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On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna gave an inspiring message to Arjuna, which became known as Bhagvad Gita, Bhagawat Geeta or Srimad Bhagavad Gita - the song celestial. The 700 verses rendered by Lord Krishna are considered as quintessence of Hinduism and reflects the wisdom of Upanishads. Bhagavad Gita is part of epic Mahabharata and is contained in Bhishma Parva, chapter 23-40.
The message of Gita was not delivered on banks of Ganges, nor inside caves, monasteries or at the outset of any hermit's dwelling place but was conferred on the battlefield filled with belligerent armies, awaiting fierce encounter. When Arjuna saw revered teachers, beloved friends and close relatives on his enemy side, he was overtaken by grief and despair. As a result he chose to lay down his arms and sought counsel from his charioteer and friend, Krishna. In his unique and mesmerizing style, Krishna answered Arjun's array of questions covering sin, slander and siblings to death, duty, desire, duality and divinity. Arjuna was convinced that death on the battlefield was that merely of physical frame and not of the inner immortal soul. The conversation between Krishna and Arjuna threw light on many important aspects of Hinduism such as life and death, karma, devotion, jnana, yoga, supreme reality and duality.
Apart from guidelines for ascetics to march forward on the spiritual path, Gita has plenty to offer to each of us in variety of circumstances in our day-to-day life. Though Gita's message was delivered centuries back, it is equally rejuvenating today, which itself is an ample justification for Gita's place among jewel crown of world's spiritual scriptures. Today, Bhagavad Gita has crossed boundaries of cast, creed, religion and nationality and has found place as an icon of human spiritual wisdom. As a result, it has been translated in many leading languages of the world.
Gujarati is considered by many literates as 'poor language of rich people'. The language of Mahatma Gandhi was blessed by Shri Yogeshwarji with more than hundred books covering various forms of literature. On premier spiritual scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Brahma Sutra, Srimad Bhagavat, Yog Darshan, Ramayan and Mahabharata, Yogeshwarji wrote authoritative treatise in easy to understand Gujarati language.
Saral Gita - Poetic rendering of Bhagavad-Gita was written by Shri Yogeshwarji in 1953 and was first published in 1960. Thereafter due to popular demand, it was reprinted many times. To date, more than 150,000 Saral Gita have been published in 27+ reprints. 'Saral Gita' audio cassette is also available in the melodious voice of Ashit & Hema Desai. The only available Gujarati translation of holy Bhagavad Gita, 'SARAL GITA' is made available online for the first time on this site for the benefit of millions of Gujaratis' spread across the globe. We have also included mp3 audio for select chapters for your pleasure. We hope that our esteem visitors will be delighted by this offering.
Explore Bhagavad Gita verses alongwith its Gujarati translation:


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The Will of Richard Charlton
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN. I Richard Charlton of the City of Wiiliamsburg being sick & weak in body but of sound mind [sic] & perfect sense & memory do make this my last will & testament in manner & form following:
IMPRIMIS. I constitute & appoint my beloved wife Sarah & my good friends Robert Prentis & Doctor. John Galt to be exrx. & exrs. of this my last will & I do further appoint my sd two friends Robert Prentis & John Galt to be guardians of my two sons Edward & Thomas & of my daughter Jane until they respectively attain the age of 21 years.
Item. My just debts & funeral expences being first paid & discharged I desire that my whole estate both real & personal may be sold except such parts thereof as in the discretion of my exrx. & exrs. they think most for the benefit of my children to keep together & the money arising from the sales thereof I desire may be placed to interest & the Sd interest applied to the maintainence of my wife & children.
Item. If my wife marries again or at her death or whensoever my children shall attain the age of 21 years whichsoever of the sd contingencies shall first happen I give & bequeath to each of my sd sons Edward & Thomas £1000 & to my daughter Jane the like sum & in case of the death of either of my sd children without issue give their part of my estate to be equally divided between the survivors of them & in the case of the death of any two the whole to the survivor.
Item. I give & bequeath all the residue of my estate to be equally divided between my two sons Edward & Thomas & my daughter Jane as the contingencies aforementioned or any of them shall or may happen subject to the same right of survivorship.
Item. If my wife marries again I give her only what the law shall allow but until that happens or she shall die I desire that she may receive an equal support from the profits of the whole estate with my children.
Item. If. my daughter Jane shall marry before she attains the age of 21 years I desire her legacies may be immediately paid.
IN WITNESS hereto I have set my hand & affixed my seal this 7th day of May 1779.
Richd. Charlton L.S.
Sealed & delivered by the testator in presence of
John Beckley
JM Galt
For further reading:

subset: commoncrawl


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Sun Jan 24 1999 10:10: My mother sent me a "Bill Gates in hell" schtick. Pretty standard fare, but what got me was Satan pronouncing sentence on Bill Gates:
"You've been selfish, greedy and a big liar all your life."
That cracked my up. I like the imagery of Satan using the phrase "big liar" l ike a second-grader.
"Bobby, you have eaten paste and chalk! You have taken the teacher's name in vain, and you have neglected to feed his hamsterial eminence, Mr. Skitter! For this I condemn you to the pits of brimstone!"


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I'm curious about where Jesus spent the time between 12 and 30. The New Testament says little about this period. A university professor writes that modern research illuminates a theory that the "lost years" were spent in India and Tibet, where Jesus studied Buddhist teachings.
Are you aware of any research that would indicate where Jesus was in this period of his life?
There are varied theories in circulation. One is about Jesus in India while others put him in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Japan and England. In some cases, he is said to have returned to Israel. In others, he died and was buried in the country he visited. In some of these, Jesus spent time travelling during the "lost years"; in others, after his crucifixion.
The most pervasive story details his time in India. A Russian, Notovich, stayed at a Buddhist monastery in Kashmir in India in 1887. Here a monk told him about a saint Issa, whose teachings were similar to Christ's. Notovich was given access to writings by a Muslim about Issa and recorded them in a book.
An Indian swami and others visited the monastery and viewed the same text. In 1907, Levi Dowling published the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ about Jesus' time in India, Persia and Tibet. Books and reports of psychics were published in the early and mid-1900's.
These reports have been refuted many times. A reputable scholar F. Max Muller questioned this document's existence since it is not recorded in Tibetan literature. He also cites a woman who visited the monastery where Notovich supposedly stayed and there she was told there was no truth to the tale.
In 1895, J. Archibald Douglas interviewed the lama who was the monastery's head during Notovich's supposed visit who stated that none of this was true nor were there any writings on Jesus there. This interview was recorded and witnessed on June 3, 1895.
Often, details in these reports contradict one another. To which, of the many countries mentioned, did Jesus go? Did Jesus' travels take place during his early adulthood? Or, after his crucifixion, and presumably resurrection?
Also, there are serious historical inaccuracies. It seems, there were no Buddhist monasteries in Tibet in Jesus' time. The Aquarian Gospel puts Herod of Antipas ruling Jerusalem but he ruled in Galilee. This book also has Jesus visiting Meng, the great sage of China, but Meng died in 289 BC, long before Jesus' time.
If Jesus acquired all this knowledge from Hindus and Buddhists, it's strange that he never mentioned them in his teaching. A perusal of the Gospels shows that the only source from which Jesus repeatedly drew were the Hebrew Scriptures.
We can't definitely know what Jesus did since the Gospel writers did not tell us much about those years and they are the source closest to Jesus' lifetime. They do tell us "he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years (or stature) and in divine and human favour" (Luke 2.51-52).
NT texts show that Jesus was well known as a carpenter living in Nazareth: "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary" (Mark 6.3). Because of his ordinary background, they were astonished at his knowledge: "They said, 'Where does he get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands?'" (Mark 6.2).
Luke (4.2) tells about the same episode. Therefore, it sounds like Jesus stayed in Nazareth and was well known by the locals. If Jesus had been elsewhere, they wouldn't have been surprised at his wisdom but would have expected him to share his knowledge. And Jesus would have done so.
Obviously, for those who recorded Jesus' life, his ministry was the important factor. Mark doesn't even mention Jesus' early life. The infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke likely were additions after the rest was written.
Today, when someone becomes famous, we go back and look at his or her early life. Otherwise, we barely mention it. Look at obituaries. They may mention the parents and siblings but generally focus on the adult life and work, not the childhood, of the one who is being remembered.
It seems to me that this hype is another way to try to distract Christians from believing and being who they really are.
Let's not be taken in by it.
(Other questions? Email: firstname.lastname@example.com)


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Holiday Sales Forecasts: Optimism, Omnichannel & Blurred Lines
4 Key Trends
Optimism and Omnichannel
Retail gets BOSSy
A New Approach to Loyalty
The Amazing Race for Toy Share
E-commerce continues its ascent in both sales and share. Online sales are forecast to rise 16.3% year-over-year (on par with 2017 growth levels) and reach 12.5% of total retail sales (up from 11.2% in 2017). However, the lines between online and in-store are increasingly blurred as retailers recognize the interdependent nature of brick-and- mortar and online sales growth. Following extensive experimentation, retailers are learning to leverage online channels to drive store sales and vice versa. Several pure-play e-tailers and non- traditional retail brands will open their first pop-up stores this holiday season, including Wayfair, Conde Nast and Good Housekeeping magazine.While this is helping drive overall revenue, it's also blurring the traditional boundaries between online and off-line growth.
With growth in buy-online/ship-to-store (outlined below) and in-store returns, omnichannel strategies are blurring the accounting line between in-store vs. online and making it difficult to clearly identify what is a store sale and what is internet- driven. Retailers have been re-assessing how they count and measure in-store vs. online growth, questioning whether the distinction is even worth making—a question that poses challenges for landlords, who rely on in-store sales reporting to set rents and measure tenant health. This holiday season, retailers will look more holistically at their sales than ever before, recognizing the value that online brings to store traffic and the benefit of brick-and-mortar to online purchases.
Figure 1: Holiday Retail Sales and E-Commerce Sales
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, eMarketer.com, National Retail Federation, CBRE Research, October 2018.
Note: All growth figures refer to year-over-year. Holiday sales are defined as the sum of the November and December period.
Driving Down Delivery Costs: Retail Gets BOSSy
Many retailers have successfully established their buy-online/pickup-in-store strategy (BOPS). For example, Zara reports that nearly one-third of its online orders are picked up in-store, while Home Depot reports in-store pickups for 47% of its online orders.
This holiday season, many retailers are utilizing a more advanced concept—buy-online/ship-to-store (BOSS). This advanced program entails shipping items to stores that are not regularly stocked there. Retailers such as Macy's, Michaels and Kohl's have announced BOSS programs. Kohl's is currently rolling out this more robust program in 20 stores, with expectations to expand it into all of its stores within the next few months. Meanwhile, craft retailer Michaels foresees its BOPS and BOSS programs accounting for almost half of its online sales this holiday season. Since the rise of e-commerce, delivery to customers' doorsteps has been costly and complex.
With the newly advanced BOSS program that entices shoppers to retrieve items from the store, retailers can both forego delivery costs and offer more inventory without having to stock it at the store. Kohl's found that in addition to saving money on delivery costs, the company generates 20% to 25% in additional in-store "attachment sales" from its BOPS and BOSS programs. In response, this holiday season, Kohls is incentivizing shoppers to pick up their online orders in-store by offering $5 in "Kohl's Cash" through an initiative called "Smart Cart."
With the rise of omnichannel shopping—a trend highlighted in CBRE's Definitive Guide to Omnichannel Real Estate—retailers should expect this holiday shopping season to be more interconnected than ever. As a result, many retailers likely will utilize both the BOPS and BOSS programs to lower delivery costs and increase in-store attachment sales, while ultimately providing a seamless in-store customer experience.
A New Approach to Loyalty: Rewards Get Exclusive & Experiential
Additionally, with so many options, consumers expect to be rewarded for their brand loyalty. Discount programs that were a major strategy of retailers to attract customers are beginning to give way to experiential rewards. As a result, retailers will roll out new and revamped loyalty programs this holiday season. Major chains such as Macy's, Kohl's, Target, Sephora, Nordstrom and Victoria's Secret have already upgraded their loyalty programs to include experiential offerings. For example, the platinum tier of Macy's program gets VIP access to New York City's Fourth of July fireworks show and exclusive cooking classes from famous chefs, while Sephora offers its most loyal members exclusive access to meetings with brand founders and trips to New York Fashion Week. This trend was outlined in CBRE's recent The Future of Retail 2030 report, which predicted that "members clubs" will play an important role in fulfilling customers' increased expectations for loyalty rewards. Further validation of this trend is Nordstrom's recently announced "Nordy Club," which offers customers personalized and enhanced services and experiences, including exclusive access to products and events. The most loyal customers who spend more than $5,000 a year will be rewarded with priority access to style events and services.
With this year's holiday season being the longest in six years, holiday sales should well exceed last year's $692 billion,1 and retailers will compete harder than ever before to retain customers through new and revamped loyalty programs.
New Category Opportunities: The Amazing Race for Toy Share
Though most holiday retail forecasts only address the overall retail sector, CBRE Research can make some predictions around category growth based on annual prognoses. Figure 2 shows a sampling of full-year 2018 forecast growth for key consumer goods categories, which likely will be reflected in holiday sales performance.
Source: Forrester Research, 2018.
Most interesting is the projected annual growth in the toys category—a segment that has become a battleground for market share following Toys "R" Us' January bankruptcy filing. Forrester Research forecasts nearly 4% growth in the toys category this year, placing it above the total retail sales average and as one of the top-growth segments.
Figure 3: Toys by the Numbers
Source: Forrester, U.S. Census Bureau, eMarketer.com, CBRE Research, October 2018.
Note: figures based on a combination of company sources, third-party research and calculated estimates; the holiday period is defined as the sum of November and December.
*Based on latest available figures; TTM Q4 2016 to Q3 2017.
Toys "R" Us' closure puts an estimated $1.3 billion dollars—nearly 5% of the overall toy market—up for grabs. Although the company's lenders recently announced potential plans to salvage the brand and its stores under a new name, that resurrection would not happen until after the holiday season. Consequently, several major chains are vying for this share this holiday season, when an estimated 30% or $8.2 billion of toy revenue is made. The few national toy chains left to compete—large mixed-merchandise retail chains—are sensing an opportunity. Kohl's, BJ's Wholesale Club, Target and Walmart have all announced plans to expand their toy offering for the holidays in hopes of capturing toy spend.
The segment has also attracted the attention of specialty retail chains like Michaels, Party City, Barnes & Noble and Ace Hardware, each of which has announced toy department expansions.
The Toys "R" Us bankruptcy is also expected to bolster the revival of iconic toy retailer FAO Schwarz, which announced the reopening its Manhattan flagship in November along with shop-within-a-shop locations at several department stores. KB Toys also has announced plans to open 1,000 holiday pop-up stores under new owner Strategic Marks.
As retailers compete to capture the category sales vacuum left by Toys "R" Us' demise, online will be an important key to growth. E-commerce penetration in the toy category is forecast to reach 35.3% in 2018, with online toy sales up 19% year-over-year. Success in the segment will likely require both investment in omnichannel options and a focus on experiential brick-and-mortar concepts, both of which likely will be seen in force over the 2018 holiday season.
For More Information Please Contact
CBRE Research
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July 8, 2016
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- Description
DetailsHeritage Sandringham 55mm spindle / baluster manufactured in quality white oak. Designed for both over-the-post (continuous) and post-to-post handrail systems. For use with Sandringham baserails and handrails. Over-the-post, post-to-post and volute newels also available in this range.
- Heritage 55mm spindle
- Length: 900mm
- Pack qty 1
- Over the Post and Post to Post
- 4 week lead time on Heritage (this excludes Heritage 95mm Newel /46mm Spindle ranges. These have a 2-3 day delivery)


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So much cuter than my black wallies. And it's Target. I'm hopelessly addicted to anything Target - especially when it's something like rain boots decorated with cosmetics. For real.
Cosmetics Rainboots - Purple
MAC Blue Storm Collection Nail Enamel
I'm surprised to see that blue nailpolish is going to be back this fall, but if MAC says it is so, then it is. These are the two limited edition colors from their upcoming collection "Blue Storm", due in stores 8/23. I like them, although I also like my Rimmel Underground blue as well. I'm inspired to paint my nails blue today.
Very Michael Kors
My obsession with all things Michael Kors is well known. So, imagine my surprise when BellaSugar informed me today that MK was releasing a new perfume: Very Michael Kors. It features notes of Provence tuberose, citrus fruits, black plum, Chinese osmanthus and sugar cane. I love the tuberose scent of the originial Michael Kors, but this seems like it might add an element of the exotic to the sweet nature of the original. I can't wait to try it. I've been needing an excuse to visit the MK store in Williamsburg anyway.
Pantone Fall Fashion Color Report
Styledash brought my attention to Pantone's release of their annual Fall Fashion Color Report. Perhaps it's just my graphic designer past, but I love Pantone, and their color swatch reports have always been quite inspirational. Here are the color descriptions:
* Carafe, is a deep espresso brown.
* Burnt Ochre, a nice earthy autumn orange.
* Chili Pepper, puts a little fire in your wardrobe.
* Stargazer, takes the turquoise from the summer and intensifies it.
* Shale Green, is a green that pretty much anyone can wear. It takes what could be murky and gross and infuses a touch of blue/green in it.
* Dusk, is a dusty shade of gray that is kicked up with a touch of blue.
* Green Moss, looks just how it sounds.
* Lemon Curry, walk on the exotic side and take summer's favorite shade of yellow into new territories.
* Cashmere Rose, this color is so soft, romantic, and delicious you will want all of your fall dresses in this shade.
* Purple Wine, much softer and easier to wear than a harsh red wine color.
I'm loving the Purple Wine and Shale Green.
Coco Bustier by Escante
I adore the unusual brown and green combination. It's a nice change from your typical trashy black. I would be so tempted to wear this with pants and a jacket.
The Starbucks Oracle
Yeah, I know. I have no good excuses, so I'm not even going to insult anyone's intelligence. In the meantime, check out the Starbucks Oracle. It says that people who drink triple venti upside down caramel machiattos are usually strippers.
Yes! I have a future on the pole!


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Now numerous specialised journalists recognised, that the new flagship of the Clarion multimedia system series is exceptional: The prestigious European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), announces that the Clarion MAX678RVD has just been voted as European In Car A/V Head Unit 2007-2008. The specialised journalists of EISA rate the Clarion MAX678RVD as follows: "The double-DIN format solved the challenge of combining essential audio and video components within a single chassis body, and operating them with a large LCD screen. The next challenge has been achieving equally high quality in audio and video components - and Clarion has unquestionably risen to the challenge with the MAX678RVD. Audio quality is impressive from conventional CD and DVD video, thanks to a multibit D/A converter. The large LCD screen is a rare combination of high resolution, brightness, contrast and realistic colour reproduction. Excellent ergonomics and a stylish design - so hard to achieve with such confined space around the screen - make this a hands-down winner."
- 2-DIN Multimedia-Station
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- RDS and digital tuner - Ce-NET controller
- Bluetooth compatible
- iPod and iPod Video compatible
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A "CLOSED doors" planning decision by Herefordshire Council has been overturned at the High Court.
The council gave the go ahead for four giant poultry houses - each the length of a football pitch - at Penrhos, near Kington, under delegated powers without taking the application to a public committee hearing.
But in doing so, the High Court was told that the council failed to comply with several legal obligations, including requirements to consider the impact of the development on a listed building and the landscape, or to evaluate the cumulative effect of chicken shed developments across the countryside.
The council conceded a case for judicial review, accepting that it had erred in granting planning approval.
In consenting to the High Court judgement the council agreed to pay undisclosed costs.
The council used delegated powers to approve the sheds in March despite strong opposition from locals, who said that the application was in breach of the council's own policy that such buildings should be at least 400m away from homes – when the nearest homes were less than 200m away and Grade II* listed Penrhos Court just 300m away.
Objectors also raised concerns about noise, smell and traffic from the proposed development given the impact on tourism, a mainstay of the local area.
But Herefordshire Council said the application would support the activities of Cargill Meats which plans to invest £35m in upgrading its Hereford plant and has been encouraging to put up poultry units.
The council has approved around 20 sheds over the past year, the biggest of which have the potential to produce 50,000 chickens for slaughter every 42 days.
At Penrhos, each shed – or broiler unit - would have been 110m long, 20m wide and 5.2m high, with each producing 435,000 chickens each year.
An application to the High Court for Judicial Review was made by Janet Srodzinski, whose home, Penrhos House, is one of those near the sheds.
"The development would have been devastating for me, I would have been looking straight at it from my house," she said.
In accepting its error in granting approval, the council agreed to pay Mrs Srodzinski's costs.
Sarah Hanson of Marches Planning Consultancy, which represented Mrs Srodzinski, said:
"Planning laws are there to protect our landscape, our heritage and people's homes from inappropriate development.
"These poultry units are effectively industrial development and councils need to think carefully about where they should be allowed."


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by: Cheatbook
Date:1-12-2012 New Release
Licence: Freeware
Download Now
Downloads: 399
CheatBook (12/2012) - Issue December 2012 - A Cheat-Code Tracker with Hints, Tips, Tricks for several popular PC Action and Adventure Games. 387 PC Games, 8 Walkthroughs for PC and 31 Console Cheats are represented in this new version from Strategy Games, Adventure Games to Action Games. This Database represents all genres and focuses on recent releases. Games are listed alphabetically in the left-hand window. When you highlight a game, the relevant cheat is displayed in the right-hand window, with convenient buttons that let you print the selection or save any changes you've made.If you need help with the latest and greatest games, CheatBook should be a big help. If you have installed the CheatBook-DataBase 2001 v4.0 or the CheatBook-DataBase 2002 or the CheatBook-DataBase 2003/ CheatBook-DataBase 2004 or the CheatBook-DataBase 2005 or the CheatBook-DataBase 2008 or the CheatBook-DataBase 2009 or the CheatBook-DataBase 2010 or the CheatBook-DataBase 2011 or the new version CheatBook-DataBase 2012 you will be able to update your DataBase directly.
Install: Install and Uninstall
Operating systems: Win7 x32,Win7 x64,Win98,WinVista,WinXP
Publishers home page
Copyright © 2010 Lokasoft
Download Site Webmaster: http://www.lokasoft.nl/feedback.htm


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Naval Academy Graduates First Paraplegic Student
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Today 1,099 students of the U.S. Naval Academy graduated, after being honored with a keynote speech by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. As at any commencement ceremony, each diploma was received with jubilation from the newly-commissioned Navy or Marine Corps officer and their family. But one midshipman drew more thunderous applause than any other: 22-year-old Kevin Hillery.
Hillery is the first student at the Naval Academy to graduate as a paraplegic. Paralyzed from the waist down, Hillery earned a degree in economics.
He lost the use of his legs in a freak accident during a trip to the Shenandoah Valley last April. He was mountain biking with friends when a storm came in, crushing him under a falling tree.
Hillery would later tell ABC's Washington affiliate, WJLA, that the unprecedented nature of his accident left his family uncertain of his future. After grappling with the reality that he would not be able to fulfill his lifelong dream to be a Navy SEAL, his attention turned to convincing the academy to let him finish his degree.
He returned to the academy this spring.
"I think it reflects well on the Naval Academy and the Navy that they would stand by one of their own," Kevin told WJLA.
Kevin, a Vermont native, won't be continuing his career in the military, but said he is considering going to law school.


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By Chris Wright
With reports today that Montpellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa may have dodged his medical at Newcastle (UPDATE: due to bad weather it would appear!) and looks like becoming the second potential signing in a week to duck out of joining Toon at the eleventh hour to pootle off elsewhere (the first being Loic Remy), we thought we'd have a little looksie at a few other players who had last-minute changes of heart on their big day…
1. Zinedine Zidane, Blackburn Rovers: The year was 1994 and 23-year-old Zidane was making his international debut for France despite a middling season for Bordeaux. With many questioning the merits of having him in the squad, Zizou scored twice having come on as a substitute to earn Les Bleus a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic, and ears began to prick up.
In the crowd that night was one Kenny Dalglish, then-manager of Blackburn Rovers. As the reigning Premier League champions, Rovers were looking to bolster their squad using a bit of the clout brought on by their newly-gained prestige. Kenny picked out Zizou as the man he wanted and passed on his recommendation to owner Jalk Walker, who then uttered the immortal line that has haunted him ever since: "What do you want to sign him (Zidane) for? We've got Tim Sherwood".
2. Muller, Everton: Once again the year was 1994, and Everton manager Mike Walker was dangerously close to securing the signature of Brazilian international striker Muller (who was in Brazil's squads for the 1986, 1990 and 1994 World Cups, though was out-shone by La Selecao's more stellar talents) on a cut-price deal.
Everton even got as far as organising a press conference to officially announce Muller's signing before a call came in from his agent to tell Walker that his client wouldn't be joining The Toffees after all. The reason? He didn't realise that the £12,000-a-week wages Everton had offered him were 'before tax' and that the club had refused to provide him with a free house as he had specified.
3. Miguel Angulo, Arsenal: The UEFA Cup-winning Valencia midfielder had even gone so far as passing the first part of his medical with Arsenal in 2004, before backing out of the transfer at the very last minute after – as his agent put it – becoming "overcome with fear" about moving to live in London.
4. Mo Johnston, Celtic/Rangers: There was a time, around 1989, that Mo Johnston managed the impressive feat of being as welcome as chronic flatulence in a spacesuit on both sides of the Glasgow divide. The Scottish striker left Celtic in 1987 to try his luck in France with Nantes though returned home just two seasons later.
Firstly he was paraded at Celtic Park, holding a press conference to express that he fully intended on rejoining the Bhoys at the end of his Nantes contract, telling fans that "There is no other British club I could play for." Skip forward a few months and Johnston – a Catholic, no less – was signing for Graeme Souness' Rangers after they reportedly threw far more money at him.
(Image: Fondazione Genoa)
5. Gigi Meroni, Juventus: A dazzling winger who drew comparisons to George Best, Meroni was the jewel of Torino during the mid 1960s. As his star rose, it was only natural that the Old Lady down the road took notice, with Juventus submitting a bid at the end of the 1966/67 season.
The story goes that all the staff at the Fiat factory in Turin then revolted over the proposed transfer, the workers being largely working class Torino fans and the owners of the factory – the Agnelli family – also presiding over Juventus as the time.
Torino accepted Juve's bid, but due to the threat of strikes at Fiat, the Agnellis withdrew the offer from the table. It's all apocryphal, but it's a good yarn non-the-less.
Tragically, just months into the following 1967/68 season, Meroni was killed at the age of 24 after being hit by a car while crossing the street. The driver was 19-year-old ardent Torino fan Attilio Romero who idolised Meroni and had a photo of him in the car. In a bizarre quirk of fate, Romero later went on to serve as Torino president.
6. Robinho, Chelsea: Robinho was desperate to get the hell of of Dodge/Madrid over the summer of 2008 after rejecting a new contract at the Bernabeu. Chelsea were the first club to show an interest, though they decided to play a game of 'transfer window chicken' with Real Madrid – the thinking being that the Spanish club would accept any old offer in preference to being stuck with a mardy Brazilian for the next six months.
As the window wicked away, Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon said that the club were "confident" that the deal would go through, with Robinho intimating likewise. In fact, the signing was so close that Chelsea even put 'Robinho' shirts on sale in their club shop…
We think that's what's known in the trade as "counting one's chickens" because, on deadline day, Man City slapped their big hairy balls on the table and offered Robinho an even huger contract – which he signed without so much as reading the name of his new employers.
Said Robinho at his unveiling at Eastlands: "On the last day, Chelsea made a great proposal and I accepted." Cue mumbles in the audience and a word in his ear from a club PR bod, "Yeah, I meant Manchester, sorry!"
7. Ronaldinho, St Mirren: Having already agreed to move to Europe with Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2001, Ronaldinho was looking to leave Gremio early on a loan deal to help acclimatise himself to the European lifestyle. Strangely, he chose the outskirts of Glasgow as the perfect climes in which to do this.
Ronaldinho agreed to a short stint at St Mirren, though a delay in the fax network caused by his involvement in a fake passport sting meant that his international clearance wasn't released by the Brazilian FA in time for the move from Gremio to be finalised before the transfer window closed.
One of football's great 'what ifs?'
8. Johan Cruyff, Leicester City: Having bought himself out of his contract at the Washington Diplomats, 33-year-old Cruyff was intent on joining a European club in a bid to enhance his chances of making Holland's 1982 World Cup squad – the club was the old First Division's bottom side, Leicester City.
The Foxes offered Cruyff a colossal £4,000 per game which he verbally accepted, though a last-minute gazumping bid from Levante (who offered him a quarter of all gate receipts on top of his wages) as Cruyff flew into Valencia airport on his way back from The States saw Jopie opt for Spain's second division – where, it'll please Leicester fans to know, he was an unremitting failure.
9. Steven Gerrard, Chelsea: Having realised that he was never going to win the Premier League with Liverpool, Gerrard had his head turned when a £20 million offer from Chelsea was lodged for him in June of 2004 – a month after The Blues had finished runners-up behind Arsenal's Invincibles in their first year with Abramovich's countless riches at their disposal.
The following summer, with Chelsea having won the title under Jose Mourinho, another bid came in for Gerrard, this time of £32 million. Gerrard submitted a transfer request to help force a move through, but had a swift change of heart when he and his family began receiving death threats and seeing his replica shirts being burned by maniacally possessive Liverpool fans on live television.
10. Diego Maradona, Sheffield United: Outside of his homeland, the quickest off the mark in spotting Maradona's burgeoning talent in 1978 was the unlikely figure of Sheffield United manager Harry Haslam, who had singled out Diego and Argentinos Juniors teammate Alex Sabella on a scouting trip to South America.
Haslam agreed a £400,000 fee with Argentinos for Maradona, but the Sheffield board banded together and vetoed the bid as they didn't think the player was worth the money, though they did sanction Haslam to spend £160,000 on Sabella – who, in fairness, became a bit of a cult figure at Bramall Lane, but – y'know? Maradona.
Of course, there are many, many more 'nearly' transfers (Di Stefano, Shearer, Gazza, Le Tissier) that didn't quite make it to fruition for one reason or another.
Any of the Pies fans out there have any personal favourites they want to share with the group?