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Saint Joseph’s UniversityWhile most college students have traded rigorous academic work for relaxing on the beach, Pottstown resident Alyse Ameer will give up summer vacation to remain on campus at Saint Joseph’s University as a member of the Summer Scholars Program. Ameer is one of 102 students who will engage in faculty-mentored research and creative projects at the University this summer.The program, which runs for 11 weeks from May until August, requires students to work exclusively with a faculty member to produce a written description of their research that will be published by the University, and to present their findings next spring during the Celebration of Student Achievement event. for their work, students receive a stipend of $3,200, on-campus housing, and the opportunity to participate in social and educational programs.Research topics range from local and national issues in the sciences, business, education and history to extended analysis of literature and fine arts.

Ameer, a biology major, will work with Paul Tefft, Ph.D. on their topic, “ The Effect of Watering Regimes on Soybean Cyst Nematode Infection in Soybeans.”Background: Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph’s University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive, educational experience. One of only 152 schools with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph’s is home to 4,650 traditional undergraduate day students, 700 College of Professional and Liberal Studies adult undergraduates, and 3,600 graduate and doctoral students. Steeped in the 450-year Jesuit tradition of scholarship and service, Saint Joseph’s was named to the 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service. The University strives to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.University of KansasThe names of more than 4,850 candidates for degrees at the University of Kansas this spring – representing 94 Kansas counties, 45 other states and 47 other countries – have been announced by the University Registrar. among the graduates is Calvin Lindsey, of Pottstown, Pa. he will receive a Bachelor of Science in Business in Finance.The Class of 2012 includes more than 1,600 students who completed degree work in summer and fall 2011. because KU conducts only one formal Commencement ceremony each year, many of these graduates will return Sunday, May 13, for the university’s 140th Commencement. more than half of the members of the Class of 2012 are expected to participate.Faculty and candidates for degrees will assemble at 10 a.m. along Memorial Drive for the procession, which begins at 10:30 a.m. The program begins about 11:30 a.m. Continued…

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DALLAS, May 21, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ – General Motors recently recognized Sewell Automotive Companies with a pair of prominent national awards, revealing that both Dallas-Fort Worth area Sewell Cadillac dealerships earned the Master Dealer and Dealer of the Year honors.

Sewell Cadillac of Dallas received the Master Dealer award for the 39th consecutive year, making the dealership the only 39-time winner of this prestigious award.  the more recently opened Sewell Cadillac of Grapevine earned honors for the third time.  the Master Dealer award recognizes GM dealerships that consistently demonstrate the highest level of customer service.

In addition, both dealerships earned the esteemed Dealer of the Year distinction, a title reserved for the top 20 Cadillac dealers nationwide in both sales performance and customer satisfaction.  Since GM introduced this award in 2000, Sewell Cadillac of Dallas has attained Dealer of the Year status 10 times while Cadillac Grapevine, which opened in 2004, is a first-time recipient.

“It is truly a notable accomplishment by our Cadillac associates to be honored with both the Master Dealer and Dealer of the Year awards,” said Carl Sewell, Chairman and CEO of Sewell Automotive Companies, “Having both of these dealerships honored is a testament to the Sewell philosophy of providing a superior customer service experience.”

About Sewell Automotive

Established in 1911, Sewell Automotive has been obsessed with service from the very beginning. With 15 franchises spanning the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio, Sewell employs over 1,800 associates. They also represent a growing number of marquis automotive brands including Cadillac, Audi, Buick, Fisker, GMC, Infiniti, Lexus, Mini, and Subaru. In addition to new vehicle sales, Sewell offers a wide variety of pre-owned vehicles along with I-CAR certified collision centers and, of course, award-winning service.  More information on the company and its dealerships can be found at www.sewell.com.

General Motors co. and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

SOURCE Sewell Automotive Companies

NEW YORK–Like a number of charities in the United States, South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) seeks to help needy South Asian children, but not in some distant land like India — these youths are in its backyard in New York City.
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Demra, Bangladesh (CNN) – Centuries ago, "jamdani" was among the most highly prized textiles in the world. But these days it's being replaced by cheaper, mass-produced materials, and the expertise needed to make traditional jamdani is dying out.

Jamdani originated in what is now Bangladesh, many centuries ago. Woven on hand looms, for hundreds of years it was traded everywhere from Bengal to China, and as far west as Italy. Historical accounts from the British East India Company show exports of jamdanis in the 1700s worth millions of rupees.

Today, a six-yard piece of fabric that makes up one sari can cost upwards of $2,000, but creating a sari from jamdani fabric is a labour-intensive process that can take up to seven months. these fabrics can only be made by hand, using traditional manual hand looms.

The advent of cheap machine fabrics has threatened the future of the jamdani makers, but now the ancient art is experiencing something of a revival.

Three decades ago, recognizing the importance of keeping the tradition alive, entrepreneur Monira Eemdad began encouraging weavers to go back to their looms – orchestrating sales through retail shops to keep weavers in business.

“The new generation of weavers don’t want to get into this monotonous work,” Eemdad told CNN’s Leone Lakhani. “It's hard for us to explain to the young ones to do this work.”

She began marketing the saris not just in Bangladesh, but overseas too. Some 15,000 weavers work under her guidance today, with 5,000 pieces of jamdani sold each year, mainly in markets across South Asia.

“The subcontinent is the main market,” Eemdad said. “Then maybe others who live abroad – they demand a lot.”

She added: “Internationally, now the jamdani pattern, the motif, can be made into exclusive materials, for instance very expensive curtains, household items. Or others who are into fashion design can make scarves, put a touch of a jamdani design on a dress, to make it different. There are many forms.”

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WASHINGTON—House Republicans on Tuesday advanced their own version of an election-year bill to protect women from violence.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 17-15 along party lines to renew the 1994 Violence against Women Act that protects abused women and which expired last year. the Democratic-controlled Senate passed a conflicting version last month.

The law historically has enjoyed bipartisan support. but this year, with the presidency and congressional majorities at stake and female voters a pivotal constituency, it’s become the latest vehicle for gender politicking over an issue on which there’s been little debate in less-polarized years.

Republicans say they want to tighten provisions in the Senate bill that would protect abused immigrants — as well as taxpayer money doled out under the law.

Democrats say any effort to change the Senate version is just the latest shot in what they say is the GOP’s “war against women.”

“House Republicans are continuing their war on women by holding VAWA, Violence against Women Act, hostage to their rigid right-wing ideology,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said.

“Some in Congress,” retorted House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, “are trying to use violence against women as a political prop.”

Congress passed the Violence against Women Act in 1994 to provide legal assistance to abuse victims, enforce protection orders, pay for transitional housing aid and establish youth protection programs. Lawmakers of both parties reauthorized it in 2000 and 2005. the law expired last year.

In the Senate this year, Democrats proposed expanding it to specifically protect gays, lesbians and transsexuals in a move designed in part to prod Republicans into opposing the overall bill. Republicans bristled, saying the law already protects those groups. They objected to additional provisions protecting Native Americans and immigrants. Nonetheless, the Senate voted 68-31 to pass its five-year reauthorization.

House Republicans immediately started writing their own version. it came before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday amid protests from women’s groups that called it elitist and anti-victim, among other names. the measure would authorize $599.8 million in federal funding this fiscal year, compared with the Senate version’s $659.3 million. the last VAWA act authorized about $796 million.

Sponsored by Rep. Sandy Adams. R-Fla., a long-ago domestic violence victim, the House bill proposes to crack down on fraud and mismanagement of the taxpayer money dispersed under the law. in rare bipartisan fashion, the committee agreed to a Democratic amendment to strike time limits within which the violence must be reported.

But other differences remained. the most pitched discussion centered on the Republicans’ proposals for protecting abused illegal immigrants and preventing the law from being fraudulently used to secure citizenship or residency.

Immigration laws allow illegal and legal immigrants on temporary visas to apply to cancel their deportation if they have been victims of crime, including battering or extreme cruelty by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and been in the country for three years. the House version grants temporary legal status — so-called U visas — to abused illegal immigrants only if they assist in the investigation and prosecution of their assailants.

“It doesn’t provide them with permanent residency or a path to citizenship,” Smith said. “That should never have been a goal of the U visa program and is not necessary to provide illegal immigrants with an incentive to cooperate with law enforcement officials.”

The House bill also requires the Homeland Security Department to “consider all credible evidence,” including information from the alleged abuser.

Democrats and victims’ rights groups said that violates confidentiality requirements in the existing law that are designed to protect victims. Republicans say the provision is intended to give the government as much information as possible.

“This bill is a direct roll back of VAWA laws,” said Rocio Mollina of the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project at American University. “It fails to protect victims that are vulnerable, that are too traumatized, too scared to report and who face barriers.”

Even here, there’s a personal-political element to the dispute. the determination of whether battered immigrants can have independent legal resident status are made at an immigration office in St. Albans, Vt., home state of the Senate bill’s Democratic author, Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy. the Adams bill would give facilities in other states, such as California and Texas, the same roles.

© Copyright 2012 associated Press. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Skin care smartphone app tracks skin condition over time http://www.diginfo.tv/v/12-0083-r-en.php DigInfo TV – http://diginfo.tv 18/5/2012 Fujitsu Forum 2012 Fujitsu, Fujitsu Laboratories Skin Check Service.
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Ballston Spa now has a Memorial to Submariners from New York State that paid the ultimate sacrifice. this shrine to the fallen serves as a reminder of friends and family lost. Maybe more importantly it will serve to educate future generations of the sacrifice and dedication to our country so many men and women made.

Memorial Day is one of respect, honor, gratitude and admiration. For many of us it has special meaning. the old saying, “freedom isn’t free” rings load and clear this time of year. For my family, it is a day to truly reflect on those that serve and give thanks for each and everyone of them. February 8, 2009 will be etched in my family’s heart forever.  we lost Army 1st Lt. Jared Southworth while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. He embodied the warrior spirit. to honor all those like Jared, we must keep their legacy alive.

The motto, “God, Family and Country” is a way of life to those that serve in our military. Putting on the uniform requires courage, selflessness, dedication and humility. let us never forget what they have sacrificed. we have a debt to each and everyone that we can never repay.

Not only on this day, but every day, let us honor and salute our fallen brothers and sisters who have truly given us the land of the free and home of the brave. As many hearts ache for their loss, as does ours, let their memories never fade.  God Bless America.

Patti SouthworthTown of Ballston Supervisor

Jennifer Bradley Co. offers handcrafted, state-of-the-art makeup application, a medical grade skin care line of moisturizers, serums, and more, that have already received rave reviews. her products and how-to videos are available on …
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The NFLPA recently produced a two-page assessment for players entitled “The Economic Truth about the new NFL CBA.”

On Monday, in separate letters to all players and NFLPA-certified agents, NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth and outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler went into more detail regarding the gains made by players in the new labor deal.

Foxworth’s letter repeats the same bullet points from the two-page document, along with a fourth entry:  “Elimination of two-days and reduced hitting in practices have provided an immediate benefit to players.”

Also citing the higher Injury Protection Benefit and improved medical standard, Foxworth writes that “the new CBA was something that was worth fighting for.”

Kessler’s letter is far more detailed, outlining nine arguments aimed at countering “anti-player critics” who have made “grossly inaccurate” claims that “demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding” of the current CBA and its predecessor.

His points are accurate, even though some of the issues weren’t ever the subject of serious criticism.  for example, Kessler claims that critics believe the current deal is unfair because it reduced the players’ share from “‘nearly 60%’ to an average of 47% during the course of the deal.”  Though we’re aware of no critics who have made that contention, Kessler’s response is accurate.  the prior percentage was applied after the NFL received $1 billion off the top in cost deductions.  the new percentage is much, much closer to a per-dollar formula.

Kessler also points out that the new CBA has minimum cash spending requirements.  Though he doesn’t mention that the per-team minimum of 89 percent doesn’t apply until 2013, he accurately points out that the league-wide minimum is 99 percent in 2011 and 2012, dropping to 95 percent in future years.

Kessler also touts the increase in guaranteed compensation, addresses the belief in some circles that the 55-percent share that goes to the players on national TV and media deal is nevertheless limited by a 47-percent share on all revenue, defends the rookie wage scale, explains that the NFLPA did not surrender group licensing rights to the NFL, and emphasizes the non-economic benefits of the new CBA (such as limited practices, the new Injury Protection Benefit, and other achievements).

Finally, Kessler tackles the contention from a “select number of ‘journalists’” that “the new CBA is not much better than the proposal the owners made to the players in March of 2011,” calling that claim “uninformed and wrong.”  He points out that the proposal offered a fixed cap with no upside, along with dramatically reduced TV revenues as of 2014, and that the March 2011 proposal lacked other key player-friendly terms that appeared in the final deal.

Kessler’s letter represents the first detailed effort to respond to criticism of the CBA, but at no point does he or Foxworth address the comments from owners like Robert Kraft that, under the current labor deal, the salary cap won’t increase significantly for the foreseeable future.  the comparisons by “journalists” like Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal and Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe (and, yes, me) of the final CBA to the March 2011 proposal arose directly from projections and calculations regarding the cap dollars under the final deal in comparison to the guaranteed cap dollars under the March 2011 proposal.  Until the claims from influential owners like Kraft and Bob McNair are addressed, Kessler’s letter can’t be regarded as complete, no matter how thorough it may otherwise appear to be.