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Last August, shortly after returning as chief executive officer of Enron Corp., Ken Lay sent an e-mail to employees asking them to "Lay It On The Line" and answer a few questions about the company. Within days, Lay received more than 4,000 responses from around the world, covering issues that ranged from Enron's share price to its employee evaluations to its image beyond the corporate walls.
The results were analyzed, and in early September, Lay answered back by outlining a course of action that would, as he put it in an e-mail summary of the "Lay It On The Line" survey, "keep Enron one of the best places to work in the world."
At the heart of Lay's plan was information. In an effort to be more up-front about the company's operations, he wrote, top executives had already met with major shareholders to review "the strong prospects in each of our businesses." Stock market analysts, who for the first time in years were questioning Enron's complex balance sheet, would be educated on "how we make money."
This new spirit of openness would be extended to employees. Lay invited them to attend "brown bag" sessions to discuss issues that affected Enron's share price. In mid-October, Lay and Greg Whalley, president of Enron Wholesale Services, would begin meeting with groups of employees in events that would be videotaped and distributed company-wide. In the meantime, employees were encouraged to log on to the company's internal Web site and join a question-and-answer forum with the CEO.
"We recognize that as Enron's ambassadors in the marketplace," Lay wrote in the summary, "the more you know about our strategy, performance and challenges, the more you can help disseminate accurate information about our company."
It's now known that what Wall Street didn't understand about Enron late last summer had already doomed the company. On October 17, the seventh-largest company in the United States stunned shareholders by reducing the value of assets on its books by $1.01 billion to correct the accounting treatment of off-balance-sheet partnerships managed by chief financial officer Andrew Fastow. Less than two months later, Enron laid off 4,500 employees and filed for bankruptcy protection.
After a three-month investigation, a special committee of Enron's board of directors reported that management had purposely misled shareholders by hiding huge debt and poorly performing assets in Fastow's partnerships. Committee chairman William C. Powers, who was hired by the board to conduct the investigation, told a congressional panel that between July 2000 and October 2001, 70 percent of Enron's reported earnings were fabricated.
"What we found was appalling," Powers testified.
To date, three former Enron employees have stepped forward to corroborate the findings in the Powers committee report. Sherron Watkins, an accountant whose now-famous letter to Lay in August warned the CEO that the company was about to "implode in a wave of accounting scandals," testified before a congressional committee last month, opposite former CEO and president Jeff Skilling. Watkins went easy on Lay, and suggested he was clueless about the import of the transactions. But she had little trouble convincing lawmakers that Skilling was lying when he said he knew nothing of Enron's dire financial condition when he resigned "for personal reasons" August 14.
Margaret Ceconi, a deal originator with Enron Energy Services, told Lay in an August 29 e-mail that the division had hidden more than $500 million in losses on long-term energy contracts. Ceconi tipped off the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the first time last July, then followed up with a detailed complaint in October. She has not yet been called to testify, nor has she been questioned by investigators. Ben Glisan, Enron's former treasurer, reportedly is cooperating with the Department of Justice after being implicated by the Powers committee.
The congressional inquiries have, so far, focused on the actions of Lay, Fastow and Skilling; the company's auditor, Arthur Andersen LLP, which was indicted March 14 on federal charges of obstructing justice; and its general counsel, Vinson & Elkins, whose internal investigation of Enron's accounting practices has been derided as a whitewash. The unrestrained outrage of lawmakers has been fueled by the presence of a ready pool of victims -- Enron retirees and former employees whose retirement plans were laden with now-worthless Enron stock.
The breathtaking losses -- Enron's 401(k) plan was worth $850 million at one point -- and the apparent fraud by top management have inspired more than a half-dozen shareholder lawsuits, including a class action by the Severed Enron Employees Coalition, a group of about 600 people whose former positions ranged from secretaries to division vice presidents.
One of the coalition's founders, Diana Peters, an information technology specialist, planned to take advantage of Enron's early retirement program in three years so she could care for her husband, who is suffering from a brain tumor. Unlike many, Peters had the presence of mind to move some of her 401(k) assets into mutual funds. What she didn't realize was that when Enron's share price fell to less than a dollar, leaving her 401(k) account with a negative balance, her mutual fund was tapped to make up for the shortfall. Left with no health benefits to cover her husband's treatment, Peters had to take the first job she was offered. She says it's a good one, but that's hardly consolation.
"I want money from Arthur Andersen," she says. "I want money from Vinson & Elkins. I want money from Jeff Skilling and Andy Fastow. I want money from the board of directors. And I want somebody to go to jail."
Support for Peters and other rank-and-file employees has been universal -- almost. In early March, Michael Lewis, an author and columnist for Bloomberg News, suggested that employees should be among those held accountable for the Enron debacle. Calling them "expensive beggars," Lewis compared employees to the getaway driver for a failed bank heist who lays claim to his share of the take confiscated by police.
"[E]verything we know so far about Enron suggests many, many employees were, at the very least, willing accomplices to the schemes dreamed up by their bosses. And now they want their money back!" Lewis wrote in a column that appeared in, among other publications, The Washington Post. "The Enron case as it is currently playing out sends the following message to corporate employees: You aren't responsible for what you do [So] long as you aren't one of the top bosses, you will enjoy the moral status of the victim."
Indeed, after reviewing the now-familiar partnerships, the Powers committee concluded that "literally hundreds of people were involved in one way or the other in the transactions." Watkins told Lay that deceptive accounting was an open secret at Enron. "We're such a crooked company," she quoted one co-worker. During the company's internal investigation, Watkins told Vinson & Elkins attorneys that she was worried that as many as 300 employees with knowledge of the transactions would start talking to journalists, the SEC or both.
Watkins also pointed to the "Lay It On The Line" survey as a possible source of corroboration. She told the V&E lawyers that two employees involved in the survey said questions about accounting issues were not reflected in Lay's summary. Watkins suggested that a legal assistant could "plow through" the responses to find out how widespread the concerns were, although there is no evidence that either V&E or the Powers committee ever did that.
Nonetheless, according to the survey's results, many respondents were aware that something was indeed rotten in the state of Enron. Nearly one in three respondents told Lay they thought Enron had become less ethical during the previous 12 months. Almost 40 percent considered the company more arrogant and less trustworthy, while far fewer than half the respondents believed senior executives possessed "a clear view of where Enron is going and how to get there."
Lay skillfully dodged those concerns in his summary, instead noting that "Lay It On The Line" confirmed the "great things you feel about Enron." According to Lay, Enron's stock price, which had been cut in half since January 2001, was the No. 1 concern of the 4,000 respondents. He blamed the decline on several factors: the recession, the slower-than-expected pace of electricity deregulation, a marked decrease in natural gas prices and a "meltdown" in the high-speed Internet, or broadband, industry, which Lay estimated accounted for more than a third of the company's stock price at its peak a year earlier.
But by last summer, many employees were wondering how Enron stock ever got as high as $90 a share. "People were aware that the stock was overvalued, that the earnings being reported did not reflect reality," says Michael L. Miller, a former vice president with Enron Wholesale Services. "There was more uncertainty than people [outside the company] perhaps appreciate."
Why that hasn't translated into more people offering up evidence to prosecutors is a question some former employees have asked themselves. Michael J. Miller -- not to be confused with the Enron Wholesale executive, Michael L. Miller -- says that as the investigations grind forward, he expects more former employees to contribute to the prosecution of those responsible, many by offering firsthand accounts of wrongdoing.
"That's the way they are going to weed out a lot of the facts, by corroborating evidence, having people step forward who are credible and in a position to know what was going on in the machine," says Miller, whose tenure at Enron dates back to before it emerged from the conglomeration of Houston Natural Gas and Internorth in 1985. "I don't know how five people could have pulled this off."
Testimony and evidence from a broad range of former employees may also keep them in the hunt for whatever is left once Enron's bankruptcy runs its course. While the rank-and-file employees of failed companies are rarely given much consideration -- or at least no more than other unsecured creditors, such as vendors -- the high-profile plight of Enron's workers won them an unlikely victory on Valentine's Day.
Acknowledging the more than 20,000 participants in Enron's employee benefits plan, a trustee with the Department of Justice appointed a separate committee to represent former workers. Federal law allows for such special committees, says Nancy Rapoport, dean of the University of Houston Law School and a bankruptcy expert. But she knows of only one other case when such a panel was approved. "I think it was done for perception reasons in order to reduce tensions," says Rapoport, noting that Enron paid more than $50 million in "retention" bonuses on the eve of its Chapter 11 filing. "I think it was a wise decision, but it has a price: [An employee committee] increases expenses, which inevitably will come out of whatever assets are left for the unsecured creditors."
When the committee representing the "employee class" is finally seated, the Severed Enron Employees Coalition hopes to have at least one member, if not several, appointed to it. The coalition's goal -- to secure $150 million in additional severance allegedly owed to laid-off workers -- is chump change compared to the hundreds of billions in secured claims staked by the "investor class" of banks and institutional shareholders. But it won't come easy. For one thing, both the secured creditors and Stephen Cooper, who was hired by the Enron board to restructure the company, have opposed additional severance beyond the $5,600 per employee that's already been paid out. Meanwhile, Cooper says he'll need another $50 million to keep his current workforce from fleeing to other companies.
"If Cooper can figure out a way not to pay employees, that just means more for the company if it survives," says Randy McClanahan, an attorney from one of four firms hired on a contingency basis by the severed-employees coalition. "And the investor class is against the employees, because that would mean more for them if Enron is liquidated. It is not in either of their interests for the employees to succeed."
McClanahan plans to counter the opposition by expanding the coalition's lawsuit to a claim for damages under the federal RICO Act. McClanahan will have to first convince the bankruptcy court that Enron was a criminal enterprise, and that the investor class conspired with the company's management to deceive shareholders and employees.
That strategy may have received a boost with the recent indictment of Arthur Andersen, as well as revelations that Fastow allegedly pressured banks and pension funds to invest in the off-balance-sheet partnerships in exchange for other Enron business. Watkins and chief operating officer Jeff McMahon told V&E attorneys and the Powers committee that favored lenders were known within the company as "Friends of Enron."
"That was actually a pretty widely used term -- FOE," confirms a former vice president with Enron Global Markets, who pronounced it "pho," like the Vietnamese noodle soup. "And for a while it worked. For a while everyone was happy."
Before Enron collapsed, its transformation from a stuck-in-the-mud pipeline company to New Economy "market-maker" was much celebrated, as was its principal architect, Jeff Skilling. Even today, many employees, while no longer worshiping at Skilling's altar, still marvel at his extraordinary intellect.
Lay particularly admired Skilling. In January, some weeks before he declined to testify before Congress, Lay was interviewed by attorneys representing the Powers committee. According to the notes of that session, Lay trusted Skilling, never felt manipulated by him and considered him a man of integrity and good judgment. He pointed out that Skilling had graduated from Harvard.
Skilling joined Enron in 1990 to run its embryonic natural gas trading business, Enfolio GasBank. The GasBank guaranteed its customers delivery of a certain amount of natural gas, at a certain time, for a predetermined price. At the end of each quarter, each contract was "marked to market" -- that is, its value was recorded depending on the price of gas that day. Enron then booked each contract as earnings or loss.
In 1993, Enron partnered up with the California Public Employees Retirement System, or CALPERS, to invest in independent producers of natural gas, crude oil and electricity. When CALPERS cashed out in 1997, Fastow engineered the infamous Chewco partnership. Chewco's financial statement should have been consolidated on Enron's balance sheet, but Skilling and Fastow apparently convinced the board that the partnership was an independent company, like CALPERS.
The "error" was discovered in November, and when the arithmetic was complete, Chewco accounted for a large part of the $1.01 billion write-down in asset value that preceded Enron's bankruptcy. The details of the Chewco transaction are extraordinarily complex. Less complicated is why Enron did the deal in the first place: It couldn't find a partner to invest in its assets. Michael L. Miller remembers when, a few years back, Enron tried to package its South American and Caribbean energy assets and sell them as a way of generating capital. For no apparent reason, the marketing effort was called Project California; one package was dubbed SoCal, the other NoCal.
"The SoCal package went out to ten to 12 potential buyers," Miller recalls. "Meetings were held, but they couldn't get anyone to submit even a preliminary bid. My boss pulled the NoCal book before it even went out to market. That was proof in the pudding that there wasn't a huge level of demand out there for the assets we had."
Janice Holloway, who used to work for what was once known as Enron International, remembers that the group's assets were "always on the block. But from what I could tell, they never sold more than a few." Holloway also recalls the prescient comments made by a co-worker as he left the company a few years ago. "He said to me, 'I don't know how they can keep this business going. I don't know how they are booking profits.' "
Holloway, who asserts she had a relatively low-level position working with the group's attorneys, says she responded by going downstairs to get a cup of coffee. "Yeah, I did wonder a little bit about it at the time," she says now. "But it wasn't something that people were talking about, like around the water cooler or anything. I wasn't a manager or a director. I didn't see any need to question. I really wasn't privy enough."
Enron began employing off-balance-sheet partnerships, which are widely used by U.S. corporations, in the early 1990s to hedge its investments in emerging markets. Often they proved to be good business decisions. Miller recalls that in August 2000, Enron Wholesale Services did a deal with one of several partnerships Enron named after a garbage-eating creature from Jurassic Park called a raptor. The year before, Enron had put $5 million in Active Power, an alternative energy company in Austin. The day the company went public, Enron's investment was worth $60 million. Miller's group hedged the gain by transferring the shares to Raptor during the 180-day "lockdown period," when they can't be sold on the market.
"It was a good deal," Miller recalls. "We were able to sell the shares and make a cash profit of $25 million on a $5 million investment."
That explains why Miller, who was instrumental in organizing the Severed Enron Employees Coalition and eventually wrote the group's charter, says the depiction of the horrendous Raptor losses in the Powers committee report "surprised me a little."
As detailed by the committee report, the Raptor partnerships were spun off from Enron's dealings with perhaps the best-known of its off-balance-sheet schemes, LJM -- so named for the initials of Fastow's wife and two children. Raptors I through IV had the greatest impact on Enron's financial statements, the committee report said, allowing the company to conceal $1 billion in losses on poorly performing assets it couldn't dump. The Raptors' fatal flaw was that they were capitalized not with outside equity but with Enron stock.
For example, LJM1 and its related Raptors received Enron stock to hedge investments in an Internet service provider, Rhythms NetConnections, and the expansion of a fiber-optic cable network. As long as the tech companies did well, the phony hedge was harmless. As long as Enron's share price held its own, the hedge served a useful purpose. While the details are infinitely more complex, the upshot is that both Enron's tech investments and its share price tanked. The company's management complicated matters by restructuring the deals in early 2001 without seeking approval from the board of directors. Nonetheless, the tech companies continued to decline in value, as did Enron's stock.
Meanwhile, after folding Enron International in 1998, Skilling effectively shut down Enron Global Markets group last summer, telling employees that the company wanted to dump its traditional asset base in favor of its trading operations. A former executive with the Global Markets group says that, as far as he could tell, Enron Global Markets was making money for the company, booking almost $80 million in earnings in 2000.
Still, he remembers one incident that makes him wonder how much of that profit was real. Just before Christmas that year, his boss called and said he "needed" another $20 million in the fourth quarter. Because the group marked the value of its assets to market, the executive went back and examined the group's holdings for a plant or a small energy concern that might have been undervalued. When he reported the bad news, his boss told him to look again.
"We had already marked everything that we could based on our accounting policies, which basically stated that you couldn't mark it up to a higher level unless a third party was willing to come in and pay that much," he says. "We did have two companies that were in the early stages of another financing round, and they had term sheets that suggested a higher price could be had at some point. We had no deals yet, but I said, 'I suppose if we took a very aggressive stance, we could say that based on these term sheets, [the financing] is going to happen.' I effectively took $20 million of accounting profits out of 2001 and brought it back into 2000.
"That was the kind of thing that was happening all the time," he continues. "The attitude was: 'The most realistic assessment of the future was whatever made my bonus bigger at year-end. I'm not going to be here in five years anyway when it all comes crashing down, so who cares?' "
The former executive says that however misleading the transaction appeared, it was approved by Arthur Andersen and Enron's chief accounting officer, Richard Causey. Rick Buy, head of Enron's Risk Assessment Group, which signs off on the final valuation of assets for marked-to-market accounting purposes, found nothing objectionable about it either, he recalls.
"It was effectively being forced on us that it was top down, that the accountants were telling us, 'This is the way we want to account for this deal, this is what we're going to do here,' " he says. "It all seemed very strange in certain cases. But, my God, we had all these controls in place and everyone has signed off on it, it must be okay."
It wasn't okay, though, and neither were many similar transactions between Enron and its off-balance-sheet partnerships. According to the Powers committee, while Enron's board of directors relied on Causey and Buy to protect the company's interests, neither "had the necessary time, or spent the necessary time" to scrutinize the transactions closely.
Then again, Buy in particular had a mandate to ignore reality when necessary. Consider this clause from Enron's risk assessment manual: "Reported earnings follow the rules and principles of accounting. The results do not always create measures consistent with underlying economics. However, corporate management's performance is generally measured by accounting income, not underlying economics. Risk management strategies are therefore directed at accounting rather than economic performance."
In his interview with the Powers committee, Lay said he began to prepare Skilling for the CEO position some months before the transfer of power in February 2001. Lay said Skilling "appropriately slowed the flow of information" to his former boss, who remained chairman of the Enron board of directors. Meanwhile, Lay told interviewers, he began focusing on other areas of Enron's business, problems in California in particular.
For Lay and Enron, California was like the entryway to the Garden of Eden, the first substantially deregulated power market in the country. And thanks in large part to Lay's political stroke and largesse -- Enron's officers, directors and employees gave millions in campaign contributions individually and through a political action committee -- it certainly wouldn't be the last. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware had banded together to create a deregulated market on the East Coast, and two dozen other states, including Texas, were moving toward giving consumers a choice between private energy companies and public utilities.
Enron Online made a mint selling megawatt-hours on the spot market in California, where rates at one point were several hundred times the norm and a series of rolling blackouts darkened areas of the state. Earnings for Enron Wholesale Services increased from $12 billion in the first quarter of 2000 to $48.4 billion during the same three-month period a year later. According to several lawsuits filed last year, however, those profits were the result of price manipulation by Enron and other energy companies, including Reliant and Dynegy.
Enron could never hope to sustain those profits in any event, especially after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission imposed price caps in California. There was also increased competition from other energy companies whose trading operations were starting to cut into Enron Online's market share. Where Enron had really hoped to distinguish itself in California and elsewhere was in retail power-management contracts.
Enron Energy Services was supposed to be Enron's most promising business unit, the crown jewel of the corporation in the eyes of some. In reality, it was a bust right from the start. The idea was that because of deregulation, the CEOs and CFOs of businesses that consume a lot of energy, such as manufacturing plants, shopping malls and apartment complexes, would look for the best deal on electricity and natural gas. But could they find it? That's where Enron came in. EES would handle everything -- purchasing, delivery, metering and billing -- and guarantee significant savings to boot. This was an extremely appealing offer, says Margaret Ceconi, who negotiated such deals at EES.
Compared to off-balance-sheet financing, Ceconi's experiences at Enron -- which she has shared with the SEC and expects to someday share with the Department of Justice and Congress -- have the dual virtues of simplicity and clarity of intent. And they speak volumes about the company Ken Lay so awkwardly called "one of the best places to work in the world."
EES had about 2,000 employees, a couple hundred of whom, like Ceconi, worked directly on generating clients, negotiating contracts and ensuring the service was delivered. The pitch was that, based on Enron's expert assessment of supply and price trends, a company could expect its energy costs to go up over the long run.
Enron would assume that risk by buying power for whatever the market charged, while guaranteeing delivery to its customers at a predetermined price for ten years. Sound good? There's more: Enron would reduce the price it charged by, say, 50 percent for the first few years and adjust the annual bill accordingly in the later years of the contract.
It's called "tilting the curve," and Ceconi was able to illustrate the peculiar logic behind it with a few strokes of a ballpoint pen. Seated at a conference table in her attorney's office, Ceconi sketched a standard two-line graph, added a few numbers, then drew a line, left to right, that stays constant for three years, then suddenly bellies down before rising again in about year seven. The finished drawing was an approximation of Enron's internal pricing curve, which purportedly represented what Enron calculated the price of energy would be over the next ten years.
"This was something you would die for," Ceconi said when she finished. "Other companies couldn't figure out how Enron made money at this, because when they tried to do it, they couldn't figure out how to make money at it."
Truth was, Enron couldn't figure it out either. But it hid that fact by using a pricing curve that, contrary to what EES was telling CEOs around the country, projected that prices would drop dramatically. This allowed EES to show, on paper anyway, that its long-term power contracts were going to be enormously profitable. Moreover, using marked-to-market accounting, EES's accountants booked the projected ten-year value of the contract as earnings the day the deal was closed. The problem was that it hardly reflected the reality of EES's financial situation.
By tilting the curve to give customers an early discount on their energy costs, EES wasn't taking in enough to cover what the local utility companies were charging for gas and electricity. Meanwhile, EES was spending much more than it projected setting up the infrastructure for the retail contracts. For example, it was estimated that changing out an electric meter for one that Enron could track in Houston, whether the building was in Duluth or Chicago, would cost $1,000. It turned out the standard rate was $10,000 to $15,000. Some of Enron's biggest retail clients, such as Simon Properties and JCPenney, to cite just two, required hundreds of new meters for buildings all over the country.
Ceconi, an accountant and former banker, says it took her four months to figure out that EES was booking profits that it could substantiate only theoretically. When she pointed that out to her bosses and co-workers, they told her she simply didn't understand the business. "They said, 'No, this is energy accounting,' " Ceconi recalls. "But they knew these could not possibly be considered real earnings. Did they think they were so smart they could predict the future's curve? To a certain degree, yes, but I heard time and time again, 'Don't worry about it. That's somebody else's problem down the road.' "
Eventually, it became Dave Delainey's problem. Delainey was named EES's chief executive a year ago. The first thing he did was put a stop to the inflated marked-to-market valuations of EES's contracts. The new valuations, Ceconi says, showed that EES was losing millions of dollars meeting the energy needs of more than 31,000 buildings across the country. By May, EES had quit looking for new business. It had also changed the employee compensation formula, which originally paid a commission based on the full projected value of a contract. Ceconi saw her single commission -- deals took more than a year to close -- reduced from $300,000 to $25,000.
Ceconi acknowledges that she was lured away from her corporate job to become a salesperson by the promise of giant paydays. Even though the original commission formula was no longer workable, and rightly so, Ceconi apparently was one of the few who understood that. Most of the staff was furious, especially the seven who had made more than $1 million in 2000.
"Everybody knew this was going on, but nobody knew it was wrong because it was 'innovative and creative,' " Ceconi says. "Because most of the people had spent their whole careers at Enron and they had no basis for comparison. Those of us from the outside said, 'This isn't the way you do things.' They didn't know this was something you couldn't do."
Then again, taking liberties with the balance sheet had become the Enron way. In addition to the other changes at EES, Enron folded the unit's risk assessment desk, which certified the contract values, into Enron Wholesale Services, where they were raking in the profits on the California spot market. That allowed Enron to shift about $500 million in losses off EES's June 2001 financial statement onto the books of a more profitable unit, where they would be absorbed undetected.
Around mid-morning on August 4, 2001, Jeff Skilling paid a visit to an EES "floor meeting." About 100 people attended, Ceconi recalls, and there was no shortage of questions about the unit's future.
"One guy says, 'Hey, Jeff,' " Ceconi recalls. " 'You said the stock price is being penalized by analysts and that we should keep on buying, yet you're selling shares every week.' And Skilling says, 'Well, all executives have to register their stock sales, and I have a plan, and I don't know when it's going to sell, and I'm building a house and my accountant says I need to do some estate planning, and 80 percent of my worth is in Enron stock. But we still think it's a good buy and you guys should be buying.' "
Apparently, Delainey's predecessor as EES's chief, Lou Pai, was doing some estate planning as well. Pai began selling his Enron shares in January 1999 and didn't stop until June 2001. But by the time anyone knew EES was a failure, Pai had made $353 million -- three times the next-highest cash-out: $101.3 million by Ken Lay.
Ceconi says that everyone at the floor meeting knew the earnings reported on EES's June financial statement were bogus. Yet she remembers that Skilling touted EES as Enron's "next star," predicting that the unit would be generating $500 million in income in a year or two.
"I'm thinking, 'What drug is he on?' " Ceconi recalls. "I said, 'Hey, Jeff, what's your strategy for getting us there? I mean, do you know something we don't know? Because we have no product to sell.' He said, 'Oh, you guys are the creative ones. You'll come up with it.' He was totally blowing smoke. We all got laid off later that day."
Less than two weeks after gutting Enron Energy Services, Skilling resigned as CEO, after just six months on the job. A day after Lay announced that Skilling wanted to spend more time with his family, Skilling himself acknowledged in an interview that he had taken personally the steep decline in Enron's share price under his watch.
At the request of the board of directors, Lay once again took charge of the company. He told the Powers committee in January that at a management retreat in The Woodlands about a month after his return, he solicited comments about Enron's problems. That led to a one-hour discussion of off-balance-sheet transactions, which most of the two dozen attendees admitted they had used on occasion. According to notes of his interview, Lay said the consensus was that "so long as the vehicles were valid, they made a lot of sense."
Lay acknowledged that he had been consulted on the formation of most of the partnerships run by Fastow, but claimed not to have known they were being used to conceal huge debts and losses until October, when the company reported a quarterly loss of more than $500 million. By then, Lay had been working hard to rally the company's employees, starting with the "Lay It On The Line" survey. There is a somewhat surprising ambivalence among former Enron employees interviewed for this story about Lay's culpability in the company's collapse, although everyone believes he failed to respond quickly enough to Sherron Watkins's detailed warning of the accounting high jinks. For that reason -- and because he was, after all, CEO and chairman of the board -- nearly everyone agrees he bears ultimate responsibility.
Diana Peters is convinced Lay was "a patsy" who was "duped" by Skilling and Fastow. She believes Lay was sincere when he asked employees to "Lay It On The Line," and she senses nothing sinister in his exhortation in a September 26 online chat to "[t]alk up the stock and talk positively about Enron to your family and friends."
"I think he really thought he could make things better, smooth things out and move it forward," Peters says. "I don't think he had any intention of deliberately screwing anybody, excuse my French."
John Allario, creator and Webmaster of Laydoff.com, one of a handful of electronic gathering places for disenfranchised workers and an outlet for their frustrations, was initially encouraged by Lay's efforts at leadership, but eventually changed his mind. "At the time, I thought it was a very proactive thing for Lay to be doing," he says. "He had just taken over, and this was one of his efforts to get his hands around what the company was thinking. In hindsight, it seems like a well-planned PR campaign to give me that exact feeling of comfort, that Ken was at the helm and looking out for me."
Lay acknowledged in his Powers committee interview that cashing in more than $100 million in stock options might have suggested to Wall Street that he was ripping the parachute from the back of Enron shareholders and bailing out. Lay's attorney, Earl J. Silbert, has defended the stock sales, saying Lay needed capital to repay millions of dollars in loans he had received from the company. But according to notes from his interview, Lay never mentioned the loans to the Powers committee. Instead, Lay explained that he "wanted to liquidate some of his stock to diversify because he had approximately 75 percent of his assets in Enron stock plans."
Ceconi doubts that explanation. She figures that, based on what she saw, Enron had been technically bankrupt for almost two years, and the top brass knew it. Meanwhile, she says, Lay "was encouraging people to invest in the company and selling his own stock. He was like Jeff Skilling. No, he didn't have anything to do with when the stock would be sold. But yes, he did choose to turn the switch on in the first place to start selling shares every week."
It's safe to say that, in contrast to the mixed emotions about Lay, the contempt for Skilling and Fastow is shared by all former employees. They orchestrated a solution to the company's problems that wasn't a solution at all, says Michael L. Miller of the Severed Enron Employees Coalition. Miller is angry that Skilling only increased the pressure on a struggling company by trying to justify a higher share price through "deceit." The only honest solution, he says, would have been to admit Enron was overvalued and adjust the balance sheet accordingly.
Still, Miller isn't willing to tar everyone involved in the deception with the same brush. While he believes people such as treasurer Richard Causey and risk manager Rick Buy ignored their duties to shareholders, they may have weighed their options and decided it would all work out in the end.
"These guys became incredibly wealthy riding that train with Skilling," Miller says. "At the same time, I believe they viewed all this off-balance-sheet theatrics as a stopgap until we could get our [assets] sold and generate the five or six billion in cash that Skilling had been promising Wall Street for a couple years. I don't think they viewed them as a permanent part of the organization's structure, but as something that was necessary to get things off the balance sheet for this year-end, and by next year-end, we'll unwind them. And next year never came."
However it happened and whoever's to blame, the coalition's members seem eager to move on to the more pressing issue of securing $150 million in additional severance. According to the class action suit, the coalition's claim is based on Enron's failure to give 60 days' notice before termination, per company policy. Many employees also want bonuses owed to them for their work last year; Miller says his would be "in the six figures." As for their lost retirement savings, few coalition members hold out any hope that even a fraction of that will be recovered.
"At its peak, people probably had a lot of money in their 401(k)s, but that was based on a business model that was fraudulent," Miller reasons. "How much money would people be allowed to claim they lost?"
There is some worry among coalition members that their case will be weakened somehow as former employees move on, either to focus on new jobs or to avoid being consumed by anger and disappointment. After a lot of early interest, the employee class represented by the coalition has leveled off at about 600 people.
Still, interest could pick up if Houston's energy economy doesn't. No one knows how many of the 4,500 employees laid off are back to work somewhere else; about half the coalition members interviewed have found new jobs. A pattern of discrimination has emerged in the refusal of some firms to even interview former Enron employees, says Michael J. Miller, who put in 20 years working for the company and its predecessor.
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"If you were an employer and you had a choice of equally qualified candidates, and one was from Enron and one was from Duke, which would you choose?" Miller asks.
That's a stunning turn of fate for Enron employees, who were once considered the best in their field, not just in Houston, but in energy centers around the world. Even now, many employees think it's only a matter of time before people are downloading entire libraries of movies onto their hard drives and the demand for broadband will catch up to the supply. On the other hand, the company credited with opening up the country's energy markets to private companies has done the most, through its abuse of the privilege, to damage the cause. Some states are rethinking their new laws, while others have postponed enacting theirs until the federal government concludes an investigation into alleged price manipulation in California.
In the end, the lack of an honorable legacy may prove quite motivating for former employees.
"We're all very interested in seeing that justice is done," says Michael L. Miller. "And justice means not only that what is due the people who worked at Enron is returned to them, but also that there is some accountability here. Who is to blame? And that those people pay the consequences."
Keep the Houston Press Free... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Houston with no paywalls.


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Discussion of Daily Sudoku puzzles
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At an impasse
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Marty R.
Joined: 12 Feb 2006
Posts: 5770
Location: Rochester, NY, USA
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:57 pm
Post subject: At an impasse
Maybe I finally figured out how to input a grid, but there must be an easier way (I hope). I've looked at this thing til my eyes hurt. I then erased everything, hoping a fresh start might be better, but it wasn't. If someone could just give me a nudge, perhaps I can take it from there. I have another puzzle that's similar, so maybe the same nudge will help on both.
By the way, I have been able to solve only four cells: r2c7, r5c5, r6c6 and r8c7.
189 .3 .489 .6 .189 .145 .7 .2489 .2459
5 .4789 .4689 .2 .789 .47 .3 .4689 .1
16789 .2 .4689 .1457 .1789 .3 .58 .4689 .4569
2389 .6 .23489 .1378 .5 .179 .18 .24789 .2479
389 .14589 .7 .138 .2 .19 .6 .489 .459
289 .1589 .2589 .178 .4 .6 .158 .3 .2579
23678 .578 .23568 .9 .367 .457 .24 .1 .367
4. 57 .356 .157 .1367 .2 .9 .67 .8
23679 .79 .1 .47 .367 .8 .24 .5 .367
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David Bryant
Joined: 29 Jul 2005
Posts: 559
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 8:19 pm
Post subject: This is a tough puzzle, Marty
Hi, Marty! Your grid looks very nice. Your next move is to place a "7" at r8c2. Let me explain why.
189 3 489 6 189 145+ 7 2489 245-9
5 4789 4689 2 789 47 3 4689 1
16789 2 4689 145-7 1789 3 58 4689 4569
2389 6 23489 1378 5 179 18 24789 2479
389 145~89 7 138 2 19 6 489 45=9
289 1589 2589 178 4 6 158 3 2579
23678 578 23568 9 367 45-7 24 1 367
4 57 356 15+7 1367 2 9 67 8
23679 79 1 47 367 8 24 5 367
Notice that there are only two ways to place a "5" in row 1. There are also only two ways to put a "5" in columns 4 & 6, and in the top center 3x3 box. These possible "5"s form a binary chain ... I've marked them with "+" and "-" signs to accentuate this relationship. Evidently all the "5+" cells are 5, or else all the "5-" cells are 5 in the final solution.
Now look at row 5. There are also only two ways to place a "5" in this row, at r5c2 or at r5c9. I've marked these "5~" and "5=" to distinguish them from the "+/-" marks we made earlier.
Now we can draw some inferences.
If r1c9 = 5 then r5c9 <> 5, and r5c2 = 5
If r1c9 <> 5 then r8c4 = 5 (r1c9 is a "-", and r8c4 is a "+")
So either r5c2 = 5 or else r8c4 = 5, and there cannot possibly be a "5" at r8c2. dcb
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Joined: 19 Sep 2005
Posts: 3344
Location: near Detroit, Michigan, USA
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 8:53 pm
Post subject: Inputting a grid
I am not exactly sure what your question is, but this may help.
To type a grid in by hand, use NotePad (on Windows). It uses a fixed xx font, so columns will line up properly.
Then, in the forums: Type your message. When you are ready to put in the grid, click the "code" button, then cut and paste from notepad. Click the "code" button again.
Otherwise, get some software (like Sudoku Susser) that allows you to easily type a puzzle onto a grid, or it reads many formats. Then, you can output the puzzle as a text file at any stage through the solution.
By the way, Sudoku Susser is at
To get the manual, you have to download the entire application as a zip file. You can unzip the file to get the (pdf) manual without installing the software.
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Marty R.
Joined: 12 Feb 2006
Posts: 5770
Location: Rochester, NY, USA
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 9:25 pm
Post subject:
I am not exactly sure what your question is,
I'm not sure what it was either, except I was having trouble figuring out how to input a grid. I finally clicked "Code", then typed my numbers, with the appropriate number of spaces so the columns would line up, then clicked "Code" again. I'll try the Notepad and see how that goes.
These possible "5"s form a binary chain
Is a "binary chain" the same as a "forcing chain"? I just learned of the latter a couple of days ago, but haven't had an opportunity to use it yet. I figured that I could use it when a bunch of cells had just two candidates.
How did you discover that chain? What were you looking for?
I have two other unfinished puzzles similar to the one I posted here. Both have a fair number of cells with four or five candidates and my current repertoire of techniques doesn't cut the mustard. Chances are, they will also require the use of chains similar to the above.
Thanks very much to both David and Keith.
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Joined: 01 Aug 2005
Posts: 198
Location: Bideford Devon EX39
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:15 am
Post subject:
> Is a "binary chain" the same as a "forcing chain"?
It can be but need not necessarily be so.
Binary chains can be either uni-directional or (less
commonly) bi-directional in terms of "forcing".
The purer form of the binary chain has the property
of being a single sequence of cells but there is also
the alternative kind known as "double implication"
chains - where the path of the chain depends upon
the values in the cells "visited" on the path.
A "binary chain" is any which consists at each link
with a choice of exactly TWO routes or values to be
considered in order to determine the next link. If
the "incoming" route to a cell determines the route
of the "outgoing" link then the chain is a "forcing" one
at that point and if ALL the links are of that nature then
the whole chain is a 'forcing chain'.
Sometimes a chain is forcing in one direction or with
one set of values but not with the alternative.
eg a line with 67 68 79 where the route arrives at 67.
If the cell has value 6 then the next cell is 79 (not 6)
and if it has value 7 the next cell is 68 (not 7).
(the chain is forcing irrespective of the 67 value).
However if the route arrives at 79 the situation is not
so clear. Arriving with 7 forces a link to 68 (not 7) but
arriving with 9 leaves the next link as either 67 or 68
and so the chain is not forcing - but it is still a binary!
> How did you discover that chain? What were you looking for?
This is a complex subject. There have been a number of
conjectures as to how to narrow the search for chains but
there has been no definitive method agreed yet. Each case
is open to inspection but those using DIC's over recent months
have learned some intuitive tricks as to where the chains are
more likely to be. They then need testing. Occasionally, a chain
exists and is valid but does not contain any useful information!
The "gold standard" for a chain is where it can be demonstrated
that cell A can have two (occasionally more!) values and that
whichever value is held in that cell the value in cell B is BOUND
to be a unique value.
For example A=67, B=89 and chains can be found such that A=6
forces B to be 9, and also that taking A=7 forces B to be 9. This
is not the norm. In most puzzles the chains from one binary pair
(eg A=67) will lead to different values in cell B.
Some human solvers will find first a "reductio ad absurdum" or
'logical contradiction' so that assuming one of the two values for
a particular square will lead to a breach of the Sudoku prime rule
that each row/column/region must contain all digits 1-9. This is
taken as a sign that the OTHER value must be correct (although
usually tested to be so!). It is good form to recast this into the
preferred logic of having disparate values in one cell leading to a
unique value in another.
Having said all this, the puzzles in the Daily Sudoku have rarely (if
ever!) required the use of these chains. However the "other puzzles"
section of the forum contains numerous examples where chains have
been needed to reach a solution. My suspicion (!) is that sometimes
the human solver has used trial and error to determine the solution
and then worked backwards to find the chain - but I may be wrong!
The use of chains is in the "ultra-advanced" group of techniques and
only recently have the computer solvers been enhanced to find them
(sometimes with large time-resource overheads). My belief is that a
human being needs a particular penchant for searching for chains as
the mental discipline is beyond that of simple logic - or even of the
search for patterns in the candidate profiles. One needs to keep track
of implications from cell to cell across many cells- rather than just
spotting relationships in a 'static' situation. However that does not
deny that some puzzles, proven to have a unique solution, can be
solved only with chaining techniques.
Many human solvers will be attracted by the difficulties of being on
the "leading edge" of solution methods. However, no-one NEEDS to
aspire to that role. The Daily Sudoku provides each day a puzzle that
can challenge the human without recourse to such "ultra-advanced"
methods. For example, it is usually possible to solve a "medium"
puzzle without making ANY pencil marks (except the solution of
course!) and the Hard/V.Hard can often be solved using marks only
for the Mandatory Pairs rather than using Candidate Profiles.
Whatever one's standard, there is a suitable challenge on this site.
Alan Rayner BS23 2QT
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Marty R.
Joined: 12 Feb 2006
Posts: 5770
Location: Rochester, NY, USA
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:36 pm
Post subject:
Alan, thank you very much for taking the time to write that explanation.
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Today: The sharp, sudden decline in Silicon Valley's skyrocketing tech stocks was erased by the end of the second quarter, with extreme performances characterized by Apple and Twitter. Also: Facebook challenges Twitter with its own ad acquisition.
The Lead: Apple helps tech stocks rebound in Q2 after early plunge
Silicon Valley's second quarter was actually a tale of two halves: A well-publicized tech-stock meltdown that decimated market caps across different sectors, followed by an Apple-led rebound that resulted in only slight overall movement for the quarter.
The SV150, an unweighted index of Silicon Valley's largest 150 technology companies in terms of sales, declined 0.6 percent in the second quarter, and that deficit was erased completely on the first day of the new quarter. That story ignores the extreme volatility involved in reaching the break-even point: The index fell 9 percent in the first half of the quarter, then gained 9.3 percent from May 15 though the end.
"It was a really extreme quarter for technology," said Brendan Connaughton, chief investment officer of San Francisco wealth management firm ClearPath Capital Partners.
The extremes were not just apparent in the roller-coaster nature of the quarter but in the performances of different companies within the tech sector: Silicon Valley's freshest faces brought up the rear, with the 21 companies that have entered the index after initial public offerings falling 6.3 percent, while the valley's standard-bearers — the 20 largest companies by revenues — shot 7.1 percent higher.
Apple, the valley's largest tech firm, "carried the day and in turn carried the sector," Connaughton noted. "That's what really roared back in the second half of Q2. It was an Apple story almost from the get-go,"
Apple gained 21.2 percent in the second quarter, and managed to avoid the down-then-up roller coaster, increasing 9.1 percent in the first half of the quarter and 10.5 percent in the second half, after adjusting for its 7-to-1 stock split. Other established companies also avoided wild swings and ended with substantial gains: SanDisk gained 28.6 percent and continued to hit record highs while boosting its enterprise unit with the $1.1 billion purchase of Fusion-IO; Intel improved by 19.7 percent as personal-computer sales boosted revenues; and Cisco added 10.8 percent to while beating lowered expectations.
Connaughton theorizes that a revival in enterprise spending has led to investors to move toward Silicon Valley's largest companies, as they begin to see the fruits of an improving economy.
"Capital expenditures are coming back. And when capital expenditures from corporate America comes back, its not going to go to these small companies, its going to go to these big legacy companies" like Oracle and Cisco, he explained.
That money flowing into Apple and Intel may be profits taken from the post-IPO companies that helped send the SV150 into a spiral early in the quarter. Twitter's dovetail, which coincided with the end of its post-IPO lockup period that kept employees from selling shares, was indicative of the trend — the San Francisco social networking company plunged 29.8 percent from the end of the March 31 session to the end of trading on May 15, and its 25 percent recovery couldn't keep Twitter from an overall 12.2 percent decline. Rival Facebook — the only company in both data sets, as a top-20 tech firm and recent IPO — avoided the weakness and increased 11.7 percent.
"Now that they're publicly traded companies, you have to prove your results, you have to prove your stock price, you have to support your stock price with results. Facebook has gotten there, Twitter is doing that but they're not yet there."
Despite the back-to-earth trend for post-IPO companies such as FireEye (down 34.1 percent in the quarter), Gigamon (down 37 percent) and Splunk (down 22.1 percent), investors were not deterred from chasing new companies. While the IPO market cooled down as tech stocks were plunging, sending Box and others to the sideline, it came back fast with debuts from companies such as Zendesk, Arista Networks and GoPro. In all, 23 tech companies went public in the quarter — the most in a three-month period since 2004, Renaissance Capital reported — and received returns that topped 21 percent.
SV150 market report: Facebook acquires and ad-tech company
Wall Street changed little Wednesday as Silicon Valley's rapid pace of acquisitions continued with Facebook's purchase of a company focused on video advertisements.
Facebook announced the acquisition Wednesday of San Francisco-based LiveRail, which helps companies sell advertisements for Web-based videos. The Menlo Park social network did not reveal a purchase price, but TechCrunch reported that Facebook paid between $400 million and $500 million for the seven-year-old firm, which is the third largest video ad seller in the U.S. according to ComScore. Facebook's purchase arrives just two days after Twitter made its own acquisition of an advertising-technology company. Facebook stock dropped 2.4 percent to $66.45 on the day, as executive Sheryl Sandberg sort-of apologized for a study conducted on the social network, and Twitter fell 0.7 percent to 41.77.
Shutterfly roared 14.9 percent higher to $50 a share after a report said that the Redwood City company had hired a bank to find potential buyers for the firm, which ended the day with a market cap just shy of $2 billion. Google fell 0.1 percent to $590.78 as reports suggested a purchase price of nearly $40 million for Tuesday's acquisition of Songza; The Mountain View Internet giant also took steps to wipe porn advertisements off its books. GoPro finally slowed down from its fast-paced post-IPO gains, falling 13.9 percent to $42.04. Nvidia dropped 0.4 percent to $18.68 as details emerged about its plans to offer a tablet, and Yahoo gained 1.5 percent to $35.88 while closing down some services.
Up: AMD, Yelp, Gilead, Yahoo, NetApp, SolarCity, Juniper, Electronic Arts
Down: Tesla, Facebook, Splunk, Netflix, Workday, Zynga, Hewlett-Packard
The SV150 index of Silicon Valley's largest tech companies: Down 1.47, or 0.1 percent, to 1,528.27
The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index: Down 0.92, or 0.02 percent, to 4,457.73
The blue chip Dow Jones industrial average: Up 20.17, or 0.12 percent, to 16,976.24
And the widely watched Standard & Poor's 500 index: Up 1.3, or 0.07 percent, to 1,974.62
Sign up for the 60-Second Business Break newsletter at www.siliconvalley.com. Contact Jeremy C. Owens at 408-920-5876; follow him at Twitter.com/jowens510.


text:
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text:
Note from Lee: Another contributor to Online Marketing Blog, Karen Sams who also writes her own blog at Media Relations Blog, makes her debut in this post about the ongoing challenge to gain original content for clients. Fresh content isn't only necessary for making web sites attractive to search engines, but it's also a critical component for marketing efforts in any channel – including Karen's specialty: Public Relations. Read on to find excellent tips on how to make the most out of limited content.
One of the biggest challenges I face as a PR professional is eliciting content from clients. When I do identify valuable nuggets of information, I know that I need to leverage every aspect of that nugget across an array of tactics, including:


text:
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text:
Full Name: Dewi Sandra Killick
Nick Name: Dewi Sandra
Place / Date of Birth: Brazil / 3 April 1980
Zodiac : Pisces
Height / Weight: 165 cm / 50 kg
Religion: Moslem
Father's Name: John Killick / Inggris
Mother's Name: Tini Killick / Betawi
Awards :
* Panasonic Award 1999-2003 (Best Female artis for Presenter of Clear Top Ten)
* AMI Award 2001 (Best R & B Album)
* Nomination for SCTV Award-2004 Category Best Female Artis Album: Kuakui
* FHM Sexiest Female Artis 2004 (Number 1 in Indonesia and Number 7 in the world)
* Nomination for Anugerah Planet Muzik Singapore-2005 Category best female artis.
* Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female 2007
* Elle Award 2008 for Best Female Singer
Dewi Sandra Biography:
Dewi Sandra Killick or more popularly known as Dewi Sandra, born in Brazil, April 3, 1980. British women of mixed blood and Indonesian, known as a presenter, soap star and singer.
As the singer has released the album Let the Goddess, I feel, the dance-Nan (Joint Model Indonesia), Want Not Again, I admit, and When I Fall In Love (Single Duet With Barry Manilow). In addition he has also starred in soap operas, WITNESS MONTHS and I LOVE YOU.
Dewi has also been a star for Rexona product (All three dance versions) and a presenter Clear Top 10.
Dewi himself is the former wife of actor Surya Saputra, who is now in a relationship with the personnel, AB Three, Cyntia Lamusu. While he has been married to singer Barry Manilow on April 3, 2006.
Wedding Goddess and Glenn in a closed session held in Bali invites a question mark, articles in their marriages so quickly happens, let alone Goddess recently divorced from Surya.


text:
Journey into New Zealand
New Zealand
Explore New Zealand's magnificent landscapes, experience contemporary Māori culture and eat and drink along the way.15 days
Land in Auckland, pick up your rental car and make your way to Waitomo - the drive takes about two and a half hours. Millions of years in the making, the caves in the Waitomo region are an underground wonderland of stalactites, stalagmites, glow worms, sinkholes and subterranean waterways. After exploring Waitomo, continue driving to Rotorua, which takes just over two hours.
Things to see and do in Waitomo
- Explore the Waitomo Caves the easy way, on a walking or boat tour
- If you're feeling more adventurous, try black-water rafting - you'll crawl, swim, and float through the caves on a rubber tube
- For an authentic caving experience, you can explore vast caverns the way spelunkers do it - by abseiling, climbing and ziplining
Rotorua is legendary for its hot thermal springs, geothermal wonders, world class mountain bike trails, spectacular lakes and lush forests that can be explored on walkways, mountain bikes or ziplines. Home to our unique Māori culture, this is the place where the traditional and contemporary aspects of Māoridom are celebrated for all to share.
Things to see and do in Rotorua
- Experience an evening cultural show in the heartland of Māori culture. Manaakitanga (hospitality) is something the Te Arawa Māori have been providing visitors for more than 150 years
- Get a contemporary take on Māori culture through Rotorua's food, arts, crafts, fashion and technology
- Take a scenic ride to the top of Mount Ngongotaha on the Skyline Gondola and enjoy panoramic views over the lake and surrounding mountains
- While you're up Mount Ngongotaha, ride the luge, Skyswing and zipline before refuelling at the fully licensed restaurant
- Explore Rotorua's native and exotic forests at your own pace through a network of trails, tree platforms and swing bridges, or fly through trees on a zipline for a more surprising point of view
- Hire a mountain bike and explore the Whakarewarewa Redwood forest. The 130km trail network has something for every skill level
- Visit one of Rotorua's many geothermal attractions, where you can feel the spirit of the earth as it rumbles beneath your feet and escapes, hissing, through fumaroles and geysers
- Relax in naturally heated thermal pools, mud baths and spa facilities, it's a glorious way to unwind
The Bay of Plenty is home to incredible beaches, juicy kiwifruit and New Zealand's only active marine volcano. Kiwis treasure this part of the world, where white sand beaches coexist with ancient volcanoes. Mount Maunganui (aka 'The Mount') is a surfing mecca with great beach breaks, saltwater hot pools and nature walks. An hour from the Mount is Whakatāne, where Whakaari - New Zealand's only active marine volcano - is just off the coast.
Things to see and do in the Bay of Plenty
- Kayak through the enchanting glow worm canyon on Lake McLaren near Tauranga
- Learn to surf on the main beach at Mount Maunganui
- Go blokarting at Papamoa - the ultimate land sailing experience
- Walk around or up Mauao, the impressive extinct volcanic cone at the end of the Mount Maunganui peninsula
- Feed your soul at Mataatua Marae, New Zealand's most-travelled Māori meeting house. Your visit will provide an intimate engagement with the people of Ngāti Awa, an iwi (tribe) centred in the eastern Bay of Plenty region
The half-day journey around East Cape to Gisborne is one of New Zealand's most spectacular road trips. The rugged mountain and oceanic scenery is beyond beautiful, and you'll come across remote coastal and inland villages that are a world away from mainstream life. As you approach Gisborne, towns and beach settlements become more frequent. Gisborne itself is a sunny, easy-going city that's known for excellent surf and remarkable wines, especially chardonnay, gewürztraminer, pinot gris, and chenin blanc. Food culture is also something to get excited about here.
Things to see and do in Tairāwhiti Gisborne
- Stop for photos at little coastal settlements, including Te Kaha, Whanarua Bay and Waihau Bay
- Take a look at St Mary's Church in Tikitiki, which artfully blends Māori and European design
- Detour from Te Araroa to see historic East Cape Lighthouse
- Call into Tokomaru Bay to see the historic wharf and woolsheds
- Walk the longest pier in New Zealand at Tolaga Bay, which at 660 metres is quite a stretch. Recently restored, this concrete pier is a great spot for surf photography. There's also a walk nearby to Cook's Cove, where Captain Cook topped up the Endeavour's water supplies
- Soak up the sun at gorgeous Wainui Beach, one of New Zealand's best surf beaches
- In the warmer months, venture 50km north-west of Gisborne and visit Rere Falls. There's also New Zealand's longest natural rockslide here, for 60 metres of slip-sliding water fun
- Discover the joy of barrel-fermented chardonnay and find out why Gisborne is called 'the chardonnay capital of New Zealand'. A stimulating wine trail will lead you to local wineries and winemakers.
Return your rental car and fly from Gisborne to Wellington. Flight time is just over one hour. You'll land in the world's coolest little capital, a compact city full of culture and character. Built around a stunning harbour and surrounded by hills lined with colourful timber houses, Wellington is known for its vibrant café and restaurant scene. It's said to have more bars and restaurants per capita than New York City! Downtown Wellington is ideal for exploring by foot because accommodation, transport, cafes, restaurants, shopping and major attractions are concentrated into a relatively small area.
Things to see and do in Wellington
- Discover the treasures and stories of New Zealand at Te Papa, the country's extraordinary and interactive national museum
- Enjoy a stroll around Zealandia, the world's first fully-fenced urban eco-sanctuary. Meet some of New Zealand's rarest birds, reptiles and insects
- Catch the historic cable car from Lambton Quay up to the Botanic Gardens
- Immerse yourself in 20 years of creativity at Weta Studios. Get up close to the authentic props, costumes and concept designs created by Weta Workshop for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit motion picture trilogies, as well as Avatar, District 9, and more
- Walk up to the Mount Victoria lookout for blockbuster views of the harbour and city
- Visit Wellington Zoo, the 'best little zoo in the world', which works closely with the Department of Conservation to care for native animals that have been injured
Shop, eat and drink
- Browse colourful Cuba Street to find one-of-a-kind stores and great places to eat. Get splashed by the Bucket Fountain!
- Wellington's compact CBD makes for an easy shopping experience. Spend the afternoon finding the perfect New Zealand gift or shop for yourself in the many fashionable stores
- Wander along the beautiful waterfront promenade to Oriental Bay. Along the way you'll find cafes, bars, ice cream vendors, parks and sculptures
Fly non-stop from Wellington, then collect your rental car. Dunedin is a heritage city that oozes charm and character. It has New Zealand's finest examples of Victorian and Edwardian architecture, including magnificent stone and brick buildings with wrought iron detailing. It also has a reputation for fine arts, colourful student life and quirky events. If you like cities with a creative edge, you're going to love Dunedin.
Close to the city is Otago Peninsula, where you can see rare and wonderful native animals in their natural habitat. Royal albatross (toroa), yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho), fur seals (kekeno) and sea lions (whakahao) live on the peninsula. Dunedin is also handy to Moeraki and Oamaru, places of interest just up the coast.
Things to see and do in Dunedin
- Visit Larnach Castle, built in 1871 by Scottish merchant William Larnach. The castle and its splendid gardens have been carefully restored. You'll learn about Victorian culture and the castle's scandalous and tragic history
- Venture along the Otago Peninsula for encounters with little blue penguins, yellow-eyed penguins, albatross, fur seals and sea lions
- Drive one hour north to see the miraculous Moeraki Boulders, a group of huge spherical stones that are about 65 million years old
- Oamaru also has a blue penguin colony - every evening at dusk these enchanting little birds waddle up the beach to their homes after a day at sea
Shop, eat and drink
- At Moeraki you can lunch at Fleur's Place, arguably New Zealand's most famous seafood restaurant
- Drive another 30 minutes north to Oamaru to explore the town's beautifully preserved Victorian precinct. Within the elegant buildings, crafted from local whitestone, you'll find quirky little shops, tasty eateries, museums and pubs
Wanaka is an all-year-round lakeside resort town and the gateway to spectacular Mount Aspiring National Park. This special place has been a place of inspiration for Māori and Europeans, with both cultures valuing its alpine beauty, natural resources and recreational opportunities. Here you can pursue adventure at your own pace, in your own time and in your own way. Even if you're not an outdoor enthusiast, there's plenty to do in Wanaka. You can explore stylish shops and galleries, then enjoy local flavours at a great selection of cafes, pubs and restaurants.
Things to see and do in Wanaka
- In the colder months, Wanaka offers a choice of three fantastic snow sport areas - Cardrona, Treble Cone and Snow Farm. All are within a 40-minute drive of the town
- Kea, the world's only alpine parrot, live in the Wanaka region. Their outer plumage is olive green and brown; beneath their wings the feathers are bright reddish-orange. You might encounter them on ski fields or you can walk to Rob Roy Glacier, a popular kea hangout
- Baffle your brain and challenge your perceptions of reality at Puzzling World. Discover bizarre buildings, rooms of illusion and multi-level maze
- Take a guided tour of Mou Waho Island, one of five islands within Lake Wanaka. It's a sanctuary for native species
- Show for handmade food, arts and crafts at the Wanaka Artisan Market, which is held every Thursday afternoon
- Get a birds-eye view of Wanaka from the top of Mount Iron. This 90-minute hike offers a 360 degree panorama of the whole region
- In the warmer months, explore the wilderness, mountains, river valleys and alpine lakes of Mount Aspiring National Park, which has a network of beautiful hikes that cater for all levels of fitness. The park is also accessible by jet-boat, plane and helicopter - you can even land on a glacier high in the mountains
- Drive to Lake Hawea for magnificent scenery and seclusion
- Hike up Roy's Peak - it's a full-day alpine wilderness experience that delivers massive views of lake, mountains and sky
The road trip to Christchurch is packed with epic scenery and places of interest. You'll drive over the Lindis Pass, and then through the Mackenzie region, which was named after a famous Scottish sheep rustler. Highlights of the journey include views of Mount Cook and the Southern Alps, bright turquoise alpine lakes and the Church of the Good Shepherd. As you head towards the east coast, the scenery gradually changes until you're surrounded by the verdant productiveness of the Canterbury Plains.
Christchurch is an elegant hub of urban creativity, natural beauty and unexpected adventures. Set against a majestic ocean-to-alps backdrop, the city's glorious gardens and parks, vibrant street art and serene river scenery set it apart. Following the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, Christchurch embarked on some of the most innovative revitalisation projects in the world.
Things to see and do in Christchurch
- Glide along the Avon River/Ōtākaro on a relaxing, eco-friendly punting tour. An experienced punter dressed in traditional Edwardian attire will propel you gently along the river while you admire the city from the tranquillity of your own boat
- Discover the city's centre on beautiful historic trams, then get off on Rolleston Ave to visit the Botanic Gardens
- Head to the International Antarctic Centre for a genuine snow and ice experience. You'll survive an Antarctic storm, take an exciting ride on the all-terrain, amphibious Hagglund, experience a magical simulated 4D Antarctic cruise and hang out with little blue penguins
- Soar above the suburbs on the Christchurch Gondola as it takes you to the Crater Rim at the top of the Port Hills. You'll enjoy the stunning views 500 meters above sea level and experience a time tunnel journey through the history of the Port Hills and Christchurch
Shop, eat and drink
- Visit the Christchurch Arts Centre, a collection of Gothic Revival buildings packed with opportunities to shop for arts, crafts and delicious food
- Shop at The Tannery in Woolston for gorgeous things to wear and take home
Return your rental car and fly from Christchurch to New Plymouth airport, where you'll collect another rental car. New Plymouth is the main centre of Taranaki, a region that's loved for outdoor adventures, gorgeous gardens and off-beat art experiences. The landscape is absolutely remarkable, from the picture-perfect peak of Mount Taranaki to the black sand surf beaches that decorate the coast.
Things to see and do in Taranaki
- Visit the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Zealand's leading contemporary art museum and home to the Len Lye Centre, which is dedicated to pioneering filmmaker and kinetic sculptor Len Lye
- Visit Pukekura Park to explore the Fernery, display houses and Brooklands Zoo. Every year this park hosts the TSB Festival of Lights.
- Walk, bike or skate along New Plymouth's seafront promenade
- Take a drive around Taranaki's Surf Highway 45, where you'll find brilliant beaches, shipwrecks, Māori pā sites, and more
- Explore short walks in Egmont National Park, which has Mount Taranaki at its centre - New Zealand's most perfectly formed volcano
- Hike the Pouakai Crossing, New Zealand's newest guided walking trail. It's a fascinating one-day hike through a volcanic and alpine landscape with significant cultural history


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Comrades of 21-year-old Israeli Sgt. Barkey Ishai Shor mourn during his funeral at the Mount Herzel military cemetery in Jerusalem, July 29, 2014. Shor was one of five Israeli soldiers who died in clashes with a Palestinian commando that tried to reach Israel through a tunnel at Nahal Oz, near the border with Gaza, the Israeli army said.
Credit: Gali Tibbon/AFP/Getty Images
The mother, second from left, and aunt, center, of Palestinian girl, Layan al-Silk, mourn during her funeral in Gaza City, July 31, 2014.
Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty
Eyal Algranati, center, and Danit Algranati, third from right, the father and mother of Israeli soldier Guy Algranati, and his sisters mourn during his funeral in Tel Aviv, July 31, 2014. Algranati was killed on Wednesday by a booby trap detonated as he and 2 other soldiers uncovered a tunnel shaft, the army said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing international alarm over a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, said on Thursday he would not accept any ceasefire that stopped Israel completing the destruction of militants' infiltration tunnels.
Credit: Nir Elias/Reuters
A Palestinian woman kisses the grave of her son, who medics said was killed during the Israeli offensive, at a cemetery in Beit Lahiyah in the northern Gaza Strip, July 28, 2014.
Credit: Suhaib Salem/Reuters
Ora Degorker, left, the mother of Israeli soldier Barak Refael Degorker, who died after suffering wounds from mortar fire from Gaza, mourns during his funeral in Gan Yavne, near Ashdod, July 27, 2014.
Credit: Siegfried Modola/Reuters
A Palestinian relative cries as he carries the body of a baby, who is one of the eight members of the same family killed in an Israeli strike, during their funeral in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 19, 2014.
Credit: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty images
People mourn during the funeral of Dror Khenin at a cemetery in Yahud Monoson, Israel, July 16, 2014. Khenin was the first Israeli to be killed by a Hamas mortar as he offered food to Israeli soldiers working near the Erez border crossing between Israel and Gaza.
Credit: Andrew Burton/ Getty Images
Relatives of Medic Fuad Jabed, who was killed while on duty in Gaza's eastern Shejaiya district, mourn over his body during his funeral in Gaza City, July 20, 2014.
Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli soldiers weep at the grave of Israeli Sgt. Adar Barsano during his funeral in Nahariya, Israel, July 20, 2104.
Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Palestinian mourners pray over five bodies, all from the Halaq family, during their funeral in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, July 21, 2014.
Family members of Maj. Tsafrir Bar-Or mourn during his funeral in Holon, Israel, July 21, 2014.
Credit: Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images
Palestinian mourners pray in a mosque during the funeral for those killed the previous day during heavy Israeli bombardment in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, July 21, 2014.
Palestinian relatives and friends carry bodies during the funeral of nine members of the Siam family, who were killed in an Israeli air strike that destroyed their house in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 21, 2014.
Credit: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli soldiers mourn during the funeral of Israeli soldier Moshe Malko in Jerusalem, Israel, July 21, 2014.
Credit: Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images
Palestinians grieve over the death of relatives as they wait outside the morgue of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city, July 21, 2014.
Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
Palestinians mourn over the body of a member of the Abu Hasira family who was killed in an Israeli air strike, at his funeral in Gaza City, July 22, 2014.
Credit: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images
A Palestinian woman grieves during the funeral for members of the al-Kelani family in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 22, 2014.
Credit: Mahammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
The grandfather of Israeli soldier Jordan Bensimon is comforted during his funeral in Ashkelon, Israel, July 22, 2014. Bensimon was 22 and originally from France.
The morgue attendant releases, to a relative, the body of two-year old Palestinian Salma Radiya, who was killed by shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell in the north of the Gaza Strip, July 23, 2014.
A woman mourns over the body of Abd al-Karim al-Shibari, a Palestinian man who was killed after a UN school in the northern Beit Hanoun district of the Gaza Strip was hit by an Israeli shell, July 24, 2014.
Palestinian women grieve over the death of relatives outside the morgue of the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya, July 24, 2014.
Relatives weep during the burial of eight members of Abu Jarad family, including three children, who medics said were killed by an Israeli tank shell, at a cemetery in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, July 19, 2014.
People gather around the bodies of three Palestinian boys, including two brothers from Elwan family, who medics say were killed by an Israeli tank shell, during their funeral in Gaza City, July 19, 2014.
Credit: Mohammed Salem/Reuters
People gather around the body of a Palestinian journalist, who medics said was killed in Israeli shelling, at a hospital in Gaza City, July 20, 2014.
Credit: Ahmed Zakot /Reuters
A Palestinian man carries the body of Palestinian boy Mohammed Ayad as others bury the body of the boy's aunt at a cemetery in Gaza City, July 21, 2014.
Credit: Mohammed Salem
Dana, the sister of Israeli soldier, Tsafrir Bar-Or, mourns during his funeral in Holon near Tel Aviv, July 21, 2014.
Credit: Daniel Bar-On/Reuters
The mother of Israeli soldier Tal Yifrah mourns over his flag-covered coffin during his funeral in Rishon Lezion near Tel Aviv, July 22, 2014.
Credit: Ronen Zvulun /Reuters
Relatives of Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant Abduallah El-Buhasi, who medics said was killed in an Israeli air strike, mourn during his funeral in Deir El-Balah in central Gaza Strip, July 22, 2014.
Credit: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa /Reuters
A mourner weeps beside the grave of Israeli soldier Natan Cohen during his funeral in the town of Modi'in, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, July 23, 2014.
People gather at Saint Porfirios church in Gaza City around a casket holding the body of Palestinian Christian woman Jalila Faraj Ayyad, July 27, 2014. Medics said Ayyad was killed in an Israeli air strike,when her house in Gaza City was struck by a bomb.


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If you're a National Government representative, a specific registration procedure has been put in place for Ministerial Conference.Please click here
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The 5th World Water Forum's registration system has recently been redesigned to include lower registration fees and a simplified registration process.
Lower registration fees: the registration fees have been reviewed to make them fairer and more accessible for Forum participants from all over the world, from all sectors. The new fees are announced as:
Early-bird registration up to January 15th, 2009
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*3-day and 1-day registration packages are fixed and do not include any discount in terms of the countries, membership of the WWC or the early-bird registration.
The country considered is the country of incorporation of the organization that the individual is working for.
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· Young people's fees apply to anyone born between 1983 and 1992. A separate registration process is in operation for children.
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These efforts aim to make it easier for you to attend the Forum. Registration to the Forum is now accessible directly through the 5th World Water Forum website and Virtual Meeting Space, and you can easily register to the Forum in Istanbul in less than five minutes.[Important Note on Arrivals to Istanbul: As the official airline of the 5th World Water Forum, Turkish Airlines is providing a 20% discount on flight prices for Forum participants, to travel to Istanbul in March. This discount is effective for tickets purchased from Turkish Airlines offices all around the world. To make the discount effective, passengers must be able to show a confirmation of their registration when booking their ticket. Please also note that Turkish Airlines 5th World Water Forum Account Code is BB601A.]
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28 April, 2009 | (01 hr)
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Marshall Goldsmith was recently the keynote presenter at The Conference Board's "Executive Coaching Seminars: Learning from Legends and Thought Leaders" presented at the Harvard Club. We will take you beyond what was presented at the seminars for a deep dive into the key issues and take away points of this timely presentation. We are bringing back Marshall Goldsmith for an hour-long discussion to zero-in on the presentation highlights which will be re-broadcast over the web. You will have the opportunity to see the video and then to participate in an interactive discussion, question/ answer session and benchmarking with your peers.
The London Times and the AMA named Dr. Goldsmith one of the 50 most influential living management thinkers. Business Week and The Wall Street Journal named him one of the most influential and a top ten executive educator and Forbes Magazine — one of five most-respected executive coaches. Please join us and participate in this lively and timely discussion for sharing best practices and innovative ideas around succession planning.
This presentation with four segments will focus on the following topics:
- Reviewing the human challenges in top executive succession
- The role of key stakeholders in the succession process
- How executives can effectively coach — or unconsciously sabotage their successors
- Strategies and ideas for preparing the successor for the succession process
Marshall Goldsmith
Marshall Goldsmith is the million-selling author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There – a New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal #1 business book, and Harold Longman Award winner for Business Book of the Year. His newest book,
Gary Ranker
Global leadership expert Dr. Ranker of New York City uses targeted executive coaching to help many top CEOs and other senior management stretch their productivity to keep pace with the increasing demands of delivering ever greater profit, often from reduced resources. Drawing from his own experie...Full Bio


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The following are various web pages that will probably be an invaluable resource to players of Dink Smallwood. If you can think of another page that should be on the list, post a reply and I'll probably add it.
The Dink Network: Download D-Mods here. Also host to a more active Dink Smallwood forum.
The Dink Smallwood Solutions: Walkthroughs for the original game and numerous D-Mods.
How to Install D-Mods: Having trouble figuring out how to install D-Mods? This page should help.
The Dink Traduction: Translations of the original game in French, German, and Dutch! Also includes some translations of D-Mods and walkthroughs in various languages.


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After 22 years in business we have closed our plant nursery. Visits to the garden may be scheduled by contacting Diane or Stuart at email@example.com. We will have Stuart's introductions and a few additional plants available for sale on this web site. We ship bare root daylilies, but almost everything for sale has been potted and it is a great advantage if you can pick up the potted plants.
in 2016 we are participating in the regional daylily tour and you are invited to join this enthusiastic band of daylily people. The tour includes 3 fantastic daylily gardens in York County on July 9 and 3 fantastic daylily gardens in Lancaster County on July 10. You do not have to be a member of a daylily group to participate in this event. For more information go to www.ahsregion3.org and read about the Stone Soup Regional.


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Right hip surgery to end season for Lewis
Right-hander hopes to return to Rangers healthy in 2014
ANAHEIM -- Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis will undergo season-ending surgery to remove a bone spur in his right hip. He will need 6-8 weeks of recovery time before he can start doing normal activities again.
Lewis will be a free agent after this season. He is hoping to pitch again in the Major Leagues, and he hopes it will be for the Rangers. Lewis, who had surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow last July 27, said his arm is healthy, but the chronic condition in his hip has not allowed him to be 100 percent effective on the mound.
"The repair feels great," Lewis said. "Me going out there, my fastball has inconsistencies. My consistency to repeat my delivery is not there. It's put myself in a situation where I haven't given my arm a chance to get right either.
"I know going out there, my arm feels great out there at times, and if my mechanics aren't perfect because of the hip, it gets sore at certain times. There are just inconsistencies that I was able to get through before, but now I'm just not able to get through it."
Lewis, who has been with the Rangers for the past four years, has been bothered by the hip for several seasons.
"It's something that I just deal with," Lewis said. "I don't try to make it an issue. I just try to mask the pain as much as I can and for as long as I can, and it just comes to the point that I feel like it's affecting my mechanics and not allowing me to compete at the big league level. If I'm not able to do that, then I definitely feel like it's time to try to get it cleaned up and give myself the opportunity to where I can get outs at the big league level."
The Rangers signed Lewis as a free agent out of Japan on Jan. 19, 2010, and he is 32-29 with a 3.93 ERA in 80 starts since then. He has not pitched in the Major Leagues since June 2012. He made seven starts in the Minor Leagues this season trying to come back from flexor tendon surgery, but he was twice called back from medical rehabilitation assignment because of soreness around his elbow.
"As much as we would love to have him back on the mound for us, we agree that he has to do what's best for his long-term health," general manager Jon Daniels said. "The guy has unbelievable pain tolerance and work ethic, and he's pushed through it as long as he could. We felt he was putting his arm at risk if he pushed any further. We certainly respect his decision."
Lewis was outstanding for the Rangers in the playoffs during their two straight trips to the World Series in 2010-11. He made eight starts and was 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA in the postseason.
The Rangers have a high regard for Lewis, and there is a strong possibility the club will try to re-sign him as a free agent this offseason. They did so last September, though they knew Lewis would not be ready to pitch in the Major Leagues until at least June 1.
"The door is [definitely] open," Daniels said. "We think the world of this guy."
"I've got to get it done and give myself another shot of pitching in the big leagues," Lewis said. "I'd love to pitch for the Rangers again. This is my second home."
The Rangers are still hoping to get Matt Harrison back before the season. Harrison, who had two surgeries in April and May to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, is scheduled to make his third start on medical rehabilitation assignment this Friday for Round Rock. Harrison will likely throw 60-70 pitches and will probably need two more starts after that before he is ready for the Major Leagues.
Neftali Feliz will pitch for Round Rock on Thursday, but he is being brought back as a reliever after undergoing Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery a year ago.


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H.R.2783 - TPS and DED Protection Act of 2019116th Congress (2019-2020) |
BillHide Overview
|Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (Introduced 05/16/2019)
|House - Judiciary
|Latest Action:
|House - 06/26/2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. (All Actions)
This bill has the status Introduced
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Subject — Policy Area:
- Immigration
- View subjects
Summary: H.R.2783 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)All Information (Except Text)
A summary is in progress.