Published on National Catholic Reporter (https://www.ncronline.org)
Most immigrants with temporary protected status face its expiration
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by Maria Benevento
20180108T1456-13525-CNS-TPS-SALVADORANS (1000x667).jpg
Salvadoran immigrant Mirna Portillo listens during a news conference Jan. 8 at the New York Immigration Coalition in Manhattan following President Donald Trump's announcement to end temporary protected status for Salvadorans. (CNS/Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
Of the estimated 318,860 immigrants who had been shielded from returning to their dangerous home countries under the temporary protected status program at the time President Donald Trump was inaugurated, over 97 percent will soon lose legal status due to a series of decisions that advocates say are based more on anti-immigrant ideology than on facts.
With almost no hope that the Trump administration will voluntarily reverse its decisions or even grant the status to countries experiencing new crises, immigrant rights groups continue to advocate for legislative protections, challenge the decisions in the courts and offer legal aid to individual temporary protected status holders.
"I am aware that we are fighting against a machine that is investing resources in a rhetoric to create fear, to create more uncertainty such as the uncertainty that I have," said Yanira Arias, a national campaign manager for immigrant network Alianza Americas and a Salvadoran immigrant whose temporary protected status will permanently expire Sept. 9, 2019.
"But again, I do believe that collective voices are speaking on a more positive outcome," Arias added, "elevating the contributions that TPS holders give to the United States."
Only 7,070 temporary protected status holders from Syria and South Sudan have had their status renewed under Trump, while 310,540 status holders from El Salvador, Sudan, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal have had that status canceled and 1,250 from Somalia and Yemen are still waiting for decisions.
The temporary protected status program is meant to offer work permits and temporary protection from deportation — but not a path to permanent legal status — for immigrants who would otherwise be undocumented.
"TPS has been utilized for numerous reasons by Republican and Democratic administrations," said Lisa Parisio, an advocacy attorney for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC). The program embodies American and international principles including "non-refoulement, which is the commitment for a country not to return people to countries where their lives or their freedom may be at risk."
The protection is granted when the Department of Homeland Security designates a country as too dangerous to receive returning immigrants due to natural disaster, violent conflict or other temporary conditions, and can be renewed in six-, 12- or 18-month increments, as many times as necessary until conditions improve.
Temporary protected status is only available to migrants who are already in the U.S. when their country is designated — which usually happens very shortly after the disaster that prompts the designation. This arrangement means that those immigrants who receive temporary protected status have been in the U.S. for an especially long time, in some cases decades. Many hold jobs, own homes and have children who are U.S. citizens.
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People hold a Honduran flag while sitting on the border fence between Mexico and the United States in Tijuana, Mexico, April 29. The Trump administration is ending temporary protected status for more than 50,000 Hondurans. (CNS/Reuters/Jorge Duenes)
Honduran and Nicaraguan status holders have been in the U.S. at least 19 years, while Salvadorans have been here at least 17 years. (More than 250,000 status recipients come from Honduras, Nicaragua or El Salvador.)
Sudan and Somalia have been protected even longer, nearly 22 and 27 years, respectively, although some status holders from those countries are more recent arrivals since DHS has pushed up the required arrival date in a process known as redesignation.
Trump's administration isn't the first to cancel the status for a particular country. George W. Bush's administration ended Liberia's status in 2007, and Barack Obama's administration terminated the status for Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone in 2017 after putting it in place during a 2014 Ebola epidemic. (Both Bush and Obama maintained protections for Liberians under the Deferred Enforced Departure program, protections Trump ended in March.)
However, the scale of cancellations and the decision-making process under the Trump administration are a sharp break from past policy, advocates said, even raising doubts that any circumstances could lead the administration to designate a new country for the status. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) has called for Venezuela to be protected and has been ignored.
"What the current administration is doing is unprecedented," said Kevin Appleby, senior director of international migration policy at the Center for Migration Studies. "It seems as though they haven't even considered all the factors on the ground in these countries in making their decision. That has been driven by ideological or political concerns."
Although the program is provided for by U.S. immigration law, and could therefore rebound relatively quickly under a more sympathetic administration, that possibility would come too late for current status holders. Even with the 12- or 18-month delays in termination each country has been granted, their status will expire between November 2018 and January 2020.
Related: Editorial: Stop mass deportations now
The U.S. lacks resources to deport all undocumented immigrants, Arias pointed out, and temporary protected status holders won't be a priority, but losing status will mean the immigrants will be vulnerable to being picked up in raids.
Jill Marie Bussey, director of advocacy for CLINIC, also explained that temporary protected status holders may be especially at risk because many applied for their status "defensively" after coming into contact with immigration enforcement, meaning they may already have removal proceedings in progress that were halted.
"Those wheels in motion go right into work again as soon as the TPS is stripped from them," Bussey said, and they will likely be the "first wave" to be deported.
Despite the administration's lack of transparency, Bussey said, CLINIC is trying to discover how many immigrants are in that position so they can provide legal aid. She and other advocates also recommend immigration screenings for any status holders to see if they might be eligible for legal status through another avenue.
A solution that would protect the majority of those losing status, though, would have to come through legislation or the courts. The administration has repeatedly called for Congress to provide permanent protection for the status holders, a call advocates echo even as they doubt its sincerity or its practicability.
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A woman participates in an immigration rally for Haitians Nov. 21, 2017, in New York City. The previous day, Trump administration had announced that Haitians with temporary protected status must leave the country by July 22, 2019, or face deportation. (CNS/Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)
"I don't think in the near future it's realistic, given the political landscape," Appleby said, but administration officials publicly support a path to citizenship. "Whether they were just saying that to get people off their backs or not ... you can point to the fact that they've said that and that Congress should include them in any immigration reform package."
Another avenue of hope for temporary protected status holders is the court system. At least four lawsuits have been filed challenging the cancellation of particular countries' statuses and seeking injunctions preventing DHS from implementing terminations.
All four lawsuits allege racial or ethnic discrimination; some point out disparaging comments Trump made about Haitians and other temporary protected status holders when a bipartisan group of legislators last approached him with an immigration compromise that included legal status for some temporary protected status holders.
The lawsuits also accuse the administration of not following proper procedures in making status determinations.
Recent reports say DHS ignored advice from senior diplomats that some of the countries were unprepared to accept returning immigrants and that the Trump administration pressured officials to end countries' statuses.
"It's not surprising that this is being driven by the White House and by an ideological agenda ... despite advice from career diplomats who know the situation on the ground," said Appleby. "These decisions were made in contrast to our best interests and to that of nations in our hemisphere."
While previous administrations have interpreted the statute that established temporary protected status as allowing them to consider all factors that might make the country dangerous, such as gang violence or subsequent disasters, the Trump administration insists it can only consider recovery from the disaster or conflict that prompted the original designation.
A backgrounder from CLINIC tracks irregularities in the administration's process, such as ignoring information, investigating unrelated concerns and failing to publish essential information for temporary protected status holders in a timely matter.
The reports that are "bringing to the light the diplomats' advice to President Trump not to cancel the program because none of the countries are prepared makes me feel that I am not wrong with the feeling that I have of uncertainty if I am ordered to be deported back to El Salvador," said Arias.
"I continue to have that feeling of uncertainty. What if there is not a solution?" Arias said. "But also it gives me the energy and the hope to continue with the organizing effort."
One of the most concerning aspects of the situation is that the government has disregarded the fact that people's lives could be at risk if they are sent back too early, Bussey said, even though by law the government should consider it. "It's heartless, it's cruel, it's immoral to send individuals back to that type of high level of risk and fear for their lives," she said.
"Very few people who have been here for decades are going to voluntarily want to leave and separate from their families," Bussey added. "There's nothing to go back to, and in fact there's not just nothing to go back to, going back would put their lives at risk."
[Maria Benevento is an NCR Bertelsen intern. Her email address is mbenevento@ncronline.org.]
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Source URL (modified on 05/24/2018 - 10:39am): https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/most-immigrants-temporary-protected-status-face-its-expiration
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ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Houston, TX) is thrilled to announce its 15th season, "Coming of Age". ROCO's Unchambered series will feature a concert curated by violinist Scott St. John, concertmaster of ROCO. On November 2, St. John will present an afternoon of selections from string quartets, including pieces by Haydn, Mozart, Dvorak, Hindemith, Webern, Reger, and a premiere by Robert Maggio. Maggio and St. John met in the late 1980's when Maggio was a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania and St. John was a student at The Curtis Institute of Music. St. John gave the premiere of Maggio's Solo Viola Suite in 1988, and later premiered Maggio's Duo Concertante on St. John's Young Concert Artists Series recital at the 92nd Street Y in 1991. He is also featured on two of Maggio's CD's: Seven Mad Gods and Riddles.


On 10 Sep 2022 11 Sep 2022 By MattIn Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Commentary, Frances Tiafoe, U.S. Open
Another absolute head-scratcher masterpiece from the Carlos again. That drop shot on his first MP in the fourth set! Uhg. But Frances came-up with the goods there too, so I can't give Alcaraz too much grief.
This SF wasn't nearly as taxing as the Sinner QF though I could be mistaken. I think the Spaniard finds enough recovery to be able to have enough for the final against Ruud.
Quick couple of thoughts on Tiafoe. I have been writing about this kid for years. Like I said yesterday, this sea change of sorts in the business-end of the tournament sans the Big 3 took too long to get here. This has been a big part of my inelegant and even insipid approach to watching and writing about tennis. We have been charting the rise of the replacements for a long time. No need to go into that at this point.
This article from the 2019 Aussie Open sheds some light on both my thoughts on Tiafoe, even then, as well as a reference to that Dimitrov v Kyrgios comparison I referenced recently. A short passage on Tiafoe's tennis, as he was preparing to play Nadal in that tournament:
More on Tiafoe tomorrow. What an enormous talent. His game has grown. He's not one-dimensional. He can get a little careless, "lazy" perhaps, but he is a monster and should become an absolute terror on this tour. Rest-up, my fellow American.
The note on how Tiafoe can get a little careless is spot on with that kid. He's coming (loved his comment at the end of yesterday's match about winning the USO one day, sorry for letting down the fans, etc.), but he has that wayward FH on occasion and the DFs really affected him (actually, looking at the service numbers of both players yesterday did not seem to bode that well for Alcaraz: Tiafoe's serve was pretty bad, yet still a topsy-turvy five setter).
Still, the respect shown by both Carlos and Frances for each other and the crowd and the game was such a pleasure to watch. We have loved the American's game for a while and listening to Johnny Mac suggest that he and Kyrgios have similar styles — I said that years ago too. Ho hum.
I nailed the Ruud v Khachanov call and am emboldened in my frustration for Khachanov's unplayable game in the QF against Kyrgios. There is some history between those two, so the Russian had a little extra motivation — I will give him that. But clearly that was a one-off. He didn't have any big wins coming into that QF. That was purely a one-off. Watch Karen go away for another year or so.
As for the Final, we have to like the Spaniard (maybe I get more Spanish readers now — there are always a couple, most likely checking-in on my latest installment of Nadalism — ha ha). Tough not to like this kid's game, demeanor, the whole bag. Unreal resilience. He has survived some big tennis from some big hitters. What he has to deal with against Ruud is being more effective at closing-out games, sets and the match!
We have certainly seen Carlos get a little tight (if you want to call it that) in these last two matches. The Sinner and Tiafoe matches should have been four setters. But that's tennis, and these are competitive guys putting everything on the line. Still, Ruud's claim to fame is his professionalism. He's got that Nadal gene: he consolidates the break, he doesn't make many errors, he's good at what he does, plays a clean, unspectacular game and it works.
In short, Carlos should win tomorrow's U.S. Open Final. No question.
Looking forward to this match, actually — trying to stay positive and optimistic about this sport, during this changing of the guard (slight hint at the change now taking place in the British monarchy).
Enjoy the Final!


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Board Elects New Officers
From the Board of Governors / By IAC Staff
Board Elects New Officers By a unanimous vote of the Board of Governors at its last meeting, the following officers were elected: Chair of the Board – Shirley Anderson, MS, Certified Masteries Coach, MCC Owner and President of Coach Miami, Inc. www.coachmiami.com President – Barbara Mark Ph.D. Founder and Principal of Full Circle Institute www.BarbaraMark.com …
Board Elects New Officers Read More »
Meet IAC's 6000th Member
About IAC Members / By IAC Staff
Meet IAC's 6000th Member: Chadwick Whitney from Hampshire IL He may be a new member of IAC, but Chadwick Whitney has been — in his words — "an unofficial coach for quite a while." Currently he coaches a few real estate investors and four business majors from his Alma Mater, Northern Illinois University. "I have …
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President's Message / By IAC Staff
President's Message By Barbara Weiland-Mark, Ph.D. Welcome to spring: a time for warmth, new beginnings, and growth. There have been some changes in the leadership of the IAC. I would like to express our deepest thanks for the people who have served on the Board of Governors and have taken IAC from the initial vision …
President's Message Read More »
IAC VOICE, Vol 1, Num 2, March 5, 2004
Newsletters / By IAC Staff
March 5, 2004, Vol 1, Num 2 Sent to our 6,057 members We Now Have 6,000 Members IAC has gained 442 new members in the past two months! It has been full-speed-ahead in our goal of becoming the largest coaching association in the world. We don't know if we're the largest yet – The …
IAC VOICE, Vol 1, Num 2, March 5, 2004 Read More »
IAC VOICE, Vol 1, Num 1, January 27, 2004
January 27, 2004, Vol 1, Num 1 January 27, 2004, Vol 1, Num 1 Sample Exam Now On-line IAC members can now practice taking the Phase I certification exam on-line by going to http://www.certifiedcoach.org/sample.html. Here you will find a sample coaching scenario featuring a 49 year old physician approaching burn-out and feeling resentful …
IAC VOICE, Vol 1, Num 1, January 27, 2004 Read More »


Featured Features
Student suicides in Pakistan: More than a mental health issue
Ramesh Kumar January 18, 2019
Suicide rates in students are burgeoning day by day.
Hundreds of students have attempted and at least a dozen have committed suicide in the past two years. Suicide is a social and psychological issue. Every time a student commits suicide, there is one question that comes to mind and that is that why are we constantly failing as a society?
Last day, a 3rd year MBBS student, Mohammed Atif Arain allegedly committed suicide in his room in Ibn-e-Sina hostel, LUMHS, Jamshoro.
Though initial reports suggest it was a suicide but investigations are raising many questions. It is reported that Atif was depressed due to two main issues: One, because one of his brothers died of cancer and another is suffering from same disease and two, he was exhausted by pressure of supplementary exams in each semester.
Via a thorough research of daily papers in Pakistan, I found 10 apparent suicide events in medical campuses in the country during the past 2 years.
For example, pressure of studies and time management took life of Abdul Basit of Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry, pressure of supplementary exams took life of Nargis from Sahara Medical College and bad terms with academia took life of Usman Javed of Rehbar Medical College. In Aga Khan University, 5 students have committed suicide in recent past. Moreover, Shahnawaz of QAMC hanged himself to death for failing two papers, while Anam Rustam of FMDC took her life within 10 days of house job posting.
It's an alarming situation when youngsters, pursuing a career in health sciences and supposed to save the ailing humanity from despair of illnesses, have themselves been taking their own lives out of apparently masked but not so hidden epidemic of depression and alienation that is product of today's neo-liberal consumerist social order.
READ TLP calls off violent strikes after an agreement with the govt
Educational institutes, like all other social spaces, have been turned into a repository of traditional wisdom and lack of any critical discourse turns them into factories producing money-mongering machines.
Humanitarian and social sciences improve the mental and social life of students and make them politically and socially mature. It's saddening that our academia, including parents and media culture, discourage students to participate in humanitarian and social sciences (either as academic career or part-time hobby) because of the so called state hegemony to place no value for the aforementioned subjects in the job market. When you have a look at the syllabus of different campuses, you find no element to address and enlighten the social and mental aspect of students' training.
Although students commit suicides all around the world, and there are myriads of reasons, academic reasons top all others. In third world countries like Pakistan, the recent monopoly of neo-liberal policies, western NGOs and other organizations have strengthened the concept of class-based education system.
Introduction of first world social activities like Model United Nations leadership programs among others are some examples that apparently serve no social purpose here but rather create an environment of alienation and depression for lower and middle class students.
This is to fill the void created by state through banning students unions which otherwise can serve a purpose of healthy discourse and bonding among students and academia. The toxic environment of competition for good grades, all-pervasive plagiarism to have good number of publications, career counseling sessions and to make it a matter of life or death to travel abroad are a few strong reasons that overwhelm youngsters and put unnecessary pressure on them.
Moreover, students are judged by three choices: An excellent academic record, a first world type social life in campus, and being part of out-of-campus indigenous social organizations or mainstream political parties.
READ Public Places In Kashmir Should Not Be Appropriated By India
In today's scenario, none of the 3 options address the factors that shape an individual student's personality; issues such as family conflicts, financial problems, peer pressure, social stigma are left unconsidered but expectations from students are raised.
All of this creates a certain cognitive dissonance. Many students consult religious clerics for comfort who can offer them nothing but placebo. In return, thousands are radicalized by fundamentalists. But final abode of most such students is a life of despair and depression that leads to suicide.
Once suicide among medical students was considered an unthinkable act. Studies have been showing that medical syllabus used in campuses across the sub-continent has become stress trigger that needs to be updated and made student-friendly.
Departments of student affairs are not serving the purpose of student welfare too, rather they are busy organizing events on state holidays.
It's the need of time to have student counsels in campuses. Establishing literary societies and organizing stress management seminars or suicide prevention events can be redeeming as well. Pakistani medical universities need to consider the fact that instead of wasting time and money on unproductive events, they must turn their attention to student welfare and mental health.
Activist Allegedly Shot Dead By UC Chairman In Karachi. Mother Dies Upon Hearing News
Did You Know YouTube Disabled Comments On Videos Featuring Kids?
In pictures: The life and death of Benazir Bhutto
Ramesh Kumar
The author is a fresh MBBS graduate from LUMHS, Jamshoro. He writes in protest to ignorance and injustice. He can be reached at [email protected]
Students suicide in Pakistan
Suicide in Pakistan
'He will prove to be an asset': Pakistanis react as Justice Khosa takes oath as CJP
In Defence of Truth: Censorship vs. Manto
Sheraz Ahmed January 18, 2019


School Watch
Assistant Arts Professor of New Media and Photography
• New York University
View of Rebecca Arthur, The House That Built Me, Tisch Photography & Imaging senior show 2018.
Application deadline: December 1, 2018
Tisch School of the Arts at New York University (NYU)
tisch.nyu.edu
Twitter / Facebook / Instagram
The Department of Photography and Imaging, New York University/Tisch School of the Arts seeks applicants for a full-time, non-tenure track Assistant Arts Professor to teach undergraduate-level courses in new media and photography effective September 1, 2019, at the rank of Assistant Arts Professor.
The Department of Photography & Imaging at Tisch is a four-year BFA program centered on the making and understanding of images. Our mission is to provide student artists and photographers with an opportunity to explore and develop their own creative voice and ideas while contributing to the larger world. It is a diverse department embracing multiple perspectives; the 170 majors work in virtually all modes of analog and digital photo-based image making and multimedia. The department has 9 full-time faculty and 15 part-time faculty.
The department invites new media professors and artists to apply for the position in the field of new media to be appointed at the rank of Assistant Arts Professor (full-time, non-tenure track). The ideal candidate must be versed in hybrid intersections that include new media, photography, video, and web-based photographic work—teaching undergraduate level studio classes, critical studies seminars in new media, and other courses within the specialization of the successful candidate. Candidates should have proven professional experience and thorough knowledge of the latest digital media technologies, and comprehensive knowledge of photographic and new media histories. The ideal candidate will hold a MA, MFA or equivalent degree and have at least 4 years college-level teaching, or professional recognition in the field. Candidates are expected to have an active career, exhibition and/or publication record in the expanded definition of contemporary photography studies, including new media. An interdisciplinary approach to teaching new media which could contribute to courses across the specializations such as time-based media and projects courses is desirable. Successful candidates must demonstrate a commitment to research and teaching, and possess the ability to participate in new curricular initiatives, including strategic planning for the department.
In addition to teaching undergraduate critical studies seminars and studio classes in new media and other courses within the specialization of the successful candidate, service at the department, school, and university levels; responsibilities will include department and school committees, advisement and supervision of undergraduates. Teaching load, over a 9-month academic calendar, is 5 courses per year. Applicants with a broad range of photographic and new media experiences are invited to apply. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will make a valuable contribution to the development of the courses in the department through building relationships with the larger University, as well as support an integrated approach of the curriculum. They will encourage students to consider their future careers within a local, regional and international context and ensure that they are equipped to take up this challenge. The successful candidate should demonstrate versatility and forward thinking. The candidate's approach and experience in engaging students in new media tools and digital skills should be evident within their teaching materials (statement of teaching philosophy, syllabi and samples of student work). Duties will include service on department and school committees, advisement and supervision of undergraduates.
Please submit application materials by December 1, 2018 via apply.interfolio.com.
New York University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. New York University is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its hiring and promotion process without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth (or related medical condition), sexual orientation, partnership status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital, parental or familial status, caregiver status, national origin, ethnicity, alienage or citizenship status, veteran or military status, age, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, domestic violence victim status, unemployment status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.
Announcements Dec 13, 2022 • XE: Experimental Humanities & Social Engagement • New York University
Announcements Dec 17, 2019 • Faculty positions in the Integrated Digital Media program • New York University
Announcements Nov 21, 2019 • Full time Clinical Assistant or Associate Professor in Visual Arts • New York University
Announcements Feb 14, 2019 • Two Industry Assistant Professor Positions in Integrated Digital Media program • New York University
Announcements Sep 11, 2018 • MA in Arts Politics • New York University
Announcements Feb 14, 2018 • International Leadership Program in Visual Arts Management (ILPVAM) application deadline extended • New York University
Announcements Jan 26, 2018 • Center for Experimental Humanities Faculty Fellows • New York University
Announcements Dec 15, 2017 • Apply now: International Leadership Program in Visual Arts Management (ILPVAM) • New York University
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Welcome to Texas Health HEB
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is committed to providing Northeast Tarrant County with a patient and family-centered approach to care. As a valuable health care resource to the community, we are pleased to offer complex care treatments and medical advancements in a variety of services. In addition to being a designated Level III Trauma Center, we've also added new behavioral health therapies at Texas Health Springwood Behavioral Health. Our dedication to your health and well-being goes beyond our hospital walls through established patient education programs to meet all of your needs.
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If you or a loved one is facing a brain, spine or nervous system disorder, Texas Health HEB offers comprehensive and advanced care for a variety of neurological and neurosurgical conditions.
Fraser Hay, President
Fraser Hay
Fraser Hay, FACHE, serves as president of Texas Health HEB. Hay was promoted to president in January 2018 after serving as vice president of professional and support services at Texas Health Plano. In this role, he provided oversight for all non-nursing operations and led strategic business development activities and service line development.
Hay was instrumental in the starting up of a physician-led Surgical Services Operations Committee to improve Perioperative Services' access and efficiencies. He also oversaw the development and implementation of a systematic campus refresh plan and furthered the hospital's service-line strategies to increase acuity and regional reach of care provided. Prior to joining Texas Health Plano, he served as the professional services officer at Texas Health Southwest.
Hay holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Oklahoma and a master's degree in health administration from Trinity University in San Antonio. He completed a residency with INTEGRIS Health in Oklahoma City.
Hay remains active in his professional and personal communities by serving on the boards of the North Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC). He also serves his local church, Good Shepherd Catholic Community in Colleyville, as a member of the Pastoral Advisory Council. Hay has been honored as Young Healthcare Executive of the Year by the North Texas Chapter of ACHE in 2015 and DFWHC in 2017.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Lindsay, and their three young children.
Julie Balluck, Chief Nursing Officer
Julie Balluck
Julie Balluck, M.S.N., R.N., NEA-BC, serves as chief nursing officer at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford, having moved into that role in Feburary 2020.
Balluck began her tenure with the system in 1999, starting as a staff nurse and rising through the ranks at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas to become director of surgical services from 2010 to 2017, and then associate chief nursing officer in 2015. She subsequently served as interim chief nursing officer in 2019.
Balluck improved the consumer experience at Texas Health Dallas by increasing patient experience scores for two inpatient post-surgical departments from 55th percentile to 80+ percentile (one of highest in the hospital) in less than two years. She also oversaw consistent year-over-year ambulatory surgery patient experience scores within threshold or above.
Balluck planned and oversaw significant facility construction projects there, including a perioperative services expansion and renovation of the sixth-floor medical-surgical unit. She also advanced and grew strategic initiatives, including planning for that hospital's fourth American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet designation in 2020, and oversaw market growth for service lines including orthopedics, trauma, heart and vascular, neurosciences, surgical services and women's and infants.
She holds an honors in nursing diploma from Sheridan College School of Nursing in Mississauga, Ontario, a bachelor of science in nursing at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, and master of science in nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is currently enrolled in the doctor of nursing practice (administration) program at the University of Texas Health Sciences program in Houston.
Balluck lives in Dallas with her husband, Terry, and their three school-age sons. The family stays busy attending the boys' activities including academic competitions, lacrosse and soccer. The Ballucks also like to travel and camp at state parks, and make a drive to her childhood home in Canada every summer.
Scott David Lloyd, Chief Medical Officer
Scott LLoyd
Scott David Lloyd, M.D., M.B.A., is chief medical officer of Texas Health HEB.
He was previously medical director for care management at North Texas Specialty Physicians (NTSP)/Silverback for four years. In this role, he provided medical oversight of the utilization management, disease management and complex case management for over 80,000 Medicare Advantage members. During this period, he also was medical director of the Care N' Care Insurance Company.
While at NTSP/Silverback, Lloyd developed a nationally recognized community paramedicine program with emergency medical services provider MedStar that closes gaps in care for many local Medicare members. He also led the development of a palliative care program for the plan membership.
Lloyd also served as a hospitalist with Texas Health Physicians Group, working primarily at Texas Health Fort Worth. He is board certified in internal medicine and is a veteran of the United States Air Force.
He is a graduate of the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.
He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Arlington.
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Texas Health Hurst-Euless-Bedford Community Health Needs Assessment
2020–2022 Texas Health Resources Implementation Strategy
612 E. Lamar Boulevard


CMT Cody Alan
Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett Lead ACM Nominations
posted by Dustin Stout - Mar 1, 2018
Chris Stapleton and Thomas Rhett lead the country pack in nominations at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards.
The "Broken Halos" singer snagged more nominations than anyone else in 2018 with eight total, including his first for Entertainer of the Yer.
Related: Reba Returns to Host the 53rd ACM Awards
Reigning Male Vocalist of the Year Thomas is nominated in the category once again and is also up for five additional trophies.
Keith Urban and songwriter Shane McAnally follow with five total nominations each, while Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris each earned four total nominations.
A surprise nod went to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in the Vocal Duo of the Year category. The country couple released their first ever joint album, The Rest of Our Life, in late 2017.
Among the nominees in the New Artist categories include Carly Pearce, LANCO and Russell Dickerson--just to name a few.
Related: See the Full List of ACM Awards Nominations
Fourteen-time host Reba McEntire will return to the ACM helm in 2018.
The 53rd Annaul ACM Awards broadcasts live from Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, at 8 P.M. ET on CBS.
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Call 1-866-877-4CMT


Summary and book reviews of Smoke Screen by Kyle Mills
by Kyle Mills
Sep 2003, 368 pages
Ordinary People (Thrillers)
Mills explores the controversial subject of Big Tobacco in a chilling and timely business thriller.
The Firm meets the tobacco industry in this wildly compelling corporate thriller.
Through a series of unwanted promotions, Trevor Barnett has become the lead spokesman for the tobacco industry just as it's on the verge of extinction. Plaintiffs' attorneys have finally found the weakness they'd been searching for and have filed a $200 billion lawsuit that the industry will be unable to appeal. America's tobacco companies react by doing the unthinkable - they close their plants and recall their products from retailers' shelves. The message is clear: Not another cigarette will be manufactured or sold until the industry is given ironclad protection from the courts. As the economy falters and chaos takes hold, Trevor finds himself the target of enraged smokers, gun-toting cigarette smugglers, and a government that has been cut off from one of its largest sources of revenue. Soon it becomes clear that this had always been his function - to take the brunt of the backlash and shield the men in power from the maelstrom they've created. As he is slowly abandoned by an industry that his own ancestors helped to create, he begins to hatch a plan to fight back.
Kyle Mills continues to explore the controversial subjects that have won him legions of fans and accolades around the globe. Fascinating in concept, rich in characters, and broad in appeal, Smoke Screen has all the trademark flair of his previous novels.
"So do you have to be naked to use the foosball table?"
At least that's what I think she said. The house's half-million-dollar sound system was being pushed to its limit by one of those repetitive, mechanical-sounding drones people slightly younger than me liked to listen to. I focused on her mouth as she spoke, trying to read her lips through the smoke and chaotic lighting, but found myself concentrating on their plump perfection instead.
I managed to turn slightly, bumping someone behind me and sending most of his beer down my back. It felt pretty good, so I shrugged off his apology and looked out across a dance floor so full that it made nonvertical motion completely impossible. On the downbeats, I could just make out some bare skin over the top of the pogoing crowd.
"I'm not really sure," I shouted loud enough for her to hear but not so loud as to shower her with spit. "I think it's more of a guideline."
She mulled that over for a moment. "Why?"
.. a timely and chilling tale hinging on the power of Big Tobacco...The novel's plot is carefully crafted and original...an absorbing business thriller.
Booklist - Wes Lukowsky
He does an exemplary job of presenting both sides of the issue--essentially, health versus choice--and presents a Swiftian solution designed to bring both warring factions to their knees. This may disappoint a few of the author's usual fans but will gain him many new ones.
Library Journal - Jane Jorgenson
In his latest thriller, Mills mines familiar territory with completely new and powerful tools....Readers who are convinced that they know where they stand on the tobacco issue may have to think again. Highly recommended.
Funny, near-credible fantasy about an unlikely hero who takes on Big Tobacco and cuts it down to size....Fast, lively, provocative. If at resolution time Mills blows a little smoke, you'll at least have been thoroughly entertained.
More books by Kyle Mills
If you liked Smoke Screen, try these:
by Richard North Patterson
A compelling story made even more intriguing by its detailed insight into the world of special-interest politics in Washington, D.C.
A young public defender stumbles on a conspiracy too horrible to believe, and soon finds himself in the middle of a complex case against one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies looking at an enormous settlement that would totally change his life - making him the newest king of torts.


Home » Entities » Army's Communications-Electronics Command
Profile: Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM)
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Child US Department of Defense
Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) was a participant or observer in the following events:
September 18, 2001: Investigators Reported to Have Detected a Signal from One of the Crashed Planes' Black Boxes at Ground Zero
Logo of the New York State Emergency Management Office. [Source: New York State Emergency Management Office]Investigators searching the debris of the collapsed World Trade Center towers are reported to have detected a signal from one of the black boxes from the planes that crashed into the WTC on September 11, although government officials will later say that these two planes' black boxes were never found. [New York State Emergency Management Office, 9/18/2001 ; Philadelphia Daily News, 10/28/2004] The two "black boxes" carried by all commercial aircraft—the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder—can provide valuable information about why a plane crashed. [CBS News, 2/25/2002; PBS, 2/17/2004] A report published today by the New York State Emergency Management Office states that "[i]nvestigators have identified the signal from one of the black boxes in the WTC debris." [New York State Emergency Management Office, 9/18/2001 ] Furthermore, a team from the Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) arrived at Ground Zero on September 13 "and scoped the area using classified signal equipment," according to Federal Computer Week magazine, and according to Toni Quiroz, chief of the computer networking branch at CECOM, "The team managed to get some signals that could have emanated from the black boxes." Quiroz will add, however, that "it was never determined if they were the recorders." [Federal Computer Week, 9/16/2002] But a report published by the New York City Office of Emergency Management on September 25 will state that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been "[u]nable to detect any 'pinging' from either 'black box'" at Ground Zero. [New York City Office of Emergency Management, 9/25/2001 ] A firefighter and a volunteer who are involved in the recovery effort at Ground Zero will say they helped federal agents find three of the four black boxes in the WTC debris (see October 2001). [Swanson, 2003, pp. 108; Philadelphia Daily News, 10/28/2004] But the 9/11 Commission Report will state that the black boxes from the planes that crashed into the WTC "were not found" and the FBI will, in 2004, make the same claim. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 456; Philadelphia Daily News, 10/28/2004]
Entity Tags: Toni Quiroz, Federal Aviation Administration, Army's Communications-Electronics Command


View Obituary Donaldsonville Chief Obituaries
Carolyn Dolores (LeBlanc) Songy
Carolyn LeBlanc Songy, native of Donaldsonville and resident of Thibodaux, passed away on December 31, 2017, at the age of 90. Carolyn was a friend to everyone she met. She taught for many years in the public and parochial schools of Donaldsonville. She was a graduate of Ascension Catholic High School and Nicholls State University. Carolyn was an avid bridge player, and achieved the status of Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League. Carolyn is survived by her four children, Lynne Songy of Thibodaux, Donald Songy (Kerry) of Prairieville, Randall Songy (Nancy) of Lafayette, and Nancy Toups (Douglas) of Thibodaux; daughter in law, Audrey Songy of Huntsville, Alabama; a sister, Patricia Judice Ruckstuhl; 14 grandchildren; and 17 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Claude Songy, Jr.; son, Claude "Skip" Songy, III; her parents, Adam and Viriginia Dill LeBlanc; and a sister, Loyce Waguespack Black. The visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at Ourso Funeral Home, Donaldsonville, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and will resume on Wednesday, January 3, 2018, at Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church, Donaldsonville, from 9:00 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. Entombment to follow in the church mausoleum. Pallbearers will be her grandsons. We would like to thank Ethel Joseph and the staff at St. Joseph Manor, who gave her wonderful care. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her honor to your favorite charity. To offer your condolences to the family please visit www.oursoDonaldsonville.com.
Ourso Funeral Home
134 Houmas Street
Donaldsonville, LA 70346
Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church cemetery
Donaldsonville, LA
Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church
Tuesday, Jan 2
134 Houmas Street, Donaldsonville, LA 70346
All arrangements are locally delivered to Ourso Funeral Home by a local Donaldsonville, LA florist.
Eternal Affection Arrangement- BASKET INCLUDED
The Eternal Affection™ Arrangement is a peaceful offering of heartfelt sympathy. White gladiolus, Peruvian lilies, carnations, mini carnations and lush greens are beautifully arranged in a round whitewash handled basket to create a beautiful display of soft serenity.
Standard basket is approximately 15"H x 12"W.


Update on war against wild dogs
The National Wild Dog Action Plan 2014-2019 is now well underway, with a number of notable achievements under its belt. These include the improved alignment of state wild dog management strategies, a more robust and consultative governance framework and the development of a skill set in wild dog management for professional pest animal controllers.
The Australian and Queensland Governments also announced a joint offer of more than $5.2 million dollars to assist landowners in Central Western Queensland manage wild dog populations. This commitment captures the plan's emphasis on a collaborative, multi-pronged approach to combat wild dog predation.
However, despite the plan's significant progress in improving wild dog management, this feral pest remains a major biosecurity problem that imposes substantial costs on cattle, sheep and goat industries. Therefore, it is crucial for producers to employ techniques on their property to reduce the economic and personal impacts of wild dog populations.
Animal Health Australia's Executive Manager Biosecurity Services, Duncan Rowland, said that the most important action producers can take to combat wild dogs is to work with neighbours, their local community and other producers in their region to develop a coordinated approach to feral animal control.
"Wild dogs don't respect state borders or property boundaries, so isolated or individual action isn't always successful in addressing the problem.
"Instead, a collaborative approach adopted by several producers in a particular region can be a more effective way to manage the impacts of wild dogs, especially as the producers involved can select strategies that suit their needs and local area," said Mr Rowland.
Some of the strategies available to producers are coordinated baiting (including aerial) and trapping, exclusion fences (including electric), trained doggers, trappers, licensed shoots and a financial bounty for wild dogs.
Other measures include regularly checking and mending broken fences, ensuring farm buildings are in good repair, protecting feed and water sources and disposing of any carcasses properly and promptly.
Producers may also see the value in monitoring and recording wild dog incidents as part of a wild and feral animal control program for their property or consider guardian animals such as donkeys, alpacas or Maremma dogs to reduce the risks associated with feral pests.
For more information visit our ferals and weeds page or Wool Producers Australia National Wild Dog Action Plan.
More from Farm Biosecurity.
Get your hands on a Goat National Kid Rearing Plan
Australia elected Chair of International Plant Protection Convention
Celebrate and collaborate, Feds President tells farmers
Tuesday, July 16th, 2019 at 12:56pm
Govt agriculture climate plan cautiously welcomed https://t.co/TZ6tJ6WRzt
#Farmers committed to reducing #greenhouse #emissions https://t.co/MrRTBMtARs


Who to Watch: Karimah Westbrook
Magazines Press
A Chicago-raised actress reveals our common threads in CW's new "All American."
by Kelly Aigion for Chicago Splash
Photo by David Higgs
LIVES IN: Los Angeles. GREW UP IN: Maywood, Broadview & Forest Park. AGE: 40. CLAIM TO FAME: Westbrook leapt into her big-screen debut in Paramount's "Save the Last Dance." She can currently be seen in the CW's new series "All American," playing the mother of a South Central L.A. football player recruited to play for Beverly Hills High.


Malaysian Shares Frustrating Experience of Ignorant Man "Human Parking" in 1 Utama
Pui Fun
Malaysian parking styles have always been rather creative (double parking, anyone?), but nothing can ever beat the most annoying 'human parking' tactic.
A Facebook user Calvin Kwok shared his experience when he was looking for a parking in 1 Utama Shopping Centre, which has caught many users' attention.
https://worldofbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/18414041_425251841190465_3662107193534054400_n.mp4
Source: Calvin Kwok
"This is the first time I encountered someone in 1 Utama, who tells me that public car parking bays can be booked. We made a few rounds and found a spot where the car was coming out but out of nowhere, this man appeared and stood in the empty lot and motioned to us that the space was no longer available.
"I already knew that he wanted to book the parking space but I wanted to find out the reason he was doing so. So I got down from the car and approached him to ask him. I asked him why was he standing there as I wanted to park at the empty lot and it was dangerous for him to do so."
"He replied me saying, "I have already booked here. I am standing here. I am waiting for my friend to come here. They are looking for an empty parking bay. You can take my photo or whatever you want.
"I knew that he wouldn't give up the spot but I just wanted to irritate him and we continued in this vein for more than 20 minutes, with me filming him and he also filmed me.
"So here you have it, the handsome guy who made my day at 1 Utama. And during the entire time I was having my debate with him, there was no sign of the security guards at all.
He posted his experience on a public page but he wrote a more detailed account of his encounter on his Facebook profile where it turns out that the guy disappeared after some time and they saw a lady driving a Mercedes Benz parking in the spot.
Calvin says, "She claims she is a Datin and wanted to know why we were taking photos of her car. We explained to her about the incident before that but she wasn't satisfied with the answer and even called her husband who had a conversation with us. He tried to educate and scold us like little kids even though we tried to explain about the incident to him. I guess he got bored after a while and he just agreed with us and hung up."
Well, it certainly sounds like Calvin had a helluva distressing night just to look for a parking spot!
And guys, please please please don't be a human parker. It'll only bring shame to your family!
Also read: Malaysian Shares Frustrating Moment When Woman 'Steals' Parking Spot By 'Human Parking'
Related Topics:1 utama1Uarguebaybookcardebateemptyguylotmalaysiaparkparkingphysicalpublicreservespacespotstand


The Nordic News: Sabbatical Over, Season On
It's back, baby.
By Meredith Foster Oct 3, 2019, 11:00am EDT
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varsbergsrolands
After taking an extended wellness holiday to rest, recharge, and really find itself, The Nordic News is back. Since it's been *indiscriminate muttering* since the last time, a little refresher course is in order. This is The Ice Garden's weekly (-ish) look the happenings in Nordic women's hockey, including leagues, national teams, and players abroad.
Last season's Naisten Liiga champions Kiekko-Espoo are right on top of the standings with 21 points and seven wins in eight games. They raised their most recent banner on September 23.
Riku Laukkanen / Leijonat.fi
It's tight at the top, though; KalPa and Kärpät are next with 19 points. Ilves is regrouping after losing veteran forwards Linda Välimäki and Riikka Noronen. The team sits at fifth place currently with 13 points, but they're never a team to be discounted.
KalPa forward Matilda Nilsson was selected as the Naisten Liiga Player of the Month for September. In the league's opening eight-game stretch she already has 22 points: 10 goals and 12 assists. She and teammate Elisa Holopainen (20 points) currently lead the league in scoring.
The national team strike continues. After almost days, the Four Nations Cup tournament on home ice cancelled, and offers rejected, the deadlock between the Swedish Ice Hockey Association and the Damkronorna carries on.
Meanwhile, the SDHL standings are delightfully weird after six games for most teams. All conventional wisdom is out the window; as a result of retirements, new homes, and new international acquisitions the field is wide open. Personally, I love the oddball standings. It's too early to make a definitive call, but this could very well point to increased league parity. We'll know more as the season carries on.
Brynäs had arguably the most notable offseason of all 10 teams, picking up big names like Lara Stalder, Maja Nylén-Persson, Michela Cava, and most recently Team USA World Champion Melissa Samoskevich. So far it's paying off, as they're second in the league as of Oct. 2. Time will tell if they can keep it up.
Perhaps the biggest surprise so far comes in the form of SDE, currently in third place with 12 points. While this may not seem remarkable, keep in mind that SDE has battled relegation for their SDHL tenure. Only six games into the 2019-2020 season and they already have two-thirds as many points as they finished with last year.
SDE's roster isn't without controversy, though. They have the most foreign-born players in the league with 14. Only eight Swedes are currently rostered, fuel to the fires of those who oppose imported talent in the SDHL. All of this year's leadership positions are occupied by foreigners: Captain Leanne Ganney is from the United Kingdom, Julia Zwarthoed is from the Netherlands, and rookies Kelly Murray and Kelty Apperson are from Canada.
Det här är vårt kaptensteam säsongen 19/20 - Kelly Murray, Julie Zwarthoed, Leanne Ganney och Kelty Apperson ☀ #sdecaptains #sdedam #sdehockeydam #sdhl #snartsäsongspremiär #damhockey
A post shared by SDE Hockey Damlag (@sdehockeydam) on Sep 12, 2019 at 8:21am PDT
Any team's leadership group extends far beyond letters stitched on a sweater and there are no doubt Swedish leaders in the SDE locker room. If the team's place in the standings manages to hang on and their fortunes aren't a flash in the pan, then it'll get easier to entice Swedish talent to Enebyberg.
Something is awesome in the state of Denmark.
(No, I won't apologize for that joke. Deal with it.)
Legendary Swedish coach Peter Elander took over national team head coaching duties in mid-September after Fredrik Glader departed.
This is an excellent get for the Danish program. Elander is experienced, well-spoken, well-liked, and knows how to get results. A coaching change going into a historic first year of top-level IIHF competition is never ideal, but this really is as good as it gets and bodes well for Denmark.
A Conversation With Peter Elander


Run game key to ASU's game plan at Michigan State
Pac-12 Networks' Mike Yam and Yogi Roth look at what Arizona State must do to knock off No. 18 Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing.
Sun Devil Football and Pac-12 Announce 2020 Football Schedule
Sun Devil Football and the Pac-12 Conference have announced the 2020 football schedule and ASU's six home games for the campaign, which features league games against Oregon State, UCLA, Cal and Utah and non-conference matchups with Northern Arizona and BYU.
ASU Extends Head Football Coach Herm Edwards' Contract Through 2024
Arizona State University Head Football Coach Herm Edwards' contract has been extended for two additional years through 2024, Vice President for Athletics Ray Anderson announced Monday.
Sun Devil Football Forces Six Turnovers in 20-14 Victory in Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Willie Harts recorded ASU's first pick-six of the season to go ahead with 10:06 left and Cristian Zendejas matched a Sun Bowl record with four field goals as ASU defeated Florida State, 20-14, in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso on Tuesday afternoon.
Sun Devil Football Adds Chris Hawkins as Defensive Backs Coach
Chris Hawkins - who most recently worked as a graduate assistant at Southern California - will join the Sun Devil Football program as defensive backs coach, head coach Herm Edwards announced today.
Sun Devil Football Readies for Florida State in 86th Sun Bowl
The Sun Devils will conclude the 2019 campaign in the 86th Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.
Arizona State vs Michigan State
Arizona State takes on Michigan State in Football. Tune in on FOX at 1:00pm on September 14, 2019. Live Stream on foxsports.com or the FOX Sports GO app.
Get the latest news on your favorite Pac-12 teams straight to your inbox.
Arizona State General


Facebook Takes Legal Aim at Man Who Claims 50% of Zuckerberg's Shares
Uhhh...yea
Facebook has finally filed a formal legal response to Paul Ceglia, the convicted felon and woodchip salesman who claims Mark Zuckerberg promised him a stake in Facebook in return for a $1,000 investment during the site's early days.
Ceglia's lawsuit was filed last year and refiled in April, bolstered by emails allegedly confirming his story, although no one has been able to confirm the authenticity of those emails. It claims Ceglia gave Zuckerberg $1,000 to fund "the face book."
Supposedly Ceglia was to receive 50% of the site in return, in addition to 1% of the company each day the project was delayed past a given deadline. By the end of their dealings, Ceglia says, Zuckerberg owed him 84% of the company, and the two settled for 50% of Zuckerberg's stake — though he waited until the company was worth billions to take the claim to court.
"This is a fraudulent lawsuit brought by a convicted felon, and we look forward to defending it in court," a Facebook spokesman told Mashable in April. "From the outset, we've said that this scam artist's claims are ridiculous, and this newest complaint is no better."
On Thursday, the company filed its official legal response in United States District Court in Buffalo, New York. Evidently, Zuckerberg's lawyers have spent the past month upping the ante on their language. "This lawsuit is a brazen and outrageous fraud on the court," says the company filing. "Plaintiff is an inveterate scam artist whose misconduct extends across decades and borders. His latest and most far-reaching fraud is the amended complaint filed in this action, which is based upon a doctored contract and fabricated evidence.
"Plaintiff alleges that he recently 'discovered' a purported contract that now supposedly entitles him to ownership of 50 percent of Zuckerberg's interest in Facebook. The purported contract was signed in 2003, yet plaintiff waited until 2010 to file this action — a seven-year delay during which plaintiff remained utterly silent while Facebook grew into one of the world's best-known companies. Plaintiff has now come out of the woodwork seeking billions in damages."
Note the subtle dig at Ceglia's current occupation, selling woodchip pellets for fuel? That's why these guys get paid the big money. It's also a sign that Facebook has learned its lesson from the long-running Winklevoss legal drama: Don't give your opponents an inch, or they'll take you for $65 million — and keep hammering away at you in the courts.
More About: facebook, lawsuit, mark zuckerberg, paul-ceglia
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* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPadFacebook has finally filed a formal legal response to Paul Ceglia, the convicted felon and woodchip salesman who claims Mark Zuckerberg promised him a stake in Facebook in return for a $1,000 investment during the site's early days.
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Original Link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Mashable/~3/2h9YeIYxte0/
Labels: Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Paul Ceglia, Social Media
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Provenance – Part 2: Danke Schoen
Previous Scenario: Provenance – Part 1: Hell's Half Acre
Run Date: February 19, 2005
Characters: Oberleutnant Johann Kimmel (Alana Goodall); Feldwebel Dieter Mather (Jimmy Pope); Agent MICHAEL/Major Werner Speer (Jason Gallagher)
Saturday, February 19, 1944, 11:30 a.m. CET
St. Pierre Eglise, France
The spinning stopped and the fog around Agent MICHAEL lifted. He stood in a concrete room. It was cool and dank. The acrid stench of European cigarettes filled the air. Before him were two men in gray-green pants and rolled up gray shirts. They wore boots just above the ankles. Their pants were held up with suspenders. Each had short, severe haircuts. They stood on either side of a board mounted on a saw horse, and the board stood in front of a large bucket. Strapped to the board was a man. The board had been elevated so that his head was in the bucket. The bucket was full of water.
The man on the board thrashed around. After some twenty seconds of this, the two men tipped the board back up. The man gasped for air, having come close to drowning. The man coughed and cried as he tried to drain his throat and lungs.
MICHAEL looked down. He was wearing a gray-green uniform. He recognized it instantly: it was a World War II German officer's uniform. He expected the boots to be taller, the uniform to be more gray. He suspected that these were late war uniforms. He shifted as he stood. A dull pain shot up from his left leg.
Thoughts slipped into MICHAEL's conscience, thoughts from the body he inhabited. He was Werner Speer. He was born in Munich, Germany in 1909, but spent most of his life in Frieburg. He was a major in the German Wehrmacht	, commanding 1st Battalion/169th Panzergrenadier regiment.
Speer's battalion had been relocated to the Cotentin peninsula in France a couple of months earlier. It had been on the Russian Front, where it had bled down from a full-sized battalion to less than company strength. Their location was considered a plumb assignment, a reward for the battalion's hard fighting and high casualty rate. MICHAEL thought about the date and the location. It was February 19, 1944. They were 4 months and only a dozen miles from the invasion beaches of Normandy.
The regiment kept its edge by patrolling the area. The night before a squad crossed a stone bridge in a truck after conducting a patrol through a handful of small towns. Just before the truck left the bridge, a mine exploded sending shrapnel through the back of the truck. Submachine gun fire raked the truck. The Panzergrenadier veterans counter attacked, driving off the French partisans. Four of Speer's men were killed. They managed to capture a single Resistance fighter. He was the man two of Speer's soldiers were "interrogating" at that moment.
Two additional men walked into the room, Oberleutnant Johann Kimmel, and Feldwebel Dieter Mather. The two soldiers at the board dunked the man again. He thrashed a moment then stilled. Less than two minutes later he thrashed again. The soldiers pulled him out. He was gasping and crying. In French, he pleaded for them to stop. MICHAEL was surprised that he understood the man. Apparently Speer was fairly adept in the language. It made sense, considering he grew up near the French border.
The man started babbling to the Germans' questions. MICHAEL/Speer stood back and listened, silently. The man's name was Jacques Lalonde. He was from the town of Toureau, a tiny hamlet thirty kilometres away. With additional "persuasion" Lalonde admitted that the Resistance cell was centered in the hamlet. Time had mostly slipped past Toureau. The streets were overgrown and many houses were abandoned. Few German patrols have gone anywhere near it, and no German troops were stationed within five miles. He added that there was a single road into Toureau, and it crossed a bridge over a small creek. MICHAEL/Speer believed Lalonde.
MICHAEL/Speer called his men over after Lalonde was removed from the board and tied to a chair. The two at the board both lost friends in the attack, which is why Speer had selected them for the interrogation. MICHAEL told them to leave the man alone for two hours while they "checked the information". Then, quietly, he explained that they would not bother checking the story. Instead, they would begin interrogating him again to see if he changed his story after he had a chance to rest. Meanwhile, two others would watch him while those present caught up on their sleep. They had all been awake for over twenty-four hours. Although mentally aware, MICHAEL/Speer felt physically exhausted. He told Kimmel and Mather to grab some sleep. He, too, went for a nap.
MICHAEL/Speer woke up a little more than two hours later. He went back to the room, and found that they were interrogating Lalonde again. MICHAEL/Speer was joined by Kimmel, and Mather. There was no change in Lalonde's story, so he was probably telling the truth. He ordered a halt to the interrogation and told them to throw Lalonde into a cell in the manor's basement.
MICHAEL tried to think about his predicament pragmatically. He was simply doing what Speer did in the original timeline. If he altered Speer's behavior too much he could miss his opportunity to save the Major Arcana cards of Madame Sosostris' Tarot deck. However distasteful, he had to maintain his persona as Major Werner Speer.
They laid out a map of the area. They found Toureau on the map. It was surrounded by woods. There used to be a couple of other roads into town, but they were overgrown. There was now just one operational road. In the center of hamlet was the town hall, and near that was a church. MICHAEL/Speer decided to use the entire regiment. They would drive to the town in their halftracks. They would detach two squads, led by Mather, to outflank the hamlet from the west. Once they were in place, the rest of the regiment would drive into the town, hitting the closest building with suppressing fire. Two halftracks would move to the west while the rest would go south at the first intersection. One of the first two halftracks would link up with Mather, the second halftrack would pacify the northern perimeter of the town. The three that went to the south would converge on the town hall, clearing out resistance as they went. They were to fire if fired upon, but MICHAEL/Speer wanted as many prisoners as possible. They would move out right away, attacking before dusk.
Saturday, February 19, 1944, 4:20 p.m. CET
Toureau, France
The regiment stopped before the bridge into town. Mather and his two squads jumped out of their halftrack and crept through the woods, heading for the western edge of Toureau.
About an hour went by before the battalion radio squawked. Mather was in place. MICHAEL/Speer and Kimmel were in the same halftrack, the third one in the line. MICHAEL spoke into the radio's microphone and told the lead halftrack to advance. The halftracks lurched forward one at a time. MICHAEL/Speer stood up in the halftrack, while Kimmel crouched down for cover. MICHAEL noticed Kimmel crouching and decided to do the same.
As the lead halftrack rumbled over the bridge, it fired on the first building with it's MG-42 machine gun. The halftrack ceased fire as it passed the front of the building, only to have the suppressive fire taken up by the second halftrack. As the first halftrack cleared the first building, gunshots rang out from a house, the one now directly in front of it. The halftrack opened up on this house while it continued on to the west. The second halftrack stopped, fired it's machine gun into the house, too, and disgorged its troops.
Kimmel heard from Mather that there was some resistance on the western edge of the town, but so far it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.
MICHAEL/Speer's halftrack turned at the house and drove directly to the town hall. The troops in his vehicle jumped out and burst into the town hall. MICHAEL/Speer, carrying an MP-40 submachine gun, followed his troops into the building. It was empty except for a cache of weapons and explosives. Lalonde had told the truth. When he came out of the building, MICHAEL saw that his men were rounding up townsfolk. Most of them seemed particularly poor: the children were little more than urchins, the women were haggard, and all were under nourished.
Gunfire from the west told MICHAEL that Mather's squads were approaching against stiffening resistance. MICHAEL saw movement near the church. Someone in a priest's hassock was running for the rear of the church. MICHAEL ordered the squad with him to rush for the church. He was pretty sure that this wasn't quite what Speer would have done, and hoped that this change would alter history.
When he reached the church, MICHAEL heard someone crashing into the sanctuary's rear entrance. MICHAEL/Speer and his squad immediately burst through the front door. Off to MICHAEL's right was a small office. Two soldiers, Schmidt — a corporal in one of Mather's squads — and Mather were at the door to the office. Schmidt jumped back, instinctively, at the sound of MICHAEL/Speer's squad rushing in. Shots spilled out from the room. A bullet passed a couple of centimetres from Schmidt's head. He and Mather both fired back into the office, then rushed in. MICHAEL/Speer followed.
In the room were two dead priests, one in his mid-20s and one in his early 60s. The younger priest was near the front of the room. The older priest was near the back of the room, where there was a fireplace. Scattered about the floor in front of the fireplace was a deck of Tarot cards. MICHAEL/Speer immediately recognized the cards as those belonging to Madame Sosostris. He moved into the room and gathered up the cards.
MICHAEL sorted the cards and put them in a wooden box that he found lying nearby. He quickly looked around, but there was no swirling miasma engulfing him. He was still in the past. Obviously he had more to do in order to secure the cards.
MICHAEL/Speer ordered the rounding up of the remaining townsfolk. He told his radio operator to contact the Gestapo and let them know they had captured a town of Resistance members. As unsavory as this order was, MICHAEL knew it was exactly what Speer would have done. He also ordered medical attention be given to the wounded, Germans and French alike.
Once the administrative tasks were done, MICHAEL/Speer searched the priest's study. The floor was made of slate slabs. One of the slabs was loose. He pried it open. Inside was a large, old book. He carefully opened it to the first page. The title was Cthaat Aquidingen. He took the book and replaced the slab. He shoved the book and the cards into a sack. He went back to the business of securing the town.
The Geheime Staatspolizei, popularly known as the Gestapo, showed up in a staff car, with a series of trucks operated by Waffen SS men following behind. The leading Gestapo officer greeted MICHAEL/Speer with a hearty "Heil, Hitler!" MICHAEL gave a half-hearted salute back. The Gestapo officer seemed rather jovial, completely against the Gestapo stereotype he was used to from Hollywood. He introduced himself as Obersturmbannführer Gunther Hearn, and shook MICHAEL's hand.
MICHAEL/Speer explained all that had happened. Hearn was pleased, and told him that there would be a commendation for him and his men. The Gestapo would take the prisoners, including Lalonde. MICHAEL/Speer agreed to post a guard of 20 men to watch for more Resistance fighters. After assigning a guard and the order that they would be relieved, MICHAEL/Speer had his men load up and head back to their base.
Saturday, February 19, 1944, 11:30 p.m. CET
In spite of being exhausted, MICHAEL took the time to study the cards.
The full set of Minor Arcana cards were present, but so were 14 Major Arcana cards. MICHAEL found that he could understand the French words Le Mat (The Fool), Le Bateleur (The Magician), Junon, L'Imperatrice (The Empress), Jupiter, L'Amoreux (The Lovers), Le Chariot (The Chariot), La Force (Strength), L'Ermite (The Hermit), La Roue De Fortune (The Wheel of Fortune), La Justice (Justice), Le Pendu (The Hanged Man), La Mort (Death), and Temperance. From what MICHAEL knew of the Tarot, Junon represented The High Priestess, and Jupiter replaced The Heirophant. The Le Mat card was unnumbered. The others were numbered 1 to 13, respectively, in Roman Numerals.
He put down the cards and looked at the book. It appeared to be 200 years old. The text seemed to be older than that, written in what appeared to be Middle English, the language of Chaucer. The margins were covered in footnotes written in Latin.
MICHAEL/Speer closed his eyes. The cards were safe, surely he could go home now. He opened his eyes. He was still in 1944. He cursed Alzis. He thought about what to do with the book and the cards. The book was extraneous. It was unlikely that keeping the book had anything to do with saving the cards. In fact, he was pretty sure he had saved the cards, for he was almost certain that the priest destroyed the Major Arcana cards in the fireplace in the original timeline. All MICHAEL had to do was make sure they were put somewhere safe. He would hand the cards, and the book, into brigade headquarters the next morning.
Sunday, February 20, 1944, 8:25 a.m. CET
MICHAEL drove to Toureau in a staff car. He pulled up to the church, and went inside. There was something he had to try before he handed the cards over to brigade headquarters. He pulled up the slab and placed the cards in the hole. He covered the hole with a slab, then walked out of the church. Nothing happened. He was still in 1944. Cursing, he went back in and picked up the cards. He drove back to battalion headquarters.
MICHAEL/Speer summoned Schmidt. Schmidt had been the first soldier in the room. He saw the cards first, and presumably he was the first to see the priest and the cards. When Schmidt arrived, MICHAEL/Speer pointed to the cards and the book on his desk and asked Schmidt what he thought they should do with them. Schmidt, surprised at being asked, suggested that the major keep the items, or turn them in to brigade headquarters. MICHAEL agreed and told Schmidt to get his car ready. MICHAEL called for Mather and Kimmel to accompany him.
The four soldiers drove to brigade headquarters, which was 5 miles away. They were eventually ushered in to see the brigade commander, Oberst Sigel. MICHAEL/Speer gave a full report about the attack on his squad and the battalion's pacification of Toureau. He handed over the cards and the book.
"Obershutze Schmidt found them," said MICHAEL/Speer, making it clear that he had nothing to do with the book or cards.
Sigel was very pleased with his performance. He said that he would put in for a commendation. He thanked Speer for the book and the cards, and said that they would be sent to the proper authorities. He dismissed Speer and his men.
They left the brigade headquarters building, and climbed into the staff car. MICHAEL was still in 1944. Apparently he didn't save the cards after all.
Damn, thought MICHAEL, now I have to go back and kill the oberst! They drove back to battalion headquarters.
MICHAEL — acting as Speer — spent the next few weeks running the battalion. MICHAEL learned a lot about the inner workings of the Wehrmacht, letting the Speer part of his mind fill in the details. In his spare time, he read as much as he could to see if he had missed something. He searched for reports of anything smacking of occult activity, but he didn't find anything. When he wasn't reading reports, he was reading the news.
Each morning he hoped that this would be the day he would return to the future, and each day he was disappointed. He had no idea what he did wrong, if anything, nor how he could save the cards. At the same time, he knew that there was an important date looming: June 6, 1944, D-Day. He did not want to be in this position on that day...
Monday, April 9, 1944, 10:25 a.m. CEST
Two Opel trucks and a Mercedes staff car rolled into the drive way of the battalion's headquarters. MICHAEL/Speer, and some of his men, came out to meet the new arrivals. The men in the trucks were Waffen SS.
The commanding officer, who did not introduce himself, was an SS Oberführer. MICHAEL/Speer greeted them. In reply, the no-nonsense Oberführer told Speer in a gruff voice that his men needed rooms for the evening, and that he needed an office.
MICHAEL/Speer gave the necessary orders to comply with the Oberführer's order. He then went back inside to finish some paperwork, while watching the SS men to find out what they were up to.
Monday, April 9, 1944, 6:15 p.m. CEST
Speer was summoned to the office now used by the Oberführer. MICHAEL/Speer knocked on the door and was told to enter. The Oberführer sat behind a desk. Lying on the desk were the Tarot cards! MICHAEL tried very hard to look disinterested.
The Oberführer noticed some of MICHAEL/Speer's interest nonetheless. He asked Speer if his men found any other items in the town of Toureau of a similar nature. MICHAEL answered that they hadn't, and then MICHAEL/Speer asked if the cards were special or important.
"They are of no consequence," answered the Oberführer.
The Oberführer asked him some more questions about the town and the priests, but MICHAEL/Speer wasn't able to add any additional information. The Oberführer then gave MICHAEL/Speer orders. The SS were conducting an operation down at the beach that evening. They had additional supplies arriving by train, which they would transport to the beach in trucks. Speer's men were needed to seal off the roads to the beach behind the SS. No one, including Speer's men, were to approach the beach while the operation was being conducted. It was all very "hush hush", the orders came from the Führer himself, etc., etc.
MICHAEL/Speer said that he would comply with the order immediately. He was dismissed. Once downstairs, he issued the the necessary orders to his men.
Over the next couple of hours the Waffen SS left the battalion headquarters, and most of Speer's men moved out to comply with Speer's order. The headquarters was quiet. Only those few men who were not needed for guarding the roads were left in the building.
When he thought it was safe, MICHAEL/Speer sneaked up to the room used by the Oberführer. He picked the lock and slipped into the study. After fifteen minutes of searching he was unable to find the cards. It was possible the Oberführer took them with him, but he didn't want to make that assumption. He needed help.
MICHAEL/Speer went downstairs and got Kimmel and Mather to join him. Neither had any great love for the SS, and they were safe choices for him to search the room. He brought them upstairs and all three searched the study. After ten minutes, Mather found the Tarot deck. It still contained the Minor Arcana and 14 Major Arcana cards. They searched some more, but they were unable to find the book.
MICHAEL/Speer said that they had to find out what the SS were up to. The other two agreed, but Mather suggested that they hide the cards first. Mather found a loose stone in the surround of the study's fireplace. Mather pulled out the stone. There was just enough room for the cards' box to fit. He slipped the box into the opening and pushed the stone back into place.
The three men left the building. They found one of the battalion's Kubelwagens. MICHAEL thought it looked like one of the old Volkswagen Things from the 1970s. They climbed into the car, with Mather driving, and set out toward the coast.
They came to a roadblock consisting of a wooden barrier and a couple of soldiers guarding it. Grenadier Paatz ordered them to halt. The private moved up to the driver's door, and then recognized Speer and the others, and saluted. MICHAEL/Speer said that they were just checking on the men to make sure the roadblocks were in place. He told the private to move the barrier in order to let them pass. The private did as he was ordered.
Mather drove quickly down the winding road. They could smell the salt in the air as they got closer to the sea. Mather turned a corner. Suddenly a truck loomed in front of them. He slammed on the brakes, but wasn't able to stop in time. The Kubelwagen collided with the truck, badly denting the car's fender and lightly denting the truck. None of the occupants were harmed. The soldiers grabbed their weapons and got out out of the car. They inspected the truck.
The truck was not a standard military transport. The back consisted of a metal box with a reinforced door. In the door was a small, barred window. The door was padlocked on the outside. MICHAEL/Speer looked inside. There were two metal benches, and a barred window so that someone in the cab of the truck could look inside. MICHAEL looked down the road. There were perhaps a half dozen of these trucks taking up half the width of the road.
MICHAEL/Speer pulled out a map. They were near the cliff edge, which ran parallel to the beach. There was grass and scrub along the top of the cliff. They could sneak along the cliff edge and watch the SS.
The three men quietly moved across the top of the cliff, near the edge. As soon as they got a good view of the beach, MICHAEL/Speer halted them. He pulled out his field glasses. The Oberführer was on the beach, holding a book. There were two other SS officers standing beside him. Before the Oberführer were a group of civilians, numbering between 50 and 60. The rest of the SS troops were guarding them.
The Oberführer was gesturing toward the sea. Suddenly the surf began to churn. Figures appeared out of the surf. At first it looked like divers, but as they proceeded out of the water MICHAEL recognized them. They were Deep Ones, the same fish-men that unhinged him when he encountered them on Plum Island. A few of the civilians on the beach shrieked. Several stood up and tried to run away, only to be gunned down by the SS. The rest cowered away from the SS and the Deep Ones as best they could.
Mather had much the same reaction to the Deep Ones that MICHAEL had on Plum Island. He started to freak out at the sight of the creatures. He pulled out a knife, looked around wild-eyed, and lunged at MICHAEL/Speer, who was nearest him. The two wrestled. Mather hit MICHAEL/Speer. Kimmel got behind Mather and hit him hard, stunning the sergeant. Kimmel then bandaged MICHAEL/Speer's wound, and treated Mather. Mather came too. MICHAEL/Speer took away Mather's gun and knife — just in case Mather had a relapse — even though Mather seemed to be recovering.
Off to their left was the hollow thumping sound that the Speer portion of MICHAEL's consciousness recognized as a mortar. It was accompanied by three other, similar sounds. Mortar rounds detonated on the surf and on the beach, killing Germans and Deep Ones alike. Gunfire erupted from the top of the cliff, aimed at the Waffen SS.
MICHAEL/Speer gave the other two soldiers hand signals, indicating that he would lead them to investigate the shooting from the top of the cliff. They crept along the cliff edge. The Waffen SS were firing back at their assailants, but the cliff was too steep, with most of the bullets hitting the edge or flying past them. MICHAEL/Speer risked a glance down at the beach. The civilians were running for the cliffs. Some of the civilians were shot by the SS as they ran away, but most of the SS concentrated on their attackers on the heights. The Oberführer was lying face down on the beach, a victim of the first mortar attack.
They got closer to men at the top of the cliff. The guns that were firing didn't sound familiar to Speer. They weren't German or Russian guns. MICHAEL/Speer pushed aside some brush. He and Kimmel saw one of the attackers. He was wearing a khaki uniform, with a woolen cap. Speer had attended tactical lessons in France. He recognized the uniform as that of an American Ranger. MICHAEL/Speer caught site of something else. On the American's shoulder was a unit patch. The patch was a single green triangle. His eyes widened in understanding. This is a Delta Green op!
MICHAEL/Speer indicated to the others to withdraw. He wasn't going to stop the Delta Green men. Even the Speer part of his mind tended to agree with this. The Americans were stopping something that went beyond the conflict between Allies and Axis.
As they retreated, a short lull in the firing descended around them. At this exact moment, one of MICHAEL's companions stepped on a dry piece of brush. Suddenly bullets started zipping through the brush. Kimmel was hit multiple times. He collapsed. MICHAEL felt the thud of bullets slamming into flesh. His left leg gave way and he fell as another bullet hit him in the upper arm.
He looked up to see Mather continue toward the road. Bullets kicked up at Mather's feet. He jumped down onto the road, in relative safety. MICHAEL heard Americans shouting. The mortars had stopped but the gunfire had picked up again. MICHAEL/Speer felt no pain, but he was getting light headed. He closed his eyes.
It looked like Mather got away. Mather was the only person left, assuming Kimmel was dead, who knew where the cards were hidden. Mather was also one of the first two people to run into the priest's study back at the church. Had Mather found the cards in the original timeline, only too late to save the cards? Maybe originally Speer's plan had been different enough from MICHAEL's that Schmidt and Mather were slightly delayed by the young priest. This would have given the older priest time to destroy some of the cards.
Or maybe someone else entirely had come across the cards in the original timeline. For all he knew, Mather might not bother recovering the cards. Did he succeed, or did he fail? Perhaps he would simply die here on the French coast in 1944.
MICHAEL/Speer became very cold, and then he lost consciousness altogether. A fog formed around him. MICHAEL started to spin, clockwise, through a swirling vortex of cloud. He felt himself swirl up through the clouds. "Up is good," he said to himself.
Next Scenario: Provenance – Part 3: The Auction


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