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Adirondack Town Of Franklin
Adirondack Town Of Franklin

Town of Franklin Board Meetings

Special Town Board Meeting
Monday, August 20 2008 - 7:00 pm

The Town of Franklin Town Board held its duly noticed special Town Board Meeting on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Franklin Town Hall in Vermontville, NY.

Board members Present:

Supervisor Mary Ellen Keith
Councilman Walt Kretser
Councilman Allen Berg
Councilman Clifford Smalley
Councilwoman Janet Ordway

Others Present:

Brian Burke, Architect
Beverly Eichenlaub, Architect
Franklin Co. District Attorney Derek Champagne
Town Clerk Sandra Oliver
Frances Oliver, Karen Smalley, David Snickles, Frank Karl, Robert Keith, Bradley Merrill, Jean Baltzly, Peter LaBrake, Nathan Brown, Adirondack Daily Enterprise Jacob Resneck, WNBZ, Press-Republican & North Country Public Radio

Supervisor Keith called the meeting to order at 7:00pm; the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, and the Town Clerk called the roll, stating the full board was present. Supervisor Keith announced the purpose of the special meeting was to hear the presentation of the architects regarding the infrastructure project and requested that all questions or comments by the public be made at the appropriate points in time, per the Agenda.

For the past several years the Building Committee has studied and discussed ways in which the buildings of the Town could be improved. NYS Unified Court System has mandated specific physical requirements for local justice courts, additional space is needed for public gatherings, and critically, the Town Garage, built in the 1980's, must be renovated. She introduced Brian Burke and Beverly Eichenlaub, Architects, of Premises Design Studio, Essex, NY.

Brian Burke distributed copies of a document outlining proposed alterations and expansion of the Garage and a new structure at Kate Mountain Recreation Park as well as architectural drawings:

1. Garage Project Intent - Renovation of Town Garage to:

a. Accommodate larger vehicles

b. Improve working conditions, vehicle maintenance efficiency and worker safety

c. Improve building energy efficiency

Expand vehicle storage and repair bays for larger equipment by:

adding 24 feet to east end of building adding 12 feet to west end of building enlarging vehicle storage bay by 4 feet to the north

Currently, the Town's Highway Dept. vehicles have inadequate space to be stored and maintained in the Garage

Reinforce existing structure to meet contemporary standards

The Garage was originally built in the early 1980's.

Replace heating and ventilating system to meet contemporary standards and improve energy efficiency

Radiant slab/radiant overhead heating Ventilation air heat recovery High efficiency boiler Improved air filtration

Replace electrical distribution to meet contemporary standards

Replace lighting to meet contemporary standards and improve energy efficiency

Reconfigure and replace fixtures with energy-efficient bulbs

Adapt thermal envelope (insulation, windows, doors, roof) to improve energy efficiency

The 12 ft high berm was the most efficient method of insulation when the Garage was constructed. There are newer, more efficient materials which can be used to insulate the building. The berm will be reduced to 6 inches.

Plumbing in need of upgrading.

Estimated Garage renovation construction costs:

Expand size and reinforce existing structure: $467,000

Improve electrical system and lighting: 39,000

Improve plumbing system: 28,000

Add vehicle lift: 104,000

Total estimated construction cost: $688,000

Concerning the vehicle lift, Mr. Burke explained he had been in touch with NYS Dept. of Transportation which confirmed vehicle lifts were more efficient than pits. The hydraulic lift contemplated for the Garage work will have two posts and will be capable of hoisting a fully-loaded vehicle.

2. Kate Mountain Recreation Park intent to: Add to existing Park facilities.

Improve vehicle and pedestrian roads and paths, Provide handicapped accessibility, Facilitate large vehicle (school bus), movement, Add parking, Add walkways for access to main park components, Realign service road

The earth-moving, grading and landscaping work can be done by Town employees.

Add outdoor activity amenities - soccer field, concert lawn and band shell, volleyball courts, model plane field, picnic tables, fitness stations, trail system link to Kate Mountain, horseshoe court and additional playground equipment

These activities are planned for the future and will be added as time and money permits. They will enhance the summer youth program and may generate income for the Town from groups wishing to use the Park.

Add new Community Center building

community event space (meetings, lectures, performances, dinners, receptions Kitchen Park (public restrooms) Community parlor Indoor activity space for crafts, classes and youth programs

The kitchen in the Franklin Town Hall will be converted to a courtroom, per NYS Unified Court System requirements.

The proposed community center will, as determined by the Building Committee and Town Board, take the place of the Town Hall for use by the community for fundraisers, meetings and receptions of outside parties.

No Town offices will be relocated to the community center.

Grants are available.

Community Center estimated construction cost:

Building: $510,000

Equipment: 10,000

Site utilities: 25,000

Roads, walkways and landscaping: In kind

Total estimated construction cost: $545,000

Coun. Ordway stated she had served on the Building Committee for six years, and the plans Mr. Burke and Ms. Eichenlaub presented were exactly what the Committee had recommended.

Coun. Smalley expressed concern over the cost of constructing the community center and asked if the total square footage could be reduced. Mr. Burke responded the square footage could be reduced, but not the cost of construction. The proposed plans were drawn up so the building would accommodate twice as many people as the Town Hall - 120. If the square footage was reduced the building would only hold 60 people.

Supv. Keith indicated Ann Holland, grant writer for the Town was already investigating grant funding for the project. She commented that a grant application under the federal EPA had been prepared but that cost estimates were not yet prepared. The grant application will be submitted next year. In addition, the Building Committee had met with representatives of _______________ who still had funds available for this year. A request for funding will be prepared and submitted next October.

Supervisor Keith requested a motion for a resolution to proceed with the infrastructure project, that is, going forward with the September 12, 2008 public information session at Kate Mountain Recreation Park (4:00 to 8:00 PM), and preparation, mailing and results tabulation of a brochure and a survey to taxpayers.

Motion to proceed with project (W.Kretser-J.Ordway m/s/p) ALL AYE

WHEREAS, the Town Board and its committees have studied and discussed its infrastructure (buildings) needs for several years; and

WHEREAS, the Board has determined the Town Garage renovation to be first priority; and

WHEREAS, because NYS Unified Court System has imposed specific guidelines for the physical space of the Town Justice Court which will be relocated to the current kitchen of the Franklin Town Hall; and

WHEREAS, the Franklin Town Hall will no longer contain a kitchen or adequate space to support community events, construction of a community center at Kate Mountain Recreation Park has been proposed; and

WHEREAS, Architects Brian Burke and Beverly Eichenlaub and Earth Science Engineering have submitted plans and drawings and price estimates encompassing the Garage renovation ($688,000) and proposed community center ($545,000) ; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board will continue to pursue accomplishment of the infrastructure project as follows:

(1) Hold several public information sessions regarding the project, the first scheduled for Friday, September 12, 2008, at Kate Mountain Recreation Park from 4:00 to 8:00 PM.

(2) Conduct a survey of all Town taxpayers to determine whether they would approve of such project (return stamped envelope to be included).

(3) Research and pursue alternative financing through grants and donations

Supervisor Mary Ellen Keith
Councilperson Janet Ordway
Councilman Walter Kretser
Councilman Allen Berg
Councilman Clifford Smalley

You have proposed a "Cadillac", and we only need a "Chevrolet". This has been reviewed and studied for the past ten years and has cost $300,000 with consultants, architects and engineers. You have grandiose plans, and this community can't afford it.

The Building Committee and the Town Board are in complete agreement that this is what the Town needs, explained Coun. Kretser. The Garage renovation can't be delayed any longer, and the community center should be built - there will be no room for private gatherings at the Town Hall because the Court will be relocated to the kitchen. Right now the Town Hall is the only place people can gather to hold club meetings, fundraisers, receptions and parties. If we wait another 5 years to do something, it will cost over $1 million. Forward thinking municipalities look to the future, and build accordingly. The proposed community center is an investment in the future of this Town. The fact that the Town of Franklin has a center like this will draw people and businesses to us. We are looking to the future. The project will be subject to a public hearing, a permissive referendum, and our bond counsel is now working on a resolution for the September meeting. We are investigating grants and alternative sources of funding. In addition, the new community center could be a source of revenue for the Town. There will be outside groups who will want to use the space and be willing to pay for the use of it.

The Board thanked Mr. Burke and Ms. Eichenlaub for the presentation and information.

The Board also applauded the efforts of current and past members of the Building Committee, including Jean Baltzly, Roger Symonds, David Dekkers, Frank Karl and Bob Hammond. These individuals spent hours on the project, and the Town Board is very appreciative of their efforts.

Mr. Champagne stated he was unable to attend a Town Board meeting earlier than this; the purpose of his visit was to explain his methods, reasoning and decision in the James Rascoe investigation. The decision to recommend Rascoe's immediate resignation (effective July 11, 2008) was made as a result of his concern for Town finances, possible criminal prosecution of the five Town employees who gave statements against the former highway superintendent and the fact that Dennis Rascoe, son of the former highway superintendent, was scheduled for the same grand jury that James Rascoe's case would have been presented to.

Mr. Champagne said the Town of Franklin is not the only municipality in the County to endure a criminal investigation of an elected official without it resulting in incarceration; the District Attorney is currently investigating charges against several elected officials in five towns in the County. In the past the Malone Town Highway Supt. was investigated for similar misconduct. That Supt. was confronted with possible criminal indictment and conviction and resigned. A Town of Brandon official paved a private driveway among other things. That investigation went to the Grand Jury and was sealed.

The District Attorney wrote two separate letters to the NYS Police requesting an investigation of the allegations against James Rascoe; in both instances the State Police suggested the matter be referred to NYS Comptroller's Office. As has been explained previously, NYS Comptroller's office audits financial records and reports; in the Rascoe matter, there were no records to audit, only written statements by eyewitnesses. Therefore, Mr. Champagne requested his investigator. William Richey, usually assigned to the Drug Task Force, to perform investigation of the charges of official misconduct. Mr. Richey spoke with all five Highway Dept. employees, attempted to speak with Mr. Rascoe (referred to Rascoe's lawyer) and uncovered adequate evidence of wrongdoing to present to the grand jury.

In making the decision to demand Rascoe's immediate resignation, Mr. Champagne said he was first concerned about Town of Franklin taxpayers, who, because Rascoe was on medical leave, still had to pay him. His second concern was for the five employees who stepped forward to give statements against Rascoe as they might be indicted for acting as accomplices to Rascoe's crimes. Although these men were forthright in coming forward, under NYS law, acting under duress only carries weight if there is a threat of physical violence, which there was not in this instance. Mr. Champagne indicated the grand jury may well have wanted to examine the actions of the employees more closely. Also, the fact that Rascoe was on medical leave left room for him to return to his post as supervisor of employees who signed statements against him. The third consideration was the fact that Dennis Rascoe, son of James Rascoe, was involved in what Mr. Champagne termed a "clean shooting" in the course of his duties, was scheduled to have the shooting reviewed by the same grand jury which would have heard James Rascoe's case. Mr. Champagne thought this might be prejudicial. He could have waited until September 2008 to present James Rascoe's case to a new grand jury, but again, the Town would still have been obliged to pay his salary and Rascoe would then be receiving his full pension. Also it would have taken 12 to 14 months before coming to trial.

As to restitution, the chances of the Town recouping any monies from Rascoe are bleak. There is no way to determine how many times employees were allowed to leave early without clocking themselves out. In order to claim restitution, exact dates, times and amounts would have to be determined. The employees could not specify how many times or on what dates they were allowed to leave early or performed personal errands for Rascoe while on Town duty. The District Attorney said that a civil suit could be commenced against Rascoe seeking monetary damages and restitution.

Mr. Champagne stated the Town Board deserves credit for listening to the employees, and indicated the employees were courageous in coming forward, as they could have hurt themselves. The Board agreed that Mr. Champagne's description of events and decision-making process cleared the air and thanked him for his appearance.

Supervisor Keith stated she had been informed Highway Supt. James Perry had been served with a violation as a result of illegal dumping at a site on Norman Ridge Road. Coun. Ordway said that Mr. Perry indicated he had not received a citation from DEC. Coun. Kretser reported that he and Coun. Berg inspected the site and found a great deal of rubbish, not all of which could be attributed to the Highway Dept. There were no petroleum smells, discarded oil drums or oil sheens on the ground. Nothing was oozing. Coun. Berg indicated he had corresponded with the Environmental Protection Agency about funds to clean the area, but funds are available only if pollution is present. Both Couns. Kretser and Berg recommended DEC test the wells and waterways around the perimeter of the site. Coun. Ordway stated Highway Supt. Perry telephoned Lt. Shultz but as the lieutenant is currently on vacation, the call was not returned.

Supt. Keith reported that Sean Curry, Auditor for NYS Comptroller's Office, was in the Town Hall to update the audit of payroll and other records performed in 2005. He is reviewing meeting minutes, payrolls and Town policies and procedures. She said she was pleased to have received some positive feedback on progress the Town had made since 2005.

Patricia Willis, representing the Rainbow Lake Association requested the Town Board sign another letter in support of the Association's grant application to the Lake Champlain Basin Program, as follows:

"The Town of Franklin contains part of the Rainbow Lake waterway, and the Town Board strongly supports a grant to the "Rainbow Lake Water Protection Program." This program is managed by the Rainbow Lake Association ("RLA"), an organization of long standing in the community and which is dedicated to the preservation of the Rainbow Lake waterway.

Association activities include

(1) Conducting a survey of the entire 6-mile waterway for Eurasian Water Milfoil using 20 volunteers

(2) Cooperating with NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation in distributing an RLA flyer concerning invasive species and safe boating practices

(3) Commissioning Paul Smiths College Water Stewardship Program to station a steward at the Buck Pond campsite boat launch to educate and assist the public in cleaning their watercrafts prior to entering the waterway,

(4) Providing volunteer stewards to extend coverage at Buck Pond.

The maintenance of the Rainbow Lake waterway is of prime importance to surrounding communities like the Town of Franklin, and the public at large who enjoy the waterway for recreation. Water quality here affects the health of the fishery and other wildlife and water downstream, as well as the health of people who swim in it. Property values are affected by water, and hence, the tax base of those properties bordering the waterway, depend on the quality of the water.

I hope you will agree with me that the Rainbow Lake Water Protection Program deserves your favorable decision on its request for supporting grant funding for 2009.

Mary Ellen Keith, Supervisor"

The Board concurred.

An application for employment with the Highway Dept. had been submitted by an individual with a less than spotless driving record. Highway Supt. Perry had requested the Town Board to rule on the matter. Coun. Kretser recommended the record of the candidate be investigated more thoroughly, and the Board concurred. Supv. Keith said she would confer with the Town's insurance broker.

Supervisor Keith announced she would attend with Assessor Doug Tichenor the August 22nd conference at the Harrietstown Town Hall regarding valuation of NYS land in the Adirondack Park.

There being no further business to conduct, the meeting adjourned at 9:08 p.m. (M.Keith-W.Kretser m/s/p) ALL AYE

Respectfully submitted, Sandra J. Oliver, Town Clerk

Click here to see past minutes

Town of Franklin
P.O. Box 209, Route 3, Vermontville, NY 12989  ·  Tel: 518-891-2189  ·  Fax: 518-891-6389  ·
© Town of Franklin  ·  Website Design: Rainbow Graphics


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Ceaco Produces Boston Marathon Jigsaw Puzzle

Boston_3D_BoxCeaco, manufacturer of jigsaw puzzles and family games, will produce a special limited edition jigsaw puzzle based on the Boston Magazine cover that captured the hearts and emotions of the city in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. The proceeds from the 550-piece puzzles will be donated to The One Fund Boston.

Ceaco has been a fixture of the greater Boston toy manufacturing community for more than 25 years. The puzzle will be made entirely in Massachusetts and all of Ceaco’s production partners are donating time and materials to benefit the project. It will be available for purchase in mid-June at local toy, game, and gift stores, as well as online at ceaco.com.

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News Release
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.texas.gov

Dec. 18, 2008

TPWD Sets Scoping Meeting To Air Grayson County Deer Issues

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been considering a proposal to open a general firearms deer season in Grayson County.

A public scoping meeting to gather additional feedback will be held in Grayson County on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009 at Grayson County College’s Center for Work Place Learning Auditorium near Sherman. The auditorium will open at 6 p.m. and the public meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

Grayson County Judge Drue Bynum has been invited to open the meeting with some introductory remarks and TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith will facilitate the remainder of the meeting, which will include a short presentation on TPWD’s regulations process and the rationale for contemplating a gun deer season in Grayson County.

The Grayson County general firearms deer season issue is part of an extensive suite of potential regulation changes in deer harvest TPWD is considering throughout much of the state. The department is gathering public input on the possible proposals and will present to the commission on January 21a comprehensive set of proposals.

Those proposals will be published in the Texas Register and available for additional public comment during a series of public hearings around the state next spring. A final decision will be made by the commission at its March 25-26, 2009 public meeting.

Details about the possible regulation changes can be found online and TPWD invites the public to weigh in on these possible proposals by clicking the public comments section on the TPWD home page.

SL 2008-12-18

More Information:

Publication — Permission is granted to publish, in whole or in part, any news releases on this page.

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Plain Text — Plain text versions of TPWD news releases are provided for copying and pasting into editing software.

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Permalink — This is a direct link to the news release, omitting the navigation context from the URI.

English/Spanish — News releases posted in both English and Spanish have one of these links.

If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send an e-mail to webtech@tpwd.state.tx.us and mention Plain Text Pages.

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Sunday 30 August 2015

Jameel Humaidan

Bahrain launches more flexible work permits

Manama, September 24, 2013

Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) has announced more flexible durations for work permits in accordance with a new resolution issued by Labour Minister and LMRA Board chairman Jameel Humaidan.

The LMRA yesterday (September 23) said it has adopted a new system that gives employers the benefit of applying for work permits with a duration of one year, instead of the regular two years, at half the price - with the choice to renew it for another six months or one year for the associated cost, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The regular two-year visas will continue to be issued and renewed as normal.

The new system will be adopted from October 1. LMRA chief executive Ausamah Al Absi said the new system - put in place following government's directive - would provide more facilities and flexibility for the business community.

"It will allow employers to organise the affairs of their employees to suit the requirements of the contracts they are awarded in various fields.

"It will also give businessmen more freedom in managing their cash flow," he said, adding that LMRA spares no effort to provide facilities and concessions to the commercial sector and the businessmen in order to develop the national economy.

The work permit may be renewed for a duration or any other durations as per the requirement of the employer or his authorised person in a format issued by the LMRA for this purpose - manually or online - not exceeding 180 days prior to its expiry.

Humaidan has also issued a resolution organising the Employers' records. The employer is now obliged to maintain a 'foreign employees register' - it shall comprise the name and nationality of the worker, his qualifications and job, address of residence, salary agreed upon and mode of payment, as well as bank details and any other related rights and obligations on both parties during the employment period. – TradeArabia News Service

Tags: Bahrain | LMRA | Employers | Foreign workers | work permits |

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Conan Against Moving `Tonight Show` to 12:05; Cowell to Reunite With Abdul on `X Factor`?; Interview With Suzanne Somers

Aired January 12, 2010 - 21:00:00   ET

JOY BEHAR, HOST: Tonight on THE JOY BEHAR SHOW: Jay, Conan and Jimmy are playing late night musical chairs. Well, it seems the music has stopped and someone has walked away from a chair and flipped the peacock a bird.

Then Simon Cowell is said to be wooing Paula Abdul to join him on his new show, "The X Factor". Will the two of them be reunited just like Peaches and Herb?

Plus Suzanne Somers may have played a ditzy blond on "Three`s Company", well, she`s anything but. You`ll see what I mean in just a bit.

All this starting now.

So NBC execs tried their big fat television experiment, rejiggering their primetime and late night schedules and guess what? It didn`t work. Well, earlier today Conan O`Brien strapped on a pair of brass ones and issued a strongly-worded statement that makes it crystal clear he has absolutely no intention of moving time slots and following Jay Leno again, ever. Here is part of his announcement.

"My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of "The Tonight Show but I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction."

Apparently Conan O`Brien has just written his own drama special. It`s called "Law & Order: NBC, Screw You".

Joining me to discuss this amazing turn of events is comic Rich Vos; Bonnie Fuller, the president and editor in chief of hollywoodlife.com; and Carlos Diaz correspondent for "Extra". Welcome to the show, you guys.

BEHAR: Ok. Conan took the gloves off, right, Bonnie?

FULLER: He did. He threw down the gauntlet. He said, "Hell no, I won`t go to 12:05." So NBC is going to have to make a decision. Are they going to kick Leno off for good or are they going to be prepared to lose Conan?

RICH VOS, COMEDIAN: NBC wants to take Conan fishing like they did Fredo in "The Godfather.

BEHAR: That`s what it looks like.

VOS: NBC stands for not backing Conan. The thing is how do they expect it to work? There`s four hours of white guys in a row. It`s just the same thing. Four -- at some point, you go you know what? I have to stop watching this.

Right now Carson Daly is so depressed he`s going to start eating again. They`re not even thinking about him.

BEHAR: Well, he`s going to be like on "The Today Show". That`s how late he`s going to be on.

Carlos, let me ask you a question. Do you buy that when Conan says this could be the destruction of "The Tonight Show" do you buy that?

CARLOS DIAZ, CORRESPONDENT, "EXTRA": I totally buy it, because the one thing that he pointed out is -- well, one of the several things he pointed out in his text was that this is the one thing that "The Tonight Show" being on at 11:30, that is the tradition that we`ve come to know and love.

And he kind of takes a shot at Jay saying that he hoped to have better primetime ratings heading into his show, so a little jab at Jay there in his text.

BEHAR: That was kind of -- I don`t think comedians should turn on each other like that.

VOS: You know what it`s like. It`s like being a comic on the road. There`s emcee feature headliner. If you`re the headliner and you`re working all week and they come to you Friday and say, "You know what? We`re moving you back to feature spot, the feature headlines." You`ll still get the same money, you`re not going to go for it because it`s all ego.

BEHAR: That`s why I don`t think it should be ego. Do what you have to do and make a living. There`s so many people out of work right now so, just shut up and do the job.

FULLER: You know, I don`t think it`s just ego. People like familiarity. They are used to seeing "The Tonight Show" at 11:35. I think Conan`s absolutely right. They don`t like people messing around with their schedule. They`re used to getting in bed and putting their feet up.

FULLER: You can`t change human nature. They have been trained to go there at 11:35 for what, 30, 40 years?

BEHAR: Carlos, in his statement, he also took a little bullet for Jimmy Fallon saying that this is very unfair to Jimmy.

DIAZ: Yes. And that`s great because he`s defending Jimmy saying, "Hey, I passed the show on to him which used to start at 12:35. I don`t want it to start at 1:05."

But the thing you have to ask about Conan is, but what kind of leverage does Conan have? Because the whole reason we`re in this mess is because his ratings were pretty much in the toilet at 11:35. He wasn`t drawing the people in.

BEHAR: Why not?

DIAZ: You know what? I honestly believe he has a quirkily 12:30 kind of comedy. I appreciate it, I think he`s hilarious. But a lot of people, Middle America might not get Conan`s comedy as much as they get Jay Leno`s comedy. What kind of leverage does Conan have? Where does he go? Does anyone want to take a chance on him at 11:30? Does Fox want to take a chance on him with his own talk show at 11:30 or even 11:00?

BEHAR: Wow, that`s an interesting point. What do you think? This spells doom for Conan and his show?

VOS: No, he`s proven -- he`s obviously proven, I think he`ll move to another network.

BEHAR: Go ahead, Carlos.

DIAZ: He`s proven himself at 12:35 but he hasn`t proven himself at any other time slot.

VOS: Well, because everybody in this business -- hold on -- it`s a quick fix. They didn`t give him a chance. Everything is a quick fix in this world now.

FULLER: Exactly. He was only on for seven months. It took Leno a year or so to find his feet. In fact, he trailed Letterman for a long time.

BEHAR: That`s true.

FULLER: People were writing him off.

And the point that he made about not getting, well, yes, his jab in at Leno for not giving him the ratings coming in, or like that boost. He didn`t get the kind of -- like the big dramas that Leno had that brought him ratings and audience that rolled into his hour.

BEHAR: Right, right. He says that there`s no offer on the table, Conan, in this statement also. Carlos, do you believe that or is he playing cat and mouse here a little bit with Fox?

DIAZ: I think he has to believe it because really, in all honesty, he didn`t believe he would have to be fielding offers at this time seven months into his show.

And you have to ask what kind of leverage does Jay Leno have now? If Conan says he`s out, Jay can basically I want the moon, Mars and maybe even Venus to host "The Tonight Show" again because they`re going to have to draw up a whole new contract for him.

BEHAR: Ok. Let`s talk a little bit about the fact that now Leno will be on at 11:35 against Letterman. So they`re going mano-a-monologue. How does that hurt Letterman? Because Leno was kicking his butt before this all happened, if you recall. Now Letterman is in trouble also.

FULLER: Yes. Well, I mean, it`s going to be a new ball game for both of them because Letterman has thrived against Conan however, I think that it will take some time again. Familiarity, you have got to get Leno back into that driver`s seat.

But yes, I do think that we could see him take the ratings again.

VOS: Real quick, I really think Arsenio is going to suffer the most from all of this.

BEHAR: Do you think Jay -- I think so too -- do you think Jay was listening in on the negotiations. Remember that movie?

Go ahead, Carlos, I give you the last word. And then we`re going to move on to another topic.

DIAZ: I honestly believe that if Hugh Grant can pick up another hooker, Jay Leno`s ratings would be right back to where they were.

FULLER: I agree.

BEHAR: Let`s move on to another departure. Take a look.

SIMON COWELL, JUDGE, "AMERICAN IDOL": I have a great relationship with Fox. They did want me to stay on the show and I was offered a lot of money to stay on the show. And everyone thought I was posturing to negotiate more money et cetera, et cetera. But it actually wasn`t the case. I just felt like doing something new.

BEHAR: Ok. That, of course, was Simon Cowell on "Extra" talking about the negotiations for his new show which lead to his decision to leave "American Idol". And let me tell you, there wasn`t been this much news about a departure since my uncle Nuncio went away to college.

Carlos, what is this show, "The X Factor?" What is it?

DIAZ: "The X Factor" is Simon Cowell`s show that he`s bringing over from Britain. It`s lot like -- it`s kind of like if "American Idol and "America`s Got Talent" got together and formed one show. It`s kind of a melding of those two shows. But the big thing here is Simon Cowell owns that show and he runs that show. So he`ll be making even more money, if you can believe that.

BEHAR: And what about Paula, Bonnie, is he going to bring Paula with him?

FULLER: My guess is that he will. I place my bets on it. He`s always said that he hated when she left. He wanted to work together with her. He didn`t want to lose his little friend and she`s been so suspiciously silent for the last couple of months. I think she`s got a deal.

BEHAR: It`s interesting about Paula though. As Jim Florentine said, she`s a train wreck. But we love her in a way. And he wants her and it always looks like they`re fighting with each other but that`s what makes good TV.

VOS: That`s why it`s "The X Factor", with her it`s the ecstasy factor.

VOS: If "American Idol" lost half their viewers, they still have more viewers than every other show on television.

BEHAR: Well, hasn`t this jumped the shark? Maybe "Idol" has jumped the shark? It might be over. All they have is Randy Jackson.

VOS: And what`s her name, Ellen.

BEHAR: And Ellen. How do you think Ellen is going to do?

VOS: I hope she comes dancing down the aisle and trips.

BEHAR: Why? That`s so evil.

DIAZ: Wow.

VOS: I know it`s evil -- oh, please, enough with your L.A. wow, ok. Nobody wants to see this white girl dancing down the stairs, enough already.

FULLER: At least you don`t.

BEHAR: Let`s talk about the money that he`s going to make. He`s saying he wants to move on to bigger things. Yes, bigger bucks.

FULLER: That`s right.

BEHAR: I mean he`s going to make a lot. This is a franchise; it`s all over the place, this "X Factor".

FULLER: Right. He`s going to be the Tiger Woods of the entertainment world when it comes to billions. I mean He owns "X Factor".

BEHAR: You mean a Swedish girl is going to hit him in the head with a golf club?

VOS: How much do you think -- when is enough, enough? Like do you think everything is about money? Do you think -- don`t you think ...

FULLER: Don`t you think? He`s going to have total control.

VOS: And convenience and he`s not going to burn himself out flying back and forth doing one show in the States, one in England. I think a lot of this convenience, I think he has enough money, I mean...

BEHAR: I know, but then you know, it`s never enough. It`s more challenge than anything else. You know how this is...

FULLER: And he`s going to get Paula back.

VOS: Yes.

BEHAR: Thank you all very much.

Up next, more juicy details from the political tell-all "Game Change". This time Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Edwards are under the microscope.

JOHN EDWARDS, Former Senator: Elizabeth? Elizabeth? Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: You can`t help it if people like me.

BEHAR: According to the new book "Game Change", Elizabeth Edwards behaved like a biatch (ph) and monster on the 2008 campaign trail. Are you joking?

The woman has cancer and her Ken doll of a husband had a sleazy affair and a baby with home wrecker Barbie. A bitch and a monster, is that all? She should have ripped his $400 coiffure out by the roofs.

I don`t know about you guys but if my husband put me through what that poor woman went through, I`d be a little more than a bitch. I`d be Attila the Hun in specs.

With me now to discuss this and more are Dee Dee Myers, former White House Press Secretary and author of "Why Women should Rule the World" and Leslie Sanchez, Republican strategist and author of -- this is a long one "You`ve Come a Long Way, and Maybe: Michelle, Sara, Hillary and the Shaping of the New American Woman".

Welcome ladies to the show.

BEHAR: Ok, Hi, Dee Dee.

MYERS: Hi Joy.

BEHAR: Let me read a part in the book where they talk about Elizabeth`s bad ass attitude, all right. "Elizabeth Edwards badgered and berated John`s advisers around the clock. She routinely unleashed profanity-laced tirades on conference calls. `What the "f" quote, what the "f" do you think I`d want to go sit outside a Wal-Mart and hand out leaflets?` She snarled at the schedulers."

Hey, I`d be cursing too if they wanted me -- the wife of the candidate to sit out and hand out leaflets and she might have not have been feeling well. What do you think?

SANCHEZ: It could have been a piggy wiggly. I mean, I think in all fairness...

SANCHEZ: ... I think, it just probably caught her on a bad day. It`s a really unfair characterization. There`s no context there, you have no idea how she was feeling personally and I think it`s just undercutting the fact she was a woman in the middle of a campaign trying to support a very difficult husband.

BEHAR: Yes, Dee Dee, what do you think? Her son dies, she had a child -- you lose a child all bets are off. I will forgive you anything.

Her husband cheated on her in a kind of a nasty sort of public manner. And he goes and has a kid with another woman. Don`t you think Dee Dee she`s justified in being a little cranky?

MYERS: Yes, I felt the betrayal of her in the book lacks any kind of empathy or context as you said. I know Elizabeth Edwards. I think Joy, you probably know Elizabeth.

MYERS: This is not the person that we know. I think it`s -- look, everyone has bad days and bad years and the circumstances that you`ve both just described explain a lot of that. And I think it`s a time-honored tradition that there`s often conflict between the spouse of the candidate and the staff of the candidate.

The spouse of the candidate is somebody who`s going to be there after the campaign dust settles, win or lose, that has the candidate`s best interest at heart over the long term, that sometimes sees his or her weaknesses and flaws and wants to help them win.

And so there`s just a built-in tension there and when things go bad, that relationship every which way goes bad and after that, all the circumstances of the Edwards personal relationship, yes, I`m sure it was pretty complicated and nasty.

BEHAR: And in addition to that, the book shows how John became a megalomaniac. You know, he was concerned about his entourage size and brand names and he thought everyone loved him.

BEHAR: Well, I know one person doesn`t love him anymore. Me. I liked him also; I liked him for a while because he seems to be a person who cared about poor people. He really did. I was very disappointed at him.

But is her behavior in example of sexism again, like if a man was acting in these ways, I`m not sitting outside the piggy wiggly and handing out leaflets, would they be criticizing her in that same way?

SANCHEZ: I think it`s just a shame that they`re putting all of this out there. So much of her private life and kind of a -- really sad point with that and I think there are numerous candidates -- I know Dee Dee not probably worked for them that don`t want to do certain things and you`re working with the campaign to get that done.

It`s part of the conversation, that`s part of the campaign, it`s arduous, there was nothing easy about getting elected and I do think it`s really unfair to her personally.

BEHAR: Dee Dee, do you think that some of these wives of candidates are scrutinized too closely?

MYERS: I think spouses of candidates. I actually think wives of candidates are scrutinized closely and I think what`s worse is for the female candidates, the husbands are scrutinized really closely and it`s always looked at as the anvil around the candidate`s neck.

I`ve worked for Dianne Feinstein which ran for Governor of California in 1990, long time ago and that was a huge issue. It was for Geraldine Ferraro; obviously it was a huge issue for Hillary Clinton.

It was also an issue for Sarah Palin, I mean, Todd kept a pretty low profile but it`s -- spouses become issues fairly or unfairly. And I think -- I think women get kind of vilified regardless of whether they`re the candidate or the spouse.

BEHAR: Ok, let`s -- you mentioned Hillary Clinton. Let`s turn to Hillary Clinton who was also perceived as kind of a b-i-t-c-h during the campaign...

SANCHEZ: I know.

BEHAR: ... a lot.

And apparently she was cheated on too. The book says Bill Clinton was having an affair. Oh, really? But does anybody -- does anybody care really about this anymore, about his affairs?

SANCHEZ: I don`t think, do you?

BEHAR: What do you think, Leslie? You`re a Republican. Do you care?

BEHAR: Ok, Dee Dee, you go first.

MYERS: I would think of all the revelations in this book, right? The last of a -- four or five days...

MYERS: There`s been no cheater chatter about the revelation that Bill Clinton had an affair. There`s a revelation that Hillary Clinton had a war-room within a war-room to deal with the fallout but no one is talking about the fact that Bill Clinton did or didn`t. I think it`s been discounted in the public`s mind.

BEHAR: Are you referring to when Obama asked her to be secretary of state and she said I can`t control my husband`s mouth?

MYERS: No, there`s another part in the book where the authors say that her top command became essentially a war-room within their war-room waiting for the fallout from any potential affairs that President Clinton may or may not have been having.

BEHAR: Oh, but then so I`m referring to something else where President Obama asked her to be Secretary of State, she said I really can`t control him and what he does and that could be a problem. That`s kind of a weak way out of things. Why should she have to give up the most -- one of the most important jobs because her husband can`t be controlled, right Leslie?

SANCHEZ: Well, sure, but let`s put it this way, it was to her advantage taking that job. Look at her polling numbers, look at the support. She`s propelled in terms of not as polarizing looking like a leader. And Republicans are praising her now. So she took the right move.

But the truth was, that was the criticism all along. You have a husband who`s on the national stage, has international relationships with getting money in terms of foreign contracts with governments that she would have had to deal with. There were a lot of concerns about that and I think she handled it graciously. But he`s always been that thorn in her side.

BEHAR: There`s a lesson for all of us in this that Michelle Obama and Hillary were pilloried beyond when they first started and now everybody loves them.

Ladies stay right there. More in just a minute.

BEHAR: I`m back with my political panel.

Media mauler, Sarah Palin has moved on from the world of books and has joined the fair and you betcha Fox News Network as a correspondent. TMZ caught up with her yesterday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re on Fox. How does it feel in joining the fold?

PALIN: What would America do without Fox News? I`m thankful.

BEHAR: The thing with Sarah is that she hates the media and yet she has no trouble writing books, getting a job on fox news, all sorts of things. And also she hates the elite, she calls them the elites and not the real America and isn`t she going to have to come to D.C. or New York? I don`t think that she realizes there are no moose here.

SANCHEZ: No, I don`t think that`s fair. She doesn`t hate the media; she hates the liberal media...

BEHAR: Oh, the liberal media.

SANCHEZ: And she was tweeting her answer right there that she likes social media very much. I think it`s a very strong move for her. It positions her well if she wants to talk to Republican primary voters; Fox News has a lot of those.

She can hopefully start developing some ideas personally she has on domestic and foreign policy. She`s doing that on Facebook and everywhere else now because there`s a platform to kind of solidify that.

BEHAR: Dee Dee do you think this is a political move on her part or just for the cash?

MYERS: I think she`s keeping her options open. I`m not sure Facebook is the place we develop ideas about foreign policy, Leslie, but I think -- look, I don`t think she`s made a decision. I don`t know. She hasn`t called me lately to discuss it with me.

But I don`t think she`s made a decision about whether or not she`ll run for national office in 2012 or beyond. But she`s keeping her options open. And one of the things she`s going to do is keep her profile up, remain visible, keep those speeches rolling in, keep the book sales rolling in and have resources so that she can do whatever she decides ultimately to do.

I think it`s a safe move for her; there is no downside. She has to be real careful of what she says, because as well know, you can say something dumb on TV and it`s out in the ether forever.

BEHAR: Really?

SANCHEZ: Yes. Live TV is a high wire act. But there is a distinct difference. I think she`s taking contemporary media, meaning social media, that`s why I talk about Facebook in those aspects to talk to her constituency directly which is what she always said she wanted to do.

But also it`s a play from the Ronald Reagan playbook. She`s out there talking to an audience. He used radio, did 1,000 radio commentators in that 5 years from 75 to 1980. Built his structure, his platform, got his ideas and it set him up for his first full-fledged presidential...

BEHAR: Didn`t he realize there was TV by that time or he`s still on the radio?

SANCHEZ: He was doing television but he was writing a column and a daily radio station. It will get her out there in a platform that`s friendly to her and it could be very convenient (ph).

BEHAR: What do you make of the thing in the book where she says -- I believe it was something like God wanted her to run for vice president. What is that about? Does God want to have better ratings than Glenn Beck? What is that about?

SANCHEZ: I think it`s -- I`ll say this. I think it`s different with people of faith. I think she`s a woman of faith. She felt it was a great opportunity that was presented to her...

BEHAR: It always fascinates when someone says that because God wanted her to be vice president, but he didn`t want (INAUDIBLE) to be vice president. You know what I mean? It doesn`t make sense to me.

SANCHEZ: I think the advantage is if you look at her career, she`s had tremendous opportunities presented for her. Some she was prepared for, some she wasn`t.

BEHAR: I`m starting to like her more.

SANCHEZ: There you go.

BEHAR: Leslie, Dee Dee, thanks.

Up next, as if Viagra hasn`t tortured women enough, now we may have to deal with the male pill. Stick around.

BEHAR: Scientists have just discovered a hormone in the brain that could pave the way for a new male birth control pill. So if a man tells you, don`t worry, baby, I`m on the pill, should you believe him, or should you just assume he`s referring to that other little blue pill?

Here to discuss this is Ashley Dupre, sex advice columnist for "The New York Post" and former Manhattan call girl for New York`s ex-governor Eliot Spitzer. Hello, Ashlee, how are you?

BEHAR: Should we really believe them when they say they`re on the pill or is this another lie to get in your pants?

DUPRE: Absolutely not. You have to take control over your body, and I would not trust them.

BEHAR: Yes. When you were a call girl, I know you don`t do that anymore, but when you were, would you have had unprotected sex with a man if he told you he was on the pill?

DUPRE: Absolutely not. The contraceptive, it prevents sperm and pregnancy, but what about STDs? That`s still going to be a factor. And with the male pill coming out, that`s going to be our main focus, I believe, is these men are going to think that they cannot use a condom and it`s going to be a big problem.

BEHAR: Do you think men will ever go for this?

DUPRE: I think some will. I don`t know. The male ego, I think that killing their sperm, it`s going to take -- once you go off the pill, it`s going to be four months to reproduce the sperm count that they had before. So that may frighten them a little bit.

BEHAR: I think men are going to come up with this because they`ll do anything not to wear a condom. Let`s face it, they can`t stand that.

Let`s talk about the g-spot for a second.

DUPRE: Let`s talk g, girl.

BEHAR: I`m not sure if it exists or not, because I keep getting conflicting ideas on this, all right? But what was your experience? Did you have one, or when you ore a call girl, does anyone care? You know what I mean?

DUPRE: They do care. No, that`s very important, yes. And for me, I had to explore. It took me a lot of exploring of myself and my body to find out where it was and how to access it. A lot of women don`t know how to access it, don`t know what it feels like. So for me I felt there was something wrong with me.

BEHAR: My impression is when you`re a working girl, that I`m not sure that the man -- what does he care if you`re getting off and having a good time, as long as he is. He`s paying for it.

DUPRE: It`s part of the male ego. If you`re enjoying yourself, it`s a huge boost to the male ego.

BEHAR: Oh, boy. You must have been some actress, right? Come on, Ashley.

DUPRE: Absolutely.

BEHAR: We all fake it, but you really must have had to fake it. You have to stroke their egos and make them feel like big studs.

DUPRE: I made them feel like god, yes.

BEHAR: I`m curious, I have to know, because I have you in the studio right now. I know you`re somewhere, I don`t know where. But Eliot Spitzer, was he really -- did he really care about pleasing you when he was there?

DUPRE: I can`t go into that, Joy.

BEHAR: Why not? Oh, come on.

DUPRE: Maybe one day like we can jokingly talk about it.

BEHAR: You`ll tell me off the air?

DUPRE: I will. I`ll tell you off the air.

BEHAR: His financial conversation leaves me cold, frankly.

But maybe in the sack the guy had some personality. I don`t know.

DUPRE: Oh, my gosh. I love it.

BEHAR: One final question, is it up to the woman to help the man to find her g-spot?

DUPRE: Absolutely. If you don`t know where it is and what it feels like, how is a man supposed to know? A man can barely work his own stuff out. So he just pumps it in and out and thinks it feels good. No, it takes a lot more than that. So, yes, you need to help him out.

BEHAR: Thank you, Ashley. I love having you on the show. You`re my kind of girl, so come back anytime.

DUPRE: You are too, Joy, thank you. Bye-bye.

BEHAR: Let`s turn now to our continuing series, "Joy`s Anatomy," health, wellness, body image -- you name it, we got it.

Today, actress Suzanne Somers is here, and her latest book has found itself at the center of a storm. In "Knockout, Interviews with Doctors who are Curing Cancer and how to Prevent getting it in the first place," Somers takes a strong stand against chemotherapy and suggests there are other ways to often treat the deadly disease.

Critics disagree, saying her ideas may do more harm than good. Suzanne Somers joins me now along with Drs. Alan Whitaker from the Whitaker Wellness Institute and Steven Lamm from NYU School of Medicine and contributor to "Men`s Health."

OK, Suzanne, welcome to the show, everybody. Suzanne, your book is controversial. What made you write the book?

SUZANNE SOMERS, AUTHOR, "KNOCK OUT": I was horribly misdiagnosed last year with lung cancer that had metastasized throughout my entire body. And I was told over six days by six different doctors that unless I was open to taking full body chemo therapy that I should think about getting my things in order. It was quite a traumatic experience.

BEHAR: How is this possible for six doctors to misdiagnose you? What did it turn out to be?

SOMERS: It turned out to be a fungus that exists in the desert southwest and lies dormant in most people, and something knocked out my immune system and just put me in the emergency room. It reads like cancer on a cat scan. So they jumped to conclusions, thought it was cancer everywhere. The oncologist came in and said you got cancer.

BEHAR: That must have been a terrible time for you.

SOMERS: It was terrible.

BEHAR: That sounds awful.

But in 2001, you did have breast cancer.

SOMERS: I did.

BEHAR: Why do you think you got breast cancer, because I think that you have this idea, which I read in your book, that there`s a reason for it, because a lot of doctors disagree with that.

SOMERS: I always thought of cancer as some invisible enemy out there. And I think that we`re more in charge of not getting cancer then we realize by eliminating toxins in our foods and houses and eating organic good and sleeping and balancing your hormones and managing stress.

And I was on birth control pills for 22 years. Maybe, I don`t know. You connect dots. I didn`t have a healthy lifestyle.

BEHAR: You didn`t smoke?

SOMERS: I didn`t smoke, I never really drank either. It`s just that 22 or 23 years of television series, and there`s the Kraft table, it was really crap table. I would just mindlessly eat.

So the reason I wrote this book --

BEHAR: Do you blame yourself for that?

SOMERS: No, I don`t blame myself. It`s just that after I was diagnosed, I thought what have I done in my diet and lifestyle that I played host to this terrible disease? And from this moment on I`m not going to do that anymore.

And so I changed my diet. I eat a perfectly healthy diet. I avoid chemicals, I live a green life, and I eat real food. If you can pick, pluck, milk it, or shoot it, I eat it.

BEHAR: I know someone that doesn`t eat anything that has a face.

SOMERS: I eat protein. Though there`s some faces I would rather not.

BEHAR: And some people don`t want to eat anything that has a mother.

SOMERS: Then there are those people. But I think we need protein, I just want it to be organic.

BEHAR: Did they cure you with chemotherapy, the breast cancer?

SOMERS: No, I didn`t take it. I didn`t take it either time because in looking into cancer and the dismal results of the cancer protocol, that the death rate has only dropped by five percent in the last 55 years, and that chemo really only works for three different types of cancers, testicular, childhood leukemia, some lymphomas, including non-Hodgkin`s.

And I see all these people, and I dedicated my book to all the people I know and love. I started with Farrah, who died from chemotherapy over the last years as I was writing this book. And I came to the conclusion that it`s not working, and nobody wants to say it.

BEHAR: Let me ask you, Dr. Lamm, because she`s saying -- Suzanne is saying it only works for -- what did you say were the three diseases?

SOMERS: Testicular, childhood leukemia, non-Hodgkin`s, and some lymphoma.

BEHAR: For that chemo works. Is that what you`re saying?

SOMERS: They`re having success. Not always, but they`re having success.

BEHAR: Do you agree with that?

DR. STEVEN LAMM, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Not completely, no. I think that the diseases that she mentioned, chemotherapy does work. But I think that chemotherapy has been working, not necessarily curing, but certainly prolonging life for many other cancers.

And I think that we certainly need to do a lot better. And I think when you look at the reports from the National Cancer Institute, if you want to believe them, and I do, it appears as though we are doing better. We are reducing the mortality from some of these cancers.

BEHAR: Wait a second. Let me ask Dr. Whittaker. Are we doing better with cancer rates, Dr. Whittaker?

DR. JULIAN WHITAKER, WHITAKER WELLNESS INSTITUTE: I don`t think so at all. I think if we look at our treatment of cancer today, we`re following the paradigm that was laid down by William Hallstead back in the 1800s, and that is the way to treat cancer is to purge the body of the cancer cells, war on cancer.

So you go with surgery, you go with cellular poisons, which is chemotherapy, and you go in with radiation therapy. Granted, some of these cancers do respond and people get better and they live longer. But the idea of increasing survival two to three years, you know, over what we might suspect it would be is wrong.

The paradigm we should be using for cancer would be to stop the undisciplined cell division. All cancers have that. Chemotherapy is like if your child has a sore throat, infection in the throat, you go in and cut it out and poison it and radiate it. I don`t want to get graphic...

BEHAR: So you`re saying it`s excessive treatment? What do you say, Dr. Lamm.

LAMM: Look, cancer is a multisystem, complex disorder involving your genes and the cells, and to make blanket statements about a process that we are actually just start to learn about now, which is what causes cancer, is I think an exaggerated thing.

We have to be very careful not to attribute all cancers coming from the gut as, you know, or all diseases coming from the gut as mentioned in the book. We have to be careful not to say that all cancers are somehow hormonally mediated. Where do we get that kind of science?

BEHAR: That makes sense, doesn`t it, Suzanne?

LAMM: Making sense and being the reality is two different things. It`s not about what makes sense.

SOMERS: But with all due respect, with the dismal results of chemotherapy, and you know so many people have died, and it`s a horrible death, and particularly with pancreatic cancer, which I have three different doctors who say we all know in the oncology world that chemotherapy does absolutely nothing whatsoever.

BEHAR: So why do they give it?

SOMERS: They said it`s palliative. I said what is palliative. It means it makes the patient feel better, it makes the family feel like something is being done, and when the patient dies, a horrible and very -- it costs about $500,000 to die of chemotherapy, they all feel they did the best they could.

In "Knockout" it offers options...

BEHAR: OK, hold that thought. I have to take a break, but we`ll have more when we come back.

BEHAR: I`m back with Suzanne Somers and Drs. Julian Whittaker and Steven Lamm.

OK, this Dr. Burzynski you say has found a cure for cancer?

SOMERS: Dr. Burzynski has completed phase two clinical trials in compliance with the FDA, having a 60 percent success rate with the worst kind of brain tumors. And like Dr. Whitaker was saying, if you can control cell multiplication, you`ve found a cure to cancer.

BEHAR: And how did he do that?

SOMERS: He has found that all people with cancer are missing a specific peptide and amino acid in their liver that controls cell multiplication. He`s dedicated his life to replicating that peptide, puts it back in, and in 60 percent of his brain tumor patients he`s having success.

He`s just completed and approved for phase three clinical trials.

BEHAR: Approved by whom?

My whole point in writing "Knockout" having been diagnosed twice now with cancer, the last time being told I would die, all I want when someone says you have cancer, we can do standard care, which is surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and harsh drugs, or if that doesn`t appeal to you, you can try x.

These are all the options and Dr. Burzynski -- if I had a brain tumor, I would be on in Houston, I`d be on the train last night.

BEHAR: Dr. Lamm, would she survive if she went to Dr. Burzynski with a brain tumor?

LAMM: Let`s put it this way -- I would hope that`s the case, but I`m a little skeptical, and I think some of this fine doctor`s work has been reviewed, and, you know, the medical community has not at this point been able to validate that it truly makes a clinically significant difference.

WHITAKER: That`s non-sense! Listen, I have visited Burzynski`s clinic four or five times. I have been in a room where they were celebrating 30 years where children who had cancer 15 years ago were standing up there vibrant, prosperous, and holding a child on their hip.

BEHAR: Why doesn`t the FDA and the medical establishment say this is a good thing and we`re going to approve this?

WHITAKER: I can tell you why. There`s so much money tied up into conventional medicine that to actually allow him free reign --

BEHAR: This sounds conspiracy-theory like.

SOMERS: If some little guy in Houston has the cure to cancer, it wipes out a $200 billion a year business.

WHITAKER: Trillion.

SOMERS: Trillion.

LAMM: The medical profession is not rooting for disease. I think it`s being very -- as you say, conspiratorial to actually believe or delude yourself that doctors would rather their child die of cancer if a cure were available. There are no secrets in medicine.

WHITAKER: Wait a minute, no, no, look. It`s not individual doctors scheming to let children die. It`s the system. Never has medicine at any time in human history ever been so tied up into business.

And when you have a business where you`re training physicians to do it this way, they think this way, and all of a sudden a guy says, wait a minute, the body has a parallel system to control cell division, and I have discovered how it works. Well, then that challenges all of the purging the body -- let`s do this chemo, let`s do that chemo. And now all of a sudden the cancer just disappears.

BEHAR: I remember years and years ago people used to say that the cancer business was so big that they would never find a cure. And here it is 50 years later, or whatever it is, and they still haven`t found a cure for cancer.

SOMERS: And if you have cancer, you have pancreatic cancer, and they said we`re going to put you on chemotherapy, but you saw this book and I said before you do that, before you get messed up on chemical poisoning and radiation, would you like to look into these doctors -- they`re more than Dr. Burzynski in there -- are having success, because I didn`t just take the word of these doctors.

I interviewed so many of their patients. A 76-year-old woman I met here in New York, stage four ovarian cancer 17 years ago. A vibrant, happy, she`s on organic food...

BEHAR: That sounds wonderful, but is it real? Go ahead, Dr. Lamm.

LAMM: I would love it for my patients to be cured of their cancer by taking vitamin D, omega three, losing weight. I wish that were the case, believe me.

WHITAKER: Dr. Lamm, why don`t you go visit Burzynski and you`ll see what the amino plastrons have done. All you have to do is go visit him. He`s published, he`s patented it...

LAMM: He has published --

BEHAR: Didn`t they use to say this about peach pits?

SOMERS: I have information --

BEHAR: I`m sorry if you`re frustrated Dr. Whittaker.

SOMERS: The FDA tried to put Dr. Burzynski in jail for 300 years for unlawful dispensation of unapproved drugs across state lines. Hundreds and hundreds of his patients marched in front of the Houston courthouse, and the lawyer who was representing them was not able to ask if they were cured, but he was able to say you had stage four liver cancer how many years ago? 12 years ago. Thank you, sir. He would bring them on one after another, and it spoke volumes.

The jury acquitted Dr. Burzynski and he was allowed to continue his work. I really think that they are jealous of Dr. Burzynski because it`s a little guy in Houston who figured it out.

BEHAR: I can`t believe that. As a layman who knows nothing about medicine --

SOMERS: Right.

BEHAR: I believe -- one of my doctors, I said to him, does acupuncture help you to lose weight? And he said, if it, worked, there would be an acupuncturists on every corner. And I say unto you the same thing. If this worked, if this guy can cure brain cancer in children, I`m sure that the medical establishment would be right there.-

SOMERS: But he is curing children.

WHITAKER: But he is doing it.

SOMERS: He is doing it.

BEHAR: But no one from the AMA is going there to find out?

SOMERS: You have to understand that our medical schools are pharmaceutically funded, our government bureaucrats are pharmaceutically funded. You`ve got to connect the dots. I know if I had cancer, I`d try alternative first.

BAIER: First. That`s the discussion we`ll have when we come back in just a minute.

BEHAR: We`re back with actress Suzanne Somers and Drs. Julian Whitaker and Steven Lamm continuing the debate of how best to treat cancer.

In the last segment you were saying that if someone came to you with cancer, you would say to them to try the alternative therapies first and then the usual thing, which would be chemo and radiation.

SOMERS: I would said, what I would do, if it were me, I would try alternative first.

WHITAKER: Definitely.

BEHAR: But isn`t time of the essence?

SOMERS: And that`s a big fallacy, it`s all about rush, rush, rush. Cancer is slow growing. You have time.

BEHAR: Not always.

SOMERS: The two times I`ve been in the cancer diagnosis chair, they`ve wanted to start me that day. I`m just saying --

BEHAR: What about that?

SOMERS: Let me finish this thought. First, if you`re all messed up on chemo and radiation, by the time so many people get to the alternative doctors -- like Farrah. Farrah called me last year and she said, do you know anything about German medicine? She said I`ve had three rounds of grueling chemotherapy, 24 weeks and radiation, it`s back now with a vengeance. She went over there on her own to Germany.

BEHAR: She went to the alternative second.

SOMERS: Second.

BEHAR: So if it`s so great, why didn`t they cure her?

SOMERS: They took a chemo sensitivity test, which I talk about, which who knew that they existed, they did a chemo sensitivity test on Farrah and found those 24 weeks of chemo she had were actually ineffective. So you tell me what pulled the trigger.

LAMM: Look, we have a long way to go with cancer treatment, especially chemo. We`re getting better, no doubts about it.

However, we have to have an evidence basis for whatever we do. In other words, if you want to...

BEHAR: They`re saying that this Burzynski has it.

LAMM: Yes, but if he`s the only one who reproduce his work, we have problem.

LAMM: Dr. Whitaker, please, I would route for his treatment to work. I`m not routing against him.

WHITAKER: Why don`t you go look at it, just go look at it, and then you tell me that it doesn`t work.

SOMERS: That`s how I felt too. I was down there two weeks ago, I`ve been down there twice. It`s so impressive.

There`s another doctor here in New York, Dr. Gonzalez, who is doing incredible work, Dr. Whittaker out of Nevada. There`s pockets of doctors who have decided they can`t do it anymore. They have stepped out of the standard of care box, and they get persecuted by the medical establishment for doing so.

It`s very hard in a hospital setting to go against standard of care. So those of us who want to go alternative, we`ve got to find it on our own. And that`s all I`m trying to do.

BEHAR: I know, I hear you.

Dr. Lamm, do you think these doctors, this Burzynski, they lack credibility because the AMA and the FDA are not behind them?

LAMM: I think people lack credibility because there`s no evidence for their work.

BEHAR: He`s telling you to go there.

LAMM: I understand. I`m happy to. But you have to remember, this has been going on for many, many years. This is not a new thing. This has been going on since 1992 1993, 1995.

WHITAKER: Let me make a statement here. Dr. Burzynski patented all of his therapies beginning in the early `80s. The National Cancer Institute visited him in the early `90s and saw that it worked. They then put it consultant in there and they actually patented all of Burzynski`s work under a different name and assigned it to HHS. I have those patents. It is unbelievable.

SOMERS: And the FDA is in Burzynski`s office all the time.

LAMM: I would root for him to work, but I`m skeptical.

BEHAR: You`ve heard this conversation out there, so you decide for yourself. Thanks to Suzanne and my panel for joining me tonight and thank you for watching. Goodnight, everybody.


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How to say ace in Lithuanian eɪs

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Forgotten Asian UFO files found in Roswell, New Mexico

Forgotten Asian UFO files found in Roswell, New Mexico

Sightings by Thai pilots, strange lights over Japan and reports of alien-human coupling -- just part of what was unearthed from the dusty depths of the UFO Museum and Research Center
alien intercourse
Alien intercourse and Earthling underlings. Are we alone?

This last week Britain released government files on UFO sightings containing sketches of unexplained objects, and I happened to be on vacation in Roswell, New Mexico -- famous for being the terrestrial home of all things extra. Inspired to do some alien hunting, I hit up Roswell's UFO Museum and Research Center to search for some Asian UFO files.

Asia has a rich UFO sighting history dating back centuries, including stories of aliens visiting the Great Wall of China, and more recently video footage of strange objects in the skies -- and I wanted to see what the museum had hidden away in dusty corners that could add to Asia's own UFO lore.

But why hunt for Asian UFO sighting reports in Southwest America? Because Roswell, New Mexico is the UFO capital of the world. The small American city (population 48,000) experienced what many believe is the most significant UFO event of the 20th century when in July of 1947 a flying saucer supposedly crashed on a farmer's ranch, and alien bodies were recovered.

Ever since the incident at Roswell, UFO-ologists and enthusiasts have made Roswell their Mecca, with around 100,000 people from around the world visiting in July of every year for the UFO festival celebrating the 1947 Roswell UFO incident and UFOs in general.

The UFO Museum and Research Center features a complete history of the Roswell crash and the ensuing U.S. government claims and reports involving weather balloons and dummies falling from the sky. It also features a complete research center with just about every UFO report, periodical, magazine and sighting ever been produced or recorded.

At the UFO Research Center, I found two file cases containing Asian UFO magazines and reports dating back to 1955. Some of the stories describe sightings by Thai airforce pilots or strange lights over Japan, while others suggested we puny humans try our best to appease our otherworldly overlords because our ancestors performed intercourse with aliens.

Just like believing in UFOs, its up to you to decide if some of these stories are real, fabricated, insane or natural phenomenon.

ufo museum roswellThe truth is in there. Definitely, maybe.

ufo museum roswellThe UFO Museum has a board where visitors mark where they are from.

UFO filesRacks of UFO reports, magazines, and news clippings.

Asian UFO filesThere were two Asia specific boxes.

Japanese UFO MagazinesJapanese UFO Magazines.

UFO JesusUFO Jesus?

Asian UFO ReportIt would appear children often illustrated reports in the 1950s.

Asian UFO Report

Asian UFO Report

Asian UFO Report

Chris Anderson is the former associate editor of CNNGo based in Hong Kong and is now senior editor at Huffington Post Media Group.

Read more about Chris Anderson

Asia food trends in 2015
The fine-dining scene across Asia-Pacific continues to go from strength to strength

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These manufacturing walk-throughs give a glimpse of assembly line magic. And free samples


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MICHELIN Travel Discover the world
Home > > > > > > > Hotel Wollner Sopron

Leaving for Hungary

Hotel Wollner

Hotel Wollner

Address : Templom utca 20. H - Sopron 9400

Housed in a restored, 300 year-old Baroque-style building, Hotel Wollner is located in a pedestrian area of Sopron's Old Town and offers garage parking and free WiFi. Each room in the Hotel Wollner has an en-suite bathroom and features period furniture and rich fabrics. Breakfast is served in the elegant baroque-style restaurant. Drinks can be enjoyed in the wine cellar and at the bar. On request, meals are available for groups. On the first floor of the hotel an exit leads to the remains of a fortress from the Roman age, which today features a wonderful garden. Here you can also see a part of the medieval city wall. Motorbikes and bikes can be parked for free in the courtyard.

Useful Information

  • Address : Templom utca 20. H - Sopron 94009400Sopron

Main services

  • Car park
  • Non-smoking rooms
  • Internet

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Two Ascents Of Vesuvius – Italy Travel

At the foot of the steep ascent, we were received by two guides, one old, the other young, but both active fellows. The first pulled me up the path, the other Tisehbeinpulled I say, for these guides are girded round the waist with a leathern belt, which the traveler takes hold of, and being drawn up by his guide, makes his way the easier with foot and staff. In this manner we reached the flat from which the cone rises; toward the north lay the ruins of the summit.

A glance westward over the country beneath us, removed, as well as a bath could, all feeling of exhaustion and fatigue, and we now went round the ever-smoking cone, as it threw out its stones and ashes. Wherever the space allowed of our viewing it at a sufficient distance, it appeared a grand and elevating spectacle. In the first place, a violent thundering toned forth from its deepest abyss, then stones of larger and smaller sizes were showered into the air by thousands, and enveloped by clouds of ashes. The greatest part fell again into the gorge; the rest of the fragments, receiving a lateral inclination, and falling on the outside of the crater, made a marvelous rumbling noise. First of all the larger masses plumped against the side, and rebounded with a dull heavy sound; then the smaller came rattling down ; and last of all, drizzled a shower of ashes. All this took place at regular intervals, which by slowly counting, we were able to measure pretty accurately.

Between the summit, however, and the cone the space is narrow enough; moreover, several stones fell around us, and made the circuit anything but agreeable. Tischbein now felt more disgusted than ever with Vesuvius, as the monster, not content with being hateful, showed an inclination to become mischievous also.

As, however, the presence of danger generally exercises on man a kind of attraction, and calls forth a spirit of opposition in the human breast to defy it, I bethought myself that, in the interval of the eruptions, it would be possible to climb up the cone to the crater, and to get back before it broke out again. I held a council on this point with our guides under one of the overhanging rocks of the summit, where, encamped in safety, we refreshed ourselves with the provisions we had brought with us. The younger guide was willing to run the risk with me; we stuffed our hats full of linen and silk handkerchiefs, and, staff in hand, we prepared to start, I holding on to his girdle.

The little stones were yet rattling around us, and the ashes still drizzling, as the stalwart youth hurried forth with me across the hot glowing rubble. We soon stood on the brink of the vast chasm, the smoke of which, altho a gentle air was bearing it away from us, unfortunately veiled the interior of the crater, which smoked all round from a thousand crannies. At intervals, however, we caught sight through the smoke of the cracked. walls of the rock. The view was neither instructive nor delightful; but for the very reason that one saw nothing, one lingered in the hope of catching a glimpse of something more; and so we forgot our slow counting. We were standing on a narrow ridge of the vast abyss; of a sudden the thunder pealed aloud; we ducked our heads involuntarily, as if that would have rescued us from the precipitated masses. The smaller stones soon rattled, and without considering that we had again an interval of cessation before us, and only too much rejoiced to have outstood the danger, we rushed down and reached the foot of the hill together with the drizzling ashes, which pretty thickly covered our heads and shoulders.

The news [two weeks later] that an eruption of lava had just commenced, which, taking the direction of Ottajano, was invisible at Naples, tempted me to visit Vesuvius for the third time. Scarcely had I jumped cut of my cabriolet at the foot of the mountain, when immediately appeared the two guides who had accompanied us on our previous ascent. I had no wish to do without either, but took one out of gratitude and custom, the other for reliance on his judgmentand the two for the greater convenience. Having ascended the summit, the older guide remained with our cloaks and refreshment, while the younger followed me, and we boldly went straight toward a dense volume of smoke, which broke forth from the bottom of the funnel; then we quickly went downward by the side of it, till at last, under the clear heaven, we distinctly saw the lava emitted from the rolling clouds of smoke.

We may hear an object spoken of a thousand times, but its peculiar features will never be caught till we see it with our own eyes. The stream of lava was small, not broader perhaps than ten feet, but the way in which it flowed down a gentle and tolerably smooth plain was remarkable. As it flowed along, it cooled both on the sides and on the surface, so that it formed a sort of canal, the bed of which was continually raised in consequence of the molten mass congealing even beneath the fiery stream, which, with uniform action, precipitated right and left the scoria which were floating on its surface. In this way a regular dam was at length thrown up, in which the glowing stream flowed on as quietly as any mill-stream. We passed along the tolerably high dam, while the scoria rolled regularly off the sides at our feet. Some cracks in the canal afforded opportunity of looking at the living stream from below, and as it rushed onward, we observed it from above.

A very bright sun made the glowing lava look dull; but a moderate steam rose from it into the pure air. I felt a great desire to go nearer to the point where it broke out from the mountain; there my guide averred, it at once formed vaults and roofs above itself, on which he had often stood. To see and experience this phenomenon, we again ascended the hill, in order to come from behind to this point. Fortunately at this moment the place was cleared by a pretty strong wind, but not entirely, for all round it the smoke eddied from a thousand crannies; and new at last we stood on the top of the solid roof (which looked like a hardened mass of twisted dough), but which, how-ever, projected so far outward, that it was impossible to see the welling lava.

We ventured about twenty steps further, but the ground on which we stept became hotter and hotter, while around us rolled an oppressive steam, which obscured and hid the sun ; the guide, who was a few steps in advance of me, presently turned back, and seizing hold of me, hurried out of this Stygian exhalation.

After we had refreshed our eyes with the clear prospect, and washed our gums and throat with wine, we went round again to notice any other peculiarities which might characterize this peak of hell, thus rearing itself in the midst of a Paradise. I again observed attentively some chasms, in appearance like so many vulcanic forges, which emitted no smoke, but continually shot out a steam of hot glowing air. They were all tapestried, as it were, with a kind of stalactite, which covered the funnel to the top, with its knobs and chintz-like variation of colors. In consequence of the irregularity of the forges, I found many specimens of this sublimation hanging within reach, so that, with our staves and a little contrivance, we were able to hack off a few, and to secure them. I saw in the shops of the dealers in lava similar specimens, labeled simply “Lava”; and I was delighted to have discovered that it was volcanic soot precipitated from the hot vapor, and distinctly exhibiting the sublimated mineral particles which it contained.


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Traveling Luck for Rio Maipa, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique

Mozambique flag

Where is Rio Maipa?

What's around Rio Maipa?
Wikipedia near Rio Maipa
Where to stay near Rio Maipa

Also known as Maipa
The timezone in Rio Maipa is Africa/Maputo
Sunrise at 05:24 and Sunset at 17:14. It's light

Latitude. -12.8872°, Longitude. 40.2925°
WeatherWeather near Rio Maipa; Report from Pemba, 69.4km away
Weather :
Temperature: 26°C / 79°F
Wind: 5.8km/h East/Southeast
Cloud: Broken at 2000ft

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Geographic features & Photographs around Rio Maipa, in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique

populated place;
a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.
intermittent stream;
a water course which dries up in the dry season.
a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.
a structure built for permanent use, as a house, factory, etc..
a rounded elevation of limited extent rising above the surrounding land with local relief of less than 300m.
one or more buildings where goods are manufactured, processed or fabricated.
a surface-navigation hazard composed of consolidated material.
administrative division;
an administrative division of a country, undifferentiated as to administrative level.

Airports close to Rio Maipa

Pemba(POL), Pemba, Mozambique (69.4km)

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Traveling Luck for Smith Mill, Ohio, United States

United States flag

Where is Smith Mill?

What's around Smith Mill?
Wikipedia near Smith Mill
Where to stay near Smith Mill

The timezone in Smith Mill is America/Iqaluit
Sunrise at 06:53 and Sunset at 20:02. It's light

Latitude. 39.9275°, Longitude. -81.8553° , Elevation. 231m
WeatherWeather near Smith Mill; Report from Zanesville, Zanesville Municipal Airport, OH 4.2km away
Weather :
Temperature: 21°C / 70°F
Wind: 0km/h North
Cloud: Scattered at 4800ft Broken at 6500ft Solid Overcast at 9500ft

Satellite map around Smith Mill

Loading map of Smith Mill and it's surroudings ....

Geographic features & Photographs around Smith Mill, in Ohio, United States

a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.
populated place;
a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.
a burial place or ground.
post office;
a public building in which mail is received, sorted and distributed.
a place where aircraft regularly land and take off, with runways, navigational aids, and major facilities for the commercial handling of passengers and cargo.
a building for public Christian worship.
a barrier constructed across a stream to impound water.
Local Feature;
A Nearby feature worthy of being marked on a map..
a long narrow elevation with steep sides, and a more or less continuous crest.
administrative division;
an administrative division of a country, undifferentiated as to administrative level.
a structure built for permanent use, as a house, factory, etc..

Airports close to Smith Mill

Port columbus international(CMH), Columbus, Usa (107.6km)
Rickenbacker international(LCK), Columbus, Usa (112.2km)
Akron fulton international(AKR), Akron, Usa (153.7km)
Pittsburgh international(PIT), Pittsburgh (pennsylva), Usa (183.1km)
Cleveland hopkins international(CLE), Cleveland, Usa (198.3km)

Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


text:
Saturday, October 30, 2010

One of my families favorite seasons as well as my sons birthday.  We love Halloween!  It is such a cozy holiday.  Warm fall colors and the sweet smell of fresh baked cupcakes in the air.  Have a safe and sweet holiday weekend.

1 comment:

  1. Soooo delicious! Thanks for making such adorable treats!


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danna is coming to Seattle !

topic posted Fri, March 13, 2009 - 12:12 PM by  Fuzzy D
Hello beavers and friends...

I am finally making my dream a reality and coming to Seattle on the last week of April!

If there's anyone from there that is reading this, please email me any tips and trix to your city.
Music and Film are my two loves in life, and Grunge is still my favorite... kinda stuck in the 90's -
what can i say ....

Anything can help... and if you're around and have some free time, I would love to catch up and meet for lunch or coffee or go out at night...

cheers !

Danna Kinsky
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Fuzzy D
Los Angeles

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Buffalo Township makes zoning change to spur development

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Thursday, June 12, 2014, 12:46 a.m.

The Buffalo Township Supervisors anticipate a zoning district approved on Wednesday will spur development at the township's border near the Freeport Bridge.

The new Conservation and Traditional Neighborhood Business District (CB-1) is located near a trail head that eventually will connect the Butler-Freeport Community Trail with others like the Rachel Carson Trail.

The district was the result of months of planning commission work to update the township's zoning ordinance, which regulates development.

The CB-1 zone includes the former Dugout Bar site along Freeport Road, where developer Brian Clark wants to build a small plaza similar to the Dunkin' Donuts plaza in Tarentum, which he developed.

Development at the site, which has been vacant for years, was in question because it was zoned agricultural.

The district was established to provide some commercial opportunities in areas where steep slope and previous mining activity may need to be mitigated, according to the ordinance.

Permitted in the zone are office space, neighborhood business, day cares, single-family homes, agriculture, retail shops smaller than 20,000 square feet, bed-and-breakfasts and bars and restaurants.

The supervisors decided to include the last three as permitted uses rather than conditional uses, which require additional time and approvals from the planning commission and supervisors. The planning commission has the option of denying a development if it's a conditional use.

“I think it allows the developer to consider more options for the property,” said Supervisor Ron Zampogna. “But the township is still protected because he still has to come to us, he has to go to the planning commission, he has to get approval from the engineer and come to us for final approval.”

Planning commission chairwoman Regan Cordier said their board and the consultant with whom they worked felt that making retail, b-and-b's and restaurants a conditional use would protect from over-development near the residential community of Buffalo Junction.

“It helps the township make sure that the development being done is being done the right way,” she said.

Development such as apartments, public and community buildings and convenience stores remain conditional uses.

Larger billboards OK'd

The ordinance updates the township's billboard restrictions so they meet industry size standards.

The township's zoning code previously restricted billboards to manufacturing districts or in areas that were “grandfathered in” when the zoning ordinance was put into place.

The planning commission revised the code to permit billboards in the new CB-1 zone, a change that Clark pushed for in the highly visible area.

One billboard is permitted per parcel or lot and may not exceed 288 square feet in the CB-1 zone. Larger billboards are permitted in the M-2 manufacturing district.

Previously, billboards in all areas were limited to 100 square feet.

Jodi Weigand is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-226-4702 or

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Greensburg Salem vaulter McQuaide will make history at Penn Relays

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Top high school sports
Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 11:39 p.m.

When Greensburg Salem pole vaulter Courtney McQuaide attempts her first vault Thursday at the Penn Relays, she will be making history.

McQuaide, a junior, is the first Greensburg Salem athlete to compete in the prestigious event at Philadelphia's legendary Franklin Field.

The Penn Relays begin Thursday and run through Saturday at the University of Pennsylvania. Among the local competitors will be Fox Chapel's Ethan Martin (3,000-meter run) and Colin Martin (3,000-meter run), and Ambridge's India McCoy (high jump).

Not every athlete gets a chance to compete in the prestigious Penn Relays. Competitors must meet certain qualifying standards and be in the top 20 among applicants.

“When Coach (Jeremy) Lenzi called and told me the news, I was so excited,” McQuaide said Tuesday while competing in a meet at Hempfield. “I jumped up and down and screamed.”

McQuaide got the call because she has cleared 11 feet, 3 inches and was ranked in the Top 20. She cleared 11-3 outdoors in 2012 at Norwin and 11-3 indoors in 2013. The qualifying height is 11 feet.

“My goal is to clear 11-6 at the Penn Relays and then 12 feet,” McQuaide said. “I'd also like to qualify for the PIAA championships and place in the top eight.”

McQuaide cleared 11 feet and finished fourth behind Hempfield's Lexi Masterson and Bridget Guy and McQuaide's teammate, senior Cassidy Shepherd, in Tuesday's meet. The trio all cleared 11-6.

Shepherd recently broke McQuaide's school record.

The quiet McQuaide said competing at the Penn Relays will be special.

“I know realistically I probably won't win,” McQuaide said. “I'd like to place.”

Lenzi added: “I'd like to see her clear 11-6, and that is definitely possible. From there, I want her to have a great experience and get some big-meet experience. The Penn Relays is a pinnacle for us.

“She's a little nervous, but competing in the event will be good for her. We're really, really excited about going. She deserves the invite, and it is representative of the work she has put in.”

Hempfield graduate Larissa Debich, now at Auburn, competed in the Penn Relays in 2011 and 2012, winning the event last year and taking fourth in 2011. Masterson also competed in 2012 and finished 15th.

Lenzi talked with Hempfield pole vault coach Matt Fox about what to expect.

“There is so much great competition for Courtney in (Westmoreland) County,” Lenzi said. “You have Cassidy, Lexi, Bridget and Norwin's Kelsey Plecenik, some of the best jumpers in the state in our section. The county meet will be competitive.”

Lenzi and McQuaide will leave Thursday morning for Philadelphia, and McQuaide will compete at 1 p.m. They will drive home after the meet, so McQuaide can compete in the Westmoreland County Coaches' Association track and field championships Saturday at Latrobe's Memorial Stadium.

“Cassidy pushes me to do better,” McQuaide said of her teammate. “I look up to her because she does some things better than me.

“We're actually close friends with all the girls in the county, and we cheer for each other. Everyone wants first, and everyone works pretty hard. We push each other.”

McQuaide began vaulting when she went out for track in eighth grade. One of her coaches asked her to try it because of her gymnastics background — she cleared 7 feet in her first meet.

From there, she was hooked. And Thursday, she will test herself against the best in the state.

Paul Schofield is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

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Seton-La Salle's Gibson, Walsh commit to Pitt and McConnell-Serio

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By Jennifer Goga
Wednesday, July 17, 2013, 9:00 p.m.

The Seton-La Salle girls' basketball team participated in a summer camp at the University of Pittsburgh in late June.

Pitt's new women's basketball coach Suzie McConnell-Serio clearly liked what she saw on the court from senior Naje Gibson and junior Cassidy Walsh.

McConnell-Serio offered both girls full scholarships shortly after the camp.

“She took me and my family into her office after the camp and asked me to come to Pitt,” said Walsh, 16, of Whitehall. “I said ‘yes' right away. I was so excited.”

Walsh was anxious to play for McConnell-Serio, a former Seton-La Salle basketball star. Walsh verbally committed last August to play for Duquesne University, before McConnell-Serio was hired at the University of Pittsburgh.

So it was no surprise that Walsh accepted a new offer from McConnell-Serio and the Lady Panthers.

“I've always wanted to play for her. She is such a genuine and positive person,” Walsh said. “And her coaching staff is the same way. They are the kind of people that I want to surround myself with.”

Gibson, 18, of McKees Rocks was being recruited by Pitt before McConnell-Serio took over as head coach.

Unsure if she wanted to stay so close to home, Gibson was considering offers at Cleveland State and Dayton. But after the camp, she realized Pitt was the right fit.

“They really made me feel comfortable there,” Gibson said.

Gibson plans to study early childhood development at Pitt. A 6-foot guard/forward, she averaged 13 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season.

Walsh, with two more years of high school in front of her, is undecided about a college major. She is a 5-7 guard and averaged 10.5 ppg last season.

Gibson met McConnell-Serio through her friend Erin Waskowiak, who played at Bishop Canevin. Waskowiak and Seton-La Salle graduate Angela Heintz will be freshmen teammates at Duquesne in 2013-14.

As expected, Gibson is looking forward to her senior season at Seton-La Salle. She and Walsh both are excited about playing for the Lady Rebels' new floor boss, Spencer Stefko, and are optimistic about their chances for a successful season.

With only three seniors lost to graduation, the core of the team will return to defend Seton-La Salle's winning tradition.

Stefko took over the helm in May. He coached the Chartiers Valley girls' team for seven years, and also has experience with the Western Pennsylvania Bruins AAU basketball team.

“He seems very positive and enthusiastic,” Walsh said. “He brings a lot of energy, and I think that's going to be good for the program.”

Jennifer Goga is a freelance writer

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