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2010-09-10 16:01:36 GMT

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2010-09-10 15:47:59 GMT

DENTIST

Stamford, CT

OUTSTANDING HEALTHCARE OPPORTUNITY

If you are ready for a satisfying and rewarding career, join our team of diverse and motivated professionals at Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC). CHC is one of the country’s most creative and dynamic providers of primary medical, dental and mental health services to the uninsured and underinsured. CHC is building a world class primary health care system that is committed to caring for special populations, and that is focused on improving health outcomes for our patients as well as building healthy communities. We are one of the leading health-care providers in the state of Connecticut, providing comprehensive primary care services in medicine, dentistry, and behavioral health. With more than 80,000 active patients, CHC is the health care home that works to keep our patients—and our communities—healthy. We go beyond the traditional health services to bring care wherever our patients and clients are, using innovative service delivery models and state of the art technology.

We are currently seeking a full time Dentist at our Stamford location.

This is the opportunity for you if you: • Are committed to providing superior care;
• Would like to make a huge impact in someone’s life;
• Are a compassionate individual who wishes to improve healthcare access for the underserved;
• Want to work under excellent supervision;
• Enjoy being a part of an outstanding team of professionals.

As a Dentist for Community Health Center, you will:
• Provide diagnosis and treatment planning of routine and emergency dental patients;
• Provide general dentistry services to target population according to the mission and goals of CHC;
• Assist with orientation, training & development of dental clinical personnel (includes students, residents).

This is a growth opportunity for you if you possess:
• DDS or DMD degree from accredited dental school;
• State of Connecticut dental license;
• NERB or Regional Dental Boards;
• DEA (Federal and State) active licensure;
• Completed GPR or AEGD certification OR possess 2 or more years of general dental clinical experience;
• Bi-lingual proficiency English/Spanish is desirable.

CHC was formed in 1972 by a group of volunteers who were passionate about helping low-income families and individuals. As result of that commitment, CHC now treats thousands of patients from over 100 communities in its 22 locations. We want you to become a part of the excitement and grow with us!

Community Health Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits including medical/dental plans, tuition reimbursement, short term/long term disability coverage, 403b plan with discretionary company match/contribution, flexible spending plan, group life insurance coverage, Employee Assistance Program, classroom based/on-line computer skill development resources and more!

For confidential consideration,
submit resume with cover letter stating salary requirements at:
https://jobs-chc1.icims.com/jobs/1670/job?mode=prepopulate&iis;=Craigslist.
Visit our website: www.chc1.com
Joint Commission accredited. AA/EOE.

Global Village Tennis News - Tennis news, tournament coverage and ©Kourtin' Karen.

Global Village Tennis News — 2010-09-10 16:03:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

International Tennis Hall of Fame Announces New Directors
Eleven worldwide business and community leaders are appointed to the Board of Directors

NEWPORT, R.I., September 10, 2010 - The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum has announced the election of eleven new members to the Board of Directors. The new directors were all elected today at the Hall of Fame's Annual Meeting in New York City. The new directors are John P. Arnhold of New York; Mark D. Ein of Washington, D.C.; Renée A.R. Evangelista of Lincoln, R.I.; James (Jim) L. Farley of Cincinnati, Ohio; Philip H. Geier, Jr. of New York; Madam Sun Jinfang of China; Katherine Burton Jones of Newton, Mass.; Geoff Pollard AM of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Will Prest of Minneapolis, Minn.; Michelle Sicard of New York;and Ken Solomon of New York. Additionally, George Gowen, who served as General Counsel for the Hall of Fame for the past 30 years, has been recognized as a Hall of Fame Life Trustee. Gowen is a partner at the firm of Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller in New York.

"I am pleased and honored to warmly welcome our class of highly experienced, talented and committed new Hall of Fame and Museum Directors," said Christopher E. Clouser, chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. "Each of these individuals brings a variety of talent, resources and expertise to the organization and their active participation will be very helpful in our efforts to preserve the history of tennis and provide a premier landmark for tennis fans, while honoring the game's greatest legends and contributors. We are also pleased to announce that George Gowen has been awarded the designation of Hall of Fame Life Trustee. George has served the Hall of Fame as General Counsel with distinction for the past 30 years, along with his firm of Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller."

John P. Arnhold is chairman and chief executive officer of First Eagle Investment Management, LLC (FEIM), as well as co-president and co-chief executive officer of Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder Holdings, Inc. In addition, he serves as the president of and a trustee of the First Eagle Funds. Arnhold joined FEIM in 1983 following positions with Chase and Lehman Brothers. In addition to his directorships at FEIM and its affiliates, he is a director of Arnhold Ceramics and the Quantum Endowment Fund, as well as on the International Advisory Board of Hanseatic Asset Management. Additionally, he is a director of the Arnhold Foundation, which focuses on education, conservation and the arts; and the Mulago Foundation, which advances global health initiatives. Arnhold is a member of the board of trustees and the investment committees of Trinity Episcopal Schools Corporation, where he was a past president, as well as Vassar College. He also serves on the board of directors of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Arnhold is a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara.

Mark D. Ein is the founder and chief executive officer of Venturehouse Group, LLC, a technology holding company that creates, invests in and builds technology and telecommunications companies. He is also the founder and chief executive officer of Capitol Acquisition Corporation (AMEX: CLA.U), a special purpose acquisition vehicle formed for the purpose of making an acquisition of a growth company. Through Leland Investments Inc, his personal investment holding company, Ein is the co-chairman and principal shareholder of Kastle Systems, LLC, one of the country's leading providers of building and office security systems. He is also the founder and owner of the Washington Kastles, the first World Team Tennis franchise in Washington D.C. Ein is a native of the Washington area, where he actively supports many community, charitable and cultural organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Economic Club of Washington D.C., The District of Columbia College Access Program (DC-CAP), The Tennis Center at College Park and The Potomac Officers Club. He also serves on the Steering Committee for the Business Executives for National Security (BENS) DC, the Advisory Board of the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund, the Donor Advisory Group for the FasterCures Philanthropy Advisory Service, and the Selection Committee for the George J. Mitchell Scholarship program. Ein is an executive producer of Kicking It, a documentary film about the Homeless World Cup of Soccer, that was shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and has formed distribution deals with both ESPN and Netflix. Ein is a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and he earned his M.B.A. from The Harvard Business School.

Renée A.R. Evangelista is the co-managing partner of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Rhode Island Offices, where she is focused on sophisticated estate planning for an array of clients including professional athletes, venture capitalists, retirees, family business owners, CEOs, trust companies and banks. Evangelista is an appointed member, by the Rhode Island Supreme Court, to the Rhode Island Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission (MCLE), and she has served on the Rhode Island Board of Bar Examiners. Besides Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, Evangelista is an appointed member to the Board of Trustees for The Wheeler School in Providence, R.I., and she serves on the Executive Committee of the Institute for International Sport. She served as chair of the Ethics Subcommittee and as a member of the Financial Subcommittee for the Women's Sports Foundation in New York, a foundation established by Billie Jean King. Evangelista has served on the Development Committee for the International Tennis Hall of Fame for several years.

James (Jim) L. Farley is the president, managing partner and co-founder of Nursing Care Management, Inc., a privately held long-term care company with ownership and management of nursing facilities, home health care and hospice services and other related companies. Prior to this position, he was a successful hospital administrator/executive for approximately 15 years. Farley served on the Board of the American College of Nursing Home Administrators where he was the national president/chairman in the early 1990's. Farley is active within his community, having served as a bank board of director, president of the Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Ohio Health Care Administrators Licensure Board and president of the State Hospital Association. Farley is an avid tennis player and he has served as president of the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association, founder and chairman of the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame and chairman of USTA/Midwest Committees. Farley and his wife and two daughters have been active and successful in tennis, and were named the National Tennis Family of the Year in 1990 by the United States Tennis Association. The Farley family owns and manages the Western Tennis and Fitness Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Philip H. Geier, Jr., served as chairman and chief executive officer of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. from 1980 through 2000. In February 2001, Geier formed The Geier Group to provide consulting/advisory services in the marketing, communications, and venture capital areas. Additionally, Geier is a senior advisor for Lazard Frères & Co., LLC and serves on the Board of Directors of AEA Investors Inc., AgKnowlege Holdings Company, Inc., and Cross MediaWorks. He has retired from the Boards of Fiduciary Trust International, Alcon Labs Inc., Mettler-Toledo International Inc., and Foot Locker Inc. Geier's philanthropic director/trustee relationships include Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Save the Children, Autism Speaks, Columbia Business School, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Mr. Geier holds a B.A. in Economics from Colgate University (1957) and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance from Columbia University (1958).

Madam Sun Jinfang is currently the administrative vice president of the Chinese Tennis Association. She has served in this position since 2004. Madam Sun is also an executive board member of the Chinese Olympic Committee, as well as the director of Tennis Administrative Centre of General Administration of Sport of China. From 2001 - 2004, Madam Sun served as the director of the National Sports Lottery. Prior to that she held the position of deputy director of the Sports Administration Department in Jiangsu Province since 1983. Madam Sun was elected as a top 10 sports person in China in both 1981 and 1982. From 1971-1982, she was a renown volleyball competitor, and she was a member of the Chinese championship Volleyball World Cup team in 1981, as well as the winning team at the Women's Volleyball Championships in 1982.

Katherine Burton Jones is the director of development at the Museum of African American History - Boston and Nantucket. She was the assistant dean for information technology and media services at the Harvard Divinity School from 2000 to 2009. With Paul Marty (FSU faculty), she is an editor of and contributor to the book Museum Informatics (2007). She is the editor of The Wired Museum: Emerging Technology and Changing Paradigms (1997), a book available from the American Association of Museums. Jones has written many articles on the use of emerging technologies for museum. Her current research interests focus on the use of technologies in support of the mission of non-profit organizations and on social marketing. Jones is a former president of the Board of Directors of the Museum Computer Network and a former member of the New England Museum Association Board of Directors. She holds a graduate degree in Anthropology from Florida State University.

Geoff Pollard AM is retiring in October 2010 after serving Tennis Australia with distinction as its president for 21 years from 1989 - 2010. Pollard was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988. As president and chairman of Tennis Australia, Pollard has led the Association through on and off court achievement and a significant corporate governance change to convert Tennis Australia from an amateur association to a modern and successful professional corporate body. During Pollard's tenure, Tennis Australia has become profitable and has substantially increased national player development initiatives, among many other successes. As chairman of the Australian Open, Pollard has overseen the development of the tournament from an Australian Championships, whose Grand Slam status was in jeopardy, to one which is now at least equal, and in some cases the leader, with the other Grand Slams. In particular he has taken the Australian Open from being primarily a domestic event to becoming Australia's largest annual international sporting event worth between $150 and $250 million annually to the Victorian economy. Pollard has been elected by his international peers as vice president of the International Tennis Federation, president of the Oceania Tennis Federation, chairman of the ITF Rules of Tennis Committee and Chairman of the ITF Technical Commission, and member of many other worldwide committees such as WTA Tour Board, Grand Slam Committee and Davis Cup Committee.

Will Prest is chief marketing officer and head of business development for Transamerica Retirement Management, Inc. (TRM), where he has steered the development of branding, marketing, and the online businesses from the ground up since its 2006 launch. Since then, Prest has taken on responsibility for growing outside distribution directly with employers and through various intermediaries such as group benefit brokers, affinity groups, and health care companies. Prior to joining TRM, Prest served as vice president of field development and national sales support for H&R Block Financial Advisors, where he developed the strategic direction for delivering the company's financial advice through a sales force of 1,000 advisors across a national network of 140 branches. Prest also served as vice president of financial planning for MetLife Financial Services where he built and implemented a fee-based financial planning platform across a field force of 6,200. Prest also spent more than eight years in various regional, sales management and marketing roles for American Express Financial Advisors, including region director for the Eastern U.S. Prest holds an M.B.A. from Boston University, Graduate School of Management, and a B.A. in Psychology from Pitzer College in Claremont, California.

Michele Sicard is a managing director and head of corporate communications for North America for BNP Paribas. In this role Sicard is in charge of devising and implementing BNP Paribas communication strategy in North and South America, including coordination with Bank of the West, BNP Paribas retail banking division in the United States and BNP Paribas' offices in Latin America, and ensuring both are aligned with the Group's global strategy. Areas under her leadership include media relations, advertising, sponsorships, charities, internal communications and client events. Sicard has been with the BNP Paribas for more than 10 years and has held this position since 2006. Prior to BNP Paribas, Sicard was head of press and public relations for GAN - CIC Group, an insurance and finance group. She has also worked as an Account Manager for Agence Véronique Foucault Conseil, a public relations firm in Paris.

Ken Solomon is chairman and chief executive officer of Tennis Channel. In this position, he leads the continued growth of cable television's ultimate destination for everything tennis, utilizing more than 20 years of cable, new media, TV production, distribution and advertising experience. Solomon has held top posts at Universal Television, DreamWorks, News Corp. and Scripps, and prior to Tennis Channel, he founded and led Fine Living Network, where he developed the network from concept to launch in just over a year. Earlier in his career, as president of Universal Studios Television (also Studios USA Television), Solomon oversaw program and asset development and distribution activities on a worldwide basis for primetime network, cable, syndication, and made-for-television movies. During his tenure Universal captured the Emmy award for best drama with "Law & Order" and pioneered the licensing of an original series across multiple network platforms with "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" to NBC and USA Network. Earlier in his career, he served as executive vice president of network distribution at Fox Broadcasting, leading the network through its transitional ascending period where he was responsible for all network affiliate relations, as well as leading the network's successful transition of dozens of CBS, ABC and NBC affiliates to Fox, and launching the NFL and NHL franchises. Solomon has served on the board and the executive committee of leading trade association NATPE International. Among his numerous accolades, Solomon has been honored as "Humanitarian of the Year" by H.E.L.P. Group, one of the largest and most influential children's charities in the western United States.

George Gowen has served the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum as General Counsel for 30 years. Gowen is a partner at Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller in New York, where he is a member of DBM's estate, trust and private clients, corporate, art law and not-for-profit religious and charitable institutions practice groups. Gowen is a member of the New York Bar Association, Sports Lawyers Association and International Court of Arbitration for Sport, Lausanne, Switzerland. Additionally, he served in the U.S. Army and he has served on United Nations Commissions. Gowen is an adjunct professor at New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. He is an alumnus of Princeton University, and he earned his J.D. at the University of Virginia.

Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum offers an extensive museum that chronicles the history of the sport and honors the game's greatest legends, historic grass tennis courts that date back to 1880 and are open to the public, an ATP World Tour tournament and the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in July, and numerous public events year-round. To learn more, visit tennisfame.com.

# # #

About the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum
Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, inspiring and encouraging junior tennis development, enshrining tennis heroes and heroines, and providing a landmark for tennis enthusiasts worldwide. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum was recognized as the sport's official Hall of Fame in 1986 by the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of tennis. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is supported by Official Partners, such as BNP Paribas. For information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and its programs, call 401-849-3990 or visit us online at www.tennisfame.com.

craigslist | all jobs in new york city

2010-09-10 16:00:02 GMT

NURSE PRACTITIONER

Stamford, Connecticut

Outstanding Opportunity!

If you are ready for a satisfying and rewarding career, join our team of diverse and motivated professionals at Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC). CHC is one of the country’s most creative and dynamic providers of primary medical, dental and mental health services to the uninsured and underinsured. CHC is building a world class primary health care system that is committed to caring for special populations, and that is focused on improving health outcomes for our patients as well as building healthy communities. We are one of the leading health-care providers in the state of Connecticut, providing comprehensive primary care services in medicine, dentistry, and behavioral health. With more than 100,000 active patients, CHC is the health care home that works to keep our patients—and our communities—healthy. We go beyond the traditional health services to bring care wherever our patients and clients are, using innovative service delivery models and state of the art technology.

CHC seeks an experienced primary care provider as a Family Nurse Practitioner in one of our school-based health centers in Stamford, CT.

This is the opportunity for you if you:
• Are committed to providing superior care to the Middletown community;
• Would like to make a huge impact in someone’s life;
• Are a compassionate individual who wishes to improve healthcare access for the underserved;
• Want to work under excellent supervision;
• Enjoy being a part of an outstanding team of professionals.

As a Nurse Practitioner, you will:
• Provide a full scope of medical services largely geared to underserved populations;
• Work in a school-based setting with an adolescent population;
• Receive strong clinical support services and work in an innovative practice environment utilizing Advanced Access scheduling.

Qualifications:
• Graduate of an accredited Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialty as a Family Nurse Practitioner;
• ANA certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner;
• State of Connecticut APRN and RN licensure (within 12 months) required;
• DCF experience preferred;
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish skills preferred.

CHC was formed in 1972 by a group of volunteers who were passionate about helping low-income families and individuals. As result of that commitment, CHC now treats thousands of patients from over 100 communities in its 22 locations. We want you to become a part of the excitement and grow with us!

Community Health Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits including medical/dental plans, tuition reimbursement, short term/long term disability coverage, 403b plan with discretionary company match/contribution, flexible spending plan, group life insurance coverage, Employee Assistance Program, classroom based/on-line computer skill development resources and more!

For confidential consideration,
submit resume with cover letter stating salary requirements at:
http://jobs-chc1.icims.com/jobs/1591/job?mode=prepopulate&iis;=Craigslist.

Joint Commission accredited. AA/EOE.
Please Reference Job # 1591
Visit our website: www.chc1.com

craigslist | all jobs in SF bay area

2010-09-10 16:04:34 GMT

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions is seeking part-time teachers to prepare students for admission exams. If you scored well on your admission test and would like to help others do the same, apply today! Our teachers come from diverse backgrounds but share a common goal in their commitment to helping students achieve higher test scores. Kaplan is a great place to work if you’re seeking teaching experience or if you want a challenging and fulfilling part-time job. Teachers receive paid training and ongoing support to build their teaching, presenting, and mentoring skills. We encourage you to commit as much time to teaching as you have available.

To make a difference in students' lives:

To earn excellent pay and benefits:

To enjoy a flexible schedule:

To develop your presentation and people-management skills

To join a dynamic, energetic company with terrific career opportunities

We currently have the following positions available:

Part-Time SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, DAT, and MCAT Instructors (6-20 hrs/wk)

• Our minimum score requirements is within the 90% (or higher) for any test that you would like to teach for us.

Part-Time NCLEX Instructors
- • We are currently looking for outgoing, dynamic nurse educators who are passionate about helping new nursing graduates succeed on their NCLEX exam.
- • A Masters in Nursing (or work towards one) is required.
- Classes are held in our centers as well as throughout the community. Those willing to travel must have access to transportation (mileage compensated in line with prevailing policy).
- No teaching experience is necessary (although it is preferred). We will train you to be a great instructor.
- You should be a great presenter, a believer in the effectiveness of Kaplan’s methods, a caring and compassionate mentor of students, and a responsible employee.
  
  If your scores are more than five years old, you may take a qualifying test at any Kaplan center.
  
  To learn more about teaching rates, benefits packages including health insurance and course discounts or to apply today to teach at one of our 170 centers nationwide please follow the link below. You will be invited to audition and interview.
  
  <a http://www.kaptest.com/Teach-for-Kaplan/Home/index.html?cmp=prt:teach_craigslist
  
  Kaplan is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

craigslist | all jobs in chicago

2010-09-10 15:56:18 GMT

To make a difference in students' lives:

To earn excellent pay and benefits:

To enjoy a flexible schedule:

To develop your presentation and people-management skills

To join a dynamic, energetic company with terrific career opportunities

We currently have the following positions available:

Part-Time SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, DAT, and MCAT Instructors (6-20 hrs/wk)

• Our minimum score requirements is within the 90% (or higher) for any test that you would like to teach for us.

Part-Time NCLEX Instructors
- • We are currently looking for outgoing, dynamic nurse educators who are passionate about helping new nursing graduates succeed on their NCLEX exam.
- • A Masters in Nursing (or work towards one) is required.
- Classes are held in our centers as well as throughout the community. Those willing to travel must have access to transportation (mileage compensated in line with prevailing policy).
- No teaching experience is necessary (although it is preferred). We will train you to be a great instructor.
- You should be a great presenter, a believer in the effectiveness of Kaplan’s methods, a caring and compassionate mentor of students, and a responsible employee.
  
  If your scores are more than five years old, you may take a qualifying test at any Kaplan center.
  
  To learn more about teaching rates, benefits packages including health insurance and course discounts or to apply today to teach at one of our 170 centers nationwide please follow the link below. You will be invited to audition and interview.
  
  <a http://www.kaptest.com/Teach-for-Kaplan/Home/index.html?cmp=prt:teach_craigslist
  
  Kaplan is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

craigslist | all jobs in new york city

2010-09-10 16:17:32 GMT

Several Positions Available!

A leading local insurance agency in New York seeks full/part -time sales professionals & account representatives for Property Casualty and/& Life and Health sales. We are growing and need successful representatives to expand our operations in Staten Island, NY and the surrounding metropolitan area.

You will build and develop relationships with existing and new clientele bases, promoting protection and insurance coverage from the most comprehensive product selection in the business. Ongoing support starts at our corporate training center and continues with guidance from industry professionals at every step of your career.

Candidate must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. Computer experience and organizational skills are vital to handling this dynamic position. The ideal candidate will be a focused, self-motivated individual, with a positive attitude. Candidate should possess excellent networking skills and the ability to turn a contact into a sale.

Previous insurance experience is not necessary, but candidate must show motivation to learn and make a career for him/herself. This is a highly competitive sales position with the potential to earned uncapped commission and bonus opportunities.

*The selected candidate will receive the opportunity for paid training by one of the largest insurance companies in the nation. Ongoing training, education, and self-improvement are also provided and necessary to remain competitive in the modern insurance industry.

Key Responsibilities:

• Attain or maintain state property & casualty license
• Attain or maintain state life & health licensing if applicable
• Must be actively appointed after training (paid by agency)
• Understand & implement extensive company underwriting and product knowledge
• Sell, service, and retain contracts for Allstate Insurance Company and affiliated markets of the corporation and agency.
• Actively solicit existing customer databases and new clientele
• Maintain a sales records (no cap on commissions)and report with sales quota to management
• Develop new prospecting campaigns and maintain successful current sales campaigns

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Insurance background preferred but not required.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required.
• High-school Graduate Degree (or GED equivalent)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office & Internet based technology
• High Energy level & positive attitude
• Professionalism and Neat Appearance

Please email a copy of your resume and cover letter to the provided craigslist responding email. We will contact all qualified applicants quickly and confidentially. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Customer Service Representative
This position requires a P&C; license. Life & Health license is optional.

Key Functions:
• Provides customer service to assigned policyholders
Assists customers with problems, complaints and other issues
Notifies agent/office manager of problems occurring from support area and recommend solution
• Work retention list for assigned policyholders, includes:
Pre-renewal lists
Post renewal lists
Annual reviews
• Process all P&C; endorsements; following proper procedures outlined in office procedure manual
• Follow-up on all endorsements on ALSTAR work status as outlined in the office procedure manual
• Offers cross-sell P&C; products at every opportunity
• Provides quotes for existing customers for all P&C; (non-commercial) lines
• Aids in preparing annual review appointments
• Updates information in IMPACT system, e.g., contact information, e-mail addresses, current phone numbers, etc.
• Takes claim reports as described in office procedure manual
• Works follow-ups on claims as outlined in office procedure manual
• Reports all claims problems to agent/office manager and recommends a solution to satisfy the customer
• Takes and receipts payments accurately
• Answers phone if receptionist is unavailable
• Reviews monthly pay/cancel list and sends cancellation postcards weekly
• Calls customers prior to cancel date
• Always asks for referrals and thanks customers for their business

Sales Producer
This position requires a P&C; license. A Life & Health license would be required to advance to Senior Sales Producer.

Key Functions:
• Solicits and writes new P&C; policies from both inside and outside the BOB
• Follows consistent sales process for all prospects for:
Prescreening
Quoting
Sales track
Application completion
Follow-up
• Thoroughly understands and follows all underwriting and rating plans
• Ensures that all required documents are signed, filed and faxed (when required) appropriately
• Follows all compliance guidelines and procedures
• Maintains knowledge of new products
• Actively solicits expiration dates from new customers
• Asks all customers for referrals
• Develops agency relationship with existing customers
• Meets the production requirements and goals assigned by the agent /office manager
• Maintains a sales record each month and provides a copy to the agent/office manager
• Manages prospecting campaigns
• Sends solicitation letters to prospects
• Works prospecting processes as outlined in procedure manual
• Always portrays a professional image through proper appearance and actions
• Compose letters and correspondence
• Lead community service activity at local schools, such as:
Bicycle safety
Fire safety

Telemarketer
Please Note: You must comply with your state specific requirements regarding licensing and telemarketing

• Phone skills a must
• Must possess the ability to be positive
• Rewarded for calls that are turned into sales

Washington Examiner Site Feed

Craig Stouffer — 2010-09-10 15:54:08 GMT

The Wizards might as well have a collegiate feel this season, right? Top overall draft pick John Wall just turned 20 years old four days ago, after all.

Make it so, as the Wizards go NCAA-style.

The Wizards announced yesterday that they’ll open their 2010-11 training camp at George Mason’s Patriot Center with a Midnight Madness “practice” that will begin at 12 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28, featuring player introductions, giveaways, ticket offers and more. (Doors open at 11 p.m. on Sept. 27.) That’s a pretty snazzy and savvy way to begin engaging better with the team’s fan base, one of the top priorities for new owner Ted Leonsis.

And so this may sound skeptical, but part of the reason Midnight Madness works so well on college campuses is because students stay up late and most live within close proximity to on-field arenas, right? The Wizards are offering incentives for George Mason students to attend their own Madness, but this event doesn’t exactly appeal to the working masses or families, who make up a larger portion of the Wizards fans base. Not to mention, it's on a Monday night. That said, I’m willing to be entirely wrong when the Patriot Center fills up completely to see Wall do the John Wall Dance – even if it might be the perfect time for him to unveil something new, since the John Wall Dance was so freshman season at Kentucky last year.

Whether it works or not, the training camp as whole will be an attempt to get the Wizards in better touch locally. It will conclude on Sunday, Oct. 3, with a FanFest and open scrimmage.

An excerpt from yesterday’s release: “In addition to the public events, all Wizards season ticketholders will have the chance to attend an exclusive ‘Rookie Class’ event featuring a private session with the Wizards’ rookie players on Wednesday, Sept. 29, following that evening’s practice. Earlier that morning, select area business leaders will be invited to meet with Wizards staff members as well as several players during a ‘Business-to-Business Breakfast’ event prior to the morning practice sesssion. The Wizards will also reach out to the community in Northern Virginia by extending special invitations to Sunday’s FanFest to families involved with Shelter House, Inc.”

“Our relationship with George Mason University and the Patriot Center allows us to conduct a locally based training camp at an outstanding facility located in the greater D.C. area,” said Wizards executive vice president of business operations Greg Bibb, who, by the way, was recently named one of the top 40 business people under 40 years old by the Washington Business Journal. “We’re thrilled that our fans will be able to take part in the official start of the season and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to reach out to potential new fans in Northern Virginia.”

Inc.com

Kasey Wehrum — 2010-09-10 15:45:22 GMT

Each day, Inc.'s reporters scour the Web for the most important and interesting news to entrepreneurs. Here's what we found today:

On second thought... Building a business from scratch can be a grueling process, that's why tech entrepreneur Neil Patel says, "If I could do it all over again...I wouldn't." That's not to say that he would go back to a normal 9-to-5 job. Instead, Patel says he enjoys the challenge of growing an existing business. So if he had it to do all over again, he would look to purchase an underperforming business and help it achieve its potential. To that end, Patel gives step-by-step advice on finding businesses that would make good purchases, how to negotiate with owners, and even how to raise money to finance an acquisition.

A new way to alienate airline customers. Sure you can raise prices, charge for pillows, or strand customers on the runway for hours on end. Or you can simply insert yourself into the highly controversial debate over global warming. In an interview with the Irish Independent, Michael O'Leary, the combative CEO of low-cost airliner Ryanair, blasted the idea of climate change and those who espouse it. "Do I believe there is global warming? No I believe it's all a load of bullshit," O'Leary said. He went on to drop a couple of F-bombs and attack the scientific profession as a whole: "The scientific community has nearly always been wrong in history anyway...it is absolutely bizarre that the people who can't tell us what the [F-bomb] weather is next Tuesday can predict with absolute precision what the [F-bomb] global temperatures will be in 100 years' time." Of course, one has to wonder if O'Leary's beliefs have a little something to do with the fact that airplanes are a significant producer of man-made carbon emissions?

The Gray Lady gets hip. Mashable reports that The New York Times is coming around to the social news trend. In conjunction with Betaworks, the investment fund behind bit.ly and TweetDeck, the Times is expected to launch a personalized news service called News.me by the end of the year. Similar to what The LA Times did with its Newsmatch feature, News.me will reportedly track reader interest and tailor the content accordingly. According to Betaworks' VP of research and development, News.me will be "a vision of how social sharing and the real-time web are going to influence the news consumption experience."

The dangers of a lost smartphone. "How are you protecting your mobile data?" asks Kevin Tofel in BusinessWeek today. With more people storing personal information on their phones, more people will inevitably need to protect themselves against theft and fraud. It makes sense, then, that companies like Lookout, a smartphone security company, report recent increases in users. Lookout lets you track your phone if it's lost and can even clear the phone's data remotely. Apple's security app, Find My iPhone, offers a similar service, too. Mobile security isn't a new concern, but, as Tofel puts it, "with high smartphone adoption rates and a reliance on the devices for our personal data, it's high time that safe mobile computing take center stage."

Is college worth it? For years we've been told that college grads earn an average of $1 million more over their lifetime than those with a high school diploma. It turns out this might not be the case. According to CNN's Anne Fischer, that $1 million magic number is outdated and likely the exception rather than the rule. PayScale.com, a Seattle-based research firm, recently analyzed the exact return on investment a graduate is likely to see get for his or her tuition. The results state that "at many schools, investing in college costs, even at a full price [without financial aid], had been competitive versus getting a job out of high school and putting the money in the stock market or Treasury bonds." Fewer than 10% of four-year schools have delivered a net return on investment of $1 million or more over the course of grads' careers. There are plenty of jobs where you earn six figures without a degree. Or if you're feeling brave, you could even try starting your own business. Check out this youngster who's already making some big moves.

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New York Times - Betaworks - Apple - Business - TweetDeck

Inc.com

Christine Lagorio — 2010-09-10 13:29:00 GMT

Sure, it's glamorous. But New York Fashion Week is not all champagne fountains and elaborately coiffed models pacing the tents. Assembling all that glitz is a lot of hard work – and not just for the armies of stylists and limo drivers.

If you're not blinded by the flashbulbs, it's easy to see that Fashion Week can be a marketer's daydream. It's tastemaker central, with crowds saturated with cultural influencers: bloggers, buyers, designers, and editors. The big labels, of course, have a literal center-stage during Fashion Week, but emerging fashion, design, and beauty companies also can take advantage. So can, well, anyone. And you don't need to take the Mercedes approach and sponsor the whole shebang.

In fact, a little humility can go a long way. In the throes of the recession last year, Fashion Week could have had an identity crisis. The industry was wounded, but it decided to rally its forces and encourage shoppers to join the fashion week party. Dubbed Fashion's Night Out, the Friday night city-wide shopping event, which layers in-store after-hours promotions with celebrity meet-and-greets and musial events, has now spread to Los Angeles' Rodeo Drive. Events centered around making Fashion Week accessible to average folks (well, average folks who can stimulate the fashion economy) are also being held in a handful of other cities.

We've consulted the experts in promotions, marketing, and events at growing companies trying to get noticed at Fashion Week. Here are some of their best tips.

1. Hold a Charity Event.
Even in this week of celebrating decadence, charity can be a big draw. Stuart Weitzman, the shoe designer, has found a potent formula for brand promotion. It's one part charity (ovarian cancer awareness) mixed with one party celebrity and poured over a ping pong competition.

"Our customers are women, we latched onto ovarian cancer in part because it is a disease that's important to them, and can be, if not cured, prevented. But when you just ask people for money for a cause, you don't get a lot of response," Weitzman says. "If you make it fun, it's a lot easier to draw a crowd. And that's part of what's good for the brand."

Why a ping pong tournament? Pretty much just because Weitzman loves the sport. It's also zany enough to raise an eyebrow, which is just what Weitzman wants.

"Of course, there's a little bit of show business in the fashion business," he says. "When you make a lot of noise, people listen. Newspapers magazines cover it – you get your name in front of the public and see you're doing something worthwhile in addition to making beautiful shoes."

2. Throw a Party.
Ideeli, an online private sale site, is a Fashion Week sponsor online. But to extend its Fashion Week presence, Ideeli is also hosting an end-of-week bash. The target audience: you guessed it, influencers. Well, at least of the blogger variety.

"The primary focus of that party is to reach out to all of the bloggers who have been covering fashion week all week long," said Tamara Rosenthal, Ideeli's executive director of brand marketing. "We appreciate the blogger community, they're very important to us and the designers we work with every day."

The Ideeli and Style Coalition party is slated for the night shows end, ("So no one has to worry about waking up early the next day," Rosenthal says), and Fashion's Night Out is also ripe for event-hosting. Gilt City is hosting a Fashion Week launch party, and plenty of the Friday night retail events have party elements – lights, music, and celebrity appearances.

3. Cater a Show.
When Gregory Baratte, a former director of marketing for Louis Vuitton, launched Hello Pasta, an all-natural fast and casual pasta eatery in midtown Manhattan, this January, he thought he'd said goodbye to Fashion Week being part of his job. Not so much.

When a friend told him cosmetics company M.A.C. and Milk Studios, which together host emerging artists and designers during Fashion Week, were looking for a new caterer, he went for it. This week he and the Hello Pasta team are feeding models, backstage crew, guests, editors, and buyers neat little boxes of penne or fusilli from five catering stations in the studios.

While a company that deals in hearty carbs might not seeme to be the snuggest fit for lithe models, the brands are comfortably well matched.

"M.A.C. and Milk are known to support young companies, young designers, not the biggest fashion brand," Baratte says. "Because we are a start-up and we are trying to make it, it makes it a community of people trying to start-up. And that's just where we want to be."

When is it worthwhile to trade a week's worth of food for exposure, though? "When you have a new product, you need as many people as you can to try it. When I realized we would be serving more than 4,000 people that week, I knew it was a good idea."

Baratte wanted to create repeat customers, and encourage word-of-mouth advertising. And the shoe fit, because Hello Pasta is opening a second location in New York's Garment Districe this fall. "The No. 1 objective is to have a group of trendsetters try the product, and this group of people at Fashion Week are a lot of opinion leaders and trendsetters."

4. Pamper the Influencers.
You'll get a lot of their eyeballs along the way. That's the strategy John Amato's Show Media, an Inc. 500 company based in New York, employs. Last year in the economic downturn, Show Media, which supplies about one-third of New Yorks taxicabs with advertising and cab-toppers, decided to donate $40,000 in ads to Fashion's Night Out.

"Last year fashion was really beat up. in donating the ads we were trying to help out the people who mean so much to us," Amato says.

This year, Show Media is maintaining a presence during all of Fashion Week by staging vehicles in front of the runways' new home, Lincoln Center. The company's partner taxis last year shuttled Vogue editors around. This year, it's running a VIP shuttle, and constant shuttles on Fashion's Night Out for shoppers looking to get from, say, Fifth Avenue down to the Meatpacking District.

5. Get Your Product Out There.
Two words: goody bags. It's true that swag bags can be overrated, and some marketing gurus warn against including your products in freebie or sample bags. But when it's done right – and actually reaches your target audience – it can have a big impact. What could be better than getting your product into the hands of someone who will buy it again?

For designers, it's a tricky thing, and giveaways are typically reserved for celebrities or product placement. But across the beauty industry, demonstrations and samples are still king.

Your brand might not be internationally known, but you can take some inspiration from the big dogs in the kinds of freebies and promotions that actually draw a crowd. For instance, L'Oreal takes the direct approach, thinking no one's afraid of taking a free sample. A L'Oreal car will be cruising around Fashion Week and Lincoln Center giving out free Elnett samples and touch-ups. On Fashion's Night Out, it will be parked in SoHo for maximum exposure. Chanel is doing free manicures all Friday night in the Meatpacking District, and consumers can get a runway-ready crimpy hairstyle at Cynthia Rowley in the West Village.

6. Get a DJ.
Not just any DJ. A famous DJ.

This week includes quite a slate of trend-forward music, with DJ Alexandra Richards spinning at Sephora to promote YSL's Rouge Flame lipstick, DJ Charlotte Kemp Muehl and Sean Lennon are playing at Mabelliene, and DJ Leigh Lezark is taking her place as the new face of the DKNY campaign. Get the hint? Drumming up some beats is buzz-worthy – you'll get press before the week even starts. And it's not just of the bloggy variety: Vanity Fair's September issue devoted a significant amount of editorial space to Fashion's Night Out, including an event guide.

7. Get Someone Famous for Your Event.
It might seem an unlikely pairing, but when Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino is at C.O. Bigelow's in New York City on Friday night, he won't just be delivering grooming tips: He'll be drawing in a lot of foot traffic and driving sales. Big fist pump.

In the same vein, Maybelline is using models Erin Wasson, Jessica White, and Lisalla Montenegro to judge a catwalk-walking contest. If you're looking for a consumerist, but not necessarily highbrow or uber-opinion leader crowd, consider this tactic for drawing crowds.

8. Sponsor an Emerging Designer.
You may lack a Mercedes-sized marketing budget, but you can still get exposure and cultural clout by linking arms with an emerging designer and sponsoring his or her show. Out of the deal the designer will get the financial ability to put on a great show and you'll get your brand cited alongside theirs. The arrangement will also give you a nice presence during the runway show.

With the more established brands, it's easy to know what you're buying into. With smaller designers, you have to really do your research.

"You have to pick the right partner that matches your own brand's DNA. It has to be a brand that relates to the fashion industry," says Baratte of Hello Pasta. "I was a little shocked to see another fast food company sponsoring fashion week in the past. It has to make sense in terms of the branding and the positioning."

He says it's trickier for brands outside the industry (or the industries of health, beauty, design, or healthy foods) to find matches that make sense. But if you have a good fit, sponsoring an emerging designer is a nice foot-in-the door for Fashion Week. Ideeli, which is sponsoring Fashion Week as a whole this year online, started its relationship with Fashion Week by working with a couple small designers. Now the site has partnerships with a number of high-end brands.

"That's my advice, to try and catch that wave, find the emerging, rather than going right to major sponsorships," says Rosenthal. "When we did that, we could see the recognition, and the approval of our brand partners. And that's our whole goal: We are sending the message to our partners that we are a big part of the fashion community."

New York Fashion Week - Fashion - Fashion Week - New York - Fashion's Night Out

craigslist | all jobs in SF bay area

2010-09-10 15:45:42 GMT

Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo (PPSD) provides over 100,000 individuals with health care and education services at more than 30 sites throughout 17 Northern California counties. We reach people through our health care services, education programs, and advocacy initiatives.
PPSD provides high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and teens. Our experienced and caring medical staff gives each client honest information and personal attention. We provide a range of reproductive and general health services including birth control, abortion, prenatal care, pregnancy testing, STD screening and treatment, sterilization and counseling.
PPSD has one of the most esteemed Community Services and Education Programs in the country which provides comprehensive, responsible, age appropriate sexuality education and case management services to approximately 30,000 youth, teens, parents and adults annually. Our trained health educators and case managers design presentations, programs, and services which utilize the resources of the entire organization and are tailored to the diverse needs of the communities they serve.
With its robust advocacy programs, PPSD:
• Helps ensure all teens and families have access to medically accurate sex education;
• Secures public funding to subsidize family planning for those clients without funds to access services;
• Works to ensure that decisions about childbearing are made by a woman, in consultation with her family, her doctor, and her conscience, not the government or politicians.

PPSD is currently seeking a full-time Lead Clinician to serve PPSD’s health center in Walnut Creek. Under the leadership and direction of the Medical Director and Vice President of Medical Services, the Lead Clinician reports directly to the Center Director for day-to-day health center functions. This position is an integral part of the Client Services department.

This is a non-exempt, full-time position, working 40 hours per week including evenings and Saturdays as needed. .

CLOSING DATE: Open Until Filled

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Provide family planning services, diagnosing and treating STI’s, providing medication abortion, post abortion examinations, and education and counseling in accordance with physician signed practice guidelines.
• Perform gynecological exams, procedures and male examinations.
• Assure complete and accurate medical charting.
• Maintain professional manner and patient confidentiality at all times.
• Be capable of working in a busy environment, often under pressure, without compromising accuracy, attention to detail, and courtesy to clients and staff.
• Handle communication problems with other staff directly, constructively, and with sensitivity.
• Provide medical leadership to health center staff and participate in staff training.
• Act as an ongoing resource to Health Center Management and Staff.
• Perform peer review and participate in the supervision and evaluation of Advanced Practice Clinicians.
• Supervise Quality Management Activities in collaboration with Center Director and Program Managers.
• Promote Planned Parenthood services and goals to clients and the community.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Successful completion of accredited NP or PA program.
• Current CPR certification.
• Three years experience in reproductive healthcare preferred.
• Ability and interest in working independently, calmly, and efficiently.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish highly desired.
• Must have reliable automobile transportation and a valid California Driver's License and insurance.
• Ability to provide reproductive healthcare services to socioeconomically diverse populations with compassion.
• Ability to provide reproductive health care services with a non-judgmental, client-centered approach.
• Commitment to quality healthcare.

TO APPLY: Please email, fax, or mail your cover letter, resume and names of three professional references with their phone numbers directly to:
Amy Pusser, Center Director
Planned Parenthood: Shasta Diablo
1357 Oakland Blvd.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Fax: 925-932-2231
E-mail: apusserATpp-sd.org.

Please visit our website for even more information about us: www.ppshastadiablo.org

Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo is an equal opportunity employer and works affirmatively to include diversity among its staff and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex/gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, income, marital status or any other irrelevant dimension of diversity. PPSD values collaboration between employees of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

craigslist | all jobs in washington, DC

2010-09-10 15:24:42 GMT

SUMMARY
Plans and implements activities that promote the social, physical, and intellectual growth of children. Responsible for the care, hygiene, learning, and developmental activities, specialized programs, and redirection of children. Communicates directly with parents. Maintains classroom records, cleanliness, and orderliness.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Meets expectations for delivering customer acquisition and retention, quality program, financial management, and operational compliance, and demonstrates expected behaviors. Provides care and support to children.
· May share lead responsibilities with Assistant Teachers
· Engages with current and prospective parents and family members and is responsive to their needs
· Complies with KLC and all governmental regulations regarding the care of children
· Understands responsibilities as a mandated reporter
· Keeps the Director informed of any necessary information regarding the care and safety of children
· Completes timely and accurate documentation according to KLC and other licensing or regulation requirements
· Assists and accepts responsibility in other daily center duties that might be temporary in the event other personnel are not available
· Attends and participates in staff meetings, center events, and parent/customer meetings as requested
Requirements: Skills, Education / Knowledge, Experience
EDUCATION / KNOWLEDGE
· High school diploma and/or state education requirements for a Teacher required
· Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and/or CDA required
· Degree in Early Childhood Education or related area highly desirable
EXPERIENCE
· 2+ years of early childhood education experience desirable
· 1+ years of experience working with assigned age group desirable
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
· Excellent organizational skills required
· Ability to be flexible in assignment and work hours required
· CPR and First Aid Certification or willingness to obtain desirable
· Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, ability to drive center vehicles desirable
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Excellent verbal, listening, and written communication skills required

PHYSICAL DEMANDS / WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is primarily performed in the center environment. Centers are dynamic with a high level of activity. Work may also be performed at community sites for field trips.
· Incumbent must be able to lift 40 pounds
· Stand up to 95% of the day
· Assume postures in low level positions that best allow physical and visual contact with children
· Must be able to sustain a high level of energy
· Bend to perform various tasks numerous times throughout the day
· Stoop, sit on the floor
· Have the agility to move from a seated position to a standing position promptly to respond to emergency situations
· Perform all activities with children, i.e. jump, dance, walk, run, etc. for extended periods of time
Both indoor and outdoor environment are typically found in a childcare facility. Depending upon activities and season, may be required to be outdoors for regular, prolonged activities.
· Must possess acceptable hearing and visual capabilities in order to monitor the environment and children's well being
· Must be able to excel in an ambiguous and continuously changing, competitive environment
· Incumbent will need to be flexible and be able to respond quickly and appropriately to changing situations
· Work hours may vary to meet the needs of the children
· Incumbent will be faced with a variety of issues on a daily basis and will be engaged in multiple tasks and must respond quickly and appropriately to frequently changing needs of children

EURweb

BlackBee — 2010-09-10 15:04:40 GMT

*Two-thirds of New Yorkers, including some who support the proposed Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero, say leaders of the project should find a location further from the 9/11 crash site, according to a New York Times poll released this past week. The solid majority that want the center to relocate to a [...]

StraightFromTheA [SFTA] - Atlanta Gossip, News & Entertainment

ATLien — 2010-09-10 15:00:11 GMT

All you “Grady Babies” out there will be glad to note that Atlanta celebrities and tastemakers are joining forces with Atlanta’s historic Grady Hospital to support a new grassroots fundraising campaign designed to inspire community giving and increase awareness for Atlanta’s only Level I Trauma Center. Jermaine Dupri, DJ Drama, Frank Ski, Rashan Ali, Chilli (TLC), [...]

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

Mike Rivero — 2010-09-10 14:55:11 GMT

One would think that after nine years at least some of the anger, the horror and shock of the 9/11 terrorist attacks would have dissipated: but no. A glimpse at the headlines, a few days before the somber anniversary, disabuses us of this hopeful notion: a crazed pastor out in the boonies somewhere is burning Korans, and the commander of our forces in Afghanistan feels compelled to respond, as does the President. The proposal to build a Muslim community center blocks from "ground zero" – modeled on Jewish community centers ubiquitous in New York – is met with furious opposition, and the "anti-Islamization" movement spearheaded by bigots takes off, with mosques all over the country under attack.

Gates of Vienna

Baron Bodissey (noreply@blogger.com) — 2010-09-10 12:05:00 GMT

Below is the fourth of six parts of an article by John J. Dziak about the Islamic counterintelligence state.

The article is reprinted here with permission of the author. It first appeared in Papers & Studies by the International Assessment and Strategy Center, Washington, D.C., on 6 April 2007. It was later republished in the Summer/Fall 2007 issue of Intelligencer: Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies.

Previously: Part I, Part II, and Part III.

Islamism and Stratagem
by John J. Dziak, Ph.D

IV. Sources of Contemporary Islamism — External

Looking outside Islam for other sources of influence we must examine the attraction for Islamists of the premier totalitarian movements of the twentieth century, namely Nazism and Soviet Communism. To begin with the former, Islamism has been characterized as fascism with an Islamic face. Islamism and Nazism/fascism have collaborative roots going back to the early twentieth century in mutually perceived and shared practices, grievances, common enemies, and formative catastrophic experiences.^[12] Both shared a deep hatred of Christianity, Western culture, capitalism, liberalism, and Jews and America in particular. Although militant Islam long predates Nazi Germany, its twentieth century resurgence paralleled the rise of Nazism in mutually perceived catastrophes. These were the collapse of the Ottoman Empire — the last Caliphate — and the defeat of Germany in World War I followed by the Versailles Treaty.^[13] The contemporary variant of Islamism was annealed in the Muslim Brotherhood (Al Ikhwan Al Muslimun) that emerged in 1928 as a direct reaction to the elimination of the Caliphate by the secularist Young Turk reformer, Kemal Ataturk. Founded by Hassan al-Banna and several followers to focus at first on Muslim spiritual reform, the Brotherhood blossomed in the 1930s and 1940s after pursuing far more active political goals and imitating organizational models from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. By the end of World War II the Brotherhood had a half million members just in Egypt, not counting the rest of the Middle East. It had modeled itself on Mussolini’s Blackshirts with all the paramilitary forces, intelligence elements, and secret apparatus common to both Germany and Italy of that era. And in the struggle for political power it fostered terrorism and political assassinations to the point that the Egyptian government had al-Banna himself assassinated in 1949.

The Brotherhood collaborated with the Germans before and after World II and with another group of Nazi-fascist imitators, the “Young Egypt” (Misr al-Fatah) movement, two of whose notables, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar El-Sadat, became Presidents of Egypt. Like their Brotherhood friends, Nasser and Sadat’s “Free Officers” were in contact with German military intelligence before and during World War II, resulting in Sadat’s arrest by the British in 1942. An equally important Muslim Brotherhood figure was Sayyid Qutb, frequently billed as the father of contemporary Islamism who helped inspire the likes of Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri is viewed as Qutb’s intellectual heir. Qutb wrote numerous radical tracts that became almost canonical readings for Islamists down to the present, including a thirty-volume commentary on the Koran, and the revered Islamist masterpiece “Milestones” in which he propounded an Islamist seizure of the state by an elite vanguard that would then impose Islam from above. Qutb’s Bolshevik-Nazi style apparently was radically honed during several years (1948-1951) of graduate study in America whose decadence and female liberties disgusted his Islamist sensibilities. Following release after years in Nasser’s prisons, another Brotherhood assassination attempt on the Egyptian leader in the spirit of Qutb’s top-down revolutionary recipe, Qutb was rearrested and executed in 1966. Belated revenge, of sorts, came with the 1981 assassination of President Sadat by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. Together, al-Banna and Qutb, both heavily influenced by the Nazi-fascist model, put their own unique militant stamp on contemporary radical Islam. For years Islamist dissemblers have tried to hide or play down that troublesome pedigree for obvious reasons.^[14]
- - - - - - - - -
Another key Islamic figure in the Nazi-Brotherhood connection was the go-between for al-Banna and the Nazis: Haj Amin al-Husseini, one-time Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and regarded by many in the Arab world as the founding father of the Palestinian movement and inspiration for the Arab League.^[15] Al-Husseini was instigating pogroms against the Jews in Palestine as early as the 1920s, was put on the Nazi payroll in 1936 following a meeting with Adolf Eichmann and, using Nazi supplied funds and weapons, helped initiate the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt in Palestine against the Jews and the British authorities — as well as moderate Arabs and Husseini’s Arab opponents. In 1941 al-Husseini had a major role in the failed pro-Nazi coup in Iraq, followed by a murder campaign against Iraqi Jews. Escaping Iraq al-Husseini fled to Germany where he spent the war years hosted by Hitler and treated as a head of state. During his sojourn in Germany al-Husseini campaigned against the exchange of European Jews for German POW’s and helped in the recruitment and training of Yugoslav and other Muslims for German sponsored and led military units, including those of the SS. According to recent research into German wartime records the Germans had stood up a mobile SS unit (“Einsatzgruppe Egypt”) in Greece for deployment to Palestine to eliminate the 500,000 mostly European refugee Jews there. Al-Husseini and his Arab supporters were to have an important role in this operation that would have been modeled on the Einsatzgruppe units on the Eastern Front.^[16] Montgomery’s victory over Rommel in 1942 prevented this from happening. Al-Husseini was heavily involved in atrocities against Jews, Serbs and Gypsies during the war and he was actively sought by Yugoslavia and Britain as a war criminal. After the war the French held him in custody but refused to extradite him. Al-Husseini “escaped” to Egypt with the assistance of the Muslim Brotherhood and spent the rest of his life working against Israel and the West (he died in Beirut in 1974).^[17] During that time he and the Muslim Brotherhood worked with German ex-military and security personnel brought in as advisors by King Farouk — to the latter’s regret. The Germans conspired with the Brotherhood, Nasser, and his Free Officers to overthrow the King in a well-executed coup, eventually bringing Nasser to power.

One last note on Nazi influence on contemporary Middle East and Islamist developments: the Ba’athist movements in both Syria and Iraq owe a great deal to the Nazi influences vectored into the region by al-Husseini and the Brotherhood. Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the Assad family in Syria were the beneficiaries of that influence, a legacy that both Ba’athists and Islamists would rather be forgotten using the time honored and religiously sanctioned techniques of “taqiyya” (dissimulation or deception) and “kitman” (akin to mental reservation) — more on this to follow. However, Yasser Arafat in a fit of candor a couple of years before his death haughtily dispensed with “taqiyya” when he paid worshipful tribute to al-Husseini as “…our hero…and I was one of his troops [in the 1948 war].”^[18] Arafat’s mother was a cousin of al-Husseini and Arafat supposedly spent four years as a youngster with the Mufti after his mother died. Arafat later became active in the Muslim Brotherhood and the Mufti’s own group as well and is rumored to have been involved in running Nazi-supplied arms into Gaza. Arafat’s pedigree suggests that it would be wise for western observers not to make too much of a distinction between an Arab nationalism of an earlier generation and a resurgent Islamism of more recent vintage.

When overt Nazi-fascist influence in the Islamist world ebbed after Germany’s defeat, Soviet and Warsaw Pact penetration and presence rushed in. Moscow, in a volte-face, switched its support from the Israeli state to the Arabs, reinforcing Nasser’s pan-Arab and nationalist schemes (Stalin had, at first, backed the creation of the Israeli state and provided arms). We cannot detail the specifics of Soviet military and political support which lasted through the collapse of Communism; but we will briefly explore the influence of Soviet/Warsaw Pact intelligence services and their contributions to an already established deception style inherent in Islamist traditions as exemplified by “taqiyya” and “kitman.”^[19]

The Soviet intelligence and security services were always at the leading edge of any Soviet penetration or aid effort in the Third World, an operational style which simply replicated the way Moscow injected its presence and interests into Eastern Europe at the end of World War II or, indeed, the way it carried out clandestine efforts to spread its revolutionary influence around the world following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The “Organs”, as they were known in Soviet parlance, were the Party’s instrument of choice in the advancement of Soviet objectives. This continued to the last days of the USSR’s existence and carried over into the practices of the current Russian Federation under Putin, the KGB and GRU being followed by the FSB/SVR — and the unchanged GRU.

Wherever the “Organs” went they exported an operational tradition that was based on the nature of Soviet intelligence. The Soviet Union was a “counterintelligence state”, that is, an enterprise in which the premier function of the “organs’ was to preserve the exclusive claims to power of the Communist Party and its ruling cadres. This “counterintelligence state” fixated on enemies, real and imagined, domestic and foreign. From the very first days of the USSR the intelligence services, as they were mistakenly labeled in the west, were imbued with a counterintelligence character, as was the whole of state and society. Soviet foreign intelligence had the demeanor and feel of external counterintelligence, a characteristic inherited in part from its Okhrana predecessor of Tsarist days.^[20]

The Bolshevik regime was a conspiracy come to power. The Soviet Union in practice was a seventy-one year old counterintelligence operation raised to the level of a state system. The Party and the secret police operated in a conspiratorial amalgam perpetually focused on “enemies.” When this system projected itself, either invasively or through assistance to clients, the same structure, habits, and mentality were imposed or emulated on the receiving end.

Organic to such a counterintelligence system is the widespread practice of provocations, diversion, deception, disinformation, “maskirovka” (military focused deception), penetration, and other active measures of a highly aggressive nature (hereafter collectively referred to as deception or active measures). From the first days of the Bolshevik regime these aggressive operations were conducted on a truly strategic scale, targeting Moscow’s domestic and foreign enemies, the celebrated Trust (or Trest) legend being just the more visible of numerous similar major actions.^[21]

An institutional mechanism, called the Disinformation Bureau, for coordinating and orchestrating active measures was established in the GPU (state security) in 1923 by a Politburo decision^[22]; its successors exist to this day in several intelligence organs, the military, and other Russian state entities, albeit with various name changes. By the end of the Cold War the Party, the secret police and the military had in place a highly structured and centrally coordinating mechanism for all aspects of active measures and “maskirovka” (military deception), to include a wide range of defensive and offensive activities. This structure and associated operations carried over intact to the successor Russian Federation.

When the Soviets mounted their thrust into the Third world in the 1950s, the security organs were dominant with the KGB in the lead. The GRU took point for the Soviet military. In the Middle East the KGB and GRU worked with their intelligence and security counterparts in Egypt (they were later thrown out by Sadat), Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Algeria, and others. The “others” included various terrorist groups throughout, but not limited to, that region (e.g., the PLO, PLFP, ETA in Spain, etc.). Moscow supplemented its presence in the Middle East and elsewhere with cadres from the East European (especially East German) intelligence services, and Cuba. Some of the Russian intelligence relationships continued after the collapse of the USSR, especially the ones with Syria and Iraq. The connections with Iraq were obvious in the events leading up to Desert Storm in 1991 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Russian Federation still maintains the same close intelligence links with the Syrian Ba’athist Regime of Bashar Assad that its Soviet predecessor had with his father, Hafez al-Assad.^[23] Next to Iran, Damascus and its intelligence arms probably have more intimate links to Islamic terrorists, including the Iranians, than any other Muslim state. Indeed, one of the most persistent deceptions has been the carefully fostered myth that most Islamic terrorist groups are transnational, with no direct state support. Syrian links to Jihadists in Iraq as well its decades-long provision of safe haven to numerous secular and Islamist groups (including Iraqi Ba’athists today), reflects the pattern from the Soviet era when Moscow and its surrogates both perpetuated the legend of non-connectivity to their terrorist clients. The reported January 2006 visit of Iranian President Ahmadinejad to Damascus where he met with Bashar Assad and with one of the worlds most notorious and wanted Islamic terror chiefs, Imad Mugniyeh, would fit with long Syrian practice.^[24]

The old Soviet intelligence connections entailed far more than mere liaison for information sharing. Training for insurgency, terrorist, and military operations occurred both in the Middle East and back in the Soviet Union and East Europe.^[25] Huge quantities of weaponry and other military equipment had flooded the region over several decades. It is no accident that the signature weapon of Islamist terrorist groups today is the AK-47 assault rifle. This intelligence and military collaboration also included the whole panoply of techniques in deception, disinformation, maskirovka, etc., at which the Soviet and, later, Russian intelligence services excelled. The Iraqis demonstrated their adeptness at these lessons before and during Desert Storm (witness their success in evading US/Allied searches for their elusive mobile SCUD missiles) and in the interwar period in their cat and mouse games with UN inspectors and US intelligence searches for their elusive weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). It must be remarked, too, that the long years of the anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan provided hands-on training in which thousands of mujahideen from around the Muslim world absorbed Soviet battlefield intelligence, counterintelligence, and associated deception experience — and how to counter it. In sum, decades of Soviet intelligence warfare, technology, influence, tutelage, and presence were added to existing Islamic Jihadist traditions in the world of deception and counter deception.

As Arab nationalist and pan-Arabic dreams died in the repeated failures in the multiple Arab-Israeli wars and the collapse of their main patron — the USSR — Islamists picked up the march. The discredited secular radical movements were either overtaken by, or morphed into, the existing Muslim Brotherhood and its spin-offs. Salafists, Al-Qaeda, other Wahhabist or Sunni radical elements, and Shia radical groups rounded out the trend. While pan-Arabic dreams may have evaporated in disillusion, Moscow’s intelligence legacy has left its mark, being absorbed in today’s Jihadism in ways probably unforeseen by its original Soviet craftsmen.

Resurgent, radical Islam’s encounter with the twentieth century’s two violent totalitarian ideologies produced a troubling legacy and residue. Whereas the victorious Allies dug Nazism out root and branch in conquered Germany through a determined program of de-Nazification, core elements of Nazi ideology nevertheless have prospered in radical (and not so radical) Islamic thinking especially in its noxious anti-Semitism. Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s ugly rants about Israel and the holocaust are representative of this phenomenon. The longer-lived infatuation with Soviet Communism, especially in its conspiratorial, Bolshevik elitist and active measures dimensions, added still more layers of totalitarian style to a militant theocratic mindset inclined to millenarian thinking to begin with. The fact that a process of de-Communization never materialized to exorcize seventy-one years of Soviet mass murder and other criminality^[26], seems to have had the effect of sanctioning the totalitarian legacy gifted by Moscow’s long association with radical Middle Eastern states and movements. The thuggery of the Iraqi and Syrian Ba’athists, Libya’s Qaddafi, the Iranian Mullahs, and the various Islamist terrorist groups is but one example of the bitter fruit of that long romance.

Next: V Stratagem in the Islamic Tradition

© Copyright 2007, John J. Dziak

John J. Dziak is an adjunct professor at The Institute of World Politics, a graduate school of statecraft and national security affairs in Washington, D.C., where he teaches a course on comparative intelligence systems. Dr. Dziak is also Senior Fellow, Counterintelligence and Strategic Technology, at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, and the president of Dziak Group, Inc. He retired from a distinguished career in the U.S. intelligence community in 1996. Dr. Dziak has written extensively on Russian intelligence, and holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown University.

Notes:

[12]		This section draws on the following series by Marc Erikson: “Islam, Fascism and Terrorism”, Asia Times, Parts 1 — 4, 5 & 8 November 2002, 4 & 5 December 2005.
[13]		Obviously the roots of Nazism and fascism long predate Germany’s World War I defeat. Likewise, the notion of a revived pan-Islamic movement began in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. But Germany’s and Islam’s mutually perceived losses in the wake of the war were the proximate events which precipitated Nazi and Islamist stirrings and helped to foster a shared identity politics of grievances between them.
[14]		For a detailed examination of the Egyptian roots of contemporary Islamism and the roles of al-Banna and Qutb, see: J. Bowyer Bell, Murders on the Nile: the World Trade Center and Global Terror, San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2002.
[15]		For a fuller discussion of the Nazi connection to Islamism, see Matthias Kuntzel, “Islamic Antisemitism and its Nazi Roots”, April 2003 (presented at a conference on “Genocide and Terrorism — Probing the Mind of the Perpetrator”, Yale University, 11 April 2003.
[16]		See Washington Times, 13 April 2006; Boston Globe, 7 April 2006. The research is found in a new work, published in Germany, titled: Germans, Jews, Genocide — The Holocaust as History and Present by Klaus-Michael Mallmann and Martin Cueppers.
[17]		A penetrating and concise evaluation of al-Husseini’s virulent anti-Semitism and Nazi involvement may be found in David G. Dalin, “Hitler’s Mufti,” First Things, August/September, 2005, pp. 14 — 16.
[18]		Al Quds, 2 August 2002.
[19]		For details on Soviet/Russian intelligence and the role of deception, see: John J. Dziak, “Soviet Deception: The Organizational and Operational Tradition”, in Brian D. Dailey and Patrick J. Parker (eds.), Soviet Strategic Deception, Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1987, pp. 3-20; and John J. Dziak, Chekisty: A History of the KGB, Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1988.
[20]		It is no accident that the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) dates itself to 1920, when the Foreign Department of the CHEKA was established. The KGB (State Security), now known as the FSB, celebrates 1917 as its birth year, that is, when the CHEKA was established. The CHEKA, KGB, and FSB fundamentally were/are counterintelligence services. When Lenin and Dzerzhinsky decided in 1920 to create a Foreign Department of the CHEKA, the Civil War was virtually over, the CHEKA having played a key role in the Bolshevik victory.
[21]		The Trust (Trest) was a combined provocation and active measure (kombinatsiya in Russian) — a classic strategic counterintelligence operation simultaneously targeted against domestic and foreign intelligence enemies. The operational “style” of the Trust characterized the intelligence lessons the KGB and GRU imparted to their clients and surrogates since 1917.
[22]		V. A. Kirpinchenko (ed.), Ocherki Istorii Rossiyskoy Vneshney Razvedki, Tom2, 1917 — 1933 (Sketches form the History of Russian Foreign Intelligence, Vol. 2, 1917 — 1933, Moscow: International Relations, 1996, p. 13.
[23]		From 9 March 2005 testimony of Dr. Walid Phares before Helsinki Subcommittee of U.S. CSCE, reprinted in: Dr. Walid Phares, “The Russian Syria Connection”, Front Page Magazine, 18 March 2005; and Ariel Cohen, “Russian Spying for Saddam Demands a Careful U.S. Response”, Heritage Foundation, Webmemo # 1023, 31 March 2006
[24]		The Sunday Times, 23 April 2006. Janes’s Intelligence Review is cited along with former and current US officials that a terrorist intelligence summit occurred in Syria at this time in which Mugniyeh and the Iranian President participated. Mugniyeh, who is linked to the bombing of the US Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, the torture and execution of the CIA Beirut Station Chief William Buckley in 1984, and the 1985 highjacking of a TWA jet and murder of a US Navy diver passenger in 1985. He is considered one of the most dangerous and capable Islamic terrorist operatives ever and has been intimately linked with Iran and Hezbollah. The same sources concluded that Mugniyeh is charged with overseeing Iran’s retaliation against the West should the US attack Iran’s nuclear weapons’ facilities.
[25]		Among the premier KGB/GRU sites in the USSR for such training were Balashika in European Russia and Simferopol in the Crimea.
[26]		This statement applies to the former Soviet Union. Selected former Communist East European states— Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, and Hungary in particular — have enacted limited measures to cleanse their political systems of the Communist legacy. None of these actions, however, equaled the scope and intensity of the de-Nazification measures of an earlier era. Still, they far exceeded anything the Russians timorously undertook.

craigslist | all jobs in new york city

2010-09-10 15:14:47 GMT

STAFF NURSE
Danbury, CT

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Frontpage

gw@goodnewsnetwork.org (geri) — 2010-09-10 14:33:35 GMT

The Heartsong Church in Cordoba, Tennessee, has opened its doors to its new neighbors from the Memphis Islamic center while they are still building their own place of worship next door.

It is the sense of community that Pastor Steve Stone and Dr. Bashar Shala, chairman of the Islamic center, have built among the faithful that serves to remind us of our American ideals, in stark contrast to the ignorance of a Florida preacher who has threatened to burn the Qur’an tomorrow, on the anniversary of 9/11.

To begin their friendship, Pastor Steve erected a 6-foot red sign outdoors reading, "Welcome to the Neighborhood."

zephoria — 2010-09-10 14:43:04 GMT

For the last 12 years, I've dedicated immense amounts of time, money and energy to end violence against women and children. As a victim of violence myself, I'm deeply committed to destroying any institution or individual leveraging the sex-power matrix that results in child trafficking, nonconsensual prostitution, domestic violence and other abuses. If I believed that censoring Craigslist would achieve these goals, I'd be the first in line to watch them fall. But from the bottom of my soul and the depths of my intellect, I believe that the current efforts to censor Craigslist's "adult services" achieves the absolute opposite. Rather than helping those who are abused, it fundamentally helps pimps, human traffickers and others who profit off of abusing others.

On Friday, under tremendous pressure from U.S. attorneys general and public advocacy groups, Craigslist shut down its "Adult Services" section. There is little doubt that this space has been used by people engaged in all sorts of illicit activities, many of which result in harmful abuses. But the debate that has ensued has centered on the wrong axis, pitting protecting the abused against freedom of speech. What's implied in public discourse is that protecting potential victims requires censorship; thus, anti-censorship advocates are up in arms attacking regulators for trying to curtail First Amendment rights. While I am certainly a proponent of free speech online, I find it utterly depressing that these groups fail to see how this is actually an issue of transparency, not free speech. And how this does more to hurt potential victims than help.

If you've ever met someone who is victimized through trafficking or prostitution, you'll hear a pretty harrowing story about what it means to be invisible and powerless, feeling like no one cares and no one's listening. Human trafficking and most forms of abusive prostitution exist in a black market, with corrupt intermediaries making connections and offering "protection" to those who they abuse for profit. The abused often have no recourse, either because their movements are heavily regulated (as with those trafficked) or because they're violating the law themselves (as with prostitutes).

The Internet has changed the dynamics of prostitution and trafficking, making it easier for prostitutes and traffickers to connect with clients without too many layers of intermediaries. As a result, the Internet has become an intermediary, often without the knowledge of those internet service providers (ISPs) who are the conduits. This is what makes people believe that they should go after ISPs like Craigslist. Faulty logic suggests that if Craigslist is effectively a digital pimp who's profiting off of online traffic, why shouldn't it be prosecuted as such?

The problem with this logic is that it fails to account for three important differences: 1) most ISPs have a fundamental business -- if not moral -- interest in helping protect people; 2) the visibility of illicit activities online makes it much easier to get at, and help, those who are being victimized; and 3) a one-stop-shop is more helpful for law enforcement than for criminals. In short, Craigslist is not a pimp, but a public perch from which law enforcement can watch without being seen.

1. Internet Services Providers have a fundamental business interest in helping people.

When Internet companies profit off of online traffic, they need their clients to value them and the services they provide. If companies can't be trusted -- especially when money is exchanging hands -- they lose business. This is especially true for companies that support peer-to-peer exchange of money and goods. This is what motivates services like eBay and Amazon to make it very easy for customers to get refunded when ripped off. Craigslist has made its name and business on helping people connect around services, and while there are plenty of people who use its openness to try to abuse others, Craigslist is deeply committed to reducing fraud and abuse. It's not always successful -- no company is. And the more freedom that a company affords, the more room for abuse. But what makes Craigslist especially beloved is that it is run by people who truly want to make the world a better place and who are deeply committed to a healthy civic life.

I have always been in awe of Craig Newmark, Craigslist's founder and now a "customer service rep" with the company. He's made a pretty penny off of Craigslist, so what's he doing with it? Certainly not basking in the Caribbean sun. He's dedicated his life to public service, working with organizations like Sunlight Foundation to increase government accountability and using his resources and networks to help out countless organizations like Donors Choose, Kiva, Consumer Reports and Iraq/Afghani Vets of America. This is the villain behind Craigslist trying to pimp out abused people?

Craigslist is in a tremendous position to actually work with law enforcement, both because it's in their economic interests and because the people behind it genuinely want to do good in this world. This isn't an organization dedicated to profiting off of criminals, hosting servers in corrupt political regimes to evade responsibility. This is an organization with both the incentives and interest to actually help. And they have a long track record of doing so.

2. Visibility makes it easier to help victims.

If you live a privileged life, your exposure to prostitution may be limited to made-for-TV movies and a curious dip into the red-light district of Amsterdam. You are most likely lucky enough to never have known someone who was forced into prostitution, let alone someone who was sold by or stolen from their parents as a child. Perhaps if you live in San Francisco or Las Vegas, you know a high-end escort who has freely chosen her life and works for an agency or lives in a community where she's highly supported. Truly consensual prostitutes do exist, but the vast majority of prostitution is nonconsensual, either through force or desperation. And, no matter how many hip-hop songs try to imply otherwise, the vast majority of pimps are abusive, manipulative, corrupt, addicted bastards. To be fair, I will acknowledge that these scumbags are typically from abusive environments where they, too, are forced into their profession through circumstances that are unimaginable to most middle class folks. But I still don't believe that this justifies their role in continuing the cycle of abuse.

Along comes the Internet, exposing you to the underbelly of the economy, making visible the sex-power industry that makes you want to vomit. Most people see such cesspools online and imagine them to be the equivalent of a crack house opening up in their gated community. Let's try a different metaphor. Why not think of it instead as a documentary movie happening in real time where you can actually do something about it?

Visibility is one of the trickiest issues in advocacy. Anyone who's worked for a nonprofit knows that getting people to care is really, really hard. Movies are made in the hopes that people will watch them and do something about the issues present. Protests and marathons are held in the hopes of bringing awareness to a topic. But there's nothing like the awareness that can happen when it's in your own backyard. And this is why advocates spend a lot of time trying to bring issues home to people.

Visibility serves many important purposes in advocacy. Not only does it motivate people to act, but it also shines a spotlight on every person involved in the issue at hand. In the case of nonconsensual prostitution and human trafficking, this means that those who are engaged in these activities aren't so deeply underground as to be invisible. They're right there. And while they feel protected by the theoretical power of anonymity and the belief that no one can physically approach and arrest them, they're leaving traces of all sorts that make them far easier to find than most underground criminals.

3. Law enforcement can make online spaces risky for criminals.

Law enforcement is always struggling to gain access to underground networks in order to go after the bastards who abuse people for profit. Underground enforcement is really difficult, and it takes a lot of time to invade a community and build enough trust to get access to information that will hopefully lead to the dens of sin. While it always looks so easy on TV, there's nothing easy or pretty about this kind of work. The Internet has given law enforcement more data than they even know what to do with, more information about more people engaged in more horrific abuses than they've ever been able to obtain through underground work. It's far too easy to mistake more data for more crime and too many aspiring governors use the increase of data to spin the public into a frenzy about the dangers of the Internet. The increased availability of data is not the problem; it's a godsend for getting at the root of the problem and actually helping people.

When law enforcement is ready to go after a criminal network, they systematically set up a sting, trying to get as many people as possible, knowing that whoever they have underground will immediately lose access the moment they act. The Internet changes this dynamic, because it's a whole lot easier to be underground online, to invade networks and build trust, to go after people one at a time, to grab victims as they're being victimized. It's a lot easier to set up stings online, posing as buyers or sellers and luring scumbags into making the wrong move. All without compromising informants.

Working with ISPs to collect data and doing systematic online stings can make an online space more dangerous for criminals than for victims because this process erodes the trust in the intermediary, the online space. Eventually, law enforcement stings will make a space uninhabitable for criminals by making it too risky for them to try to operate there. Censoring a space may hurt the ISP, but it does absolutely nothing to hurt the criminals. Making a space uninhabitable by making it risky for criminals to operate there -- and publicizing it -- is far more effective. This, by the way, is the core lesson that Giuliani's crew learned in New York. The problem with this plan is that it requires funding law enforcement.

4. Using the Internet to combat the sex-power industry

It makes me scream when I think of how many resources have been used attempting to censor Craigslist instead of leveraging it as a space for effective law enforcement. During the height of the moral panic over sexual predators on MySpace, I had the fortune of spending a lot of time with a few FBI folks and talking to a whole lot of local law enforcement. I learned a scary reality about criminal activity online. Folks in law enforcement know about a lot more criminal activity than they have the time to pursue. Sure, they focus on the big players, going after the massive collectors of child pornography who are most likely to be sex offenders than spending time on the small-time abusers. But it was the medium-time criminals that gnawed at them. They were desperate for more resources so that they could train more law enforcers, pursue more cases, and help more victims. The Internet had made it a lot easier for them to find criminals, but that didn't make their jobs any easier because they were now aware of how many more victims they were unable to help. Most law enforcement in this area are really there because they want to help people, and it kills them when they can't help everyone.

There's a lot more political gain to be had demonizing profitable companies than demanding more money be spent (and thus, more taxes be raised) supporting the work that law enforcement does. Taking something that is visible and making it invisible makes a politician look good, even if it does absolutely nothing to help the victims who are harmed. It creates the illusion of safety, while signaling to pimps, traffickers, and other scumbags that their businesses are perfectly safe as long as they stay invisible. Sure, many of these scumbags have an incentive to be as visible as possible to reach as many possible clients as possible, and so they will move on and invade a new service where they can reach clients. And they'll make that ISP's life hell by putting them in the spotlight. And maybe they'll choose an offshore one that American law enforcement can do nothing about. Censorship online is nothing more than whack-a-mole, pushing the issue elsewhere or more underground.

Censoring Craigslist will do absolutely nothing to help those being victimized, but it will do a lot to help those profiting off of victimization. Censoring Craigslist will also create new jobs for pimps and other corrupt intermediaries, since it'll temporarily make it a whole lot harder for individual scumbags to find clients. This will be particularly devastating for the low-end prostitutes who were using Craigslist to escape violent pimps. Keep in mind that occasionally getting beaten up by a scary john is often a whole lot more desirable for many than the regular physical, psychological, and economic abuse they receive from their pimps. So while it'll make it temporarily harder for clients to get access to abusive services, nothing good will come out of it in the long run.

If you want to end human trafficking, if you want to combat nonconsensual prostitution, if you care about the victims of the sex-power industry, don't cheer Craigslist's censorship. This did nothing to combat the cycle of abuse. What we desperately need are more resources for law enforcement to leverage the visibility of the Internet to go after the scumbags who abuse. What we desperately need are for sites like Craigslist to be encouraged to work with law enforcement and help create channels to actually help victims. What we need are innovative citizens who leverage new opportunities to devise new ways of countering abusive industries. We need to take this moment of visibility and embrace it, leverage it to create change, leverage it to help those who are victimized and lack the infrastructure to get help. What you see online should haunt you. But it should drive you to address the core problem by finding and helping victims, not looking for new ways to blindfold yourself. Please, I beg you, don't close your eyes. We need you.

(My views on this matter do not necessarily represent the views of any institution with which I'm affiliated, including my employer Microsoft Research, the MacArthur Foundation, and my research affiliation with Harvard's Berkman Center, which includes Craig Newmark as one of its supporters.)

Follow Danah Boyd on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@zephoria

Urban Velo

brad — 2010-09-10 14:38:49 GMT

The Skinner City Farm of Eugene OR with the help of the Center for Appropriate Transport have launched the Mobile Cannery Project. The picture bikes stocked with canning supplies visits community gardens and gives demonstrations on how to save your end of season harvest for next season. Only in Oregon.

GOOD

Liz Willen — 2010-09-10 14:00:00 GMT

President Obama tells us that by 2020, we need an additional eight million more Americans to graduate from college. The pressure is now on for community colleges to deliver.

This is the time of year Inver Hills Community College Vice President Barbara Read stands in the door of the admissions office and greets new students with a four-word question: “What is your goal?”

The question goes to the heart of the Minnesota college’s five-year-old “Finish What You Start” effort to improve retention, completion and transfer rates. Whether a student is there to earn credits before transferring to a four-year university, or for an associate’s degree or a certificate, Inver Hills has a message.

“From recruitment all the way through to graduation, we want students to know we’re the place that will help you finish what you start,” said Read, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the 40-year-old college in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. “It’s a mantra and an opportunity to build a campus-wide spirit.”

The program includes “learning communities,” where the same group of students take two or three classes together that are often linked around common themes or questions. This program, along with condensed remedial (also known as “developmental”) classes, is helping students stay in school throughout the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, the fifth-largest of its kind in the nation, with 25 community and technical colleges and seven universities.

The new efforts in Minnesota come at a time when three-year completion rates at two-year public colleges in the U.S. have remained at just under 30 percent in the last decade. However, the number of students sticking with school after their first year is at an all time high, according to Wes Habley, principal associate at ACT, Inc., the nonprofit organization offering educational and workplace measurement and research services.

One reason for the increase in first-year retention rates is the downturn economy and high unemployment rate, Habley said.

“Historically, when unemployment increases, so does college enrollment,’’ Habley said. “It is likely that more students are opting for community college because of lower costs than four-year counterparts. And, it is likely that more students stay at community colleges in the absence of employment opportunities or as an alternative to transferring to a more expensive four-year college.”

Efforts like those underway in Minnesota and several other states are also making a difference, said Gail Mellow, the president of LaGuardia Community College in New York City. “There’s a flowering of innovation, new philanthropy and funding and a new conversation. There is much greater attention to being more intrusive in the lives of community college students…it’s a sea-change, and an acknowledgement that graduation counts.”

President Barack Obama’s oft-stated goal of getting more Americans to complete college and get a degree is one motivating factor for schools, said Jim Jacobs, the president of Macomb Community College in Michigan. Jacobs also attributes higher retention rates to the caliber of students who may be choosing community colleges over four-year institutions to save money.

In Minnesota, several two-year colleges are also responding to a statewide accountability push and a commitment to national efforts like Complete College America as they roll out student-success programs.

In the last year, MnSCU’s first to second-year retention rate has started to budge, rising two percentage points, said Leslie Mercer, MnSCU’s associate vice chancellor for research, planning and effectiveness. In 2006, Minnesota’s retention rate was 26th in the nation.

Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, the largest two-year college in the MnSCU system, is requiring new students who test at a pre-college reading level to take a two-credit “New Student Seminar” and to meet with advisors twice a semester for 30 minutes each time.

For the first time this fall, Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota set an admissions application deadline for new full-time students. Students who registered after Aug. 15 are limited to taking seven credits until the spring term.

“We’ve looked at the data on full-time students who enrolled...at the last minute and have found that their chances for success were very low,” said Matt Crawford, Normandale’s director of admissions.

Normandale found over several years that 40-60 percent of students who applied between August 1 and Augist 14 were placed on probation at the end of the semester, meaning they didn’t complete 67 percent of their coursework.

“Withdrawals and grades below C were very common,” Crawford said.

These approaches might seem like no-brainers at four-year institutions. But two-year colleges typically offer open-door admissions policies and therefore accept students who test at pre-college levels, as well as returning students whose math may be rusty and immigrants trying to master English as a second language before they can advance to college-level coursework.

While Minnesota frequently captures the top average ACT composite score in the nation, nearly half of its 2005 high-school graduates who enrolled in the state’s two-year community or technical colleges needed at least one remedial course, compared with 29 percent at four-year institutions, according to a MnSCU report.

Compounding the persistence problem is that Minnesota’s tuition and fees—nearly $5,000 for a full-time student—at its two-year public colleges are the third-highest in the nation, according to a 2009-10 ranking by the Higher Education Coordinating Board in the state of Washington. Minnesota taxpayers now pick up 46 percent of the cost of tuition compared to 10 years ago when they picked up two-thirds.

The success efforts are trying to help students get more bang for their buck.

“The majority of entering students do place at the developmental level in math and a much lower percentage in English development classes,” said Read of Inver Hills. “They not only spend extra semesters in college, they also use their financial aid for development classes rather than courses” that would lead to a degree or certificate.

One solution: Inver Hills has designed developmental math classes to be completed in one semester instead of two.

With President Obama calling for eight million more college graduates by 2020, two-year colleges are feeling the pressure in the shadows of universities that have stricter admission policies. At the same time, private foundations like Lumina Foundation for Education and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are funding efforts to help improve access and success for underrepresented college students. (Disclosure: Lumina and Gates also provide funding to the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media, which produces The Hechinger Report.)

“Clearly, we need to do a better job,” said Century College President Larry Litecky, who serves on the national board of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, which is based at the University of Texas-Austin.

“Public policy tends to focus on the research institutions, yet the majority of our students are in the two-year world. I’m not particularly worried about how the top quartile of classes is doing as I am about what’s happening to the rest of the students — and that’s the group that’s being very unsuccessful,” Litecky said.

Kathy Matel, Century’s “student success coordinator,” aims to change that. She is seeing positive results from Century’s pilot learning communities set up five years ago for pre-college-level or developmental students, a concept pioneered by the John N. Gardener Institute of Excellence in Undergraduate Education (formerly the Policy Center on the First Year of College).

Century now has 500 students in 23 learning communities, or groups of students taking remedial classes together, where their teachers also coordinate the curriculum. For example, a learning community’s reading and writing class and a speech class took on “The American Dream” as a joint theme. Matel says students left with a deeper understanding of the theme because they had to engage in reading, writing, speaking and the interpretation of ideas.

“Students are in the same courses so they get to know people and have social interaction,” she said. “A learning community helps students make the connection with the college and with each other.”

“The success of learning communities, though, hinges on the type of support offered to students, who at community colleges tend to be older and often work part- or even full-time,” said Vince Tinto, a professor at Syracuse University who has researched and written extensively about learning communities. “The one place, perhaps the only place, where they come together is in the classroom,’’ Tinto said.

Century has compared the progress of developmental reading students who were in learning communities and those “winging” it. The fall-to-fall retention in learning communities was up 20 percent, withdrawal was down 7 percent and the grade point average of students was 2.45, Matel said. Developmental students who did not participate posted a 1.89 GPA.

MnSCU’s Mercer expects such data-gathering to become an important tool as enrollment continues to grow and state aid for higher education shrinks.

“That’s where we think knowing more about how to customize the work that we do with students to make sure that we’re getting the right kinds of interventions, or the right information, to the right kind of student” will be useful, she said.

Linda Baer, MnSCU’s former vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, compares the potential of the data-gathering to Amazon.com’s customer research, Mercer said.

“If you think about what Amazon.com does when you order a book, they say, ‘People like you who read that book would like these other seven books,’ ” Mercer said. “We’re a ways away from that, but that’s what we’d like to do so that we could say to the student who’s coming in, ‘Oh, people like you who had this kind of experience in high school and want to become a nurse...do best when we do these following things for you, and you do the following things.’ ”

This article was written as part of MinnPost’s partnership with The Hechinger Report. The nonprofit, nonpartisan education news outlet is affiliated with the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Liz Willen is associate editor of the Hechinger Report.

Casey Selix also contributed reporting.

Search for "math OR mathematics"

2010-09-10 14:12:47 GMT

LSU AgCenter's Living Well Expo will be from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the Bossier Civic Center.

Boston.com -- Latest news

2010-09-10 12:38:07 GMT

A Jewish group in Connecticut has appealed a court ruling that rejected plans for a synagogue and community center in the shoreline town of Guilford.

Judaism - Connecticut - Religion and Spirituality - Synagogue - Denominations

Newsvine - politics

Soph0571 — 2010-09-10 13:31:38 GMT

President Obama should come out against the building of a community center and mosque close to Ground Zero in his press conference this morning, Newt Gingrich said, because the American people want to see "evenhandedness" on this issue.

BizBash National News

2010-09-10 13:51:56 GMT

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is only just getting underway at Lincoln Center, but when the fashion community finishes its convention on September 16, the new tent complex in Damrosch Park won't disappear immediately. The Big Apple Circus will take over the Upper West Side spot in October and is reconfiguring the current structure to incorporate a big-top tent for its show and, for the first time, additional venues for event rental. To develop the site, dubbed the Event Tents, the Big Apple Circus tapped Roy Braeger of Roy Braeger Events, who will manage the spaces and provide on-site design and production.

The Event Tents will be available from October 21 through January 9, 2011, in the area of the Lincoln Center campus where the venue known as the Tent at Lincoln Center goes up in the spring.

MultiCultClassics

HighJive (noreply@blogger.com) — 2010-09-10 09:18:00 GMT

From The Chicago Tribune…

Saving America from bigotry

By Eboo Patel and Samantha Kirby

We’re mostly disgusted with Terry Jones, pastor of the 50-member Dove World Church Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla. But a small part of each of us thinks we ought to thank him for the announcement of his International Burn a Quran Day. He has given us a face and an event that crystallizes the anti-Muslim bigotry brewing for far too long and going largely unchecked in America.

Anybody following religion statistics knows that anti-Muslim bigotry has existed for a long time, and the numbers are scary. In a 2009 Pew Research Center study, almost 60 percent of adults reported that Muslims in America were subject to a lot of discrimination. According to a more recent Pew study, favorable opinions of Islam have actually declined in the last five years. Currently, less than a third of Americans hold a favorable view of Islam, and about a third think Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence.

Jones is currently the most prominent in the sea of ugly faces of anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation today. Others are carrying signs, such as one that proclaimed: “Everything I needed to know about Islam, I learned on 9/11.” Some are throwing bricks at mosques and urinating on the prayer rugs inside. One asked a New York cabdriver if he was a Muslim, and then allegedly stabbed him. And now, from the fringe church that brought us the sign “Islam is the devil,” this Quran burning event. It is chilling to recall a quote from the German-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine, who wrote in 1821 that “Wherever people burn books, there, in the end, will they also burn people.”

Disgusting as it is, Jones’ Quran burning day is a symptom of a larger problem, which is the widespread and increasingly accepted bigotry against Muslims, a group that makes up one-fifth of humankind, and includes several million fellow Americans.

A recent and fairly typical e-mail making the Internet rounds is titled: “Can a good Muslim be a good American?” The author answers “no” for a variety of reasons, such as: “Theologically — no … because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia, and admits no greater allegiance. Geographically, no… because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day. Intellectually no … because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is not based on the Quran and because it is based on biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.”

But bigotry exposed is preferable to bigotry concealed. In the history of our nation, when we have seen and named the ugly demons of division, the better angels of American unity go into action.

Today, these angels take the form of visionary leaders who know how important it is to build an inclusive America. They are working to shield us from the scars of other eras — of Japanese internment, of “No Irish need apply” signs, of the KKK’s anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic and anti-minority idea of America.

For example, another pastor in Gainesville, Pastor Larry Reimer of the United Church of Christ, is gathering an ecumenical group to create a positive force in response to Jones. Reimer said: The acts of Sept. 11 were not acts that were Islamic in nature. They were acts of fanatical extremists. And fanaticism is not confined to any one faith. I think that there’s no better time than Sept. 12 to remind ourselves of this and to read from the Quran in worship to point out how much we really do have in common.

Similarly, Muslims across the country are responding to this hateful incident by choosing to live up to the highest ideals of their faith. Instead of turning on Jones, Muslim leaders nationwide are mobilizing their communities to volunteer and serve others to memorialize 9/11. This campaign, called Muslim Serve, is about demonstrating how Islamic values inspire Muslims to serve humanity and is meant to highlight the great contributions that the Muslim community has provided and continues to provide our great nation.

The forces of unity have saved American before. We need them to save America again.

Eboo Patel is founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based nonprofit working to build interfaith cooperation. He is author of “Acts of Faith.” Samantha Kirby is a communications and policy specialist at Interfaith Youth Core.

Curbed NY

Joey — 2010-09-10 13:21:02 GMT

Donald Trump's headline-grabbing offer to buy 45 Park Place has been greeted by the developers of the Park51 Islamic community center about as warmly as neighbors embraced the Trump Soho. The attorney for Hisham Elzanaty, the Park51 financial backer whom...

geosciblog

on-the-rocks (noreply@blogger.com) — 2010-09-10 10:18:00 GMT

about the proposed "Qu'ran burning" and the Ground Zero mosque.

We are taught in our youth that for every freedom, there is a responsibility.

The nutcases in Florida have the right to burn as many Qu'rans as they wish, BUT IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE!

The folks that want to build a Muslim community center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero have a right to do so, BUT IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE!

That should be clear enough!

Monster Job Search Results

2010-09-10 07:40:54 GMT

TX-Houston, Center ManagerLincare Inc. a National Respiratory company is seeking a Center Manager. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, training and supervising quality individuals for various positions. Make sales calls on existing and potential referral sources in the medical community, requiring complete product knowledge. Must be able to communicate effectively with doctors, administrators an

YubaNet.com

2010-09-10 14:21:40 GMT

The APPLE Center has been open almost a year at 412 Commercial Street in Nevada City and it’s been year of exciting first, growth and community building around the topics of sustainability, resilient economies, and environmental stewardship.

CNN.com - U.S.

2010-09-10 10:14:23 GMT

Donald Trump's offer to buy the lower Manhattan site where a Muslim group plans to build an Islamic community center is just a "pathetic" attempt to get publicity, said the lawyer for one of the land owners.

News | WEWS NewsNet5

Colin McDermott — 2010-09-10 12:42:32 GMT

A new community center opens to keep alive the memory and service of late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

IndianWeb2.com - Web 2.0 and Technology Startup News and Reviews

Vardaan — 2010-09-10 12:00:11 GMT

Varian Medical Systems Schedules Investor Meeting and Fiscal Year End Review at ASTRO in San Diego, November 2, 2010

PR Newswire — September 10, 2010

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ — Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) will hold an investor event on Tuesday, November 2 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in San Diego. Investors and members of the financial community are invited to join senior management for a review of fiscal year 2010 and a tour of the company’s exhibition at ASTRO.

Varian will host a meeting with management, beginning with breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and presentations at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, 333 W. Harbor Drive, Santa Rosa Room – South Tower, Level 1, San Diego. The presentations will be followed by a tour of Varian’s ASTRO booth at the San Diego Convention Center, Booth #201 – from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Management presentations will focus on new technologies and products and growth initiatives within the company’s Oncology Systems, X-Ray Products, and emerging businesses. Management will include: Varian Medical Systems’ CEO and President Tim Guertin; Executive Vice President and Oncology Systems President Dow Wilson; Senior Vice President and CFO Elisha Finney; Senior Vice President and President X-Ray Products Robert Kluge, Vice President Emerging Businesses Lester Boeh; and Investor Relations Vice President Spencer Sias.

Attendees are requested to RSVP for the meeting and/or booth tour, by clicking on: http://varian.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=101, or by contacting Anne Rambo at (650) 424-5834, or by e-mail: anne.rambo@varian.com. Please RSVP by Tuesday, October 26, 2010.

To reserve a hotel room in San Diego and to register for additional ASTRO seminars or other days, please visit the ASTRO web site at www.astro.org or call (800) 541-6058.

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world’s leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 5,200 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Sias, (650) 424-5782 Vice President, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations spencer.sias@varian.com

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems

Subject Codes: PC/t.100910083001867, PT/lang.en, PC/ticker, IN/HEA, IN/MEQ, IN/CPR, IN/STW, SU/TDS, RE/California, PC/priority.r, PC/category.f, PC/class.1245, PC/WAVO_….h., PC/APT_….h, PC/trade_h, PC/wavo5_h, PC/class.1278, PC/class.1268, PC/WAVO_…7.., PC/APT_…7., PC/region_7, PC/wavo4_7, PC/DataFeat_ncprn, PC/port_32, PC/Billing_IRW, PC/Billing_NCA, PC/Billing_RWB, PC/Billing_TNW, PC/1stAcc_897675, PC/OtherAcc_683408, PC/OtherAcc_683517, PC/bureau_SF, PC/port_01, PC/port_96, PC/port_31, PC/port_19, PC/port_91, PC/contact, PC/website, PC/id_SF62608

Company Codes: NYSE:VAR

Boston.com -- Connecticut news

2010-09-10 12:38:07 GMT

George's Bottom Line

George Stephanopoulos — 2010-09-10 12:47:31 GMT

ScienceBlogs Channel : Politics

Greg Laden none@example.com — 2010-09-10 12:31:18 GMT

Everyone who went out and purchaced Islamic Holy Books for the big burning on September 11th needs to just take it down a notch, put the Qurans on the book shelf next to the Bhagavad Gita and that copy of Catcher in the Rye you've always planed to read and switch to plan B for celebrating the defeat of Western Culture by the Mossleman bin Laden. (No relation.) Because the nutjob in Florida who caused all this fuss has backed down.

According to "Reverend" Terry Jones, the Islamic Center Rec/Mosque to have been built at Ground Zero will not be built on that site, and according to Jones, these to cancellations are part of a deal struck between the leader of the Islamic Center's community and the reverend himself. None of this has been confirmed, but it is being reported by National Public Radio.

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...

Starpulse Entertainment News

2010-09-10 12:15:07 GMT

Property tycoon-turned reality TV star Donald Trump has offered to end the controversy surrounding plans to build a new Islamic community center close to Ground Zero in New York - by buying the sit...

Search for "racism"

2010-09-10 12:07:23 GMT

The imam and developers of the proposed Downtown Manhattan Islamic community center say that their project is not moving away from a location near the World Trade Center, despite numerous claims that a deal has been reached to move the mosque.

Monster Job Search Results

2010-09-10 06:03:18 GMT

CA-NORTHRIDGE, Northridge Hospital Medical Center is a 411-bed, not-for-profit hospital that stands as a leading provider of quality healthcare to the community. Northridge Hospital is equipped to treat traumatic and life-threatening injuries. Our Level II Trauma Center treats over 1,000 trauma cases each year. Northridge Hospital Medical Center has a caring and innovative team of healthcare professionals dedica

Monster Job Search Results

2010-09-10 06:02:58 GMT

Monster Job Search Results

2010-09-10 06:02:55 GMT

CA-NORTHRIDGE, Northridge Hospital Medical Center is a 411-bed not-for-profit hospital that stands as a leading provider of quality healthcare to the community. Northridge Hospital is equipped to treat traumatic and life-threatening injuries. Our Level II Trauma Center treats over 1,000 trauma cases each year. Northridge Hospital Medical Center has a caring and innovative team of healthcare professionals dedicat

Monster Job Search Results

2010-09-10 06:02:52 GMT

Monster Job Search Results

2010-09-10 06:06:56 GMT

MA-Framingham, The MetroWest Medical Center is the largest healthcare system between Worcester and Boston and is committed to meeting the health care needs of the MetroWest region by providing advanced care with a community touch. The 319-bed regional health care system includes Framingham Union Hospital , Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick and the MetroWest Wellness Center .GENERAL SUMMARY: Under general supervis

Monster Job Search Results

2010-09-10 06:06:29 GMT

THE MEDICAL NEWS

Editors — 2010-09-10 11:34:19 GMT

Former Health and Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt will address a national conference of Community, Migrant and Homeless Health Center representatives scheduled to convene this week. The 2010 Community Health Institute (CHI) and EXPO, hosted by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), will take place in Dallas, TX, September 10-14th.

Search for "electricity"

2010-09-10 10:42:20 GMT

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, September 10, 2010 -- -- Art in Tanzania has recently started work on its biggest project; the Bagamoyo Youth Center.

Watches Channel

2010-09-10 10:23:51 GMT

Golf virtuoso Tiger Woods joined the friendly family of the TAG Heuer ambassadors in 2002. The cooperation between the leading producer of high-end sports watches and the professional golfer has always been on a high professional level and has given birth to some remarkable timepieces.

Unparalleled Career
Having become a professional golfer in 1996, Tiger Woods has had an unparalleled career, having gained victories in 95 tournaments, with 71 of them on the PGA Tour. The list of his achievements includes 4 victories in Masters Tournaments, 4 victories in PGA Championships, 3 victories in U.S. Open Championships, and 3 victories Open Championships. Following his second Masters victory in 2001, the golfer became the first ever player to hold all four professional major championships at the same time. Tiger Woods is presently the career victories leader among active players on the PGA Tour, and is also the leader in tournament earnings.

Tiger Woods Foundation
In 1996, the golfer and Earl Wood, his father, founded the Tiger Woods Foundation. The work of the Foundation is aimed at providing unique experiences and innovative educational programs for youth worldwide.

The Foundation has opened the Tiger Woods Learning Center, an educational facility for the underserved youth of Southern California. It has also worked out Tiger's Action Plan, nationwide curricula focused at goal-setting, exploring career opportunities and self-discovery through service learning. The foundation offers the Earl Woods Scholarship program, providing a four-year college scholarship to diligent, committed to community service students in financial need.

TAG Heuer Professional Golf Watch
With his great expertise in the field of professional golf, Tiger Woods has taken an active part in the first professional golf watch, with the design meeting the unique ergonomic requirements of the game, having put the end to the rule of golf experts that claimed a golfer should take his wristwatch off before he steps up to the tee.

The TAG Heuer Professional Golf watch was developed to provide absolute comfort on the wrist. The first problem golfers usually face when wearing a conventional wristwatch is the clasp and folding buckle that can hurt the wrist during an intense golf game. The crown positioned at 3 o'clock can also hurt the player with the bent wrist. To solve these problems, TAG Heuer and Tiger Woods decided to integrate the clasp into the watch head with help of a revolutionary patented system. As for the crown, it was moved to 9 o'clock.

The second problem was caused by the strap that is too loose or too tight. A loose strap hits the wrist and glove. The tight strap is also extremely uncomfortable for golfers as the wrist's diameter changes during the game.

The brand developed a unique ultra-flexible rubber strap that boasts supreme elasticity. The strap does not slide on the wrist and does not hurt the wrist, easily adapting its length to all changes in wrist diameter.

One more important problem the brand and Tiger Woods had to solve was the heavy weight of a conventional watch that affects the golfer's swing and putting precision. The Professional Golf watch boasts a super-slim case and features the successful combination of ultra-light titanium, stainless steel and silicon rubber and weighs only 55 grams.

Repetitive and violent shocks caused by golf swings can seriously damage a regular watch. The TAG Heuer watch, with its extremely light weight, strap elasticity and anti-shock design and construction guarantees an outstanding 5,000 G of shock absorption - this is 45 times more than the shock the timepiece experiences during a golf swing.

The TAG Heuer Professional Golf watch demonstrates Tiger Woods' logo on the dial and his signature on the case back. It is equipped with a reliable quartz movement - RONDA 1005. The face of the watch offers great legibility due to its luminous hand-applied indexes and markers. The timepiece is 50-meter water-resistant.

The black silicon extensible rubber strap is fitted with a stainless-steel folding buckle incorporated in the case construction, with safety pushbuttons found at 10 and 2 o'clock.
The TAG Heuer Professional Golf watch is a great timekeeping instrument for avid watch enthusiasts and golfing purists around the world.

Tattoosday

Bill Cohen (oxypoet@gmail.com) — 2010-09-10 07:30:00 GMT

Earlier this week, author Karen E. Olson released the third installment of her Tattoo Shop Mystery series, Driven To Ink.

For those readers who may not be familiar with Ms. Olson's series, you can check out my reviews of the first two books, here (The Missing Ink) and here (Pretty in Ink).

The series features Brett Kavanaugh, a Las Vegas-based tattoo artist, and a cast of supporting characters, from her police officer brother Tim, to fellow artist and competitor Jeff Coleman, owner of the shop Murder Ink. Kavanaugh's staff at The Painted Lady, a high-end tattoo shop at the Venetian Hotel and Casino, also offers up some memorable characters, including Bitsy, the diminuitive shop manager.

Driven To Ink, like its predecessors, has an "only in Las Vegas" feel, with a well-crafted narrative that, this time around, revolves around a drive-thru wedding chapel called "That's Amore" that features a handful of Dean Martin doppelgängers crooning, you guessed it, "That's Amore".

Olson has once again spun a riveting tale, which finds Brett Kavanaugh discovering a dead Dean Martin imperspnator in her trunk, with a tattoo machine's clip cord around the victim's neck. She had just lent her car, a Mustang Bullitt, to Jeff Coleman's octogenarian mother, Sylvia, so she could get married in style at the That's Amore chapel.

What I love about Karen Olson's books is that tattoos are seen above and beyond base clues in a murder mystery. She treats the vocation with utter respect, explaining things to the reader as if they were new to a tattoo studio. Tattoos may serve as clues, but they are not regarded as these huge totems that define their owners.

Brett Kavanaugh is an enjoyable protagonist, not without faults, and the author let's the reader tag along on her adventures that start off innocently enough, but pull her into deeper and deeper water. It's no surprise that one of the recurring characters is an Emergency Room doctor, as medical attention seems to be needed from time to time, making this mystery series ring truer than one in which the hero (or heroine) dances through their adventure unscathed.

Olson's first book in the series was a novelty. A new mystery with tattoos at the center of the narrative. After three volumes, Brett Kavanaugh seems more real, more human, than ever before.

A word to the skeptics, those tattoo snobs who may scoff at the light-hearted appearance of these books: Karen Olsen has given a gift to the tattoo community in the form of Brett Kavanaugh. Driven To Ink is another great mystery, with a respectful and honest portrayal of one artist/sleuth who just happens to be a tattoo shop owner.

I have enjoyed every one of Ms. Olson's books and Driven To Ink is yet another chapter in the fascinating life of Brett Kavanaugh. I'm looking forward to her next installment which, I am led to believe, is tentatively called Ink Flamingos.

Check out Karen talking about her first Tattoo Shop Mystery here:

Panorama.am

2010-09-10 19:03:00 GMT

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan participated today in the opening of the central veterinary laboratory in Erebuni community of Yerevan. The Republican Veterinary Anti-epidemic and Diagnostic Center has been reconstructed ...

BCNN1

2010-09-10 18:44:49 GMT

With less than an hour before President Obama's scheduled speech, 75 seats remained empty in the recreation center at Cuyahoga Community College's Western Campus.