The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) 2010 has been notified and come into force with effect from May 1, 2011.

An official press release said FCR Rules 2011 have also come into force from May 1, 2011.

Under FCRA 2010, the concept of "permanent" registration has been done away with and a five-year registration has been provided so that dormant organisations do not continue.

All existing registered organisations are deemed to be on a five-year validity from now, the release said.

The Act has defined "person" in a broader sense. It provides that organisations of political nature cannot receive foreign funds. It prescribes a ceiling on administrative expenses and a procedure for suspension and cancellation of registration.

The Act povides for a statutory role for the banking sector in regulation and for time limits for accountability of officials. To deal with bona fide mistakes of non-Governmental organisations (NGOs), a provision has been made for "compounding" of offences, the release added.

NNN

[JURIST] Utah Governor Gary Herbert [official website] announced on Friday that the state of Utah filed a complaint [statement] in the US District Court for the District of Utah [official website] against the Department of the Interior (DOI) [official website] regarding an order issued by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar [official profile] in December. Secretarial Order 3310 [text, PDF] created a new "Wild Lands" designation for public lands and provided that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) [official website] would maintain an inventory of "lands with wilderness characteristics" within its jurisdiction and integrate the information into decisions regarding land use and management. The order further stated that the BLM should provide recommendations to Congress for designations of areas into the National Wilderness Preservation System [background materials]. The complaint alleges that the order violates provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA) [text] by not following proper procedures for notice and rulemaking and is outside of the DOI's legal authority. Hebert relayed his concerns that the implementation of the order would have a negative impact on Utah's economy by hindering land use and development:In Utah, we have beautiful and resource-rich land. Our lands have supported both a strong energy development industry and a vibrant outdoor recreation industry for years. They can continue to do so if all stakeholders are allowed to collaborate within a proper legal framework to determine the best use for our lands. ... Corporations will not invest the time or resources to prepare new bids and engage in new explorations in an unsteady regulatory environment. This order is bad policy, it's bad for Utah, and it's bad for the entire nation.The complaint asks the district court to void the order, set aside any BLM manuals created pursuant to the order and prevent the DOI from issuing any further orders that would infringe on any existing BLM management plans. This is not the first time a district court has been called upon to settle a dispute over wilderness protection. In February, the US District Court for the District of Idaho [official website] dismissed a lawsuit brought by environmentalists [JURIST report] that challenged the state's "roadless rule" [JURIST news archive] to manage and protect its nine million acres of forests. The National Forest Service (NFS) [official website] issued the Roadless Area Conservation Act [text] in 2001, which prohibited the building of roads or the use of roadless lands in National Parks for timber production. The act is currently in force in all states except Idaho and Alaska. Environmentalists argued that Idaho's version of the rule provided less protection than its federal counterpart. In February 2010, the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website] granted summary judgment [JURIST report] for the NFS, upholding an agreement limiting the amount of timber that can be harvested in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. Several Alaska towns and companies challenged the 2008 forest plan, which, among other things, designated parts of the forest "old growth reserves," limiting the amount of timber that could be harvested.

The environment in which a business must grow is an unpredictable terrain. Rises and dips in markets, sudden technological breakthroughs, and a finicky consumer base can all render a company's original business model obsolete. If your company is lucky enough to survive its initial entry into this volatile mix, it will invariably have to face unexpected fluctuations in the market.

In many cases, debt burdens and a matrix of suspicious creditors can completely negate the goals of a once-profitable business. Financial restructuring is the most effective way of coping with these stressors, and a complicated apparatus of financial and legal safety nets are available to the savvy corporation.

A carefully considered strategy, which includes bringing in qualified leadership, providing honest forecasts, and encouraging administrative transparency, is the only reliable way to ensure long-term viability in an unpredictable marketplace. Financial restructuring is often a last resort, but invariably the most effective one. Here is what you need to know to get started, whom you'll need to bring in to help, and what challenges to expect once the process is underway.

How to Undertake a Financial Restructuring: Redefine Your Goals

Most business models do not have a ready-made solution to drastic changes in an individual market or a severe downturn in the greater economy. Success is planned for; survival is often resorted to. This might sound grim, but success and survival go hand in hand.

Facing a market environment that can change overnight due to the introduction of new technologies and outlets such as social media is a daunting task for any business manager, and often the initial measures taken are not enough. The consequences of continued dependence on obsolete resources and the shock of sudden market change are challenging, but they can be dealt with.

Before the steps listed below can be taken, executives and employees must accept the realities of financial and corporate restructuring, which can include downsizing, departmental re-organization, and changes at the highest levels of management.

The key concepts that should define your new goal are accuracy and honesty. Interested parties who have a financial stake in the success or failure of a company will demand precise predictions and clear objectives. The importance of accurate forecasting is critical to the success of any restructuring plan. Reductions in operating costs and emergency budgeting are short-term measures intended to solidify long-term profits. Without a plan, the channels of credit and liquidity will quickly dry up, and debt burdens will only continue to accrue.

Dig Deeper: How to Turn Disaster Into Gold

How to Undertake a Financial Restructuring: Recognize the Challenges and Bring in Help

Before business models are revamped and organizational systems overhauled, an experienced financial advisor should be brought in to assess the current situation and propose solutions. Here is where financial consultants come to the rescue.

If debt obligations and burdensome operating costs become overwhelming and threaten the immediate viability of your company, financial restructuring is often the only remaining option to keep your business afloat. Fortunately, there are experts available whose job it is to provide reasonable solutions. Consultancy firms such as Plante & Moran and Focus provide resources and advisors that provide critical organizational support from the beginning to end of the process.

If financial forecasts do not predict acceptable timetables for creditors, a plan for debt restructuring is often a necessary procedure. According to Zulqarnain Nizami, a CFO at Al Sraiya Holding Group, based in Doha, Qatar, the right consulting firm should provide most or all of the following qualities:

• Holding experienced human capital
• A good client list with a history of success
• The ability to provide post-restructuring support
• Market experience of at least 10 year.

Nizami points out that the process of restructuring is in many ways similar to product rebranding, and the public face of the endeavor is an important aspect of its success. "If part of the objective is to raise the images of a company by restructuring, then it is preferable to engage a high-profile consultant".

To avoid this, experienced consultants must find ways to replenish the coffers while providing evidence of success to investors. Blake O'Ruairi, a business development manager at Normandy Financial Services out of Olney, Maryland points out the significance of external input. "Companies that go thru re-structuring are usually doing this to streamline process to improve service. This usually boils down to meaning 'we need to save money somehow'. Without the specific knowledge brought by experts into a business to review their process, that company will not find it easy to do."

Most importantly, financial consultants can help ensure operational liquidity while projecting an honest forecast for creditors, shareholders, and management. In many ways the essential goal of restructuring is to convince creditors and stockholders that your company is willing and able to make drastic changes in order to satisfy outstanding debt with repositioning the business within its core market.

Sustainability and profit must be a realistic goal; without creditor and shareholder confidence, the outlook will not be favorable in the long or short term. Creating and preserving financial support from the vested interests is job #1.

Dig Deeper: 10 Tips for Communicating Change

How to Undertake a Financial Restructuring: Identify Leadership

Once the goals are set, there will invariably be some difficult decisions to be made. A financial overhaul might feel like converting an airplane into a helicopter in mid-air, and strong leadership is required to meet the demands of a financial re-boot. Many corporations have found success in turning to a "hired gun": a CEO who is brought in, potentially in a temporary capacity, to implement controversial or painful decisions.

Whether or not your company decides to seek help from outside or continues to rely on internal resources, the CEO should posses a few fundamental qualities. Nizami breaks down the fundamental skill set that the right CEO will bring to the table:

• Ability to define and refine the vision
• Ability to objectively implement and control operations
• Experience in restructuring, in both capital and operational capacity

Considering the challenges and controversies that are sure to be created by the transition, an outside hire is often the natural solution. Until the wagons are circled around leadership and advisory agents that can be relied on with confidence, the specter of imminent bankruptcy will continue to cast a long shadow over the day-to-day challenges of running a business.

Dig Deeper: 5 Tips for Hiring a CEO

How to Undertake a Financial Restructuring: Prepare to Face the External Challenges

Not only will the new leadership have to deal with amplified scrutiny on behalf of creditors and shareholders, but also the challenges of the 24-hour news cycle. In many cases, those most affected by potential restructuring find out from the media before internal communication has been advanced. Fear spreads quickly, especially when the overall economy is experiencing a downturn. The antidote is a clear vision of emergence that management and staff can get behind and implement with determination. Getting ahead of the media is often a necessary first step in stemming disaster.

Bankruptcy and re-organization, especially when undertaken by major corporations, will naturally result in media attention (and probably more that any resulting success will receive). All involved- management, vested interests, and staff- will need to develop a thick skin.

Dig Deeper: 7 Tips for Dealing With a Company Setback

How to Undertake a Financial Restructuring: Open the Lines of Communication

The two major lines that need constant and transparent communication are between:

1. Management and employees: In order for financial and debt restructuring to work, all hands need to be on deck. The often-necessary downsizing and overhaul of familiar protocols and processes can create disorientation, stress, and apprehension company-wide. The solution is transparency and the fostering of a community effort.

2. Financial consultants and creditors: At the end of the day, a company's survival may depend of the goodwill of potentially disillusioned creditors and holders of debt. It is the responsibility of the financial consultant, in tandem with the CEO, to present a clear and focused strategy for reducing debt and costs while maintaining market viability. Creditors ensure operation and must be convinced that the compass is pointing in the right direction. It is equally important for those responsible for the plan to present a clear and honest agenda to the staff who will be ultimately responsible for implementing it.

O'Rauiri sees employee feedback as a crucial, and often overlooked, resource. "Management, unless working day to day with the issue their staff have to contend with, usually don't have the same appreciation of problems or solutions. When a blanket "save money" type order comes from HQ or the CEO, management has a tendency to do the things that show immediately (often staff reductions) rather than stepping back and looking at the whole picture. Using your employees' past experience should be compulsory, but isn't."

Clarity and community are key aspects of any transition, and in business, a positive group dynamic is essential to capitalizing on the gains made through restructuring.

Dig Deeper: How to Deliver Bad News to Employees

How to Undertake a Financial Restructuring: Stay Committed and Know That Restructuring Works

It is likely that some aspects of restructuring- systemic change, outsourcing, staff reduction- can sow doubt, both internally and externally. To get through this, focused leadership, excellent advice, and complete transparency must be applied to the disruptive and challenging process of reversing a company's downward trend. CEO's and consultants must keep the light at the end of the tunnel bright enough for every concerned party to see clearly- creditors and employees alike.

Although many companies emerge from the darkness of bankruptcy and debt restructuring with less resources and staff than they started out with, there are many examples of the rapid recovery and success that results. An experienced consultant and a focused CEO should be able sustain a corporate juggling act: ensuring a company's operational capacity while assuaging creditors, reducing debt, and suspending the morale of its' staff. Although never easy, the ultimate dividends from financial restructuring are ultimately worth the struggle.

Dig Deeper: How to Successfully Rebrand Your Business

How to Undertake a Financial Restructuring: Additional Resources

Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups by Stuart C. Gilson

Restructuring For Growth by John C. Michaelson

Crackdown on dissent continues with apparent detention by authorities in China of two more associates of activist-artist

A lawyer linked to Ai Weiwei went missing on Thursday night and a designer from the company handling the artist's affairs was taken by police six days ago, according to supporters.

Friends have not been able to reach Liu Xiaoyuan for almost 24 hours. The rights lawyer posted a message on a microblog at 8pm on Thursday saying he was being "followed by identified people". His phone is switched off.

Last week he said he would "of course" act for Ai if requested. He spent several hours at a police station on the day Ai disappeared, although his brief detention did not appear to relate to the artist. It occurred after he requested to visit a female activist and officers reportedly berated him for tweeting about another missing lawyer.

Separately, a letter issued online on Friday said plainclothes police seized designer Liu Zhenggang, 49, at his home in Beijing on 9 April and no one had been able to reach him since. Liu worked for FAKE, the design and architecture firm that handles Ai's affairs and belongs to the artist's wife.

Police did not respond to queries about the two men.

Ai's detention has sparked an international outcry, and his case is far from alone. The last two months have seen dozens of lawyers, dissidents and activists being criminally detained and arrested or simply going missing in one of the toughest crackdowns for years. It appears to have been sparked by anonymous calls on websites overseas for "jasmine revolution" protests inspired by the Middle East uprisings.

Ai was stopped at Beijing airport on 3 April and has been incommunicado ever since. Officials have said he is under investigation for economic crimes but police have still not informed his family that he is detained.

Also missing are his friend Wen Tao, 38; driver and cousin Zhang Jinsong, also known as Xiao Pang, 43; and accountant Hu Mingfen, 55.

An open letter to the ministry of public security and Beijing police, signed by Ai's wife, Lu Qing, as well as colleagues and relatives of the missing, urged an investigation into the disappearances. The Guardian was unable to reach Lu but a friend of Ai's posted a link to the letter and a studio assistant confirmed it was genuine.

"The people ... all disappeared or got kidnapped in a very short period of time and we request that the public security bureau investigate the matter. We are deeply concerned about the situation Ai Weiwei and his colleagues are in now," the letter said.

"Kidnapping citizens or making them disappear is a severe crime and it immensely hurts people, relatives and friends around them.

"We believe justice can only exist if every administrative procedure is carried out in accordance with the law. Otherwise any conclusion or result that's been drawn does not hold water ... We hope that the public security bureau can act according to the law and protect people's rights."

Reuters reported that a third person had been sent to re-education through labour after taking pictures of police officers at a site proposed for a "jasmine revolution" protest on 6 March.

Wang Yuqin said her husband Yang Qiuyu, 48, a campaigner for the rights of petitioners, was seized by police at Xidan in Beijing.

She said she would hire a lawyer and sue authorities for sending him to a labour camp without trial. "They want to use labour camps to crush dissent," she said.

Rights groups say that lawyer Ni Yulan, who was taken by police a few days ago, has been criminally detained for "creating a disturbance". A person close to her, who did not want to be named, told Reuters: "She has nothing to do with it [the "jasmine revolution" call] ... She was very careful about not getting involved.

"The innocent are being taken away. It's getting more and more terrifying out there."

The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institution warned in a statement: "An expanding catalogue of abductions by the Chinese authorities [is creating] a climate of fear. The IBAHRI calls on the Chinese government to release all illegally detained human rights lawyers; cease all forms of harassment of the same; and to make a public statement on the whereabouts of 'disappeared' lawyers, the reasons for their arrest and their treatment in detention."

The Supervisor of Site Operations is responsible for oversight of operations at the Mayer Kaplan JCC. As a key liaison with the agency staff, members and the community, the Supervisor of Site Operations provides the framework by which their staff provides the very highest level of customer service.

As agency wide Fee Assistance coordinator, the Supervisor is responsible for implementation and administration of the Fee Assistance process. This includes management of information, expectations of both internal and external contacts, application procedures, and feedback to the customer. The Supervisor works closely with the Women’s Auxiliary Board of JCC Chicago to implement and administer JCC’s standard Fee Assistance process.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Work with Director of Site Operations to understand and implement the vision, strategy and operation “best practices” that align with JCC impact and growth objectives. Meet regularly with Business Services team to review and continually reassess strategic and tactical goals.
• Responsible for management and oversight of all building operations including opening/closing, room set ups, work order facilitation and general building ambiance.
• Oversee and monitor payment plans, receivables, credits and transfers; make collection calls as needed. Ensure all cash handling and maintenance is done according to Agency wide policies.
• Work with supervisor and Financial Manager to develop and remain compliant with administrative budget.
• Review monthly aging report and address outstanding issues.
• Process all Daycare Action Council accounts; work with members using this resource, maintain the accounts and install the payments.
• Manage the new Fee Assistance process, policy and procedures across the agency.
• Prepare and daily bank deposits. Provide bank deposit backup to Membership Management team.
• Manage accounts payables process. Act as purchasing agent for site administrative needs. Code and submit bills for payment to agency central accounting
• Work with direct staff and Managers on site to address customer feedback and incorporate this feedback into customer service and facility improvement plans.
• Ensure compliance with all licensing and certification requirements and make certain that all program environments are safe, secure and clean.
• Ensure transmission of timely hiring/payroll paperwork between the site and Central HR; compile and verify the completion of timesheets, supervisor approvals, completion of summary vacation/sick logs.
• Building maintenance coordination, including touring the building with the maintenance staff to ensure that the building is safe and secure. Review and maintain all facility accident/incident reports.
• Responsible for general safety and security of the building; communication and implementation of building, emergency and crisis management procedures.
• Manage office equipment including fax, copy and postage machines, monitor usage and service needs as well as office supply inventories.
• Manage scholarship budget allotted for each product and ensure that all awards are within budget.
• Provide phone/customer service training to direct staff and those providing coverage at the front desk.
• Manage Administrative Aides. Ensure staff meets job and agency standards and expectations; Be knowledgeable of all areas of the union contract and ensure compliance..
• Assess direct staffs abilities to meet “best practice” expectations and facilitate ongoing training and development.
• Schedule and facilitate regular site staff meetings in which all are engaged in planning and problem solving regarding facility issues.
• Provide front desk coverage during Front desk admin lunch break and other times as needed.
• Meet regularly with Maintenance Supervisor to review facility issues, implications for our members and staff and develop and implement solutions.
• Work with site staff to ensure they understand and adhere to agency and site policies and procedures which allow for seamless business operations.
• Work with Director of Facility Management & Security and Director of Information Services to provide upkeep and maintenance of member ID system.
• Be actively engaged in understanding the community needs in order to serve as key liaison to the community; proactively provide information and support.
• Actively participate in Product and Agency-wide events.
• Develop partnerships with local municipal organizations in order to provide the best oversight of the Mayer Kaplan JCC.
• Provide the highest level of customer service and sensitivity to JCC Chicago customers in all matters pertaining to the FA process. Respond to questions in a confidential and timely manner, manage customer expectations and handle disappointments with objectivity and sensitivity.
• Ensure customers know the avenues available to them to provide customer feedback. Provide ongoing communication to customers to solicit their feedback.
• Be knowledgeable on all JCC programs in order to actively and effectively stewarding families through the array of JCC offerings.

REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, or experience equivalent.
• 3+ years experience in all aspects of business operations including bookkeeping, budgets, process & procedure development and implementation.
• Experience working in a highly customer – focused environment.
• Previous supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated success working as a change agent in an environment under evolution preferred.
• Experience managing and reporting out of databases
• Experience working collaboratively with colleagues at all levels of staffing a must!

TO APPLY:
Send cover letter and resume to:
Sari Klein, Team Discovery
Sari_klein@hotmail.com

• Location: Skokie
• Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Job DescriptionPostingsScreeningAuto-Reply Job Description
THIS IS A GREAT JOB FOR RIGHT PERSON!!!! Immediate openning as of 4/11/2011

IS THERE VERSATILE PERSON OUT THERE WHO CAN DO BOTH FRONT AND BACK OFFICE WORK ?

Many people have applied that are not candidates. Here are the top reasons:

Experience!!!!!: Candidate must have 3 years PRIMARY CARE or INTERNAL MEDICINE office or clinic experience. Please do not apply if you do not meet this criteria.

Candidates live too far away: less than 20 miles and Northern VA preferred, commute realistically must be less than 45 minutes.

A small , unique Internal Medicine and Concierge Medical Office Practice in Arlington Virginia is looking for a highly qualified and experienced medical office worker who can perform front office and back office duties (see below)

A well established multi-specialty physician in Arlington Va has converted his primary care , internal medicine practice into a so called boutique , fee for service , or concierge medical practice . These links are good back ground material on the nature of concierge medicine { http://ezinearticles.com/search/?q=concierge+medicine+ and http://ezinearticles.com/?Branding-Concierge-Medicine&id;=3145015 } and {www.AAPP.org} Check out this typical web site for a concierge medical practice showing the usual patient centered features {http://www.priorityconciergemd.com/index.php} . All candidates should review this material as during the interview of a candidate for the position , the doctor may ask basic questions derived from reviewing the above three links. So please make sure you know the concept of a concierge medical practice.

The doctor has many specialties and seeks to optimize patient's health and provide increased wellness and longevity . Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Hypertension, Nephrology are the main basic specialties. The doctor also is certified in Bioidentical Hormones for Men and Women, Antiaging Medicine, Functional and Integrative Medicine and Medical assisted weight loss including HCG diets plans and Nutritional Detoxification. The doctor takes a holistic , patient advocate approach to his patients stressing healthy living , exercise, proper nutrition and preventative medicine . All workers in this practice must act as healthy role models . This is a non-smoking practice and workers must meet a fitness standard.

Candidates should read about Antiaging Medicine www.worldhealth.net , functional medicine http://www.functionalmedicine.org/ , Bioidenticalhormones at www.bodylogicmd and HCG diet at http://hcgdietinfo.com/HCG-Diet-Protocols.htm or check these areas out on Wikipedia . Patients come to see this doctor from all over the United States. The doctor teaches medical students, has teaching appointments at two local medical schools and gives frequent lectures and presentations to other providers.

The practice provides some cutting edge testing and assessments which will require the medical office worker to learn new skills. Among them are ambulatory blood pressure monitors, the H Scan test which assesses biologic age( http://www.rejuvagroup.com/anti-aging-technology.html ) , CNS VitalSigns test which assess cognitive function (https://www.cnsvs.com/ ) and the early detection of cardiovascular disease with the CV Profiler (http://www.srmcheart.com/cv%20profile.htm) The practice also does some laser procedures to reduce body fat and the candidate for this position will be taught to administer the laser treatments. The candidate should checkout the above tests. Two are given to patients at a computer work station and one the CV Profiler requires application of a device externally to the wrist above the radial artery.

The office is completely computerized and an electronic medical record is used. Candidate must be skilled at using computer technology as most of the clinical data entry is through computerized medical records. The candidate will be trained on the EMR and will be required to participate in remote webinars for EMR training. The practice has several web sites and social media sites. Web sites are constructed so doctor and staff may add and edit content . Any candidates who have had experience with web sites , writing newsletters , using social media and practice marketing should indicate so and explain the details . The practice values a candidate with computer, social media, internet, website and marketing skills. This practice is high tech and technophobes need not apply.





The duties of the medical office worker will include front and back office. Candidates who prefer only back office or only front office are not the best for the position as skills and willingness to learn and perform back and front office tasks is a central requirement. A example of the type of medical office worker who would be appropriate for this position is a medical assistant who has done blood drawing ( blood drawing is not a requirement as the practice has a fulltime commercial lab station on site with a lab company provided phlebotomist , but from time to time candidate may be asked to draw blood if they are good at it and the phlebotomist can’t get the draw) , office lab ( no in office lab is presently done) , stress tests , holter monitors , pulmonary function tests, flexible sigmmoidoscopy , hearing tests, injections IM and SQ , no IVs , procedure assists, patient check in , patient call back for lab results and instructions , calls to insurance companies to pre-auth medications and imaging studies , and patient education ( show patients how to administer injections of meds) .

Beyond the medical assisting mentioned above, the ideal candidate would have also had experience in answering the phone and making appointments and other front office administrative tasks. The medical office worker must show critical thinking, self confidence and "people pleasing” skills. This is self evident after review of the concept of Concierge Medicine. It is important for the candidate to think “on their feet and on the fly.” The practice is not seeking "robots." who need to be told what to do at every turn. It goes without saying , that excellent communications skills using the English language is a major requirement.

While not a requirement if any candidate has background as a dietician , nutritionist , personal trainer or other health program , please mention that in resume . Weight management patients often require strong support from staff . So for example, if a candidate was a former “weight watchers employee” or if he or she previously worked in a functional medicine practice or has dietician background etc , please mention this in resume. Practice uses and sells many neutraceuticals ( vitamins and other supplements) and puts patients through so called nutritional “detoxification’ protocols. A candidate used to helping with supplement protocols would be plus.

When submitting a resume, the candidate should explicitly state their experience with specific front and back office tasks. Example, “I have fully worked with a Pentax flexible sigmoidoscope including the preparation, the cleaning and the care.” Or “I have done treadmill stress tests.” Or “ I have placed , hooked up , sent for analysis cardiac holter monitors.” Or “ have skills in MS WORD , EXCELL, and Outlook.” Or I worked with an Electronic Medical Record (give brand name) , I entered clinical data, I ran recall reports, “I made appointments, I interacted with support company(name them) to troubleshoot computers. “ or “I have accounts on Twitter and Facebook and I blog on my website.”

Presently the staff in the office consists of a senior medical office worker with all the above qualifications , an office manager and the doctor. It is a small office seeing 15- 20 patients per day, sometimes as few as 12 patients. Because of the Concierge Medicine , the practice intentionally sees a limited number of patients and spends more time with each . Practice is not a frenetic , disorganized “no one knows what is going on” type , but a comfortable , friendly , service oriented type. We pride ourselves in being able to call patients by first name and recognizing their face. Patients are not treated like a “number” Some of the specialty patients for hormones, antiaging , functional medicine spend over three hours with the doctor on the first visit! The practice seeks a "twin” employee to the present senior medical office worker so that when one is on vacation, the other will be comfortable with doing most tasks, front or back in the office. Please not e, while the new medical office worker will be trained by both the senior medical office worker and the office manager, the new “twin” medical office worker will be the direct employee of the doctor who will provide major instruction and supervision to the new worker .

Most important is the personality of the candidate. Outgoing , energetic , engaging , comforting , caring encouraging and supportive are the qualities needed by the medical office worker. The patients of this practice are paying a premium to be given top notch, efficient and personalized care. Unlike many offices today, all patients are seen by the doctor, there are no nurse practitioners or PAs. Patients will be seen on time and will be addressed as if they are known. The office was just redone and it creates an environment for a "Patient Centered Medical Home"

Salary and benefits are negotiable depending on skill sets and experience of the candidate. This position is unique and interesting . Please send resumes and include salary range willing to accept as starting salary . Be sure to include the specific front and back office tasks that have been done with details. The position remains open as of 3/13/2011 and it needs to be filled ASAP. Interviews continue. Please do not apply if you live more than 30 minutes or 20 milles away from Arlington , VA

• Location: Arlington , Virginia
• Compensation: Salary and benefits are negotiable depending on skill sets and experience of the candidate. Please send resumes and include salary range willing to accept as starting salary
• Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

White wrote down the move 19.fxe4, which loses swiftly. He did not play it. He then thought about it, crossed it out and wrote down the move 19.Re3*, which he subsequently played.

This is illegal.

In fact, simply writing the move down before playing it is illegal. The possibility that one might then change it is the whole reason for the law.


White wrote down the move 33.Rb4, which loses swiftly. He did not play it. He then thought about it, crossed it out and wrote down the move 33.h4, which he subsequently played.

This is illegal.

In fact, simply writing the move down before playing it is illegal. The possibility that one might then change it is the whole reason for the law.

As it happens, the first game was won by Black: the second ended in a draw which did not affect the match result. But let's have a look at the Laws Of Chess: specifically, at article 8, "The recording of the moves".

8.1

In the course of play each player is required to record his own moves and those of his opponent in the correct manner, move after move, as clearly and legibily as possible, in the algebraic notation (See Appendix C), on the scoresheet prescribed for the competition.

It is forbidden to write the moves in advance, unless the player is claiming a draw according to Article 9.2, or 9.3 or adjourning a game according to the Guidelines of Adjourned Games point 1.a.

This is plain enough: "forbidden", save for some clearly-defined exceptions. It should not happen. It is not permitted.

Except that it does happen, and is permitted. Because there is nothing in the rules to say what penalty is applied to those who transgress that rule.

At least, this is true at club level, though it can work differently in tournaments. In the first of the two instances cited above, which took place in an international tournament, I called an arbiter, who applied no penalty but did inform the other player that the action was illegal, which I understand is a generally applied procedure (a second infraction resulting in, I think, a warning, and a third in loss of the game).

Which is OK as far as it goes, though it is at very least strange to have an infracton of the rules for which there is no penalty. But in the second instance, there was no arbiter to whom I could appeal, and had to point out the infraction to my team captain - who was unaware the rule existed. My opponent, who said he was aware, was apologetic, though he continued to do the same thing, to transgress the same rule, until the end of the game.

As you may gather, I am not entirely happy about this. I don't like being in a position where I am playing to one version of the rules and my opponent is playing to another. I also don't like being in a position where drawing attention to those rules is not effective, and hence causes more inconvenience to the player who complains about a breach of the rules than is caused to the player who commits it.

It's a relatively new rule, of course, and one that goes directly against what many of us learned and practised, which was to write down the move first and play it only after some further thought. I learned that from Simon Webb, and also, I think, from Kotov, and followed their advice for perhaps twenty years.

So when the rule was made, on the grounds that writing the move in advance constituted the making and consulting of notes, it required took a certain amount of unlearning of well-establish habits, a process a lot of players have never undergone. Which may explain why, in my experience, it's one of the most-ignored rules in the book (along with, for instance, adjusting the pieces with the opponent's clock running and not recording draw offers). It's difficult for people to change. I appreciate that. But it is either a rule or it is not. And if there is no penalty for breaking that rule and doing the very thing the rule is supposed to prevent, what purpose has the rule?

I think there are two issues here. One is that the Laws of Chess make great deal of reference to arbiters, and yet are meant to apply in many situations where there are no arbiters present. This renders a little problematic the preamble, in the Laws, which states:

the Laws of Chess cannot cover all possible situations that may arise during a game, nor can they regulate all administrative questions. Where cases are not precisely regulated by an Article of the Laws, it should be possible to reach a correct decision by studying analogous situations which are discussed in the Laws. The Laws assume that arbiters have the necessary competence, sound judgement and absolute objectivity. Too detailed a rule might deprive the arbiter of his freedom of judgement and thus prevent him from finding the solution to a problem dictated by fairness, logic and special factors.

Perfectly reasonable, but the problem is that the Laws frequently need to be interpreted and applied by people who do not "have the necessary competence, sound judgement and absolute objectivity". And this seems to me to require a slightly different, tighter approach.

The second is the rule itself. I've never liked it much. When it was introduced I thought it an over-pedantic interpretation of what constituted a note, although there are many others who think it a good rule and a necessary one. Either way, if you're going to have a rule, then players should abide by it, and if they don't, then either set out clearly what should happen, or don't have the rule at all.

As it goes, there's a very close analogy elsewhere in the Laws, and one with which we're all familiar, in which the player who has clearly made a selection is prevented from changing it. It's in Article 4, "The act of moving the pieces".

4.3

Except as provided in Article 4.2, if the player having the move deliberately touches on the chessboard:

a.
one or more of his own pieces, he must move the first piece touched which can be moved.

It's analogous to touching a piece. Everybody knows that if you touch a piece, you have to move it: it requires no arbiter to say so.

So all right. Suppose we looked at 8.1 the same way? We might amend it as follows:

It is forbidden to write the moves in advance, unless the player is claiming a draw according to Article 9.2, or 9.3 or adjourning a game according to the Guidelines of Adjourned Games point 1.a. If a move is written in advance, the player who has done so shall be obliged to play it.

Too draconian? Probably. All right, how about this?

It is forbidden to write the moves in advance, unless the player is claiming a draw according to Article 9.2, or 9.3 or adjourning a game according to the Guidelines of Adjourned Games point 1.a. If a player does write a move in advance of playing it, and subsequently plays another, they should be warned on the first occasion, and on the second, required to play the move originally written.

Or similar. I'm up for alternative suggestions. What I'm not up for is playing to rules that other people aren't expected to play to.

Yes, of course I can see objections to this - suppose for instance that the original move has been scrubbed out so thoroughly as to be impossible to reconstruct? - and yes, of course I can see how people might feel it's taking a small point too seriously. (Then again, I thought that when the rule was created.) But people playing by different rules is something to take seriously. As is having rules which you don't enforce.

If this was just a one-off, it'd be a different story. But that's twice in less than a year, and only the two most recent occurrences of several in my games: and if it's repeatedly happening to me, my guess is that it is happening all the time. I think it's stupid to have rules that in practice are not applied, and wrong to put players in the position where they can't expect them to apply. So let us either enforce it, or let us not have the rule at all. For having laws which are not enforced brings the law itself into disrepute.



[* actually 19.Te3, the Spanish for rook being torre.]

Posted by Horacio Gutierrez
Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel

Reform of the U.S. patent system continues to make significant strides, with the introduction of the “America Invents Act of 2011” (HR 1249) by House Judiciary Committee Chairman  Lamar Smith (R-TX).

Microsoft supports the bill, which would:

• Establish a system to ensure needed funding for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to continue to improve patent quality and reduce pendency;

• Move the U.S. to adopt a “first inventor to file system,” enabling greater harmonization of patent processes with other countries that already follow this approach, and adopting the international norm of a "prior user rights" system to protect those who invented and implemented earlier but chose not to file patent applications; and

• Provide the USPTO with additional administrative tools, including a new post-grant review procedure, to help eliminate questionable patents, and provide more reasonable timelines to invoke that procedure and the inter partes review system.

The House bill, like its Senate counterpart, focuses on key elements of patent reform around which  all interested parties can find common ground, while moving beyond controversial issues that have held up passage in prior years. With the Senate having already passed similar legislation, the prospect for enactment of these needed reforms looks brighter than ever.

We are pleased to see this momentum and continued progress towards strengthening the U.S. patent system. We remain concerned, however, about two little-considered provisions in the House bill (both of which are also present in the Senate bill) that would establish special rules applicable to so-called tax strategy and business method patents. While we understand the concerns that motivate these provisions, we believe that they are out of step with international practice and will lead to unintended consequences.

The U.S. has been a strong proponent of robust IP protection worldwide, including patent protection for inventions in all fields of technology, including cutting-edge technologies. If our country begins to adopt special rules based on the subject matter of the patent, it could encourage other countries to do the same, potentially weakening essential IP protections for American innovators around the globe. And within the U.S., the ambiguous definitions of what patents relate to tax strategies or business methods could lead to confusion in the marketplace and to increased litigation.

As many Members pointed out during the March 30 hearing on HR 1249 before the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet, now is the time for stakeholders of all perspectives to come together toward consensus on this important legislation, and to avoid inserting new or controversial provisions that could threaten progress toward enactment. We look forward to working with Congress and other stakeholders toward enactment of consensus reform that fosters U.S. innovation and promotes the health of the U.S. and global patent systems.

 

The Administrative Assistant, Physical Production will manage the day-to-day administrative functions, as well as be prepared to interface with a variety of creative clients and high level executives.

Research special projects (locations, crew availability, logistics, liaison with film commissions, Etc.) during pre-production

Create welcome packet, preliminary crew list, and studio contact lists for individual production offices during preparation

Act as liaison between production office and studio with respect to policy and procedure compliance and verify systems are in place

Assist with all office duties (telephones, schedules, calendar, files, correspondences, travel, expense, reports, etc.) for VP of Physical Production

Assist in research of potential above the line crew hire availability and scheduling

Some of the responsibilities may include finding and setting up offices, ordering equipment/furniture/supplies, procuring of telephone access, arranging for security/parking access, arranging travel for producers, directors, and crew

Schedule meetings (production, finance, transportation, asset, clearances, computer support, labor relations, product placement, safety, insurance, etc.) between filmmakers and studio department heads specific to each project

Supervise wrap of production office and coordinate delivery of production files to studio; follow up on resolution of issues outstanding at wrap

Track production status on a daily basis. Prepare weekly analysis report for VP of Production.



To apply, send resume to: Hollywoodjob15@yahoo.com

• Location: LA
• Compensation: Competitive
• Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

OUR MISSION
The mission of the Museum of Art & History is to “promote a greater understanding of contemporary art and Santa Cruz County history through exhibitions, collections and programs that benefit the County’s residents and visitors.”

The Museum of Art & History, located in downtown Santa Cruz, was established in 1996 with the merger of The Art Museum of Santa Cruz County (founded in 1979) and The History Museum of Santa Cruz County (founded in 1986). The museum has 3,485 square feet of gallery space, primarily devoted to rotating art exhibitions and 2,300 square feet devoted to a permanent Santa Cruz County history exhibit. The Museum’s three-story structure was built expressly as a museum after the 1989 earthquake. The museum also stages exhibitions at the County’s 800 square foot historic Octagon Building, adjacent to the Museum, and off site, utilizes historic Evergreen Cemetery as a living history classroom.

For more information visit our website at www.santacruzmah.org.


POSITION OPENING: ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER
Assists Executive Director with Museum administration, operations and development tasks.

Duties and Responsibilities

General Office Management:
• Carry out general office manager functions.
• Manage service agreements pertaining to the welfare of the office equipment.
• Provide IT support for the office computers and network administration.
• Fill in at Visitor Services as needed.

Financial/Accounting:
• With oversight by the Executive Director, oversee fiscal management including accounting, purchasing, insurance, and contracts.
• Following proper accounting procedures, manage the day-to-day financial operations of the Museum using QuickBooks and Excel software.
• Maintain an accurate accounting procedure for processing income and disbursements and keep functional and accurate financial records.
• Process revenue, accounts receivable and cash receipts.
• Process purchases, accounts payable and cash disbursements.
• Process payroll and all aspects of the payroll process.
• Assist the Executive Director in developing and maintaining sound financial and administrative practices including the preparation of the annual budget.
• Maintain up-to-date files of paid receipts; issue checks on a timely basis.
• Manage two yearly audits: financial and Workers Compensation.
• Reconcile daily admission receipts.
• Process cash, checks and credit card payments and prepare bank deposits.
• Compile monthly bank account reconciliations, prepare reports and send to the Board treasurer and Executive Director.

Human Resources:
• Administer payroll, health, dental, and retirement benefits for Museum staff, including required reporting to government agencies.
• Manage the yearly renewal of staff coverage for health, dental and Worker’s Compensation.
• Maintain staff directory, payroll records and personnel files in accordance with Federal and State regulations.
• Manage records and reporting of payroll for contract personnel.
• Maintain and update Employee Manual and implement and conduct employee orientation.

Development and Board Support:
• Maintain calendar of grant and major gift proposals.
• Create budgets and financial reports and compile supporting documents.
• Prepare and maintain Trustee binders and Board documents.
• Prepare and distribute monthly meeting packets for Board, Executive and Center Management Meetings including minutes and agendas.
• Act as secretary at monthly general Board, Executive and Center Management meetings.
• Assist with related tasks as requested.

Special Projects:
• Coordinate printing and delivery of MAH publications; coordinate sales including special events/book signings; perform annual inventory and quarterly sales reports; fulfill orders.
• Manage and train staff/volunteers on the AuctionPay Database for the successful running of annual fundraising event.

Other Responsibilities:
• Successfully and passionately represent the Museum, its mission and its goals to the community.
• Develop and implement tools and measurements to evaluate success of tasks and projects connected to this position.
• Other duties as assigned (may include grant writing, grant administration, or major gift support).
• Demonstrate commitment to the Museum’s mission and values.
• Support the Museum’s mission with exemplary customer service.
• Promote the Museum’s programs.
• Exhibit maturity, diplomacy and common sense in working closely with all Museum of Art & History constituent groups, especially staff and trustees, members, visitors, volunteers, artists, historians, strategic partners, donors and the community.

Qualifications

Education:
• Bachelor’s degree and four years experience managing business/office operations for a non-profit organization or comparable arts administration experience.
• Degree or courses in accounting or finance.

Skills:
• Strong computer skills with an emphasis on administrating a Windows based Local Area Network, computer hardware and software maintenance.
• Knowledge of QuickBooks, Word, Excel and FTP protocols.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with attention to detail.
• High degree of professionalism; highly organized.
• Adherence to organizational and accounting best practices.
• Ability and interest in working as part of a team.
• Self-starter; strong work ethic.
• Ability and knowledge around working with confidential and proprietary information.
• Experience with development work, including grant proposal preparation, writing and reporting, desirable.


Reports To: Executive Director

Hours: Part-time to Full-time, commensurate with experience, qualifications and the discretion of the Executive Director, exempt, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to TBD.

Salary: Commensurate with experience. Health and dental benefits, Personal Time Off (PTO), paid holidays.

To Apply:
Please email a cover letter and resume, clearly indicating your salary requirements, and include a statement as to how you believe you can contribute in the position and to the Museum of Art & History’s mission. Include your name and “Administrative Manager” in the subject line of your email. No relocation support available.

• Web site: www.santacruzmah.org

EOE

The ink hasn’t dried on the new U.S. food safety bill – because it won’t be signed until Jan. 2011 – but many are already saying there’s no money to implement the proposed changes, and Republicans are going to make sure of it.

I still don’t care; it’s all political claptrap.

Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia, the ranking Republican on the appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Food and Drug Administration, told the Washington Post today the number of cases of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. does not justify the $1.4 billion the new law is estimated to cost over the first five years, adding,

"I would not identify it as something that will necessarily be zeroed out, but it is quite possible it will be scaled back if it is significant overreach. We still have a food supply that's 99.99 percent safe. No one wants anybody to get sick, and we should always strive to make sure food is safe. But the case for a $1.4 billion expenditure isn't there."

Iowa Republican Rep. Tom Latham said the same thing a few days ago.

“We simply don’t have the money to pay for it.”

FDA also released a Food Bill For Dummies guide to the proposed changes a couple of days ago.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) gives FDA a mandate to pursue a system that is based on science and addresses hazards from farm to table, putting greater emphasis on preventing food-borne illness. The reasoning is simple: The better the system handles producing, processing, transporting, and preparing foods, the safer our food supply will be.

I thought FDA was already supposed to do this.

The legislation, which FDA experts say transforms the food safety system, includes the following major provisions:

* Food facilities must have a written preventive controls plan that spells out the possible problems that could affect the safety of their products. This plan would outline steps that a food facility would take to prevent or significantly minimize the likelihood of those problems occurring.

* FDA must establish science-based standards for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. These standards must consider not only man-made risks to fresh produce safety, but also naturally-occurring hazards—such as those posed by the soil, animals, and water in the growing area.

* FDA is directed to increase the frequency of inspections. High-risk domestic facilities must receive an initial inspection within the next five years and no less than every three years after that. During the next year, FDA must inspect at least 600 foreign food facilities and double the number of those inspections every year for the next five years. With the availability of resources, FDA will build the inspection capacity to meet these important goals.

* FDA is authorized to mandate a recall of unsafe food if the food company fails to do it voluntarily. The law also provides a more flexible standard for administrative detention (the procedure FDA uses to keep suspect food from being moved); allows FDA to suspend the registration of a food facility associated with unsafe food, thereby preventing it from distributing food; and directs the agency to improve its ability to track both domestic and imported foods.

In testimony before Congress in March, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said that user fees collected from food companies and farms would pay for most of the increased inspections and other costs associated with the legislation. But a provision for user fees in the House version was cut from the final language, leaving the government to foot the entire cost.

Mark McClellan, who served as FDA commissioner from 2002 to 2004, said that without additional funding, Congress is unfairly raising expectations, adding,

"It's relatively easy to pass legislation that the FDA needs to do more things. It's very hard to back that up with resources. And problems may be compounded by legislation like this, which raises expectations that the FDA should be doing this, that or other things."

Producers, processors, retailers, restaurants, mere mortals, take care of food safety. And if you do, tell the world about it, market it, promote microbiologically-safe food. People care about this stuff. Politicians, not so much.
 

A major fix to the original H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, was the placing of a hard, 10 percent cap on fees that trial lawyers can charge clients drawing on the compensation fund.

We submit that Ted Frank deserves a measure of credit for these new and very welcome provisions. On March 31, 2009, Ted testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the legislation, raising the issue of excessive compensation for the trial lawyers.

From his testimony:

The original VCF [Victim's Compensation Fund] was established before trial lawyers had a large inventory of clients, and made clear that the process was designed to generously compensate September 11 victims in a nonadversarial fashion, often with the assistance of Fund officials in maximizing recovery. As a result, the vast majority of claimants were able to receive free legal assistance pro bono; axpayer money allocated to compensation went to victims, rather than to trial lawyers. (On the rare occasion when it became known that an attorney charged a contingent fee, publicity was harsh.)

In contrast, many of the intended beneficiaries of H.R. 847 are already engaged in litigation, with contingent-fee agreements with attorneys likely providing as much as 40% to 50% of recovery. This bill keeps the VCF's original structure of providing resolution within 120 days. If the VCF is to be continued as a non-adversarial program without need to prove causation, then it would be unconscionable to victims and to taxpayers to permit attorneys to charge substantial contingent fees for the ministerial task of submitting claim forms. Even if the VCF is restructured to permit
appropriate independent scrutiny of claims, the streamlined administrative procedure combined with legal ethical requirements suggest that contingent fees may need to be limited by Congress where representation contracts were designed in contemplation of a lengthy litigation process. Fees should be limited to a reasonable hourly fee for necessary work; there should be provisions to maximize victim recovery and ensure that money is paid to victims, rather than attorneys. Otherwise, billions of dollars would be diverted to trial lawyers at taxpayer expense.

Medicare reviewers are delving deeper into medical decision making and beginning to question doctors' diagnoses when they audit claims, according to Report on Medicare Compliance.

Diagnosis-related group (DRG) validations and medical-necessity audits are much more intense, according to hospital compliance officers. Some recovery audit contractors, RAC-like auditors, Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) and Medicare quality improvement organizations (QIOs) are even rejecting claims because they don't agree with the physician's diagnosis or with the need for a procedure.

According to RMC, in some cases, claims are denied, because the physician didn't base the diagnosis on clinical guidelines, whose use is not required by Medicare.

In one case, the RAC said that the medical records didn't support acute renal failure as the secondary diagnosis. In another, a RAC-like auditor rejected an aspiration pneumonia diagnosis, claiming a lack of specific imaging evidence.

Audits, it seems are going deeper than the usual documentation expectations. RACs aren't following coding guidelines and just checking documentation, said Becky Cornett, director of fiscal integrity at Ohio State University Medical Center.

In the past, auditors focused on whether charts contained proper documentation--such as physician orders, and whether they were signed and dated and specific to the services delivered--said Kevin Cornish, national director of the healthcare dispute, compliance and investigation practice for Navigant Consulting. "Now it's 'what was the diagnosis, what was the history, what tests were run, what decisions were made in terms of the procedures performed, and was it consistent with Medicare requirements?'"

To learn more:
- read the Report on Medicare Compliance article

Related Articles:
AHA: RAC activity, audits up
RAC lessons: Appeals can work; denials and hospital prep are costly
RAC audits will cover Medicaid, Medicare Parts C and D
CMS' failure to act on RAC findings has resulted in $231 million loss

Reports To: Property Manager

JOB SUMMARY

The ASSISTANT MANAGER is to assist the manager in effectively managing the assigned property. In the manager's absence, the ASSISTANT MANAGER will assume all responsibilities associated with accomplishing property objectives as set forth by the property supervisor and the property owner. In addition, the ASSISTANT MANAGER is directly responsible for maintaining daily, weekly, and monthly reports including accurate reporting of rents and deposits received.

WAGE/HOUR STATUS
Determined by Management

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Conducts all business in accordance with company policies and procedures, Fair Housing, Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other laws pertaining to apartments.
Income Collection
- Maintains accurate resident records. Updates on a daily basis all rents, deposits and application fees received from residents. Issue appropriate notices when necessary e.g., late payments, eviction notices, returned check memos).
- Deposits all receipts prior to bank close each day.

Resident Relations
- Maintains positive customer relations attitude.
- Physically inspects property when on grounds, picks up litter and reports any service needs to maintenance staff. Will also inspect move-outs and vacancies when requested.

Marketing
- Must be knowledgeable of all phases of leasing and resident retention.
- Works with lease renewals each month.
- Greets prospective clients, shows community and performs leasing duties as needed.
- Answers and handles incoming phone calls from prospective new residents, current residents, vendor/suppliers, etc.
- Maintains awareness of local market conditions and trends. Contributes ideas to manager for marketing community and improving resident satisfaction.

Administrative
- Updates required reports concerning move-out notices, activity, etc., on a daily basis and provides information to the manager.
- Organizes and files all applicable reports, leases and paperwork.
- Proofreads all lease paperwork and processes move-ins and move-outs.
- Processes all security deposit move-out reports.
- Accepts service requests from residents and routes to maintenance for prompt processing. Conducts service follow-up with resident when work is completed.

General
- Performs any additional duties assigned by manager or property supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS
Position requires at least 1 year experience in property management. Must have basic computer knowledge and type 30 wpm.
Computer Skills: Word Processing/On-Site Rental System
Office Equipment: Calculator, Copy Machine, Fax Machine, Telephone
Work Hours: Minimum 40 hours per week with flexible work week.

EDUCATION/TRAINING
- High School diploma or equivalent preferred

REASONING DEVELOPMENT
- HIGH. Must be able to apply principles of logical thinking to define problems, collect pertinent data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions and initiate appropriate course of action. Must effectively convey ideas, images and goals to a diverse group of personalities.

SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Must learn and comply with all company safety rules.
- Must use appropriate safety equipment at all times.
- Must immediately report all unsafe conditions to supervisors.
- Must be familiar with all safety features of equipment, machinery, or materials encompassed by job duties; and must check with supervisor if there is a question as to the safe procedure to be used for any job function.


ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- Employees must fulfill the performance standards of this position and comply with policies, rules and procedures of the company, including those set out in the Employee Handbook, or otherwise communicated (verbally or in writing) to employees.
- This job description is intended to describe the general nature and work responsibilities of the position. This job description and the duties of this position are subject to change, modification and addition as deemed necessary by the company. Employees are required to comply with supervisory instructions and perform other job duties, responsibilities and assignments requested by supervisors, managers or other company officials.
- This job description does not constitute an employment contract between the company and any employee.
- The job responsibilities of this position may include cross-training in other functions or positions to ensure satisfactory operation of the department or work area.

Please send resume and cover letter to be considered.

Refugee Transitions
www.reftrans.org
Job Announcement
Family and Volunteer Coordinator

Refugee Transitions is a non-profit agency that assists refugee and immigrant families in becoming self-sufficient in the U.S. by providing volunteer and staff-directed program services that help them attain the English language, life, job, and academic skills they need to succeed in their new communities.

With a seven staff, seven instructors and independent contractors, plus over 250 volunteers, Refugee Transitions provides individualized home-based educational assistance to over 700 refugees and immigrants and their families annually - from children to elders. Clients currently being served are from the following countries: Afghanistan, China, Burma, Cambodian, Laos, Vietnam, Bosnia and the former Soviet Union, Guatemala, Mexico, Columbia, Nicaragua, Algeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Liberia, Somalia, Iraq, Jordan, and Yemen.

Refugee Transitions seeks a dynamic, socially conscious, highly skilled individual with a social work or education background to act as the agency’s new Family and Volunteer Coordinator. The agency currently has Spanish, Burmese and Cantonese speaking staff and would prefer to recruit a bilingual case manager to expand its language capacities.

Job Title: Family and Volunteer Coordinator

Employer: Refugee Transitions is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit incorporated in the State of California.

Reports to: Refugee Transitions’ South Bay Program Manager

Commitment: The position is 30 hours (.75 FTE). Some evening meetings/trainings are required. Two (2) days per month in SF and/or Oakland office.

Compensation: Competitive salary based on qualifications and experience

Hours: Monday-Thursday 6-8 hours each day. (There is some flexibility in arranging this schedule.)

Responsibilities include:

1) Client Support
· Conduct outreach and enroll South Bay clients (complete intake forms/applications/pre-tests)
· Provide case management and linkage services (as needed) for clients from over 5 different countries including referral to after-school programs, available housing resources, mental health services, food pantries, primary medical care resources, etc.
· Recruit, train and supervise Refugee Transitions’ refugee interns (who will help with interpreting and family support)
· Conduct home visits in the South Bay (50% of time will be spent in field doing home visits)
· Initiate and attend Student Success Team (SST) meetings for school-aged youth

2) Volunteer Support
· Conduct group orientations for volunteers
· Recruit, orient and interview new volunteers (in partnership with RT’s South Bay Program Manager and staff)
· Provide on-going support and follow up with all home-based volunteers/tutors
· Accompany volunteers to the homes of clients and introduce them to the families
· Develop and oversee a system for disseminating information to volunteers re: community resources, CalWorks requirements, adult vocational programs, and K-12 school-based services (send resource links to RT’s San Francisco office for inclusion in the agency’s monthly newsletter)

3) Administrative
· Attend meetings with partners as needed
· Communicate with volunteers, parents, teachers, and caseworkers to collect pertinent case information on enrolled families
· Maintain client files
· Comply with goals and objectives established by funding sources
· Work on other Refugee Transitions’ programs as needed

Required Qualifications:
· BA degree in social work, education, human service studies (or equivalent)
· At least 3 years of experience providing comprehensive direct services to immigrant and refugees
· Bilingual
· Two or more years of case management experience
· Ability to work with people of varying skills and educational backgrounds
· Ability to work in collaboration with multiple stakeholders including staff, students, school administrators, and parent/guardians
· Working knowledge of cash assistance resources, vocational programs, and K-12 school requirements
· Ability to broker services between providers and clients
· Leadership skills
· Flexibility and ability to work well independently and with minimal supervision
· Detail-oriented and exceptional group facilitation skills
· Excellent communication skills and computer skills
· Commitment to preserving confidentiality and upholding mandated reporting responsibilities

Preferred:
· Multicultural/ refugee or immigrant
· Tutoring/teaching experience
· Experience training staff or volunteers
· Experience working in a small non-profit
· Experience working with literacy-level students
· Extensive knowledge of South Bay social service organizations and community service providers serving immigrants, refugees and non-English speakers as well as low-income families and single adults

Physical Abilities: Hearing and speaking to exchange information in person and on the telephone; seeing to read, prepare & proofread documents; sitting or standing for extended periods of time; dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard and other office equipment; kneeling, bending of the waist, and reaching overhead, above the shoulders and horizontally to retrieve and store files and supplies.

Special Requirements: Must be able to accept some assignments between 10:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. The shift assignments may include some weekends. Must be available to work in the SF and/or Oakland offices two days per month.

Application procedure:
Please e-mail your resume and cover letter to:
Elsa Amboy
elsa@reftrans.org
or mail it to:
Refugee Transitions
1922 The Alameda, Suite 425
San Jose, CA 95126

November 22, 2010





Morrison Child and Family Services

Celebrating 63 years of serving our community!

Visit us at www.morrisonkids.org



______________________________________________



Mental Health Therapist/Clinical Supervisor

Join our innovative, experienced and dedicated team!

Beaverton, FT, Benefits, Bonus Program

Job Code: MHT-SUP-451



_________________________________________________



POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is part Licensed Mental Health Therapist (60%), and part Clinical Supervisor (40%) for our small Outpatient Team. Position will provide supervision and guidance to MHT staff under the guidance of the Program Director as well as providing outpatient treatment and case management services to children and adolescents with mental health disorders. Duties include overall responsibilities for assessment, treatment planning, provision of treatment services, and record keeping for each client and family.





REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Master’s level degree in psychology, social work, counseling or related field and a minimum of two years direct experience in a mental health setting providing therapy to children, adolescents and families.

Minimum of 2 years of Clinical and Administrative Supervisory experience in a mental health setting.

Licensure required.

Must be able to meet QMHP requirements under State of Oregon MHDD Division’s Administrative rules.





REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of the developmental needs of children and adolescents from birth to twenty-one years old.

• Knowledge of individual, family and group treatment strategies, including traditional and non-traditional treatment/service modalities.

• Ability to establish professional communication in English with clients and service providers both orally and in wiring.

• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse population in a variety of environments’

• Ability to effectively handle working in an environment serving clients who are struggling with severe emotional and mental health related difficulties

• Ability to maintain complete documentation for charting according to OAR and agency requirements.

• Ability to exercise tact, discretion and judgment in working with others and in handling confidential information.

• Ability to work as a member of a coordinate team effort and act as the team leader.

• Ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in working with others and in handling confidential information.

• Ability to work independently and seek out supervision as needed.

• Ability to accurately read, record, and interpret information, including assessments, measures and diagnostic criteria in order to establish client/service provider

strengths and needs.

• Act as a role model in all areas of functioning.

• Model mission and purpose of the agency, department and team.

• Provide and model enthusiasm about tasks and encourages enthusiasm in others.

• Knowledge of group therapy skills and group dynamics.

• Supervise in a manner that is respectful of individual differences.

• Manual and physical dexterity allowing for copying, typing, filing, writing, phone use, computer use, etc.

• Ability to regularly attend and be punctual for scheduled work commitments and meetings and be in a condition suitable for assuming responsibilities of

position.





OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Position may involve driving a personal vehicle for work purposes, depending on client assigned. If driving a personal vehicle for work purposes, a valid

driver’s license for state of residency, a driving record permitting coverage under corporate auto liability policy are required, and personal auto liability insurance

are required. If driving personal vehicle for work-related purposes more than once a week (4 times per month on average) must have and maintain personal auto

liability coverage at $100,000/$100,000 level. All employees driving for work purposes must complete organization’s driving approval process before driving for

work.



• Bloodborne Pathogens training is required on first day of employment.



• Must pass criminal history check.



• Availability to work program director designated evening hours.





APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

• Preferred Application Procedure: Email a cover letter and resume to jobs@morrisonkids.org and put job code "ATTN: MHT-SUP-451" in the subject line of your

email. No phone calls please.



• Alternate application procedure: Fax your cover letter/resume to Morrison Child and Family Services at 503.736.9759 "ATTN: MHT-SUP-451"



• To be considered for this position you must follow this application procedure and you must meet all position qualifications/requirements.



NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE



Position Open Until Enough Qualified Applicants Have Responded.

We value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer.

We are a dynamic, growing Commercial Real Estate Investment Company. We currently have an opportunity in our Washington, DC Office for a Transaction Services Coordinator.

Grubb & Ellis Company is one of the world's leading full-service commercial real estate organizations, providing a complete range of transaction, management and consulting services. By leveraging local expertise with our global reach, Grubb & Ellis offers innovative, customized solutions and seamless service to owners, corporate occupants and investors throughout the globe. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at www.grubb-ellis.com.
Job Summary:

Under general direction and acting within established policies and procedures, perform a variety of specialized, complex tasks to support a team of sales professionals. Maintain confidentiality of Sales, Marketing, Client, and proprietary information and data in all communications. Position requires in-depth knowledge of Grubb & Ellis Sales and Marketing administrative and operational policy and procedure and general business practices and procedures.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Maintain Grubb & Ellis brand, product, office, and client messaging and consistency by applying templates to produce marketing materials including flyers, proposals, tour books, maps, floor plans and qualification packages.
• Organize the preparation and production of customized, client specific property information packages in response to RFI's and RFP's.
• May coordinate advertising schedules and placement with local centralized marketing group.
• Coordinate complex on/offsite meetings and conferences. May schedule appointments, keep calendars, and arrange travel itineraries, and meeting room reservations.
• Review marketing material specifications, and act as point of contact and liaison with centralized marketing, analysis, and research groups to coordinate the completion and submission of financial, marketing, and various client specific property data to incorporate into customized property information packages.
• Update and maintain various information databases; generate standard and ad-hoc reports as required, and assist with website updates (as required).
• Track, collate, and maintain inventory of marketing materials.
• Assist with a variety of projects
• Set up showings and show space(s)
• Interface with clients
• Business development
• Run smaller transactions under broker/salesperson oversight
• May perform other duties as assigned.


Qualifications:

• BA degree preferred, or Associate's degree (A. A.) or equivalent from two-year college required. Accounting and marketing background preferred.
• Either licensed or willing to get license as a real estate sales person in VA, DC and MD
• 3+ years progressively responsible experience in administrative professional level jobs
• 2+ years experience in the Real Estate industry in a Sales or Marketing department preferred but not required; Grubb & Ellis experience preferred and/or sales support/marketing experience
• Advanced Microsoft Office Suite and Internet research skills
• Skilled in Web publishing using templates
• Demonstrates administrative support skills including appointment scheduling, and ability to compose/proof and edit correspondence and reports.
• Organizational, communication (written, oral, telephone), customer service and public relations skills are essential in this position.
• Strong communication skills required and must be detailed-oriented
• Problem solving, decision-making, and analytical skills required.
• Ability to prioritize, and manage multiple tasks, and meet stringent deadlines.

We offer a competitive salary and performance based bonus may be available for the right candidate. Benefits such as medical, dental, vision, PTO plan, 401k and paid holidays.

For consideration, please forward your resume with a cover letter and salary requirement. Submissions without a cover letter and salary requirement will not be considered.

(Reference the title and location within the subject line).

Grubb & Ellis would like to thank you for applying. We are sorry, but due to the volume of responses received, only qualified applicants will receive a response. Grubb & Ellis Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. We value the benefits of diversity.


No calls please. Apply online only.

Just posting them as they come in...

How they voted:

YEAs ---57 Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Coons (D-DE) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Hagan (D-NC) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Specter (D-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---40 Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brown (R-MA) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Corker (R-TN) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Kirk (R-IL) Kyl (R-AZ) LeMieux (R-FL) Lugar (R-IN) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting - 3 Brownback (R-KS) Cornyn (R-TX) Lincoln (D-AR)

Outserve:

STATEMENT FROM OUTSERVE:

Today's vote is heartbreaking and demoralizing to all members of OutServe - and the tens of thousands of gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members - who must continue to serve in silence and live a lie. No words can describe how it felt to watch our U.S. senators uphold discrimination and perpetuate the deceit and compromised integrity that consistently result under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We had more faith in our elected officials to heed the advice of military leadership and vote against prejudice. Instead, a minority of senators have successfully blockaded the entire defense spending bill on the basis of prejudice and politics. This was nothing short of turning their backs on the people that defend this country.

The men and women of our military have been left out to dry. The troops, not these senators, will have to live with the consequences.   And the ongoing court cases will continue to sow confusion among the ranks.

The Senators that hid behind "procedure" chose to put politics over the lives of the troops. These senators should be ashamed.

###

Rest below fold.
Servicemembers United:

Senate Fails to Move Forward on Critical Defense Authorization Bill
Support Exists and Time Still Remains for Stand-Alone DADT Repeal Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/09/2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Servicemembers United, the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, issued the following statement regarding today's failed Senate cloture vote on the motion to proceed to debate on the National Defense Authorization Act, which also contains a provision to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law:

"This was a major failure on the part of the Senate to simply do its job and pass an annual defense authorization bill. Politics prevailed over responsibility today, and now more than one million American servicemembers, including tens of thousands of gay and lesbian troops, are worse off as a result," said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and a former U.S. Army interrogator who was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." "Since the votes are there in isolation, the Senate should still consider a stand-alone bill to repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law before adjourning for the winter holidays."

For more information about Servicemembers United and "Don't Ask, Dont' Tell," please visit www.ServicemembersUnited.org. For the most comprehensive collection of polling data, discharge statistics, academic works, legislative and congressional material, and more, visit www.DADTArchive.org.

###

SLDN:

TOMORROW @ NOON AT UPPER SENATE PARK
SLDN STATEMENT ON SENATE VOTE TO STOP REPEAL OF "DON'T ASK" / RALLY TOMORROW AT CAPITOL

"Today a band of Senators voted to continue the discrimination against gay and lesbian service members who are fighting and dying for our country.  This continued delay is an outrage against these service members and the more than 14,000 who have already lost their jobs under this discriminatory law.  History will hold these senators accountable and so will many of their constituents.  There will be no place for these Senators to hide.  The Senate and the President must remain in session and in Washington to find another path for repeal to get done in the lame-duck.  While difficult, realistic options still exist for advocates and Senators to move repeal this year.  We need to keep pushing as the Senate is scheduled to break for holiday vacation.  We implore all who support repeal to join us outside the Senate this Friday.  As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, 'If not now, when?', said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

"ABOUT SLDN: SLDN was established in 1993 when "Don't Ask" originally passed.  In addition to working on repeal, SLDN offers free, confidential legal services to those impacted by DADT; this year the organization received its 10,000th call for assistance to its legal hotline.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 9, 2010

TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED, THE RALLY FOR REPEAL STILL PLANNED FOR FRIDAY:

WHAT:  MISSION INCOMPLETE: NO SENATE VACATION UNTIL THE TASK IS FINISHED
WHERE:  Constitution Ave. and Delaware Ave., NE, Upper Senate Park, North of U.S. Capitol
WHEN:  Friday, December 10, 2010, 12:00 p.m. ET

SPREAD THE WORD:
--MISSION INCOMPLETE: NO SENATE VACATION UNTIL THE TASK IS FINISHED
--LINK TO AUTOMATICALLY UPLOAD ON FACEBOOK STATUS: http://on.fb.me/hFCbsP
--LINK TO AUTOMATICALLY UPLOAD ON TWITTER STATUS: http://bit.ly/fkfdX8
--TWITTER HASHTAG: #4REPEAL
--SHORT LINK FOR YOUR OWN ONLINE POST: http://bit.ly/ebbDoj

STILL AT RISK: "As the U.S. Senate votes on repeal legislation, service members still cannot come out.  A general recently approved the separation of an SLDN client serving overseas in the U.S. Air Force.  This service member now faces an administrative separation board.  If the discharge moves forward, the fate of the service member's career will ultimately fall to Secretary Michael B. Donley, Dept. of Defense General Counsel Jeh Johnson, and Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Dr. Clifford L. Stanley."  Warning to service members: www.SLDN.org/StillAtRisk

SLDN FREE HOTLINE: Gay and lesbian service members with questions on repeal are urged to contact the SLDN hotline to speak with a staff attorney: 202-328-3244 x100.

##

HRC:

Fate of Lesbian & Gay Service Members in President's Hands
President Must Stop Legal Defense of DADT and Issue Stop-Loss Order

WASHINGTON - Today the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, called on President Obama to end the legal defense of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and to halt discharges of lesbian, gay and bisexual service members in the wake of news that the Senate will not finish the job on legislative repeal.  As HRC President Joe Solmonese outlined in an October letter, the Administration should call "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" what it is - an unconstitutional and discriminatory law that hurts our national security - and cease its legal defense of the statute.  Separately, the President needs to immediately use his powers as Commander in Chief to issue a stop-loss order halting discharges.

"The Senate's apparent refusal to act on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal makes Presidential action imperative in order for him to fulfill his state of the union promise," said HRC President Joe Solmonese.  "The only measure of success is an end to the discharges and anything less is unacceptable."

Under his powers to ensure national security following the September 11 attacks, the President has the ability to issue stop-loss orders preventing certain service members from discharge. Pending an enduring solution to this unjust and discriminatory law, the President can and should suspend DADT-related discharges under the stop-loss provision.

"In this time of war, we cannot sustain a policy that has already deprived our military of thousands of service members, many with critical skills in fighting terrorism," said Solmonese.

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law has also been embroiled in seemingly endless legal wrangling with the administration defending the law's constitutionality in court.  HRC once again encourages the President to abandon that defense.  Should the administration decide to proceed, the President can at least instruct government lawyers to inform the appellate court that the Executive Branch believes "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to be unconstitutional.

"Every day that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is in force, Americans are losing out on the best and brightest service members defending our country," added Solmonese.  "If Congress won't act, it's up to the President to clean up the mess they made when they enacted this discriminatory and unconstitutional law nearly two decades ago."

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

# # #

GetEqual:

I have to be honest -- I just vomited a little in my mouth.

The Senate just voted on whether to bring the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) up for conversation. Not for passage -- just for conversation. It failed.

We all laid everything we could on the line for this bill -- a piece of legislation that would have repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We all know that gay and lesbian Americans are just as patriotic and capable as straight Americans -- but dysfunctional Senate processes, a homophobic Republican Party, and a spineless Democratic Party got in the way of equality once again.

Let us be clear -- this wasn't the bill we wanted. This compromised piece of legislation was far from the ideal -- it would have left our transgender sisters and brothers behind, it kicked actual repeal to some undefined date later down the road, and it said nothing about how to deal with lesbian or gay enlistees who have partners who must remain second-class citizens because their lives are still ruled by the Defense of Marriage Act.

And even this compromised piece of legislation didn't pass.

If we're ever going to fight back against these kinds of compromises, we've got to build a ground game that disallows anything less than full equality.

We're working on developing that ground game, and we'll have more to say about it in coming weeks.

For now, we mourn for the LGBT servicemembers serving each day in silence -- some of whom will lose their lives without ever tasting equality. We mourn for the lack of courage shown by our elected leaders to put an end to needless discrimination.

But we should remain inspired by the fight left in us. Go on Facebook. Go on Twitter. Get out into the streets. Call up your friends. Get angry, and then get organized.

We'll help -- and we promise that we're going to continue building a movement from the ground up that no longer settles for this kind of political homophobia and transphobia.

-Heather Cronk

Managing Director, GetEQUAL

Task Force:

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force denounces Senate vote blocking action on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal, calls it 'huge disgrace and disservice to our country'

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force strongly denounced the U.S. Senate's failure today to allow a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, blocking action on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal.

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

"The Senate's failure to allow a vote on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal is a huge disgrace and disservice to our country. Senators had an opportunity - and an obligation - to move toward ending an outdated, unnecessary and costly policy that discriminates against courageous and qualified people willing to risk their lives by serving in the military. How many more personal and painful stories of discrimination must these lawmakers hear before they act to end this harmful policy? How many more exhaustive Pentagon studies need to be done that affirm it's time to end the ban? Three-quarters of Americans say 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' should be repealed, as do top military leaders. People from every background, every faith, every community across the country know that qualified, patriotic Americans willing to risk their lives by serving in the military should be able to do so, free of discrimination.

"Despite today's obstructionism by a few politicians, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' will end. We will continue to work to ensure all qualified Americans who wish to serve their country openly and freely are able to do so. We must, because the lives and livelihoods of thousands of dedicated service members hang in the balance."

To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org and follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce (http://www.twitter.com/theTaskForce).

MassEquality:

MassEquality Statement on Failure of U.S. Senator Scott Brown To Vote To Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

BOSTON, DECEMBER 9, 2010 - Statement by MassEquality Executive Director Kara Suffredini, Esq. on failure of U.S. Senator Scott Brown to vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

"It is outrageous that Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown failed to vote in favor of ending debate so that the U.S. Senate could take up repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' There is nothing courageous about his saying he would vote to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' as he did last week, only to hide behind a procedural maneuver so that he would never have to take that vote. And although he likes to call himself an independent Republican, there is nothing independent about voting in lockstep with a political party intent on blocking LGBT equality at every turn. Today, Scott Brown thumbed his nose at the supermajority of Americans, Massachusetts citizens, and servicemembers who support the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and placed himself not only on the wrong side of the Massachusetts electorate, but on the wrong side of history.

"With today's vote, Brown has ensured that our national security will remain compromised as discharges of talented and critically trained servicemembers will continue. To date, more than 14,000 servicemembers have been discharged under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' including more than 60 Arabic linguists, and nearly 800 other service members in critical occupational fields."

30

MassEquality is the state's only grassroots LGBT advocacy organization. It works to ensure that every lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender person in Massachusetts is protected from cradle to grave-with equal rights and opportunities in school, in marriage and family life, at work and in retirement.

Solta Medical, Inc. (SLTM) is a global leader in the medical aesthetics market providing innovative, safe, and effective solutions for patients that enhance and expand the practice of medical aesthetics for physicians. The company offers products to address a range of skin issues under the industry's three premier brands: Thermage®Fraxel®and Isolaz®. Thermage is an innovative, non-invasive radiofrequency procedure for tightening and contouring skin. As the leader in fractional laser technology, Fraxel delivers minimally invasive clinical solutions to resurface aging and sun damaged skin. Isolaz is the only laser or light based system indicated for the treatment of inflammatory acne, comedonal acne, pustular acne, and mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne. Since 2002, approximately one million Thermage, Fraxel and Isolaz procedures have been performed in over 100 countries. Our mission is to be the leader in developing transformational aesthetic products, procedures and services; building world class brands; and providing long term value for our stakeholders.

Solta Medical is looking for dedicated individuals who thrive in a creative, challenging and professional environment - where respect for the energy of new ideas, diversity and teamwork can be found at every level of the organization. We create new opportunities for physicians and the patients they serve, and, of course, opportunities for our employees to grow and thrive.

Position Title: Sr. Graphic Design Manager

To apply for this position please click on the following link - https://www5.recruitingcenter.net/Clients/Thermage/PublicJobs/controller.cfm?jbaction=JobProfile&Job;_Id=10696&esid;=az


Description: Lead creative direction to implement strategies through the design and development of compelling print, web and all internal/external, customer and consumer facing material/collateral.

Reports To: Sr. Director of International & Professional Marketing

Principle Responsibilities and Duties:
Note: The following are meant to be representative but not necessary all inclusive of the duties and responsibilities for this position title.

• Lead creative team and/or develop all requests for collateral items including launch materials, marketing material, all sales aids, event graphics, packaging, web etc.
• Manage the design, proof and comp print, of promotional and multi-media collateral.
• Create ad layouts, organize photo/video shoots as needed, work with vendors for photo retouching and manage digital assets.
• Collaborate with all groups for the preparation and execution of all, on and off-site, meeting presentations as needed.
• Team up with all of Marketing to provide creative eye to process, concept, direction and execution of all materials, including products that represent the brands in the market.
• Work closely with vendors, retailers, marketing and merchandising teams to ensure a high level of organization and administration for timely and accurate execution of all projects.
• Act as main liaison between creative agencies, to obtain directive.
• Maintain strong brand equity standards distinctively for each brand.
• Prepare pre-production art for review.
• Manage any freelance or contract services and interact with Creative Services Coordinator to monitor projects.
• Supervise management of image and project library.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of design applications and methods (through trade publications, trade shows/conferences and competitive analysis).
• Assist with special projects as needed.
• Maintain current knowledge of the industry and competition to continually elevate design image and develop creative initiatives.

Experience, Education, Training, Traits:
• College degree with design background
• 12-15 years design experience • Strong creative and problem solving skills.
• Strong organization, multi-tasking and prioritizing ability.
• Strong attention to detail both in design and daily administrative tasks
• Proficiency in design applications (Adobe Creative Suite) and knowledge Microsoft Office applications.
• Printing, proofing and press check knowledge a must
• Basic understanding of online/web design
• Strong written and communication skills.

Language and Verbal Skills:
Individual must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and a demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and professionally.

Math Skills:
ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations

Analytical and Reading Skills:
Ability to read, analyze, interpret and assist in the creation and refinement of company procedures. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions and report on findings.

Physical Requirements:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to perform lifting tasks of up to 10 pounds for short durations. Duties of this job may involve standing and/or walking for extended periods of time. Duties also involve daily keyboard data entry. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

Work Environment:
Most work will be performed in an office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

Safety:
Solta Medical is committed to the health and safety of our employees. We expect that all employees will perform their responsibilities while maintaining a safe, cooperative, and productive work environment, thus ensuring the health and safety of themselves and others.

Job Summary: Provide part-time employment placements and employment supports for clients on three integrated service teams. Ensures all administrative client placement documentation is completed and updated on a regular basis. Provides client job instruction and necessary trainings to address barriers, including job search skills, travel training, social/hygiene support and employment support services, including job explorations, situational assessments and vocational assessments. Collaborates with and gathers necessary information from team instructors and service managers. Provide support to agency job developer on an as needed basis. Educate and work with Bay Area businesses about the needs and abilities of individuals with developmental disabilities.

Reports To: Service Director
Supervises: Not applicable

Essential Functions:
1. Regularly attend team staff meetings and collaborate with team instructors and service managers about client employment needs. Coordinate with team service managers and instructors clients appropriate for targeted placements.
2. Update, complete and maintain client pre-placement, placement and post-placement employment records. In collaboration with clients, develops placement plans, cover letters, resumes, and master applications.
3. Maintain a list of all clients’ needing employment support services, such as, situational and vocational assessments.
4. Ensure agency administrative documentation is completed for placement, including client action service forms, employer interview, and employer worksite file and employer tax credit. Gather necessary employer benefit information for employer site file, including information on union membership, employee benefits and employer policy and procedure handbooks.
5. Employ job development and job search techniques through direct mail calls, internet search, networking, canvassing and walk-in’s.
6. Act as a primary liaison between clients’ and community contacts, inclusive of employers.
7. Address all issues and crises related to client employment, regularly schedule employer check-in’s, provide on-going advocacy and develop natural supports.
8. Provide direct services/training to clients when initial training instructors are not available.
9. Participate in case reviews for clients as assigned.
10. Attend meetings, conferences and trainings as assigned.
11. Perform other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skill And Experience:
1. A Bachelors of Arts/Science degree in Special Education, Sociology, Psychology or related field preferred but not required.
2. Two (2) years experience in training individuals with developmental disabilities in a supported employment setting required.
3. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. The person filing this position will be an ambassador of The Arc and will need to possess the ability to present The Arc’s needs and client abilities to a diverse array of community businesses. When appropriate actively seek information about donations and giving programs and collaborate with The Arc’s development department.
4. Knowledge or experience in job search/job development practices.
5. Ability to establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with staff, employers and clients; to represent the agency in a professional manner.
6. Ability to accept and adapt to change in responsibilities, work environment or supervision.
7. Knowledge of instructional technology, task analysis, effective training techniques for working with individuals with developmental disabilities and other disability groups with similar needs.
8. Ability to write concise and professional reports.
9. Ability to work with a diverse group of people. The Arc is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The Arc works with clients from a wide array of cultures. All staff working at The Arc are expected to dedicate themselves to adapt and change according to the needs within our community and employ a collaborative team approach when working with client’s and other Arc staff.
10. Ability to navigate through internet search engines and working knowledge of Microsoft Word.

Position Outcomes: The goal of this position is to obtain one client placement per month (12 annually) and achieve success at 70% for maintenance of client employment 90-days or longer.

Interested applicants should submit their resume, complete with salary history and salary requirments to the email link above.

The final session of today's Music and IP conference started with a dash of bravado as barrister and Rechtsanwaldin Brigitte Lindner (Serle Court) took us on a guided tour of Europe, in search of jurisdictions which had their own versions of the Digital Economy Act.  Finland and Spain were among the countries in which something was (sort of) happening or had (sort of) happened.  The French Loi Hadopi came under Brigitte's careful scrutiny, as did long-suffering Ireland, whose predicament had earlier been noted by Christina Michalos here (and yes, Christina really did say what she said about the connection between unauthorised copyright downloads and the predicament of the Irish economy -- we were all listening!)  Germany was cited as a country in which blocking of access to the internet and the obtaining of information concerning downloaders was likely to face difficulties on account of its strong data protection and civil rights laws. Brigitte warned that, if stakeholder dialogue in Europe did not lead to an acceptable solution, the European Parliament would press for legislation.

This is one of a number of excellent diagrams you can find on the hadopi website

Turning specifically to the French Loi Hadopi (the high authority for the dissemination of works and the protection of rights on the internet), Brigitte led us through its background and evolution. She then addressed its core: the violation of the duty of care owed by an internet subscriber to avoid using it for the purpose of copyright infringement.  The copyright infringement itself remains to be enforced by the copyright owner in the normal course of things. The law provides for an injunction against anyone who can prevent the perpetration of an infringement; it also establishes a procedure whereby various bodies -- not the copyright owner itself -- can furnish information to Hadopi which, having verified it and having established the identity of the subscriber, will email a warning to him.  The subsequent pursuit of infringers, whether through an administrative procedure leading to an administrative fine or resulting in internet suspension, was then described in excited detail. Hadopi has been up and running since 1 October, unlike the DEA which has not yet kicked in.  In France the state pays for the entire procedure, while under the DEA it is the IP owners who will bear the brunt of the cost.

Excited conference registrants beseige Ben after his talk

Last to speak was lawyer, academic, 1709 Blogger and Glastonbury Festival legal guru Ben Challis. His talk, "The Glastonbury Tales: the Practicalities of Festival Life and IP". Ben began with some words for the PRS: they announced a review of their consultation on live music licences right in the middle of the summer festival season.  Fortunately the deadline has twice been extended.  The UK's rates (3% of box office receipts) is actually the lowest in Europe -- but it's still twice that of the United States.  Some festivals, particularly those which combine live acts with drama, circus, art and other attractions, want the rate to drop, to reflect the fact that many who attend are not there for the live musical performances. Since the PRS and the festival organisers are so far apart, a reference to the Copyright Tribunal is likely.  Certain unattributed sources question whether the PRS's stance reflects the reality of today's festival scene.

With two sets, Matilda could enjoy the festival twice as much

Ben then discussed relations between the Glastonbury Festival and the media. There is very wide and varied coverage of the festival with internet, newspaper, magazine, radio and the TV media (particularly numerous tentacles of the BBC). 110 hours of live material goes out, plus content on demand, which requires a good deal of negotiation and attention to detail.

Trade marks are also an important of the festival's protection.  It now has a growing portfolio of registrations, including some acquired following settlements, which feature the word GLASTONBURY.  Brands and other rights are strongly protected, though "We don't want to seem to be litigious", Ben confided.

SUMMARY
Public Health Foundation Enterprises (PHFE), in partnership with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Sexually Transmitted Disease Control Branch (STDCB), is seeking applicants for position of Public Health Administrative Assistant III (PHAA III). The incumbent will provide general clerical support for several Disease Intervention Specialist staff in an office setting. The position is a part-time position for approximately 30-35 hours per week and the funding for the position will expire on January 1, 2011.

This position requires the incumbent maintain consistent and regular attendance; communicate effectively (orally and in writing) in dealing with local health departments, other institutions, the public, at-risk individuals, providers, branch staff and/or other state employees; develop and maintain knowledge and skill related to specific tasks, methodologies, materials, tools, and equipment; complete assignments in a timely and efficient manner; and, adhere to departmental policies and procedures regarding attendance, leave, and conduct.

JOB SUMMARY:
Under the direction of the Supervising Communicable Disease Representative, STD Control Branch (STDCB), Disease Investigation Section, Regional Office, the PHAA III is the is the superjourney level in this series. The incumbent supports STD surveillance and disease intervention in the regional field office, conducting data entry, administrative and clerical activities. The incumbent will be associated with a departmental program which requires especially detailed knowledge of the STD program information and systems, so that difficult calculations can be made and/or processing can be done to initiate public health follow-up. With general direction and little day-to-day supervision, the incumbent will: (1) review, process and data enter detailed and technical forms, files, etc., associated with STD surveillance, disease intervention and program administration; (2) communicate with program staff, provider offices and other public health jurisdictions to collect and provide sensitive and detailed program information as a significant part of their duties. The incumbent provides responsive, high quality services to local health jurisdiction(s), representatives of outside agencies and members of the public by providing accurate, complete and up-to-date information, in a courteous, efficient and timely manner. Note: Ensures the protection of individual confidentiality at all times. Maintains confidentiality of medical and/or epidemiological information at all times.


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Provide direct assistance in the maintenance and quality assurance of STD surveillance systems. Completes data entry ensuring documentation is complete, accurate and relevant. Specific activities including, but not limited to:
• Conduct data entry of laboratory reports, confidential morbidity reports (CMRs), enhanced surveillance forms, field records, partner information forms and other data collection tools;
• Conduct data validation on reactor and surveillance computer(s), as recommended; Running standardized validation reports; Pulling hard copy records and correcting errors;
• Conduct data transfer to headquarters surveillance office through weekly uplink; Fax open and closed cases to headquarters surveillance office;
• Conduct California Gonorrhea Surveillance System (CGSS) program activities, including: triage/intake of GC surveillance data; faxing of Physician Referral Forms; and logging and data entry of CGSS assignments and forms;
• Provide support for program evaluation and special projects through intake of surveillance data, maintenance of project logs, and data entry of special projects.
• Maintain orderly filing systems for STD surveillance records including syphilis interview record, CGSS records and field records; routinely file open and closed records;
• Assist SCDR or CDMI in generating surveillance and reactor system reports to assess program an personnel performance;
Receive and process incoming STD laboratory and provider reports and STD/HIV interviews and partner services referrals, according to California Project Area and local protocols. Independently resolves problems that arise in the triage and processing of surveillance reports, interviews and partner services referrals. Specific activities including, but not limited to:
• Collaborate with medical providers and various institutions (e.g. correctional facilities, community based organizations, laboratories, etc.) to facilitate timely reporting, confirm, disease diagnosis, and obtain demographic, symptom, risk and treatment history;
• Triage of incoming communicable disease (e.g. STD) laboratory and provider reports;
• Conduct database record searches pertaining to client STD laboratory test results and treatment;
• Perform record searches with private providers, laboratories and hospitals to verify client information, STD testing, treatment and other requested information;
• Request Department of Motor Vehicle searches and phone reversals to assist in obtaining patient locating information;
• Update relevant staff, and conduct data entry and initiate reports for public health follow-up, as appropriate.
• Completes all enhanced surveillance, case management and other tracking and investigation forms, ensuring documentation is complete, accurate and relevant to each diagnosis.
Conduct inter-jurisdictional referral of information to facilitate STD reporting, disease intervention and STD/HIV partner services. Specific activities including, but not limited to:
• Act as the liaison between the regional field office and local health jurisdictions transmitting confidential STD/HIV information for public health follow-up;
• Communicate with local public health professionals to forward patient demographic information and STD/HIV testing, treatment or exposure information to appropriate investigating agencies;
• Communicate with other local health jurisdiction liaisons to obtain updates on STD/HIV investigations and document results.
Perform other duties as required including: Handle incoming telephone calls and inquiries from the public in a tactful, clear, pleasant and professional manner, and provide necessary information or forward to appropriate staff. Provide general office support such as handling telephone calls, monitoring project deadlines, typing memos, letters, charts, sensitive personnel documents, photocopying, faxing and mailing. Keep inventory and order office supplies, as needed; create and update mailing lists. Process incoming and outgoing mail. Perform other tasks deemed necessary by STDCB management.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS
• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
• Analytical Skills - Ability to use thinking and reasoning to solve a problem.
• Detail Oriented - Ability to pay attention to the minute details of a project or task.
• Organized - Possessing the trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.
• Responsible - Ability to be held accountable or answerable for one’s conduct.

EDUCATION (Required)
• High School Graduate or General Education Degree (GED)

EXPERIENCE (Preferred)
• Multi-task- Ability to handle simultaneously projects
• Type 45 or more words per minutes
• Computer Skills-Ability and experience using Microsoft Office programs


APPLICATION PROCEDURE

If interested, please submit a résumé by the Novembe 29, 2010 to:

May Otow
California Department of Public Health
STD Control Branch
P.O. Box 997377, MS 7320
Sacramento, CA 95899-7377
stdcbhr@cdph.ca.gov

PHFE is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer that encourages minorities, women, veterans, and disabled to apply.

It's another flashpoint in the brewing battle over airport security: medical privacy vs. the war on terrorism.

As the nation's airports gird for the Thanksgiving travel period – the busiest of the year – protests over high-definition body scanners and intrusive pat-downs are erupting on an increasing number of fronts.

Breast cancer survivors, for instance, have joined the chorus of critics, saying that their silicone implants or the padding they wear put them under unwarranted scrutiny when they appear in high-definition body scanners.

Other groups have complained, too, concerned that medical equipment tucked under clothing, such as colostomy bags, runs the risk of putting innocent people under suspicion.

Just last week, Ann Silberman went through her final surgery for breast cancer – a cause for celebration for the 52-year-old Sacramento woman. A jaunt to Hawaii would be a welcome respite from her medical ordeal, she thought.

But when the controversy erupted over body scanners and pat-downs, Silberman decided she wouldn't subject herself to the scrutiny and embarrassment.

"It's like having a prison-style pat-down, even if I haven't done anything wrong," said Silberman, who writes a blog about her battle with cancer.

"It's a huge violation of privacy just because I've had cancer. … A lot of women don't want it known that they have cancer, that they have a breast implant."

A protest campaign today for airline travelers to "opt out" of advanced imaging scanners – forcing security personnel to perform time- intensive private pat-downs – could stall the usual massive lines at the nation's airports.

The controversy playing out at airports is the latest example of the intense debate over how far the government should go in subjecting its citizens to personal intrusions in the name of national security.

Following the 2001 terrorist attacks, the federal government established the Transportation Security Administration and gave the agency broad authority to search luggage and the bodies of airline travelers – sometimes exposing secrets some travelers would rather not reveal to total strangers.

Two years later, the federal government put in place new privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, placing strict controls on what information medical providers can divulge without patient consent.

"I haven't done a lot of research on HIPAA privacy laws, but I know that (under the federal rules) even my husband has no right to know about my surgeries," Silberman said. "So it's amazing to me that a TSA agent who gets paid $12.50 an hour and who doesn't even have a high school diploma is allowed to know about my cancer."

By the end of 2010, the TSA hopes to have 500 advanced imaging body scanners installed at airports across the United States. Hundreds more are expected to be installed a year later.

Privacy advocates say the scanners expose travelers to the indignities of a virtual strip search.

Breast implants and other medical devices often trigger concern.

"People don't like being pulled aside just because you have a medical condition. They feel picked upon," said Joan McGorry, director administrative services for the United Ostomy Associations of America.

McGorry's group is a collection of 300 local support groups across the country that serves a population of 700,000 Americans who've had surgeries requiring them to use external pouches to collect their bodily waste.

"Some of our members, like everyone else, are rightly concerned about having their privacy invaded," McGorry said. "It's your private business, and you tell whom you choose to tell."

Travelers who refuse the body scan must submit to vigorous pat-downs that have also come under fire.

A man passing through airport security last week in Detroit reportedly was frisked under the TSA's new pat-down procedure. In the process, the security agent dislodged part of an external pouch being used by the traveler, causing the bag to drain urine into the man's clothing.

"I think this recent incident has really caused the TSA some embarrassment," McGorry said.

John Pistole, the TSA's chief administrator, said during a telephone news conference Tuesday that the agency is reviewing its pat-down protocols because of the Detroit incident and mounting complaints.

TSA is providing additional training to its frontline personnel so they can be more "sensitive to people with an external medical device," Pistole said.

He urged travelers to help the agency keep security lines flowing smoothly. "We will screen people as quickly as we can," he said.

Pistole said the agency is trying its best to balance personal privacy with national security.

November 20, 2010


Morrison Child and Family Services
Celebrating 63 years of serving our community!
Visit us at www.morrisonkids.org

______________________________________________

Mental Health Therapist/Clinical Supervisor
Join our innovative, experienced and dedicated team!
FT, Benefits, Bonus Program
Job Code: MHT-SUP-451

_________________________________________________

POSITION SUMMARY:
This position is part Licensed Mental Health Therapist, and part Clinical Supervisor for our small Outpatient Team. Position will provide supervision and guidance to MHT staff under the guidance of the Program Director as well as providing outpatient treatment and case management services to children and adolescents with mental health disorders. Duties include overall responsibilities for assessment, treatment planning, provision of treatment services, and record keeping for each client and family.


REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Master’s level degree in psychology, social work, counseling or related field and a minimum of two years direct experience in a mental health setting providing therapy to children, adolescents and families.
Minimum of 2 years of Clinical and Administrative Supervisory experience in a mental health setting.
Licensure required.
Must be able to meet QMHP requirements under State of Oregon MHDD Division’s Administrative rules.


REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
• Knowledge of the developmental needs of children and adolescents from birth to twenty-one years old.
• Knowledge of individual, family and group treatment strategies, including traditional and non-traditional treatment/service modalities.
• Ability to establish professional communication in English with clients and service providers both orally and in wiring.
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse population in a variety of environments’
• Ability to effectively handle working in an environment serving clients who are struggling with severe emotional and mental health related difficulties
• Ability to maintain complete documentation for charting according to OAR and agency requirements.
• Ability to exercise tact, discretion and judgment in working with others and in handling confidential information.
• Ability to work as a member of a coordinate team effort and act as the team leader.
• Ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in working with others and in handling confidential information.
• Ability to work independently and seek out supervision as needed.
• Ability to accurately read, record, and interpret information, including assessments, measures and diagnostic criteria in order to establish client/service provider strengths and needs.
• Act as a role model in all areas of functioning.
• Model mission and purpose of the agency, department and team.
• Provide and model enthusiasm about tasks and encourages enthusiasm in others.
• Knowledge of group therapy skills and group dynamics.
• Supervise in a manner that is respectful of individual differences.
• Manual and physical dexterity allowing for copying, typing, filing, writing, phone use, computer use, etc.
• Ability to regularly attend and be punctual for scheduled work commitments and meetings and be in a condition suitable for assuming responsibilities of position.


OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
• Position may involve driving a personal vehicle for work purposes, depending on client assigned. If driving a personal vehicle for work purposes, a valid
driver’s license for state of residency, a driving record permitting coverage under corporate auto liability policy are required, and personal auto liability insurance
are required. If driving personal vehicle for work-related purposes more than once a week (4 times per month on average) must have and maintain personal auto
liability coverage at $100,000/$100,000 level. All employees driving for work purposes must complete organization’s driving approval process before driving for
work.

• Bloodborne Pathogens training is required on first day of employment.

• Must pass criminal history check.

• Availability to work program director designated evening hours.


APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
• Preferred Application Procedure: Email a cover letter and resume to jobs@morrisonkids.org and put job code "ATTN: MHT-SUP-451" in the subject line of your
email. No phone calls please.

• Alternate application procedure: Fax your cover letter/resume to Morrison Child and Family Services at 503.736.9759 "ATTN: MHT-SUP-451"

• To be considered for this position you must follow this application procedure and you must meet all position qualifications/requirements.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

Position Open Until Enough Qualified Applicants Have Responded.
We value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today said it had arrested Mr T S Darbari, former Joint Director General of the Organising Committee (OC) of the XIX Commonwealth Games, and Mr Sanjay Mohindroo in connection with allegations of corruption in the organisation of the Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) in London in October last year.

A spokesman for the agency told newspersons that two cases, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act had been registered against the two officials and others.

Mr Darbari had been suspended from the OC by its Chairman Suresh Kalmadi on August 5, days after the media first carried reports about alleged exorbitant payments for services provided by two London firms for the QBR, held on October 29, 2009.

Queen Elizabeth II and President Pratibha Patil were amongst those who attended the event.

Mr Mohindroo had resigned from the OC some months before that. Their role is being investigated by various agencies, including the Directorate of Enforcement.

The Games were held in Delhi from October 3-14 this year and the run-up to the mega event was full of controversies, with media reports about alleged corruption, exorbitant payments for overlays and other items, and just plain bad publicity for the country because of delays and poor standards in the construction of many facilities.

The first case was registered against the duo as well as AM Transport, a London-based firm, its Director and others.

The allegation is that th OC officials, in conspiracy with the London firm and its Director, awarded work to the firm at exorbitant rates without following the standard tender process. The CBI said the work was awarded on the false premise that the firm was on the panel of the Indian High Commission in London. The OC officials allegedly forged two e-mails to justify the selection of the firm.

The second case was registered against the two officials as well as AM Films, a London firm, which is a sister company of the first firm, and its Director, who is also the Director concerned of the first firm.

The allegation in this case is that the two officials, in conspiracy with the firm and its Director, had awarded the work of installation of video screens to the firm, which deals in audio visual equipment. The screens were set up at the venue of the QBR. The work was allegedly awarded purportedly on the basis of fake quotations and without following the standard procedure, the CBI spokesman said.

"The accused persons caused huge loss to the Government of India and corresponding wrongful gain to the accused firms," he said.

He said searches were conducted at the office of the OC and residential premises of the accused officials and incriminating documents recovered were being scrutinised. Investigations are in progress, he added.

The Opposition has been calling for action against Mr Kalmadi, a Congress MP, and the institution of a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the allegations.

Last week, Mr Kalmadi had resigned from his position as Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party.

Last month, the Government set up a High-Level Committee (HLC), headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu, that will probe the organisation and conduct of the Games.

The second member of the committee is Mr Shantanu Consul, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1974 batch (Karnataka cadre), who retired from service on October 31. He was the Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training.

NNN

Firm Overview
K-Insight Consulting LLC (K-Insight) is a financial, operational, programmatic, and information systems management consulting firm. We consider ourselves the Governments solution to transformation, growth, and prosperity, while simultaneously implementing and advancing transparency, accountability, participation, collaboration, data quality, internal control, compliance, and/or process improvements.

We are a woman, minority owned, solutions driven emerging small business, dedicated to public sector advisory services. We deliver knowledge and evidence based management, together with business intelligence, to drive firms to solutions beyond compliance. Our specialized services include:

• Financial Process Improvements
• Recovery Act, Open Government, and Data Quality Compliance and Risk Management
• Corporate Governance and Program Integrity Implementation and Assessments
• Internal Control / OMB Circular A-123 Assessments and Monitoring
• Enterprise Risk Management
• Audit Readiness and Remediation
• Business Process Re-engineering
• Program, Project, Operations, and Financial Risk and Compliance Assessments
• Policy and Procedure Development

We are seeking a dual position full-time candidate to function as an internal Executive Assistant (EA) and Travel Coordinator for a client who has engaged us (as subcontractors) to perform internal control support services, which requires monthly travel to a select number of their 80 plus international offices.

If you are interested in joining the K-Insight family by way of the below job functions and you meet the requirements of the job, please send an email to humanresources@k-insight.net that specifies your interest and ability to perform the job functions, your date and time preferences for an interview next week, salary requirement, available start date, and any questions. We believe our firm offers the opportunity for a personally and professionally rewarding position and hope that you give consideration to joining us. Phone calls related to the subject matter, will not be accepted, until a mutual decision to move forward is established. Serious Inquiries Only, please!

Executive Assistant
As an EA, the candidate will work directly for and under the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of K-Insight. The candidate will provide high-level support by conducting research, preparing reports, handling information requests, and performing clerical functions such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings. May also train and supervise lower-level clerical staff.

The EA will screen incoming calls; manage and maintain the Presidents schedules; prepare invoices, reports, memos, letters, and other documents, using word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software; read and analyze incoming memos, submissions, and reports to determine their significance and plan their distribution; open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email; file and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports; and prepare responses to correspondence containing routine inquiries.

The ideal candidate will be experienced in handling a wide range of administrative and executive support related tasks and will be able to work independently with little or no supervision. This person must be a self starter, exceedingly well organized, flexible and enjoy the administrative challenges of supporting a fast paced, high demand, small office. Candidate should assert the ability to interact with staff (at all levels) in a fast paced environment, sometimes under pressure, remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful and efficient, with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality is crucial to this role.

Travel Coordinator
As a Travel Coordinator, the candidate will coordinate monthly international travel in accordance with the General Services Administration regulations, Agency travel directives and procedures, traveler preferences, travel needs (destination, arrival date, and departure date), and end destination customer request.

Travel coordination includes transportation (air and ground), lodging, health and vaccination requirements, identification of reimbursable and non reimbursable expenses, and acclamation of traveler to destination (work location and nearby places).

The coordinator will be responsible for the accurate purchase of all elements using the company’s credit card; maintaining up to date, complete, and accurate travel records; determining the amount of traveler advances; reviewing expense reports and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and compliance; determining the amount of travel advance over or under the approved reimbursable travel expenses; approving the traveler’s expense report; and initiating the collection or payment to the traveler.

The coordinator will create and maintain a travel package for each destination and will be responsible for obtaining the review and approval of management prior to purchase. The coordinator will also prepare and distribute travel packages to the travelers with all the necessary travel information; and prepare and distribute travel packages to the client for Company expense reimbursement.

Job Requirements - The Candidate Must:
 Be a U.S. Citizen
 Have the ability to secure a background check and secret clearance
 Have knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word
 processing, managing files and records, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology
 Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction
 Possess strong and confident decision making abilities
 Have experience planning, scheduling, and monitoring travel
 Federal and/or international travel coordination is preferred, but not required
 Have experience working with or knowledge of Federal Travel Regulations
 Have experience working with or knowledge of domestic and international per diem rates
 Possess keen attention to details
 Display professional verbal and written communication skills

Job Benefits - K-Insight offers:
 Competitive salaries commensurate with experience
 Health and dental insurance and discounts plans, respectively
 Term life insurance and short term disability
 401K
 Two weeks (10 days) of combined vacation, sick, and personal paid leave
 Ten (10) paid holidays


Human Resources
K-Insight Consulting LLC
Small Company, Big Difference
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004
Office 202-204-3014: Fax 202-747-7658
humanresources@k-insight.net

As a medical care professional, whether you're a respiratory therapist or a registered nurse, it's important you understand the behind the scenes politics. Sure you may wonder why you're doing breathing treatments on someone who doesn't need them, yet believe it or not, there is a good method to the madness -- most of the time.

Or if it's not a good method, at least it's a method nonetheless.

Whether or not you think government involvement in the health care system is a good or bad thing, the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) established what they call "core measures" as a means of improving quality of hospital care and reducing costs. While I don't care for government involvement, I think the idea of "core measures" is a good thing.

Yes, it may result in some overkill, yet sometimes some overkill is needed to meet the ultimate goals of an institution and the overall health care system to the benefit of the patient and to assure cost effectiveness. Bare with me, because by the time this post is complete hopefully you'll have a better overall understanding of what I mean.

So, what are core measures? Please forgive me if I don't get this exactly straight, because I'm learning along with you. Yet after participating in a year's worth of administrative meetings, given presentations, interviewed coworkers and completed a ton of research where I think I have enough information to write about this nearly inexplicable subject.

Core measures are the things the medical staff must do when a patient is admitted under a specific core measure set: acute mycardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care. Within these four sets there are 27 core measures that are based on scientifically-researched standards of care that have been shown to result in improved clinical outcomes for patients.

Basically, for each particular diagnosis, or diagnosis related group (DRG), the core values are all the things that the latest wisdom has proven work to increase recovery time for that patient.

They have also provided a focus for the development of Clinical Pathways and Standard Orders (post on this coming soon too), both of which assist in the consistent provision of optimal care to patients.

By Clinical Pathways we mean the creation of a system throughout the hospital that makes sure what needs to be ordered is getting ordered, and then completed. One example of this is our hospital has created order sets and protocols for several DRGs.

Now I am of the impression that order sets are bad and protocols are good. This is a topic I will discuss in more detail in an up and coming post.

These order sets and protocols act as a hymn book to make sure every professional taking care of the patient, from the doctor to RT, from the nurse to the lab techs to the x-ray tech, know exactly what their roll is for the patient.

A protocol is a standard order approved by the medical staff that gives the nurses and respiratory therapists the opportunity to do what is best for the patient given the circumstances. If used properly, these work to the benefit of the patient (improved care when needed), the staff members involved (improved morale) and the physician (decreased irritating calls).

An order set is a sheet of paper that the nurse pulls from a cabinet as soon as a patient is, for example, diagnosed with pneumonia. The set is a list of all possible options for that diagnosis. Some of the options that are most essential, such as making sure a sputum is ordered and obtained before the initial antibiotic is given, and giving that first antibiotic within six hours from the time the patient hits the door, are automatically ordered.

Many hospitals are incorporating order sets that automatically set in motion certain things that assure core measures are met, because these are scientifically proven to speed recovery and reduce costs. Examples are x-ray on admission and each morning for the next three days, labs on admission and each morning for the next three days, oxygen, IV, etc. These things must be done on all pneumonia patients, and the order set sets this in motion.

Another thing that is automatic is antibiotic selection, although the doctor will have options here. The emergency room nurses have a process in place where they will make sure the patient gets the antibiotic within six hours if the patient is still in the emergency room, and then there is another system in place to make sure this antibiotic is given within six hours if the patient is admitted to the patient floors.

When x-rays and labs are ordered, they pop up on a tracker board automatically through a computerized system both on a board in the emergency room and on similar tracker boards in the lab and x-ray departments. As time elapses, the color of each particular procedure changes from green (you have some time) to red, which means it needs to be done soon or right now or STAT or at least given top priority.

At Shoreline we have a bright orange laminated sheet that is inserted into the patient's chart right before the doctor's orders section, so that every person who looks at the orders is reminded of the importance of core measures.

Sure order sets might result in some overkill, yet all these reminders, all this motion, makes sure the hospital is meeting core measures for this patient. It also assures the hospital is meeting Intensity of Service. For example, on our order set, the options of IV, antibiotic selection, and breathing treatments are on the order set.

Used appropriately, one can see how order sets and protocols, when used together, can result in improved outcomes and reduced costs, improved staff morale, and decreased annoying calls to the physician.

Each individual hospital uses analysis of their own core measures as a means of evaluating performance at their own institution, and as a method of improving this performance.

Here at Shoreline Medical we analyze core measures data at our weekly keystone meetings. An example of the data we look at can be seen in the picture to the right.

The goal is to obtain a 90% rating in each core measure, as indicated by green. If the rating is less than 90%, this would be indicated as red.

The results are reported to the Joint Commission, which records this data on their website so anyone can see where each hospital stands in each area.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) has created a new website so you can check out hospital core measures. The site created is the Agency for Health Research & Quality (ahrq.gov). Another site is HHS's new site hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.

However, as I noted in this Keystone post, "It must be noted, however, that these measures must not be used as a report card to compare hospitals, rather as a tool for hospital improvement. What I mean by this is that if you consider 80-90% a B grade, and 90% or greater an A, you might actually be mislead.

"If you have a small hospital that has only admitted 10 patients with an MI over a span of a month, and a larger hospital has admitted over 100 such patients, and both hospitals forget to
properly chart two patients for whatever reason, the small hospital's stats will show 80% (a B grade) and the larger hospital will show 98% (an A grade). Yet both hospitals made the same amount of errors.

"So, again, these core measures and the percentages that go with them should not be used as a report card to compare hospitals, but as data to assist improvement."

At Shoreline, and other hospitals in Michigan, we get together in a monthly Keystone Meeting to discuss the recent core measures data, and then try to implement a systematic approach to improving our data. For example, back in 2007 there were many core measures where we were in the red, or less than 90%. Our current statistics are mostly green.

Thus, based on these core measures, we have created a a rapid response team, a sepsis protocol, an extubation protocol, a ventilator bundle, a sepsis bundle, a pneumonia bundle, an MI bundle, a heart failure bundle, a surgical bundle, among other successes that have reduced the number of patients being transported to the critical care, and obtaining nosocomial infections. This also includes a reduction in cases ventilator acquired pneumonia (VAP, other nosocomial pneumonia, and sepsis, and has likewise reduced readmission rates (post on this coming Sunday).

We have also created an array of order sets for pneumonia, CHF, sepsis, COPD, asthma, ventilator, ventilator extubation, etc.

So you can see these core measures are a good thing. The only problem I see is our hospital has incorporated all these order sets and no protocols to go with them (with the exception of the ventilator extubation protocol).

This ultimately results in a lot of overkill. For example, every sepsis patient gets ABGs, every pneumonia patient gets breathing treatments, and most patients get EKGs. While these procedures are needed for some patients admitted with said disease, they are not needed for all. Likewise, once breathing treatments are ordered, they are never discharged.

The result here is RT and RN burnout trying to get all these things done just so the hospital meets core measures, and the hospital gets reimbursed. It wrongly gives the hospital the impression of caring more for money than for patients.

The ultimate goal, however, I believe, for the government in all of this, is to use these core measures as a means of reimbursing hospitals based on performance rather than for each procedure provided to the patient. Now I'm not sure this is a good thing or not, yet that's the ultimate goal.

Actually, the ultimate goal for the government in all this is to reduce costs, so that when the new health care reform goes into effect, and if the United States eventually adapts a Federalized Healthcare Program such as exists in Britain or Canada, the cost to the government will be minimal.

So, what are the specific core measures? Here are the core measures that are being monitored today:

1. Acute Mycardial Infarction:

• Aspirin at arrival
• Aspirin prescribed at discharge
• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) for left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD)
• Smoking cessation advice/counseling
• Beta blocker prescribed at discharge
• Time to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
• Inpatient mortality

2. Heart Failure:

• Aspirin at arrival
• Aspirin prescribed at discharge
• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) for left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD)
• Smoking cessation advice/counseling
• Beta blocker prescribed at discharge
• Time to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
• Inpatient mortality

Community Acquired Pneumonia:

• Oxygen assessment within 24 hours of arrival
• Pneumococcal and influenza screening and/or vaccination
• Blood cultures prior to first antibiotic dose
• Smoking cessation advice/counseling
• Arrival time to first antibiotic

Surgical care improvement project: (check out this link)

• Providing a prophylactic antibiotic within 1 hour prior to surgical incision
• Providing a prophylactic antibiotic selection for surgical patients consistent with each type of surgical procedure
• Discontinuing the prophylactic antibiotic within 24 hours after the end of surgery because prolonged use of antibiotics increases the risk of Clostridium difficile infection -- a bacterium that causes diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis -- and the development of pathogens -microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses or parasites that can cause disease -- resistant to antibiotics
• Controlling postoperative serum glucose in cardiac surgery patients because high blood sugar weakens the immune system and increases the risk of infection
• Clipping the hair of surgery patients rather than shaving because skin abrasions increase the risk of infection
• Maintaining immediate postoperative normothermia (normal temperature) in colorectal surgery patients because increased temperatures pose a greater risk of infection, prolonged healing of wounds and longer hospital stays.

Based on these core measures, a major initiative of the Keystone Project was to improve outcomes of the critical care. It is actually the largest statewide collaborative ever: 76 hospitals, and 120 intensive care units. By this accomplishment it has also reduced costs for both the hospital and the government.

Interventions of the project include:

• Implement a unit based safety program
• Eliminate central line associated blood stream infections
• Eliminate Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP
• Implement daily goal sheets
• Implement sepsis bundles to reduce ICU mortality from severe sepsis and septic shock

So you can see that the overall idea of core values is a good thing to improve quality of patient care and reduce costs -- if done the right way. It's also a method Medicare uses to pay hospitals, and a means of making sure doctors, nurses, RTs, x-ray techs, lab techs, and administrators are on the same page (all singing from the same hymn book) when it comes to taking care of the patient.

Again, though, the bottom line as far as a specific institution is concerned is to make sure we are doing all we need to do to ensure that we will be reimbursed. We have set up order sets so that everything that the most recent evidence shows will benefit those patients is ordered.

The pneumonia order set has bronchodilators every 6 hours. This assures that a bronchodilator is ordered by the attending physician. Now we know full well that pneumonia does not cause bronchoconstriction, yet by ordering bronchodilator treatments the physician is making certain the hospitals foremost experts on the lungs are assessing the patient every six hours during the course of the day."

Reminders are in the charts for us RTs too. Since best practice evidence shows a speedy extubation reduces ventilator acquired pneunonia, our extubation protocol encourages us to think extubation as soon as the patient is intubated. So we have laminated sheets in the chart to remind everyone who cares for the patient what this protocol is. Another laminated sheet on the chart shows a simple step-by-step algorithm to extubation.

Reminders are everywhere. Some are laminated sheets, some are signs on bulleton boards, some are on the tracker board, some are sheets of paper that print of in respective departments. Likewise, our department supervisors double check our charting to assure we are properly charting. It's the job of your boss to make sure everything is charted properly so core measures and Intensity of Service is met.

Yes, you might think your boss is hounding you at times. You may get lots of notes. Yet this is the job of your boss. His job is to make sure you are doing everything for that patient based on core measures. If core measures are not met, the hospital may not be reimbursed. So if you get the feeling your boss is paying too much attention to your charting and not enough attention to the patient, now you know that's not actually the case.

Yes, there is some overkill. Yes, there will be some needless procedures (such as bronchodilators on all pneumonia patients), yet the ultimate goal is to improve quality and reduce costs (which is the bottom line).

The neat thing about the monthly keystone meetings at Shoreline is that any time any person who cares for the patient has an idea to improve the process, or if new wisdom is learned, this gets reviewed and better clinical pathways are created.

If you're still confused about core measures, don't worry because so are the same people responsible for monitoring them.

Executive Assitant

Legal

Office / Clerical / Administrative



Full-time

United States - Virginia - Arlington





The Compensation

Base Salary - $60,000 - $65,000

Benefits - Full



Commission Compensation - No

Bonus Eligible - No

Overtime Eligible - No

Relocation Assistance Available - No

Interview Travel Reimbursed - No



The Ideal Candidate

5+ to 7 years of experience

Management Experience Required - No

Minimum Education - Bachelor's Degree



Willingness to Travel - Occasionally





Job Summary:





The role of the Executive Assistant will be to provide support to the General Manager and senior leaders of the Patents & Standards business segment within the Intellectual Property Solutions (IPS) business unit.. This position will use excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills and a solutions-oriented approach to support and address the business needs of our office with approximately 100 locally-based staff. The Executive Assistant will be responsible for delivering a high standard of business support; including creation of business initiative presentations, organizing and managing calendars and meetings, managing expense reports, handling office and facility issues; plus showing the initiative to anticipate and resolve conflicts as they arise and prioritize issues. In partnership with senior leadership, the Executive Assistant will build and foster a positive company and office culture. This role will act as a liaison between the General Manager, customers and staff.



Duties and Responsibilities:

Fully support regular activities such as annual plan, strategy planning, quarterly reviews and monthly reporting through collection and preparation of information, organizing agendas, meeting times and locations.

Publish agendas for and attend weekly team meetings, take notes/record action items, and distribute to participants.

Provide extensive calendar management to cover global appointments, video conference, and WebEx meetings in liaison with UK/Asia Pacific and US site.

Coordinate travel arrangements as required.

Process expenses for senior leaders on a monthly basis using online expense system.

Collate and distribute reports/documentation such as month end reports, as necessary.

Responsible for obtaining necessary authorization for payment of invoices, departmental or site requisitions.

Coordinate conference rooms, meal arrangements, and guest accommodations for on and off-site meetings/events.

Assist in new hire setup, including building orientation, issuing keys, assigning a work station, ordering business cards and making sure that desk has appropriate supplies.

Coordinate office and seating changes.

Interface with building management as needed to provide a single point of contact for office related issues and general communications.

Coordinate construction planning for any expansions or new space.

Coordinate employee contact data as part of ID management.

Manage facilities Emergency Preparedness and Response procedures; ensure that security procedures are in place and that safety procedures are followed.

Implement corporate policies and procedures, as directed.

Handle and respond to inquiries and redirect them to appropriate business representative for resolution.

Handle confidential and sensitive information in relation to the operational running of the company.

Undertake any other reasonable duties as requested by your line manager/director on a permanent or temporary basis, including administrative support for other senior leaders, as time permits.



Education and Previous Experience:

BA/BS degree required, preferably in business.

Demonstrated track record of success in an administrative/support role in a corporate environment.

Energetic, self-starter with ability to interact effectively at multiple levels.



Visible "can do" approach to work and positive attitude.

Significant experience with a broad range of software, including all Microsoft Office products and Visio; experience with SAP a plus.

Demonstrated presentation building skills.

Strong oral and written communication skills.

Ability to set priorities and maintain organization for self and others.

Ability to implement change in a fast-paced environment.

Strong planning, time management and organizational skills.

Demonstrated troubleshooting skills, resourcefulness, initiative and imagination.



Evidence of exceptional attention to detail and follow up skills.

Awareness of company core values, vision and goals.

Well organized and disciplined with regards policy, procedure and standards.

Our employees take pride in providing our customers around the world with information that is timely, accurate, unbiased and trusted. We have a profound respect for the professions and customers we serve and define our success in terms of their success. Our work environment is dynamic, innovative and entrepreneurial. We have a result-oriented culture that demands excellence, agility, and the desire to move quickly and precisely to seize opportunities. Our environment is both challenging and supportive - we give employees the opportunity to develop their skills and do their best work.



Values diversity of culture and thought and seeks talented, qualified employees in all its operations around the world regardless of race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age or any other protected classification under country or local law.



We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Always use guest name. Listen intently to each guest, focusing directly on them during each interaction.





JOB DESCRIPTION







Position Title: Guest Service Associate

Wage Code: 040120000

Immediate Supervisor’s Title: Front Office Supervisor



Scheduled Hours:



Revised Date: April, 2007






Overall Responsibilities

•MUST Have a FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
Be accountable for all transactions performed during your scheduled shift and correctly follow banking-out and shift closing procedures.
•Responsible for keeping work areas safe and clean.
•Provide accurate, descriptive hotel and city information to all callers. Be knowledgeable of hours of operation for all hotel facilities.
•Have a thorough understanding of all guestroom locations and their amenities.
•Handle mail and messages per prescribed procedure.
•Constantly practice teamwork; Set a good example of responsibility and adherence to company policy for others to follow and establish a positive image.
•Know and be able to carry out specified duties in the event of a fire alarm, bomb threat, guest or employee medical emergency, and system failure.
•Answer phones promptly in a polite and professional manner using the standard phraseology. Use associate’s name when answering all in-house calls. Responsibility for routing incoming calls to the right department, guestroom, meeting room, or other facilities.
•Has comprehensive understanding of PBX console and its functions.
•Responsible for recording and entering all wake-up requests in the Wake-up machine and logging VIP wake-ups on the master log. Responsible for guests get their wake-up calls at the requested time.
•Responsible for receiving and delivery of guest and administrative faxes; following the guidelines outlined in the fax manual.
•Be knowledgeable about the voice mail system and assist guests with usage and message retrieval.
•Handles all messages with correct spelling, making sure the message light is turned on and delivers all messages by phone making sure the message light is turned off.
•In-charge of the paging system and the two-way radio in the Communications office.
•Ensure that all problems and guest complaints are resolved and logged on the Guest Response Log and relayed to the supervisor.
•Responsible for advising immediately all departments concerned and the Fire Department (911) when the Fire Panel goes off following our Standard Operating Procedure.
•Responsible for receiving and connecting hearing impaired telephone calls.
•Assist in installing and picking up phones, speaker phones in/from meeting rooms, guest rooms and other public areas.
•Read and understand the USA Patriot Act.
•



Essential Functions

•Language skills: Have the ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules (i.e., Lockout Tagout, JSA’s), safety awareness information (MSDS), operation and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to keep logs and to speak effectively to customers and associates.
•The Courtyard by Marriott Silver Spring Downtown functions seven days a week, 24 hours a day. All associates must realize this fact and be aware that at times it may be necessary to move an associate from their accustomed shift as business demands. In addition, it is understood that business and weather determines the amount of hours that are worked and that some weeks may be scheduled at less than 40 hours and other weeks at more than 40 hours.
•
•Use aggressive hospitality skills, which include:
• Smile and Greet every Guest
• Speak to the guest in a warm, friendly and courteous manner
• Display genuine and enthusiastic interest in the guest, pay complete attention
• Anticipate guest needs and be flexible in responding to them
• Be knowledgeable about your job
• LEARN to take ownership of guest problems and resolve them
•Report to work station at your scheduled time, being prepared to commence all assigned duties.
•Perform all job requests assigned by management in which the associate is capable.
•Maintain a well groomed, professional appearance and attitude at all times.
•When customers enter your operation, acknowledge their presence immediately with a smile and greeting. Use the guest’s name at least once in an interaction and practice the principles of Aggressive Hospitality.
•Anticipate guest needs and offer assistance.
•Responsible for running the CRM Arrivals Report and pre check-in any Marriott Rewards members coming in for the day.
•Be aware of the needs for all groups arriving daily; understand how to use the "Manager’s Game plan".
•Follow proper procedures for check acceptance; check cashing, cash handling, and establishing guest credit.
•Follow proper check-in and check-out procedures, concentrating on the guest needs in a polite, efficient manner.
•Know and understand present rates and proper selling procedure.
• Have knowledge of any and all promotions and/or current programs (i.e. Marriott Rewards, Hotel Packages) etc.
•Be always ready to show a room to a guest.

Please apply at: jobs.cy-silverspring.com

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Grant-Funded Position

POSITION Family Advocate (Classified II)

ASSIGNMENT :
The individual selected for this position provide orientation to parents on the program and policies. Assist families in the assessment of their needs. Develop and implement individualized family plans. Provide support services to families and enrolled children as required to meet family needs. Identify resources within the community. Assist families to learn about and utilize community resources. Assist in the establishment and maintenance of cooperative relationships with other community resources. Conduct family home visits. Record pertinent data in family files. Maintain confidentiality of program and client information. Act in cooperation with the Education, Health, and Parent Involvement staff to ensure the delivery of family services. Participate in the planning, implementation and conducting of educational and enrichment activities for families. Promote parent involvement in all aspects of the program working in conjunction with Education and Parent Involvement staff. Provide crisis intervention and emergency intervention for enrolled families. Ensure that enrolled children receive health and related services as required by program standards and policies. Maintain records of verbal and written communications with parents, staff and community agencies. Maintain ongoing records of data for program management. Conduct outreach, recruitment and enrollment activities.

QUALIFICATIONS :
All persons serving in the role of family advocate must meet the following qualifications:
• Have an associates or higher degree with the equivalent of 30 college quarter credits of adult education, human development, human services, family support, social work, early childhood education, child development, psychology, or another field directly related to their job responsibilities. (30 credits may be included or in addition to degree)
• Three years of experience working with children and families in a human service capacity.

THE AGREEMENT:
Full -time position, 40 hrs / wk., 192 days per budget year (November – October). Our agency defines this position as temporary, full-time, and is contingent upon continuation of State and Federal monies.

SALARY:
Starting Wage is expected to begin at $ 14.21 + Year-Round Benefits

THE PROGRAM:
Educational Opportunities for Children and Families is a non-profit corporation providing comprehensive services to low-income children and their families, including children with disabilities in Clark, Pacific, and Cowlitz Counties in the state of Washington. EOCF’s Main administrative office is located at 10621 NE Coxley Drive, Suite 207, Vancouver, WA 98662-6100. Administrative Support office also located in Pacific County at 2611 Pacific Highway North, Long Beach, WA 98631.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
12:00 noon Wednesday November 17, 2010. After the screening process, all candidates will be notified of their status.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

A complete application file consists of:

* EOCF Application Form
* Signed Declaration Statement
* Cover Letter or Statement of Interest
* Resume
* Copies of transcripts


APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Application forms are available at: http://www.eocfwa.org/eocf/jobs.php; or by calling / visiting:

E.O.C.F. Administrative Office
10621 N.E. Coxley Drive, Suite 207
Vancouver, WA 98662-6100
(306) 896-9912
between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., weekdays.

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 821110
Vancouver, WA 98682-0025


EOCF Employees may participate in a recruitment by submitting a written request to HR to activate their current application packet or by submitting an updated application packet as deemed appropriate. “Employees currently working in their introductory service period or trial service period are not eligible to apply for another EOCF position until they have successfully completed their introductory or trial service period.” Personnel policy 301.1 p. 11

Documentation requirements upon acceptance of position:
- Results (from within the past year) of a negative TB test
- Successful completion of a criminal background check


EOCF shall not discriminate in its staff, hiring practices, board, volunteers, volunteer committees, or recipients of any service on the basis of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, mental, physical, or sensory disability, or any other status not listed, as protected by state and/or federal law.

The last time I felt such an emphatic feeling of bi-partisan joie de vivre was when the legislature passed the "driving while texting" ban.

The anti-bullying bill of rights co-sponsored by Allen, Buono, Huttle and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini (R-Ocean) is reprinted below.

• Provides that training on harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) be part of the training required for public school teaching staff members in suicide prevention. The instruction is also required to include information on reducing the risk of suicide in students who are members of communities identified as having members at high risk of suicide.
• Provides that by the 2011-2012 school year all candidates for school administrator or teacher certification will be required to complete a program on harassment, intimidation, or bullying prevention, and that training in this area will be a part of the professional development requirements for these individuals.
• Includes training regarding harassment, intimidation and bullying in schools as a part of the training program provided to all school board members.
• Provides that the training course for safe schools resource officers and public school employees assigned by a board of education to serve as a school liaison to law enforcement must include training in the protection of students from harassment, intimidation, and bullying.
• Requires school districts to establish bullying prevention programs or approaches. Under current law school districts are only "encouraged" to establish such programs.
• Provides that each school district must form a school safety team in each school in the district to foster and maintain a positive school climate within the schools:

Consists of the principal or a senior administrator in the school and a teacher in the school, the school anti-bullying specialist, and other members to be determined by the principal. The school anti-bullying specialist shall serve as the chair of the school safety team.

The school safety team shall:

receive any complaints of HIB of students that have been reported to the principal receive copies of any report prepared after an investigation of an incident of HIB identify and address patterns of HIB review and strengthen school climate and the policies of the school in order to prevent HIB educate the community, including students, teachers, administrative staff, and parents, to prevent and address HIB of students collaborate with the district anti-bullying coordinator in the collection of district-wide data and in the development of district policies to prevent and address harassment, intimidation or bullying of students

• Creates the "Bullying Prevention Fund" in the Department of Education to be used to fund grants to school districts to provide training on harassment, intimidation, and bullying prevention and on effective means to create a positive school climate.
• Designates the week beginning with the first Monday in October of each year as a "Week of Respect" and requires districts to observe the week by providing age-appropriate instruction focusing on preventing harassment, intimidation or bullying.
• Amends the definition of "harassment, intimidation or bullying": to specify that the "harm" that a student may experience could be either physical or emotional; to add two additional criteria to the definition - the creation of a hostile environment at school and the infringement on the rights of the student at school; and to eliminate the requirement that the disruption or interference with the orderly operation of the school be "substantial."
• Adds a conviction of "bias intimidation" to the list of crimes for which a person may be disqualified for employment in a school.
• Provides that the Department of Education, in consultation with the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety, must develop a guidance document for use by parents, students, and school districts to assist in resolving complaints regarding harassment, intimidation, or bullying behaviors and concerning the implementation by school districts of statutory requirements in this area.
• Includes harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the types of conduct that under current statute may constitute good cause for suspension or expulsion.
• Includes members of the school board in the list of individuals who may not engage in reprisals against victims or witnesses of acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying and also in the list of those who are required to report acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying to appropriate officials in the school district;
• Provides that a school district's policy on harassment, intimidation, and bullying must include appropriate responses to such actions that occur off school grounds.
• Provides a detailed procedure that must be included in each district's policy concerning the investigation of incidents of harassment, intimidation, or bullying.
• Provides that a school employee or contracted service provider must file a written report with the school principal within two days of observing or being made aware of an act of harassment, intimidation, or bullying.
• Provides that the principal in each public school must appoint the currently employed school guidance counselor, school psychologist or another similarly trained individual as the school anti-bullying specialist. If there is no individual that meets these criteria employed in the school, the principal must appoint another currently employed individual in the school to the position of school anti-bullying specialist. The bill also sets forth the responsibilities of school anti-bullying specialists:

Chair the school safety team Lead investigation of incidents Act as primary school official responsible for preventing, identifying, and addressing incidents at school

• Provides that the superintendent of schools in each school district must appoint a district anti-bullying coordinator and sets forth the responsibilities of that individual: Responsible for coordinating and strengthening the school district's policies to prevent, identify, and address incidents Collaborate with school anti-bullying specialists in the district, the board of education, and the superintendent of schools to prevent, identify and respond to incidents Provide data, in collaboration with the superintendent of schools, to the Department of Education regarding harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students
• Require the addition of an anti-bullying policy and enforcement mechanism to the student code of conduct of every public college and university.
• Provides that the Department of Education must establish a formal protocol to be used by the offices of the executive county superintendent of schools in investigating complaints that school districts are not adhering to the provisions of law governing harassment, intimidation, or bullying in the schools.
• Provides that a school administrator who fails to initiate or conduct an investigation of an incident, or who should have known of an incident and fails to take action, is subject to discipline.
• Provides that the superintendent of schools must report to the board of education twice a year, rather than annually, at a public hearing all acts of violence, vandalism and harassment, intimidation, or bullying which occurred during the previous period. The report shall be used to grade schools and districts in their efforts to identify harassment, intimidation or bullying, pursuant to a program for which the commissioner will provide guidelines.
• Include in the School Report Card data identifying the number and nature of all reports of harassment, intimidation or bullying.

The Regional Vice President of Operations is responsible for managing all hands-on operational aspects of his or her assigned facilities. He or she assists the Chief Executive Officer in the aggressive and successful growth of the company. Plans with the Chief Executive Officer and executive management team and provides the leadership, management and vision necessary to ensure that the company has the proper operational controls, administrative and reporting procedures, and people systems in place to effectively grow the organization and to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency.

Essential Elements of Job (Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following):
• Prompt and continued diligence in coming to work.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and management to a service organization that mirrors the adopted mission and core values of the company.
• Responsible for driving his for her facilities to achieve and surpass census levels, profitability, cash flow and business goals and objectives.
• Responsible for the measurement and effectiveness of all processes operational internal and external for his or her facilities.
• Provides timely, accurate and complete reports on the operating condition of the company.
• Participate in the development, communication and implementation of effective growth strategies and processes.
• Collaborate with the management team to develop and implement plans for the operational infrastructure of systems, processes, and personnel designed to accommodate the rapid growth objectives of the company.
• Motivate and lead a high performance management team; attract, recruit and retain required members of the facility teams; provide mentoring as a cornerstone to the management career development program.
• Act as lead "client-care officer" through direct contact with his or her facilities and their owners.
• Assist, as required, in raising additional capital at appropriate valuations to enable the Company to meet growth, and market share objectives.
• Foster a success-oriented, accountable environment within the company.
• Represent the company with residents, investors, and business partners.
• Review all “plans of corrections” from state surveyors and follow up of facility compliance to their plan of correction.
• Overview of all in-service training including but not limited to staffing, staff development, resident care, budgets, safety and record keeping.

Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Education and Experience: Must have a current RN, RHIT, Bachelor’s Degree, and/or Administrator license. Required knowledge and implementation of assessment skills. Minimum seven (7) years of experience working in Assisted and Skilled Living Facilities.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of his or her facility administrators/general managers. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring and training administrators/managers; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; regarding and discipline employee; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, policy, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of residents or employees of organization.

Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. Must react calmly but efficiently to emergencies.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representatives of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations maybe made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.

Special Requirements: Responsible to know all documentation procedures and how to use all logs; ADL log, Resident Care log, resident files, MOD, and Emergency log. Must be available to travel extensively, work extended hours, weekends and holidays when necessary. Must be available in person, telephone or electronic pager at all business hours. Must comply with criminal background check, all facility policies, procedures and Personnel Policy Manual. Current CPR Certification, negative TB test, HIV/AIDS awareness education and blood borne pathogen training.

I have read and understood my job description. I accept and agree to fulfill these and other duties as assigned.

By Saksith Saiyasombut

On Tuesday the Administrative Court has decided that auditor-general Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka, nicknamed 'Ying Ped' ('duck lady') cannot exercise any power or authority and has to step down from her position (as reported in The Nation, Bangkok Post and Matichon today). The court also turned a previous order by her that revoked the appointment of the deputy auditor-general, Pisit Leelawichiropas, as her successor. This order to revoke was issued on August 18 earlier this year. The catch? Jaruvan has turned 65 years old on July 5, thus has overstayed at her post and shouldn't have been allowed to exercise any powers.

This for now ends a legal battle over the top post at the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) and Jaruvan's almost eternal tenure that is scattered with controversies (just look here how often her name pops up at Bangkok Pundit). To understand the issue, we have to go all the way back to the first Thaksin administration, when she was appointed as auditor-general in 2002. She quickly gained a reputation for being forceful when examine the budgets of past and present governments. In June 2003 she was hit with a petition being filed at the Constitutional Court by senators claiming that her nomination was unconstitutional. The court ruled in 2004 that her appointment was indeed irregular but did not forced her to step down from her post. Despite calls that the whole nomination procedure has to start all over again, Jaruvan refused to resign and said that she can only be removed by "royal command".

Jaruvan carried on with her work as auditor-general, revealing many budgeting wrongdoings of the Thaksin administration in the process until she retired on September 30, 2004. When the State Audit Commission approved a new auditor-general in May 2005 and seek royal approval, the palace unprecedentedly did not endorse the new nomine. This has led many observers to the interpretation that the King has made use of Article 7 of the 1997 Constitution, which is seen by many a clause for royal intervention in politics. (The call for royal intervention was also a popular demand by the PAD back in 2006 to replace Thaksin with a caretaker government. This was later dismissed by the King in a royal speech, in which he said that such a move would be "undemocratic" and "irrational"). After a letter by the king's private secretary advising to search for a solution of the problem, the SAC reinstated Jaruvan in February 2006.

Then on September 18, 2006 Thaksin initially wanted Jaruvan to step down from her post again at the end of the month, but this plan was never realized because a day later the military coup happened. Despite the reorganizations and dissolving of many state organizations, the OAG was left untouched. Furthermore, it was announced that Jaruvan's tenure was extended to September 30, 2007 where she would then complete a maximum term of five years - article 33 of the Auditor General Act of 1999 states that an auditor-general can only stay for one term. Also the  same announcement urged the SAC to find a successor within 90 days. But no successor was appointed and Jaruvan stayed on beyond September 30, 2007.

The current legal battle ensued over Jaruvan's nomination for her replacement. On April 9, 2009 she tipped her deputy Pisit Leelawichiropas to take over the post. All seemed set to be a smooth transition until August 18 of this year when Jaruvan suddenly changed her mind and ordered to cancel Pisit's appointment. As earlier mentioned, she made this call on August 18, way past her mandatory retirement age when she turned 65 years on July 5. This is how this case ended up in court. Jaruvan argued in court the reason to cancel Pisit's crowning as the next auditor-general was that he made "verbal threats", intimidated low level staff and was generally acting in a way that "would seriously damage and affect the work in the Office of the Auditor-General" (source: Matichon, Oct 6, 2010). Now, that Pisit wouldn't be amused by such allegations is understandable and unsurprisingly, the mood between the two has increasingly deteriorated since Jaruvan's change of mind as this snippet reveals:

The latest flare-up took place on Monday during a meeting of 40 executives and 20 staff members called by Mr Pisit. The khunying reportedly stormed into the meeting and the two rivals battled for the chairperson's seat and microphone in a manner totally unbecoming of officials of their high status. Obviously, both Khunying Jaruvan and Mr Pisit did not appear to mind if the baffled officials present would be offended. Nor did they care for the members of the media present. Perhaps wrangling has become a habit and they no longer feel anything unusual or wrong about it.

"Major farce at audit office," Bangkok Post, September 23, 2010

After the verdict, Jaruvan has announced to appeal against the ruling. She repeatedly claims not to cling on to her post and "she simply did not want to be charged with dereliction of duty for stepping down while no official replacement was appointed", making a reference to article 33 of the Auditor General Act of 1999 that requires a new officially appointed successor in order for the incumbent to make room. But the court has referenced article 34 instead, in which that an auditor-general has to be replaced if he or she either dies, runs for a political office, is being dismissed by the SAG board or, in her case, has reached 65 years. To emphasize this verdict even more, the judge said this memorable statement:

"If the interpretation goes that way [that the CNS order overrides the state audit law on the auditor-general's qualifications], it would mean an auditor-general who is dead, has resigned, is running in an election to be an MP or senator, or has become a drug addict would still be able to carry on working as auditor-general," said chief judge Somchai Wattanakarun in reading out the verdict.

"Jaruvan Vows To Hang On Despite Ruling", Bangkok Post, October 20, 2010

Even though the court has effectively told Jaruvan to leave, this won't be the last thing we'll hear about this case. Hopefully, it won't drag on as long as the other controversies surrounding her persona in the past, but she sure has the audacity to somehow wrangle through after all these years between so many different change of systems and governments. To adapt a popular saying: It ain't over until the Duck Lady sings!

 

Saksith Saiyasombut is a Thai blogger and journalist based in Hamburg, Germany. He can be followed on Twitter @Saksith.

...

TO APPLY FOR THIS JOB, GO TO http://edjoin.org/
Click on District, click on Napa, click on Napa County Office of Education.
Application can be filled out online and required documents may be attached.
OR you may contact 707-265-2352 for application and documents may be submitted via USPS.


NAPA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Barbara Nemko, Ph.D., Superintendent

October 18, 2010

ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLASSIFIED POSITION VACANCY


POSITION: Administrative Secretary II for the SPP TA Grant (State Performance Plan Technical Assistance Project) in Rohnert Park, CA

STARTING DATE: Immediately

SALARY: $2,628.00 to $3,534.00 per month, 8 hours per day, 5 days per week.
16 days vacation, 15.5 paid holidays, and 12 paid sick days per year

BENEFITS: Medical and dental benefits for employee and dependents.

REQUIREMENTS: This position is funded by a grant through June 30, 2011 with the possibility of renewal. The person in this position must be able to type 55 wpm accurately; pass a general clerical test; operate a variety of office machines, use various computer software programs; perform mathematical calculations accurately and rapidly; prepare and maintain accurate and complete reports; understand and carry out instructions independently; communicate effectively and tactfully in both oral and written form; and establish and maintain effective work relationships. The person in this position must be a high school graduate or equivalent and have advanced secretarial work experience.

APPLICATION
PROCEDURE: Complete the application form, attach a personal resume, submit a narrative statement describing qualifications for this position, submit typing certificate (see instructions below on how to obtain certificate), and have three letters of recommendation sent to the Director of Human Resources at the Napa County Office of Education, 2121 Imola Avenue, Napa, CA 94559. Phone: (707) 265-2352, FAX (707) 226-7519.

Applications may be obtained from the Human Resources Department or you may apply on-line at www.edjoin.org

DEADLINE: October 29, 2010

Napa County Office of Education is an Equal Opportunity Employer. State and federal law and Napa County Office of Education policy prohibit discrimination or sexual harassment toward students or staff during any educational activity. Napa County Office of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, age, or handicap in its educational programs, activities, or the employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Educational Amendments, the Age Discrimination Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Vocational; Educational Act. For information concerning the complaint procedure, call (707) 253-6824.

How To Get A Typing Certificate

The Napa County Office of Education will accept typing certificates from an accredited school or any other agency if the following requirements are met:

Certificate must state that the test was 5 minutes in length; the number of gross words per minute; and the number of errors, and certificates must be less than 1 year old.

Net words per minute constitutes total gross words per minute minus 2 points for each error.

SUGGESTIONS ON WHERE TO GO FOR A TYPING CERTIFICATE

Alkar Personnel Services Appointment required
3273 Claremont Way $15.00 charge
Napa CA 94558
(707) 224-5468

Nelson Personnel Services Appointment required
513 Lincoln Avenue $15.00 charge
Napa CA 94558
(707) 255-7438

Napa Valley Adult School Appointment required
1600 Lincoln Avenue $15.00 charge
Napa CA 94558
(707) 253-3414

Ben Staffing Appointment required
879 Redwood Street $15.00 charge
Vallejo CA 94590
(707) 552-7800

Acountemps Appointment required
Jackie Bell No fee
5030 Business Center Dr. Locations also in Santa Rosa
Suite 250
Fairfield CA 94534
(707) 422-0726

 

On October 11, ISIS of Chulalongkorn University hosted a symposium entitled "Security Laws: Opportunities and Challenges for Conflict Resolution". One of the speakers was Prof. Vitit  Muntarbhorn of the Faculty of Law at Chulalongkorn University who was on a panel who discussed "Analysis of security laws and its implications". Below are some excerpts of what Vitit said which were kindly provided by a reader (these are edited excerpts):

First, I will introduce the subject quickly before I get into the law.  Number two is I will deal with the law.  Number three is I will deal with Thai law in comparison with international law. Number four is I will look at the future in terms of possible steps in order to help various authorities and non-authorities in terms of some convergence.

 As an introduction, national security and national security law are totally legitimate concepts for all countries.  We all have them and the question is how balanced are they, are there checks and balances and do they conform to international standards as a degree of objectivity.  The notion of national security is always based on threat and risk.  That word risk or threat, ‘pai’, finds itself in the rather famous Internal Security Act of Thailand, which was referred to earlier.  But from a political science perspective, and I am not a political scientist but I will be this morning, the threat or risk factor is threefold.  Number one is real threat, actual threat.  Number two is potential threat.  Number three is fictitious threat.  And it is the third one that is worrying at times- glamorized, glossified, vegetabalized.  Number two is that we have many laws and we have different definitions to a certain extent.  But to be fair local laws, local politics and national laws and so on also have to be looked at from an international perspective.  To see how they comply with international standards and that is one premise of my analysis in a moment.    Number three is that in fairness to the Thai authorities, security is now complimented by another set of words- human security, quite acceptable as a notion. 

I bring to your attention National Security Policy of Thailand, 2007-2011 that you can get on the web.  We have a national security policy and it does talk about the human dimension a lot, at least verbally the words ‘rule of law’ appear, ‘human rights’ appear, ‘peaceful settlement’, actually the word ‘terrorism’ also appears, but at least some of the more human centric notions do appear in terms of human rights plus rule of law.  

Number four is that if you were asking me to analyze this two years ago national security, and of course we were analyzing this two years ago in Thailand, it would have been about southern Thailand and a lot of literature is about that.  But today to analyze national security in practice means the whole of Thailand, not just southern Thailand and that is what you are hearing this morning and that is a different dimension in terms of analysis as compared with two years ago.

Secondly, I will now turn to the laws and there are five areas of concern in terms of national laws.  Number one is I am not going to forget about the constitution.  Under the constitution you have these five areas to be tested.  First there is criminal law, particularly the criminal code and the criminal procedure code.  Number two is martial law which is age old. Number three is the state of emergency decree that you have been hearing about.  Four is the Internal Security Act which is new.  Number five is ‘other’ laws- the Computer crimes Act, lese majeste and more. 

Let me go through them very quickly but as a preliminary  'h'orderves’ for you I would challenge us to look at these five areas from five challenging perspectives.  Number one, geographic spread.  We are definitely seeing a geographic spread of national security law, the five of them.  No more just the four southern provinces but the whole of southern Thailand in its various manifestations of these laws.  Number two is what I call the ‘cluster effect’ or the ‘centrifugal effect’.  If you look at the application of these laws they are interlinked with many more laws and I will illustrate in a moment that the enunciation of the Internal Security Act is actually linked with the use of thirteen other laws on the books opening up the door to the armed authorities to interlink and use thirteen other laws as linked with the Internal Security Act.  It has the effect of a centrifugal kind.  Number three is the rule of law is good wording at times, good verbiage but actually we are tested by the challenge of rule by exceptionalism.  The exceptions are now becoming the rule on many fronts. 

The state of emergency decree has been prolonged twenty times in southern Thailand as we heard this morning.  That exceptionalism has become a certain rule if you like but not necessary with rule of law and in keeping with human rights and international standards.  And so on the Internal Security Act has been used many times around here and I will look at some instances in a moment.  Fourthly is the challenge of the permanency of the temporary.  National security laws in their manifestations are usually about temporary measures and yet they are becoming permanent.  There is permanence of the temporary and we have to question that because there cannot be permanency unless there are reasonable grounds based on international standards.  Finally, as a fifth challenge, subjectivization of justification.  What do I mean?  Well, we always claim we need it this way but do we really need it, particularly as measured more objectively by international standards.  To be fair policies can also help to attenuate various laws if they are too draconian in the meantime. 

So let me get to the five laws in terms of groupings.  Number one, under the constitution so to speak or as linked to criminal law there are many provisions to security and criminal law, particularly the Criminal Procedure Code and in fact, coup d’état is criminal offence under criminal law.  And let me bring to your attention many other provisions under the criminal code but of particular interest five years ago was the introduction of Article 135 which is the introduction of the notion of terrorism into the Thai criminal law and basically it is about the intimidation of the Thai government, foreign governments, and/or international organizations leading to violence, etc. that is the definition of terrorism in Section 135 as incorporated into Thai law today.  Ultimately a charge of terrorism can lead to the death penalty as with many other offences and of course charges of terrorism are being used today. 

BP: BP has translated the anti-terrorism legislation and you can find a copy here.

Vitit continues:

Secondly, we have martial law.  Martial law is based upon the Martial Law Act under the reign of Rama VI, date Buddhist year 2457.  It is an act or statute under a certain scenario of absolute monarchy at that time and yet this law has been prolonged until today.  We need to rethink a little about this law.  This law allows arrest without warrant, detention for seven days.  This law basically confers and replaces civilian authority by military authority and that is what has happened in the South where three provinces are still under martial law.  It is not being used in regard to Bangkok and the more recent events.  Martial law opens the door to use military courts and more.  The South is particularly affected by martial law. 

BP: In January 2008, BP called for the lifting of martial law in the Deep South. Martial law provides absolute power to the military with no civilian or judicial oversight (i.e to detain someone under the state of emergency at least the authorities have to obtain court permission, but under martial law, the military can just arrest anyone for any reason). As bad as the state of emergency legislation is, it doesn't compare to martial law. 

For example, in October 2004, in one of the 3 southern border provinces around 1500 people protested outside a police station after 6 Muslims were arrested in what the protesters saw as a culture of 'arbitrary arrests'. After a small group of protesters became violent, the authorities detained around 1,300 of the protesters. In the process of transporting the detained protesters to a nearby military camp for questioning 78 people died from asphyxiation and many more were injured. Within 7 days the military released the majority (1172) of the protestors a week later. This is known as the Tak Bai incident. So you have the arbitrary arrests which beget more arbitrary arrests. The result 78 dead directly as a result of this detain-them-all-approach.

Vitit continues:

Thirdly is the state of emergency decree which came into effect a few years ago.  To be fair I would say that some elements of the state of emergency decree may, if well used, comply with human rights but there are so many provisions in the state of emergency that open the door to excesses which are ultimately inconsistent with human rights standards.  I will cite a few of them in a moment.  Basically this law allows arrest and detention, seven days up to thirty days, particularly used in southern Thailand without proper access to courts whereas under the ordinary criminal law suspected persons must be taken to court within 48 hours.  Basically the state of emergency decree prolongs the discretion of the authorities for thirty days and that is used in southern Thailand where the detainee doesn’t have to appear in court.  While we heard this morning particularly in terms of recent incidents there are more contacts with detainees in terms of transparency. 

But let’s say you couple the martial law act with the state of emergency decree, it is 37 days preventive detention without proper access to the courts whereas if you use the ordinary criminal law it is 48 hours which is the preferred period under international law.  In international law people must be taken to court expeditiously, in good time, the notion of without delay and 48 hours is alright but 30 days plus 7 days is too long.  Under the state of emergency decree in addition to no access to courts for 30 days it is interesting that the law opens itself to a variety of limitations in terms of peoples’ basic rights.  You cannot sue in the administrative court under the emergency decree and officials carrying out their duty are exempted from their responsibility in terms of impunity.  Although the victims can claim compensation but basically it is impossible to take authorities under this framework to court and that is one of the problems today in terms of impunity that arises. 

BP: Will take issue with the "no access to courts for 30 days" as detention under the state of emergency must be renewed in court every seven days so this does qualify as access although would concede it is nor proper access.The problem with this is that the judiciary appears to just extend this at will where you basically have the 7 days martial law and then 30 days under the state of emergency to get 37 days is the standard. 

On not being able to sue in the administrative court, this is a problem and Prachatai is a good example of this. CRES blocked the Prachatai website so Prachatai sued, but the Court just dismissed the case saying the government can act. There is no need for the government to provide reasons or to see that the blocking fits any set criteria. Your website is banned and there is nothing you can do.

Vitit continues:

Fourthly, the Internal Security Act which is more recent, 2551, only three years ago.  Basically what we worry about is many of the temporary provisions, or allegedly temporary, of the state of emergency decree have now become incorporated into the ISA, part of permanency.  In other words, limitations on basic rights which are manifested by the state of emergency are now entrenched in a permanent law known as the Internal Security Act.  You will find in this law there is a definition of national security as based upon the risk or threat notion, ‘pai’ is there, particularly in Article 3.  The various limitations as you will find in the emergency decree on freedom of association, assembly, communications, and the law can also be used to send people to training which is basically ‘re-education’ in various camps for six months if you are a suspect.  In order to get oneself off the blacklist as a suspect and even though the law says this is subject to court order and consent from the person concerned, in pressured circumstances it is difficult for a person to really consent.  They go to re-education because they want to get off the blacklist even though its not really consensual is one of the issues today.

The fifth law concerned is the rest, the gamut of other laws.  Now on lese majeste you will find that the criminal code covers lese majeste and of course we respect and love the institution very much but what happens with the lese majeste law is it opens the door to anybody, even coup leaders, to use this law against anybody.  There was a famous case a few years ago where the coup leader, or an ex-coup leader, prosecuted a social activist, a human rights advocate, under lese majeste law.  Fortunately the courts were wise and dismissed the charges but what is a challenge is that lese majeste law should really be about institutions or individuals who are directly affected who can take up the charges rather than an open, public policy whereby any one, including coup leaders, can charge anybody else under lese majeste.  In law we call this locus standi, means that directly affected persons should instigate and charge in the courts.  Lese majeste law needs to be looked at and adapted on the basis on locus standi and this you will find in other countries.  Of course it should be used on the basis of reasoning and other countries have now done away with lese majeste even though some other countries still use lese majeste.  We have a case in Spain where lese majeste was used and someone was fined, but a very small fine for lese majeste whereas in other cases, here and elsewhere, punishments are often very severe.  And the other one that is quite famous is the Computer Crimes Act which is being used very extensively.  I was having dinner with some people last night and I was checking my own information on this.  You will find on the web claims that 100,000 websites have been blocked under this law, according to reports.  But one person was telling me last night that this was not quite correct.  The correct explanation is that 100,000 webpages have been blocked.  There is a difference between websites and webpages.  But anyway, let’s try to find a sense of balance there but the figure of 100,000 is very daunting I believe in terms of infringements of our freedom of speech and more. 

BP: Actually, with the arrest of the flip-flop seller, we have this being applied to anyone who criticize the PM. No need for the PM to sue himself. Do we really want this to become the norm?

Vitit continues:

So cumulatively those five areas of law, what do they do to us today?  With due respect for the need for national security law, I respect that need, but you also have to look at various challenges in terms of loopholes that arise.  Cumulatively what happens?  You have a situation, particularly in southern Thailand but also affecting other possible areas, where there is possible arrest without full access to courts for 30 days and if you add the martial law it is 37 days without full access to courts particularly in southern Thailand even though it has been attenuated in Bangkok.  Number two, no full access to lawyers particularly in southern Thailand.  Its civil society groups, including myself, have advocated with benign authorities that we need full access to lawyers.  Not only because it is a basic right but because it is good for the authorities.  It makes the situation transparent.  Any charges of torture and so on will be proved because of access to lawyers as a third party.  And I will also credit the authorities, particularly in southern Thailand, for opening the door to access for families.  We advocated for this three years ago in southern Thailand and after that good military adapted and opened for access to families.  But we would like access to lawyers as a basic right as well as access to courts which is still not happening in southern Thailand even though I think it has happened to a certain extent to the Bangkok events. 

Number three, no bail.  We need bail as well as well as the funding for bail to allow people to get out and a lot of people are still incarcerated without access to bail. Number four, multiple or subsequent warrants.  Particularly in southern Thailand, maybe charges have been dismissed and released but then a warrant arrives to re-charge the person or to keep him or her in jail for subsequent prosecution even when the case is on appeal.  So subsequent or multiple warrants are very questionable in terms of transparency because they lead to permanent incarceration without access to bail.  Number five, violence to the person.  TO be fair NGOs will also tell us that violence against arrested persons in official facilities has declined particularly in the camps.  But, when violence takes place it happens outside the camps and/or en route to the camps.  This is aggravated by the fact that under the state of emergency decree it opens the door to authorities to detain people in non-official places.  Beyond prisons the law opens the door, it says outside prisons you can detain people or at least ask them for questioning so to speak as suspect.  Others would say these are only interrogations for general information then they are not fully accused persons without access to courts and lawyers.  I would counter that by saying that any arrested person even if not formally charged should have access to a third party, such as lawyers as part of this transparency and justice. 

BP: Some interesting comments:

...

[JURIST] The former president of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan [official website], Ichiro Ozawa, filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to overturn corruption charges brought against him last month. The Tokyo No. 5 Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution, an 11-member body composed of members of the public without legal backgrounds [Mainichi Daily News report], voted for the second time in September to overrule a prosecutor's decision not to bring charges against Ozawa. The charges are related to the false reporting of over ¥ 700 million [The Japan Times report] in relation to the purchase of land for Ozawa's political fund management group, violating the Political Funds Control Law [text, in Japanese]. The suit, filed in the Tokyo District Court [official website, in Japanese], argues that the committee which indicted Ozawa did not follow proper procedure in overruling the prosecutor's decision. It also criticized the fact that the committee's sessions are conducted behind closed doors and the members are not identified. The court has asked the Daini Tokyo Bar Association [official website] to recommend a lawyer to act as prosecutor, despite Ozawa's requested injunction against the appointment of a prosecutor to pursue the charges. Charges have been brought against Ozawa in relation to the case twice before, but were dropped both times due to lack of evidence. The Prosecution Commission Act [text, in Japanese], governing the Committees for Inquest of Prosecution, was changed in May, allowing the body to overrule the prosecutor's decision on whether to bring charges. The prosecutor had not wanted to proceed against Ozawa due to the failure of the past attempts to prosecute him. Despite having a relatively low level of official corruption [JURIST report], Japan has faced high profile corruption cases in the past. In 2008, the Tokyo District Court sentenced former Japanese administrative vice defense minister Takemasa Moriya to two and a half years in prison for accepting bribes and committing perjury [JURIST report] after Moriya pleaded guilty to accepting approximately $126,000 worth of illegal benefits from a military contractor. In May 2007 Agriculture Minister Shinichi Yamazaki committed suicide [Times report] after being called before a parliamentary committee to answer allegations of embezzling over $200,000 in state funds.

Employee Relations Specialist
STATUS: Regular /Full-Time/Management/At-Will
SITE: San Marcos FLSA Status: Exempt
PROGRAM: Administration - Human Resources
EEOC Job Category: Professional
OPENS IN-HOUSE/PUBLIC: October 13, 2010
CLOSES IN-HOUSE/PUBLIC: Open Until Filled - Apply Immediately
SALARY RANGE: Dependent Upon Qualifications
POSITIONS AVAILABLE 1

About The MAAC Project:
MAAC Project is a multi-purpose social service agency with a successful 45-year history of serving various communities throughout San Diego County. In 1965, MAAC Project opened its doors to serve San Diego's disadvantaged and now has centers strategically located as far south as San Ysidro and as far north as Camp Pendleton. One million clients later, MAAC is still acting as a catalyst to help individuals and families become self-sufficient.
Serving approximately 35,000 individuals per year, MAAC provides a spectrum of unique programs designed to assist clients by engaging them in the enhancement of their own lives through lifestyle changes. The programs strive to improve clients’ economic standing as well as their ability to access resources available to them. Included among the many programs and services now offered are Head Start/First Start, two culturally specific recovery homes: Casa De Milagros and Nosotros, award-winning affordable housing complexes, community and workforce development programs, and a community charter school. MAAC’s commitment to environmental sustainability carries the non-profit into the future with its low-income home weatherization and green jobs training programs. For more information, visit www.maacproject.org .
DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Human Resources is a component of the MAAC Administration providing comprehensive human resources, employee and labor relations services to all departments and divisions of the organization.
DEFINITION:
Under direction, the Employee Relations Specialist is responsible for managing a range of activities related to employee relations, labor relations and staffing functions. The incumbent functions as a management advisor and advocate in complaint resolution processes.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to this class.
Administers and interprets labor agreements; administers grievance procedures; provides labor relations support during contract negotiations; acts as a liaison between department managers and union representatives; provides advice and counsel to managers and supervisors regarding personnel practices, policy, and employment laws; administers unemployment insurance processes; reviews liability reports and monitors program costs; recommends policy changes.
Manages the daily administration of the staff labor relations unit with all aspects of labor relations and collective bargaining by interpreting agreements, contract provisions and statutory labor requirements, ensuring compliance with all provisions, side agreements and related matters.
Develops, recommends, and implements MAAC’s labor relations policies; processes and handles grievances and disciplinary actions, and provides on-going guidance and training to supervisors and managers regarding matters of contract interpretation and related issues.
Assists in the development of staffing strategies; develops and builds hiring processes for a variety of levels from temporary staffing to executive placement; develops, streamlines and enhances staffing systems, tracking reporting, and analysis; leads sourcing and recruiting initiatives and processes to leverage networking and employee referrals; oversees various sourcing and internship programs; manages relocation, immigration and other responsibilities related to staffing administration; ensures compliance with all state and federal discrimination and employment regulations.
Uses analytical expertise to develop guidance memoranda on implementing and processing negotiated provisions and applicable changes in terms and conditions of employment, and collaborates with the union and MAAC staff to implement requirements.
Creates and recommends classification plans and programs, coordinates preparation of position descriptions, and oversees the process of performance evaluations.
Counsels managers, supervisors and employees on their rights and responsibilities under labor agreements and/or MAAC policy. Functions as management advisor and advocate in developing performance improvement plans, recommendations for disciplinary action, complaint resolution processes, unfair labor practice charges, hearings and arbitrations. Ensures consistency of application of labor relations and MAAC philosophy in grievance, arbitration, administrative reviews, and meet and confer/discuss sessions.
Communicates policies and procedures by making presentations; conducting seminars; participates in new hire orientations. Identifies potential work relationship issues by conducting exit interviews; summarizing findings and trends. Provides employee & labor relations training to supervisors and managers.
Maintains legal compliance by reviewing federal, state, and local regulatory requirements; disseminating, explaining, and enforcing requirements. Maintains organization policy and procedure compliance by reviewing requirements; disseminating, explaining, and enforcing requirements.
Prepares employee relations reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data and trends.
Maintains employee records by entering new and updated information; conducting compliance audits.
Maintains working relationships by resolving conflicts; building relationships; disseminating policy and procedures; maintaining records. Resolves conflicts by investigating circumstances; conducting interviews; exploring optional solutions; creating change; conducting conflict resolution and team building sessions. Maintains manager and employee confidence by keeping information confidential.
Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in Human Resources Management, Labor Relations or a related field; AND
A minimum of three (3) years of experience which included varied and complex labor relations work in the areas of contract negotiations, contract administration, grievance and/or dispute resolution and representation of management in arbitration and other administrative proceedings; AND
A minimum of one (1) year experience supervising subordinate staff.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Knowledge of:
Employee and labor relations practices, procedures and laws, including corrective action and progressive discipline as well as the principles and practices or human resources management and supervision in a union environment.
Human Resource functions that impact labor relations, including Federal and State employment laws, regulations and compliance requirements.
Human Resources Information Systems and other hardware and software applications, used in the Human Resources function including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, databases, and intranet and internet functions.
Skill and Ability to:
Manage and administer a broad range of tasks including resolving complaints, counseling managers and employees on the interpretation of policies, procedures and union agreements.
Demonstrated ability to think and act on multiple levels, from the strategic to the detailed.
Demonstrated skill in analyzing problems, practices and procedures to define the issues, identify relevant concerns, formulate logical and objective conclusions and recognize alternatives and their implications.
Demonstrated skill in developing and conducting management training programs and facilitating organizational interventions.
Ability to prepare written reports and correspondences, and presentations to senior leadership as required.
Ability to exhibit leadership and build and maintain positive relationships internally and externally.
Ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions in a manner consistent with the essential job functions.
Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communications skills.
Licenses; Certificates; Special Requirements:
Must have and maintain a valid California Driver’s License, daily use of a personal, insured vehicle, and an acceptable Motor Vehicle Report. Incumbents will be enrolled in the California DMV Pull Program.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
ENVIRONMENT:
Work primarily takes place in an office environment although travel takes place on a frequent basis when attending meetings, conducting site visits, or performing other work activities off site. Travel may include attending meetings or conferences outside of the County. Work involves frequent use of office equipment and exposure to computer screens.
Physical and Mental Demands
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this class, an employee is regularly required to stand, walk and sit; talk or hear both in person and by telephone; use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects or controls; reach with hands and arms. An employee also is regularly required to stoop, kneel, bend, crouch or crawl, climb or balance and lift up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
Mental Demands
While performing the duties of this class, the employee is regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret information; analyze and solve problems; observe and interpret people and situations; use basic math; learn and apply new information or skills; work under intensive deadlines and interact with MAAC management, Board of Directors and Policy Council members, administrators, staff, teachers, parents, family members, children and others encountered in the course of work.


BACKGROUND CLEARANCE
Prospective employees are subject to pre-employment drug testing and TB testing, a background/criminal investigation, finger printing, and a credit and reference check.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please download an application from the employment section of our website, www.maacproject.org and send the completed application via email to Maria Perez at meperez@maacprojec.org with your resume and a cover letter stating why you are interested in this position.
Disclosure: The provisions of this bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained in this bulletin may be modified or revoked without notice.
In compliance with The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), new employees are required to prove that they are legally entitled to work in the United States and must provide documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility as required for completion of the Employment Eligibility Verification form (Form I-9).
MAAC OPERATES A DRUG FREE WORKPLACE, PROMOTES A DIVERSE WORKFORCE,
AND IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
Applicants with disabilities requiring accommodation and/or interview arrangements may contact Human Resources.

JOB SUMMARY
Ensures the agency applies for and receives federal, state, county and local transit subsidies for which it is eligible. This position also ensures funds are expended within the various rules and regulations that are a condition of receiving such funding.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Administers the agency’s capital program, ensuring project milestones and timelines are met and the expenditures are within the scope and budget. Ensures the agency is complying with FTA requirements in its daily activities including administering self-reviews on a continuing basis. Maintains the capital project file and information system to ensure comprehensive project tracking. Coordinates with project managers on large capital projects in detailing and tracking project scheduled and budgets. Coordinates audits and reviews related to grant activities including the TDA Performance Audit and the FTA Triennial Review. Ensures all subcontractors are in compliance with appropriate federal and state laws and regulations; monitors and reports on contractor compliance.

KNOWLEDGE & ABILITY
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating, instruction, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organizations. Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Work, Excel, Access, and Power Point), Project Management software and Database software.

SKILLS
Interpersonal communications; effectively communicating in situations requiring tact and poise. Development, production, and distribution of promotional and collateral materials to support sales and marketing programs.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS
Minimum two years of responsible grant experience in a transit or public agency. A four-year college degree in public administration, business, project management or related field is required.

FILING
The minimum qualifications as stated on this job announcement represent only the basic requirements of the position. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee that a candidate will be invited to participate in other segments of the selection process. Applications may be obtained from our Administrative Office at One Ryan Ranch Road in Monterey; the Salinas Transit Center at 110 Salinas Street in Salinas; by calling the Job Hotline, (831) 393-8188 or by visiting MST online at http://www.mst.org. SUBMIT COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO: Monterey-Salinas Transit, Attention: Human Resources, One Ryan Ranch Road, Monterey, CA 93940. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application.

ADA
Candidates who qualify under protection of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and require a reasonable accommodation for applicant testing and/or examination, should notify the MST Human Resources at least one week prior to being scheduled for assessment.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER / AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

Southern CA Healthcare Division

Northridge, CA


POSITION: ACCOUNT MANAGER, Healthcare Division

REPORTS TO: BRANCH MANAGER

JOB SUMMARY: Implement and oversee the security operation; supervise security officers and supervisors. Assist with the functions of physical and personal security and safety measures of members, patients, staff, and visitors. Protects staff and property from theft or damage, or persons from hazards or interference, including the potential for violence in the workplace. Makes periodic tours to check for irregularities and to inspect protection devices and fire control equipment. Preserves order and may enforce regulations pertaining to personnel, visitors, and premises.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
Primarily performs exempt duties in a service capacity; may be assigned a service grade or rank in a chain of command in conformance with contract requirements or to facilitate the delivery of service according to business necessity.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
• The functions listed describe the business purpose of this job. Specific duties or tasks may vary and be documented separately. The employee might not be required to perform all functions listed. Additional duties may be assigned, and functions may be modified, according to business necessity.
• All assigned duties or tasks are deemed to be part of the essential functions, unless such duties or tasks are unrelated to the functions listed, in which case they are deemed to be other (non-essential) functions.
• Employees are held accountable for successful job performance. Job performance standards may be documented separately, and may include functions, objectives, duties or tasks not specifically listed herein.
• In performing functions, duties or tasks, employees are required to know and follow safe work practices, and to be aware of company policies and procedures related to job safety, including safety rules and regulations. Employees are required to notify superiors upon becoming aware of unsafe working conditions.
• All functions, duties or tasks are to be carried out in an honest, ethical and professional manner, and to be performed in conformance with applicable company policies and procedures. In the event of uncertainty or lack of knowledge of company policies and procedures, employees are required to request clarification or explanations from superiors or authorized company representatives.

1. Fulfill the Responsibilities, Qualifications, Competencies, and applicable Addenda of a Healthcare Security Officer and Supervisor
2. Provide post coverage, if necessary
3. Act in the absence of the Facility Account Manager when directed
4. Assist the Branch Manager in administrative or functional tasks as directed
5. Interpret applicable policies and procedures based on existing circumstances
6. Supervise subordinates so they perform their functions effectively
7. Assign security duties as circumstances warrant
8. Evaluate and document subordinate’s performance
9. Review and oversee corrections to appropriate subordinate’s reports
10. Maintain liaison with appropriate facility personnel on a given shift
11. Assist with subordinates training
12. Carries out specific tasks and duties of a similar nature and scope as required for the assigned post.
13. Quickly identify potential negative situations and implement effective countermeasures
14. Teach facility-specific procedures and policies
15. Review appropriate subordinate’s reports
16. Evaluate subordinate performance

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AT ENTRY
Prefer one year of Securitas healthcare security experience or previous management experience in a service field

Must have at least two (2) years of experience in the security, or related field; with at minimum of one (1) year at supervisory or managerial level, preferably in healthcare environment.

Must have the ability to plan, organize and implement administrative and operational programs and procedures, which includes the development of budgets.

Must have knowledge of and have experience with parking and transportation systems and its related issues or problems.

Must be Computer literate.

LICENSURE OR CERTIFICATION
Must have valid Government issued Driver’s License, Bureau of Security and Investigative Services Certification or Guard Card and Require International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety Basic Officer Certification, Advanced and Supervisor Training Certificate within 9 months of appointment

LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read and interpret documents such as police reports, local and state law, instructions and procedure manuals. Ability to write accurate, clear and concise crime, incident and investigative reports. Ability to communicate effectively with patients, medical staff, employees and visitors.

Education/Experience
Must be High School graduate or equivalent, some college experience preferred with emphasis in Administration of Justice, law enforcement, security, or criminology or have an advanced military background.

Knowledge, training, and/or experience in safety, fire protection, civil disturbance, emergency preparedness procedures and planning, C.P.R/AED., Security and Safety issues and standards as set forth by OSHA and TJC (The Joint Commission) is preferred



Competencies (as demonstrated through experience, training, and/or testing):
• Must be able to meet and continue to meet any applicable state, county and municipal licensing requirements for Security Officers.
• Knowledge of or ability to learn security operations and procedures.
• Pass each healthcare competency exam and/or skills lab including an managing or defusing assaultive behavior training program or similar course as described by the client
• Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagrammatic form.
• Ability to be an effective team member.
• Ability to maintain professional composure when dealing with unusual circumstances.
• Courteous telephone manner.
• Ability to adapt to changes in the external environment and organization.
• Ability to write routine correspondence, including logs and reports.
• Good organizational skills.
• Ability to provide high quality customer service.
• Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively at various social levels and across diverse cultures.

WORKING CONDITIONS (Physical/Mental Demands)

With or without reasonable accommodation, a candidate must have the physical and mental capacity to effectively perform all essential functions described. In addition to other demands, the demands of the job include:
• Maintaining composure in dealing with authorities, executives, clients, staff and the public, occasionally under conditions of urgency and in pressure situations.
• May be exposed to stressful situations, such as challenging individuals who are in or approaching an unauthorized area.
• Successful passage of background, reference, psychological, and controlled substance tests, in addition to any mandatory licensing requirements.
• May be required to work overtime without advance notice.
• Required ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently.
• Keyboarding, basic computer usage and operating controls.
• Seeing, hearing, speaking, and writing clearly in order to communicate with employees and clients, observe and report incidents, and direct others.
• Frequent sitting, standing and walking, which may be required for long periods of time, and may involve climbing stairs and walking up inclines and on uneven terrain.
• Occasional reaching with hands and arms, stooping, kneeling, crouching and crawling.
• Frequent lifting and/or moving up to 25 pounds and occasional lifting and/or moving up to 75 pounds.
• Close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• May be required to use vehicle for the performance of duties.
• On occasion may be required to perform stressful and physical activity.
• Depending upon assignment may be exposed to inclement weather or be required to work in environments or under conditions that require the use of protective gear and devices and/or awareness of personal safety and safety of others.
• May be exposed to or required to handle sensitive and confidential information.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
• Must be able to move quickly throughout the Hospital and physically restrain people by physically holding the individual down and then be able to also carry or lift the individual with other hospital staff members.
• The ability to maintain mental stability under periods of stress. The ability to push or pull gurneys with patients of various weights on them.
• The duties of this job include possible exposure to deadly weapons, injury from violent persons, infectious persons, gases and fumes, blood and body fluids, hazardous chemicals, heat, wind, rain and cold; the employee must understand and demonstrate the ability to take protective actions, following established guidelines. The noise level in the work environment can vary from extreme noise to extreme quiet.

Please send your resume to:
Holly Calderon
Holly.Calderon@securitasinc.com
Fax: 818-706-6207



EOE M/F/D/V

Grossmont/Cuyamaca Community College District

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Posting Number: 10-00007

Date Job Commences: January 2011


Position Type: Management
Department: G - Student Affairs
Site: Grossmont
FTE: 1.0
Months: 12 Month
Pay Grade Level: M-6
Starting Pay Rate: $76,712 - $79,781
Work Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday


Required Applicant Documents:
1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. Transcript 1
4. Special Instructions to Applicants:


Closing Date: 10-28-2010


Job Summary:
Under the direction of the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, plan, organize, manage, and assist with student activities, clubs and organizations, evening administrative responsibility, judicial affairs and supervision of some classified staff.


ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Assist with the advising of ASGC.
Assist in the selection, training, and supervision of information table workers during orientation.
Program development and implementation.
Advise ICC (Inter Club Council) during bi-weekly meetings.
Assist in coordination of the Grossmont College Commencement Ceremony.
Assist with judicial affairs or student grievance cases assigned by the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
Serve as a consultant for, faculty advisors to clubs, student organizations, and other campus departments seeking support in general event planning.
Evening administrative responsibilities including liaison with Campus Public Safety where needed for discipline, function as the "evening administrator" for the campus, assist with medical emergencies, ensure that students are alerted to evening faculty absences, maintain current contact list of other administrators, coordinate evening coverage when absent.
Advise the Inter-Club Council (ICC) attend weekly meetings, coordinate student programming related to clubs and organizations, plan an annual calendar of events and activities to enhance the quality of student life at Grossmont College.
Attend conferences with students when required.


SECONDARY FUNCTIONS:
Assist with the planning & coordination of annual student leadership retreats.
Plan and coordinate information tables during orientation.
Assist with student awards ceremonies.
Assist with the College Commencement.


Minimum Qualifications:
EDUCATION:
BA/BS degree

EXPERIENCE:
Experience working with college students
Strong oral and written communication skills
Experience with conflict resolution
Experience in working with faculty and staff in a community college setting

KNOWLEDGE OF:
Implementation of leadership programs
Organizational models
Non-residential, California Community College or other segment of higher education
Student development theory as related to Student Affairs
Parliamentary Procedure
California Education Code
Due Process for students related to judicial affairs


General Employment Information:
Information provided by the applicant, other than that requested for statistical purposes by the Employment Services Office, which indicates candidate's gender, age, ethnicity, religious preference, etc. will be removed from the application. All submitted materials become District property and cannot be returned.

BENEFITS: The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District provides an excellent comprehensive benefits program including medical, prescription drugs, vision care, dental, life and income protection insurance, and membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) or the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS).

Under Federal Law, employers are required to verify that all new employees are eligible for employment in the United States. Prior to appointment to a position, you must present acceptable proof of your identity and permanent authorization to work in the United States.

NOTE: Offers of employment are contingent upon successful fingerprint clearance. A $32.00 processing fee plus Live Scan fee will be required.

Candidates invited for interview who must travel distances greater than 250 miles (one-way) outside San Diego County will be reimbursed up to $200 for travel or airfare only.

Applicants who are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act due to a disability and who require accommodations for completing the application process or interviewing, please notify the District Employment Services Department. Phone (619) 644-7637, Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) (619) 644-7900.

For more information and to apply, visit:
http://jobs.gcccd.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=50699

GCCCD is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Title IX employer.







Copyright ©2009 Jobelephant.com Inc. All rights reserved.
Posted by the FREE value-added recruitment advertising agency

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TO APPLY FOR THIS JOB, GO TO http://edjoin.org/
Click on District, click on Napa, click on Napa County Office of Education.
Application can be filled out online and required documents may be attached.
OR you may contact 707-265-2352 for application and documents may be submitted via USPS.


NAPA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Barbara Nemko, Ph.D., Superintendent

September 22, 2010

ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLASSIFIED POSITION VACANCY


POSITION: Administrative Secretary II for the SPP TA Grant (State Performance Plan Technical Assistance Project) in Rohnert Park, CA

STARTING DATE: Immediately

SALARY: $2,628.00 to $3,534.00 per month, 8 hours per day, 5 days per week.
16 days vacation, 15.5 paid holidays, and 12 paid sick days per year

BENEFITS: Medical and dental benefits for employee and dependents.

REQUIREMENTS: This position is funded by a grant through June 30, 2011 with the possibility of renewal. The person in this position must be able to type 55 wpm accurately; pass a general clerical test; operate a variety of office machines, use various computer software programs; perform mathematical calculations accurately and rapidly; prepare and maintain accurate and complete reports; understand and carry out instructions independently; communicate effectively and tactfully in both oral and written form; and establish and maintain effective work relationships. The person in this position must be a high school graduate or equivalent and have advanced secretarial work experience.

APPLICATION
PROCEDURE: Complete the application form, attach a personal resume, submit a narrative statement describing qualifications for this position, submit typing certificate (see instructions below on how to obtain certificate), and have three letters of recommendation sent to the Director of Human Resources at the Napa County Office of Education, 2121 Imola Avenue, Napa, CA 94559. Phone: (707) 265-2352, FAX (707) 226-7519.

Applications may be obtained from the Human Resources Department or you may apply on-line at www.edjoin.org

DEADLINE: October 6, 2010

Napa County Office of Education is an Equal Opportunity Employer. State and federal law and Napa County Office of Education policy prohibit discrimination or sexual harassment toward students or staff during any educational activity. Napa County Office of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, age, or handicap in its educational programs, activities, or the employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Educational Amendments, the Age Discrimination Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Vocational; Educational Act. For information concerning the complaint procedure, call (707) 253-6824.

How To Get A Typing Certificate

The Napa County Office of Education will accept typing certificates from an accredited school or any other agency if the following requirements are met:

Certificate must state that the test was 5 minutes in length; the number of gross words per minute; and the number of errors, and certificates must be less than 1 year old.

Net words per minute constitutes total gross words per minute minus 2 points for each error.

SUGGESTIONS ON WHERE TO GO FOR A TYPING CERTIFICATE

Alkar Personnel Services Appointment required
3273 Claremont Way $15.00 charge
Napa CA 94558
(707) 224-5468

Nelson Personnel Services Appointment required
513 Lincoln Avenue $15.00 charge
Napa CA 94558
(707) 255-7438

Napa Valley Adult School Appointment required
1600 Lincoln Avenue $15.00 charge
Napa CA 94558
(707) 253-3414

Ben Staffing Appointment required
879 Redwood Street $15.00 charge
Vallejo CA 94590
(707) 552-7800

Acountemps Appointment required
Brenda Jaye No fee
5030 Business Center Dr. Locations also in Santa Rosa
Suite 250
Fairfield CA 94534
(707) 422-0726

We are looking for a Medication Manger to oversee the day-to-day operation of our Medication Room in Morgan Hill.

Medication Manager

Summary: The Medication Room Manager II is responsible for the management of
the Medication Room. This includes supervising the Medication Room staff as well
as in their hiring, firing and reviews. In addition, the Medication Room
Manager II will provide staff and client training. As the key personnel responsible
for safety and compliance of the Psynergy Medication Room policies, the Medication
Room Manager is required to exercise good judgment and seek additional
assistance with issues outside his/her professional scope of practice. Communicate
with administrative staff to mitigate and monitor concerns with client care.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Must have a minimum licensing requirement of
licensed psychiatric technician or licensed vocational nurse. The Medication Room
Manager II serves clients with special medical concerns such as diabetes,
respiratory conditions or special population requirements such as elderly or people
receiving injectable medications.


Responsibilities and Duties:

• Ensures that all staff is following company policies and procedures and that the
facility is meeting CCL medication regulations and standards.

• Assists in the admission process which includes logging in all medications
received, initiating “Medication Orders” and setting up the “Medication Log” and
other required forms for new admits.

• Orders medications as needed so as to ensure adequate supplies are available to
meet client prescribed needs.

• Completes clinical records and other required documentation in accordance with agency, payer and regulatory requirements utilizing paper or computer technology as required.
• Provides medical education/training to clients’ families and staff on injectable medication according to physician’s orders and acceptable medical standards.

• Ensures that all prescription PRN medications are up-to-date.

• Assists clients as needed with self administering medication.

• Participates in management of team/program discretionary resources available
to meet client needs.

• Administers injections and does preliminary checks.

• Performs emergency first aid in emergency situations as needed.

• Assists floor staff as needed.

• Assures paperwork and reports are completed on time and as directed.

• Participates in emergency drills and follows emergency procedures.

• Attends assists and participates in staff program and facility training as
required.

• Mandated abuse reporter.

• Performs other duties as allowed by licensure.

• Performs other duties as assigned and allowed by Title XXII


Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.




Education and Experience:

High School Diploma, or G.E.D. One year in a mental health setting required. One year of experience in handling medications in a residential setting. Appropriate volunteer and internship experience will be considered. Must be 18 years of age.

License:

A valid California driver’s license, current automobile insurance, and a good driving
record as documented by a DMV report.

Knowledge and Skills:

Ability to engage and communicate effectively with others; general knowledge of
community resources; tact and diplomacy; exercise good judgment and act calmly in
emergency situations; and an ability to work affectively with persons differing in value
systems, ethnicity, cultural backgrounds, language capabilities and disabilities. Ability
to follow directions and work within a program structure.

Language Ability:

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional
journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports,
business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present
information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers
and the general public.

Math Ability:

Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical
inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to
apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical
situations.




Reasoning Ability:

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is rarely exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals and outdoor weather conditions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.


Special Requirements:

Must be able to meet and receive a criminal records clearance as required by Title XXII,
licensing regulations. This includes FBI and DOJ clearance. A health screening, by or
under the direction of a physician must have been performed not more than one year
prior to employment or within seven (7) days after employment. Health screening
must include TB clearance not more than one year prior to employment or within seven
(7) days after employment. Must have a “valid” standard first aid card from an
accredited institution. Must be physically able to assist clients and/or staff in the
evacuation of program facility in emergency situations. Must be able to administer
first aid in an emergency situation.

Physical Requirements:

The following are required in day -to-day performance of the duties of this position:
walking, sitting, pinching and finger flexion, and visual/auditory acuity are required
constantly (over 2/3 of the workday); lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, bending,
stooping, crouching, kneeling, and twisting are required occasionally (under 1/3 of the
workday). Balancing, climbing and crawling are generally not required.

Please email or fax your complete resume. Our fax number is (408) 465-8295. To learn more about our company please go to www.psynergy.org

For-profit education is under assault from elitists who hate the idea of free market educational institutions.  It is also under attack from bureaucrats at the U.S. Department of Education who are trying to make it hard for students to arm themselves with the education needed to find a job.  Elitism is alive and well at the Department of Education.

The Department of Education announced yesterday that they are “on schedule to implement new regulations of the for-profit education sector dealing with gainful employment and 13 other issues to protect students and taxpayers.”  The non-profit sector feels threatened; therefore allies in the Administration are trying to use the power of the federal government to provide non profit schools a competitive edge to slow the growth of for-profit institutions.  For-profit institutions are the trend and they are becoming more popular.

Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) has introduced legislation to prevent the Department of Education from denying federal financial aid to students attending for-profit colleges and vocational certificate programs.  Senator Risch said of his effort:

The ‘gainful employment’ rules could deny hundreds of thousands of students access to the training and skills development they need to secure a job in today’s troubled economy.  Highly-skilled workers are in high demand in certain sectors and propriety schools are uniquely qualified to meet that need.  It is simply irresponsible for the government to throw roadblocks in front of students and institutions at a time when job creation in America should be the administration’s number one priority.

Senator Risch’s legislation, S.3837, the Education for All Act, would forbid the Department of Education from singling out students from proprietary and vocational institutions and treat them differently than other students.  These institutions have proven to be uniquely qualified to help students find jobs in today’s complex economy.

Risch joins Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA) in writing letters expressing concern about this proposed rule.  Enzi wrote that the proposed rule “unfairly holds for-profit institutions to a higher standard for student debt and default than all other institutions of higher education.”  These elected federal officials are all concerned about the Department’s action on this issue is the number of members sending letters of interest to the Department of Education is up to 80 members of Congress according to the Coalition for Educational Success.

The Department of Education has proposed a rule to “require proprietary institutions of higher education and postsecondary vocational institutions to provide prospective students with each eligible program’s graduation and job placement rates, and that colleges provide the Department with information that will allow determination of student debt levels and incomes after program completion.”  Although this may sound reasonable, the next step is for the department to evaluate the eligibility of students in order to deny students access to student loans if they deem them unfit for the loan.  The proposed regulations provide a massive new regulatory structure over what High School diplomas qualify as satisfactory and provides new regulations defining “satisfactory academic progress.”  The bottom line is that these are complex new regulations intended to make it harder for the for-profit educational institutions to operate.

There are two troubling aspects to this rule.  First, these regulations are not a requirement of not for profit institutions.  If these types of regulations are not applied to for profit institutions, then it is not fair to treat the for-profit schools differently.  Furthermore, the fact that the Department is trying to do without legislation is troublesome.  This is an important enough decision to put Members of Congress on record.  If this is a good idea, then the Congress can have hearings and pass this dramatic change and burden with regard to for-profit institutions.  

The Department of Education had to publish the new “Gainful Employment” rule and allow for public comment as part of this rule making process.  The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the Department received more than 85 thousand comments on it.  Under a provision of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Department is supposed to review these comments, because they are supposed to read them and respond when necessary.  The Department states that a final decision on these regulations is on schedule, yet they modified the schedule to insure that they reviewed the commentary and did not violate the APA.

The Department of Education received more than 85,000 comments on the “Gainful Employment” rule, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.  I have had experience in this process and sometimes the bureaucracy is not responsive to the comments.  In the bill creating the Transportation Security Administration was a provision allowing the arming of pilots in the wake of 9/11.  A public comment period was conducted in January of 2002 by the Federal Aviation Administration.  After overwhelming support for the idea of arming pilots against terrorism and setting up a program to train commercial pilots to protect the cockpit from hostile takeover, the FAA concluded that they were going to ignore the comments and not move forward with the program. 

In May of 2002, Transportation Undersecretary John Magaw announced at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing that he would not approve of the program.  Congress ultimately stepped in and established the program that is still in effect today and is a success.  This armed pilots fact pattern may be repeated if the Department of Education also ignores the will of the American people and Congress.  It is possible that if the Department of Education moves forward, Congress will step in and overturn the decision through legislation.

A combination of threatened not for profits and their elitist alumni who look down their noses at a sector that traditionally serves the somewhat under served may be one reason for this effort.  Also, it’s probably accurate to say that there are plenty in the Obama orbit who simply think the words ‘for profit’ and ‘education’ don’t belong together under any circumstances. They want to snuff out the sector and they are continuing down the road to do so with this regulation.  Hopefully Senator Risch and other allies of students who desire to attend for-profit educational institutions win the war of ideas on this issue.

Last night our Flemish correspondent VH translated a summary of a discussion among four Dutch legal scholars about the need to acquit Geert Wilders of the hate speech charges against him. Tonight, as a follow-up, he has translated a much lengthier report on the same meeting from DePers:

This prosecution does not befit a civilized country

Wilders case: “There must be a response to Wilders. Just not with criminal law.”

by Kustaw Bessems

What Geert Wilders evokes may be rancid, ugly, ridiculous, offensive or immoral. Yet he must be acquitted, as four lawyers emphatically argue.

Here in the last century, was the Restaurant Royal. Here Queen Wilhelmina ordered her rice with Thymus vulgaris for lunch. And for a while the Cabinet came to eat here. According to the plaque on the facade of the building, Constantijn Huygens — poet, composer, and secretary of the Princes of Orange, lived here for a few years in the early seventeenth century. After him the regents and foreign noblemen came and went.

The focal point of politics is still nearby, at the Binnenhof [Parliament buildings] and het Plein [office of the PM]. But here, at the Lange Voorhout no. 44, The Hague, scholars have the last word: the Leiden University’s the Hague Campus is located here. And in the dark wood-paneled stile-room, four professors gather for a conversation about the trial of one of the most important politicians of the moment. About a charge of [presumed — translator] insulting Muslims, incitement to discrimination, and inciting hatred. A conversation about the Wilders case.

“I am here because I think it is disastrous that this prosecution is taking place,” Theo de Roos says, Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at the University of Tilburg.

“I was a consultant to the Public Ministry (Openbaar Ministerie, OM), but now I emerge on the side of the defense. I want to explain that,” says Henny Sackers, administrative sanction law professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen.

“We are not an extension of Geert Wilders, assures De Roos.

“Oh no, not at all!”, Sackers joins in.

Seated at the table with them are Tom Zwart and Afshin Ellian. Zwart is Professor of Human Rights at Utrecht University. Ellian is a lawyer and professor of social cohesion, citizenship and multiculturalism at Leiden University.

The four men know each other, from the university circuit. They meet each other. “But only recently have we got together for the first time. This combination is established especially for the Wilders case.”

Why? Because they all four are deeply convinced that Geert Wilders should never have been prosecuted for his remarks on the Islam, Muslims and immigrants.

They nod.

And because all four of them find — now that it has come so far — that the court must acquit Wilders.

More nodding follows. And sounds of approval.

Witnesses

All would have been witnesses in Wilders’ trial if his lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, had his way. But the court rejected the request to hear them. The judges themselves are learned enough, as they find that they and written opinions and articles of others will suffice.

A bit touchy about the judges, are the gentlemen at this table. They hope that they, by stepping forward now, will still be able to have influence on the development of the case.

Ellian: “We may each think differently about the content of Wilders’ statements. But we view this as law scholars. And then the truth: you do not need to agree with what Wilders says, to find that he may say it.”

Zwart: “This prosecution does not befit a civilized country. We address China and Cuba in their dealings with dissidents. They now say in return: ‘You are persecuting a dissident yourselves.’“

Different characters, these gentlemen. Ellian and De Roos talk the most. And the loudest. With many hand gestures. Sackers speaks softly but firmly. He already longs for the little cigar that he, after the conversation, will light once he is outside. Zwart, an active VVD member, initiated the meeting. He takes part, but in the all the while also watches and listens a lot to the others.

De Roos and Sackers were previously consulted by the Public Prosecutor. Who then decided not to prosecute Wilders. Some expressions of Wilders might be punishable, the prosecution thought, but did not see a case in it, because they are part of the political debate. That corresponded with their advice. Only later the Amsterdam Court decided that the Public Prosecutor still had to initiate a case.

“I was opposed,” Sackers says, “My consideration was: if there is a risk that he will be acquitted, then better not prosecute.”

Roos: “You provide this man a splendid forum. Either he is acquitted, then it is: yahoo! Or he will be convicted, then it is of course grist for his mill. And it is already that.”

Sackers: “That is not for a political argument or something, no, that the principle of opportuneness ever came into the law.”

Roos: “The public prosecutor may waive prosecution on grounds of public interest, that is how it is written.”

Context

But how could the court then decide to reach such a different conclusion?

Roos, conspiratorially: “Tom Schalken acted as counselor, also as professor. I have read somewhere that this case is actually the continuation of a feud that we as professors have been having about these kinds of articles of law. And there is something in this.”

Then: “What I have a big problem with, is that in the ruling of the Court the one-liners of Wilders are not being judged in their context. Once you do so, you can see he has a consistent story about protecting Dutch culture against Islam. You may find that bad or ridiculous, but that is a contribution to public debate.”

Tom Zwart leans forward: “What are you actually saying now with these proceedings to all those people who voted for the PVV? In fact you say that they also should be behind bars.”

He sinks back in his chair: “You should exercise the most extreme caution with crimes of expression.”

The others agree with that.

Yet that is not what Dutch prosecutors have as an assignment. Since late 2007 they have has to abide by the “Instruction Discrimination” of Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin (CDA, Christian Democrat), who with this was responding to demands in Parliament. In it, it says: “In discrimination cases is assumed in advance that opportuneness is present.” In other words, in principle, discrimination cases are always prosecuted.

De Roos: “Here there is tension. Because it is of course very politically correct, isn’t it, such an instruction? But this puts the OM in terrible trouble. If you take a good look at it, you will see they are mostly busy with people who have said insulting things to a police officer or something.”

Ellian: “Fag! Homo! That kind of work.” And to De Roos: “You know, Theo, I always thought that those treaties and laws against discrimination were mainly to be able to act when discos routinely refuse Moroccan youth or something. And that must be, because that is so humiliating. That’s what you need to take out the entire Rataplan for.”

De Roos: “That’s right, it’s not meant for crimes of expression.”

Ellian: “Opinion-crimes I call them. The law should also be better formulated. It has become a source of conflict rather than a means to ensure that conflicts are resolved. The law gives people false hope. Because there are hundreds of charges being filed that almost all lead to nowhere.”

De Roos: “It was very good of Mark Rutte of the VVD to made a start with improving the law, by broadening freedom of expression. Too bad it got bogged down [in Parliament — translator] in stuff about Holocaust denial. My position is: we would rather have too much legislation than too little. And you really notice this not only in cases that have to do with the Islam. Take the case against the writer Peter Waterdrinker. In his novel an unnamed character calls the mayor of Zandvoort a joodje [little Jew]. That went all the way to the Supreme Court! While it is terrible to even prosecute that at all.”

Sackers: “That case has also been very important for evaluating expressions in their context. Wilders might still benefit from that. The Supreme Court decided that the entire novel had to be part of the dossier.”

He continues: “I find it very peculiar that the insulting of a group on grounds of religion can be punishable. Over time, one has stuck all kinds of things onto that law.”

Theo de Roos: “And as you must keep in mind: from the standpoint of public order. But who now finds those statements of Wilders so bad that riots break out?”

Ellian: “Muslims don’t. That irritates me a lot, that image of Muslims as a gang that at the littlest or the slightest, smashes things to pieces.”

“The main thing is,” Zwart brings in, “that you have to apply your national laws within the limits of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to freedom of expression.”

European Court

It is dusk outside. And the atmosphere is jovial. But quite a lot of consensus sounds in this room. There is, therefore, someone not present: Rick Lawson, a professor. Professor of Human Rights, Leiden. He also advised the OM. But he was — and is — in favor of the trial. Like Zwart, he relies on the European Convention, but he stresses the freedom of religion and the prohibition of discrimination. Does Lawson not have a point at all then?

Zwart: “Where he has a point, is that it may not be an impossible to prosecute Wilders. But that is something different from actually doing so. That is not at all in the spirit of all European rulings in this field.”

Well, almost all. For a long time the European Court offered the maximum possible scope for political debate, more than, for example, artistic expression. But in a recent verdict against the Belgian Daniel Ferret of the Front National, the Court upheld a conviction for inciting to hatred and discrimination, precisely because the Court expects additional restraint from politicians. They should “avoid statements that could encourage intolerance”.

“Yes, I admit that is surprising,” says Zwart. “It is a verdict that within the Court had the smallest possible majority, it has not appeared in English like all major verdicts, but I think it is a trial balloon. In indeed seems something is changing in Strasbourg. For Wilders’ case in the Netherlands that does not matter, because that verdict was dated after the time he made his statements. It should therefore play no role. But if I were Wilders’ lawyer, I’d think twice before I went to Strasbourg. I would not be surprised if they are awaiting his case to be able to turn around fully and further limit the playing field for politicians.”

Lesson in emancipation

It needn’t have gone this far. De Roos: “What few people realize moreover, is the fact that this case can be very quickly wrapped up. Everyone says it will go to the Supreme Court or even the European Court. But just imagine that the judges now in the first instance will acquit Wilders. The OM will not appeal because it didn’t want the whole prosecution in the first place. And Wilders can’t. Then it is just finished.”

And also for the good, he finds: “An end must be put as soon as possible to the illusion that criminal proceedings can protect Muslims against such statements. If you look what Catholics had to deal with in the past, that is many times worse. “

An acquittal as a lesson in emancipation for the Muslims?

“Yes,” Sackers, Zwart and De Roos say. “Yes.”

Ellian: “Some views of Wilders such as the head-rag-tax or shooting at the knees of hooligans [a remark he made in response to riots and destruction in a football stadium which were also directed against stewards and police — translator], are morally not acceptable.”

De Roos: Rancid! That’s the word I always find the most appropriate for his ideas, rancid.”

Zwart: “I prefer to say: I do not agree.”

Ellian: “He is also not a Cicero eh? It is sometimes ugly what he says.”

De Roos, from memory: “Quo usque tandem abuteris, Catilina, patientia nostra? [How long, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?] That is what Cicero said right in the face of Catiline, beautiful!”

Ellian: “In this country, no party gets a majority, also not that of Wilders. That makes it even less appropriate to try to stop someone with criminal law.”

De Roos: “There must be a response to Wilders. Just not with criminal law. People should just tell him: you cannot do that, damn it! It’s a shame!”

A side note from VH:

The latest poll shows the PVV remains firm in the polls (31 seats; they have 24 now in the 150 seats Parliament) and would be the second biggest party (the biggest party in the polls, is the VVD with 32 seats). The Christian Democrats (CDA) however, keep sliding down (14 seats now in the polls, 21 in parliament). Still, the coalition government of those three parties has a majority in the polls of 77 (76 in parliament).

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