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Blogging about Writers & Readers: Fantasy and Magic Realism
Monday 12 March 12.30pm, The Embassy
If you've ever read anything by Kelly Link before, you'll know she's interested in the business of being dead. I don't know what percentage of her stories feature some kind of reanimated corpse, but it's definitely high.
At the Writers & Readers session Kelly Link read an excerpt from one of her stories about a boy who digs up the corpse of his girlfriend, who is pissed off at being exhumed and follows him around for the rest of the story. When asked why she had so much interest in the undead, Kelly Link said she had a friend who's job it was to clear out the houses of dead people for a living. These people were usually hoarders, and it was his job to sift through their rubbish. At this point, I was pretty sure her story was going to involve one of the aforementioned dead people coming back from the grave to avenge the disposal of all their stuff, but it turned out her friend just salvaged a lot of old zombie movies, which they watched together. (Do old people really hoard zombie movies?)
She also said she read a lot of ghost stories as a kid, which terrified her. Her parents eventually gave her an ultimatum. Either she had to stop waking them up in the middle of the night, or she had to stop reading the stories. No prizes for guessing which she chose.
But Kelly Link says she's always careful not to reveal too much about the dead. She talked about her experience teaching a class of college kids who weren't into reading. She said that the thing that the kids were most interested to find out was whether the characters in their books were good people or bad people, and whether good things or bad things happen to them at the end. She said this was frustrating for her, and one of the things she now tries to do is write stories where that question is never easy to answer, but the stories are so entertaining that people have to keep reading them regardless.
In describing Kelly Link, people often start by talking about genre. Her Wikipedia page describes her work as "slipstream or magic realism: a combination of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery and realism." I'd personally add a bit of fairy tale and black comedy to that list.
I usually don't like talking about genre because it's pretty unhelpful most of the time (unless you're trying to shelve something,) but Kelly Link is totally untroubled by being categorized – after working in a bookstore for years she understands the importance of finding the right readers, and she said she's learned to enjoy the experience. She's even hilariously had calls from people who have discovered her book "Magic for Beginners" in the non fiction/ occult section of their local bookstore.
But one of the perks of being so hard to pin down is that nobody knows exactly what to expect from your books.
All the usual expectations of genre are out the window. I like Kelly's work because it's surprising and funny and she's never afraid to take risks, or throw a couple of werewolves into the mix.
Even her writing style is unorthodox. She talked about how she often writes sitting at a table with Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, (two famous YA/fantasy authors,) and when any of them get stuck, they just pass their laptop over, and someone else will work on it instead. She said the key to being a good editor is not to try and turn someone else's work into your own, but to really think about what they're trying to achieve, and go from there.That's one of the things I like about Kelly Link. She works collaboratively with her writing community.
Before she was widely published, she created a zine with her husband called "Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet," publishing work by writers that kind of fell between the cracks of genre. She's also currently involved in republishing novels by favourite science fiction and fantasy authors that have been out of print for years. One of her first books, 'Magic for Beginners," is available as an –e-book for free download on her website: http://kellylink.net/
by Hera Bird, Administrator at Booksellers NZ and poet
IMAGE: Kelly Link from the Writers & Readers website


text: So, I was checking out this cool web site. Seems pretty powerful. I can get it to spit out Socrates, which is their example. But I can't get Apollo or Corinth or Epidamnu(/o)s. Is anybody familiar with it? They seem to include place names; but I don't understand why they say "Personal" rather than "Proper". Also, I can find Socrates without using a capital "s", but I don't know why they give upper and lower case in their transliteration table. Does anybody know how it works? Can you get Epidamnus?

subset: commoncrawl


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Clearly the biggest hole on the team right now is a big stick in LF. Here are three out-of-the-box, splashy solutions I would entertain to address this problem:
1. Trade for Justin Upton
I'll start with the least realistic yet most outside-the-box option. Justin Upton is owed $45MM through 2015, when he'll be a 27 year old free agent. While he is less than 10% to get traded, he has struggled immensely in 2012 and just got blasted publicly by his owner: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/0...rom-upton.html
Upton could plug immediately into the #2 or #4 hole (he hits RH) and juice this lineup for the next 3.5 years. Additionally, he'd be a plus-plus defender in LF. He would cost a bundle both in talent and dollars (although who knows where the limit is on payroll these days?). I'd offer any three prospects in the system for him- probably something like Hamilton, Corcino, and Gregorius, just to see if their front office is tempted to make a bold move given their owner's frustrations. Hamilton is Hamilton and Corcino would look nice along with Bauer, Bradley and Skaggs. Drew is clearly leaving town after this year so Gregorius could start for them as early as next year.
2. Trade for Carlos Quentin
The FA-to-be wouldn't cost much in dollars or long term commitments, and I hypothesized in another thread that something like Soto + Duran could get it done. The SD native could return to his hometown Padres this offseason, so it is unlikely the non-contending Pads would require much in a rental for his services. He's not a great defender but he's been on fire since getting activated from the DL 2 weeks ago. He also hits RH, so he would immediately become a powerful cleanup hitter for the Reds: he has jacked 5 HR in just 27 AB so far this year with Petco as his home field, so just imagine what he could do in GAB.
3. Sign Jorge Soler
OK so this doesn't do anything for the Reds this year. Or next year. But Soler is the premier type of talent that could be the LF on this team for a decade. Between Soler, Bruce, Lutz and Winker, the Reds wouldn't have to worry about another corner OF for at least a decade. It would surely be costly, but probably not as much as another international signing the Reds were willing to pay for- Aroldis Chapman, and he is looking more and more worth it by the day. Plus, this is the last opportunity for a small-market team like the Reds to really make an outlier splash with an amateur player, as the new spending cap goes into effect July 2 (and bids are due for Soler today). I'd really cringe if the Cubs get him, and they are reportedly the favorites to do so.


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Eagles QB Foles hopes to make most of road start
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Nick Foles, you're up.
Foles returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since sustaining a concussion in Philadelphia's 17-3 loss to Dallas on Oct. 20.
With Michael Vick sidelined by a hamstring injury, Foles will likely start for the Eagles (3-5) at Oakland (3-4) this week unless he has a setback in his recovery.
''I cleared everything and I feel good,'' Foles said. ''I felt good out there today. It was a long week last week, but the most important thing was getting healthy. I had a lot of support, and I feel great. It was great to get back out there with the team and I feel like we had a good day today.''
Foles had to pass the ImPACT concussion test and receive clearance from an independent neurologist before returning to the field. He was hurt in his second start filling in for Vick, who re-injured his left hamstring in the first half of a 15-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
''There were definitely symptoms, but I'm healthy now and that's the most important thing,'' Foles said. ''It's very tough. There's a lot of adversity, but I've always had my family there.
''They were great with supporting me. A concussion is not something that you want to go through, but they were great to support me. My teammates were great and the coaching staff was too. A week later, I feel great and feel healthy. It was great being back out there and I'm excited to just keep going.''
Matt Barkley finished off each of the past two games, and the rookie shared first-team snaps with Foles in practice.
Foles played well after replacing Vick late in the second quarter of a 36-21 win at the Giants on Oct. 6. He was the NFC Player of the Week for his performance in a 31-20 win at Tampa Bay the following week.
But Foles struggled against the Cowboys. He completed just 11 of 29 passes for 80 yards before getting hurt on the last play of the third quarter.
''He's had a chance to look through the game. We've gone through the details of the good, the bad and the ugly, and he's ready to move forward,'' offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said.
''Some of those plays specifically we've talked about why. But then of course there are times when you just miss throws, and he missed more than his share.''
The Eagles have lost two in a row and are one game behind the Cowboys (4-4) in the NFC East.
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org


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DURHAM– P. J. Hairston apparently is not the only local high-profile athlete who associated with the Durham man linked to multiple rental cars driven by Hairston himself.
According to WRALSportsFan, Haydn "Fats" Thomas, 39, deleted his Twitter account July 1. But the tweet trails left behind were ripe with arrests, drugs and relationships with big-time athletes.
These connections with athletes from UNC, Duke and other schools have opened the door for the NCAA to potentially investigate whether this man provided impermissible benefits.
An NCAA statement released Monday stated that it "cannot comment on potential investigations."
Social Media Log:
-On July 26, 2012, a Twitter handle @fats315 posted a photo of former UNC player John Henson on a couch at a club. Henson was picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks just 28 days earlier in the NBA Draft.
-On Nov. 14, 2012, UNC player Leslie McDonald tweeted that "Fats" gave him a phone, which McDonald used.
@Lezz_McDonald2 since when.. I'll wait..
Leslie McDonald @Lezz_McDonald2
@BRINTCITYNC you don't remember Fats giving me that extra one last week….yeah all I did is restore it and activated it. #CHEA
-A picture taken at Solas in downtown Raleigh dated August 1, 2012 was posted to A.C.T. Productions' Facebook account and shows Thomas, Henson and McDonald at a "Penthouse Wednesdays" party.
-On January 14, former Ohio State and current Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor retweeted a tweet sent out from a club promoter in Miami that links him and former UNC wide receiver Greg Little, former Riverside High School and current Indianapolis Colts tight end Weslye Saunders with Thomas.
I had too much fun with @MikeJAllDay @Str8UpGlittle @TerrellePryor @Wes_Saunders88 & @Fats315 at rokbarmiami http://instagr.am/p/UejqGMhdSW/
-One tweet, dated March 24, 2012, tags Duke football player Desmond Scott, Thomas and two others. There is a complementary photo of three bottles of alcohol. Scott played for the Blue Devils last season as a senior.


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Nico Weiler of the Harvard men's track and field team is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for June 11. He Weiler shattered his own school record in the pole vault at the NCAA Championships, placing fourth in the competition Friday. Weiler finished the competition with a clearance of 18' 0.5" (5.50m) and was one of only four competitors to clear the 5.50-meter height.
The Harvard lightweight varsity eight is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for June 4. The crew of oarsmen Florian Mayr, Alex Newell, Tim Moore, Nicholas Gates, Stuart Taylor, Erich Schultze, Matt O'Leary and Michael Wales captured Harvard's eight national championship in men's lightweight crew with their first-place finish at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. The boat broke the course record by three seconds and finished a second ahead of runner-up Dartmouth.
Rachel Brown of the Harvard softball team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for May 21. The senior pitched the Crimson to the NCAA Regional Final with wins over Maryland, 3-2 (8), and Texas Tech, 2-0, May 19. At the Seattle Regional, Brown threw four complete games, allowed 21 hits and seven earned runs, while striking out 20 batters. Harvard ended the season with a 4-0 loss to regional host and No. 16 Washington in the final, and finished with a 35-15 overall mark, collecting the second-most wins in a season in program history and first-ever birth in the NCAA Regional Final. Brown completed her final year in Cambridge with a 21-7 record in the circle.
The Radcliffe heavyweight varsity eight is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for May 14. Rowers Michelle Pearson, Lucy Grinalds, Liz Soutter, Mimi Tanski, Courtney Diekema, Jenna Gregoire, Scout Moran and Mary Maginnis and coxswain Jill Carlson outlasted Cornell and top-seeded Princeton to win the inaugural Ivy League Championship Sunday on the Cooper River. The members of Radcliffe's varsity eight earned first-team All-Ivy League honors, as they finished the grand final in 6:17.744. After claiming the Ivy crown for the first time since its national title season of 2003, Radcliffe now owns eight Ivy championships.
Ben Glauser, a freshman on the Harvard men's track and field team, was named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for May 7. Glauser was part of a strong effort from the Harvard throwing squad that combined for 85 points at the Heptagonal Championship. The Atlanta, Ga., native broke a 43-year old school record with a second-place throw of 58' 11.5" (17.97m) in the shot put. He also earned a spot on the All-Ivy League second team with a runner-up mark of 195' (59.45m) in the hammer, almost a meter further than his previous best and good for the ninth-best distance in team history.
Bonnie Hu of the Harvard women's golf team was named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for April 30 after leading the Crimson to the 2012 Ivy League championship. The sophomore from Freemont, Calif., captured the individual title and garnered All-Ivy League first team honors. Hu shot 77-73-75-225 to win the crown by five strokes over Penn's Isabel Han. All five Crimson golfers finished in the top-15 to claim its third conference championship in the last five years and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Rachel Brown of the Harvard softball team is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for April 23. The senior allowed one earned run and struck out 25 batters in 21 innings of work, helping the Crimson clinch its third straight Ivy League North Division title. After surrendering a first-inning run Friday in the opener of Harvard's weekend series against the Brown Bears, she did not allow a hit over the final nine innings of a 2-1, extra-inning win. She followed that effort with a two-hit shutout of the Bears Saturday. Brown also struck out six Boston University Terriers in four innings of midweek work and posted an earned-run average of 0.33 for the week.
Sarah Pierson of the Harvard sailing team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for April 16. Pierson helped lead the Crimson to its first New England Championship since 2001 over the weekend. Sailing in the crew position alongside skipper and previous Athlete of the Week Brendan Kopp, she helped Harvard win the A division at the New England Dinghy Championship. Kopp and Pierson totaled just 110 points in 18 weekend races and were at their best down the stretch with two wins and a runner-up finish in the final five rounds of competition. They finished seventh or better in 11 of the 18 races, including seven top-three finishes.
Jennifer VanderMuelen of the Harvard women's lacrosse team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for April 9. VanderMuelen scored seven goals in two games last week, including six in a victory over Ivy League opponent Brown April 7. The junior's six scores tied her career high and moved her into a tie for sixth place on Harvard's career goals list with 122. The Liverpool, N.Y., native also added a tally against No. 9 Virginia April 2. VanderMuelen and the Crimson play home contests against Holy Cross (April 11) and Princeton (April 14) this week.
Devan Kennifer of the Harvard women's water polo team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week April 2. Kennifer tallied six goals, six assists and eight steals in a pair of CWPA Southern Division wins March 31. The senior led Harvard past Mercyhurst, 10-4, with two goals, two assists and five steals before having an equally impressive performance against George Washington in the nightcap. In an 18-12 win over GW, Kennifer had four goals, four assists and three steals to contribute to the Crimson's biggest offensive outburst of the season. The Monterey, Calif., native ranks second on the Harvard squad with 49 scores this season.
Harvard fencing's Valentin Staller has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for March 26. Staller, who was one of six Harvard fencers to garner All-America honors, placed second at the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio. The Old Field, N.Y., native defeated No. 1 seed Max Stearns from Ohio State to make the final, after qualifying for the semifinals by placing in the top four. Staller fell to Penn State's Aleksander Ochocki, 15-11, in the title bout. The senior had a +22 scoring differential throughout the tournament.
Jeff Cohen, an attackman on the Harvard men's lacrosse team, has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for March 19. Cohen scored five goals at No. 14/15 Duke March 12 and tallied five more scores against Brown March 17. Against Brown, the senior netted the game-winning goal at the 2:19 mark of overtime, to propel the Harvard to a 10-9 victory. The Syosset, N.Y., native, who has 23 goals this season, ranks fourth in school history with 117 career scores. Cohen has scored five times in three games this season and has registered hat tricks in five straight contests.
DJ White of the Harvard men's volleyball team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for March 12. White helped the Crimson beat No. 12 Cal State Northridge, 3-1, March 10. The win marked the first victory over a ranked team for Harvard under head coach Brian Baise. White registered a double-double in the win with 16 kills and 11 digs. The freshman has accumulated 135 kills and 73 digs this season, both good for second on the team. Harvard continues its California trip with matches at Pepperdine March 12 and Cal Baptist March 13.
Ali Farag of the Harvard men's squash team has been named co-Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for March 5. The sophomore gave the Crimson its second national champion in three years with a 3-0 win in the College Squash Association (CSA) Individual Championships in Amherst, Mass., March 4. Farag swept Ramit Tandon of Columiba in the title match, his third sweep in as many matches at the tournament. The Cairo, Egypt native, who finished the season with a 16-0 record, is Harvard's 34th winner of the Pool Trophy, given to the nation's individual tournament champion.
Amanda Sobhy, a Harvard women's squash team member, has been named co-Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for March 5. The freshman won the College Squash Association (CSA) Individual Championships in Amherst, Mass., March 4. Sobhy completed a flawless run at the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of defending champion Millie Tomlinson of Yale in the title match to become Harvard's 12th Ramsay Cup champion. The Sea Cliff, N.Y., native finished the 2011-12 season with a 15-0 record.
The Harvard women's squash team was named the Harvard COOP Athletes of the Week for Feb. 27. The top-ranked Crimson captured the 13th national title in program history, as Harvard won the College Squash Association national women's team championship by defeating No. 2 Yale, 8-1, at the Murr Center Sunday. The Crimson, which has won two of the last three CSA national titles, completed its season with a perfect 17-0 record, as Harvard also claimed the Ivy League title and Barhite Award, given to team with the best dual-match record, along the way this year. Harvard's national championship is the first for the women's program under Mike Way, the Gregory Lee '87 and Russell Ball '88 Endowed Coach for Squash at Harvard University.
Rebecca Nadler of the Harvard Alpine skiing team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Feb. 20. The Ottawa, Ont., native battled challenging snow conditions and course sets to claim the giant slalom event at Jiminy Peak Feb. 18. Nadler improved on consecutive second-place finishes to become Harvard's first Alpine skier to win a downhill event on the EISA circuit. The sophomore, now the overall points leader in the EISA, helped the Crimson to a ninth-place team finish with her event victory. Nadler and the Crimson take part in the EISA Championships at the Middlebury Carnival Feb. 24-25 to close the 2012 season.
Valentin Staller of the Harvard men's fencing team has been honored as the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week Feb. 13. Staller, who was named to the All-Ivy first team, went 12-3 over a two-day span at the Ivy League Championship. The senior from Old Field, N.Y., missed out on sharing the individual title by one win. The Crimson takes part in the Beanpot tournament at Harvard's Maklin Athletic Center Feb. 14.
Jillian Dempsey of the Harvard women's hockey team was named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week Feb. 7. Dempsey poured in a five goals, one short of tying the NCAA record, in a 10-1 win over Ivy League rival Princeton Feb. 4. With Harvard trailing 1-0 in the second period, the Winthrop, Mass., native scored three consecutive strikes, including one shorthanded and one power play goal. She added another tally late in the second, her fourth of the frame, and found the net for a fifth time with 41 seconds remaining in the contest. Dempsey also added two goals in the third period to help the Crimson come from behind to beat Quinnipiac, 4-2, Feb. 3.
Kaitlin Spurling of the Harvard women's hockey team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Jan. 30. Spurling had six points on four goals and two assists to lead the Crimson to wins at Yale Jan. 27 and Brown Jan. 28. The junior Byfield, Mass., native started the weekend with a four-point performance against Yale. She had two first-period goals to give the Crimson an early 3-0 advantage and added two assists en route to an 8-0 victory over the Bulldogs. Against Brown, Spurling added two more scores to help the Crimson get past the Bears, 3-0. Spurling and the Crimson open the Beanpot Jan. 31 at Boston University, before taking on Quinnipiac (Feb. 3) and Princeton (Feb. 4) at Bright Hockey Center.
Marshall Everson of the Harvard men's ice hockey team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Jan. 23. Everson had a hand in all four Harvard goals as the Crimson went on the road and tied nationally ranked opponents Colgate and Cornell. In each game, he scored to draw Harvard even late in the first period and later assisted on a key goal. His assist on Peter Starrett's goal Friday helped give the Crimson a second-period lead against the No. 18 Raiders. On Saturday, he assisted on Alex Killorn's game-tying goal in the third period. Harvard will face Ivy League rival Yale Jan. 27 at Bright Hockey Center. The 7:30 p.m. start is set to air live on NBC Sports Network.
Haley Mendez of the No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Harvard women's squash team was named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week Jan. 16. Mendez, playing in the No. 4 position, broke a 4-4 tie against No. 3 Princeton with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Alexis Saunders. The freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y., trailed early in the match but won the last two games, 11-3, 11-2, to take Harvard past the visiting Tigers. The Crimson advanced to 9-0 overall and 3-0 in the Ivy League with the win. Harvard will be back in action Jan. 21 at No. 5 Trinity.
Harvard women's basketball's Brogan Berry has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Jan. 9. Berry led the Crimson to non-conference wins at Massachusetts, 68-57, and TCU, 56-44, last week. The senior captain registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists against UMass and followed with a 17-point performance against TCU. Berry moved into the Ivy League's all-time top 10 for career assists and became the 10th leading scorer in school history during the week. Harvard's wins moved its record to 7-6 overall and the Crimson will open up Ivy League play at Dartmouth Jan. 14.
Alex Killorn of the Harvard men's ice hockey team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Jan. 2. Killorn, a senior from Montreal, Que., led Harvard with two goals and two assists and posted a 29-10 record (.744) at the faceoff dot in a pair of weekend games at No. 18 North Dakota. He scored a goal and added two assists, one on Marshall Everson's game-tying goal in the third period, in Friday's 4-4 tie. Killorn then scored to give Harvard a first-period lead Saturday. Killorn and the Crimson continue the season with a pair of road games this weekend before taking on Union at Fenway Park Jan. 13.
The Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Dec. 12 is Chuck Katis of the Harvard men's swimming team. Katis set three pool records at Columbia's Uris Pool to help Harvard defeat the Lions, 206-92, in a dual meet Dec. 10. The freshman led 1-2-3 finishes for the Crimson in the 100-yard breaststroke (55.18 seconds) and 200 breast (2:00.76) in his first two record-setting performances of the day. Katis secured Harvard's final victory of the day in the 200 individual medley, again setting a pool record and earning a new personal-best time of 1:48.56 in the process. The Falls Church, Va., native was also a part of the winning 200 medley relay team along with Jack Pretto, Niall Janney and Chris Satterthwaite.
Harvard wrestling's Steven Keith has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Dec. 5. Keith won four matches at 133 lbs. to place third individual and help the Crimson to a 15th-place finish at the 2011 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Keith picked up a 2-1 decision over Hofstra's Jamie Franco in the first round and then knocked off Army's Jordan Thome, the ninth seed, via a 9-0 major decision in the second round. After falling to top-seeded Logan Stieber of Ohio State, the Shoreham, N.Y., native bounced back to defeat 11th-seeded Thomas Kelliher with a fall at the 2:11 mark and second-seed Ryan Mango of Stanford with a 5-4 decision to claim third place.
Keith Wright of the Harvard men's basketball team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Nov. 28. The senior led the Crimson to wins over Utah, No. 20 Florida State and Central Florida to capture the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis tournament championship in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Wright was named the tournament's MVP after averaging 10 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. In the opener, a 28-point rout of Utah, Wright scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and contributed seven rebounds and three blocks. Wright added another seven boards in the championship against Central Florida and scored 12 points, while going 4-of-6 from the field, to finish 11-of-16 (68.8%) during the tournament. Harvard, now 6-0 overall this season, continues the regular season at Vermont Dec. 1.
Alexandra Kiefer of the Harvard women's fencing team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Nov. 21. Kiefer took home the gold in the foil event at the Garret Open hosted by Penn State Nov. 19. The sophomore from Lexington, Ky., beat out 49 other entrants to claim first place at the prestigious tournament. Kiefer and the Crimson return to action Dec. 3, when Harvard makes its second trip to State College, Pa., for the Penn State Invitational.
Josue Ortiz of the Harvard football team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Oct. 14. Ortiz, one of 21 seniors honored at their last home game, helped the Crimson clinch the outright Ivy League title with a win over Penn, 37-20 Saturday. The Avon Park, Fla., native led the defensive effort with 10 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and two sacks, while also forcing and recovering a fumble. With Harvard trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, Ortiz swung the momentum to the Crimson side by forcing and recovering a fumble at the Penn 24-yard line. He recorded a sack on the Quakers' first drive and ended their second with another sack, his league-leading ninth of the season. Harvard finishes the season at rival Yale Nov. 19 at noon.
Christine Wu, a senior on the Harvard women's volleyball team, has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Nov. 7. Wu recorded 28 digs against the Lions, not only clinching the number two spot in Ivy League history but also setting a new career high for digs in a three set match. The Naperville, Ill., native has amassed 1,780 digs in her career, second only to the 2,141 digs recorded by Penn's Madison Wojciechowski. Wu, who broke the program record for career digs earlier this season, entered the contest ranked 18th in the NCAA in digs per set.
Marissa Gedman, a sophomore on the Harvard women's ice hockey team, has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Oct. 31. Gedman tallied a goal and two assists in the season-opening win over St. Lawrence and scored the game-winner in overtime against Clarkson. The game-winning tally came just 1:32 into overtime as the Framingham, Mass., native took a pass from Michelle Picard and moved to just outside the right faceoff circle where she slapped a shot past the Clarkson goaltender. She also contributed to a defensive effort that allowed two goals in the season's first two contest. Gedman finished the weekend with a team-leading five points and a +4 rating.
The Harvard championship eight is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Oct. 24. Patrick Lapage, Matthew Edstein, Caspar Jopling, Andrew Reed, Sam O'Connor, Josh Hicks, Andrew Holmes, James O'Connor and coxswain David Fuller won the premier eights race at the Head of the Charles Regatta for the first time since 1977, finishing first among 34 crews. They finished the three-mile course in 14:17.68, topping USRowing by 6.5 seconds and defending national champion Washington by 8.5. The group accomplished the feat in uniforms commemorating Harry Parker's 50th season as Crimson head coach.
Evan Ramsey of the Harvard men's water polo team has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Oct. 17. The freshman had an impressive all-around performance in a 16-7 win over Connecticut College Oct. 15 and scored a dramatic game-winning goal against Mercyhurst Oct. 16. Ramsey contributed to half of the Crimson scoring output against Connecticut College with a season-high five goals and three assists. He also added two steals on the defensive end in the win. With less than 30 seconds remaining against Mercyhurst, Ramsey caught a lob pass in the middle of the Crimson offensive set and fired past a diving Mercyhurst goalie into the top left corner of the goal to give Harvard a 10-9 victory. The goal was the Irvine, Calif., native's 12th of the season.
After a career day, Harvard football's Colton Chapple has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Oct. 11. The junior quarterback threw for 414 yards on 23 completions and four touchdowns to lead the Crimson to a 41-31 win at Cornell Oct. 8. Chapple's career-high yardage is the second-highest single-game passing mark in school history. During a pivotal seven-minute stretch in the second half, Chapple threw three touchdown passes to turn a four-point deficit into a 17-point lead for Harvard. For his efforts, the Alpharetta, Ga., native was named Ivy League Player of the Week. Behind Chapple, the Crimson won its third consecutive game and improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the Ivy League.
Peyton Johnson, a sophomore on the Harvard women's soccer team, has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Oct. 2. In the 93rd minute, Johnson drilled a penalty kick to give the Crimson a 2-1 sudden victory over arch rival Yale Oct. 1. The Catonsville, Md., native earned the penalty kick opportunity after her advance of the ball through the box struck the hand of a Yale defender. The game winner was Johnson's second goal of 2011 and gives her seven points through 10 games. Harvard moved to 2-0 in Ivy League play and 6-4 overall.
Senior Melanie Baskind has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Sept. 26. Baskind led the Crimson women's soccer team to two victories last week. In Harvard's Ivy League opener, Baskind scored both goals for the Crimson in a 2-0 win over Penn Sept 23. The Framingham, Mass., native scored after a cross from Peyton Johnson at 13:02 before adding her team-high seventh goal of the year on another Johnson assist at 24:42. Baskind contributed her 13th and 14th points of the year on two assists to help the Crimson past New Hampshire, 4-1, Sept. 25. After the Crimson jumped to a 2-0 lead at the half, Baskind assisted on goals by Elizabeth Weisman and Meg Casscells-Hamby in a three-minute span at the beginning of the second half to put the game out of reach. The co-captain, who also serves as co-captain of the lacrosse team and is an All-Ivy League recipient in both sports, is a candidate for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
Sophomore James Leakos of the Harvard men's cross country team is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Sept. 19. Leakos led the Crimson men to victory over Yale at the HY meet Sept. 17. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native captured the individual title for Harvard, running a time of 24:21 on the 8-kilometer course to win by a three-second margin. With Leakos at the front of the pack and Crimson teammate Billy Orman in second, Harvard ran to a convincing 23-34 win against its rival. It was the men's fourth win over Yale in the last five years at the annual fall race.
Senior Brendan Kopp of the Harvard sailing team is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Sept. 12. Kopp skippered all 10 races in the A division to lead the Crimson to second place in the division and overall in the season-opening Harry Anderson Trophy regatta Saturday and Sunday at Yale. Competing against 20 schools, Kopp, with the help of crews Sarah Pierson and Richard Bergsund, placed in the top half of the field eight times, earned four top-four finishes and won one race. With 147 points, Kopp and the Crimson edged the host Bulldogs by one point for second place, trailing only Wisconsin.
Bridget McGillivray, who scored her second goal of the weekend to lift the Harvard field hockey team to an overtime win against Lafayette Sunday, has been named the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for Sept. 6. The sophomore helped lead the Crimson to a 2-0 weekend with five total points in the first two games of the season. McGillivray scored her first career goal on a reverse flick into the top of the cage in the second half of Friday's 4-0 win at Holy Cross. In Sunday's home opener against Lafayette, McGillivray passed to Sydney Jenkins to give Harvard a 2-1 lead in the first half. The Leopards would tie the score by halftime, but the Victoria, B.C., native scored 10:20 into overtime to give the Crimson a sudden victory.


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"Hello everyone! Pp update . Darnell Williams has officially signed on!! More to come xo"
Excited? What will Jesse do without Angie? Or would they recast? Let us know what you think.
I think it's great that Mr. Williams has signed on...what bothers me is that he is only the third cast member to do so. I wonder what the problem is---they can't ALL have already signed on to other things.
I really hope AMC does find another life, be it on tv or the internet.
I am excited to hear Darnell will continue with AMC. I hope the writers have Angie in a coma from being shot at the party by JR. This would leave the door open for Debbi to return some day and it would be good drama to see Jesse try and go on with life without her.ReplyDelete
Every night when I go home and realize that "All My Children" isn't on my DVR I get sad. It was one of the things I always looked forward to to relax in the evening and catch up on my AMC friends. Not only that Dan Kroll's column made me chuckle and sometimes shed a tear at a character's passing.
I miss AMC so much I can't say. ABC screwed up big time. I don't and won't watch "The Chew", The Spew, The Dew or whatever else they come up with.
I love Jesse -- he's one of the hallmark characters of my generation. When he came back to the show several years ago I screamed for joy. I am sad that Angie won't be there. She is SOOOOO beautiful and I love her dimples. I will miss her beautiful face and spirit.
This is good news...maybe PP will need to temporarily do a recast of Angie until DM could return.ReplyDelete
Great News, but I hope more of them will sign on too. I wouldn't want another actress playing Angie's part. It just wouldn't be the same. They been together too long. Some characters, you just cant recast.ReplyDelete
FranniegThis is great news ... I so hoped Darnell would sign (love him). I miss AMC so much; can't wait to watch it on PP. As for Angie, don't recast ... want DM to reconsider in the near future. I hope others will sign soon. Vicent and Micheal why are you taking so long?ReplyDelete
This is great news. I hate that DM has moved on, but I would be open to a recast. There have been some wonderful recasts that, at first, thought would never work, but in time came to love them too. I'm just glad that AMC has life!!!!ReplyDelete


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June 29, 2010
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12 comments:
- Natalia from Piece N Quilt said...
It'll be darling from Happy!
Thank you!
- June 29, 2010 at 10:11 AM
- Cheryl Arkison said...
Don't be afraid of the New York Beauty. Yes, they take time, but they aren't hard at all! Hmm, I haven't made one in a long time.
- June 29, 2010 at 10:19 AM
- Mimi said...
You are right on.....New York beauties are NOT for doll quilts... something simple and let the fabric do the work.... it is going to be loved by some doll and her mommy....
- June 29, 2010 at 10:25 AM
- Lindsay said...
I will show you mine if you show me yours...lol...I have a to do list as well, which doesnt get worked on because i am afraid if i change the thread in my machine to something other then red you might post some new blocks!...lol...this morning, i changed it to blue, so that I can work on my pin cushion this afternoon.
So Amy, I will show you my progress this afternoon/evening, if you show me yours!
- June 29, 2010 at 10:36 AM
- sewmeow said...
Love the title to this post...that's what my to do list is all about. lol.
- June 29, 2010 at 10:57 AM
- Melissa said...
I love the Happy fabric. It will be adorable for a doll quilt!
- June 29, 2010 at 11:06 AM
- Amy - Park City Girl said...
DEAL Lindsay! You better get to work :)
- June 29, 2010 at 11:08 AM
- Blue Is Bleu said...
I always have trouble starting projects too... then halfway through I wonder what the fuss was all about hehe Can't wait to see your doll quilt with the Happy fabrics! :)
- June 29, 2010 at 12:29 PM
- Lis said...
I have a to do list but I never look at it!
- June 29, 2010 at 12:45 PM
- Grey Cat said...
Here, I'll second Cheryl in saying, "Don't be afraid of New York Beauties!" They're not nearly as hard as they look, and they're so worth the effort.
Nevertheless, I'm sure those adorably happy prints will look awesome in Dresden Plates (a favorite of mine).
- June 29, 2010 at 1:21 PM
- Carol said...
good luck. The Happy fabric is really pretty.
- June 29, 2010 at 1:57 PM
- Barb said...
Oh, dresdens will be beautiful in your fabric choices :D
- June 30, 2010 at 2:43 PM


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The John Murray Show Wednesday 13 February 2013
A lively mix of topical stories, human interest and lifestyle features with Neil Delamere.
Well the headline in today's Irish Independent says it all: fathers takes bull by horns in bid to save daughter's school. We have the man who owns that bull, Des Joyce from Glinsk Co Galway, on the line to Neil, to explain all!
Great news emerged yesterday that mother Candice Gannon, after seven long months, has been reunited with her daughter Ellie yesterday. We are joined by Candice, on the line this morning, telling us of her daughter's safe return.
This morning we hear some beautiful melodies, that come from the earliest ever collection of Irish Music, which will be performed live in studio by the country's best known musician, pianist Micheal O'Suilleabhain.
Today marks National No Smoking Day where people are encouraged to kick the habit - once & for all! Neil's next guest did just that, but not the way we would recommend anyone else to give them up. Labour TD Ann Phelan joins us from our Waterford studio.
Call: 01-2083257, 01-2083971, 01-2082339
Text: 51551
Presenter: Dave Fanning


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Another reason the hotel was wrong and the groom was probably annoyed - the morning after brunch is a real possibility. Even just an informal one, in the same dining area as everyone else is not unusual, just like the pre-planned, perhaps private room or reserved tables brunch. I know for example my future in-laws are staying at the hotel we blocked and have sent out an email just a few days ago to their family, and asked DF & I to forward to any of our friends and my side, to say lets all meet in the hotel restaurant for brunch the morning after the wedding. This email was to all staying in the hotel, but also to people who live in the area (so a lot of money for the hotel restaurant!) You being at a different hotel makes you joining less of a reality, whereas if you were in the hotel with them, you'd easily be included if there is any morning after event.
I read it as the groom was mad at the hotel for asking, not at his guests for saying yes. but I could be wrong
Quote from: PastryGoddess on October 08, 2012, 07:37:45 PMI read it as the groom was mad at the hotel for asking, not at his guests for saying yes. but I could be wrongI read it as the groom was annoyed at the OP for "giving in" even though she's happy with the free room. Hopefully the OP can clear up this confusion.
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First post.
I ended up with the marker in a CL deal, and have been trying to get it running for my son. I could not get the gun to seal, and disassembled and reassembled the gun several times trying to determine the cause of the leaks. I installed a soft-parts rebuild kit, and the problem didn't change.
Then, after the umpteenth test, I noticed the gun seemed okay when I first gassed it, but then leaked after the first shot. I realized the valve body was moving aft, and leaving a good gap between it and the main body of the marker (photo). Testing that, I used a big ziptie around the feedneck and the gas port to hold the valve body in the proper (fully forward) position. Rigged thus, the gun operates normally, with no leaks.
So, looking at the 'receiver' of the marker, I see the 'keyway' where the locating pin goes. Apparently, there is something incorrect there, but I don't know what it should look like. I've attached a photo so perhaps someone can tell me what's wrong.
Assuming the keyway is compromised, how can I fix it? Can AGD do anything with it?
Second question: What is the starting 'setting' for the regulator? How many turns from where?
Thanks! pr


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The Oakland Press (http://www.theoaklandpress.com)
Monday, January 28, 2013
Unions get workers benefits
Choose wisely. When it comes to comparing union coverage comp with right-to-work legislation, union dues pay for overtime, vacations, holidays, sick pay, health, dental, pensions and pay raises. Right-to-work workers get the shaft. That's the truth.
That's what the governor and the Republicans won't tell you. I was in a union and still have a pension even after the company closed up. I can receive that pension when I turn 62. That's because of the union.
Lake Orion


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CenturyLink Center Pet Adoption Day
- CenturyLink Center
Additional Information
Bossier City's CenturyLink Center is having a pet adoption day in conjunction with the Northwest Louisiana Humane Society at the lower box office entrance on April 5th, 2013 from 12:00PM – 4:00PM.
We'll have a host of furry friends in need of a loving forever home and even a chance to win Miranda Lambert tickets to her concert at the CenturyLink Center on April 11th!
Interested in volunteering with the shelter? Visit with some of the people who volunteer their time and efforts to help care and find homes for the pets at the shelter.
Tickets to Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley's "Locked and RELoaded Tour" on April 11th are on sale now at the CenturyLink Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster Outlets, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.


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Bonding with Daddy
Edward, Nessie and Jacob are left alone at the house; Nessie requests a piano lesson, and Jacob asks Edward how he deals with his gift. Post BD
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
1. Bonding with Daddy
Rating 5/5 Word Count 2460 Review this Chapter
I decided to play my piano this morning, since Bella had reluctantly gone shopping with Alice, Esme, and Rosalie. Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper were hunting while their wives were out. They had left while Nessie was still asleep, so I stayed behind with her. Jacob had gone into the woods on his own, citing some need to 'be wolfish' and communicate with the pack back in La Push. A few months ago, Sam and Emily had discovered that they were expecting their first child. As such, Sam had decided to give up his wolf side, merging the two packs once more. Leah and Seth managed things in La Push, since Jacob moved around with us now. He had yet to find a distance far enough to prevent communication with the pack. I heard Renesmee come down the stairs, her hair mussed from sleep, though she was dressed already.
"Daddy? Would you teach me a song on the piano?" Renesmee thought, using all of her powers of persuasion. Not that she needed to. All the Cullen men are firmly wrapped around my little girl's fingers. I finished the movement that I was playing and smiled my crooked smile at her. She had shown some interest in my piano in the last couple of years, but she hadn't asked me to actually teach her anything until this moment.
"Of course, Nessie; come here." I slid over on my bench and patted the seat next to me. My little girl was four years old now, though she looked ten. The only time a stranger had ever assumed me to be her father was a few years ago, in Seattle. Bella and I had taken Renesmee into Seattle on an outing, and a kind elderly woman had told me that my daughter was delightful as we passed her on the street. Now no one ever guessed the truth, merely assuming us to be brother and sister. It pained me to be unable to claim her as my little girl in public; I cherished the moments we had together while we were able to be ourselves.
"I want to play my song," she thought, and looked up into my eyes.
"That is a very complex piece," I said, smiling wryly, "I'm not sure if you'll be able to play it as a first lesson. Of course, you've never let that stop you. I'd imagine teaching you to play 'Chopsticks' would be rather like reading picture books to you when you were learning to read. I've not actually scored the music on paper; it's always just been in my mind. Do you think if you watched me closely enough, you could reproduce it?"
"Yes, Daddy." She was so confident and determined, she looked just like Bella at that moment.
"That's my girl," I said, and started playing the first strains of Renesmee's Song. My daughter watched the movements of my fingers with a new sense of purpose.
"Play that phrase again…"
I immediately started replaying at the point where, I realized, she had not caught my left hand movements.
"I see…slower please…ahh."
I continued on, changing tempo and repeating phrases when she asked me, while she took in every note that I played. I came to the end of the song, and heard Jacob come in to the house. He walked over to lean on the piano and watch our lesson. I nodded my greeting and then turned back to my little girl.
"Are you ready to try playing it now?" I asked her. She looked up into my eyes, her soft brown orbs so like my Bella's used to be. I couldn't help pressing a quick, light kiss to her forehead and giving her shoulders a squeeze. I knew that she would start to pull away from my fatherly affections within the next couple of years, and I yearned for time to slow down.
"I'm ready to play it now," she thought, smiling at me in her youthful confidence.
"Go ahead. Do you need help with the first hand positions?" I asked, wanting to make sure that she got started off right.
"No, Daddy, I can do it." Renesmee said, fighting her urge to roll her eyes at me.
"I'm sure you can," I told her with a smile. I could see the teenaged streak coming out already. Renesmee positioned her hands over the keys, and started playing her song. I watched her, knowing that I wore what Bella called my 'proud daddy face.' Nessie gained confidence as she played more and more flawlessly, which made my fatherly pride swell again. As she finished playing, she let the last note resonate into silence instead of quieting it with the pedal. Both Jacob and I clapped our praise.
"I messed up too much," she thought, looking embarrassed, until Jacob started calling, "Bravo!, Bravo!"
"Nonsense, you did wonderfully," I reassured her.
"You're just saying that because you're my dad," she huffed in her mind.
"I did feel proud because I'm your father, but you also played tremendously well," I reassured her.
"You guys need to remember that some of us only hear half the conversation," Jacob said.
"I apologize. It's rude of me to exclude you." I said.
"Man, could you possibly act like you weren't born last century?" Jacob said with a smile, teasing me for my formalness while Nessie played with a melody of her own.
"Jacob, I'm afraid that you and I were born in the same century, putting you into that 'last century' category as well," I said. I was pleased that he couldn't argue with my rebuttal, even if we were born on opposite ends of that century. Jacob's eyebrows pulled closer together, thinking about that.
"Well, that's beside the point! I just think you need to remember that not all of us hear voices in their head," Jacob stumbled over his words, trying to make his point. I raised an eyebrow in question, as Jacob did frequently hear voices in his head.
"I mean outside the pack," he amended.
"Again, I apologize; it's not something that goes away. I don't have the luxury of changing form and blocking out the voices. The best I can do is push it to the background till it's just a dull hum. It makes it difficult to not respond when someone deliberately pushes their thoughts at me." Renesmee just looked at me, curious. I had never really spoken at length about my gift to her before. She just accepted that it was a part of me.
"I like thinking with you Daddy. It's lots easier."
"I like hearing your thoughts, Nessie. You're very genuine," I said. I smiled at her, and she smiled back, and returned to the piano.
"How do you stand it?" Jacob asked, genuinely curious.
"I've had a lot of practice. I'm sure that you have become better at listening to only the most pertinent voice at any given time while in your wolf form. It is much the same with me." I knew that this was something he'd been vaguely curious about for some time. I also knew how uncomfortable he was when I acknowledged how little privacy there was in my presence; when I answered questions that hadn't even fully formed in his mind. However, his curiosity overcame his discomfort today after he spent the morning in his wolf form and realized again how chaotic it was to be in the presence of nearly twenty distinct minds. Some of the newest members weren't accustomed to the pack mindset yet, since they had come into the pack only recently as the more senior members of the pack refrained from phasing in order to age along side of their imprints.
"But how do you handle crowds? How do you not go crazy with all the noise? I thought I'd go nuts when our pack grew past ten, but I can still get away from it if I want to," Jacob said.
"The constant drone of thoughts very nearly drove me to insanity in the first month after my change. All that I could do the first week was huddle in the corner with my hands over my ears. Of course, that did nothing to help, but I was completely lost in the chaos. Between my enhanced senses, the bloodlust and the voices in my head, I truly thought I was insane; that I had burned and gone to my own personal hell. I very nearly became an animal." My eyes lost their focus as I remembered that difficult time.
"It was just Carlisle and me then, so we left Chicago and isolated ourselves for a time. I couldn't tolerate crowds for a few years; Carlisle was still working as a doctor at night, and helping me focus my concentration when he could. After Esme joined us, she helped as well. They are the reason that I learned the control that I have, but it has taken many years of practice to get to where I am. As our family grew with each new addition, I had to adjust again to be in such close quarters with so many minds; especially since they were all married." Jacob turned red in the face, understanding my predicament all too well, since so many in the pack were married now too.
I started playing a soft supplement to the melody that Renesmee was trying to work out. She looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back.
"Just a few hours today of all the pack in my head made me glad for a break. Maybe it's not Edward's fault he's so uptight. Crap, he heard that."
I let a soft growl rumble in warning, and looked at him with a glare. Jacob looked somewhat chagrined.
"Sorry," he thought.
"Is that why you fell for Bella? Cause you couldn't read her? Cause there's times when I think I'd like Leah more if I couldn't hear what she's thinkin." His question momentarily took me off guard; it was so suddenly blurted out before he had really thought about it.
"No, that fact was originally my greatest frustration with her. She is so unpredictable. Though I have to admit, it is nice to be alone in my own mind, yet still have company," I smiled in remembrance. "No, it was definitely her scent that first attracted me." I laughed mirthlessly. Attracted indeed. "Regardless, I fell for Bella herself, not her scent, or her blood, or the fact that I couldn't hear her thoughts. I just couldn't force myself to stay away."
"You're such a hopeless romantic Daddy," Renesmee said aloud, for Jacob's sake. She and I continued playing. Her melody that she had been playing had turned playful, though serious. I added my own contrasting part, concentrating on the music.
"What will you call this?" I asked her, curious as to her inspiration.
"I think I'll call this, Jake and Daddy Bonding," Renesmee said with an impish grin. Jacob laughed, and my hands nearly missed a beat in my surprise. Apparently, Jacob had taught her to speak before she thought. I looked up at him, gauging his reaction to what she had said. He was incapable of finding fault with what she said, so he simply nodded with a besotted look on his face. It wasn't just Cullen men that my Nessie had wrapped around her fingers. Jacob was completely hers. That brought both a smile and a frown. Very soon, Nessie would start acting more and more like a teenager, and then a young woman, towards Jacob. I had heard enough teenage girls lusting after my daughter's wolf to make me cringe in the realization that my Nessie would have those very thoughts before this decade was over.
"Hey, I'm not that bad! You let me get away with calling you dad a lot more than Bella let's me call her mom. You could at least save your grimaces for when I'm not around!" Jacob had mistaken the reason behind my facial expression.
"You needn't worry about that," I reassured him. "I was merely thinking my little girl is growing up too fast." I looked at Nessie sitting beside me; she smiled and said, "Daddy, I'll always be your little girl."
My heart nearly started beating anew. Jacob merely laughed at me.
"Whipped!" he thought. Then, we both heard my family returning home. My brothers must have known their wives were coming back; they had planned their return to coincide with the women's. They all started flowing into the house, bringing in bags of clothes and various items that Esme had bought for the house. Bella's face was priceless. I could tell she had been ready to come home some time ago. She immediately came over to us at the piano and leaned into my back, pressing her lips to mine when I leaned my head back in silent request.
"What have you three been doing today?" she asked, when Jacob cleared his throat.
"Daddy and Jake and I have been bonding," Renesmee explained, her impish grin sliding back into place. She knew what Emmett would say about that. He could never pass up an opportunity to take the mickey out of me; and this was a golden opportunity to include Jacob as well. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to start; he was already thinking it.
"Bonding?! Why are you bonding over the piano?! That's girl bonding. You need to take that young son of yours there and get him out into the woods for some manly bonding." Emmett dropped his voice an octave while saying 'manly bonding' and flexed his muscles for extra show, making Renesmee laugh at his display.
"How about taking your 'manly bonding' outside and help bring in the new dining table? Your 'manly bonding' last night is the reason we needed it in the first place," said Esme, smiling at her sons' chagrined looks.
"Yes, Esme," Emmett gave up his act and went outside to help the others, but not without thinking at me, "I've got to teach you how to bond properly. Real men don't bond over the piano." I rolled my eyes and let out an exasperated breath as he laughed at my reaction.
"Well, Jacob, Bella, Nessie? How about we let everybody else bond here while we go for a hunt?" I asked.
"I'm in, Dad." Jacob said, laughing with Renesmee and slinging her up onto his shoulders as he ran outside.
"Please, get me out of here," Bella said. "If I have to coordinate more furniture or clothes I'll scream."
"After you, my wife," I said, as I held my hand before me. Bella grabbed my hand and we ran after our daughter and Jacob before they could scare away the wildlife with his laughter and Nessie's delighted squeals.
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May 1, 1986
Greg Schiavoni, Pierson High School's junior right-hander, set a school strikeout record in Pierson's 9-1 victory over Shelter Island on Monday. Schiavoni, who gave up three hits, struck out 16, eclipsing the former record of 15 jointly held by Ricky Kraft and Bob DePetris.
May 15, 1986
The United States Open, which, tennis players notwithstanding, needs no further qualification among golfers, is, after having been bally-hooed here the past four years, about to descend on the windswept moorlands of Shinnecock Hills, a prospect that, for the local resident, both fascinates and repels.
What fascinates is the chance that the rolling expanse of narrow fairways and high rough of the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, which slopes down toward Peconic Bay from a Stanford White Shingle Style clubhouse commanding views of bay and ocean, will, with Aeolus's help, tax its cool professional challengers.
What may repel is the associated traffic. Many South Fork inhabitants do not share the United States Golf Association's enthusiasm for the tournament as a vehicle to boost tourism, although for the most part the tourist industry here has welcomed the Open's coming. Its shots, after all, will be heard and seen around the world.
May 22, 1986
The checkered flag may not wave this season at the Bridgehampton Race Circuit, whose control is at the moment embroiled in litigation involving two groups of sports car racing enthusiasts.
. . . While club races aren't being permitted, said Lawrence Auriana, president of the Bridgehampton Road Races Corporation board of directors, the corporation is allowing certain driving schools to operate at "The Bridge," from time to time. Skip Barber is holding a sports car driving school there this week, ending today, and an "anti-terrorist" driving school is scheduled to use the 2.85-mile loop in the near future.
Fifteen golfers, six of them with Southampton connections, made the cut in a 36-hole local qualifier for the United States Open held at the Noyac Golf and Country Club and Southampton Golf Club last Thursday.
Of the 15 whose scores were the best among 155 carded that day, Bruce Zabriski, a Southampton professional who plays on the European tour, was the medalist, with a two-under-par 70 at Noyac, and a one-over-par 71 at Southampton. John Adams, a former assistant of Southampton's head pro, Bob Joyce, who has played on the Professional Golf Association tour the past nine years, was the runner-up at 71-71.
. . . "Everybody made it but me," joked Joyce, when asked how he had done on Thursday. "I scored 80 and 80 — very consistent. Bad putting. The greens were fast, but true."
May 29, 1986
The East Hampton High School baseball team, runner-up to Hampton Bays in League VII, has for the second straight year made it into the Suffolk County playoffs.
In games played during the week, East Hampton defeated Hampton Bays 10-5 on May 21. . . . It was only the second time Hampton Bays has been defeated this season.
Pat Bistrian pitched that day, evening his record at 4-4. A double play in the first inning, and a triple play — the first Jim Nicoletti, East Hampton's coach, can remember one of his teams achieving — in the sixth greatly helped the Bonac cause.
. . . The triple play went into the scorebook as 4-6-3-2-5-1. Nicoletti said it couldn't have come at a better time.
A Guinness record of 13 hours of continuous Ultimate disc play was set last Thursday by Southampton Ultimate Frisbee for Educational Recreation (SUFFER), an Ultimate club at Southampton College. SUFFER already holds the Wham-O record of 36 continuous hours.
East Hampton Town residents will be able to travel daily on the Long Island Rail Road to and from the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Marina Van, the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce's executive director, said, "The way it was, you could get there from here, but you couldn't get back. The new schedule will enable people in East Hampton Town to take the train to and from the Open each day."


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TUMWATER Washington's minimum wage will increase to $9.32 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2014.
The state Department of Labor and Industries calculates the minimum wage each year as required by Initiative 688, approved by Washington voters in 1998.
The 13-cent-per-hour increase reflects a 1.455 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers over the last 12 months ending Aug. 31. The increase was announced earlier this month by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Washington is one of 10 states that adjusts the minimum wage based on inflation and the index, and has the highest minimum wage. Oregon is No. 2, with a 2014 minimum wage of $9.10 per hour.
Workers in both agricultural and non-agricultural jobs are covered by Washington's minimum wage law, although 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid 85 percent of the adult minimum wage, or $7.92 per hour in 2014.
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Friday, May 25, 2007
An Inconvenient Truth About Michigan's Scheduling
Although Toledo has been a strong MAC team over the past few years, Bill Martin is generally being lambasted for adding another perceived patsy to a home slate that currently includes Miami of Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State and Northwestern.
But I think we should all applaud Martin for his foresight, and for caring about the future of humankind.
He's clearly scheduling so as to minimize the effect of global climate change. Toledo is only about 45 miles away from Ann Arbor. There will be no need for the Rockets to charter a flight and the short bus ride up won't put too much strain on the environment. Certainly not as much as a flight from a team like Georgia, Missouri, or Stanford would.
So let's stop criticizing Bill Martin, when really he's doing us all - especially the kids - a huge favor. And when he ends up adding Eastern Michigan to the open date left in 2008's schedule, let's thank him by pooling some funds to buy the small carbon offsets required for the Eagles to travel down Washtenaw Avenue.
17 comments:
- Cris said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- May 25, 2007 3:42 AM
- Matty Blue said...
not only is he reducing the travel of the opposing team, but he's ALSO making it less likely for fans to travel to ann arbor to watch this shit.
- May 25, 2007 5:56 AM
- Out of Conference said...
The way I see it, Bill Martin saw that in the end, Reagan's VooDoo Trickledown Economics kind of worked. So maybe the same would be true in college football. Give the rich schools a break on being taxed by tough teams, and the poor teams will get better.
- May 25, 2007 9:35 AM
- El Pendejo Grande said...
If MArtin truly wants to make an imnpact, he would schedule the Pioneer HS team. They could just walk across the street, and the matchup would be just as compelling as what ever MIAA team is next up.
What really pisses me off is that MArtin not only won't do 1 for 1s, he won't even do 2 for 1s with the smaller schools because their stadioms aren't big enough for his over-inflated sense of self importance. He is really testimg my loyalty. O sm not going to turn into an O-stater or anything, but $120 to watch "another mac team comes to Michigan Stadium for a beatdown and a payday" is not must see TV
- May 25, 2007 10:11 AM
- El Pendejo Grande said...
I mean
"I am not" not "O sm not"
Maybe Bill can schedule Dave's School of Good Typing while he's lining up other patsies for the home slate.
- May 25, 2007 10:15 AM
- Out of Conference said...
You guys have AD issues, but at South Carolina, we have to play Wofford (last year) and South Carolina freaking State (this year) becaue of pressure from the state legislators. One of the legislators even went so far as to threaten a bill and a lawsuit forcing South Carolina to give South Carolina State more tickets to their fans then we usually give to in-state visiting schools under the premise that it would be racial discrimination if South Carolina did not. Needless to say our AD didn't bow to him. At SC State's credit, they dissociated with that legislator through the whole fiasco.
- May 25, 2007 1:12 PM
- IamCris said...
Everyone is missing the point. I'm sure the uninformed have made comments about playing high school teams refrencing the distance of the locale in respect to Michigan stadium and are not disrspecting Toledo as being on the level of a high school team. That being said... Toledo will win this game for many reasons. I'll list them for you. Go ahead and save this post too so you can erase after it comes to fruition.
(1) Middle of Mallet's FIRST season as a starter. View the two before and the two after opponets and ask yourself, "does Juice Williams remind me of Troy Smith"?
(2)Michigan will have a new RB in backfield TBD. We are accustomed to this special player named Hart, we WILL miss him.
(3) think Ball State but on PCP when you think of Toledo
(4) hold off on your anxiety attacks about Michigan's defense until '08*...trust me here...because
(5)* Michigan will have a new head coach...(Ron English)* or if they don't we all know how Coach Carr does vs teams from Ohio
Go Blue!!!
- May 25, 2007 4:43 PM
- katherine said...
1) Chad Henne was 9-3 as a TRUE Freshman. He played in a 43-10 route of Miami(OH) in his first ever start. Ryan will be just fine. And about Juice Williams...no, he does not remind me of Troy Smith other than the fact he's black, plays QB, and runs. Troy Smith in his first year as a starter threw 56% and had 3 INTs 8TDs and 2 rushing TDs. Juice threw for a beautiful 39.5%, threw 9 TDs, rushed for 2, threw and NINE INTs. He's horrible, no where near T.Smith at the same experience level.
2) Another thing about Henne's first start, Hart wasn't getting carries until the third game of the season. Mallett will have Kevin Grady or Brandon Minor, and maybe even Carlos Brown who aren't exactly new to the program...if anything, Henne was the one without help at RB to start off.
3) Half Toledo's coaching staff didn't work for Michigan like Ball St's did.
4) In '08 we'll have younger guys who will have experience unlike this year. This along with younger players now being Juniors and Seniors (like Trent).
5) I do know Coach Carr is 6-5 vs. Ohio State, and undefeated vs. Miami (OH). So yeah...but no.
- May 25, 2007 6:59 PM
- IamCris said...
Nice try Katherine... I applaud your statistical data but one great thing about college football is that the parameters change quickly. Every year players come and go, get suspended, become academically ineligible, etc...so
all of your numbers about Henne and Hart don't count in '08. One of the reasons why Ball State lost was because of coaching. Toledo has a far supreior coaching staff and has how many Mac West titles under their belt over the last ten years? Juice Williams will be an outstanding QB with another year under his belt (Zook is his coach, and don't disrespect what Zook built at Florida, Illinois will compete...don't make me bring up recruiting). Mallet could get "homesick" again and fly away so he's not a lock to stay (more drama than I can remember and he hasn't got one snap yet). It's still a season and some months aways but Toledo will beat Michigan in the BigHouse, the game is smack dab in the middle of a brutal slate. I really hope i'm wrong but call it a "pre-Rose Bowl" feeling...
I get the feeling that i'll at some point hear about Toledo not being able to compete in the Big Ten week after week, I agree...but on one saturday in October 2008, in the middle of a brutal 5 game stretch for the Wolverines, the Rockets could beat Michigan.
- May 26, 2007 12:19 PM
- katherine said...
Thanks, iamcris. But you can't say "one great thing about college football is that the parameters change quickly" and "all of your numbers about Henne and Hart don't count in '08" when you used that in support of your initial argument. In a debate, what works for you, works for me too.
Anywho, you say every year players get suspended and so on...well if any team is going to have players get suspended, it's Toledo. We rarely have offseasons like the one we had this year, and the chances of lightning striking two consecutive summers is slim in a program as stable as ours. Possible? Yes. Likely? No.
I'm also going to go the complete other route on the coaching situation at Ball St vs. Toledo. Yes, Toledo has a better coaching staff, but probably not vs. Michigan. You say Ball St. lost because of coaching, I'll say one of the reasons why Ball St. got even remotely close to winning was because of coaching (among other things). Brady Hoke and his boys know more about Michigan than do the guys at Toledo. I think Bo knew a lil bit too much about Woody and his staff to let OSU dominate the series for much longer.
Mallett: I'm assured Mallett will be fine because he's supposedly, and I say this with caution, as good as Henne is now nonetheless with a year under him as he will when he plays Toledo. And I'm also sure he's staying because if he wants to graduate in less than 6 years and have an opportunity to play in the NFL any time soon, he's staying put.
Juice: I'm gonna make a bold prediction and say he will suck next year and the year after if he's not replaced by another QB. Troy Smith had way more tools than [NAME REDEACTED] will ever recruit for Juice and [NR] is not nearly the coach Tressel is. [NR] may have built Florida's championship roster, but he sure as hell couldn't get them to win. Meyer won that championship with his coaching and use of talented athletes...something [NR] failed to do. Illinois will be no different. Better? Sure, but not better than middle of the pack in the B10. If there's anything to be worried about about Illinois, it's their defense, not Juice.
You mention a brutal slate before Toledo. ND, Wisky, Miami(OH), and two probably not that strong teams with those are not considered brutal. I'd say tough, but certainly not brutal....it's not like it's OSU, MSU, Wisco, Iowa and then Toledo here, good Lord child!
All in all, I agree that Toledo will have a shot to beat us in 2008, but like I said, you're running on a worst case scenario here, the chances are stacked against Toledo more than you think. Maybe the fact that we've never lost to a MAC team in our existence makes me confident. Or that our players are far more talented, (I don't care what Ball St. did, it was a fluke). Or that our QB is for sure better than Navarre and Navarre never lost to a lower teir conference team and never lost more than 4 games a season and that I doubt Mallett can do any worse. I'm just sayin, I know the past cannot dictate the future, but it's a darn good reference.
By the way, thanks for this debate because it's May and I'm dying here w/o anything to talk about. This is all in good fun, and I don't completely disagree with your concerns. Go Blue!
- May 27, 2007 3:47 AM
- god of the whoppers said...
haha, you two are funny.
toledo will put up a good fight in the first half, but will ultimately lose. You probably don't remember toledo's first game last year, as those who do only went to UT (as i do, and i march snare on the drumline, so i do actually watch the games) and Iowa State. yes iowa state who only went 4-8 in 2006 got their first home win in overtime against toledo. toledo should have won, but we had just lost "god"kowski to the draft, and cochran played a pretty amazing game throwing for nearly 80% and only one interception, being only the second game he held the reigns and the fisrt game of the season. then came kansas. there was talk of just having our coaches sumo wrestle instead of actually having a football game (amstutz would have lost, by about 2 lbs). then came the smashing of mc neese state, followed by losses at Pitt, at home to Central mich, at kent state, and a stupid loss at eastern's homecoming when we decided to go for 2 and fumbled and threw the game away. then we beat akron at home (OMG!!!) then shut down garret wolfe to only 50 yards before he left the game. could not even see the field for a whole quarter it got so foggy. then lost to ball state in a close field-goal-off. then easily handled BGSU(cks). cochran startedt the season out with and 80%, 60%, and 32% passing %, Opelt took over with a few 50%, and few 60% games, then a 38% game, then back to 60% against BG ( the ball was thrown a total of 13 times between 3 people!!) in 2005, toledo bent over and raped jordan palmer (carson's lil bro) in the GMAC bowl. that was the defense, althought the offense was pretty to watch. while none of this seems to make much sense, as i have no training in football at all ( i kinda understand a cover 2) it seems like agains't shitty teams, we are even shittier, against meh teams, we can hang and even come out on top, but we have never really taken on a powerhouse like Michigan in recent years (pitt doesn't count, come on, it's pitt!). so I think we can hang for about the first 1/3 of the game, but then it will just fall apart. I think the real reason Toledo is playing them is so the marching band members get to go to a michigan game that year. I have gone to at least one a year since i was too young to remember, till i got to college. I know no matter the outcome, it will be a pretty decent game for at least the first half, and i get to march in the big house (life goal), so go blue and go rockets!
- May 27, 2007 5:55 PM
- IamCris said...
I'll do my best to keep up with your flawless use of the english language. I'll have to keep track of your "Juice" sucking comment throughout the next season, it certainly is "going out on a limb". As for the brutal section of the schedule I am refering to Toledo being smack in the middle of a tough 5 game set.
Sept. 27 WISCONSIN*
Oct. 4 ILLINOIS* (HC)
Oct. 11 TOLEDO
Oct. 18 at Penn State*
Oct. 25 MICHIGAN STATE*
I'll say that I am going out on a limb to say Illinois will be a tough game, but i'm trying to use forsight and consider that Juice Williams will develop into a great QB. A tough road game at PSU follows the Rocket contest. I enjoy our "ownership" of PSU as much as anyone but it simply cannot continue forever. Sparty should have a respectable team on the field in the second season after the "slap yourself happy" nutbag coach John L. departed (forced,shoved,kicked out).
Mallett again, I wasn't a big Navarre fan either however he has won games at Michigan. To use Navarre as the measuring stick to future success or failure is just unfair. Mallett has given me a bad vibe with this drama stuff. Unproven is the word i'm sticking with.
I enjoy the exchange of banter as well. Michigan has never played Toledo before however Toledo has beat Pitt (35-31), Kansas (37-31), Penn State (24-6) and Minnesota (38-7). It has been done and most assuredly I can say let's see how the Rockets perform vs Purdue and Kansas in '07. IMHO, Toledo is the best MAC team Michigan has faced in recent memory.
Answer me this, if not Notre Dame...what other "midwestern" school would be a better addition to the Big Ten than Toledo?
- May 28, 2007 5:42 PM
- katherine said...
Haha well I'm not sure if the "flawless English" comment was sarcastic or not, but I'll pretend it wasn't just in case.
I'm going to disagree with you about Toledo being the best MAC team we'll face. We don't know how good they'll be in 2008 and if the past five seasons vs. big opponents are any indication of how good they'll be, that doesn't bode too well for them regardless of how bad we may be (and I still don't think we'll be anything less than an 8 win team, I believe 2005 was an anomaly).
I mean, sure they beat Kansas last year, arguably one of the best teams they played last season. However, they also um, lost to Eastern Michigan or something like that. Interesting fact: Eastern went 1-11 last season.
In the four seasons prior to 2006, (I'm not using '06 because it was clearly a down year), they also got demolished by Kansas, UConn, Minnesota, Fresno St, Syracuse, Ball State, Pitt, and Boston College among others. Their win vs. Penn State in '00 was 1)before Tom Amstutz arrived, 2) a season in which PSU went 5-6, and 3)was one of Toledo's best seasons in their history. Pinkel was great for Toledo in the 90's but to me, they haven't gotten to that level since he left for Mizzou. Their consistency (or lack thereof) versus large conference opponents is just not scary to me.
I agree with you that their matches vs. Purdue and Kansas next year will give us a better look at how they may shape up in 2008. I'll also agree with you about MSU and PSU, but those games do not dictate how we'll perform before/during the Toledo matchup. Illinois is a question mark that can either go south real quick or be pretty darn good in the next few seasons, a lot of that is on Juice. So for now, I'm just going to say Toledo's chances of beating Michigan look bleak.
To answer your last question, I'm going to have to go with Pitt or Iowa St. Although, the resurgence of the Big East and the regular power of the B12 wouldn't ever make that happen, I think Pitt or Iowa St. would be the most interesting teams in the B10. Pitt isn't exactly in the midwest persay, but we have Penn State so Pitt make sense. ND, Pitt, and Iowa State make the most sense, but it's safest to say that'll never happen.
- May 28, 2007 10:46 PM
- katherine said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- May 28, 2007 10:49 PM
- katherine said...
Oops, I meant PSU went 5-7 in '00. They got killed in their opener to USC, a USC team that also lost 7 games that season.
- May 28, 2007 10:55 PM
- IamCris said...
Interjecting here but Amstutz prior to last season had a better win pct. than did Mr. Smiley. I'd honestly have to do the math to give you an exact Pinkle vs Amstutz SU win% figure. I actually do enjoy reading good english,something normally not reserved for sports blogs (that does not include the creators of this blog, whom I have great respect for their use of the english language).
(Addition to the Big Ten) Pitt is an interesting call as is Iowa State. I do find it odd that you'd mention two teams who've beaten Toledo in recent history and question if that bears heavily in your decision. Iowa State was a 2ot game and Toledo has beaten Pitt as I stated prior. I just was thinking more along the lines of the Bearcats or a Mizzou. If I was the commish i'd cast a vote for Mizzou.
You can tell i'm torn between loyalty to hometown and my favorite since I was kneehigh to a grasshopper. I still can't get into the Mountain West or SDSU even though the stadium is litterally a couple of miles from the house. Another story for another day, but in southern california, people just arent into like in the midwest or deep south. Go Blue!!!
- May 29, 2007 2:12 AM
- katherine said...
Haha no I didn't think about Iowa St. and Pitt because of Toledo, but that's an interesting coincidence. I've always thought those two teams made the most sense geographically if not Notre Dame. Iowa is already in the B10, so why not the State school? Same goes for Penn St. and Pitt (because UPenn is Ivy League). I also agree Mizzou isn't too far away either and would be a good fit. Same goes with them as with Pitt and Iowa St. and their attachments to two pretty good conferences already. No reason for them to leave at this point.
- May 29, 2007 3:27 PM


text:
OKANOGAN Services are available year-round for Okanogan County's homeless population, but local organizations are ramping up their efforts with the start of school and the arrival of cooler weather.
"This time of year is when we see people really becoming stressed… Camping potential goes away as the weather gets colder," Okanogan County Community Action Council Executive Director Lael Duncan said.
Community Action will host an event Oct. 22 at the Tonasket Community Church, 24 W. Fourth St., to help connect homeless residents with services, Duncan said.
"We try to make it as easy as possible by having all the services in one place," she said, noting that the goal is to host a services event four times a year in different parts of the county.
At these events, people can pick up some warm clothing and get a haircut, a general medical checkup and a flu shot, help with housing and with getting new driver's licenses or photo identification cards, Duncan said.
Community Action, 424 S. Second Ave. in Okanogan, doesn't help people find housing, she said, but does help them pay for it.
She estimated that about 70 percent of the county's homeless are "working poor," meaning that the adults in the family don't get enough hours or pay to be able to put down the money needed to rent a home – typically first and last month's rent, plus a deposit.
The county is required by the federal government to do a point-in-time count of its homeless population every January. For that service and others it contracts with Community Action, which in turn works with other local agencies such as Okanogan Behavioral HealthCare, the Okanogan County Housing Authority and the Support Center.
In January, Okanogan County counted 69 homeless people living with family or friends; 17 people who had shelter, such as emergency or transitional housing; 15 people without any shelter, and 10 people categorized as "chronically homeless," according to the state Department of Commerce.
Duncan said those numbers aren't accurate. Many people aren't counted, she said, sometimes because they have already found a place to sleep temporarily by the time winter comes, or they decide not to be counted because the state requires them to sign a release.
"Right now the housing authority has 30 homeless families waiting for assistance, 78 families that are doubled up and 494 families waiting for a Section 8 voucher," Duncan said. "This really points to the real numbers of folks in the county who are not stabilized in their housing."
Even more residents are just one or two paychecks away from being homeless, she said.
"As a community, we really need to come together to stabilize those people," she said.
Duncan pointed out some common misconceptions about the local homeless population.
"I think that the general perception is that if they're not seeing people on the street with signs asking for help… then there isn't a homeless problem," she said. "Some are homeless through consequences of their own behavior, that's absolutely true, but they are a minority.
"There's also an assumption that the homeless are substance abusers," she said. "That can be a component, but the people we see in our office are rarely in that category."
Other people who comprise the total homeless population include veterans.
Community Action is waiting to hear if it will receive grants to develop affordable housing for veterans. The agency has helped establish The Shove House, 1009 Koala Drive in Omak, and senior housing at Pine Meadows, 630 N. Pine St., Omak.
Another sub-category of the homeless population that can be difficult to address are the unaccompanied youth who often couch-surf.
"There are a tremendous number of kids in the community who are homeless," some as young as 12 years old, Duncan said. "When kids are homeless, they're certainly vulnerable to predators because they need a place to stay, and that person seems so nice."
Schools offer help under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to ensure children are fed, clothed and attend school.
Since the recession hit, Omak School District has reported 30-40 students per year who are considered homeless, school homeless liaison Racie McKee said.
Before the recession, the annual average was 10-20 students.
"The number is most likely higher due to high school students that may not live at home because of a diverse set of circumstances, and families that are living with other family members and do not see themselves as homeless since they have a house/apartment where they sleep at night," McKee said.
For students whose families relocated to another district and want to attend the school they were enrolled in before, the schools will coordinate transportation by bus or some other method, McKee said.
Those arrangements are made only if it's determined to be in the student's best interest.
The students also receive free breakfasts and lunches at school. If their parents or guardians enroll them in the after-school program, they'll get a free snack along with homework help and other activities, McKee said.
A list of food banks across the county is provided on the Omak district's website.
"Students are also supported with school supplies, which would include P.E. (physical education) shoes and other things that enable them to fully engage in school the same as their peers," she said.
The district also works with the Family Empowerment Project clothing bank in Okanogan to help provide families with some household and hygiene goods, books and toys for younger children and even prom dresses.
"Proms provide lifetime memories, and no girl should be denied the prom experience due to family income challenges should she want to attend," McKee said.
Okanogan School District reported 68 homeless youth within its boundaries last year, including four infants with homeless teen parents, according to homeless liaison Julia O'Connor.
Okanogan High School and groups such as the Key Club help students pay for ASB cards and fees for clubs and musical instruments, O'Connor said. Donations of supplies, from clothing to quilts, come through community members and local churches, and the new Bulldog Bites program helps feed students over the holidays.
Community Action also provides basic commodities such as toiletries, and a home repair and weatherization program is helps prevent people in substandard housing from becoming homeless.
The agency also helps people identify the reasons for their homelessness so they don't "repeat the cycle of crisis in their lives," Duncan said.
"We try to empower people, not just put people up in a motel for a couple of days and wish them good luck," she said. "We really encourage people to take responsibility and seek help where they need it, and to help them build their capacity to manage their lives successfully."
The state Legislature in 2005 set a goal to reduce each county's homeless population by 50 percent within 10 years, but Duncan said that's tough with cuts in state funding.
"In order to really end homelessness… it's going to require a significant influx of money into the county, and we don't really see that happening right now. We're kind of in a treading water mode. When the trend reverses, we'll be prepared."
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COLUMBIA — A Republican state lawmaker unveiled a plan Thursday that proposes South Carolina accept billions in federal funding for expansion of Medicaid under the federal health care law but instead use the money to create medical savings accounts for the uninsured.
The bill by Rep. Kris Crawford, R-Florence, already has bipartisan support from about 75 co-sponsors.
The GOP-controlled Legislature has rejected S.C. Democrats' attempts to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as "Obamacare."
And Republican Gov. Nikki Haley also is opposed to Medicaid expansion, which was made optional for states by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year.
Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides coverage to the needy and disabled.
Haley and many Republicans argue expansion is too expensive in the long run and won't solve the state's health problems. Democrats say the expansion would bring needed coverage to hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians and create abundant health care jobs in the state.
Now, Crawford, an emergency room doctor, has proposed a third option, saying the General Assembly hasn't done a good job of weighing the issue.
His bill is called the "Truth in Health Financing and Responsible Consumer Health Care Act."
"I've expressed my concern over the lack of thoughtful discussion on what we should do," Crawford said. "What was frustrating was not really having a robust discussion about the best policy discussion."
Crawford's measure would use the federal money for the first three years of expansion when states' costs are fully covered to allow South Carolinians to sign up for health spending accounts.
He said his proposal was inspired by a program in effect in Indiana called the "Healthy Indiana Plan."
That program was created by former Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Indiana General Assembly in 2007 and provides health care coverage to the uninsured, who make contributions to the plan.
Crawford's bill would commit the state to the program for three years through 2016. Crawford said the idea is to gather data and see how well the plan works before deciding whether to pursue it beyond three years.
Under the Affordable Care act, states begin paying part of the cost of expansion, reaching a maximum of 10 percent in 2020.
The Crawford-proposed program would be administered by the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services and run through managed-care organizations contracted with the state.
If the bill passes, the state would have to get waivers from the federal government to be able to use the Affordable Care Act expansion funds in a different way than originally intended.
Other states also are weighing the possibility of seeking waivers for their own Medicaid expansion alternatives.
Arkansas is pursuing a plan that would use expansion funds to provide private health coverage for the uninsured.
Haley's administration quickly blasted Crawford's proposal Thursday.
"It's Obamacare disguised as a 'private solution' and would have terrible consequences for South Carolina," Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey said.
The S.C. Hospital Association, which favors expansion of Medicaid, said it was pleased Crawford introduced the proposal.
"We commend Rep. Crawford and all of the bill sponsors for making a positive step forward with a coverage alternative as opposed to just saying 'No' to keeping our dollars in South Carolina," said Rozalynn Goodwin, director of policy research and a lobbyist for the association.
"We're committed to working with Rep. Crawford to make sure the bill accomplishes the goals of coverage expansion."
Crawford drew fire and made national news earlier this session after he was quoted in January as telling a group of doctors at the Statehouse that "it is good politics to oppose the black guy in the White House" with regard to the Medicaid expansion. He said in March that his comments were not presented in context.


text:
April 5, 2013
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write today to affirm our strong support for the continuation in its current form of the "Food for Peace" program created by Public Law 480, and we ask that you maintain level funding for this program in the budget request you present to Congress for the Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2014.
Since 1954, Food for Peace has enabled the United States to play a leading role in responding to international food assistance needs and ensuring global food security. In recent years, Title II of Food for Peace, which is administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, has become the largest vehicle for U.S. international food aid shipments. Under Title II, U.S. agricultural commodities are shipped to developing countries to provide emergency relief to those facing food shortages and to support broader development objectives. In fiscal year 2011, Food for Peace donated approximately 1.5 million metric tons of U.S.-grown Title II emergency and development food aid to more than 46 million food-insecure people in 48 countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
Food for Peace is also critical to supporting employment among U.S. farmers and merchant mariners. The purchase of food from U.S. farmers and its subsequent shipment on U.S.-flagged vessels has helped support U.S. farm production and preserve the U.S. merchant marine. Reductions in funding for this program -- or changes in how it operates -- would significantly reduce the amount of U.S. farm products our nation could provide to those in need around the world. It would also threaten our national security preparedness by reducing the domestic sealift capacity on which our U.S. military depends.
We look forward to working with you to support U.S. farms, U.S. jobs, the U.S.-flagged merchant fleet, and our nation's ability to provide much needed humanitarian and emergency food assistance to the world's least-developed countries by maintaining the Food for Peace Program.
Elijah E. Cummings
Duncan Hunter
John Garamendi
Nick J. Rahall, II
Corrine Brown
Charles W. Boustany, Jr.
Janice Hahn
Gary G. Miller
Linda T. Sánchez
Michael M. Honda
Frank A. LoBiondo
Renee L. Ellmers
Marcy Kaptur
David P. Joyce
Tom Latham
Alan S. Lowenthal
Gerald E. Connolly
Stephen Lee Fincher
Bob Gibbs
Michael G. Grimm
Marcia L. Fudge
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger
Don Young
Richard M. Nolan
Cedric L. Richmond
Rick Larsen
Cheri Bustos
Kathy Castor
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Sheila Jackson Lee
Source: http://cummings.house.gov/press-release/cummings-bipartisan-house-members-urge-president-obama-continue-food-peace-program