New warranty policy on boules

We sometimes get calls from people who just got a brand new set of boules from us and - guess what - they lost one or even more than one game. Life is not fair! It can be devastating.
Therefore we now give an unconditional warranty: "You lose, you get your money back".
Click on the certificate for details.

New warranty policy on boules

We sometimes get calls from people who just got a brand new set of boules from us and - guess what - they lost one or even more than one game. Life is not fair! It can be devastating.
Therefore we now give an unconditional warranty: "You lose, you get your money back".
Click on the certificate for details.

National Mens Doubles 2008

Juan (mid) & Mo (right) won this years' title in Sarasota over the weekend, organized by Gilles (left) of the Sarasota Petanque Club. Bravo!
Are we proud they're coming to Winston-Salem on May 17!

And so is Khalid, previously from La Boule NY, who now lives in Charlotte. He was selected for the US National team in Grenoble in 2006.
There will be some serious petanque. Now where are all the Carolina players? We do need you to sign up by April 30 so we can get organized.

National Mens Doubles 2008

Juan (mid) & Mo (right) won this years' title in Sarasota over the weekend, organized by Gilles (left) of the Sarasota Petanque Club. Bravo!
Are we proud they're coming to Winston-Salem on May 17!

And so is Khalid, previously from La Boule NY, who now lives in Charlotte. He was selected for the US National team in Grenoble in 2006.
There will be some serious petanque. Now where are all the Carolina players? We do need you to sign up by April 30 so we can get organized.

Google Message Discovery now available online

Posted by Bill Kee, Product Marketing

We're happy to announce that Google Message Discovery is now available for purchase online. Google Message Discovery is a package of online services that gives businesses more control over the storage and security of their email. Now any business, small or large, can easily implement strong email security as well as reliable archiving.

The cornerstone of Google Message Discovery is email archiving. What is email archiving? Many businesses already have some email backup because they recognize it's critical to:

• recover lost mail
• comply with regulations regarding email retention
  
• access emails in response to a litigation or other investigation
  

The problem is, the backup systems many businesses use, such as tape drives or extra email servers, aren't sufficient. It's costly and complex to store huge amounts of data on email servers. And it's nearly impossible to find specific emails quickly when searching through a pile of backup tapes.

Email archiving is different. Unlike a backup, an archiving service:

• provides storage that automatically scales with your needs
  
• captures all sent and received messages (Backup systems merely take a snapshot of your mail storage at a certain time, say every night at midnight, and don't capture messages that may have been sent and then deleted in the meantime)
  
• allows specific policies to be set around message retention time periods
  
• allows authorized administrators to search across email for all users quickly
  

The message archiving service in Google Message Discovery is designed to help businesses of all sizes easily achieve these goals. It's included with Google Apps Premier Edition, and also supports other email systems, such as Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Domino.

Since the service is hosted by Google, there's no hardware or software to install. And it provides powerful search tools to help you quickly locate relevant emails when you need them. Message Discovery also includes email filtering and security, which blocks spam, viruses and other threats before they reach your servers or inbox.

We see email archiving and security as a foundational element for helping businesses organize their information and make it accessible and useful. And now that we've made it available online- starting at $25 per user, per year- we look forward to helping organizations quickly take greater control over their email.

Google Docs and offline access

Posted by Pamela Saenger, Google Apps Marketing Manager

Today, the Google Docs team began launching offline access to English interface users. With Google Gears working behind the scenes, users will be able to view their docs lists and view and edit documents, all without an Internet connection. You can see it in action in this video starring Ken Norton, the Google Docs product manager.

While the initial launch is rolling out first to personal Google Docs users, it will launch later to Google Apps domains. If you're eager to have your Apps users try it out as early as possible, you can opt in your domain via the admin control panel (find out more in the Google Apps Help Center).

For more on this launch, check out the post on the Google Docs blog.

April Giveaway - 3 Issues of Tyndale Bulletin

This month's giveaway consists of 3 issues of Tyndale Bulletin:

46.1 (1995)
46.2 (1995)
47.2 (1996)

You will find a table of contents for these issues here.

To enter leave a comment below saying which issue you would like (one per person please). I will pick the winners at random and post their names sometime in the week of the 7th April. Remember to check my blog entries or subscribe to my site feed so you don't miss the announcement.

Finally Made It to 67 Burger

I made a lunch visit to the newish 67 Burger of Fort Greene Brooklyn the other day. Seems they did their research before opening because the best parts of just about every new burger joint in NYC can be felt here: fresh ground burgers cooked over a flame (Stand, Burger Joint, GoodBurger, etc.), Bosco soda on tap (the other Burger Joint), and they even use the same exact ordering system as brgr with those numbers-on-a-stick you bring to your table. They did adopt one bad trait though and offer Dijon mustard like so many so-called 'upscale' burger purveyors do in New York. Fortunately, when I asked for mustard, they did ask, "Dijon or yellow?" Whew. I wonder what becomes their default mustard though? The menu is vast, laid out like a flow chart, offering an astounding array of options (8 types of cheese??) and many ways to dress your burger. The burger I had was amazing (with mustard and pickle), and dare I say the juiciest I've ever eaten. I ordered mine 'medium' the way I normally would and the burger arrived at temp. My first bite produced an audible slurp and gulp followed by a gush of juices. A burger cooked through with a pink center is not the type you'd associate with gushing juices. Within seconds, the bottom bun had disintegrated. 67 makes a great, thick, juicy burger even though it's a bit over-salted. Don't forget to order a Bosco soda, and stick to the yellow mustard.

Finally Made It to 67 Burger

I made a lunch visit to the newish 67 Burger of Fort Greene Brooklyn the other day. Seems they did their research before opening because the best parts of just about every new burger joint in NYC can be felt here: fresh ground burgers cooked over a flame (Stand, Burger Joint, GoodBurger, etc.), Bosco soda on tap (the other Burger Joint), and they even use the same exact ordering system as brgr with those numbers-on-a-stick you bring to your table. They did adopt one bad trait though and offer Dijon mustard like so many so-called 'upscale' burger purveyors do in New York. Fortunately, when I asked for mustard, they did ask, "Dijon or yellow?" Whew. I wonder what becomes their default mustard though? The menu is vast, laid out like a flow chart, offering an astounding array of options (8 types of cheese??) and many ways to dress your burger. The burger I had was amazing (with mustard and pickle), and dare I say the juiciest I've ever eaten. I ordered mine 'medium' the way I normally would and the burger arrived at temp. My first bite produced an audible slurp and gulp followed by a gush of juices. A burger cooked through with a pink center is not the type you'd associate with gushing juices. Within seconds, the bottom bun had disintegrated. 67 makes a great, thick, juicy burger even though it's a bit over-salted. Don't forget to order a Bosco soda, and stick to the yellow mustard.

ARVC March Blog

ARVC March Blog

Is a seasonal camping space right for you, or should you take your camper on the road and experience several camping locations?

These are questions that campers may ask themselves at different times in their lives. Whether it’s when they get their first travel trailer or their third motorhome, different times in life bring different camping needs and desires.

Having a seasonal site - a destination that you can take advantage of each weekend or vacation that you can get away - makes sense to many people who see their RV or motorhome as a second home or vacation home. However, for others, the experience of finding someplace new to enjoy makes more sense, so they enjoy hitting the road each weekend or vacation time they can manage to get away.

But whether you choose to hit the same spot each time, knowing that your home on wheels with some possible amenities you won’t receive at a weekend only getaway - such as a permanent deck off your RV or knowing your weekend neighbors - or your choose the freshness of something new - visiting new parks with new experiences and activities, you can find many places to enjoy your RV. And with spring here and warmer days on the horizon, now is the time to make your choice - permanent or transient.

One way to decide is to try a park that offers seasonal sites during the summer and see what you think. Talk to the seasonal park users and see if they seem to have the same expectations from their destination as you.

Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself to determine what is best for you:

Do I want to haul my camper once this season, or would I rather drive it regularly to my destination?

Do I want to visit the same place each weekend, or each time I can get away, or do I want fresh experiences?

Do I want to leave things where they are, and just bring what we’ll need for the weekend or week, whatever the length of visit?

Do I have the time to make reservations for each weekend or vacation?

Would I rather make my reservation once - in the spring?

Will I use my camper enough to cover the cost of the seasonal site?

Will I use my camper more if I have it readily available for spontaneous trips?

Will I tire of the same place?

Do I see my RV as a second home?

Do I see my RV as a home on wheels that can take me to new places?

Whatever your answers to these questions, here are some parks you may want to try. They offer both weekend and seasonal sites.

* Honcho Rest Campground, Elk Rapids, Mich. Opened May 1-Oct. 7 with 58 sites.

* Adirondack Camping Village, Lake George, N.Y. Opened Mid-May-Mid-Sept. with 165 sites.

* Pinecrest RV Park Resort, Russell Springs, Ky. Opened April 1-Oct. 31 with 50-plus sites.

* Beaver Lake Campground, Custer, S.D. Opened March 1-Oct.1

Suburban Living and Greenhouse Emissions

Atlanta

When the Carvalhos lived in the city, they only had one car. But when they moved to the suburbs, they needed two. Both get a lot of use. The amount of gasoline they burn is the biggest reason the family's greenhouse gas emissions have more than doubled since they moved.

Climate Connections - NPR (listen here)

Suburban Living and Greenhouse Emissions

Atlanta

When the Carvalhos lived in the city, they only had one car. But when they moved to the suburbs, they needed two. Both get a lot of use. The amount of gasoline they burn is the biggest reason the family's greenhouse gas emissions have more than doubled since they moved.

Climate Connections - NPR (listen here)

Al Gore "we" Alliance for Climate Protection

Al Gore, left, is busy again. This time he has launched the Alliance for Climate Protection's "we" campaign, which utilizes television commercials and the internet to promote public awareness and legislation to reduce greenhouse gases. His campaign will spend even more money than Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton put together for their presidential campaigns - $300 million. That's a lot of advertising. Half of the money has already been raised from private sources. Hey don't forget about AAEA. The Alliance will be headed by Cathy Zoi, right.

Earlier this month the former vice president announced that he was investing $35 million in Capricorn Investment Group (CIG), an environmentally friendly hedge fund company that makes investments that will help the planet. (AAEA Article) Will the "we" campaign also provide indirect advertising for the hedge fund? Or will CIG complement "we?" It will probably be a combination of the two. [Carbon Mercantile Exchange (CMX) - Use It Now]

Dovish pro-Israel lobby

Meretz USA has cordial relations with the people involved in the development of a liberal pro-Israel lobby. After a year and a half of speculation, the press is announcing its birth (see front-page article in this week’s NY Jewish Week). We have word that this is about two weeks before it was meant to be unveiled.

Jeremy Ben-Ami is a key figure in this effort, along with Daniel Levy, a British oleh (immigrant to Israel) who will shortly return to Israel after a stint on a think-tank fellowship in Washington, DC working on peace process issues. I once shared a speaking platform on a panel with Jeremy, a most cordial and impressive individual. His bio includes his current position as senior vice president of Fenton Communications and being a deputy domestic policy advisor for President Clinton. On American-Israel issues, he has worked for the Center for Middle East Peace, the New Israel Fund and the Geneva Initiative-North America. He is also currently a member of the board of Americans for Peace Now.

The following is part of a long comprehensive article, well worth reading, "A Liberal Israel Lobby" by Gershom Gorenberg in the April 2008 issue of Prospect Magazine, a British publication (hence the spelling):

... It is easier, even cheaper, for America to keep Israel strong than to defend it directly. But Washington must also accommodate Arab allies. ...getting Arabs and Israelis to agree [on] a peace deal would resolve the contradictions in US policy—andwould be the best guarantee of Israeli security. The question then becomes one of how much the US should lean towards providing for Israel's immediate security needs, and how much it should be pushing Israel towards a peace agreement as a strategic solution.

Aipac, according to sources familiar with Capitol Hill lobbying, tries to keep US policy almost entirely on the side of security needs, of protecting an embattled Israel. ... Aipac does not come out explicitly against peace efforts. But the list of initiatives it boasts of promoting includes nothing aimed at a two-state solution, and much aimed at restricting US relations with the Palestinians and otherArab and Muslim actors.

...As MJ Rosenberg of the dovish Israel Policy Forum comments, "They create an atmosphere on Capitol Hill that is sceptical of Palestinians in any shape or form."Another knowledgeable source explained to me that Aipac promotes an American stance that the Palestinian side is the one "responsible for what is going wrong, and it hasto prove itself first. And if that's always going to be the definition of the peace process, they've killed it from the start."

Aipac has reportedly created hurdles even when the Israeli government itself has tried to make peace. In1995, for example, Aipac backed a bill in congress tomove the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The legislation looked pro-Israel. But as Michael Massing argued in the New York Review of Books and elsewhere, it was actually an ambush for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was negotiating with the Palestinians. Moving the embassy would have thrown a spanner into the Oslo peace talks. (The bill passed, but with a loophole enabling Presidents Clinton and Bush to avoid the move to Jerusalem.)

Another of the things that a responsible researcher could say with confidence is that within US politics, Aipac does not represent the views of American Jews. In 2004, only 24 per cent of Jews voted for Bush, according to exit polls. Yet when Bush spoke at Aipac's convention earlier that year, delegates reportedly interrupted him 67 times with ovations and chants of "Four more years!"

The liberal Jewish tilt even applies to middle east issues. The American Jewish Committee's most recent year-end survey of Jewish opinion showed a 46-43 plurality of US Jews in favour of establishing a Palestinian state. Support for the war in Iraq is consistently lower among Jews than among Americans ingeneral. The AJC survey showed 57-35 per cent opposition among US Jews to American military action to stop Iran's nuclear programme.

As for Aipac, one of its current legislative concerns is promoting a hawkish position towards Iran. The organisation's website celebrates its role in the passage last year of the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, a Senate resolution on Iran. Among other provisions, theamendment labels the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation. Democratic critics of the resolution saythat it could open the door to the Bush administration going to war against Iran. Nonetheless, 76 out of 100 senators voted for it—meaning it got a majority even among Democrats.

That vote came too late for Mearsheimer and Walt to describe, but it raises a big question: how significant is Aipac's role in influencing Democratic lawmakers to take stances apparently to the right both of their constituency and of US Jewish opinion? This is not a rhetorical question; other pressures must be accounted for too, including Democrats' abiding fears of appearing insufficiently muscular.

In any case, Mearsheimer and Walt did not write the sober and balanced book that we need on this emotional subject. Among other things, they described the neoconservative movement as being a subset of the Israel lobby rather than a wider political stream for whomIsrael is just one concern—and whose positions on the middle east sometimes differ sharply from that of the Israeli government. The neocons, for example, thought they could democratise Arab countries; Israeli officials and experts generally fear that democracy will empower Islamic extremists or destabilise their neighbours, and they were ambivalent about the invasion of Iraq.

Yet perhaps the most striking flaw is that Mearsheimer and Walt accept Aipac's own claims regarding its power and who it represents. "In 24 hours, we could have the signatures of 70 senators on this napkin," they quote an Aipac official telling a journalist, and they insist it is not bluster. Though they sometimes note that "the lobby" is not the same as the American Jewish community, they also cite guesstimates that Jews provide between 20and 60 per cent of donations to the Democratic party and its presidential candidates, and explain this as basic to "the lobby's" influence.

In a strange way, the book thereby becomes an advertisement for Aipac: the organisation's attraction for supporters is the power of its influence overcongress and US policy. Its allure to candidates is its influence over Jewish donations and, to a lesser extent, votes. There's a truth here, as we have seen, but there is also a mythic shadow and politicians are sometimes frightened of the shadow. The potential for a counter-Aipac dovish lobby lies, in part, in dispelling fear of the shadow. The concern of US politicians to stay in Aipac's good books becomes especially clear during election campaigns. Its status as a lobby means it is not allowed to directly raise money for candidates, or to endorse them. Instead, explains Rosenberg, it works closely with"50 to 60" political action committees—the bodies that actually raise and dispense donations.

One way for a politician to gain Aipac's approval is to publish a position paper on Israel, such as one that Hillary Clinton posted on her website last year. She begins by praising Israel as "a beacon of what democracy can and should be." She asserts that "Israel's right to…an undivided Jerusalem as its capital… must never be questioned." (Israel's vice-premier, Haim Ramon, is among those who supports negotiating a political division of Jerusalem.) She defends "Israel's right to build a security barrier" without mentioning that it runs through occupied territory, meaning Israeli settlements in the West Bank are de facto annexed to Israel. Indeed, the paper contains no mention of settlement, occupation, or helpful changes in Israeli policy. In Israel, it would place her firmly on the political right.

Clinton's rival for the Democratic nomination, BarackObama, has his own policy statement on Israel, opening with a snippet of a speech he gave to an Aipac forum. Strikingly, though, his paper includes a promise to"work towards two states living side by side in peaceand security." Obama has also been more forthright in calling for a shift in strategy towards Iran, including direct talks. Click here to read the entire article.

F.F. Bruce on Daniel's First Verse

The following article is now available on-line in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "Daniel's First Verse," The Bible Student ns 21.2 (April 1950): 70-78.

The material in this article has been repeated in other sources many times since it was written, but it remains a good treatment of Daniel 1:1 from a conservative viewpoint.

Had To Stop at Steak 'N Shake

On my recent 19 hour visit to Orlando for the Florida Film Festival (see previous post) I had to stop at one of my favorite burger chains, TWICE. Yup, I don't get to enjoy Steak 'N Shake where I live so eating two double steakburgers with cheese, pickles, and mustard was a must (one for dinner when I arrived then one for lunch on the way to the airport). The reason Steak 'N Shake is sooo good is that they use fresh ground beef for their burgers. I like to sit at the counter and watch as the griddle person takes smallish wads of fresh ground and presses them paper-thin on the flattop griddle. The buns are toasted and the shakes are made with real ice cream. That slogan on the plate dates back to the 1930s when they used to grind the meat right in front of the customers, much like the way Joe's Cable Car in San Fran does. We need a Steak 'N Shake in NYC.

Had To Stop at Steak 'N Shake

On my recent 19 hour visit to Orlando for the Florida Film Festival (see previous post) I had to stop at one of my favorite burger chains, TWICE. Yup, I don't get to enjoy Steak 'N Shake where I live so eating two double steakburgers with cheese, pickles, and mustard was a must (one for dinner when I arrived then one for lunch on the way to the airport). The reason Steak 'N Shake is sooo good is that they use fresh ground beef for their burgers. I like to sit at the counter and watch as the griddle person takes smallish wads of fresh ground and presses them paper-thin on the flattop griddle. The buns are toasted and the shakes are made with real ice cream. That slogan on the plate dates back to the 1930s when they used to grind the meat right in front of the customers, much like the way Joe's Cable Car in San Fran does. We need a Steak 'N Shake in NYC.

The Perils of Suing Your Critics

We often think of the nexus between legal and communications issues as dealing with media coverage that results when (1) you sue or (2) you get sued. But what if the coverage comes first? Should you sue your critics?

From the standpoint of legal perception issues, in most cases the answer is no.

Herb Greenberg makes this point in the context of financial and investment coverage in his "Weekend Investor" column last Saturday in The Wall Street Journal (here, although a subscription may be required). Two great opening paragraphs sum things up quite nicely:

You would think that by now public companies that monkey with their numbers would get the hint: Suing critics almost always backfires.

If nothing else, lawsuits or other attempts to discredit short-sellers, bearish analysts and others -- including financial journalists -- are often, in an oddly backhanded way, confirmation that the critics will be proved right.

Greenberg then goes on to describe how Biovail, a Canadian drug company, sued a number of its critics, including Gradient, an independent research firm, for racketeering. Specifically, Biovail alleged Gradient was working with short sellers to spread negative information about Biovail's alleged accounting fraud. Biovail generated alot of publicity as a result of the lawsuit, and that caught the eye of the SEC, which opened an investigation of Gradient. The investigation was quickly dropped, but in the process, the SEC learned enough about Gradient's concerns with Biovail to sue Biovail for accounting fraud. Biovail recently settled the charges without admitting wrongdoing, by paying $10 million to the SEC.

Poetic justice, perhaps, but a lesson to companies looking to sue their critics as well.

As more proof, consider the case of Sharper Image (a good summary is here), whose 2003 lawsuit against Consumers Union, nonprofit publishers of Consumer Reports, just brought more attention to the fact that their franchise product, the Ionic Breeze air cleaner, didn't work. Sharper Image's case against Consumer Reports failed, and the company wound up paying Consumer Unions attorney's fees. Sharper Image declared bankruptcy in February, 2008.

All of this backs up a key refrain in my legal/public relations work: just because you can sue doesn't mean you should. A quick check of the recording industry's problems bear that out. Sure, there are myriad reasons why traditional recording labels are hurting, but they certainly didn't endear themselves to their fans by suing over the downloading of music -- even if they were in the right legally (see my 2003 USA Today piece on the RIAA's legal actions, here).

There are legitimate reasons to sue your critics, particularly over defamatory content. But before you do, think hard about: (1) the viability of your claim; and (2) the additional scrutiny the lawsuit will bring to your company and its own actions.

LNG Projects Failing Because of Failure To Use AAEA Advice

AAEA has been working very hard to get the attention of liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies in order to get approval for needed natural gas projects to fuel American households and utility company power plants. Although we are not crazy about using natural gas as a 'baseload' electricity generation fuel (we prefer nuclear for baseload because it is emission free), it is excellent for heating homes and for cooking. It is also a very good fuel for gas turbine generators for production of 'peaking' electricity needs. We do not have enough natural gas in the USA to satisfy demand and we have are already using all that Canada can provide. Drilling offshore and on federally owned land is limited and so imported LNG is the only reasonable alternative left to provide the gas we need. AAEA has monitored, participated in, and promoted LNG projects all over the United States, but the companies have refused to listen to our advice and the projects have either been killed by local governments or have stalled. We hope that the owners of pending projects will avoid the pitfalls of companies that have failed to build their billion dollar projects by not listening to the most insightful environmental group in the USA.

Well what is AAEA advocating that the companies are ignoring you might ask? We are happy to answer. LNG projects have a funny way of finding minority communities. Although we are amazed by this phenomenon, environmental injustice issues do not have to be project killers if companies are prepared to take actions to appropriately address these issues. Even in one case where the rich are claiming environmental injustice (Malibu), appropriate accomodations can be made. AAEA recommends two strategies for getting project approval: 1) ownership partnerships and 2) property purchases. These projects usually come with proposals for pipelines. Consider allowing minority ownership of the pipeline. If a project is proposed near a community, offer buyouts to property owners. Finally, states must accept the fact that these facilites must be located somewhere, so they must resist the temptation to surrender to every NIMBY complaint lodged anywhere, anytime, by anyone, all the time. All parties, except selfish, extremist NIMBY protagonists, must be satisfied in order to get project approval. Now if a company would rather have the project killed than partner with a minority company, then we hope the project fails. But if you really want the project, then call us. We know how to do this. (More AAEA & LNG)

Bad Publicity For Merck Asthma Drug Singulair Unconscionable

Singulair is a miracle medication that has significantly enhanced the life of our organization's president. AAEA President Norris McDonald, who has severe asthma, reports that Singulair has been incredibly successful in relieving his asthma symptoms and that any suggestion linking it to suicide is simply ridiculous. We suggest that Merck seriously consider suing any and all entities reporting or advertising such nonsense. We also suggest that any family scared into not using the product, and such stoppage leads to injury, should also sue, in class action, any and all entities publicizing this libel and slander.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should cease and desist from any additional statements regarding suicide related to this product. This product significantly enhances life instead of causing any negative thoughts or feelings. Reports to the contrary are outrageous. Televised reports from news services have stated that there have been 3 suicides out of 31 million Singulair users. The FDA is just as well to review the link between lightning strikes to asthma inhalers causing suicide. We have to state again that to have this pubicized in such a manner is not only unconscionable but also poses a serious risk to the public. AAEA appeals to news services to stop publicizing this fiction immediately.

It is being reported that the FDA is reviewing a handful of reports, not clinical studies, involving mood changes, suicidal behavior and suicide in patients who have taken Singulair. Singulair is used by millions of patients in the U.S. and was first approved in 1998. How the FDA could or would allow these reports to become public without any clinical studies, which are the standard tool for evaluating drug safety, is mind boggling. Published reports indicate that there were no suicides in the 11,000 patients enrolled in 40 Singulair trials. Now Merck will have to spend millions of dollars in advertising to reverse false impressions instead of lowering the price for those who need the medication but do not have health insurance. (The Washington Post)

Hamburger America at the Florida Film Festival

Hamburger America the film will be on the big screen at the Florida Film Festival this Saturday. If you find yourself in mid-Florida, perhaps on a visit to Disney World, come on over to the screening. It'll be at 11am at the Enzian Theater in Maitland, FL (Orlando) and is screening with "This Is My Cheesesteak". I'll be there to answer questions about the film, but my real motive for going is to push the book. That picture above is me filming the grease at Dyer's in Memphis. Can you believe they left me alone with the 90 year-old grease?

Hamburger America at the Florida Film Festival

Hamburger America the film will be on the big screen at the Florida Film Festival this Saturday. If you find yourself in mid-Florida, perhaps on a visit to Disney World, come on over to the screening. It'll be at 11am at the Enzian Theater in Maitland, FL (Orlando) and is screening with "This Is My Cheesesteak". I'll be there to answer questions about the film, but my real motive for going is to push the book. That picture above is me filming the grease at Dyer's in Memphis. Can you believe they left me alone with the 90 year-old grease?

Angry About Our Failure To Reprocess Spent Nuclear Fuel

PRESIDENT'S CORNER. By Norris McDonald. For some unknown reason I woke up angry this morning about how our country seems to have gone soft on building state-of-the-art infrastructure. Even the Space Shuttle will be retired in 2010 and we do not have a replacement. But that is not the source of my frustration and anger. My anger originates from our country's slow pace of building new nuclear power plants, snail-like pace in licensing and opening Yucca Mountain and our country's refusal to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. France reprocesses its spent nuclear fuel. I visited their state-of-the-art facility late last year (see photo below). Well later with anger; something must be done and we have been doing it through the Nuclear Fuels Reprocessing Coalition (NFR Coalition). I am the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the coalition.

La Hague Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Facility - Normandy, France

Standing feet above reprocessed nuclear fuel (I'm in the middle)

[Rest of tour party not members of NFR Coalition]

The Nuclear Fuels Reprocessing Coalition was established in 2002 to promote the construction and operation of nuclear fuels reprocessing facilities. NFR promotes reprocessing commercial spent nuclear fuel that is generated by commercial nuclear power plants. Reprocessing dramatically reduces the amount of high-level radioactive waste that would have to be stored in a geologic repository. The NFR Coalition is working to:

1. Amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 with the Nuclear Waste Management Agency Act of 2008 to establish the United States Nuclear Waste Management Agency to manage all Federal and civilian spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste management programs currently under the control of the United States Department of Energy;
2. Establish and operate low-level radioactive waste receipt, supplementary segregation, treatment and burial or monitored/retrievable storage facilities on a fee basis; and to promote spent nuclear fuel reprocessing as a viable technology to aid in achieving and maintaining our national security and National Energy Policy goals, and for its potential to significantly reduce the total volume of radioactive waste designated for disposal in a Federal geologic repository.

The importance of our proposal is clearly illustrated by recent events. In 2007 the U.S. Department of the Interior decided to disapprove the Goshute Private Fuels Storage LLC (PFS) lease and the use of public lands for an Intermodal Transfer Facility (ITF) in Utah. The ITF would have been a temporary facility to store spent nuclear fuel rods. The DOI was jointly sued by PFS (a consortium of eight electric utility companies) and the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians in the federal court.

Utilities are also suing over the delay in opening Yucca Mountain.The U.S. Court of Claims decided in favor of Xcel Energy (formerly Northern States Power) for the sum of $116.5 million in Xcel's lawsuit against the Department of Energy over the federal government's failure to open the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage facility on time. Northern States Power originally filed the suit in 1998. DOE failed to provide suitable off-site commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) disposal to the commercial nuclear utilities per the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987; yet to date, over $30 billion dollars (including interest) has been paid into the Nuclear Waste Fund by the electric utility ratepayers.

Unfortunately, the projected date for completion of the geologic repository by the DOE to begin emplacement of SNF has recently been revised from 2010 to a new projected date of 2017, while the original Congressionally mandated date for having a geologic repository available was 1998. A fee of 1/10th of one cent (one mil) per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated by each nuclear power plant is paid into the fund. All settlements against the DOE are paid by the Judgment Fund, which is funded by our tax dollars. Understand why I am angry?

Hug a Cyclist

For every instance where a cyclist slows you down, there are 100 times they pass through congested traffic unnoticed. That means one less car in that traffic jam. When you get to your destination and go to park, that cyclist translates into one more available parking space.

Blogger Alex Thompson makes the case.

Hug a Cyclist

For every instance where a cyclist slows you down, there are 100 times they pass through congested traffic unnoticed. That means one less car in that traffic jam. When you get to your destination and go to park, that cyclist translates into one more available parking space.

Blogger Alex Thompson makes the case.

16th Annual EPA Sulfur Dioxide Acid Rain Program Auction

On March 25, 2008, EPA held the acid rain auction giving private citizens, brokers and power plants the opportunity to buy and sell sulfur dioxide (SO2) allowances, as part of the cap and trade program to reduce acid rain. AAEA is registered (NOx)(May 5, 2003) in the Acid Rain allowance trading program, but did not purchase or sell any allowances during this auction. The weighted average of winning bids for 2008 is $389.91. When fully implemented in 2010, the Acid Rain Program will have cut SO2 emissions by 50 percent from 1990 levels. The national emissions cap and SO2 allowance trading work to create one of the most successful environmental programs to date. AAEA is supplementing its registration in the Acid Rain Program by including carbon dioxide in our Carbon Mercantile Exchange (CMX) and Green Carbon Bank (GCB), which are promoted through our Carbon Dioxide Reduction (CDR) Program.

Each allowance is equivalent to one ton of acid rain-causing SO2, emitted from powerplants. The Acid Rain Program uses a market-driven cap-and-trade systemto cut SO2 emissions from power plants. Since 1990, SO2 emissions have declined more than five million tons, and acid deposition in the eastern United States has declined by at least 30percent improving the condition of lakes and streams. The Acid Rain Program has realized human and environmental benefits earlier, and at less cost, than would have occurred with conventional approaches.

Current estimates indicate that program compliance costs are about 75 percent below those initially predicted by EPA. The auction includes two types of allowances: 125,000 offered for use in 2008 and 125,000 additional allowances offered seven years in advance to help provide stability in planning for capital investments. These advance allowances will be available for use in 2015. The number of allowances a source purchases will not permit them to emit SO2 at a level that would violate the health-based national ambient air quality standard.

Meretz problems in context

One recent comment on this blog has noted a Haaretz article that quotes a study critiquing the finances and political functioning and future of the Meretz-Yahad/ Democratic-Israel party. This has been seized upon with some glee by left-wing opponents of Israel, as if the supposed demise of this progressive peace-oriented party would be good for the Palestinian people whom they claim to champion. It’s probably been noted with pleasure by the Zionist right as well, but happily I haven’t heard from this quarter.

One criticism had to do with the very small share of the Israeli-Arab (or Israeli-Palestinian) vote that Meretz garners. This is a challenge, but readers should understand that Israel has three political blocs that are basically Arab parties (two are entirely Arab in orientation and a third is officially bi-national but mostly Arab). Longstanding arrangements and loyalties exist in various Arab communities that cause a substantial number of Arab voters to support Labor, Likud and even (at times) the National Religious Party.

Moreover, Meretz’s disinclination to join a government coalition with which it has principled differences (including the current Kadima-led government that it’s been invited to join more than once), means that it has no favors to offer supporters which come from being in the government. In the past, and probably still today, Labor, Likud and the NRP have garnered Arab votes because of such favors or the prospect of such favors.

This problem does not have to do with any disinclination by Israeli members of Meretz to refer to Arab Israelis as "Palestinian citizens of Israel" (notwithstanding the belief of our frequent kibbitzer and critic, Ted). Meretz activists are usually as PC in their nomenclature as leftists are in this country. Moreover, Meretz is both a Zionist party, endorsing the view that Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, and a bi-national party that advocates the promise of Israel’s declaration of independence for equality under the law for all of its citizens. Toward this end, Meretz practices affirmative action for Arab members. A seventh Knesset seat would have automatically gone to an Israeli Palestinian.

We’ve inquired with our contacts at the World Union of Meretz about that study reported in Haaretz. It was more or less an independent initiative of a Meretz member, not an authorized party document. Though it contains some valid criticisms, its methods were questionable. For example, Jumas (the new party leader, Chaim Oron) was quoted in Haaretz as saying that the report examined the party as if it were a money-making business, not a political party.

The parts that got reported in Haaretz were made to look "juicier" by taking them out of context. The Meretz debt is well under control ("the banks loves us," we were told, because the party is scrupulous in paying off its loans on schedule), and is actually quite small when compared to the debt that’s been run up by other parties in Israel. The party was nowhere near bankruptcy, they said, and the financial recovery plan instituted in 2004 is being adhered to.

ICO criticises health body of FOI failures

Press release
27 March 08

The Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, has strongly criticised Hounslow Primary Care Trust (PCT) for failing to meet its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). The PCT failed to respond adequately to FOI requests, refused to provide all the relevant documents to the requester, missed several key deadlines for responding to both the requester and the Information Commissioner, and has committed numerous breaches of the Act.

Richard Thomas said: ‘Hounslow PCT’s records management is clearly inadequate and its performance in handling this case has been totally unacceptable. The Freedom of Information Act must be properly implemented by public bodies - it is not a voluntary scheme that organisations can dip in and out of - I consider that other health trusts and public authorities could usefully learn lessons from this case.’

During this case the Information Commissioner needed to see the requested materials held by the PCT to make a proper judgement about whether they should be disclosed. The PCT failed on numerous occasions to respond to requests from the ICO to see the relevant information. An Information Notice was served ordering the organisation to supply the required material to the ICO. The PCT failed to respond and Richard Thomas then served draft High Court papers on the PCT – the first time this has happened under FOI - certifying that it was in contempt of court for failing to respond to the Information Notice. The PCT did then provide the information to the ICO.

The Information Commissioner is particularly concerned that, despite assurances that the PCT did not hold some of the specific material requested, it subsequently located relevant documents. This piecemeal approach to disclosure has led the Commissioner to recommend that the PCT reviews its records management system and takes advice from the Records Management Advisory Service at the National Archives.

Full press release

See also:

PCT threatened with court over fight for information - Health Service Journal

Watchdog hits out at NHS trust - Financial Times

Boules on the riverside

Our friend Jerry reports about taking his boules from the US to France (yes, as in "coals to Newcastle") to christen them while on holiday.
I love the last paragraph, and - indeed - once we have enough players over here, I'll be the first to guide one such trip!
Thanks Jerry, for the exquisite images.

My wife and I completed a canal boat trip through Alsace & Loraine, on the Marguerite. There were a number of opportunities (sometimes ending late enough to require use of a flashlight) to play Petanque (notice the glasses of Pastis in some of the photos). A number of our traveling companions became very interested in the game; yes I took three boules with me to christen them in France. A Petanque court has even been installed in the mooring park at the foot of the boat-lift incline on the Rhine-Marne Canal as seen in the background of one of the photos.
Maybe you could organize a trip through France featuring “Petanque Courts of France”; it’s a beautiful country, the people there are delightfully friendly and the food & wine are superb.

Boules on the riverside

Our friend Jerry reports about taking his boules from the US to France (yes, as in "coals to Newcastle") to christen them while on holiday.
I love the last paragraph, and - indeed - once we have enough players over here, I'll be the first to guide one such trip!
Thanks Jerry, for the exquisite images.

My wife and I completed a canal boat trip through Alsace & Loraine, on the Marguerite. There were a number of opportunities (sometimes ending late enough to require use of a flashlight) to play Petanque (notice the glasses of Pastis in some of the photos). A number of our traveling companions became very interested in the game; yes I took three boules with me to christen them in France. A Petanque court has even been installed in the mooring park at the foot of the boat-lift incline on the Rhine-Marne Canal as seen in the background of one of the photos.
Maybe you could organize a trip through France featuring “Petanque Courts of France”; it’s a beautiful country, the people there are delightfully friendly and the food & wine are superb.

Mini piste in Austin

Everbody in US pétanque circles knows Christophe of La Boule NY. Well, right now he's in Austin, TX , and urgently needed an area to train. He calls it "Piste off". But he isn't.
As people say: size is not important (for good players ;-).

Hey Guys—
Here are some pics of my latest endeavor, my practice mini piste. I used DG (Decomposed Granite) for the material, & it drains perfectly. The actual dimensions are 28' long by 5.5' wide.
I just threw the first boules this afternoon and it works exactly the way dirt should work!
Now maybe I will learn how to play this friggin' game...
—Xtof

Mini piste in Austin

Everbody in US pétanque circles knows Christophe of La Boule NY. Well, right now he's in Austin, TX , and urgently needed an area to train. He calls it "Piste off". But he isn't.
As people say: size is not important (for good players ;-).

Hey Guys—
Here are some pics of my latest endeavor, my practice mini piste. I used DG (Decomposed Granite) for the material, & it drains perfectly. The actual dimensions are 28' long by 5.5' wide.
I just threw the first boules this afternoon and it works exactly the way dirt should work!
Now maybe I will learn how to play this friggin' game...
—Xtof

Earth Day 2008 In Eight U.S. Cities

Earth Day (April 22) 2008 will be anchored by the main event on April 20 on the Mall in Washington, D.C. with simultaneous events in seven other cities: New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. Speakers will include Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Rev Jesse Jackson, members of Congress and maybe some presidential candidates. The events are organized by the Earth Day Network.

Cities and performers:

Washington, DC, Mall: The Roots
New York, Central Park: country singer Ricky Skaggs,
Miami: Latin group Menudo, hip-hop group Arrested Development
Dallas: Los Lonely Boys
Denver: Neville Brothers
San Francisco, Golden Gate Park: Mickey Hart

F.F. Bruce on the Wisdom Literature of the Bible

The f0llowing articles are now available on-line in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, "The Wisdom Literature of the Bible: Introduction," The Bible Student ns 22.1 (Jan. 1951): 5-8.

F.F. Bruce, "The Wisdom Literature of the Bible: The Book of Proverbs," The Bible Student ns 22.2 (April 1951): 76-77.

F.F. Bruce, "The Wisdom Literature of the Bible: The Book of Proverbs (continued)," The Bible Student ns 22.3 (July 1951): 116-118.

F.F. Bruce, "The Wisdom Literature of the Bible: The Book of Proverbs (continued)," The Bible Student ns 23.1 (Jan. 1952): 5-8.

F.F. Bruce, "The Wisdom Literature of the Bible: The Book of Job," The Bible Student ns 23.2 (April 1952): 57-60.

F.F. Bruce, "The Wisdom Literature of the Bible: The Book of Job (continued)," The Bible Student ns 23.3 (July 1952): 99-103.

F.F. Bruce, "The Wisdom Literature of the Bible: The Book of Ecclesiastes," The Bible Student ns 23.4 (Oct. 1952): 144-148.

A very helpful series of articles giving an overview of the wisdom books of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes.

MPs to fight allowances disclosure

Tues 25 Mar 2008
Ananova

The House of Commons is to fight the disclosure of MPs' second home allowances to the High Court, it was revealed.

A spokeswoman said the Commons authorities were concerned that an Information Tribunal ruling that MPs' addresses should be released would present a security risk.
...
A spokeswoman for the Commons Commission, which manages House affairs, said an appeal would be lodged by 4pm.

The Commons spokeswoman said there had been "great concern" among MPs about the release of their second home addresses, which the tribunal said last month must be published in all but exceptional circumstances.

"The threats that MPs can face are unpredictable and subject to change," she said.

The release of their home addresses could "inhibit democratic debate" on a range of sensitive issues, she added.

The Speaker is said to have been "mindful" of MPs' concerns and has sought advice from the security services.

"Having received advice he's concerned that the Information Tribunal may have misdirected itself in law in deciding that home addresses of MPs should always be published subject to only to limited exceptions," the spokeswoman said.

No Environmental Groups Support Nuclear Power

Nuclear Industry Does Not Recognize AAEA

The environmental movement remains monolithic in its opposition to nuclear energy. Although global warming is the most serious environmental issue facing the world today, and although nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases that cause global warming, green groups remain unalterably opposed to the technology. This opposition would appear to be illogical in the face of such a universally agreed upon global threat to life as we know it, but the fact remains that no environmental group publicly supports nuclear power. Not one. Nada. None. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid even uses this fact as a weapon in opposing Yucca Mountain as the national repository for spent nuclear fuel.

Be Aware

What is behind this phenomenon? Why would every single environmental group in the United States continue to oppose nuclear power when it is seemingly an off the shelf solution to the global warming problem? We have two hypotheses: 1) the groups continue to believe that the technology is dangerous - even more dangerous than global warming, 2) supporting nuclear energy would be a bad business decision. The environmental movement is a $6 billion per year industry and there is no funding for supporting nuclear power for the groups. No foundation is going to fund pronuclear activities. In fact, supporting nuclear power would render any group bold enough to step forward a pariah in the foundation community, which would be supported by condemnation from the entire environmental movement. Moreover, any green group executive director or board member would risk losing his or her job or board position by independently supporting nuclear power.

The nuclear industry might be salivating over a pending renaissance, but antinuclear groups are also salivating over, and still quietly working for, a resurgence in aggressive opposition to nuclear power, from funders and the general public.

About Chaim Oron

The newly-elected Meretz party chair, MK Chaim Oron, affectionately known as "Jumas," was born in 1940 in Ramat Gan. Having moved to Kibbutz Lahav in the Negev at the age of 18, he still resides there today with his wife and four children. He has served as national secretary of the National Kibbutz (Artzi) Federation and treasurer of the Histadrut trade union federation.

Oron was first elected to the Knesset in 1988 with the socialist Mapam party, one of the three parties that later formed Meretz. He has been a Mapam and then Meretz Member of Knesset ever since. In 2003, he was one of the drafters and signatories of the Geneva Initiative. More recently, Oron has been Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's liaison to jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti. (Link to a more detailed biography at the Meretz USA Web site.)

Jumas has announced that Meretz will remain an opposition force that will play a role in moving the government toward a peace agreement with the Palestinian people and the Arab world, but others would like Meretz to play this role within the government coalition. (See the impassioned Haaretz editorial of March 20, "Bring Meretz into the Government.")

LA's Westside Light Rail System

Get your perv on for dream maps of a future transit-friendly, LA.

The Question to ponder: One subway line = how much light rail?

My sweeheart and I did a carfree holiday in Los Angeles not long ago. It is already very doable if you ride the bus to your hotel and rent a bike to get around the beach towns. With a light rail system connected to interstate high speed rail? We might even head downtown for the symphony.

LA's Westside Light Rail System

Get your perv on for dream maps of a future transit-friendly, LA.

The Question to ponder: One subway line = how much light rail?

My sweeheart and I did a carfree holiday in Los Angeles not long ago. It is already very doable if you ride the bus to your hotel and rent a bike to get around the beach towns. With a light rail system connected to interstate high speed rail? We might even head downtown for the symphony.

F.F. Bruce on the Christian Approach to the Old Testament

The following booklet is now available on-line:

F.F. Bruce, The Christian Approach to the Old Testament. London: The Inter-Varsity Fellowship, 1955. pp.20.

Many Christians have a great problem with the Old Testament. F.F. Bruce has some positive suggestions.

F.F. Bruce on the Period Between the Testaments

The following articles are now on-line:

F.F. Bruce, "The Period Between The Testaments: I, Political Development," The Bible Student ns 20.1 (Jan. 1949): 9-15.

F.F. Bruce, "The Period Between The Testaments: II, Religious Development," The Bible Student ns 20.2 (April 1949): 59-64.

Quotable quote (from pp.61-62):

While Greek-speaking Jews were the first and direct beneficiaries of the Septuagint, others profited by it as well. It performed a sort of missionary function, for by its means Gentiles were able to read the Old Testament Scriptures in their own tongue. In this way the Septuagint helped to pave the way for the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentile world. For the Septuagint was the Bible which the earliest Christian missionaries took in their hands as they went on their journeys through the provinces of the Roman Empire, in the earliest decades of Church history when as yet there was no New Testament. The Septuagint provided the form in which most of the New Testament writers quote Old Testament Scripture, and it also provided them with a theological vocabulary. The New Testament writers did not have to invent a Greek theological vocabulary; the words they required to express the great concepts of divine revelation such as righteousness, mercy and truth, sin and atonement, and the [p.62] like, lay ready to their hand in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. When we meet such terms in the New Testament, we must remember that their background is not to be looked for in the senses which they bore in pagan Greek speech, but in the senses which they bear in the Septuagint as the equivalents of the corresponding Hebrew terms.

Life in Germany's Greenest Neighborhood

Is this the greenest city in the world? - Guardian UK

Eco housing, car-free streets and socially conscious neighbours have made the German city of Freiburg a shining example of sustainability. But this brave utopian vision of clean living has its fair share of dirty linen, finds Andrew Purvis

While the green infrastructure is all in place, the reality is that green towns are still made up of people with all their quirks. Healthy societies requires diversity, not just good planning.

Life in Germany's Greenest Neighborhood

Is this the greenest city in the world? - Guardian UK

Eco housing, car-free streets and socially conscious neighbours have made the German city of Freiburg a shining example of sustainability. But this brave utopian vision of clean living has its fair share of dirty linen, finds Andrew Purvis

While the green infrastructure is all in place, the reality is that green towns are still made up of people with all their quirks. Healthy societies requires diversity, not just good planning.

Dept of Defense, Electricity Generation & Global Warming

AAEA believes the United States needs a program for electricity production that will supplement current efforts to meet our nation's power needs. In addition to a national grid similar to our federal highway system, we also need a massive building program that can meet America's appetite for electricity and transportation fuel. With global warming as the most important environmental issue facing us today, and with unrelenting growth in our electricity demand, we need a coordinated and integrated system for providing this power in an environmentally friendly manner that also creates green jobs.

America needs a public/private partnership that will simultaneously solve all of the problems mentioned above. We need electricity reservations that combine the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), electricity utilities, coal producers and oil companies into consortia that produce electricity from coal and nuclear power, convert carbon dioxide into diesel fuel and gasoline, produce hydrogen, use the separated oxygen for coal-fired oxy-combustion and reprocess/recycle nuclear waste - all in a closed loop system. Ten reservations strategically located around the nation producing 100,000 megawatts of electricity without releasing any greenhouse gases would provide a needed supplement to the planned rennaisance in nuclear power plant construction and pending national global warming laws. We are involving DOD to satisfy security issues related to reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. Such a reservation would also satisfy the combined goals of the Department of Energy's FutureGen and Nuclear Power 2010 programs. The technical processes are described below.

Nuclear plants will operate next to coal plants that use pure oxygen combustion in the firebox to reduce the volume of stack gases. A scrubber would still be needed for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury (Selective Catalytic Reducer). The nuclear plant (Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, Gen IV) is used to produce hydrogen via electrolysis (or high temperature electrolysis) or the sulfur-iodine cycle that will be piped away to produce fuel cells. The oxygen from the electrolysis process will be piped to the coal plant for use in the firebox. The hydrogen will also be mixed onsite with carbon dioxide from the coal plant stack in a water to gas shift to produce carbon monoxide, which will then be mixed with hydrogen using the gas to water shift in the Fischer-Tropsch process to produce a synthetic petroleum product (diesel fuel or gasoline). These processes need very high temperatures of about 900 degrees Celsius.

So carbon dioxide will be used from the coal plant to make a vehicle fuel while an adjacent nuclear plant will produce hydrogen for fuel cell production and oxygen for the coal plant firebox. The oxygen from the electrolysis will be used in the coal firebox to reduce the volume of emission gases by 80 percent, which represents nitrogen in the air. Excess carbon dioxide and CO2 from maintenance down times will be piped for sequestration. There will be little to no CO2 emitted from the coal plant because the gas will be used to make vehicle fuel. There will be CO2 released from vehicle use but these emissions would occur anyway from vehicle use.

We are still studying the energy penalties for these processes and the economics. We also believe that the transportation fuel should be used by the military with any excess sold in the marketplace. If you have any input we would appreciate it. In the Fischer-Tropsch model pictured above the coal would be replaced with carbon dioxide. (Additional Source: Ken Schultz)