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TUSCALOOSA | Charles Joseph Townsend, the man who built a legacy by selling the joy of the open road, died Saturday at Hospice of West Alabama. He was 84. A rosary for Townsend is set for 6:30 p.m. today at Holy Spirit Catholic Church and a memorial mass is planned for 2:30 p.m. Monday with Father Gerald Holloway officiating.
TUSCALOOSA | Charles Joseph Townsend, the man who built a legacy by selling the joy of the open road, died Saturday at Hospice of West Alabama.
He was 84.
A rosary for Townsend is set for 6:30 p.m. today at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and a memorial mass is planned for 2:30 p.m. Monday, with Father Gerald Holloway officiating.
"Charlie" Townsend, a native of Memphis, Tenn., began selling cars in his hometown in the early 1950s.
By 1972, he relocated to Tuscaloosa and founded Townsend Ford. Three years later, he purchased Tuscaloosa Honda — now Townsend Honda — and in 1990, he brought the former Magnolia Nissan/BMW under the Townsend umbrella.
His success in the car business allowed him to build an automotive empire, but it also provided something he could share and pass down to those he loved the most.
"The legacy he built, he did it for his family," said Diane Townsend, his wife of 33 years.
Fittingly, it was a car that brought them together.
Specifically, it was a jade green 1977 Ford Thunderbird. And upon learning that the young woman to whom he'd just sold it was a nurse, Charlie Townsend confessed that he had been putting off a blood pressure check that he'd needed for some time.
Diane Townsend did not object when he asked if she could provide that check-up, and she did so that day at her house nearby.
"Yeah," she said, laughing at the memory, "it worked out pretty good."
It led to a life filled with four sons — Tommy, Danny, Kelly and Lance Hall — and a daughter, Colleen, who, in turn, gave their parents 13 grandchildren.
Now, 10 great-grandchildren are in the mix, and they all contributed, Diane Townsend said, to her husband's greatest joy.
"Family meant everything to him," Diane Townsend said.
Outside of the car business, Townsend enjoyed traveling, and his wife said they lost count of the number of cruises they'd taken after the 60th. Ireland, Italy and the South Pacific were among his favorite destinations.
On about a dozen of those cruises, the Townsends were joined by Joe Pete Hayes and his family.
Hayes, 74, said he first met Townsend about 30 years ago when the two men won a trip to Germany and Austria from a local radio station.
They first shook hands in the airport, Hayes said, and from that point on, the two men became great friends.
Over the years, the men have shared journeys and a love of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
When Hayes retired about 12 years ago, he and Townsend would see each other almost every day of the week.
"He had a great personality and he had a great mind," Hayes said. "Even though he was 84, he'd remember things from high school.
"He was just a good-natured person, but he wasn't an outward person. He just liked his own bunch."
In that bunch was family physician Alan Maxwell, to whom Townsend came for treatment soon after the doctor arrived from Pittsburgh.
Maxwell, 66, recalled the days when commercials for Townsend's dealerships played off the late '70s-era television show "Charlie's Angels," which featured three women hired as private investigators by the "Charles Townsend Agency."
"It was a much smaller world in Tuscaloosa in those days," Maxwell said.
Maxwell said his longtime friend was proud to have begun a business that was able to employ so many.
"I think one of the things he was most proud of was all the jobs he provided for a lot of people in Tuscaloosa," Maxwell said. "I think he really cared about people. He cared about his customers ... and helping his friends."
Reach Jason Morton at email@example.com or 205-722-0200.


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Contact: Christina Zirker
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: (510) 912-0212
Free Event Features Live Music, Outdoor Marketplace, Local Food and more in Celebration and Support of Historic Downtown Richmond
(RICHMOND, CA, August 19, 2013)—The Richmond Main Street Initiative (RMSI) has announced the return of one of Richmond's most beloved annual events, its Spirit & Soul Festival and fundraiser on Saturday, September 21st from 1 pm to 5 pm. The outdoor festival is held on Macdonald Avenue between 13th Street and Harbour Way, Richmond, 94801. Admission to Spirit & Soul is free, with artisan crafts, food, wine and beverages for sale. Proceeds from wine, beverage and raffle sales will benefit Richmond Main Street's mission to support the revitalization of historic downtown Richmond.
Musical headliners for the fifth annual Spirit & Soul festival are internationally-acclaimed Zydeco performer and Richmond-native Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic, pop and R&B sensation Dahrio Wonder, and hit-making R&B pop band Club Nouveau, founded by producer-performer Jay King. Club Nouveau will perform songs from its upcoming greatest hits project, which highlights a lauded musical career launched in the the mid-eighties, including chart-toppers "Jealousy" and Bill Withers' "Lean on Me," as well as soon-to-be released new material.
In addition to great music, Spirit & Soul's outdoor marketplace will feature handmade jewelry, home goods, accessories, clothing, and more crafted by local artisans and entrepreneurs. Local food vendors will dish up healthy and delicious cuisine and a wine and beverage pavilion will offer refreshments for purchase. Attendees can also enter a raffle of exciting prizes that highlight Richmond's diverse products and services, donated by local businesses.
For the second year in a row, the festival's format will be a street fair in the heart of historic downtown Richmond on Macdonald Avenue. This move provides increased public access to the event and highlights Macdonald Avenue's beautifully updated streetscape. New street banners by local artist Richard Muro Salazar will also be on display on Macdonald from Harbour Way to Marina Way.
"Spirit & Soul is an amazing celebration of our community and the strides we're making in the revitalization of downtown historic Richmond," said Amanda Elliott, Executive Director of the RMSI. "It's also an important fundraiser for our programs and initiatives. We invite everyone to join us for a fantastic day of music and fun that directly supports our mission to cultivate a culturally and economically vibrant district."
The Spirit & Soul Festival is sponsored by Chevron, Mechanics Bank, City of Richmond, State Farm, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Richmond Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kaiser Permanente, and Community Housing Development Center.
Other ongoing events include the Richmond Main Street Farmers' Market, sponsored by RMSI and produced by the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association at Nevin Plaza in Downtown Richmond every Wednesday until October 30th (10 am to 2 pm), and free weekly Zumba and belly-dancing fitness classes (schedule available at: www.richmondmainstreet.org/news-events/fitness-classes).
The RMSI will be a participating beneficiary of the first annual We Give – 2013! online giving event, beginning at 6 am on Wednesday, September 18th and running for a 36 hour fundraising period. We Give – 2013! provides an opportunity for people who care about Richmond and West Contra Costa County to come together and raise as much money as possible for local nonprofits. It coincides with the "Week of Caring"partnership between United Way of the Bay Area and Volunteer Centers of the East Bay. All gifts are tax deductible and will be processed throughwww.WeGive2Richmond.org, an online resource and community wide giving program administered by the Richmond Community Foundation. Please visit the RMSI's facebook page at www.facebook.com/richmondmainstreet for updates on We Give – 2013!
About the Richmond Main Street Initiative:
Richmond Main Street Initiative is a community based non-profit dedicated to revitalizing historic downtown Richmond. RMSI partners with the City of Richmond, merchants, and residents to develop and improve downtown Richmond as a pedestrian-friendly urban village that offers products, services, arts and entertainment that reflect the community's rich and diverse heritage.
In July 2012, local property owners and the Richmond City Council approved the Downtown Richmond Property-based Business Improvement District (DRPBID). This is the first district of its kind in Contra Costa County and is managed by the RMSI. The DRPBID focuses on creating and promoting a safe, clean and vibrant downtown, fostering economic development, supporting local business with training programs, and attracting new businesses to meet the community's needs. It is funded through a self-imposed and self-governed property tax assessment that underwrites new economic and marketing initiatives for the district. Other successful Bay Area examples include Oakland's Temescal and Fruitvale Districts and Downtown Berkeley.
The DRPBID district encompasses the core of the Historic Downtown area along the Macdonald Avenue corridor bounded approximately by 6th Street, Barrett Avenue, Harbour Way, and 19th Street. For more information and to read about the RMSI's business assistance programs, please visit www.richmondmainstreet.org andwww.facebook.com/richmondmainstreet.

subset: commoncrawl


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Search and rescue crews were combing the waters of Lake Tahoe early Thursday for a woman missing after a rented ski boat carrying nine people capsized.
One man died and seven others were recovering from various injuries following the accident Wednesday, authorities said.
Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Mezzetta said a hiker near Cave Rock on the lake's southeast shore called 911 about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday when he heard someone yelling for help from the water.
Rescuers found the capsized Correct Craft ski boat several hundred yards off shore. The vessel was a rental from Sunnyside Marina in Tahoe City, Calif., Mezzetta said.
Four people were clinging to the hull when rescuers arrived. Three others were pulled from the water and one was able to swim to shore, authorities said.
The boaters were in the chilly water for about 90 minutes before they were discovered.
One victim, a 53-year-old man from San Carlos, Calif., died later a Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe, Mezzetta said.
The other seven were reported in stable condition.
Mezzetta said the 50-year-old missing woman was reportedly wearing a life preserver.
Marine units from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Tahoe Douglas Fire Department, South Lake Tahoe police and fire departments and the U.S. Coast Guard resumed the search for the missing woman early Thursday.


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CHICAGO – Thousands of Illinois residents with high medication costs are seeing some gains from a provision of the Affordable Care Act.
The federal government announced figures earlier this week on how the law is closing the prescription drug "doughnut hole," a spending level that isn't covered by Medicare. The numbers include a breakdown by state.
The government says that during the first 10 months of 2013, nearly 115,000 Illinoisans who reached the coverage gap have saved an average of $801 per person.
The "doughnut hole" is the gap in the Medicare prescription drug benefit before catastrophic coverage for prescriptions takes effect. A provision in President Barack Obama's health care law gradually closes the doughnut hole by giving Medicare beneficiaries discounts.


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Avocado Jicama Salsa
This unconventional salsa takes ripe Hass avocados, jicama, red onion, a serrano chile and fresh lime juice to make a combination that will perk up any Latin-inspired plate.
3 each ripe Hass avocadoes, peeled, pitted, 1/4-in. dice
8 oz. jicama, peeled, 1/4-in. dice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, finely minced (seeds removed)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp. olive oil
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Place all ingredients in bowl and mix slightly, being careful not to overmix. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent discoloration.
Recipe by Aramark Lifeworks


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In a study of 20 pairs of identical twin girls approaching or in puberty, aged 9 to 13, one sister took 800 mg of calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D3 per day while her twin took a placebo. After six months, doctors measured bone strength and found, compared to placebo, girls in the calcium-vitamin D group had up to 66 percent stronger shin and arm bones depending on the specific area of the bone.
Researchers said that bone size, density and strength increased in the spongy-bone areas inside of bones and in the compact-bone areas along the outer shafts of the arm and shin.


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I was wondering how to get nxserver working on loop 3. i downloaded the one off portage called nxserver-freeediton. it gave me an error about needing to run nxnode --install but when i do I get this:
The specified SYSTEM must be one of the following operating systems,
or none. In the latter case the NX setup will try to autodetect the
system or will choose the layout that better resembles one of the
known systems.
redhat RedHat 7.3, 8.0, 9.0, AS, ES, etc.
suse SuSE 7.3, 8.x, 9.x, etc.
mandrake Mandrake 9.2 10.x, etc.
debian Debian Woody 3.0, Unstable, Ubuntu, etc.
solaris Sun Solaris 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, etc.
fedora Fedora Core 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.
NX> 704 ERROR: Unable to autodetect the operating system type, please specify it
how would i go about fixing this since Gentoo/sabayon are not options? it is in the portage tree so i figured it is gentoo compatible. all the other nxservers in the portage tree error out w/ conflicts


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I occassionally find time to sit and simply listen to a child articulate their scientific findings to me. That happened during the last week of school.
This particular child has a rather soft voice when she speaks in the classroom so listening to her sometimes sounds as if your are simply listening to her speak softly to herself. This is especially true when she is captivated by a work. Thinking back on it now, I remember asking myself whether I was eavesdropping on a private conversation. Yet, I know what my role was then and now. I am the chronicler of her discoveries. I am her scribe.
The first time I saw the look of astonishment on her face was months ago. She was doing work with magnets. As the lesson had instructed, she taped a string tied to a paper clip to her table. Then she took a large magnet and drew the paper clip up high with it. The moment of astonishment came when the paper clip hovered just below the magnet. The magnet held the clip up off the table but was not touching it.
Perhaps I wasn't the only one in the room that saw the beauty of this young girl's face when she had performed magnetic magic. Another student requested to paint her portrait not long after. I saw these two girls from across the room and snapped a picture for my own keeping.
And then, months later, this same young girl, who was mesmerized by the power of a magnet, took out the "Oil and Water Don't Mix" tray. Upon her request, I added some food coloring to the water to highlight the oil on the surface.
"See the bubbles, Miss Dyer. Some of them are so small," she said as she leaned forward to look at them.
"Are they really bubbles or more like circles of oil?" I asked.
The young girl lifted a q-tip and touched one of the bubbles.
"Real bubbles pop when you touch them. This bubble didn't so its just a circle. Its not a bubble," she decided.
I acknowledge her statement and then just sat quietly and waited and watched. It wasn't long before she was telling me more about her observations.
"Do you see, Miss Dyer, how the water is at the bottom and the oil is at the top. That is because the water sinks and the oil floats. That is like our "Sink and Float" work," she said, making another declaration of discovery.
"What would happen if you put a crab in the water. Would it get covered with oil? And would it sink or float if it was?" I asked.
"I put the crab in, but the bottom is so dark that it is hard to see anything. How can I know if it sinks or floats if I can't find it? If something falls to the bottom of the ocean you can't see it," she said as she attempted to scoop up the crab.
"Here it is. Look, it has oil all over it. I don't think crabs like having oil on their bodies," she stated.
"When people spill oil in the ocean from their boats the oil covers the fish and all of the other living things. They are trying to come up with ways to clean the oil off of them without hurting them. Some people volunteer to do work like that," I said in an equally soft voice.
"You have to be very gentle. You shouldn't hurt animals," she said as she carefully wiped the crab clean and then placed it on a small cloth, one of many I have made for the classroom.
"There is one more thing, Miss Dyer. Let me show you," she said as she began touching the small circles of oil with the spoon. "When one of the circles of oil touches another they join and make one big circle. That is like math. Two small things make one big thing. That is what I really like about this work. It makes me think of math."
The longer she stayed with the work the more "discoveries" she made and the more focused on the work she became. I wish I could sit with all my students, one on one, for longer and longer periods of time. Its just not possible. Yet, I treasure the times I able to.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
"Real Bubbles Pop" : New Insights On A Familiar Work
Posted by Susan Slocum Dyer at 8:21 AM
Labels: Science
4 comments:
- Lindart said...
Lovely story! What will you be doing next year? Still teaching I hope?
- June 20, 2009 at 2:41 PM
- Susan Y. Dyer said...
Yes, I am going to be teaching...can't give all the details yet.
Susan Dyer
The Moveable Alphabet
- June 20, 2009 at 4:01 PM
- Katherine said...
This is a really inspiring post, what a great story she told.
- June 28, 2009 at 3:28 PM
- montessorimoments said...
Oh, how fortunate you were to be part of that! Simply beautiful...
- July 25, 2009 at 3:50 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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*This is a last-chance item and is available until 31 May or while supplies last.
You'll love this straightforward stamp set over and over again, whether it's the first, eighteenth, fortieth, or seventy-fifth time you've used it. It's a great choice for birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones.Photopolymer stamps* Are totally transparent for perfect image placement.* Have just enough give to create a perfectly stamped image every time. * Cling like crazy to our clear blocks so you don't have to worry about slipping.* Save space—you need only one set of blocks for all your photopolymer stamps (blocks sold separately). * Come packaged in cases with images on the spine for easy storage and quick reference.Quantity: 18 photopolymer stampsSuggested clear blocks (sold separately): g, h


text: Air-Vey magnets are designed to remove ferrous contaminants from products in dilute-phase pneumatic conveying systems that operate at 15 psi or less. These units are used to ensure product purity and protect process equipment. The flow-through area of the housing is engineered to maintain the same product velocity without an appreciable drop in pressure. These magnets install easily in horizontal, vertical, or angled positions with compression-type couplings or via welding in place. Puritan Magnetics Inc., Oxford, MI 248-628-3808 www.puritanmagnetics.com


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Dan Haren now must wait and see if he'll continue to enjoy the stability he seeks by staying with the Los Angeles Angels or if he'll be looking for another new team.
Haren struggled in his final start of the 2012 season Tuesday night, giving up a first-inning homer to Seattle's Kyle Seager in the Angels' 6-1 loss to the Mariners. It capped a season where Haren stumbled through the first half of the season, only to get better down the stretch as the Angels made a late charge for the postseason.
That playoff surge ended on Monday night when the Angels were eliminated from the AL wild card race. That left Tuesday open to speculation about what the Angels may do in the offseason after finishing a surprising third in the ultra-competitive AL West.
And one of their first decisions will be whether to pick up the option on Haren's contract.
"It's going to be interesting. I've never obviously been in a situation like this," Haren said. "Whether I'm a free agent or not, I don't know. If I am, it's going to be tough. I'm sick of changing teams. I've been on four teams and coming to L.A. was a dream come true."
The penultimate game of the season came a night after the Angels were eliminated from the postseason. And they played like a team with nothing tangible left to play for, tying their season high with three errors, including a pair in the sixth inning by right fielder Mark Trumbo that helped two runs score.
Mike Trout had one hit in five at-bats to see his average drop to .324. He's seven points behind leader Miguel Cabrera.
Haren (12-13) got little help from his defense with the three errors. He struck out eight and allowed only three earned runs, but also gave up seven hits and dropped his final two decisions of the season.
"I struggled early in the year. I had some back issues and was trying to be my old self," Haren said. "The last couple of months I went with a less is more attitude and focused more on location and got way better results."
Seager provided Seattle some early offense, becoming just the fifth player in Mariners history to record a 20-homer season in one of his first two years in the majors. He added a double in the sixth, when the Mariners took a 5-0 lead.
Seager is the first Seattle hitter to reach the 20 homer mark since Russell Branyan (31) and Jose Lopez (25) did it in 2009.
"It's a nice personal accomplishment. It was a good offseason for me. I worked out really hard, trying to get myself to where you can hit the ball a little harder and the coaches have helped me out a lot here," Seager said. "... I don't really consider myself a home run hitter."
With the Angels out of the playoff chase, much of the attention turned to the Mariners announcement Tuesday that the fences would be moved in at Safeco Field for the 2013 season, most notably in left-center field where fly balls notoriously die. Almost on cue, both teams peppered the outfield with fly balls that left question about whether that would be a home run in future seasons.
There was no question about Michael Saunders' two-run double in the fourth inning off Haren that thudded off the wall on the fly in deep left-center to score John Jaso and Justin Smoak. Seattle's Casper Wells, twice, and the Angels' Hank Conger both hit fly balls that very likely could be homers in future seasons but ended up being flyouts.
Hisashi Iwakuma (9-5) made his bid for a spot in Seattle's 2013 plans by winning his third straight start to close the year. He allowed six hits and struck out seven, including Angels' slugger Albert Pujols three times, while pitching six scoreless innings. It was just the 12th time in Pujols career that he struck out three times in a game.
The only two pitchers to strike out Pujols three times in a single game are Iwakuma and Seattle ace Felix Hernandez, who did in less than a week ago in Anaheim.
The Angels left runners at second and third in the first inning, then saw Trout standing at third with no outs in the third and failed to get him home. Iwakuma struck out Howie Kendrick, Pujols and got a ground out from Kendrys Morales to escape the jam. The Angels finished 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base.
"We just couldn't get that hit early that would've helped Dan relax and make some pitches," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "On the defensive side, we cracked the door open for them too often. It was a tough night."
Notes: Kendrick had an RBI single in the ninth to score Andrew Romine and avoid the shutout. ... The last time Pujols had two, three-strikeout games in a season was 2008. ... Seattle CF Franklin Gutierrez did not play Tuesday and won't in the season finale Wednesday bothered by a sore groin. ... Iwakuma finished 8-4 with a 2.65 ERA after moving into the starting rotation in July.


text:
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Edward Snowden, NSA-leaker extraordinaire, is such a familiar face in world news that he's almost a household name. But for all the extensive NSA spying capabilities he revealed, US authorities were still not able to get his name right on extradition documents issued to Hong Kong, according to Rimsky Yuen, the city's justice secretary.
Seeking a provisional arrest warrant for Snowden, the US government submitted documents referring to Edward James Snowden, the Wall Street Journal reported. In another document it just used his middle initial. According to his passport, however, Snowden's middle name is actually Joseph.


text:
Empowering Excellence in Government through Great People.
We lead and serve the Federal Government in enterprise human resources management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted effective civilian workforce.
Find out more about Federal compensation throughout your career and around the world.
Staffing to align with your agency's mission
Review the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Handbook
Answering your questions about Healthcare and Insurance
Manage your retirement online.
"...The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall serve as the Suitability and Credentialing Agent..." ~Executive Order 13467, as amended
"...primary executive branch service provider for background investigations..." ~Executive Order 13467, as amended
OPM's Human Resources Solutions organization can help your agency answer this critically important question.
Developing senior leaders in the U.S. Government through Leadership for a Democratic Society, Custom Programs and Interagency Courses.
Visit this federal site to search for our regulatory notices, proposed and final rules.
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The content available is no longer being updated and as a result you may encounter hyperlinks which no longer function. You should also bear in mind that this content may contain text and references which are no longer applicable as a result of changes in law, regulation and/or administration.
Washington, D.C. - During her address at the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program's 33rd Annual Conference and Award Ceremony, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James thanked the participants for their dedication and hard work in implementing the President's Management Agenda.
"You accepted the President's challenge to improve the management and performance of our government and in a short time, you have made tremendous accomplishments," said James. "You are achieving the bottom-line results the President expects."
In her remarks, James delivered an impassioned challenge to the audience of senior financial managers, auditors, and analysts to continue their efforts to improve financial management and performance. She also discussed a major concern related to the management of the federal government.
"We must improve management and performance of the federal government for the taxpayers - it's their money," said James. "And with your help, we are. However, there is work to be done. We must solve the problem surrounding the federal government's hiring process - the issue of reducing the time it takes to hire excellent candidates."
OPM advocates an overhaul of the HR process - instituting major reforms in the area of hiring, including streamlined candidate assessments and even "on-the-spot" appointments. Recently, James issued a memo outlining the "top ten" ways to improve the hiring process.
Closing out her address, James said: "Each of you, in your own agency, has proven that we can do what many short-sighted people believe is impossible. You have accepted President Bush's challenge to simplify and unify, to take advantage of economies of scale, and to reduce redundancies."
OPM leads and serves the Federal Government in enterprise human resources management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted, effective civilian workforce. By Empowering Excellence in Government through Great People, we provide leadership and support to U.S. agencies on issues including human resources policy and oversight, background investigations, federal employee benefits, retirement services, guidance on labor-management relations, and programs to improve workforce performance. For more information, visit OPM.gov or follow OPM on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.


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This site has by far the best deals on Reds tickets I have found. I just picked up 3 tickets behind the opposing dugout (3rd row) for $25 each. They retail for almost 90 bucks each.
Basically you pick a game, and based on projected attendance (I'm guessing), they let you know how good of a deal you can get, and then you name your own price. You can keep lowering your offer as long as the site finds tickets at the price you enter.
I started off at $40, and got it down to $25.
I don't work for this site or anything, just thought some Redzoners might want to save some money this summer.


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Thursday, June 01, 2006
That's Like Our Mascot, eh
But it could be worse. Much worse if you went to college in Canada. Think we're kidding? Listen to these dandies from north of the border:
University of Ottawa Gee-Gees
Apparently they didn't want to get sued by the musical group but still wanted to suggest the disco era. And on their website, they call themselves "Canada's university." Hmm. Wonder if they should be referred to as THE Canadian University Gee-Gees.
St. Francis Xavier University X-Men and X-Women
Now this one we sort of like. Our team after all is the Michigan Wolverines. Hey, we could have just as easily been the Michigan Mystiques or U of M Emma Frosts.
Bishop's University Gaiters
No, not "Gators" as in Florida Gators. Gaiter. As in this definition: "A garment similar to leggings, worn to cover or protect the ankle and lower leg." Yes, fear the BU Fighting Leg Protectors.
Calgary Dinos
Actually, this wasn't the first choice. The school also considered naming itself the Calgary Frank Sinatras, the Calgary Peter Lawfords or the Calgary Sammy Davis Juniors. As a side note, the Calgary Joey Bishops was quickly ruled out due to potential confusion with their rivals, the Gaiters.
University of Toronto Varsity Blues
Other rejected nicknames: UT Summer Catches, UT Happy Gilmores and UT Remember the Titans.
Simon Fraser University Clan
Sure, Simon Fraser was Scottish but this could be the worst sounding name of them all. Yes, it's spelled with a "C" but if you just hear it? It ain't good. God forbid they're ever on ESPN and you just happen to flip on Chris Fowler talking about them on GameDay, "And up north, it got pretty ugly today as Grambling got taken out behind the woodshed by the Clan."
No, no picture for that last one.
Props to reader Ferenc for tip.
11 comments:
- Benny Friedman said...
What do you expect from a country that has a professional football league with TWO teams named Roughriders? OK, one was actually the Rough Riders, and that team is defunct, but it's clear they lack some creativity up there.
- June 01, 2006 9:49 AM
hokie = an emasculated turkey
- June 01, 2006 10:53 AM
It is a sad sad day when the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (calling internaitonal rescue!) and the, uh, Regina Rams pass for normal, but under these circumstances I understand that they do. To end this poorly written 'paragraph' with a rhyme; great post Yost.
- June 01, 2006 11:16 AM
- June 01, 2006 12:58 PM
A Hokie is a castrated turkey, probably the most pathetic mascot in America. A pathetic mascot for a pathetic school. I feel bad for anyone who attends that spartan, dreary, seemingly all male, shithole of a school.
- June 01, 2006 1:17 PM
I think we have some pretty cool and unique team names up here. Starting with my alma mater the McMaster Marauders. Although instead of the more obvious pirate or raider type mascot we inexpicably have an eagle. Our water polo team however uses McMaster Bators.
There is also the Windsor Lancers, Guelph Gryphons, Acadia Axemen, Concordia Stingers, Queen's Golden Gaels and RMC Paladins.
Remember before you mock your northern neighbours too much that Michigan plays in a conference with a poisonous nut, a Gene Hackman movie, a character on MASH, an a shotglass dropped into a beer.
- June 01, 2006 1:51 PM
- Yost said...
LOL, GB, EH! One question though -- when did Gene Hackman star in a movie called "Golden Gophers"?
- June 01, 2006 2:03 PM
- Go Blue, Eh! said...
Sorry Yost, I did forgot to include the rodent that Bill Murray was hunting in Caddyshack.
- June 01, 2006 2:23 PM
Dear Mr. go blue, eh,... Just for future reference, is there a rivalry between the Mcs? I mean, does a McGill - McMaster contest bring out "Muck Fichigan" type of comments? If so, I would really like to say something along the lines of, "Go Masturbating War Eagle, Go!" to you. If not, my apologies and have a good day, sir!
- June 01, 2006 2:35 PM
No real rivalry between McMaster (Mac for short) and McGill. McMaster is located in Hamilton, Ontario which is our version of Pittsburgh and competes in the Ontario University Athletics conference. McGill is in Montreal, Quebec which is our version of, well you guys don't have anything like Montreal or Quebec for that matter. They are in the Quebec Student Sport Federation. The two schools would generally meet only in tournaments or championships.
- June 01, 2006 3:38 PM
I'm sure someone can school me on the Stanford Trees - I mean Cardinal. Just one Cardinal? Is it in the tree? Are they catholic? What's the deal here.
- June 01, 2006 7:45 PM


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The 2002 graduate of Plymouth South High School returned to serve the last five years of an 11-year sentence for murdering an Iraqi man in one of the most significant criminal cases against U.S. troops from the Iraq war.
A Plymouth Marine returned to the brig Friday to serve the last five years of an 11-year sentence for murdering an Iraqi man in one of the most significant criminal cases against U.S. troops from the Iraq war.
Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III reported for custody at Camp Pendleton, said Lt. Col. Joseph Kloppel, a Marines spokesman.
Hutchins, a 2002 graduate of Plymouth South High School, was released eight months ago after a military court overturned his conviction for the death of a 52-year-old Iraqi man, ruling his 2007 trial was unfair because his lead defense lawyer quit shortly before it began.
The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces overruled that decision last month, saying the problem was not grave enough to throw out the conviction.
Hutchins' attorney, Babu Kaza, said he will argue for early release at a parole hearing March 16 in Washington. He said he hoped Hutchins would be allowed to stay at Camp Pendleton until then to be near his pregnant wife and young daughter.
"I will not reiterate now all of the reasons this case is a travesty," Kaza said in a statement. "Suffice to say, if this Marine had a fair trial in 2007 he would not have been convicted of murder or received any more than a time-served sentence."
Hutchins led an eight-man squad accused of kidnapping Hashim Ibrahim Awad from his home in April 2006, then marching him to a ditch and shooting him to death.
Others who were charged served less than 18 months in custody.


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A Definitive Style Ranking of Coen Brothers Movies
- Kempt Staff
American cinephiles rejoice: this weekend the Coen brothers grace us with their 16th feature-length film, Inside Llewyn Davis.
And by all accounts, it promises to be another Coen-riffic masterpiece to add to their already iconic oeuvre—one that gets re-dissected every time a new film pops up. But here's one thing critics have managed to overlook: the on-screen style. It varies as much as the genres they've tackled and warrants as serious consideration as any other facet of their distinctive storytelling. Naturally, we're correcting that oversight with:
A definitive style ranking of Coen brothers movies.»


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UT disciplined Applewhite in 2009 for 'inappropriate behavior'
Updated 2:47 pm, Saturday, February 2, 2013
AUSTIN - Texas offensive coordinator Major Applewhite was disciplined four years ago for what athletic director DeLoss Dodds called "inappropriate, consensual behavior with an adult student," the school revealed Friday.
UT's board of regents will discuss the matter in a specially called Sunday meeting that will include consultation with attorneys. A school official declined to comment as to whether Applewhite's job is in jeopardy.
In separate statements released Friday night, Dodds and Applewhite called the incident a one-time occurrence. Dodds said it happened during activities related to the 2009 Fiesta Bowl, when Applewhite was UT's assistant head coach and running backs coach.
Dodds said he learned of the incident later that month and that Applewhite admitted his "inappropriate conduct." Applewhite "fully accepted his discipline, including counseling," Dodds said.
"Several years ago, I made a regretful decision resulting in behavior that was totally inappropriate," Applewhite said in his statement. "It was a one-time occurrence and was a personal matter. Shortly after it occurred, I discussed the situation with DeLoss Dodds. I was upfront and took full responsibility for my actions. This is and was resolved four years ago with the university."
Last month, UT women's track and field coach Bev Kearney announced she was resigning after the school investigated her for what she called a consensual relationship with an adult student-athlete that took place in 2002.
Derek Howard, Kearney's attorney, told CNN that he and Kearney were considering filing a gender and race bias lawsuit. Howard suggested male coaches and professors at Texas had not been punished for similar relationships and said he planned to file an open-records request.
In March 2011, UT fired Cleve Bryant, a former associate athletic director for football operations, after he was investigated for sexually harassing a female administrative assistant.
As part of its release of information Friday night, UT disclosed a letter of reprimand from Dodds to Applewhite dated Feb. 5, 2009.


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"The thing about life is it's not about things". We all know this of course. That's the thing about these 10 Happiness Principles. Because they are truths we can feel they are right on some deep level. But again we can get so caught up in the busyness of life that we can just get swept away in a tsunami of doing and buying.
Over the Christmas break I was sorting out hundreds of photos from 2002 to 2003 when I had a grown-up OE and travelled the world for a year. I am getting the pix digitised for easier storage and the fact that I may actually look at them if they are on my Mac and not in a dusty box in the garage. It was so hard to choose the best 400. Why? Because I DID so many things that year... here's me riding an elephant through a river; here I am on a jewellery design course; oh, here I am teaching yoga to some local kids on the beach.
And that's all in the same day! So many memorable experiences crammed into each day because that was the point of the trip.
And real life? Well real life is a trip too, if we deliberately make it one. This year I have resolved to do more things where I would take photos. Taking a photo means there is something new or connected or special or fun happening, even if it's just cooking a new recipe for dinner. "Can I take a photo of this?" is a good reminder and an easy way to build a treasure chest of shared experiences, joy and learning. It's a good way to open your brain to think about how you can put more fun into everyday life, introduce something novel or different. It was interesting to me as I reflected that this was the year in my life that I owned the least amount of stuff. All I had what was in the rucksack on my back - 16kg of essentials and that was it. Because I couldn't carry any more, all the things I focused on were not physical things to buy, they were things to do, learn and be.
They were feelings, sensations, sights, knowledge, laughter and connection.
Below are some questions for you to work through that will help you to live more deliberately in 2013, take more pictures and build a treasure chest of memories in a year to remember. The more of this we have the less stuff we need.
Three things I enjoyed doing as a child:
(great inspiration for things for the following categories)
Things I want to learn this year:
(Water skiing? Crochet? Italian?)
Things I want to be:
(eg. I want to be a marathon runner, or I want to be a calm person who meditates)
Three words I want to characterise 2013:
(eg. Mine are Adventure. Abundance and Authencity. Pick three. Matchy, matchy first letters are optional)
Things I want to do:
(have more sex, make new friends, get a new job?)
Places I want to go:
(One of NZ's Great Walks, every beach in Auckland, The Rio carnival?)
Things I want to share:
(what are your unique gifts and aptitudes? How can you use these to help or train others? How can you share and bring joy to others?)
My most important people to spend time with in 2013:
(good to know so there is no taking for granted!)
Something big I have never done before that I am going to be brave and try in 2013:
(Go on, challenge yourself. 2013 is the year I finally...)
Choosing to make 2013 about living deliberately is a great intention. Making intentional decisions will allow you to create a treasure trove of memories and experiences you and your loved ones will look back on forever.
Go weave the fabric of a year rich in experience.
If you want more on this download my free 5000-word e-book How to be a Time Ninja on www.positivebalance.co.nz which will give you a super-helpful workbook to create your most focused and intentional year in 2013.
Louise Thompson is a life coach, yoga teacher and corporate escapee. For more from Louise visit www.positivebalance.co.nz.


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WILMINGTON — The reaction from the Bruins one day after learning that Jarome Iginla had rejected them in favor of a new home in Pittsburgh? A collective shrug.
There was no anger. There was no desire for revenge. There were no outsized reactions. There was, instead, a sense of equanimity about the situation. Iginla had the choice, and he made it.
"It's his one chance to really make a decision for what's best for him in his eyes," Andrew Ference said. "How can you fault somebody for doing what they want to do in a situation where they have that kind of control?
"That's part of his contract and part of his deal that he gets that option. So, of course he's going to make a decision for himself."
And that was what Iginla did, spurning the Bruins for the Penguins after his old team, the Calgary Flames, had told Boston a trade was was done. It could have meant disappointment in the Bruins' locker room. But there was none of that.
"It's his choice," Patrice Bergeron said. "That was in his contract. What can you do? We have no control over it, so I don't really stop and worry about it."
Nor were the Bruins worried about their April 19 date with the Penguins at TD Garden. As Bergeron said, "They're a great team, so it's always been motivating to play Pittsburgh. I don't think it should change anything."
For Matt Bartkowski, though, the situation was far more personal. He had been scratched Wednesday night against Montreal, had heard that he was included in the deal — with Alexander Khokhlachev and a first-round pick — and should start packing his bags for Calgary.
And then, nothing.
Bartkowski, who had been signed to a one-year, one-way contract extension for $650,000 on Wednesday in order to trade him, said he at least was happy that he didn't get caught up in the Twitter storm created by the deal or no deal. (Bartkowski isn't on Twitter.)
"I really can't control it, so I don't really try to worry about it or watch rumors," Bartkowski said. "It was pretty hard the other night not to be aware of it."
He was told the deal was off by Torey Krug, the defenseman the Bruins recalled from Providence to replace Bartkowski after he had to be scratched. The news was a relief.
"I wouldn't have signed that deal here if I didn't want to be here and didn't like it here," said Bartkowski, who could still be traded before Wednesday's deadline. "So, I was pretty happy when I heard it didn't go through."
General manager Peter Chiarelli spoke with Bartkowski on Friday, emphasizing that it was the Flames who wanted him, rather than the Bruins wanting to get rid of him.
Boston wanted to add Iginla. But it didn't happen.
"That was his entitlement," coach Bruins Claude Julien said. "He's got a no-trade clause. When you look at what Pittsburgh's done, you've got to respect the guy's decision. It was his decision to make and he made that.
"It'll be at the end of the year that he'll see whether he made the right decision or not, but certainly there's no animosity here."
Now the Bruins have to wait to see if Chiarelli can come up with another trade, one that could help fix the cracks that have emerged of late.
"You can do fantasy hockey all you want," Ference said. "You can do that with any guy around the league. We'd love to have [Tampa Bay's Steven] Stamkos, he'd probably help our power play. But until something happens, until somebody's putting on your sweater, I don't think there's too many guys that get that wrapped up in it."
The Bruins know that Iginla would have made them better, but they also know that he wouldn't have solved everything. So there are no "sore feelings," as Ference said. There's also an understanding that they need to improve themselves and not wait for outside help.
As Julien said, "One guy is not going to be a savior.
"No matter who we get, we're not going to sit back and watch this guy go. We've still got to do the job . . . It's just about finding our game again, getting that confidence that we had earlier on, and it's going to come back."Amalie Benjamin can be reached at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @amaliebenjamin.


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San Bernardino High School junior track and field athlete Jermaine Musgrove remained in the intensive care unit at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton Friday, where he has remained since collapsing during the San Andreas League track and field meet Wednesday evening.
Musgrove was running the third leg of the 4×400 relay at Colton High School, the last event of the meet, at around 7 p.m. when he collapsed. Witnesses at the scene said he was attended to on site and taken by ambulance to the medical center, where he remains in critical condition according to San Bernardino Unified School District spokeswoman Linda Bardere.
"We know that he was taken to the intensive care unit right away after collasping during the event," Bardere said. "It all happened pretty quickly He was running the race and all of a sudden he collapsed."
Musgrove, who had been cleared in a preseason physical examination for athletics according to Bardere, was a replacement in the relay for another San Bernardino athlete who was injured prior to the event. His status was still critical as of 1 p.m. Friday according to a spokesperson at the medical center and Bardere, with updates being provided by the district office through Musgrove's parents and San Bernardino High School principal Sandra Rodriguez.
The district is also addressing rumors that have spread on campus due to the high-profile nature of the event.
"With the high attendance of the event, a lot of students and parents saw it occur and rumors have spread because of it," Bardere said. "We are working with principal Rodriguez to address that and prevent any inaccurate information from spreading."
The San Bernardino High School community has rallied around Musgrove, as crisis teams have been on campus helping students cope with the incident while the Cardinals track and field team and various other San Bernardino students have visited Musgrove at the hospital and have given the Musgrove family its support.
"It's an image I'll never forget," San Bernardino track and field coach John Hinkleman said. "There were 30 or 40 kids that stopped by the hospital (Thursday) to give their wishes and kids are making posters and cards and pouring their hearts out for Jermaine and his family."
The Cardinals track team postponed its team picture, set for Thursday, as well, waiting to see how Musgrove's situation plays out before rescheduling.


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I'm looking to hire an HTML5 programmer to code a game to be played online. The kernel of the game involves drag/drop of objects in a grid, similar to jigsaw puzzle/chess/checkers/matchstick puzzle/tangram, with additional functions like entering players' names, a scoreboard, calling up new puzzles, etc.
The game already exists as a standalone PC program, written in Visual Basic in 1995, and it is quite simple, so playing a couple of the puzzles will effectively explain the whole thing to a prospective programmer. It's straightforward in concept, though not being a programmer I have no idea of what complexities might be involved in coding it. I want to entirely re-create it in HTML5, which I'm told is the way to go since that way it can reach the widest internet audience, rather than as an app for each of the various OS's.
I live in NYC and if possible (and reasonable!) I'd like to work with someone I can meet and talk with personally.
I have created the graphics myself. Once the game has been coded, the next step will be integrating my graphics into a web page.
Alas, I have no way of knowing how many hours the project will take, so I'm reluctant to make a projection, but the simplicity of the whole thing makes me think well less than the 30 hours it took in VB, and then we were inventing things as we went along, a tedious process; now the game procedures only need to be replicated from the existing program, not invented anew.
best of luck _
we are interested on your project. please share the requirement to firstname.lastname@example.com


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The Effect of the Graphic Organizer Strategy on University Students' English Vocabulary Building
This study aimed at investigating the effect of the graphic organizer strategy on vocabulary building and vocabulary incremental growth of Jordanian university EFL students. One hundred and two students participated in the study which lasted for one academic semester of four months. Each student enrolled in one of two intact and equally-sized classes of a general English Language course. One of the classes was assigned to an experimental group, whose students were taught eight specific features of vocabulary items using the GO strategy. The eight features were the word's spelling, pronunciation, part of speech, meaning in the first language, meaning in the foreign language, synonym, antonym and using it in an example sentence. The other class was assigned to a control group, whose students were taught the same vocabulary items using traditional instruction. A pre-test and a post-test were administered to all students whose responses were analyzed using adjusted means, standard errors and an ANCOVA. Results revealed that the experimental group students outperformed those students in the control group concerning their vocabulary building. To decide whether the GO strategy had an incremental growth in students' vocabulary building, students of both groups sat for three separate evaluative tests. Students' responses were analyzed using Microsoft Excel sheets and results showed that this strategy significantly improved students' vocabulary growth over time.
Full Text:PDF
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n12p62
Copyright (c) 2012 Arwa N. Al-Hinnawi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
English Language Teaching ISSN 1916-4742 (Print) ISSN 1916-4750 (Online)
Copyright © Canadian Center of Science and Education
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SOAP ROLES: Mary Ryan Fenelli, RYAN'S HOPE (1975-1977, 1983, 1986, 1989); Garnet McGee, DALLAS (1978)
2001 Saturn Award nomination for Best Genre TV Actress
2000 Saturn Award nomination for Best Genre TV Actress
1999 Saturn Award nomination for Best Genre TV Actress
1998 Saturn Award win for Best Genre TV Actress
1998 Golden Satellite Award win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
1980 Golden Globe nomination for Best TV Actress - Drama
NOTE: Mulgrew's awards and nomination all came after her original RYAN'S HOPE run.
Claire Labine: (wrote for Mulgrew on RH) I think Mary Ryan, especially as played by Kate Mulgrew in the early years, was sort of the gal I liked to be, and the woman that Paul would like to hang out with. Kate could have been Helen's daughter, they had the same sort of style. I wish Kate could have stayed. I said to her, "You have to go, you have to see what else is out there." But it was a blow.
Roger Newcomb: I first noticed Kate Mulgrew's Mary on her return visits to RYAN'S HOPE in the '80s. I consider the best thing ever about SOAPnet is the fact that it allowed many other fans, including myself, to see her original run on the show and the love story of Mary and Jack. What a breath of fresh air and immense talent. Her leaving created a hole in the show from which it never fully recovered.
Daniel Hugh Kelly: (former RH star) I never worked with Kate on RYAN'S but did appear at a benefit with her years later at Seton Hill College. I was extremely nervous to be on the same stage with her such is her blinding talent. Her voice, her demeanor, her intelligence, her raw talent combined with her natural beauty is simply overwhelming. I would love to do a show with her sometime.


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The graph charting the international career of Mitchell Johnson has at last found its scheduled trajectory. No longer is it a series of Everest-like peaks soaring spectacularly from within dark valleys before immediately plunging deep into the abyss.
Now, remarkably, the graph soars steeply upward with the power and certainty of a NASA rocket destined for major discovery.
A bowler taking 50 Test matches to sort himself out is surely without precedent; one of modern cricket's mysteries.
But all these years after Dennis Lillee described Johnson's potential as ''once in a generation'', the tearaway from Townsville has finally emerged as the most powerful force in international cricket.
Lovers and doubters of the left-armed slinger will have watched with equal fascination on Thursday night to see whether the delicate magic of the Australian summer had survived the trans-continental journey.
The answer took less than an over to emerge: two balls of it enough for Graeme Smith. The South African captain was first shaken then interred.
From 19 deliveries Johnson took three wickets and had the home team in desperate retreat.
''Bull-dot-dot-dot'' was how Smith had described Australia's brash confidence in the days leading up to the series.
It's now safe to assume any dots on the pitch at Centurion are the work of South Africa's batsmen, not of a stray bull. The only one of those in sight is the black-haired Australian variety in the South African china shop.
In his previous extended incarnation, Johnson visited the extremities of unpredictability and unfulfilled expectation. Now he is touching greatness. And while it's dangerous to use such a word in relation to one for so long so inconsistent, his past three months put him in illustrious company.
The time for comparison between Johnson's recent heroics and the 40-plus wicket series of Rodney Hogg and Terry Alderman is now.
The current Test against South Africa at Centurion Park is the sixth of Johnson's summer, the same number Hogg and Alderman played in their high-tide Ashes contests of 1979 (Hogg), and 1981 and '89 (Alderman).
Alderman took 42 English wickets in 1981 and, eight years later, another 41. Hogg, in his stormy summer of 1978-79, also took 41 wickets.
Johnson's running tally is 44 (at 13.30 runs per wicket) since the Ashes series started in late November, with an innings to come in his sixth Test.
While Clarrie Grimmett's 46 wickets in a five-match series remains statistically out of reach, Johnson's 2013-14 - against what had been regarded as the two best teams in the world - arguably represents the greatest season of bowling in this country's history.
That, though, is the easy part of the analysis. The bamboozling aspect is the matter of where it has come from. Or, more pertinently, what was holding it back.
Australian cricket history contains many stories that unfolded in the reverse order: players who arrived meteorically and didn't last.
Bob Massie took 16 wickets in his first Test and only 15 more in his career.
Jack Iverson made his debut at 35, took 21 English wickets, and didn't play another Test. Hogg, himself, claimed five wickets in an innings five times in his first three Tests and did it just once more in 35 matches.
Lillee's excited description of Mitchell Johnson all those years ago was indicative of an extreme, albeit raw, talent. Johnson was 17. And it has taken him almost that many years again, and 50 Test matches, for the secrets to be unlocked.
Many have packed their kit bags for the last time and thrown away the key by then.
Having been possessed of Lillee as a mentor, one can hardly question the guidance Johnson has received. So why has it taken until now for him to find a method and mindset that will withstand the rigours of the elite game?
Perhaps the answer lies as much with the personality as with the physical performer and his unique mechanics.
The elusiveness of confidence is a mystery for all sportspeople, but some suffer more severely when the well runs dry. They want to not worry, but it is easier said than done.
Clearly, Johnson is an athlete whose confidence is fragile. One suspects he needs to feel everything is right and that he's strongly supported by those around him.
Perhaps there is a voice, whether internal or external, he has come to trust and observe to the exclusion of those that had confused him.
Perhaps, too, he has had to regain the trust of his captain who, like a nation of cricket lovers, may have found his faith shaken.
Perhaps the responsibility of parenthood has helped. It's a great way of making everything else seem that little bit less important, and thus enabling a more instinctive response to what had seemed complex problems.
And perhaps Johnson has found a way of synthesising his own personality with what is generally expected of an express bowler.
They are, after all, irritable, angry types and that doesn't immediately appear to be his way.
That part he, at times, seems to contrive. The rest, though, is very real, as the batsmen of England and South Africa will attest. And there is no bull-dot-dot-dot about it.
Tim Lane is a columnist for the Sunday Age.
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text: I just bought one of Millers new Elite Auto darkening helmets. I have a 180 mig that I use in the shop for repairs. I have read the instructions several times and still don't understand X-Mode. I read on another forum where a guy always set his helmet on X-mode when welding?????


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Tottenham Hotspur have joined Liverpool in the race to sign PSV star Dries Mertens, according to Italian source calciomercato.com.
The Belgian international has been in great form so far this season, bagging four goals and an assist in his last two games.
The 25-year-old emerged as a January transfer target for Liverpool, but it now seems Andre Villas-Boas is ready to rival Brendan Rodgers for the signature of the highly-rated winger.
Mertens can operate on either flank, and having joined PSV in June 2011, has gone to score 25 goals in just 38 appearances.
According to thisislondon.co.uk, Andre Villas-Boas wants another wide-player to challenge Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale for starting spots, and the Spurs boss is also reportedly considering Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha and Shakhtar Donestk playmaker Willian.
But reports suggest Mertens would be available for just €13m, making him an attractive target for both Liverpool and Spurs.
A move to Tottenham could be facilitated by fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen. The defender moved to White Hart Lane from Eredivisie side Ajax in the summer, and recently declared how happy he is with life at Tottenham.
But Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is still thought to be keen on the wide-player, who would offer competition for Raheem Sterling and Fabio Borini. England international Stewart Downing looks to have fallen out of favour at Anfield, so an opportunity could open up for Liverpool to sign another winger in Janaury.
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LEMONT – Organizers of the Family Fun Fest in Lemont said the event was moderately successful, though a storm cut the last day short.
The event, held June 21 to 23 on the grounds of Lemont Township, 16300 Alba St., was a new fundraising effort for the annual Keepataw Days festival and parade, which is held Labor Day weekend.
Keepataw Days Vice President Wendy Peebles said she will not know how much money they made from the weekend until they get the bill from the Lemont Police Department for security services. But by her estimate, she thought they "did OK."
"We didn't lose any money," she said.
Peebles said some attendees expressed interest in joining the Keepataw Days committee.
The next fundraising step is a sponsorship letter drive, she said.
Keepataw Days President Mike Carey said he would have liked to see even more people at the event but that those who attended seemed to enjoy it.
"They liked the set up. They liked the location," he said.
Lemont Township Facilities Director Kathy Henrikson said the event was a success from the township's perspective because it drew awareness to the Community Center and township programs.
Henrikson said Sunday could have been the best-attended day, but approaching storms affected the turnout.
Carey said the biggest thing event organizers need to do if they want to repeat the event next year is to publicize the event better.
Henrikson agreed and said the festival may also have been hindered by other events going on during the weekend
"I think we can work together to do a better job to coordinate," Henrikson said, of avoiding competition with other events in the future.


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Course Catalog
INFS6740 - Network Security
Spring 2013
This course is designed for the student who needs to learn the basics of network firewall security. Topics covered include basic installation techniques, choosing firewall technology, and firewall troubleshooting. Emphasis is on firewall configuration strategies, packet filtering, working with proxy servers and application-level firewalls, and setting up a virtual private network.
Prerequisite: INFS6490
3 Credits
Schedule Book for All Active and Available Future Terms, Course starting with INFS6740
No Courses Found


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Submission + - Well-preserved strawberry-blond mammoth discovered in Siberia (foxnews.com) 1
Velcroman1 writes: A juvenile mammoth, nicknamed "Yuka," was found entombed in Siberian ice near the shores of the Arctic Ocean and shows signs of being cut open by ancient people. The remarkably well preserved frozen carcass was discovered in Siberia as part of a BBC/Discovery Channel-funded expedition and is believed to be at least 10,000 years old, if not older. If further study confirms the preliminary findings, it would be the first mammoth carcass revealing signs of human interaction in the region. The carcass is in such good shape that much of its flesh is still intact, retaining its pink color. The blonde-red hue of Yuka's woolly coat also remains.


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The following Kissasian will always be the first to have the episode so please Bookmark and add us on Facebook for update!!! Please Like and Share Video Enjoy.
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Rep. Greg Walden recently told press-representatives that if re-elected in November he intends to seek the chairmanship of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
According to Andrew Malcolm, Walden's press secretary, "Rep. Walden enjoys what he is doing for the people in the 2nd District. He also believes that being involved in an elected leadership position will make him more effective."
The NRCC is a political committee that provides leadership for the Republican Party at the national level. The organization supports the election of Republicans to the House through direct financial contributions to candidates and Republican Party organizations; technical and research assistance to Republican candidates and Party organizations; voter registration, education and turnout programs; and other Party-building activities.
"He'd rather be on the court calling the shots than on the bench," said Malcolm, who noted that Walden does not have information on any potential competitors for the position. However, said Malcolm, "Rep. Walden never takes anything for granted. He will be asking for his colleagues' support after the elections."
"The essential mission of the NRCC is to retain the majority for the House," said Malcolm. "Rep. Walden would certainly rather be in the majority, but wants to work across the aisle to get things done."
When asked how the position would affect Walden's ability to maintain his current activities within the district, Malcolm said, "He would still keep all of his commitments. He never forgets the people of the 2nd District; serving them is his most important job."
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University News
Safe Space Training
March 18, 2013
MACOMB/MOLINE, IL -- Interested in becoming a Safe Space ally at Western Illinois University? WIU's LGBTQA Resource Center will offer Safe Space training to faculty, staff and administrators at both the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses later this month.
The two-hour interactive training is designed to increase faculty, staff, and administrators' understanding and awareness of issues facing the LGBTQA community. Safe Space training was created to promote inclusivity and foster a welcoming campus climate to individuals of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.
The training sessions will be held from 7-9 p.m. Monday, March 25 in the University Union Lincoln Room, and Wednesday, March 27 in the Union Sandburg Lounge; and from 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 29 in the Union Fox Room. The WIU-QC training information will be announced soon.
After completion of the LGBTQA Resource Center's Safe Space training, participants will be able to identify and define terminology related to the LGBTQA community; recognize and describe what being an ally means to them; name local, community and national resources and discuss their relation to them as Safe Space Allies; identify issues facing the LGBTQA community and outline strategies they believe will validate and support LGBTQA individuals in their learning environments; and analyze their own gender, sexuality, positionality, privilege, and oppression and reflect on how that impacts their practices.
Each participant that completes the program will receive a certificate of completion and a Safe Space ally sticker, which will serve as a visual representation of support to the needs of the LGBTQA community.
To participate in a training session, send your name, email, contact number and department name to email@example.com. Individuals who cannot attend a training session should email email@example.com. For more information or to request accommodations, contact the center by email or call (309) 298-4004.
Posted By: WIU News (email@example.com)
Office of University Relations


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ALBANY >> It was the best of times for charter schools. And it was the worst of times for charter schools.
For Shanay Lewis-Harry of the Bronx, one of the 11,000 who attended a pro-charter school rally at the Capitol last week, the Success Academy Charter School named Bronx 2 has been invaluable for her 10-year-old son, Tyriq. She said that when her now-fourth grade student was in public school, the students would be fighting more than learning. She found the same with her older child, too, who ended up dropping out of school before earning a GED.
"I find the curriculum better and the learning environment better," she said of Bronx 2.
Her son agreed: "I'm learning more and it's fun."
Holding his mom's hand, he added that he wants to be an actor one day.
They marched along State Street in Albany in support of their school expanding to include a middle school, so Tyriq can continue his education with the Bronx 2 programming. As they walked closer to the front steps of the Capitol, they could hear Gov. Andrew Cuomo's voice at the rally: "I am committed to ensuring charter schools have the financial capacity, the physical space, and the government support to thrive and to grow."
Offering a choice
Charter schools are taxpayer-funded public schools that are run by an independent, private organization. The first charter school in Albany was authorized for the 1999-2000 school year and the first one in Troy was established in 2001.
In New York, they can be approved by SUNY, the state Education Department's Board of Regents, or the New York City Department of Education. Charter schools start out with a five-year contract and must be reviewed and approved in the years following.
There are about a dozen now between Troy and Albany. With nearly 260 approved charter schools in the state, more than 120 are SUNY-sanctioned.
In Albany, about 19 percent of the city's youths attend a charter school. The state's capital has one of the highest percentages in the United States, said Ron Lesko, a spokesman for the Albany City School District.
According to Tulane University's Cowen Institute, 78 percent of children in New Orleans attended a charter school in 2011-2012. The first charter schools in the country were in Minnesota in the early 1990s, according to Wikipedia.
"We know we have a lot of work to do to improve as a district," said Lesko about Albany schools. "We are very clear on what our shortcomings are. If we had been successful in this work sooner, charter schools would not have had the public's support when they came about 15 years ago in the Capital District."
Just like district public schools, the success seen by charter schools has varied. Three have already closed in Albany. And one was recently recommended to close in Troy.
At the end of February, the SUNY Board of Trustees' charter schools committee held a meeting to discuss the recent recommendation by the state Charter Schools Institute to close the Ark Community school in Troy for failing to meet state standards.
At the meeting, Steve Axelrod, chairman of the local charter school's board, stated: "It seems pretty clear we are victims of a double standard and — unless the [SUNY] Trustees intervene — a renewal process that is patently unfair."
He went on to say that the Ark students have out-performed the nearby Troy City School District test results in four of the last five years. Ark has 203 students in kindergarten through grade six, with 19 teachers and 13 teaching assistants. Their principal and executive director, Mary Theresa Streck, takes pride in the school's small classes and one-on-one student attention.
"Charter schools offer parents a choice. The money that charter schools receive are monies that belong to the child not the school district. Ark Community Charter School focuses on the whole child and provides a rigorous academic program that holds our students to high academic standards," Streck said. "Our charter school is a small child-centered environment where there are approximately 20 students and two teachers in each classroom."
Ark received $2.7 million from the Troy Central School District for the current school year, Streck said.
Troy School Superintendent John Carmello, in an emailed statement, said: "The Troy City School District is a district on the rise and we represent the best choice for parents looking to enroll their children in schools that offer a challenging educational program designed to meet the demonstrated needs of students and prepare them for success. In addition, we are confident that we are on the precipice of continual improvement in our academic achievement."
The SUNY committee has tabled a decision on the Ark charter school matter and, as of March 7, it was unclear when a decision on the possible closure would be reached, according to a spokesman for the SUNY system.
Cherry picking students
At the recent rally on Lobby Day in Albany, parents, students, teachers and other supporters wore shirts that declared "Charter Schools are Public Schools."
But officials with the Albany Central School District see the situation a bit differently.
In a letter from the district opposing a proposed additional charter elementary school run by KIPP:Tech Valley, Albany School Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard said that the district has sent about $260 million in payments to charter schools for district children since 1999. She noted that the charter school transition aid has covered $30 million. Another KIPP charter school with 400 students would increase the financial "burden" by about $5.6 million annually, she said of the total $213 million annual district budget, of which $35 million yearly funds charter schools.
And, since the private charters are run differently than a school district, not all funding given to charter schools is public record, since some of it can go to private foundations.
"It's just murky. It's public money and taxpayers deserve to know," Lesko said.
He noted that the 19 percent of Albany students being educated at charter schools are using the equivalent of 45 percent of the district's total state aid.
During the 2012-2013 school year, 44 KIPP students returned to district schools. And, from July 1 to Nov. 30 of the current school year, 27 KIPP students returned to district schools, Wyngaard stated.
"We report student attrition each year publicly on the KIPP school annual report. It ranges from 6 percent to 23 percent depending on the year. Last year was our highest rate, as we came in at 23 percent," said KIPP CEO and Executive Director Dustin Mitchell, about the school on Northern Boulevard that was founded in Albany in 2004 with 288 students in grades five through eight. The school has 27 teachers.
None of the charter schools contacted for this story said they had unionized teachers.
KIPP, Mitchell said, is in session from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with up to 10 Saturday sessions each year for enrichment activities. School is in session about 200 days per year compared to the normal 180. Their budget was $4.3 million for last year's enrollment of 301 students.
"The charter schools cherry pick students they want to keep," Lesko said.
He referred to KIPP having a student population including 3.5 percent with disabilities. Albany public schools, meanwhile, has 13 percent of their students enrolled as having disabilities and the district serves another 239 disabled students in out-of-district placements. There are 8,900 total students in Albany public schools.
Along with this, Lesko pointed out that the addresses of about 100 students' each billing period are contended as possibly inaccurate, which means the district is potentially paying for a student not residing in Albany.
A similar issue was faced in Troy when then-interim superintendent Dr. Brian Howard authorized an investigation into the addresses submitted for Troy charter students. At that time, in 2012, multiple inaccuracies were found by Troy school officials and the district, for a time, refused to pay Troy Prep.
In the 2013-2014 Troy school budget, charter schools were paid $12 million in funds from the district, representing 12.75 percent of the district's total budget, Carmello said.
"We are continuing our efforts to ensure that the students that we are paying district money for are in fact Troy residents," Carmello said. "We are enforcing our registration policies and procedures across the board."
But Troy Prep officials say everything has now been cleared by the state comptroller's office.
"We received a totally 'clean' audit from the (comptroller's office) on the issue of student enrollment and billing, which was further confirmation for us that our practices align not only with state policy but best practice about confirming student residency and appropriately billing districts," said Anna Hall, the chief operating officer with Uncommon Schools, which operates the local school that expanded to a new South Troy location in 2011. "We are committed in this regard, as in all others, to be partners with local districts to ensure that all students receive the best possible education, while also safeguarding our parents' right to choose where their child goes to school."
Albany schools contribute $14,072 per pupil toward charter school operations. Troy schools contribute $15,986 per pupil, officials said.
At Troy Prep, which was founded in 2009 at a downtown location, there are currently 385 students. An estimated 440 students will be enrolled next school year, said Hall. The school offers grades five through eight, and kindergarden through grade two: The elementary school just opened in 2011 and an additional grade is added each year.
Hall was at the recent rally and said a main issue facing charter schools is their current inability to house and manage universal pre-kindergarten programs.
But factors that set Troy Prep, along with other charter schools, apart from district schools include a longer school day, the student uniforms, lack of a nap time in elementary school, strict three-minute transitions between classes in the middle school, a culture of data-driven instruction and internal interim assessments, Hall listed.
Troy Prep, with a $6.5 million annual budget, has 50 staff members and next school year there will be about 60, she said.
About 92 percent of Troy Prep students are free- and reduced-lunch eligible, 12 percent are in special education courses and 2 percent are English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. In Troy district schools, 65 percent are free- and reduced-lunch eligible, and 2 percent are ESL learners, according to state Education Department figures.
With Troy Prep's expansion in recent years, a charter high school could make sense.
"As of right now, we don't have definite plans to open a high school in Troy," Hall said. "But we are continuing to explore options for a high school as well as growth in the region."
She added: "Urban education is hard, no matter what 'kind' of a school you are or where you do it. There are some things we do differently, and we believe in the power for parents to choose where their child goes to school."
A godsend
Just like Tyriq and his mother at the rally, Lisa Sweet of Troy could not say enough positive things about her granddaughter's new school for the past four months — Ark Community Charter School.
"It was a godsend for my granddaughter," said Sweet. "It is so much different than public school and much more about each student and their own individual needs."
Her granddaughter, a 7-year-old first grader, loves her new school, Sweet said.
"What a great administration and staff. The entire program has been a life-changing event for her and us. Ark is doing great things with these kids and teaching some good moral guidelines and social skills along the way," she said.
On a recent visit to the Ark school, located on River Street in Troy, students were completing a teacher assessment. Some were working in classrooms, and others, who needed more attention, were in smaller sessions in spaces around the two story school.
KIPP and Troy Prep officials listed similar qualities for their school. And, they noted, learning is going on with special attention to new Common Core standards.
"KIPP: Tech Valley supports the increased expectations of the Common Core," Mitchell said. "And has worked this year to revise our internal assessments to mirror the format and structure of the New York State Testing Program. Additionally, we have partnered with other schools through the state dissemination grant to discuss the 12 key shifts and to share best practices in ELA and mathematics."
Several revisions were made in the KIPP curriculum, he said, including increased Lexile levels on all reading passages and materials to equal the Lexile bandwidth released by the state Education Department, and more research-based writing, as well as additional text-dependent questioning and the prioritization of informational reading.
"We have done a lot to revisit and realign our scopes and sequences, have done a lot of professional development for teachers around rigor, questioning, close reading, and cognitively driven instruction," Hall said. "We have also revised all of our internal interim assessments, which we use to gauge student progress during the year."
She said this is common with Uncommon Schools, which has charters in Boston, New York City, Rochester, Newark and Troy.
But district schools are also changing with the Common Core times.
"All teachers have had comprehensive professional development in teaching to the more rigorous Common Core state standards," Carmello said. "And our district ELA and Math curricula are fully aligned to those standards. We have a newly-renovated Troy Middle School and the recent passage by the voters of a technology bond for upgrades in every school in the district. This means that every classroom in the district will be equipped with the latest technologies including interactive Smartboards, projectors, document cameras, video-conferencing ability and wireless internet. These technologies will essentially transform our teaching and learning to include worldwide access for our students leading to 21st century learning that prepares our students to be college and career ready."
This experiment
To say that the topic of charter schools in the field of education is controversial would be an understatement. There are passionate advocates for both sides.
Dina Williams, a former employee at Ark, observed: "I worked there, and at the after-school program the founders ran for a number of years. Personally, I think the Ark is a great school with an innovative curriculum. It would be a shame if it closed."
But area school districts, like Troy and Albany, continue to cope with the impact of charter schools on their budgets and programs.
"There are absolutely no benefits," said Lesko, about the charter schools. "We don't begrudge the parents or families in any way. Having a choice for them is valuable. Our contention has nothing to do with the students or families. It has to do with the larger organizations that have brought charter schools to the Albany community."
He said that, before the first charter school in Albany, there were 17 publicly-funded schools serving 10,500 Albany students. Now, there are 25 publicly-funded schools serving the same population.
The goal of many charter schools, not just in the Capital District, is to instill a love of education and a dedication to graduate to eventually move on to higher education, charter advocates emphasized.
"Ultimately, and most importantly, we commit to our families that we are working to ensure that their children will not only go to, but will graduate from college," said Hall.
But, as it stands now, Lesko contends, the financial formula is not working for charter schools and some district schools to co-exist — especially considering the possibly imminent fiscal insolvency of many school districts.
"Until the state of New York finds a different way to fund this experiment, there will not be anything resembling a truce between charter schools and our district in Albany," Lesko said. "This is devastating our district. This is becoming a contentious environment in which only the children will lose."
Danielle Sanzone may be reached at 270-1292.


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Skip to comments.Guantanamo Britons 'Chained To The Floor And Beaten'
Posted on 03/12/2004 5:51:51 PM PST by blam
Guantanamo Britons were 'chained to the floor and beaten'
By Sandra Laville and Nick Britten
(Filed: 13/03/2004)
Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, was last night forced to address allegations that the American military subjected British prisoners to psychological torture and beatings during their two years of detention at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Al- Qa'eda and Taliban suspects on their knees at the American base
Speaking for the first time since his release this week, Jamal Udeen, 37, from Manchester, outlined a brutal regime of oppression including being chained to the floor during 12-hour interrogations and having an unknown drug administered by injection.
In a separate statement, Tarek Dergoul, 26, from east London, said he had been interrogated at gunpoint, beaten and subjected to "botched medical treatment" thought to involve amputation.
The men were seized in Afghanistan in late 2001 and transferred to Cuba in hoods, blindfolds and chains that shackled them to the floor of the aircraft. Challenged about the allegations that they were beaten in the camp, Mr Powell said: "I think that unlikely . . . we don't abuse people in our care. Now it is not a resort . . . in Guantanamo Bay, but at the same time we did not abuse the individuals."
He said there were visits from the International Red Cross and the charges levied at America were not warranted.
Lt Cdr Barbara Burfeind, for the Pentagon, said all the interrogation tactics used at Guantanamo were within the standards of international law.
The allegations surfaced after a week in which the men had been released from Guantanamo, flown home, questioned by anti-terrorist police in Britain and finally reunited with their families.
Dergoul described his treatment at Guantanamo Bay as "horrific". Louise Christian, his solicitor, said the process of talking about his experiences was proving painful and difficult.
"Tarek Dergoul has started to try to give his family . . . an account of the horrific things that happened to him during detention at Bagram, Kandahar and Guantanamo Bay," she said.
"This has included an account of botched medical treatment, interrogation at gunpoint, beatings and inhuman conditions.
"Tarek finds it very difficult to talk about things and his family believe his mental health has been severely affected by the trauma."
In interviews with ITV's Tonight with Trevor McDonald and The Daily Mirror, Udeen claimed prostitutes were taken to the camp and used to degrade and insult the detainees' religious beliefs.
He alleged that men who were known to be devout or were younger and unmarried were taken from their cells to a separate unit and forced to watch the women strip.
"I knew of these practices happening about 10 times," said Udeen, from Manchester. "It seemed to be those who were very young or known to be particularly religious who would be taken away. The Americans obviously knew we wouldn't be shocked by seeing Western women, so they didn't bother.
"It was a profoundly disturbing experience for these men. They would refuse to speak about what had happened."
He also described a unit in the camp known as Extreme Reaction Force - ERF - and claimed they beat him with batons, fists and feet, shouting, "Comply, comply, comply" when he refused to have an injection of an unknown drug.
He said he was then moved to the isolation cell where bright lights were kept on throughout the night to stop him sleeping.
The father of three was discovered in a Taliban prison in Kandahar after the militia retreated from the southern Afghan city following the American bombing campaign in late 2001. He said he had been travelling in Pakistan and was in Quetta when he realised war was imminent.
Heading for Europe, he hired a local driver to take him through Iran to Turkey, not realising that the route involved crossing the border into Afghanistan.
On the Kandahar road the lorry was stopped by Taliban soldiers and he was thrown into prison in the southern city and held for three months.
When the Americans arrived in the city he was moved to an airbase, interrogated and from there transferred to Guantanamo Bay in chains.
He told the programme he was chained to the floor during 40 interrogations by the CIA, FBI and MI5 that lasted up to 12 hours a time and involved them repeatedly demanding he admit to being a terrorist.
Martin Bashir challenged him: "Have you ever had any connection with a terrorist organisation?"
"No, I think I've been asked that question for two years. The answer's still no," he replied
"Are you a terrorist yourself?" Mr Bashir said.
"Obviously not," he replied. "Or else I'd be arrested, I'd still be in Cuba or the Brits would have arrested me."
Asked if he wanted revenge, Mr Udeen said no. What he wanted was for America to acknowledge the treatment was wrong and apologise, he said. "I'd like them to be in court and admit it."
Don't hold your breathe, dad
I only wish...
Muslims minds are never far away from the subject of sex, like the founder of the cult, the pedophile, murderer, and rapist Mo-Ham-Ed.
They obviously didn't amputate enough.
. I had a number working for me over the years, and you've got it right. That's why the women have to wear burkhas.
They can lie to further the cause of death cult called Islam.
I only wish they were.
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Blizzard now offers a statement on the news that they had a video taken down for the World of StarCraft modification. "It was never our intention to stop development on the mod or discourage the community from expressing their creativity through the StarCraft II editor," Blizzard said in a statement found on Gamasutra. "As always, we actively encourage development of custom maps and mods for StarCraft II, as we've done with our strategy games in the past." Blizzard also expresses interest in seeing how the mod turns out, and say they have invited the author (who is apparently being courted by Riot Games) to their campus to meet the development team.
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