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Wisconsin Prison Watch – March 2009 Newsletter
Posted on March 31, 2009 by internationalprisonwatch
Prisons are in the news! There's a lot of press and a lot of discussion, and not just the usual nonsense stories like the State Journal ran about "Anything Can Be A Weapon, In Prison", and "State Plans Hospice Beds in Every Prison". We emailed the author of those two pieces… see page 4.
The truth about the decaying, overcrowded, ineffective and, costly prison system are big news. Most of you have been reading the papers and watching on TV, so we won't repeat what everyone already heard. But for a quick synopsis…
In early January, Mead & Hunt came with a study that recommended the DOC spend 1.2 billion to build and upgrade the system.
Then, news of yet another study by the Justice Reinvestment Strategies that will, when it's finished, tell us what we already know. THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!
Then, Governor Doyle announced his budget including some provisions for releasing non-violent offenders.
Then, the PEW Institute came with a study indicating that one in every thirty-one citizens of Wisconsin is under the heel of the State.
So now, due to monetary constraints, the Governor sounds like a progressive on prison policy. Rick Raemisch sounds like a born-again reformer and even the prison guards' union has endorsed the early release scheme. It's scary to be on the same side of an issue with those criminals.
Your editor joined a delegation of PAW members on a lobbying day in Madison. We met with Senators, Representatives and members of Governor Doyle's staff. Our primary focus was objecting to the reappointment of Alfonso Graham and we used the Governor's budget proposal and the new studies to assert our view that keeping men locked up, doing dead time, is a stupid waste of money and lives. We didn't say it like that, but they got the message.
We made sure the Governor's staff understood that we are opposed to the idea of Al Graham as head of the new proposed commission that will review all prisoners for early release. We see a golden opportunity to say good bye to the Fonz when a new commission is organized, melding the Parole Commission and an Early Release program for TIS prisoners.
One important facet of this coming struggle, and one that every politico mentioned is that they need political cover, meaning that they need people to be loud and vocal in their support of the Governor's proposals. They will be getting
flack from the right-wing, including politicians, the press, the cops, and DAs. Those of us who agree with the Governor's proposal must be loud and clear in support.
PAW will be attending some of the Joint Finance Committee hearings being held around the state, with signs, press interviews, press conferences, and testimony to the Committee members. We urge all concerned citizens to write to your representative and to the Joint Finance Committee to let them know you support Governor Doyle's proposal to release non-violent offenders. Contact info on page 5.
The reasons for the proposed changes are budgetary shortfalls. Fear mongering politicians and "successful" DAs have driven the budget over a cliff. They've built their careers on the backs of the poor and minorities and this ugly truth must be exposed at every opportunity.
Since this "change of heart" is not based on moral or ethical grounds it is not likely that we are witnessing a turn towards a more progressive criminal (in)justice policy or a more rehabilitative prison policy. What we are likely to see is further "cost cutting" which could mean anything to the DOC. One thing for sure, we won't see a reduction in the overuse of segregation cells, or an improvement in the conditions of confinement, or a functioning ICRS, or improved health care, or job training, or education, or rehab.
So, we support the proposed changes but we must not become complacent and eager to join the reformers. We must remain vigilant and aggressive in our pursuit of HUMANITY for prisoners and ultimately abolishing the Prison Industrial Complex.
At NLCI a prisoner was yelled at because he had forgotten to take his hat off inside the main building. He turned to the guard and said, "I'm human, I forgot". The guard responded, "you're not human, you're an inmate". Debasement is the first necessary step towards abuse and worse. If you're not human, they can do anything to you.
The guards are revving up the John Doe "reform" again. Both the Senate and Assembly had hearings on this Bill. I wonder why we even care about this because the DA's will never prosecute "one of their own". Look, Ken Harris has been trying to get his case investigated for 3 years now. He has a nurse witness (who the DOC retaliated against). He just won $75,000 in civil court on the same abuse but can't even get a DA to listen to his story. DA Steve Bauer (now Judge Bauer) refused to investigate. Sauk Co. DA Barrett refused to investigate. When you're an inmate, you're not human and when you're abused, you probably deserved it. That's why WPW is out here!
in solidarity, WPW
page 1,
Lawsuit Calls Prison Meds Program 'disaster Waiting'
By CARRIE ANTLFINGER Associated Press
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion in federal court Friday asking that Wisconsin's largest women's prison reform the way it administers medication, calling the current system a "disaster waiting to happen."
The ACLU and the law firm Jenner & Block claim prisoners at Taycheedah Correctional Institution near Fond du Lac are forced to wait weeks for medicine, and when their medications arrive, they are often the wrong types or doses. The prison houses 700 maximum and medium security prisoners.
"The medication system at Taycheedah is a disaster waiting to happen," Gabriel Eber, staff attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project, said in a statement. "For some medications, there is not even a system of checking for dangerous interactions between drugs before a prisoner starts taking a new prescription."
John Dipko, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections, issued a statement saying progress has been made in improving health care for Taycheedah inmates, "and this commitment to improved health care will continue into the future."
No hearing has been scheduled yet on the motion for preliminary injunction, but Eber said in an interview that if the judge rules in the favor of the ACLU, the prison would have to institute the changes within 60 days.
The motion was filed in U.S. District Court as part of a 2006 class-action lawsuit on behalf of all Taycheedah prisoners. The lawsuit claims the prison's medical, mental and dental care is grossly deficient and has caused its female prisoners great physical and mental suffering.
The motion asks state officials to ensure that medical prescriptions are filled quickly and accurately and administered by nurses.
Currently, correctional officers with no medical training administer medications, according to the motion. Taycheedah is one of the few state prisons in the nation that does not require nurses or trained medical personnel to administer medications.
Leaving a Paper Trail
by Debi Christie, TCI
Everyone knows that the Department of Corrections hires the corrupt and the lazy but the staff hired for the female prisons are unbelievably corrupt. I am one of those people who believe in leaving a paper trail through the Inmate Complaint System and have even had some of those complaints "affirmed".
My most recent complaints deal with getting my property sent from the John Burke Center. Many personal items and legal paperwork were not returned to me after my move back to TCI. Just because a DOC flunky doesn't want me to have these items, I supposed to accept this warped thinking.
After filing many complaints with the ICRS I was FINALLY granted the right to have my legal paperwork but now TCI property officers have deemed these items "contraband" because they didn't like the ICRS decision. They even forged a money disbursement to send these items out of the institution!
This is typical of TCI staff, so now I've filed a Notice of Claim with the Attorney General against these corrupt state employees. I will also ask for a John Doe investigation into the theft of my property.
I want everyone who is subjected to this sort of corruption and incom-petence to remember that an administrative decision is NOT FINAL. Take your grievance to court and make their corruption known to the public.
Some times it just feels good to know we have done all we can to hold these people accountable. That is why it is so important to exhaust our administrative remedies and follow up through the court system.
Silence, they say, is the voice of complicity. But silence is impossible. Silence screams. Silence is a message, just as doing nothing is an act. Let who you are ring out & resonate in every word & every deed. Yes, become who you are. There's no sidestepping your own being or your own responsibility. What you do is who you are. You are your own comeuppance. You become your own message. You are the message. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse : Leonard Peltier
Letter to Judiciary Committee re John Doe Reform
Members of the Judiciary Committee,
I write in opposition to the proposed John Doe reforms.
There have been a lot of hysterical cries from the prison guards' union who claim John Doe filings are used to persecute guards.
The truth of the matter is, there are some abusive guards in the DOC system and the internal mechanisms are unable to control them. 95% of all complaints filed by prisoners against guards are dismissed by the Inmate Complaint Examiners, and many prisoners do not complain for fear of retaliation.
The system is either not willing or unable to clean its own house. John Doe complaints allow prisoners to get beyond the nepotism and cronyism of the internal complaint system and find some semblance of justice.
District Attorneys are not keen on prosecuting guards accused of abusing prisoners either. They are "team players" and see themselves as part of the team along with police and prison guards upholding the law. They are not unbiased in their prosecutorial discretion. To allow them to filter reports of abuse will only increase the frustration and resignation building in the prisons.
The real and lasting way to stop (or slow) John Doe filings is to reform the Inmate Complaint Review System. Thwarting prisoners' access to the courts is a regressive way of dealing with the symptom of a disease while allowing the cause to continue growing.
Frank Van den Bosch
Boscobel, WI 53805
"When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to suscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe; he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime."~Thomas Paine "The Age of Reason"
Court of Appeals Rules Against Pigs That Don't Fly Straight
by: Mustafa-El K.A. Ajala
Madison, WI – On December 30, 2008, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals issued its ruling in the case of State v. Raynard R. Jackson, 2008 Wisc. App Lexis 1042. The Court ruled that Jackson, as others before him, should have been allowed to present, at his trial, evidence of corruption and abuse by the arresting officers in his case, one of which was convicted for his criminal acts in Federal Court – although, only misdemeanors.
Ala W Awadallah, convicted in U.S. v Awadallah, 05-M-408 (E.D. Wis.), was one of a ring of corrupt District 3 and District 5 Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) pigs that didn't fly straight. They specifically targeted young brothas and sistahs of Alkebulan (Afrikan) descent. Their criminal acts included planting drugs and guns on "suspects", robbing them of their possessions, extorting them for weapons, and engaging in serious physical assaults. In Jackson's case, the drop gun planted on him was a .40 Glock that had no prints of Jackson on it, was not reported stolen, was identical to the police issued guns, and was placed in inventory by Awadallah – no surprise.
Other pigs associated with the corruption, though not charged criminally were, Paul Lough, Thomas Dineen, Virgil Cotton, Jason Mucha, and Kathleen Huber, as well as officers by the name of Harris, Dodd, and Westergard. If any of them were involved in your case you may want to review Jackson's decision, along with State v Missiouri, 714 MW. 2d 595 (Wis.App.2006) – the corruption case that preceded Jackson's and led to a favorable ruling.
Jackson's appellate counsel was James R. Lucius during the time when the MPDs pattern of corruption became public, although Lucius failed to cite Missouri or bring any of this up on appeal. Lucius's license has since been suspended in Disclipinary Proceedings against James R. Lucius, 2008 WI 12.
No MPD pig was ever charged with any serious felony, such as extortion, possession of drugs, illegal weapons possession, robbery, intimidating witnesses, etc., etc. However, the untold story here is that of Earl Cosey and Michelle Mac Donald, a Milwaukee couple who had the sense and nerve to record Awadallah's attempt to shake them down for a "chopper" or 2 pistols in exchange for the return of $200 and an eightball of cocaine. If obtained, that "chopper" and/or the pistols would, no doubt, have been planted on other unsuspecting targets and, to be sure, there are lousy creeps in the system right now who have done and continue to do the same thing – working deals with corrupt pigs and other members of the judicial mob (State's attorneys or their own attorney) in exchange for lenient plea deals.
There's a moral to this story… A pig, as opposed to a police officer has no morals. When you step comrades, be prepared to battle them, legitimately, ie. with your own surveillance apparatus – home camcorders and security cameras (indoors and out), built in cameras on the ride (and in the trunk), hidden mics, cell phone cameras and recorders. You're bound to encounter one of these pigs, on the take, or worse. Exercise your 5 Ps (Proper Protection in Preparation for Pigs on the Prowl) and you just might preserve your freedom, possibly your life, the life and or freedom of others, and likely get paid in the process, Insha' Allah.
In the trenches,
your Bro. Mu-El
Mustafa-El K.A. Ajala
(FKA Dennis E. Jones-El)
P.O. Box 9900 – WSPF
Doyle's Budget Proposal
Budget in Brief 2009
http://www.doa.state.wi.us/debf/pdf_files/bib.pdf
Ensure wise allocation of taxpayer resources and the highest levels of public safety through better use of data, new measures to reduce recidivism and streamlined sentence review processes:
* Transfer to the Division of Hearing and Appeals the authority to determine the length of reconfinement for revocation from extended supervision, not to exceed the time remaining on the bifurcated sentence.
* Allow the secretary of the Department of Corrections to release to extended supervision persons serving the confinement portion of a bifurcated sentence who are within 12 months of release to extended supervision and meet certain eligibility criteria.
* Transfer from the sentencing court to the secretary of the Department of Corrections the authority to review petitions and release terminally ill inmates to extended supervision so long as the public safety is maintained.
* Rename the Parole Commission as the Earned Release Review Commission and expand its duties to include sentence adjustment for Class C to I felonies for both the confinement and extended supervision portions of a sentence.
* Expand the Earned Release Program and the Challenge Incarceration Program to include inmates with programming needs other than substance abuse, to allow the inmates deemed eligible at sentencing to earn early release by fulfilling certain requirements while in prison.
* Eliminate community supervision of certain low-risk misdemeanor probationers, as determined by the offense and a risk assessment performed by the Department of Corrections.
* Provide $6.5 million and 18.00 FTE positions to improve offender reentry into the community by providing tools for offender risk assessment, to better manage purchase of services dollars, research and measure programs, and maintain dual-diagnosis rehabilitation programming.
* Expand eligibility for record expungement to include individuals up to 25 years of age, and to include nonviolent Class H to I felonies, allowing more young people to learn from their mistakes and start a new life with a clean slate.
Greek Prisoner Hunger Strike Ends
By James Jameson
Political prisoner or not, inmates are widely known to be some of the most horribly treated and forgotten people, abused as though they are not human. In a nationwide act of solidarity, more than 7,000 prisoners throughout Greece went on hunger strike on November 3, to finally fight back for their own rights. A dedicated 19 prisoners went so far as to sew their own mouths shut. The move to boycott food ended after 18 days when the inmates won their protest as the Ministry of Justice conceded to a series of requests. This is a notable for prisoners all over the world. There is hope that more inmates will take cue and demand humane treatment for themselves, and it's important that those of us in radical, active movements who aren't in prison do what we can to assist in this cause.
The hunger strike was enacted to highlight a 45-point list of demands. Involving 21 prisons across Greece, inmates protested unreasonable living conditions, such as poor access to basic hygiene and sanitation, a reduction of exacerbated sentences, improper medical care and severe overcrowding. Greece has the most over-crowded prisons in Europe, with nearly 11,000 inmates sardined into jails designed to hold slightly more than 7,000 people. Many of these prisoners are drug addicts and offenders with no opportunity for rehabilitation services. Detainees wait an average of 12 months in pre-trial detention before they are able to have their cases heard.
During the hunger strike, many solidarity actions were carried out by anarchists, humanitarians and other sympathizers. Greek embassies in many countries were targeted, as several mass protest marches added to the solidarity movement.
In response to the prisoners' demands, the Ministry agreed to the following:
1) All persons convicted to a sentence of up to five years for any offense, including drug related crimes, can transform their sentence into a monetary penalty. This will not be allowed in the case that the jury decides that the payment is not enough to deter the convict from committing punishable acts in the future.
2) The minimum sum for transforming one day of prison sentence to monetary penalty is reduced from around $13 to around $4, with the provision of being reduced to around $1.50 by decision of the jury.
3) All people who have served one-fifth of their prison sentence for two-year sentences and one-third for sentences longer than two years are to be released, with no exceptions.
4) The minimum limit of served sentence is reduced to three-fifths for conditional release and for convicts of drug related crimes. Those condemned under conditions of certain laws are exempted.
5) The maximum limit of pre-trial imprisonment is reduced from 18 to 12 months, with the exception of crimes punished by life or 20-year sentences.
6) The annual tome of days-off prison is increased by one day.
7) Disciplinary penalties are to be integrated.
8) Integration after four years into national law of European council decision of drug trafficking.
9) Expansion of implementation of conditional release of convicts suffering from AIDS, kidney failure, persistent Tuberculosis and tetraplegics.
"The amendment submitted to the Parliament by the Ministry of Justice tackles but a few of our demands," said the Prisoner's Committee in a press release. "The minister ought to materialize his promises for the immediate release of the suggested number of prisoners announced, and, at the same time, implement concrete measures regarding the totality of the demands. We, the prisoners, treat this amendment as the first step, a result of our struggle and of the solidarity shown by society. Yet, it fails to cover us, it fails to solve our problems. With our struggle, we have first-of-all fought for our dignity—and this dignity we can not offer as a present to no minister, to no screw. We shall tolerate no arbitrary facts, no vengeful relocation, no terrorizing disciplinary act. We are standing, and we shall remain standing.
"We demand from the parliament to move towards a complete abolition of the limit of four-fifths of served sentence, the abolition for accumulated time for disciplinary penalties, the expansion of beneficial arrangements regarding days-off, and conditional releases for all categories of prisoners," continued the Prisoner's Committee.
"Moreover, we demand the immediate legislation on the presently vague promises of the minister of justice regarding the improvement of prison conditions (abolition of juvenile prisons, foundation of therapeutic centers for drug dependants, implementation of social labor in exchange for prison sentences, upgrading of hospital care of prisoners, incorporation of European legislation favorable to the prisoners in Greek law, etc.).
"Finally, we offer our thanks to the solidarity movement, to every component, party, medium and militant who stood by us with all and any means of his or her choice, and we want to declare that our struggle against these human refuse dumps and for the victory of all of our demands continues."
As these prisoners have demonstrated, when people pull together, the authorities must listen. All we can do now is wait for proof that the ministry will keep it's end of the bargain. One has to wonder about all of the things that could be accomplished if enough of us made ourselves heard as loud and clear as these prisoners have done.
ATTENTION CONS
In November of '08, myself and Shaun Matz were appointed counsel by Judge Crocker in our lawsuit against WCI. (Schumacher v Frank et al. 08-CV-228 and Matz v. Frank et al. 08-CV-491). Both cases deal with the conditions of confinement in segregation & we are looking for anyone who has been in segregation here to write up affidavits. We want to know what your experience was like; what you went through. We want to know how you were treated, cell extractions you went through, observation placements, suicide/self harm attempts, how clinical services treated you, recreation, temperature in the cells, lights, property, etc.
Were also looking for affidavits from anyone on AC at GBCI, CCI, WSPF showing how these segregation units are run.
You can send the affidavits to myself or Shaun through legal route. Matthew Schumacher #369487 or Shaun Matz #264654 at WCI. We will get this info to our attorneys. We are on the brink of getting this place changed and would appreciate your support.
The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim". Gustave Le Bon;"The Crowd"
**************************************************************************************
Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing (Senate)
Senator Lena Taylor (Chair) D
Room 415 South
District Telephone
Jim Sullivan (Vice Chair) D
Room 15 South
Jon Erpenbach D
Room 8 South
Glenn Grothman R
Randy Hopper R
Committee on Corrections and the Courts (Assembly)
Representative Joe Parisi (Chair) D
Room 126 North
Chuck Benedict (Vice Chair) D
Room 306 West
Donna Siedel D
Frederick Kessler D
Sondy Pope-Roberts D
Ted Zigmunt D
Sandy Pasch D
Karl Van Roy R
Mark Gundrum
Steve Kestell R
Room 15 West
Daniel LaMahieu R
Room 17 North
Edwards Brooks
Joint Committee on Finance (budget)
Senator Mark Miller, Co-Chair D
Senator Dave Hansen D
Senator Lena Taylor D
Senator John Lehman D
Senator Judy Robson D
Senator Julie Lassa D
Senator Alberta Darling R
Senator Luther Olsen R
Representative Mark Pocan, Co-Chair D
Representative Pedro Colón D
Representative Cory Mason D
Representative Jennifer Shilling D
Representative Gary Sherman D
Representative Tamara Grigsby D
Representative Robin Vos R
Representative Phil Montgomery R
Committee Clerk:
Charlene Vrieze
Room 305 East, State Capitol
Office of the Governor, Jim Doyle
Madison Office
Northern Office
Park Falls, WI 54552
Milwaukee Office
819 North 6th St.
As you will notice, the Democrats outweigh the Republicans in every committee and are the Chair of every committee. You can write to the Republicans if you feel like getting something off your chest, but don't expect a response or to change their minds.
When writing any of these officials, try to be respectful and polite… even if you're mad as Hell.
STAND UP AND HOLLER!!!
"My generation's apathy. I'm disgusted with it. I'm disgusted with my own apathy too, for being spineless and not always standing up against racism, sexism and all those other -isms the counterculture has been whinning about for years." : Kurt Cobain
PRISON ACTION WISCONSIN
PREPARED STATEMENT TO JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE – MARCH 25, 2009
We are here in support Governor Doyle's budget provision calling for an Early Earned Release program for non-violent offenders sentenced under Truth in Sentencing. This provision is smart on crime, not "tough on crime". Tough on crime has clogged our judicial system and overfilled our prisons. Governor Doyle's provision addresses one of those problems in a safe, sane and just manner. We are at a turning point – either we follow the proposals outlined in the Hunt & Mead survey and spend 1.2 billion on upgrading and building new prisons as the study suggests or we reduce the pressure on the facilities and staff by releasing nonviolent offenders.
Following are some of the reasons we support the Governor's proposal:
1. Prisons are overcrowded. They are at 120% occupancy. The facilities and rehabilitative programs are inadequate to handle this amount of prisoners. This overcrowding creates unsafe conditions for both guards and prisoners.
2. The cost of housing 22,000+ prisoners in Wisconsin is nearly $30,000 per year per prisoner. Taxpayers cannot afford to sustain these costs any longer. This money could be more effectively spent in the communities for rehabilitation and job training.
3. The majority of prisoners are incarcerated for crimes committed because of drug and/or alcohol problems. The "Treatment Instead of Prisons" legislation which has been passed will save millions of dollars. It is, in fact, what is being done in Minnesota and they have less than half the number of prisoners as Wisconsin. Minnesota has the same demographics as Wisconsin in crime rates and population.
4. The human costs must also be taken into consideration. The families of the inmates are suffering. Children need fathers and mothers for stability. Keeping offenders in their community will help stabilize the families and prevent another generation of prison expansion.
5. Under the Earned Early Release program there will be extended supervision which is a good corrections policy to help ex-offenders become productive members of society through rehabilitation and treatment programs. It will encourage better behavior and make the streets safer.
Meetings: second and fourth Saturday of every month
Time: 10 am to noon
Place: All God's Children Church
3356 N. Martin Luther King
Milwaukee WI.
Pastor Lee Shack
Economic crisis propels prison system changes
Shelley Nelson Superior Telegram
Published Tuesday, March 03, 2009
With the cost of housing just one of the state's 23,000 prison inmates at $29,000 per year, Wisconsin is looking for ways to get smart on crime.
Department of Corrections Secretary Rick Raemisch was in Superior on Monday to meet with local law enforcement to highlight some of the changes proposed as the state faces a $5.7 billion budget shortfall. Among the changes is a new evaluation system that could keep low-risk, nonviolent offenders out of state prisons and low-risk offenders who've committed misdemeanor crimes off the state's probation system.
Superior Police Capt. Chad La Lor said Monday's session was the first he heard of dropping supervision for misdemeanor offenders. He said even if offenders aren't actively supervised, probation provides a mechanism to bring an offender in quicker when they reoffend. "You get in this cycle 'it's a minor crime,' but when there are true victims, there are no minor crimes," La Lor said.
The budget for corrections is about $1.2 billion, a cost that could double in the next 10 years if the state doesn't develop new strategies, Raemisch said.
"There always will be a need for prisons to house violent criminals who pose a threat to public safety, but … we need to invest in strategies beyond prison expansion to curtail corrections spending and reduce recidivism," Raemisch said.
The budget proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle for the next two years would start the state on that path.
The goal of the new strategy is to protect public safety by keeping violent offenders in prison, but providing opportunities for nonviolent offenders to complete treatment so they can succeed and become productive citizens when they return to their communities, Raemisch said. Under the proposed changes, offenders would be evaluated to determine the level of risk they pose to the community and provide services to help low-risk offenders.
The state would expand services in the Earned Release Program to provide services needed for successful reintegration in the community. Currently, drug and alcohol treatment are provided, but an offender may need education and job skills, Raemisch said. He said the goal is to provide what the offender needs. "This whole do-the-crime, do-the-time strategy is taxing people out of their homes and probably closing schools as we build prisons," said District Attorney Dan Blank.
Currently, 1 in 39 Wisconsin adults are under some form of control of the state's corrections department, whether probation, extended supervision, local jails or prison, according to a study released Monday by the Pew Center, an independent nonprofit that uses analysis to improve public policy.
While 1 in 26 Minnesota adults are under some form of corrections control, the state's prison population is only about 9,000, Raemisch said, suggesting there could be a better way to deal crime.
"If we reduce our population more, that just means less cost for criminal justice system, less crime, less victims, and the savings just goes on and on," Raemisch said. "We're talking about changing people's lives and working in a positive nature, and that's just going to help the state." Of the 23,000 people currently in the state prison system, 3,000 automatically would be evaluated for risk when the law passes, he said. "That doesn't mean they'll get out of prison right away. It will take months and months."
Since the 1990s, Blank said the state's focus has been incarceration and getting tough on crime, when the state needs to be smart on crime. "I think the important thing is this represents a philosophical change that recognizes the way we've done business probably is not as effective as we wanted it to be and it's turned out to be horribly expensive," Blank said. "We took the easy way out in a lot of cases and we started dumping people in the prison system because it looks like we're tough on crime and that's what gets headlines and votes."
One of the things county officials hope to see come from this is an opportunity to reintegrate prison inmates in the community by using the county jails to house state prisoners and allow them a chance, under Huber work release, to get jobs to ensure a successful transition from incarceration to release in the community.
"I'd like to work with the sheriff's on a re-entry program … and get them acclimated in the community," Raemisch said.
Corrections workers back Doyle's early release plan
By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel, Mar. 11, 2009
Madison – Correctional officers say they support Gov. Jim Doyle's plan to give early release to some low-risk inmates because of rising security concerns at the state's overcrowded prisons.
Officers who also serve as Wisconsin State Employees Union leaders said they would be safer if inmates had an incentive to behave themselves.
"There's no incentive to do good time," said Daniel Meehan, a Waupun Correctional Institution officer and union local president. "If I'm doing 20 years, I'm going to act the fool for 20 years."
Doyle has proposed allowing some offenders to be released early to save money and better rehabilitate criminals. His fellow Democrats who control the Legislature have shown support for the idea, even as Republicans rip it as dangerous.
"To release criminals – felons – before their sentence is up is hogwash," said Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc). "It's insulting to the citizens of Wisconsin to pretend you're tough on crime when those committing the egregious crimes are given a free pass for not acting out while they're incarcerated."
Doyle's plan focuses on nonviolent criminals, but some have criticized it for including drug offenders.
The backing for Doyle's proposal from correctional officers comes at a time when a legislative committee is looking into ways to overhaul the state's prison system.
Experts told the Justice Reinvestment Initiative Oversight Committee on Wednesday that revocations of probation and extended supervision are major drivers of the state's exploding prison costs, fueling $286 million in new expenses in 2007. Those costs will be spread over several years because many of the offenders will serve more than a year behind bars.
The findings were presented by the nonpartisan Council of State Governments Justice Center, which is analyzing Wisconsin's corrections data for the committee.
The group's analysts said 61% of those who entered prison in 2007 did so because they had violated rules – but not broken any laws – while on probation or extended supervision. The 61% represents 5,598 new inmates.
One reason for the increasing revocations: The average amount of time former inmates spend on supervision more than doubled between 2000 and 2007 – from 23 months to 54 months.
That increase is because of the state's 10-year-old truth-in-sentencing law, which lawmakers passed to make sure offenders served their full sentences. At the time, they planned to also shorten the length of sentences, but they never did so.
Many offenders have problems following probation and extended supervision rules because of drug addiction, mental health issues and difficulty finding jobs, the group told lawmakers.
Many of those returning have had their supervision revoked multiple times, said Tony Fabelo, the group's research director.
"Whatever you're doing, you're not slowing down this recycling of people coming in," Fabelo said.
The committee is trying to find ways to cut recidivism and trim the $1 billion annual budget for corrections. Wisconsin prisons hold more than 22,000 people.
The state budget Doyle proposed last month would allow low-risk inmates to shave off up to a third of their sentences if they followed prison rules. Doyle has said 500 to 1,000 inmates would likely be released over two years, saving up to $27 million.
Lawmakers will decide whether to go along with the governor in the coming months.
Correctional officers have long complained that truth in sentencing has created a dangerous environment for them by overcrowding prisons with inmates who have little motive to follow rules.
But Kleefisch and some other Republicans said Doyle's plan would put the public in danger.
"No question the public will be at risk if? …felons are released early," Kleefisch said.
Write to Legislators
The following agencies are currently investigating Corrections and are trying to address concerns with mental health treatment and/or availability of programs for inmates. Such treatment or programs may be necessary for your personal well being or for satisfying A&E or Parole Commission requirements.
Rep. Joe Parisi, Chair
Assembly Committee on Corrections and the Courts
E-mail: Rep. Parisi@legis.wisconsin.gov
Room 126 North, State Capital
P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708
Sen. Lena C. Taylor, Chair
Special Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight
E-mail Sen. Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov
Room 415 South, State Capital
P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882
Janis Mueller; (mental health audit)
Legislative Audit Bureau
22 E. Mifflin Suite 500
If you are being denied, delayed, or having problems getting treatment or programs essential to your rehabilitative progress, mental health, and/or are being denied parole release or minimum security because you lack having completed such DOC requirements, then enlighten the Legislature by sharing your story and problems.
You may know what you are experiencing but the Legislatures may not. An audit is requested for all past PRC decisions, DOC-1292 Appeals, and for all Parole Commission written decisions.
The Parole Commission denies many parole releases based upon a single statement; "you have not served sufficient time as to not depreciate the seriousness of the crime." We all know this is a hollow statement and it provides no guiding rationale. Inmates are in prison because of the seriousness of the crime! This reasoning based on the same factors you were sentenced to prison makes little sense. Public safety is a concern to all, but rehabili-tation and the social reintegration of one of societies members must be part of that goal.
Similarly the DOC's Program Review Committee (PRC) routinely assigns a security (risk) classification to inmates' by simply referencing a guideline manual titled; "Risk Rating Instructions" (Instructions). In 2002, the DOC made rule changes to its own Administrative Codes on the justification the rules were outdated, yet they continue to use the 1990 Instruction manual unchanged. This Instruction manual is a general guideline that does not distinguish between the many distinct sentencing schemes which have been legislated throughout the years and which inmates are now serving in Wisconsin's overcrowded prison system; such as Old Law Parole, New Law Parole, PMR, TIS-I, TIS-II.
Notably, a 15 year sentence under the parole scheme is not similar to a 15 year sentence under the Truth in Sentencing Law. Yet all these sentencing schemes are being placed under a single "15 year" threshold rule for determining inmates' security custody levels. A Sentence Structure section of these Instructions work to the exclu-sion of all other relevant factors, such as your rehabilitative achievements.
If the Sentence Structure factor rates high then the total risk rates high, even if all other factors rate low. The DOC is denying programs, or movement to a lower classification such as Minimum, and/or place inmates on program waiting lists under this cover-all-umbrella known as the Risk Rating Instructions.
In addition, the PRC's written decisions or reasons for denying requests for entry into treatment or programs or requests for reduced custody are typically boiler plate statements being universally applied to inmates such as; "to much time to MR"; "time likely to be served" ; or "potential parolability." The boiler plate reasons or excuses seem designed to block your interests in improving or maintaining your mental health or your interests in achieving "suitability" for parole release.
Former Governor Thompson actually issued a memorandum in 1994 directing the DOC to do just that, "block" your release from prison, which runs counter to your efforts to be released. And notoriously, the Parole Commission during the mid-1990s tightened parole release standards. Legislative, Executive, and Private influences for the past years seem to be working against your efforts to be released. (Ref. American Legislative Exchange Council). A complete audit of these agencies is requested.
Friends and family members should phone, write, or E-mail their congress member and state their support for Governor Doyle's early release proposals.
Write to Legislators (cont. from 7)
Maybe even suggest expanding them? If you generally agree with and/or your situation relates to the above statements either write your own letter or send this commentary as being representative of your view, send along with personal samples of decisions, records, etc… as evidence for the legislature to consider. "Do Not" send your original documents, instead send copies of the originals. Ask that the material be submitted as testimony into the congressional record. This may be the best moment in time and opportunity to voice your opinion on Corrections in Wisconsin and its management.
LEGISLATIVE ADDRESSES
www.legis.state.wi.us
http://notify.legis.state.wi.us
A-L= P.O. Box 8952
M-Z=P.O. Box 8953
Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit
By IAN URBINA and SEAN D. HAMILL
At worst, Hillary Transue thought she might get a stern lecture when she appeared before a judge for building a spoof MySpace page mocking the assistant principal at her high school in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She was a stellar student who had never been in trouble, and the page stated clearly at the bottom that it was just a joke.
Instead, the judge sentenced her to three months at a juvenile detention center on a charge of harassment.
She was handcuffed and taken away as her stunned parents stood by.
"I felt like I had been thrown into some surreal sort of nightmare," said Hillary, 17, who was sentenced in 2007. "All I wanted to know was how this could be fair and why the judge would do such a thing."
The answers became a bit clearer on Thursday as the judge, Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., and a colleague, Michael T. Conahan, appeared in federal court in Scranton, Pa., to plead guilty to wire fraud and income tax fraud for taking more than $2.6 million in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers run by PA Child Care and a sister company, Western PA Child Care.
While prosecutors say that Judge Conahan, 56, secured contracts for the two centers to house juvenile offenders, Judge Ciavarella, 58, was the one who carried out the sentencing to keep the centers filled.
"In my entire career, I've never heard of anything remotely approaching this," said Senior Judge Arthur E. Grim, who was appointed by the State Supreme Court this week to determine what should be done with the estimated 5,000 juveniles who have been sentenced by Judge Ciavarella since the scheme started in 2003. Many of them were first-time offenders and some remain in detention.
The case has shocked Luzerne County, an area in northeastern Pennsylvania that has been battered by a loss of industrial jobs and the closing of most of its anthracite coal mines.
And it raised concerns about whether juveniles should be required to have counsel either before or during their appearances in court and whether juvenile courts should be open to the public or child advocates.
If the court agrees to the plea agreement, both judges will serve 87 months in federal prison and resign from the bench and bar. They are expected to be sentenced in the next several months. Lawyers for both men declined to comment.
Since state law forbids retirement benefits to judges convicted of a felony while in office, the judges would also lose their pensions.
With Judge Conahan serving as president judge in control of the budget and Judge Ciavarella overseeing the juvenile courts, they set the kickback scheme in motion in December 2002, the authorities said.
They shut down the county-run juvenile detention center, arguing that it was in poor condition, the authorities said, and maintained that the county had no choice but to send detained juveniles to the newly built private detention centers.
Prosecutors say the judges tried to conceal the kickbacks as payments to a company they control in Florida.
Though he pleaded guilty to the charges Thursday, Judge Ciavarella has denied sentencing juveniles who did not deserve it or sending them to the detention centers in a quid pro quo with the centers.
But Assistant United States Attorney Gordon A. Zubrod said after the hearing that the government continues to charge a quid pro quo.
"We're not negotiating that, no," Mr. Zubrod said. "We're not backing off."
No charges have been filed against executives of the detention centers. Prosecutors said the investigation into the case was continuing.
For years, youth advocacy groups complained that Judge Ciavarella was unusually harsh. He sent a quarter of his juvenile defendants to detention centers from 2002 to 2006, compared with a state rate of 1 in 10. He also routinely ignored requests for leniency made by prosecutors and probation officers.
"The juvenile system, by design, is intended to be a less punitive system than the adult system, and yet here were scores of children with very minor infractions having their lives ruined," said Marsha Levick, a lawyer with the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center.
"There was a culture of intimidation surrounding this judge and no one was willing to speak up about the sentences he was handing down."
Last year, the Juvenile Law Center, which had raised concerns about Judge Ciavarella in the past, filed a motion to the State Supreme Court about more than 500 juveniles who had appeared before the judge without representation. The court originally rejected the petition, but recently reversed that decision.
The United States Supreme Court ruled in 1967 that children have a constitutional right to counsel. But in Pennsylvania, as in at least 20 other states, children can waive counsel, and about half of the children that Judge Ciavarella sentenced had chosen to do so. Only Illinois, New Mexico and North Carolina require juveniles to have representation when they appear before judges.
Clay Yeager, the former director of the Office of Juvenile Justice in Pennsylvania, said typical juvenile proceedings are kept closed to the public to protect the privacy of children.
"But they are kept open to probation officers, district attorneys, and public defenders, all of whom are sworn to protect the interests of children," he said. "It's pretty clear those people didn't do their jobs."
On Thursday in Federal District Court in Scranton, more than 80 people packed every available seat in the courtroom. At one point, as Assistant United States Attorney William S. Houser explained to Judge Edwin M. Kosik that the government was willing to reach a plea agreement with the men because the case involved "complex charges that could have resulted in years of litigation," one man sitting in the audience said "bull" loud enough to be heard in the courtroom.
One of the parents at the hearing was Susan Mishanski of Hanover Township.
Her son, Kevin, now 18, was sentenced to 90 days in a detention facility last year in a simple assault case that everyone had told her would result in probation, since Kevin had never been in trouble and the boy he hit had only a black eye.
"It's horrible to have your child taken away in shackles right in front of you when you think you're going home with him," she said. "It was nice to see them sitting on the other side of the bench."
The United States spends about $57 billion annually on its prison and jail system. Over $750 billion on the military budget. Hundreds of billions on police and courts. How much on schools?
Dear WPW,
Please subscribe me to your newsletter
Enclosed is a remittance in the required amount (cash, money order, postage stamps, check)
I am currently incarcerated in the state of __________________ ___ $5.00 per year
I am an "outside" friend, relation, or supporter of a prisoner ___ $15.00 per year
I work for the DOC, FBI, ATF, DEA, CIA, Milwaukee Police Dept. ___ $100.00 per year
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Remit to: Wisconsin Prison Watch – P.O. Box 292 – Boscobel, WI 53805
This entry was posted in Wisconsin and tagged 2009, Mustafa-El K.A. Ajala, Prison Action Wisconsin, prisoner writings, Taycheedah, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Prison Watch Newsletter. Bookmark the permalink.
← Blood in the sky
Buried Alive →


text:
Q: Multiple Errors When Compiling with g++? When compiling my code, I'm receiving many different errors such as:
frame.h:5:48: error: expected identifier before '(' token
frame.h:5:17: error: variable or field 'writeFrame' declared void
frame.h:5:17: error: 'GifWriter' was not declared in this scope
frame.h:5:34: error: expected primary-expression before 'double'

These errors more or less apply for all the function parameters.
Here is the header file:
#ifndef frame_h
#define frame_h

void writeFrame(GifWriter* gptr, double delay, (std::vector<uint8_t>& frameOut), ImageData* image1ptr, struct Options mode, int frameNum, bool* runptr);

void runPRGM(ImageData* image1ptr, struct Options mode);

#endif

My .cpp file does include the required libraries and this .h file, and the two functions are declared in the same way. I'm certain the brackets and parentheses are parsed correctly. Other than the function definitions within the .cpp, these are the only instances of the functions' declarations.
What could I potentially be doing wrong? I did read in some other thread that g++ conflicts with certain void functions as well but there wasn't much elaboration on that.

A: Change (std::vector<uint8_t>& frameOut) to std::vector<uint8_t>& frameOut.
Not sure why you felt the need to put the brackets there, and the first error message is telling you that's the problem.
Also note that you should write header files so that they are self-contained. This means that this header file should have #include <vector> as well as having declarations for GifWriter etc. These may be forward declarations if the circumstances are right.
So the header should look something like this
#ifndef frame_h
#define frame_h

#include <vector>  // for vector
#include <cstdint> // for uint8_t

class GifWriter; // forward declarations
class ImageData;
struct Options;

void writeFrame(GifWriter* gptr, double delay, std::vector<uint8_t>& frameOut, ImageData* image1ptr, Options mode, int frameNum, bool* runptr);

void runPRGM(ImageData* image1ptr, Options mode);

#endif

Image assuming that GifWriter, ImageData and Options are classes that you have written and therefore its safe to forward declare them. If not then you should include the header files for those classes here instead.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Not much to say really in this bit is there!?
I find it (and initially found it) to be very comforting indeed.:smile: One reason why I'm still here, thanks to the loving friends I've made here who pulled me out of the pit of despair last year. Thanks again, all!!!
I hope you also find this a place of refuge. Come here and tell us your woes and we'll offer all the compassion you can get.
I find it very comforting here as well, and I hope you can share in the atmosphere.
I've just been here for a few days.


text:
Edward Krasinski
Five things to know: Edward Krasiński
Take a closer look at the life and work of Polish neo avant-garde artist Edward Krasiński
Edward Krasiński, Krzysztofory Gallery, Krakow 1965, exhibition view © Hanna Ptaszkowska and archive of Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, courtesy Paulina Krasinska and Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw
He was a late starter
Although he eventually emerged to become a key figure of the Polish neo avant-garde, and one of the most significant Eastern European artists of the twentieth century, the humble Krasiński seemed in no rush.
He had studied design and later painting in Krakow before moving to Warsaw in 1954. Working as an illustrator and designer, in his spare time he developed a painting practice influenced by dada and surrealism, but later discarded painting in favour of his own innovative artistic framework. In 1965, aged forty, and more than ten years since his move to the capital, Krasiński staged his first solo exhibition.
Untitled 1968
© The estate of Edward Krasinski, courtesy Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw
Theatre was crucial to his work
The 1965 exhibition that marked his solo debut also announced Krasiński's career-long preoccupation with the relationship between object, space and the beholder. It included illuminated sculptures that were suspended on thin wires in a darkened space, creating a dramatic interplay between light and shadow; arranged without any plinths or display cases, the visitors' encounter with the objects was uninterrupted.
A year later, Krasiński was among a group of artists and critics who founded the Foksal Gallery, in Warsaw, a site he would use to experiment with and refine his approach to exhibition making.
Intervention 15 1975
The tale of the Blue tape
A trademark of Krasiński's work was his use of blue Scotch tape. 'I place it horizontally at a height of 130cm everywhere and on everything', he said. He first used his signature blue strip in 1968, progressing from simply sticking it in surprising places to making works that incorporated it (notably in works he called Interventions), unifying objects with the space around them. He explained:
I wanted to "pull" something out of the wall; I framed parts of reality, like a fragment of my door with the handle and the frame and made a picture out of it.
The Studio 2004. Photo by Aneta Grzeszykowska & Jan Smaga, courtesy Paulina Krasinska and Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw
His apartment doubled as artist's studio
In 1970 Krasiński moved into the top floor apartment of the established Polish constructivist artist, Henryk Stażewski. It was a significant move which saw Stażewski introduce him to gallerists, critics and thinkers, some of whom would impact positively on his career. When Stażewski died in 1988, Krasiński filled the void left by his friend and mentor with ephemeral works and installations, as well as, of course, blue tape.
In 1989 he staged an exhibition at the Foksal Gallery called Homage to Stażewski. Featuring a recreation of the space the two artists had shared, Krasiński used large-scale photographs to represent the elements of the interior – images of bookshelves, walls and Stażewski's paintings were mixed with original artworks by Krasiński. It became a total work of art, and is currently open to the public as the Avant-Garde Institute.
Edward Krasiński J'AI PERDU LA FIN!!! 1969 © Hanna Ptaszkowska and archive of Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, courtesy Paulina Krasinska and Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw
The 1970 Tokyo Biennial
By now, Krasiński had begun to show internationally, and in 1970 was chosen for inclusion in the tenth international Tokyo Biennial, Between Man and Matter. When his works were delayed in shipping, Krasiński responded with a gesture that marked an important turn in his practice – as well as what has been said by some to herald the beginning of Polish conceptual art. The artist later explained:
I went to the post office and sent a telex repeating "BLUE" five thousand times. Before that, I had sent a telegram to Tokyo that I would send a telex at a specified time and that they should scatter the very long stripe on the podium with the earlier telegram.
This 80-metre long 'stripe' was duly exhibited until the arrival of the intended works. Following further instructions from Krasiński, the strip of paper containing the telex was placed in a bullet-proof glass case. Of the work's impact, Krasiński said:
After that there was nothing more I could do; it was so radical there was no turning back.
Until March 2023
Discover the innovative theatrics of the Polish artist Edward Krasiński
Art Term
As applied to art, avant-garde means art that is innovatory, introducing or exploring new forms or subject matter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


JACO Outfitters, LLC offers Black Bear Hunting in New Mexico. Experience a Guided Black Bear Hunt with JACO Outfitters, LLC. Sit over a water hole, an apple orchard, spot and stalk, or let the dogs assist in your New Mexico black bear Hunt. We offer Black Bear hunts in Northern New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on both private and public hunting grounds. Have an opportunity to take a black bear in one of its many color phases: black, brown, cinnamon, or blonde.
Go to the gun range with guides to check the sites of your weapon.
An over-the-counter Bear License with valid carcass tag may be purchased from license vendors, Department offices, online or by mail using Form 3. One carcass tag comes with each license. (NOTE: Licenses and carcass tags purchased online will be mailed within two weeks of purchase). Hunters must purchase a Bear License AT LEAST TWO DAYS BEFORE HUNTING and must possess a valid Bear License and carcass tag while hunting in the field.


Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Remedy packets are amazing. I have blonde hair and my water was turning my hair a rusty orange color. I tried the Malibu C Hard Water Remedy packet and on the first time using it, my hair was back to blonde. This product works. I will now be using one packet once a week so my hair does not turn orange again.


Decopatch is a great way to decorate.
With the Decopatch glue the papers can be applied to any medium, wood, glass, metal, plastic, ceramic and cardboard.
Use the special Decopatch papers to upcycle and regenerate old furniture, picture frames, mirrors, light switches, car hub caps, and just about anything.


From the New York Times bestselling author of The Plantagenets and a top authority on the historical events that inspired Game of Thrones, a vivid, blood-soaked account of one of the most famous rebellions in history-the first mass uprising by the people of England against their feudal masters-by the author of The Templars In the summer of 1381, ravaged by poverty and oppressed by taxes, the people of England rose up and demanded that their voices be heard. A ragtag army, led by the mysterious Wat Tyler and the visionary preacher John Ball, rose up against the fourteen-year-old Richard II and his most powerful lords and knights, who risked their property and their lives in a desperate battle to save the English crown. Dan Jones brings this incendiary moment to life and captures both the idealism and brutality of that fateful summer, when a brave group of men and women dared to challenge their overlords, demand that they be treated equally, and fight for freedom.


text:
/* global describe, beforeEach, before, afterEach */
'use strict';

var helper = require('./support/helper');
var assert = require('assert');
var Q = require('q');

describe('datastore', function() {
	beforeEach(helper.beforeEach({migrate: true}));
	afterEach(helper.afterEach());

	before(function() {
		helper.setup = function() {
			//
		};

		helper.createModels = function() {
			//
		};
	});

	helper.test('can query 50 times', function() {
		var numberOfQueries = 0;
		var count = 100;
		var results = [];

		while(count--) {
			results.push(helper.app.models.datastore.rawQuery('SELECT 1')
					.then(function(result) {
						numberOfQueries++;
						return result;
					})); //jshint ignore:line
		}

		return Q.all(results)
			.then(function() {
				assert.equal(numberOfQueries, 100);
			});
	});
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


FORT RUCKER, Ala. (March 27, 2019) - Ask any motorcyclist and they'll tell you riding in the rain is not fun, especially if you're not prepared for the reduced visibility and slick surfaces. Unfortunately, most riders never give much thought about how to handle losing control until it happens - and then they panic. However, if bad weather puts you on the road in slippery conditions, with proper preparation and forethought you can safely make it to your destination. The key is maintaining traction and keeping the rubber side down against the road at all costs.
First, visibility is a big problem for riders when it is raining. Since motorcycles don't have windshield wipers, treating your windscreen and face shield with a product that will improve rain runoff can make a huge difference.
Also, it is to your advantage to know which areas of the road are the most slippery. Roadway markings, slippery even in clear weather, become even more so when ice or rain coats them. This is particularly a problem at intersections, where you may encounter crosswalk markings. If you have to turn across these white lines, go slowly, avoid braking and ride in the most upright position possible. If you have to stop, do so either before or after reaching those roadway markings. When you pull off, don't accelerate until after you have crossed the markings.
If you encounter a sudden downpour, it's a good idea to stop for a break and allow the oil on the roadway to wash away. Typically, it takes about a half hour of steady rain to remove the accumulation of oil drippings. When you get back onto the road, avoid riding in the center of the lane because that is most slippery area. Instead, ride in the traffic wheel ruts to take advantage of cars pushing the water off the road in front of you.
Even when roadways are dry, traffic lines, grates, railroad tracks and tar snakes all present slipping hazards. By being observant, you can often predict changes in traction by the color of the road surface. Darker spots caused by oil or fuel mean slippery areas that can lead to an accident.
Loose material on the road can also present a slipping hazard regardless the weather, although they're normally made worse by rain. Sand, dirt and mud that have become mixed with gravel may look the same color as the pavement - especially over time as it has been sitting on the road. Because of that, it's important to take extra care in turns where sand or gravel may have washed onto the roadway. You also need to pay extra attention around construction areas where vehicles turning onto the pavement from dirt roads may have scattered dirt or sand.
Proper traction control is the answer to preventing slipping and sliding. Traction, simply defined, is the very limited amount of rolling grip between your tires and the road surface and is significantly reduced during slippery conditions. Safe motorcyclists must constantly manage their traction on both wet and dry roads. To do that, there are some questions you need to answer as you ride. The most important ones are how much traction do you have available, what is consuming your bike's traction and how much traction do you have in reserve?
How much traction you have available is related to how much tire surface area you have on a motorcycle. Would you be surprised to learn the entire contact patch of both your tires is about the size of the palm of one hand? That makes understanding what consumes traction and how much you have in reserve very important to safety.
Some aspects of traction management are within the rider's control. Things such as the condition of the tires and brakes indicate how well we maintain our motorcycles. Other things, such as whether we lean excessively during turns, indicate our riding attitude. Both of these must be balanced against the things we can't control, such as the weather and road surface conditions. When you're not sure how much traction you have available, slow down.
The final question is how much traction do you have in reserve? Unfortunately, there is no way to know that for sure. What you can be sure of is that anything you see on the road that consumes additional traction is a warning sign to exercise extra care. You can do that by reducing your speed, placing your weight on your foot pegs, picking the best surface and following smoothly through your turns. It's also important to keep a steady hand on the throttle and keep the bike in as upright a position as possible until conditions improve.
The public road can be an unpredictable place. It's possible to overlook the hazards on the familiar roads where you live and end up in trouble. By maintaining plenty of reserve traction, regardless the roadway conditions or weather, you can ensure your ride ends uneventfully, not with a preliminary loss report.
Ask any motorcyclist and they'll tell you riding in the rain is not fun, especially if you're not prepared for the reduced visibility and slick surfaces. Unfortunately, most riders never give much thought about how to handle losing control until it happens - and then they panic. However, if bad weather puts you on the road in slippery conditions, with proper preparation and forethought you can safely make it to your destination. The key is maintaining traction and keeping the rubber side down against the road at all costs.


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Imagine spending an entire Spring Break at Chili's with part-time online adult education students in their 40s who take time out of their hectic schedules and skipped their usual happy hour at Applebees to drink margaritas and sing karaoke! Really, just imagine that. And of course, karaoke on Thursdays?


text:
Past Committee Activity
Event Type -- Any -- Hearings Markups Subcommittee -- Any -- Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Task Force on Financial Technology Congress -- Any -- 117th Congress (2021 - 2022) 116th Congress (2019 - 2020) 115th Congress (2017 - 2018) 114th Congress (2015 - 2016) 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) 111th Congress (2009 - 2010) Page Size 10 100 All
(POSTPONED) - Housing America: Addressing Challenges in Serving People Experiencing Homelessness
Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance
| Thursday, January 20, 2022 - 10:00AM
Ensuring Equitable Delivery of Disaster Benefits to Vulnerable Communities and Peoples: An Examination of GAO's Findings of the CDBG Program
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
| Wednesday, January 19, 2022 - 10:00AM
A Review of Diversity and Inclusion Performance at America's Large Investment Firms
Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion
2128 RHOB & WebEx
| Thursday, December 9, 2021 - 11:00AM
Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: Understanding the Challenges and Benefits of Financial Innovation in the United States
Full Committee
| Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 10:00AM
Oversight of the Treasury Department's and Federal Reserve's Pandemic Response
Markup - H.R. 2311; H.R. 2620; H.R. 5910; H.R. 5911; H.R. 5913 and H.R. 5914
| Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - 10:00AM
There's No Pride in Prejudice: Eliminating Barriers to Full Economic Inclusion for the LGBTQ+ Community
| Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - 12:00PM
From Timber to Tungsten: How the Exploitation of Natural Resources Funds Rogue Organizations and Regimes
Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy
| Thursday, November 4, 2021 - 10:00AM
Cyber Threats, Consumer Data, and the Financial System
Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions
| Wednesday, November 3, 2021 - 10:00AM
Buy Now, Pay More Later? Investigating Risks and Benefits of BNPL and Other Emerging Fintech Cash Flow Products
| Tuesday, November 2, 2021 - 10:00AM
1234567…▶▶▶


text:
West Shore LLC
Lee E. Rosenthal
Email Lee E. Rosenthal
Prior to forming West Shore, Lee was responsible for the underwriting, analysis, and execution of all acquisitions, dispositions and financing at Northland Investment Corporation for a multifamily portfolio of 23,000 units. Over the course of six years, Lee closed on the acquisition of nearly 7,500 units, the disposition of nearly 2,500 units, and the refinancing of over 40 properties contributing to over $2,000,000,000 in capital events. Additionally, Lee played an active role in the asset management of the portfolio.
Lee holds an A.B. from Harvard College. He is a member and active participant in ULI, REFA, NMHC, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Steven P. Rosenthal
Email Steven P. Rosenthal
Prior to West Shore, Steve was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Northland Investment Corporation, which grew under his leadership into a vertically integrated $3.5 billion diversified real estate company with a 23,000 unit market rate multifamily portfolio. As Northland's President and Chief Executive Officer, Steve directed all aspects of Northland's multifamily, development and commercial portfolios, including capital formation, investments, and operations, as well as Northland's strategic direction.
Steve's experience also includes Co-Managing Partner at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo P.C., which grew into a 500 lawyer firm with 7 offices under his leadership. During his 21 years at Mintz, Steve was a business lawyer and focused on general corporate, real estate and business representation, business planning, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and corporate and real estate finance.
Steve holds an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Steve is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of Redwood Investments LLC, an investment management firm in Newton, MA and a Member of the Board of Directors of the Robert I. Lappin Foundation in Salem, MA. Steve recently created "The Changing Lives Fund" at the Northeast Arc, and he established the "Arc Tank" which is intended to fund innovative ideas for positive disruption to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and autism and their families.
Steve has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington, D.C., as a Trustee of the Ruderman Family Foundation in Boston, MA and Tel Aviv, as a Trustee of the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT, as a Director of the Harvard Alumni Association, and as a Member of the Harvard Corporation Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and as a Member of the Board of Directors of The Downtown Crossing Partnership in Boston.
David (DJ) Sacco
Email David Sacco
Prior to West Shore, David J. (DJ) was with Eaton Vance and responsible for the accounting and reporting for a multifamily portfolio of more than 8,000 units. In addition, over four and a half years, DJ executed the accounting for sixteen acquisitions with an aggregate value of greater than $600 million as well as three dispositions with a total value of approximately $150 million. Other responsibilities included multiple credit facilities, cash management for various funds, and lender compliance reporting.
DJ holds a B.B.A. and a M.S.A. from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass – Amherst. DJ began his career in public accounting and has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since May, 2009.
Kristi Sinnott
Director of Property Management
Email Kristi Sinnott
Prior to West Shore, Kristi worked at Greystar for 11 years and was a Regional Manager, covering markets in Missouri, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Kristi has over 18 years of experience in the multifamily industry, beginning her career in the Atlanta market overseeing a mix of tax credit, conventional, and new construction assets. Kristi's work has resulted in her being recognized for several prestigious awards, including the 2008 Rising Star Award, the 2011 Property of the Year Award, and the 2012 Circle of Excellence Award. Kristi was also nominated for the 2016 Regional Property Manager of the Year in Charlotte.
Kristi attended West Virginia State University and is a Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor. She has been an active leader in the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association for over 10 years.
Courtney Retzky
Email Courtney Retzky
Prior to West Shore, Courtney was the Director of Marketing at Peabody Properties where she was responsible for all marketing and leasing initiatives for the company's managed portfolio of over 12,000 units, supervising the marketing department through lease-ups and executing marketing and leasing strategies on a community-by-community basis. Prior to Peabody Properties, Courtney was the Director of Marketing at Lerner Enterprises and served in key marketing roles of increasing responsibility at Boston Properties, EDENS and New England Development.
Courtney graduated from the University of Maryland – College Park with a B.A. in Communication and a College Park Scholars program citation. She is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), the Rental Housing Association (RHA), and the Dedham Square Planning Committee.
Meaghan Fahey
Email Meaghan Fahey
Prior to West Shore, Meaghan was with Wingate Companies for seven years. Meaghan was responsible for overseeing the asset management of Wingate's multifamily portfolio, which consisted of 150 properties totaling 15,000 units. Meaghan developed long-term strategies for individual properties, providing financial data analyses to support operations and identifying opportunities to maximize value. Meaghan was responsible for tracking and analyzing capital improvement programs, preforming underwriting functions on potential project initiatives and refinance and acquisition analysis, as well as overseeing training to ensure productivity and effectiveness. Additionally, she successfully led the strategic planning and implementation of a major accounting software conversion.
Meaghan holds a B.S. from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She is also an active member of 100 Women Who Care Boston.
Kevin Liu
Email Kevin Liu
Prior to West Shore, Kevin Liu was with The MFA Companies as a valuation analyst, specializing in financial planning and analysis, private company valuations, and various equity structuring, debt refinancing, and tax mitigation projects. While at The MFA Companies, Kevin played a key role in the growth initiatives of the newly-established FP&A service, which became a focal point to identifying value-add opportunities for many clients.
Kevin holds a B.B.A. in accounting from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass – Amherst and is a CFA Level III candidate.
Michael Hughes
Email Michael Hughes
Prior to West Shore, Mike worked for WS Development. At WS, he was responsible for the accounting, budgeting, and reporting for the asset management company comprised of 98 properties totaling 23 million square feet. Additionally, Mike performed the property accounting for 8 retail properties, the vacant land entity, and the development entity. Mike's experience also includes managing the Internal Audit Team at Consigli Construction and working as a Tax Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Mike holds a B.S. and M.S.A. from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He is also the co-founder of the annual PMC Open charity golf tournament, which has raised over $50,000 for Dana-Farber.
Email James Green
Prior to West Shore, James worked for Scott A. Goffstein & Associates. At SAGA, James was responsible for the outsourced accounting of clients in a variety of industries. He also prepared tax returns for corporations, partnerships, trusts, non-profit organizations, and high-net-worth individuals. James's real estate experience includes an internship at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. James has been a licensed Real Estate Salesperson since 2017 and a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 2019.
James graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he received a B.S. in Accounting from the College of Management and graduated Summa Cum Laude. James is a member of The Friends of the Blue Hills, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the Blue Hills Reservation.
Daniela Pierre-Toussaint
Corporate Accountant
Email Daniela Pierre-Toussaint
Prior to West Shore, Daniela worked for CrossCountry Consulting. At CrossCountry, Daniela worked in the Accounting Advisory group where she spent the majority of her time analyzing processes and the effectiveness of the control environment for a local bank in Boston. Prior to CrossCountry Consulting, Daniela worked at Ernst & Young as an external auditor in the Financial Services Office in Boston. At EY, Daniela focused on Wealth and Asset Management clients and was responsible for executing the audits of Private Equity, Hedge, and Mutual Fund clients.
Daniela graduated cum laude from Babson College, where she received a B.S.B.A with a focus in accounting and economics. At Babson College Daniela was an active member of the Omicron Delta Epsilon – International Economics Honor Society, and Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
Michael Evers
Manager of Property Accounting
Email Michael Evers
Prior to West Shore, Mike worked for Barkan Management as Accounting Manager, where he was responsible for the accounting and reporting for the over 140 properties and 20,000 units. In this role, Mike supervised junior to senior level accountants, developed best practices for the accounting team, and was the main point of contact for the external audit of company owned properties.
Mike holds a B.S.B.A from Nichols College and a M.B.A. from Southern New Hampshire University, graduating Magna Cum Laude from both with a focus in accounting.
John Ryder
Senior Property Accountant
Email John Ryder
Prior to West Shore, John worked at Boston Properties for over three years. At Boston Properties John was responsible for accounting, budgeting and reporting for multiple Class A office buildings in the Washington DC and surrounding areas. Other responsibilities included lender compliance reporting, joint venture partner reporting, maintaining and recording sales figures for retail tenants and the execution of specific lease accounting practices for multiple office, government and retail tenants.
John graduated from Bentley University, where he received a B.S. in Accounting. John helped found the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Bentley University and remains an active member.
Eric Reid
Email Eric Reid
Prior to West Shore, Eric worked for Barkan Management as a Senior Property Accountant – Team Leader, where he was responsible for a team of junior to senior level accountants reporting on a portfolio of over 50 properties ranging from affordable apartments to luxury condominiums. Eric was directly responsible for the reporting and external audits of several company owned affordable properties.
Eric attends the University of Massachusetts Boston with a focus in Accounting.
Kelly Trayah
Email Kelly Trayah
Prior to West Shore, Kelly spent over five years at Equity Residential where she advanced from a Senior Leasing role to an Administrative & Accounting role. Her main responsibility was to manage the accounts receivable and accounts payable process for Equity's largest Boston asset. Prior to Equity Residential, she was a Leasing Consultant with Archstone Apartments for three years.
Kelly graduated from The University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she received a B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management from The Isenberg School of Management. She was also an active member of the Meeting and Event Managers Association.
Annmarie Silva
Email Annmarie Silva
Prior to West Shore, Annmarie was the Director of Operations at Blair Capital where she was responsible for overseeing the general operations for the property management and investment portfolio. Other responsibilities included managing a team of licensed real estate agents and implementing strategies to expand operations in investment acquisition and income property management. Prior to Blair, Annmarie was the Property Manager for 28 Exeter at Newbury where she was responsible for managing the leasing, marketing, and financial performance of the property and maintained service excellence and high resident retention.
Annmarie graduated from Suffolk University with a B.S. in Psychology and has been a licensed Real Estate Salesperson since 2013.
Kristina Bockstall
Executive Assistant / Human Resources
Email Kristina Bockstall
Prior to West Shore, Kristina worked for Express, Inc. where she advanced to be the Store Manager of one of the highest volume locations in the Northeast. Prior to Express, Kristina lived in Los Angeles where she was an intern for Entertainment Tonight and became a P.A. for the Academy Awards.
Kristina graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Merchandising and was a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society as well as an active member of her Chi Omega sorority.
Paige Dusel
Email Paige Dusel
Prior to West Shore, Paige worked for Boston Medical Center, where she was the Medical Student Coordinator for the Radiology and Otolaryngology Departments. Prior to BMC, Paige worked for Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP as the Event and Business Development Coordinator for the Marketing Department, where she was responsible for assisting with all business development activities including overseeing the firm's events.
Paige graduated from Boston College with a BA in Human Development – Family Studies and a Minor in Philosophy.
Kaity Perkett
Email Kaity Perkett
Prior to West Shore, Kaity worked for Odysseys Unlimited as an Operations Assistant, where she assumed responsibility for multiple aspects of customer document preparations and fulfillment of small group travel. Prior to Odysseys Unlimited, Kaity worked for Rink Management Services as an Administrative Assistant, where she was responsible for reserving events, running social media platforms and creating flyers and graphics for advertising.
Kaity graduated from the Honors Program at Suffolk University with a BSBA in Marketing and a Minor in Information Systems.
Mallory Eaglen
Email Mallory Eaglen
Prior to West Shore, Mallory spent over 4 years with Greystar Real Estate Partners where she began in a leasing role and advanced rapidly to a multiple site Senior Property Manager. At Greystar, her main responsibilities included monitoring property performance and developing specific strategies to ensure specific targets were reached. Mallory also has experience overseeing amenity renovations and interior upgrades, including a $4 million capital construction project.
Mallory attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Kim Upton
Email Kim Upton
Prior to West Shore, Kim worked at Greystar for three years as a Community Manager. Kim has over 14 years of extensive residential asset management, sales, and marketing experience. Kim's work has resulted in her being recognized for several prestigious awards, including the 2011 Circle of Excellence Award, 2012 Property of the Year, 2014 Commercial Star Award, 2018 Heavy Hitters Award by Charlotte Business Journal, and the 2019 Rising Star Award. Kim was ranked as top ten ORA Power Rankings by J Turner Research for Online Reputation Management in 2016 and 2017. Kim has been an instructor for the National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP) since of 2016.
Kim attended University of North Carolina Charlotte and is a Certified Apartment Manager. She has been an active leader in the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association for over 14 years.
Email Tracy King
Prior to West Shore, Tracy was a Community Manager with Greystar for over seven years. Her responsibilities included analyzing market conditions and trends, growing rent and NOI, managing resident, vendor and client relations, and increasing overall property value for both stabilized and new construction assets. Her work has been recognized through numerous awards such as Regional Pillar of Excellence for Profitability, Best Apartment Community of the Year, and the Kingsley Excellence Award for Resident Satisfaction.
Tracy graduated from The Citadel with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, maintains a Certified Pool Operator License, and is a member of the National Apartment Association and Charleston Apartment Association.
Valerie Cardozo
Email Valerie Cardozo
Prior to West Shore, Valerie worked for property management companies such as RKW Residential, Greystar, Lat Purser, and the Connor Group in roles of increasing responsibility. She has over seven years of property management experience including new construction lease ups, asset management, sales, and marketing at managed communities in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Valerie is a member of the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association and received the Association's 2018 Property Manager of the Year award.
Brasley Gill
Regional Maintenance Manager
Email Brasley Gill
Prior to West Shore, Brasley was a Service Director for Fogelman Management Group and Mid America Properties, managing maintenance and service operations. Brasley has over 20 years of experience in the multifamily industry, including building operations, maintenance, and budgeting for new construction, lease ups, and stabilized assets. He has had a key role on new acquisition and transition teams. Brasley's work has been recognized through numerous awards such as FMG 2006 Arc of Optimism and Excellence, Service Director of the Year, GLAA Maintenance Supervisor of the Year, and is a 7-time winner of the GLAA Property Beautification Award.
Brasley is a Veteran of the United Stated Air Force where he was been recognized with numerous awards for his service, including Airman of the Year and Maintenance Airman of the Quarter. He attended Kemper Military JC and was a member of the football team.
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It's Thursday again and the day that I always pick oracle cards for those of you who visit me on my Inspired Art and Living Facebook page.
I often like to pick one for myself too and share in the fun. So, today being no exception, I decided to take part.
Now interestingly, I already picked some cards for myself a few days and ago and was prompted to pick up John De Ruiter's amazing book 'Unveiling Reality' and start to read it again. I chose the card 'Break Through Resistance' and it really gave me food for thought.
You see, in the past I have often looked for specific things, thinking that I would find the answer in one particular area of my life. But I was given a huge divine prompt to pick up John's book again and dive in.
Do you find that when you are called to look at a book again, you find things in it that just weren't there before? And do you find that you gain understanding on a whole new level?
Well, that's exactly what I experienced when I started reading. And today, when I woke, I just stayed in bed and kept reading and reading. I couldn't put it down and I was feeling such a huge resonance with his words.
There is so much pure gold in 'Unveiling Reality' and I'm going to talk about it in more depth in another post. But for now I just wanted to share in a nutshell what I experienced this morning.
I got such a deep realisation of how I had been in such a space of real resistance and was now coming towards making a deeper connection with the source within me. It was as if a bright light bulb had just been switched on.
I just knew that something had changed in that moment. The letting go of the way of resisting was making itself known to me through a deep knowing. And when I closed my eyes and became aware of the 'tiniest bit' inside of me that represents my true way of being, I knew that there was a shift in this space. It was being seen and heard and able to express itself outwardly.
I got an overwhelming sense of relief and almost hilarity when I realised how I had been striving to be in charge and control of my life all these years, distorting myself and wearing the wrong hat. It was so funny and beautiful and warm and expansive.
I had spent my whole life trying to do what I hadn't come here to do. And hadn't been able to see that. Until now.
And so just a little while ago I picked an oracle card and chose – Connecting with the Source Within. How beautiful and perfect. How synchronous with what I experienced this morning.
I'm feeling lighter and smiling. I thought I knew so much and realise how little I actually knew.
This entry was posted in INSPIRATIONS and tagged connecting with source, fionastolze. Fiona Stolze, inspirations, inspired art and living, john de ruiter, oracle cards, spiritual awareness, spiritual journey, spirituality, unveiling reality. Bookmark the permalink.
How wonderful this book made you feel this way! I will certainly have to get it. Wonder which tarot cards I would turn up after such inspiration? Interesting!
Yes, do get the book and see what you think. You can come on over to my Facebook page on Thursdays and have a free mini reading any week. Thanks for stopping by.
Just so you aware that John will hold a meetings at the Edinburgh Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace Festival in Edinburugh and at the Findhorn Foundation in March, 2012. Here are links to the the two events.
John de Ruiter Meetup groups have also been formed in Bristol and London. Go to meetup.com, type jdr in the topic section and leave the city section blank and all of the John de Ruiter groups will appear. Click on Groups and then again on All Groups to see them all. You can also sign up for John's newsletter, facebook and twitter pages, and listen to John's free podcasts on iTunes. Visit http://www.johnderuiter.com for more information. Thank you.
I shall have a look at your blog too Connie. Many thanks and have a great day.


The Kaskaskia College Trenton Education Center was the venue for a Global Information Systems seminar entitled "The Power of Imagery" on Friday, July 31. The seminar was co-sponsored by Kaskaskia College and the National Geospatial Technology Center for Excellence (GeoTech).
For the purpose of Friday's seminar, the presenters focused on Imagery, one key facet of GIS. The program included introductory information on imagery, as well as practical applications in the fields of utilities and agriculture.
After an introduction and welcome from Dr. Penny Quinn, President of Kaskaskia College, Dr. Mike Rudibaugh, Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation Grant received by Kaskaskia College, served as emcee for the event.
Dr. Rick Marshall, is the owner of VerticalGeo, a small business specializing in the collection and integration of photography, satellite imagery, and other remote sensing products for federal, state, county and municipal governments, especially in airfield operations. His presentation focused on an "Overview of Imagery," including UAV's, satellites, and other technologies.
Dr. Michael Hauck, Executive Director of the Imaging and Geospatial Information Society (ASPRS), gave a presentation called "The Power of Imagery: Bottom Up, Top Down and All Around," in which he shared many of the different devices used in imagery, and the rapid advancement in the science over the recent decades.
After a lunch break, leaders in the GIS field in the areas of utilities and agriculture spoke, including: Charles Schaeffer, Director of Information Technology of Ameren Services Corp, Jason Heck, Supervising Engineer, Gas Utility Management for Ameren Illinois, Greg Brunner, Imagery Scientist for ESRI, a GIS software development company, Casey Hettinger, UAV Practitioner for Advanced Analytics, LLC, and Matt Barnard, owner of Chef Agronomics, LLC and CropCopter.


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Sky Soldiers back in Romania to train alongside NATO allies
Paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived in Romania for the start of combined training exercises alongside Romanian Soldiers.
Approximately 350 paratroopers from the brigade are taking part in separate training exercises throughout November. Both exercises are part of the Operation Atlantic Resolve, an increase in tempo of exercises with NATO allies to demonstrate U.S. commitment to collective security and sustain interoperability between allied forces.
Last month, the brigade conducted an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise, alerting Grafenwoehr, Germany based paratroopers for a no-notice alert and parachuting them into Campia Turzii, Romania for a several day rapid-response exercise.
Some 250 paratroopers from the 173rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion are training alongside Romanian troops in Babadag, conducting live-fire ranges, skills training as well as a combined airborne operation.
"Our exercise is a great opportunity to learn from each other and build a stronger partnership," said Maj. Jared Runge, the executive officer of the 173rd BSTB. "We've deployed together in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. This will help us sustain the interoperability we've built in combat."
Later this month, approximately 100 paratroopers from the brigade's 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, will train in Campia Turzii and in Cincu longside Romanian special-forces troops.
"We were fortunate enough to work with a Romanian company in Exercise Rapid Trident 14 and was impressed with their level of proficiency," said Capt. Teddy Borawski, commander of Company C, 1st Bn., 503rd Inf. Regt. "Taking this relationship and maintaining and even building on the existing interoperability is the number one goal."
The brigade finished its six-month deployment to Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in October. The "Sky Soldiers" of the 173rd transferred responsibility for that portion of the Atlantic Resolve mission to Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing ready forces on short notice to accomplish a range of missions in the U.S. European, Africa and Central Command areas of responsibility.
Who is afraid of a debate on TV?
25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall: German Embassy organized a Running Race of Remembrance on Sunday
Test May 6, 2010
Democrat-Liberal Mircea Cinteza resigns from Senate
Parliament convenes in joint solemn session to commemorate for the first time in its history the victims of the Iasi pogrom of June 1941
NINE O'CLOCK June 30, 2021