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Be careful when changing appellation boundaries
I'm not taking sides in the brouhaha down in Santa Barbara County, where winery owner Blair Pence wants to expand the borders of the Santa, err., Sta. Rita Hills appellation to include some of his vineyards that are located further inland, to the east.
I haven't seen any statistical data that would indicate, one way or the other, that the proposed added acreage is, or isn't, similar to the terroir of the existing AVA. As usual in such matters, we have dueling opinions expressed in the media, with Pence insisting it is, and Wes Hagen, of Clos Pepe (who was the guiding light behind the original appellation) saying, Nope, it isn't.
I do know that the further east you go from the central Sta. Rita Hills, the warmer it gets. By the time you reach, say, Los Olivos, it's much warmer than out by Lompoc. Maybe the climate on Pence's property really does show the same maritime influence as it does to the west. Their Pinots certainly indicate a cool climate, and I've given the wines respectable scores, even recommending a few of them as Cellar Selections.
But I will say the controversy underscores once again something I've said for a long time: the matter of AVAs, at least in California, is more about marketing and money than about terroir and tasting.
Even Pence concedes as much, when he suggests he can't get as high a price for his grapes as he could if the wines could bear a Sta. Rita Hills appellation. Currently, Pence Ranch's Pinot Noirs have to settle for a comparatively "lowly" Santa Barbara County AVA.
We saw the same kinds of issues arise when Gallo successfully fought to have the Russian River Valley boundary moved southward so that their Petaluma Gap vineyards could be included. Some RRV winegrowers were violently against that. They lost.
The fact of the matter is that appellation boundaries are fungible. They may be more fixed in Old Europe than they are in California, because Europe has had centuries of tradition. But California is so new that the wise consumer should take an appellation name with a grain of salt. An appellation is a generalization. It means that a wine bearing that origin should conform to certain expectations of, say, dryness, acidity, fruit profile and weight. But it does not guarantee that any particular wine will meet those specifics. All that an American Viticultural Area guarantees is that 85% of the grapes come from there.
There are some very ordinary wines in the Sta. Rita Hills. If you look up my scores in Wine Enthusiast's Buying Guide, you'll find some that are consistently unable to get beyond a certain quality level. Even if Pence manages to get the boundaries of Sta. Rita Hills redefined, that probably won't make any difference in how good his wines are or are not–unless there's something he could do with the extra $1,000 a ton to improve quality (and maybe there's a lot he could, like better barrels or dropping more potential crop).
In general, I think that appellation boundaries should be altered only with the greatest reluctance. There should be compelling physical reasons to do it–not because somebody wants to get a better deal on grape or wine prices, and has the money to afford the lawyers and/or appellation experts who draw up the paperwork. (And Pence has hired one of the best in the business.) The public–which includes wine writers–should have faith in the meaning of AVAs, but if boundary lines are shifting all the time, that confidence is undermined.
I've heard Ethan Etnyre describe his small estate vineyard as "across the street from the Arroyo Grande Valley AVA." Whether or not a road is an appropriate AVA boundary (apparently it was when the AVA was established in 1990 … or the road followed some geological, geographic, or micro-climate contour), I think there ought to be some process for "fixing" AVAs. Many of them seem to have been poorly-conceived from their beginnings (Cole Ranch? Really?). In Etnyre's case it doesn't really matter. He makes so little wine, and sells it all himself. So the "across the street from an AVA" story works for him because it is amusing. His labels say "San Luis Obispo County" … which caused another discussion with a sometime wine-writer who, tasting the wine, suggested to me that any AVA would be superior (in quality and prestige) to any County appellation, because the appellation content requirements were stricter. I suggested, gently, that I would feel more comfortable with a San Luis Obispo County appellation than a Central Coast AVA appellation (Etnyre's other option), particularly if my wine was all from a single vineyard. No "Estate Bottled," but Etnyre isn't making his wine on his vineyard property anyway.
A long story to suggest that I think it will be a few generations before we get the AVA thing figured out. That's why I think some process for fixing them (and it can be a careful process, undertaken only with great reluctance) is necessary.
Agreed. For the general consumer, Appellations are already confusing enough. That said, there's always exceptions to the "rule", but for the most part… if "it's" always changing, what's the point? Thanks Steve!
"The public–which includes wine writers–should have faith in the meaning of AVAs, but if boundary lines are shifting all the time, that confidence is undermined." Thank you for saying this, it is absolutely true. The wine industry doesn't have to play games to get the attention of the consumer. How about promote your own AVA to elevate it's status. Better yet, how about make great wine and not have to worry about where your property lines are. Stepping a toe out of bounds for "added value" is sneaky. This same thing happened in Alexander Valley last year I believe.
Couldn't Pence use a more prestigious SantaYnezVlly appellation, rather than a generic SantaBarbaraCnty?
in the Willamette Valley, I've seen AVA lines drawn to include or exclude certain wineries. I think a bit of healthy skepticism is well founded
Thank you for the post. Unfortunately, the most vocal opponent to this expansion has not taken the time to understand it and has, as of late, crossed the line in his attacks. The proposed annexation is about science, history and viticulture. Naysayers should take the time to read the petition before formulating an opinion. It involves three vineyards – not one – two of which are literally bisected by the current boundary. These vineyards must go through the rigorous and unnecessary process of separately contracting, harvesting and delivering fruit that is exactly the same other than the effect of an arbitrary line.
By comparison, Pence Ranch's situation is simple. Though we also produce similar quality fruit, we are a few hundred yards too far to the east and thus somehow different by definition. For us, this petition is not about the price we receive for fruit as much as it is about the pride we take in our carefully selected site and our meticulous viticulture; and that our growing conditions of extreme wind, ocean fog, and soils of clay, limestone, and shale mirror the predominant Sta. Rita Hills appellation characteristics almost identically. We are receiving "Cellar Selection" and similar reviews because our grapes are of the highest quality and produce excellent wines.
To be clear, our proposal is not an attack against the original petitioners. They did quite well with the extremely limited data available at the time. There were no weather stations, only superficial soils information, and very few vineyards. They made a good faith, best guess of an area displaying common terroir characteristics. Furthermore, if any of the three affected vineyards existed at that time, they too would have been included in the Sta. Rita Hills for exactly the same reasons stated above – our cold growing conditions and soil types are consistent with those of the appellation at large.
With the benefit of superior data availability and many years of viticultural experience, we have examined every single relative metric and subjected it to full scrutiny before we decided to move forward. I will gladly provide a copy of the petition to anyone who wishes to educate himself/herself.
The lines within Burgundy were slowly defined over more than a thousand years. Perhaps that perspective will prove useful to those needing impetus to simply allow an objective process to occur.
Buellton Flats are not the Santa Rita Hills.
That's not an attack, that's the very basis of the entire AVA's eastern boundary philosophy.
Every single original petitioner, and a unanimous vote by the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance show that the winemaking intelligentsia of the SRH, hundreds of years of in-the-trenches winegrowing and winemaking, oppose the boundary change.
Two of the Board members who voted to oppose use Pence fruit.
I went into this process a little emotional, but I have become very calm about it as of late, and I really do wish Mr. Pence all the luck in the world as a fellow farmer and promoter of Santa Barbara County and Santa Ynez Valley Wines.
But the lines you propose would permanently change the character and reputation of the SRH AVA, and my 19 years of living here inform me that it would not help our integrity or reputation.
It's also an odd way to introduce yourself to many of your neighbors in the SRH, who are dealing with the Pence brand for the first time in the context of legal consultation and filings with the federal Government.
When I first moved here and decided to become a farmer, I focused on creating a brand, promoting it, and carrying a lot of water for the industry. I joined trade groups, volunteered, got into committees, and dedicated months to the research and writing of the SRH AVA. This is the volunteer spirit that established our reputation, tasting by tasting, customer by customer. This is what we are protecting.
When I arrived in what would become the SRH AVA, I helped create something. We defined this region and made legal and historic borders that, for the last 12 years, have a reputation that we gained inch by inch, trip by trip, hundreds of miles carrying bags, driving to trade tastings, giving interviews, spending millions of dollars and dedicating our lives to the promotion of the SRH boundary described in 1997.
You bring up Burgundy, let's talk Burgundy…
Pence wrote: "we are a few hundred yards too far to the east and thus somehow different by definition."
Sort of like the distance between Romanee-Conti Grand Cru and Vosne-Romanee Villages?
I have spent dozens of summer nights sitting high atop my father's Sea Smoke Vineyards sitting out on the deck enjoying a glass of wine while watching the fog roll in. High up on the hill we have a great view of the fog line and it clearly stops at a certain point not too far past Lafond Vineyard to the east. This is not an "arbitrary line" as Mr. Pence claims. This maritime influence is key to the AVA and is what inspired the name of my father's vineyard.
Grapes that do not enjoy this maritime influence will ripen more quickly and do not have the same flavor characteristics of those grown in the fog belt.
Anyone who has spent a great deal of time in the valley can attest to the huge temperature difference between the fog belt area and the Buellton flats.
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA was carefully researched and drafted by people who have been in the area and know the geology and climate extremely well. There is no reason the boundary should be changed.
As a farmer/winemaker who purchased land in the SRH after the AVA was approved, I have an issue with someone who consciously purchases property outside and then tries to move the line. I fell in love with the wines of the Sta. Rita Hills over 10 years ago and when my wife and I purchased our small 10-acre ranch, it was because we believed in the area's potential. And we PAID for that potential in acreage prices that far exceeded those outside the AVA (and still do). We were willing to pay this premium because we recognized the value and validity of the SRH designation. To knowingly develop a vineyard outside the AVA and then hire outside consultants and experts to claim it should be inside, only serves to undermine the significant efforts and experience of locals who have strived to make the Sta. Rita Hills AVA what it is today.
I hadn't considered that position, Jake, and I applaud you for describing your position so eloquently.
Regardless of your position on the matter, I implore all of you to send your specific comments and how they relate to your involvement in wine, to the TTB for public comment. We are all Americans, we all have an opinion, and we all have a right to petition our government:
As one of the original petitioners of the SRH AVA, and a producer of wines from this appellation for 12 years prior to the establishment of the AVA, I take objection to Mr. Pence's presumptive characterization that our group's research methods and final development of the boundaries were based on antiquated and inadequate data. This work was done in 1996-7, not 1886-87. There were weather stations, and detailed soil and more importantly topographical maps. This information along with the combined empirical experiences of the grape growers and winemakers, resulted in the boundaries we have now.
It doesn't take much science to see where the fog banks stop and where temperatures begin to rise. Is was fairly clear that the hill that separates the Lompoc valley from the Buell Flats was a natural eastern boundary. If this had been ignored then how far east would we have to have gone to find a point of differentiation? I ask Mr. Pence if the ample research that he's paid for includes any neighboring property to the east. If we're going to change the eastern boundary, then why not be as scientifically inclusive as possible, so we don't have your adjacent property owners asking to be included a few years down the road. On the issue of quality and price, I suggest that Mr. Pence wait beyond the two or three vintages that he's harvested to see if his site continues to produce wine comparable in quality, and character as those from SRH. If it does, I believe that the winemakers using the fruit would be willing to price their wine as high as a SRH wine, and thus give you a basis to raise your grapes prices to correspond, regardless of what the appellation is on the label. Mr. Pence would be wise to pay heed to the example of Doug Braun's Presidio Vineyard, located just outside the western boundary of the AVA. Planted just a year or two after the establishment of the AVA, Doug solicited support from his fellow growers and winemakers to extend the boundary to include his vineyard. When he failed to gather enough support for this, he graciously accepted the outcome and went on with the hard work of establishing the reputation of his vineyard. His grapes have attracted many top winemakers including my friend, Adam Tolmach, who produces a stunning Presidio Vineyard Syrah priced higher than any Syrah from SRH, that I'm aware of.
This would be a much nobler way to be rewarded for one's efforts as a grape grower, than the divisive path Mr. Pence has embarked on.
The geographical studies I conduct are based on climate, soil, topography, associated geographic names, common varietal and reputation. These are the elements for which viticultural areas are supposed to be recognized. I do not take into consideration property values, price per ton, or cost per bottle. These are characteristics that may be dictated as much by marketing and supply and demand as by geographic characteristics.
I did not just "say" Pence Ranch and the dissected areas of John Sebastiano Vineyards and Rio Vista Vineyard should be added to the Sta. Rita Hills. I studied the area first. There have been times that I have recommended against the creation of a new AVA/expanding an existing AVA or turned down preparing a petition because I did not agree that the area in question was likely to earn or deserved recognition as a unique viticultural area. In the Sta. Rita Hills and its surrounding eastern locales, I analyzed climatic and soil data, conducted field work, and talked with local professionals. Only then did I make my recommendation.
I would encourage any interested party to read the petition and supporting material first (or any subsequent proposed rulemaking) before formulating an opinion on its merits.
Thank you.
I have carefully read and studied the petition provided us (not sure if its verbatim to the one submitted), and i would not question Mr. Shabram's scholarship or earnestness.
We are colleagues in the process of guiding Americans to typical wine styles that are related to their locality. We both petition our Federal Government with hopes our work will be accepted and appreciated. I give Mr. Shabram kudos for his scholarship in producing an excellent document that has continued feeding my hunger for data and discussion of the area I have devoted my professional life.
The map in the Expansion Petition is troubling, though, for someone who has lived and driven daily through this area for three decades.
I have to say that to understand the difference between the SRH and the area where the petition extends requires local expertise, and that's where the local winegrowers and makers, with hundreds of years of experience locally, have to be taken as the final and most objective sources for how these mesoclimates influence the production of pinot noir.
Pinot Noir is the Monarch here. Not me. Not Pence. She speaks loudly and clearly. And even though Blair might not agree that ' a few hundred yards' means a LOT to Pinot noir, a thousand yars of chopping up PC's and GC's in Burgundy gives us the persnickity truth of our Queen. $2000 pinot noir is grown within a stone's throw of $50 pinot noir in Vosne-Romanee. And we're talking kilometer(s) here.
Can you produce good wine at Pence? I'm sure you can. Does the soil geology change dramatically on one side of the invisible AVA line? Of course not, nature doesn't respect human borders.
But the line is very meaningful because it terminates where the Purisima Hills open up and the strong maritime influence is hindered by the changing land mass.
If this was just about Sebastiano Vineyard we would be having a dramatically different conversation. The inclusion of the Pence Ranch and Rio Vista West is what made this so unpalatable to all of us stakeholders and pioneers in the business, with boots on the ground.
To include those vineyards, the eastern boundary was moved into the Buellton Flats, into a separate land mass that is excluded by the introductory section of the original, perfected, accepted, approved AVA petition.
I hope you can read into my words, Patrick, that I respect the work you did on this petition. We are as respectful to your work as you have been with ours, and we appreciate the way that the narrative and commentary is positive towards our efforts.
Please realize as we go through the petition and assemble our own data and arguments, that we are doing so in an attempt to preserve something we have worked decades to develop, and we honestly believe this border change would negatively impact our integrity and our reputation.
Your reputation is not in question here. We look forward to working with you in the future and hope we can all continue the hard and contentious work of carving out the great wine regions of this world so they are meaningful to consumers.
With all due respect to Mr. Shabram, I find it overtly disingenuous to state that he "talked with local professionals" before developing his recommendation. Did these "local professionals" include the winemakers and vineyard owners within the Sta. Rita hills? If so, how did that impact his findings?
I would also like to know what Mr. Shabram's threshold was for producing a positive vs. negative recommendation.
Regardless of the outcome, Mr. Pence has sadly damaged his own brand.
Goodwill goes much, much farther than money.
Mr. Ball, I talked with Mr. Pence, but also a vineyard manager who works both inside and outside the Sta. Rita Hills as well as with two consultants who do a lot of work throughout the area. My threshold was based on consistency with the characteristics used to define the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in the original rulemaking by the TTB (then the ATF). These characteristics where extended to include current conditions found within the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. This threshold also included contrasts between the proposed expansion area and the areas further inland. Finally I should note, the boundaries currently proposed are my own, helped in large part by input the professionals I interviewed. They actually extend slightly inland from what Mr. Pence had speculated based on my insistence on maintaining consistency with the existing AVA.
Thanks for coming on the site and sharing with us, Mr. Shabram.
We understand your position and appreciate your sincerity, and we hope you will understand that when we fight the expansion, we are in no way fighting you.
Wine is about bringing people together, and I hope we can share a glass and AVA stories some day.
I have no dog in the fight, grapes, land, family lineage or otherwise, but could not pass up commenting. I have never seen a more gentlemanly attempt at resolution – of what is obviously a deeply personal, and an emotionally charged subject – than what has been submitted here by both sides.
The passion and deeply held beliefs are apparent, but so is the respect, as is what I am sure must also be: restraint.
Regardless of how it ends (for the sake of those involved, the lands they love, the vineyards they cherish, and more) I hope that both sides continue with the well-reasoned dialogue and in the end, mutual acceptance of the final verdict – whatever it may be.
Ultimately, I hope it leads to general progress in pursuit of excellent vineyard practice and results in the entire area, with better wines in the end, and all the remuneration that deservedly comes with that . . . for all parties. (though admittedly, not at the expense of principles)
Cheers to all of you, a very noble effort in blog commenting!
Having seen the AVA question as a subject of discussion and having CUSTOM CRUSHED Pence's grapes; please allow me:
during my last twenty years of experience, the only issue I see is that Pence violates the principles of the AVA criteria!. I agree with the comment that Buellton plains are not the Santa Rita Hills, it gets way hotter by that Property that includes a Valley form on a two way slope of North South orientation; which translates directly to your palette!.
We have worked and custom crushed those grapes; the vines get hotter than the Santa Rita Hills, they miss the ocean breeze and Specially the Pinot Noir lacks of elegance and flavors!.
the international AOC/ AVA criteria simply described as
a) Protection of the consumer's health and security
b) Information to the consumer
c) Transaction's loyalty
d) Protection of environment
e) harmonization of controls
Carefully taking the above under consideration the above parameters will transport you directly to the palette which was the idea of the French who (even being third historical AOC) are the ones who regulated the AVA's based on Climate and soil conditions!
Saying so I am sure that you can make GOOD wine with Pence's grapes, but I believe the issue here is respecting the boundaries that appeals directly to your palette and NOT buying a VISA to sell your wines for a higher value!
Carlos Coelho


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On Tuesday, Michael Silver of Gartner took Microsoft to the woodshed over the company's decision to let computer makers sell PCs with Windows XP for only six months after Windows 7 debuts.
Silver blasted the idea as a "real mess," and said that it would make it more difficult for companies to manage their PCs, and more expensive to upgrade them to Windows 7 down the road.
Because of Windows 7's Oct. 22 launch date, the six-month cap meant that OEMs would have to stop shipping PCs "downgraded" from Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows XP Professional at or around April 22, 2010.
That policy put enterprises in a bind, Silver argued yesterday. "For an organization that's trying to skip Vista, that means they really need to buy new PCs that they need to run on XP, and want to upgrade later to Windows 7, by April 21, 2010," Silver said.
"[But] since a lot of organizations won't be ready for Windows 7 until later in 2010 or even early 2011, any PCs they buy from April 22, 2010 on, and until they are ready to deploy Windows 7, would need an upgrade license or [Software Assurance] to allow them to run Windows XP temporarily, and upgrade to Windows 7 later on," he said.
The alternative, said Silver: After April 2010, companies that wanted to stick with XP for a while longer would have to buy new PCs with Vista Business or Vista Ultimate, which do have downgrade rights to XP, then downgrade to the old OS. Later, those companies would have to buy an upgrade license from XP to Windows 7, essentially paying twice.
Microsoft: Our bad
Hours after Silver blasted the plan, however, Microsoft backed off the six-month limit, and confirmed a new policy.
"Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate customers will have the option to downgrade to Windows XP Professional from PCs that ship within 18 months following the general availability of Windows 7 or until the release of a Windows 7 service pack, whichever is sooner, and if a service pack is developed," a company spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
"This is good," said Silver of Microsoft's new plan. "It proves that Microsoft listens to their customers. They have changed licensing decisions in response to customer demand before, and hopefully they will do it again, because this is still not great."
Silver said his problem is with the possible "out" that Microsoft gave itself. "The new policy is 18 months or SP1 delivery, whichever is sooner," he said. "It means that if SP1 shows up in six or eight months, the date suddenly moves in."
Many software vendors may not release Windows 7-specific versions or officially support the new operating system for a year or longer after Microsoft rolls out the OS this October, Silver added. Microsoft's movable deadline for the end of downgrades could put some enterprises in an awkward spot.
"Organizations waiting on a critical vendor to support their product under Windows 7 may still have a problem," he said.
A better solution would be a hard deadline, Silver said. "The policy should be 18 months or SP1, whichever is later, or just have a reasonable date for the end of the downgrade right, like Dec. 31, 2010," he said.
Assuming that Microsoft holds off delivering Windows 7 SP1, it's possible that OEMs could be selling XP-equipped PCs as late as April 2011.
That's unlikely, however, as Microsoft typically rolls out the first service pack for a new OS much sooner. It released Vista SP1 to most users in March 2008, less than 14 months after Vista's retail availability. Windows XP SP1 appeared even sooner, in September 2002, a little more than 10 months after XP's launch. Windows 2000 SP1, meanwhile, was released just six months after that OS shipped.
Microsoft also slipped in a reminder about XP's limited lifespan in its e-mailed announcement. "Windows XP is currently in the extended support phase and Microsoft encourages customers to migrate to either Windows Vista or Windows 7 as soon as possible," the spokeswoman said yesterday.
As per its lifecycle policy, Microsoft will officially retire Windows XP, halting all patch development, including security updates, in April 2014.

subset: commoncrawl


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I've cut back on reading fiction this past Lent. It was truly more from being busy than from a resolution. I did enjoy, for the most part, a breakthrough novel of sorts by veteran sf writer Kay Kenyon, Bright of the Sky, reviewed briefly here. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, which has just been published.
I'm very picky about science fiction and fantasy. I also read for details. I'm always pleased to see a good writer develop characters and world-building, too. World-building is great in this first book. Kenyon writes of a universe not of space, but of a tunnel wide as a broad river valley and light years long: all land for the various aliens and the two humans within it.
A man is separated from his wife and daughter, and searches this universe, the Bright, for them. One is thought dead. The other is said to be enslaved. Neither is quite accurate, and the man's quest is dogged by friends, foes, events, lies, and political circumstances among the aliens of the Bright. It's the first of a series of four, so naturally, the main point is unresolved at the end. But the protagonist Quinn is on the delivery end of a few surprises.
Too bad this excellent read was spoiled by a big science gaffe about two-thirds of the way through: stars winking out hundreds of light years away (and thus hundreds of years in the past) being linked to alien action in the present. Sure, there's some tweaking of time passing at a different pace in the new universe and ours. But the unexplained connection of current events to those that happened hundreds of years ago is a distraction, not unlike the one that marred Kevin Anderson's series opener of the Saga of the Seven Suns. I'm sure there's a vital point in it, but it could have been handled better.
And there's a heinous and somewhat curious crime committed by the protagonist that sets up a final fifty pages of a heart-stopping chase. I wasn't convinced it was anything more than a dollop of pathos dropped from above. Unless I missed something, it could have been handled better.
I'd still recommend the book, if you enjoy a 70/30 sf/fantasy mix.


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Justin Timberlake Offered Role as Folk Singer in Coen Brothers Movie
Justin Timberlake hasn't been making a whole lot of music since catching the acting bug, but it looks like the six-time Grammy winner will at least be playing a musician in an upcoming film.
According to Variety, the Coen Brothers have offered the thirty-year-old a role in their movie 'Inside Llwyn,' which is based on the '60s era folk music scene in Greenwich Village, NY. Timberlake would portray a folk singer named Jim, who is married to a character played by Carey Mulligan.
Timberlake hasn't released an album since 2006's 'FutureSex/Love Sounds.' His latest movie, the sci-fi thriller 'In Time,' opened Friday and finished second at the box office with a $12 million take.
[via The Huffington Post]


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The first-round Race to the Top winners are facing the music this week, as U.S. Ed Secretary Arne Duncan delivers their year-one progress reports. Some are getting pats on the back for being on track with nice progress, while others are getting a round scolding for lagging, particularly on their efforts to design new teacher-evaluation systems based on student progress. Our Michele McNeil explains it all for you in a blog post and a story.
Those of you who track the common standards and assessments will be interested to know that this was not a big area of criticism when Duncan sized up how the RTT winners are doing. For the most part, according to the reports, states seem to be doing OK in this area. (The list of state-by-state reports is posted on ED's website.)
Take Delaware, for instance. In its report, the Education Department said that even though the state was encountering some delays in implementing a new teacher-evaluation system, it had made "significant strides" toward reaching many of its goals.
It noted, in particular, the work Delaware has done to train its teachers on the common core. (In a glowing press release, Delaware made sure everyone knew that it had reached 79 percent of its teachers with that training.) The Ed Department noted the sample units and lesson plans Delaware posted online for teachers. And it noted the state's progress transitioning to new assessments, such as its plans to embed common-core-like items in its own state tests soon, and its decision to require all 11th graders to take the SAT as a college-readiness exam.
In the not-too-surprising category, Massachusetts comes out pretty rosy in the federal report. It gets pats for curriculum frameworks and model units for the common core, and for proceeding with professional development on the new standards even though it struggled with a delay hiring a PD coordinator. The department also noted that Massachusetts' statewide assessments will be based on the common core in 2012-13, which, I'm guessing, is far earlier than most states.
Even states that are in the biggest trouble with the department over their unsatisfactory progress appeared to look pretty good to the department on their standards-and-assessment work.
Hawaii has content specialists working with all its principals across the state, who then pass along their knowledge through "tri-level" professional development, the report says. It provided training to teachers in grades K-2, and 11-12, with plans to move to all the other grades within the next two years. It also moved to online, computer-adaptive assessments, the report says.
New York, which also came in for harsh criticism, was commended for its implementation work on the common core. The department mentioned its training of "network teams" to get this job done, and its plan to "build sequenced, spiraled, content-rich statewide curriculum modules," even though procurement snafus delayed this a bit. The department did note, however, that New York continues to face challenges implementing the common core because of wide variations in the size and capacity of its districts.
Florida did get dinged for delays in some areas of common-standards implementation, such as in getting contracts for interim and formative assessments.
A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.


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- Avista Ocean Resort
- Aynor
- Bald Head Island, NC
- Barefoot Landing
- Barefoot Resort
- Bay Watch Resort
- Beach Cove Resort
- Belle Park
- Briarcliffe Acres
- Briarcliffe West
- Bridges at Litchfield
- Calabash, NC
- Cameron Village
- Carolina Forest in Myrtle Beach, SC
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- Carolina Waterway Plantation
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- Charleston Lakes
- Charleston Landing
- Cherry Grove Beach
- Cherry Grove Cottages
- Colonial Charters
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- Coquina Harbour in Little River
- Crescent Beach
- Debordieu Colony
- Deerfield Plantation
- Eastport Golf Villas in Little River
- Emmens Preserve
- Enclave
- Forestbrook
- Galivants Ferry
- Garden City
- Gardens at Cypress Bay, Little River
- Georgetown
- Grande Dunes
- Green Sea
- Grissettown, NC
- Hagley Estates - Pawleys Island
- Heritage Plantation
- Holden Beach, NC
- Ingram Place
- Inlet Pointe
- Laguana Keyes
- Litchfield by the Sea
- Litchfield Plantation
- Little River
- Little River Inn Resort
- Longs Bay Club, Longs, SC
- Longs, SC
- Loris
- Mar Vista Grande
- Mariners Pointe in Little River
- Murrells Inlet
- Myrtle Beach
- Myrtle Trace
- Nichols
- North Beach Plantation
- North Litchfield
- North Myrtle Beach
- North Myrtle Beach Golf and Tennis
- North Prestwick
- Ocean Creek
- Ocean Drive Beach
- Ocean Isle Beach, NC
- Palmetto Shores
- Pawleys Island
- Pawleys Plantation - Pawleys Island
- Pawleys Retreat - Pawleys Island
- Pelican Bay, Little River, SC
- Plantation Harbour
- Plantation Lakes
- Plantation Point
- Prestwick
- Prince Creek
- Prince George- Pawleys Island
- Ricefields Plantation - Pawleys Island
- River Club- Litchfield
- River Hills in Little River, SC
- Salters Cove near Garden City, SC
- Sea Garden
- Seabrook Plantation
- Seaside Plantation
- Seaside, NC
- Shaftesbury Estates
- Shaftesbury Glen
- Shallotte, NC
- Socastee
- Sunset Beach, NC
- Sunset Harbor, NC
- Sunset Harbour, SC
- Surf Estates
- Surfside Beach
- Surfside Beach Club
- The Bluffs on the Waterway
- The Cottages at Surf Estates
- The Diamond
- The Farm in Brunswick County, NC
- The Heights at Windy Hill
- The Market Common
- The Reserve- Litchfield
- Tidewater Plantation
- Tighman Forest
- Tilghman Estates
- Tilghman Woods
- Tradition - Pawleys Island
- True Blue - Pawleys Island
- Verandas Beach Complex
- Village at Possum Trot
- Wachesaw Plantation
- Waterfall in Little River, SC
- Waterford Plantation
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- Willowbrook Plantation - Pawleys Island
- Windy Hill
- Windy Hill Dunes
- Wrightsville Beach, NC


text:
Dash cam becomes eyes and ears for police, citizens
It's one of the most unforgettable images ever recorded: a meteor, rocketing toward earth. And if it weren't for Russian drivers with dash cams, we may have have never seen it.
The rise of the dash cam is evident in our newsroom, where on a daily basis we receive videos from law enforcement agencies across the country.
CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Fla. Man Tased After Jaywalking
"We've had video cameras in cars for several years," Delray Beach police spokesman Sgt. Richard Jacobson said. The department has put cameras in 78 of its cars.
"If you know that you're being recorded, you're going to do things the way you're supposed to do things, tactically," Jacobson said. "It helps keep your reaction or guard up to what you're dealing with."
While dash cams have become the eyes and ears for police, they aren't just for cops anymore. More and more drivers are hitting the road with cameras rolling. For less than $100, you can slap one on your dashboard and if someone causes an accident, or road rage comes your way, the lens won't lie.
"We all want the truth," said personal injury lawyer Brian Guralnick, who thinks dash cams could re-define how insurance companies settle cases.
Catch it on camera, and you've caught the proof.
"Nobody is perfect," Guralnick said. "Sometimes (police) miss putting things down. Whereas, if you had the evidence of what occurred, or where things were left at an actual accident scene, with a dash cam ... that could be extremely helpful."
And it's not just dash cams that are on the rise; more local homeowners are installing surveillance systems. In one Boynton Beach neighborhood, homeowners up and down the street have outfitted their homes with an extra set of eyes. One even caught men raiding his bedroom when he wasn't home.
But there is one potential problem to all these spying eyes. In Florida, it's illegal to record someone's voice in a private setting without that person's knowledge. While most dash cams and home surveillance cameras are recording in public, where there's no reasonable expectation of privacy, it may not stop someone challenging you in court.
"You might ultimately be vindicated, but you're still going to have to go through the expense of defending a criminal claim," Guralnick said.
Currently, insurance companies are not offering discounts if you have a dash cam, but many experts think eventually they may at least consider it.


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Le Tonlé's award of certificates at the Ministry of Tourism
We're proud to announce that Le Tonlé has received a certificate of ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Tourism Professionals from Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism. In [...]
I didn't stay in the guesthouse but have dinner in the retaurant: the place is very clean and beautiful, people are really nice, smiling and lovely, and food is really good and cheap.
Le tonle is a training tourism center so don't hesitate to go there to help them !
I didn't stay in the guesthouse but have dinner in the retaurant: the place is very clean and beautiful, people are really nice, smiling and lovely, and food is really good and cheap.
Le tonle is a training tourism center so don't hesitate to go there to help them !
The wooden house is a cosy oasis in Kratie. I loved the atmosphere in the Tonle Center. The food is delicious and will be served with a nice decoration. The students are realy friendly and all realy nice. And at least, the (shared) bathrooms are quite good. Especially the shower was the best I ever had in asia! Great place to stay and a great place what should be supported!
10$ per room is a realy good price, also a higher price would be o.k.!
I've been traveling around Cambodia for roughly 3 weeks, and I can honestly say this is my favorite guesthouse in all of Cambodia. This guesthouse is a beautiful building, modeling the traditional wooden Cambodian houses. It has a restaurant on the patio downstairs, friendly & helpful staff, amazingly comfy beds, and showers that are nicer than my shower at home. When you're on the road for a while, it's refreshing to stay at a place that is comfortable, clean, and relaxing - perfect for escaping the mid-day heat.
The food tasted great and was reasonably priced. We had almost every meal here, and quickly became addicted to their lime juices and spring rolls. :) Just know that their kitchen closes at 8pm.
I also loved that Le Tonlé is also a Tourism Training Center, teaching local Cambodian students the skills of hospitality and tourism. While we were staying here there was a class of 6 new students learning the guesthouse hospitality skills. They would come take our orders in the restaurant, with the guidance of the staff (their teachers). While some students were nervous, they were always cheerful, very thorough, and always got our order right.
Le Tonlé Guesthouse in Kratie is an extension of the guesthouse in Stung Treng and is a sister-company to CRD Tours. It opened 14/12/13 and is doing a phenomenal job for only being open 2 months.
Note: St. 03 is the street after the Canadia Bank, if you're walking down the river front, north of the bus station. If you're coming from the bus station walk towards the river and turn right (it's really not too far, but it can seem far if you arrive at night).
Leggendo le recensioni di altri hotel a Kratie mi ero spaventata e stavo quasi rivalutando l'idea di andarci.. Poi abbiamo scoperto Le tonle per fortuna! Il posto è nuovissimo, pulito, delle graziosissime camere in legno e dei comodi e moderni bagni comuni. La cucina è molto buona e soprattutto ciò che rende speciale questo posto sono gli studenti. L'intera guesthouse è una sorta di accademia turistica dove i giovani imparano il mestiere in modo da poter trovare facilmente un lavoro dopo un anno. E sono tutti disponibili, gentili e insomma fanno tenerezza perché è plateale l'impegno che mettono in ogni singolo gesto anche solo se ti stanno portando un semplice milkshake. In questo modo ti senti utile perché sei la loro occasione di far pratica. Consigliatissimo!
After hearing very disappointing (sometimes terrible!) reviews of other guesthouses in Kratie, we were incredibly grateful to find this hidden gem. We loved Le Tonlé so much, we ended up staying five nights instead of our originally planned three. The receptionists are gracious and helpful booking bus tickets to Stung Treng, and they will often try to get you a locals discount instead of overcharging, unlike most guesthouses! The atmosphere between guests was friendly and considerate.
Lovely time spent with staff at Le Tonle guesthouse. Well worth the visit for rooms @ $10 per night, delicious food for dinner, and staff can organise tours or days out for you when required. Great cause of training Local students hospitality skills. Loved our stay here.
I have spent time in the hospitality industry and traveled quite a bit and the energy and aesthetics (simple beauty) of Le Tonlé is among the top I have ever experienced. I think you are doing a really, really incredible job there. I hope to return to Cambodia in the near future and come back.
Nous restons ce soir au Tonle. La maison est une maison typique cambodgienne mais aux normes européennes, qui offre 4 belles chambreś. chaque lit avec moustiquaire et ventilateur (certaines ont la clim). Il y a 2 salles de bains communes avec douche à l italienne réellement très propres avec eau chaude sans supplément. De l eau en bouteille est offerte dans chaque chambre. Prix très raisonnables entre 12 et 18$ pour 2.
Précision importante cet établissement dépend de l'école hôtelière Kratie and Stung treng. Votre séjour sera donc place sous le meilleur service. Les élèvent s appliquent, le service est parfait et ils sont adorables. N hésitez pas a le choisir pour les aider à parfaire leurs connaissances.
L'accueil est une mine de très bons renseignements pour vos déplacements
The brand new guesthouse is gorgeous, Mr. Bunly and his staff are amazing, and the peaceful location just across from the Mekong River is everything thing a traveller could wish for. Part of a larger initiative to employ young at-risk Cambodians in the burgeoning tourism industry in Kratie, the guesthouse is run by a small staff of graduates (including Mr. Bunly!) of the 12-month Stung Treng program, and acts as a teaching lab for current trainees from the Stung Treng center.
The guesthouse is a contemporary blend of tasteful luxury and traditional Cambodian architecture. The stilted teakwood building has four beautiful rooms upstairs, with two immaculate shared bathrooms, and the downstairs has a lovely outdoor restaurant, a a small bar and reception desk, a lounge area, trainee classroom, and industrial sized kitchen where trainees prepare delicious dishes! Thoughtful touches like the handwoven silk scarves as decor, shampoo and shower gel for guests, water bottle refills, and extremely thorough daily cleaning services make the inexpensive guesthouse feel boutique.
The restaurant downstairs has lovely outdoor seating, and a wide delicious drinks, appetizers, entrees, and a full bar. The iced lime juice (3000 riel), vegetable spring rolls ($2.00), and pomelo salad ($2.50) were our favorites. The building is made of wood, so they do not allow smoking upstairs, and we particularly appreciated the non-smoking atmosphere in the restaurant.
After hearing very disappointing (sometimes terrible!) reviews of other guesthouses in Kratie, we were incredibly grateful to find this hidden gem. We loved Le Tonlé so much, we ended up staying five nights instead of our originally planned three. The receptionists are gracious and helpful booking bus tickets to Stung Treng, and they will often try to get you a locals discount instead of overcharging, unlike most guesthouses! The atmosphere between guests was friendly and considerate.
Unfortunately their online presence is minimal, but growing. For convenience I included a few informational links below.
For more information on Le Tonlé and affiliated organizations:
Le Tonlé Guesthouse website: http://letonle.org/
Established in 2012, the Kratie branch of Le Tonlé's sister organization CRDT (Cambodian Rural Development Tours) is located just down the street from the guesthouse, and open for booking tours Monday-Saturday, 8am-5pm http://www.crdtours.org/
The first Tonlé Tourism Training Center Guesthouse was established in 2007, and is based in Stung Treng, about 3 hours north of Kratie Town.
I've read so many bad things about accommodations in Kratié. When I found this new place (opened in Dec 2013) I sent them an email and got a reply from them the next morning.
Rooms are clean and beautiful, beds are comfy, I love the stylish showers (with hot water and free shower gel and shampoo).
You can rent a bicycle from them, but they are actually working this through other companies.
Breakfast is good. Haven't had dinner here already but seems tasty.
Staff is adorable.
I highly recommend this place, they deserve their first place in Kratié.
Multilingual service kindly provided by WPML


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For a man who has just uncovered the simply vast amounts of money his country is squandering on a war he describes as "stupid", Joe Stiglitz is surprisingly jovial. He is quick to laugh and engages with a wide smile, and doesn't strike you as either a bookish Nobel laureate or as the "green eye-shaded accountant" that the Bush administration attempted to dismiss him as.
Bush now has another reason to dismiss Stiglitz, following the publication of 'The $3 Trillion War'; named for the true cost he believes America will pay for its decision to invade Iraq. Standing on the brink of that day's fifth anniversary now is the time to assess what Stiglitz points out is "the second longest war in America's history, after the Vietnam War, and the second most costly, after World War II."
Stiglitz provides many examples of what could be bought for a fraction of the price of the Iraq War – the USA's spending on autism research equates to four hours in Iraq, ten days fighting costs $5billion, which amounts to total American aid to Africa each year, and one sixth of an Iraq War would pay the United States' social security needs for the next half-century.
Of course, despite its cost, World War II was famously credited with lifting America out of the great depression, and has helped to promulgate the cliché that war is good for the economy – a misconception that Stiglitz aims to correct. "Wars use resources that could have been used to promote economic growth, and the fact is that since Keynes we know how to stimulate the economy in more constructive ways. This war has been particularly bad for the economy because of the impact that it's had on the price of oil (oil prices per barrel have risen from $25 before the war to $100), and because it was totally deficit financed. Even as we went to the war we had large deficits, but then the Bush administration actually lowered taxes for the rich. The symptoms didn't show up because they were hidden by lax regulation which flooded the economy with liquidity which was buoying the economy as these other factors were depressing it. We were in effect living on borrowed money and borrowed time, and a day of reckoning had to come, and it's now come."
Stiglitz believes that the actions of the regulatory authorities have had a direct impact on the current financial crisis. "The monetary authorities thought they had to do what they needed to do to keep the American economy going. The high oil prices and the war was having an adverse effect on the economy, and they simply did what they thought was right, but in a very myopic, short-sighted way – and it worked, in a very myopic, short-sighted way. The symptoms of what the war was doing, of what the high oil prices were doing, were not evident. They now have become evident. But the problem is, by postponing the cost we have increased the cost. The cost the economy is going to have to pay, not only the American economy but the global economy, will be a multiple of what it otherwise would have been."
There can be no doubting Stiglitz's determination to keep the issue of the war at the forefront of political debate at this crucial time for American politics. As far as he is concerned, it is the biggest issue there is. "My work focuses on the economics of the public sector, and you might say that the Iraq War is the single largest public project that the United States has undertaken. Typically when we begin a project like building a bridge, we do a cost-benefit analysis. We certainly don't undertake a large project without looking at the cost. This was a war of choice. But we began the war without thinking about the cost."
For Stiglitz, however, there is more than just the financial cost to consider. There is also the cost to the idea of democracy. "This was a war that, in part, was allegedly to spread democracy. Democracy means that citizens ought to be able to participate in decisions, and meaningful participation means that they have to know the consequences, and among the consequences are the costs. It seemed to me that if we are going to be talking about democracy then it was important for the American citizens to know what this particular project was costing. The Bush administration did everything it could to hide the costs from the American people. I'm testifying in congress on Thursday, and one of the points I'm going to make is that we should not have had to write this book, and if we did have to write the book it should have been a lot easier."
Stiglitz explains how the Freedom of Information act was required to uncover even rudimentary information about the number of people injured in the war. In the course of the investigation he also turned up more alarming discoveries, such as the fact that the military were denied a request for MRAPs (Mine-resistant ambush-protected armoured vehicles) which Stiglitz argued would have saved a large fraction of lives, at a short term cost which will now be far outweighed by caring for the injured.
With a war this badly managed, it seems to me that those in charge must be either highly incompetent or highly corrupt, I ask Stiglitz which he sees. "There are elements of both. The Bush administration deliberately tried to obscure what these costs were and has continued to try to obscure it. Particularly the way the money has been appropriated in 24 separate bills, including emergency appropriations five years after the war started. When you go to war it's an emergency, but five years later you should be able to plan. The way they have deliberately hidden information clearly shows an intent for people not to know. But there's also an element of what you might call self-deception. The bureaucracy has been created to have a whole set of checks and balances, because you realise that people like to please their superiors. The Bush administration short-circuited many of these checks and balances, and the predictable consequence is that the quality of information was lower than it otherwise would have been. Then they said "How could we have known?" So they were responsible in part for the low quality of information, and many of the specific things they did predictably raised costs. For example, the behaviour of the contractors that were hiring people from Nepal and the Philippines rather than hiring Iraqis, fed the unemployment, while the failure to safeguard the weapons caches, meant that you had an explosive mixture: unemployed young men with weapons, and that explosive combination exploded. Now that was predictable."
He points out the $19.3 Billion that Halliburton have received in contested contracts in Iraq, and describes current defence spending as "corporate welfare." He bluntly observes "weapons don't work against enemies who don't exist."
Looking to the future, it is hard to resist wondering how Stiglitz views the upcoming presidential elections. He is blunt about the differences between the candidates. "What is clear is that McCain's policy, saying that we may be there for 100 years, is not the right policy. If you extrapolate what 100 years would cost, it's huge. If you ask what the benefits are, it's hard to ascertain. Obama has been quite forthright in saying he's not against wars in general, but he is against stupid wars. And this was a stupid war. He was aware of the kind of divisions that existed, and therefore the difficulty of obtaining a sound outcome to the war, and he's called for a quick withdrawal. I think that those are all policies that are consistent with prudent actions."
How does he rate the chances of seeing Obama in the White House? At this question he smiles and nods, a look of real excitement in his eyes. And would this mean a return for the man who spent three years as chair of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisors? "Perhaps", he laughs, but maybe a different job this time. At least Obama has already expressed a desire to have Stiglitz as an advisor. The current administration's response to Stiglitz's appearance before Congress was derisory. "People like Joe Stiglitz lack the courage to consider the cost of doing nothing and the cost of failure. One can't even begin to put a price tag on the cost to this nation of the attacks of 9/11," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "It is also an investment in the future safety and security of Americans and our vital national interests. $3 trillion? What price does Joe Stiglitz put on attacks on the homeland that have already been prevented? Or doesn't his slide rule work that way?"
Whoever wins in November, the world should listen to Stiglitz. Whether or not Joe can catch the ear of the next administration could have a serious effect on the cost the globe is forced to pay for Bush's most spectacular folly.


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There are 1 new home developments in Klamath Falls, all low-rise that are planned, under construction or recently completed.
There are 1 single family home developments in Klamath Falls
The most active developer in Klamath Falls is D.R. Horton.
Find your new construction home in Klamath Falls by browsing the map, or using the filters above. Filter results based on Klamath Falls homes; condo, townhome or house building type, number of bedrooms or price. More filters are available on the map. Save your search to receive updates on Klamath Falls new home inventory that meets your criteria.


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North Korea: Comment. The space launch failed about 90 seconds into the flight. One news report said the first stage blew up in a large fireball. That means after a decade of research and development and two prior test launches, the North Korean rocket engineers, and anyone helping them, still have failed to master stage separation.
Readers should now expect a nuclear-related detonation, as in 2009, which has about the same prospects for success as the space launch, but is easier to camouflage.
Succession politics. Yesterday, 11 April, Kim Jong-un also was named Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Korean Worker's Party. This is a good indicator that he will be named as the head of the National Defense Commission, once the Supreme Peoples' Assembly convenes.
The position of Chairman of the National Defense Commission, or equivalent title, is a government post. The Chairman of the Central Military Commission holds a Party post.
The Philippines-China: Update. Authorities in Manila said they withdrew their biggest warship from the standoff with Chinese vessels, but the impasse was not resolved because China sent a third ship to the disputed waters.
Comment: Without US Navy support, the Philippines have no ability to stand against Chinese maritime security ships. They did good service in challenging the Chinese intrusion, but are prudent in averting a confrontation at sea. Maritime disputes invariably end up in negotiations, even after a war. Shooting is almost pointless, unless a great power navy is involved. Even then, when the smoke has cleared, the international lawyers always take over, to paraphrase the late Dean Fischer, Georgetown University Law Center.
Syria: Update. Syrian troops held their fire in the hours after a U.N.-backed ceasefire took effect at dawn on Thursday, casting a silence over rebellious towns they had bombarded heavily in recent days.
A Syrian army officer was killed and 24 other officers and civilians were wounded by an explosion in Aleppo, an official source told the press. The blast occurred at 8 a.m. when an armed group targeted a military bus with an explosive device.
Egypt: Hosni Mubarak's former spy chief said in comments published Thursday that he decided to run for president to prevent Islamists from turning Egypt into a "religious state," and warned that the country would be internationally isolated if one of them won the presidency.
Omar Suleiman's comments in a weekly newspaper interview came just hours before the Islamist-dominated parliament passed a bill that strips senior officials in the Mubarak regime of their political rights for 10 years. The bill was hurriedly put together this week to prevent Suleiman, who briefly served as Mubarak's vice president, from running for president.
The law can only come into effect if the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces ratifies it. The generals have yet to speak publicly on the issue, but they are not likely to take action on the bill before the election commission issues a final list of presidential candidates, which is expected later this month.
Decisions of the election commission cannot be appealed. The generals are highly unlikely to disqualify Suleiman, who is one of their own. The Islamists overplayed their hand, despite their visit to the US. The power elite in Egypt is not ready for an Islamic theocracy.
Comment: With the backing of the military and the security forces plus powerful business interests, Suleiman can win the presidential election. His candidacy indicates the old guard remains in control in Egypt and that the past year of political confusion has been window dressing. Secondly, the old guard has decided the time for political window dressing has run out.
Suleiman is no fool and has not entered the presidential race to lose. His entry confirms the longstanding NightWatch judgment that Egypt has experienced no revolution. The tipping point for the latest old guard intervention appears to have been the entry of a Brotherhood candidate for president. That represented a point of departure that might have resulted in the start of a genuine revolution.
If Suleiman is elected president, he could govern under the same constitution that legitimated Mubarak.
Sudan: On 12 April Sudanese combat aircraft dropped five bombs on Bentiu, the capital of the Unity border state, South Sudan officials said. The aircraft were aiming at a strategic bridge at the edge of town, South Sudanese deputy Information Minister Atem Yaak Atem said.
Comment: This attack appears to be the opening round in the new Sudanese border war.
Greece: The jobless rate rose to a record of 21.8 percent in January, twice as high as the euro zone average, statistics service ELSTAT announced on Thursday. For the second consecutive month, those aged between 15-24 years were hit hard. Unemployment in that age group stood at 50.8 percent, twice as high as three years ago.
Youth unemployment remained at levels where more are jobless than in work.
Budget cuts imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund as a condition for saving the debt-laden country from a chaotic default have caused a wave of corporate closures and bankruptcies.
A record 1.08 million people were without work in January, 47 percent more than in the same month last year, according to ELSTAT figures. The number in work dropped 8.6 percent to a record low of 3.88 million.
As an increasing number of people claim unemployment benefits, the government is finding it increasingly difficult to meet its budget targets.
Comment: The youth unemployment rate is at the level when the youth begin to engage in self-help practices, such as crime and looting. This situation looks volatile, waiting for a spark.
End of NightWatchNightWatch is brought to readers of Townhall Finance by Kforce Government Solutions, Inc. (KGS), a leader in government problem-solving, Data Confidence® and intelligence. Views and opinions expressed in NightWatch are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of KGS, its management, or affiliates.
A Member of AFCEA International


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Late December saw the announcement that the A5/1 encryption technique used by GSM cellphones was vulnerable to a new attack, raising questions about how the cellular industry would respond. There was some thought that the transition to 3G service, which is already well under way, could be relied on to limit the risk of attack, as 3G communications uses a different encryption system. For anyone planning on that response, however, this week's news is not so good: researchers have described an attack on 3G's KASUMI system that requires only a few hours on a typical PC.
The KASUMI system is based on an encryption technique called MISTY, which belongs to a general class of techniques called Feistel encryption. These are rather complex, with multiple keys being combined, and a recursive, multiround encryption processes that alternates the order of different functions. A sense of the complexity can be had by looking at the diagram on a page that describes it.
Unfortunately, a full MISTY encryption is apparently computationally expensive, making it less than ideal for an application where time and processing power are in short supply. The KASUMI algorithm was developed specifically to simplify the MISTY system, and make it "faster and more hardware-friendly," in the words of the new study's authors. Supposedly, the simplifications didn't reduce the security of the protocol, but the new research suggests otherwise.
The math behind the attack is rather complex but, distilled down, relies on sending multiple inputs through the encryption process that differ by known values, and look for pairs of pairs that show key similarities. These similarities allow the authors to determine when related encryption keys are being used, and then identify some of the bits in these keys. According to the paper, "our unoptimized implementation on a single PC recovered about 96 key bits in a few minutes, and the complete 128 bit key in less than two hours." That should meet almost nobody's standard of secure.


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Andy HershbergerNews Reporter
Andy is originally from Bethlehem, Pa. He grew up in a small family and loved sports throughout high school.
After graduation, Andy attended Penn State University, where he had a double major in Broadcast Journalism and World Literature.
Andy began his reporting career in radio. He did sports and news for WEST-AM in Easton, Pa., shortly after graduating from college. His first television job was in Lebanon, Pa., working for WLYH-TV.
After several years in the professional world, Andy returned to school and received his master's degree in Broadcast Journalism at Northwestern University. Currently, Andy is the crime reporter for WMUR News 9.
In his spare time, Andy likes to cook. His hobby is gourmet food and he spends as much time in the kitchen as possible during the weekends. Andy is also an avid runner. He jogs about 20 miles a week and enters several races a year.
Follow Andy on...


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`Uthman ibn `Affanibn Abi al-`As ibn Umayya ibn `Abd Shams, Abu `Amr, Abu `Abd Allah, Abu Layla al-Qurashi al-Umawi (d. 35), the Prophets Friend, Amîr al-Muminîn, the third of the four Rightly-Guided Successors of the Prophet and third of the Ten promised Paradise. He is named Dhu al-Nûrayn or "Possessing Two Lights," a reference to his marriage with two daughters of the Prophet, Ruqayya then Umm Kulthum. He is among those who emigrated twice: once to Abyssinia, and again to Madina. He gathered together the Quran which he had read in its entirety before the Prophet. During his tenure as Caliph, Armenia, Caucasia, Khurasan, Kirman, Sijistan, Cyprus, and much of North Africa were added to the dominions of Islam. He related 146 hadiths from the Prophet. Among the Companions who narrated from him in the Nine Books are Anas, Abu Hurayra, Jundub, `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas, `Abd Allah ibn `Umar. A host of prominent Followers narrated from him, among them al-Zuhri, Ibn al-Musayyib, al-Dahhak, and `Alqama.
`Uthman was extremely wealthy and generous. When he heard the Prophet say: "Whoever equips the army of al-`Usra, Paradise is for him," he brought the Prophet a thousand gold dinars which he poured into his lap. The Prophet picked them up with his hand and said repeatedly: "Nothing shall harm `Uthman after what he did today." It is also narrated that equipped the army of al-`Usra with seven hundred ounces of gold, or seven hundred and fifty camels and fifty horses.
The Prophet said: "The most compassionate of my Community towards my Community is Abu Bakr; the staunchest in Allahs Religion is `Umar; and the most truthful in his modesty is `Uthman." The pebbles were heard by Abu Dharr glorifying Allah in the hands of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, `Umar, and `Uthman. The Prophet particularly praised `Uthman for his modesty and said: "Shall I not feel bashful before a man when even the angels feel bashful before him?"
He was humble and was seen at the time of his caliphate sleeping alone in the mosque, wrapped in a blanket with no one around him, and riding on a mule with his son Nail behind him.
It is related through several sound chains that `Uthman recited the Quran in a single rak`a. Ibrahim ibn Rustum al-Marwazi said: "Four are the Imams that recited the entire Quran in a single rak`a: `Uthman ibn `Affan, Tamim al-Dari, Sa`id ibn Jubayr, and Abu Hanifa." Ibn al-Mubarak also narrated that `Uthman used to fast all year round. `Ali ibn Abi Talib said: "`Uthman was one of those who were mindful of their duty and [did] good works, and again [were] mindful of [their] duty, and [believed], and once again [were] mindful of their duty, and did right. Allah loves those who do good. (5:93)" Ibn `Umar said that `Uthman was meant by the verse "Is he who pays adoration in the watches of the night, prostrate and standing, bewaring of the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord. . ." (39:9).
Anas narrated: When Hudhayfa campaigned with the people of Iraq and al-Sham in Armenia, the Muslims contended with regard to the Quran in a reprehensible manner. Hudhayfa came to `Uthman and told him: "O Commander of the Believers, rescue this Community before they differ in the Quran the way Christians and Jews differed in the Books." `Uthman was alarmed at this and sent word to Hafsa the Mother of the Believers: "Send me all the volumes in which the Quran has been written down." When she did, `Uthman ordered Zayd ibn Thabit, Sa`id ibn al-`As, `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, and `Abd Al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham to copy them into volumes. He said: "If you all differ with Zayd concerning the Arabic, then write it in the dialect of Quraysh, for truly the Quran was only revealed in their dialect." There is Consensus around the integral contents of `Uthmans volume. This means that one who denies or questions it in whole or in part has left Islam.
`Uthman was neither tall nor short, extremely handsome, brunet, large-jointed, wide-shouldered, with a large beard which he dyed yellow and long hair which reached to his shoulders, and gold-braced teeth. `Abd Allah ibn Hazm said: "I saw `Uthman, and I never saw man nor woman handsomer of face than him."
The plot to kill `Uthman marked the onset of Dissension (fitna) in the Community. Together with deadly division, the great sign of this Dissension was the beginning of falsehood. The timing of the spread of falsehood was foretold by the Prophet in the hadith: "I entrust to you the well-being of my Companions, and that of those that come after them. Then falsehood will spread." To counter this, the sciences of hadith and hadith criticism were innovated within the half-century which followed `Uthmans death in order to sift true Prophetic and Companion-reports from false ones. This was done by verifying the authenticity of transmission chains (isnâds) embodied in the honesty and competence of transmitters, and by examining the conditions and contents of transmission in their minutest historical, linguistic, and doctrinal details. Ibn Sirin (d. 110) said: "We used to accept as true what we heard, then lies spread and we began to say: Name your transmitters." Confirming this is al-Hasan al-Basris (d. 110) reaction to someone who requested his isnâd: "O man! I neither lie nor was ever called a liar!" Later scholars such as Ibn al-Mubarak (d. 181) declared: "Isnâd is an integral part of the Religion, otherwise anyone can say anything."
The principle of authentication was founded by the Prophet himself and used by the Companions. This is proved by the Prophets questioning of the man who said he had seen the new moon of Ramadan: "Do you bear witness that there is no God except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?" When he replied in the affirmative, the Prophet accepted his news. Similarly, Ibn `Abbas said: "If a trustworthy source tells us of a fatwa by `Ali, we do not seek any further concerning it." This shows that they already distinguished between true and dubious sources. Furthermore, all the Companions are considered trustworthy sources according to Allahs saying: "You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind" (3:110) and several other verses and hadiths to that effect. This evidence was listed by al-Khatib in al-Kifaya and Ibn Hajar in al-Isaba.
The Prophet spoke of `Uthmans forthcoming martyrdom on numerous occasions:
"Give him [`Uthman] the tidings of Paradise after a trial that shall befall him."
"A dissension shall surge like so many bulls horns. At that time, he [indicating a man wearing a veil] and whoever is with him are on the side of right." Ka`b ibn Murra al-Bahzi then ran to the man, lifted his veil, and turned him towards the Prophet saying: "Him, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet said yes. It was `Uthman ibn `Affan.
`Uthman said: "The Prophet took a covenant from me [not to fight at the time of my martyrdom] and I shall fulfill it."
"O `Uthman! It may be that Allah shall vest you with a shirt. If they demand that you remove it, do not remove it."
Ibn `Umar said: "As `Uthman was delivering a sermon, Jahjah al-Ghafari walked up to him, snatched his stick, and broke it on his knee. A shard of wood entered his thigh and it got gangrened and was amputated. Then he died within the year. Al-Qadi `Iyad relates in his book al-Shifa, chapter entitled "Esteem for the things and places connected with the Prophet," that this staff had belonged to the Prophet.
`Abd Allah ibn Salam said to the Egyptians at the time they were besieging the Commander of the Believers `Uthman ibn `Affan: "Never did Allahs sword not remain sheathed from harming you since the Prophet came to it until this very day." Yazid ibn Abi Habib said: "I have heard that most of those that rode to kill `Uthman were later seized by demonic possession." Al-Dhahabi mentioned that `Ali had pronounced a curse on `Uthmans killers. One of the reasons for the climate of hatred stirred up against the Caliph was the grievance of some parties from Egypt and Iraq that `Uthman was favoring his relatives among the Banu Umayya with public offices and demanded that he remove them.
Ibn al-Musayyib related that a group of seven hundred Egyptians came to complain to `Uthman about their governor Ibn Abi Sarhs tyranny, so `Uthman said: "Chose someone to govern you." They chose Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, so `Uthman wrote credentials for him and they returned. On their way back, at three days distace from Madina, a black slave caught up with them with the news that he carried orders from `Uthman to the governor of Egypt. They searched him and found a message from `Uthman to Ibn Abi Sarh ordering the death of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr and some of his friends. They returned to Madina and besieged `Uthman. The latter acknowledged that the camel, the slave, and the seal on the letter belonged to him, but he swore that he had never written nor ordered the letter to be written. It was discovered that the letter had been hand-written by Marwan ibn al-Hakam. `Uthman was besieged for twenty-two days during which he refused both to give up Marwan and to resign. He was killed on the last day of Dhu al-Hijja, on the day of Jum`a, by several men who had crept into his house.
Ibn `Umar related from `Uthman that the previous night the latter had seen the Prophet in his dream telling him: "Be strong! Verily you shall break your fast with us tomorrow night." When his assailants came in they found him reading the Quran. `Uthman was first stabbed in the head with an arrow-head, then a man placed the point of his sword against his belly, whereupon his wife Naila tried to prevent him with her hand, losing several fingers. Then `Uthman and Nailas servant were killed as the latter fought back. She ran out of the house screaming for help and the killers dispersed. It is narrated that `Uthman was killed as he was reading the verse "And Allah will suffice you for defense against them. He is the Hearer, the Knower." (2:137) Several reports state that at the time of `Uthmans siege and death Zayd ibn Thabit had marshalled three hundred Ansâr in his defense together with Abu Hurayra, Ibn `Umar, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, `Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, but `Uthman forbade all of them to fight.
Among `Uthmans sayings:
"If I were between Paradise and the Fire, unsure where I will be sent, I would choose to be turned into ash before finding out where I was bound."
"I swear by Allah that I never committed fornication in the Time of Ignorance nor in Islam. Islam only increased me in modesty."
His servant Hani narrated: "Whenever `Uthman stood before a grave he wept until his beard was wet. He was asked: You have seen battle and death without a tear, and you cry for this? He said: The grave is the first abode of the hereafter. Whoever is saved from it, what follows is easier; whoever is not saved from it, what follows is harder. The Prophet said: "I have not seen anything more frightful than the punishment in the grave."" `Uthman also related from the Prophet that whenever the latter finished burying someone, he would stand by the grave and say: "All of you, ask Allah to forgive your brother and make him steadfast, for he is now being questioned."
The Prophet said: "More men will enter Paradise through the intercession of a certain man than there are people in the tribes of Rabi`a and Mudar." The elders considered that this was `Uthman ibn `Affan.
Main sources: Abu Nu`aym, Hilya al-Awliya 1:92-100 #3; al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala1/2: 566-614 #4.


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Events are subject to change. For more information about a specific event, please contact the event organizer.
- This event has passed.
Eagle River Wednesday Farmer's Market
May 5, 2021 @ 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 8:30 am on Wednesday, repeating until October 6, 2021
Join us for Veggies, Flowers, Honey, Breads, Jams, Meats, Cheeses, Maple Syrup and much more from over twenty vendors. Crafter space is strictly limited and juried. The mission of the Farmers' Market is to create a special destination for the convergence of agriculture and community.


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Editorial: Fight cancer!
August 30, 2013
It seems there's nothing else that changes one's view of life and of the world more than a diagnosis of cancer. Whether it's your life, the life of a family member, or just one of your friends, hearing "cancer" is chilling and transformational. While a battle immediately begins for the person who gets the diagnosis, for that person's family and friends, there is often the feeling of sadness and helplessness.
But now you can do something very significant to help in the fight against cancer! It's not a walk, it's not a race, it's not a concert or a fundraising dinner, the only donation you have to make is your time and a little blood sample. You can take part in the American Cancer Society's newest Cancer Prevention Study, called CPS-3. They're looking to track the health of 300,000 study volunteers across our country. Right now, they are trying to recruit 500 from Monterey County.
Cancer Prevention study in Monterey County
Participate in Cancer Prevention Study-3
To take part, you need to between the ages of 30 and 65 and you must never have had cancer. You have to be willing to fill out a detailed survey, give a small sample of blood, and have your waist measured. After that, every few years you'll be contacted for a follow-up survey. There are five locations and dates in early September where you can go to have the blood sample taken and take part in a 25-minute enrollment session. But first, you have to have an appointment. You can read more about the CPS-3 cancer study, fill out the medical history survey on-line, and make an appointment for one of those up-coming live meetings with a health professional.
Early versions of these long-term studies in the 1950's later led to dramatic public health advances: the link between smoking and cigarettes, the health danger of second-hand smoke, the link between obesity and cancer, the impact of simple aspirin lowering the risk of colon cancer, and the positive health findings go on and on. CPS-2 was launched in the early-1980's and continues long-term health tracking on the over 500,000 remaining participants.
Now in this latest long term study, CPS-3, YOU can make an impact on the future. If you are fortunate enough to be cancer-free, we can't think of a better way to support friends and loved ones than in your making a commitment to actively battle cancer by taking part in this long-term study!


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Microbial restoration of the inflamed gut30. September 2013
Subtitle: Fecal transplantation as alternative therapy for a common disease?
A team led by gastroenterologists Sieglinde Angelberger and Walter Reinisch (Medical University Vienna) and microbiologists David Berry and Alexander Loy (University of Vienna) explored how a treatment called "fecal microbiota transplantation" can be used to support microbial recolonization of the gut of patients with chronic intestinal inflammation (ulcerative colitis). In this unusual alternative therapy the gut microbiota of healthy donors is transmitted to patients. The results of this pilot clinical study appear in the scientific journal "American Journal of Gastroenterology".
About two million people in Europe suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, which are characterized by progressive tissue destruction and that often necessitate removal of sections of the intestine. The exact causes of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the most common forms of these diseases, are still largely unknown. In addition to genetic and environmental as well as lifestyle factors, a disturbed intestinal microbiota is responsible for triggering the disease. Complete recovery is often not possible. "If drug therapies fail, removal of parts of the inflamed intestine is currently the last treatment option," said Walter Reinisch, a gastroenterologist at the University Clinic for Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, and initiator of the study.
Fecal transplantation: an alternative therapy with a certain "yuck" factor
The idea of the transfer of fecal matter naturally causes some disgust. However, in many infectious and chronic diarrheas the intestinal microbiota is massively disrupted and it is therefore fecal transplantation can be used to restore the natural intestinal microbiota and thereby improve disease state. "Meta studies have shown that the controlled grafting of fecal transplantation from healthy donors is a safe and very effective treatment of acute diarrheal diseases caused by the pathogenic bacterium Clostridium difficile," said Sieglinde Angelberger, gastroenterologist at the University Clinic for Internal Medicine III of the Medical University of Vienna and author of the study: "this was the reason why we applied this therapy for the treatment of patients with chronic intestinal diseases."
Successive colonization by donor intestinal bacteria
"So far, it has not been sufficiently tested whether and how successful fecal transplantation is for the permanent settlement of microbiota from a healthy donor to a patient," said Alexander Loy of the Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Research, University of Vienna. "That is why we have followed the composition of the intestinal microbiota of patients using modern DNA sequencing methods over a period of up to three months after treatment."
The intestinal ecosystem of each individual patient reacted very differently to the fecal transplantation. Intestinal bacteria of the donors were detected in the patients, but at different times and in different frequencies. "Although we don't know the mechanisms yet, repopulation of the gut by bacteria appears to analogous to succession in a forest after it is damaged in a storm," said microbiologist David Berry: "pioneer species colonize the deforested area, in this case the inflamed intestine, and alter the ecosystem in a way that lets other species colonize and eventually a complex ecosystem can be restored."
Cooperation between basic research and applied medicine
"Working with the Medical University of Vienna offered us an opportunity to translate fundamental science expertise from the project InflammoBiota to study the intestinal microbiota of patients," said Alexander Loy. The joint project InflammoBiota (http://gutmicrobiota.univie.ac.at/inflammobiota/), which was dedicated to the study of immunology and the microbial causes of inflammatory bowel disease, was funded by the Austrian Genome Research Programme GEN-AU (http://www.gen-au.at/) of the Federal Ministry for Science and Research.
Publication in American Journal of Gastroenterology
Temporal bacterial community dynamics vary among ulcerative colitis patients after fecal microbiota transplantation
By: Sieglinde Angelberger, Walter Reinisch, Athanasios Makristathis, Cornelia Lichtenberger, Clemens Dejaco, Pavol Papay, Gottfried Novacek, Michael Trauner, Alexander Loy and David Berry. In: American Journal of Gastroenteroloy (AJG), September 2013.
Participating Institutions
Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Research, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna
Department of Clinical Microbiology and Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna
Scientific contacts
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Loy
Division of Microbial Ecology
Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Research
University of Vienna
Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna
Ass.-Prof. Dr. David Berry
Division of Microbial Ecology
Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Research
University of Vienna
Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna
Clinical contacts
Ao.-Univ. Prof. Dr. Walter Reinisch
Department of Clinical Microbiology and Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Medical University of Vienna.
Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna
Dr. Sieglinde Angelberger
Department of Clinical Microbiology and Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Medical University of Vienna.
Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna
Further inquiries
Mag. Alexandra Frey
Press office, University of Vienna
Research and Teaching
Universitätsring 1, 1010 Vienna
Mag. Johannes Angerer
Head of Communications and Public Relations
Medical University of Vienna
Spitalgasse 23, 1090 Vienna
Tel.: +43 1 40 160 - 11 501
Fax: +43 1 40 160 911 500
Mobil: +43 664 800 16 11 501
Wissenschaftlicher Kontakt
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Biol. Dr. Alexander LoyZentrum für Mikrobiologie und Umweltsystemwissenschaft, Department für Mikrobiologie und Ökosystemforschung, Division für Mikrobielle Ökologie
Universität Wien
1090 - Wien, Althanstraße 14
+43 1-4277-766 05
Mag. Alexandra FreyMedia Relations Manager
Universität Wien
1010 - Wien, Universitätsring 1
Dateigröße: 1,19 MB
Dateigröße: 344,44 KB


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After you complete the film you will submit a logline on the wrap up form, which you turn in with your final paperwork on Sunday. Your logline will go into our database and help people to remember your film.
What's a logline? It's a very short, catchy summary of the story, usually not longer than one sentence.
Here is an example: Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl seeks a way home to Kansas, befriending along the way a scarecrow without a brain, a tin woodsman without a heart, and a lion without courage.
A logline is not the phrase that might appear on a movie poster. That's a tagline.
This is a tagline: Every second counts when you have 48 hours to make a film.
Some advice on writing a good logline:
- The logline's job is to provide a quick sense of the story and make us want more.
- It presents the major plot of the story without character intricacies and sub-plots.
- It is the story boiled down to its essential essence.
- Many writing books encourage you to write the logline before you write the story, to clarify the intent of the story from the start.


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Sagstrom, Nistrop Earn SEC Golf Honors
BATON ROUGE – LSU junior golfer Madelene Sagstrom became the sixth LSU women's golfer to earn two first-team All-SEC honors when the 2014 All-SEC women's golf team was announced on Friday by the Southeastern Conference office.
Also for the first time since the 2001 season, LSU has placed two golfers on the SEC first team as Sagstrom was joined by freshman Caroline Nistrup, who was also chosen a member of the All-SEC Freshman team.
The pair will lead LSU into the NCAA Central Regionals beginning May 8 at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, where they will try to become one of the eight schools advancing from that regional to the NCAA Championships later in May in Tulsa.
The annual women's golf awards were voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.
Sagstrom, first team in 2013 and 2014 after earning freshman team honors in 2012, joins Kristi Coats (1991, '92), Ashley Winn (1995, '96, '98), Katy Harris (1998, '01), Meredith Duncan (2000, '01) and Megan McChrystal (2009, '10) as the only LSU women's golfers to earn first team honors on more than one occasion.
The Enkoping, Sweden, native posted the fifth best stroke average in the SEC and the best on the LSU team at 72.73. She won her first tournament of her college career at The Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Okla., and later lost out in a playoff at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic in March. Sagstrom posted 14 rounds of par or lower in her 26 rounds played this season and through three years has posted a career average of 73.33.
Nistrup, from Denmark, is second on the team in stroke average at 72.92 and has posted four top 10 finishes this season, including one tie for an individual crown that she lost in a sudden-death playoff. In 26 rounds, Nistrup has posted 12 rounds of par or under this season.
Alabama's Stephanie Meadow was named both the SEC Golfer of the Year and the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year. Vanderbilt's Simin Feng, the 2014 SEC women's golf individual medalist, was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, while Arkansas' Shauna Estes-Taylor was named the SEC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career.
2014 SEC Women's Golf Awards
SEC Coach of the Year
Shauna Estes-Taylor, Arkansas
SEC Golfer of the Year
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
SEC Freshman of the Year
Simin Feng, Vanderbilt
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
All-SEC Teams
First-Team All-SEC
Simin Feng, Vanderbilt (SEC Championship Medalist)
Allyson McDonald, Mississippi State
Gabriela Lopez, Arkansas
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama
Emily Tubert, Arkansas
Caroline Nistrup, LSU
Madelene Sagstrom, LSU
Justine Dreher, South Carolina
Second-Team All-SEC
Samantha Swinehart, South Carolina
Marta Sanz, Auburn
Katerina Ruzickova, Texas A&M
Emma Talley, Alabama
Jennifer Hahn, Vanderbilt
Regina Plasencia, Arkansas
Katelyn Dambaugh, South Carolina
Chessey Thomas, Tennessee
SEC All-Freshman Team
Maria Torres, Florida
Caroline Nistrup, LSU
Simin Feng, Vanderbilt
Katelyn Dambaugh, South Carolina
Haley Mills, Kentucky
Jessica Peng, Mississippi State
Antonia Scherer, Vanderbilt
Marijosse Navarro, Texas A&M


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Book Review: "Dr. Mary's Monkey" – Edward Haslam
Let me begin by saying this is an amazing book. For anyone who has any interest in the Kennedy assassination it is a MUST read if only for the shocking revelation at the end.
The story is a very believable (albeit unbelieveable) account by Mr. Haslam of his research into a secret program headed by a prominent cancer doctor by the name of Mary Sherman. The purpose of the program was to create a fast-acting, lethal cancer-causing virus, by genetically mutating monkey viruses with the ultimate goal of killing Fidel Castro! Sound familiar? Well, all hell breaks loose when a number of these viruses find their way into the first few years of Salk polio vaccinations given to millions of American children in the late 50s and early 60s. Got your attention yet?
Maybe one of the most astonishing aspects to this story is that Mary Sherman's boss, a major player in national cancer research, provides her with an errand boy from a prominent Mafia Don in New Orleans. The name of this errand boy? Lee Harvey Oswald!
I hesitate to give away the whole story, but by the end of this book you will have some very radical new ideas about not only the Kennedy assassination, but also the possible origin of several cancers which plague the boomer generation.
The story is presented in a very clear, objective and credible voice and is an absolute MUST read for anyone who seeks to find where Conspiracy and Reality collide…
I have to say it again, this is a fascinating book!
Buy the book Dr. Mary's Monkey
5 Responses to "Book Review: "Dr. Mary's Monkey" – Edward Haslam"
I wrote about Judyth Vary Baker and her relationship to Lee Harvey Oswald in DR. MARY'S MONKEY. Her new book ME & LEE will be published in November 2009 and can be pre-ordered from LeeHarveyOswald.info or JudythVaryBaker.com.
Ed, I heard you on the show tonight as well as Judyth. May God bless you for the arduous and dangerous task of research nececessary to provide such stunning disclosure. I feel so bad. While helping my son study for a 5th grade history test, the question "who killed JFK" was on the study guide and the "correct" answer was LHO. Thankyou for your work.
Hi Ed, When will I get my signed copy……and how are you?
To say that reading this book has changed me forever would be a gross understatement… When I read the cover of this book I expected something very far fetched. I could not put it down and read it cover to cover in one sitting. Everyone should read This Book. I have all of my friends and family reading it and mention it to complete strangers. Thank you Mr. Edward Haslam and all of the people who helped to make this book possible.


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Hi there! I have a Nail Of The Day post for you today!
For this mani I painted my nails with Astor Perfect Stay Smooth Velvet Effect 610 Sensual Candle (2 coats, pinkies, index fingers, thumbs) and Rimmel I ♥ Lasting Finish 702 Marshmallow Heaven (2 coats, ring and middle fingers).
The Astor polish is truly unique. It doesn't really feel like velvet, but it feels sensationally smooth.
I used Pueen's 81 plate (which is part of Pueen's Buffet Leisure collection). I tend to ignore stamping plates with funny shapes, but I'm glad I gave this one a try. I like the image! Oh, and I stamped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri 370 Uptempo Plum. 🙂