Lynn Lincoln Sarko | Managing Partner | Keller Rohrback L.L.P.
Lynn Lincoln Sarko is a master strategist and litigator who leads Keller Rohrback's internationally recognized Complex Litigation Group. One of the nation's top attorneys in complex litigation, Lynn does not just help clients win—he helps them win what they want. Through smart, efficient strategy and tailored, creative problem solving, Lynn and his team accomplish the best outcomes while minimizing costs and maximizing value.
Lynn's diverse experience enables him to think outside the box to resolve complex cases. He regularly interacts with international business interests, representing sovereign nations and institutional clients seeking to recover investment losses caused by financial fraud and other malfeasance. He is currently involved in several matters involving complex derivatives and specialty investment products. He represents clients with regard to regulatory investigations and issues involving state and federal supervisory agencies and has litigated actions involving several of the nation's largest accounting and investment firms. Lynn is part of the team representing cities and counties across the United States in their fight to hold opioid manufacturers accountable.
Lynn has led the firm's securities and retirement fund practice for over 25 years and regularly serves as lead counsel in multiparty individual and class action cases involving ERISA, antitrust, securities, breach of fiduciary duty and other investment fraud issues. Other law firms seek his assistance as settlement counsel in these and other complex cases because of his reputation as a skilled negotiator. His successes in this area include multimillion dollar settlements in the IKON, Anicom, United Companies Financial Corp., Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Health South, Delphi, Washington Mutual, Countrywide, Lucent, Merrill Lynch, Xerox consolidated securities, pension and retirement plan cases.
In addition, Lynn was appointed to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for In re Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Ecodiesel Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation. Previously, Lynn served as one of the negotiators in the $15 billion Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Fraud class action settlement for 2.0-liter vehicles, the largest auto-related consumer class action settlement in U.S. history, as well as the subsequent 3.0-liter settlement.
Courts and professional organizations have honored Lynn for his work on financial, fiduciary duty, consumer and numerous other high-profile public cases. After serving as trial counsel in the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill case, which resulted in a $5 billion punitive damages verdict, Lynn was appointed by the court as Administrator for all funds recovered. He prosecuted the Microsoft civil antitrust case, Vitamin price-fixing cases, the MDL Fen/Phen Diet Drug Litigation, and notable public service lawsuits such as Erickson v. Bartell Drug Co., which established a woman's right to prescription contraceptive health coverage.
Before joining Keller Rohrback, Lynn was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Criminal Division, an associate at the Washington, D.C. office of Arnold & Porter, and law clerk to the Honorable Jerome Farris, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in Seattle. He has been the managing partner of Keller Rohrback since 1991.
Lynn appears in federal courts from coast to coast, maintaining an active national litigation practice. He counsels and represents consumers, employees and businesses who have suffered harm resulting from the improper disclosure of proprietary, personal, health and other protected information.
Enforcement of ERISA Rights and Responsibilities: An ERISA @40 Event, Washington, D.C.


text:
Wyndham Aruba earns AAA Four Diamond award
By: VisitAruba.com
The Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino has been recognized for excellence by the American Automobile Association with the coveted AAA Four Diamond Award for 2003. The Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino is one of only four hotels on the island to earn the celebrated rating and joins a growing number of Wyndham properties to receive praise for exceptional service.
"This is one of the highest distinctions in the hospitality industry and validates the efforts we've made to achieve superior guest service and consistent guest satisfaction," said Rob Smith, general manager of the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino. "Further, this award demonstrates our staff's commitment to believing in Wyndham's brand philosophy of personalized service."
The AAA rates lodging establishments and restaurants based on a set of international standards, including the level of staff experience, decor, comfort and service.
"The Four Diamond Award represents the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino's dedication to luxury in both the physical appointments and delivery of specialized service, and ranks the hotel among an elite of less than three percent of all AAA diamond rated lodgings," said an AAA spokesperson.
The Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino has recently made a number of property enhancements as it continues to establish itself as the leading business and leisure travel destination on the island. In a ceremony that was attended by all of Aruba's dignitaries, including Prime Minister Nelson Oduber and Governor Olindo Koolman, the new landscaped park in front of the hotel was inaugurated and named the United Nations Plaza park. The name was selected because Aruba is home to more than 60 different ethnic origins and receives visitors from around the world.
Other property enhancements include the addition of a fourth high-speed elevator and an upscale women's boutique. Planned for 2003 is the installation of four new treatment rooms at the health center and the beginning of construction of the new 8,500 sq. ft. ballroom. With this addition to its meeting space, the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino will further strengthen its position as the premiere meeting resort on the island.
Located on the magnificent white sands of Palm Beach and just three miles from downtown, the Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino has 481 guest rooms, all with private balconies and ocean views. Additional amenities include a pool with pool concierge service, a fitness center with spa services, a Kids Klub, tennis, water sports, nearby championship golf and high-speed Internet access in all guest rooms and meeting spaces.
The resort also offers a wide choice of world-class dining options including Caffe Baci, an Italian eatery set in an upscale yet relaxed atmosphere; Pago Pago, offering fresh seafood, steaks and innovative cocktails in an elegant setting complete with soothing piano music; and Blossoms, the only restaurant on the island serving well-appointed Japanese and Chinese cuisine with a sushi bar. Breakfast buffet is served at The Greenhouse while the Terrace, located seaside, serves breakfast a la carte and lunch. Guests can enjoy poolside cocktails at The Tambu Bar or visit the Sirrocco lounge for cigars, drinks and jazz under the stars. The Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino is also home to the Cuban-style revue Havana Tropical, the only live dinner show on the island.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is an innovative, upscale hotel brand with properties located in the U.S., Caribbean, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Owned, managed and franchised by Wyndham International, Inc., Wyndham's brand philosophy centers on listening to the individual needs of business and leisure travelers, and responding with personalized services. With a history of program firsts, Wyndham has developed Wyndham ByRequest, a unique guest recognition program that tailors each guest's stay according to their preferences, and the award-winning Women On Their Way program, which caters to the needs of women business travelers. For reservations, call a travel planner, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts at 800-WYNDHAM or visit Wyndham on the Internet at www.wyndham.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kendrick Lamar– a good kid in a m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar's "good kid, m.A.A.d city" deluxe album cover
Grayson McGowan, Reporter
Kendrick Lamar was born to the streets of Compton California on June 17th, 1987. Growing up Kendrick was surrounded by gang violence and drug use,which he talks about in some of his tracks. In 2003 at age 16 Kendrick released his first mixtape under the name K-Dot which pulled attention to young rapper, Kendrick was eventually signed by Top Dawg Entertainment. ThroughTop Dawg Entertainment he released 2 more mixtapes, "Training Day"(2005) and "C4" (2009).
In 2010, Kendrick started releasing music under his birth name Kendrick Lamar. Following the name change, he released his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicated, and then his first full-length studio album "Section.80". Following the release of "Section.80", Kendrick continued to explode onto the mainstream working with massive artists like Lil Wayne. Helping to continue honing his craft, Dr. Dre took him under his wing and played a mentor role during the most crucial part of his career.
In October of 2012, Kendrick released his second full-length album "good kid, m.A.A.d city" regarded as one of the best hip hop albums of all time,. Post-release Kendrick appeared in conversations with hip-hop greats including Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Jay-Z. Thinking there was absolutely no way to top good kid Kendrick dropped "To Pimp a Butterfly". Fans loved TPaB, many considered it to be his best work with the critics and media agreeing with them. Being nominated for 11 Grammys showcased the sheer talent of the album and was proved even more so when it won the award for rap album of the year.
Coming off debatably two of the greatest hip hop albums of all time Kendrick came back hot dropping "DAMN" in April of 2017. "DAMN" received commercial and critical success, once again showing that Kendrick Lamar is an all-time great. Kendrick was nominated for 7 Grammys and swept the rap categories winning best rap song and best rap album , going on to win a total of 5 Grammys. In 2018, Kendrick shocked the world making history being the first non-classical or jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Good kid, m.A.A.d city
"Good kid, M.A.A.d city" was released in 2012 and it made me feel as if Kendrick was finally opening up and making music about himself and who he is. "good kid, m.A.A.d city" is a story about Kendrick growing up in a city that is slowly making him "mad". This is perfectly illustrated in the track "The Art of Peer Pressure" which without fail shows that changing yourself to please others can lead you to feel guilty and regretful.
"Good Kid, m.A.A.d city" is a work of art that illustrates how the culture of the city and the people around you sculpt your future. Throughout the album, Kendrick realizes how the gang activity, violence, and racism that was prominent when he was growing up was turning him into someone he didn't want to be. Realization being the main theme of the album is shown mainly on the track "Real" where he realizes who he is and what he wants to do.
Sherane a.k.a Master Splinters Daughter
In this track, Kendrick mentions how he met a girl at a house party, he and the girl exchanged numbers and keep in touch over the summer. Kendrick acknowledges that Sheranes's family has a history of gang-banging but disregards it because of how much he wants her.
One night Kendrick decides to go over to Sherane's house forgoing his past fear. All he can think about on the drive over and when he gets there all the anticipation he built up is shot down when Kendrick pulls up to the house, "I'm two blocks away, two hundred and fifty feet And six steps from where she stay, she wavin' me 'cross the street I pulled up, a smile on my face, and then I see Two n*****, two black hoodies, I froze as my phone rang."
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe is a song focused on Kendrick voicing his opinions on the current state of the rap game. He tries to explain how he is striving to be different by maintaining his vision or his "Vibe". "Fell on my face and awoke with a scar another mistake livin' deep in my heart wear it on top of my sleeve in a flick," this line from Kendrick is him keeping true to his vision showing when he falls or is hurt he picks himself up and looks ahead not worrying about mistakes.
Backseat Freestyle
In the outro of the previous song, one of Kendricks friends asks him to rap, this song serves as a flashback and is not truly what present-day Kendrick believes. Backseat freestyle reflects the attitude and emotions of the young people stuck in corrupt societies or a "m.A.A.d city".
Young people sometimes become obsessed with being superior and having power and Kendrick shows his own lust near the end of this track "Goddamn I got bitches, damn I got bitches damn, I got bitches, wifey, girlfriend, and mistress all my life I want money and power, respect my mind or die from lead showers." In this line, Kendrick exposes his lust and greed and what he will do to feed those feelings.
The Art of Peer Pressure
I think The Art of Peer Pressure is the best-written song on the whole album. The way The Art of Peer Pressure perfectly illustrates the influence of the people we are around perfectly. Kendrick constantly uses the phrase "until I'm with the homies," being a good kid Kendrick is heavily pressured to do things with his homies to fit in.
"until I'm with the homies,""
— Kendrick Lamar
The track has Kendrick telling the story of a night when he and his friends burglarize a house and then run from the cops. The pressure to fit in takes a toll on Kendrick making him regret what he did and feel guilty. The track ends with Kendrick and his friends talking about Kendrick meeting with Sherane that night.
Money Trees acts as a recap track going through the story so far as Kendrick brings up the events that occurred during "The Art of Peer Pressure" like robbing the house and then bragging about his time with Sherane. Kendrick also references "Backseat Freestyle" when he talks about rhyming to beats.
The main line of the song "Everybody gon' respect the shooter/But the one in front of the gun lives forever." is deeply important, not just as a life motto, but in regards to the events that later take place in this story regarding other characters.
Poetic Justice
Being a love song dedicated to Kendricks's early love Sherane "Poetic Justice" helps round out the story for its eventual lead into tracks "good kid" and "m.A.A.d city". Kendrick is obviously attracted to Sherane but he still has his doubts mainly because he does not know her background, these feelings are shown in the line "If a flower bloomed in a dark room would you trust it?". At the end of the track, it picks up where "Sherane a.k.a Master Splinters Daughter" ended with Kendrick seeing two hooded individuals who then jump him.
good kid
The track starts with a depiction of the immediate aftermath of Kendrick getting jumped which then exposes the album's theme of realization. This realization is that Kendrick needs to get out of the hood before it turns him mad. In this track, Kendrick dives into the negative effects of gang culture and being racially profiled by police.
"good kid" being the first half of the album's title tracks illustrates how Kendrick like Tre in the 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood" was bullied by gangsters for being good and profiled by police officers for being black. Something that listeners might miss is that "good kid" is the only track in the album to have no profanity once again showing how Kendrick is guilty by association which is also talked about throughout the album.
m.A.A.d city
"m.A.A.d" is both an acronym for "my Angels on Angel dust" and "my Angry Adolescence divided". After Kendrick is jumped it brings back memories of similar situations, witnessing a murder at a burger stand when he was 9 (could be referring to his uncle Tony, see "Money Trees") or how his cousin died back in '94.
m.A.A.d city' is the turn up. That's the side of Compton that everybody knows, the aggressive side. "
Kendrick also talks about how his father had him get a job but is later fired for being pressured into staging a robbery. In the final verse, he tries to let the good shine through and offer words for the youth and how they don't have to give in to the temptations and pressures of society.
Swimming Pools (Drank)
In this album's lead single, Kendrick addresses the psychological connection between peer pressure and alcoholism. Made to sound like a "club anthem" to drink to is actually a deeper take on the social pressure and self-destructive attitudes that drive people to drink.
Kendrick spoke to Complex about the inspiration behind this song: "What better way to make something universal than to speak about drinking? I'm coming from a household where you had to make a decision—you were either a casual drinker or you were a drunk. That's what that record is really about, me experiencing that as a kid and making my own decisions."
Sing about Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst
Kendricks two-part track "Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst" depicts life in an urban ghetto, from the start to the end of the song Kendrick breaks down the stories that dragged him away from gang culture. At the start of the track, Kendrick raps from the perspective of two other people before rapping from his own to discuss the adversity he faced.
In the second half of the song Kendrick picks up where the outro of "Swimming Pool" left off, Dave gets killed leaving his brother seeking retaliation. "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" was produced by two different producers giving each half its own unique sound, the first half was done by Skhye Hutch and Sounwave, and the second half was made by Like of Pac Div.
This song represents the incredibly important realization Kendrick has about loving yourself and how it is a necessary component of having the powerful insight that he describes through the album. This song symbolizes Kendricks's maturation and how he has grown as not just an artist but as a person, shown in the lower and more controlled tone that Kendrick raps in on this track. At the end of the song, Kendrick says "Or hating the fact none of that shit make me real?" symbolizing how all of the things he loves don't make him real.
As the closing track for the album, Kendrick teams up with his mentor/west coast legend and executive producer Dr. Dre. Apart from "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" this is the only track coming from the perspective of current Kendrick.
"Compton" acts as an epilogue to the story having Kendrick look back on the events of his life and how he turned away from the potential life of crime, alcoholism, and violence, and how he has matured into someone that is proud of who they became and how they can be looked up to.
Grayson McGowan


text:
Q: Firefox Bootstrapped Extensions: Namespace I am looking into bootstrapped extensions. Looking at the code of some of those extensions, I see a lot of variables, constants & functions declarations.
Are they all declared in window object?
Isn't there an issue with namespace pollution/clash?
I wrap every single thing in one object/namespace in the overlay extensions that I have done.
Are bootstrapped extension different in that regard?
I have noticed that all bootstrapped.js use the same/standard function names. Does that mean that bootstrapped extensions are sandboxed or their scope enclosed?

A: The bootstrap.js scope

Are they all declared in window object? Isn't there an issue with namespace pollution/clash?
...
I have noticed that all bootstrapped.js use the same/standard function names. Does that mean that bootstrapped extensions are sandboxed or their scope enclosed?

To expand on the @paa comment: bootstrap.js does indeed get it's own scope.
The AddonManager will create a new scope (or "namespace" if you like) per bootstrap.js. Right now the implementation uses Components.utils.Sandbox, but that is an implementation detail.
This means that there is no window object. bootstrap.js will be loaded once per Firefox process and has no window object. This is very much unlike overlay script which will be loaded once per new window and share a common scope (the window object itself) with Firefox code and overlay scripts from other add-ons.
That also means bootstrapped add-ons are free to choose whatever names they like in their scope (their personal sand box) without fear of clashing with other add-ons, as long as the names are valid in Javascript in general.
The only exceptions being

*

*the entry point function names the add-on must implement that the Add-on Manager will call and therefore have special meaning (startup, shutdown, install, uninstall),

*pre-defined stuff that either comes with the Sandbox (Components, and Javascript built-ins like Object, String, Array, Map, etc.)

*stuff that the AddonManager will inject (like the __SCRIPT_URI_SPEC__, ADDON_*, APP_* constants).

A full list of pre-defined names, as of Firefox 30:
Components.utils.reportError(Object.getOwnPropertyNames(this).join(", "));

// Object, Function, eval, Components, XPCNativeWrapper, dump, debug,
// importFunction, IDBCursor, IDBCursorWithValue, EventTarget, IDBDatabase,
// IDBFactory, FileHandle, IDBFileHandle, IDBIndex, IDBKeyRange,
// IDBObjectStore, IDBRequest, IDBOpenDBRequest, IDBTransaction, Event,
// IDBVersionChangeEvent, indexedDB, APP_STARTUP, APP_SHUTDOWN, ADDON_ENABLE,
// ADDON_DISABLE, ADDON_INSTALL, ADDON_UNINSTALL, ADDON_UPGRADE,
// ADDON_DOWNGRADE, Worker, ChromeWorker, __SCRIPT_URI_SPEC__, undefined,
// Array, Boolean, JSON, Date, Math, isNaN, isFinite, parseFloat, parseInt,
// NaN, Infinity, Number, String, escape, unescape, uneval, decodeURI,
// encodeURI, decodeURIComponent, encodeURIComponent, RegExp, Error,
// InternalError, EvalError, RangeError, ReferenceError, SyntaxError,
// TypeError, URIError, Iterator, StopIteration, Int8Array, Uint8Array,
// Int16Array, Uint16Array, Int32Array, Uint32Array, Float32Array,
// Float64Array, Uint8ClampedArray, DataView, ArrayBuffer, Proxy, WeakMap,
// Map, Set, Intl

Manipulating other scopes
However, bootstrapped add-on still need to be considerate and avoid clashes when interacting with other scopes, such as windows, JS code modules, other add-on bootstrap scopes and so on. Manipulating other scopes may also cause leaks of the add-on bootstrap scope.
E.g.
Cu.import("resource://gre/modules/Services.jsm");
Services.foo = "bar";

This will add a foo property to the Services object that lives in the shared Services.jsm code module.
All other add-ons and the browser code will see Services.foo as well, so it might cause clashes and regular don't pollute the shared namespace-rules apply.
Also, when your add-on gets shutdown you'd have to delete Services.foo again, or else the Services.jsm scope would keep a reference to it and since the value of foo (the string "bar") lives within your bootstrap compartment, it would keep alive your bootstrap compartment due to that reference and effectively create a memory leak otherwise (called Zombie compartments in mozilla slang).
Or
// Get the most recent browser window
var browserWindow = Services.wm.getMostRecentWindow("navigator:browser");
browserWindow.doSomething = function() {
  browserWindow.alert("hello world");
};

This would be equivalent to having an overlay script of:
function doSomething() {
  alert("hello world");
}

Both would add a new name doSomething to the browser window scope, hence that name might clash with other add-ons and don't pollute the shared namespace-rules apply.
And again, this might leak the same way than the previous example, so a bootstrapped add-on will have to delete the property on shutdown again to avoid that.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hello everybody, Does anybody have any recommendation for crypto currencies ? I have been considering to invest in some bitcoin but seeing how it dropped 3000 thousand dollars in 3 days is a little worrysome. I just want to see what cryptocurrencies people are investing in and why.
Investing is not something you can even do at this point. You can't even get into "farming" at this point either. As you're investment into hardware or the rental of hardware will set you back at least 6 figures.
Your saying this for just bitcoin but what about other cryptocurrencies ?
Investing is not something you can even do at this point.
Umm, no that is not how investing works. You can get into investing at anytime for anything. You simply research options and make a guess by buying into something that you think will increase in value.
You can't even get into "farming" at this point either. As you're investment into hardware or the rental of hardware will set you back at least 6 figures.
This is true of bitcoin, but not other crypto currencies.
You don't really "invest" in currency. Remember this is FOREX, not equities. You are gambling against exchange rates. That you are worried that BC came down 30% this week means you are not understanding how FOREX works. You need your currencies to go up and down to make stable money investing in the market. FOREX is something that you do every day, every minute, not a long term holding like equities.
Right now people are gambling on new currencies to gain traction and are investing in the hope that their chosen currency sticks. It's a massive gamble.
I come from a decade on Wall St. working specifically in FOREX.
The problem is, that by the time you've heard about a currency, it's already pretty late in its investment cycle at this point.
The cost of any currency is the value that the market sees in it today. If there were any that were obviously worth more, they'd already be trading at that higher value.
That there are hundreds almost guarantees that most of them will be worth nothing in not too long. Only so many can reasonably survive.
Investment wise, Bitcoin itself isn't great at the moment (oh, how I wish I would've kept the 5 I had years ago now!) Litecoin and Monero might be worth considering.
Make sense, but have you "invested" in a cryptocurrency that you have faith will be of some worth down the line. Also what term would you use other that investment?
Thank you for the recommendation!! I'll look up research on them.
Also why did BitCoin spike so aggressively ?
You also do not really know what you are talking about.
There are multiple types of crypto currency that mine in various forms. Monero is an example of one that works like you say, but Bitcoin is one that does not.
You cannot generalize things like this.
But again, mining does not have a damned thing to do with investing.
The obvious answer is because that's what people will buy a BitCoin for. As to why people suddenly thought they're worth so much more, I don't know.
The general population heard about it and did what the general population does. First they create a bubble thinking that money is magic (pyramid scheme mentality) then they panic and cause a crash.
Heck no, I think it's a crazy market to get into. Sure the potential gains are large, but the risk is enormous and based on nothing.
Keep in mind that most currencies are useless today. As in, you can't spend them. Some, like BitCoin, have a few places where you can spend them. Most have nothing you can buy with them (nothing legal, anyway.) And BitCoin is losing, not gaining, places that you can spend it because of the volatility. FOr example, Steam used to take BC but doesn't any longer.
So you risk the "circle jerk" problem of investing with these currencies.... they are closed systems. You put money in to get the currency, you get nothing back - no way to convert back to usable currency. As long as people will invest, you can keep making money, but the moment that they stop there is literally nothing.
It's a currency version of a pyramid scheme in every sense. Only the top tier make anything.
Yeah at this point, even if there is still growth to $100k to $1mm, its still not going to be as rewarding as it is for those who stumbled in early and stuck around.
Blind luck, no one could have predicted it.
I've got (Some) BitCoin. Bought it a year ago (needed a VPN service and some other things, and threw a few hundred in.
Transaction times/costs are terrible. Lightning MIGHT solve this. Other cryto currencies have.
There are fewer and fewer places you can buy things with it. (I've bought a VPN, and mailed a bag of crap to someone).
My speculative holding (That reaches long-term capital gains tomorrow) is based on its value coming from the following things.
Defeating currency controls. Bitcoin Isn't actually as good as other cryptocurrencies out there, but it's the one that money gets brought back thru before it goes to cash. LiteCoin might replace it (because it was designed to not have the transaction/cost issues BitCoin does). With bearer bonds becoming rarer this is a big deal.
People, stupid people that thinks they can make a quick buck. Then stay in it for way too long, and eventually lose their paper money.
In 2000's, we had the housing bubble.
In 1990's, we had the dot com bubble.
In 1980's, we had the Japanese asset price bubble.
In 1970's we had the Gold and Silver bubble.
Now, we have BitCoin/crypto currencies bubbles. Read some finance bubble history before you invest in bubbles.
I don't think the BitCoin bubble will be as bad as any of those.
I would argue the BitCoin Bubble already surpass them in value.
At least property and gold has physical form.
Which for me at first was interesting, when the capitalization of Ripple overtook Ethereum and made a significant competition to Bitcoin, but at a price barely reached $ 3. Now when I have understood all these processes, I am no longer surprised by the judgments about the scam and the bubble) There are too many subtleties, so I still consider this a worthy investment. Fortunately, now good exchangers can be seen there lhttps://changevisor.com/bitcoin-best-rate-sell and do not bother with that.
Well, you can always go and check some cloud mining services online. There is the website that I use to recieve my data on crypto, you should find it somewhat useful in terms of general overview.


text:
Forever Underground is the third album by the US death metal band Vital Remains. It was released in 1997 by Osmose Productions. The first album to feature guitarist Dave Suzuki and the only one to feature bassist Joe Lewis on vocals. It is extremely rare, as only about 1000 copies were made.

Track listing
All Songs Written By Vital Remains, except where noted.

Personnel
Joseph "Joe" Lewis - Vocals, Bass
Tony Lazaro - Rhythm Guitar
Dave Suzuki - Drums, Lead Guitar

Vital Remains albums
1997 albums

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Compile errors with JDK 9 - 167 I just downloaded jdk9 build 167 and wanted to continue to check out the new module system. I did so already with a previous build (can't remember exactly which one). Now I installed the 167 and deleted the old JDK.
When I try to compile now I get the error:
error: file should be on source path, or on patch path for module
If I remove the module-info.java (being in the root src path) it compiles fine.
Anyone else having trouble here or did I miss something in the release notes ?

A: You should try IntelliJ IDEA 2017.2 EAP 172.2103.15 from May 12, 2017, see:
https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/nextversion/.
You can Update from IntelliJ IDEA 2017.1.2 to IntelliJ IDEA 2017.2 EAP by selecting "Updates for: Early Access Program".


text:
Natalie Kasiborski
Deputy Health Officer
Health Department of Northwest Michigan
Petoskey , Michigan
See all honorees
Three words to describe me:
dedicated, collaborative, positive
The best part of my job:
my colleagues and the community partners I work with. In addition, I enjoy using data to identify and define needs and then bringing together stakeholders to build a collaborative solution.
Something that would surprise others about me:
I am a singer and once sang the National Anthem at a Detroit Tigers game.
As deputy health officer for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, Natalie Kasiborski strives to achieve health equity in the rural counties she works in. Since 2011, Natalie has worked tirelessly, often through cross-sector collaboration, to increase access to care in rural settings, to address social determinants of health and to implement policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to create healthier communities. At the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, she has led grant-writing efforts that have resulted in millions of dollars of local, state, and federal funding to develop programs, build cross-sector partnerships, and meet identified needs across communities.
Natalie also finds time to prepare future public health leaders as a faculty member at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in the Division of Public Health. Additionally, she works to build community partnerships to facilitate change at the policy, systems, and environmental levels as executive director of the Northern Michigan Health Consortium, an affiliated non-profit of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.
Natalie received a PhD in social work and an MPH from Michigan State University and a BA in psychology and a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan.
I strive to use data to drive decisions and to leverage our strong community partnerships to implement creative solutions to identify root causes of health inequities across our region.
PREVIOUS Sonia Jordan NEXT Heather Kerwin


text:
FOR WHAT THEY'RE WORTH: $157 MILLION PER MLS TEAM
Filed under: MLS team values by Forbes, Uncategorized | Tags: Andrea Pirlo, Avaya Stadium, Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, David Villa, DC United, Didier Drogba, Don Garber, ESPN, FC Dallas, Forbes magazine, Fox, Fox Sports 1, Frank Lampard, Houston Dynamo, Kaka, LAFC, Los Angeles Galaxy, Major League Soccer, Miami Fusion, Montreal Impact, NBA, NBC, NBCSN, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, NFL, NHL, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City, Steven Gerrard, Toronto FC, Univision, Vancouver Whitecaps, WNBA
The average worth of Major League Soccer clubs reached $157 million in 2014, up 52 percent from the previous year, according to a valuation by Forbes magazine.
Topping the list were the Seattle Sounders at $245 million, while the Colorado Rapids, worth $105 million, brought up the rear. The biggest mover was DC United, whose value increased 97 percent, from $71 million in '13 to $140 million last year. Average team worth was $103 million in 2013, nearly triple what Forbes valued the teams five years earlier.
Eight of MLS' then-18 clubs turned a profit in 2014, led by Seattle's $10 million. The biggest loser was the New York Red Bulls at $9 million.
2014 valuation of MLS clubs, plus revenue and operating income*:
1. Seattle Sounders — $245 million, $50 million, $10 million.
2. Los Angeles Galaxy — $240 million, $44 million, $4 million.
3. Houston Dynamo — $200 million, $26 million, $5 million.
4. Portland Timbers — $185 million, $35 million, $4 million.
5. Toronto FC — $175 million, $32 million, -$7 million.
6. Sporting Kansas City — $165 million, $29 million, $4 million.
7. Chicago Fire — $160 million, $21 million, -$6 million.
8. New England Revolution — $158 million, $25 million, $7 million.
9. FC Dallas — $148 million, $25 million, -$3 million.
10. San Jose Earthquakes — $146 million, $13 million, -$1 million.
11. Philadelphia Union — $145 million, $25 million, $2 million.
12. New York Red Bulls — $144 million, $22 million, -$9 million.
13. D.C. United — $140 million, $21 million, -$1 million.
14. Montreal Impact — $128 million, $22 million, -$3 million.
15. Vancouver Whitecaps — $125 million, $21 million, -$6 million.
16. Columbus Crew — $112 million, $18 million, -$4 million.
17. Real Salt Lake — $108 million, $17 million, $1 million.
18. Colorado Rapids — $105 million, $15 million, -$3 million.
*Operating income before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization.
Forbes cited a number of reasons for the league's surging team valuation, including:
o Growing attendance, which through July averaged 21,000, as MLS continued to widen the gap with the NBA (17,800) and NHL (17,500) in that department. That average projects to total attendance of 7.2 million in 2015, thanks in part to the addition of new teams in New York and Orlando. The 2013 total was 6 million.
o An influx of overseas talent that picked up in 2015 with the arrival of the likes of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Villa and Didier Drogba–a clear indication that owners are willing to spend to enhance the product on the field.
o More soccer-specific stadiums throughout MLS. The latest was San Jose's Avaya Stadium, which opened in March, and DC United plans be in new digs by 2018. Like United, the Earthquakes' value has doubled since '13.
o The end of a TV deal with ESPN, NBC and Univision that paid MLS an average $30 million per year. The new deal, in which Fox replaced NBC, pays $90 million a year. Hardly NFL figures, or even NHL figures, and average viewship of 232,000 this year on Fox Sports 1 trails even the WNBA, but that represents a 65 percent improvement over NBCSN's average audience of 141,000. [September 19]
Comment I: Total team worth of more than $2.8 billion for a league that as recently as 2002 nearly went under. No wonder there were no signs of panic when MLS Commissioner Don Garber, during his "State of the League" address in December, revealed that the league was losing more than $100 million a year.
Comment II: Being part of MLS is still far from being a license to print money, but no wonder the owners of LAFC, which won't begin play until 2018, paid a league-record expansion fee of $110 million to try to succeed where it predecessor, the ill-fated Chivas USA, failed. By comparison, the Miami Fusion, one of the league's first two expansion teams, paid $20 million in 1997 to join MLS.
WORLD CUP TICKETS SOLD TO THE U.S.: 125,000 AND COUNTING
Filed under: Uncategorized, World Cup tickets sold to U.S. | Tags: 125, 2007 Women's World Cup, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2010 World Cup, 2011 Women's World Cup, 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2018 World Cup, 2022 World Cup, 465 tickets sold to U.S., ABC, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, CONCACAF, England, ESPN, FIFA, Fox, France, Germany, Ghana, Group "G", Group of Death, Italia '90, Italy, Manaus, Mexico, Natal, Portugal, Recife, Royal Bafokeng Stadium, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sunil Gulati, Telemundo, U.S. National Team, U.S. Soccer, U.S. Soccer Supporters Club, United States, Univision
With nearly four months remaining before kickoff, the United States has the highest number of allocated tickets among visiting countries for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
A total of 125,465 tickets were distributed to the U.S., according to FIFA.
Through all sales channels, a total of 2.3 million tickets have been assigned to the nations attending the World Cup. After Brazil, which was allocated 906,433 tickets as the host, and the U.S., the following nations round out the top 10: Colombia (60,231), Germany (55,666), Argentina (53,809), England (51,222), Australia (40,446), France (34,971), Chile (32,189) and Mexico (30,238).
"We have seen the interest in the World Cup increase every four years and are excited to see the large number of tickets purchased for the games in Brazil," said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. "There were more ticket requests than available tickets for all three of our first-round matches by a large margin, and we are once again expecting incredible fan support for the team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup."
U.S. Soccer Supporters Club members who applied for tickets to the specific U.S. matches will be notified soon whether they were selected in the lottery.
The remaining tickets (approximately 160,000) will be available to the public through FIFA.com in the next window of the sales phase on March 12.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup runs from June 12 through July 13 across 12 venues in Brazil. The U.S. National Team was drawn into Group "G" and will open the tournament Monday, June 16, at 6 p.m. EDT against Ghana in Natal. The USA then faces Portugal on Sunday, June 22, at 6 p.m. EDT in Manaus, and Germany on Thursday, June 26, at 12 p.m. EDT in Recife. [February 21]
Comment: International soccer's outlier has become a World Cup insider.
Only seven other countries that will compete at Brasil '14 can match the USA's record of appearing in the last six World Cups: host Brazil–which has never missed one–Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, Germany and South Korea. The U.S., which finished first in CONCACAF qualifiers for the second straight World Cup cycle, is No. 14 in the latest FIFA rankings and came close to becoming the region's first nation to be seeded for the first round without hosting a World Cup. Fox/Telemundo has paid $1 billion for the U.S. rights to televise the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, topping a $600 million bid by ESPN/ABC, which, along with Univision, paid a combined $425 million to air the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, 2007 and 2011 Women's World Cups and 2009 and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cups. Now this.
Obviously, while those 125,465 ticket orders may have come from America, many of those ticket holders will be scattered throughout Brazil this summer, following other national teams. This is, after all, a land of immigrants. (At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, of the 2.8 million available tickets, sales to U.S. residents–more than 130,000–trailed only the host nation, although the American allotment for the U.S.-England opener at the 44,530-seat Royal Bafokeng Stadium was just 5,200.) Moreover, this is a wealthy nation with plenty of folks who can afford the trip to an exotic, alluring destination like Brazil.
Though its odds of getting out of the so-called "Group of Death" and winning Brasil '14 are a daunting 100-to-1, the United States, on every level, has become a significant part of the planet's most-watched sporting event. That's a far cry from the beginning of its World Cup run at Italia '90, when a U.S. team of current and former college standouts needed a miracle to qualify for the first time in four decades, then crashed out in three games, supported by a smattering of American fans, many of whom were already in Italy on vacation and decided, on a whim, to have a look.
THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ABC, Chelsea, Chris Smalling, English Premier League, ESPN, ESPN2, Fernando Torres, Fox, Fox Soccer Channel, Manchester United, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Nani, NBC, NBC Sports Network, New York Times, NFL, Old Trafford, U.S. National Team, VERSUS, Wayne Rooney
In the first-ever regular-season European soccer match televised by a major American television network, Manchester United strengthened its grip on the top spot in the English Premier League by knocking off Chelsea, 3-1, at Old Trafford. Chris Smalling, Nani and Wayne Rooney scored to give the Reds a three-goal lead at halftime. Chelsea's Fernando Torres scored a consolation goal but later missed when presented an open net. Rooney also misfired on a penalty-kick attempt. [September 18]
Comment: Do not adjust your set.
Those guys in shorts on your screen really were playing football, on an NFL Sunday. And it came courtesy of Fox–not Fox Soccer Channel, its cable offspring. The game was aired in the U.S. on a delayed basis, either before or after Fox's regional NFL telecast, thus creating an unprecedented football-gridiron football doubleheader.
The Manchester United-Chelsea game was the first of four Sunday EPL matches that will be aired this fall on Fox, the network no doubt encouraged by the number of viewers–2.6 million–it drew for its live telecast of last May's UEFA Champions League final between FC Barcelona and Man. U.
Nearly 20 million Americans routinely tune in to watch NFL games. Whether that means that many of them tuned in to see the New Orleans Saints beat the Chicago Bears, then stuck around to watch the doings in the Theater of Dreams, is very questionable. Joe Six-Pack isn't easily converted, whether it's politics, religion or, more important, sports. Nevertheless, Fox's gambit sends a warning shot across the bow of those who continue to dismiss soccer as a sport with no future on American TV.
A month ago, NBC and Major League Soccer announced a $36 million, three-year deal that basically shifts MLS coverage from FSC, which reaches approximately 40 million homes, to the NBC Sports Network (known at present as VERSUS) and its 76 million homes. Beginning in 2012, NBC and the cable NBC Sports Network will show a total of 49 MLS games a season, including four U.S. National Team matches. Of those, the NBC network will air two U.S. games, two MLS regular-season matches and two MLS playoff games.
ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 remains in the game: it still holds the rights to MLS games, including the MLS Cup, through 2014. But as MLS Commissioner Don Garber told the New York Times, "The three-year deal [with NBC] allows us to align all our TV relationships [ESPN, Univision and newbie NBC] to end concurrently at the end of the '14 season and provides us with a potential opportunity to have a more exclusive relationship with a broadcaster."
By then, the ratings numbers from another World Cup, driven by that coveted 18- to 34-year-old demographic, will be in. Then the fight over that admittedly modest-but-growing TV soccer pie will begin in earnest.
Hard to believe that when MLS launched in 1996, it had to pay ABC/ESPN for air time. In a country where a sport's worth is measured by its TV contract, that's a bit of progress.


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China Initiative Research Seminar
China Initiative Distinguished Speakers Series
Brown-China Summit
WI Page
Brown China Summit 2017
Friday, April 21 –
Friday, Friedman Auditorium, 190 Thayer Street & Saturday, Kassar House, Foxboro Auditorium, 151 Thayer Street
The conference is free and open to the public. Please register here.
The BCS organizing committee has chosen "From 'Made in China' to 'Created in China'" as the theme for this year's summit. The committee believes this theme is most representative of the challenges and opportunities arising not only in China but in other parts of the world during this era of political and economic uncertainty. Brown China Summit 2017, more than ever, seeks to provide a platform through which different parties – regardless of race, gender and nationality – can communicate and cooperate to take us one step closer to finding international solutions.
Brown China Summit 2017 consists of a keynote speech and three panels (Education, Foreign Policy and Green Technology).
Friday, April 21st
5:00pm-6:30pm Opening Ceremony & Keynote Speaker
Qiyue Zhang, Consul General of China in New York
Saturday, April 22nd
10:00am - 11:30am Foreign Policy Panel
Aynne Kokas, Assistant Professor of Media Studies at University of Virginia
Kaiser Kuo, Founder of SupChina and Sinica Podcast, Freelance American Writer, former member of the rock band Tang Dynasty
Guang Wang, Chief CCTV America Correspondent
1:30pm - 3:00pm Foreign Policy Panel
Zhongying Pang, Professor of International Relation at Renmin University of China
Gabriel Wildau, Financial Times Shanghai Bureau Chief
Geng Xiao, Professor of Finance and Public Policy at The University of Hong Kong
3:00pm - 4:00pm Keynote Speech by Yong Zhao
Yong Zhao, CEO of Deep Glint
4:00pm - 5:30pm Green Technology Panel
Craig Hart, Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University's Energy Policy & Climate program; ENN Associate Professor at Renmin University at China
Sophie Lu, Head of China Research for Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Robert Wang, Managing Director of BYD Electronic
5:30pm - 6:00pm Reception + Meet & Greet Speakers
The Brown China Summit is sponsored by the China Initiative at the Watson Institute, Applied Math, Computer Science Department, East Asian Studies, Office of Global Engagement, MCM and the Provost's office
Brown China Summit (BCS) is an annual two-day event held at Brown University with the goal of promoting cross-cultural discussion of China-related topics among the Brown community. BCS is student run and since the summit's inception in 2013, has brought together hundreds of Brown students each year into conversation with a diverse group of speakers – ranging from scholars, government officials and corporate representatives – to highlight trends and discuss issues critical not only to China, but to the world as a whole.
CHINA INITIATIVE,
Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
111 Thayer Street, Box 1970
P +1 401 863 6884
china@brown.edu
© 2023 China Initiative


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Review: Rise of the Automated Aristocrats
Posted: October 23, 2015 by Writer Dan in Books We Don't Like (2/5 ) Meta: Mark Hodder, Alternate Historical Fiction
It was with a high level of excitement and healthy dose of trepidation that I dove into this book. Another Burton and Swinburne novel for me! But alas, it was the last of its kind. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first read that this would be the end of this amazing series. I've had so much fun reading this one, with each story building upon the previous one, and taking me further into the brilliantly detailed chaos of Hodder's genius. The back of the book promised an explosive conclusion to the Spring-Heeled Jack series, and although I only wanted more! more! more! I still found myself curious how the tale I began a scant five years ago would resolve itself in the end.
THE RISE OF THE AUTOMATED ARISTOCRATS (Amazon) begins quickly after the completion of book five of the series, THE RETURN OF THE DISCONTINUED MAN (EBR review). At that time, Burton and company were on their way home after chasing an incarnation of Spring-Heeled Jack into the far-flung future. Although, the story doesn't begin with THAT Burton. It begins with another. And although I was perhaps used to the idea that other versions of Burton would be woven into this story (as I'd seen them in prior books), I thought it an interesting way to begin the final novel in the series.
This new version of Burton is one from an alternate reality where he married his beloved Isabel and grew into his old age, and was just about to pass into the grave when he is snatched into the timeline with which we have been involved. He's not the only member of the club to be so rudely taken from death's clutches, however, and we spend the first several chapters getting the gang back together, although none of them know each other particularly well. They only have a resounding sense that they should. These chapters only heightened my sense of excitement. All the character connections I'd come to love were still there and the story was waiting to begin.
Even at this stage of the game, I don't really know what the story was supposed to be about. There was very little to do at all with Spring-Heeled Jack, that's for certain. There also wasn't anywhere near the level of inventiveness and imagination this time around. In fact, I can only recall a handful of instances when ideas introduced in previous novels were referenced, and none of them expanded upon them or introduced anything new. The pacing of the novel also lagged considerably. Burton spends chapters and chapters sitting in leisurely meetings talking about "what is going on" in the world and most specifically in England. And then he spends lots of chapters in a prison camp of sorts, biding his time. And then he spends lots of chapters in a posh jail cell reading books. Oh, the joy. Yeesh. Something it also didn't have was any added characterization. Any level of characterization I felt seemed like carry-over from previous novels.
It did have a few new things to add to the series though. A villain that wasn't Spring-Heeled Jack for one. (Did I mention that this was the "explosive conclusion" to the Spring-Heeled Jack saga? Oh, I did? Funny that…) It also had torture scenes and grisly death sequences. It also pointedly ignored the instance of Spring-Heeled Jack that was still around (sitting in the frozen, metallic body of Isambard Kingdom Brunel). Ah, and it had automated aristocrats, which were decidedly disappointing in literally every respect.
If the author's name hadn't been printed on the spine, I'd have said RISE OF THE AUTOMATED ARISTOCRATS couldn't possibly have been written by him.
I read this book immediately after reading HALF A WAR (EBR review), which, if you remember, was also a massive disappointment in my opinion. This one even more so. Still, two books that I was fabulously excited about that ended up being nowhere near what I'd hoped for. Nearly did me in. I was depressed for something like a week and a half after finishing the two of them.
My official stance on this book is that if the author's name hadn't been printed in huge letters on nearly every external surface of the cover, I would swear that it couldn't possibly have been written by him. It just wasn't anywhere near where the others in the series were. Final verdict: skip this book. Read the series through book five and call it good. The ending of that one was decent enough to warrant doing so, and this one was was bad enough that you'll thank yourself for avoiding it.
It just wasn't an ending in any way shape or form. It was painful. Plain and simple. Long and boring and painful. Sorry, Mark. Hope things go better next time around, because I know you can do so much better than this.
Language: Very little, as per the usual
Violence: Fairly strong. Torture and violent death detailed.
Sex: A reference to Swinburne's proclivities, a conversation in a brothel
Series links: Burton & Swinburne
# 1: The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack —EBR Review —Amazon —Audible
# 2: The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man —EBR Review —Amazon —Audible
# 3: Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon —EBR Review —Amazon —Audible
# 4: The Secret of Abdu El Yezdi —EBR Review —Amazon —Audible
# 5: The Return of the Discontinued Man —EBR Review —Amazon —Audible
# 6: Rise of the Automated Aristocrats —This Review —Amazon —Audible
Mark Hodder—Website—EBR Reviews
tegerian says:
Ah too bad, the first two in the series were really decent.
Writer Dan says:
The other three (books three through five) were brilliant. If you haven't read those yet, absolutely put them on your list. Amazingly good stuff.
And it was too bad about this one. Really made a dent in brain.
Will do, the series was only up to number two when I fell behind/got distracted with other books.


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Shiny medical machines couldn't help Esther
Africa Uncensored journalist Joy Kirigia documented the struggle of Esther Wambui, a cancer patient unable to access treatment, amid a medical equipment scandal in Kenya.
Joy Kirigia.
The scandal involved the Kenyan Ministry of Health investing hundreds of millions of dollars to buy new medical equipment for the country's main hospitals in all 47 counties. The purchase was part of the government's Managed Equipment Services (MES) project. Perhaps a good idea but one that did not determine individual hospitals' needs beforehand.
Kirigia's research was part of a transnational investigation that looked at state budgets for services such as health in six African countries. It revealed that budgets per se were not the problem, but inappropriate budget spend was. For example, Kenya prioritising state-of-the-art medical equipment but not meeting the needs of patients such as Wambui, who depend on the government health system.
Kirigia's nine-month investigation was a three-part collaboration. This was with the African Investigative Publishing Collective (APIC); ZAM Magazine, which enables the explorations of African investigative journalists, writers, photographers, artists, and commentators, and presents them to audiences worldwide; and its partner network, the Kleptocracy Project, which investigates failing state structures due to embezzlement or misappropriation of funds.
The result was both an article, "Shiny New Useless Machines", published in ZAM Magazine on July 3 2019, and a three-part documentary, titled Saving Esther, broadcast on Africa Uncensored's YouTube Channel on November 22 2019.
Kirigia won the Health Reporting award for her article at the Media Council of Kenya's Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA) 2021. She was also nominated for the Journalist of The Year award for the report.
None of this helped Wambui.
"It is not every day that you work on a story as a journalist, and your main character or source, or any character really, dies in the middle of an investigation," said Kirigia. "But this happened during this particular investigation. Esther, a cancer patient unable to access treatment, or even basic care in a public hospital, which is her constitutional right, died of complications resulting from cervical cancer and delayed treatment."
The investigation started when a dataset from Kenya's Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS) was leaked to Africa Uncensored. The dataset contained four years' worth of transactions from eight of the 22 government ministries. Kirigia and a team of assistants spent months combing through the data of the Ministry of Health, one of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's key pillars for public service delivery.
Kirigia spent additional months piecing together the pieces of the puzzle by reading through a plethora of documents and reports, as well as interviewing sources from ordinary citizens to medical doctors, politicians and the Ministry of Health.
She says they proved their findings by using satellite imagery that showed the number of buildings being constructed in hospitals to try and house the newly acquired machines.
"Most of the hospitals had no capacity to house the new machines," said Kirigia. "So they had to construct buildings for these purposes. For instance, in Ndanai hospital, which we used to illustrate the constructions through Google Earth, had no radiology department but had received radiology equipment. They had to construct that building but this was done years later. The machines were put in storage for years with no use."
The investigation helped create a public outcry, which led to media attention and parliamentary debates.
Although no individual has been held accountable for the predicament created by the MES project, in September 2020 – 14 months after the publication of Kirigia's article – a Senate committee declared the Sh63 billion medical equipment leased to counties, which resulted in the delivery of overpriced and unnecessary equipment to Kenyan public hospitals, as a "criminal enterprise shrouded in opaque procurement processes".
The committee recommended that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission investigate the matter and take appropriate action. It also suggested "all public officers found culpable of irregularities and illegalities committed in the furtherance of the adverse commercial interests be prosecuted and be barred from holding public office". Nothing has happened since.
Featured image: A new machine bought as part of the Kenyan government's Managed Equipment Services project.
Watch the three-part documentary Saving Esther
Public Disservice, Kenya: Shiny new useless machines
The mysterious contracts that emptied the health budget and left patients in the cold
Using hundreds of millions of dollars to buy new medical equipment for the country's main hospitals was presented as a good idea. It wasn't. But those who objected were arm-twisted and run over in a process driven by 'coercive vendors.'
On a sidewalk next to the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi stands a weeping woman. She is holding another smaller woman who is also crying and appears to be struggling to stand upright. They are sisters, they say: Gladys Mwihaki and Esther Wambui. Esther, the younger and smaller one, has to leave the hospital to go home since she can't afford the hospitalisation fee of about USD 20. She has cervical cancer.
The Kenyan Constitution's Bill of Rights says that "every Kenyan citizen has a right to the highest attainable standard level of health, which includes the right to health care services." In addition, Kenya's Health Act of 2017 seeks to specifically safeguard health care services for vulnerable groups, like women, the aged, persons with disabilities, children, youth, as well as members of minority or marginalised communities. So far, however, these rights exist only on paper. Most health treatment still needs to be paid out of pocket in the country.
In the following days well-wishers will scrape together the USD 20 needed to get Esther Wambui a hospital bed for the night, some tests and some pain killers. But to be treated with the chemotherapy she needs, she must pay a deposit of USD 200: more money than she will ever be able to get. At the time of writing this, Wambui remains bedridden at home, in pain and unable to sit down or move much. All that Gladys can afford at the moment is to provide food for her sister and the five children they have between them. "All Esther does is cry all night and we just don't have the money," she sighs. Gladys makes about USD 4 a day washing clothes for people.
Buying things
On paper, the Kenyan government tries hard to improve the situation. In policies called the 'Kenya Health Policy 2014-2030' and the long-term development agenda, 'Vision 2030' among others, it pledges to provide quality health care services to all its citizens as provided in the Constitution. In October 2013, the national and local governments (through representatives from forty-seven regional counties) came together to discuss functional and accessible hospitals, including staffing and quality of care, in the Health Sector Intergovernmental Consultative Forum.
That is where it started to go wrong. Because instead of thoroughly exercising through Kenyan citizens' health needs – like Esther Wambui's need for chemotherapy – the forum immediately jumped to buying things. A proposal to buy modern equipment for close to a hundred hospitals – a project that would henceforth be referred to as the MES (Managed Equipment Services)- was announced by the government. MES would supply apparatus like X-ray and dialysis machines, operating tools and tables, lab necessities and intensive care beds to in total 98 hospitals in 47 counties.
Counties and hospitals were not consulted
Remarkably, according to the – now-retired – Ministry of Health head of clinical services, Dr John Odondi, successful bidders for the contracts had already been identified by then.
"At the time of the meeting, the technical and financial evaluation had been completed to determine the successful bidders and the tender processing committee was preparing an evaluation report," the 2013 Intergovernmental Forum Committee report quotes Odondi as having said. Which means that a list of physical things to be bought -a process notorious for the opportunities it creates for kickbacks since the lucky companies can often be persuaded to share with the relevant officials- had already been decided upon by the time the discussions at the Forum took place.
The Kenyan government would later argue that they had conducted a 'needs assessment' with the counties before issuing the final tender, but county representatives disputed this.
Not that some equipment was not needed in the 98 hospitals countrywide, roughly two per county. But, as is often the case with big procurement packages for material things to buy, many necessities were overlooked.
A new machine bought as part of the Kenyan government's Managed Equipment Services project.
To work the machines, hospitals would need trained and paid nurses and doctors, as well as the infrastructure to place the shiny new machines and instruments correctly and connect them to the needed electricity. The machines would need to be cleaned and maintained. Moreover, patients would not only need the equipment, but also a clean environment, specialist treatment and medication supply. Esther Wambui's chemotherapy treatment depends more on specialist care and the right medicines than on a machine.
Many necessities were overlooked
Nevertheless, in July 2014, nine months after the initial forum, Tender No. MOH/001/2014/2015 to a value of 38 billion Kenyan Shillings (Kshs), the equivalent of USD 375 million, was formally issued by the Ministry of Health for supply, installation, testing, training, maintenance and replacement of medical equipment through the MES programme. Shenzhen Mindray Bio-medical of China, Esteem Industries of India, Bellco SRL of Italy, Philips Medical Systems of the Netherlands and General Electric of the USA were contracted to deliver the identified items. The contracts under the MES project were signed on 5 February 2015.
New machines bought as part of the Kenyan government's Managed Equipment Services project.
Arm-twisting the regions
The 47 Kenyan regional authorities – called Governors – who are in charge of the hospitals in their areas, were then arm-twisted into signing their approval. In a letter to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) dated June 9, 2015, the Council of Governors said that the regional authorities "had been under a lot of pressure (…) to agree and sign the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding, JK) prepared by the National Government to effectively start the project." They added that "the entire process has been undertaken by the national government (…) without consultation (…) but that nevertheless, "due to the pressure, the Council of Governors has agreed to sign the MoU as they await the outstanding answers."
The pressure, the governors said in the letter, had not only come from the government, but also from a public that, desperate for better health care, hoped that the medical equipment scheme would help. "I first had refused to sign for a long time, but there was a lot of politics. People were saying "he is refusing and people are dying," (now former) Narok County Governor, John Nkedienye, confided.
Most of the counties, however, were not given the actual procurement contracts, nor were they consulted on what equipment was needed in their regions. Checking the MoUs between central government and counties that were signed under the aforementioned pressure, Africa Uncensored discovered that each county was to purchase the exact same equipment list – regardless of size of population or hospital needs.
Hospitals now sat with stuff they had not asked for
The EACC did not undertake any action on the basis of the county governor's letter, however, and the MES purchases continued.
Throughout 2016 and 2017 at least half of the targeted hospitals received stuff they had not asked for, did not need, or in many instances, could not use. The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu County, for example, received seven intensive care beds even though they had just recently bought the seven beds they needed.
"We did not have enough staff (for those extra beds)," says former Kisumu County Minister, Dr Elizabeth Ogaja, in an interview. "So some remained unused." Local media reported hospital staff sources complaining that their new CT scan or X Ray machines stood unused as well, either because they already had these or could not operate them.
Ndanai Sub-County Hospital in Bomet county.
In Ndanai Hospital in Bomet county, operating theatre equipment that was received in 2016 stood unused for three years because the hospital did not even have surgery facilities at the time. Former Bomet County Governor Isaac Ruto said in media interviews that he had not even signed the MoU for the deliveries, but that these were made nevertheless.
The governor had not signed but the deliveries came anyway
Still other reports mentioned that non-medical companies had come to construct new buildings, or do roofing, landscaping and painting at exorbitant prices on the orders of ministry officials as part of the MES programme. This raised suspicions that contracts with the main providers had been adjusted to include certain subcontractors – again, presumably because kickbacks could have been involved. In one case, the Kenya Standard newspaper quoted hospital staff as saying that instead of anything medical, air conditioners and office furniture had been delivered.
Lack of full disclosure
The Senate Finance Committee, in a report about the MES project issued in 2018, stated that in several cases equipment had been received by hospitals that "already existed in the facility and (was) therefore of low priority" and that this "clearly (indicated) a lack of consultation between the two levels of government."
In the report, as part of a segment titled "Issues for Consideration", under "Lack of full disclosure by the Ministry on the contracts" it is also stated that "Some (hospital) facility heads are not fully aware of the exact equipment they expect to benefit from. As such some MES providers are suspected to have supplied incomplete sets of equipment to facilities."
According to Senate Finance Committee member, Makueni County Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior, the Senate "has records to show that half of the (…) hospitals in the contract have not utilised the equipment because they do not have the (…) infrastructure, trained personnel or staff who can run the radiology and other advanced equipment that are part of this (project.)"
Medical staff at the Longisa County Referral Hospital in Bomet county.
The Senate Committee requested Kenya's auditor general Edward Ouko to look into the case of the MES deliveries, which he did, resulting in a series of "systemic weaknesses" found and "listed in audit reports," Ouko told Africa Uncensored in an interview. He also said that "in some cases we have actually gone to counties when things were delivered, but there is actually nothing there or there is something but (it is) in boxes," adding that he had requested to see the main contracts with the suppliers but that these had not (yet) been made available to him.
Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior did get to see the main supplier contracts briefly in November last year, when the Senate's Finance Committee summoned the Cabinet Secretary to account for the problems with the MES, but said that as soon as they had seen the documents they were taken away again. Kilonzo did notice, he said, that the contracts were not signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health as they should have been.
Only the Senators briefly saw the contracts
Besides the contractors and the Ministry of Health, the Senators are the only ones who have so far succeeded in seeing the main documents. A request from Africa Uncensored to see the contracts has resulted in a reply from the Ministry of Health that it had "written to the Attorney General for legal advice" on the request.
Data leaked to us from the public financial management portal (IFMIS*) containing payment transactions between 2014 and February 2018, shows that up to February 2018 the total amount paid out to the contractors under the MES project was Kshs 26,033,720,377 (USD 257 million). Close to USD 27 million of this amount, was, remarkably, already paid out to suppliers Esteem (India) and Bellco (Italy) before the contracts were even signed. In the case of Chinese Shenzhen Mindray, contract and payments to the tune of USD 20 million commenced in May 2015, whereas the contract was only signed in March 2017.
Skyrocketing costs
Meanwhile, the cost for installation and maintenance of the MES equipment is skyrocketing, too. Though the regional Counties had initially been told by Government Health Secretary Sicily Kariuki that the new burden on their health budgets would come from a 'grant' that the central government was to make available for this purpose, several county governors and health ministers when contacted by Africa Uncensored all said they had not received such allocations and that deductions were being made from their regional budgets. These deductions had now doubled from Kshs 100 million (roughly USD 1 million) per year per county to Kshs 200 million, USD 2 million per county, bringing the total yearly maintenance budget up from USD 47 million to USD 94 million. It is a severe cut in a county where health care in many regions is already severely underfunded (see box).
A severe extra cut was made to the regional health budgets to pay for the MES
The increase was partly, according to the government Health Secretary who had been quizzed about this by the Senate Finance Committee, because twenty-one more hospitals had been included as recipients of MES equipment- again without consultation with the counties. Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior expressed his concern about the expansion and further deductions, saying that "The contract was fixed (and that) the variation to increase the hospitals (…) has no basis."
Uasin Gishu County finance minister Julius Rutto is currently filing an appeal to the Ministry of Health because his county budget was deducted Kshs 200 million during the 2018/2019 budget, but, Rutto told AU, the value his county has received in equipment is "less than ninety million shillings".
Coercive vendors
In an interview with AU, one former regional health minister who had been serving at the time the MES contracts were initiated and who asked to remain anonymous blamed "coercive vendors," i.e. companies who supply goods to the government: "We learnt sadly that you easily get run over if you stand in the way of coercive vendors in Kenya," he said, adding that "budget development (in the Kenyan state) in general, is largely vendor-driven; and the objective types among us do not survive long enough in the policy space to effect sustainable change."
Recent Cabinet reshuffles have complicated our quest for answers from central government. The Health Cabinet Secretary whose responsibility was to sign the contracts (but who apparently did not do so) is now the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development; the Principal Secretary for Health is now assigned to the Lands Ministry and the later Cabinet Secretary for Health, who was in charge of the contracts after 2015, is now Kenya's Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.
In general, besides the response received from the Ministry of Health on our request to see the contracts, no responses were received on numerous requests for comment directed at government by phone, in written emails and hand-delivered physical letters.
Timeline of events.
Remove the politicians from health care
Beside the issue of buying wrong or unnecessary machines, the focus on the material outfitting of hospitals is also putting the cart before the horse, says former Kisumu County Health Minister Dr Elizabeth Ogaja. "Yes of course we need hospitals that work," she says. "But if more discussion would have been allowed, we would have focused on the primary health care base and then see what we need to do to have hospitals take care of what cannot be handled at the primary health care level."
Most health policies in the world, and indeed in Kenya, envisage that basic patient care -for conditions such as colds, flu, allergies, simple infections, diarrhea and head and stomach aches without underlying conditions, as well as the diagnosis of more severe conditions that should be referred to a hospital – should be primarily provided in communities, close to citizens. In that way, larger hospitals can be freed to provide specialist care, for example for the over 165,000 (1) people who die yearly in Kenya from diseases that (regularly or often) need more advanced treatment such as TB, pneumonia, AIDS and cancer. Esther Wambui might get the care she needs if the hospital where she sought it was not overburdened with patients who could have been treated at primary level.
"On a community health care level, counties are struggling. They need strengthening and budgets and strong policy support," says health policy and management specialist at the World Bank, Dr Frank Wafula. "Primary healthcare in the country is only getting Kshs 2 billion (USD 20 million) altogether per year at the moment, whilst the budget for Kenyatta National Hospital (the largest hospital in the country, ed.) gets close to Kshs 15 billion (USD 148 million) annually."
Wafula attributes the focus on hospitals to the "politicisation" of health care, where hospital building and equipping have "become something for politicians to get votes. Then, when a new politician comes in, he does not want that hospital completed because he thinks it will make the (previous) guy look good. So he starts his own. Then you have a whole lot of abandoned projects. It is just a mess."
Asked whether patients like Esther Wambui would not also need health insurance that would help pay for the expensive chemotherapy she needs, Wafula says it is "fantastic" that, recently, some national health insurance pilots have been initiated, but that the "financial element" should not be confused with effective care. "The big problem is the (lack of) effective care. You can't just give people a health insurance card and tell them to go to hospitals. What do people actually get when they get to the hospital?"
Emphasising again that the main challenge in Kenya is to remove the management of health care from "the political process and people who are looking for political survival," Wafula explains that it is only then that the national government will be able to "manage the large hospitals and the specialised services (properly) centrally and also support the decentralised primary health care levels and give them enough budget."
*IFMIS – Integrated Financial Management System
Figures from 2012 in the 2014 Kenyan Ministry of Health's Human Resources Strategy Plan
Thanks to the attention given to the case of Esther Wambui by Africa Uncensored in Nairobi, well-wishers have organized funds to help pay for her cancer treatment.
READ the continent-wide report here
Kenya's broken food cycle
No nearby water – and its rippling effects


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You are here: Home / Honor Roll / Sex Offenders At School: Who Bears Responsibility of Notifying Parents...
Sex Offenders At School: Who Bears Responsibility of Notifying Parents?
Honor Roll, School
A few months ago, a parent at Trinity Lutheran Christian School, nestled in the Anaheim Hills between Disneyland and rugged wild canyons, discovered that another parent was a registered sex offender listed on the California State Attorney General's Megan's Law registry. He had been convicted of a sex act with a 14-year-old. The convicted parent was often on campus and frequently hosted play dates at his home. The school knew of this information and failed to inform the parents.
Earlier this year, miles from the Anaheim Hills, in one of Los Angeles' most impoverished and heavily Latino neighborhoods, two veteran elementary school teachers were arrested and charged with committing lewd acts against children. One of them, Mark Berndt, is accused of blindfolding at least 23 children and spoon-feeding them his semen as part of a "tasting game."
A 2004 Department of Education report estimated that "millions of students are subjected to sexual misconduct by a school employee at some time between kindergarten and the twelfth grade (K-12)."
Read Related: 5 Threats Your Teen Faces
Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt
These cases and statistics have left many parents wondering what they can do to ensure their children's safety at school. Under Megan's Law, a law passed in 1994 after seven-year-old Megan Kanka was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered by a neighbor who had been convicted of prior sexual offenses, neither the police nor school officials are legally obligated to inform the public about the presence of a sex offender. When released from prison, convicted sex offenders must register with a local law enforcement agency upon their release from prison and their name will be listed on a public website. In California, a sex offender can be on a school campus if they have lawful business there and permission from the principal, according to the California State Attorney General's office.
Neither the police nor school officials are legally obligated to inform the public about the presence of a sex offender, but if there is a perceived threat, law enforcement agencies may inform the public. Private citizens and organizations, such as schools, can disseminate information about the convicted offender in conjunction with a law enforcement agency. There is no federal law "regulating the employment of sex offenders in public or private schools and widely divergent laws at the state level, especially with regard to requirements and methods for conducting criminal history checks on employees," according to a 2010 report from the Government Accountability Office. About 35 states have laws restricting offenders from schools, and most states require criminal history checks, though specifics vary widely; some depending on residency and how much interaction, if any, employees will have with students, according to the same report.
Some states, including, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada and Texas, require criminal background checks only for public school employees, not private schools.
Kansas and Montana "do not appear to have any laws requiring criminal history checks for either public or private school employees," according to the GAO.
A QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY
Most parents maintain it is the school's duty to inform them if they know a convicted sex offender has access to their children. At the same time, schools fear tainting someone's reputation or creating a panic before all of the facts are known.
As word spread at Trinity, parents demanded to know why the school did not inform them and what they planned to do about it. Meetings were called and some wanted the principal fired. Others threatened to sue. And yet, others said the Christian thing to do was to forgive and allow this man, a father of two, another chance.
Finally, the school bowed under parent pressure and sent a letter home in November of last year advising families that the convicted sex offender is no longer allowed on campus. Other parents must pick up his children from school. For parent Yasmin Davidds, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, too much is at stake to do otherwise.
"If parents want their children to go on play dates, that is up to them, but they needed to have all the relevant information," she said. "We can be forgiving at a distance. Research shows that there is no cure for predators and sexual abusers. I am a survivor of sexual abuse, and I have gone through 20 years of therapy because of that. Some survivor's lives are ruined because of the abuse. Nothing is worth it."
At Miramonte Elementary school, parents were not notified until at least six months after the school knew of these alleged incidents occurring, according to Brian Claypool, whose firm, the Claypool Law Firm is representing 11 families at the school. In addition, law enforcement had investigated Berndt in 1994 when a student accused him of attempting to touch her genitals. But prosecutors at the time declined to press charges saying there was not enough evidence to support the girl's claim.
"The school exposed these children further to someone who is a known predator and pedophile," said Claypool. "There is no law on the book that says they can't tell the parents. They have a moral and ethical obligation to notify the parents immediately."
But LAUSD officials have said that they were told by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department not to notify parents because of the ongoing investigation. In the case of the 1994 accusation, they could not reprimand or fire someone who had, in the eyes of the law, done nothing wrong.
SEX OFFENDERS BY THE NUMBERS
Every state has a list of convicted sexual offenders and the numbers are daunting. In California alone, more than 63,000 persons are required to register with their local police departments once they are released from prison, according to the state's Department of Justice website. Specific home addresses are displayed for more than 33,500 offenders and an additional 30,500 offenders are included on the site by ZIP code, city and county. Information on approximately 22,000 other offenders is not included on this site, but is known to law enforcement personnel.
However, the information listed is not specific to the crime and is usually described as a lewd act with a child. Some offenders are falsely accused and end up pleading guilty or no contest due to bad legal advice or ignorance. Some convicted sex offenders who have served their time have been run out of neighborhoods in fear of their lives. Indeed, there is a movement cropping up to ensure convicted sex offenders' civil rights are not violated.
One convicted sex offender described his anger at the label predator following him like a scarlet letter.
"They cursed me. It's the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing on my mind before I go to sleep. When it slips my mind they make sure to remind me through… the looks from the neighbors, through my children's harassment from the neighborhood kids and at school and the library," he wrote on the web forum Topix. "I know you don't believe my innocence…no one ever does."
Experts say it is critical that school districts establish clear and visible policies on what to do in these circumstances.
"Some districts have specific policies, others do not," said Charol Shakescraft, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor, who researches the topic and advises school districts. "If schools have good policies and follow them, there should be nothing for parents to worry about."
April 22, 2012 /by Lorenza Muñoz
Tags: Children, Sexual Health
https://mamiverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Sex-Offenders-At-School-MainPhoto.jpg 350 530 Lorenza Muñoz http://mamiverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/logosmallMamiverse-1.png Lorenza Muñoz2012-04-22 11:49:302015-07-28 17:44:45Sex Offenders At School: Who Bears Responsibility of Notifying Parents?
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The Old Kentucky River; A major tributary to the Teays River
James T. Teller, Richard P. Goldthwait
Book: Geology and hydrogeology of the Teays-Mahomet Bedrock Valley System
Series: GSA Special Papers
Publisher: Geological Society of America
DOI: 10.1130/SPE258-p29
The Old Kentucky River system was a major contributor to the Teays River, draining southwestern Ohio and much of eastern Kentucky. The trunk river flowed northward from southeastern Kentucky throughout Frankfort and Carrollton, and then past Cincinnati and Dayton, joining the Teays River near Springfield, Ohio. North of the glacial boundary, which lies along the modern Ohio River, the course of the Old Kentucky River has been modified, and is today largely buried by drift. Although dissection is extensive to the south, there are many remnants of this entrenched and broadly meandering Teays-age valley system and of its sub-upland predecessors. These valleys contain areas of upward-fining, deeply weathered gravel, composed mainly of rounded quartz, chert, and silicified limestone pebbles derived from the headwaters of the system. Modern rivers have been entrenched 30 to 100 m below the Old Kentucky River valley and its main tributaries, the Old Licking and South Fork. The Old Kentucky River system was severed from the Teays when glaciation dammed its downstream reaches, forcing a reversal in flow direction between its junction with the Teays in west-central Ohio and Carrollton, Kentucky, and causing westward overflow into the Old Ohio River system. Piracy by the Old Ohio may also have contributed to the integration of the Old Kentucky and Old Ohio River basins. Ponded sediment is present in some of the now-abandoned valley remnants east of Cincinnati. As a result of glacial damming, the headwaters of the Teays River in southeastern Ohio and West Virginia overflowed westward across the Manchester divide into the Old Kentucky River drainage basin. All of these events led to establishment of the modern Ohio River system.
Proglacial lakes and the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
Book: North America and Adjacent Oceans During the Last Deglaciation
Series: DNAG, Geology of North America
DOI: 10.1130/DNAG-GNA-K3.39
EISBN: 9780813754628
Abstract During the advances and retreats of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in North America, drainage routes were disrupted and dammed, and new basins were formed by erosion and deposition. Some basins were completely enclosed by rock or sediment, whereas others formed closed depressions only as long as glacial ice served as one of their margins. During the early history of nearly all of these basins, ice bounded the lakes and, in many cases, helped control their level. Across most of central North America the Laurentide Ice Sheet advanced upslope for hundreds of kilometers from the Hudson Bay Lowland before crossing the continental divide into the Mississippi and Atlantic drainage basins. As a result, water was impounded over a large region of the Hudson Bay watershed, being confined partly by the glacial margin and partly by the elevation of land to the south. Strictly speaking, only lakes that lay in direct contact with ice or its marginal deposits are considered proglacial lakes. However, most workers would include lakes where meltwater was a significant part of their hydrological budget, even though they may have been some distance beyond the glacial margin. In this chapter I describe the main factors controlling the formation of proglacial lakes and explain how these factors, and the processes within the lakes, influenced their sedimentation and history. I also speculate on how these lakes may have influenced ice flow and deglaciation. A large part of the chapter is devoted to a discussion of the histories of major proglacial lakes in North America associated with the southern Laurentide Ice Sheet and to their interrelationship with each other and with the retreating glacial margin. The timing of meltwater flow into the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean during deglaciation is examined and compared to the isotopic record of sediments in these basins.


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Winter Storm Brings Rare Snow to Parts of Texas, Oklahoma
An unusually heavy winter storm dumped inches of snow across parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Wednesday, closing schools and creating treacherous travel conditions across the region.
Travis Bubenik / February 5, 2020
Snow from a heavy winter storm blanketed roads in the small town of Marfa, Texas, on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. (CNS Photo/Travis Bubenik)
MARFA, Texas (CN) – An unusually heavy winter storm dumped inches of snow across parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Wednesday, closing schools and creating treacherous travel conditions across the region.
The storm dropped the largest amounts of snow seen across rural West Texas since a storm dubbed "Goliath" descended on the region in 2015, with the National Weather Service office in Midland reporting 7.4 inches as of about noon on Wednesday. Other areas along Interstate 20 were expected to get more than a foot of snow, forecasters said.
The storm brought Midland near its all-time record for daily snowfall, when 10.6 inches fell in January 2012.
"This is a very rare snowstorm," weather service forecaster Matt Salerno said in an interview. "This is probably like a once-in-ten-year event, I'd say."
Police in neighboring Odessa, Texas said they had responded to more than 30 weather-related calls since late Tuesday night, as freezing rain and snow iced over busy local roads and highways in the heart of the nation's largest and most active oilfield.
Salerno said temperatures in the region are expected to drop into the 20s and teens overnight, making already slick roads potentially even more dangerous into Thursday.
"Anything that's out there right now is basically going to be crusted over, iced over," he said.
Meanwhile, cold rain and sleet was reported in parts of North Texas as that region braced for another round of freezing rain or snow later Wednesday afternoon, while up to six inches of snow had already fallen on parts of Oklahoma.
The Texas Department of Transportation reported icy conditions on roads and interstates stretching for hundreds of miles across the state, from El Paso to the Texas panhandle and into North Texas.
In West Texas, part of the sprawling Permian Basin oil patch that stretches into southeastern New Mexico, no major impacts to oil and gas production were reported.
"Most of the time the operations can continue," Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, said in an interview. "Sometimes these types of weather conditions will impair the vehicles and trucks getting in and out of sites, that can create delays, but as long as it's not long and enduring it's manageable."
Staples said in the lead-up to Wednesday's storm, oil companies had initiated enhanced safety measures like increasing equipment checks and reminding drivers to take it slow.
"So far the outreach that we've done with our member companies [has] not indicated that there's been any incidents that they couldn't handle in their normal routines," he said.
The weather system that battered the southern plains states on Wednesday is expected to bring heavy snow and ice to the northeastern U.S. by Friday, while some southern states could see heavy rainfall and flooding.
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