Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation By Franklin County, North Carolina

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 - The Justice Department yesterday announced that it has reached a consent decree with Franklin County, N.C., that, if approved in federal court in Raleigh, N.C., will resolve the department's allegation that the county retaliated against a former employee in its Department of Public Utilities, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex and religion; Title VII also prohibits retaliation against employees for opposing employment practices that they reasonably believe are discriminatory under Title VII or for filing a complaint of employment discrimination.

The department's complaint, which was filed on Sep. 25, 2009, alleges that the county retaliated against Karen Dorrans because she complained about what she believed to be sexual harassment by a co-worker, and because she did not confront the alleged harasser about his conduct after the county instructed her to do so. According to the complaint, the county disciplined Dorrans by extending her probationary period of employment by six months, denying her a salary increase, issuing her a disciplinary "final warning" and significantly lowering her quarterly job performance ratings. The department's complaint does not allege that Dorrans, in fact, was subjected to sexual harassment in violation of Title VII; but, rather, that the county's retaliatory response to her harassment complaint violated Title VII.

The consent decree prohibits the county from engaging in any act or practice that retaliates against any county employee. The consent decree also requires the county to implement and disseminate a policy that prohibits retaliation and to provide mandatory training regarding the law of equal employment opportunity and prohibited harassment and retaliation to all supervisory employees. The decree further requires the county to provide Dorrans with $17,500 in compensatory monetary relief.

Prior to filing its complaint, the Justice Department was engaged in discussions with the county. Those discussions led to the filing of the consent decree only four days after the complaint was filed.

"All workers deserve the basic right of going to a workplace each day that is free of discrimination and retaliation. We are pleased that the county will promptly implement new policies and procedures that comply with Title VII," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King. "The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce the right of all employees to be free of retaliation in the workplace."

United States Transfers Three Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Foreign Nations

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27- The Department of Justice today announced that three detainees have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the control of the governments of Ireland and Yemen.


As directed by the President's Jan. 22, 2009 Executive Order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of each of these cases. As a result of that review, these detainees were approved for transfer from Guantanamo Bay. In accordance with Congressionally-mandated reporting requirements, the Administration informed Congress of its intent to transfer each of these detainees at least 15 days before their transfer.


Alla Ali Bin Ali Ahmed, a native of Yemen was transferred to the government of Yemen. On May 4, 2009, a federal court ruled that Ahmed may no longer be detained under the Authorization for the Use of Military Force and ordered the government to release him from detention at Guantanamo Bay.


In addition, two additional detainees were transferred to the government of Ireland. Pursuant to a request from the government of Ireland, the identities of these detainees are being withheld for security and privacy reasons.


These transfers were carried out under individual arrangements between the United States and the governments of Yemen and Ireland. The United States has coordinated with the governments of each of these nations to ensure the transfers take place under appropriate security measures and will continue to consult with these governments regarding these detainees.


Since 2002, more than 550 detainees have departed Guantanamo for other countries including Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Bermuda, Chad, Denmark, Egypt, France, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and Yemen.

Rewarding Career Path with UCW Academy of Health

Victoria, BC, September 26, 2009 -- British Columbia is struggling to provide support for addicted and mentally ill citizens in the province. As the number of homeless addicts and mentally ill people in BC grows, the need for trained social service professionals has never been greater.

In 2008, the BC health ministry commissioned a report that estimated there were 8,000 to 15,500 homeless adults who suffered from serious addiction or mental illness. Even more addicted and mentally ill residents of BC were inadequately housed, with an estimated 40,000 living in poverty. Social services professionals fear that without the proper support, these people will never get back on their feet.

"Addictions and support workers help reduce homelessness by helping clients maintain their stability," says Birgit Schinke, a support worker and college instructor in BC. "While counselors are stuck in an office, support workers are often more mobile and can help a client attend to the tasks that will support their stability."

For those looking to enter the field of Addictions and Support work, a certain level of caring and compassion are required.

"Like all professions, not everyone is suited to this field," said Addictions professional, Jereme Brooks. "The people that I’ve worked well with and have seen excel in this industry have a good sense of self, strong character, good foundational values and a sense of humor. These people also present a strong sense of loyalty and commitment; they have a sense of empathy towards people and feel a genuine desire to be of service to others."

Graduates from a certified Addictions and Community Services Worker program may find employment in a range of social service settings including child and youth services, family social service agencies, rehabilitation clinics, group homes, correctional facilities and mental health centers.

UCW Academy of Health is now accepting applications for fall and winter enrollments in the Addictions and Community Services Worker diploma program.

Seafood Wholesaler and Owner Sentenced in a Conspiracy to Illegally Harvest Rock Fish

Owner Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 - Robert Lumpkins, owner of Golden Eye Seafood LLC, of St. Mary's County, Md., was sentenced to 18 months in prison and the company was sentenced today to 3 years probation by U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte after a two day sentencing hearing in the District of Maryland, the Justice Department announced.

Additionally, they were sentenced to pay a fine of $36,000 and restitution of $164,040.50 along with a special assessment of $1,600.

Lumpkins and Golden Eye had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate and violating the Lacey Act, by falsely recording the amount and weight of striped bass, also known as rockfish that were harvested by local fishermen and checked-in through Golden Eye from 2003 to 2007.

According to Lumpkins' plea agreement, from at least 2003 to the present, he was a fish wholesaler, doing business from his residence in Piney Point, Md., under the name Golden Eye Seafood. Lumpkins, through, Golden Eye, acted as a commercial striped bass check-in station for the state of Maryland. Lumpkins admitted that on numerous occasions from 2003 to 2007, he falsely recorded the amount of striped bass that fisherman harvested and failed to record some of the striped bass that was caught or recorded a lower weight of striped bass than was actually caught.

Lumpkins and the fishermen would also falsely inflate the actual number of fish harvested. By under-reporting the weight of fish harvested, and over-reporting the number of fish taken, the records would make it appear that the fishermen had failed to reach the maximum poundage quota for the year, but had nonetheless run out of tags. As a result, the state would issue additional tags that could be used by the fishermen allowing them to catch striped bass above their maximum poundage quota amount. Lumpkins and Golden Eye shipped the majority of the fish to purchasers in Maryland and in other states. Lumpkins also purchased fish that were outside the legal size limit from an undercover agent and sold those fish to purchasers in New York, Virginia, and California.

"This prison sentence sends a strong message to commercial fishermen and wholesalers on the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Those who illegally harvest rockfish will be investigated, prosecuted and face stiff sentences including the possibility of incarceration," said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein stated, "If commercial fishermen obey the rules, we can all enjoy rockfish forever. If they don't, the rockfish population could be wiped out very quickly. This sentence sends a message that we are serious about protecting the rockfish population in the Chesapeake Bay."

Joseph Peter Nelson Jr., a commercial fisherman licensed in Maryland, pleaded guilty to four felony violations of the Lacey Act for participating in a scheme to illegally over harvest and under report the amount of rockfish he took from the Potomac River. His father, Joseph Peter Nelson Sr., also pleaded guilty to one felony violation of the Lacey Act for assisting in transporting the illegally taken rockfish in interstate commerce. The Nelsons are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22, 2009. Jerry Decatur, Sr. and Jerry Decatur, Jr. both pleaded guilty to violations of the Lacey Act and are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, 2009, respectively.

Additionally, John Evans, a commercial fisherman who operated in St. Mary's County and the surrounding waters of the Chesapeake Bay, pleaded guilty to a violation of the Lacey Act for overfishing striped bass and was sentenced to three months in prison followed by six months home detention.

Cannon Seafood, a Washington, D.C., fish wholesaler, its owner, Robert Moore Sr. and his son Robert Moore Jr. pleaded guilty to similar charges. Cannon Seafood was ordered to pay restitution of $28,000 and a fine of $80,000. Robert Moore Sr. and Robert Moore Jr., were each sentenced to four months home detention, followed by three years probation, and were ordered to pay restitution of $15,000 and $10,000, and a fine of $40,000 and $30,000, respectively.

Thomas L. Hallock, a commercial fisherman licensed in Maryland, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, for illegally overfishing rockfish and was ordered to pay restitution of $40,000 and a fine of $4,000. Commercial fisherman Thomas Crowder was sentenced to 15 months in prison, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and restitution of $96,250 and Charles Quade was sentenced to five months in prison, followed by five months of home detention. Quade was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and restitution of $5,000. Keith Collins was sentenced to 13 months in prison and was ordered to pay $70,569 in restitution and a fine of $4,500. Kenneth Dent was ordered to pay $2,905 in restitution and was sentenced to 3 years probation. Crowder, Quade, Collins and Dent all pleaded guilty to Lacey Act violations for overfishing striped bass. All of the restitution is to be paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to the benefit of the Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass Restoration Account.

As a result of the investigation and prosecution, two fish wholesalers and a total of 15 individuals, including today's defendants, have been convicted of illegally harvesting and underreporting their catch of striped bass.

These cases resulted from an investigation by an interstate task force formed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Maryland Natural Resources Police and the Virginia Marine Police, Special Investigative Unit in 2003. The task force conducted undercover purchases and sales of striped bass in 2003, engaged in covert observation of commercial fishing operations in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River area, and conducted detailed analysis of area striped bass catch reporting and commercial business sales records from 2003 through 2007.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacy Dawson Belf and Christen Sproule for the District of Maryland and Senior Trial Attorney Wayne Hettenbach of the Justice Department's Environmental Crimes Section.

Court Grants Approval of $29.5 Million Settlement by Lowes Home Improvement Centers

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 23 - A Los Angeles Superior Court judge yesterday gave final approval to a class action settlement involving Lowes Home Improvement which calls for a maximum payment of $29.5 million. Two former Lowes employees alleged that they, and thousands of other hourly Lowes workers were required to work "off the clock" before and after their normal shifts, for which they were not paid. The action was litigated by Stanley Saltzman, Louis Marlin, Mark Bradley and Christina Humphrey of Marlin & Saltzman, and by R. Rex Parris and Robert Parris of the R. Rex Parris Law Firm. Lowes denied all of the claims raised in the lawsuit.

The case was originally filed in October of 2001. It was litigated for over 7 years, and raised legal issues that were twice resolved by the California Court of Appeal. In one decision, the Court of Appeal confirmed the right of the plaintiffs in a proposed class action to have contact with potential class members in order to obtain information that would assist in the prosecution of the action. That 2003 published decision, Parris vs. Superior Court (Lowes HIW) 104 Cal.App.4th 285, became important precedent in California. The second decision by the Court of Appeal came after the trial court had denied the plaintiffs' motion to certify the case as a class action. Not only did the Court of Appeal reverse the decision by the trial court but, in an unusual move, rather than ordering the lower court to reconsider the issue, actually ordered that the case be granted class certification status.

As the case was preparing for trial, the parties were able to reach a settlement. Today, the final step of the class action settlement approval process took place, with the trial court granting full approval to the settlement on behalf of thousands of class members. It is anticipated that settlement proceeds will be sent to claimants by the end of this year.

Source: Marlin & Saltzman, LLP

Committee Holds Roundtable on Expanding Small Business Contracting Opportunities

WASHINGTON, - United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., held a roundtable focusing on ways the federal government can increase contracts awarded to small businesses by improving government contracting programs. In 2008 small businesses received $93.3 billion in federal contracts, an increase of almost $10 billion from 2007. However, these contracts made up only 21.5 percent of contracting dollars. The government's statutory goal is to spend 23 percent of contracting dollars on small businesses.

The roundtable, "Small Business Contracting: Ensuring Opportunities for America's Small Businesses," discussed the challenges small businesses face in obtaining government contracts, including: contracting under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, contract bundling, size standards, and a lack of protections for sub-contractors.

"Small businesses have trouble gaining access to contracts because of a maze of complicated laws and regulations that make it difficult for them to succeed," Senator Landrieu said. "We can do better. President Obama has pledged to help expand small business contracting by increasing public knowledge of federal contracting opportunities and I will continue to do the same. We all know that there is still much work to be done."

"Federal contracts provide vital economic benefits for small business - yet, regrettably, the Federal government consistently fails to meet its goals for small businesses in general and service-disabled veteran-owned, women-owned, and HUBZone firms in particular," said Ranking Member Snowe. "This is simply unacceptable, and the testimony from today's witnesses offered specific and realistic solutions for increasing small business participation in Federal contracting and for the government to not only achieve the statutory small business goals, but to exceed them."

Professor Warns Students E-mail/Texting May Get Unwanted Results

Electronic correspondence efficient, but can be ineffective and counter-productive

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 23- College students using the miracle of modern technology to reach out to professors and potential employers may be doing more harm than good, according to a college professor at a Big Ten university.

E-mailing and texting are efficient and convenient, but drawbacks include potential misinterpretation of the message or a negative reaction from the recipient, according to Jim Parham, who teaches journalism classes at Indiana University.

"Somewhere in the e-revolution, we found that short-form messages, delivered electronically, are an adequate replacement for face-to-face interaction," states Parham.

E-mail wars, endless strings of communique and unrepentant language can make a bad situation worse, according to Parham.

"When you write a professor about missing today's class, it's probably not a priority on her/his to-do list. It's even worse to ramble on with long-winded excuses and pabulum."

Many employers have switched to electronic applications on their Web sites for both job applicants and internships. Unfortunately, this company-centric process eliminates the human interaction, thereby negating any interpersonal skill strength a candidate may possess.

Here's Parham's partial list of "Do's" and "Don'ts"

Do
1. Write e-mails and text with the same care and specificity of a
hard-copy document.
2. Use full sentences and proper grammar.
3. Construct your e-mail as you would any written correspondence, with a
beginning, middle and end.
4. Determine if an e-mail or text is a proper way to communicate with
another party.

5. Understand that colleges and universities retain most student e-mails
in their databases, keeping a record of your informal banter.

Don't
1. Take the easy route on an internship or job hunt by simply "applying
online." Press hard and find a warm body willing to talk.
2. Use popular online abbreviations and electronic shorthand. The
recipient may have no idea what you mean.
3. Use e-mail or text for important, delicate or questionable
communication. It's much better not to have a written history of these
discussions.
4. Use electronic correspondence to wage war or bicker. In the heat of
the battle, it's much too easy to "fire off an e-mail."

5. Rely on e-mail as your sole source of social and business interaction.
Human interaction and telephone calls can help you gauge another
person's demeanor and viewpoint much more accurately.

Mike Huckabee Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 - Mike Huckabee has convincingly won Family Research Council's second-ever Values Voter Summit Straw Poll. Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin, and Mike Pence finished roughly tied for second place.

Only registered participants of the Summit who were present at the event were allowed to vote.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement in reaction to the second ever Values Voter Summit Straw Poll:

"We were surprised that the event's turnout was more than double our expectations, clearly showing intensity among social conservatives. This was the first time potential conservative candidates could present their vision for change. We have over 1,800 registrants and over 175,000 unique online viewers."

The following are the straw poll results:


Candidate Name Total Votes Percentage

1. Mike Huckabee 170 28.48%
2. Mitt Romney 74 12.40%
3. Tim Pawlenty 73 12.23%
4. Sarah Palin 72 12.06%
5. Mike Pence 71 11.89%
6. Newt Gingrich 40 6.70%
7. Bobby Jindal 28 4.69%
8. Rick Santorum 15 2.51%
9. Ron Paul 13 2.18%
10. Undecided 31 5.19%
11. Other 10 1.68%

* The full results can be accessed at www.frcaction.org


Members of FRC Action are only allowed to vote once.

Broad Health Coalition Disappointed in Baucus Bill

Urges Senate to Take Real Action on Medical Liability Reform


WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 - Following yesterday's release of the "Chairman's Mark" by Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, the Health Coalition on Liability and Access expressed disappointment that the bill does not take action on medical liability reform, and urges the Senate to include real reform measures in any health care bill it passes.

"The plan released by Senator Baucus does nothing to solve our nation's medical liability crisis, or reduce health care costs associated with defensive medicine," said HCLA Chair Mike Stinson.

"We had hoped that the Senate would take this important pro-patient issue seriously after hearing from the President last week. True health care reform that reduces costs, increases access to care, and protects patients can only be achieved if it includes medical liability reform."

As it stands, the Chairman's Mark does not include specific medical liability reform measures. Its only reference to the issue is in the form of an expression of the "Sense of the Senate" that Congress should consider establishing a state demonstration program to evaluate alternatives to the current medical liability system.

"We urge the Senate to not only codify demonstration projects to encourage states to experiment with specific alternative reforms, but to also immediately enact meaningful medical liability reform. States across the country, like California and Texas, have addressed their own medical liability crises with reforms that have a proven track record of success. These states have been, in effect, demonstration projects and should be a model for reform at the Federal level."

Medical lawsuit abuse drives up the costs of health care by the billions each year, and forces good doctors out of the practice of medicine. The fear of being sued has caused physicians to subject their patients to tests and procedures they may not need, driving up medical costs dramatically. Addressing the medical liability crisis and including fixes to our nation's broken medical liability system in federal health care reform legislation is essential to reforming our overall health care system and guaranteeing access to care for all patients.

The HCLA is committed to enacting immediate, effective medical liability reform, formalizing and codifying voluntary state demonstration projects on alternative reforms, and ensuring that health care reform does not expand liability and encourage medical lawsuit abuse.

To read more about the HCLA's recent actions on health care and medical liability reform, visit www.hcla.org.

For more details, visit www.hcla.org. The Health Coalition on Liability and Access is a national advocacy coalition representing doctors, hospitals, health care liability insurers, employers, health care consumers, and others. HCLA believes federal legislation is needed to bring fairness, timeliness and cost-efficiency to America's medical liability system.


CONTACT: Lauren Slepian, +1-609-744-4794, for HCLA

City of Jeffersonville, Indiana, Agrees to Upgrade Sewer Systems to Comply With Clean Water Act

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 - The city of Jeffersonville, Ind., has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems that will significantly reduce the city's longstanding sewage overflows into the Ohio River in a comprehensive Clean Water Act settlement with federal and state government, the Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Indiana announced today.

According to a consent decree filed today in federal court, the city is required to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to reduce, and where feasible, eliminate overflows into the Ohio River from its combined sewers by calendar year 2020 or 2025, depending on Jeffersonville's financial health; implement a plan with specific actions to improve the capacity, management, operation, and maintenance of its sanitary sewer system to eliminate overflows of untreated sewage; and eliminate all discharge points within its sanitary sewer system.

According to the investigation, throughout the year, Jeffersonville's sewer system is overwhelmed by rainfall, resulting in discharges of untreated sewage and overflows of sewage combined with storm water into the Ohio River, totaling millions of gallons each year. Under this settlement, the city will improve its sewer system to minimize, and in many cases, eliminate those overflows at a cost likely between $100 and $150 million.

"The federal Clean Water Act requires cities like Jeffersonville to eliminate or reduce their sewage overflows into the nation's rivers, lakes and oceans," said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This settlement requires Jeffersonville to take steps to prevent sewage spills and overflows into the Ohio River. We're pleased that the city has agreed to take these important steps that will improve water quality in the Ohio River and protect public health."

"EPA is committed to protecting health and the environment by bringing aging sewer systems into compliance with the Clean Water Act," said Bharat Mathur, EPA's Acting Region 5 Administrator. "We are pleased that the city of Jeffersonville has committed to make improvements that will significantly improve water quality in the Ohio River."

"This was not an easy settlement to reach, but the agreement is fair to all sides. It has been very frustrating to all that wastewater flowed into the Ohio River and nearby streams after heavy rains because of aging infrastructure inadequate to the capacity," Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said. "Violations of the Clean Water Act were all too frequent. The city is agreeing to uphold its environmental responsibilities, and ultimately the public - those who live and work near the Ohio River - will in the long run benefit from these improvements."

"IDEM partnered with U.S. EPA, the U.S. Attorney's office, the Indiana Attorney General's office and the city of Jeffersonville to reach an effective agreement for eliminating pollutants from Jeffersonville's combined sewer system," said Commissioner Thomas Easterly of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. "That agreement includes green infrastructure provisions, such as installing pervious pavers and a rain garden along the river front, which will serve as a model for other cities around the nation. This agreement will improve the quality of life for their community and others downstream."

In addition to improving its sewer system, Jeffersonville has agreed to pay the United States a civil penalty of $49,500 and the state of Indiana a civil penalty of $8,250, provided that Jeffersonville implements two environmental projects identified in the settlement that are designed to improve water quality in the city at a cost of more than $248,000.

The city of Jeffersonville is located in Clark County, Ind., on the north bank of the Ohio River, directly across the river from Louisville, Ky. Jeffersonville has a population of approximately 30,000. Of Jeffersonville's total sewered area, 15 percent is served by combined sewers while 85 percent is served by separate sanitary sewers. The combined sewers are located in the older, downtown portion of Jeffersonville and lack sufficient capacity to transport all of the combined sewage that it receives to Jeffersonville's wastewater treatment plant during rainfall events. As a result, Jeffersonville commonly discharges the combination of sewage and storm water through one or more of its 13 combined sewer overflow outfalls that discharge to the Ohio River.

In the past, the United States has reached similar agreements with numerous municipal entities across the country including Nashville, Tenn.; Mobile, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Toledo, Ohio; Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio; Louisville, Ky.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Ironton, Ohio; and the Sanitation District No. 1 in northern Kentucky.

The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.

ICTR / Bagaragaza Pleads Guilty

ARUSHA, September 17, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Michael Bagaragaza, former Director General of the office controlling the Rwandan tea industry during the period of the genocide, today entered a plea of guilty to the count of complicity in genocide as contained in an amended indictment. The Prosecutor had presented the new indictment together with the plea agreement. The Chamber scheduled that hearing of character witnesses presented by the Defence in preparation of the sentencing judgement be held from 2 November 2009.


The plea agreement was accepted by Trial Chamber III, composed of Judges Vagn Joensen, presiding, Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov and Gberdao Gustave Kam, after the Chamber was satisfied that the accused entered the guilty plea voluntarily and in an informed and unequivocal manner. Bagaragaza, who, on 16 August 2005, surrendered to the Tribunal in Arusha was initially charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide, complicity in genocide and violations of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and of Additional Protocol II of 1977. On 18 August 2005, the accused was transferred to the Detention Unit of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia following a request by the ICTR Prosecutor to grant the transfer for security reasons.


This was followed by two attempts by the Prosecutor to transfer

Bagaragaza's case to the Kingdom of Norway and to The Netherlands. In the case of the Kingdom of Norway, the Trial Chamber, relying on the submissions by the Norwegian Prosecutor, found that Norwegian criminal law did not provide for the crime of genocide, which was alleged in the Indictment, and therefore denied the application. When the Prosecution renewed its request for referral to The Netherlands, it was supported by a statement of the Dutch prosecutor that The Netherlands had jurisdiction to try the case. However, in a similar case involving another Rwandan, The Hague District Court afterwards stated that the Dutch Courts do not have any jurisdiction in trying such a case.


As a result, the Dutch Prosecutor informed the ICTR Prosecutor who then requested the revocation of the referral. On 17 August 2007, the referral order was revoked and the accused was transferred on 20 May 2008 back to Arusha.

Concerns Over KKR's Dollar General IPO

Heavy Debt Burdens, Corporate Governance Concerns and Lack of Disclosure of Legal and Regulatory Risks Create Doubt for Potential Investors

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 - Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in a letter to the Co-Chief Executives of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company (KKR) outlined their deep concerns over the private equity firm's planned initial public offering (IPO) of Dollar General.

In the letter, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer C. Thomas Keegel highlights: the heavy debt burdens placed on Dollar General which are exacerbated by the fees KKR will take out of the company; concerns over the corporate governance structure of the company; wasteful executive compensation perks; and lack of disclosure on potential regulatory risk.

"Long-term investors, including Teamsters pension funds, need assurances that Dollar General will have a sustainable profitable business plan that does not involve using all of its cash to pay down its approximately $9 billion in obligations that is in large part due to KKR and its partners leverage buyout of the company in 2007 as well as other fees to KKR," Keegel said.

KKR stands to reap a sizeable portion of the $64 million in proposed transaction fees. Combined with the $75 million paid to KKR and investors upon the initial Dollar General buyout in 2007, KKR and its partners will withdraw $385.9 million in cash from the company's coffers over two-plus years of stewardship - approximately 51.5 percent of the total IPO value. The Teamsters believe there is unnecessary uncertainty caused by lack of disclosure in the Dollar General SEC filings.

"The initial SEC filings lack much needed information on the structure of the board of directors and risk disclosures and left out information pertaining to possible regulatory risks from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations," Keegel said. The Union offered several recommendations it believes are in the best interest of future Dollar General investors.

"If Dollar General is to be a good sustainable investment for its potential shareholders and not be merely a cash register for KKR and its investor partners, there must be critical changes made to the structure of the offering," Keegel added.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States and Canada.

CONTACT: Galen Munroe of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
+1-202-624-6904, gmunroe@teamster.org

Baucus Health Care Bill Threatens Chronically Ill and Millions With Flexible Spending Accounts

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 - Following today's introduction of a health care reform plan by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), Joe Jackson, chairman of Save Flexible Spending Plans and CEO of WageWorks, a benefits company based in San Mateo, California, issued the following statement:

"It's disappointing and unreasonable for health care reform to be financed by restricting access to FSAs, a valuable benefit used by millions of Americans to manage and hold down their health care costs."

"Imposing a $2,000 cap on contributions to FSAs, as proposed by Chairman Baucus, would reduce the value of the benefit and force plan participants to pay more in taxes and health care costs at a time when many can least afford it - an outcome inconsistent with the goals of health care reform."

"Those who stand to lose the most with a $2,000 cap on FSA contributions are those that have the greatest health care costs - individuals and families battling chronic conditions that average $4,398 per year in out-of-pocket costs, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation."

"Without a cap higher than $2,000 on FSA contributions, Congress could force plan participants, including many fighting chronic illnesses, to forgo necessary medical treatment, prescriptions and supplies for financial reasons, resulting in a deterioration of health and an increase in hospitalizations and overall health care system costs."

"A major flaw of the proposed cap is that it isn't crafted to adjust over time to inflation, which is unreasonable and provides an even larger tax increase on the middle class."

"Lastly, Chairman Baucus has proposed to limit the use of FSAs for over-the-counter medications unless you get a doctor's prescription. Although this provision does not make good health policy sense since many over-the-counters are used to manage chronic health conditions, it at least allows FSAs to be used for some over-the-counters, unlike the House provision that would eliminate them from FSA reimbursement entirely."

About Flexible Spending Accounts

Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are voluntary, account-based plans that enable millions of Americans to use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses like prescription drug co-pays, vision and dental costs, office visits and medical supplies. Most FSA participants are middle income, earning approximately $55,000 annually. Currently, limits on contributions to FSAs are set by individual employers.

In July, the House Ways and Means Committee approved health care reform legislation that includes a ban on using money set aside in FSAs to buy over-the-counter medications such as aspirin and allergy medications.

About Save Flexible Spending Plans

Save Flexible Spending Plans is a national grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to preventing the elimination of flexible spending accounts in health care reform efforts. The campaign is sponsored by the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC), www.ecfc.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to the maintenance and expansion of private employee benefit programs on a tax-advantaged basis.

Teamsters Mourn Tragic Death of Longshoreman

Latest Fatal Accident at Southern California Ports Underscores Need to Prioritize the Safety of All Port Workers

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 - The International Brotherhood of Teamsters mourns the tragic job-related death of 53-year-old John Robert Kiser, a Lakewood, CA dockworker and member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). Tens of thousands of port workers put their lives at risk everyday as they operate heavy, dangerous machinery and handle hazardous cargo in order to keep our nation's economy moving.

"Our hearts go out to Mr. Kiser's family and his ILWU brothers and sisters," said Fred Potter, Teamsters Port Division Director. "All port workers deserve the safest working environment possible, and local officials and employers must ensure all necessary safeguards and enforcement in order to prevent future injuries and fatalities."

Kiser's tragic death comes only seven months after the accident that killed Pablo Antonio Garcia, a port truck driver and member of the Teamsters Union. Soon after, the life of a third worker, Felipe Curiel, was nearly lost after a container fell on the cab of his truck. Carlos Rivera, a 73-year-old longshoreman, was also killed in a job-related accident in April of 2008.

The Teamsters continue to underscore the need to prioritize the safety of all waterfront workers for both employee and contract workers, even if they lack union protections.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.


CONTACT: Coral Lopez of International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
+1-310-956-5712, coral.lopez@changetowin.org

Google Acquires Carnegie Mellon Spin-off ReCAPTCHA

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 17 - ReCAPTCHA Inc., a spin-off of Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science Department, has been acquired by Google Inc. The Pittsburgh company developed online puzzles that serve the dual purpose of protecting Web sites and digitizing printed text.

The reCAPTCHA puzzles, which consist of words with distorted letters that computer users must decipher to register for services online or otherwise gain access to a Web site, began as a research project of Luis von Ahn, assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon. ReCAPTCHAs were introduced in 2007 and are used by many leading Web sites. The company, ReCAPTCHA Inc., was founded by von Ahn in 2008.

Like similar CAPTCHA (Completely Automatic Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) puzzles, reCAPTCHAs distinguish human visitors to Web sites from automated intruders. But reCAPTCHAs are created using words from printed texts that current optical character recognition programs are incapable of reading. So when humans solve the puzzle, they also help digitize pre-computer-age books, newspapers and other printed materials.

"Google is the best fit for reCAPTCHA," von Ahn said. "From the very start, people often assumed the project was connected to Google, so it only makes sense that reCAPTCHA Inc. ultimately would find a home within Google."

Multiple ties exist between Google and Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science, von Ahn noted. Many researchers from the two organizations collaborate with each other and Google's Pittsburgh engineering office is situated on Carnegie Mellon's campus. In 2006, Google licensed the ESP Game, an online game devised by von Ahn, for use as the Google Image Labeler.

Von Ahn will remain on the computer science faculty, but will also work at Google's Pittsburgh engineering office.

ReCAPTCHA Inc. is among the startups that have participated in Carnegie Mellon's Project Olympus, which provides advice, incubator space and investor connections to help faculty and students explore the commercial potential of their ideas.

About Carnegie Mellon

Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the fine arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia and Europe. The university is in the midst of a $1 billion fundraising campaign, titled "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.

Federal Court Sides With Industry Icon Karl W. Miller

Dismissing With Prejudice All Claims of Wrongdoing Alleged Against Him by MMC Energy, Inc.

MIAMI, Sept. 16 - Karl W. Miller today announced that the pending Federal suit brought by MMC Energy, Inc. against him, its founder and former Chairman and CEO, was dismissed almost in its entirety by the Federal Court in its September 14, 2009 decision. The Court granted Mr. Miller's motion to dismiss the Company's suit against him on all claims except for breach of contract.

The Federal Court ordered that all of the Company's claims of wrongdoing by Mr. Miller (i.e. fraud and tortuous interference with advantageous business relations) be dismissed with PREJUDICE, indicating that the Company failed to substantiate these false claims with any evidence whatsoever, and was only "vaguely" able to allege injuries sustained.

The Court's decision held that the Company failed to demonstrate that Mr. Miller made any misrepresentations or omissions with respect to any duty he owed to the Company after leaving. The Court also denied the Company's motion seeking a default judgment against Mr. Miller.

As to the remaining allegation of breach of contract, Mr. Miller, a well respected energy industry pioneer and icon, will vigorously defend himself against this claim and the evidence will demonstrate that this claim too is without merit.

Mr. Miller has filed a Federal action against the Company and its Directors in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida for damages in excess of $5,000,000 in addition to substantial punitive damages.

The Federal action filed by Mr. Miller alleges that George Rountree III, the lead independent director of the Company and Chairman of the compensation committee, Sylvia Rountree and Richard Bryan, Chairman of the governance committee, and Chairman and CEO Michael J. Hamilton for fraud, extortion, defamation and their intentional infliction of severe emotional distress.

The company announced that shareholders voted on September 14, 2009 to approve the complete dissolution and liquidation of the company and its assets. The Board of Directors and management of the Company have claimed in SEC filings it is the only alternative to bankruptcy under their stewardship.

George Rountree III and his wife Sylvia Rountree reside in Wilmington, North Carolina. George Rountree III is a partner at the law firm Rountree, Losee and Baldwin. Sylvia Rountree is a member of the Board of Trustees at the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina.

George Rountree, who is a practicing lawyer in Wilmington, North Carolina and is also a member of the board of directors at Southern Union Company, will receive total compensation of at least $334,000.00 when MMC ceases to exist. The Rountrees' holdings are subject to review by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

About Mr. Miller:

Mr. Miller is a globally recognized energy executive and institutional investor with a balance of both financial and energy sector expertise. Mr. Miller began his career on Wall Street during the 1980's and has an extensive background in banking, commodities trading and risk management.

Mr. Miller has a long history in the global energy business and has held a variety of executive management positions both within the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Miller has bid on over $25 billion in energy related assets during his career.

Mr. Miller has built, restructured and managed energy businesses for major public energy companies on several continents, including PG&E Corporation, Electricity de France, El Paso Energy, Enron Corporation and JPMorgan Chase.

Mr. Miller holds an MBA in Finance from the Kennan-Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Mr. Miller also holds a B.A. in Accounting from Catholic University located in Washington DC.

Mr. Miller is currently on medical leave until late 2009.

PA Game Commission Advises Motorists to Watch for Deer

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 16- Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today advised motorists to slow down after sundown and before sunrise to reduce their risk of having a close encounter with a white-tailed deer.

Deer collisions are an annual occurrence that will continue through Thanksgiving week and begin to slow down in mid-December. For the sake of public safety, the Game Commission is urging motorists to drive cautiously after dark for the next several months.

"The personal tragedies and property losses that are caused by deer-vehicle collisions touch the lives of Pennsylvanians statewide," Roe said. "It's an unfortunate and often painful consequence of living with white-tailed deer.

"It's also a shame to see whitetails killed on highways in the weeks before our biggest deer seasons. Obviously, many of these accidents are unavoidable because deer do step into the path of fast-moving vehicles. But driving defensively, or, at the very least, alertly, can give a motorist an edge in many instances."

Roe noted that being knowledgeable about deer can help Pennsylvanians stay out of harm's way. He said that some deer aren't paying close attention to what's going on around them during the fall breeding season, commonly referred to as the "rut."

"During the rut, deer are moving about more than usual," Roe said. "It's a time when deer become preoccupied with finding the opposite sex or staying a few steps ahead of rival suitors. It's a time when this summer's fawns - left alone while does follow nature's calling - sometimes naively wander into troublesome predicaments. It's a time, quite frankly, when deer don't seem to maintain the distance that typically keeps them from dangerously interacting with Pennsylvania motorists."

Roe also noted that drivers shouldn't assume trouble has passed completely when a deer successfully crosses the road.

"Deer frequently travel in family groups and single file," Roe said. "Just because one has crossed, doesn't mean the threat is over. Its crossing could be a signal that others may follow, which they sometimes do blindly."

Some bucks are beginning to chase does. Sometimes these bucks follow closely; other times they pursue with their heads to the ground nosing a scent trail. Also, research conducted by the Game Commission and Penn State University indicates many yearling bucks will be traveling more during the fall.

"After tracking hundreds of radio-collared bucks, we know that half or more of the yearling bucks will be wandering away from the areas where they were born," said Bob Boyd, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management assistant director. "These animals will travel four to five miles on average, but some may travel as far as 25 miles or more. Most of this movement occurs from mid-October through the breeding season in mid-November."

Roe also noted that with the end of daylight savings time scheduled for Nov. 1, more motorists will be driving to and from work at the peak hours of deer activity: dawn and dusk.

Those who are enjoying the outdoors during this colorful time of year, including hunters, also play a role in moving deer during daylight hours. Hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and hunters can flush deer from briar thickets, windbreaks and forested areas.

"If you see people in the vicinity of the road you're traveling, it's probably a good idea to slow down," Roe said. "Since most hunters are wearing fluorescent orange clothing, they're usually very visible to motorists."

Motorists also should slow down whenever farmers are harvesting cornfields because deer are often flushed from fields as farm equipment approaches them.

Drivers who hit a deer with a vehicle are not required to report the accident to the Game Commission. If the deer dies, only Pennsylvania residents may claim the carcass. To do so, they must call the Game Commission region office representing the county where the accident occurred and an agency dispatcher will collect the information needed to provide a free permit number, which the caller should write down. A driver must call within 24 hours of taking possession of the deer.

A passing Pennsylvania motorist also may claim the deer, if the person whose vehicle hit it doesn't want it. Again, the motorist must report taking possession of the deer within 24 hours to the Game Commission.

Antlers from bucks killed in vehicle collisions must be turned over to the Game Commission.

If a deer is struck by a vehicle, but not killed, drivers are urged to stay their distance because some deer may recover and move on. However, if a deer does not move on, or poses a public safety risk, drivers are encouraged to report the incident to a Game Commission regional office or other local law enforcement agency. If the deer must be put down, the Game Commission will direct the proper person to do so.

Other tips for motorists include:
-- Don't count on deer whistles or deer fences to deter deer from
crossing roads in front of you. Stay alert.
-- Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the
shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow
down.
-- Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population; where
deer-crossing signs are posted; places where deer commonly cross
roads; areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland;
and whenever in forested areas between dusk and dawn.

-- Deer do unpredictable things. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the
road when crossing. Sometimes they cross and quickly re-cross back
from where they came. Sometimes they move toward an approaching
vehicle. Assume nothing. Slow down; blow your horn to urge the deer to
leave the road. Stop if the deer stays on the road; don't try to go
around it.


Facts about the Pennsylvania Game Commission: While deer-vehicle collisions are on the increase at this time, which falls in line with the deer breeding season, the other time of year when deer-vehicle collisions increase is in the spring, as does separate from other deer in order to give birth to fawns.

FDA Approves Vaccines for 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus

Approval Provides Important Tool to Fight Pandemic

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved four vaccines against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The vaccines will be distributed nationally after the initial lots become available, which is expected within the next four weeks.


"Today's approval is good news for our nation's response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus," said Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. "This vaccine will help protect individuals from serious illness and death from influenza."

The vaccines are made by CSL Limited, MedImmune LLC, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited, and sanofi pasteur Inc. All four firms manufacture the H1N1 vaccines using the same processes, which have a long record of producing safe seasonal influenza vaccines.

"The H1N1 vaccines approved today undergo the same rigorous FDA manufacturing oversight, product quality testing and lot release procedures that apply to seasonal influenza vaccines," said Jesse Goodman, M.D., FDA acting chief scientist.

Based on preliminary data from adults participating in multiple clinical studies, the 2009 H1N1 vaccines induce a robust immune response in most healthy adults eight to 10 days after a single dose, as occurs with the seasonal influenza vaccine.

Clinical studies under way will provide additional information about the optimal dose in children. The recommendations for dosing will be updated if indicated by findings from those studies. The findings are expected in the near future.

As with the seasonal influenza vaccines, the 2009 H1N1 vaccines are being produced in formulations that contain thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, and in formulations that do not contain thimerosal.

People with severe or life-threatening allergies to chicken eggs, or to any other substance in the vaccine, should not be vaccinated.

In the ongoing clinical studies, the vaccines have been well tolerated. Potential side effects of the H1N1 vaccines are expected to be similar to those of seasonal flu vaccines.

For the injected vaccine, the most common side effect is soreness at the injection site. Other side effects may include mild fever, body aches, and fatigue for a few days after the inoculation. For the nasal spray vaccine, the most common side effects include runny nose or nasal congestion for all ages, sore throats in adults, and -- in children 2 to 6 years old -- fever.

As with any medical product, unexpected or rare serious adverse events may occur. The FDA is working closely with governmental and nongovernmental organizations to enhance the capacity for adverse event monitoring, information sharing and analysis during and after the 2009 H1N1 vaccination program. In the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, these agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccines against three seasonal virus strains are already available and should be used (see information on the seasonal flu). However, they do not protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus.

Amerijet Pilots Approve First Teamsters Contract

Striking Crewmembers Reach Agreement on Wages, Conditions

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 15 - Flight crew members for Amerijet International, a cargo airline, today approved a first contract with the company. This is the pilots' first collective bargaining agreement after five years of negotiations and a strike that began Aug. 27.

The pilots and flight engineers voted 35 to 3 for the contract. The pilots fly Amerijet's five Boeing 727s and two leased Boeing 767s (early 2010) to and from Miami International Airport, the Caribbean Islands and South America.

"We had tremendous industry support for our Amerijet pilots," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. "This contract is a major step forward for the pilots, who first voted for Teamster representation more than five years ago. Now they can look forward to the protections and better wages and working conditions that only a Teamster contract can provide."

The pilots went on strike at the end of a 30-day cooling off period imposed by a federal mediator. The National Mediation Board called both the pilots and the company back to the table on Tuesday, September 8.

Amerijet pilots received support during the strike from Teamster pilots at Atlas Air, Polar Air Cargo and Kalitta, and members of the Teamsters Building and Construction Trades Department. Wide spread industry support came from pilot unions of APA (American Airlines), USAPA (US Air), SWAPA (Southwest Airlines), JetBlue, IPA (UPS Pilots), CAPA (Coalition of Airline Pilots Association), PATCO (Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization), NATCA (National Air Traffic Controllers Association) and ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association). Teamster-represented maintenance workers and cleaners at Miami International Airport refused to cross the picket lines. Other unions in South Florida, the Caribbean and South America supported the strikers including the United Petroleum Workers.

"For me, a major part of the contract, in addition to wages and benefits, was finally succeeding in having a revised sick leave policy and the addition of on-board toilet facilities," said Capt. Kamal Patel, a pilot at Amerijet in Miami. "When we struck Amerijet a couple of weeks ago they going to make us continue working in the unsanitary conditions we've been suffering in. But, now, with the new contract, the addition of toilet facilities is a written part of the agreement. My family can rest easier now that they know that job is protected by a Teamster contract."

"Our negotiating committee held the unit together throughout the five years we spent negotiating and through the tense two weeks we just had on the strike line," said Teamsters Airline Division Director Capt. David Bourne. "I know that the support we received from Teamster pilots, truck drivers, maintenance workers and cleaners added a big push toward agreement on favorable terms. So did help from pilots unions throughout the airline industry."

Teamsters Local 769 in Miami, part of the Teamsters Airline Division, represents 58 flight deck crewmembers employed by Amerijet International, a cargo airline that operates primarily to and from the Miami International Airport and the Caribbean Islands and South America. Teamsters Local 769 represents over 8,000 employees and families throughout South Florida.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was founded in 1903 and represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.


CONTACT: David White of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
+1-202-624-6911, dwhite@teamster.org

America Needs a CDC for Animal Health

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Sept. 15 - The following is an op-ed by Ron DeHaven DVM, MBA, CEO and Executive Vice President, American Veterinary Medical Association, Former Administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (2004-2007):

For more than 60 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta has served our nation's human health care needs with cutting-edge research and scientific innovation. The result has been the control or eradication of some of the most deadly human diseases and illnesses, including smallpox, malaria and Legionnaires disease.

The CDC has rightfully gained international recognition for the monumental results it has achieved in public health, results that have saved countless lives in the United States and abroad.

Today, there is an urgent need to take the highly successful CDC model for human disease diagnostics and research and apply it to animal disease diagnostics and research that will preserve a safe, healthy food supply and a sustainable, successful agriculture infrastructure. It also will provide for critically important protection against zoonotic diseases, which are those traded between humans and animals.

An effort to meet this need with a new facility is already underway. The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) will have the critical mission of diagnosing and developing vaccines and countermeasures for treating, controlling and eradicating disease threats such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever.

These dangerous diseases, if introduced into our nation's food supply, either intentionally or naturally, would have a devastating impact on our country if we are not properly prepared. Indeed, reports such as World at Risk, released last year by former Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) and Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO), have highlighted the serious threat of a terrorist attack on our country using biological weapons.

That is where the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility comes in.

A new NBAF will bring our animal disease research capabilities into the 21st century. The new facility will provide urgently needed state-of-the-art laboratories and a cadre of world-class scientists highly focused on an animal disease research mission designed specifically to safeguard America's dinner table.

As has happened at the CDC, the NBAF will attract some of the best and brightest scholars from across the nation and around the world. These scientists will collaborate, innovate and publish. They will develop technologies and medicines that will spin out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.

In this era of global travel and ever-changing disease threats, veterinarians and farmers alike have appropriately raised concerns about potential disease outbreaks for years. The NBAF is an essential step forward in addressing this national challenge safely and effectively.

The commitment to the NBAF has been solidified by congressional funding for development and design. Reaffirmation of the NBAF research mission by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and inclusion in President Obama's budget underscore the importance of this facility.

This momentum must continue without delay if we are serious about food safety and public health in America. The result will be nothing less than another crown jewel of American science -- in essence, a CDC for animal health.

With the pressing animal disease threats we face today, and the ability of some diseases to jump from animals to humans, the opening of the NBAF can't come a day too soon.

Attorney Todd Tracy Asks Is Toyota Speaking With Big Tobacco's Forked Tongue?

Todd Tracy legal expert on vehicle safety asks Court to Get Toyota To Tell The Truth

DALLAS, Sept. 15- Toyota Motor Corporation's response to revelations by a former company attorney who was a key figure in defending Toyota from accident lawsuits across the country has left victims wondering if Big Tobacco has taken over the Japanese automaker's public relations department.

Dallas Attorney Todd Tracy filed a lawsuit against Toyota in an East Texas federal court on September 8th alleging fraud and racketeering for concealing accident data from the courts and federal safety regulators.

The lawsuit seeks to reopen 16 cases and accuses Toyota of engaging in "a pattern of discovery abuse that is tailor made for a Hollywood movie." Toyota's conduct "is more like a horror movie script to the victims of Toyota's products," the complaint states. Now in the wake of Toyota's response, Tracy says he sees a sequel in the making about corporate abuse of the public.

"I know the name of this horror movie. It's the auto industry's version of Big Tobacco's The Insider, which depicted whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand played by Russell Crowe. Toyota's Jeffrey Wigand is attorney Dimitrios Biller. It's the same screenplay, just a different cast of characters."

Biller played an instrumental role for Toyota's legal department in settling accident cases across the country. Now, the former Toyota attorney, in a federal lawsuit filed in California, accuses his old employer of destroying crash testing information that should have been handed over to victims in approximately 300 rollover accidents.

Toyota countered Tracy's Texas lawsuit stating that Biller's claims are false and violate the terms of his severance package with the automaker. Attorney Todd Tracy says that Toyota's statement demeaning Biller as a vindictive and sue happy ex-employee is a vintage Big Tobacco tactic. "If Dimitrios Biller was such an unethical person as Toyota is trying to portray him, why did the company write him a check for $3.7 million when he resigned? Was it hush money? The U.S. Court system needs to get Toyota to tell the truth to accident victims."

Biller's revelations now leave victims like Beverly Kearney wondering if Toyota shortchanged the legal process in their cases. Tracy says none of the victims in his 16 cases would have accepted a settlement if they had any hint that Toyota was holding back information that was supposed to be turned over the court.

Kearney, The University of Texas women's track and field and cross country coaching legend made an Olympian style comeback from injuries that left her paralyzed from the waist down in the wake of a rollover accident in her Lexus SUV during a Christmas vacation to Disney World in 2002.

Kearney now steadies herself trackside with a cane and grueling rehabilitation sessions continue. President George W. Bush invited her to lunch at the White House in 2004 and hailed her as an inspirational American hero.

Tracy believes another hero of Big Tobacco proportions may be emerging in this case. "It appears from his lawsuit that Dimitrios Biller may have been the lone person with a conscience at Toyota. The more the company slings mud at his reputation, the more I see a sequel to The Insider in the making."

Tracy says Toyota's response to the Texas lawsuit is a lesson in Catch 22 double speak. "On the one hand Toyota's public relations' flacks say the company has filed a motion to seal Biller's complaint. In the next breath they claim Toyota is not seeking to hide the complaint. You can't have it both ways. We hope the American court system will get Toyota to tell the truth."

Case References:
Beverly Kearney et al vs. Toyota Motor Corporation
U.S. District Court For The Eastern District Of Texas Marshall Division
Civil Action No. 2:09-cv-00268

Dimitrios P. Biller vs. Toyota Motor Corporation & more defendants
U.S. District Court For The Central District of California
Case No. 2:09-cv-05429-GH-RZ

Source: The Todd Tracy Law Firm

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Offer 'Mystery Discounts'

Airlines to offer discount off fares to select destinations each day for three days

SEATTLE, Sept. 14 - Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air today announced "Mystery Discounts," in which the carriers will offer a discount off fares to new destinations each day, for three consecutive days, starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14.

"We're offering incredible daily discounts for three days so our customers can plan a fall getaway at a really great price," said Steve Jarvis, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing, sales and customer experience. "We encourage customers to log on to alaskaair.com to check out which new destinations will be highlighted each day."

Mystery Discounts represent a substantial savings off regular fares. They will be revealed Sept. 14, 15 and 16, 2009, at 12:01 a.m. (Pacific time) only through Alaska's Web site, alaskaair.com. The fares will be valid for immediate purchase for 24 hours. Seats are limited and travel dates vary.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK) , together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 and 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction Studies(SM). For reservations, visit alaskaair.com.

Bread for the World Mourns Passing of Norman Borlaug

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 - Bread for the World today mourned the passing of Norman Ernest Borlaug Saturday night, citing him as an outstanding individual who has done more to save people from hunger and starvation than any other person in modern history.

"No single person has contributed more to relieving world hunger than our friend, the late Norman Borlaug," said Rev. David Beckmann, president, Bread for the World. "Norman was truly the man who fed the world, saving up to a billion people from hunger and starvation."

Borlaug was one of the early trustees of Bread for the World, serving from 1975 through 1980. He is considered the father of the Green Revolution. As a plant pathologist, he introduced high-yielding wheat varieties and modern agricultural techniques to Mexico, Pakistan, and India. Mexico became a net exporter of wheat, while wheat yields doubled in Pakistan and India.

"Dr. Borlaug was an advocate as well as a scientist. He convinced many political leaders to do their part in reducing hunger," said Rev. Beckmann, who will officiate during Borlaug's memorial service in Dallas. He warned, however, that recent increases in food prices throughout the world, coupled with the global recession, have set back the progress that has been achieved in the fight against hunger. Today, one out of every six people goes to bed hungry.

"President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton are launching a global initiative to strengthen agriculture and reduce hunger in poor countries. The U.S. led world hunger initiative is the tribute Dr. Borlaug would most appreciate," added Rev. Beckmann.

Borlaug was one of only five people to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal.

He was born March 25, 1914 in a farm in Cresco, IA. Borlaug was 95 years old.

Bread for the World (www.bread.org) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

International Hacker Pleads Guilty for Massive Hacks of U.S. Retail Networks

WASHINGTON- An international computer hacker pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to hacking activity and credit card fraud, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Michael Loucks, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Benton J. Campbell and Director of the U.S. Secret Service Mark Sullivan. More than 40 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen from major U.S. retailers as a result of the hacking activity.

Albert Gonzalez, 28, of Miami, pleaded guilty to 19 counts of conspiracy, computer fraud, wire fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft relating to hacks into numerous major U.S. retailers including TJX Companies, BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble and Sports Authority. Gonzalez was indicted in August 2008 in the District of Massachusetts on charges related to these hacks.

Gonzalez also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud relating to hacks into the Dave & Buster's restaurant chain, which were the subject of a May 2008 indictment in the Eastern District of New York. The pleas in both cases were entered before U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris in federal court in Boston.

"Consumers must be able to trust that the credit and debit cards they use everyday in thousands of stores around the world are safe from unlawful access," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. "Working together with U.S. Attorneys' Offices around the country and with the invaluable support of law enforcement agencies, we will continue our efforts to identify and prosecute hacking and credit card fraud."

"The investigation and prosecution of identity theft is a top priority of the Department," said Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Michael Loucks. "In the past 10 years there has been a dramatic growth in the transfer and storage of credit and debit card data on computer networks. It is thus compellingly important that we work hard to investigate and prosecute the theft of personal identity data that citizens entrust to computer networks every day."

"Computer hacking and identity theft pose serious risks to our commercial, personal and financial security," stated U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Benton J. Campbell. "Hackers, including those who commit their crimes from abroad, will find no refuge from the reach of U.S. criminal justice -- they will be found, prosecuted and convicted."

"Technology has forever changed the way we do business, virtually erasing geographic boundaries," said U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan. "However, this case demonstrates that even in the cyber world, there is no such thing as anonymity. The Secret Service, in conjunction with its many law enforcement partners across the United States and around the world, continues to successfully combat these crimes by adapting our investigative methodologies. We realize our success in this investigation is due in part to the cooperation of these partners in more than a dozen international law enforcement agencies."

According to the indictments to which Gonzalez pleaded guilty, he and his co-conspirators broke into retail credit card payment systems through a series of sophisticated techniques, including "wardriving" and installation of sniffer programs to capture credit and debit card numbers used at these retail stores. Wardriving involves driving around in a car with a laptop computer looking for accessible wireless computer networks of retailers. Using these techniques, Gonzalez and his co-conspirators were able to steal more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from retailers. Also according to the indictments, Gonzalez and his co-conspirators sold the numbers to others for their fraudulent use and engaged in ATM fraud by encoding the data on the magnetic stripes of blank cards and withdrawing tens of thousands of dollars at a time from ATMs. According to the indictments, Gonzalez and his co-conspirators concealed and laundered their fraud proceeds by using anonymous Internet-based currencies both within the United States and abroad, and by channeling funds through bank accounts in Eastern Europe.

Based on the terms of the Boston plea agreement, Gonzalez faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 25 years in prison. Based on the New York plea agreement, Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in prison, which the parties have agreed should run concurrently. He also faces a fine of up to twice the pecuniary gain, twice the victims' pecuniary loss or $250,000, whichever is greatest, per count for the Boston case and a maximum fine of $250,000 for the New York case. Gonzalez also agreed to an order of restitution for the loss suffered by his victims, and forfeiture of more than $2.7 million as well as multiple items of real estate and personal property, including a condo in Miami, a 2006 BMW 330i, a Tiffany diamond ring and Rolex watches. Included in the forfeited currency is more than $1 million in cash, which Gonzalez had buried in a container in his backyard. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 8, 2009.

Gonzalez remains under indictment for charges brought in August 2009 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey of conspiring to hack into computer networks supporting major U.S. retail and financial organizations and steal credit and debit card numbers from those entities. Among the corporate victims named in that indictment are Heartland Payment Systems, a New Jersey-based card payment processor; 7-Eleven Inc., a Texas-based nationwide convenience store chain; and Hannaford Brothers Co. Inc., a Maine-based supermarket chain. Charges in that case remain pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court. While Gonzalez has pleaded guilty to the Boston and New York charges, he has not pleaded guilty to charges pending in New Jersey and remains presumed innocent of those charges.

The Boston case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Heymann and Donald Cabell of the District of Massachusetts. The New York case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Campos of the Eastern District of New York, and Senior Counsel Kimberly Kiefer Peretti and Trial Attorney Evan Williams of the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. All of these cases are being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.

Prepare for College with Ivy West's '2 Minutes to College' Video Scholarship

Video Scholarship Challenge Encourages Students to Achieve Their College Admissions Dreams

LOS ANGELES- With the end of the summer months, high school juniors and seniors are gearing up for college entrance exams. College preparation means being ready - academically and financially. To encourage students as they prepare for college, Ivy West, California's premier provider of one-on-one, in-classroom, online and in-home test preparation for the SAT , PSAT , SAT Subject Tests(TM), ACT and high school admissions tests, is offering the "2 Minutes to College" Video Scholarship contest, with the chance to win $2,000 scholarships. The challenge is open to high school juniors and seniors residing in California, and submissions end on October 10, 2009.

"Today's high school students are submitting, on average, seven to nine college applications, a marked increase from the two to four applications submitted just 10 years ago. This fact, coupled with the reality that a person with a college degree earns over 70 percent more than someone without one, raises the stakes in the college prep environment," said Jen Mathews, Director of Operations for Ivy West. "We understand how expensive and challenging the process of preparing for college can be, and we hope this contest will not only provide a creative outlet for students as they prepare for college, but also give them a chance to win college funding and help them achieve their dreams."

Participating in the video contest is easy. Interested students need to create a video of no more than two (2) minutes in length in which they describe their dream college and explain why the dream college should accept them. The video entry should then be hosted on the video site of their choice. Finally, students should email the active, URL video link to videos@ivywest.com.

Participants must also provide contact information and the name of the high school they are currently attending. A panel of judges will select 25 finalists throughout California from which five (5) $2,000 scholarship winners will be selected. Winners will be notified by November 19, 2009.

To further help local students prepare for college, Ivy West offers a range of programs and partners with families, high schools and community organizations to help students achieve their college admission goals. Ivy West offers academic assistance to prepare for SAT , PSAT , SAT Subject Tests(TM), ACT and high school admissions tests.

In addition to creating the "2 Minutes to College" Video Scholarship contest to help local families fund their children's college education, Ivy West is offering $100 off their custom, one-on-one SAT/ACT test prep program for contest entrants.

"We know how important the SAT/ACT scores are in the college application process, and we are happy to offer a discount, coupled with our scholarship contest, to help area students prepare for college," said Mathews. "Ivy West believes that great tutors, preparation and technique are the cure for testing anxiety; that practice is the key to achieving comfort on tests like the SAT and ACT; and that scores can and will improve with diligent work and focus."

To register for Ivy West's "2 Minutes to College" Video Scholarship, and for more information about the contest's rules and how Ivy West can help build your teenager's confidence to take the test and maximize his or her college potential, visit www.ivywest.com.

About Ivy Wets:

Ivy West is the premier provider of one-on-one, in-home, classroom and online test preparation for the SAT , PSAT , SAT Subject Tests(TM), ACT and high school admissions tests. Ivy West offers a range of programs that are designed to target the test preparation needs of individual students with strategies and instructional pacing that are tailored to students' strengths, weaknesses and testing habits, and tutors are matched to the personality and learning style of students to further enhance the learning experience. Ivy West offers one-on-one, in-home tutoring -- both in-person (face-to-face), and, for SAT preparation, online. Additionally, Ivy West continues to develop and provide new and improved methods for test preparation with innovations like our proprietary PrepMap Assessment(TM), which is the most detailed and prescriptive diagnostic tool available in the test prep industry today. Visit www.ivywest.com for additional details.

AFGE Activists Take Their Issues to the Airwaves on 'Inside Government'

Union members from Department of Defense, Homeland Security and D.C. Government Agencies to Discuss Concerns

WASHINGTON- Activists from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) will shed light on issues facing their agencies this week on AFGE's "Inside Government" radio show. The show will air on Friday, Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. EDT nationwide on Federal News Radio at www.federalnewsradio.com and 1500 AM in the Washington, D.C., area.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council 118 President Patrick Remigio will discuss low staffing and funding levels, and efforts to have Council 118's contract enforced at the agency. Department of Defense Local 2024 Chief Steward Don Hands then will share his concerns about contracting out initiatives and the National Security Personnel System. AFGE Communications Specialist Michael Victorian will discuss the union's Young & Organizing Unionists for the Next Generation (Y.O.U.N.G.) program.

Listeners then will hear from Local Presidents Robert Mayfield (2978), Ben Butler (2741), and Kim Kraynak (332). Mayfield and Butler will highlight issues facing D.C. government workers including the privatization of critical services. Kraynak will share her thoughts on the dire need for collective bargaining rights at the Transportation Security Administration.

"Inside Government" is hosted by AFGE Assistant General Counsel J. Ward Morrow. Programs are archived on the Federal News Radio Web site and can be heard on demand at http://www.federalnewsradio.com/ or http://www.afge.org/insidegovernment. Please note there will be a short advertisement prior to the start of the program. The program also is available via iTunes podcast by clicking here. Users must install iTunes on their computers before accessing "Inside Government" via podcast.

Listeners also can follow the program on Facebook (AFGE Inside Government) and Twitter (afgeradioshow).

For instructions on how to listen to "Inside Government," click here.

"Inside Government" is a one-hour weekly nationwide radio/Internet program dedicated to issues that impact federal and D.C. government employees. The show airs each Friday at 10 a.m. on Federal News Radio 1500 AM in Washington, D.C. and online at www.federalnewsradio.com. It is also available to 70 million iPod users through Apple's iTunes podcast. "Inside Government" is produced by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation's largest federal employee union, representing 600,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.


CONTACT: Jason Fornicola of AFGE, +1-202-639-6448

Pennsylvania Businessman Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced in Puerto Rico Corruption Case

WASHINGTON- Dr. Candido Negron Mella pleaded guilty and was sentenced today for his participation in a corruption scheme involving the 2000 Resident Commissioner campaign of a former governor of Puerto Rico, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez. Negron Mella, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act. He was sentenced to five months in prison and seven months home detention, and was ordered to pay a $14,000 fine by U.S. District Court Judge Robert F. Kelly in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where the case was transferred from the District of Puerto Rico for plea and sentencing.

According to court documents, Negron Mella was a partner in a company that had a professional relationship with a large Medicaid dental provider in the United States that was interested in obtaining a direct dental agreement with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In order to assist that provider in obtaining a contract in Puerto Rico, Negron Mella, along with a co-conspirator, agreed to raise contributions for the campaign of the then-Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Negron Mella admitted he hoped that contributing to the political campaigns would enable him to obtain access to the government of Puerto Rico to promote his business interests.

According to court documents, Negron Mella learned in 2001 that the Resident Commissioner campaign committee was carrying a $150,000 campaign debt. Negron Mella admitted that he was aware he would not be able to retire the entire campaign debt through legal means due to federal laws limiting individual contributions. Therefore, Negron Mella admitted that he and a co-conspirator agreed to use conduit contributions, and requested that their employees, friends and relatives make contributions to the campaign in exchange for reimbursing those employees, friends and relatives for the full amount of their contributions.

Negron Mella and a co-conspirator contributed approximately $39,000 in conduit contributions to the Resident Commissioner campaign committee in 2003, according to court documents. Negron Mella admitted he directly solicited at least $14,000 of the $39,000 in conduit contributions. Negron Mella also admitted that at the time he and his co-conspirator made the conduit contributions to the campaign committee, he knew that the legal limit for federal campaigns was $2,000. In addition, Negron Mella admitted that when he and his co-conspirator made the conduit contributions to the campaign committee, Negron Mella had already contributed the maximum amount allowed by law to the campaign committee, and that he made these conduit contributions in excess of that legal limit knowing he could no longer contribute to the campaign.

Including Negron Mella's guilty plea, 10 defendants have pleaded guilty in the corruption investigation in the District of Puerto Rico. Former Puerto Rico Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila and Luisa Inclan Bird, a legal advisor for the San Juan Resident Commissioner office when Acevedo Vila served as Resident Commissioner, were acquitted on March 20, 2009, of all criminal charges related to the scheme.

This case was prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria A. Dominguez and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ernesto Lopez, Timothy Henwood and Jacqueline Novas of the District of Puerto Rico, and Trial Attorneys Peter M. Koski and Ethan H. Levisohn of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section, which is headed by Chief William M. Welch, II. The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS, with assistance and cooperation from the Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico.

California Nurses/NNOC, Nation's Largest Nurses' Organization, Unanimously Endorses Joining RN Super Union

SAN FRANCISCO - Formation of the largest RN union and professional association in U.S. history took a major step forward Thursday as delegates to the biennial convention of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organization in San Francisco voted unanimously to endorse and join the new union.

National Nurses United, unifying the 86,000-member CNA/NNOC with the United American Nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, in a new 150,000 member national union, is scheduled to hold its founding convention December 7-8 in Scottsdale, Az.

"Let it be known this was a unanimous vote by the House of Delegates," said CNA/NNOC Co-President Deborah Burger, RN, as the hundreds of delegates stood and cheered. "This is truly a historic moment and I hope it sends chills down the backs of those employers who would want to keep us down."

The CNA/NNOC vote came on the heels of a gathering of 1,200 RNs from across the U.S., including large delegations from the UAN and MNA who reaffirmed their commitment to the creation of the NNU to strengthen the ability of direct care RNs to fight to protect and improve patient care conditions and RN standards from coast to coast, to win union representation in an RN union for all un-represented RNs, to pass state and national legislation to protect patients, including national RN-to-patient safe staffing ratios, and to work for guaranteed healthcare for all.

"I don't think we can afford to let this moment pass us by," said UAN Secretary-Treasurer Jean Ross, RN, in a panel on the formation of the NNU.

Noting the stakes for RNs, MNA Executive Director Julie Pinkham said, "The entire health care agenda is up for grabs. It's a sea change -- a great opportunity and a great risk."

After the vote, CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro talked about the power of "nurses from all over our nation coming together and standing tall with one voice, one vision, and one purpose to build the most incredible, powerful, unshakeable force in the history of nursing and health care. A unified, national nurses movement has enormous significance for patients and the ability of RNs to work together to improve care standards and transform our broken healthcare system. For direct care RNs, it means the opportunity to resist the employer onslaught on the nursing profession and secure a better future for RNs and their families."


CONTACT: Charles Idelson, +1-415-559-8991, or Shum Preston,
+1-415-412-0825, both for California Nurses Association

Scott Price appointed as Walmart Asia's President, CEO

Mumbai, Sep 10- Wal-Mart Stores today appointed Scott Price as Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart Asia with effect from October 15.
Price would be responsible for company's operations in Asia, including China, India and Japan as well as business development in Asia region, the company said in a statement here.
Based in Walmart's regional office in Hong Kong, Price will report to Walmart International President and CEO, Doug McMillan.
Prior to this, Price was with DHL Express Europe as Chief Executive Officer.

Tell Your Best Toilet Story on Facebook: Win a Top-Performing Champion

Make us laugh, make us cry, make us cheer. We're just looking for something that moves us

SCATAWAY, N.J., Sept. 9 - With nearly 750 Tweets per week about toilets, there are a lot of toilet stories to be told.


The "Tell Us Your Best Toilet Story" contest from American Standard is the chance to win the best toilet for the best toilet story. Simply submit a paragraph or two about a memorable toilet experience at www.facebook.com/AmericanStandardBrands between September 9 and October 9, 2009, and members of the page will vote for their favorites through October 12, 2009. The grand prize of a Champion 4 toilet, complete with installation and the Champion 4 Slow Close toilet seat will be awarded to the story that receives the highest number of "thumbs up" from readers. Four additional top vote getters will be awarded a free Champion 4 toilet with Champion 4 Slow Close toilet seat.


"Everyone uses toilets, so nearly everyone has a toilet story," said Jeannette Long, American Standard general manager of e-business. "Tell people you work for a plumbing company, and you hear them all: the one about the overflow during the big party or the one about what the kids have tried to flush.


"We figured the best story deserved the best toilet."


Members will vote for the story they are most likely to repeat to friends and family.


There is no purchase necessary to enter or to join the voting. If not a Facebook account holder, there is no fee or charge to become a registered Facebook member. Contest rules are available on American Standard's website, www.americanstandard.com.


Independently Rated to Be a Top Flusher


The Champion 4 itself is a great toilet story. With the widest waterways available to prevent clogging, backed by an unheard-of limited lifetime warranty on all parts, Champion 4 was recently ranked as a top performer by a leading consumer ratings magazine. Champion 4 toilet models have been consistently ranked among the best toilets in the Maximum Performance Testing (MaP) test, now in its 14th edition, conducted by Veritec Consulting, Inc. & Koeller and Company: http://www.cuwcc.org/MaPTesting.aspx.


For more information about American Standard, visit www.americanstandard.com. For more information about the contest, visit www.facebook.com/AmericanStandardBrands, between September 9, 2009 and October 31, 2009.

Keep Moving, Stay Healthy and do everything they love--for life!

Move Free Dancers on Quest to Recruit One Thousand Dancers, Age 50+

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah,- In celebration of September "Healthy Aging Month," The Move Free Dancers, a recreational performing dance troupe of active adults, age 50 and above, are taking their message of the importance of senior fitness and empowerment on the road, on a mission to recruit 1,000 like-minded Move Free Dancers. The Move Free Dancers, sponsored by Schiff , the makers of Move Free Advanced daily dietary supplement for joint health, and led by celebrity choreographer John Paolillo, a.k.a. Johnnie P., are embarking on a six-city "keep moving" tour across America to motivate their peers and indeed, people at all stages of life, to maintain strong, healthy joints and stay physically fit.

In each city, The Move Free Dancers are inviting would-be dance lovers to free, informal "master classes" where they'll be taught an easy, mildly aerobic line dance called "The Move Free Dance." [For more information and to download an instructional video, please visit www.movefreedancers.com.] They'll also be provided information and encouraged to consult with their physicians regarding sensible exercise, proper nutrition and starting a regimen of dietary supplements like Move Free Advanced to comfort their joints. The tour kicks off in New York City on Friday, Sept. 18, at the Hilton Times Square, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. In October, The Move Free Dancers will perform at the AARP annual convention, Vegas@50+, in Las Vegas, Oct. 22 - 24. Other scheduled destinations are San Antonio, TX, in November; Florida's Gold Coast in January, and Southern California in February and March.

Only a generation ago, it was commonly assumed that men and women would hang up their skills and aspirations at what now seems an absurdly youthful age, quietly consigning themselves to the sidelines. Fortunately, it is no longer unusual to encounter active, mature adults in the workplace or any other walk of life. As the image of older Americans has been evolving, the dance community has similarly become more inclusive. Many professional dancers, including the great Mikhail Baryshnikov, are performing well into middle age and beyond. Anyone who longs to dance can reach out, join a class and get moving.

"Dance is more popular than ever these days," Johnnie P. affirms, "and joint discomfort doesn't have to limit one's ability to participate. I should know - this is my livelihood - and when I turned 50, I started to feel stiffness in my joints so I began taking Move Free Advanced. I almost couldn't believe how quickly it worked. All the Move Free Dancers take it, and we sure can move!"

The current troupe of Move Free Dancers has diverse backgrounds but certainly have one thing in common: they are passionate about keeping fit and will not let anything get in their way. From academics to doctors to parents and even grandparents, the Move Free Dancers are in incredible shape -- and spirit!

Their Artistic Director, Johnnie P., has been a busy and highly respected choreographer for more than 15 years. His works reflect an in-depth, interdisciplinary mastery of jazz, modern, funk, tap and hip-hop. He has choreographed and co-directed 11 musicals. He is house choreographer for "LIVE! with Regis and Kelly" and has worked with high profile artists like Queen Latifah, Little Richard and Ben Vereen. He is the creator of the "NYSC/ALL SHOOK UP" and "SWEET CHARITY Broadway Work Out," as well as the founder of The Adrenaline Dance Company.

The Move Free Dancers maintain a healthy and active lifestyle through proper diet, exercise and a regimen of Move Free Advanced, a daily dietary supplement for joint health from Schiff . Move Free Advanced is a proprietary formula that combines Glucosamine and Chondroitin with two cutting-edge, advanced ingredients called Uniflex and Joint Fluid. Move Free Advanced has been clinically tested. And unlike products that just contain Glucosamine and Chondroitin which take up to 4 to 6 weeks to start working, Move Free Advanced starts comforting sore joints in less than 7 days(1) While results may vary from person to person, many consumers report improved comfort and mobility with Move Free Advanced.