by Mrs Stanley Wrench a good country tale but some of it what one of my nieces would call "far stretched".
'Wuffer' – a German military aircraft – after Luftwaffe (German Air Force).
Lord Horace Annesley Vachell was an English novelist who introduced polo to Southern California when he moved there in 1882. (See website www.amazon.co.uk/Hill-Friendship-Horace-Annesley-Vachell/dp/1410108651)
The novelist Mollie Stanley-Wrench and her daughter Margaret Stanley-Wrench were known to Marie Stopes, the birth-control pioneer, who exchanged correspondence with them about her work and their writings. (See Letters, 1916-1958, Stopes, Marie Carmichael (1880-1958), website www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eguides/womenstudies/archiv1.html)Have you read an introduction to May Hill & family (includes photographs) and explored 'The Casualties Were Small'?


text:
12 April 2009 13:15
37 interfaces à ongletsby 1 other
Interfaces à onglets en Css et en Javascript
1 (1 marks)
Founded in late 2003 and heartquartered in France, we are non-profit and independant.
We believe in the open web, think internet services should be sustainable, build for the long term.
While we are re-launching the service, we only accept new members through invitation.


text:
It seems really simple. We have an Oracle database (on all nodes of a full rack Exadata, to be exact), which a lot of end-users connect to through apps designed in a rather adhoc and haphazard manner - on Excel spreadsheets, Access forms, TOAD reports and other assorted tools. We want to control the access from these machines and streamline them.
The database machine sits behind a firewall. To allow the adhoc tools accessing the database from the client machines mean we have to change the firewall rules. Had it been one or two clients, it would have been reasonable; but with 1000+ client machines, it becomes impractical. So I was asked to provide an alternative solution.
The Solution
This is not a unique problem; it's the same problem when the machines need to access resources that exist across firewalls. The easy solution is to punch a hole through the firewall to allow that access; but is not desirable for obvious security reasons. A better solution, often implemented, is to have a proxy server. The proxy sits between the two layers of access and can access the servers behind the firewall. Clients make the request to the proxy which it passes on to the server.
Such a proxy solves the problem; but we are looking for a simpler solution. Does one exist?
Yes, it does. The answer is Connection Manager from Oracle. Among its many functions, one stands out - it acts as a proxy between the different layers of access and passes through the request. It's not a separate product; but is an option in the Oracle Client software (not the database or grid infrastructure software). This option is not automatically installed. When installing the client software, choose "Custom" and explicitly select "Connection Manager" from the list.
The Architecture
Let's quickly go through the architecture of tool. Assume there are three hosts:
- client1 - the machine where the client runs and wants to connect to the database
- dbhost1 - the machine where the database instance runs
- cmhost1 - the machine where the Connection Manager process runs
Here is a rough network diagram of the three machines
From client1 you can reach cmhost1 but not dbhost1:
C:\>ping dbhost1
Ping request could not find host dbhost1. Please check the name and try again.
Or, if the host is known but not reachable, you will notice a message like this:
C:\>ping dbhost1
Pinging dbhost1 [192.168.104.31] with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
However, you can ping the dbhost1 from cmhost1 and cmhost1 from client1.
Normally the TNS entry at the client machine would have looked like this:
(PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = dbhost1)(PORT = 1521)
However, this will not work since the client does not even know the routing for dbhost1. Instead the client connects to the CM host. The connection manager has two processes
- The Connection Manager Admin Process (cmadmin)
- One or more Connection Manager Gateway Processes (cmgw)
The CMGW processes allows the client connections to come in through them. The admin process manages the gateways. We will cover more on that later.
After setting up the CM processes, you will need to rewrite the TNSNAMES.ORA in the following way:
(PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = cmhost1)(PORT = 1950)
(PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = dbhost1)(PORT = 1521)
How it Works
Note the special parameter:
This tells the client connection request to attempt the first address listed first and only then attempt the next one. This is different from load balance setups where you would expect the client tool to pick one of the addresses at random. So the client attempts this address first:
(PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = cmhost1)(PORT = 1950)
This is the listener for Connection Manager. The clients are allowed to connect to the port 1950 (the port where CM listener listens on) on the host cmhost1.
After that the connection attempts the second address
(PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = dbhost1)(PORT = 1521)
However, it will fail since the client does not have access to the port 1521 of the host dbhost1. This is where CM comes in. The client does not make the request; CM does on behalf of the client connection that just came in. The connection manager (running on cmhost1) makes the request with that address. Since the host cmhost1 can access dbhost1 on port 1521, that connection request goes through successfully. When the response comes back from the database, CM passes it back to the original client.
A single CM connection can handle many client connection requests.
Setting Up
Now that you know how CM works, let's see how to enable it, step by step.
(1) Install CM, if you don't have already. Check for a file cmctl under $ORACLE_HOME/bin. If you have it, CM may have been installed already. If not, install CM by running the installer from Oracle Client (not Database or Grid Infra) software. Choose Custom Install and explicitly choose Connection Manager.
(2) Go to $OH/network/admin (remember the $OH of the client software home; not the database home)
(3) You need to create a configuration file called cman.ora. Instead of creating it from scratch, go to the samples subdirectory and copy the cman.ora sample file back into the admin directory.
(4) In the file cman.ora, make the changes to the following lines. Of course, I assumed cmhost1 as the server running Connection Manager process. Substitute by whatever name you choose for the CM server. I also assumed you would use port 1950 for the CM listener. It does not have to be. Whatever you choose will need to be opened in the firewall.
The lines you are changing will be at the beginning and the end of the cman.ora file.
cman_cmhost1 =
(parameter_list =
# conn_stats = connect_statistics
Keep the remaining lines as is, for now. I will explain the meaning of these parameters later.
(5) Start the CM command line interface by executing "cmctl"
# cmctl
CMCTL for Linux: Version 18.104.22.168.0 - Production on 29-AUG-2011 15:16:01
Copyright (c) 1996, 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Welcome to CMCTL, type "help" for information.
This will show a prompt "CMCTL>". Here you will enter different admin commands for the CM processes, much like LSNRCTL command line interpreter.
(6) Start the administration process by typing "administer"
CMCTL> administer
Current instance CMAN_cmhost1 is not yet started
Connections refer to (address=(protocol=tcp)(host=cmhost1)(port=1950)).
The command completed successfully.
Note how the prompt changed showing the name of the CM.
(7) Start the connection manager processes by issuing "startup"
CMCTL> startup
Starting Oracle Connection Manager instance CMAN_cmhost1.proligence.com. Please wait...
TNS-04077: WARNING: No password set for the Oracle Connection Manager instance.
CMAN for Linux: Version 184.108.40.206.0 - Production
Status of the Instance
Instance name cman_cmhost1.proligence.com
Version CMAN for Linux: Version 184.108.40.206.0 - Production
Start date 29-AUG-2011 17:25:48
Uptime 0 days 0 hr. 0 min. 9 sec
Num of gateways started 2
Average Load level 0
Log Level OFF
Trace Level OFF
Instance Config file /opt/oracle/product/11gR2/client1/network/admin/cman.ora
Instance Log directory /opt/oracle/product/11gR2/client1/network/log
Instance Trace directory /opt/oracle/product/11gR2/client1/network/trace
The command completed successfully.
(8) If everything goes well, you should see the CM status
CMCTL:CMAN_cmhost1> show status
Status of the Instance
Instance name cman_cmhost1
Version CMAN for Linux: Version 184.108.40.206.0 - Production
Start date 30-JUN-2011 13:26:16
Uptime 60 days 2 hr. 15 min. 10 sec
Num of gateways started 2
Average Load level 1
Log Level ADMIN
Trace Level OFF
Instance Config file /opt/oracle/product/11gR2/client1/network/admin/cman.ora
Instance Log directory /opt/oracle/product/11gR2/client1/network/log
Instance Trace directory /opt/oracle/product/11gR2/client1/network/trace
If it does not start, refer to the troubleshooting section later in this blog.
(9) Make the TNSNAMES.ORA file change at the client as shown earlier.
(10) Make the connection using this new TNS connection alias:
C:\> sqlplus arup/arup@TNS_CM
You should be able to connect to the database server now. Note, you still can't access the database host directly. If you use the regular TNS connect string - TNS_REG - you will fail. This new connection was established through the connection manager.
(11) Check the number of connections coming through the CM, using CMCTL tool:
CMCTL:CMAN_cmhost1> show connections
Number of connections: 1.
The command completed successfully.
The output shows there is one connection through the CM listener. As you connect more, you will see the number next to "Number of connections:" increasing.
That's it. You have successfully configured Connection Manager interface.
Fine Tuning
In the previous setup I asked you to enter some values without really explaining the significance of them. Let's go through them.
One of the powerful features of the CM interface is to act as sort of a firewall, i.e. allow connections from/to certain hosts and for specific services. You can define these inside the RULES_LIST section as shown below:
Here are the parameters and what they mean:
- src = the source server where the connection request would come from. If you want to leave it unrestricted, use "*", as a wildcard.
- dst = the destination server, which is probably the database server the request would go to. Again, unrestricted access would be given as "*".
- srv = the service. enter "*" for all types of services.
- act = the action, e.g. accept, reject or drop the request
On src and dst parameters you can give hostnames, IP addresses as well as wildcards. You would use this section to allow or deny the access between different servers, making it a really powerful firewall-like tool.
The action_list parameter allows you to fine tune the actions on the connection.
- aut = whether the Oracle Advanced Security Option authentication filter should be applied. The value shown here is OFF, means this is not to be applied.
- moct = after how long the outbound connection established should timeout. The value set here is 0, means the outbound connection is never to be timed out.
- mct = after how long the session should disconnect. The value is 0, i.e. never.
- mit = the timeout duration for idle connections
- conn_stats = whether the connection statistics be maintained.
Note the use of parentheses. You can use different rules and actions for each combination of sources and destinations. It allows you to finetune the access. For instance, database D1 is highly secure and you would want ASO filter; but not database D2. For the request coming from the same client, you can have a different set of actions for each destination. For D1, the more secure database host, you can establish various timeouts.
CMCTL Primer
Now that you know about the CMAN.ORA file, let's see the activities you can perform in CMCTL. The first command you should explore should be "help".
CMCTL> help
The following operations are available
An asterisk (*) denotes a modifier or extended command:
administer close* exit quit
reload resume* save_passwd set*
show* shutdown sleep startup
You can get help on a specific command as well:
CMCTL> help administer
administer [
] [using ] - Sets up a context for administering the given Oracle Connection Manager instance
Two commands you will be using a lot are - SHOW and SET.
CMCTL> help SHOW
The following operations are available after show
An asterisk (*) denotes a modifier or extended command:
all connections defaults events
gateways parameters rules services
status version
CMCTL> help set
The following operations are available after set
An asterisk (*) denotes a modifier or extended command:
aso_authentication_filter connection_statistics
event idle_timeout
inbound_connect_timeout log_directory
log_level outbound_connect_timeout
password session_timeout
trace_directory trace_level
Most of these modifiers are self explanatory, e.g. show status will show you the status of CM; show connections will show connections established through CM, etc.
Of course things may not go well the first time. Don't despair. You can perform extensive diagnostics and enable logging and tracing.
The most common error may come during the startup:
TNS-04012: Unable to start Oracle Connection Manager instance.
Unfortunately it's a generic, catch-all error. The most common reason is an incorrectly constructed CMAN.ORA file, e.g. with non-identifiable hostnames and port numbers, log/trace directories that do not yet exist, invalid parameters and values or even mismatched parantheses. It's difficult to guess what caused the issue. The best option for you is to copy the sample CMAN.ORA file and replace the values with your own, paying special attention to the directory names.
Another cause of this error is not using Fully Qualified Names. For instance, you must use cmhost1.proligence.com instead of "cmhost1".
Sometimes the issues still linger. You can perform extensive diagnostics by using extended tracing and logging. To enable logging and tracing, you have to set the parameters in CMAN.ORA:
log_level : set to SUPPORT
trace_level : set to SUPPORT
The default for both is OFF, means no logging and tracing.
When enabled, CM emits tracings and logging in the appropriate directories that may lead to the source of the problem. Here is an excerpt from the log:
(LOG_RECORD=(TIMESTAMP=29-AUG-2011 16:22:26)(EVENT=CMAN.ORA contains no rule for local CMCTL connection)(Add (rule=(src=cmhost1)(dst=127.0.0.1)(srv=cmon)(act=accept)) in rule_list)
This shows clearly the issue. We have to make the appropriate entry to make CM work. You can also enable these dynamically
CMCTL:CMAN_cmhost1.proligence.com> set trace_level support
CMAN_cmhost1.proligence.com parameter trace_level set to support.
The command completed successfully.
Connection Manager is a great product form Oracle Network family of products that can, among many things, perform as a connection concentrator from multiple client requests, act as a rule based mini-firewall for the database requests and act as a proxy between different access domains. Here you learned how to set it up, fine tune the parameters and manage it effectively. Hope you liked it. As always, please provide your feedback.