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Secure Borders, Open Doors
As congress returns to Washington facing what promises to be a rancorous debate on how to protect U.S. borders, a leading immigration think-tank is charging that U.S. visa policies – a key tool in promoting national security – are in danger of compromising American economic competitiveness and foreign policy goals.
A new study by the Migration Policy Institute – "Secure Borders, Open Doors" – faults the government for lack of a strategic plan for the U.S. visa program, and "nebulous" coordination between the State Department (DOS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), leading to duplication and poor information sharing.
The report says one of the visa program's "greatest challenges" will be "countering international perceptions that the United States has become more hostile to visitors. Losses to tourism and industry have been significant in recent years, with nonimmigrant visa applications dropping by 35 percent between 2001 and 2003, international enrollment in U.S. schools for 2003/2004 down for the first time in three decades, and the number of tourists visiting the United States plummeting by over 10 million people between 2000 and 2003. There are also reports of billions of dollars lost in foreign direct investment in the United States and contracts for U.S. exports".
The report, written by Stephen Yale-Loehr, Demetrios Papademetriou and Betsy Cooper, also calls on Congress to require the establishment of a comprehensive interagency evaluation process to review incidents of admitting people who present security risks.
It says that while the DOS "is working to address delays caused by additional checks and mandatory interviews", changes are still needed "to clarify the application process and make it more transparent; facilitate visa re-issuance from the United States; and waive interviews for travelers who have been issued visas recently."
The report also recommends improving the quality of interviews through the use of a secondary-like inspection at consular posts to target possible security risks.
It asserts that a "major weakness" continues to be variable access to information through different agencies' databases. "Improved intelligence-gathering, greater investments in staff expertise and training, and online access to all relevant information about applicants are essential."
The report recommends, "An integrated national watch list that is constantly checked for quality together with a stronger communications system between agencies for security advisory opinions, are essential domestic security priorities."
Since September 11, the report says, "the purpose of different visa classes and the process for getting a visa have remained the same, with the most frequent reason for denying a nonimmigrant application still being the person's inability to prove that they do not intend to stay in the United States permanently".
However, it adds, "Many administrative procedures have changed significantly, including a requirement for personal interviews with almost all visa applicants". "The government has more closely scrutinized visa waiver countries, curtailed airline passengers' ability to travel through the U.S. en route to other countries without visas, and established requirements for visa waiver countries to have machine-readable passports with biometric identifiers by October 1, 2005," it says.
The authors find that the security check process has improved, but urge better use of biometrics. "The State Department, DHS and the FBI must agree on a truly compatible fingerprinting system and adopt standards that can be used both among U.S. agencies and in conjunction with the development of biometric passports from other countries."
The impact of visa problems on higher education is a major concern. Ursula Oaks of the Department of Public Policy at the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), told IPS, "What we face today is not just a visa problem, it's an 'access' problem -- the myriad still-existing barriers to international students' ability to study here that, taken together, pose a serious challenge for our country."
At a recent symposium to discuss the MPI report, similar concerns were also voiced by Dr. Debra W. Stewart, President of the Council of Graduate Schools. She called recent statistics on international student flows "a sobering reminder of the importance of US visa policy."
Dr. Stewart said that last year international graduate applications declined 28% and another 5% this year. For the past three years, she said, first time international graduate student enrollment has declined. "With international enrollment in engineering approaching nearly half of the total and over 40% in the physical sciences, these declines raise serious questions about America's potential to continue its position of thought leadership in these fields."
She added her concern about the "unintended consequences of recent reform in the visa system," noting that "inscrutable delays do occur in the system."
In higher education, she said, "Global competition for talent is real….our competitors are not standing still." Other countries, she suggested, are capitalizing on "the negative image of the US abroad by advertising their programs outside US embassies. Perhaps more significant are the major investments in graduate education being made worldwide", particularly by the European Union, China and India.
U.S. consular staff, she said, "need more understanding of the American academic world that student applicants hope to enter", adding, "There appears to be a lack of scientific expertise in the consular affairs offices."
While noting recent improvements in the visa process, Dr. Stewart said, "Problems remain that are not likely to be solved by simply making the current system more efficient and seamless…It requires strategic thinking about the very purposes of visa policy -- its goals and desired outcomes."
She added, "America's national security, its intellectual security and its very capacity to compete, depend upon it."
Posted by Unknown at Friday, September 09, 2005 39 comments:
FBI AND DHS SCHIZOPHRENIA
Ten years after the Oklahoma City bombing left 168 people dead, one U.S. national security agency believes the domestic radical right does not pose a substantial threat to Americans while another labels white supremacists as "terrorists" – along with anti-war groups, affirmative action organizations and animal rights activists.
The apparent inconsistencies arise from documents recently made public from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
A draft internal document from the DHS obtained by The Congressional Quarterly lists the only serious domestic terrorist threats as radical animal rights and environmental groups like the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front.
But, according to an FBI report released to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) last week, neo-Nazi groups such as the Michigan Militia and the Aryan World Church are lumped together as potential terrorists with organizations such as the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality by Any Means Necessary (BAMN) -- a national civil rights and affirmative action organization – and the antiwar group Direct Action, along with the East Lansing Animal Rights Movement.
The FBI report was prepared by a counterintelligence agent at the agency's Detroit field office for a Domestic Terrorism Symposium hosted by the Michigan State Police. Inexplicably, the FBI report acknowledges that BAMN's demonstrations were peaceful.
The anti-war group Direct Action and the East Lansing Animal Rights Movement are also listed in the report for taking part in a Lansing protest that targeted the FBI. The ACLU in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit on behalf of nine organizations and individuals in Michigan obtained the report.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a research and advocacy organization that tracks hate crimes, "But for all the property damage they have wreaked, eco-radicals have killed no one — something that most definitely cannot be said of the white supremacists and others who people the American radical right."
Linking BAMN with white supremacists or to terrorism is "absolutely outrageous," a BAMN spokesman told The Detroit News. "The American people are going to be outraged that their government is spying on groups standing up for affirmative action and education," he said.
Brian J. Foley, a professor at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, cautions that "Police should focus on groups that use violence, period. One of the great things about the US is that we are supposed to be able to believe and espouse whatever views we want, without government intervention or censorship. Groups should be included on "terror lists" only if they use violence, not simply because police and politicians find their views distasteful or challenging to the status quo."
In a new publication, "Ten Years of Terror", the SPLC says that close to 60 right-wing domestic terrorist plots have been uncovered since the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
These have included plans to bomb or burn government buildings, banks, refineries, utilities, clinics, synagogues, mosques, memorials and bridges; to assassinate police officers, judges, politicians, civil rights figures and others; to rob banks, armored cars and other criminals; and to amass illegal machine guns, missiles, explosives, and biological and chemical weapons.
In July 1995, an antigovernment extremist was arrested after trying to purchase a machine gun from an undercover police officer, and is later indicted by a federal grand jury for plotting to blow up the Internal Revenue Service building in Austin, Texas.
In November of the same year, a leader of the Oklahoma Constitutional Militia leader, his wife and another man, were arrested as they prepared explosives to bomb numerous targets, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, gay bars and abortion clinics.
The following year, apparently inspired by his reading of a neo-Nazi tract, a white supremacist killed one black man and wounded seven other people, including a reporter, during a racist shooting spree in a black neighborhood in Jackson, Miss. A search of his home found 17 long guns, 20,000 rounds of ammunition, several knives and countless military manuals.
In 1997, police raided the home of an alleged Ku Klux Klan member, discovering 35,000 rounds of heavy ammunition, armor piercing shells, smoke and tear gas grenades, live shells for grenade launchers, artillery shells and other military gear.
Later that year, three Ku Klux Klan members were arrested in a plot to blow up a natural gas refinery outside Fort Worth, Texas, after a local Klan leader got cold feet and went to the FBI. The three, along with a fourth arrested later, expected to kill a huge number of people with the blast — authorities later say as many as 30,000 might have died.
In 1998, a South Carolina militia member was charged with weapons, explosives and drug violations after allegedly trying to trade drugs for a machine gun and enough C-4 plastic explosive to demolish a five-room house. The following year, he plead guilty to an array of charges, including threatening to kill then Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh.
In 2003, Federal agents charged the national leader of the neo-Nazi World Church of the Creator (WCOTC), soliciting the murder of federal judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow, whose mother and husband were later murdered by another person.
Last year alone, the Department of Justice prosecuted four domestic terrorism crimes. A Neo-Nazi skinhead videotaped himself as he firebombed an Oklahoma City synagogue. A former National Guardsman was arrested after checking into a mental health facility and telling counselors about plans to blow up a synagogue and a National Guard armory. FBI agents in Tennessee arrested a farmhand after he allegedly tried to purchase ingredients for deadly sarin nerve gas and C-4 plastic explosives from an undercover agent. And officials in New Jersey arrested two men they say asked a police informant to build them a bomb.
Timothy McVeigh, a former member of the armed forces, was executed for the Oklahoma City bombing. One of his accomplices, Terry Nichols, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
KATRINA's POLITICS
Republican spinmeisters worked furiously this week to contain the political damage to President Bush caused by what he called the government's "unacceptable" response to hurricane Katrina.
The Bush Administration may have found some comfort in yesterday's ABC/Washington Post poll, which found that while Americans are broadly critical of government preparedness for the disaster, but far fewer blame George W. Bush personally, and public anger about the response is less widespread than some critics would suggest.
The poll found that 46 percent of Americans approved of Bush's handling of the crisis, almost exactly half his 91 percent approval rating after Sept. 11, 2001.
The most critical views cross jurisdictions: Two-thirds of those participating in the poll say the federal government should have been better prepared to deal with a storm this size, and three-quarters say state and local governments in the affected areas likewise were insufficiently prepared.
Considering the media's hostility towards Bush on this issue these poll numbers could have been much worse for the president. The president's popularity has been in freefall over the past few months over the Iraq war and surging gasoline prices.
However, the body count in New Orleans, and in Jackson and Biloxi, Mississippi, has not yet begun in earnest. As the numbers of dead begin to climb, the Bush Administration is likely to face another wave of bitter criticism.
The White House damage control strategy has been two-pronged. First, the president and his top advisors have been dispatched to the disaster areas – twice for the president – for carefully stage-managed photo-ops with survivors and with state and local officials. The purpose of the former is to demonstrate that the president is on top of the situation and that he really cares about people. The latter has been designed to take some of the vinegar out of the stinging criticism of the federal government that has come from New Orleans' mayor and Louisiana's governor, who are both Democrats.
The president met with Louisiana's governor for an hour-and-a-half Monday, and both emerged from the meeting looking and sounding like they were finally on the same page.
The Republican majority leader in the Senate, Dr. Bill Frist of Tennessee, appeared at a press conference in Washington last night (Monday) to announce that both houses of Congress would be changing their after-recess schedule to consider legislation and hold hearings specifically focused on helping Katrina victims and communities.
Among other actions, he announced that the Homeland Security Committee of the Senate, led by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, would be holding hearings into the Katrina disaster. No date was given.
Frist had just returned from New Orleans where, as a physician, he had joined local doctors and many from other states in providing care to the sick and wounded.
But on Capitol Hill, the administration faced widespread criticism from Democrats, but also, in a more muted manner, from his own party.
The Republican line, as expressed by Sen. Frist and many others, was to acknowledge that mistakes had been made in the week between pre-Katrina notification of the oncoming calamity and the time the storm struck.
Some federal officials said uncertainty over who was in charge had
contributed to delays in providing aid and imposing order, and officials in
Louisiana complained that Washington disaster officials had blocked some
aid efforts.
Local and state resources were so weakened, said Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, that in the future federal authorities need to take "more of an upfront role earlier on, when we have these truly ultracatastrophes."
But federal, state and local officials insisted that the real problem was that
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which Mr. Chertoff's department oversees, failed to deliver urgently needed help and, through incomprehensible red tape, even thwarted others' efforts to help.
In the fiscal 2005 budget, the Bush Administration cut flood control funding for the Gulf States by about 50 percent. But, even fully funded, use of most of that money would not have been far enough along to have made a difference with Katrina. The Army Corps of Engineers has known for decades that a category four or five hurricane accompanied by a storm surge would be like to breach New Orleans' fragile defenses.
Leading Democrats were far less measured in their outrage.
Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, a Democrat, said today that she was so angry about federal failures and second-guessing that if she heard any more criticism of local efforts, even from the president, she might "punch" him.
In a Monday press conference, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, was visibly shaken with anger and frustration. He noted that the DHS "was founded to protect us, whether from a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. The tactics are different, but the result of both is the same."
Many others echoed his thought that, four years after 9/11, the country is still woefully unprepared to deal with mega-calamities in any organized way.
Former President Bill Clinton said the government "failed" the thousands of people who lived in coastal communities devastated by Katrina, and said a federal investigation was warranted in due time.
"Our government failed those people in the beginning, and I take it now there is no dispute about it," Clinton told CNN. "One hundred percent of the people recognize that -- that it was a failure." He and former President George H. W. Bush have launched the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund to help raise money for those left homeless by the storm.
His wife, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat of New York, called on President Bush on Sunday to appoint an independent national commission to examine the relief effort. She also said that she intends to introduce legislation to remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restore its previous status as an independent agency with cabinet-level status.
FEMA was an independent cabinet-level agency until it was merged into the mammoth Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans was among those most vociferous in expressing his frustration. "We're still fighting over authority," he told reporters. "A bunch of people are the boss. The state and federal government are doing a two-step dance."
Homeland Security department secretary Michael Chertoff tried to deflect the criticism of his department and FEMA by saying there would be time later to decide what went wrong. Chertoff said he recognized that the local government's capacity to respond to the disaster was severely compromised by the hurricane and flood.
"What happened here was that essentially, the demolishment of that state and
local infrastructure, and I think that really caused the cascading series of
breakdowns," he said.
But Mayor Nagin said the root of the breakdown was the failure of the federal
government to deliver relief supplies and personnel quickly.
"Whatever the criticisms and the after-action report may be about what was right and what was wrong looking back, what would be a horrible tragedy would be to distract ourselves from avoiding further problems because we're spending time talking about problems that have already occurred," Chertoff said on national television.
But far from deferring to state or local officials, said a local official, FEMA asserted its authority and made things worse.
Governor Blanco announced Saturday that she had hired James Lee Witt, the
director of FEMA during the Clinton administration, to advise her on the
recovery.
And, in one of what will doubtless be dozens of shocking revelations that will emerge over time, Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, told the New Orleans newspaper, the Times-Picayune, that top DHS AND FEMA officials listened in on electronic briefings given by his staff in advance of Katrina slamming Louisiana and Mississippi--and were advised of the storm's potential deadly effects.
"Mayfield said the strength of the storm and the potential disaster it could bring were made clear during both the briefings and in formal advisories, which warned of a storm surge capable of overtopping levees in New Orleans and winds strong enough to blow out windows of high-rise buildings," the paper reported. "He said the briefings included information on expected wind speed, storm surge, rainfall and the potential for tornados to accompany the storm as it came ashore. We were briefing them way before landfall," Mayfield said. "It's not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the levee could be topped."
For the president, the storm is far from over, though it is too soon to assess the extent of permanent political damage he will suffer.
RENQUIST'S LEGACY
As the late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William H. Renquist, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, legal scholars, media analysts, and an endless stream of TV "talking heads", continued to debate his legacy – and attempted to draw comparisons to his proposed successor, Judge John G. Roberts.
Rehnquist died Saturday at the age of 80, after battling thyroid cancer for a year. Arguably more than any other justice in Supreme Court history, Renquist was responsible for the Court's tilt toward to right.
The Chief Justice served on the Court for 19 years, including 14 years as an associate justice. His service was one of the longest – and contentious – in the Court's history.
When, at 47, President Richard M. Nixon named him to the Court as an associate justice in 1971, Rehnquist had already established his credentials as a "Goldwater conservative", far outside the then mainstream of jurisprudence.
An assistant attorney general in the Justice Department, he was chosen to begin to carry out Nixon's fervent desire to un-do the liberal inclinations of the court, dating back to the tenure of Chief Justice Earl Warren. It was the Warren Court that decided, for example, that racial segregation in schools was "inherently unequal", overturning the "separate but equal" legal precedent in force since 1896.
But Renquist's first two years on the Court cast him as a voice in the wilderness. Surrounded by liberal jurists like Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, and Associate Justices like William O. Douglas, William J. Brennan Jr. and Thurgood Marshall, he was often the only dissenter in court opinions.
For example, he was the lone dissenter in a death penalty case in 1981, writing, "The existence of the death penalty in this country is virtually an illusion,"
complaining that "virtually nothing happens except endlessly drawn-out legal proceedings." Renquist felt there were too many procedural obstacles blocking states from carrying out the death penalty.
But Renquist's view ultimately prevailed. The combination of legislation and
Supreme Court decisions accelerated imposition of the death penalty beginning in the 1990s.
Renquist's ability to dominate the Court was bolstered by the appointment of other conservative justices during the Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations. President Reagan appointed him Chief Justice in 1986. Justices Antonin Scalia, also appointed by Reagan in 1986, and Clarence Thomas, appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1991, amplified Renquist's voice for federalism.
Rehnquist was a tireless advocate of what he called "pluralism", by which he meant increasing rights for states versus federal power and fierce defense of an independent judiciary, but one that nonetheless believed in a limited role for the federal courts.
"Don't concentrate all the power in one place, " he once said.
This philosophy translated into many decisions that affirmed the right of states to legislate and adjudicate powers not specifically reserved to the federal government.
Rehnquist favored government accommodation of religion. He advocated for limiting the power of government agencies to take race into account in setting public policy. And his interpretation of the Constitution viewed a government of limited, defined powers, not a charter of broad, unenumerated rights.
For example, the Rehnquist court upheld the authority of police to conduct searches and have the results introduced as evidence; enhanced the immunity of police officers from lawsuits for constitutional violations; and reduced
the role of the federal courts in reviewing state-court criminal convictions.
The Renquist court also took a limited view of the guarantee of due process of law. In one high-profile case, it rejected a due process challenge to state laws that prohibit physician-assisted suicide.
In another case, the court rejected a number of Congressional districts drawn by Southern state legislatures in order to elect black representatives.
But Rehnquist did not win all his battles. Perhaps his most famous setback came in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, in which he was one of only two dissenters (the other was Justice Byron R. White). That landmark decision recognized a Constitutional right to abortion. He lost again – this time by a single vote -- in another abortion case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992 that would have overruled Roe.
Again, in a 1989 case, Texas v. Johnson, the court ruled that flag-burning was a form of political expression protected by the First Amendment, and Renquist was the only dissenting voice.
Some of his most consequential opinions involved limits on the meaning of the Constitution's due process guarantee. He was reluctant to use due process to establish new rights or limit state power.
In his majority opinion in a 1976 case, Paul v. Davis, the court held that a man who had been falsely identified as a convicted shoplifter could not sue the police chief for violating the 14th amendment's guarantee of due process of law.
Rehnquist's majority opinion in another case, United States v. Lopez in 1995, accelerated the debate over federal authority. The court found unconstitutional a law, the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990, making it a federal crime to carry a gun within 1,000 feet of a school.
In the Lopez case, the court focused on the Commerce Clause in the Constitution. This clause – which gives Congress authority to regulate interstate commerce -- had been the principal source of Congressional hegemony over national affairs.
Renquist wrote that possession of guns near schools "has nothing to do with 'commerce' or any sort of economic enterprise, however broadly one might define those terms,"
The Lopez case led to numerous other decisions expanding state immunity from federal regulation and limiting the authority of Congress. Nearly all were decided by 5-to-4 votes.
That trend suffered a setback during the Court's last term, when Renquist dissented in a 6 to 3 decision to uphold the power of Congress to prohibit the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
During Rehnquist's tenure, however, undoubtedly the most controversial decision came in the 5-to-4 Bush v. Gore ruling that ended the 2000 presidential election and the 36-day post-election period of lawsuits and recounts.
The court ruled that a lack of uniform standards for counting ballots from county to county meant that a recount would violate the constitutional guarantee of equal protection. There was no time to fix the problem, the majority held, so there could be no further counting.
Rehnquist's concurring opinion argued that the Florida Supreme Court had usurped the State Legislature's authority, under the Constitution and a federal statute, to determine the rules for conducting elections.
While Renquist ordinarily stuck to his conservative judicial philosophy, his decisions were not without surprises. For example, he voted with the 7-2 majority in a June 2000 decision reaffirming one of the Warren Court's most famous and disputed rulings, Miranda v. Arizona, which required the police to advise suspects of their right to counsel and to remain silent.
The Miranda warnings "have become part of our national culture," he wrote.
With the probability that the conservative Judge Roberts will be confirmed by the Senate as Renquist's successor – and President Bush's nomination of another conservative to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor – it is likely that the shift to the right begun by Renquist will not only continue, but accelerate.
THE PRICE OF SECRECY
During 2004, the Bush Administration issued more secret court orders, spent $148 creating new classified documents for every $1 spent releasing old ones, invoked the 'state secrets' privilege in court cases more frequently than ever before, and received 25 per cent more requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
These are among the findings of a new "Secrecy Report Card" prepared by
OpenTheGovernment.org, a coalition of organizations dedicated to lifting the "shroud of secrecy" from local, state and federal governments.
The report, written by Rick Blum, the organization's director, charges that "Secrecy continues to expand across a broad spectrum of activities. Openness in our government and society is increasingly threatened. A keystone value of our democracy, openness more practically helps root out abuse of power, bad decisions or embarrassing facts that may put lives at risk."
Among such "embarrassing facts" is that "the military gave U.S. troops in Iraq body armor vests that failed ballistics tests". Documented by reports obtained under the federal Freedom of Information act (FOIA), this decision was reversed and the body armor recalled once the story was about to hit the newsstands, the report says.
The report reveals that in 2004:
The secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court – a key tool in the application of the USA Patriot Act -- approved 1,754 orders and rejected none. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) must request such a court order before it can place anyone in the U.S. under surveillance, but since its founding in 1978 it has denied only four such requests.
For every $1 the federal government spent releasing old secrets, it spent $148 creating new ones -- a $28 jump from 2003. In contrast, from 1997 to 2001, the government spent less than $20 per year keeping secrets for every dollar spent declassifying them.
The government spent $7.2 billion securing classified information, more than any annual cost in at least a decade. With 15.6 million new documents stamped 'secret' in fiscal year 2004, the government created 81 percent more secrets than it did in the year prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The government spent $460 to secure each of its classified documents, in addition to the cost of maintaining its accumulated secrets.
Nearly two-thirds of the 7,045 meetings of federal advisory committees that fall under the Federal Advisory Committee Act were completely closed to the public, undermining one purpose of the law.
The public made 4,080,737 requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) -- a 25 percent jump in overall requests from the previous year, despite only a 5 percent rise (to $336.8 million) in spending on FOIA. Of the roughly 90 agencies surveyed by the Department of Justice, 84 per cent were unable to keep up with FOIA requests they received.
To reduce their caseloads, agencies may be denying more requests on technicalities than they have in the past or are waiving fees less often. One public interest group, the People For the American Way, was told its request for documents about people detained as part of government anti-terrorism efforts would cost the group nearly $400,000.
The "state secrets" privilege, which allows a sitting U.S. president to withhold documents from the courts, Congress and the public, was used only four times between 1953 and 1976 but, since 2001, has been used 23 times -- 33 times more often than during the height of the Cold War.
At least 62 new state laws expanded secrecy in 2004 while only 38 strengthened open government.
The government now uses at least 50 types of designations to restrict unclassified information deemed "sensitive but unclassified." Many of these numerous terms are duplicative, vague, and endanger the protection of necessary secrets by allowing excessive secrecy to prevail in our open society.
Over the last decade, whistleblowers helped the federal government recover
$7,626,566,750, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Justice. The large savings for taxpayers comes even as court decisions have undermined whistleblower protections passed by Congress in 1989. The report estimates that 2005 recoveries are likely to total over one billion dollars.
The current report is an expanded edition of the first "Secrecy Report Card" issued last year. It comes "at a time when secrecy continues to expand", but also "at a time when there is a vocal chorus pushing back against secrecy", the report says, pointing to several pieces of pending federal legislation designed to give citizens more efficient access to government documents.
Many other open government advocates agree that 2004 has been a discouraging year for transparency.
Steven Aftergood, who heads the Project on Government Secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists, declares, "As a society we seem to be losing our ability to rationally debate complicated policy decisions. Secrecy aggravates the problem by excluding people from the debate, or by narrowing their frames of reference. Nothing less than the future of American democracy is at stake."
Eric R. Biel, Deputy Washington Director and Senior Counsel for Human Rights First, finds, "This report card is another searing indictment of a system out of control. For the most part this rapidly growing secrecy has not contributed to any real increase in national security."
Maria LaHood, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, represents Maher Arar in his case against the U.S. government, says, "Canadian citizen Arar sued U.S. Government officials for detaining him in New York on his way home to Canada and sending him to Syria where he was tortured and detained for nearly a year. The U.S. Government has argued that the bulk of Mr. Arar's case cannot be litigated because the reason he was sent to Syria instead of Canada is a state secret, which if disclosed would harm national security and foreign relations. If the Court accepts the Government's position, not only would the Government's policy of sending people to countries to be detained, interrogated and tortured be beyond judicial review, but so could any of the Government's illegal acts done in the name of 'national security'."
Beth Daley of the Project On Government Oversight, believes that "The expanding cloak of government secrecy is allowing more incompetence and cronyism to fester similar to the kind we've seen this week in the relief effort for hurricane Katrina."
Timothy H. Edgar, Legislative Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, cautions, "Basic information that is crucial to oversight of the government's new spy powers under the Patriot Act -- such as how it is using new powers to obtain personal records -- has been cloaked in secrecy, making it impossible to judge the effectiveness of these powers or their impact on civil liberties."
Dr. Jack N. Behrman, former assistant secretary of commerce and professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, notes, "The fact of secrecy makes the public question the truthfulness of what is made public. The final result is to weaken the institutions on which America was founded."
And Brian J. Foley, a professor at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, says, "Secrecy is the enemy of freedom. When politicians hide their deeds, citizens are rendered impotent. They're disabled from accepting or rejecting -- or helping shape or even correct -- the actions of the government that is supposed to serve them. It's not a government by, for or of the people when citizens aren't even allowed to discover what it's doing."
Posted by Unknown at Friday, September 09, 2005 3 comments:


There is a billing crisis in the City of Joburg - and it is worse than initially thought.
These are the words of the member of the mayoral committee (MMC) responsible for finance, Rabelani Dagada, who confirmed to The Star that the city was still receiving about 15 000 new complaints each month.
As at March 17, there were 44 000 queries being dealt with.
"This number is increasing because of constant estimations of consumption, which are often thumb-sucked by meter readers," Dagada said.
"It was embarrassing to write off R8 billion debt two years ago which was said to be non-traceable, but which could have been traced. It is not necessarily corruption - it could be that the data is incorrect," he said.
Global content and technology solutions provider, LexisNexis South Africa, is officially opening a new office in Port Elizabeth.
With PE being described as a fast-rising software development city in the Eastern Cape province, the new outlet includes a software development centre through which LexisNexis intends to tap into the province's burgeoning computer science and information technology graduate base.
Head of production, Peter Raine, said the establishment of the office in the promising suburb of Humewood followed LexisNexis' acquisition of Korbitec in November 2015.
"What was largely a Korbitec sales operation in Port Elizabeth has now been expanded significantly to include a strong focus on software development. This is in line with one of the company's core values of innovation, which sees us strive to deliver tomorrow's software solutions, today, in line with advances in technology," he said.
It's interesting how model rental property tenants often morph into nightmare tenants when they move out. Sadly, the combination of damage left to the property with unpaid utility bills and rent is often enough to completely wipe out any returns the owner might have hoped to make for the year.
PayProp CEO Louw Liebenberg says that most damage cases arise as a result of tenants leaving the property earlier than the lease-period.
In addition, in most cases, the damage is accompanied by non-payment of the last month's rent.
"This kind of situation is the sad reality of managing a portfolio of rental properties -but the good news is that there are ways to avoid landing up in this predicament," says Liebenberg.
In April 2017, the FNB House Price Index showed some further acceleration in year-on-year growth compared with the March rate, after having gone through a "dip" late in 2016.
This remains in line with recent signals of renewed strengthening in the economy. The key risk, however, remains how recent policy developments, including a major cabinet reshuffle and subsequent ratings downgrades, play out on sentiment within the Household Sector and thus the housing market. However, at this stage it is too early to tell from the April house price data.


In Campus Outreach circles, you would be hard-pressed to find a word that is more often used than "labor" (in some form). Our very mission statement is "Glorifying God by building laborers on the campus for the lost world" (italics mine). We believe that a great need in the world is for believers to expend their energy for the sake of the growth and progress of other people's faith (Philippians 1:25). Jesus calls us to pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest field (Matthew 9:38). Paul speaks of his labor to present everyone mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28-29), and he later tells the Corinthians that their labor in Christ is never in vain (I Corinthians 15:58). It is clear that the call to believers is to work with all the strength Christ gives, and so we aim to see our lives characterized by labor.
Then there's the other side of the coin. The offer of the gospel is not labor; it is rest. In fact, Jesus calls "all who labor and are heavy laden" (Matthew 11:28) to come to Him to find rest in place of their labor. Jesus labored on our behalf, finishing a work that we were unable to perform, and leaving us to rest in His love and righteousness. Rest is also a consistent theme in biblical descriptions of heaven, of which the gospel is a clear picture. God's full presence, which is the essence of heaven, is actually called His "rest" in Psalm 95:11. So we would be remiss not to talk about rest with frequency and zeal.
But how do these two seemingly contradictory themes work together? Are we building laborers or resters? Or is it simply both? I would argue that it is not simply both. There is a trajectory here, a progression, hence "Labor to Rest" as opposed to "Labor & Rest" (though the ampersand would have been cool). We do not simply sometimes labor and sometimes rest; rather, labor is the means and rest is the end.
It would be inaccurate to say that life in this world is simply labor while life in the new earth is simply rest (though I may argue that the second half of that proposition is true). This life is where the labor lies, but this life is also where rest lies in the aforementioned gospel. So we ought to be quick to aim our labor at the proper target: rest. We do not box as if beating the air. We do not work hard just to work hard. We fight for rest, both ours and others'.
When it comes to our personal battle, we know that our unresting, anxious flesh cannot be quiet. There is no peace for it (Isaiah 57:20-21). It is relentless, constantly clamoring for exaltation and unsatisfied as it plunders the idols of the world. But God calls us to be still in the knowledge of Him (Psalm 46:10), to calm and quiet our souls as weaned children(Psalm 131:2), to be content in all circumstances (Philippians 4:11-12). We are saved in returning and rest, in quietness and trust(Isaiah 30:15). His yoke is, of course, easy (Matthew 11:30). But because the fleshly nature still resides in us, and because we want desperately to rest, we are involved in a tooth-and-nail battle for that rest. It is an agonizing fight to the death, and with the Spirit in our hearts, showing us the glory of all that Christ is for us, we will win.
When it comes to laboring for others (the CO mission statement's connotation), the same trajectory applies. We are not laborers just because Christians are to labor. We, as those who have received the good news of rest in Christ, toil that others might know and live in that rest. We know that they are harassed and helpless, unable to be quiet, just as we still can be in our own flesh. But they have no option for rest, so we labor to the end that they, by the quickening work of the Spirit, know the sweet relief of forgiveness, of unfailing love, of eternal hope.
So there will be lots about labor and lots about rest in the posts that follow, but make no mistake, one is always headed toward the other.


In an effort to maximize and leverage the state's abundant wind and solar resources, the Iowa Economic Development Authority has awarded a $200,000 grant to support systems research of two local solar-plus-storage projects. Led by Ideal Energy, information gathered from these unique projects will be analyzed by researchers based at Iowa State University to inform how future grid investments can be better optimized to deliver low cost electricity for utilities and consumers in the state.
While storage projects are on the rise in western and eastern states, the economic viability of battery technology is still in question throughout the Midwest due to a general lack of area-specific research. As a national leader in wind energy with a burgeoning solar market, officials in Iowa are eager to study the role battery storage can play when integrated with distributed generation.
According to Brian Selinger, Team Leader for the Iowa Energy Office, "storage provides a whole host of opportunities for Iowa with wind and solar", but the real challenge lies in designing a comprehensive approach to distributed generation and storage that addresses the state's unique economic, legislative, regulatory, and financial needs. The state has several efforts underway to support this analysis, including the Iowa Energy Storage Committee, an 18-person stakeholder group that includes representatives from academia, utilities, environmental organizations, and government agencies.
With growing state support behind solar-plus-storage research and the expected 2019 release of a storage action plan by the Iowa Energy Storage Committee, Iowa is positioning itself to be a storage leader in the Midwest for years to come.


As I've mentioned, L's had a (blissfully) trouble-free pregnancy. But, the last couple of weeks have started to wear on her.
She had some sort of weird rash on her back and upper chest (which is finally getting better) – that the doctors thought might be fungal but didn't want to prescribe anything due to her advanced gestational state.
Her voice sounds like she has a cold. However, she's not sick. We think this might be related to heartburn or reflux.
Speaking of heartburn, she's had a lot of it lately. Indeed, she was up a good bit of the night dealing first with heartburn and then some sort of pain in her upper back. This is starting to become a recurring theme.
Needless to say, she's ready for Emerson to arrive.
Yesterday, I learned via a voicemail that I have a "mildly atypical (dyplastic) nevus" which Dr. Google tells me is pathology-speak for a "slightly funny looking mole." The good news is that this isn't cancer. The (slightly) bad news is that it means I will need more investigation and biopsies (mostly precautionary, I assume). And, I'll likely need to remain under the observation of a dermatologist for the rest of my life, as I'm now twice more likely to get melanoma than a typical person (though it's far from a foregone conclusion and far less likely than someone with a history of melanoma in their family).
I'll find out more details today when I speak to the doctor's office.


Starters, an entertaining dystopian novel that lovers of the Hunger Games will enjoy, follows our protagonist, sixteen- year old Callie, as she handles a world where only Starters (children and teens) and Enders (seniors over the age of sixty) have survived after the Spore Wars. Filled with mystery, romance, and action, this book will make it difficult to get any work done.
After the Spore Wars wipes out everyone between the ages twenty and sixty, sixteen-year old Callie and her younger brother ,Tyler, are left on their own to defend themselves from renegades and squat in homes for survival.Worried about the safety and health of her brother, Callie seeks out her only hope, Prime Destinations, a company that secretly hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, otherwise known as Enders. Through this company, Callie is given the opportunity to make enough money to purchase a home for her and her brother to live in. While being rented, the neurochip that Prime Destinations implanted in her head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter only to find that her renter plans to use her for more than just a chance to feel young again.
Starters turned out to be a very entertaining read. I found it impossible to stop thinking about. The plot of the story is filled with many twists and turns that eradicate any chance of a dull moment. The author did a wonderful job at creating a believable character. Callie is a strong, brazen protagonist that does whatever it takes to provide for her younger brother. I have read countless novels where the women protagonist ends up relying on her love interest to save her from any problem that comes her way. Callie is a character that uses her brains and skills to get the job done on her own.
If you're looking for a book that's not filled with a sappy, cliché love story, this is the one for you. The romance was kept at a tolerable level, but it's still enough to make you swoon over her handsome love interest. If you're more attracted to mystery, don't worry, there's a slice in here for you. The biggest overshadowing mystery that was constantly swirling through my mind was "What exactly does the renter want to use her body to do?" Slowly piecing the clues together became my newest hobby. I would stay up until the wee hours of the morning trying to figure it out before I reached the end of the novel.
To close, I'd like to say that this is a great read. There are just so many different elements in it that readers of romance, mystery, and action can all be drawn to it. The characters are lovable and the plot is entrancing. Just beware, when you pick this up, be prepared to be hooked.


You haven't heard this name before, right? You are even having difficulties pronouncing it? Well things are about to change as the Chinese carmaker SsangYong sets it sights on launching a small crossover named the Tivoli, next year. It will appear first in Korea in January 2015, with a release date in Europe and the UK likely at the end of 2015.
The XIV-Air and XIV-Adventure concepts were first unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October. They gave us an idea about what the car might look like and the production Tivoli wouldn't be that far from the concept. The roof may not be the same as the Targa.
The new crossover is aimed at the Nissan Juke and features far more modern exterior styling than we've seen before from SsangYong, and gives us a first look at the brand's new global design language. The Tivoli's interior will apparently offer "the modernity of a luxurious living space, with a stylish and contemporarylook". Equipment is likely to include Bluetooth audio, a rear-view camera, dual-zone climate control and a good amount of modern safety kit.
Engines at launch will be limited to two 1.6-litre engines, in either petrol or diesel form. They will both be offered with a choice of two or four-wheel drive, with a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. Power outputs are yet to be confirmed, but the two-wheel-drive diesel concept will emit around 120g/km of CO2.
Prices are unconfirmed, but we can expect the Tivoli at a starting price tag of around £13,000 when it reaches UK.


Concert Description: Local music drawn from our 2018 Call for Scores. StageFree partners with Dupont Underground to present a thrilling concert of music written exclusively by composers living in the Washington region. Music by Dawn Avery, Armando Bayolo, Michael Bratt, Ashi Day, Joshua Fishbein, Bradley Green, Andy Herring, Stephen Lilly, Christopher Newman, Robert Pound, Carrie, Rose, and Ross Wixon.
No upcoming presentations, but check back soon for updates!
Description: At New Music DC in 2018, we heard from experts in music entrepreneurship, marketing, and new music criticism, weighed in on commissioning compositions, explored the joys and challenges of running a new music organization, and networked with our colleagues! Two Saturday concerts featured works from DNMC's summer calls-for-scores, and a "Spotlight" concert comprised chamber music by District5 Wind Quintet, and soloists from the Boulanger Initiative performing the works of women composers.
Location: University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C.
Location: American University in Washington, D.C.


We are searching for a Sales Account Manager for our Europe Sales territory. The focus of this Sales role is to develop and grow our IP Cores and Cryptology customer business, with focus on strategic customer relationships and opportunities. Your main responsibility is to achieve assigned sales targets by developing and maintaining customer accounts.
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The Nobis Global Action Model is ideal for schools or programs looking for ways to add an international dimension to their classes using an innovative project-based learning approach to service-learning and global citizenship education. It guides K-12 students to comprehend current affairs and to devise ways to respond to local, national or global issues through a solutions-based model. Students critically analyze issues that impact our society and take action in a meaningful way.
This model also allows schools or programs to increase service-learning opportunities by providing a method that requires minimal transportation coordination yet maintains the high-quality benefits found in traditional service-learning programs. Our researched and teacher tested model has proven successful in teaching participants five dimensions of civic engagement: values, knowledge, skills, efficacy, and empathy.
The Nobis Global Action Model is helpful for schools with large immigrant populations, in racially or economically diverse schools, and in more homogeneous student populations to expose students to the value of learning from different perspectives. This model provides a framework for teaching 21st Century Skills, meets Common Core standards, enhances critical thinking and is appropriate for students K-12.
Inspiring Introduction: In the Nobis Global Action program, where much of the learning is independently carried out, the introduction to project is critical to soliciting commitment from students. In order to bridge the distance of the international topic to the classroom, the teacher's initial presentation must capture the personal experience behind the topic.
Student-Led Learning: After the introduction, the teacher's role changes from instructor to facilitator and the students become responsible for their learning, which occurs during the student led process. It includes problem-solving, working as a team, and designing a project from start to finish. When students take part in decision-making they take responsibility in seeing the project through.
Research: In the Nobis Global Action Model, students learn about an international issue through independent and group research. The students select an aspect of the topic to further investigate. Lessons on media-literacy play an integral role in this step.
Action Design and Implementation: Service to others occurs during this step. Students determine a need, related to the topic, and a means to directly respond. This service, unlike traditional service-learning programs, does not involve the students having direct contact with the recipients of the service. Through this indirect service students learn how to envision, design and implement a project as a team.
Reflection: Ongoing organized reflection along each step of the Nobis Global Action project is critical. Reflection serves as a means for students to make connections between their classroom experiences, their previous knowledge and the new knowledge under investigation.
All participants of Nobis World programs receive training in the Nobis Global Action Model including a copy of the facilitators guide ebook.
To order your advance copy of the Nobis Global Action Model Facilitators Guide ebook, send an email to info@nobisproject.org.


For the first time, the Fronius 2015 wall calendar contains pictures taken exclusively by Fronius employees. Following a competition, the 12 most exciting photos were selected from over 400 entries. Here you can discover the story behind each winning picture. If you find one of the pictures particularly appealing, you can download it as a desktop background for your computer.


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BEAST (2022) – Idris Elba Anchors Solid African Adventure
Posted on August 21, 2022 by marruda3
For an actor as talented and as popular as Idris Elba, he sure has made his share of bad movies.
And based on the trailers for his latest, BEAST (2022), a tale where he plays a dad protecting his two daughters from a menacing lion in the wilds of Africa, I expected this one to be added to that list. The good news is BEAST is not a bad movie.
BEAST opens in Africa, where we see a bunch of poachers killing a pride of lions, but the male lion gets away and moments later returns to attack and kill the poachers who had remained in search of him. So, right off the bat, we learn that this isn't just some random hungry lion, but rather, an animal with an agenda. He's out for revenge, against the poachers or any other human who gets in his way!
Cue Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) and his two teenage daughters Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Jeffries) who arrive in Africa from the U.S. to reconnect after the death of Nate's wife and the girls' mother. Nate and his wife had been separated, and while separated, she had died from cancer. Meredith blames her dad for not being there for their mother while she was sick, and the guilt is something Nate carries with him deeply. He never intended not to be there for his wife, and he wants to make amends now by being there for his daughters. His wife was born in Africa, hence the trip, to reconnect with her roots.
They are greeted by Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), Nate's good friend and uncle to his daughters. Martin is the man who introduced Nate to his wife, and so they all share a special connection. Martin spends his days helping the authorities keep the poachers away from the animals. When he takes Nate and his daughters out for a ride through the wilds of Africa, they unfortunately cross paths with the vengeful lion from the movie's opening, an animal with only one goal in mind: kill every human it comes in contact with.
And that's the set up for the rest of the movie, as it pits Elba's Dr. Nate Samuels against the vicious lion, as Nate vows never again to let his daughters down.
As premises go, the one in BEAST isn't bad, but it's not great either. The reason it works however is the material is handled well by everyone involved.
The screenplay by Ryan Engle, based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan, rises above the material mostly because the dialogue is excellent, and it gets the dynamic between Nate and his daughters right. They act like real people, and when you put real people in danger, you have an exciting movie. There is just so much stress in the conversations between Nate and his daughters, and all of it comes off as real. It also helps that both Meredith and Norah have distinctive personalities. There's one scene where Nate tells his daughters to stay behind while he goes up ahead to see what's going on, and when Martin tells him to run, and he turns to say the same to the girls, he sees that Norah is missing, and he asks Meredith where she is, and she says she was there minute ago. As Nate desperately searches for his youngest daughter, he says to Meredith, "You had one job!" In this one moment, you have genuine father/daughter angst plus the suspense of the rogue lion closing in on them.
Engle co-wrote the screenplay to RAMPAGE (2018), a very different "attacking animal" movie, as that film, which told the story of a giant ape and some other giant monsters, was based on the popular video game and was high camp and was a perfect vehicle for Dwayne Johnson. Engle also wrote a pair of Liam Neeson action thrillers, THE COMMUTER (2018) and NON-STOP (2014), both of which were formulaic but ultimately worked because they were Liam Neeson action thrillers! I liked these movies, and BEAST is not only on par with them, but it's probably the best of the lot for creating realistic believable characters.
Director Baltasar Kormakur also does a nice job here. First and foremost, the lion scenes are intense, better than I expected. Sure, it's CGI, but it looks really good. The best part is the lion moves with a speed and a ferocity that is quite scary. There are these quick bursts of insane aggressive energy which jostle the audience. Even though the final outcome of this movie is never in question, the lion sequences where he constantly attacks Nate and his daughters are quite suspenseful.
And of course, the film takes place in the wilds of Africa, which is a plus. I believe it was movie critic Gene Siskel who once said when he was reviewing the Sidney Pollack film OUT OF AFRICA (1985), a love story starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford which took place in Africa, that any movie which was set in Africa would be improved just by the scenery and setting alone. He wasn't wrong.
But I didn't go to see BEAST because of its African scenery or its marauding lion. I went to see it because of Idris Elba. As I said, he's a terrific actor, and I'm a big fan. And yes, he has made his share of bad movies…. NO GOOD DEED (2014) and THE DARK TOWER (2017) come to mind…. but the thing about Elba is, regardless of the movie, he always delivers a top performance and often lifts up lesser movies by his performance alone. And when he's in a movie that really works, like THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021) for example, the results are usually outstanding.
Elba is terrific here in the lead role as Dr. Nate Samuels, a man who is guilt-ridden over the death of his wife, since he wasn't there for her, and who is hell-bent on protecting his daughters from the menacing lion. He's also believable in the physical aspects of the role, having to go toe to toe— or is it claw to claw?— with the lion, even if towards the end some of the sequences do border on the far-fetched. The other neat thing about his character is at first his daughters seem to have lost a lot of respect for him, and later, when his skills as a doctor become so important to their survival, and they witness this, it makes for some noteworthy moments.
Of course, the gold standard for Elba fans remains his work on the superior TV show LUTHER (2010-2019). And for years now, Elba's name has been floated as possibly being the next James Bond, and even though the producers of that series are supposedly seriously interested in him for the role, he's on record this year as saying he's not interested in Bond, so it sounds like that's not going to happen. Which is too bad. He'd be really good.
Both Iyana Halley as Meredith and Leah Jeffries as Norah bring their characters to life, and they represent a complicated family dynamic that only ads to the tension in the film. They are both fiercely independent characters, and for example, at one point when Nate tells them to say inside the vehicle, Meredith believes otherwise and doesn't listen to her father. What makes this moment and these characters work is that she's not wrong, She sets out to do something she believes she can do, and she does it.
It's been a while since I've seen Sharlto Copley in a movie, and he's fine here in a supporting role as family friend and guide Martin Battles. Back in his heyday, Copley was playing major roles in some pretty big science fiction movies, as the soft-spoken hero in DISTRICT 9 (2009) and as the violent and vicious villain in ELYSIUM (2013).
BEAST was better than I expected. It's a well-written movie that creates believable characters and puts them in danger. For the most part, it keeps things realistic, although things do grow more far-fetched towards the end, and its ending does strain credibility. I think most people would be dead when put in similar predicaments. Elba's Nate pretty much challenges the lion to a hand-to-hand combat battle. Yeah. That's the one part of the movie that— yeah.
But the rest is all very good. You have an exciting story throughout, amazing African scenery, and yet another worthy performance by Idris Elba anchoring the whole thing.
BEAST is a genuine popcorn movie that provides solid summertime entertainment.
Give it a roar!
Action movie Adventure movies Dwayne Johnson Idris Elba James Bond movies Meryl Streep Michael Arruda movie reviews Thrillers Uncategorized action moviesadventure moviesBEAST (2022BEAST (2022) movie reviewBEAST (2022) reviewIdris ElbaMichael Arruda movie reviewmovies set in AfricaSharlto CopleyThrillers
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Compared to people of other body constitutions, those of a neutral body type have fewer things to worry about and a shorter list of food to avoid.
However, that doesn't mean they can do anything and not care about their body.
To slow down skin ageing, for example, they need to be careful about their diet.
Sleeping late or not getting enough sleep, overeating and having too much cold drinks would speed up the process.
Principal skincare rules for neutral people are taking sun protection, regular skin moisturizing and nourishing, and maintaining the balance of yin and yang energies in the body.
Sun protection. Everyone should use quality sunscreen products to protect their delicate skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Moisturizing and nourishing the skin regularly. The skin, especially the bottom layer, should be amply moisturized always.
Apply deep hydrating masks or use homemade facial masks containing herbal ingredients such as Solomon's seal, glehnia root and rehmannia glutinosa.
Consider day cream or night cream with ingredients that have self-repairing properties like ginseng, pearl powder and caterpillar fungus.
Maintaining the balance of yin and yang. Avoid anything that could disturb the natural state of balance of the skin such as taking invasive beauty procedures, applying irritating skincare products, eating overly hot or cold food items.
Herbs such as chenpi, or sun-dried tangerine peel, white peony root, tree peony root bark and licorice root can help maintain the balance of yin and yang.
Here's a recipe of an anti-ageing soup that can replenish blood and vital energy, facilitate natural bowel movement and promote skin elasticity.
It is delicious and nutritious and can be taken once or twice a week.
1. Wash all ingredients thoroughly. Cut the root off the red amaranth leaves. Put the radix pseudostellariae into a loose tea filter bag.
2. Soak the dried scallops until softened and tear them apart into threads. Keep the scallop water for the cooking.
3. Add and heat all ingredients except red amaranth leaves and salt into the water till it boils. Turn the stove on medium-low fire and cook the soybeans till they are soft.
4. Add the red amaranth leaves. Use a stronger stove fire if you like.
5. When the leaves are well done, take away the filter bag of radix pseudostellariae. Add salt to fine-tune the soup before serving.


The strainer that was the site of the fatality has been cut loose from the bank from what I hear. As I understand the verbal report the tree is still in the channel but along the river left bank. Seems that it is creating a reactinoary wave in the runout of the channel / rapid. The channel is open and runable but beware what may be just under the surface in the runout.
1.5 miles below Glen Wilton was the site of a fatality on 6-16-09 involving a strainer. The strainer was / is blocking the main flow channel around a very small island. Victim was not wearing a lifejacket and was fishing from a single person inflatable raft. Always keep your eyes peeled for strainers. I added some map images to show where it is. During normal summer flows this BLOCKED channel will be the only route around the gravel bar and it should be considered completely blocked for now. The stainer is a large mature hardwood that has fallin across the channel from river LEFT. The tree is new and large enough that it may be here for a while (or until the next major flood?). Be vigilent on this stretch for this stainer in particular and be ready to scout and portage if needed.


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Diyarê Felekê: Yazidi cemetery in Rojava
The Diyarê Felekê cemetery in northern Syria is a sacred place for the Yazidi population of the surrounding villages. In addition to Yazidi sheikhs, people who were killed in the invasions of Shengal and Afrin are buried here.
Sunday, 23 May 2021, 16:08
The Diyarê Felekê cemetery, located north of the district of Tirbêspiyê, is a sacred place for the Yazidi population of the surrounding villages and is frequently visited. The typical pointed domes stand for enlightenment, sun and the endlessness of life in the Yazidi belief.
There is another Yazidi cemetery in the village of Mizgeftê. The history of these cemeteries dates back to 1925. Diyarê Felekê was built by Yazidi Heci Gorgin and is named after a story about Mîr Meh, who was popular and respected in Yazidi society and met a woman named Felek while traveling. The cemetery contains numerous gravesites of Yazidi sheikhs, including Sheikh Nasir Mirza. There are also dozens of Yazidi people buried here who were killed by the "Islamic State" in Shengal in 2014 and by the Turkish state in Afrin in 2018.
There is also a "wishing tree" on the grounds of the cemetery. The Yazidis attach their wishes to the mulberry tree at Sheikh Nasir's gravesite and pray to Tawûsê Melek. Especially on holidays and special occasions, the cemetery is a center of attraction for the local Yazidi population.


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Sports Speakers 360 Blog
Sports Celebrity News
Bill Walton to be Keynote Speaker at 2015 KidWorks Fundraiser
November 3, 2015 By SS360 Staff Leave a Comment
ORANGE COUNTY, CA. — Former NBA star Bill Walton will be the keynote speaker at this year's KidWorks' 2015 Foundation for Success fundraising luncheon. The event takes on Nov. 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, Santa Ana/Orange County Airport. Event sponsorships are available from $2,500 up to $50,000. Individual and corporate donations at any level are welcomed. Sponsorship can be arranged at www. kidworksonline.org, Individual tickets will be available for sale in mid-September if the event is not sold out. Source: OCRegister.
Walton is a retired NBA basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved super stardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while leading the Bruins to two Division I national titles. He then went on to have a prominent career in the NBA where he was the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and won two NBA championships. His professional career was significantly hampered by multiple foot injuries. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 10, 1993 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame that same year.
Sports Speakers 360 is a booking agent for pro athletes. If you would like to book Bill Walton for a speaking engagement, appearance or endorsement, contact Bill Walton's booking agent for fees at 1.855.303.5450.
Filed Under: Basketball News, Sports Speakers Tagged With: Bill Walton Agent, Bill Walton Speaker
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Dr. Neesha Pammi earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Stony Brook, New York. She received her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at State University of New York School of Medicine, in Brooklyn. In 2003, she became a hospitalist at Scripps Green Hospital in San Diego. At the end of 2003 she moved with her family to Northern California and continued her work as a hospitalist at John Muir Medical Center. She later joined an internal medicine private practice in Walnut Creek. In 2014, she joined BASS Medical Group and continues to serve the Walnut Creek area and surrounding communities.


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Home » Eighth Blackbird and Lucy Shelton
Eighth Blackbird and Lucy Shelton
by Barbara Yaross March 23, 2006 August 19, 2021
The members of the new-music ensemble Eighth Blackbird create a remarkable range of sounds with a riveting intensity. For this program they and soprano Lucy Shelton will perform Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, his last important work in the expressionist style and his first to use sprechstimme, an often eerie-sounding combination of spoken and sung text at designated pitches. Highly melodramatic and primarily atonal, the work sets 21 poems by Albert Giraud: the first act concerns love, sex, and religion, the second a more hallucinatory and nightmarish world, and the third Pierrot's journey home, haunted by the past. It was written in 1912 at the request of actress-singer Albertine Zehme, who wanted a song cycle for a new "high art" cabaret. In this production, staged by puppet and theater artist Blair Thomas, Shelton will be in grotesque costume and makeup, interacting with a life-size puppet dressed as Pierrot that's manipulated by three puppeteers. The musicians will also be in costume, and given that there's a different combination of instruments for each song–they play flutes, clarinets, violin, viola, cello, and piano–there'll be a lot of coming and going. The program will also include Derek Bermel's 2004 Tied Shifts and Jacob Druckman's 1986 Reflections on the Nature of Water, a six-movement work written for solo marimba but rearranged here for puppet theater and Eighth Blackbird. Also 8 PM, Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1. Thu 3/30, 7:30 PM, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago, 312-397-4010, $22, $18 for MCA members.
Da Capo Chamber Players
Lucky Plush, Blair Thomas & Co., and Eighth Blackbird go three to a sleeping bag
New music from Steve Reich for the new-music group eighth blackbird
Tagged: Vol. 35 No. 26


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Maurice Peiren (28 December 1937 – 6 January 2011) was a Belgian long-distance runner. He competed in the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

References

1937 births
2011 deaths
Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Belgian male long-distance runners
Belgian male marathon runners
Olympic athletes of Belgium
Sportspeople from West Flanders

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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FAQ: How Many Days It Takes From Cyprus To Australia?
1 How long does it take to fly from Cyprus to Australia?
2 Can I travel from Cyprus to Australia?
3 How long is it from Sydney to Cyprus?
4 How many days does it take to get to Australia?
5 How many hours is Canada from Cyprus?
6 What documents are needed for Cyprus?
7 How much money do I need for 2 weeks in Australia?
8 What can you see in Australia in 7 days?
9 How much should I budget for a trip to Australia?
How long does it take to fly from Cyprus to Australia?
The total flight duration from Cyprus to Australia is 16 hours, 5 minutes.
Can I travel from Cyprus to Australia?
Immigration and Visas All travellers, except New Zealand citizens, must obtain a visa or electronic travel authority before travelling to Australia. The Australian High Commission in Nicosia, Cyprus, does not provide visa or immigration advice.
How long is it from Sydney to Cyprus?
The total flight duration from Sydney, Australia to Cyprus is 18 hours, 27 minutes.
How many days does it take to get to Australia?
Flying time from United States to Australia The total flight duration from United States to Australia is 19 hours, 26 minutes.
How many hours is Canada from Cyprus?
Flying time from Cyprus to Canada The total flight duration from Cyprus to Canada is 11 hours.
What documents are needed for Cyprus?
Non-EU nationals: To enter Cyprus, you must have a valid passport issued within the past ten years and with at least six months left is required, along with a return ticket and sufficient funds for the length of stay.
You might be interested: Quick Answer: Cyprus How Many Speak English?
How much money do I need for 2 weeks in Australia?
So, a trip to Australia for two people costs around AU$2,680 for one week. A trip for two weeks for two people costs AU$5,361 in Australia. If you're traveling as a family of three or four people, the price person often goes down because kid's tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared.
What can you see in Australia in 7 days?
What to see in Australia in 7 days
Take a relaxed tour of beautiful Sydney in a small group party.
Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in a state-of-the-art Catamaran, and swim with the technicolor marine life that lives there.
Get a closeup look of the massive Uluru Rock.
How much should I budget for a trip to Australia?
The average price of a 7-day trip to Australia is $1,955 for a solo traveler, $3,357 for a couple, and $1,725 for a family of 4. Australia hotels range from $55 to $238 per night with an average of $92, while most vacation rentals will cost $180 to $510 per night for the entire home.


Structural Highlighting shows how your code lines up.
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KMC 『東京WALKING』 7曲 "HIPHOPが好き", "S.D.R.","パラダイスシティー" など..
V.A. 『KAIKOO PLANET Ⅱ』 1曲 "Kick Out The Jams / KMC"
CHIYORI『WALKING TO THE SUNRISE』 1曲 "LOVE & LIGHT"
HAIIRO DE ROSSI 『BLUE MOON』 1曲 "ESPRESSO"
716 I 『ANOME』 1曲 "platformless 716×STUTS×894×pepue(imaginion)"
BOBO THE TRIMMER 『Down to Earth』 2曲 "RUBBISH NUMBER" "OYASUMI"
RAU DEF 『ESCALATE』 1曲 "STINGA"
ZONE THE DARKNESS 『THE N.E.X.T.』 1曲 "Bird in the Cage"
894 『HAPPY BIRTH DEATH』 特典CD 1曲 "せかい"


Last night I spent several delightful hours working on my photographs, titling, keywording, organizing. It's one of my favorite activities and almost always inspires a new piece of work. Earlier this summer I had photographed a rusted hull of a truck in a weedy field. It's a common picture, probably falls in the cliche category. I passed it by but it kept calling me back so I went back and decided to play with it, turning it into a colorful, "painterly" image. Another cliche since it's been done often ... and yet, it really pleased me and evoked a nostalgic feeling so I decided to keep it.
A cliché or cliche (pronounced UK: /ˈkliːʃeɪ/, US: /klɪˈʃeɪ/) is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.
There's no doubt that over-colored old cars and trucks have been done a lot and could probably now be considered a stereotype or cliche. However, the image called to me and if I had refused to do it just because I knew it had already been done, wouldn't that have been putting other people's judgments ahead of my own yearning to explore this particular image? It makes me think that what we call cliches may really be OP cliches ... other people's cliches. Even though I know old trucks have been done a lot, there was something about this image that called to me so it was still "meaningful or novel" for me.
Part of this creativity cleanse is learning to listen to my own spirit and how it wants to be expressed. Not painting something I want to paint because I think it is a "cliche," could shut down my creative process. So I proceeded to play with this image, which I call "Yesterday's Dream," even framing it and adding it to my gallery. By honoring it, I honor my own process and I leave OP cliches and judgment to the world.
I agree totally. Create what you wish to create, not based on the popularity of a subject or treatment. Well said.
Thanks Gypsy! It's a challenge to follow our own paths and not be swayed by the world.


We will be using Zymo's Direct-zol kits (https://www.zymoresearch.com/direct-zol-isolation-kits) for RNA extraction, unless the clients prefer/provide alternatives. The best way to submit the cells is to 'lyse' the cells off from culture plates etc in appropriate amount of TRIzol or TRI reagent (pipetting/vortexing would be required but no further mechanical disruption will be necessary if its from dissociated cells) and either submit the lysate as is or frozen.
If the cells were frozen by themselves already, NEVER thaw it or NEVER bring the temperature above -80C. Bring the frozen cells out from -80C freezer and immediately place them ON DRY ICE and submit them while keeping them ON DRY ICE. Alternatively, you can add the chilled (kept at 4C) TRIzol or TRI reagent to the frozen cell pellet which is kept ON DRY ICE so that the cells won't be exposed to elevated temperature without being lysed by TRIzol/TRI reagent, and then immediately vortex or pipet the content to completely lyse the cells. You can submit the cell lysate on ice or at room temperature once the cells are completely lysed.
Spin cells in a wash buffer (e.g. PBS) at moderate speed (e.g. 500Xg, 5 min), using a non-stick RNAse free 0.5ml eppendorf tube. Pipet out supernatant as much as possible by leaving 10-20ul (the less the better). If you can use a swing rotor centrifuge and conical bottom tube, this will be relatively easy but if you have to use an angled rotor, be cautious not disturbing the cell pellet (invisible!) which will be adherent to the outer side of the tube wall, so pipet towards inner side of the tube wall by holding the tube in a way that the inner side will face upside, using a fine-end pipet tip (e.g. 20ul pipet tip). You can spin the tube again if you think you disturbed the cell pellet.
Add minimum volume of Igepal CA-630 to make final concentration of Igepal at 0.25-1% (Reference for validating optimal cell lysis condition for gene expression study: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep04659) E.g. prepare 20% Igepal (10ml of Igepal + 40ml nuclease free water, mix well, warm the tube if not mixing well), and add 0.5 ul to the 10ul sample with pelleted cells prepared in 1. This will make 1% final Igepal CA-630. The goal here is to minimize the final sample volume (so that most of it can be applied to the library prep: usually 3 ~ 10 ul will be used for the library prep) while ensuring enough concentration of the detergent to lyse the cells. I haven't validated the inclusion tolerance of higher detergent concentration for the library prep greater than 1% final during the library prep.
Mix the tube by voltexing 15 sec and snap freeze it by placing onto a crashed dry ice or chilling in a liquid N2.
Store the tube at -80C. Ship by overnight Fedex/UPS with lots of dry ice. The package sometime delays and excess dry ice will prevent the loss (thawing) of your precious sample! Hershey clients can bring the sample in to the Core using dry ice. Never thaw the sample or let the temperature increase above -80C until the library prep.


Minister for Communities Coralee O'Rourke announced the opening of the grants and highlighted how they were helping communities thrive across Queensland.
"Last year, 73 neighbourhood and community centres across Queensland shared in more than $600,000 under the first round of our Thriving Queensland Communities Grants program," Mrs O'Rourke said.
"The funding helped these centres buy equipment such as computers, build outdoor areas and run projects including computer classes for seniors and youth mentoring groups.
"I've seen firsthand how these grants have supported vital projects such as the expansion of the Emergency Food Relief Program at the Marlin Coast Neighbourhood Centre in Cairns and the creation of additional outdoor community spaces for activities and groups to use at the Caloundra Community Centre.
Mrs O'Rourke said providing grants for the state's neighbourhood and community centres was another example of the Palaszczuk Government's commitment to creating thriving communities.
"The Palaszczuk Government currently provides funding to 124 neighbourhood and community centres across the state," she said.
For more information about the Palaszczuk Government's Thriving Queensland Communities grants, and to apply, please visit this Queensland Government's website.


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FREE Psychic Chat tap here...
George Clooney's Personal Horoscope
2016-02-02T00:00:01Published: Monday, 1 February 2016
Confirmed Bachelor George Clooney, is engaged to Amal Alamuddin, Lets take a closer look at George's Personal Horoscope...
Shock news that confirmed bachelor George Clooney, dubbed "sexiest man alive" twice by People Magazine, is engaged to Amal Alamuddin, has likely caused dismay amongst his legions of fans.
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin
Not much is known about his fiancé Amal, except that she is extremely successful and beautiful. She is also a highflying British human rights lawyer who currently acts for Julian Assange amongst her many other cases, causes and projects around the globe. Unfortunately, there is no information concerning her time and date of birth.
George Clooney's success
So, what makes George tick? George Clooney's horoscope shows us that he has a Taurus Sun and Mercury. He also has a Pisces Ascendant, which might account for his ability to get along with folk from all walks of life. He is not only an actor, but a director, producer and screenwriter with involvement in TV as well as movies.
Yet a deeper look reveals his Moon in Capricorn conjuncts Saturn, with both planets opposing Mars in Leo pretty much exactly. This alignment suggests he can be an open and closed book. Mars in Leo, linked with entertainment, fun and pleasure, hints he's in his element when using his creative abilities, in whatever capacity. It might also tie-in with his playboy reputation; although he also has Venus in Aries, suggesting that he enjoys the thrill of the chase. Which is, incidentally, how Amal is supposed to have seduced him - by playing hard to get!
However, there are likely aspects of him very few people get to understand, as represented by his Moon Saturn connection. For instance, although fairly chilled he is incredibly, deeply ambitious. Then again, natal Mercury squares Uranus in Leo in his chart, suggesting that he can be a bit of a rebel. Along with this, natal Jupiter in Aquarius can link with his humanitarian views and many charity projects.
What has led to his engagement
So what has led to his recent engagement? The relationship was first noted when transiting Saturn conjuncted his natal Neptune in the eighth house of deep relationships, around October last year. Perhaps their meeting encouraged a desire to be really close, and to spend time with and perhaps work alongside a kindred spirit.
At the same time, transiting Pluto is currently squaring his natal Venus in Taurus, with this ongoing into 2015, suggesting an experience of the kind that can radically change and transform him. Perhaps he was looking for a soul mate, and judging by his reaction, seems to have finally discovered the one.
Celebrity Horoscope
Piers Morgan's Horoscope
Piers Morgan, wherever he goes and whatever he gets involved in, he goes straight for the jugular. Let's look at Piers's Birth Horoscope... Tap for more...
by peter ward, contact peter on Google+, Facebook or Email.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - Horoscope
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and the end of their 12 year relationship. Find out more on what is affectionately referred to as 'Brangelina'... Tap for more...
by Patrick Arundell, contact Patrick on Google+, Facebook or Email.
Justin Beiber - Horoscope
Justin Beiber, the 'Pop artist', sold over 100 million records, listed in 'Forbes' magazine in the ten most powerful celebrities, Let us take a look at his horoscope Tap for more...
Usain Bolt Horoscope
Usain Bolt will be attempting to achieve something remarkable and unprecedented at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Let us look at his horoscope... Tap for more...
J. K. Rowling Horoscope
J.K. Rowling's has been in the public eye again with her latest story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, let us take a look at her horoscope... Tap for more...
Tom Hiddleston Horoscope
Tom Hiddleston's star has been shining brightly in recent years, from Loki to Bond contender. Let us take a look at his Horoscope... Tap for more...


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THE ASTORIA FERRY
In memory of Robert "Jake" Jacob
Dear Ferry Friends,
This week we're concentrating on the memorial for our Ferry Godfather, Robert "Jake" Jacob. It is this Saturday, November 3, 2:00-4:00pm, at the Astoria Armory.
Jake's family very graciously suggested donations to the Ferry in lieu of flowers. Our goal is to raise $50,000 in Jake's memory as the kickoff to our 2019 capital campaign to raise $250,000. We are halfway there.
Let's make it up for Jake! Help ensure his legacy continues by making a donation to the Ferry today.
You may use PayPal on our website -- www.astoriaferry.com/donate -- or send a check to Astoria Ferry via snail mail: Astoria Ferry, PO Box 221, Astoria OR 97103.
The Ferry will host an Open House from 11:00a-1:30pm and from 4:30pm-7:00pm on Saturday. We will host a Celebration, a sort of onboard Wake for Jake, on Sunday, November 4 from 11:00am-2:00pm. All are welcome to attend. Much parking available on the Pier 39 dock. (All parking spaces are available to the public on the weekend, and after 5pm weekdays.)
You haven't heard from us in a while because we've been SO BUSY working on the Ferry that we've neglected postings and updates. We promise to catch up in the next few days. There is much to tell!
We hope to see you this weekend, and to see your support for one of Oregon's Most Endangered Places.
Peace and love, and onward with the restoration of the Ferry!
Andy Carson
Restore Oregon
Seamanship Program
Service Run
The Astoria Ferry Group
Preserving Columbia River maritime history by restoring, preserving and operating
the historic Astoria Ferry, the Tourist No 2, in its original home of Astoria, Oregon.
Astoria OR 97103
astoriaferry@gmail.com
Visit / Ride
For updates:
(c) 2017 Astoria Ferry Group


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Home Identity Theft/Fraud Woman pleads guilty in ID theft; seniors promised movie roles
Woman pleads guilty in ID theft; seniors promised movie roles
https://fraudoftheday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FOD_11-6-15.mp3
Some fraud conspiracies are especially creative, and some of the most notorious fraudsters in the United States have worked in creative industries like painting, filmmaking, photography and literature. Today's fraud, courtesy of mylanews.com deals with a woman who stole the identities of senior citizens in order to claim unemployment insurance for them. She gave them fake jobs at a company she claimed to operate, promising them the potential for roles in Hollywood films. (However, in my opinion, this fraud story does not deserve to be glorified by being made into a Hollywood movie.)
The fraudster pleaded guilty on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud as part of a plea agreement in a Los Angeles federal court. Her scheme occurred over the course of two years, and involved recruiting seniors by convincing them that they would be involved in remakes of famous Hollywood classics. (But instead of assembling actors to make the next James Bond, this woman may need to get a bail bond.) To show her victims that she was offering a real opportunity, this fraudster and her co-conspirators created fake film animation and production companies which they used to demonstrate legitimacy.
Once they signed up the seniors and received their necessary employment information, including their Social Security numbers, they filed false wage reports and then pretended to lay off these workers. The story states that these fraudsters collected more than $290,000 in unemployment benefits originally directed for these senior citizens. However, the victims of this identity fraud never saw any of the fake wages from the production companies, nor any of the unemployment benefits they were supposed to receive. (If everything about this story seems unreal, suffice it to say that it could only be made in Hollywood.)
The woman who took the plea bargain on October 14, 2015 faces sentencing on January 6, 2016. She faces up to five years in Federal prison.
It's been said that truth is stranger than fiction. This scheme certainly falls into that category. Let's hope that as part of her sentencing, this fraudster receives an appropriate sentence, and that someone can do something to help the seniors whose identities were stolen, as well.
Source: Today's "Fraud of the Day" is based on an article titled, "Woman pleads guilty to ID theft; seniors promised movie roles" written by Debbie L. Sklar and published by mylanews.com on October 14, 2015.
An Antelope Valley woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in a mail fraud scheme that used personal data stolen from elderly victims in an effort to defraud the state's unemployment insurance program out of nearly $300,000.
Dena Buttram of Littlerock, 32 — who also uses the last name Peterman — pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud pursuant to a plea agreement filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Over the course of two years, Buttram and co-conspirators stole Social Security numbers and other personal identifying information that was used to defraud the California Employment Development Department, which administers the state unemployment insurance program, prosecutors said.
Previous articleDoubling Down on Fraud
Next articleThe Apple Doesn't Fall far From the Tree
An 87-Year-Old Woman and Her Purse
Parking Tickets and Other Violations
Grab The Money, Ditch The Kids!


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You Are Here : Home / Culver CityBus/About Us
Culver CityBus is the second oldest municipally-owned bus line in the State of California. Following a dispute with Pacific Electric Railway, the City of Culver City, led by then-Mayor Reve Houck, applied to the State Railroad Commission for permission to provide service from Culver City to Venice Beach. On March 3, 1928, service was implemented and since its establishment, passengers on Culver CityBus have enjoyed safe, reliable, convenient, and friendly public transportation service.
Culver CityBus' fleet is comprised of 54 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. Culver CityBus operates seven routes, serving nearly 6 million riders annually with a service area encompassing 25.5 square miles, which includes the Westside communities of Venice, Westchester, Westwood, West Los Angeles, Palms, Playa Vista, Marina Del Rey, Rancho Park, Mar Vista, Century City, and Culver City.
Culver CityBus provides reduced bus service on Saturday, Sunday and holidays on Lines 1, 3 and 6. Weekend service is provided on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Lines 2, 5 and 7 DO NOT run on Saturday, Sunday or holidays. Offices are closed on holidays.
New Year's Day 2022


or spreading other STDs, including HIV. About 3.7 million people in the United States are infected with this parasite, and most do not have any signs or symptoms. Trichomoniasis is treated with prescription antimicrobial medication (one dose of metronidazole or tinidazole) but it is possible to become infected again.
Trichomoniasis is considered a Neglected Parasitic Infection, one of a group of diseases that can result in serious illness among those who are infected, yet the burden and impact remain poorly understood.


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Новоивановка () — село, относится к Попаснянскому району Луганской области Украины.

Население по переписи 2001 года составляло 807 человек. Почтовый индекс — 93330. Телефонный код — 6474. Занимает площадь 5,286 км². Код КОАТУУ — 4423856202.

Местный совет
93330, Луганська обл., Попаснянський р-н, смт. Врубівка, вул. Артема, буд.11

Ссылки
 Новоивановка на сайте Верховной рады Украины

Населённые пункты Попаснянского района
Временно оккупированные территории Украины
Статьи с эдитнотисом об осторожности при редактировании