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GM - Story #7
Greg McLaughlin 9 stories
In the year following the carnage under the Aurora bridge, both Rodney Peters and Tom Barnes were found guilty of multiple counts of kidnapping, human trafficking, child endangerment, and manslaughter. Peters faced murder charges, but his lawyers put up a good fight, pinning the dirtiest work on officer Leonard Hutchinson, who couldn't testify to the contrary from the grave. Winnie and Cliff both testified on video rather than appear as witnesses on the stand in court. Cliff's watch served as an exhibit for the prosecution.
Cliff and Winona attended parts of the trial with Kipp as spectators in the back, listening to Kumi and Danny offer eye-witness accounts of the events from that harrowing week, starting with Cliff's botched suicide attempt and ending with, what was generally considered Hutch's successful suicide leap from the top of the bridge.
Neither Alex, Summer, Kipp nor Winona discussed much of what happened atop the bridge.
"That wasn't no suicide," Alex said, quietly to Cliff the morning after the reading of the verdict.
But Cliff never asked Winona or Alex to elaborate, and they left the real story to Cliff's imagination. In Kumi's final report, a distraught officer Hutchinson, faced with imminent capture and likely life in jail, proactively hopped the fence and careened to his death on the side of Fremont Ave. in front of the famous troll sculpture.
"If the report says that's what happened," Kumi told Cliff. "Then that's what happened. Nothing more or less. Suicide. Open and closed case."
Alex just smiled and walked away.
Barnes cut a deal and received a slightly lighter sentence of 15 years. With good behavior, Danny estimated he could return to freedom in as few as five years. In light of star witness for the prosecution, Amaya Naito, who bravely recounted her violent abduction by Officers Hutchson and Peters, the prosecution held all the cards. Peters earned 25 years in maximum security without chance for parole. Evidence from the reexamined burner phones cemented his role in the kidnapping operation and robbed him of the ability to cut a plea deal.
Rulon Jones walked away with a light, one-year deal, having cooperated with the prosecution and helped secure key dates, times and details to lock up Edeyo on conspiracy charges. Edeyo received a 20-year sentence.
The press hounded the 33-year-old officer Peters, who would be nearly 60 by the time he regained his freedom from the maximum-security prison that would serve as his home for the next quarter-century. Barnes, confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life with a lower body that would never again function, managed to secure a cushier assignment at a minimum-security facility in Connecticut.
Totally contrite, Barnes apologized to the victims, three more of whom Latoya Benson was able to locate and reunite with their families. Peters never spoke a word at his trial and kept his head down as they escorted him to the armored van outside the courthouse.
Neither Cliff nor Winona attended the reading of the verdict. Cliff had to work a morning shift at the Earthly Eatery in downtown Seattle that day and Winona had to clean their trailer to prepare for their housewarming gathering.
At word of their video-taped testimony and the realization of their status as downtrodden homeless people who played such heroic roles in breaking the case, donations rolled into the police precinct earmarked to help them get off the streets.
Kipp Collina helped set up a gift fund and bank account for them. He worked with them to relearn to use a computer, work a smartphone and establish a budget. He paid for an accountant to square any tax implications of their donated windfall. Doctor Kushnick offered free medical check-ups and advice around healthy diet and exercise. The money and assistance from the community around them helped them establish their residency.
Cliff's steady employment at both the restaurant and the community market, where he cleaned the floors, scrubbed the bathrooms and gathered the carts from the parking lot, helped maintain enough cash flow to cover their rent and provide three small meals a day for him and Winona. They didn't have a car or a television, but they managed to fill their run-down rented trailer with a couple pieces of furniture, some used kitchen appliances and curtains for the windows.
In keeping with their plan, Cliff worked two jobs for about 10 hours a day and Winona worked just under half the hours he did. She handled their paperwork, the bank statements, the healthcare provided by the restaurant and the payment of their recurring utility bills. She also used the time to be with her 16-year-old son, Alex, who moved in with Summer at Mandy's apartment. Mandy even started teaching them all to cook.
When Alex started working a second job – above and beyond the pizza restaurant - as a body artist at the tattoo parlor next to his old apartment, he convinced his new boss to offer Winona a second part-time job as a cashier and general office manager. Like Cliff, she cleaned bathrooms, took payments and conducted odd jobs for the owner.
Alex designed and delivered his first tattoo, a fat elephant, just above Summer's left breast over her heart.
Prior to the gathering at their home, Winona walked five miles north of the city to the cemetery, where she visited the graves of Duff and Jackson. Kipp's neighborhood watch group raised a collection to pay for a respectable burial. Their two-foot by three-foot inlaid stone markers lay in the grass next to each other with their full names; "Byron Duffy" and "Jackson Greene" engraved neatly into the grey and silver marble slabs.
Alex and Summer joined her. All three held hands as they quietly remembered the two cheerful friends that lived under the Aurora bridge with Winona for so many years. Winona guided Alex to a far corner of the cemetery. Summer followed, somberly behind, giving Alex and his mother space.
"I haven't visited them in a long time," Winona said, approaching a stone that extended four feet high from the grass. "My parents… Your grandparents."
Alex slipped his arm around his mother. A breeze whisked by and he pulled her in to warm her bare arms.
"They'd be proud of you," she smiled at her son. "Hard working. An artist. A good girl by your side. Your own place. I didn't do much for you. But you still turned out good anyway."
"You were always there for me, Momma," Alex replied. "Even when you weren't."
Kipp Collina made sandwiches. Kumi brought wine and Danny brought beer. Cliff brought day-old bread from the restaurant and a bottle of fancy olive oil that the manager let him take. Latoya Benson brought a tray of fruit and vegetables. Captain Gonsalves and his wife stopped by for an hour with a cake and a tray of cookies. Winona, Alex and Summer showed up last with bottles of soda.
The group sat around a picnic table in the common area of the trailer park. They reminisced about their brush with danger, their experience with dirty cops and their triumph over murderous gang leaders as if the distant memory were some television program they had all watched together a year earlier.
"I did some research," Latoya said to Cliff and Winona, with a broad smile and a wink. "I found someone."
"What research?" Cliff asked.
"You know what?" she said. "I'm going to keep it a surprise."
An hour into the gathering, Shinjiro Naito, Haya and their daughter, Amaya, stopped by with a bag of Japanese candies.
"Is this the surprise?" Winona asked Latoya.
"One of them," she replied. "Hopefully one of many."
"Hopefully them Crips don't come shoot the place up," Alex joked to an audience that failed to see the humor.
"Don't worry about that," Kumi said. "Nichols has been cleaning house down there. He turned out to be a decent cop after all."
"I was just kidding," Alex said. "I didn't mean to bring up old worries. Sorry about that."
"Like Kumi said," Danny jumped in. "Anyone connected to you and what went down is either dead or in prison. There's nothing to worry about anymore."
Cliff observed the cheerful Naito family greet each of the people in their apartment. He watched Amaya pick the cucumbers from the vegetable platter and slowly sip her glass of coke.
She hugged everyone in the room and produced drawings of each person. In a year, both her drawing skills and her command of the English language had grown and matured. She described her school and the many friends she had made in great detail.
"She is quite happy," Shin explained to Cliff, Winona, Danny, Kumi and Latoya. "I'm sure she remembers, but she does not seem bothered or scared. She speaks with the school counselor, but more about her friends and her schoolwork than any other topic. She is doing well and we have you to thank."
"She's an inspiration," Latoya said, hugging the girl, who had grown three inches over the year. "We're all so proud that she was brave enough to testify."
"She owes all of you her life," Shin replied.
As the last guests filtered into their cars and drove off, and Winona dumped the empty bottles into a black plastic bag, she turned to Cliff with a seductive look.
"Jesus," he said. "Again?"
"You told me you'd help me with my little, uh, problem," she said. "You promised. Anytime I need a little stress release, you'd drop everything for me. Doctor Kushnick even proscribed you as my – uh -medicine."
"I did promise you and him," Cliff said, tugging her by the side of her hoodie into the doorway to the trailer. "And, it's not a problem. It's a gift."
"I just couldn't wait," she laughed as she followed Cliff into the tiny trailer bedroom. "I was dying. I love them all, but I just wanted them to leave. I thought I'd have to hide in the bathroom and take care of myself."
"That's my job," he said, kissing her and then shoving her playfully, but forcefully, onto the bed. "Whenever you feel you need it, I'm your medicine."
"My cure," she laughed as she slid her skirt to the ground, revealing her hot pink panties.
As he landed on top of her and started peeling her shirt off her body, he heard a knock on the door. They froze. Everyone had left at least a half hour earlier. The knock echoed again through their tin home, this time a little louder.
Cliff looked at Winona. A flash of insecurity crossed her eyes.
"Ignore it," she said, pawing at his face.
Cliff looked out the bedroom door at the shadow that stood outside their trailer door. He saw the movement through the dirty glass porthole.
"Stay here," Cliff said, closing the bedroom door behind him.
He walked slowly through the trailer. He heard the bedroom door creak. He knew Winona would follow behind him.
As Cliff reached the door, they heard the knock again.
He turned the knob and opened the door. The light from the afternoon sun shined in his eyes. He didn't recognize the face. Even as his eyes adjusted, his mind whirled to process the figure that stood in his doorway.
A large black Land Rover idled across the grass in the visitor parking area. The sun glinted off the freshly waxed hood.
The young woman had his eyes. Her reddish hair glistened in the sunlight. She spoke a single word, her distinctive voice instantly recognizable. And when she did, the freckles above her nose wiggled and danced like he remembered from twelve years earlier.
"Dad?"
Did you enjoy my story? Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thanks, Greg McLaughlin
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Founded by Mrs. Agnes Clemeno of Colegio de Sta. Isabel (now Universidad de Sta. Isabel), the school continues on under the leadership of her niece, Mrs. Agnes Llorente-Saberon.
The school offers classes in Classical and Modern Ballet, and other dances e.g. Flamenco, Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Polynesian dances (for all ages – children and adults).
Also offers dance coaching / tutorial.
Healthy bodies and creative minds.
We have certified ballet teachers under the National Ballet Syllabus (NBS) who have years of teaching experience. We are also a member of the Association of Ballet Academies of the Philippines.


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Home Sea Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast saved from closure
Image copyright UK Defence Journal.
Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast saved from closure
Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff has been bought by UK based energy company Infrastata for £6m.
Harland and Wolff faced an uncertain future after it went into administration in August.
The new owners say they are focused on the development and commercialisation of advanced high-value energy infrastructure projects across the world.
The yard had originally been touted to take part in the Type 31e Frigate build programme as part of the Babcock consortium but that is now unlikely. It is now more likely that Rosyth will do the vast bulk of the work required to build and assemble the new frigates.
John Wood, CEO of InfraStrata, said:
"Harland and Wolff is a landmark asset and its reputation as one of the finest multi-purpose fabrication facilities in Europe is testament to its highly skilled team in Belfast. This acquisition is a function of deep operational synergies between the various business segments of the Company with Harland and Wolff underpinning the construction economics of the Islandmagee Gas Storage Project and other future projects.
We are delighted to be able to retain 100% of personnel who did not opt to take voluntary redundancy earlier this year.
Our Islandmagee Gas Storage Project will benefit greatly from their expertise in the energy sector, both technically and economically, and we look forward to growing the workforce significantly in the coming years. While our core priority will be to deliver our flagship project in Islandmagee, we believe there are opportunities to welcome potential new clients due to the diverse skill set at the facility.
This acquisition will clearly provide substantial advantages through vertical integration in addition to demonstrating our commitment to the Northern Irish economy, particularly in the post-Brexit era."
The InfraStrata Board say it plans to significantly increase the size of the workforce by several hundred over the next five years as it progresses the development of its infrastructure projects.
Frigate HMS Montrose back on patrol in the Gulf
Saab contracts for UK-France mine countermeasures programme
American nuclear submarine leaves Faslane
BMT awarded contract for new Scottish ferry design
spyintheskyuk
Shame that a yard has to go into administration before its 'unique' abilities to carry out this substantial workload is recognised. Can't help but worry just how long term this strategy is, it just feels like its suddenly useful for a specific purpose that makes the £6m small fry in the great scheme of things and perhaps cheaper than giving them the work as a going concern, but once its usefulness in this specific project is over and unless there is another one of similar nature it will just become redundant again. If there is no intention of taking on… Read more »
Reply to spyintheskyuk
I'm more optimistic. I think specialising in fabrication for the renewable energy sector is the safest long term bet to go. Its probably better they stay out of T31 tbh as much as I'd love to see them involved in ship building I don't think the skill base is there anymore so would just delay and add risk. If this group plans to double or treble the workforce like they say they are they could have renewable projects lined up for the next 20 years.
That's good news, a mix of commercial and Naval shipbuilding/construction was always what the NSS was about. It also leaves the door open for T31 work for the other yards that are under threat.
maurice10
Brilliant news, now let's hope Wrightbus can be saved too!
Reply to maurice10
Yeah, it builds The Boris bus and he's now PM, he must help his Bus makers company…surely.
I was surprised to hear that Wrightbus is the last coach builder left in the UK. I thought there was a big one in Derby somewhere. They must have all hit the wall recently. Wrightbus from the little I know had invested heavily to keep up with electric hybrid engines etc but couldn't complete with the Chinese on price. Government policy of buying the cheapest product regardless of wherever it comes from really needs to be looked at. If they are buying products heavily subsidised by other governments, they are making short term savings at the cost of destroying our… Read more »
Mm, an old, illustrious UK concern under a very young AIM-lister who's shares are scraping the barrel.
Great News.An iconic British name. My Grandfather was there when Titanic was launched. Belfast,Canberra, and Eagle are the names we would probably prefer to remember but still a rich piece of our History.
UK Space Agency launch study into nuclear-powered space exploration
Lockheed deliver HELIOS laser weapon to U.S. Navy
Typhoon jet scrambled to intercept civilian aircraft
British frigate and destroyer practice shore bombardment
Britain considers arming Type 45 Destroyers with anti-ballistic missile weapons

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Cardinals are coming off a 34-6 rout of Hamilton Saturday, and will look to improve to 2-1 when they head to Waterville, Maine for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Colby College. The Mules are also 1-1, but are coming off a 35-14 home loss to Middlebury.
Wesleyan, which was defeated by Tufts in Week 1 action, 17-14, rebounded nicely with the win over the Continentals in its 2016 home opener. The Cardinals' offense amassed 511 total yards (273 rushing; 238 passing), while their defense held Hamilton to a mere 180 (46 rushing; 134 passing). Wesleyan was led offensively by sophomore quarterback Mark Piccirillo and freshman running back Dario Highsmith. Piccirillo went 18-of-23 for 193 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, while also rushing for a touchdown. Highsmith – a Middletown native – scored an 80-yard touchdown run on his first carry in his return to his hometown. He also caught an 11-yard pass in the endzone to put Wesleyan ahead, 14-0. He finished with 101 yards on five carries.
The Mules defeated Williams in their 2016 season opener, on the road, 9-7. They were led by running back Jabari Hurdle-Price, who finished with 87 yards on the ground on 23 carries, and scored the team's only touchdown. Last week, however, Colby had a difficult time stopping Middlebury's Jared Lebowitz, who earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive time after he threw for 320 yards and five touchdowns on 17-of-25 attempts. Wide receiver Conrado Banky caught seven of those completions for 198 yards and two scores. Colby gave up 336 yards through the air, but held the Panthers to under 100 yards of rushing as they finished with 93.
Wesleyan leads the all-time series against Colby, 21-17, and has won six straight dating back to 2010. Prior to the Cardinals winning streak, the Mules had won seven-of-eight games from 2003-to-2009. During the current six-game winning streak, Wesleyan has outscored its NESCAC rival, 179-97, and has scored 24 points or more in each of those matchups.
Last year, the Cardinals edged Colby at home, 24-21. Quarterback Gabe Harrington, who played briefly in the win over Williams but did not get on the field against Middlebury, started under center for the Mules and finished with 125 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. Hurdle-Price, however, gained 202 yards on 26 attempts and scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 65-yard touchdown with 4:09 to play to put the visitor's ahead, 24-21.
The lead was short-lived, as Devon Carrillo '17 responded with the game-winning, 35-yard TD catch from quarterback Gernald Hawkins '18 with 2:23 remaining on the clock. It was Carrillo's second touchdown of the quarter as well, as he finished with four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, and 54 yards rushing on seven carries and a TD. Hawkins went 11-of-22 for 178 yards and also gained 71 yards rushing.
Through two games, Wesleyan leads the league in time of possession (35:48), rushing touchdowns (5) and kick return average (27.0 yards per game). The Cardinals' 410.5 yards per game ranks fourth in the NESCAC, while their 219.5 yards allowed per game ranks tied for third with Middlebury. Colby has averaged 250.5 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the conference, while its defense ranks seventh having allowed 368.5 ypg. The Mules are first in the league in defensive interceptions (3) and fourth-down conversions (3-for-4).


A person pointed out to me that some of the church canons aren't followed today such as: women not talking in church and polyphonic singing. Do all of the church canons need to be followed? If so doesn't this mean that the church is self-condemned?
Also, I'm wondering if the three finger sign of the cross is correct, and was it right to change it?
There is a saying of St. John Chrysostom: the Church is a hospital, and not a court of law. It's purpose is to bring the spiritually ill to a healing communion with God. The canons have never healed anyone. Only the grace of God, usually imparted via the mysteries, have salvific effect. So why do we have Canons? The Canons are compiled in a book called the Pedalion (the Rudder). What does a Rudder do? It steers a ship. It doesn't power a ship (that's grace), nor does the Rudder act on its own. It is not an auto-pilot. A Rudder is only effective when it is deftly manipulated by a trained captain. There is a reason the cook's mate doesn't steer the ship, right? So why do so many people think it is their job to steer the ship?
The canons are the province of the Bishop. The bishops must apply them as necessary to guide the Church. Some canons are the product of local councils addressing specific situations which may not even be present today. Some canons contradict one another, making it utterly impossible to follow both at the same time. Priests are guided by canons (as all of us are to an extent) but we do not interpret them or offer economia, absent the consent of our bishops. Strict legalism is a Western trait, which is why we see far more laypeople thinking it is their job to interpret canons in the west than we do in the east. But the canons have never been applied in a strictly legal manner. You ask are we then self-condemned? I ask, by what? Is there scripture that commands strict legalistic application of the canons? Was Christ a strict legalist or did he defy the strict legalism of the Pharisees? Are there decision of the Ecumenical Councils which command strict, legalistic application on the canons? If so, the Pedalion is a misleading name for the compilation of canons.
Thinking about things like the use of the three fingered sign of the cross is a good example here. The use of the sign of the cross far predated any canons about the sign of the cross? Was making the sign wrong then, since no canon permitted it? Certainly not, it is Holy Tradition. You ask about the Three Finger Sign. Can't we ask about the Two Finger sign as well? In the Early Church it was One Finger!!! Was it wrong to change it to two? No, because it was intended as a refutation of Monophysitism. Was it wrong to use Three Fingers (which actually used all five?) No, there is absolutely nothing heretical in the 3 finger sign. It confirmed Trinitarianism and retains an element that refutes monophysitism. The GOC recognizes the Church as properly orthodox for centuries after the adoption of the three finger cross. Why should I deign to believe I know more than the many saints who made the sign using three fingers? God forbid!
I think in the West we look for bright line rules because it makes it easier. But we see only through our own lens of fallen humanity. This is very important to understand. The Church, at least in ecumenical council, is infallible. In local council it is not. But even if we were to assume that every canon from every local council was infallibly given, that does not mean that we understand them infallibly! So then we may be setting out to condemn others based on our own fallible understanding of something we view from our place in a broken and corrupted creation. That is a very dangerous business to be in! For this reason, we have bishops to guide us. And we are in obedience to our bishops. On matters of canonical construction and interpretation, it is not for us to substitute our judgment for that of the bishop.
This entry was posted in Writings and tagged bishops, canons, economia, legalism. Bookmark the permalink.
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Did someone say sports marketing traffic jam?
If I'm being honest, I'd say that I'm as excited about Super Bowl XLVIII as the average Canadian. Which is to say, not much. While I'm a fan of American football, the experience of watching the Super Bowl simply isn't the same during the Canadian simulcast on CTV, namely because of the advertising - or lack thereof.
Can The Sochi Games Be Hospitable For Corporate Hospitality?


Have you ever had a clear vision of something you wanted, planned and just barely hoped for – then had it come true? That's how I feel right now, the night after the first day of Diane's Mastermind. (And yes, that is someone walking on broken glass – more about that later.) My vision of a mastermind is that it's about networking in a positive, structured way that is designed to bring out the best in each person.
Set it up and run it right and then, just as Napoleon first penned in "Think and Grow Rich", the 'master mind', an actual 3rd mind, appears. There is true synergy and the ideas, commitments and breakthroughs come lightning fast.
Everyone in the room was an entrepreneur and they all went through what everyone else did in 2008 – some had investments that tanked, businesses closed, some maintained and even others had businesses in niche markets that exploded with growth. Every single person was beyond that though, and ready to move to the next great success. That's because they had had success (even if they didn't really realize it at the time) and building on that foundation, discovered the key elements of what had worked and more importantly, what basic needs had been fulfilled.
I think the most exciting part (well, up until the incredible conclusion) was when we started consciously planning the next 90 days by looking at taking the elements of our greatest past success to replicate in other areas, including building 2 completely different models – for each side of the Information Age graph. Whew! That was a big sentence. Let me break it down. One of the challenges that business owners are facing today is that the same old Bell Curve doesn't work in business anymore. It used to be if I had three services: $1500, $2500 and $3500 I could count on selling the most of the middle. Not anymore.
Now there are actually two separate bell curves, with a valley in the middle. The market has split into a bi-model graph. At one end, the left side, are people who want almost free. They are motivated by concerns about scarcity and the deal is most important to them. On the other end are people who want customized and individualized. The cost doesn't matter because they live in abundance. As long as there is value, they're happy to pay. The breakthrough was discovering that the thing you do best best and that you love doing can be set up to make money on both sides of the graph. Suddenly your business just exploded with possibilities!
And the contacts. Wow. I was just handed an idea that I'll have implemented within 6 months that should gross somewhere between $720,000 – $3,000,000 per year within 3 years. Not only that, the masterminder who had the idea already had the database who wanted this new product. She'd help me sell it. I just had to deliver it.
As you look toward your bright future, you might run into one big problem – past regrets. We ended with an exercise that might make you gasp, it did a lot of participants. What was that exercise? We walked on broken glass. Yes, we did it with bare feet. There's no trick. The glass really is broken and there is a real danger of injury. Yet everyone walked through safely because we did it in a very heightened state of awareness and presence. It was the absolute apex of presence. You can't do it and worry about the past or the future. The only way to walk on broken glass is to be very present. And the only way to create amazing results in the economic noise we have today is to be very present.
It was a long day – 11 hours. But I know there was a tired sense of fulfillment for the day. We'd accomplished a lot and now, Saturday, we play. There's still some learning and networking, but we're going to be outside doing some fun activities in the beautiful San Diego weather.


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If you're оrgаnіzіng the еxасt same іnсludіng thе mоvіе thеn you have to grab thе іdеаl design fоr those tісkеtѕ. Write a single wоrd оn thе rear of thе tісkеt whісh уоu knоw will bе uѕеd frеԛuеntlу in thе mоvіе (fоr еxаmрlе, the wоrd Hogwarts for Hаrrу Potter), аnd have your children соunt hоw оftеn thаt word іѕ utilized іn the mоvіе. If уоu аrе a реrѕоn who's рuttіng оn a ѕресіаl еvеn that іnсludеѕ a mоvіе you wish tо get a mеаnѕ to іnvіtе individuals to that аnd a mеаnѕ to ѕhоw that thеу'vе раіd fоr thе ѕhоw.
Through the aid of аn еvеnt ticket template you'll be able tо customize a tісkеt аnd be сеrtаіn thаt іt реrfесtlу fits уоu and уоur rеԛuіrеmеntѕ. Evеnt tісkеtѕ dоn't need to be works of аrt. Gеnеrаllу аn еvеnt tісkеt іѕ utilised tо increase money frоm thоѕе whо will attend thе function. Yоu mау соmрlеtе the tісkеt іn thе manner which you like bеѕt. Evеrу PDF tісkеt have a ѕресіаl bаr соdе and соrrеѕроndіng bar code ID that аrе аutоmаtісаllу gеnеrаtеd at thе rіght tіmе оf рurсhаѕе.
With juѕt a соuрlе сlісkѕ оf a mouse, уоu can make tісkеtѕ thаt tеll реорlе уоur event іѕ well wоrth аttеndіng. It is роѕѕіblе to create a tісkеt that іѕ іdеаl fоr you аѕ wеll аѕ thе еvеnt you аrе рlаnnіng. Yоu undеrѕtаnd hоw tо sequentially number tісkеtѕ in two unique wауѕ.
Our tісkеtѕ gіvе your аudіеnсе a gоrgеоuѕ bit оf mеmоrаbіlіа tо kеер fоr thе rеmаіndеr of their lіvеѕ. You're аblе tо download the tickets HERE. There are others who just lіkе tаkіng a lооk аt thе tісkеtѕ untіl thеу use thеm. Mоvіе Tісkеtѕ соmеѕ wіth thе editable dеѕіgn ѕо you can сhаngе thе details depending оn уоur рrеfеrеnсеѕ. The movie ticket should bе аwаrе оf whаt thе аudіеnсе еxресtѕ. Lаrgе mоvіе tісkеtѕ are usually оffеrеd іn a lауоut.
Do you need tо dеѕіgn tісkеtѕ for thе nеxt fооtbаll mаtсh аnd уоu аrе ѕеаrсhіng fоr іdеаѕ. You wоuld like tо hаvе tісkеtѕ created that are fantastic for you аѕ wеll аѕ your еvеnt and уоu dеѕіrе the tickets to арреаr рrоfеѕѕіоnаl. It'ѕ simple tо turn уоur mоvіе tісkеtѕ іntо an еnjоуаblе lеаrnіng gаmе. Rаfflе and Mоvіе Tісkеtѕ ѕеrvе аbоut an іdеntісаl рurроѕе іn rеgаrdѕ tо thеіr uѕеѕ. The nеxt thіng to do is tо gеt thе raffle tісkеtѕ рrіntеd аftеr mаkіng ѕurе уоu are happy wіth the work.
Nоt turnіng up tо wоrk fоr a couple days without аdvіѕіng their еmрlоуеr dоеѕn't necessarily indicate an еmрlоуее hаѕ abandoned wоrk. Instead, focus оn whаt уоu'rе likely tо do nеxt аnd how you will lосаtе another jоb. Thеrеfоrе, it's a normal роrtіоn оf еmрlоуmеnt аnd injury соuld be соmреnѕаblе. Sесоnd, thе workplace mіght bесоmе an unѕаfе lосаtіоn іn the еvеnt thе offender mаkеѕ thе dесіѕіоn tо appear.
Quоtе thе аррrорrіаtе сlаuѕе іn thеіr аgrееmеnt іf thеrе'ѕ оnе. Emрlоуmеnt аgrееmеntѕ may also provide for fоrfеіturе of wаgеѕ іn thе event the employee аbаndоnѕ thеіr jоb and dоеѕn't offer the mandatory аmоunt of notice. A ѕuреrb employment agreement should incorporate аn аbаndоnmеnt clause.
In accord with thе Lаw оf Attraction аnd Vіѕuаlіzаtіоn, іt'ѕ nоt роѕѕіblе for оnе tо рісturе thе lасk оf ѕоmеthіng. Fаіlurе to trу tо соntасt an аbѕеnt еmрlоуее соuld lеаd tо a brеасh оf dutу. By Lаwуеrѕ won't bе responsible fоr any lоѕѕ you соuld іnсur as a соnѕеԛuеnсе оf ѕоmеbоdу еlѕе uѕіng your раѕѕwоrd оr ассоunt, еіthеr with or wіthоut your knowing.
Employer gіvеѕ wоrkеr'ѕ соmреnѕаtіоn insurance policy соvеrаgе free. Tо handle thе employee's аbѕеnсе, employers should соnduсt vаrіоuѕ processes fоr еасh іnѕtаnсе. The еmрlоуеr knеw оf Campbell's intended аbѕеnсе, еvеn should a tеxt mеѕѕаgе wаѕn't the right tесhnіԛuе оf notification. Hе оr she nееdѕ tо knоw exactly why you bеlіеvе уоu аrе unаblе to funсtіоn іn уоur роѕіtіоn fоr a реrіоd оf time. Emрlоуеrѕ rеаlіzе thаt аbѕеntееіѕm is раrt of lіfе, so thеу іmрlеmеnt contingencies tо mаkе sure that thеіr company is аlwауѕ fullу ѕtаffеd.
Employers will аt tіmеѕ bе аѕkеd tо tolerate еxtеndеd amounts оf еmрlоуее аbѕеnсе. Othеr ѕіtuаtіоnѕ thе еmрlоуеr wіll рrоvіdе the еmрlоуее аnоthеr орроrtunіtу tо rесоuр thеіr jоb. In order fоr аn еmрlоуеr to ѕаfеlу deem an еmрlоуее to have abandoned their еmрlоуmеnt, hе оr ѕhе fіrѕt must mаkе a number of gеnuіnе attempts tо соntасt thе еmрlоуее over a rеаѕоnаblе tіmе frаmе to undеrѕtаnd the rеаѕоn for thеіr аbѕеnсе.
If уоu саnnоt, thеn allow the еmрlоуеr knоw whу уоu саnnоt meet thе deadline. Emрlоуеr wіll оffеr dаіlу trаnѕроrtаtіоn between the employee's living ԛuаrtеrѕ аnd worksite аt no price. Thе еmрlоуеr рrоvіdеd thе еmрlоуее wіth оnе fіnаl орроrtunіtу tо submit thе necessary medical іnfо. Fоr hired іndіvіduаlѕ unаblе to rеturn tо place оf rеѕіdеnсе within the ѕаmе day hе оr she рrоvіdеѕ hоuѕіng at no соѕt. In mоѕt instances, employers wоuld bе smart tо dосumеnt thе сіrсumѕtаnсе, maintain regular соntасt аnd іѕѕuе warnings as аррrорrіаtе. Emрlоуеrѕ should сhесk thе rеlеvаnt mоdеrn аwаrd, аgrееmеnt or роlісу to ѕее whеthеr іt supplies information аbоut whаt tо do in thе event оf abandonment. Whеn thе еmрlоуеr іѕ аррrіѕеd of thе іnfо аbоut thе еmрlоуее'ѕ аbѕеnсе, іt'ѕ gоіng tо bе hаrd fоr the employer to ѕеt uр аbаndоnmеnt.
All уоur wоrkеrѕ carry mоbіlе рhоnеѕ аnd ѕо аll thеm are аblе to ѕtау connected wіth уоu, wherever they аrе. If an еmрlоуее іѕ away fоr 2 days іt'ѕ unlіkеlу аbаndоnmеnt іѕ gоіng to bе a sensible соnсluѕіоn. Yоur workers nоt ѕhоwіng uр саn definitely be fruѕtrаtіng but іt mау аlѕо hurt уоur соmраnу, роtеntіаllу even сrіррlіng it fоr ѕоmе tіmе іf іt mеаnѕ оthеr соmраnу сuѕtоmеrѕ are lеft wаіtіng in some mаnnеr. It's also worth asking different wоrkеrѕ іn thе еvеnt thе absent employee hаѕ trіеd tо ѕреаk tо the оrgаnіѕаtіоn.
The rеаѕоn why іt'ѕ important tо lооk іntо thе еmрlоуееѕ аbѕеnсе іѕ bесаuѕе іt might bе mеdісаllу rеlаtеd. Hе mау hаvе simply disappeared. Ovеr thе соurѕе оf thе next ѕеvеrаl mоnthѕ, he арреаlеd thе denial оf benefits. Without rеgаrd to the mаіn rеаѕоn fоr abandoning wоrk, еmрlоуееѕ ѕhоuld mаkе еvеrу аttеmрt tо ѕреаk tо thеіr employer оr еntruѕt another person tо dо it on their behalf. Temporary еmрlоуееѕ соuld bе ԛuаlіfіеd fоr hеаlthсаrе оr rеtіrеmеnt bеnеfіtѕ.
There are аn infinite numbеr of rеаѕоnѕ whу еmрlоуееѕ саnnоt attend wоrk оn occasion. An employee соuld bе seen аѕ аbаndоnіng thеіr employment whеn thеу'rе аbѕеnt from work fоr a lоng period without having given аnу nоtісе. So іf hе fаіlѕ tо turn uр, уоu nееd to try аnd gеt in tоuсh wіth thеm. Sоmеtіmеѕ he wіll hаvе a gооd reason fоr bеіng absent frоm work аnd unаblе tо соntасt thеіr employer. If he is unаblе to report tо work duе tо illness оr сіrсumѕtаnсеѕ оutѕіdе of hеr соntrоl, ѕhе muѕt notify thе appropriate person with a рhоnе саll. If hе thеn turnѕ uр dіѕсірlіnаrу асtіоn ѕhоuld bе tаkеn. An employee wіth a dіѕаbіlіtу may need a protracted absence frоm work on ассоunt оf thеіr mеdісаl соndіtіоn.
Name In Block Letters Example.


text:
Conn. Residents Have 1 Month Left to Apply for FEMA Assistance From Hurricane Ida
There is one month left for Connecticut residents who suffered damage or losses from the remnants of Hurricane Ida earlier this year to apply for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA.
Residents in Fairfield, New Haven and New London counties can apply for disaster assistance with FEMA and for low-interest disaster loans with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Officials said the FEMA disaster assistance for individuals and families can include money for rental assistance, essential home repairs, personal property and other serious disaster-related needs that are not covered by insurance. The deadline for applications is on January 28, 2022.
Anyone who qualifies can apply by going online here, or by downloading the FEMA app or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines for the helpline are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and help is available in most languages.
Norwalk 17 mins ago
Police Investigating a Death in Norwalk
Watertown 3 hours ago
Watertown Mom Left Children Alone While She Went to Florida: Police
Applicants are encouraged to keep their contact information updated because FEMA may reach out to perform a home inspection or to get additional information, according to officials.
U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loans are also available for businesses, homeowners and renters.
According to officials, homeowners may be eligible for a disaster loan of up to $200,000 for primary residence structural repair or rebuilding and SBA may be able to help homeowners and renters with up to $40,000 to replace important personal property, including vehicles that were damaged or destroyed in the disaster.
SBA can also help businesses and private nonprofit organizations with up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-related real estate and other business assets and eligible small businesses and nonprofits can apply for economic injury disaster loans to help with working capital needs that were caused by the disaster.
For more information, you can contact SBA's Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or you can email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or you can visit SBA's website.
The application filing deadline for SBA physical damage loans is January 28, 2022 and the application filing deadline for SBA economic injury loans for businesses affected is August 1, 2022.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida hit Connecticut on September 1, 2021, and brought as much has 8 inches of rain to the state. It resulted in heavy flooding and an estimated $7.2 million in damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure, according to Governor Ned Lamont.
Back in October, Lamont submitted a request for a major disaster declaration to the Biden administration, the AP reported. The declaration was seeking federal funds to help the state recover from the damage of the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
HURRICANE idaFEMA assistance


Last November, when Goldman released its list of Top trade recommendations for 2016, we had one simple recommendation: "the best trades for 2016 will be to... do the opposite of the Top 6 trade recos" for obvious reasons. Less than three months later, following a dramatic swoon in the market following the China reserve liquidation scare of late 2015 and early 2016, Goldman capitulated and closed out 5 of its 6 top trades at a loss.
Fast forward to today, when the time for Goldman to unveil its "top trades" for 2016 has come again. In a report by Francesco Garzarelli, Goldman presents "the first six of our recommended Top Trades for 2017. These trades represent some of the highest conviction market expressions of the economic outlook we laid out in the latest Global Economics Analyst and the related investment themes we discussed in our Global Markets Analyst."
It is an unusually uncertain time in which to outline our strategic markets views and recommend a first batch of Top Trades for 2017.
In the US, the unexpected outcome of the Presidential elections has kicked off a debate as to whether the economic policies under Mr Trump's tenure will support aggregate demand (via lower taxation and higher public spending on infrastructure) or ultimately stifle potential output (through protectionism). Also more uncertain is what the response of the Federal Reserve might be given that the economy is already operating close to full capacity. The FOMC will have the first opportunity to eventually adapt its policy guidance to the new scenario when it next meets on 14 December. A clearer picture of the new Administration's economic plans will only be available early next year.
In Europe, investors are waiting to hear from the ECB on 8 December, specifically on how much longer, at what pace and under which modalities the central bank intends to continue conducting asset purchases. The ECB's bond buying programme, alongside the BoJ's, has been a significant force behind the decline in the term premium across developed markets, and has kept EMU spreads largely in check. Changes to the stock and flow of the central bank buying could have repercussions on how the Euro area asset complex, including the single currency, perform entering the new year, and beyond. The result of the Italian referendum on constitutional reform, scheduled for 4 December, is also under the spotlight. Investors' anxieties over this poll and its potential political repercussions have increased since the Brexit vote in June.
The OPEC meeting on 30 November will be important for the near-term inflation outlook and for Emerging Markets. There are several moving parts affecting the oil supply outlook: producing countries' incentives not to comply with the agreed production cuts, the Trump Administration's energy policy and its stance towards Iran, and the cost efficiency gains of US shale producers.
In formulating our market views and the trade ideas listed below, we build on our economics team's central outlook for the economy and for policy, summarised in the Global Economics Analyst, 'A Catalyst for Tighter Fed Policy', 16 November 2016, and seek to exploit asymmetries in potential pay-outs resulting from the level of risk premium embedded into asset prices.
For example, we still find it harder to envisage economic scenarios where the risk premium on inflation and nominal bonds will return to the depressed levels it reached this past Summer.
So, with these considerations in mind, below are Goldman's first six recommended Top Trades for 2017. As the bank notes, "some of them are a continuation of themes already in play in the second half of this year, others are new."
Top Trade #1: Transatlantic economic divergences and political risks: Long US$ equally weighted against EUR and GBP, with a basket indexed to 100, a target of 110 and a stop at 95. Annual carry on this basket is 1.3%.
A building theme in global markets is the populist shift in politics, as evidenced by the Brexit vote in the UK and the recent US elections. In the US, events have moved in a USD-positive direction, between the rising likelihood of fiscal stimulus, more protectionism and immigration controls, all of which add up to a more inflationary mix and tighter-than-otherwise monetary policy setting. In Europe, ongoing uncertainty over the Brexit process will likely weigh on the Pound, while the slew of elections, including the Italian political fallout after the constitutional referendum on 4 December and general elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands, will weigh on the EUR (Exhibit 3).
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, divergence in growth and inflation has continued to play out, giving an underlying boost to the Dollar ("Dollar Reset", FX Views, 10 November 2016). Markets are debating where populist forces are stronger and more negative – in the UK or the Euro area. Either way, they are material and we think it is best to split the difference, in essence taking out moves in EUR/GBP. Our first Top Trade consists of going long US$ versus EUR and GBP equally weighted. The position is indexed at 100 with a target of 110 and a stop at 95. As part of this, we are revising our GBP/$ forecast lower to 1.20, 1.18 and 1.14 in 3-, 6- and 12-months from 1.20, 1.21 and 1.25 previously. This is consistent with our analysis that Sterling needs to fall around 20-40% from pre-Brexit levels (Exhibit 4). We have kept our call for EUR/$ parity on a 12-month horizon unchanged.
The principal risk to this trade is a premature tapering from the ECB, which could cause EUR/$ to rally, but this is not something we anticipate given the difficult political calendar and the fact that the ECB will want, in our baseline case, to shield European rates from the increase in their US counterparts. A risk is also that the triggering of Article 50 is delayed, which could buoy Sterling. That said, UK Prime Minister May has if anything strengthened her rhetoric on this since the US election and her political fortunes are closely tied to moving forward on Brexit at this point. As a result, even if a delay occurs, we think the course is ultimately set.
Top Trade #2: RMB weakening: Long $/CNY: Long $/CNY via the 12-month NDF, currently at 7.07, for an initial target of 7.30 with a stop at 6.75.
Since the extreme bearishness on the RMB early in 2016, sentiment has relaxed considerably and many clients seem to be focused elsewhere. As we have argued before ("No Easy Fix to the RMB Problem", FX Views, 2 June 2016), the fundamental dilemma of China's currency regime is that, in an environment of a rising Dollar, keeping the CFETS basket stable requires $/CNY to move higher meaningfully, which carries the risk that capital outflows re-escalate (Exhibit 5). Given the re-pricing in Fed hiking expectations, which are still well short of our US economists' forecast, we think it is important to establish hedges at the current juncture, even if hedging costs have risen somewhat from just a few weeks ago (Exhibit 6). Hence, we recommend as our second Top Trade to be long $/CNY via the 12-month NDF. Indeed, our impression is that, despite the sharp move in the Dollar since the US election, market interest in hedging RMB downside is still low, partly because RMB downside hedges failed to pay off early in the year. We think this is notable because asymmetry in the response of RMB to Dollar strength has been pronounced ("Downside RMB Asymmetry", FX Views, 28 October 2016), making the decision to hedge even more relevant at the current juncture. With this in mind, we are revising our $/CNY forecast higher to 7.00, 7.15 and 7.30 in 3-, 6- and 12-months from 6.70, 6.80 and 7.00 previously, which we established in July. We are also revising our longer-term forecasts to 7.60 and 7.65 for end-2018 and end-2019 (from 7.30 previously) and establishing a new 7.70 forecast for end-2020. As our new forecast reflects, our base case is one where the $/CNY fix continues to grind higher, driven by domestic pressures and in the context of a stronger Dollar ("The US election's potential impact on Asian markets", Asia Views, 10 November 2016), rather than a sudden and sharp depreciation. But even under this scenario, our forecasts are meaningfully higher than the forwards. One risk to this view is in some ways that the Dollar rallies too far too fast, causing the Fed to shift dovish in a replay of 2016. But we think the monetary policy landscape has shifted from earlier this year, so that a dovish shift at the Fed is now less likely, all things equal. At the same time, our $/CNY higher forecast is predicated largely on our expectation that Dollar strength can extend ("Dollar Reset", FX Views, 10 November 2016). If the Dollar were to fall instead, that would present a serious risk to the trade. But we think the hurdle for the Dollar to outright weaken is substantial.
Top Trade #3: Earning the 'good carry' in EM, hedging the China (and CNY) risk : Long an equally-weighted basket of BRL, RUB, INR, ZAR versus short an equally-weighted basket of KRW and SGD, with an entry level of 100, total return target of 114 and stops at 93. The expected return, including approximately 7% carry (on an annual basis) and 7% price return, is around 14%.
Our third recommended Top Trade exploits the fact that there are a number of 'good carry' candidates in EM FX space: BRL, RUB, INR, ZAR – countries where external balances have strengthened materially, inflation is on a declining trajectory, the 'carry' in real terms is generous and there are prospects of stronger growth in the year ahead.
The 'Trump tantrum' of the past week has also seen meaningful pressure on many of these high-yielding currencies, providing more attractive entry points. In all four cases, our 12-month forecasts are meaningfully stronger than forward market pricing. Specifically, relative to spot, we have the most appreciation in $/ZAR (12-month forecast of 13), reflecting that it has been one of the laggards to the global re-balancing story, but has now seen a clear narrowing in the current account deficit in recent quarters. There is more limited room for appreciation relative to spot levels in the other three currencies (our 12-month forecasts are 62 for $/RUB, 3.40 for $/BRL and 68.5 for $/INR). But all three should be more resilient to a modest further extension of the increase in US bond yields given the more compelling domestic dis-inflationary stories in each case.
The countries represented on the long side of our FX basket also have more limited exposure to US trade/demand risks if the protectionist rhetoric from President-elect Trump is transformed into action. Risks emanating from gyrations in crude oil should also be relatively well diversified, given that both India and South Africa are net oil importers, while Russia and Brazil are oil exporters.
On the short side of the trade, we recommend KRW and SGD – two low carry Asian currencies. While rate risk is front-and-centre of EM investor concerns at the current time and has affected high-yielders with heavy positioning, in the medium term the risks related to the unwinding of the Chinese debt build-up, and the depreciating CNY that goes alongside that, is probably the more systematic risk.
Korea has a high export similarity to China and is therefore exposed to the weakening trend in the CNY, which we expect to extend, as discussed above. There are also independent reasons for a weaker currency. Given the need to undertake difficult corporate restructurings in Korea against the backdrop of subdued global trade, a weaker Won is likely to be a key part of delivering easier financial conditions. And in the case of Singapore, the NEER basket has large weights in MYR, CNY and JPY – all of which we expect to weaken beyond forwards, and the low level of domestic inflation means that we continue to expect SGD to trade on the weak side of the band.
Top Trade #4: Long EM equities with insulated exposure to growth: Long Brazil, India and Poland equities (BOVESPA, NIFTY, WIG) FX-unhedged, with an entry level of 100, for a target return of 120 and a stop of 90.
We remain positive on the EM ex-China growth recovery story heading into 2017 and see a good entry point in expressing this view via EM equities. After a long two-year stretch of poor EM corporate profit data (EPS have fallen continuously from $101 in Q2 2014 to $68 in Q1 2016), EM earnings have finally bottomed and are making a tepid recovery (forward EPS currently stand at $73). The improvement so far has been largely generated by commodity-related companies, but we expect a transition to domestic-facing sectors in coming months, largely because financial conditions have eased during most of this year. Furthermore, EM equities have just dipped below our macro measure of 'fair value' (841 vs. 860) for the first time since February, suggesting that valuation has once again become a positive factor for taking un-hedged EM equity exposure.
In contrast, we remain wary of China growth risks emanating again as we enter 2017 and are accordingly averse to taking deep cyclical exposure in EM equity over the medium term. Similarly, the US election has created an air of uncertainty over US trade policy, which could directly impact a number of EMs with high US sales exposure, such as Mexico, Korea and Taiwan, as well as China.
Looking across the EM equity spectrum, we find that Brazil, Poland and India offer an 'insulated exposure' to the EM growth recovery story, without being particularly exposed to China growth or US trade policy. While Brazil is often characterised as a China-growth proxy, the country's equity market has shifted meaningfully in its composition in recent years (commodity companies make up 25% of current market cap today vs. 52% at the beginning of 2010), distinguishing itself from most its Latin American peers. In EMEA, there are a number of idiosyncratic stories (Russia and South Africa) where we are keen to take FX exposure, but we find less valuation support (South Africa) and little domestic exposure (Russia) in the equities there. Rather, it is Poland that has been the laggard, particularly when compared with the strong performance of European cyclicals. We recognise that Poland is geared towards the political situation in both Europe and Russia, and Polish banks have come under pressure as a result of the high contribution to social programmes. But with a positive growth momentum and insulation from both China and US policy shocks, we expect some catch-up room there.
In Asia, both India and ASEAN equities offer strong domestically-exposure growth stories; however, we find ASEAN to be much more interest rate sensitive, and would shy away from that exposure in the near term. Indian equities have had a strong run since 2013, and while we believe the majority of the rally is behind us, we continue to see a positive risk/reward relative to other Asian equities that are heavily China-exposed. We are conscious of potential near-term volatility from recent policy announcements in India, but have put a wide stop-loss that should cushion downside risk and allow for outperformance.
Top Trade #5: The 'reflation' theme extends and broadens: Long US 10-year US TIPS 'break-even' inflation at an entry level of 1.90%, with an initial target of 2.30% and stop at 1.60%, and long Euro 10-year inflation via swaps at an entry level of 1.25%, with a target of 1.60% and a stop at 1.00%.
'Reflation' already features as one of our top investment themes for this year, and one of our 2016 Top Trades recommended last November was meant to capitalise on the view ('long US 10-year break-even inflation'). As things turned out, the fortunes of the Top Trade were mixed at best. The China-led risk shakeout during the first quarter, and subsequently the Brexit 'policy shock' in June, affected the pricing of spot crude oil and longer-dated nominal yields, both depressing inflation forwards. The market price of inflation did start moving higher since the Summer, and is now around 40bp above where we recommended the trade a year ago.
We think there is scope for the 'reflation' trade to perform better in 2017 for a combination of factors. First, thanks to base effects from energy components, headline CPI inflation will rise entering 2017 across the major advanced economies, and this could influence inflation expectations positively. Second, with 'austerity' now in the rear-view mirror, the onus of stimulating demand appears to be shifting from central banks towards the fiscal authorities. We forecast a relatively large, synchronised support to GDP growth from the public sector in Japan, China, the US and Europe. Only part of this will go to expand potential output, with the bulk potentially stoking inflationary pressures. Third, the major central banks have been aiming for inflation to run at/above their 2% target for some time to compensate for the undershooting in recent years. With this objective, the ECB, BoE and BoJ are all creating more 'fiscal headroom' for their respective Treasuries through large-scale purchases of government bonds. We expect these purchases to continue throughout 2017. In this context, we think that greater attention will be given by both the BoJ and the ECB to prevent an excessive flattening of their respective nominal term structures of rates. This should allow the inflation forwards to expand.
With these considerations in mind, our fifth Top Trade for 2017 consists in being long both US$ and EUR 10-year inflation. We like the US leg of the trade because expansionary fiscal policies in an economy already operating close to full capacity will likely push up domestic price and wage inflation. Along with our dovish views on the ECB, there are two more reasons why we like the EUR leg of this trade: (i) the potential for EUR to depreciate in line with the views of our FX strategists should push up the inflation risk premium in EUR inflation swaps and (ii) we are starting from a very pessimistic skew in inflation expectations in the Euro area, underscored by the inflation options market assigning a 70% chance of CPI staying below 1% over the next 5-years.
There is clear systemic risk to the trade relating to the evolution of the general economic outlook. Unlike in 2016, we think that the downside risks from commodity prices are lower thanks to base effects and better valuations in the complex.
Top Trade #6: Long equity-like 'carry' with little duration risk through dividends: Long EURO STOXX 50 2018 dividends: Long EURO STOXX 50 2018 dividends (BBG: DEDZ8 Index) equity-like 'carry' with little duration risk; target 125, now at 112 (12% unfunded return), stop at 105.
Dividend swaps, as a hybrid between credit and equities, currently appear attractive in a cross-asset context. We forecast a high 'carry' compared with other assets, which reflect both fundamental risks and supply/demand imbalances from structured products issuance (for details, see Dividend Swap Monitor: Dividends in multi-asset portfolio: high carry hybrid between credit & equity, 14 November 2016). Our sixth Top Trade recommendation consists of going long EURO STOXX 50 2018 dividends for a potential 12% unfunded return. 2018 dividends are based on 2017 fiscal year earnings and thus uncertainty should decline over the course of 2017 (consider that 70-80% of dividends are usually announced during the European dividend season at the end of Q1). While we do not expect strong earnings growth in Europe next year, current implied dividend growth for 2018 is only -4%, which leaves a buffer for disappointment. European equities have been stuck in their 'fat and flat' range in 2016 – they have struggled to make new highs owing to a lack of earnings growth, while elevated valuations have more frequent drawdowns due to political and policy shocks. This has resulted in poor Sharpe ratios for equities, a scenario that looks set to continue in 2017. Despite little earnings growth in 2016, EURO STOXX 50 2017 dividends delivered a return of 6% with a volatility of 7% YTD.
The beta of EURO STOXX 50 dividends increases with time until maturity, and really longer-dated (2020+) trade-like equities – but shorter-dated dividends – have offered better attractive risk-adjusted returns and have traded more similar to credit. With less time until maturity and when getting closer to the dividend season (Q1 2018) the so-called 'pull-to-realised' effect lowers both the beta and volatility. As a result, shorter-dated dividends are less driven by changes in equity valuations and more closely linked to underlying earnings and cash flows – they become more comparable to a credit investment. As a result, dividend swaps, especially shorter-dated dividend swaps, offer better asymmetry than equities but better returns than credit with less duration risk.
Structural excess supply of dividend risk is contributing to the attractive risk premium for dividends – banks own dividend risk usually around 5-7 years forward as a result of structured product issuance (capital guaranteed products, reverse convertibles, autocallables). Lower bond yields have driven more demand for autocallables in recent years, which has resulted in more dividend supply. And with regulatory and risk budget constraints, banks are usually keen to reduce that risk. This results in a discount, which is larger for longer-dated dividends. The latter, however, tend to have a higher 'beta' and sell off more in equity corrections when banks are forced to de-risk. As a result, we prefer shorter-dated dividends to generate more attractive risk-adjusted carry. During the GFC and the Euro area crisis, 1- and 2-year forward dividends also traded with a higher beta due to illiquidity. But, in recent years, investor demand has increased for shorter-dated dividends. Liquidity and trading volumes in dividend markets have improved materially with dividend futures – EURO STOXX 50 dividend futures open interest and traded volumes have stabilised at healthy levels.
There are fundamental risks and mark-to-market risks related to this Top Trade. Fundamental risks are mainly related to the prospect of dividend cuts, in particular for the banks and oil sectors, which are two of the largest dividend payers in the EURO STOXX 50. Our 'bear case' scenario for EURO STOXX 50 2018 dividends is close to 100, which is equivalent to a 50% cut of dividends for both those sectors. And until we get closer to the dividend season, they are likely to trade with a beta of 0.4-0.5 to EURO STOXX 50, which could drive mark-to-market risk. In our asset allocation we are Underweight Europe for 3-months due to the uncertainty over ECB policy (the next meeting is on 8 December), widening Euro area periphery yields, as well as political risks into next year (see GOAL: Reflation, equity/bond correlation and diversification desperation, 14 November 2016). As a result, near-term volatility in both European equities and EURO STOXX 50 dividends could pick up. But we think that, eventually, the ECB will extend QE and anchor yields again. Also, we would recommend hedging the currency in this trade.
This year was admittedly not a good year for our Top Trade recommendations. After a relatively healthy start in November and December, five of our eight Top Trades hit their stop-loss between mid-January and February, when a sharp correction ran across risk assets, volatility and cross-asset correlations increased, and liquidity dried up. Only two of the eight Top Trades (long US mortgages and long EM exporters vs EM banks) ultimately returned a potential profit. An additional two Top Trades (long US inflation and long US HY Oil & Gas hedged against crude) would have turned out to be ultimately profitable. That said, the mark-to-market losses incurred should the stop-losses not have been triggered would have been higher at first.
As we discussed when launching these investment ideas last November, 'energy' featured as a prominent risk factor running through most of the exposures (e.g., long 'break-even' inflation, long US banks, long currencies of oil exporting countries). The considerable volatility in crude oil (the front WTI contract traded between US$26 and US$51 per barrel over the past 12 months) negatively affected the potential returns. The best performing trade was long US Commercial Mortgages, opened in May. The worst performing asset was the MXN, which was part of a basket of currencies on which we recommended going long.
Trade accordingly: i.e., fade Goldman as always.


During our Wells County Fair, entertainers perform one-hour programs during the afternoons and evenings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Much of the entertainment is musical with a variety of country, gospel, bluegrass, pop and rock. Some of the performers teach pottery creation, flower arranging and mentalism. Performance schedule will be posted as the performers are secured.
Our State legislator, Jerry Klein visits with Kathy Tebelius our pottery creation artist during a make it yourself session.


Celebrate your LSU Tigers spirit with this 6oz. Stainless Steel Hip Flask.
Silver_LSU_Tigers_6oz._Stainless_Steel_Hip_Flask http://images.fanatics.com/lf http://dmimages.ff.p10/chains/2938936.txt false We are unable to customize this item with the text you have entered. Please try a different entry again. Your current entry cannot be processed due to guidelines for past and present player names. Please create a new entry.


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It's no coincidence that some of the biggest project headaches can occur before starting construction and right before starting up plant operations. The common denominator critical to success? Proper planning before taking action.
It's crucial to outline the expectations for your plant before delving into the design phase. I realize that sounds painfully obvious, but it's surprising how often owners don't consider detailed output goals in advance.
Cost overruns from scope creep usually occur from not fully understanding what you want the plant to accomplish once it's completed. Over the course of a project cycle, wants and needs can become confused, potentially inflating the budget and/or extending the schedule.
What does the client want to accomplish in terms of output, quality and cost?
How many people are needed to operate the facility?
What assumptions are the foundation of the design solution?
This centralized structure gives you the visibility to align these various disciplines early in the project cycle, keeping costs under control.
A fully integrated firm understands the context of a project and how those different variables interact with each other and with the budget. The biggest budget risks typically involve infrastructure costs to support packaging and equipment.
For example, electrical teams need to design accordingly to power certain equipment in your plant. However, if that team doesn't have a clear understanding of the equipment's power requirements, they may make some guesses on power consumption. Underestimating during design phases leads to costly change orders and schedule delays uncovered during the construction phase.
But at an integrated firm — where the processing and packaging engineers are down the hall from the other departments — it's much easier to collaborate and dodge those budget pitfalls. Defining a detailed project scope empowers your firm to execute the project efficiently.
Designing and building your facility is one thing. Getting it up and running is another.
Sometimes owners will consider their facility's equipment in a vacuum. In other words, they'll focus on equipment specs and get a price quote without first factoring in startup and training costs into their budget.
Not accounting for these aspects of the commissioning can be a rude awakening when the dust settles and you look at your bottom line.
How will you inspect the equipment and schedule test runs to ensure production expectations are met?
How do you calibrate and ramp it up?
What are the necessary training protocols for operations and maintenance?
What needs to happen to ensure the plant hits throughput levels realistically?
Who is responsible for providing owner's manuals, troubleshooting guides and CIP/COP sanitation requirements?
Of course, switching on a machine "out of the box" doesn't mean it automatically begins performing at its prime. Your budget can take an unforeseen hit if you don't build that start-up curve into the budget. A fully integrated design-build firm ensures specs are written around those needs, to keep your investment on track all the way through commissioning and into the future.
It goes without saying that there are a number of issues that can cause a snag in your project's budget and timeline, but in my experience, these two areas are perennial repeat offenders. The key is to consider your output goals thoroughly, plan accordingly and work with a firm that understands how to combine all of your project elements holistically and cohesively.


line_2d(omega, x0, n0, xs, *[, c]) Driving function for 2-dimensional SDM for a virtual line source.
plane_25d(omega, x0, n0[, n, xref, c]) Driving function for 2.5-dimensional SDM for a virtual plane wave.
plane_2d(omega, x0, n0[, n, c]) Driving function for 2-dimensional SDM for a virtual plane wave.
point_25d(omega, x0, n0, xs, *[, xref, c]) Driving function for 2.5-dimensional SDM for a virtual point source.
Driving function for 2-dimensional SDM for a virtual line source.
omega (float) – Angular frequency of line source.
x0 ((N, 3) array_like) – Sequence of secondary source positions.
n0 ((N, 3) array_like) – Sequence of normal vectors of secondary sources.
xs ((3,) array_like) – Position of line source.
d ((N,) numpy.ndarray) – Complex weights of secondary sources.
selection ((N,) numpy.ndarray) – Boolean array containing True or False depending on whether the corresponding secondary source is "active" or not.
secondary_source_function (callable) – A function that can be used to create the sound field of a single secondary source. See sfs.fd.synthesize().
The secondary sources have to be located on the x-axis (y0=0). Derived from [SA09], Eq.(9), Eq.(4).
Driving function for 2-dimensional SDM for a virtual plane wave.
omega (float) – Angular frequency of plane wave.
n ((3,) array_like, optional) – Normal vector (traveling direction) of plane wave.
Driving function for 2.5-dimensional SDM for a virtual plane wave.
xref ((3,) array_like, optional) – Reference point for synthesized sound field.
The secondary sources have to be located on the x-axis (y0=0). Eq.(3.79) from [Ahr12].
Driving function for 2.5-dimensional SDM for a virtual point source.
omega (float) – Angular frequency of point source.
xs ((3,) array_like) – Position of virtual point source.
The secondary sources have to be located on the x-axis (y0=0). Driving function from [SA10], Eq.(24).


It was our first visit to Childhelp and we were blown away by the kids there! They hit the ground running: EVERYONE was drawing, feeding off of one another's ideas, coming up with their own characters and sharing tips as they learned them. Pokemon was the choice of the day for established characters, followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and some Simpsons characters. So lucky for us, our volunteers consisted of the brilliant Joseph Scott (IWF L.A. Director), Kataneh Vahdani and David Shair from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Michael Kenny and Jeanette Moreno-King from Wild Canary, and Monica Tomova from Nickelodeon! Thank you, everyone, for a wonderful time. We can't wait to draw together again with these amazing kids soon.


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Rural Oregon Citizens take Ownership of Police Duties - Part Two
In part one, we talked about what the Josephine County Sheriff's Office did in response to the voters there voting down a new tax levy.
In my opinion, the drastic action on the part of the Sheriff's department is probably a situation where someone in government is being vindictive because the citizens voted down new taxes - and now they would "get even" by making drastic cuts in an effort to make the citizens feel it.
All in the same way that President Obama tried to show his vindictiveness by unnecessarily closing unsecured open-air national monuments that did not cost the taxpaying public any money.
He did so all as a vindictive act to show the American public that he is King and we are just peasants.
In the case of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, after the cuts, they released a few very surprising statements.
One announcing their deputies "would only be responding to what they deemed life-threatening situations."
The other told their citizens that they may want to relocate out of the county because the department could not protect them as a result of the cuts.
Josephine County Citizens Step Forward
The citizens of Josephine County have an independent streak that's fairly common in the rural America, and especially in that part of Oregon just north of the California border.
The area was settled during the 1850s gold rush and has a proud tradition of being self-reliant. Surprising as it might be to some, the residents in that part of Oregon consistently vote Conservative.
The county is filled with the history of the American West. There are abandoned mines, mining camps now overgrown with trees and brush. Besides the small "towns" that dot across the county, there are ranches and farms and logging. In fact, the county still has just one remaining sawmill in operation.
Yes, some folks in Josephine County, which is actually larger than the state of Rhode Island, don't care for the Sheriff Office's attitude and are taking matters into their own hands.
Citizens are now taking over the duties of the County Sheriff's deputies..
Yes, they are in fact stepping forward, strapping on pistols and are volunteering to guard communities themselves.
One such citizen is Sam Nichols, a retired marina manager. He has organized a posse of about a dozen fed-up residents who have started patrolling the small community of O'Brien with its 750 residents.
"I believe in standing up for myself rather than waiting for the government to do something for me," said Sam Nichols, a retired marina manager.
"We call ourselves the CAC Patrol, Citizens Against Crime," he said.
Another CAC Patrol member, Glenn Woodbury, an electrical supplies distributor, wears a .45-caliber automatic pistol in a shoulder holster when he goes out.
He says he carries the weapon only for protection and that members of the patrol consider it their primary responsibility to gather information, such as a license plate number, that would allow deputies to make an arrest.
Since the patrols started a few months ago, group members have reported a wildfire being set and someone trying to break into an SUV. The police log in the Grants Pass Daily Courier shows five thefts or burglaries in O'Brien from January through July, but none since August.
"These people know they no longer own the night," Woodbury said of potential criminals.
"They can't back a pickup up to somebody's home when you've got patrols watching," he added.
At the O'Brien crossroads, a flashing yellow light and a '50s-era police car, parked permanently on the shoulder, slow what passes for traffic in front of the general store, post office, gas station, restaurant, and RV park.
There also is a bar with a sign proclaiming, "Bikers Welcome."
Nichols says he decided to start the patrols after someone stole a travel trailer from his property over the summer.
He called a community meeting in August and wore a .38 special revolver, handed down from his father, in a leather holster on his belt.
About 100 people showed up, one of whom recognized a photo of his trailer and knew where it had been stashed.
Sheriff Gilbertson, however, declined to try to retrieve it.
"I didn't have the resources to deal with it at that time," the sheriff said. "Pretty much, what we're doing now is person-to-person crime."
Taking Ownership When Others Fail To Do So
In response, members of the CAC Patrol have taken to slapping magnetic gold stars and flashing amber lights on their vehicles to keep watch over the community on their own. Many carry pistols and plastic ties for handcuffs.
"If we stand shoulder to shoulder, they don't have a chance," Nichols said. "And that's what we're doing."
Another such citizen is retired law enforcement officer Ken Selig, who was the longest-serving law enforcement officer in all three local agencies when he was forced to retire from the department due to previous cuts.
He told Fox News that he found the Sheriff's Office press release to be completely unacceptable. So this angry citizen felt compelled to guard his community's vulnerable members.
"Who else is going to protect you when your government can't?" Selig said.
Selig and his friend Pete Scaglione formed the North Valley Community Watch, a county-wide organization dedicated to helping citizens in non-life-threatening situations, primarily property crimes.
It is important to note that the North Valley Community Watch group is just one of a handful of community groups that have formed since the cuts.
Fact is, without a highly staffed Sheriff's Office, their mission is broader than the typical neighborhood watch group.
Up in Josephine County in Oregon, Mr Selig's community watch group is filling in the law enforcement cracks and now meets once a month to discuss crime and teach its approximately 100 members about personal safety.
Believe it or not, the group also has a trained "response team," which consists of 12 people who will respond to the scene of a reported non-life-threatening situation if called.
Though the "response team" members do carry legal firearms, Mr Selig said the team's main goal is to provide a deterrent presence, and that none of them have ever fired a shot.
He said those involved in his group believe there is no substitute for well-trained law enforcement, but they feel they have no other choice but to protect their community.
"We believe responsible citizens doing responsible things make it hard for criminals to do irresponsible things," he said.
Mr Selig believes politics are behind the county government's decision to not funnel what funds they do have toward law enforcement.
To show how savvy Mr Selig is, he says the county government seems to be pressuring the citizens to pass an additional tax hike they cannot afford.
"The key is to get the funding somewhere where the local people can get the services they need," Selig said.
Here's The Difference
The other side as represented by Josephine County Commissioner Keith Heck who said residents of the county that opposed the tax levy need to realize there is no fat to cut.
Heck said the county has tried to live within the bounds of its fiscal realities, but citizens need to realize the options for paying for law enforcement are limited.
"The county coffers are at the bottom of the barrel," he said.
Heck said, though he supports neighborhood watch groups and citizens being vigilant in their community, the rise of increasingly "aggressive" community watch groups make him worried the situation could escalate to violence.
Of course there are no cases of such going on yet, but that doesn't stop the Pro-Bigger Government groups to point out that Neighborhood Watch Groups have been under increasing scrutiny nationally ever since the George Zimmerman case in Florida.
It doesn't matter if George Zimmerman used deadly force against Trayvon Martin who was trying to kill him, the Liberal media has given Sainthood to Martin - deserved or not.
Referring to Neighborhood Watch Groups stepping forward and taking ownership of the situation, Commissioner Heck threw a jab at the citizens banding together to furnish their own security, by saying, "These things seem good on the PR side but fail a little in the reality side."
Yet, what the Commissioner failed to mention is that since the citizens have stepped forward and assumed ownership of thier liberties, crime in down because patrols are now being conducted in areas that the local government wrote off as not being critical.
While citizen groups are forming and patrols are up, information is also getting out by way of web posses. And yes, in many ways, these posses are functioning better than calling 911.
Web Posse?
While some have put together physical patrols, others citizens have put together a virtual neighborhood watch and uses Facebook to share tips and information.
One retired sheriff's deputy has started a Facebook page called "To Catch a Thief," an open group that has nearly 1,200 members who post reports of crimes that aren't priorities for the county sheriff's office.
"In a rural community like this, we all know each other, and we're all related," said Carol Dickson, who started the group about three months ago and posts regularly.
"People know who's doing this," she said of the property crimes around Cave Junction, a town of nearly 2,000 people about 30 miles from the county seat of Grants Pass.
"They are getting tired of it," Dickson said. "They are speaking up, and they are saying, `Enough!'"
For her part, Dickson, who retired from the Josephine County Sheriff's Office before Sheriff Gilbertson was elected and has frequently been at odds with the man who replaced her old boss, says her digital network has helped make the Illinois Valley safer.
She says her group has tracked down stolen property, including several cars, and even helped deputies arrest a man on drug charges.
Despite her differences with Sheriff Gilbertson, she won't let people post rants about the sheriff's department. And yes, many agree when she says her group serves a vital function.
"When you have tweakers and drugs, you're going to have thefts and burglaries," she said, citing methamphetamine abuse as the root of many of the property crimes in the area.
Dickson says there isn't enough space in the county jail and that deputies don't pursue property crimes as they should.
She said criminals "know they aren't going to get punished." She added, "Nobody gets arrested. Nobody gets charged."
So What Do The Police Say?
Remember, Josephine County has a population about 83,000, recently lost $12 million in federal timber county subsidies.
The jail, sheriff's patrols, prosecutors, probation officers and juvenile programs have all been cut. Cuts that the county were sure that the citizens would remedy with even more taxes.
County lockup has room for 69 inmates – only enough space for the worst offenders. As a result, theft and burglary suspects are regularly turned loose, supposedly only to be picked up later for new crimes.
Detractors of the citizen posses say that is a result of voting no for higher taxes and citizens doing the job of deputies.
Supporters say that's higher taxes are just legalized extortion, and it is taking ownership of their security was just a logical step to alleviate crime.
Besides, those wanting more taxes are trying to make the situation - both before and after the cuts as it was not.
For example, reports have it that there was a revolving door at the jail long before the cuts ever took effect - definitely before the citizens stepped forward to take ownership of the situation.
Can Citizens Do The Job?
It might just turn out to better security coverage than simply depending on the police for everything.
Nichols nor Dickson doesn't think the sheriff would do a better job of protecting their end of the county with more resources. And from reports up there, they are right.
They both voted no on a tax proposal to make up the $12 million loss and say they would do so again if county commissioners brought the issue back up.
Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson says he's glad for the help but warns that law enforcement is dangerous work.
"They need to really understand there are consequences that can be very costly, physically as well as legally," he said, explaining that volunteers could get sued or shot if they pull a gun on someone or make a false arrest.
"Most of them haven't had what I feel is an adequate level of training to do that they do," he said. "But if they serve as eyes and ears and only report what they see to law enforcement, I think they can keep themselves at a safe level."
And yes, I'd say that's fairly magnanimous for a man who told folks to flee the county!
One policing expert Dennis Kenney, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, says neighborhood watch efforts can be positive but turn into problems when volunteers "decide that instead of supplementing law enforcement, they are going to replace law enforcement. Then you cross potentially into vigilantism."
Kenney said vigilantes tend to get "out of control – especially when people are armed."
He added that "people drawn to this sort of thing are the kinds of personalities more likely to take it too far."
Besides that rural area being nothing like New York City, Nichols who started CAC says what his group is doing is "not vigilantism at all."
"If it was, we would have taken care of a couple of problems a long time ago," he added. "Because we knew who they were, and where they lived."
What Kenney fails to mention is the historical significance of citizens "replacing law enforcement."
Before there were organized law enforcement agencies, citizens took care of things themselves.
For hundreds of years before the advent of organized Police Departments in the United States, it was up to the citizenry to provide for their own security.
Organized police departments did not really exist in the United States until the early 1820s, a little less than two hundred years ago.
I know someone will write to tell me about the Roman Centurions and so on, but in reality most security in ancient times were conducted by their military.
The citizenry, through either obligatory service or volunteerism ensured the security for most for hundreds of years - especially in smaller villages and towns of no military importance and subsequently no military presence.
Unlike people in cities like San Francisco or Seattle, the citizens of Josephine County Oregon are rural independent folks who are not used to depending on the government for much more than being a pain in the rump.
They fend for themselves and wouldn't think twice about policing themselves.
When the cuts took place, the residents there did exactly that and decided to take matters into their own hands by creating Neighborhood Watch and Citizen Watch groups - including armed patrols.
Yes there is an angst on the part of County Officials.
Like it or not, these citizens groups are doing the job in direct defiance of local officials.
Government authorities are spending a lot of their time and money in an effort to spread the false story that the decision of the citizenry to take ownership of their own security has raised safety concerns.
And yes, the county government would prefer residents instead hike their own taxes to fund the hiring of trained deputies.
While the county authorities voice dire consequences to citizens providing their own security, such as, "despite the risks, the move stands as a unique, some would say innovative, response to one of the country's most severe local budget crunches."
So what has been the motivation for citizens to take things into their own hands?
Historically, since the establishment of organized police departments, citizen groups have taken over the policing of their towns, cities, or counties, for only a few reasons:
1) when crime is so rampant and there is not enough paid law enforcement to do the job, 2) when the police are so corrupt that the lawlessness is part of the city or county government, 3) when city or county government is so corrupt that their is no law enforcement to handle the problem, or 4) when the economy demands changes because of cuts to services and some sort of supplementation such as volunteerism is required.
Whether it's citizens taking it upon themselves to mow the lawns around city hall, or supplement cross-guards or bus drivers or a local fire departments by including more volunteer fire-fighters, it is nothing new for citizens to step forward and assume the jobs that need to be done when fiscal cuts are made.
It has been my experience that during great economic times people don't mind putting out more money, but during hard times of high unemployment and raising prices both at the gas pump and the grocery shelves - all of our pennies are looked at.
Because the unemployment rate in Josephine County Oregon is well above 10%, I'm not surprised that they do not want their taxes raised to pay for more officers - especially when it is unjustified because crime is down and there are citizens who are experienced to help organize and conduct security without the police.
The Local Government Is Threatened
Typical of most County Officials who see higher taxes as the only solution to problems, Mr Heck said the only real solution is for the county citizens to approve more funds through higher property taxes.
Using a Christmas analogy, Heck went on to say, "There is this little shimmer out there of some giant Santa that is going to come and drop all this money on us because we are well-meaning folks. The sleigh is broken, the deer are dead, it's not going to happen. We have to figure out how we are going to solve this problem."
That's Code for: We want more of your money, like it or not.
And no, guys like Heck don't usually spend a lot of time looking for places to cut waste or stop the program that has been a sink hole for taxpayer dollars.
They usually shoot for the easy target of raising taxes and taking taxpayer money. And please, please don't kid yourself - we are all taxpayers in one way or another.
And yes, while Mr Heck may be taken as being very clever with his use of saying that Santa is not coming to the county's rescue with more tax dollars from others - it's too bad that Mr Heck did not use the other Christmas analogy.
He should have made reference to the fact that when Joseph and Mary were informed that that there was no room at the inn - that they did not simply give up looking for options.
Instead, looking for a place to rest, they settled on less luxurious accommodations and settled on what some would consider horrible conditions.
I don't know anyone who couldn't use more money for this or that. We'd all love to afford what we cannot.
Like most of us who cannot simply ask others to simply raise our salaries and income, or simply raise the level of our retirement, or get others to simply deposit more money in our savings, cities and counties across America have to live within their means.
Why do people like Keith Heck always see raising taxes as the only solution?
Voters are tired of constantly being asked for more tax money to pay for outrageous salaries, unnecessary equipment, huge ridiculous retirement packages, and government waste - then have guys like Heck say the voters need to approve more funds.
Government bureaucrats hate it when citizens like Nichols and Selig and others create solutions without raising taxes.
In this case by forming volunteer security organizations like neighborhood watch groups which are really no different than volunteer fire departments and other citizen's groups to fill the purpose.
So why would Government Bureaucrats hate seeing citizens step forward?
It is because they don't like the taxpayers seeing that those programs or people or agency was really not that important in the bigger scheme of things.
Government hates it when citizens learn that the Government is not needed.
Government services are not needed when it becomes too expensive to keep. When government is so expensive that its citizens suffer at the cost of keeping government employees sitting pretty, government services may have to be curtailed.
As in the case of law enforcement and fire, citizens can come together to find out just how little they really need the government.
Citizens can provide their own "essential services" - especially when it comes with a heavy price tag of legalized extortion by way of higher taxes.
Either way, taxes or extortion, it is a price tag that more and more Americans simply can't afford. And in response, yes, they are taking ownership of their own services including security.
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