February 16 Games
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Monmouth 101
Lake Forest 96
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Lake Forest 72
Monmouth 50
SCHOOL RECORDS FALL AT MONMOUTH INVITATIONAL
MONMOUTH, Ill. – No team scores were kept at last Saturday’s Fighting Scot Invitational, but that didn’t keep the Monmouth College women from recording their share of school records, personal bests and provisional marks.
The Fighting Scots made the biggest splash in the throws where Gloria Lehr and Amanda Streeter turned in provisional qualifying marks. Lehr took first in the shot put and improved her provisional effort with a throw of 43’0-1/4. Streeter placed sixth at 38’7-1/2 and Allison Devor took seventh with a mark of 38’4-1/4. Lehr and Streeter then threw provisional distances in the weight throw. Lehr was second with a mark of 52’4-3/4, Streeter was fourth at 51’5-3/4 and Devor’s personal best throw of 46-3-1/4 placed her sixth.
A personal best for Morgan Leffel placed her first in the long jump with a leap of 16’9-1/4, edging teammate Mackinsey Marquith who finished second at 16’7-3/4. Mikayla Vail was eighth at 14’10. That trio also did well in the triple jump where Leffel took fourth at 35’1-3/4, Marquith turned in a personal best 34’7 for fifth and Vail was eighth at 32’6-1/4.
A school record fell in the mile where Mary Kate Beyer finished seventh with a time of 5:14.15 to break the old mark by three seconds. Rachel Bowden ran a personal best 5:19.25 to place ninth. Bowden also clocked a PR in the 3,000-meter run where she ran a 10:48.11 to place fourth. Beyer won the event in 10:28.78. Tori Beaty took eighth in the 5,000 with a time of 21:29.35.
Jae Moore posted a first place finish in the 200 dash. She broke the tape in 26.95 and Leffel placed fifth in 27.70. Moore also placed third in the 55 dash with a time of 7.57 and Leffel was sixth in the 400 with a time of 1:01.61.
Friday, February 12, 2010
HOW LOUD IS YOUR WHISTLE?
TRAIN WHISTLES DIFFICULT TO MUTE IN MONMOUTH
By Kerr Yost
(Monmouth, IL) If you live in Monmouth, you’ve probably been aware - and sometime peeved - at especially loud whistles from passing trains. Many residents are asking why an ordinance isn’t in place declaring Monmouth a “quiet zone,” an area where trains are not allowed to blow their whistles.
Federal law requires trains to blow their whistle at every crossing and these whistles are louder today than they used to be. About 2-3 years ago, the Federal Railroad Administration raised the decibel level of whistles due to all the distractions people have today such as cell phones and iPods, according to Simon Cordery, professor of history at Monmouth College as well as a specialist on trains.
“There are some things that would have to be done in order for an ordinance to be passed,” explains Jan Helms, executive administrative assistant for Monmouth City Hall. “It’s not a quick fix kind of thing.”
Cordery agrees with Helms on the difficulty of passing an ordinance. “A few requirements have to be met in order to establish a quiet zone.” These requirements include closing grade crossings, putting in crossing gates and adding fencing to prevent cars from going around the gates. All of which would require substantial costs.
In Galesburg, the expense of passing an ordinance extinguished the hope of creating quiet zones. However, Barrington, IL, a Suburb of Chicago, successfully passed an ordinance in 2008 after countless residents complained about the noise and number of trains passing through the city.
Discussions were held in the past about the possibility of beginning the process to pass an ordinance in Monmouth, but complaints from residents about the trains diminished. Helms understands the concern many residents have with the train whistles. “Would the residents like them (train whistles) to stop? Definitely.”
JUNKERS BEWARE
By Derick Keist
(Monmouth, Ill.) The city is preparing to clear its streets of the 175 inoperable vehicles that have been identified in Monmouth. An inoperable vehicle is defined as one that will not start or is not licensed or registered.
City Administrator Eric Hanson warned that those who own an inoperable vehicle can expect to hear from the city soon. They will receive a notice to remove or store the vehicles. “It’s a problem that needs to be resolved,” said Hanson. “We’re hoping to put a good dent in cleaning up that problem by spring.”
Police Chief Brad Zeigler said if the owners do not take care of the situation, the city will eventually tow the vehicle to the junkyard.
According to Hanson, the city has a local ordinance in place that gives the city the ability to tag a vehicle and leave a notice alerting the owner to take care of the vehicle. After a set period of time, the city then has the right to tow the vehicle.
By Kerr Yost
(Monmouth, IL) If you live in Monmouth, you’ve probably been aware - and sometime peeved - at especially loud whistles from passing trains. Many residents are asking why an ordinance isn’t in place declaring Monmouth a “quiet zone,” an area where trains are not allowed to blow their whistles.
Federal law requires trains to blow their whistle at every crossing and these whistles are louder today than they used to be. About 2-3 years ago, the Federal Railroad Administration raised the decibel level of whistles due to all the distractions people have today such as cell phones and iPods, according to Simon Cordery, professor of history at Monmouth College as well as a specialist on trains.
“There are some things that would have to be done in order for an ordinance to be passed,” explains Jan Helms, executive administrative assistant for Monmouth City Hall. “It’s not a quick fix kind of thing.”
Cordery agrees with Helms on the difficulty of passing an ordinance. “A few requirements have to be met in order to establish a quiet zone.” These requirements include closing grade crossings, putting in crossing gates and adding fencing to prevent cars from going around the gates. All of which would require substantial costs.
In Galesburg, the expense of passing an ordinance extinguished the hope of creating quiet zones. However, Barrington, IL, a Suburb of Chicago, successfully passed an ordinance in 2008 after countless residents complained about the noise and number of trains passing through the city.
Discussions were held in the past about the possibility of beginning the process to pass an ordinance in Monmouth, but complaints from residents about the trains diminished. Helms understands the concern many residents have with the train whistles. “Would the residents like them (train whistles) to stop? Definitely.”
JUNKERS BEWARE
By Derick Keist
(Monmouth, Ill.) The city is preparing to clear its streets of the 175 inoperable vehicles that have been identified in Monmouth. An inoperable vehicle is defined as one that will not start or is not licensed or registered.
City Administrator Eric Hanson warned that those who own an inoperable vehicle can expect to hear from the city soon. They will receive a notice to remove or store the vehicles. “It’s a problem that needs to be resolved,” said Hanson. “We’re hoping to put a good dent in cleaning up that problem by spring.”
Police Chief Brad Zeigler said if the owners do not take care of the situation, the city will eventually tow the vehicle to the junkyard.
According to Hanson, the city has a local ordinance in place that gives the city the ability to tag a vehicle and leave a notice alerting the owner to take care of the vehicle. After a set period of time, the city then has the right to tow the vehicle.
TOYOTA CRISIS GETS MIXED REVIEWS LOCALLY
Breaks, Gas Petals and Steering, Oh My
By: Cassie Hart
The flood of bad news about Toyota does not seem to be creating a panic in Warren and adjoining counties. “We haven’t had too many complaints yet,” declares Jeff Everhart the General Manager of Bob Lindsey Honda Toyota in Galesburg. Everhart refuses to add any comments beyond that.
Cami Johnson a Galesburg student at Monmouth College had her heart set on a new Toyota for Christmas. However, while car shopping with her parents they were advised several times by the sales representative at the Toyota/Honda dealership “that the Honda was the car for them.” Needless to say Johnson is the owner of a new Honda Civic. Simon Cordery a Professor at Monmouth College and owner of a Toyota replied “no, not really” when asked if he has experienced any problems with his vehicle.
With Toyota Motor’s unprecedented recall of millions of vehicles that had accelerator problems the company is experiencing a decline on sales. The decline could force the world’s largest auto maker to cut its 2010 forecasts. A total of 8.1 million Toyota vehicles have been recalled which is more than its total group sales last year.
According to news reports Toyota Motor Corp.’s truck and car sales fell 16% in January. Most of the automakers have seen an increase in sales. “GM came out with some incentives for Toyota car trade ins, however, we have not seen an increase in sales yet,” reports Mike Tapper the Sales Manager of Bruce Foote Chevrolet in Monmouth. When asked about his thoughts about Toyota’s current problems he said that “they are a good company and they are going to take care of the problem.”
By: Cassie Hart
The flood of bad news about Toyota does not seem to be creating a panic in Warren and adjoining counties. “We haven’t had too many complaints yet,” declares Jeff Everhart the General Manager of Bob Lindsey Honda Toyota in Galesburg. Everhart refuses to add any comments beyond that.
Cami Johnson a Galesburg student at Monmouth College had her heart set on a new Toyota for Christmas. However, while car shopping with her parents they were advised several times by the sales representative at the Toyota/Honda dealership “that the Honda was the car for them.” Needless to say Johnson is the owner of a new Honda Civic. Simon Cordery a Professor at Monmouth College and owner of a Toyota replied “no, not really” when asked if he has experienced any problems with his vehicle.
With Toyota Motor’s unprecedented recall of millions of vehicles that had accelerator problems the company is experiencing a decline on sales. The decline could force the world’s largest auto maker to cut its 2010 forecasts. A total of 8.1 million Toyota vehicles have been recalled which is more than its total group sales last year.
According to news reports Toyota Motor Corp.’s truck and car sales fell 16% in January. Most of the automakers have seen an increase in sales. “GM came out with some incentives for Toyota car trade ins, however, we have not seen an increase in sales yet,” reports Mike Tapper the Sales Manager of Bruce Foote Chevrolet in Monmouth. When asked about his thoughts about Toyota’s current problems he said that “they are a good company and they are going to take care of the problem.”
SUPER BOWL AD ENDS IN A WHISPER
The Controversy That Wasn't
By: Kelly Winter
The buzz surrounding the anti abortion commercial that aired on the Superbowl ended with a whisper not a bang.
The 30-second spot, was supposed to recount the troubling pregnancy of Pam Tebow, mother of the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Instead, critics and supporters alike felt it was nothing but an almost unnatural family tale about a “miracle baby”.
Before the ad aired, the National Organization for Women (NOW) described the ad as extraordinarily offensive and demeaning. Vice President of NOW Kim Gandy stated, “The implicit suggestion that pregnant women whose health is at risk shouldn’t worry because nothing bad will happen is downright dangerous.”
Another organization, Pro-Choice America, asked its members to throw a penalty flag against CBS. President Nancy Keenan sent an email saying, “It’s absurd that CBS would give a radically anti-choice group like Focus on the Family a platform to expose its extreme agenda to millions of people – especially since the network has blocked other advocacy groups from having the same opportunity.”
After seeing this ad many people wondered why there was such a big deal. A professor of Communication Studies at Monmouth College, Trudi Peterson says, “It was totally benign.” Peterson went on, “if you don’t know anything about FOF (the anti abortion organization that paid for the ad), you really do not know anything about the ad.”
Many people only knew about the ad because it was the first advocacy ad that had been broadcast on the Superbowl. If you did not pay attention to the pre game publicity than you would just think it was an innocent family tale.
By: Kelly Winter
The buzz surrounding the anti abortion commercial that aired on the Superbowl ended with a whisper not a bang.
The 30-second spot, was supposed to recount the troubling pregnancy of Pam Tebow, mother of the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Instead, critics and supporters alike felt it was nothing but an almost unnatural family tale about a “miracle baby”.
Before the ad aired, the National Organization for Women (NOW) described the ad as extraordinarily offensive and demeaning. Vice President of NOW Kim Gandy stated, “The implicit suggestion that pregnant women whose health is at risk shouldn’t worry because nothing bad will happen is downright dangerous.”
Another organization, Pro-Choice America, asked its members to throw a penalty flag against CBS. President Nancy Keenan sent an email saying, “It’s absurd that CBS would give a radically anti-choice group like Focus on the Family a platform to expose its extreme agenda to millions of people – especially since the network has blocked other advocacy groups from having the same opportunity.”
After seeing this ad many people wondered why there was such a big deal. A professor of Communication Studies at Monmouth College, Trudi Peterson says, “It was totally benign.” Peterson went on, “if you don’t know anything about FOF (the anti abortion organization that paid for the ad), you really do not know anything about the ad.”
Many people only knew about the ad because it was the first advocacy ad that had been broadcast on the Superbowl. If you did not pay attention to the pre game publicity than you would just think it was an innocent family tale.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
SCHOOL DISTRICT IN CRISIS
MONMOUTH-ROSEVILLE SEEKS SOLUTIONS TO DEFICIT
By Emily Friedrich
The problem has reached a boiling point and now is the time to act. Those were the sentiments of Tim Tibbetts, Chairperson of the Deficit Reduction Committee of Monmouth-Roseville School District.
Tibbetts told the relatively calm crowd of about 100 people at Monday evening’s public meeting that, “The results of poor education are borne by all members of society. We all have a responsibility to keep good education going in our area.” The school district could face a whopping $1.4 million short fall next year if the state cuts aide by nine percent, which is expected.
Tibbetts presented the crowd with various models the committee will propose to the school board on Feb. 25. The goal of the forum was to inform the community of the process and receive public input. Superintendent Paul Woehlke said the public will be able to express ideas and opinions directly to the school board at a meeting before Feb. 25, though a date has not been set.
Some in the crowd advanced the idea of raising local income and property taxes. Tibbetts replied it would be a long shot for the city to approve such an increase. Monmouth-Roseville High School Principal Jeff Bryan, voiced the same sentiment, “It’s not just as simple as that because as you raise the amount of taxes you collect, you also decrease the amount of foundation funding you get from the state. It’s a sliding scale, so you don’t actually realize all the tax you assess.”
A few high school students expressed their disappointment with the situation. Senior Kelsey Ault is worried about her two younger siblings in the district. “I have a brother that’s in seventh grade and I have a sister that’s in fourth grade. I would like them to both be able to go into the programs that they want. With the way the school is heading, my brother will not be able to get his sports programs in,” Ault said.
The proposals presented at the meeting included reducing funds across the board for extracurricular activities, academics and a four day school week. But the only solution that came close to reducing the deficit enough to eliminate the 1.4 million dollar shortfall seemed to be to close Harding and Willis Elementary schools and reassign those students to Lincoln.
By Emily Friedrich
The problem has reached a boiling point and now is the time to act. Those were the sentiments of Tim Tibbetts, Chairperson of the Deficit Reduction Committee of Monmouth-Roseville School District.
Tibbetts told the relatively calm crowd of about 100 people at Monday evening’s public meeting that, “The results of poor education are borne by all members of society. We all have a responsibility to keep good education going in our area.” The school district could face a whopping $1.4 million short fall next year if the state cuts aide by nine percent, which is expected.
Tibbetts presented the crowd with various models the committee will propose to the school board on Feb. 25. The goal of the forum was to inform the community of the process and receive public input. Superintendent Paul Woehlke said the public will be able to express ideas and opinions directly to the school board at a meeting before Feb. 25, though a date has not been set.
Some in the crowd advanced the idea of raising local income and property taxes. Tibbetts replied it would be a long shot for the city to approve such an increase. Monmouth-Roseville High School Principal Jeff Bryan, voiced the same sentiment, “It’s not just as simple as that because as you raise the amount of taxes you collect, you also decrease the amount of foundation funding you get from the state. It’s a sliding scale, so you don’t actually realize all the tax you assess.”
A few high school students expressed their disappointment with the situation. Senior Kelsey Ault is worried about her two younger siblings in the district. “I have a brother that’s in seventh grade and I have a sister that’s in fourth grade. I would like them to both be able to go into the programs that they want. With the way the school is heading, my brother will not be able to get his sports programs in,” Ault said.
The proposals presented at the meeting included reducing funds across the board for extracurricular activities, academics and a four day school week. But the only solution that came close to reducing the deficit enough to eliminate the 1.4 million dollar shortfall seemed to be to close Harding and Willis Elementary schools and reassign those students to Lincoln.
Friday, February 5, 2010
LOCAL UPDATE ON SWINE FLU
MINIMAL EXPOSURE IN WARREN COUNTY SO FAR
By Ross Donnan
(MONMOUTH, IL) The state of Illinois has reported 2931 cases of H1N1 during this year’s flu season. Warren County recorded only seven of those cases. Luckily, Warren County produced none of the 97 confirmed deaths from the virus in Illinois. “We were hit pretty hard with the seasonal Flu. At one point we had 70 walk-ins a day (at the OSF family clinic) with Flu like symptoms” said Jenna Link, Administrator of the Warren County Health Department. The department administered 4273 H1N1 vaccinations, which is approximately 25 percent of Warren County, and it was mainly the elderly who received them. Even though President Obama officially declared the virus a national emergency, only 63 percent of Americans were affected in some way by the end of 2009 according to Purdue University researchers.
News reports indicated that there was a national shortage of doses, but in fact it was a delay not a shortage of doses. According to the Los Angeles Times in October 2009, Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of Health and Human Services said not to blame the “delay” on Obama’s administration, and that as soon as the vaccines arrived they were shipped out by the thousands. When it came to the shortage of vaccinations in Monmouth “ We never actually ran out of the vaccine, we tried to get as much as we could because we were expecting more, but we still have plenty...” said Link, and although they stopped the free clinics, they are still making appointments daily.
As for the schools, they were expecting, and prepared for an astonishing 40 percent absentee rate, but luckily only got about a 15-25 percent throughout the county. “Of course, there still might be another ‘wave’ of the virus so the numbers may still increase” said Link. There have been separate “waves” of the virus, meaning at certain times there is a lull in the amount of cases confirmed, but the virus tends to resurface during the flu season several times, so Warren County may not have seen the end of it. Monmouth College’s response to the absentee rate was a “relaxed” attendance policy during the 2009 fall semester, telling the Professors to be more lenient with their attendance policies. The college also held clinics in the Huff Athletic Center, giving free vaccinations (after a lot of paperwork) for both seasonal Flu and the H1N1 strain, for students who wanted them. Some students felt the same way as Bill Heisterman, a senior at Monmouth College, “The paperwork took so long, I didn’t have time to sit and wait in line to fill out forms for half an hour just for a shot.”
This season spawned a new strain of Influenza, called H1N1, or more commonly known as “Swine Flu”. The reason it’s called Swine Flu is because it is a hybrid strain of the Flu, mixing the Avian (bird), and Swine (pigs) strains. Each year a vaccine is created to prevent the seasonal Flu because each season, the seasonal strain changes. The reason H1N1 essentially came out of nowhere, was because we had already created the vaccine for this season’s Flu, and experts say and we got caught off-guard.
During an average year, between 10 and 20 percent of the population is infected with influenza viruses. Younger children more often than adults are more susceptible viruses and illnesses. However swine flu targets more than just children, those with asthma, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease are also at a high risk. Much like most viruses and the seasonal Flu, H1N1 is most commonly transmitted through coughing, sneezing and not washing your hands.
This “wave” of the H1N1 pandemic may be mostly over, and Warren County may have lucked out with only 7 confirmed cases, but there’s no way of predicting whether or not there will be more. According to Jenna Link, “We may see another wave yet, we don’t know”, and she’s right, the Flu season can last as long as late October to the end of March.
By Ross Donnan
(MONMOUTH, IL) The state of Illinois has reported 2931 cases of H1N1 during this year’s flu season. Warren County recorded only seven of those cases. Luckily, Warren County produced none of the 97 confirmed deaths from the virus in Illinois. “We were hit pretty hard with the seasonal Flu. At one point we had 70 walk-ins a day (at the OSF family clinic) with Flu like symptoms” said Jenna Link, Administrator of the Warren County Health Department. The department administered 4273 H1N1 vaccinations, which is approximately 25 percent of Warren County, and it was mainly the elderly who received them. Even though President Obama officially declared the virus a national emergency, only 63 percent of Americans were affected in some way by the end of 2009 according to Purdue University researchers.
News reports indicated that there was a national shortage of doses, but in fact it was a delay not a shortage of doses. According to the Los Angeles Times in October 2009, Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of Health and Human Services said not to blame the “delay” on Obama’s administration, and that as soon as the vaccines arrived they were shipped out by the thousands. When it came to the shortage of vaccinations in Monmouth “ We never actually ran out of the vaccine, we tried to get as much as we could because we were expecting more, but we still have plenty...” said Link, and although they stopped the free clinics, they are still making appointments daily.
As for the schools, they were expecting, and prepared for an astonishing 40 percent absentee rate, but luckily only got about a 15-25 percent throughout the county. “Of course, there still might be another ‘wave’ of the virus so the numbers may still increase” said Link. There have been separate “waves” of the virus, meaning at certain times there is a lull in the amount of cases confirmed, but the virus tends to resurface during the flu season several times, so Warren County may not have seen the end of it. Monmouth College’s response to the absentee rate was a “relaxed” attendance policy during the 2009 fall semester, telling the Professors to be more lenient with their attendance policies. The college also held clinics in the Huff Athletic Center, giving free vaccinations (after a lot of paperwork) for both seasonal Flu and the H1N1 strain, for students who wanted them. Some students felt the same way as Bill Heisterman, a senior at Monmouth College, “The paperwork took so long, I didn’t have time to sit and wait in line to fill out forms for half an hour just for a shot.”
This season spawned a new strain of Influenza, called H1N1, or more commonly known as “Swine Flu”. The reason it’s called Swine Flu is because it is a hybrid strain of the Flu, mixing the Avian (bird), and Swine (pigs) strains. Each year a vaccine is created to prevent the seasonal Flu because each season, the seasonal strain changes. The reason H1N1 essentially came out of nowhere, was because we had already created the vaccine for this season’s Flu, and experts say and we got caught off-guard.
During an average year, between 10 and 20 percent of the population is infected with influenza viruses. Younger children more often than adults are more susceptible viruses and illnesses. However swine flu targets more than just children, those with asthma, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease are also at a high risk. Much like most viruses and the seasonal Flu, H1N1 is most commonly transmitted through coughing, sneezing and not washing your hands.
This “wave” of the H1N1 pandemic may be mostly over, and Warren County may have lucked out with only 7 confirmed cases, but there’s no way of predicting whether or not there will be more. According to Jenna Link, “We may see another wave yet, we don’t know”, and she’s right, the Flu season can last as long as late October to the end of March.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
MINIMAL HOME FORCLOSURES IN WARREN COUNTY
Monmouth Escapes Housing Crisis
By Emily Friedrich
(Monmouth, Ill.) Housing foreclosures that started in California and Florida spread like wildfire in many other urban areas throughout the country. Although some communities have become virtual ghost towns, Monmouth is surviving.
Some locals believe Monmouth’s location geographically played a role in the community which came out relatively unscathed amidst a national housing crisis. Wood Stortzum, Market President of Wells Fargo in Monmouth said, “We are an agricultural economy that gives us a really good base. We have been affected, but not with the dramatic examples that would be on some of the coastal cities.”
Being a regional economy does not come without disadvantages, Stortzum noted. “What happens in Galesburg, what happens in Macomb, even sometimes what happens across the river in Burlington, we have a ripple affect.”
Linda Doyle, owner of Monmouth Farm and Home Realty agreed with Stortzum’s take on Monmouth’s housing market. “We’re faring very well. I would say we’re hanging in there. Our market is stable,” said Doyle.
Doyle credits the local banks for practicing smart lending. Doyle’s partner at Monmouth Farm and Home Realty, Bob Meling, explained that local banks did a good job staying out of the sub-prime housing market. “100 percent loans are something that a lot of people should not get involved in…they get themselves in a position where they don’t make their payments and they can walk out on it very readily and become a foreclosure.”
By Emily Friedrich
(Monmouth, Ill.) Housing foreclosures that started in California and Florida spread like wildfire in many other urban areas throughout the country. Although some communities have become virtual ghost towns, Monmouth is surviving.
Some locals believe Monmouth’s location geographically played a role in the community which came out relatively unscathed amidst a national housing crisis. Wood Stortzum, Market President of Wells Fargo in Monmouth said, “We are an agricultural economy that gives us a really good base. We have been affected, but not with the dramatic examples that would be on some of the coastal cities.”
Being a regional economy does not come without disadvantages, Stortzum noted. “What happens in Galesburg, what happens in Macomb, even sometimes what happens across the river in Burlington, we have a ripple affect.”
Linda Doyle, owner of Monmouth Farm and Home Realty agreed with Stortzum’s take on Monmouth’s housing market. “We’re faring very well. I would say we’re hanging in there. Our market is stable,” said Doyle.
Doyle credits the local banks for practicing smart lending. Doyle’s partner at Monmouth Farm and Home Realty, Bob Meling, explained that local banks did a good job staying out of the sub-prime housing market. “100 percent loans are something that a lot of people should not get involved in…they get themselves in a position where they don’t make their payments and they can walk out on it very readily and become a foreclosure.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)