This time each year, I receive a number of "chores for the weekend" emails from the Birmingham Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) Festival with great information and lists of ways that volunteers can help each week. Things like puppet painting, sign hand lettering, hang butterflies, work on animal altar, restore old parade umbrellas… I love seeing these emails because it adds to the excitement that DOD is approaching! This little festival has grown into a powerhouse and is in its 12th year. Born the same year as Fiesta Birmingham it is a highlight of the fall for me after Fiesta is over. I get to jump from one colorful event to another and both Latino themed to boot!
As I mentioned, DOD started the same year as Fiesta but I have to confess, I didn't know about its existence until about year 3 when a story hit the Birmingham News entertainment section about the event and why it was created. I was intrigued…a Day of the Dead Festival in Birmingham, AL??!! I remember thinking – this is so incredible – and I also remember thinking what an education this festival could provide to our community at large – much like what we were trying to do with Fiesta and the different cultures within the Latino community. DOD is another aspect to Latino culture that is not quite understood, but this festival is determined to make it understood!
During the early days of the festival, this alley behind the gallery was filled with remembrances and tributes…so much to see and so many touching photos and artifacts.
At the time, DOD was housed each year inside and around Bare Hands Gallery in downtown Birmingham. One day at lunch (this was in 2006), I decided I had to go by and meet Wendy Jarvis, the Director of the gallery. Turns out, she had wanted to meet me too so we could discuss our mutual festivals and how we might partner! Don't you love it when a plan comes together?!
Tracy Martin puts some finishing touches to the Spider Martin altar when it was in the alley behind Bare Hands Gallery.
I found out more about DOD and its creation that day. Local artist Tracy Martin wanted to find a way to honor her late father, civil rights photographer James "Spider" Martin, when she and some close friends turned the gallery courtyard into a huge altar and memorial wall. This was in 2002. The celebration was expanded – and "born" – the following year and other artists and members of the community were invited to make their own altars and "ofrendas." Wendy said as the celebration continued each year, she saw it as an opportunity to expand the gallery culturally, especially with the growing Hispanic community in Birmingham.
So that year – 2006 – was the year Wendy, Isabel Rubio – Executive Director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA), and I met to discuss how we would partner to bring more Latinos to the event. A women's group from HICA took part in the celebration and built small altars at the event and brought family to celebrate a tradition they would have normally celebrated in Mexico. Since that time, HICA has always had a booth and altar display at DOD and become a true partner of the celebration.
That year, DOD also participated in Fiesta by having a booth in our non-profit village and showcasing some of the art and sugar skulls that would be on display at DOD. It was a great way for Bare Hands Gallery and DOD to get the word out – in English and Spanish – to Fiesta attendees, reaching a huge cross-section of the community.
Oh and one more thing…DOD is a photographers dream…you can't take a bad photograph at this event. The colors, altars, costumes and entertainment are…do I dare say…to die for!
Day of the Dead displays behind the gallery. As the event grew this lot behind the gallery became a huge part of the celebration.
Tracy Martin's tribute altar to her father, Spider Martin.
Thelma and Louise sugar skulls! This was part of a huge display of famous couples – one of my favorites!
One of the most poignant parts of Day of the Dead is the roll call…people can add the names of their loved ones to be read during the celebration.
Enjoying one of the festivals with Wendy Jarvis and my dear friend, Lui Fernandez.
Festival co-founder – Tracy Martin (right) – in one of her many beautiful sugar skull creation costumes.
Always love getting a hug from Festival Co-Founder, Wendy Jarvis at each years event.
This entry was posted in Birmingham, Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, Festival, HICA, Photography and tagged Bare Hands Gallery, Civil Rights, Culture, DOD Festival, Mexico, Ofrendas, Spider Martin, Sugar Skulls on October 29, 2014 by Southern Señora.
The Zuniga cousins – right before heading to the airport – at the end of our New Mexico journey.
This is Part Three of my pilgrimage to New Mexico after losing my dad in 2001.
Running into Rachel Fernandez at the cemetery – here with Lisa.
We made another trip by the cemetery for more photos and a little more exploration. And who do we run into? Rachel Fernandez! She invited us over for drinks that evening along with her two brothers, Jerry and Dan.
We enjoyed spending more time visiting with Aunt Yoya and Uncle Mando and listening to more family stories. She looked really good that day. We brought out the cake for Uncle Mando, lit the candles, and Yoya held Uncle Mando's hand and sang "Las Mañanitas" to him – a traditional Mexican birthday song – and as she sang to him, she began to cry….which made us all cry. So touching and so beautiful. Later, Yoya showed us the "Our Town" newspaper with a picture of my dad and his brother Lorenzo ("Lencho") as altar boys. Such a treasure! We left after sharing cake and promised to come by again before returning to Albuquerque. Then it was on to Vone and Raymond's house for a feast of carne asado, tortillas de maiz (corn tortillas), beans, rice, potatoes and a great salsa. And always the conversation turned to food and family! Then it was on to Olivia's for a short visit with her and her girls.
Lisa posing with Rachel in her chili pepper kitchen!
The last stop on our whirlwind day was to Rachel's apartment for drinks where we met her brothers Jerry and Dan. More cousins! We talked a LOT about food, especially tamales and Rachel remarked about how she was late in getting the tamale making started for the holidays. Her entire apartment was decorated in red and black, thanks to her brother Bobby. He definitely had an eye for décor and celebrating and would always help her with her Christmas decorating every year. Upon leaving, Dan and Jerry invited us to their house for breakfast. An offer we couldn't refuse!
Tia Maria's house – now the home of her grandsons – Dan and Jerry Fernandez.
One last visit with Aunt Yoya and Cousin Rosie in Carlsbad.
Back in Albuquerque, we had to go by Old Town for a little shopping before heading back to Danda's house for yet another fabulous meal – tortilla soup and stir fry vegetables! More stories and we especially loved hearing about how Danda learned to cook from our grandfather, Tata Polo! She learned by watching him and so many of her incredible recipes are from our grandfather. At the end of the evening, Danda gave us each a recipe book from Albuquerque with a sweet inscription. We finished out the evening looking through a box of old photos with Danda promising to make copies and send to us.
Tuesday, Oct 30, was our last day. Danda prepared a breakfast of scrambled eggs mixed with tortilla chips. I haven't tried this at home but my sister has and cannot get the same result! She also prepared caldio – a mixture of ground beef, onion and chiles. What a treat!We were also thrilled to have a little more time to visit with Bobby Fernandez…he stopped by to say good-bye and we took the opportunity to get a few photos with him. On our way to the airport, we stopped by Danda's school to visit and see her in action.
We ended our trip together – cousins – at the airport – chatting and enjoying food – a cup of posole…and then heading to our separate planes and back to our lives. This trip gave us the opportunity to walk where our father's had actually walked, visit the places they had known as children growing up and reconnect with family we hadn't seen in years or didn't know at all. I know we all felt closer to our dads as we boarded our planes.
Danda's front porch – I loved this bench when I saw it and a few years later my husband found one in Birmingham and bought it for me!
This entry was posted in Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Cousins, Familia, New Mexico, Photo Vault, Uncategorized and tagged Aunt Yoya, Cemetery, Cookbook, Cousins, Family, Food, Pilgrimage, Uncle Mando on October 28, 2014 by Southern Señora.
Part Two of Feliz Cumpleaños Dad…my pilgrimage trip to New Mexico in honor of my dad.
We awoke on Friday, Oct 26, to the heavenly smell of coffee!!! Thank you Danda! Much needed after the wonderful and late night of reconnecting, food and drink. After Danda headed to work, we got ourselves ready, packed up the car and headed to El Patio Restaurant for a breakfast of huevos rancheros and green chiles! I think it goes without saying that the food on this trip was fabulous!
After dropping Cecilia off at her house, we were on the road to Carlsbad! It's about a four and a half hour drive and we enjoyed every minute of it, catching up and sharing even more stories. We made a brief stop in Roswell to check out the extraterrestrials and arrived in Carlsbad late in the afternoon, checked into the Holiday Inn and headed directly over to Aunt Gloria's house (also called Aunt Yoya). We didn't stay too long because she needed rest but we were able to sit with her in her bedroom for a while. We then spent a little time with Uncle Mando and two of their children, Orlando and Rosie.
Sweet photo of Aunt Yoya and Uncle Mando on our second day in Carlsbad.
On Saturday (Oct 27), we went back to Aunt Yoya's house for a longer visit and she was able to stay up a lot longer! Maybe it was the excitement of having us there and all the stories she wanted to share that helped. It was certainly a thrill for us as we looked through her wedding album. We also got to meet Alfonso and Mary Noriega. Mary, Aunt Yoya and Lisa's mom, Mela were all friends…Mary remarked how much she saw of Mela in Lisa's face.
After our visit we took a tour of Carlsbad with our fearless guide, Lisa! She drove us by the Main Street house where our grandparents used to live, drove by an area they called the beach, and Lisa pointed out other interesting sights to us as she recalled Carlsbad as a little girl. She even took us on the "weee" – a small hill in the road that always made them want to say "weee.! That was such a sweet memory and now Kanista and I were in on it too!
We lunched at a little place called Lucy's and where a woman walked by and recognized Lisa. It was Rachel, cousin Bobby Fernandez's sister! Bobby had called to tell her we would be in Carlsbad so she must have been on the lookout for us. From there we went by to see Olivia, Lisa's late brother Ruby's wife. Her daughter Sylvia – "Syba" – was getting ready for her birthday Halloween party and invited us to come back that evening.
Our grandparent's headstone in the older Carlsbad cemetery…Apolonio Guerrero and Norberta Sotelo aka Tata Polo and Nana Beta.
Meanwhile, we decided to head over to the cemetery to find our grandparents headstone. After much searching, we realized we were in the wrong cemetery! Turns out, our family is in the older cemetery and as we drove by we saw the Zuniga headstone. Now let me explain something…we had been walking around the newer cemetery – all green grass and open – and could not find our grandparents. But when we got to the older cemetery – brown dirt and no grass – it was chain-locked! Really??? We couldn't believe it. But, I would not be deterred! I told Kanista and Lisa I had come too far not to get in…so…I broke in! Actually…I just pushed the gates and they opened. So, we took a little time and walked around, explored and found some of our family headstones.
Cutting a rug with Lisa at Syba's Halloween/Birthday party! Not sure if this was before or AFTER the jello shooters!
After freshening up at the hotel, we headed over to Syba's birthday/Halloween party and met a few more cousins – Danny and Johnny, grandson's of Maria Fernandez – Maria was my grandfather's sister. We had a ball at the party – trying jello shooters, dancing, and laughing about being called "guera" by some of the guests. Guera is slang for a white girl or light-haired girl, which didn't really seem to fit me or Kanista at ALL! At any rate, we ended day three of our trip exhausted but exhilarated by the people who seemed to be put in our path on our journey. Kanista, Lisa and I all agreed our fathers seemed to have a hand in what was happening to us in Carlsbad.
This entry was posted in Carlsbad, Cousins, Familia, New Mexico, Photo Vault, Uncategorized and tagged Aunt Yoya, Carlsbad, Cemetery, Cousins, El Patio, New Mexico, Pilgrimage, Uncle Mando on October 27, 2014 by Southern Señora.
This will be a three-part story about my 2001 visit to New Mexico.
My dad, Praxedis Sotelo Zuniga, died on June 1, 2001. He was 79 years old. An accomplished man, he was a husband, father, friend, army pilot, civil engineer, and spoke several languages, with Spanish being his first.
We regrouped and decided to fly out on October 25th – our dad's birthday. Meanwhile, our youngest first cousin on the Zuniga side, Lisa Ramirez – who lives in Colorado, contacted me and asked if she could come along. Kanista and I were ecstatic! Lisa grew up in Carlsbad and it was the icing on our dad's birthday cake to have her join us in this journey. She is the youngest daughter of my dad's younger brother – Felix and his wife Manuela (Aunt Mela). Another plus is that we flew into Albuquerque where Lisa's oldest sister, Nelinda (nicknamed Danda) lives and we were invited to stay with her before our road trip to Carlsbad!
I arrived first. While waiting for Kanista, I started writing in my travel journal. It was good to have a little bit of time before she got there to reflect and collect my thoughts. Dad has suffered a series of stokes in his later years and shortly before he passed, he was unable to speak. There were so many things I wanted to ask him too and I missed my chance to hear them in his own words, with his own voice. This trip was pulling me and I know Dad was behind it, setting the stage for me and Kanista.
Kanista arrived and we headed to the rental car place and got the last car! We drove through Albuquerque and decided to find our cousin Cecilia and visit with her before heading to Danda's house where Cecilia joined us later. Cecilia is the daughter of my dad's baby sister, Gloria, who was still living in Carlsbad at the time with her husband, Armando (Uncle Mando).
The outside of my cousin Danda's house. I love her style!
Arriving at Danda's we were excited to meet Bobby Fernandez, a cousin on our grandfather's side (Tata Polo)! He and Danda seemed more like brother and sister as we watched their exchanges throughout that night. We both loved Bobby from the start He was in charge of making our drinks that night – micheladas! And tequila, of course! When Lisa arrived, we settled into a fabulous meal that Danda has prepared for us…carne asado, tortillas, enchiladas…goodness! The food from my cousin is always incredible and you find yourself going back for seconds and thirds! No shame here! I remember the night as being full of laughter…we laughed so hard at Danda's stories and listening to her explain all the family nicknames like Googs, Boogie, Lala, etc. (I'll have to share all that in a later post.) When we finally went to bed we realized it was morning – 2:30 a.m.
Kanista and cousin Cecilia fill their plates at my cousin Danda's house…we couldn't get enough!
This first day of our trip was incredible. It was the best way I can think of to celebrate my dad's birthday – with family – in New Mexico and sharing stories about our fathers – Felix and Praxedis . So many similarities. So much connection. Our bellies were full that night and so were our hearts.
This entry was posted in Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Cousins, Familia, New Mexico, Photo Vault and tagged 9/11, Birthday, Cousins, Family, Father, Mexican Food, New Mexico, Praxedis Sotelo Zuniga on October 25, 2014 by Southern Señora.
After scoring the "Hey Lady" Talavera pottery vase, (see previous post), one of my biggest Talavera pottery scores came from Home Goods, right next door to my local TJ Maxx.
I went into Home Goods one day with a specific purchase in mind and it wasn't Talavera pottery! The first thing that I do in any store is walk down the clearance aisles. On this particular day, I headed directly to the clearance aisle and I spotted the most glorious sight! TALAVERA!!! Lots and LOTS of Talavera! And it was on CLEARANCE!
La Maceta Talavera pottery that I found on the clearance aisle at Home Goods for $16 and $12 respectively!
Unlike my first experience at TJ Maxx, when I didn't grab a shopping cart for the "Hey Lady" vase, this time I walked swiftly and with great purpose to the front of the store and grabbed one. A plus to this visit was that there were hardly any people in the store at that moment. So, there I was all by myself, with a cart in hand and a selection of Talavera Mexican pottery so gorgeous that I didn't know where to start. I began looking over the pieces and carefully but eagerly selecting the ones I wanted. I placed them ever to gently in my cart. So many assorted colors and designs! YES! I felt like I was in Talavera heaven!
By now I had about 5 vases of different designs and styles in my basket. I was trying to decide on a rather brilliant colored vase I was holding when I decided to put it back on the shelf and give it some thought. At that same moment, a woman rounded the corner and began taking a great interest in what I was doing and what I had in my basket.
Talavera pottery finds from Home Goods.
Women: "Ooooohhhh!….what are those?" Me: "They're Mexican pottery pieces." Women: "Ooooohhhh! They're pretty!" (as she heads straight for the piece I was trying to decide on but stupidly put back on the shelf.) Me: "Yes they are!" (growing anxious and resisting the urge to grab the vase back off the shelf!) Woman: "So what would you do with one like this?" (…as she picks up the vase that I NOW WANT and begins admiring it.) Me: "Well, with that one I would probably either put a plant in it or use it in my bathroom for hand towels or… (I rattled on with other amazing uses for Talavera pottery while my brain is yelling for me to SHUT UP!) Woman: "Oh okay!" (as she places the gorgeous piece in her basket and I continue to talk – while simultaneously kicking myself for being so incredibly convincing about the uses of Talavera pottery!!!) I still wound up with some incredible pieces that day that now grace the wall unit of my family room.
Small flower pot vase from Alba Talavera, Guanajuato, MX. Found on the clearance aisle at Home Goods!
TJ Maxx and Home Goods still get Talavera pottery pieces on occasion, but now I approach them cautiously and act disinterested so I don't attract attention! On a side note, my "Hey Lady" vase cost me $70. On this day at Home Goods, I bought 6 Talavera vases from the clearance aisle for about the same price. I definitely hit the jackpot that day!
Tall Talavera Vase – purchased on sale at Home Goods.
A closer look at the details of one of the Talavera vases.
This entry was posted in Mexican Pottery, Talavera and tagged Alba Talavera, Clearance, Home Goods, La Maceta Talavera, Mexican, Mexican Pottery, Talavera on October 21, 2014 by Southern Señora.
I LOVE TALAVERA POTTERY! I've been collecting this style of pottery for years and I have a story about pretty much every piece I have ever purchased…but this is the story of my first Talavera pottery purchase. It is a rather large vase that sits on the stairs of my foyer. My kids call it the "Hey Lady" vase and this is "her" story.
My "Hey Lady" Talavera Pottery Vase from TJ Maxx.
One day many years ago, I went to our local TJ Maxx armed with a $50 gift card and determined to find some sort of treasure. After browsing the home section for a little while, there it was – tucked away in a corner, just waiting for me to find it. I couldn't believe my eyes! It was as though light from the heavens began shining down on this beautiful vase, lighting the way for me. This vase knew it would soon be making it's home in MY home! I approached it, turned it around and admired the beautiful colors and then thought to myself – this is a BIG vase! Should I grab a buggy and come back? Would I drop it on the way to the register? Would someone else grab it while I went to grab a buggy? Do I take that chance? You know how it goes…the moment you show interest in something at a store, suddenly everyone around you wants what you have! And of course, this is exactly what happened. I noticed people around me watching, just waiting for me to walk away so they could scoop my vase up. So right then and there, I picked up this huge vase, cradled it in my arms like a baby and started walking carefully through the store to the registers.
By now I was laughing pretty hard, as I got into my car to head home and find the perfect spot for my much coveted vase. I couldn't wait to share the story with my family and after much more laughter, the legend of the Hey Lady vase was born!
This entry was posted in Mexican Pottery, Talavera and tagged Collections, Hey Lady Vase, Mexican Pottery, Talavera, TJ Maxx on October 19, 2014 by Southern Señora.
Fiesta 2014 is now a great memory for the board and planning committee…it was an incredible day! Last Saturday, September 27th, we enjoyed great weather, huge attendance, many new vendors and participants, and reconnected with so many long time amigos! We reconfigured our set-up in Linn Park and it really made a difference in the attendee traffic. Everywhere I looked, there were people and families enjoying the event, eating delicious food and sitting on the beautiful green grass.
Our title sponsor, McDonalds, brought an incredible exhibit – The Fiesta Tour – a 53-foot long traveling mobile unit that pays tribute to Latin GRAMMY winners – to Birmingham for us to enjoy. Every time I went by the exhibit, there were crowds – such a beautiful sight! The Santiago brothers, Santiago and Russ, have been wonderful partners to Fiesta this year and we are so grateful for their presence!
The McDonald's Fiesta Tour entrance. What an incredible exhibit!
A dress worn by Gloria Estefan and a guitar owned by Carlos Santata – just a few of the items in the McDonald's Fiesta Tour on display.
Sombrero belonging to Mexican artist – Vicente Fernandez – in the McDonald's Fiesta Tour.
Ronald McDonald gets anchored in Linn Park, in the Family Village.
I downloaded more than one thousand photos last Sunday afternoon. It always amazes me how many photos I take at Fiesta each year. And yet, there are always shots I miss and think about later. Oh! And this doesn't include the photos I take with my iPhone! One of my favorite elements this year was having the Hispanic Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama participate with the presentation of colors, pledge of allegiance, Girl Scout promise (in English and Spanish), and finally parade around the park with the flags of the Latin countries while dressed in native costumes! It was absolutely a BEAUTIFUL sight! In fact, I do believe (aside from the music acts), that the Girl Scouts were the most photographed group of the day! The magnificent Marisela Mendez, the Hispanic Initiative Manager for GSNCA, worked for many weeks to pull the girls and their families together for Fiesta. This Dominican woman is a "powerhouse" and the community is lucky to have her working for Hispanic girls in our region. Her heart is all about connecting these little girls with Girl Scouts and she will do everything possible to ensure they can have the Girl Scout experience in their lives.
This precious little one lead the Girl Scouts around the park in the parade of flags, dressed in a beautiful white mariachi outfit.
The Girl Scouts pose in front of their booth at Fiesta.
The Hispanic Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama during the flag ceremony – presentation of colors.
I've pulled a few of my favorite photos from Fiesta to share on the blog. If you were at Fiesta and took some photos, please post them on the Fiesta facebook page! We would love to see what you captured!!!
This little one kept twirling to the music next to the main stage. Such joy!
This little girl saw me taking photos of the girl in the pink and decided she wanted to twirl and have her picture taken too!
Sugar Skull faces at Fiesta! These young ladies were popular – everyone wanted to have their pictures taken with them!
Got to hang out with my daughter, Anna Marie, for part of the day. She is always so helpful when I'm making my photography rounds in the park.
Dancers on the stage…they certainly drew a crowd!
Running into Ricardo and Aimee Aparicio was the best!Reconnecting with long time friends is one of the joys of Fiesta for me. Ricardo was there when Fiesta was started.
On stage with El Dasa! Great energy during his entire performance!
El Dasa's surprise meet and greet with a young girl battling cancer – I don't think there was a dry eye in the trailer when this happened.
It's always fun to run into Clark Scott and Larry Gay at Fiesta. They take some amazing photos each year!
Crowds were massive this year at Fiesta 2014!
Traditional Mexican dresses for sale at Fiesta.
Two of the hardest working women at Fiesta this year – board members Vannessa Vargas and Cristina Almanza! They absolutely ROCK!
This entry was posted in Fiesta, Girl Scouts, Hispanic Heritage Month, McDonalds and tagged Amigos, Culture, Dance, Festival, Fiesta, Fiesta Tour, Food, Friends, Girl Scouts, Hispanic, Hispanic Heritage Month, Latin Artists, Sugar Skulls on October 5, 2014 by Southern Señora.


text:
Berlin's 'winningest bathtub racer' on display
Visitors can now see Jesse Turner's award-winning racing bathtub in Berlin.
Berlin's 'winningest bathtub racer' on display Visitors can now see Jesse Turner's award-winning racing bathtub in Berlin. Check out this story on delmarvanow.com: http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2018/01/23/berlins-winningest-bathtub-racer-gets-place-honor/1057253001/
Meg Ryan, MRyan@Delmarvanow.com Published 2:22 p.m. ET Jan. 23, 2018 | Updated 3:34 p.m. ET Jan. 23, 2018
Jesse Turner's award winning bathtub racer can now be seen at the Berlin's Welcome Center on Main Street. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018.(Photo: Staff Photo by Megan Raymond)Buy Photo
Fans of Jesse Turner, award-winning bathtub racer, can now get a closer look at his winning vehicle.
Turner and James Barrett were both longtime businessmen and key to helping the Berlin Chamber of Commerce begin the Berlin Bathtub Races in 1990, according to a news release.
Turner became known as the "Winningest Bathtub in Berlin History" for the next 25 years. He went on to become a longtime member of the chamber's board of directors, a past president of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and 2004 winner of the Berlin award.
Laura Allen, Town Administrator, Ivy Wells, Economic and Community Development Director, Berlin Mayor Gee Williams and Cassandra Brown, Volunteer, stand with the donated Jesse Turner's bathtub racer. That can now be seen at the Berlin's Welcome Center on Main Street. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. (Photo: Staff Photo by Megan Raymond)
The tub was donated by Frank and Susan Baker and will be on display for the next several weeks at Berlin's Welcome Center on Main Street.
It will continue to be shown each year during the weeks before the Berlin Chamber of Commerce's Annual Bathtub Race on Main Street. The race occurs in July in Berlin's downtown.
"I can't wait to have Mr. Jesse's bathtub here on display. I believe it's quite magical," said Ivy Wells, director of Economic and Community Development, in a news release. "Although this bathtub racer is officially retired from competition, the town will offer Jesse's bathtub racer to the Chamber of Commerce so it can lead the parade of entries each year that officially starts the annual bathtub races."
READ MORE: PHOTOS: The 28th annual Berlin Bathtub Races
READ MORE: Foxes on the beach cause social media buzz
On Twitter: @The_MegRyan
Jesse Turner's award winning bathtub racer can now be seen at the Berlin's Welcome Center on Main Street. Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. (Photo: Staff Photo by Megan Raymond)
Read or Share this story: http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2018/01/23/berlins-winningest-bathtub-racer-gets-place-honor/1057253001/
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Michael J. Massey - 57
Dyer, Indiana
Michael J. Massey. Age 57. Recently of Dyer, Indiana formerly of Penfield, New York and Crete, Illinois. Born and raised in St Ignace, Michigan. Graduate of St Ignace LaSalle High School. Received his Bachelors of Science in Engineering at Michigan Tech and Masters in Business Administration from Indiana University Northwest. Loving husband for 30 years of Christianne "Chris" nee Finnin. Amazing and dedicated father of William and Patrick Massey. Son of Joan nee Crockett and Eugene Massey. Brother of Anne Marie Massey. Godfather of Michael Menghini. Son in law of Donna nee Martin and the late Gary Finnin. Brother in-law of John (Leslie) Finnin, Mary (Mike) Kirk, Michael (Diana) Finnin, Susan (Daryl) Edwards, Shawn (Karen) Finnin, Matthew Finnin and the late Patrick Finnin. Uncle to many nieces and nephews. Cousin and friend of many. Mike was the ultimate family man. He was the warmest, big hearted person anyone would know. He would light up a room with his humor and smile. Vice President and General Manager of Americas Services at Diebold Nixdorf, formerly working at Kodak, Xerox, Siemens and Avaya. Resting at Faith Church, 100 West 81st Ave, Dyer, IN on Friday from 2:00 PM until time of funeral services 8:00 PM. Interment private. Due to the pandemic, masks must be worn and social distancing when inside Faith Church. Info Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home, Chicago Heights 708-481-9230 and panozzobros.com.
Christian Villalva
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal; Love leaves a memory no one can steal.
My deepest condolences.
David J. Ferrick
I am deeply saddened by the news of Mike's passing. He was one of finest leaders at Diebold Nixdorf and was a very rare breed that understood and executive a positive style leadership down to the most junior of associates which made everyone feel important and appreciated. I've had the pleasure of working directly with him and his passing will leave an emotional scar for a very long time. My prayers for his loving friends and family go out to them as they mourn through this difficult times and only hope they continue to keep his memory alive in the joyful thoughts they have shared with him throughout his life while he was alive.
I was highly inspired when provided with some very good insight while discussing with a fellow co-worker. "best we can do is honor his legacy by staying true to his vision and spirit of collaboration". I could not agree more.
Shania Xavier
I am truly heartbroken to have lost who I considered the best boss in the world! Mike was a great friend and an even better leader. Our team will never be the same. My thoughts are with the family. ❤
Rest In Peace Mike.
Timothy Haworth
I was lucky enough to meet Mike the week that he started at Diebold, he pulled me aside and asked me questions about Alaska for 30 min. He wanted to understand what issues and hardships that we had in our area. Mike was so intrested in what would help make us a better company no matter the idea he listened and gave thought to it. He was truly a great leader and an inspiration to all that he worked with. Mike didnt care about the tital that you carried, It did not matter if you were a top execuitive or a sales person he was there for you. I dont belive that I have ever seen him with out a smile on his face! Thank you Mike for all of of the talks we had and help that you have given me. You are truly missed and a wonderful man, you will make heaven a better place!
Rich C. Corwin Jr.
I was deeply saddened to hear about Mikes passing. I grew up with Mike in St. Ignace. Always compassionate caring loyal and friendly I was proud to call him a friend. May you rest in peace and God bless. My thoughts and prayers go out to Chris and Annmarie and the rest of your family I will always remember the good times my friend!!!


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/ Fantasy / RE: Transport to Another World As My Game Character!
The stories about high school students. who asleep while his pc game still on.
When he wake up suddenly he was in a fantasy world as his game Character that, he playing for 4 years!


Last week we had a great opportunity to put on a super cool Golfathon fundraiser for Park United Methodist Church in Valdosta GA. We set up 18 holes of putting, then lit it up with our UV glow blasters. I think it's one of the best examples of an indoor putting game you can find. We had a blast putting it together and the event went on for two nights.
We've learned a lot about putting on puttathons and office golf competitions. The first tip is to create a super creative course. This can be a daytime or night time putting course. It doesn't matter. The advantage of creating an office golf competition in the evening is that everyone is available so you should get much more participation.
BE CREATIVE: I think the most important part of making an office golf competition cool is making the holes super creative. With our putting track you can make everyone thing from a 45 degree banker to a 360 degree ramp. Just double stack the track and no one will fly the ball off the rails. The more impressive the course the better you will do.
PLAY FOR MULTIPLE YEAR EVENTS: The cool thing about neon putting track is that people remember the competition. So make sure to take a mountain of pictures the first year so that you have pictures to use for your second year marketing.
TEAMWORK IS EVERYTHING: So as to make setup and take down a breeze, turn your course set up into 'course creation competition'. Set up 2-4 person teams to compete in creating the coolest holes. Then photograph them and send them around. The best part about this is that if you get enough set up competitors you can set up 18 holes in no time at all.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR PUTTATHON AFFORDABLE: The most affordable way to create a puttathon or putting competition is to do it during the day so you don't need any UV lights. Of course we'd love you to buy our glowgear lighting for your event, but some events may not fit. All you need are the track pieces and 9 holes of putting track will only cost a couple hundred dollars. So then, after the event you can keep the track for next year or auction it off.
BE COLOR COORDINATED…or NOT: As you can see, our office golf putting track comes in four colors. Some event promoters put events with a different color per hole. This goes with the glow of the lights as well. Other events have mixed things up to give holes a striped vibe. It's really all about the vibe you want to create. If you are a school, you might want to do the entire course in your school colors of blue and red or yellow and orange.
CHARITY FUNDRAISING IDEAS: Since you can create a golfathon event, there are several ways to raise money using night golf putting track. You can charge per round or have your students or members raise money per hole. So now a player can get 25 donors who will give them a dollar per hole for 100 holes. This is a great school fundraising idea to try.
HOW TO DESIGN YOUR COURSE: If you are putting on an indoor putting event or fundraiser, don't just keep it in one room. Use the putting track to travel down hallways and corridors, down stairs or banked around corners. The more people get to travel about and play cool obstacles the better. Remember that you can have putting holes both inside and outside.
TRY THE SIDEWALK: I know it sounds crazy, but it can be fun, especially for serious golfers who are looking for the ultimate putting challenge. Create a hole that might start on carpeting, but then go onto a hard surface like a walkway, sidewalk, tiled floor etc. then go back onto grass or a green. This will make serious golfers have some respect.
PUTTING COMPETITIONS ON THE PUTTING GREEN: Remember glowgear putting track is not just for office golf or indoor golf competitions. They were originally designed for the practice putting green and competitive fun. So if you are going to put on a night golf event and want some cool games to warm up with, check out our skills competitions as well as setting up a few cosmic putting holes. It's easy, fast and fun!


I'm so excited to take part in Courtney King Walker's Release Day Launch for MOLLY PEPPER AND THE NIGHT TRAIN!
When she opened the mailbox on the first day of summer break, Molly Pepper found three pieces of mail. The first two items did not seem all that interesting: one, a Woman's Day magazine; two, her final report card on which she already knew mostly C's would be hogging all the white space; and three, a small, crème-colored envelope with her name on it.
That was the most interesting discovery. Molly could not recall the last time she had ever received anything in the mail. Not only was the crisp, smooth envelope addressed to her, but it also lacked both a return address and a stamp. No stamp meant somebody had sidestepped the entire mail system altogether and placed this exact letter into her mailbox, probably this very day.
Molly popped a cinnamon bear into her mouth and peered over her shoulder for any chance that the owner of the envelope might still be watching her. All she discovered behind her, however, was the sound of the distant ferry whistling through the salty air, and the passing by of an old, white convertible spewing a fume of exhaust in its wake. She coughed in protest, and then ducked behind a lone, thick palm tree, in case she was mistaken. She wasn't going to take any chances. Who knew what might be out there, hiding in the shadows, watching her every move?
For twenty-point-five seconds, Molly chewed on the remainder of cinnamon goo in her mouth and held her position while surveying the neighborhood for any sign of bedlam.
But, she hated to admit; everything appeared just as it should.
With a sigh, Molly tucked her report card into her back pocket for safekeeping and reemerged from behind the palm tree, doing her best to appear carefree. But it was more difficult than she'd hoped, especially after her detour to the side of the house where she deposited the Woman's Day magazine into the recycle bin.
Secretly stashing unwanted mail had been her routine for the last few months. She'd taken it upon herself to bury any rogue reminders of her mother under a pile of crumpled newspapers before her dad ever had a chance to see them. Molly figured it was better she deal with the mess of their new life than him. Especially today, the first day of summer break that was supposed to be filled with the promise of adventure…not reminders of broken promises.
The house was quiet when Molly stepped inside, except for the sound of her dad's daytime snores flooding the hallways like an occasional blast of an off-tune trombone.
That sound this time of morning always put Molly in a despondent mood because it meant change—an unwanted, unrequested change she hadn't yet grown used to. Secretly, she wished her dad would learn how to sleep in silence. Then, she could live under the ruse that her life remained the same as last summer when the world was still the kind of place in which most people liked to stay put.
At the kitchen table, Molly pushed aside yesterday's mail to make room for the letter. Her letter.
Now, the moment of truth. She hesitated before opening it, trying to guess just what it could be…a note from a secret admirer? A party invitation? Russian correspondence?
She sucked in a deep, audible breath. Then, on the count of three she exhaled and popped open the pointed flap.
A thick, crème-colored note slipped out onto the table, revealing a simple sentence printed in black ink, each line spaced evenly from top to bottom.
Well. There wasn't a question in Molly's mind about her desire for adventure. In fact, if anybody desired adventure more than her, she would like to meet them face-to-face just to see what the real face of adventure looked like. Because she was pretty sure the freckled face she met in the mirror each morning silently begged for something more than this—more than entertaining herself all summer long while her father worked two shifts at the police department and slept it off the next morning.
Adventure was the easy part.
The difficulty about this whole message, if Molly chose to follow the card's directions after all (and she was definitely still debating the whole idea), was the getting-to-the-top-of-Candlestick-Hill-without-passing-out part.
See, Candlestick Hill was the steepest hill in all of California. In fact, if Blue Rock Island were situated a little closer to Canada instead of in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, Candlestick Hill would make the world's best ski run. But, a thick blanket of fog was as close to white the island ever got, making Candlestick Hill a nightmare instead of the attraction it could be.
Therefore, a little skepticism about the mysterious message was in order. The more Molly thought about it, the more she wondered if perhaps somebody was playing a joke on her just to get her to climb the murderous hill for nothing.
another cinnamon bear, and drummed her fingers along the tabletop, trying to come up with a few criteria. First off, somebody with easy access to her mailbox; secondly, somebody creative enough to make up the whole idea in the first place; and lastly but most importantly, somebody who knew Molly well enough to play on her longing for adventure.
"What's that?" asked a voice coming from a space right behind her.
Molly slid the mysterious note across the table. "Do you have any idea what this is?" she asked, getting right down to business.
She wanted to gauge Noah's reaction, certain if he were behind it, the truth would reveal itself immediately. He could never withhold information without the whole truth bleeding out through his shifty brown eyes and seesawing smile. Because of that, Noah was a terrible secret-keeper and an even worse actor.
When they were kids, Noah was the lousiest performer in the history of neighborhood plays, resulting in Molly having to play both Darth Vader and Princess Leia (which didn't turn out so well). Even now, Molly could tell by the way Noah shifted his eyes to the right whenever they made eye contact that he had a crush on her.
But, she was careful not to let on because she wasn't quite sure how she felt about him. Not yet.
Noah picked up the crème-colored note and studied both sides of it very thoughtfully, as if taking a test. His eyes narrowed as he mouthed the words of the message quietly to himself.
Molly couldn't stand how long he took just to consider a few words on a piece of paper, and immediately concluded that he was much too serious to be part of any practical joke. She snatched the note back from him, a little relieved.
"Is it some kind of joke?" he asked, helping himself to the bag of cinnamon bears lying open on the table. She allowed it.
"I thought the same thing," she said, glad she wasn't the only one to jump to conclusions.
Molly thought for a minute, but still didn't know what her answer should be. She wanted to go. The promise of adventure had definitely piqued her interest. But, at the same time, she felt this deep, lurking fear building up inside her. What if she went all the way up there, only to be met with…nothing?
Molly sunk back into her chair, not sure what she should do. She had hoped for a little more support from him than this.
Noah remained quiet, his mind searching for a solution, a way to help Molly without her having to risk falling victim to some kind of mischief. Noah Wonderly was that kind of friend—the kind to back you up when you didn't know where to go next, and the kind to offer up solutions to problems that weren't even his. Molly almost always felt happier when he was around; he had his own way of making everything look brighter, even on a foggy day. San Francisco had a lot of foggy days.
And he also usually smelled like a clean laundry room.
Though, that didn't mean Molly liked Noah, or anything.
"What about your dad? Would he drive you up and check it out for you?" Noah asked, dropping his chin on his hands.
"What? No he won't!" Noah jerked upright and ran his hands through his dark hair, as if proving he was smooth and had skills.
"What are you talking about?" A hesitant smile spread across Noah's face, despite his every effort to tame it.
"What's so funny?" asked Noah, laughing now, too, though he wasn't sure what he was even laughing about. But, that was the thing about Molly, and the whole reason he liked her. Everything about Molly Pepper was contagious, making it that much harder to be around her when she was sad.
Noah wasn't sure about that. Did he want to go? Not really—who wanted to climb Candlestick Hill ever? Plus, he wasn't very excited about chasing after an anonymous prankster. It just seemed…stupid, and maybe even a little bit dangerous.
On the flipside, he never turned down an opportunity to hang out with Molly, especially when it meant the chance to prove he was brave and strong and all that other macho stuff girls liked. What guy wouldn't want that?
The car backfired when it pulled into the neighborhood, which was the last thing Ruby Dodd wanted to happen seeing as how she was supposed to be undercover.
Why the bureau didn't give her something a little more inconspicuous, maybe something made in this decade instead of the one in which she was born, was beyond her. But, she had a job to do, and complaining about vehicle options was not it.
The ferry ride over had been uneventful, just like every other day for the past month. Although, this morning Ruby couldn't figure out how the ferry captain could see through the fog enough to land safely on Blue Rock Island instead of crashing into the rocks at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.
She was relieved when they docked right on time at ten am. The drive to Penny Lane was a mere five minutes, and she parked in her usual spot around the corner from the stucco rambler, close enough to see the front of the house…but not so close that she would be spotted.
Ruby eyed her watch and started counting down. She had a feeling something would happen today. It was June 13th, Moody's five-year anniversary. Just thinking about it made her exhausted—five years of following clues all leading to dead-ends.
She was this close. This close!
At the thought of victory, Ruby smiled, until a UPS deliveryman wearing brown shorts and a brown shirt emerged from the fog. She sat up straight in her seat when he stopped in front of the small, stucco house and placed something the size of a letter inside the mailbox.
Ruby looked around for any sign of his truck. Certainly he had other packages to deliver? But, just as she suspected, the UPS man walked to the end of the street, turned the corner, and disappeared. The fog seemed to blot out his existence.
Ruby panicked. She didn't know whether to chase after the man or try to intercept the correspondence inside the mailbox before it was discovered.
She jumped out of her car, ready to spring to action, but stopped at the sight of Molly Pepper already standing in front of the mailbox, peering inside.
Now it was too late. The UPS man had vanished, and Molly Pepper had already found his message.
That left Ruby with no other choice. Today she would follow that girl's every move.
I like the cover; it looks eerie. The story sounds Pinnochio-esque. Thanks for having the giveaway.
Love the cover and the excerpts it looks and sounds fantastic thanks for the awesome giveaway!


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Q: Dependency Injection in Azure function I have a time-triggered Azure function & I want to use a custom service inside it i.e all my code to be executed inside the run method is under that custom service & I am just calling that service from the run method using DI, so is it correct approach to do?

A: This is an example of a TimerTrigger function I use in one of our projects, its a clean and scalable approach. As you see here I am injecting ILogger, OutboxRepository and ITimeProvider:
Function.cs
internal class ForwardEventLogMessages
    {
        private readonly ILogger _logger;
        private readonly OutboxRepository _outboxRepository;
        private readonly ITimeProvider _timeProvider;

        public ForwardEventLogMessages(
            ILoggerFactory loggerFactory,
            OutboxRepository outboxRepository,
            ITimeProvider timeProvider)
        {
            _logger = loggerFactory.CreateLogger<ForwardEventLogMessages>();
            _outboxRepository = outboxRepository;
            _timeProvider = timeProvider;
        }

        [Function(nameof(ForwardEventLogMessages))]
        public async Task Run([TimerTrigger("%MessagesSchedule%")] TimerInfo timerInfo)
        {
            _logger.LogInformation("Start forwarding event logs");

            await _outboxRepository.TransferFromLog(
                dateTime: _timeProvider.GetCurrentDateTime());
        }
    }

And make sure to register your services in the Program.cs/Startup.cs dependent on framework version, if you use isolated functions or in-proc, etc. You can read more about DI in Az functions here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-functions/functions-dotnet-dependency-injection

A: By default, Azure Functions (C#) Timer Trigger uses the static Run methods where you do not have dependencies, and these are the functional methods strives to be pure.
public  static  void  Run([TimerTrigger("0 */5 * * * *")]TimerInfo myTimer, ILogger log)

To construct and use the DI in Run Method of Azure Functions Timer Trigger, try using the Non-Static Run method.
Few Steps of using the DI in Azure Functions Timer Trigger were:

*

*In Root Project Level > Startup class should register all the dependency classes used in the Azure Function app and also that Startup class needs to implement the FunctionsStartup.

*When you remove the static keyword then static class cannot have a constructor, so we have to use a kind of [Constructor Injection] and register the ILogger service to log the data.

Refer to the practical workarounds given in the AkshayBabannaavar Medium Blog,  MarcRoussy Blog and SO Thread1  on Azure Functions (C#) Timer Trigger Dependency Injections for more information.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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About Amtrak
Pacific Surfliner Weekend Service Changes
Effective Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 11 - February 2, 2020
Track work being performed by North County Transit District will affect Pacific Surfliner service, on the dates shown below:
Fridays, January 10 and 31
Train 590 will be canceled. Passengers can make reservations aboard other Amtrak trains.
Bus service will be provided from Los Angeles to San Diego, making stops at Oceanside, Solana Beach, Old Town San Diego and San Diego Downtown. No alternate transportation will be provided to Fullerton, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano.
Saturday and Sunday, January 11-12 and February 1-2
Trains 562, 578, 583, 1565, 1566, 1569, 1572, 1573, 1590 and 1591 will be canceled. Passengers can make reservations aboard other Amtrak trains.
Southbound Train 782 will terminate at Los Angeles. No alternate transportation will be provided between Los Angeles and San Diego. Passengers can make reservations aboard other Pacific Surfliner trains.
Southbound Train 796 will terminate at Los Angeles and bus service will be provided for all missed stops.
Southbound Trains 580, 768, 774, 792, 1564 and 1584 will operate normally to Irvine, where bus service will be provided from Irvine to San Diego. Express buses will run from Irvine to San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside, Solana Beach, Old Town San Diego and downtown San Diego only.
Northbound Trains 579, 593, 595, 763, 777, 785, 1761 and 1767 will originate in Irvine. Bus service will be provided from San Diego to Irvine to connect with the trains listed above, with the exception of Train 1761. Buses will depart downtown San Diego, Solana Beach, Oceanside and San Juan Capistrano earlier than the train schedule to allow time to connect with trains in Irvine.
- Buses will not pick up at Old Town San Diego. Passengers can take the trolley to downtown San Diego to board buses to Irvine.
- Bus service will not be provided to connect with Train 1761.
- Metrolink will honor Amtrak tickets between San Juan Capistrano and Los Angeles.
There will be no checked baggage or express service south of Santa Ana on the dates shown above. Alternate bus service will not serve San Clemente Pier.
PSN 1219-41


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Federal holidays in the United States are the eleven calendar dates that are designated by the U.S. government as holidays. During U.S. federal holidays, non-essential federal government offices are closed and federal government employees are paid for the holiday.

Federal holidays are designated by the United States Congress in Title V of the United States Code (). Congress only has authority to create holidays for federal institutions (including federally-owned properties), employees, and the District of Columbia. Although not required, as a general rule of courtesy, other institutions, such as banks, businesses, schools, and the stock market, may be closed on federal holidays. In various parts of the country, state and city holidays may be observed concurrently with federal holidays.

History
The history of federal holidays in the United States dates back to June 28, 1870, when Congress created federal holidays "to correspond with similar laws of States around the District...and...in every State of the Union."  Although at first applicable only to federal employees in the District of Columbia, Congress extended coverage in 1885 to all federal employees.

The original four holidays in 1870 were:

 New Year's Day
 Independence Day
 Thanksgiving Day
 Christmas Day

George Washington's Birthday became a federal holiday in 1879. In 1888 and 1894, respectively, Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) and Labor Day were created. Armistice Day was established in 1938 to honor the end of World War I, and the scope of the holiday was expanded to honor Americans who fought in World War II and the Korean War when it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act gave several holidays "floating" dates so that they always fall on a Monday, and also established Columbus Day.

In 1983, Ronald Reagan signed Martin Luther King Jr. Day into law, and it was first observed three years later, although some states resisted. It was finally celebrated by all 50 states in 2000.

Christmas Day as a federal or public holiday is sometimes objected to by various sources, usually due to its ties with Christianity. In December 1999, the Western Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, in the case Ganulin v. United States, denied the charge that Christmas Day's federal status violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, ruling that "the Christmas holiday has become largely secularized", and that "by giving federal employees a paid vacation day on Christmas, the government is doing no more than recognizing the cultural significance of the holiday".

On June 17, 2021, Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

List of federal holidays
Most of the 11 U.S. federal holidays are also state holidays. A holiday that falls on a weekend is usually observed on the closest weekday (e.g. a holiday falling on a Saturday is observed on the preceding Friday, while a holiday falling on a Sunday is observed on the succeeding Monday).  The official names come from the statute that defines holidays for federal employees.

New Year's Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas Day are observed on the same calendar date each year, irrespective of the day of the week. For floating holidays, when a holiday falls on a Saturday, federal employees who work Monday to Friday observe the holiday on the previous Friday. Federal employees who work on Saturday observe the holiday on Saturday and, for them, Friday is a regular work day. Holidays that fall on a Sunday are observed by federal workers the following Monday.

Inauguration Day, held on January 20 every four years following a quadrennial presidential election, is considered a paid holiday for federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area by the Office of Personnel Management. However, it is not considered a federal holiday in the United States equivalent to the eleven holidays mentioned above.

Although many states recognize most or all federal holidays as state holidays, the federal government cannot enact laws to compel them to do so.  Furthermore, states can recognize other days as state holidays that are not federal holidays.  For example, the State of Texas recognizes all federal holidays except Columbus Day, and in addition recognizes the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas as state holidays.  Furthermore, Texas does not follow the federal rule of closing either the Friday before if a holiday falls on a Saturday, or the Monday after if a holiday falls on a Sunday (offices are open on those Fridays or Mondays), but does have "partial staffing holidays" (such as March 2, which is Texas Independence Day) and "optional holidays" (such as Good Friday).

Private employers also are not required to observe federal or state holidays, the key exception being federally-chartered banks. Some private employers, often by a union contract, pay a differential such as time-and-a-half or double-time to employees who work on some federal holidays. Employees not specifically covered by a union contract, however, might only receive their standard pay for working on a federal holiday, depending on the company policy.

Legal holidays due to presidential proclamation

Federal law also provides for the declaration of other public holidays by the President of the United States. Generally the president will provide a reasoning behind the elevation of the day, and call on the people of the United States to observe the day "with appropriate ceremonies and activities." Examples of presidentially declared holidays were the days of the funerals for former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Gerald Ford; federal government offices were closed and employees given a paid holiday.

Proposed federal holidays
Many federal holidays have been proposed. As the U.S. federal government is a large employer, the holidays are expensive. If a holiday is controversial, opposition will generally prevent bills enacting them from passing. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, marking King's birthday, took much effort to pass and for all states to recognize it. It was not until 2000 that this holiday was officially observed in all 50 states.

The following list is an example of holidays that have been proposed and reasons why they are not observed at the federal level. Some of these holidays are observed at the state level.

Controversy
Protests by the Native American community support the abolition of Columbus Day, mainly due to its ideology in forcefully conquering and converting whole populations with another and encouraging imperialism and colonization. Glenn Morris of The Denver Post wrote that Columbus Day "... is not merely a celebration of Columbus the man; it is the celebration of a racist legal and political legacy—embedded in official legal and political pronouncements of the U.S.—such as the doctrine of discovery and manifest destiny." Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin do not recognize Columbus Day, though other states such as Hawaii and South Dakota mark the day with an alternative holiday or observance. South Dakota is the only state to recognize Native American Day as an alternate. Hawaii recognizes Discoverer's Day. Other states such as Maine, Nevada, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin instead recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day as an alternative holiday.

See also

 List of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation
 Public holidays in the United States

References

External links
 Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application, CRS Report for Congress, 98-301 GOV, updated February 8, 1999, by Stephen W. Stathis
 United States Code: Federal Holidays (5 USC 6103)
 Official US Federal Holiday calendar
 US Federal holiday and special occasions calendar
 National Holidays in USA

federal
Federal government of the United States

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As a child, there's nothing worse than spending a prolonged period of time confined in a hospital bed with nothing to do.
Kevin Gatlin, 47, an American dad-of-one, experienced this first-hand when he was a kid - but it wasn't until he visited his friend's child in the hospital that he decided to do something about it.
Kevin launched a company selling bedding and sleeping bags with board games and educational lessons printed onto the fabric so sick children who are confined to their beds - at home or in a hospital - never get bored.
With the help of his mum, a school teacher, Kevin came up with a list of games and lessons to include.
Each bedding set and sleeping bag has more than 50 games printed on them, including word searches, draughts, maths equations, and a map of the solar system.
The company also provides all the game pieces to go with the bedding.
According to Kevin, the sheets are used in 10 hospital across the US.
Kevin added that people buy the bedding sets online and donate them to hospitals, too.
Am I alone in hating this trend?
Can we have an unpopular opinions thread?
26 replies Is it normal?
Has your child ever spent time in hospital? How did you help stave off the boredom? Share your thoughts and opinions in the chat thread, below.
CHAT: has your child ever spent in a hospital? how did you keep them from getting bored?
With World Mental Health Day coming to close, we thought it would be nice to end it with some inspiring quotes by celebrities who have spoken out about their own issues.


Tried to watch my xfinity app at my son's house and couldn't. Why?
Re: Tried to watch my xfinity app at my son's house and couldn't. Why?
did you receive an error code or message? out of home viewing of live TVs channels can be filtered in listings to 'out of home' and can be used on any wifi or cell data. Also you can watch your completed DVR recordings as well as much of the on-demand program library.
Please select the "Available out of home" filter in the Live TV and On Demand sections to see the 200+ live channels and 40,000 On Demand choices that are available to watch from anywhere in the USA.


text:
Iranian authorities drop all charges against Parviz Tanavoli, while UNESCO pay tribute to Le Corbusier
Suhanya Raffel is set to replace Lars Nittve as executive director of Hong Kong's M+ Museum. Raffel, who is currently the deputy director and director of collections at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia, will assume the position in November.
San Francisco's Asian Art Museum has released the first digital renderings of its recently announced expansion. The building, which has been designed by Los Angeles-based architects wHY, will occupy 12,000-square-feet at 200 Larkin Street and is slated to cost around USD$25 million.
New York's P.P.O.W Gallery is set to expand in September, when it will open a new project space and showroom. The new 2,000-square-foot space will be located on the sixth floor of 535 West 22nd Street, above the gallery's current location.
Iranian authorities have dropped all charges against leading artist Parviz Tanavoli. On 2 July, Tanavoli had his passport removed at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport without explanation, and was later accused of disturbing the peace.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have listed 17 buildings designed by French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier as World Heritage Sites. An official statement from UNESCO paid tribute to Le Corbusier's 'new architectural language that made a break with the past'.
M+ Museum
P.P.O.W
Parviz Tanavoli
Breastfeeding Mothers Protest at Mexico City's Museum of Modern Art
Google Doodle Celebrates 200 Years of Madrid's Museo del Prado
Art Can Help Heal You, New World Health Organization Study Says
Not So Modern: The Suppressed Misogyny of Modernist Architecture
British Museum is Biggest Recipient of Stolen Goods, Leading Human Rights Lawyer Claims
Quarter of Migrant Arts Professionals Are Thinking About Leaving the UK Following 'Hostile Environment'
500 Musicians Pledge to Boycott Amazon Festivals Over Ties with ICE
Half of Musicians Have Faced Sexual Harassment, Reports Union
Instagram in Talks with Artists Over Nudity Policy
Tania Bruguera, Hito Steyerl and Other Leading Art World Figures Demand MoMA Divest From Private Prisons
Renaissance Masterpiece Discovered in Elderly Woman's Kitchen
Anti-Oil Protesters Blocked VIP Preview of British Museum's 'Troy' Exhibition
National Galleries Scotland Ends BP Sponsorship; Recognizes Responsibility To 'Address the Climate Emergency'


Study finds calcium channel, Cav3.1, is the key player in normal sleep and it is significant in the generation of physiological unconsciousness.
Sleep is a periodic suspension of consciousness which every vertebrate creature must enter regularly in order to survive. When asleep, the brain responds differently to stimuli than when awake.
Previously, scientists have confirmed the activeness of brain during sleep, but it is not clear about the changes happen in brain during sleep. Our brain runs on same neurons and requires same amount oxygen in both states – sleep and awake. But what makes these two states so different from one another?
In a study published in the journal PNAS, Rodolfo Llinás, a professor of Neuroscience at New York University School of Medicine and a Whitman Center Investigator at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, and his colleagues, Choi, Yu and Lee announced that a specific calcium channel in brain plays a crucial role in healthy sleep – a key step toward understanding both normal and abnormal waking brain functions.
Llinás and his team studied the activity of calcium channel in mice. Calcium channels, selective gates in neuron walls, are integral in neuron firing, that make all parts of the brain communicate to one other. During sleep, the activity of calcium channel is increased, keeping a slow rhythm that is different from patterns found when awake.
Based on the activities of calcium channel during sleep and awake, the scientists removed one type of calcium channel, Cav3.1 and observed how the absence of this calcium channel's activity affected the brain function in mouse.
"They basically took cat naps," says Rodolfo Llinás.
The mice without calcium channel, Cav3.1 completely lack the ability to sleep deeply and they express a syndrome tantamount to psychiatric disorders in humans.
Interesting and it makes sense to me. I have an awful time sleeping deeply. When I take Calcium supplements it helps. I do not metabolize Vit D and Calcium very well because of that. I have to take like Triple strength vitamin D to get the effect I need. In the elderly I can see this being a cause for their restlessness and inability to sleep. As we age we do not metabolize calcium as well. Perhaps the lack of sleep is a side effect of that.


text:
Anti-charter fever cools down in Sacramento,…
Anti-charter fever cools down in Sacramento, for now
Hundreds of other LAUSD teachers collect picket signs and other materials outside UTLA's office as they prepare for a possible strike, in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2018. UTLA will meet with LAUSD on Monday for one last negotiation to avert a strike. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
By Larry Sand | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: June 12, 2019 at 11:34 am | UPDATED: June 12, 2019 at 11:34 am
Recently, two bills that were poised to become law were deep-sixed in the California legislature. AB 1506 would have frozen the number on charter schools, allowing only those in existence at the end of this year. A new school could open only if another closed. Additionally, the more draconian SB 756 would have placed a moratorium on any new schools whatsoever until Jan. 1, 2022.
Given the power of the California Teachers Association and the political composition of the state legislature, the bills' failure to become law was quite surprising. All along, CTA president Eric Heins railed about how charters in California have risen "without any accountability or transparency." This is quite hypocritical. Charters exist because parents choose them. If charters don't do a good job, parents will send their kids elsewhere, and the school could lose its charter and close. Typically, when traditional public schools fail, they remain open and complain about a lack of funding.
In reality, when charters are compared to traditional district schools, charters usually rule. A study from Stanford University in 2014 found that low-income black students in California charter schools gained 36 more days of learning in reading and 43 more days in math a year than their district school counterparts. Stanford also released the results of a study in 2017 which revealed that the longer students attend schools in charter networks, the greater their gains. For example, "in math, students attending schools in charter networks gain, on average, about 34 more days of learning in their first year than similar students in traditional district schools. By their third year in that school, they gain 69 additional days of learning – roughly twice the growth."
While not all studies show such glaring disparities, by and large, charters do a better job, which is why they are preferred by many parents, especially minorities. A recent Democrats for Education Reform poll showed that 58 percent of black Dems were in favor, while 32 were opposed. The numbers for Hispanics were 52 for and 30 against.
So what do the unions do now? In California and elsewhere, unions have long held an ambivalent attitude toward charters. On odd days, they try to kill them off, while on even days they attempt to organize them. Now because of their inability to mortally wound charters in the Golden State legislature, maybe the next push will be to unionize them.
This is not an easy road, however. It is time-consuming and costly to organize stand-alone charters or even small charter networks. Another issue is the freedom factor for teachers. Educators who prefer charters are frequently independent types who want to escape a union's collective bargaining constraints, where every second of a teacher's day is regulated. Not surprisingly, unionized charters tend to operate like just like unionized traditional district schools. Consequently, while the actual number of charters has increased since 2010, the percentage of unionized charters has decreased from 12 to 11 percent.
Even more damning was a study conducted by Harvard economist Tom Kane which found that students accepted by lottery at independently operated charter schools significantly outperformed students who lost the lottery and remained at district schools. But, as University of Arkansas professor Jay Greene points out, "… students accepted by lottery at charters run by the school district with unionized teachers experienced no benefit."
Trump's 'Go Back' tweets are ignorant and hateful: Letters
Therefore, when charter schools unionize, they become identical to traditional district schools in performance. Greene notes that unions may say they support charter schools, but only after "they have stripped them of everything that makes charters different from district schools."
Back in California, we are not yet out of the woods. While AB 1506 and SB 756 have been shelved, the bills' authors plan to bring them back in the future. Also, two other damaging bills, AB 1505 and AB 1507, are still very much alive. AB 1505 would knock out the appeals process. As things stand now, if a charter is turned down by a local school district, it can appeal to the county and then the state. AB 1507 would make it difficult for a charter that is having trouble finding a facility to locate in a neighboring district. These bills both passed in the State Assembly and now continue on to the Senate. (The recently released report from California's Charter Task Force, made up of charter, district and union leaders, was mixed on these issues – it recommended preserving the appeals process, but asserted that districts should be prohibited from authorizing charter schools located outside district boundaries.)
Considering how bleak the situation was just a couple of weeks ago, the latest news is very good for charter schools and the children who attend them. But they are definitely not out of the woods. As such, continuing protests and eternal vigilance are required to keep the teachers unions and their legislative friends in Sacramento at bay.
Larry Sand, a retired teacher, is president of the California Teachers Empowerment Network.
Larry Sand


High Frequency Vacuum Wood/Timber Dryer Machine is the result of design combining High frequency medium heating technology and Vacuum cryogenic dehydration technology. The working principle of HF medium heating: in the high frequency electrical filed, friction of medium molecule generates heat. Keeping the wood in the frequency electrical filed, thus the inside & outside of wood will be rapidly heating. Meanwhile, vaporizing temperature of water will be decreased under vacuum conditions.
Seller installs and debugs most part of machine before delivery. Buyer should do some easy job before using it depends on detailed instructions.
Engineers available to service total set of machine overseas for one year.
Every component is free of charge if it is broken because of the machine itself for one year.


Lean principles emerged in the Japanese manufacturing industry after the Second World War. Lean management focuses on improving product quality while eliminating waste—primarily through process redesign and the integration of employees, management, suppliers and customers into the quality management process. The NHS is under significant pressure to improve productivity while maintaining or improving service quality, at the same time as service demand increases. The Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme's primary concern is to ensure that financial resources are used to bring maximum benefit and quality of care to patients (Department of Health, 2010). Lean management could therefore offer a panacea for the NHS, although its applicability to the health service sector is contested. This article investigates whether lean management is merely a fad or whether it could alleviate the pressure the NHS faces. While specific clinical processes may easily adopt lean processes and practices, healthcare organisations will need a paradigm shift in their management philosophy to adopt lean more widely. The promise of lean management remains elusive but could be harnessed by willing organisations.
McIntosh, B., Cookson, G. (2012) Lean management in the NHS: fad or panacea. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 18 (3), 130-135.


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Nils's dj career started as early as at the age of 15, at the now legendary Kashmir Underground. Today, Nils is still an important part of the underground techno scene.
Among the countless club nights and events that he played, Nils's path has had many milestones during the years that defined not only his style, but also the style of the Hungarian underground electronic scene. Nils played the techno festival Mayday in 2009, started his own radio show Planet Radio in 2010, and started an event series the same year, Concorde Events, bringing famed artists like Alan Fritzpatrick or Speedy J to Hungary.
In 2013, he founded the production duo Steam Shape with his friend SveTec. Together they have released music on labels like Analytic Trail, Driving Forces Records or Phobiq, while their tracks are played by names such as Richie Hawtin or Adam Beyer. The most recent milestone in Nils's career was joining the NVC crew, which also made him a regular guest at NVC's own weekly night, Casino Bangkok.
← Ioda / YesmanSERES Live @ Bankito Festival 2015 →


Medellin taxi drivers show Andrew very different sides of Colombia's capital city in Andrew Zimmern's Driven by Food.
Police take a break in front of an elaborate mural found one in of Medellin's outer communas.
Once considered one of the world's most dangerous cities, Medellin is now one of Colombia's liveliest. Andrew Zimmern tours very different sides of the capital city with local cab drivers as his guides.
Andrew gets friendly with a guinea pig that passersby place bets on with a street performer.
Street vendors in Medellin are famous for their smoked meats.
Andrew and his driver found this street vendor at a construction site on the outskirts of Medellin serving up chicken and bone soup.
Medellin street vendors also specialize in bunuelos, fried dough balls.
Cab driver Wilson Castaneda drives Andrew Zimmern through Medellín to find fresh smoked meats at a popular spot with locals under a bridge.
A street vendor under a bridge in Medellin smokes meats and adds extra heat via a hairdryer.
Chunchurria, the fried small intestine of a pig, is a local delicacy in Medellin.
A fan who recognized Andrew stops to chat and try the chunchurria from the street vendors under the bridge.
Andrew and one of his driver guides, George Agudelo, chat over bandeja paisa at Leneros, a popular cabbie spot.
Bandeja paisa is a popular Colombian dish of various meats, beans and a fried egg. This one also has a small "salad."
Andrew winds up his throw during a game of Tejo, Colombia's official national sport that combines disc tossing, beer and gunpowder.
Chefs Rob and Carmen Pevitts relocated to Medellin from the U.S. to open Carmen, considered one of the best restaurants in Colombia.
Carmen's Pork Two Ways dish has braised pork tenderloin and pork belly with a sugar glaze and sweet potato puree.
Medellin was once a hotbed of drug activity and crime -- it was drug cartel king Pablo Escobar's homebase and also where he was killed -- but has been on the move, economically and culturally, over the past several decades.
A cheeseburger from Chef Burger in Medellin, considered one of the best in town.
Another variation on bandeja paisa from Donde Diana in Medellin.
Rotisserie chicken from Pollos Mario la America in Medellin.
Andrew and his driver, Wilson Castaneda, take a break for a quick soccer game with Wilson's friends.
Medellin has many ideal launching spots for paragliding over the beautiful mountainsides of Medellin.
Andrew prepares to stick his landing after paragliding over Medellin.


President Donald Trump is taking issue with Rep. Adam Schiff who on Wednesday announced plans to share transcripts of House Intel Committee interviews with the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump has long maintained that an investigation into his personal business and family would "cross a red line" though it appears that an ongoing investigation into the Trump Organization has not led to any prescriptive measure to kill the investigation from the White House. Yet.


Jonathan Diaz serves as the VP of Operations for Foundation Dynamics, Inc. He began his career as a labor and working on polyurethane repairs. Shortly after he moved to the Production Manager position and was promoted from Production Manager to VP of Operations in late 2015. As a former crew member, Jonathan knows firsthand every aspect of the installation process. He oversees projects ranging from single family residential homes to large multi-unit apartment complexes, containing both residential & commercial units. Any repair questions or concerns you may have Jonathan can help solve. He works closely with the front office and is able to communicate with Team Members, Management and Clients equally well.


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Q: Ruby on Rails deployment, on "thin" server with lot of attachments A lot of PDFs are stored inside MySQL as a BLOB field for each PDF file. The average  file size is 500K each.
The Rails app will stream the :binary data as file downloads, where there is a user click on the download link.
Assume there is a maximum of 5 users downloading 5 PDFs concurrently, what kind of deployment setup parameters I should be aware of? e.g. for the case of thin:
thin start --servers 3
whether --servers 3 is good enough (or 5 or more is needed) for the above example?
The 2nd question is whether 'thin' a capable solution?
Thanks!

A: Firstly I don't think you should be storing files in a database.  A better place would be in the file system, or alternatively in cloud storage like S3.  If you were to use an attachment plugin like paperclip this is a very easy to setup.
However, lets assume you want to store your files in your database.
The problem with your current set up is that when you're sending your file your thin instance is blocking while your client downloads the data.  This means if you have 3 thin instances and 3 people downloading pdfs then you're site will not respond to any requests.
Thankfully there is a solution to this problem which involves the x-sendfile header.  The way this works is your thin instance sends the file to your webserver, for example nginx, which then serves the file directly.
Here's a great post on stackoverflow on how to set this up with nginx.
Which web server are you using?

A: You can define one or two thin dedicated to your download. In your webserver you can made a different proxy distribution in your Rails Application and in your download url


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HomeDistrictCUSD proposes switch to by-trustee-area elections for 2024; reactions are mixed
CUSD proposes switch to by-trustee-area elections for 2024; reactions are mixed
BY RILEY PALSHAW
In an effort to align with neighboring school districts and other local entities, despite some pushback Carmel Unified School District will be changing its election method for CUSD Board of Education members from an at-large election to a by-trustee-area election system by 2024, dividing the district into five geographic areas and allowing only one candidate to be elected from each.
After receiving a letter from the League of United Latin American Citizens, a national Hispanic association that encouraged the district to create these boundaries for more equal representation, CUSD began planning for this transition, taking into consideration the California Voting Rights Act placed in 2001 that was a motive for cities, counties and school districts across the state to modify district boundaries to a trustee-area election. The project was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is once more a top agenda item for CUSD board members.
"We need representation and voices from all areas of the district," says Jessica Hull, chief communications officer for CUSD. "The hope is that by separating them out into trustee areas, you have the ability to bring forward the concerns from those areas in a more vocal way because they have a seat at the table as a board member."
Currently, all five board members can be elected from any area within the district, but a by-trustee-area election suggests that a candidate can only run to represent the region in which they live and only the people within their region can vote for them.
The hope is to ensure that what matters to constituents throughout CUSD is reflected in each board member, allowing everyone to have a voice.
"Right now the folks who are participating have a 5-0 impact," explains CHS teacher and Association of Carmel Teachers president Bill Schrier. "After redistricting, they're only going to have a 1-0 impact. So what you've done is diluted the power of those folks that are more engaged, and even if the people in unrepresented communities don't participate, it's still going to change the dynamics of the district so you're not going to have relatively concentrated political power choosing all the board members."
Demographers have been collaborating with CUSD to draft maps of regions for a by-trustee-area election that meet federal and state requirements. (courtesy of CARMEL UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT)
Complications within the election process itself arise in instances where either there are multiple candidates gunning for one region's representative or if a region already has a member on the board in 2024. For instance, if current board president Sara Hinds and board clerk Tess Arthur are re-elected in November, the regions in which those board members reside are off the table for the 2024 election, meaning that the three other current board members couldn't rerun.
The switch to a by-trustee-area election system has been a topic of controversy among the community and the district itself. While the transition's intent is to create more equity throughout Carmel Unified, it means residents in the district's most populated areas lose some of their influence on election outcomes, a reality that doesn't sit well with all of the community.
"I would like to see our board engage with LULAC and those entities to find out what their concerns are so we can address them rather than reduce or remove representation," says Drew Lander, a candidate in the 2022 CUSD Board of Education election. Lander proposes the board investigate alternative methods of responding to LULAC's letter of demand before diving straight into the project and creating new boundary lines for regions.
In order to equally divide the district, there must be 4,500 residents per trustee area. Ideally, the board would divide CUSD into regions of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pebble Beach, Cachagua and Big Sur, but in order to group 4,500 people evenly throughout five regions, the district has realized that the boundaries might have to be unconventionally configured.
Board members, with the help of hired demographers, are currently looking at a number of map possibilities for the new region lines, all of which the community can give feedback on through public hearings or through email. The CUSD website even offers a feature that allows community members to create their own maps that the CUSD board will take into consideration.
"We'll see how this community responds to this change," Hull says. "The intent is always to have better participation, more participation, more representation of all of the voices across the district. This is one way to do that."
Community, News
Anti-stadium lights advocates find host of problems with latest EIR...


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NELA Arts Council Summer Film Series Entertains & Informs
KEDM Public Radio | By Cory Crowe
Published May 6, 2021 at 9:33 PM EDT
The Northeast Louisiana Arts Council Summer Film Series will feature a film a month starting May 19.
The series will be on the third Wednesday of May, June, July, and August at the Flying Tiger Brewery in Monroe. The films will start around 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 but the event is free for arts council members.
May 19 - Lube Job
June 16 - Rodents of Unusual Size
July 21 - Unexpected Modernism
August 18 - Buckjumping
ArtsArtsNortheast Louisiana Arts CouncilLouisianaWest MonroeMonroeFilm SeriesEventsFilms
Cory Crowe
Originally from Monroe, Cory has worked in a variety of media. He has worked in television news and spent seven years as a TV sports play-by-play announcer. He was also creative director for a television advertising department and worked extensively as a photojournalist. Cory has lived in both Dallas and New Orleans.
See stories by Cory Crowe


Senator COOK(8.25) —I speak as a member of Estimates Committee A who has turned a hand and attention, as have the other members of that Committee, to helping to draft and formulate the motion that Senator Richardson moved in the Committee of the Whole this evening. Senator Richardson is right about the motion. It has been broadly cast to provide a mechanism to settle disputes between the procedure of the Standing Committee on Appropriations and Staffing and the Executive. Perhaps I should say that a lot has been said in this debate in this chamber about Senator Walsh, but, ultimately, it is not Senator Walsh, the Minister for Finance, or whosoever may happen to be that Minister but rather it is the Cabinet that raises these appropriation Bills and authorises them to proceed. It is at that level that the responsibility rests.
I found the exposition of Senator Peter Baume earlier tonight, in many respects, to be a quite excellent exposition between the two alternatives. A dispute-settling procedure has been proposed by Senator Richardson. From all sides of the chamber, we have had heated agreement that such a procedure is necessary. Once that proposal was announced, honourable senators then proceeded to put their own interpretation on the meaning of the proposed procedure or to emphasise their points of view on how the procedures could be biased.
In my contribution to this debate, I want to put some points which are contrary to the general thrust of what has been put by a number of honourable senators. Intruded into the debate this afternoon and tonight have been references to what has been said in the newspapers and, from time to time, to events that were alleged to have occurred. That has been the theme of a number of speakers. I want to say of those comments that each of us has a view of the significance and importance of those events and all versions of those events, whatever they happen to be, are contested. Therefore, it does not seem to me to be helpful in this debate further to contest or argue those views; in the end, it is what is carried in this motion that is important.
I do not want to look, therefore, at the particulars but rather at the general proposition to see whether it will stand up after the current controversy is over. Therefore, first of all, it is important to put into context the circumstances in which this Estimates Committee motion has been brought forward. In doing that, I have to disagree strongly with remarks made earlier this afternoon by Senator Puplick. He put what I consider to be a quite outrageous proposition that the Presiding Officers could act independently to the Governor-General and the Governor-General could act over ministerial advice to send to this Parliament money Bills-that is, appropriation Bills. That seems to me to be a quite outrageous proposition. It seems to be a proposition that has been central to constitutional debate, at least for the last decade, in this country, and the main tide of that debate was certainly against the proposition put by Senator Puplick.
The first point I want to make is that the motion that Senator Richardson has moved does not state what Senator Puplick argued. The motion merely proposes that there be a procedure for resolving argument, but in the ultimate, if there can be no resolution of argument, it is the Executive wing of government that has the ultimate responsibility. The motion imputes to the Executive wing a responsibility in listening to the voice of the Standing Committee on Appropriations and Staffing, but it does not arrogate the responsibilities to make the final decision and to advise the Governor-General accordingly.
The second point that should be made about the remarks of Senator Puplick is that the logical extension of his proposition is that the House of Representatives or the Senate should then take responsibility for raising taxes to provide the finances needed to run the establishment. Ultimately, what has been canvassed is the view that the Executive or the Government of the day take responsibility for raising taxes but that the Parliament take responsibility for arrogating to itself whatever amount of those taxes it so deemed appropriate to spend on its own administration. I think there is an immoral centre to that proposition. The immoral centre is that if the Parliament does not raise a tax for parliamentary functions, it ought not take the responsibility for justifying the spending of those funds.
Senator Peter Baume —Does not the Parliament in fact raise the taxes on the advice of the Executive?
Senator COOK —Yes, but there is no question that it is the Government that introduces those Bills and ultimately it is the Government that carries those Bills. The exception, of course, in this chamber is that it does not always do so. That leads me to the point I was dwelling on in terms of the moral centre of this argument. It seems to me that if the parliamentary process allows for the rejection of tax measures by this chamber, it is passing strange that it should then want to take from what remains its own appropriations. It ought to have the ability-as a logical extension of the Puplick argument-to venture into the field of raising its own taxes to justify its functions.
The constitutional position has been muddied by this debate. In order to clarify it, one has to go back to the basis of the Constitution, section 56, which is the historical basis of the principle that the Government should have the right to control the introduction of legislation authorising the expenditure of public moneys. Hence section 56 envisages that the Governor-General will act on the advice of the responsible Minister or Ministers. According to that section, the advice need not be from the Minister meeting in Executive Council, since section 56 does not refer to the Governor-General in Council. The proposition that the representative of the crown should in all circumstances in this regard act on the advice of a responsible Minister or Ministers appears to have been accepted without question at the Australian Constitutional Convention debates in 1898.
I am not aware of any criticisms by writers on constitutional law or practice of the exclusive role of the government in providing advice to the Governor-General for the purposes of section 56, including advice on moneys for the Parliament's own needs. Indeed, in 1977 the then Attorney-General, Mr Ellicott, as he then was, and the Solicitor-General considered this matter. They reached the conclusion, with which the present Attorney-General (Mr Lionel Bowen) agrees, that the provision of advice to the Governor-General for the purposes of section 56 otherwise than by a Minister or Ministers would be inconsistent with basic constitutional principle and long established practice. Based on that, I do not believe that there can be any contest as to where the final constitutional authority rests.
Senator Cook asked the Chairman to rule on the effect of the words in paragraph (4): `, then the Leader of the Government in the Senate, as a member of the Appropriations and Staffing Committee, be consulted', given that the Leader was bound, by virtue of his oath of office, to be responsible to the Cabinet.
The Chairman replied that it is obviously true that the Government Leader is bound by decisions of the Government's Executive, but the words had been included in order to provide a form of mediation in the event of disagreement.
My purpose in entering this debate was to draw the attention of the Senate to that view taken within the Committee, because it does inform a reading of the text of the motion. Should there at any time in the future be an argument that the carriage of this motion somehow or other clothed the Appropriations and Staffing Committee with a responsibility to direct the Leader of the Government, it will be seen that that is quite clearly not the case. The Leader of the Government is bound obviously and in the end and at all times to carry out the role of the Executive wing of government. The critical part is that part, because that is the part upon which the mediation provisions in fact operate if in fact there is a dispute. Therefore, the critical part in the event of a dispute is that which contains the procedures to resolve the dispute. In the end this motion means, in my view, that in the event of a dispute we should call upon the good will and policital acumen of the Leader of the Government in the Senate to try to resolve that dispute. But if it remains unresolved in the circumstances of the exercise of that acumen and good will, ultimately it is the Executive wing that prevails.


The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has finally expelled Provident Asset Management for committing outright securities fraud in a Ponzi scheme that involved the marketing of a series of private placements under the names "Provident Energy" and "Shale Royalties." In typical FINRA-fashion, the expulsion was accomplished through a settlement in which the firm neither admitted nor denied any wrongdoing. FINRA's expulsion did not come about until more than 6 months after the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a securities fraud lawsuit against Provident Asset Management in July 2009 and Provident Royalties, LLC filed for bankruptcy in June 2009. Meanwhile, FINRA also announced today that their head of enforcement, Susan Merrill, is stepping down to return to private practice.
According to FINRA, the self-regulatory agency is conducting a broader investigation into the more than 50 broker-dealers who sold the Provident Energy and Shale Royalties private placements to their customers, which may lead to more settlements and potential fines. Disgruntled investors have already begun filing securities arbitration claims against some of these broker dealers alleging unsuitability, fraud and misrepresentation.