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The Raelians, a Quebec-based free-love cult, who also say the human race was created by super-aliens, called Elohim (rhymes with "annoying"), and that their leader is Christ's half-brother. To Raelians, evolution is bunk. The Elohim cloned their own DNA to create the human race in a laboratory 25,000 years ago, according to Rael, the one-named leader, a transplanted Frenchman who lives half the year in Florida and the other half at UFOland, the Raelians' theme park and condo complex about an hour northeast of Montreal. Rael founded his movement in France in 1973, but it is now based in Quebec. It claims 55,000 members in 84 countries, but the real number is probably half that. Now 54, Rael, formerly a wannabe race-car driver named Claude Vorilhon. He advocates sensual massage, nude meditation, free love, and eternal life through human cloning.

The Raelian website
An article from the Mail on Sunday I was married to clone cult leader ...

Rael's appearance on the Late Late Show

Clone artist

The Globe and Mail, April 7, 2001

Dozens of major media outlets, from 60 Minutes to The New York Times, have reported recently that the Raelians, a Quebec-based free-love cult, are about to clone a millionaire's dead baby in their secret laboratory. JAN WONG investigates the Raelians - who also say the human race was created by super-aliens and that their leader is Christ's half-brother - and wonders, why on Earth does anybody believe them?

White candles flicker alongside a dish of fresh strawberries. Diane Brisebois clutches a microphone, torch-singer style. She's sexy in tight pants and red lipstick, curls cascading over her shoulders. "At 11, as we always do," she says, "we will make telepathic contact with our leaders." Brisebois is the chief priestess in Ontario for the Raelians (rhymes with "aliens"). It's only 10:35 a.m., because, an organizer explains, it takes 25 minutes to reach the extraterrestrials called Elohim (rhymes with "annoying").

To Raelians, evolution is bunk. The Elohim cloned their own DNA to create the human race in a laboratory 25,000 years ago, according to Rael, the one-named cult leader, a transplanted Frenchman who lives half the year in Florida and the other half at UFOland, the Raelians' theme park and condo complex about an hour northeast of Montreal. Rael founded his sect in France in 1973, but it is now based in Quebec. It claims 55,000 members in 84 countries, but the real number is probably half that. Now 54, Rael advocates sensual massage, nude meditation, free love, and eternal life through human cloning. He'd also like you to tithe your after-tax income. And until you can clone yourself, he requests that when you die, you leave the bulk of your worldly possessions to the sect. Its plans include an embassy, complete with spaceship landing pad, for the Elohim's scheduled return in 2035. So far, it has raised about $11-million. In the meantime, the cult hopes to reap an even bigger windfall. Targeting a growing market of bereaved parents, infertile or same-sex couples, and your average megalomaniac, the Raelians plan to clone the first human. Or so they have declared in dozens of interviews to pliant, panting media, and, last week, in testimony before the U.S. Congress. "A grieving family hopes to replace a lost child. A genetics-obsessed sect dreams of achieving immortality. Is this how human cloning will begin?" asked the display copy on Margaret Talbot's New York Times Magazine cover story in February. "Two groups announce human cloning plans," CNN reported in March, right along with "Lung cancer rising in women."

"Human cloning project may have begun," headlined USA Today. "Is this what Aldous Huxley warned us about?" fretted the National Post. Everyone including 60 Minutes to Good Morning America to Dan Rather has duly reported that the cult has a bereaved and very rich American couple bankrolling its effort. The unnamed couple wants to clone their 10-month-old son who died following an operation two years earlier. News groups have also repeated the Raelians' claim to have 50 wombs at their disposal. One belongs to Brisebois. Another belongs to the eldest daughter of Brigitte Boisselier, chairman, chief executive officer and "scientific director" of Clonaid, the cult's cloning company. Finally, the media swallow whole the Raelian story that they have a lab up and running in the United States -- even though no one has ever seen it -- and that they are cloning a human as you read this. The Raelians have a history of stunning announcements followed by zero results. In 1997, when Dolly the sheep was cloned, the Raelians said they had more than a million customers and were building a laboratory in the Bahamas. "It was just a P.O. box," admits Rael, formerly a wannabe race-car driver named Claude Vorilhon. "There was nothing. We wanted to see if there was interest from potential customers, potential investors, from scientists." In their current media blitz, the Raelians have not had to buy a single ad to let potential customers know they are selling human eggs for $5,000 (U.S.), storing DNA samples for $50,000 and cloning babies for $200,000. Make that $500,000. Or $1-million. As publicity builds, the price keeps going up. Cloning isn't explicitly outlawed in Canada or most of the United States, although U.S. President George W. Bush has signalled he'd like to pass legislation soon.

But scientists now say that cloned humans could be prone to a high risk of genetic abnormalities. Cow clones often have enlarged hearts. And, as The New York Times has reported, some mouse clones that looked normal at first have become obese in maturity, even though they eat the same amount of food as other mice. Though Boisselier is a chemist, not a geneticist, that doesn't stop Clonaid's scientific director from stating that the "success rate for cloning cattle is 15 to 30 per cent." It's actually 1 per cent. It took 277 tries before scientists succeeded in producing Dolly the sheep. And a three-year, $3.7-million effort in Texas to clone a mongrel dog named Missy for an anonymous West Coast billionaire has so far failed. But why let facts get in the way of a good story? No matter how strange they are.

There's Rael's claim that he's Christ's half-brother, for instance. Or Centre UFOland's pictures of little green men and its life-size plywood replica of the flying saucer Rael boarded in 1973. Or the Raelian claim of covering a distance of two light years in 25 minutes, sans spacecraft. That's what we're doing here on this frozen Sunday morning. Brisebois is leading the monthly meditation. She instructs us to breathe deeply. We're about to visit another planet. Only 22 devotees have shown up for the ride. They sit, eyes closed, on orange vinyl chairs. In deference to the weather, no one disrobes. The men look ordinary. The women are almost all attractive, or at least have made a major effort to that end. Everyon e seems to be wearing identical medallions, a swirl within the six-pointed Star of David. We're on the fourth floor of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education on Bloor Street in Toronto. A huge photograph of a bare-chested Rael is propped on a table. I don't feel any breeze when Brisebois, an ex-Quebecker, announces that we are flying through the sky. I do notice the Bloor Street subway line rumbling beneath the building every four minutes. "You can see Lake Ontario," she murmurs. "And the cars are getting smaller. The planet is now just a tiny blue dot. And you are among the stars. On your right side, you see a beautiful star. You start going toward it."

Suddenly a man bolts. Does he know a shortcut? No, he's merely having a coughing fit in the hall. Brisebois announces we've just landed on the planet of the Elohim, one light year from Earth (which is odd, because astronomers say the closest star is four light years away). After briefly hanging around a marvellous green forest I can't see, she leads us back to Toronto. She points out the North American continent, then the Great Lakes. "You can recognize the Bay," she adds, referring to the department store's Bloor Street branch. Ta-dah! We're back. Everyone claps. Two Raelians pass around envelopes, collecting $5 here, $20 there. Chatting later, Brisebois says that she joined the Raelians when she was 16. She subsequently had sex with Rael whenever he was in Montreal. "It was wonderful," she breathes. "I loved him in the past, and I still love him." Like many Raelians, Brisebois is childless by choice. But, she says, "I think it would be wonderful to be the surrogate mother of the first cloned child." She admits that she hasn't had a single one of the many drug injections required to prep a woman's body to accept a foreign embryo. So is she a bonafide volunteer?

"I'm 41," she concedes. "That would make me borderline." Marina Cocolios, however, is a picture of female fecundity. At 22, she has a peaches-and-cream complexion and shiny dark eyes. As Boisselier's daughter, she's also the surrogate-mom volunteer the Raelians always trot out for media interviews. This week, she's done CTV and a Dutch magazine. Later, she'll talk to Japanese TV reporters. She has the routine down pat. She meets reporters at this Second Cup on St. Denis Street in Montreal and orders herbal tea and chocolate cake. Then she parries questions. She's met the cloning couple, of course, but she is absolutely not at liberty to disclose anything about them. Cocolios turns heads with her shapely figure, swathed in a caramel leather skirt and snug black sweater with eyelet stitching just below the bra line. Lovely as she is, conversations with her tend to veer off into outer space. Take her plans for the future. After she graduates from Concordia University where she is in third-year fine arts, she plans to teach art. Then she'd like to open a school for abused children. Later, she wants to study science. And after that? "Then I want to go to another planet as an artist and scientist." Last year, her performance art consisted of donning an antique white nightgown and bathing with red wine. "It was extremely sensual," she recalls. This year she's working on a paper dress covered with quotations from Rousseau, Sartre and, yes, Rael.

Cocolios, a French citizen, has no plans for any children of her own. She's already had one abortion. But she'd be thrilled to carry the first cloned human embryo. "It's like having a pregnancy not just for yourself, but for the whole world. Isn't it beautiful?" As Boisselier's daughter, she should have the inside track. Yet she has never been to her mother's cloning lab. And, like Brisebois, she has not donated any eggs or undergone the heavy drug regimen required for implanting an embryo. Has she done anything at all to prepare herself for this momentous step? Cocolios smiles. Her ex-boyfriend, a Raelian who decided he'd be happier living in Europe, gave her cream for stretch marks. Raelians love publicity. They issue press releases. They stage stunts, like distributing condoms to Montreal high-school students in 1992 to protest against the Catholic Church's stand on birth control. They even have publicists, like Sylvie Chabot, a Montreal consultant whose business cards carry Rael's photo and identify her as "Rael's press attaché." Raelians also love hierarchy. They group themselves into six levels, ranging from novice to Rael himself, who alone occupies the 6th level. Cocolios is a 3rd-level Raelian and a "regional guide." Chabot, a 4th-level Raelian and a "national guide," sets up an interview with Lear, a 5th-level Raelian.

Lear (Rael spelled backwards) is a "bishop" and "continental head" for No rth America, and Rael's top aide. Like his mentor, Lear goes by only one name. His real surname is Potvin, but he says his real first name is too dorky to reveal. We meet for dinner at Jardin Sakura on Mountain Street in Montreal. It's Lear's favourite restaurant, and he orders without even glancing at the menu: miso soup, a giant sushi-sashimi platter, and a couple of orders of barbequed eel and raw sea urchin. Raelians may be casual about nude meditation, but they're quite formal about interviews. Chabot, a slim angular woman with hennaed hair and watchful eyes, insists on joining us. She joined the Raelians when she was 25. Now 46, thrice-divorced and childless by choice, she's weirdly secretive. Her brother, Daniel Chabot, heads the Canadian Raelian movement and teaches psychology at a Montreal CEGEP. Asked which one, she says, "I don't know. Somewhere in Montreal." Lear, who is an artist, designed the medallions every cult member wears. His own is the size of a Pringle's potato-chip canister lid. "I had a bigger one," he says, "but somebody stole it at the gym out of my bag." Lear also designed Centre UFOland. It consists of a museum devoted to DNA and extraterrestrials, the plywood flying saucer, a snack bar, souvenir shop, campsite, 500-seat dining hall and six condos for top Raelians, including Rael and Boisselier. (It is open to the public only in the summertime.) "I'll take a little sake, but don't tell Rael," says Lear, smoothing back his longish dark hair, which has bleached tips. Raelians, he explains, aren' t supposed to smoke, drink or take drugs, even caffeine. (Chabot also sneaks a cup of sake.) Lear is childless, too. He doesn't want a squalling baby, but he would like to be cloned, as an adult, and download his memories into the new body. Exactly how is unclear. "It's going to be possible soon. One will have eternal life." The promise of perpetual youth through cloning could be why so many attractive women are drawn to the Raelians -- and they, in turn, draw in the men. "I would keep my mind," Chabot says enthusiastically, "but in a new body, when I was 17 years old, when I was young and sexy."

As a lapsed Catholic, Lear isn't afraid of going to hell. "But if they tell me I'll never come back to sushi, I'll be sad." Clearly, he's no starving artist. He dines at Sakura several times a week. Soon, he'll fly to Florida to relax on the beach and play the ball game petanque with Rael. Lear also has a health-club membership, a black Volkswagen Jetta with heated seats, and two homes. He needs two, he explains, for the inevitable day when he and his Raelian girlfriend split up. Lear, who is 37, became a Raelian at 14. A neighbour in the Quebec village of Lac St.-Jerome gave him The Message Given by Extra-Terrestrials, the first of Rael's half-dozen books. (His latest, Yes to Human Cloning, is about to be published by the sect.) In the first book, the author describes how, at 27, as an auto-sports journalist and aspiring race driver, he boarded a hovering flying saucer in Auvergne, in southern France, in December, 1973. For six days straight, a little green man explained in fluent French the origin of Earthlings. He also unravelled all those mysteries in the Bible. The miracle of Jesus feeding the multitudes with just 20 loaves of bread, for example, was merely "synthetic dehydrated food -- which, when added to water, increased to five times its original volume." The space alien informed Claude that his true father was an extra-terrestrial who had impregnated Claude's mother. (The same E.T., by the way, who had earlier inseminated Mary, mother of Jesus.) The alien asked Claude to spread the word and to change his name to Rael, which means "messenger" in space-speak. Two years later, Rael was whisked to that same planet we visited during the Sunday meditation. There he met Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed. Moses was there, too. It turns out that, like Jesus and Rael, Moses is of mixed parentage (which may explain the confusion in the bulrushes). Like a New-Age Hugh Hefner, Rael enjoyed perfumed baths and, with the aid of six voluptuous robots, other favours.

It was, he writes, "the most extravagant night" of his life. Suddenly Chabot starts talking about green lists and pink lists and blacklists. "Every journalist has one chance," she says, pushing away her plate of sushi. "When we don't like what they write, they're on a blacklist." The pink list, she adds, means the journalist is "pure." She stares at me. "You're on the green list. It means green light, go ahead." Chabot is tired of Earthling ridicule and contempt. She can't wait until the first cloned baby is born. Then all those blacklisted media types will besiege her for interviews. "And I'll say, 'Sorry,' " she gloats. Lear gets into the spirit: "When the Elohim come to our embassy, we'll remember who has been disrespectful and we'll let them line up. And then we'll make them go back to the end of the line." He laughs uproariously. I may not be on the green list for long, so I quickly request an interview with Rael himself. Like many Quebeckers, cult leaders or no, he winters in Florida. For several years now, he's been the semi-permanent houseguest of a devout Raelian in North Miami Beach. Chabot says Rael gives only one interview a day, for one hour, always at 4:15 p.m. Why 4:15? "Because this is his schedule."

It's 4:15 p.m. in North Miami Beach. The only clue about the unusual inhabitant of this stucco bungalow is the white Mazda van in the driveway. Its vanity plate says: RAELIAN. Marie-Helene Parent, the owner of the house, answers the door. Three other Raelians, all wearing the medallion, are waiting in the living room, which is decorated with the familiar bare-chested photograph of Rael. They don't shake hands. They don't introduce themselves. They don't smile. One woman adjusts a video camera on a tripod. "We always tape," she says. "For the archives." As if from nowhere, Rael makes his entrance. With his moustache and goatee, he could be mistaken for a magician in a lounge act in Rimouski, Que. At 54, his thinning grey hair is swept up into a tiny bun the size of an apricot. Not counting the topknot, he's a surprisingly scrawny 5-foot-7, and 136 pounds. As usual, he's wearing an all-white outfit straight out of a Star Trek rerun: white turtleneck, white polyester pants and matching top, with a samurai collar and padded sloping shoulders. First things first: Where does Rael get these outfits? Answer: A Montreal tailor makes them from his own sketches.

"It's all machine washable," he says. "Do you like it?" Searching for a diplomatic adjective, I say it looks, um, hot. And what's up with the topknot? "It's the remaining hair," says Rael. "Soon it will be just a little . . ." He makes a circle with his fingers, the size of an olive, and laughs. The other Raelians laugh along with him, but decorously. Third question: Why are his appointments always at 4:15 p.m.? "I'm busy before." Doing what? "Arranging the movement in the world." Rael says he spends about 10 hours a day on his computer, e-mailing supporters and playing computer games, especially virtual-reality car-racing, complete with a steering wheel. Behind him is a painting by Lear, portraying one of the Elohim as a pale, almond-eyed E.T. They don't look like that, Rael says. So what do they look like? "Like Asian people who have a liver problem," he says. I burst out laughing. No one else does. Like Cocolios, Rael gives space-cadet answers to the simplest questions. His mother was Catholic, his father, Jewish -- he thought, until he found out he was half E.T. Forgetting his relationship to Jesus, I ask if he has any siblings. "Not to my knowledge, on Earth," he says gravely. Rael has never tested his DNA against his Earthling father's. "There is nothing to find," he says. "The genetic code of the Elohim mixed with human people created the Jewish people. It will show you I am Jewish and nothing more." What does his 82-year-old mom make of her extremely close encounter of the third kind?

Rael says that the aliens "erased the memory" of her impregnation. But she does tell him, "I understand now why you were so different from other children." Rael dropped out of school at 15, busked on Paris street corners and dreamed of racing cars. One day it dawned on him that if he started his own sports-car magazine, he could gain entry to racetracks, and maybe get to test-drive new models. So he founded Autopop magazine. He also married and had two children. Three years later, he met the space alien and formed the Raelian movement. Soon thereafter, his wife filed for divorce. But the alien didn't tell him to stop racing. UFOland displays the trophy from his best race, a third-place finish in the 1997 Dodge Dealers of Connecticut Grand Prix. Asked how he has done lately, Rael says, "Okay." An embarrassed silence ensues. "This will be my last year of racing," he says, adding that he doesn't drive much in Miami because he finds it too slow. Instead, his hostess usually chauffeurs him around.

A curvaceous young woman enters the room and sprawls on a divan. It's Sophie de Niverville, Rael's current wife, whose bare-breasted photos he displays in abundance at his UFOland condo. She's 25, a second-generation Raelian from Quebec, whom he married nearly 10 years ago, right after her 16th birthday. (Her Raelian mother consented to the match.) Sophie doesn't work. She doesn't want children. Her only job is to be his wife. Alas, she couldn't even cook at first. So Rael, who loves to eat, taught her the basics. "For three weeks we ate only eggs," he says. Sophie smiles placidly. Then she excuses herself to prepare Rael's dinner of grilled Chilean sea bass. Warming to the subject of food, Rael tells me how much he loves Peking duck. Of France's top restaurants, he particularly recommends Laguiole, which he says has three Michelin stars. "It's five hours from Paris, and half the price," he enthuses. Isn't that a bit far to go for a meal? He chuckles at my naiveté. "They have a heliport." Like Lear, Rael draws no salary. But he lives well off book royalties and his supporters. All his expenses are covered by Raelian foundations.

"People who want to help me buy good food -- Peking duck -- [give me] 1 per cent" of their net income. We're getting sidetracked. Having read three of his books, I understand why the proposed embassy design calls for a spaceship landing pad. But why the swimming pool and a dining room that seats 21? "I don't know," he says with a shrug. "I just transmit." The Raelians want to establish their embassy in Jerusalem, for sentimental reasons, because that's where the Elohim ran their first cloning lab. They've asked Israel seven times. Seven times, they've been refused, perhaps because they request demilitarized air space for flying saucers. I ask Rael how, as a high-school dropout, he managed to become such an expert in biotechnology. He smiles modestly and says that all his knowledge was transmitted to him directly by the Elohim.

By now, the hour is running out. I finally confess that I don't believe they are cloning anything. "People are afraid it's a joke, that there's no lab," Rael cheerfully concedes. He recently met the cloning couple in Miami. Of course, he is absolutely not at liberty to disclose anything about them at this time. He will say only that they are filthy rich and that the husband is the main investor in Clonaid. For a $1-million investment in the company, the man got a 40-per-cent stake -- with the first cloned baby thrown in for free. The price tag for the second baby was supposed to be $200,000. But now, Rael says, there are 2,000 people on the waiting list. "That's $400-million," he says happily. "When we have a baby, maybe the list will jump from 2,000 to 20,000. I don't think the lab will be able to make so many clones. So my advice to Brigitte is to make an auction." In other words, the second baby will go to the highest bidder.

Rael is unperturbed by my skepticism. "I can give you two scoops," he says graciously. One company is about to organize an initial public offering of Clonaid. And two venture-capital companies have each offered $5-million for 5 per cent. "That means Clonaid is worth $100-million." Of course, he is absolutely not at liberty to disclose anything about the companies at this time. "Ask Brigitte," he says, referring to Boisselier. And the second scoop? "Brigitte is invited to testify in front of the U.S. Congress." This one turns out to be true. Among her revelations there is that Clonaid's rich client is "a successful attorney, a former state legislator, a current elected official." In his countertestimony, Thomas Murray, president of the bioethics think tank the Hastings Centre, warned of cloning promoters who "engender false hopes," and "the likelihood of exploiting parents who are desperate in their grief." And even the pro-cloning Human Cloning Foundation's Randolphe Wicker called the Raelians "space-cadet wackos" who are "defrauding the parents of dying children" and merely "seeking money for their prophet." Next, Rael offers me yet another scoop. "Your third one today," he says. "It's your lucky day." Rael says that he is offering to share Clonaid's lab with Dr. Severino Antinori, a fertility specialist who has declared his own ambition to clone the world's first human embryo. (The Raelians are not really expecting a response, but they figure the offer will make headlines, since Antinori is rather publicity-mad.) And then Rael is gone.

Suddenly, Sophie pops back into the living room with scoop No. 4. "Rael just got an e-mail from Brigitte," she says breathlessly. "He's invited to speak before Congress as a religious leader in favour of cloning." "Do we look alike? You're looking back and forth at us," says Brigitte Boisselier, 45, watching me compare her to her daughter. Now that she mentions it, they could be clones. They are both on the short side, with long raven hair, pillowy lips and a taste for high-heeled platform boots. We're having high tea at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montreal. Cocolios has tagged along, as has the watchful Chabot, plus a glamourous and silent Raelian from Japan who seems to go by only one name, Shizue. Female pulchritude is so plentiful at our table that when the waiter whisks away the vase of flowers to make room for finger sandwiches and scones, he gushes, "You don't need these flowers because you are the flowers." Because caffeine is verboten, three of the women order orange juice. Boisselier, who has two doctoral degrees in chemistry, produces her own tea bag.

She's apparently unaware that the Yunnan Tuocha she's drinking is a fermented black Chinese tea buzzing with caffeine. Boisselier is fresh from an interview with CNN. She's dressed in a tight white suit with a large section cut out of the chest, exposing a fair amount of cleavage. Modesty is given a nod by a black stretch bandeau that she wears underneath. Until 1997, she worked for Air Liquide Group in France. The company fired her, she says, after she advocated human cloning. After several years of unemployment, she taught for a year at Plattsburg State University in upstate New York. Since last fall, she's been a visiting assistant professor at tiny Hamilton College, also in upstate New York, teaching third-year biochemistry. (This week she resigned -- voluntarily, she says -- to devote herself full-time to the cloning project.)

Boisselier says she owns the majority of Clonaid, but won't say exactly how much. When I mention that Rael said to ask her the names of the venture-capital companies, she snaps, "What he forgot is that this is confidential." By now, her black bandeau has slipped dangerously low. Cocolios whispers something to her mother, who glances down and yanks it up. "It's good to be with my daughter," she says with a smile. (Boisselier's ex-husband, a non-Raelian, has custody in France of their youngest daughter, 12. Their son, 17, a non-Raelian and studies science at university. Boisselier contradicts Rael over how much the cloning couple has invested in Clonaid. It's $500,000, she says, not $1-million. Of course, she also is absolutely not at liberty to disclose anything about them at this time. S he won't even say where Clonaid is headquartered. Ditto for the lab. Ditto for the scientists, except to say there are three, and one works "part-time" at Harvard. When I press her on her genetics credentials, she says her real talent is for organizing research teams. Like Rael, she readily admits that four years ago, when the Raelians announced they were cloning a human, they had nothing. "We had no lab in the Bahamas. We started a company there. It was so easy. People thought we had something there. We never did." This is the last stop on my 2001 space odyssey. I tell Boisselier that I don't believe her lab exists. Like Rael, she doesn't get mad. She dangles an exclusive. One journalist -- and only one -- will have a chance to visit her lab and follow the cloning process from beginning to end. I'm duty-bound to go through the motions. How about me? I ask.

Boisselier says she doesn't know me. Ask me anything, I offer. Would I agree to embargo the story for 18 months from now? Sure, I say. "But we have a lot of candidates," she says , ending the discussion. Before Congress last week, University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Dr. Arthur Caplan said, "No reputable scientist[s], other than cults, cranks, kooks and capitalists, believe that science is ready for human cloning." He said the best you can expect is "to make an obese, demented cancerous version of yourself." But other experts testified that human cloning is within reach. And as far as the Raelians are concerned, a cloned baby is always just around the corner -- in time for each journalist's deadline. Last fall, Boisselier told The New York Times that Clonaid would clone a baby this winter. In January, she told Time magazine that they would start in February. In February she told Saturday Night magazine that they would clone in March. (The magazine ran a luscious photo of Cocolios with this caption: "If all goes according to plan, by the time you read this she'll be pregnant with a clone.") So what is she going to tell me? "We hope to have an embryo by mid-April."


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2015 BMW M3 Specifications, Pictures, Prices

Thursday, December 18th 2014. | BMW

Are you looking for a premium-looking sedan? There are many sports sedans with nifty designs. The new 2015 BMW M3 belongs to this group. The new car has a lot of strong contenders, but we’ll see how the car will survive the tough competition. While it has many rivals, it is one of the top choices. You may really want to know if it can shine among its competitors. Many people assume that the car would be a balance between a great chassis and a reliable engine. The assumption has a sense of truth judging from the improvements that the forthcoming series has.

2015 BMW M3 3

2015 BMW M3 overview

Some say that the new car is a powerhouse. We can not deny the fact because it happens to be a truth. It has a perfect weight, a perfect steering, and everything. It becomes very addicting to drive after a while. It is simply a great vehicle, no wonder it has topped many prestigious lists. It is designed to suit different tastes. It has a new tasteful design. The new styling can likely cater to different buyers. It has grown in luxury, performance, and any other aspect.

2015 BMW M3 2

Speaking of the exterior, the 4-door car comes with an electric power steering. It has a bunch of similarities with the M4. Though they look pretty much alike, they are both different. Yes, the underbits are roughly the same, but the curves are quite special for both series. You can distinguish the exteriors of both cars in some aspects. The M4 is a little bulkier. It extends to the sides and has some aero deficiencies.

2015 BMW M3 4

2015 BMW M3 design

The M3 looks handsome. Some even consider it as the better car in terms of looks. The wheels are perfectly covered and hidden behind the chassis. The M4 has wheels that flail out, reducing the artistic value. While the exterior is pretty decent, the interior is pretty good, too. There is a small issue we have with the M badges attached on the seats. They are small, but the illumination can be so distracting. The seats feel so comfortable. Besides, the interior is decorated by carbon trims and stitching. With a price of $ 84.300, all the interior elements make sense.

2015 BMW M3 5

2015 BMW M3 performance

When it comes to performance, this is the first M3 that has a turbocharger. The engine is a 3.0 liter turbo that churns out a whopping 425 HP. It is very good, but not much of a change from the previous generation. It does not matter especially when we put torque into perspective. The S55B30 I6 has 406 pounds-feet of torque. What’s it to do with performance? Well, horsepower is not the only factor that affects performance. The company tries a new approach by tweaking the torque. The new series has such tremendous power that even when you put your foot on the brake, it takes time to put the power down. It’s like a vicious monster ready to crush anyone who disobeys. Drive the car with respect. The base price is $ 62,000. It can go up even higher if you decide to install some additional specs

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"Every patient teaches you something new and important."

Diana Mossop

Product Information for IM.016 100 Hedgerow Elementals

Many years have been spent creating the Phytobiophysics formulas that are made from carefully researched combinations of essences from many flowers and plants. We believe that essences enable the body to heal by dealing with the underlying causal emotional trauma so encouraging the body’s own healing process.

The 100 Hedgerow Elementals contains 100 x 1ml pure Mother Tinctures in neat Vodka. They are presented in a bullet box. Each lid is colour coded to represent the vibration or colour of the flower used to make the essence.

About IM.016 100 Hedgerow Elementals

The 100 hedgerows are explained in full detail in the text book called The Power Of Plants written by Prof. Diana Mossop.

Each essence has been created by the traditional sun method and as a pure living Mother tincture can be used to create a personalised formula for the patient.

Essences in IM.016 100 Hedgerow Elementals

How to Take

One drop of the chosen Mother tincture or tinctures is placed in a 10ml dropper bottle of Pure water [for children] or a mixture of 1/2 water/1/2 Vodka. to create a personailised remedy.

 may be administered:

  • Once daily to assist with  Spiritual Trauma
  • Twice daily to assist with Mental Trauma
  • Three times daily to assist with Emotional Trauma
  • Four times daily for Physical Trauma
  • Five or six times daily to assist with Acute Trauma or shocking situations where help is needed instantly.

Huge thanks to you Diana for all you have done for me and my son! We came to you in despair as all the doctors said that they could not help nor diagnose the problems he had, (recurrent nausea, jaw pain and anxiety) and we were a…

I am writing to thank you for your treatment of me and my family. I first came to you in early March this year, when I had been recently diagnosed as a Diabetic. I was shocked and upset about this diagnosis, fearful of the futu…


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Being an online shooting game, tank trouble is one of the most popular shooting games which is played by more than 300000 players every month.this game is very popular among the age group of 15-25. With a theme based on civil wars and battle with enemy, Tank Trouble unblocked is not very easy game to play.One of the merits i observed in this game is that you don’t need high speed internet to stream this game online.Tank Trouble will start very quickly.You can play this game with single player mode as well as with 2 or 3 player models. At the beginning,you are given the labyrinth,which is the way you have to move and pass,but never forget that you have to defeat your major enemy.You are the green player while your enemy-the lalka-is a red one.Apart from that you have to be smart enough in order not to be shot,you have to keep an eye on the Lalka.It doesn’t matter whether you move backward or forward as long as you stay alive.Give your enemy the opportunity to use up all its bullets.You can also shoot a lot keeping in mind you are not recommended to do so in a particular and only direction,here you can select how to act and when.

Due to the huge popularity of this tank game after its release a few years ago,the developers of the game launched its further versions like tank trouble 1,2 etc

You use the arrow keys on the keyboard to guide your tank through the game world and press ‘M’ when you want to shoot projectiles towards an enemy.That’s it.

Once you start the game,you fight with enemy tanks.Enemy depends on mode of the game.If you are playing in multi-player mode,then your friend’s tanks will attack you,otherwise computer robotic tanks will be there.You can even destroy your own tank.Therefore it is necessary that you play this game very carefully.Here are few tips to win hacked tank trouble swf.
Electrical beam:You can achieve this power by reaching special symbol.This special symbol may come anytime during the game and it is one of the most powerful weapons in the game

Reach special weapon:When playing this game with your friends,you have to reach that special power before them.Otherwise it can be used against you.

Separate peripherals:You need separate input output devices like keyboard and mouse for every player if you are playing his game with more than one player. Process of the play speeds up gradually and it will be difficult to move in labyrinth,but still worth playing and giving your best.BEST OF LUCK!


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Steve Jobs Is Dead, But He Lives In Our Thoughts

Its a shocking news for every geek and Apple fan. Today Founder of Apple Inc, Steve jobs passed away at the age of 56. He is simple and his ideas are innovative, his brilliant ideas made the mighty big apple from a small company.

Steve Jobs is Physically Dead, But He Still lives In Our Thoughts

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About Karthikeyan

Tech Blogger, Gadget Lover, Web Addict & Loves Social Media..

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Silver Jewelry Sri Lanka

Visit for news and tips about all types of silverware and silver jewelry…

YouTube Piro Art jewelry, Watch Bracelet, Sterling , Gold , Amber …
5:02 Watch Later Error Natural Baltic Amber And Silver JewelrySilver And Amber Jewelry From Poland by polcham 4,430 views; 1:02 Watch Later Error Sapphire – Sri Lanka by jewelrytelevision 35,250 views … View Video

Word file
Gold jewelry is also extremely profitable amounting to over $44 billion dollars in 2006 making gold jewelry one of the world’s largest categories Among others, Business Support Fund Chief Executive David Monkmen, Dhanushka Jayakody from Sri Lanka, Former Governor of Sindh and Chairman Fatmid … View Doc

News Sweat Of The Sun A Gift From The Magi
At the start of golden ages golden stories should be told. … Read News

PDF file Sri Lanka
All items in quantities deemed commercial by Customs. É Alcohol and products containing alcohol É Tobacco products É Currency, gold, silver, jewelry, etc. license is obtained prior to the shipment's departure. É Left-hand drive vehicles are prohibited. É Motor vehicles incur high duties. Sri Lanka … Retrieve Full Source

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) in association with the Ministry of Industrial Development, Industrial Development Board, the Sri Office Furniture, Gold and Silver Jewelry Malaysia Palm Oil Mexico Upholstery Fabrics, Promotional Gift Products, Party Products, Footwear, Outerwear … Read Content

YouTube 925 Sterling Silver Natural Gemstone Bracelet – YouTube
We are a Jaipur (India) based leading pure 925 sterling silver jewelry manufacturers, having its own factory and designers. 0:11 Watch Later Error Sri lanka natural gem stones – Ceylon natural gemstones by galgodage 127 views … View Video

About Jaipur Attractions – Top 10 Jaipur Attractions
Some of the most popular items are precious gemstones, silver jewelry, bangles, clothes, blue pottery, and textiles. Indian Culture & Etiquette; Learning the Language; Bhutan, Nepal & Sri Lanka … Read Article

YouTube Manos Amigas, Peru, silver Jewellery – YouTube
2:06 Watch Later Error Gospel House, Sri Lanka – sawdust magnets by Createdgifts 505 views 4:13 Watch Later Error Making of silver mountings for Dichroic Glass Jewelry – by mexico925 2,108 views … View Video

About Orissa Tourist Places – Top 5 Orissa Tourist Places
Silver jewelry is a specialty, along with an endearing array of specialized handicrafts. Indian Culture & Etiquette; Learning the Language; Bhutan, Nepal & Sri Lanka … Read Article

Wikipedia Kali Arulpragasam – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Are politically conscious in form, influenced by social realism, the environment and nations torn at war. Her latest line "Tourism (Terrorism affects Tourism)" features signature oversized silver– and gold-plated necklaces, shaped like murals, using countries such as Haiti, Iraq, Sri Lanka, … Read Article

PDF file Sri Lanka
Currency, gold, silver, jewelry, etc. PROHIBITED ITEMS: Weapons, explosives and ammunition. Left-hand drive vehicles are prohibited. Motor vehicles incur high duties. Sri Lanka … Retrieve Here

PDF file To The Honorable Members Of The U.S. House Of Representatives
Mongolia, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Uruguay – have come U.S. imports of gold and silver jewelry, an industry employing large numbers of workers … Doc Viewer

Large-scale Mining and Processing of Silver 59 Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Industry petrified material which can, when cut and polished, be used in jewelry” (Webster’s … Retrieve Here

PDF file Importing Personal Property Into Sri Lanka HOUSEHOLD GOODS …
9 Works of Art, Antiques & fine jewelry – photographs are strongly advised, to confirm items at time of exportation from Sri Lanka 9 Gold, silver and precious gems 9 Sri Lanka Currency over Rs 250 9 Indian & Pakistani currency … Access Doc

PDF file Expanding Sri Lanka’s Exports Under The GSP Program
Top U.S. imports from Sri Lanka by duties saved Porcelain/china kitchenware in sets not over $56: 26% duty Silk blend ponytail ties & headbands: 14.6% duty (42% of all imports not claimed under GSP) Silver & imitation jewelry: 11-13.5% duty … Doc Viewer

A store in Sri Lanka,Australia, the UK, the US, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Oman or India. made from coral, pearls, sterling silver and copper. Stone ‘N’ String’s collection is … Return Document

News June 12, 2012
The following are lists of books releasing the weeks of June 11th and June 18th that we think will be of interest to readers. May we ask that you forward this newsletter to friends who you think would enjoy reading it? … Read News

About Best San Diego Shopping Malls
The San Diego Guide's Top Picks for San Diego County Shopping Malls. … Read Article

PDF file Sri Lanka And The Maldives
Yearly Perahera festival,dancers dressed in glittering silver headpieces and jewelry leap and spin in complex,acrobatic movements. declining,Sri Lanka is still one of the world’s leading tea-producing countries. … Retrieve Document

PDF file U.S. Geological Survey – 2007 Minerals Yearbook U.S …
However, a 15% tax is imposed on imports of fine jewelry in gold or silver and of costume jewelry. The purpose of the tax is to encourage more cutting and polishing of imported gemstones and more manufacturing of jewelry in Sri Lanka. … View This Document

Wikipedia Bhutanese Art – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Trözo – Silver and Goldsmithing: Working in gold, silver, and copper to make jewelry, ritual objects, and utilitarian household items. Sri Lanka; Syria; Tajikistan; Thailand; Turkey; Turkmenistan; United Arab Emirates; Uzbekistan … Read Article

PDF file “Wonder Sri LankaSri Lanka Travel And Trade Show 2011
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Name of Object:

Cubit measure (dr’a)

Tlemcen, Algeria

Holding Museum:

Museum of Tlemcen (National Agency of Archaeology)

About Museum of Tlemcen (National Agency of Archaeology), Tlemcen

Date of Object:

Hegira 728 / AD 1328

Museum Inventory Number:

002 M

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Sculpted translucent marble.

Length 66 cm, width 18 cm

Period / Dynasty

Tlemcen, Algeria.

This cubit measure presents itself in the form of a rectangular tablet. An inscription in Andalusian characters has been carved onto one side within two lozenges. The text proclaims: 'Praise and recognition be to God! This is the measuring ruler of the cubit, for the qaysariyya [bazaar]. May God enrich it! In the month of rabi the second of the year seven hundred and twenty eight [AD 1328]'.
Above the inscription can be found a linear rule composed of four equal sections, each representing half a hand-span (nisf al-chibr = 11.7 m ; the hand-span, al-chibr = 23.5 m). The total length of this cubit is therefore 47 centimetres, an unusual dimension that was particular to the kissaria of Tlemcen.
Brosselard qualified this cubit as 'royal' as he traces it back to the Ziyanid prince Abu Tashufin I, who was a great amateur inventor and innovator.
This cubit served as a standard unit for all measures of length.

View Short Description

This cubit from the Tlemcen qaysariyya (bazaar) is 47 cm long and takes the form of a rectangular tablet with an inscription in Andalusian characters on one side. On the top, a linear measure is divided into four parts, each equivalent to half a span.

How date and origin were established:

The inscription carved on the cubit gives the date AH 728 (AD 1328).

How Object was obtained:

Donated by Bernard, squadron chief of the French Army, commander of Tlemcen.

How provenance was established:

This tablet was discovered within the wall surface of the qaysariyya of Tlemcen by squadron chief Bernard.

Selected bibliography:

Brosselard, Ch., “Inscriptions arabes de Tlemcen”, Revue africaine, no 25, 1861, pp.14–30.
Marçais, G., Algérie médiévale, monuments et paysages historiques, Paris, 1957.
Mazouz, A. and Deries, L., Djamaa el-kitabat el-arabiya fi el-djazair, kitab el-cherk el-djazairi (Corpus of Arabic inscriptions of Algeria, inscriptiuons of the Algerian East), Vol. 1, Algiers, 2000.

Citation of this web page:

Leila Merabet "Cubit measure (dr’a)" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2018. http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;dz;Mus01;20;en

Prepared by: Leila MerabetLeila Merabet

Titulaire d'un magister en archéologie islamique (spécialité épigraphie arabe), conservateur du patrimoine archéologique et historique, Leila Merabet est chef du service Conservation et Valorisation (section islamique) au Musée national des antiquités. Elle a publié de nombreux articles dans les Annales du Musée national des antiquités.

Copyedited by: Margot Cortez
Translation by: Maria Vlotides
Translation copyedited by: Monica Allen

MWNF Working Number: AL 29

 Artistic Introduction

 Timeline for this item

On display in

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Top Dishes > > All Time > Bakery > clams
Best clams dishes at Bakery places in Austin, TX
    Recent locations
* These dish recommendations are for planning purposes only. It may be advisable to check with restaurant for latest menu before getting your hopes up.


text:
Top Dishes > > All Time > Brazilian
Best dishes at Brazilian places in Woodinville, WA
Pan or zoom map to change search area.
Latest Reviews
"I always get the Royal which has all the meats and its the best I ever had..." — smarshall
"I love this dessert...I always order this when I am at the restaurant...." — jbuo492
Other ideas
* These dish recommendations are for planning purposes only. It may be advisable to check with restaurant for latest menu before getting your hopes up.


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• Hello

    We are DJS (UK) Limited, a technical innovations and software development start-up and one of the UK’s fastest growing short term lenders. We believe that short term lending can be done better, and so PiggyBank was born. We believe that great isn’t good enough.

    Learn More

We're actively looking for special people to join the DJS family. If you want to be part of an innovative and fast growing company, then apply for one of our exciting positions below.

View Jobs

PiggyBank is a simple, user friendly, online solution for investors to make the most of their savings, and for borrowers to get a responsible short-term loan.

View All

Want to find out a little bit more about DJS (UK) Limited and about the people that make us great? Check out our blog.

Read Now

DJS (UK) Limited,
DJS House, The Riverside Suite,
Knapp Mill,
Mill Road,
BH23 2JY

Pop in for a Cuppa


text:
Ulysses by James Joyce

Leopold Bloom Telemachus
Scylla and Charybdis
Wandering Rocks
Oxen of the Sun

This is a hypertextual, self-referential edition of
Ulysses by James Joyce.
The text was prepared using the Project Gutenberg edition.

Click on any word to see its occurrences in the text;
click on line numbers to go to that line;
click on chapter names to go to that chapter;
or search using the form below.
Search terms can contain spaces and punctuation.

The concordance for Ulysses ordered alphanumerically,
and listed in order of word frequency. Click here for more texts.

There are 17 occurrences of the word:   bound

[Nestor] [1449] He brought out of his coat a pocketbook bound by a leather thong. It
[Aeolus] [7074] trolleys stood in their tracks, bound for or from Rathmines, Rathfarnham,
[Lestrygonians] [7677] Bound for their troughs. Prepare to receive cavalry. Prepare to receive
[Scylla and Charybdis] [8878] BOUND THEE FORTH, MY BOOKLET, QUICK
[Scylla and Charybdis] [9461] Mr Mulligan, I'll be bound, has his theory too of the play and of
[Scylla and Charybdis] [9594] with voluble pains of zeal, in duty bound, most fair, most kind, most
[Scylla and Charybdis] [9770] jews (for whom, as for the lollards, storm was shelter) bound their
[Wandering Rocks] [10539] bound tram.
[Wandering Rocks] [10541] Off an inward bound tram stepped the reverend Nicholas Dudley
[Wandering Rocks] [10545] At Newcomen bridge Father Conmee stepped into an outward bound
[Wandering Rocks] [11562] Menton's office, led his wife over O'Connell bridge, bound for the office
[Cyclops] [14449] knees in a loose kilt and this was bound about his middle by a girdle of
[Oxen of the Sun] [18794] the earth he does there, he bound home and he to Andrew Horne's being
[Oxen of the Sun] [19808] bound at the Druiddrum press by two designing females. Calf covers of
[Circe] [21741] bound over in your own recognisances for six months in the sum of five
[Eumeus] [25730] Malahide was it?, was, he was bound to admit, an exceedingly plucky deed
[Eumeus] [26330] felt bound to enter a demurrer on the head of simple, promptly rejoining:


text:
MHV2080BH PL, PN CA06672-B273000T, Fujitsu 80GB SATA 2.5 Hard Drive

HDD #1 Specs:
Serial Number: NW99T76MLAYD
Model: MHV2080BH PL
Part Number: CA06672-B273000T
Firmware: 0BDD7C-0000002A
Date: 2006-06
Product of: Thailand
PCB Number: CA26338-B74104BA
Manuf. Date: Jun 2006

HDD with Serial Number: NW99T67295SP
Model: MHV2080BH PL
Part Number: CA06672-B273000T
Firmware: 0BDD7B-00000029
Date: JUL 2006
Product of: Thailand
PCB Revision: CA26338-B74104BA

SKU: 1896
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Availability: In stock, Qty: 2

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Request Internal HDD Info (i.e. Heads Map, MicroJogs, etc.)

The hard drive listed is the same hard drive that is on the picture. Picture is not a stock photo; it is the picture of an actual item sold. If item description and the picture vary, please contact us for clarification. We will gladly look up any other information about this hard drive, in case the information that you are looking for is not specified in the listing and not clear on the picture.

This hard drive is a perfect candidate to be used as a donor part for hard drive repair and data recovery purposes. We do not recommend purchasing this hard drive for retail and regular use, since the price may not always be corresponding with current industrial "per Gigabyte" rates. This donor hard drive is priced, based on its rarity, rather than capacity or condition.

Storage unit has been completely tested and is determined fully functional. Our tests include: reading, writing, sector errors, sector timeout, and SMART check. Unit has successfully passed all tests. Most of our items are used, however, certain units may be new, some may be refurbished. The exact condition is not specified, so consider this unit to be "Used" or judge by the image.

Additional Info

Additional Info

Model Number MHV2080BH PL
SKU 1896
Manufacturer Fujitsu
Capacity N/A

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Go to main contents

Doosan GridTech was formed in 2016 when Doosan Heavy Industries acquired all of the outstanding shares of 1Energy Systems, Inc., as part of the firm’s continuing expansion into renewable energy.

  • 2011

    1Energy Systems founded

    1Energy Systems is founded by David Kaplan in Seattle, Washington.

  • 2013

    1st DG-IC™ installed

    1Energy (Doosan GridTech) installs the first instance of the Intelligent Controller product at a utility substation in North Carolina

  • 2014

    Modular Energy Storage Architecture Alliance announced

    Snohomish PUD, 1Energy, Parker Hannifin and LG Chem announce the Modular Energy Storage Architecture Alliance and a partnership with SunSpec to develop the MESA-Device specification at Distributech 2014.

  • 2015

    1st MESA ESS delivered

    Snohomish PUD commissions the first open-standards based energy storage system called MESA 1. 1Energy (Doosan GridTech) supplies the control software and system integration services.

    DG-DERO™ product announced

    1Energy (Doosan GridTech) announces its Distributed Energy Resource Optimizer (DG-DERO™) product for managing fleets of energy storage systems and other distributed energy resources.

  • 2016

    Austin Energy receive SHINES Award from US Department of Energy

    US Dept of Energy announces Austin Energy is the recipient of a $4.3MM award as part of their SHINES program. 1Energy (Doosan GridTech) is identified as the lead system integrator for the project which will integrate solar and storage on both sides of the meter.

    1Energy Systems receives 2015 Grid Edge 20 Award from Greentech Media

    GreenTech Media honors 1Energy as one of 20 companies “making change on the cutting edge of distributed energy and grid integration.”

    DHI acquires 1Energy Systems and launches Doosan GridTech subsidiary

    On July 11th, Daejin Choi of Doosan Heavy Industries and David Kaplan, Founder and CEO of 1Energy Systems, announced the purchase of 1Energy Systems by DHI and the creation of a new subsidiary named Doosan GridTech™ that will focus on technology solutions for the emerging digital distributed electric grid.

Click the following links to see more related topics.

Sample videos related to our company and our work.

CEO Message

Doosan GridTech will continue to serve its customers and build a smarter energy world by delivering solutions that provide automatic management and optimization of distributed energy resources.

Job Opportunities

We’re looking for great people to help us build the future of clean energy systems.

Check back soon for new video contents


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Downtown Jackson Events

Downtown Events

January 19 2018

Live Music: Fred T. and the Band

Friday, January 19, 2018

8:30 p.m.
Underground 119

IT’S DOWNTOWN is a weekly publication that offers a look at the events and light business news in Downtown Jackson. If you would like your event or news promoted, fax it to 601-353-3469 or email no later than noon each Tuesday.
To sign up for the IT’S DOWNTOWN newsletter, click here.


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Dr Dharmesh Bhadja

Dr. Dharmesh Bhadja, the founder of Dr Bhadja's Homeopathic Clinic, did his BHMS from AJSH Medical College, Mehsana and MD in Organon of Medicine & Homeopathic philosophy from Centre of Excellence(AYUSH) awarded Dr. M L Dhawale Memorial Homeopathic Institute, Palghar.

He had vast experience in all three dimensions of clinical practice i.e. Patient care, Research & Academics.

Clinical training and meticulous organizational adeptness at multispecialty and ethically strong M L Dhawale Memorial Hospital at Palghar, Dahisar and Malad (urban and rural as well) utilizing clinical acquaintance, writings, research, and leadership skills include: patient care, patient advocacy, hospital administration, academic and non academic seminars and presentations.

• Proficient Homeopathic and general  outdoor as well as indoor patient management in various departments

• Visiting Faculty, Dept. of Materia Medica and Physiology – Shri B. A. Dangar Homeopathic College, Rajkot

Papers & Publications:

♦ A Review of Book ‘Constitutional Medicine’ by Dr. John H. Clarke published in internationally acclaimed HOMOEOPATHIC LINKS

♦ As an International writer: Articles - Woman of the world, Be ready for the change, Self Conscious activities, What lies behind my suffering?

♦ Various clinical presentation of Kali carb - www.hpathy.com and sourveniour of AIHSS

Awards & Achievements:

• Global Leader : Health Saviors - Virtual Team dedicated to meet the challenges in Health Sector with vision to build up integrated efforts  for Prevention, Promotion and Maintainability of Health world wide.

• Representative of Gujarat  - Indian Youth Parliament

• International writer  - Action Team 2, Challenge: Future Global Think Tank

• Winner - Inter College Surgery Quiz Competition

Participation & Conferences:

• Exploring scope of Homeopathy in Indoor Patient Care, Pune Symposium, 2010 by Institute of Clinical Research

• Differential Materia Medica of Remedies indicated for Common Neuro -Psychiatric Disorder in Children at Baroda, 2010

• Acute Infections – An Approach’ - 15th Sarala Sonawala Memorial Seminar by National Journal of Homoeopathy, Bombay 2010

• Decennial celebration &10th  All India Homoeopathic Scientific Seminar Bangalore, 2003

• 15th All India Homoeopathic Scientific Seminar, Rajkot 2007

• Interns' orientation course in Principle & Practice of Homoeopathy by Institute of Clinical Research, Baroda 2006 – 07

• Participant & Topper in Prathma Yoga camp By Gujarat Ayurved University 2002

• Youth leadership Training Camp by Youth Services and Cultural Activities Gandhinagar Board 2002

Contact Us Today
For Free Consultation

"I had a great time working with Dharmesh, leading an online group of youth writers. As the leader, Dharmesh was extremely responsible as well as a visionary person who could enthuse his own passion in medicine and apply them in life with others." May 7, 2012

Sayanee Basu

Community Development, Challenge:Future

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text:
AcceleDent® Optima™

optima logo

Get your beautiful, healthy smiles…faster!

AcceleDent Optima gives patients faster and more comfortable orthodontic treatment with braces or aligners. AcceleDent Optima is the most advanced accelerated orthodontic device with a comprehensive suite of technology driven features. Simple and easy-to-use, AcceleDent Optima is clinically proven to speed up tooth movement while reducing orthodontic discomfort.

What Is AcceleDent Optima?

AcceleDent Optima is clinically proven to accelerate tooth movement by up to 50%. It’s the first orthodontic device of its kind to offer accelerated orthodontic treatment and help decrease orthodontic discomfort in a noninvasive, nonsurgical way. AcceleDent Optima is also the first and only accelerated orthodontic device to connect patients and practices with an app to monitor use, direct messaging, and earn rewards. AcceleDent is only available by prescription from your doctor.

Safe & Effective

Leading doctors around the world use and endorse AcceleDent Optima’s SoftPulse Technology® as safe and effective in accelerating tooth movement and reducing the discomfort associated with orthodontics.

Lightweight & Easy to Use

AcceleDent Optima was designed to fit your lifestyle. Use the hands-free device for just 20 minutes a day during routine activities such as reading, watching TV, listening to music, browsing the Internet, or showering.

How does AcceleDent Optima work?

By inserting the mouthpiece fitted around your braces or aligners for just 20 minutes a day, AcceleDent Optima speeds tooth movement through the use of SoftPulse Technology. AcceleDent Optima’s patented SoftPulse Technology applies precisely calibrated vibrations called micropulses that transmit through the roots of your teeth to the surrounding bone. This gentle vibration helps increase the cellular activity and speeds the rate in which your teeth can move. AcceleDent’s gentle micropulses can also reduce orthodontic discomfort for patients of all ages, including children, teens, and adults.

Designed to Fit Your Lifestyle

AcceleDent Optima combines high-tech performance features and a comprehensive app to enhance your accelerated orthodontic experience and empower you to become a full participant in your treatment.

optima device

  • Small and Lightweight Design
  • Waterproof Activator
  • Wireless Charging
  • Bluetooth® Enabled

AcceleDent App

  • Dashboard reports for tracking progress (also accessible on
  • Motivation tools to encourage usage
  • Community connectivity to share progress and updates with friends, family, and the treatment team

What are AcceleDent patients saying?

“AcceleDent was amazing for me because I wanted to accelerate the treatment process and it was ideal to reduce the discomfort I was experiencing.” – Karen M.

“Thanks to AcceleDent, what should have been a two-year ordeal took only one year. I couldn’t recommend AcceleDent more!” – Miguel A.

“I have used AcceleDent every day during my orthodontic treatment, and I love it!” – Jennifer K.

“I am so thankful to have found AcceleDent. I especially loved using it on days when I would switch trays, which helped alleviate the pain. I am so impressed with how quickly I saw results, and would absolutely recommend it to everyone! – Andrea A.

“AcceleDent is my best friend on adjustment day!” – Sonyah M., Patient

“Not only have my teeth moved very quickly, but using AcceleDent has greatly reduced the discomfort that I feel while wearing braces.” – Barbara K.

“I’m getting amazing results with AcceleDent!” – Scott M.

“I strongly recommend AcceleDent for anyone who wants to reduce their treatment time, and it’s so easy to use!” – Jean B.

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text:
Subscribe to Dr. Mirkin's free FITNESS & HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Cancer Cells and Sugar

An exciting new study in yeast contributes to our understanding of the link between cancer cells and sugar (Nature Communications, Oct 13, 2017;8(1):922). Yeast cells, like cancer cells, get most of their energy from fermentation of sugar without needing oxygen. This study shows that fermentation in yeast activates Ras enzymes that increase conversion of normal cells to cancer cells and also increases growth of cancer cells once they are formed.

Differences Between Normal Cells and Cancer Cells
Almost 100 years ago, Otto Warburg showed that cancer cells get most of their energy from sugar without needing oxygen (Biochem. Z, 1924;152:319–344). Normal cells get 15 times as much of their energy from the Krebs Cycle inside mitochondria that converts sugar, fats and protein with oxygen and a much lesser amount of energy from anaerobic glycolysis outside mitochondria that converts sugar to energy without oxygen. Even though cancer and yeast cells can grow much more rapidly than normal cells, they get most of their energy from the much weaker method of burning sugar without oxygen.

Excess Sugar, Overweight and Cancer
This new study suggests that taking in excess sugar increases tissue levels of a chemical pathway that promotes the growth of cancer cells. Scientists have not shown that eating sugar causes cancer, but we do know that eating excess sugar increases risk for obesity and diabetes. Both obesity and diabetes are associated with increased risk for many different cancers.

• Being overweight is associated with the following cancers: colon, rectum, esophagus, kidney, breast (women), endometrium, stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, ovary, thyroid, meningioma, multiple myeloma and B-cell lymphoma as well as the fatal types of prostate cancer and breast cancer in men (N Engl J Med, Aug 25, 2016;375:794-798; Lancet, Aug 30, 2014;384(9945):755-65). The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported that being overweight is associated with almost five million cancer deaths each year.

• Full fat cells turn on your immunity to cause cancer-provoking inflammation, insulin resistance and oxidative stress, and obese people have higher blood levels of all of these markers (Br J Nutr, Dec 2011;106 Suppl 3:S5-78).

• Having excess fat in your belly turns on your immunity (Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry, 2009;115(2):86–96) to increase inflammation to increase risk for several cancers (Circulation, 2008;117(13):1658–1667). Belly fat is associated with increased risk for cancers of the colon, rectum, postmenopausal breast, liver, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, stomach, gall bladder, pancreas, ovary, thyroid and multiple myeloma (Cancer Prev Res, September 1, 2017;10(9):494-506). People who are not overweight but have big bellies are still at significantly increased risk for diabetes and cancers. Having excess belly fat increases a protein called fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), that converts normal cells into cancerous ones (Oncogene, August 7, 2017).

• Adding about 4.3 inches (11 cm.) to your waist increases the risk for obesity-related cancers by 13 per cent (breast, bowel, womb, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, liver, upper stomach, gallbladder, ovary, and thyroid). Adding 3.5 inches (8 cm) to the hips is linked to an increased risk of 15 per cent for bowel cancer (British Journal of Cancer, May 2017;116(11):1486).

• A high-sugar diet is associated with spread of existing colon cancer (J Nat Can Inst, Nov 21, 2012;104(22):1702–1711). High blood sugar markedly increases insulin levels which has been shown to increase cancer risk (Med Sci Monit, 2015; 21: 3825–3833).

Ways to Reduce Your Risk for Cancer
There is strong evidence that excess sugar increases risk for heart attacks and strokes, and now we have evidence for a mechanism that can turn normal cells into cancerous ones. Risk for many types of cancers is reduced by:
• restricting calories, which lowers insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (Frontiers in Physiology, 2012;3(318):1–10), and inflammation (Cancer Research, 2012;72(9):2314–2326).
• restricting sugar in all drinks and added to foods (Nutr Cancer, 2010; 62: 413-424; Am J Clin Nutr, 2010; 91: 1294-1302).
• engaging in a regular exercise program (Nature Reviews Cancer, 2008;8(3):205–211).
• eating lots of fruits, vegetables and other anti-inflammatory foods (BMJ, 2006;333(7578):1109–1111; BMJ, Nov 10, 2011;343).

More Links Between Cancers and Sugar
A Cure for Cancer is Coming
Genes and Belly Fat

November 5th, 2017
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About the Author: Gabe Mirkin, MD

Sports medicine doctor, fitness guru and long-time radio host Gabe Mirkin, M.D., brings you news and tips for your healthful lifestyle. A practicing physician for more than 50 years and a radio talk show host for 25 years, Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. He is board-certified in four specialties: Sports Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology. The Dr. Mirkin Show, his call-in show on fitness and health, was syndicated in more than 120 cities. Read More
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Friday, January 8, 2010

Top Albums of 2008

I like to make lists. Unfortunately, I didn't always have a place to publish them. My MySpace blog and radio show's LiveJournal had to suffice in the past, but look what I've got now... a real blog!

I usually make a list of the top albums of each year, but I normally wait until a month or two into the year, so I can catch up on the albums I missed or didn't spend enough time with. The problem with that is no one cares about best-of lists that late into the year. (The Oscars aren't until March, but people seem to accept that.) My mind always changes, so the lists are pretty fluid anyway, but I figured I'd post my unpublished list of the top 2008 albums before I hit you with my naive 2009 picks sometime this week. Of course the order of these would be different now and likely include some other albums (Where is Raphael Saadiq's The Way I See It?!?), but I'm gonna post it 'cause I'm gangsta.

The Top Fifteen Albums of 2008 (December 18, 2008, 9:43 pm)

15. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
14. G. Love & Special Sauce - Superhero Brother
13. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
12. The Stills - Oceans Will Rise
11. Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious
10. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
9. Zach Gill - Zach Gill's Stuff
8. Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static
7. Matt Costa - Unfamiliar Faces
6. Spiraling - Time Travel Made Easy
5. Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.
4. Faded Paper Figures - Dynamo
3. Sunfold - Toy Tugboats
2. The Kooks - Konk
1. Miniature Tigers - Tell It to the Volcano

1 comment:

  1. Liked 7, 11, 12 and 13. Was not a fan of 5 at all. Will check out the rest.


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HOOKER Kurt Haupt is set to be given a platform to “show his worth” when Worcester Warriors tackle Oyonnax at Sixways on Saturday (3pm).

Head coach Carl Hogg confirmed the South African had been registered to play in the European Challenge Cup and said he was keen to see him in action.

Since joining Warriors on a short-term deal in early November, Haupt has played just 36 minutes for the club.

The 28-year-old was forced off with a head injury in Worcester’s Anglo-Welsh Cup tie at Harlequins before coming on for the dying seconds of their 31-27 win at Leicester Tigers in the Aviva Premiership.

But he now looks poised to make his first appearance at home as Hogg looks to reshuffle his side for the visit of Oyonnax.

“Kurt has been registered so he is somebody who is potentially going to be involved at the weekend,” Hogg said.

“Unfortunately he got a head injury against Quins but for that first 20 minutes he looked very effective.

“He is good in the set-piece and I am sure he can bring a lot to the party.

“Saturday is potentially an opportunity for him to come on and show us what he is worth.”

Asked when Haupt’s deal runs out, Hogg added: “That’s something between ourselves and Kurt.”

Haupt faces competition from Joe Taufete’e and Matti Williams for the number two shirt as Jack Singleton is expected to be among a number of first-team regulars to be rested following their efforts in the league.

Hogg said he and director of rugby Gary Gold were keen to run the rule over the rest of their squad after making few changes to the side in recent weeks.

Wingers Perry Humphreys and Tom Howe are due to return while fly-half Jamie Shillcock and flanker Matt Cox could make their comebacks from injury.

Back rower Andrew Durutalo has also been registered.

“The Premiership is an attritional competition so when you play three games on the spin it does take its toll,” Hogg said.

“We need to manage the squad while creating opportunities for others who have been working exceedingly hard behind the scenes.

“Our sessions have been much more accurate, intense and physical and that’s not just based on those guys who are not starting.

“It’s always a balance of selection between continuity and sharing the workload over 22 Premiership games and six European games.

“It’s a balancing act and hopefully we will get some selection headaches for the next few weeks.

“We will have one or two players in there who have been on the bench in the Premiership and one or two who are looking for opportunities.

“It will be a changed group from the last three weeks but it will be a group we think can perform and put pressure on that Premiership team.

“We want to provide opportunities for players and this is an ideal weekend for them.”


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DCC Minutes 04-28-2010

Dukes County Commission Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
5 p.m.
County Administration Building

Call to Order
Vice-Chairman Tristan Israel called the County Commissioner's meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.  Commissioners Les Leland, Tom Hallahan and Melinda Loberg were present.
Not present were Commission Chairman Carlene Gatting, Commissioners Leonard Jason and John Alley.

Also in attendance were County Manager Russell Smith, Exec. Assistant Martina Thornton, County Treasurer Noreen Mavro Flanders, Charles Cotnoir, and Joanie Ames of MVTV.

2008 Minutes, including the execute meeting minutes were deferred to the next meeting as quorum was not reached on any of the Minutes.

Tristan Israel on behalf of the Chair appointed Charles Cotnoir as Associate Commissioner for Elder Affairs for 1 year.

Manager’s Report

FY2011 Proposed Budget (version dated 4/14/2010)
Russell said that the proposed budget for FY2011 results in surplus of about 14K. In FY09 there was $90K expended from the reserved fund, FY2010 we used about $10K from reserved fund. We came up with additional revenue and for FY2011 are not planning on using any of the reserve funds. It helps that the Vineyard Health Care Access Program (VHCAP) and the Rodent Control Program (Integrated Pest Management (IPM) expenses are being 70% paid for by the towns. The warrant articles, including the extra one for VHCAP have been voted in all towns except Aquinnah, which has not had their town meeting yet.

Melinda asked if we could look into the financial efficiency of the IPM program as there have been many questions about it at the town meetings and she was not able to provide any answers. Questions were asked about the Mosquito Program. Les said he sees the benefit of the program to towns but he feels that there could have been more done to reach the citizens to be able to take advantage of this program and save some money. Russell said that there was increase in IPM revenue from FY2009 to FY2010 by $5K, no increase is projected for FY2011. The cost of the school mandated integrated pest management program is about $1500 with a private contractor; we provide the service for $300. This program also services the town harbors. Tristan would like to form a group at the next meeting to explore the cost effectiveness of this program and see if we could save money by contracting it out or having the employee on hourly wage. Noreen said that there was misinformation given at the town meeting about the IPM’s Mosquito Program. This program was for additional charge to the towns, and not part of the IPM. Les suggested talking to the Board of Health in each town to see what they would expect from the program as the towns will be taking it over.

Russell said that he would like the committee to look at what model will the County use for these regional services that are run under the County but funded by the towns. He feels that putting a warrant article for the financial support of each program each year before the voters is not effective. He understands the towns want to have oversight over the assessments from the County for these services but it should be done in a way that brings more stability to the valuable regional services, have a long-term buy-in by the town and not worry each year that some town is going to drop out without prior discussions or planning. The option to put a question before the voters to drop out should always be an option, if the towns choose to put it on the warrant. Russell is exploring how other counties handle this. Tristan would like to create a separate committee to look at this particular issue.

Tristan asked if anything changes on the budget once all the warrant articles are voted in all towns. Noreen said that the additional money for the VHCAP will be added to income side but so will the expenses that the money will be used for and it will not affect the bottom line.

Answers to specific questions regarding the proposed budget (by department):
Les asked if the pay increases are more than a step. Russell: This reflects the adjustment for the change in health insurance from 90-10 to 75-25. The County pays 15% less and that reflects in the health insurance line and the employees are paid 15% more based on their plan, so all employees stay “whole”. No one makes out, it’s even.

Les asked if the workers’ compensation also increased. Noreen: We have to budget the worker’s compensation based on the budgeted payroll and the rate given for each occupation (more dangerous jobs have much higher rate – rodent control, janitorial, airport etc.) The County is part of the MIIA (Mass Inter-local Insurance Association) and if they have a good year we could get a credit (or dividend) during the year and it was several thousand dollars in the past, but we do have to budget the full amounts.

Dept. 300 – County Commissioners
Tristan asked what the total increase in expenses is for Dept. 300. Russell said 0.57%.
Dept. 301 – Associate Commissioners
Les asked about the increase in travel in Dept. 301. Russell: We paid the travel to the Pilgrim RD&D from Dept.300 – County Commissioners. It should really be paid out of Dept.301-Associate Commissioners as the travel for Peter Hefler to go to Cape Light Compact meetings is paid out of that account. So we moved the expense and decreased the travel expense by that amount in Dept.300. Martina added that included in the Dept.301 budget is also additional $500 ($400 supplies, $100 travel) that Chuck Cotnoir asked for as new Associate Commissioner for Elder Affairs.
Tristan asked why the County would not have one line for all the travel. Noreen said that this way we can have a better picture how much each department used for travel and don’t have to break it down at the end of the year.
Dept.310 – Parking Clerk
Les asked why is Carol Grant paid from this department now. Noreen: We will be processing the parking tickets in house, which would require more of Carol’s time. As the Sheriff’s department is gone, she will have more time to do it.
Tristan asked about the 63% increase in expenses, but only 42% increase in revenue? Noreen: We have to pay for the software and as they explained to the towns it will take couple of years to recover the cost.
Dept. 600 – Courthouse
Les asked if Eric Goldwire is part-time or full-time with benefits. Russell: Eric was receiving benefits all along. He is paid hourly and for years was exceeding 20 hours per week. We are budgeting for vacation buyback that accrued in prior years and would like to avoid him taking all the vacation and have additional expense by having to pay for someone else to clean the Courthouse.
Les asked why no money was spent from the sewer line. Noreen: We get billed once a year and the bill did not come yet.
Les asked about the comprehensive building insurance increase. Noreen: We have not made the final payment for FY2010 and we will be probably overdrawn and will have to recover it in the next FY. Also, with the Sheriff’s department gone we don’t know how it will affect the premium and are not sure if the premium decreases in correspondence with the decrease in value of the insured assets. We insure all the county buildings – Courthouse, New York Ave , Airport buildings under one policy and then it is divided among the departments with these buildings, so you will see a little increase in all these departments. If additional funds are needed because the insurance goes up substantially, Noreen would like to reflect that in a supplemental budget once we know the numbers.
Tristan asked why the repairs & maintenance increase, while other interior repairs decrease. Russell: We had to do some interior repairs after the water damage last year and the money to cover it was put in that line with a supplemental budget.
Dept. 610 – Administration Building
Les asked if the janitorial help is employee or contract. Russell: The janitor for the building is an employee.
Les asked why the general liability increases. Noreen: That is the building insurance and increase was explained earlier.
Tristan asked about the fuel oil contract expense. Russell: We will put a bid out for the oil by the end of fiscal year and then we will have better idea about the projected cost.
Tristan asked about the repairs & maintenance decrease. Russell: We had the furnace at the middle section of the building breaking last year and had to cover the cost. In FY2011 we are planning other repairs and maintenance on the building like painting etc.
Melinda asked if we have a capital expenses plan for the building. Noreen: No and she spoke with Standard & Poors and they were asking for our investment policy, debt policy, capital planning and she had to say that the Commissioners do not have one and asked Russell to bring it to the Board that it should be part of the Administrative Code. Tristan suggested that a spreadsheet of capital improvements should be worked on in the next 6 months. Noreen said that a list was done for the Courthouse a while back.
Tristan asked about the increase in lease? Noreen: There is an increment in the lease for the increase.
Dept. 700 – Engineering – zero – not operational anymore
Dept. 800 – New York Ave property
Les asked why the telephone is at zero. Noreen: Some expense is shown in Dept.1500 as part of the VHCAP and may be she pays it from the grants. She had to take out all the expenses other than her salary and pay it out of grants. Once the extra warrant article is voted in the towns and she can add the money and the expense to the budget.
Dept.1000 – Miscellaneous
Tristan asked about the increase in legal fees. Russell: We anticipate questions regarding rewriting the Administrative Code and the Personnel Bylaws.
Tom asked if we paid late for auditing in FY08. Noreen: The auditor did not finish the FY07 audit until FY09 and so we did pay them in FY09. Russell: We have a 3-year contract with the new auditor and it increases by $1000 each year.
Tristan asked about the increase in miscellaneous contractual. Martina: We have four annual reports to print and the estimate from DaRosa’s to print 100 copies at $2,500 each year. Tristan asked if it is a statutory requirement. Noreen said yes. Tom asked if we have to do a hard copy or if putting it on the website would be sufficient. Noreen did not know and said that we can look it up in Chapter 35. Russell said he wanted to go back to the booklet size from prior years and not 81/2 x 11. Tristan suggested printing only couple of copies for each prior year in house (81/2x 11 formats).
Les asked about the dues & membership increase. Martina: $1000 fee to Barnstable Purchasing (discounted purchasing of supplies through the Barnstable County -56% discount on office and janitorial supplies, also available to all municipalities in the County), $462 to National Association of Counties, $150 to Chamber of Commerce. The membership fee for the Mass Municipal Personnel Association $250 is included in the Dept. 300 and the $400 membership fee to Pilgrim RC & D is in Dept. 301 – Associate Commissioners.
Dept. 1201 (on cover sheet) - COLA
There is no COLA for FY11. Tom would like to do a projection for COLA as the all island fin com was talking about the using some index to project COLA island-wide. The County employees are being penalized because we are asked by the towns not to give it, but the towns do vote theirs in. Tom suggested taking the median COLA awarded to the town the year before as the past practice by the towns. Russell said that the employees get step increases and COLA is something extra that is or is not awarded each year. County does not have the same option of 2.5% override as the towns do and since County did not have one in over 20 years there are not extra funds for this. Tom said he feels it should be there as this issue came up when we did the health insurance shift. Tristan said that under our current structure the County does not have the financial ability to give COLA. Tom asked if it could be passed to the towns through the assessment. Noreen said that we can not increase the Assessment by more than 2.5% but we do have the option of an override. We did pass one in 1994 for $150,000, which was still not enough to keep up with things as it gave the County about $16,000 increased income after we gave the MOE to the Sheriff and the Registry. Tom suggested the new financial committee that we are about to create should look at this. Noreen said that it is a problem because there are departments in the County (Airport, Registry) that do have funds to give a COLA to their employees and are not happy that the minority in the County is preventing everyone from getting a COLA. At the Airport the majority is union and they get a COLA per their union contract.
Dept. 1500 – Vineyard Health Care Access Program
Russell said that the difference between FY09 and FY2010 expense is the extra funds voted at town meetings as an additional warrant article from VHCAP.
Dept. 1800 (on cover sheet) – Retiree Health & Life Insurance
The Registry and the Airport reimburses the County for their retirees.
Dept. 2000 – Natural Resources
Les asked what is the $1000 in miscellaneous contractual. Russell: We manage the State Beach from the grant given by the State, but we also manage other beaches (Eastville, Tashmoo, Owen Little Way...) and would like to have some money to manage our properties.
Dept. 2200 – Emergency Management
Les asked what is the $2,500 in miscellaneous contractual for. Noreen: That is stipend paid by the Airport to Chuck for being on call in case of any incidents at the Airport as he is qualified to do reports to FAA as required.
Les asked about the education and other lines as Chuck did not spend any money yet he is budgeting little more in each line. Noreen: Chuck increased everything by 2.5%. Martina: Chuck goes to some training seminars too.
Dept. 3000 - Treasurer
Noreen explained that the budget went down due to the shift of part of the payroll for Carol to Parking Clerk department. We might be able to also shift some health insurance and other deductions there. There will be longevity added to the budget. Not as much as $1500 as part of it will come from the Parking Clerk’s department.
Tristan asked if the decrease in allocation of indirect costs (on cover sheet) is due to the Sheriff’s leave. Noreen: Yes but the exact number is still unknown.
Tom said that Noreen’s salary does not increase, nor does Diane’s. He would like to look at how the salary is set and have formula how to increase it over time, so they do not set the salary themselves. Noreen said she would appreciate it and added that she, Dianne and Russell were not part of the calculations for compensation for the change in the health insurance. Noreen said that the Treasurer’s office is being reimbursed by the Airport and the Registry of Deeds (and used to be by the Sheriff’s dept. also) and they have an allocation formula that is approved by the FAA that could be used for other regional entities should they provide accounting services for them. On the other hand if the salary is being shifted to Parking Clerk’s department, it reduces the amount the Treasurer’s dept. is reimbursed. Melinda asked how much was the reimbursement from the Sheriff’s dept. Noreen said about $25,000.
Dept. 3200 – Integrated Pest Management
Tristan asked about the telephone increase. Russell said he will look into it.
Les asked about the travel in state? Martina said it does not include the travel to Pilgrim RC&D, which was paid from Dept.300 (County Commissioners) in FY10 and in FY11 it is budgeted under Dept. 301(Associate Commissioners) to separate it. T.J. gets supplies off island. Noreen added that he also goes to seminars to keep up his license that are weekend seminars and include hotel and other travel expenses. He usually picks up supplies while he travels to RC&D. Les asked if the supplies could be shipped and look if we could save that way. Tristan asked if we could look at all the little increases in all the budgets lines (stationary, licenses etc.) as they do add up.
Les asked about the increase in miscellaneous supplies by another $1,300, yet T.J. did not use all the money this year. Russell: T.J. was able to get a lot of supplies donated this year. Noreen: T.J. buys supplies at the end of the fiscal year to make sure it will keep him going through the beginning of next fiscal year. Les noted that the increase in materials should reflect in increased revenue.
Tom suggested having a Department Head of each department that goes over 2.5% explain the increase.
Dept. 3398 – Registry of Deeds (M.O.E.)
Noreen explained that this is only the Maintenance of Effort. Their budget is included on the last page.
Dept. 3399 – Sheriff’s Department (M.O.E.)
Russell said that through Noreen’s and his effort they stopped the State taking another $100K from the County in FY10. Noreen - for FY11 the $501K goes directly to the Retirement System, County collects it and it goes towards the unfunded liabilities of the Sheriff’s retired employees. Tristan asked if the OPEB fund will be created. Noreen said that the legislation is in the Third Reading at the Legislature. All towns will have to vote on it.

Russell said that this budget is balanced with $13,975.43 in surplus. Noreen said that hopefully in three weeks the Airport Budget will be also available. Les reminded the Commissioners to look at the Manager’s salary at the next meeting, since he had a good review. Tom asked if we could look at the salaries of all the Department Heads.

Manager’s Report
Draft of the Regional Study of Public Services was distributed to the Commissioners.

Easement for Edgartown Water Department for the County property on Aero Road in Katama. Edgartown Water Department asked to lay pipe across the county lots on AERO Road.  Russell asked them to lay the pipes under the Aero Road as shown on the assessor’s map and not under the path that goes through the two lots that the County owns. Thank-you to the Farm Institute who paid for the survey, which will show where the actual property line is. The Edgartown Water Department agreed to lay it under the actual road as show on the map, there are no obstacles in the way, but is asking for the easement from the neighbors anyway. Noreen said that the easement would have to be voted on by the County Commissioners. Tristan asked Russell to find out if they really need the easement for maintenance and get back to them at the next meeting if they need to vote on it.

Personnel Sub-committee Report
Melinda distributed the report and urged them to read it as it proposes creating a Personnel Board and get back to the sub-committee members with any questions or suggestions. They will meet again to finalize the proposal. It also seems that the Administrative Code needs updating and Melinda proposed for the Chair to appoint a sub-committee to do the review of the Administrative Code. Tom suggested it be people with history on serving on the Commission. Tristan asked Russell to let Carlene know so she will be ready to appoint people to this new committee. Tristan said he would be interested in participating on the first committee mentioned.

  • Letter of thank-you from the Oak Bluffs Highway Department for the good work done on the Little Channel dredging.
  • Invitation from the MV/DC Fishermen’s Association to their annual dinner to all the Commissioners, Russell and Martina.
Tom/Les moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:05 p.m. All in favor.

Respectfully Submitted by:

JOSEPH E. SOLLITTO JR., Clerk of the Courts

The County of Dukes County PO Box 190, Edgartown, MA 02539
Phone: 508.696.3840    Fax: 508.696.3841
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German Air Traffic Controllers Allowed to Strike

German air traffic controllers can legally go on strike, a Frankfurt court has ruled. The state-owned aviation control agency (DFS) had filed a complaint with the court, saying that a strike could cause havoc at airports and prevent hundreds of thousands of Germans from flying during summer vacations. Air traffic controllers had threatened to strike, because they want DFS to recognize them as a negotiating partner during labor talks. Spokespeople for the controllers said they did not plan on striking immediately but first wanted to give DFS a chance to change positions. However, on Thursday, the court ruled in favor of the controllers.


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Cliffs Natural Resources announced today it will be restarting iron-ore pellet production at its Northshore Mining operation in Minnesota by May 15. The company is taking the action based on its domestic customers’ demand for iron-ore pellets and consistent with its previously announced production plans for the year.

Cliffs’ Northshore iron-ore operation, which consists of a mine and a taconite pellet processing facility located, employs approximately 540 people. Cliffs is also operating at normal rates at its Hibbing Taconite mine, as well as the Tilden and Empire mines in Michigan. Cliffs’ United Taconite operations in Minnesota are currently idled.

“The avalanche of unfairly traded steel hitting the U.S. since last year negatively affected our clients’ production levels and, as a consequence, affected us,” said Lourenco Goncalves, chairman, president and CEO. “At this time, with the trade cases approaching their final stages and preliminary duties being announced, the volume of unfairly traded steel is starting to subside. As our clients’ order books improve and their need for pellets approach more normal levels, we are pleased to announce that we are bringing back to work our dedicated employees at Northshore.

“In 2015, Cliffs developed at Northshore Mining a new product, the DR-grade pellets used as feedstock to DRI production,” Goncalves said. “As we restart operations at Northshore in May, we will also resume the production of DR-grade pellets destined to EAF clients.”

In accordance with Cliffs’ 2016 full-year projected U.S. iron ore production volume of 16 million tons, the company is maintaining its previous cash production cost per ton expectations for 2016 at $50 to $55 per ton and its cash cost of goods sold expectation is $55 to $60 per ton.

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