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The 2004 BMW X3 is an all-new, mid-level, near-luxury sport-utility powered by the company's proven six-cylinder engines. The X3 is equipped with BMW's xDrive all-wheel-drive system, Dynamic Stability Control and Hill Descent Control, all designed to give it tenacious grip and secure control in less than favorable conditions.
BMW may build the ultimate driving machine, but the X3 shouldn't be considered a contender for the title of ultimate off-road vehicle. This isn't BMW's intent. But the X3 should do what a BMW owner feeling the need for something akin to an SUV wants as well as or better than any other in its class does. And this it does.
The X3 is quick and fast, considering its heft. The xDrive puts it at the head of the class when weather or road goes north. It's roomy, both for passengers and cargo. And just as important, it's replete with safety features, both active and passive.
Model Lineup
BMW offers its entry in the mid-size sport-utility segment in two configurations. The more affordable is the X3 2.5i, powered by a 184-horsepower, 2.5-liter, inline six-cylinder engine. The other is the 3.0i, sporting a 225-horsepower, 3.0-liter, inline-6. Both come fitted with a six-speed manual transmission and xDrive, BMW's take on all-wheel drive. A 5-speed automatic featuring Steptronic is available for both models ($1,275).
The 2.5i base model is nicely trimmed with standard features, including the usual power-assisted/memory functions; a four-way adjustable steering wheel; six-way manually adjustable front seats; a competent, 10-speaker audio system; faux leather upholstery; and micro-filtered climate control system. Options can add considerably to the bottom line. The 2.5i Premium Package ($3,800) adds power front seats with memory, a dual-panel, two-way power moonroof, cruise control, automatic climate control, foglights, rain sensing windshield wipers, and BMW Assist. The Cold Weather Package ($750) adds heated front seats, headlight washers and ski bag.
The 3.0i adds rain-sensing windshield wipers; cruise control; a leather-wrapped steering wheel hosting cruise and audio controls; automatic climate control; six-way power-adjustable front seats; an on-board computer, tilt-down right-hand outside mirror, fog lights, front and rear reading lights, front footwell lights, visor vanity mirror lighting and front center arm rest and storage compartment. Options include unique 18-inch wheels and high performance tires ($500).
The Sports Package ($1,500) includes a sports suspension and 18-inch wheels, and unique interior trim including a special steering wheel and seats.
Passive safety features include two-stage front airbags, front-seat side airbags and head protection curtains for front and rear seat. Adaptive brake lights signal the urgency with which the driver has pressed the brake pedal. Two standalone options worthy of special mention, and worth every pfennig, are the Servotronic steering ($250) and rear door-mounted side-impact airbags ($385).
Owners of the X5 may be forgiven for doing a double take when they see the BMW X3, as the two are nearly perfect images of each other. Only when parked side by side are the differences noticeable, and then only to the extent of mere inches or much less.
There's the traditional twin-kidney grille, of course. From the front, the stance looks much the same, with fenders tautly blistered over wide and widely spaced tires, giving the X3 a BMW-like, road-grabbing face. This is no real surprise, as the X3 is but 0.7 inches narrower than the X5; its track, too, is within an inch and a half of the X5's.
Much the same goes for the side view, with a mild character crease bridging the space between the fender blisters and a relatively low beltline adding openness to the side windows. The trademark dogleg in the rear quarter window has been stretched a bit, however. Physical measurements support the visual similarities. The X3's 110-inch wheelbase is less than 1 inch shy of the X5's, and its overall length comes up short of the X5's 183.7 inches by only 4 inches. The X5 is also but 1.5 inches taller.
From the rear, the only marked difference is the single, double-tipped exhaust exiting on the left side where the X5 sports dual exhausts exiting at the corners.
Interior Features
On first impression, people familiar with BMW interiors will feel right at home in the X3. Controls are where they should be and feel the way they should, with the proper directional movement, resistance and detents. Instruments are easy to read at a glance and communicate the proper and necessary information. The display for the optional navigation system is one of the most thoughtfully positioned of the lot, rotating up out of the top center of the dash so it's visible to driver and navigator but nestled unobtrusively halfway down in the recess where it stows when not in use.
The front seats are supportive and comfortably bolstered. The standard seats are more comfortable than the sport seats and quite adequately restrain the occupants' posteriors when the way turns winding. Seatbelts feel right, properly tensioned. Ranges of seat adjustment are extensive, to the point a six-footer can enjoy major amounts of headroom and actually put the steering wheel and forward footwell wall out of reach; at these extremes, however, rear-seat legroom is seriously diminished.
Dimensionally, the X3's interior compares favorably with its most likely direct competition, the Lexus RX 330 and Infiniti FX35, giving up an inch or so here and gaining the same there. In many measures it bests the more expensive X5. There's almost an inch more legroom in front and about half an inch more in the rear, for instance. Front-seat headroom is about a half inch less than in the X5, but rear-seat headroom is nearly an inch greater. On the downside, the X3's rear seat is quite firm and virtually flat, like a church pew, where the X5 and the others offer more form fit and comfort. The X3's rear center head restraint is fixed, offering no vertical adjustment.
Storage areas are numerous and flexible, many fitted with netting that stretches to accommodate odd shapes and medium-sized water bottles. Rear-door map pockets forfeit several square inches to the Europeans' unabated addiction to ash trays. Cargo area, though, is impressive, exceeding the X5's by 2 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, and slotting in between the RX 330's 84.7 cubic feet and the FX35's 64.5.
So much for the tape measure. Where the X3 disappoints is in the intangible and tactile, how the interior looks and feels. Yes, it's roomy. And yes, the seats do their job, and admirably. The stereo, too, is a quality unit surrounding occupants with balanced sounds.
But textures and materials generally come across as plasticky and low budget. Metallic trim accents remind us of discount wallpaper. There are two front cup holders, but the one mounted on the center console is sized more for soda pop cans than coffee cups or water bottles and looks like an afterthought, something cobbled together and glued in place forward of the armrest/storage bin. German designers cannot understand Americans' fondness of cup holders. The passenger cup holder pops out of the end of the dash by the door, where it gets bumped by knees when the passenger is climbing in or out of the car. Door closings are followed by a hint of a hollow echo, instead of the solid "thunk" so common on BMWs.
Driving Impressions
Driving the BMW X3 is a memorable experience, for the most part a quite pleasant one. It's not a BMW 3 Series by any stretch. But neither is it anything like a run-of-the-mill SUV, quite different even from either the Lexus RX 330 or the Infiniti FX35, both of which tend toward the luxury end of the scale, while the X3 leans more to turning two-lanes and the occasional twisty dirt track into a fun drive.
As readily as the X3 swallows up mile after mile of high-speed highway, and as confident as it feels in the wet, it really shines on dusty, gravel-strewn back roads and slushy boulevards. Granted, its xDrive must obey the laws of physics, but within those limits and working with the X3's multi-faceted Dynamic Stability Control system, it accomplishes feats beyond the talents and reflexes of all but the most accomplished off-road drivers. Unerringly, just about the time the driver senses the X3 begin to slide and intuitively readies a saving countersteer, the xDrive calmly tucks the rear end back in line. The first few times, an aware driver might feel a bit out of sorts, almost offended or even insulted, but soon comes to anticipate the initially odd but very timely correction.
For this, demi-extreme type of driving, the Steptronic automatic is the transmission of choice. It frees the driver to focus on braking, accelerating and steering through the fun parts, yet can be held in a specific gear if the incline or traction so dictates, or invites. This isn't to besmirch the manual transmission, as it's everything people who know and like BMWs have come to expect and appreciate. Shifts are smooth and precise, clutch engagement predictable and gears properly spaced to keep the engine in the sweet spot of its power band, although it is geared a bit high for relaxed long distance cruising. In short, we prefer the automatic.
The exhaust note that initially sounds pleasingly sporty becomes an irritating drone after a while at constant speeds. Wind noise reaches levels surprising for a BMW, and this is without any crosswise racks on the standard roof rails. Enough tire rumble penetrates the cabin to suggest the desirability of some additional sound-deadening materials.
Braking is sure, with solid pedal feel allowing equally linear, smooth, gradual stops when desired, unlike many over-assisted systems increasingly popular on high-end cars and SUVs.
The optional Servotronic steering is flat-out wonderful. It's speed-sensitive, adding more assist at low speeds, and invisibly altering the steering ratio, so the car turns more with less steering input. Parallel-parking is a breeze, as are quick, mid-block U-turns. As speed increases, assistance diminishes and the ratio slows, making for good on-center feel and sure lane changes. Perhaps most telling about the Servotronic is its transparency; unless a driver moves directly from the X3 to another vehicle without the feature and suddenly has to crank in more steering at slow speeds, it'll likely not be noticed at all.
Acceleration is silky and linear, thanks in part to an advanced intake design that leaves the manifold free of buffeting butterfly valves. BMW rates the 2.5i as slightly slower than the 3.0i, reporting 0-60 mph times of 8.6 seconds for the manual transmission and 9.3 seconds for the automatic versus 7.6 seconds and 7.9 seconds, respectively, for the 3.0i. While not blistering performance figures, considering the X3's weight of two tons-plus, neither are they shameful.
Active safety features are impressive and add to driver confidence and enjoyment. The xDrive system uses an electronically controlled array of clutches to disperse the engine's torque among the four wheels the instant it's needed, even to the point of sending 100 percent of the traction to any single wheel. Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) works to rein in the car when it's over-extended in cornering or emergency maneuvers. Electronic throttle control redu
The BMW X3 is hard to beat for people who want BMW's heritage look, powertrain and packaging, but desire the flexibility a sport-utility vehicle offers, or vice versa.
The xDrive, Dynamic Stability Control and Hill Descent Control combine to offer excellent handling, grip, traction, stability in adverse conditions: on gravel roads, muddy two-tracks and snow-covered backroads.
Overall fit is up to the marque's standards. The interior finish is disappointing, however. Leaving the options boxes unchecked yields an affordable and capable SUV that requires no apology, and judicious checking lets even a cost-conscious shopper have the desired luxuries.
|Model Line Overview
|Model lineup:
|BMW X3 2.5i ($30,300); X3 3.0i ($36,300)
|184-hp 2.5-liter inline-6; 225-hp 3.0-liter inline-6
|6-speed manual; 5-speed Steptronic automatic
|Safety equipment (standard):
|dual front airbags with dual-threshold, two-stage deployment; front seat side-impact airbags; height-adjustable front safety belts with automatic pre-tensioners and force limiters; three child-seat tether anchors in rear seat area; automatic locking retractors on all safety belts; head protection curtain for front and rear seat occupants; dynamic stability control system, including ABS, EBD, Brake Assist
|Safety equipment (optional):
|rear door-mounted side-impact airbags; BMW Assist, including automatic collision notification and SOS call function
|Basic warranty:
|4 years/50,000 miles
|Assembled in:
|Graz, Austria
|Specifications As Tested
|Model tested (MSPR):
|BMW X3 3.0i ($36,300)
|Standard equipment:
|cruise control; automatic, micro-filter climate control; remote locking with key memory; 6-way power front seats with settings and outside mirror memory; power windows (front: up and down), outside mirrors and central locking; 3-stage heated front seats; 4-function onboard computer; vinyl upholstery; leather-wrapped, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel with redundant cruise and audio controls; wood trim; AM/FM/CD audio system with RDS, 8 speakers and 2 subwoofers; rear seat and cargo area accessory power outlets; front and rear reading lights; glove box-stored, rechargeable flashlight; rain-sensing windshield wipers; automatic headlight control; Halogen headlights; front foglights; rear air diffuser
|Options as tested (MSPR):
|Premium Package ($3300) includes 2-way, dual-panel, power moonroof, auto-dimming rearview mirror, 4-way power lumbar, leather upholstery and BMW Assist; 5-speed Steptronic automatic transmission ($1275); Servotronic steering ($250); Xenon headlights with auto-leveling ($800); rear door-mounted, side-impact airbags ($385); power folding outside mirrors ($250); on-board navigation system ($1800); Park Distance Control, front and rear ($700)
|Destination charge:
|Gas guzzler tax:
|Price as tested (MSPR):
|all-wheel drive
|3.0-liter dohc 24-valve inline-6
|Horsepower (lb.-ft @ rpm):
|225 @ 5900
|Torque (lb.-ft @ rpm):
|214 @ 3500
|5-speed Steptronic automatic
|EPA fuel economy, city/hwy:
|16/23 mpg
|110.1 in.
|179.7/73.0/66.0 in.
|Track, f/r:
|60.0/60.7 in.
|Turning circle:
|38.4 ft.
|Seating Capacity:
|Head/hip/leg room, f:
|39.3/N/A/40.2 in.
|Head/hip/leg room, m:
|Head/hip/leg room, r:
|39.4/N/A/35.8 in.
|Cargo volume:
|71 cu. ft.
|Towing capacity:
|3500 Lbs.
|Suspension, f:
|independent, strut, coil springs, twin-tube gas-pressurized shocks, stabilizer bar
|Suspension, r:
|independent, multi-link, coil springs, twin-tube gas-pressurized shocks, stabilizer bar
|Ground clearance:
|8 in.
|Curb weigth:
|4067 lbs.
|Brakes, f/r:
|disc/disc with ABS, EBD and Brake Assist
|Fuel capacity:
|17.7 gal.
|Unless otherwise indicated, specifications refer to test vehicle. All prices are manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSPR) effective as of January 8, 2004.Prices do not include manufacturer's destination and delivery charges. N/A: Information not available or not applicable. Manufacturer Info Sources: 1-800-334-4BMW - www.bmwusa.com


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dazeedo on Family Tree Circles
sort: Date Alphabetical
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Journals and Posts
looking for info on Juliuth Roscoe Williams
born 12-03-1893 in Pine City Missouri to James B Williams
of Kentucky and Martha Edington of Tennessee. one of his parents may have been native american.
Juliuth passed away on 8-23-1938. He was married to Margaret Ruth Ormsby of Atlanta, Georgia.
I am told that my great grandfather was raised in Waxahachie, Tx bay a man with the last name Hall.
- Displaying 1-1 of 1 Journals
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subset: commoncrawl


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The San Diego Chargers avoided their normal slow start this season. We still don't know if they are any good.
New Orleans rallied to score the final 17 points in a 31-24 victory over the Chargers on Sunday night at the Superdome, giving the Saints their first victory of 2012 on a record-breaking night for Drew Brees.
» Lessons from Sunday's games
A number of calls went against the Chargers at the end of the game, including a roughing-the-passer penalty on Melvin Ingram that erased a San Diego touchdown and a potential 31-14 lead. The Saints scored on the ensuing drive to make the penalty a 14-point swing. A shaky offensive pass-interference penalty on Antonio Gates also hurt San Diego's cause on its final drive.
The Chargers couldn't close. They are 3-2, but look at the teams they beat: Oakland, Tennessee and Kansas City. Those are three of the worst teams in the NFL. The Saints could be placed in that "worst teams" category, too, because of their confused defense and lackluster running game, and the Chargers just lost to them.
There are things to like about this Chargers team, from Corey Liuget on defense to Philip Rivers' solid overall play. But the reality is they have faced two tough situations this season. They lost both of them, getting creamed at home against the Atlanta Falcons and losing in prime time Sunday night.
The Chargers escaped their habit of slow starts. We still have our doubts they will escape their habit of overall mediocrity.Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Referencing Saturday afternoon's critical 1-0 victory over the Montreal Impact, MLSsoccer.com's power rankings said New England Revolution captain Jose Goncalves "had perhaps the best game any defender has played in MLS this season."
I'd say that about sums it up.
But Goncalves' performance against the Impact was merely a microcosm of his 2013 campaign – a 90-minute glimpse into what the 28-year-old center back has done consistently for the Revolution while playing every minute of every game this season.
Consider what Goncalves did against Montreal – he scored the game-winning goal; he helped shut down MLS leading scorer Marco Di Vaio en route to a league-best 13th shutout; he even made a marauding run forward in the sixth minute of stoppage time to kill the clock by shielding the ball in the corner. Oh, and this was on the road.
Yet no one in the Revs locker room seemed surprised. They'd seen it before.
"Jose, that's two huge goals on the road for us that he's scored this year, on top of everything that he does defensively," said left back Chris Tierney, referencing Goncalves' 91st-minute game winner in a 2-0 triumph over the Columbus Crew back in July. "He's been massive for us all year and he was again today."
But beyond the shutdown defending and beyond the critical goals, perhaps Goncalves' most important contribution to the Revs has been his leadership. On one of the league's youngest, most exciting sides, Goncalves is a guiding force both on the field and in the locker room.
That was never more apparent than midway through the first half on Saturday, when Saer Sene suffered a gruesome injury (dislocated left ankle, fractured left fibula) at Stade Saputo. While many on the field visibly struggled to cope with the gravity of the incident, Goncalves stood by Sene's side as he received medical treatment, then walked alongside, holding his teammate's hand as he was stretchered off the field.
New England's captain – an honor bestowed upon Goncalves in just his eighth game with the club – then went about refocusing the rest of the Revs as play resumed, scoring the game-winning goal just minutes later.
"It didn't take long for him to assume a captain's role, because he's a leader," said head coach Jay Heaps, who called Goncalves "a beast" defensively. "When you have a guy like him and the leader he is on the field, guys respond to that. He doesn't just do it on the field. He's off the field, he takes care of himself, he's the consummate professional, and that, the players feel. So that's why he wears our captain's armband."
And performances like Saturday's are why he's a leading candidate for MLS Defender of the Year.


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Washington, D.C. (November 29, 2012) — America's biopharmaceutical research companies are currently developing 73 innovative medicines and vaccines to help the nearly 1.2 million Americans living with HIV infection today, according to a new report from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released today.
While HIV/AIDS remains one of the most devastating diseases affecting people around the world, overall global growth of the disease has stabilized and there are fewer AIDS-related deaths, due in large part to the increased availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART or ART). Since the introduction of HAART combinations in the mid-1990s, AIDS-related death rates in the United States have dropped 79 percent.
"Incredible strides have been made in the battle against HIV/AIDS, but the disease still poses a global threat and the collaborative path to further solutions for patients will be complex," said PhRMA President and CEO John J. Castellani. "The nearly 75 medicines in development offer great hope for better treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the years ahead."
A second report examines how continued progress against HIV/AIDS has been achieved over time. The PhRMA-sponsored white paper by Boston Healthcare Associates, Inc. (BHA), Recognizing the Value of Innovation in HIV/AIDS Therapy, looks at the evolution of HIV/AIDS treatment from the 1980s, when the disease was an acute, fatal disease, to its status today as a chronic, manageable condition.
According to the BHA report, this remarkable progress in treating HIV has been realized through a complex series of drug discoveries combined with incremental gains in clinical knowledge and confirmation of effective treatment strategies that have unfolded, and built on each other, over a number of years. According to BHA's Thomas Goss, PharmD, the lead author of the paper, "FDA approval really is the starting point in the process to fully understand how to incorporate a new medicine into everyday clinical practice through ongoing research and real-world application and validation."
In addition to contributing to declining death rates, HAART has contributed to an increase in survival rates among people living with HIV and reduced hospitalizations. The number of people living with HIV increased by 28 percent between 1996 and 2000, primarily because of rising survival rates. Hospitalization rates fell by 32 percent over the same period.
"In order to foster continued innovation, it will be important to support policies that reflect the incremental nature of progress and the way value emerges over time," said Castellani.
According to the PhRMA report on the HIV/AIDS pipeline, the medicines in development – all in either clinical trials or under review by the FDA – include 40 antivirals, 25 vaccines, four cell or gene therapies, and four immunomodulators. Examples of potential innovations in the report include:
• An antisense gene therapy that uses genetic material derived from HIV-1 itself to remove disease-causing aspects of the virus.
• A transdermal vaccine comprised of DNA plasmids that helps suppress virus replication and destroys HIV-infected cells.
• A first-in-class medicine that is intended to prevent the HIV virus from attaching to new cells and breaking through the cell membrane.
"Together, these two new reports highlight how far we have come in the fight against HIV/AIDS over the last few decades," said Castellani. "Through a series of complex steps and incremental gains in knowledge, therapeutic options for patients with HIV/AIDS are transforming the treatment paradigm and prolonging lives. America's biopharmaceutical researchers are focusing on developing improved treatment regimens, more effective treatments, and are intensifying their efforts to develop preventative vaccines."
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading innovative biopharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to discovering and developing medicines that enable patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Since 2000, PhRMA member companies have invested over $500 billion in the search for new treatments and cures, including an estimated $49.5 billion in 2011 alone.
Find PhRMA Online:
- Website – http://www.phrma.org
- Facebook – www.facebook.com/PhRMA
- Blog – www.phrma.org/catalyst
- Twitter – www.Twitter.com/PhRMAand www.Twitter.com/PhRMApress
- YouTube – www.youtube.com/PhRMApress
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org
For information on ensuring the flow of medicines during public health emergencies, visit http://www.rxresponse.org


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Eastern Wake: Community
Club notes: Aug. 7
Yard sale and barbecue
Wendell's Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star Chapter's combined fundraiser begins at 7 a.m. when the yard sale opens in the parking lot behind the Agave restaurant. The barbecue begins at 9:30 a.m. Orders are available for $10 for one pound or $25 for three.
The proceeds will be used to support WhiteStone, a Masonic and Eastern Star home. For details, call Ray or Lois Burch at 919-266-6032.
Zebulon Lions Club
The Zebulon Lions Club meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month at 118 E. Lee St.
For details, call 919-404-2333 or go to e-clubhouse.org/sites/zebulonnc.
Cub Scouts
▪ Cub Scout Pack 515 meets at 7 p.m. Mondays at St. Eugene Catholic Church, 608 Lions Club Road, Wendell. Rising first- through fifth-grade students are welcome to join and participate in the summer activities. For details, go to pack515.wordpress.com.
▪ Cub Scout Pack 522 of Zebulon meets at 7 p.m. Monday nights at Zebulon Baptist Church, 400 N. Arendell Ave., Zebulon. Visit cubscoutpack522.weebly.com for more information.
Wendell Lions Club
The Wendell Lions Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 604 Lions Club Road, Wendell. For details, call 919-365-7000 or 919-365-3213.
Wendell Rotary Club
The Wendell Rotary Club meets at noon every Tuesday at the Wendell Country Club, 180 Jake May Drive, Wendell. For details, go to wendell.rotaryclub.pro.
Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America Troop 365 meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays. The group is chartered by Knightdale United Methodist Church.
Rising sixth-graders who are at least 10 and a half years old are welcome. For details, including meeting locations, go to sites.google.com/site/troop365nc.
Steel Magnolias Garden Club
Steel Magnolias Garden Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month, from September through May, at Zebulon United Methodist Church, W. 121 Gannon Ave., Zebulon. Guests are welcome. Contact 919-269-6514.
Eastern Wake Sons of Confederate Veterans
The Col. Henry Burgwyn/Eastern Wake Sons of Confederate Veterans meets at 6:30 p.m. for a meal and 7:15 p.m. for the program on the third Tuesday of each month at Boulevard Pizza, 2925 Wendell Blvd., Wendell. Visitors are welcome. Call 919-365-5206 for information.
Little River Historical Society
The Little River Historical Society meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the fellowship hall of Zebulon United Methodist Church, 121 W. Gannon Ave., Zebulon. The group focuses on the history of the eastern Wake County area.
Beekeepers meet
The 5 County Beekeepers Association meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Bennett Bunn Plantation, 1915 Old Bunn Road, Zebulon. The group welcomes new members. For more information, visit 5cba.org or call 919-626-2930.
Knightdale American Legion
Knightdale American Legion Post No. 529 meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the Knightdale Chamber of Commerce Building, 207 Main St. For details, call Tom Dunn at 919-906-6658.
Wendell Woman's Club
The Wendell Woman's Club meets at noon on the third Wednesday of each month at 10 Cypress St. For details, go to wendellwomensclub.org.
Zebulon Rotary Club
The Zebulon Rotary Club meets at noon every Thursday at 405 W. Sycamore St., Zebulon.
Wendell American Legion
Post 148 Wendell of the American Legion meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month at 5100 Wendell Blvd. Veterans are welcome. For details, go to NCLegion.org.
Wendell Historical Society
The Wendell Historical Society hosts tours of historic homes, auctions, book signings and fundraising events throughout the year. For details and the meeting schedule, go to wendellhistory.com or call Carol Hinnant 919-365-3228.
Send club notes to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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MONTPELIER — Republican leaders in the Legislature are seeking a federal investigation into Vermont Health Connect based on an anonymous tip that a state contractor duped state officials last year.
House Minority Leader Don Turner of Milton and Senate Minority Leader Joe Benning of Caledonia County sent a letter Wednesday to Tristram Coffin, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont, requesting the investigation. The request is based on "whistleblower allegations alleging a fraudulent software demonstration on July 26, 2013 by CGI Technologies & Solutions."
Newsweek published an article earlier this month in which an anonymous source said a demonstration by CGI last July designed to show connectivity with the state's online insurance marketplace with a federal data hub was faked.
The exchange site, for which CGI has an $84 million contract to build, is still not fully functional, the GOP leaders wrote in their letter.
"We believe the unexplained and extensive delay, coupled with evidence suggesting the company in charge of designing the system may have duped Vermont officials into incorrectly thinking that the software system was working and on schedule, constitutes sufficient legal and factual predicate to begin a federal investigation," they wrote. "If true, such a fraud prevented state officials from performing proper contractual oversight, prevented corrective measures, and helped CGI retain its multi-million dollar contract with the state."
Mark Larson, commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access, has maintained that the July demonstration did feature a live connection with the federal data hub.
Linda F. Odorisio, vice president of communications for CGI, said in an emailed statement Wednesday evening that the demonstration did connect the state site to the federal hub.
"CGI confirms that the demonstration conducted on July 26, 2013 included a live interface to the Federal Data Services Hub, with the real time sending and receiving of data," she wrote.


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Harvard and MIT Build A Robot That Can Build Itself
Behold! A robot that is so autonomous it can make itself is now a reality, thanks to Harvard and MIT, The Harvard Gazette reports.
But what does that mean?
Check out their video here:
Robert Wood, the Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard and member of the team that created the robot, said in an interview:
"Well, robots in general are complex mechanisms: They have articulation, some number of degrees of freedom, they must interact with the world. So we picked a robot not just because we work on robotics, but because they are traditionally difficult to make and control. In this case, it is just a four-legged robot whose body and mechanisms are assembled through this folding process.''
Well, that's cool and all. But why is this important?
"Imagine a ream of dozens of robotic satellites sandwiched together so that they could be sent up to space and then assemble themselves remotely once they get there,'' lead author Sam Felton, a doctoral student at the Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard told The Gazette. "They could take images, collect data, and more.''
It seems that there is a future for these little robots, and only time will tell when humans become, well, no longer necessary.


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Amazing Things Arts Center
January 22 | 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
The first hour of our Jazz Show & Jam is a concert featuring a host band which varies each week. It includes some of the finest musicians from the area and often featuring great players from NYC and beyond. After the first hour, we open it up to the jammers who get the opportunity to sit in and hone their skills, trading licks with some of the finest players in the area. Some of the best jazz can be heard here any Tuesday night! Come watch or play!!
About the Jam:
The jam balances high level playing with a spirit of welcome and community. Five host bands take turns making your visit to the jam a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Each week a different group and each week a different feel. Here you can hone your skills and trade lick's with some of the finest players in the area. Whether you're a pro or a student, you'll have a great time.
Tonight's feature: TBA
Tickets: $3.00 for Students • $5.00 for Amazing Members • $6 for non-members


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EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: This big boy is a real joy, whether hauling the goods or just hauling butt. I put it to work in different ways during my brief stay, first as an ice wagon toting about 300 pounds of ice to the high school concession stand, then as a nice luxury accompaniment for an evening out, and finally as a purpose-built fighter jet for the run to the airport to board a far more mundane transportation appliance.
The new ML is well-done, much more edgy than the past model, and equipped to meet every need in the market. While a serious-minded buyer would likely opt for the diesel ML350, those with serious performance in mind in their crossover utility need look no further than this ML63 AMG. What a beast.
SENIOR ONLINE EDITOR RORY CARROLL: The 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG is profoundly silly, unnecessary, absurd, ridiculous. I love it.
The sound and the thrust from that 5.5-liter AMG mill is more fun here than it is in just about every other new Mercedes. It's probably the incongruity of it: "Here I am tottering along in this big, fat soft-roader, listening to NPR and I mash the throttle and Christ, I'm going 100 miles an hour."
It's kind of like an old speedboat. When you nail it, the bow sticks up in the air for a while before it planes out, motor droning.
The brakes are more than up to the task of pulling it down from highway speeds, though aggressive applications will result in more pitching.
For what it is, it's not bad looking, and the interior is excellent.
I'm running out of time here, so I'll finish with this: I cannot for the life of me imagine who would buy an ML63 AMG, or why. But, I can say that it'd be a hell of a lot of fun to own.
SENIOR ROAD TEST EDITOR NATALIE NEFF: I concur entirely with Rory. I was almost embarrassed to admit how much fun I had in this thing until he stopped by my cube after having driven it, a big smile pasted on his face. I echoed his delight. Yes, a $110k SUV is an utterly stupid thing, but I challenge anyone to drive this and walk away grumpy.
This ML is so much fun I swear I giggled the entire time. The fact that I usually immediately forget what I've just driven -- most cars seems to blend into the last, with few making any significant impression good or bad -- only magnifies how much I loved driving it. It's not only stinking fast, it somehow manages to handle OK, too. This ML also manages to not feel heavy.
I had no real SUV-worthy needs during my time with the ML; used it simply to commute and run errands, etc. But man, my errands got done quickly! Love, love, love this thing.
ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Stupid? Unnecessary? Ridiculous? Yes, yes and, well, yes. Then again I guess you could say a $300k Ferrari isn't necessary, either. At least in a ML63 AMG you can move five people and cargo in comfort, which makes the high-horsepower Mercedes-Benz SUV at least a little practical.
But when it comes to high-dollar performance machines, people don't buy them because they make sense or because they are practical. They are bought because they just want them and there's nothing wrong with that. I feel no shame when saying I like performance SUVs like the ML63, Porsche Cayenne Turbo or Range Rover Sport Supercharged. Of course, personally I would be throwing down for a performance sedan like a BMW M5 over a thunderous SUV. But for those who have bigger families, a lot of gear to move, and are addicted to horsepower, you are lucky because there are a ton of options.
One of them is this ML63, which is very good. The twin-turbo V8 is a monster with peak torque of 560-lb-ft happening from 2,000 to 5,000 rpm. And it also sounds good, too. Not as good as the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated AMG V8, but still sinister enough to announce to the neighbors that you have returned home from soccer practice or Costco.
In the handling department, it feels downright nimble for something weighing in at nearly 4,200 pounds with a higher center of gravity. Steering is responsive and the suspension keeps thing together when you're tossing it around some. Brake performance is strong, with a respectably firm pedal feel to slow things down. Yet the ride isn't anything close to harsh, making the ML63 fine for longer trips.
As much as I like this ML63, there is another "practical" vehicle in the AMG lineup that I would rather have: the E63 wagon. I do like my sleepers.
2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
Base Price: $95,865
As-Tested Price: $109,010
Drivetrain: 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8; AWD, seven-speed automatic
Output: 550 hp @ 5,750 rpm, 560 lb-ft @ 2,000-5,000 rpm
Curb Weight: 5,170 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA City/Highway/Combined): 14/18/16 mpg
AW Observed Fuel Economy: 15.6 mpg
Options: AMG performance package including red brake calipers, top speed raised to 174 mph, AMG performance steering wheel with Dinamica handgrips, additional power, carbon fiber engine cover ($6,550); rear seat entertainment system ($1,970); 21-inch AMG twin five-spoke alloy wheels ($1,610); Designo black piano lacquer wood trim ($1,600); Diamond white exterior paint ($795); heated rear seats ($620)


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Rose Donovan started her journalism career as an investigative reporter at a newspaper in Sarasota, Florida. She moved with her husband to Washington, D.C., where she spent six years as a reporter and editor for a chain of daily newspapers in the Northern Virginia and Maryland suburbs. She veered away from the newspaper business for a stint as a reporter for a daily education newsletter, but found she missed the newspaper life.
After her first child was born, Rose scaled back to part-time work, copy editing business stories at The Washington Post for the next decade, while having two more babies. She took a break when all three children were in elementary school and her youngest son, Reilly, was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, and later, autism spectrum disorder. While raising her children, she did a variety of volunteer work, including editing PTA newsletters at three different schools.
With all three children out of the nest, she is embarking on the next chapter of her life, writing and advocating on autism issues.


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Rams Close out Regular Season with Sweep of Purchase
Game 1: Farmingdale State 19, Purchase College - 0
Game 2: Farmingdale State 20, Purchase College - 0
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State softball team closed out the regular season with a sweep of this afternoon's doubleheader against Skyline opponent Purchase College. The Rams improved to 27-9 overall and 12-2 in the conference.
In game one, the Rams scored 13 runs in the first inning to take control early. Farmingdale added five in the second and tacked on their final run in the bottom of the fourth, en route to a 19-0 victory over Purchase (9-22, 2-12 Skyline).
Junior shortstop Nicole Farber (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) was 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and three RBI's, while sophomore outfielder Kaitlin Keenan (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI's for the Rams. Sophomore first baseman Aubrey Walker (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) and sophomore outfielder Rebecca Richman (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) each hit a homerun and had three runs scored in game one.
Farmingdale State again started quickly, scoring five runs in the first and seven runs in the second inning of game two. The Rams added eight more runs over the final two innings, as they earned their second consecutive shutout over the Panthers.
In game two, Farber had three hits, four runs scored and five runs batted in. She finished the day 6-for-7 at the plate with eight RBI's. Freshman third baseman Kristen Flint (Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood) and freshman catcher Christine Watson (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) each hit a homerun in the second game.
Freshman pitcher Lauren Fitzpatrick (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) started both games for the Rams and allowed one hit in the first game and three in the second, earning wins in both starts.
Farmingdale State will host the first round of the Skyline Conference Playoffs on Thursday, April 29th at 4:30 p.m.


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"I think he has the flu, but I haven't the foggiest what this rash is."
"I think he has the flu, but I haven't the foggiest what this rash is."
I had to smile when one of my best and brightest residents acknowledged that the patient's rash was a complete stumper.
The first hurdle in diagnosing any skin rash is the ability to accurately describe the condition. The resident handled that like a pro.
The rash "involved the posterior shoulders, nape of the neck and back, and sparing the palms, soles and mucous membranes."
Great start. She let me know that it was not one of a few rashes that can be life-threatening and can affect those "unusual" types of skin on the hands, feet and mouth. I was more comfortable that we weren't dealing with something like Rocky Mountain spotted fever or syphilis.
She continued: "The multiple marks are bright, violaceous (violet in color), perfectly uniform and demarcated circles about 7 to 8 centimeters in diameter, which are flat and minimally tender to palpation (touching)."
The resident physician described the condition to a T, and her ability to convey what the rash looked and felt like - big, purple, slightly tender, flat circles - gave me the diagnosis in a heartbeat.
At that point, I ventured a guess or two without having seen the patient. I was able to surmise that the patient was Asian and a recent transplant to the United States.
The resident was surprised by my "clairvoyance."
Then I said: "Did you ask the patient what he thought the rash could be?"
This question always catches young doctors off guard. They think that they are in medicine to give diagnoses, not to ask patients to diagnose themselves.
But asking them to do just that has a few advantages. Sometimes patients will tell you their concerns, which you can answer directly. For example, I don't know to calm a patient's fear about a cancer diagnosis if he doesn't tell me that he is worried about cancer as a source of his symptoms.
And if you are lucky, sometimes patients will supply the last piece of the puzzle. That was the case with the mysterious "rash."
When directly asked, the patient told the resident that it was made by "cupping."
Diagnosis made.
A quick Internet search by the resident told her all she needed to know.
Cupping is a therapy that dates back at least 1,500 years and involves placing a heated cup (usually containing warm alcohol) on the skin. As the liquid cools, negative pressure is created within the cup. That pressure pulls on the skin and is thought to draw out toxic humors.
If there is too much negative pressure, capillaries burst, resulting in the equivalent of giant hickeys on the back, shoulder and neck.
There is no scientific evidence that cupping has any significant therapeutic advantage. It's the same for many other alternative therapies.
However, it is this skepticism of alternative medicine that keeps the majority of patients who undertake these efforts from reporting them to their physicians.
Recent studies suggest that more than half of emergency department patients have tried some alternative medical therapy. Of those patients, almost 90 percent think that the therapies work.
On the flip side, about 75percent of patients don't tell their doctors about trying these therapies. In other words, I should anticipate that many of my patients have tried some form of alternative medicine to relieve symptoms, but most will not report it, even when asked.
Believe me, we want to know.
It's important that we know that you went to a chiropractor two days before developing numbness in your arm, or that you have been taking herbal remedies that might interact with prescriptions we plan to give you.
It also is important that we know that, despite a diagnosis and prescribed treatment, you might forgo our recommendations and choose an alternative-medicine option.
Regardless of what your practitioner thinks about alternative medicine, we do want to know your thoughts on it and what you've tried. It's the only way we can work with you and get you feeling better.
Dr. Diane Gorgas is an emergency physician at Ohio State University Medical Center.


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End-of-life notice: American Legal Ethics Library
As of March 1, 2013, the Legal Information Institute is no longer maintaining the information in the American Legal Ethics Library. It is no longer possible for us to maintain it at a level of completeness and accuracy given its staffing needs. It is very possible that we will revive it at a future time. At this point, it is in need of a complete technological renovation and reworking of the "correspondent firm" model which successfully sustained it for many years.
Many people have contributed time and effort to the project over the years, and we would like to thank them. In particular, Roger Cramton and Peter Martin not only conceived ALEL but gave much of their own labor to it. We are also grateful to Brad Wendel for his editorial contributions, to Brian Toohey and all at Jones Day for their efforts, and to all of our correspondents and contributors. Thank you.
We regret any inconvenience.
Some portions of the collection may already be severely out of date, so please be cautious in your use of this material.
Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct
Comment - Rule 4.1
[1] A lawyer is required to be truthful when dealing with others on a client's behalf, but generally has no affirmative duty to inform an opposing party of relevant facts. A misrepresentation can occur if the lawyer incorporates or affirms a statement of another person that the lawyer knows is false. Misrepresentations can also occur by partially true but misleading statements or omissions that are the equivalent of affirmative false statements. For dishonest conduct that does not amount to a false statement or for misrepresentations by a lawyer other than in the course of representing a client, see Rule 8.4.
Statements of Fact
[2] This Rule refers to statements of fact. Whether a particular statement should be regarded as one of fact can depend on the circumstances. Under generally accepted conventions in negotiation, certain types of statements ordinarily are not taken as statements of material fact. Estimates of price or value placed on the subject of a transaction and a party's intentions as to an acceptable settlement of a claim are ordinarily in this category, and so is the existence of an undisclosed principal except where nondisclosure of the principal would constitute fraud. Lawyers should be mindful of their obligations under applicable law to avoid criminal and tortious misrepresentation.
Crime or Fraud by Client
[3] Under Rule 1.2(d), a lawyer is prohibited from counseling or assisting a client in conduct that the lawyer knows is criminal or fraudulent. Paragraph (b) states a specific application of the principle set forth in Rule 1.2(d) and addresses the situation where a client's crime or fraud takes the form of a lie or misrepresentation. Ordinarily, a lawyer can avoid assisting a client's crime or fraud by withdrawing from the representation. Sometimes it may be necessary for the lawyer to give notice of the fact of withdrawal and to disaffirm an opinion, document, affirmation or the like. In extreme cases, substantive law may require a lawyer to disclose information relating to the representation to avoid being deemed to have assisted the client's crime or fraud. If the lawyer can avoid assisting a client's crime or fraud only by disclosing this information, then under paragraph (b) the lawyer is required to do so, unless the disclosure is prohibited by Rule 1.6.


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These photos are from the mud stencil mural that Morgan Herum and I led in Columbia Missouri. We designed and cut the stencils, made a simple sketch, and invited folks to stencil with us. Thanks to everyone who stenciled with us in the 28 degree weather!
The army ants connect to this years festival theme – Collaborative Architecture of the Impossible. Army ants work together and actually use their bodies to create architecture.
The photos below are from the mask making workshop that Morgan Herum and I led, and the March March! parade the masks were made for. We made 300 letterpress prints of some relief carvings we did, brought them to Columbia Missouri, and invited folks to help us cut, decorate and pass out the masks. Special Thanks to Lee Elementary School, Lee's awesome art teacher, and all the folks that helped make and wear the masks.
The Print Designs are inspired by African termites, social weaver birds and honeybees. These animals work together to create amazing architecture.


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Want something unique and truly captivating for your bedroom? This Red Rose Skull Duvet Cover is just the right one for you! Make a statement and be cool!
COOL BEDDING SET FOR YOUR HOME - The bedding set comes with (1) one premium duvet cover and (2) two pillowcases with special themes for home design trend setters!
TRENDY AND UNIQUE DUVET SET - Homedeur's Duvet Covers come in cute sets that'll definitely add colour and charm to your bedrooms. The designs are featured on a single-sided full colour print on a luxurious brushed polyester fabric that'll make you want to stay in bed a lot longer than necessary.
HIGH QUALITY AND EASY-TO-MANAGE SET - The duvet set are made from premium materials that are cozy, lightweight and soft to touch. If you are a neat-freak or just love everything tidy, this duvet set has tie-down corners to ensure secure placement of comforter insert.
EASY-TO-CLEAN - Our duvet cover set are easy to clean. The material is machine washable with cold water gentle cycle and mild detergent.
Unhappy with the product? We offer a 30-day warranty for replacement! We assure you of the duvet's high quality and 100% customer satisfaction at all times!


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New Years Ball of the American Restaurants
- 12. January 2008
- Tradefair Palace Prague
- Corporate Events
- Participants: 800
The quieter summer months in combination with the sunny warm weather lured us into a relaxing weekend. The C-IN team went to re-charge our batteries for four days at the popular Živohošť dam. The little ones of some of our employees added a lively boost to the holiday atmosphere.
From a quaint company of 12 members organizing events in Europe, C-IN has grown into a dynamic team of 53 people and has been present in all continents, except for Antarctica!
The association of European experts in the field of kidney diseases meets regularly every year, and its congresses are among the most visited on the European level. On average, up to 9,000 visitors attend the conference. This year's ERA-EDTA meeting will take place in Budapest and C-IN will be in charge of DMC services (Destination Management Company).
After successfully organizing the ICM Regional Congresses in Dubai, UAE and Asuncion, Paraguay in 2018, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) appointed C-IN to act as their long-term Core PCO for the organization of future ICM Regional Congresses until 2023.


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Justin Bieber Buys $6 Million Mansion
Justin Bieber is finally a homeowner with a mortgage.
The 'Boyfriend' singer isn't just showing his maturity in his new music. He is also growing up in his personal life now that he's bought a property.
TMZ reports that The Biebs bought a 9,000 square foot mansion in Calabasas, Calif. to the tune of $6 million. The town is about 22 miles outside of Hollywood, in the 'burbs. The seller wanted around $7.5 million, but it's a buyer's market and The Biebs was able to talk him down to around $6 million.
Congrats on your new home, Biebs. Now, the next big question: When is Selena Gomez moving in? Even if she just sleeps over a whole lot, she'll at least need her own bathroom to keep her toothbrush.
Mary Sue Maurer, the mayor of The Biebs' new town, is beyond psyched about her city's new resident, who should be moving in this summer. "Justin is welcomed to Calabasas and his privacy will be respected just like everyone else's."
Yeah, tell that to the paparazzi. Even though the home is in a gated community and has security, which made it more attractive to its new owner, those wily paps always find a way in. The Biebs is one of their preferred photographic targets, so he may still be fighting for his privacy. At least the locals will leave him the hell alone!


text: Calendar of Events ←Back to Search Results Preschool Storytime Date: 5/16/2019 Time & Place:Central Library // 10:30am - 11:30am Description:Kids ages 3-6 get to build listening and communication skills while they have FUN, learn about other cultures and grow their imaginations. Hear great stories and take home a craft! On the Web: https://calendar.wacolibrary.org/event/4764076


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Default referrals are returned to client applications that submit operations on a DN that is not contained on a suffix maintained by your Directory Server. The server will return all referrals that are defined, but the order in which they are returned is not defined.
You can use DSCC to perform this task. For information, see Directory Service Control Center Interface and the DSCC online help.


text: This book is a thoroughly documented and detailed account of the atomic bomb project. The authors use the files of the Manhattan Project, scientific research reports, correspondence, personal interviews, and site visits as sources of information. They discuss the question of military versus civilian control of atomic energy and describe in detail the differences in opinion surrounding that controversy. Although the focus of the book is the scientific and engineering challenges facing Manhattan Project officials, it also discusses diifficult administrative decisions regarding funding, personnel problems, and political disputes that occurred at the conclusion of World War II. This book was the first of a series of histories sponsored by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Using the same style of presentation, Volume 2, Atomic Shield , continues the history of the Commission until 1952.


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The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will tour the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant near San Clemente, Calif. Friday. The plant has been shut down since Jan. 31, when a tube that carried radioactive water broke, allowing traces of radiation to escape.
Last week, the NRC announced the plant would remain closed indefinitely while investigators tried to determine what caused the unusual wear to the tubing. KPCC Orange County reporter Ed Joyce joins the show to discuss what's next for the power plant and how California's energy supply will be affected by a prolonged shutdown.
According to Joyce, NRC's move to visit the power plant is unusual. He said permanent NRC inspectors are always stationed at facilities, but the NRC brought in more inspectors to deal with the issue.
"I think it signals just how seriously the NRC is taking this investigation," he added. "I would say it's part of the NRC and Southern California Edison getting on the same page to highlight that safety is their primary concern."
The NRC and Southern California Edison are still analyzing but they have no idea what's causing the problem, he explained.
Dr. Murray Jennex, who was once a nuclear engineer at San Onofre and now teaches at San Diego State University, said that these tubes vibrate as they transfer the water from the reactor, kind of like a guitar string. That vibration could have caused the tubes to rub against each other and other parts of the machinery, wearing them down.
Edison and NRC have no timeline for restarting the plant as they continue to analyze damaged tubes. So far, of over 20,000 tubes at the plant, the problems have been with 1,000 or fewer. Joyce said that prolonged closure could cause energy shortages during the warmer seasons.
"The main need for the plant is when power use climbs in the summer – air conditioning use climbs," he explained. "No question it would be a serious problem depending on power needs and summer heat."
According to Joyce, there may be "Flex alerts," where utilities request that residents and businesses reduce their energy usage on a voluntary basis. There's also talk of firing up a retired unit at the gas-fired plant in Huntington Beach, also operated by Southern California Edison.


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WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom in Washington Wednesday to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds.
The 47-year-old son of civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. entered a negotiated plea of guilty on one felony count of conspiracy to commit false statements, wire fraud and mail fraud and could be sentenced to 46 to 57 months in federal prison on June 28.
"For years I lived off my campaign," Jackson told U.S. District Judge Robert L. Wilkins. "I used money that should have been for campaign purposes for personal purposes. I have no interest in wasting the taxpayers' time or their money.
"I'm guilty, your honor," he said wiping away tears with a tissue.
Wednesday afternoon, his wife, former Chicago alderman Sandi Jackson, 49, pleaded guilty plea to federal tax fraud charges, most recently for tax year 2011. The former political power couple had reached plea bargains with prosecutors, WLS-TV, Chicago, reported. They left the courtroom holding hands.
Jackson and his wife ignored shouted questions from reporters at they entered the U.S. Courthouse Wednesday morning. A short time later, his father, mother, brothers and other family members walked in the front of the courthouse and sat in the front row.
Jackson Jr. was accused of spending more than $750,000 in campaign funds on entertainment and civil rights memorabilia of the late pop singer Michael Jackson, actor Bruce Lee and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., $9,600 in children's furniture, $60,857 at restaurants, nightclubs and lounges, $14,513 on dry cleaning, and thousands on luxury items including flat-screen televisions, health club dues, mounted elk heads, cashmere clothing, mink capes, fur coats and a $43,350 gold-plated Rolex watch, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Sandi Jackson was accused of filing fraudulent joint tax returns for at least six years.
"We are hopeful and we expect there will be fairness in the [sentencing] process," said Jesse Jackson's attorney, Reid Weingarten.
Sandi Jackson was elected twice as alderman of Chicago's 7th Ward even though the couple lived at their Washington townhouse much of the time.
Jackson, who took a leave of absence from Congress last June for treatment of bipolar disorder, was expected to be ordered to pay hundreds of thousands in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said. Sandi Jackson could receive up to three years.
Elected in 1995 at age 30, Jackson resigned from the House of Representatives in November after 17 years representing Illinois' 2nd Congressional District. His wife resigned as alderman in January.
The couple have a 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.


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GOP calls 2012 "a wakeup call"; vows outreach, reform
Today, the Republican National Committee will unveil a detailed report - a post-mortem, if you will - attempting to explain the GOP's failures in the 2012 election and lay out recommendations to try to improve the party's electoral fortunes.
The RNC's chairman, Reince Priebus, laid out many of the report's conclusions on "Face the Nation" Sunday, telling Bob Schieffer, "This is unprecedented, and it's something we had to do."
Citing the drubbing Mitt Romney took among women and Latino voters last November, Priebus vows the GOP will make a concerted effort to reach out to those groups, among others. President Obama won Latinos 71-29 percent, according to national exit polls, and won single women by 36 points and women overall by 11 points.
- GOP chair pins 2012 loss on debates, branding
- Gingrich: GOP establishment "mired in stupidity"
- GOP's problem: Message or messengers?
Women are not a 'coalition,'" the report said. "They represent more than half the voting population in the country, and our inability to win their votes is losing us elections."
With regards to Latinos, the report pays particular attention to the immigration issue and the Republican Party's messaging surrounding it.
"[I]f Hispanic Americans perceive that a GOP nominee or candidate does not want them in the United States (i.e. self-deportation), they will not pay attention to our next sentence," the report said, adding that the party needs to "embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform."
Interestingly, the mention of "self-deportation" is a direct reference to Romney's stance on immigration, one that many observers suggest was the reason for his poor showing among Latinos.
The report went on to say, "The Republican Party is one of tolerance and respect, and we need to ensure that the tone of our message is always reflective of these core principles. In the modern media environment a poorly phrased argument or out-of-context statement can spiral out of control and reflect poorly on the Party as a whole."
While this was listed as a "recommendation" under the Hispanics section of the report, it's also relevant in light of Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin's comments about "legitimate rape" last summer, which did no favors for Republicans among women and was to blame for Akin's loss in November.
Outreach to Latinos, women and other groups will ultimately help the party overcome messaging problems such as Akin's and Romney's, Priebus argued.
"If you're not in the community, if you're not talking to people and the level of familiarity isn't there, then things -- silly things like Todd Akin and some of the goofy things that are said, the caricature becomes true if you're not there," he said on "Face the Nation."
"If we have unscripted moments and no relationship to explain anything, obviously, I believe you're a sitting duck," Priebus said.
Some of those moments led to some harsh criticism of the party from focus groups conducted for the review.
Priebus, in quoting some of the responses, said: "We're a little too bit mass focused and not focused on people's hearts that we don't relate to I think, average Americans more than we should. Stuffy old guys too much and it really is painful to hear, because reality is we have a very young party.
"You just had Paul Ryan on ["Face the Nation"] he's 42. Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, I mean it's a young party. But it just kind of shows you we've done a really lousy job of branding and marketing who we are."
Meantime, the report also lays out proposed fixes to the party's presidential nomination process, arguing that there are too many debates and that the primary calendar is simply too long.
"The report finds it 'advantageous to move quickly into the general election phase of the campaign, allowing the nominee to spend general election money sooner," Priebus will say today, according to his prepared remarks.
"I'm calling for a convention in June or July," Preibus said on "Face the Nation."
"No more August conventions," he added.
Priebus said an earlier convention will help the eventual nominee go in stronger and come out with more time to try to win the general election.
"One of the reasons why Mitt Romney was a sitting duck for two months over the summer is under the campaign finance law - he couldn't use money he had already raised until after he received the nomination for president in August. "
"I believe that our primary process is way too long. I think our calendar needs to be looked at. I think our debate calendar needs to be shrunk. I think we had way too many debates with our candidates slicing and dicing each other and I think they had to wait too long to get to the convention," Priebus said.
"I would do one a month, this is me talking now. I would do one a month. I would have more say over the moderators, more say over the debate partners. I would limit the debate to a reasonable amount. I don't know, maybe seven or eight, but not 23, Bob. That's ridiculous."


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Oklahoma City RedHawks vs Albuquerque Isotopes
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Oklahoma City RedHawks vs Albuquerque Isotopes
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
2 S Mickey Mantle Dr
2 S Mickey Mantle Dr
Oklahoma City,
Phone: 405-218-1000
Fax: 405-218-1001
Come experience America's favorite pastime in downtown Oklahoma City as the Oklahoma City RedHawks take on the Albuquerque Isotopes. Bring the entire family, grab a seat and stock up on fresh hot dogs, buttery popcorn and ice cold lemonade. The RedHawks home games are held at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, one of the highest rated Triple-A baseball facilities in the nation. Snap a picture with Cooper and Ruby Redhawk and cheer on the home team. Each Oklahoma City RedHawks game is sure to be memorable.
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New Discoveries Show Electricity Governs Our Lives (Feb, 1934)
New Discoveries Show Electricity Governs Our Lives
By Edwin Teale
EXPLORERS, working in one of the strangest realms of science, are unearthing curious, dramatic facts. The way autos run, the way seeds sprout, the way eggs hatch, the way radios function, and even the way we feel when we get up in the morning, the latest tests have shown, are affected by flowing, invisible charges of electric power. Recently, experiments in the laboratories of many lands have added to our knowledge of the magical work of electricity in the air.
In Italy, one scientist has sent electric waves racing through the atmosphere to alter the heredity of plants. In Holland, another has used them to kill bacteria and preserve foods. In Germany, a third has obtained astonishing results by administering electrified air to hospital patients. In the United States, two of the country's foremost surgeons have just announced the discovery that minute electrical charges are vital to our brains and bodies.
From their study of electrical winds and magnetic storms, solar smoke and electrified dust, the workers hope to find the answers to age-old puzzles of Nature. Many scientists believe that the keys to the most baffling enigmas of earth, the mysteries of life, heredity, and death, lie locked in infinitesimal particles charged with electricity. No other field of modern research is so packed with mystery and promise.
One first-class mystery occurred not long ago near Denver, Colo.
More than a hundred automobiles on the road between Denver and Boulder were caught in a howling gale. Flying sand grains filled the air. Suddenly the motors in the cars began to stop.
All along the road, stranded motorists churned their selfstarters unable to understand why the engines wouldn't function.
Then the wind abated, the engines started, and the cars rolled on. Some mysterious force, generated by the fury of the storm, had thrown the ignition systems temporarily out of order.
This weird performance recalls the rumors during the World War of a mystery ray that was supposed to stop motors and bring down planes. A few weeks ago, an Austrian announced he had actually perfected such an apparatus. According to his claims, the invention projects ultra-short electric waves into the sky to interfere with ignition systems of planes.
A hint of what happened to the cars on the Colorado road is, given by a discovery that has been made by scientists in several parts of the world. Sand storms, it has been found, always generate electricity. Sometimes, the electric particles, or ions, they produce are positive, sometimes negative. It seems to depend upon the chemical composition of the sand and dust. In South Africa, where the rock is largely quartz, the electric particles are always positive; in England, where limestone is the prevailing rock, dust clouds carried by the wind from well-traveled roads are always ionized with charges of the ooposite, or negative, electricity.
Applying this knowledge, Richard E. Vollrath, a young California inventor, has developed an ingenious sand-storm generator. It sends blasts of dust-laden air through copper tubes, generating electricity which is stored in a huge metal sphere. During one test, the electrical charge thus built up is said to have reached 260,000 volts.
The fact that the power of your auto engine varies according to the amount of electricity in the atmosphere was suggested by experiments made at the U. S. Bureau of Standards, in Washington, D. C, last spring. The air at the carburetor intake was charged with different concentrations of ions and the power of the motor was found to fluctuate as the number of electrified particles changed.
At the present time, radio reception is the best it has been since 1923. Long distance signals are coming in more clearly and regularly than at any other time in the last decade. Changes in atmospheric electricity, caused by a minimum of sunspots, is accepted as the explanation. In regular cycles of approximately eleven years, these volcanoes of fiery gas on the surface of the sun increase and decrease in number. They are now at their lowest point. During the next five years, an increasing number will troop across the face of the sun until the high point is reached about 1939. Then they will become fewer and fewer until, in 1945, they will have disappeared entirely and another sunspot cycle will have come to an end.
To learn more about the relation of sunspots and radio, a famous astronomer and a noted engineer have been making tests for the last seven years. They are Dr. Harlan T. Stetson, Director of the Perkins Observatory at Ohio Wesleyan University, and Dr. Greenleaf W. Pickard, radio inventor and one of the first men in America to transmit speech by electrical waves. While Dr. Stetson observed and photographed the sunspots from day to day, his co-worker noted accompanying variations in the strength of radio waves received from a distant broadcasting station.
When the spots were increasing, during 1926, 1927, and 1928, the radio signals grew fainter and fainter. But from 1929 on, as the spots decreased, they gained in strength. The reason, the scientists conclude, is that the huge envelope of ionized particles which surrounds the earth and is known, after its discoverers, as the Kennelly-Heaviside layer, is affected by changes in the sun.
Like an immense cathode ray tube, the sun bombards the earth with streams of electrons. As these strike our outer atmosphere, they break up its tiny particles into positive and negative ions. This blanket of electrified particles, some seventy miles above the earth's surface, serves as a gigantic mirror, reflecting or bending sky-bound radio waves back to earth. It is only because the waves are thus reflected or refracted by this shell of ions that they are able to travel long distances and circle the earth.
The degree to which the layer is ionized depends upon the activity of the sun. When the sun is most active, that is, when it is dotted with the most sunspots, the greatest number of electrons shoot from it and increased ionization of the Kennelly-Heaviside layer pushes it down nearer the earth's surface. This in turn bends the radio waves back more abruptly and cuts down the distance they travel.
On the other hand, any decrease in the activity of the sun reduces the intensity of the ionization of the layer, allows it to thin out and rise, thus bending back the waves less abruptly and sending them for longer distances along the surface of the earth. In this manner, the expanding and contracting of a shell-like reflector surrounding the earth, controls the effective distance radio waves will travel.
The moon, as well as the sun, Dr. Stetson reports, has a definite influence over radio reception. Analyzing signals broadcast between Chicago and Boston, he found their strength increased as the moon dipped below the horizon and decreased as it rose overhead. This is due, he believes, to radium rays from the moon, which tend to push down the layer as the moon passes above, thus reducing the distance radio waves can travel.
On all sides of us—floating in the air, streaming from the sun, coursing through our bodies, hidden in the things we eat— are minute charges of electricity. Only in recent years have we known much about these invisible ions. It is thought they usually start out as atoms from which an electron is removed. On sunny days, it is known, there are more ions in the air than on cloudy days; on warm days more than on cold days; on clear days more than when smoke pollutes the sky.
From hour to hour, even from minute to minute, the number of ions in the air varies. It shifts according to the ebb and flow of a titanic battle which goes on unceasingly and unseen around us. This is the struggle between the forces that create ions and the forces that destroy them.
On the side of the ions, the three most powerful allies are: the constant bombardment of the atmosphere by cosmic rays from outer space, the radiation from the sun, and the work of radioactive materials, such as radium, on and below the surface of the earth.
Streaming from the sun are large quantities of exceedingly fine, electrically charged particles. Some scientists call this moving mass solar smoke. As this stream of charged particles approaches us, it comes under the influence of the earth's magnetic field, and divides into two streams that diverge toward the two magnetic poles. Reaching the outer atmosphere of the polar regions, the particles often collide with the molecules of the air and become discharged, thus producing the beautiful display known as the aurora. The discharged particles, remaining suspended in the upper air, serve as the nuclei for the formation of the high, feathery cirrus clouds.
Waterfalls are also ion factories. Niagara, for instance, charges its water with positive, and the air around the chasm with negative electricity. Splashing water and spray create ions, too. A curious fact in this connection is that salt water spray charges the air around it with positive ions while fresh water charges it with negative ions. Large raindrops become positively charged when they are flattened and broken up by the resistance of the air. In the very highest clouds, other ions are believed to be formed by photo-electric activity among the ice needles. Near the ground, the number of ions is augmented by winds that blow over metals and other surfaces.
Recently, such electricity-bearing winds have been studied by S. D. Flora, State Meterorologist of Kansas. During dry seasons, he found, they cause severe damage to wheat and other grains, leaving long brown streaks across the fields.
But the greatest single factor in the war for the production of ions is the radioactive materials in the earth. They account for about one half of the ionization of the air. Such matter is widely distributed, producing ions in the pores of the earth from which they are withdrawn by the soil's respiration.
AGAINST these forces are arrayed two great enemies that continually consume or destroy the ions thus formed. One is a recombination of positive and negative ions into atoms or molecules. The other is the attachment of the ions to metal or liquid surfaces, that hold them as flies are held on sticky fly paper.
The outcome of this cosmic battle has greater personal significance than, until recently, we suspected. The latest tests have shown that the state of our health and spirits is closely linked to electricity in the air. Some mornings, for example, we get up feeling exhilirated; other mornings we get up feeling depressed. The difference, say experts in atmospheric electricity, is largely a difference of ions in the air.
As this is written, a ten-room house in Schenectady, N. Y., is the scene of an experiment that may have far-reaching consequences. General Electric engineers are testing a new type of air-conditioning apparatus that controls the elecricity in the air as well as the temperature and humidity. Special mechanisms, designed by Dr. Lewis R. Koller of the General Electric Research Laboratory, count and govern the number of electrified particles in the air while careful records show the effect upon the occupants of the laboratory-home.
The outcome of these experiments may throw light upon a puzzle that baffled eastern ventilating engineers not long ago. After a school was equipped with elaborate apparatus that washed, warmed, and humidified the air, the pupils contracted more colds than before! The answer to the riddle, some experts suggest, may lie in a difference in electrical particles in the air.
That such a difference does affect the human system has been proved definitely by a series of fascinating experiments carried on by Prof. F. Dessauer, of the University of Frankfort, Germany.
Among the Alps of Switzerland, a curious thing has been noticed. On certain peaks, mountain sickness, causing fever, headaches, and nausea which lasted for days, was common. On other peaks, equally high, it was rare. The only difference that scientists could discover in the two locations was in the amount of electricity in the atmosphere.
THIS started Dessauer on his study of the effect of atmospheric electricity upon the human body. He designed a curious ion incubator that would fill a room or a container with air that carried any given quantity of electrified particles. Whether these ions were positive or negative, he found, made all the difference in the world.
Positive ions, the researches demonstrated, produce fatigue, dizziness, headaches, a roaring in the ears, and sometimes nausea. Negative ions, on the other hand, produce a feeling of exhilaration.
Prof. Dessauer has applied these findings to the treatment of various diseases with remarkable success. He reports it has proved effective in asthma, rheumatism, high blood pressure, bronchitis, and arterial trouble.
In a study of 200 cases of high blood pressure, the records show eighty percent of the patients benefited from inhaling ionized air, the treatment extending over a period of several weeks. In cases of rheumatism, the electrified-air treatment was also followed by definite improvement.
Incidentally, the studies revealed a scientific basis for the twinges of rheumatic pain which foretell the coming of a storm. Just before a thunder shower, the scientist discovered, there is an unusual amount of positive electricity in the air near the ground.
Dessauer's apparatus pours as many as 20,000,000 ions into a cubic centimeter of air, a concentration exceeding that found anywhere in nature. One of these ion generators, driving a current of air over a block of heated magnesium oxide encircled by a metal collar charged with a 6,000-volt current, has been installed in the Beth Israel Hospital, in New York City. Under the direction of Dr. William Bierman, Head of the Department of Physical Therapy, promising results have been obtained. Another Dessauer apparatus is in use at the University of Wisconsin, at Madison.
At Harvard University, Dr. C. P. Yaglou, of the School of Public Health, has been carrying on a series of researches along the same line. He has found that in summer, negative ions have a cooling effect upon the body. He has also run across a scientific puzzle that has not yet been solved.
IN AN empty room, he found, the ion content is about the same as that out-of-doors. But the moment people enter the room, the count drops and remains at a lower level until they leave, when it climbs back to its former position. This cannot be accounted for by saying the ions are absorbed in breathing because the amount of air taken into the lungs is small in proportion to that contained in the room.
Where do the ions go? What makes them disappear and what makes them come back? Students of electricity are seeking the answers.
The further science plumbs this mystery, the closer is the link it finds between life and elecricity. The famous Cleveland, O., surgeon, Dr. George W. Crile, sums up his discoveries in the words: "Electricity keeps the flame of life burning in the cell." Dr. Charles H. Mayo, one of the noted surgical brothers of Rochester, Minn., adds that minute electrical charges are vital to the functioning of the brain. Dr. J. N. Washburne, of Syracuse University, N. Y., recently told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that recent researches have led him to believe that learning is a process of arranging into different patterns the ions that are found in the nerve fibers of the brain.
From Russia comes news of a sensational application of ions to the work of food production. The Soviet government has awarded a $5,000 bonus to the Moscow scientist, Dr. M. Chizevitsky, for his discovery that ions can be employed to stimulate the growing of poultry. He found that when negative ions were added to the air in the coops, the poultry showed remarkable progress, rapidly increasing in weight, strength, and agility. The experiments were carried on with 1,000 chickens. As a result, ionized air is being applied to experiments with larger farm animals, a special laboratory having been turned over to the scientist by the government.
Plants, as well as animals, other tests have shown, respond to electricity acting in the air. When the Italian scientist, Dr. M. Mezadroli, carried on his experiments with high-frequency electric waves at Bologna, he found that onions subjected to the wave for thirty minutes a day matured fully ten days ahead of normal. Seeds, bombarded by the electric waves, often showed altered characteristics of heredity when they sprouted. In other tests, this scientist found that he could speed up the activity of silk-worms by placing them in the path of two-meter radio waves.
As scientists feel their way into this mysterious realm of high-frequency waves, they are meeting unexpected and bizarre experiences. At the General Electric laboratory, when Dr. Willis R. Whitney carried on recent experiments, he saw mice lose their tails and hibernating flies revive under the magic power of the short waves.
THE mouse was subjected to increasingly high-field intensities, which caused its body temperature to rise. In the end, without any apparent discomfort to the rodent, its tail shriveled up and dropped away! In another test, fruit flies hibernated in a glass tube when zero blasts passed over it. Then, with the freezing air still blowing over them, they were brought to activity simply by turning on the short radio waves. These warmed them internally. They had become their own heating stoves and were comfortable in spite of the intense cold around them!
Such revelations have made people wonder what effect the constant bombardment of radio waves will have on the human system. What will it do to us seventy years hence? Only within the past dozen years, have high-frequency sets been in operation. Now the trend is definitely toward short-wave transmission. Such electric waves, most potent of all in their effect upon muscles, nerves, and brains, are rapidly increasing in number. Sensational predictions have been made but as yet the evidence in their support is inconclusive.
Imagine cracking an egg on a plate and leaving it in the open air for a month without having it spoil or develop the least odor! That is the feat reported from Soest, Holland, where the scientist, Robert Pape, has been experimenting with the electric presentation of foodstuffs. The perishable produce is placed in an electromagnetic field. Applied in a certain manner, the Dutch worker reports, this is effective in preventing decay.
ANOTHER extraordinary bit of research, in which eggs played a part, is still puzzling the scientists. At the Ontario College of Education, in Canada, research workers prepared specially wired incubators in which the eggs were placed in different positions between negatively and positively charged plates. These eggs hatched in curious fashion. A control group, which has not been subjected to the electrical influence, hatched first. Thirty-six hours later, the eggs which had been placed at right angles to the plates broke open and fully five days late came those which were laid parallel to the plates. Why did the difference in position of the eggs in relation to the electric plates delay the hatching? Nobody knows. The scientists are trying to find out.
Passing over the earth, unfelt except by delicate instruments, are lines of magnetic force flowing between the north magnetic pole, located far inland on the edge of the polar ocean, and the south magnetic pole, lying a thousand miles north of the South Pole on the high, ice-covered plateau at the lower hub of the Earth. These lines of force, running through the air and in the ground, shift according to little-understood laws. For twenty years, the Carnegie, a ship without a nail or bit of steel on board, sailed the seas gathering data on these magnetic lines, a phenomenon closely linked to electricity in the air. In 1929, this vessel, the only one of its kind, was destroyed in a gasoline explosion in western Samoa.
It is now known that magnetism, electricity, volcanoes, and earthquakes are linked in some mysterious way. When a volcano erupts, for instance, compass needles which are far out of range of the earth vibrations are shaken with magnetic tremors. Again after an eruption, when the lava is cooling, it becomes magnetized either positively or negatively according to the direction of the earth's magnetic field at the time. By studying old lava beds, Dr. A. J. Fleming, of the Carnegie Institution, suggests, scientists may be able to learn new facts about the magnetic history of the earth.
THE latest method of forecasting earthquakes, which is being tried in Chile where small quakes occur almost weekly, employs disturbances in the earth's magnetism as a sign of an approaching tremor. At the Salto Weather Observatory, in that country, it was noted that severe quakes were always preceded by magnetic storms in the region. Sensitive instruments at the observatory now register minute-to-minute variations in terrestrial magnetism and, on these records, earthquake predictions are being broadcast with the regular weather reports.
In the eastern part of the United States, one of the most curious uses of electricity in the air was recently reported. Mushroom growers found that after an electrical storm the fungi grew most rapidly. Ozone in the air, a product of lightning flashes, was believed to be the cause. So now, when they want to hurry their crops for market, they turn on machines which discharge static electricity into the air and produce conditions similar to those that follow lightning.
That lightning may descend from the heavens to the earth along a path prepared by cosmic rays is the suggestion of John Thadberg, a Stockholm, Sweden, physicist. According to his theory, which was recently presented in a British scientific journal, the rays ionize the air along the irregular path, the electrified particles acting as ferry-boats to carry the bolt across the gap.
Such flashes from the sky add some 100,-000,000 tons of nitrogen to the soil each year, K. B. McEachron, lightning engineer of the General Electric Company, estimates. In passing through the air, which is approximately four-fifths nitrogen, the discharges fix in the ground large quantities of this chemical so vital to plant growth.
FOR a number of years, science has received skeptically tales of lightning that rolled out of the sky in balls. A few weeks ago, however, two scientists in Nebraska not only witnessed such a display but obtained excellent photographs of it. They are Prof. J. C. Jensen, of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, and George Raveling, U. S. Weather Bureau observer in the same state. Both saw the ball lightning during violent storms that were almost tornadoes. According to Raveling's description, a fiery stream poured from the sides of a boiling, dust-laden cloud, like water pouring from a sieve, breaking into spheres of irregular shape as it descended.
In its various forms, electricity, drifting or working in the air around us, is rapidly assuming a more important place in science's picture of nature. Spectacular advances have been made recently in its study. It still remains, however, a realm of infinite possibilities and many mysteries.


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This is the jaws-dropping moment an angler fishing for pollock hooked a whopping 450lbs shark less than a mile from a holiday beach.
Graeme Pullen was making the most of a large shoal of the small white fish close to the north Devon coast when the 8ft long porbeagle shark took hisbait.
Graeme shouted to friend Wayne Comben 'never mind the pollocks' as his rod bent over double and he began an almighty 30 minute fight to reel in the monster catch in.
The shark was so big it sent Graeme's 17ft fibre-glass boat spinning in circles.
The huge fish opened its jaws right in front of Graeme, exposing its razor-sharp teeth and even left a bite mark on the side of the vessel.
The 62-year-old, who caught the epic encounter on his on board camera, was able to legally tag the shark's dorsal fin before releasing it safe and well.
It is believed to be the largest shark single-handedly caught by a fisherman in British waters before.
Graeme is unable to give the exact location of the catch for fear of upsetting local tourism chiefs in Devon. It has been suggested in the past to him that reports of sharks in the seas puts off holidaymakers.
If true, the claim bears striking similarities to the classic 1975 movie Jaws in which the mayor of fictional town Amity is terrified the man-eating shark will drive visitors away.
Along with blue sharks, porbeagles are the most common species of shark found in our seas, but they don't normally arrive until early summer when the waters are warmer.
Porbeagles are a member of the same family as the Great White, although they are not considered to be a threat to humans with only three recorded non-fatal attacks before.
Graeme, from Hook, Hants, is a keen shark fisherman but was surprised to have caught one so early in the season.
He said: "We were less than a mile off the north Devon coast over a reef that we know doesn't get hammered by fishermen."
Last year was a terrible year for pollock but on this occasion there was a glut of them. We caught 35 of them the day before and went back out again the next day."
"About two-and-a-half hours into the trip I put on some sun cream and that was when I noticed my float bob about 70ft from the boat.
"I could feel something chewing on the bait and as it moved off I could feel it was a lot heavier than a pollock.
"I thought it was a tope - a smaller member of the shark family - but as Ireeled it closer it grew heavier all the time and after about 40 seconds I realised it was a big shark.
"I jokingly said to Wayne 'never mind the pollocks' and went into action stations.
"He started the engine to keep the shark away from the boat while I spent 30 minutes reeling it in and keeping it on the surface.
"It was so big that it was spinning the boat around in circles. When it clearly got tired and it was safe to bring it alongside I brought it in.
"It was an enormous shark and when he swung his head from side to side his jaws opened right up showing his razor sharp teeth.
"Porbeagles don't attack humans but you can have a nasty accident with them like you can a chainsaw and it can give a hell of a bite."
At one stage Graeme was in danger of being dragged into the sea as the strong fishing line wrapped around his hand and he was momentarily attached to it and the shark.
Had the fish gone under the surface Graeme would have followed it unless he very quickly cut the line.
Graeme said: "Most shark fishing in this country starts in mid-June so this one was very early.
"The temperature of the water was 16 degrees and even though it's only May it is warm enough for sharks to be moving in.
"This could be a sign of a warm summer to come."
Graeme will broadcast the footage of the catch on his YouTube channel tottallyawesomefishing.com this Friday.The porbeagle shark - Lamna nasus in Latin - is classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered in the north east Atlantic.


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LDEO has a rich history of educational programming and events for the community:
Open House
LDEO's annual Open House includes nearly 40 exhibits, lectures and demonstration, and attracts over 4,000 people. Attendees learn about the current developments in the Earth Sciences, and about how our increasing understanding of the Earth helps preserve its future
Public Lectures
The Public Lectures series was begun in 1999 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Lamont-Doherty. Each spring since then, four or five different Lamont researchers have given presentations on their current research.
View past public lectures online in our video library
Earth Science Colloquium Series
A lively forum for discussing a wide variety of topics within the earth sciences and related fields. Colloquia are attended by the full range of scientific and technical staff at LDEO.