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I thought you DID pay a tax when you used a land line phone? For each and every call you make a small portion goes to state and federal tax coffers.
In the US -- and the article is about US taxes -- most landlines are billed a flat monthly fee for local service. Taxes are charged on this service, but in proportion to the total bill, not the number or duration of local calls made. Taxes on your local service would be the same if you made 0 or several thousand minutes of local calls. If you called a cab long distance, you would pay per minute for the call and be taxed on its cost, but that's not likely.
Fine: Define email
its like saying everytime you call a cab over a landline phone you have to pay a tax, uh no
I don't follow your logic. Everytime you call a cab over a landline phone you have to pay a tax. Uh, yes! Telephone service is taxed. Doesn't matter you're calling a cab.
I think a better analogy is to say, everytime you make a purchase over the phone you owe the same taxes as if you has made that purchase in person (plus whatever phone taxes). (If the seller is in a different state, perhaps they aren't automat
It's definitely not a truck you can just dump stuff on, either.They still don't get it, the Internet is not this easily defined thing that you can wrap thier minds around
Well, they could conceivably not pay the tax. Of course then they stand to get the Al Capone treatment from the Treasury Department and the IRS for tax evasion. I'll admit, it's the only real upside I could find to this idea.
I will use my EZ Pass so I don't have to stop when driving through the internets
If they start taxing Email I will just start using Gmail!
One step at a time, dude. First switch to Fmail, then Gmail.
Feingold was the only Senator to vote against it; Paul was one of 3 Republican Congressmen (66 from all parties) to vote against it.I thought Russ Feingold was the only congressman to vote against the Patriot Act.
[...]Just how do they expect to enforce their levy of taxes?
Trying to tax the internet is somewhat like trying to tax other forms of communication. The best they'll be able to do is tax the businesses that provide a service to connect to the internet (telcos and ISPs).[...]
I would suppose they'll strong-arm those US telcos they can reach by leaning on the states in which they are based by withholding highway funds (a time-tested form of federal coercion). I don't see how they'd deal with non-US providers.
In a perfect world, I'd be happy to pay a cent or two for sending email if it meant the death of spam, UCE, or chain-letters!
Is the people need to stop electing idiots.
No, the problem is only idiots run for election.
No, the problem is that there are too many idiots at the election booths.
The desire to hold public office should disqualify one from holding public office. (With apologies to DNA)
There is no mention or even hint that this is going to be used on email. The republicans are only saying
While some may point out that Mr. Enzi is a Republican raising taxes, he's not so much raising taxes as he is 1) simplifying sales taxes; 2) ensuring the "current" level of taxes imposed by states; 3) thus reducing property taxes; 4) helping maintain state governments who are having financial problems due to lack of sales tax revenue.
On the other hand, the Democrats, if they do not renew the ban on broadband taxes, will be creating new taxes that will impact every internet user. These are not taxes that are being avoided or taxes that are being suppressed.... these are NEW taxes.. and we all know how the Democrats love their taxes!
Republicans raise taxes --> that's really lowering taxes.
Democrats don't raise taxes --> that's really raising taxes.
gg gop
If the moratorium expires, one ardent tax foe is predicting taxes on e-mail. A United Nations agency proposed in 1999 the idea of a 1-cent-per-100-message tax, but retreated after criticism.
"They might say, 'We have no interest in having taxes on e-mail,' but if we allow the prohibition on Internet taxes to expire, then you open the door on cities and towns and states to tax e-mail or other aspects of Internet access," said Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican. "We need to be honest about what we're endorsing and what we're opposing."
Let's cut to the chase:
[G]overnment's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
"Yeah, but you're taking the universe out of context."


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Please note: You are viewing an archived Bucknell University news story. It is possible that information found on this page has become outdated or inaccurate, and links and images contained within are not guaranteed to function correctly.
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Two-hundred sixty-six Bucknell University student-athletes earned dean's list honors for the 2010 fall semester. Students must earn at least a 3.50 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) for selection to the dean's list.
Included among the student-athletes on the dean's list last semester were 47 team captains and 38 student-athletes earning perfect 4.0 averages.
In addition, 141 fall sport student-athletes were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll this past semester. To earn Honor Roll recognition, a student-athlete must achieve a grade-point average of 3.20 or better during the semester of competition.
Complete story at Bucknell Bison.
Contact: Division of Communications
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subset: commoncrawl


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I think that a lot of people do see animals on a dining/food prep surface as directly affecting them.
Quote from: Sharnita on January 04, 2014, 08:36:15 AMI think that a lot of people do see animals on a dining/food prep surface as directly affecting them.But that doesn't give them the right to yell at the animals.
I was eating dinner at my friend's house and was the only person who could see the dog getting up on his back legs to investigate the food on the stove top. I said "Fido, no!" but I did immediately apologise to my friends.
I think it's bizzare. I mean my cats listen to the people in this household because they know us. I can't even imagine that they would listen to a strange person yelling at them.
DH and I and our kids were camping at a piece of property owned by my in-laws. DH's brothers and their wives and kids were also there. We all brought our dogs to run around etc. MIL & FIL showed up later. A dog belonging to one of my brother-in-law's (still just a puppy) started pulling at some of the garbage that had been put in the bonfire sticks (it was daytime so no fire going). MIL saw this and didn't like it so picked up a fair sized branch and whacked the puppy over the back while yelling at it to stop. My brother-in-law's wife was livid. She started walking towards her dog to pull her away from the area and yelled at MIL "you don't need to hit her!" but FIL gave her low grumbled warning to back off and let it go. I was also feeling pretty angry. We have a dog that I love to bits and it could have just as easily been him getting hit. I recognize that it is their property but I still don't think that gives them the right to abuse other people's animals. I would not have been offended at her just yelling at the puppy to stop though.
I think it depends. Obviously these folks went about it wrong. Screaming at a pet is not the answer (except that my cousin's 6 year old daughter somehow makes it work). However, there are many pets which I am allowed, and even expected, to discipline while in their homes. My friends, my parents, my grandparents, have all let me know what voice commands to use on their pets, so there's an expectation that I'll be able to discipline the pet if necessary. It takes me a second for my friend's dog, as she uses the exact opposite commands that I do (For me, get down means "stop jumping on that person/counter" and get off means "get off that piece of furniture". She reverses them.)
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Adv Extshp Sem (LAW-769-008B)
Wilson, N.
NOTICE: This seminar is ONLY for students who have already taken a three credit seminar. This class meets 8 times over the course of the semester. This class generally meets 3 weeks in a row and then every other week thereafter. This is a one credit pass/fail class. Students cannot externs at the same placement twice without the approval of the Externship Office. REGISTRATION: There are two parts to registering for an externship: 1) Register on-line for the seminar as you would for any class. 2) Register for the field placement by going to the Externship Page www.wcl.american.edu/externship and submit a Request for Approval, which generates the necessary forms.
Externship seminars provide students with an opportunity to engage in critical reflection about the legal profession, their own future legal careers, and their priorities and values as lawyers in conjunction with their field placement experiences.
Textbooks and Other Materials
The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.
First Class Readings
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Arron Afflalo's boomerang back to Denver came so quickly that he's still playing under the same contract the Nuggets signed him to in 2011.
He signed a five-year, $43 million contract back then, with the fifth year a player option, which is coming up after the 2014-15 season. Early signs are pointing toward Afflalo opting out of the contract, particularly if he has a season close to what he did in Orlando this past season with averages of 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
"It's probably something that I always anticipated, even beyond when I first signed this deal with Denver," Afflalo told The Denver Post. "I knew my game, I knew my maturity, I knew I would grow as a player. And I wanted to have that option as I got older and I progressed as a player. So hopefully I'll out-perform my contract and put myself in a better situation. That was my intent from the beginning, even before this year, was to play out the four years and progress as a player."
It means the Nuggets will have to begin figuring out just how much they can afford to pay him. Afflalo, reacquired in a trade last week, will make in the $7.5 million range next season.
The Nuggets shouldn't have many problems finding room with which to re-sign him. The contracts of Nate Robinson and Darrell Arthur are both expiring after the upcoming season and Wilson Chandler's contract isn't fully guaranteed.
Four other players - JaVale McGee, Danilo Gallinari, J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye - will have one year left on their contracts after next season.
Also, while the Nuggets' intention is to keep Afflalo for the duration of the 2014-15 season, they didn't immediately tell him he wouldn't be moved on in a future deal. His name had popped up publicly in connection to a potential deal to bring disgruntled Minnesota star Kevin Love to the Nuggets.
Afflalo said he wouldn't worry about that.
"That's part of the business," he told The Post. "If that happens, you remain professional and you move on. But I operate under what is, not what if and as of right now I feel like a Nugget again. If things change, they change. So, my mindset is simply shifted to what is."
Christopher Dempsey: email@example.com or twitter.com/dempseypost


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Latest update : 2010-10-29
The Arab World and its media (part 2)
Another 24 hour news channel in Arabic? As we extend our own coverage to 24 hours a day, we'll talk of the need for evolution, not revolution when it comes to free speech in the Arab world.
A debate with François Picard and guests:
Fouad Al OBAID, Columnist for Kuweit Times
Samir AITA, Chief Editor for the Edition Arabe - Le Monde Diplomatique
Nahida NAKAD, Head of France 24 Arabic Service
Mohammed HAWAS, Chairman of Sahara Group UK (http://www.saharagroupuk.eu/index.html), Candidate to the next Egyptian presidential election (2011) and candidate to the former one (2005) (via satellite from London, UK)
Lina BEN MHENNI, Tunisian blogger and Lecturer at Tunis University (By Skype from Tunis, Tunisia)
Programme prepared by Yi Song and Perrine Desplats


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The poet walks alone in the countryside, imagining himself adrift. Then the reverie is broken by the sight of the daffodils caught in the gentle wind and the flowers appear to him to have taken on the form of lively dancers. This unexpected sight (I wouldn't use the word 'shock') captures his spirits and he looks at length at the scene, welcoming and uplifting. The daffodils seem to be as numerous as the stars that shine in the sky. They stretch endlessly along the shore, and though the waves of the lake dance beside the flowers, the daffodils outdo the dancing waves in happiness. The poet cant help but be happy in such a joyful company of flowers. He stares and stares, but doesnt realize what wealth the scene would bring him in later years, when the memory of the daffodils would fill him with joy in moments of solitude.
What do you think?
N.B. I am NOT an English teacher.
Student or Learner


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Course Catalog
STAT3145 - Probability/Math Stats I &Ii
Fall 2014
STAT3145 is an accelerated version of the STAT3140-STAT3150 courses, designed to prepare well-qualified students to sit for the SOA/CAS Professional Actuarial Exam P/1 at the conclusion of the fall semester. The class will cover the entire actuarial exam syllabus, consisting of: General Rules of Probability, Discrete Random Variables, Calculus and Continuous Random Variables, Special Discrete and Continuous Probability Distributions and Multivariate Distributions. The course emphasizes applications to insurance and risk management, and students will be continually drilled on typical actuarial exam questions in order to master the material in the one-semester time frame.
Prerequisites: MATH2170 and Permission of the Department Head
3 Credits
Schedule Book for All Active and Available Future Terms, Course starting with STAT3145
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HI XXXXl!Thanks so much for inviting us and I already put it on my calendar after I got a Save the Date from XXX & XXX (and XXX did explain to me this whole 7 events/blessings thing. Its completely foreign to me, but it sounds like a wonderful tradition).Just one quick question is it ok if I bring my 3 children (they are ages 6, 9 & 11)? If not, that is perfectly fine and I will try to arrange childcare (or XXX will stay home and I will come). If children are welcome, please let me know!Thanks!Mindi
Mazel Tov!Sheva Brachot is a beautiful tradition -it's rooted in biblical sources, apparently and it's not so much about introducing the couple to society (although that's what happens in reality) but I won't bore you with the details. and there aren't actually seven events because the first one takes place at the wedding and one or two take place on the shabbat after the wedding, so that leaves the couple with 4-5 additional ones (and most Jewish couples, unless they are really orthodox, will skip a few...). As far as i can remember, i've never been invited to more than one per couple. iOW - if my sister got married, i would be invited to one of the events, not all of them. and as far as i recall, the couple doesn't get gifts at the party. An interesting custom relating to sheva brachot is the invitation of a "new face" - someone who hasn't been at the wedding.(question - if you don't mind answering: is your brother jewish? I was raised as - and lived as - an orthodox jew until about 10 years ago. i can't imagine anyone in orthodox circles marrying a non-jewish person and continuing to keep a jewish life. it's just *not done* - unless your brother converted. sorry for the nosy question!)have fun!
All of mine (and I had 7) were held immediately the week after our wedding - it was like a honeymoon with dinners with tons of friends and family for a week.
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Well the folks at fring have done it. You can now fring your iPhone. What does fring mean? I have no idea but it sure does sound cool . . .
What exactly is fring? It is a mobile voip / im native app that allows you to talk to all your friends and enemies for free over wifi. Included are all the major im clients including fring, Skype, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Twitter, Yahoo, and AIM. Oh and best of all. This is free.
You can get their pre release now by adding their source, http://fring.com/iphone.xml to Installer and then looking for it in the "fring" category.
Any of your touchers have a microphone? Post if Fring works on your iTouch!
Fring it. Fring it Good. VOIP on the iPhone


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RICHMOND (CNN)-- Closing arguments concluded Friday in the trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen. The two are accused of conspiring to commit corruption after accepting money loans from a person hoping to gain the governor's influential support for a business product.
Prosecutors argued during their closing that McDonnell, while seemingly taking responsibility for his actions, blamed others at every turn.
McDonnell's defense rides on the claim that he did not know his wife Maureen had accepted loans from Jonnie Williams, who was seeking support from the governor for a product from his nutritional supplement company. Nor did he know that she had accepted designer dresses or a Rolex watch as a gift from Williams, defense lawyers said.
During the trial, salacious details about the couple's marriage came out, detailing that purportedly they barely spoke after 38 years of marriage and thus, said the defense, could not have conspired to corrupt.
Prosecutors said the two didn't need to like each other to conspire.
"He was a strong governor. He was a weak husband," prosecutor Michael Dry said of the one-time rising star in the Republican Party who had potential presidential ambitions.
Prosecutors alleged that once Maureen McDonnell became aware of the investigation about the corruption, she returned the designer dresses that she received from Williams. She wrote a note to Williams saying that she hoped his daughters could wear the dresses after she received them on loan, or that even they could be auctioned for a worthy charity.
The prosecution pointed out that Williams' daughters are smaller in size than Maureen McConnell
If the dresses were in fact on loan, that would not be a crime. The governor's wife waited two years to return them, however.
The defense also argued that there is no direct effect of those loans or other gifts given to the McDonnells that caused the governor use official actions to help Williams and his business,
Prosecutors said they don't need to prove there was a direct action based on the alleged bribes but did note Williams was able to have his business featured during an event at the executive mansion, and the governor pitched his product during a meeting with state workers.
Defense lawyers also contended Williams was only out for himself, selling out the governor to gain immunity from alleged crimes. They also argued that Williams made up a lot of his story to give the government a bigger prize in the former governor.
Jurors will return after the Labor Day weekend to receive instructions from the judge and then head to deliberations.
The former governor was once rumored to be a potential vice presidential candidate with Mitt Romney.
"It's sad for the McDonald family and sad for the state of Virginia. Regardless of the verdict, there will be no winners," prosecutor Dry said.


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Last year, Summer Bird, an unknown who had finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby, ran off with an upset victory in the 1½-mile Belmont and with subsequent wins in the Travers and the Jockey Club Gold Cup went onto divisional honors as the nation's top 3-Year-Old colt.
Supporting the Belmont Stakes, the oldest and longest leg of the Triple Crown, is a glittering 12-race undercard that includes the 80th running of the Betfair TVG Acorn for 3-year-old fillies; the 14th running of the Grade 1 Just a Game for fillies and mares on the turf; the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Manhattan on the turf; the Grade 2 Woody Stephens for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs and the Grade 2 True North at six furlongs.
The Belmont is the final leg of The New York Racing Association, Inc.'s (NYRA) Guaranteed $1 million All-Stakes Pick 4 and its Guaranteed $1 million All-Stakes Pick 6. Race coverage begins on ESPN at noon and goes until 5 p.m., with ABC televising the race from 5-7 p.m.
Brooklyn-born Nick Zito will be trying for a third career Belmont Stakes victory, and unlike his last two, which ended the 2004 and 2008 Triple Crown bids of Smarty Jones and Big Brown, the Hall of Fame trainer will be sending out a pair of favorites in Ice Box and Fly Down.
Owned by Robert LaPenta, Ice Box is one of two Grade 1 winners in the field, having closed from last to win the Florida Derby at 20-1. But it was his desperate run to make up almost 22 lengths in the Kentucky Derby to finish second to Super Saver that caught everyone's attention, and with the son of Pulpit, Zito is sitting on his first Belmont favorite since Strike the Gold finished second in 1991.
Jose Lezcano has the mount on the 3-1 morning-line favorite from post position 6.
The second of Zito's 1-2 Belmont punch has something on his resume that no other Belmont starter has – a win over the racetrack. Richard C. Pell's Fly Down bounced back from a troubled ninth in the Louisiana Derby to win the Grade 2 Dwyer on May 8. The Mineshaft colt will be ridden by Belmont Stakes-winning jockey John Velazquez, who was aboard Fly Down when he finished third in his debut at Belmont last fall.
Velazquez, who piloted the filly Rags to Riches to her historic Belmont victory in 2007, and Fly Down break next to his stablemate from post position 5 at 9-2.
"It's all been positive, and I want to keep it that way," said Zito of his two entrants.
Fly Down also owns a pair of victories over the colt who's been turning heads during the mornings at Belmont Park – Donald R. Dizney's First Dude, the 17-hands-tall son of Stephen Got Even who finished second in the Preakness on May 15.
Second to Fly Down in a maiden race at Churchill Downs on November 28, First Dude (who is named after former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's husband, Todd) also couldn't hold him off in an allowance at Gulfstream Park in February, beaten a head. Fifth in the Florida Derby behind Ice Box, First Dude was third after getting bounced around at the start of the Blue Grass before his game second to Lookin At Lucky.
"He's a big, strong, long-striding colt, and this track should suit him," said trainer Dale Romans. "It's time to turn the tables."
Ramon Dominguez, the leading rider in New York this year, has the mount on the 7-2 morning-line choice from post position 11.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who earned his first Kentucky Derby victory this year, and Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who notched his fifth Preakness just under three weeks ago, are both in the Belmont, but with different horses.
Pletcher, who until last week did not have a Belmont starter, called an audible and entered Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's homebred Interactif, who will be making his first start on conventional dirt since finishing eighth in the Grade 2 Sanford at Saratoga as a 2-year-old. The last time Pletcher made a last-minute decision to run in the Belmont was three years ago, when he sent out Rags to Riches to become the first filly to win the race in 102 years.
Javier Castellano rides the son of Broken Vow, 12-1 on the morning line, from post position 12.
Like Pletcher, Baffert also owns a Belmont victory, having scored in 2001 with Point Given. But, next to Woody Stephens' five straight Belmont victories, Baffert's Belmont legend looms large as he has thrice brought horses to the brink of the Triple Crown, only to be denied each time – Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002.
The Baffert-trained Game On Dude, whose silks sport an orange basketball on a blue background, was purchased by Bernard Schiappa, the Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable and Diamond Pride LLC with the intent of making one of the spring classics, and the gelding earned his way into the Belmont with a victory in the Grade 2 Lone Star Derby.
"I am looking forward to seeing what he will do going a distance of ground," said Baffert. "That's the key to the Belmont – having a horse who can go that far."
Martin Garcia, who won the Preakness with Lookin At Lucky, is aboard Game On Dude in his first ride at Belmont Park. The gelding is 10-1 on the morning line from post position 8.
WinStar Farm already has a classic win this spring with Super Saver's Derby victory and will be trying for a second with Drosselmeyer, a son of Distorted Humor who finished second in the Dwyer on May 8. Never off the board in eight lifetime starts, the chestnut colt will be Bill Mott's first Belmont starter since Vision and Verse finished second in 1999 for the Hall of Fame trainer.
"I think he's in there with a chance," said Mott.
Mike Smith rides the 12-1 choice from post position 7.
A handful of trainers will be sending out their first Belmont Stakes starters, including Alexis Barba with Make Music for Me, Michael Maker with Stately Victor, and Steve Margolis with Stay Put.
Barba, 57, would become the first woman to saddle a winner in a Triple Crown event should Make Music for Me win. Twice second to 2-Year-Old champion Lookin At Lucky – in the Del Mar Futurity and Best Pal – Make Music for Me, owned by Ellen and Peter Johnson, rallied from last to finish fourth in the Kentucky Derby in his first start on dirt.
Since 1984, eight women have sent out Belmont starters, the most recent of which was Linda Rice, whose Supervisor finished fifth in 2003.
Joel Rosario, who has never ridden at Belmont Park, has the mount on the 10-1 choice from post position 4.
F. Thomas and Jack Conway's Stately Victor owns the distinction of being the only other Grade 1 winner in the field besides Ice Box, having won the Blue Grass over an artificial surface at odds of 41-1, highest in that race's history. Subsequently eighth in the Derby, the son of Ghostzapper, 15-1, will be ridden from post position 9 by Alan Garcia, who won the 2008 Belmont aboard Da' Tara.
Richard, Bertram, and Elaine Klein's Stay Put will be making his first start in Grade 1 company in the Belmont. Fifth in his only two graded stakes starts, the Grade 2 Risen Star and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, the Broken Vow colt got his shot in the Belmont after a solid victory in an optional claimer on Derby Day at Churchill Downs.
Jockey Jamie Theriot makes his Belmont Park debut with Stay Put, 20-1 from post position 10.
The fourth trainer with a Belmont victory, and the one with the best batting average in the race, is Kiaran McLaughlin, who sends out Fantasy Lane Stable's Uptowncharlybrown. McLaughlin won the Belmont in 2006 with his first starter, Jazil, in a race that, like this year, lacked both Derby and Preakness winners.
Winner of his first two starts at Tampa Bay Downs, the Limehouse colt was trained by the late Alan Seewald, who passed away on April 12, after which Uptowncharlybrown was transferred to McLaughlin. Third in the Grade 2 Lexington at Keeneland in his most recent start, Uptowncharlybrown will be ridden by Rajiv Maragh as the 10-1 choice from post 3.
"He's been doing great since we got him, and I am excited about our chances," said McLaughlin, who finished fourth in last year's Belmont with Charitable Man. "I'm looking forward to running him."
Ike and Dawn Thrash are hoping for a good conclusion to their Triple Crown experience with Dave in Dixie, as their promising Preakness prospect, Hurricane Ike, was withdrawn from consideration from that race with an injury. Dave in Dixie, who was second to Caracortado in the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis in his best performance of the year, will be ridden by Calvin Borel, appropriately enough, from the rail.
Rounding out the field is Lawrence Roman's Spangled Star who in his stakes debut finished third to Afleet Again and Ibboyee in the Grade 3 Wither at Aqueduct on April 24. Trained by Richard Dutrow Jr. and ridden by Garrett Gomez, the Distorted Humor colt breaks from post position 2 at 30-1.
Parking gates open for the Belmont at 8:15 a.m., with post time for the first of 13 races set for 11:35 a.m.
Dale Romans, trainer of First Dude (No. 11, 7-2): "When Ramon [Dominguez] jumped off him after the Florida Derby with all the trouble he was in, he said, 'the Belmont will be this horse's race because he wants to go a mile and a half and he'll love that track.' We sent him up here, it's been two weeks, and he seems to have gotten over it really well."
"You're not going to skip a classic with a horse like this. We were waiting to go a mile and a half. He's a throwback kind of horse, a big rugged kind of horse, nothing bothers him, and I don't think three weeks [between races] is going to bother him."
"We think with extra distance and a little more experience; we can turn the tables on Ice Box."
Ernie Reichard, racing manager for Robert V. LaPenta, owner of Ice Box (No. 6, 3-1): "[In the Kentucky Derby] it was stop and start, start and stop and once he got going on the outside he just made up ground. We gave him time off after the Derby, there was no need to rush him, and we had another nice horse in the barn in Jackson Bend [for the Preakness]."
Stacy Pryor, assistant to trainer Nick Zito, trainer of Fly Down (No. 5, 9-2): "Both horses are training exceptionally, and Nick is very happy. They're both very nice to be around, pleasant around the barn, and very forward horses."
Alexis Barba, trainer of Make Music for Me (No. 4, 10-1): "Our barometer has been [2-year-old champion and Preakness winner] Lookin At Lucky. We were overlooked because he did not win but he definitely made his presence felt. I think [in the Belmont] we'll probably been in the middle somewhere."
Mike Maker, trainer of Stately Victor (No. 9, 15-1): "He made a nice little run on the turn in the Kentucky Derby and came up behind a wall of horses. He's a big old dude, and it takes a while to get his momentum back. [Jockey] Alan [Garcia] has the experience, and we've had a lot of luck together, so we're happy to have him."
Bob Hutt, managing partner of Fantasy Lane's Uptowncharlybrown (No. 3, 10-1), on how he handles the 59-strong partnership: "Very delicately. Many people say I should be approved for sainthood, but really, it's a labor of love. We have wonderful, wonderful partners."
Steve Margolis, trainer of Stay Put (No. 10, 20-1): "He's slowly been improving each race, and his race on Derby Day was a positive. We felt it was worth taking a shot; he's a big-striding colt, and we're excited about being here."
Larry Roman, owner of Spangled Star (No. 2, 30-1): "He's distance-bred, we have a great trainer in Rick Dutrow and a great jockey in Garrett Gomez. He's a long shot but there have been a lot of long shots win the Belmont Stakes. I don't expect him to win, but I'm taking my chance."


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Latest update : 2010-02-04
Laurent Blanc likely to be next French football manager
FRENCH PRESS REVIEW: Le Parisien says the Bordeaux manager will more than likely take over from Raymond Domenech as the French football manager but not until after the South Africa World Cup this summer.
According to this morning's le Parisien, Laurent Blanc has already entered talks with the French Football Federation about taking over management of Les Bleus after the World Cup. Blanc, 44, played 97 times on the French national team and was part of the 1998 World Cup winning side. He is said to be happy to take over from Raymond Domenech if he is picked for the job. As it stands, Gérard Houllier - one of the most influential bosses in the FFF who is responsible for training the players - has given Blanc his backing. So too has Michel Platini another influential figure in French football and a former head of the FFF.
Raymond Domenech has been broadly criticized for his management style and the sports paper l'Equipe recently called for him to stand down in advance of the World Cup.
Other stories in today's French papers:
Le Monde: "Europe snubbed" (editorial)
Le Figaro : Obama declines invitation to EU summit
La Croix: Christians rally for Haiti
L'Humanité: Every euro counts in rebuilding Haiti
Le Figaro: In Haiti, voodoo is still strong after the earthquake


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Letter to the Editor: The Catholic Church supports distribution of wealth
It is clear that Merle Hexum is opposed to the proposition that there should be some measure of "wealth redistribution" in this country. He should have included the Catholic Church in his list of villains, as that body has been openly discussing and encouraging to varying degrees a fair global distribution of wealth since at least the late 1890s.
As my space is limited, I'll give just a few examples of that.
-In 1891, Pope Leo XIII said, "equity commands that public authority show proper concern for the worker so that from what he contributes for the common good he may receive what will enable him, housed, clothed, and secure, to live his life without hardship... all those measures ought to be favored which seem in any way capable of benefiting the conditions of the workers." This Pope also said the state has the absolute right to "step in" when the common good was threatened.
-In 1902, Pope Pius X spoke favorably about "efforts to improve the worker's living conditions, more equitable distribution of wages, and other justified advantages..."
-In 1931, Pope Pius XI said, "the riches that economic-social developments constantly increase ought to be distributed among individual persons and classes that the common good of all society will be kept inviolate." In 1937, he said that "charity will never be true charity unless it takes justice into constant account... The wage-earner is not to receive as alms what is his due in justice. And let no one attempt with trifling charitable donations to exempt himself from the great duties imposed by justice."
-In 1967, Pope Paul VI said, "private property does not constitute for anyone an absolute or unconditional right. No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities."
-Brazilian Catholic Archbishop Camara said the following sometime in the 1960s: "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint; when I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist."
-In the late 1990s, Pope John Paul II talked about "the fair distribution of the goods originally destined for all."
-Finally, Pope Benedict XVI said in 2009, "abandoning mechanisms of wealth redistribution hinders the achievement of lasting development." In 2011, this not-so-liberal Pope talked about the need to raise awareness of "the importance of seeking adequate mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth."
-If the Catholic Church - not to mention other Christian denominations and other religious traditions - can discuss and promote (sometimes quite vigorously) wealth redistribution (which can take may different forms) without ever rejecting it in principle, than liberals and democrats and any others who want to should be able to do so as well without being vilified.
Those, like Merle, who are so extremely opposed to some wealth redistribution, need to realize that their adversaries on this issue are collectively bigger and more diverse than liberals and democrats in the United States.
John Minge
Perham, MN


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Newsrooms are, in my experience, home to some of the strangest conversations on the planet. Case in point: this gem from the Associated Press which spurred a half-hour, on-and-0ff debate about what constitutes animal cruelty and where to draw that line.
Do we prosecute frat boys for eating dozens of live goldfish? What if I just like my steak very rare (yes, for the record I do want it to moo) and shouldn't we just prosecute this rat-munching lameo simply for being stupid enough to post a video of his 'achievement?'
Utah rat eater has animal cruelty charge dismissed
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man who is no longer facing charges for eating a live baby rat says the act was grotesque, but shouldn't be considered as animal cruelty.
Prosecutors charged Andy Ray Harris with animal cruelty in April, after authorities viewed a posted Facebook video of him eating what appeared to be the baby rat. The 31-year-old Tooele man says he ate the rat on a dare.
Prosecutors argued the baby rat deserved protections because it wasn't wild and it was killed in a way that is not an accepted fashion.
Harris says it was not animal cruelty because the rat was going to be eaten by a snake. He also says rats don't have legal protections because they are pests.


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There are "smarter" ways to cheat ... and then, there are outright dumb ways to do it.
So there is this class of 18 kids, all aged 4. Some are quite bright, some don't seem to even understand their own mother tongue and some sleep through class, but many are somewhere in between. So how can the whole class logically score 100% in reading a third language? Some kids can get 100%, yes, not definitely not everyone on the same day ... unless the teacher (assessor) cheated on the scores.
This is surely a terribly dumb (and termination-worthy) way to show off how effective one is as a teacher.
To Ced: The person above now has the dubious honour of having the first misbehaviour log of 2011, and it's already two A4 pages long. The log of the incident above took up more than half a page. Looks like I'm going to have to take over soon; I'm going to ask the boss to give me her salary as compensation.
Last edited by HuangYushi; 03-28-11 at 07:05 AM.
Because I'm somewhere in between,
My love and my agony.
Too many bad sectors in hard disk found. Will need to go service centre. Hopefully, can get a free hard disk replacement.
oh, for the ****in' sake of being righteous
i'm laughing because i find it amusing on the white guy's part because he's been fooled all these years. poor dumb guy.
so what? just because someone gets alot of shit from other people means it makes it RIGHT to deceive others? i honestly don't understand why the white guy can't tell that the 'woman' he's with is actually a man in the first place, but the dude been believing this lie all these years. just because this tranny gets shit on makes it okay for other people involved to share the misery? if the tranny flat out told the guy "i was born a dude" and the guy is okay with it, that's a different story.
and it's sad, not because the person is a tranny, but the whole situation with 'her' covering up her whole identity in a relationship. sad because she can never really come out of the closet and be her true self to that man she's with.
also sad, because she lives through female hormones and will probably die at an early age.
and i know all this because one of the worker is friends with the tranny.. and that tranny is OPEN. one time, they even went into the bathroom and he/she stripped naked, showing the worker her new sex organs, butt implants, and breast implants. my worker, being a crazy one, went in and saw it out of curiosity... also asks alot of questions about his/her past too and the tranny being so open, would tell everything.
trust me, the tranny's face is busted lol. wayyyy too much botox and surgeries... her body is nice though. i would think her face AND voice would give it away but the man she's with clearly doesn't have a clue.. which reallllllly amuses and baffles me. maybe that white guy just have a bad case of yellow fever and would go for anything yellow, hah.
Last edited by kay &!*; 03-28-11 at 11:22 AM.
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Like I said earlier, that is a really really dumb way of wanting to look good. Instead of looking good, now she looks terribly bad, because she cheated on the scores. I redid the assessment yesterday at the expense of my own work and came up with terribly low scores (expected, since I've done other assessments in that class with low scores anyway), and wrote up her misbehavour log. At our company, a misbehaviour log marks the start of the exit process.
Why do you have to be better than me in every way??? DaMN you!
忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」
I want an HTC Evo in White.
I like me.
I saw a car with its trunk open in the school parking lot, and I was tempting to close it for them but I didn't. I walked away. Though it's a small problem, I was debating in my head cause I wanted to be nice and close it for them so that others wouldn't try to take things out (or I'd like someone to close mine if I were to forget). But what if something bad happens if I were to close it? What would you do?
Last edited by mi do ri; 03-29-11 at 05:25 PM.
Less Than Perfect
I had a good laugh at these collection of eBay negative comments vs replies. Laughed to till to no end....
Last edited by remember_Cedric; 03-30-11 at 05:01 AM. Reason: Forgot to add the eBay seller's link
What can I say? I'm still standing! No weapon against me shall prosper! I am more than a conqueror!!!
I don't care to sit by the window on an airplane. If I can't control it, why look?
Were all know how genetic works, but, is this possible?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3213601AA8LWCgQ: Ms. Pratt is claiming that Mr. X is the father of her child. Ms. Pratt is O-. Her baby boy is A+. Mr. X is blood type B+. Could he be the father of her child? If not, what blood type would he be expected to be?
A: Not only do you have to figure in the parents blood type but you also have to figure in the blood type of the grand parents and great grand parents. Blood type is sent down and is figured in by genes. Genes are passed down from generation. If Mr X's father or mother or grand parents had A+ blood then there is a slight chance that the baby boy could have A+ blood. Vice Versa for the mother. It is really hard to guess what blood type the baby should have because you never know which genes you are going to get and what the outcome will be.
什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟
和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩
Be good. Don't commit evil.
Because I'm somewhere in between,
My love and my agony.
I like me.
Science is always developing and we keep on discovering new things.
I read in one article before (but, I couldn't find it now, tried really hard to google it) there's people with ABO blood. Of course, basic biology tell use that normal people have 2 alleles only. But, there could be mutations. I tried to read more on it, but, couldn't find any new info. Haha, maybe that article made a mistake. They didn't actually elaborate on it. Just mentioned in passing.
I'm also asking this because a friend of mine has a brother who's blood type is impossible to have according to the law of genetic inheritance. But, she insisted that her brother is biological son of her parents. So, when I see this answer in yahoo, I just ask.
The most possible explanation is the blood type test result on one of them is wrong.
Last edited by kidd; 03-30-11 at 11:59 PM.
什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟
和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩
The seller is really rude, I agree, but he is really creative with those clever rebuttal and confident about his business. I admire jackasses people like that, actually. I see to the fact that he is not blindly customer-oriented that he let low because he needs business. Indeed, we judge from the kind of positive, negative and neutral feedback buyers give................... I'm going to deal with him, BTW. LOL
What can I say? I'm still standing! No weapon against me shall prosper! I am more than a conqueror!!!
I don't care to sit by the window on an airplane. If I can't control it, why look?
Where's my cup of coffee? Gotta drink a cup or I'll go back to sleeping. So hard to get out of the habit of sleeping in. I've been up for an hour and a half without coffee. Where's that coffee?
I just love how you Captivate My Mind
Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.
good night.


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It's taken a few decades, but Mac is finally becoming home to the latest video game tech. The preferred OS of turtleneck-wearing Apple users supports Source Engine, Unreal Engine 3, and now, idTech 5. Aspyr and id Software have announced a Mac version of Rage, and it's available right now.
Dubbed the "Campaign Edition," the Mac version of Rage includes the entire single-player experience, enhanced with content that was formerly exclusive to the "Anarchy Edition" of the game. The Mac version also includes the "Wasteland Sewers Missions."
Unfortunately for Mac gamers, while you'll be able to get your hands on id's latest engine, it won't be licensed to third parties.
"Aspyr has been a great partner, bringing id Software's games to the Mac platform for years," Todd Hollenshead, President of id Software, said in the announcement. "We've worked closely with them again to offer the amazing graphics and intense combat that RAGE is famous for to Mac gamers."
Here are the system requirements for getting it running on your Mac:
- Operating System: 10.7.2 (Lion)
- CPU Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (Dual-Core)
- CPU Speed: 2.4 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Hard Disk Space: 25 GB
- Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD 3870
- Video Card (NVidia): Geforce 8800
- Video Memory (VRam): 256MB
- Peripherals: Macintosh mouse and keyboard
The game is now available on the App Store for $39.99.


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There's a day for just about everything these days, but National Fossil Day is one we can really dig.
Organized by the National Park Service, National Fossil Day isn't just about appreciating past millennia frozen in time by the likes of these little guys:
A stunning pair of Trilobites, currently residing in the Morian Hall of Paleontology.
It's also about public awareness and promoting stewardship of fossils. Says the National Park Service:
Fossils discovered on the nation's public lands preserve ancient life from all major eras of Earth's history, and from every major group of animal or plant. In the national parks, for example, fossils range from primitive algae found high in the mountains of Glacier National Park, Montana, to the remains of ice-age animals found in caves at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Public lands provide visitors with opportunities to interpret a fossil's ecological context by observing fossils in the same place those animals and plants lived millions of years ago.
Do you know the rules when it comes to fossils found on public lands? If not, educate yoself! Happy finding!


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School children at several Rockford schools aren't getting the education they should, so now under the federal No Child Left Behind law, parents can send their children to schools that are performing better.
The problem is that there aren't enough seats at the schools that are performing well for students to go to. An estimated 6,500 school children have the option of going to an alternate school because 18 schools in the Rockford area are on a federal list of performing poorly. Some of these schools must now provide parents with a choice of staying at that school or transferring to an alternate school, but some children will be left behind because there aren't enough seats for all of these children to transfer to.
The schools that made this year's list triple the amount from last year. Test scores and attendance make of some of the criteria, but experts say that just because a school lands on this poor performing list doesn't mean that school or the teachers are bad, only that some students are having more trouble performing than at other schools, but the point remains that parents have the choice to transfer their child to another school.
Below is a list of the schools on the federal list of performing poorly:
Barbour Two-Way Language Immersion
Beyer Elementary School
Dennis Nature Science Magnet
Ellis Arts Academy
Haskell Academy
Swan Hillman Elementary School
Jackson Elementary School
Kishwaukee Elementary School
Julia Lathrop Elementary School
Wm Nashold Elementary School
John Nelson Elementary School
Rock River Elementary School
Spring Creek Elementary School
Stiles Investigative Learning Magnet
Summerdale Elementary School
West View Elementary School
Washington Communication Academy
Rockford Science & Tech Academy


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Aglow International of Northern Colorado's third annual worship dance workshop
What: Niau Mora and the Sacred Hula Dancers of Longmont, Marty Gale and the Israeli Celebration Dancers of Loveland and worship signer Celeste Wright of Loveland will perform and present.
When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17
Where: Mountain View Presbyterian Church, 2500 Garfield Ave., Loveland
Cost: $25 at the door. Lunch is included.
More info: Call 970-532-3117
Ka Wai Ola O Ke Akua (The Living Waters of God)
What: Worship hula class led by Niau Mora
When: 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays
Where: Wildfire Community Arts Center, 425 Massachusetts Ave., Berthoud
Cost: Free.
More info: Call 970-532-5030 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
BERTHOUD -- When it comes to worship hula, coconut shell bikini tops, flimsy grass skirts and aggressive booty shaking are out.
Instead, the hula dancers in Niau Mora's class undulate their hips to the beat of the Hawaii worship music. Barefoot, they wear flowing tribal print skirts and red sarongs, called kikepas, over white tops, with colorful flowers pinned into their hair.
The whole point of worship hula is to use the entire body to praise the Lord, said Mora, a Longmont resident who leads a worship hula ministry called Ka Wai Ola O Ke Akua, which means the Living Waters of God in Hawaiian.
"When our hips go from side to side, we see the water, we see the trees, we see the movement that God has so naturally given," she said.
The native Hawaiian was raised on Maui, but it wasn't until after she decided to become a Christian at the age of 40 that Mora met a sacred hula dancer who took her on as a student.
"I never danced a Hollywood hula or a hoochie-coochie hula, but all my hula has been praise -- praise and worship," Mora said.
When Mora moved to Colorado in 2006 and enrolled at Charis Bible College in Colorado Springs, she started worship hula ministries both at the school and at a nearby megachurch, New Life.
She has since settled in Longmont, and a year and a half ago, she launched the Living Waters ministry. Women in the group meet Wednesday afternoons in Berthoud for rehearsal and also have performed at churches, hospitals, schools, maternity homes and centers for women with drug and alcohol addiction. They will perform in Loveland on Saturday at a dance worship presentation.
Hula dancing was on Berthoud resident Yvonne Dawdy's bucket list. The faith element is an added bonus, and, she points out, it's an effective form of evangelizing to people who may not want to listen to preaching.
"There's a surrender that happens when people watch us dance because it's not threatening," she said.
Hula falls into one of two categories. Kahiko hula, an ancient form of the dance, has spiritual roots and is accompanied by chanting or traditional Hawaiian instruments. Auana hula, which is what Mora teaches, is a more modern variety that incorporates Western instruments like the guitar, string bass and ukulele.
Mora's hula is set to religious Hawaiian or Hawaiian-inspired music. She also incorporates hand movements and signs that represent elements of nature, such as mountains, trees and water.
Longmont resident Billie Best has been practicing worship hula for about a year and a half with Mora. Although the dance feels unfamiliar at first --"My hips are sore all the time," she chuckled -- Best said worship hula has been a healing practice for her. Through hula, "you see yourself how God sees you," she said.
"It was like God spoke to me the first time I saw (Mora perform)," Best said. "And it's just kind of something I wanted to do, and now that I have I see how it touches other people like that."
The women emphasize that hula can be for everyone. In fact, they're specifically recruiting male dancers.
Berthoud resident Joni Mangeris manages to dance despite not being able to raise her right shoulder above her head -- the result of an improperly healed break.
"I'm dancing with two hip replacements and a broken shoulder and if I can do this, anybody can," she said.
Magdalena Wegrzyn can be reached at 303-684-5274 or email@example.com.


text: Sorry these aren't the best photos, they are taken with my crappy cell phone camera. He is afraid of my big camera he runs and hides. This is my brother-in-law's dog. He got him for free from the classifieds, he was told he was a purebred breed of dog but I'm not going to tell you what that breed is supposed to be yet. Needless to say I don't think he's that purebred breed of dog though I'm certain he could have it in him. He's about 3 years old (sadly this is at least his 3rd home) he's super sweet. Kind of a chicken at first, very submissive, but friendly. Fairly mellow but does love to play. Wasn't good off leash at first but now that he's bonded to his new owner he is. His fur is actually longer than in these photos, I cut his hair. The length I do barely takes anything off his body but his hind/tail were easily more than twice the length they are now and his neck fur was probably 2 inches longer. He absolutely hates to be brushed, especially his tail and hind, and this makes it more manageable and happier grooming experiences for him. He's pretty small, 30 lbs tops, probably less than that but he's thin he would probably weigh 30-35 if he filled out a bit. Oh and in case you don't know my dogs, he's the black and tan one.


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(8-1) Rank: NR
Lake Charles, La. Attendance: 525
(2-6) Rank: NR
LAKE CHARLES, La. - Baylor (8-1) withstood a hostile home crowd en route to a 3-1 win over McNeese State (5-6) 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19) Friday evening in match two of the Big Daddy's Invitational. The Bears have won four-straight matches and are off to their best start thru nine matches since 2009 (9-0).
"Give McNeese State credit because they battled us very hard," head coach Jim Barnes said. "We had some kids come off the bench and really step up to deliver for us."
Alyssa Dibbern (15 kills) recorded her fourth-straight match of 10-plus kills and Adri Nora added a season high 15 kills as well. Defensively, Mackenzie Mayo collected 18 digs and Nora stuffed five blocks. Kate Harris picked up her second-straight double-double with 54 assists and 10 digs.
The Bears, who swung no worse than .222 in any set, ended the night with a .245 hitting percentage and held the Cowgirls to a .184 percentage.
Baylor led by as many as four (15-11) in the opening set thanks to a 5-0 run off the serve of Mackenzie Mayo. The Cowgirls got to within one but no closer, as Adri Nora paced BU with five kills (.714), while Alyssa Dibbern and Zoe Adom each collected four.
McNeese garnered an early 3-1 lead but Baylor answered with a 6-1 run and force a Cowgirls timeout. MSU battled it back to tie the set on several occasions and took a 22-20 lead. It was the Bears turn to make a run for a 23-22 advantage, but McNeese State closed the set with three straight for the 25-23 win. Nora kept up her hot hitting, totaling four kills in the set.
Baylor's attack came out firing in set three, taking a 5-0 lead and maintaining the advantage until the Cowgirls tied the set at 19-19, eventually taking a 21-20 lead. The Bears reeled off three-straight, ending it with a solo block from Thea Munch-Soegaard for the25-23 win. Dibbern's five kills led the way with Nora and Laura Jones adding four apiece.
The Bears again took an early lead, scoring five of the game's first six points and stretching their lead to as many as 10 (18-8) off an 8-0 run from Kayci Evans' serve. McNeese would find itself no closer than five the rest of the way, as Dibbern totaled four kills en route to a .267 team hitting percentage in the set.
Baylor will next be in action Saturday morning at 9 am to face Bethune Cookman (0-10).


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Nebraska child welfare system explores changes
LINCOLN--Nebraska's child welfare system might face another major change by the summer of 2013, continuing the overhaul of the system begun by the Legislature last spring. The Legislature's Health and Human Services committee held a hearing on Friday morning to explore changes to the way children enter the foster care system, how reports of child abuse are screened and investigated and how that can contribute to the number of children in foster care. Senators Colby Coash and Kathy Campbell, both of Lincoln, sponsored the resolutions discussed in the hearing. Their goal is to reduce the number of children who enter the system.For full story, see the Oct. 11, 2012 Custer County Chief.


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Pathways Members
Full Name: Anna Victoria Rondon
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Year: I transferred from Borough of Manhattan Community College, where I graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in fall 2009. My present status at Lehman College is an upper junior.
Major: I'm currently constructing my own degree through a generous program called the CUNY Baccalaureate Program. The CUNY Baccalaureate Program allows me to be versatile in my creativity and thinking. It gives me the flexibility to create my own degree that is tailored towards my interests and life pursuits. I'm currently a double major in Human Rights Advocacy and Communications and Arts.
What makes you proud? I'm definitely proud of having my older brother, Junior, in my life. Although he and I argue and fight, I can honestly say that I'm extremely happy to have him in my life; without him, all of this wouldn't be possible. The reason is that when I was younger, I suffered from a movement disorder called Dystonia. This disorder hindered my ability to walk and maintain physical stability. It affected my neck, left arm, torso and legs. I would incessantly tremble throughout the entire day and the only way that it would stop was when I fell asleep. Simple things such as writing or tying my shoe laces were constant challenges. After I graduated from high school, Junior took it upon himself to take me to doctors to find out what it was that I had. In November 2005, I was finally diagnosed with Dystonia and began treatment in March 2006. I have not succumbed to the illness of Dystonia. It's been five years that I can walk, be active and independent.
Advice to my fellow PTS colleagues: Always know that all can be in your favor if you choose to believe that you are worth the fight. I'm not going to sit here and say that college is easy; in truth, the reality is that most times it is not. Then again, sometimes it is what you make of it. When you wake up at 5:30am and travel Monday through Thursday from Staten Island to the Bronx to make it to your 11am class, know that with every train ride, you're one step closer to your future dreams and goals. Since you've already made a decision to enter college, continue making the necessary choices that will ultimately advance your intellect, social awareness and political consciousness. Lastly, don't feel bothered because you couldn't go to the party last weekend with your friends; there'll be plenty of parties to attend to during summer!!!!Why did I join PTS? I joined PTS because I thought that it would be a great program to become affiliated with. The program offers extra needed attention that can assist students with graduating on time, paying for summer time courses, establishing networks amongst students and faculty of the PTS program, loaning laptops for students within the program and lastly taking trips to historical landmarks, museums and shows. I think a program like this would eventually enrich the college experience for any CUNY student.


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Local autism center works amid nationwide rise in cases
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated one in 88 children in the U.S. is currently living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), marking a 23 percent increase since the last report was issued in 2009. The findings were released March 29, just days before Autism Awareness Month, a national observance since the 1970s, began in April. The CDC's findings reinforce the efforts of advocates for autism awareness who are working to increase the dialogue surrounding the condition and educate the public about autism and related issues. Those advocates include Melissa Hunter, a psychologist with Dickinson Mental Health Center's Possibilities Autism Center, who offered her clinical perspective on the increase in American children with autism. "There's not a clear answer. There's a lot of research being conducted right now, looking at genetic and environmental variables. Research looking at, is there a specific genetic marker? What they seem to be finding so far is that there is a genetic piece but it's not particularly clear what that is," Hunter said. "There's other research looking at, is there an environmental trigger, and again there is just no clear evidence about exactly what that is, but the theory is that there is some sort of genetic susceptibility and probably some sort of environmental interaction that nobody is really clear on what those pieces are just yet." ASD, once an obscure disorder, has become a globally and clinically recognized developmental disability. As Hunter explained, some believe the rise is attributable not necessarily to a greater presence or more instances of the condition, but rather an increase in which the characteristics are recognized by doctors and diagnosed. "There are also some people who believe that part of the increase in prevalence is related to our ability to identify autism more accurately and differentiate from other diagnoses a little bit better. I don't think that accounts for the significant rise that we've seen, but probably does account for some of the rise in cases of autism," Hunter said. Hunter said that prior to the refinement of the diagnostic process involving ASD, a child with autism would have been classified as having "intellectual abilities, learning disabilities, or behavior problems, or mood disorders. It could have been any variety of things." "The difficulty is that you could have autism and still have some of those other diagnoses. There's a lot of co-morbidity and teasing those apart can be difficult. But the result has been a lot of research in that area looking into the specific diagnostic features for autism," Hunter said. Hunter stressed the importance of early diagnosis and intervention for children preschool-aged and younger, and urged parents concerned that their child may be exhibiting signs of autism not to delay in having their child tested. "We know that the sooner a child is diagnosed and the sooner we get them into good services, the better the outcomes tend to be in the long run. Our hope is that we can always see kids (who are) younger, but we certainly see a lot of kids who are older and maybe had different diagnoses and maybe were misdiagnosed. A good portion of our clients fall into that category," Hunter said. She said while there is no known cause or cure for ASD, treatments are available, including applied behavior analysis strategies, sensory integration therapies, and speech language therapies, all meant to address the individual underlying developmental disorders of a child with ASD. "Once there is an evaluation, we look at that child's strengths and needs and we work with the family on what's the best support. So, is that wrap-around services, is that working with the school district, or is that occupational therapy, and usually it's some combination of all of the above. Families with kids who have autism are often involved in several types of services," Hunter said. Hunter said that interaction and exchanging of information between Possibilities and a child's school occur both before and after an evaluation or diagnosis. "We make sure we're sharing information from our reports and providing any information we can and gathering information from the school so we're all on the same page," Hunter said. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines Autism Spectrum Disorder as "a broad group of developmental disorders characterized by impaired social interactions, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors, or severely limited activities and interests."Pick up a copy of the Thursday, April 5, 2012 edition of The Ridgway Record for more.


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Gmail Now Rejects Emails With Misleading Combinations of Unicode Characters 79
An anonymous reader writes: Google today announced it is implementing a new effort to thwart spammers and scammers: the open standard known as Unicode Consortium's "Highly Restricted" specification. In short, Gmail now rejects emails from domains that use what the Unicode community has identified as potentially misleading combinations of letters. The news today follows Google's announcement last week that Gmail has gained support for accented and non-Latin characters. The company is clearly okay with international domains, as long as they aren't abused to trick its users.


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Grant Gerald Mecham, 63
Grant Gerald Mecham, passed away suddenly on January 19, 2011.
Grant was born June 17, 1947, to Carl and Lucille Mecham in Moab, UT where he spent the first few years of his life. The family then moved to a ranch in Montana then later moved to Missoula and later to Seeley Lake where he graduated from Seeley Swan High School. He served an LDS mission in the Southwest Indian mission.
After returning from his mission, he attended Ricks College where he met the love of his life and eternal companion, Margie Wilde. They were married July 25, 1969, in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. They raised their four children in Shelley, ID.
Grant began working at the R.T. French Company, which is now Basic American, in September of 1974. He worked there until his passing.
He dearly loved his family and served them until the very end. He was completely selfless. He enjoyed playing golf, watching sports, NASCAR, fishing, cooking and playing with his grandchildren. There was always a warm bear hug to be found in Grants arms. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 41 years Margie; sons, Bruce "Cori" (Laura) of Hermiston, OR; Travis (Rebecca) of Kuna, ID; Christopher (Amanda) of Idaho Falls, ID and daughter Tauna (Don) of Idaho Falls, ID; grandsons Kayden, Tyrell, and a new one in March; granddaughters Breckyn, Lacey, Jadelyn, Bryleigh, Braylin, Skyler, Kaia, and Natalie; his brothers Charles, Joseph, Robert and one sister, Susan; numerous nieces and nephews; his mother-in-law and father-in-law Donald and VIla Wilde; one daughter by heart, Angela Hill and one son by heart, Lee Frogner.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, one niece, one nephew, and one daughter by heart.
Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 22 at Lincoln 1st Ward LDS Chapel at 2545 Mesa St. in Idaho Falls under the direction of Hawker Funeral Home.
The viewing for family and friends will be for 1 hour prior to the funeral at the church.
Burial will be at Hillcrest Cemetery in Shelley, ID.
Condolences may be sent to the family at email@example.com.


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Your Twitter and Facebook feeds have slowed, surely, from what they looked like two weeks ago. But even amid this post-election recovery, social media still lights up with certain buzzworthy headlines — including this one from Nov. 9: "How Bruce Springsteen Elected Barack Obama."
The Slate piece by writer Ron Rosenbaum makes a bold assertion, couched in a smart read, especially for fans of the Boss (and the president). But as entertainment and politics still seem uncomfortable bedfellows, it's telling that Springsteen has been mentioned more than any of the other celebrities who spent time stumping for one of the candidates involved in the recent election.
Springsteen, who plays the Pepsi Center in Denver on Monday, is the voice of a generation — be it liberal, working-class, Everyman, whatever. Springsteen is the guy who released "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J." in 1973. Springsteen is the guy who started an Obama stump speech in Madison, Wis., earlier this month not with a chant of "four more years" but with a shout-out to New Jersey — and the other Northeastern states affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Springsteen is the guy who, after touring for nearly 50 years, is still changing his show nightly — an exciting though dangerous practice avoided by most modern touring acts.
"When I'm on the road and in the fold with Bruce, I always carry a guitar," said Nils Lofgren, the E Street Band's longtime guitar player. "Bruce is changing the show constantly, so I have the guitar there to work on the songs he adds. I have my own list of songs, too, that I've forgotten or things I'm guessing might come up soon. Because I have a good antennae with the E Street Band at this point."
Bruce's appetite for on-the-fly changes isn't surprising to his fans. But it's substantial nevertheless. Modern touring on that arena scale is painfully predictable. You can pull up a recent Katy Perry setlist or a week-old Madonna review to have a near-precise idea of how your local date will go, what the artist will say between songs, what the band will play.
"(But our sets are) changing more than ever now," said Lofgren. "The other night, we changed the opening song on the way to the stage. We're not following the setlist much these days. It's (Bruce's) way of challenging himself and challenging a band that grew up in an era — we were one of the last in a generation where there was nothing but performing.
"There was no Internet, no YouTube, no crafting stuff on Pro Tools, no learning how to make great records before you knew how to sing in front of a crowd at a coffeehouse. The only game in town for all of us was: You gotta learn how to play in front of people. And that's what we're still doing."
Springsteen's latest record, "Wrecking Ball," was released in March, and with song titles such as "We Take Care of Our Own" and "Land of Hope and Dreams," it's clear his motivations and inspirations haven't changed much since the '70s and '80s. But other songs on the record include "Death to My Hometown," "This Depression," "Rocky Ground," "Shackled and Drawn" and the title track, and so the mood of the record clearly portrays America at a modern crossroads.
There's a lot of weight in Springsteen's catalog, but the boys keep it upbeat — and fresh, too.
"Even if I'm playing a classic like 'Badlands' with Bruce, I'm never playing it the same," said Lofgren. "People don't understand that. They say, 'Of course you do,' but I say, 'No.' If you notated my right and left hands, the chord positions — it might be the same E chord, but there are five different ways to play it.
"And with my right hand, there are countless rhythms. I have a great mix of my bandmates coming out of the monitors on the floor, so I hear my bandmates doing little different things, and I react immediately and improvise my rhythms with my right hand, and they all fit because I love the music and I understand it. And we all bring that to the table, which is crucial — much more important than virtuosity."
A lot about Springsteen and his band is familiar. The message. The smile. The folk-rock aesthetic.
But a lot has changed for the guys, too. The biggest change here: Longtime sax man Clarence Clemons died in June 2011 because of complications with a stroke. His last recorded appearance with the E Street Band comes on "Wrecking Ball," and his presence is missed in (and out) of the fold.
"Two things are happening simultaneously," Lofgren said. "I miss Clarence terribly. When they show the film clip (of him) every night, I just sit there and stare into his eyes, and it's like he's right next to me. I have such a powerful 27-year memory of him on stage and off, 'cause we were very close friends and we spoke every week off the road and every day on the road. We'd do little homework before the shows.
"And at the same time I'm missing the heck out of him, I have to say, these are the best shows we've ever done."
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394, firstname.lastname@example.com or twitter.com/bruvs
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND. The rock legend brings his longtime pals and bandmates to the Pepsi Center (1000 Chopper Circle) at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Tickets, $48-$98, are available via tickethorse.com.


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Last year, SCCRTC received bids to rehabilitate 20 bridges along the line, but decided to reject all bids and modify the project package after estimates came in significantly higher than expected. The modified bid package removed a requirement that La Selva Beach bridge be in operation during the months of November and December 2013 and reduced the required amount of work by forces of the primary contractor from 50 percent to 30 percent.
Stacey and Witbeck, Inc., submitted the winning bid of $6.83 million. Although the bid is still higher than the work estimate, SCCRTC structured the bid package to award a contract to the lowest responsible bidder for only the work that can be performed with the available budget. SCCRTC said the lowest bid included work for the La Selva Beach trestle and the Priority 1 bridges at a cost that was more than $400,000 lower than the first round of bids.
In October 2012, SCCRTC completed the purchase of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line and was awarded $5.35 million in State Transportation Improvement Program from the California Transportation Commission to make improvements to the line.


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Redesigned Range Rover Reportedly Set to Launch in Late 2012
The latest version of Land Rover's flagship vehicle, the Range Rover, will go on sale in the fall of 2012. However, don't be embarrassed if you mistake it for the new Evoque when you first see it. The fourth-generation luxury SUV is expected to be stretched out just ever so slightly compared to the current model. However, despite the miniscule growth, the new Range Rover is expected to drop nearly 990 pounds, courtesy of aluminum (and lots of it) used during assembly. Interior room especially benefits from the overall growth, with increased rear-seat legroom and longer rear doors equaling easier rear-seat access. It's blatantly obvious the next-gen Range Rover bites off more than a little bit of exterior styling from the new Evoque. The windshield and roof line are sloped even more than those of past models and the squared-off body sheds right angles for broad curves. Inside, Autocar reports that Land Rover is using Bentley as its standard for interior quality. The latest Range Rover will share a chassis and electrical system with the next-generation Jaguar XJ but the suspension will be its own. The next generation Range Rover Sport will also utilize the same chassis once it's released. Under the hood, Autocar reports that new V-6 and supercharged V-6 gasoline engines could join the supercharged V-8 and turbocharged diesel V-6 and V-8 engines currently available in the Range Rover. It also appears Land Rover has been bitten by the hybrid bug, and while chances of it actually coming to fruition are slim, a plug-in hybrid drivetrain is being explored. The hybrid drivetrain would run on either diesel or gasoline and was shown off earlier this year on the Range_e concept at the Geneva Motor Show.What do you think of Range Rover's latest design? Is it headed in the right direction or is it too much like the new Range Rover Evoque? Tell us what you think in the comment section below. Source: Autocar
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Video of the Day: Trucker Says "You Shall Not Pass," Collision with Police Car Ensues
Driving tip of the day: When you're not legally allowed to pass a vehicle on a two-lane road, you probably...
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LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) - Guard Sheldon McClellan came off the bench and scored 19 points to give Texas its first win in three days at the Maui Invitational, 69-55 over Mississippi State on Wednesday morning.
The Longhorns (3-2) went up by 18 points in the first half and coasted in the last 20 minutes, shooting 50 percent for the game.
Mississippi State (1-4) made one-third of its shots (17 of 51), improving in the second half after making only five field goals in the first.
Julien Lewis scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half. Cameron Ridley had eight points and 12 rebounds.
Roquez Johnson led the Bulldogs with 18 points, starting after limping off the court with help in the second half of Tuesday's loss to Marquette.
Texas took a 10-point lead midway through the first half, scoring eight straight points starting with a dunk from Cameron Ridley and finishing with a 3-pointer from Ioannis Papapetrou. Less than two minutes later, Prince Ibeh blocked a layup attempt from Trivante Bloodman, leading to a transition dunk for Lewis. The Longhorns took a 17-point lead with just under five minutes in the half on a 3-pointer from Demarcus Holland.
Mississippi State made no field goals in the half after Gavin Ware hit a jumper with 9:38 left. Its best run all game was seven straight points from free throws.
The Texas players took turns on personal scoring runs in the second half. McClellan scored eight straight for his team during a roughly two minute span, then Ridley scored six points during an 11-2 run in the middle of the half.
The matchup was the first time the teams had met since 2002, when sixth-seeded Texas upset third-seeded MSU in the NCAA tournament to reach the Sweet 16.
Each team lost its first two games in the eight-team tournament to set up the game for seventh place. Texas lost in a surprising 13-point blowout Monday night to Division II Chaminade, then lost Tuesday in overtime to USC. Mississippi State wasn't close in either of its first two games in Hawaii against No. 9 North Carolina and Marquette. It lost by a combined 73 points.


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When Steve Nastos is wrongfully accused of murdering his dentist - a man whom he believes committed an unspeakable crime against his daughter - he decides to take the law into his own hands. Freed on bail, he attempts to track down the actual killer in a town where laws are seen more as guidelines and law enforcement agents adhere to their own moral relativism. Handicapped by a recovering alcoholic lawyer, a rogue cop, and a two-faced judge, Nastos has the cards stacked against him. As his estranged yet beloved wife inadvertently becomes involved in the case, the stakes become higher, and Nastos is forced to protect her.
Regular price: $19.95
After being recently cleared of murder charges, the disgraced and out-of-work police detective Steve Nastos reluctantly teams with his brash and similarly disgraced lawyer Kevin Carscadden for a paycheck. Nastos - who built his career on channeling the shadowy instincts within him to hunt dangerous predators - takes on a mission to track the whereabouts of Lindsay Bannerman, a troubled teen who is missing from her wealthy adoptive home. The trail Nastos and his lawyer pick up is one with a sadistic abuser on the other end and littered with lies, deceptions, and lifeless bodies.
Regular price: $19.95


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Thursday, October 13, 2011
Unflappable Brady Hoke
Well, the MZone has done a little digging and discovered Hoke's pattern of calm in the face of chaos knows no bounds. The dude is simply unflappable. Behold...
Here's a shot of Brady Hoke running with the bulls in Spain.
Here's Brady Hoke playing through the American Revolution (let it be noted that the future-U.S. side was down 18 late when this was taken, making Hoke's demeanor even that much more impressive).
Finally, here's Hoke getting eaten by a man-eating shark near the Great Barrier Reef, yet not even breaking a sweat. Yes, the man has ice in his veins.
7 comments:
- phil said...
He's calmer than me about this Saturday's game. Look Yost, I am a little concerned about this game so I want you to go over to State's camp and make them think you are unhappy with the Michigan family and you'd like to join their organization. Find out what you can.
- October 13, 2011 12:52 PM
- Yost said...
All over it, phil. Drinking a case of Pabst as we "speak" so I can go over, puke and be immediately accepted as one of their own.
- October 13, 2011 1:11 PM
- Michigan Sports Girl said...
Again, another stellar post. LOVE IT, Yost! Hoke truly is unflappable. Unlike his predecessor and his minions, with their constant gasket-blowing and stuffed animal-taunting and such. Ah, a zen sideline compared to the misery of the last three seasons! GO BLUE!
- October 13, 2011 4:32 PM
- James said...
Hoke, of course, wasn't actually eaten by the man-eating shark. He's so tough that that the shark couldn't chew through him and ultimately spit him out.
- October 13, 2011 5:47 PM
- Mikoyan said...
It might be easier for me. I could hope they can't read and would confuse my EMU green and white for their green and white?
- October 13, 2011 8:42 PM
- surrounded in columbus said...
what? no pictures of the Hokester pointing?
- October 14, 2011 8:56 AM
- Bigasshammm said...
Perhaps a "Power of the point" post? Various pictures of Hoke pointing to things blowing up. Hindendburg, Death Star, buildings being demolished, etc..
- October 14, 2011 10:12 AM


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Submission + - Is Sony's latest firmware upgrade breaking PS3s? (youtube.com)
MessedRocker writes: "YouTube user "sushigeek" notes that after upgrading his PlayStation 3 to firmware version 3.01, it has suddenly lost the ability to read discs and interface with his wireless controller. Despite a system restore, the problems are still not fixed. This leaves him with two options: to wait for another upgrade to solve the problem, or to send it back to Sony at his expense. Should he have to pay for Sony's mistakes?"


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Do we get what we pay for?
Steve Thorngate at the Christian Century posted something interesting today [1] : a sample itemized receipt for the taxes paid by a middle-class earner:
Thorngate says that if we can "persist in spending almost three times more on the space program than we do on housing for poor people, we ought to be able to print a receipt that says so." Financial accountability is increasingly seen as a must, and I can't think of any clearer, simpler way to for the government to be open about where our money is going.
I'd especially like to see the receipts of those who earn exponentially more than the average, middle-class citizen.


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Latest update : 2013-09-03
'The Emperor with no clothes'
Le Figaro's exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is picked up by many papers worldwide. The editorial in the Syrian government paper Al Thawra reports on Assad's comments saying that Western allies are in disarray and likely to confront each other. Hezbollah paper Al Akhbar, in Lebanon, meanwhile, describes François Hollande as the Emperor with no clothes. We also look at Russian, British and American papers.
Get the France 24 press review on your iPhone or become a fan on Facebook.
Some articles from today's International press review:


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Tipsy Parson- from the people behind the much-loved Little Giant in the LES. They went west! I'm hoping their food is as honest and local and good.
The Breslin- The Spotted Pig people opened this cool joint in the Ace Hotel. The Ace Hotel is this industrial, American masculine spot (the kind of spot an hunter/carpenter/poet from Maine… or Montana… might open). I love it. And it figures perfectly that they would call the Pig people to do a place that features all kinds of weird meat that will probably freak me out.
Maialino- Danny Meyer (Unions Square Cafe, Tabla, 11 Madison) has opened a new restaurant. OMFG, YAY! This time, it's a no holds barred Roman-style trattoria in Gramercy Park. I imagine it's going to be perfect.
And if you're wanting to know of some good spots that I've been to recently that I love:
Aldea- inspired Spanish food with local flavor. Or local food with Spanish flavor? Either way, it's really awesome, and the whole spot is just super nice. I love it for a date or to bring foodies who don't want a scene.
Tomoe Sushi- it's kind of a hole in the wall, but I love their super fresh sushi. I've been getting it to go because the lines are too long though.
Sorella- in the LES- small plate rustic Italian. It's wonderful. Good spot for a date because the wine bar is super dark and intimate, you share the food… you get the picture.


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WSOR has developed a long-term structures maintenance program to extend service life where it can, while prioritizing replacement needs.
Wisconsin & Southern Railroad LLC's (WSOR) network grew in part from the abandoned Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. When operations on the Milwaukee Road ended, the state of Wisconsin partnered with several counties to preserve freight rail, ultimately entering into a lease and operations agreement with WSOR.
According to Dave Bierman, bridge structure supervisor at WSOR, the Milwaukee Road kept its bridges in good shape and when WSOR first began operating along the line, the structures could handle the capacity of the day.
"[When the system came out of abandonment] a lot of the subdivisions where we operate had very little traffic. With the investments that have been made with track improvements, we've seen business grow phenomenally," said Bierman.
Part of that business growth means heavier loads traveling along the system and with structures originally built between 1910 and 1950, age was becoming a factor among WSOR structures.
The railroad has 354 total structures on its system, including 157 (45 percent) steel structures, 139 (39 percent) timber structures, 29 (eight percent) stone structures, 21 (six percent) concrete structures and the remainder comprised of miscellaneous material.
"We're getting into bridge rehabilitation mode on our system and we're taking the worst of the worst first to get those either repaired or completely replaced," said Bierman. "Our big ramp up was last year and it carried into this year and will be ongoing as far as our future holds."
According to Bierman, the footprint the railroad is using year-over-year is to identify and prioritize several structures requiring complete replacement, as well as an additional dozen ormore structures that heavy to moderate repairs are economically advantageous to extend their useful life.
"All of our replacement structures are built to AREMA standards, which are qualified for 315k, when we replace a bridge fully, we build a current AREMA structure," said Bierman. "In the structures where we repair, we prioritize our repairs to keep the capacity but operate over it at a slower speed and get that structure to the end of its life. We do this so we can focus on the other structures that we do not have a choice but to replace them."
Bierman said the railroad, which was always committed to bridge inspection, is taking its structures initiative to a new level by working with an outside engineering firm on a bridge management program. He said working with the firm gives WSOR a system wide view to stay ahead of repairs and replacements by allowing for increased inspection and rating efficiencies, as well as prioritization of structures needing work.
"As our traffic increased, we needed a plan to anticipate what was going to happen with some of the structures on our heavier haul corridors, anticipating and trying to eliminate problems ahead of time," said Bierman.
Bierman believes the issue of capacity is at the forefront of most structural engineers in the rail industry.
"AREMA has done massive studies of many span type capacity upgrades and figuring out which remedial course is the best economical fit. We've benefited greatly from many of these studies, as well as learning from what others have accomplished. We've expanded [those lessons] and developed strategies to fit our own bridges. It's an interesting challenge, but we're all in it together," said Bierman. "The solutions that are coming from the railroad engineering world from many different facets are really interesting. To me, it's some of the most interesting engineering since the railroads were built."
When asked if there was one particularly exacting bridge, without hesitation, Bierman pointed to F-84, which is a pony truss and deck girder combo with a long timber approach on WSOR's Monroe Subdivision over the Sugar River.
The truss' east abutment and Pier 1 were concrete while Pier 2 was stone masonry. Bierman says Pier 2 was settling and the two concrete elements, while they did not look bad from the outside, still needed work performed.
"We had a fairly extensive project where we completely replaced the timber approach and replaced the masonry pier under traffic, which was an interesting process, because we couldn't shift or realign the bridge, so we had to figure out a way to completely remove the existing pier and construct the new pier in the same position," said Bierman.
WSOR accomplished the replacement by building a temporary steel pier around the masonry pier and on which the existing bridge was placed. Bierman said the contractor was able to dismantle the masonry pier and, using a combination of precast and cast in place concrete, construct a new pier.
"[The project] was designed by a consultant, SW Bridge Engineers LLC. They're outstanding at engineering solutions for the best economic value and structure longevity, as well as cutting edge designs for construction under traffic utilizing small work windows allowing us continue to maintain train schedules. It has been a very valuable working partnership," said Bierman.
While WSOR is primarily concentrating on its lower capacity timber structures with advanced deterioration for total replacement, steel and concrete structures are also garnering attention because many of the concrete sub-structures on the system are composed of monolithic non-reinforced concrete and while the concrete is fairly sound, minor deterioration in load bearing areas is a subtle indicator of advanced shear cracking within the interior of the element.
"We had some concrete sub-structure elements, in F-84 and a number of other structures that were composed of non-reinforced concrete, that didn't exhibit advanced deterioration from the surface until we performed some minor repairs involving removing existing surface concrete and casting it back in place. Well, once the contractor began to expose the loose concrete, we found large shear cracks throughout the element's internal load bearing areas and we had to regroup and remove more of the concrete than we thought. The challenge then was to engineer a repair solution to maintain structural capacity and serviceability while removing and replacing the concrete. What we found was that the outer shell of the concrete was superficially deteriorated, but once we got inside, we discovered that significant areas of the material that felt fairly sound was basically consolidated sand and aggregate with much of the cement missing. These weak areas disrupted the load path causing overloading and uncontrolled fracturing in the adjacent sound concrete," said Bierman. "We used a technique where precast concrete elements were custom produced off site and then employed some short windows where the contractor could go in and chop away the bad concrete and install the precast element. Then, we could continue with the remaining repair work, encasing the element with cast-in-place reinforced concrete. We've had very good luck with that as it allows us to go in and have an effective permanent repair fairly rapidly. In our continuing learning curve, we try to anticipate these potentially deteriorated underlying concrete conditions and have a back up plan in mind as to how we will remediate them if we do encounter them."
While WSOR's structures maintenance program is keeping him busy, Bierman says the diversity of the work is what keeps him motivated.
"You have the known quantity you plan and design for, you spend a lot of time with each individual structure and even though you're working on a lot of them at the same time, it's very personal. As projects evolve and change, you work through the challenges, when you achieve the end goal, it is really satisfying. There is something new, something steady, something rapidly changing and it keeps it really fresh and exciting every day," said Bierman.


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Congress set the day aside to bring awareness and improvement to employment opportunities for person with disabilities. Their slogan, America works best when all American's work.
In the words of J.R. Harding, disabled Americans come in all shapes, sizes and colors, it's the one characteristic that doesn't discriminate.
Yet disabled Americans battle discrimination of all shapes and sizes, including finding a job.
" I focused my education on teaching because that was the only place that cared back then that was only location my physical disability didn't impair me from performing," Harding explains.
Twenty years ago, an accident left Harding paralyzed and with few career choices. Unfortunately, those same obstacles exist today.
"Individuals with disabilities do have a higher employment rate than folks without disabilities," Loretta Costin says.
Fifty-three million Americans are disabled, and statistics show 70 percent of them are unemployed, a figure these Florida leaders hope to change by breaking down these barriers.
"Persons with disabilities face a number of barriers hope through this to try and remove them and work together to provide resources," says Kimberly Moore.
Harding hopes this will put the wheels of work in motion and change the way people see the disabled.
"More accepting of people for skills and not their physical or cognitive characteristics," Harding adds.
The state of Florida recently increased the number of disabled workers through various programs, by 10,000.
On Oct. 15 you can take part in the 3rd Annual Disabled Mentoring Day at FSU's University Center Club.


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Boyd "Mac" McElravy, 93
Boyd "Mac" McElravy, 93, of Duquesne, Pa., passed away peacefully at his son Jon's home in White Oak, Pa., on Wednesday, March 26, 2014.
He was born Boyd Earl McElravy, Jr. in Corbettown, Jefferson County, Pa., near Timblin, on Nov. 26, 1920, to Boyd Earl, Sr. and Pearl (Himes) McElravy.
He was married to Maxine (Kagy) McElravy for 51 years, until her death in 1996.
In addition to his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by his brother, Ray Dean McElravy, and his sister, Kathryn Flynn.
He is survived by his loving companion, Janet Griffiths of Duquesne; four children, Donald (Marie) McElravy of Palo Alto, Calif., Marcia (Roy) Davis of Katy, Texas, James (Song) McElravy of Houston, Texas, and Jonathan (Christine Reynolds) McElravy of White Oak; four grandchildren, Karen (Allen Sanders) McElravy, Micah (Linda) McElravy, Ginger (Rafael Jose) Valadez and Lance Davis; and two great-grandchildren, Derek Sanders and Sophia Valadez.
Mac's family moved to Warren, Ohio, in 1925, and he graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1939.
He apprenticed as a machinist prior to serving in the U.S. Navy.
In 1950, he moved his young family to West Mifflin, Pa., and was employed at the Fisher Body Division of General Motors as a tool and dye supervisor.
He retired from GM in 1981 with more than 31 years of service.
He was a strong family man who spent most vacations visiting relatives throughout the United States.
He had many friends and enjoyed hunting, league bowling, golfing and fixing anything mechanical.
He was an avid fan of the Steelers, the Pirates and any sporting event or concert in which a loved one participated.
Mac enjoyed tending his vegetable garden and eating home-grown tomatoes.
He actively participated in the life of the First Presbyterian Church of Duquesne, where he helped maintain the church property until very recently, when he became physically unable to do so.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19, 2014, at the First Presbyterian Church of Duquesne, 719 Duquesne Blvd., Duquesne, PA 15110, with a reception to follow in the church social hall.
Mac's family wishes to extend heartfelt and grateful thanks to Forbes Hospice workers Jill and Michael, who lovingly cared for and comforted their father in his last few months.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mac's memory be made to Forbes Hospice or to the Alzheimer's Foundation, so they may continue their valuable work.
For condolences and information, visit www.stephendslater.com.