Saint Mary’s College is in the process of developing a new initiative called the Master Plan, aimed at realizing the College’s mission and vision, which director of facilities Benjamin Bowman said will be completed over the course of the academic year.“A master plan for Saint Mary’s College will guide short-term decisions about specific elements — from building locations to streets and even the placement of a bench or sign — so they contribute to, and achieve, the desired vision for a functional and beautiful campus,” Bowen said. “We have just started the Master Plan and have not yet defined goals for the project. More concrete ideas will be developed later in the process, most likely by mid-spring semester.”Bowman said these specific elements will likely focus on three main ideas.“The Master Plan is still in the first phases of planning and has not yet developed any concrete proposals,” he said. “However, we anticipate that some of the proposals will most likely focus on: how to efficiently use the existing space on campus, how to enhance the campus experience with planned investments in the facilities and grounds and how to adjust social spaces on campus to be more welcoming. ”He said the College hosted two open forums for faculty and staff last week, allowing them to hear from a wide variety of people within the community.“Attendees were asked what their vision is for the College and what aspects of the College currently work well and need to be preserved,” Bowman said. “As you might expect, after three days of meetings, we started to hear some consistent things, both successes and challenges, from the group. A summary of these consistent themes and findings will be presented to campus in another open forum at a workshop in November.”Bowman said students and community members also can get involved in the development process.“We have been happy to see that many students are adding comments to the website,” Bowman said. “… The website will have new information added to it periodically throughout the process. In addition to the website, open forums will be held when the consultant team is on campus. We encourage students to attend these open forums and share their reactions to the ideas being considered. In November, the open forum will be a summary of what was heard in the October open forums. Later open forums will present conceptual plans and design ideas to the campus community.”Senior Katie Stare, Student Government vice president of external affairs, said students’ and community members’ voices are important, and she is excited to see what the Master Plan does for the College’s future.“I think that it is great that Saint Mary’s is planning into the future to benefit in the long run,” Stare said. “I especially think that the importance they are putting on the perspectives of all those who utilize the campus, whether it be the students, faculty, staff or administrators, allows to have multiple voices be heard on different aspects of the College. Being able to have our, the students’, voices be heard makes our opinions and concerns have the potential to be a part of the Master Plan.”Tags: Campus beautification, Master Plan
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Champlain College announced today that retiring president Dr. Roger H. Perry will deliver the commencement address to graduates of the career-oriented college on Saturday, May 7. The Class of 2005 will hear from this educator and administrator with national and international experience who steered the private institution through a host of changes, leaving it well-positioned for the future.Dr. Perry became the sixth president of the College in 1992. During the prior ten years, he served as Champlains vice president for academic affairs and then provost. After retiring from the College, Perry and his wife, Heather, plan to travel and then teach abroad.Dr. David F. Finney of New York University has been selected by Champlain Colleges Board of Trustees to become the colleges seventh president. He will succeed Perry on July 1, 2005.The word visionary is tossed around too often these days; however, I think it is appropriate to use it here: Roger Perry truly defines visionary leadership, said Bill Post, chair of the Champlain College Board of Trustees.Perry has served the Burlington and Vermont communities through his involvement with organizations such as the Vermont Business Roundtable, Vermont Technology Council, Workforce Investment Board, Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Vermont Higher Education Council and the Association of Vermont Independent Colleges.Perrys reputation for innovation and entrepreneurial skills in the collegiate world led to his election as commissioner for the Higher Education Commission of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. He also served on the executive committee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.During his time as president of Champlain College, Perry initiated 16 new bachelors degree programs, established the Colleges first masters degree, and elevated several other two-year programs to four-year degrees. He established an online learning division, initiated international programs and brought industry-related organizations on campus, including the Vermont Information Technology Center, Putnam Investments, and the State of Vermonts Global Trade Partnership. Champlain College has also provided training for corporations such as IBM, IDX Systems Corp., and Qwest and groups such as Vermont teachers and law enforcement professionals.Prior to arriving at Champlain, Perry was a member of the graduate faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and an associate superintendent of the St. Louis School system. In St. Louis, he received national recognition for establishing partnership programs that linked schools, businesses, cultural institutions and universities. He was also a management extension specialist at Cornell Universitys School of Industrial and Labor Relations and he taught at Cardigan Mountain School in New Hampshire.Perry received his undergraduate degree in economics from Dartmouth College and his Ph.D. in administration from Syracuse University. He and his wife, Heather, also served as Peace Corps volunteers in the Marshall Islands.Post, chair of the Board of Trustees, chronicled several Champlain College highlights during the Perry years: Champlain has been transformed from a two-year to a four-year college that offers traditional classroom instruction, online distance learning and satellite campuses abroad. Who would have guessed a decade ago that we would also offer graduate programs?Our influence has grown from our Vermont roots to New England, then to the nation, then to Israel, India and Dubai, Post said. There has been a dramatic increase in new sports and recreation activities, community service involvement, leadership opportunities and special interest programs. The completion in Fall 2005 of the Student Life Complex is part of Champlains commitment to provide co-curricular and extracurricular activities to all students.Founded in 1878, Champlain College is a private, career-oriented institution offering professional certificates, associates, bachelors and masters degrees in 27 fields of study in business, technology and human services. Champlain College educates 1,700 full-time students and 850 part-time students, and employs 400 faculty and staff in Burlington, Vermont.
MEDIA CONTACT:Shannon Vassar, General ManagerCourtyard By Marriott, Burlington @ Tafts Corner(802) 879-0100COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, BURLINGTON @ TAFTS CORNER DONATES FITNESS EQUIPMENTBURLINGTON, VT November 9, 2007 The Courtyard By Marriott, Burlington, @ Tafts Corners, owned by New Castle Hotels & Resorts, a leading third-party manager and hotel developer, has donated their former fitness equipment to the American Lung Association of Vermont on Hurricane Lane in Williston, VT. The equipment, purchased by the Courtyard By Marriott in 1999, was valued originally at $8900.The American Lung Association of Vermont Staff is sponsoring and participating in the Healthy Air” Walk. The walk is set for Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008 in Downtown Burlington, VT. For more information about this event please visit their website at www.lungvt.org(link is external). The American Lung Association Staff is also training for the Vermont City Marathon in May, 2008, in Downtown Burlington. The Staff is using the equipment to train and prepare for their upcoming challenges. We are so excited said Alissa Ganje, Administrative Assistant at the American Lung Association. All the other New England American Lung Association branches are envious! As a health organization committed to healthy air and improving the quality of life for those living with lung disease its important that as a staff were also taking care of ourselves. This is going to help us do that. exclaimed Danielle Pinders, Director of Development at the American Lung Association of Vermont.The Courtyard By Marriott has updated their on-site fitness room with brand new, state-of-the-art equipment for their guests use while staying at the hotel. The new equipment, consisting of two treadmills and one elliptical cross-trainer, is Life Fitness and has a modern touch, with personal viewing television screens on each unit. Guests can enjoy the full work out experience with the cold months quickly approaching. With all Marriott brand hotels being 100% non-smoking, it gives the full corporate experience of wellness on the road. Our new fitness equipment is key to enhancing the total guest experience. The Courtyards overall mission is enabling people on the road to make life better and we are excited about this addition in our amenity line-up said Shannon Vassar, General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott in Williston.We are happy we could be intricate in the development of the American Lung Associations Marathon team and at the same time, donate our equipment to our corporate neighbor said Sarah Howrigan, Sales Manager of the Courtyard By Marriott. The Courtyard By Marriott Staff delivered the equipment on Friday, October 26, 2007.The Courtyard By Marriott has resided at 177 Hurricane Lane for 7 years since their opening. They serve companies from Chittenden County, Addison County and incoming guests from all over the world. The Courtyard By Marriott has resided at 177 Hurricane Lane for 7 years since their opening. They serve companies from Chittenden County, Addison County and incoming guests from all over the world. They are managed by New Castle Hotels & Resorts which owns, manages and has under development 31 resorts and hotels in the United States and Canada. The hotel management company consistently ranks in the countrys top 100 hotel management and development companies in hospitality industry trade publications. New Castle celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005. For more information on New Castle Hotels & Resorts, please contact Gerald P. Chase, president, chief operating officer, at (203) 925-8370, or visit the corporate website at www.newcastlehotels.com(link is external).###PRESS RELEASEBURLINGTON, VT Oct. 26, 2007 For more information on the Courtyard By Marriott in Williston, VT, please contact Shannon Vassar (General Manager) or Sarah Howrigan (Sales Manager) at (802) 879-0100. You may also visit the corporate website at www.burlingtoncourtyard.com(link is external).
The Southern Appalachians are full of dark corners where things go bump in the night. Check out video of one paranormal investigation team who decided to stay the night in the supposedly haunted Corbin Cabin in Shenandoah National Park.
Modern Americans are rarely deliberately alone, even when pursuing activities that can be solitary (as many outdoor sports are).For example, my outdoor activity of choice is hiking, but I almost always do it with someone else, which usually includes my two canines. But when I’m with others, I’m usually engaged with them, talking, listening and reacting to their signals and needs and making sure the dogs are not too tired or dehydrated. While I enjoy company while hiking, I wonder sometimes whether solitary hiking might be a completely different experience.So, I went to the woods (in Shenandoah National Park) to think deliberately in an environment with little distraction. I picked a trail called Buck Hollow/Mary’s Rock that was rated as “lightly traveled” by my guidebook, left my dogs at home and waited to hike until a Tuesday afternoon when it was forecast to rain. I wanted to be confident that I would truly be alone for this journey, even though it was a short one.The entire hike was a strenuous nine miles and I started late in the afternoon. I’m a fast hiker, though, and figured I could do it in four hours without the dogs, which would put me back at my car at sunset.By 4:30 in the afternoon, it was already dark on the east side of the mountain and the trail clearly hadn’t been hiked in several days because I ran into spider webs about every 100 yards. They soon coated my hair and stuck to my skin.In keeping with my Type A personality (plunge ahead and get it done) I ran into the webs for several miles before I figured out that if I slowed down enough to look for them shimmering in the sunlight between the trees, I could duck before they hit my face.I began to reflect on all the other times I had failed to slow down to see the metaphoric spider webs that could have been avoided. It was strangely difficult to turn off my full-speed-ahead attitude even on solitary hikes.So a few miles in, I began (or at least attempted to begin) shifting my mind from a cell phone, email and Facebook-fueled overdrive to a space that was more serene.It was more challenging than I had anticipated. But eventually, I started to really notice things: a heron, an owl, a frog – animals who never would have shown their faces had I been with my dogs or friends, but were less daunted by a solitary hiker. Moments of extraordinary color and soft light passed and I was aware of them.
But the light and colors that dazzled me didn’t stay. What had been beautiful minutes before became silhouettes and shadow. It almost seemed sinister. Through the trees I could see the gathering of deep cloud folds threatening thunderstorms. Wonder turned to trepidation.Nevertheless, I continued climbing up the switchbacks hoping that as I rose in altitude the light would get better. It did, which is fortunate because it helped me see the bear before she saw me.She was just off trail with her cub. In retrospect, I realized they were probably just foraging. But at the time, she seemed to be thinking about challenging me for the ground between us. I backed around the bend until they were no longer in sight and stood there panting slightly.By this time it was late and I was clearly nowhere near the top. The idea of finishing the hike in darkness and NOT being able to see potential bears was unappealing so I did something I almost never do. I turned around.Going down was faster than going up and I began a half trot to try and beat the coming rain without tripping on a stray root. My senses hummed.The normal distractions inside my head had vanished and were replaced with a powerful awareness of the world around me. The prospects of lightening, bears and things unseen made me anxious and slightly uneasy. But I also heard nighttime calls I normally would have ignored and stopped several times (albeit briefly) to admire funky mushrooms and leaves. It was as if my fear had burned away my over stimulated fog and produced an intimate, sensuous focus in its wake.I got back my car seconds before the first major downpour. I was glad to be done even though I didn’t actually finish what I had set out to do. But the hike did leave a feeling of vitality that lingered long after I had left the trail.I won’t be so bold as to say that hiking alone is better than hiking with others – both ways have their virtues – and I certainly feel more comfortable in others’ company. But the brief discomfort forced me to open my senses to bright, extravagant (and sometimes frightening) pockets of experience I hadn’t even known I was missing.
By Dialogo October 04, 2010 Approximately six hundred individuals have been detained as part of a vast operation coordinated by Interpol in thirteen Latin America countries against a network trafficking in counterfeit goods worth $50 million (36 million euros), from car parts, soft drinks, sneakers, and toys to satellite receivers. Interpol made this announcement in a statement issued at its headquarters in Lyon (in eastern France), before specifying that Operation Jupiter began in March and that since then around three hundred raids and searches have taken place. The operation was carried out thanks to the joint work of police and customs agents, the private sector, and the public prosecutors of the countries involved, Roberto Manríquez, in charge of the operation, indicated in the same statement. “Interpol will continue to work with all of our member countries to target and dismantle the organized crime gangs behind counterfeits and fakes, which not only pose a significant threat to the health and safety of consumers, but also affect national economies, which during these times of global financial crisis can have even more serious consequences,” Manríquez maintained. Operation Jupiter included Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Interpol specified that final results will be announced when the operation is complete.
The Marines have captured Gulf Cartel kingpin Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez, also known as “El Coss.” El Coss was one of the most-wanted men in Mexico. With his capture, the military and police forces have now arrested or killed 23 of the 37 most-wanted drug cartel kingpins in the country. The Gulf Cartel (CDG) is one of the largest transnational criminal organizations in the country. The organized crime group operates primarily in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. The arrest of El Coss could be a serious setback for the CDG. Security forces in Mexico and in the U.S have captured or killed several key CDG leaders in recent years. The organizations has also been weakened by infighting within its ranks, authorities and security analysts said. The capture of El Coss is a major victory for the military “Capturing El Coss is a major achievement for the security strategy of the current administration,” said Jorge Chabat, a security analyst at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE). The Gulf Cartel has been weakened by the arrests of El Coss and the captures and killings in recent years of other CDG leaders, Chabat said. “The Gulf Cartel is not as strong as it was 15 years ago,” Chabat said. The arrests in recent years of other CDG leaders very likely led to the capture of El Coss, the analyst said. “No doubt some of these plaza leaders who were captured provided information to the authorities that led to this major blow, the capture of the leader of the organization,” Chabat said. It is not likely that the Gulf Cartel will completely disband, though some of its members may leave the CDG, Chabat said. “It is likely that many of its members will split up into smaller groups and will continue to rob, kidnap, traffic in drugs and commit other crimes, because that is what they do,” the analyst said. The Marines capture El Coss without a fight A team of about 30 Marines captured El Coss, 41, on the evening of Sept. 12 in Tampico, Tamaulipas, said Adm. Jose Luis Vergara, a Navy spokesman. Vergara spoke during a Sept. 13 press conference in Mexico City where El Coss was presented. A scowling El Coss, flanked by two Marines with M-16 rifles, was displayed at the press conference wearing a bulletproof vest and a checkered shirt and jeans. Expensive jewelry and two gold-plated handguns confiscated during his arrest were also displayed. Ten alleged bodyguards of El Coss were also captured, Vergara said. “Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez headed the Gulf Cartel, considered the second most-powerful criminal organization in the country,” Vergara told reporters. “El Coss overcame internal divisions and directed violent confrontations in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon with his former allies, Los Zetas.” El Coss faces drug trafficking charges and other offenses in Mexico and the U.S. Authorities in the U.S. offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. A series of arrests weakens the CDG The Marines captured El Coss less than a week after another key CDG leader was arrested. A few days before El Coss was captured, a team of Marines and Navy Special Operations Forces arrested Mario Cardenas Guillen, who is also known as “The Fat One.” He was captured during a raid in Altamira, Tamaulipas. The Fat One was allegedly the leader of the Los Rojos faction of the Gulf Cartel, according to published reports. El Coss headed the dominant Los Metros faction of the CDG, according to published reports. Security forces in Mexico and in the U.S. have captured or killed a number of key CDG leaders in recent years: • In late October 2011, U.S. authorities in South Texas arrested Rafael Cardenas Vela, a CDG plaza boss. Cardenas is also known as “Rolex” and “Commander 900.” • In March 2012, he pleaded guilty in federal court in Texas participating in a long-term drug trafficking conspiracy. Rolex is the nephew of former CDG kingpins Osiel Cardenas Guillen, known as “The Friend Killer,” and Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, known as “Tony Tormenta. The Friend Killer was captured in Mexico in 2003, and is now serving a 25- year prison sentence in the U.S. for drug trafficking and other offenses. In November 2010, Tony Tormenta was killed in a gun battle with Marines in Matamoros. • In early October 2011, authorities in South Texas captured Jose Luis Zuniga Hernandez, a CDG leader known as “Commander Wicho.” In January 2011, Commander Wicho pleaded guilty to immigration and firearms charges in federal court in South Texas. In June 2012 he withdrew his guilty plea. The case against him is pending. In the short term, the capture of El Coss may lead to more violence, as other transnational criminal organizations try to take over drug trafficking routes controlled by the CDG, said Chabat, the security analyst. In recent years, the CDG and Los Zetas have battled for control of drug smuggling plazas in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. Los Zetas – which started out as the armed wing of the CDG in the 1990s – will probably become even more aggressive, the analyst said. Also, the Sinaloa Cartel, led by fugitive drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, may try to take over smuggling routes that have been controlled by the CDG, Chabat said. In recent months, the CDG and the Sinaloa Cartel formed an alliance to battle Los Zetas in Nuevo Leon and other regions. That partnership could dissolve with the capture of El Coss, Chabat said. The Marines and Navy Special Forces have been a key force in the battle against transnational criminal organizations. In a recent press conference, Adm. Mariano Francisco Saynez, the Secretary of the Navy, urged President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto to continue the battle against organized crime, with greater use of highly-trained Special Operations forces. By Dialogo September 21, 2012
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York Winter isn’t over yet, folks.Long Islanders are in store for bone-chilling weather Friday as a burst of snow is likely to hit the area later in the day, complimented by strong wind gusts and rapidly falling temperatures.A hazardous weather outlook statement published by the National Weather Service’s Upton office Friday said snow showers and localized snow squalls are expected Friday afternoon into the early evening. The combination of a brief period of heavy snowfall and whipping winds could lead to poor visibility at times and accumulation of up to an inch, forecasters said. “Any areas that experience heavier snow showers or snow squalls will also have potential to experience flash freeze conditions, as temperature rapidly drop below freezing behind the arctic frontal passage late in the day to early this evening,” NWS’s statement said. While the forecast calls for sunny skies during the day and a high near 38, strong winds will make it feel closer to 20. The mercury will plunge as day transitions to night, with wind chill values possibly in the single digits, forecasters said. Snow is expected to fall before 7 p.m.Similar conditions are in Saturday’s forecast, minus the snowfall, and Sunday will be sunny with highs approaching 35. The burst of cold follows a February that was the third warmest on record, characterized by a string of days exceeding 50 degrees and several in the 60s.
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‘Many, many more challenges’ But the IOC warned that the logistics of postponing the Games were extremely complicated, with venues potentially unavailable, millions of hotel nights already booked and a packed international sports calendar.”These are just a few of many, many more challenges.”The IOC is responsible for making any final decision on the Games, and has come under increasing pressure as the coronavirus crisis grows, with more than 14,300 deaths worldwide by Sunday, according to an AFP tally.The virus has already had an impact, with qualifiers cancelled and events to celebrate the Olympic torch arrival and relay scaled back.Despite the measures, tens of thousands of people flocked to a cauldron displaying the flame in northeastern Japan, raising fears about whether the relay can be held safely.The idea of holding the Games on schedule has drawn a swelling chorus of objections.On Sunday, nine-time Olympic track and field champion Carl Lewis, and the head of French athletics, became the latest to urge a delay.”I just think it’s really difficult for an athlete to prepare, to train, to keep their motivation if there’s complete uncertainty. That’s the hardest thing,” Lewis told Houston television station KRIV.”I think a more comfortable situation would be two years and put it in the Olympic year with the Winter Olympics [Beijing 2022] and then make it kind of a celebratory Olympic year.” ‘So irresponsible’ The head of the French athletics federation Andre Giraud also said postponement was inevitable. “Everyone agrees that the Games cannot be held on the dates planned,” Giraud said. And for some athletes, the IOC’s announcement was too little, too late.”So wait… does this mean that athletes face up to another FOUR weeks of finding ways to fit in training — whilst potentially putting ourselves, coaches, support staff and loved ones at risk just to find out they were going to be postponed anyway,” tweeted Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, the world 200m champion.”So irresponsible,” she added. “I was really hoping to hear an announcement that they’d postponed it to 2021 this week.”Canada said it would not send its athletes to any Games held this summer, calling on the IOC and International Paralympic Committee to “postpone the Games as a part of our collective responsibility to protect our communities”.But Bach, speaking to German outlet SWR on Saturday, warned postponement was “a very complex operation.””Postponing the Olympic Games is not like moving a football game to next Saturday,” he said. “Cancellation is not an option,” Abe said, echoing comments from IOC chief Thomas Bach, who ruled out scrapping the Games, saying it “would not solve any problem and would help nobody”.The IOC has also shifted its position on the Games, issuing a statement on Sunday saying it was stepping up planning for different scenarios, including postponement.It said it would hold “detailed discussions” on the “worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement”.A decision should come “within the next four weeks”, the body added.”Human lives take precedence over everything, including the staging of the Games,” Bach wrote in an open letter to athletes. Topics :
And Australia’s Olympic committee told athletes to prepare for a Tokyo Olympics in the northern-hemisphere summer of 2021.”It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July,” Australian chef de mission Ian Chesterman said.For weeks, Japan and Olympic officials have held the line that preparations are moving ahead to hold the Games as scheduled, but there has been increasing pressure from sports federations and athletes whose training has been thrown into turmoil.On Monday, Abe told parliament that Japan was still committed to hosting a “complete” Games, but added: “If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone.” Postponing the Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic may become “inevitable”, Japan’s prime minister conceded Monday, after the International Olympic Committee said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies.The comments from Shinzo Abe were his first acknowledgement that the 2020 Games may not open as scheduled on July 24, as the coronavirus marches across the globe causing unprecedented chaos.Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic committees meanwhile announced they will not send teams to the Games if they are held this summer, citing the health of their athletes and the general public.