text:
How politics and religion handicapped Hot Springs in the race to become America's chief gambling resort
Apr 1, 2021 Americas, chief, Gambling, handicapped, Hot, Politics, Race, religion, resort, Springs
LOOKING BACK: In the 1940s and 1950s, oddsmakers would have seen Hot Springs as more likely to emerge as the country's top gambling destination than Las Vegas.
"On behalf of your children and yourselves, remove this cancer from your county!" Dr. William Brown was a 75-year-old retired preacher, but on that Sunday in 1964 he was very much in his element, preaching from the pulpit of the Grand Avenue Methodist Church in Hot Springs. As executive secretary of the Christian Civic Foundation, the successor to the Temperance League of Arkansas, Brown had shifted his focus from alcohol to what he saw as the new scourge among the weaker-willed of his humble state: gambling. "A wave of gambling is sweeping across America with all the fury of a prairie fire and in an infinite number of manifestations. God save us from a Las Vegas in the heart of Arkansas!"
Brown had good reason to be worried. At the time of his sermon, gambling was the main industry in Hot Springs, despite the fact that it was illegal in the state of Arkansas. So much so, in fact, that all around the Grand Avenue Methodist Church that day stood more than $18 million worth of towering hotel construction projects, hurriedly being erected to receive what by then numbered more than 5 million visitors to Hot Springs per year. Over the previous decade Hot Springs was locked in a de facto arms race with the city of Las Vegas over who would be the beneficiary of a flood of investment in the gambling industry. That money flowed from two main sources: the investments made by organized crime into the gambling industry of Cuba now orphaned by the revolution, and the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund, which had invested more than $120 million in real estate projects, and was prepared to invest double that into casino projects alone. This, too, surely worried Brown because both of these sources were controlled by organized crime. My book "The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, America's Forgotten Capital of Vice," tells the story of how Hot Springs nearly won that arms race and, if not for a couple of nefarious bombs and a couple of elections that went the wrong way, nearly became America's undisputed gambling resort.
By 1964, however, much of that battle was already lost, and the gamblers of Hot Springs weren't so much fighting to become Las Vegas as they were fighting to keep up. Internecine struggles between rival gambling factions in Hot Springs in the early 1960s allowed Las Vegas to get the upper hand. While Hot Springs locals battled each other, they also began to shun the involvement of outsiders who had once connected the town to the broader gambling infrastructure, and instead rejected their help. When mob boss Frank Costello flirted with moving to Hot Springs to quell the warring factions and take over as "Boss Gambler," the governor of Arkansas, Hot Springs native Sid McMath, publicly warned him to stay out. Even Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa, who invested Central States Pension loans into high-profile luxury hotel projects in Hot Springs like the Jack Tar Hotel and the Aristocrat Manor, was once closely connected to the leaders of Hot Springs. But Dane Harris, who as the owner of the city's flagship gambling club, The Vapors, became the town's Boss Gambler in the 1960s, had his differences with Hoffa. Contemporaries of Harris told me that until his dying day he blamed Hoffa for every bad thing that ever happened to Hot Springs. (The conspiratorial among you might find it interesting that after Hoffa vanished in 1975, the FBI spent two weeks searching for his remains near Hot Springs and questioning gambling leaders.)
HOFFA: The notorious president of the Teamsters Central State Pension Fund (right) invested in luxury projects in Hot Springs, and when he disappeared in 1975, the FBI spent two weeks in Hot Springs looking for him and interviewing gambling leaders.
But the likeliest obstacle to attracting the hundreds of millions of dollars that would rain down in the desert of Las Vegas in the coming decades was that, unlike in Arkansas, gambling in Nevada was legal. This was why William Brown was preaching in Hot Springs that morning. He had helped start an organization called Churches United Against Gambling to combat the gambling leaders of Hot Springs' final effort at catching up with Las Vegas: a statewide ballot initiative to pass Constitutional Amendment 55, which would make casino gambling legal in Garland County.
The message of CUAG was simple: Las Vegas was a sinful, crime-ridden city. The group's advertisements claimed that legal gambling was "a stark picture of moral wrong, economic wastefulness, political corruption, social destructiveness and educational deception." The ministers would have their way. Amendment 55 was defeated 247,978 to 166,626. Vapors owner Harris had invested much of his time and money in the campaign to pass the amendment. He was proud of the industry that he and his partners had helped build in the little resort town, and felt that Hot Springs presented to the rest of America a different version of Arkansas than one might have expected: a place that was rarefied, cultured and cosmopolitan. He saw legal gambling as the key to growing Hot Springs' quasi-clandestine gambling operation into America's own Monte Carlo, a place that — unlike the desolate and inhospitable desert valley of southern Nevada — the whole world could come and comfortably enjoy the best America had to offer. The failure of Amendment 55 all but killed any hope of expanding the city's gambling business, which had already grown too large to contain in willful violation of the law anymore. Harris expressed his disappointment after the vote by lamenting "We're 49th and 50th in everything. I guess we'll just stay that way. Proud but poor."
As Hot Springs spent the next five years slowly winding down its gambling operation, Las Vegas was already well on its way to building the desert metropolis we all know today. The transformation was truly remarkable, and unparalleled in modern American history. In the 1940s, Hot Springs was booming, and Las Vegas was barely a town at all, let alone a tourist destination. In those days, despite it being legal in Nevada, gambling took place in dingy saloons and pool halls. In 1940 fewer than 10,000 people lived there. But by 1960 the city had more than 130,000 residents and nearly 10 million tourists who collectively gambled $100 million a year and spent over $150 million more. In 1963, while Arkansans debated whether or not gambling was sinful, the governor of Nevada sent a delegation of 37 business and civic leaders on a three-week barnstorming tour of Europe to solicit foreign investment in the state and particularly in Las Vegas. The McCarren Airport was expanded to accommodate jet travel. Nevada was the fastest-growing state in the country.
The only thing holding Las Vegas back, other than the challenges presented by its extreme climate and living conditions, was that the growth and development was being funded by criminals. In 1962 the Supreme Court even threatened to shut down gambling in Nevada because of the prevalence of organized crime figures in the gambling business. At that time, gambling was a business that had been illegal everywhere in America other than Nevada, so it made some sense that it would be largely controlled by the mob. In fact, gambling was the mob's single biggest source of revenue. The problem was that anyone in America who knew how to run a gambling operation was likely involved with organized crime in one way or another. And the only people willing to fork over the eye-popping sums of money required to develop casino resorts in Nevada were people with mob ties. The Teamsters Central State Pension Fund, which not only funded casino construction but even hospitals and other civic projects, was a crucial source of money for Las Vegas' early development, and the loans from the fund were being directed by not only Hoffa but mob leaders, giving organized crime significant power and influence in the rapidly growing city. But what choice did Las Vegas have? Few banks would loan money to casino projects in those days. And few people outside the gambling underworld were interested in going into the legitimate gambling business.
What allowed Las Vegas to begin to break free of its mob connections were two Nevada laws passed in 1967 and 1969 that allowed for corporate ownership of casinos. Once the Las Vegas experiment began to take root and flower in the desert, deeper pockets started paying attention to the potential for profits, and legitimate money started moving in. Slowly but surely, corporate investment was able to dilute the influence of organized crime. And corporate investments helped build massive casino resort projects that would employ more than 40,000 people to wait on, deal to and clean up after tens of millions of yearly visitors. In 1971 one of those corporations, Hilton Hotels, purchased the International Hotel in Las Vegas and renamed it the Las Vegas Hilton. Five years later, 43{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be} of Hilton's revenues from all of its 163 hotels around the world came from Las Vegas alone. At that time, 300,000 people lived in the Las Vegas area, a community that 20 years before barely had a working sewer.
Hot Springs struggled to find its footing in the years following the end of casino gambling. Still dependent on tourists to fill its many hotel rooms and patronize its many service and entertainment establishments, it tried to reinvent itself as a family-friendly resort. During the 1970s a visitor to Hot Springs could spend a day at a new 118-acre amusement park, visit a new $7 million science museum, or even visit the famous Southern Club, once a popular and rollicking casino, now a wax museum for the whole family.
THE SOUTHERN CLUB: Once one the city's prominent gambling halls.
While the rehabilitation of the city's image was working, the economy struggled without the revenue gambling created — or at least the revenue casino gambling created. Gambling on horse racing was still alive and well, and was a desperately needed lifeline for the economy of both Hot Springs and the entire state of Arkansas. The tourists who traveled to Hot Springs to gamble at Oaklawn Park spent more than $200 million each year in Garland County, money that created over 5,000 jobs. In 1983 Oaklawn set all-time attendance records, but those numbers fell in each subsequent year as tourism began to fall. A combination of technology and a proliferation of legal forms of gambling in states across the country contributed to a decline in the number of tourists traveling to Hot Springs for the race meet each season, and the town's various hotel housekeepers, restaurant servers, bartenders, shop owners and even the folks who parked racetrackers' cars in their front yards in the neighborhoods around Oaklawn all took a hit to their pocketbooks. By the end of the 1980s, with a national unemployment average at about 5{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be}, the lowest in 15 years, Arkansas's sat at 8{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be}, and had been as high as nearly 10{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be} during 1986, when the state's Employment Security Division said that Oaklawn, even with its declining attendance, had saved the state's employment numbers and "had a major impact on the economy."
Las Vegas struggled in the 1980s as well. At long last another state challenged Nevada's monopoly on legal gambling, and in 1978 Atlantic City, New Jersey, opened the first of what would grow to become 11 casino resorts along the boardwalk on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. The proximity to the population centers of the East Coast peeled a significant number of customers away from Las Vegas, and during the early 1980s there was very little new development. Many of the Las Vegas casinos languished, its mid-century Rat Pack charm grew dated and uncool, and the city lost a bit of its step.
In 1986, all of that would begin to change. A developer named Steve Wynn, backed by Michael Milken's junk bonds, planned to build the biggest and most expensive hotel in the world in Las Vegas. His $630 million, 3,000-room resort was called The Mirage, and it opened in 1989 to great fanfare. What was unique about The Mirage, beyond its size and price tag, was that it intended to make money from more than just its gambling tables. The Mirage was a full-scale luxury resort with world-class restaurants, shopping and a 1,500-seat showroom. Wynn would court conventioneers over weekend gamblers, and the other casino owners in Las Vegas quickly followed his lead.
Convention and exposition business wasn't attractive to the old-school gambling leaders of Las Vegas, because conventioneers didn't come to town to gamble, and spent little money. But the bet that Wynn was making was that convention business would bring fewer gamblers to Las Vegas but more tourists overall. In a few short years, Las Vegas overtook Chicago as the top convention destination in America, and has held that top spot ever since. And gambling revenue at casinos on the Las Vegas strip went from just under 60{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be} of total revenues in the years before The Mirage opened to less than half of total revenues by the end of the decade. Today the number is roughly one-third. In 2013, MGM CEO James Murren said 70{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be} of their income came from nongambling revenue, including 7 million show tickets sold in one year alone. Las Vegas was transforming from "sin city" to America's premier resort destination — precisely the kind of place Hot Springs aspired to be. But rather than throwing out the slot machines and burning them, Las Vegas was using the gambling revenues to build stately showrooms, ritzy shopping malls, lush swimming pools and water parks, and telling visitors to bring the entire family. Twenty-five years on, and Dane Harris' dream for Hot Springs was coming to life in Las Vegas.
The Mirage inspired more mega-resorts. The 1990s saw a massive building boom in Las Vegas, with old casinos being demolished and replaced with newer, larger, more luxurious resorts, each one trying to top the last. And each of these massive casinos required a workforce equal to its size. By the end of the decade, the typical Las Vegas casino resort employed 3,000 to 5,000 workers. A couple even topped 10,000 employees. People were moving to the desert in greater numbers than ever before. In 1996, the population of Las Vegas eclipsed 1 million. It was once again the fastest-growing city in America, with 7,000 new arrivals every month.
The boom in Las Vegas wasn't just good for the corporations that owned the casinos. In the 1990s, the hotels and casinos created over 100 new jobs every month, and although those jobs were mostly entry-level service jobs — among the lowest paid jobs in America — in Las Vegas the hotel and casino workers made some of the highest wages in the country. That's because Las Vegas, going all the way back to its early days when it was built by union loans, had always been a union town. And the city's main union, the Culinary Workers Local 226, had been a part of the city's history from the very beginning. The man who built that union, an Arkansan named Al Bramlet, helped grow Las Vegas by literally driving through Arkansas recruiting sharecroppers — and anyone else looking for work — and bringing them to the then-largely uninhabited Las Vegas to work in the new casinos. The result was that the earliest establishments were union shops, and remained union as the businesses grew through the decades.
As the industry boomed in the 1990s, the union fought hard to make sure that workers would get their fair share of the profits. Just like in the 1940s, the casinos were once again desperate for a stable and well-trained workforce, and they were willing to agree to higher wages and better working conditions in exchange for the well-trained and experienced members of Local 226. By that time the union's membership numbered in the tens of thousands, and the local ran workforce training schools, so that members could take classes and work their way up from the lower-paid, less-skilled jobs to the higher-paid, highly skilled ones. Courses were offered on high-end table service, sommelier training or bartending. Some union hospitality jobs paid as much as $90,000 a year. And the union members had free top-of-the-line health care and a defined-benefit pension plan. Thanks to the union, Las Vegas was a town where cocktail waitresses and housekeepers were able to buy their own homes, put their children through college, and retire with a pension.
Las Vegas wasn't a city without problems, however. There were more people moving to Las Vegas than there were good jobs, which created high levels of inequality. That inequality in turn beget crime, homelessness, inadequate schools and unaffordable housing. And because Las Vegas, like Hot Springs, depended so heavily on tourism, it was susceptible to boom-and-bust fluctuations. The booms and busts of the last two decades have stretched Las Vegas like a rubber band. In the years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Las Vegas experienced a sharp decline in tourists. The financial crisis of 2008 also took a toll on the city. Today, with COVID-19 restrictions in place, unemployment in Las Vegas is the highest among all large metropolitan areas. The once-perpetually bustling Las Vegas strip has sat nearly empty for the past year. Experts believe it may take three years for Las Vegas to recover from the financial hit the coronavirus pandemic has delivered to the city. Still, in mid-March, as casinos and hotels were allowed to lift their capacity limits from 35{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be} to 50{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be}, and hotel and restaurant workers were moved up on the vaccination priority list, visitors desperate to escape lockdown flocked to the city, and the Las Vegas strip was once again crowded with tourists — for better or for worse.
While Las Vegas adapted to the myriad curveballs thrown at it throughout the 2000s, Hot Springs tried to keep its head above water — first with "instant racing machines," which looked and quacked like slot machines but operated off of databases of historical horse races in order to qualify under existing state laws governing horse racing, and then with "electronic games of skill," legalized by the state legislature in 2005. The addition of these crypto-slot machines to Oaklawn led to the construction of a modest casino on one end of the racetrack. It bore no resemblance to the plush gambling dens of the Spa's heyday, to say nothing of the opulence and excess of the modern Las Vegas strip resorts. But in 2018, more than a half-century after the defeat of Amendment 55, voters in Arkansas finally passed a constitutional amendment legalizing casino gambling, and Oaklawn is now in the final stages of a $100 million expansion that includes a luxury hotel, convention center and casino. Even Governor Hutchinson, who opposed the gambling measure, praised it as one of, if not the largest, tourism-related projects in state history. Neither the Hot Springs of past nor present has ever seen anything quite like it, and hopes are riding high that the city's own Las Vegas strip-style resort isn't 57 years too late.
A question I am often asked by readers of my book is whether I truly believe Hot Springs could have been the kind of city Las Vegas is today. To most, it seems an unlikely proposition. After all, Las Vegas has become one of America's truly quintessential cities, and Hot Springs is but a speck in that grand shadow. But I do believe it could have been otherwise.
Today we have come to accept the current incarnation of Las Vegas as a fact of our lives. But without the benefit of hindsight, it would have been impossible in 1959 to imagine the herculean degree of ingenuity, engineering and gumption (not to mention untold billions of dollars) it would take to transform the desert outpost into what it is today. Even the simple task of providing water to the city was likely akin to Egyptians building the pyramids. Hot Springs, on the other hand, would have required a far less steep learning curve to get from 25,000 to a million people. And when the time came to figure out how to lure visitors for more than just gambling, Hot Springs with its lush landscape of mountains and lakes would have been better suited for that as well. If you had told a visitor to both cities in 1959 that one of them would one day have over 1 million residents, the largest hotels on Earth, visitors from around the world and billions of dollars of investments, they would have surely handicapped Hot Springs as the odds-on favorite. In fact, when Dane Harris visited Las Vegas in 1959 with his family and was offered the chance to become a partner in the Frontier casino, he turned down the offer. He couldn't imagine Las Vegas was a better bet than Hot Springs.
It's tempting, however, to think gambling itself would have been a bad bet. Look at the example of other cities who dipped their toe in the gambling waters after Las Vegas made it look so easy: from Atlantic City to Tunica, Mississippi, to Detroit, many cities that turned to gambling to help ease their economic woes didn't fare so well. But the fact remains, today there is some form of casino gambling in 40 states, and Las Vegas reigns as America's leisure capital. Even now, at arguably its lowest point, it's still a city visited and beloved by people all over the world. Clearly there was something to be said for being first to market in this particular instance. Casinos today are a dime a dozen. They come and go. Las Vegas, however, is permanently woven into the fabric of America.
It isn't a perfect city, and it's possible that residents of Hot Springs may feel they would never want to trade places with Las Vegas, billions of dollars and millions of visitors be damned. This, I feel, is a reasonable position. Hot Springs is a quiet and eclectic community, with an abundance of charm and character. Rare is the visitor who doesn't leave pleasantly surprised. But I also believe there is no contradiction in sincerely loving the one you're with, while secretly lamenting the one you let get away.
IN THE HEYDAY: Vapors owner Dane Harris was given an opportunity to invest in a casino in Las Vegas in 1959, but turned it down. He thought Hot Springs was the surer play.
After the shutdown of gambling in Hot Springs, Dane Harris tried his hand at running a casino in Istanbul, of all places, only to run afoul of religious objections to gambling again — Muslims this time, rather than Southern Baptists. He died in 1981. His 28-year-old son, Dane Harris Jr., refused to surrender his father's fight. In 1984 the younger Harris led a coalition of Hot Springs business and civic leaders to try once more to legalize casino gambling in Arkansas with yet another statewide ballot measure. The same forces of Southern Baptists and Methodists reorganized to fight them, rebranding from Churches United Against Gambling to Citizens United Against Gambling. Dane Jr. sounded just like his father from 20 years prior as he campaigned in support of the measure, arguing that gambling would help lift the ailing city (and the rest of the state as well) out of poverty: ''People are tired and embarrassed of being 48th, 49th and 50th in this state, with other people saying, 'You're from where? You mean you wear shoes?' " Opponents argued that Las Vegas was one of the most violent, crime-ridden cities in America and that gambling would bring that criminal element to Hot Springs. Everything old is new again.
Despite 64{540ccc4681f92a8237c705b0cdebbb9da373ec200da159e6cc1fd9f393be00be} of Hot Springs residents believing the local economy to be in bad shape, the measure was opposed by the mayor of Hot Springs, Jim Randall, who said, "I love this community and I don't want to see it destroyed." Then-Gov. Bill Clinton, a former son of Hot Springs, whose own mother was a regular fixture at The Vapors in the gambling days, said, "I know we'd make a lot of money, but it would not create the climate or image we want here." After a bruising fight, the amendment failed 561,000 to 236,000. It even lost in Garland County.
As the dust settled, the victorious local Baptist clergy prepared to attend the upcoming annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. As the roughly 15,000 delegates from across the South planned where to hold their convention, there were only a few cities with enough hotel rooms and exhibit space to accommodate them. Naturally, they chose Las Vegas.
Empty outlets in Swindon could shortly come to be homes many thanks to this new rule
CenterPoint Energy named to Newsweek's Most Dependable Companies Record for 2021

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
File #: Int 2309-2021 Version: * A Name: Requiring registration for short-term rentals.
Type: Introduction Status: Enacted
Committee: Committee on Housing and Buildings
On agenda: 5/12/2021
Enactment date: 1/9/2022 Law number: 2022/018
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring registration for short-term rentals
Sponsors: Ben Kallos, Carlina Rivera , Helen K. Rosenthal, Antonio Reynoso, Vanessa L. Gibson, Keith Powers , Diana I. Ayala, Justin L. Brannan, James F. Gennaro, Francisco P. Moya, Adrienne E. Adams, Daniel Dromm , Mark Levine, Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Robert F. Holden, Eric Dinowitz, Mark Treyger, Karen Koslowitz, Kevin C. Riley, Oswald Feliz
Council Member Sponsors: 20
Summary: This bill would require applicants seeking to rent out rooms in Class A dwelling units for fewer than 30 consecutive days as short-term rentals, to register with the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement and obtain a registration number before being permitted to rent out rooms in such a manner. Booking services would be required to verify the short-term rental registration number of any accommodation before listing it on their service.
Indexes: Agency Rule-making Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 2309-A, 2. Summary of Int. No. 2309, 3. Int. No. 2309, 4. May 12, 2021 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 5. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 5-12-21, 6. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - May 12, 2021, 7. Committee Report 9/13/21, 8. Hearing Testimony 9/13/21, 9. Hearing Transcript 9/13/21, 10. Proposed Int. No. 2309-A - 12/8/21, 11. Committee Report 12/8/21, 12. Committee Report - Stated Meeting, 13. December 9, 2021 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 14. Int. No. 2309-A (FINAL), 15. Fiscal Impact Statement, 16. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 12-9-21
1/10/2022 A Ben Kallos City Council Returned Unsigned by Mayor Action details Meeting details Not available
1/9/2022 A Ben Kallos Administration City Charter Rule Adopted Action details Meeting details Not available
12/9/2021 A Ben Kallos City Council Sent to Mayor by Council Action details Meeting details Not available
12/9/2021 * Ben Kallos City Council Approved by Council Pass Action details Meeting details Not available
12/8/2021 * Ben Kallos Committee on Housing and Buildings Hearing Held by Committee Action details Meeting details Not available
12/8/2021 * Ben Kallos Committee on Housing and Buildings Amendment Proposed by Comm Action details Meeting details Not available
12/8/2021 * Ben Kallos Committee on Housing and Buildings Amended by Committee Action details Meeting details Not available
12/8/2021 A Ben Kallos Committee on Housing and Buildings Approved by Committee Pass Action details Meeting details Not available
9/13/2021 * Ben Kallos Committee on Housing and Buildings Hearing Held by Committee Action details Meeting details Not available
9/13/2021 * Ben Kallos Committee on Housing and Buildings Laid Over by Committee Action details Meeting details Not available
5/12/2021 * Ben Kallos City Council Referred to Comm by Council Action details Meeting details Not available
5/12/2021 * Ben Kallos City Council Introduced by Council Action details Meeting details Not available
Int. No. 2309-A
By Council Members Kallos, Rivera, Rosenthal, Reynoso, Gibson, Powers, Ayala, Brannan, Gennaro, Moya, Adams, Dromm, Levine, Salamanca, Holden, Dinowitz, Treyger, Koslowitz, Riley and Feliz
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring registration for short-term rentals
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Title 26 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new chapter 31 to read as follows:
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS
§ 26-3101 Definitions. As used in this chapter:
Administering agency. The term "administering agency" means the office of special enforcement, as established under executive order number 96 for the year 2006, or such other agency as the mayor may designate by executive order.
Booking service. The term "booking service" has the meaning ascribed to such term by section 26-2101, as added by local law number 146 for the year 2018.
Class A multiple dwelling. The term "class A multiple dwelling" has the meaning ascribed to such term by the housing maintenance code, except that for the purposes of this chapter the term class A multiple dwelling shall also be deemed to include an "interim multiple dwelling" as defined in section 281 of the multiple dwelling law.
Class B multiple dwelling. The term "class B multiple dwelling" has the meaning ascribed to such term by subchapter 1 of the housing maintenance code.
Dwelling unit. The term "dwelling unit" has the meaning ascribed to such term by subchapter 1 of the housing maintenance code.
Listing. The term "listing" means an advertisement on a booking service that offers a short-term rental.
Registered host or host. The term "registered host" or "host" means a natural person who is a permanent occupant of a dwelling unit registered in accordance with this chapter.
Private dwelling. The term "private dwelling" has the meaning ascribed to such term by subchapter 1 of the housing maintenance code.
Rooming unit. The term "rooming unit" has the meaning ascribed to such term by subchapter 1 of the housing maintenance code.
Short-term rental. The term "short-term rental" means a rental for fewer than 30 consecutive days of a dwelling unit within a private dwelling or class A multiple dwelling, or in the case of a mixed use building, a rental of a class A dwelling unit therein for fewer than 30 consecutive days.
§ 26-3102 Short-term rental registration. a. It shall be unlawful for a person who owns, manages, occupies or otherwise controls a dwelling unit to offer, manage or administer the short-term rental of such dwelling unit unless such dwelling unit is registered in accordance with this chapter, such dwelling unit has been issued a unique short-term rental registration number, and such registration is currently valid. It shall be unlawful for a person who owns, manages, occupies or otherwise controls a dwelling unit to falsely represent or falsely advertise a dwelling unit as registered for short-term rental pursuant to this chapter when such dwelling unit is not so registered. This chapter does not apply to the short-term rental of class B multiple dwellings or class B dwelling units within mixed use buildings.
b. The form and manner of applying for a short-term rental registration or renewal thereof shall be established by rules of the administering agency.
c. No short-term rental registration shall be issued unless:
1. The applicant is a natural person who is a permanent occupant of the dwelling unit and is either: (i) the owner of such dwelling unit, or (ii) a tenant of such dwelling unit who certifies in a form and manner to be specified by the administering agency that they are not prohibited by the terms of a lease or other agreement from applying for a short-term rental registration for such dwelling unit and from subsequently acting as a host for short-term rentals within such dwelling unit;
2. The applicant has described, in a form acceptable to the administering agency, any parts of the premises containing such unit or accommodation that a person occupying a short-term rental at such unit or accommodation will be allowed to occupy or use;
3. The applicant certifies in a form and manner to be specified by the administering agency that they understand and agree to comply with provisions of the zoning resolution, multiple dwelling law, housing maintenance code and New York city construction codes relating to the short-term rental of dwelling units in private dwellings and class A multiple dwellings, or in class A dwelling units within mixed use buildings;
4. The administering agency has determined that, in accordance with the records of the department of buildings, the department of housing preservation and development and the fire department, there are no uncorrected violations of the New York city construction codes, the housing maintenance code or the fire code that would endanger occupants of such dwelling unit;
5. The administering agency has verified the occupancy classification of the building, or with respect to a mixed use building, the occupancy classification of the dwelling unit to be occupied as a short-term rental;
6. The administering agency has verified that the building does not appear on the prohibited buildings list published pursuant to this section;
7. Where the applicant uses a booking service, the applicant has provided the uniform resource locator or listing identifier and the associated booking service name for all existing listings of the dwelling unit and agrees that any listing of such dwelling unit with a booking service shall be reported to the administering agency prior to such listing being used to make an agreement for a short-term rental; and
8. The applicant has paid an application or renewal fee in an amount to be established by rule by the administering agency.
d. No registration shall be issued for the short-term rental of a dwelling unit the rent of which is regulated in accordance with the emergency tenant protection act of 1974, the rent stabilization law of 1969, the local emergency housing rent control act of 1962, sections four hundred twenty-one-a or four hundred eighty-nine of the real property tax law, in a housing development organized pursuant to article two of the private housing finance law and supervised by the department of housing preservation and development, or any other law or rule or an agreement with a governmental entity.
e. No short-term rental registration shall be issued for a dwelling unit in a New York city housing authority development.
f. No short-term rental registration shall be issued for a rooming unit.
g. Issuance of a registration for a dwelling unit pursuant to this chapter shall not be construed as permission for or approval of the use of such dwelling unit for any occupancy that would be in violation of a lease, cooperative bylaws, condominium association rules and regulations, the multiple dwelling law, the zoning resolution, the New York city construction codes, the housing maintenance code or any other applicable rules, regulations, or laws.
h. A short-term rental registration or renewal thereof shall be valid for a period established by the administering agency, but not to exceed the demonstrated right of occupancy by the applicant.
i. A short-term rental registration or renewal thereof is not transferable.
j. If the information provided by an applicant in connection with an application for a short-term rental registration or renewal thereof changes before the expiration of such registration or renewal thereof, such applicant shall submit such changes to the administering agency in a time, form and manner established by the administering agency.
k. Upon receipt of a complete initial application, the administering agency shall notify the owner of record of the dwelling unit and of the building, informing the owners that an application for a short-term rental registration has been received.
l. The administering agency shall create and maintain a prohibited buildings list of all addresses whose owner, including any applicable board of a cooperative or condominium corporation or their managers and agents, has notified the agency in a form and manner to be specified by the administering agency that no short-term rental of any dwelling unit therein is permitted. The administering agency shall adopt rules with respect to applications for inclusion on the prohibited buildings list, including, but not limited to, rules requiring building owners to certify that leases and other occupancy agreements for dwelling units within the building prohibit short-term rentals and rules relating to removing buildings from the prohibited building list. Where all dwelling units in a building are prohibited pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, such buildings shall also be included on the prohibited building list. The administering agency shall publish the prohibited buildings list on the city open data web portal.
m. The administering agency shall as soon as practicable, for each booking service disclosed by the registrant as having a listing for the registered dwelling unit, notify such booking service of any revocation of a short-term rental registration.
§ 26-3103 Posting and advertising requirements. a. A registered host of a dwelling unit shall, in a form and manner established by the administering agency, conspicuously post and maintain within such dwelling unit, during each short-term rental thereof: (i) a diagram indicating normal and emergency egress routes from such unit and the building containing such unit, and (ii) a copy of the short-term rental registration certificate for such unit which shall include the registration number along with a number to call in the event of an emergency.
b. A registered host shall include in any advertisement or other offer for the short-term rental of a dwelling unit the short-term registration number for such unit.
c. A registered host shall maintain, for at least seven years after such short-term rental, a record of each such short-term rental in a manner established by the administering agency and containing such information as the administering agency shall prescribe. Such records shall be provided to the administering agency in accordance with the rules of such agency and applicable law.
§ 26-3104 Penalties and enforcement. a. Any person who violates subdivision a of section 26-3102 shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than the lesser of $5000 or three times the revenue generated by the short-term rental for each such violation.
b. Any registered host who violates the provisions of this chapter or rules of the administering agency promulgated pursuant to this chapter shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $5000 for each such violation.
c. Any person who makes a material false statement or conceals a material fact in connection with the filing of an application or renewal thereof pursuant to this chapter shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $1000 for each such violation, in addition to revocation pursuant to the provisions of this section.
d. The registration of a dwelling unit shall be revoked, after notice and opportunity to be heard, where:
1. Such dwelling unit has been used in violation of restrictions in the zoning resolution, multiple dwelling law, housing maintenance code and New York city construction codes relating to the short-term rental of dwelling units in private dwellings and class A multiple dwellings, or in class A dwelling units within mixed use buildings;
2. The applicant made a material false statement or concealed a material fact in connection with the filing of an application or renewal thereof pursuant to this chapter;
3. The registered host has committed three or more violations of this chapter or rules of the administering agency within a period of 24 months;
4. The dwelling unit was added to the prohibited building list after the registration had been approved; or
5. The administering agency, subsequent to issuing the registration, discovers information that would have precluded the administering agency from granting the registration had it been known at the time.
e. Civil penalties for violations of this chapter and rules of the administering agency promulgated pursuant to this chapter may be recovered in proceedings before an administrative tribunal within the jurisdiction of the office of administrative trials and hearings in accordance with the rules of such tribunal or in an action in a court of competent jurisdiction. Notices of violation, administrative summonses and appearance tickets for violations may be issued by officers and employees of the administering agency or other city agencies designated by such administering agency.
f. The administering agency shall be authorized to conduct investigations, to issue subpoenas, to receive evidence, to hear complaints regarding activities subject to this section, to hold public hearings, to take testimony and to promulgate, amend and modify procedures and practices governing such proceedings.
§ 26-3105 Reporting. a. The administering agency shall make the following information on each short-term rental registration available on the city open data web portal in as close to real time as practicable:
1. registration number;
2. uniform resource locators associated with such registration;
3. address and unit number of the dwelling unit, including latitude and longitude;
4. status of the registration, including active or revoked; and
5. expiration date of registration.
b. No later than September 1 of each year, the administering agency shall submit a report to the mayor and to the speaker of the city council and post on the administering agency's website, a report including, but not limited to, the following information for the twelve-month period ending the preceding June 30, disaggregated by council district:
1. the number of active registrations;
2. the number of short-term registration applications and renewals: applied for, granted, refused, revoked and pending;
3. the average time to process registration applications and renewals;
4. a summary of the reasons for applications or renewals to be refused or revoked;
5. total number and reasons for summonses issued;
6. total penalties imposed and collected.
c. The administering agency shall provide a website page where members of the public may submit a registration number or uniform resource locator that will return associated information provided in paragraph (a) and instructions on how to file a complaint related to unregistered activity.
§ 2. Title 26 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new chapter 32 to read as follows:
REQUIREMENTS FOR BOOKING SERVICES WITH RESPECT TO SHORT-TERM RENTALS
Application program interface. The term "application program interface" means a software intermediary that makes it possible for application programs to interact with each other and share data or successor technologies.
Directly or indirectly. The term "directly or indirectly" has the meaning ascribed to such term by section 26-2101.
Electronic verification system. The term "electronic verification system" means an application program interface created and maintained by the administering agency that a booking service may use to: (i) verify whether the housing accommodation or dwelling unit that is the subject of a short-term rental is included on the list of class B multiple dwellings published pursuant to section 26-2103, as added by local law number 146 for the year 2018; or (ii) verify that the dwelling unit or housing accommodation that is the subject of such short-term rental has a currently valid short-term rental registration number, and that the full legal name of the host and the physical address of the dwelling unit associated with such short-term rental match the host and physical address information associated with such registration number, and that the uniform resource locator or listing identifier being used to offer the short term rental is associated with the currently valid short-term rental registration number; and (iii) obtain a unique confirmation number reflecting that such verification has occurred.
Short-term rental. The term "short-term rental" has the meaning ascribed to such term in section 26-2101, as added by local law number 146 for the year 2018.
Short-term rental registration number. The term "short-term rental registration number" means a registration number issued in accordance with the registration of a dwelling unit pursuant to chapter 31 of this title.
§ 26-3202 Verification of lawful rental. a. It shall be unlawful for a booking service to charge, collect or receive a fee from a person in connection with a short-term rental of a dwelling unit or housing accommodation unless such booking service has used the electronic verification system maintained by the administering agency either to (i) verify that such short-term rental is for a dwelling unit or housing accommodation within a class B multiple dwelling on the list of class B multiple dwellings published pursuant to section 26-2103, as added by local law number 146 for the year 2018; or (ii) to verify that the dwelling unit or housing accommodation that is the subject of such short-term rental is associated with the short-term rental registration number submitted by such person to the booking service and such registration is currently valid, that the uniform resource locator or listing identifier being used to offer the short-term rental is associated with the short-term rental registration number, and that the host and physical address information provided by such person to the booking service match the information contained in the electronic verification system, including, but not limited to, the full legal name of the host and the full physical address of the dwelling unit or housing accommodation. The electronic verification system shall provide a unique confirmation number reflecting that such verification has occurred. A booking service shall reconfirm the active registration of a dwelling unit any time it knows or should have known that any data it used to complete the verification in this section has changed, and the administering agency may establish by rule a minimum reverification period.
b. A booking service shall report to the administering agency on a monthly basis in a manner and form established by the administering agency for each transaction relating to a short-term rental: the booking services public uniform resource locator for the listing or other identifier, and the unique confirmation number obtained from the electronic verification. Upon submission of such report, a booking service shall certify that the verification required by subdivision a of this section has occurred for each transaction in the report.
c. Electronic verification system fee. There shall be a fee for the use of the electronic verification system in an amount to be established by rule by the administering agency. Such fee shall not exceed the cost to build, operate, and maintain such system.
§ 26-3203 Penalties. a. For each transaction in which a booking service charges, collects or receives a fee, directly or indirectly, for activity described in the definition of booking service in relation to a short-term rental in violation of subdivision a of section 26-3202, such booking service shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $1,500; provided that if such booking service can establish the amount of such fee, such civil penalty shall be not more than three times such fee.
b. If a booking service fails to provide information in compliance with subdivision b of section 26-3202, such booking service shall be liable for a civil penalty to be assessed once per reporting period for each transaction the booking service has failed to report. The civil penalty shall not be more than the greater of $1,500 or the total fees collected during the preceding year by the booking service for transactions related to the registration number or uniform resource locater.
c. Civil penalties for violations of this chapter and rules of the administering agency promulgated pursuant to this chapter may be recovered in proceedings before an administrative tribunal within the jurisdiction of the office of administrative trials and hearings in accordance with the rules of such tribunal or in an action in a court of competent jurisdiction. Notices of violation, administrative summonses and appearance tickets for violations may be issued by officers and employees of the administering agency or other city agencies designated by such administering agency.
d. The administering agency shall be authorized to conduct investigations, to issue subpoenas, to receive evidence, to hear complaints regarding activities subject to this section, to hold public hearings, to take testimony and to promulgate, amend and modify procedures and practices governing such proceedings.
§ 3. This local law takes effect 12 months after it becomes law, except that section 26-3104 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by section one of this local law, and section 26-3203 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by section two of this local law, take effect 16 months after it becomes law, and the administering agency shall take such actions as are necessary for its implementation, including the promulgation of rules, before such dates.
LS # 1534


text:
Posts tagged 'power plants'
How a Capacity Market Works electricity capacity markets
By Adam James
I have a confession to make. I am one of those folks who consistently write on wonky energy things without ever taking the time to write out simple explanations of the basic concepts or why they matter.
So, this piece will give a brief description of what electricity capacity…http://alternativeenergy.com.pk/international-news/how-a-capacity-market-works-electricity-capacity-markets/ Biofuels, capacity market, capacity markets, Carbon and De-carbonization, Cleantech, Climate, Coal, electrical system, Electricity, Energy, Environment, natural gas, Nuclear Power, Oil, power plants, Solar Power, Sustainability, Wave & Tidal, Wind
capacity market
Gas supply to "inefficient" power plants suspended 800 megawatts of electricity to the national grid to overcome power crisis
Power sector reforms: Gas supply to inefficient captive power plants cut off
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has cut off gas supply to several inefficient captive power plants of industrial units and diverted 150 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) to four…http://alternativeenergy.com.pk/national-news/gas-supply-to-inefficient-power-plants-suspended-800-megawatts-of-electricity-to-the-national-grid-to-overcome-power-crisis/ Captive Power Plants (CPPs), Electricity, gas supply, national grid, power crisis, power plants
Captive Power Plants (CPPs)
Independent Power Producers (IPPs) owe Rs 32 billion due to Wapda's payment default
The Independent Power Producers (IPPs) of the country are in huge debt because of Wapda's default on its contractual obligations. Contrary to the Power Purchase Agreement, Wapda has released meager or in some cases absolutely no payments to the gas-fired IPPs over past few months….http://alternativeenergy.com.pk/national-news/independent-power-producers-ipps-owe-rs-32-billion-due-to-wapdas-payment-default/ independent power producers, IPPs, power plants, WAPDA
The Rise of Utility-scale Solar panels across rooftops, fastest-growing application photovoltaics (PV) industry
LONDON – We are familiar with the inexorable and welcome march of solar panels across our rooftops, but many might be surprised that utility-scale power plants are now the fastest-growing application for the photovoltaics (PV) industry. This sector has delivered a compound annual growth…http://alternativeenergy.com.pk/international-news/the-rise-of-utility-scale-solar-panels-across-rooftops-fastest-growing-application-photovoltaics-pv-industry/ photovoltaics, power plants, PV industry, PV plants, Solar Panels
PV industry
PV plants
Offsetting conventional power Germany is just emerging from its longest,
Germany is just emerging from its longest, darkest winter since records started being kept decades ago. Last weekend shows what the future looks like – and the picture is bleak for conventional power.
On Friday, energy futures in Germany dropped to below 0.04 euros for the first time ever…http://alternativeenergy.com.pk/international-news/offsetting-conventional-power-germany-is-just-emerging-from-its-longest/ coal power, Germany is switching, power Germany, power plants, Renewables International, solar power production
Germany is switching
power Germany
Renewables International
solar power production
Inefficient captive power plants: government asked to review gas providing policy Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW)
The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Friday asked the government to review policy of providing natural gas to inefficient captive power plants that have wasted gas worth Rs 350 billion in last five years. Gas companies continue to provide fuel to the primitive plants while avoiding stress on…http://alternativeenergy.com.pk/international-news/inefficient-captive-power-plants-government-asked-to-review-gas-providing-policy-pakistan-economy-watch-pew/
(CNG)
Minister of Finance
Pakistan Economy Watch PEW
Ministry assures Rs 105 billion assistance: PSO to supply 16,000 tons of furnace oil daily
Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has been assured Rs 105 billion by the Ministry of Finance and Water and Power to ensure 16,000 tons of furnace oil per day instead of the 12,000 tons currently being supplied. Former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and former finance minister Mandviwalla had directed…http://alternativeenergy.com.pk/national-news/ministry-assures-rs-105-billion-assistance-pso-to-supply-16000-tons-of-furnace-oil-daily/
cut gas supply
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf
SSGCL


Christianity in the 2 I 51 century runs the risk of becoming just another religion fit keeps distancing itself.farther and farther from its Jesuan and apostolic origins which must always remain as the benchmarks for evaluating its authenticity. The lemptation has always been, and continues to be, to accommodate itse(f to the ways of the world, to go for earthly success, numbers of converts, power, security etc. Already in the early 3rd century this accommodation began to shape the Constantinian turnaround that made the Christian church an ally of the Roman state and of the rich and powerful in the early 4th century. It encountered resistance, however, and the Good News of Jesus announced to the poor and the weak was preserved intact by many Christian communities; hence the many reform movements and saintly lives which, throughout the centuries, have constantly tried to return to the pristine example of the church of the first two centuries. The church's faithfulness to the Good News of the Reign announced to the poor, now usually referred to as the "preferential option for the poor, " will always remain as the one unique trait that translates Jesus' central command to "love thy neighbor as thyse(f (Mt 5: 42-48; 12: 19; 19: 22, 39-40; Jn 13: 34-35; 15: 12-17; Rm 13: 8-10; 1 Cor 13: 1- 18). This faithfulness in fashioning God's Reign cannot be genuine unless Christianity upholds and exempl[fies the example of Jesus in terms of insisting that the wealth of the earth must benefit all ofGod's children and that poverty is the result of injustice.
Beal, Tarcisio (2006) "LOVE OF NEIGHBOR AS THE ESSENCE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND OF CHRISTIANITY," Verbum Incarnatum: An Academic Journal of Social Justice: Vol. 1 , Article 17.


Illinois Fighting Illini Alumni Hat 1 Cleveland Cavaliers Knit Colorblock Gloves.
Illinois Fighting Illini ALUMNI Deluxe Laser Cut License Plate Tag. Illinois Fighting Illini Alumni Chrome License Plate Frame. Get an officially licensed Illinois Fighting Illini license plate frame to decorate your ride today! Get an officially licensed Illinois Fighting Illini license plates featuring popular chrome finish plates and mascot designs. University of Illinois Fighting Illini license plates featuring popular chrome finish plates and mascot designs. Illinois Fighting Illini Chrome Metal License Frame NEW Car Plate Auto. University of Illinois Chrome Laser Engraved License Plate Frame W FREE. Get an officially licensed Illinois Fighting Illini Chrome Metal License Frame NEW Car Plate Auto.
A aa aaa aaaa aaacn aaah aaai aaas aab aabb aac aacc aace aachen aacom aacs aacsb aad aadvantage aae aaf aafp aag aah aai aaj aal aalborg aalib aaliyah aall aalto aam. Results 1 of. Illinois Fighting Illini WinCraft Alumni Inlaid Metal License Plate Frame Tampa Bay Buccaneers Logo Santa Hat.
01 1 ahd ahd 1. Best Seller in Auto.
The program got off to a strong start suffering only.
The Purdue Boilermakers football team represents Purdue University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision FBS of college football.
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign a public research university in Illinois. Almost Gone! University of Illini Plate Frame. Your Price 1. IE10 Browsers with IE10 less can not be used on this site. Illinois Fighting Illini license plate frame to decorate your ride today!
These University. ALUMNI UNIV OF ILLINOIS CHROME.


Here's a couple clips of searches from my city.
Who do you think will be getting the first phone call, if I was a consumer trying to find an agent?
This is even more reason for Realtors and brokers to ensure that their companies are listed in Google Local Business Center (for more, see Google's Gunning for Real Estate Professionals).
So far, I haven't seen any ratings on real estate listings. But they may be coming, so keep your eyes peeled.


N.H. gets close to having an Official Chicken. But don't let that bird roam.
A bill declaring the official state poultry will be sent to the governor for his signature.
CONCORD, N.H. — A chicken known for its intelligence, resilience and ability to withstand cold winters is a step closer to becoming the official state poultry of New Hampshire.
The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill to designate the New Hampshire Red as the state's official poultry on the recommendation of fourth graders from Canaan Elementary School. Supporters say it's a good choice because the bird's intelligence and other qualities are representative of New Hampshire residents.
The bill has already passed the House and now goes to Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who supports it.
In other poultry news, the Legislature is considering criminalizing trespassing fowl. Under the proposal, anyone who allows their domestic fowl to enter someone else's property without permission can be convicted of a violation if the birds damage crops or property.


I'm baaaack! It is so weird that I didn't post anything for over a week (gasp)! Since starting this blog I have never gone that long without posting something. I guess that's because I didn't go on a vacation for a really really LONG time!! Anyway, now that I've got a tiny bit of a post typed out I can relax (a little). I hope the next few sentences make sense, but if they don't, I'm blaming it on my foggy jet-lagged brain.
You guys, Portugal was AAAAH-mazing. Once I get my photos all in order I will do a post entirely on the trip, and what we got up to for the 7 days. 7 days was not long enough!! Well, it was just the right amount of time to be gone from my boys, but it was definitely not long enough to explore everything the country has to offer. But, I'll have to leave you in suspense so you'll come back to visit me once my Portugal post is up! I'll give you just one word: WINE. They do it right!!
So, these cherry lime whiskey sours.
Inspired by my favorite cocktail, the whiskey sour, I've added a sweet twist to the mix to really knock your socks…err…sandals off. I love a good whiskey sour, but I find that the flavors vary so much between bartenders. A classic whiskey sour contains whiskey/bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar. I've been served a whiskey sour made with lime, lime juice (that green stuff), club soda, you name it.
Personally, I prefer limes to lemons, so I went with the green for this drink. The cherry adds a wonderfully sweet contrast, and hey, who doesn't love the pretty red color!?
To make 1 cocktail, you'll need about 4 ounces of pitted, diced cherries and 1 lime.
I made a quick simple syrup for the cherries to soak in, and then blended everything up until frothy. The result is a lightly sweetened, refreshing cocktail with just the right amount of tartness.
Note: If you've never made your own simple syrup, now is the time. It is literally 2 ingredients and takes about 5 minutes. Please don't buy plain simple syrup!! It's quite possibly the easiest thing you'll ever make. I've left some instructions in the recipe below.
My recipe makes 1 – 8oz cocktail. If you want to make 2, just double all of the ingredients.
Tomorrow is Canada's 150th birthday. I had a few plans for what I would post for this momentous day but unfortunately with everything going on the past few weeks I've run out of time. This drink is my toast to my fellow Canadians. How lucky are we to be a part of this amazing country!!
A hint of lime and sweet cherries add a fun twist to a classic cocktail.
Place the diced cherries in a small bowl along with the simple syrup for at least 30 minutes.
In a blender, combine the cherries and syrup, lime juice and whiskey. Blend on high until the cherries are completely pureed and pour into a cocktail glass over ice. Serve immediately.
To make a simple syrup, combine equal parts water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear. Remove from heat and allow to cool before using.
Not thirsty yet? Pin this cocktail for happy hour!
I enjoyed a cocktail just like this one at a favorite place of mine at the beach Katherine, and I haven't concocted it at home yet. It was just delicious! I can't wait to try your recipe!
I sure hope you get a chance to try it out, and that it does that beach cocktail justice 🙂 Thank you Mary Ann!!
WOW! This looks amazing and beautiful. Makes me wanna belly up to your bar!! 🙂 *pinning!* Have a great weekend Katherine!
Haha! My bar is always open for you, Kim 😉 Hope your weekend is stellar!!
This is one gorgeous drink! I'm convinced that brightly colored drinks just taste better :). I love the cherry-lime combo and wish I had one of these in front of me right now. Can't WAIT to read your Portugal post and have a great weekend celebrating Canada!
You are too kind! I think you're definitely onto something – I can't remember a brightly colored drink that wasn't delicious 😉 It's been a really great holiday weekend! Thank you Kelsie!!
Can I just say that your Insta Portugal pics were making me jealous but I want to see more! Can't wait to go myself. I love my cocktails not too sweet so this cherry cocktail sounds right up my alley. That color is irresistible!
Hooray! I'm just compiling all of the photos, so I'll have them up soon! Pictures never seem to do justice to the real thing, so I'll have a hard time choosing 🙂 Thank you!! I love a brightly colored cocktail!!
A girly get together sounds so fun!! These would be perfect, I hope you got a chance to try!! I'll get those Portugal pics up soon 😉 Cheers!
Can't wait to hear all about your trip….and the wine 😉 These sound and look amazing Katherine! I love a good whiskey sour and the addition of fresh cherries takes it over the top!
Oh the wine there was just wonderful. Thank you Lindsay! I'm such a fan of whiskey sours myself. Cheers, friend!
I've heard such wonderful things about Portugal! It's on our bucket list! Welcome back!!
P.S. these cocktails are gorgeous!!!
Welcome back and Portugal must've been so incredible! I've always wanted to go there but haven't made it yet. I'm so into cherries right now and this drink is such a great way to use them. The color is gorgeous and I'd love one right about now!
Thank you Marcie 🙂 It was so amazing!! I hope you make it there some day! I love the red color too – fruit can make things so beautiful! Cheers!
Now I know what you mean about loving whiskey sours!! This one is next on my list! Mine tend to be on the weaker side (I am a lightweight, lol,) but this one seriously has me intrigued!
LOVE them! Haha. Especially if there are cherries involved 😉 I am usually a lightweight too, so just one of these drinks is enough for me!! Glad I caught your curiosity 🙂 Cheers!


text:
package com.dwbook.phonebook.dropwizard.representations;

import org.hibernate.validator.constraints.Length;
import org.hibernate.validator.constraints.NotBlank;

public class Contact {

	private int id;

	@NotBlank
	@Length(min=2,max=255)
	private String firstName;

	@NotBlank
	@Length(min=2,max=255)
	private String lastName;

	@NotBlank
	@Length(min=2,max=30)
	private String phone;

	public Contact() {
		this.id = 0;
		this.firstName = null;
		this.lastName = null;
		this.phone = null;
	}

	public Contact(int id, String firstName, String lastName, String phone) {
		this.id = id;
		this.firstName = firstName;
		this.lastName = lastName;
		this.phone = phone;
	}

	public int getId() {
		return id;
	}

	public void setId(int id) {
		this.id = id;
	}

	public String getFirstName() {
		return firstName;
	}

	public void setFirstName(String firstName) {
		this.firstName = firstName;
	}

	public String getLastName() {
		return lastName;
	}

	public void setLastName(String lastName) {
		this.lastName = lastName;
	}

	public String getPhone() {
		return phone;
	}

	public void setPhone(String phone) {
		this.phone = phone;
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


When you made the decision to purchase a portable oxygen concentrator, like the eQuinox portable, you didn't just purchase a medical device, you made an investment. You invested in a medical device that grants you freedoms that other oxygen delivery systems don't offer. You invested in a piece of equipment that helps you regain your quality of life. With that being said, there may come a time where your disease progresses and you need a higher flow rate, your machine becomes old and you want a new one, or worst case scenario, you have a loved one who passed away and no longer need their portable oxygen machine. How can you get a return investment on that portable oxygen concentrator?


text:
Q: Subspaces of $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ which contains a nontrivial weak* closed subalgebra Let $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ denotes the Banach space of bounded holomorphic functions in the unit disc. Consider the weak* topology on $L^{\infty}(\mathbb{T})$
that it inherits as the dual of $L^{1}(\mathbb{T}).$ Under this topology $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ is a weak* closed subspace of $L^{\infty}(\mathbb{T}).$ I have the following question:
Does there exist a subspace $M\subseteq H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ which is not weak* closed and contains a nontrivial weak* closed unital subalgebra of $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D})?$
By nontrivial I mean it contains a nonconstant holomorphic function.

A: I discussed with some of my friends and found this example. Let $\mathcal{P}$ denotes the set of all polynomials, and let $\mathcal{U}:=\{\varphi(z^2):\varphi\in H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D})\}.$ Set $$M=\mathcal{P}+\mathcal{U}.$$ Note that $M$ contains $\mathcal{U}$ which is weak* closed.
Then as the weak* closure of polynomials is dense in $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D}),$ the weak* closure of $M$ is $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D}).$ But $M$ is not $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D}).$ To see that note $\sin{z}\in H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D})$ but $\sin{z}$ can not be written as a sum of a polynomial and an even function in $H^{\infty}(\mathbb{D}).$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
L'Acadèmia General Bàsica de Sotsoficials de l'exèrcit espanyol, coneguda popularment com «el Campament», és una acadèmia militar permanent del Campament Militar General Martín Alonso, situat a cavall dels termes municipals de Tremp (antic terme de Gurp de la Conca) i Talarn, a la comarca del Pallars Jussà.

El campament militar tingué una primera capella, dedicada a la Mare de Déu del Carme, que actualment ja és desapareguda, fruit de les remodelacions sofertes a les instal·lacions militars. Actualment també té capella, més moderna, dedicada a sant Miquel. Aquestes capelles no estan subjectes a la jurisdicció eclasiàstica que els pertocaria pel territori, sinó a l'arquebisbat militar, amb jurisdicció damunt de totes les capelles de caràcter militar de l'estat espanyol.

L'accés a l'Acadèmia és a través d'una carretera local asfaltada que arrenca de l'extrem de ponent de la vila de Talarn, sense que sigui necessari d'entrar-hi per accedir a les instal·lacions militars des de Tremp. Aquesta mateixa carretera local, després de travessar l'extrem occidental de la base militar, mena al poble de Gurp.

Referències

Bibliografia
 GAVÍN, Josep M. Pallars Jussà. Barcelona: Arxiu Gavín, 1981 (Inventari d'esglésies,8). .

Enllaços externs

 Ministeri de Defensa espanyol
 Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya

Sotsoficials
Academia
Acadèmia
Forces armades d'Espanya
Entitats del Pallars Jussà

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Yesterday, I published some early impressions of my time with Microsoft's new Xbox One X. I'm generally skeptical about 4K gaming, but Gears of War 4 really was a sight to behold, even on my non-HDR TV. The machine was still a tricky proposition overall, but it was delivering on its promise of providing the best visuals I had ever seen on a console. And so I found myself leaning towards a positive experience with this thing. The feeling was, as it turns out, premature.
A cautionary word before any of this: these sorts of things happen. New hardware has a nonzero failure rate, and just because I and a few other people had issues doesn't mean we're in a red ring of death situation. It does mean that this is something I'll be keeping an eye on in the coming weeks, but it should not, at this point, be interpreted as some sort of failure on Microsoft's part. I also seem to be hexed: in this generation so far, only my PS4 Pro and Nintendo Switch have worked without issue, though plenty of other people had trouble with those. But I'm here to report on my experience with the X, and my experience over the past day has not been great.
Problems started when downloads started killing themselves for some reason: I had downloaded Gears of War 4 and Halo Wars 2 without issue, but then I kept getting a "something went wrong" error, followed by one of those delightful strings of letters and numbers that Microsoft likes to give. The error codes never corresponded to anything in particular, but I took it to just be network malarky. A global network of computers capable of sending the entire collected knowledge of the human race literally over the air sometimes develops problems, after all. I gave it a rest and came back to it in the morning. Things were worse.
At this point, the little Xbox logo would light up on the console, but no image would go to the screen: I tried swapping HDMI inputs and cords, but still nothing. Sometimes, it would finally chug to life about five minutes in, but it would refuse to sign into Xbox Live or respond to button presses of any kind. When things did appear to be working, the downloads would start killing themselves again. I tried to go into settings, but I'd get an error code when trying to load them. This is when I had a feeling things were going downhill.
After a point, I was able to get the console to turn on, send a signal to the TV and then load settings: I tried to do a factory reset on the console, which prompted a "preparing console" screen with a little progress bar. The bar hung up on 64%, then went to a "something went wrong" error screen. The console reset and then hung up at 50%. This did not feel like forward momentum, and after another cycle of this things were pretty clearly done for. I tried a few troubleshooting tactics given me by the helpful Raine H. on tech support (I may have been a bit crabby. Sorry Raine!), but nothing worked. As of now, we're processing a replacement console, and this is the way of things.
So, my Xbox One X is heavy and inert, with very little give on any side and a textured surface on top. These are qualities I look for in a brick, but not in a videogame console.
Nobody else at Forbes has described any issues with the X. I've seen scattered reports of other problems online, but there does not yet appear to be anything widespread. Other people seem to describe a console that won't turn on at all -- not even a light -- which seems to point to some sort of hardware/power supply issue, which is not what I was dealing with. Mine seems more like a software problem, though it's hard to know for sure where the actual issue was happening. I've contacted Microsoft for comment and will update with any new info.
All in all, not the best start, but again, it's the way of things.


text:
Letters + Opinion » Buhne Tribune
Game of Groans
by Ryan Hurley
Has anyone else noticed the erroneous TV schedule listing for the Access Humboldt channel?
On the first and third Tuesday evenings of each month, for instance, Access's local government channel has apparently been airing old episodes of the Addams Family. According to my TV schedule, that time slot is supposed to be reserved for meetings of the Eureka City Council. Weird.
Not that I'm complaining. I can't get enough of my favorite character – the deadpan, Frankensteinian "monster." Although thinking back, I don't remember Lurch reading so many dull, civic proclamations into a microphone or, for that matter, constantly asking Morticia and Uncle Fester to vote on stuff.
Ranking the News
Is even-handed coverage of the marijuana industry important to you? If so, you're reading the right paper.
A master's thesis recently published by Humboldt State University student Ian Huddon-Cossar concludes that the North Coast Journal is "the most holistically informed" newspaper in Humboldt County when it comes to reporting on cannabis issues. Huddon-Cossar's methodology ranked papers lower for engaging in one-sided coverage (either pro-grower or pro-law-enforcement), and higher for more balanced reporting.
Based on articles published between 1995 and 2010, "Media Ownership and Cannabis In Humboldt County News Media" arrives at the unexpected conclusion that the most pro-police newspapers are those nearest the weed-industry epicenter: Southern Humboldt Life and Times and Redwood Times. Huddon-Cossar singles these publications out for parroting law enforcement orthodoxy in covering marijuana issues.
Were Huddon-Cossar's findings inclusive of the 2014 media landscape, one wonders what his analysis would make of online outlets that seemingly publish a sheriff's press release for every single weed bust from Ettersburg to Orleans.
I mean, is it really news when someone goes to Death Valley and gets a sunburn??? What Goes Up...
Are you doing everything possible to pollute Humboldt Bay?
If you're a lucky resident of Arcata or Humboldt Hill — and own a toilet — chances are you've already made your "contribution" to spoiling Humboldt's tidal waters.
For everyone else, it's time to dig deep. For a limited time only, your tax-deductible contribution can help poison the harbor, while celebrating the birth of our country — all at the same time!
Having raised only half of the $30,000 needed to ensure showers of toxic junk will explode on schedule over bay waters this Fourth of July, Eureka's annual Independence Day fireworks drive is pleading for your support.
Tree-hugger types warn that your generous donation could end up celebrating the red (strontium), white (aluminum) and blue (copper) in ways you probably hadn't imagined (do you take percholates with your patriotism?) above the skies of Woodley Island.
While studies do not link fireworks with any long-term health effects, it doesn't take a scientist to tell us that when you blow up a veritable children's chemistry set, it's gotta' come down somewhere.
Cyndy Day-Wilson: A Star Is Born?
A late member of the Eureka City Council has leveled disturbing charges of dishonesty against the city attorney, setting off speculation about the professional consequences of fibbing to the boss.
In a three-page affidavit and an accompanying investigative report released a month after his death, Lance Madsen all but accuses Cyndy Day-Wilson of dangling from a telephone wire, pants fully engulfed.
The affidavit centers on former police officer Madsen's looksie into the circulation of a memo supposedly authored by erstwhile City Manager William Panos. Ms. Day-Wilson leaked the confidential, council-eyes-only memorandum to city staff, Madsen declares, casting a dark cloud over City Hall.
Although claiming never to have read it himself, the emotional devastation unleashed by the Panos Dossier upon city rank-and-file led Madsen to the daring conclusion that the memo probably didn't say, "Surprise! Everyone gets a free iPad!"
But the question is, even if the allegations against Ms. Day-Wilson are proven true, can she be sent packing?
You decide: The city attorney is one of just three city employees who serve "at the pleasure" of the city council (the other two are the city manager and city clerk). The city attorney's employment terms are — unlike almost every other city employee — governed not by union regulations or an MOU, but by a simple, 12-page contract between the employee and city council.
Under the heading "Termination and Severance Pay," the contract provides that the council reserves the right to terminate Ms. Day-Wilson's employment for cause and "without liability for any severance pay whatsoever" for, among other enumerated breaches, "any acts of dishonesty."
According to Madsen, this wasn't just any act of dishonesty — say, a white lie to opposing counsel or a disgruntled citizen — but one right to the face of a sitting councilman.
Although Madsen sadly succumbed to illness in April, he "names names" of potentially corroborating witnesses. At this time, neither the city council as a whole nor Ms. Day-Wilson have commented on the charges.
My question is, "Why not?" This thing has a huge upside!
Should the council conclude that she fibbed and isn't so enthralled with the click-clack of her Donna Karans, it's probably true that Ms. Day-Wilson won't be nominated for Citizen of the Month.
But think about it: She could star in a remake of the 1997 Jim Carrey comedy, Liar, Liar. An actual (or as the case may be, former) attorney would be perfect in the role of the underhanded lawyer who undergoes an "awakening" to tell the truth.
Barring that — and provided she keeps her law license — Ms. Day-Wilson could always get work at another municipality. But she may want to start her search a little ways down the food chain.
Anyone know if the Palm Springs Snow Removal District is hiring?
Ryan Hurley is a Eureka-based attorney. Follow him if you dare: @BuhneTribune.Ryan Hurley


Lorne "Gump" Worsley passed away yesterday at the age of 77. A [[Hockey Hall Of Fame]] goaltender, Gump played for 21 years with a number of teams but I'll always remember him as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
In the modern era where hockey players look more like football players due to the amount of equipment they wear, it should be noted that Worsley was one of the last to play without a mask (until his final year in 73-74).
← What Is The World Coming To?


The licence will provide EKF's wholly owned subsidiary, Argutus Medical Ltd, with exclusive rights to the Joslin's Intellectual Property surrounding two markers, Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 and 2, that, when found elevated in the blood stream, can help identify patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes at increased risk of developing end stage renal disease up to ten years in advance. Clinical tests that are currently available cannot identify people at risk of end stage renal disease with a high level of precision.
EKF will work in partnership with the Joslin Diabetes Center to further validate the findings for the two markers and develop clinical diagnostic tests to accurately identify diabetes patients with an increased risk of developing end stage kidney disease.
Kidney complications are one of the most life-threatening complications of diabetes. About a half a million people in the US have end stage kidney disease, which requires treatment through dialysis or kidney transplantation. Nearly 44% of these cases are due to diabetes. Currently, there is no accurate non-invasive test to identify patients at high risk of end stage kidney disease.


Yahoo Messenger is one of the most popular online chat platforms. Though they closed public chat room facility for some unknown reasons, still many users are using it. This article is about certain tools which can tell you the status of Yahoo Messenger chat contacts whether they are online, offline or invisible. If one user is in invisible mode, Yahoo shows he/she is offline but Yahoo Messenger invisible detector tools can easily tell you the contact is really offline or in invisible mode. So you can find whether the contact is actually doesn't willing to chat you. If the status checker tools tell the user is online and shows offline in your messenger, most probably that contact may block you. Some of the famous tools are ydetector.com, imvisible.info, detectinvisible.com, who-is-invisible.co.cc, ybuddy.info etc. Here you can see how to check whether a Yahoo Chat Contact is in invisible mode.
YDetector is a free online tool which tells the status of a YM user ID. If the particular contact is in invisible mode this tool will tell us that user ID is invisible. The below is a screenshot of that tool.
Invisible is another interesting free tool available on the Internet. Using this tool too we can check the online status of particular YM ID.
Another tool to check the status of Yahoo Messenger User is detectinvisible. The screenshot of an experiment is given below.
The tools showed above only work to check the online status of your Yahoo Messenger chat friend. It will show you whether your Yahoo Messenger chat friend is hidden to you or really offline. To check the status of your chat friend in Gtalk we have another method. To know that method click on the link below.
Are you interested in finding the location of your Yahoo messenger chat friend in addition to detect the real status of him? If yes, you can find it by following the simple steps specified in the following link.
www.invisibleyahoo.net it's very good. just try it.
Is there any sort of Yahoo ID cross-reference, to link together all the Yahoo Messenger ID's that a given user may have?
The best Yahoo Invisible Detector http://www.detector-invisible.com scanner 100% accurate.
-Add new friends , send text messages , see the top visited and checked profiles . Comment at your favorites profiles !


Although a miniature community of a thousand people, the Jews of Cuba have attracted wide attention for choosing to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the Jewish legacy. At the same time, the community is losing people to emigration to Israel and the United States. Yet American Jews continue to travel to the island on "missions" to aid in the Jewish "rebirth." Numerous tour operators organizing general interest trips to Cuba now routinely include a stop at the Jewish Community Center of Havana to round out their travel programs. In my talk, I will address this web of contradictions and paradoxes surrounding Cuba's Jews as they forge a path between the scroll and the revolution, between Jewishness and Cuban citizenship, and confront the consequences of their own exoticism as the tourist gaze becomes a daily feature of their lives.
At the outset of the new Cuban republic in 1902, Chinese laborers were officially excluded, portrayed as "aliens" to be expunged rather than incorporated into the national body. Anti-Chinese discourse and discriminatory legislation in Cuba echoed the rest of the Americas with its focus on sanitation and hygiene, morality, and unfair competition. Still, the Chinese in Cuba became incorporated into a conception of raceless nationhood. Drawing on my recent book, Chinese Cubans: A Transnational History, I will engage with the central question of how Chinese became part of the Cuban national and cultural landscape.
Ruth Behar is Professor of Anthropology at University of Michigan. She is the author of acclaimed books that bridge memoir and ethnography, including Translated Woman: Crossing the Border with Esperanza's Story (1993), The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart (1996), An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba (2007). She is also the editor of Bridges to Cuba (1996), and co-editor of Women Writing Culture and The Portable Island: Cubans at Home in the World (2008). She directed Adio Kerida/Goodbye Dear Love: A Cuban Sephardic Journey, a film on the life stories of Sephardic Cuban Jews living in Cuba, Miami, and New York.
Kathleen Lopez is Assistant Professor of Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies and History at Rutgers University. She specializes in the historical intersections between Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on post emancipation Caribbean societies, race and ethnicity in the Americas, international migration, and the history of the Chinese diaspora. Lopez is the author of Chinese Cubans: A Transnational History (2013). Her articles have appeared in Journal of Chinese Overseas, and Afro-Hispanic Review.