RAGING SPEEDHORN To Tour U.S. With NILE
RAGING SPEEDHORN have secured an opening slot on an American tour with NILE in early 2006. More details will be made public as they develop.
In other news, RAGING SPEEDHORN's video for the track "How Much Can A Man Take" will debut on the Fuse network's "Metal Asylum" program on Thursday, July 28. "Metal Asylum" airs Monday through Friday at 11:00 p.m. EST. The video is already in rotation on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball" and on Canada's MuchMusic channel.
RAGING SPEEDHORN's latest album, "How The Great Have Fallen", was released in May via SPV Records. The CD, the group's first with ex-DEFENESTRATION axeman Jaye Thompson, was recorded at London's 2KHZ Studios (THE DARKNESS, THE WILDHEARTS) with producer Joe Barresi (LIMP BIZKIT, BUCKCHERRY, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MONSTER MAGNET, KYUSS).


JFActivist
ADAPT Issues Call for Real Medicaid Reform, DC Rally to be Held Sept. 21st
via ADAPT (6.21.11):
ADAPT Calls on Washington and the States to Endorse Real Medicaid Reform that Protects the Civil Rights of Seniors and People with Disabilities
June 22nd is the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Olmstead, which applied the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to long term services and supports. In that decision, the Supreme Court affirmed that people with disabilities have a civil right to live in the community in the most integrated setting. Twelve years later, members of Congress and state governments are trying to de-fund that right by cutting Medicaid and giving states “flexibility” to cut programs that assist people with disabilities and seniors to live in their own homes and communities.
In response to these harmful federal proposals, ADAPT is launching a campaign for real Medicaid reform that protects people’s liberty in every state of the country. Over the next few months, ADAPT and other disability organizations are mobilizing their members to visit their Congressional and state representatives and organize events in Washington DC and every state. “We need to remind these federal and state policy makers that de-funding Medicaid de-funds our freedom and that is not acceptable,” said Rahnee Patrick, ADAPT Organizer from Chicago.
While Congressional Democrats have vowed to protect seniors and nursing facilities, their current proposals also cut vital home and community-based services that allow seniors and people with disabilities to stay in their own homes. “Congress and state governments need to recognize that the freedom of Americans with disabilities and seniors is a civil rights ‘entitlement’ that they shouldn’t eliminate or diminish,” said Bruce Darling, ADAPT Organizer from Rochester, NY.
The campaign will be highlighted with a rally in Washington DC on Capitol Hill, Wednesday September 21st. ADAPT and the other campaign organizers are urging disability, senior and civil rights organizations in every state to hold their own events this summer and immediately begin working to bring people with disabilities and older Americans to our nation’s capital in September. For more information on the rally, go to ADAPT’s website at www.adapt.org.
ADAPT continues to meet with Congressional representatives and identify ways to contain Medicaid spending that implement people’s right to live in the community and save taxpayer dollars at the same time. These proposals include:
Expand the use of community-based services. Studies have demonstrated that by reducing the over-reliance on institutions and nursing facilities and shifting toward more cost-effective community-based services, states can contain Medicaid spending. Despite the growing body of evidence showing that community-based services are more cost effective, the federal government still allows states to continue their wasteful, institutionally-biased practices...
>>>For the Full Press Release
Mobilize for Medicaid! Please use comments below to share how you are organizing in your area, strategy ideas, thoughts on effective organizing tactics, etc!
Jun 22, 2011 1:07:14 AM | Court Decisions, Current Affairs, Disability Community, Financial, Health Care, Housing, Judicial, Legislative, Long-term Services and Supports, Medicaid, Olmstead, Self-Advocacy, State News
Study Reveals National Average Rents Higher than SSI Payments Received by PWD
via the Arc of Illinois (6.20.11):
New Study Reveals that National Average Rents are Higher than Supplemental Security Income Payments Received by People with Disabilities
Vulnerable People with Disabilities Completely Priced Out of Nation's Housing Market
Washington, D.C. -- The national average rent for a modestly priced one-bedroom apartment is more than the entire amount of Supplemental Security Income received by people with disabilities, according to a new study released today by the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force and the Technical Assistance Collaborative.
The study, titled Priced Out in 2010, reveals that as a national average, people with disabilities living on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) needed to pay 112 percent of their income to rent a modest one-bedroom unit priced at the fair market rent. Rents for smaller studio/efficiency apartments, were 99 percent of SSI..
SSI is a federal program that provides income to people with significant and long term disabilities who are unable to work and have no other source of income and virtually no assets. According to Priced Out, in 2010, a single person SSI household received an average monthly SSI payment of $703 to cover all their basic needs, including housing.
This study makes it crystal clear why vulnerable people with disabilities become homeless or are unable to move out of high-cost institutional settings, said Ann OHara of the Technical Assistance Collaborative, who co-authored the study. As this study shows, a monthly income of only $703 is less than the rent for most apartments, particularly in higher cost housing markets...
>>>For the Full Report...
Have you struggled to make rent on SSI? Please share your experiences in the comments below.
Jun 21, 2011 11:07:04 AM | Current Affairs, Disability Community, Financial, Housing, Social Security
In IL: Settlement Gives 3,000 People with Developmental Disabilities Choice of Community-Based Housing
via the Chicago Tribune (6.15.11):
Deal gives 3,000 developmentally disabled people choice of community-based housing
Settlement gives state 6 years to complete plan
by Lisa Black
State officials will begin drawing up plans to move 3,000 people with developmental and intellectual disabilities into community-based housing of their choice, as directed under a federal settlement approved Wednesday that allows for a six-year timetable.
The governor's office praised the settlement, which will expand services to new residents on a 21,000-member waiting list — but officials offered no answers on how they expect to pay additional costs during Illinois' fiscal crunch.
"The final cost will be determined by how many people elect community-based care," said Januari Smith, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and the Department of Human Services, the defendants in the lawsuit.
>>>For the Full Article...
How do you think IL residents with developmental disabilities will respond to having this option? Share your thoughts in comments below.
Jun 16, 2011 1:22:50 PM | Court Decisions, Current Affairs, Disability Community, Housing, Judicial, Long-term Services and Supports, Self-Advocacy, State News
Do You Support Services in Truly Integrated Settings? Take Action Today!
Via Luda Demikhovskaya (6.13.11):
Push New Medicaid Rules Supporting Services in Truly Integrated Settings by:
TODAY, Tuesday at 5pm!
TAKE ACTION HERE!
Support Proposed Regulations for Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Waivers!
June 13, 2011 -- The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law urges you to support rules proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would help ensure scarce waiver dollars are used to support services in truly integrated settings -- not settings that are institutional in nature!
Use the Bazelon Center's comments as a model, or tell CMS that you agree with our comments. Also, consider telling CMS to include the "qualities of an institution" list in the regulation -- not in the background; and that there is no reason to have separate rules for assisted-living facilities.
Submit Comments by Tuesday, June 14, 5 PM EST electronically via http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions under the "More Search Options" tab.
Include reference code CMS-22296-P.
You can find the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking here.
The Proposed Rules:
Permit states to serve individuals with different types of disabilities in one waiver.
Define "home and community-based."
Include requirements for person-centered planning.
Indicate that waiver services must not be provided in "a building that is also a publicly or privately operated facility that provides inpatient institutional treatment or custodial care; in a building on the grounds of, or immediately adjacent to, a public institution; or a housing complex designed expressly around an individual's diagnosis or disability, as determined by the Secretary."
And, among other things, indicate that waiver services must not be provided in a setting that "has qualities of an institutional setting." CMS notes that such qualities may include regimented meal and sleep times, limitations on visitors, lack of privacy and other attributes that limit individuals' ability to engage freely in the community.
Jun 14, 2011 11:37:46 AM | ***ACTION ALERTS***, Court Decisions, Current Affairs, Disability Community, Financial, Housing, Judicial, Legislative, Long-term Services and Supports, Medicaid, Seclusion & Restraints, Self-Advocacy
180,000 Housing Voucher Turnovers and Transitioning People Out of Institutions
From Steve Gold's Information Bulletin (6.6.11):
Nationally, in 2010, about 9 percent of nearly 2 million Housing Choice Vouchers (a/k/a Section 8 vouchers) are "turned over" each year. In HUD parlance, these are classified as an"attrition rate."
Public Housing Authorities throughout the country, therefore, have "turned over" Housing Choice Vouchers available to issue to people who have previously applied for vouchers but were placed on a "waiting list."
Please be aware that some Housing Authorities may not be able to immediately reissue all vouchers as they turnover. PHAs must manage their program with the funding that is available, which may precludethem from immediately reissuing all vouchers upon turnover.
As you know, because there are long "waiting lists" for these vouchers, many advocates understandably are discouraged with the length of time people must wait until a voucher becomes available.
However, it's very important to remember that these "waiting lists" do move nationally by about 9 percent a year. Some Housing Authorities had 20
- 40 % turnover rate. (Please note turnover data was not available for about 25 "Moving to Work" Housing Authorities, many of which are the large Housing Authorities.)
But a 9% turnover rate means, nationally, there are at least (remember the big MTW authorities are not even included) about 180,000 vouchers potentially available to be issued to people who are on a waiting lists.
It's also important to remember that each Housing Authority may establish preferences for admission to their voucher program. If they do so, they must list the "preferences" for their vouchers in their Section 8 Administrative Plan, which is publicly available. "Preferences" mean exactly what you think. Some categories of people go to the top of the waiting list and others do not.
"Preferences" are supposed to reflect housing "needs" in your community.
In Information Bulletin # 329 (4/4/2011), we summarized the national HUD report entitled "Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities."
>>>To see the HUD report and To Comment...
This Worst Case report does not include persons who are institutionalized in nursing homes, ICFs or Mental Institutions. Advocates know there are many people institutionalized solely because they cannot afford to pay for housing in the community. The nursing home is the Poorhouse of the 21st Century.
What advocates should do:
Advocates for older and disabled Americans should use the HUD "Worst Case" report as a basis for establishing your local "Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities" in your specific county or city.
Obviously, you must include people who are institutionalized to show that persons in institutions are the Worst of the Worst Cases.
You can now approach your Housing Authorities, persuade them that institutionalized people must be give the highest Preference or at the least a certain number of new admissions each year that will be given preference.
Demand that a certain number of Housing Voucher "turn overs"/ "attrition rates" be used to transition people out of these institutions.
Remember, that annually Housing Authorities must write an Annual Plan which is then submitted as part of a Consolidated Plan. These are supposed to reflect housing needs.
Does your Housing Authority (including the 25 MTW authorities) give a "preference" for persons with disabilities who are in institutionalized because they cannot afford to live in the community? Does it even list these people as having a "need."? Have you met with your Housing Authority officials to discuss revising their Voucher "preferences" so that people with disabilities in institutions become a high preference?
Have you discussed potentially use these Vouchers so that people with disabilities could leave the institution?
What about discussing this option with your State Money Follows the Person officials? With your Medicaid officials? With your Governor's office which wants desperately to save general revenue funds?
-Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues
Jun 7, 2011 11:07:47 AM | Current Affairs, Disability Community, Disability Culture, Financial, Housing, Long-term Services and Supports, State News
A System in Disarray: Mistreatment and Mismanagement at NY Institutions for People with Developmental Disabilities
via the NY Times (6.5.11):
A Disabled Boy’s Death, and a System in Disarray
by Danny Hakim
...On a February afternoon in 2007, Jonathan, a skinny, autistic 13-year-old, was asphyxiated, slowly crushed to death in the back seat of a van by a state employee who had worked nearly 200 hours without a day off over 15 days. The employee, a ninth-grade dropout with a criminal conviction for selling marijuana, had been on duty during at least one previous episode of alleged abuse involving Jonathan...
In the front seat of the van, the driver, another state worker at Oswald D. Heck Developmental Center, watched through the rear-view mirror but said little. He had been fired from four different private providers of services to the developmentally disabled before the state hired him to care for the same vulnerable population.
O. D. Heck is one of nine large institutions in New York that house the developmentally disabled, those with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and other conditions.
These institutions spend two and a half times as much money, per resident, as the thousands of smaller group homes that care for far more of the 135,000 developmentally disabled New Yorkers receiving services.
But the institutions are hardly a model: Those who run them have tolerated physical and psychological abuse, knowingly hired unqualified workers, ignored complaints by whistle-blowers and failed to credibly investigate cases of abuse and neglect, according to a review by The New York Times of thousands of state records and court documents, along with interviews of current and former employees...
How can recorded accounts of these institutions' mistreatment of residents and irresponsible management of funding be used to advocate for quality living situations for people with developmental disabilities? Please share your thoughts in comments below.
Jun 6, 2011 2:54:17 PM | Abuse, Americans with Disabilities Act, Bullying, Careers, Court Decisions, Crimes Against People with Disabilities, Current Affairs, Disability Community, Disability Culture, Disability History, Disability Statistics, Disability Stereotypes, Discrimination, Education, Emergency Preparedness, Employment, Financial, Health Care, Housing, jobs, Legislative, Long-term Services and Supports, Medicaid, Medicare, Public Attitudes, Research, Seclusion & Restraints, Self-Advocacy, Seniors, Social Security, State News, Transportation, Youth with Disabilities
National Ranking of Disability Services Released: Where Does Your State Stand?
via DisabilityScoop.com (4.28.11):
Vermont Tops National Ranking Of Disability Services
Vermont offers the best Medicaid services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities while Mississippi provides the worst, according to an annual ranking released Thursday.
The 50-state analysis from United Cerebral Palsy compares services offered across the country, giving preference to states where more individuals are served in the community as opposed to institutions.
Vermont, Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire and California fare best in the ranking. Meanwhile, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi round out the bottom of the list. (Find out where your state stands >>)...
>>>For the Full Article
How do you feel this study relates to your personal experiences in your own state? Please share your thoughts in comments below.
Jun 6, 2011 11:37:21 AM | Americans with Disabilities Act, Current Affairs, Disability Community, Disability Culture, Disability History, Disability Statistics, Education, Employment, Financial, Health Care, Housing, jobs, Leadership Development, Legislative, Long-term Services and Supports, Medicaid, Medicare, Public Attitudes, Research, Seclusion & Restraints, Self-Advocacy, Seniors, Social Security, State News, Youth with Disabilities
White House Monthly Disability Briefing
via AAPD (5.26.11):
U.S. Departments of Transportation, Education and Labor Report Progress in Disability Rights Advocacy
By Jenifer Simpson, Government Affairs, AAPD
On Thursday May 27, 2011 AAPD participated again in the monthly disability outreach call that is hosted by Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. This briefing focused on recent efforts and some updates by the U.S. Departments of Transportation (DOT), Education (DOE) and Labor (DOL) on steps they are taking to implement and enforce non-discrimination of people with disabilities.
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, provided an update of his department’s various efforts to ensure accessible transportation, stating that accessibility is “One of our highest priorities at DOT,” and noted the importance of accessible transportation to employment, shopping and other activities. He also stated that “All people have physical limitations and all can expect disabilities as they get older.”
Travel: He said DOT will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA) in the fall with an event. He mentioned the ADA regulations issued in 2010 that ensure that boats and ships don't discriminate, that is, vessel operators cannot charge extra for accessibility related services, cannot require someone to have an attendant and must have knowledgeable people available with information about accessibility and to resolve concerns of people with disabilities. He also said DOT was working with the U.S. Access Board on several rulemakings for construction guidelines for passenger vessels and on accessible public rights of way, such as streets, sidewalks and intersections. He said that they were also working to finalize regulations on new and altered rail stations so people with disabilities can have access.
Airplanes and Airports: LaHood said DOT would issue Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) soon. One will focus on airport and airline accessibility such as check-in areas, kiosks, airline websites, accessibility of in-flight entertainment, toilets on single-aisle planes, and service animals for psychiatric support. Another NPRM will focus on airport services such as service animal relief areas, captioning of waiting area TVs, and lifts used for getting on planes.
Enforcement: LaHood reported on DOT efforts to conduct better ACAA enforcement noting settlements with air carriers last year and civil penalties ranging from$125,000 to over $2 million, the largest ever assessed by DOT for a non safety-related violation.
Russlynn Ali, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) then spoke about the Office of Civil Rights division (OCR) at DOE and made an announcement about accessible technology in education.
Enforcement: She said that OCR has twelve regional offices around the nation that enforce Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA. She said these offices field complaints from everyone and urged call listeners to contact these regional offices. She said that “Secretary Duncan wants to work proactively with schools, colleges and universities to ensure non-discrimination” and “to help with compliance on front end.” She said they have conducted nineteen compliance reviews over past the past two years, leading to improving education opportunities for many students with disabilities.
Accessible Technology: In follow-up guidance that DOE sent in June 2010 to college and university presidents on accessible E-book readers and other technology, Assistant Secretary Ali has now sent a new guidance letter on technology for students with disabilities. This “Dear Colleague” letter was sent to elementary and secondary schools, institutions of higher education, school boards, school superintendents and others on May 26, 2011. Ali said the new guidance “makes it clear that any emerging technologies, especially E-book readers, needed to be fully accessible” or other accommodations to disability “made in a timely way.” She said that the guidance includes an FAQ and other material and suggestions for teachers and others be as proactive and responsive as possible. Letters and Guidance are below.
Patricia Shiu, the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) at the U.S. Department of Labor then spoke. She said OFCCP “is totally committed to full employment of people with disabilities, to have access to good jobs and to retain those jobs.” She noted that her office is one thirty of federal agencies that enforces civil rights and is “on the front lines for those who seek work and who are at work.” She said that “OFCCP was born in civil rights era.” She said that “those who contract and subcontract with the federal government must not discriminate in employment,” adding that “taxpayer dollars should never be used to discriminate.”
She said that one in four Americans works for a company with a federal contract, which is about 200,000 companies who receive over $700 million dollars annually. She said “enforcement actions should have positive ripple effect,” and her office has “a legal and moral responsibility to the public trust we hold.” She added that “being a federal contractor is a privilege, not a right, and they must abide by the law.”
New Regulations: Shiu said they were in the process of reforming the current OFCCP regulations. Last July 2010 they began the process with an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Section 503 non-discrimination requirements in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. With receipt of comments from the ANPRM they have drafted a Proposed Rule on affirmative action and non-discrimination obligations of federal contractors and their subcontractors, sent to OMB on May 24, 2011, and which is under interagency review before it will be released for further public comments.
Ms. Shiu spoke about herself briefly, saying she had been a civil rights attorney for over 26 years, representing immigrants, people for whom English is a second language, garment workers, African American factory workers and people with disabilities. She said that “work is not about a paycheck but also about respect and self worth and financial security.” She added that “Workers want to be valued and want to work.” She also reiterated the Administration’s commitment to hire 100,000 people with disabilities over the next five years and that DOL is working on that.
Housing Lawsuit: Following these federal department updates, Kareem Dale provided some updates such as on the recent filing of a suit by US DOJ against the owners, developers, designers and construction company for nine multi-family housing buildings in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. These complexes comprise over 2,000 apartments and the investigation is looking at accessibility of the apartments and access to the leasing offices among other issues.
Accessible Money: Kareem Dale then mentioned the recent release by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving of a free downloadable app called “Eye Note.” This can be used by blind people on I-phones to read the denomination of money. Dale noted how “Technology when accessible, gives access” and send he uses the app himself.
Presidential Citizen’s Medal: Dale said that the White House was still receiving nominations for the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal, and that the close date was May 31 and encouraged listeners of the call to visit the website, see who has been nominated or to submit a nomination.
Further information from the briefing:--
DOJ Housing Discrimination Press Release, at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/May/11-ag-646.html
Education Department materials:
To read the Dear Colleague Letter to elementary and secondary schools, see http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201105-ese.html.
To read the Dear Colleague Letter to institutions of higher education, see http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201105-pse.html.
The FAQ is available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-ebook-faq-201105.html. To read the June 29, 2010 letter, see http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20100629.html .
Federal Contract Compliance: DOL-OFCCP, more information at http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/
Air Travel: DOT-ACAA, more information at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/disabled.htm
Presidential Citizens Medal: To nominate someone, go to the website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal
How do you feel about the steps DOL, DOT, and DOE are taking to implement and enforce non-discrimination of people with disabilities? Please share your thoughts in comments below.
Jun 3, 2011 9:04:20 AM | AAPD, Abuse, Americans with Disabilities Act, Careers, Court Decisions, Crimes Against People with Disabilities, Current Affairs, Disability Community, Disability Culture, Disability History, Disability Statistics, Disability Stereotypes, Discrimination, Education, Employment, Financial, Housing, jobs, Judicial, Leadership Development, Legislative, Long-term Services and Supports, Public Attitudes, Research, Seclusion & Restraints, Self-Advocacy, Technology / Telecommunications, Web/Tech
Action Alert -- Tell U.S. Congress "Don't Slash Medicaid!"
From AAPD (6.2.11):
Tell U.S. Congress: “Don't Slash Medicaid!”
Contact your Representatives and Senators to advocate against more proposals to slash funding for Medicaid.
It is critically important that Congress be made aware of our strong opposition to large cuts in the federal funding for Medicaid. These cuts are under serious consideration in on-going discussions in a current legislative package. The discussion involves linking an increase in the total amount of debt the federal government can incur with cuts in annual federal spending. The deadline for this legislative package is now set at August 3. This is the date on which the federal government believes it will be unable to pay existing debt if the debt ceiling is not increased. Our voices must be heard before then!
Background: There is a consensus that a failure to increase the debt ceiling by August 3 would have catastrophic consequences for the United States and global economies. At the same time, it is believed that it will not be possible to pass legislation to raise the debt ceiling without accompanying legislation to reduce the annual federal budget deficit.
In discussions about reducing federal spending, Medicaid is a natural target. In fiscal 2011, Medicaid cost $275 billion, about 7.6% of all federal spending. The cost will increase significantly over the next decade due to an aging population and increases in medical costs. The pressure to cut Medicaid will intensify because it will be difficult to make substantial cuts in the other large entitlement programs, Social Security and Medicare, because they have larger constituencies than Medicaid.
Proposals: There are a number of pending concepts for reducing Medicaid, and it may not be clear until close to August 3 which proposals will be seriously considered. In these circumstances the best approach for supporters of Medicaid is to make every Member of Congress (and the Administration) aware of our strong opposition to any proposals which would make major cuts. Our opposition needs to be expressed early and often.
Ryan Plan: The most prominent proposal is the Ryan plan that passed the House in May. The Ryan plan would reduce Medicaid funding by about $772 billion (about 35%) over the next decade compared to a status quo program. It would be left to the states to limit their programs to deal with reduced federal support. They are likely to curtail the services they cover and limit eligibility. The Ryan plan is unlikely to be accepted by the Senate.
Other proposals: These are generally less specific than Ryan’s plan. Most would also lead to major cuts and consequential changes at the state level. These include proposals to limit all federal spending to a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or to impose this type of limit on all health care programs, or all entitlement programs. It would be difficult to meet these limits without major cuts in Medicaid.
Suggested Disability Talking Points:
Medicaid is critical for the health care of 8 million people with disabilities.
Medicaid pays for wheelchairs and prosthetic devices for people with disabilities such as spinal chord injury, cerebral palsy and other disabilities.
Medicaid pays for prescription drugs for persons with mental illnesses and epilepsy and other medical conditions.
Medicaid pays for programs to enable people with intellectual disabilities to live and work in the community.
Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis & Treatment program helps identify children’s disabilities early and gets them the care they need.
Pending proposals for “block grants” and “global spending caps” would undermine these important programs by reducing funding for Medicaid. They would deny health and long term care to millions of vulnerable Americans.
The Ryan block grant plan would reduce funding over the next 10 years by $772 billion (35%) compared to continuation of the status quo. Global spending cap proposals would also lead to substantial reductions in Medicaid funding.
Reduced federal funding would compel the states -- that have serious financial problems of their own -- to sharply restrict enrollment, eligibility and benefits for the populations they now serve. These changes could impact many of the current waivers that support community-based living for people with disabilities. The changes could have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to enhance their ability to live and work in their communities and to avoid costly and unnecessary institutionalizations.
Ten Advocacy Steps
Write or e-mail your Representatives and Senators today.
Call your two U.S. Senators and U.S. House Representative in their local state offices to set up a time to meet when they are home next. Under the current schedule:
U.S. House Members are expected to be in their districts June 4-12, June 25-July 5, and July 16-24. Make an appointment today!
To determine who is your U.S. Congressional Representative, please go to the official site at https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
To find out your U.S. Congressional Representative’s local address and phone numbers, go to http://www.house.gov/
Senators are scheduled for a recess July 2-10. To find your U.S. Senator, go to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
This list includes their Senate address and phone numbers. If you can only get a meeting with a staff person, do that too.
If you or someone you know with a disability benefits from Medicaid directly, be sure to mention that at the meeting.
Be sure to write a letter (send snail mail) using the Talking Points above; organize a “Save Medicaid for Us” Letter Writing event.
Go to Members’ websites and write them Emails or fill out the online form and let your opinion be heard. Organize an “Email to Save Medicaid” party.
If Members hold Town Meetings, show up, sit at the front and make the points above. If you have facts and figures about your state Medicaid program, be sure to mention that at the meeting. Tell ‘em what the cuts would really mean to you! Remember, personal stories stick in Members’ minds.
Be sure to state that you are a “registered voter” in any letter or at any Town Meeting.
If you are not a registered voter, go to your state election website at http://tinyurl.com/29x7g5a and register today!
If you see letters to the editor or op eds or TV news items decrying wasteful Medicaid spending, be sure to respond quickly using the Talking Points above.
Let AAPD know what you hear or learn in your meetings, via email to Policy@aapd.com We can take your information – without your name -- with us when we meet any Congressional Members or Administration officials.
Jun 2, 2011 5:29:08 PM | ***ACTION ALERTS***, AAPD, Court Decisions, Current Affairs, Disability Community, Disability Culture, Disability History, Disability Statistics, Discrimination, Financial, Health Care, Housing, Judicial, Legislative, Long-term Services and Supports, Medicaid, Medicare, Public Attitudes, Research, Seclusion & Restraints, Self-Advocacy, Seniors, Social Security, State News, Technology / Telecommunications, Youth with Disabilities
Judge Rotenberg School Founder Steps Down After Indictment
From Disability Rights International (5.26.11):
Director of Massachusetts "Shock School" Resigns After Being Indicted on Criminal Charges
Dear Supporters,
Today, we can celebrate a small victory. The director of the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) of Massachusetts, which uses electric shocks to punish children and young adults with disabilities, has resigned in the face of criminal charges. Disability Rights International documented the use of electric shock and long-term restraints at this facility in our report Torture not Treatment published last year.
Matthew Israel, founder and director of JRC, was charged with misleading a grand jury and destroying evidence in relation to an incident in 2007 in which a prank phone call to the center from a person posing as an employee led to two children with disabilities being given dozens of electrical shocks for absolutely no reason. One of these children was restrained and given 77 shocks over three hours.
Yesterday, Israel accepted a court settlement which requires him to resign as director, and sentences him to five years of probation...
>>> For More from DRI
More Coverage Below
via The Washington Examiner (5.25.11):
Court indicts founder of Mass. special-education school
via NPR (5.26.11):
Founder Forced To Leave Controversial Special Needs School
via the Canton Patch (5.26.11):
Judge Rotenberg Center's Founder Responds to Indictment, Allegations
via The Boston Globe (5.25.11):
Rotenberg founder set to face charges
Matthew Israel's tactics have been condemned as barbaric and savage by many top medical and mental health professionals.
By Patricia Wen and Brian McGrory
The founder of the controversial Judge Rotenberg Educational Center is scheduled to face criminal charges in Dedham today arising from a night in 2007 when two special needs teenagers at the center were wrongfully administered dozens of electrical shocks, according to the father of one of the victims and another person with knowledge about the case.
In a deal reached with the state attorney general's office, Matthew Israel, 77, is expected to be spared prison time in return for stepping down from the Canton-based center that he founded 40 years ago and accepting a five-year probationary term, said Charles Dumas, the father of one of the two victims in the 2007 case who said he spoke yesterday with prosecutors. As part of the agreement, the school's day-to-day activities will also be overseen by a court-approved monitor...
The Rotenberg Center consistently receives state approval to continuing operating, despite administering skin-shock treatments to students as a disciplinary measure. How can this story be used to advocate against the use of seclusion and restraints? Share your thoughts in comments below.
May 26, 2011 2:41:06 PM | Abuse, Court Decisions, Crimes Against People with Disabilities, Disability Community, Education, Housing, Judicial, Long-term Services and Supports, Seclusion & Restraints, State News, Youth with Disabilities
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Frankie Mastrangelo is the moderator for both the Justice For All (JFA) national email listerv as well as for the JFActivist blog. She is also an organizer for the American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington, D.C.
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Cameron Kent
Cameron Kent is a journalist and writer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has published five novels: The Road to Devotion, When the Ravens Die, Make Me Disappear, The Sea is Silent, and Mayor Molly. His screenwriting credits include four films which have aired on NBC, HBO, Lifetime, and at the American Film Institute.
As a reporter and news anchor for WXII-12 News in Winston-Salem, Kent was nominated for 14 Emmy Awards, and won an Emmy for his reporting on the Pentagon after 9/11. In 2018 he was inducted into the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
He is originally from Alexandria, Virginia, and a graduate of Wake Forest University. His entire family is very active with Habitat for Humanity.
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Lyle, John McIntosh
LYLE, John McIntosh (1872-1945)
(biography in preparation)
The following list of Lyle's principal executed works is based on source material noted below and on the comprehensive list of commissions compiled by Geoffrey Hunt and printed in his exhibition catalogue entitled John M. Lyle - Towards a Canadian Architecture, 1982. A supplementary list can be found in the recent monograph on Lyle written by Glenn McArthur entitled A Progressive Traditionalist: John M. Lyle Architect, 2009, 203-07.
BANKS IN TORONTO
IMPERIAL BANK, Bloor Street West at Lansdowne Avenue, 1907 (Toronto b.p. 6463, 1 March 1907; dwgs. at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Archives, Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Queen Street East at Lee Avenue, 1911 (Toronto b.p. 25099, 30 Jan. 1911; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Bloor Street West at Dovercourt Road, 1911 (Toronto b.p. 25107, 31 Jan. 1911; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Bloor Street East at Sherbourne Street, 1911 (Toronto b.p. 31443, 8 Nov. 1911; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, St. Clair Avenue West at Vaughan Road, 1911 (Toronto b.p. 25104, 31 Jan 1911)
BANK OF OTTAWA, Broadview Avenue at Gerrard Street East, 1911 (Toronto b.p. 26410, 20 April 1911; Const., v, May 1912, 90-1, illus.; dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
BANK OF OTTAWA, Queen Street East at Pape Avenue, 1912 (Toronto b.p. 36850, 23 Aug. 1912; dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, St. Clair Avenue West at Dufferin Street, 1912 (Toronto b.p. 35844, 6 July 1912; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
BANK OF OTTAWA, Danforth Avenue at Logan Avenue, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 23 April 1913, 67)
STERLING BANK, Church Street at Dundas Street East, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 4082, 12 May 1913; C.R., xxvii, 23 July 1913, 74)
DOMINION BANK, Roncesvalles Avenue at Howard Park Avenue, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 11497, 12 May 1914; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Danforth Avenue at Logan Avenue, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 12589, 19 June 1914; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Dundas Street West at McCaul Street, 1914; demol. (Toronto b.p. 13208, 13 July 1914)
BANK OF TORONTO, Dundas Street West at Ossington Avenue, 1918 (Const., xi, April 1918, 116, illus.; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Dundas Street West at Medland Street, 1918 (dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Dupont Street at Christie Street, 1920 (Toronto b.p. 28745, 1 March 1920; Const., xv, May 1922, 146-49, illus.)
BANK OF TORONTO, St. Clair Avenue West at Christie Street, 1920 (Toronto b.p. 30756, 6 May 1920; Const., xv, May 1922, 146-49, illus.)
BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA, New Toronto, Lake Shore Road at Sixth Street, 1920 (dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, New Toronto, Lake Shore Boulevard West at Ninth Street, 1920 (C.R., xxxiv, 12 May 1920, 55)
DOMINION BANK, Dufferin Street at Lappin Avenue, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 37801, 1 April 1921; Const., xv, May 1922, 146-49, illus.)
DOMINION BANK, Bloor Street West at Runnymede Road, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 41624, 19 July 1921; Const., xv, May 1922, 146-49, illus.)
DOMINION BANK, Yonge Street at Eglinton Avenue East., 1922 (Toronto b.p. 54108, 7 Sept. 1922)
BANK OF TORONTO, College Street near Dovercourt Road, 1922 (Const., xv, May 1922, 146-49, illus.)
DOMINION BANK, Dundas Street West at Runnymede Road, 1924 (Toronto b.p. 73839, 28 Aug. 1924)
DOMINION BANK, Davenport Road at Laughton Avenue, 1927 (Toronto b.p. 97344, 7 April 1927)
DOMINION BANK, Long Branch, Lakeshore Boulevard West, 1928 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xiv, Sept. 1937, 176-78, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
DOMINION BANK, Scarborough, Danforth Avenue at Danforth Road, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 11 April 1928, 57)
DOMINION BANK, Yonge Street at Gerrard Street West, 1929-30 (Telegram [Toronto], 23 Sept. 1930, 13, illus. & descrip.; Const., xxiv, Feb. 1931, 47-8, 50-52, illus. & descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, ix, March 1932, 67, illus.; xiv, Sept. 1937, 178-79, illus. & descrip.; W. Dendy & W. Kilbourn, Toronto Observed, 1986, 224-25, illus. & descrip.)
DOMINION BANK, Davenport Road at Dovercourt Road, Toronto, 1929 (Toronto b.p. B5263, 15 March 1929)
DOMINION BANK, Yonge Street at Marlborough Avenue, 1929 (Toronto b.p. B8043, 5 June 1929; R.A.I.C. Journal, xiv, Sept. 1937, 176-77, illus.)
DOMINION BANK, Yonge Street at Lawrence Avenue West, 1929 (Toronto b.p. 12437, 9 Nov. 1929; R.A.I.C. Journal, xiv, Sept. 1937, 176, 178, illus. & descrip.)
DOMINION BANK, Avenue Road at Davenport Road, 1931 (Toronto b.p. 22665, 2 April 1931; R.A.I.C. Journal, ix, March 1932, 68, illus.)
DOMINION BANK, Old Forest Hill Road at Eglinton Avenue West, 1933 (Toronto Dominion Bank Archives, correspondence)
BANKS OUTSIDE TORONTO
WINDSOR, N.S., Bank of Nova Scotia, 1908 (dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
CORNWALL, ONT., Sterling Bank, c. 1910 (G. Hunt, 134)
PALMERSTON, ONT., Sterling Bank, c. 1910 (G. Hunt, l34)
WATFORD, ONT., Sterling Bank, c. 1910 (G. Hunt, 134)
PORT DALHOUSIE, ONT., Sterling Bank, c. 1910 (G. Hunt, 134)
HAMILTON, ONT., Imperial Bank, James Street South, 1910-11; demol. 1961 (C.R., xxiv, 16 Nov. 1910, 28, t.c.)
PETROLIA, ONT., Metropolitan Bank, 1911 (dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
ST. CATHARINES, ONT., Sterling Bank, St. Paul Street, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 27 March 1912, 72; St. Catharines Daily Standard, 31 Dec. 1912, 1, descrip.)
OSHAWA, ONT., Dominion Bank, 1917 (C.R., xxxi, 11 April 1917, 43, t.c.)
PRESTON, ONT., Bank of Toronto, 1919 (C.R., xxxiii, 23 July 1919, 43, t.c.)
MEAFORD, ONT., Bank of Toronto, 1919 (dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
ORILLIA, ONT., Dominion Bank, 1919 (C.R., xxxiii, 8 Oct. 1919, 46, t.c.)
ST. ANDREWS, N.B., Bank of Nova Scotia, Water Street at King Street, 1920 (J. Leroux & T. Holownia, St. Andrews Architecture 1604-1966, 2010, Item 17, illus.)
dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
OTTAWA, ONT., Bank of Nova Scotia, Sparks Street, 1923-24 (Ottawa Journal, 16 Feb. 1925, 10 and 16, illus. & descrip.; Const., xviii, March 1925, 70-75, 86, illus. & descrip.; C.R., xxxix, 8 April 1925, 350, illus. & descrip.; Architectural Forum [New York], xlviii, June 1928, 809-10, illus.; H. Kalman, History of Canadian Architecture, 1994, 754-5, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
TIMMINS, ONT., Dominion Bank, 1923 (C.R., xxxviii, 13 Feb. 1924, 65, illus. in advert.)
HUNTSVILLE, ONT, Dominion Bank, 1925 (dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
(with D.J. Spence) MONTREAL, QUE., Dominion Bank, Bleury Street at Ste. Catherine Street West, 1927-28 (R.A.I.C. Journal, vi, March 1929, 84, illus.; xiv, Sept. 1937, 179-80, illus. & descrip.)
GRAVENHURST, ONT., Dominion Bank, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 21 March 1928, 68, t.c.; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
HAMILTON, ONT., Dominion Bank, Barton Street East at Kenilworth Avenue North, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 2 January 1929, 46; dwgs. at Toronto Dominion Bank, Premises Div., Toronto)
CALGARY, ALTA., Bank of Nova Scotia, Eighth Avenue West, 1929 (R.A.I.C. Journal, viii, March 1931, 80; xiv, Sept. 1937, 179-80, illus.; Calgary Herald, 23 Jan 1930, 22, illus. & descrip.; H. Kalman, History of Canadian Architecture, 1994, 755-6, illus. & descrip.; Tim Morawetz, Art Deco Architecture Across Canada, 2017, 17-19, illus. & descrip; dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
OSHAWA, ONT., Central Canada Loan & Savings Co., Simcoe Street North, 1929 (R.A.I.C. Journal, viii, March 1931, 80, 85, illus. & descrip.)
(with Andrew R. Cobb) HALIFAX, N.S., Bank of Nova Scotia, Head Office Building, Hollis Street at Prince Street, 1930-31 (R.A.I.C. Journal, ix, Jan. 1932, 2, 5-13, illus. & descrip.; March 1932, 66, 68, illus.; Halifax Herald, 3 Aug. 1931, 8; 4 Aug. 1931, 6, illus. & descrip.; Money Matters-A Critical Look at Bank Architecture, 1990, 169-71, 219-21, illus.; Tim Morawetz, Art Deco Architecture Across Canada, 2017, 21-23, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
WINGHAM, ONT., Dominion Bank, 1933 (G. Hunt, 140)
SUDBURY, ONT., Dominion Bank, Durham Street South, 1937 (G. Hunt, 141)
SAINT JOHN, N.B., Bank of Nova Scotia, Charlotte Street, 1939 (C.R., lii, 19 April 1939, 45; dwgs. at Bank of Nova Scotia Archives, Toronto)
(works in Toronto unless noted)
HAMILTON, ONT., "Gateside", a residence for William Hendrie Jr., Aberdeen Avenue at Ravenscliffe Avenue, 1905 (Spectator [Hamilton], 4 Aug. 1905; inf. Robert Hamilton, Hamilton, Ont.)
BEDFORD ROAD, at Elgin Avenue, for Alexander Bruce, 1906 (Toronto b.p. 4356, 22 June 1906)
BEAUMONT ROAD, near the Glen Road Bridge, for George Robinson (Toronto b.p. 5046, 25 Aug. 1906; Const., iii, July 1910, 79, illus.)
AVONDALE ROAD, residence for the architect, 1908 (Const., iv, Nov. 1911, 66-68, illus. & descrip.; C.H.G., x, Sept. 1933, 14-15, illus.; xvi, May 1939, 38-39, illus.)
JARVIS STREET, at Wellesley Street East, residence of Sir William Mulock, new sunroom and conservatory, 1909 (Toronto b.p. 16128, 29 June 1909; Const., v, Dec. 1911, 60-63, illus.)
ST. CLAIR AVENUE WEST, near Deer Park Crescent, for Hugh S. Steven, 1910 (Const., iii, July 1910, 80)
WELLS HILL ROAD, at Walmer Road, for John Bayne MacLean, 1911 (Const., iv, Nov. 1911, 52-56, illus.; Toronto Society of Architects Exhibit Catalogue, 1912, 135, illus.; Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, 80 for 80: Celebrating 80 Years of the A.C.O., 2013, 162-63, illus. & descrip.)
NANTON AVENUE, at Elm Avenue, for W.R. Johnston, 1911 (Const., v, Dec. 1911, 60-63, illus.)
CARLAW AVENUE, at Wroxeter Avenue, for George Oakley, 1912 (dwgs. at Building Records Div., City of Toronto)
ROSEDALE ROAD, near Arundel Road, for John L. Coulson, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 5073, 14 June 1913; R.A.I.C. Journal, v, July 1928, 258, illus.; OA, Kertland Coll., 485)
GLENROSE AVENUE, for John B. Hutchins, 1921 (OA, Kertland Coll., 99)
CLUNY AVENUE, at Rosedale Road, for G. Temple McMurrich, 1921 (OA, Kertland Coll., 101)
ROSEDALE ROAD, at Cluny Avenue, for Ernest G. West, 1922 (Toronto b.p. 47870, 30 March 1922)
FOREST HILL ROAD, for Clarence A. Bogert, 1923 (C.R., xxxvii, 9 May 1923, 53; R.A.I.C. Journal, ii, July-Aug. 1925, xvii, illus. in advert; iv, May 1927, 168-69, 173, illus.; v, July 1928, 267, illus.)
ANCASTER, ONT., 'Wynnstay', for F.F. Dalley, 1925 (R.A.I.C. Journal, iv, May 1927, 168, 170, illus.; C.H.G., viii, Feb. 1931, 22-27, illus.)
HIGHLAND AVENUE, for Dr. D. King Smith, 1926 (Toronto b.p. 87064, 20 Feb. 1926; R.A.I.C. Journal, iv, Sept. 1927, xvii, illus. in advert.; ix, Nov. 1932, 252, illus.)
FRYBROOK ROAD, for Mrs. R.J. Christie, 1927 (R.A.I.C. Journal, ix, April 1932, 102-03, illus.; June 1932, 139-40, illus.; C.H.G., xi, Aug-Sept. 1934, 35-37, illus.)
TEDDINGTON PARK AVENUE, for Frederick W. Cowan, 1929 (Toronto b.p. 9223, 17 July 1929; C.H.G., ix, Feb. 1932, 32-33, illus.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xiii, June 1936, x, illus. in advert.)
ORILLIA, ONT., for W. Robert Johnston, 1929 (C.H.G., viii, Feb. 1931, 36-37, illus.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xi, Oct. 1934, 149, illus.)
NORTH YORK, ONT, 'Annandale', for Col. Herbert A. Bruce, Bayview Avenue, 1931 (Toronoto Star, 13 March 1931, 33, descrip.)
KINGSTON, JAMAICA, residence for the Local Manager of the Bank of Nova Scotia, 1932 (G. Hunt, 140)
OSHAWA, ONT., 'Parkwood', for Col. Robert S. McLaughlin, new garden and reflecting pool, 1935 (C.H.G., xiii, Oct-Nov. 1936, 30-38, illus. & descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xvi, March 1939, 63, illus.)
INSTITUTIONAL & ECCLESIASTICAL
HAMILTON, ONT., Central Presbyterian Church, Caroline Street South at Charlton Street West, 1907-08 (C.A..B., xx, May 1907, 103; The Presbyterian [Toronto] 27 May 1909, 649-51, illus. & descrip.; Toronto Society of Architects Exhibit Catalogue, 1909, 44, illus.)
(with Carrere & Hastings) ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE, King Street West near Simcoe Street, 1906 (Telegram [Toronto], 5 June 1906, 5; C.R., xvii, 20 June 1906, 14; C.A.B., xx, Oct. 1907, 165, illus.; Const., i, Nov. 1907, 37-43, illus. & descrip.)
CHELTENHAM, ONT., Presbyterian Church, 1908 (The Presbyterian [Toronto], 27 Feb. 1908, 264, illus. & descrip.)
NEWMARKET, ONT., Pickering College, 1909; burned 1981; restored (C.R., xxiii, 6 Jan. 1909, 21; OA, Quaker Society Coll., MS 303, Reel 52)
GUELPH, ONT., Provincial Penitentiary & Prison Farm, 1910-11 (C.R., xxiii, 29 Dec. 1909, 22; Guelph Evening Mercury, 25 Sept. 1911, 1, 4-5, descrip.)
GRAVENHURST, ONT., Presbyterian Church, 1910 (C.R., xxiv, 22 June 1910, 24, t.c.)
ROBINS LTD., Victoria Street at Richmond Street, office building (now the Engineer's Club), 1912 (Toronto b.p. 34354, 28 May 1912)
STOCK EXCHANGE, Bay Street near King Street West, 1912-13; demol. 1934 (C.R., xxvi, 17 Jan 1912, 68; Globe [Toronto], 10 Sept. 1913, 9, illus. & descrip.; C.R., xxviii, 18 Feb. 1914, 211-12, illus. & descrip.)
ROYAL CANADIAN YACHT CLUB, Centre Island, addition to the Clubhouse and new verandahs, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 24 Jan 1912, 64)
CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC, University Avenue at College Street, auditorium and practice rooms, 1914; demol. 1965 (Toronto b.p. 12495, 15 June 1914)
PEARSON HALL FOR BLIND SOLDIERS, Beverley Street at Baldwin Street, an addition to the George Brown mansion, 1920 (Toronto b.p. 28250, 6 Jan. 1920)
RUNNYMEDE PUBLIC LIBRARY, Bloor Street West at Glendonwynne Road, 1929-30 (C.R., xliii, 30 Jan. 1929, 101, illus. & descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, vii, Jan. 1930, 29, illus.; Dec. 1930, 430-37, illus. & descrip.; Const., xxiii, Sept. 1930, 285-6, 295-6, illus. & descrip.; Tim Morawetz, Art Deco Architecture Across Canada, 2017, 84, illus. & descrip.)
(with Mathers & Haldenby), WHITNEY HALL, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, Women's Residence, St. George Street at Hoskin Avenue, 1930-31 (Toronto Star, 4 July 1930, 29, descrip.; Const., xxiii, June 1930, 192; xxiv, Oct. 1931, 308-18, illus. & descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, viii, Dec. 1931, 412, illus.)
WELLINGTON STREET WEST, at Windsor Street, stable buildings for Dominion Transport Co., 1906 (Toronto b.p. 5893, 9 Nov. 1906)
HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER COMMISSION, transformer stations at Kitchener, Guelph, London, Niagara, Dundas and Toronto, c. 1910 (G. Hunt, 134)
DUNDAS STREET EAST, at River Street, factory for the Adam Beck Cigar Box Manufacturing Co., 1912 (Toronto b.p. 92, 7 Oct. 1912)
MACLEAN PUBLISHING CO., University Avenue at Edward Street, office building, 1913-14; demol.; (Toronto b.p. 8445, 6 Dec. 1913)
BLOOR STREET WEST, near Bedford Road, office building for the architect, 1914; altered 1986 (dwgs. at Buildings Records Div., City of Toronto)
CANADIAN AEROPLANES LTD., Dufferin Street at Lappin Avenue, factory, assemby plant, shops, garage, and sheds, 1917 (Toronto b.p.10634, 25 Jan 1917; Const., xii, Jan. 1919, 2-8, illus. & descrip.)
DUNDAS STREET EAST, near River Street, tannery for Harry B. Johnston & Co., 1919 (Toronto b.p. 24870, 31 July 1919)
OMEMEE, ONT., Empress Tannery, additions, 1920 (C.R., xxxiv, 31 March 1920, 62, t.c.)
THORNTON-SMITH CO., retail store, Yonge Street at Elm Street, 1921 (Const., xv, May 1922, 150, illus.; Architectural Record [New York], lii, Aug. 1922, 114, illus.)
PEARL STREET, east of Simcoe Street, Stationery Warehouse and garage for the Bank of Nova Scotia, 1928; demol. (Toronto b.p. A5526, 20 Feb. 1928)
EATON STORE, Yonge Street at Queen Street West, interiors alterations, new entrance, penthouse and stairs, 1936; demol. 1972 (Toronto b.p. 47725, 3 Feb. 1936; R.A.I.C. Journal, xvi, Feb. 1939, 38)
PETERBOROUGH, ONT., Canadian General Electric Co., Park Street, addition to factory, 1940, 1941 (C.R. liii, 10 Jan. 1940, 28, t.c.; liv, 19 March 1941, 32)
STANDARD BRANDS LTD., Fraser Avenue at Liberty Street, warehouse & garage, 1942 (Toronto b.p. 74832, 17 March 1942)
COBALT, ONT., railway station for the Temiskaming & Northern Railway Co., 1909 (Evening Journal [Ottawa], 23 Aug. 1909, 4, descrip.; C.R., xxiii, 25 Aug. 1909, 22)
MATHESON, ONT., railway station for the Temiskaming & Northern Railway Co., 1910 (C.R., xxiv, 13 April 1910, 31, t.c.)
COCHRANE, ONT., Union Station, for the Temiskaming & Northern Railway Co., 1909-10 (Evening Journal [Ottawa], 23 Aug. 1909, 4, descrip.; Const., iii, Sept. 1910, 51)
(with Ross & MacDonald and Hugh G. Jones) UNION STATION, Front Street West at Bay Street, 1914-21; opened 1927 (Const., vii, May 1914, 199-202, illus. & descrip.; Canadian Railway & Marine World, xvii, June 1914, 262-64, illus. & descrip.; xxx, Oct. 1927, 567-76, illus. & descrip.; Architectural Review [London], xxxvii, April 1915, 79-81, illus. & descrip.; Railway Age [New York], lxxxiii, 24 Dec. 1927, 1243-50, illus. & descrip.; R. Bebout, The Open Gate-Toronto Union Station, 1972, 66-96, illus. & descrip.)
KINGSTON, ONT., Memorial Arch for the Royal Military College, 1921-24 (Const., xiv, March 1921, 93, illus.; xviii, June 1925, 176, illus.; Architectural Forum [New York], xliv, Feb. 1926, 89-92, illus. & descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, iv, April 1927, 120)
(with D.E. Kertland) DOWLING AVENUE, at Lakeshore Boulevard West, clubhouse for the Argonaut Rowing Club, 1922 (Const., xv, May 1922, 139-41, illus.)
HAMILTON, ONT., Memorial Fountain, Gage Park, Main Street East, 1926 (Const., xxii, Jan. 1929, 17-18, illus.; R.A.I.C. Journal, vi, March 1929, 101, 108, illus.)
WOODBINE RACE TRACK, Queen Street East at Kingston Road, new Paddock, Director's Building, and Members Grandstand for the Ontario Jockey Club, 1927-28 (C.R., xlii, 20 June 1928, 657-62, illus. & descrip.; Const., xxi, Sept. 1928, 296-303, illus. & descrip.)
HAMILTON, ONT., High Level Bridge, York Boulevard over Coote's Paradise, 1930-32 (R.A.I.C. Journal, v, April 1928, 140-45, illus. & descrip.; x, Dec. 1933, 199, critique by Eric Arthur, 203; rebuttal by John Lyle, xi, Feb. 1934, 31; Const., xxv, July 1932, 167-68, illus. & descrip.; C.R., xlvi, 7 Sept. 1932, 1000-08, illus. & descrip.; Canadian Engineer, lxiii, 5 July 1932, 5-9, 33-4, illus. & descrip.; Mark Osbaldeston, Unbuilt Hamilton, 2016, 161-62, illus. & descrip.; Tim Morawetz, Art Deco Architecture Across Canada, 2017, 234, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. at the Royal Botanical Gardens Office, Hamilton)
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Armoury, 1897. Lyle collaborated with the New York office of Howard & Cauldwell in preparing the drawings for this Beaux Arts design (Architectural Review [Boston], iv, 1 Nov. 1897, illus. plates)
PHILADELPHIA, PENN., Philadelphia Soldier's Monument, Logan Square, 1902. The Buffalo architect George Cary, with John M. Lyle "draftsman" was one of 53 architects who prepared designs in this national competition. They received the 5th Prize of $200 for their scheme (New York Times, 26 March 1902, 1, list of finalists; Monumental News [Chicago], xiv, May 1902, 283, descrip of competition). Cary & Lyle later exhibited their drawings in New York in 1904 (Item 503 in the Catalogue of the 19th Annual Exhibition of The Architectural League of New York, 1904, 20, list; 47, list). The competition was won by Lord & Hewlett of New York (inf. Robert Hamilton, Hamilton, Ont.)
WASHINGTON, D.C., Freedman's Hospital, 1904. There were 22 American architectural firms who submitted designs in this national competition, including the prominent Buffalo, N.Y. architect George Cary who joined with John M. Lyle, architect who was living and working in Buffalo at this time. They were one of 10 finalists, and received a prize of $200 for their effort (Evening Star [Washington], 22 Dec. 1904, 14, illlus. & descrip. of competition; inf. Robert Hamilton, Hamilton, Ont.). The winner was Bruce Price of New York, who teamed up with John Russell Pope, also of New York.
HAMILTON, ONT., The Hamilton Club, Main Street East at James Street, rebuilding of the original 1882 building, with new facade, 1906. Lyle was one of three architects invited to submit plans for major additions and rebuilding of the existing structure. Although he won the competition, his proposal proved to be too costly, and his scheme was set aside (Mark Osbaldeston, Unbuilt Hamilton, 2016, 104-05, illus. & descrip.)
OTTAWA, ONT., Departmental & Justice Buildings, Major's Hill Park, 1907. From thirty submissions Lyle placed sixth with a design 'in the domestic Tudor Gothic style, well massed and dignified, but somewhat cold, heavy and plain in treatment' (C.A.B., xx, Sept, 1907, 184; Architectural League of America, The Architectural Annual 1907, illus. plates). The competition was won by E. & W.S. Maxwell, but their scheme was never built.
HAMILTON, ONT., Public Library, 1910. Lyle submitted a classically inspired Beaux Arts design with a central rotunda for which he received the Second Prize (Const., iii, Sept. 1910, 52, illus.; Mark Osbaldeston, Unbuilt Hamilton, 2016, 106-10, illus. & descrip.). Walter Pavey was declared winner, but the commission later went to A.W. Peene
HALIFAX, N.S., National Memorial, 1910. Lyle received Third Prize for his design (Const., iii, Aug. 1910, 46, illus.). The firm of Sharp & Brown were declared winners.
TORONTO, ONT., Bank of Toronto, King St. West at Bay Street, 1910. Lyle's reserved design was unusually modest for this highly visible site (Const., iii, Sept. 1910, 50, illus.). His scheme was no match for the winning proposal submitted by his former employers Carrere & Hastings of New York.
TORONTO, ONT., Knox College, University of Toronto, St. George Street, 1911. The scheme by Lyle was surprisingly uninspired, drawing heavily on the motifs and forms used in University College to the northeast (Const., iv, Feb. 1911, 56-8, illus. & descrip.). Chapman & McGiffen were awarded First Premium.
TORONTO, ONT., Government House, a residence for the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Chorley Park, 1911. Lyle received 3rd Prize for his entry in this invited competition (Const., iv, May 1911, 55-9, illus. & descrip.). The commission was awarded to George W. King, but was not built to his design.
TORONTO, ONT., Masonic Temple, Spadina Road, 1914. Lyle was awarded 2nd Prize of $750 for his design (Const., vii, May 1914, 186-90, illus. & descrip.). Harry P. Knowles of New York won the competition, but his scheme was not built and the site relocated to Yonge Street at Davenport Road in 1919.
OTTAWA, ONT., New Departmental & Courts Buildings, Wellington Street, west of Parliament Hill, 1914. Just seven years after he had submitted a proposal for new government buildings in Major's Hill Park to the east, Lyle submitted a breathtaking and visionary Edwardian scheme for this complex (Charles C. Hill, edit., Artists, Architects & Artisans - Canadian Art 1890-1918, 2013, 242, illus. & descrip.). More than 60 competitors from Commonwealth countries sent in drawings for this complex. Once again the federal government shelved the entire project. The original drawing by Lyle is now held at the CCA, Montreal (CCA DR 1986-0446)
CHICAGO, ILL., Chicago Tribune Tower, 1922. Four Canadians submitted designs in this internationally significant competition. The scheme by Lyle was disappointingly unadventurous (The International Competition for a New Administration Building for the Chicago Tribune, 1923, Plate 180; Const., xvi, Feb. 1923, 61-2, illus.). It could not compare with progressive designs by luminaries such Walter Gropius, Eliel Saarinen, Bruno Taut and others. The competition was won by Hood & Howells of New York.
OTTAWA, ONT., Dominion Coin Competition, 1936. As an articulate advocate of Canadian motif in contemporary design Lyle suggested that new coinage should incorporate stylized images of flora and fauna from the Canadian landscape (R.A.I.C. Journal, xiv, Dec. 1937, 262, illus.).


23,700 security staff for Olympics
Published: 4:30 PM January 2, 2012
More than 13,500 military personnel will be used to provide security during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy are expected to provide service personnel who will make up an estimated 23,700 security staff which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport thinks will be needed to police the Olympic Games. It is more than double the original 10,000 estimate.
Ministers have also revealed that the security budget has gone up from �282 million to �553 million.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said although the Games would present the “biggest security challenge” for decades, the military deployment had become routine since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Snipers in helicopters, based on HMS Ocean in the Thames, near Greenwich, are expected to patrol the skies over the capital during the Games when Typhoon fighter jets will be based at RAF Northolt in London.
The MoD will also provide specialist support for civilian authorities with special forces, bomb disposal capability and military search capabilities and specialist sniffer dogs.


Postgraduate Scholarships in Canada: Jeanne Sauvé Foundation Leadership Program
The Jeanne Sauvé Foundation is pleased to announce that it is currently accepting applications for the Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership Program. The Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership
Program is a unique fellowship opportunity:
Year one consists in a full-time intensive residential phase in Montreal for a group of a dozen select Fellows.
Year two is a part-time field phase tailored to each individual Fellow’s activities in their respective communities and countries.
Residential Phase - Full Time
Twelve emerging public leaders from Canada and around the world who share a passion for strengthening culturally diverse societies live together in a beautifully restored historic home in the heart of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Fellows collectively design and undertake a facilitated project that culminates in a series of public engagement activities addressing the challenge of strengthening culturally diverse societies through public leadership.
While in residence, Fellows benefit from:
Interaction with a thriving network of public leaders
Access to resources (including the auditing of courses) at McGill University, our program’s academic home, and at Concordia University, our academic partner
Tailored leadership development programming with a focus on the skills necessary for public leadership
Personal coaching in support of participants’ leadership development
Guidance from academic and professional mentors at the top of their fields
The time, space and liberty to pursue individual initiatives in a supportive environment
Free accommodation at Jeanne Sauvé House.
A stipend to cover basic costs of living in Montreal
The residential phase of the Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership Program represents a full-time (40 hours per week) commitment.
On average, about half of participants’ time (20 hours per week) is devoted to the common program, including time spent working on the collective project. Their remaining time is devoted to individual pursuits and personal reflection in a supportive, semi-structured environment.
Field Phase - Part Time
Fellows continue on their individual public leadership journeys – either in their home countries or elsewhere, and either through continued work or study. During this phase, participants:
Receive ongoing support from Sauvé mentors, partners, personal coaches and the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation;
Continue to exchange with their fellow program participants on a regular basis
Report consistently to the Foundation.
Have access to the Fellows’ Collaboration Fund
The field phase of the Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership Program requires a commitment of about 8 hours per month.
Participation happens remotely, via phone, Skype, or Email, as participants may be living anywhere in the world. Fellows who wish to collaborate more extensively are encouraged to do so during this phase. At the conclusion of the Field Phase of the program, participants are expected to return to Montreal for the program’s Concluding Session.
Over about a week, participants formally report to the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation and to one another on how they have applied – and plan to apply – what they learned through the program.
This Concluding Session overlaps with the arrival of a new cohort of program participants, allowing Jeanne Sauvé Fellows from two distinct cohorts to begin to collaborate and exchange.
Global Fellowship
After completing the program, participants continue to exchange, learn, and take action as part of a growing network of Jeanne Sauvé Fellows.
This global community of public leaders collaborates across cultures, countries, disciplines and sectors to address issues of global significance.
For more information on the Jeanne Suave Foundation, Follow link to visit the Website.
To apply, follow this Link to access the Application Page


The director of the CIA secretly helped produce Hollywood's biggest movie about the Osama bin Laden raid
Next 'The Visit' is not a return to form for M. Night Shyamalan
Previous Here's how director M. Night Shyamalan was able to make his new thriller 'The Visit' in just 30 days with only $5 million
"Zero Dark Thirty" has always been controversial. The movie depicted the CIA's hunt for Osama bin Laden and the eventual Navy SEAL raid that killed him.
Even before it was released in December 2012, the movie had kicked off a firestorm among both politicians and citizens.
Containing details and narratives that weren't included in previous news reports about the May 2, 2011 raid, "Zero Dark Thirty" also raised questions about the CIA's involvement in the making of the movie.
Declassified documents from 2013 revealed the CIA did indeed work with Mark Boal, the movie's screenwriter, on the script. Boal vetted CIA members for feedback and made changes accordingly, such as removing a scene where an agent drunkenly fires his AK-47 into the air. He also made Maya, the movie's main character, less involved in torture scenes.
Not only did the CIA provide privileged information to Boal, but Leon Panetta, the Director of the CIA under President Obama from 2009 to 2011, personally offered to help Boal with obtaining information from the CIA while writing a screenplay and gave him classified information about the bin Laden raid, according to new documents obtained by Vice.
Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal made "Zero Dark Thirty" with the goodwill and cultural capital that came out of making "The Hurt Locker" in 2009.
Boal's next project after "The Hurt Locker" was supposed to be called "Tora Bora". It was intended to be about the US's failure to capture Osama bin Laden. That was before bin Laden was caught and killed.
He then changed tack and starting writing the script that eventually became "Zero Dark Thirty." For research, he could rely on Panetta, who offered Bigelow and Boal help with the creation of "Tora Bora," according to the documents obtained by Vice.
Days after the bin Laden raid, Boal met with officials in the CIA and other counterterrorist units to discuss ethical violations by CIA officers involved in the raid. Panetta, Bigelow, and Boal had all met earlier — the three sat at the same table at the 2010 Washington Correspondents' Association. Panetta had first met Bigelow earlier that year at another dinner in Washington.
On June 24, 2011, long before the Oscars, the CIA held an awards ceremony of its own — honoring the people who were involved in the hunt to find bin Laden. The organization invited Boal as well, though an internal inspection by the CIA found conflicting information about whether or not Panetta himself approved of the invitation. Panetta gave a speech at the dinner, part of which was classified. Though Boal has no classification status, he was at the ceremony and was therefore exposed to the classified information.
Throughout Boal and Bigelow's research for "Zero Dark Thirty", they met with CIA officials to gather information to maintain accuracy about the events, characters, and atmosphere of the film. They frequently treated officials to meals and drinks totaling more than $1,000 and also purchased gifts for some of them.
Following the release of "Zero Dark Thirty", the CIA changed its procedures for interacting with the entertainment industry. It issues new procedures to insure the protection of classified information and created a new centralized record-keeping system for requests from the industry.
The ethical violations Boal and Panetta talked about shortly after the raid can be traced to the depiction of torture in the film. Many politicians and pundits interpret the film as an implicit depiction of torture because it was successfully used to find information that led to bin Laden's capture. The day "Zero Dark Thirty" was released, Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, penned a sharp letter addressed at Sony, the movie's producer, accusing them of misrepresenting the CIA's use of torture.
"As you know, the film graphically depicts CIA officers repeatedly torturing detainees and then credits these detainees with providing critical lead information on the courier that led to...Bin Laden," Feinstein wrote. "The use of torture in the fight against terrorism did severe damage to America’s values and standing that cannot be justified or expunged ... You have a social and moral obligation to get the facts right."
Feinstein has a long, complicated relationship with the CIA; she dogged them for years until they finally released a truncated and partially censored version of their torture report, recounting in detail their use of torture in the post-9/11 Bush era, last year. The report also says that torture had nothing to do with the finding of Osama bin Laden.
The Senate Intelligence Committee also launched an investigation in January 2013 into contacts between the CIA and the makers of "Zero Dark Thirty", but dropped it a month and a half later.
Peter King, then the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security (he is still a member of it), also criticized the movie for its depiction of torture and launched a separate inquiry about the possibility of leaked classified information from the CIA to Boal. King is still demanding a public accounting from the Obama administration on the subject, according to Vice.
SEE ALSO: A US senator walked out of 'Zero Dark Thirty' after 15 minutes because it was so 'false'
NOW WATCH: Here's why the new 'Star Wars' movie might stink
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ProMax Sold to Private Equity Firm
April 26, 2018 • by AE eMagazine • Bookmark +
DAVENPORT, Iowa — Two weeks ago, John Palmer, who founded ProMax in 1994 as a special finance solutions provider, posted the following message: “I want to let all my friends and associates in the auto industry know that, after 23 amazing and wonderful years, I have sold ProMax.”
Today, SNH Capital Partners, a San Diego, Calif.-based private firm, announced that it has acquired the automotive software provider. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed
“We are extremely pleased to invest in ProMax, a dynamic market leader with a 20-year history of consistent product innovation. We are excited to gain the experience and capabilities of the valuable team in Davenport, including Darian Miller, chief technology officer, and Shane Born, chief operating officer,” said SNH CEO and Managing Director Jevin Sackett. “SNH has a significant track record of providing strategic and operational expertise to its portfolio companies. We look forward to working with ProMax’s management to both continue and augment its customer value proposition of excellent service and innovation over the long-term.”
Palmer, who expanded ProMax’s product line into desking, CRM, finance menus, inventory management, reporting, and submission of credit applications in 1998, was not mentioned in the private equity firm’s press release. As for SNH, the addition of ProMax adds to its portfolio of automotive solutions companies, which includes data, credit, compliance, and fraud solutions provider National Credit Center.
The private equity firm describes itself as dedicated to acquiring companies in the lower middle-market. Its portfolio of companies includes providers of information, technology, and other business services to the automotive, financial services, human capital management, and energy sectors.
“I want to thank all the fantastic people that I have had the privilege of working with these last 23 years,” Palmer wrote in his LinkedIn post. “You are the reason we were so successful for such a long time! I look forward to the future, new opportunities, and challenges!”


Asteroid “Time Capsules” May Help Explain How Life Started on Earth
Nicolas Hud, director of the NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Hud was a panelist at a press briefing “Asteroids for Research, Discovery, and Commerce” at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (Credit: Fitrah Hamid, Georgia Tech)
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Posted February 17, 2018 • Atlanta, GA
In popular culture, asteroids play the role of apocalyptic threat, get blamed for wiping out the dinosaurs – and offer an extraterrestrial source for mineral mining.
But for researcher Nicholas Hud, asteroids play an entirely different role: that of time capsules showing what molecules originally existed in our solar system. Having that information gives scientists the starting point they need to reconstruct the complex pathway that got life started on Earth.
Director of the NSF-NASA Center for Chemical Evolution at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Hud says finding molecules in asteroids provides the strongest evidence that such compounds were present on the Earth before life formed. Knowing what molecules were present helps establish the initial conditions that led to the formation of amino acids and related compounds that, in turn, came together to form peptides, small protein-like molecules that may have kicked off life on this planet.
“We can look to the asteroids to help us understand what chemistry is possible in the universe,” said Hud. “It’s important for us to study materials from asteroids and meteorites, the smaller versions of asteroids that fall to Earth, to test the validity of our models for how molecules in them could have helped give rise to life. We also need to catalog the molecules from asteroids and meteorites because there might be compounds there that we had not even considered important for starting life.”
Hud was a panelist at a press briefing “Asteroids for Research, Discovery, and Commerce” February 17 at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Austin, Texas.
NASA scientists have been analyzing compounds found in asteroids and meteorites for decades, and their work provides a solid understanding for what might have been present when the Earth itself was formed, Hud says.
“If you model a prebiotic chemical reaction in the laboratory, scientists can argue about whether or not you had the right starting materials,” said Hud. “Detection of a molecule in an asteroid or meteorite is about the only evidence everyone will accept for that molecule being prebiotic. It’s something we can really lean on.”
The Miller-Urey experiment, conducted in 1952 to simulate conditions believed to have existed on the early Earth, produced more than 20 different amino acids, organic compounds that are the building blocks for peptides. The experiment was kicked off by sparks inside a flask containing water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen, all materials believed to have existed in the atmosphere when the Earth was very young.
Since the Miller-Urey experiment, scientists have demonstrated the feasibility of other chemical pathways to amino acids and compounds necessary for life. In Hud’s laboratory, for instance, researchers used cycles of alternating wet and dry conditions to create complex organic molecules over time. Under such conditions, amino acids and hydroxy acids, compounds that differ chemically by just a single atom, could have formed short peptides that led to the formation of larger and more complex molecules – ultimately exhibiting properties that we now associate with biological molecules.
“We now have a really good way to synthesize peptides with amino acids and hydroxy acids working together that could have been common on the early Earth,” he said. “Even today, hydroxy acids are found with amino acids in living organisms – and in some meteorite samples that have been examined.”
Hud believes there are many possible ways that the molecules of life could have formed. Life could have gotten started with molecules that are less sophisticated and less efficient than what we see today. Like life itself, these molecules could have evolved over time.
“What we find is that these compounds can form molecules that look a lot like modern peptides, except in the backbone that is holding the units together,” said Hud. “The overall structure can be very similar and would be easier to make, though it doesn’t have the ability to fold into as complex structures as modern proteins. There is a tradeoff between the simplicity of forming these molecules and how close these molecules are to those found in contemporary life.”
Geologists believe the Earth was very different billions of years ago. Instead of continents, there were islands protruding from the oceans. Even the sun was different, producing less light but more cosmic rays – which could have helped power the protein-forming chemical reactions.
“The islands could have been potential incubators for life, with molecules raining down from the atmosphere,” Hud said. “We think the key process that would have allowed these molecules to go to the next stage is a wet-dry cycling like what we are doing in the lab. That would have been perfect for an island out in the ocean.”
Rather than a single spark of life, the molecules could have evolved slowly over time in gradual progression that may have taken place at different rates in different locations, perhaps simultaneously. Different components of cells, for example, may have developed separately where conditions favored them before they ultimately came together.
“There is something very special about peptides, nucleic acids, polysaccharides and lipids and their ability to work together to do something they couldn’t have done separately,” he said. “And there could have been any number of chemical processes on the early Earth that never led to life.”
Knowing what conditions were like on the early Earth therefore gives scientists a stronger foundation for hypothesizing what could have taken place, and could offer hints to other pathways that may not have been considered yet.
“There are probably a lot more clues in the asteroids about what molecules were really there,” said Hud. “We may not even know what we should be looking for in these asteroids, but by looking at what molecules we find, we can ask different and more questions about how they could have helped get life started.”
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0181 USA
Media Relations Contact: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).
Email: jtoon@gatech.edu


All About Asbestos
One of the most overlooked and misunderstood hazards in a home is asbestos. There are six types of asbestos with chrysotile being by far the most common in homes, making up about 95% of all asbestos in residential properties. However, all types of asbestos are known health and safety hazards.
Canada banned the use of Asbestos except for extremely rare uses in 2018. The good news is that in home construction it is rare to find asbestos in residential properties built after 1986. The bad news is that asbestos can be literally anywhere in a home (especially homes built between approximately 1940-1960) and there is no way for an inspector or homeowner to confirm the presence of asbestos visually. There are, however, certain clues that strongly indicate to the home inspector the possibility of asbestos in older homes, including:
9” X 9” Resilient (Vinyl) Floor Tile
Pipe Insulation, particularly with white tape.
Popcorn Ceilings
Vermiculite (Zonolite) Insulation, as pictured.
While this sounds very scary, the truth is that asbestos-containing products by themselves pose little to no danger: the issue comes when it is in a friable state, or in other words can be crumbled into small pieces. This can release microscopic fibres into the air that can potentially lead to an aggressive and deadly form of cancer known as Mesothelioma.
In many cases, especially when discussing flooring tiles or insulation, the best way to reduce the risk is to leave it alone while in others (such as in drywall) the best solution is to hire an abatement contractor to evaluate and remove asbestos, especially before renovation activities.
If there is one takeaway, the dramatic shots on TV of workers taking a sledgehammer to a wall is an extremely dangerous practice for many reasons (and those are topics for future posts) and can easily spread asbestos fibres in the air. Remember, there is no way to visually confirm asbestos without a professional laboratory and it is always best to assume a house built before 1986 has asbestos until proven otherwise.


Custom-Writing > New Power Stations
New Power Stations
The increased demand of energy throughout the world has necessitated the use of available sources of energy effectively, as well as development of other renewable energy sources. The increase in population has increased demand of goods produced, which has in turn led to the development of diverse industries which produce goods to meet the existing demand. These industries consume a lot of power which depletes the energy resources we have.
It is therefore necessary to diversify the use of energy resources, as well as reduce energy use in order to ensure that the current and future generations have adequate energy resources (Armstrong and Blundell 2007: 62-69). Currently, there are many measures which have been taken to reduce the energy being consumed, and these include the manufacture of products which conserve energy. These range from energy saving bulbs to hybrid cars, and they are designed to use less energy.
However, since it is impossible to completely reduce the use of energy to zero, it is important to seek alternative sources to supplement the current ones. In setting the criteria for alternative energy sources, it is important to diversify the sources as much as possible, in order to prevent over-reliance on one source (Laughton et. al. 1999: 5-12). It is important to analyse the options available before selecting a suitable criteria. Solar energy. This is energy collected directly from the sun through the use of solar panels which are mounted on walls or roofs of buildings.
It can also be used to generate electricity through use of a photovoltaic cell. In the UK, the average power generated through use of solar energy is 4000 kj for each metre square, but if only a quarter of the population in Britain had solar panels, over 30% of annual demand of energy would be met. Its advantage is that it is non polluting, renewable and requires little maintenance. Geothermal energy. This is energy collected from the earth’s crust. There are certain places where tectonic plates meet and geysers, hot springs and volcanoes exist.
There are limited geothermal sources in the UK, and one is located in Southampton, where water is pumped almost two kilometres below the ground. This energy source is renewable, has low pollution and has low maintenance costs. Its weakness is that it is only available in certain areas and not others. Wind energy. Wind energy is a very useful energy source and it is collected through windmills and used for a variety of uses. It can be used to pump water or power windmills, though in the modern world it is also used to generate electricity through turbines.
UK has one of the best access to wind energy due to its location on the edge of the Atlantic. It is freely available, non-polluting and convenient, since a 20-wind-turbine can satisfy the power demands of a small town (Nagle 2002: 110-117). Wave energy. This is a source of energy which is harnessed from waves, and can be used to drive turbines which generate electricity. It can either use artificial waves created by man, or sea waves from the sea. It is similarly non-polluting, and is currently used in Scotland.
It has a weakness of unreliability in case waves are not sufficiently high (Ison et. al. 2002: 200-206). Hydro electric power. This is power which is generated from turbines which are placed in rivers and dams. The turbines rotate and generate electricity and they require fast flowing water. This necessitates the creation of dams which act as reservoirs and direct water to the turbine. Its advantage is that it is cheap to maintain once built, and its weakness is that it might destroy habitat and is expensive to construct (Houghton 2001: 220-231).
Biomass. This is an energy source from animal waste and plant remains. The animal waste contains gases which can be burned to generate electricity. Plant materials such as hay or wood can also be burned to generate electricity (Smith 2005: 25-30). Its advantage is that it is renewable, though it has weakness such as environmental pollution through release of carbon dioxide which leads to green house effects. Selection criteria. In selection of the proportion of energy sources which Britain should use, it is important to analyze a few factors.
The first factor is the current use of renewable energy, and this is as follows; bio-fuels (79. 8%), solar (0. 4%,) wind (2. 9%) and hydro electricity (16. 3%). Another factor to consider is the pollution to the environment from the energy resources. Energy sources which pollute the environment should be discouraged, while those which do not should be encouraged (Hester et. al. 2003: 102-108). The cost of installing and maintaining the energy resources should also be analysed, and these costs should be kept as low as possible.
They should also match the economic ability of the country. Finally, the practicability and availability of the energy resource should be carefully analysed in order to find out if the resource is available and viable in the circumstances. Recommended proportion of renewable resources. After careful analysis of the energy resources in UK and following the selection criteria, I would recommend the reduction of the use of bio-fuels to about 5% of the total energy demand. This is attributed to the pollution which is associated with this form of energy use.
The use of hydro electric power and wave energy should be increased to 10% and 5% respectively since they are environmentally friendly and cheap to maintain. The use of solar energy should also be increased to about 5% of the total energy supply, since this is a very cheap and available resource which can be used in farmlands. Geothermal power should constitute 5% of the power demands since it is has a limitation on availability. Wind power is environmentally friendly, cheap and readily available and should take a proportion of 10% of energy use.
The total energy use from renewable resources would be 40%, and the 60% would be consumed by ‘others’, which are non-renewable energy sources. This will help to conserve available resources for the benefit of the current and future generations. Bibliography. Armstrong, F. A. , Blundell, F. 2007. Energy… Beyond Oil. London: Oxford University Press. Hester, R. E. , Royal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain), Harrison, R. M. 2003. Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy Sources. UK: Royal Society of Chemistry. Houghton, J. T. 2001.
Global warming: the complete briefing. London: Cambridge University Press. Ison, S. , Peake, S. , Wall, S. 2002. Environmental Issues and Policies: Issues and Policies. New York: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Laughton, M. A. , Watt Committee on Energy, Watt Committee on Energy, Working Group on Renewable Energy Sources. 1999. Renewable Energy Sources: Watt Committee: report number 22. UK: Taylor & Francis. Nagle, G. 2002. Development and Underdevelopment. UK: Nelson Thornes. Smith, P. F. 2005. Architecture in a Climate of Change: A Guide to Sustainable Design. London: Elsevier.
Jobs & Global Warming
Testing the Performance of a Solar Energy Collector


Terrified policeman carried 70 metres along a Cambridge street on top of speeding car
Officer lucky not to be badly injured
Andre George
A terrified policeman was carried 70 metres along a Cambridge street on top of a car after being driven at by a drug dealer.
The dramatic arrest happened on November 3 last year after Andre George, 27, was spotted dealing drugs from a vehicle by two plain clothed police officers in Adam and Eve Street.
The officers approached George and identified themselves. George then drove off, knocking Sergeant Paul Street onto the bonnet and travelling approximately 70 metres with the officer on the vehicle.
Sergeant Street was uninjured and managed to arrest George when the vehicle stopped.
Police officer driven at in Cambridge - man to appear at city's crown court
George, of Crome Road in London, pleaded guilty to being concerned with the supply of a Class A drug and assault with intent to resist arrest.
On Friday (February 17), at Peterborough Crown Court, he was sentenced to three years and six months for the first charge and seven months for the second, to run consecutively.
Scam beggars travelling to Cambridge by car hunted by police
Detective Constable James Weston, who investigated the incident, said: “It is remarkable that Sergeant Street avoided injury in an incident that could have been a lot worse. George clearly had no regard for the safety of others and was determined to avoid arrest.
“I hope this sentence sends a clear message that drug dealing will not be tolerated in Cambridge.”
Sergeant Street said: “This was an extremely unpleasant experience which highlights the dangers that police officers face on a day to day basis.
"It is hard to explain just how frightening it was being on the bonnet of a vehicle travelling at speed, but it was by pure luck that nobody was seriously injured as a result of this incident.
"I think the sentence reflects the violent nature of this crime. Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s officers are working extremely hard to keep the residents of Cambridge safe from these types of individuals, and will continue to do so.”
Man in 70s dies following head-on collision on A505
Cambridgeshire Constabulary