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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
October = Racing
It was brisk! The digital thermometer I have in my kitchen showed my a cold 33F. I switched out my inov8 hat for my fleece and I was glad that I did. Long sleeves and pants for the first time as well.
October brings a full race calendar for me. This Sunday is Twin Cities Marathon. I am looking forward to it very much. It is the only marathon I usually enter each year, other than the Northwoods Snowshoe Marathon in January. I like to support the local marathon by entering it each year. I don't really have a time goal. I've changed my thoughts since the last time I posted. I have been having such great track workouts that I thought I should go for a 330 or 335 but TCM really isn't a goal race for me, it is more of a support the local running community race and a fun run. I'm going to run hills on Saturday, as Javelina Jundred is only a few weeks out. I can use some more hill training. I imagine I'll have tired legs on Sunday due to the hills, which will be good training for the 100 mile race on the 31st!
October 17 brings the Wild Duluth 50K and 100K. This race is on the Superior Hiking Trail, a section that runs through Duluth. I haven't run this part in its entirety so I am really looking forward to the race. Because the race begins/ends in Duluth I don't need to spend a night, take vacation time or anything else. A nice drive up north in the early morning, a nice run and a drive back home before evening. No problem. No time goal for this either..just a nice long run in preparation for Javelina.
October 31 brings Javelina Jundred 100 Mile Halloween Party! I love this race. Held in beautiful Scottsdale Arizona, I can't wait to go back. 80 degrees, sun, fabulous! At this point I'm going to try PRing at 100 mile distance. I may change my mind, but I'm thinking a 22:35 would do nicely.
I'll be coming home November 1...then I suppose winter begins. I may plan a trip to TX in February for Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Trail Run. I think I may need something to look forward to in the dead of the winter.
7 comments:
- Helen said...
Good Luck at TCM! sounds like a great plan for October. Beautiful month for running - but yes the heat of AZ will be welcome I'm sure.
Rocky Racoon... I might have to look into that one myself seeing as I'm missing my 100 miler this year... I think there's also a 50M somewhere in TX in Jan that looked good.
- Kel said...
Have a great run at TCM!
- SteveQ said...
Javelina and Rocky Raccoon (esp. the latter) are record courses. Javelina will be like Lean Horse with the heat, but with fewer hills and RR has as many hills as a parking lot. See ya Sunday - somewhere around 20-21 miles.
I wish you would rest Saturday and see what marathon time you can put up on Sunday. I know I'm just being selfish and rooting for you to pop a fast one, but given your training it would be fun to see!
- Unknown said...
I would love to have some specific "recipes" or more input on how you feed your kids. I have two teenagers at home 19 and 16 (and on is a football player). I have a hard time keeping up with their appetites and gauging how much food I need. I am a vegetarian and they are big meat eaters, so I fix for them and then fend for myself. Any input would be helpful. Good luck this weekend!
- Unknown said...
Good luck at TCM. I am glad you found some racing love again. Enjoy the training run (marathon) and hills.
- SteveQ said...
I missed you at TCM! You must've been in a pack and I must've been cheering for someone else.


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As promised, here's the interview with Mike Beltzner. Although the bulk of the interview was done using instant messaging sessions between the 22nd and 25th of November, the final editing touches were delayed for a few weeks. Here's what Mike had to say. (Frequent visitors of my blog may want to reload to get the proper formatting, as Firefox usually doesn't check for updated CSS every page visit.)
First of all, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Tell us a bit about yourself!
I'm a 29 year old Canadian; grew up in Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and am now living in Toronto. At Queen's I took two degrees, one in Cognitive Science (Faculty of Arts & Science, graduated in 1999 with a BScH) and another in Education (BEd).
Why two degrees?
It was a "concurrent degree programâ€, and I was interested in the mix of subjects. When applying to schools, I applied to totally different programs at three different universities. A multidisciplinary program at McMaster University, computer engineering at the University of Waterloo, and Concurrent Education at Queen's. I eventually decided that I liked the idea of exploring the realm of human information processing from both sides: Cognitive Science examined the question of "how do humans process information?†and Education examined the question of "how do we teach humans information?†For a while I thought I was planning to be a high school teacher.
But then you changed your mind?
Well, I enjoyed teaching, and by all reports I didn't suck at it. The reason I decided to look into other options was that the teachers' unions in Ontario were constantly fighting with the Ministry of Education, and I worried about how I'd have to pick sides in that debate. I felt that students were the ones who were eventually suffering, and I didn't know if I could support a strike action if I was a teacher. It's somewhat sad, but based on that factor I ended up with an education degree and very little desire to put it to work.
So what happened then, after you graduated?
After I'd decided not to become a teacher, I started looking for IT jobs in Toronto. My cognitive science program had talked about the field of Human Computer Interaction, but there was little focus on careers and professional options, so I wasn't really aware that there were jobs in that domain. I applied to several companies for positions in knowledge management, software design, technology communications … things like that. At a job fair on campus, I told an IBM representative the sorts of things I was interested in, and he passed my resume along to the User Centered Design group located at the IBM Software Lab in Toronto. I was interviewed for a type of job I didn't even know existed! When I was offered the job, I jumped at the chance.
I spent 5 years working on IBM software development tools: the first Java Development Tools for Eclipse, as well as the product that is now sold as WebSphere Integration Developer, a suite of Service Oriented Architecture development tools for business process based application development. My job there included working with the user interface development teams, the graphic designers and the architects to ensure that our products met the needs of our users. I was able to get a lot of experience with the User Centered Design methodology, and conducted many focus groups, user feedback sessions and customer visits. It was a really great job.
What brought you to Mozilla? What made you leave IBM?
At IBM I became good friends with several of my colleagues, one of whom was also a good friend of Mike Shaver's (one of life's ironies: Shaver was living in Kingston when I was at Queen's, and despite having intersecting social circles, we didn't meet until years later when we were both in Toronto.) Mike and I became friends as well, and I was always interested to find out what he was up to, and to learn more about the open source software community.
One day I got a call from Mike Shaver (who was working for Oracle at that time) saying that the Foundation was looking for someone to fill a full time position to focus on user experience issues. He suggested that if I were interested, I should forward a resume. I was indeed interested, and being a bit of an overachiever, I put together three resumes that night and sent them the next morning. Before I knew it, I was on the phone with Brendan Eich talking about what sort of things someone in a User Experience Lead role might do for the Foundation. There was an interview process, and when the offer came, I faced a pretty big decision: continue on with the very promising (and yes, interesting!) job I had at IBM, or make a jump over to Mozilla.
Now, let me be clear that I think that IBM is a great place to work. I really enjoyed my time there, and got the opportunity to work with some incredibly smart people there. At the end of the day, though, working with Mozilla was too tempting an opportunity to pass up. I love the idea that I'm helping to refine an entirely new model of software and business development. I love the fact that our single mission is to make things better for the user. How could a usability guy not love that?
Indeed. What do you think will be your contribution to Mozilla?
There's a bunch of things that I would really like to do, some of which I mentioned on my weblog when I first started. Obviously I want to improve our existing user experience in Firefox and Thunderbird. Don't get me wrong, it's good now! But there are lots of little things that can make it better. A longer term goal of mine is to integrate design and usability methodologies into the open source development process. Ben Goodger and the Firefox 1.0 project drivers took some great steps towards this goal, but I want to keep going and ensure that Mozilla offerings are always driven by user needs. So we should start by building a clear picture of who our users are (there's likely more than one "type†of user, of course) and what they want to do with our technology, our websites and our software. That will help us prioritize features, ensure that we're innovating in the right directions, and also help us with the design of those features. If we end up hitting questions about the design, I'd like to continue to build partnerships with organizations that can help us run usability studies so that we can get real data from user feedback instead of making assumptions about how people want to use their software.
And that's where Google enters the picture?
Amongst others, yes. Google is obviously an excellent partner with whom we have very strong relations, but they're not the only ones with usability research facilities who've offered their services. Novell, for instance, was one of the first companies to get in touch with me when I started at Mozilla, asking about what areas of the browser we had the least user data on so that they could contribute.
There is a great difference between a person capable of using Firefox, and a person capable of actually downloading and installing it. Depending on the way Firefox is distributed (e.g. OEM deals with vendors), isn't everyone a potential user?
Definitely. Traditionally a Firefox user was someone who was familiar and comfortable enough with computers to find, download and install the browser. We're actively investigating other means of distribution, and community efforts like spreadfirefox.com and switch2firefox.com have also expanded our reach to the desktops of people who might not be comfortable installing software on their own. So now, anyone who uses the web is a potential user of Firefox. That makes for a pretty wide-ranging group of users, though, and so it's important to segment that space into sensible "personae†that represent the needs, tasks and goals of different types of users. Socioeconomic factors, individual differences, general computing familiarity, goals for using the internet … these are all factors that could vary wildly within our user group. I really want to get a better handle on who those different personae are and what it is that they're trying to do with our products, then make it easier for them to do so.
So, how long have you been working for Mozilla?
My start date at Mozilla was July 11th, 2005. My contract says I'm a "User Experience Leadâ€, but my business card says I'm a "Phenomenologistâ€, and really, we try not to get boxed in by titles. We're still trying to completely figure out the reporting structure, but I spend a lot of my time talking with Chris Beard (Product Manager), Mike Schroepfer (Product Engineering) and John Lilly (Business Development). Mike Shaver (Technology Strategy) sometimes asks me to look at a topic or emerging technology.
What was your initial experience when starting to work for Mozilla?
It was very different going from an office building with 2500 employees to my home office with an IRC client. I'd met a lot of the other Mozilla Foundation employees during interviews, and I'd been getting more and more involved with the community for so I was able to hop on and get started pretty quickly. Mike Connor (mconnor), especially, was very welcoming, as were a lot of people on IRC like Benjamin Smedberg (bsmedberg), Asaf Romano (Mano), Gavin Sharp (gavin), Adam Guthrie (ispiked).
Within the first few days I'd been pointed to some bugs that could use my attention, and was spending a lot of my time getting caught up to date on issues regarding the Firefox 1.5 release. I was also getting used to managing the new information streams: I'd built up 5 years of organizational knowledge at IBM, and was starting entirely from scratch again. In many ways Mozilla is both a smaller and larger organization than what I was used to. At IBM I was working with a development team of about 75-100 developers, but there was a pretty clear structure of who did what, who reported to whom, and what everyone was working on. Needless to say, it's harder to build that picture in an open source environment. There are a few key names within our community, but our developer network is vast and determining who has which interests and responsibilities continues to be a challenge.
Since I started, things have jumped around a lot. My first project was helping Deb Richardson with the design of the Mozilla Developer Center, which is simply a stellar resource for people who want to work with web technologies. Then I did some work reviewing bugs and helping guide UI development for the 1.8 branch, and continued to work with drivers in determining relative priorities for the 1.5 release. For the past month I've been focusing less on bugs and more on whole experience things surrounding our launch efforts (web page design, messaging for release, keeping momentum, working with partners on extensions) and most recently have been working on Firefox 2 planning and road mapping with Mike Connor and Mike Schroepfer.
Do you still work from home?
Mike Shaver, Mike Connor and I all share a small office in downtown Toronto. Shaver travels a lot, and Mike Connor only comes down from his home office once or twice a week, so sometimes it's just me here, but it's really nice to get that collegial atmosphere going once in a while. It's also nice because my wife is a law student at Osgoode Law School at York University, so she gets full use of our home office now.
What are the basic plans for Firefox 2?
If you haven't already, you should be sure to read over the various roadmaps that have been posted to Planet Mozilla and on the mozilla.org wiki. A good place to start is with Chris Beard's post about our new strategy for product and platform releases, and from there take a look at the draft platform roadmap document. The question is about Firefox 2, though, so you should also be sure to stop in at our draft plan for Firefox 2 and give us feedback on the discussion page. Even if an idea for a feature doesn't make it into the next release, we're still interested in collecting and brainstorming new and exciting features.
As we looked at where today's web was, and how more and more services are emerging that leverage web technologies, Mike Connor and I became convinced that the theme for Firefox 2 should be helping the user manage the vast amounts of information that their browser connects them to. This would leverage a lot of the in-progress work on an update to our bookmarking infrastructure; the idea being that we'd enhance the user interface to make it easier to find places you've been before, updates to things you're interested in, and even places you might not yet now about but would probably be interested in. Also, there's a lot of "fit and finish†work that I've personally got my eye on with respect to standardising terminology in our strings and layouts in our dialogs.
How would this new bookmark system actually work?
That's a very good question. In my opinion, this is an excellent example of an area in which Firefox could benefit from some user centered design activities. Robert Accettura's blog post about intelligent bookmarking makes some very good points about the limitations of our current system and potential solutions. I'd like to take that further, and actually find out how people are using their bookmarks. How do those usage patterns differ between people who are more and less comfortable on the web. How about people who use the web for work as opposed to only in their spare time. I'd like to gather that information and make sure that the resulting design is based on the needs and requirements of our users.
I read "tag-based system†instead of "heirarchicalâ€. Does that mean no bookmark folders by default?
Axel Hecht recently wrote a blog entry lamenting the potential death of hierarchical bookmarks. I'm sure that he's not alone. We've spent the past two decades promoting a hierarchical (or spatial containment) desktop metaphor for computer filing systems. It would be a disservice to many of our users to replace it completely. There are, however, significant advantages to tagging systems, especially in terms of building a system which defies classical ontology (for more on those advantages, see Shirky: Ontology is Overrated — Categories, Links, and Tags.) Adding tagging capabilities to bookmarks can be done in a way that is based in the existing user base's conceptual (hierarchical) model, yet extends it to add richer interaction possibilities. That, I think, should be our goal.
Note: After this interview was conducted, Ben Goodger published a detailed feature plan for Places, which encompasses all of what we're talking about.
Looks to me Firefox 2 will be a very interesting release. Any other cool ideas worth mentioning?
As I said before, we're doing all the planning for Firefox 2 in the open so you can really see for yourself. I'm personally excited about fixing the way we communicate all forms of status with the user, and hoping we can find some ambient ways of passing that information along. My hope is that the browser continues to innovate quickly (did I mention we're aiming at a July 2006 release date?) but carefully, remembering that there's a large user audience out there who simply wants to browse the web. Some of the really cool cutting edge stuff out there is coming in the form of extensions. We're starting to see some interesting ideas coming from the community as well as partners like LinkedIn and del.icio.us. With the new Canvas feature, in Firefox 1.5, I'm really quite excited to see what our developer community comes up with.
What's your favorite operating system?
I've been a daily Windows user for the past five years, but after three weeks of using a PowerBook, I've fallen in love with Apple's OS X. The reason is that for common tasks, OS X just works. It makes common tasks a snap, and it's incredibly easy to tinker with it. For example, Mike Shaver and I were looking for a way to let anyone in our office control my iTunes, which is hooked up to our speakers. A little bit of Google, a little bit of Applescript and a little bit of Python, and he's well on his way to an AJAX web client that can be used as a web-based remote control.
With your experience in user interface design, the answer isn't surprising. However, you'd expect an open-source developer to prefer open-source operating systems like Linux?
Actually, I would expect someone to pick the tool that best fits their needs. Obviously I endorse the open source development model, and believe in the advantages that can be obtained through that system. That's not the only criteria for picking an operating system (or other piece of software), though. I think it's clear that users want software that makes them more productive, and right now, the majority of the world (myself included!) can't be as productive as they'd like to be with the open source desktop, for a variety of reasons. If there was an open-source operating system that "just worked†as well as OS X or Windows, I'd be happy to use it.
Finally, do you think Firefox will eventually become the most popular web browser, putting Internet Explorer on second place?
I think that if we can get people to realize that they have a choice in web browsers, and that the choice is worth making, then we have a chance of significantly increasing our overall popularity. The goal of Firefox — indeed of Mozilla — is to promote innovation and choice on the Internet. Firefox succeeded in providing that choice and innovation, and our current position reflects the fact that there's a core group of users out there who are actively choosing us as their browser. Our next challenge is to get more people to realize that there is a choice in web browsers, and get them making that choice based on the criteria that matters to them. At that point, I'm pretty confident that our "popularity†will continue to climb, as there are some very compelling reasons to choose us. Of course, I need to keep working to make sure that one of those reasons is a better user experience.
Thanks, Mike, for taking the time to do this interview! It's been fun.
My pleasure, and thanks for getting in touch with me! I hang around on irc.mozilla.org (beltzner) and can also always be reached through email at beltzner at mozilla.com.


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ORLANDO, Fla. – Three masked gunmen robbed an Orlando motel early Wednesday, but no one was injured.
The robbery happened around 2:20 a.m. at the Econo Lodge at 8700 South Orange Blossom Trail.
According to deputies, three men who had their faces covered and were carrying guns entered the lobby and demanded cash from the motel clerk.
The woman handed over the cash drawer, and the trio took off.
No other details have been released.
Meanwhile, an Orange County hotel was robbed at gunpoint later Wednesday morning, but it's not known if the robberies are related.
Orlando police said the Homewood Suites at 5893 American Way was robbed by two men wearing dark clothing. Police said they fled in a black sedan.
No one was injured.
Anyone with information about the armed robberies is urged to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.
Watch Local 6 News and stay with ClickOrlando.com for more on this story.


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He puts a flute inside of a guitar caseㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-What's wrong with himㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-As expected from Yoon Shamelessㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Yoon Angel, you're literally the bestㅋㅋㅋ I was excited because I thought he would play a guitarㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-It's really cute how he said "I learned to play an instrument" and then he pulled out that flute out of that guitar case and played Very Nice with itㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Look at how he acts as if that is a normal thingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Yoon Jeonghan, the professional fraudㅋㅋㅋ
-He's driving me crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-I was really excited when I saw the guitar case, but he opened it and it was a fluteㅋㅋㅋㅋ I didn't see that coming. He's really funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-He's a scammerㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-This is so freaking funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-He is such an unique personㅋㅋㅋㅋ I laughed so much I thought I could dieㅋㅋㅋ
-This is why I love Yoon Jeonghanㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-As expected from Yoon Jeonsa (Professional Scammer)
-Why is it so funny how he just pulled out the flute from that guitar case as if it was nothingㅋㅋㅋ
-Why would he save a flute in a guitar case?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Is he that Jeonghan from Seventeen?
-FYI, that guitar case is Joshua'sㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-That guitar case must be really heavy, thoughㅋㅋㅋ
-He's really shamelessㅋㅋㅋ
-Where did the innocent Jeonghan go?ㅋㅋㅋ He's really pro at scamming peopleㅋㅋㅋ
-Yoon Jeonghan is a very funny guyㅋㅋㅋ
-Oh my goodnessㅋㅋㅋ He's really cuteㅋㅋㅋ
-His actual personality is very different with what I expectedㅌㅋㅋㅋ He's funnyㅋㅋ
-The way he plays the flute after that is way funnierㅋㅋㅋ
ps tell me if theres something that looks weird or unusual or typos or if there are more/less coments than i usually post bc i did this from my phone wheehe!!!!!


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Waikite Thermal Pools in Rotorua
Experience the 'Living Waters' of Te Manaroa Spring - the largest single source of 100% pure boiling water in New Zealand. Let all of your worries melt away as you take a dip in one of our many hot pools.
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Monday, January 28, 2013
If you are on our waiting list...
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Kids are here!
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Sunday, January 13, 2013
Ice, Snow & Baby Goats
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Friday, January 11, 2013
Social Networking
Social networking. It is how almost everyone connects these days. Whether it be Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, etc. there are so many.
I thought I would post links here though to our pages on the various social networking websites for our ranch. We don't have accounts with all of them (after all, there like 15+), but I'm working on it ;). So here they are. Oh, and the difference between the pages? The "Liberty Ranch" pages are just general for the whole ranch, and the other pages are for specifics (i.e. goats, hay, etc).
If you would, we'd appreciate likes/follows/whatnot on them. Thank you much!
Liberty Ranch on Facebook
Liberty Ranch on Pinterest - we just started this page, so there are not many likes on it yet but I am working on putting more boards and pins up.
Good Goats on Facebook
Northeast Oklahoma Hay & Feed Coop on Facebook - this is a local page I started a few years back to help locals connect in finding hay for their livestock.
Liberty Ranch Photography on Facebook- I posted this a few weeks back but figured I would throw it in here anyway.
Liberty Ranch Rabbits on Facebook - yes, I know we have lots of FB pages, and no I do not personally run all of them :). This one is our meat rabbit page.
Hoppin' Herd of Hares on Facebook - my older sister raises Mini Lops.
Ranch Girl's Sweets 'N' Treats on Facebook - my little sister runs this page for her baking.
I think that is all for now.
See ya!
Posted by Good Goats at 11:02 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Kidding Season?
Posted by Good Goats at 1:18 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Monday, January 7, 2013
Happy New Year
Hello to my faithful blog readers. . . Happy New Year to you!
Yes, I know, I am a week late. Last Monday we had a party, as usual, for New Years. We had a great time. Before the party though, some of us had started to get sick. After the party, the Happy New Year sign was still up, except that the N in "new" had been torn down. So it says, "happy ew year". That accurately describes our new year thus far. Kind of funny.
Thankfully those of us who were sick are all on the uphill side of things... for now. Praise the Lord.
Last year was really an unexpected out of the ordinary year for me and my family. Our whole political involvement started a year ago, and that really was a huge part in a lot of what we did last year.
On the farm side of things, we had 110 kids born on the ranch and many lambs, bunnies, chicks, a donkey foal and whatever else that I am forgetting.
For the most part, things are going good though. Kidding season is scheduled to start in about 2 weeks, and I am certainly looking forward to it! We bred the does at very close intervals, so once kidding season starts, I don't think we'll be getting much rest for a while.
Take care!
Posted by Good Goats at 10:04 AM 0 comments Links to this post


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A state transportation official says oil production trucks and vehicles are tearing up local roads without providing enough money to pay for repairs.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that a task force of county judges, state officials and industry representatives discussed the issue Monday. Texas Department of Transportation deputy executive director John Barton tells the newspaper that repairing damaged roads could cost $2 billion.
Barton says his estimate doesn't include damage to interstate and state highways.
The latest news from around North Texas.
While oil and natural gas drilling have created jobs and revenue, local counties say the road damage is outpacing transportation budgets.
DeWitt County, east of San Antonio, says it projects $7 million in property taxes for the current fiscal year -- and as much as $342 million in possible repair costs.


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Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
Cane River Green Market to Host the Great Outdoors Adventure on May 5
Cane River Green Market to Host the Great Outdoors Adventure on May 5
Featured activities include fly casting, fly tying, and canoeing/kayaking demonstrations
NATCHITOCHES – The Cane River Green Market (CRGM) will continue its summer season on Saturday, May 5 with an exciting array of activities in celebration of National Salsa Month and National Physical Activity and Sports Month.
Natchitoches' local farmer's market will take place every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon on the downtown riverbank in the Natchitoches Historic District through July 28.
Featured activities this Saturday will include the Great Outdoors Adventure, a free Zumba class, free salsa samples while supplies last, a kid's coloring station, and an animal adoption day with Hope for Paws. Live musical entertainment will be provided by Monty & Marsha.
The Great Outdoors Adventure will run from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and feature fly casting, fly tying, and canoeing and kayaking demonstrations on Cane River by Pack and Paddle of Lafayette, Gray Wolf Fly Shop, Green Trout Fly Shop, and Custom Nets by Jim Gill. Real outdoor artists and instructors from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas will be on hand for instruction. These vendors will also be selling their specialty products and offering an exciting array of raffle and door prizes throughout the day.
The following educational programs will also be offered:
- What Fish See and Hear {Yep' they communicate!} by Bill Heugel
- What's a Mussel Good for Anyway? {Things you should really know} by Tony Brady
- Project Healing Waters {For our Disabled Veterans}
The free Zumba class will be offered every Saturday during the month of May from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. in celebration of National Salsa Month. Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness workout. The class will be instructed by Kimberly Davis who regularly teaches Zumba at Northwestern State University's Wellness, Recreation, and Activity Center. Participants of all ages and fitness levels are welcome to attend and encouraged to bring water and a towel.
In addition to all of the family fun activities, market customers can choose from a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from Green Market produce vendors. Customers can also enjoy a selection of value-added products including farm fresh eggs, baked goods, jams, jellies, pickles, honey, fresh flowers, herbs and much more. Hand-crafted items are also available including jewelry, woodwork, stained glass and other items.
The market will feature special programming and activities throughout the season including regular live musical performances, children's activities, speakers and demonstrations.
To learn more about these special programs or how to become a vendor, please call the market office at(318) 352-2746 (CRGM). A calendar of events and vendor applications can be found online atwww.canerivergreenmarket.com.
Louisiana legislative session reaches halfway point
Associated Press
BATON ROUGE — Halfway through this legislative session, Louisiana lawmakers have given their final approval to sweeping education changes. But the one item they have to complete before they can wrap up their work remains an unbalanced jumble.
Next year's $25.5 billion budget faces a list of troubles: falling income estimates, ties to uncertain retirement changes and disputes over how much one-time money should be plugged into the spending plan.
It's not an unusual place to be with six weeks to go before the legislative session must end June 4. But the uncertainties are a bit larger than lawmakers often see, with more than $1 billion tied to unresolved issues.
The House Appropriations Committee continues to comb through Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget recommendations for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Lawmakers on the committee won't craft their version of next year's budget until they get the latest revenue projections.
Legislative leaders say they plan to tweak the state's income estimates by early May and the expectations are grim, with revenue figures expected to drop.
That dip will combine with legislative changes to Jindal's pension proposals and lessen any savings for state agencies below what was contained in the governor's budget recommendations.
"It seems like we'll have a double whammy going forward," said Senate Finance Chairman Jack Donahue, R-Mandeville.
Jindal's chief budget adviser, Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater, said his office doesn't yet have estimates of what size hole the changes to the retirement bills have made in the governor's budget proposal.
"Do you have some thoughts about where we might look to fill that deficit?" Donahue asked.
Rainwater didn't give senators any suggestions but said the Jindal administration will work with lawmakers on ways to shrink the 2012-13 budget once the shortfalls become clear from the retirement legislation changes and from whatever changes are made to state revenue projections.
Beyond the budget, lawmakers have a slew of contentious items awaiting their decision in the second half of the regular session.
Of the more than 1,900 bills filed for consideration, only a handful have reached final passage, nearly all of them tied to a series of significant changes to public education sought by Jindal and hurried through the session as a priority.
Those measures, signed into law last week, will create a statewide voucher program for some low- and moderate-income students to attend private schools with taxpayer dollars; expand charter school programs; make it tougher for teachers to reach the job protection know as tenure; and give more authority to school superintendents to decide teacher pay and hiring.
Jindal has since turned his focus to retirement changes that would make about 50,000 rank-and-file state workers and higher education employees pay more toward their retirement and wait longer to collect full benefits.
Those measures await debate on the Senate floor as early as this week, with strong opposition from retirement system leaders and others who call the bills unconstitutional, violating a provision that protects public pension benefits from being diminished.
The governor also is seeking to start a 401k-style retirement plan for new state employees that is tied to investment earnings, rather than offering a guaranteed monthly pension tied to a worker's salary.
Ex-BP engineer arrested in Gulf oil spill case
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — Federal prosecutors brought the first criminal charges Tuesday in the Gulf oil spill, accusing a former BP engineer of deleting more than 300 text messages that indicated the blown-out well was spewing far more crude than the company was telling the public at the time.
Two years and four days after the drilling-rig explosion that set off the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, Kurt Mix, 50, of Katy, Texas, was arrested and charged with two counts of obstruction of justice for allegedly destroying evidence.
The U.S. Justice Department made it clear that the investigation is still going on and suggested that more people could be arrested. In a statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said prosecutors "will hold accountable those who violated the law in connection with the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history."
Federal investigators have been looking into the causes of the blowout and the actions of managers, engineers and rig workers at BP and its subcontractors Halliburton and Transocean in the days and hours before the April 20, 2010, explosion.
But the case against Mix focuses on the aftermath of the blast, when BP scrambled to plug the leak. Even then, the charges are not really about the disaster but about an alleged attempt to thwart the investigation into it.
In court papers, the FBI said one of the areas under investigation is whether the oil company intentionally lowballed the amount of crude spewing from the well.
In outlining the charges, the government suggested Mix knew the rate of flow from the busted well was much greater than the company publicly acknowledged. Prosecutors said BP gave the public an optimistic account of its May 2010 efforts to plug the well via a technique called a "top kill," even though the company's
internal data and some of the text messages showed the operation was likely to fail.
An accurate flow-rate estimate is necessary to determine how much in penalties BP and its subcontractors could face under the Clean Water Act. In court papers, prosecutors appeared to suggest the company was also worried about the effect of the disaster on its stock price.
1 in 2 new graduates are jobless or underemployed
Written by
Hope Yen
Source: The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work.
A weak labor market already has left half of young college graduates either jobless or underemployed in positions that don't fully use their skills and knowledge.
Young adults with bachelor's degrees are increasingly scraping by in lower-wage jobs — waiter or waitress, bartender, retail clerk or receptionist, for example — and that's confounding their hopes a degree would pay off despite higher tuition and mounting student loans.
An analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press lays bare the highly uneven prospects for holders of bachelor's degrees.
Opportunities for college graduates vary widely.
While there's strong demand in science, education and health fields, arts and humanities flounder. Median wages for those with bachelor's degrees are down from 2000, hit by technological changes that are eliminating midlevel jobs such as bank tellers.
Most future job openings are projected to be in lower-skilled positions such as home health aides, who can provide personalized attention as the U.S. population ages.
Taking underemployment into consideration, the job prospects for bachelor's degree holders fell last year to the lowest level in more than a decade.
"I don't even know what I'm looking for," says Michael Bledsoe, who described months of fruitless job searches as he served customers at a Seattle coffeehouse. The 23-year-old graduated in 2010 with a creative writing degree.
Initially hopeful that his college education would create opportunities, Bledsoe languished for three months before finally taking a job as a barista, a position he has held for the last two years. In the beginning he sent three or four resumes a day. But, Bledsoe said, employers questioned his lack of experience or the practical worth of his major. Now he sends a resume once every two weeks or so.
Bledsoe, currently making just above minimum wage, says he got financial help from his parents to help pay off student loans. He is now mulling whether to go to graduate school, seeing few other options to advance his career. "There is not much out there, it seems," he said.
His situation highlights a widening but little-discussed labor problem. Perhaps more than ever, the choices that young adults make earlier in life — level of schooling, academic field and training, where to attend college, how to pay for it — are having long-lasting financial impact.
"You can make more money on average if you go to college, but it's not true for everybody," says Harvard economist Richard Freeman, noting the growing risk of a debt bubble with total U.S. student loan debt surpassing $1 trillion. "If you're not sure what you're going to be doing, it probably bodes well to take some job, if you can get one, and get a sense first of what you want from college."
Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University who analyzed the numbers, said many people with a bachelor's degree face a double whammy of rising tuition and poor job outcomes. "Simply put, we're failing kids coming out of college," he said, emphasizing that when it comes to jobs, a college major can make all the difference. "We're going to need a lot better job growth and connections to the labor market, otherwise college debt will grow."
By region, the Mountain West was most likely to have young college graduates jobless or underemployed — roughly 3 in 5. It was followed by the more rural southeastern U.S., including Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Pacific region, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, also was high on the list.
On the other end of the scale, the southern U.S., anchored by Texas, was most likely to have young college graduates in higher-skill jobs.
The figures are based on an analysis of 2011 Current Population Survey data by Northeastern University researchers and supplemented with material from Paul Harrington, an economist at Drexel University, and the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank. They rely on Labor Department assessments of the level of education required to do the job in 900-plus U.S. occupations, which were used to calculate the shares of young adults with bachelor's degrees who were "underemployed."
Read the rest here: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20120424/NEWS01/204240339/1-2-new-graduates-jobless-underemployed
NSU getting new building
Written by
Icess Fernandez
Source: Shreveport Times.com
Northwestern State University students will soon be able to visit the registrar, the financial aid office and pay their fines all in one place.
A new building is being constructed that will place all student services under one roof.
The new Students Services building is being constructed in the heart of the campus and will be completed during the summer, said Marcus Jones, vice president for University Affairs.
"Prior to this, students had to go to three different buildings," he said. "It will be a great place for the university and the students."
The three-story building will be about 3,200 square feet and will house the offices of student life, recruiting, admission, the dean of students and student accounts.
Costing $6 million, the building is the first new construction on the campus in several years, Jones said. The money for construction came from the state.
"We were fortunate that the governor and our representative came through in getting us funding," he said.
Chris Maggio, dean of students and assistant provost for student life, said that beyond just having a place for student business, the new building will be welcoming and inviting. For example, students will be greeted with television screens that will give them the latest information.
"It will be one-stop shopping for students, and it will help with recruiting and retention," Maggio said.
The second floor will house the admissions and financial aid office. Both offices will have terminals that will allow students easy access to applications and aid forms.
Maggio said officials discussed how to make the building as student-friendly as possible. On the second and third floors, there will be conferences rooms where small group presentations could take place when needed.
"It's one thing to say let's have a financial aid office (for example) and another way to say how best do we deliver this service," Maggio said.
Real Views Exclusive: Q&A with City Council Candidate Earnestine Armstrong
Written By
Robert Brown
With early voting already underway for Natchitoches Parish , The Real Views has hit the campaign pavement to give you insight and interviews with local candidates during this exciting campaign season. Our first interview is with Earnestine Armstrong. Mrs Armstrong is a candidate for City Council of District 2. After serving 19 years as the education coordinator for the Head Start Program in Natchitoches, Mrs. Armstrong has decided to enter politics and become the change that she wants to see. With an endorsement from The Real Views owner, Randy Stelly, I was given the privilege to interview Mrs. Armstrong for a short Q&A.
The Real Views: What are some of the reasons that you decided to enter this year's election?
Mrs. Armstrong : Well, I decided to run because I think that it's time for some changes with the way things are done in Natchitoches, especially in District 2, where we feel that we aren't getting the proper representation that we deserve. I felt like the time was right this election.
The Real Views: What changes do you want to see as City Council woman of District 2?
Mrs. Armstrong: My biggest concern is utility rates in the city; the numbers are astronomical. Another top priority on my agenda is the road for Town South and Payneham community that should have been fixed a long time ago. But, the electricity rates are really too high for a city of Natchitoches' size. Repairing local roads and getting lower utility rates are definitely my top goals as becoming a member of City Council for District2.
The Real Views: Do you think you're going to be able to accomplish most of your agenda once elected?
Mrs. Armstrong: Well, that all depends on the collective effort of my fellow councilmen and the mayor of the city. I've never been someone to sit down and say what I'm going to do; I would rather let my actions talk for me. If elected, I would have the voice and influence to help my community, district, and the entire city.
The Real Views: Do you think the city of Natchitoches needs more of its people more politically involved? And by involved, I mean going to City Council meetings, being outspoken, writing letters to political leaders, etc.
Mrs. Armstrong: I think they should. In the past, we didn't have much positive reception when we would attend City Council meetings. I think the city council should be an entity where everyone should show up , share ideas, and try to promote a more united Natchitoches. I think the citizens have a right to come in and listen to city government.
The Real Views: How has your experiences as a mother, grandmother and former Head Start coordinator help you prepare for a political position?
Mrs. Armstrong: All of my children are grown, I have grandchildren coming up and I notice that many young people in Natchitoches don't have much to do. There aren't many activities targeted towards certain age groups of children, so that leaves them with nothing to do but walk the streets and get into trouble. The old saying an idle mind being the devil's workshop holds true to some situations in Natchitoches when it comes to our youth. We need programs that promote productivity and positive experiences for our children in Natchitoches.
The Real Views: Do you think experience is an overrated trait in politics?
Mrs. Armstrong: Yes, I do. Everyone has to learn how to do a job. The people that get tenure in certain positions had to start somewhere. I think the experience argument is an excuse for certain people to own those positions. Those are public positions that should be put out there for anyone that is capable of doing the job well. Change is good, and in this situation, change is needed.
The Real Views: Finally, education is always a hot button issue within Natchitoches. What changes do you want to see done within the school board for education to improve in Natchitoches?
Mrs. Armstrong: I would like to see some changes done there. I think too many children are being expelled for things that aren't worth losing an education over. Expulsion doesn't help anybody. It doesn't help the children, it doesn't help the schools, and certainly doesn't help the community. I would like to see some changes made that help the children get the most they can from our schools.
The Real Views: Thank you for your time, Mrs. Armstrong. Anything you would like to leave our readers with?
Mrs. Armstrong: I would like to say that this journey for City Council has been a fun experience. I'm grateful for all of the candidates and the campaigns that they're running. I think citizens of Natchitoches should feel empowered by seeing other locals step up and run for public office.
La. budget could close some small museums, secretary says
Written by
The Associated Press
BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler says he will need to close some museums if lawmakers pass the budget proposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Schedler outlined the situation Wednesday to the House Appropriations Committee, which is combing through Jindal's proposals for the 2012-13 fiscal year.
The secretary of state oversees 17 museums, mostly tiny museums run by volunteers and part-time workers. Schedler says with the budget proposed, he could keep open the two largest museums, the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport, but would have to shut down every other museum he oversees.
Schedler's trying to get local communities to take over some museum operations.
Jindal proposed a $70 million budget for Schedler's office. Schedler says that includes a $1.5 million cut to museums.
Air Force plans to cut more than 600 positions at Barksdale AFB
Written By
Deborah Barfield Berry
Gannett Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier City would lose more than 600 positions next fiscal year, mostly due to the loss of A-10 combat planes, under a plan proposed by the Air Force.
The plan calls for cutting 409 drill positions and 171 air reserve technician/civilian positions at Barksdale's reserve unit in fiscal 2013, which begins Oct. 1. Six active-duty positions and 38 civilian positions also would be cut.
A total of 831 positions would be lost for the period covering fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013, according to the report.
Fort Polk would add 32 positions, and there would be no personnel changes next year at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans.
The cuts are part of $487 billion in reductions approved last year when Congress agreed to increase the nation's debt limit. The agreement also requires about $1 trillion in cuts over the next nine years unless Congress can come up with a plan to reduce the debt by that amount. Half of those cuts – about $500 billion – would come from the defense budget.
The Air Force budget-cutting plan is subject to congressional approval.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told lawmakers at a recent congressional hearing that proposed reductions at the Air National Guard focus more on equipment such as the A-10, and on whether the planes fit into the military's strategy.
Defense officials decided that such single-mission aircraft "are the ones that we need to gradually reduce,'' Panetta said.
Panetta said he asked Air Force officials "to do everything possible to try to mitigate the impact of those reductions.''
Earlier this year, Air Force officials outlined plans to cut or transfer 24 of Barksdale's A-10 combat planes.
Air Force officials plan to save money by retiring 200 aircraft in fiscal 2013. They would retire or reclassify aircraft from seven squadrons, including five A-10 squadrons, one F-16 squadron and one F-15 training squadron.
Most proposed cuts to the reserve unit at Barksdale relate to the A-10, officials said.
Early voting begins Saturday for March 24 elections in Cenla
Source: Town Talk.com
Early voting for the March 24 presidential preference primary elections and local elections — including mayoral races in Natchitoches, Ferriday and four other Cenla municipalities, will begin Saturday.
Early voting, which takes place in parish registrars of voters' offices, will continue Monday through Friday next week, March 12-17.
Hours for early voting at the Rapides Parish registrar's office are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on those days.
The deadline to accept requests for ballots to vote absentee by mail is 4:30 p.m. March 20, according to a news release from Rapides Registrar Joanell Wilson.
In addition to Natchitoches and Ferriday, the Cenla communities holding mayoral elections on March 24 are Chataignier, Clarence, Powhatan and Florien.
The Democratic presidential primary candidates on Louisiana ballots are "Bob" Ely, Barack Obama, Darcy G. Richardson and John Wolfe.
Listed on ballots for the Republican Party presidential preference primary, even though some of the candidates have dropped out of the race, are Michele Bachmann, Randy Crow, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Charles "Buddy" Roemer, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.
Here are the March 24 elections, for which early voting begins Saturday:
Natchitoches Parish
Mayor, City of Natchitoches
Marvin Blake Jr. (D)
Juanita Howard Fowler (D)
Lee Posey (N)
BP ready for lengthy oil spill trial
Written By: The Associated Press
BP chief executive Bob Dudley said the company is able to fight a lengthy court battle over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Dudley, who took control of BP in October 2010 after former chief executive Tony Hayward resigned amid criticism over the way he had handled the oil spill, told Sunday Telegraph newspaper that BP can continue to function even if the court case that begins in New Orleans Monday continues for years.
We have to remember we are a business that invests in decade-long cycles," he said in an interview published Sunday. "For the vast majority of people now at BP, the company is back on its feet and it is starting to move forward," he said.
BP has set aside $40 billion to deal with fines and associated costs of the April 20, 2010, blowout of BP's deepwater Macondo well which killed 11 workers and injured 17. The burning drilling rig Deepwater Horizon toppled and sank to the Gulf floor, where it sits today.
It took engineers 85 days to permanently cap the well. By then, more than 200 million gallons of oil leaked from the well and had covered much of the northern half of the Gulf of Mexico — endangering fisheries, killing marine life and shutting down offshore oil drilling operations.
President Barack Obama called the BP spill "the worst environmental disaster the nation has ever faced."
Dudley said BP had improved safety standards on its rigs, five of which are working again in the Gulf of Mexico, and that the company was still committed to deepwater drilling.


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I am sure everyone has already seen this, but Phil Donahue shutting up Bill O'Reilly is up there with Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. When is Bill O'Reilly going to get syphilis?
And while Phil is inspirational in holding his ground on Fox, I wish this generation had a John Lennon to do this:


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After defendant left plaintiff's employment to co-found a competing company, plaintiff sued defendant personally for copyright infringement based on the new company's website's resemblance to plaintiff's website. The infringement theory was interesting – plaintiff alleged that defendant did not commit the infringement himself, but that he was secondarily liable for playing a significant role in the direct infringement by the new company's employees.
Defendant moved to dismiss the copyright infringement claim. The court granted the motion.
There are two types of secondary copyright infringement liability: contributory liability and vicarious liability. A defendant is a contributory infringer if it (1) has knowledge of a third party's infringing activity, and (2) induces, causes, or materially contributes to the infringing conduct. See Perfect 10, Inc. v. Visa Int'l Service Ass'n, 494 F.3d 788, 795 (9th Cir.2007) (quoting Ellison v. Robertson, 357 F.3d 1072, 1076 (9th Cir.2004)). In the context of copyright law, vicarious liability extends beyond an employer/employee relationship to cases in which a defendant has the right and ability to supervise the infringing activity and also has a direct financial interest in such activities. A & M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., 239 F.3d 1004, 1022 (9th Cir.2011) (quoting Fonovisa, Inc. v. Cherry Auction, Inc., 76 F.3d 259, 262 (9th Cir.1996)).
In this case, the court held that plaintiff had not alleged enough detail to state a claim of secondary liability against defendant. Instead, the complaint simply recited the elements of contributory and vicarious liability. Specifically, plaintiffs failed to allege:
- That defendant was uniquely in possession of the original material on plaintiff's website, but rather plaintiffs alleged that the material was publically available on the website for anyone to read and copy.
- How defendant, as a non-employee (but founder) of the new company, was personally responsible for the content of the new company's website. (Interestingly, the court held it was not sufficient to allege that defendant was a founder of the new company. Although plaintiffs alleged some factual details about what was actually copied from plaintiff's website, they alleged no factual details as to defendant's personal involvement in the infringement.)
- Facts that suggested that defendant induced the new company to infringe plaintiff's website.
- Facts that suggested that defendant had the right to control and supervise the new company's employees who were involved in the alleged infringement.
Plaintiff's attempts to impose secondary liability were (if they had worked) a clever method for accomplishing the same objective as piercing the corporate veil. Granular control by the individual founder could be equated with the "alter ego" aspect of the veil-piercing analysis. The absence of such specific control by the individual defendant, however, left the possibility of liability only with the company.
BioD, LLC v. Amnio Technology, LLC, 2014 WL 268644 (D.Ariz. January 24, 2014)


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Abstract: The effect of intracavity Electromagnetically Induced Transparency on the properties of optical resonators and active laser devices is discussed theoretically. A pronounced frequency pulling and cavity linewidth narrowing are predicted. The effect can be used to substantially reduce classical and quantum phase noise of the beat-note of optical oscillators. Fundamental limits of this stabilization mechanism are discussed as well as its potential application to high-resolution spectroscopy.
Optical pumping in dense atomic media: Limitations due to reabsorption of spontaneously emitted photons (1998)
Abstract: Resonant optical pumping in dense atomic media is discussed, where the absorption length is less than the smallest characteristic dimension of the sample. It is shown that reabsorption and multiple scattering of spontaneous photons (radiation trapping) can substantially slow down the rate of optical pumping. A very slow relaxation out of the target state of the pump process is then sufficient to make optical pumping impossible. As model systems an inhomogeneously and a radiatively broadened 3-level system resonantly driven with a strong broad-band pump field are considered.
Long-time dynamics of spontaneous parametric down-conversion and quantum limitations of conversion effciency (1998)
Abstract: We analyze the long-time quantum dynamics of degenerate parametric down-conversion from an initial sub-harmonic vacuum (spontaenous down-conversion). Standard linearization of the Heisenberg equations of motions fails in this case, since it is based on an expansion around an unstable classical solution and neglects pump depletion. Introducing a mean-field approximation we find a periodic exchange of energy between the pump and subharmonic mode goverened by an anharmonic pendulum equation. From this equation the optimum interaction time or crystal length for maximum conversion can be determined. A numerical integration of the 2-mode Schrödinger equation using a dynamically optimized basis of displaced and squeezed number states verifies the characteristic times predicted by the mean-field approximation. In contrast to semiclassical and mean-field predictions it is found that quantum uctuations of the pump mode lead to a substantial limitation of the efficiency of parametric down-conversion.
Radiative atom-atom interactions in optically dense media: Quantum corrections to the Lorentz-Lorenz formula (1998)
Abstract: Generalized single-atom Maxwell-Bloch equations for optically dense media are derived taking into account non-cooperative radiative atom-atom interactions. Applying a Gaussian approximation and formally eliminating the degrees of freedom of the quantized radiation field and of all but a probe atom leads to an effective time-evolution operator for the probe atom. The mean coherent amplitude of the local field seen by the atom is shown to be given by the classical Lorentz-Lorenz relation. The second-order correlations of the field lead to terms that describe relaxation or pump processes and level shifts due to multiple scattering or reabsorption of spontaneously emitted photons. In the Markov limit a non-linear and nonlocal single-atom density matrix equation is derived. To illustrate the effects of the quantum corrections we discuss amplified spontaneous emission and radiation trapping in a dense ensemble of initially inverted two-level atoms and the effects of radiative interactions on intrinsic optical bistability in coherently driven systems.


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The Finance Department, consistent with the City of Fayetteville's core values, serves other departments, citizens, and the community with RESPECT:
- Responsibility,
- Ethics,
- Stewardship,
- Professionalism,
- Entrepreneurial spirit,
- Commitment, and
- Teamwork.
The Finance Department is committed to providing timely, accurate, and concise financial information, and reports.
Functionally, the department consists of: Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Collections, Payroll, Cash and Debt Management, and Risk Management. The department plays a key role in every financial transaction ranging from processing payroll checks to managing investments.
The main office of the Finance Department is located on the second floor of the City Hall, 433 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301.
Important Finance Links
- Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR)
- Collections
- Property Assessment Look-up Tool
List of Checks
- 7.1.19 thru 6.12.20 (.pdf)
- 7.1.2018 thru 12.31.2018 (.pdf)
Other Useful Links
- Budget and Evaluation
- Budget Chronicles
- Capital Improvement Plans
- Fee Schedules
- Information Technology Plans
Main Finance Office
- Phone - (910) 433-1781
- Mailing Address:
City of Fayetteville
P.O. Drawer D
433 Hay Street
Fayetteville, NC 28302-1746
Other Finance Divisions
Accounts Payable
- Phone - (910) 433-1673 / 433-1670
- Fax - (910) 433-1680
- Located on the 2nd floor of City Hall, 433 Hay Street
Accounts Receivable
- Phone - (910) 433-1782
- Fax - (910) 433-1680
- Located on the 2nd floor of City Hall, 433 Hay Street
- Phone - (910) 433-1684
- Fax - (910) 433-1680
- Located on the 2nd floor of City Hall, 433 Hay Street
- Phone - (910) 433-1676 / 433-1030 / 433-1678
- Fax - (910) 433-1780
- Located on the 1st floor of City Hall, 433 Hay Street
- Phone - (910) 433-1681 / 433-1685 / 433-1686
- Fax - (910) 433-1680
- Located on the 2nd floor of City Hall, 433 Hay Street
Jay Toland, Chief Financial Officer
Jay is the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Fayetteville, where he has worked since February 2018. Prior to joining the City, Jay was the Chief Financial Officer for Scotland County Schools. Under Jay's direction, Scotland County Schools was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting and Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association, The Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting and Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials and the Award for Excellence in Management of the NC State Public School Fund from the North Carolina State Board of Education.
Jay resides in Fayetteville with his wife and daughter. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He has also completed other post graduate work at East Carolina University and is a Certified Management Accountant.


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Address Serious Threats
The Threats That Bats Face
The Threats That Bats Face
Bat Conservation International is committed to protecting the world's 1,300+ bat species, and this commitment starts with addressing the most serious threats that present themselves in our home region of the United States and Canada. Since the organization's founding in 1982, BCI has helped to mitigate threats to hundreds of bat colonies and dozens of species in this region. This includes safeguarding the Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) found under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, protecting the critical gray bat (Myotis grisescens) colony in Fern Cave, Alabama, and of course purchasing and managing the property surrounding the world's largest bat colony at Bracken Cave, located just north of San Antonio, Texas. Over time, new and extremely daunting threats to bats have emerged, like White-nose Syndrome and wind energy development. Addressing the new and the chronic threats requires BCI to remain vigilant and proactive in our strategies, and although the challenges continue to mount, our commitment has not wavered.
Perhaps BCI's longest running conservation initiatives are those efforts focused on protecting specific colonies of bats and abating threats at known roost sites (e.g. caves, abandoned mines, bridges, etc.). BCI's work across the region to acquire, gate, or otherwise protect key bat roosts from destruction or disturbance has been a mainstay of our conservation mission. We will continue to pursue these successful tools, while we work to develop new tools and reduce other critical threats to bats in the United States and Canada. For more information about BCI's efforts to address the threat of cave and mine roost destruction, click here.
Wind turbines in the United States and Canada have killed over two million bats in the past 13 years, and wind production in this region is on the rise. Twenty-one of the 47 bat species known from the US and Canada have been killed by wind turbines, mostly migratory tree-roosting species. For more information about BCI's efforts to address the threat of wind energy to bats, click here.
For bats that hibernate in caves and mines, White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is an urgent threat. The disease has killed more than 6 million bats since it was discovered in 2006, and is rapidly spreading westward across the continent. As many as 25 of the 47 species found in the United States and Canada could be at risk. For more information about BCI's efforts to address the threat of White-nose Syndrome, click here.
In the arid American West, climate-induced reductions in drinking water availability for wildlife are a major concern for maintaining stable bat populations. Promoting improved management of water resources and forestry practices that consider bat foraging and roosting requirements is critical to bat conservation. For more information about BCI's efforts to address the threat of water scarcity for bats, click here.
Partnerships are a key strategy for reducing threats to bats. We have strong partnerships with many of our federal and state agencies responsible for managing millions of acres of public land, through which we provide tools, resources and information to manage bat habitat for lasting conservation. Our collaboration with the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative has led to meaningful research suggesting practical solutions to reduce bat mortality. We are heavily invested in the WNS recovery effort and provide resources and funding toward finding solutions and slowing the spread of the disease.
Stay up to date with BCI
Sign up and receive timely bat updates
BCI relies on the support of our amazing members around the world.
Our mission is to conserve the world's bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet.
Please join us or donate so our work can continue.


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Mumazing Mums go onto lead a life free of Mummy Guilt, reconnected with their purpose, finding harmony in their relationships as well as being a positive role model to their children.
As Mums we have different responsibilities and we go through different emotions, such as guilt, stress, pressure, loneliness, learning how to juggle as well as be the best Mum we can be.
The Mumazing Success Programme provides a safe space where you can come along be you in a place where you feel encouraged, empowered and supported whilst you are on your journey of motherhood and purpose.
By Joining our Community
• Discover how other Mums are able to juggle their life very successfully
• Find out how you can make that dream of yours happen without making any sacrifices
• Create a Life Style where you are Happy and Fulfilled
• Feel Supported and Encouraged towards the path you have chosen
• Be part of a supportive community where you can be the real you and not someone else
• Overcome any challenges or barriers you are facing towards your goals
• Find out the most powerful strategies and tools to transform your life
• Discover the obstacles that are stopping you and how you can get over them
• Overcome any limiting beliefs sabotaging your success
• Shine, feel free and live the life you only thought dreams were made of
• Discover the EASIER Route to Success by following the EASIER Model
• Surround yourself with Likeminded Women on the same mission to you
• Spend more quality time with your Children
• Have some "me" time and feel fulfilled by doing so, without the guilt
• Have more energy & time to do the things you want and with the people who are important to you
The Group is a 12 Month Programme where you will immerse in a sea of Personal Development and Business Growth. Every month we cover a topic relevant.
Our Mumazing Success 2017/2018 12 - Month Programme
Monday 11th September 2017 - Back To School Kickstart
Monday 9th October 2017 - No More Mummy Guilt
Monday 13th November 2017 - Unlock The Power In You
Monday 11th December 2017 - Create Your 2018, Goal Setting and Vision Board Making
Monday 8th January 2018 - Financial Power
Monday 12th February 2018 - Happier Relationships
Monday 12th March 2018 - All About You
Monday 9th April 2018 - You Are Good Enough
Monday 14th May 2018 - Feeling Alive
Monday 11th June 2018 - Creating More Time
Monday 9th July 2018 - Juggling With Ease
The results and success the Mumazing Success Programme Members have received are transformational.....
"Before I joined Mumazing, I had frequent feelings of overwhelm and guilt. I worried about funding my membership but have found it to be worth every penny. I really enjoy our meetings, the other fab members, and the motivation and accountability. I feel each month is priceless. I can honestly say that Lucy is one of the most grounded, honest and real people I've met, and she really cares."Natalie, Mumazing Member
"In the spirit of 'Love month' I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me. I genuinely feel like a different person than when I came as a guest in September and I know a huge part of that is down to you and Mumazing. It really is a special thing you're doing and I'm so grateful I joined. I so nearly didn't go along that day but thank goodness I did."George, Mumazing Member
First time to Mumazing? I would like to invite you as my Guest, select that option on here when booking.
If you have been before and would like to talk about Membership? then email me at firstname.lastname@example.com
To Your Happiness and Success
Lucy x
Founder of Mumazing Success


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Q Skills for Success
CatalogThird edition
New Edition
Think critically. Succeed academically.
Jenny Bixby, Meg Brooks, Nigel Caplan, Miles Craven, Debra Daise, Scott Douglas, Susan Earle-Carlin, Rob Freire, Margot Gramer, Tamara Jones, Joe McVeigh, Sarah Lynn, Kevin McClure, Charl Norloff, Jaimie Scanlon, Kristin Sherman, Mari Vargo, Colin Ward, Larry Zwier, Jenni Currie Santamaria, Susan Iannuzzi, Lawrence Lawson and Karen Hamilton.
Language Level: Beginner to Advanced
A six-level paired skills series that helps students to think critically and succeed academically. The Third Edition builds on Q: Skills for Success' question-centered approach with even more critical thinking, up-to-date topics, and 100% new assessment.
Wide Angle
A real-world viewpoint
Jennifer Carlson, Nancy Jordan, Miles Craven, Gary Pathare, Kristin Donnalley Sherman, Jaimie Scanlon, Frances Watkins, Kate Adams, Mari Vargo, Jenni Santamaria, Jamey Sadownick, Lana Koyadinovich, Deborah Gordon, Jenni Santamaria, and Robina Blundell
Language Level: A1–C1
A six-level American English course that teaches English for the real world.
Trio Series
Building Academic Skills...From The Beginning
Alice Savage, Colin Ward, Kate Adams and Mari Vargo
Language Level: A1-B1 (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3)
Trio is a three-level series that builds the skills students need to communicate in an academic context from the beginning.
Diccionario Oxford Escolar para Estudiantes de Inglés (Español-Inglés / Inglés-Español)
Language Level: Elementary to Intermediate
A1 to B1
This expanded, updated edition contains enhanced coverage of modern American and British English.
Diccionario Oxford Escolar
CatalogSecond Edition
Language Level: Elementary to Intermediate
A1 to B1
This updated edition contains enhanced coverage of modern American and British English.
Tactics for TOEIC Speaking and Writing Test Pack
Tactics-focused preparation for the TOEIC® Speaking and Writing Tests
Grant Trew
Language Level: Beginner (A1) to Advanced (C1)
Tactics for TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests Pack is authorized by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and contains official TOEIC items. This complete preparation course will help students develop the necessary skills to do well on the new computer-based Speaking and Writing tests. It focuses on building the range and understanding of language use, and awareness of key-testing strategies needed to get a high score. The Pack includes a Student Book, Class Audio CDs, Key and a Tapescripts booklet.
Diccionario Oxford Pocket: Edicion latinoamericana espanol-ingles/ingles-espanol
Handy compact bilingual dictionary specifically written for Spanish-speaking learners of English in Latin America
Language Level: Elementary to Intermediate (A1 to B1)
This new handy-sized dictionary has wide, up-to-date coverage of Latin American Spanish and English. It offers accurate translations and information on usage; while its clear design helps users quickly find the definitions they need.
Dictionnaire Oxford Poche: francais-anglais/anglais-francais
Language Level: Elementary to Intermediate
This handy-sized dictionary provides extensive coverage of up-to-date vocabulary in English and French. Study pages offer help with everyday language, as well as phrasal verbs and modals. A special section on false cognates is also included.
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