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Utah fire chief appears in court on prescription fraud charges

Published August 7, 2013 10:21 pm

Courts • Charges say he obtained prescription drugs under a false pretext.
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A Unified Fire Authority assistant chief was brought before a judge Wednesday for the first time since he was charged with obtaining prescription drugs under false pretenses more than two months ago.

Assistant Chief Marlon Don Jones declined to hear the judge read aloud the 14 counts he faces — falsely obtaining prescriptions, which is also known as doctor shopping. Each of the third-degree felonies carry a possible sentence of up to five years in state prison.

Jones, 48, appeared out of custody Wednesday, wearing a button-down shirt and looking somber as he stood before 3rd District Judge Katie Bernards-Goodman.

He will appear in court again before the end of the month for a routine scheduling hearing.

Cottonwood Heights police began investigating Jones after the agency was asked to look into irregularities and discrepancies concerning UFA's supply of controlled substances, according to a UFA statement. In doing so, investigators began exploring the drug histories of UFA employees.

Jones was found to have a large number of prescriptions for several highly-addictive controlled substances from various pharmacies, including hydrocodone and carisoprodol, which are pain killers, and zolpidem, a sleep aid, according to court documents.

The prescriptions Jones used had been issued by three doctors, at least two of whom did not know Jones had been prescribed drugs from other physicians.

Jones initially admitted to taking the pain relievers Celebrex and Lortab infrequently and only as needed. After he was confronted about his prescription drug history, Jones acknowledged taking pain medication three times a day, documents state.

Investigators suspect Jones was receiving the prescriptions for about a year.

Although UFA has had an ongoing investigation into missing drug supplies, UFA Chief Michael Jensen has said the charges against Jones are unrelated.

Jensen added that Jones — who has been a county fire employee for 24 years — was a good employee, and that no one suspected he had a drug-abuse problem.

Jones has been on paid administrative leave since he was charged. A UFA board, which met Wednesday, will determine whether Jones will be put on unpaid leave for the duration of his case in criminal court or whether more severe sanctions will be imposed.

There are several factors that will influence how Jones is treated in the long term, Jensen said.

"He's got a problem; it's a human tragedy," Jensen said. "But can it be fixed? Can we still trust them to do their jobs? Or has it reached the point that it's beyond that? That's what we need to figure out before we move forward."

In accordance with UFA policy, Jones is presumed innocent until proved otherwise and is eligible for employee assistance programs offered by UFA.

Jones, who lives in Bluffdale, has no prior criminal history, according to a search of Utah court records. He was promoted in January from a battalion chief to the position of assistant chief, according to a UFA board agenda notice.

Twitter: marissa_jae —

Another UFA employee faces drug charges

Bruce Bergdahl, 44, will appear in 1st District Court in Box Elder County at the end of August, at which time he will be arraigned on charges of falsely obtaining prescriptions. The third-degree felonies each carry up to five years in prison.

According to court documents, Bergdahl received prescription drugs on three dates since the beginning of the year from a doctor to whom he did not disclose the fact that he was already receiving medication from other physicians.

He has been placed on paid administrative leave since the charges were filed on July 25, said UFA Fire Chief Michael Jensen. Future decisions regarding Bergdahl's employment status will depend on how his case plays out in court, Jensen said.

"We presume he's innocent until proven guilty," Jensen said. "I need to see, officially, what the true story is and then wade through all of those facts before we can decide what we're going to do."

Bergdahl has been employed by Unified Fire Authority for 18 years. His alleged drug problems were discovered during an investigation by Cottonwood Heights police into missing controlled substances in the UFA supply.

As part of their investigation, Cottonwood Heights investigators began looking into the drug histories of UFA employees. Jensen has emphasized that Bergdahl's charges are not tied to the missing drugs.

Marissa Lang

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NRA to school officials: Train and arm a staffer

Published April 2, 2013 11:43 am

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

WASHINGTON • Schools across the nation should train selected staff members to carry weapons and should each have at least one armed security officer to make students safer and allow a quicker response to an attack, the director of a National Rifle Association-sponsored study said Tuesday.

Republican former Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas made the remarks as a task force he headed released its report, which included a 40- to 60-hour training program for school staff members who are qualified and can pass background checks.

"The presence of an armed security personnel in a school adds a layer of security and diminishes the response time that is beneficial to the overall security," said Hutchinson.

Asked if every school would be better off with an armed security officer, Hutchinson replied, "Yes," but acknowledged the decision would be made locally.

"Obviously we believe that they make a difference," he said.

Hutchinson said the security could be provided by trained staff members or by school resource officers — police officers assigned to schools that some districts already have.

The report was released a week before the Senate plans to begin debating gun control legislation.

The NRA opposes the main feature of the legislation, an expansion of background checks to cover nearly all gun purchases. But the group has long said the school safety study would be an important response to last December's massacre of first-graders and staff members at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said administration officials were working with lawmakers to try to reach a compromise on legislation that could be supported by both parties.

"The president has always recognized that this is something that would be a challenge but that in the wake of the horrific shootings in Newtown was an obligation of all of us to work on and try to get done," Carney said.

The spokesman commented as the White House revealed the president plans a trip next week to Connecticut, scene of the horrific shooting that spurred the new push for gun-control legislation. The aim of Obama's trip is to build pressure on Congress to pass legislation.

Obama also plans to focus on firearms curbs in a trip Wednesday to Denver, not far from last summer's mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.

Obama and his allies — mostly Democrats — are trying to bolster prospects that Congress will approve gun legislation. Chances of such action on Capitol Hill have waned since the Newtown shootings.

The 225-page NRA study, which Hutchinson said cost more than $1 million, made eight recommendations. They included changing state laws that might bar a trained school staff member from carrying a firearm, NRA-provided online assessments that schools could make of their safety procedures and better coordination with law enforcement agencies.

The study drew immediate opposition from the American Federation of Teachers, which represents 1.5 million teachers and other workers.

"Today's NRA proposal is a cruel hoax that will fail to keep our children and schools safe," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "It is simply designed to assist gun manufacturers" to flood the nation with more guns and large magazine clips.

Hutchinson said the NRA dropped an earlier recommendation that retired police officers and other volunteers be armed to provide school safety. He said the idea encountered "great reluctance" from school superintendents.

The NRA had suggested the retired officer idea just days after the Newtown killings.

Several NRA-supplied security guards were at Tuesday's event — unusual for an announcement at the National Press Club, a building that houses offices for many news organizations.

Hutchinson said the NRA did not interfere with his task force's work. In a written statement, the NRA said the report "will go a long way to making America's schools safer."

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
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Saint Louis University

First-Year Early Entrance Program (FEEP)

Thank you for your interest in the First-Year Early Entry Program (FEEP) presented by the student media groups at Saint Louis University. We can’t wait to meet you!

Those selected for FEEP will get a jump start with the award-winning and nationally-recognized student-run groups — KSLU radio, SLU-TV and The University News. From August 21-24, you’ll hear from guest speakers, attend workshops led by media professionals, staff and faculty from SLU and the student leadership of the three groups.

But all work and no play is no good. There will be plenty of time to enjoy what the Midtown area has to offer, plus to enjoy hanging out with the other students who are in FEEP and those already a part of the media groups on campus.

The $200 programming fee covers all of your expenses. You won’t have to spend any additional money for anything associated with the program. Housing, food, transportation and all other program items are included.

This program is about getting acquainted with what’s great about KSLU, SLU-TV and The University News, Saint Louis University and the community that you’ll call home for four (or more) years. When the rest of the Class of 2016 arrives on Aug. 24, you’ll be free to attend Welcome Week and other new student activities, so you won’t miss a thing.

Please know that by signing up for FEEP, you aren’t signing your life away (or the next four years of it, anyway). Should you participate and then find that media creation isn’t your cup of tea, we promise not to stalk you incessantly. But we hope you do stick around. After all, the more you participate, the more opportunities you’ll have to rise through the leadership ranks.

Nor is FEEP a do-or-die ultimatum—if you aren’t chosen to participate in the program or cannot participate for any reason, you are still highly encouraged to get involved with any and all of the groups upon your arrival at SLU. We will be hosting general interest meetings during the first week of classes.

So, if you like meeting national and international political leaders, getting press passes for Division I athletic events, receiving early releases of top albums and free tickets to shows and movies, along with other unique opportunities enjoyed by the student media groups you are highly encouraged to apply.

About the organizations

Tracing its roots back to almost a century ago, KSLU was founded by SLU’s very own Brother Rueppel in 1921. Establishing itself as the second radio station in the United States (and the first station west of the Mississippi), KSLU has since developed into a fully-fledged student run organization on SLU’s campus. Boasting two online streams to accommodate both college radio programming and KSLU Sports, the station also possesses a recording studio, a music reviewing committee, a writing team, and many outlets for promotion. Participants in KSLU’s early-entrance program will receive training on all of the professional equipment the station possesses, meet the director’s staff, engage with local professionals in the community, and gain the experience necessary to host a radio show immediately in the fall.

The Saint Louis University Television Network is SLU’s student run TV station, broadcasting 24 hours a day on campus cable channel 22, with live content streamed online via our website. At SLU-TV, we air student produced content, as well as movies and on-campus events. SLU-TV's largest operation is SLU News 22, where we cover campus and local news, interviewing as well as other important figures in the community.

The University News

Founded in 1921, The University News is an entirely student-run newspaper at Saint Louis University located in St. Louis, MO. Since there is not a journalism program at Saint Louis University, all editorial content is developed by a staff of student editors, and all advertisements are sold by a staff of student sales associates. The University News is chartered through Saint Louis University’s Board of Trustees, and is published every Thursday during the academic year.

© 1818 - 2015  SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY   |   Disclaimer   |  Mobile Site
St. Louis   |   Madrid


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Fun Zone & Story Time

The Family Fun Zone has many activities to choose from, for free! Cyberland gives children the opportunity to blast off into the age of technology on child size computers. Adventureland has hundreds of DVD's and Videos for loads of family adventure. Playland is a family affair full of fun as children and parents explore all the wonderful toy available. In Storyland, children can find hundreds of adventures with the simple turn of a page. Knowledge Island is the parent and teacher resource center where you can find the answers you are looking for!

Stories, songs, games, videos, crafts - all for young children (or the young at heart!) Call your local Blue Ridge Regional Library branch for more information on their story times.


text:
CEO's Apple store epiphany inspires J.C. Penney's strategy

04/26/2012 | Forbes

Changes at J.C. Penney stores under CEO Ron Johnson have their roots in an epiphany Johnson had while planning the first Apple store. Johnson's plan to merchandise Apple's gadgets according to customer lifestyle rather than product category is mirrored in Penney's ongoing transformation aimed at appealing to younger customers, writes Walter Loeb.

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Published in Brief:

SmartBrief Job Listings for Retail

Job Title Company Location
EVP, Catalog/Online Store
National Geographic Society
Washington, Dist. Columbia
Senior Director, Learning and Workforce Development
National Retail Federation
Washington, Dist. Columbia
Director, Leadership Development & Talent Acquisition
Hibbett Sporting Goods, Inc.
Birmingham, Alabama
Vice President of Marketing
Warren, Pennsylvania
Commercial Building Products Sales Specialist
Parksite Inc
Columbia, SC


text:
Earthquake losses could be cut with use of new risk models

Risk Management Solutions came up with new catastrophe models that might bring down the estimated insured losses from earthquakes in the U.S. by 10% to 25%. The changes will affect all insurance lines, yielding hefty reductions for residential lines and modest loss estimates for commercial business segment, the firm said.

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PropertyCasualty360 · Business Insurance (tiered subscription model)

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Obama seeks higher taxes for wealthy and corporations

11/13/2012 | Washington Post, The · CNN · Hill, The

President Barack Obama will open negotiations with congressional Republicans aimed at averting the "fiscal cliff" with a proposal that the rich and corporations pay $1.6 trillion in additional taxes during the next decade, White House officials said. That is twice as much as House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, agreed to during talks with the Obama administration last year.

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Washington Post, The · CNN · Hill, The

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The Best Mileage Programs Are Close to Home

On Frequent Flyer Miles
Editor's Note: This story was originally published on August 7, 2007. To see the most recent SmarterTravel articles on related topics, please click on any of the following links: frequent flyer, mileage earning, mileage redemption, On Frequent Flyer Miles, Tim Winship.

Mileage junkies are a notoriously calculating bunch. They're forever seeking out new ways to earn miles and maximize the value of those miles when redeeming them.

One potential strategy involves looking beyond the borders of one's own country, in search of better value in mileage programs operated by foreign airlines. In looking for better deals overseas, the assumption is that non-U.S. carriers march to a different (and more generous) drummer. The truth, though, is that the best loyalty program for you is most likely found in your own backyard.

Different strategies

For context, let's look back at the history of frequent flyer programs.

Today's loyalty programs trace their roots to 1981, when American introduced the AAdvantage program. It was one of a slew of marketing innovations in response to the deregulation of commercial aviation in the late 1970s.

Initially, non-U.S. carriers were in no hurry to roll out loyalty programs of their own. Outside the U.S., airline executives were ambivalent about, if not hostile toward, mileage programs. At the time, airline marketing consisted of soft-focus beauty shots of an alluring flight attendant serving a sumptuous meal to a coddled traveler reclining in an impossibly cushy seat. The idea of promoting an airline using rebates, or bribes, seemed downright tacky.

But the size of the American market made it a crucial one, and foreign airlines could not ignore the effects of the new loyalty schemes. Not only did these carriers lose American customers to mileage programs, they soon realized their own customers were also enrolling in the programs of U.S. airlines.

Forced by the undeniable success of the American programs, foreign carriers reluctantly began rolling out their own programs. Their ambivalence showed. They often restricted mileage earning to more expensive fares, reasoning that cheap tickets were sufficient to lure price-sensitive travelers. They also set award levels somewhat higher than in U.S. programs.

In short, there was a period during which American programs were more generous than those in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. That disparity created an incentive for travelers residing in those regions to participate in U.S.-based programs, rather than programs operated by the airlines based in their own countries.

But in a competitive global marketplace, such disparities are bound to be short-lived. For the same reason that overseas carriers were forced to operate their own programs in the first place, they eventually revised their policies to more closely resemble those of American programs.

Today there is little difference between the earning or redemption rates of U.S. programs and their counterparts in other parts of the world.

Think globally, act locally

If earning rates and award levels are comparable whether the program is based in the U.K., Jordan, Japan, Peru, or the U.S., why choose one over the others?

Program managers know their programs can't be all things to all people, so their primary focus will always be on catering to the interests of home-country customers. To do that, they tailor their programs to meet the needs of the local market first and citizens of other countries second.

Specifically, airlines typically populate their programs with country-specific partner companies. While many programs may have similar lineups of participating airlines and hotel chains at their core, they will differ at the margins, offering earning and redemption options geared toward residents of particular countries.

For example, members of British Airways' Executive Club can earn miles for shopping at U.K.-based Tesco retailers. That's nice, if you live in London. Similarly, members of United's Mileage Plus can earn miles when shopping at Safeway stores, which is of no help whatsoever to a Londoner.

For the local market, the local program rules.

There's no place like home

At least where frequent flyer miles are concerned, U.S.-based travelers have it best.

Because the U.S. market for travel is so large, and the competition so intense, American consumers enjoy a wealth of mileage program choices. The largest of those programs are by far the largest in the world, offering participants more opportunities to earn and redeem miles than programs based anywhere else.

When it comes to earning miles, Americans need look no further than the programs of their hometown airlines.

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text:
I got an email last night from Ms. Lajdziak, she has asked one of her people to look into my fuzzy seats. I will keep you folks posted.

Just an update:

July 2011 ... still waiting .....

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Comment by RallyRedY2KX on April 28, 2011 at 5:52pm
an update on the below. I returned the call to Eric Lannon at SmartUSA .. He never returned my call. I give up. It is just not worth the effort, I ordered seat covers from SmartUSA.com. To all who commented and helped .. thanks .. God Bless, Dave
Comment by RallyRedY2KX on December 3, 2010 at 1:10am
I thought that when I got the email from Ms. Lajdziak (smartUSA Predident) that I might get some help with the seats that are wearing after 300 miles in my Pure. She said that she asked Eric Lannon a VP to give me a call to talk over the situation. He called and left a message and I have tried for three weeks to get back to him with no luck. I am getting tired of it. SmartMadness in Ca. has some decent looking replacement covers that they make there for $250 - $300. I am going to write off this mess with smart and just put on the covers and be done with it. I told you folks that I would keep you up to date but this is just too many emails and phone calls. I guess that is the name of the game to see who wears down first. I was hoping that SmartUSA was different. Rats!!
Comment by Tiny-1and Blue J-Carol on November 20, 2010 at 11:17pm
I have 2 smart cars and when they both reached 12000 miles I have had to change light bulbs. The 08 just reached 16500 and guess what the other light bulb went out. This Is getting costly now with 60 to get replaced. Is anyone else having this problem? I have 4 other vehicles and they don't have this problem. One mustang has 80000 and is used everyday to go to work and not once has the light bulb been replaced. I'm getting frustrated with smart telling me it's a wear and tear issue. Uggg
Comment by james g on November 17, 2010 at 3:43pm
dave schembri called me at home a little over a year ago about my shifter.
Comment by RallyRedY2KX on November 17, 2010 at 10:06am
I agree so far. We will see what happens. Take care
Comment by Forest on November 16, 2010 at 8:44am
Sorry if I didn't read this post before, How many other Auto Company presidents have you received a personal e-mail from?

Sounds like you are getting great service.

If you don;t hear again in a week, keep on them and your issue will be resolved.

(trust but verify)
Comment by spicejax on November 13, 2010 at 9:06am
That's a great start!

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Create Wealth I

Create Wealth is a series of ten books that help authors, writers and ANYONE with a marketable skill to create more wealth. The first installment is the Workshop which is by far the fastest and easiest way to get started earning additional funds. More

Available formats: epub mobi pdf rtf lrf pdb txt html

First 18% Sample: epub mobi (Kindle) lrf more Online Reader

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Dan Hind

Maximum Republic
You set the price! Words: 19,630. Language: English. Published: November 25, 2012. Categories: Nonfiction » Politics and Current Affairs » Democracy, Nonfiction » Politics and Current Affairs » Government
Anyone who knows anything about Britain knows that it is a democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The trouble is, it is neither. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the most exotic nations on earth. In Maximum Republic Dan Hind explains how the country is currently run and sets out a programme of thorough reform.
Common Sense: Occupation, Assembly, and the Future of Liberty
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 17,050. Language: English. Published: April 21, 2012. Categories: Essay » Political, Nonfiction » Politics and Current Affairs » Democracy
The occupations of 2011 challenged a governing consensus that has lost credibility yet clings to power. This year we will either create a new basis for our shared life, or we will settle back into the old, dispiriting fictions. The same people who told us that they understood economics told us we could not hope to change things. They were wrong on both counts. What we choose now matters.

Dan Hind’s tag cloud


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Katherine Ramsland

Dr. Katherine Ramsland has published more than 1,000 articles and 45 books, including The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds, The Ivy League Killer, Psychopath, The Human Predator, Inside the Minds of Serial Killers, and The Mind of a Murderer.
She holds graduate degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, criminal justice, and philosophy, and teaches forensic psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. Ramsland has worked with prominent criminalists, coroners, detectives, and F.B.I. profilers. She speaks internationally about forensic psychology and serial murder, and has appeared on numerous documentaries, as well as The Today Show, 20/20, 48 Hours, Larry King Live and E! True Hollywood Story.
Dr. Ramsland also writes a blog, Shadow Boxing, for Psychology Today.

Where to find Katherine Ramsland online

Where to buy in print

Haunted Crime Scenes: Paranormal Evidence From Crimes & Criminals Across The USA
Series: Haunted Crime Scenes, Book 2. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 58,030. Language: English. Published: July 30, 2014 by Second Chance Publications. Categories: Nonfiction » True Crime » Murder, Nonfiction » New Age » Supernatural
The second book in the "Haunted Crime Scenes" series. This book focuses on the paranormal phenomena at crime scenes. Forensics expert Katherine Ramsland and paranormal investigator Mark Nesbitt examine murder implements, victims, killers and crime scenes that reportedly have supernatural components. Included are results of their investigations and suggestions for sites they haven't investigated.
Blood & Ghosts: Haunted Crime Scene Investigations
Series: Haunted Crime Scenes, Book 1. Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 71,490. Language: English. Published: September 4, 2012 by Second Chance Publications. Categories: Nonfiction » True Crime » Murder, Nonfiction » New Age » The Paranormal
What if forensic and paranormal investigation deliberately crossed paths? Can forensics aid ghost hunters? Might ghost hunters one day assist in the cause of justice? In "Blood & Ghosts," Katherine Ramsland and Mark Nesbitt examine tales of murder, ghosts and hauntings; police psychics; and scientific experiments in search of the answers to these questions and more!

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Jacob Saulwick

Jacob Saulwick

Jacob Saulwick is Transport Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Gladys Berejiklian says no plans for further transport privatisation

Jacob Saulwick The Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, says the Baird government has no plans beyond what it has already announced to privatise transport services if reelected this month.

WestConnex: Infrastructure Australia gives thumbs up to motorway's business case

An artist's impression, looking south-west, of the WestConnex project's King Georges Road interchange.

Jacob Saulwick Two and a half years after the project was announced, the $15 billion WestConnex motorway has been given the green light by the federal government's assessment agency.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay predicts Newtown 'nirvana' if third stage of WestConnex is built

Duncan Gay and Premier Mike Baird at a press conference about road improvements in southern Sydney.

Jacob Saulwick King Street in Newtown will become a "nirvana" according to Roads Minister Duncan Gay, who says about 120,000 people a day will drive along a tunnel underneath the popular retail strip.

Comments 77

Roads Minister Duncan Gay praises Sydney Harbour Bridge accident response

The scene of the crash on the Harbour Bridge on Wednesday morning.

Jacob Saulwick and Lisa Visentin Roads Minister Duncan Gay has praised the "exceptional" performance of emergency services and traffic crews  in clearing the major accident on the Harbour Bridge on Wednesday morning.

Comments 11

WestConnex: the wrong project for Sydney, report says – 'invest in public transport instead'

Jacob Saulwick The WestConnex motorway is the wrong transport project for Sydney's future, according to a report commissioned by City of Sydney Council.

Comments 25

Hostile Enmore Theatre crowd takes on WestConnex chiefs

Jacob Saulwick The public servant running the WestConnex motorway project has told a hostile and vocal meeting in Sydney's inner west the entire project must be built, contradicting the opposition's election policy.

Comments 84

Tony Shepherd threatens to sue Wendy Bacon over WestConnex tweet

Tony Shepherd, head of the WestConnex Delivery Authority.

Jacob Saulwick The chairman of the WestConnex Delivery Authority, Tony Shepherd, is threatening to sue the journalist and activist Wendy Bacon over a tweet.

NSW election 2015: Labor backs western Sydney light rail from Strathfield to Parramatta

An artist's impression of a light rail service through Parramatta.

Jacob Saulwick Labor is supporting a light rail line from Westmead through Parramatta and Olympic Park to Strathfield, backed by $1 billion in funding.

Comments 15

WestConnex boss Tony Shepherd says Labor's plan would create more inner-west congestion

Tony Shepherd AO, President Business Council of Australia.

Jacob Saulwick The chairman of the WestConnex Delivery Authority, Tony Shepherd, has slammed Labor's policy for the motorway, saying it would create more congestion in Sydney's inner west.

Labor backs half of WestConnex but not the middle

Luke Foley

Jacob Saulwick Opposition Leader Luke Foley has distanced the Labor Party from WestConnex, the government's series of motorway projects from western Sydney through the inner west.

Comments 4

Labor's transport policy: less of the same

Jacob Saulwick dinkus

Jacob Saulwick Labor's transport policy isn't really one.

Comments 101

NSW state election 2015: ALP reveals 'modest' infrastructure plan

Some concerned  residents wore fancy dress as they took  the streets of Newtown, Sydney, on Sunday to protest the proposed development of the NSW government's WestConnex tunnel and road project.

Sean Nicholls and Jacob Saulwick Labor has unveiled its bid to match Premier Mike Baird's $20 billion in infrastructure promises at next month's election, declaring it will pursue a "modest" set of projects worth half the amount but...

Comments 108

NSW state election 2015: Greens would scrap WestConnex, delay Sydney Harbour rail crossing

Greens transport spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi.

Jacob Saulwick The WestConnex motorway would be scrapped and there would be no work on another harbour rail crossing for five years under the Greens' transport policy.

Comments 8

Call for debate over Sydney Trains: Bankstown Line or Parramatta Metro?

train and generic, cityrail

Jacob Saulwick A new metro rail line between Parramatta and central Sydney should be examined as an alternative to connecting another harbour rail crossing to the Bankstown Line at Sydenham, according to some...

Comments 78

Transport for NSW director-general Dave Stewart quits after a year in the job

Gladys Berejiklian.

Jacob Saulwick The state's head transport mandarin is leaving after barely a year in the job.

Crisis looms for Sydney train commuters

Debate is needed to get the best outcome for Sydney.

Jacob Saulwick Major corridors in Sydney's rail system will be overloaded within five years, the government's own analysis shows, with commuters throughout the city regularly confronting trains too crowded to board.

Comments 170

Sydney's South West Rail Link wins over commuters

Commuters change trains at Glenfield on the new South West Rail Link on Friday.

Jacob Saulwick Travel the 11.4 kilometres of the South West Rail Link, Sydney's newest train line, and for the moment you'll not see much but paddocks, the rail cutting's concrete, and a few nascent housing...

Comments 5

Transport lobby calls for new rail lines to Parramatta, Bondi Beach

Jacob Saulwick The winner of the March election should investigate a new rapid train line under Sydney's inner west between Parramatta and the city, according to the state's transport lobby.

Uber drawing drivers from the ranks of unemployed in Sydney

Uber says there is a correlation between the origin of its partner drivers and high unemployment rates.

Jacob Saulwick Most uberX drivers in Sydney have an interesting thing in common.

Comments 14


text:
When Beetles Ate Dinosaurs

Even the world's most formidable consumers eventually became food themselves

A silhouette of the dinosaur Nemegtomaia barsboldi, indicating the dinosaur's bones and the nest it was sitting on. Much of the skeleton was lost to beetles. Reconstruction by Marco Auditore, from Fanti, et al. 2012.

What dinosaurs ate is a never-ending source of fascination. This is especially true for carnivores—if basic cable documentaries are any indication, we simply can’t get enough of flesh-tearing theropods. But even the largest and most vicious dinosaurs were just one point in complex food webs. The world’s most formidable consumers eventually became food themselves. Among the animals which fed on dinosaurs were beetles.

Just as carcasses attract a variety of scavenging insects today, the same would have been true during the time of the dinosaurs. Sadly, we don’t have direct evidence for most of these interactions, but some beetles left clues in the bones of dinosaurs. Some skeletons have been found with trails and holes plowed into the bone. These patterns are similar to the damage created by some types of modern dermestid beetles. These insects are scavenging specialists, and while fur, feathers, skin, and soft tissues are their preferred foods, they will sometimes dig into bone, too. Beetles have been doing this for tens of millions of years. Beetle-damaged bones have been found in everything from Pleistocene mastodons to Cretaceous dinosaurs such as Protoceratops.

The latest dinosaur to be added to the list of beetle food is Nemegtomaia barsboldi. This was one of the many oviraptorid dinosaurs in Late Cretaceous Mongolia, one of the small, feather-covered, beaked theropods that were relatively closely related to dinosaurs like Velociraptor. As reported by paleontologists Federico Fanti, Philip Currie, and Demchig Badamgarav in PLoS One, a partial skeleton of a Nemegtomaia found on top of a nest was significantly damaged by insects similar to dermestid beetles. The joints of the dinosaur’s left arm and leg were obliterated by insect damage, and beetle bore holes can be seen in the left side of the skull.

Lest anyone imagine a nightmarish, B-movie scenario, the beetles did not overtake the dinosaur while it was alive. According to Fanti and co-authors, it appears that the dinosaur was only partially buried after death. This left significant portions of the body, from the neck to the hips, exposed to a variety of scavengers. Small mammals may have gnawed at the body, but the beetles did the most damage. The beetles probably ate whatever dried skin and tissue remained before destroying many of the thinner bones. Most of the body was lost by the time the dinosaur was finally interred.

Fanti, F., Currie, P., & Badamgarav, D. (2012). New Specimens of Nemegtomaia from the Baruungoyot and Nemegt Formations (Late Cretaceous) of Mongolia PLoS ONE, 7 (2) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031330

About Brian Switek
Brian Switek

Brian Switek is a freelance science writer specializing in evolution, paleontology, and natural history. He writes regularly for National Geographic's Phenomena blog as Laelaps.

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Marine Forensic Analysis of Hms Hood and Dkm Bismarck, JURENS, 2002

Posted By: Transactions TRANS January 01, 2002 12:00 am
Author(s): Jurens W; Garzke W H; Dulin R O; Roberts J; Fiske R
Published Date: 1/1/2002
Number of Pages: 39

The wrecks of the British battle cruiser HMS Hood and German battles.hip DKM Bismarck were explored during July 2001. Bill Jurens, a member of Panel SD-7 was aboard the expedition ship and provided an analysis. This 2001 visit to Bismarck has clarified many details of damage and construction missed in the 1989 Ballard expedition. Comprehensive and systematic video coverage should eventually enable researchers to compile a complete survey of shell and torpedo damage to the exterior of the main hull and superstructure. A number of new items were discovered in the debris field including one additional main turret and almost the entire forward superstructure. A subsequent and related visit to the wreck of HMS Hood provided the first opportunity to investigate the damage caused by the explosion that tore this battle cruiser apart during her engagement with Bismarck on 24 May 1941. The wreck reveals the severity of that firestorm, and also exhibits significant implosion damage unlike that seen in the wrecks of Bismarck, Titanic, Yorktown, and Derbyshire. The unusual debris field of Hood also presents a number of interesting and mysterious characteristics that may eventually yield significant knowledge regarding the sequence of breakup as the ship approached the bottom. A concluding section provides an introduction to upcoming research, and some perspective regarding the state of marine forensics at the current time.
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Monday, 18 March 2013

New Album Alert - Charli XCX - True Romance

Charli XCX was on our pop radar last year with her hits You’re The One and You (Ha Ha Ha) due to her unique sound, that reminded us of a little bit Robyn, a little bit Dev but her own Pop/Electronic style. Also we love her more for writing and featured on one of the biggest global breakthrough synth pop hits of the last year for Icona Pop. I Love It, which is still played at the SCP HQ daily. Well, the 20-year old Hertfordshire lass is now ready to release her debut album True Romance next month. Over the past few years...
Charli has released a series of singles and mixtapes, toured the globe supporting the likes of Santigold, Sleigh Bells and Justice and garnered champions from practically every tastemaker blog and magazine on both sides of the Atlantic. Now she is ready to deliver her dark, emotional pop record which she has work with some top producers including Ariel Reichstadt (Usher, Major Lazer, Solange) and Patrik Berger (Lana del Rey, Robyn)

Charli commented, ‘I am so happy to have finished my first album, True Romance. For me, it's a very emotional record. I suppose I kind of grew up through the process of making this album and as I've grown my views on love and life have been constantly changing. Each song is about love in some shape or form, whether that be euphoric love, heartbreak or obsession. Every corner of my own romantic history is explored on this record, so for me it’s very raw, it's very honest and it's very true. I've written a pop record from the heart, and when people hear it I hope they want to dance and cry at the same time. ’

Well we are excited already and think this could be one of our fav pop albums of the year. Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint.

True Romance track listing
Nuclear Seasons
You (Ha Ha Ha)
Take My Hand
Stay Away
Set Me Free
So Far Away
Cloud Aura
What I Like
Black Roses
You’re the One
How Can I
Lock You Up

True Romance is available for pre-order on iTunes now..!

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Established in 2002, Pacific Commerce Bank is a community bank with two offices Los Angeles County (Downtown Los Angeles and West Los Angeles) and two in San Diego County (Del Mar and Chula Vista). Founded by local business owners and professionals, it is focused on meeting the diverse needs of those clients. Most recently on April 8, 2015, Vibra Bank from Chula Vista, California merged into Pacific Commerce Bank. Pacific Commerce Bank is publicly traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the stock symbol PFCI. The bank offers small business loans, asset-based loans, construction and permanent real estate financing, SBA government-guaranteed loans, as well as business credit lines.

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Washington Wine

Washington State has become the second largest wine producer in the US, however its quality wine history is fairly new. The first wine grapes were planted in Fort Vancouver by the Hudson Bay Company in 1825. By the early 20th century, many European immigrants were producing wines of decent quality. By 1914, vineyards were dotting Yakima and Walla Walla Valleys.
But the Prohibition halted commercial production considerably, even though this also forced a wave of home wine-making. After the Repeal, strict laws were set in place that isolated Washington’s wine industry. Even though some vinifera wines were being produced for private consumption, what emerged from Washington was only sweet and dessert wine made from Concord grapes. These same laws also prohibited California wines, so the majority of Washingtonians only drank what they knew, those sweet Concord wines.
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This holiday season, your friendly local park rangers are giving out the best gift we could ask for: perfectly groomed jumps and rails each and every day. Christmas week can be one of the busiest of the season, so make sure to #thankaparkranger while you’re out there riding. Here are the top terrain park photos the past seven days, enjoy.

Check out last week’s Feature Presentation photo gallery.

For more from these terrain parks:
Mountain CreekMountain Creek and @mountaincreek on Instagram
Mountain High@mtbachelor on Instagram and #bachelorparks
SugarbushSugarbush Parks! and @SugarbushParks on Instagram
Mount Snow@carinthiaparks on Instagram
Big Sky@bigskyresort on Instagram and Big Sky Resort Terrain Parks
Mt. Bachelor
Killington@killingtonparks on Instagram and Killington Parks
Loon@LoonParksNH on Instagram and #looneveryday
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Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums - View Single Post - WTB Bright Blue Snowboard Pants - On a budget
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Old 09-30-2011, 12:42 PM   #5 (permalink)
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I don't know what size you need but my local shop has the XL Size XL available at Eternal for $72 or size Small available here for $89.

But yeah, it looks like the blue ones from last year are hard to find. plenty of the khaki/sand or black available for $100 or less though.
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I'm in the market for something that sounds as good but with audio controls and a mic.
You could just get a cord for this and plug it to your 'phones of choice.
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Old 12-23-2012, 10:20 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Another goat fan, imho its not an easy board to ride, in that it can quickly get away from you but its spectacular beast. Yesterday had 1 run on groomed that I was absolutely out of control but managed to stay up, however also had a bunch of runs that were some of my best of my life and also ate shit. Its a board that will make you up your skills. Yesterday, met 4 folks that had the billy or planed for their next board; one was a gal that grew up on the hill, a gnarly ass rider by any standard and loves her billy. It seems to me that the billy and bsod are two completely different boards...but I haven't researched the bsod for the past few years.
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You work in marketing and you're surprised by the extreme reaction when you try to sell people using your first forum post?

I don't know what marketing you do, but doing the same as 500 other people who come into popular snowboard forums asking people to buy their product with their first post is not how to do smart marketing.
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Hasn't been busy during the week. The parking lots fill up on the weekend but the lines aren't bad. Same shit park but I don't really ride park.
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My View of Llanview: May 15 Edition

on Friday, May 23, 2008 @ 7:47 PM

Black vs. White
Friday, May 23, 2008 8:52 PM| By Scotty Gore

( – Ellen Holly comments on playing a black woman (Carla Gray) pretending to be white.

Hello everyone. Yes, this column is again several days late. Sorry about that, but I just have no time in schedule for much of anything these days. I hope that improves soon.

With the 40th anniversary of “One Life to Live” just around the corner, I thought it appropriate to reflect upon one of the soap’s first controversial storylines. It involved an actress by the name of Ellen Holly, who portrayed Carla Gray. Unknownist to viewers at the time, Carla, was actually a black woman passing herself off as a white woman. The following article, written by Ms. Holly herself, appeared in the August 10th, 1969 edition of the New York Times.

In September of last year I was approached to try out for a part on a brand new ABC soap opera called “One Life To Live”; the part was a black girl who passes for white. I didn’t give it much thought. If you’re black you don’t get white parts, and if you’re a “black who looks white” you don’t get black parts either. But what most people don’t realize is that even when there’s a part for a “black who looks like white,” it never goes to a black person but to a white one. Follow? I know … I know … it’s hard for me, too.

Some years ago I was interviewed for the film “I Passed For White” and the part went to the white Sandra Wilde. Some years later, I was seen about the remake of “Imitation of Life.” Ross Hunter cooed over me, told me I looked like Loretta Young, and gave the part to the white Susan Kohner. I had dim memories of Jeanne Crain in “Pinky,” Ben Aliza in “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window,” Mell Ferrer & Co. as the family in “Lost Boundaries” and numerous other whites masquerading as blacks masquerading as whites which, as far as I am concerned, cancels out the whole point much in the manner of a double negativity. So I thought I knew pretty much what to expect from “One Life To Live.”

At the interview with the producer, Doris Quinlan, I smiled and did my best to look amiable, talented and 20 (which was what the part called for and which I hadn’t seen for a goodly while), but in the back of my head I was already bracing for the inevitable turndown. She smiled a lovely smile back and said that they were being polite about things and looking at all the white girls the agents were sending them but that she didn’t really see the slightest point to the whole thing if the girl wasn’t the genuine article. It sounded revolutionary enough to report her to the H.U.A.C. They tested me. A couple of days later I had the part. I couldn’t believe it.

Then I began to worry. I have such a personal distaste for blacks who pass for white that I wondered how the story line was going to be handled. If an actor’s at all squeamish or apprehensive about the part he’s playing, a soap poses a rather special problem for him. In a play or film you know the whole story before you contract to do it, but in a soap the story is open-ended. New writing is a constant and you don’t know from one moment to the next what words are going to be put into your mouth. If you’re dealing with dense writers, you can end up playing a ventriloquist’s dummy Uncle Tom or quitting the job to avoid it.

On the other hand, in terms of the particular story line, I found the idea fascinating. I felt that the unique format of a soap would enable people to examine their prejudices in a way no other format possibly could. In a play or a film the audience would relate to the character as white only briefly and then discover she was black perhaps an hour later, but the soap audience would relate to her as white for months … months in which she would become part of their daily lives … for some, virtually a member of their family. The emotional investment they made in her as a human being would be infinitely greater, and when the switch came, their involvement would be real rather than superficial. A lot of whites who think they aren’t prejudiced – are. It seemed like a marvelous opportunity to help them confront their own prejudices. When the switch came, those who would radically alter their response to the character would surely demonstrate to themselves that they don’t dislike black people because they are dirty or lazy or stupid, but just because they are black – i.e., they would have a chance to isolate not only the existence of their own prejudice but, also, its lack of a logical base.

My character, Carla Benari, was introduced last October. For four months thereafter I was presented as a white girl, a struggling actress engaged to a white doctor but gravitating – against her will – toward a gorgeous black one. Ironically, for the first time in my life, I had to “cool” being black lest I tip the plot. I had to forgo an appearance on another ABC show called “Like It Is” that deals with the black scene, and patiently wait for an issue of Look in which I appeared properly labeled as a black actress to disappear from the stands. Even though the situation was temporary, I found it much more destructive to my psyche than I had dreamed …

A month went by, and we got to an important turn in the plot. I kissed Peter De Anda, who plays the gorgeous black doctor, and confessed my love for him. Immediately, the switchboard was flooded with calls from irate white men defending my supposedly Caucasian virtue (later, after the switch, I’m sure they felt like a bunch of idiots) and the show was dropped like a hot potato by a station in Texas. Most producers would have blanched and dropped the story line; Doris Quinlan had been prepared to lose more. The reaction from white women was different. They wrote in (people who are angry seem to call at once to relieve their feeling; people who are pleased seem to write at their leisure) and said, “Well, it’s about time.”

… Finally, we got to the switch. In an ingenious script whose parallel cutting was almost as well done as Hitchcock’s tennis game sequence in “Strangers on a Train,” I met up with the black mother I had abandoned nine years before (a major character, who had already been well established in the story line long before I was, and played by Lillian Hayman of “Hallelujah, Baby” fame). People were genuinely surprised. Most found it absorbing. Others were fascinated by the way all the pieces fit. There were, of course, the inevitable ones who found it hard to accept …

It is now several months since the switch. Presumably, people would have made emotional adjustments they felt necessary and settled down. Still, there are those who call the show from time to time to check to make certain that a black actress rather than a white one is playing the part. Whether it’s a black person checking to make sure that a soul sister wasn’t done out of a job, or a white person checking to make sure a white actress isn’t playing opposite a black actor, is never clear. What is clear is that it’s going to be a great day when America ceases to be obsessed with color…

I love my job. Jack Wood and Don Wallace direct the show with a special care of things. The actors are some of the best around. The writer, Agnes Nixon, is more sensitive to the vibrations of the black community than any white I’ve ever met and I think three or four of the episodes have been more relevant to life and real concerns than any I ever dealt with during a decade in the theater. The tedious but necessary aspects of soap opera are definitely present – exposition to help newcomers catch up on plot lines, dull stretches, repetition. But within the framework of the genre surprisingly much has gotten said – among other things, that blacks pass for white not because they value whiteness per se, but rather because they value the special rights and privileges that unfairly accrue to whiteness … New as it is, “One Life To Live” has one of the highest ratings of any soap on the air. Not only because of this story line, but because of several things equally well done, including the major one about some swanky goings on on the Philadelphia Main Line.

I love the job, but I have one major regret … I look forward to the day when America believes that the relevant thing about me is not that I am black but that I am Ellen.

Well, that’s all for this edition of the column. I hope you enjoyed this edition of the column. That’s all for now; please be sure and join me again on May 30th. See you next time.

And until next time remember, we only have “One Life to Live” …..

Pictured: My View of Llanview courtesy Matt Smith/Soap Opera Network


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Jori Petersen

CBS and Lionsgate's TVGN will rebrand itself in 2015 as POP, a new pop culture network for the younger generation currently tuning into the likes of Bravo and MTV, but the Walt Disney Company's ABC Family cable network might also be in for some massive changes as well, according to a report by Variety.
As part of the growing changes at ABC Daytime, the Disney/ABC Television Group has announced Mirian Arias as its new Vice President, Daytime Communications. Arias replaces Jori Peterson, who headed up the division for a number of years in the role of Vice President, Publicity, ABC Daytime and SOAPnet. Although Peterson has left ABC Daytime and SOAPnet, she remains part of the Disney/ABC Television Group as the acting head of the ABC Family Communications team.
With the cancellations of "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" back in April it was unclear at the time as to where their replacement shows "The Chew" and "The Revolution" would film their daily episodes. Now with "Chew" filming in New York and soon "The Revolution" set to begin filming in New York as well, Soap Opera Network has learned that ABC Daytime is shifting much of its operations to New York City including talent management and media relations.

on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 @ 12:40 AM
As reported back in June, the Disney/ABC Television Group has hired Katie Couric to host a new daily syndicated talk show that is expected to air on virtually all ABC affiliated stations, including the eight owned and operated stations that have already signed off on the deal. The show currently titled "Katie" will debut in September 2012 during the 3:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT time slot currently occupied by ABC's "General Hospital," which will be forced to relocate to an as yet to be determined timeslot on the network.
After news broke today that ABC would be bumping "General Hospital" from its long time 3:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT timeslot beginning in September 2012 in favor of a new Katie Couric talk show, the network was forced to calm the nerves of fans who are still reeling from the cancellations of "All My Children" and "One Life to Live." Unfortunately, the network is just delaying the inevitable to placate fans from believing that their favorite soap could be next.


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Southern California Raises Over $1B In VC In Q1 2007

A recent analysis of the venture database finds that there was over $1.15B in venture capital deals disclosed or announced in Q1 of 2007 in Southern California, up significantly from the same quarter last year, when there were $800.7M in investments in the region. Among the biggest announced deals in the quarter was the $110M funding of San Diego-based CardioNet, followed by $70M for Vantage Media in Venice, then $50M from Beverly Hills' Real D. Two other significant deals were not announced but were disclosed in regulatory filings and other reports, including a $110M round from Amp'd Mobile and $63M for alternative energy firm Altra Biofuels.

The most active investors in Southern California in the quarter was the Tech Coast Angels, which had 11 deals disclosed during the quarter, followed by Domain Associates (7 deals), Versant Ventures (6 deals), then CMEA Ventures, Enterprise Partner, and Mission Ventures, all with four deals each.

socalTECH tracks day-to-day venture capital activity in the Southern California region, and uses venture data disclosed by companies announcing funding; self-reported by both technology companies and venture firms; as well as regulatory filings and other sources. The totals reported will differ from other venture capital surveys, due to sources of information, timing of funding events, and classification of data. PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital Association, and Ernst & Young/VentureOne will release their quarterly nationwide results of venture activity later this month.

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Home >Section 2 Around the Net > Friday, May 28, 2010
The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert to U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in South Africa to safety and security issues related to the FIFA World Cup taking place in nine cities across the country. Read the whole story
Trade unions in Britain are asking companies to let employees watch the World Cup at work to prevent them from faking sickness during England games. Read the whole story
Two extra assistant referees will used in next season's UEFA Champions League final qualifying round and Euro 2012 qualifiers as UEFA extended its five-referees experiment. The Europa League, which experimented with the five-ref system last season, will continue it as well. Read the whole story
FIFA lifted its international ban on El Salvador because FIFA says the government is no longer interfering with the game. Read the whole story

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Socialist Project • E-Bulletin No. 683
August 20, 2012

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“Now is the time!”:

Struggle for Sexual Diversity in Venezuela

An Interview with Maria Gabriela Blanco
Alianza sexo-género diversa revolucionaria
(Revolutionary Alliance of Sex-Gender, and Diversity, ASGDRe)

Under Hugo Chávez, there have been many gains in the struggle for liberation, including for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people (LGBT). Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was outlawed in the 1999 Labour Organic Law but anti-discrimination proposals were dropped from the 1999 Constitution due to pressure from the Catholic Church; same-sex couples cannot marry or adopt children and several proposals that would have advanced such struggles were defeated in the Constitutional referendum of 2007. There have always been diverse political currents within the LGBT community, but three years ago, the first revolutionary LGBT collective was formed. We caught up with one of its founding members, activist María Gabriela Blanco, at a meeting of the Alianza Popular Revolucionaria (Revolutionary Popular Alliance, APR) in Caracas.

— Susan Spronk and Jeffery R. Webber.

Susan Spronk and Jeffery R. Webber (SS and JRW): Can you tell me about how you became involved in the collective?

Maria Gabriela Blanco (MGB): The collective was founded on August 13, 2009. I became involved as an activist years ago when I was working for the government-run publishing house, Fundación Editorial El perro y la rana [Editorial Foundation The Dog and the Frog]. There were six of us who worked at the Editorial [who identified as queer] who were also militants in the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela [United Socialist Party of Venezuela, PSUV] and formed an electoral battle unit (patrulla). We also participated in the organization of workers´ council initiatives. Many of us studied together at university and some of us met our partners there.

One of the first struggles that we were involved in that more explicitly focused on gender identity and sexual orientation was the gender equality law that was debated in the National Assembly. The members of the Assembly called for participation by lesbians, gays and transsexuals; one of the deputies called for our participation because she wanted to include an article in the law which forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. We saw this as a great opportunity because we have generally been invisible in the Revolution. But there are still many members of the National Assembly, even those who identify as Chavistas, such as Marelis Peres Marcano, the president of the commission, who say things like, “This is not the right time to discuss such matters because we are talking about the family, men and women.” But Deputies Flor Ríos and Romelia Matute spoke out in favour of our struggle, arguing that sexual identity is fluid and changes over time.

The whole process of debating this law was very annoying because it took so long, six months sitting at the table with no results. The members of the National Assembly had to deal with pressure from all sides, from collectives representing lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and gays from the right and from the left; at that point there were very few queer collectives on the left. There was only one that was serious, the Divas de Venezuela, which has since joined us. We did not win in our battle for the gender law. We interviewed one of the deputies who supported us, and she told us that we needed to organize and fight.

We were tired of the fact that after 7-8 years of revolution no one was talking about sexual diversity; the revolution is still too conservative. We decided that we needed to do something about it. We contacted one collective but it was clearly a right-wing organization and then we found Divas de Venezuela, which is not an organization that works in a ‘ghetto,’ [she means wealthy neighbourhoods] but one that works right in the heart of the struggle in the barrio ‘23 de enero’ [a poor neighbourhood in Caracas with a long history of revolutionary struggle]. There we found a transsexual dance teacher (called Rummie Quintero) who works with children; she is very well respected in the community. We started to meet with her and to organize.

Amongst us there are many artists, such as a graphic designer and writers. The six of us worked with Rummie, and two or three other queers came along who joined us. We started to paint graffiti in public places in the shape of a clock, which instead of hands had symbols of women with women or men with men to indicate that “Now is the time!” We have created different images that express our diversity and our commitment to revolution, especially to vindicate the struggle of transsexuals because within the patriarchal system that we live in (even more than the capitalist system because patriarchy came first), this struggle is one of the most oppressed amongst us.

Now many others have also joined us from other struggles, such as the Movimiento de Pobladores, or Poor People's Movement (MP) and the campesino movement. We are also part of the APR, which brings together a variety of different movements. Our struggle is not just about diversity; everyone talks about ‘diversity’ since the NGO boom. Transsexuals such as Rummie argued that she does not feel included in this language about ‘diversity’ since it is fundamentally about gender identity. So we decided on the name Alianza sexo-género diversa revolucionaria; we added the ‘revolutionary’ part because we are Chavistas.

We are also clear that we are not defined solely by our sexual orientation and gender identities. This aspect of our identity is the last thing that defines us, because we are also women [and men], afro-descendants, indigenous, poor, and Chavista, but we see our struggle as part of the struggle against the capitalist system that oppresses us. This makes us different from other right-wing queer collectives that only focus on orientation and identity. For example, there is a famous activist called Tamara Adrián, a transsexual who argues for the right to change our names, but she is wealthy. Our struggle is also a class struggle. Our priority is the most oppressed people – the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans and heterosexuals who are also working-class.

Sometimes other Chavistas criticize us for being ‘anarchists’ because we criticize the government, but we are drawing attention to the discrimination that exists within our movements and the institutions of the state. It is the whole system that needs to change; this change will require more than a law. But we have had some successes in legal battles. We had good experiences working with the renters’ movement to discuss a law related to housing. They invited us to the debate because we had been working with them already. This was a really great experience because there are now two articles in this law prohibiting landlords from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The popular participation law also makes reference to the principle of non-discrimination. The right wing cannot say that there have been no advances for queers. There have been many victories and advances in our struggle under Chávez.

We are currently based in Caracas, and most of our members are from the city. We have a listserv of about 24 people, but there are about 15 of us who are active in person on a regular basis. It is a strength that most of us work, but it is difficult to find a time when everyone can meet. Every Monday evening we meet at the Plaza Bolívar – almost religiously – at the same time. Everyone is welcome to join: lesbians, gays, bisexuals, poly-amorous people, transsexuals, and heterosexuals, too. Now we publish our own political bulletin. We also have a column in Todosadentro, which is a weekly magazine published by the Ministry of Culture, and in Epale, another publication in Caracas. We are writing about sexual sovereignty and sovereignty over our bodies in these columns. We also participate in a radio show called “In Check” [En Jaque] that takes place at 2PM on Tuesdays, every second Tuesday, which we help to co-produce. We have also made appearances on feminist TV shows such as, “Fallopian Tube” [El Entrompe de Falopio], which runs in Caracas and on national television, and a radio program, “Diverse but not Perverse” [Diversos No Perversos], which airs on National Venezuelan Radio.

SS and JRW: Chávez has been talking about ‘socialism’ in Venezuela since 2005. What does ‘socialism’ mean to the collective?

MGB: This is a difficult issue for the collective, not because of the process itself but because Latin America remains very sexist (machista). Not to be too pessimistic, but Venezuela remains very patriarchal. Speaking of the election campaign, for example, there was a bad joke insulting an opposition candidate [a male] as being ‘feminine.’ But it is not correct to make fun of the ‘feminine.’ In the same revolutionary process with a President [Chávez] who identifies as a feminist, who identifies this process as a socialist and feminist process, or as a feminist and socialist process, this is a contradiction. So we have to encourage critical reflection amongst our compañeros, in our neighbourhoods and in our workplaces, to identify this contradiction that they are making fun of the ‘feminine.’ After all, at the base of homophobia is a kind of sexism, to suppose that anything that is feminine about a man is a kind of weakness. This is how we started to approach the problem.

In 2010 Chávez called forth the homosexuals, the youth, to join the process (‘el proceso’). While he was saying this we were recording it, sending it to each other as text messages, and we put it on Facebook. Obviously the right made fun of this. But this kind of discrimination crosses political lines, whether you are revolutionary of not. It affects the left and the right. Once you are in the kitchen, a left-wing sexist is the same as a right-wing sexist, even though there shouldn't be sexism (machismo) on the left. After that moment we had even greater resolution in giving our support to Chávez. He called for us to struggle the same way that he called for the participation of the afro-descendants, the campesinos, the fishermen and the fisherwomen. The fact that he named us meant that our struggles are recognized, although before we would march without anyone seeing us.

Once we formed the ASGDRe, we decided that our first march would be with the Poor People's Movement (MP). We made our own 3-metre sign that had our name and called for the right to housing for same-sex couples and the right to live in dignity. We also carried a flag with rainbow colors. We wanted other people to see us for who we are, and since we have articulations with militants in all different movements, they gave us their support. For the first half hour we were really tense but we managed to get over it and just march. The rainbow flag did not have anything written on it. But the signs did say something and we marched with them. Now people make rainbow flags of 100 metres and everyone marches behind them. You will see the flag in barrios such as Antímano, in Petare [poor neighbourhoods in Caracas].

We support Chávez because even in his Plan 2013-2019, he talks about how we queers have lived in a situation of repression and that the only way out of this state is to overcome the capitalist system [she refers us to article of the electoral platform]. This consumerist system that we live in has caused a lot of divisions, even amongst us queers. We discriminate even amongst ourselves. The gay and lesbian bars in Caracas, for example, do not let in transsexuals. They suffer total discrimination unless they have money. So, rich transsexuals such as Tamara Adrián (who I mentioned earlier) can get in but other compañeras, no. So she makes a denouncement about human rights but it does not advance beyond that. Of course, this is not to say that she has not done good things.

But before, these gay ‘ghettos’ were the only places that I could go because I had to hide. I had to adopt another personality when I was with my family or at the university; spaces for us would open at 4 or 5 in the afternoon – these spaces with shaded doorways, with no light inside, and music so loud that no one could talk. Most people would go there to meet someone like them. But now that I am Chavista, I am out to part of my family and I go to conventional places.

Once I was with my partner in a shopping centre – again, this will not happen to you if you have money – and they told us that, “This is a family establishment.” We paid the bill but they had the police escort us until we had left the shopping centre. So what is the Venezuelan state doing so that everybody can enjoy public spaces? In the PDVSA Estancia [a recreation centre owned by the state oil company] they will not let same-sex couples hold hands because they say that it is a “place for families” and that “there are children present.” Che talked about how revolution is about love. We are not having sexual relations when we are simply holding hands!

These problems are not the fault of the revolution but the legacy of the bourgeois state – at least now we have the advantage of having a collective, to be able to understand what is happening. We are fighting so that this ‘socialist’ system recognizes diversity. We are fighting so that within our popular movement there is diversity of thought but unity in action – this is the idea behind the revolution. But we still have structures of the state – this state which is not socialist – that are going to repress us. We have to know who we are with and who we are against. There are still a few things about which we need critical reflection. PDVSA is the economic arm of this rent-dependent, petroleum-producing country. But we have to join the debate because there is no way that we can beat this capitalist system if we cannot debate others from the popular movement. And our strength is that we have spaces in which popular education (formación popular) is taking place. These are not academic workshops, but popular spaces in which we learn from the people, like the communal councils.

SS and JRW: What is the importance of the elections on October 7, 2012?

MGB: In this movement there is broad agreement that we are not playing around, that we are finally declaring our independence, as argued by José Martí. If we win these elections it is going to deepen the process. This process has many problems since we are in a transition. There are still many vices of capitalism. I am twenty-eight years old; I was born in capitalism and I have the same vices. I have never known anything else. But now we are talking about other forms of property, other ideas.

Right now I work in a social production enterprise, trying to work with the communities to socialize property and production. I am not only a homosexual [she says laughing]. And although we have control over the political because we have the government, we do not have control over the economic. Chávez has told us this same thing many times. It is no secret. But we are advancing with this new model of production and management, and advancing in how we see ourselves as workers and as producers; we are not going to have these discussions if Chávez leaves.

We have to work to guarantee the vote. The reason that the President is there is that he is the figurehead who moves us emotionally, who unites those of us from the base, who inspires the popular movements. He is carrying the process but we are responsible for it. Without a doubt, there have been so many gains and a million demands; our movement is not yet as advanced as others such as the campesino movement, or the movement of renters. I do not know anyone who has been unaffected by this process: a friend who received a new house because theirs was destroyed in a flood, another who has participated in one of the missions. Here we have free education. There is free health care, even if it is not the best (although Michael Moore shows how the U.S. claim to the best health care is a lie). The media outside of Venezuela misrepresents this process; Chávez is the most democratic president this country has ever had. •

Susan Spronk teaches international development at the University of Ottawa. She is a research associate with the Municipal Services Project and has published various articles on working-class formation and water politics in Latin America.

Jeffery R. Webber teaches politics and international relations at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Red October: Left Indigenous Struggles in Modern Bolivia (Haymarket, 2012).

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Patrick Schwarzenegger Post Shirtless Pic, Then Skiing Injury Pic On Twitter

March 12th, 2012 // Leave a Comment
Patrick Schwarzenegger Twitter Photos

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver‘s son Patrick Schwarzenegger has injured himself in a skiing accident.

The 18-year-old underwent treatment in an Idaho hospital after the mishap, which left him being taken away on a stretcher wearing a neck brace and with a deeply scraped bottom.

It is not clear how the teenager achieved his wounds, but parading the results on his Twitter page, he posted several references to his misfortune. He revealed to nearly 50,000 followers: “Little ski accident today. Some bruises and stiches down back and but. Thanks to sun valley doctors for everything (sic).”

He wasn’t kept down long. A day after suffering cuts and bruises in a skiing accident, the 18-year-old returned to the slopes in in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Sunday, apparently no worse for wear.

Just two days prior to posting this pic, Patrick posted a shirtless photo of himself and a friend at a swim meet with the following caption, “My first swim meet ever.”

By Michael Prieve

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How Social Media Has Changed Customer Service

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You may wonder where I found such an obscure quote. It was a comment by someone named Vigrx on my blog post titled “Using Social Media to Market Your Business.” He or she was promoting the site The fact that the quote had absolutely nothing to do with social media was a sure sign that it was spam.

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A major component of answering those questions effectively is understanding in which social outposts your customers are concentrated, because there really is no benefit in beating your customers to the punch. Companies should follow, not lead, their customers across the social web.

At conferences, I’m often asked something along these lines: “My boss thinks none of our customers are on Facebook, but I think they are. What do I do?”

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social media how toYou’ve likely heard stories about how big companies are using Twitter as a powerful listening tool.   And although Chris Brogan has been telling us to grow bigger ears for a while, what are you actually doing about it?

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#1:  Marketers Ditch Silo Campaigns and Report Social Media as “Critical for Success” (Alterian)

As digital and social media marketing mature, the demand for greater integration is evident. Marketers are quickly realizing that operating in a one-way marketing tunnel makes success impossible in this social media–saturated world.

How IBM Uses Social Media to Spur Employee Innovation

social media case studies“Be yourself.”  It’s one of the rules of social media. If you’re blogging, tweeting or Facebooking for business, be real—or you won’t be followed.

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It’s tough enough for a small business. What if you’re #2 on Business Week‘s best global brands list, with nearly 400,000 employees across 170 countries?

At IBM, it’s about losing control.

“We don’t have a corporate blog or a corporate Twitter ID because we want the ‘IBMers’ in aggregate to be the corporate blog and the corporate Twitter ID,” says Adam Christensen, social media communications at IBM Corporation.

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