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10 ways to help users move from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice
by Jack Wallen in 10 Things , in Open Source on October 21, 2014, 7:15 AM PST
Make a smooth transition from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice. These tips will help you iron out the wrinkles.
Image: LibreOffice
It's coming -- that day when you decide the path of least resistance no longer runs through Microsoft. When that happens, you'll be seeking out alternative solutions for your business to get work done. One such solution is the LibreOffice suite.
Even though LibreOffice provides everything you need, there is one issue you'll have to get around: migration from Microsoft Office. As anyone in tech will tell you, end users fear and hate change. No one wants to have to jump ship mid-job and learn something new. That downtime could be costly (not just to employee efficiency, but to the bottom line). So how do you make the migration easier? I have 10 tips to help you out. Let's see if one or two won't motivate you to kick off that looming migration.
1: Install LibreOffice side by side with Microsoft Office
Because there is no cost associated with the purchasing of LibreOffice, you can download and install it at any time. So why not pull the trigger sooner rather than later? Giving the staff plenty of lead-in time to get used to the new tools (all the while still having a working license of Microsoft Office to fall back on) will make the migration much easier. It will also give them a chance to see how both suites are similar and different ─ side by side. You can't get a better teaching tool than that.
2: Save files in Microsoft-friendly formats
One of the biggest issues you'll find is that Microsoft Office is really not that friendly to foreign file formats. Office likes Office and little else. Even if your entire office is migrating to LibreOffice, your staff will probably have to send documents to other people who may be using Microsoft Office. So it's a good idea to teach them to save in a Microsoft Office-friendly format. With LibreOffice you can save as .doc, .docx, .rtf, and plenty of other formats.
3: Offer question-and-answer sessions
Your end users will have questions. Do not expect them to answer those questions on their own. Instead, prior to the actual migration, offer Q&A sessions so they can get those issues out of the way. Providing this support in conjunction with installing LibreOffice side by side with Microsoft Office will go a long way toward getting rid of any apprehension about the migration.
4: Point users to the LibreOffice documentation
There's a lot of documentation for LibreOffice out there. One of the first resources users should seek out is the official documentation. The Getting Started document alone is worth its weight in Office licenses. You can even print that PDF and hand it out to users before the migration begins. Once they get beyond the Getting Started guide, point them to the Community Support page, where they can find plenty of specific and advanced help.
5: Introduce users to the Extension Manager
The LibreOffice Extension Manager expands the feature set of the software. On the official Extension page, users will find plenty of extra tools to add to LibreOffice. There are extensions for each of the LibreOffice tools, including the likes of the Alternative dialog for Find/Replace and the Multi-format Save. These extensions help make LibreOffice more powerful and easier to use.
6: Remind users they used a menu-driven interface for years
Before that Microsoft Office Ribbon interface, what did people use? The same menu-driven interface found in most software ─ including LibreOffice. When the Ribbon interface first arrived, people complained mightily. But they eventually got used to it. It will take them less time to readjust to the more standard menu interface. A quick reminder of this will help ease the transition.
7: Show users how to customize toolbars
Toolbars are commonly ignored on a piece of software. Doing that with LibreOffice is a huge mistake. Users can make their day so much more efficient by customizing the toolbars to fit their needs. All they have to do is click View | Toolbars | Customize and then go to town making those toolbars work for them rather than against them.
8: Migrate all necessary templates from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice
If you have power users who work with templates daily, you'll want to get those templates into LibreOffice. Believe it or not, this is simple: Just save the Microsoft Office template in a central location, open it in LibreOffice, and then click File | Templates | Save As Template. After that, users can click File | New | Templates and select the template they need from the My Templates section.
9: Create a packet that illustrates the differences between the two suites
One of the fastest ways to get users up to speed is to create a compare/contrast packet that illustrates the difference between Microsoft Office and LibreOffice. Make sure you do the compare/contrast with the actual version of Microsoft Office you have installed ─ otherwise you might cause unnecessary confusion.
10: Give users plenty of time
Don't expect this transition to happen overnight. Give everyone plenty of time to acclimate to the new environment. For some, this will be a major migration ─ especially for those who depend upon an office suite for their daily routine. But with the help of a side-by-side installation, plenty of documentation, and Q&A sessions, those end users should be up to speed and comfortable with the new software in a few weeks. Giving them enough time at the front of the migration will ensure there fewer problems down the road.
5 tips on migrating to open source software
What's the difference between LibreOffice and OpenOffice?
Five tips for speeding up your work within LibreOffice Writer
How to add Draw objects into your LibreOffice documents
10 tips for easier collaboration between office suites
More tips?
Migrating to LibreOffice doesn't have to be a nightmare. In fact, if handled with care and attention, the process can be much more seamless than you'd imagine.
Have you ever migrated to an open source solution? If so, how did you manage the task -- and how did it go?
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By Jack Wallen
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic and Linux.com. He's an avid promoter of open source and the voice of The Android Expert. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.com.
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Latest News 2016 November Kaweah Delta Hospice Delivers Fresh Turkeys And Thanksgiving Fixings To Families
Kaweah Delta Hospice Delivers Fresh Turkeys And Thanksgiving Fixings To Families
VISALIA – To help brighten the Thanksgiving holiday for family members who have a loved one receiving hospice care, Kaweah Delta Hospice has delivered fresh turkeys and Thanksgiving fixings to 101 families – the most families ever to receive this gift.
"These families are facing a tough time during the holiday. This is our gift so they don't have to go face the hustle and bustle to have a nice family dinner for Thanksgiving," said Pam Hauschel, Kaweah Delta Hospice's office lead specialist who organized the project for the past seven years. "It's worth it just to see them smile because someone remembered them during this difficult time."
The Visalia Breakfast Lions Club provided the fresh turkeys and Kaweah Delta Hospice staff, along with other district staff and community organizations including the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff's Association and the Professional Law Enforcement Managers Association provided other fixings.
Kaweah Delta Hospice families such as Margaret and Ramon Sandoval were among those thankful for the gift of a Thanksgiving dinner. Their 3-year-old son Angel has been on Kaweah Delta Hospice since birth due to a rare congenital birth defect which involves deformities of the face and a respiratory illness.
"We're praying that he doesn't get sick and he won't be in the hospital for Thanksgiving," said Angel's mother Margaret.
The delivery of a fresh turkey and groceries helped ensure that the Sandovals wouldn't have to venture out and bring home any germs to Angel, who is susceptible to infection.
"Every year around this time we are in and out of the hospital because he'll get pneumonia," Margaret said. "We've had some scary moments."
Kaweah Delta Hospice, a division of Kaweah Delta Health Care District, is located at 623 W. Willow St., Visalia. The not-for-profit healthcare organization dedicated to helping patients with end-of-life comfort care wherever they live in Tulare County - at home, in a residential care facility, or at a skilled nursing facility. The organization works to relieve pain and other symptoms, as well as provide emotional support and spiritual counseling. Patients and their families are offered a variety of services designed to cover every aspect of their lives including a physician, a nurse, a home health aide, a chaplain, a social worker and bereavement counseling.
Established in 1963, Kaweah Delta Health Care District is the only trauma center between Fresno and Bakersfield. Kaweah Delta Medical Center was recently awarded four out of five stars in overall hospital quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and an A in hospital safety in Leapfrog's Fall 2016 Hospital Safety Score. The district offers a comprehensive scope of services including everything from a well-respected pediatric hospitalist program to nationally recognized orthopedic and cancer programs.
A Clarification About ICU Capacity
An important clarification regarding ICU bed availability at Kaweah Delta
Kaweah Delta and Sierra View share crisis care guidelines publicly
Second dose of COVID-19 vaccinations begin at Kaweah Delta Medical Center
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Health & Wellness Tips (12)
Vital Signs Stories (2)
View All Patient Stories
ROBERT CASTELLANO
Robert knows a thing or two about a good beat. A drummer for most of his life, he understands that a steady beat is the foundation to any good song, and the same can be said for a healthy heart. Fifteen years ago, Robert's demanding career took its toll on his health when he suffered a mild heart attack. After the heart scare, Robert knew he needed to make some major changes to save his life. Less than three months after the heart attack, he retired from his stressful job and moved north from the chaotic streets of Los Angeles to the peaceful orchards of Tulare.
Last fall, 14 years after moving to Tulare, Robert's elevated blood pressure was making him worry so he made an appointment with Dr. Sarmad Said, a cardiologist affiliated with Kaweah Delta. Robert passed heart test after test but his blood pressure remained elevated. Thankfully, he was in the expert hands of Dr. Said. "Dr. Said didn't turn away from me. He took the time to listen to me and scheduled me for an angiogram to take a closer look." Just as Dr. Said began the procedure, Robert's blood pressure dropped dangerously, revealing to Dr. Said that an artery blockage was likely and heart surgery would be necessary. In the end, Robert's heart required quadruple bypass surgery performed by Kaweah Delta-affiliated Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Leheb Araim.
Now on the road to a full recovery, Robert believes he was meant to move to Tulare County to be treated by the compassionate team at Kaweah Delta. "I really can't convey the appreciation I have for Dr. Said, Dr. Araim, and the hospital's medical staff. It wasn't just a hospital experience. It was a people experience. I was always told by music teachers that the drummer is the heartbeat of the band, and Kaweah Delta's goal was to give me the beat back. They revive and restore lives, and I'm one of them. Those are the people who bring you back to life."
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The days of missing sticker placement to show acceptance of Bitcoins at your.Drug Dealing, Remittances, Poverty Factor in Bitcoin ATMs Placement in NYC. Bitcoin ATMs are highly concentrated in minority areas in New York City.Some suggest.The SEC announced it would not approve a bitcoin ETF that was proposed by. Bitcoin is the currency of the Internet: a distributed, worldwide, decentralized digital money.
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Dr. Ivan Vutsov of Stara Zagora, who is on trial in three cases because of their false diploma in cardiology, was defended by a lawyer disbarred.
Metropolitan lawyer Ivan Milanov Lazov defended Vutsov in court on July 8 when he was stopped by rights, BNR announced.
Check the archives of the Sofia Bar Council revealed that at its meeting on 17th May this year the Board deprived lawyer Lazov of his right to practice the profession for a period of three months. The decision relates to the punishment imposed by the Supreme Disciplinary Court case from 2016. The reasoning is that two meetings of the District Court in Stara Zagora, lawyer Lazov behaved arrogantly in the courtroom to present witnesses and extraneous used its position jargon.
Dr. Ivan Vutsov trial at the Sofia District Court for the documentary crime since September last year The accusation is that of March 29, 2015 in Rector of the Medical University in Sofia, subject to inadequate izvarshitelstvo by his sister, knowingly benefited from a false official document - a certificate of specialist in cardiology.
Two months ago the District Court in Stara Zagora and launched another lawsuit against the doctor, in which he is accused of using fake diploma. The trial began despite the request of the defense it be terminated because there was an identical process and the Sofia District Court (RCC).
In the District Court in Stara Zagora was introduced and a new indictment, according to which 55-year-old Vutsov will be tried for practicing a profession without a license, for which the Criminal Code provides for up to three years in prison.


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Keep yourself busy with the wide range of activities available at the resort, cool your senses with a swim in the pool after a day of adventure and unforgettable images or relax with a massage followed by a herbal steam. If its relaxation and tranquility you're after or a holiday filled with adventure, then its all waiting for you at Milky Bay.
Short Description: Set under a crisp tropical sky, overlooking the calm inviting ocean and spilling onto a soft milky beach all huddled between beautiful lush gardens is Milky Bay. You can savor sunset cocktails, taste the delectable flavors of Thai cuisine and robust Italian dishes or enjoy a beachfront barbecue Thai Style with Fresh Seafood.


Belinda Bow and a team of Newcastle residents in conjunction with `3 Angels Nepal` recently traveled to Nepal to shoot their new documentary `Latitude` which uncovers the shocking practice of trafficking children across the border into India. There are communities in Nepal completely devoid of women and children as 54 girls a day on average are taken from families for an average price of $104.63.
You are invited to join the screening of the documentary on the 18th November 2014 at 7pm at the Watt Street Arc Theatre in Newcastle's CBD. Tickets are $25 per person including nibblies and drinks on arrival. Visit www.stickytickets.com.au/19629 to purchase your ticket.


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Blaine Rittinger and Leslie Fields (shown with daughters Makayla and Samara Rittinger) met while they were both working with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in the 1980s.
Leslie Fields performing with Mark Godden in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production of Rodeo in the 1980s.
- Svengali, presented by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, April 20-21 at 8 p.m. and April 22 at 2 p.m. at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. Tickets: $44-$96, visit www.ticketmaster.ca. Info: www.rwb.org.
IT didn't take long for Samara Rittinger's natural talent for dance to be recognized.
Enrolled in a beginner class led by Vickye Allard through the North Vancouver Recreation Commission, the then four-year-old's potential was clearly evident.
"It was one of the first or second classes and Vickye looked at me and said, 'Uh oh, she's got it,'" recalls Samara's mother Leslie Fields, a former professional ballet dancer.
Leslie is extremely proud of her youngest daughter, who now 13 and a student at Argyle secondary, is continuing to excel at the art of dance.
"She loves dancing and she's very, very talented. She's got natural ability, far more than I ever had, and she loves to do it," says Leslie, 52.
Not only following in her mother's footsteps in the general sense, Samara has her sights set on one day joining the same company her mother once danced for, and incidentally met her husband Blaine Rittinger through, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Samara, who currently studies at the Goh Ballet Academy, is on a positive track, having been accepted for two summer programs at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's dance school, as well as a master class Sunday as part of the company's local performance of Svengali, April 20-22, at The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts.
According to the company, the work is a complex psychological drama focused on Svengali, a young man with hypnotic powers. After escaping his mother's repressive ballet studio, he finds beautiful and malleable young dancer Trilby in a decadent world reminiscent of mid-century Weimar. Under Svengali's influence, Trilby becomes the darling of the ballet world, but her star eventually rises beyond Svengali's powerful emotional grasp.
It's based on the novel Trilby by George du Maurier and the film by Guy Maddin. Svengali was choreographed by Leslie's one-time dance partner Mark Godden, likewise a former Royal Winnipeg Ballet company dancer.
The Fields/Rittinger clan is excited about the performance, a reminder of just how close things are to coming full circle for their North Vancouver family.
Leslie, who is now an associate director, development and alumni engagement in the faculty of arts at the University of British Columbia, danced all her early life, retiring at age 29.
Born and raised in Vancouver, she danced with the Maria Lewis School of Dance and the Pacific Ballet Theatre before moving to Winnipeg in 1978 to enroll in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's professional program. Leslie went on to join the company and was with the organization from 1981 to 1988.
"When I was in Winnipeg, that was during the '80s when Evelyn Hart was dancing and we were performing many full-length ballets as well as the company's mixed repertoire. We also did a lot of travelling," she says.
Her husband Blaine, 54, had been working as a stage manager at the time. He currently works at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre as the technical director.
"Our life at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet was a highlight in our careers," says Leslie. "It was a wonderful time and we did do a lot a performing and we were ambassadors to the rest of the world through the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. It's wonderful to be able to keep that link going through my daughter. . . . It's like a second family."
Leslie and Godden, who's based in Montreal, Que., were paired up on a number of occasions during their time with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet; for example, a performance of Agnes de Mille's Rodeo set to music by Aaron Copland. They see each every so often.
"It's like an old friend. Years sort of disappear once you get back together again," she says.
Leslie is looking forward to taking in a performance of Svengali.
"Mark Godden is a wonderful choreographer," she says. "He brings in both the theatrical and the dance elements. His musicality is wonderful and the way he presents stories is very unique. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is always such a fresh company. They're beautiful dancers."
The presentation is also providing an amazing opportunity for Samara, who is scheduled to participate in a master class led by the company's senior ballet master Johnny Chang on Sunday.
The class is being presented in partnership with the Vancouver Ballet Society.
"I'm really looking forward to that," says Samara.
Both of Leslie and Blaine's daughters, Samara and Makayla, 17, were introduced to dance, though only Samara decided to continue on.
Makayla is much more interested in horseback riding and basketball, says Leslie.
"I just love to move and the music and being able to put myself in my dancing," says Samara.
Following her introduction to dance with Vickye Allard, Samara moved to the Anna Wyman School of Dance and for the last three years has studied at Goh. She's performed a number of solos, including filling the role of Clara in the school's holiday performance of The Nutcracker for the last two years. She's currently rehearsing for Goh Ballet's upcoming performance of Coppelia, June 1-2 at the Vancouver Playhouse.
"That's a big show for us," she says.
Samara attended the Royal Winnipeg Ballet professional division summer school last year on a scholarship from the B.C. Investors Group and has been accepted again this summer.
Her participation has resulted in a homecoming of sorts for her mother.
"I hadn't been back to Winnipeg for, I'd say, 20 years," says Leslie.
"I walked around all of Winnipeg looking at all of the places where I used to live and went to the ballet and the principal of the school, I used to room with when we were going to school at the professional program. . . . It's one big cycle and they're all going, 'Oh my God,' I can't believe we're teaching one of your kids. We don't feel that old.' And I'm going, 'I don't feel that old either.' It's a nice cycle. Actually it was quite funny, when the principal of the school called me last summer to say that Samara had gotten the B.C. Investors Group scholarship she said, 'And it has nothing to do with you or Blaine. It's all based on Samara's talent,'" she adds.
Having a mother who was a professional ballet dancer is a great resource for a rising star.
"It's nice because we get to watch some of her videos and she gives me corrections on my ballet," says Samara.
However, Leslie knows she can sometimes get carried away.
"I can give her some pointers, but sometimes I can go overboard, you know, 'OK mom, that's enough. I don't need any more corrections.' (It's all about) finding the balance," says Leslie.
It's also helpful to have someone to lean on who's well-versed in just how tough the dance industry can be.
"It's a hard career and just because you're talented, doesn't mean you're going to make it. It's a lot of hard work," says Leslie.
That said, she fully understands the attraction and will continue to be in her daughter's corner.
"If you want to dance, you've just got to do it," she says.


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Criminalizing kids
Published — December 10, 2015 Updated — February 5, 2016 at 3:02 pm ET
An epidemic of questionable arrests by school police
Josue "Josh" Muniz, now 20, is suing the San Bernardino City Unified School District and a school police officer for excessive force and negligent training. The suit alleges that the officer grabbed Muniz, then 17, by the throat, pepper sprayed him and beat him before arresting Muniz for assault on the cop. Muniz says the officer was upset because he and girlfriend hugged after he ordered them to separate. The charge was dropped in court. Susan Ferriss/Center for Public Integrity
Soul-searching in San Bernardino County over campus cops' tactics and attitudes
Susan Ferriss
Immigration Project Manager and Senior Reporter
This story was reported in collaboration with The California Report, a production of KQED Public Radio.
Does your local school district have its own police force independent of your city's? https://t.co/xnK9kwNmDb
— The Center for Public Integrity (@Publici) December 11, 2015
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Josue "Josh" Muniz admits that he embraced his girlfriend during lunch, while the pair was out on the quad at Arroyo Valley High School in this city east of Los Angeles.
He admits that after a school cop ordered him to step away, he did, but lightly hugged his girlfriend again, minutes later, because she was upset.
But Muniz won't agree that he deserved what happened next.
His girlfriend walked off, and Muniz saw the officer approaching again and directing him to go with him. The cop reached out and "put his hand on my throat," Muniz said. "That's when I start freaking out. He tells me to stand up. And that's when his grip on my throat got a little stronger and when I started really panicking."
Alarmed, Muniz pushed at the officer to get him "just a little bit off me," he said. They tumbled to the ground and the officer "showered" the student with pepper spray, Muniz alleges in a civil lawsuit that's still pending. The cop handcuffed him, he said, dragged him into a nearby security office by the cuffs and planted a knee in between his shoulder blades while delivering "multiple blows" as Muniz lay face down on a carpet.
After it was over, the officer read the 17-year-old junior his rights and placed Muniz under arrest — for alleged misdemeanor assault on an officer.
"He told me that I had 'f'd up,' " Muniz said. "But I never wanted to fight."
In an initial substantive response in court, the school district claims that Muniz was "careless, reckless, and negligent," and is the one to blame for any alleged injuries he suffered during the altercation.
Muniz's arrest in November 2012 sounds extreme, but it was hardly isolated.
In fact, he was one of tens of thousands of juveniles arrested by school police in San Bernardino County over the last decade. The arrests were so numerous in this high-desert region known as the Inland Empire that they surpassed arrests of juveniles by municipal police in some of California's biggest cities.
The San Bernardino City Unified School District, where Muniz was a student, has its own police department, with 28 sworn officers, eight support staff and more than 50 campus security officers trained in handcuffing and baton use.
The department made more than 30,000 arrests of minors between 2005 and 2014. The area has a reputation for youth-gang crime, but only about 9 percent of those arrests were for alleged felonies. Instead, the vast majority of arrests were for minors violating a variety of city ordinances — such as graffiti violations or daytime curfews — and for nearly 9,900 allegations of disturbing the peace. That's a frequently-used catchall that raises questions among critics about whether most of these arrests were necessary for public safety.
The bulk of the minors arrested or referred to school police represent some of the most academically vulnerable demographics in the state: low-income Latino and black kids, as well as kids with disabilities, in disproportionate numbers, according to California arrest statistics and national education data examined by the Center for Public Integrity.
Based on 2011-2012 data collected from U.S. schools by the U.S. Department of Education, the latest available, Muniz's Arroyo Valley High referred students to law enforcement at a rate of 65 for every 1,000 students. That was more than 10 times the national and California state rate of 6 per 1,000.
Those kinds of statistics raise red flags for critics who charge that school officers in some districts, especially those with substantial minority and special-needs populations, are turning what should be minor disciplinary indiscretions into criminal justice matters that put kids on a road to bigger problems — the so-called 'school-to-prison pipeline." In San Bernardino, cops, school officials, parents and community groups have started wrestling with how to balance demands for order — and security — without criminalizing kids.
There's no state rule to define the role of school police, but some California districts have already taken steps to do that by imposing formal limits on police powers in school, and detailing what situations should require police involvement and what should be handled exclusively by educators.
San Bernardino City Unified School District police officers get support from more than 50 campus security officers who patrol campuses and are trained in handcuffing and baton use. (Susan Ferriss/Center for Public Integrity)
The roots of a trend
The ranks of school cops have grown nationally since the 1999 massacre of students and faculty at Columbine High School outside Denver. Some inner-city school districts have developed significant police agencies of their own and deployed them on campuses. The fear of terrorism and mass shootings like the rampage in San Bernardino this month all but guarantee that schools will continue to seek out ways to put police officers on campuses.
But teens and officers don't always understand each other, and kids can pay a price when cops' own conduct gets aggressive.
In October, students in South Carolina precipitated a federal civil-rights investigation with videos they surreptitiously shot of a school cop violently arresting a high school girl who'd been using her cell phone, tipping over her desk and dragging her across the floor.
Last April, in the San Bernardino city district, an 8th grader was allegedly ordered to remove clothing and unhook her bra and shake her breasts to see if she was hiding marijuana, according to her mother, Anita Wilson-Pringle.
San Bernardino City Unified School District mom Anita Wilson-Pringle wants answers following an allegation that her 8th grade daughter was ordered to unhook her bra and shake her breasts as part of a marijuana search.
Courtesy of Anita Wilson-Pringle
A female vice principal led the search, Wilson-Pringle said, which the district defended as a routine "pat down." But Wilson-Pringle alleges that a male campus security officer who works for district police allegedly stood nearby. The district police chief denied that but was unwilling to release an internal review the chief said had been done — not even to Wilson-Pringle.
"I wonder how many other kids have been violated," Wilson-Pringle said. State law prohibits strip searches by school employees.
Muniz's lawsuit alleges that the San Bernardino city school district failed to properly train and supervise the officer who confronted him, Mark Clark. Clark coaches wrestling in the district and this past summer was promoted to sergeant.
In their defense, the district and Clark allege in court documents that Muniz "obstructed" a police officer, and that Muniz resisted arrest, causing Clark "to use only such force as was reasonably necessary … to overcome plaintiff's resistance."
Dennis Popka, lawyer for Clark and the district, declined to comment on the case while it's pending.
Muniz, now 20, recalled his Mexican immigrant mother arriving at his school to find out how and why he'd been arrested and attempt to figure out what would happen next. Clark decided to write up his citation and release the boy to his mother pending his court date rather than put him in juvenile detention.
Josue "Josh" Muniz was left with bruises, scrapes and burns from pepper spray after a San Bernardino, Calif. school police officer subdued him following a dispute that started with Josue hugging his girlfriend at lunch.
(Courtesy of Josue Muniz)
Muniz's mother signed papers in English she didn't fully understand and burst into tears when she was allowed to see her son, and noticed his abrasions and swollen eyes.
"I explained to her that I was hugging my girlfriend," Muniz said. "It didn't make sense to her. How could a situation have escalated so quickly?"
Similar complaints of excessive school police intervention in other parts of the Golden State have pushed some prominent school districts to more narrowly define the role of school police on campuses and institute more oversight.
The Los Angeles and San Francisco school districts now have agreements forged in 2013 and 2014, respectively, defining discipline as the responsibility of educators, not police, and instituting limits on officer interrogations, arrests and tickets.
"Technically, a young person may commit a crime" by making threats, or getting into a physical fight, said Donna Groman, supervising judge of the delinquency division of Los Angeles County Juvenile Court. "It could be viewed as criminal conduct, but it might not be the type of conduct that really benefits a young person to be arrested and injected to the juvenile justice system."
Police arrests should be selective — reserved for the most serious incidents — because any exposure to the juvenile justice system is harmful to minors, Groman said.
Groman arrived at her view from her experience as a judge. She also points to research finding that an arrest, a court appearance, and even brief detention, especially for minor infractions, actually increase a minor's risk of dropping out and getting into more serious crime.
"Whether it stops with just an arrest or a citation," she said, "that doesn't matter. The harm has already been done and it's difficult to undo that harm. It's the beginning of a young person becoming disengaged from school, which is one thing you're trying to avoid."
Alarming stats
In San Bernardino County overall, where political support for law enforcement traditionally runs strong, data show that 37 percent of minors funneled into the criminal justice system for misdemeanors were put there by just two school police departments — San Bernardino's and the Fontana Unified School District police. San Bernardino is the largest county in the nation, encompassing over 20,000 square miles and containing more than 20 distinct cities, vast swaths of unincorporated areas and 2.1 million people.
Over the last 10 years, municipal cops in the city of San Bernardino have arrested just 6,923 minors in all, compared to the 30,000-plus arrests by school district police in the city. School cops do engage in enforcement off campus. But their primary turf is a district of about 54,000 students. City cops patrol a city of 215,000 residents.
The state data also detail how few arrests by school police were for felonies.
More than 27,000 of the 30,000-plus arrests of minors by San Bernardino school cops were for misdemeanor charges. About 36 percent of those were for disturbing the peace — a charge that can range from disruptive, loud behavior to physical fights.
The data show that the department's arrests did decline, from 4,043 in 2005 to 1,078 last year.
But last year, based on state records, San Bernardino school cops still arrested more kids than municipal cops in Sacramento, Oakland or San Francisco. They even arrested more kids than police who patrol the nation's second largest school district — Los Angeles Unified — which has a student body that's more than 10 times larger than San Bernardino's.
"That level of arrests is an alarm," said attorney Ruth Cusick of Public Counsel, an L.A.-based pro bono law group that has collaborated with Groman on school police reforms. Those who think it's natural for police in schools to arrest more kids than regular cops, she said, are denying the harm it does to kids and to relationships with police.
A steady stream of arrests, she said, "basically communicate[s] to students, 'You're not part of the community.' "
Changing the MO
San Bernardino school police Chief Joe Paulino agreed to meet at Arroyo Valley High, where Josue Muniz was arrested in 2012, to discuss the historically high volume of arrests — and reforms he agrees are needed and that he says are underway.
"I believe we're emerging from that history," Paulino said, "to this new place where we no longer believe that we have to attack these things [minor infractions] to be able to keep our youth safe. And we're looking at it from not a zero tolerance to more of a tolerance to these behaviors."
The district in November started talks to identify circumstances that don't merit police intervention, Paulino said. Officers are already mindful to follow a new "matrix" calling for students to get an opportunity to correct misbehavior — like a first-time fight — before they face arrest.
San Bernardino City Unified School District Police Chief Joe Paulino stands in an atrium at the Arroyo Valley High School, where a former student who is suing the district was arrested in November 2012. Paulino said he's now working to drive down his officers' arrests of minors.
Paulino also said officers are now handing out "positive tickets" and prizes to students identified as having done good deeds. The practice is part of a "different mindset," he said, that police are developing.
There's still a maxim posted on the department's website that says the purpose of citations — the real ones that put kids into the justice system for alleged crimes — "is not to punish them but to help them change bad behavior patterns."
"I don't believe that anybody should be handcuffed because they're kissing," he said. "However, it if turns into where I request that you go to class and it becomes violent, then again, we as police officers have the right to be able to defend ourselves as well as others we believe may be injured by another's action."
Trouble in Fontana
Elsewhere in San Bernardino County, there are other signs of problematic school policing.
Officers with the 40,000-student Fontana Unified School District, not far from the city of San Bernardino, arrested 10,741 juveniles over the last decade, a volume that also surpassed the 7,474 arrests of minors by Fontana city police.
Fontana school cops run the Fontana Leadership Intervention Program, a counseling and boot-camp program for students identified at school or in court as "at-risk." In 2012, an officer who coordinated the FLIP program, which took kids on trips to colleges and prisons, was fired because he had allegedly boasted of having sex with mothers of kids in the program, according to documents in lawsuits filed by school staff.
In the community of Chino, the case of a student with Down syndrome who was arrested at his high school exemplifies concerns at the legal-defense group Disability Rights California that special-needs kids are getting criminalized at school.
Krystine Roldan, the guardian and sister of the student with Down syndrome, was shocked when she received word that her brother Christian had been arrested in 2013 at Ayala High School in the Chino Valley Unified School District. He was charged with resisting a peace officer. Roldan said she found her 16-year-old brother "crumpled up" and hogtied, inside the back of a sheriff's vehicle.
Christian Roldan, 18, holds his dog DD at home in Chino, Calif. He has Down syndrome and can only respond to questions with one or two-word replies. He was hogtied and arrested in 2013 for resisting a school police officer's attempts to search him at the Chino Valley Unified School District. (Susan Ferriss/Center for Public Integrity)
"His hands are behind his back and his feet are tied together with handcuffs and they're connected and he's sweating. He's crying," Roldan recalled. "I kept saying you guys have to let him go. He has breathing issues." The deputies said Christian had made threats. Roldan pointed out that Christian can only respond to questions with one- or two-word answers.
Ayala's school resource office — a county sheriff's deputy on contract — wrote up a report about an incident that led to Christian's arrest.
Christian left class to go to the bathroom, unsupervised, and was later found sitting in an outside area on two airsoft guns, replica firearms that shoot plastic pellets. Roldan said she doesn't know where he got the airsoft guns. The school officer doesn't speculate in her report. A teacher picked up the prohibited replica guns, and Christian walked with him to the police office.
The officer was told he had Down syndrome. She began questioning the teen about the guns. She wrote that he appeared agitated, "had his hands clenched in fists" and "would not cooperate with my commands." She wanted to search him for any other weapons. He "mouthed" a profanity. She called for more deputies, and they "escorted him to the floor to gain control of his arms and body."
Christian was restrained, searched and taken to a patrol vehicle. "No additional contraband was found on his person," the resource officer wrote. Yet he was arrested.
After sitting in a jail cell with his sister, Christian was released to his sister that day, but out of school for months. Therapists said it was too traumatic for him to return to the school, but the district said it couldn't find another suitable placement for him, until after Roldan contacted Disability Rights for help, she said. She also had to take Christian to juvenile court two times to answer to his criminal charge before a judge was satisfied he had Downs Syndrome and dismissed the case.
"I thought they were there to protect him," Roldan said of educators and police. He's still terrified of police, she said, and she's worried he won't ask for help when he needs it.
National data show that the Chino Valley district referred students to law enforcement at rate of 21 for every 1,000 pupils during the 2011-2012 year — more than three times the national rate of 6 per 1,000. Disabled students were referred at a rate of 61 students per 1,000 kids, compared to a national rate of 14 per 1,000.
Chino Valley schools' risk and safety manager Dan Mellon spoke for the district.
Confidentiality laws, he said, bar him from addressing Christian's arrest. But he explained that the district contracts with local police agencies for school resource officers and those officers decide if a student should be arrested in connection with incident.
"We're not going to interfere with a sworn officer's duties," he said. And if the school didn't file a charge, administrators have no influence to get it dropped, he said.
In the San Bernardino district, Ray Culberson, director of the Youth Services program, is trying to ensure that changes occur in both disciplinary procedures and decisions to arrest kids. He grew up in tough circumstances here and feels that kids got more breaks back then than they do now.
Culberson is pushing for school leaders, campus by campus, to institute "restorative justice" circles, where students and staff air grievances about incidents and amends can be made.
With the backing of the district attorney's office in San Bernardino County, he also recently started an informal district "youth court" that he's urging both principals and police to make use of; they can send kids to this mock court rather than expelling them or sending them into real court. Juries of peers will try kids — if they admit to misconduct — and impose consequences such as an essay of apology, a visit to a hospital or a ride with police on patrol. If they fail, then they face the official system.
In October, a homeless boy, 13, facing possible expulsion, was tried for bringing a lighter to school and smoking cigarettes. He was told to write an essay, among other amends.
Culberson said he knows not everyone in the district is sold on reforms that include having to train in new ways to resolve conflict, like restorative justice, which take time that teachers often say they don't have. Adults habitually say they want to do "what's in the best interest of kids," he said. "Do we do that? We don't do that with 100 percent fidelity."
Ray Culberson, director of Youth Services for the San Bernardino City Unified School District, says he want to persuade principals to move away from expulsions and arrests by using counseling and conflict-resolution methods. ()Susan Ferriss/Center for Public Integrity
At a downtown San Bernardino County office, juvenile probation officers, some of whom are also posted right on campuses, said they approve of a lot of the new ideas. They also said they think schools have already been working hard to get students plenty of support before they end up arrested.
Kids arrested on first-time misdemeanors in this county can go to court if they want to contest a charge. But if they admit to a charge, they can get a "diversion" to probation officers, a less formal procedure, and receive referrals for counseling — as well as consequences for what they did, such as mandatory community service.
Officer Maria Barton said school cops care, and frequently consult with her before making an arrest. But there are times, she said, when cops have to "deal with the instant moment," and may have to subdue and arrest kids — and ask questions later.
But does she think a school cop should intervene if kids are hugging, as Officer Clark allegedly did when he saw Muniz and his girlfriend? At most, that's a violation of school rules.
"Absolutely," Barton said. "Any adult who works on a school campus is entitled to anything that deals with those kids. If it's a custodian, an administrator, a teacher, a clerk, a probation officer, a police officer, when we see something inappropriate it should be addressed."
There's quite a bit of inappropriate hugging on campuses, Barton said, and parents want to know that officers are keeping their kids safe.
But did the officer go too far?
Kimberly Epps, another probation officer, said it's difficult to judge without knowing the details. All adults on campus have to watch out for sexual harassment, she said. And she advises juveniles that when a cop gives you orders the best course of action is "to cooperate in the situation and do what's being asked of you — and it doesn't go, perhaps, where it doesn't need to go."
Ironically, Muniz said, the day he was arrested he was trying to stay safe. He was sitting in the vicinity of Officer Clark's office because some "gangster" kids had been picking on him and his mother wanted him to stay close to security while out on the quad.
He'd never been in trouble with police, he said, and he was startled at how angry Clark allegedly appeared to be when he came over after the second hug.
"It was actually a pretty big event in my life," Muniz said of the arrest. "I think if it weren't for that, a lot of things would be different right now."
Because of the seriousness of the charge, Muniz said, a vice principal he got along well with had no choice but to recommend he be expelled. But at the school-based hearing, Muniz said, "his face was showing regret more than anything else." Officer Clark spoke out against Muniz at the hearing, identifying him as the aggressor, and to Muniz appeared "the only one determined to win" the recommendation to expel him.
Ultimately, Muniz prevailed, and the school expulsion panel decided not to eject him from the district. It helped, he said, that his girlfriend had quickly used Google while he was in custody at school, and found him a lawyer. When he went to court later, he said, the fact that he was spared from expulsion seemed to help. Prosecutors decided not to pursue the case and the charge was dropped.
By that time, though, he felt he'd been stigmatized.
He'd missed a lot of class time. He'd been forced to transfer to a special campus for troubled kids that he didn't like. He and the girlfriend drifted apart. He ended up dropping out, his confidence shaken. He regrets it now, but at the time it seemed like nobody cared. He wants to pursue a GED diploma, but time is limited, as he needs to work and is constantly scrambling to get temporary jobs at warehouses here that are big employers.
But Muniz also said he lost something else with his arrest. Not long before, he was at church with his mother and conversed with a police officer about his career. He began dreaming of becoming a cop. But he says now that he couldn't stand by and "keep my mouth shut" if he saw a fellow cop abusing people.
He decided to pursue his lawsuit, which is slowly moving along with pre-trial motions, because he felt that Officer Clark thought he was "basically, nobody." The legal challenge, he said, has helped him feel that's not true.
"It's like the only way" he said, "that I feel like I have some sort of power."
Amy Isackson of KQED public radio's "The California Report" helped prepare this investigation in collaboration with the Center for Public Integrity and produced a companion radio report.
This story was co-published with The Huffington Post.


South China's Guangdong Province on Wednesday issued a package of policies to support private companies with less red tape and better access to loans.
Guangdong is known for its booming private sector, boasting the largest number of private firms and the highest tax revenues from such companies in China.
The policies, announced at a press conference by the Guangdong provincial government, aim to lower production and operation costs of private firms and alleviate their financing difficulties.
Specifically, the provincial government promised to shorten the time needed for opening a new business and lower prices of gas and electricity for industry use. It also encouraged banks to offer favorable loans to small- and micro-sized companies.
Moreover, the government said it would broaden market access to private firms in sectors including transportation, water projects and municipal services.


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©Aly Kuler
For wedding photographer Aly Kuler, excellence is a never-ending pursuit.
Jeff Kent • September 2021 issue
Around 2014, a friend of Aly Kuler, CPP, asked him to photograph his wedding. Kuler was working in graphic design, and photography was his hobby. He made some practice portraits with family members, then accepted. He showed up at the event with his entry-level Nikon digital camera ready to go. When the wedding party arrived, a photographer associated with the venue was there and asked the groom if he needed a photographer. The groom said no, but the venue photographer offered to capture the event for free and sell the couple any images they wanted afterward. Figuring it couldn't hurt, the groom accepted.
During the event, the venue photographer crossed paths with Kuler multiple times, often with a derisive comment. At one point, he suggested Kuler tape a piece of paper to his camera reading "camera" so people would know it was a camera and he was a photographer.
Though offended, Kuler took the experience as a challenge. He started educating himself on the finer points of wedding photography, diving into online classes, tutorials, and workshops. He photographed complimentary sessions for friends and family, practicing his technique and honing his individual style. He joined PPA, began entering photographic competitions, and eventually earned PPA's certified professional photographer designation.
For two years, Kuler focused on his craft. By 2016, he was ready to start taking paid gigs. Those weddings initially came from personal contacts and networking and gradually expanded to people from throughout New York and New Jersey. With every assignment, his goal was to be better than before.
"It was a constant evolution, an improvement week over week over week," he says. That improvement gave each new client something different to view, engendering excitement at what he'd produce for the next event.
Today, Kuler, who works alongside his wife, Kathleen, a highly sought-after wedding photographer in the New York Hudson Valley. His images have appeared in multiple publications, and he's won a slew of wedding photography awards.
BUILDING A CLIENT BASE
Realizing that the first step in building a wedding photography business was to establish an impressive portfolio, Kuler focused his first couple of years in business on that goal. He shot free sessions for friends and family. He added extra portrait sessions to wedding gigs. He experimented and tried new techniques at every opportunity. Everything that worked made it into his evolving portfolio. If it didn't, he chalked it up to lessons learned.
Continuing in that vein, Kuler has made it a practice to go beyond expectations with every wedding job, no matter the scale of the event. He always provides something extra, whether it's additional time, a surprise print, or a small gift after a wedding. "People remember those extra little touches and talk about me long after the event is over," he says.
They talk about and refer him in impressive numbers. Kuler's CRM software shows his No. 1 source of new leads is word-of-mouth referrals, both from former clients and from Kuler's carefully maintained relationships with other wedding vendors.
His second-best source of new leads is Instagram. Kuler treats the social media platform like another website, carefully managing his profile, posting almost daily, researching hashtags for images, and always sharing the kind of photography he wants to do.
SIGNATURE IMAGES
To create the dramatic, signature images that win awards and give clients a conversation piece, Kuler needs a calm environment where he can focus on his creative process. At weddings, he'll often set up for a mini portrait session in a side area or another nearby location away from the excitement of the day. In many cases, however, he'll suggest staging an entirely separate session to avoid distractions and prevent conflicts with the rest of the wedding schedule.
For these images, Kuler typically uses a custom lighting setup. Outdoors, he favors natural light with some additional fill from a parabolic reflector or perhaps back light from a remote flash. Indoors, to bring out the drama of the space without overpowering ambient light, he'll typically set up two or three lights. He also likes to employ windows for soft, directional light, adding lights outside of windows if necessary to shine in and augment the natural illumination.
Kuler's compositions feature a lot of wide angles with the subjects creatively framed inside a grand scene. Keeping in mind the rule of thirds, he sets up images to bring in interest from the background and showcase elements from the venue or wedding location. He leans toward editorial-style posing to create a sense of connection, as if the viewer is looking at an unfolding story. The editorial posing fits well with the rest of his wedding coverage, which emphasizes real, emotional moments.
These signature images are the first things that grab clients' attention. Kuler often charges extra for these specialized sessions and offers the finished pieces as wall art. Previously, he produced these as part of his standard coverage and included the images in the digital files that come with his wedding packages. Then he started seeing his wedding portraits, printed elsewhere, showing up on clients' walls.
"I realized how much income I was losing, so I decided to make it a focus," says Kuler, who set up a page on his website dedicated to wall art and redesigned several of his packages to include wall art prints. "This is something people want, and if we want to impress our clients, we need to provide these specialty items."
Kuler credits the PPA CPP program and image competitions as two of the biggest influences in his career. A passionate devotee to lifelong learning, he constantly works on his craft while seeking professional feedback.
"People tell me, 'You don't need this award to get more clients,'" says Kuler. "I tell them, I know, but this is for me. I want to be able to look back on my work and see improvement. I want to look at my work five years from now and notice a big difference. That's how you stay in this industry. If your work is the same today as it was five years ago, that is how you end up out of a job."
Kuler applies the lessons he learns from competitions and certification to his business. They provide an added level of confidence that he can adapt to any situation and an extra layer of security to his clients, who know he'll deliver no matter the conditions.
Kuler promotes his CPP prominently on his website and his email signature, and he links to PPA's web page that describes the difference made by a certified professional photographer.
"Today, everyone is a photographer with their phones," he points out. "And a lot of people dive into professional photography without enough knowledge. It's important to be able to explain why you're different, why you are worth what you charge."
Kuler relates several times when prospective clients asked if he would match the price of a cheaper photographer. In response, he asks why they don't just hire the cheaper photographer. "Because we like your work better," is the typical reply. "And there you have it," he says.
"There's a reason the work is better. It's because I understand the specifics of lighting and posing, of adapting to different situations. It's because I'm always learning how to be a better photographer. My advice to any photographer: Always keep learning. The pursuit of knowledge has changed my business, made it more solid, more sustainable. As photographers, we should never be satisfied with what we already know. There is always something to learn, always something else we can do to improve our photography. And it always pays off."
Jeff Kent is editor-at-large.
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Question: Are Doctors Smarter Than Engineers?
Do engineers get paid more than doctors?
What is the average IQ of a medical student?
Can I be both doctor and engineer?
Do doctors have a lot of free time?
Are engineers smarter than lawyers?
Why are engineers paid so little?
What is the IQ of a surgeon?
Where do engineers get paid the most?
Are doctors richer than lawyers?
Do engineers have high IQ?
Why do engineers quit?
Who is the highest paid engineer?
Are doctors millionaires?
Are doctors more intelligent?
Are doctors better than engineers?
What country pays engineers the most?
What job makes the most money?
Is a IQ of 120 good?
Is a 130 IQ good?
The average doctor earns more than the average engineer; though engineers working as Software Engineers or in the oil industry may earn the same and sometimes more.
GP's earn as little as $150000 per year on average, while surgeons and consultant anaesthetists earn on average about $350000..
The average Full Scale I.Q. of the medical students across the number of studies was 125, similar to the I.Q.'s of physicians at that time.
Becoming a Surgeon and An Engineer The blending of surgery and engineering isn't unheard of, although rare. But it's clear that engineers and surgeons are working together to make miraculous progress in the field of medicine. These advances are making surgeries shorter with less risk to patients.
About a third to a half of physicians get in 2-4 weeks of vacation time a year. Like their fellow Americans, however, over a third (38.3%) of family physicians and almost as many emergency medicine physicians (35.3%), internists (33.9%), and general surgeons (32.5%) take off for 2 weeks a year at most.
In my experience, most engineers are smarter than most lawyers, but most lawyers work harder than most engineers. You can't get through the first year of an engineering degree without well-above-average intelligence. … On the other hand, even the most brilliant lawyer works his ass off in law school.
You are not specialized in "electrical engineering" anymore, but are now specialized in antenna design for cell phones working on a specific network. This creates microeconomic incentives for each company to minimize the salary increases for engineers. They know that engineers cannot just hop to a new company easily.
Orthopedic surgeons had a median IQ of 105.19 (sd 15) and anesthesiologists had a median IQ of 98.38 (SD 14.85) using the MENSA Brain Test version 1.1. 0. By definition the median IQ of the general population is 100 (sd 15).
The 10 Highest-Paying Engineering DegreesPetroleum Engineer. Engineers in the oil and gas sector routinely rank among the highest-paying engineering jobs. … Electrical Engineer. … Aerospace Engineer. … Civil Engineer. … Biomedical Engineer. … Mechanical Engineer. … Industrial Engineer. … Computer Science Engineer.More items…•
However, on average, the data shows that doctors make more than lawyers. … Specifically, the average doctor makes $208,000 per year, while the average lawyer makes $118,160. These average numbers take doctors and lawyers who are in the peak of their careers — meaning that those just starting out do not take this amount.
So, for engineering, law or becoming a top executive, you need an IQ roughly one standard deviation above average, around 115. But once you get into those professions, you are in a pool of people about as smart as you are.
Using data from an older study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, here are 10 jobs typically suited for those with high IQ scores.Electrical engineers. … Lawyers. … Scientists. … Materials and design engineers. … Software and IT professionals. … Sales. … Finance. … Real estate.More items…•
The number one reason that engineers quit their jobs is that there aren't advancement opportunities. If an engineer believes that they are stuck in a dead-end job, they will look for a chance to grow in other places.
In terms of median pay and growth potential, these are the 10 highest paying engineering jobs to consider.Big Data Engineer. … Petroleum Engineer. … Computer Hardware Engineer. … Aerospace Engineer. … Nuclear Engineer. … Systems Engineer. … Chemical Engineer. … Electrical Engineer.More items…
Fifty-six percent of professional self-made millionaires in my study were doctors. Surgeons and scientists earned the most money and were the wealthiest, according to my data. Next up were lawyers, then engineers, then financial planners.
The IQ of the average American physician falls somewhere between 120-130, putting most doctors in the Very Superior Intelligence category on a standard IQ test. Doctors, as one PhysicianSense source has said, also tend to be "super hero, workaholic, Lone Ranger, perfectionists." That can be a dangerous combination.
It is not the case that Doctors are better than Engineers or Engineers are better than doctors . They both are totally different fields and can't be compared at all . Engineers first switch OFF the machine and then operate it , but Doctors operate while the machine(ie human body) is still in ON mode .
Gallery: The Countries With The Highest And Lowest Salary ExpectationsSwitzerland, with average entry-level salary expectations of about $79,000, topped the list. … Germany had the fifth highest salary expectations, ranging from $47,000 to $49,000 among business and engineering students.More items…•
Here are the top 25 best-paying jobs of 2020, according to U.S. News & World Report.Lawyer.Sales manager. … Business operations manager. … Pharmacist. … Financial advisor. … Optometrist. Mean salary: $119,980 per year. … Actuary. Mean salary: $116,250 per year. … Political scientist. Mean salary: $115,300 per year. … More items…•
An IQ score over 140 indicates that you're a genius or nearly a genius, while 120 – 140 is classed as "very superior intelligence". 110 – 119 is "superior intelligence", while 90 – 109 is "normal or average intelligence".
A score of 116 or more is considered above average. A score of 130 or higher signals a high IQ. Membership in Mensa, the High IQ society, includes people who score in the top 2 percent, which is usually 132 or higher.
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Habenaria repens, commonly called the water-spider bog orchid or the floating orchid, is an orchid species widespread across Latin America from Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina, as well as in the Southeastern United States from Texas and Oklahoma east to Florida and the Carolinas plus an isolated population in Virginia.

A phenolic compound called habenariol can be found in H. repens. It acts as a feeding deterrent.

Varieties
Two taxonomic varieties are accepted as of June 2014:

Habenaria repens var. maxillaris (Lindl.) Garay - Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Habenaria repens var. repens - most of species range including those regions listed for var. maxillaris

References

External links

 Aquatic and Invasive Plant Identification Series by the UF/IFAS at www.youtube.com
 plants.usda.gov
 plants.ifas.ufl.edu
 www.efloras.org

repens
Orchids of North America
Orchids of South America
Orchids of Central America
Orchids of Belize
Flora of Mexico
Flora of the Caribbean
Flora of Central America
Flora of the Southeastern United States
Plants described in 1818
Flora without expected TNC conservation status

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


German Aviation Tax is levied on the carriage, from a German airport, of passengers on board aircraft and helicopters. Taxable are flights operated for compensation.
What is German Aviation Tax?
German Aviation Tax is a departure tax on commercial air transport. It is levied on the carriage, from an aerodrome situated in Germany, of passengers on board fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. The amount due per passenger depends on the distance of the biggest commercial airport in the country of destination from Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt am Main. Countries listed in Annex 1 of the Aviation Tax Act (EU and EFTA Member States, EU candidate countries and Turkey, Russia, Marrocco, Tunisia and Algeria) are assigned to the first destination band. Domectic flights and flights to countries allocated to the first destination band are taxed at € 7.38 per passenger. The second destination band comprises countries listed in Annex 2 of the Aviation Tax Act . These are countries not listed in Annex 1 and with a distance of not more than 6,000 kilometres including countries in North and Central Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. A rate of € 23.05 applies to passengers flying to countries allocated to the second destination band. Passengers traveling to countries listed in neither Annex 1 nor Annex 2 are charged at € 41.49.
German Aviation Tax is not to be confounded with the landing and passenger charges paid through the handler to the airport operator. The competent authority administering the tax is the main customs office of the district in which the operator or its fiscal representative are based. Operators based outside Germany but within the European Union and not supported by a fiscal representative are administered by the main customs office of the district from which the first chargeable flight departed.
Who is liable for German Aviation Tax?
Taxable are flights operated for compensation. This even includes owner flights operated by management companies. Departures following a tech stop on German soil or a forced landing after taking off from a German airport are exempt. Several passenger exemptions apply. For instance, children below the age of two or flight crew members are outside the scope of the tax.
* Aircraft operators with less than three departures in any one calendar year must declare the tax immediately. They are not required to register for Aviation tax but must submit a notifcation for each calendar year.


BugDorm's innovative insect sampling tools include Malaise traps, Berlese funnels, emergence traps, bait traps, aspirators, and insect nets.
Designed to be simple to construct, BugDorm insect rearing cages, tents, and boxes are available in a wide range of sizes and mesh apertures.
A variety of mesh fabrics, specimen sorting apparatus, and accessories offered by BugDorm for laboratory or field research in entomology.
Components of BugDorm insect rearing and sampling equipment for replacement of missing or broken parts.


3+ Toddler Dinosaur Toy Selection. Looking for the best new dinosaurs toys for a special little person this year? See our selection of toy dinosaurs and dinosaur gift ideas. We feature the latest dinosaur models and dinosaur replicas choices at terrific prices. Shopping for soft dinosaurs is easy when you have all the best new dinosaur things right here at Dinosaur Toys Superstore. Best of all, when you shop by age for dino toys at Dinosaur Toys Superstore, you know you're going to have the best selection of dinosaur gifts for toddlers.
We have toys for preschoolers and toys for toddlers, ranging from little dinosaur toys and stuffed dinosaur toys to riding dinosaur toys to developmental toys and learning toys. Search popular brands like Safari, Schleich, Melissa and Doug, Folkmanis and Wild Republic. When it comes to dino toys for toddlers, our toddler toy collection really is the best place to shop, especially if you want the best toddler toys and toddler gifts for kids that love dinosaurs. Safari, Collecta and Schleich dinosaurs toys are fun to collect and educational as well.
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Waterloo Passenger Railway Balcony
Waterloo's £25m passenger upgrade creates longest railway balcony
Passengers to benefit from less congestion with the opening of the UK's longest station balcony
London - A new £25m balcony will help improve the travelling lot of 300,000 daily passengers at Waterloo and vastly improves access to and from Waterloo East station.
If passengers have time to kill at the station, the new balcony provides a great viewing gallery and opportunities to spend some money as well! Ten new retail outlets are located on the 220m balcony, opened just in time for the Olympic Games' crowds.
The new balcony is the longest at any UK railway station and is the highly visible part of Network Rail's (NR) £25m improvement project to transform the station.
The daily journey for the 300,000 daily passengers has been made easier with the installation of escalators and relocating retail outlets previously located in the middle of the main concourse to the balcony. This has also allowed step free access between the two Waterloo stations for the first time after lifts were installed in May.
How can you spend your money now at Waterloo?
There is a wide choice of places to eat and shop with an extra 20,000 sq. ft. of retail open. New outlets are YO! Sushi, Fat Face, Hotel Chocolat, Oliver Bonas, Links of London, Thomas Pink and Joules.
Further additions will include Italian eatery, Carluccio's, Kiehl's, Sports Bar & Grill, Benugo and Corney & Barrow's new concept bar The Cabin, which will be opening soon. Once all the new units are open, the retail capacity within the station will total 55,000 sq ft across 38 stores.
Railway History on view
The rejuvenation of Waterloo station has also seen the London and South Western Railway ornate carvings and architecture cleaned and viewable at close range from the balcony. These will be of interest to any railway historian and depict destinations no longer served by Waterloo's trains.
David Biggs, director of property at NR, said: "We are dedicated to improving the facilities, layout and retail experiences for millions of commuters nationwide through various station expansion projects within Britain's major cities.
As with the new western concourse at King's Cross earlier this year, the Waterloo balcony project forms part of our wider retail strategy to create 'destination' stations for both rail passengers and non-travelling customers. It also provides a crucial, sustainable source of income for the station, which can be reinvested directly into the rail network to continuously improve our services to passengers."
Tim Shoveller, managing director of the Network Rail/South West Trains alliance said: "Waterloo, as many of our customers know, is a very busy station. We have over 90m passengers passing through every year and there is 30% growth predicted by 2030. Our challenge is to deliver extra capacity so our passengers can get the rail services they rely on.
"We needed to find a radical solution to improve the space and facilities at Waterloo. The opening of the balcony, with the removal of retail units from the concourse, crucially reduces congestion while still providing the facilities expected at a modern station. Passengers will now find it easier to get to and from their trains. The next crucial stage is to extend the platforms so we can run longer trains with more capacity, to cater for the predicted growth in passenger numbers."
Southbank rejuvenation
Waterloo has become an important gateway to some of the best cultural institutions the city has to offer – from the Old Vic and The National Theatre to Shakespeare's Globe.
The opening of the Blackfriars southern entrance this year and the new arrangements at Waterloo have immediately boosted tourism to the Southbank. This increased number of visitors as well as commuters will all benefit from these railway projects.
Southwest Trains
Phil Marsh


Pakalert Press » Who Spies for Israel in Washington's Nuclear Negotiations?
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) (3/25/15) headlined: 'Israel Spied on Iran Nuclear Talks with the US". The article goes on to detail the way in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the confidential information to sabotage the talks, including 'playing them back to US legislators to undermine US diplomacy'.
The negotiations between the major powers (P5+1), composed of the five UN Security Council members plus Germany, led by the US, with Iran have proceeded for over two years. Israel is not part of the negotiating process-formally but indirectly its presence is substantial. For Washington the stakes are very high: securing a nuclear agreement with Iran in which Teheran submits to constant and pervasive 'inspections', and dismantles a substantial part of its nuclear program, certainly weakens Iran's regional prestige and increases US influence in the region. Secondly, through the initial agreement, it is likely that Washington will move forward to deepen joint political activity with Iran in neighboring countries. Thirdly, Washington will use the agreement to isolate Syria, Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Yemen, from Iranian financial, military and diplomatic support. Fourthly, US multi-national oil corporations could gain access to the Iranian oil fields and exporters could access a huge consumer market of 70 million Iranian citizens. Fifthly, the agreement would lessen the danger that Israel would initiate a major war, which the Zionist power configuration in the US could quickly convert into a disastrous US regional war. Given the fact that the US-Afghan war has lasted 14 years, and counting, and cost over $1 trillion dollars, and that the Iraq invasion has far exceeded those costs and intensified over the past year, a US nuclear agreement with Iran would avoid a catastrophic, prolonged war designed to enhance Israeli dominance in the Middle East.
Netanyahu launched a multi-prong attack on the negotiations. During the AIPAC meeting in March 2015 he 'dictated the line' to 10,000 fanatical Zionist followers. He made Iran and US negotiations the central focus of activity for the 52 Presidents of the Major American Jewish Organizations, their billionaire donors and Washington operatives. Netanyahu told them that they mustconcentrate on degrading Iran, on turning Congress into a bastion for undermining any agreement reached via diplomatic negotiations.
The success or failure of Washington's nuclear negotiations and the sustainable of any agreement depends on overcomingNetanyahu's formidable army of supporters in the US Congress and his corporate allies in the mass media. The single most decisive aspect of the negotiations is maintaining the secrecy of the proceedings, especially with regard to the compromises that are inevitable in any historic agreement – especially Iran's compromises. If Netanyahu has, real-time intelligence, he can devise effective counter-moves to sabotage the agreement before it is announced.
In a speech on October 23, 2014, designed to reassure Israel-Firsters in Washington, Sherman boasted: 'In return for limited sanctions relief, Iran has halted the expansion of its overall enrichment capacity, put a cap on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium hexafluoride, stopped the production of uranium enriched to 20%, agreed not to make further advances at the Arak heavy water reactor, opened the door to unprecedented daily access for international inspectors to the facilities at Natanz and Fordow'. Sherman has secured US colonial oversight over the entire Iranian uranium program – which the CIA and the entire US intelligence consortium have repeatedly declared is not a 'weapons program'!
If the ideological affinities and hatred of Iran point to Wendy Sherman as the Israel's 'mole' in the State Department, herstrategic position as head of the negotiating committee immediately provides her with the secret details that Israel needs to sabotage Obama's approach to Iran and to organize opposition in the US. The WSJ's article underscores Sherman's role as an agent of Tel Aviv: 'Mr. Netanyahu and his top advisers received confidential update on the Geneva talks from Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and other US officials who knew at the time that Israeli intelligence was working to fill the gap.' Washington eventually curtailed the 'briefings.' But there is no evidence that Sherman ceased her activities on Netanyahu's behalf. It's likely she continues to provide timely intelligence to her Israeli counterparts.
Israel is pursuing a complex strategy: 1. Opposing the negotiations outright; 2. Organizing political forces in Congress to impose new sanctions to undermine the negotiations; 3. Securing sympathetic US officials on the negotiating team to spy and report the proceedings to Israel and 4. Helping Israel by making the most extreme demands on Iran, offering the least concessions in order to force a breakdown of the negotiations.
In other words, Israel pursues a complex division of labor: Netanyahu sets the rejectionist hardline. US Zionists transmit that policy into Congressional opposition. Top officials in the State Department provide intelligence for the hard 'outsider'campaign and work within the negotiating framework to subvert the proceedings. As the chief negotiator, Sherman plays multiple roles on behalf of Israel, only one of which involves the immediate transfer of highly sensitive intelligence. Sherman has ensured that most of Netanyahu's demands are incorporated into the US negotiating agenda in a win-win format. If Iran rejects them, the US will effectively break-off negotiations, blame Iran and impose even harsher sanctions; if Iran accepts the demands, its peaceful nuclear program will be destroyed and it will be even more vulnerable to an Israeli and/or US military attack with all its military installations infiltrated and monitored by the US controlled International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).
While Netanyahu bellows against the idea of negotiations with Iran, and opposes any process lifting sanctions, the realistic agenda of the Israeli Foreign Office is to: 1. Prolong the sanctions, 2. Minimize any immediate relief, 3. Include clauses which would give the US any pretext for unilaterally revoking sanctions without any consultation; 4. Minimize the amount and level of enriched uranium Iran could retain within the country; 5. Dismantle most of Iran's centrifuges and impose severe limitations on scientific research and development; and 6. Stop operation of Iran's multi-billion dollar new fortified nuclear power facility at Fordow.


Montreal Alouettes general manager Jim Popp announced on Tuesday the CFL club hired Dan Hawkins to replace Marc Trestman who was named the Chicago Bears (NFL) head coach last month. Hawkins, 52, comes to Montreal with no previous Canadian football coaching experience.
Hawkins introduction in Montreal included an attempt at the French language and his obvious excitement for his first pro head-coaching job.
"You look at when you were a kid out in the yard playing football and you started making up these other rules that made the game more fun and more exciting, you've got a lot of that in the CFL," he said. "I mean, everybody's in motion.
Hawkins resume includes head coaching stops at Boise State (53-11) and Colorado (19-39) aswell as two seasons as a college football analyst for ESPN.
Mike Miller, who served last season as the Arizona Cardinals' offensive co-ordinator, joins Hawkins' staff as the assistant head coach, offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach.
"Our goal is to take it from Day 1 and go," said Miller, who interviewed for Montreal's head job. "I think you guys know in professional football there's really no grace period.
Hawkins' staff will be rounded out with Noel Thorpe (defensive co-ordinator), Ray Rychleski (special-teams co-ordinator), Doug Berry (senior advisor to head coach), Jean-Marc Edme (defensive assistant, football operations assistant), Frank Verducci (offensive line coach), Mark Speckman (running backs coach), Erik Campbell (receivers coach), Keith Willis (defensive line coach), Mark Nelson (linebackers coach) and Ryan Dinwiddie (offensive quality control coach).


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Black Law Students Association Honors Judge U.W. Clemon '68 at Annual Paul Robeson Gala
Stories and News
Della Britton Baeza '78, Head of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Delivers Keynote Address
New York, March 19, 2015—Members of Columbia Law School's Black Law Students Association(BLSA) joined faculty, friends, and alumni on Feb. 26 at the Columbia University Club of New York to celebrate the legacy of Paul Robeson '23, a gifted lawyer, actor, and singer who became a civil rights advocate and global icon of human dignity.
Paul Robeson '23, from his Law School class portrait.
BLSA presented the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award to Judge U.W. Clemon '68, an eminent civil rights attorney and Alabama's first black federal judge, while Della Britton Baeza '78, head of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, delivered the keynote address. Gillian Lester, Dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, also addressed the gathering.
"My Mississippi ancestors would say I'm in high cotton here!" said Clemon, after an introduction from Robeson Gala Co-Chair Lauren McGlockton '16. "This is one of the most meaningful recognitions I have received. The influence of Paul Robeson has been so profound in my life that sitting over my desk is a portrait of him."
Clemon recalled choosing Columbia Law School—the only law school he applied to—because of the work of alumni like Constance Baker Motley '46 and Jack Greenberg '48 in civil rights advocacy, including at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF).
Judge U.W. Clemon '68 accepted BLSA's 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award.
"But would Columbia choose me, a graduate of an unaccredited black school in some broken down building in Alabama?" he asked. "Well, thank God for affirmative action!"
Clemon recalled the culture shock of first moving to New York City and the wise mentorship of Professor Walter Gellhorn '31, a longtime faculty member and pioneer in administrative law with a long history advising LDF. Gellhorn not only introduced Clemon to Greenberg, then serving as LDF's director-counsel, but helped him land a part-time job with the organization. LDF later provided a stipend that helped Clemon establish his civil rights practice in Alabama.
In 1969, Clemon sued Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant to desegregate the University of Alabama football team. After serving in the Alabama State Senate, he was nominated to the federal bench in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter, and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. In nearly three decades on the federal bench, including seven years as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Clemon presided over hundreds of significant federal cases—including Lilly Ledbetter v. Goodyear, in which a jury determined after an influential ruling by Clemon that Ledbetter had been treated unfairly on account of her sex. The case was reversed on appeal, but Congress later passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Clemon retired from the bench in 2009 and continues to practice law.
Della Britton Baeza '78, head of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, delivered the gala's keynote address.
Della Britton Baeza '78, president and chief executive officer of the Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF), delivered the evening's keynote address after an introduction from BLSA member Kayasha Lyons '17, a recipient of a JRF scholarship.
"There's a lot of pride in this room tonight," Baeza said, noting the diverse accomplishments of BLSA alumni and recalling her time as a student alongside future Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. '76.
Looking back at her own career, Baeza offered some advice to black law students.
"Study really hard and work really hard to get hired at the very highest echelons," she said. "Seek to excel. Don't take shortcuts—your competition won't—but always remember where you came from."
BLSA leaders, including President Aurra Fellows '16, Vice President Matthew Mahoney '16, and Robeson Gala Co-Chair Deangeor Chin '16, talked about the organization's memorable year, which included winning six out of six possible awards in the Northeast Region Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, as well as the events and aftermath of last fall's grand jury non-indictments in the Ferguson and Staten Island cases.
President Aurra Fellows '16, right, and Vice President Matthew B. Mahoney '16
were among the BLSA leaders who spoke.
Dean Lester said today's BLSA students will continue to uphold Robeson's powerful legacy.
"The world needs your talent and your commitment," she said. "I look forward to the day when I see your names honored for your own pioneering civil rights achievements. Paul Robeson would be proud."
Previous alumni honorees at the Paul Robeson Gala include Holder, former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey '82, and New York City Counsel to the Mayor Maya Wiley '89. Keynote speakers have included former New York City mayor David N. Dinkins and Kristen Clarke '00, chief of the Civil Rights Bureau at the New York Attorney General's Office.
Attendees enjoyed an evening of camaraderie and fellowship.
View a slideshow with more photos from the 2015 Paul Robeson Gala.


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Wineries with stories immersed in an area's wine producing history are always interesting to tour. I was excited to include Beaulieu Vineyards on my recent visit to Napa Valley. I was most familiar with the point in time that André Tchelistcheff is brought in as winemaker. I enjoyed learning more about the very beginning of the story from Curtis Graham, my wine educator for the tasting.
Georges de Latour's wife, Fernande, named the land "beau lieu," or "beautiful place". The area was originally a four-acre ranch but Georges de Latour had dreams of making wines that would rival those made in his homeland of France. De Latour began selling wine to the Catholic Church, a strategic move that allowed Beaulieu Vineyard to remain in business during Prohibition. By the late thirties, he would bring in André Tchelistcheff, who would then go on to influence so many others in Napa Valley with his style of winemaking. The wines would become the benchmark for Rutherford Cabernet.
The story was told over a bit of a retrospective tasting in the Reserve Room which houses their Georges de Latour Private Reserve & Library Collection. If you are looking for an older vintage to purchase to celebrate a special year, you may find it here.
2010 BV Reserve Tapestry (SRP $65)- rich, aromatic with rose, blackberry jam and chocolate cherries, smooth finish.
2010 BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $135)- aromatic elegance combined with a powerful structure showcasing its cooler than usual growing season. Fresh ripe blackberry, black cherry, violets, coffee, baking spice. Smoother finish than above.
1994 BV Clone 6 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $190)- Big, smooth, blackberry cobbler and leather, a wine to demonstrate their long time interest in clonal research and the advantages seen in the wine.
1981 BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon- amazingly fresh and vibrant yet also complex and interesting; this final wine showcased the age worthiness of the wines produced.
A recommended stop when touring and tasting in Napa Valley. Public tastings and tour experiences range in price from $20-$75.