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Bishop was born on April 20, 1957 to Monroe and Elease McLaughlin. He attended the public schools of Jacksonville, Florida graduating from William M. Raines Senior High School. He attended the University of Tampa on an athletic scholarship, and later studied at University of Tennessee majoring in psychology. He holds a Master's and Doctorate Degree in Theology from North Florida Theological Seminary.
At age 25, Bishop McLaughlin made a personal profession of faith and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In just a few months after his conversion he was called by God to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Bishop McLaughlin began preaching the gospel anywhere and everywhere there was someone who would listen. He was staffed at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church where he served the local body in any and every capacity imaginable. In 1987, age 29, Bishop McLaughlin pastored his first church in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Eleven months later, Bishop McLaughlin answered the call of God to pioneer a local church that would exemplify the biblical pattern of a non-traditional and Kingdom focused ministry.
In 1988, he founded The Potter's House Christian Fellowship. Today The Potter's House is home to over 5,000 members and amazingly started with 40 members. Bishop McLaughlin and The Potter's House ministry have been acknowledged and awarded by local, state and federal agencies for its outstanding and consistent work in the area of jails and prisons, nursing homes, hospital ministry and food and clothing efforts.
After years of mentoring other pastors and demonstrating a father's heart, Bishop McLaughlin was set aside as bishop-elect by Bishop Donald Hilliard, Chief Presiding Prelate of the Covenant Ecumenical Fellowship and Cathedral Assemblies and was consecrated into the office of bishop on March 6, 1999. In preparation for the office of bishop, he submitted to the tutelage of the Joint College of Bishops and successfully completed the courses of study required for graduation from the Joint College at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Bishop McLaughlin, through Covenant Fellowship International, provides covering for over 100 ministries and pastors around the globe. Churches have been birthed and reformed from the Caribbean to all of India.
Bishop McLaughlin is the founder and Chancellor of The Potter's House Christian Academy. The Academy is a fully accredited institution of academia and currently has enrolled over 600 students from grades K-4 to 12th grade. The academy began in 1996 and had its first graduating senior class in 2005. During the accreditation process, The Potter's House Christian Academy set a standard by becoming the first private school in the state of Florida to attain unanimous approval for accreditation without any recommendations for improvement on its first application. This honor speaks to the excellence in which Bishop McLaughlin and the school operates.
Bishop McLaughlin's numerous accomplishments encompass both the secular and the spiritual realms. In 2001 he was the recipient of the 'Entrepreneurial Excellence Award' given by the Jim Moran's Business Institute and Florida State University. This prestigious award was given to acknowledge the innovative and creative model of economic empowerment that's known as The Potter's House Multiplex. The Multiplex housed a multitude of church owned and operated businesses (The Potter's House Café, Angel's Hair Salon, The Potter's House Bookstore, The Potter's House Federal Credit Union, The Potter's House Recording Studio, The Potter's House Dance Studio, The Potter's House Game Room, Graphic Design Studio, Law Offices, Greyhound Bus terminal, a travel agency, limo Service, financial services and Jim Tatum's Men's Clothing). Many other member owned stores were incubated and housed in The Potter's House Multiplex. The Multiplex has been a draw and model of ministry for both church and secular groups worldwide. This 42,000 square feet structure was designed to spawn Christian businesses and foster economic synergy within the church and community.
In 2002, Bishop McLaughlin led The Potter's House in the purchase of the first fully enclosed shopping mall in Jacksonville's history. A 414,000 square foot facility sitting on 48 acres of property now valued at over 40 million dollars was purchased by The Potter's House for 4 million dollars. Approximately 150,000 square feet of the mall, a former Sam's Wholesale building is now home to the main auditorium and church facilities which include a 4,000 plus seat sanctuary, a 1,000 seat children's church, a 250 seat wedding chapel, a 12,000 square foot nursery with two indoor playgrounds, a teen restaurant called the Rock Cafe, Java Rock Coffee Shop, a state of the art recording studio, beautiful administrative offices, a lecture hall, conference rooms and much more. The purchase and renovation of this mall, formerly the Normandy Mall, now called Kingdom Plaza at Normandy Mall, has brought national attention and recognition from news media of every form and has taken Bishop McLaughlin around the world via several international appearances on The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Black Entertainment Television (BET) and DayStar television just to name a few.
In January of 2007, another 177,000 square foot of the mall was opened with The Potter's House Soul Food Bistro, which seats close to 300 and has become one of the most popular eateries in all of Jacksonville. The Bistro has received outstanding reviews from local food critics and has been featured in all local papers as the best soul food in town. In October of 2012, the renowned Bistro ranked number three on Urbanspoon's list of "America's 100 Most Popular Cheap Eats". Restaurants from sixty-one metropolitan areas across 27 states were represented in the list. Also housed in the Kingdom Plaza is a state of the art 15,000 square foot fitness center called Temple Builders. Following the opening of these two businesses was the official Grand Opening of the mall. The remainder of the stores opened which included King Pins Bowling Center, which offers a 22-lane state of the art Cosmic Bowling alley with a huge game room and a pro bowl shop. Other shops within the mall include a jewelry store, medical service supply, urban clothing, bridal shop and tuxedo rental, a full daycare center, florist, Eden Spas and Salon, a health food store, cellular services, furniture store, Job Corp headquarters, a video production studio, barber shop, insurance company and much, much more.
Bishop McLaughlin's anointed and skillful exegetical handling of the Scriptures, along with his personal and 'down to earth' approach to the Gospel has drawn followers locally, throughout the U.S. and abroad. Bishop McLaughlin travels the world sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Over 3000 recorded messages are available through The Potter's House audio/video ministry of Bishop McLaughlin's powerful preaching. The nation's leading Christian Magazines have all featured his accomplishments and the ministry as cover stories. He's graced the covers of Charisma Magazine, Ministries Today, Leadership Journal, Church Executive Magazine and has even been featured in the Wall Street Journal just to name a few.
Bishop McLaughlin serves and has served on various boards and committees:
- Co-chair for City of Jacksonville Mayor's Office Strategic Initiative Team
- Co-chair of the Jacksonville Pastors and Christian Leaders Fellowship
- Vice-Chairman of Kingdom Fellowship Marketplace Ministries
- Board member of Bank of America, Community Development Division
- President of West Campus Logos Christian College
- Founder of The Potter's House Bible College
- Founder and Chancellor of The Potter's House Christian Academy
- Board member of ACT Television Station
- Chapel Speaker for Jacksonville Jaguars and numerous other NFL Teams
- Promise Keeper Speaker
- Chairman of the Board of Impact House, a rehabilitation center for teen felons
- Board Member of Prisoners of Christ Ministries
- Consultant and motivational speaker for various marketplace ministries
- Chairman of the Board of MADDADS
- And many more
Bishop McLaughlin's duties are far reaching. He lists his greatest of all accomplishments as being happily married to Narlene Jackson, his college sweetheart for 34 years. His wife assists him in the ministry as the church and mall administrator. They minister together at conferences and workshops and serve as a model couple to pastors and ministry leaders around the world. They have two adult children, Angel Narlene and Stephen Vaughn.
- Monday - 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
- Tuesday - 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
- Wednesday - 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
- Thursday - 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
- Friday - 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm


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Archive for month: May, 2017
The Next Big Thing
What is it and where can you find it before its too late? http://bit.ly/1ywy0IS
Rebranding yourself
Some useful perspectives on re-branding your image no matter how you want to present yourself http://bit.ly/2qg41Xg
How not to lose your job to a robot
With the coming of AI here is the one thing you need not to lose your job to a robot http://bit.ly/2rTEyzV
HR's place at the Board Table
HR can become the forgotten piece at the Board level, it shouldn't be. Here is a valid case for its presence https://tgam.ca/2r0V443
Business and Life advice from Seth Godin
I truly enjoy Seth Godin's snipets of wisdom, I hope you do as well http://bit.ly/2rPDD3x
Redefine Yourself
Nothing remains static including your job. Its important to manage and maximize change https://tgam.ca/2qbjBhU
An interesting discussion on the middle class in the US
If you have sometime today this audio provides an interesting and thought provoking take on the middle class in America
Staying relevant
To survive in the business world you need to be open mined and challenge your status quo https://tgam.ca/2quoXZ4
Lets actually talk
Talking is making a come back. Yes the tried and true saying prevails: 'The more things change the more they stay the same'

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In Irving and beyond, the future is bright for people with modern skills in STEM: science, technology, engineering and math. That's why we've tailored our after-school STEM programs to be engaging and interactive, helping kids get on the right path for high-demand careers — and have a blast doing it! In fact, Sylvan EDGE offers a unique blend of excitement and academic mastery, whether it's assembling a soaring super structure, coding a LEGO® robot or making an original video game from scratch. Kids are encouraged to make friends as they learn as well since teamwork, collaboration and camaraderie are also top priorities. Find out how your child can get a real leg up for their future at your local Sylvan in Irving.
In Irving, Sylvan EDGE Programs Offer:
- Robotics & Science: Robot building, friendship building, confidence building… It's all here. In fact, programming and animating LEGO® robots is a great challenge for future coders.
- Coding: Smiles and high-fives follow when you register your child for our coding program. He or she can expect cool projects like designing video games, creating mini-stories and making computer animations.
- Engineering: Race cars and bridges don't build themselves, so we prepare budding engineers with a variety of hands-on challenges, such as building working prototypes and designing amazing bridges.
- Math Edge: Math is part of every STEM subject, and our program makes it more interactive and exciting (yes, really!) than ever. It includes stimulating activities that help kids hone strong problem-solving skills that are practical in and beyond the classroom.


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Fear & Loathing In Las VegasMonday, May 29th, 2006
Watch the entire movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson and directed by St. Paul native and former Monty Pythonite Terry Gilliam. The movie stars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro and features a ton of supporting names and cameos, including Tobey Maguire, Ellen Barkin, Gary Busey, Christina Ricci, Mark Harmon, Cameron Diaz, Lyle Lovett, Laraine Newman, Harry Dean Stanton, and, of course, Hunter S. Thompson himself. It runs 1:58:26. Found at Hulu.


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Alabaré's Flagship event, The BIG Sleep welcomes those who want to take a stand against homelessness, and sleep out, to raise awareness of the plight of those forced to call the streets home, and to raise much needed funds. With new and never seen before cuts to the funding of our Homes & Services as of 2018, Alabaré needs to raise £1.3 million to help those who are most at need.
So come armed with cardboard, warm clothes, a sleeping bag or two, and a huge heart. You will have the honour of sleeping under the stars in the cloisters at the very beautiful Salisbury Cathedral. An impressive and humbling venue that gives a real sense of how blessed we are to be able to go back to a warm and dry home afterwards.
And for the first time ever, Salisbury Cathedral are generously allowing 30 well behaved dogs to join their well behaved owners to keep them company through this wintery night. Many of the rough sleepers Alabaré helps understand the priceless bond between themselves and their canine companions, when life on the streets is their reality.
Anyone bringing a dog must read our Rules For Well Behaved Dog Owners below before signing up.
Everyone who signed up pledges to raise a minimum of £100 for Alabaré's work with the most vulnerable.
Once you have signed up, a full fundraising pack, tips on how to survive the night and what to expect will come your way.
If you have any questions, please email email@example.com
Rules For Well Behaved Dog Owners
We are delighted you and your canine companion are joining us. There will be people of all ages there - from secondary schools to the retired, and we cannot assume everyone is as much a fan of dogs as we are, so please:
1. Ensure your dog in under your control at all times. Any dog that is unable to behave will be asked to leave.
2. Your dog must remain on a lead at all times.
3. Do not allow your dog to go off wandering. We expect your dog to be by your side and on a lead throughout the night.
4. Please ensure your dog has been to the toilet outside the cloisters before coming into the event. There will be a door that will remain unlocked throughout the night should you need to take your dog for a loo break.
5. Please try to prevent your dog from going to the bathroom against any of the building - we accept accidents can happen so please use the disinfectant spray afterwards should this occur.
6. The grass at the centre of the cloisters is sanctified ground and no-one can enter.
7. Some of our Big Sleepers will be great fans of dogs. Please only bring a dog that has the personality to cope with a bit of fame and fuss. We will ask everyone to ask you if it is ok to approach beforehand.
Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
All participants must be 14 plus at the time of the event. Anyone aged under 18 must bring a signed consent form to enable them to participate. Anyone under 18 must come with an adult who has agreed to be responsible for their welfare throughout the event.
What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?
There are a number of car parks around Salisbury. Please do not use George Mall car park as you may not be able to access it the next morning as early as you would like. There is NO parking within the Cathedral Close.
How can I contact the organizer with any questions?
In the first instance email firstname.lastname@example.com
Rebecca Mullen is Alabaré's Events Manager and she can be contacted on 07710 306246 or email@example.com
Can I bring my sponsorship money with me on the night?
Yes you can. If you have set up a Just Giving or Give.Net page then the money you have raised will come directly to Alabaré and you don't need to do anything more. If you pay your money to us via BACS or PayPal please let us know by email.
Do I have to give my full contact details?
Yes - this is vital for us to be able to comply with Health and Safety requirements.
Prize Information and Terms and Conditions for The Big Sleep Sleep Cathedral 2018
Thank you for agreeing to raise sponsorship funds for Alabaré while you do The BIG Sleep at Salisbury Cathedral. Every penny you raise can help us help the most vulnerable in our society. With thanks to our prize partners, we can offer you fantastic prizes if you raise above certain levels:
The highest canine fundraiser (and owner combined) will win a pet portrait experience with Mandy Milford Photography at her studio in Britford. The shoot also includes a framed 10 inch framed desk portrait of your favourite image. Booking in advance is required. This voucher is non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. For dog owners and their pets who raise over £100, a prize of a pet portait and small framed desk potrait is also on offer. Visit www.mandymilford.co.uk/dogs to take a look at her award-winning work.
Only one prize will be awarded per person once they have exceeded the targets set.
All money raised must be with Alabaré by 2nd March 2018 in order to qualify for a prize.
If you fundraise using Give.net or Just Giving then the money will come directly to Alabaré.
Please email us to let us know what you have done using firstname.lastname@example.com
All participating children under the age of 18 years, must have completed and returned the Parental Consent Form before the start of the Event.


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You have had access to thousands of spy reports, many of which turned out to be based on faulty deductions or even intentionally false stories spread by opposed spy groups. At this point, you have been exposed to false knowledge as much as accurate information, and you can't always remember which is which.
Effect(s): You take a –2 penalty on all Knowledge checks, and if you fail a Knowledge check by 5 or more, you can recall information that is diametrically opposed to the truth.
Pathfinder Player Companion: Spymaster's Handbook © 2016, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Alexander Augunas, David N. Ross, and Owen K.C. Stephens.


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High-tech tools for indoor urban gardening
If you want to start to grow some of your own food, as so many of us have the urge to, it's one thing when you have a great sunny spot outside for planting a garden, and another thing entirely if you only have the space in your apartment or house. In some areas, getting some space in a neighborhood garden plot may be an option, but if that isn't a possibility for you, you might consider taking advantage some of the high-tech tools now available for indoor gardens.
Replicating the natural environment of a plant inside of a house or apartment can be challenging, as growers need to be able to replace the growth medium (for the roots to be in), the system for feeding them (fertilizing), the ventilation or air exchange system, and the sunlight itself. But advances in high-tech gardening have made it possible for novice home gardeners to set up a quality indoor grow space that can do all of those things, and more.
Every living space will have a different set of restrictions, from the weight of the growing medium to the physical size of the setup, but because such a wide variety of options are available for growing indoors, potential growers have have plenty of choices for putting together a system that works best for them. Here's an overview of some of the technology that's making this possible:
Growing Methods:
Planting your veggies right in pots of garden soil can be a quick solution if you have access to a patio or balcony for placing them, but for higher-efficiency growing in small spaces, there are a couple of other options. Tomatoes and lettuce might grow amazingly well in soil, but they can also thrive when grown in either a hydroponic, aeroponic, or aquaponic setup.
All three of these methods are based on a 'soil-less' growing method that uses water to deliver the nutrients to the plants, with the big difference between the three being the details of how that water/nutrient mix is delivered to the roots. With a basic hydroponic system, the roots are generally growing through a material such as perlite, rock wool, or clay pellets, and are bathed with water several times a day using some variety of ebb-and-flow irrigation. For aeroponics, the roots are exposed to a mist of water instead of a flood, usually without a growing medium, with the roots growing into a trough or channel. Aquaponics uses a hydroponics system in conjunction with aquaculture, which integrates the waste and water from the fish (or other aquatic animals) as fertilizer for the plants.
Commercial plug-and-play hydroponics systems come in a variety of configurations, from the smallest countertop unit to a large semi-trailer full of growing space, and many of them are modular, so you can expand your indoor garden as you have the funds or space to do so. For the DIY types, or those with a challenging living space that calls for a custom solution, a quick web search will pull up a ton of great instructional videos and plans for putting together an indoor growing setup that's right for the situation.
Lighting for Growing Indoors:
For those with a balcony or patio or window with great sun exposure, providing light for your plants isn't an issue, except in the short days of winter. But for growers without access to natural sunlight, installing a good lighting system is a key to successful indoor gardening. The standard for growing indoors used to be (and still is) using large, high-powered lamps for light, but they aren't really appropriate for using in a small space, as they generate a lot of heat and take up valuable space. While they may be very bright and effective for growth, they also use a lot of electricity to run, so they don't make the most financial sense for a small indoor garden.
Fluorescent lighting is another option for indoor growing, and it can be as simple as stringing up a standard fluorescent light fixture right above the plants, or as complex as installing a number of compact florescent fixtures in an overhead array. The standard 3 or 4-foot long fluorescent fixtures (usually sold as garage or shop lighting) are cheap to acquire, but they also aren't the most effective in either brightness (lumens), or in delivering the optimum wavelengths (color) of light for plant growth. However, advances in fluorescent technology have made it possible for florescent lights to produce a specific range of wavelengths, as well as put out a higher intensity of light, specifically for growing indoors. These types of fluorescent lights, while not being nearly as powerful as a big grow light, use only a fraction of the energy to run, and put off a minimal amount of heat while operating.
The newest type of indoor lighting technology uses LED bulbs, which also use only a fraction of the energy to run, and which are capable of produce not only an intense amount of light for their size, but a more optimal range of the light spectrum than other grow lights. Because of their small size and energy-efficiency, LED lights are being considered by NASA as a possible method for growing food onboard for long space missions, but they're also available to the home gardener. A limitless variety of different setups are possible, allowing for a range of crop or site-specific lighting requirements or installations into a custom or confined space.
Small indoor gardening setups won't need to worry too much about ventilation, as the natural airflow through the room is sufficient for most systems. But for bigger systems, with lights that generate more heat, small low-power fans, such as those found in computers or appliances, can be hooked to a controller (see below) and programmed to turn on and off at set temperature points.
Automating the Indoor Garden:
For those who buy a plug-and-play hydroponic system, the automation of the unit is already taken care of, but for those who build their own, or want to extend the possibilities of their indoor garden, the recent explosion of affordable and programmable micro-controllers makes it possible for the DIY grower to add custom automation to their system.
Using an Arduino (an open-source electronics prototyping platform), gardeners have managed to set up an automated watering and temperature system, with sensors that turn on the systems only when needed, and developed a Guardino (now Growerbot) that can turn on plant lighting during short winter days, monitor temperatures, and water the plants when needed. The platform can handle the irrigation controls, lighting, ventilation, and more, letting growers control the indoor garden environment more precisely.
The Raspberry Pi device is also being used to extend and automate indoor gardening, and for those interested in getting started, a GitHub repository is home to details for the G.R.A.A.S. (Gardening with Raspberry Pi & Arduino Automation System), and the GardenBot is another option.
Growing indoors can be more challenging than growing outdoors, but it's just as rewarding, and with the wide range of high-tech tools available for indoor gardening, there's no better time to get started, either with a plug-and-play system or a homebuilt custom garden.


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Originally from England, Jayne is a self-taught artist who now lives in the Houston area.
She fell in love with art as she was growing up in England and, on moving to the U.S., continued to enjoy working in acrylics and oil pastels to create landscape paintings of the English countryside that she left behind. However, after opening her home to a number of furry felines, Jayne stopped creating art for several years.
As Jayne says 'With long haired cats in the house, keeping the fur out of the paint got to be too much of a challenge.'
When she was introduced to the 3D digital graphics program Bryce in 2004 a whole new world of artistic possibilities opened up to her.
Since that introduction, she has branched out and expanded her skills and now uses Vue Esprit and DAZ 3D to create art in a variety of styles, including landscapes, equine art and abstracts.
Jayne's piece, 'Heartland' placed 4th in the Digital/Photography category and 7th in the Overall Winners category in the Second Annual 'Countryside' Juried Art Competition at Light, Space & Time. It is now included in the November 2012 Countryside Art Exhibition
In addition to her original 3D digital renderings, she enjoys taking photographs of the beauty she sees around her, particularly the flowers, butterflies and birds that abound in her Certified Wildlife Habitat garden.
All images are copyrighted ©2007-2014 Jayne Wilson and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, or manipulated in any manner without prior written permission.
Visit Jayne Wilson Art
Visit 3D Designs by Jayne on Zazzle
Like Art & Photography by Jayne on Facebook


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Out of Uniform #2
by Annabeth Albert
Release Date: April 10, 2017
Genre: Romance, Military romance, contemporary, age difference, may/december, SEALS
Lieutenant Apollo Floros can ace tactical training missions, but being a single dad to his twin daughters is more than he can handle. He needs live-in help, and he's lucky a friend's younger brother needs a place to stay. He's surprised to see Dylan all grown up with a college degree…and a college athlete's body. Apollo's widowed heart may still be broken, but Dylan has his blood heating up.
It's been eight years since the teenage Dylan followed Apollo around like a lovesick puppy, and it's time he showed Lieutenant Hard-to-Please that he's all man now—an adult who's fully capable of choosing responsibility over lust. He can handle Apollo's muscular sex appeal, but Apollo the caring father? Dylan can't afford to fall for that guy. He's determined to hold out for someone who's able to love him back, not someone who only sees him as a kid brother.
Apollo is shocked by the intensity of his attraction to Dylan. Maybe some no-strings summer fun will bring this former SEAL back to life. But the combination of scorching desire and warm affection is more than he'd expected, and the emotion between them scares him senseless. No fling lasts forever, and Apollo will need to decide what's more important—his past or his future—if he wants to keep Dylan in his life.
At Attention dealt with some heavy angst and might just get you frustrated enough that you want to throttle the grieving husband and ask him to stop being such an asshole. I'm alright with heroes having a dead lover, but Apollo, the badass lieutenant is still very much grieving over his dead husband after two years. There is so much guilt whenever he felt a twinge of happiness when he spent time with Dylan.
Dylan is awesome in this book. He is much younger than Apollo, probably ten years? He had a huge crush on Apollo since young and now that he is a grown man with a solid career prospect that enable him to give back to the community, he decided to act on his crush although he knew Apollo might treat him as a summer fling.
Apollo had a pair of young twins with his dead husband and Dylan is like a Mary Poppins incarnated, helping with the household chore and handling the kids like a champ during his summer stay at Apollo house.
Apollo is definitely attracted to the young Dylan, but his hot and cold attitude for more than half the book is giving me a whiplash. How did Dylan deal with his complex, I had no idea. When Apollo finally come to peace with his grieve and decided to move on, it only happened towards the final chapter. I wish it happened sooner so that I can read about Apollo and Dylan enjoying their time together without such burden overshadowing them throughout the book.
**This is from the first chapter**
Hamburger. Onions. Pickles. Ketchup. Buns. Buns.
Well, hello, there. Possibly the most perfect specimen Apollo had ever seen was bent over in the bakery aisle at Sprouts, looking at a rack of organic cookies. High. Tight. Round. Attached to muscular legs poking out of board shorts, the kind of legs that suggested a serious investment in a sport or fitness. He wasn't going to do more than look, but even when he'd been with Neal, he hadn't been blind, and it was nice to know perfection like this guy existed in the world.
It was like swimming by a perfect coral reef on a dive or the blue of a cloudless sky right before a jump—
Wink. Fuck. The guy straightened before Apollo could look away and caught Apollo staring, and instead of blushing or serving him with the angry glare he deserved, he gave Apollo a saucy wink. It was the sort of wink that a decade ago would have had Apollo crossing the shiny linoleum and getting the guy's number, but those days were long gone.
Instead he grabbed the closest twelve pack of hamburger buns and one of hot dog buns and headed to the next aisle. Those were the only kind of buns he had any business letting himself be distracted by. He was a father for crying out loud, not some single guy out treating the natural grocery store like his own personal pickup joint. Reflexively, he rubbed his ring with the side of his pinky, making it spin on his ring finger. Yeah. No more looking.
"Apollo! How are you?" Bridget from down the street almost ran her cart into his as he navigated the aisles. Her red-haired toddler waved at him from the basket.
Hell. He knew he should have brought at least one of the girls shopping. Then Bridget could have focused on the kids, and not his least favorite question in the universe.
"Hanging in there." Apollo gave her a practiced a smile. "Good" would be a lie and no one wanted to hear "same as yesterday," which was closer to the truth. But what the Bridgets of the world all wanted to hear was that Apollo was moving on—like time was the magic cure for the hole in his heart. "Having some people over for a barbecue later. Apologies if anyone parks in front of your place."
"Oh, no worries." Bridget patted his arm. "Having friends is so important."
"Yeah, it is," Apollo agreed because Bridget was a nice person, but inwardly his teeth gnashed together. He was so tired of well-meaning people telling him what was good for him when not a damn one of their suggestions would bring Neal back. "I better get on with my list."
"You do that. And be sure and let us know if you need anything."
Apollo nodded. Two years. It had been two years of neighbors and friends stopping him like this, making kind offers, but none of them able to do the one thing he wanted more than anything.
Fuck. Snap out of it, Lieutenant. No one wants your mopey ass around on this sunny May weekend. And it was an absolutely gorgeous day, perfect for playing with the girls outside and kicking back a few beers with his friends. He wasn't on duty and had three consecutive days off for the first time in a long time. No sense dwelling on sad shit. Time to get stuff done.
Find something else to focus on.
Like that perfect ass?
No. Absolutely not that. Like…pickles. Lots and lots of pickles.
He saw Mr. Perfect Butt again in the juice aisle, and it was damn hard to keep his resolution to stick to shopping. The guy was model cute—curly hair falling just so over his forehead, sparkling eyes, chiseled jaw, and a tight T-shirt advertising a British soccer team showing off a defined chest and tight stomach. The guy smiled at him again and looked like he might want to speak, so Apollo grabbed the juice boxes for the girls and got out of there like he'd just launched a flash bang in the guy's direction.
At the checkout, Mr. Perfect Butt was ahead of him in the only line that seemed to be moving. Apollo very carefully did not look at his butt again and busied himself grabbing some gum and trying to give off "don't talk to me" vibes.
But those vibes seemed to be an utter failure as the guy turned, offering another movie-star-worthy grin. "You want to go first?" His voice was husky, like every word was a secret.
"I'm good," Apollo said.
The man nodded, shy smile teasing the edges of his mouth, making his blue eyes dance. "You know—"
"ID please." The cashier interrupted whatever flirtation the guy had planned as his six pack of beer went across the scanner.
"Oh, yeah." A faint red flush spread up the guy's neck. Oh hell. He wasn't just younger than Apollo. He was a kid. A kid who still got carded, and rightfully so with that baby face. What the hell had Apollo been thinking, admiring his body?
Apollo focused on unloading his own groceries, making neat rows for the cashier, and making sure the buns wouldn't get squished.
Buns. Nope. Not going there. The kid hung around after paying for his groceries, mouth moving as if he were debating speaking, but Apollo kept his attention squarely on the cashier.
No more looking. Remember who—what—you are now. When he finally looked up, perfect butt guy was gone, and if Apollo felt a twinge of regret for being a bit on the rude side, he squashed it quickly. Wasn't like he'd ever see the guy again anyway.
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she's not adding to her keeper shelf, she's a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children.


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Farida Waziri, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Saturday slammed her predecessor, Nuhu Ribadu, for saying that she was one of those Nigerians who frustrated the fight against corruption in the country.
Mr Ribadu had in a keynote speech at the 2016 Annual Lecture organised by the Law Chambers of Joe Kyari Gadzama on Thursday in Abuja, stated that Mrs Waziri "inflicted serious damages on the EFCC from which the Commission is still struggling to recover."
Speaking under the theme "Corruption and the Nigerian Economy: Lawyers as Change Agents", Mr. Ribadu also named foremost lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, and former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, among the people who undermined the country's efforts to fight against the cancer of corruption.
However, in her reaction, through her personal assistant, Omolara Oluremi, Mrs Waziri warned Mr. Ribadu against using her name any time he needs public attention or sympathy.
The statement read:
"My attention has been drawn to a reckless and irresponsible statement credited to Nuhu Ribadu at a function on Wednesday (sic) in Abuja, where he, as has been his rhetoric since 2008 when I succeeded him as the EFCC chairman, attempted to malign me by accusing me of being part of his imaginary enemies who frustrated the nation's anti-graft war."
"My first inclination was to ignore Nuhu Ribadu since I know he is always obsessed with dropping my name into his script any time he needs public pity or political relevance. But, on a second thought I felt I should advise him to leave me out of his frustrations and face life.
"There should be a life after EFCC. If after eight years of being removed as EFCC chairman, he is yet to move on with life, even after two successive chairmen had occupied the same seat and moved on with their lives, then his problem may be psychogenic. He needs help elsewhere, certainly not from me.
"If Nuhu is yet to face the reality that EFCC is a Federal Government agency and not a personal estate of anybody, eight years after, I find it compelling to remind him, otherwise one day he would wake up to blame me for his defeat in the 2011 presidential election and even his pathetic outing in the 2015 governorship election in Adamawa State despite the slush funds deployed to ensure his victory at the polls.
"I equally suspect that Nuhu may, sooner than later, blame me for his penchant to jump from one party to another party like a political prostitute; from the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to PDP and now to All Progressives Congress (APC).
"It is his lust for power, inordinate ambition and desperation for political relevance that continue to push him to dine and wine, and even enjoy the wealth of those he had labelled as corrupt in yesteryears. He can't hold me responsible for his double face, lack of principle and complex contradictions in his character.
"There is also the need to remind Nuhu Ribadu that before he succumbs to another logorrhoea, he should avail himself a copy of the investigative report on recovered asset during his tenure as EFCC chairman and use the opportunity of the next naming ceremony or birthday party he is invited to, to explain to Nigerians what happened to billions of funds and asset recovered from suspects under him, with no records or documentation.
"He should be grateful to me that I cleaned his mess by creating an Asset Forfeiture Unit to put the records straight and do things rightly.
"No matter how hard Nuhu tries to obliterate my tenure with his numerous lies, the record of over 450 convictions secured during my three and a half-year sojourn in EFCC remains indelible.
"Though I inherited about 10 high profile cases from him in 2008, we took over 75 of such high profile cases to courts, with another 1,500 low profile cases pending in courts as at my exit in November 2011.
"We initiated and commenced work on the permanent office complex of the EFCC sitting on a 5.5 hectares of land along Airport Road, Abuja, in addition to setting up offices in Maiduguri, Borno State and Ibadan, Oyo State to expand the Commission's scope of operations. I can go on and on, on my achievements.
"I have decided to mention just a few for now to discourage Nuhu from claiming the credit for them when next he wants to make himself happy or seek political relevance.
"At this juncture, let me advise Nuhu Ribadu to stop being a weeping man. Garrulity does not heal frustration or depression. He may consider vying for a local government chairmanship or councillorship position to get b' so that he can stop spewing falsehood, fables and lies to seek public sympathy and political relevance."


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Earlier this month, The New Yorker published "Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War," an examination of what lay behind Russia's interference in the 2016 election—and what lies ahead. On Facebook and Twitter, we asked readers to submit questions they had after reading the article. Below are some of our responses. (Questions were edited for clarity.)
What does it take to link Trump to this? —Gria Andolina
The Russia-related questions that would be problematic for President Trump would be potential collusion (did he or anyone in his circle participate in or know about or help in any way a Russian effort to "hack" the election?). The second would be financial complications: In other words, did, or does, the President have any business relations that raise legal questions? Finally, does Russian intelligence have information on the President that might potentially influence his work? There are far-from-definitive answers to any of these questions, which is why law enforcement and congressional bodies need to hold fair, rigorous, and unbiased investigations. It would be unwise, unfair, and damaging for any of us to go beyond the evidence. The only way to move from speculation and partial evidence is a genuine investigation (and, yes, more journalism). —D.R.
Representative Darrell Issa said we need a special prosecutor for the Russian election interference. Could that happen? —Neil Gussman
Yes, it might—though Issa is unlikely to be a strong voice leading the call. On February 24th, in an appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher," Issa, who represents California's Forty-ninth District and was an early Trump supporter, said, "You're going to need to use the special prosecutor's statute and office." That made him the first congressional Republican to suggest that Trump's election might need to be investigated by a special prosecutor. It was a remarkable thing for Issa to say; as the former chair of the House Oversight Committee, he is best known for pushing investigations into the latest Democratic vulnerability, including glitches in Healthcare.gov, the I.R.S., Benghazi. But recently Issa has been feeling imperilled. In November, after sixteen years in Congress, he won his reëlection contest by just sixteen hundred and eighty votes. But, after Issa came out in favor of a special prosecutor, he retreated from that view and adopted a vaguer goal, calling for "an independent review of Russia."
With or without Issa, pressure is growing for a special counsel. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from election probes, so Democrats want Sessions's acting Deputy Attorney General, Dana Boente, to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation. Justice Department rules call for that step in the event that a case "would present a conflict of interest for the department or other extraordinary circumstances." If Boente does not agree that it meets that standard, Democrats have another option: seeking to revive an expired law that would give a three-judge panel the power to appoint an independent counsel. There is yet one more option: Boente has the power to hire an outside attorney to oversee a criminal investigation, just as the Justice Department, in 2003, named Patrick Fitzgerald special counsel to investigate who leaked the name of the C.I.A. operative Valerie Plame Wilson. (That led to the conviction of Lewis [Scooter] Libby, Vice-President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, for lying to a grand jury and obstruction of justice.) —E.O.
**Do you think democracy will survive? I see very little keeping us from becoming like Putin's Russia. Where should we put our energy to be most effective? How can we stop the apathy and get those in power to choose democracy over personal interest? How can I help? —**Kayde Kat Martin
For the first time I can remember, daily conversation has become infused with questions about the basic strength of our democracy, a far-reaching anxiety about whether the political and digital technology of our time are strong and resilient enough to bear the pressures of the moment. It's easy to dismiss this as little more than Democrats hyperventilating—liberal "snowflakes" who were undone by the results of the election searching for a way to challenge its legitimacy. But that doesn't quite capture it. To my mind, there is nothing hyperbolic about asking whether we're doing enough to invigorate and shore up democracy. For ten years, I lived in countries shaped by authoritarianism—Egypt, Iraq, China—and I don't for a moment take for granted the work of defending against the temptations toward autocracy. In a piece about China last fall, I wrote, "What is the precise moment, in the life of a country, when tyranny takes hold? It rarely happens in an instant; it arrives like twilight, and, at first, the eyes adjust." That natural tendency to adjust—to explain away the shifts in norms, the eroding public trust and traditions—is the reason it's so important to speak loudly when institutions are threatened. When a White House, any White House, excludes news organizations from a press briefing, this is not a partisan issue or an inside-the-Beltway tempest. It is an occasion to recommit to the core of constitutional democracy by calling a member of Congress to complain, or, let's face it, by supporting the journalism that you think is vital. As my colleague Kathryn Schulz wrote last week, "none of us requires a guaranteed outcome in order to act." The act itself is the thing. —E.O.
Humor is important. In the Brezhnev era in the Soviet Union, jokes were what kept people going in some small sense. But I don't think the Trump Presidency is going to collapse under the barrage of John Oliver's best jokes. All I can speak for is my realm—journalism—and say, again, that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and that truth—facts, rigor, clarity, thinking—is an essential part of what a citizen can insist on. —D.R.
Do you think we will see a full-blown press boycott/pushback to support, in solidarity, those members of the press corps and major publications who are having their First Amendment rights taken away from them? —Fareen Ansari
I can only speak for The New Yorker. And what I would say is this: a President who regards some of the most ambitious and rigorous media outlets as "enemies of the American people" is speaking an ominous language—the language of the authoritarian. In Stalin-era Russia, to be branded an "enemy of the people" was a kind of death sentence. Is that the kind of fear and intimidation that the democratically elected President wishes to spread? No, he has not shut down the Times. The New Yorker will arrive at your home as scheduled. But it is always the pattern of autocrats that they begin with the language of fury and intimidation and then move on from there. The only way to stop it is to recognize this and to resist it. —D.R.
What do you think of reports that fifteen thousand people demonstrated against Putin in Moscow? Remarkable, especially in light of your article I just read. —Nancy Hayden Crowley
Those demonstrators came out in memory of Boris Nemtsov, who was killed in February, 2015. Nemtsov was once a promising democratic politician, in the Yeltsin era; he never found his way under Putin, lost his place in government, and eventually found himself on the margins of Russia's opposition politics. He was shot dead on a bridge across from the Kremlin. A number of suspects are on trial who appear to have links to the inner circle of Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin's handpicked ruler of Chechnya, but the court in Moscow has so far refused to examine those connections thoroughly. What's clear, though, is that Putin's Kremlin is actively disinterested in a complete and honest investigation of the crime, suggesting either a measure of powerlessness or retroactive responsibility, if not both. What's interesting about the case of Nemtsov is that his death seems to have struck a note, however muted, with many people in the country. The anti-Putin protest movement has fallen silent, and there are few issues that could get several thousand people into the streets these days. A well-regarded Russian documentary about Nemtsov's life, called "The Man Who Was Too Free," premièred last month to sold-out audiences in Moscow, and is now in the middle of a successful tour of other Russian cities. All that suggests, at the very least, a curiosity or nostalgia for Nemtsov and the values he represented. That certainly makes the authorities nervous, seeing as they are uncomfortable with any movements they do not control. Last week, Moscow city authorities announced plans for a two-year reconstruction project of the bridge where Nemtsov was shot—what many of his supporters fear is a way to rid the bridge of a makeshift memorial to Nemtsov and remove what has become a place of reflection and pilgrimage in the city. —J.Y.
_Do you think more should have been done to bail out the Russian economy or ease the transition into the post-Soviet era for other states? You write about Putin's feeling put down and put upon by Western powers. Would aid have amplified this feeling or prevented current tensions? —_Luke Myers
There actually was quite a lot of aid from both the U.S. and Western countries and financial institutions. It's important to remember, historically, what results, politically and psychologically, from the dissolution of empire. The kind of disorientation, the sense of loss, that you saw in the Ottoman Empire after its fall could also be found in the Soviet republics, especially as economic conditions worsened. —D.R.
Where is Russian art? Where is a Russian Bob Dylan? -Luisa Inez Newton
Thank you, Luisa. You'd be surprised to know, perhaps, that there is rebellious art_—_literary art, for example. Book publishing is not censored in the same way as, say, state television. If you want to buy a copy of Solzhenitsyn or Brodsky or Sakharov, no one is going to stop you. And there are many modern artists who write, paint, compose, etc., in a political way. Putin has determined that he can countenance this kind of art. Where he brings the hammer down is in the realm of political information on television. —D.R.
Will Putin push us into a war? —Marilyn Nagy
I don't see that Russia wants war. Putin wants his interests protected and fulfilled as he sees them. He wants Russia to be the singular influence in the former Soviet republics. He wants a foothold in the Middle East (in western Syria). He wants to destabilize NATO and the European Union. He wants the West to be absorbed in its political crises so that he is left alone to exercise Russia's geopolitical sway as he sees fit. —D.R.
How empowered does Putin's team feel by the election meddling? —@jlcroner
That's among the most interesting questions for those who follow Russia. Clearly, the Kremlin found something attractive in Trump. (One doesn't even have to get into the allegations of direct interference or meddling: the coverage Trump received on Russian state-run media is enough to say with certainty that the Kremlin saw something advantageous and welcome in his candidacy.) As I wrote last fall, "Putin famously called him yarkiy, a tricky word that means colorful, gaudy, or bright, in the way that the neon lights shine from the marquee of one of Trump's casinos." But, as our reporting in Moscow and Washington showed, Russian officials—just like the rest of the world's pundit class—were preparing for a Clinton victory, which suggests the ultimate aim of the Kremlin may have been to weaken Clinton as a future President while undermining the U.S. democratic system as a whole. Trump as President likely came as a surprise. The early days after Trump's win were filled with a sense of triumphalism and satisfaction in Moscow, at least on state television: applause in the halls of parliament, talk of a grand rapprochement with the United States, that sort of thing. (It's quite possible that Putin never allowed himself such euphoria, seeing that he views the U.S. as a long-term strategic rival of Russia, ruled by forces much greater than one President.) We've since seen a real tempering of attitudes, at least in public. We reported, for example, on a "no more Trump" order given to Russian state-media outlets. The Kremlin seems aware that with Russia as such a front-and-center issue in Washington, there is no political way Trump could deliver on his promise of better relations, even if he wanted to. And Russian officials see Trump's impulsive, herky-jerky unpredictably just like everyone else. But if Putin's goal was creating "turbulence" for the U.S. political system, as one informed observer in Moscow told us, then on that score he seems to be doing pretty well. —J.Y.


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[This was one of our initial assignments for our ITP thesis projects. Come up with a pie-in-the-sky review of your thesis idea.]
[FAKE] The Economist: A (Fake) Review of Galapag.us
Reputation and identity
The internet was a house of nil repute, until Galapag.us
An NYC startup is providing an ecosystem for people to build reputation metrics using any of their data
Forays into the online world have been fraught with peril, uncertainty, hucksters, intrigue, and irresistible indulgence of curiosities. Despite a need for truth-telling and fact-checking, social networking sites have been unable to establish reputation as a measure of quantifiable value to provide the unicorn of positive user experience.
However, a New York City-based startup would like to change that. Galapag.us, so named after the chain of islands made famous as Charles Darwin's Eureka! moment for his theory of evolution, as well as for its American heritage and social emphasis (.us), has built up a loyal tribe of Galapag.users who promote its cause.
The tribe promotes openness of data and identity as a way to create measures for reputation, under the idea that being radically public will create more value for individuals and for society than governments, businesses, and nefarious individuals can take away through violations of privacy.
Surely other companies have attempted to reëvaluate reputation metrics, but as Ben Turner, the "discoverer" of Galapag.us says, "Companies either focus on low-hanging fruit from Foursquare and Facebook APIs, or they can only measure data in small spheres of peoples' identities such as diet, exercise, or desktop PC productivity." The strength of Galapag.us, Turner says, is in its ecosystem of data, variables, and formulae cutting across the spectrum of peoples' identities, such as their professional progress, their hobbies, what they spend the fixed-limit twenty-four hours of the day doing, etc.
The other strength is indubitably its passionate tribe, made up of early adopters, quantified selfers, data science geeks, academic researchers (who have access to large-scale anonymized organization- or "tribe-" level data), and even recovering patients whose lives have been made quantified in order to survive their maladies.
For now, Galapag.us is closed only to members who vow to be open with their data, even though granular privacy controls with an "opt-in" only mentality are available. But Turner envisions a future where Galapag.us will provide reputations and identities to everyone — and every thing — on the planet, as a way to combat trafficking, bullying, undervaluation of good behavior, and other social problems.
The company can walk the walk, with an organic, thriving user base, as well as with its discoverer being a Texan and a former Army sergeant with an intelligence background, technical capability, and New York City Silicon Alley DNA. In an age where Internet users feel as though everything is being taken away from them, it is a breath of fresh air that Galapag.us is trying to return more value to people — and to society — than they need to provide on their own.


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Spicy Southwestern Sirloin Burritos
2 # Sirloin Flap meat (similar to flank steak or skirt steak in New England sold as sirloin tips)
1/4 cup Papa Jack's Buffalo Hot Sauce 2011 1st Place Scovie Winner
3 cloves garlic minced fine
2 TBL Dijon Mustard
1/4 White Balsamic Vinegar
2 TBL Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 onion julienne in 1/8 inch strips
1 red pepper julienne in 1/8 inch strips
1 yellow pepper julienne in 1/8 inch strips
2 cups refried beans
3 cups diced plum tomatoes
2 cups fresh green chilies chopped fine
¼ cup Olive Oil
1 9 oz jar Mojo's Tapenade 2010 1 st Place Award Winner
2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese
6 12" flour Tortillas
Lime Cilantro sour cream
Slice Sirloin Flap into thin sheets cutting with the grain
Place sirloin into a zip lock baggie and add garlic, mustard, Papa Jack's Buffalo Hot Sauce, steak seasoning and Dijon mustard and marinate at least 4 hours or over night
Heat olive oil, add sirloin flap and cook quickly turning once, remove from pan
Add julienne onions and peppers to hot pan and sauté until tender
Place tortilla on a flat surface; add 1/6 of beans to center of tortilla spreading toward the sides at the 3 and 9 o'clock portion of the tortilla
Place beef over the beans
Sprinkle with green chilies and tomatoes and Mojo's Tapenade
Last add cheese to each tortilla
Fold each tortilla from the 3 and 9 o'clock portion of the tortilla 2" toward center
Then roll the tortilla (you should end up with a 3" log)
Place the 6 tortillas into a light greased glass baking dish and pop into a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes to melt cheese and warm the middle
When plating drizzle with Lime Cilantro Sour Cream and serve with a side of Mexican Rice
Lime Cilantro Sour Cream:
1 cup sour cream
¼ minced fresh cilantro very fine
1 juice of fresh lime
With a wire whisk whip sour cream with lime juice and cilantro, place into a squirt bottle to drizzle over Burritos
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|Landscape, 1861, Lev Lvovich Kamenev.
Pretty, but pretty boring, too. Even the title is boring.
According to the statistics for this blog, I have between seven-hundred and nine-hundred readers per day. They come from all the English-speaking countries of the world as well as virtually all the European countries of the world; and quite a surprising number of Asian countries. Google is apparently quite good at translating my words, though art is such an international language, and English nearly as much so, that, so long as I steer clear of slang and local idioms, my thoughts and opinions often speak for themselves. With that in mind I also try to bring to light artists from the various foreign countries with whom readers in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia are likely not to be familiar. Sometimes such blog entries turn out to be among my most popular. I don't flatter myself by thinking this is because I'm such a fantastic writer, but because details about these less well-know, non-English-speaking artists, their art, and their times, are often not in English, poorly presented on line, and sometimes even conflicting. "Art Now and Then" is thus a place where I discuss in layman's terms (usually) the filtered information and interesting details gleaned from dozens of different Web sources of highly variable accuracy and quality.
|Lev Lvovich Kamenev, (possibly a self-portrait).
|The Dam, 1864, Lev Lvovich Kamenev, one of the few paintings in which the
center of interest is not overwhelmed by his landscape.
|The Brook, Lev Lvovich Kamenev
|Winter Road, 1866, Lev Lvovich Kamenev. One of his most popular works.
|Winter Landscape, 1871, Lev Lvovich Kamenev. A little smoke from the chimney
and a few Thomas Kinkade lights in the widows might have warmed the place up a bit.


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Pre-Order One More Trip right here.
Jon Wayne's Journey from Addiction to Redemption
(Coming Oct. 1, 2017)
Just as Minneapolis songwriter Jon Wayne's music career is taking off in the summer of 2008, his life is falling apart. He's homeless and begging on the streets, addicted to heroin, cocaine, alcohol and whatever other poison he's putting into his body. He'll overdose three times that summer before embarking on his seventh trip to rehab. As he begins his newfound sobriety on Sept. 14, 2008, he knows getting clean has to stick this time because it's no longer a choice of whether or not to get high; it's a choice of life and death.
Growing up in bucolic Jamestown, North Dakota, Wayne enters rehab for the first time at 18 after a brief yet voracious dance with cocaine addiction. His struggles with addiction and sobriety will take him to Fargo where he parties, delivers pizzas and attends chef school, and ultimately to Minneapolis, where he makes music – forming reggae band Jon Wayne and the Pain in 2006 – and discovers heroin, the answer to the ever-present voice in his head.
One More Trip is one man's story of survival and redemption set against the backdrop of a non-stop music career in a drug-prone work zone. Author Thom Wilder weaves the inspirational tale of Jon Wayne's moment of truth in overcoming addiction, changing his life, correcting his mistakes and making amends.
Pre-Order One More Trip right here.
How the 'Red Grange' Tigers Conquered Illinois High School Football
Today, the Tigers of Wheaton Warrenville South High School are recognized as one of Illinois' preeminent football programs, but it hasn't always been that way. NFL legend Red Grange had put Wheaton on the football map in 1920 as he ran roughshod over high school opponents before finding glory at the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. Over the next half century, Tiger football would become a regional powerhouse in Illinois high school athletics, yet something had changed as the 1970s rolled around as the Tigers slipped into two decades of uncanny mediocrity. The once great football program had become an also-ran in Illinois high school football.
Set to break out of their football doldrums in 1988 with one of the school's most talented squads in decades, the Tigers would instead fumble away their first three games. Tiger football was at a crossroads. How the team responded would mark the future of the program. With head coach John Thorne on the hot seat, the Tigers rebounded to win six consecutive games and earn the school's first-ever playoff berth. The resurgence of the once-proud program had begun.
Four years later, the 1992 Tigers would embark on a journey to win the school's first-ever state football title and place them once again among the Illinois high school football elite. The Tigers' 40-34 double overtime victory over powerhouse Joliet Catholic Academy cemented that game as one of the state's most exciting championship match-ups in history. The Ghosts of Wheaton is more than the story of Illinois high school football; it is the recipe of how champions are made.
Order The Ghosts of Wheaton right here.
How the 1982 Castle Knights Upset Indiana's Football World
Considered by many "experts" to be a team that could never seriously contend with the powerhouse schools from northern Indiana, the 1982 Castle Knights of tiny Paradise, Indiana, capped off a magical undefeated championship that had been born six years before when a group of young teenagers took the practice field for the first time as a team. The Road to Paradise is the story of that season, that team, that community, and high school football in Indiana.
But this story reaches beyond football. The Road to Paradise is the story of all that happened before, and all that would happen after, for a team, a school and a community at a crossroads. It is a story about winning, but even more so, a story about refusing to lose. It is the story of a diverse group of young men who came together to accomplish something impossible, something magical that no matter what life might throw at them — could never be taken away.
Order The Road to Paradise right here.


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December 2012/January 2013 | Volume 70 | Number 4
Common Core: Now What?
David Liben and Meredith Liben
You have little money and hardly any time. What can you do to move your school or district forward in implementing the Common Core State Standards?
The Common Core State Standards will require instructional changes at all grade levels. Making these changes when funds are limited and aligned curriculum and training materials are scarce presents challenges to districts and schools. But there are concrete, practical, and specific actions that districts and schools can take immediately to get ready. In this article, we share strategies and resources related to English language arts and literacy standards.
The first action is to get familiar with what the standards say and how the requirements differ from your current standards and practices. Everyone needs to understand the shifts in practice that the English language arts (ELA) and literacy standards call for. These resources can be used schoolwide or districtwide for this purpose:
Understanding the unique role of text complexity expressed in the anchor standards for reading (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10) is essential to understanding the instructional shifts we need to make. Never before has text complexity itself been a standard. Below are starter resources to explore the topic of text complexity:
Academic vocabulary is made up of mostly abstract words that appear in a wide variety of texts. A solid academic vocabulary is essential not only to reading complex text successfully, but also to becoming proficient at writing, speaking, and listening.
Vocabulary is one of the two most important features in determining the difficulty of complex text (Nelson, Perfetti, Liben, & Liben, 2011). The other is syntax. Yet student vocabulary development continues to receive less systematic and intensive attention than other components of English language arts and literacy. These resources can help you increase the focus on vocabulary:
Andrew Biemiller's 2010 book Words Worth Teaching includes a CD listing words that proficient readers are likely to know by 3rd grade and by 6th grade and an explanation of how to teach vocabulary in the early grades through readalouds.
Despite the importance of syntax in understanding complex text (Nelson et al., 2011), teaching it has fallen out of fashion in the last few decades. Because syntax has not been an area of focus for a while, few resources are currently available, but the two that follow are both excellent:
While we wait for more resources to be developed, complex texts themselves provide the ideal medium for teaching syntax. In the texts used in class, teachers can find complex sentences and ask students to break them up into shorter sentences; shorter sentences can also be combined into longer ones. Younger students like to count the words in a sentence and then discuss why some sentences are longer and how the sentence they just word-counted is put together. Formal study of a foreign language also promotes understanding of syntax in both English and the second language.
Many students are not proficient readers because they lack fluency. Although fluency does not guarantee comprehension, lack of fluency pretty much guarantees that students will have comprehension and stamina problems that can persist into high school (Rasinski et al., 2005). But unlike the task of improving so many skills in education, improving fluency is a straightforward process. Students need to engage in repeated and purposeful reading of text and to listen to text being read well while they follow along actively in the text.
The Common Core State Standards make it more important than ever for schools to build fluency work into the early grades. Students who are fluent with current materials at their grade level may need support once they encounter the more complex text called for by the standards as a regular part of their schoolwork. And students who struggle now will need even more help. In the upper grades, schools need to assess and diagnose students to find those who are struggling because of poor fluency. Once students and teachers understand the problem, practice in purposeful reading and in listening to reading can lead to improved outcomes in a matter of weeks.
Another intervention for addressing fluency is to consistently ask students to reread sections of a text that contain syntax and vocabulary challenges or key information. The time and energy spent rereading is made more purposeful if students are collecting evidence for a discussion or assignment, an activity that also fulfills Anchor Standard 1 in reading.
Finally, form a literacy task force to evaluate your current reading program. Classroom teachers can use fluency assessments to determine which students need support in fluency, but be aware that some materials are not updated to use the kind of complex grade-level texts that the standards call for. To adjust for this change, find more complex texts, such as those listed in the Common Core standards for grades K–5 and grades 6–12.
These fluency resources might also be helpful:
Reading aloud is a potent tool that needs to be taken seriously. For young students to build content knowledge, as required by the standards, they will need to hear texts read aloud because the texts they can read for themselves in early grades rarely contain as much content as books they can listen to and comprehend. To build students' content knowledge, teachers will need to read aloud many more informational texts. The standards call for a shift to 50 percent of elementary students' reading being made up of informational texts and 50 percent consisting of literary texts. Before students can read for themselves, teachers will need to provide this balance through what they choose to read aloud.
The basic rule of thumb is that teachers should not spend time reading to students what students can read for themselves. Just as the texts students can read themselves in the earliest grades cannot develop background knowledge, they do not offer enough depth or variety to be used for achieving the standards. Reading aloud rich complex text in K–2 develops academic language, background knowledge, and a love of literature. It enables all students to meet more rigorous reading standards and prepares students for the more complex text they will read in later grades.
There is not an abundance of resources that address reading aloud to meet Common Core standards, but there are lots of good reading lists and read-aloud supports available online. These articles on the Reading Rockets website all point at the robust research base for reading aloud a variety of texts to students and doing so in a mindful and deliberate way:
Appendix B of the ELA standards offers suggestions for text selections in the early grades. Teachers can also look two or three grades above their own for titles.
Students need to read a lot to grow their vocabulary, develop stamina, increase background knowledge, and improve fluency. Students also need to read much more informational text. The standards follow the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) recommendations for informational text ratios: 50 percent in elementary school, 55 percent in middle school, and 70 percent in high school.
Teachers can help meet the informational text requirement by encouraging more nonfiction in their independent reading programs. They can provide newspapers, magazines, websites, and more informational text in full-length books. Boys especially will respond well to this infusion of nonfiction (Jones & Fiorelli, 2003). Similarly, teachers can begin to use more informational text in guided and shared reading, which traditionally has involved mostly narrative fiction.
Texts can be chosen to align with state social studies and science standards or to address topics that students find interesting. Social studies and science teachers can collaborate with English language arts teachers to increase reading across content areas. The Common Core standards explicitly address literacy in science and social studies, and publishers are now putting out series of informational texts that students can read in these classes. Many more informational texts are available online at sites like these:
Your public library or school media specialist will be able to provide information about how to find interesting articles online. Many districts subscribe to national databases to download articles. In many cases, these databases also include a complexity score by grade level.
Several projects have made available resources that take into account multiple elements of the English language arts and literacy standards.
In this ongoing cooperative effort among school districts, state education offices, the Council of the Great City Schools, and Student Achievement Partners, districts send interested educators to be trained in writing questions and tasks that require students to carefully examine written text. These teams return home and work together to revise the questions and culminating tasks in their current reading series so that they can use the existing materials in a manner that is aligned with the Common Core standards. The groups also identify the academic vocabulary and the syntax demands in the texts they work with.
The result is a growing collection of more than 100 revised sets of materials that can be used with seven of the major basal reading series. This resource gives districts and schools some breathing room until fully aligned instructional materials are available. These materials are available to anyone who wants to use them. Also available are training materials, templates, and protocols districts can use to align their own materials.
To access the materials, you will need an Edmodo account. Once you have an account, use the code etuyrm to gain membership in the Basal Alignment Project group.
Started in Reno, Nevada, in 2011, the Core Task Project is a grassroots project in which teachers of a shared grade level or subject come together for a half day of professional learning about the Common Core State Standards and the shifts in instruction. They then return to their classes and all teach the same lesson aligned to the standards. The teachers then gather again for a few hours to discuss what they and their students learned from the experience.
Links to videos, ongoing information about the Core Task Project, and other explanatory materials are located on the project's blog
America Achieves has assembled a set of videos of educators teaching lessons aligned to the standards. Lesson plans and student work samples accompany each video. This collection will be expanded periodically. The resources are free, but users will need to go through a brief sign-up process to access them.
Implementation of the standards would of course be easier if schools had more time, money, and high-quality professional development. Unfortunately, these ingredients are currently scarce. Yet when schools and districts encourage teachers to engage in thoughtful study, alone or together, and help them find free and low-cost resources to help, it is possible to get started with implementation right away. By starting to make these shifts and changes now, schools can get a leg up on meeting the standards.
Biemiller, A. (2010). Words worth teaching: Closing the vocabulary gap. Columbus, OH: McGraw Hill.
Jones, P., & Fiorelli, D. (2003). Overcoming the obstacle course: Teenage boys and reading. Teacher Librarian, 30(3), 9–13.
Nelson, J., Perfetti, C., Liben, D., & Liben, M. (2011). Measures of text difficulty: Testing their predictive value for grade levels and student performance. Technical report to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA.
Rasinski, T. V., Padak, N. D., McKeon, C. A., Wilfong, L. G., Friedauer, J. A., & Heim, P (2005). Is reading fluency a key for successful high school reading? Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(1), 22–27.
David Liben is senior literacy specialist and Meredith Liben is director of ELA and Literacy at Student Achievement Partners.
December 2012/January 2013Common Core: Now What?
Copyright © 2012 by ASCD
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Riverwalk Church of Christ
225 N. Waco
Wichita, KS
Monday April 17, 2017
10:00 am -12:00 pm and/or 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
New and Old Business
- Purple and Red Baby Hats (Hat Patterns), IV Covers, and Bridget's Cradles.
- Monthly Challenge (Anything Crocheted with at least 50% Pastel Colors).
- Crochet in Public for April is April 25th and will be at Barnes & Noble at 1920 N. Rock Road (New Time) 6:00 pm-8:00 pm. Dinner before at Jason's Deli at Bradley Fair
Show 'n Share
Bring any projects that you have completed or working on and share with everyone.
Program To the Point Shawl
Here's a link to the pattern http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/to-the-point-6.
We suggest a worsted weight cotton or acrylic yarn of any color and hook size to go with worsted weight yarn.
Tapestry needle to weave ends in and a Small pair of scissors.
Door Prizes
The guild is always accepting door prizes, so if you have something that is crochet related in your stash of goodies and no longer need it and would like to donate to our door prizes, please feel free to do so. Donations are strictly voluntary. And remember they should be something that you would like to receive yourself.
Next Guild Meeting Monday May 15, 2017.
Find us on Facebook.


text: Finu Shrestha joined ICIMOD in March 2008 as an intern in the Integrated Water and Hazards Management (IWMH) programme working on the mapping and monitoring of cryosphere and water resources. She is currently working as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data Analyst in the Mountain Environment Natural Resources' Information Systems (MENRIS) division of ICIMOD. Ms Shrestha holds a Master's Degree in Hydrology and Meteorology from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Prior to joining ICIMOD, Ms Shrestha worked as a consultant for Lifeline Laboratory and Research Center Pvt (Ltd). Her areas of interest include water resources, meteorology, climatology, GIS/remote sensing, and climate change.


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Sunday Schedule
Prayer Time: 9:15am
Sunday School: 10:00am
Worship Service: 11:00am
A Little About Us
First, you'll discover FBC is a church that values all generations while leaning to the younger side of the age spectrum. Dress tends to be "Montana" or "Western-Chic" which might mean someone in jeans and sandals could be standing next to another person in a business suit… and everything in-between. At FBC, people are comfortable wearing whatever they find, well…comfortable. We have been praying for you before you ever come in the door, and you'll feel that.
You can expect…
A Warm Welcome: We have volunteers who love FBC and want everyone who visits to feel at ease. They welcome people to the service and are ready to answer any initial questions you might have. You'll also find an area stocked with coffee and breakfast items for you to get your morning off to a great start.
A Great Place for Kids: Your kids will love FBC's Children's Ministry, no matter when you arrive. Each ministry is staffed by trained leaders who make it their goal to teach truth in a setting that is both engaging and fun. Songs, puppets, crafts, new friends and applicable lessons help us partner with parents to ground young people in truth that lasts a lifetime.
A Caring Nursery: If you have wee-little ones, we have them covered as well. Our nursery is staffed by people who have the well-being of you and your child at heart.
Great, Great Music: Our Praise Bands lead us in treasured hymns that keep us connected to our rich heritage along with more contemporary songs that keep praise fresh. On any given Sunday, you could be singing a tune you just heard on the radio, or be moved by a soul-stirring hymn penned with a quill centuries ago. Either way, you'll enjoy the music at FBC.
Bible-Centered Preaching: The centerpiece of FBC Sunday Service is God's Word. Believing that the Bible is God's divinely inspired message and our only source of genuine hope, our preaching is grounded in and flows from scripture. The sermons are designed to direct our gaze heavenward while being able to understand how its truth can impact us now.
When you visit FBC, there's no need to worry about being singled out; you can be as "known" as you're comfortable being.
If you want, there is a Communication Card in in the seat backs for you to let us know how we can help or if there is anything we can pray about with you.
These are the Missions Groups we support:
Chris Peabody, Child Evangelism Fellowship
Gary Philips, MANNA
Dalton and Paulette Walker
Brent and Sheila Moeller
Tom Harper
Greg Lyons
Baptist Bible College
Baptist Bible Tribune
Boston Baptist College
516 E Bryant St Suite C
Bozeman, MT 59715
Phone: 406-587-0033
This is not our mailing address. There is no mailbox at this location.
Just fill in the blanks and we'll add you to our email list. Make sure you check your email to verify that you've been added.
If you need to send us a message, or need to get in contact with someone from the church, please fill out the form below.
Pastoral Candidate – Bret Bone


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With a strong reputation among health care providers for delivering the best skilled nursing and long-term care in Northeastern Oklahoma, Forest Hills is also known for its ability to help residents get back to their homes with top-notch rehabilitative care. Forest Hills offers a comprehensive slate of therapy services along with extensive specialized care options in a 3,000 square-foot therapy gym with daily living simulation areas. Add in our highly experienced therapy staff, and Forest Hills residents enjoy an optimal environment in which to achieve the highest possible quality of life.
We offer comfortable private and semi-private room options, and our newly redecorated dining room serves delicious meals that can accommodate a variety of special dietary needs. Additionally, respite services are available with around-the-clock medical coverage for seniors needing care when family caregivers are traveling or simply need a break for a week or two. Whatever the need, Forest Hills provides residents with a comfortable home in which to thrive.
Forest Hills offers around the clock medical care, as well as therapy and rehabilitation services, to our assisted living and skilled care communities. Our goal is to help residents retain the highest possible level of functioning so that they can enjoy their lives to the fullest. The Forest Hills therapy staff is experienced and highly regarded as the best in the region, not only for their positive outcomes, but also for their camaraderie and dedication to helping the residents achieve their goals.
The therapy and medical services offered at Forest Hills include:
Whether residents are at Forest Hills for rehabilitation, skilled nursing, or long-term care, we offer a nurturing environment that supports the highest quality of life. Our skilled nursing residents can enjoy monthly family events organized by our full-time activities director, who keeps all Forest Hills residents as active and engaged as possible. Through our membership in the Tulsa Interagency Council, we also participate with several area senior groups and centers in joint activities and outings to encourage stimulating interactions. At the heart of it all, though, is our exceptional staff, many of whom have been at Forest Hills for a number of years. They work tirelessly to provide the best possible care for every resident. Contact us to schedule your tour of Forest Hills today.
At Forest Hills Assisted Living Community, every service, amenity, and therapy is offered with one goal in mind: taking care of people in the best possible way. Our assisted living community is designed to support those residents who need minimal to moderate help with daily living, or those families who need respite care for a loved one. Whatever the need, Forest Hills offers residents a comfortable, home-like feel and an experienced, caring staff to meet virtually every need.
Forest Hills offers the assisted living community a variety of living options, including studios, one-bedrooms with full kitchens, large studios, and "studio plus" apartments with two bathrooms in an apartment that is double the size of the standard studio. Meals, housekeeping, and linen service are included, as are assistance with the activities of daily living.
Residents are usually on the go with many activities and outings, and Forest Hills hosts monthly family activities that give residents the opportunity to host loved ones in our warm and inviting center. The welcoming environment and attentive care empowers our residents to live to the fullest every day.
More than any other factor, MGM Healthcare knows that hiring and developing an experienced, compassionate, and skilled staff is the single most important element in providing superior short-term, long-term, assisted living, and skilled nursing care. We invest extensive resources in human resources, and we feature excellent staff-to-patient ratios at all of our care centers. This allows our staff to spend more time with each resident, giving them the time and the care they need to thrive.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, all potential employees are required to submit to post-offer drug testing, criminal background checks, motor vehicle records search verification, reference checks and potentially multiple interviews. Click the link to access the MGM Healthcare online application and start the process in joining an organization dedicated to improving rehabilitation, skilled care, and short- and long-term care one outcome at a time.


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Samuel L. Jackson Joins Tim Burton's 'Miss Perregrine's Home For Peculiar Children'!!!by Red Zeppelbon on Feb 9th, 2015
Hey guys, Jana here,
Samuel L. Jackson has his sites set on his next project and is circling the next Tim Burton adaptation of the crazy popular kids' novel by Ransom Riggs, 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children'.
Eva Green will portray the titular Miss Perregrine while Jackson signs on for Barron. Fox is releasing the film March 4, 2016. The book tells the tale of a boy who, following a horrific family tragedy, follows clues that take him to an abandoned orphanage on a Welsh island. With real pictures from collectors and a time loop, this story takes the reader to incredible places and exercises that all-important childhood requirement, your imagination. I'm excited to see this brought from print to screen, especially under Burton's masterful direction.


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Oral Roberts University
In the summer of 2009 HFC was given the challenge to renovate all 12 floors of one of the girls dormitory restrooms and showers. The university chose HFC's Aztec Marble in a matte finish. The real challenge on this project was the short time frame during the summer break. HFC accomplished the job early earning us many thanks from the university construction services department. HFC manufactures Aztec Marble in our own 15,000 square foot facility.


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WESTMINSTER, Md. – The No. 22 Ursinus College women's swimming team cruised to a 57-37 Centennial Conference victory at McDaniel on Saturday.
Senior Sydney Gundersen and juniors Peyten Lyons and Clara Baker each grabbed a pair of gold medals as the Bears (4-0, 2-0) stretched their dual-meet winning streak to 52. The trio was joined by senior Olivia Tierney in the 200 medley relay, where the group finished first, setting a new pool record of 1:51.49.
Lyons wasn't done setting records there, as her first-place finish in the 100 back (59.92) broke the old pool record set by Malena Lair Ferrari in 2014.
Baker's second gold came in the 100 fly (58.75) while Gundersen grabbed her second gold in the 200 IM (2:14.94). Senior Meggie Leitz followed Baker in the 100 fly, touching the wall in 59.16 while junior Katherine Madden trailed Gundersen in the 200 IM (2.22.58).
The trio of sophomore Haley Sturla and freshmen Rebecca Warren and Sophie May each won a gold. Sturla topped the podium in the 500 free (5:30.62) wile Warren on the 1000 free (11.07.53). All three had teammates join them on the podium. Junior Kathryn Longenecker touched just after Warren in the 1000 free (11:19.22) while her classmate Gabriella Timuscuk finished second in the 500 free (5:32.20) to Sturla. Katherine Kurzinsky earned a bronze medal in the 50 free (25.62).
Sophomore Margrethe Leis and freshman Allison Thomas went 2-3 in the 100 free, with the elder finishing in 57.35, while Thomas touched shortly after at 57.56. Thomas also went home with a silver medal for her performance in the 200 free (2:04.16).
The foursome of Leitz, Gundersen, Baker and Lyons finished the 200 free relay in 1:42.50, while the duo of Tierney and freshman Katelyn Moore completed the 100 breast in times of 1:10.49 and 1:11.62, respectively.
The Bears are back in action next Saturday when they host Gettysburg.