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Prince’s Toxicology Report Reveals ‘Exceedingly High’ Levels Of Fentanyl Caused His Death

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first_imgPrince had an “exceedingly high” level of fentanyl in his system when he passed away on April 21, 2016, according to a confidential toxicology report obtained yesterday by the Associated Press. The report surveys several medical experts not connected to Prince and the investigation of his death. They come to a unanimous consensus that it was fentanyl, the prescription synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin, that killed him.“The amount in his blood is exceedingly high, even for somebody who is a chronic pain patient on fentanyl patches,” said Dr. Lewis Nelson, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School chairman of emergency medicine. In the report, Dr. Nelson referred to the fentanyl concentrations “a pretty clear smoking gun.”As AP notes:The report says the concentration of fentanyl in Prince’s blood was 67.8 micrograms per liter. The report explains that fatalities have been documented in people with blood levels ranging from three to 58 micrograms per liter.The report also says the level of fentanyl in Prince’s liver was 450 micrograms per kilogram, and notes that liver concentrations greater than 69 micrograms per kilogram “seem to represent overdose or fatal toxicity cases.”Assuming the accuracy of the numbers provided by the Associated Press regarding usual fatal toxicity cases, the amount in his blood was a significant percentage higher than any person can handle without dire side effects. Prince’s liver was attempting to process enough fentanyl to kill someone more than six times over.According to one of the experts surveyed, Dr. Charles McKay, the president of the American College of Medical Toxicology, Prince’s results suggest that he took the drug orally (rather than in the more commonly-used slow-release patch form). He also notes and that the toxicity levels in both his liver and blood suggest the lethal dose had time to circulate in his system before he died. Long-term opioid users build up a tolerance to the drug over time, sometimes allowing them to sustain normally-toxic levels for longer periods of time.When authorities searched Prince’s Paisley Park estate following his death, they turned up several bottles of assorted pills, many of which tested positive as fentanyl and various other opioids. As the AP notes, information that has been released publicly indicates the source of those drugs hasn’t been determined.What is known is that Prince suffered from chronic pain, for which he sought medical treatment. On the evening before his death, Prince visited a Twin Cities hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. He was also seen that day at his local Walgreens pharmacy. Employees reportedly told TMZ that he looked “more frail and nervous than usual.”The Carver County (MN) Sheriff’s department is now in the final stages of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Prince’s death and how he obtained the drugs that wound up taking his life. Last week, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz said in a statement that he was reviewing law enforcement reports and would make a decision on whether to charge anyone “in the near future.”If they were prescribed by a doctor, that doctor could be hit with criminal charges. This would not be the first time in recent memory that a doctor was implicated in the death of a pop superstar. In 2009, pop superstar Michael Jackson–to whom Prince has always been compared–died after acute intoxication brought on by prescription sleep aids caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Jackson’s death was eventually ruled to be a homicide, and the doctor who prescribed the meds, Dr. Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.Whether or not a specific doctor is to blame for enabling Prince’s access to the drugs that killed him, this case echoes the ominous and deadly presence of fentanyl and other opioids that has been increasingly prevalent in recent years as the U.S. has spiraled into a full-blown addiction epidemic. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea recently penned an op-ed about his own struggles with opiate addiction and the deadly trend of doctors over-prescribing powerful medications, often due to monetary incentives from pharmaceutical companies industry.These stories of people from all walks of life dying at the hands of prescription opiates and other meds have broken our hearts again and again. We can only hope that this latest high-profile blow will spark lawmakers to take stronger action in stopping Big Pharma and the medical industry from proliferating excessive amounts of deadly drugs in the name of financial interests.[H/T The Associated Press]Prince’s spirit lives on through the countless musicians he influenced. If you’re heading to New Orleans for this year’s Jazz Fest, don’t miss Purple Party: A Tribute To Prince featuring members of The Main Squeeze, Turkuaz, The Motet, Snarky Puppy, Thievery Corporation, Allen Stone & more at the Maison on Sunday, May 6th during Jazz Fest. For more info, click here.***Tickets for Purple Party: A Tribute To Prince are on sale here***Artists: Ryan Jalbert, Lyle Divinsky, MonoNeon, Corey Frye, Shira Elias, Sammi Garett, Steve Swatkins, Robert “Sput” Searight, Chris Bullock, Mike “Maz” Maher, Megan Letts, Jeff Franca, Casey RussellCheck out Live For Live Music’s full guide to Jazz Fest late nights, here.last_img read more

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To sample climate concerns, look at nature

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first_imgFor those wondering what’s needed to face down coming climate-related disasters, the approach is simple, according to one expert: Just listen to nature. It’s screaming the answer.“Every storm tells you where the problems are,” said Robert Young, director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines at Western Carolina University. “Every storm is an opportunity to reimagine your community.”Young told a panel on Wednesday that the problem isn’t that people don’t know which areas are vulnerable to natural disasters, or even — as climate-change science becomes more settled in the public’s mind — that they don’t understand the threat. It’s that they refuse to learn obvious and sometimes painful lessons.“We repeatedly fail to take the opportunity to rebuild following storms in the way that makes the most sense,” Young said. “We do a terrible job at this.”“We repeatedly fail to take the opportunity to rebuild following storms in the way that makes the most sense,” said Robert Young (right) of Western Carolina University. “We do a terrible job at this.” Atyia Martin (left), Boston’s chief resilience officer, later shared the problems that Boston will face. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff PhotographerYoung and other panelists at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre suggested changes to federal flood-insurance programs that now enable property owners to rebuild repeatedly on vulnerable sites, and they floated the idea of a rapid-buyout program that would offer to purchase damaged sites while owners are still deciding the best course forward.The session, which focused on the Boston region’s need to adapt to meet the challenges of climate change, was sponsored by the Harvard University Center for the Environment and was part of HUBweek, a series of events highlighting the area’s strengths in art, science, and technology.HUCE Director Daniel Schrag, the Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology and professor of environmental science and engineering, moderated the event. Schrag said a discussion like Wednesday’s would have generated controversy a decade ago, when people pushing for climate action decried any talk of adaptation as taking away from efforts to reduce emissions. Today, Schrag said, it has become clear that both reducing emissions and adapting to climate change’s effects are needed.Schrag cited Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy for delivering the kind of impact that may be expected in the future. In New York Harbor, the record storm surge at The Battery had stood at 11.2 feet in 1821. Sandy’s tide surge hit 13.8 feet. Schrag showed a photo of Manhattan after the power went out, which showed a single office tower lit up. The building, housing Goldman Sachs, had emergency generators located in areas not affected by flooding.“To me,” Schrag said, “this is a postcard of the value of preparedness.”The downpours that struck the Carolinas last week are another example. Media reports calling it a 1,000-year storm may be doing the public a disservice, Schrag said. First, records don’t go back far enough to know if that is a one-in-a-millennium event; second, because the climate baseline is shifting, this type of event may become more common.James McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography and a member of the panel, drew a parallel between the recent rains and Boston’s record snowfall last winter. That occurred, he said, not because it was particularly cold, but rather because the ocean offshore was unusually warm, which put more moisture into the air. It’s the kind of scenario that could be repeated in a warming world.Panelists Atyia Martin, Boston’s chief resilience officer, and Carl Spector, its director of climate and environmental planning, discussed the city’s planning efforts and work to engage the community in both understanding potential impact and thinking about responses. Spector said Boston already has taken steps to make its cooling centers — used in the case of extreme heat waves — more robust by mounting solar panels and battery backups.HUCE Director Daniel Schrag cited Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy for delivering the kind of impact that may be expected in the future. In New York Harbor, the record storm surge at The Battery had stood at 11.2 feet in 1821. Sandy’s tide surge hit 13.8 feet. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff PhotographerThe panelists agreed that the likelihood of clogged roadways, stranded travelers, and a lack of places to lodge even successful evacuees makes large-scale evacuation of the city an unattractive response. Instead, they said, plans should encompass how to manage the needs of those who shelter in place, or, in the case of evacuation, ways to make that succeed even for those facing challenges such as no vehicle or little money to pay for transportation or hotel costs.The kind of large-scale hardening of Boston’s coastline that might shut out a surging ocean is likely to be prohibitively expensive, panelists said. Even so, the practice that put the city at risk — building in vulnerable areas — is continuing here and in cities across the country “one permit at a time,” Young said, since consumers hunger for waterfront property.In the meantime, natural areas like marshes and barrier beaches that might help absorb some of a storm’s force are disappearing.  Even after catastrophes like Sandy, rebuilding is occurring in the same places, ignoring the lesson that nature is trying to teach.“Sandy told us where the highly vulnerable communities in New York and New Jersey are,” Young said.In the end, Schrag said, it isn’t just the planners and experts who need to be involved to keep individuals safe. People have to take responsibility and concrete steps to protect themselves as well.“How,” he asked, “are we going to be prepared when these events come to pass, which they will.For more information, check out a digest of Harvard activities for the week here, or register to attend events at HUBweek.org.last_img read more

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Looking back on 2017–18

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first_imgJune 2017Harvard President Drew Faust announces that after 11 years in office, she will step down at the conclusion of the 2017–2018 academic year.During a Harvard visit, Supreme Court Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch and Stephen Breyer emphasize their deep faith in the rule and primacy of law.Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) announce a joint master’s program to shape leadership in tech.Khalil Abdur-Rashid, an adjunct professor of Islamic studies at Southern Methodist University and co-founder of the Islamic Seminary of America, is appointed Harvard’s first full-time Muslim chaplain.Nannerl Overholser Keohane steps down from the Harvard Corporation after 12 years. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff PhotographerNannerl Keohane, former president of Duke University and Wellesley College, steps down from the Harvard Corporation after 12 years on the University’s executive governing board.The Harvard Jazz Bands travel to Cuba, led by director and native Cuban Yosvany Terry, in the first such trip for the group in 25 years.Fred Lee Glimp Jr. ’50, Ph.D. ’64, whose nearly half-century of service to Harvard, including as dean of the College, left an indelible mark on generations at the University, dies at 91.The 2017 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize is awarded to Gordon Freeman and Arlene Sharpe, the George Fabyan Professor of Comparative Pathology, for their work in understanding how tumor cells sabotage the body’s immune defenses.,Harvard scientists George Whitesides and Alex Nemiroski create a type of semi-soft robot capable of walking, in the process using drinking straws, inflatable tubing, and other household objects.The Graduate School of Design’s (HGSD) Center for Green Buildings and Cities announces the transformation of its headquarters into “HouseZero,” a retrofitted building that aims to produce more energy than it consumes. In addition to serving as a learning center for students and a testing ground for emerging technologies, the project also aims to demonstrate how existing structures can be modified so they consume less energy.July 2017John F. Manning, an eminent public-law scholar with expertise in statutory interpretation and structural constitutional law, becomes Harvard Law School’s dean.John F. Manning is named as the new dean of Harvard Law School. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff PhotographerBuilding on their earlier work on CRISPR, a team at the Wyss Institute encodes a video clip into the DNA of living bacteria.Allen Counter, founding director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, a neurophysiologist, educator, and ethnographer, dies at 73.The Harvard School of Dental Medicine is honored by the Boston City Council on its 150th anniversary.Chemist Charles M. Lieber, a professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and SEAS, is named a University Professor, Harvard’s highest faculty honor. Lieber will hold the University Professorship newly established by Joshua Friedman ’76, M.B.A. ’80, J.D. ’82, and Beth Friedman.Transition, a magazine published by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, begins publishing in Africa for the first time in nearly three decades.,Harvard Kennedy School’s (HKS) Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs launches the Defending Digital Democracy project, a bipartisan effort to safeguard elections against hacking.Digitization of Harvard’s fossil insect collection produces a surprising twist: the return to Germany of hundreds of specimens of Eocene insects frozen in amber that had been on loan since before World War II.August 2017The midpoint of the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center renovation project is celebrated in a traditional topping-off ceremony.In anticipation of a total solar eclipse, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) gives away hundreds of solar safety glasses and releases an interactive app, giving Americans a front-row seat to the rare celestial event.Min Dong, Harvard Medical School (HMS) assistant professor of surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, and colleagues report the first new botulinum toxin to be found in close to 50 years.,September 2017Jeannie Bachelor Lavine ’88, M.B.A. ’92 and Jonathan S. Lavine, M.B.A. ’92 make the largest single gift for financial aid in the Business School’s history, part of which funds a challenge inspiring others to support M.B.A. financial aid. The Lavines also make gifts to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to establish a professorship of humanitarian studies, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to support undergraduate financial aid and House Renewal.Shaun Donovan ’87, M.Arch. ’95, M.P.A. ’95, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is named senior strategist and adviser to the president on Allston and campus development.Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) Dean James E. Ryan announces he will depart at the end of the academic year to lead the University of Virginia as its next president.George Andreou ’87, vice president and senior editor at Alfred A. Knopf, succeeds William P. Sisler as director of the Harvard University Press.The official papers of psychologist and inventor William Moulton Marston, the complicated creator of comic book superheroine Wonder Woman, arrive at the Schlesinger Library.The text of the new plaque recognizing the enslaved people who were integral to the founding of Harvard Law School. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff PhotographerMichael Pollan, journalist and author best known for his books on the human relationship with food, joins Harvard’s Creative Writing Program as the Lewis K. Chan Arts Lecturer.A new Harvard Forest report, “Wildlands and Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities,” finds that New England is losing 65 acres of forest a day and calls for tripling conservation efforts across the region.President Faust and Annette Gordon-Reed, the Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History and professor of history, unveil a plaque on the HLS campus to honor and remember the slaves whose labor helped fund the bequest establishing the School 200 years ago.Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, M.P.A. ’81, receives the Great Negotiator Award at HLS. Santos was honored for his work to end Colombia’s 52-year civil war.After more than a year of renovations at Winthrop House, students return to a residence with both new amenities and neatly preserved favorite haunts.Harvard and MIT researchers develop smart tattoo ink capable of monitoring health by changing color to alert an athlete to dehydration or a diabetic to a rise in blood sugar.,U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos argues in favor of more school choices as a remedy for the nation’s beleaguered public education system, during a forum at HKS.Daniel Federman, the Carl W. Walter Distinguished Professor of Medicine, whose groundbreaking work helped create the field of genetic endocrinology, dies at 89.Walter C. Guralnick, D.M.D. ’41, a pioneer in oral and maxillofacial surgery education who served Harvard for more than seven decades, dies at 100.The first large-scale study of ancient human DNA from sub-Saharan Africa, by an international research team led by HMS, uncovers details about ancestry — including genetic adaptations for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the first glimpses of population distribution before farmers and animal herders swept across the continent 3,000 years ago.An international research team led by HMS and MIT scientists develops a paper-based test that can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes, without the risk of a dengue fever false-positive.October 2017The Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute was named in honor of a $25 million gift from Lakshmi Mittal and his family.NCAA President Mark Emmert comes to Harvard to meet with College athletes and higher education master’s degree students, and to discuss the relationship between college and athletics.Lizabeth Cohen, who has led the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study since 2011, announces she will step down from that post in June.Harvard unveils plans for the ArtLab, a new hub for arts innovation in Allston.SEAS celebrates its 10-year anniversary as a School.,The W.E.B. Du Bois Medals recognize director Ava DuVernay, artist Kara Walker, Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile, rapper and actor LL Cool J, librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker, and Microsoft chairman John W. Thompson. There is also a posthumous medal for educator and activist Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer.Barbara McNeil, Ridley Watts Professor of Health Care Policy and chair of the Department of Health Care Policy, is awarded the 2017 Walsh McDermott Medal.To recognize the importance of the research of Mexican archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, Harvard Divinity School (HDS) Dean David N. Hempton, Professor David Carrasco, and other leading Harvard scholars travel to Mexico to inaugurate the Eduardo Matos Moctezuma Lecture Series.Six Supreme Court justices, five current and one retired, take part in a public conversation at Sanders Theatre to mark the 200th anniversary of HLS.It was a banner year for Charles Lieber, who was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and named a University Professor, Harvard’s highest faculty honor. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff PhotographerCharles Lieber, Mark Hyman Jr. Professor of Chemistry, is elected to the National Academy of Medicine for his work in nanoscale materials.November 2017Colleagues and friends gather to honor longtime Harvard administrator Henry Rosovsky on his 90th birthday.The Harvard Art Museums receives a gift of 330 16th- to 18th-century Dutch, Flemish, and Netherlandish drawings from the Maida and George Abrams ’54, LL.B. ’57 collection. This gift complements the collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings given to Harvard by Anne and Peter ’52, M.B.A. ’54 Brooke.Musician and activist Sir Elton John accepts the Harvard Foundation’s Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award.Harvard College announces a $12.1 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to boost efforts to develop the next generation of public service leaders.Julian SpearChief-Morris becomes the first indigenous president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau in its 104-year history.Julian Spearchief-Morris, the first Native American president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff PhotographerFour Rhodes, three International Rhodes, and a Marshall scholarship are awarded to Harvard College seniors.More than 600 alumni and friends gathered at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture for “Your Harvard: Washington, D.C.” The evening included remarks from President Faust and Congressman John Lewis as well as a discussion with faculty that explored education as the civil rights issue of our time. This was the penultimate program in the Your Harvard series which took place in cities across the country and around the world throughout The Harvard Campaign.Provost Alan Garber and HMS scientists David Hooper, Pier Paolo Pandolfi, and Bernardo Sabatini are elected 2017 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Michèle Lamont, Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies as well as professor of sociology and African and African American Studies, is awarded the 2017 Erasmus Prize for her “devoted contribution to social science research into the relationship between knowledge, power, and diversity.”,Harvard celebrates topping off the Science and Engineering Complex in Allston, slated for completion in 2020.The Museum of Comparative Zoology receives a donation of 150,000 beetles from the collection of the late David Rockefeller, a longtime Harvard benefactor and Overseer.Harvard Athletics announces that the 2018 Harvard/Yale football match will be played at Boston’s Fenway Park.December 2017The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study establishes the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach House in Radcliffe Yard, in recognition of a generous commitment by Susan S. Wallach ’68, J.D. ’71, and Kenneth L. Wallach ’68, J.D. ’72.President Faust announces that the Harvard Corporation has voted to keep the policy on unrecognized single-gender social organizations in place. “While we should respect tradition, it is incumbent on us to organize the institution for the benefit of our current students and those who will follow,” said Faust.A team of astronomers, including scientists at the CfA, employs a pioneering technique to produce the highest-quality image yet obtained of the curved filament near the galaxy’s supermassive black hole.The Graduate School of Design announces a $15 million gift from Ronald M. Druker (Loeb Fellow ’76) and the Bertram A. and Ronald M. Druker Charitable Foundation to launch an ambitious renewal and expansion of Gund Hall.Calestous Juma, professor of the practice of international development at HKS and director of the Belfer Center’s Science, Technology, and Globalization Project, dies at 64.Paola Arlotta, professor of stem cell and regeneration biology, won the Ledlie Prize in 2017. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff PhotographerPaola Arlotta, a professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, is awarded the George Ledlie Prize for her work studying the embryonic brain in health and disease.Harvard University launches the initial development phase of a new regional innovation hub as it files regulatory plans for the Enterprise Research Campus in Allston.Harvard University’s Title IX Office and the Office for Dispute Resolution release their second annual report, highlighting the growth in University-wide educational outreach initiatives on policies and services.The transformed Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) campus opens after raising more than $108 million in a record-breaking HKS Capital Campaign for the addition of approximately 91,000 square feet of classroom, office, and common spaces.Representatives from Harvard University travel to Havana to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education, signaling a renewed commitment between Harvard’s 12 Schools and the ministry to support faculty and student research and study in Cuba.After a 40-year career at Harvard, University Marshal Jackie O’Neill announces she will step down at the end of 2017.Pianist-composer Matt Aucoin ’12 returns to Harvard with the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) for a series of performances at the American Repertory Theater.,January 2018Philip Deloria joins the History Department as Harvard’s first tenured professor of Native American history.Over 200 alumni and friends of the Harvard community join President Faust and Scott Abell, president of the Board of Overseers, at Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. A few minutes into the program, a sudden power outage took out all lights in the auditorium. Lit by attendees’ cell phones, the conversation went on. President Faust reflected on her time as President of Harvard and discussed some of the greatest challenges and accomplishments in the decade of her leadership.Andrew Elrick is named executive director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.Actress Mila Kunis is honored as Hasty Pudding’s 2018 Woman of the Year. The award for Kunis comes on the same day Hasty Pudding Theatricals announces that it will begin casting women in its shows.Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Mila Kunis enjoys her parade with Amira Weeks ’18 (left) and Jacques Berguig ’18. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer..Harvard announces the OpenScholar project will become a private startup to expand the use of the versatile web-publishing platform and take it to the next level.Funded by Ramez Sousou ’85, M.B.A. ’92, and his wife, Tiziana, a new collaboration between HDS and HKS will enable scholars to study the role that religious communities play in violent conflict.Tamara Rogers announces she will step down as vice president for alumni affairs and development at the end of 2018.A Harvard team creates the milliDelta robot, which can operate with high speed, force, and micrometer precision, making it ideal for retinal microsurgeries performed on the human eye.Harvard University’s Tuition Assistance Program, which helps cover the cost of undergraduate or graduate courses for staff, celebrates 40 years of offering lifelong learning.Hugo E.R. Uyterhoeven, M.B.A. ’57, D.B.A. ’63, an authority on general management and a member of the HBS faculty for more than 50 years, dies at 86.A new collaboration between HDS and HKS will enable scholars to study the role that religious communities play in violent conflict — and in promoting sustainable peace.February 2018Harvard Divinity School (HDS) receives a $25 million gift from Susan Shallcross Swartz and her husband James R. Swartz ’64 to begin the renewal of its main campus building, Andover Hall. The gift marks the largest in the School’s 200-year history.Lawrence S. Bacow is named the 29th president of Harvard University. He will begin his duties on July 1 and will be inaugurated on Oct. 5.,Mark D. Gearan is appointed director of the Institute of Politics at HKS.Harvard receives a record 42,742 applications for the Class of 2022, up 8.2 percent from 2017.Harvard Athletics and the men’s and women’s basketball programs announce the dedication of the court in the newly renovated Lavietes Pavilion as the Thomas G. Stemberg ’71 Court.Building on the success of the University’s 2006–2016 target to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent, Harvard announces two ambitious climate goals: to be fossil-fuel-neutral by 2026, and fossil-fuel-free by 2050.In a keynote address at Yale, Harvard Professor Cornel West discusses the role that families, religious communities, civic institutions, music, the arts, and educators play in “soulcraft” — shaping the kind of human beings we become.Actor Paul Rudd is honored as Hasty Pudding’s 2018 Man of the Year.Darren Lapointe ’18 (from left), Hannah Needle ’19, and Paul Rudd are pictured as Rudd imitates Needle during the roast. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff PhotographerHGSE and HBS team up on a Certificate in School Management and Learning, hosted on HBX.Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America celebrates 75 years. The library, with support from the Hutchins Center, announces its acquisition of the papers of political activist and feminist Angela Davis.Researchers in the lab of geneticist George Church at HMS announce two advances in their efforts to safely and precisely expand the genetic code of life.SEAS materials scientist Jennifer Lewis is elected to National Academy of Engineering for her contributions to 3-D printing of multifunctional structures.Charles Pence Slichter ’45-’46, A.M. ’47, Ph.D. ’49, an internationally known physicist who won the National Medal of Science and served for 25 years on the Harvard Corporation, including nearly 10 years as senior fellow, died Feb. 19. He was 94.March 2018The Harvard Foundation honors Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Solange Knowles as 2018 Artist of the Year during its annual Cultural Rhythms Festival.Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown visits HGSE to discuss what it is like to be considered “too smart” for basketball, and why athletes can, and should, use their celebrity to speak up and advocate for change.HGSE and MIT partner on “Reach Every Reader,” an initiative supported by a $30 million partnership with Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, co-founders of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, to improve early literacy in the U.S.Michael D. Smith, Edgerley Family Dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, announces he will step down from leading Harvard’s largest School to return to teaching full time.Harvard’s Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging issues its final report. President Faust announces a series of initiatives to advance this work and the appointment of John Silvanus Wilson, former president of Morehouse College, as senior adviser and strategist to the president.The Boston Planning and Development Agency’s board approves Harvard’s initial regulatory document for an Enterprise Research Campus, located near SEAS’ new Allston home.The Wyss Institute develops a coating for catalytic converters, inspired by the nanoscale structure of a butterfly’s wing, that can dramatically reduce the cost and improve the performance of air-purification technologies.Harvard legal scholar Cass Sunstein wins the Holberg Prize, one of the largest international awards given to an outstanding researcher in the arts and humanities, the social sciences, law, or theology.A workshop at Radcliffe showcases “Tom-Tom,” an opera by African-American composer Shirley Graham that hasn’t been performed since its 1932 premiere.,HMS Dean George Q. Daley announces plans for a therapeutics initiative at the School, along with the launch of the Harvard-MIT Program in Regulatory Science, and creation of an innovation hub at HMS.Berry Brazelton, HMS clinical professor of pediatrics emeritus at Children’s Hospital Boston, a prolific scholar and author, dies at 99.New research led by HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital unmasks hundreds of cancer-driving genes and reveals that different tissue types have variable sensitivities to those genes.Vikram Sundar ’18 is awarded a Churchill Scholarship, one of 16 given in this country.April 2018Renowned cellist and Harvard College alumnus Yo-Yo Ma ’76 visits HMS as an artist-in-residence, part of a three-year program by the Arts and Humanities Initiative at HMS.The 2018 Creativity Laureate Prize is awarded to Henry Louis Gates Jr. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for his work in arts and criticism, humanities and historical research, genetic science, documentary film, and public service.,The 1890 Vincent van Gogh work “Snow-Covered Field with a Harrow (after Millet)” is loaned to the Harvard Art Museums by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in exchange for “Self-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gaugin.”Making “a case for the small,” James Bryant Conant University Professor Danielle Allen tells a Hutchins Center Symposium on Martin Luther King Jr. that progress in Civil Rights isn’t just about breakthroughs, but in the everyday.The Star Family Challenge for Promising Scientific Research, created by James A. Star ’83, was expanded through a gift from Josh Friedman ’76, M.B.A. ’80, J.D. ’82, and Beth Friedman and renamed the Star-Friedman Challenge.Adams House is announced as the next Harvard House slated for renewal.,In what could be a breakthrough for quantum computing, Harvard researchers combine two atoms for the first time into what researchers call a dipolar molecule.To increase scientific understanding of biological systems, Harvard launches an interdisciplinary research effort called the Quantitative Biology Initiative, which aims to bring together physical and life scientists to answer major questions.The American Academy of Arts and Sciences names 11 Harvard faculty to the class of 2018, including former President Barack Obama, J.D. ’91.Pierre Berastaín Ojeda ’10, M.Div. ’14, is appointed director of Harvard’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response.The Business School’s Baker Library holds a special three-day exhibit of original texts of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and a handwritten note from African-American leader Frederick Douglass.Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates drops by Harvard to tour the SEAS labs and talk with students about making the most of their time here.Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead ’91 is awarded the Harvard Arts Medal at the kick-off ceremony for Arts First.Tomiko Brown-Nagin, newly appointed dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Rose Lincoln/PhotographerTomiko Brown-Nagin, a leading historian on law and society as well as an authority on constitutional and education law and policy, is named dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, effective July 1.May 2018Harvard Medical School receives over $6 million in support from the Bertarelli Foundation — led by Ernesto Bertarelli, M.B.A. ’93, and his family — to expand the Bertarelli Program in Translational Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, including support for international research fellows, collaborative research grants, and center cores.The Women and Public Policy Program at HKS celebrates its 20th anniversary.Grammy-winning pianist Emanuel Ax visits Harvard to discuss Beethoven’s influence on Brahms.Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hinton is among 31 recognized as a 2018 Carnegie Fellow.Bridget Terry Long, A.M. ’97, Ph.D. ’00, a distinguished economist who specializes in the study of education and a scholar of equity, student achievement, and social policy, is named dean of HGSE, effective July 1.Bridget Terry Long is named the new dean of the Ed School. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff PhotographerDerek Miller, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities, and Elizabeth Hinton, assistant professor of history and of African and African American studies, win the Roslyn Abramson Award.Susan L. Carney ’73, J.D. ’77, and Gwill E. York ’79, M.B.A. ’84, will assume the roles of president and vice chair, respectively, of Harvard University’s Board of Overseers for the 2018‒19 academic year.Margaret Wang ’09 is named president of the Harvard Alumni Association for the 2018–19 academic year.Sheila Jasanoff, the Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard Kennedy School, is named winner of the 2018 Albert O. Hirschman Prize for outstanding contributions to social science research.The Harvard Alumni Association announces that Robert Coles ’50, Robert N. Shapiro ’72, J.D. ’78, and Alice “Acey” Welch ’53 will receive the 2018 Harvard Medal in recognition of their service to the University.The Harvard Corporation elects Penny Pritzker ’81, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and past Harvard Overseer, and Carolyn Arthur “Biddy” Martin, president of Amherst College and former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison as two new members. They will assume their roles as Fellows of Harvard College on July 1.last_img read more

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Alan Cumming, Bianca Del Rio & More Join Broadway Bares: Rock Hard!

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first_img Patrick Page Star Files View Comments Broadway Bares: Rock Hard!, directed by Nick Kenkel, will feature more than 150 of New York’s sexiest dancers as they disrobe for a good cause. Since 1992, the annual benefit has raised more than $11.3 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Broadway Bares was created by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots), who also serves as executive producer. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s foremost industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. Additional special guests will include Broadway’s Morgan James, Matthew Saldivar, Joey Taranto and Syndee Winters, as well as Marine-turned-model Alex Minsky. Alan Cumming Get ready to bang your head/whatever other body parts are exposed at Broadway Bares. Cabaret star Alan Cumming and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio are among the stars to make special appearances at the previously reported Broadway Bares: Rock Hard!. The sizzling tribute to rock ‘n’ roll will heat up the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 22, with proceeds going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Joining Cumming and Del Rio are Rocky knockout Andy Karl, Matilda hotties Lesli Margherita and Christopher Sieber, Casa Valentina star Patrick Page and Constantine Maroulis (you need at least one bona fide rocker!).center_img Lesli Margherita Constantine Maroulis Christopher Sieber View All (6) Andy Karllast_img read more

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Inaugural Address of Governor James H. Douglas: A New Framework for Progress

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first_img***The discussion about how to balance a lean state budget will consume the greater part of this biennium – and appropriately so.Consider the realities we are facing: we have already trimmed $43 million from our current year budget and, in the coming weeks, the legislature will consider an additional $46 million in rescissions. When the state’s economists meet next week, we could again see revenues decline; further requiring cuts to balance our budget. And our challenges don’t stop there; in fiscal 2010 we expect to have a shortfall of more than $150 million.In the past, we have looked to four primary fixes to mend holes in our state balance sheet – spending down reserves, relying on federal aid, raising taxes, and deep spending cuts – but none of them, whether alone or taken together, are adequate to address the current economic crisis.The most oft-cited approach is to use the state’s stabilization reserves – that is, the “rainy day funds” – as a quick patch to the problem. There is no doubt it’s raining, but no one knows just how long this storm will last. To use the rainy day funds now is to ignore the severity of this recession in hopes the danger passes. Once we use our reserves, they are gone and it will likely take us years to replenish them. There is a right time to use the rainy day funds – when we experience an unanticipated drop in state revenues – but now, when other choices remain, is not that time.Following the recession of 1991 the state had no reserve funds and few alternatives but to cut programs deeply and raise taxes sharply. Eighteen years later, the economic conditions we face rival that downturn – but that’s where the similarities end. State government is much better suited to weather this storm with full reserves, years of balanced budgets, and the highest bond rating in New England – all variables absent from the 1991 equation.Further, working Vermonters are exposed to the risk of volatile markets, more so than in previous downturns. Families have watched college savings dwindle and their modest investments falter. Folks who have worked their whole lives have seen retirement accounts lose half their value. The personal reserves of average Vermonters have suffered, leaving smaller and smaller nest eggs.In addition to that, Vermonters have no capacity for higher taxes – another approach advanced to shore up state coffers. In previous recessions, the state has raised taxes calling the increases “temporary” or under the guise of a “tax shift.” But when our fortunes improved, some taxes remained and the revenues were spent. Economists across the political spectrum agree that to raise taxes now would only slow a recovery, especially in Vermont, where our total tax burden is among the very highest in the nation.I have heard recent proposals that would raise the top marginal tax rate by 37%, placing Vermont at the top of the tax heap – 26% above the next highest state – a dubious distinction especially as we compete with our neighbors for jobs and industry. Our earned income tax rates would be 90% greater than New York, 145% greater than Massachusetts, and infinitely greater than New Hampshire, which has no such tax. How many employers – especially in difficult times – would willingly choose to curb returns in order to pay more taxes?It is unfair and unacceptable for us to expect the people of Vermont – who are making difficult budget choices everyday in their homes and businesses – to pay for an unwillingness to make tough budget decisions.While I look forward to working with President-elect Obama and his new administration in coming the years – waiting on Washington to pass an economic recovery package is not a responsible stand-alone option. Although we are preparing for an influx of federal money, we must remember that any help is only temporary. If we do not get our fiscal house in order today, we will find ourselves on a cliff’s edge when the money runs out – forced to make more drastic decisions tomorrow.Given the magnitude of the growing budget gap, it would be shortsighted to only cut our way out of this problem. While economic contraction demands belt-tightening and we cannot avoid rescissions in nearly every area of government, this approach alone will not position us to emerge from this downturn ready to grow. If we nickel and dime services to keep the budget in balance, we will quickly reach a point where our programs are no longer able to serve their purposes.***Now is not the time to rest on old notions. Now is not the time to spare sacred cows. Now is the time we must summon the courage to forge lasting solutions and reject the patchworks of the past.From great collapse, we must rise again with a new framework for progress – one that sets government on a sustainable path through the transformation of education, human services and economic development. Only by doing so can we rebuild our economy, create good paying jobs and protect the most vulnerable during these difficult times.***As Vermonters, our cause for optimism remains great – it is rooted in our shared history, our commitment to one another, and the promise of a better tomorrow.It is found in an old farmer and a young family; in our lessons passed down from parent to child; in the hunters, anglers and trappers who give new life to old traditions; and in entrepreneurs creating new opportunities for our people. It is manifest in the pride we share for those who protect our communities – our police, firefighters and EMTs – and in the brave men and women of our armed forces who risk their lives far from the Green Mountains to preserve our most cherished values. I want to take a moment to recognize representatives of our National Guard who join us in the balcony today.***Our work in recent years has prepared us to meet today’s challenges. During our nation’s last recession in 2003, we passed the largest jobs package in state history. As we emerged from that downturn we streamlined government, and expanded access to health care. We strengthened our commitment to the next generation, increased bonding capacity and made new investments in our roads, bridges and culverts, and provided incentives for green businesses to succeed – while balancing the budget each year.To keep Vermont competitive in a rapidly changing world economy we worked together to create the Vermont Telecommunications Authority – setting a course to achieve our goal of becoming the first true “e-state,” where everyone has access to the tools of the 21st century.Last year we took immediate steps to spur economic activity and temper the effects of the looming downturn. The Economic Growth Initiative – which included a successful sales tax holiday to help working families and boost Vermont retailers – was a needed bridge in a time of turmoil. And the Fuel and Food Partnership is coordinating services among the state, private agencies and local communities to ensure that vulnerable Vermonters have the resources they need during this already harsh winter.But to preserve these valuable gains, the time has come for our state to embrace this new framework – where the real needs of people intersect with the true capacity of government to serve.***Ingrained in some areas of government is an institutional momentum that demands more resources regardless of taxpayers’ ability to support their growth. The recent downgrades in our revenue forecasts and the bleak outlook for the coming fiscal year have shone a bright light on the imbalance we now find among different functions of government.The best examples can be found in two areas – general education and Medicaid. Combined, in state dollars alone, they account for sixty-three cents of every tax dollar spent in Vermont. These areas of government continue to grow year after year without the same checks and constraints as other important services.We must advance beyond these obsolete models and move to a modern approach – breaking down longstanding walls to achieve equilibrium among many important priorities and support lasting economic security.***As the parents of two boys who attended public school in Vermont, Dorothy and I know the value of a quality education. As the grandson, son and son-in-law, brother and brother-in-law, nephew and uncle of educators, I recognize the great inspiration teachers bring to the classroom every day.Vermonters are rightly proud of the quality of our public education system and the tremendous caliber of our teachers. Pride, however, does not excuse us from the necessary and important changes to make education spending sustainable for the long term.As we examine the current fiscal challenges, it is clear that our public education system is on a collision course with economic reality – threatening not only the dwindling capacity of taxpayers, but also our responsibility to fund essential services for vulnerable Vermonters.In the last five years, Vermont has experienced an education spending expansion funded by property tax increases and general funds. Assuming the fiscal 2010 current law projections, spending from the education fund will have increased by nearly $283 million since fiscal 2006, or a 23% increase. Over the same period, statewide school enrollment has dropped over 4,300 students, or a 4.4% decrease. This means that since 2006, for every student who left the rolls, schools added – not reduced – $65,000 in costs.While unfunded federal mandates and inflationary increases drive a portion of these costs, the biggest portion is attributed to increases in staff count. Since 1997, student enrollment has fallen by almost 10,000 children, or 10%, but school staffs have increased by 3,500 positions, or 22%. Put another way, for every three students who left the rolls, schools have added one staff position.In contrast, we are looking at the jobless rate rising every month, with thousands of Vermonters added to the unemployment rolls since last summer. State government is trimming its workforce, some businesses are reducing hours, and others are closing their doors completely. Everyone is facing cutbacks during this difficult time. But still, education spending for 2010 is expected to grow 6.1% per pupil. Recent newspaper articles report proposed school budget increases of 5%, 8%, and even 11%. Property tax bills are expected to grow an average of 6%, even after income sensitivity payments. Expansion like this is unsustainable in any season, and especially when our economy is facing such severe retrenchment.Our current education funding system is failing taxpayers and local voters. For over a decade, Vermonters, in every corner of the state, have borne the heavy burden of rising property taxes under Act 60. It is wrong for one third of all tax dollars to be spent on a system only a handful can explain. When enrollments decline but property tax bills increase – and when communities are forced to vote budgets without knowing the real consequence of those decisions, it is clear that our system does not work.Act 60 and Act 68 are fundamentally broken and beyond repair. Piecemeal changes cannot mend a system that is so far out of balance. Only a wholesale transformation will return control to communities and put education funding on a sustainable course for the future.There is no one size fits all approach to education. Each school district must determine what works best for its students. But maintaining the status quo is not in our kids’ best interests. Building an education system for the future requires a willingness to recognize the realities of declining enrollments across the state.Now is the time to build a new system – one that is fair and equitable, and respects the voice of voters, the pocketbooks of taxpayers and the potential of our students. Too often, politics has stood in the way of change. That is why, with a sincere commitment to progress, I ask the Legislature to work with me to establish a collaborative process for fresh ideas – bringing together thoughtful individuals with broad range of perspectives to design an education funding system that is simple, transparent and sustainable. We must also be prepared to examine school consolidation, governance, special education costs, and other opportunities to achieve efficiencies.I will seek your suggestions on the best minds for this high priority. I understand the magnitude of this proposal, but with so much at stake and inaction threatening the economic security of countless Vermonters, we must work together to take this important step.While launching this process is essential to rebuilding our education finance system, property taxpayers cannot wait another year for relief. In order to create a funding bridge until a new system is established, I propose a common-sense measure to freeze per-pupil spending for schools and categorical grants at current levels. When we consider what government, businesses and families are facing, level funding is a fair approach.Further, we will strengthen local control by holding school districts directly responsible for tax increases. During this bridge year, if a school wants to raise additional money above level-funding, it can ask voters to fund the increase entirely through its residential tax rate, up to a level that respects the Brigham decision. I also propose we end property tax subsidies for Vermonters making over $75,000 in order to lower tax rates even further for all payers.By taking these steps, we’ll be able to effectively reduce property tax rates by 4 cents for a total of $44 million. The statewide rates can each be cut by at least 2 cents, that is $24 million. Further, the spending freeze results in additional residential property tax reductions of another $20 million as projected increases in per pupil spending are avoided. In fact, the state will collect no more from residential taxpayers next year than it has this year – a welcome change for struggling Vermonters.All across our state dedicated volunteer school boards are working diligently to craft budgets in time for Town Meeting. I know they are facing difficult decisions – state government is struggling with the same real time adjustments. And I acknowledge that my plan represents a departure from usual practice – but we are in unusual times. That is why I am committed to working closely with school districts to give them the flexibility they need to consider budgets that are level-funded.***Property taxes are not the only source of revenue for education spending. The general fund of state government provides a substantial share of school funding.Without changes to the current system, the state is expected to transfer $298 million from the general fund – nearly a quarter of available resources – to the education fund in fiscal 2010. This transfer, which will have increased over $38 million since 2006, has been held completely harmless during the recent rounds of rescissions.Further, the State Teachers’ Retirement System is directly supported with general fund money and has not been subject to reductions during recent cutbacks. In fiscal 2010, the general fund is expected to contribute at least $40 million as the employer’s share of contribution to support the system. This approach is a vestige of the past and effectively allows schools to set salaries detached from the true cost of the benefits.In other words, the education fund has not shared any of the sacrifice seen by other areas of state government. If we continue to excuse education spending from equal treatment, we force health care and human services – the lion’s share of the remaining general fund – to shoulder the burden of balancing a responsible budget. That is not a realistic, or compassionate, option.To put these disparities between the general and education funds in context, we should step back and look at the big picture. According to current estimates for the next fiscal year, we need to reduce benefits and cut programs – primarily in human services – by at least $150 million out of a general fund budget of less than $1.2 billion. Meanwhile, funding for K-12 education is expected to increase $63 million in the $1.4 billion education fund.In fact, with current projections, while the education fund will have grown 23% since 2006, the general fund will have actually decreased 2% – meaning that we will be spending less in state government in our fiscal 2010 budget than we did in fiscal 2006.If we do not take action to restore the equilibrium between the general and education funds, we risk devastating spending cuts. I propose placing the obligation for funding the teachers’ retirement system where it belongs – in the education fund. This $40 million would leverage $97 million in state and federal Global Commitment money and reduce the need to cut critical programs for vulnerable Vermonters. I also propose linking the general fund transfer to the education fund to changes in the level of general government spending. This is a reasonable approach that respects the capacity of taxpayers.***Further, a close examination of spending for public education reveals a startling imbalance among our funding levels for early education, K-12, and higher education. We spend relatively little on early education – are among the highest in the nation for primary and secondary education – and near the bottom for higher education. We must begin to reshape this skewed distribution of resources.Access to affordable, quality early care and education provides a dual benefit: it lays the building blocks for a successful future, ensuring children arrive at kindergarten ready to learn; and, it removes the single biggest barrier for parents in poverty to move into the workforce. At the other end of the spectrum, Vermont’s colleges and state university are among the most expensive in the nation and for too many Vermonters, simply out of reach.To move our system of education into the 21st Century we must strengthen our commitment to creating a continuum of learning that begins in early childhood and never ends, providing the necessary opportunities to Vermonters throughout their lives.A real investment in lifelong learning is an investment in an individual’s economic independence. Indeed, few things are more important to establishing a strong and growing economy than the education and training of our workforce. That’s why, despite budget challenges, I propose a 20% increase in early and higher education as a first step to address spending disparities and prepare Vermonters, young and old, for future success.***I realize that there are some who have an interest in maintaining the current system. They will challenge any data and idea that calls into question the need to move our system of education out of the past and into the future. But we were not elected to safeguard the needs of one interest over another – we were elected to do our best for all Vermonters. I ask this assembly to join me in revitalizing our education system to better serve our children and make needed investments in the future of Vermont.***But the transformation we need requires a shift not only in thinking and spending, but in structure as well. The final step is to seek the benefits from an integration of the University of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges into a single organization. We have real gems in our state university and colleges, and with a commitment to progress, we can establish a higher education system better positioned to meet the needs of the student bodies. This marriage of resources – from infrastructure to administration, programs to athletics – will allow each college the freedom and flexibility to better focus on targeted academics offering the very best to each student.I will charge a working task force with the responsibility to find academic and administrative efficiencies that will be achieved through consolidation of our university and state college systems. I will ask the task force to report with recommendations by November 15th.***Underpinning everything we will do in the coming session is our obligation to the most at risk in our society. We must make certain that those with the greatest need – children and vulnerable elders, working poor Vermonters, those with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges, and the indigent – are protected. But in order for government to ensure that the programs and benefits are secure, we must chart a course that is financially sustainable and outcome-based.The prospect of belt-tightening in state government understandably draws concerns from community providers, advocates and consumers of state benefits. I share the concerns about the impact of budget decisions on individuals and the programs and services they need.Make no mistake: these are tough conversations, made tougher with real heartache and real adversity. After all, in a state like Vermont, these stories are not statistics – but rather the family, friends and neighbors entwined in our daily lives. But while these conversations are difficult, they are the right conversations to have at a time like this.The first element of protecting the most vulnerable is to ensure the near-term solvency of benefit programs, while working to create sustainability in the long-term. Our first of its kind Global Commitment to Health waiver was a major milestone in addressing our challenges in the Medicaid budget. But even with Global Commitment, caseload increases outpace resources with a bigger and bigger portion of the state budget needed to fill the gap.Although our federal partner in Medicaid is expected to help with increased funds through the economic recovery package, that alone will not ameliorate increasing pressures on the human service budget. We must take immediate steps to set this vital network of programs on a sustainable path.Right now 25% of Vermonters receive some form of Medicaid assistance, among the highest percentages in the nation. There are principally two ways to make Medicaid sustainable: either we can exclude populations above a certain income level and eliminate their services, or we can realign benefits and share costs to fit responsible budgets. To me, the option of eliminating health care coverage for many Vermonters in order to preserve a generous benefit for a few is unjust in such a challenging time. The philosophy of sharing the sacrifice broadly must be part of any proposal we advance.We must also guarantee that each dollar is spent with a focus on quality of life and the goal of future independence.Our efforts to provide a healthy lifestyle discount in the private health insurance market should be mirrored in our Medicaid program. Encouraging Vermonters to make better choices when it comes to their health and well-being is a critical component of our innovative health care reforms, and the Vermont Blueprint for Health is the cornerstone of these efforts. We should align Medicaid with these goals and work to reward beneficiaries who eat nutritiously, stay in shape and live a clean life, free from drugs and smoking. By offering lower premiums for healthy choices, we can provide a tangible incentive to empower Medicaid recipients to take responsibility for their own well-being and, at the same time, lower health care costs.While the vast majority of beneficiaries and providers in our human services network are honest, we have all heard stories about some who exploit the system. Such unscrupulous acts threaten to shortchange those most in need. I have asked the Agency of Human Services to review the state’s response to those who falsify information to obtain government benefits or payments, including consumers who abuse prescription drug benefits. At a time when we are forced to consider significant cuts to programs, we must look for ways to guarantee that the programs we have are serving only those Vermonters for whom they were intended.It is reasonable for the state to ask beneficiaries to assist us in enhancing their individual health and welfare. We must focus our assistance, invest in Vermonters, and ensure we are building transformational bridges: from poverty to economic success; from chronic illness to health; from drug dependence to independence. That’s the covenant: the state provides assistance and beneficiaries work to amplify the state’s investment and improve their lives.***Although common-sense changes to our human service programs are vital, there is no substitute for a good-paying job to bring real renewal into an individual’s life. While it’s hard to think about creating jobs as businesses close and lay off employees, now is the time for us to redouble our efforts to support existing companies, encourage entrepreneurship and attract new employers by transforming our economy to meet the demands of the 21st century.During the fall I introduced a series of proposals – an Economic Growth Plan – to make our state more competitive and position Vermont to be on the first wave of recovery. As the economy continues to soften, it is important that we act to enhance our economic development efforts and pass this practical plan in the first 100 days of the session.Many of the principles that bind these proposals together are shared across the political spectrum. We understand the value of renewable, clean and affordable energy. We’ve seen the power of information and the potential of technology. And we know that in a rapidly changing economy, our ability to grow and attract innovative, emerging industries will be the difference between success and failure.That is why I have called for the development of Green Growth Zones to join commercial, residential and renewable energy facilities together in an arrangement that benefits an energy producer with access to a ready market, and benefits businesses and individuals with reduced rates for clean power. And that is why it makes sense to provide greater regulatory certainty to assist in the creation of a Smart Grid for Vermont.As part of last year’s Economic Growth Initiative, we provided a higher level VEGI incentive to green industries. By expanding this successful program to technology-based employers, such as software developers, we can encourage growth in this fast moving sector of our economy.Whether it is a more fuel-efficient car or a breakthrough in biomedicine, Vermont must aspire to be the home of innovation and invention. By enticing entrepreneurs through the Vermont Innovation Challenge, we can help meet the needs and employment potential of our workforce.***As I travel Vermont and talk with employers, too often I hear the same stories about the time, expense and uncertainty of obtaining necessary permits and approvals to begin a project to grow their companies.I believe that some in Vermont have lost sight of what a permit application really means. It is easy to characterize applications in the negative: this project will add that much traffic or require this much mitigation.But to me, a permit application really says something very positive.It says, “I’m hiring.”It says, “I’m prepared to make an investment in Vermont.”It says, “I’m ready to put down roots in this community and create jobs.”For many Vermonters what that permit application really means – above all else – is the difference between checking in for work and waiting for an unemployment check.When an employer has made the commitment to grow responsibly in Vermont, we must make the commitment to speed the process from permit application to shovels in the ground.Over the years, we have advanced reforms to parts and pieces of the process, sometimes with success – as we had five years ago in streamlining appeals – but most often without closure. The current system remains a labyrinth, fraught with unpredictability, which threatens job creation for years ahead – unless we are prepared to make substantive changes that will modernize the system.As we strive to protect that which is so special about Vermont, we must recognize that a “working landscape” requires Vermonters to be actually working – not simply admiring the view.We must preserve and strengthen our gold standard of environmental protection, but we can do so while making it easier for companies to invest in Vermont and grow with certainty. We can build a better, more practical system based on clear guidelines, professional assistance, a good dose of trust and strong penalties for non-compliance.I propose we broaden Act 250 so proposals are not only judged on impacts, but also on the positive economic, social, or cultural benefits that may flow from a project into a community or region.We must bring greater predictability to all interested parties by ensuring that once you’ve obtained your permit from an agency of state government, that permit will not be challenged in an Act 250 proceeding.Further, we must expedite the chilling and costly effect of our lengthy appeals process by instituting “on the record review” – one formal hearing, where all evidence is submitted and examined.Finally, we must expand the use of the self-certifications, general permits and permits by rule that are now used in stormwater, air pollution control and other programs. Instead of complex front-end regulation, we can provide clear guidance to businesses and trust them to design appropriate systems with the help of a recognized professional, obtain a general permit, and move towards better and faster construction.Businesses will not be let off the hook from environmental protection. Non-compliance will bring costly penalties, motivating developers to complete legally and environmentally sound projects. Furthermore, self-certification will allow agency staff to spend more time in the field ensuring compliance, rather than micro managing proposed permits upfront.I have directed the Secretary of Natural Resources to examine every permitting program within the Agency, identify those for which self-certification and other strategies make sense, and design approaches for each.By creating a more responsive regulatory process we will uphold our cherished environmental standards and at the same time allow our state to grow and thrive.***In the short term, however, the extraordinary realities of the current economic crisis demand immediate action. I have asked my administration to work with the legislature and others to create the Vermont Economic Response Team, which will marshal all available public and private resources to assist companies at risk. Similar to the Fuel and Food Partnership model, the Response Team will cut through red tape, expedite the deployment of resources and examine temporary measures to help a business that is in trouble. When Vermont companies are in distress, I want to be absolutely sure that we do everything possible to help them weather this storm.***Agriculture and forest products remain pillars of our rural communities and, like other industries, are struggling.Unfortunately, we expect the price of milk to drop significantly this spring. Although there is little the state can do to insulate dairy farmers from the volatile national milk pricing system, especially during these lean fiscal times, the Agency of Agriculture has been working closely with counterparts in New York and Pennsylvania, and the northeast dairy cooperatives to offset falling milk prices.We will continue to work diligently with our congressional delegation to explore all options to help our traditional industries survive a difficult economic climate in the coming year.***While education, social services and jobs are all vital to the future of Vermont, the safety of our children trumps all else. The tragic events of the last year are a sobering reminder that more must always be done to keep violent sexual predators off our streets and away from our children.I am confident that we can work together to quickly pass a comprehensive package of laws that focus on prevention, strengthens investigations and prosecutions, requires stiffer sentencing – particularly a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence – and enhanced supervision for sexual offenders. We have no time to waste in ensuring that law enforcement, the courts, families and communities have the tools they need to keep the children of Vermont safe.***I would like to take a moment to address the more than 8,000 Vermonters who work in state government and make this $4.3 billion enterprise run. State government remains the most far-reaching organization in the state. And now more than ever, our fellow Vermonters need us to lead by example – to find in every department, in every division, new ways to generate economic activity and ensure that those who most depend on our services receive them. I know you don’t always receive the credit you deserve, but your work has a tangible impact on the lives of those you serve. And I am confident that at day’s end the work we do will help our state emerge quickly and strongly from this downturn.***For the moment the clouds of recession have obscured our view of a more prosperous future. The task ahead is difficult and demanding, but Vermont will succeed. We will achieve our goals and realize the full potential of a people whose legacy is the diligence of its industry and the inspiration of its innovation.Today, as our will commands, Vermont moves forward.We will move together, past old ideas and embrace new solutions. We will address our challenges directly and completely. We will re-balance and strengthen our system of education, secure our social safety net and, most importantly, we will create a new, lasting framework for sustained growth.Today, we inaugurate new ideas and real solutions to restore our economic security, awaken our optimism and produce new opportunities.When this work is complete, and when the clouds of recession lift, we will look back at this session of the General Assembly as the moment we ushered in a new era of prosperity in our state’s history.God bless each you and the great state of Vermont. (January 8, 2009) Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, distinguished guests, my fellow Vermonters: One hundred seventy three years ago farmers, businessmen, and lawyers from across Vermont met here for the 1836 session of the General Assembly. Among them, a minister and headmaster of the Orleans County Grammar School took his seat as the member from Brownington.Alexander Twilight was a pioneer. A native of Corinth, Twilight’s life was devoted to public service as a preacher, educator and legislator. When he took his oath so many years ago, Twilight made quiet history as the first African-American to serve in a state legislature.In less than two weeks we will observe the swearing in of our next president, opening a new chapter in America’s history. We can all be proud of how far we have come to this momentous occasion – one that Alexander Twilight could barely have imagined when he served in this body over a century and a half ago. Let there be no doubt that our system of government, the institutions of our nation, and the American spirit endure stronger than ever.***Each time I climb the steps to this podium, I am reminded of the many great leaders whose footsteps I trace, and am humbled to share this honor with them. I am deeply grateful for the confidence Vermonters have placed in me and for God’s grace that touches us all. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family, many of whom join me here today, including my wife, Dorothy, and my son, Matt.As I look out across this chamber, I see old friends and new faces, all of us charged by the people to address the great challenges that face our state. I offer my sincere congratulations to new and returning members of our legislature, as well as Lieutenant Governor Dubie and other statewide elected officials. I also want to offer my congratulations to Speaker Smith.Voters have again returned a legislature controlled by one party balanced by an executive of another and they expect us to work together. Whether you sit as a Democrat, Republican, Progressive or Independent, we are all Vermonters first; and to a person we have been entrusted with a monumental task – to steer our state through rocky shoals. Together, we shall not fail.***We gather today for the time-honored rite of inauguration, an important symbol of our vibrant democracy. An inauguration marks a gateway between past and future, an occasion of starting anew. Indeed, a time of transition is where we find our state.On factory floors, in small businesses and around kitchen tables, and even in this very hall, we share the anxiety of a nation on edge. As moms and dads, friends and neighbors, we feel the painful effects of recession sweeping across our country and around the world.Vermont has been pulled into this national downturn, the depth and breadth of which we have not seen for generations. The foundation of our economic security has been fractured. We have seen pyramids built on greed crumble and institutions thought indestructible disappear.For too long, too many have held the mistaken belief that we could live beyond our means – that we could buy now and pay later – convinced that easy credit would allow us to have what we could not afford. Many thought revenues would always rise and difficult decisions could be deferred.That misguided notion has brought us to this time of great collapse. If we ignore the modern parables of Wall Street and Washington, we risk their fate – and a future that spurns our Yankee forbearers who carved this state from the granite of “temperance, industry and frugality.” Today, I present a plan for Vermont to direct its own future, free from the ties that bind us to the status quo. Rather than follow blindly, we will lead boldly.last_img read more

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Exclusive Interview With The Director Of Peace Operations Of The Chilean Air Force

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first_imgBy Dialogo June 30, 2010 Best colonel ever! Chilean Air Force Col. Luis Silva Bravo, the director of Peace Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, leads his country’s efforts with United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Silva, who also is the advisor to the authorities in charge of the Armed Forces and Forces of Order, recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Infosurhoy.com about Chile’s role with MINUSTAH and other international bodies, including its role in the European Union’s stabilizing mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR). Silva: My work is to be concerned with all the staff on peace missions abroad, specifically in Haiti, the largest mission that we have, and in Bosnia, Cyprus where we have military forces and marines and military observers in the Middle East, India and Pakistan. Silva: Logistic support – in other words, food and fuel for our vehicles. We supply the cooks, but the UN delivers food to us based on a menu. And, in financial terms, the United Nations reimburses the country for its expenditures. Infosurhoy.com: What are the Chilean forces doing specifically to help in Haiti’s reconstruction? Infosurhoy.com: How many of staff members do you have working abroad? Infosurhoy.com: What’s the role of the Chilean Peace Forces, particularly in Haiti? Silva: The exact number is 563, and 520 are in Haiti, from all three branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, as well as Customs and Investigative Officers. Infosurhoy.com: Why is Chile’s role always so significant to UN missions? Is it because of the country’s neutrality? Silva: For example, the Company of Horizontal Building Engineers prepares lots so camps can be built and they [repair] roads and wells. Before these tasks were carried out solely for the benefit of our units, but now the task is being done to help the community. We have four helicopters to do outreach missions, such as [assist in] rescues, medical emergencies and transportation.center_img Infosurhoy.com: What support does your staff receive from the United Nations? Silva: The United Nations provides the living quarters, which are closed off, keeping the forces isolated from the local population. But if there are emergencies, for example, medical emergencies, of course help is provided as needed. This special relationship has certainly given us some anecdotes: the barracks have exterior lights, which provide them with protection, and one time the commander of one decided to save energy and ordered the lights to be turned down. But the population living around those quarters protested immediately, because the younger neighbors took advantage of the lighting to study at night, since there was no electricity in their homes at night. Of course the lights were turned back up. Infosurhoy.com: Describe the living quarters in Haiti. Silva: The United Nations requests support from every country, and each one sends forces according to its capacity and competence. In this sense, Chile has performed its tasks very well. Infosurhoy.com: What’s the role of the military observers? Infosurhoy.com: What is your and Chile’s military role internationally? Silva: They oversee compliance with United Nations resolutions, for example, truces. Silva: Our “Chile Battalion” is there, in the northern region of the country, with 180 Army and 172 Navy [officers] whose mission is to provide security to the whole area by supporting local authorities against criminal gangs (as deterrents), which in the end has contributed to the overall stability of that nation. They also escort humanitarian aid convoys, mainly those of the UN. This cooperation implies protecting the Haitian police, not cooperating in military tasks, since the use of arms is prohibited, unless they are in danger. last_img read more

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DOAH offers more online amenities

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first_img DOAH offers more online amenities Florida lawyers registered with the Division of Administrative Hearings may now view their active caseload as well as request and receive subpoenas online.They may also view their dockets, edit and modify their official profile information, view current case statuses, verify status due dates, and transfer to the DOAH Internet home page, all on top of their ability to file electronically.DOAH also will soon begin accepting electronic filing registrations of pro se litigants and, in the near future, orders and notices issued by the judges will be electronically served upon registered users, if all parties to a case are registered.If you are not already registered for electronic filing at the Division of Administrative Hearings, visit DOAH’s Web site at www.doah.state.fl.us for instructions.For more information contact Susan Brown at (850) 488-9675. November 1, 2005 Regular News DOAH offers more online amenitieslast_img read more

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Croatian startup SightRun has strengthened the tourist offer of Graz

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first_imgSightRun, a free mobile application that connects running and sightseeing, and uses the mobile phone’s GPS system to activate audio, has spread beyond our borders, more precisely to Austria.Thus, Graz, in addition to Zagreb, Rovinj, Opatija and Munich, is on the list of cities where it is possible to run with an application or experience a tourist run. SightRun was one of the winners of the next incubator boot camp, Energie Steiermark’s innovation laboratory, and thus had the opportunity to work on further application development with the support of an expert team. With the completion of this pilot project, a tour for the city of Graz was launched, and the project was presented to the media in Graz yesterday. “Even an energy company has to make a digital transformation and can no longer rest and rely solely on its previous business, especially if it wants to remain competitive and future-oriented. Digital benefits and new technologies open up the rich and interesting potential of different business models. For this reason, we started an incubator three years ago, focusing on startup projects. We are currently looking for IoT business models, and the tender is open until the end of May.”Said Christian Purrer, CEO of Energie Steiermark.By the way, the SightRun application has been available in Graz since the beginning of the year, and as Sandra Bortek, Marketing Director and co-founder of SightRun, points out, smart city solutions are no longer just nice-to-have, but something that the new generation of passengers really need “We are proud to present SightRun in Graz and we are glad to have collaborated with Energie Steiermark and the Graz Tourist Board, who recognized the potential of the project. With SightRun, we have taken city sightseeing to a new level and helping cities become one runner friendly. With the fact that running is one of the fastest growing sports cities in the world and recognizing runners as an interesting tourist niche, I am sure that this cooperation is only our first step in promoting Graz and Austria as a racing destination.”, Added Sandra Bortek.We are pleased that we have supplemented the tourist offer of the city of Graz with the SightRun application, said Dieter Hardt-Stremayr, director of Graz Tourism, and added ” There are more and more visitors, mostly those business and conference visitors, who like to be active during their stay in the city and do not want to give up their daily racing routine. With this application, a pre-prepared running route is available to them. The application navigates them through the city, and along the way they learn interesting things about the city”Concluded Dieter Hardt-Stremayr.Croatian startup SightRun is a mobile application for tourist running and a new tourist product for running as an attractive tourist niche. SightRun the app can be downloaded for free on the Apple Store and Google Play, and read more about the whole story of the SightRun touring running app in an interview with Sandra Bortek attached.Related news: SIGHTRUN EXCELLENT NEW TOURIST PRODUCT CONNECTING RUNNING AND TOURISM – TOURIST RUNNINGlast_img read more

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Renovation of Brisbane home built in 1950 is super stylish and trendy

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first_img50 Virginia Avenue, Hawthorne.Melissa Louie always hoped to live at her Virginia Ave home well into her retirement, however, she’s made the decision to move on.The Balmoral born-and-bred resident says the sale of her home, built in 1950, was reluctant.“We are entering into another stage of our lives and think it’s a good time to sell,” Mrs Louie said.Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayNext playlist itemMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 0:39Loaded: 0%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -0:39 Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedQuality Levels720p720pHD540p540p360p360p270p270pAutoA, selectedAudio Trackdefault, selectedFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time -0:00 Playback Rate1xFullscreenClose Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.Average house? Wait till you see the extension!00:39 Related videos 00:39Average house? Wait till you see the extension!00:31Converted Homes: Jails, shops & police station 00:43Best converted homes 201700:35Dreamy Victorian Terraces 01:59Dream Home: Carlton02:35The Converted: BlacksmithShe bought the home at 50 Virginia Ave, Hawthorne in 2002 and said it had undergone a major extension and rejuvenation in the 1990s, designed and overseen by Brisbane’s Trapp Architects.Mrs Louie described the home, on a 637sq m block, as beautiful, and hoped a family would buy the four-bedroom, two-bathroom property.“It really has a very warm feeling to it; everyone from my friends to workmen say how lovely it is,” she said.More from newsCrowd expected as mega estate goes under the hammer7 Aug 2020Hard work, resourcefulness and $17k bring old Ipswich home back to life20 Apr 202050 Virginia Avenue, Hawthorne.Mrs Louie said the last renovation was only a year ago and included a total overhaul with a new kitchen, two new bathrooms, a fresh coat of paint inside and outside, and the restoration of the roof.“It did go through a remodel prior to us buying it,” she said.50 Virginia Avenue, Hawthorne.As you enter the home, a sitting room features an original fireplace, while an expansive sunroom with soaring glass windows opens to a large, covered entertainment area, perfect for Sunday brunches with family and friends.50 Virginia Avenue, Hawthorne.Mrs Louie said her favourite part of the house was sitting out on the deck enjoying the Queensland lifestyle.The new owners can move in and enjoy the property as is, or add their own special touches, such as a pool and extended outdoor area.Adding another level to the home is another option, as is enlarging the lower floor or removing the house to build the home of their dreams (subject to council approval).last_img read more

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Bruins CYO Basketball Results (12-18)

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first_imgBruins CYO Basketball Results.Sunday  (12-18).St. Louis-1 came up a little short as they fell to All Saints 47-37.St. Louis led after the 1st quarter 9-8 but is was short lived as they trailed 23-19 at half. We weren’t playing well in the first half but we were still in the game. In the 3rd quarter St. Louis struggled to get their offense going as All Saints led 33-24 going into the final quarter. We not only had trouble scoring in the second half but we were not rebounding well and that led to the loss.STL-1 Scoring:  Anthony Butz 13, Cooper Williams 7, Alex Roell 4 , Nathan Batta 3, Paul Ritter 2, Evan Straber 2, Caleb Moster 2, Dave Kuntz 2, Dylan Flannery 2.Courtesy of Bruins Coach Roger Dietz.St. Louis-2 got back on the winning way as they were able to pull out a close win over St. Michael’s-2 40-37.Despite trailing 17-15 at halftime, St. Louis was able to build a 10 point second half lead and with stand a late rally by St. St. Michael’s to pick up the win.STL-2 Scoring:  George Ritter 14, Lane Oesterling 11, Nathan Eckstein 6, Brayden Worthington 4, Gus Cooper 3, Sam Giesting 2.Courtesy of Bruins Coach Fuzz Springmeyer.last_img read more

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