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Alex Daoud has never been one to sit still. At his prime the three-time Miami Beach city commissioner and three-time mayor was constantly in motion, always the center of attention. Tall and strong and handsome, he lusted for the action, the pop of the camera flash, the adulation heaped on him by all. But that was before federal investigators began to discover that something else lay behind Daoud's genial facade. In late 1992, Miami Beach's golden boy was convicted of bribery. The following year he pleaded guilty to other corruption charges and was hauled off to prison.
For a man like Daoud, a tougher punishment would have been difficult to imagine. There he was, locked away from the adoring crowds, left alone to contemplate his own fears and needs and hatreds. He was forgotten for the first time in his life.
Freed early in April 1995 after seventeen months in federal custody, Daoud tried to put his sordid past behind him and get on with his life. He found a job -- first working for a car-alarm company, then delivering flowers. He devoured medical textbooks with a dream of one day enrolling in medical school in the Caribbean. Once an avid amateur boxer and exercise enthusiast, he began visiting the gym again. And he continued with his political memoirs, which he had begun -- first as fiction, then as autobiography -- before entering prison. "I've changed a lot, haven't I?" he often asked me in the months after his release. "I'm not the same person I was before." He frequently said he wanted to live a clean, quiet life; in time, he said, he would ask a judge to release him from the balance of his three-year probation.
But so much prevented him from leaving the past behind and pushing ahead, not the least of which was his animosity toward those people he once considered friends but who, he claims, quickly abandoned him when he was clobbered by the federal government. After a little more than a year of simmering in his quiet, uncomfortable rage, Daoud was back at ringside and climbing through the ropes.
In June of this year, the 53-year-old Daoud steps back into public, controversial view. His girlfriend, Robyn Elliott, sues her former boss, Crescent Heights general manager Russell Galbut, accusing him of sexually harassing her for years and of unlawful retaliation under Florida's whistleblower statute. Two days later Galbut files a countersuit, alleging that Elliott has conspired with Daoud to extort $1.2 million from him. "War has been declared!" Daoud gamely announces to me.
The lawsuits are a bizarre mix of treacherous and salacious allegations, and as far as they pit Daoud against Galbut, they are a twisted reflection of a seemingly strong friendship that was so representative of Miami Beach's power structure in the Eighties. During most of those years, Daoud was an associate at Galbut's family law firm on Washington Avenue -- Galbut Galbut & Menin; Daoud nominated Galbut for the powerful Zoning Board of Adjustment, a seat the developer held for about a decade; the two could be found at all the right community and charitable functions, and they used only the kindest words to describe each other.
Their rises in fortune also occurred in tandem. As Daoud ascended toward the top of the Dade political firmament, Galbut was establishing, among other ventures, the largest condominium-conversion operation in the region, developing prominent beachfront buildings such as the Alexander, the Castle Beach Club, 100 Lincoln Road, the Shelbourne, and the Carriage House, among others.
Robyn Elliott, a jittery but good-natured woman, became Galbut's administrative assistant in 1990. The relationship fell apart this past December when Galbut fired Elliott because she "objected to or refused to participate in the unlawful activity and practices of Galbut," her suit alleges. Elliott filed her lawsuit in federal court and claimed, among other allegations, that
*Galbut implied to business associates on at least two occasions that Elliott would provide them with "sexual favors."
*Galbut had "a number of extramarital affairs" and would "describe to Elliott, using sexually explicit language, the various sexual relations and sexual practices he engaged in, or would like to engage in, with his female companions."
*Galbut requested Elliott to provide false testimony if she were subpoenaed in connection with a federal banking investigation of Capital Bank, of which Galbut is a shareholder and director.
*Galbut requested that Elliott prepare fraudulent insurance claims for Crescent Heights properties and Galbut's personal residence.
*Galbut required Elliott and other employees to make campaign contributions to specific local political candidates with the assurance that they would be reimbursed by Crescent Heights.
Galbut's attorney, Franklin Zemel, has answered the charges with a detailed dissection of Elliott's complaint, and he has asked a judge to throw out the case. The attorney contends that Elliott unilaterally left the company and describes her complaint as "a vast array of imaginative claims and a potpourri of innuendo-laden allegations." He adds: "When you look at it allegation by allegation, what you'll find is that she got a portion of the story and never got the whole story."
Galbut's countersuit -- which, oddly, doesn't name Daoud as a defendant -- is as inflammatory as Elliott's. The developer says he temporarily allowed the ex-mayor, after his release from prison, to stay in an apartment at the Aventura Beach Club condominium, which is owned by Crescent Heights. In addition, Galbut says he gave Daoud "hundreds of dollars in cash." But Daoud ran up a phone bill in excess of $1000 at the condominium that he never paid. Galbut further alleges that Daoud refused to move out of the unit more than five months later, even though Galbut wanted to sell it.
Sometime in autumn of last year, Elliott told Galbut that "Alex wants to see you," according to the complaint. That same afternoon Daoud allegedly appeared at the Crescent Heights headquarters, entered Galbut's office, and raised his shirt to reveal that he wasn't wearing a body wire. Supposedly Daoud then began to frisk Galbut for a wire. "While Galbut was still stunned by this episode, Galbut was then led by Daoud into the executive bathroom in Galbut's office," the suit says. "Once in the bathroom, Daoud turned on the water loudly, and when Daoud was comfortable that he could not be overheard, Daoud then demanded from Galbut another apartment to reside in indefinitely and that such apartment be titled in Daoud's name. When Galbut refused, Daoud threatened to 'expose' several alleged secrets which Daoud claimed he knew about other people friendly to Galbut."
Galbut reportedly responded: "Go ahead. If you've got something to say then say it. But don't threaten!"
"You're making a mistake, Russell," Daoud allegedly said. Then, according to the lawsuit, he "threatened to 'take down' Galbut and destroy Galbut and the Galbut family. Daoud claimed that he wanted to get even with other people whom Daoud claimed used to be his friends back when he had 'power,' but who had since 'abandoned' Daoud as a result of his criminal proceedings. Daoud stated that he was particularly angry at Abel Holtz, former chairman of Capital Bank." Galbut says he kicked Daoud out of his office.
As for Elliott, Galbut says that in the final months of her employment she made numerous threats to Galbut that he if didn't pay her bonuses or if he ever tried to fire her, she would call a press conference. Galbut says the administrative assistant demanded $5000 for her silence. "Elliott also began making a series of comments against Capital Bank and the Holtz family, who prior to her involvement with Daoud gave no consideration one way or another about any of these people or entities," Galbut's lawsuit states, a suggestion that Daoud was turning Elliott against the bank and the Holtzes. (In addition to being a director and shareholder of the bank, Galbut also chaired the institution's "independent committee" that reviewed claims made by several dissident shareholders alleging wrongdoing by the Holtz family.)
According to Galbut, Elliott quit the company on December 27, 1995, retained a lawyer, and then increased the price of her silence to $1.2 million, which she demanded in a letter sent April 1 through her attorney, Roderick Hannah.
In the letter to Galbut, Hannah outlines various charges against the developer and describes the correspondence as "a form of damage control given the substantial downside and risks you and your company now face." He offers the possibility of a "confidentiality agreement" should a settlement be reached, and demands a "lump sum payment" to Elliott of $1.2 million.
Hannah says the extortion allegations are "bogus." He refutes Galbut's claim that Elliott ever threatened to call a press conference if she were fired or if she didn't receive bonuses; he says Galbut offered $5000 for her silence; and he denies the insinuation that Daoud has turned Elliott against Capital Bank. "In fact, Alex Daoud has discouraged her from doing her lawsuit because of her emotional distress resulting from the stuff Galbut did to her."
Daoud, too, denies Galbut's allegations of conspiracy. "I never threatened him," the ex-mayor says. "That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard in my whole life! I never led Russell Galbut to the bathroom. He's old enough to go to the bathroom himself." Daoud does admit he asked Galbut for another place to stay, but he says he never demanded money or property from his former friend. Soon after their talk, Daoud says, he vacated the Crescent Heights condo and moved into Elliott's two-bedroom house in Davie. (Elliott refuses to comment on this or any other matter for this story.)
So what went wrong with the friendship between Daoud and Galbut? For years Daoud had refused to say anything negative about his old pal. And Daoud admits that Galbut was very generous when he got out of prison: Galbut sent Elliott to pick him up, he loaned Daoud an apartment, he gave the ex-mayor $3000 cash, and he even bought Daoud a laptop computer so he could work on his book.
But Daoud complains that Galbut didn't do enough. While he was in prison, Daoud contends, the developer promised to find him a job and a permanent place to live. Once freed, though, Daoud came to believe Galbut hadn't made good on his word. "I think Russell treated me the way he did because of Holtz," Daoud asserts, his piercing blue eyes going hard and cold. "Basically what happened was Holtz told him not to do anything to help me, that I was a government snitch." As Galbut is on the board of directors and still does business with Capital Bank, he had to heed Holtz's words, Daoud maintains. "Galbut said, 'I'm too connected with the bank.'"
Daoud says "the final straw" came when the Galbut law firm withdrew its representation of Daoud regarding a lawsuit he'd filed against the administrator of a trust he'd established for his son. Daoud had brought the suit in the fall of 1995 against Dade businessman Rafael Bonafonte, whom Daoud had counted as one of his best friends before going to prison. Daoud accused Bonafonte of stealing thousands of dollars from the trust. (It's another irony of Daoud's life that when he had his falling out with Holtz and decided to drop "Abel" as his son's middle name, he chose to rename the boy after Bonafonte.)
Galbut Galbut & Menin represented Daoud in the matter for a few months but then withdrew. Daoud blames Holtz, who he believes instructed the Galbuts to drop him as a client. Daoud says he heard this from Abraham Galbut, the firm's senior partner and Russell's brother. "He said he couldn't represent me because Russell said it made him look bad," Daoud asserts. "Do I think Russell owed me? He made his commitment that he was going to help me. When a man gives his word, I think he should keep it."
For his part, Russell Galbut denies ever promising Daoud a job or housing. He says he never told his relatives to dump Daoud's case and never told the ex-mayor he was feeling pressure from Holtz. "I've never spoken with Abel Holtz about Daoud other than in the context of bank meetings, which are regulated and which have nothing to do with anything personal," Galbut insists. (His brother Abraham couldn't be reached for comment.) Holtz himself also denies instructing the Galbuts to stop dealing with Daoud. He says that in the past year and a half he's spoken with Russell Galbut only once, and that conversation concerned an internal Capital Bank matter and was conducted in the presence of several attorneys.
Galbut and Bonafonte aren't the only former associates Daoud is tangling with these days. He has also been subpoenaed to testify in two federal trials involving men -- one an attorney and the other a lobbyist -- who did business with the City of Miami Beach during the Eighties. (The subpoenas are not yet public record and so Daoud will not identify the individuals for publication.)
And of course there is Abel Holtz. Daoud has been questioned under oath in connection with a state hearing to determine whether control of Capital Bank was transferred legally by Holtz to his wife Fana and to his sons Daniel and Javier, both of whom had held upper-level positions in the bank. Two years ago, just before pleading guilty to a charge of obstructing a grand jury investigation of Daoud, the elder Holtz passed the helm of the institution to Daniel, who was made chairman, president, and CEO. Javier was made executive vice president and chief credit officer, and Fana became a director.
A group of unhappy shareholders claims the transfer was illegal and that Holtz's two sons and wife are not competent to run the publicly traded bank, which has $1.6 billion in assets and 28 branches in Florida. State bank regulators began the hearing August 26; it is expected to continue until at least the end of next week.
The entire proceeding -- including all prehearing discovery -- is sealed by a confidentiality order; therefore Daoud, who was subpoenaed by the shareholders' lawyers, is prohibited from divulging what he said during his sworn deposition. He also expects to be called to testify in the hearing but won't speculate on the testimony he may give.
It's likely, though, that the shareholders' attorneys will want to use Daoud to scrutinize the retainer he received from Capital Bank when he held political office. Daoud has contended in court testimony that the retainer was a bribe arranged by Abel Holtz, who was then the bank's chairman. In return for the payments, Daoud says he used his political position to steer toward the bank companies and individuals doing business with the city. The ex-mayor has also told federal investigators that he supported the Holtz sons' election to various city boards in exchange for the payments.
Daoud's childhood bout with polio is never far from his mind. When he was six years old, he came down with the viral disease and was confined to a wheelchair. After six months, he was fitted with crutches and a heavy brace for his affected leg. His mother drove him several times a week to Variety Children's Hospital for therapy; he stumbled around in the apparatus for a year.
The illness was also emotionally and psychologically hurtful. At school he was teased and harassed by his classmates. "Children can be cruel, and against a partially paralyzed child they were brutal," he writes in his autobiography in progress. "It was a horrible existence that was magnified when I finally returned to school. I was thrown out of my wheelchair or knocked off of my crutches and ended up defenseless on the ground while my tormentors danced joyfully around me."
The polio eventually disappeared and Daoud found his strength in boxing. His mother carted the scrawny kid over to the now-demolished but then-hallowed Fifth Street Gym, training ground for Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, and other boxing legends. Daoud eventually grew to a powerful six feet four inches and has remained obsessive about his fitness -- or lack thereof -- as if it will help stave off a relapse of his childhood trauma.
Now he has a different scourge to overcome: his corrosive sense of betrayal. Despite his involvement in the ongoing legal proceedings, his bitterness toward his old friends and associates -- the ones he says turned their backs on him -- has only increased. So he seeks a remedy the only way he knows how: in public. He's ready to lead me into the furthest uncharted territories of his corrupt political career. He would like to see an article written. He wants to publicize his experience. "I want people to know the truth," he says. Recounting it, he adds, will be cathartic.
Something else weighs on his decision to divulge his secrets: his health. Daoud fears he's going to die soon. He suffers from hypertension, he says, and undergoes regular doses of an unproven and controversial alternative therapy to combat constricted arteries in his heart. Once a week he visits a clinic in Coconut Grove for a treatment called chelation therapy, which involves the removal of metal and minerals from the blood. (He emerges from the sessions smelling like patchouli.) His sister, brother, and father all died of heart problems; Daoud's siblings were both younger at their death than he is now. And his mother passed away from heart-related ailments. "I'm a time bomb," he says.
And there appears to be another motivation. It doesn't seem exactly coincidental that Daoud's willingness to go public occurs as news of the Operation Greenpalm corruption investigation breaks. As he has watched the scandal unfold, he has compared his own transgressions and punishment against the feds' current targets. His conclusion: He was cheated.
"Did Miller Dawkins get suspended?" he asks of the Miami city commissioner the day the criminal complaint was filed. (Dawkins is accused of demanding and receiving a city contract kickback and was suspended a day later.) "Son of a bitch! I was suspended immediately! I smell a real stink here. Something's not right."
He curses at the fact that at the time of then-city manager Cesar Odio's arrest, the president of the Cuban American National Foundation was already talking about raising $300,000 to $400,000 for Odio's defense fund. "Can you believe that?" rails Daoud, who paid for his own defense. The ex-mayor also notes that the black community immediately circled around Metro-Dade commissioner James Burke as the feds descended on him. "I can tell people this race thing is disgusting," Daoud spits contemptuously in reference to allegations that the Operation Greenpalm investigation is racially and ethnically motivated. "I guarantee to everyone that the U.S. Attorney is an equal opportunity prosecutor."
Daoud later posits that municipal-bond dealer Howard Gary, another subject of the probe, clearly received excellent legal advice. (Upon being implicated in the Miami City Hall scandal, Gary became a government witness to help implicate acquaintances and business associates.) "His lawyers said, 'Howard, your life's over as you know it,'" Daoud speculates. "I was stupid not to tell the truth from the very beginning."
Daoud had an opportunity to tell all back in 1993. In order to receive a reduced sentence for his crimes, Daoud became a federal informant. His cooperation helped nail Abel Holtz and another former associate, CenTrust Bank chairman David Paul. But Daoud says he refused to talk to federal investigators about certain people. "I wouldn't discuss [former Miami Beach city commissioner] Abe Resnick, I wouldn't discuss [former Miami Beach mayor] Harold Rosen, I wouldn't discuss Russell Galbut," he recalls. "But no one appreciated that. Did any of them come by my trial? Did any of them come to my mother's funeral? When I was facing fifteen years and getting my ass killed, where the hell were these people? Every day I didn't help the government by telling the truth about people was a day I had to serve in prison." Bruce Udolf, chief of the public integrity division of the U.S. Attorney's Office, would not confirm that Daoud was asked about these men, saying, "We never comment on issues discussed during the debriefing of cooperating individuals."
So what does he have to reveal now? The allegations spill out over the course of several conversations. They're often vague, and the statute of limitations has likely expired on most of them, but if true they depict a city in which illegal cash flowed freely and the public trust was abused with impunity. In addition, they describe a man who, by outward appearances, was virtuously civic-minded, but who in truth was morally and ethically reprehensible.
Daoud begins by admitting to all but one of the crimes alleged in the 41-count federal indictment handed down in 1991. The exception: accepting a $10,000 bribe from boxing promoter Gilberto "Willy" Martinez, who later pleaded guilty to drug charges. (Daoud still maintains that the payment was a legal fee he rightfully earned as the promoter's lawyer.) Among the government's allegations that Daoud now says are true:
*He received a total of $35,000 in payments from two companies controlled by CenTrust chairman David Paul. (After his trial, and in order to avoid a second trial, Daoud pleaded guilty to accepting one payment of $5000 from a CenTrust subsidiary.)
*He did in fact demand hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of free or discounted renovations to his Sunset Island home from contractors involved in millions of dollars in city-funded construction projects.
*He collected bribes in connection with his participation in the rescue of South Pointe Towers, a Miami Beach high-rise condo project on the verge of collapsing into bankruptcy in 1987. Daoud persuaded two banks, including Capital Bank, and some labor unions to save the project with new financing.
According to the federal indictment, Daoud's law firm, Galbut Galbut & Menin, allegedly received a check for "approximately $25,000" from the now-defunct law firm of Finley Kumble, which was representing South Pointe's developer. Daoud says he received about $14,000 of that money, even though he did no legal work on the deal. The payment, he asserts, was a bribe in return for political influence and upcoming favorable votes. At Daoud's trial Thomas Tew, Jr., an attorney with Finley Kumble, testified that the $25,000 was for "legal fees" and that he, not Daoud, suggested the payment because the mayor had worked hard to save the project. (Daoud was not convicted of the charge. "My opinion was he did a hell of a job,"Tew says. "Did Alex ever extort me? Hell no, he didn't extort me. Fact of the matter is the guy never leaned on me. It would've been easy for me to say [in court] that he put a little pressure on me. But he didn't."Tew wonders why Daoud is now saying he's guilty of a crime to which he once pleaded, and was found, not guilty. "That's close to mental illness," he contends.)
*Daoud says he did accept bribes, as charged, from two labor union locals, though the jury at his trial acquitted him on both charges.
In addition, Daoud now confesses to an array of misdeeds that were alleged by federal prosecutors in the course of pretrial or trial proceedings but for which he was never formally charged. Specifically, in a pretrial letter to Daoud's attorney, prosecutors listed a series of transactions that allegedly showed Daoud's "participation in a pattern of racketeering activity." Among those Daoud now admits are true:
*"The receipt by the defendant of monies from [former Miami Beach mayor] Harold Rosen in connection with Rosen's representation" of a local developer. Daoud says he received "about $7500" from Rosen, his one-time friend, after referring the developer to Rosen, who would act as a lobbyist regarding a vote that was coming before the city commission. Daoud says the $7500 was officially called a "referral fee" but was, in fact, a bribe in return for political influence. Rosen angrily denies that the payment was a bribe. "I remember the incident and it was a referral fee!" he declares.
*He received "about $6000" in cash from Ocean Drive property owner Leonard Pelullo, whose pioneering purchase and renovation of Art Deco hotels put him in frequent contact with city officials. "He paid me for overall favors," Daoud says of Pelullo, who owned the Cavalier, Cardozo, and Carlyle hotels, as well as the ill-fated Senator, whose demolition is credited with catalyzing the South Beach historic-preservation movement. Pelullo is now in prison after being convicted of federal fraud and racketeering charges.
Beyond that Daoud says he committed scores more crimes that were never uncovered by federal investigators. He says he lost count of the number of bribes he took while commissioner and mayor, or the number of people he shook down in exchange for favorable city decisions. How did he have so much influence over the direction of the commission if he was just one vote among seven? His grin is sinister, his lips pull tight over his teeth. "But you're the mayor," he says with a wink.
Orchestrating votes, he confides, was as easy as organizing a pick-up basketball game. To hell with the Sunshine Law, which prohibits elected officials from speaking with one another about an issue they may vote on unless they are gathered in a public forum. The law, he says, was a sham during his years in office and was violated frequently, both by him and others holding public office in Miami Beach.
Some of the malfeasance to which Daoud now confesses is not political corruption in the classic criminal sense of bribes or extortion. But if true, it does reveal the extent to which Daoud was willing to compromise the public trust for his private gain, and it portrays a man whose sense of morality was malleable, at the least. Daoud alleges that *Crescent Heights executive Russell Galbut promised to give him a job at the family law firm if Daoud managed to get him elected to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. "He told me, 'If I get on, you can join our law firm,'" Daoud recalls. Galbut, though, flatly denies the allegation. He says he introduced the then-commissioner to his cousin, Howard Galbut, who was the firm's senior partner at the time, but that he never made a deal with Daoud.
*He did little or no legitimate legal work for Galbut Galbut & Menin but used his position as an elected official to steer toward the firm companies that had matters before the city commission. Howard Galbut says he's not aware of any conflict of interest Daoud might have had on the commission, but acknowledges that Daoud did attract clients to the firm, which in and of itself is not illegal. Galbut says Daoud wasn't a particularly prolific associate. "The work he did do, I thought he did well," the attorney recalls. "He also didn't do much. He was mainly involved in public service."
*Daoud says he was among the many people who allegedly received money from former Medicare chieftain Miguel Recarey. In the early Eighties, Daoud contends, in an effort to obtain a health-care contract with the City of Miami Beach, Recarey's company, International Medical Centers (IMC), put the then-commissioner on an indirect retainer. IMC, he says, wrote a monthly check of $1000, which passed through two other hands and resulted in a payment of about $300. Daoud says he did no legal work for IMC but used his position as a commissioner "to lobby for them and apply political influence" to win the contract -- a clear conflict of interest. (Recarey, later charged with Medicare fraud, remains a fugitive in Spain.)
*He interfered in the investigation of an auto accident involving a former state official. In the early Eighties, returning from his first extramarital affair, Daoud says he happened across the accident on a Miami Beach street. While police officers milled about, Daoud says he secretly removed from the car three bottles of unmarked pills and a plastic bag full of an unidentified white powder, and later flushed them down a toilet at the hospital where the official was treated.
*As a first-term city commissioner, he says, he actively participated in the brutal police beating of three suspected rapists whose victim was a friend of Daoud. The beating allegedly took place after the suspects had been subdued and restrained.
*Beginning soon after that confrontation with the rape suspects, and continuing for several years, Daoud occasionally rode along with Miami Beach police officers, some of whom he says organized themselves into a gang of badge-carrying vigilantes. "We developed a system of punishment to rid our city of the Mariel criminals," Daoud claims. If someone was found committing a misdemeanor or minor violation, the cops would drive him across the causeway to Overtown, take his shoes, money, and identification, remove his belt, and dump him there.
For felons or those found repeatedly committing minor crimes, the vigilante officers would handcuff them, drive them behind the Theater of the Performing Arts, drag them out of the police car, and while they were still handcuffed, "punish them," Daoud recalls. The officers employed Mace, electric shocks, clubs, and feet. "You tried not to use your hands because you didn't want to leave marks on your knuckles," Daoud recounts. "The crime rate didn't drop, but there were very few repeat offenders for us to deal with." The officers referred to these beatings as "attitude adjustment sessions."
Daoud names three officers allegedly involved in these incidents. One of them says he "heard about" the so-called attitude adjustment sessions but denies participating in them. The same officer, though, confirms that the dumping of small-time crooks in Overtown was common, and that City of Miami cops often returned the favor. (The second officer denied knowledge of Daoud's allegations, and the third officer did not return phone calls.)
*While married to his second wife, Daoud consummated his first extramarital affair, at Seacoast Towers. During the next several years, he estimates he slept with scores of women -- including a high-ranking city official -- and engaged in group sex at his home while his wife was away at dental school in North Carolina. His philandering continued through his third marriage, which came to an end during his federal trial when one of his lovers testified that she and Daoud had had an affair. (Daoud's only child was a product of his third marriage.)
Corruption was rife during his years in office, Daoud claims. "We made Ali Baba and the 40 thieves look like choirboys," he proclaims. And if prosecutors were to approach him now and ask him questions about those same people he protected before? "Let me say this," Daoud responds. "I've had a great enlightenment. I am so sorry from day one that I didn't tell the truth about everyone."
Today Daoud lives with Robyn Elliott in a small, two-bedroom house in a development in Davie, far from the plush, $485,000 home on Miami Beach's Sunset Islands that he once called home. It is simply decorated and is clearly Elliott's place. Daoud, left to his own devices, is a slob. The clutter in the corners -- stacks of documents; boxes teeming with photo albums, newspaper clippings, and other mementos; medical and self-help books; a child's toys -- all of that is Daoud's.
The most prominent decorations are a few artifacts Daoud has saved from his years in political office. Above a sliding glass door to the tiny back yard is a row of black-and-white photographs: Daoud in a tux with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Daoud with Raquel Welch, Daoud with Don Johnson. On a side table is a framed photo of the mayor holding forth with a microphone, broad-shouldered, flat-bellied, speaking to an AFL-CIO convention at the Sheraton Bal Harbour in the late Eighties. A brass doorplate -- Mayor Alex Daoud -- is wedged into the frame.
"Look at those pictures," says Daoud, whose hair was long and scraggly when he was released from prison but has recently been cropped at the insistence of his probation officer. "Doesn't that look like a different world?" He plops down on a large, overstuffed chair in the living room and calls for the couple's two dogs, a black mix named Midnight and a German shepherd named Freedom, the latter a gift to Daoud from Elliott on the first anniversary of his release. The two animals vie for Daoud's attention, and he adores their unconditional love. Daoud has ballooned to a bulging 285 pounds, and his physique, although enormous, continues to obsess him. "Am I really fat?" he asks hopefully. "God, I've really gotten fat, haven't I?" He wears a gray T-shirt, basketball high-tops, and a pair of those tiger-print drawstring pants favored by weightlifters -- all the better to accommodate his heft.
He certainly doesn't have money to buy better clothes. His job -- researching court records for a West Palm Beach title company -- pays him about $300 per week, a percentage of which goes toward the cost of probationary supervision. His outstanding debts, however, are enormous. The IRS recently sent him a notice of levy against his wages to the tune of $125,500 for unpaid taxes stretching back to the Eighties. He is mostly supported by Elliott's paycheck from her job as a grants writer for a retirement home.
Daoud frequently contrasts his poverty with the wealth of his former friends. "You have Galbut sitting up there smoking his fat cigars," he rants. "Meanwhile I don't have food on my table. Instead of getting any sympathy or any understanding, he comes back to me and says, 'Abel Holtz wouldn't be happy.'
"You know, I'm happy to be alive," he continues. "My whole attitude is different." He sounds entirely unconvincing. "I'm very content in many ways. I know myself better than I ever did. I think there's a catharsis, a cleansing that comes with telling the truth." Daoud soon hopes to make a formal request of U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King to terminate his probation based on good behavior. (Attorney Bruce Rogow says the Galbut lawsuit shouldn't have an effect on Daoud's probationary status. "Whatever allegations were made, allegations are just allegations," he comments.)
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Still, in our three years of conversation, which began shortly before his sentencing, Daoud has never once admitted to me that he deserved to go to prison. He concedes having committed plenty of crimes, but he says he suffered enough during the trial. "Not everybody who commits a crime goes to prison!" he says defiantly. "I went to trial. I think by fighting the justice system, you pay the price. I was willing to get in the ring. But I also wanted some corner men. All these people should have said, 'We have a moral obligation to stand by him.' All these people were doing these things with me but they were willing to sacrifice me. And that's the story I want to get out -- that I had misplaced loyalty."
He opens a thick red binder -- a typed draft of his uncompleted memoir, which has now stretched to 934 pages -- and begins reading from the opening section, in which he is being fitted with a wire by federal agents in advance of a meeting with Abel Holtz at the Forge restaurant in Miami Beach. The scene takes place in a room at a Howard Johnson hotel on Miami Beach (see sidebar).
He narrates a few paragraphs, then looks up. "Excellent!" he declares. "You gonna quote that in the article? Now if only I can maintain that level, it would be a Pulitzer Prize-winner, wouldn't it?
"So what are you going to call this?" he asks, referring to this article. "'Miami Beach Corrupted'?" He pauses in thought, then a self-satisfied smile curls across his face. "'Daoud Ascending'?


text:
While a pastor preaches about Adam and Eve at a wedding in Santiago Canyon, Azar Beik gestures to a bridesmaid to adjust the bride's train so her daughter won't trip and take a dive.
After all, a flying bride is a faux pas at any wedding. But at this wedding, keeping the bride intact is especially critical.
The Christian wedding is only the first of two ceremonies. The second is traditional Persian.
You might wonder as I did – and I'm a groomsman – that a Persian ceremony might be a bit of a stretch for the groom's parents. His mother grew up in Long Beach, and his father is a former Navy man from Iowa.
At the same time, you might wonder whether the Christian ceremony is too much of a stretch for the bride's parents, who grew up in Iran at a time when simply holding hands required parental approval.
Get real. This is the 21st century. Leanna George, the groom's mother, tells me that differences in culture and "religion don't really matter if you're a good American. We're going to blend."
As the bride, 34, and groom, 39, are fond of saying, niiice – right?
But if things had gone differently with certain armed guards during the height of the Iraq-Iran war, none of us would be at this bicultural wedding.
• •
The groom's parents met during a blind date at a time when the Long Beach Naval Shipyard bristled with three dry docks, five industrial piers and thousands of civilian workers.
Eugene George, a boiler man nicknamed "Oil King" for his speed at pumping fuel, was stationed in Long Beach. Leanna was a young woman with an appreciation for service and duty.
Soon, the couple married and settled in Lakewood. Gene became a machinist and Leanna worked at Farmers & Merchants Bank. Their daughter went on to become a police officer in Garden Grove and married another peace officer. Their eldest son fell in love with a woman who was Jewish, and their wedding was Leanna's and Gene's first introduction to a non-Christian wedding.
Leanna laughs recalling the dancing, the breaking of the glass. Yet the way Leanna sees it, the wedding wasn't her first introduction to another culture.
"My grandmother came over from Holland by herself," Leanna offers. "I grew up with Dutch chinaware, Dutch cooking, learning Dutch words.
"My mother-in-law was Irish," Leanna notes. "She loved Irish poems and read them around the house."
• • •
The bride's parents met hiking in northern Tehran. It was the first time a man held Azar's hand.
It also was love at first sight.
In the mid-1970s Azar and her husband, Siavash (sea-of-ash) moved to Lawrence, Kan., so Siavash could pursue a master's degree in engineering. But when the young couple returned to Tehran with two babies and Siavash's master's from the University of Kansas, the Iranian Revolution was in full swing. Demonstrations and strikes tore the country apart. It took months before Siavash could find a job.
Then the Iran-Iraq war broke out. There were bombing raids, trench warfare. When the war ended eight years later, an estimated 1 million people were dead.
Early on, the Beiks realized their homeland no longer was a place to raise their son and daughter. "They were bombing every night," Azar says. "We couldn't go near the windows. We were scared."
Leaving their extended families tore at the couple's hearts. Making matters worse, Siavash was one of the few experts left capable of designing large water projects. Telling the regime, "We're out of here" wasn't an option.
Under the guise that he was interviewing job candidates, Siavash made his way to the United States and left Azar behind with the children. He obtained a green card, found a job and an apartment in Indianapolis and prayed for his family.
In something similar to the escape scene in the movie "Argo," Azar made her way to the Tehran airport with her two children. Suspicious, a guard demanded, "Why are you leaving?"
Azar replied she was going on vacation. Guards searched her bags and found family jewelry. She was sent to a room for questioning and forced to leave her children behind.
She told her 8-year-old son, Ali, to hold his sister's hand and never let go. "I was shaking," Azar recalls. "You don't know if someone's going to take your kids."
Finally, mother and children were allowed to board a plane. Azar confesses, "I just cried forever."
Today, Siavash is vice president at an engineering firm in Indianapolis and Azar is a jewelry designer and in sales. Still, when thunderstorms rumble across the Indiana sky, Azar flashes back to bombs dropping.
• • •
After the first ceremony, the wedding party and guests assemble before a 6-by-8-foot low-slung table made by the groom, Aliso Viejo-based wellness instructor Dennis George. Called the sofreh-ye aghd – wedding spread – the table is draped in linen and laden with items that represent earth, fire, water, air and more.
A mirror symbolizes light. Candles provide energy. Bread promises prosperity. Eggs and nuts promote fertility. Honey represents happiness. Fruit ensures a joyous future.
Amid traditional Persian chants, Dr. Homayoon Shidnia presides over the second wedding. He explains, "This is a ceremony we hold dear, and we're hoping to keep it alive always."
A white sheet of fine lace is held over the bride and groom's heads, and Shidnia invites happily married women to grind sugar over the couple to sweeten their lives.
With her 80-year-old mother-in-law who flew in from Tehran watching, Azar and a half-dozen women trade off rubbing two gauze-wrapped pestles made of sugar.
Leanna hesitates to join. Then she smiles broadly, walks over to the sofreh and grinds away.
"I pronounce you man and wife," Shidnia declares. "May you always be guided by peace, love, forgiveness, loyalty and, most importantly, mutual respect."
Shidnia kisses the bride and groom on the cheeks, poking the groom and laughing, "You're married to an Iranian now. You're going to get kisses all the time – especially from guys."
Instead of a blushing bride, it's the groom who turns red.
We walk to dinner, past the tiger cages at Rancho Las Lomas. The bride, Nooshin Beik, a vice president at Burnham Benefits Insurance Services in Irvine, shares that she's thrilled everyone enjoyed both the American and Persian ceremonies.
For a moment, I'm confused. Weren't both ceremonies American?
David Whiting's column appears four days a week; email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW YORK (AP) — A former personal secretary to Osama bin Laden got a strong rebuke from a judge on Tuesday as he was sentenced to life in prison for a second time after claiming the Sept. 11 attacks and Superstorm Sandy were "God's punishment" for injustice by the United States against him and others.
"You, sir, in my judgment, are a committed terrorist who has betrayed his country," U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan told Wadih El-Hage after listening to the claims of the Lebanese-born man who became a U.S. citizen.
El-Hage said he was treated unjustly before his 2001 conviction in the August 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The attacks killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans.
The judge said a life sentence was necessary in part because El-Hage, 52, was "quite likely to engage in or further terrorist activities against this country in this district until your last breath, if you were ever released." He also re-imposed a $33.8 million restitution order, saying $7 million would go to the families of victims and the rest to the U.S. government.
El-Hage was convicted in 2001 of conspiracy and other charges and was sentenced to life in prison. A federal appeals court in Manhattan ordered a resentencing after El-Hage argued that the federal sentencing guidelines under which he was sentenced were no longer mandatory.
El-Hage, who has a long beard, was taken into court handcuffed with numerous court officers providing tight security. At a hearing before trial, El-Hage had leaped out of a jury box where he was held with three other defendants and charged toward a door located about 15 feet from the judge before he was tackled against a wall by U.S. marshals.
Before the announcement of his sentence, El-Hage spoke for more than a half-hour, saying he was "unfairly and unjustly convicted" and had "nothing to do with any of those conspiracies."
Wiping tears from his eyes as he described how criminal charges accused him of killing innocent civilians, El-Hage claimed that no jury could have remained unbiased in light of the accusations and that his chance to redeem himself was spoiled when his defense lawyers "fiercely resisted" his desire to testify at trial.
"And I had a lot to say," El-Hage said.
He claimed he had followed U.S. laws since coming to the country in 1978 as a teenager and had registered as required at U.S. embassies as he traveled through Sudan, Pakistan and Kenya. At the time of his arrest, he was living in Arlington, Texas, with his wife and seven children.
He cited the Sept. 11 terror attacks and Superstorm Sandy, saying, "This is God's punishment for clear injustice."
At his first sentencing just weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, El-Hage condemned the attacks, saying the "killing of innocent people is radical, extreme and cannot be tolerated by any religion, principles or values."
El-Hage's rambling statement Tuesday led him to concede that some people might find "what I say strange or unusual," and the judge's patience wore thin as he finally warned El-Hage to complete his comments in five minutes. When it was no longer his turn, El-Hage tried to speak several times more and the judge shouted him down, saying, "Quiet!"
Though El-Hage was in the United States when nearly simultaneous bombings were carried out on U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the government said he played a leadership role before the attacks.
In a legal brief, prosecutors said El-Hage was one of the leaders of al-Qaida's East Africa cell, providing false documents so operatives could travel between Africa and Afghanistan to meet with al-Qaida leaders. They said El-Hage carried a specific directive from al-Qaida's military command to militarize the East African cell and was a high-ranking and trusted associate of bin Laden who performed essential tasks, including disbursing the al-Qaida payroll and operating al-Qaida businesses that provided cover for its terrorist activities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley told the judge that El-Hage was a "terrible candidate for your honor's mercy," saying he could have prevented the bombings if he had not lied to U.S. law enforcement authorities about al-Qaida operatives in Africa when he returned to the United States in September 1997.


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James Boswell's uncle John was a member of a sect known as the Glasites.
Biographies of the people in Boswell's life
One of the amazing things about Boswell's journals is the sheer amount of persons that he met and described. Some are still famous, some forgotten and some have never been known to the public outside of their own narrow circles. This is an evolving catalogue of those people. Until now, more than 90% of the persons encountered in Journal of my Jaunt, Boswell's London Journal and Boswell in Holland are included, and work is under way for the journal of his German and Swiss travels.
|Abraham Gronovius - Professor of Classical Philology
|Abbé Joseph Victor
|Aarnoud Joost van der Duyn - Baron Maasdam


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You rely on your eyes and vision to do most daily activities. Whether you're driving a car or walking, you need clear vision to keep you and those around you safe. And it can be scary when you have vision problems from an infection, an injury, or a disease. Our topics can help you learn what to do when you have problems with your vision. You'll find out how to keep your eyes healthy and your vision clear so you can continue to do the activities you love.
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Will 2012 finally be the year we see manufacturers take a deep breath and slow down for a minute? As far as HTC is concerned, it's starting to look that way.
According to a report from BGR's Jonathan Geller, HTC is in the process of making a shift in how they'll release phones from now on. He says that, overall, we should expect to see less handsets released from HTC in 2012. And the ones that are released will have an emphasis on quality. HTC's current strategy of releasing incremental hardware updates every couple months may finally be at an end.
Flooding the market with a wide range of handsets has worked well for HTC. They are currently the number one manufacturer in the US, but that could change before they know it. Both Samsung and Apple have seen huge leaps in success thanks to a one-device-a-year policy. The iPhone and Galaxy S series both see one major update every year. And both handsets set the standard for what their operating system represents.
Of course Samsung doesn't just release one device a year. But they do release one flagship device every year. If anything, HTC should head in this direction. If the rumored specs on a device like the HTC Edge are correct, they wouldn't need to produce another handset in 2012. Aluminum uni-body design, 4.7-inch 720p HD S-LCD 2 with optical lamination, 8MP backside-illuminated 1080p camera, 32GB of storage, NFC and a NVIDIA Tegra 3? I can't imagine hardware will evolve enough in 2012 to trump that.
As HTC has traditionally used CES and MWC to showcase flagship handsets in the past, it won't be long now until we can get a good idea of what HTC plans to do next year. What do you think HTC should do? Is their current model fine, or would you prefer to see them slow it down a bit and bang out some really killer devices?


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Class 1A boys' state track meet preliminaries from Thursday
Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland and Lexington each had one relay team advance to the finals of the Class 1A boys' state track and field meet at O'Brien Field at Eastern Illinois University Thursday.
The Class 2A boys, that include Pontiac and Prairie Central, will hold their preliminary competition this morning with Class 3A taking place this afternoon. The finals for all three classes will be Saturday.
FCW made the finals in the 4x100 relay as the quartet of Dylan Malinowski, Gary Lisweski, Kody Appel and Brent Albertson made the circuit in 44.12 seconds. It was good for third in the heat and eighth best overall. Newman Central Catholic of Sterling had the fastest time at 42.77 seconds.
Lexington was disqualified in the 4x100 but the Minutemen 4x200 team of Connor Garth, Nick Barkes, Chuck Wright and Jordon Algar was fourth in its heat at 1:33.13 and qualified ninth overall. Sterling Newman had the fastest time in this event, as well, at 1:29.91.
Dwight's 4x400 relay team of Justin Wolz, Clay McCormick, Jack Davidson and Michael Bennett placed third in its heat at 3:35.95 but did not qualify for the finals.
Dwight also missed out in the 4x800 relay. The foursome of Mitch Fransen, Stinnett Gettinger, John Carter and Nathan Ruffatti combined for a time of 8:41.49 for sixth place in their heat.
Albertson missed qualifying for the final in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. The Flanagan-Cornell senior had a time of 11.19 seconds in placing fourth in his heat in the 100. He was clocked at 22.85 seconds in the 200 in placing fifth in his heat.
Dawson White of Fieldcrest had a time of 17.06 seconds in placing sixth in his heat of the 110-meter high hurdles.
Austin Walsh of Dwight was fifth in his heat of the 330 intermediate hurdles with a time of 42.03 seconds.
Jacob Ludy of El Paso-Gridley ran the 1,600 meters in 4:43.68. He was 10th in his heat.
In the field, FCW's Nate Roemer had the best shot put distance among the three area competitors. Roemer had a push of 45 feet, 4 3/4 inches. Dwight's Gus Rieke had a mark of 45-1/4 and Tyler Halloran had a push of 42-3/4.
Roemer fouled in the discus.


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|The authors own nothing. Joss, UPN, WB, etc. own Buffy, the show, the characters, the places, and the backstory. The authors own any original plots.


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วิเคราะห์บอลเคลีก_เล่น คา สิ โน ออนไลน์ ที่ไหน ดี_เว็บพนันบอล m88
Design Schools in Europe Categories
Design Schools in Europe Links
AFAD School
(Bratislava, Slovakia) Founded in 1949, the Academy of Fine Arts and Design Bratislava is a higher education institution that offers bachelor, master and doctoral in fine arts, design, architecture, conservation and restoration.www.vsvu.sk
Braunschweig University of Art (HBK)
The Braunschweig University of Art ?– or Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig (HBK) – is an internationally orientated art university offering Industrial Design and Transportation Design Bachelor and Master Courses.www.hbk-bs.de
Coventry University – Automotive Design
(Coventry, UK) Coventry University offers automotive and transportation design undergraduate and postgraduate courses.wwwm.coventry.ac.uk
(Paris, France) Créapole (School of creation management) is one of the leading French design schools. It offers courses in Industrial Design, Transport Design, Interior Architecture and Art Design.www.creapole.fr
Domus Academy – Master in Car Design and Mobility
(Milan, Italy) Domus Academy is an open project around the Italian design and fashion experience. Every year it organizes the Master in Car Design and Mobility.www.mastercardesign.com
(Barcelona Spain) – The ELISAVA (Barcelona School of Design and Engineering) offers Degrees in Design, Engineering in Industrial Design and Master's and Postgraduate Degrees in Product Architecture and Interior, Graphic Communication.www.elisava.net
Espera Sbarro
(Pontarlier, France) Franco Sbarro's training centre offers a pluri-disciplinary course associating both theory and practical knowledge.www.e-sbarro.fr
FH Joanneum – Industrial Design Department
(Graz – Austria) The FH Joannum University offers a well-known degree programme in Industrial Design. The course has a length of 8 Semesters and is open to 16 students each year.fh-joanneum.at
Florence Design Academy
(Florence, Italy) The Florence Design Academy is an international school that offers interior design, graphic design and industrial design courses.www.florencedesignacademy.com
HTW Berlin – Department of Design – Industrial Design
(Berlin, Germany) The course of study Industrial Design at the HTW Berlin was established in 2011. Each year 40 students can be admitted in the winter term based on an assignment, portfolio and an aptitude test taken in spring. The Bachelor of Arts degree is reached after 7 terms of study.www.id.htw-berlin.de
Huddersfield University
(Huddersfield – UK) The School of Art, Design and Architecture (ADA) at the Huddersfield University offers a selection of design-related Courses, including Transport Design, Product Design and 3D Digital Design.www.hud.ac.uk
IAAD – Istituto di Arte Applicata e Design
(Turin, Italy) The Institute of Applied Arts and Design (IAAD) operates in different design areas: Transportation design, Industrial Design, Advertising & graphic design, Interior Design.www.iaad.it
IED – Istituto Europeo di Design
The Istituto Europeo di Design is an international school built on an Italian matrix, that organizes first-level academic diplomas, three-year courses, Masters courses and advanced training courses. It has locations in Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Florence, Cagliari, Madrid, Barcelona, S?o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In Turin, Barcelona and S?o Paulo, the school features degrees (BA and MA) in Transportation Design.www.ied.edu
ISD France
(Valenciennes – France) The Institut Superieur de Design offers courses in product and transportation design.rubika-edu.com
(Modena, Italy) – The Istituto di Scienza dell'Automobile di Modena (School for Automobile Science in Modena) is a car design school founded in 1971 that offers a 2-year program, split into two different courses.www.issam-modena.com


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alright this is probably going to be a stupid question to ask..
however, im having trouble bouncing proxies, sometimes even connecting.
using telnet... ill check proxy list, see if they are active and then continue to..
o xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 8088 or whatever the port may be... 99% of the time the connection wont go through.. infact the screen just sits there. did i forget to do something? any help would be appreciated.


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Elderly mother, daughter victims of North Tonawanda fire
Driving home from bingo Monday night, North Tonawanda residents Anthony and Dawn Gutka thought at first a fog had settled in on their street, but the smell of smoke and then the sight of flames told them their neighbors' home was ablaze.
Anthony Gutka got out of his pickup truck and ran up to the front door of 53 Third Ave. to try to assist the occupants, Dorothy Burns, 84, and her daughter, Kathleen Watson, 62, who were trapped inside their cluttered 1½-story cottage home.
"You could see the fire in the front window, and I began pounding on the door. When the police arrived, I told the officer to be careful, the door was hot," Gutka said, adding that his wife had called 911. "Unfortunately, things didn't turn out very well."
Firefighters forced open the front door and removed Burns from a front bedroom, but efforts to resuscitate her on the front lawn were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Fire Chief John C. Lapham.
Other firefighters forced open a rear door and found Watson near the doorway. First aid was performed, and she was rushed to DeGraff Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the chief said.
Firefighters received the 911 call at 9:49 p.m., and the first responders arrived three minutes later.
"We had both victims out of the building fairly quickly, within two minutes," Lapham said.
"Access was difficult due to the extreme clutter."
"It's horrible," he added. "I take it very personally when it happens in my own city. It doesn't happen very often. The last fire fatality was about five years ago."
Neighbors reported hearing what they thought was an explosion or series of explosions, but it remained unclear whether that was thunder or the sound of firefighters gaining entry to the burning house.
The cause of the $35,000 fire remains under investigation. Autopsies conducted Tuesday morning at the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office in Buffalo determined the women died from smoke inhalation.
Because of the rapid response by North Tonawanda firefighters, including 28 paid members and 40 volunteers, City Building Inspector Cosimo Capozzi said, the house may still be structurally sound and may not require demolition.
The fire, concentrated in the front living room and dining room, had been declared under control by 10:10 p.m.
Neighbors described the mother and daughter as private, even reclusive, and several neighbors on the section of Third Avenue, between Oliver and Ironton streets, didn't even know their names.
"They were very introverted and stayed to themselves," said next-door neighbor Krista Lisi. "I heard pop, pop, pop three times, and I looked out my second-floor window and screamed to my daughter the house next door was on fire."
Neighbor Molly Johnson said, "My husband and his brother were standing outside and heard the noise. They thought it was thunder, and then all that smoke started coming out of the house."
Tabitha Ryan said she and her boyfriend, Sam Mincey, helped the mother and daughter from time to time.
"I would shovel their walk for them, and my boyfriend would mow their lawn," Ryan said, adding that surveillance cameras on her home recorded smoke coming from the house across the street for about "20 minutes" before the fire was reported.
A team of four fire investigators is looking into the cause of the blaze. One firefighter suffered a minor injury but remained on duty.
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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BRISTOL, Tenn. – Freshman Nick Serowski has been named a National Freshman of the Week Honorable Mention by Off the Block, a website devoted to covering collegiate men's volleyball.
Serowski had a match-high 18 kills, which tied his career-best mark, in King's sweep of conference foe Belmont Abbey College on the road this Saturday. His impressive kill total included two on King set points. He also had an ace, four digs, a solo block, and a block assist in the match.
Serowski has been stellar for the Tornado during his freshman campaign. The Moore, Okla. native has a .217 attack percentage through ten matches and leads the team with 137 kills. He has reached double figures in kills eight times this season and has registered at least 16 kills on five different occasions. Serowski is also third on the team with 16 blocks this season from his outside hitter position.
He has helped the team to a 6-4 record so far this season, including a 3-2 mark inside league play. The Tornado will return to action on Tuesday night as they travel to Conference Carolinas rival Lees-McRae College. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.


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"When it comes to supporting religious institutions, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations' principal commitment is to graduate theological education, because this type of education has a direct impact on our nation's moral integrity and future," said Cheryl Tupper, program director for religion and health care at the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. "Our support goes to institutions with reputations of academic excellence and whose primary mission is to prepare graduate students fully for pastoral or pulpit ministry. Louisville Seminary reflects high-quality educational programs that the Foundations are interested in supporting. In particular, the Black Church Studies Program demonstrates a strong commitment to ministry and to the life of the church."
"Our priority is building bridges across the lines of religion, race and culture that divide our world," said Louisville Seminary President Michael Jinkins. "The Black Church Studies Program is a core component of our vision to prepare people for ministry amidst increasing diversity. We are grateful that the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations support this vision."
The grant will help educate black clergy theologically, raise awareness of the value of theological education among laity in black churches and enrich the quality of education for all students at Louisville Seminary through engagement with the black church tradition. In its first three years, the Black Church Studies Program at Louisville Seminary has made significant strides, with 30 students enrolled in the curriculum. Courses are taken (and taught) by African-Americans as well as European-Americans.
"A strong Black Church Studies program needs to do more than offer classes in Black Theology, Black Religion, African-American Christianity and Black Preaching," said Lewis Brogdon, director of the Black Church Studies Program and assistant professor of New Testament and Black Church Studies. "This grant will allow leaders in Black Church Studies programs to spend time in local and regional congregations educating laypeople about issues affecting our churches and communities, advocating for theological education and recruiting leaders who want to come to seminary."
"The Black Church Studies Program is designed to enrich the work and worship of not only black pastors and congregations, but of all persons, black or white, who study at Louisville Seminary. The program has already changed the character of the Seminary's communal life and deepened the theological and spiritual sensibilities of our students," said Susan R. Garrett, dean and professor of New Testament at Louisville Seminary.
About 'Covenant for the Future,' Louisville Seminary's strategic plan Louisville Seminary's 'Covenant for the Future' seeks to eliminate seminary tuition debt, which is a persistent problem among seminary graduates across the nation. Because they will not be burdened by seminary debt, our graduates will be free to go wherever God calls them when they graduate. They may be called to lead a congregation, to develop a new church, to establish a nontraditional worshiping community, to serve as a marriage and family therapist or a hospital chaplain or to create an as-yet-unimagined position as servant and leader for the world.
About Louisville Seminary Founded in 1853, Louisville Seminary offers an inclusive and diverse learning community, welcoming students from wide ecumenical backgrounds while maintaining its long, historic commitment to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Louisville Seminary is committed to building bridges across the world's religious, racial and cultural divides. It is distinguished by its nationally-recognized field education and marriage and family therapy programs, the scholarship and church service among its faculty and a commitment to training women and men to participate in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ.
About the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations The AVDF is a group of private foundations established by the late Arthur Vining Davis, who was the former president and longtime chairman of the Board of Alcoa. The Foundations' grants are directed to five program areas: private higher education, secondary education, religion, public television and health care.


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Thinking to start Online business in Canada and need to consult with experts here.
What I need are:
- Technical support
- Graphic Design
- Free Security Audit.
On of my friends recommended me to deal with Linovus.ca - are they good for my needs?
Reliable or not? Where can I read customer reviews or feedbacks about them?
Any alternatives?


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One of the more common inquiries we get about brake pads on Volvos is, "How do I get rid of the dust?" While you'll never eliminate brake dust completely, Akebono EURO ceramic pads offer a great solution to the excessive dusting of Volvo OEM brake pads.
With many pads, moving to a denser material like ceramic can be prone to brake squeal, poor cold pad performance and other trade offs. We've installed Akebono EURO pad sets on several Volvos and have been more than pleased with the results. Good cold performance, great resistance to brake fade and best of all -- almost no brake dust on the wheels!
Akebono EURO Ultra-Premium brake pads provide excellent vehicle control and response performance. Akebono uses advanced ceramic brake pad technology allows their "EURO" pad line to provide excellent stopping power and virtually eliminating brake dust.
For over twenty years, Akebono Ceramic Technology (ACT) has been the original equipment (OE) standard on many of North America's passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs and has set the benchmark for ceramic pads used in OE vehicle production. Most importantly, European OE manufacturers now request Akebono products for their North American vehicles. Akebono's Aftermarket disc pads contain the same materials, engineering, quality standards, and advanced technologies used to create their OE ceramic brake pads.
These pads only fit models with rear electric parking brake. Should fit vented brake and solid rotors.
There is no way to know how a car is equipped without physically verifying the car in question.
Adding items to your shopping cart and placing an order is only an intent to purchase. We will not charge you for anything until we can ship the products you ordered (if paying by credit card. PayPal is a prepayment method.) We will do everything we can to fill your order in a timely manner. You can cancel your order at any time prior to shipment.
This stocked product is available to order plus backorders are allowed.
We consider this a stocked product and normally try to keep some in stock. If you need more than we have available, feel free to order it and we will get it for you. It typically takes 10 days for additional stock to arrive and be packed for shipping.


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Johnny Knoxville wows Oscar crowd as 'Bad Grandpa'
"Bad Grandpa" is at the Oscars.
Johnny Knoxville surprised the crowd at the motion picture academy's headquarters Saturday by appearing on stage alongside makeup effects artist Stephen Prouty at an event honoring the makeup and hairstyling Academy Award nominees. Prouty is nominated for transforming the "Jackass" leading man into his gonzo "Bad Grandpa" character Irving Zisman.
Knoxville readily admitted that the hidden-camera film featuring the 42-year-old actor-stuntman pranking unsuspecting folks as a naughty 86-year-old geezer isn't typical Oscar fare.
"We're basically slightly above a student film in the way we execute things," Knoxville said. "But our makeup is stellar."
Prouty of "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" is up against Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny, who turned Johnny Depp into Tonto for "The Lone Ranger"; and Adruitha Lee and Robin Matthews, who respectively transformed Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto into an HIV-positive rodeo cowboy and transgender woman for "Dallas Buyers Club," at Sunday's 86th annual Academy Awards.
"We took an extra effort not to overpaint and go too theatrical," said Prouty of the "Bad Grandpa" style, which had to not only stand out on camera, but fool victims. "It had to look real to us inches away from us."
Knoxville said applying the makeup, which included 11 different prosthetics on his noggin, took three hours each morning of the 60-day shoot. He said listening to Prouty and his team's "filthy jokes" every morning helped him to get "completely in character as a dirty old man."
So how long did it take to remove all that effects makeup?
"About two beers," Knoxville joked.


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What would professional sports be without trash talking, grudges, beefs and rivalries? For some, feuds are as integral to spectator sports as the game itself. Sometimes, a contentious situation between star athletes, their coaches and team owners is as enthralling as the score, and can create additional interest in the main event.
Some sports feuds are legendary, such as Mike Piazza and Roger Clemens; Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier; John Rocker and the entire city of New York. Some feuds started on the field, and some on pure boneheaded violence. We remember them for their great drama and for the thrills they offered to sports fans long after the game ended.
Read ahead for some recent personal conflicts.
By Daniel Bukszpan
Posted 26 April 2012


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Visit Edmunds.com for a complete listing of local car dealerships in Lincoln City, Oregon. Find the best deal on your next vehicle with online discount price quotes on car, truck, SUV, and minivan models. With the ability to compare prices on new and used vehicles in Lincoln City, Edmunds.com makes the car buying process convenient and cost-effective. Search for car dealerships in Lincoln City, Oregon with our comprehensive dealership network and avoid the common hassles associated with car shopping.
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Rokita Distributes Voting Equipment Funds to Boone County
Contact: AJ Freeney-Ruiz
Indianapolis, IN - Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita today distributed election reform money to Boone County. This was part of the latest round of funding Rokita's office is giving to counties from the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002.
Boone County received $238,000 in federal and state money which was distributed by the Secretary of State's office. This brings to $21.7 million the total distributed under HAVA to Indiana counties since Rokita's office began distributing funds to help pay for voting equipment upgrades resulting from the required phase-out of lever and punch card voting machines.
Rokita personally met with Boone County Clerk Lisa Garoffolo to reimburse the county for the new Voting Technologies International touch screen machines that will be accessible to all of Boone County's approximately 36,000 voters in all 47 election precincts beginning with the 2006 May Primary Election.
"It's been a long road to get to this point," said Garoffolo. "Secretary Rokita's office has been extremely helpful throughout this process, and we couldn't be more thankful for their help. Indiana's way ahead of other states when it comes to these reimbursements, and I'm very thankful that Rokita has been so cognizant of the needs of the county clerks and our offices. His office has kept us informed and on-task so that we can pass the necessary information on to each of our respective counties. We think our selection of voting machines was a good one, considering we put together a task force that looked at every machine certified in Indiana. These work best for our county."
"It is great to see federal and state money being put to good use to help ensure fair and efficient elections for Hoosiers," Rokita said. "Boone County can now focus on other election matters."
Congress passed HAVA in response to issues in various parts of the country during the 2000 Presidential Election. HAVA requires states and counties to replace all punch card and lever machine voting systems by January 1, 2006. A number of Indiana counties will be eligible for additional funding in the coming months.


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VANCOUVER, BC – Whitecaps FC Reserves were rewarded for a dominant display with a 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake at Thunderbird Stadium on Sunday. Goals in either half from captain Jordan Harvey and Erik Hurtado sealed the win.
Despite early Whitecaps dominance, Real Salt Lake had the first clear opening as a freekick fell kindly to John Stertzer but he couldn't get enough power behind his header to trouble Brad Knighton on 7 minutes.
The lively Kekuta Manneh beat his man on the left flank on 24 minutes and found Tommy Heinemann open in the area. The striker struck a first time effort that beat Josh Saunders but cannoned back off the post. A minute later a rifled corner from Hurtado found Johnny Leveron in the box but the Honduran couldn't hit the target with his header.
A good exchange between Hurtado and Manneh on the left flank on 37 minutes gave Manneh the chance to take on the Real Salt Lake fullback. The winger beat his man but shot wide of the near post from a tight angle.
Real Salt Lake threatened again on 40 minutes when fullback Abdoulie Mansally bombed down the left flank and, after some good footwork, played in Olmes Garcia who struck a fierce first time effort into the side netting. Whitecaps FC immediately countered with Heinemann finding space in the Real Salt Lake half. The striker took a left-footed shot from 25 yards that went narrowly wide with Saunders rooted to the spot.
With halftime looming Whitecaps FC won a freekick outside the area, which was swung into the box by Manneh. The delivery found Heinemann whose header was blocked, but the ball fell kindly to Harvey who slammed home from close range to open the scoring on 44 minutes.
Following a quiet opening to the second half, Vancouver came close to a second on 57 minutes when Koffie played in Matt Watson in the area who drilled an inviting cross across the box. Heinemann failed to make meaningful contact with the goal at his mercy.
Real Salt Lake carved out their clearest chance on 64 minutes when Enzo Martinez wriggled free in the area and got a shot off but Knighton pulled off a smart stop to preserve the' Caps' lead.
Vancouver were enjoying the majority of the pressure sought a deserved second on 78 minutes when Klazura got to the byline and drilled the ball across the box. Heinemann chested the ball into the path of Harvey who unleashed a powerful effort that was deflected just wide of the post.
Whitecaps FC eventually did double their lead on 85 minutes when Watson found Hurtado with a pinpoint long-range pass. The young forward beat two defenders before finishing past Saunders with a composed effort to wrap up the 2-0 victory.
Next up for Whitecaps FC Reserves is a scrimmage against University of Washington this coming Tuesday, April 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium.
Referee: Paul Ward
Attendance: 277
Scoring Summary:
44' - VAN - Jordan Harvey
85' - VAN - Erik Hurtado
Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 10 - Real Salt Lake 12
Shots on Goal: Vancouver 3 - Real Salt Lake 6
Saves: Vancouver 6 - Real Salt Lake 1
Fouls: Vancouver 4 - Real Salt Lake 8
Offsides: Vancouver 1 - Real Salt Lake 2
Corners: Vancouver 11 - Real Salt Lake 1
27 - VAN - Gershon Koffie
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves
18.Brad Knighton; 32.Greg Klazura, 43.Ethen Sampson+, 16.Johnny Leveron, 2.Jordan Harvey©; 28.Gershon Koffie, 20.Aminu Abdallah* (36.Bryce Alderson 62'), 8.Matt Watson; 19.Erik Hurtado, 29.Tommy Heinemann (34.Caleb Clarke 79'), 23.Kekuta Manneh (17.Omar Salgado 69')
Substitutes not used:
39.Simon Thomas, 25.Sam Adekugbe#, 33.Adam Clement
+ Whitecaps FC U-23 (USL PDL) - # Whitecaps FC U-18 (USSDA) - • Trailist
Real Salt Lake Reserves
45.Josh Saunders; 3.Kwame Watson-Siriboe, 4.Aaron Maund, 17.Chris Wingert, 29.Abdoulie Mansally (25.Rich Balchan 45'); 16.Carlos Salcedo (43.Andrew Brody# 78'), 19.Enzo Martinez, 23.Khari Stephenson (42.Jose Navarro# 78'), 27.John Stertzer; 13.Olmes Garcia (22.David Viana 45'), 49.Devon Sandoval
Substitutes not used:
24.Jeff Attinella
# Real Salt Lake U-18 (USSDA)


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Google AdWords Enhanced Campaigns
Got Questions? We've Got Answers...
On February 6, 2013 Google announced major changes to AdWords - primarily to add new functionality for advertisers that enables advanced mobile marketing techniques in a simplified platform.
On July 22, Google will be automatically updating all advertiser accounts to Enhanced formats which will reallocate budget across device types. Are you ready?
This resource center is a curation of helpful materials for search marketers looking for answers to their Google AdWords Enhanced Campaigns questions. Get tips and expert advice on how to implement, and then maximize return on all of the great new features Enhanced Campaigns offers. Bookmark this page and check back often for updates.
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Upgrading Your Account
Enhanced Campaign 101
What People Are Saying
Optimizing Your PPC Ads - FREE eBooks
Introduction to AdWords Enhanced Campaigns - What Advertisers Need to Know
Join WordStream founder, Larry Kim, as he explores the key changes of Google's Enhanced Campaigns & Display Network, and what they mean for advertisers. Topics covered include:
Webinar Duration: 57 minutes
Recorded: March 21, 2013
PPC Hero: Migrating to Enhanced Campaigns
Google: Flexible Bid Strategies in Enhanced Campaigns
ClickZ: AdWords Enhanced Campaigns: New Campaign Checklist
Search Engine Journal: Should You Upgrade?
Google: Upgraded Ad Extensions in Enhanced Campaigns
Enhanced Campaigns: New Sitelink & Call Ad Extensions Feature Rundown
WordStream: New Google AdWords Offer Extensions Integrate Discount Offers with Search
Pi: Testing AdWords Enhanced Campaigns: Tablet CPCs Suffering
WordStream: AdWords Targets Mobile App Market with New Mobile App Promotion Ad Format
AdWords Community: Targeting Mobiles with Enhanced Campaigns
WordStream: Google's Mobile Ad Strategy: An Interview with Surojit Chatterjee, Head of Google Mobile Search Ads
Search Engine Land: The Real Reason Google is Dropping the Tablet vs Desktop Distinction: It's the User Context, Stupid!
Marketing Land: How Google's Enhanced Campaigns Affect Your Ad Scheduling Strategy
Search Engine Land: How Enhanced Campaigns May Affect Your Analytics
Helpful News Coverage by Topic
Download Google's FREE guide on 'Upgrading to Enhanced Campaigns'.
Use 'The Full Value of Mobile' calculator to identify new mobile PPC opportunities.
Benchmark your AdWords performance! Your customized report identifies key areas for improvement to increase paid search ROI.
New Feature: Find out what your Enhanced Campaigns upgrade risk is.
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Enhanced Campaigns makes mobile paid search easier for businesses of all sizes. Download this guide for 7 Steps to Mobile PPC Success.
As seen in:


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Vachon Part Of 23 Member Class
In February the Maine Basketball Hal of Fame opened at the new Cross Insurance Center, on Wednesday they announced its inaugural class of inductees.The ceremony to induct the first class consisting of 23 individuals and one team will take place on August 21st at the Cross Center and feature some of the biggest names in basketball in the state. Speaking at a press conference to announce the inductees, selection committee chair Tony Hamlin pointed out that to be eligible for induction a player must be twenty years removed from their playing days, and coached need to have twenty years of experience.
Below is the list of 2014 Hall of Fame inductees.
Lisa Blais Manning – Long before there was a Cindy Blodgett, a tenacious girl from Westbrook caught the imagination of basketball enthusiasts in Maine. Her name was Lisa Blais. Lisa was a Maine All-state player at Westbrook High School all four years and led her high school to four consecutive Gold Balls. Lisa was a Gatorade Player of the Year. Following high school Lisa took her skills to Old Dominion University where she was a four -year starter and led her school to National Championship. Many believe her to be the best player ever to come out of our state.
Rachel Bouchard – Two- time Maine All-state selection at Hall Dale High School as well as the Gatorade Player of the Year and a Converse All-American in 1987. Rachel was a one the University of Maine's greatest player. She was the North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year two consecutive years. While at UMO, Rachel was selected as a Kodak All-American in 1989-'90-'91. She was consecutive North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. Rachel later played professionally in France. She belongs to the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, the Univ. of Maine Hall of Fame, and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Her # 43 jersey was retired from the Univ. of Maine in 1993.
Brett Brown – A Maine All-state player two years, Brett led South Portland High School to two Western Maine Championships and the State Championship in 1979. Brett, a Vinal Trophy winner and a Converse All-American, accepted a full scholarship to Boston University where he played for coach Rick Pitino. He was the captain of the Boston Univ. basketball team and it's MVP his sophomore season. Brett served as the Asst. Coach to the San Antonio Spurs and helped them win three World Championships. He also served as the Australian Olympic Coach in 2012 and is currently the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers
Skip Chappelle – An All- state selection at Old Town High School, Skip led them to a state championship and then moved on to MCI for a post -graduate season. He set scoring records at the University of Maine and led the Yankee Conference in scoring three consecutive years. Drafted by the Boston Celtics, Skip returned to Maine and became the head coach of the University of Maine.
Danny Coombs– Danny was an All-State selection at Brewer High School in 1960 when he led Brewer to the State Championship game where he scored 35 points. He also set the Class A record for tournament points with 104 in 1960. Danny went to Seton Hall University on a basketball scholarship and played two seasons until he signed a professional baseball contract. He pitched for several years in the major leagues.
Don Crosby –Don was All-state, All-New England, and a Scholastic Magazine All- American at Cony High School in 1966. He led Cony to the State Championship in 1966 before accepting a scholarship at Boston College. He was a member of the 1969 N.I.T. runner – up team and became an assistant coach at Boston College in 1972. He served as an assistant coach at Acadia University under ex-Cony coach Dick Hunt and helped Acadia win the 1979 Canadian National Championship.
Matt Donahue – Matt was a prolific scorer at Westbrook High School amassing a career total of 1513 points in the pre- three- point era. Matt was a first team All-state player his junior and senior seasons. He set the Westbrook single game scoring record with 57 points his senior season. His team lost the state Championship to Caribou on Mike Thurston's last second shot. Matt continued his career at USM where he averaged over 25 ppg. and set several scoring records.
Brad Moore – Brad Moore is still the career- scoring leader for Hall Dale High School where his number is retired. Brad was a first team All- state member his senior year. He left Hall Dale and played at Colby College where he still remains the career rebounding leader as well as the school's third leading scorer. Brad was an All-Maine College first team selection, All- ECAC Division 3 selection and a third team All-American. Colby College honored him by retiring his uniform. Brad also belongs to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
JoAnne Polumbo- McCallie – Joanne Polumbo was a basketball phenom at Brunswick High School where she earned All- State honors two years in a row. Following her brilliant high school career Joanne accepted a scholarship to Northwestern University. She coached the University of Maine women's team to the pinnacle of New England basketball. She is the women's coach at Duke University and has built a program that annually competes for the national championship.
Steve Pound – The 5' 9" sharpshooter from Stearns High School set scoring records that still stand fifty years later. Steve was a first team All- state selection his senior season and regularly scored over fifty points per game his senior season. He still holds Stearns season average scoring leader even though he played at a time before the three- point shot. After high school Steve attended Acadia University where he ended his career as the all time scoring leader. He also led this university to the Canadian National Championship. After college Steve played a season overseas in England where he averaged over 38 ppg. The name of Steve Pound is synonymous with excellence in Maine basketball.
Doug Roberts – Doug Roberts is one of the most versatile basketball players in our state's history. At 6'5" he could bang inside but also possessed the quickness and ball skills to play on the perimeter. At Rumford High School Doug led his team to the 1974 and 1976 State Championships and the 1976 New England Championships. He was first team All – state his junior and senior seasons and won the Vinal Trophy in 1976. He scored over 1400 points in high school. Following graduation, Doug attended Acadia University and was on the 1977 team that won the Canadian National Championship. He transferred to Clark University where he achieved All- New England honors and scored over 1000 points.
Jack Scott– To many, Jack Scott is the best schoolboy player ever to come out of Maine. He was tenacious to the point of scaring his opponents and he could play at any position on the court. Jack led the Ellsworth High School teams in the mid 1950's to a State Championship and to the New England Tournament. After high school Jack received a scholarship to attend the Univ. of Conn. He returned to Maine and finished his stellar playing career at Husson College. After college, Jack remained active with basketball in the semi-pro league on a team called Jack's Five formed by Jack Cashman Sr., they toured in gyms all over Maine and New England.
Joe Harrington –Joe Harrington was the golden boy of Maine basketball. His play at Morse High School is without parallel. He led Morse High School to the State Championship in 1963 and lost to Stearns in the New England Championship by a single point. He was a two- year All- State player. After high school Joe attended the University of Maryland on scholarship where he was a four year starter. The Boston Celtics drafted Joe in 1967. Joe started an illustrious coaching career at the Univ. of Maryland under legendary coach Lefty Driesell. He was the head coach at Hofstra University, George Mason University, Long Beach State, and the University of Colorado.
Matt Hancock– Matt Hancock left a lasting legacy on Maine basketball. The Lake Region High School star was and All-state selection and a McDonald's All-star. His high school team won the Gold Ball in 1985 and once he moved onto college, his game went to a new level. Matt was a Division 3 All-American three years in a row. In 1990 he was named the Division 3 Player of the Year. Matt was the national scoring champion in 1988 averaging 33ppg. He left Colby as Maine's all-time collegiate scoring leader.
Jon MacDonald –Jon MacDonald was a first team All-state selection three years in a row. In 1963 he also garnered All- New England status as his Stearns High School team defeated Morse High School for the New England Championship. After high school Jon attended the University of Maryland where he captained the team in 1969. This former Parade All-American played all four years at Maryland and his roommate was Gary Williams who would lead Maryland to a National Championship. Jon is remembered as a great shooter who always performed under pressure. He played during the Golden Age of Maine Basketball and along with Joe Harrington, gave basketball fans a glimpse of big time talent.
John Mitchell – John "Swisher" Mitchell was one of the best point guards ever to play in Maine. His Waterville High School teams on the mid 40's compiled a record of 70-2 and won both the Maine and New England Championships in 1944. John was a forerunner of the Bob Cousy style of play. Exceptionally quick and hard to contain, John drove opposing teams crazy with his vision, ball handling skills, and ability to score. After high school John attended Providence College where he was an All-Yankee Conference selection two years and an All New England and All Boston Garden selection his senior year. Swisher returned to Waterville and served as Dick Whitmore's assistant coach for nearly forty years.
Ordie Alley – Jonesport- Beals High School.
Ordie Alley won over 600 games including 13 Eastern Maine Championships and 9 State Championships, 5 in a row. Ordie's teams made the play offs 37 of his 39 years of coaching. He is a member of the Machias Hall of Fame and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
Bob Brown – Rockland, Williams High, South Portland, Edward Little, Bonny Eagle, Cheverus, USM, Boston Univ., St. Anselms College.
Bob Brown coached for fifty years ( 42 as a head coach ) and won over 600 games. His high school teams won four Gold Balls and seven Regional Championships. His college teams made it to the NCAA tournament 4 times and the 88-89 USM team reached the Final Four, coming in third. He coached at the high school level, and was a head coach at the Div. 3, Div. 2, and Div. 1 levels in college. Bob belongs to 5 Hall of Fame including the New England Basketball Hall of Fame; he is an icon to the Maine basketball community.
George Wentworth – Stearns High School
George Wentworth is a legend in Maine basketball. This Notre Dame graduate turned Stearns High School into a perennial champion and helped put Maine Basketball on the map with the 1963 New England Championship. George Wentworth created a comprehensive basketball program many years before it became common practice. As a result, Stearns dominated Maine basketball for over twenty years, until his retirement in the early 70s.
Richard Whitmore – Hall Dale High School, Morse High School, Colby College
With over 635 wins, Dick Whitmore is the most successful college coach in Maine history. His Colby teams won 31 CBB Championships, 3 ECAC Championships, and made 3 NCAA appearances. He directed Pine Tree Basketball Clinic for 38 summers and impacted over 50,000 young players. He is a Maine legend whose influence is profoundly felt by the many ex –players who coach basketball. Coach Whitmore is in demand as a clinician and resource for basketball people beyond the borders of Maine. He is the executive Director of the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
Paul Vachon – Messalonskee, Cony High School
This Augusta native coached his Cony teams to 11 Eastern Maine Championships and 7 State titles. He won 451 games and made the post season 23 consecutive seasons. Paul's winning percentage of 91% is one of the highest in the nation. He is a sought after clinician and is the Director of the Capital City Basketball Clinic.
Bob Butler – York High School
Bob Butler along with his wife Gertrude, have been intimately involved with Maine basketball for over sixty years. As the unofficial historian of the game, Bob kept statistics for the MPA for 41 years and was the point person for compiling the Heal Points before they recently became computerized. Bob served as an liaison for coaches and Athletic Directors with the MPA and, became the "official" source basketball people turned to with historical questions regarding Maine basketball. Bob still updates the MPA tournament programs with individual and team records.
Jim DiFrederico – Millinocket, Maine
Jim Difrederico began officiating in the 1950s and became known as the consummate official. Player, coaches and fans in the state knew his knowledge of the game, along with his poise and presence put him in complete control of any situation. "Difred", as his friends knew him, was the Gold Standard for basketball officials. He passed away from in 1985 at the age of 57. His son, Jim, will accept the honor on his dad's behalf.
1944 Waterville High School Team
Seventy years ago this year, Waterville High School finished a dream season at 27-0 and won the Maine and New England Championships. They were led by, among others, John and Paul Mitchell, Len Saulter, Ted Shiro, and John and Norman Jabar. The MBHOF will recognize and induct this legendary team into the Hall of Fame at the August induction ceremony.