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Two of the longest serving members on the Board of County Commissioners face challengers in the Aug. 14 primary.
In District 3, Republicans Ray Judah and Larry Kiker face off, with the winner to face Charlie Whitehead, of no party affiliation, in November.
In District 5, Republicans Frank Mann and Sonny Haas will face off, with the winner taking on Independence Party of Florida candidate Matt Miller.
Article Photos
Ray Judah
District 3
Ray Judah
Age: 58
Residence: Unincorporated Lee County
Occupation: County Commissioner
Judah's accomplishments over his 24 years as commissioner are numerous. Therefore, he believes the people should bring him back for a seventh term.
"For me, it's been a series of four-year contracts, subject to approval by the voters of Lee County," the incumbent said. "I bring depth and breadth of experience and I'm battle tested."
Judah said he would continue to bring in more diverse jobs to Lee County and champion environmental causes.
Judah, who chaired the commission in 2008-09 during the heat of the recession, said it was projects like Jet Blue Park that allowed Lee County to thrive.
"Jet Blue Park provided for tens of thousands of jobs using tourist tax money and will account for $750 million over the next 30 years," Judah said.
Judah said he would continue to find ways to reduce county expenses. As far as using reserves to balance the budget, he is unapologetic.
"I have supported reducing the county workforce by 444 positions and reduced operating expenses by $94 million over the last five years," Judah said. "We built up our reserves so we had them during the tough times to provide for services we need."
Larry Kiker
Age: 60
Residence: Fort Myers Beach
Occupation: Real estate broker
Kiker has been mayor of Fort Myers Beach for five years and said he will put his experience in business to good use if elected.
"I hope to bring a businesslike approach to government at the county level. We need that more than ever," Kiker said. "We have a budget crisis and we're overspending. We'll be out of reserves in four or five years."
Kiker said he would formalize the process and get everyone involved, as well as make it easier for Lee County to do business by relaxing regulations.
"I'll devote special attention to local business. There are a lot of unemployed and 80 percent of jobs created is in business," Kiker said. "Reducing regulations will make it easier. We should reward, not punish those who want to succeed."
Kiker said it's also time Lee County rediscover what makes it a top destination for tourists.
"We need to get back to basics with tourism. We spend 20 percent on baseball on 3 percent of the market," Kiker said. "Eighty percent come here for the sun and beaches and we should concentrate our money on that."
District 5
Sonny Haas
Age: 48
Residence: Alva
Occupation: roofing contractor
Haas is taking a second shot at Mann, losing to him in the primary four years ago. He said he is tired of the commissioners treating Lehigh as a second-class citizen.
"Lehigh is turning into a slum. It's devalued and nobody wants to live or drive through there," Haas said. "I want to clean up Lehigh and bring up property values and widen SR82 to increase the tax base and let it take care of itself."
Haas has gone on the attack against his opponent, who he said is against progress.
"I'm not running for what Mann is doing, I'm running for what he's not doing," Haas said. "He's bragged about standing in front of bulldozers, like he has the power as commissioner to stop everything."
Besides helping Lehigh, Haas also wants to bring in more jobs, give Cape Coral a third seat on the board, and end the 3-2 votes that come from the commissioners.
"I want to facilitate getting along with the board. Continuity is Job No. 1," Haas said. "I want to crank up the economic machine. One house permit in Cape Coral puts 1,500 people to work. Jobs are a priority."
Frank Mann
Age: 71
Residence: Alva
Occupation: County commissioner
Frank Mann, a lifelong Lee County resident, has served six years as county commissioner over two terms, including two years in the 1990s. He said he will run on his record of fiscal conservatism.
"I've got the time, energy and experience in a city I've called home. I have something to offer," the incumbent said.
Mann will also run on his platform of fiscal prudence, the environment and planned growth. Prudence is especially important and will be the primary focus.
"I haven't supported a single budget because of the way we spend our reserves. No one has worked harder to bring the budget into balance without reserves," Mann said. "The record shows I've pushed for more cuts, but we got outvoted 3-2."
Unlike the candidates, who have criticized the building of Jet Blue Park and tourism priorities, Mann said tourism has never been better.
"Tourism seems to be working. The last two years have been the best we've ever had in spite of a recession," Mann said. "Baseball and beaches have worked better than before. I don't know what we would have done without it."


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$G=\mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_3$ is isomorphic to
A subgroup of $S_4$.
A proper subgroup of $S_5$
$G$ is not isomorphic to a subgroup of $S_n$ for all $n\ge 3$
What I know is Any finite group is isomorphic to a subgroup of $S_n$ for some suitable $n$(Caley's Theorem), 1 is not true as $G$ is abelian but $S_3$ is not,$4$ violates Caleys Theorem, for 3 I saw that there is an order $6$ element in $G$ namely $(1,1)$ but No element of the subgroup of $S_4$ have order $6$ right? Not sure about 3, Thank you for the help.

subset: commoncrawl


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Read about some of the achievements of our past HR Executives of the Year and Honor Roll awardees.
2008: J. Randall (Randy) MacDonald
Senior Vice President of Human Resources
"I'm uncomfortable with the status quo," says MacDonald, Human Resource Executive®'s HR Executive of the Year for 2008 in Passion to Lead. "I'm always looking for how to do something better. It's just the way I think."
At IBM, MacDonald has relentlessly pushed HR's contributions, redesigning nearly every major program and reviewing processes across the world to ensure they deliver on IBM's business proposition -- even when it has meant, at times, pursuing an atypical HR strategy, one others in the profession might discourage.
Under his leadership, IBM HR has focused more and more on its own core strategic competencies, transferring administrative and transactional activities to external partners, including IBM's own business-transformation organization, in many regions worldwide.
As part of this focus on strategic value, IBM has redesigned bonus plans and performance-management programs to tie them even more closely to business results, redesigned benefit programs for a greater focus on prevention and healthy living, and invested heavily in new learning and career-development programs.
The 2008 Honor Roll included Bridget Atkinson, vice president of human resources and organizational development at GTSI Corp. (Engineering an HR Evolution); Barbara J. Baker , executive vice president of cultural enhancement at Umpqua Bank and Umpqua Holdings Corp. (Culture Keeper); Richard Floersch, executive vice president and chief human resource officer at McDonald's Corp. (Supersized Talent); Bruce Pfau, vice chair of human resources at KPMG LLP (Persuader in the Storm); and Eva Sage-Gavin, executive vice president of human resources, corporate social responsibility and communications at The Gap Inc. (Leading with Dignity).
2007: Bonnie C. Hathcock
Senior Vice President and Chief HR Officer
"HR takes a back seat to no one -- that's my assumption going in," says Bonnie Hathcock in The Strength to Lead. "I look for HR people who are not afraid to get in a room and slug it out professionally for what they believe in. We need to have some boldness about us, and some courage."
Hathcock's energy -- and her instincts -- helped transform the role of HR first at Siemens Rolm, later at US Airways and then at Humana, where she led an effort to overhaul employee health benefits that was later introduced to customers. Other initiatives included placing top "business-oriented" HR people in various departments, such as finance and sales, to help provide business leadership, and collapsing 1,500 job descriptions into 400 "roles" to encourage talent development.
What makes Hathcock perhaps unusual, though, is that her focus on business and strategy has not led to a diminution of what is at the core of HR -- the human element. While it may be difficult for some HR executives to balance the overall needs of the company and the individual needs of the employees, Hathcock seems to do it naturally.
The 2007 Honor Roll included Valerie Murzl, vice president of human resources/training at Station Casinos (Staying Ahead of the Game); Matt Schuyler, chief human resource officer at Capitol One (Making a Difference); Jill Smart, chief human resource officer for Accenture (Smart Moves at Accenture); and Sharon C. Taylor, senior vice president of corporate human resources at Prudential (Grace Under Pressure).
2006: Jack Mollen
Executive Vice President of HR
EMC Corp.
In 1999, at the height of the dot-com boom, there was good news and bad news for EMC Corp (Driving Change). The good news: The Hopkinton, Mass.-based firm known best for its modest place in the data-storage hardware niche, was poised for sudden growth. The bad news: While it was quickly becoming a 21st-century company, its organization -- and its HR functions -- were still running in 20th-century mode.
After a very successful restructuring, however, the 9/11 attacks occurred, followed by a decline in EMC's revenues of almost 50 percent over a matter of months -- and subsequently, the dismissal of more than a quarter of the company's global workforce.
With the company written off by Wall Street insiders, Jack Mollen collaborated with Joe Tucci, EMC's chairman, president and CEO, and CFO Bill Teuber on the process of, first, rebalancing business priorities and, then, realigning the reduced organization and, ultimately, acquiring 25 firms and 11,000 staffers as the company rebuilt itself.
In addition, the magazine named to its Honor Roll: William Kuchta, vice president of organizational development for Paychex Inc. (Constant Learning Curve); S. Frank Fritsch, senior vice president of human resources for Select Medical Corp. (There For His People); Eastman Kodak's Chief Human Resource Officer and Senior Vice President Robert Berman (Dare to be Digital).
2005: Karen Jennings
Senior Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Communications
SBC Communications Inc.
Karen Jennings (The Great Communicator) has helped SBC -- one of the nation's largest telecommunications firms and co-owner of Cingular Wireless -- overcome multiple recent challenges, including three major corporate mergers, skyrocketing health-care costs and delicate negotiations with one of the nation's largest unions.
Jennings led negotiations with the Communications Workers of America that led to an unprecedented concession from the union to give 30-days notice prior to any strike and the final agreement was mutually beneficial for both sides. She oversaw the introduction of a complex consumer-directed healthcare plan for the company's active and retired managers.
Ed Whitacre, SBC's CEO, credits Jennings with helping the company successfully navigate two major acquisitions -- Ameritech in 1999 and Southern New England Telecommunications in 1998. Jennings is currently helping SBC wrap up its latest acquisition, that of AT&T, its former corporate parent.
In addition, the magazine named to its HR Honor Roll: Lea Soupata, senior vice president of human resources at UPS Inc. in Atlanta (Delivering Value); Kathy Herbert, executive vice president of human resources for Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Inc. (Grade-A Choice); Deborah D. Hirsh, chief human resources officer for the Los Angeles Unified School District (Smooth Sailing); and Rose Patten, senior executive vice president of human resources and strategic management for Toronto-based BMO Financial Group (Quest for Results).
2004: William J. Conaty
Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources
General Electric Co.
In an interview with Human Resource Executive, GE's chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt, said of Bill Conaty: "I just think he's what the great HR leaders are supposed to be about -- attracting and retaining, partnering and keeping the world's best people. He's the best I've ever seen." (Master of HR at GE)
Jack Welch, GE's former chairman and CEO, meanwhile, said of Conaty: "I don't think there's another human resource leader in the world as good as he is. He has an incredible touch with every level in the organization, from the factory floor to the people who report to the CEO. He's trusted by everybody -- and he deserves it because he's earned it."
Among his many accomplishments are GE's executive-compensation program and corporate-governance standards, which have won the company high praise from the media, HR experts and advocates of stricter standards.
Under Conaty's leadership, GE set specific goals on the amount of GE stock each senior officer must hold (six times base salary for the CEO, five times base for vice chairmen and four times base for senior officers). It also removed stock options and restricted stock from Immelt's compensation, using instead performance-share units that vest in five years and are tied to internal and external financial metrics.
In addition, the magazine named to its HR Honor Roll: Louis A. Kaucic, chief people officer of Applebee's International (Turning Turnover Around); Jon C. Cecil, chief human resource officer of Lee Memorial System (Healing the System); Kay Coles James, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (A Daunting Task); and Karen Jennings, senior executive vice president of human resources and communications for SBC Communications (Custom-made Leader).
2003: Dennis M. Donovan
Executive Vice President of Human Resources
The Home Depot Inc.
Dennis Donovan, one of CEO Bob Nardelli's first executive hires when he took the reins of Home Depot in December 2000, put HR at the center of the retailer's transformation. (Retooling HR) His accomplishments ranged from putting an HR manager into all 1,600 Home Depot stores to creating a Leadership Institute and launching leadership development programs for high-potential managers.
"I needed the best HR officer in the country, and that's Dennis," Nardelli told Human Resource Executive. "A lot of people have theories, but Dennis can actually turn his theories into reality."
Among other things, Donovan and his HR team embarked upon a dramatic business transformation which included devising more than 300 initiatives that the HR department committed to deliver within the following three years against the backdrop of a dynamically growing business that opens a new store every 43 hours and creates 40,000 new jobs per year.
In addition, the magazine named to its HR Honor Roll: Nancy A. Rae, senior vice president of human resources, DaimlerChrysler Corp. (Respect for the Ranks); Sherry Whiteley, senior vice president of human resources, Intuit Inc. (Business Intuition); Terry M. Faulk, senior vice president of human resources, Kraft Foods Inc. (Increasing Strength); and Rob Norton, senior vice president of corporate human resources, Pfizer Inc. (Growing Globally).
2002: James H. Wall
National Managing Director of Human Resources
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Under Jim Wall's leadership (Accounting for Success), Deloitte & Touche's culture transformed a "churn-and-burn" atmosphere into one that is collaborative, friendly, supportive and inclusive. His extraordinary leadership skills were particularly evident as the company, whose headquarters were across the street from the World Trade Center, responded to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
As part of his effort to transform Deloitte & Touche's culture during the '90s, Wall painstakingly convinced the firm's partners to adopt a Women's Initiative -- a move that's been instrumental in helping the firm double its revenues during the past five years. This initiative, along with others, has led to Deloitte & Touche's being routinely named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" by Fortune and one of the best places to work by Working Mother.
In addition, the magazine named to its HR Honor Roll: David O. Aker, senior vice president of worldwide human resources for Unisys Corp. ('Administrivia' Slayer), and Cynthia H. Augustine, president of the broadcast group and senior vice president of human resources for The New York Times Co. (Changing the Times).
2001: Daniel L. Sullivan
Executive Vice President of Human Resources
Qualcomm Inc.
Under Dan Sullivan's leadership (Marathon Man), Qualcomm's HR vision has been to energize and guide the company in areas of motivation, employee satisfaction and the achievement of corporate objectives, as well as maximize the firm's operation efficiencies.
Sullivan, mindful of the role students will play in advancing high technology through difficult business cycles, has played a critical role in helping secure funding for the University of California-San Diego's Jacob School of Engineering as part of a new state initiative to establish the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology.
Sullivan also led the HR information systems organization to create a fully Web-enabled self-service portal called "My Source," which has helped free up HR managers for strategic projects.
In addition, the magazine named to its HR Honor Roll: David L. Murphy, vice president of human resources at Ford Motor Co. (Drive to Excel); Francesca M. Spinelli, senior vice president of people at Radio Shack (Radio Active); and Anne Szostak, executive vice president and director of human resources and diversity at FleetBoston Financial Corp. (Diversity, With Life).


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Carmelo's Arrival by Michelle Foy
Three nights before Carmelo was born, Fernando and I climbed the steep hill of Sanchez Street under the light of the full moon, enjoying the smells of an early spring, talking about our fears and hopes for the birth, the baby, and the world he was coming into…
Each night for a week or so I went to bed imagining that it could be that night. That the baby would decide it was time to join us on the outside. On Tuesday night, the day after Carmelo's due date, I went to bed with the same thought and fell into a deep slumber.
I awoke around 4 am. I lay in bed for a while, thinking about it all and wondering if it was the anticipation that roused me from sleep or early labor contractions. I had heard too many stories of people not knowing if they were in labor or not…I reminded myself that birth is about listening to my body and the baby.
The contractions came with that early labor burst of energy. I woke Fernando to let him know it was happening and that we might want to start filling the tub. I did a load of laundry and walked through the house, breathing and taking it all in.
I recall sitting in our small, dark front room of the house on the birth ball, looking out onto 23rd St., imagining that our street, our neighborhood will be different, transformed in some way, once the baby arrives.
The contractions were coming on rather regularly and strongly at that time, but were short, around 20 seconds or so.
At 8 we called Maria to let her know that the contractions had begun. She said, "ok, I'll call you tonight to see how you're doing." I thought to myself, "What, tonight?! I'm going to have this baby today!", intellectually thinking about the fact that my mother had two very short labors, one 5 hours and one 3 hours, and imagining that I would follow my mother's footsteps. I asked Maria to remind me what it is that we were looking for in the contractions before calling her again (funny how that part of Jane's childbirth prep class flew out the window), three or four minutes apart and a minute or more in duration. Again I reminded myself of something we learned in class, don't focus too much on how often and long the contractions are, just trust the process, trust my body and things will happen as they will.
Around 10 I napped, enjoying another couple of hours of very restful sleep as the contractions had eased up. I knew how important rest would be for the hours ahead.
That afternoon Fernando and I walked the neighborhood. We stopped by More Mojo and Maria's office. When I walked in Kristine asked, "Are you in labor?" Another woman in the office and I both responded simultaneously with a "yes", and then we turned around and gave each other a high five. There was something so reassuring about the serendipitous meeting of the two of us in the middle of early labor.
Kristine shared her birth story with me while I lay on the table, a welcome reminder of how non-linear labor can be, the ebbs and flows of the contractions, and the need to let go of expectations about the process. On our way home we bought some cheese and a box of thank you cards. We called family and friends to let them know the baby was on the way.
At home, I got into the tub while Fernando sat on our futon next to the tub reading from the book Birthing From Within. Moving through it with breath, meditation and the tools learned from working with Jane in yoga and childbirth prep class. We joked about how we were finally doing our homework from class…
Our friend Andrea came over that afternoon with fixings for lentil soup and I sat in the tub comforted by Andrea and Fernando's chatting in the kitchen while they cooked. Our friend Sarah arrived and we all sat and ate together. I still had an appetite, a sure sign that I had a ways to go until I was in active labor.
Fernando answered the phone when Maria called that night at about eight. She said that it was important to get some sleep and rest, that we had a big day ahead of us and that the most common reason for a hospital transfer for first births is exhaustion. For the first time, thoughts of doubt crossed my mind, and I felt daunted by the idea of sleeping between or through contractions that were coming on regularly, at about 10 minutes apart. I again reminded myself that I could do this, that the baby and I were on this path together and that I had all the tools I needed to have an empowering and safe birth (at the same time knowing that it was not something I could "control", that things will happen as they will…)
Andrea and Sarah went home knowing that they may be summoned back in the middle of the night, or not.
Sleep was difficult. It was a struggle to not get up and walk through every contraction, as the pain while lying down was clearly more intense because I was lying down. And the plastic underneath our sheet made the bed unbearably uncomfortable. But I knew that I would only sleep between contractions if I stayed horizontal.
At about one in the morning I got up and went into the tub. There was a calm in the house and in the neighborhood as if all were quietly preparing to welcome Carmelito.
I got out of the tub and went to the couch to lie down. I fell asleep to be awoken by increasingly intense contractions. Lying down meant that I only had breathing and meditation to get through each surge. I remembered what a friend said, "it will be tough, you will feel pain, but remember that it will end. Visualize being in the park with Fernando and the baby." I remembered swimming in the ocean a few months before and imagined riding the waves, feeling weightless and incredibly small in the vast body of water. I thought of the contraction as a spiral that led to the baby being born and the baby as a partner in this process, the continuation of a long relationship and dance between the two of us. I imagined my womb opening up, making the space needed for the baby to make the journey. I practiced non-focused awareness by noticing the subtle sounds in the house, on our street. It felt incredibly challenging, but also empowering as I made it through each contraction, confident in what was happening.
Around three am I got up from the couch, feeling like I could not do it lying down any longer. I awoke Fernando, almost 24 hours after early labor began. For the first time, we timed the contractions, which were over one minute long and about 3 ½ minutes apart. We called Maria, Andrea and Sarah.
I walked and walked. Up and down the long hallway of our San Francisco apartment, leaning on Fernando while I drew from his love and support.
I recall Maria arriving, as I watched her climb our staircase up to where I was standing, in between contractions, and still wearing my robe. She was asking me some questions, which I don't remember, something about how I was feeling, and her reassurance that what I was doing was exactly right. I felt very warm and took my robe off, ready to let go and move into the uninhibited place of active labor.
Maria checked me and the baby's heartbeat soon after arriving. I told her that my water had not broken, but she said that she could not feel the amniotic sac inside of me. I was 7 centimeters dilated, something very reassuring as I knew that that determination and focus while laboring on the couch paid off. Maria said that I should just continue doing what I was doing and that I was looking for the feeling of the need to bear down. That is when I would be ready to start pushing, when I was fully dilated and felt that urge to push.
I continued walking up and down the hallway, and by this time, was fully moaning through contractions. Sarah said that I mooed through labor, something I wasn't aware of, although I knew that I was vocalizing and that it was really helpful. I remember thinking that this stage was almost easier than when I was on the couch, as I was able to move and had more tools to get through the contractions.
After another hour or two Maria checked me again. She determined that there was still a bit of cervix that needed to thin out and that the baby had not positioned himself exactly as he needed to be, to successfully make his way through the birth canal. She then instructed me to lie on the bed, in a very particular position (if I remember right, on my right side with one of my legs bent and folded over another leg) in order to encourage the baby to move into a good position. She said that I should stay there for 45 minutes, something I dreaded, as I did not want to lie down again. But once in the position it felt great, as if she knew exactly what I needed, a rest for my legs and an encouraging position for the baby.
After 45 minutes I got up and Maria asked me if I had an urge to push, as she said I was ready to go as soon as I felt the urge. She said I should assume whatever position I most feel that urge, trying out different things, like squatting or sitting on the toilet. I then went and sat on the toilet, focusing in a way that would allow me to move to the next stage of labor.
I left the toilet and felt a wave of nausea come over me. I didn't make it back to the toilet and threw up on the floor. I immediately felt better, a sort of release that got me one step closer to the birth.
Maria suggested I take a shower, which felt, once again, just right. When I got out of the shower I was shivering and felt ready to get into the warm tub so I would not be shivering. I asked Maria if I was dehydrated as my legs were shaking. She said that was just labor.
It was 9 am by the time I got into the tub. Maria guided me through different positions, thinking about those that would create the greatest pelvic tilt, the most room for the baby to come through. She said I was ready to begin pushing at any time.
The pushing came fairly naturally although I never felt a strong urge to push. It was also by far the most difficult and painful stage of labor. I thought about the idea of seeing stars with the experience of intense pain, but rather than seeing stars I saw the most amazing, colorful patterns during each contraction and each round of pushing. Between contractions I would focus in such a way to build up the kind of energy needed to get through the next one.
I was on my hands and knees in the tub for maybe less than an hour, when Maria said that I was doing everything just right, but at some point she wanted me on my back, propped up slightly with my legs up. Fernando got in the tub with me and I switched positions, as he held me in such an important and powerful way at that stage of labor.
I continued pushing with an amazing team of supporters, (including Nancy who had arrived as the second midwife, around the time I got into the tub) who had only encouraging words. The support and encouragement, along with the thought of the baby that would join us on the outside in no time, is what got me through this stage of labor.
At some point, during a round of pushing, Maria said that the baby's head was beginning to appear. His small, hairy head would crown just a little, and then would return inside of me in between contractions. She had me reach down and touch his head during one contraction. It was unreal to feel his fuzzy head between my legs, yet another aspect of the miracle of birth and how imminent his arrival was. Down he would come, and then retreat back into me, once I stopped pushing.
Maria offered that with a little more pushing his head would be fully crowned. I thought, "what just a head crowning, what about him being born?!", forgetting that, as long as his positioning was good, once his head was out the rest of him was just shortly behind. One more push, she said, encouraging me to really focus in on my pelvis, opening it up, and bearing down. Then it all seemed to happen so quickly. Before I knew it, the baby came shooting out of me. I couldn't believe it, there was the baby that had been nurtured within me for all that time, finally joining us, making a journey into our arms through the water.
There was a round of gasps and cheers, as well as Andrea announcing his sex (we did not know his sex—although there was a lot of speculation and a majority opinion that he was a boy).
Somehow, between him coming out, when Maria caught him and began to bring him up to me to hold him, his umbilical cord got tied. It was very amusing as it was in a full knot, but nothing dangerous. He was out, having taken his first breath, and cried his first cry. Sarah then cut his cord and I handed him to Nancy to dry him off and keep him warm.
Maria had me climb out of the tub to birth the placenta. It was a beautiful way to end such an amazing process, to push it out, Carmelo's sibling, as some call the placenta. I squatted over a bowl as it slipped out of me with ease.
I then, with a lot of help from others, walked to the bedroom next door to get into bed with Carmelo and Fernando. I was so elated and overcome with emotion and joy, the memory of that next period, is a blur. I just sat there cuddling Carmelo as he slept, recovering from his tiring journey. I heard the sounds of the others in the house, tidying things up, draining the tub, chatting about the birth. I reveled in the experience and the beauty of this new life, one that would change our lives forever.


text:
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Cartoon Collection
Fatah cartoon: Israel executes Palestinian children - and the US supports it
Cartoon posted on website of Fatah's Information and Culture Commission on Dec. 12, 2015
Headline: "Summary executions!"
The cartoon shows an Israeli soldier executing Palestinian children who are tied up and blindfolded, while an American soldier stands next to him reading from a piece of paper, apparently announcing and justifying the execution.
The scene is reminiscent of different terror organizations' execution videos in which a statement is often read aloud before the execution of hostages. The flags in the background are also typical of such "promotion" videos by terror organizations.
Webpage of Fatah's Information and Culture Commission
Dec. 12, 2015
Fatah cartoon encourages shedding blood and rock-throwing for "Palestine"
Dec. 27, 2015
Martyr's mother to Santa in cartoon: "I want to bury my son in the bosom of the land he redeemed with his blood"
Dec. 26, 2015
Cartoon in Palestinian daily depicts Christmas trees shot to death by Israeli guns
Dec. 23, 2015
Official PA daily cartoon shows Israeli soldier trying to chop down tree shaped like a slingshot
Dec. 15, 2015
PA daily cartoon promotes rock throwing for kids
Dec. 12, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Israel executes Palestinian children - and the US supports it
Dec. 12, 2015
Fatah website publishes cartoon with IDF soldier holding dead child on his rifle
Dec. 11, 2015
Cartoon on Fatah TV: Israeli soldiers hunt and murder Palestinians using their rifles as hunting dogs
Dec. 7, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Religious Jews crucify Palestinian boy
Dec. 2, 2015
Fatah cartoon depicts an Israeli bulldozer destroying the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Nov. 30, 2015
PA cartoon: Palestinian child carries the word "hero" on his back
Nov. 26, 2015
Fatah tweets cartoon of terrorist defending Jerusalem holy sites from Israeli soldiers
Nov. 25, 2015
Cartoon on Fatah TV: Israeli soldier stages the scene of a stabbing attack
Nov. 24, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Netanyahu taking advantage of world terror to "incite" against Palestinian terror
Nov. 23, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Israel considers rock throwing to be a crime
Nov. 23, 2015
Fatah carton accuses Israel as committing "terror"
Nov. 23, 2015
PA cartoon: Israel is the protégé of the Angel of Death
Nov. 21, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Israel together with ISIS behind Paris terror attacks
Nov. 16, 2015
Fatah cartoon compares Jews to ISIS
Nov. 16, 2015
Cartoon that shows Israel beheading the Al-Aqsa Mosque compares Israel to ISIS
Nov. 15, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Israelis are Nazis
Nov. 11, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Palestinian throws rock from oud for "freedom"
Nov. 9, 2015
Cartoon on Fatah website implies Palestinians don't care if they're shot by Israeli soldiers
Nov. 8, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Palestinian throws rock using "V" as slingshot
Nov. 7, 2015
Cartoon promotes rock throwing to defend holy sites in Jerusalem
Nov. 7, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Israel soldier plants knife on Palestinian child after shooting him
Nov. 5, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Israeli soldier yells "terrorist" and shoots tot playing with toy tank
Nov. 4, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Rock is "best friend ever"
Nov. 4, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Netanyahu holds Dome of the Rock as captive
Nov. 3, 2015
Fatah Twitter cartoon: Israel murders Palestinians and plants knives next to the bodies
Nov. 1, 2015
Fatah Twitter commemorates terror-promoting cartoonist with cartoon promoting rock throwing
Oct. 31, 2015
Fatah cartoon depicts Israeli soldier as bloodthirsty killer while world is silent
Oct. 30, 2015
Fatah Facebook cartoon shows soldier saying to a Palestinian woman: "We have killed the best of your youth."
Oct. 29, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Israel the aggressor gives false image as peace-seeker
Oct. 28, 2015
Netanyahu depicted as tank and gun
Oct. 27, 2015
PA daily cartoon urges women to become rock-throwers
Oct. 27, 2015
PA daily cartoon shows Jew planting knife on Palestinian boy
Oct. 26, 2015
Cartoon of boy throwing rock promotes violence
Oct. 21, 2015
PA daily cartoon promotes rock throwing against Israelis
Oct. 19, 2015
PA daily cartoon encourages children to throw rocks at Israelis
Oct. 18, 2015
Cartoon in PA daily: Israel fabricates Palestinian stabbing attacks
Oct. 17, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Israel parroting 'false allegations' about stabbing attacks on Facebook
Oct. 15, 2015
PA cartoon: Masked fighter plays knife as violin
Oct. 12, 2015
PA daily cartoon glorifies terrorist "Martyrs" in Heaven whose homes were demolished by Israel
Oct. 11, 2015
Cartoon of Palestinian throwing rock promotes violence
Oct. 9, 2015
Cartoon in PA daily shows soldier being pelted by rocks
Oct. 8, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Religious Jew uses soldier's gun to shoot Palestinian
Oct. 3, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Israel depicted as Judaizing ISIS executioner decapitating the Palestinian Dome of the Rock
Sept. 19, 2015
PA daily cartoon promotes rock throwing
Sept. 16, 2015
PA daily cartoon promotes rock throwing in Jerusalem
Sept. 14, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Israel fabricating stabbings by Palestinians in order to kill
Aug. 20, 2015
Netanyahu toasts Molotov cocktails with Jewish "price tag" terrorist
Aug. 8, 2015
Fatah TV cartoon depicts Jews celebrating murder of Palestinian infant in arson attack
Aug. 2, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Palestinian child burned by menorah symbolizing Israel
Aug. 1, 2015
Hamas, in response to Palestinian criticism, publishes anti-PA cartoon that depicts the "West Bank" stabbing and killing a Jew
Aug. 1, 2015
Hamas cartoon posted on Twitter depicts Palestinian woman kicking an Israeli soldier as "Intifada"
Aug. 1, 2015
Hamas tweets anti-Fatah cartoon of Jew raping woman and murdering children
July 31, 2015
Hamas publishes cartoon on Twitter praising West Bank support for firing rockets against Israel
July 31, 2015
Israeli soldier decapitates Dome of the Rock
July 29, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Jews' attempts to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque will lead to "explosion" in the Middle East
July 28, 2015
Fatah cartoon claims Israel is "Judaizing" Jerusalem, covering up bloody Islamic Jerusalem with a Torah scroll
July 13, 2015
Fatah cartoon mocks ISIS suicide terrorists
July 9, 2015
Fatah cartoon mocks Islamic suicide bombers: "Remember, the more victims, the more virgins"
June 27, 2015
Fatah: Islamic State = Israel
Apr. 5, 2015
Fatah cartoon portrays Netanyahu surrounded by grim reapers
Apr. 3, 2015
Fatah cartoon portrays Israel as terrorist killer of peace
Mar. 14, 2015
PA daily cartoon: Israel killing Palestinians via power outages
Mar. 6, 2015
Cartoon compares Netanyahu and Israel to ISIS
Mar. 4, 2015
Fatah cartoon: Israel is mirror image of ISIS
Feb. 15, 2015
Netanyahu with blood on hands and mouth, holding sign: "No to terror"
Jan. 14, 2015
America demonized as a torturer in PA daily cartoon
Jan. 1, 2015
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|2008-02-01, 03:53
|Link #61
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
Why not post your request in the existing Anime sound effects library .... thread located in the Music forum.
|2008-02-05, 02:25
|Link #62
Magical Boy
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Hiding... don't try to find me.
Age: 15
How about a "What would you do as (insert any gundam 00 faction here) to get your goals?" thread? For example, As CB, how would you go about trying to rid the world of war; or as (any of the other factions), how would you try to get rid of and/or capture CB. etc.
|2008-02-05, 17:19
|Link #63
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
Two things are required as well. The title would need to be more concise than the above suggestion and an opening post needs to be written to define the boundaries of the topic. Could someone provide either or both.
Sorry but not being familiar with the series I can't really help.
|2008-02-05, 17:35
|Link #64
Casual prosumer of anime
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Germany, most of the time.
xris: I'm more of a lurker, but I think Shiryuu's forum topic could generate really interesting discussions.
Perhaps the topic could be: "The Gundam00 Armchair Generals' Thread"
OP could look like this:
Part of Gundam00's popularity is its rich fictional setting and the many parallels that are drawn between that world and contemporary world affairs. If you were in a position to make strategic decisions for any one of the warring groups (AEU, Human Reform League, Union, Celestial Being), what kinds of strategies would you pursue in order to reach your desired outcome for world order?
Your faction has had to endure numerous setbacks in recent months against Celestial Being. Your missions to counter or capture the super weapons have been fruitless, with heavy losses in life and equipment. CB's interventions have made a mockery of your military force's ability to respond and to provide security. Election year's approaching or your political enemies are breathing down your back. What are you going to do now to regain the initiative?
Option 1: Cooperate with other factions. For example, a formal military alliance could be effective in stopping CB. Only with real cooperation could the factions provide public goods, such as a global network of sensors that can provide early warning of an impending CB intervention. Through scientific cooperation, you can together develop anti-Gundam weapons that would tip the scales against Celestial Being.
On the downside, cooperation would mean having to share scientific knowledge, intelligence and military resources with other factions. Your allies could cheat (and attack you when you're off-guard) or free-ride (by getting whatever they want but not contribute). There are security implications as your allies would learn and adapt to any military or technological advantage your faction has.
Option 2: Go it alone. Keep the status quo and come up with your own solutions. On the plus side, you won't need to compromise on your security or expending resources associated with building an alliance. On the downside, you'll have no recourse to any resources the other factions have and you can't count on backup.
Option 3: Renounce war altogether as per CB's demands (surrender)? This could be interesting to speculate on. Who would the factions surrender to? How is Celestial Being going to monitor compliance?
...you get the idea.
Possible discussions could revolve around politics, diplomacy, military strategies, economics and technology (everything and anything that a master strategist needs in his/her toolkit).
(plus the usual disclaimers...no personal insults, etc.)
Last edited by Realist_Classic; 2008-02-05 at 21:06.
|2008-02-06, 06:39
|Link #66
Just call me Ojisan
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: U.K. Hampshire
Created thread, The Gundam 00 Armchair Generals' Thread
|2008-02-06, 07:28
|Link #67
Casual prosumer of anime
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Germany, most of the time.
|2008-02-11, 01:26
|Link #69
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
List of Anno Domini factions
While info on wikipedia can be wrong, they should still suffice as a general guide. I hope that helps.
|2008-02-21, 14:35
|Link #73
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 33
I don't think there is any need for specifically Gundam 00 videos thread. We have the general Gundam Music Videos thread; it should be completely sufficient for any videos you want to post, especially since the thread is as underused as it is.
|2008-02-22, 21:55
|Link #74
One PUNCH!
Join Date: Dec 2005
This is not a new thread request, but a request to rename the Gundam 00P and Gundam 00F thread to include Gundam 00V.
|2008-02-28, 08:45
|Link #78
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: UK
Age: 39
Recently we've been getting a lot of rumours posted in the Gundam 00 discussion and news topic. Would it be possible for a completely seperate topics for rumours as there are people like me who'd rather not know about these rumours but can't avoid them because they're being posted so freely in the topic which is also used to post official information from the official site and magazine summeries/interviews which I want to read. Either that or could some guidelines be put down that all rumours and discussion of those rumours be posted under spoilers tags for people who don't want to read them?
|2008-02-29, 02:54
|Link #79
Join Date: Feb 2008
seems better but all inspoiler ags might not be suitable.. making a stickied thread for these spoilers and such etc.
should sticky the spoilers . after sticking tha make the rumor thread and sticky i.. and if stuff are in spoilers they wil still be chated about.. best avoid spoiler threads.. they spoil...
|2008-02-29, 05:32
|Link #80
Lost in my dreams...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 33
|Thread Tools


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Governor Scott Announces Disaster Fund for Floridians Impacted by Flooding
Today, during a tour of impacted areas, Governor Rick Scott announced the activation of the Florida Disaster Fund. The Florida Disaster Fund helps Floridians who have been impacted by disasters by providing a mechanism for businesses and individuals who seek to support critical local recovery efforts.
Governor Scott said, "Last week I saw first-hand the devastation that recent flooding has left behind in Florida's Panhandle. Floridians and businesses have already stepped up to help their neighbors, and activating the Florida Disaster Fund is the next step in the ongoing recovery efforts. Through the Florida Disaster Fund, we can leverage donations for long-term assistance. This week we also learned that our major disaster declaration for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties was approved, which will further help our communities recover and succeed."
"We thank Governor Scott for his support of the local organizations that serve families and individuals impacted by the flooding," said Chester Spellman, Executive Director of the Volunteer Florida Foundation, which administers the Florida Disaster Fund. "Our goal is to ensure that volunteers and donations are supported in the most effective and helpful way, and activating the Florida Disaster Fund is one of the best ways to do that."
In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Volunteer Florida Foundation supports response and recovery activities through the Florida Disaster Fund. In a disaster, donations offered through the Florida Disaster Fund are subgranted to eligible disaster relief organizations. Eligible applicants include long-term recovery organizations and other non-profits, both faith-based and secular.
In addition to the Florida Disaster Fund, Governor Scott encourages individuals to donate to the established disaster relief organizations of their choice.
The Florida Disaster Fund is managed by the nonprofit Volunteer Florida Foundation. To make a contribution to help flood victims through the fund, please visit http://www.volunteerflorida.org/emergency-management/florida-disaster-fund/.


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The Irish Classic, which originated in the Aran islands has been around for centuries. Families, clans, islands would each have a pattern that was distinctive to each. Some stitch patterns have a traditional interpretation, often of religious significance. The honeycomb is a symbol of the hard-working bee. The cable, an integral part of the fisherman's daily life, is said to be a wish for safety and good luck with fishing. The diamond is a wish of success, wealth, and treasure. The basket stitch represents the fisherman's basket, a hope for a plentiful catch.
They became so popular in the U.S. when JFK was seen wearing them in the 60's Since then, they have become a classic!
We have a nice selection of these in the store, come try a classic! Below is a preview--images taken by the talented Taylor Kitto.
Images by Taylor Kitto


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School officials meet new graduating teachers at Teacher Interview Day
Thursday, April 4, 2013 2:00 AM
Pittsburg, KS
Sadie Thomas, Julie Fecke and Andrea Lindsay, all elementary education majors, sat together Thursday as they waited for interviews at Pittsburg State University's Teacher Interview Day.
The event allows school districts to interview numerous new graduating teachers in a short amount of time.
Fecke, who lives in Chetopa, said she was looking for a job "within driving distance" of home. Likewise, Lindsay, from Girard, had southeast Kansas on her map.
"I'm kind of keeping an open mind about where I want to teach," said Jeremy Gee, of Frontenac, who plans on teaching secondary level biology.
Math teacher Reine Loflin, Iola, added that although she was looking for something in southeast Kansas, she was open to any area.
As the students waited their turns, officials from more than 60 school districts from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma asked questions and took notes, hoping to find the perfect matches for the positions they had open.
Mindy Cloninger, director of the Office of Career Services, said about 450 interviews were scheduled.
Scott Currier, principal of Lakewood Middle School in Overland Park, Kan., and also a PSU alumnus, said he was looking for teachers in some specific areas.
"I'm impressed by the students I've met," he said.


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by BG
Stock Level: Normally Within 3-5 Days
Manufacturerbg electrical
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We give Free Delivery on all orders over £45. Any order below £45 incurs an additional £3.00 post and packing fee
- All in stock orders are dispatched on the day they are received if placed before 4pm.
- Standard delivery we will use Royal mail, which is usually around 2-7 working days delivery
- On a courier delivery, which we will often use for larger items, deliver can be expected between 2 and 7 days from the point of order. If for any reason you order is set to take longer than this, we will contact you to keep you informed.
We can also deliver into Europe and the rest of the world, but price is dependent on weight and dimensions. Price is variable and is given upon checkout.
Often we will quote as close to the price as we can, however in some circumstances, with shipping outside of the UK, we will contact you and quote you a price once the order has been received
** For next day delivery (at an additional charge), your order must be placed by 2pm Monday to Friday, any order placed over a weekend for next day delivery will be delivered the following Tuesday. Next day delivery does not include weekend delivery, and as such all orders placed next day on a Friday will be delivered the following Monday, or if after 2pm will be delivered on Tuesday


text:
State officials on Friday announced the latest updates on two worrisome trends in public health that have hit California hard this year: a rise in measles cases and additional deaths from influenza.
Deaths from the flu had increased earlier this season, though the latest numbers show it has been waning in recent weeks. California has seen 332 flu-related deaths so far for the current season which began in the fall. Last flu season, there were 106 deaths.
Meanwhile, at least 32 people statewide contracted the measles so far this year, compared with three in all of 2013. The highly contagious disease is considered virtually eliminated in the United States, but cases coming in from Asian and Pacific Island countries have increased in the last few months.
Of the recent cases, seven had traveled to the Philippines, two had traveled to India and one had traveled to Vietnam, where measles is endemic.
"With an outbreak in the Philippines and measles transmission ongoing in many parts of the world outside of North and South America, we can expect to see more imported cases of this vaccine-preventable disease," said Dr. Ron Chapman, state health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health.
Cases have been reported in eight counties, including 10 in Los Angeles, and five in Riverside.
"Because we have high vaccination rates, measles cases are rare and it is unusual to see this level of measles activity," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Director of Public Health and County Health Officer.
Among the confirmed cases in Los Angeles County, eight are believed to have been linked to international travel and two cases are currently under investigation, Fielding said.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads from person to person when someone who is ill coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever that can last for days, followed by a cough, runny nose, and a rash that first appears on the face and behind the ears and then affects the rest of the body. Death can occur from severe complications, experts said.
Health officials have said that high immunization rates in California have kept preventable childhood diseases at record lows during the last 20 years.
Measles was declared "eliminated" in the United States in 2000, but California has seen a range of four to 40 cases per year since then. Statewide, about 92 percent of all children have had the measles vaccine by age 3. Less than 3 percent have chosen to go unvaccinated under the personal belief option, according to the public health department.
Among the 19 statewide measles cases known to be unvaccinated, 14 were unvaccinated due to personal beliefs, according to preliminary data.
"If you are not vaccinated and are exposed, there is a 90 percent chance that you will become infected," Fielding said.
As for the flu deaths, health experts blame the H1N1 strain, a mixed virus that affects younger generations that have not built up immunity to it.
Among the fatalities this year, seven were pediatric deaths. An additional 19 deaths are under investigation. Los Angeles has reported 54 deaths while San Bernardino has had 23.
"While this influenza season appears to have peaked, influenza is still circulating in California and is still elevated in some areas of the state," said Dr. Gil Chavez, state epidemiologist. Chavez called this influenza season moderately severe.
While this year has seen an increase, it is still far from the peak in 2009, when there were more than 600 flu-related deaths reported in California, as the H1N1 strain first emerged in the United States.


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Tag Archives: MTV
Why don't they play videos on MTV anymore?
November 17, 2012
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Newsletter #782: The "Make It Clear" Issue
May 13, 2010
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Book Review: Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words
Bill Bryson, a writer best known for his humorous travel books but also the author of two books on the English language, has recently produced a usage guide. Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words is an updating of his 1983 Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words and Phrases (now out of print).
In the book, Bryson lists a fair number of words and phrases that are commonly misused, misspelled, or confused. A very good writer in his own right, Bryson's advice is usually sound and practical, although he does stray a bit into the realm of personal idiosyncrasies and stylistic preferences and the book contains more than its fair share of errors.
Word Of The Month: Brand
This month, a US Federal District Court judge will rule on whether or not Microsoft has the right to trademark the term Windows. Lindows.com, a maker of Linux computer operating systems, has asked the judge to summarily dismiss a lawsuit against them in which Microsoft claims that Lindows.com is infringing on their trademark and brand. For their part, Lindows.com claims that windows was in common use as a computer term for rectangular graphic user interface displays before 1983 when Microsoft began marketing their Windows brand and that no company has a right to exclusive use of common English words.
As a result, brand is the word of the month. A brand is the name of a product or company, a trademark. By extension, the brand is also the values that customers and the public associate with a product or company. The term comes from the practice of literally branding products, or the casks and crates that contain the product, with a hot iron. The idea of brand as a marketing tool is relatively recent, only dating to 1827. Brand name dates to 1921. Brand image appears in 1958 and brand loyalty a few years later in 1961.
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American Dialect: Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is unique among the fifty states in that it has two very distinct major dialectical centers, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Many states have internal variations of dialect, New Jersey for instance is split down the middle with half the state paying homage to New York City and the other have speaking like Philadelphians. But no other state has two urban centers each with its own dialect.
Book Review: AP Stylebook & Briefing on Media Law
For years, the Associated Press wire service, or AP, has published its style manual, allowing journalists and writers from outside the organization to copy the AP's style. The operative question is why would someone want to.
Unless you are an employee of the AP or writing for an organization that has adopted the AP style as its house style, this book is an uncertain guide. It is designed for daily, newspaper reporting, not for other types of writing. Its rules and conventions are arcane and Byzantine. For example, should one use periods when abbreviating the names of organizations? According to the stylebook, the answer is no, except when you should. AP uses periods with U.S. and U.N., but not with FBI, CIA, or AP.
Old English in LoTR
This month, Peter Jackson's film The Two Towers hits theaters in the United States. It is the second installment of Jackson's dramatization of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. It seems an opportune time to take a look at Tolkien's use of language to set the tone and environment of Middle-earth, particularly his use of Old English.
Tolkien was not simply a writer of fantasy stories. He had a day job as a professor of philology at Merton College, Oxford. He was one of the world's foremost experts on Old English and his 1936 essay, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, revolutionized the teaching and study of Anglo-Saxon literature, treating the poem as a work of literature for the first time, rather than just a historical artifact. The Middle-earth stories about hobbits and wizards were simply a hobby and a way to amuse his children.
Word Of The Month: Weapon of Mass Destruction
The word (actually it is a noun phrase) of the month is:
Weapon of Mass Destruction, n., a nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon. Sometimes radiological weapons are included in the definition. Also WMD. In use since at least 1937. Pre-1945 uses of the term referred to conventional weapons of great destructive power, such as the bombing of cities by aircraft, and chemical weapons.
Weapons of mass destruction have been all over the news lately. The United States is gearing up for war in Iraq because Saddam Hussein continues to develop them. The United Nations has sent inspectors to Iraq to ensure that he does not, in fact, possess such weapons. And in the midst of this, North Korea announces that it has a nuclear weapons program, in violation of agreements it has entered into with other nations.
American Dialect: New York Speak
One of the most distinctive dialects in the United States is that found in New York City. Often called Brooklynese (a misnomer as the dialect is common to all five boroughs, plus parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, and not just Brooklyn), the dialect has been introduced to the world via Hollywood, from the Bowery Boys to the Sopranos.
New York is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the country. Not everyone there speaks with the New York dialect. And unlike the dialects of other regions, like Boston or the South, the New York dialect is class-based. The higher you are on the social ladder, the less likely you are to sound like a New Yorker.
Correction: Hub City
In last month's issue, in the article on New England dialect, we said that Boston was called the Hub or Hub City because Bostonians considered it the hub of the universe. While this may be true in the hearts of Bostonians, it is not the exact origin of the term. The term is from a quotation from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (father of the jurist), who said in the 1858 Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, "Boston Statehouse is the hub of the solar system."
Slang In Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Part II)
(This is part two of a two-part article. The first installment appeared in last month's issue.)
Last month, we took a look at Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (BtVS), a popular US television series that uses slang, both real and created, to set the mood and establish the characters. The show follows the exploits of Buffy Summers, the one girl in all the world endowed with the preternatural powers needed to slay vampires and fight the demonic forces of evil. Aided by her friends Willow and Xander, as well as by her "Watcher" Giles, she works to rid the world of evil, starting with her hometown of Sunnydale, California.
In the first part of the article we examined how BtVS used actual slang terms and phrases to good effect. This month, we will look at how the writers use a few derivational rules and patterns to create a wide variety of unique slang terms. We will also examine the speech patterns of a few of the characters to see how the writers and actors use language to establish and shape the characters.
Word Of The Month: Diplomacy
War is on everyone lips. Will the United States attack Iraq? What is being done to get weapons inspectors back into that country? What is going on at the United Nations Security Council and back in the foreign ministries at capitals around the world? The word of the month for November is:
Diplomacy, n., the conduct of international relations through negotiation, the methods and skills by which this is achieved. From the French diplomatie (pronounced –cie). In English since 1796.
Here we take a look at some of the words associated with diplomacy, what they mean and where they come from.
Copyright 1997-2019, by David Wilton


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"Beyond Ambition, beyond desire, beyond limitations, beyond the quest for perfection lies only the knowledge and certainty that one can achieve more, give more and be more. Strive for it"
Carol Pilon-Wingwalker
"So I decided that I was going to ride this pony into the desert and I'm going to keep riding until it up and dies and then I' m gonna drag it's dead carcass another couple of hundred feet for good measure. There is no plan B."
Renegade Red
"So you think you're pretty fearless dragging sparks through town in your chopped and channeled Model A, fighting bald tires and drum brakes while your girlfriend is texting you for the fourth time wondering where the bleep you are. You drop a gear and gun that V-8 until everything else is a blur and you can tell yourself that you really are the genuine asphalt hero, keepin' up the tradition, doing it old school…..Then you meet Carol Pilon and it becomes real clear, crystal clear, that you and your sorta legal jalopy really aren't that much after all. What she is bringin' is a bright red biplane Stearman rigged for the kind of stunts you and your rickety rolling bleepbox can't even imagine. She does her thing out in the wind, unprotected with a Pratt and Whitney radial engine belching out a 450 hp lullaby three feet from her head. And one more thing. Just like back in the old days, there's no parachute."
Curtis Cummings for Garage Magazine
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Since the world wide web became a around the world occurrence, online games have already been rising in popularity to the stage exactly where they are the most favored and played video games on earth. In this establishing several online games and genres stand out among the sleep and truly should have the headline of very best and many addictive online games ever. One superstar genre is auto racing games. Everywhere you gaze you will find autos or bicycles or even aeroplanes to competition! It is actually no surprise that some on the internet race video games are typically the most popular games ever. cartoon car
Racing sports can trace their origins back to the 70s once the style first began using form and thru the 1980s and nineties, the course was honed and pruned in the type it offers undertaken right now on the web. Everybody has noticed labels like NFS or Insane Taxi cab, but what is it about these game titles that can make them very popular and obsessive? 1 purpose might be that they can put you in a spot that you simply just can't go in your everyday lifestyle - inside the driving a vehicle seat of any auto proceeding at 200 mph. This is the pleasure associated with a adventurous child or teen to acquire right behind the wheel of a super fast auto and push like that they had in no way pushed prior to. That adrenaline speed is one of the most unique years as a child remembrances for several grownups. racing car games
Cartoon game for
- From the time the world wide web was a around the world sensation, online games happen to be.
- Something to consider when taking part in race video games.
However the events of basic and easy rushing are practically at an end. Some race athletics like NFS have become flagships in the future of racing games. It has diversified so that not only are you currently auto racing as a race vehicle motorist, but also you can competition a criminal or perhaps a policeman or a fugitive or an undercover professional! Actually advanced auto racing online games can come built with a tale line helping to make enjoying the game so much a lot more interesting. Yet another really well-known characteristic of some race game titles is the application of esoteric cars like trains or monster trucks. How often every year can any typical man or woman sit powering the tire of any beast pickup truck or race straight down a train series? funny car
Daytona racing girl
Although any sort of racing online game is well-liked, games have the additional good thing about online connectivity. You are able to play with people half way world wide and develop your abilities towards benefits. Racing games are about palm vision sychronisation and they also enhance your reflexes (next time another person has a problem with you taking part in a lot of race game titles you are able to terrify them together with your feline-like reflexes!) 3d games
Games sport
Something to consider when actively playing auto racing game titles is the category is constantly altering and diversifying. Experiment with new forms of competitions and look for 1 that you really like, even cops and thieves game titles are a while categorized less than this classification to possess you can attempt a whole lot of different styles of enjoy. Auto racing is focused on the speed and entertainment of the excitement of auto racing downward a road or train or racetrack without the need of really hurting anybody. With the 1000s of different versions offered there will certainly be one just good for you.
The excitement of auto racing downward a
- Something to keep in mind when taking part in race games is that the style.
- But the days of ordinary and simple auto racing are almost with.
- Auto racing sports can find their roots back to the 70s when the category.


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The words echoed in the Brooklyn ballpark. Stan Musial walked to the plate. He would not remember hearing the chant, but he never did hear too much when he was hitting. He was just 25 then, back from the war, unsure about the future. Only a couple of weeks earlier, he had been offered a preposterous sum of money -- 10 times what the Cardinals were paying him -- to break his contract and go play baseball in Mexico. That was the year of the great Mexican baseball raid. Musial didn't exactly consider going, but he wasn't exactly thinking straight when a Mexican millionaire named Alfonso Pasquel showed up at the team hotel and spread five $10,000 cashier's checks on his bed.
"Consider it a bonus," Pasquel had said. Musial was making $13,500 for the Cardinals.
He turned it down, of course, Musial would remember his manager, Eddie Dyer, asking if he wanted people to see his two children and say, "There are the kids of a guy who broke his contract." But he didn't really need the caution. Musial belonged in St. Louis, and he knew it, and after turning down the money he started rocketing the ball. Two hits and a homer against Philadelphia. Three hits and a homer the next day. Three hits and three runs scored against the Dodgers. Three hits and a homer against the Giants. Four hits, a double and a homer against Boston.
By the time he got into Brooklyn, he was batting .346 and up to second in the league in hitting. When he left Brooklyn, three days later, he was hitting .363 and leading the league. He hit the ball all over Ebbets Field -- two singles, a double and a triple the first day, three singles the second -- and on the third day, when he walked up, the Brooklyn fans were chanting.
"Here … blur … the … blur. … Blur … comes … blur … blur."
"What the heck were they saying?" the St. Louis sportswriter Bob Broeg asked at dinner that night.
"Bob," the Cardinals traveling secretary Leo Ward said with wonder in his voice, because these were, after all, Brooklyn fans. "They chanted, 'Here comes the man! Here comes the man!"
"You mean 'that' man, don't you?" Broeg asked.
"No," Ward insisted. "The man."
Broeg wrote it like that. And that's how Stan Musial became known as "Stan the Man." After that, all he had to do was spend the next 67 or so years living up to the name.
* * *
Maybe it is right that Stan Musial, after a long and happy life, passed away while the sports news is so strange and disagreeable. Here, one of the most famous athletes in the world admits to Oprah that he cheated and bullied his way to the top. There, one of happiest college football stories of the year talks about being duped, and how the girlfriend who had inspired him to do great things never existed. The sports pages overflow with cynicism and bitterness and anger. Maybe it is an especially good time to look back and remember Stan Musial.
This is not to say that Musial should be deified or idealized … he was a man, flesh and blood, made his share of mistakes and hit into his share of double plays. But if there's one overriding theme of Stan Musial's life, it was how much he wanted to make people happy. This was true when he played ball, the way he would duck into his peek-a-boo batting stance -- "like a small boy looking around the corner to see if the cops were coming," the Hall of Famer pitcher Ted Lyons would say -- the way he would uncork on a pitch and then break out of the batter's box, full of expectation, full of ambition; 725 times he would turn those hits into doubles, 177 more he would make them triples. No one in baseball history rounded first at full speed as many times as Stan Musial.
But this zeal to make people happy did not end when he stopped playing. Every single day, when Stan Musial left the house, he would tuck his harmonica into his pocket. Every single day, at some point, he would run into someone, and he would pull out that harmonica, and he would play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Musial would say he learned to play the harmonica because he did not like speaking in public, did not feel comfortable doing it, and the harmonica gave him a voice. It made people smile.
Harry Caray, who knew Musial for more than a half century, often would tell the story of Musial wandering out after a steaming doubleheader, looking as if he'd been through 15 rounds, and every single thing in his body language said he just wanted to go home and lie down. Instead, when he got to his car, he found fans waiting for him.
"Watch this," Caray told a friend, and sure enough Musial's whole body straightened -- like Popeye after spinach -- and he shouted, "Whaddya say! Whaddya say!" and he signed every autograph. Caray loved telling that story not because it was unusual, but for the opposite reason: Because it was ordinary. Even in his time, when baseball players weren't paid as much and, so, were more a part of the community, Musial stood apart.
"We all disappointed someone from time to time," the Hall of Famer Robin Roberts said when we talked about kids and autographs. "Well, all of us but one."
"Who was that?" I asked.
"Musial," he said in a voice that indicated I should have already known.
* * *
The stories of the young Stan Musial crackle in the rich black and white of old Hollywood movies. He grew up in a big family in a Pennsylvania factory town called Donora. His father, Lukasz, had come to America when he was 19, and he worked in the zinc mines. Lukasz did not want Stan to play baseball. The story has been told many times … a man named Andy French, who managed the nearby team for Monessen and who was working as a scout for Branch Rickey's famed Cardinals farm system, wanted to get Musial signed up.
Again and again, French tried to get Lukasz to sign. Again and again, he was rebuffed. In the version Stan would tell, Lukasz wanted his son to go to college.
Finally, one day, Mary Musial went up to her husband and asked: "Why did you come to this country?"
"Because America is a free country," Lukasz said.
"That's right," Mary said. "Isn't your son free to not go to college? Isn't your son free to play baseball?"
In some versions of this story, Lukasz looked over at his son and saw tears, and his heart was melted. He then asked French how much money Stan would be paid, was told $65 a month, and he signed the contract.
The story, like so many, is almost certainly exaggerated and softened -- it's unlikely that Lukasz, in the late 1930s, with the Depression still weighing heavily on America, was especially interested in his son going to college. It's much more likely that he wanted his son to quit that baseball nonsense and go to work in the factory and make some money. It was Stan himself who sometimes looked back with regret that he did not go to college. In any event, Stan Musial unquestionably did go to play baseball against his father's will. Musial was going to become a great pitcher.
And it was while trying to become a great pitcher that he met the man who would change his life. Dickey Kerr was the honest White Sox pitcher during the thrown 1919 World Series. Kerr pitched a three-hit shutout in Game 3 and pitched 10 innings for the victory in Game 6. After a couple of years, he got into a big contract dispute with Charlie Comiskey and went to play semi-pro baseball. He was banned for violating the reserve clause. When he returned in 1925, he had little left. He became a college coach at Rice, then he coached in the minor leagues. He never made much money. But he was one of the baseball lifers who just loved being around the game.
Musial played for him in Daytona Beach, and they bonded. At one point, Musial and his wife Lil moved in with the Kerrs. It was a small house and a pretty big burden. But the Kerrs never complained. They talked a lot about baseball and life. And that season, 1940, Musial blew out his left shoulder diving for a ball while playing center field between starts. The pitching dream was over. For the next half century, people would write that Musial wanted to quit baseball and Dickey Kerr talked him out of it. It wasn't exactly like that. Musial was hungry to become a baseball star. If he couldn't pitch, then he wanted to become a big leaguer hitter -- he would say he never considered giving up -- and Kerr encouraged him. "You can be a hitting star," Kerr told Musial. For his kindness, Musial named his first son Richard -- after Dickey Kerr.
One year later, Musial was playing for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Eighteen years later, in 1958, Musial was an established star and a rich man, and he went to see Dickey Kerr, who was living in Houston. Musial told Kerr that he wanted to give him something to repay him for his love and encouragement. Kerr and his wife said they did not want anything, that Musial's friendship more than repaid them through the years. Musial bought them a house anyway.
* * *
Pitchers always had to reach for jokes and exaggerations to explain the hopelessness of pitching to Stan the Man Musial. Preacher Roe would say the only way to get him out was to throw him four wide ones and then try to pick him off first. Carl Erskine said it was to throw your best stuff and then back up third. Warren Spahn worried about the safety of his infielders.
Musial almost never struck out. In his long career, he never once struck out 50 times in a season … and until he was 40 years old, he only once struck out 40 times in a season. He only struck out three times in a game once -- against the Cubs' Dick Ellsworth -- and that was in 1963 when he was 42 years old. Heck, he only struck out twice in a game one time in his magical season of 1948, and one time in his magical season of 1952, and one time in his magical season of 1958.
Well, they were ALL magical seasons; that was the point with Musial, every year he led the league in something. He led the league in everything but homers in 1948 -- there are Cardinals fans who still say the homer that would have won him the Triple Crown was washed away in a game postponed by rain -- and led the league in doubles and triples in 1949. He won the batting title in 1950, '51 and '52, led the league in doubles and walks in '53, in doubles and runs in '54, in games played in '55, in RBIs in '56, and he won another batting title in '57.
People had tried to talk him out of that peek-a-boo stance in the early years, thinking it looked unsteady and would be ineffective against good pitching. Musial was always an accommodating sort, but when it came to his stance he was as protective as those penguins in "March of the Penguins." He always said the stance helped him see the pitches and, even more than see them, it helped him SENSE the pitches. "I never guess what the pitch is going to be," he told the writer Roger Kahn. "I know what the pitch is going to be." He explained that he didn't recognize the spin and he didn't look for the laces of the ball. He somehow could tell the pitch by how fast it was coming at him.
Few people understood what he meant. Even now, few understand. Musial was always generous with hitting advice -- he once worked with Chuck Connors, even though Connors played for the Chicago Cubs at the time -- but few ever really knew what he was talking about. As Curt Flood would say after Musial had offered him a few hitting tips, Musial hit naturally. And he could not explain it anymore than a hawk could explain how it flies.
"You should change that batting stance of yours," Warren Spahn shouted at him during batting practice of the 1961 All-Star Game, when Musial was 41. "It'll never do you any good, son."
"Sorry," Musial said with this big grin. "It's too late to change."
* * *
Everyone was in awe of him -- teammates, opponents, fans. In Chicago one year, the fans actually voted Stan Musial their favorite player … over all of their own Cubs. In New York, one year, they had a Stan Musial Day. And the umpires … oh, the umpires loved him. He never got thrown out of a game. There are two umpire stories worth telling now, one true and the other probably an exaggeration that began in truth. The exaggeration goes like so: A rookie was pitching to Musial, and after working it to a 3-2 count, walked Musial on a borderline pitch.
"That was a strike," the rookie growled at the umpire.
"Young man," the umpire said. "Mr. Musial will be happy to let you know when you throw a strike."
Right, that probably didn't happen, not exactly like that … but this did happen. In 1954, Wrigley Field, Musial lashed a key double down the right field line with the Cardinals trying to come back. Only the umpire, Lee Ballanfant, mistakenly called it foul. Or, anyway, the Cardinals were sure he was mistaken, because they rushed out on the field, so full of fury that crew chief Augie Donatelli felt compelled to throw out shortstop Solly Hemus, then throw out manager Eddie Stanky, then threaten to throw out Peanuts Lowry.
"What happened, Augie?" asked Musial, who had been confused by the scene. "It didn't count, huh?" Donatelli explained -- in somewhat embarrassed tones -- that his double had been called foul. Musial shrugged and stepped back to the plate. He promptly hit a double to the same spot, this time keeping it clearly fair. The Cardinals came back to win.
So many stories. There was the ending of the 1955 All-Star Game, which was actually the first All-Star Game in eight years that Musial did not start. The game went into extra innings, and kept going, all the way to the 12th. Musial led off the bottom of the 12th. Yogi Berra was catching that day.
"Stan," Yogi said, "I'm beat."
"Well," Musial said, "maybe I can put you out of your misery."
And he hit the game-winning home run off Frank Sullivan.
There was the story that Robin Roberts told me about how one time he was so frustrated against Musial -- Stan hit .383 and slugged .679 against Roberts in more than 200 plate appearances -- that he actually threw Musial something resembling a knuckleball. "I just ran out of things to throw him," he explained.
"Did it work?" I asked.
"Nah," he said. "He lined it to right for a single."
There was the story of John Kennedy, who became Musial's friend. In 1962, at 41, Musial became a .330 hitter again, like he was reversing time. "They told me I was too young to be president and you were too old to be playing baseball," Kennedy said. "But we fooled them."
Well, there are so many stories. Many people will tell you that the defining statistic for Stan Musial -- and it is amazing -- is that he had 3,630 hits in his career (fourth all-time behind Pete Rose, Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron). He had 1,815 of them at home. He had 1,815 of them on the road.
"I wonder if he meant to do that," Albert Pujols said once. Pujols -- the greatest St. Louis player since Musial -- for a long time was known as "El Hombre." Spanish for "The Man." He politely asked for people to stop calling him that. He said there is only one Man.
* * *
One last story -- this one comes from someone who lives in St. Louis and had overheard that I was doing a story on Musial. I had been talking with Bob Gibson, who had agreed to talk to a reporter because of the respect he had for Musial. "The nicest man I ever met in baseball," Gibson said. Afterward, this man came up and told me this story.
He said he did not know Musial. I nodded … I had heard from so many people who did not know Musial but still had a story, almost all of them favorable and enthusiastic and loving, but a couple of them were about being spurned or ignored by Musial in some setting or another. I wasn't sure which way this man was going to go. He said he was in a restaurant with his wife and daughter. And he saw Musial across the way. He had wanted to go over and say something, but he decided against it. He was celebrating his daughter's birthday. Anyway, Musial looked like he was about to leave.
The man said that at some point, the waiter brought out a little cupcake with a candle in it. Other waiters and waitresses gathered around her.
And then, all of a sudden, Stan Musial was at the table. He brought out his harmonica. And he played "Happy Birthday." The girl had no idea who this man was, but she found herself utterly delighted. The father, of course, felt his eyes well up with tears. I know this because even as he told the story, tears welled up in the eyes of the father.
You could argue that Stan Musial should be better remembered as a ballplayer. You would be right. Only two men -- Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds -- created more runs than he did. Only Hank Aaron totaled more bases. Only Tris Speaker and Pete Rose hit more doubles. When the fans were picking the All-Century Team and left off Musial's name -- this despite getting to select TEN outfielders -- it did make you think that Musial's greatness was too subtle for some. He didn't play in New York. He didn't hit in 56 consecutive games. He didn't hit .400, and he didn't hit tape-measure home runs, and he didn't make impossible catches in center field. He wasn't a drunk, and he wasn't a jerk, and he wasn't especially quotable.
He was, instead, someone who enjoyed seeing people smile. It's not heroic. He never claimed to be heroic. He only claimed to be lucky. What a life. He married his high school sweetheart, Lillian, back in 1940. She died last May at 91. He died on Saturday at 92. Musial grew up an immigrant's son in a town where the sky was blackened by the zinc mill. He signed to play baseball. He became a star. He went to war. He hit the ball so hard that in Brooklyn they called him The Man. He raised a family. He got 1,815 hits at home, 1,815 on the road, became friends with the president, inspired Brooks Robinson and Bill Clinton and countless others. Also, it's true, he played "Happy Birthday" on the harmonica for a lot of kids and adults in a lot of restaurants. See, Stan Musial always carried his harmonica.


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Don't wait for Apple - upgrade your Intel Mac
DIY a Duo
There's an upside to Apple's decision to use bog-standard PC chips. Mac owners don't have to wait for the aftermarket to produce custom boards to rev their machines. And they don't have to sit idling in front of roadblocks set up by Apple, either.
No sooner had the single core Mac Mini rolled onto the market, than an enterprising hardware hacker has given it a professional upgrade - using standard Intel chips.
Xtreme Systems MC 'Fugger' has taken a single core 1.5Ghz Mac Mini and given it a dual core upgrade, with a 2.16Ghz chip.
It's not a procedure for the faint hearted, but it's not rocket science either. The Mini's cooling system proved perfectly capable of cooling the dual core chip.
Unfortunately, the Mac Minitel's Achilles heel - its lack of a dedicated graphics card - can't be fixed by opening the box, so until PCI Express video cards arrive, and can be shown to work well, Apple has little to fear from souped-up Minis cannibalizing sales of their more expensive systems.
It's really news you can use in the future. Right now, with a list price of $637, the Duo costs more than a new Mini itself. But when the chip becomes EOLed in 12 to 18 months time, owners will be able to find an upgrade for $200 plus labor.
You can find images and a discussion here at Xtreme Systems. ®
Sponsored: Your Guide to Becoming Truly Data-Driven with Unrivalled Data Analytics Performance


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We're not sure how useful this $25 third party motion sensing card would be, seeing as there aren't any official DS games that support it. But if you're a fan of homebrew games and swinging your DS around like a monkey with a Dickens' novel, have at it.
Perhaps if enough people buy this once it's released next year, Nintendo will provide some games and/or an official motion sensing card as well.
Product Page [NDS Motion via DS Fanboy]