Bob Weir Leads All-Star Friends At The Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam [Watch]
Last night, Warren Haynes hosted his annual Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC. Among the many great performances of the night was one from Bob Weir, who hosted a sensational lineup of musicians throughout his set. Among those performing with Weir were Warren Haynes, John Medeski, Holly Bowling, Branford Marsalis, Don Was, Steve Kimock, Duane Trucks and so many more.Weir first appeared during a funk jam set before his own headlining effort. He joined Eric Krasno, George Porter Jr., John Medeski, and more for a rocking take on “Sugaree” before bringing out his own band.Fortunately, a series of videos allow us to experience this one-of-a-kind set. Check out the footage from rohbear1, streaming below. Stay tuned fo more coverage from the Xmas Jam!
When Harvard officials extended the length of the University’s summer vacation in 1871, most students and professors probably welcomed the change. One professor went back to class.Botanist Asa Gray used the extra time to study blooming plants, joined by a handful of students and teachers at his new laboratory in Harvard’s Botanic Garden. Gray’s course was the first summer studies program in the country and the beginning of the Harvard Summer School.Today, the School offers more than 300 courses from science to Sanskrit, serving 6,200 students from around the world. “We are the size of Harvard College in the summer,” said Lisa Laskin, the School’s associate dean for academic affairs. “We use every available FAS classroom.”Students are young and old and the pace is quick: Many courses condense a semester’s worth of material into seven weeks. For those taking “Introduction to Theoretical Physics,” a new offering this summer, a perfect attendance record was key.“They have all been here, every class,” said Jacob Barandes, who teaches the accelerated college credit course in a flexible classroom space on the Science Center’s third floor. As Barandes compared Einstein’s and Galileo’s methods for calculating the sum of different velocities, his class, mostly high school students seeking a more challenging physics curriculum, responded with answers and probing questions. The group was operating at a high level, said Barandes, the associate director of graduate studies in the Physics Department, recalling one student’s particularly sophisticated question about black hole entropy. “That’s a really cutting-edge topic.”Enrollment in Barandes’ course was typical of the School’s geographic diversity. Of his 25 students, seven were international, from Russia, Colombia, China, Spain, and Canada. The remainder represented 12 states. Kristen Apolinario, a 16-year-old from Wisconsin, saw the class as an opportunity to “study an area completely new to me.” It was also a chance to connect with students who shared her love for physics and math. “It’s a fantastic feeling to discuss Lagrangian mechanics, quantum theory, and special relativity with people that genuinely understand and have passion in the topics,” Apolinario said via email.As is typical, this year’s classes ranged in size — from the 100-plus students tackling organic chemistry to the handful of Hollywood hopefuls enrolled in a scriptwriting seminar — and covered a dizzying array of topics. In technomusicology, students composed etudes with computer software, while a class of classics-focused students used the writings of the Roman historian Livy as a window into the Roman republic. Others studied Muslim politics, deductive logic, climate change, Tiananmen Square, the architecture of Boston, and Japanese. Topics explored in online courses included the world of finance and the fundamentals of academic writing.But for many, the challenging and eclectic curriculum was only part of the Summer School experience. The hundreds of students who lived on campus enjoyed the life of a typical undergrad, eating in iconic Annenberg Hall, sleeping in the freshman dorms, working out in Harvard’s gyms, joining organized outings to Boston and beyond, and taking advantage of various college counseling services. One important bonus for any Summer School student: the Harvard ID, a square key to the University’s libraries, archives, and museums.“Our mission is precisely to make the riches of this extraordinary University available to a very broad population, a very diverse population, to give access to Harvard to those who might not otherwise have what is a really unique and extraordinary opportunity,” said Summer School Dean Sandra Naddaff.That population includes 1,400 Secondary School Program participants, high schoolers looking for the challenge of a college curriculum and college credit. But the Summer School also enrolls hundreds of foreign students, students working toward their Harvard Extension School degrees, and College students hungry for adventure. Two-thirds of this year’s 550 enrollees in the Summer School’s 24 study-abroad programs — which included trips to Turkey, Germany, and Argentina ― were Harvard undergrads.Closer to home, in a Farkas Hall studio, students took turns at the head of the class as part of a public-speaking boot camp led by Remo Airaldi, an actor and a Harvard lecturer, on a recent Monday morning.“You have to make it easy for your audience,” Airaldi reminded the students. Listeners often “judge you by what we see, rather than what you are saying.” He urged the students to stop looking down, to make eye contact, and to be wary of their nervous movements on stage.One student stumbled at the start of his presentation and struggled to recover. Airaldi encouraged him to simply charge ahead. “Great speeches have tons of mistakes in them, we just don’t notice that they are there. Don’t focus on what just happened, stay present.“Keep moving forward,” he added, “like a shark.”Christian Woods, a 15-year-old high school student from Texas with experience in public-speaking competitions, said the class helped him learn how to calm his nerves. “Before, I was a wreck. The thought of me speaking, even though I love it … I have stage fright.”Six weeks later, after regular practice and input from Airaldi and his classmates, Woods calmly delivered a speech on bullying. It was a fitting subject. The class taught him to not feel intimidated by his listeners, he said, to remember that “they are there for you, so you don’t have to be afraid of them.”Nearby, another Summer School course was making Harvard’s campus its classroom. “Icons: A Material History of Harvard,” part lecture, part treasure hunt, included tours of libraries, museums, archives, and buildings to help students grasp Harvard’s history through some of its most enduring symbols.At one point the class made its way to Houghton Library’s printing room, where students took turns working a 19th-century iron hand press. They visited the Harvard University Archives to examine the first rendering of Harvard’s iconic veritas shield. Another outing included a trip to Memorial Hall, where the students studied the names on the walls — a lasting record of the Harvard men killed during the Civil War.Harvard’s material culture and “experiential learning,” are the course’s guiding principles, said instructor Christina Hodge, a coordinator for academic partnerships at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. “It’s exploring all those hidden histories of Harvard and using the University as a classroom.”Teresa D’Onfro was one of the treasure hunters, making a 2½-hour round trip to campus twice a week for Hodge’s class. A mother of three teens who signed up to fill a requirement for her Extension School associate’s degree, she called the course a must for any Harvard student.“It makes you see the entire campus, everything around you differently. It gives you a richness and a depth … I don’t think I would have ever experienced the campus as I am right now.”
Read Full Story The Korea Institute at Harvard University promotes the study of Korea and brings together faculty, students, scholars, and visitors to create a leading Korean studies community at Harvard. Through the Korea Institute, Harvard offers resources for graduate and undergraduate students to study Korea. On campus in Cambridge, students take courses on Korea and may choose from a wide array of Korea-related programmatic activities. Graduate and undergraduate students may conduct thesis research and language study in Korea, and undergraduates may participate in study and work abroad opportunities in Korea through a variety of programs such as the Harvard Summer School-Korea Program, Korean language study at Ewha University, and internships. See more information on the Korea Institute and a full list of this year’s Korea grant/fellowship and program awardees and participants.
“I don’t feel deserving, but I’m humbled, I’m honored,” Fehrenbach said about receiving GALA’s first distinguished alumni award. Fehrenbach graduated from Notre Dame’s Air Force ROTC. During his 19 years in the Air Force, he was deployed six times and earned nine air medals, one of which was awarded for heroism. The group, which is not officially associated with the University, will present the award to Fehrenbach at a Saturday event. “I never did this for me … my goal was always to help others,” Fehrenbach said. “So I’ll do whatever it takes, whether it’s legal, whether it’s public opinion, whether it’s political. I’ll do whatever it takes to see [‘don’t ask, don’t tell’] repealed.” “I found that the friends I met there, even if you don’t see them for five years, it just picks up again. … Those friends are always your friends no matter what happens,” he said. “Gosh, I think I’ve heard from at least half my class from Air Force ROTC.” In August, Fehrenbach filed a complaint and requested a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court because he believed he would be discharged from the Air Force as a result of investigations under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Resulting negotiations reached a stipulation agreement, which Fehrenbach said requires the Air Force to notify a judge of an intention to discharge him. Fehrenbach will also participate in a panel discussion Saturday at the Notre Dame Law School about “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He said he hopes it will provide a better understanding of this military policy. When he began to look for a lawyer, several legal firms contacted him with an interest in his case. He chose M. Andrew Woodmansee, who earned both his bachelor’s and law degrees from Notre Dame, in part due to his ties to the University. Fehrenbach will be eligible to retire from the Air Force in September 2011, but if he is discharged he will not earn retirement benefits. The Air Force began to investigate Fehrenbach’s conduct under “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2008, after a civilian accused Fehrenbach of sexual assault. In order to clear his name of the allegation, Fehrenbach said he admitted to conduct that violated “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The Gay and Lesbian Alumni of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (GALA) will give Fehrenbach its distinguished alumni award this weekend in South Bend. Liam Dacey, GALA chair and 2004 Notre Dame graduate, said GALA created the distinguished alumni award this year to honor Notre Dame graduates who are leaders for the gay community. Fehrenbach’s case, which he said would not reach a trial for 18 to 24 months, contains arguments both for his personal circumstance and against “don’t ask, don’t tell” as a whole. “One of the things I liked about that was I think I know and understand where Notre Dame people come from and what their values are,” Fehrenbach said. “So that part of it was a factor since I sort of knew the type of man he was.” “I was probably just like any young, Catholic kid growing up — you watch Notre Dame football,” Fehrenbach said. “I had always wanted to go there.” Fehrenbach said he met Dacey and learned more about GALA in March at an event for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a nonprofit group representing gays in the military, which is serving as co-counsel in his case. He said he looks forward to returning to South Bend this weekend for the GALA event because it has been a year since he was last on campus. “I only made those statements to clear my name,” he said. “The other option was to lie and that wasn’t an option.” The summer between his freshman and sophomore years at Notre Dame, Fehrenbach said he considered leaving the ROTC program and finding another means of paying tuition. But a speech by Sen. John McCain at the Republican National Convention about his own experience in the military and as a prisoner of war changed his opinion.
“We thought of a new award this year as well to go along with the Tom Dooley Award,” Dacey said. “Here’s somebody who’s a war hero, who graduated from Notre Dame.” Fehrenbach’s legal team is arguing that his discharge would cause him irreparable harm. Fehrenbach also said many of his friends from Notre Dame have contacted him to express their support. “That speech just changed my life,” he said. “From that moment on I just felt this overwhelming commitment to serve my country.” Fehrenbach has never publicly said he is gay, although the law allows the military to investigate based on either a statement or conduct. Fehrenbach said many legal experts have told him his case has the potential to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The precedent set by Maj. Margaret Witt’s case, in which a U.S. District Court ordered Witt’s reinstatement into the Air Force Sept. 24 after a discharge based on “don’t ask, don’t tell,” will help his argument, he said. He became friends with Witt because their cases are intertwined, and was present for the decision in her case last week. Their argument also challenges the Air Force’s ability to prove that Fehrenbach’s presence in a military unit creates an “unacceptable risk,” which the policy, passed in 1993, states is a result of having members of the military “who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts.” When he was notified of the Air Force’s investigation in 2008, Fehrenbach said he found another job and prepared to leave the military. He decided, however, to argue his case because he said he realized he could form a strong argument. Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, a 1991 Notre Dame graduate and decorated Air Force pilot, is currently fighting for his rights under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Fehrenbach said Witt inspired him to pursue legal action in his own situation. In addition, he has received encouragement from many members of the Notre Dame community. “Actually, my case … is an as-apply challenge,” he said. “But we also have constitutional arguments as well, as declaring it unconstitutional across the board.” He said he entered the Air Force’s ROTC program as a freshman because the Air Force would pay for his education and fulfill his dream of attending Notre Dame. He worked as an information management officer after his graduation from Notre Dame before going to flight school to become a fighter pilot. Since that time, he has flown 88 combat missions in Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan during his six deployments. Fehrenbach said he decided to commit not only the minimum four years of service in the Air Force required by ROTC, but his entire career. During his senior year, he was corps commander of the University’s Air Force ROTC and was ranked as a cadet colonel, the highest rank in the ROTC program. “I think not just Notre Dame students, but the public in general doesn’t have a full understanding of what this law is and how it is in practice,” Fehrenbach said. “In other words, I guess if you see something wrong, you should take every opportunity you’re given to do something about it.”
Junior Elizabeth Ferry worked as an archives and curation intern at the National Comedy Center during this past summer. At this internship, Ferry’s duties included three roles — working at the center’s Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum, working for the National Comedy Center itself and helping with the Lucille Ball Comedy Fest, or “Lucy Fest.”“[The National Comedy Center] is the first American Institution solely dedicated to the art of comedy,” Ferry said. “We were preparing for the grand opening.”Lucy Fest allowed Ferry to establish new connections and realize the completion of her work, she said.“I got to meet hardcore Lucy and comedy fans from all over the country, and I also got to meet the comedians and family members from the items I curated,” she said. “They were standing in front of them. It was cool.”Ferry said comedy is often ignored as an art form. While classical versions of art are given large budgets and countless ways to preserve their history, The Nation Comedy Center is alone in its focus on comedy.“[The creation of the comedy museum] has never been done before,” Ferry said. “No one has given a space for comedy, because comedy isn’t taken seriously. We have art museums and big symphonies. Comedy is looked down upon but it is a serious art form and a societal tool.”Ferry found out about the internship while she was looking for museum jobs on Google and applied.“I thought it was going to be a longshot,” she said. “But I got it”Saint Mary’s helped Ferry secure this opportunity, she said.“I got a grant from the Career Crossing Office. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to go,” Ferry said. “They helped me with my resume and all other resources that Saint Mary’s gave us were instrumental.”Ferry explained that she is dedicated to the preservation of the history of comedy in both stand-up and television form.“Comedy has always been a part of the human experience. Humans love humor,” Ferry said.Ferry’s focus on curation allowed her access to items from throughout television comedy history. Her favorite items included Lindsey Lohan’s dress from “Mean Girls,” campaign materials from “Parks and Recreation,” Jim‘s “Dundie” from “The Office” and Charlie Chaplin’s cane.“We were very fortunate to get a wide range of artifacts there really was something for everybody,” Ferry said. “I would sit in this room full of things from the lives of these incredible people that helped set the stage for stand-up right now and what we are able to do with it. I mean I love stand-up … I think it’s an incredible tool in society for getting your voice out.”Ferry also spoke about how comedy’s effect on societal change. She used the example of comedian Lenny Bruce, who was active in the 1950s and was arrested for obscenity charges and served a major figure in first amendment rights issues involving comedy due to his routines. He was posthumously pardoned of all charges.“Lenny Bruce is a perfect example for why we need to take comedy seriously,” Ferry said. “He is an example of how comedy can change American life.”Ferry said she believes comedy is a critical form of expression.“Comedians are an integral part of the American framework,” she said. “Comedy itself challenges us to look at the world around us.” Tags: Comedy, Lucille Ball, National Comedy Center, Saint Mary’s College
Jobless rate drops two-tenths to 4.7 percentMontpelier — The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June 2008 was 4.7 percent, down two-tenths of a point from the revised May rate of 4.9% and up nine-tenths of a point from a year ago.”Vermont’s labor market showed mixed results in June with annual job growth essentially flat, but a drop in unemployment rate due to a relatively strong start to the summer employment season” said Patricia Moulton Powden, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor. “National and regional economic conditions may make job growth a challenge in the short-term.”Vermont’s observed seasonally adjusted monthly changes in employment, unemployment and unemployment rate are not statistically different from May values. For comparison purposes, the US seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 5.5 percent, unchanged from May 2008. Unemployment rates for Vermont’s 17 labor market areas ranged from 3.2 percent in Hartford to 6.2 percent in Newport. Local labor market area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. For comparison, the unadjusted unemployment rate for Vermont was 4.7 percent, up one-tenth of a point from May 2008.Jobs Data (Vermont’s job count estimates are produced from a statewide survey of business establishments conducted under the Current Employment Survey (CES) – a cooperative effort with the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.)Seasonally adjusted job levels grew by 200 or 0.1% over May, and 500 or 0.2% over the year. The largest growth came from Private Educational Services +300 jobs or 2.4% but this sector is highly variable at this time of year as school-year end dates change, and thus employment can change from year to year. Health Care and Social Assistance grew 200 jobs or 0.4% over the month. Surprisingly, Retail Trade also gained 200 jobs or 0.5% over May levels. The Government sector lost 300 jobs or-0.5% over the month.Before seasonal adjustment, Total Non-Farm jobs grew seasonally by 2,450 jobs or 0.8% from May to June. Annual unadjusted job growth was flat at -50 jobs or 0.0%. Seasonal job gains were seen in construction (+850 / 5.0%), but the segment remains in decline showing a 650 job annual loss or -3.5%. Retail Trade jobs grew by 650 in May, but this seasonal boost was not enough to overcome annual job losses of 200 or -0.5%. Professional & Business services grew by 400 over the month and 150 or 0.7% over the year. The Leisure and Hospitality sector grew 3,050 jobs over the month but only 150 jobs or 0.5% over the year. State and Local Government Education jobs saw large and expected seasonal drops in June but kept slightly ahead of last years levels.
FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享From the Huntington Herald-Dispatch:The West Virginia House of Delegates this week wisely put a halt to legislation reducing the severance tax on the coal and gas industries, indicating instead that the issue should be studied prior to next year’s legislative session.Despite the harsh reaction from some in the coal industry, tabling Senate Bill 705 has no immediate detrimental effect on those industries because the proposed tax cuts would not start phasing in until July 2017. However, if the tax cuts become law now, the state could box itself into a corner that would only make its tenuous budget situation worse in the coming years and leave lawmakers grappling with how to make up for the lost revenue. Taking time to assess the state’s tax structure and how the severance tax fits in is the best step.The legislation called for reducing the current 5 percent tax on the total value of minerals removed from the ground to 4 percent on July 1, 2017, and to 3 percent in July 2018. The estimated cost to the state treasury would be $55 million in budget year 2017, $105 million in 2018 and up to $129 million each year after that, according to the state Tax Department. In addition, counties, which get a portion of the severance tax revenue, worried about the potential loss of money to their coffers.The potential impact on both the state and county budgets was cited by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin as his reason for opposing the measure. Democrats in the state Senate, which passed the measure 19-15 last week with mostly Republican support, labeled the tax cuts a giveaway to industry and said the tax cut would provide no guarantees that any jobs would be saved.The coal industry, in particular the head of Murray Energy, had pushed hard for the 40 percent tax cut. It argued that West Virginia’s severance tax rate is much higher than levied in other states, putting Mountain State coal at a disadvantage. But the coal industry’s problems run much deeper than that. Coal industry officials have put much of the blame on President Obama and tougher federal regulations on carbon emissions, but even they acknowledge there are other challenges related to West Virginia coal. Those include higher extraction and transportation costs as well as the state’s rugged terrain. Also, natural gas is a cheaper, cleaner option to fuel power plants. The state can’t fix those issues.A sizable part of the state’s current financial troubles stem from declining severance tax revenues, partly because of less coal production and partly because of low prices for natural gas. At this point, reducing those tax revenues further will aggravate the state’s budget situation. The circumstances reinforce one of the main talking points from Republican leaders in the legislature: that revenues to support the state budget is plagued by a structural problem that should be addressed.But, lawmakers, a majority of which have been loathe to increase taxes and fees during the current legislative session, will need to assess that carefully. If severance taxes can’t support state spending as it has in the past, where will the money come from? From West Virginians who Republicans say are already struggling?It’s a vexing question that will require time to study and develop alternatives. But simply giving a huge tax break to the energy sector without having options in place isn’t a responsible course to take.Editorial: Study needed before slashing tax on coal, gas Editorial: Industry Push to Slash State Coal-Mining Tax Isn’t in West Virginia’s Best Interest
March 15, 2003 Regular News March 15, 2003 On the Move Arthur R. Lewis, Craig D. Linder, Gabriel E. Nieto, Andre Zamorano, Walter J. Harvey, and Darin I. Zenov have been promoted to partner with Steel, Hector & Davis, LLP, with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 4000, Miami 33131-2398, telephone (305) 577-7000. Lewis concentrates in complex commercial litigation; Linder in corporate, securities, and finance; Nieto in administrative, environmental and land use law; Zamorano in insurance and construction disputes; Harvey in litigation and government and regulatory affairs; and Zenov in estate planning, pre-immigration tax planning, probate, and guardianship. Neera Mahajan Shetty has joined McGuire Woods, LLP, with offices at 50 N. Laura St., Ste. 3300, Jacksonville 32202, telephone (904) 798-3200. She concentrates in labor and employment law. Alexa Longley Lewis, formerly with Nelson Hesse, Sarasota, has joined Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., with offices at 401 E. Jackson St., Tampa 33602, telephone (813) 222-6630. She concentrates in general commercial litigation. David B. Israel has joined Brown, LoCurto & Robert, LLP, with offices at 101 N.E. Third Avenue, Second Floor, Ft. Lauderdale 33301. He concentrates in the areas of complex commercial litigation, construction litigation, and general civil litigation. Joseph Madden, Jr., and Robert E. Bone, Jr., announce the formation of Madden & Bone Law Firm, P.A., with offices in Fort Myers and at 2804 Del Prado Blvd., Ste. 209, Coral Gables, telephone (239) 945-2111. Madden practices in real estate, land use and development, and local government law; Bone practices in family law, business formation, bankruptcy, and wills and trusts. C. Graham Carothers, Jr., and Owen P. McGill have become partners with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, with offices at 101 E. Kennedy Blvd., Ste. 2800, Tampa 33602, telephone (813) 229-7600. Jeffrey F. Bogert has been promoted to partner with Baker & McKenzie, with offices at 1200 Brickell Ave., 19th Fl., Miami 33131, telephone (305) 789-8900. He concentrates in the areas of domestic and international commercial litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution. Antoinette Diaz has joined Bander & Associates, P.A., with offices at 444 Brickell Ave., Ste. 300, Miami 33131, telephone (305) 358-5800. The firm also announces the opening of a new office at 6150 State Road 70 E., Bradenton 34203, telephone (941) 755-0700. The firm concentrates in immigration law. Andrew Froman has been elevated to shareholder of Brown Clark Christopher & DeMay, with offices at Sarasota City Center, Ste. 1100, 1819 Main St., Sarasota 34236, telephone (941) 957-3800. He practices in the areas of labor and employment law. Benjamin L. Bedard has become a named shareholder with his firm which has changed its name to Roberts, Reynolds & Bedard, P.A., with offices at 470 Columbia Dr., Building C-101, West Palm Beach 33409, telephone (561) 688-6560. He practices in the areas of products liability, personal injury, medical malpractice and civil rights. Carlos Giminez, former city manager for the City of Miami, has joined Steel, Hector & Davis, LLP, with offices at 200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 4000, Miami 33131-2398, telephone (305) 577-7000. He will serve as a government operations and efficiency consultant. Adam C. King, formerly with DeCubellis & Meeks, P.A., has joined Jennis & Bowen, P.L., with offices at 400 N. Ashley St., Ste. 2540, Tampa 33602, telephone (813) 229-1700. He concentrates in commercial litigation and commercial bankruptcies. B. Forest Hamilton has joined Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.A., with offices at 108 S. Monroe St., Ste. 100, Tallahassee 32301, telephone (850) 222-6550. He practices in the areas of administrative litigation, corporate formation, small business law, tax planning and general litigation. Christopher Collings, former assistant to the state attorney in the 11th Judicial Circuit, has joined Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.A., with offices at 80 S.W. 8th St., Ste. 3000, Miami 33130, telephone (305) 358-5577. He practices in the area of product liability. Michael B. Reiss, former assistant state attorney in Miami-Dade County, has joined Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.A., with offices at 80 S.W. 8th St., Ste. 3000, Miami 33130, telephone (305) 358-5577. He practices in the area of civil litigation. Tanique G. Lee, formerly of Gelfand & Arpe, P.A., announces the opening of Tanique G. Lee, P.A., with offices located at 1803 Australian Ave. South, Ste. G, West Palm Beach 33409, telephone (561) 471-8900. She practices in criminal law. Gary R. Wheeler, formerly of Allen, Norton & Blue, has joined McConnaughhay, Duffy, Coonrod, Pope & Weaver, P.A., with offices located at 6816 S. Pointe Parkway, No. 500, Jacksonville, 32216, telephone (904) 363-1950. He practices in labor and employment matters. Charles W. Denny, IV has joined Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A. with offices at 1750 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota 34236, telephone (941) 366-4680. He concentrates in civil litigation, commercial litigation, insurance defense, and personal injury litigation. Jerry S. Armbruster has joined Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A. with offices located at 1750 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota 34236, telephone (941) 366-4680. He practices in personal injury defense, professional malpractice defense, and employment law. Benjamin James Stevenson has joined Fowler White Boggs Banker, with offices located at 101N. Monroe St., Ste. 1090, Tallahassee 32301, telephone (850) 681-0411. He practices in commercial contract and regulatory litigation, insurance defense, and white collar defense. Caroline B. Ganin, of Monica I. Salis, P.A., has been named partner, forming Salis & Ganin, P.A., with offices in Pompano Beach. The firm concentrates in the areas of marital and family law. Cynthia A. Henderson, former secretary for both the Department of Management Services and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, has joined Tew Cardenas Rebak Kellogg Lehman DeMaria Tague Raymond &Levine, L.L.P., with offices located at Monroe Park Towers, Ste. 725, 101 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee 32301, telephone (850) 841-7770. She will represent clients before the executive and legislative branches.
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York Democrat John Brooks officially unseated freshman New York State Sen. Michael Venditto (R-Massapequa) following a five-week-long recount, although the upset victory is not expected to tip the balance of power in Albany.Brooks, a former Seaford school board member, beat Venditto by 258 votes in the Nassau County portion of the 8th state Senate district, and that margin of victory could rise when hundreds of remaining paper ballots are counted Friday in the Suffolk County side of the South Shore district, officials said.“This is not my win alone, this is a win for all Long Island families,” Brooks said. “Folks, I am going to Albany for you. I will work everyday to make you proud. I will work everyday to keep my campaign promises of cutting property taxes, funding education, and ending corruption in Albany.”Brooks initially had a 33-vote margin in the unofficial election results, a close call that triggered a recount hinging on more than 8,000 absentee and other paper ballots. Brooks was confident that the recount was going his way when he declared victory two weeks ago, when more than 1,000 of those ballots were challenged in court. Venditto conceded the race Thursday.“The campaign is over and all of the votes have finally been tallied,” Venditto said. “I would like to congratulate Senator-Elect John Brooks on his victory. I ask all residents of the 8th Senatorial District to join with me in supporting Senator-Elect Brooks during his upcoming term. Together we can make our great District even better.”Venditto, a former Nassau County legislator who won his first two-year term to the state Senate in 2014, is the son of Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, who pleaded not guilty in October to federal corruption charges. Although the senator was not charged in connection with his father’s alleged bribery and kickback scheme, the case is believed to have impacted the race.Democrats technically now have a 32-31 majority in the state Senate, but GOP lawmakers are expected to maintain control of the chamber because a conservative Democratic senator from Brooklyn who sided with Republicans. That leaves Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Smithtown) in control when the legislature begins its next session in January.
The American Medical Association sued over the rule, and in a scathing 2019 decision, a federal district judge said, “The gag rule prevents doctors from behaving like informed professionals. At the heart of this rule is the arrogant assumption that government is better suited to direct the health care of women than their medical providers.” Since that ruling in Oregon, two circuit courts of appeal have split over the matter, with the 9th Circuit Court saying it’s not a problem and the 4th Circuit Court saying it is. The AMA said imposition of the rule meant 800,000 fewer people received care through Title X in 2019, or 3.1 million compared with 3.9 million in 2018. Amy Moy, chief external affairs officer for Essential Access Health, the largest Title X grantee in California and the country, told Hellmann, “The Trump regulations have devastated the Title X network. It’s our hope and expectation that very early in the new administration, there will be swift action to reverse the Trump era regulations and start to reset and address the harm that’s been done.”Said Jessica Marcella, vice president of advocacy and communications for National Family Planning and Reproductive Health, a membership organization for Title X providers, “It is essential a Biden administration act as expeditiously as possible, on day one or within 100 days, to get money flowing back to providers, particularly to jurisdictions that don’t have Title X services right now.”- Advertisement – Early on, Biden is likely to take on the global gag rule that bars the federal government from funding foreign NGOS that provide abortions or even discusses them with patients. That rule, originally known as the Mexico City Policy, was first imposed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, rescinded by President Bill Clinton, reimposed by President George W. Bush, rescinded by President Barack Obama, and reinstated on the first day Donald Trump began squatting in the White House. In his 1993 memorandum on his rescission, Clinton wrote a gentle admonition that the gag rule “undermined efforts to promote safe and efficacious family planning programs in foreign nations.” True enough. But more to the point, the rule maims and kills women. It is also counterproductive in that it increases the number of abortions. The Guttmacher Institute reported that U.S. aid for overseas family planning in 2015 alone prevented 2.4 million abortions by averting 6 million unintended pregnancies. When Trump imposed the rule, a major family planning operation, Marie Stopes International, said it would lead to an additional 2.2 million abortions globally each year, 2.1 million of which would be unsafe. The World Health Organization estimates that unsafe abortions cause 13% of maternal deaths globally. – Advertisement – On the home front, Biden could return to Obama-era rules that provide narrow religious and moral exemptions for healthcare workers and employers, exemptions that the Trump regime expanded. He could go back to an Obama-era guidance that Trump rescinded barring states from defunding Planned Parenthood from Medicaid programs that serve low-income people, who are disproportionately people of color. He could also get rid of the 2011 requirement that abortion pills must be prescribed in person at a healthcare facility, something doctors and health experts say is medically unnecessary.Dumping the Trump changes made to the Title X family planning program would arguably make the biggest immediate difference. With heavy bipartisan backing, Congress initiated Title X half a century ago to give low-income women and men contraception, cancer screenings and other health services they would otherwise not be able to access.As it stands, the Trump rule bars recipients of Title X funds from performing abortions and restricts what they can say to patients about the procedure. Planned Parenthood, a long-standing target of forced-birthers, reluctantly opted out of Title X because of this. Although federal funds cannot be spent for abortions except under limited circumstances, forced-birthers argue that healthcare organizations shouldn’t get any federal funds if they provide abortions or information about the procedure, even if they don’t use Title X money for that purpose.- Advertisement – The Title X rule is no small restriction on reproductive rights. For some women it’s a matter of life and death. That makes it a prime choice for Biden to include in his Day One actions. – Advertisement –