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Q&A: Michael Roberts, UCLA's Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy
"If we aren't interdisciplinary in our approach, there can be unintended consequences. So we need to look at food systems in a holistic way. The sharpness of the divisions in food policy bothers me. For example, I see it in the GMO debate between some in the science community and those interested in social aspects of the issue. There is a lot of smearing going back and forth. The science community, law and the social sciences need to be more integrated. Interdisciplinary approaches are paramount."
– Michael Roberts
About Michael Roberts: Michael is the founding executive director of the newly established Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. Michael's work covers a broad range of legal and policy issues, ranging from farm to fork in local, national and the global food system. A noted author, he has recently written the first major book on food law – Food Law in the United States – published by Cambridge University Press.
Michael Roberts. Credit: UCLA.
Michael's work is international in scope. He is a research fellow for Renmin University School of Law's Center for Coordination and Innovation for Food Safety; he also serves as an adjunct professor of law for East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai). He is an adjunct professor of law at Michigan State University, where he teaches a course on food law in China. He serves on the advisory board for the World Food Law Institute. Michael also was a visiting scholar and consultant to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.
Michael serves on the Los Angeles Food Policy Council's Leadership Board and chairs the Los Angeles Garden School Foundation. He says his work is influenced by his personal background: he was raised in the food business, which included a small family farm, a produce brokerage company and other food entities.
About UCLA's Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy: Based at UCLA's School of Law, the Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy "examines the ways in which the modern food system shapes consumers' physical, economic, social and environmental health." The Resnick program advances solutions for improving the modern food system. Its work focuses on issues ranging from farm to fork, nutrition, obesity, labeling, sustainability, urban agriculture, food safety, food litigation … and more.
Q: You taught the first food law and policy course in the nation. What inspired you to do that?
Michael: Some 16 years ago, I had returned to my law firm in Salt Lake City, following working as in-house counsel for a company. I was bored with the practice and one day when I read an article in the Harvard Business Review on the future of food, I immediately knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was raised around food, working on a small family fruit and vegetable farm and with my dad in produce companies. Law school was an escape from the hard, mundane work that life represented, but as I aged, I found myself drawn back to the world of food. The article inspired a bold move: a move to Arkansas.
I went to the University of Arkansas with my family to pursue an LL.M. in food law. That was the only food law program in the nation at that time. I got lots of push back from my law partners; they suggested I pursue an LL.M. in international law, a subject that had always captivated me, at a top tier law school. But I stuck with food. I took a year sabbatical and made the trek to Fayetteville.
One class in the LL.M. program really caught my attention: "Food Policy," taught by a highly respected authority in agricultural law, Neil Hamilton, who was visiting from Drake University Law School. At that point, I developed a singular focus on the possibilities of linking food and agricultural policy with law. Of course, law schools had long taught food and drug law, which mirrored the regulation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These classes, however, did not always capture the emerging issues related to food policy, which sought to address policy and legal problems in the food supply chain in a holistic way, from the farm to the consumer.
When I returned to my firm, I attempted to meld these themes together in a law practice and had some success. A few years later, however, I accepted an offer to join the faculty at the University of Arkansas School of Law as a research professor of law and as director of the National Agricultural Law Center, which, at that time was housed in the law school. Dean Richard Atkinson and the LL.M. director, professor Susan Schneider, were very supportive, as we began formulating a plan to develop "food law and policy."
A trip to Paris where I attended the European Food Law Association conference helped cement the coupling of food law and policy. I met there an Italian scholar, professor Ferdinando Albisinni, who had migrated from agricultural law to food law in Europe in his academic work. His example and our conversations inspired me and I returned to Fayetteville convinced that food law and policy was distinctive from traditional agricultural law and food and drug law and was needed to address the challenges of the modern food system.
It was shortly after this trip to Paris that I developed and taught a class titled, "Food Law and Policy." With the support of the administration, faculty, and students, we also soon thereafter started the Journal of Food Law and Policy, which still thrives today as a respectable publication in this field. The timing was great: the offerings coincided with the growing food movement that focused on the farm to consumers' plates. The terminology "food law and policy" soon became a term/title used by many to describe the use of law as a tool to assess and address modern problems in food.
Q: What role do law schools play in shaping food policy and dialogue among different groups?
Michael: I think it's an important role. In fact, when employed by Arkansas, I was teaching a summer course at Cambridge (U.K.) in international food law, and it was there I set a personal goal to be involved in forming a food law and policy program at a top tier law school. I believed then and now that it would be important to establish credibility for food law and policy in a law school that wasn't a traditional land-grant university where agriculture was a focus.
Food law and policy is multidoctrinal: it interacts with other types of legal doctrine. Food law is primarily administrative law, but it also encompasses property law (ex: zoning and urban agriculture), international law (trade and standards-making), torts (litigation), health law (food safety and nutrition), environmental law (food production) … and the list goes on and on. This multidoctrinal approach to law allows food law and policy to seek practical solutions to food problems. In a sense, food law and policy responds to changing social conditions, which is a characteristic of modern law.
So, with the goal in mind, I eventually left the University of Arkansas and went to Washington, D.C., to practice food law with the Venable law firm, then to Rome as a visiting scholar and consultant to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and then to Los Angeles, eventually ending up here at UCLA.
UCLA has provided the perfect forum for us to launch the enterprise. The law school is widely respected and very supportive of our mission to study and advance breakthrough solutions for improving the modern food system. Interestingly enough, shortly after we started, Harvard Law announced the start of its Food Law Lab, which is distinct from its Food Law Clinic. We also do both here at UCLA. We have a strong academic approach to food law and policy and are developing a food law clinic that will provide students unique experiential and creative problem-solving opportunities in this field. We are grateful to have recently received funding support for the clinic through UC's Global Food Initiative, which allows us to develop the clinic in the near future.
An area where law schools can contribute in a unique way in shaping food policy is the connection between food and human rights. I am pleased that UC Irvine School of Law is hosting this month a symposium, titled, "Establishing Equity in our Food System." This theme is consistent with a publication that Kim Kessler and Emily Chen from our program recently issued . . . ."issued, "Food Equity, Social Justice, and the Role of Law Schools: A Call to Action."
Credit: Michael Roberts.
Q: I've heard you speak before about "gaps." What do you mean by this term?
Michael: This is a theme in a new treatise on food law I authored, published this year by Cambridge University Press. The treatise sets forth the fundamentals of food law, which rests on the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The 1938 Act and its amendments, which are numerous, serve as the foundation of food law.
This foundation, however, has been ill equipped to deal with the problems of the modern food system. "Gaps," as we call them, have emerged where these problems cry out for legal address. As a result, gap fillers in the form of new laws and policies have emerged, including new state and municipal regulations (ex: antibiotic/drugs in animal feed in California, GMO labeling in Vermont, menu labeling in NYC and Los Angeles, trans fats bans, etc.). Another gap filler is litigation, which has addressed food labeling and food advertising issues. Food litigation is now also being viewed as a tool to address environmental costs in food production. Another gap filler is something called "soft law," which include internal rules or standards that a company, organization, or industry group might voluntarily agree to or pursue on its own (ex: related to nutrition, advertising for children, etc.).
A large part of what we do here at UCLA is to analyze what types of laws are the most effective in addressing these gaps in the food system. For example, our Policy and Research Fellow, Emily Aguirre, is publishing an impressive article that addresses federal preemption concerns related to the topic of antibiotic consumption and resistance in humans.
Q: What are the challenges you encounter in doing this work?
Michael: The problems I see are to a large extent structural in nature. Multiple government agencies regulate food, including the USDA and the FDA. Would we better off with one agency? Why is our national food policy set by such a cumbersome and politically charged tool called the U.S. Farm Bill? Even our obesity epidemic is a reflection of larger structural, social and political issues.
Sam Kass, formerly President Obama's senior policy advisor for nutrition policy, who is now busy doing a lot of interesting things in food policy, likes to ask in connection with the food movement, "Where are the lawyers?" I understand this question; oftentimes, folks who are advancing food policy don't have the same sort of equivalency as the environmental movement, where lawyers have led and drove much of the change. You can't initiate lawsuits under FDA acts the way you can under environmental statutes, but there is still much that lawyers can and should do.
And there's another interesting point: the food movement is not well organized. There are bits and pieces everywhere. The role of law in this case is to help mobilize common interests and figure out a strategy. We can work solutions through statute, regulatory changes, via litigation or by leading dialogue for change.
Q: As you know, UC's GFI has a subcommittee that's evaluating food literacy. What are your thoughts on this?
Michael: I would like to have better good food citizens. What a wonderful way to have good food systems. Having people that understand how the food system and food policy works, who can work in local school districts, on city councils or in lots of different ways is vital. Parents and volunteers, on their own time, are important allies in changing the food system. Lawyers are often good leaders, and we hope through our program to create good leaders as well.
As I mentioned, here at UCLA Law, we have both the academic side and the applied side of work. On the academic side, we teach, write and publish. And we have the applied side. And that's where we are just starting a new clinic that will allow us to represent policy clients, so we can take on cases and matters that put our feet on the ground and get things done one by one. We expect to see good results.
Power is invested in certain places in our society … and lawyers can hold the key to unlocking that power.
Q: Policy and law … what's the interplay?
Michael: It's not easy to define what law means or what policy means. Coupling them together is difficult. It sort of begs the question, what is the justification for a food law discipline if it's a little bit of this and that. I think it is because there is a modern food system and we have problems today that are more unique than we've ever experienced as a result of the way food is produced and delivered and food law allows us to assess and figure out practical solutions to these problems.
I think where lawyers can make a difference is in terms of power. And that's looking at individual spheres, and perhaps is not an overall solution. As an example that may not be so obvious, various food companies want to engage in socially responsible activity. Like us, they see problems of obesity and malnutrition and in the ability of people to have good choices to make. I'm seeing lawyers called within companies to effect social change within those companies where they work. Knowing how power works (government, corporations) helps. You have to know the realities of how power works … that is where leadership matters.
Q: What's encouraging you?
Michael: I find a lot of my students really want to help and get involved and they do it in very different ways. It's really encouraging. There are a lot of startups in food these days, novel companies that are producing food in different ways that are healthy and sustainable. They need lawyers who understand the food system to help them navigate the complicated laws and regulations. For example, food safety is a big concern for all companies. Chipotle has shown the serious consequences when food safety issues arise. Startups need to be aware of their responsibilities and how to play ball in a big league, so to speak, and how to do it the right way. I hope that some of these young lawyers could carve out a fulfilling practice by representing these kinds of businesses.
Q: What are ways we can more explicitly connect food in terms of the social sphere to agriculture science?
Michael: There is certainly a cost benefit to this approach. I came from a traditional land-grant institution, where agriculture science was a priority. UCLA does not offer the same advantage, but it provides a unique platform, because much of the food movement represents consumer interests. Los Angeles has a vibrant, food–diverse population and it's generally a very health conscious city. It also has an interesting food history production and a tradition of growing food here, gardens and more. Urban ag is very popular here for good reason.
There is something to be said for being detached from some of the traditional ag institutions you find in the land-grant university system. But we also give up some nexus of science and agricultural production. It's incumbent upon us to connect the two in our work. That's one reason I really like UC's GFI. I was a visiting professor at UC Davis, where the connection to agriculture science is easily found. I have also had a chance to interact with highly qualified faculty at UC Riverside involved in agriculture science. It's about caring enough to make those connections.
It may be easier for me because of my background to come at things from that direction. I fully appreciate the benefits that traditional land grant institutions bring to the table and we can – and should – avail ourselves of the information we need. And I see food law and policy as connecting the two … being sort of a bridge builder. These things are important to consider because there are very few students who have a farming or ag science background. Teaching about that part of the food supply chain is one of our challenges.
Q: What else do you want people to know?
Michael: I want people to really consider the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to addressing all of these issues in the food system. That's just critical. And I applaud the GFI for trying to do that. We all tend to be siloed somewhat in our work, but solving problems in the global food system requires interdisciplinary approaches.
Q: What's the next big thing?
Michael: Technology will probably answer that for us. And it may have to do with the changing composition of food; clearly, that's what much of the debate is about. But I also think that how technology interacts with the delivery for food is interesting. Look at Amazon Fresh and others in the United States engaged in home food delivery. What's going on in China in terms of e-commerce and food delivery is huge. It's remarkable to see how distribution is changing through technology.
The challenge will be how in the course of these technological changes do we convey accurate and science-based information to consumers that will also help motivate better choices and behavior. We're not going to be able to roll the clock back. Gardening, growing our own food and cooking our own food is wonderful – and we need to do more of that. But we also need to work in the reality of the fast-paced world we live in, with technology and how we help people with the least resources not suffer all of the consequences of the changing food system. It seems to me that we can use technology and law to address some of these vital issues, as well.
Q&A Part 1: Janie Simms Hipp, Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative Leader
Discussing food sovereignty with Valerie Segrest
#globalfood
European Food Law Association
Federal Food Drug Cosmetic Act
Ferdinando Albisinni
Food and Administration
food equity
food law
food literacy
food movement
global food initiative
Harvard Law
Journal of Food Law and Policy
National Agricultural Law Center
Pure Food and Drug Act
Resnick
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UN FAO
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
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'Newsweek' Gave 'The Breakfast Club' a Lukewarm Review in 1985
By David Ansen AND Zach Schonfeld On 2/15/15 at 9:46 AM EST
Culture Cinema Movies Films
This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of John Hughes's Brat Pack classic The Breakfast Club, which became an immediate box office success when it was released in February 1985. Theaters around the country are celebrating the anniversary by showing the high school movie once again, as a newly restored cut, next month. We're marking the occasion differently: by digging into our archives and pulling out our original review.
Former Newsweek critic David Ansen's 200-word review appeared in the February 25, 1985 issue of the magazine (with a cover story on the cocaine trade). Although the film has grown into a cult classic of 1980s teen angst and suburban malaise (surpassed only, perhaps, by Hughes's Ferris Bueller's Day Off in 1986), Ansen's opinion was more lukewarm. Though he praised the film's teenage stars, he pointed out its clichés and snarked that Hughes "may deserve more plaudits as a social worker than a filmmaker." Read Ansen's review (and watch the original trailer) below.
Five high-school kids who wouldn't otherwise be caught dead together are sentenced to a Saturday-long detention in the library of their suburban school. Strangers when they meet, they find out over the course of The Breakfast Club—a movie in the form of a group therapy—that they share the same pressures, fears, embarrassments and desires. Writer-director John Hughes (Sixteen Candles) obviously remembers his own adolescence, for the stereotypes he employs are virtually unchanged since the '60s, give or take a marijuana cigarette. Parents are still the root of all evil, surly rebels hide sensitive hearts, and no problem is so great that an honest heart to heart won't fix it. Hughes may deserve more plaudits as a social worker than a filmmaker, but you have to admit his hokey situation plays. The reason is the five terrific young actors, who bring more conviction to these parts than they perhaps deserve. Molly Ringwald is Miss Popularity; Anthony Michael Hall is the academic overachiever; Judd Nelson is the somewhat too eloquent good bad guy; Emilio Estevez is the wrestler programmed for macho competitiveness; and Ally Sheedy is the neurotic Allison, whose first word, some 30 minutes into the film, is "vodka."
Director John Hughes, Dead at 59─A Life in YouTube


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Q: xpath select following sibling of td which contents image with alt I have following table

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I need to use xpath. How to write the path? I need to display the number. This is the sibling of td which contains the image with alt telephone. So the output should be 111 222 333.
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A: "//table/tr/td[./img[@src='img/tel.jpg' and @alt='telephone']]/following-sibling::td"

A: I think the following query will work for you:
//tr/td/img[@alt="telephone"]/../following-sibling::td

or the explicit TD parent:
//tr/td/img[@alt="telephone"]/parent::td/following-sibling::td

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Willys de Castro (February 16, 1926 – June 5, 1988) was a Brazilian visual artist, poet, graphic designer, industrial designer, stage designer and magazine editor. De Castro is best known for his "Active object" series and is considered to be a pioneer and founding contributor of the Neo-Concrete Movement.

Early life and education
De Castro was born in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He was the second of six children born to Henrique de Castro and Cacilda de Souza Castro. His father was a businessman who owned a gas station, a used car dealership, and a perfumery in Uberlândia.

De Castro began to show an interest in the arts at a very early age and began to study the piano at the age of four. In the mid 1930s de Castro's family relocated from Uberlândia to Campinas, São Paulo after a fire destroyed the family perfumery. In Campinas de Castro studied music with Salvador Bove. During this time he also studied drawing under André Fort.

In 1941, when he was fifteen years old, de Castro moved to São Paulo to study Chemistry and Industrial design. From 1944 to 1945, he worked as a technical draftsman. In 1948, de Castro received a degree in Industrial Chemistry. For a brief period upon graduation de Castro worked as an industrial chemist for Esso but left his position to pursue his artistic interests.

Career
After leaving Esso to focus on music and graphic arts de Castro began to study dodecaphonic music with Hans-Joachim Koellreutter. De Castro created his first geometric abstract drawings in 1950 and for the rest of the first half of the 1950s continued to create paintings and textiles inspired by abstract art. During this time de Castro signed his music compositions and graphic artworks using the pseudonym "Souza Castro."

In 1952 de Castro began to work at the Alfredo Mesquita School of Dramatic Arts where he served as composer, singer, poet, and graphic designer. That same year some of de Castro's original musical compositions were performed at the Institute Caetano de Campos. The following year he composed the musical score for "The Clerk," a mimodrama produced by the students of the Alfredo Mesquita School of Dramatic Arts. That same year de Castro created his first concrete art works.

In 1954 together with his life partner and fellow artist Hércules Barsotti, de Castro founded Estúdio de Projectos Gráficos, an advertising design consultancy. While working at Estúdio de Projectos Gráficos, which operated until 1964, de Castro focused on graphic design as well as object design.

In 1954 de Castro was a founding member of the Brazilian musical group "Ars Nova." Under the direction of Diogo Pacheco Ars Nova focused on circulating obscure medieval and contemporary musical compositions. De Castro sang baritone and acted as the graphic designer for the group. During this time de Castro began creating concrete poetry and in 1955 published a book of his concrete poems.

De Castro was designer and director of the Brazilian theater magazine "Teatro brasileiro."

De Castro curated several group exhibitions and solo exhibitions including a retrospective of Aldo Bonadei's work at the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art in 1955.

De Castro was honored in 1957 by the Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte for his scenography and costume design work at the Artistic Culture Theater.

Upon his return from studying in Europe for one year (1958–1959), de Castro joined the Neo-Concrete Movement in Rio de Janeiro along with Lygia Clark, Hélio Oiticica, Franz Weissmann, Lygia Pape and others. The following year de Castro participated in "Konkrete Kunst" an exhibit organized in Zurich by Max Bill.

From 1959 to 1962, de Castro developed his "Active object" series.

In 1963 together with Hércules Barsotti, Lothar Charoux, Waldemar Cordeiro, Luiz Sacilotto among others, De Castro became one of the founders of the São Paulo based art gallery Associação de Artes Visuais Novas Tendências which operated until 1965. Associação de Artes Visuais Novas Tendências was founded and managed by artists working within the Concrete and Neo-Concrete movements but did not solely feature Concrete and Neo-Concrete art. The galleries goal was to provide a space and platform for contemporary art to be presented outside the confines of any particular artistic movement.

De Castro is also noted for his series of works titled "Pluriobjetos" which he began in 1970. De Castro's "Pluriobjetos" were first exhibited in 1983 at Gabinete de Artes Gráficas Raquel Arnaud Babenco in São Paulo.

Selected exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
 1983: Gabinete de Arte Raquel Arnaud Babenco (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1988: "Aventuras da ordem: Hércules Barsotti e Willys de Castro," Gabinete de Arte Raquel Arnaud Babenco (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1994: Obras de 1954 – 1961, Galeria Silvio Nery (São Paulo, Brazil)
 2000: "Mira Schendel, Sergio Camargo, Willys de Castro," Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
 2006: "Rhythm of Color. Alejandro Otero and Willys de Castro. Two Modern Masters in the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros," Aspen Institute (Aspen, Colorado)
 2009: "Desenho e Design: Amilcar de Castro e Willys de Castro," Instituto de Arte Contemporânea (São Paulo, Brazil)
 2016: "Willys de Castro: From paintings to objects 1950–1965," Cecilia Brunson Projects (London, England) – October 8 – December 9, 2016

Group exhibitions
 1957: São Paulo Art Biennial / IV Bienal Internacional de Arte de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1960: "Konkrete Kunst: 50 Jahre Entwicklung" (Zurich, Austria) – traveling exhibition, June 8 – August 14, 1960
 1961: São Paulo Art Biennial / VI Bienal Internacional de Arte de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1973: São Paulo Art Biennial / XII Bienal Internacional de Arte de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1977: "Projecto construtivo brasileiro na arte. 1950 – 1962," Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1984: "Tradição e ruptura. Síntese de arte e cultura brasileras," Fundação Bienal de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1994: São Paulo Art Biennial / Bienal Brasil Século XX (São Paulo, Brazil)
 1998: Arte Construtiva no Brasil (São Paulo, Brazil)

Selected works
  (1954)
  (c. 1956)
  (1958)
  (c. 1958)
  (1959–60)
  (1961)
  (1961)
  (1961)
  (1962)
  (1962)
  (1962)
  (1980)

References

Further reading

External links

 Willys de Castro at Dicionário de Artístas do Brazil

1926 births
1988 deaths
Brazilian artists
Concrete art

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Ribbon Scatter Bling Swarovski Crystal iPhone XS and MAX iPhone XR Case - Pink is handcrafted which make this the most luxury and prestige product. Every single pattern is a collaboration between our designers and craftsman. You will not find an identical case as yours even for the same pattern as they are all hand made.
This case is beautiful. I am so pressed with it. Everyone wants to know where I got it from. I like the extra beads that were sent just in case you drop your phone and lose a bead or two. The perfect detail in this phone case is so impressive. I will order a few more from this seller for other family members.
I've had this for about a week and a half now. I got it before the expected delivery date. I've also gotten a bunch of compliments on it. I see people saying theirs came broken or the rhinestones fell out really easily. I didn't/haven't had either of those problems.


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Time For Alexander Series - Book Tour and Giveaway
The Road to Alexander
Time For Alexander Book 1
by Jennifer Macaire
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Time Travel
Sex, love, war, & quite a bit of vino - it's a Greek myth come to life...
Ashley is a time-travel journalist who has fought to prove herself in a world that that believes her road in life was paved by her parents' fortune. After winning a prestigious award, she is selected to travel through time and interview a historical figure. Choosing her childhood hero, Alexander the Great, she voyages back in time for less than a day to interview a man whose legend has survived to the present day. He mistakes her for Persephone, goddess of the dead, and kidnaps her. Stranded in the past, cold and aloof Ashley has to learn to befriend, to trust...and to love.
Join Ashley and Alexander the Great on their fabulous adventure. Fans of Diana Gabaldon, Jodi Taylor, and Diana Norman will enjoy this saga.
What everyone's saying about The Road to Alexander:
"If you are a fan of Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander Series then you will love this story. The same heart wrenching trials and tribulations that she puts her characters through happen within this gripping tale." Lynda Warnock
"Fun, sexy and at times incredibly sad, the story held me to the end and the research was incredible." Karen King, author.
"If you love Time travel books then this one is not to be missed. Totally engrossing!!!!" Amazon reviewer.
"A Time for Alexander is a wonderful moving saga. Really more of a historical piece than a romance, there is more than enough heat between Alexander and Ashley to keep the pages smoldering." Goodreads.
"...A delightful read, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series." Amazon Reviewer.
" I found an engaging and light read, fun at times with some beautiful descriptive scenes of the cities, the landscape and life in the vast and growing empire of Alexander the Great in 333 - 330 BC." Amazon Reviewer.
"From the first page, I was intrigued by this story." Conan Tigard
"There wasn't a piece of this book that didn't fit, it kept a quick pace, the dialogue was witty and entertaining and the beautiful descriptions of ancient lands entice you into accompanying them on Alexander's quest to conquer the world." Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google
Alexander couldn't get over it. My itchy linen robe had been the very finest quality, thanks to the machine that wove it, but my shoes had been a dismal failure and he was disappointed in the god's choice of footwear.
I tried to explain that the gods had nothing to do with my sandals but fell asleep in the middle of my sentence. It wasn't that important anyway, I thought.
There was a new pair of sandals on the rug the next morning. They fitted perfectly. My old ones had disappeared, and I didn't find out where they'd gone until I went into the village and passed by the temple. There, on the altar, were my sandals.
Fresh flowers, a bowl of warm milk, and a small snail made of clay surrounded them. A young girl in temple robes sat next to them murmuring a prayer. I tried to speak to her in Greek, but she didn't understand me. I pursed my lips and went to find Nassar. Maybe he could explain.
Nassar was writing a letter for a tough-looking soldier. They were both sitting on a mat made of reeds, and every once in a while Nassar would throw his pen away and break off a reed. He would sharpen it quickly with his teeth and I realized with a small start that his front teeth had been carefully cut at a bias to trim reeds into pens. It was interesting and I resolved to have him explain how it was done. He dipped the reed into a little clay pot of ink and wrote on a rather cheap piece of papyrus. A dozen rolled-up letters were lying beside him, each one flattened and sealed with a blob of wax. He'd been busy all morning. When he finished the letter he rolled it up, tied it with a piece of grass and sealed it with hard wax. Then he flattened the whole thing with his fist, wrote the address on the outside, and placed it on top of the pile.
"Next?" he called out in his nasal voice.
"Good morning, Nassar," I said as I approached.
He held his arms up in a stiff salute and then bowed, touching his forehead to the mat. "Hail Demeter's daughter," he intoned.
"Don't do that!" I was upset. "Who told you that, anyway?"
"Oh, everyone knows," he said smugly.
"Well, I'd like you to come to the temple with me to see about a pair of shoes," I said.
"Oh! The Sacred Sandals! I should be honored! May I touch them, oh daughter of Demeter?"
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. "They aren't sacred sandals," I said. "And of course you can touch them. There's been a mistake."
"They weren't your sandals? The captain of the guards took them to the shoemaker early this morning to have a copy made in leather and gave the originals to the temple. It is not a coincidence that the goddess of the harvest, Demeter, guards this town. It was why you were sent here. Now that Iskander has rescued you, the harvest is sure to be fantastic this year."
"But isn't the village protected by Ishtar?"
"It was, but it's becoming Hellenicised. Now it has adopted Demeter, goddess of the harvest, because of what Iskander said last night in his speech."
"His speech? What did he say?"
"You should have asked me to translate," he said, reproach in his voice. "He said he was glad to be there and that he hoped the play would be entertaining, that he and his soldiers were very happy in the village, and he was honored everyone had made them feel so welcome, and how the two cultures would complement each other." Nassar took a deep breath, like a swimmer, and plunged in again. "He said that the gods of Greece were stronger than our gods so we'd do well to adopt theirs. He said you had been sent as a sign and that he'd saved you from Hades himself, so Demeter would forever be grateful. He said that as a goddess you would personally see to the welfare of the village." He finished in a rush and smiled at me. "I'm no longer an atheist," he said proudly. "I believe in you. Why, if I want, I can actually touch your sandals."
I closed my eyes again and waited for the wave of pain that was sure to come. Pretending to be a goddess must rate among the three top reasons for erasing a Time-traveling journalist. After a few seconds I opened one eye, then the other. Nothing had happened. I was still sitting in front of Nassar, and he was watching me with a rapt expression on his narrow, rat-like face.
"Did your mother speak to you?" he whispered, his eyes wide.
"No. No, she didn't. Excuse me, Nassar, but I think I'll just go lie down. I have to think about all this." I stood up, shivering with disquiet, and walked back to the tent where Alexander was having a game of dice with a tall man I recognized as the village priest. I wondered if I could sneak away, but they turned and saw me.
"Oh! There you are!" cried Alexander, standing up and holding out his arms. "I was worried. Did you find your new shoes? Yes, I see you did. The village priest has come to thank you for your sandals. In exchange, he has agreed to forsake all virgin sacrifices. Isn't that wonderful? Your mother will be thrilled."
"I'm sure she will be," I said with the utmost truthfulness. Then I went into the tent and collapsed.
Legends of Persia
When Ashley Riveraine jumped at the chance to travel back in time to meet her hero Alexander the Great, she never thought she would end up staying there…
Following Alexander the Great's army on its journey across Persia, Ashley is walking the knife edge of history. As a presumed goddess, Ashley is expected to bless crops, make sure battles are won and somehow keep herself out of the history books.
Can Ashley avoid the wrath of the Time Institute while keeping the man she loves alive?
Son of the Moon
Can you face the consequences of cheating the Fates?
Alexander the Great journeys to India, where he and Ashley are welcomed with feasts and treachery.
With their son, Paul, being worshiped as the Son of the Moon, and Alexander's looming death, Ashley considers the unthinkable: how to save them and whether she dares to cheat Fate?
Storms Over Babylon
From the scorching plains of Persia to the opulent city of Babylon, Ashley and Alexander continue their sensuous and passionate journey through history.
Alexander the Great is now king of Persia and Greece – but his reign will be short.
Time-travelling Ashley knows when her husband will die. She's determined to cheat Fate and save Alexander and her children, even if it brings the gates of time crashing down.
Following Alexander on a tour of his new kingdom, she plans her moves and bides her time. She must, however, convince Alexander to abandon his crown and his kingdom.
 In the month of May, the weather took a turn for the worse. Thunderstorms boomed over the city and there were swarms of hungry mosquitoes at night. Alexander had to oversee religious celebrations, some lasting until very late, and one evening he came back with a slight chill. I didn't think much of it. Usse gave him some hot tea, and we lay down in bed. Plexis was already asleep, lying in his own bed next to ours. The mosquito netting moved slightly in the breeze. It was much cooler than it had been all week; the rain had cleared the air. During the night, Alexander developed a high fever. The next morning he could hardly move, his muscles cramped and he was drenched in sweat. It was malaria.
'How do you feel now?' I asked him for the hundredth time that day, after Usse gave him his medicine.
Alexander opened one eye and stared at me. It was his blue eye, I noticed. 'I would feel better if my head stopped hurting,' he admitted. 'The fever is making me thirsty. Do you have any water nearby?'
'Of course.'
I poured water from the pitcher into his golden cup and held it for him as he drank. The muscles in his throat worked as the water went down. Then he lay back on the bed with a sigh. 'Do I die of malaria then?' he asked. He tried to grin, but his mouth trembled suddenly. I leaned down and kissed him on his lips. They were hot and dry despite the cool drink.
'Are you afraid?'
'I thought I wouldn't be.' He took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. 'But that was when I thought the only thing that counted was my kingdom.'
'And now?' I asked him.
'I've had time to think. When you saved Plexis that's when things began to change for me. I realized something I hadn't known before. I want to stay with you. I love you, Ashley of the Sacred Sandals. I have told you that twice before. I should have said it more. Now, with this fever making my bones ache, I will tell you a third time. I want to see the babe you carry. I want to grow old surrounded by my loved ones. I no longer want to die. Does that answer your question? Yes, I am afraid.'
'Don't be afraid. I love you too, Alex.'
'So why do you cry?' He reached a hand to my cheek and brushed tears away.
'Because I never dared hope that you would let go of your dream.' My tears fell faster now. Teardrops sparkled on his hands like diamonds.
'It took me long enough to understand that my dream was an empty one without you and Plexis by my side, and that my future was an illusion. Ashley, don't cry. Please. I feel as if I've woken up from a long nightmare. All the battles and bloodshed, all the good men who died following me, they will lie on my conscious for ever. Only you will be able to ease my mind. You have seen the future, so you can tell me that it was not all futile.'
'Of course not, Alexander. Nothing you did was futile.'
'It feels that way now,' he said. His eyes were very bright. I frowned at him. He was starting to sound distinctly un-Alexander-like. I put my hand on his forehead and jerked it back with a muffled cry. He was burning up.
Chants to Persephone
In the fifth book in the Time For Alexander series, the Oracle of Amon tells Alexander he must go to the Land of Ice and Snow, so they leave their home in Alexandria and head north, to Gaul.
But the Thief of Souls not only captured Alexander's soul. He also wants Paul, and the druids have raised an army to capture him. In the heart of winter, in ancient Gaul, a terrible sacrifice is made to Persephone, goddess of the Underworld – and Ashley finds herself taking part in a deadly ceremony.
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'What is a thief of souls?'
'In Celtic myth, it's a druid who can steal souls.' He made a face. 'I'm not explaining this very well. I'm not Celt you see. But if Anoramix was afraid of him, I would be frightened too. Anoramix was never afraid of anything, not even death. There's one last thing I should tell you.' He licked his lips nervously. 'Selena told me never to trust you. She said you were really Persephone, the Queen of Ice and Darkness, and that your heart was like a stone.'
'She was still upset about Anoramix,' I said uncertainly.
'She blamed you for his death and wanted revenge. She forbade me to tell you that Voltarrix is still seeking Paul. She said that Paul would never be safe, and that no one could protect him.'
'What does he want with Paul?'
Yovanix spoke as if weighing his words. 'If it's true Iskander lost his soul, I think I know why. If Voltarrix captured Paul and put Iskander's soul in his body, can you imagine what would happen? Paul can no longer call the moon, but he can grow up to lead an army. The Druids are starting to feel the end of their world approaching. They speak of only one thing now; stopping the Romans before it's too late. Some think it's already too late. Voltarrix is one of the old ones who believe that time can be twisted.'
'Twisted?' I echoed. My voice sounded odd.
'The druids believe that time can be changed, like a river's course. They can change it, slow it, or speed it up. With enough work, they can even make it flow backward. Time is the foundation of the druid's religion'
It was starting to make sense. Time. The Aztecs had foreseen the date their empire would topple, and they had tried to turn back time with their ceremonies. Nothing had worked for them. Nothing would work for the druids. The Romans would take over and usher in the modern world. Unless a boy, who never should have been born, somehow changed time.
It was conceivable – there were still two hundred years. After that, nothing would halt the inexorable march of the Roman Empire and the event that changed the world; the birth of Christ.
But suppose the druids somehow managed to unite the Norsemen, Celts, and Gauls against the Romans? What if Paul were somehow the catalyst? Paul – with Iskander's soul.
I took a deep breath. I would have to think about this. There were three people in the world who should never have been born: Paul, Chiron, and Cleopatra – and I was not supposed to be in this time or place. Anyone of us could, conceivably, change the world. A butterfly's wings indeed.
Jennifer Macaire is an American living in Paris. She likes to read, eat chocolate, and plays a mean game of golf. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St Peter and Paul High School in St Thomas and moved to NYC where she modelled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories..
Time Travel, History and Erotica
I write time travel novels, so I'm keen on history. I also write erotica. The three subjects are related - honest, and you'll see how. I started writing when I was in Argentina. My twins were just two, we were in the middle of nowhere, and there was nothing to do, really. My husband was off buying horses, and could be gone days at a time. (Argentina is huge - he'd go off in a small plane, land on a grass strip on someone's backyard, and come back with tales of flamingos flying under the plane, and cattle blocking the runway.) We stayed in a wonderful old house that had no electricity. It had a fireplace in each bedroom, and I fell asleep watching the red flames and listening to the soft crackle of a burning eucalyptus branches. The house was surrounded by a lazy river and a miles and miles of forest and plains. One day, I left the twins in my husband's care and took a ride through the forest with one of the farmers. We saw a herd of red deer and flocks of emerald parakeets. And in the evenings, when the twins were sleeping, and my husband was away, I would write longhand on a yellow notepad by the light of a kerosene lamp. I started to write short stories, and sold a few to magazines.
Then I started one about a time-traveller who goes back to ancient Greece. Perhaps staying on a farm with no electric lights or heat made it easier to imagine. At night, the stars blazed, the Milky Way was a glittering swath, and thinking about the cold light from the stars finally reaching us after millions of years of travel through space made time travel seem plausible. I started a short story about Alexander the Great, and after ten pages, I realized this was going to be a novel. After several chapters, I knew I had to stop, draw and outline, and start researching not only Alexander the Great, but ancient Greece, Persia, and Bactria as well. For the rest of our stay in Argentina, I made notes of small things like lighting fires, how to slaughter and cook a chicken, a sheep, even a bull. I watched the "domadores" training horses. I walked outside at night and looked at the stars, so unbelievably bright, and I taught the twins to swim and took them on horseback for rides around the farm.
When I went back to France, I haunted libraries, the internet, wrote letters to professors, doctors, historians, and wrote the Time for Alexander series. After two years, it was finished and I started to shop it around. Anyone who has every tried to sell a novel knows it's hard - but try to sell a cross-genre novel about a politically incorrect conqueror (although his bisexuality made him a hit with a certain crowd) - well, it was nearly impossible. I racked up more rejections than a sex-toy vendor at a Sunday-school picnic. Actually, I think the vendor would have done better than me. I didn't give up. In the meantime, I kept publishing short stories and a YA novel, so I knew it was just a matter of finding the right publisher. I finally found one in Australia, and they published the first book in the series, and three months later I got a check for 75.00$ (Did I mention that authors only get 7% of the cover price of a book?) and a note congratulating me on having a best seller in Australia. I called my mother and told her I was hanging up my typewriter (or hanging myself by the ribbon, whichever came first). Over the phone I heard my mother's friend Sam saying "No, don't give up! Write something sexy! Write Erotica! That's where the money is!" I told him that if I did, I'd take his name as my pen name. Samantha Winston was born that night. After I hung up I got to work on my first erotic romance, and I published 20 books for Loose Id, Changeling Press, Totally Bound, and the late Ellora's Cave. Well, publishers do fold. Ellora's Cave kicked the bucket and I had a bunch of orphan erotica romances to re-home, and my Australian publisher closed as well, and here I was, with Alexander the Great and his time traveling wife looking for a new home. Thankfully, I'd read a very fun series of time travel books (Jodi Taylor's Saint Mary's terrific series), and I contacted their publisher (Accent Press) and they accepted Alexander - and so it goes. And that's how a love of history, time travel, and erotica got roped together. And if you want to know more about Alexander and Ashley, his time travelling wife, and their sensuous romp through history - well, you can start with book I, The Road to Alexander. I hope you enjoy the voyage!
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Jennifer Macaire link
Thank you so much for hosting my series!
Good Morning! Thank you for the book description.These tours are great and we have found some terrific books so thanks so much.
This book sounds like an awesome read.
Looks ancient with twist, time travel is always spectacular and amazing
This sounds like it will be a wonderful book.
thanks for hosting love all the covers
Awesome excerpts and reviews. This sounds like an epic book and series. Thanks so much for the guest post and giveaway!
reminds me of a 1970's movie i saw once
love the cover looks like a great read
I love the book cover it makes me want to read it even more it sounds really good.
I like the covers. They are simple, yet interesting.
Mood Reader
Sounds like a good series!
The cover art seems appropriate for the book. Good job.
Terri McMillan
The Road to Alexander series sounds interesting. I enjoyed the Outlander series and it seems like Iit is in the same vein.
i like the green of persia and that these carry a theme in the covers
Denise Higgins
Love the cover
Melissa Fowler
Sounds like a very interesting book,cant wait to read it 😀.
sounds interesting
Kim BookJunkie
I cannot believe I haven't read these yet - they sound amazing!!!!
Corey Hutton
Good luck with the book and Thanks for the giveaway.
I would like to give thanks for all your really great writings, including the Time For Alexander Series, and wishing the best in keeping up the good work in the future.


text:
The Future Will Be Carpeted: An Analysis of 'Deep Space Nine (S3E5)'
"Treason, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder."
-- Elim Garak
Theme is one of those things that makes writers clap our hands in childish glee and makes the rest of the world either roll their eyes or do nothing at all, because they never noticed. Really, there's no reason you should notice theme on first viewing/reading/however our alien overlords process entertainment. The responsibility of the creator is first to craft a good story, and all other priorities, to paraphrase the Nostromo's Science Officer, are rescinded. Theme makes subsequent viewings richer, basically because everything in the work is making the same point.
In this episode, "Second Skin," everyone is wearing a second skin. Garak's facade as a simple tailor is becoming increasingly tattered as he reveals the stone-hearted spy underneath. Sisko impersonates a Kobheerian (and wears civvies for no real reason), while the Defiant appears as a Kobheerian freighter. Odo impersonates a bag . . . okay, that one is a little less compelling, granted. The most important of the second skins exist in the main plot, which comes off like an episode of The Americans written by Philip K. Dick.
It begins when a Bajoran researcher contacts Kira about her time in a Cardassian prison called Elemspur. Problem is, Kira was never at Elemspur, and she has rather strong memories of hiding out in a series of caves at the time she was supposedly there with the rest of the Shakaar resistance cell. She had several cellmates -- and, apparently, Cardassian prisons weren't gender segregated, which seems like a bad idea -- and the only one left alive remembers her. (I'm not sure why she doesn't call any of her old pals in the Resistance to verify her presence . . . well, actually I do. There would be no episode if she did.) So, she's off to Elemspur to find out what she can. She doesn't make it.
Kira awakens in darkness, and it's almost like that scene in Back to the Future, but instead of Lea Thompson creepily calling her Calvin, there's Entek, an agent of the Obsidian Order welcoming her home. He claims that she was a deep cover operative named Iliana Ghemor, surgically altered to appear Bajoran and implanted with detailed false memories. To prove it, he produces the corpse of the "real" Kira Nerys. Kira has also been surgically altered -- or restored, if you believe Entek -- to her Cardassian state. I feel like there's a moment that occurs with all Trek fans, when you look at one of the more-alien aliens. I'm not talking Vulcans or Trill or even Bajorans. I'm talking Klingons, Cardassians, that kind of thing. Anyway, when you look at one of them and think, "Yeah, s/he is pretty hot." It's a disturbing moment, but it happens to all of us. It happened to me here. At least until I start to imagine all the scaly ridges that must be in the fun spots and have to bleach my brain.
Where the hell was I? Right. Kira Cardassian, who really does sound like she needs a reality show, or at least an NBA player to date. That Kevin Durant seems nice. Entek leaves behind a recording that Iliana made before she left, and it hangs over Kira like a blade. Watching it is acknowledgement that the insane story Entek is telling her might have some truth to it, but the curiosity is killing her. Eventually, she does watch the video, and Iliana is a dead ringer for a Cardassianized Kira, down to the voice. What really makes no sense, and lends credence to Entek's version of things, is why the Order would go after Kira. Seriously, she's a terrible target for this kind of thing. Even acknowledging that the Cardassian Empire has yet to develop the superstitious dread of Sisko that will be the only thing that spares their race, Kira is an extremely important official in the Bajoran Provisional Government with deep ties to Starfleet.
Those ties almost instantly pay dividends when Garak informs Bashir of Kira's location. While it's clear Garak would rather be kept out of it, Sisko shanghais (using some very un-Starfleet-like, but very Sisko-like extortion tactics) the tailor on a rescue mission. This is when they impersonate a Kobheerian freighter to get past a Cardassian checkpoint. The ruse fails, forcing them to drop the act, and let Garak talk. He blusters past the picket by using a working Cardassian code. Of course, Garak just brushes this off as "something I heard while hemming someone's trousers."
Meanwhile, Kira meets the man in whose house she's staying. Legate Tekeny Ghemor is a member of the Central Command and Iliana's father. He treats Kira like a beloved daughter, even remembering that she would probably prefer Bajoran food. She refuses the hasperat -- that's a spicy Bajoran burrito, and yes, I'm totally serious -- because she assumes Ghemor is complicit in her predicament. The longer she stays, the more she begins to see that Ghemor's care for her is more than an act, culminating in his willingness to let her go rather than cause her any more pain.
Entek continues to try to interrogate Kira, growing more frustrated as she stonewalls him. In the beginning, she gives flippant answers, but as the emotional toll of being this person increases, she's reduced to simple catatonia. Those familiar with Cardassian interrogation techniques might be confused at the lack of torture. As the "daughter" of someone from Central Command, she's not to be touched, but as they continue to get nothing, this will change. (Ghemor's lofty position is underlined, and 1984 given a subtle shout-out, when he informs Kira exactly where the Obsidian Order surveillance devices are, and the fact that they're only on when he wants them to be.) When it becomes clear that Kira is headed for torture, Ghemor has seen enough, and his second skin drops.
He made an offhanded comment early in the episode about how Cardassia needs more artists, the implication being "and a few less Obsidian Order spooks." When it comes time for Kira to flee, Ghemor is revealed as an important member of the Cardassian Dissident Movement, a good man caught in an impossible position. This is when Kira susses out the Order's true plan. Kira was never the target and only useful due to her resemblance to Iliana. They wanted Ghemor, suspecting he was a dissident, but he was protected by his position. If he betrayed Cardassia, they could interrogate him, convict him, and then try him. (If that sounds weird, there's another review you should read.) They used Kira rather than Iliana, because the drugs would not restore her memories, while Iliana would get hers back and cooperate with the Order.
Yeah, it's a pretty deep con. When Ghemor has his man ready to spirit Kira away, though, the plan has succeeded. Entek shows up with some goons and promptly takes Kira and Ghemor hostage. Fortunately, Sisko arrives with Garak at the same time. Sisko nonchalantly tosses the bag he was carrying on the floor behind Entek, and it's a pretty slick move when the bag turns out to be Odo, who swiftly disarms the Cardassian.
Garak isn't done being awesome, though. He really can't help it. First, he flirts with the Cardassianized Kira, then trades barbs with Entek before killing him. They give Garak the classic heroic dodge of Entek going for a concealed weapon, but Garak's utter lack of affect helps underline the brutality. He even finishes up with the offhanded, "A pity. I rather liked him."
Ghemor flees with the heroes, and he is now an official exile. He receives asylum from the Mathenites, and this is literally the first and last time they were ever mentioned in Trek canon. He and Kira have a sweet moment just before he departs the station, as, while he holds out hope that Iliana is alive, he considers the former Bajoran freedom fighter the closest thing he has to family. Kira, whose orphan status has been brought up in the episode, clearly feels the same. This is not an episode, or a moment, that would have made any sense without Season One's "Duet," and thus points out DS9's increased reliance on character development. Kira learned that some Cardassians were good, and with that, she is able to see the soft heart beating inside this former member of Central Command. As he departs for the Mathenite homeworld, he leaves her with a bit of fatherly advice: "That Garak fellow who helped you, who helped us . . . don't trust him, Nerys, ever. He's a dangerous man, and he'd betray you and all your friends in an instant if he thought it would help him."
The best part is that Garak would agree with this assessment 100%.
Next up: Odo handles a Jem'Hadar baby, and now the mom won't take him back.
Published in: The Future Will Be Carpeted
Website: www.captainsupermarket.com
Justin Robinson is the author of many novels and can be found in his lair at captainsupermarket.com. He would like to emphasize that, contrary to rumors, he is, in fact, a mammal, though still has not obtained documentation to prove it.
Favorite Golden Girl: Rose
Favorite Cheese Form: Melted
Favorite God: Hanuman
The Future Will Be Carpeted: An Analysis of 'Deep Space Nine (S3E23)'


text:
Nature. 2003 Oct 23;425(6960):798-804.
Genome-scale approaches to resolving incongruence in molecular phylogenies.
Rokas A1, Williams BL, King N, Carroll SB.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, R. M. Bock Laboratories, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1525 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
One of the most pervasive challenges in molecular phylogenetics is the incongruence between phylogenies obtained using different data sets, such as individual genes. To systematically investigate the degree of incongruence, and potential methods for resolving it, we screened the genome sequences of eight yeast species and selected 106 widely distributed orthologous genes for phylogenetic analyses, singly and by concatenation. Our results suggest that data sets consisting of single or a small number of concatenated genes have a significant probability of supporting conflicting topologies. By contrast, analyses of the entire data set of concatenated genes yielded a single, fully resolved species tree with maximum support. Comparable results were obtained with a concatenation of a minimum of 20 genes; substantially more genes than commonly used but a small fraction of any genome. These results have important implications for resolving branches of the tree of life.
Evolution: ending incongruence. [Nature. 2003]
10.1038/nature02053
Publication types, MeSH terms
Genes, Fungal/genetics*
Genome, Fungal*
Genomics/methods*
Phylogeny*
Saccharomyces/classification*
Saccharomyces/genetics*
Highlights from Nature Reviews Genetics - Nature Publishing Group
Saccharomyces Genome Database


Related Book Epub Books Michael Goodrich Introduction To Computer Security : - John Deere 2630 Display Manuals - John Deere 265 Lawn Tractor Owner S Manuals Pdf access denied for reasons of national security pdf INTRODUCTION COMPUTER SECURITY MICHAEL GOODRICH PDF READ Introduction Computer Security Michael Goodrich pdf. Download Introduction Computer Security Michael Goodrich pdf.
INTRODUCTION COMPUTER SECURITY MICHAEL GOODRICH PDF READ Introduction Computer Security Michael Goodrich pdf. Download Introduction Computer Security Michael Goodrich pdf.


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Bhopal: Chouhan urges citizens to take MP ahead in all spheres
Greeting people on the eve of MP Foundation Day, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged citizens to contribute their best in taking Madhya Pradesh ahead in all spheres.
bhopal Updated: Nov 01, 2014 17:20 IST
Greeting people on the eve of MP Foundation Day, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged the citizens to contribute their best in taking MP ahead in all spheres.
The main function to mark the day would be held at Lal Parade Ground on Saturday evening from 6pm. Music composers Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani will perform at the main function. Besides, artistes from various parts of the country will stage legendary Kalidasa's Meghdutam.
In his message to people, Chouhan said MP had scaled new heights of development during the last decade. "It was a matter of happiness and pride that MP had become a pioneer in the country in economic growth and agriculture growth rates," he said. The state was moving fast towards industrialisation, the CM added. "This is the day to take resolve for state's development with full vigour," Chouhan said.
Half-day holiday
Bhopal-based government offices have been granted a half-day holiday on Saturday on the occasion of MP Foundation Day. The offices will work till 2pm. The half-day holiday has been granted to enable officials and employees to reach Lal Parade Ground, a statement from the government said.
Anganwadi Chalo Abhiyan to be launched
On the occasion, Chouhan would inaugurate an 'Anganwadi Chalo Abhiyan' and a 'Bal Swachchhta Karyakram' at the CM House. He would flag off a 'rath' (chariot) and a rally to create awareness among people.
First Published: Nov 01, 2014 15:49 IST
more from bhopal


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Тирш () — немецкая фамилия. Известные носители:

 Тирш, Леопольд (1733—1788) — немецкий учёный-гебраист.
 Тирш, Людвиг (1825—1909) — немецкий и греческий иконописец и художник, сын Фридриха Вильгельма Тирша.
 Тирш, Отто (1838—1892) — немецкий педагог и музыковед-теоретик.


The Funeral Cortege for Mr Alfred Ignatius (Alf) Flannagan of Mullewa is appointed to arrive at the Geraldton Crematorium Chapel, on THURSDAY (18.04.19) for a Cremation Service to commence at 12.00pm.
Sincere Sympathy to all the Flannagan family in the sad loss of Alf. A wonderful example to his family. Rest In Peace.
Passed away peacefully in Geraldton 12th April 2019. Much loved Husband of Ailsa (dec), Father and Father-in-Law of John and Sonya and Mark and Sarat.
Grandad to Saxon and Sahara.
FLANNAGAN ALFRED TOBA extends condolences to Mark, John and connected families on the passing of Alf. He arrived at CBAS Farm School Tardun WA in 1939 as a former child migrant from the UK. He loved the country and devoted his adult life to farming in the district. We are indebted to the family for allowing us free access to the school cemetery located on their property.
Our sincere sympathy to John, Mark and families on the sad passing of their father and our dear life long friend and former neighbour. Rest in Peace.
Wilf and Gloria Cox, Anne, Christine, Paul and Helen.


text:
using System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates;
using CertificateRepository.IntegrationTests.Annotations;
using TechTalk.SpecFlow;

namespace CertificateRepository.IntegrationTests.Steps {
    [Binding, UsedImplicitly]
    public class CertificateRepositorySteps : StepBase {
        [When(@"I create a certificate repository"), UsedImplicitly]
        public void WhenICreateACertificateRepository() {
            Context.Repository = new CertificateRepository();
        }

        [When(@"set the Store Name to '(.*)'"), UsedImplicitly]
        public void WhenSetTheStoreNameTo(string storeName) {
            Context.Repository.StoreName = ParseEnum<StoreName>(storeName);
        }

        [When(@"set the Store Location to '(.*)'"), UsedImplicitly]
        public void WhenSetTheStoreLocationTo(string storeLocation) {
            Context.Repository.StoreLocation = ParseEnum<StoreLocation>(storeLocation);
        }

        [When(@"I call FindBySubjectName with subject name '(.*)' suffixed with a '(.*)'")]
        public void WhenICallFindBySubjectNameWithSubjectNameSuffixedWithA(string p0, string p1) {
            ScenarioContext.Current.Pending();
        }

        [When(@"I call FindBySubjectName with subject '(.*)'"), UsedImplicitly]
        public void WhenICallFindBySubjectNameWithSubject(string subject) {
            Context.Results = Context.Repository.FindBySubjectName(subject, validOnly: false);
        }

        [When(@"^I call FindByThumbprint with thumbprint '([A-Fa-f0-0]*)'$"), UsedImplicitly]
        public void WhenICallFindCertificateByThumbprint(string thumbprint) {
            var result = Context.Repository.FindByThumbprint(thumbprint, validOnly: false);
            Context.Results = new[] {result};
        }

        [When(@"I call FindBySubjectDistinguishedName with subject '(.*)'"), UsedImplicitly]
        public void WhenICallFindBySubjectDistinguishedNameWithSubject(string distinguishedName) {
            Context.Results = Context.Repository.FindBySubjectDistinguishedName(distinguishedName, validOnly: false);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Hydrolock sterilizers have been completely re-designed to comply with the following targets : being able to process up to date packagings at the lowest production costs.
Food safety and process repeatability with minimized differences between products is a must.
SERVICES AND MAINTENANCE... Find out how our maintenance team is organized for servicing the machines.
The HYDROLOCK family of continuous sterilizers can process all kinds of packagings in medium to large production scales. The unique flexibility and versatility ensures our clients a long term production, with many possibilities for new packaging. The modular design of the machine is evolutionary and can be upgraded upon packaging specificities.


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Ready to go: Bruins set to hit the ice on…
Ready to go: Bruins set to hit the ice on Monday, open August 2 vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Sweeney discusses protocols, new CBA
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney takes questions during media day prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the St. Louis Blues at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on May 26, 2019. (Staff Photo By Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
By Stephen Conroy | sconroy@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald
PUBLISHED: July 12, 2020 at 4:47 p.m. | UPDATED: July 13, 2020 at 7:03 a.m.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy has said recently that the NHL's Return To Play plan will not seem real to him until he's in the dressing room and can see the white's of his players' eyes.
Well, it's about to get real.
The Bruins will open a two-week training camp, officially known as Phase 3 of the RTP plan on which 23 other teams will be embarking, on Monday at Warrior Ice Arena.
In a Zoom call with reporters on Sunday morning, general manager Don Sweeney said there may be one or two international players who may still have to fulfill quarantine requirements (as of late last week, Czech-born players David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase had not yet been photographed by the club during voluntary workouts) but expected to have a full roster on the ice within a few days.
So far, only defenseman Steven Kampfer has opted out, his decision due to the fact that both his wife and son have congenital heart defects, a choice of which Sweeney said the club was in full support. Rosters will be finalized by Monday at 5 p.m.
Teams are scheduled to take off for their hub cities on July 26, with the Bruins among the dozen going to Toronto, and their first round-robin game is scheduled against the Philadelphia Flyers for August 2 at Scotiabank Arena.
But Phase 3 represents a pretty big hump to get over. Players from various parts of the North American continent and Europe will be returning to their team cities and some training camps will be held in COVID-19 hotspots like Florida, Texas and Nevada.
What level of outbreak will trigger a postponement or canceling of games is not exactly clear at this point, but even if the league is able to pull this off, Sweeney is expecting some adversity along the way.
"Positive tests are going to happen. It will be a real test to your group and I think our group is really strong in that regard," said Sweeney.
Even if the B's can avoid the virus, there will be plenty of challenges that every team will face. One of those is a relatively short run-up period to meaningful games. The B's will be playing in a round robin with the Lightning, Flyers and Capitals to determine seeding once the play-in series are over. Sweeney said that the players have to hit the ground running, but the club will be careful not to move too fast n this training camp period.
"The players have to understand that there's a very short window to get back up to speed," said Sweeney. "You've got to be ready. We're not going to hit the ice for three hours on Monday. … We'll incrementally move up the pace of practice … and make sure we're in full concert with our players on how they're feeling. We have the benefit of a strong leadership group that can hopefully lead us in some of those areas."
Sweeney also said preparing for the round-robin/playoff structure poses problems.
"That's the biggest challenge," said Sweeney. "In years past, we've known who our opponents were going to be well in advance. The pre-scout takes on a wider lens preparing for three teams and then you're not going to know who your playoff opponent is going to be. So we're at a disadvantage. … In the round robin, you want to win them all, but if you don't, you can regroup and move on from there. Preparation has to take on a wider viewpoint."
The league and the players didn't just ratify the RTP protocols on Friday night, but also an extension to the collective bargaining agreement that guarantees labor peace through the 2025-26 season. The new agreement will keep the salary cap flat ($81.5 million) next season and possibly beyond. Sweeney said he'd been making plans for various scenarios, even when the relatively rosy league estimates had the cap going as high as $88.2 million just a week before the coronavirus knocked the world off its axis.
The B's are in better shape than some top teams – according to capfriendly.com, they'll have just under $18 million in cap space for '20-21 – but they won't be unaffected by the constraints. Sweeney didn't mention any names, but the highest impact player they're in danger of losing is unrestricted free agent-to-be Torey Krug while Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk and Anders Bjork will be restricted free agents. Sweeney will also need to come up with new contracts for Brandon Carlo, Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak, to name just a few, within the life of the new CBA.
It could very well turn out that Krug's terrific offensive talents, which will garner him great interest on the open market, are deemed a luxury the club won't be able to afford in the coming years.
"We have some decisions to make and we may have to make some hard ones, no different from any other team," said Sweeney.
The GM did not rule out having negotiations with players during camp or into the playoffs.
"I've never stated that we'll never have conversations," said Sweeney. "Ultimately I think we'll have (conversations) case by case. I'm not going to overly aggressive as we go through Phase 3, going to Phase 4 and ultimately playing in the playoffs, but if something makes sense, well do it."
But for now, it's game on.
Stephen Conroy | Sports Reporter
Steve is in his 18th year covering the Bruins for the Herald. Prior to this beat, the lifelong Bostonian covered the Patriots during the Bill Parcells era, Boston College football during Matt Ryan's collegiate career and a plethora of schoolboy sports. He also worked a year in the news department as a general assignment reporter.
sconroy@bostonherald.com
Follow Stephen Conroy	@conroyherald
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Q&A: Edinburgh Rugby Community Team returns
In the first of our P&P Community Focus series, we caught up with Edinburgh Rugby Community Team's Ruaridh Pye and Andrew Whitelaw as the pair discuss returning from lockdown with renewed motivation as well as the impact the of the relaunched P&P Prosper Programme.
Q – It has been a difficult 2020 for everyone, but perhaps even more so for those working in the community, where you've been unable to make an impact due to COVID-19 measures put in place. How have the Edinburgh Rugby community team coped during this period, and has it simply been a case of staying safe and ready until it has been OK'd to return?
[AAW]: "Yes, is the simple answer. The current uncertainty in the world just meant that we have had to stay patient.
"At one stage, we got a bit of a green light from rugby development, to then things stopping again - so it is all just a waiting game at the moment, but for the right reasons.
[RP]: "COVID-19 has affected everyone in some way, shape, or form and we were no different.
"We had a great 2019-20 season, delivering some real tangible results across all four areas of our strategic plan (Participation, Education, Health & Wellbeing and Disability, Equality and Inclusion), meeting and exceeding our key performance indicators.
"We had hoped to use those successes as a springboard to lead us into season 2020-21, further develop and enhance our programmes and press on with the innovative style in which we approach our work, however, nobody could have predicted the unfortunate situation we all find ourselves in.
"We used the time meaningfully, evaluating and re-writing many of our programmes, coming up with new and inventive ways in which to retain our presence in the community whilst remaining poised to re-start at any given time.
"If there are a couple of positives to come out the situation - it has reinforced the importance of the Edinburgh Rugby Community Programme and the impact it has on children and young adults lives and it has also highlighted our passion for the game and the service we provide our communities in its absence."
Q – We've seen everyone – from businesses to rugby clubs - adapt and get creative in the ways they speak and interact with their stakeholders. The Edinburgh Rugby Community Team have been no different. In what ways have you managed to stay connected with local rugby clubs or schools during this period?
[AAW]: "Via WhatsApp and social platforms mainly. We are a pretty tight group with the Edinburgh based Development Officers."
[RP]: "With my role being part funded by City of Edinburgh Council, we have been fortunate to work alongside other Local Authority positions in ensuring sport and the value of sport is retained.
"The City of Edinburgh Council Sports & Lifelong Learning Team alongside Active Schools, worked at producing sport and physical activity sessions for children and young adults to complete at home, of which rugby featured.
"I sat on a number of working groups to identify key areas of work, one of which was children and young adult's mental health & wellbeing. With this being one of our [Edinburgh Rugby Community Team's] key strategic areas of work, I felt this group was most applicable for me to contribute towards.
"We came up with a Virtual Player Appearance programme; this enabled us to reconnect with our community – providing the platform for our players and coaches to communicate directly with individuals, groups and organisations. We provided over 200 messages varying from 'Thanks to NHS', to 'Get Well Soon', to 'Happy Birthdays'.
"We also used this platform to provide Virtual Club / School awards ceremonies and will soon be launching our Virtual Christmas campaign."
Q – The Edinburgh Rugby Community Team are now back in a limited sense. Firstly, how great was it to get back to work after such a long and difficult period without being able to deliver the community programme?
[AAW]: "It was great! It's not often you have a six month break from work and doing what you love, so for me personally, it was a great feeling to get back involved with the club and the community programme."
[RP]: "As stated before, one thing this pandemic has done is made us appreciate what we maybe previously took for granted.
"It has made us appreciate the value of what we do and why we do it. I am 75 classes deep and loving every minute, the impact we have on people's lives, not only through physical exercise but now, and more importantly, to aid the mental health & wellbeing and the benefits sport and physical activity plays in that, is more crucial now than ever before.
"We can't wait to reach the next milestone in re-starting, but for the time-being, we will continue to listen to, and adhere to National Governing Body, local and national guidance."
Q – The main area you've been able to return to is delivering the Principal & Prosper Prosper Programme. Could you give us a bit of detail on the programme and how you've amazingly managed to get it restarted and going again amidst a pandemic?
[AAW]: "The P&P Prosper Programme is used to help kids that are struggling in school, whether it has been attainment or struggling to focus in classes. At the moment, we are in Royal High School working with two groups.
"A group of S2s that we were working with prior to the pandemic and now a new group of S1 kids. They have both been brilliant."
[RP]: "We had to remain patient and allow the school(s) system to firstly return, then secondly to adapt and make the vast changes required to deliver safe day-to-day educational classes. The protocol and procedures put in place by schools, the challenges faced and overcome by our schools, teachers and pupils has been remarkable.
"In short, we had to wait until they got their ducks in a row internally before they would even consider the extra challenges in bringing externals [The Edinburgh Rugby Community Team] in.
"When it was deemed safe and practical to do so, and in conjunction with local and national guidance, we were straight on the phone - three weeks and a few socially distanced meetings later, we're back!
"The Prosper Programme is designed to help those who face a variety of challenges within the education system. COVID-19 has only made these challenges worse, the long-term educational impact and anxieties faced by these young people has been acerbated to new levels, therefore an intervention-based programme which will actively work on reducing the long-term impact and anxieties is exactly what they need.
"The application of our skills, aligned with selected professionals from other walks of life, using rugby as the vehicle and catalyst for change, has proven to positively impact on reducing the challenges faced by youngsters in our educational system.
"Of course, none of this would be possible without the support and backing of Main Club Sponsor Principal & Prosper."
Q – The P&P Prosper Programme has been able to make a huge impact on the lives of the kids enrolled. How great has it been for them to have the programme up and running once again, and have you seen it make an instant impact during these difficult times?
[AAW]: "As far as we are led to believe, the kids have been asking when the programme was restarting when the schools returned, so for me, I think it's great.
"It means that we are channelling a way with these kids where we are making an impact and hopefully setting them up in the right direction for future life."
[RP]: "Some of the youngsters we have enrolled on the programme only come to school when the Prosper Programme is on, this highlights the impact and value not only 'we' and the school place on the programme, but those it is designed for!"


ISLAMIC STATE: WOMAN CAUGHT BREASTFEEDING UNDER BURKA MURDERED FOR 'INDECENCY'……. – The Tundra Tabloids…….
ISLAMIC STATE: WOMAN CAUGHT BREASTFEEDING UNDER BURKA MURDERED FOR 'INDECENCY'…….
A woman has been brutally murdered by ISIS's female police for breastfeeding her child in public, according to witness reports.
The woman had been breastfeeding her son under the cover of her burqa, in Raqqa, northern Syria when she was spotted by ISIS's feared women police force; the al-Khansaa Brigade.
Despite shielding herself and the child from public view under her full-veil burqa, the Al-Khansaa Brigade ruled she had been 'violating public decency'.
'An ISIS policewoman took the baby, gave it to another woman, and then killed the mother,' Aisha, a former Raqqa resident now living Turkey, told the Sunday Times.
Previous Post Previous Post SYRIAN PRIEST: CHRISTIANS FEELING UNSAFE IN DUTCH RECEPTION CENTERS, THREATENED WITH DEATH…….
Next Post Next Post "MODERATE" MUSLIM INDONESIA: WOMAN WHIPPED, SCREAMING IN AGONY FOR BEING 'SEEN IN CLOSE PROXIMITY' OF MALE…….


The Learn & Serve class is collecting new or gently used books that will be donated to local preschool and elementary aged students.
They can be dropped off at the main office, library, security office, or room 221.
People can bring in books until Friday, March 22.


Simply download Simpl Website Builder and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The Weebly Website Builder comes with a complete iPad application. For the first of its kind, WEBLY, one of the most widely used web-based drag-and-drop website creation software, has launched the iPad. Launched early this month, the iPad is a complete end-to-end website creation, processing, and management tool that works directly from the iPad. iPad synchronizes with your work on the web and also interact with your iPhone and iPod touch applications.
Which is the best free website builder for iPad?
At first there is no such thing as a free website builder out there. Yes, you can create your website for free with a lot of free utilities out there, but if you want to get your website up and run on your own website, which is not something like www.serviceprovider.mybusiness.com, then you will eventually have to foot the bill.
So if you agree to the site builder of your site being branded on your site, then yes, you can get it for free, but in the end someone is still buying it - either other marketers who will place their advertisements on your site without your having complete command, or the site builder itself will place advertisements on your site.
Well, that is, most of the website builder costs in the $100 per year area along with web site hostings and your own private domains and now your website's outside brands, which really isn't that much. For iPad there really aren't that many solution out there. GoDaddy GoCentral lets you try it out and use its application to create your website or website on your iPad with Weps (www.getweps.com).
You don't have to get anything with WiFi and it's free until you want to get your website up and run on your own private area. It is also very easy to use without having to select from many different layouts or drag'n'drop.


Executive Chef Christopher Albrecht redefines farm-to-table cuisine with a variety of seasonal flavors, each cultivated in our on property gardens.
Visit our gorgeous Duck Bar, where we create craft cocktails sure to please any palate and curate an exceptional wine list, with something for any level of wine aficionado.
Our 200-year history gives us the experience to make your wedding day a lifelong memory.
Whether your goal is to impress new clients, build teamwork, or hold a national sales meeting, the Ryland Inn has the solutions to help you achieve success.
Chef Christopher Albrecht hosts guests in our exclusive, private dining room, offering carefully curated seasonal tasting menus.
Become a part of the Ryland family with special events, tastings, and wine and cocktail classes.
Ryland Inn marries traditional style with modern sensibilities to produce a truly unique experience.
"I just want to take a minute to thank you and everyone at The Ryland Inn for all your hard work on our wedding. We got truly wonderful compliments from our guests about The Ryland Inn, how gorgeous it is, how wonderful the staff was, and of course the food. Everyone kept saying "this is a truly amazing venue".
"I have dined at this restaurant for brunch on 3 separate occasions. The bottom line here is Wonderful Experience! Flavorful, impeccably prepared Cuisine! Excellent Service! Beautiful Atmosphere! Wonderful cocktails! Fantastic coffee! A must!"
"We went there to celebrate my husband's retirement. We can't say enough good things about the Ryland Inn. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted & escorted to the bar for I wanted this to be a surprise. We had some drinks while we waited for the rest of our party. The bartender, the waiters, the atmosphere went beyond our expectations."
"Went to a friend's wedding at the Ryland Inn. To say it was spectacular would be an understatement. The fire pits and patio were amazing for a cocktail hour. The food was excellent and the interior had a wonderful feel too."
The servers and bartenders were amazing. The owner came up and asked if everything was to my liking. Everyone cared about the customers, they all seemed to be happy to be working there. The food was amazing and presentation was great. The bartenders were attentive and helpful explaining mixed drinks.


Had a fun morning putting up the show, here is a sneak peak of mine on the wall.
I was asked to add some work to a pop up exhibition at the new Hub building in Gainsborough Square, Lockleaze, Bristol.
My work was amongst the work of the local art group who meet at The Cameron Centre run by Pam Sacree.
There was a lovely range of work in lots of mediums. There was lots of work done for only a short time up, but well worth it if it gets more people interested in going along and getting creative!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I was to do a workshop starting with Ink Drawing , here are a few pictures of some of the work going on from the ink drawing, to the next week, where we had a go at lino and/or mono printing with linseed oil , oil pastels and oil paint.
I had taken a range of object as possible Drawing inspiration, everyone just got on and drew something with gusto, it was great !
The next week produced some lovely prints in quite a short time, 2 hours!
It was a lovely experience to go and share some techniques with them, I had a great time, hope they did too.


Do you smoke? How much? How long?
If you recieve sedation, you may not operate a motor vehicle, mechanical/electrical equipment, or make any critical decisions until the next day after your procedure. Doing any such activities could lead to injury to yourself and/or others.


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255 F.Supp.2d 315 (D.Del. 2003), Crim.A.94-8, United States v. Sczubelek
Docket Nº: CRIM.A.94-8-SLR.
Party Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff, v. Paul SCZUBELEK, Defendant.
Case Date: April 02, 2003
Court: United States District Courts, 3th Circuit, District of Delaware
255 F.Supp.2d 315 (D.Del. 2003)
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff,
Paul SCZUBELEK, Defendant.
No. CRIM.A.94-8-SLR.
United States District Court, D. Delaware.
Colm F. Connolly, United States Attorney, and Adam Safwat, Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney's Office, District of Delaware, Wilmington, Delaware. Counsel for Plaintiff.
Eleni Kousoulis, Esquire, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Federal Public Defender's Office, Wilmington, Delaware. Counsel for Defendant.
SUE L. ROBINSON, Chief Judge.
On June 17, 1994, a federal jury found defendant guilty on three counts of bank robbery pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a) and one count of structuring cash transactions under 31 U.S.C. §§ 5324(3), 5322(a). (D.I.55) Defendant was sentenced to 87 months of imprisonment on the bank robbery convictions and 60 months on the cash transaction conviction, all to be served concurrently. (D.I.156) Defendant was ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon release from imprisonment. 1 Defendant was released from prison in August 2000 and placed on home confinement. In October 2000, his three-year period of supervised release commenced. (D.I.188)
After serving approximately two years of supervised release, a United States probation officer notified defendant by telephone that he was scheduled for a DNA 2 collection on September 25, 2002, pursuant to the DNA Analysis Elimination Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 14135-14135e (2001 Supp.). 3 Defendant did not appear at this appointment,
asserting through his counsel that the DNA testing requirement is unconstitutional as applied to him. (D.I.206)
As a result, a petition for violation of a mandatory condition of supervised release was filed against defendant on October 1, 2002. (D.I.206) On October 15, 2002, the court ordered defendant to appear to answer the charges (D.I.206), and a hearing was scheduled for November 22, 2002. After the parties jointly requested pre-hearing briefing due to the complexity of the constitutional issues implicated, the court adjourned the revocation hearing. (D.I.211) Both sides then submitted briefs (D.I.214, 215, 216, 217, 220), and oral argument was conducted on February 11, 2003. The court has jurisdiction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3231. See 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e)(3) (court's authority to revoke supervised release under certain circumstances). For the reasons that follow, the court finds that requiring defendant to submit to a DNA sampling does not violate his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures.
In December 2000, the United States Congress enacted the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000, 42 U.S.C. § 14135 (the "DNA Act"). The DNA Act 4 requires United States probation offices to collect a DNA sample from each individual being supervised while on probation, parole or supervised release who has been convicted of a qualifying federal offense. 42 U.S.C. § 14135a(a)(2). A "DNA sample" is defined as "tissue, fluid or other bodily sample of an individual on which a DNA analysis can be carried out." 42 U.S.C. § 14135c. "Qualifying federal offenses" are violent crimes, including homicides, sex offenses, kidnaping, robbery 5 and conspiracies to commit these offenses. 42 U.S.C. § 14135a(d). With the passage of the DNA Act, Congress amended the supervised release statute, 18 U.S.C. § 3583, to expressly require DNA collection: "[T]he court shall order, as an explicit condition of supervised release, that the defendant cooperate in the collection of a DNA sample from the defendant, if the collection of such a sample is authorized pursuant to the DNA [Act]."
The penalty for failure to cooperate in the collection of a DNA sample is a class C misdemeanor offense, punishable by up to one year in custody and a fine of up to $100,000. 42 U.S.C. § 14135a(a)(5). Failure to comply may also result in the filing of supervised release violation charges by a probation officer. The Probation Office is authorized to "use reasonable means to detain, restrain, and collect samples from a person who refuses to give a sample voluntarily." 42 U.S.C. § 14135a(a)(4)(A).
Once a sample is collected, the Probation Office sends the sample to the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") for entry into the Combined DNA Index System ("CODIS"), a national DNA database linking DNA evidence in a nationwide computer network. 42 U.S.C. § 14135a(b). "CODIS is a national index of DNA samples taken from convicted offenders, crime scenes and victims of crime, and unidentified human remains that 'enables law enforcement officials to link DNA evidence found at a crime scene with a suspect whose DNA is already on file.' " United States v. Miles, 228 F.Supp.2d 1130, 1132 (E.D.Cal.2002)
(internal citations omitted). The DNA Act permits disclosure of the DNA sample to criminal justice agencies for law enforcement identification in judicial proceedings and to a defendant for use in his criminal defense. 42 U.S.C. §§ 14135e(a)(b), 14132(b)(3).
The DNA Act restricts the use of information and criminalizes the knowing, unauthorized retention or disclosure of a DNA sample. 42 U.S.C. § 14135e(c). A person's DNA records can be expunged upon proof that a qualifying offense has been overturned or stricken. 42 U.S.C. § 14132(d).
The legislative history reveals that the impetus for the DNA Act was Congress' concern that the DNA data base was not sufficiently filled with samples from federal offenders. 6 H.R.Rep. No. 106-900(I), 2000 WL 142016 at 11. Congress was cognizant that all fifty states require DNA collection from certain convicted persons, while the federal system did not contain a comparable requirement. See generally Robin Cheryl Miller, Annotation, Validity, Construction, and Operation of State DNA Database Statutes, 76 A.L.R. 5th 239 at § 2 (2000). "Congress passed the Act because of an urgent need to address the gap in coverage of the national DNA index that has left out federal offenders." United States v. Reynard, 220 F.Supp.2d 1142, 1146 (S.D.Cal.2002). The addition of DNA samples from qualifying federal offenders, therefore, would enable state and federal law enforcement to match these samples with crime scenes or other evidence in an effort to solve pending criminal investigations. Id.; 2000 WL 1420163 at 13-14; 146 Cong. Rec. S11647, 2000 WL 1784925 at 4.
Another objective of the DNA Act was to promote accuracy in the criminal justice system since identification would likely exonerate those wrongly accused or convicted of a crime. 2000 WL 1784925 at 5. Since DNA sampling can easily exculpate as well as inculpate offenders, an ancillary benefit of the DNA Act will be releasing those wrongfully accused or convicted. The reliance of DNA analysis for this purpose demonstrates that "DNA testing is critical to the effective administration of justice in 21st century America." Id. The Congressional history also anticipates the DNA Act would reduce recidivism by incarcerating offenders before they have the opportunity to repeat their crimes in the future. 2000 WL 1784925.
Congress directed that the Administrative Office of the Courts ("AO") manage the practical implementation of the DNA Act, with respect to qualifying federal offenders on supervised release status. 7 (D.I.216, Ex. A, Ex. B) In a December 21, 2001 memorandum to United States Probation Offices, the Assistant Director of the AO wrote: "Although Congress has not provided funding for the judiciary to do DNA collection, the Director [of the AO] has decided that probation offices should begin collecting blood samples as soon as possible." ( Id.) The criteria to determine qualifying offenses and instructions for collection of the blood sample, procurement of health care services to extract the blood sample, and the payment procedure for such services was included in the memorandum. ( Id. at Ex. D) Consistent with these instructions, the United States Probation
Office for the District of Delaware "identified the cases under supervision for qualifying offenses, received collection and fingerprint kits from the FBI, viewed training videos and procured DNA services" and then informed defendant of his September 25, 2002 appointment with a phlebotomist. 8 ( Id.)
A. Fourth Amendment
As his first argument, defendant contends that the DNA Act violates the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures because it compels extraction of blood for a DNA sample in the absence of individualized suspicion or probable cause of any criminal wrongdoing. (D.I.214) Defendant claims the government further infringes on his Fourth Amendment privacy interests when it chemically analyzes the sample taken.
The government responds that although the DNA Act implicates defendant's Fourth Amendment privacy interests, it is still a reasonable search under either the special needs exception to the warrant requirement or under a reasonableness standard analysis under the Fourth Amendment. (D.I.215)
The Fourth Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." U.S. Const. Amend. IV.; see Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 6 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1961). The Amendment "guarantees the privacy, dignity, and security of persons against certain arbitrary and invasive acts by officers of the government or those acting at their direction." Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives' Ass'n., 489 U.S. 602, 613, 109 S.Ct. 1402, 103 L.Ed.2d 639 (1989).
All searches and seizures must be reasonable. Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U.S. 32, 45, 121 S.Ct. 447, 148 L.Ed.2d 333 (...


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