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World Migratory Bird Day 2013 highlights importance of ecological networks for migratory birds—need for greater international response
Bonn/Nairobi 10 May 2013 – The annual migration of an estimated 50 billion birds— around 19 per cent of the world's 10,000 bird species—is one of the world's great natural wonders, yet the critical staging areas migratory birds need to complete these journeys are being degraded or are disappearing completely.
These increasingly vulnerable sites, which act as stepping stones on migration routes, serve as a place for the birds to rest, feed and breed during their annual migration cycles. As a result of the degradation, some species may be extinct within a decade, while others are facing population losses of up to nine per cent each year.
Celebrated in over 65 countries on 11-12 May, World Migratory Bird Day 2013 will highlight the importance of ecological networks for the survival of migratory birds, the important human networks dedicated to their conservation, the threats migratory birds face, and the need for more international cooperation to conserve them.
Events to mark World Migratory Bird Day will include bird festivals, education programmes, presentations, film screenings and birdwatching trips.
"I fully support the global campaign to raise awareness about the threats to migratory birds from habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution and climate change," said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "I call for greater international efforts to restore and preserve migratory birds and the network of sites they need to survive as an important part of the environment on which we all depend."
Launched in Kenya in 2006, World Migratory Bird Day is organized by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)—two intergovernmental wildlife treaties administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Many migrating birds—such as Cranes, Storks, Shorebirds and Eagles—travel thousands of kilometers across flyways that span countries, continents and even the entire globe. Yet pressures resulting from a growing human population, rapid urbanization, pollution, climate change and unsustainable use of natural areas are causing the loss, fragmentation and degradation of natural habitats along the birds' migration routes and threatening their survival.
Similar to a human transport system of harbors, airports and roads, migratory birds depend on these international networks of natural sites for food, safety, breeding and moulting—as well as for stopover areas which act as refueling stations between breeding and non-breeding areas.
Stopover sites of international importance for migratory waterbirds include the Wadden Sea, shared by Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark; Banc d'Arguin on the west coast of Mauritania; Bahia de Santa Maria in Mexico and the Saemangeum tidal flat in the Yellow Sea in South Korea .
Migratory waterbird species that depend on a network of intertidal habitats along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) are showing rapid decline and are amongst the world's most-threatened migratory birds. The decline is mainly caused by the fast pace of coastal land reclamation occurring in this densely populated region, particularly around key coastal staging areas in the Yellow Sea.
According to a 2011 report commissioned by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the rates of decline in the region are among the highest of any ecological system in the world. At least 24 waterbird species using the flyway are heading towards extinction and many others are facing losses of five to nine per cent per year. According to the IUCN report, species such as the Spoon-billed Sandpiper could become extinct within a decade.
"Migratory birds and the challenges they face in many ways underline the ambition of multilateralism in a globalized world—it is only when countries work together in common cause that the survival and conservation of these species be ensured," said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
"There are many reasons why migratory birds should be conserved—their beauty and behavior are a source of joy and inspiration for millions upon millions of people," he added. "But they also are part of the web of life that underpins nature's multi-trillion-dollar ecosystem services, while being in some countries, including Kenya , part of the nature-based tourism that generates 10 per cent of the nation's GDP."
This year, World Migratory Bird Day events will be celebrated in countries which share the African-Eurasian Flyways. In Kenya, for instance, a regional event will take place on the shores of Lake Elementaita—part of the Kenya Lakes Systems, a network of sites that supports 11 globally threatened bird species.
The area also sustains 75 per cent of the near-threatened Lesser Flamingo, and Lake Elementaita is known to be one of the world's major breeding colonies of the Great White Pelican. The event is being hosted by the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) in cooperation with the UNEP/CMS and UNEP/AEWA Secretariats.
"The key message behind World Migratory Bird Day is that countries, dedicated organizations and people around the world need to work together to ensure that migratory birds can continue to travel, refuel and reach their destinations," said Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary of the CMS.
The global World Migratory Bird Day campaign is backed by a growing number of international partners, including: BirdLife International, Wetlands International, the Secretariat of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and UNEP.
In order to protect crucial staging grounds and thus conserve bird species, sophisticated systems such as the AEWA Critical Site Network (CSN) Tool are helping to summarize current knowledge about the network of sites used by migratory waterbirds in the African-Eurasian region.
The Report on the Site Network for Waterbirds in the AEWA Agreement Area, prepared by Wetlands International and BirdLife International using the CSN Tool information as a basis, revealed that less than half of the critical sites of AEWA waterbird populations had adequate protection.
"If maintained and continuously improved, this information can significantly help conservation efforts, but it is also revealing some disturbing gaps as the recent site network report has shown," said Marco Barbieri, Acting Executive Secretary of AEWA. "The bigger challenge, which has become obvious from the AEWA report, is that countries need to increase their efforts to fill the gaps in terms of adequate legal protection status and management of these sites."
Further quotes
"Very often migrant birds are under huge pressure at the exact points where they are most vulnerable. Birds battling to reach the sea-shore descend into a limitless line of nets. Tiny falcons funnel through forests to be trapped in their thousands. Exhausted shorebirds find that the mudflats where they once refueled are now a sea of concrete, or circle wearily because their roosting sites have vanished" - Dr. Marco Lambertini, Chief Executive, BirdLife International.
"What does concern them (the waterbirds of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway) is that the network of sites they have traditionally depended on for safety, food, breeding and moulting is changing rapidly and usually for the worse. Areas of inter-tidal coastal flats of East Asia have undergone a steep and continuing decline in recent decades, threatening the migration routes of migratory shorebirds" - Spike Millington, Chief Executive of East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) Secretariat.
"Migratory waterbirds are spectacular and engaging ambassadors of wetlands. They connect people across the globe and the concerns about their conservation have played an important role in the creation of our organization" - Ms Jane Madgwick, Chief Executive Officer, Wetlands International.
"One of the truths about climate change is that no one species or habitat is immune from its effects. Therefore, the effort to meet the climate challenge and the effort to protect bird migration are deeply intertwined. Altered timeframes for migration (as temperatures rise), changed flight patterns (due to changing ecosystems) and reduced bird populations (due to extreme weather and drought) all provide ample evidence that the changing climate is already affecting migratory birds" - Ms. Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"Migratory species are interesting because they highlight some of our own contradictions. We constantly aspire to move more freely around the world, yet we do exactly the opposite for migratory birds. We put hurdles on their journeys all the time. We make their travels more and more complicated. Nature actually dictates these movements of these species and we tend to forget that we are part of nature and should listen a little bit more to its rules" - Jean-Christophe Vié, Deputy Director, IUCN Global Species Programme and Director, SOS – Save Our Species.
Further statements marking World Migratory Bird Day 2013 can be found here: http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/statements/
Notes to editors
About World Migratory Bird Day
Launched in 2006, World Migratory Bird Day is a global initiative devoted to celebrating migratory birds and promoting their conservation worldwide. It is organized by the Secretariats of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) - two international wildlife treaties administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
For more information, please visit: www.worldmigratorybirdday.org
About the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale. Since the Convention's entry into force, its membership has grown steadily to include 118 (as of 1 January 2013) Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
CMS and its related Agreements on migratory birds bring together governments and other stakeholders to coordinate and further develop global flyways policy, to ensure that all flyways in the world benefit from some kind of coordination mechanism that promotes cooperation at ground level among the countries involved. This includes working towards establishing a viable network of sites which can be used by migratory birds, to both ensure their survival as well as make sure they will continue to be able to be a source of inspiration and fascination for people all over the world for generations to come. For more information, please visit: www.cms.int
About the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is an intergovernmental treaty developed under the auspices of CMS dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds that migrate along the African-Eurasian Flyway. The Agreement covers 255 species of birds ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle. The treaty covers 119 Range States from Europe, parts of Asia and Canada, the Middle East and Africa. Currently, 71 countries and the European Union (EU) have become a Contracting Party to AEWA (as of 1 June 2013). For more information, please visit: www.unep-aewa.org
World Migratory Bird Day 2013 Events Around the World
All registered World Migratory Bird Day events can be found on the WMBD website: http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org
Florian Keil, Information Officer, UNEP/ AEWA Secretariat, +49 (0) 228 8152411, Mobile : +49 0151 14701633, +254 0713085464, contact EP_AT worldmigratorybirdday EP_DOT or
Francisco Rilla, Information Officer, UNEP/CMS Secretariat, +49 (0) 228 8152460, frilla EP_AT cms EP_DOT int Veronika Lenarz, Public Information, UNEP/CMS Secretariat, +49 (0) 228 8152409, vlenarz EP_AT cms EP_DOT int
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Director of Communications and Spokesperson, +254 733 632 755, +41 795965737, nick EP_DOT nuttall EP_AT unep EP_DOT org UNEP Newsdesk, +254 725 939 620, unepnewsdesk EP_AT unep EP_DOT org


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This weekend, members of Girl Scout troop 259 attended the Maryland Women Heritage Center's World War II's Unsung Heroines Program. The event gathered female WWII veterans and women of that era to be recognized and honored for their contributions to the war effort abroad and at home.
The Girl Scouts served as color guard, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and met several servicewomen members, including a woman pilot. The girls told the group about their activities in Girl Scouting and their work to support the Cookies from the Heart program, which donates boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to military personnel, military families, veterans and other public servants as a gesture of thanks.
Categories: Awards, Gift of Caring

subset: commoncrawl


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This web page contains the full text of THE FAIR ELECTION ACT Republic Act No. 9006
Click here for full text of: RULES AND REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9006 OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "FAIR ELECTION ACT" FOR THE MAY 14, 2001 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS
A collection of Philippine laws, statutes and codes not included or cited in the main indices of the Chan Robles Virtual Law Library.
Philippines|Worldwide|The Business Page
Sec. 2. Declaration of Principles. - The State shall, during the election period, supervise or regulate the enjoyment or utilization of all franchises or permits for the operation of media of communication or information to guarantee or ensure equal opportunity for public service, including access to media time and space, and the equitable right to reply, for public information campaigns and fora among candidates and assure free, orderly, honest. peaceful and credible elections.
The State shall ensure that bona fide candidates for any public office shall be free from any form of harassment and discrimination.
Sec. 3. Lawful Election Propaganda. - Election propaganda whether on television, cable television, radio, newspapers or any other medium is hereby allowed for all registered political parties, national, regional, sectoral parties or organizations participating under the party-list elections and for all bona fide candidates seeking national and local elective positions subject to the limitation on authorized expenses of candidates and political parties, observance of truth in advertising and to the supervision and regulation by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).
For the purpose of this Act, lawful election propaganda shall include:
leaflets, cards, decals, stickers or other written or printed materials
the size of which does not exceed eight and one-half inches in width
fourteen inches in length;
3.2. Handwritten or printed letters urging voters to vote for or against any particular political party or candidate for public office;
3.3. Cloth, paper or cardboard posters whether framed, or posted, with an area not exceeding two (2) feet by three (3) feet, except that, at the site and on the occasion of a public meeting or rally, or in announcing the holding of said meeting or rally, streamers not exceeding three (3) feet by eight (8) feet in size, shall be allowed: Provided, That said streamers may be displayed five (5) days before the date of the meeting or rally and shall be removed within twenty-four (24) hours after said meeting or rally;
3.4. Paid advertisements in print or broadcast media: Provided, That the advertisements shall follow the requirements set forth in Section 4 of this Act; and
3.5. All other forms of election propaganda not prohibited by the Omnibus Election Code or this Act.
4.1. Any
newsletter, news weekly, gazette or magazine advertising, posters,
comic books, circulars, handbills, bumper stickers, streamers, simple
of candidates or any published or printed political matter and any
of election propaganda by television or radio for or against a
or group of candidates to any public office shall bear and be
by the reasonably legible or audible words "political advertisement
paid for," followed by the true and correct name and address of
candidate or party for whose benefit the election propaganda was
or aired.
4.2. If the broadcast is given free of charge by the radio or television station, it shall be identified by the words "airtime for this broadcast was provided free of charge by" followed by the true and correct name and address of the broadcast entity.
4.3. Print, broadcast or outdoor advertisements donated to the candidate or political party shall not be printed, published, broadcast or exhibited without the written acceptance by the said candidate or political party. Such written acceptance shall be attached to the advertising contract and shall be submitted to the COMELEC as provided in Subsection 6.3 hereof.
5.1. Election
surveys refer to the measurement of opinions and perceptions of the
as regards a candidate's popularity, qualifications, platforms or a
of public discussion in relation to the election, including voters'
for candidates or publicly discussed issues during the campaign period
(hereafter referred to as "Survey").
the election period, any person, natural as well as juridical,
or organization who publishes a survey must likewise publish the
(a) The
of the person, candidate, party or organization who commissioned or
for the survey;
(b) The name of the person, polling firm or survey organization who conducted the survey;
(c) The period during which the survey was conducted, the methodology used, including the number of individual respondents and the areas from which they were selected, and the specific questions asked;
(d) The margin of error of the survey;
(e) For each question for which the margin of error is greater than that reported under paragraph (d), the margin of error for that question; and
(f) A mailing address and telephone number, indicating it as an address or telephone number at which the sponsor can be contacted to obtain a written report regarding the survey in accordance with Subsection 5.3.
5.3. The
together with raw data gathered to support its conclusions shall be
for inspection, copying and verification by the COMELEC or by a
political party or a bona fide candidate, or by any COMELEC-accredited
citizen's arm. A reasonable fee sufficient to cover the costs of
copying and verification may be charged.
5.4. Surveys
affecting national candidates shall not be published fifteen (15) days
before an election and surveys affecting local candidates shall not be
published seven (7) days before an election.
5.5. Exit polls may only be taken subject to the following requirements:
shall not conduct their surveys within fifty (50) meters from the
place, whether said survey is taken in a home, dwelling place and other
(b) Pollsters shall wear distinctive clothing;
(c) Pollsters shall inform the voters that they may refuse to answer; and
(d) The result of the exit polls may be announced after the closing of the polls on election day, and must clearly identify the total number of respondents, and the places where they were taken. Said announcement shall state that the same is unofficial and does not represent a trend.
6.1. Print
advertisements shall not exceed one-fourth (1/4) page in broadsheet and
one-half (1/2) page in tabloids thrice a week per newspaper, magazine
other publications, during the campaign period.
6.2. (a) Each bona fide candidate or registered political party for a nationally elective office shall be entitled to not more than one hundred twenty (120) minutes of television advertisement and one hundred eighty (180) minutes of radio advertisement whether by purchase or donation.
(b) Each bona fide candidate or registered political party for a locally elective office shall be entitled to not more than sixty (60) minutes of television advertisement and ninety (90) minutes of radio advertisement whether by purchase or donation.
For this
the COMELEC shall require any broadcast station or entity to submit to
the COMELEC a copy of its broadcast logs and certificates of
for the review and verification of the frequency, date, time and
of advertisements broadcast for any candidate or political party.
6.3. All mass media entities shall furnish the COMELEC with a copy of all contracts for advertising, promoting or opposing any political party or the candidacy of any person for public office within five (5) days after its signing. In every case, it shall be signed by the donor, the candidate concerned or by the duly authorized representative of the political party.
6.4. No franchise or permit to operate a radio or television station shall be granted or issued, suspended or cancelled during the election period.
In all instances, the COMELEC shall supervise the use and employment of press, radio and television facilities insofar as the placement of political advertisements is concerned to ensure that candidates are given equal opportunities under equal circumstances to make known their qualifications and their stand on public issues within the limits set forth in the Omnibus Election Code and Republic Act No. 7l66 on election spending.
The COMELEC shall ensure that radio or television or cable television broadcasting entities shall not allow the scheduling of any program or permit any sponsor to manifestly favor or oppose any candidate or political party by unduly or repeatedly referring to or including said candidate and/or political party in such program respecting, however, in all instances the right of said broadcast entities to air accounts of significant news or news worthy events and views on matters of public interest.
6.5. All members of media, television, radio or print, shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis.
They shall recognize the duty to air the other side and the duty to correct substantive errors promptly.
6.6. Any mass media columnist, commentator, announcer, reporter, on-air correspondent or personality who is a candidate for any elective public office or is a campaign volunteer for or employed or retained in any capacity by any candidate or political party shall be deemed resigned, if so required by their employer, or shall take a leave of absence from his/her work as such during the campaign period: Provided, That any media practitioner who is an official of a political party or a member of the campaign staff of a candidate or political party shall not use his/her time or space to favor any candidate or political party.
6.7. No movie, cinematograph or documentary portraying the life or biography of a candidate shall be publicly exhibited in a theater, television station or any public forum during the campaign period.
6.8. No movie, cinematograph or documentary portrayed by an actor or media personality who is himself a candidate shall likewise be publicly exhibited in a theater or any public forum during the campaign period.
7.1. Pursuant
to Section s 90 and 92 of the Omnibus
Election Code (Batas Pambansa Blg. 881), the COMELEC shall procure
the print space upon payment of just compensation from at least three
national newspapers of general circulation wherein candidates for
office can announce their candidacies. Such space shall be allocated
of charge equally and impartially among all the candidates for national
office on three (3) different calendar days: the first day within the
week of the campaign period; the second day within the fifth week of
campaign period; and the third day within the tenth week of the
7.2. The COMELEC shall also procure free airtime from at least three (3) national television networks and three (3) national radio networks, which shall also be allocated free of charge equally and impartially among all candidates for national office. Such free time shall be allocated on three (3) different calendar days: the first day within the first week of the campaign period; the second day within the fifth week of the campaign period; and the third day within the tenth week of the campaign period.
7.3. The COMELEC may require national television and radio networks to sponsor at least three (3) national debates among presidential candidates and at least one (1) national debate among vice presidential candidates. The debates among presidential candidates shall be scheduled on three (3) different calendar days: the first debate shall be scheduled within the first and second week of the campaign period; the second debate within the fifth and six week of the campaign period; and the third debate shall be scheduled within the tenth and eleventh week of the campaign period.
The sponsoring television or radio network may sell airtime for commercials and advertisements to interested advertisers and sponsors. The COMELEC shall promulgate rules and regulations for the holding of such debates.
Sec. 9. Posting of Campaign Materials. - The COMELEC may authorize political parties and party-list groups to erect common poster areas for their candidates in not more than ten (10) public places such as plazas, markets, barangay centers and the like, wherein candidates can post display or exhibit election propaganda: Provided, That the size of the poster areas shall not exceed twelve (12) by sixteen 16) feet or its equivalent.
Independent candidates with no political parties may likewise be authorized to erect common poster areas in not more than ten (10) public places, the size of which shall not exceed four (4) by six (6) feet or its equivalent.
Candidates may post any lawful propaganda material in private places with the consent of the owner thereof, and in public places or property which shall be allocated equitably and impartially among the candidates.
Sec. 10. Right to Reply. - All registered parties and bona fide candidates shall have the right to reply to charges published against them. The reply shall be given publicity by the newspaper, television and/or radio station which first printed or aired the charges with the same prominence or in the same page or section or in the same time slot as the first statement.
Sec. 11. Rates for Political Propaganda. - During the election period, media outlets shall charge registered political parties and bona fide candidates a discounted rate of thirty percent (30%) for television, twenty percent (20%) for radio and ten percent (10%) for print over the average rates charged during the first three quarters of the calendar year preceding the elections.
Sec. 12. Substitution of Candidates. - In case of valid substitutions after the official ballots have been printed, the votes cast for the substituted candidates shall be considered as stray votes but shall not invalidate the whole ballot. For this purpose, the official ballots shall provide spaces where the voters may write the name of the substitute candidates if they are voting for the latter: Provided, however, That if the substitute candidate is of the same family name, this provision shall not apply.
Sec. 13. Authority of the COMELEC to promulgate Rules; Election Offenses. - The COMELEC shall promulgate and furnish all political parties and candidates and the mass media entities the rules and regulations for the implementation of this Act, consistent with the criteria established in Article IX-C, Section 4 of the Constitution and Section 86 of the Omnibus Election Code (Batas Pambansa Blg. 881).
Rules and regulations promulgated by the COMELEC under and by authority of this Section shall take effect on the seventh day after their publication in at least two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation. Prior to the effectivity of said rules and regulations, no political advertisement or propaganda for or against any candidate or political party shall be published or broadcast through mass media.
Violation of this Act and the rules and regulations of the COMELEC issued to implement this Act shall be an election offense punishable under the first and second paragraphs of Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code (Batas Pambansa Blg. 881).
Sec. 14. Repealing Clause. - Section s 67 and 85 of the Omnibus Election Code (Batas Pambansa Blg. 881) and Section s 10 and 11 of Republic Act No. 6646 are hereby repealed. As a consequence, the first provision of the third paragraph of Section 11 of Republic Act No. 8436 is rendered ineffective. All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations, or any part thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified or amended accordingly.
Sec. 15. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and effect.


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Director, Center for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Jeffrey D. Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 100 countries. He is the co-recipient of the 2015 Blue Planet Prize, the leading global prize for environmental leadership. He has twice been named among Time Magazine's 100 most influential world leaders. He was called by the New York Times, "probably the most important economist in the world," and by Time Magazine "the world's best known economist." A recent survey by The Economist Magazine ranked Professor Sachs as among the world's three most influential living economists of the past decade. Professor Sachs served as the Director of the Earth Institute from 2002 to 2016. He was appointed University Professor at Columbia University in 2016, and also serves as Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He is Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Sustainable Development Goals, and previously advised both UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria. Sachs is Director of both the Center for Sustainable Development, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Sachs is co-founder and Chief Strategist of Millennium Promise Alliance, and is director of the Millennium Villages Project. Sachs is also one of the Secretary-General's SDG Advocates, and a Commissioner of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Development. He has authored five books, including three New York Times bestsellers (*), in the past decade years: The End of Poverty (2005*), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008*), The Price of Civilization (2011*), To Move the World: JFK's Quest for Peace (2013) and The Age of Sustainable Development (2015). Professor Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world's leading experts on economic development, global macroeconomics, and the fight against poverty. His work on ending poverty, overcoming macroeconomic instability, promoting economic growth, fighting hunger and disease, and promoting sustainable environmental practices, has taken him to more than 125 countries with more than 90 percent of the world's population. For more than thirty years he has advised dozens of heads of state and governments on economic strategy, in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He was among the outside advisors to Pope John Paul II on the encyclical Centesimus Annus and in recent years has worked closely with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on the issues of sustainable development. Sachs is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Blue Planet Prize, membership in the United States Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Harvard Society of Fellows, and the Fellows of the World Econometric Society. His conversation with Tyler Cowen won the Quartz Podcast Award for best business/economics podcast of 2015. He has received more than 20 honorary degrees, and many awards and honors around the world. Professor Sachs is also a frequent contributor to major publications such as the Financial Times of London, the International Herald Tribune, Scientific American, and Time magazine. Prior to joining Columbia, Sachs spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, most recently as the Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Sachs received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard.
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Poll: Amid strikes across the U.S., Americans back teacher raises
Americans overwhelmingly believe teachers don't make enough money, and half say they'd support paying higher taxes to give educators a raise.
The findings of the new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research come amid recent teacher strikes and other protests over low pay, tough classroom conditions and the amount of money allocated to public schools in several Republican-led states.
Tens of thousands of Arizona teachers voted last week to strike after rejecting an offer of a 20-percent raise, because it didn't include a vow from state lawmakers not to further cut taxes before providing more money for the state's schools.
"To educate children and barely get a living is obnoxious," said Elaine Penman, a company manager in Tucson who added she and others went outside to cheer on protesting teachers who were marching by.
She's among the 50 percent of Americas who say they'd pay a higher tax bill if it meant more money for teachers.
"I'm a parent and I benefit directly from what teachers do," said Penman, who has two children in traditional public schools and one in a charter school.
Dropping teacher salaries
In 2016-2017, the average salary for a public school teacher was $58,950, down slightly from the previous year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Overall, 78 percent of Americans said that's not enough. Just 15 percent think teachers are paid the right amount, while 6 percent think they're paid too much. In a 2010 AP-Stanford poll, 57 percent of Americans said they thought teachers are paid too little.
Americans in states with the lowest average teacher salaries — less than $50,000 a year — were slightly more likely to think teachers were paid too little and that the national average should be an important factor in determining salaries.
The AP-NORC poll found that parents and those without children are about equally likely to think teachers are paid too little. It's a sentiment that crosses party lines, too. Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats, 78 percent of independents and 66 percent of Republicans think teacher salaries are too low.
Slightly more than half of Americans — 52 percent — also approve of teachers leaving the classroom to strike in their search for higher pay, while 25 percent disapprove. Among those who say they've heard about the recent teacher protests, 80 percent say they approve of such tactics.
MORE: Here are the Arizona schools closing when teachers walk out on Thursday
The recent run of teacher protests began in March in West Virginia, where teachers won a raise after going on strike. The strategy soon spread to Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado and Arizona, where educators joined together online and have held increasingly frequent protests during the past six weeks.
The poll found that 51 percent of Americans have been paying at least some attention to the protests. People living in states with the lowest teacher salaries were more likely to have heard about the protests than those in states with the highest teacher pay.
Who is responsible?
Americans believe state and local governments share responsibility with teachers and their unions for the disruptions caused by the strikes. Vernita Grimes, 68, of the District of Columbia, said teachers aren't making enough money for the work they do and she supports them having the right to strike, "even though I know kids are losing valuable teaching time."
But Caitlyn Scott, 27, of Kent, Ohio, said teachers are earning "about what they should," and she opposes strikes by teachers.
"I think they kind of committed to being there for the entire school year," she said.
Half of Americans would be willing to shoulder the cost of paying teachers more and providing more money to schools via higher taxes, with only 26 percent opposed. But while 69 percent of Democrats say yes to higher taxes for schools, only 38 percent of Republicans and 30 percent of independents say the same.
People living in urban areas are more likely than those in rural areas to support such a tax increase, 57 percent to 40 percent.
Stephen White, a high school teacher in Marysville, California, said raising taxes is "probably the only way" to pay for teacher raises. "Look at states that cut taxes and some districts had to go to four-day school weeks."
That had happened in Oklahoma, where teachers staged a nine-day walkout earlier this month to protest the level of classroom funding.
White said he used to be anti-union when he worked in the private sector, but changed his position when he became a teacher. He said salaries don't take into account all that teachers do, especially outside the normal school day.
"The private sector makes double what we do," he said. He acknowledged that strikes are disruptive. "We don't like that, but sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures."
The AP-NORC poll of 1,140 adults was conducted April 11-16 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
Here are the Arizona schools closing when teachers walk out on Thursday
Southwest Airlines: Monday flight cancellations up to 128 in Phoenix, Chicago and more
Arizona Republic's Clay Thompson delighted readers with daily Q&A, irreverent humor


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Dir/scr: Camilo Tavares. Brazil. 2012. 77mins
A fascinating delve into American governmental and CIA plans to disrupt the democratic leaders of Brazil, which eventually would lead lead to the 1964 coup d'état, The Day That Lasted 21 Years (O Dia Que Durou 21 Anos) offers a gripping insight into political machinations.
Fleshed out with archival footage and interviews with historians, politicians and academics the film details in chronological order of events.
While modest in shape and structure, Camilo Taveres' absorbing film has the elements of a spy novel as it details how American government paranoia about socialist politics in the South American region – sparked by Cuba and propelled by Brazilian elected president João Goulart's links with China and left-wing stance – led to active plans to destructure Brazil.
Originated by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson the plans to overthrow the Brazilian government and support a military leader are fleshed out in original White House tapes and CIA Top Secret documents.
Fleshed out with archival footage and interviews with historians, politicians and academics the film details in chronological order of events. US involvement as based on advice from the American ambassador to Brazil at the time Lincoln Gordon as well as the military attaché Col. Vernon A Walters.
In fact Johnson authorised a US Navy fleet led by an aircraft carrier to support the coup against Goulart under the guise of a military exercise – which in the end was not needed – while at the same time the CIA covertly supported anti-communist groups, church and business contacts. The Brazilian military dictatorship controlled, tortured and imprisoned thousands of citizens from 1964 to 1985, one of the longest dictatorships in Latin America.
The film, which had its world premiere at the Rio Film Festival, should be attractive to broadcasters – especially those with political and historical strands – and should also appeal to other film festivals. Limited theatrical in Brazil should also be a possibility.
Production company/sales: Pequi Filmes, www.pequifilmes.com.br
Producer: Karla Ladeia
Cinematography: Márcio Menezes, André Macedo, Cleumo Segond, Luiz Miyasaka
Editors: César Tuma, Verônica Saenz
Music: Dino Vicente
With: Flavio Tavares, Peter Kornbluth, Carlos Fico, Jarbas Passarinho, Newton Cruz


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Managing Selections
When users tap a row of a table view, usually something happens as a result. Another table view could slide into place, the row could display a checkmark, or some other action could be performed. The following sections describe how to respond to selections and how to make selections programmatically.
Selections in Table Views
There are a few human-interface guidelines to keep in mind when dealing with cell selection in table views:
You should never use selection to indicate state. Instead, use check marks and accessory views for showing state.
When the user selects a cell, you should respond by deselecting the previously selected cell (by calling the
deselectRowAtIndexPath:animated:method) as well as by performing any appropriate action, such as displaying a detail view.
If you respond to the the selection of a cell by pushing a new view controller onto the navigation controller's stack, you should deselect the cell (with animation) when the view controller is popped off the stack.
You can control whether rows are selectable when the table view is in editing mode by setting the
allowsSelectionDuringEditing property of
UITableView. In addition, beginning with iOS 3.0, you can control whether cells are selectable when editing mode is not in effect by setting the
allowsSelection property.
Responding to Selections
Users tap a row in a table view either to signal to the application that they want to know more about what that row signifies or to select what the row represents. In response to the user tapping a row, an application could do any of the following:
Show the next level in a data-model hierarchy.
Show a detail view of an item (that is, a leaf node of the data-model hierarchy).
Show a checkmark in the row to indicate that the represented item is selected.
If the touch occurred in a control embedded in the row, it could respond to the action message sent by the control.
To handle most selections of rows, the table view's delegate must implement the
tableView:didSelectRowAtIndexPath: method. In sample method implementation shown in Listing 6-1, the delegate first deselects the selected row. Then it allocates and initializes an instance of the next table-view controller in the sequence. It sets the data this view controller needs to populate its table view and then pushes this object onto the stack maintained by the application's
UINavigationController object.
Listing 6-1 Responding to a row selection
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath
[tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:indexPath animated:NO];
BATTrailsViewController *trailsController = [[BATTrailsViewController alloc] initWithStyle:UITableViewStylePlain];
trailsController.selectedRegion = [regions objectAtIndex:indexPath.row];
[[self navigationController] pushViewController:trailsController animated:YES];
If a row has a disclosure control—the white chevron over a blue circle—for an accessory view, clicking the control results in the delegate receiving a
tableView:accessoryButtonTappedForRowWithIndexPath: message (instead of
tableView:didSelectRowAtIndexPath:). The delegate responds to this message in the same general way as it does for other kinds of selections.
A row can also have a control object as its accessory view, such as a switch or a slider. This control object functions as it would in any other context: Manipulating the object in the proper way results in an action message being sent to a target object. Listing 6-2 illustrates a data source object that adds a
UISwitch object as a cell's accessory view and then responds to the action messages sent when the switch is "flipped."
Listing 6-2 Setting a switch object as an accessory view and responding to its action message
- (UITableViewCell *)tableView:(UITableView *)tv cellForRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
UITableViewCell *cell = [tv dequeueReusableCellWithIdentifier:@"CellWithSwitch"];
if (cell == nil) {
cell = [[UITableViewCell alloc] initWithStyle:UITableViewCellStyleDefault reuseIdentifier:@"CellWithSwitch"];
cell.selectionStyle = UITableViewCellSelectionStyleNone;
cell.textLabel.font = [UIFont systemFontOfSize:14];
UISwitch *switchObj = [[UISwitch alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(1.0, 1.0, 20.0, 20.0)];
switchObj.on = YES;
[switchObj addTarget:self action:@selector(toggleSoundEffects:) forControlEvents:(UIControlEventValueChanged | UIControlEventTouchDragInside)];
cell.accessoryView = switchObj;
cell.textLabel.text = @"Sound Effects";
return cell;
- (void)toggleSoundEffects:(id)sender {
[self.soundEffectsOn = [(UISwitch *)sender isOn];
[self reset];
You may also define controls as accessory views of table-view cells created in Interface Builder. Drag a control object (switch, slider, and so on) into a nib document window containing a table-view cell. Then, using the connection window, make the control the accessory view of the cell. Loading Table View Cells from a Storyboard describes the procedure for creating and configuring table-view cell objects in nib files.
Selection management is also important with selection lists. There are two kinds of selection lists:
Exclusive lists where only one row is permitted the checkmark
Inclusive lists where more than one row can have a checkmark
Listing 6-3 illustrates one approach to managing an exclusive selection list. It first deselects the currently selected row and returns if the same row is selected; otherwise it sets the checkmark accessory type on the newly selected row and removes the checkmark on the previously selected row
Listing 6-3 Managing a selection list—exclusive list
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)indexPath {
[tableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:indexPath animated:NO];
NSInteger catIndex = [taskCategories indexOfObject:self.currentCategory];
if (catIndex == indexPath.row) {
NSIndexPath *oldIndexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:catIndex inSection:0];
UITableViewCell *newCell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:indexPath];
if (newCell.accessoryType == UITableViewCellAccessoryNone) {
newCell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckmark;
self.currentCategory = [taskCategories objectAtIndex:indexPath.row];
UITableViewCell *oldCell = [tableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:oldIndexPath];
if (oldCell.accessoryType == UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckmark) {
oldCell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryNone;
Listing 6-4 illustrates how to manage a inclusive selection list. As the comments in this example indicate, when the delegate adds a checkmark to a row or removes one, it typically also sets or unsets any associated model-object attribute.
Listing 6-4 Managing a selection list—inclusive list
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)theTableView
didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)newIndexPath {
[theTableView deselectRowAtIndexPath:[theTableView indexPathForSelectedRow] animated:NO];
UITableViewCell *cell = [theTableView cellForRowAtIndexPath:newIndexPath];
if (cell.accessoryType == UITableViewCellAccessoryNone) {
cell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckmark;
// Reflect selection in data model
} else if (cell.accessoryType == UITableViewCellAccessoryCheckmark) {
cell.accessoryType = UITableViewCellAccessoryNone;
// Reflect deselection in data model
tableView:didSelectRowAtIndexPath: you should always deselect the currently selected row.
Programmatically Selecting and Scrolling
Occasionally the selection of a row originates within the application itself rather than from a tap in a table view. There could be an externally induced change in the data model. For example, the user adds a new person to an address book and then returns to the list of contacts; the application wants to scroll this list to the recently added person. For situations like these, you can use the
UITableView methods
selectRowAtIndexPath:animated:scrollPosition: and (if the row is already selected)
scrollToNearestSelectedRowAtScrollPosition:animated:. You may also call
scrollToRowAtIndexPath:atScrollPosition:animated: if you want to scroll to a specific row without selecting it.
The code in Listing 6-5 (somewhat whimsically) programmatically selects and scrolls to a row 20 rows away from the just-selected row using the
selectRowAtIndexPath:animated:scrollPosition: method.
Listing 6-5 Programmatically selecting a row
- (void)tableView:(UITableView *)tableView didSelectRowAtIndexPath:(NSIndexPath *)newIndexPath {
NSIndexPath *scrollIndexPath;
if (newIndexPath.row + 20 < [timeZoneNames count]) {
scrollIndexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:newIndexPath.row+20 inSection:newIndexPath.section];
} else {
scrollIndexPath = [NSIndexPath indexPathForRow:newIndexPath.row-20 inSection:newIndexPath.section];
[theTableView selectRowAtIndexPath:scrollIndexPath animated:YES
Copyright © 2013 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Updated: 2013-09-18


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Gardner Museum offers art, music and atmosphere at 'After Hours' events
Isabella Stewart Gardner loved bringing people together for parties, and the tradition continues today at Gardner After Hours. On an evening last month, 320 people socialized in the Gardner Museum's Venetian style courtyard garden, sipping art-inspired drinks.
"This is a treat," said Sarah Grosvenor, as she relaxed with her friend before heading to hear a dramatic reading. "We're very psyched. We're going to each event."
Part cocktail party and part entertainment, Gardner After Hours is a gathering that the art collector and patron would have appreciated.
"Isabella had a sparkling social life, and we have a sparking social situation going on at After Hours," said Jessie Schlosser Smith, director of program planning.
Started in 2007, halted during construction of the new wing and reinstated a year ago, Gardner After Hours appeals to all ages, but specifically to people in their 20s and 30s, Smith said. It often draws people to the museum for the first time.
"The mood is different," said Julia Brucker, manager of tours and visitor learning programs. "During the day, it can be more introspective. After hours, it's looser and informal. Everyone is here to have fun."
Organized around a theme, Gardner After Hours last month focused on the special exhibit, "Anders Zorn: A European Artist Seduces America," which runs through May 13. Visitors heard actor and Cohasset native John Kuntz bring the Swedish artist to life as he read from his memoirs. In the living room of the museum's new wing, people played the board game Halma, a popular Victorian game Zorn painted in one of his portraits. In the art studio, they tried their hand at etching while an iPod played background music and their wine glasses rested nearby.
Before the new wing opened in 2010, Gardner After Hours was limited in its activities. Now, there's plenty of space for people to lounge, get messy with paints and dine in Cafe G.
Jacqueline Aldred, 26, of Jamaica Plain, was visiting the museum for the first time with her boyfriend, Eliot Cohen, and a cousin, and enjoyed making an etching in the new art studio.
"We came because we thought it would be a fun way to mix and mingle," Aldred said. "We'll be back."
In the Dutch room, Brucker told the story of how Gardner came to collect art and build the museum to house it and her fourth floor apartment. On the opposite wall, two empty frames hung, awaiting the hoped-for return of the stolen canvasses.
"She used to stand on her balcony and watch people as they looked at the art," Brucker said. "She felt it was so valuable that she should share it with the public. She said she wanted to fire the imagination."
Smith said the program has been described as "the museum letting its hair down." Instead of a single hour-long talk, curators and performers hold 20 minute "conversations" multiple times during the evening.
"It's flexible and people can choose their own adventure," Smith said. "It's a perfect way to learn a little bit about many difference aspects of the museum."
Reading from Zorn's account of how Gardner came to be his patron after seeing his art at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, actor Kuntz said: "A woman dressed all in black pointed at me and said, 'I want to have that painting. May I buy it?"
That was the start of a close relationship, during which Gardner invited Zorn and his wife to spend a summer with her and her husband in their rented Venetian palace. A highlight of the Zorn exhibit is the portrait he painted that summer when Gardner stepped from her balcony to greet her party guests.
"When she emerged...it was grandly majestic. She had a charm in her voice that turned the rest of us into slaves," Kuntz read from Zorn's memoir.
In the new wing's living room, people lounged and chatted. In Boston for a gaming convention, four friends from New York City headed to the museum for the program and settled down to play the game Halma.
"It feels really alive here and it's amazing to feel a part of history," said Jarrett Sullivan.
Gardner After Hours returns Thursday with "Made by Hand," which will give visitors the opportunity to explore the furniture, leather lace and other works in the collection. The nasturtiums are on display, and visitors can plant and bring home their own. Other programs are "Bella Notte," May 16 and "Garden Party," June 20. Tickets are $5 college students, $12 seniors and $15 adults. For information, go to www.gardnermuseum.org. The museum is at 280 Fenway, Boston. 617-566-1401
READ MORE about this issue.


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NoteDecember 21, 2010 at 4:58 pm | Posted in Coming Up | 2 Comments
All comments for Charlotte Talks can now be posted directly on our website. Join the conversation here.
Thursday December 16, 2010 | 2010 News RoundupDecember 15, 2010 at 11:48 am | Posted in Coming Up | 5 Comments
The end of 2010 is fast approaching, and it's time to look back and take stock of all the important news that took place, and in some cases, is still taking place in the Charlotte region. We'll be joined by news gatherers from journalistic organizations around the city for a discussion of the stories that made headlines in 2010.
Taylor Batten – Editorial Page Editor, The Charlotte Observer
Steve Harrison – City Reporter, The Charlotte Observer
Lisa Miller – Reporter, WFAE
Erik Spanberg – Reporter, Charlotte Business Journal
Wednesday December 15, 2010 | Holiday Etiquette / "It's A Wonderful Life"December 14, 2010 at 3:26 pm | Posted in Coming Up | Leave a comment
Part One: Holiday Etiquette
The holiday season is in full swing, but it's not too late to share some advice on how to make this season less harrowing. We'll talk about gift-giving etiquette, how to help your child be a gracious gift giver and receiver, go-to recipes for your next holiday potluck, and much more.
Aimee Symington – Etiquette Expert
Jennifer Brule' – Chef and Food Journalist
Part Two: From the WVL Radio Theatre: It's a Wonderful Life
For many, an annual viewing of the film It's a Wonderful Life is a holiday tradition. This year, a creative adaptation of this story is onstage in Charlotte in the form of a radio play. Live From the WVL Radio Theatre: It's a Wonderful Life" is stage play about a radio performance of It's a Wonderful Life, and in this production, the audience will be on stage, too! We'll talk about the reason for that, and talk with the Charlotte native who adapted this version of a holiday classic.
Willie V.R. Repoley – Cast Member & Author of this adaptation of It's a Wonderful Life
Michael MacCauley – Actor and Cast Member
Rachelle Roberts – Actress and Cast Member
Maria Buchanan – Actress and Cast Member
- Live From the WVL Radio Theatre: It's A Wonderful Life plays Dec. 8 – 19th at the Booth Playhouse. Details.
Tuesday December 14, 2010 | South Carolina Secession StoryDecember 13, 2010 at 11:39 am | Posted in Coming Up | 6 Comments
Today's guest argues that a South Carolina document helped launch the civil war and continues to have unintended consequences for the Palmetto State. On December 20th, 1860 South Carolina's leaders ratified an article of secession. Dr. Eric Emerson calls the article of secession the most important document in South Carolina's history and that the state, and the nation, continue to feel the ripples from that moment in history. We'll talk with Dr. Emerson about the upcoming 150th commemoration of that historic event and what it means for South Carolina's citizens.
Dr. Eric Emerson – Director, South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History
Monday December 13, 2010 | North Carolina Economic ForecastDecember 8, 2010 at 1:12 pm | Posted in Coming Up | 6 Comments
President Obama has just come to an agreement with Republican leaders on a Bush-era tax cut extension that he says is necessary to aid the recovery of our economy. The deal includes extension of unemployment benefits as our jobless rate continues to be high. Despite record holiday spending in the last couple of weeks, many experts feel that the economy remains precarious. Frequent guest Dr. John Connaughton has released his latest economic forecast and he shares his thoughts on that forecast, and the economic year in review.
John Connaughton – Professor of Economics at UNC Charlotte
- UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast (released 12/7/2010)
- Charlotte Talks | Connaughton's last Economic Forecast (September 2010)
Tuesday December 7, 2010 | Religion in Public LifeDecember 6, 2010 at 1:23 pm | Posted in Coming Up | 23 Comments
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." American's have debated that phrase before the ink on the constitution's first amendment was dry. Today politicians compete for religious fervor and favor from constituents and the annual war between the meaning of Christmas is back. We look at the role of religion in public life in advance of a WFAE public conversation on the same topic.
Dr. Sean McCloud – Assoc. Professor, Religious Studies at UNC Charlotte
Shawn Murphy – Treasurer/Spokesperson, Charlotte Atheists and Agnostics
Rev. Philip Allen – President, Western NC Chapter, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
WFAE Public Conversation:
Religion in Public Life
We'll explore the intersection of religion and public life in the Charlotte area. Panel and audience discuss the role of religion in politics, the 'separation of church and state,' and more.
Date: Thursday Dec. 9th from 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Place: Mint Museum on Randolph Road
Monday December 6, 2010 | District Attorney Peter GilchristDecember 3, 2010 at 1:06 pm | Posted in Coming Up | 6 Comments
For the past 35 years residents of Mecklenburg County have relied on District Attorney Peter Gilchrest to prosecute its most dangerous criminals. Mr. Gilchrist is stepping down from his post in January but first he sits down with Charlotte Talks. He will look back at the fight against crime here, the advent of gangs, the rise in drug trafficking and the growth of a city in the eyes of someone who has seen the best, and the worst, the city has to offer. Join us for a conversation with longtime D.A. Peter Gilchrest.
Peter Gilchrist – Outgoing Mecklenburg County District Attorney
Friday December 3, 2010 | Next Generation Electric CarsDecember 2, 2010 at 7:26 pm | Posted in Coming Up | 6 Comments
Pictured: The Electric Tesla Roadster. Mike tests drive one: Listen here.
The next generation of electric vehicles is here with the plug-in hybrids Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster hitting showrooms for the coming year. More traditional hybrids have been available for years but they don't require the infrastructure plug-in hybrids would need to recharge for longer distance driving. We'll look at the latest electric cars and talk about how feasible it will be to provide infrastructure. We'll also test drive an Electric Tesla Roadster (pictured above.)
Mike Rowand – Director of Technology and Development, Duke Energy
Stephanie Cox – Regional Manager, EV Project for ECOtality
Ron Cerven – Project Development Engineer, Li-ion Motors
Greg Efthimiou – Representative, Duke Energy
- Audio | Mike test-drives an Electric Tesla Roadster
- Duke Energy | FAQs about Plug-in Electric Vehicles
Thursday December 2, 2010 | Basketball in SegregationDecember 1, 2010 at 11:42 am | Posted in Coming Up | 6 Comments
The 1950's and '60's were a heyday for talented basketball players in our region but many of the most talented players were left off all-star teams and out of college gyms simply because they were black. The Charlotte Observer recently published a series of articles that honored some of the greatest players whose careers were influenced by the struggle for civil rights going on around them. Yet, the camaraderie of the players, both black and white, defined race relations behind the headlines, protests and marches. We look back at that time with a reporter on the story and with a man who lived it and has been called by some, the greatest basketball player in our region.
Peter St. Onge – Staff Reporter, Charlotte Observer
Harry Picket – Deputy Sports Editor, Charlotte Observer
Paul Grier – Former Basketball Player
Richard Vinroot – Former Mayor of Charlotte and basketball player
- Charlotte Observer Series: NC's Segregated Basketball Era
Mike with former Basketball player Paul Grier
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I'm making an exception to this blog's focus on Northwest earthquakes because I recently did an email discussion with Jay Feldman, who in 2005 wrote When the Mississippi Ran Backwards, a book about the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812, and the Anglo and Indian cultures impacted by the quakes. With the 200th anniversary of the first of the quakes upon us, I wanted to mark the occasion by posting the exchange. With no further ado, here it is:
What was the impetus for writing the book? Were you more interested in the New Madrid earthquakes, or in Chief Tecumseh, the Indian tribes, and the culture in which the quakes happened?
I was most interested in the social and political context in which the earthquakes took place. I was initially struck by the confluence of forces and events around the quakes and the historical threads they represented. What I found most compelling was that events of 200 years ago were infused with issues that still resonate today – expansion, conquest, violence, corruption, greed, race relations, environmental degradation.
It sounds like the mindset about earthquakes back then was primitive: no one had any real idea of what was happening, and so they grasped for any explanation that seemed to make sense. Are we, in the masses, much more sophisticated now? I think of the radiation scare after Japan's March 11 earthquake, when people in the U.S. didn't seem to grasp how diluted any radiation cloud would be by the time it crossed the Pacific.
Earthquakes were a known factor at that time, though, of course, not everybody knew about them. As far as the level of sophistication compared to today, even among the general population, I'd have to say we're much more informed. We may not know everything, but we certainly know more than most people did in the early 19th century.
Do you think that many people who live around, say Memphis or St. Louis or Little Rock, know about the earthquakes that happened 200 years ago, and are aware of the risk of another large quake? For example, do locals know where the sand blows in Arkansas and Missouri came from?
Many people in the area know about both the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes and the likelihood of future quakes, especially after Iben Browning's prediction that another NM earthquake would strike on Dec. 3, 1990. Locals who know about the sand blows also know of their origin.
Your account of the New Orleans steamboat's journey through the post-quake destruction along the Mississippi has the feel of reportage, almost like soldiers walking through Hiroshima or Nagasaki in August 1945. How did you find out about that journey and go about describing it?
I started with a book called "Mr. Roosevelt's Steamboat," by Mary Ellen Dohan, which was somewhat helpful, especially in pointing me toward other sources. One of the most valuable of those was J. H. B. Latrobe's "The First Steamboat Voyage on the Western Waters," a short but detailed 1871 account. I also managed to get ahold of a reproduction copy of Zadok Cramer's "The Navigator," which was an indispensable contemporary guidebook to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It was the volume that everybody who was planning a trip bought before embarking.
The book describes many dramas surrounding the New Madrid quakes-the slave murder by two of Jefferson's nephews, the war of 1812, Tecumseh predicting an impending disaster-as well as the terrors associated with the quakes themselves. What do you think was the most memorable and/or important story that emerged from the quakes?
I think they're all memorable and significant in their own way, but to me, the most profound story in the book is Tecumseh's because it is emblematic of the whole struggle of Native Americans for survival. I think Tecumseh is one of the great leaders in American history, and I believe his story should be taught in history classes right along with those of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Finally, how much of an impact did the New Madrid earthquakes have on the history of the U.S.?
Directly, not a great deal. But indirectly, it affected the course of the War of 1812 and arguably hastened the end of Native American resistance in the Southeast.


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Just Fire Chevy Chase
I have no trouble picking a side in the feud between Dan Harmon and Chevy Chase. (Team Harmon, in case that wasn't immediately clear.) But inevitably, it doesn't matter: Chase did some things, Harmon said some things, Chase said some things back. Maybe they're both at fault, in which case I should probably be writing a more measured analysis of their beef.
But this isn't about the fight itself — it's about the solution. Fire Chevy Chase. Bam. Done. Yeah, OK, it's surely not as simple as that, what with contracts and the like, but the sooner Community ditches Chase, the better. His character is an unnecessary addition to the show, and his attitude is dragging everyone else down. I'm of the mind that actors' personal lives should have little to no bearing on their work, but Community's "one big, happy family" set is part of what has endeared it to fans. This is one of the few shows where news of behind-the-scenes drama is actually a big downer.
All that aside, the character of Pierce isn't exactly a fan favorite, and you get the sense that Chase understands that. There was a time when it was fun to watch his bumbling, racist antics, but at this point, the audience is far more invested in everyone-but-Pierce than they are in Chase's character. When he stormed out of the study group at the end of Season 2, I'm sure I wasn't alone in hoping he'd never be seen again. And in an interview with Huffington Post's Maggie Furlong, Chase even admitted how little his departure would matter.
[Last season], no one had any idea whether I would or wouldn't come back, but who in God's name in this country would care?
It's become more and more clear that Pierce is an inessential part of the group dynamic. And while it's important to distinguish the actor from the character, Chase's "What the fuck am I doing here?" attitude mimics Pierce's. They're both dead weight — and while Pierce the character might come around and discover his worth, I don't have the same hope for the actor who plays him. After all, Chase hates Community's heartwarming endings.
In the same Huffington Post interview, he compared the happy sitcom conclusion to being "relegated to hell."
I have creative issues with this show. I always have. With my character, with how far you can take [Joel McHale's] character ... just to give him a long speech about the world at the end of every episode is so reminiscent. It's like being relegated to hell and watching "Howdy Doody" for the rest of your life. It's not particularly necessary, but that's the way they do these things. I think it belies the very pretenses that his character, Jeff, has, that he's giving these talks. They're supposed to, in some way, be a little lesson to people who watch sitcoms ... to that degree, I can't stand sitcoms.
Here's a lesson: don't shit on your show in interviews. It's tacky, it's rude, and it makes those of us who don't see a reason for you to be there all the more eager to see you fired. I don't particularly care whether or not an actor likes the show he's on — I'm sure many of us have been forced to take a job we weren't thrilled about to pay the rent. But there's something so smarmy about airing those grievances to the press. It almost feels like a dare to show creator Dan Harmon, and in effect, isn't that what Chase was doing when he walked out in the middle of a scene? The message is clear: write better, or write me off.
The writing on Community is unique — while the show isn't my favorite sitcom on television, it's certainly one of the most original. Dan Harmon has a specific vision, and that's worked well for fans and critics. There's no reason he should have to alter that to fit Chevy Chase's specifications. And if the actor's beef is with sitcoms as a whole, what is he doing on a sitcom? Season 3 isn't the right time to come forward and say, "Hey, I'm not a big fan of this genre or how we're doing things." Maybe bring that up to your agent when he offers you the pilot.
I don't hate Chevy Chase. I don't know Chevy Chase. I'm aware that he has a reputation for being difficult — something alluded to in this Deadline story — but I don't have any proof one way or the other. The bottom line is, whatever star power he once brought to Community is no longer necessary. This show (which, it should be noted, has seen a rise in ratings over the past weeks) is not going to sink or swim depending on Chase's involvement. If anything, ditching Pierce would tighten the cast dynamic — and create the kind of harmony we expect from a bunch of goofy nerds putting on a show.


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ORLANDO, Fla. – If you want the real lowdown on the Clippers' game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday – or better yet, the disaster that's become their longest trip of the season – all you had to do was look at their bench.
That is where Chauncey Billups was sitting next to Chris Paul … who was sitting next to Blake Griffin … who was sitting next to Jamal Crawford.
All injured.
All unavailable.
And all so frustrated.
As far as the game, it was watch at your own risk.
It had all the aura of a summer league game, the Clippers down to nine players and the equally short-handed Magic rolling out obscure players you wouldn't recognize even with a scorecard.
But they charge real NBA ticket prices for the dog games just as they do the marquee matchups, and every one of them counts in the standings just as much as the next, so play on they did.
Relatively speaking, of course.
After all, when was the last time you saw two NBA players miss easy dunks in the same game?
But if Griffin, Paul, Billups and Crawford can suffer through 48 minutes of bad basketball, we all can.
Besides, at least they could smile afterward. And it's been a while since that happened.
The nine healthy Clippers managed to string together enough points to escape Orlando with an 85-76 win. That's nothing to celebrate, but it did provide some much-needed relief to a frustrated bunch of Clippers nearing the boiling point after losing three in a row and seven of their past nine.
"It was huge," said Ryan Hollins, who had a season-high 13 points and eight rebounds in just over 24 minutes. "But it's only one game."
True, but after all the teeth-gritting the Clippers have done recently it was good to finally exhale a little bit.
"It's like when in you're shooting slump. You hit a couple of easy shots, maybe layups, just to get yourself going," Clippers forward Grant Hill said. "It's only one win, but it was important for us, collectively, to remember what that feels like."
They now move on to Miami to play the defending NBA champion Heat on Friday, hoping to find a little more good news once they hit South Beach.
Rather than the skeptical shrugs we've been getting regarding the return of Paul and Billups for more than a week or so, Wednesday provided a positive vibe that both might return against the Heat.
Griffin's status is less certain, his nagging left hamstring strain nothing to play around with and the club being as cautious as possible.
But he seemed in great spirits Wednesday and was moving around noticeably better, so there is hope.
Crawford hopes to play as well, even though playing through the shoulder injury he suffered against Toronto last Friday – not to mention a fractured nose on the same play – probably wasn't the best idea to begin with.
But with the Clippers as injured as they are, Crawford wasn't about to sit down the past three games. So he played through the pain.
"That was definitely in my head," Crawford said. "We had enough guys hurt."
Only he woke up Wednesday unable to lift a basketball above his head.
"It got worse, for sure," he said.
But on a night when the Clippers finally could breathe a sigh of relief, even Crawford seemed hopeful he'll be back sooner rather than later.
Call it the power of winning.


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Apple is seeking to stop Samsung Electronics selling the modified Galaxy Tab 10.1 that it released in Germany in an effort to dodge an earlier injunction obtained by Apple, a spokesman for the company said.
A district court in Düsseldorf blocked German sales of the original version of Samsung's 10-inch tablet in September, after Apple convinced the judge Samsung's product looked too much like the iPad.
[ Check out the tablet deathmatch: Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. iPad 2. | See all of InfoWorld's mobile deathmatch comparisons and personalize the tablet scores to your needs. | Compare the security and management capabilities of iOS, Windows Phone 7, Android, and more in InfoWorld's Mobile Management Deep Dive PDF report. ]
To circumvent that ruling, Samsung modified the appearance of the tablet to create the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, which Apple's latest motion is aimed at. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 22 in the Düsseldorf court.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1N has a new bezel and speakers on the front of the device, and Samsung is confident that the company can demonstrate to the court its distinctiveness compared to the iPad, a Samsung spokesman said via email.
Samsung will take all available measures, including legal action, to ensure its tablet device remains available to consumers in Germany, he said.
The filing in Germany comes as Apple registered a loss in its legal battle with Samsung in Australia. That country's Federal Court has decided to overturn the injunction that banned the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.
Samsung is so far the only maker of Android-based tablets that has managed to make a dent in the sales of Apple's iPad, although Amazon is expected to do the same with its Kindle Fire.
Samsung sold about 1.6 million Galaxy tablets during the third quarter this year, according to data from market research company Canalys. But Apple still dominates and sold over 11 million units in the same time period.


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Salafi Jihadists in Gaza 'Compared to Us, Hamas Is Islamism Lite'
Salafi extremist Abu Mustafa says more and more Hamas militants like these are defecting to his group.Foto: REUTERS
It's not easy to find a place to meet the man who goes by the name of Abu Mustafa. A number of places were agreed on and jettisoned. Finally, after hours of cruising around Gaza City with Abu Mustafa's driver, the call came. The meeting would take place on the beach. There are enough people on the beach that one doesn't attract so much attention, the caller explained. How absurd this notion was would soon become clear.
Most people don't stick out on the beaches of Gaza to the degree that Abu Mustafa does. He picks his way across the sand on crutches, his leg wrapped in a cast up to his thigh. The Pakistani clothes he wears are also foreign -- and the white shirt that hangs to his knees makes walking on crutches even more difficult. Finally he slumps in a plastic chair. "Peace be upon you," he says quietly, welcoming his guest.
Many people would like to speak with Abu Mustafa these days -- he guesses about 10 men call him each day. Abu Mustafa holds the key to an ideology that many are turning to in the Gaza Strip: Salafist jihadism, a belief in the most radical form of Islam. "We meet secretly in mosques and private homes," says Abu Mustafa, who has become an entry point to the movement for many. He says the Salafis now number up to 5,000 people, not counting the women and children.
'A Very Dangerous Man'
"We aren't well enough organized yet, but we are in the process of building networks," says the 33-year-old. Eventually, he hopes, a powerful movement will be born. Members are already receiving weapons training and are schooled in both dogma and strategy. "When the fight begins, they will show no mercy," said a middleman for the interview -- himself a fighter in an armed militia -- prior to the beach meeting. "Abu Mustafa is a very dangerous man."
Salafis -- sometimes referred to as Wahhabis -- dream of a world before Islam became cluttered with new innovations and cultural influences. They seek to live a pious, god-fearing life governed by the laws of religion, a life resembling those of the original Muslims. At first glance, such a belief system doesn't differ much from that of other utopian sects -- were it not for their ideas related to holy war. To make their vision a reality, Abu Mustafa and his men are willing to fight -- and they are willing to slaughter innocent bystanders.
"Look," says Abu Mustafa, whose beard cascades down his chest, "there will be three possibilities. Some will find their way to Islam. Those who don't want to convert will be able to live in peace under the authority of Islam." For those who don't want to accept the hegemony of Islam, however, holy war is the only recipe. "Then we have to fight -- just like our brothers on Sept. 11," Abu Mustafa says.
The attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. seven years ago were a response to the contempt held for Islam by the Western world, he says. "If Muslims are attacked anywhere in the world, one has to hit back, and it doesn't matter where." Salafist Islam is like a cat, he says. "It is very friendly, but if it is attacked, it turns into a tiger."
The True Islam
"We feel just like al-Qaida and we think as they do," Abu Mustafa says. He won't say if he has contact with Osama bin Laden's terror group, but calls it vaguely "a possibility." He also dodges the question of whether foreigners have joined the Salafist movement in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Mustafa is not fond of speaking with journalists. It is still risky for the group to come out of hiding, since Hamas -- the Palestinian Islamist group which controls the Gaza Strip -- views Salafis with suspicion. Both groups claim to represent true Islam, and both compete for the same followers. The fact that Abu Mustafa finally agreed to a meeting with SPIEGEL ONLINE comes out of gratitude, he says. "I owe the Germans a lot," he explains in his slow, careful German.
Abu Mustafa has a degree from the University of Saarbrücken in Germany's far west. For seven years, until 2000, he studied chemical engineering and led a largely normal student existence. He had periodic jobs with a moving company or in construction, and he occasionally cooked up Palestinian specialties for other students living in the dormitory. "I miss Germany," he says. He's even looked on Google Earth for the street where he used to live and the cafeteria where he used to eat.
He explains that he was largely accepted in Germany and found people there to be quite friendly. The only problems came about when he encountered scantily clad women or fellow students who spent much of their time in clubs and bars. He says such experiences rooted him even deeper in his beliefs. "It would be better for such people were they to follow the pure Islam," he says. "We are going to try and bring the faith to them."
The Salafi warns that Germany, by supporting Israel and participating in operations in Afghanistan, is a clear target for his fellow Islamists. He claims he himself would never move against his "second home," but he warns that "Germany should be afraid of being attacked."
Struggle for Global Influence
Salafis from the Gaza Strip first stepped into the global spotlight in March 2007, when jihadis from Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who was based in the Gaza Strip. The group is a small faction among Salafis. They held Johnston hostage for four months, threatening to kill him and showing images of him wearing a suicide belt. Abu Mustafa says it was a legitimate tactic in the struggle for Islam. "It was nothing personal. It was a message to the West that they should release imprisoned Muslims." For the moment, he adds reassuringly, foreign journalists are not in danger in the Gaza Strip.
Indeed, Abu Mustafa says, he and his comrades in arms realize they need to be patient. There's a long way to go before they can begin their struggle for global influence. First, they have to take care of an enemy closer to home: Hamas.
So far, Hamas has done what it can to keep the Salafis under control. They know the ultra-radicals are just waiting to take over Hamas' position of leadership. "They are traitors," Abu Mustafa says of Hamas. "Compared to us, they are Islamism lite."
Nevertheless, he's willing to be merciful. "We will give them the chance to turn away from the false path," he says. And what happens if they don't take up the offer? "Then there will be confrontation," Abu Mustafa promises, bringing his fists together. Still, he doesn't think it likely that the Salafis will have to take up arms against Hamas. "It won't be necessary. They will destroy themselves."
Power Struggle
His explanation is clear. "For many people in Gaza, Hamas embodied the promise of a good, Islamic lifestyle," Abu Mustafa says. But once the group seized power in the Gaza Strip over a year ago, many were disappointed. Of the 10 defectors who call him everyday, many of them are Hamas fighters, he claims. "These are tough men and they have insider knowledge. They will be very useful should it come to a power struggle."
The group's greatest sin, says Abu Mustafa, who is also the father of two children, is its effort to bring Islam and democracy together. "Hamas represents an American style of Islam. They have tried to curry favor." Which is not such a bad thing for Abu Mustafa and his Salafis. "Hamas is like a block of ice in the sun," he says. "Every minute they get smaller -- and we get larger."
Abu Mustafa's broken leg and the scars on his right hand are the result of an Israeli rocket attack. In January, he and a few of his comrades fired rockets across the border into Israel. Afterwards, as they were heading home, an Israeli missile hit them.
Four men were injured and one, as Abu Mustafa says, became a martyr. The fact that his leg still hurts six months later is something he bears with stoicism. "It is not important how one feels in this life, rather whether one enters paradise or hell after death," he says.
For his part, Abu Mustafa claims he is not afraid of death. He says he is not fighting for worldly things. And he hopes he will fall in the struggle for his beliefs.
"On the other hand," he says before pushing himself up and limping back to his car, "I would love to see my daughter wed. Maybe she will marry first, and then I will become a martyr."


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We're thrilled to announce this advance release of Norman Conquest's REAR WINDOWS: AN INSIDE LOOK AT FIFTY FILM NOIR CLASSICS—destined to become the bible of Film Noir studies
This special edition features digitally enhanced scenes from fifty Film Noir masterpieces as you've never seen them before. It's a must-have reference for thrill-seeking aficionados, students of cinema, and collectors of offbeat artists' books. Spanning the golden age of Noir (1941-1962), it includes over 50 rare photographic stills from memorable hard-boiled motion pictures, such as The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, Kiss Me Deadly, and many more. Includes an illuminating introduction by Robert Wexelblatt, Professor of Humanities, Boston University.
"…the most truthful book on Noir that's out there." —Tosh Berman, Tam Tam Books
"I've just been (re)reading Rancière on the mis-en-scene revolution in theatre at the end of C19th. Here Norman Conquest goes literally beyond the mis-en-scene and adds in a Wagnerian negation of the star system. Erase glamour! Bring forward the scene makers."—Stefan Szczelkun
"This is conceptual art at its finest. Ingenious in its simplicity, startling, absurd, and very funny." —Alec Burroughs
"Evocative… I like the various physical/psychological angles with which [Conquest] approaches the stills, each of which is elegantly if sometimes surprisingly effected." —Harold Jaffe
This is No. 27 in our acclaimed Absurdist Texts & Documents Series.
Perfect-bound paperback. 68 pp. $16.00
CLICK HERE to order online.


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Shocking video: Car strikes woman, sending her into air, while walking with man
Warning: These videos are graphic and may disturb viewers.
A car struck a woman, sending her into the air, while she was walking with a man who's romantically linked to the suspected hit-and-run driver, police in North Carolina said.
Police are looking for a woman who they say struck another woman with her car, and then posted a picture of herself and the damage to her car on social media.
"I've never seen her before," the victim, Christina Benson, told WWAY-TV. "But I'll never forget her face."
Wilmington police said on their Facebook page that warrants have been issued for 22-year-old Courtnay Danielle Lawrence on multiple charges, including assault with a deadly weapon. Police say Lawrence was identified based on tips they received.
According to police, a motorist intentionally struck a woman Wednesday. The victim was hit in the right hip, went airborne and landed on her left side. Authorities said the woman suffered multiple injuries to her head, shoulder, hips and knees.
Police said a male pedestrian seen in the video fled the scene.


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NEW YORK — Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are calling it quits after five years of marriage.
"This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family," Holmes's attorney Jonathan Wolfe said Friday. "Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest."
Cruise's lawyer Bert Fields said Holmes filed for divorce on Thursday.
Cruise, 49, wed the 33-year-old Holmes in 2006 in an Italian castle after publicly declaring his love on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," emphatically jumping on her couch.
The couple has a 6-year-old daughter, Suri, who has herself become a staple of the tabloids and celebrity magazines.
Their plan to divorce was first reported by People magazine.
"Kate has filed for divorce and Tom is deeply saddened and is concentrating on his three children," Cruise's representative, Amanda Lundberg, told The Associated Press. "Please allow them their privacy to work this out."
Cruise and Holmes had a whirlwind romance — the "Dawson's Creek" actress confessed she had a childhood crush on the "Top Gun" star — and were engaged at the Eiffel Tower. An elaborate wedding followed before a Church of Scientology minister.
"I can't be cool. I can't be laid-back," a starry-eyed Cruise said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." ''Something happened and I want to celebrate it."
But the couple's romance was instant fodder for the tabloids, who chattered about everything from the couple's fights and Suri's clothing to Holmes' conversion to Scientology.
Cruise, currently starring in "Rock of Ages," was previously married to Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman, with whom he has two children.


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"Beautiful Rebels" is an enchanting Ad Campaign capturing the Edun Spring/Summer 2012 collection. The campaign saturated in the fluttering charm of butterflies was photographed and directed by Ryan McGinley. The photographer known for his penchant for surprise in his artistic work was completely inspired by the unexpectedness of butterflies, their freedom to fly away and eloquence in existence. With those factors McGinley wanted to explore natural yet unpredictable behavior of butterflies towards the body. As he explains: "I was interested in how the body could reveal the butterfly. How it could fly out of the models' mouths, hands or pants in its unfurling glory" (source). That is also what we can observe on the video with six featured species from Africa flying around the pink hued hair of Charlotte Free or tattooed chest of Bradley Soileau in the rhythm of gospel tunes "If I Had A Little Love" by the Majestic Arrows". The video and pictures composes beautiful composition of the butterfly colors with the subliminal fashion theme presenting pieces from the Edun Spring/Summer 2012 collection.
Fashion Video HERE
Please note:
The text is copyrighted. Do not copy!
The images are the courtesy of Edun
Do not cope the images without the permission of Edun


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A little under 8 years ago, I took a cake decorating class. It was my first foray into domestication after my first child was born. I was determined that as the perfect mom I was sure to be, all of my kids' cakes would be extra special and decorated by me. Well, to do that, I needed to take a cake decorating class, of course!
Armed with just about every tip and tool and gadget you need to decorate a cake (because, you know… if you are going to pick up a hobby, you must own everything there is to own in association with it, right?) I went to my first class. The class was taught by a lady named Millie. Millie seemed 800 years old and had been decorating wedding cakes and party cakes professionally for 50 years. She was about as sweet as they come.
Cake decorating did not come easy for me. I even struggled with just getting the base frosting on the cake without getting crumbs in the frosting. Millie taught me well though, and I kept plugging through the class, bringing home cakes I wasn't totally embarrassed to show everyone. Then, the final two classes came about and we set out to learn how to make roses and flowers. Patiently, Millie helped me, guiding me with each stroke of my tip… and with each completed flower, I looked down and would see a head of cabbage. Not a rose, not a flower… a giant head of cabbage. For the life of me, I could NOT master creating frosting flowers. I tried, Millie tried with me, and it just wasn't happening. The things I were creating could barely even pass as a head of cabbage if I wanted to make some kind of produce related theme cake (and there is such a thing, if you were wondering)!
My cake decorating skills have not improved, at all. I can bake the cake, I can most certainly eat the cake, but I can not decorate the cake past slapping some frosting on and adding sprinkles. My kids don't seem to mind. Thank goodness I've raised them to have low expectations of their mom 😉
Jacob's 8th birthday was this past week and he asked for wedding cake cupcakes (aka the kind of cake we eat at weddings…white with white frosting). I gladly obliged, pulling out Millie's recipe which is the best I've had. It does use a boxed cake mix but trust me on this one… you will be hard pressed to find a white cake with a better flavor or crumb.
Oh – and the picture above of the wrecked cupcake? You can find the back story on that on my Flickr page!
Millie's White Wedding Cake
- 2 (18 ounce) boxes white cake mix (Betty Crocker or Pillsbury)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 2/3 cups water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons real vanilla
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 cups sour cream
- 8 large egg whites
Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until fully incorporated.
Pour into greased and floured cake pans or cupcake liners, filling each slightly over half full.
Lightly tap cake pans on counter to bring air bubbles to top.
Bake in preheated 325° F oven until cake tests done.
Baking time varies according to the size and depth of pans being used.
(For cupcakes, I bake at 325 for approximately 18 minutes… test with a toothpick to make sure though!)
I used this recipe on Recipezaar for the frosting – yum!


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Webinar: White House/Obama Administration Policies Supporting Comprehensive Strategies for Youth
Washington, DC
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Short Description:
In order for community partnerships to have a positive collective impact on young people's lives, federal policies need to support comprehensive, place-based interagency efforts. The Forum for Youth Investment, in partnership with the National Collaboration for Youth, American Institutes for Research, the Campaign for Youth, the Children's Leadership Council and the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions, hosted a webinar to learn about the White House and the Obama Administration's plans to support such comprehensive efforts for youth in general, and for disconnected youth in particular.
Audience Sector:
Age Group:
Standards :


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It was probably 1994 when my brother popped his head into my bedroom and said "Hey, you know that song by Nirvana? The he's the one who likes all our pretty songs and he likes to sing along… one?"
Me: "Um, yeah."
Brother, with a snarky smile: "Do you know what it means? Heh."
Me: "Yeah, it's about someone who sings along to a song and doesn't know what it's about."
Brother: "Oh…. Yeah." He was defeated in his attempt at a dig.
Little did he know that I'd been following his choices in music for a few years by then. He would voraciously read Spin and Rolling Stone and I in return would flip through his CD collection and make mental notes.
These days I still pay attention to what bands he's listening to. The difference is that we now openly share good music and he respects my taste in return.
So when he told me to check out Group Love, I did. And then when he told me I absolutely HAD to respond to their ad for people to be in a music video, I did.
That's how I found myself in a house in Dalston on the hottest day of the year hanging out with about 20 other extras and the band. I left with several impressions.
- Being an extra is really monotonous and only to be undertaken when paid or for a project you really believe in.
- People who have random Mondays off and choose to spend them as an extra in a music video are an interesting lot.
- Group Love are really down to Earth nice people who deserve all the success in the world.
- Listening to a song on repeat for about 8 hours straight is a guaranteed way to get the song stuck in your head. Take me to your best friend's house, dun nah – dah nah – nah nah nuh…
We were rewarded for our hard work with a private impromptu performance of songs other than Tongue Tied.
A few days later, I was already going through withdrawals. Group Love was performing at Bar Fly in Camden. I scrambled up some tickets, called up fellow extra, Holly, and went to check out the sold out show. I love it when bands play small intimate shows. I hope they get really huge, but sadly that will ruin my chances for having a repeat experience.
Click here to see the video for Tongue Tied. If you pay close attention, you can see me pushing through the crowd at about 3:39.
Group Love's debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song, arrives September 13. Check them out, they rock.