text:
My son received an Imaginext aircraft carrier for Christmas from Santa. He's spent hours and hours playing with the toy. Unfortunately, he's never seen a real aircraft carrier. He doesn't have prior knowledge as to what actual aircraft carrier looks like or the technical terms used for the parts of the ship. I recently headed to the library in search of aircraft carrier books that would help enhance his imaginative play. When I brought the books home from the library it was like Christmas all over again. My son was so excited to learn more about his favorite toy and now uses the knowledge he's gained from reading the books in his play. Here's one of the books we enjoyed reading together this past weekend.
Who Lands Planes on a Ship?: Working on an Aircraft Carrier (Wild Work Series) by Linda Tagliaferro. Raintree / Capstone (2011); ISBN 9781410938534; 32 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library
This book provides a basic overview on what is like to work on a Navy aircraft carrier and also includes several facts pertaining to aircraft carriers. Jobs briefly mentioned in the text include pilot, air boss, captain, catapult officer, aviation fuels, doctors, firefighters, and mechanics. In addition, parts of the aircraft carrier highlighted include flight deck, catapult, hangar deck, island and hospital. Large color photographs accompany the text and factual insets explain some of the photos. The Did you Know? fact sections scattered throughout the book also provide factual information. Definitions for the words in bold are provided in the glossary and the last page includes a book index.
There's a lot of information packed into this attractively designed book, and we now have a much better idea of what goes on in a Navy aircraft carrier. It was a pleasant surprise to find as much information about the ship itself as the occupations of those working aboard. Considering the title, it's too bad the book doesn't include more information about how pilots land planes on the ship. While the book gives a basic insight into the catapult system used to launch, the author only briefly mentions the "wires" that help stop the plane (also known as arresting cables) and it's very hard from the one picture provided to understand how the plane uses the cables to land.
Linda Tagliaferro provides a limited but good starting point for early readers (1st-3rd grade) interested in learning more about basic terms pertaining to aircraft carriers and about the occupations of workers on board. My daughter (who is in 1st grade) read the book without much difficulty and now wants to read more books in this Wild Work series. Preschoolers and kindergartners will enjoy listening to the book read aloud. (Note: One of the two resource websites mentioned in the back of the book is a dead link - too bad as we really wanted to view the coloring book!)
Some interesting facts we learned:
Airplanes stop and take-off in just two seconds
The carrier can hold as many as 80 planes
Around 5000 people live on an aircraft carrier
People that pump fuel are called "grapes" because they wear purple shirts
The officers on the flight deck use body signals to communicate (this was my son's favorite part of the book ... see below his interpretation of the launch signal)
Other New(ish) Books about Aircraft Carriers
Aircraft Carriers (Built for Battle) by Valerie Bodden; Creative Education (2012) ISBN 9781608181223; 24 Pages
Aircraft Carriers: runways at sea (Vehicles on the Move) by Lynn Peppas; Crabtree Publishing (2011); ISBN 9780778727477: 32 pages
Nugget on the Flight Deck by Patricia Newman, illustrated by Aaron Zenz; Walker Children's (October 2009); ISBN 9780802797353; 40 pages
Aircraft Carriers (Amazing Ships) by John Sutherland and Diane Canwell; Gareth Stevens (2007); ISBN 9780836883763
Aircraft Carrier Websites, Activities and Educational Resources:
The US Navy Aircraft Carriers
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum Kids Zone
Intrepid Museum Aviation Vocabulary Sheet
NOVA Aircraft Carrier Moving Targets Classroom Activity
Intrepid Take Flight Classroom Activities (3-8 Grade)
LooLeeDo Construct Your Own Paper Airplane Carrier
edhelper.com Aircraft Carrier Coloring Page
I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)


text:
Burpee Mixmaster 'Tropicali' 3N1 Seasonally Grown In All U.S.D.A. Hardiness Zones Cottage Hill 4, Green/Red/Yellow/Orange
Browse all deals at Target
See more in Garden & Stepping Stones
See more from Burpee
* This offer may contain time-sensitive information and offers. Please check with Target to confirm actual price & availability.
- Be the first to comment!
1316 N Highway 77
Waxahachie, TX 75165

subset: commoncrawl


text:
UK genre titles Cockneys Vs. Zombies [pictured] and Tower Block, both written by James Moran, to be distributed by Shout! Factory.
Leading multi-platform entertainment company Shout! Factory have agreed an exclusive multi-picture deal with SC Films International.
As part of the deal, Shout! Factory distribute UK genre titles Cockneys Vs. Zombies, directed by Matthias Hoene, and Tower Block, directed by James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson, in the US as well as Canada for Cockneys Vs. Zombies. Both films were written by Severance writer James Moran.
The announcement was made by Shout! Factory's founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos and Simon Crowe, managing director of SC Films International.
For full production credits visit
Shout! Factory plans a strategic rollout of both titles on all packaged media, electronic sell-through, video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, television and selected theatres in 2013.
"We are excited about this new relationship with Simon Crowe. We look forward to bring these highly entertaining films to North American movie fans through a variety of entertainment distribution platforms and physical home entertainment releases," commented Shout! Factory's founders.
"SC Films is delighted to announce US distribution via Shout! Factory for both Cockneys Vs. Zombies and Tower Block. The producers and I are very excited by the enthusiasm shown by the Shout! Factory team, and we hope this is the start of a long term relationship," added Crowe.


text:
Hannah R. Rubenstein
Since its inaugural event in 201l, I've gone to four of the six Jerusalem Post's day-long annual Israel conferences, held in Manhattan (May 7th being the latest). Cost is reasonable (about half of AIPAC), the commute from Connecticut is short, and the program features key Israeli ministers and journalists as well as U.S. officials of note. Like the Jerusalem Post itself, the crowd is mostly centrist/centrist-Right. For a political junkie like me, with pronounced pro-Israel leanings, conference speakers offer just enough fresh commentary (and a bit of red meat) to make attendance worthwhile.
This latest conference easily met that standard.
This year's theme was "Israel-U.S. Relations in the Trump Era," and the lineup included (among other notables) Opposition Leader and Labor party chair Isaac Herzog, Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennet, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, and Intelligence Minister Israel Katz. On the U.S. side, Democratic Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), a new member of the House Appropriations Committee, offered a pledge much welcomed by the crowd when she vowed to reevaluate U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority for their "Martyrs" program, which compensates families of terrorists for their loved one's crimes. Columnist Herb Keinon interviewed emeritus Harvard law professor and unflagging Israel defender Alan Dershowitz, and former CNN host Larry King received a Lifetime Achievement Award. King reminisced about how he had interviewed all but one of Israel's nine prime ministers (David Ben Gurion), said some schmaltzy things ("I bleed Jewish"), and drew more than a few groans when he protested that he never saw a hint of bias in CNN's coverage of Israel.
Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress and this year's Conference chair (and who, in the past days, has come under fire for counseling Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas prior to his meeting with President Trump in early May) spoke of WJC's work in the fight against antisemitism, now operating worldwide in the guise of anti-Zionism. Lauder detailed WJC's efforts to defeat the ever-more virulent attacks on Israel--whether through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement on college campuses and in state legislatures; through the United Nations; or through UNESCO--which just this month passed an ugly resolution stating that Israel has no legal or historic rights anywhere in Jerusalem. Noting that WJC's legal teams have facilitated passage of anti-BDS laws in 19 states thus far, the laudable Mr. Lauder told the crowd, "There's no reason Israel should lose the PR battle. After all, Jews invented PR."
A panel on whether Israel is still the state of all the Jews ("Yes, but") brought together leaders of the Rabbinical Assembly (Rabbi Julie Schonfeld), Union for Reform Judaism (Rabbi Rick Jacobs), Jewish Federations of North America (Jerry Silverman) and North County Chabad (Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie). Each answered robustly in the affirmative but brought forth different caveats. Schonfeld expressed distress over stalled attempts to establish egalitarian prayer space for women at the Western Wall (Kotel). Jacobs fears that young liberal activists wanting to visit Israel on Reform Judaism's Birthright program might be barred due to Israel's new law prohibiting persons known to have acted for BDS to enter Israel. Personally, I'm not big on inviting people to my home who wish to harm it, and I don't expect Israel to feel any differently toward persons seeking to cripple its economy and isolate its institutions and the members within them.
During a panel on the security challenges posed by Iran, ISIS, Hamas, and Hezbollah, the Post's editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz questioned two former IDF Chiefs of Staff, Lt. gens. Moshe Ya'alon and Dani Haloutz, about who they'd want to see in power in Syria now. Ya'alon answered predictably enough: "We don't say whether we are for or against Assad. We talk about our interests. But we don't ignore the humanitarian crisis across the border. We've extended our hand. This is the Jewish-Israeli way…." Haloutz, however, offered no such equivocation. "Assad is the right solution for us now," he said, adding "Russia is a stabilizing force." Talk about Realpolitik on steroids! Rabbi Shmuley Boteach expressed my sentiments best in his "No Holds Barred" column appearing in the Post the following day. General Haloutz, he wrote, "has a moral obligation to retract his words….Yes, Islamic State is a real danger and yes, Assad might serve as a bulwark against it. But not at the price of gassing children" (http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/No-Holds-Barred-The-Israeli-general-who-supports-Assad-must-retract-his-words-490155).
No kidding.
And then there was Sebastian Gorka, Senior Advisor to Trump on Counterterrorism and current favorite punching bag of the left, and even not-so-left, who joined Katz on stage to answer charges regarding his alleged ties to Hungary's ultranationalist and anti-Semitic far right and membership in the so-called Vitézi Rend, a group allied with the Nazis in World War II but then disbanded into a sort of historical society (http://forward.com/news/369683/exclusive-sebastian-gorkas-ties-to-nazi-allied-group-stretch-back-decades/ ). In what's become quite a journalistic shooting war, primarily in the Forward, editor Jane Eisner published a piece in April titled "Why is Sebastian Gorka Speaking at a Major Jewish Conference" (http://forward.com/opinion/369920/why-is-sebastian-gorka-speaking-at-a-major-jewish-conf/). Katz then wrote an "Editor's Note" in the Post on "Why We are Hosting Sebastian Gorka" (http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editors-Notes-Why-we-are-hosting-Sebastian-Gorka-489222).
Katz explained that each year, conference organizers ask the White House to send a representative; this year they chose Gorka. Rather than deliver a speech, Katz suggested an interview format in which Gorka could respond to "tough questions" about the allegations, something Gorka did, at least for me, convincingly enough, although his background is so unusual in its trajectory--a child of Hungarian refugees born in Britain, who worked first as an advisor to a Hungarian Prime Minister and now to our very own President--that it's hard to untangle his past with certainty.
Still, there doesn't appear to be any conclusive evidence to tie Gorka to antisemitism, let alone to the characterization of "Nazi," and there is plenty to show his support for Israel. You can hate people's ideas and fight them fairly rather than using ad hominem attacks as your tool of choice. Nor does there seem to be credible evidence supporting the charge that his doctorate is fraudulent. As Kevin Stuart of The Federalist convincingly demonstrates, it isn't; see https://thefederalist.com/2017/05/09/attack-sebastian-gorkas-ideas-not-credentials-person/.
But this isn't the article to plumb the details of the endless "What is Gorka" saga. What is of note here vis-à-vis the issue is the message delivered by Post columnist Caroline Glick, a popular voice among Israel supporters and the last speaker of the day.
Glick's theme was the importance for Jews of knowing one's friends and enemies, and treating each accordingly. Noting that the Forward has published "something like 39 articles critical of Gorka in the past weeks alone," Glick praised him "a true friend of the U.S. and Israel," and a "good and honorable man" who has been slandered. She then turned to Linda Sarsour, a Brooklyn-born Palestinian-American activist, BDS activist, and anti-Zionist who took a lead role in organizing the January 2017 Women's March on Washington. Pointing to such statements Sarsour has posted and (later removed) on Facebook as "There's nothing creepier than Zionism" and "Zionist women cannot be feminists," Glick wondered why the Forward has written consistently positive articles about her. "Not to put too fine a point on it," Glick said, "She's an anti-Semite."
"In their twin stories," Glick argued, "we really do see the central challenge to the vibrancy of the Jewish community….That challenge is to stand with all of our friends here in the U.S. and around the world and challenge and confront and oppose our enemies. Because then people will want to be your friends and won't want to be your enemies."
If we are to avoid committing the ad hominem error here, it is worth questioning whether Glick put too fine a point on Sarsour. As a Palestinian American, it isn't surprising that Sarsour is anti-Israel. But while the "anti-Zionism is antisemitism" equation indeed frequently operates in tandem, does equating the two always reflect reality? Again, a weighty topic for another time. But even if Gorka and Sarsour aren't the perfect foils, plenty of others out there are, as Glick noted in her concluding call to action in defense of a country and people under assault:
There are enough people out there who are enemies of the Jewish people and who are enemies of the U.S. We have to be able to stand united…and say, 'We stand for freedom,' not only for others but for ourselves. And that means we're going to stand with the people who defend that freedom, and oppose those that don't."
Hannah Rubenstein of Simsbury is a writer, editor, and author of, among other texts, A Speaker's Guidebook, now in its seventh edition and Pocket Guide To Public Speaking, now in its fifth, both published by Macmillan. [email protected]
Patricia Kimball
How refreshing to get some in-depth background & the Truth about Gorka (who, in fact, supports Israel) & Sarsour (who, in fact, virulently hates Zion and the concept of Jewish nationhood, self-determination or existence) instead of the usual, facile, and, ultimately, ignorant sound bites & slogans! Kudos and infinite thanks to Hannah Rubenstein for 'speaking Truth to Power' (the power of the knee-jerk Left, et.al) and presenting her meticulous survey of this event and some of he players.
Pre-order at Amazon or Amazon UK today!
Order on Amazon.or Amazon UK.
Amazon donates to World Encounter Institute Inc when you shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/56-2572448. #AmazonSmile #StartWithaSmile


text:
For GOP and tea party, a growing divide
News Analysis
When tea party kingmaker and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint announced Thursday that he was leaving the Senate, it prompted an outpouring of support from his colleagues. DeMint, they said, stood for an uncompromising conservative vision that had too often been corrupted; he "helped provide a powerful voice for conservative ideals in a town where those principles are too often hidden beneath business as usual," in the words of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. Even Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said that while he strongly disagreed with DeMint, he liked him and believes that DeMint acts "out of a sense of real belief. It's not political posturing."
But for members of the GOP establishment like McConnell, DeMint was also something else: A significant roadblock in their efforts to achieve a Senate majority. To be sure, DeMint championed staunch conservative Republican senators who have managed to get elected, among them Utah's Mike Lee, Kentucky's Rand Paul, and Texas' Ted Cruz. He was also an early financial backer of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is seen as one of the leading contenders for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.
Yet DeMint also backed candidates who lost races that the GOP establishment justifiably believed were eminently winnable: Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, Ken Buck in Colorado, Richard Mourdock in Indiana, Sharron Angle in Nevada. (DeMint did not formally back Angle until after she won her primary.) DeMint's willingness to bet on relatively conservative candidates in relatively moderate states frustrated many in the Republican establishment, some of whom believe that they might now control the Senate had DeMint and his allies not stepped in. DeMint also complicated Republican efforts to move legislation on the Senate floor, chafing at arrangements and legislation that Republican leaders viewed as pragmatic steps necessary to achieve larger goals.
There wasn't much those leaders could do to slow him down, however: DeMint has been a powerful fundraiser, helping raise more than $25 million for the Senate Conservatives Fund - the political action committee he founded - over the last two election cycles, according to the Associated Press. Republicans knew that if they engaged in overt criticism of DeMint and his true believer approach, they risked (1) angering the tea party movement that helped drive the GOP resurgence after President Obama's election in 2008 and (2) inviting a well-financed primary challenger that would affix them with the dreaded tag of "RINO," or Republican In Name Only.
DeMint's decision to leave the Senate for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in line with his views, signals that in the wake of Mr. Obama's reelection, the uneasy tea party/GOP alliance has come to at least a partial end. DeMint appears to have concluded that he has done all he can in "the battle of ideas" from within his party; his move to Heritage signals that he believes he can be more effective in pushing the GOP in a conservative direction by applying pressure from the outside.
The Republican establishment, meanwhile, appears to be going in the opposite direction. House Speaker John Boehner removed four tea party-aligned conservative Republicans from key committees this week; Boehner maintained that the decision "had nothing to do with ideology," but the members themselves didn't see it that way. One of the ousted lawmakers, Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas, told Heritage on Tuesday that he was part of a "purge" driven by his unwillingness to go along with the leadership, according to Slate. (Huelskamp and another "purged" member voted against the Paul Ryan budget because they felt it didn't balance the budget quickly enough; all four of the "purged" lawmakers voted against last year's debt ceiling deal.) "It confirms, in my mind, Americans' deepest suspicions about Washington," Huelskamp said. "It's petty, it's vindictive, and if you have any conservative principles, you will be punished for it."
And while Boehner is outwardly maintaining his opposition to Mr. Obama's demand that tax rates be allowed to increase on income over $250,000, congressional Republicans appear to be inching toward acquiescence - a violation of the conservative movement's anti-tax orthodoxy that many tea partiers find unconscionable. Stalwart conservative Rep. Tom Price of Georgia - who, not coincidentally, last month lost his battle to be chairman of the House Republican Conference - on Thursday published an op-ed making the argument against the "foolhardy" notion of raising rates. With polls showing Republicans on the losing end of the public opinion battle, he seems to be swimming against the tide.
As GOP rising star and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal put it in a Thursday op-ed: "[A]ny reading of the headlines over the past week indicates that Republicans are fighting to protect the rich and cut benefits for seniors. It may be possible to have worse political positioning than that, but I'm not sure how." Already, Boehner has offered the president $800 billion in additional revenues as part of a deal to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff" - an offer that incited the ire of DeMint and outside conservative groups.
The anger toward Boehner - the most powerful Republican in Washington - from tea party voices has been steadily growing, with the tea party-aligned FreedomWorks hammering him and American Majority Action calling for him to be "deposed" from the leadership. And tensions have also broken out among the commentariat: After conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post wrote that Heritage's embrace of DeMint suggested the organization was becoming "a political instrument in service of extremism, not a well-respected think tank and source of scholarship," conservative radio host Mark Levin promptly told her to "go to hell."
Speaking of FreedomWorks: It was revealed this week that that group's biggest connection to the GOP establishment - former House Majority Leader Dick Armey - was departing as chairmanamid a clash with the group's president over how the group's resources were being used. (Armey reportedly received a healthy $8 million buyout along the way.) Armey told Fox Business Network that his departure "is unrelated to what's going on with John Boehner and largely unrelated to the Tea Party movement," but it was hard to ignore the symbolism of someone with Armey's GOP bona fides leaving a Tea Party-aligned group as it takes aim at what it sees as a weak-kneed Republican leadership.
All this does not mean that there has been a complete divorce between the tea party and the GOP establishment. While some tea party-aligned lawmakers, including Florida Rep. Allen West, lost their seats in November, many were reelected, and many continue to push their agenda in Congress.
But there does appear to be a clear move by the GOP leadership to assert control over their party, and a corresponding move by tea partiers like DeMint and Huelskamp to adopt a more oppositional, outsider posture. While anti-tax activist Grover Norquist insisted Sunday that "tea party two is going to dwarf tea party one if Obama pushes us off the cliff," Republicans seem to be shifting away from Norquistand the tea party-style absolutism that he stands for.
In honoring DeMint on the Senate floor Thursday, South Carolina's other Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, told his colleagues that "Jim made the Republican Party, quite frankly, look inward and do some self-evaluation." He then went on to offer an implicit acknowledgement that some of his colleagues might be happy to see DeMint go.
"Conservatism is an asset, not a liability, as we try to govern this country in the 21st century," said Graham.


text: This project was funded under the HECToR Distributed Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Service operated by NAG Ltd. HECToR--A Research Councils UK High End Computing Service--is the UK's national supercomputing service, managed by EPSRC on behalf of the participating Research Councils. Its mission is to support capability science and engineering in UK academia. The HECToR supercomputers are managed by UoE HPCx Ltd and the CSE Support Service is provided by NAG Ltd. http://www.hector.ac.uk


text:
LIVE: Hostages, militants killed in Algeria
- Conflicting reports about the hostage crisis emerge from Algeria
- Death toll is unclear following Algerian army%27s raid on complex
- Crisis erupted Wednesday when Islamists overtook a natural gas facility
One day after al-Qaeda-linked militants took scores of foreigners hostage at a remote natural gas facility in Algeria, Algerian forces mounted a military operation Thursday against the Islamists, killing an unknown number of hostages and kidnappers, according to media reports.
The Algerian army had surrounded the In Amenas facility, which was taken over by militants in what they said was a response to Algeria aiding French troops fighting rebels in neighboring Mali.
As many as 20 foreign hostages, including an unknown number of Americans, were reported to have escaped during the attack by Algerian forces.
New reports indicated that dozens of hostages may have died in Thursday's operation, but reports are conflicting.
Here is a running report on the unfolding events:
8:10 p.m. ET: Irish hostage Stephen McFaul told his wife that Algerian forces attacked four Jeeps containing hostages and probably killed many of them, his brother tells Reuters.
"They were moving five Jeep-loads of hostages from one part of the compound. At that stage, they were intercepted by the Algerian army," Brian McFaul said. "The army bombed four out of five of the trucks and four of them were destroyed.
"The truck my brother was in crashed, and Stephen was able to make a break for his freedom. He presumed everyone else in the other trucks was killed."
The hostages had explosives hung around their necks and their mouths taped, he said.
6:57 p.m. ET: The French news agency AFP and the British TV network ITN report that Algerian troops control only part of the site and that some terrorists escaped.
5:15 p.m. ET: Reuters, citing an Algerian security source, is reporting that 30 hostages were killed, including seven foreigners. Among them were two Britons, two Japanese and one French national.
The source also says 11 militants died, including the group's leader, Tahar Ben Cheneb, described as a "prominent commander in the region."
An Algerian worker who escaped told Reuters that the militants apparently had inside knowledge of the layout of the complex, and that they said they were targeting only non-Muslims.
"The terrorists told us at the very start that they would not hurt Muslims but were only interested in the Christians and infidels," Abdelkader, 53, said in a telephone interview from his home in nearby In Amenas. " 'We will kill them,' they said."
4:14 p.m. ET: The State Department says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has ordered a review of security for U.S. diplomats, citizens and businesses across North Africa and the Maghreb region, which encompasses Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
3:54 p.m. ET: An unconfirmed report by an African news outlet cites militants as saying seven hostages survived, including two Americans, one Briton, three Belgians and a Japanese.
Algerian state TV reports at least four foreigners and 13 others were wounded.
Algerian Communications Minister Mohamed Said confirmed that there had been "several deaths and injuries" among the hostages.
"An important number of hostages were freed and an important number of terrorists were neutralized," Said told state media, the Russian news channel RT says.
3:07 p.m. ET: Japan's Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minoru Kiuchi, had flown to Algiers as the crisis grew, AFP reports, according to Le Monde. His office says he "urged the Algerian government to immediately stop its (military) operation."
2:59 p.m. ET: The official Algerian Press Service reports that the military operation at the gas field has concluded, The Guardianreports. The number of those wounded or killed was unavailable, the report said.
1:42 p.m. ET: Algerian Communications Minister Mohamed Said Belaid tells Algerian TV that the military operation at the gas facility in Algeria "is still going on," the BBC reports.
Belaid said that all measurees were taken to rescue the captives. "Unfortunately we deplore some deaths and some people wounded," he says. "We don't yet have the numbers."
1:35 p.m. ET: French President Francois Hollande told a group of business leaders in Paris that the hostage crisis in Algeria underscored that France had made the right decision in taking on Islamic militants in Mali, The Guardianreports. "What's happening in Algeria justifies even more the decision I took in the name of France to go to Mali's aid," he said.
1:20 p.m. ET: British Prime Minister David Cameron was not informed in advance of the Algerian military operation and learned of it only after phoning his counterpart in Algeria, the BBC reports. A British citizen and an Algerian were killed at the outset of the attack, the BBC says. A Downing Street spokesman said Cameron "is extremely concerned. It is a very grave and serious situation."
12:37 p.m. ET: White House spokesman Jay Carney, speaking at the noon briefing, says the United States is "seeking clarity" from Algeria over the hostage crisis.
Carney's remarks
"It is our understanding that there are Americans involved, but I would say a couple of things. One, we condemn in the strongest terms a terrorist attack on BP personnel and facilities in Algeria and we are closely monitoring the situation. We are in contact with Algerian authorities and our international partners as well as (the) BP security office in London."
"Unfortunately, the best information that we have at this time, as I said, indicates that U.S. citizens are among the hostages. But we do not have, at this point, more details to provide to you. We are certainly concerned about reports of loss of life and we are seeking clarity from the government of Algeria."
12:32 p.m. ET: Foreign nationals from eight countries were taken hostage. The Associated Press rounds up what we know about the hostages so far:
• Norway: Nine Norwegian employees of Statoil are hostages, the company says.
• United States: Seven Americans were hostages, the militants said, but they claimed only two survived the Algerian strafing on Thursday. The US has confirmed that some of its citizens are hostages but gave no numbers.
• Britain: "Several" British nationals are among the hostages, the UK government says.
• Japan: At least three of the hostages are Japanese, according to the Japanese media.
• Malaysia: Two Malaysians are being held, the government says.
• Ireland: A 36-year-old Irish man was among the hostages but is now safe and free, according to Ireland's government.
• France: President François Hollande says there are French hostages but has given no exact number.
• Romania: Romania's foreign ministry says Romanians are among hostages.
Hundreds of Algerians worked at the gas plant, but the Algerian media says most have been released. The Norwegian energy company Statoil says three of its Algerian employees are hostages.
11:49 a.m. ET: "The situation in Algeria is very fluid," says Peter Velasco, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department.
11:46 a.m. ET: Information continues to be difficult to pin down, but the Algerian news service, ANP, reports that almost 600 hostages were freed in the operation by Algerian forces.
11:39 a.m. ET: Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs identified the freed Irish hostage as Stephen McFaul, 36, from Andersonstown in Belfast, The Irish Timesreports. The newspaper says McFaul had managed to speak with his relative twice while still in captivity.
11:34 a.m. ET: An Irishman who wasa taken hostage has been freed and has spoken to his family, Ireland's foreign ministry said, the BBC reports.
11:28 p.m. ET: A correspondent on the scene for the Algerian daily El Watantells the French newspaper Le Monde that the Algerian army assault on the site lasted 30 minutes.
11:03 a.m. ET: CNN's Barbara Starr reports that the U.S. is flying an unarmed drone over the gas facility to provide surveillance information on the site.
10:59 a.m. ET: Two hostages, identified as British and Irish, spoke to Al Jazeera TV and called on the Algerian army to withdraw from the area to avoid casualties, Reuters reports.
"We are receiving care and good treatment from the kidnappers. The (Algerian) army did not withdraw and they are firing at the camp,'' the British man tells Al Jazeera, according to Reuters. "There are around 150 Algerian hostages. We say to everybody that negotiations is a sign of strength and will spare many any loss of life.''
10:20 a.m. ET: A French national who says he is among the hostages tells France 24 that the captives are being forced to wear explosive belts and that the militants are "heavily armed."
He said the militants stormed the gas plant and the workers' living quarters. "They came in and once there was daylight, grouped us all together," he tells France 24..
10 a.m. ET: French President Francois Hollande, speaking at a news conference with the prime minister of Portugal in Paris, confirms that French nationals were among the hostages, but declines to provide details, saying, ""The situation is very confused and is changing from hour to hour." He said it was "best to say as little as possible," Le Figaro online reports.
9:55 a.m. ET: BP, which partially owns the gas facility, confirmed that an operation had taken place and that there are reports of casualties, but says the situation remains unclear, including that some hostages were freed or escaped. "Supporting these families is our priority and we are doing all we can to help during this sad and uncertain time," said Bob Dudley, BP Group Chief Executive.
BP says it has removed all "non-essential" employes from the site.
9:45 a.m. ET: The Algerian news agency APS reports that four foreign hostages were freed by the Algerian army during the military operation.
9:40 a.m. ET: The Associated Press quotes a militant spokesman as saying that 7 hostages remain alive, including from the U.S., Britain, Belgium and Japan..
9:32 am. ET: The Mauritanian ANI news agnecy, citing Islamist kidnappers, says the captors continue to hold two Americans, three Belgians, a Japanese and a British citizen, the French magazine Le Pointsays.
9:30 a.m. ET: ANI reports that the leader of the hostage-takers, Abu Al Baraa, was killed during the operation.
9:27 a.m. ET: Mauritania's ANI news agency, quoting the Masked Bridge militants, reports that 34 of the hostages and 15 of the militants had been killed when Algerian forces fired from helicopters as hostages were being transported to another location.
9:28 a.m. ET: Reuters, quoting a local source, reports that six foreign hostages and eight militants have been killed in the military assault on the gas facility in a remote area of Algeria. Reuters also reports that 180 hostages escaped.
9:23 a.m. ET: Reuters, quoting an unidentified sources, said the militants had demanded safe passage out with their prisoners but Algeria had refused to negotiate with them.


text:
With all focus turned to the iPad 3 announcement happening on March 7, the New York Post is starting sparks about Apple being in negotiations to create a streaming TV service that'll make TV channels more app-like.
The New York newspaper claims that Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddie Cue — the guy in charge of iTunes content — has been "leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant's efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service, including pricing" for months.
The grand goal is to create a simple video streaming service that'll either bundle TV channels together for a subscription (like that of traditional cable) or sell each channel as a separate app.
Apple currently only allows renting and buying of iTunes TV shows.
For years, tech pundits have said that the cable subscription model is going to bottom out because of the exponential growth for streaming content over the Internet.
Why subscribe to a cable service and only have access to a group of channels, when we can just subscribe to the ones we want and create our own bundle à la carte?
If Apple has its ways, the latter might not be a dream. Of course, the problem is that the content providers don't want to hand control over to Apple. According to the report, Apple is facing an uphill battle in this regard, as Steve Jobs is no longer around to use his reality distortion field to bully companies into submission.
The timing for a release for the service is suspect too as that's roughly when Apple is expected to release its Apple HDTV with Siri-like controls.
Rumors are rumors, so take all of this with a grain of salt, or you'll find yourself extremely disappointed if it all falls apart.
Via NYPost


text:
Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of this information, neither Wakefield Council nor PCG Care Solutions will be held responsible for any loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any inaccuracy or error within these pages.
Hide shortlist
Report this page
You can use this form to register any query or complaint you may have about this website or any of the content within it. Simply fill in the details below and this will be sent directly to us to investigate. We will always try and respond within one working day.
Page Reference: Search results for local groups and activities
Need help?
If you need help using shop4support call the shop4support Helpdesk on
0333 600 6330 or email email@example.com
If you have a question about social care, please contact your council.
Find out who your council is here.


text:
Local Blogs
By Tom Cushing
Coming to grips with the contraception kerfuffle; and Colvin v. DSKUploaded: Feb 22, 2012
I have been trying to sort out the Great Contraception/Religious Liberties/Women' Health blemish that has erupted recently. That's not as easy a task as it ought to be, because this is Silly Season, otherwise known as an election year, and folks on all sides will make whatever hay they can with it. Also, the row arose out of an element of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, and will thus be subject to all the partisan mythology that has been nurtured around that piece of legislation (remember 'Death Panels?'). The incident raises the question of whether this election will be mostly about The Economy, or whether there will also be a significant overlay of the culture wars.
The controversy begins with an ACA provision that employers provide the option of contraception coverage to employees in their healthcare plans. This seem a sensible requirement, in that 'prevention' is almost always more economical than 'cure', regardless of the outcome of a pregnancy. (As an aside, I am not impressed with the Viagra/Pill comparison, which is based on a false equivalency of The Act with An Outcome). Contraception is, however, contrary to the dogma of some religions, notably the Catholic Church and the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause discourages government interference with religious practices.
Upon objection from The Church, the Obama Administration backed-off to the point of excluding churches, but not their affiliated secular institutions (notably hospitals) from the offering requirement. That retrenchment has not placated the Catholic Bishops, who would prefer the assistance of a total ban as they try to patrol the private practices of their flock. It is understandable that they would seek such assistance -- it's been widely reported that fully 99% of sexually active Catholic women have employed birth control. Apparently, this near-unanimous rejection of doctrine is founded on the time-honored principle that "if you don't play the game, you don't get to set the rules." Who really represents The Church on this issue?
As un-persuaded as the Bishops have been House Republicans, who have threatened to propose that any group, with any objection to Obamacare be exempted from its requirements. It has also encouraged the desperate bombast of Mr. Gingrich, who proclaims that it demonstrates "a war on religion." That claim must have an odd ring to Jews and others who have actually suffered under the boot of an actual such war. Candidate Santorum has also been emboldened to opine (not to say 'judge') the so-called "phony theology' of the President. And on the Left, women's health advocates are wading-in to defend the broad concept of 'choice' in reproductive matters.
Whether 'values' issues come into prominence in this campaign will, I'm guessing, have much to do with the identity of the Republican nominee. Messrs. Santorum and Gingrich have clearly staked their intentions to impose on others their moral precepts, ironically under the banner of liberty. Mr. Romney has been rather less vocal, and may hope the entire social conservatism issue goes away. Mr. Obama appears, here and elsewhere, to stand for options and choices to be made by individuals. However the voting ends up, the contrasts are apparent.
As I have been writing this, two contrasting news stories have broken about the continuing sexual exploits of former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and the death in Syria of war correspondent Marie Colvin. I am finding their juxtaposition difficult to resolve DSK, who has apparently had some policy concern for the world's poor, but who has squandered much of his influence in serial escapades of remarkable debauchery; and Colvin, whose reporting focused on the suffering of innocents in war, and who put herself in fatal harm's way to ensure that those victims weren't ignored or forgotten.
I can only marvel at her dedication, and at his reckless dissolution.


text: A healthy diet includes adding vegetables and fruit every day. Vegetables like broccoli, green beans, leafy greens, zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, and tomatoes are low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Many studies have shown that eating plenty of vegetables is extremely healthy. Try to eat about 3 to 5 servings every day. Fruit is also a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You should try to eat about 2 to 3 servings of fruit each day.


text:
We Recommend
Cal/Mag 1:1 180 capsules
Price: $32.45
OsteoForce Supreme, 180 capsules
Price: $50.25
Each capsule provides 150 mg of elemental magnesium. This chelated magnesium is supplied by Albion Advanced Nutrition, the best mineral chelators in the industry. This product should not cause loose stools or stomach upset due to the very stable chelate formed between two glycine molecules and each magnesium ion via a patented process. There is no need to worry about absorption interference just like Designs for Health's other chelated mineral products.
As a dietary supplement, take two capsules per day, or as directed by your health care practitioner.
Serving Size: 2 capsules
Servings Per Container: 60
Serving Size: 2 capsules
Servings Per Container: 60


text:
It is extremely important for job seekers to present themselves well in today's social media world. This article will focus on Linkedin, the most important business-oriented social networking site for professionals. Your Linkedin profile is the key component of your social media identity. It may include your professional photo, profile activity, background (overall summary, work experience, organizations to which you belong, professional certifications, skills and expertise and education), recommendations and connections.
It is not uncommon to be overwhelmed by the advances in social media. For many it seems that as soon as they master a particular technique or skill, the medium changes and everything they have learned is out-dated.
However, as difficult as it may be to keep up, the ability to do so will help set you apart from other job seekers who are late in adapting.
From our experience LinkedIn is generally the first place perspective employers look to find out more about your credentials, and it is the most powerful avenue for identifying networking opportunities. In essence, your LinkedIn profile is your online resume; it is a complete representation of who you are and why people need to pay attention to you.
Here are a few pointers: Make your online resume easy to find. The first thing to do when creating a Linkedin account is to create a unique link to your profile. The link should be in the following format: www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname (no capitalizations, spaces or dashes). Place this link in the signature line of your e-mail so it will be easy for interested professionals to access.
Equally important is to develop a well-crafted LinkedIn headline which appears beneath your name on your profile. Many people simply use their job title as their headline, however, being that your headline appears each time someone searches for your name, we advise Touro students to use it as their LinkedIn elevator pitch and provide some information that compels users to click through to their full profile. The headline should focus on what defines and sells them the best in 120 characters or less. That is no easy task, and this is usually the most difficult component in creating a winning LinkedIn profile. One headline example is: "Innovative, educational leadership."
As an aside, NEVER put that you are seeking employment in your headline and do not pay for or place the LinkedIn Job Seeker Badge on your account, as most recruiters and decision makers see that as a sign of desperation.
LinkedIn experts have long claimed that having a professional profile picture makes your profile more enticing. Anecdotally it is said that it a picture increases the likelihood of your profile being viewed up to 7 times more frequently. Whether that is true or slightly exaggerated, it is quite clear that it is much easier to relate to a picture than it is to a blank screen. A professional headshot is an absolute must to remain competitive in the new LinkedIn profile arena.
If you have been using LinkedIn and viewed a profile lately, you have probably been asked to "endorse" a person to whom you are connected for some set of skills. Prior to this point, users had to write a recommendation, an individualized, longer statement highlighting someone's strengths if they wanted to endorse a users' performance.
Recommendations took time and effort to write, and as a result, were usually written by people who really believed in the skill of the person they were recommending. Endorsements are made with a single click and list of potential skills is provided to each user, making it very easy to endorse anyone. As a result, they are largely meaningless gestures and carry little real weight. Full recommendations can still be written, and that remains the best way to endorse a professional you feel is worthy of such praise.
However, endorsements cannot be ignored. It is important to note that LinkedIn is considering using the number of endorsements in their search algorithms so that those with more endorsements for a specific skill will show up higher in search rankings. Unfortunately, that will make the giving and receiving of endorsements more valuable even though they say little about a person's actual ability.
To that end, you must make sure that you have a complete set of skills for other people to endorse. We advise Touro students to go beyond the basics here and detail a robust list of skills that show their highest level of expertise in their professional area.


text:
Just Food's City Farms program works with city residents through workshops to assist people in growing, marketing, and distributing garden-grown food. Thomann works primarily in Brooklyn, where he founded a community garden, and Queens.
"This is a way of getting food to the people, and that's what Just Food is all about," Thomann said. "We have a food system that is based on the industrialization and mass production of food. Food from far away comes to the consumer, and there are corporate interests that gather and retain a lot of the profits."
"The system that Just Food is trying to develop is a system that is way more localized."
Just Food eliminates the problems of empty calories, high food miles, and high prices. Its variety of trainers are skilled in teaching New Yorkers about preserving food, nutritional information, and, in Thomann's case, the ins and outs of starting a garden.
"Specifically I teach them techniques that they can use for growing their food," Thomann said. "We've been growing our own food for the last six thousand years on every single continent. We need to get back in touch with the soil."
Thomann, who has been with Just Food since 2006, has been a gardener all his life. He is still inspired by the enthusiastic reception from the community and loves seeing a "light bulb go off in people's eyes."
In addition to teaching seven to eight workshops a week, Thomann teaches the nation's first undergraduate course in Community Gardening. Thomann's teachings have allowed him to work towards ideals that he finds invaluable.
"A community garden addresses the three goals: To have a healthy body, healthy community, and a healthy planet. What you are doing is environmentally conscious, and the planet benefits as well," Thomann said.
For more information on Just Food, visit www.justfood.org.


text:
How to remove DRM protection from iTunes?
"How to effectively remove DRM from iTunes TV shows/movies? I have a few TV shows that i bought on iTunes a while ago that I want to archive now but before I do so, I need to remove the DRM from them. How do I go about doing this? The music is already DRM free. What about the movies and TV shows?"
Well, Apple iTunes comes with a store where we can purchase various types of movies, TV shows and music, and eventually we can sync them with iPod, iPhone, iPad for enjoying on the go. Unlike normal media files, Apple uses DRM protection on iTunes files which stop users watching iTunes M4V videos elsewhere. How to get rid of iTunes DRM protection so that we are able to get iTunes content on Samsung Galaxy, Amazon Kindle, BlackBerry PlayBook, PS Vita, PSP, Android phones or any other device you have?
To free iTunes media files, you will have to bypass the DRM copy protection with some sort of iTunes DRM Removal Program. Is there a free or decently priced software to strip DRM from iTunes movie downloads/rentals? Well, DRM Media Converter helps you remove iTunes DRM protection easily and effectively and save iTunes DRM protected M4V movies to MP4 or whatever file format to fit your specific need. To get started, let's click the link below to free download this professional iTunes DRM Removal software.
Free Download iTunes DRM Converter
Once downloaded and launched the application, you will see the interface as above. Then you can follow the simple steps below to get the iTunes files DRM removed.
Step 1. On the screen, click on "Add" button and here you can move to the folder and import your iTunes DRMed M4V files into the software. Or you can selet the down arrow icon right next to "Add" button, several loading options are available: Add Files, Add Video Folder, Add DirectShow Files and Find DRM. Once loaded files, they will be listed on the main panel.
Step 2. Depending on what you want to do with the iTunes DRM files, you may need the files in a specific format. You can either click on "Video files to" button to choose the output format for iTunes movies or "Audio files to" button for iTunes music. There you can choose MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, or the multimedia device you want as the output format. You may also click "Settings" button to set video settings for videos and audio settings for audios.
Step 3. After that, press on "Start" button and this DRM Remover for iTunes will get started removing DRM protection from iTunes files. And you may just wait for the process to be finsihed.
A while later, the iTunes DRM restriction should have been removed successfully by our powerful iTunes DRM Removal. Now you can hit on "Find Target" button and you will find the DRM-free iTunes movies, TV shows and music. Then you can transfer them onto your media player or do whatever you want with them. Have fun.
How to easily remove DRM protection from iTunes?
How to transfer movies/songs from iTunes onto Kindle Fire?
How to convert movies/songs from iTunes to Kindle Fire HD?
How to remove DRM from Amazon Unbox video files?
How to remove DRM from BBC iPlayer Downloads?
How to convert Amazon video to iTunes format?


text:
National Enquirer Subscription
The National Enquirer is the undisputed leader in the field of celebrity journalism. In every issue, you'll find the REAL UNTOLD STORY about your favorite celebrities. PLUS- the behind-the-scenes exclusives that only the ENQUIRER can deliver.
More about National Enquirer
More About National Enquirer
More About National Enquirer: If tabloids were thought of as notorious, then the National Enquirer would win first place, by a long shot. Probably the most buzz-worthy tabloid, the National Enquirer does a great job at delivering celebrity drama and high-profile crime investigations. Want to know where Angelina Jolie walked in on Jen and Brad? How about the details on Elizabeth Smart? This is only the tip of the iceberg from a publication that operates on love/hate relationship. Readers seem to love the publication, while, many of the famous, for obvious reasons, hate it. Perhaps that's why the Enquirer has a hefty staff of attorneys at their beck and call. Inside, readers can expect at least one article on the latest celebrity diet fad, and a bizarre story about an average person, with some malady or off-the-charts talent. While the National Enquirer gets the latest scoop around town, it certainly pays a high price for it, literally, when it has shelled out upwards of $1 million, as rumors have stated, for some very exclusive photos.


text:
The City's water quality and supply is maintained by the Water Division, a department within the Sierra Madre Public Works. By providing consistently high quality service to the residents of Sierra Madre, we can ensure a safe and reliable method of water delivery for all users. We continue to look for ways we can improve and maintain the City's water infrastructure.
The Water Division has two sources by which they pump, treat, and distribute water. One source of the water supply is derived from four wells drawing from the East Raymond Basin aquifer. The second source is derived from two natural spring tunnels located in our foothills.
Water Forum Q&A - August 9, 2017 Hart Park House.pdf
232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024 | 626-355-7135
Sierra Madre | All Rights Reserved | Powered by CivicLive | © 2020 Intrado Corporation.
City of Sierra Madre


text:
Having performed reasonably well inour 360 matches two weeks ago, we were sure that with two extra weeks practice we'd have no problem keeping up with even the most skilled players on the PSN. Oh, how wrong we were. Take a look at our match reports below, and if you were one of the ones pumping us full of lead, thanks. Thanks a lot.
Game: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Match type: Free-for-all
Maps played: Vacant, Crash, Strike, Shipment, Showdown, Wetwork, District, Overgrown, Crossfire, Pipeline
Who Pwned? RICCIGOWNZ, wwwwweeeeeeeeeee, gas-gas, Delta855
Match Highlights: Game 1
Things started slowly with only two players willing to take us on. This number had increased to five by the end of the game, but as we only managed to kill three people, we weren't surprised to find ourselves second from bottom come the end of the round.
Match 2
Getting our first kill within 10 seconds filled us with confidence. This continued as we randomly lobbed grenades and picked up a few more kills. However this run of luck soon came to an end. A well placed air strike would have killed us, if we weren't already full of holes and face-down on the tarmac. Even a change of class half way through the game didn't help and we failed to climb higher than the dizzying heights of last place.
Match 3
We should have know that letting a member of the team who hasn't played the game before was a bad idea. And we really should have taken the controller away whentheysaid "which button is shoot". Still, he did manage to kill three people before getting knifed in the back by Delta855
Match 4
The close quarter combat of shipment saw us turn the ground a nice shade of red within four seconds of the match starting. This resulted in us taking up a new tactic we have called "hiding". Using this superb military manoeuvre we managed to string together a 3-kill-streak and a total of 13 kills
Match 5
Finally we found some form, and started the match by getting the first kill of the round. However, this time our new 'hiding' tactic was met with multiple grenades, courtesy of wwwwweeeeeeeeeee, and the sharp end of Delta855's blade.
Match 6
We managed to climb up to fourth by the end of this round, and we'd like to think we could have got higher. But if people are going to shoot us in the face while we're admiring our previous kill then we have no chance do we.
Match 7
Two three-kill-streaks saw us place third at the end of this match. But that was not before we learnt that trying to throw back live grenades ends with them exploding in your face, and that a knife will never beat a gun in a fight.
Match 8
By this point RICCIGOWNZ had started to become annoying and so we made it our mission to take him down at every opportunity. This was going well until we decided to focus our energy on taking down the numerous helicopters that were circling overhead rather than gunning for actual people. This is probably why we finished fifth.
Match 9
Now we were playing with the elite, having only five players to aim for made this an intense fire-fight for the duration. Which ended, we're pleased to say, with us finishing in second.
Match 10
We entered the final game with renewed confidence and our heads held high. And despite dying a total of 21 times – we managed to place third, and only one kill behind second.
PlayRadar will return on 24 April. If you want to get involved just send a friend request to our PSN or Xbox LIVE account and we'll invite you into one of our games the next time we play.
Xbox LIVE ID: PlayRadar
PSN ID: PlayRadar


text:
Jordan likely to miss Knicks workout
Jerome Jordan is a perfect example of why the NBA needs to rethink its strategy with minor leagues. The Knicks last summer encouraged him to play in Europe as a way to maintain his rights while he was able to take the time to develop and mature. Had he come to training camp to compete with veteran Ronny Turiaf and the more NBA-ready Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks would have been either forced to keep Jordan on the roster -- which meant a player such as Shawne Williams might have been cut -- or they would have had to cut him and lose the rights to a 7-foot project with intriguing potential.
The Knicks should be able to simply assign Jordan to the D-League, but NBA rules require a D-League assignment to cost a team a roster spot. It's an absurd rule that is negatively impacting the development of younger players. The NBA needs a system more like baseball and hockey, which have direct pipelines to the minor leagues and the ability to call up players at any time.
Until then, teams have to use international rules as a loophole to retain a players' rights, though they have little connection with the player. As Jordan was stashed overseas, on a Serbian team in the Adriatic League, Mozgov was traded and the need for a center became a priority. The Knicks even tried to bring Jordan over in-season, after Mozgov's departure in the Carmelo Anthony trade, but his contractual obligation to his team KK Hemofarm was difficult to break.
The Knicks want to know what they have in Jordan, who has shown noticable physical growth, but it is impossible to gauge his progress and, more importantly, his readiness to compete at the NBA level, based on the competition he's facing and the minutes he's playing. In 26 games in the Adriatic League, Jordan is averaging 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14.7 minutes. In 11 Eurocup games, he has put up 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.1 minutes and in four Euroleague games he's averaging 8.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.8 minutes.
The plan was to bring him in next week to participate in a free agent minicamp at the MSG Training Center on June 8 and 9 and see how he looked against D-League types. The camp is also a way for the Knicks to potentially find a diamond in the rough, which will be important if a lockout eliminates the NBA Summer League.
The camp will still go on, but Jordan is not expected to be able to play. He recently suffered from appendicitis and is still in recovery. It's important for the Knicks to know if Jordan is ready to make the jump to the NBA this season as they plan their roster for next season. With a lockout looming and possibly eliminating some, if not all, of the offseason (especially Summer League, where Jordan could play), there isn't much time to make a decision about what to do with Jordan. Should he return to Europe, the Knicks would continue to own his rights, but it would likely mean another entire season without him. And if Jordan doesn't want to spend another year in Europe, the Knicks may be forced to make a decision on him -- either keep him or set him free.
* * *
* -- In the meantime, the pre-draft process continues Tuesday with the first of several workouts at the MSG Training Center. This first group -- DeMonte Harper (Morehead State), John Holland (Boston University), Rick Jackson (Syracuse), Malcolm Lee (UCLA), Sam Muldrow (South Carolina), Julyan Stone (UTEP) -- suggests the Knicks are looking deeper into the draft beyond their No. 17 pick in the first round and perhaps eyeing a possible purchase of a second round pick.
Lee is interesting because of his terrific size as a combo guard, which are similar to fellow UCLA guards Russell Westbrook and Jrue Holiday, though his skills aren't nearly as polished. Jackson is a big, strong body who is very active on the glass and in setting screens and plays a smart game.
* - Despite a report that said Donnie Walsh is expected to sign a contract extension this week to remain team president, there is reason to believe an announcement might not come until after the NBA Finals. The league frowns on attention-stealing news by teams not playing for the title, not that it has stopped the Knicks before. Walsh has continued to work preparing for the draft and next season. His current contract expires June 30.
* - The sudden and surprising decision by the Trail Blazers (read: owner Paul Allen) to dump GM Rich Cho leaves the position open for several candidates. Will Mark Warkentien, the former Nuggets GM who is currently working for the Knicks as Director, Pro Player Personnel, be on the list? Meanwhile, if Warkentien departs, would the Knicks consider Cho?
* - Chauncey Billups is expected to have an MRI this week on his left knee, which he initially injured (strained tendon) in the second-to-last regular season game and then reinjured late in Game 1 of the first round playoff series against the Celtics. Billups had an MRI during the series, which confirmed the tendon injury. This MRI is the requisite follow-up. If no further damage is revealed, he will be cleared for basketball activities.


text:
Abstract Backdrops
Total Results 2
Total Results 2
Abstract Backdrops
Abstract Backdrops range from bright and funky to dark and mysterious! Abstract backdrops are a must have for every photography studio. Our backdrops are available in a variety of materials: Wrinkle free cloth we call Freedom Cloth, canvas, and our portable pop Twist Flex backgrounds. If you don't see what you are looking for simply contact us, we can print custom backdrops too.
Backdrop Baseboard
Add a realistic printed baseboard to any printed backdrop. Photography backdrop baseboards are recommended for backgrounds sized: 6x8, 8x8, 8x10, or 10x10. Baseboards are approx. 6" high and are available in several colors and designs. The bottom 6" of material below the baseboard (referred to as a "tuck flap") is included in the total length dimension of the backdrop. Simply place the tuck flap under one of our Roll Up Floors & your background should remain in place.
Featured Products


text:
- Will Anti-Trump Anger Triumph Over Preserving Our Republic? - September 10, 2020
- Is This Nation Facing the Point of No Return? - July 24, 2020
- How and Why Did America Come to Embrace Socialism? - February 7, 2019
School teachers all over the nation are quitting their profession, often due to being forced to abandon what they considered an excellent education system and change to one they consider inferior. The faulty system they refer to is the new and highly controversial Common Core
Susan Sluyter recently provided her reason for resigning after 25 years of teaching. She stated "I have watched as my job requirements swung away from a focus on the children, their individual learning styles, emotional needs, and their individual families, interests and strengths, to a focus on testing, assessing, and scoring young children, thereby ramping up the academic demands and pressures on them."
One theory for developing Common Core, touted by those who initiated the experimental program, is the advantage of creating a common set of standards for all the states. However, opponents say that this one-size-fits-all approach to education is flawed and robs states of their individuality. Opponents also state that it isn't just the standards that are being criticized. The bigger problem is the curriculum that supports the standards that has parents, teachers, and concerned citizens forming pockets of protests throughout America.
Proponents of Common Core like to portray the opposition movement as one being driven by Tea Party members. While that group may oppose it, the reality is that the firestorm of opposition sweeping through the states is largely being fueled by parents of school children. These are people who had been busy raising their families, without the time or inclination to become involved in politics. Common Core turned them into political activists.
Heather Chappell and Susi Khan are examples of that. They are mothers in Yorba Linda, California and became concerned when Common Core was introduced at their school. They began to ask questions and did not like the answers they received. They took the time to investigate Common Core more thoroughly and discovered many others shared their concerns. Those two Moms found it alarming that most of their friends and neighbors had never even heard of the new education system.
They decided to organize an event to help others learn what they knew. Forming a small committee comprised of their friends, and with minimal publicity, Heather and Susi left their laundry choirs to plan an event and help others know the facts. About 250 people crowded into a church in their area to hear a presentation about Common Core. It was a huge success, which attracted a variety of people from all walks of life, age groups, and political backgrounds. Those results caused Heather and Susi to know people had a desires and need to know more about Common Core. They quickly put together another event.
But they are not alone! Parents just like them are popping up throughout America to aggressively protest against the controversial education system, causing state officials to take a second look at the problems inherent in Common Core.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence listened to the outrage and reports of problems that continued to plague his office. He recently decided to drop Common Core and replace it with a state program. He signed new legislation that made his state the first to opt out of Common Core standards. Pence unlocked the floodgates for more states to follow Indiana's move against the ill-conceived federal intervention of Common Core. The two most obvious states are Scott Walker's Wisconsin and Louisiana's Bobby Jindal. Other states are concerned about the number and quality of the assessment tests, and have withdrawn from the Smarter Balanced coalition, choosing to use their own testing methods.
The obvious questions being asked are why and how did this controversial system quietly creep into all but five of our states? The answer to "why" depends upon who you ask. Promoters claim there needed to be a consistency of standards among all states, and that our education system was lacking when compared to other countries. Opponents argue each state should decide their own standards, based on their unique needs, and that if our education system is deficient, why are we inundated with students from most every other country who want to be educated here in America?
Opponents to the new system also resent that historical and federal education laws/rules were ignored by the relatively small group who developed and sold Common Core to the states. Which introduces the question: How did our entire nation, with the exclusion of five states, end up using Common Core? — Texas, Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Virginia.
The concept is an old idea whose roots date back to the United Nations and an ultra-liberal by the name of Robert Muller. He spent 40 years quietly working to create the "World Core Curriculum." The first Robert Muller School was started in Arlington, Texas in 1979 to implement the World Core Curriculum with the objective of making it available to educators around the world. Muller's "New Genesis," published in 1982, sets forth in 27 chapter a blueprint for creating a world that will become a better place live in.
Since then many world leaders, including America's "elitist," decided to march in lock-step with the United Nation concept. That plan, which many of the same people embraced, is a "one-world" government and spirituality that includes a one religion, one world education system, one world government, etc. Actually, their plan includes pretty much the opposite of what our wise forefathers embraced. Need anything more be said on that subject? We know the result of our founding fathers' efforts: The United States prospered beyond anyone's imagination and developed into a World leader. So, why would anyone chance making radical changes, based on an agenda formed by the United Nations?
The designers of Common Core had a strategy to sell it to the States. The Obama administration had $4.35 billion of "Race to the Top" federal funds to offer states if they accepted Common Core. They also threw in a bonus of allowing states the option of dropping the highly unpopular "No Child Left Behind" program from George W. Bush's days. Throw in a sales pitch inundated with lofty adjectives and promises of high achieving students, and the states couldn't sign the dotted line fast enough. They were so eager to accept the unproven, untested program that some states did not bother to even run it by their Congress. What about the public comment period? How about examining the material first? Sorry! The curriculum wasn't even developed, let alone available when those contracts were agreed upon.
People have asked if it is possible to have a recall of every state Governor who bought the bribes and who trusted without bothering to verify the promoters' exaggerated promises. The public was not informed of the negative facts surrounding the issue, and the best source to educate the public was our media, but they remained relatively oblivious to these negatives. Could that be due to their largely liberal leanings and a reluctance to confront Democrats in power? If so, that is unfortunate, because all segments of our population, including those from every political affiliation, are questioning Common Core.
Were laws bent or broken in this process? There are lawyers developing a challenge based on that belief, but some claim the only way to defeat Common Core is for "We the People" to rise up and speak out against it. It will take a tidal wave of concerned citizens demanding the federal government scrap Common Core and return the responsibility for our children's education to the state and local control. American citizens are not interested in accepting the U.N. mandates nor have we bought into a one world governing concept."
Informed parents are not buying into the premise that our education system needed a total revision; just that It may have needed to be "tweaked" in specific areas. Quite "telling" is that the known problems and reasons for lower test scores were not even touched by the authors of Common Core. What are they?
Most experts agree that the following aspects contribute greatly to lower test scores in states:
1. Teacher Unions have been able to keep ineffective and low performing teachers from being fired. When parents become too noisy about a specific teacher's shortcomings, she/he is moved to a school district in which parents are not as likely to complain: the same school districts most in need of quality teachers.
2. We are a nation of many cultures, some of which demand more of their children and teachers than others. One example are students in which English is their second language, and most often for their parents as well. With little help at home, those students lag far behind in their classes. Also, students from single family homes, who tragically miss their father and his support, cause Moms to struggle just to survive. There is no time or energy for her to work with her children's school needs.
It should send chills up our spines knowing liberals managed to slip Common Core into our nation's schools in such a relatively short period of time, without hardly a smidgeon of advanced warning, and in the absence of any proof it was superior. That was allowed to happen largely because of wealthy people who made huge contributions to promote it. Some question whether those contributions were for the altruistic purposes claimed. There is no doubt most everyone involved in the implementation of Common Core will be highly compensated in a variety of ways.
The following is a quote from a website that is devoted entirely to exposing the facts, faults, and failures of Common Core, as well as exposing the people who will profit from it. Please read their conclusion of Common Core very slowly and carefully to get the full impact of their massive research on the subject:
"Bill Gates is paying a "nonprofit" already overly involved in federal affairs to 'help' the USDOE (United States Dept. of Education) 'improve' its operations– and no doubt those 'improvements' will coincidentally serve the lucrative, privatizing purposes of the nonprofit-affiliated 'improvers,' not the least of which is planting carefully-groomed, privatizer neophytes into strategic governmental positions in order to propagate the corporate reform agenda for years to come.
"In short, those with obscene money are paying those wanting to make money to advise those with public money on how to best spend the public's money."
The important question remaining is what will YOU do to respond to the hijacking of our education system by "elites" who have "gamed" the system for personal profit at the expense of our children's education. Will you speak out at a city council or board of education meeting? Will you contact your local newspaper; possibly write a letter to the editor? Will you organize an event in your home and invite your friends and relatives? How about scheduling a meeting with your local state official? Will you at the very least talk to others about this important issue?
[Originally published at Illinois Review]


text:
ThomasHobbes wrote:The theory is that if systematically decided to kill certain people, preferably some newborns or others that have not yet lost the ability to reproduce, it would solve a huge problem.
ThomasHobbes wrote:If we do not do something, and let our population continue to grow at exponential rates, then eventually, probably soon, we will reach our limits in natural resources, there would be huge food deficits, like there currently is in many third world countries. This will probably grow as our population grows, and will cause chaos, making everyone even less willing to share the resources, allowing certain people to live, while everyone else will starve to death.
ThomasHobbes wrote:Also, because we are industrial now, there are even less farms and food producing areas, only food processing, which is a huge difference, even if you do not realize it. The difference between the two of them is that food producing and agricultural create new food, but industry brings about food processing, which just changes the already made and produced food into other things, possibly causing even less food. with this problem, we need to do something to get rid of the overpopulation and an even bigger dip in population then what i am suggesting will occur.
ThomasHobbes wrote:My suggestion starts with what i wrote earlier, about a LOW-LEVEL infanticide, along with pro-abortion views so that the people who will be born into these problems wont have to deal with them.
ThomasHobbes wrote:We should create a one-child policy as the main thing
ThomasHobbes wrote:stop sending support and rations and help to third world countries
ThomasHobbes wrote:to have the governments that have already proven incapable of supporting themselves be gone by the time of mass crisis.
Jonathon Swift - 'A Modest Proposal' wrote:I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


text:
$299.25 $349.95
StreaMaster mini computer/media player. StreaMaster is a mini computer/media device than can turn any regular basic TV into a full on smart TV! Entertainment at your finger tips without the extra cost! Surf your favorite websites, download you favorite apps from the playstore, YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, Hulu, Chrome or a variety of other 3rd Party Apps of your choosing directly on your television.
SM2 Includes:


text:
In most cases of difficulties logging in to the Admin area, the problem is one of:
- Admin pages won't show at all, or show without styling.
In this case, try temporarily renaming the /admin/.htaccess file to htaccess_bak to see if things operate differently.
If they do, then you need to work with your webhost to find the right way to use the supplied .htaccess security protections on your site.
- Something may be wrong with the way your site is configured to handle PHP "sessions". This is more difficult to resolve.
- Start by clearing your browser cache and clearing all cookies. ** THIS IS THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM **
- If you are using Safari for your browser, make sure you're not using "Private Browsing" mode.
- Then check to be sure that you do NOT have any software firewall applications running on your PC, as they may have been set to "disable session cookies".
- Also, make sure your browser IS allowed to accept cookies, esp from your own domain. Cookie-blocking will break your Admin area.
- Check your server's errorlog to determine if any errors are occurring at the time of the failure to login.
- If you are using "www." in your URL on one page and *not* using "www." in the URL on another page, you may have problems. This related FAQ may help: How do I force use of "www." in my URL if customers don't type it?
- Try the suggestions in this related FAQ article: http://tutorials.zen-cart.com/index.php?article=281
- Apart from browser cache and cookies problems, the most common problem is not having the HTTPS address correct in your /admin/includes/configure.php file.
See: http://tutorials.zen-cart.com/index.php?article=14
- If your admin password has been forgotten, or if you've done an admin password reset but forgot what the new password was, you'll have to reset the password via the database. See the FAQ for resetting the Admin password to default.
- If you've installed your site into a folder whose name contains spaces, rename the folder so that it doesn't have spaces anymore. Update your configure.php files accordingly.
If these suggestions don't work, note them, and post to the forum listing what steps you've already taken.


text:
Michael C. Smuin, DDS, FAGD
General Dentistry
Friendly Staff. Beautiful Smiles. Welcoming Environment.
We are always welcoming new patients and we would love to have you as part of our dental family. Please explore our web site to learn more about us. You can find information about our staff, our office, and the procedures and services that we offer.If you have any questions please call us. We love hearing from our patients and anyone who may be interested in becoming one.
317 West 100 South Vernal, UT 84078
Print New Patient Forms


text:
7 May 1927 – 3 April 2013
She was a German-born British and American Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala wrote a dozen novels, 23 screenplays and eight collections of short stories . She was made a CBE in 1998 . She is the only person to ever have won both a Booker Prize and an Oscar.
She mainly wrote screenplay for Merchant Ivory Productions . In 1963, Jhabvala was approached by James Ivory and Ismail Merchant to write a screenplay for their debut film " The Householder " based on her 1960 novel. The movie, released by Merchant Ivory Productions in 1963 and starring Shashi Kapoor and Leela Naidu met with critical praise and it marked the beginning of a partnership that resulted in over 20 films.
The Householder was followed by Shakespeare Wallah (1965) , Roseland (1977) , Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978) , The Europeans (1979) , Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980) , Quartet (1981) , The Courtesans of Bombay (1983) , Heat and Dust in (1983 ) , The Bostonians (1984) , Madame Sousatzka (1988) , Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990) , Jefferson in Paris (1995) , Surviving Picasso (1996) , A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) , the screenplay for which she co-authored with Ivory, The Golden Bowl (2000) and The City of Your Final Destination (2009) which was adapted from the eponymous novel by Peter Cameron and was her last screenplay.Le Divorce which she co-wrote with Ivory was the last movie that featured the trio of Merchant, Ivory and Jhabvala before Merchant's death that year.
She won her first Academy Award for her screenplay for A Room with a View (1986) and won a second in the same category for Howards End (1992) . She was nominated for a third Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay the following year for The Remains of the Day (1993) .
Selected screenplays
|Other notes
|The City of Your Final Destination
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Peter Cameron
|Le Divorce
|co-written by James Ivory, adapted from the novel by Diane Johnson
|The Golden Bowl
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Henry James
|A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Kaylie Jones
|Surviving Picasso
|Jefferson in Paris
|written by
|The Remains of the Day
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro
|Howards End
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by E. M. Forster
|Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
|screenplay, adapted from the novels by Evan S. Connell ("Mr. Bridge" & "Mrs. Bridge")
|Madame Sousatzka
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Bernice Rubens. Directed by John Schlesinger
|A Room with a View
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by E. M. Forster
|The Bostonians
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Henry James
|Heat and Dust
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Jhabvala
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Jean Rhys
|Jane Austen in Manhattan
|written by, inserted libretto "Sir Charles Grandison" by Jane Austen
|The Europeans
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Henry James
|Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures
|written by
|story and screenplay
|Autobiography of a Princess
|written by
|Bombay Talkie
|The Guru
|Shakespeare Wallah
|The Householder
|screenplay, adapted from the novel by Jhabvala
This two-time Oscar winner for her screenplays will also be remembered for her unforgettable novels and short stories like :
Novels and short stories
- To Whom She Will (1955; published in the United States as Amrita)
- The Nature of Passion (1956).
- Esmond in India (1958)
- The Householder (1960)
- Get Ready for Battle (1962)
- Like Birds, Like Fishes (1963)
- A Backward Place (1965)
- A Stronger Climate (1968)
- An Experience of India (1971)
- A New Dominion (1972; published in the United States as Travelers)
- Heat and Dust (1975)
- How I Became a Holy Mother and other stories (1976),
- In Search of Love and Beauty (1983)
- Out of India (1986)
- Three Continents (1987)
- Poet and Dancer (1993)
- Shards of Memory (1995)
- East Into Upper East: Plain Tales from New York and New Delhi (1998)
- My Nine Lives (2004)
She will be missed . I saw her film " The Householder " in Palace talkies of Allahabad and was moved that two Indian actors ; Shashi Kapoor and Leela Naidu , played the main protagonists in the film , which she wrote . Though at that time I didn't know that the writer of the film is Ruth Prawer Jhabvala .
On behalf of all the students and staff of my acting institute Vidur's Kreating Charakters , I offer my condolences . May her soul rest in peace !
[ I have taken the list of her films and name of the novels and short stories written by her from Wikipedia . Certain other facts and data is also taken from Wikipedia . As I always do , I express my profound gratitude . ]
Related articles
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, 1927 – 2013 (theparisreview.org)
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Award-Winning Novelist And Screenwriter, Dies (npr.org)
- Oscar Winner Dies: 'Howards End' Screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Has Died (contactmusic.com)
- 'Room With a View' Screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Dies at 85 (variety.com)
- Oscar winner, author Ruth Prawer Jhabvala dies (miamiherald.com)
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Merchant Ivory's secret weapon, dead at 85 (timesunion.com)
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Stories (newyorker.com)
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, award-winning author and screenwriter, dies at 85 (latimes.com)
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Oscar-winning screenwriter and award-winning author, dies at 85 (vancouversun.com)
- Oscar-winning screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala dies at 85 (panarmenian.net)
Filed under: Obituary | Tagged: A Backward Place, A New Dominion, A Room with a View, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, A Stronger Climate, Academy Award, Acting Institute, Acting Trainer, An Experience of India, Bombay Talkie, Booker Prize, Bridge, CBE, City of Your Final Destination, Diction Trainer, Esmond in India, Film, Get Ready for Battle, Heat and Dust, Hindi Teacher, Howards End, Hullaballoo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures, In Search of Love and Beauty, Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, Jane Austen in Manhattan, Jefferson in Paris, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, Le Divorce, Leela Naidu, Like Birds Like Fishes, Madame Sousatzka, Maharashtra, Merchant Ivory Productions, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Mumbai, MUMBAI - MAHARASHTRA - INDIA, My Nine Lives, Obituary, Order of the British Empire, Out Of India, Palace Talkies Allahabad, Poet and Dancer, Quartet, Roseland, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Shakespeare Wallah, Shards of Memory, Shashi Kapoor, Surviving Picasso, The Bostonians, The City of Your Final Destination, The Courtesans of Bombay, The Europeans, The Golden Bowl, The Guru, The Householder, The Nature of Passion, The Remains of the Day, Three Continent, To Whom She Will, Vidur, Vidur Chaturvedi, Vidur on Twitter, Vidur's Blog, Vidur's Kreating Charakters, Vidur's Students | Leave a comment »


text:
SACRAMENTO . (AP) — Stockton officials will be in court next month where a federal bankruptcy judge will determine if the city is eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection from its creditors.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein set aside four days beginning on March 25 for hearings where the city will have to prove it has negotiated in good faith with a long list of creditors.
Creditors opposing the city's bankruptcy filing — including bond insurers — will argue that Stockton officials have not shown they've done all they can to reduce spending.
Stockton was hit hard by the foreclosure crisis and lost millions in tax revenue. The city has cut a quarter of its police force and more than $90 million from its budget over three years.
The city of nearly 300,000 in California's San Joaquin Valley filed for bankruptcy protection last summer.


text:
As you may remember, last night we had trouble finding a hotel room. The town was small, but we were tired, and couldn't handle the thought of driving for another few hours.
Unfortunately, the place is hosting some sort of regional fishing meeting, so finding a room was hard. We finally got one in a nondescript place on the outskirts. It looked fine, and served breakfast to boot (for people traveling with kids, the trend of hotels that offer even a basic continental breakfast is just awesome). There were several other families there, and the pool was full of kids. So we went in, and I asked for a room. That seemed to surprise the friendly clerk, and he said "How many rooms?" I replied "Oh, just one." I figured he was just hard of hearing.
Silly me. At breakfast this morning we discovered that the place covertly specializes in polygamous families. So our little familial unit of 5 was dwarfed by throngs of kids in different colored clothes, mothers rushing everywhere, and alpha males eating waffles. One guy had a T-shirt that said "I may not be smart, but I can lift heavy things". I was glad when none of them asked me about Marie's availability.
A few miles outside Missoula we passed a large bra in the middle of the road. This was followed by a sock, then a pair of shorts, and, after a surprisingly large wardrobe of clothes, we caught up to a car with suitcases on the roof, one of which was unlocked and opening as they hit bumps, allowing things to escape. We tried to tell the driver, but she flipped us off.
We saw this warehouse as we traveled. For my other medical readers, I had to get a shot of it. So now I know where the land of Junkie Joy is located.
Western Montana is remarkably scenic. Our enjoyment of it was only slightly marred by Frank asking "How do they do such nice landscaping?"
Later, while driving through the middle of nowhere we passed a cement plant. In typical tourist fashion, there were several cars pulled over with people taking pictures of it. I don't understand people.
It occurred to me today that the GPS system has ruined one of the truly great moments of childhood trips: watching your parents fighting over directions. Today's children will grow up with no idea that parents would once fight over directions, would fight over whether or not to pull over and ask for directions, would fight over who got to hold the map. The most they ever hear is the pleasant GPS voice saying "RECALCULATING" which translates into "You dipshit, why can't you listen?"
In late afternoon we passed a religious billboard, which read "Jesus said 'This is the work of the Lord' ". Due to poor (or perhaps intentional) placement, the sign was located immediately next to the town landfill.
After arriving in Seattle we took the kids down to the waterfront for dinner, and ate outside. There we were assaulted by that most aggressive bird of prey, the seagull. It's like these things evolved solely for the purpose of attacking people who eat outside. Some of them were so fat it was amazing to see them fly.
The kids are watching Underdog, the movie. I'm going to bed, the queen size.


text:
The orange waterproof umbrella tote bag gives you a pop of the most on-trend color! Umbrella bags are perfect for rainy days, after swimming or a sporting event. You can separate wet umbrellas, water bottles, swimsuits, etc in the waterproof extra compartment at the bottom of the bag.
Waterproof Umbrella Tote Bag
- 100% waterproof
- Outer zipper pocket for wettest items
- Medium sized bag (30-50cm in width)
- Several compartments
- Cell phone holder


text:
Watch Justin Bieber Prep for His Around the World Promo Tour
So you think you can dance?
Justin Bieber demonstrates that he can bust a move. In fact, he can bust several. The 'Boyfriend' singer has shared video footage from his dance rehearsals for his Around the World promo tour before he headed off to Norway, where he nearly brought the country to its knees due to a fan frenzy. Beliebers went nuts at the sight of him. Before he left on that sojourn, he worked his butt off during the May 17 rehearsal, as this vid demonstrates.
One of his dancers admits she's in need of oxygen from all that practicing on the wood floor. The producers talk about practice making perfect, and then we see The Biebs, looking cute in skinny sweats, kicks and a baseball cap. His dancers are new and he's never grooved with them before but they quickly established chemistry and unity.
Here, The Biebs proves that he has not only Michael Jackson's falsetto, but his moves too. He's got swag, swag, swag by the truckful. This boy can groove.
Biebs only addresses the camera at the end, saying he is on his way to Norway. Little did he know about the drama that awaited him. Hindsight is always 20/20.
He asks the dancers and people in the background to say "hi" to Beliebers, too. He whips off the cap, and his famous coif is a total mess. That's what happens when you work hard at your craft. Disheveled hair is a small price to pay for perfecting his dance tricks.
Watch Justin Bieber Rehearse for Around the World Promo Tour


text:
Tundra 3/8 in. Pipe Insulation 6 ft. L(PC34118UWTUO)
Browse all deals at ACE Hardware
See more in Plumbing Pipes
See more from Tundra
* This offer may contain time-sensitive information and offers. Please check with ACE Hardware to confirm actual price & availability.
- Be the first to comment!
ACE Hardware
N3155 County Hwy Qq
Waupaca, WI 54981
ACE Hardware
983 East Plaza Road
Wautoma, WI 54982