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Archdiocese of Milan

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Located in Lombardy, northern Italy. The city is situated on the Orona River, which, with three canals, the Naviglio Grande (1257-72), the Naviglio Martesana (1457), and the Naviglio di Pavia (1805-19), is the highway of the commerce of this great industrial centre, called the moral capital of Italy. The soil is very fertile and there is extensive cattle-raising and manufacturing throughout the province. The name of Milan is probably derived from the Celtic met lan, which means "in the middle of the plain". The city was founded in 396 B.C. by the Insubres, on the site of the ruined Melpum, and became the chief centre of the Cisalpine Gauls. After the defeat of the Gauls near Clastidium, Mediolanum was taken by the consul Lucius Scipio (221) and became a Roman municipium. In 45 B. C. it obtained Roman citizenship, and under the emperors it had famous schools and was a flourishing city, the Emperor Adrian having made it the seat of the prœfectus Liguriœ and Constantine, of the vicarius Italiœ. After A.D. 296 it was several times the capital of the emperors of the West (Maximian Herculius, Valentinian I, his son Honorius, and later, of Ricimer and of Odoacer). The edict of toleration of Constantine and Licinius (313) was agreed on and published at Milan. In 452 the town was besieged by Attila, and in 538 destroyed by Uraia, a nephew of Vitiges, King of the Goths, with a loss, according to Procopius, of 300,000 men. Perchance for this reason the Lombard kings did not thereafter select Milan for their capital, though Bertarius did so during the brief division of the kingdom between the sons of Gundobad (661). After Charlemagne, Milan was the seat of counts, whose authority however, was overshadowed by the prestige of the archbishops, foremost among whom was Ansperto da Biassono (869-81), who fortified the town and adorned it with beautiful buildings. In 896-97 it endured a severe Siege by the Hungarians, and a century later Otto II transferred the title of count to the archbishops. The most distinguished of these was Ariberto (1018-45), who induced Conrad II to take the crown of Italy. With the assistance of the people he made war on Pavia and Lodi (1027), on which account he incurred the enmity of the greater feudal lords whom he exiled, but who, leagued together, defeated the archbishop at Campo Malo (1035), and returning to the city, called Conrad to their assistance; the latter, however, besieged Milan in vain (1037). Though the struggle continued, a noble, Lanzano, and no longer Ariberto, headed the popular party. Finally, nobles and burghers entered into compacts, and this intermingling of the classes brought the commune into existence. At the same time studies, the industries (especially wool), and commerce flourished.

As the power of the burghers grew, that of the archbishops waned, and with it the imperial authority which the prelate represented, so that Milan in 1110, refused to pay tribute to Henry V, who had come into Italy. In 1116 the public authority passed entirely into the hands of consuls elected by the people. Milan made war on cities faithful to the empire: Pavia, Cremona, Lodi (destroyed 1111), and Como (destroyed 1127). Frederick Barbarossa wished to remedy these evils, and in 1158 obliged Milan to swear allegiance to him and to receive an imperial podestà. This officer was soon driven from the city, but in 1162 after a long siege, Milan was again reduced to obedience, and in part destroyed. The battle of Legnano (1176) secured their rights to the Lombard cities, and to Milan its consular government; but on many occasions the authority of a foreign podestà was substituted for the native consuls. The long period of peace was favourable to agriculture (greatly furthered by the Cistercians), also to the wool and the silk industries, in the former of which, throughout Milanese territory, 60,000 men were employed, while the silk industry supported 40,000 persons. The struggle against the empire was renewed under Frederick II, who ignored the rights won at the peace of Constance. A second Lombard League was formed, which Frederick defeated at Cortenuova, though he did not succeed in his ulterior purpose. Thereafter Milan entered into further wars with Ghibelline cities, especially with Pavia. The nobility remained favourable to Frederick and to his successors, and this caused internal strife in Milan, and the creation of a new office, that of capitano del popolo. The first to hold it was Pagano della Torre, elected in 1240 by the Credenza di San Ambrogio, the executive branch of the city government, composed of twelve members representative of the three orders of citizens. The legislative power was exercised by the General Council, the number of whose members was variable. The capitano del popolo was hated by the nobles, and when Pagano della Torre was succeeded (1247) by his nephew Martino, under the title of anziano della Credensa, the nobility sought the assistance of Ezzelino da Romano; but Martino overcame the resistance of the nobles, and also defeated Ezzelino, introduced reforms into the public administration, and distributed the public offices with equity. A new civil war was prevented by the "peace of St. Ambrose" (1258), at which the equality of nobles and people was agreed on. As conflicts continued, Martino called to his assistance Oberto Pelavicino, a well-known soldier with whose help Martino had finally vanquished Ezzelinoda Romano. In 1263 Filippo, brother of Martino, was real lord of Milan, though he carefully avoided any such title, and as other cities — Como, Lodi, Novara, Vercelli, also La Valtellina, were subject to Milan, he may be called the founder of the duchy. His nephew Napoleone, under the title of anziano del popolo, exercised supreme power (1265-77), and in his later years was imperial vicar for Italy, notwithstanding the fact that he was a Guelph. The archbishop Ottone Visconti, who since 1262 had been prevented from taking possession of his see, organized the nobles exiled from Milan, and after several battles, succeeded in capturing Napoleone and his relatives, whom he locked up in cages at Como.

The archbishop then caused himself to be proclaimed perpetual lord, thus putting an end to the Republic of Milan and founding the power of the Visconti, which aimed at the conquest of the entire peninsula, though its real domain was limited by the Alps, the river Sesia, and the Po, while the east extended as far as Brescia, conquered in 1337. From 1302 to 1311, the della Torre were again in power, Guido of that family having driven Matteo I Visconti. from Milan. When the latter returned, he was made imperial vicar by Henry VII, and devoted himself to driving the leaders of the Guelph party from the Lombard cities, On this account John XXII declared war, and sent Cardinal Bertrand du Poyet against Matteo. Galeazzo, Matteo's son, continued the war against the legate and the Guelphs, and adhered to the party of Louis of Bavaria. His son Azzo (1329-59) contributed to the ruin of the Scaligers, obtained Brescia, and was succeeded by his sons Luchino (1339-49), famous for the refinement of his cruelty, and Giovanni II (1349-54), Archbishop of Milan, who obtained possession of Genoa and Bologna, though unable to hold either of these towns, or the cities of Asti, Parma, and Alexandria. At the death of Giovanni, Milan was divided between three brothers, his nephews: Matteo II, who died in 1355; Galeazzo II (1354-78), and Bernabò (1354-85) all patrons of literature and of the arts, but odious through their cruelty, misgovernment, and exorbitant taxes. Accordingly, a strong league was formed against them in 1367, by Pope Urban V, Charles IV, the towns of Florence, Ferrara, Mantua, and others, but it was prevented, by fortuitous circumstances, from destroying the power of the Visconti. Galeazzo was succeeded by his son Giovanni Galeazzo, who was forced into war, with his uncle Bernabò, and having taken him in ambush, cast him into prison, where he died in 1385. The state of the Visconti was thus united again and in 1395, Giovanni Galeazzo received the title of duke. In 1387 he had conquered Verona and Vicenza. During his reign the duchy of Milan was at the height of its power, and contained the following cities: Pavia, Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Como, Novara, Vercelli, Alexandria, Valenza, Tortona, Piacenza, Parma, Reggio, Verona, Vicenza, Belluno, Pisa, Siena, and Perugia. Giovanni Galeazzo was eminent, both for good and evil; the Carthusian monastery of Pavia is a witness of his religious sentiments and of his taste for the arts. He died in 1402, leaving two Sons, minors, Giovanni Maria and Filippo Maria. During their minority, many conquered possessions were lost; but, Giovanni Maria having been assassinated in 1412, Filippo Maria remained sole duke, and with the assistance of Carmagnola, retook a great portion of the lost territory. The offensive proceeding of Filippo Maria caused the house of Este, the Gonzagas, and Venice to form a league against him, which led to a long war; in the course of it, several famous battles were fought, among them that of Maclodio (1427), by which the Duke of Milan lost Bergamo and Brescia, and the naval battle of Portofino (1431) disastrous to the Genoese allies of Milan. The peace concluded in 1433 was favourable to Venice; but the war broke out again, and continued until the death of Filippo Maria, in 1447, when the Ambrosian Republic was proclaimed (1447-50).

For military reasons, Francesco Sforza was made capitano del popolo, and succeeded in taking possession of the fortress and in having himself recognized duke (1450). This event led to a new war with Venice and the King of Naples, closed by the peace of Lodi in 1454. Francesco was succeeded in 1466 by his son Galeazzo Maria, who, hated by his subjects, was stabbed to death in 1476. His son Giovanni Galeazzo had as regent, first his own mother, and then (1480), his ambitious uncle Ludovico il Moro, who succeeded his nephew, at the latter's death in 1494. Louis XII, who pretended to rights over Milan, entered into a compact with Venice for the division of the duchy. Ludovico il Moro attempted to resist them, but was constrained to seek refuge in Germany, and Milan came under the power of the French. In 1500, Duke Ludovico returned to his dominions for a time, but other French troops were sent against him, and he died a prisoner in France. The expulsion of the French from Italy ensued upon the death of Gaston de Foix, the victor of Ravenna (1512), and Milan was given to Maximilian Sforza, a son of Ludovico il Moro, although the Spaniards were its real masters. After the battle of Marignano, Maximilian surrendered Milan at the end of a brief siege, and remained a prisoner. The French had been definitively excluded from the peninsula by the battle of Pavia when Francis II, a brother of Maximilian, became duke, and at his death Charles V took the Duchy of Milan for himself, and bequeathed it to his successors on the Spanish throne. The peace of Utrecht (1713) gave Milan to Austria, which power had occupied the duchy since 1706. During the war of the Austrian succession, Austria's dominion over Milan was interrupted for a time (1745), and France even offered the duchy to Savoy. Under Maria Theresa and Joseph II much was done for the prosperity of the Milanese, and civil and ecclesiastical reforms were also introduced. In 1796 Milan became the capital of the Cispadan Republic, soon transformed into the Cisalpine Republic, and (1805) into the Kingdom of Italy; the Cispadan Republic was supported entirely by French arms, which checked by Austria (1799), returned victorious, after Marengo. In 1814 the Austrian domination was re-established, and lasted until 1859. Encouraged by the revolution of Vienna in 1848, Milan revolted, in an effort to throw off the foreign yoke; and the five days (18 to 22 March of that year) remain famous; a provisional committee was formed and the Austrians were compelled to retreat; but the consequent war, Piedmont having taken up the cause of Italy, was disastrous to the insurgents; and Milan (with Lombardy) again became subject to Austria. The war of 1859, however, decided the final annexation of Lombardy to the Kingdom of Italy.

Milan is an archiepiscopal see. According to an eleventh-century legend the Gospel was brought there by St. Barnabas, and the first Bishop of Milan, St. Anathalon, was a disciple of that apostle. But a diocese cannot have been established there before 200, and possibly not till much later, for the list of the bishops of Milan names only five predecessors of Merocles, who was at the Council of Rome (313). During the persecutions several Christians suffered martyrdom at Milan; among them Saints Gervasius and Protasius (first persecution of Diocletian), St. Victor (304), Sts. Nabor and Felix, and Sts. Nazarius and Celsus. Among its bishops should be named St. Eustorgius, St. Protasius, and St. Dionysius, who firmly opposed the Arian emperor Constantius, and was exiled to Cappadocia (355), while the Arian Auxentius was put on the episcopal throne of Milan. But the people remained faithful to the Catholic religion. At the death of St. Dionysius, the great St. Ambrose was elected bishop (375-97), vanquished paganism and Arianism, and was the guide of those good princes Gratian, Valentinian II, and Theodosius. He was succeeded by St. Simplicianus (397), and Venerius (400); Lazarus (438-49) appears to have amplified the Ambrosian rite of Milan; Laurentius (490-512) presided over the Roman councils in the cause of Pope Symmachus; St. Datius (530-52), lived almost always in exile at Constantinople, on account of the Gothic War; Vitalis (552) adhered to the schism caused by the "Three Chapters", but Auxanus (556) re-established the union of the diocese with Rome. Honoratus (568) sought refuge in Genoa, with a great number of his clergy, during the siege of Milan by the Lombard Alboin, and at his death the Milanese at Genoa elected to succeed him Laurentius II, while Fronto (elected at Milan) was not recognized. When Laurentius died, King Agilulfus wished to secure the election of an Arian bishop, in which, however, he was thwarted by the vigilance of St. Gregory the Great, and both at Genoa and at Milan, Constantius was elected to the vacant see; under him, the cathedral of Monza was erected, Agilulfus became a Catholic, and the conversion of the Lombards to the Faith was begun, while the episcopal residence was again taken up at Milan. The first prelate of this diocese who bore the title of archbishop was St. Petrus (784), but it is certain that St. Ambrose had already exercised metropolitan jurisdiction over northern Italy, from Bologna to Turin, and that the Frankish king Childebert gave to Bishop Laurentius II the title of Patriarch. St. Petrus established an asylum for foundlings, one of the first institutions of its kind in Europe. Mention has been made above of Ansperto da Biassono.

In 980 Landolfo, a son of the imperial vicar, Bonizo, became archbishop through simony; he was driven from the city on account of his abuse of power, but was taken back by the emperor Otto II, and repaired the evil that he had done. He was succeeded by Arnolfo II (998) and Ariberto d'Intimiano (1018), mentioned above. The latter was succeeded by Guido (1045), also a simoniac. At this time the morals of the clergy were deplorable: simony and concubinage were common, and out of these conditions developed the famous pataria, a popular movement for social and ecclesiastical reform, headed by the priest Anselmo da Biaggio, later Bishop of Lucca, and by the cleric Arialdo, both of whom used force to compel the clergy to observe continence, and to drive its members from benefices obtained by simony. From this great confusion ensued. In 1059 Nicholas II sent to Milan St. Peter Damian and the same Anselmo, at which the people murmured, demanding that the church of Milan be not subject to that of Rome. Archbishop Guido, however, promised amendment, and accepted the conditions imposed upon him, but soon relapsed, and Arialdo, with whom the noble warrior Erlembaldo was associated, began again to agitate the people, in consequence of which he was brutally assassinated 27 June, 1066. Erlembaldo then gave a military organization to the pataria, and Guido, who was excommunicated, was compelled to leave the city. While the election, of his successor was being discussed, Guido sold the archiepiscopal dignity to his secretary. Until 1085 there were several pretenders to the see; and in one of the many tumults caused by this condition of affairs Erlembaldo was killed (1074). Under Anselm III order was re-established.

Unfortunately, the pataria had created an anticlerical sentiment in the people, and had prepared them to accept the doctrines of Manichæism. In fact, the Cathari of Italy were more frequently called Patari, and in Milan, one of their chief centres, they maintained a kind of university. Archbishop Oberto was exiled by Barbarossa in 1162; and though his successor St. Galdino, was elected at Rome by the emigrated Milanese, he was able to take possession of his see in 1167; he reorganized the hospital del Broglio. Archbishop Uberto Crivelli became Pope Urban III in 1185. At an archiepiscopal election, in 1263 no agreement could be reached, for the people wanted Raimondo della Torre, and the nobles a member of the family of Settala; therefore Urban IV appointed Ottone Visconti, who was prevented by the Milanese from taking possession of his see until 1277, when he entered Milan, both as archbishop and as lord. Roberto Visconti, who succeeded John in 1354, was obliged to enter into litigation with his brothers for the property of the Church, which they regarded as the personal property of their uncle. Among other archbishops of Milan were Pietro Filargo (1402), who became Alexander V; Fra Gabriele Sforza (1454), an Augustinian, brother of Duke Francesco and founder of the Ospedale Maggiore; and the cardinals Stefano Nardini (1461), Giovanni Arcimboldi (1448), Ippolito d'Este (1497), also the latter's nephew Ippolito (1520). During the incumbency of this prelate, always absent from his diocese, great abuses grew up which Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldo (1550) and St. Charles Borromeo sought to remedy (1561). Here it is enough to mention the latter's zeal for the reformation of morals, his earnestness in preserving the Ambrosian Rite and extending its use throughout the archdiocese (Monza alone retaining the Roman rite), and his foundation of the Oblates for diocesan missions. His work was continued by Gaspare Visconti (1584) and by a nephew of St. Charles, Federigo (1594-1631), who was a cardinal, as were all of his successors, to Filippo Visconti (1784-1801), whose nomination by Joseph II, made without the consent of the Holy See, nearly brought on a schism. He was followed by Cardinal Caprara, well-known as Apostolic legate to the court of Napoleon. After the death of this prelate in 1811 the See of Milan remained vacant for six years; the next archbishop, Cardinal Carlo Gætano Gaisruck, was appointed in 1818 and governed the diocese until 1848 "more as a soldier than as a prelate". He was especially opposed to the re-establishment of the religious orders. Archbishop Paolo Angelo Ballerini (1859-67) was never able to take possession of his see, because the Italian Government denied him the exequatur; and his auxiliary bishop Dominioni was also persecuted.

Councils were held at Milan in 343 and 347, against Photinus; in the cause of St. Athanasius, at which the Emperor Constans menaced the bishops; 390, against Jovinian; 451, against the Robber Council of Ephesus; 680, against the Monothelites; 1060, 1098, 1117, 1287, for ecclesiastical reforms. The diocesan synods of St. Charles Borromeo and those of 1636 and of 1669 were also reform synods. Diocesan synods were held in 1609 and 1850 respectively. The suffragan bishops of Milan were wont to meet each year at Rò; their sees are Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Crema, Cremona, Lodi, Mantua, and Pavia. The archdiocese has 788 parishes, with 1,828,000 inhabitants, 27 religious houses of men, and of women nearly 80 in the city and 220 throughout the diocese; it has 43 educational establishments for boys and 176 for girls, 2 Catholic daily papers, and many important periodicals. In the Middle Ages there was a monastery at Milan, St. Cosmas, for Armenian monks of the Rule of St. Basil; they depended, however, on a similar monastery in Genoa, and had no relation with Armenia. This order, which used the so-called Aquileian rite, was suppressed in 1650.

Religious edifices

The wonderful Italian Gothic cathedral is built of white marble, has five naves, and is 486 feet in length; it is surmounted by 98 slender turrets, on the principal one of which is a bronze-gilt statue of the Madonna; there are, in all, 6000 statues, 2000 of which are on the exterior. The cathedral is situated on the site of the ancient basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (fourth or fifth century), and was begun in 1386 by Giovanni Galeazzo Visconti. The tomb of St. Charles is under the cupola. The treasury of the cathedral contains, among other valuable objects, two statues, of St. Charles and of St. Ambrose, made of silver and set with precious stones, the gift of the city. The high altar is a gift of Pius IV. The church of St. Ambrose, built by its patron saint in 386, and often restored, especially in the twelfth century, contains the tomb of the Emperor Louis II; in the chapel of St. Satyrus is a mosaic that dates, probably, from the fifth century, while the central door, with wood-carvings representing scenes from the life of David, is held, on seemingly good grounds, to be of the time of St. Ambrose; the church possesses also a golden altar-front (palliotto) of Angilbert (835). The monastery annexed to this church had a fine library, and belonged at first to the Benedictines, later to the Cistercians; it serves now as a military hospital. The church of St. Eustorgius contains the mausoleums of Stefano Visconti, Martino della Torre, and others. The church of St. Stefano Maggiore is of the fifth century; that of San Vittore al corpo is the Basilica Portiana, dating from before the time of St. Ambrose; it contains the body of the martyr St. Victor, and also valuable paintings. San Nazaro Maggiore (382?) has a vestibule by Bramante, and contains the tombs of the Trivulzio family. In the church of St. Aquilinus there is a beautiful mosaic and the sarcophagus of a lady of the family of the Emperor Theodosius. Santa Maria delle Grazie is a church in the style of the Renaissance (1465), with a cupola by Bramante; it has valuable frescoes, beautiful carvings, and inlaid work in the choir; in the ancient monastery, which formerly belonged to the Dominicans, is the famous Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci. On the site of the principal hall of the baths of Maximiam, the peristyles of which remain, is built the church of San Lorenzo, containing ancient mosaics. The church of San Marco (1254) has a beautiful high altar, and valuable paintings; that of San Maurizio, said to have been built by Queen Theodelinda, is covered with frescoes by Luini between 1503 and 1509. San Satiro, a church that dates from 876, was restored by Bramante. There are also the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and others.

Secular edifices

Among these are the Palazzo di Corte (1228), restored several times; whose garden contains the Royal Villa (1790); the Broletto Nuovo, from 1228 to 1786 the palace of the commune; the Palazzo della Ragione (1233); the Broletto (1413-24), at present containing public offices; the Collegio Elvetico, founded by St. Charles Borromeo, and now the seat of the Court of Assizes; the Vittorio Emanuele gallery and the Castello Sforzesco.

Schools, etc

There are two episcopal seminaries, and the Lombard Seminary for foreign missions; the Academy of Sciences and Letters; the Technical Institute; the Superior Institute of Commerce; 3 royal and 6 private gymnasia; many other schools, 17 of which are under religious direction; the Verdi Conservatory of Music; the Lombard Institute for Sciences and Letters; the Royal Pinacoteca della Brera, formerly a Jesuit college, rich in paintings of the old Lombard school, and possessing a valuable numismatic collection. In the Castello Sforzesco is a museum of ancient and medieval art, while many of the private palaces, such as those of the Borromeos and of the Trivulzios, contain valuable collections of paintings. The National Library in the Brera (1770) and the Ambrosian Library are famous. The latter was founded by Cardinal Federigo Borromeo (1609) and contains 200,000 volumes, besides 8300 manuscripts, 126 of which are illuminated with miniatures. The State and the municipal archives are important; so, also, in their sphere, are the astronomical and the meteorological observatories. Milan has 14 theatres, of which the Scala is world-famous. There are 17 hospitals and 5 polyclinics, also asylums for the insane, the blind, the deaf-mute, etc. There are nearly 5000 industrial establishments, with 150,000 workmen; the textile, typographic, and pharmaceutic industries are especially well represented.

CAPPELLETTI, Le Chiese d'Italia, XI (Venice, 1856); EUSTACHIUS A. S. UBALDO, De metropoli Mediolanensi (Milan, 1699); histories of Milan by ROSMINI (4 vols., Milan, 1820): CANTÙ, (2 vols., 1855); BONFADINI GIANETI (4 vols., 1883-1904); ADY, Milan under the Sforza (London, 1907); SAXIUS, Archiepiscoporum Mediolanensium series (Milan, 1755); the periodical Milano Benefica (1905 sqq.).

About this page

APA citation. Benigni, U. (1911). Archdiocese of Milan. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

MLA citation. Benigni, Umberto. "Archdiocese of Milan." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. <>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Douglas J. Potter. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.

Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.

Copyright © 2012 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.


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New Census Data Reaffirms Dominance of the South

The 2011 state population estimates released earlier today by the Census Bureau show that the South has retained its dominant position in both population and growth over the last year. Southern states accounted for more than one half of the nation's population growth between 2011 and 2000, despite having little more than one third of the population. Moreover, the South was the recipient of 95% of the inter-regional net domestic migration (people moving from one state to another), with the West accounting for the other 5%, with the losses split between the Northeast and the Midwest.

Overall, a net 533,000 people moved from one state to another, somewhat above the low of 503,000 in 2008 and below the 573,000 at the beginning of the previous decade (2001). The figure, however, remained less than one-half that of the mid 2000s peak.

The state data confirmed the "return to normalcy," that had been indicated by the 2010 American Community Survey data.

The South Rises Again

In 2011 (July 2010 to June 2011), seven of the top domestic migration gaining states were in the South. This is a restoration of the same dominance the South achieved in 2001 to 2006. Some of the states have changed, but the overall impact is little different.

Texas:Texas again led the nation in net domestic migration, adding 145,000 people from other states to its population. This was a slight increase from the 143,000 net domestic migrants in 2009 (Note 1) and was the highest for Texas since the artificially intense exodus from Louisiana in the year (2006) following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Texas has led the nation in net domestic migration for six years and ranked second in the nation over the 2001 to 2009.

Florida: Most spectacularly, however, has been the performance of Florida. Florida had been a net domestic migration leader for years, and had been number one from 2001 through 2005. However, when its highly inflated house prices collapsed (New York Federal Reserve Bank research refers to Florida as one of the "four bubble" states, along with California, Arizona and Nevada), Florida lost domestic migrants for the first time in at least six decades, in both 2008 and 2009. That has been radically turned around. In 2011, Florida added 119,000 net domestic migrants, housing prices dropped to normal levels (Note 2). While this is less than one half the gains in 2004 and 2005, it exceeds the annual Texas increase in the previous decade by 20%.

North Carolina and South Carolina: North Carolina ranked third, adding 41,000 net domestic migrants. This is an improvement from a fourth-place ranking in the previous decade. Neighboring South Carolina added 22,000 net domestic migrants and ranked sixth. This is an improvement from the previous decade's ranking of seventh. The domestic migrants to North Carolina and South Carolina have been called "halfbacks," as some have suggested that many who had moved to Florida from the Northeast have subsequently moved to North Carolina and South Carolina, essentially one half of the way back to where they moved from originally.

Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia: Tennessee (7th), Georgia (8th) and Virginia (9th) rounded out the South's seven of the top 10 states. Tennessee improved from having been 8th in 2001 to 2009, while Georgia dropped from 5th and Virginia was a new entrant, having previously ranked 12th.

Western Runners-Up

While the West continued to show net domestic migration gains, this formerly fastest-growing area of the nation has fallen well behind.

Washington: Washington ranked fourth in 2011, an improvement from ninth between 2001 and 2009. Washington added 35,000 net domestic migrants.

Colorado: Colorado also improved its position, adding a net 31,000 domestic migrants and ranking fifth in 2011, which is up from its 10th ranking in 2001 through 2009.

Oregon:Oregon ranked 10th, adding 14,000 net domestic migrants and was a new entrant to the top 10, having placed 11th between 2001 and 2009.

Things Never Change: The Bottom 10

A similar restoration of normalcy is evident in the bottom 10 states. From 2001 to 2009, all of the bottom 10 net domestic migration states were in the Northeast or the Midwest, joined by California. This changed somewhat in 2011, with formerly fast-growing Nevada, edging out one of the former bottom 10. There was some movement at the very bottom of the list.

New York: New York recovered its last place position (51st), which it held overall between 2001 and 2009, but had yielded to California later in the decade. New York lost 114,000 net domestic migrants in 2011, which compares to the 1,650,000 loss between 2000 and 2009.

Illinois:Illinois had the second-highest net domestic migration loss, sending 79,000 of its residents to other states. Illinois had ranked 49th in net domestic migration in the previous decade, with a 615,000 loss. Unlike the other biggest losers, New York and California, the Illinois rate in the single year of 2011 exceeded its annual rate of net domestic migration loss between 2000 and 2009.

California:The bad news is that California continues to be among the most hemorrhaging states in net domestic migration. The 2000 to 2009 net domestic migration loss of 1,500,000 was more than the population of the cities (municipalities) of San Francisco and Sacramento combined. Perhaps it is good news that the net domestic migration loss dropped to 66,000 in 2011, less than half the annual rate in the previous decade. California ranked 49th in net domestic migration in 2011, an improvement from its 50th place position in 2001 through 2009.

Michigan: Michigan continued its heavy losses, losing a net 57,000 domestic migrants in 2011 and ranking 48th. In the previous decade, Michigan had also ranked 48th and had a net loss of more than 535,000 domestic migrants.

New Jersey, Ohio and Connecticut: New Jersey, Ohio and Connecticut occupied the next three higher positions in the bottom ten. The New Jersey and Ohio ranks of 47th and 46th were the same as in the previous decade. Connecticut ranked 45th in 2011 and had ranked 42nd, at the top of the bottom 10, in the previous decade. Each of these states experienced an acceleration of net domestic outmigration relative to their annual loss in the previous decade. In the previous decade, the New Jersey and Connecticut losses had been driven by the New York metropolitan area, which suffered the preponderance of the net domestic migration losses in the Northeast.

Missouri and Indiana: The Midwestern states of Missouri and Indiana were new entrants to the bottom 10. Missouri ranked 44th in net domestic migration in 2011, losing 12,000, a substantial deterioration from its 20th ranking in the previous decade when the state added 41,000 residents from other states. Indiana ranked 43rd compared to its 32nd place ranking in the previous decade.

Nevada: Nevada, which had ranked sixth in net domestic migration in the previous decade, occupied the top position in the bottom 10, at 42nd. Nevada lost 11,000 domestic migrants, compared to a gain of more than 360,000 in the previous decade. Like Florida, house prices had escalated sharply during the housing bubble and prices have since fallen back to normal levels. However, much of Nevada's economy is tied to that of California, which could be a hindrance to the restoration of its previous growth.

Other Notes

The other "bubble state," Arizona ranked 11th in net domestic migration, adding 13,000 new residents from other states. As in Florida, house prices had escalated sharply but have since fallen back to normal levels. However, despite its healthy domestic migration, Arizona's gain is far less than its annual rate in the previous decade.

There are nothing but surprises in the balance of the top 15. Oklahoma, which has long exported people, especially to the West, ranked 12th in net domestic migration, an improvement from 19 in the previous decade. The District of Columbia ranked 13th, which is a strong improvement from its previous ranking of 37th. Louisiana continued its recovery, ranking 14th, which is an improvement from 45th in the previous decade. North Dakota, whose 2000 population was less than that of 1920, ranked 15th, which is an improvement from 31th in the previous decade.

No Matter How Much Things Change They Stay the Same

Both over the last decade and in 2011, the South accounted for 53% of the nation's growth, the West 32%, with the Midwest rising from 8% to 9% and the Northeast falling from 7% to 6%. And, as indicated above, net domestic migration results were similar. The conclusion from the new census estimates is consistent with the old adage that "no matter how much things change, they stay the same."

Net Domestic Migration by State:
2001-2009 and 2011
By 2011 Rank
State 2011 2011 Rank 2001-2009 2001-2009 Rank
Texas       145,315                   1        838,126                   2
Florida       118,756                   2     1,154,213                   1
North Carolina         41,033                   3        663,892                   4
Washington         35,166                   4        239,037                   9
Colorado         31,195                   5        202,735                 10
South Carolina         22,013                   6        306,045                   7
Tennessee         20,328                   7        259,711                   8
Georgia         17,726                   8        550,369                   5
Virginia         15,538                   9        164,930                 12
Oregon         13,636                 10        177,375                 11
Arizona         13,150                 11        696,793                   3
Oklahoma           8,933                 12           42,284                 19
District of Columbia           8,334                 13         (39,814)                 37
Louisiana           7,085                 14       (311,368)                 45
North Dakota           6,368                 15         (18,071)                 31
Kentucky           5,761                 16           81,711                 15
Arkansas           5,724                 17           75,163                 16
Montana           3,888                 18           39,853                 21
West Virginia           2,814                 19           17,727                 26
South Dakota           2,610                 20             7,182                 27
Delaware           2,347                 21           45,424                 18
New Mexico           2,202                 22           26,383                 24
Alabama           1,974                 23           87,199                 14
Alaska               740                 24           (7,360)                 29
Wyoming             (149)                 25           22,883                 25
Idaho             (256)                 26        110,279                 13
Utah             (826)                 27           53,390                 17
Vermont             (841)                 28           (1,505)                 28
Nebraska             (977)                 29         (39,275)                 36
Maine          (1,000)                 30           29,260                 23
Pennsylvania          (1,121)                 31         (33,119)                 34
Iowa          (1,361)                 32         (49,589)                 40
Hawaii          (2,320)                 33         (29,022)                 33
Maryland          (2,994)                 34         (95,775)                 43
New Hampshire          (3,645)                 35           32,588                 22
Rhode Island          (6,273)                 36         (45,159)                 38
Mississippi          (6,672)                 37         (36,061)                 35
Kansas          (7,928)                 38         (67,762)                 41
Minnesota          (8,073)                 39         (46,635)                 39
Massachusetts       (10,886)                 40       (274,722)                 44
Wisconsin       (10,990)                 41         (11,981)                 30
Nevada       (11,113)                 42        361,512                   6
Indiana       (11,412)                 43         (21,467)                 32
Missouri       (11,831)                 44           41,278                 20
Connecticut       (16,848)                 45         (94,376)                 42
Ohio       (44,868)                 46       (361,038)                 46
New Jersey       (54,098)                 47       (451,407)                 47
Michigan       (57,234)                 48       (537,471)                 48
California       (65,705)                 49   (1,490,105)                 50
Illinois       (79,458)                 50       (614,616)                 49
New York     (113,757)                 51   (1,649,644)                 51
Data from US Bureau of the Census

Note 1: The Census Bureau did not produce domestic migration data for 2010 (2009-2010). Any reference to 2010 in this article is based upon an interpolation of the 2010 estimate from 2009 and 2011 Census Bureau estimates.

Note 2: By 2010, housing affordability in all of Florida's four major metropolitan areas with the exception of Miami had been returned to a Median Multiple (median house price divided by median household income) of approximately 3.0 or less, which is the historical norm (See: 7th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey). During the housing bubble of the early to middle 2000s, the Median Multiple had risen to above 5.0 in all of the major metropolitan areas except Jacksonville.

Wendell Cox is a Visiting Professor, Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris and the author of “War on the Dream: How Anti-Sprawl Policy Threatens the Quality of Life

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Credits & Info

4.57 / 5.00

Aug 5, 2010 | 4:28 PM EDT
Fine Art
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1461 x 2000 px
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Rated 5 / 5 stars

no, just kidding, really beautiful drawing
i like how you made the hair look so vivid, also the shadows around the eyes and the outlinish thing on her right cheek look really great
its just the eye that irritates me a little bit. but who knows, maybe thats just how she looks (=

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Rated 4 / 5 stars

Pretty good work here. A few issues with this one though. Where you have the black between the inside of the lip to the first tooth it suggest that the teeth are starting to curve around. However, if you look at the face and the jaw you'll see that the teeth shouldn't start curving around that particular spot.

Actually... looking at it a little bit more the teeth should start the curve but the shading should be relatively light where you instead have it as complete black. The left shoulder blade should have more shading to show the true depth. It looks sort of strange, but I know where you were going with this. The middle finger of the right hand seems like it's attached to the pinkie finger. I would say darker shading in that area would alleviate the trickery that meets the eye :) . The hair is fantastic! Other than the issues mentioned above, impressive work!

People find this review helpful!

Rated 5 / 5 stars

Her left eye seems a tiny bit off, but other than that, it's flawless. Fantastic use of coloring and model pose.

Rated 5 / 5 stars

Absolutely Amazing...

You are now officially on my favorite artists list!
Fantastic work! :)
I really don't have anything to criticize. The line work is awesome and I love the colors you used! I can't wait to see your future work. :)
Did you have someone model for this painting or did you create the person yourself?
-Random, but I have the exact same eyes! Except the brown is on the top of my eyes, heh.

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porcelainskin responds:

awe i love reviews like this :)... yes i had a model to work from

Rated 5 / 5 stars

Yeah that's fantastic. Love the expression, perfectly captured. Can I ask how long you spent on this? and how much did it sell for?

People find this review helpful!
porcelainskin responds:

well i had started it a while ago ( did the base ) and this week i just grabbed it and finished it it took about 20 hours to do... i went for 350$... yea i was really sad to let this one go :(


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Santa Clause is coming...

rated 2.75 / 5 stars
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Action - Platformer - Hop and Bop

Credits & Info

Dec 25, 2013 | 4:34 PM EST

If you liked this, check these out!

Author Comments

I had to rush this to get it out on time, because I'm leaving to go shopping. This game was inspired by my previous game panda slaughter. Same concept, but much more neat looking.

- when you first play, there's a bug that skips the menu. This doesn't affect gameplay at all.

- Global variables do not reset (just reload the page)

How to play:

Run around (WASD) and throw presents at baby gingerbread people (Space)

Rated 5 / 5 stars

awesome game man! you should teach me that mouse point- shooting technique

larrynachos responds:

Sure man! I don't know how to code it in flash (I use construct 2), but it's probably the same principle. I'll message you it later.

Rated 2 / 5 stars

Not a bad game but not for me

larrynachos responds:

Yeah, I was kinda bored of it myself. Just needed to get it out.

Rated 2.5 / 5 stars

The game is alright; it's not too good or bad. It's very simplistic, which isn't necessarily bad, but it is a tad bit boring. All you really have to do is rapidly tap the center of the screen and you'll get a bunch of points; I feel the game could be a bit better if several things were altered slightly.
The first thing you could do is make it so the Gingerbread Men came from more than just one angle, so that players have to aim. A second thing is the aesthetics; the look of the game. If you drew the images (in Paint or Photoshop), it might have a less 'choppy' look to it. That, and adding a small bit of animation to it would help; have Santa throw the presents instead of having him stand still when they fire, or have the Gingerbread Men move their bodies as they walk.
Now, as I said, this is not a bad game; it could be better though.
Have a Merry Christmas.

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Rated 2 / 5 stars

You know, this isn't to bad for something "half assed". The animations on the characters are nice, and it functions well, but it's a bit boring without any enemy type or audio.
I do wish that the screen didn't run on for an eternity as well, it takes away from the game, and you can't really see what your hitting even when you score points.

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Rated 4 / 5 stars

Believe it or not, It's fun to play man!
I really had fun! The only problem I had with t was it was a little repetitive.
But there were nice colors/graphics and VERY nice music!
Good job!

larrynachos responds:

I was going to add a lot more, but I ran short of time. Thanks!


text:
Twinlab unveils new supplements at Expo East

Twinlab unveils new supplements at Expo East

Here's a sneak peek at Twinlab’s newest vitamin, sports nutrition products and Alvita teas.

Twinlab Corp., the brand trusted as a leader in innovative, high performance health and wellness products, will launch several new products at the Natural Products Expo East Show in Baltimore Sept. 26 to 28.  Every product produced in our manufacturing facility in American Fork, Utah, goes through Twinlab's rigorous manufacturing standards to ensure the high-level of quality consumers have come to trust. Twinlab’s newest vitamin, sports nutrition products and Alvita teas are located in Hall A-D, Booth #6024.

CleanSeries sports performance products
The next generation of sports nutrition products, Twinlab’s CleanSeries brand debuts two all new formulas that contain no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners and are certified gluten free and non-GMO and are also banned substance tested and NSF® Tested and Certified. Additionally, Veggie Protein proudly holds a certification, making it a clear winner for vegetarian and vegan athletes.

“CleanSeries represents a new standard in sports nutrition, helping us serve athletes in search of 'clean' supplements that don’t sacrifice performance for peace of mind,” says Marc Stover, Twinlab’s director of marketing.

  • Veggie Protein – Designed with the needs of active vegetarians and vegans in mind, this breakthrough product is certified and formulated with protein from yellow peas, sprouted brown rice, chlorella and black chia seeds.
  • Gainers 600 – Clean athletes looking to pack on muscle mass are often left wanting for solutions. New Gainer’s 600 helps fill the void with an advanced protein-fueled formula that provides 600 efficient calories, 40g of protein, and 7g of MCTs per serving.

Alvita supplement teas
Alvita understands that herbs are gifts from the earth and takes this stewardship seriously by offering carefully harvested teas in earth-friendly packaging. Hand illustrations adorn boxes made using 100-percent recycled paperboard, and the English, pillow-style teas bags are oxygen-bleached, not chlorine-treated. In addition to sustainable packaging, Alvita continues to offer new, organic supplement teas offering several benefits.

  • Organic Catnip Tea – A member of the mint family, this herb has been traditionally brewed to soothe an upset stomach and has a savory woodsy aroma and flavor with a hint of mint.*
  • Organic Valerian-Peppermint Tea – For centuries, valerian has been used by herbalists worldwide to support restful sleep and relaxation. Blended with peppermint, this tea has the characteristic smooth, smoky aroma of valerian with the cooling, minty flavor of peppermint.
  • Organic Spearmint Tea – Used for thousands of years as a culinary ingredient and fragrance in cosmetics, spearmint is perhaps most well known for its powers to soothe an upset stomach. This tea bears a delicate mint flavor with just a hint of sweetness.

Twinlab vitamins
Twinlab continues to create exceptional Healthy Aging products with the addition of Age-Defense Telomere Multi and BioPQQ MicroTabs. The Twinlab DOTs line is an easy, convenient, on the go solution for a broad array of health benefits. The two newest additions, L-Theanine DOTs and Zinc Carnosine DOTs offer quick support in a unique delivery form. Twinlab continues to lead in the innovation of new products to meet growing consumer needs.

  • BioPQQ Microtabs – An essential co-factor in many important enzymatic processes, pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) has been shown to support energy production. In addition, PQQ provides antioxidant activity and may also help support cognitive function.
  • Time-Release Probiotic – Featuring five different probiotic strains, each with their own benefits, this unique formula supports a healthy immune system and healthy intestinal function. In addition, instead of just protection from stomach acid, the bio-tract delivery system gradually releases probiotics throughout the entire intestinal tract over a period of several hours.
  • Zinc Carnosine Dots – Available in a convenient and portable quick-dissolve dot, this combination of the mineral zinc bound with dipeptide L-carnosine has been found to help maintain a healthy gastrointestinal environment and help provide relief for occasional gastric discomfort and heartburn.
  • Age-Defense Telomere Multi™ – A once-daily multivitamin that delivers at least 100 percent of the Daily Value for 16 key vitamins and minerals, and provides antioxidant protection against premature cellular aging and telomere support.
  • L-Theanine Dots – Convenient, chewable tablets support mental alertness while promoting relaxation. 200mg L Theanine may help reduce some measures of stress in as little as 15 minutes.

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September 8, 2011

Saints Lineup Features Newcomers

Inactives for the Saints are backup center/guard Matt Tennant, newly-signed TE John Gilmore, placekicker Garrett Hartley (hip injury), WR Lance Moore (groin injury), RB Joique Bell, rookie CB Johnny Patrick, and offeseason free agent addition DT Tom Johnson.

The Saints have five wide receivers active, meaning that WR Adrian Arrington will dress in only his second NFL game.

Active tonight for the Saints are two new fullbacks, Jed Collins and former Packer Korey Hall, and two tight ends, Jimmy Graham and David Thomas, a new twist for their offensive lineup which usually features one and three, respectively.  Three runningbacks are active, Pierre Thomas, rookie Mark Ingram and free agent arrival Darren Sproles.

Appearing in their first games as Saints are undrafted rookie safety Isa Abdul-Quddus, the most unlikely Saint in uniform tonight, and the tangible product of the Reggie Bush trade- safety Jonathon Amaya.

The prize of the free agent market, starting defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin, is healthy and will make his first start as a Saint, starting aside Sedrick Ellis.  A long-time Packer adversary as a Bear, new starting center Olin Kreutz is also in the black and gold for the first time.

Also active in their first games as Saints are Hartley's replacement K John Kasay, reserve DT Mitch King, first round picks Ingram and DE Cameron Jordan, free agent addition DE Turk McBride, backup G Brian de la Puente, and linebackers Will Herring and rookie Martez Wilson.

Kasay is wearing jersey #2, a new number for him after 19 seasons spent in jersey #4.

Meanwhile, a springboard for the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV run, veteran safety Darren Sharper is on the sidelines as a special guest of the Saints.  Rookie Abdul-Quddus is wearing Sharper's #42 jersey.

Inactive for the Packers are CB Davon House, DB M.D. Jennings, LB Frank Zombo, OL Derek Sherrod, TE Ryan Taylor, DE Mike Neal and LB Vic So'oto.

NOPF News Archive


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Illinois' early retirement fiasco

Illinois' early retirement fiasco

The mixed messages our local and state elected officials send are not only confounding but self-destructive.

Taxpayers have been hearing for years that Illinois' public pensions systems are careening toward bankruptcy and will eventually go under, absent dramatic change. Yet in the face of unchallenged numbers — roughly $95 billion in under-funding — the General Assembly has refused to act.

But if this inaction invites disaster, what is the public to make of the ultimate mixed message — while the state's Teachers Retirement System draws closer to the brink, local school systems continue to offer teachers early retirement incentives.

Given the non-stop drumbeat of news about TRS' financial fragility, some school districts are starting to pull the plug on them. Champaign schools ended their early retirement incentives for teachers in a recently negotiated teachers' contract while Urbana schools prepare to do the same.

But sprinkled throughout the state's 102 counties — Illinois has 862 school districts and there are no official numbers indicating exactly how many do so — are school districts that offer early retirement incentives in the form of multi-year pay increases of 6 percent. These increases are specifically designed to boost teacher pay on which pensions are based, exacerbating the TRS' financial problems.

Here's the conundrum. If TRS' future solvency is in question, isn't it crazy for school districts to boost the cost of pensions the TRS must pay. The answer, obviously, is yes.

Here is something even crazier — the self-destructive 6 percent increases were approved by the legislature in 2005 as a solution to a problem.And it was, of sorts, because what preceded the General Assembly's action were even more costly early retirement incentives that had gone viral across the state.

School board members then were cutting their payroll costs by offering highly experienced, more costly employees sizable end-of-career pay increases, like 20 percent a year for several years, to retire. In the process, the school districts were able to replace more experienced, higher-paid older teachers with less experienced, less costly younger ones.

TRS executives bitterly objected because more people were retiring with higher pensions. School districts didn't care because while TRS was picking up a bigger bill they were cutting employee costs.

But now local school districts are starting to care. That's because state officials, including Gov. Pat Quinn and House Speaker Michael Madigan, want to transfer the costs of teacher pension from the state to local school districts.

It's a circumstance that demonstrates two truisms:

— there is nothing that is so much fun as spending someone else's money.

— the law of unintended consequences.

When legislators limited school boards' profligacy by requiring that the district would pay the extra pension costs for any end-of-career increases above 6 percent, that put an immediate end to the 20 percent increases, but gave grounds to teachers' union demands for continued early retirement increases of 6 percent a year, a number often in excess of the amount negotiated by local district for teacher raises.

"When the state passed that rule of 6 percent, it became a very important bargaining point for (the Illinois Education Association)," said Urbana School Board President John Dimit.

Dimit said he personally objects to early retirement incentives because it drains talented employees from local schools and creates problems for the TRS. "We're being inconsistent by adding to TRS's problems," he said.

Dimit also conceded that it weakens the local school board's argument that pension costs should not be transferred from the state to them.

"It's a new reality," he said, noting that TRS financial woes are getting harder to ignore.

What's most troublesome, of course, is that it was clear that TRS was heading into deep trouble in the early 2000s. Nonetheless, local school board members plowed ahead with early retirement incentives — first with the bigger pay boosts and now with the 6 percent hikes.

But there's a rule in economics — if something cannot go on forever, it won't. The financial uncertainty surrounding TRS, talk of transferring costs of teacher pensions from the state to local districts, increased contributions by teachers, limiting or ending future cost-of-living increases have become harder to ignore. It's well past time that some local school districts have ended their early retirement incentives. But all school districts need to end programs that encourage people to retire early at higher costs to a system whose finances are on life support.

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text:
As a breed, pugs are outgoing, assertive and bouncy. An elderly pug feels like a contradiction of terms.

My dog was not actually the world's oldest pug. I enjoyed making the claim, however, and seldom met anyone who could authoritatively tell me otherwise.
As a breed, pugs are outgoing, assertive and bouncy. An elderly pug feels like a contradiction of terms. Their facial expression, which even on a fine spring day resembles that of a kid who dropped his ice cream cone, becomes more so and droopier with age.
People want to cheer up a dog that looks like that, and they will always respond, no matter how old.
Pugs tend not to live too much beyond 12 years and Puck was 16 when he died last week, euthanized as his kidneys shut down.
In the past few weeks, the house had the feel of an animal hospice. When he could only pull himself to a favorite spot, the place where the sun pours in just so, I had figured out what was next.
In recent years, he's been mostly blind and oblivious enough to noises to suggest he was nearly deaf. He would curl up to sleep comfortably next to stereo speakers, indifferent to whether a Bach keyboard piece was tinkling or a Grateful Dead number was blasting.
I had to call out to alert him whenever I arrived home. Something I find I still do after he died. I talked to the dog a lot and you'd be surprised at how many of these columns started with those one-way conversations. I'm discovering a lot of longtime habits like that.
I wake up differently these days because I'm not getting him outside while I'm still half-asleep.
I go to bed differently because there's no evening walk.
And in between, I'm not hearing him rustle around, the sound of nails clicking on wood flooring. The house is quieter and less alive.
Surprisingly, this has turned out to be a bigger life-adjustment than when the kids moved away to college. A change that turned out to be harder on him than on me. I had a phone and email. He lost his audience.
Sometimes he'd slip out a door and I'd have to go looking for him. He was easy to find. I discovered him anywhere kids were hanging out. My favorite image of the dog was from one of these episodes.
Exasperated after circling and recircling the block, I spotted a little girl tooling down the side of the road in a pink, battery-powered Barbie jeep. In the passenger seat was the pug, sitting up, looking pleased that he was being chauffeured home in style.
He was decidedly a people dog and one person was insufficient society for him. I had to find people and bring them back to the house to amuse him or he'd get sulky.
Dogs live only so long, yet long enough that we work our days around them.
They make us walk more, notice more of our yard and neighborhood, converse with children we wouldn't talk to otherwise, trod around the block in the dark and notice the stars, sniff the flowers and be aware of the seasons.
Particularly good dogs train us well, even after they're gone.


text:
Last updated: October 21, 2016

Weather: Sydney 15°C - 26°C . Possible late shower.

World Breaking News

NZ confirms support of Japan in TPP

NEW Zealand is confirming its support of Japan's bid to enter Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations after talks with Japanese officials.

Trade Minister Tim Groser said New Zealand has concluded bilateral consultations with Japan at which it sought assurances that Japan could positively contribute to the momentum of the negotiations.

New Zealand welcomed news last month that Japan wanted to join the 11 Asia-Pacific TPP countries, including the United States, which are negotiating what would be the world's largest regional free trade agreement.

After a meeting with Japan's Minister of Economic Revitalisation, Akira Amari, Mr Groser expressed confidence that Japan wanted to achieve a comprehensive, high-standard agreement, consistent with the statements made by TPP leaders and trade ministers in Honolulu in November 2011.

"I was pleased to be able to confirm that New Zealand could support Japan's participation in TPP on this basis," Mr Groser said.

The US has given Japan the green light to enter the TPP, despite opposition from some US manufacturers and labour groups.

A decision on Japan's participation in negotiations requires collective agreement by all current TPP participants.


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Scarlett Johansson weds partner Dauriac

03 December 2014, 08:35

Los Angeles -Hollywood superstar Scarlett Johansson quietly tied the knot with her fiance Romain Dauriac, in October, US media reported Monday.

Johansson - best known for her roles in Lost in Translation, The Avengers and a string of Woody Allen films - married Dauriac, a French journalist, in Montana on October 1, People magazine reported.

The couple have a daughter, Rose.

Johansson, considered one of Hollywood's modern sex symbols, also starred in "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and Luc Besson thriller "Lucy."

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Irungu disowns referendum push

30 September 2013, 16:24 Joseph Njung'eh

Laikipia - Laikipia County governor, Joshua Irungu Wakahora, on Saturday exempted himself from the group of governors pushing for a referendum.

Speaking at Ol Joigi area, on the outskirts of Nanyuki town, Irungu said he was not convinced of going back at the ballot box just six months after the general elections.

“Kenyans are tired of elections and are not willing to go back to elections mood again. They now want to see the government they ushered in deliver their promises. Going back to political campaigns is letting the public down,” he said.

Though he asserted that the County governments needed more powers for effective delivery of services to the people, he said this is not the right time to demand those powers.

According to Irungu, members of the public just want development projects to be implemented irrespective of who is instituting and offering them.

The governor reiterated that he and Laikipia residents are not in support of the referendum.

“It is the high time that elected leaders worked and avoided playing politics which will halt service delivery to the public,” he said adding that people are eagerly waiting to see their performance.

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

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Injured Balotelli sent home

25 June 2013, 07:23

Fortaleza - Mario Balotelli was sent home from the Confederations Cup on Monday due to a strained thigh, leaving Italy without its top striker for both the semi-final v Spain and the final or third-place match.

Having already been ruled out of Thursday's semi-final, Italy coach Cesare Prandelli decided to send Balotelli home after consulting with team physician Enrico Castellacci.

"I feel like a loser leaving this way. I would have liked to stay but there's the Champions League preliminary round so I've got to take care of myself," Balotelli said upon leaving the team hotel, referring to matches in August with AC Milan. "Anyhow my teammates will do well even without me."

Balotelli injured his left quadriceps during Italy's 4-2 loss to Brazil on Saturday. He has been the Azzurri's most explosive player in the tournament so far, scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory over Mexico, converting a penalty in the 4-3 win over Japan and setting up a goal for Emanuele Giaccherini against Brazil.

"He's obviously very upset but there's just not enough time for him to return," Prandelli said, adding that the decision was made without any pressure from Milan. "We just used good sense."

Castellacci said that Milan's medical staff will take over treatment.

"I checked out Balotelli this morning and, considering his condition, I don't think he will be able to recuperate before the final," Castellacci said. "It's not worth taking more risks."

Balotelli is the second Italy player sent home since the Brazil match, with fullback Ignazio Abate - who also plays for Milan - having left Sunday with a dislocated right shoulder.

Meanwhile, midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who sat out Saturday's match with Brazil due to a muscle problem, continued to train separately from the rest of the squad.

"Pirlo continues to work out and we're optimistic but we need to evaluate him day by day and we won't decide whether he can play until the last minute," Castellacci said.

In a bit of positive news, midfielder Riccardo Montolivo has fully recuperated from a knock to the head and trained regularly on Monday.

Alberto Gilardino would seem to be Balotelli's logical replacement if Prandelli sticks with his single-striker lineup. Or he could use several forwards such as Emanuele Giaccherini, Stephan El Shaarawy, Sebastian Giovinco, Alessio Cerci or Alessandro Diamanti.

"Without Mario we'll have to work much more collectively so we'll work more on that," Prandelli said. "We have a few problems but the squad is responding well despite the difficulties."

- AP

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Ethiopia opposition leader charged

2014-02-18 07:44
Ethiopian flags fly at half mast in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after the death of Meles Zenawi. (Elias Asmare, AP)

Ethiopian flags fly at half mast in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after the death of Meles Zenawi. (Elias Asmare, AP)

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Addis Ababa - An Ethiopian opposition leader charged with contempt of court after writing an article critical of the country's judiciary has been released from jail with a conditional sentence, officials said on Monday.

Asrat Tase, a senior member of the opposition Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), was arrested on 7 February after publishing an article accusing the Ethiopian justice system of being biased toward the government.

"The court tried him summarily and they found him guilty," government spokesperson Shimeles Kemal told AFP.

The spokesperson said the opposition figure was charged with contempt of court and has now been released, but he has been given a suspended sentence meaning he can be automatically jailed for five months for committing any crime.

"If the person commits another crime that sentence will automatically be reactivated," Shimeles said.

UDJ spokesperson Habtamu Ayalew condemned the sentence as unconstitutional, and accused the government of breaching its own laws to stifle freedom of speech.

"Any person can write or can speak according to the Ethiopian constitution, so when he wrote and criticised the justice how can he be arrested?," Habtamu told AFP.

Ethiopia has been accused of stifling political dissent and gagging political rivals in the past.

Several opposition members and journalists are jailed under the country's anti-terrorism legislation, which rights groups have criticised as vague and far-reaching.

Around 200 people were killed in protests during the 2005 elections, including anti-government demonstrators.

There is only one opposition member of parliament in Ethiopia, which is to hold federal elections in May 2015.

Read more on:    ethiopia  |  east africa

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Cops detect more sexual offences

2015-09-29 11:37
(Nielen de Klerk, News24)

(Nielen de Klerk, News24)

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Cape Town - There were 1 620 more sexual offences detected by police in 2014/15 compared with the previous year - an increase of 34.4% - according to the crime statistics released on Tuesday.

This brought the number up from 4 720 in 2013/14 to 6 340 in the current period.

The number has continued to increase in the past four years.

In 2011/12 there were 2 726 cases reported.

Drug-related crime increased by 2.4% in 2014/15.

There were 6 306 more cases, taking the number from 260 596 in 2013/14 to 266 902.

Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs decreased.

Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition dropped (1.6%) from 15 362 in 2013/14 to 15 116.

Driving under the influence was down by 1.7% from 69 725 to 68 561.

Read more on:    police  |  riah phiyega  |  nathi nhleko  |  crime stats 2015

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The young adult workforce on Long Island is in "demographic collapse," especially in communities with the most expensive housing, a housing services and advocacy group said Tuesday.

Alexander Roberts, executive director of Community Housing Innovations, said the nonprofit group's analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data for those ages 25 to 34 has a regional aspect, with the same situation showing in Westchester County statistics.

"This should be a wake-up call to all of the Long Island exclusive communities to tell them the world has changed," he said. "Their children no longer want to be driving six miles to get to a supermarket. They want to have night life. They like to walk. They like to bike."

Roberts said he and others will seek a meeting with Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to request an analysis of whether local communities are adhering to the Long Island Workforce Housing Act, a 2008 state law requiring creation of affordable housing on the Island.

The law requires that 10 percent of any development of five units or more be affordable to households with incomes of up to 130 percent of Long Island's median income. For a family of four, that is $138,000 annually.

Mitch Pally, chief executive of the Long Island Builders Institute, who attended the housing group's news conference, said he plans to join Roberts in seeking a meeting with Schneiderman.

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"Unfortunately, there are too many places on Long Island where building multifamily housing is not allowed. There's no zoning for it," Pally said. "We hope the attorney general's office will assist us in determining those areas and [provide] remedies for it."

Roberts called for "inclusionary zoning for Long Island, both for equity reasons and to preserve the economic health and balance" of the region during the news conference in Great Neck Plaza.

A spokeswoman for Schneiderman's office declined to comment Tuesday.

Community Housing Innovations, based in White Plains, is the largest provider of housing for the homeless on Long Island and the second-largest in Westchester, Roberts said.

The group's report found the population of young adults ages 25 to 34 increased 2.76 percent nationwide from 2000 to the Census Bureau's 2007-11 American Community Survey. During that period, Nassau County saw a 12.43 percent decline in that age group, while Suffolk County showed a 12.74 percent decline and Westchester County a 12.83 percent loss.

In the three counties, the report said the greatest population losses of the young adults occurred "in the least diverse communities with the most expensive housing, which happen to also be those that have almost no affordable multifamily housing."

According to the report, Kings Point had the highest percentage loss of 25- to 34-year-olds (58 percent), followed by Westhampton, a hamlet in Southampton Town, (57 percent). Kings Point officials could not be reached Tuesday.

Frank Zappone, Southampton Town deputy supervisor, said he has not seen the report but its conclusion "doesn't really come as a great surprise. It's a problem we're aware of." He said Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst has made "affordable workforce housing" a top priority.

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The report found Oyster Bay hamlet had a 51 percent loss of 25- to 34-year-olds.

"Oyster Bay Town has done its part to provide affordable housing for young people in a manner consistent with our suburban way of life through the next-generation housing ordinance," Supervisor John Venditto said. "Having said that, residents of the Town of Oyster Bay do not favor urban development of any kind or nature."

Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island, said despite the report's statistics, "there is progress . . . 25 communities have either built or approved 'smart growth' projects," while another 20 have plans in the works.


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William F. B. O'Reilly is a consultant to Republicans.

The New York City Council unanimously passed a bill last week requiring that schools report the ethnic makeup of their student bodies once a year. A sponsor said the data will provide "a meaningful framework to promote inclusion and advance diversity."

But is it really necessary?

The City Council already knows how many public schools are predominantly nonwhite. Its so-called progressive members have been grousing about it since last year, when a gratuitous UCLA study labeled city schools the most segregated in America. Does the council simply want to add bean counters to reconfirm the statistics, or is it planning something dire?

I don't recall another era when ethnicities were considered so important. Whatever immigrant wave was hitting our shores at any moment pretty much represented the makeup of schools. Somehow everybody got by.

But everything seems to be about race these days, about skin color. It's an obsession of the new political left. Whatever happened to "content of their character"?

The real question is why so many individual African-American and Hispanic students are failing. Is it a plot?

Mona Davids, president of the grassroots New York City Parents Union, seemed to think so when the UCLA report came out. "Segregation is alive and well in New York City," she told the Daily News. "Every child does not have access to an equal education. It's scary."

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But what if that's not true? What if every child does have access to a good education in New York, but not every child is capitalizing on it? What if the problem is rooted not in racism, but in something else?

We know empirically, for example, that students from single-parent households don't do nearly as well as kids from two-parent households. We also know that a disproportionate number of black and Latino kids come from single-parent homes. Solid data also tell us that ethnic communities which value education turn out successful students. Poor kids of Asian heritage earn their way to some of our best public high schools.

Maybe we should talk about that instead of fabricated racism. But the City Council wouldn't dare. It doesn't fit the "progressive" narrative of injustice around every corner.

William F. B. O'Reilly is a Republican consultant.


text:
Perry Smacks Obama's Push for Gay Rights Abroad
It's not in US interests, or worth the money
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 7, 2011 7:51 AM CST
Texas Governor and GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry is seen prior to the start of the Republican presidential debate on national security November 22, 2011 in Washington, DC.   (Getty Images)

(Newser) – Rick Perry was quick to jump on President Obama's decision yesterday to use foreign aid to fight for gay rights, calling it "not in America's interests," ABC News reports. "Just when you thought Barack Obama couldn’t get any more out of touch with America’s values," this news breaks, Perry complained in a statement. "This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop. Promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers’ money."

Calling it "the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country," Perry bemoaned the "troubling trend" and insisted, "Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many [Americans] of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong." Not surprisingly, the Human Rights Campaign was just as quick to condemn Perry's words, calling his statement "outrageous even by his own standards." Click for more on Obama's decision.


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Ex-Cop Gets 263 Years for Raping Women While on Patrol
His petition for a new trial was denied
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2016 6:19 PM CST
Daniel Holtzclaw, a former Oklahoma City police officer who was convicted of raping and sexually victimizing eight women on his beat, was sentenced to 263 years in prison on Thursday.   (EDMOND SUN OUT, OKLAHOMA GAZETTE OUT)

(Newser) – A former police officer accused of raping more than a dozen women while on patrol will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced to 263 years in prison on Thursday, NBC News reports. Daniel Holtzclaw, 29, was charged in 2014 and found guilty on 18 of 36 counts last month. According to CNN, Holtzclaw found his victims—ranging in age from 17 to 57—in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Oklahoma City and targeted them for their histories with drugs or prostitution, believing that would protect him from accusations.

During the trial, 13 women—all black—testified that Holtzclaw threatened to arrest them if they didn't have sex with him, NBC reports. According to the BBC, they felt their lives were in danger. Holtzclaw's attorney had petitioned for a new trial on Wednesday, claiming his client didn't get a fair trial due to evidence being withheld from the defense, NBC reports. That request was denied by the judge when Holtzclaw was sentenced. During the trial, Holtzclaw's attorney claimed his client was trying to help the victims, according to the BBC.


text:
Cop Kills Woman, 73, by Mistake in Role-Playing Drill
Mary Knowlton, 73, was picked at random to participate
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 10, 2016 4:03 AM CDT
A stock photo of police cars.   (Shutterstock)

(Newser) – In what's being described as a "horrible accident" by Punta Gorda Police Chief Tom Lewis, a 73-year-old Florida woman was mistakenly shot dead while participating in a citizen police academy designed to better relations between officers and the community they serve. The "shoot or don't shoot" role-playing session was part of Punta Gorda's eight-week academy—a "series of interactive sessions designed to provide insight into city government and to develop ... civically engaged residents." Mary Knowlton was one of 35 participants who was on Tuesday night touring the police station; she was chosen at random to play the victim to an officer's "bad guy" during a session about when officers decide to use lethal force, reports WBBH. The weapon used should have been fake or empty; instead, Knowlton was hit.

The Washington Post reports by way of her Facebook page that Knowlton was a long-time librarian in Minnesota who had relocated to Punta Gorda, where she was part of the Friends of the Punta Gorda Library board of directors. The name of the officer who shot her has not been released, but he is on administrative leave pending an investigation. The Post reports that for three decades, citizen police academies have been offered throughout the US; per decade-old Justice Department stats, about 15% of surveyed police departments had such academies. Said Lewis of the "unimaginable event": "If you pray, please pray for Mary's family, and for the officers who were involved. Everyone involved in this accident is in a state of overwhelming shock and grief."


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Mixed-race woman with leukaemia - level 2

Mixed-race woman with leukaemia - level 2

12-02-2016 07:00

In December, a twenty-four-year-old Thai-Italian woman found out that she had an aggressive form of leukaemia. Leukaemia is a very serious disease.

The best cure for the woman is a stem cell transplant, but it was hard for doctors to find a donor for her. She is mixed-race, and only three per cent of donors are mixed-race, too.

But thanks to a worldwide campign, people found a suitable donor. The donor’s identity is kept secret, but this person will donate his or her stem cells next month.

The campaign was not only about the one woman. It also showed everybody about the problems of mixed-race people who need transplanst.

Difficult words: cure (help), stem cell (a special type of cell – the smallest part of a living thing), donor (a person who donates – gives a part of their body to a person who needs it).

You can read the original story and watch the video in the Level 3 section.

Do you know people who need transplants?

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 2016-10-17 21:27

GOP Rep. Duncan Tweets Praise For WikiLeaks, Slams Mainstream Media... +

Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan praised WikiLeaks in a series of tweets on Monday: Let me be clear: Thank God for Wikileaks - doing the job that MSM WON'T! ......

 2016-10-17 15:28

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South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan on Monday praised Wikileaks in a series of early-morning tweets....

 2016-10-17 14:44

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Lawmaker praises WikiLeaks, condemns FBI, media... +

South Carolina Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan praised WikiLeaks on Monday in a series of early morning Twitter messages, and criticized both the mainstream media for colluding with Hillary Clinton's campaign, and the FBI for destroying evidence related t...

 2016-09-28 22:27

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GOP congressman proposes deporting all non-citizens on the terror watch list... +

Rep. Jeff Duncan calls it No-fly, goodbye, but the official name is the Terrorist Deportation Act....

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GOP lawmaker proposes Terrorist Deportation Act... +

A House Republican lawmaker proposed legislation Tuesday that would force the U.S. to deport all terrorist suspects living in the U.S. The Terrorist Deportation Act, from Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., would revoke the visas of all non-citizens in the U.S. who...

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Xiaomi Mi 3 Sales Again Tomorrow on Flipkart

Xiaomi third batch of smartphones that went on sale last Tuesday sold out in two seconds on Flipkart, the next batch will be up for grabs exclusively on Flipkart tomorrow. Users who are already registered, you must register again for future sales. These records are open. Xiaomi Mi3 Last week, the company has sold 15,000 units on Raksha Bandhan and used as a stage for another round of pitching smartphones. xiaomi-phones This...


text:
When we think about art, wire is not the first medium that comes to mind.

But, you may change your mind when you view the handmade wire sculpture, jewelry and wall hangings on exhibit at Brookfield Craft Center .

The wire drawings of C.W. Roelle of Providence, R.I., are mind-boggling in their intricacy and detail. No matter how long you look at them, it is impossible to figure out where they begin and end.

Each bend and twist of the raw steel wire can take the shape of an expression on a woman's face, books lining library shelves, or the looping pattern of the wallpaper in the background.

Roelle works from his own drawings or photographs and usually paints his work black when he is done.

He drew for many years before using wire and, he said, "I saw the lines I drew go from very tight to very loose. The loose line drawings made me want to lift the line off of the paper and hold it in my hand, so I started redrawing them with wire," Roelle said.

Like the work of many of the 22 artists featured in this exhibit, Roelle's pieces can be found in galleries across the country.

"This show has been close to a year in the making and we have artists from all over the country," said curator Robert Dancik . "Many of them have work displayed in major magazines right now, too."

Dancik has taught at the craft center for more than 12 years.

Each piece of Ema Tanigaki 's work is a reflection of a stage of her recovery from a dislocated hip, according to notes displayed with them.

The first stage, which the Albuquerque, N.M. artist refers to as Sedentary, is represented by a necklace. The lightness and delicacy of jewelry allowed her to continue creating her art while sitting still for long periods of time.

In the second stage, Preparation and Recovery from surgery, Tanigaki made a tiny basket by crocheting fine gold-plated stainless steel wire into a delicate sculpture that resembles a sea anemone, with a shimmering rose quartz bead placed inside the tip of each branch.

"This stage is marked by my yearning to be free from my sedentary lifestyle. I had been waiting to make work that I could not physically accomplish yet. The arms reach and grasp at things just out of reach," Tanigaki wrote.

In the third stage, Strength and Mobility, Tanigaki made an eggplant-shaped basket from silicon bronze. Larger and heavier than the other pieces, it is symbolic of her final stage of healing.

Ridgefield's Lessley Burke said becoming an artist was "a calling." Her unique pieces are made from materials that include 22-carat gold, silver, pearls and other gemstones.

"I began playing with metal when I was about 13 years old. I was introduced to metalsmithing by my art teacher in eighth grade," Burke said. Although she had a passion for the art, she pursued a liberal arts education in college and then worked in publishing for 11 years.

It wasn't until she took a jewelry class through the continuing education program at Wilton High School that she realized how much she missed her art.

"I had finally realized that I took no sense of joy from what I was doing in publishing, and it seemed that life was too short to go on living that way," Burke said.

Today she is both a goldsmith and an enamelist. She has her own studio in Ridgefield and also runs the metals studio at Brookfield Craft Center.

Dina Varano, who has a gallery in Chester, is showing her work at the center for the first time. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Varano spent many years studying in Rome. One of her pieces appears in American Craft magazine.

Varano, who uses mostly sterling silver and gold-plated wire, says, "All of my jewelry has movement in it. It is an art form that you can wear."

In Brookfield, she is showing items from her "Birds on a Wire" jewelry collection. Most of her work is inspired by nature.

The exhibit runs through March 26 in the Lynn Tendler Bignell Gallery at Brookfield Craft Center. For information, call (203) 775-4526.