Matildas coach Alen Stajcic knows that it's go time for the Asian Cup favourites.It's go time for the Matildas at the Asian Cup.
The team knows it. Coach Alen Stajcic knows it. And the stakes demand it.
's national women's football team begins the continental championship early Sunday morning (AEST) against South Korea.
And no matter how many records they've broken under Stajcic's impressive tenure, it all comes down to this.
"It's a grand final for us," Stajcic told AAP.
The much-admired coach returns to the Asian Cup – his first tournament as Matildas boss back in 2014 – having transformed the national team's fortunes and stature.
The Matildas aren't ignored battlers any more. They're admired professionals.
Sam Kerr isn't a promising talent, she's a superstar.
Lisa De Vanna has kept on scoring for , befitting her regular Tim Cahill comparison.
Katrina Gorry and Emily Van Egmond have become the basis of a world-class midfield.
And Lydia Williams, Steph Catley and Clare Polkinghorne are defensive dynamos.
They've all arrived at the first of three tournaments earmarked by Stajcic they want to win – ahead of next year's World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
"This is what we've been building for," he said.
"They've set the expectations for themselves. This is one of the tournaments that stuck out for all of us as one of them we want to do well at.
face South Korea, Vietnam and reigning champions Japan in the group stage.
Progression as one of the top two sides would seal a place at next year's World Cup in France, underlining the importance of this tournament.
If not, a third-place finish would pit Stajcic's side against another third-place finisher – Jordan, Thailand, China or The Philippines – in a playoff for the final fifth Asian place.
It's a nightmare scenario that the Matildas are keen to avoid, and should do.
"We need hit the ground running against South Korea," Stajcic said.
If there's a concern, aside from the tough group, it's the fitness of several key individuals.
Catley and attacking trio Kyah Simon, Hayley Raso and Emily Gielnik haven't played since the end of the W-League season.
Stajcic said Monday was the first day the full squad had been able to train together.
With so much talent in the ranks, it's difficult to see not contending for the title.
After four years spent moulding them into the world No.6s, Stajcic says planning his team-talk has been easy.


text:
local all = require("rules.all")
local context = require("context")
local dummy = require("rules.dummy")

describe("Validation of all rule", function()

  it("Must define context result as true", function()
    local tested_rule = all(dummy(true), dummy(true))
    local tested_context = context.new()

    tested_rule.apply(tested_context)

    assert.True(tested_context.result)
  end)

  it("Must define context result as false", function()
    local tested_rule = all(dummy(false), dummy(true))
    local tested_context = context.new()

    tested_rule.apply(tested_context)

    assert.False(tested_context.result)
  end)
end)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
WWF-SASSI names Trailblazer chefs of 2019
Meet the WWF-SASSI Trailblazers 2019, chefs who are committed to sourcing, preparing and serving sustainable seafood at their restaurants.
The WWF-SASSI Trailblazer Awards recognise and celebrate chefs who actively champion sustainable seafood practices in their restaurants. Trailblazer chefs are selected on the basis of their restaurant's seafood sustainability policy; the effectiveness of their sustainability messaging internally and to a wider audience, and for going the extra mile in promoting and supporting seafood sustainability.
"This year's winners have committed to only selling and serving sustainable seafood and have clearly demonstrated that one can turn out creative and innovative recipes when serving green-listed seafood. The 2019 trailblazers are real ocean stewards and are ensuring the longevity of our ocean resources for all," said Pavitray Pillay, WWF-SASSI Manager.
The 2019 WWF-SASSI Trailblazers are:
Kyle Knight, The Shop, Seapoint, Cape Town
Kyle Knight is chef/owner of The Shop, a Sea Point bistro where he and his wife Gabi put the emphasis on traceability and the sourcing of ingredients. Their menu changes frequently: If it's fresh and in season on the day then it makes its way onto the menu. They describe their style as "simple, tasty and uncomplicated", opting for free range, green-listed and sustainable produce with an emphasis on seasonality and provenance.
Nicole Loubser, Gåte Restaurant, Quoin Rock, Stellenbosch
Namibian-born Nicole Loubser studied at the Institute of Culinary Arts in Stellenbosch. Ambitious and passionate about sustainability she likes to push culinary boundaries and has tripped the light fantastic at La Colombe, The Test Kitchen, and at JAN in Nice. She now heads the kitchen at Gåte Restaurant on Quoin Rock wine farm near Stellenbosch where she is putting all her high-end experience to good use. At a relatively youthful 25, Nicole is set to leave her mark on the culinary scene in South Africa.
Gustaaf Boshoff, The Green Goose, Stellenbosch
Gustaaf Boshoff was bitten by the food bug at an early age and his passion drove him to study to become a chef. After graduating from culinary school, he honed his skills in Michelin-starred establishments in Europe. The Green Goose is his homage to showcasing humble dishes but with a fine-dining twist. He opts for sustainability and is very clear with all his suppliers that he wants to source ethical and seasonal ingredients.
Carolize Coetzee, Tokara, Stellenbosch
Carolize Coetzee hails from Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape and she takes her inspiration from heirloom recipes from her mother and her grandmother. Her most cherished food memories are rooted in traditional, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. With her dedication to South African flavours, sustainability frames her cooking. The organic vegetable garden attached to the restaurant puts sustainability and ethical practices at the centre of the kitchen at Tokara.
Matt Manning, Grub & Vine, Cape Town
Matt perfected his trade in London under the likes of Marcus Waring and the one-and-only Gordon Ramsay. On relocating to South Africa he joined the brigade at La Colombe before moving on to become the king of pop-ups on the Cape Town foodie scene. Last December he opened his first fully fledged restaurant called Grub & Vine where tasty sustainable dishes are finely crafted at this stylish bistro on Bree Street. He only uses green-listed fish on his menu.
Guy Bennett, Gigi Rooftop, Gorgeous George, Cape Town
At the age of seven, the food markets of Paris made a big impact on this young epicurean. Guy works with seasonally sourced ingredients and local suppliers, including farmers who share his food philosophy. He likes to know where the produce comes from and he needs to know that ethical practices were followed in its journey from sea and farm to plate. His own journey has seen him work with classically trained chefs at Buitenverwachting and at Grande Provence in Franschhoek where he was executive chef. He now runs Gigi Rooftop at Gorgeous George in central Cape Town.
WWF-SASSI Trailblazer chefs for 2019 were announced on 21 October. From left, they are Gustaaf Boshoff, Nicole Loubser, Matt Manning and Kyle Knight. Two chefs, Guy Bennett and Carolize Coetzee, were also named but were unable to be at the announcement event.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home/portugal/Abola adherence increased by 41.2% Privacy Policy | Newspaper of Angola
Abola adherence increased by 41.2% Privacy Policy | Newspaper of Angola
portugal November 9, 2018 portugal, Saúde
More than 300 people were infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between October 15 and November 5, an increase of 41.2 percent, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data on the epidemic.
Photo: Dr
WHO data reported on November 5 indicates that there were 305 people reported in northern provinces of Kivu and Ituri since August 1, although 35 cases have yet to be confirmed.
Last Monday's listing was 41.6 percent higher than the number of cases on 26-26 October. On the 28th of the same month, 13 days later, cases of Ebola infection were identified to 274.
With a trend of less marked growth is the number of deaths caused by Ebola, updated to 189 on Monday,
Last week.
On November 28, 2017 there were 174 deaths since the epidemic was declared on August 1 last year, affecting mainly northern districts of Kivu and Ituri, the most populous of the Democratic Republic.
The deaths recorded by infection with the Ebola virus are more expressive in the age groups
Between 25 and 44 years in men and between 15 and 24 in women.
The Ebola epidemic was identified for the first time in the northern provinces and in Ituri, and spread to the border with Uganda in Beni, an area of the armed group ADF, which doubled attacks on civilians. – A sanitary reaction.
Uganda has already begun to vaccinate officials on the border with the German Democratic Republic, where there is ongoing movement between the two countries.
In recent months, the United Nations has expressed concern about the risk of spreading the epidemic in Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and southern Sudan. Last week, the UN Security Council urged African countries to strengthen operational capabilities to combat the disease in full cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO).
More blocked mentors and Portuguese music. "The Voice of Portugal" returns this coming Sunday – TV
Green pipe project. Green hydrogen will be injected into Portugal's natural gas network – O Jornal Económico
BOLA – Darwin received league awards and made a promise (Benfica)
Learn all about the risk zone of Battlefield 2042
Know the special symptoms of colds, flu and Covid-19 in children
Casa du Benfica and six factories robbed in Aspinio


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Do Me a Favor
Feature Articles, Featured, Halacha Journal Press
Rabbi Ariel Ovadia
"I would like you to do us a favor, though" — are what triggered the House impeachment inquiry that has imperiled his presidency.
DID PRESIDENT TRUMP commit bribery? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi leveled this accusation this month, as additional evidence emerged, potentially implicating him directly in the abuse-of-power controversy surrounding U.S. relations with Ukraine.
Trump was accused of committing "bribery" by seeking to use U.S. military aid as leverage to pressure the Ukrainian government to conduct investigations that could politically benefit the president. Half-way around the globe, Israeli officials finally indicted PM Benjamin Netanyahu on bribery charges of his own, after years of lengthy – and controversial – investigations. It seems like democratically elected leaders the world over are subjected to extreme scrutiny by the opposition for allegations of abuse-of-power or bribery – an impeachable offense.
Is a public official, let alone the president, allowed to ask for favors? What if they are not conditioned on anything but will just be accorded high-priority? In this article, we will examine the various limits and applications of this prohibition.
The Prohibition of shochad – Bribery
The Torah warns a Dayan not to accept bribes, as the Pasuk says: "And thou shall not take bribes, as bribes will blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the wise…" The Shulchan Aruch (C.M. 9:1) introduces this Halacha in the following manner: One should be very, very careful (me'od, m'eod) – an expression found in few places in the Shulchan Aruch. The Gemara in Kesubos asserts that this prohibition applies even when the bribery is given to acquit the innocent party or convict the guilty party.
The Chazon Ish in Emuna U'Bitachon explains this phenomenon: "shochad is a special concept… it carries a special power to blind the eyes of the wise which is embedded in the very creation of the world… in addition to the nature of bribery to blind the eyes of the wise, it carries an impure power (Koach HaTum'ah) to stuff the heart and put wisdom to sleep… the Dayan is no longer protected by his wisdom…" This would explain why even the wisest and most objective Dayan would still be warned against accepting even the most minute form bribery.
The Gemara in Kesubos (105b) expands the concept of shochad to include the slightest favors. For example, the Gemara says that there are instances in which a Dayan who has an item on loan from someone may not adjudicate his Din Torah (see Shulchan Aruch ibid.). Furthermore, the Gemara relates that Ameimar, one of the Amoraim, was once sitting in a Din Torah when a feather landed on his head. A nice man shooed the feather away. Ameimar asked the man what he was doing there, and he answered that he wanted to bring a Din Torah in front of Ameimar. Ameimar told him that he wouldn't be able to be his Dayan because of this small favor.
The Rishonim debate whether these cases fall under the prohibition of shochad or whether it is just a Middas Chasidus (a pious measure) to refrain from sitting on such a Din Torah. Tosafos (Keusbos ibid.) understand that it is only a Middas Chasidus not to sit on a Din Torah if one has received a small favor, while the Rambam (Hil. Sanhedrin 23:3)- according to the understanding of the Bais Yosef – maintains that it is a violation of the prohibition of shochad. The Bach adds that it seems that the Tosafos in Sanhedrin take a third position, and distinguish between doing a favor in connection with the Din Torah which is forbidden, and just reminding the Dayan of a favor done in the past, in which case it is not forbidden but rather commendable to refrain from being the Dayan.
The Chukas HaDayonim (cited in Pischei Teshuva) writes that in the case of a slight favor, all would permit one to sit if there are two others with him. To the other extreme, some Poskim write that if the favor was done in front of the other party, then it is forbidden according to all opinions, as it causes the other party to stumble and lack confidence in its arguments.
Free Healthcare
The Pischei Teshuva, cites the Birkay Yosef who discusses a Dayan who receives free medical treatment from one of the parties. The Devar Shmuel (54) distinguishes whether the free treatments were given long before the Din Torah arose and will continue after it or whether they started around the time the claim arose. In the former case there would be no prohibition of shochad although there may be an issue of judging an ohev (close friend, see C.M. 7), whereas in the latter case, it would seem to be classified as shochad. The Birkay Yosef disagrees and maintains that both examples would violate the prohibition of shochad. If, however, the Dayan pays the doctor for his services, there would not be a prohibition of shochad, although it may be best for the Dayan to refrain from judging his personal doctor.
Other Figures of Authority, Bnai Noach
Is the prohibition of shochad only on a Dayan? How about a powerful or influential figure, such as a governor, fund trustee or school principal? The Pilpula Charifta (on the Rosh, Sanhedrin 3:17) as well as the Chida and the Aruch HaShulchan maintain that all officials with power are subject to the Torah prohibition of shochad. The Kli Chemda (Devarim 16:18) adds that this would also apply to police officers. The Chasam Sofer in a teshuva (160, cited in Pischey Teshuva 8:2) and others, maintain that there is a prohibition to accept money to appoint public officials.
The Poskim (cited in Pischay Teshuva 9:3) argue whether there is a prohibition of giving shochad to a Ben Noach (non-Jew) who is also commanded to establish a justice system. The Tumim argues that just like it is permissible for a Ben Noach to judge a relative (which is forbidden for a Jew) so too shochad is permitted. However, the Chasam Sofer and the Divrey Mishpat cite the Ramban in Parshas VaYishlach who maintains that the prohibition of shochad also applies to a Ben Noach. The Shoel U'Meshiv and others distinguish between one who gives shochad to a Ben Noach to skew justice which is forbidden, and one who gives shochad to ensure that justice is served (which is still forbidden with regards to a Dayan).
Based on the aforementioned sources, it would seem that there is a prohibition of shochad to bribe a public official, although there may be a leniency when the desired outcome is the just and proper outcome and the judge is a Ben Noach who is not meting out a Din Torah. [It is interesting to note, that the President of Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky, is Jewish, while President Trump is not!]
Bais HaVaad Halacha Journal For Parshas Chukas
Click below links to download the PDF version of our Halacha Journal: Print the Chukas…
Fly-by-Night Operation: When a Plane Arrives on Shabbos
Highlights of a shiur by Rav Daniel Dombroff A plane on the tarmac is a…
Halachos of Daily Livivg
Is there a bracha that should be recited on a hurricane? Yes. Shulchan Aruch (OC 227:1) writes…
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« A wealthy Mormon who jetted 150 to raise money for Romney violated FEC Rules | Main | Romney's campaign update: He's gained 80,000 cheapskates »
This week's Pilate has a story about a typical priest in the Archdiocese of Boston. The priest, Fr. Michael Bernier, pictured below in his lumberjack shirt, described himself as a "Pottermaniac" in a talk he gave about - of all things - the Blessed Virgin and our Triune God.
Father Pottermaniac told the kiddos harmless magic is not sorcery but a quest on a journey towards god:
"On the surface level it does sound suspect and does raise red flags," he said. However, he said the magic in Harry Potter is not sorcery. And he noted that the original title of the first book was "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." The title was changed to "Sorcerer's Stone" for the book's release in the United States.
"I happen to be one of the people who believes that there's a great deal of Christian imagery and symbolism in the books. And I think it answers, at least in parts, a longing that we have for Christ," he said.
Father Pottermaniac also told the kiddos that Pope Benedict has never raised an objection to Harry Potter.
However, the Pope had the following to say:
"It is good that you explain the facts of Harry Potter, because this is a subtle seduction, which has deeply unnoticed and direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity before it can really grow properly."
The Pilate ran the photo and story without the actual quote from the Pope - just in case you're ding-dong enough to see the picture of the Plaid-shirted Priest Pottermania standing in front of his trinket collection pooh-poohing magic as harmful and a cuckoo subtle seduction bell doesn't go off in your head loud enough to do your own research.
The Chancery Committees put in charge of wondering why sane people are no longer sitting in the pews are organizing a youth ministry field trip to Borders.
Father Bernier said that Harry Potter is "a symbol of all of us as sons and daughters of God -- humanity pursuing its spiritual perfection in Christ."
Tags: Boston Archdiocese, Father Bernier, Harry Potter, Pilot


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NEIGHBORS >> Rotary speaker talks about potential of city dog park
BY PAUL PETERSON
IN SHORT: The president of the Jacksonville Dog Park Club discusses the advantages of a canine recreation area in Dupree Park.
Jacksonville Dog Park Club president Dan Limke told Jacksonville Rotary Club members Monday that with the help of a few successful fund-raisers, Dupree Park lies on the verge of becoming one of among the 700 stomp-and-sniff parks for which dog owners nationwide are howling praise and gratitude.
"Across the United States, these parks have opened a whole new set of services to exercise dogs, let them run off-leash legally, mingle, and live happier, healthier lives," Limke said.
"Visiting Murray Park in Little Rock, and dog parks in Maumelle and Burns Park proved how popular and well-received they are. During one visit, we counted the arrival of 60 people in 90 minutes."
The proposed area for the park consists of the wooded area at the southwest corner of Dupree Lake because of availability of shade and open ground, access to water and adequate parking.
Of the four acres designated for canine recreation, fences will need posting.
Limke said two separate sections would accommodate large and small breeds, and would grant access for mowing equipment and overflow parking for large events such as the Wing Ding Festival.
In its two proposals to Jacksonville city officials, the six-member dog park committee outlined benefits to local dog owners and demonstrated why Dupree Park would be the best location to install such enhancements.
Characteristics such as location, size, popularity, landscape, parking availability and proximity to the city's animal shelter make it attractive and quite feasible, Limke said.
"Dog parks are places dogs are allowed to legally run off their leash, and benefit progressive communities by providing a specific area to socialize and exercise dogs in a safe environment," he said. "Our goal as a club is promotion of responsible pet ownership."
A fenced area consisting of two separate sections would accommodate both large and small breeds, while allowing access for mowing equipment and overflow parking. It also is surrounded by plenty of ground to buffer dog park activity from ballpark and residential areas to the north and east.
Limke said two long vertical rows will provide access through a five-foot rubberized fence with entrance gates at each side, preventing dogs from entering the lake adjacent to the park. The rubber fence will minimize urinary corrosion.
Limke said a portion of the cost to develop the dog park would be financed by general funds of Jacksonville Parks and Recrea-tion's budget.
The dog park committee would generate funds toward the purchase of additional amenities such as benches, tables, lights and dog recreation equipment.
Various community fundraisers, private and corporate contributions and a vigorous publicity campaign are vital.
Limke said the time frame in which to secure funds to open the dog park is of primary concern.
Fundraising efforts are being scheduled to help pay the approximate $10,000 the dog club needs, which include dog washes, photo shoots, and a manufactured doghouse contest on Oct. 22.
Paved name inscriptions on brick walkways will recognize donors. "City funds won't be available after this year, so we've only got a limited time to get this off the ground," Limke said.
"The parks and recreation budget allocates available funding through the end of the year, which is why we're doing all we can to get the word out and come up with as many ideas as possible to raise money for this."
The dog park could likely become a source for additional revenue through rentals for dog-related activities. Limke believes visitors from in and around Jacksonville would enhance the local economy.
Maintenance and patrol of the park would include routine inspections to remove trash and leftover dog deposits, as well as examining fence conditions.
Limke said these responsibilities would become part of the regular routine of the parks and recreation employees, and Jacksonville Animal Shelter would include the dog park among its routine Dupree Park patrol.
Limke said city pet ordinances prohibit untagged and vicious dogs from the park.
"The same ordinances apply to the park as they do for a shelter," he said. When asked of foreseeable circumstances of pet abandonment, he said, "Most abandoned pets are left at shelters, not at dog parks."
As for cleanliness, Limke said, "Dog parks stay pretty clean. They're self-policed; people are generally responsible for cleaning up after their pets."
The growing popularity of dog parks nationwide keeps Limke optimistic about local enthusiasm.
"Across the country, so many people live in apartments with dogs who have no room to run," he said.
"These parks become a social environment. It's just as much for people as it is for dogs."
Before Limke's discussion, club president Thea Hughes announced a donation request to send a Jacksonville child to a five-day asthma camp in Little Rock in late July.
Members agreed by voice vote to donate $600, the amount given last year for the same cause.
Before adjourning, members expressed admiration and gratitude toward Jacksonville firefighters who volunteered time to reposition tombstones overturned at the vandalized Bayou Meto Cemetery.
NEIGHBORS >> KidFit
IN SHORT: Martin Street Youth Center has summer fitness classes for kids
Motivated by the national obesity woes among adults, the Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Department devised two exercise programs to teach youngsters the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
Last week, Kids Fit and Reality Fit, programs targeting two different age groups, kicked off at the Martin Street Recreation Center in Jacksonville.
Children ages 8 to 12 will be in the Kids Fit classes and teenagers 13 to 15 can participate in the Reality Fit classes. Both pilot exercise programs are scheduled to run for the next six weeks, and Staci McHenry, aerobics coordinator for the parks and recreation department, will oversee them.
"The older class did the aerobics pretty well, but the younger ones, to keep their interest, will do active games like basketball, jump rope and dance," said Cathy Brand, program manager for the department.
Brand said she hopes these classes will help the children develop a healthy lifestyle which will carry over into adulthood.
"It was a combination of myself, George (Biggs, director of the department) and the Jacksonville Health Coalition thinking about and discussing the possibility of a summer program of exercise for the kids."
Between 1988 and 1994 and1999 and 2002, National Health and Nutrition Examination surveys show the U.S. has experienced a 45 percent increase in overweight youth ages 6 to 19.
After each class, youngsters and teens participating in the fitness programs are then taught about nutritional facts and instructed about healthy foods to eat instead of snacking on sugary treats. As an added bonus, the classes are free.
Minorities appear to tip the scale in being overweight. According to the American Heart Association website, 27.3 percent of Hispanic-American boys are considered to be overweight, while the percentage of overweight Hispanic-American girls is 19.6 percent.
Approximately 17.5 percent of young males of African-American descent 22.1 percent of young females in that group are considered overweight. However, 11.9 percent of Caucasian boys are considered overweight as compared to 12 percent of Caucasian girls.
NEIGHBORS >> Keeping the past alive
IN SHORT: Beebe Middle School enshrines McRae School's former persona
What happens to the trophies and class pictures when small schools are forced to consolidate with larger ones?
With consolidation looming over several Arkansas schools two years ago and the possibility of all those memories being lost, the state stepped in and said the receiving school districts must make arrangements to store memorabilia somewhere on the consolidating school's campus. But where?
"We didn't want to just put it in a box somewhere," said Hal Crisco, assistant superintendent of Beebe Schools and a graduate of McRae High.
So instead of storing everything, Crisco's maintenance workers built display cases and painted and waxed the rooms on the second floor of the McRae gym and created a sort of museum for the former school that is now called Beebe Middle School McRae Campus.
By all accounts it was a hit with the McRae Alumni who gathered on the second Saturday in June as they do every year for the annual McRae School reunion.
This year, about 175 former students attended the evening get-together and several made their way to the upstairs of the gym to see the new home of their school memorabilia.
"Everybody was so appreciative," said Eva Burris, a 1954 graduate and one of the coordinators of the reunion. "I'm sure there is still some sadness with losing the school…but the fact that they went above what they had to do showed that they are trying really hard."
Among the trophies on new shelving were the ones Burris helped win in her senior year when the girls basketball team took county and region and went on to the state playoffs.
"We didn't win state, but we went," Burris said proudly.
Also there were the senior class pictures dating from 1941, old basketball uniforms and artwork by art teacher Margo Shoffner, to enhance the overall effect.
Dr. Belinda Shook, Beebe schools superintendent, said she was a little surprised by how well it turned out and was also very pleased with how well it had been received.
Not counting the labor, it cost between $2,500 and $3,000 to build the memorabilia room, Crisco said. And so far it seems worth it.
EDITORIAL >> Giving it all away
Warren E. Buffett, the shrewdest investor in history, has always been an iconoclast in the mercantile world. His uncanny and intuitive grasp of markets made him the envy of investors everywhere and often the object of their resentment. Buffett thinks the estate tax is the fairest tax on the books and should be raised, not eliminated as President Bush and wealthy families like the Waltons want. He opposed all those tax cuts for his class since 2001 and suggested instead that working people be given a holiday from payroll taxes.
Monday, the 75-year-old businessman announced that he was going to give 85 percent of his vast fortune of $45 billion or thereabouts to foundations that seek to combat disease and environmental misfortune in the third world and educational shortcomings in America. Here is the shocker: The name of Warren E. Buffett will not be on the door of any of the foundations, and his name will not be written across the skylines like those you see on the towering edifices at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences campus at Little Rock or other universities where rich men have their names enshrined.
The largest share by far, some $37.5 billion, will go to the philanthropic foundation of Bill and Melinda Gates. The rest will go to foundations run by his family, including his three children, which spend the money to promote literacy, end poverty and discrimination and restore the environment. Buffett said he was good at making money — how's that for understatement? — but not good at spending it. He will leave it to the Gateses to see that his stupendous fortune will perform efficient good works. Gates and his wife, who already run the biggest philanthropic foundation in the world, said they hoped that the money would produce cures for the 20 major diseases afflicting poor countries and distribution of the cures throughout the third world.
History records generous and selfless men and women of wealth, including even a few who left their money anonymously to do good works, but Warren Buffett's gesture puts him on a different level among history's philanthropists, ahead of Ford, Rockefeller and Carnegie. The Gates foundation, already by far the largest in the world, will more than double in assets, and its ability to elevate health and reduce suffering around the world will multiply. It will spend many times the aggregate of the United Nations on health and education around the globe.
It occurs to us that the timing of Buffett's dramatic announcement is not a coincidence. This week or next, the Bush administration and the Republican Congress will make the final push to eliminate the estate tax forever, or at least to make it little more than a nuisance for the mega-rich. If they can bring Arkansas' Sen. Mark Pryor over, Bush should get the bill in July. The estate tax, which averages about 19 percent, is collected on less than 1 percent of estates — this year on estates valued at more than $2 million ($4 million for couples). Family farms and businesses qualify for special exemptions, deductions and long grace periods that make the tax almost inconsequential for even the few that are large enough to owe taxes.
Buffett denounced the effort to repeal the tax Monday, as he has so often the last decade. He said he never intended to pass on dynastic wealth to his children and grandchildren, who nevertheless are and will be very wealthy people. Like Andrew Carnegie, an early exponent of the estate tax, he thinks vast dynastic wealth is undemocratic and un-American. Eliminating the estate tax and giving rich investors like himself far lower tax rates than other Americans pay, Buffett said, shifts the burden from the rich and corporations to poor and middle-class families, who ultimately will have to pay much higher taxes when the government's staggering bills finally have to be paid.
American and global capitalism afforded him and others like him the special opportunity to aggregate great wealth, Buffett said, and they have a moral obligation not to hoard it like feudal aristocracies but to help the underprivileged and unlucky through philanthropy or fair taxation.
What a weirdo! May his example spread in this brave materialist world.
FROM THE PUBLISHER >> Good folks should get in the limelight
BY GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader publisher
(This is the second part of a two-part column that we've turned over to Jaynie M. McClain of Lonoke, whose cousin, Army Specialist Bobby West of Beebe, was killed May 30 in Baghdad at the age of 23. He was buried June 7 in Beebe as hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders protected the family from about 10 protesters from Kansas, who be-lieve God has punished America because it tolerates homosexuals.)
I became so irritated that night as I watched the local news. I mean, if you just watched the television news coverage, and weren't there, you would have thought that there were 400 protesters from Topeka, Kansas, and six Patriot Guard Riders. They wasted all their film on six hate-filled individuals, while ignoring (for the most part) the sea of black leather, mingled with red, white and blue that was probably 400-500 strong.
As a Baptist myself, a member of Marshall Road Baptist in Jacksonville, I was very ashamed of the display of disrespect toward a serviceman and even toward a grieving family. I never would have thought that they would show up at a funeral I would attend. You hear about them going to funerals and it just doesn't seem real until you are there and you see them. I don't know what Bible they read, but the Bible that I read says that Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus just prior to Him raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus grieved with those who grieved. He didn't show up at a funeral and protest the politics of the Roman government!
Bobby was not a homosexual. If they want to protest homosexuality, then they need to go find someplace other than a funeral to do it. Particularly the funeral of a young man who has just died to keep them free in a nation where they can express their opinions, no matter how offensive or wrong they are. For them to hold signs that say: GOD LOVES IEDS, GOD HATES YOUR TEARS, DON'T WORSHIP THE DEAD, GOD IS OUR TERRORIST and YOU ARE GOING TO HELL were extremely offensive to me both as a Christian and as a member of the grieving family. Not one of those signs spoke the truth about the situation.
We were there to honor Bobby, a soldier, not to worship him; apparently they don't know the difference. We were there to remember him with tears at a life cut short and smiles at good memories. Bobby would not have wanted us to worship him, he knew who God was. God does not hate our tears, on the contrary the psalmist said that He captures our tears (Psalm 56.8) and puts them in His book. It also says that God is close to the brokenhearted and that He heals the brokenhearted (Psalm 147.3).
Psalm 116.15 says, "Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His saints." Bobby is alive in heaven today. His death was not the act of a vengeful god, but of a loving God who removed him from a world of pain and death. God doesn't love improvised explosive devices — that's like saying that God loved what the terrorists did on Sept. 11. IEDs are inventions from the minds of those who don't want any religion in the earth except for their version of radical Islam.
As a born-again Christian and a Baptist, I would like for you and others to know that true Christians would never, ever picket at the funeral of anyone. I was very ashamed of the antics of those so-called "Baptists." I might consider a picket for Osama Bin Laden, but certainly not at the funeral of an honorable man or woman who served this country in the military, as law enforcement, firefighters, or as first responders. These are the ones who have stood between this nation and tyranny for over two hundred years.
One of the saddest things is that they are bringing their children and teaching them that such disrespect is acceptable. One teenage boy was standing on the American flag. I know that seeing that sight hurt each of those veterans and active duty people who saw it. This does not fall under the admonition of the Shema in Deuteron-omy 6. 4-9, does it? The people of Westboro Baptist Church have more in common with the KKK than they do with followers of Jesus Christ.
After checking out one of their many Web sites, I found that basically, everyone except for the members of their own church is hell-bound in their eyes. They were critical this week of the Southern Baptist Convention (my church is a member of this denomination) stating: "WBC to picket the idolatrous Southern Baptist Convention as they worship the 10-foot graven image of Billy Graham at the Greensboro Coliseum." The people of Westboro were planning on being there on Tuesday and Wednesday to picket there. The bottom of the flier on their Web site says: "The worshippers (Southern Baptists) and the worshippee (sic) (Billy Graham) are all Hell-bound heretics." So, my family is actually in pretty good company being on their hit list: all Southern Baptists, Billy Graham, one of the most respected evangelists of all time, and our military.
Jesus sat down and ate meals with the dregs of His society, prostitutes, tax collectors, and Samaritans. His words of anger were said to the self-righteous of His day who thought they were so much better than all the rest, the self-righteous who thought that they were the only ones who were right, the only ones who were truly serving God.
The photos that I took were of the positive scenes of the day, and to remind me of my cousin. Bobby died doing what he loved and wanted to do. He was willing to go to a foreign country and attempt to show them what liberty feels like. The liberty that the people of Iraq want is the same liberty that the protesters from Kansas were exercising so rudely at his funeral.
I've heard it said that we are losing the old warriors of the Greatest Generation at the rate of 2,000 per day. I have wondered what our nation would be like when this patriotic group was gone. But after Bobby's funeral, I have found that their place is being taken by their children…The Patriot Guard Riders, the people who have never served but respect those who have chosen to serve, and the young men and women who are serving their nation today in bases around the world. Perhaps as the Greatest Generation of World War II veterans have passed away, they passed along their fervor for this nation to the next generation.
Those young men and women in the armed forces today deserve our respect and our gratitude. They are all that is standing between us and another, perhaps even more devastating Sept. 11 attack. One wonders if the people from Kansas have given even a passing thought as to why terrorist attacks have hit the other western nations of Britain and Italy, but not in America again. Were it not for the military of the United States in the past and those currently serving, we would be speaking the language of some conqueror as a defeated people. Instead, most of us live our lives from day to day, not fearing a suicide bomber, or political retribution from the party in control. We are safe in our homes because of men and women like my young cousins, my stepson, my husband, my father and the countless others whose faces are a sea of desert camo, or jungle camo.
I cannot sing "America" without crying especially the line that says, "who more than self, their country loved and mercy more than life." Now, besides thinking of the aging warrior who is my beloved dad, I will think of the face of my eternally 23-year-old cousin.
Thank you, Bobby, for your service to us, for the sacrifice that you were willing to make so that I can go to bed each night without fear. I will never forget you for that.
Thank you also to your older brother, Patrick, for his continued service to our country in Iraq. We all are so grateful to him and all those like him who have chosen the frontlines of defense.
Thank you, Garrick for the sensitive article on the funeral of a hero. Thank you also for realizing that the people from Kansas are not representative of everyone who calls themselves a Christian and a Baptist. Please, may no one associate all Christians as being like the people from that church. We are not. Most of all, we would have the good sense not to protest at a funeral.
TOP STORY >> Firefighters help right headstones
IN SHORT: Jacksonville's Bayou Meto Cemetery makes repairs and tries to figure out how to keep vandals away.
Jacksonville firefighters have cleaned up historic Bayou Meto Cemetery, where vandals broke and toppled about 200 headstones last week.
"Boy, they saved our necks," said a grateful Vestal Johnson, chairman of the Bayou Meto Cemetery board of directors.
Although many of the damaged headstones are being repaired, it's unlikely the oldest ones will ever be fixed, according to cemetery historian David Brannon.
Saturday morning, Scott Moon, president of the Jack-sonville Firefighters Union, and Scott Teague, another firefighter, along with John-son surveyed the damages caused by vandals who have not yet been arrested. Johnson told firefighters about all the headstones in the back row of the cemetery that were pushed to the ground.
"It's a crying shame what they did here, but we're here to do all we can for our citizens," Moon told The Leader. "We can get him (Johnson) everything from landscapers to front-end loaders."
Moon, a 14-year veteran of the Jacksonville Fire Department, and Teague, a seven-year veteran, walked the grounds to see the damage first-hand. Johnson, who is retired, pointed to a headstone lying on the ground with only the base to mark the gravesite.
"She was a teacher when I was in elementary school," Johnson said as he looked at the destruction.
Moon said he could not believe what the vandals had done. "I guess we're turning into a big city, but this just isn't normal for Jacksonville," he lamented. "We'll be more vigilant from now on."
Johnson is making plans to repair the damaged headstones. "I believe they call it tiger glue, and it's expensive," he told the firefighters.
Over the weekend, firefighters spread the adhesive material onto the exposed bases of approximately 180 headstones.
On Monday, some of the older headstones had sticks propping them up to keep them from tipping over again. Over the weekend, firefighters, coping in the summer's heat, reattached the headstones to their original bases.
Many of those headstones weighed between 400 and 500 pounds. After spreading the glue, several firefighters lifted the headstones onto their bases.
Meanwhile, Jo Purnell-Johnson of Alaska arrived at the cemetery to visit her father's grave, which had been spared. "I'm shocked…this is Arkansas and I thought this was the land of pride."
Jerry O'Riley, who accompanied Pumell-Johnson to the cemetery, was also saddened by the possible loss of older headstones.
"They hit the 1800s' headstones," O'Riley said. "That's a piece of history gone."
As chairman of the local cemetery board, Johnson estimated there could only be about a 10 percent chance that those buried under the headstones from the 1800s still had living descendants.
Some historic headstones were broken into more than one piece, making chances slim for their repairs to stick.
By Monday, "tiger glue" turned into "gorilla glue," which cost about $100, according to Johnson.
Either way, plans to shore up security appear necessary considering the damage.
Johnson said there have been problems at the cemetery before, but nothing of the magnitude experienced last week. "Now, we've had a little trouble with beer drinkers before," he said as he pointed to the southeast area of the cemetery.
A plan for installing fences has been underway for about a year, according to Johnson. He estimates it will cost about $150,000 to construct a fence to enclose the cemetery.
But the Arkansas Department of Highway and Transportation doesn't want a fence too close to North First Street, which runs along the cemetery. "They wanted us to jut the fence line in, and it wouldn't be straight across," Johnson said.
But Johnson says a compromise is likely. Shrubbery will be placed along a small strip of land on the front section where the historic headstones are located. "I think they thought we might be burying some more people here," Johnson said ruefully.
Someone visiting from out of state suggested that the cemetery board should operate a dog park there.
A fee could be charged for dog walkers and the cemetery would not only become more secure with increased foot traffic but also increase its income to help with the cemetery's upkeep.
The Association for the Preservation of the Historic Congressional Cemetery in Virginia makes about $23,000 a year from dog walker fees. Johnson said he would not be opposed to the idea, but the cemetery board would have to vote on the proposal.
TOP STORY >> Audit by state
BY SARA GREENE
Accounting irregularities discovered in an annual state audit spurred the Beebe City Council on Monday to hire Leonard Fort as the interim code-enforcement officer, replacing Alan Ridings temporarily.
Council members told The Leader they couldn't comment on the decision pending an internal investigation in the code-enforcement department budget.
A spokesman for the Department of Finance and Adminis-tration Division of Joint Legislative Audit told The Leader that auditors couldn't comment on "accounting irregularities" or how long the investigation might take.
Fort had been the city code-enforcement officer from 1991 to 1999.
In other business, the city condemned two properties and pledged $1,400 toward a Fourth of July fireworks display.
The condemned properties are an abandoned home at 112 W. Illinois St. and the burned remains of a home at 613 California St.
The city's Fourth of July celebration will be held at 4 p.m. at the Beebe Fire Department.
There will be a horseshoe competition, poetry reading, a martial arts demonstration, music by the Luke Williams band and a 30-minute fireworks display at dark.
The event is free.
TOP STORY >> Sherwood agrees to second pay hike
Sherwood city employees will be seeing larger paychecks at the end of July as the council passed a 2 percent pay raise Monday night.
This will be the employees' second pay raise of the year and will cost the city an additional $77,000.
Mayor Bill Harmon explained that the 3 percent pay raise given to employees in January didn't match the cost of living, but the council felt it couldn't give any more at the time, but it promised to look at funding again in mid year.
"We've got the money now," Harmon said. "This will put our people in very good shape."
The pay raise will go into effect July 10 and appear on checks at the end of that month.
In other council business:
- Alderman Dan Stedman took his government hat off and put on his Rotary Club hat and presented the city with a $5,000 check from the civic organization.
He also thanked the city for all of its help with the recently completed veterans memorial project.
- Alderman Becky Vasser questioned why the city's street sweeper was used only four times in the past month. She said it needed to be used more.
The mayor said the problem was that the sweeper driver had to be used to operate other vehicles too.
"If anyone calls for their street to get swept, we'll do it, even if we have to get a supervisor out to operate the sweeper." Harmon said he hated that the "high-dollar piece of equipment" wasn't being used enough.
- Sharon McMinn told the council that the city's Fourth of July festivities would be on the Fourth from 6 to 9 p.m. at Sherwood Forest, off of Maryland Avenue.
She said entertainment would include the Air National Guard Band of the Smoky Mountains, plus a number of local youth bands.
She also said there would be a "surprise" this year, but wouldn't elaborate.
- Herschel Bowman, chairman of the city's Keep Sherwood Beautiful Committee, which is just getting underway asked for one or more aldermen to also serve on the committee and wanted a resolution officially making the group a city committee or commission. "Eventually we'd like to be a non-profit group with a full-time executive director."
He reminded the council that the group was "not here to pick up litter, but to prevent it." The anti-litter group will meet at 4 p.m. July 11 at the Harmon Recreation Center.
- In his monthly report to the council, Police Chief Kelvin Nicholson said his patrol division worked 77 accidents, made 18 DWI arrests, 16 drug arrests and nine arrests for domestic battery in May.
During May, 653 individuals were booked into Sherwood's detention facility. There were also 1,386 hot check charges and 554 criminal charges filed during the month.
More than $163,000 worth of property was reported stolen in May through thefts or burglary. Police recovered almost $57,000 worth of stolen items during the month.
- The council approved the preliminary development plan for Jayroe Subdivision, Phase I, Lot I. The plan calls for a duplex to be built on the vacant lot.
- The council approved a resolution adopting Pulaski County's hazard mitigation plan. Jack-sonville adopted this plan a few months ago.
All cities need to have some sort of hazard plan in effect in order to obtain pre- and post-disaster funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The county's plan would satisfy the federal requirements.
TOP STORY >> Growth to leave one city behind
IN SHORT: Cabot could pass Jacksonville in 10 years, Searcy and Sherwood not far behind.
Cabot could pass Jacksonville in population in about 10 years based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
Sherwood and Searcy could do it in about 30 years.
Also, Lonoke County will grow at a pace more than seven times faster than Pulaski County. White County's growth will be three times faster than Pulaski County.
Based on census projections from July 2000 to July 2004, Cabot is growing at a rate of 1,040 new residents a year, Searcy is adding 372 new residents a year and Sherwood about 250 residents.
Jacksonville lags behind, according to the estimates, with a growth of 135 new residents per year.
If the trend continues, Cabot will surpass Jacksonville in just over ten years. In 2017, Cabot's population will be 33,127 and Jacksonville's will be 32,355.
Searcy will overtake Sherwood within 20 years, and both could overtake Jacksonville 10 years after that.
In 2026, Searcy's population, according to estimates, will be 28,601 and Sherwood's will be 28,014. Cabot will be over 42,000 and Jacksonville just under 34,000.
Many variables can come into play between now and then. If Jacksonville gets its own school district, proponents say that will bring more growth to Jacksonville.
If Sherwood gets to annex 2,000 acres later this summer, bringing its northern boundary up to the air base, that would increase Sher-wood's growth potential and landlock Jacksonville's growth efforts in that direction.
For example, North Little Rock, which is already landlocked, is projected to lose about 300 residents a year.
At some point Cabot and Jacksonville will face annexation issues on borders between the two cities and there could even be future land issues between Jacksonville, Cabot and Lonoke.
Cabot has already had land issues with Ward and Austin and could have some with cities to the north such as Beebe as growth continues.
According to the Census Bureau trends, Lonoke County is growing at a rate of about 3 percent or 1,565 new residents a year—70 percent of that growth is just in Cabot. The county's population is projected to grow from 52,828 in 2000 to 68,478 in 2010.
White County, based on estimates, will grow about 1.3 percent a year or 833 new residents, going from 67,165 in 2000 to 75,495 in 2010.
Pulaski County, meanwhile is growing at a rate of about .3 percent or 997 new resident a year.
At that rate, Pulaski County will grow from 361,474 in 2000 to 371,444 at decade's end.
For other cities in the area, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts growth, albeit small.
Austin's growth is estimated at nine new residents a year, going from 608 in 2000 to 698 in 2010.
Beebe is expected to grow by 104 residents a year, going from 5,057 in 2000 to 6,097 in 2010.
Lonoke has an estimated growth of 55 people per year, going from 4,294 in 2000 to 4,844 in 2010.
McRae will increase its population by nearly five people per year, going from 662 in 2000 to 707 in 2010.
Ward is expected to grow by about 100 people a year, going from 2,612 on 2000 to 3,612 in 2010.
TOP STORY >> Cabot looks to future
IN SHORT: Candidates running for mayor of the second fastest-growing city in Arkansas share their ideas on how to support additional residents and their needs.
Conventional wisdom holds that a city that doesn't grow becomes stagnant, which is just a step above dying, so growth is good.
If that's the case, Cabot is in good shape since the latest annual estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau say Cabot is the second-fastest growing city in Arkansas among cities with populations above 10,000.
But with that growth comes the problems of traffic congestion, water and sewer systems that are stretched to the limit and crime – just the sort of problems that come to the forefront in an election year. And here's what the candidates for mayor say about how they would deal with those problems.
Alderman David Polantz:
"I've never lived anywhere that people wanted to live where traffic wasn't a problem…where the demand wasn't bigger than the resources. "There's no simple solution. You've got to have a council willing to deal with the complex problems. There's no fairy dust. Nothing changes over night. You've got to have focus, determination, vision and heart," he said.
Cabot is growing not just because of the good school district; it also is growing because people want to live where they feel safe. Since he has been on the council, he has always pushed for money for fire and police, he said.
Improving the traffic flow is a major issue, he said. The city is working on traffic congestion and it is a little better since the light in front of city hall was taken down and the timing on others was adjusted.
But before any of the $2 million in bond money that is now available for roads is spent, the city needs to decide priorities with a traffic study like the one Metroplan is doing for the city, he said.
Former Alderman Eddie Joe Williams:
"Cabot is growing because of the proximity to Little Rock and the access to Little Rock," Williams said. "It has a lot to offer that we benefit from. And people love neighborhood schools."
"But it does present problems and that's why it's imperative that we elect a manager. The growth is inevitable because it's just part of our culture to want to get away from the hustle and bustle. "The solution to growth problems is to plan five or 10 years ahead," he said, adding that he believes much of the existing traffic problems that have the city in gridlock during rush hour are intersection problems that could be managed better.
Management is the key, he said. With a growing city like Cabot, nothing is stagnant.
"We've got to continually manage the problems," he said.
There's little doubt that the growth will continue, he said, but if everyone works together it should be possible to retain those qualities that are attracting new residents now.
"If we make up our minds to work together – the city, the chamber of commerce, the schools – we will continue to be a great town," he said.
Former Lonoke County Justice of the Peace Kenny Ridgeway:
"Growth is not good unless it is under control," Ridgeway said. "People want a safe and wholesome place to raise their children and grandchildren. "At the top of the ladder is traffic, traffic, traffic, but sidewalks also are an issue and so are water and sewer. "If you're going to be mayor of Cabot, you've got to have a comprehensive plan."
The city should bear some of the cost of growth, but some should come from the private sector through "reasonable impact fees," he said.
"A lot of the new homes will be bought by young families. You've got to have a plan that covers parks.
"You've got to have a plan for keeping costs down. Look at the growth of employees. Is it out of control? You've got to keep insurance rates down by working to keep employees healthy
"The county and the city must start to work together in long-range planning," he said. "And the mayor needs to be someone with a short learning curve so he can start to work as soon as possible."
Alderman James Glenn was not available for comment at press time.
James McLean
James Dewey McLean, 38, of Cabot, went to be with the Lord on June 24. He was born Jan. 28, 1968 in Little Rock to Dewey and Barbara McLean.
He was preceded in death by his father Dewey "Sonny" McLean; grandparents, Henry McLean and Gertrude McLean Henderson and Antone Valentine.
He is survived by his loving wife of 15 years, Traci Gills McLean and one son, Devin McLean, both of the home; his mother, Barbara Mc-Lean; one sister, Barbara and husband David Wilson, all of Cabot; one brother, Brian and wife Melinda McLean of Jacksonville; his godparents, Paul and Peggy Fulford of North Little Rock; his father-in-law James Gills, sister-in-law, Kristi and husband Greg Gibson all of Cabot; brother-in-law, Michael and wife Jill Gills of Utah; nieces and nephews, Brandon and Kristi Wilson, Page, Jared and Emily Gibson and Lyra Gills; along with numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and beloved friends.
Memorial Services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Old Austin Baptist Church on Hwy. 38 in Cabot.
Arrangements are by Thomas Funeral Service in Cabot.
Olga Stroud
Olga Stroud of Beebe went home to be with the Lord on June 25 at the age of 74.
Stroud, who loved her Lord first and her family second, was born Feb. 10, 1932, at Turtle Creek, Penn., to Louis and Anna Vranich. She was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers and two sisters. She is survived by her husband, Robbie Stroud; two sons, John Stroud and his wife Connie, and Robbie Stroud and his wife Denise; and two grandchildren, Riley Stroud and Heather Stroud, all of Beebe.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. today at Westbrook Funeral Home. Burial will be in Pleasant Grove Cemetery.
Lillian Jessome
Lillian Elizabeth Burley Jessome, 84, of Beebe, went to be with the Lord on June 26. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank A. Jessome and more recently, by her mother, Katie Mae Burley, 101 years old, who was lovingly cared for by Lillian until her death. She was also preceded in death by two sisters, Evelyn Koch and Lucille Webb, both of Little Rock.
She is survived by one loving daughter, Cheryl Jean Maack, who accompanied her mother, aunt, and uncle on many trips to Orange Beach, Ala., and Estes Park, Colo., where they loved sightseeing and just being together. She is also survived by twin grandsons, Robert Allen Maack and wife Autumn, of Cabot, and John Michael Maack and wife Kara, of Sherwood; three beautiful great-grandchildren, Ash-lynne Kate, Abigail Marie, and Carter Joseph; two sisters, Naomi Kemp of Beebe, and Jeanette and husband Ernie Wild, of Hot Springs; one brother, Fred and wife Dolores Burley of Oklahoma; special daughter Vanda Gatlin John-son; a host of loving nieces and ne-phews; and many loving friends and neighbors.
She had many friends and enjoyed being a member of The Ageless Divas chapter of the Red Hat Club for the past three years.
She was born in Ozark and moved to Little Rock when she was 8 years old. She worked for the telephone company until retirement after 27 years. She was a member of Beebe First United Methodist Church and formerly a long-time member of Lifeline Baptist Church in Little Rock. Although Lillian's family and friends mourn her death and will miss her greatly, they celebrate the life she lived and the Christian example she set.
Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m. today at Beebe First United Methodist Church.
Graveside service and entombment will be held at 2:30 p.m.. Thursday at Pinecrest Cemetery, Little Rock by Westbrook Funeral Home, Beebe.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 901 North University, Little Rock, Ark., 72207 or First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 247, Beebe, Ark., 72012.
Katie Mae Dean, 93, of Cabot died June 20 in Searcy. She was born April 20, 1913, in Cabot to the late Louis Harper Baker and Genettia Isadora Baker. She was a homemaker and the oldest living member of Mountain Springs Baptist Church.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar David Dean; three children, infant twins, infant daughter, Paulette Dean; a grandson, David Stutzman; two brothers, George W. Baker, Mon-roe Baker, and two sisters, Sa-vanna Dillard and Nettie Mize.
She is survived by eight children, Bobbie Stanley and Cora Guess, both of Cabot, Leland Da-vidson of Austin, Marcine Stutz-man of Ward, Dale Dean of Chino Hills, Calif., Phyllis Dean of Cabot, Michael Dean of Norwalk, Calif., and Sharon Studler of Cabot.
She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, seven great-great grandchildren and countless nieces, ne-phews, cousins and friends.
Funeral services were June 23 at Mountain Springs Baptist Church with Bro. Donnie Hines and Dr. J. Roland Spears officiating. Burial followed at Mountain Springs Cemetery under the direction of Cabot Funeral Home.
Charles Gernold
Charles Kirwan Gernold passed away on June 23 at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock. He was born May 7, 1937, in Helena, Mont., to Charles and Marie Kirwan Gernold.
When he was 4-years-old, the family moved to Seattle, Wash. He was raised in the Catholic faith, and attended Catholic schools thru the eighth grade.
In 1953 the family moved to Los Angeles, and he graduated from University High School and received an associate degree in business from Santa Monica Junior College.
He was a driver for UPS for 13 years after which he worked several jobs.
He met his wife of 28 years, Pat Wingate Leigh in Arkansas in July 1977. In July 1978, they moved to the San Francisco area for Pat's job with the VA.
The next year they relocated to the Miami area, and after 16 months, moved to Los Angeles.
He retired from the Simi Valley, Calif., School District in March 1995.
In early 1995 they moved to Arkansas to be close to Deborah Blackiston and her family. He shared many good times with the three grandsons attending school and sport activities. He loved all sports.
He was preceded in death by his parents and in-laws, Pat and Ethel Wingate and stepson Avery Leigh.
He is survived by his wife, Pat; stepdaughter, Deborah and husband, Robert Blackiston and their three sons, Josh, John and Matt.
He has one sister, Kaye Perram and two nieces of Los Angeles; one aunt, Dorothy Gernold Traver of San Francisco, and a special cousin, Kittie Ann Taaler of Sidney, Neb.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the Kidney Foun-dation of Arkansas, P.O. Box 453, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1023, Cabot, Ark. 72023.
Funeral services were held Tuesday at Cabot Funeral Home with arrangements by North Little Rock Funeral Home.
SPORTS >> Gwatney wins three of four
IN SHORT: The Jacksonville AAA team beat Morrilton 6-3 Monday night for its third win in its last four games. They will host the annual 4th of July Classic this weekend before beginning the final stretch of the regular season.
Jacksonville's AAA baseball team is on a nice upswing after struggling through the first half of the American Legion baseball season. After going 2-1 in the Sheridan Wooden Bat Classic, with wins over Little Rock Red, 17-0, and Conway, 5-1, and an 8-0 loss to Conway, the Chevy boys came from behind to defeat Morrilton 6-3 Monday night at Dupree Park.
The three wins in the last four games lift Jacksonville's season record to 7-9 as they head into hosting the annual Gwatney Chevrolet 4th of July Classic that begins Thursday.
"They are starting to play a little better," Jacksonville coach Bob Hicking-botham said. "We had a bad, bad game against Benton down there in Sheridan, but we've had three or four pretty solid games other than that one."
In Monday's game, Morrilton grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning by add-ing two runs to the one it scored in the first, but that's as many as the Cogswell Motors team would get off starting pitcher Casey Winstead.
Winstead settled in, and the Jacksonville bats came alive, starting in the bottom of the third inning.
Leadoff hitter Josh Mansfield singled to start things off. He moved to third on a sacrifice by Neil Hatcher, and scored on an RBI single by Trey Smith. Kyle West then walked, and a pair of pitches got by the catcher to allow Smith to score and cut Jackson-ville's deficit to one run.
The Gwatney team tied it in the fourth inning. Randy Peeples led off with a bloop single in the infield. Three batters later, and with two outs, Peeples stole second base and scored on a single to right field by Hatcher.
Jacksonville tallied another single run in the bottom of the fifth inning after Winstead sat Morrilton down in order in the top half of the frame.
Kyle West led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice by Tim Payne. Zach James doubled to right field, but West had to hold up at second to see if the ball would be caught. He only managed third base on the shot to the wall.
Peeples then struck out, but the catcher dropped the ball. Peeples outran the catcher down the first base line, and instead of throwing to first for the out, the catcher turned and tried to pick West off at third. The throw was off, leaving everyone safe and the bases juiced with one out.
Tyler Uptergrove then hit a hard grounder to third base that could have been an easy force at home, but the Morrilton third baseman threw to first, allowing West to score and giving Jacksonville its first lead of the game.
Trey Smith took the mound in relief of Winstead in the sixth inning, and fanned the side in order, bringing Jacksonville back to the plate where it posted the final two runs of the contest.
With two outs and nobody on, West again walked, his third walk of the game with the final two coming on eight combined pitches. Payne was then hit with the first pitch of his at bat, and the two runners advanced into scoring position on a passed ball.
James then hit a high pop fly to shallow right field. West and Payne were running throughout the flight of the ball, and when the Morrilton second baseman dropped the ball, both runners had already crossed the plate for the 6-3 lead.
Smith got his fourth straight K to start the seventh, gave up a walk and drew two fly outs to secure the save and the Jacks-onville victory.
Smith and Hatcher led the team with two hits apiece. Winstead got the win, throwing five innings, while giving up five hits and two earned runs. He struck out six Morrilton batters.
The Jacksonville A team also beat Morrilton Monday, taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning and holding on for a 10-9 victory.
Morrilton pitching hit Jack-sonville's first four batters in the first inning, and all four scored to give the Gwatney team the early cushion.
The A team also hosted a doubleheader against Benton last night after Leader deadlines.
Look for details of these games, and early round details of the 4th of July Classic in Saturday's edition of The Leader.
SPORTS >> Ex-Red Devil, Rebel transferring to UALR
IN SHORT: Former Jacksonville Red Devil basketball standout and Ole Miss Rebel Mike Smith is transferring to UALR. He and Ole Miss teammate Brandon Patterson (Altheimer) will sit out this season and begin play in 2007.
LITTLE ROCK – It's been a whirlwind of a post high school basketball career for former Jacksonville Red Devil Mike Smith. The latest move for the 6-foot-7 forward will be back towards home.
UALR head coach Steve Shields announced today that Smith and Brandon Patterson (Altheimer) are transferring to UALR from Ole Mississippi, where each player just completed their freshmen seasons.
The duo will begin taking classes at UALR this summer and will join the Trojans for the 2007-08 season after sitting out the upcoming year to abide by the NCAA transfer rules. Patterson, a 6-6 guard, will have two years of eligibility remaining, while Smith, a 6-7 forward, will have three years left beginning in 2007-08.
Smith signed with Arkansas St. in high school, but was academically ineligible to play Division I basketball. He enrolled at Laurinburg Prep Academy for one year before signing with Ole Miss.
"I'm excited to have Brandon and Mike return to their home state and join our program," said Shields. "I think both guys will be high-impact contributors for our team after sitting out the upcoming year."
Smith played in 29 games as a true freshman at Ole Miss, averaging 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game while shooting .479 from the field (23-of-48). He posted career-bests of nine points and a game-high 11 boards against Alcorn State. He matched his career high with nine points against Tennessee and added seven rebounds, both of which were personal highs in SEC play.
The 6-7 forward was a 2004 All-Arkansas selection at Jack-sonville High School and averaged a double-double in leading the Red Devils in points and rebounds his senior year.
After high school, Smith attended Laurinburg Prep and averaged 10.2 points, five rebounds and three assists in helping lead Laurinburg Aca-demy to a 40-0 record and the 2004-05 prep school national championship.
"Mike is a strong post player who can step out and shoot the ball from the three-point line," said Shields. "I'm very excited about his ability to stretch opposing defenses."
Patterson was a two-time All-Arkansas selection at Altheimer, as well as the 2004 Southeast Arkansas Player of the Year. He led Altheimer to back-to-back 2A state titles as a junior and senior, earning state tournament most valuable player honors both years.
Altheimer went a combined 63-3 during its two title runs, with Patterson averaging 24.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 4.3 blocks per game as a senior en route to earning First Team All-State accolades.
At Ole Miss, Patterson averaged 5.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a freshman, and ranked second on the team with 36 made three pointers.
He scored a career-high 19 points against Tennessee Tech that year, thanks in part to a 5-of-8 effort from three-point range. As a sophomore, Patterson played in all 30 games with 11 starts, and averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
"I remember watching Brandon play a lot at the high school level. He brings a great knowledge of the game to our basketball team," said Shields. "He is highly skilled and brings some flexibility from the standpoint of being able to play a couple of positions."
The addition of Patterson and Smith, and the departure of forward Chris Thornton, gives UALR 14 scholarship players for the upcoming season, one more than the NCAA maximum. The Trojans return seven letter winners (including three starters) and three redshirt players from last year's squad, which ended the year with a 14-15 record.
The University of Arkansas-Little Rock sports information department contributed to this story.
SPORTS >> Former head Hog gives talk in Cabot
IN SHORT: The winningest football coach in University of Arkansas history appeared before an enthusiastic crowd at the Cabot Rotary Club's June meeting Monday.
Former Arkansas Razorback football coach Ken Hatfield was the guest speaker at the annual Rotary Club banquet in Cabot Monday night. Hatfield was coach of the Razorbacks from 1984 to 1989, and was also a player on the historic 1964 team.
Just prior to Hatfield's speech, outgoing Rotary president Sandy Huckabee showed a brief film clip of Hatfield's historic punt return in the '64 game against Texas. Hatfield said seeing the footage always brings back gre-at memories, and revealed that it was the center who actually made the game-saving play when he snapped the ball early on fourth down after noticing that there were 12 Texas defenders on the field.
The former head Hog told a number of jokes and humorous stories in his brief speech. He also praised the work of the Rotary Club, comparing them to the center on a football team.
"Real success is giving," Hatfield told the audience. "When you can take your talents and use them to benefit others, you will make the world a better place."
After Hatfield's speech, Huckabea announced Jeff Spann as the new Rotary Club president. Spann spoke briefly to close out the evening, announcing the goals of the club for the coming year.
A number of people lined up to get Hatfield's autograph afterward. Not surprisingly, the coach was still ready to talk football.
"For me, it was good to coach where I grew up," Hatfield said. "It was very special, and I feel like the most blessed guy in America to be able to coach at my Alma-mater.
Hatfield also told The Leader about the advantages of coaching in the old Southwest Conference versus the SEC of today.
"When we played in the Southwest Conference, there was a lot of tradition to call on. You could get the players fired up telling them about a game that happened 25 years ago. It was all the same teams for all those years, so you had a lot of ways to relate to the players. There's not as long of a tradition in the SEC, which makes it a little harder."
Hatfield was also complimentary of the Rotary Club, and its members.
"I really enjoy banquets like this," Hatfield said. "It's a chance for the members to tell their spouses 'thank you for sacrificing your time.' The understanding of the members' spouses is important to the success of this club, and that's what these banquets are all about."
OPINION >> Searcy's Dacus coming on strong for Hogs
BY NATE ALLEn
Leader sports columnist
FAYETTEVILLE — Sometimes last spring it seemed Reggie Herring shorted the Razorbacks a scholarship.
The Arkansas defensive coordinator/linebacker coach would expound after the early spring practices about the Razorbacks having all walkons behind linebackers Freddie Fairchild, Desmond Sims and Sam Olajubutu until the freshman cavalry officially rides in come August.
"Uh, coach, Weston Dacus is on scholarship, too."
Nobody makes that omission now. None have since mid-spring. The junior two-year letterman from Searcy really came on with a rush, Herring and head coach Houston Nutt both remarked.
"He cut loose," Nutt said last week. "It's like suddenly he stopped thinking and just started playing and making plays. I was really proud of Weston Dacus."
He was proud, and relieved, too. Relieved because if the Razorbacks opened the season against Southern California tomorrow instead of Sept. 2, the once-forgotten man would be a one-man second-team. He'd be the backup both for Sims in the middle and Olajubutu and Fairchild on either side.
The Razorbacks have promising freshman linebacking help on the way with scholarship signees Adrian Davis, Rosenberg, Texas; Wendel Davis, Sweeny, Texas; Chip Gregory, Allen, Texas; Ryan Powers, Athens, Ala. and Van Stumon, North Little Rock, in the fold. But counting early on freshmen is like betting your future on a roulette wheel's spin.
The odds are not stacked in your favor.
Just go back to last year with Freddie Fairchild. Fairchild became a good player as last season went on, and Herring and Nutt firmly believe he will become a great one.
But when the former Little Rock Central star, with an extra year of prep school seasoning at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, debuted as a starter in Los Angeles three games into the season against Southern California, he looked more lost in L.A. than the Beverly Hillbillies first driving into town. Not that Fairchild was the Lone Ranger looking lost in the 70-17 debacle against Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Lendale White and Co., but the Trojans certainly exploited him as good teams do against a rookie.
By the season's end, Fairchild was doing plenty of exploiting with 59 tackles, including two sacks, and a pass deflection and three quarterback hurries. He may perch on stardom now.
"Freddie Fairchild put on 18 pounds of muscle since last year." Nutt said. "He got better each day."
So did Dacus once he turned it around starting the second week of spring drills."
That's huge news for Arkansas needing a seasoned linebacking hand in reserve.
Dacus' 2005 campaign tends to get overlooked because he opened the season as a starter but was quickly replaced in the middle by Pierre Brown and Clarke Moore and also stymied on the depth chart by Fairchild's development.
However, Dacus' 2005 was not in vain. Appearing in all 11 games, he had 26 tackles, including one and a half sacks, broke up a pass, was credited with two quarterback hurries and forced a fumble. Dacus was a mainstay in the kicking game.
"He was our leading tackler on special teams," Nutt said.
So the forgotten man perhaps never was all that forgotten. Mark it down. The Razorback coaches know they return four scholarship linebackers from 2005 to 2006.
SPORTS >> All Stars relish experience
IN SHORT: Sylvan Hills duo Raefe Jenkins and T.J. Fenton excel during the annual football classic in Razorback Stadium.
What was supposed to be five local players battling for the East squad in the 2006 All-Star football game last Friday turned into just three, and one of those got in on one play. Searcy place kicker Tanner Gibbs scored the East's only points with a field goal midway through the fourth quarter.
Sylvan Hills Bears Raefe Jenkins and T.J. Fenton started and played almost the entire game for the East team. Jenkins played tight end and carried every other play into the huddle from the sideline, working closely with legendary coach Frank McClellan, who was coaching his final game after a storied career that included five consecutive state championships in the 80s and 90s, and a national record 65-consecutive victories.
Fenton started at inside linebacker, and played every defensive series except those in the second quarter when the substitutes took the field.
Also invited to the game were Harding Academy quarterback Zach Tribble, and Jacksonville wide receiver Lavar Neely.
Tribble suffered a minor injury during practice on Wednesday, and sat out of the game for precautionary reasons.
Neely left Fayetteville for undisclosed reasons during Tuesday's practice.
The East struggled to move the ball and suffered a 20-3 loss, but Jenkins and Fenton were still ecstatic after the game.
"This whole week has been awesome," Jenkins said. "It's truly been a blessing. God's blessed me with this opportunity to play here, and make a few new friends and give me an experience that I'll never forget."
"It's been a real good week," Fenton said. "Coach McClellan, it's an honor to get to play for him. Being up here with all these D1 prospects, in a big stadium with a hall of fame coach, it's been great."
Jenkins was also excited and honored to play for McClellan. Being one of the two signal carriers, Jenkins got closer to the legend than most others at the camp, and was inspired.
"I loved playing for him," Jenkins said. "His leadership and motivation was awesome. He's an amazing coach. I wish I could have played for him for him in high school. I just lived too far away."
Jenkins is headed to North Texas where he'll continue his football career, while Fenton will play for Southwest Baptist in Missouri.
NEIGHBORS >> Rotary speaker talks about potential ...
FROM THE PUBLISHER >> Good folks should get in the...
SPORTS >> Ex-Red Devil, Rebel transferring to UALR...
OPINION >> Searcy's Dacus coming on strong for Hog...


text:
Q: Is there a way to check the authenticity of the user, after changing the Session Cookie? Steps to re-create the issue:

*

*Login with Admin Credentials and copy the session cookie.

*Open another browser, Login as another user, paste the session cookie of the admin. Refresh the page. Now, you'll be
logged in as Admin.

How to solve this issue? Any suggestions would be of great help.
Tried using the event subscriber to get the previous session before drupal loads the cookie session, but no luck with it.

A: This is not a problem, I mean, of course, Session Hijacking is a really big concern - but standard defences are fine.
These are the controls that I know are widely known/used:

*

*Ensure HTTPS is used everywhere,

*Only use a securely created random string for the cookie value,

*Set the secure flag on all cookies. This will ensure that they are only sent over an SSL connection,

*Change the session cookie on each new login attempt.

All of Drupal 8's cookies are secure by default.
The exception is BigPipe's no-JS cookie, see https://www.drupal.org/node/2678628 — but there are no security consequences there.

I know some very sensitive applications may also store - for each session - the following additional information:

*

*SSL Session ID

*HTTP User Agent

*Remote IP Address

In my point of view, I wouldn't bother with checking the HTTP User Agent or the remote IP address. They don't add that much security and they will break legitimate use in certain scenarios. Checking the SSL session ID (SSL session binding) would be OK from a security perspective, but could be painful to implement, the other defences are fine.

If your concern is Cookie Theft via XSS, the best defence is to use standard methods to avoid XSS bugs in your web application. See OWASP for plenty excellent resources.

You may find a lot of best practices to write secure code for Drupal 8 here: https://www.drupal.org/docs/8/security/writing-secure-code-for-drupal-8
You may also find a pretty old discussion about this on Drupal here: https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/19845

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Microsoft Excel is a powerful business tool as it gives you the ability to calculate complex numbers and create intricate formulas. For instance, you can calculate the sum of multiple negative numbers when you format the cells containing those numbers correctly and use the right function. While finding the total of negatives is the same as subtracting positive numbers, you actually use the SUM function to calculate negatives.
Select the column containing negative numbers or the column to which you plan to add negative numbers. Right-click anywhere on the selected column and choose "Format Cells." The Format Cells dialog box opens.
Select the "Number" tab. Click on "Number" in the Category group. Choose the appearance you want to use for negatives in the Negative Numbers section and click "OK."
If you need to add negative numbers to the column, do that now. To indicate that a number is negative, type a minus sign in front of the number or enclose the number in parentheses. Excel formats the negative numbers using the method you selected in the Format Cells dialog.
Click inside the cell where you want the calculation to appear. Click the "AutoSum" drop-down arrow in the Editing group of the Home tab and choose "Sum."
Select the cells you want included in the calculation and press "Enter." Excel calculates all of the data in these cells, including negatives, and displays the result in the selected cell.


text:
The Dow's 20K Failures Could Spell Trouble
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's (DJIA) failure to conquer the 20,000 is making history
Celeste Taylor
The Dow's dance with the 20,000 level is making history
Investors have watched the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) circling the round 20,000 mark for weeks, with the index coming within half a point of the critical mark. And if it feels like the Dow is being especially coy about crossing the millennium threshold, that's because it is. In fact, the dance with the 20,000 level is making history, according to Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White. Below is what it could mean for the Dow going forward.
The table below shows how many "failures" -- defined as the index getting within 1% of the even number without moving above it -- it took the Dow before first crossing millennium levels. By this standard, the Dow 20,000 has already had more failures than any other level, with 21 (counting today). The Dow's 17,000 and 18,000 had the next-most failures before a first-time cross, with 17 and 14, respectively. It took only eight failures to topple 19,000.
The longer it takes the Dow to successfully perforate these key round-number levels -- whether for the first time or not -- the worse the index tends to perform. Below, White calculated the Dow's failures at key millennium markers, hitting the "reset" button with each successful cross. The Dow had to be below the level for at least 20 days before the failure tally -- what we'll call a "signal" -- started back up again. (For example, the Dow first moved above 18,000 on Dec. 23, 2014, and didn't conquer it again until Feb. 13, 2015. Between these dates, there were 12 failures in this signal.)
When the Dow has racked up 15 or more failures before toppling a millennium level -- there have been nine of these signals so far -- it's averaged a loss at each marker going out to three months. At that point, the Dow has been down 1.71%, on average, and higher just 44.4% of the time. Looking six months out, the Dow has eked out an average gain of just 0.04%, but was higher two-thirds of the time.
For comparison, when the Dow makes a successful millennium cross after seven or fewer failures -- there have been 13 of these signals -- it's averaged a three-month gain of 1.15%, and was higher 69.2% of the time. Looking six months out, the Dow was up an impressive 2.4%, and higher 61.5% of the time.
Interestingly, a crossing after eight to 14 failures seems to be the "sweet spot" in the short term, but foreboding in the intermediate-to-long term. After these signals -- 14 of 15 of which are measurable beyond one month -- the Dow has averaged a loss looking three and six months out.
Finally, for reference, here is a table of all of the Dow signals, sorted by the number of failures before each cross. The 2016 dance to retake the 18,000 level was the longest, with 40 failures in this stretch.
Let us help you profit from market volatility. Target big gains in short order with a 30-day trial of Schaeffer's Weekly Volatility Trader!


Our democracy depends on establishing strong ethical standards and holding everyone accountable for their actions.
I believe that Texans deserve a government that holds everyone accountable.
All Texans pay a price for politicians who break the rules. We need to enforce higher ethical standards in government as we build a democracy that truly works for all of us.
Very few city governments have effective, independent ethics commissions in place. We're working to change that.
We have an opportunity to pass an innovative and exciting public financing reform in Austin.
It is long that Texas join the vast majority of states that allow citizens to register to vote online.
Texas voters should pick our elected officials, not the other way around.
Your support will help build a democracy that works for everyone.
Connect with your elected officials and speak out on the issues.


text:
Marriott owners all in on lifestyle and luxury brands
Jun 12, 2014 10:13am
Marriott International has announced plans to significantly increase its portfolio of luxury and lifestyle brands by adding 200 hotels over the next three years, reports Hotel Owner.
The investment would reflect more than $15 billion by the company's owners and franchisees and account for nearly 25 percent of the company's system-wide pipeline
A big part of this development is the new Moxy brand, tailored to the needs of the younger traveller, with Marriott having plans to open 150 Moxy hotels within the next 10 years. The brand will debut in Europe this September at Milan's Malpensa Airport, with plans to have hotels in London, Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Oslo and Aberdeen.
Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, said: "Next generation travellers are poised to comprise more than 60 percent of our business over the next four years, and already represent a broad spectrum of diverse cultures and lifestyles that view travel as an important way to enrich their lives.
Following the debut of the London Edition hotel last September, next up are Edition-branded hotels in Miami Beach and New York.


text:
The Judo competition at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games was held in Cartagena, Colombia. The tournament was scheduled to be held from 25–29 July at the Coliseo de Gimnasia y Deportes de Combate, Unidad Deportiva Pedro de Heredia in Cartagena. This was the first time that the regional games held the Kata division.

Medal summary

Men's events

Women's events

References

External links

2006 Central American and Caribbean Games
Central American and Caribbean Games
2006
Judo competitions in Colombia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
[ February 2, 2023 ] Futuristic Electric Vehicle Entirely Powered By The Sun Launches Technology
[ February 1, 2023 ] A Tribute Honorary Local News
[ February 1, 2023 ] Rest Assured, Gov. DeSantis: Black History is Secure in Florida's National Parks Feature
[ February 1, 2023 ] While Black Newspapers Reveal Serial Rapists, Mainstream Turns to Comedy National News
[ February 1, 2023 ] Is DeSantis A White Supremacist Misologist? Opinions
HomeNational NewsIncarcerated for Bad Checks and Credit Card Fraud, Pamela Smith Said Her Prison Sentence Should Not Have Included Rape
Incarcerated for Bad Checks and Credit Card Fraud, Pamela Smith Said Her Prison Sentence Should Not Have Included Rape
July 21, 2021 Carma Henry National News 0
Pamela Smith
"It's not just me, but the countless other women and even girls who have suffered at the hands of my rapist. Unfortunately, Oklahoma's whole system and government agencies have let down countless abused women and swept their cries under the rug. I have to keep fighting so that they can have a voice."
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia
More than 200,000 women are incarcerated in the United States, and at least 15 percent of them have suffered sexual assault behind bars, according to the nonprofit Human Rights Watch
These assaults occur primarily at the hands of male correctional officers who can perform strip searches at any time, watch as women shower and use the toilet.
Further, the number of assaults reported is likely much lower than actual because most inmates fear retaliation from guards and supervisors.
In raw and straightforward terms, male corrections officers have forced women inmates into degrading and dehumanizing sex acts.
They threaten the women with filing false reports to parole boards, planting contraband in their cells, and even prohibiting visits from children and family.
Pamela Smith is all-too-familiar with the heinous acts of authorities who know there is little to no chance they will ever see punishment.
For the past quarter of a century, Smith has sought justice.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native received a 20-year sentence in the early 1990s for check and credit card fraud.
While at the Tulsa Community Correctional Facility, Smith was considered a model prisoner and authorities approved her for a work-release program.
They assigned her to do housekeeping at a Drivers' License office for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety in Tulsa.
Once there, Smith alleges that her supervisor immediately assaulted her.
During one assault, the supervisor used a glass saltshaker to penetrate her forcibly.
"I am a Black woman with a past," Smith wrote an email to the Black Press.
She said no one would listen to a Black woman's cry.
"They have been doing this to Black women since our ancestors were brought here," Smith demanded.
"The White man has always used and violated our bodies. The same thing is going on to this day in the prisons in Oklahoma, and I know all over the country."
Smith has filed and lost numerous civil suits, but she said her fight is about protecting other women behind bars.
A recent Department of Justice report about sexual violence in New Jersey's Edna Mahan Correctional Facility concluded that the risk of sexual harm was so high that it reached constitutional proportions and violated inmates' Eighth Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment.
As recounted in Ms. Magazine, "the DOJ report tells stories of women who were forced into indignities such as being forced to perform oral sex or having to serve as the lookout for their assailant as they were being raped."
The magazine also noted the DOJ's 2014 investigation at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Alabama.
"Reading both of the reports, the New Jersey and the Alabama prisons could be the same place: women being called 'bitches' and 'ho's,' coerced into performing oral sex on male guards.
"This level of sex and chaos might be labeled some oddly-situated bacchanalia if women's survival and freedom—women are threatened with parole-busting discipline reports if they don't comply with sexual demands—weren't in the balance."
In Missouri, no fewer than five federal lawsuits have been filed against the Chillicothe Correctional Center by incarcerated women; at least nine women have accused one therapist of sexual abuse, Ms. Magazine reported.
Eight suits are pending against Coffee Creek Correctional Facility and the Oregon Department of Corrections for one nurse who allegedly abused, raped, or sodomized more than 15 women while he worked there.
A woman in Connecticut prison is suing the state for assaults by multiple male officers.
At least 12 officers have been accused of sexual misconduct at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in Vermont. In Florida, too, women say sexual abuse is rampant in the Coleman Federal Detention Facility. It's also happening in California, Kansas, and Pennsylvania.
Incarcerated women are 30 times more likely to be raped than free women.
Women account for less than 10 percent of inmates, their reports account for three-quarters of assaults, and almost three-quarters of staff are men.
Despite continued setbacks in her 25-year journey for justice, Smith said she keeps fighting because she has truth, documentation, and evidence on her side.
She produced several reports, including from physicians and mental health professionals, that back her claims.
"[Oklahoma authorities] have to lie, cheat, obstruct justice, cover-up, abuse their power and conspire against me and my case to get away with all the corruption they have done against me," Smith told NNPA Newswire.
"I keep fighting to expose the state of Oklahoma, so they have to keep lying, destroying evidence, misinforming law enforcement and Oklahoma taxpayers – to hide their hands and keep from going to jail.
"They know once the truth comes out, many of them and their buddies are going to be locked up, and they don't want that. They don't want to answer to their wrongdoings. Accountability."
Neither correction officials nor government officials returned messages seeking comment.
"I begged for help," Smith pleaded.
She noted that she met with officials in the Tulsa County District Attorney and the FBI three times.
"I have called for a Congressional hearing on this case, for an FBI and DOJ investigation," Smith detailed.
"Letters have been submitted to several members of Congress, government officials in the Executive Branch, and to a Supreme Court Justice. I intend to pursue civil litigation still, and I hope that criminal charges will follow."
With her family and friends and other victims standing with her, Smith said her battle would continue until her rapist is brought to justice.
"The perpetrator and his buddies who shielded him are all still walking around, living their lives like my abuse never happened," said Smith, who plans to hold a news conference in Washington, D.C. in July.
Incarcerated for Bad Checks and Credit Card Fraud
With the Delta Variant on the rise, does vitamin D deficiency increase the severity of COVID-19?
The Untold Story of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam


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