IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- Idaho businessman Frank VanderSloot is suing Mother Jones magazine because he contends that he was defamed by an article that depicted him as a "gay-basher."
VanderSloot, the CEO of direct marketing company Melaleuca, filed the lawsuit in Idaho Falls' 7th District court on Tuesday. He says a February 2012 article about him and two tweets promoting it prompted national criticism.
The magazine's co-editor-in-chief Monika Bauerlein says Mother Jones stands by its reporting and she hasn't yet received official notification of the lawsuit.
VanderSloot is seeking nearly $75,000 in damages. The lawsuit focuses on the article titled, "Pyramid-Like Company Ponies Up $1 million for Mitt Romney." The term "gay-bashing" never appears in the story, but VanderSloot points to a tweet promoting the article that described him as Romney's "gay-bashing buddy."
In the lawsuit, VanderSloot contends that the term "gay-bashing" denotes violence, harassment or intimidation based on sexual orientation.
"I've never taken shots like this before," VanderSloot said. "I think it's particularly egregious to accuse somebody of a hate crime ... In my opinion, that's what gay-bashing is. The accusation is that I have bashed gay people."
The Mother Jones article said that VanderSloot outed a gay reporter for the Post Register in 2005 when he purchased a full-page ad in the newspaper criticizing the reporter's extensive work covering child sexual abuse and cover-up scandals in the Boy Scouts.
VanderSloot has maintained that the reporter's sexual orientation was publicly known before the advertisement hit newsstands in conservative eastern Idaho.
VanderSloot has gained attention in the past for his approach to gay rights issues. In 1999, he bought space on 25 billboards to protest a documentary called "It's Elementary" that aired on Idaho Public Television. The documentary discussed how schools approached the subject of homosexuality, and on the billboards VanderSloot said it promoted "the homosexual lifestyle of your children." In 2008, VanderSloot's wife, Belinda, contributed $100,000 to an independent group supporting a successful California effort to ban gay marriage.
The multi-millionaire businessman caught the notice of the national media when he became the national campaign finance co-chair of the Romney campaign.
The lawsuit states that the Mother Jones article created a "national media firestorm," including attention from "The Rachel Maddow Show," Rolling Stone magazine and Salon.com. VanderSloot said those organizations parroted falsehoods from the Mother Jones article.
"In today's age, it becomes an impossibility (to hold media) accountable regardless of how wrong it is," he said. "I believe that who you need to hold accountable are the people who fabricated the story in the first place."
Bauerlein, the co-editor in chief of Mother Jones, said that shortly after the article appeared on the magazine's website, VanderSloot and Melaleuca brought forth concerns about accuracy. The article was pulled off the website for a short time, and 10 days later, Mother Jones printed three corrections.
In September 2012, Bauerlein said Mother Jones editors met face-to-face with VanderSloot, and there was one follow-up conversation, but then communication between the parties ended.
We feel very comfortable with our reporting," Bauerlein said. "Mother Jones has a long and solid track record of journalistic excellence."
"Why couldn't they get out?" asks the mother of one of the 231 nightclub victims. Investigators have found that the overcrowded club had only one exit and no smoke or fire alarms.
By Juliana Barbassa,?Associated Press / January 28, 2013
People march into a tunnel near the Kiss nightclub on Monday, Jan. 28, to honor the victims of Sunday's fatal fire inside the club in Santa Maria, Brazil. The tragedy at the Kiss nightclub was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning.
Felipe Dana / AP
Enlarge
The nightclub Kiss was hot, steamy from the press of beer-fueled bodies dancing close. The Brazilian country band on stage was whipping the young crowd into a frenzy, launching into another fast-paced, accordion-driven tune and lighting flares that spewed silver sparks into the air.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
It was another Saturday night in Santa Maria, a university town of about 260,000 on Brazil's southernmost tip.
Then, in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, it turned into a scene of indescribable horror as sparks lit a fire in the soundproofing material above the stage, churning out black, toxic smoke as flames raced through the former beer warehouse, killing 231 people.
"I was right there, so even though I was far from the door, at least I realized something was wrong," said Rodrigo Rizzi, a first-year nursing student who was next to the stage when the fire broke out and watched the tragedy unfold, horror-stricken and helpless.
"Others, who couldn't see the stage, never had a chance. They never saw it coming."
There was no fire alarm, no sprinklers, no fire escape. In violation of state safety codes, fire extinguishers were not spaced every 1,500 square feet, and there was only one exit. As the city buried its young Monday, questions were raised about whether Brazil is up to the task of ensuring the safety in venues for the World Cup next year, and the Olympics in 2016. Four people were detained for questioning, including two band members and the nightclub's two co-owners.
Rizzi hadn't even planned on going out that night. He was talked into it by friends and knew dozens at the club, which was packed with an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 people. He said the first sign of a problem was insulation dripping above the stage.
The flames at that point were barely noticeable, just tiny tongues lapping at the flammable material. The band's singer, Marcelo dos Santos, noticed it and tried to put out the smoldering embers by squirting water from a bottle.
The show kept going. Then, as the ceiling continued to ooze hot molten foam, dos Santos grabbed the drummer's water bottle and aimed it at the fire. That didn't work either, Rizzi said. A security guard handed the band leader a fire extinguisher. He aimed, but nothing came out; the extinguisher didn't work.
At that point, Rizzi said, the singer motioned to the band to get out. Rizzi calmly made his way to the door ? the club's only exit ? still thinking it was a small fire that would quickly be controlled.
The cavernous building was divided into several sections, including a pub and a VIP lounge ? and hundreds of the college students and teenagers crammed in couldn't see the stage. They continued to drink and dance, unaware of the danger spreading above them.
Then, the place became an inferno.
The band members who headed straight for the door lived. One, Danilo Brauner, went back to get his accordion, and never made it out.
A bill aimed squarely at a proposed $42 million McHenry County College health club and classroom expansion looked to be on a fast track Tuesday with a first reading only a day after it was introduced by the two Illinois House members who represent the community college district.
The bill, sponsored by strange bedfellows freshman Republican Dave McSweeney of Barrington Hills and veteran Democrat Jack Franks, Marengo, would clamp down on "double barrelled" alternate revenue bonds, so called because they can tap not only a specific conjectural revenue stream for payoff but also "all funds available" to a taxing district. The bonds are popular financing vehicles since they can be issued without, for practical purposes, any chance at a taxpayer vote.
McSweeney confirmed Tuesday the bill for which he's chief sponsor targets the McHenry County College Board's proposal for a public-private Wellness Center. That's now in the feasibility study stage, but McSweeney said it would be important elsewhere, too.? "This has been a problem all over the state," he said.? "I'm going to try pass this as soon as possible."??
McSweeney cited recent Chicago Tribune articles about disastrous alternate revenue bond projects including nearby Lakewood's Redtail golf course which only brought in half the money the village needed for the bond issue to buy it.? The McSweeney-Franks measure would require projected revenue to be at least one and a half times the bond payoff.? More important, McSweeney said, it drops the bar? on stopping a bond issue to only 500 signatures in 90 days to call a referendum.? Right now it's, in the case of MCC, about 13,500 within 30 days.? "There's got to be a 'back door' referendum," said McSweeney.
MCC's Wellness Center proposal includes features reminiscent of a failed plan five years ago when a sports promoter promised to study whether a $29 million minor-league baseball stadium paid for with MCC alternate revenue bonds would be a good idea. He reported it was and asked for a contract to develop it.? The MCC Board tore itself to shreds for a year before dumping the plan and then-College President Walt Packard, too.? Current Board President Mary Miller was an MCC Board member then but said Tuesday, nevertheless, the college's current contract with fitness center operator Power Wellness, Addison, doesn't bar the company from running the proposed new facility if it decides it's a viable proposition.
Co-sponsor Franks couldn't be reached Tuesday but in a press release said, "Municipalities have little oversight when it comes to borrowing millions of dollars which oftentimes end up being a back door tax hike on residents."
In the pic:? A 75,000 square-foot health and fitness center that Power Wellness, Addison,? runs for Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI, one of about 20 it operates.
The follow is a list of allowable expenses that I can claim for as a taxi-driver but it's difficult to know how much I can claim since some of the items are not used solely for business use but also private use.
Telephone/mobile
Internet
Protective clothing and Cleaning products for car washing
Clothes for work
Use of house as office
Sundries (not sure what would come under this?)
Are there standard amounts that one can claim?
Any other suggestions of allowable expenses?
(I have not included in the list costs of diesel, repairs etc as these amounts are easily ascertained).
Retired Infantryman Brendan M. Marrocco uses his transplanted arm to brush his hair back during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 29. 2013 at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco received a transplant of two arms from a deceased donor after losing all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Retired Infantryman Brendan M. Marrocco uses his transplanted arm to brush his hair back during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 29. 2013 at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco received a transplant of two arms from a deceased donor after losing all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Retired Infantryman Brendan M. Marrocco listens during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 29. 2013 at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco received a transplant of two arms from a deceased donor after losing all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Retired Infantryman Brendan M. Marrocco smiles during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 29. 2013 at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco received a transplant of two arms from a deceased donor after losing all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Retired Infantryman Brendan M. Marrocco listens during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 29. 2013 at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco received a transplant of two arms from a deceased donor after losing all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Retired Infantryman Brendan M. Marrocco wheels himself into a news conference followed by lead surgeon W.P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Tuesday, Jan. 29. 2013 at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco received a transplant of two arms from a deceased donor after losing all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
BALTIMORE (AP) ? After weeks of round-the-clock medical care, Brendan Marrocco insisted on rolling his own wheelchair into a news conference using his new transplanted arms. Then he brushed his hair to one side.
Such simple tasks would go unnoticed in most patients. But for Marrocco, who lost all four limbs while serving in Iraq, these little actions demonstrate how far he's come only six weeks after getting a double-arm transplant.
Wounded by a roadside bomb in 2009, the former soldier said he could get by without legs, but he hated living without arms.
"Not having arms takes so much away from you. Even your personality, you know. You talk with your hands. You do everything with your hands, and when you don't have that, you're kind of lost for a while," the 26-year-old New Yorker told reporters Tuesday at a news conference at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Doctors don't want him using his new arms too much yet, but his gritty determination to regain independence was one of the chief reasons he was chosen to receive the surgery, which has been performed in the U.S. only seven times.
That's the message Marrocco said he has for other wounded soldiers.
"Just not to give up hope. You know, life always gets better, and you're still alive," he said. "And to be stubborn. There's a lot of people who will say you can't do something. Just be stubborn and do it anyway. Work your ass off and do it."
Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, head of the team that conducted the surgery, said the new arms could eventually provide much of the same function as his original arms and hands. Another double-arm transplant patient can now use chopsticks and tie his shoes.
Lee said Marrocco's recovery has been remarkable, and the transplant is helping to "restore physical and psychological well-being."
Tuesday's news conference was held to mark a milestone in his recovery ? the day he was to be discharged from the hospital.
Next comes several years of rehabilitation, including physical therapy that is going to become more difficult as feeling returns to the arms.
Before the surgery, he had been living with his older brother in a specially equipped home on New York's Staten Island that had been built with the help of several charities. Shortly after moving in, he said it was "a relief to not have to rely on other people so much."
The home was heavily damaged by Superstorm Sandy last fall.
"We'll get it back together. We've been through a lot worse than that," his father, Alex Marrocco, said.
For the next few months, Marrocco plans to live with his brother in an apartment near the hospital.
The former infantryman said he can already move the elbow on his left arm and rotate it a little bit, but there hasn't been much movement yet for his right arm, which was transplanted higher up.
Marrocco's mother, Michelle Marrocco, said he can't hug her yet, so he brushes his left arm against her face.
The first time he moved his left arm was a complete surprise, an involuntary motion while friends were visiting him in the hospital, he said.
"I had no idea what was going through my mind. I was with my friends, and it happened by accident," he recalled. "One of my friends said 'Did you do that on purpose?' And I didn't know I did it."
Marrocco's operation also involved a technical feat not tried in previous cases, Lee said in an interview after the news conference.
A small part of Marrocco's left forearm remained just below his elbow, and doctors transplanted a whole new forearm around and on top of it, then rewired nerves to serve the old and new muscles in that arm.
"We wanted to save his joint. In the unlucky event we would lose the transplant, we still wanted him to have the elbow joint," Lee said.
He also explained why leg transplants are not done for people missing those limbs ? "it's not very practical." That's because nerves regrow at best about an inch a month, so it would be many years before a transplanted leg was useful.
Even if movement returned, a patient might lack sensation on the soles of the feet, which would be unsafe if the person stepped on sharp objects and couldn't feel the pain.
And unlike prosthetic arms and hands, which many patients find frustrating, the ones for legs are good. That makes the risks of a transplant not worth taking.
"It's premature" until there are better ways to help nerves regrow, Lee said.
Now Marrocco, who was the first soldier to survive losing all four limbs in the Iraq War, is looking forward to getting behind the wheel of his black 2006 Dodge Charger and hand-cycling a marathon.
Asked if he could one day throw a football, Dr. Jaimie Shores said sure, but maybe not like Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.
"Thanks for having faith in me," Marrocco interjected, drawing laughter from the crowd.
His mother said Marrocco has always been "a tough cookie."
"He's not changed that, and he's just taken it and made it an art form," Michelle Marrocco said. "He's never going to stop. He's going to be that boy I knew was going to be a pain in my butt forever. And he's going to show people how to live their lives."
___
Associated Press Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee and AP writer David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Md., contributed to this report.
People use umbrellas to fend off the rain as they walk through a park in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People use umbrellas to fend off the rain as they walk through a park in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
In this image made with a slow shutter speed, a man uses an umbrella to fend off the rain as he walks on a street in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
A man use an umbrella to fend off the rain as he walks through a park in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Torrential rain over the weekend flooded several towns in eastern Australia, and three deaths were reported. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) ? Thousands of Australians huddled in shelters Tuesday as torrential rains flooded cities and towns in the northeast, killing four people and prompting around 1,000 helicopter evacuations.
With floodwaters expected to peak in most of the worst-hit areas later Tuesday, officials were rushing to move those in the highest-risk areas to safety.
In the hard-hit city of Bundaberg, 385 kilometers (240 miles) north of Brisbane, rescue crews plucked 1,000 people to safety after the river that runs through town broke its banks, sending fast-moving, muddy water pouring into streets and homes. Around 1,500 residents fled to evacuation centers, while patients at the local hospital were being airlifted to Brisbane as a precaution.
"Listen to the roar of the water ? that's not helicopters," Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said. "You see a lot of locations where there are literally sort of rapids. There's white water out there, so it is very dangerous."
Queensland residents and officials were being particularly cautious, after floodwaters from heavy rain in late 2010 and early 2011 left much of the state under water in the worst flooding Australia had seen in decades. The 2010-2011 floods killed 35 people, damaged or destroyed 30,000 homes and businesses and left Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, under water for days.
The current flood crisis was not as severe, though some areas in northern New South Wales were hit by more than half a meter (about 20 inches) of rain, State Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Steve Pearce said. Four people have died, including a 3-year-old boy who was hit by a falling tree in Brisbane.
"We're expecting flash flooding, we're expecting trees to be brought down, wires to be brought down by these winds," Pearce said. "We're expecting a very challenging 24 hours in front of us."
In the New South Wales city of Grafton, 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Sydney, 2,500 people were ordered to leave their homes as the Clarence River continued to rise.
"We are in a dangerous situation that requires a timely response and I think the best thing to do is to evacuate," said Richie Williamson, the mayor of Clarence Valley Council.
The flooding was caused by the remnants of a tropical cyclone that also caused severe weather including tornadoes and created sea foam that came ashore on the Queensland coast. The foam covered roads in places, causing traffic to be diverted. Elsewhere, beach-goers waded into the bubbles to pose for photographs.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Recent gunmaking efforts have stoked concerns that inexpensive and increasingly popular 3-D printers might make access to weapons even easier.
January 28th, 2013 Related Posts: Brickell, Real Estate News
Despite an 8% increase in median rental rates in Downtown Miami real estate, leasing transactions also increased by 5% in 2012, when sided against the previous year?s market statistics.
The real estate market in Brickell and Downtown Miami have experienced a steady uptick for the past three years, according to a Market Intelligence Report released by Condo Vultures. In 2012 for example, 5,300 residential units were rented, whereas in 2011, there were 200 less ? totaling 5,100. Two years ago, this ?number was just 4,750 for 2010 leases in Downtown Miami.
In dollars and cents, the numbers for 2012 translate to a median of $1.99 per SF, compared to $1.85/SF ?in 2011.? The report postulates that rentals have stemmed from popular MLS marketing services.
Currently, there are an estimated 950 residential units on the market for rent. They?re expected to be leased within the space of? two months, as monthly rental averages are around 450 ? based on records from 2012.
To summarize the current prices of this inventory, 10 residential units for lease in Downtown Miami? are four-bedrooms with a mean rate of $2.95/SF; 115 are three-bedrooms with a median rate of $2.45/SF;? 465 are two-bedrooms with an estimated asking price of $2.20/SF; 315 are one-bedroom residences going for an average? of $2.45/SF, and a total of 50 studios will be rented for around $2.95/SF each.
Downtown Miami real estate encompasses over 60 blocks of NEW MIAMI, a part of which is Brickell and Biscayne Bay. These areas are Sydney Server Real Estate?s niche markets.
The current inventory includes Sydney Server?s listing, a Luxury Downtown Condo FOR LEASEat the Marquis Residence. Details include: 1100 Biscyane Blvd, Condo #4302. MLS# A1727471. 2BR/2.5BA FOR LEASE Price: $5,250. Monthly.
Contact Miami Realtor Sydney Server for more information.
Sources: Condo Vultures
Photo Credit: Miami Downtown Life
Daneil Fletcher for SydneyServerRealEstate.com
Authored by Sydney Server | Print This Post | Please Leave A Comment ? ?
This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2013 at 11:24 am and is filed under Brickell, Real Estate News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
A fire broke out early Sunday morning at a night club in Santa Maria, in southern Brazil, killing revelers ? many of them students. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
By Alastair Jamieson, Staff Writer, NBC News
Dozens of victims of a fast-moving nightclub inferno that claimed the lives of more than 230 people in southern Brazil were due to buried on Monday as reports emerged that fleeing patrons were blocked by a locked door.
About 50 funerals were expected to take place at the municipal cemetery in Santa Maria, according to Brazilian television news broadcast Zero Hora, while other bodies removed from the Kiss nightclub remained at the city?s gymnasium awaiting identification
The cemetery opened early, at 7.30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET), and was planning to conduct burials at half-hour intervals, O Globo reported, saying the army had helped dig graves.
The newspaper Diario de Santa Maria reported that a refrigerated truck was used to preserve some of the bodies overnight because local mortuary facilities were full.
The blaze began early Sunday when a band's small pyrotechnics show ignited foam sound-insulating material on the ceiling.
Yuri Weber / Agencia O Dia via Reuters
A view inside the blackened Boate Kiss nightclub in which at least 233 died.
The first images from inside the blackened building show the extent of the panic, with drinks and clothing scattered across the floor.
Many of the victims were under 20 years old, The Associated Press reported, and were attending a party organized by students from several academic departments from the Federal University of Santa Maria.
'Barrier of bodies' The main door of the nightclub was locked at the time, fire chief Guido Pedroso de Melo told O Globo.
He added that firefighters responding to the blaze initially had trouble getting inside the nightclub because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance.?
Local authorities told Reuters that 120 men and 113 women died in the fire, and 92 people are still being treated in hospitals.
Survivors and the police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from exiting the club, according to the AP, perhaps fearing that patrons would leave without paying their tab.
Marcelo Sayao / EPA
Relatives gather at the city gymnasium in Santa Maria, Brazil, to mourn victims from the 'Kiss' nightclub fire.
But Arigony said the guards didn't appear to block fleeing patrons for long. "It was chaotic and it doesn't seem to have been done in bad faith because several security guards also died," he told the AP.
In a radio interview, the band?s guitarist Rodrigo Martins said the fire began shortly after the band took to the stage at 2.15 a.m. local time Sunday.
"When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working," he said, adding that the accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other members made it out safely.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Apple is still doing relatively well, but its valuation is falling like a rock, while Nokia and RIM are ascending from catastrophically low levels. Yet judging from Twitter feeds and relevant articles, it appears the people who disbelieve that Apple can fall are matched by those who can't believe RIM and Nokia will recover.
PORT SAID, Egypt/CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 22 people died on Saturday when Egyptians rampaged in protest at the sentencing of 21 people to death over a soccer stadium disaster, adding to bloody street turmoil confronting Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
Armored vehicles and military police fanned through the streets of Port Said after the violence. The state news agency quoted a general as saying the military aimed to "establish calm and stability in Port Said and to protect public institutions".
The unrest began with nationwide rallies on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, a democratic uprising that protesters now accuse Mursi of betraying by ramming through an Islamist-hued constitution.
While anniversary-related violence subsided, a new flare-up hit Port Said after a court sentenced 21 men to die for involvement in the deaths of 74 people after a local soccer match on February 1, 2012, many of them fans of the visiting team.
Residents ran wildly through the streets of Port Said in rage that men from their city had been blamed for the stadium disaster, and gunshots were reported near the prison where most of the defendants were being held.
State television, citing the Health Ministry, said 22 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. Security sources said at least two of the dead were policemen.
A witness said some men stormed a police station in Port Said, where protesters lit tires in the street, sending black smoke funneling into the air.
At least nine people were killed in clashes with police on Friday, mainly in the port of Suez where the army has also deployed. Hundreds were injured as police rained down tear gas on protesters armed with stones and some with petrol bombs.
The schism between Islamists and secular Egyptians is hurting efforts by Mursi, freely elected in June, to revive an economy in crisis and reverse a slide in Egypt's currency.
The political strife and lack of security that has blighted the Arab world's most populous country over much of the post-Mubarak era is casting a chilling shadow over a parliamentary election expected to start in April.
Highlighting tensions, the opposition National Salvation Front coalition called for a government of national unity and an early presidential vote among other demands. It said it would call for more protests next Friday and could boycott the parliamentary election if its demands are not met.
Mursi's opponents say he has failed to deliver on economic pledges or be a president representing the full political and communal diversity of Egyptians, as he pledged.
His supporters say his critics do not respect the democracy that has given Egypt its first freely elected leader.
VICTIMS' RELATIVES CHEER
At the Port Said soccer stadium a year ago, many spectators were crushed and witnesses saw some thrown off balconies after the match between Cairo's Al Ahly and local team al-Masri.
Families of victims in court cheered and wept for joy when Judge Sobhy Abdel Maguid read a list of 21 names "referred to the Mufti", a phrase used to denote execution, as all death sentences must be reviewed by Egypt's top religious authority.
A total of 73 people have been standing trial. Other rulings will be issued on March 9, the judge said.
One relative in the court shouted: "God is greatest." Outside the Al Ahly club in Cairo, fans also cheered. They had threatened more violence unless the death penalty was meted out.
Thousands took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other cities on Friday to protest against what they call the authoritarianism of Mursi's rule. Protesters in Cairo were again hurling stones at police lines in Cairo on Saturday.
"We want to change the president and the government. We are tired of this regime. Nothing has changed," said Mahmoud Suleiman, 22, in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the cauldron of the 2011 anti-Mubarak revolt and near where youths stoned police.
"PURSUING CRIMINALS"
Ahmed Salama, 28, a protester camped out with dozens of others in Tahrir, said: "The protests will continue until we realize all the demands of the revolution - bread, freedom and social justice."
In a statement in response to Friday's violence, Mursi said the state would not hesitate in "pursuing the criminals and delivering them to justice". He urged Egyptians to respect the principles of the revolution by expressing views peacefully.
The president met on Saturday with the National Defence Council, which includes senior ministers and security officials, to discuss the spate of violence.
In a televised statement, the National Salvation Front said it was holding Mursi responsible.
The Front was formed from disparate groups last year when Mursi awarded himself extra powers and fast-tracked an Islamist-flavored constitution to a referendum, opposed by the Front although the document was passed in the popular vote.
"Egypt will not regain its balance except by a political solution that is transparent and credible, by a government of national salvation to restore order and heal the economy and with a constitution for all Egyptians," prominent opposition politician Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.
Until the Front was formed, the opposition had struggled to unite and their vote had been split at presidential and parliamentary polls, helping Islamists. The last parliament was dissolved based on court order, demanding a new vote this year.
Mustapha Kamal Al-Sayyid, a professor of political science at Cairo University, said the latest violence reflected the frustration of many liberal-minded Egyptians and others.
"The state of polarization between Islamists and others is most likely to continue and will have a very negative impact on the state's politics, security and economy," he said.
Inspired by the popular uprising in Tunisia, Egypt's revolution spurred further revolts across the Arab world. But the sense of common purpose among Egyptians two years ago has unraveled, triggering bloody street battles last month.
(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
With all the BlackBerry 10 leaks as of late, it seems inevitable that pricing info would get ousted in the lead up to January 30th. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, it appears that the sim-free version of RIM's Z10 will cost UKers a cool £480 at Carphone Warehouse (for perspective, a 16GB iPhone 5 would run you just roughly £30 more). The leak comes from what's said to be a snapshot of the company's internal database, listing the white variant. The attached BLAZ10WHI model number also syncs up nicely with the previous slip from the retailer. At this rate, not much is going to be left to the imagination when RIM officially unveils its devices come Monday -- who likes surprises anyway, right?
Update: We've updated the post to reflect that the phone was touted to us as "sim-free," specifically.
6677 Camden Ave, San Jose, CA | Get?Directions?? FREE
On Sunday, January 27th, Santa Clara Youth Rugby Club (www.santaclarayouthrugby.com) will be hosting the Los Gatos Lions, Bowling Green and Palo Alto Seahawks Youth Rugby Clubs at Leland High School's all-weather fields.? Santa Clara Youth Rugby practices on Thursday evenings at Calabazas Park, and typically plays games at Butcher Park on Sundays, (depending on field conditions).
Youth Rugby is one of the fastest growing youth sports in the US with over 100,000 participants.? Participation has been growing since it was added to the list of Olympic Sports, it will appear in the 2016 Rio de Jainero Summer Olympics for the 1st time since the US won gold in 1924.? Northern California Youth Rugby is growing future Olympians.
Rugby is a contact sport that incorporates skills found in football, wrestling, basketball, and soccer.? It is a winter sport that typically runs from January-March, with an abbreviated summer "7s" season.? It is a great way to stay fit for spring sports, or get fit for the fall season in the summer.
Please come out to Leland High and? watch and talk with any of our coaches in the blue shirts.? Santa Clara Youth Rugby Club is currently looking for boy and girl athletes ages 7-14.? We look forward to seeing you on the pitch.
This one's not for the kids -- Blitz Brigade is set in WWII, and is a team-based multiplayer shooter (it reminds me of Battlefield Heros) with plenty of action, and plenty of graphic imagery. We don't know much more than that, only that it's coming to Android and iOS soon.
From the trailer, it looks like it will offer plenty of fun and plenty of blood, which should make it a hit. We'll know more when Gameloft shares a little. Until then, check out the video and imagine this one on your Android tablet.
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the hyperlinked World Wide Web, isn?t entirely happy with what he has helped create ? and has thrown down the gauntlet to web developers to come up with more disruptive forms of online communication that can break down cultural not just geographical barriers.
Talking about the web as it is today, rather than the ?collaborative tool? he originally designed, he said:??World peace has not miraculously occurred. People still mainly talk to their neighbours, people still mainly talk to the people who have the same religion, and the same culture, so for all its breaking down geographical boundaries in principle it hasn?t really broken down cultural boundaries.?Can we develop systems on the web which will actually help solve that sort of ?challenge??
Berners-Lee was speaking in an interview at the World Economic Forum today,?entitled ?what?s wrong with social networking?? but he joked the title had been cooked up merely to draw in the crowds.
?As a universal platform the web wasn?t supposed to dictate what you did with it,? he told his audience in Davos. ?The world wide web is a platform and humanity does what it can with it??There?s lots of people who think we could do more. What do we really want to get out of this web thing? What do we really want to get out of human communication??
While it began as a collaborative tool, the web subsequently took off as a publishing medium ? or it did to a ?certain extent?, said Berners-Lee, pointing to the fact that publishing online remains a relatively elite activity and therefore, again, does not live up to his original collaborative vision for a truly global web.
?We?ve got wikis, we?ve got blogs, but still most people? aren?t publishing on the web. And actually when you go to most places you?re not in a position where you can take place in the conversation very much. Sometimes you can comment but actually the comment tends to be at a second level,? he said.
Asked about the erosion of online openness threatened by walled garden social networks, Berners-Lee said the networks both help humanity by providing the data that enables computers to help people but also highlighted how there is ?a lot of frustration, from a lot of people? that they can?t connect up the personal data they have entered into different services in all the ways they might like to.
?Each of these social network systems is a silo so there is a frustration that I?ve told it all my data but I don?t have access to that,? he said.
Despite yearning for more openness and fewer shackles stifling the free flow of online data, Berners-Lee was careful to say he was not calling for an online data free-for-all. There do need to be ?reasonable boundaries?, he accepted ? whether it?s sensitive personal or government or military data. ?The web isn?t about just sharing everything, destroying privacy? [but] if I want to share something with you it shouldn?t be the technology that gets in the way.?
Turning to the economic argument, Berners-Lee conceded there is a problem with current online business models ? especially when it comes to finding ways to pay musicians. The web should be ?about spreading culture, music and getting payment back to musicians?, he said. ? We?ve got to find new ways of doing that.?
Specifically he called for new protocols to be developed to support online payments. ?We need to find a whole lot of new business models ? I think we should develop new payment protocols so that when you?re using a web browser it?s a lot easier to pay for things.?
He also argued for the economic value in opening up data that is unnecessarily locked away, pointing to a U.K. initiative to open up government data so that the citizens who have paid for the data to be created in the first place can have the benefit of using it ? and use it to create new businesses. ?You?re making a great common good, that?s making the world run more efficiently,? he argued.
Likewise, he argued that the benefit to humanity of opening up scientific data ? to ?scientists everywhere? ? would be ?huge?.??It?s a?question of unlocking this potential that we really already have ? it?s getting huge benefit for very little cost,? he said.
Berners-Lee was also asked about Internet activist?Aaron Swartz, who was arrested for downloading academic journals and subsequently committed suicide ? and argued that Swartz?s tragedy is an example of what can happen when ?legislation gets too strong?.
?He was an incredibly ethical person. He thought a huge amount about what was right and how the world should be? but because [the FBI] saw that what he was doing was accessing a computer system there seems to be a deep suspicion of that,? he said.
?He used his programming to try to make a point, in a way as a protest. But they ended up using a very unfair law which had been changed from its original form which said that if you break into a computer system in any way then you are guilty of a felony? ?People are thinking now about that law, and there already proposals to change it.?
?To be a hacker ? when I use the term ? is somebody who is creative and does wonderful things,? Berners-Lee added. ?We need more coders, we need more people who understand how to put data online.?
A graduate of Oxford University, England, in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, an internet-based hypermedia initiative for global information sharing while at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. He wrote the first web client and server in 1990. His specifications of URIs, HTTP and HTML were refined as Web technology spread. He is the 3COM Founders Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science...
MADRID/CARACAS (Reuters) - Spain's influential El Pais newspaper apologized on Thursday for splashing a "false photo" of Venezuela's cancer-stricken leader Hugo Chavez on its front page, prompting a furious response from the government in Caracas, which vowed to take legal action.
Within minutes of posting the image online as a global exclusive, El Pais said it had discovered from social media that the photo was not of Chavez. It removed it from its website and withdrew its print edition.
Venezuela's government said the publication of the photo - which showed the head of a man lying down with a breathing tube in his mouth - was "grotesque," while Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez, a close ally of Chavez, called it vile.
"El Pais apologizes to its readers for the damage caused. The newspaper has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of what happened and the errors that were committed in the verification of the photo," the paper said.
Chavez, 58, is fighting to recover in Cuba after undergoing his fourth cancer operation in just 18 months. He has not spoken or appeared in public for six weeks, fuelling speculation about how serious his condition is.
El Pais, one of the world's biggest Spanish-language publications and an institution both in Spain and in Latin America, said it received the grainy image from the agency Gtres Online, which it said represents 60 other agencies in Spain.
In a statement, El Pais said the newspaper was told it had been taken seven days earlier by a Cuban nurse who was part of Chavez's medical team, and was then sent to the nurse's sister, who lives in Spain.
"The agency has acknowledged it was deceived by those who provided the material and will take legal action," El Pais said.
The photo was on the newspaper's website for half an hour and also appeared in early editions of the print version that were then pulled from newsstands and replaced with a new edition with a different front page.
In Venezuela, anxious Chavez supporters and opponents alike are waiting for any new picture, video or audio message from the socialist leader, who is famed for filling the airwaves with long-winded speeches, jokes and withering jabs at his foes.
NO SIGHT OF CHAVEZ
Officials say his condition is improving after he suffered multiple complications, including unexpected bleeding and a severe respiratory problem following the December 11 surgery.
But, in contrast to Chavez's previous visits to Havana, officials have not published any evidence of his condition. In 2011, with great fanfare, they broadcast video footage of him reading a newspaper, walking in a garden, and chatting with his friend and mentor, Cuba's ex-leader Fidel Castro.
In the absence of such proof this time, many Venezuelans are questioning the terse official bulletins and suspect Chavez's extraordinary 14 years in power could be coming to an end.
The president has never said exactly what type of cancer he has, only that the initial tumor found in mid-2011 was in his pelvic area and was the size of a baseball.
Venezuelan opposition leaders have long accused the government of secrecy over his illness, while supporters accuse "bourgeois" local and foreign media of being in league with the opposition to spread rumors he is at death's door.
The handling of information relating to Chavez's health has become as contentious as the man himself, and his administration's updates have been confusing and contradictory.
The government says it has never been more transparent. It described El Pais's publication of the picture - a screengrab from an unrelated 2008 video - as part of efforts by far-right political forces to attack Chavez's self-styled revolution.
It said it would take appropriate legal action, and that the newspaper's apology to its readers was not enough.
"Neither their disgusting photos nor their systematic campaigns will stop the president's advance," Information Minister Ernesto Villegas told a news conference in Caracas.
"Would El Pais publish a similar photo of a European leader? Of its director? Sensationalism is valid if the victim is a revolutionary 'sudaca'," he added, using a pejorative term that is sometimes used in Spain to refer to Latin Americans.
Looking back, it?s hard to figure out what networking giant Cisco Systems ever wanted with consumer goods, anyway. But now the distraction of trying to sell stuff to consumers and not companies is gone.
Word just hit the wires that Belkin, the company behind numerous consumer accessory products like Web cams, power strips, cables, phone cases and such, just announced that it will buy Cisco?s consumer home networking unit, Linksys. Financial terms aren?t being disclosed, at least not by Belkin as yet, though the price may show up in a Cisco filing sooner or later. However, the company, which has an existing consumer networking business, says the deal will give it a 30 percent foothold in the retail home and small-business networking market, where competitors who come to mind include the likes of Netgear, Apple and D-Link.
The sale essentially completes the process that Cisco started in 2011 when it shut down Pure Digital, a high-profile consumer brand it acquired that was best known as the maker of the popular line of Flip Digital video cameras. Another consumer product to get the ax at Cisco in recent months: The Umi home video conferencing product.
Here?s Belkin?s announcement:
BELKIN ANNOUNCES INTENT TO ACQUIRE CISCO?S HOME NETWORKING BUSINESS UNIT
Acquisition to Bolster Belkin?s Position in the Home Networking Market, Building on the Strong Linksys Brand and Innovative Suite of Product and Software Solutions
Playa Vista, Calif. ? January 24, 2013 ? Belkin, a private company based in Playa Vista, Calif., with operations and sales in more than 100 countries, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Cisco?s Home Networking Business Unit, including its proven products, technology, well-known Linksys brand and talented employees. With global operations, Linksys? main office is located in Irvine, Calif.
?We?re very excited about this announcement,? said Chet Pipkin, CEO of Belkin. ?Our two organizations share many core beliefs ? we have similar beginnings and share a passion for meeting the real needs of our customers through the strengths of an entrepreneurial culture. Belkin?s ultimate goal is to be the global leader in the connected home and wireless networking space and this acquisition is an important step to realizing that vision.?
Belkin intends to maintain the Linksys brand and will offer support for Linksys products as part of this transaction. All valid warranties will be honored by Belkin for current and future Linksys products. After the transaction closes, Belkin will account for approximately 30 percent of the U.S. retail home and small business networking market.
?Linksys pioneered wireless connectivity capability around the globe, and has a strong brand renowned for its premium market position, the strength of its installed base and its proven dependability. Linksys users benefit from peace of mind in their home networking environment. At Belkin we have developed great insight into consumer needs, and the experiences, solutions and products we bring to the market, including our WeMo home automation platform, will help us to grow Linksys? market presence,? Pipkin said.
?Linksys is one of the leading home networking providers and has created a market-leading suite of products and services to meet customer needs,? said Hilton Romanski, VP Corporate Business Development, Cisco. ?While part of Cisco, Linksys has continuously innovated, while strengthening the brand and expanding its market leadership. As part of Cisco?s commitment to service providers, we are pleased about this strategic relationship with Belkin to build on Linksys? position of strength.?
?With complementary innovation and engineering strategies in the combined organization, Belkin will be able to create new opportunities for consumers, distribution partners and resellers, and will have the strongest retail presence in the U.S. networking marketplace. Belkin also will have access to a large installed base that will be able to upgrade their networking environment to take advantage of new technologies in the smartphone, tablet, notebook and home automation arenas,? Pipkin said. ?Additionally, Linksys will enhance Belkin?s capabilities to meet the needs of the service provider space and small business users.?
Belkin and Cisco intend to develop a strategic relationship on a variety of initiatives including retail distribution, strategic marketing and products for the service provider market. Having access to Cisco?s specialized software solutions across all of Belkin?s product lines will bring a more seamless user experience for customers. Merging the innovation capabilities of Linksys and Belkin provides a powerful platform from which to develop the next generation of home networking technology.
?At Belkin, we?re committed to enabling great experiences for users of today?s mobile and connected home technologies,? Pipkin said. ?The acquisition of Linksys and the combination of Belkin?s and Linksys? expertise and innovation will position us to meet the demands of today?s rapidly evolving advances in technology. We look forward to honoring the heritage of the Linksys brand and investing in the continuing evolution of its product portfolio. Together, we will provide a powerful, simple to use, and reliable wireless and networking platform for the markets we serve.?
Specific financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed. The transaction is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to close in March 2013.
In this photo taken Thursday Jan. 17, 2013, sled dogs Poncho, left, and his blind brother Gonzo are hooked up for a run at the Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, in Jefferson, N.H. Poncho has taken to helping his blind brother on regular runs. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
In this photo taken Thursday Jan. 17, 2013, sled dogs Poncho, left, and his blind brother Gonzo are hooked up for a run at the Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, in Jefferson, N.H. Poncho has taken to helping his blind brother on regular runs. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
In this photo taken Thursday Jan. 17, 2013 a group of sled dogs from the Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel runs a trail in Jefferson, N.H. The kennel takes in rescues and ?second-chance? dogs and is also home to a blind dog that relies on his brother to keep up with the rest of the team. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
This photo taken Thursday Jan. 17, 2013 shows sled dogs at the Muddy Paw Sled dog Kennel in Jefferson, N.H. The kennel takes in rescues and ?second-chance? dogs and is also home to a blind dog that relies on his brother to keep up with the rest of the team. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
In this photo taken Thursday Jan. 17, 2013 Ben Morehouse guides a team of sled dogs, including a blind dog Gonzo and his brother Poncho through a field below the Presidential Range in the White Mountains in Jefferson, N.H. The Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel takes in rescues and ?second-chance? dogs and is also home to a blind dog that relies on his brother to keep up with the rest of the team. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
This photo taken Thursday Jan. 17, 2013 shows Ben Morehouse at the Muddy Paw Sled dog Kennel in Jefferson, N.H. The kennel takes in rescues and ?second-chance? dogs and is also home to a blind dog that relies on his brother to keep up with the rest of the team. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
JEFFERSON, N.H. (AP) ? When Gonzo started tripping over his food dish three years ago, no one could explain or stop the Alaskan husky's quickly advancing blindness. But a veterinarian offered some simple advice: "Run this dog."
Gonzo, one of 120 dogs at Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel, was happy to comply. With help from his brother, Poncho, he soon resumed his place pulling a sled all over New Hampshire's North Country to the delight of tourists and his caretakers, who quickly realized that if Gonzo didn't treat his blindness like an obstacle, neither would they. Given the dog's obvious eagerness, he was allowed to continue on as usual.
"Even though he's blind, he still knows when hook-ups are happening. He's still very aware," said kennel manager Ben Morehouse. "When you have a dog such as Gonzo, with such a want and a drive and a desire ... you try it, you hook up, you see what happens."
A frenzy of excited barking engulfs the kennel whenever Morehouse and other staffers haul out a sled. The chosen team is outfitted with harnesses and booties; those left behind scramble onto their doghouse roofs and howl. Gonzo and Poncho are lined up side-by-side, usually toward the back of the eight-member team ? "brains to brawn" is how Morehouse describes the order.
"A lot of people say everything about dog sledding is efficiency. Gonzo and Poncho are not the most efficient sled dogs out there. They won't set a speed record, they won't pull the most you've ever seen," Morehouse said. "To be honest, they're probably some of the goofiest dogs you can put in harness. But they're just fun."
Some dogs at the kennel, including Gonzo and Poncho, were born there. But it's also home to what kennel owner Neil Beaulieu calls "second-chance" dogs ? former professional sled dogs a bit past their prime ? as well as dogs rescued from bad situations.
The barking continues as the dogs pull away from the kennel onto a snow-packed trail. Within a few minutes, however, they settle into a nearly silent rhythm, the sled's runners skimming through the woods. While the other dogs look straight ahead, Gonzo often lifts his head up and to the right, using his hearing and sense of smell, said Karen Tolin, who has worked her way up from volunteer "poop scooper" to business partner in the years since she first came to Muddy Paw.
When Gonzo first went blind, Poncho didn't treat him any different, she said. But then he realized his brother needed help.
"At first, he'd be a little bit nervous when Gonzo would lean into him. And then somehow ? I don't know how dogs communicate ? he learned that he was utilizing him to determine where the turns are and how fast they were going. And he would let him do that ? he wouldn't get as grumbly as he did in the beginning."
Usually if a dog trips, the others just keep going, Morehouse said.
I've never seen it with any other dog," he said. "There's definitely a bond there and communication beyond what we do with the two dogs, between the two of them themselves."
Beaulieu describes a spring day when he took the pair for a ride on a trail known for its deep snow, and Gonzo strayed to the edge of the trial and stumbled. With the team still moving forward, Poncho reached over, dug his head in the snow and pulled his brother out, grabbing his harness with his teeth.
"He essentially picked him out of the powder ... threw him back on the trail and never skipped a beat," Beaulieu said. "I've run dogs in a lot of places, all over the country, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen sled dogs do."
Beaulieu, a high school teacher, was living in Alaska 10 years ago when he volunteered to help out with the famed 1,000-mile Iditarod dog sled race. He was taking care of a team of dogs after their owner dropped out of the race, and somehow got talked into giving them a permanent home after the woman told him she never wanted to see a sled dog again.
Beaulieu grew up in Maine and had worked as a registered Maine Guide for more than a dozen years before heading to Alaska to teach. He knew nothing about sled dogs when he acquired his first team, but ended up starting his own business after moving to New Hampshire and helping a friend who ran tours from a local hotel.
"I had fun with it. I didn't think I would, but I did," he said. "And the dogs absolutely loved all the socialization and belly rubs and meeting all kinds of new people."
Sled tours range from 20-minute trips from the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods to a 50-mile overnighter billed as the "Longest Dog Sled Ride in the Northeast." Money from the tours help support what Beaulieu says has become a main focus ? finding loving homes for dogs that might otherwise be killed.
"It's become much more than just a sled dog kennel," Beaulieu said. "A lot of shelters deem sled dogs unadoptable, and they put them down. For myself and the entire crew here, we know that's false. They are very adoptable."
Sled dogs do best with active families, he said, but that could mean regular hikes and long walks ? not necessarily full-throttle running adventures. The kennel staff offers training in running, skiing and biking while hitched to a dog. Adoptive families are given phone and email support.
"Every time I run these dogs, whether it's Gonzo or anybody, I'm still in awe of the ability of these animals," Beaulieu said. "It's just amazing."
Summary: The Procurement Director is responsible for ensuring the business operations and systems of the department are working optimally and continuously reviewed for process improvements. Incumbent will manage staff and coordinate the development and operations of procurement systems, tools and functions in support of the organization. Director will also ensure quality control, perform evaluations, and monitor compliance.
Education: Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution, preferably in
business administration, or related field required.
Certification: Universal Public Procurement Certification
Council (UPPCC) certification in the form of a CPPO; or Institute of Supply Management (ISM) certification in the form of a C.P.M. or CPSM.;
or equivalent certification required. Applicants who do not currently have said certification will be considered provided they agree to
obtain the certification within eighteen (18) months after employment.
Experience: Minimum seven (7) years
management experience purchasing/procurement and materials management required. Demonstrated work experience in purchasing/procurement
management in public administration, governmental agencies or military service preferred.
How to Apply: Interested
applicants must complete an online application. Go to https://www.hccsjobs.com.
To learn more about HCC visit us at www.hccs.edu.
Thank you for your interest
in employment opportunities with Houston Community College!
Contact:
Human Resources Houston Community College
Phone:
713-718-8565
Fax:
713-718-8641
Online App. Form:
https://www.hccsjobs.com
It is the policy of the Houston Community College System to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, veteran status or disability. Individuals with disabilities, who require special accommodations to interview, should contact the Employment Services Office at (713) 718-8565.
Queen's and NSPCC publish Northern Ireland's first child death and serious injury review Public release date: 24-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Claire O'Callaghan c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk 028-909-75391 Queen's University Belfast
The first ever review of abuse cases related to child death or serious injury in Northern Ireland will be launched at Queen's University today (24 January 2013). The review, Translating Learning into Action, was commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and was carried out by researchers at Queen's University and the NSPCC.
The Case Management Review (CMR) report the first to be produced in Northern Ireland - analysed 24 case reviews relating to 45 children which resulted in death or serious injury in the period between 2003 2008. While the rate of non-accidental child deaths in Northern Ireland continues to fall as a consequence of having a strong child protection system, the findings from the review offer important opportunities for strengthening the system.
Of the 24 cases reviewed, 18 dealt with the death of a child four children who died as a result of a physical or sexual assault; six infants who died unexpectedly, for which there was no cause established; and eight young people who died by suicide or accident. The remaining six case reviews involved a range of issues, including the serious injury of a child, the standard of care of children by their carers, and how professionals worked together.
As of 31 March 2012, 2,127 children were listed on child protection registers in Northern Ireland, a decrease of 11% (274) from 2011 (2,401) but an increase of 18% (322) since 2007.
The report drew a number of conclusions:
The rate of non-accidental child deaths in Northern Ireland continues to fall as a consequence of having a strong child protection system;
The majority of the 24 case reviews commented positively on the dedication and professionalism of individual staff working with the families subject to review;
The children in these reports were amongst hundreds living in very similar circumstances and who were known to professionals, and the reviews concluded that it was unlikely that the children who died or were seriously injured could have been identified as being at heightened risk;
There is a need for services to become involved at an earlier stage with families before problems became entrenched and harder to improve;
Services need to stay involved for longer with some families to ensure that improvements in parenting are consolidated in the longer term;
Alongside providing services to reduce the risk that children may be at from physical or sexual abuse, therapeutic services to children should be provided to address the psychological harm of poor parenting;
Professionals should be provided with opportunities to meet together more frequently to co-ordinate assessments and interventions with children and families;
Senior managers across organisations must take greater responsibility for ensuring that workloads of individual professionals are manageable and commensurate with their level of experience;
The interface between services working with children and services working with adults who are parents (for issues such as poor mental health or substance misuse) must be improved;
Senior managers should ensure that staff receive regular support and supervision in dealing with what is often highly complex and emotional work.
As a result of the CMR review process public agencies have made a number of significant improvements in the way that children and their families are supported, including:
Improved information sharing between criminal justice and social care organisations in respect of adults who pose a serious risk of harm to children;
Introduction of an initiative to support medical and health professionals working in adult mental health and substance misuse services in respect of their child protection responsibilities;
A new structure for the receipt and management of referrals in respect of children to HSC Trusts;
A new regional framework across health and social services, education and criminal justice organisations for assessing the needs of children and their families;
The development of Family Support Hubs to ensure that families with lower level needs are quickly put in contact with services that can meet these needs;
Improved arrangements for the supervision and support of social workers and health visitors.
Minister of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Mr Edwin Poots MLA, said: "I welcome the publication of this report, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. It provides invaluable learnings for the protection and safeguarding of children here. This report, commissioned by my department, reflects my continued commitment to ensuring that messages are shared with all organisations and professionals who work with children on a daily basis and who can help keep them safe.
"The rate of non-accidental child deaths continues to fall. In my view, a strong child protection system has contributed positively to this reduction in numbers and we owe it to future generations to continue to do what we do well, and to strengthen the system where it transpires we need to."
Principal Investigator, Dr John Devaney, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's University, said: "This is the first time a review like this has been carried out in Northern Ireland. The overall aim has been to provide better safeguards for children by establishing the facts of the cases where children have died or been seriously injured, establishing whether lessons can be learned, identifying what those lessons are and how they can be acted upon."
"Most of the children in these reports were already known to Health and Social Care Trusts and were not considered to be at great risk of serious harm they were like many families known to social services. Importantly, this research, carried out by Queen's and the NSPCC, has highlighted a number of key findings from individual case management reviews have already led to improvements in the systems and processes for supporting vulnerable families and protecting children at risk."
Dr Lisa Bunting from the NSPCC, said: "The very fact of Case Management Reviews, and the production of this report, signals a real commitment to continued improvement in an already robust child protection system. There is always more to be done, and lessons that can and should be learnt, and we welcome this opportunity to effect change.
"Examination of these cases revealed that a lack of sustained intervention with children and families was sometimes an issue. Although problems in the family had, in many cases, been evident for a number of years, agencies were sometimes particularly poor at addressing the impact of chronic neglect on children, and intervening at an early stage. We need to ensure that practitioners have access to a range of appropriate interventions and services which can prevent family problems from becoming entrenched."
###
The full report is available online.
For media enquiries please contact Claire O'Callaghan: 07-772-649-694.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Queen's and NSPCC publish Northern Ireland's first child death and serious injury review Public release date: 24-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Claire O'Callaghan c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk 028-909-75391 Queen's University Belfast
The first ever review of abuse cases related to child death or serious injury in Northern Ireland will be launched at Queen's University today (24 January 2013). The review, Translating Learning into Action, was commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and was carried out by researchers at Queen's University and the NSPCC.
The Case Management Review (CMR) report the first to be produced in Northern Ireland - analysed 24 case reviews relating to 45 children which resulted in death or serious injury in the period between 2003 2008. While the rate of non-accidental child deaths in Northern Ireland continues to fall as a consequence of having a strong child protection system, the findings from the review offer important opportunities for strengthening the system.
Of the 24 cases reviewed, 18 dealt with the death of a child four children who died as a result of a physical or sexual assault; six infants who died unexpectedly, for which there was no cause established; and eight young people who died by suicide or accident. The remaining six case reviews involved a range of issues, including the serious injury of a child, the standard of care of children by their carers, and how professionals worked together.
As of 31 March 2012, 2,127 children were listed on child protection registers in Northern Ireland, a decrease of 11% (274) from 2011 (2,401) but an increase of 18% (322) since 2007.
The report drew a number of conclusions:
The rate of non-accidental child deaths in Northern Ireland continues to fall as a consequence of having a strong child protection system;
The majority of the 24 case reviews commented positively on the dedication and professionalism of individual staff working with the families subject to review;
The children in these reports were amongst hundreds living in very similar circumstances and who were known to professionals, and the reviews concluded that it was unlikely that the children who died or were seriously injured could have been identified as being at heightened risk;
There is a need for services to become involved at an earlier stage with families before problems became entrenched and harder to improve;
Services need to stay involved for longer with some families to ensure that improvements in parenting are consolidated in the longer term;
Alongside providing services to reduce the risk that children may be at from physical or sexual abuse, therapeutic services to children should be provided to address the psychological harm of poor parenting;
Professionals should be provided with opportunities to meet together more frequently to co-ordinate assessments and interventions with children and families;
Senior managers across organisations must take greater responsibility for ensuring that workloads of individual professionals are manageable and commensurate with their level of experience;
The interface between services working with children and services working with adults who are parents (for issues such as poor mental health or substance misuse) must be improved;
Senior managers should ensure that staff receive regular support and supervision in dealing with what is often highly complex and emotional work.
As a result of the CMR review process public agencies have made a number of significant improvements in the way that children and their families are supported, including:
Improved information sharing between criminal justice and social care organisations in respect of adults who pose a serious risk of harm to children;
Introduction of an initiative to support medical and health professionals working in adult mental health and substance misuse services in respect of their child protection responsibilities;
A new structure for the receipt and management of referrals in respect of children to HSC Trusts;
A new regional framework across health and social services, education and criminal justice organisations for assessing the needs of children and their families;
The development of Family Support Hubs to ensure that families with lower level needs are quickly put in contact with services that can meet these needs;
Improved arrangements for the supervision and support of social workers and health visitors.
Minister of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Mr Edwin Poots MLA, said: "I welcome the publication of this report, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. It provides invaluable learnings for the protection and safeguarding of children here. This report, commissioned by my department, reflects my continued commitment to ensuring that messages are shared with all organisations and professionals who work with children on a daily basis and who can help keep them safe.
"The rate of non-accidental child deaths continues to fall. In my view, a strong child protection system has contributed positively to this reduction in numbers and we owe it to future generations to continue to do what we do well, and to strengthen the system where it transpires we need to."
Principal Investigator, Dr John Devaney, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's University, said: "This is the first time a review like this has been carried out in Northern Ireland. The overall aim has been to provide better safeguards for children by establishing the facts of the cases where children have died or been seriously injured, establishing whether lessons can be learned, identifying what those lessons are and how they can be acted upon."
"Most of the children in these reports were already known to Health and Social Care Trusts and were not considered to be at great risk of serious harm they were like many families known to social services. Importantly, this research, carried out by Queen's and the NSPCC, has highlighted a number of key findings from individual case management reviews have already led to improvements in the systems and processes for supporting vulnerable families and protecting children at risk."
Dr Lisa Bunting from the NSPCC, said: "The very fact of Case Management Reviews, and the production of this report, signals a real commitment to continued improvement in an already robust child protection system. There is always more to be done, and lessons that can and should be learnt, and we welcome this opportunity to effect change.
"Examination of these cases revealed that a lack of sustained intervention with children and families was sometimes an issue. Although problems in the family had, in many cases, been evident for a number of years, agencies were sometimes particularly poor at addressing the impact of chronic neglect on children, and intervening at an early stage. We need to ensure that practitioners have access to a range of appropriate interventions and services which can prevent family problems from becoming entrenched."
###
The full report is available online.
For media enquiries please contact Claire O'Callaghan: 07-772-649-694.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Despite an 8% increase in median rental rates in Downtown Miami real estate, leasing transactions also increased by 5% in 2012, when sided against the previous year?s market statistics.
Looking back, it?s hard to figure out what networking giant Cisco Systems ever wanted with consumer goods, anyway. But now the distraction of trying to sell stuff to consumers and not companies is gone.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tgOeAd5HxIUx534sMMutF0HB-G4j5z0rc5T4CAdCAq95e8dbvTyvhQCHIX-tZCcMZQ74KAQCUkKELuvnEq-HIaitcs80U50GhBhjIrSvg=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 24-Jan-2013
Share ]