Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) ? Go Get It! - Blogs - Times Union

CCHS Students Helping out for The EITC

Yesterday I had the privilege to join with Congressman Tonko, Rensselaer County Executive Jimino, Troy Council President Kopka and a plenitude of organizations to celebrate? EITC Awareness Day at the Italian Community Center in Troy.? The concept behind EITC Awareness day is to bring to light the fact that 20% of the population does not file for their EARNED? federal and state income tax credit.? Yes, that is correct, 20% of our population does not access an tax credit they EARNED event thought they have worked to EARN it.

This credit, for those whose household incomes are less than $51,000/year, is something that? has the potential to add $5,891 to a families coffers from the Federal Credit and when combined with the State credit, can increase to $7,953.? Sadly, 20% of those eligible do not know about the credit or do not know how to apply for it.

The good news is there is help. Thanks to a large group of supporters, there are plenty of volunteers to assist eligible parties to apply for the credit by assisting those qualified with filing their income taxes.? The coalition (known as the CA$H Coalition) includes the IRS, NYS Tax & Finance, the Circles of Mercy, the United Way and AARP Tax-Aide.? Yesterday we had on hand students from Catholic Central High School who are trained to file tax returns and they along with others are volunteering their time to help those who need? of assistance access a tax credit they have EARNED.

How can you help?? Just advise those that you know that might be under the $51,000 household threshold to call 211.? This is a free service that is operated by the United Way that can direct people to various locations throughout our region to assist people with their tax preparation for free.? Additionally the United Way will also provide guidance and support on financial literacy as well. All too often individuals who do not seek this credit may not also realize that besides accessing this credit, this might be an opportunity to allocate some of these funds to address other financial issues that they may have.

Thank You to the CA$H Coalition for their effort with EITC and also to our student tax preparers.? You are making a difference in families lives.

Remember ? Call 211!

Source: http://blog.timesunion.com/johnmcdonald/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc-go-get-it/2226/

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French, Mali forces retake airport in city of Gao

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a Malian army armored vehicle used by islamist rebels stands charred. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a Malian army armored vehicle used by islamist rebels stands charred. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a videographer films Malian soldiers walking through the rubbles of a former army based leveled during fighting with islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

in this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako Saturday , Jan. 26, 2013, an ammunition belt lays on the ground of a destroyed base used by Islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida-linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French airstrikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a charred flack jacket lays on the ground of a destroyed base used by islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

In this image taken during an official visit organized by the Malian army to the town of Konna, some 680 kilometers (430 miles) north of Mali's capital Bamako, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, a jacket lays on the ground of a destroyed base used by islamist rebels. One wing of Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split off to create its own movement, saying that they want to negotiate a solution to the crisis in Mali, in a declaration that indicates at least some of the members of the al-Qaida linked group are searching for a way out of the extremist movement in the wake of French air strikes. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

KONNA, Mali (AP) ? French and Malian troops regained control of the airport and bridge of the crucial, northern city of Gao on Saturday, marking their biggest advance yet in their bid to oust al-Qaida-linked extremists who have controlled northern Mali for months, military officials said.

The move comes just two weeks after France launched its military offensive in support of the shaky, central government of this former French colony. It is unclear what kind of resistance French and Malian troops will face in the coming days.

The French military said in a statement on its website that their special forces, which had stormed in by land and by air, had come under fire from "several terrorist elements" that were later "destroyed."

In a later press release entitled "French and Malian troops liberate Gao" the French ministry of defense said they were bringing back the town's mayor, Sadou Diallo, who had fled to the Malian capital of Bamako far to the west.

However, a city official interviewed by telephone by The Associated Press said coalition forces so far only controlled the airport, the bridge and surrounding neighborhoods.

And in Paris, a defense ministry official clarified that the city had not been fully liberated, and that the process of freeing Gao was continuing.

Both officials spoke only on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Swooping in under the cover of darkness, the French and Malian forces faced sporadic "acts of harassment" during the day, said Col. Thierry Burkhard, a French military spokesman in Paris. He had no immediate estimate on casualties.

Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, was seized by a mixture of al-Qaida-linked fighters more than nine months ago, and the battle to retake the city is expected to be tough.

The rebel group that turned Gao into a replica of Afghanistan under the Taliban has close ties to Moktar Belmoktar, the Algerian national who has long operated in Mali and who last week claimed responsibility for the terror attack on a BP-operated natural gas plant in Algeria.

His fighters are believed to include Algerians, Egyptians, Mauritanians, Libyans, Tunisians, Pakistanis and even Afghans.

The French assault began with the capture of the airport, a strategic landing strip that opens the way for easier sorties all over northern Mali.

The further capture of a major bridge leading into the town means that the jihadists "saw their means of transport and their logistics sites destroyed," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.

The operation in Gao comes at the same time as airstrikes in the two other provincial capitals held by the extremists ? the cities of Timbuktu and Kidal, which like Gao fell to the rebels last April, during the chaotic aftermath of a coup in the distant capital. Nearly 30 bombs have been fired from fighter jets over the past two days, said France's military in a communique.

The simultaneous aerial attacks also come at the same time that ground troops are carrying out a pincer movement, with French and African land forces heading to Gao from Niger, where Chad has sent a battalion.

French and Malian forces are also heading to Timbuktu, via the central corridor that leads straight north from the central Malian city of Segou, via the recently recaptured town of Diabaly.

In an interview Saturday, Col. Shehu Usman Abdulkadir told The Associated Press that the African force will be expanded from an anticipated 3,200 troops to some 5,700 ? which does not include the 2,200 soldiers promised by Chad.

Most analysts had said the earlier figure was far too small to confront the Islamists given the vast territory they hold ? an area larger than Afghanistan.

"Because they've seen that the area itself, northern Mali is too large for that number of troops so there was a need to increase the number and that's why we arrived at 5700," said Abdulkadir, the force commander. "I believe that as time goes on it may be necessary to increase the strength again. Because France pulls out we definitely must have to increase the strength."

Since France began its military operation, the Islamists have retreated from three small towns in central Mali: Diabaly, Konna and Douentza.

For the first time on Saturday, Malian authorities opened the town of Konna to reporters. Although in most places Malians have applauded the arrival of the French, the town of Konna, built around a single, hard-top road, provides a counterweight and reveals the human toll of the operation.

Konna's mayor had earlier said that 11 civilians were killed during the airstrikes. Among them were four relatives of Souleymane Maiga, a young, 20-something man who ran for cover on Jan. 11, the first day of the airstrikes.

He hid between two mud walls separating his compound from that of his neighbor. His aunt, and the four children, including several young girls that were with her, abandoned the pot on an open flame where they were preparing the midday meal and ran inside the house.

French combat helicopters, looking for rebels, strafed the buildings made of nothing more than mud mixed with straw.

"The women were preparing food right here in the shade of this tree, when we heard the noise made by the aircraft. I ran and threw myself between the two walls over there," said Maiga. "After it was over, I went to the house, and when I opened the door, I saw that they were dead. Of the five people inside, only one survived. A toddler. The bodies were one on top of the other. The toddler was crying. The bullets had pierced the door. I tried to find their pulses, but they were gone. I realized it was over. I picked up the child and took him to a relative's house in town."

The zinc door of the modest house is pockmarked by bullet holes, some several inches wide. If you close it behind you, they let in jets of light, which illuminate the unlit interior. The can of tomato paste that the women had just opened in order to make a sauce served over rice, still sits where they left it. It had been partially opened, and now the tomato paste inside has spoiled.

___

Larson reported from Sevare, Mali. Jamey Keaten in Dakar, Senegal; Baba Ahmed in Konna, Mali; and Robbie Corey-Boulet in Abidjan, Ivory Coast contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-26-Mali%20Fighting/id-46d5a9a935bd478f9033fbfbfdf695a2

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Belkin to buy Linksys router maker from Cisco

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. (AP) ? Belkin, a maker of smartphone cases and computing accessories, said Thursday that it is buying the home networking business unit of Cisco, including the Linksys router brand.

Privately held Belkin, based in Playa Vista, Calif., did not disclose the purchase price, nor did Cisco Systems Inc. The deal is expected to close in March.

Belkin intends to maintain the Linksys brand, as well as honor warranties on current and future Linksys products. The company said that after the acquisition, it will account for about 30 percent of the U.S. retail home and small-business networking market.

Cisco has been moving away from products it sells directly to consumers, and it laid out a strategy last month to become a leading supplier of information technology to big businesses.

In 2011 it shuttered its consumer-oriented Flip video camera business. Last year, it bought NDS Group Ltd., a U.K. software firm that helps cable and satellite TV companies deliver content to subscribers' digital video recorders, tablets, smartphones and other devices.

Hilton Romanski, vice president of corporate business development for Cisco, said in a blog post Thursday that Belkin and Cisco will continue to have a strategic relationship in dealing with service providers.

"We are confident that we have found the best buyer in Belkin," he said. "We look forward to witnessing Belkin's growth as they bring Linksys into their family."

Belkin CEO Chet Pipkin said the company's ultimate goal is to be "the global leader in the connected home and wireless networking space," saying this acquisition was an important step.

Cisco shares fell 5 cents in after-hours trading to $20.97 following the announcement, after closing up 40 cents, about 2 percent, at $21.02 in the regular session.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-24-US-Belkin-Cisco/id-2123d934c8564be8a00a48320dad767b

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Wall Street opens lower after Apple results

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened lower on Thursday, a day after Apple Inc reported revenue that missed expectations, tanking the stock and weighing on technology shares.

As the most valuable U.S. company and a heavy weight in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, a decline in Apple shares has an outsized impact on the broader market. Apple dropped 10.5 percent to $459.84 in early trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 21.73 points, or 0.16 percent, at 13,801.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 2.16 points, or 0.14 percent, at 1,492.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 24.98 points, or 0.79 percent, at 3,128.69.

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-revenue-miss-challenge-u-stocks-rally-140317715--sector.html

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Mr. and Mrs. Huxtable Please Step-Aside, the Obamas Have ...

Mr. and Mrs. Huxtable as difficult as it is for me to say this, apparently you have been replaced. For years families, including my own, sat down in front of the television screen and looked to you for entertainment. Your wisdom coupled with wit had us aspiring to be our own versions of the Huxtables. Your family faced ?real? issues but you got through them and for some of us you were the couple we sought to model in our own lives. And then it hit us (or at least some of us), not everything on television is real. Yes, it can be entertaining, relatable, and based on actual events but unless it?s live TV it isn?t real and these days, even live television is questionable.

With all due respect, fortunately, this century brought with it a new couple for us to learn from, a couple that has set an example for us, a couple that shows us that black marriages can last and that a little PDA is a good thing. They are a couple that shows us that our unions are beautiful and strong, and will not accept defeat no matter how much adversity they face. This couple has shown us that family can come first and that you can be a spouse, a parent, and an achiever of your dreams. I?m talking about the Obamas. We?ve been watching them for the past several years and I must say, one of my favorite things about them is that they are real. They aren?t casted characters and there is no script or a director designating their every move. They are simply living and in their everyday lives we, still very much viewers, get to have a glimpse of what their marriage is like.

Recently a study came out stating the Obamas have ?replaced? you. A real life couple replaced a television couple. And I?ve got to tell you, while The Cosby Show had quite a run and gave us some great laughs and things to think about when it comes to our marriages, I believe so many of us aspire to be more. We grow up and realize that dreams and goals don?t stop once the credits to a television show roll. They continue. Life continues beyond a 30-minute television time slot. Life is not scripted.

According to the study, we idolize Mr. and Mrs. Obama. But we know better. We idolize no man. We clearly know who our source is and as much as we love the Obamas it?s not them. Admiration and idolization are not to be confused. One thing they seem to have gotten right; however, is this:

?The Obamas are the strongest and most visible example of black love and happy marriage in the USA.?

You see, when you are The President of the United States everyone is watching. When you are married to the President everyone is watching. So yes, we are all watching. And yes, we do admire the love our President and First Lady have for one another. Yet, don?t be mistaken, there are surely other couples out there that have a beautiful love, an admirable love, and a real love. The only difference is the world isn?t necessarily watching.

The Obamas are on display and they are on display for more than the 30 minute time slot you all were given. Even so Mr. and Mrs. Huxtable, while we may not model our lives after the two of you, you will always have a special place in our hearts. And if we are channel surfing and just so happen to stumble upon your show, chances are we will watch. But there is a big world out there, a world filled with men and women that are showing us that black love is beautiful and genuine.

Despite high divorce rates many of us have not given up on marriage. We are fighting for what we have. While television shows run their course, many of us are determined to make sure our marriages will not. We are working in offices, seated in church pews, authoring blogs, cheering for our children during sports games, and also walking the halls of the White House. We are everywhere.

There are many couples that we can look to and yes, the Obamas are one of them.

BMWK ? Do you agree with the study? Have the Huxtables been replaced?

About the author

Krishann Briscoe is a child welfare professional turned freelancer with a background in child and adolescent development and social work. In addition to authoring her personal blog His Mrs. Her Mr., Krishann is a contributor for Disney?s Babble, The Conversation and The Conscious Perspective. Krishann resides in Southern California with her husband and their two daughters.

Source: http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2013/01/mr-and-mrs-huxtable-please-step-aside-the-obamas-have-replaced-you/

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Local Business Sales Intelligence Platform Radius Raises $12.4M ...

Radius (formerly Fwix), a startup that gives sales people the tools and data they need to scout local businesses, is announcing $12.4 million in new funding from American Express with Comcast Ventures, Western Technology Investment and BlueRun Ventures participating.

As we wrote last April, Radius was founded by Darian Shirazi, who took Fwix, a hyperlocal news aggregator, and pivoted his startup into local sales intelligence for businesses. As a side note, Shirazi was also one of Facebook?s first interns and joined the social network at the age of 17.

Radius has created a comprehensive index of information of over 20 million SMBs for marketers in industries such as business insurance, payment services, banking, credit cards, telecoms and more by pulling data from across the web (including social ? Twitter, Yelp, Instagram, Facebook ? and location-based content).

Radius takes the hyperlocal data Fwix used to pull together from Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Localeze, Acxiom and CityGrid and turns it into a dashboard that a sales force can use to keep tabs on successful local shops. You can see news, tweets, reviews and events tied to the place. This data can also be fed into Salesforce and Microsoft?s CRM product, where companies can keep track of leads and follow through on potential opportunities.

So who needs this data? Shirazi explains that daily deal companies can access data like traffic and local reviews to determine whether they should run a business. Or they could see all the restaurants in a neighborhood who have run a Groupon deal. Or Farmer?s Insurance or State Farm could use Radius to find all the businesses who have a three-star rating on Yelp who are likely to be better bets when it comes to being insured. Or GoDaddy or another web hosting service could use Radius to see which small businesses in an area don?t have standalone websites. Payments companies like Square could see which small businesses in an area don?t yet accept credit cards by crawling Yelp and Citysearch.

American Express is an interesting investor and partner, says Shirazi, because the financial organization serves a lot of small businesses with its credit cards via its Open Forum for small businesses. ?Good data around small businesses is hard to find,? says Shirazi. ?Working with a company like AmEx could definitely help us.? Of course, AmEx could also use Radius to target small businesses to use their credit services as well.

Nearly a year into the pivot, Shirazi is very optimistic about Radius? prospects as a long-term company. Radius is bringing in real revenue and serving 10 million sales professionals. He plans to use the funding towards expanding the sales, engineering and product teams. Specifically, Radius will expand its index of information about small- and medium-sized businesses.

There?s no doubt that mining the massive amount of data that is now on the web from local businesses is a great idea. As more businesses flock to the web, this data is only going to become more plentiful. There are competitors in the space (i.e. Dun & Bradstreet), but as Shirazi explains this could be a billion-dollar opportunity.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/23/local-business-sales-intelligence-platform-radius-raises-12-4m-from-american-express-and-others/

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01.23.13.: NC News Bits | Philanthropy Journal

January 23, 2013

News about grants, gifts

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher and Clayton, N.C., native?Chris Archer?has partnered with Good Sports - a national nonprofit that provides athletic goods to disadvantaged youth - to provide $58,000 worth of sporting equipment to Raleigh Boys and Girls Clubs.

United Way of the Greater Triangle's board of directors released the results of the 2012 campaign. Highlights include: 2012 total revenues are projected to be $15 million, equal to the prior year; $10.6 million in donations, including donor-designated as well as Give United funds, will be distributed to nonprofits this year; and $5.3 million in Give United funds will be distributed to United Way approved programs, a two percent increase in available funds, the first increase in five years.

The Raleigh affiliate of the?National Christian Foundation?(NCF) reported record growth in 2012 charitable giving compared to 2011. Contributions increased by 50 percent from 2011 to 2012. There were 40 new fund accounts opened, bringing the total to more than 200 active funds. Since 1982, at the national level NCF has received more than $5 billion in contributions from generous givers and granted $3.3 billion to more than 30,000 churches, ministries, and charities.

The Lucy Daniels Center has been selected as a local nonprofit partner in Saks Fifth Avenue's Saks Loves Your Cause program. The store will donate 5 percent of purchases made by new or existing Saks Card users when they designate the center as their local charity of choice. The program runs Feb. 1-28.

News about people, groups ?

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has named Devon Healy Mackay as director of major gifts.? Mackay has seven years of experience in marketing and events management that included positions at the Yale Center for British Art and the City of New Haven, Conn., and, most recently, the Mullen advertising agency in Winston-Salem.

The Autism Society of North Carolina has hired Dr. Alexander Myers as clinical director, funded through a $100,000 gift from the Ireland Family Foundation. Myers has more than 30 years of experience working with individuals with autism.

DHIC Inc., a nonprofit organization that serves more than 3,000 lower income individuals in the Triangle area, announced that?Ralph Recchie, director of real estate at NC State University,?has been appointed to its board of directors. Sam Crutchfield?with Grubb Properties has been elected to serve as chair and?Dr. Norman Camp?will serve as vice chair.

Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina announced that?Ben Brookhart?and?Frank Gozzo?have been appointed to its board of directors.? Led by?chair?John Elmo?and?chair elect?Rick Deckelbaum, the board serves to protect the chapter's assets, ensure its accountability and maintain its legal integrity.

The March Forth with Hope Foundation, a nonprofit providing financial assistance to families battling cancer or other life-threatening diseases, unveiled a newly designed website, MarchForthWithHope.com,?to communicate its mission, organization news and fundraising events.? The social and mobile-friendly site was designed by?L.A. Management Company.?

The North Carolina Triangle?to the Coast?Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will host the?Inaugural Wilmington Race for the Cure? on March 2. To register for or to find out more about Komen for the Cure, visit?www.komennctc.org.

The?Lupus Foundation of America, Piedmont Chapter (LFAPC)?will be hosting its annual?Walk to End Lupus Now^TM at 2:30 p.m. ?April 28? at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte ?LFAPC will host three other Walk to End Lupus Now^TM events in North Carolina this year including: Raleigh (April 21); Asheville (May 18); and Fayetteville (Sept. 14). For information, visit?www.lupuslinks.org.

News about opportunities, initiatives

Our Children's Place will host the first?North Carolina?screening of?Mothers of Bedford on at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at?Meredith College?in?Raleigh. Mothers of?Bedford is?a documentary that follows five women incarcerated in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in?New York?and looks at their lives through the lens of motherhood. A Q&A session with Jenifer McShane, the filmmaker, will follow the screening. Go online for additional details and to purchase tickets.

?

If you are interested in having your organization's news announced in the next News Bits, please send announcements or press releases to news@philanthropyjournal.org.

?

Source: http://www.philanthropyjournal.org/north-carolina/nc-top-news/012313-nc-news-bits

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Grief Healing: Understanding and Managing Grief, January 13 ...

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Voices of Experience: What I've Learned from Grief,?http://j.mp/pxcNlf

6 Simple Ways to Improve Your Mood,?http://j.mp/VMhxuz???Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW

Silence, a Source of Comfort for the Bereaved,?http://j.mp/10xXbcA???Open to Hope

CCBC recommends booklist on grief and loss for children, http://j.mp/V7ofwQ via?@WhatsYourGrief

Updated: Tips for Coping with Sleeplessness in Grief, http://j.mp/hkoXnZ?? Grief Healing Blog

Lack of Training in Spiritual Care Noted in Study,?http://j.mp/W5OazP?? Hospice Foundation of America
Helping Young Men Grieve Their Friends,?http://j.mp/10x1rcj?? Friend Grief?
Real Men Grieve: Losing my daughter and learning to grieve,?http://j.mp/13zNZlE???Hello Grief

From Lou LaGrand: Paths Toward Peace Of Mind As We Mourn,?http://j.mp/13zx96o

Teen Grief: Secondary Losses,?http://j.mp/103szP5?? Hospice of the Valley, AZ via @pinterest

Teen Grief: Getting Through It,?http://j.mp/W4ipY6?? Hospice of the Valley, AZ via @pinterest
Teen Grief: Guilt,?http://j.mp/UlH8ID?? Hospice of the Valley, AZ via @pinterest
Life After Child Loss, Maureen Hunter's Story,?http://j.mp/W41tRf
Guilt In the Wake of a Parent's Death,?http://j.mp/Xywa2Z?? Grief Healing Blog
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Source: http://www.griefhealingblog.com/2013/01/understanding-and-managing-grief_19.html

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The First Half-Hour Of Cancer - By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast

On his blog The Letting Go, Michael Popp recounts the initial moments in which he was curtly informed of his leukemia, "as if [I] was being asked if [I] wanted a receipt."

The doctor scribbles down two numbers. Its 4:30 they tell me. You need to get to a sperm bank immediately. The chemotherapy will make you infertile and if you have any desire to have children, you need to call these numbers and bank. I had known, for nearly 4 minutes that I had cancer. It hadn?t even begin to phase me and now I would be infertile. I picked up the paper, still unsure of everything that was going on and began to beg a woman with a thick accent on the other line for an immediate appointment.

On his way to deposit the sperm, he called his girlfriend:

The phone rang and she answered. I explained, rather plainly, I had cancer.

My chances of survival were good and that everything would be okay. As I told her, it became real. My voice began to break up as I made it block by block towards the bank. I was having trouble holding it together as I said the words to her, trying to reassure her there wasn?t anything to worry about. I was losing it, I told her I?d call her back, I couldn?t bear showing her how upset I was, I needed her to believe what I had said, knowing that I myself was completely unsure of what to expect. I had only known I had cancer for 15 minutes. I knew nothing.

(Photo by Tom Hart)

Source: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2013/01/the-first-half-hour-of-cancer.html

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Big party for Democrats, quiet reflection for GOP

WASHINGTON (AP) ? For many Republicans, this is a good weekend to get away from it all.

With hundreds of thousands of Democrats traveling to nation's capital for President Barack Obama's inauguration activities, Republicans and supporters of last fall's GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, are leaving town, or staying put and trying to avoid the crowds.

After failing to recapture the White House for a second straight presidential election, many are not exactly in a partying mood.

"It's a good time to lay low," said John Feehery, the president of Quinn Gillespie Communications and a former top congressional aide.

As Democrats prepare to mark Obama's second inauguration on Monday by bundling up along the parade route or dressing up for balls, Republicans are spending the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend with quick vacation getaways, quiet time at home or trips to the movie theater.

Few plan any "mourning parties" or "bawls" that have been the staples of past inaugural festivities for the party out of power. But invitations to parties tend to be scarce if your candidate lost, and watching television provides a constant reminder of November's elections.

"Invitations must have gotten lost in the mail!" former Romney adviser Ed Gillespie wrote in an email saying he had no major plans for the weekend.

Charlie Spies, an attorney and co-founder of the pro-Romney super political action committee Restore Our Future, was in Las Vegas for the weekend, hosting about 100 Republicans, including some former Romney campaign aides, at events in the Wynn Las Vegas and Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.

Spies held a similar gathering for about 20 friends and associates four years ago but said he was surprised by the amount of interest this time.

"I was expecting more than 20 but no place near this response," he said. "But I think people were excited to have an opportunity to be someplace other than D.C. and let President Obama and his supporters have their day in the sun."

Ron Bonjean, a former Bush administration and congressional aide who runs a public affairs firm, convened a small work retreat at a resort in Mexico and said he planned to use the time to prepare for new challenges in 2013.

"It's the perfect time for us to be productive and focused on the year ahead while Washington is consumed with swearing in the president," he said.

Republicans will be part of the inauguration ceremony, with members of Congress gathered on the west front steps of the Capitol for Obama's swearing-in. Many Republican lawmakers are attending state balls during the weekend to welcome their constituents.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and House Armed Services Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., were among the GOP leaders who planned to attend an inauguration-related ball on Sunday night honoring members of the military.

After the parties end, the work to win back the White House begins. The Republican National Committee is holding its winter meeting in Charlotte, N.C., in the coming week. A major topic of discussion will be finding ways to reach out to minority voters and win elections.

Next weekend in Washington, a robust lineup of Republicans, including Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Romney's running mate, and Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, will address conservatives at a conference organized by the National Review Institute.

For Republicans, this is a season of introspection and planning for the future.

"When you're winning, you're thinking about the possibilities. When you lose, you're thinking about what went wrong," Feehery said. "When you're winning, you're thinking about your next job. When you lose, you're thinking about keeping your job."

___

Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/big-party-democrats-quiet-reflection-gop-130531648--politics.html

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Oil rises above $94 on China, US recovery hopes

BANGKOK -- Oil prices rose to near $94 on Monday, supported by signs of economic recovery in the U.S. and China.

Benchmark oil for February delivery was up 33 cents to $93.89 per barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped 26 cents to finish at $93.56 a barrel in New York on Friday.

Gordon Kwan, head of energy research at Mirae Asset Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong, said oil prices were rising on signs that the fragile economic recoveries in the world's two biggest economies appeared to be gaining traction. The U.S. housing market has shown steady improvement, while China's trade growth rebounded strongly in December.

"China and the U.S. appear to be on a very solid track of economic recovery. This supports oil prices at much higher levels." He said that prices were also moving up because of increased energy consumption in China, which is enduring its coldest winter in nearly three decades.

"There is the possibility that West Texas Intermediate could reach $95 per barrel in the coming days and Brent could go to $115," Kwan said.

Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, was up 27 cents to $110.91 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

- Wholesale gasoline was almost unchanged at $2.755 a gallon.

- Heating oil rose 1.5 cents to $3.023 a gallon.

- Natural gas rose 3.8 cents to $3.365 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/01/13/2755820/oil-rises-above-94-on-china-us.html

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Northrop Grumman, Cassidian run Euro Hawk UAV through its first full test flight (video)

Europe isn't quite as firmly on the bleeding edge of UAVs as the US. Northrop Grumman and EADS-run Cassidian just brought the continent one step closer through the first full test flight of Euro Hawk. A new take on the Global Hawk HALE with a new mission system from Cassidian, it should be the continent's first military UAV that mates both long flight durations with high altitude: the two partners expect Euro Hawk to collect strategic intelligence from up to 60,000 feet and for as long as 30 hours before it needs to touch down. There's more testing to go before active service begins -- the initial flight only lasted eight hours, for example -- but the unmanned flyer should eventually keep watch over German troops and territories well past the limits of human endurance.

Continue reading Northrop Grumman, Cassidian run Euro Hawk UAV through its first full test flight (video)

Filed under: Robots, Transportation

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Source: Cassidian

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/UhLrmFir5E4/

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Why hello there!

New to the site, not new to roleplaying. I've roamed the internet before, and became a member of various sites when I was a wee, which may theoretically have included here, but if it did, well, I'm sure unable to find out for sure, and here I am now.

I see there's this little X thing in the bottom looking at me still, and not knowing what it is, I'm going to be using the helpful Stumped Thread thing-- oh hey it changed... well I'm still going to use it.

*clears throat*

1) What is my username, and why did I pick it?

My username is Chalchiuhtlicue, a Pre-Colombian Aztec Goddess of Rivers, Waters, and etc, one of the wives of Tlaloc, God of Storms. She was the Sun once, but then there was this thing with Tezcatlipoca, and it didn't go well. That guy's a dick. Why did I pick it? Because out of a pantheon filled to the near brim with blood hungry gods that needed not just animal blood, but human blood in order to do things, she was one of the nice ones, alongside Quetzalcoatl. Nice being relatively speaking, of course.

"But why the Aztecs at all?" I pretend to hear you ask?

Because while I may be slowly drifting to favor the Inca, the Aztecs were my first mythological love of Pre-Colombian America.

2) How'd I find this place?

Google.

Why'd I look it up?

Because I want a new place to roleplay.

3) Did I start with tabletop games?

Alas, no, although they've become a staple part of my diet now, including virtual table top games. I used to do a lot of DnD ( 3.5 ) did some 4e, and ultimately moved on to where I am now, the same thing that made me fall in love with the Aztecs, Whitewolf's Scion. Heavily homebrewed now, of course. Concept was amazing, execution... it needed work.

I started with RPing on a non-RP forum years ago. No links~

4) What am I looking for here? Better or more or new roleplay?

Yes. I am looking for those things. All of them.

5) What type of roleplay?

Oh boy, here we go. I have a fondness for nation RP, favoring things without magic, typically in quazi-realistic settings, ranging from World War I ( not II ), all the way back to the Classical Era. I enjoy creating entire worlds to romp around in, or using ours and writing up alternate histories. Steampunk, and Dieselpunk are both cool too. Only problem is too many people see NRPs as competitions where I used to play. No links~

When I'm not doing NRP, I enjoy things of many flavors. I typically play quirky female characters, although their quirkiness is not always a good thing, and may not always last as their world view is ground into dust. Tabletop reference, a quirky peppy Scion of the Aztec Pantheon will not be able to maintain a legitimate happy attitude, and either must become a bit more solemn, or go full insanity which just isn't good.

That said, I enjoy fantasy RPs, although I tend to stay away from unlimited magic sources. If there's not a limit on power, I get afraid of what other players may do, and so I stray. From this, I tend to like systematic and organized RPs better. Like Tabletop and Virtual Tabletops.

6) Hobbies?

I cook, make maps, and write. Lots of writing, and lots of fictional cartography, with a side of iconography with the creation of flags and standards. ... this ultimately links up into my Nation RP tastes. I like to make the maps, write out long elaborate histories and religions and cultures, and make their flags, and icons, and stuff. So really, RP is my hobby.

Oh, also, reading up on ancient cultures, religions, and history in general.

7) Things I'm good at... well, I'm typically good at my hobbies, now aren't I?

At least, I'd like to think I am. Outside of those, I'm at least adept at playing piano, and the trapset drums.

8) Friends? Here?

Not yet. Yet. I'd like that yet to come sooner than later!

9) Cookies?

I'd have to first make them, which means I need to shop for the specific ingredients, and then I'll have to eat the batter that I can't scrape adequately off th-- you know this sounds like fun. Sure.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/gKweDcOWQOQ/viewtopic.php

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Car Crashes Directly into Chicago Apple Store (Updated)

Insert a bad Apple Maps joke here: a car just slammed directly through the wall of an Apple store in Lincoln Park, and is now inside the Apple Store.

This is going to be hard for the staff of the store to handle, given that Apple Geniuses aren't allowed to say the word crash.

Are you in the area? Shoot me an email.

Update: Giz reader Robert was actually in the store when it happened, and says "It was pretty scary, we don't think anyone is seriously injured. I think there some minor injuries but I didn't see anything serious. I was blown away by how fast the first responders arrived at the scene. The driver seemed to be an older man."

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4Kkze0HEtAo/car-crashes-directly-into-chicago-apple-store

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[WTB] PHP,WORDPRESS,JAVA,GROOVY & GRSILA or ANDROID PROGRAMMER

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: forums.digitalpoint.com --- Sunday, January 13, 2013
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Source: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=2624703&goto=newpost&r=3f34

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Georgia Rep. Gingrey ruffles feathers with gun control, rape comments

Georgia Republican Rep. Phil GIngrey (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Speaking at a local Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Thursday morning in his home state, Georgia Republican Rep. Phil Gingrey addressed some heavy issues, including the need for gun control in the wake of deadly shootings throughout the country, and former Missouri Rep. Todd Akin's controversial comments on the campaign trail last year about rape, saying Akin was "partly right."

As reported in the Marietta Daily Journal, Gingrey, a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said he would be open to some measures restricting high-capacity magazines and enforcing more rigorous requirements for background checks at gun shows.

?There are some problems, and maybe these huge magazines even for someone who says, ?Look, I just use an AR-15 for target practice.' But do you really need to be standing there shooting at a silhouette a shot a second or even quicker with that kind of weapon? For what purpose?? Gingrey said, according to the Journal. ?I would be willing to listen to the possibility of the capacity of a magazine.?

President Barack Obama plans to announce a proposal for stricter gun rules next week, and Gingrey's openness to an overhaul could help propel the Democratic administration's messaging effort.

Gingrey's morning talk was wide-ranging. He also discussed comments made by Akin, in which Akin said victims of "legitimate rape" don't often become pregnant because the woman's body has "ways to try to shut that whole thing down.?

Gingrey argued that Akin, who may have lost his election because of those comments, was in part right.

?What he meant by legitimate rape was just look, someone can say I was raped: a scared-to-death 15-year-old that becomes impregnated by her boyfriend and then has to tell her parents, that?s pretty tough and might on some occasion say, ?Hey, I was raped.? That?s what he meant when he said legitimate rape versus nonlegitimate rape," Gingrey, an OB-GYN physician since 1975, said. "I don?t find anything so horrible about that. But then he went on and said that in a situation of rape, of a legitimate rape, a woman?s body has a way of shutting down so the pregnancy would not occur. He?s partly right on that.?

He continued: ?I?ve delivered lots of babies, and I know about these things. It is true. We tell infertile couples all the time that are having trouble conceiving because of the woman not ovulating, ?Just relax. Drink a glass of wine. And don?t be so tense and uptight, because all that adrenaline can cause you not to ovulate.? So he was partially right, wasn?t he? But the fact that a woman may have already ovulated 12 hours before she is raped, you?re not going to prevent a pregnancy there by a woman?s body shutting anything down, because the horse has already left the barn, so to speak. And yet the media took that and tore it apart.?

Gingrey later said that he was merely trying to provide context to Akin's remarks, but was not trying to defend them. ?At a breakfast yesterday morning, I was asked why Democrats made abortion a central theme of the presidential campaign. I do not defend, nor do I stand by, the remarks made by Rep. Akin. ... In my attempt to provide context as to what I presumed they meant, my position was misconstrued," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/georgia-republican-rep-phil-gingrey-favors-gun-control-162924309--politics.html

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President Obama Would Choose to Fight the Horse-Sized Duck (Atlantic Politics Channel)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/276302724?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Saudi king grants women seats on advisory council

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) ? The Saudi king on Friday granted women seats on the country's top advisory council for first time, a much-awaited step for women to get a toehold in Saudi Arabia's largely female-free political system.

The nation's official news agency said that King Abdullah issued two royal decrees granting women 30 seats on the Shura Council, which has 150 members plus a president. The council reviews laws and questions ministers, but doesn't have legislative powers. All members are appointed by the king and serve four-year terms.

Since 2006, women have been appointed as advisers only.

The decree comes in response to rights advocates' demands to give a voice to women, many of whom have been challenging the country's religious establishment, which adheres to Wahhabism, one of the strictest interpretations of Shariah law in Islam.

However, the king's decrees reflected how he is treading carefully to not anger powerful religious clerics.

According to the decrees, the female council members must be "committed to Islamic Shariah disciplines without any violations" and be "restrained by the religious veil." The decrees also said that the female council members will be entering the council building from special gates, sit in seats reserved for women and pray in special worshipping places.

Earlier, officials said that a screen will separate genders and an internal communications network will allow men and women to communicate.

The kingdom, which is the birthplace of Islam, enforces strict segregation of the sexes according to its interpretation of Islam. An unrelated couple, for example, can be detained for being alone in the same car or having a cup of coffee in public. Saudis observe such segregation even at home, where they have separate living rooms for male and female guests.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-king-grants-women-seats-advisory-council-125306884.html

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Keep the change: Why investing in change management matters

The always dynamic data environment makes it difficult for organizations to avoid change. In my last post, I talked about how change management can bolster data governance programs. It can also be used for other activities, including taking a portfolio-driven approach to business intelligence and adopting a new enterprise application or revising your IT architecture.

All of these activities entail some level of transformation that will affect your current processes, policies, or business strategies. Here is the reality: Without proper oversight, most of these changes will fall short of expectations or fail outright. The more an organization experiences failure, the less likely it is to make major changes in the future, even if it is vital to improving business.

The following examples are common problems that have the potential to undermine the success of your next initiative. For each, I have highlighted ways in which change management can help you address, overcome, or prevent them.

1. Failing to establish a vision

Organizations that do not establish a vision, especially one that addresses the transformation about to take place, are opening the door to confusion and missed targets. Your vision should outline the goals of your project and establish a clear direction for how the goals will be achieved. This process answers the critical questions: What is changing; how is it changing; why the change will impact your business; and what you hope to achieve as a result (targets). A vision is also what will coordinate employee?s actions by giving them a shared goal to work towards. The less uncertainty employees have the more committed they will be to the initiative.

2. Thinking too big

You may desire the enterprise wide use and adoption of analytics, and it is certainly a worthy goal; however, you are unlikely to achieve it in a single step. Many organizations skip the smaller phases and expect universal results. This underestimates the weight and complexity of most changes. How will you create enterprise wide commitment? Is there a fair way to measure the success of the program across all departments or verticals? How will you demonstrate ROI to executives?

In our four-phased approach to change management, we emphasize the importance of small, controlled projects. Pick a starting point for your initiative, so you can more easily develop the vision, adjust the process, and measure the results before you take it to the next level. You can also manage the people side of change more effectively and maintain focus on the initiative if you are working with a distinct group of people.

3. Ignoring employee morale

Change freaks people out. As morale declines, employees are less productive. A Gallup study found that employee disengagement costs the U.S. $300 billion annually.? You also don?t want to lose employees. Hiring and training a new employees can cost your organization exponentially more than keeping an existing one.

Communication and planning are fundamental components of change management. It?s important to communicate with employees about the vision for the change, the steps that will be used to enact it, and the positive impact it will have on their work day. This will keep employees motivated and engaged throughout the process. Balance conversations with insight into areas your organization is succeeding and where it can improve. Employees tend to be happier (read: more productive) and commit more to initiatives when they know what is going on, why it is happening, what their role is, and how leadership is committed to the effort.

Source: http://blogs.sas.com/content/datamanagement/2013/01/11/keep-the-change-why-investing-in-change-management-matters/

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City study finds Aspen not hospitable to new hotels, condos at ...

The Mountain Chalet is now an increasingly rare thing in Aspen ? a moderately-priced hotel in downtown Aspen near the base of Aspen Mountain. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

By Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Journalism
Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The price of land in downtown Aspen now makes it highly unlikely that a new stand-alone, moderately priced hotel will be built there again, according to research and interviews conducted recently by the city of Aspen.

City planners also found that Aspen?s stock of condos ? which accounts for 40 percent of the tourist bed base ? is outdated and there are significant challenges to redeveloping the condo complexes in a way that makes them both attractive and available to visitors.

However, planners also heard from many local lodge owners, developers and condo managers that the city should not try to solve either the hotel or the condo problem, outside of streamlining regulations and reviews of new projects.

But after presenting their results to the Aspen City Council on Dec. 11, planners were told to keep studying the issue.

They are now working with consultants to better understand lodging economics and to learn what Aspen?s visitors ? both current and prospective ? want for lodging options. And they?re exploring ways to spur condo renovation and redevelopment, according to Jessica Garrow, the city?s long range planner.

The Aspen Square, a condo-hotel in downtown Aspen across the street from Aspen Mountain. It is convenient, but its eight-foot ceilings are seen as a negative by some visitors. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

A changing bed base

Today in the city there are 2,293 short-term accommodation units, according to a 2012 study by Mountain Travel Research Program, or MTRiP.

The 2,293 units in Aspen include 1,158 hotel and lodge rooms, 932 condos, 131 private homes, and 72 rooms in B&Bs.

In all of those units combined, there are 10,085 ?pillows,? or places for 10,085 people to sleep in a bed.

There are another 1,822 units and 8,772 pillows in Snowmass Village, according to MTRiP, which means the Aspen/Snowmass resort can theoretically sleep 18,857 people in short-term rental accommodations.

That number ? call it 19,000 ? does not include people staying at, or living in, single-family homes, town homes, apartments or condos that are not counted in the short-term rental pool.

To say nothing of couch surfers.

Indeed, it is not so much the number of short-term units in Aspen that now concerns the city, it is the nightly price of the units.

From 2006 to 2011, the average rate for a room in Aspen in December was $540. And from 2006 to 2012, the average rate in March was $420, according to MTRiP?s findings.

And as demand warrants, those prices are likely to keep climbing.

During the economic boom from 2003 to 2007, for example, Aspen lodging prices went up 40 percent.

And there has been a sharp increase in the number of private homes on the short-term rental market.

While they account for only 5 percent of the tourist bed base, home rentals have gone up 30 percent since 2009 ? and 95 percent of those homes rent at ?deluxe? prices.

Today in Aspen, there are 1,423 ?deluxe? units, 654 ?moderate? units and 216 ?economy? units.

That means 62 percent of the units in Aspen are considered deluxe, 29 percent are moderate and 9 percent are economy, according to MTRiP.

The number of units in each category is primarily a function of the amount charged for a room.

And since 2009, there has been a 37 percent drop in the amount of moderately priced units in Aspen that might appeal to middle-class visitors.

According to Aspen lodging operators, the challenges for existing low-end lodges in Aspen include: ?inability to market aggressively; too few rooms to achieve critical mass economically; difficulty in matching service levels offered by others; the competition when upper-end lodges aggressively lower off-season rates; and outdated buildings and facilities.?

The old Skier Chalet restaurant and lodge, once an Aspen icon, now a faded memory awaiting redevelopment. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

Access to Aspen?

The lack of cheap hotel rooms in Aspen could be considered in conflict a with long-standing city policy, according to city planners.

They point to Aspen?s revolutionary 1977 growth management plan as articulating the idea that ?working Americans are entitled to enjoy the public lands surrounding Aspen, and high costs shouldn?t act as a barrier.?

And the recently adopted Aspen Area Community Plan declares that ?the concept of providing equal access to Aspen has been present in long range plans dating back to 1976. We seek a broader demographic in order to sustain a diverse, visitor-based economy.?

Backing that sentiment up, planners say, is a 2008 survey of local citizens where 61 percent said they wanted to see more ?ski bum? lodges in Aspen

However, lodging and development professionals interviewed this fall by the city weren?t sure that the dearth of low-priced hotel rooms in Aspen is even a problem.

?Many said that the reality is that people must pay for the quality of the amenities that the Aspen area offers,? notes they city?s analysis.

?Times have changed,? Warren Klug, the manager of Aspen Square, a condo-hotel in downtown Aspen with 101 units, told city planners. ?Economy lodging is not Aspen?s market.?

Stan Clauson, a land-use planner and consultant in Aspen, agreed with Klug.

?The bottom line is that it?s not cheap to get to a destination resort, and you have to pay for the quality of Aspen,? Clauson told city planners. ?It?s a unique place that?s in demand, and that means prices are relatively high to stay here, to eat here, to ski and paraglide and so forth.?

The slopeside Residences at Little Nell has 26 large units. They were sold on a fractional basis, but they are also rented like condos or hotel rooms. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

An enviable problem?

Fork Frick, an economic consultant with BBC Research and Consulting in Denver, said the community?s desire for more low-end lodges may be a problem unique to Aspen.

?Aspen is one of the few communities so confident of its high-end market that it might prefer to channel development toward a lower price point,? he wrote in a Nov. 30 memo to city planners. ?Most communities react favorably to high-end hotel or interval ownership proposals, which hold the promise of wealthy customers and associated retail and restaurant sales.?

Frick attended a planning charrette held in Aspen on Oct. 20 by city planners that included a number of local lodge operators, condo managers, real estate developers and land-use planners.

?There was skepticism about the extent of a bed base imbalance or problem in Aspen,? Frick reported to the city about the opinions in the group he sat in on.

?There was deep skepticism that a large (relatively) low-priced hotel could be successful on an ongoing basis, even if development was subsidized,? Frick wrote. ?Actually, there was skepticism that any new hotel, at any price point, could be successfully developed and operated in the current market and under current regulations.?

Another consultant hired by the city underscored that last point ? that it is now too expensive in Aspen to build a straight-ahead hotel that did not include a mechanism for increasing revenue beyond hotel operations, such as selling condos or fractional units.

?There is no simple solution to expanding the city?s tourist bed base,? wrote Brian Duffany of Economic and Planning Systems in a report to the city. ?High land costs are a major barrier to hotel and mid-range condominium development. Real estate economics indicate that any hotel development will need to contain a luxury residential component to subsidize the hotel component.?

Duffany pointed to a 2006 analysis by Hospitality Valuation Consultants which found that it would take land prices as low as $40 a square foot to make a mid-range hotel in Aspen economically viable, especially given the resort?s annual occupancy levels of 50 to 60 percent.

Trouble is, at least for prospective hotel operators, land in downtown Aspen or near Aspen Mountain is now going for about $500 a square foot, according to the EPS report.

?No community faces the same cost, land supply, and regulatory constraints as Aspen,? Duffany noted. ?Even with a major loosening of exactions and density increases, hotel development will still be inhibited by high land costs.?

One veteran local hotel operator agrees.

?When you get into the costs of building in Aspen it becomes very hard to make it work ? from the land, to the stringent codes, to the design/architectural work in conjunction with City Council, to construction costs,? Craig Melville of the Mountain Chalet told the city. ?The cards are stacked against building affordably and thus succeeding as a moderate hotel.?

There are 143 condos at the Gant and most of them are still in the resort?s short-term rental pool. And while many have been renovated, a significant redevelopment could be a difficult and expensive undertaking. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

Old condos

The city?s lodging analysis also highlighted the problem with Aspen?s aging condos.

?Aspen?s condominium inventory is relatively old and obsolete compared to new condominium lodging in competitive resorts such as Vail and Beaver Creek, and Park City (including Deer Valley and The Canyons),? wrote Duffany of EPS. ?Many of Aspen?s condominiums were built in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s and have low ceiling heights and few amenities, such as elevators, wireless internet, health/fitness facilities, or even adequate parking.?

And redeveloping Aspen?s condos won?t be an easy task.

Alan Richman, a veteran local land-use planner, was hired by the city to examine the obstacles to redeveloping existing condo projects in Aspen.

He found in his report that the city?s land-use regulations favor the redevelopment of lodge and hotel properties over condo complexes.

For example, only 14 condo units at a maximum size of 2,000 square feet, and a max height of 28 feet, can be built on an acre of land in the city, which is a much smaller development than it would be for a new hotel or lodge.

Also complicating the situation is that many condos in Aspen are considered ?nonconforming? with the underlying zoning, which means they are subject to strict replacement formulas, including a restriction on additional square-footage.

And if old condos in town have ever been used by locals as year-round housing, then a new condo development has to replace those units with deed-restricted housing, further driving up the costs of redevelopment.

Further, Richman points out that costs have been driven higher recently by new or increased city fees tied to parks, transportation, housing, water, sewage, stormwater drainage and land-use review.

Then there is the reality that many longtime condo owners are happy with their units the way they are, and are not interested in spending lots of money to upgrade them.

?It was suggested that unless a developer is willing to come in and take the risk for them, many owners are unwilling to even put up the funds to evaluate what issues they would have to overcome to make improvements,? Richman wrote in his report to the city.

Ironically, even if many condos in Aspen were upgraded, they might then be pulled off the rental market, as owners may not want their new digs compromised.

The Limelight hotel, owned by Aspen Skiing Co. Approved as a moderately-priced hotel, it is now considered a ?deluxe? hotel. And yet, compared to four and five-star hotels in Aspen, it is probably moderately priced, especially in the off-season. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

City role?

Many of those interviewed by the city didn?t think government could do much to change trends in the local lodging sector.

?I don?t think it?s the city?s place to have an impact on the industry,? John Corcoran, the general manager of the Aspen Alps, told city planners.

If the city does want to see more affordable local hotel rooms, several of the local professionals said, it could reduce red tape.

As Duffany, the consultant with EPS, put it in one recommendation to the city, ?consider offering more flexibility in development review to allow residential units with hotel projects, recognizing the financial feasibility limitations of hotel development.?

And he noted, developers would like to see ?fee waivers, expedited permitting and review, exemption from or reduced housing mitigation requirements, and perhaps limited use of tax increment financing.?

But beyond that, let the market rule, he counseled.

?There was general agreement that it was not advisable for the City to ?get into the hotel business? or to ?pick winners and losers,?? Duffany wrote. ?In addition, the level of financial subsidy required would be unrealistically large.?

In terms of the aging condo issue, consultant Alan Richman said the city could start by sending a positive message to condo owners.

?We believe that the most important thing the city can do is make it clear to the homeowner?s association that the city is interested in seeing these units get remodeled and upgraded and is not erecting barriers to doing so,? Richman wrote.

?One way to change this impression would be for the city to make it easier for owners to accomplish remodels or upgrades that will result in energy efficiency or green building,? Richman wrote. ?Many older complexes have highly inefficient buildings and it would seem logical that the city would welcome these kinds of upgrades, not make them hard to accomplish.?

The stalled second half of the Dancing Bear project, which stumbled shortly after the 2008 recession. One local calls it ?Sitting Bear.? Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

By the numbers:

Aspen?s short-term lodging inventory in local hotels and condo-hotels, by number of units. Note, some similar properties, such as the North of Nell, are not included on this list, which the city compiled as part of its study:

Rooms ? Property
204 ? St. Regis
143 ? The Gant
126 ? The Limelight
122 ? Hyatt Grand Aspen
122 ? Inn at Aspen
101 ? Aspen Square
100 ? Sky Hotel
98 ? Aspen Meadows
93 ? Hotel Jerome
92 ? Little Nell
83 ? Aspen Alps
73 ? Ritz Carlton Club
58 ? Mountain Chalet
53 ? Molly Gibson
45 ? Hotel Aspen
38 ? Aspen Mountain Lodge
37 ? St. Moritz
35 ? Annabelle Inn
27 ? Mountain House Lodge
26 ? Residences at Little Nell
24 ? Independence Square
20 ? Hotel Durant
19 ? Hotel Lenado
17 ? Innsbruck Inn
16 ? Hearthstone House
16 ? Tyrolean Lodge
9 ? Dancing Bear Lodge
8 ? Snow Queen Lodge
8 ? The Residence Hotel
1 ? Christiana Lodge

Source: City of Aspen

Editor?s note: the reports cited in this story are also posted on the city?s long-range planning page.

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A folksy detail at the Mountain Chalet, now symbolic of an another time in Aspen. Photo: Brent Gardner-Smith/Aspen Journalism

Source: http://aspenjournalism.org/2013/01/09/city-study-finds-aspen-not-hospitable-to-new-hotels-condos/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=city-study-finds-aspen-not-hospitable-to-new-hotels-condos

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