text:
So there you have it, I've confessed my 80s crush. Who was yours? And if you weren't the right age to be crushing on celebrities in the 80s, which 80s celeb would you have crushed on?
Friday, February 10, 2012
Tumble For Ya Blogfest
So there you have it, I've confessed my 80s crush. Who was yours? And if you weren't the right age to be crushing on celebrities in the 80s, which 80s celeb would you have crushed on?
60 comments:
- Theresa Milstein said...
How did your sister refrain from looking tragic in the 80s? Impressive!
I never had that poster. Yes, he was a cute guy. And yes, we both had good taste. I love we wrote about the same band for the blogfest!
- Fri Feb 10, 04:33:00 AM
- Rek said...
Cute Guy, a worthy crush. I did love their music for a while.
- Fri Feb 10, 05:03:00 AM
- DL Hammons said...
That's the second John Taylor crush I've come across. Dude had a way with the ladies! :)
- Fri Feb 10, 06:30:00 AM
- Kelly Polark said...
Didn't Duran Duran have the BEST videos? I also watched them around the clock. And JT is on my list too! (He's on Twitter too! :)
- Fri Feb 10, 08:02:00 AM
- Stephen Tremp said...
We almost caught Duran Duran last summer. Would have been great to see them. Their first two CDs were great!
- Fri Feb 10, 08:16:00 AM
- Julie said...
I think John Taylor is the most popular pick from what I've seen today! I had to laugh about putting a pic of yourself from the 80s up. I'd die before I did that LOL. Great to meet you, this is such a fun fest! :)
- Fri Feb 10, 08:33:00 AM
- Alex J. Cavanaugh said...
I knew lots of girls who had the hots for Taylor.
- Fri Feb 10, 08:53:00 AM
- Old Kitty said...
I was a Spandau Ballet girrrrl but secretly really liked Roger Taylor!!
Take care
- Fri Feb 10, 08:54:00 AM
- Tess said...
oh, yes - he was so dreamy. Remember the Rio video on MTV? totally crush worthy.
- Fri Feb 10, 09:43:00 AM
- Annalisa Crawford said...
He's definitely got to be today's winner. Popular bloke! Bet Simon's jealous :-)
- Fri Feb 10, 10:48:00 AM
- LindaK said...
Simon le Bon and John Taylor were serious contenders in the crush stakes I have to admit! It was a great time to be young as men weren't afraid to make themselves look beautiful!
- Fri Feb 10, 10:55:00 AM
- Timothy Brannan said...
I know EVERYTHING about Duran Duran thanks to my obsessed sisters.
The good thing is they also actually had some fun and good albums too.
"Duran Duran", "Rio" and "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" are like a trilogy of the 80s. Great stuff.
- Fri Feb 10, 11:08:00 AM
- Heather Murphy said...
I became a Duran Duran fan in my later years but I'm still a rocker at heart. Thanks for following!
- Fri Feb 10, 11:13:00 AM
- Arlee Bird said...
Didn't realize so many John Taylor crushes existed. I didn't even know he was one of the members of the band even though I was and still am a fan of the music.
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
- Fri Feb 10, 11:28:00 AM
- Brinda said...
You are not alone in your crush. I didn't have a poster, but I was glued to the MTV videos. :)
- Fri Feb 10, 11:41:00 AM
- Nicki Elson said...
I love it - a picture of the poster. The boys of Duran Duran have been quite popular today. I forgot about the teasers! I spent many a night camped out in front of MTV.
Thanks so much for posting this!
- Fri Feb 10, 11:47:00 AM
- Margo Berendsen said...
Oh those were great days, weren't they??? I watched a few Duran Duran videos on You Tube last night, and I still love them, even though they are so corny now!
- Fri Feb 10, 12:01:00 PM
- Brian said...
I think your crush was way cool!
- Fri Feb 10, 12:06:00 PM
- Christine Rains said...
I was a big fan of Duran Duran too! I liked Simon. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog. New follower here. :)
- Fri Feb 10, 12:39:00 PM
- M Pax said...
I get the Duran Duran love. I saw them in concert in... '85 I think. Yummy! lol
- Fri Feb 10, 12:49:00 PM
- Lara Schiffbauer said...
I remember that poster - I didn't have it, but I sure remember it, because he looks so cute!! I chose the whole band because at different times, I'd crush on them all (except poor Andy). Thanks for visiting my blog and following - I'm very happy to return the favor to a fellow Duranie (wasn't that the stupidest name?)
- Fri Feb 10, 12:52:00 PM
- L.G.Smith said...
That guy was so darn handsome. Still is. And, you know, Duran Duran just played here about six months ago. I should have gone.
- Fri Feb 10, 01:16:00 PM
- Tara Tyler said...
excellent choice
as rock stars go, i liked Sting =)
the 80s were totally tubular!
have a hearts & flowers weekend!
- Fri Feb 10, 01:19:00 PM
- Lauren said...
I must say, I didn't have a crush on him then, however looking at that picture, I could totally see the crush-worthy-ness. :)
- Fri Feb 10, 01:26:00 PM
- Suze said...
You should have posted an '80s pic!! :D
- Fri Feb 10, 01:32:00 PM
- Suze said...
Then again maybe that *is* you and you're just not fessing up ... ;)
- Fri Feb 10, 01:34:00 PM
- Susan Oloier said...
My friend and I were both John Taylor fans. We'd glue ourselves to MTV and wait for the Duran Duran videos, too.
- Fri Feb 10, 01:57:00 PM
- Laura Marcella said...
Ooo, he's cute!
I was a little kid in the 1980s but I do remember liking Eric from The Little Mermaid! According to my parents, I was enamored with diver Greg Louganis during the 1988 Summer Olympics, but I don't remember that since I was only 2, LoL!
- Fri Feb 10, 02:02:00 PM
- Mark Koopmans said...
Was looking forward to the pic. reveal... classic :)
So many were into DD it's blowing me away... I never thought they were hot - just good singers :)
I *did* see them in Hard Rock about 10 years ago... so much fun :)
PS... While Anne and I never went far (in a relationship!!) she will be remembered forever for her help in my obtaining the FIRST KISS :)
- Fri Feb 10, 02:49:00 PM
- DEZMOND said...
yep, I was a baby back then, but I loved Cyndi Lauper, Belinda Carlisle, Alf, Golden Girls :)))
- Fri Feb 10, 03:12:00 PM
- Manda said...
Duran Duran got the most votes on this blogfest, I think! Alas, I wasn't allowed to watch music videos . . . Starting to think I missed out.
~M Pepper Langlinais
- Fri Feb 10, 05:43:00 PM
- Dawn Simon said...
Your sister is adorable.
I liked Duran Duran, too. My 80's crush? Probably Tom Cruise. I had a poster of him. :) The Go-Go's played at my high school when they were big, but I wasn't old enough to go; you had to be a student at the school and I was only in 8th grade. I was bummed!
Very fun post. Have a great weekend!
- Fri Feb 10, 05:52:00 PM
- Jemi Fraser said...
ooooh! Good choice! :)
- Fri Feb 10, 07:32:00 PM
- Ella said...
He sure was cute! I love your photo!
MTV was all we watched,at my house. lol
- Fri Feb 10, 08:03:00 PM
- tfwalsh said...
He was such a hottie... totally agree.
- Fri Feb 10, 08:48:00 PM
- Jennifer Lane said...
Good memories with your BFF. Wasn't it great when music videos were brand new and awesome? We didn't have cable TV but I remember visiting my grandpa in San Diego and watching "I Wear My Sunglasses" video and swooning.
- Fri Feb 10, 09:41:00 PM
- The Armchair Squid said...
He was also far and away the band's best musician. He could have played bass for just about anybody
- Fri Feb 10, 10:09:00 PM
- Clara said...
Oh he was hot! : )
Your sister went through the eighties quite well (oh those horrible fashions).
I dont know who my eighties crush was...mutant teenage turtles? : )
- Sat Feb 11, 03:45:00 AM
- Deniz Bevan said...
What a great blogfest! I hear you on the Duran Duran. But it was U2 and Roxette and Guns n Roses that made me squeal...
- Sat Feb 11, 02:21:00 PM
- Nancy Thompson said...
Oh yeah, I remember him. Never was into their music, but he was cute! My crush is Johnny Depp!
- Sat Feb 11, 05:42:00 PM
- Medeia Sharif said...
Great choice! I loved Duran Duran. I remember gazing at their album covers.
I blogged about Richard Grieco.
- Sat Feb 11, 05:53:00 PM
- Jay said...
that guy is incredibly handsome..;)
Tasty Appetite
- Sat Feb 11, 08:00:00 PM
- Trisha said...
Hehehe, loved this post. I had posters all over my walls too, but that was in the 90s, not the 80s. Oh, and I did see Duran Duran in concert a few years back. They rocked even all these years later!
- Sat Feb 11, 11:50:00 PM
- L. Diane Wolfe said...
He was in The Power Station too, wasn't he?
- Sun Feb 12, 04:40:00 PM
- Velva said...
I had a 70's crush that would have given me a heart attack had I gotten up close and personal....You ready? Yes, it was Donny Osmond. I swooned and cried over him.
- Sun Feb 12, 08:38:00 PM
- cleemckenzie said...
I have the same confession for every comment I'm making on this hop. Tom Selleck! Heartthrob ++++ for me in the '80's.
- Mon Feb 13, 10:45:00 AM
- Amy L. Sonnichsen said...
The only name I can remember is Joey Lawrence, but I have no idea what he was in ... I remember I had his poster up in my room, though, and I used to kiss it. LOL!
- Tue Feb 14, 12:37:00 PM
- Sharon K. Mayhew said...
I'm struggling to think of someone I had a star crush on in the 80's. I loved Tom Cruise in Risky Business...I think that was in the mid to early 80's.
- Tue Feb 14, 07:53:00 PM
- Cynthia Chapman Willis said...
When I think about the 80s it's hard not to think about Duran Duran, but I can't remember any of my crushes. I guess I'm fickle--my 80s crushes are as far behind me as the 80s are. ; )
- Wed Feb 15, 10:12:00 AM
- Shelley Sly said...
Wow. I was born in the 80s, so I have no memory of that time, but everything I hear about it makes it sound like a magical decade (after the 60s, I suppose.) I'd probably crush on New Kids On The Block, since I've always been a boyband girl.
- Wed Feb 15, 12:45:00 PM
- Carolyn V said...
Oh yeah, I remember their videos. He was a cutie. =)
I'm not sharing my crush, I'm not that brave. ;)
- Thu Feb 16, 01:58:00 PM
- Kathi Oram Peterson said...
Let's see, my 80s crush was on Tom Selleck. I know he didn't sing, but oh my stars he was eye candy on Magnum PI. I'm new here. Just wanted to say hi.
- Thu Feb 16, 09:09:00 PM
I loved Duran Duran they were my favorite. MTV played their videos all the time and I would tape the videos on the VCR. They would show concerts of D2 every now and then and I would tape those and pause the tape on John. He was hot. I used to want to change my last name to Taylor. I had that poster on my wall. I liked U2 and INXS too!
- Sat Feb 18, 01:11:00 AM
- Pk Hrezo said...
That is too cute! Duran Duran was my very first concert ever. It rocked. Love them! :)
- Sat Feb 18, 07:19:00 AM
- Connie Arnold said...
Your post brought me some memories of those kinds of crushes. Of course, mine were a decade before yours, but I remember Duran Duran and can understand your crush!
- Sun Feb 19, 01:26:00 PM
- Jai Joshi said...
I was too young in the 80s to really have a proper crush but I did adore Michael Jackson. I can't even tell you how many times I watched his Thriller vid.
- Sun Feb 19, 04:07:00 PM
- Romance Reader said...
Love your choice! Was born in 90s so no choice!
- Sun Feb 19, 04:27:00 PM
- TerryLynnJohnson said...
nice poster! I had several crushes, but maybe the biggest one was Mike Reno of Loverboy. I mean - look at those red pants on the cover of the album! When I see old videos now it's quite funny!
I'm not sure if that's the right era though. Late 80's? I was also hot for Shawn Cassidy and Christopher Reeve of Superman.
- Mon Feb 20, 06:31:00 PM
- Morgan said...
LOL! I love it. Heh, he is definitely a hottie :D I was totally a NKOTB girl ;)
- Mon Feb 20, 08:27:00 PM
- Romance Book Haven said...
Cute guy and lucky sister, I would say!
- Mon Feb 20, 10:09:00 PM


text:
British Columbia's economy improved slightly in July with 14,200 full-time jobs added, while the unemployment rate dipped below six per cent, according to Statistics Canada.
Agency analyst Vincent Ferrao said B.C.'s gains were mostly in the finance, insurance, real estate and leasing industries, although there were also jobs added in the professional, scientific and technical services.
The gains were offset by part-time job losses mainly in the business, building and other support services.
B.C.'s unemployment rate fell by .03 per cent to 5.9 per cent in July, as fewer people were looking for work, said Ferrrao.
Meanwhile, Canada's employment landscape shifted dramatically on Friday, as Statistic Canada corrected a "human error" in its Labour Force Survey for July that resulted in a new estimated gain of nearly 42,000 jobs for that month compared to an original tally of just 200 addition positions.
The federal agency also took the extraordinary step of issuing a statement clarifying how the error occurred and what steps have been taken to avoid a similar problem occurring.
"This was an isolated incident," Wayne Smith, the agency's chief statistician, said in the statement. "I am fully confident in the integrity of the Labour Force Survey program," he said, adding that the agency "will continue to publish high-quality and relevant information on all aspects of the Canadian economy and society."
The revised numbers, which more than doubled the consensus estimate for a gain of 20,000 jobs, were met with some astonishment on Bay Street.
"In my over two decades of experience in this business I struggle to think of a comparable foul-up anywhere in the world," said Scotiabank Economics vice-president Derek Holt in a report to clients.
In a surprise announcement Tuesday, Statistics Canada said it had discovered an error in the processing of data for the July employment report, released on Aug. 8, and had been withdrawn.
The labour survey goes through a "major redesign" every 10 years, the agency said Friday. The last redesign, costing $5-million, was launched in 2011 and included an updating of processing system used for the jobs report.
"During the system change that was implemented with the July release, one program was not updated," the agency said.
"This was a human error that resulted in the incorrect processing of some data for the July 2014 only. Certain respondents that should have been classified as employed were counted as not in the labour force, resulting in an over-estimation of job losses in full-time employment."
Statistics Canada said it had pinpointed the cause of the error, "the agency is confident in the accuracy of the corrected data. Even so, it said an internal review had been launched of "internal procedures … to ensure that such errors are avoided in the future system updates to the Labour Force Survey, or any other program."
This is the second time in the past year that Ottawa-based agency has discovered errors in its data collection.
In August 2013, its revamped voluntary National Household Survey was held back just days before its scheduled after an error was detected. The agency did not disclose the specifics of that error, as the report had not been made public. The NHS was published one month later after being corrected.
In Friday's revised employment report for July, the agency said there were 41,700 net positions created, not 200 as previously reported. But the number of part-time employees was unchanged at 60,000, while full-time losses were lowered to 18,000 from 60,000 in the original report.
The unemployment rate remains at seven per cent in July.
BMO Capital Markets senior economist Benjami Reitzes said in a report to clients that the revision hasn't changed the reality that Canada's jobs market is hurting.
"The huge upward revision is welcome news (though it doesn't help StatsCan's reputation) but Canada's underlying employment situation remains soft," he wrote. "Generally lacklustre employment growth and modest wage gains will keep the Bank of Canada on the dovish side of neutral."
The participation rate in July was increased to 66.1% from the original estimate of 65.9, while the employment rate went to 61.4 per cent from 61.3 per cent, the agency said in Friday's revisions.
By industry, educational services and information, culture and recreation was increases. Declines were noted in construction, health care and social assistance.
with files from Tiffany Crawford, The Vancouver Sun

subset: commoncrawl


text:
New York, July 29, 2008--The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that Afghan television reporter Mohammad Nasir Fayyaz was detained one day after his television station aired a documentary that was critical of some cabinet members and their ministries. The program was cut short while being broadcast, apparently at the demand of the government, according to media reports.
Afghan and foreign media reports say Fayyaz was detained by intelligence officials on Monday and released later that day. The BBC reported today that Fayyaz was detained again today after giving an interview to the BBC. CPJ is trying to confirm the BBC's report.
"Reports of the detention of Mohammad Nasir Fayyaz and the shutdown of his documentary on corruption are disturbing," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "These kinds of heavy-handed tactics show that Afghanistan still has far to go in accepting the role of a critical press in an open society."
Fayyaz's program, "Haqiqat" (The Truth) airs on privately owned Ariana TV. Sunday's program specifically targeted Commerce Minister Mohammad Amin Farhang and Water and Energy Minister Mohammad Ismail Khan. Agence France-Presse quoted a government summary of Monday's cabinet meeting in which the show was discussed--some ministers said they felt it was "insulting" and targeted officials "through baseless accusations and insults."


text:
Joy Behar will discuss for the first time on Monday's edition of "The View" her decision to leave the New York chat show after 16 years, ABC announced.
"As an original cast member, Ms. Behar has been instrumental in the success of 'The View' since its creation in 1997 and will continue to appear for the remainder of the season," ABC said in a statement.
"You can't stay forever on a show," Behar told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an exclusive statement. "I am graciously exiting stage left. I've put in 16 years and felt the time was right. I want to explore other opportunities."
Behar serves as co-host of the program along with Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd.
UsMagazine.com, citing a "View" insider whose name it did not report, said Friday Hasselbeck, the lone conservative on the show's panel, has been told her contract will not be renewed.
Hasselbeck, 35, has been with the show for nine seasons.


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Confidential documents in the Blue House case have revealed that more police officers allegedly had sex at the Tamuning brothel, according to defense motions filed in the Superior Court of Guam.
Somewhere within more than 1,000 pages of discovery documents are allegations that at least three more officers are connected to Blue House, and that another eight officers committed "misconduct or criminal activity," wrote defense attorney William Pole.
Pole represents Officer David Manila, a suspect in the Blue House case, and his newest motions seek to get his client out of jail and dismiss the case for "prosecutorial vindictiveness."
Pole argues that prosecutors have received allegations against many police officers in the Blue House case, but have chosen to prosecute only a few.
"The most troubling evidence against the government is that there are other officers accused of misconduct by the same alleged victims that have accused Officer Manila," Pole states in one of his motions. "There is no evidence that these officers have been charged or interviewed… The government has provided, in its own discovery, a list of officers who are accused of having sexual relations, taking favors or otherwise cannot account for why they spent time at Blue House."
Although the defense motions are part of the public court record, the discovery documents that they reference are confidential. Discovery documents are potential evidence that is only available to attorneys in the case. None of the officers who face allegations in the discovery documents have been identified in any public document.
During an interview with the Guam Blog yesterday, Pole said he didn't intend to endorse any of the allegations in the discovery documents. The goal of his motion was to show that prosecutors haven't treated all accused officers the same, he said.
"If I were to accuse 10 people, and I now charge three people, then I would need to explain why I didn't go and investigate the other seven," Pole said.
The Office of the Attorney General hasn't responded to either of Pole's motions. AG spokeswoman Carlina Charfauros declined to comment on the motions, saying that prosecutors plan to allow their response documents to "speak for themselves."
Manila is one of three police officers indicted in the Blue House case in late November.
The other two are Mario Laxamana and Anthony Quenga, and all three officers are accused of assisting the Blue House brothel, which was open from 2004 to 2008. Anthony Quenga and David Manila also were charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which can carry a life sentence.
David Manila previously admitted to at least some involvement with the brothel.
In 2011, during a federal trial of brothel owner Song Ja Cha, Manila admitted in federal court that he once had sex with a Blue House employee after paying for a ladies drink. The officer also testified that he once "advised" an employee that she couldn't leave the lounge until she had paid off her debts to Cha.
During that same trial, Freda Eseun, a supervisor at Blue House, testified that officers named "Mario" and "Tony" frequented the brothel. Regardless, no police officers were fired, arrested or prosecuted for ties to the Blue House after the federal trial.
The three officers who currently face charges were arrested after a series of articles by the Guam Blog, which prompted the Guam Police Department to reopen the case.
In his motion to dismiss, attorney Pole argues that the prosecutors buckled to political pressure and public outcry. If the government had a legitimate reason to prosecute Manila, it should have happened years ago, Pole argued in the motion.
"The government must give an explanation on why it took so long to charge defendant Manila. The Office of the Attorney General knew about the federal investigation, the government knew about any alleged allegations against David Manila in 2008 and the government chose to file only after a media storm erupted," Pole wrote.
The motion to dismiss for prosecutorial vindictiveness isn't the only motion that seeks to end the Blue House case before trial.
Several other motions are pending before Judge Sukola, and the judge yesterday denied two other dismissal motions, which argued statute of limitations and failure to appear before a judge within 48 hours.
The Blue House case is set for jury selection on Jan. 2.
- Guam Tumon Bay
- Others Guam Police Officers Not Probed In Blue House Brothel Case
- Evidence withheld in Blue House case
- Look Who's Weeping
- Blue House employee signs agreement
- Look Who's Talking
- Defendants plead not guilty: Defense may call more officers as witnesses


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Steven James Mueller
Steven James Mueller, 55, of Ballinger went to meet his heavenly father Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. His final days were spent surrounded by family.Steve was born March 23, 1956 to James and Rose (Mokry) Mueller in Ballinger where he spent the majority of his life. He was a 1974 graduate of Ballinger High School. He attended business college and worked at Mueller Supply Company. In 1977 he married the love of his life, Tammie Gray, and the couple had two daughters.Following his family's tradition, he spent his entire career in the steel business. In 1993 he and his brother decided to become partners and opened their own steel business, Sweetwater Steel Company in Sweetwater, Texas, and they later expanded with a branch store in Early, Texas. Steve was extremely pleased but humbled about his and his brother's accomplishments in business. Anyone who has had a business relationship with them will tell you there are no better or more honest, trustworthy individuals with which to do business. His employees will tell you that Steve was not their boss but their friend.Steve loved the outdoors. Since he was a small boy he had a passion for hunting and fishing. He came a long way from catching frogs as a child on the banks of Hippy Hollow at Valley Creek to traveling abroad for hunting expeditions. He had been to New Mexico for elk hunting, to Mexico for birds, to Alaska where he got a prize brown bear, and to Canada for caribou. He fished anywhere he could, from his own stock tanks, Elm Creek or the lake. He enjoyed his yearly fishing trips to the coast with his father, brother and brothers-in-law. He had the fishing experience of a lifetime with his father-in-law, Herchel, and nephew, Cooter, when they caught an unbelievable amount of catfish, the largest weighing approximately 85 pounds. In 2008 Steve returned to Ballinger, preparing for retirement. He and Tammie purchased ranch land and built a home. With the help of their nephew, Cooter, and son-in-law, Kelly, Steve and Tammie spent the final years of his life working on the land and tending his hobby of raising whitetail deer and many other ranch animals. Recently they decided to name their land The Slow Coach Ranch.Steve was truly an amazing individual and wonderful father and grandfather. There was not a single child who ever disliked him. He had a loving, tender soul that touched anyone he ever met. His grandchildren were blessed by his loving affection and generosity in their lives. He cherished his family above all, and he loved his faith.He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, V. J. and Annie Mokry; paternal grandparents, Walter and Mary Mueller; and sister-in-law, Anna Shiller Mueller.Steve is survived by his wife, Tammie Gray Mueller of Ballinger; his daughters, Amanda King and husband, Kelly, and Angela Reed and husband, Jalon, all of Ballinger; his grandchildren, Kaylin, Kamrin, Kati, and Keri King, as well as Jaton and Annabelle Reed. Also surviving are his parents, James and Rose Mueller; brother, David Mueller; sisters and brothers-in-law, Peggy and Jimmy Freeman, Christine and Rocky Thomas, Nancy and Mark Tucker, Janet Mueller, Judy and Mark Moffett, Kerri and Walt May, Gina and Scott Budd.Rosary was recited Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Ballinger. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, at St. Mary Catholic Church. Interment followed at Old Runnels Cemetery. Pallbearers were Herchel Harrell, Mario Medrano, Rex Cook, Windell King, Steve Halfmann and Thomas Lloyd. Honorary pallbearers were Hobie Bolin, Rex Lowry, and Vicente Medrano.The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the charity of one's choice.Arrangements were with Lange Funeral Home of Ballinger. Guests may register at ballingerfuneralhom.com.


text:
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Rep. Steven Horsford says 21,000 Nevadans have lost extended jobless benefits since the federal program expired Dec. 28.
Officials estimate 800 Nevadans are being dropped from benefits each week as the long-term unemployed exhaust state benefits that run out after 26 weeks.
The Nevada Democrat says nationally nearly 72,000 people are losing assistance weekly.
Efforts to extend the program that was implemented at the height of the recession have stalled in Congress.
Nevada's unemployment rate remains the highest in the nation and was at 9 percent in November.
The state Department of Employment, Security and Rehabilitation is scheduled to release December's jobless report on Monday.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
Today, the Kats will be able to put everything they've been working on into practice as the offense and defense will square off for the first scrimmage, which will have approximately 100 plays, of camp.
"We're just putting in our offense and defense and kicking game, evaluating who's playing," Sam Houston football head coach Willie Fritz said Thursday afternoon. "We're also trying some new things that we've learned over the summer to see if they fit in to what we already do."
In today's planned workout, complete with referees to officiate, the Bearkats offense and defense will go head to head in order to best gauge the work done so far and where the players need to concentrate over the next three weeks before the season opener on Sept. 8 against Incarnate Word at Bowers Stadium.
With a few new coaches (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Doug Ruse, wide receivers coach Matt Barrett and offensive line coach Bart Tatum), the Bearkats offense has been taking it a step at a time, learning new plays back in the spring, adjusting to a faster tempo that is aimed at quicker snaps and throwing the opposing defense off-balance and throwing the ball with some more effectiveness.
In today's scrimmage, the Kats will be able to give their offense a test-drive against the defense, which was one of the best units in the Football Championship Subdivision last season, and looks to become even more dominant this fall.
While the offense is having its turn at seeing how it can move the ball up the field, the defense is looking to be able to stop the potent running attack and thwart the efforts of the new-look passing attack.
With nearly every starter back on defense, the Kats have been busy installing new blitzes in their scheme to try and give opposing offenses a different look in order to accomplish the same goal of wreaking havoc in the backfield.
"We're going to scrimmage on Saturday and after that Saturday, we're going to start zeroing in on the guys who are going to be doing the playing and do more team-type drills, rather than individual and technique drills," Fritz said. "The first 10 to 12 practices are geared to be toward individual, then you've got to start preparing your team for 11-on-11 football."
Today's scrimmage is set to start at 8:15 a.m. and last approximately two hours.


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The Lakeland Players present a dinner-theater production of "Rope" Feb. 26 & 28 and March 1-2 at Lafayette Grande Banquet Facility, 1 Lafayette St., Pontiac. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at http://lakelandplayers.net or by phone, 248-988-0098. Performance times can be found online.
Patrick Hamilton's murder thriller "Rope" comes to life in a dinner-theater performance at the Lafayette Grande Banquet Facility.
Written in 1929, it was thought that Hamilton loosely based his play on the Leopold and Loeb case of 1924, in which two wealthy law students from Chicago kidnapped and murdered an innocent 14-year-old boy for sport.
Craig Dane, director of the Lakeland Players show, says Leopold and Loeb thought they were "intellectually superior to the common man and felt they could tell people if they live or die." He adds that Hamilton never admitted to basing his play on the murder case.
Set in 1929 London, the curtain opens with Wyndham Brandon, played by Matthew Jarjosa, and Charles Granillo, played by Matthew Szakal, strangling an innocent man with a rope. They then host a dinner party with the body hidden in the room.
Dane says he had the idea about a year ago to do this play, which is his directorial debut.
"Of course I'll be nervous, but exhilarated to do it," he says.
Taking a turn from acting, he says directing is different because all the work is put in beforehand, then he can sit back and watch the performance unfold. After putting in a solid four months of work to cast and rehearse the play, "as soon as opening night comes, my job is done," he says.
Lakeland Players is a community theater group that has provided a hub for actors, actresses and directors of all skill levels to come together for 55 years.
Jarjosa, who is taking acting classes at Oakland Community College, got involved with Lakeland Players in 2010 with his role in "Sweeney Todd."
Playing the lead killer, Jarjosa said this is the biggest role he's had in his acting career, with more complexity and layers to the character.
"You don't play the 'bad guy,' your character thinks what he is doing is completely justified, so you have to justify it for yourself and play that," he said. "I can't play it like he's evil, I have to play him like I'm doing the right thing in my mind."
Along with Brandon, Charles Granillo assists in the murder but is less at ease about it. Latching on with his co-conspirator, Szakal said his character is "unsure of everything he does and tries to mask it but the veil is very thin."
In his first performance with Lakeland Players, Szakal said the role of a "less composed" murderer is a challenge.
He said Lakeland Players has given him a sense of community with people he can trust and have a good chemistry with; people who strengthen each other's performances.
Known for his suspenseful films, in 1948 Alfred Hitchcock directed his own version of the play, staring Jimmy Stewart.
To capture the feel of a play on film, Hitchcock filmed the entire play in continuous takes, using 10-minute reels, Dane says. If anything went wrong, Hitchcock would start from scratch for one continuous scene, as if on stage.
Dane said his first love is old films, and he screened the film the first day he cast the play to give the cast a feel for the production.
"It's an honor not only to direct but be in a venue like this," he says.
Built in 1923 as the Masonic Temple Lodge No. 21, The Lafayette Grande Banquet Facility is registered with the U.S. Department of the Interior and Michigan State Historical Preservation Offices as a historical landmark.
For more information about The Lafayette Grande Banquet Facility visit http://www.thelafayettegrande.com/lafayette-grande-banquets.html


text:
As a youngster I often visited the Zeb Byers' home. On the back porch, there was an old Victrola, a stand-alone with records stored beneath. I would select a record and place it on the felted turntable, turn the crank, and then lower the needle carefully to the record and slide the lever to "on." To a child, it seemed magical. The sounds would escape the porch and fill the neighborhood.
Mrs. Byers didn't seem to mind. She would just look out to see who was on her back porch. I tried not to abuse the privilege. I recently mentioned this to Jo Ann Byers Osborne, a granddaughter. And I was pleased that Jo Ann had also spent happy times playing that old record player. In fact, I do not know what to call it — phonograph, Victrola, record player? I cannot, today, name a single record in the collection.
I know very little about Mrs. Byers (Maggie Ralston). I only know she made sauce from the apples she gathered from a tree in back of her house. I like applesauce.
It is also believed that she gave the name to Uno Post Office, once located on U.S. 64 East near today's North Henderson High School.
There was an old barn behind the Byers' home where Zeb Byers kept chickens. Upstairs in the loft, Mr. Byers sometimes had newly hatched chicks.
I am told that, in 1924, Commissioner Byers chaired the city's Building and Grounds Committee, and it was he who requested that the County Commission move the Confederate Monument from the middle of 1st Avenue and Main to the grounds of the courthouse.
There was a field behind my house where I spent many hours playing. There were paths that allowed quick trips to see Kitsy Kishpaugh, who lived on 1st, and to Sandy Sherman's, where we played Tarzan and cowboys.
To view that area now is to see mostly houses. It is hard for me to realize that the block that enclosed so many of my childhood memories was once rural. The block is bounded by 3rd and 1st avenues and Buncombe and Fleming streets.
In looking back, I am now aware that I lived in what was an historic part of town. The old Judson College was there — and Rosa Edwards School.
The home just beyond the former Byers residence is a large double-story home where the Hughes family lived. I remember how I used to hear children laughing as they played games in the large open yard.
Misses Elizabeth and Carrie Hughes had a School for Little Folks in their home before it was moved to St. James Episcopal Church. Their grandfather, the Rev. Dr. Nicholas Collin Hughes, was the first rector of that church, which celebrates 150 years this year, 2013.
Those in power eventually tore down the historic Judson College building and replaced it with federal housing, but stones from the 1850s building became part of the renovations of St. James.
City Councilman Steve Caraker has restored the Byers home, and today it stands proudly on "my street."
I enjoy reading Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" (a novel).
Bradbury once said, "The greatest thing about my life is that everything I've done is the result of what I was when I was 12 or 13."
"The street in front of my old home — in what way then was it special? It was my life. I have to write about it as I see fit."
I am writing a play. How can I connect to people and events of a bygone time? I look for clues.
The death notice reads: "M.M. Shepherd, a leading merchant, died at his home, 210 S. Church Street, following a stroke of paralysis suffered as he returned to his Main Street store after dinner."
The date: November 1929.
The report on Mr. Shepherd's death continues: "Stricken unconscious while walking on W. Allen Street, he was found by Z.C. Byers, who hastened for aid, and assisted in getting him to his home." (I have found a connection.)
In what way was my street special?
As a youngster I often visited the Zeb Byers' home. On the back porch, there was an old Victrola, a stand-alone with records stored beneath. I would select a record and place it on the felted turntable, turn the crank, and then lower the needle carefully to the record and slide the lever to "on." To a child, it seemed magical. The sounds would escape the porch and fill the neighborhood.


text:
Judging by his size alone, I woud say he will play safety at this level, so Countess may still be aboard.
CB Floyd Raven offered today
Glad to see Hoke and his staff still have a healthy apetite for the dreads.
Rivals link:
Could be about Crawford moving on. McClure and/or Raven to replace him. Brown could possibly play safety, Raven could possibly bulk up as well and play safety.
Rivals is really high on him. #8 Cb in the nation! Thanks for sharing.
Hoke's pushing him to visit, as soon as this weekend
Any idea why RR didn't offer him?
He's not exactly from a UM pipeline area (LA), he was committed to Ole Miss for a while, we had about 4 CBs committed at one time. I don't know anything, thats just conjecture. It's not like we go through and offer every reasonably talented player in America
Fred Jackson.
I didn't realize he was once committed to Ole Miss.
I realize we don't offer every kid, but I would expect us to gage interest in every reasonably talented kid - if he didn't express interest before, I don't exactly understand why he's interested now.
Maybe he didn't get a good vide from M at the time and got a good vibe from SDSU, but just didn't want to play in that conference?
Looks like a good player, so I'm glad he's interested and glad Hoke is reaching out (must mean he has some recruiting plan in place), just seems a bit odd is all.
Any reason to suspect this has anything to do with Countess or is this simply conjecture designed to scare the hell out of us?
My guess is simply that we've already lost a CB commit and Hoke sees the need for bodies back there.
Simple conjecture.
Personally, I'd be surprised if Countess does not end up signing with us.
I also fully expect Countess to sign with us, just didn't see any reason why Countess was even mentioned by the OP...
Countess is purely waiting for a DC to be hired, and then he wants to hear that Michigan still wants him and that he'll fit in the system. If Brady Hoke/new DC tells him this, he'll re-affirm his commitment.
Looking at the variety of cornerback 'types' we have committed this year, I think we're set for any system. I don't really understand a 'system corner' anyway. I would have guessed it would be a simple matter of zone or man, but I guess not.
I've heard his dad mention at least twice that he wants to make sure Blake is right for the new defensive scheme. I agree that it shouldn't make much difference to a CB, but I guess they just want to be certain that he'll fit in.
I don't think there is such a thing as a system corner. In fact, I think system is pretty irrelevant in terms of defense in most cases. The exception would be perhaps Dlineman in different fronts and maybe linebackers but I still think a good linebacker in a 4-2-5 is a good linebacker in a 3-4.
was to take some recruits off his hands in exchange for helping him get a better contract.
A Raven is nice, but I'd prefer a ball Hawk.
Thanks -- I'll be here all week.
It sounded like Countess just wanted a vote of confidence from the new staff. And he's arguably our best commit at this point so I don't see why they wouldn't do everything to get him to sign.
Strengths: Jamming ability
Yes please.
That's what she said.
We could have multiple Floyds.
We already do. I suppose you're forgetting Floyd Simmons?
All your Floyds belong to us?
Well played.
for the Avataar.
Just conjecture on Countess. I would be a little surprised Raymon Taylor was not a part of the class is all. Just surprised at all the new corner offers going out. Wondering if they have other plans with Greg Brown, or they know something on Countess. Maybe they will even pass on Taylor. Who knows?
That's so Raven.
But I was hoping for an Edgar Allan Poe reference in this thread.
Pondering all this recruiting news makes me weak and weary.
Could this guy be a safety down the road? I don't know too many DB's that are in the 6'2" 190lbs range.
AL CB Dre Kirkpatrick, who we recruiting in 2009 (and is currently starting at Bama) is 6'3. But yes, a position change to safety seems plausible.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
Ok, so this is extremely obscure, but I'm willing to bet there's someone here who will remember this and get the reference- "Froinlaven!" (skip to 3:09)
I want him just for the name.
if his name was Floyd Patriot
Ricky Stanzi already has that name trademarked for his pro career.
If we could stop loosing and start gaining some recruits I would be loving it.
I'd like to get a DC soon so we can try to flip wayne lyons.
don't get your hopes up there, he had a choice between Michigan (the school) and Stanford (the school), and we know how that turned out.
Never score, never score.
*Edit, covered in another thread, delete
Seems like a good offer. But does this mean Dallas more than likely won't end up Blue? What about Raymon Taylor, he's a pretty aggressive corner which seems like a plus to me?
If we could pull Countess, Raven and McClure (unlikely, I know) that would be 3 CBs in the top 13. Pretty sick. Plus Delonte Hollowell at #21. I know Rivals rankings should be taken with a grain of salt, but that's 4 CBs rated above #23, where Dallas Crawford is ranked. I don't like losing commits, but if things work out, losing Crawford won't be a big deal.
CB's before they hatch?
I am starting to get really excited at the premise of fielding a competitive, competent, fast, and physical unit. Won't happen overnight but I love where were headed.
after "miscommunication" with staff.
god, where have i heard that before?
My understanding is that Ole Miss canned Raven's future position coach (who was also his recruiting contact) and nobody bothered to tell him.
He visited Utah this weekend.
A&M really, really wants him and there is some mutual interest there. I just get the feeling that if he was going to end up in College Station, he would have committed there instead of Ole Miss to begin with. It just feels like a backup plan to me.
If Michigan can get Raven up for a visit, I think they have a decent chance.
All your dreads belong to us.


text:
An Evening of Fiction with Justin Torres
Date: 4:30pm EDT September 17, 2013
Author Justin Torres will be the first guest of the "Chicano/a & Latino/a Voices Series"
Justin Torres is the author of the novel We the Animals. His stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, the Guardian, Harper's, Tin House and have been featured on NPR.
A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Torres has received a Rolón Fellowship in literature from United States Artists, and was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, as well as a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard. We the Animals, a national bestseller, has been translated into fifteen languages.
Excerpt from We the Animals
"We wanted more. We knocked the butt ends of our forks against the table, tapped our spoons against our empty bowls; we were hungry. We wanted more volume, more riots. We turned up the knob on the TV until our ears ached with the shouts of angry men. We wanted more music on the radio; we wanted beats, we wanted rock. We wanted muscles on our skinny arms. We had bird bones, hollow and light, and we wanted more density, more weight. We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet; we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more."
From We The Animals : Full story on the Granta website
About We the Animals
Three brothers tear their way through childhood – smashing tomatoes all over each other, building kites from trash, hiding out when their parents do battle, tiptoeing around the house as their mother sleeps off her graveyard shift. Paps and Ma are from Brooklyn – he's Puerto Rican, she's white – and their love is a serious, dangerous thing that makes and unmakes a family many times.
Life in this family is fierce and absorbing, full of chaos and heartbreak and the euphoria of belonging completely to one another. From the intense familial unity felt by a child to the profound alienation he endures as he begins to see the world, this beautiful novel reinvents the coming-of-age story in a way that is sly and punch-in-the-stomach powerful.
Written in magical language with unforgettable images, this is a stunning exploration of the viscerally charged landscape of growing up, how deeply we are formed by our earliest bonds, and how we are ultimately propelled at escape velocity toward our futures.
"We the Animals is a gorgeous, deeply humane book. Every page sings, and every scene startles. I think we'll all be reading Justin Torres for years to come."
~ Daniel Alarcon
This event is free and open to the public. Booksigning to follow.


text:
Story highlights
- Walmart says it believes truck driver complied with federal driving regulations
- Tracy Morgan is still in critical but stable condition
- Comedian James McNair, also known as "Jimmy Mack," died in the crash
- Four other vehicles were involved in the crash
A truck driver charged in a weekend crash that killed a man and injured comedian Tracy Morgan and others in New Jersey was awake for more than 24 consecutive hours before the incident, a criminal complaint filed in the case says.
Kevin Roper, 35, is charged with vehicular homicide and assault by auto in the Saturday morning crash on the New Jersey Turnpike.
A Walmart spokeswoman issued a news release that said it was investigating the case.
"With regards to news reports that suggest Mr. Roper was working for 24 hours, it is our belief that Mr. Roper was operating within the federal hours of service regulations," Brooke Buchanan said in a written statement, referring to limits of 11 hours driving in a 14-hour period followed by 10 hours of rest.
The wreck took place about 1 a.m. Saturday when the limo bus Morgan was in was hit by a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike, police said.
The collision killed Morgan's fellow passenger, comedian James McNair, who performed under the name Jimmy Mack.
McNair's sister, Valerie Daniel, said he will be buried in a private ceremony on Thursday in Peekskill, New York.
Comedians Ardie Fuqua and Harris Stanton were among the injured, as was a man named Jeffrey Millea.
Morgan's publicist said Monday afternoon he is still in critical but stable condition.
His fiancee, Megan Wollover, is with him, publicist Lewis Kay said.
Morgan's injuries
Morgan suffered several injuries, including broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken leg and a broken femur.
Kay said Morgan underwent surgery on his leg on Sunday.
"We expect him to remain in the hospital for several weeks," he said.
The truck driver
The truck driver charged in the crash turned himself in to police, and was released on $50,000 bail Saturday night.
Roper was a driver for Walmart.
"This is a tragedy, and we are profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved," Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., said in a statement.
"The facts are continuing to unfold. If it's determined that our truck caused the accident, Walmart will take full responsibility."
Chain-reaction crash
The wreck occurred on the turnpike in Mercer County, said Sgt. Gregory Williams of New Jersey State Police.
"The driver of the tractor-trailer failed to observe slow-moving traffic ahead," Williams said. "At the last minute, he swerved to try and avoid the Mercedes limo bus but struck it from behind, forcing the limo to rotate and overturn."
Four other vehicles were involved in the crash, the prosecutor's office said, but no one in those vehicles was injured.
Williams said he does not believe alcohol played a role in the crash, but that is under investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate "safety issues related to commercial trucking and limousine safety," said agency spokesman Keith Holloway.
"All I know is I saw traffic ... and I stopped ... and I was upside down and in the vehicle," limo driver Tyrone Gale told WCAU.
Gale suffered bruises in the crash, WCAU reported.
Christopher Thompson, the co-owner of Atlantic Transportation Services, which was operating the limo bus, said he thought the bus was heading to drop Morgan off in New Jersey.
From SNL to '30 Rock'
Morgan, 45, was a regular on "Saturday Night Live" for seven years. He later received an Emmy nomination for his role in the comedy series "30 Rock," in which he played Tracy Jordan, an exaggerated version of himself.
The New York City native made his reputation with over-the-top characters and impressions of celebrities such as Mike Tyson and Oprah Winfrey.
Seth Meyers told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" that Morgan was a veteran of the "Saturday Night Live" cast when he joined in 2001.
Morgan "always looked out for me ... so yeah I'm definitely thinking of him now," said Meyers, now the host of "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
Morgan performed a comedy act Friday night at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Dover, Delaware, the venue said.
Kay said Morgan's family "is tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans."


text:
Frederick Hassam was an American impressionist of the highest calibre. He is frequently referred to as just Childe Hassam. His reputation was such that Albert Gallatin declared that "Childe Hassam is beyond any doubt the greatest exponent of impressionism in America."
Hassam was born in Massachusetts in 1859. His early career was spent as an illustrator for magazines and newspapers. In the 1870s he began painting full-time, and his early paintings were mainly water-colours. In the early 1880s he toured Europe, dividing his time between the study of early masters and the painting of water-colour landscapes. He returned to the USA and exhibited a large range of water-colours.
On his return to Europe in 1886 he broadened his artistic style and media. He lived in Paris and the first signs of his impressionist technique began to develop. For three years he was inspired by the Paris art world, and on his return to the United States his impressionist art inspired many of his contemporaries. His reputation grew with his age and he died in 1935.


text:
Three Videos On Codec2 and Open Hardware 37
Bruce Perens writes "Codec2 is the Open Source ultra-low-bandwidth speech codec capable of encoding voice in 1200 Baud. FreeDV (freedv .org) is an HF (global-range radio) implementation that uses half the bandwidth of SSB, and without the noise. Here are three speeches about where it's going."
- David Rowe: Embedding Codec2: Open Source speech coding on a low-cost microprocessor, at Linux.conf.au 2014. YouTube, downloadable MP4.
- Bruce Perens: FreeDV, Codec2, and HT of the Future (how we're building a software-defined walkie-talkie that's smarter than a smartphone), at the TAPR/ARRL Digital Communications Conference 2013. Blip.tv, YouTube
- Chris Testa on the .Whitebox handheld software-defined radio design that is the RF portion of HT of the Future, which was also shown at the TAPR conference.


text:
- Member for
- 8 years 41 weeks
- Blog
- View recent blog entries
Recent Comments
|14 weeks 19 hours ago
|Perceived B1G weakness
Another issue is that the Big Ten isn't actually any worse than it's been the past 4 years—this year is actually stronger top to bottom than 2015 and 2016 (KenPom). It just seems like it's bad because a. The SEC is strong and b. A lot of the B1G's good teams are getting single plays against the other good teams.
|2 years 8 weeks ago
|Honestly surprised the B1G teams didn't have even fewer FTA
Going through the list:
Wisconsin 15, Michigan 13, and Illinois 05 were jump-shooting teams. The only reason Duke and Louisville didn't have even more FTA is because UW and UM are amazingly adept at playing defense without fouling.
MSU 09 was a pretty good team. UNC 09 was a historically good team. They could have won that game by 50 if they wanted to.
Ohio State 07 had a very good front line of Othello Hunter and Greg Oden, but Florida 07 had Noah and Horford.
I didn't watch the 2002 title game so I guess I don't really know.
I think Maize in Cincy's point is legit, though. The losing team generally takes more three pointers, fouls at the ends of games, and probably plays more aggressive defense, all of which conspire to create the difference you're noting.
The better sample would be to take ALL of the Big Ten's tournament games (wins and losses) from the last 10-15 years and see if there's still a trend. Or at least look at the semifinal wins in these 6 cases if you don't want to do all of that research (if the NCAA were really biased against the Big Ten, we'd surely see it in the semis, too).
|2 years 10 weeks ago
|if you like google sheets brackets...
Check out this bracket I made!
If you'd like to play along, just copy a blank_bracket and fill out the matchups!
|2 years 16 weeks ago
|just super
super duper!
|2 years 25 weeks ago
|14-28 Ohio St
Sorry :/
|2 years 32 weeks ago
22-21 mich
|5 years 11 weeks ago
MICH 73, Purdue 64
MICH 80, Indiana 82 (OT)
|6 years 34 weeks ago
|red sox
The Tigers haven't played well against the Red Sox this season, but Boston is tanking it right now and their pitching has been really awful. The only problem I have with vouching for the Boston matchup is that their lineup is much better than Tampa's.
I think we're better than Tampa Bay and play the Yankees pretty tough, so I'm not concerned about facing them in a longer series where the teams are weighted more than the odds. It's the Red Sox that worry me, so why not face them in a shorter series?
|6 years 49 weeks ago
|we should party together
you seem like quite the character.
|7 years 15 weeks ago
"I'm trying to ignore the bit that follows wherein "funnest" gets deployed. Football coaches and grammar, man."
what the hell does it matter?
|7 years 18 weeks ago
|I think
you may have taken that comment a bit too seriously... i do think, however, that if an outfitter change is ever to be made:
|7 years 19 weeks ago
|september 24th
that'll be a cute game
|7 years 21 weeks ago
|7 years 21 weeks ago
|yeah, Omantel doesn't subscribe to espn3,
but that would have been the obvious choice. thanks for the sites, though. with less than 1 Mbps we'll see how it this turns out.
|7 years 23 weeks ago
|I hope your freshman year's
football team is better than mine... 3-9 was kind of a bummer. Your 2nd home game ever will be under the lights, how cool is that!! Pretty cool. If your roommate is not familiar with the game of football, you must quickly teach and convert him. Immediately, actually. That's your first homework assignment. Go!
|7 years 23 weeks ago
|i think their logo should be a 50 yard line
so that at the conference championship game no one will be able to notice that there's even a logo at midfield and people will be confused.
|7 years 24 weeks ago
|I don't understand, Brian,
why the final of your playoff is always in the Rose Bowl. This seems unfair to me. Why not cycle it through a bunch of venues like they do in every other major sport in which there is a title game? To me, it seems like you picked the Rose Bowl because it possesses some outstanding quality relating to tradition or virtue - as if it's somehow the only correct choice. Perhaps it's because you're a Michigan fan, and most Michigan fans' favorite bowl game is the Rose Bowl. That's understandable, but I don't know how such a glaringly arbitrary and conservative element crept in to your otherwise logically sound and innovative proposal.
And on another note, couldn't the losers of the first round games (#5 and 6) get slotted into the bowl population after they lose? Those could cycle, too, on a regional basis. You could then market a 3rd place game to be played in rotating venues across the country. I just think that if you're going to implement a playoff, you might as well give places like Seattle or Memphis or Minneapolis big money bowl games, too, like basketball does. Why should the outdated vestiges of an poor system benefit from a financially unfair grandfather clause?
|7 years 24 weeks ago
|7 years 24 weeks ago
|to relieve the stress of finals
i wrote my 22-page term paper last night. unfortunately, someone pulled the fire alarm in dennison while i was in the middle of it, thus temporarily inducing a loss-of-flow panic attack. but now i get to browse mgoblog again!
|7 years 25 weeks ago
|projected around 5th or 6th in the ACC
so not too bad of a performance if we can hang on, especially on the road.
|7 years 25 weeks ago
|a presence near the basket
would really help us out... it's a lot easier to defend jump shooters from 20 feet than ball movement from 10
|7 years 32 weeks ago
you're predicting 2 losses in a row heading into a bye week? where is the otter. :(
|7 years 32 weeks ago
|they can take away our gorgeous home blues...
but they can never take away our helmets. on an unrelated note, though, we'll have senior denard for this game, which just makes me silly with excitement. it might be the last (and maybe the only) pro field he ever plays on, though, since we all know where the 2012 NC will be held... ahahahahaha i just hope i can get tickets
|7 years 34 weeks ago
|7 years 38 weeks ago
|why don't they just replace the seats
at the stadium with comfy beds so we can all wallow in blissful ignorance? or better yet, those psych ward beds with the straps on them. that would be nice...
|7 years 39 weeks ago
|Regardless of whether or not
Regardless of whether or not I agree with you:
"There was a time when UM-OSU transcended CFB that has long passed."
Then why did Brandon say it was so important to try to get them to play twice in the same season? He said that was the best-case scenario. Not, say, Indiana vs. Illinois.
|7 years 39 weeks ago
has the easiest group out of everyone, for sure. Kazan and Panathinaikos will be tough to play at home thanks to the latter's defensive discipline and the former's wintry homeground advantage, though Barcelona will surely be wary of underestimating the Russian champions after last year. The Catalans will run away with the group, though, and should have a chance to run out some of the emerging cantera kids in the latter games. Copenhagen's a bit of a wild card, but you've gotta think it'll be Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos fighting it out for the second qualifying berth.
|7 years 40 weeks ago
|it's me again!
|7 years 40 weeks ago
|won't you get hungry?
This was an absolute debacle of a post.
1. Tried to post.
2. Thought I had posted in the wrong place; edited it.
3. Realized I had posted it in the right place in the first place; tried to re-edit.
4. Was already beaten to the joke.
On top of all this, I just realized I posted on my friend's account rather than my own (he was using my computer last night). I'm going to post below this, as Mongoose. Kindly direct any negs for this shitshow of a post to that account.
|7 years 40 weeks ago
|yeah i agree...
but i don't think that white's departure will cause our season to go kablooeey. the general pattern of malaise though is disquieting.


text:
Court Dumps Patent Lawsuit Against Tons Of Online Retailers
from the one-down,-many-to-go... dept
The judge, however, found that the retailers didn't infringe, that the claims weren't valid and said that the defendants can recover their legal fees. What's incredible about this case is that when it was originally filed it was against 16 defendants and then more were added a few months later, but as you look down the docket, you also see plenty of orders granting stipulations for dismissal, which are really indications that many of the defendants chose not to fight, but rather to pay up. I bet those companies, including 1-800-Flowers, Briggs & Stratton, PC Connection, CircuitCity, Officemax and others are kind of regretting that decision right now. Kelora, of course, has been hyping up the fact that it's also signed other "licensing" deals with companies like K-Swiss, Footlocker and Sur La Table without having to first sue them.
Of course, I wonder how many such companies will be willing to take out a license after seeing this ruling...


text:
For Martha Sutherland, each day she wakes up is a blessing.
And it's this kind of attitude, that's not only surprising but motivating; Martha has stage IV Ovarian Cancer.
"I am inoperable, because it has spread outside my abdominal area into my right lung. I'm inoperable. To live I have do to chemo."
So on this day, that's exactly what she's doing, living. Martha let us follow her around during a chemo treatment at the Texas Oncology Center in Sherman. Through the exam, the blood work, and the chemo, Martha raises awareness to this silently and sometimes deadly form of cancer.
Diagnosed in August 2006, Martha thought her symptoms lead to something else. "I had diarrhea, I lost weight, I thought it was because I was eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and was going to exercise class religiously. So if get on the internet and I diagnose myself with IBS and it was only when my stomach bloated that I realized something was seriously wrong.
She was right. The symptoms were identical but the results were far from common. "When he mentioned the word Ovarian and Uteran, I remember the Gilder Radner e-mail that went around years ago about her symptoms. I think I knew. I was prepared for the worst when I went to the doctor, and I got the worst. But I'm still alive.
And that's the attitude she has each day. Martha has undergone more than 20 rounds of chemo in the last few months, and through it all her spirits high. "I think it's important to live their life like they did. You can not go home and sit down and feel sorry for yourself. That is absolutely the worst thing in the world you can do.
And Martha stands by her beliefs. For more than 40 years she's worked at the Richardson Law Firm in downtown Sherman as a Paralegal. Everyday 8am-5pm you will find this strong willed woman sitting at her desk working. There's never a pity party, in fact within 30 minutes of finishing up this chemo treatment, Martha's headed right back to work. It's her support group that keeps her going. "I still every single day get cards. This one is from a friend of mine that has colon cancer. (Reads emails) "Martha, thinking of you and wishing you a day of peace and happiness, I'm doing okay, just a little weak. I try all the time." "What a delightful afternoon we had on Sunday, it's always fun to discuss days gone by and remember how it was when we were younger and life wasn't so complicated. Love you bunches, your first playmate."
Now Martha's mission is to spread awareness of Ovarian Cancer. This year alone more than 25,000 women will be affected, 15,000 will lose the battle, including a woman that not only touched Martha's life, but ours here at KXII. Our friend, our colleague, Denee Frazer.
Denee was the kind of person you met once, and she was your best friend. She was always willing to help, and always full of hope.
It was Denee's can do attitude that motivated Martha to take on a big challenge. "We were to speak in May at the Relay for Life in Denison. She was supposed to speak and she was sick, she couldn't get up. I thought, I've got to do it. I have to do this for Denee and I did it. I didn't have any problems until I walked around that track and there were hundreds of people clapping. I thought to myself, they are clapping for me. I'm a survivor, that's when I lost it."
When Martha got home that night she wrote an email to Denee, excited about her achievement. "I said I did it! I did it for us. You were in my thoughts and prayers and you will always be there. Denee died Sunday morning, but Saturday night I got an email and of course I knew it was from mark."
Mark Frazer says he wrote the email, but it came straight from Denee's heart. "She knew you could do it, you go girl."
Now Martha's spreading the word wherever and whenever she can. "I know what's probably going to kill me. In all honesty it's probably going to be Ovarian Cancer, but I could have a heart attack. I could die in a car accident. I really don't spend much time thinking about how much time I have left. As a matter of fact, I have told my doctors I don't want to know."
Living your life one day at a time, sounds so simple, yet so complicated.


text:
2007 Football
All-Heartland Conference
10 Beavers earn All-Heartland Conference honors in 2007
November 14, 2007
Click here for Heartland Conference release
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Ten Bluffton University football players were honored by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for their work on the gridiron during the 2007 season. The honorees were selected by the Heartland Conference coaches following the completion of the regular season. Bluffton ended the year with a 1-9 record, including a 1-6 mark in the HCAC.
Senior linebacker Sam McCullough (Bluffton/Bluffton) collected his third straight first team All-HCAC honor in 2007. He ended the season with a school-record 150 tackles, placing him atop the Heartland Conference in that category for the second time in his career. McCullough tallied a team-high 13.5 tackles for a loss, including six sacks. For the year, he recovered two fumbles and picked off two passes while also blocking a punt. McCullough was named HCAC Defensive Player of the Week three times during his senior season. He wrapped up his career at Bluffton with a school-record 458 stops, including 43 tackles-for-a-loss. McCullough forced seven fumbles, picked off five passes and tallied 180 solo tackles as a Beaver. His 15.0 tackles per game placed McCullough third nationally in NCAA Division III.
Junior defensive end Kyle Rode (Delphos/Jefferson) was named first team All-HCAC for the second consecutive season after earning honorable mention acclaim following his freshman campaign. Rode anchored the defensive line with 42 tackles, including 20 solos. The junior did much of his damage behind the line of scrimmage, racking up a team-high nine sacks. Rode broke up a pair of passes and came up with two huge interceptions, one for an 86-yard touchdown at Hanover and the other in Bluffton's 22-21 victory at Defiance.
Taylor Iceman (Lucas.Lucas) picked up first team All-HCAC honors for the first time in his career at Bluffton after being selected to the second team as a junior. He matched his 2006 tackle total and was second on the team with 84 stops, including 38 solos. Iceman ended the year with a team-high six interceptions, giving him 14 for his career, the fourth highest total ever at Bluffton. The senior safety posted 222 career tackles with 88 of those being solos.
Senior Erick Buddin (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ypsilanti) was tabbed a second team All-HCAC selection in 2007 for his work on the gridiron. Despite battling injuries throughout his senior campaign, Buddin ended the season with 39 tackles, including 26 solos, from his cornerback position as he was locked up with the best receivers in the Heartland Conference. Buddin wrapped up his career as a Beaver with 116 tackles, 10 breakups, four blocked kicks and two interceptions. He was an honorable mention All-HCAC selection in 2006.
Junior Mitch Agner (Leipsic/Leipsic) was named second team All-HCAC after taking over the defensive end spot vacated by 2006 All-HCAC honorable mention selection Tyler Schwab. Agner piled up 41 tackles, including 4.5 tackles-for-a-loss from his end position. He finished with six solo tackles and one sack.
Sophomore Jason Fisher (Rockford/Parkway) picked up his first All-HCAC honor for his play at left tackle. He opened holes for sophomore tailback Greg Mason (Cleveland/Collinwood) in his first season as a starter for the Beavers. Fisher was also named the Freshman Field Athlete of the Year in the spring following his performance at the 2007 Heartland Conference Track and Field Championships.
Junior Joel Sienicki (Goshen, Ind./Northridge) collected his first post-season honor as a Beaver. The standout tight end was named second team All-HCAC for his ability to catch passes as well as provide protection for the Bluffton passers. Sienicki led the Beavers with 33 receptions for 291 yards (9.9 yards per catch). He hauled in one touchdown and his longest reception of the season was 25 yards.
Senior Jeff Richards (Bluffton/Bluffton) garnered his first All-HCAC honor in 2007. The captain and starting center provided leadership to an inexperienced offensive line that improved throughout the 2007 season on his way to being named honorable mention. Richards helped open holes for both Mason and Cameron Campeau (Pfafftown, N.C.) while providing protection for junior quarterback Kyle Coleman (Etna/Watkins Memorial).
Sophomore Brandon Herr (Bluffton/Bluffton) saw significant action in only his second season at Bluffton. The defensive back finished the season with 48 stops, 27 of the solo variety. He was named honorable mention after breaking up five passes, posting 1.5 TFL's and picking off a pass.
Senior linebacker Gordon Hagen (Toledo/Libbey) moved into the starting lineup his final season and made the most of it, posting the third-highest tackle total on the team with 60 stops. He forced two fumbles, intercepted a pass and ended the year with 5.5 TFL's. For his effort, he was named honorable mention All-HCAC.


text:
US Senator Scott Brown is cheery and loose on a campaign walk through downtown Lynn. This is what he likes best. There is no press swarm, and no Democratic tracker recording his every move.
Brown pops into businesses. Poses for photos. Picks a dime off the sidewalk and pockets it. "I'm getting rich," he says.
Then a boy, who looks about 8, stops him. He asks: Are you a bad guy, like I saw on TV?
"I'm not a bad person," Brown assures him. The senator lingers, unhurried on a sparkling October afternoon. He records a keepsake video for another child, telling him to study hard in school. "I'm Scott Brown and I approve this message," he says with a grin.
But the encounter sticks. Walking toward his next campaign stop, Brown says to nobody in particular, "I may be a lot of things but I'm not a bad guy."
It was Brown's ability to connect with voters, and his genuine enthusiasm for hand-pumping, back-slapping retail politics, that carried the Republican to a surprise victory in a 2010 special election to fill the term of the late US Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Brown has cast himself as the common-sense everyman, who rolls his eyes at the crazy partisanship in Washington, just like you do.
But 2012's tight campaign against Democrat Elizabeth Warren has forced out another side of Scott Brown. Facing a determined opponent with an uncanny ability to raise cash, Brown has pressed a relentless assault on Warren's character and integrity, a departure from the likeable-guy image central to his appeal.
In TV commercials, at debates, and on the campaign trail, Brown directly goes after Warren's identity: "She's not who she says she is."
Warren, a Harvard Law professor and consumer advocate, hasn't fired back in such a personal way. Instead, she whacks away at Brown's voting record, while the incumbent preaches moderation in Washington, and bets on his greatest political asset: "A lot of people, I'm very similar to them," says Brown. "I can always find some common ground."
* * *
The most famous pickup truck in Massachusetts arrives in early October at the Mashpee Oktoberfest festival, with Scott Brown at the wheel and his wife, longtime TV news reporter Gail Huff, at his side. Brown, 53, put the GMC truck in his commercials in 2010, making it a touchstone of his regular-guy image.
Campaign staff and supporters are waiting, and the couple wade into the crowd.
Brown is both a national political figure and something of a pop culture celebrity; his election was fodder for Sunday morning talk shows as well as "Saturday Night Live.'' He may be the most famous person many of his supporters will ever meet. And each wants a memento. At campaign appearances, Brown is a study in stamina. He keeps a Sharpie in his pocket for autographs. He has enormous patience, and an unflagging smile, for people who want photographs with him. The former model never seems to blink as the shutter falls.
For Brown, retail politics is "the best part of my whole job."
'A lot of people, I'm very similar to them. I can always find some common ground.'
"I'll walk up to anybody," he says. "You can usually tell by just a look whether they want to meet you or not. When they give you that look, like your wife gives you when she's mad at you, that means you just say, 'Hi, how you doing, glad to see you.' But when they give you that look like your kids when you wake up — it's like, 'Hey come on over. I want to talk to you but I'm shy.' "I've always loved this. For me it's easy."
He has no secret formula for retail politics. "I just try to be myself. I just try to be Scott."
At the Mashpee festival, the polka music blares. Brown is mobbed and making small-talk. This is no public policy forum; he's making gut-level connections with people thrilled to meet a VIP.
Brown is a tactile campaigner, touching people on the arms, patting their backs. He poses for a photo with a hot dog vendor, and then tells him, "Go make some money. I'll try to protect it." It is one of his favorite lines, recycled over and over to small business owners he meets on the trail.
First-time voter Matt Corwin, 19, visiting the fair from Hingham, has already made up his mind in the race, voting absentee for Brown because he will be out-of-state, at the University of Alabama, on Election Day.
Why Brown? Corwin cities no specific Senate vote or policy, just simply: "I can relate to him."
How so?
It takes him a few tries to organize his thoughts, but he gets there: "He can afford anything he wants but his truck has a dent in it," says Corwin. "I can relate to that. Washington hasn't changed him."
* * *
Both political parties employ so-called trackers to stalk the Senate candidates with video cameras, hoping to catch misstatements or awkward moments that can be weaponized into attack ads. Brown tends to stiffen up around the Democratic tracker, and his campaign goes to great lengths to frustrate the enemy, often holding events on the property of Brown supporters, who are free to ban trackers from their land. In the final weeks of the campaign, event staff have begun asking reporters to show media identification at Brown appearances, to keep out trackers or moles who could infiltrate the press corps and ask partisan questions at press conferences.
But there is no tracker around for Brown's campaign stroll through Lynn with the mayor. Brown, dressed in a pinstripe business suit and New England Patriots necktie, ducks into the Super 99 Cent store. It is a slow shopping day and the store is quiet. He greets two employees, who smile but seem oblivious to the identity of this gregarious man handing out his business cards.
On the way out Brown pauses at a rack of $1 neckties. "Hold on here," he says. "Whoa! Dollar ties? I need some ties." He thumbs through the rack. He leaves the store twirling a bag of neckwear around one finger. At his next stop, a fabric store, he brags, "I just got four ties for a dollar each!"
By the time he reaches Brothers Deli, Brown is ready for a scheduled interview. But first the road-racer and triathlete wants to commiserate about the reporter's sore Achilles tendon. He leans down for a hands-on diagnosis. "Where is it? Right here? Can I touch it?"
He gently pinches the tendon right where it hurts. Here is a politician who feels your pain. "It's not swollen," he says, brightly.
Brown pulls down his own sock to show a scar up the back of his heel, where a surgeon fixed his foot. It is his instinct to find something in common with everyone.
Then a quick anatomy lesson: "The Achilles — there's a tendon and there's a sheath around it," says Brown, wrapping his fist around a finger. "There's fluid in there and as we get older the fluid dries up and the sheath and the tendon adhere."
He pulls off his dress shoe in the restaurant to demonstrate some easy stretches and exercises in his stocking foot. He prescribes new running shoes. Ice and massage. Aleve, the runners' magic pill. And stay off the pavement.
This is the persona Brown wants voters to remember: the normal guy who's just like you. Same goals, same problems. Not always hustling for a vote. Just happy to shoot the breeze.
The restaurant's owner, George Markos, sums up Brown's common touch as well as any Brown supporter on the trail: "He doesn't act like somebody else," says Markos, a native of Greece who has run his business for 23 years. "He blends with the people."
Two days later, Brown debuts perhaps his darkest attack ad of the campaign. It opens with stark images of a shuttered factory and broken glass. The music is ominous and the unflattering photos of Warren make her look calculating. The ad hits Warren's corporate legal work, seeking to undermine her campaign theme as an advocate for the little guy.
Brown must put his name on any TV attacks against Warren, due to an agreement between the campaigns that has effectively kept outside political groups off the air in Massachusetts.
Outside groups typically do much of the dirty work, by taking responsibility for negative ads and allowing candidates to take the high road. But Brown says he has no regrets over signing the deal, which he calls "incredible" and "historic."
"It's cowardly to hide behind these Super PAC groups and not be able to stand behind your own criticism of your opponent," he says.
The Brown ad against Warren echoes the candidate on the stump: "Elizabeth Warren's just not who she says she is."
It is a brutal, dual-purpose attack line, which cleverly reminds voters of Warren's unproven claims of Native American heritage. The subtext is about authenticity: Which candidate is more like you?
* * *
Low clouds to the east are still pink when Brown arrives, alone in his truck, in Middleborough, to stand with two dozen supporters at the American Legion rotary. They hold signs and wave at commuters on a damp Friday morning. Heavy traffic recklessly zooms. Brown stands on a shoulder littered with bits of taillights from innumerable fender-benders.
A driver cuts off traffic with a clumsy merge, but doesn't seem to notice. He's beaming and waving at Scott Brown. There is a dog on his lap.
"Thank you!" the senator calls out. "Don't get killed, please."
Hundreds of commuters toot and wave at Brown in one hour at the rotary. Just one gives him the finger. "It's a badge of honor," Brown tells his supporters, though he admits the one-finger salutes can be hard to forget.
"Ninety-five percent of the people are just wonderful," says Brown, including most of those who intend to vote against him. "It's that bloc of 3 or 4 or 5 percent of the people," he said, his voice trailing off.
As an example, he describes the enthusiastic reception he and his wife received at the East Boston Columbus Day parade, in which both Senate candidates marched. "It was truly overwhelming. Gail and I were like, 'Wow.'
"We have that amazing response and you'll hear one person say something: 'Oh, you're an a-hole!' And that's the one thing I remember. I don't remember necessarily the other 15,000 good responses. I'll remember that one person.
"And I say why would somebody do that, be that mean-spirited? Why? Like when you're doing a sign standout and somebody goes by and gives you the finger. Why even spend the energy? Just keep driving."Mark Arsenault can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @bostonglobemark


text:
School News
One Act Play state send off performance Sunday, May, 19
- Details
- Category: School News
- Published on 16 May 2013
- Written by Mount Vernon Optic-Herald
The cast and crew of the Mount Vernon High School one act play "...And the Rain Came to Mayfield" will give a state send off performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19. Homemade desserts, coffee and tea will be served at the send off event. Donations will be accepted to help the group with their trip to Austin. For more information about the play, see the May 16 edition of the Mount Vernon Optic-Herald.


text:
Ecrothan® 2012
Brand Family Overview
FGLASS™ is a versatile family of fiber sizings and film formers used in the manufacturing of both glass fiber and carbon fiber. It is suitable for both chopped strand and continuous fiber applications.See more FGLASS products.
Provides very good abrasion, water, and blocking resistance and fast hardness development for floor coatings, parquet lacquers and industrial coatings.
Water-based polyurethane - acrylic hybrid system
Performance Attributes
This product is used in many applications including the following:
|Properties Imparted
|Industrial & Institutional
|abrasion resistance, hardness, water resistance
|Industrial Wood & Plastic
|abrasion resistance, hardness, water resistance
See more products recommended for Industrial & Institutional.
See more products recommended for Industrial Wood & Plastic.
Physical Properties
These physical properties are typical but should not be considered specifications.
|white liquid
|7.0 - 9.0
|Emulsifier Charge
|Percent Non-Volatile
|34.0 - 36.0
|Brookfield Viscosity (cps, mPa·s)
|20 - 500
|Spindle Number
Site of Manufacture (and Product Code)
Application Data
This dispersion is compatible with most common additives, pigments and pigment preparations and can be combined with other emulsions. Due to the variety of products in the market, compatibility and storage stability have to be tested from case to case. Polyurethane thickeners are highly recommended but most commercial thickeners can be used. Due to the low minimum film forming temperature of this emulsion it is not mandatory to add coalescing agents. For application properties of the final product it might be helpful to add co-solvents like butyl glycol, butyl diglycol, Texanol or glycol ether. For Storage and Safety information see Material Safety Data Sheet.


text:
White House Invites Lesbians to State of the Union Address
Two open lesbians will attend the State of the Union address and will have special permission to sit in Michelle Obama's gallery seats, Windy City reported.
Ginger Wallace, 43, of Virginia, is an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force and Lorelei Kilker, 31, of Colorado, works as an environmental chemist and was a part of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The two women will travel with the First Lady and sit in her gallery seats to hear the president deliver the yearly address.
Wallace told the Chicago newspaper that Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, the country's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, selected her to attend the event after White House officials got in touch with him.
"We could not be more proud of Ginger for her accomplishments, her poise, and now her selection for the honor of sitting with the First Lady to watch tonight's State of the Union address in person," Nicholson said in a statement.
"She and her partner Kathy are the best role models our community has to offer, and we could not be more pleased that they have been chosen to represent us on such an historic and high-profile occasion. We thank both the President and the First Lady for honoring the sacrifices of LGBT troops, veterans, and their partners, and for publicly and proudly recognizing us as a valued part of the wider American military community."
"I could not be more honored or proud," Wallace said. "I'm representing thousands and thousands who have served or are serving.... But it's truly not about us. It's about all the gays and lesbians who have served, and those who served and we're not as fortunate as I to have full careers, and those who will serve in the future. And it is about our families and partners."
Kilker told the Washington Blade that she was invited by the White House via a phone call.
"It was a Sunday and the middle of the day," she said. "They left a message on my phone from someone who said, 'This is the White House.' I was very shocked. I didn't think that anything like this would happen. I was honored and shocked."
Kilker also said that she hopes that Obama will speak about LGBT issues, such as same-sex marriage. "I think that that's important. There have been steps, but we need something stronger."


text:
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Headlines for Monday:
|@1600-1700 Meet with Kevin
|@2030-2115 Panic and ask for help with tough workshops
|@2115-2130 Return call: Archana
|@2130-2200 Write follow-up mail to Kevin
|@2200-2300 Write diyplanner article
|Write follow-up mail to Nicoline
|Take del.icio.us screenshots, just in case
|+diyplanner Write about speech-writing
09:00-09:15 Introduction 09:15-09:40 Very brief history of blogs, how to read blogs and comment on the entries 09:40-10:00 Attendees create their own blog, comment in the course blog, build dialogue 10:00-10:30 Explanation of tagging technology, including del.icio.us and Flickr 10:30-11:00 Establish accounts on del.icio.us and Flickr 11:00-11:15 Discussion of Creative Commons and IP licensing 11:15-11:40 Demonstration of video blogs, mblogging, etc.
Must figure out how to get things to be much smoother. It's _tough_ being the last speaker in a 3-hour stretch. I kept worrying about the time, and I had much less time than I expected. Also, people were tired already by the time we got to my part, so I didn't get to feed off their energy.
Must learn how to deal with difficult situations like that...
Toastmasters has woken internal monsters. My inner "ah" counter who would've just tsk-tsked at all of the filler words and repeated phrases I used. My inner speech evaluator would've tried to find a nice, supportive way to tell me to improve my eye contact and speech organization. My inner audience would quietly pass along scribbled-on evaluation sheets telling me I lacked my usual energy and enthusiasm, and that I used too much jargon.
My friends from the Philippines would've dragged me off for some hot chocolate to help me recover.
It was tough. I felt so drained on my way home. Hmm, that could also have been due to lack of sleep. (Another thing I needed to fix!) I can't really blame the audience or on the topic. I just have to become a better speaker.
And I _really_ wanted to get people hooked on social bookmarking! I think it's a mind-blowing thing for discovering, organizing, and sharing new websites. THIS IS A COOL IDEA! I want to evangelize it!
Siiigh. So I'm still crappy as a technical speaker. The wearable computing talks I did before were pretty okay--I was happy about those--but then again, I did _those_ four or five times. This one was a first run (second, if you count my tagging speech at Toastmasters), and it was really, really rough.
It was so rough that I briefly considered hiding under a rock and not speaking tomorrow. But then, how am I going to learn if I don't get out there and try it out?
I didn't know what to do, so I called my mentor, Paul Wilson. Toastmasters International is really big on mentoring.
Paul was _amazing._ He let me blubber about the speech for a minute or two, a tangled mess of nerves and stress and self-doubt. He then gently helped me sort out my main issues. Here's what was bothering me:
- Low energy. I was a little drained because I slept late and I
got up earlier than I really needed to. I started off with a bit of energy and passion, but I couldn't sustain it long enough to warm the crowd up. I know how to deal with this one: sleep early!
- Low audience attentiveness. Perhaps it was a matter of
drinking water out of a firehose: too many good ideas in too short a time meant that people were still trying to absorb the idea of blogs and wikis when I started talking about social computing. Perhaps it was a matter of low energy. Three hours is a long time to sit still, even if you're doing demos...
- Uncertain time. Being the last presenter meant that I had to
make up for any shortfall in the schedule. I dropped a lot from my presentation, but I still went overtime. I also caught myself getting slightly agitated while waiting, and then repeating some points because of stress.
- Long waits for website response. I depended too much on being
able to interact with del.icio.us. (After all, it's a hands-on workshop! People are supposed to be able to play with it!) I wasn't sure if people really played with it in the end, as they were probably frustrated by the time it took for del.icio.us to respond.
Paul was totally awesome. He didn't just pull up a few websites for me to read. No, he shared stories from his personal experience. He'd been there. He'd done that. _And_ he showed me how I could do it too. He pointed out the good stuff in my previous speeches, the strengths I could tap to address the challenges I face tomorrow. As I listened to him share tips on how to get over those bumps, I realized that _this_ is what mentoring is.
It's an awesome experience.
Here's what I learned from him:
- Variety. If I'm worried about people's energy level, I can
open with a physical activity. If I think people's minds are drifting, I can change gears to help them pay attention. They _want_ to pay attention, so I need to make it easy for them. (He had a light, endearing opener that I think I'll steal...)
- Story. Stories are good. Stories are a powerful technique. In
particular, stories might be better suited to my speaking style. I learned that people like my stories more than straight information-dense speeches by speech #2. I was worried that people would expect and need straight technical speeches at CASCON, but maybe I'll actually be better off focusing on one clear, simple message and telling a real story around it.
- Humor. I had a lot of fun with wordplay and surprise during
my speech on procrastination. I learned how to 'set up and punch', as Greg said. If I can find places to use surprise in my speech, then it'll be a lot more fun.
See, I _know_ these things on a surface level. I read books and blogs about public speaking. But hearing them from a mentor who cares about helping me succeed, who's heard me speak before, who knows my strengths and weaknesses and goals...
I'm going to keep learning. I'm going to keep trying. And someday I'm going to Figure This Thing Out.
11:40-12:00 Discussion of personal networking tools such as LinkedIn and Friendster, Classmates, etc.
Pity. That's also fun.
I think I need to stick up for myself and get the other people to follow time.
1:00-1:15 Introduction 1:15-1:40 Very brief history of blogs, how to read blogs and comment on the entries 1:40-2:00 Attendees create their own blog, comment in the course blog, build dialogue 2:00-2:30 Explanation of tagging technology, including del.icio.us and Flickr 2:30-3:00 Establish accounts on del.icio.us and Flickr 3:00-3:15 Discussion of Creative Commons and IP licensing 3:15-3:30 BREAK 3:30-3:45 Demonstration of video blogs, mblogging, etc. 3:45-4:05 Discussion of personal networking tools such as LinkedIn and Friendster, Classmates, etc. 4:05-4:20 Open accounts as appropriate, explore tools. 4:20-4:30 Attendees will install feedreader, configure and apply settings. 4:30-4:45 Discussion of RSS, feedreading and overview of podcasting 4:45 Wrap up
This is the schedule for tomorrow.
I want that 15 minute break!


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