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This year's Olympic tennis was, in my opinion, the most prestigious in history due to the fact that it was being held at the home of tennis, Wimbledon.
Left field
Greg Rusedski blog: Murray still my tip for Sports Personality glory
With Britain's BBC Sports Personality of the Year approaching fast, it is going to be one of the most difficult years to win because of the brilliant performances of so many British athletes.
from Photographers' Blog:
Roger and out: Wimbledon 2012
By Toby Melville
After two weeks of rainy, cold and windy tennis, somehow kept on schedule courtesy of early starts, late finishes and a much used Centre Court roof, the traditional tournament highlight of the Men's Singles Final took place on Sunday.
Greg Rusedski blog: Murray will one day win a grand slam event
The second week of Wimbledon started with another massive upset. The world number 1 and a lot of people's pick to win the championship, Maria Sharapova, lost in the fourth round to Sabine Lisicki of Germany in straight sets.
Greg Rusedski blog – I can't wait for second week of Wimbledon
The first week of the Wimbledon Championships, on the men's side, ended up being one of the most exciting of all time.
Greg Rusedski blog: Tough Wimbledon in store for Murray
This year's Wimbledon draw has worked out very well for the defending champion Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who are in the top half of the draw. They should breeze through the first week.
Roddick leads movement for ATP change
By Martyn Herman
Andy Roddick on Friday insisted that tennis players must adopt "one voice" to push through changes to the ATP Tour but that may not be as easy as it seems despite the general feeling of solidarity.
Murray makes good on rankings goal with Asian hat-trick
The end of season for the top players can be a tough time because of fatigue; all their work is based around peaking for the slams. With Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer both out of action (neither have played since the last Davis cup tie) the top two seeds were Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray for the Shanghai Masters Series.
Mercury rises on Wimbledon's 'Manic Monday'
A record crowd for a Wimbledon second Monday witnessed some breathtaking tennis while finding the time to take onboard plenty of liquids as temperatures soared in London.
Djokovic becomes a Serb-Inator to really fear
Novak Djokovic's 26-match hot streak dating back to the end of last year when he helped Serbia win the Davis Cup shows no sign of cooling and even Europe's slow red dirt will hold no fears for the 23-year-old Serb this year.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Oregon coach Mike Bellotti went to the East Coast last week with a pretty full agenda. He accompanied quarterback Dennis Dixon on his award tour - even if he wasn't invited to the Heisman party - and he stopped by to say hi to former quarterback and current New York Jets starter (?) Kellen Clemens, and he visited a very prized recruit.
Bellotti visited with Terrelle Pryor, a very mobile 6-foot-6 quarterback from Jeannette, Pa., who is regarded as the best recruit in the nation. Pryor spoke with rivals.com, saying he has now added Oregon to his list and probably will take a trip to Eugene.
Suddenly, with signing day around the corner in February, the Sun Bowl has gotten a lot more important to the future of Oregon football.
If you're not familiar with The Next Big Thing in college sports (yes, basketball, too), then here's some suggested reading. You'll find a Pryor watch here. Check out the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for an occasional diary from Pryor.
And if you're the least bit skeptical of his tag of "The Next Vince Young,'' then go to the videotape.
No Dennis Dixon? What about Nathan Costa? Justin Roper? All those questions could become moot.


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Binghamton, NY -- Two Oswego County women have admitted in federal court to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney's Office said today.
Jennifer Gritton, 37, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Binghamton to felony conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Walsh said in a news release.
A Parish woman, Patricia LaFlamme, 51, and three residents of Johnson City, near Binghamton, each pleaded guilty in the past week to the same charge, according to the release.
Gritton and LaFlamme were arrested July 31 in an investigation that involved searches in the Syracuse and Binghamton areas, as well as Arizona, state police said at the time. Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine when sentenced this summer.


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One of the nice things about living in a city with minor league baseball is the occasional opportunity to play hooky.
On Monday afternoon, 5,379 of us did just that, a healthy crowd buoyed by several thousand students on a school trip, but still just a quarter of PGE Park's total capacity.
Which raises a question: Would anybody except retired guys and schoolkids notice when the Portland Beavers leave town? Because that, sports fans, is a real possibility.
City leaders and owner Merritt Paulson are working to move the Triple A franchise out of PGE Park in favor of Major League Soccer. They initially talked about putting a new ballpark where Memorial Coliseum stands. After architects and veterans objected, Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard decided to build a stadium in Lents instead.
Finding three votes will be tough. Paulson expects the public to put up more money in outer Southeast Portland than they would have in the Rose Quarter. Environmentalists will revolt if Adams and Leonard don't replace the land they want to gobble up in Lents Park. Using urban renewal money for baseball in Lents means taking money away from affordable housing.
Paulson says he's committed to making Lents work. But he's also been looking at potential backup sites in Hillsboro and Vancouver. Privately, several City Council members say that may be the best solution: Decouple the soccer and baseball debates. Let Portland leaders --and Portland taxpayers -- worry solely about soccer.
"We would love to have the Beavers, would love to be part of that conversation," said Marc Boldt, chairman of the Clark County Board of Commissioners. He's already in talks with one Portland-based team, the Western Hockey League's Winterhawks, about relocating north.
"They called when they were told they had to move out of Memorial Coliseum," he says. "We're talking to them about the county fairgrounds. It's sort of a day-by-day thing, given the uncertainty in Portland."
One certainty: The Beavers will leave PGE Park someday.
The former Civic Stadium has a quirky charm, sure, from the exposed wood overhang to the odd wind patterns that send seed pods floating everywhere to that weird location, tucked against the Multnomah Athletic Club, that on Monday led to the odd scene of a lunchtime spin class pedaling away in far right field. But it's simply too big for the national pastime.
Triple A baseball can be an awesome fan experience, as anyone who has lived and rooted in Durham, N.C., Louisville, Ky., or Sacramento can attest. In a smaller, more soulful park, watching minor league ball is akin to catching a blockbuster movie the weekend it opens in a packed theater. Watching a game at PGE Park is like catching a midweek matinee, two months after a film opened -- no communal joy.
Since buying the Beavers two years ago, Paulson and his team have added special events and in-game entertainment. Attendance is up, and the club turns a profit in its current home. But the Beavers' lease expires in 2010, and Paulson clearly itches for cozier pastures.
"People appreciate baseball here, but in a 'It's a sunny day in June, why don't we go to a game?' way. There's no real feel of urgency," he said. "The experience is always going to be capped by this facility."
Although those of us who love baseball would cry in our Cracker Jack, the world wouldn't end if the Beavers abandoned Portland for a spot across the river or several states.
After all, they left before. On Monday, the Beavers pummeled the Salt Lake City Bees 13-4. Few in the crowd remembered that 15 years ago, the last incarnation of the Beavers left Portland ... for Salt Lake City.
-- Anna Griffin; email@example.com


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Long time fireman injured in blaze
We spoke with Kevin East, Jerry Thomas' son-in-law. He told us Jerry has 2nd degree burns over about 35% of his body, mostly on the upper body area, including hands and arms. At this time it is not expected that he will have to have any skin grafts. He has been sitting in a chair and remains in good condition.
East added, the family appreciates all the concern and well wishes.
University Hospital in Columbia tells us Jerry Thomas is listed in good condition.
A long time Heartland firefighter was seriously injured in an overnight fire.
Former LaPlata Fire Chief and current LaPlata fireman Jerry Thomas was flown to a Columbia hospital for treatment of burns after a fire broke out at his residence early Thursday morning.
LaPlata Fire Chief Bob Couch told KTVO they were called to the Thomas residence in Laplata at 1:22 Thursday morning. The house was fully engulfed in flames when firemen arrived. The home is a total loss.
Couch told KTVO, Thomas was awakened by smoke; he called the fire department, and then helped both his wife, and his brother, who was visiting, get out of the house safely.
Couch said Jerry Thomas had burns on his hands and arms.
Investigators were on the scene Thursday morning trying to find a cause for the blaze.


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How Can I Become a Bus Driver?
Research what it takes to become a bus driver. Learn about education requirements, licensure, work responsibilities and salary to see if this is the right job for you. Schools offering Driver Training degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
Career Information at a Glance
Bus drivers transport groups of passengers along established routes that cross cities and towns, and in some cases, states and national borders. Some drivers operate large vehicles that seat many passengers, others drive smaller buses that carry special populations, such as school children or the elderly. Take a look at the following chart for an overview of this career.
|Education Required
|High school diploma
|1-3 months of driving and classroom training
|Licensure Required
|Commercial Driver's License, endorsements for passengers and school buses
|Job Growth (2012-2022)
|Median Salary (2013)
| $36,700 for transit and intercity bus drivers*
$28,330 for school or special client bus drivers*
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What Type of Education Do I Need to Become a Bus Driver?
In most cases, you won't need a postsecondary education to work as a bus driver. Instead, you'll likely receive your initial training through programs sponsored by your employer. You'll find that on-the-job training may last up to three months and require classroom and in-the-field training. You'll learn about topics such as driving and safety rules from the U.S. Department of Transportation, first aid and record keeping. You'll usually be able to practice your driving skills on special courses where you learn to turn, reverse and park buses.
Another requirement you'll need to have is a clean driving record. You may also have to submit and pass a background check, especially if you work for a school.
How Do I Acquire a Commercial Driver's License?
If you're a bus driver for an intercity, transit and motor coach company, you must possess a commercial driver's license (CDL) with a passenger endorsement, a designation that allows you to transport passengers. You must pass a licensing examination that covers topics such as the proper loading and unloading of passengers, the use of emergency exits and proper braking techniques.
If you want to be a school bus driver, you'll need a CDL with a school bus endorsement that covers other topics such as hazard and safety signal operations and emergency operations. You'll need to demonstrate an understanding of pertinent federal and state laws. Additionally, you must be in good physical health and have no criminal convictions involving the operation of motor vehicles. If you want to drive a bus across state lines, you must be at least age 21, according to federal law.
What Job Tasks Will I Perform?
Your responsibilities as a bus driver will vary according to the type of route you drive. If you work for a local transit agency, your duties may include picking up paying fares at bus stations and bus stops, receiving correct fares or transfer tickets, safely navigating through traffic, maintaining order amongst passengers and operating the vehicle's mechanical wheelchair lift when needed. You may also have to check your vehicle's tire pressure, windshield wipers and fuel levels at the start of your shift, or a terminal mechanic may be assigned this task.
If you work as an intercity or tour bus driver, you'll serve as a guide, interacting with your passengers and pointing out local landmarks. If you drive a school bus, you'll pick up students at designated residential bus stops and take them to and from school. You'll also transport teachers and students on field trips.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:


text:
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Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of Coinstar (Nasdaq: CSTR ) surged more than 10% in early trading on news of a potential partnership with Verizon (NYSE: VZ ) in Big Red's bid to compete with Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX ) .
So what: Multiple reports now say that Verizon wants to offer a streaming service. Having Redbox as a partner could help Big Red go after not just Netflix but also Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN ) and DISH Network (Nasdaq: DISH ) , which also offer Netflix-like on-demand offerings.
Now what: It's too early to predict how well this pairing will play with consumers, but if history is a guide, today's rally is likely to be premature. Do you agree? Would you buy shares of Coinstar at current prices? Please weigh in using the comments box below.
Interested in more information about Coinstar? Add it to your watchlist.


text: Lighthouse Baptist Academy, 381 Camp St., Jamestown, is having its annual all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and drink. The cost is $6 for adults, $4 for children between the ages of 5 and 12 and free for children under 4, with a maximum charge of $16 for a family. Proceeds will help the school trip to Williamsburg and Norfolk, Va., in the spring.


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How the government can get your digital data.
Image from Flickr via Chris Campbell
By Theodoric Meyer and Peter Maass
By arrangement with ProPublica
The government isn't allowed to wiretap American citizens without a warrant from a judge. But there are plenty of legal ways for law enforcement, from the local sheriff to the FBI to the Internal Revenue Service, to snoop on the digital trails you create every day. Authorities can often obtain your emails and texts by going to Google or AT&T with a simple subpoena that doesn't require showing probable cause of a crime. And recent revelations about classified National Security Agency surveillance programs show that the government is regularly sweeping up data on Americans' telephone calls and has the capability to access emails, files, online chats and other data—all under secret oversight by a special federal court.
The breadth of and justification for the surveillance are the subjects of ongoing debate in Washington. President Obama and others have defended the programs as necessary to identify terrorists and stop attacks before they happen, but privacy advocates and several U.S. lawmakers have questioned them.
Here's a look at what the government can get from you and the legal framework behind its power:
Phone Records—Who You Called, When You Called
Listening to your phone calls without a judge's warrant is illegal if you're a U.S. citizen. But police don't need a warrant—which requires showing "probable cause" of a crime—to get just the numbers for incoming and outgoing calls from phone carriers. Instead, police can get courts to sign off on a subpoena, which only requires that the data they're after is relevant to an investigation—a lesser standard of evidence. The FBI can also request a secret court order for phone records related to an international terrorism or spying investigation without showing probable cause. A recent order obtained by the Guardian newspaper shows that the FBI in April requested all phone records over a three-month period from Verizon Business Network Services. Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said in a statement that such orders are renewed by the court every 90 days. And similar orders reportedly exist for other phone companies, including AT&T, Sprint and Bell South. The phone records being collected are for what's called "metadata"—time, duration, numbers called—but not the content of calls, which President Obama, in defending the surveillance, said would require a judge's consent.
Police can get phone records without a warrant thanks to a 1979 Supreme Court ruling, Smith v. Maryland, which found that the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure doesn't apply to a list of phone numbers. The New York Times reported last November that New York's police department "has quietly amassed a trove" of call records by routinely issuing subpoenas for them from phones that had been reported stolen. According to the Times, the records "could conceivably be used for any investigative purpose." The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Congress expanded in 2001 when it passed the Patriot Act, also allows the FBI to apply for a FISA court order to get "any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items)." The FISA court ruled on May 24, 2006, that this provision applied to a phone company's entire call database, according to the Washington Post. (The phone companies had previously handed over the data voluntarily, the Post reported, but grew nervous after The New York Times published a story on the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program in 2005.) The court order for Verizon obtained by the Guardian—which covers all records from April 25 to July 19—is much more expansive than a typical warrant or subpoena, said Hanni Fakhoury, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It covers "telephone metadata … for communications (i) between the United States and abroad; or (ii) wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls." In a statement, Clapper's office said the government can't query the metadata it has collected unless there is a "reasonable suspicion" it is associated with a specific foreign terror group. That happened fewer than 300 times last year, the statement said, adding that the data is destroyed after five years.
Location Date—Your Phone Is a Tracker
Many cell phone carriers provide authorities with a phone's location and may charge a fee for doing so. Cell towers track where your phone is at any moment; so can the GPS features in some smartphones. The major cell carriers, including Verizon and AT&T, responded to at least 1.3 million law enforcement requests for cell phone locations, text messages and other data in 2011. Internet service providers can also provide location data that tracks users via their computer's IP address—a unique number assigned to each computer. In addition, the NSA has the authority to collect location data from phone companies, along with other "metadata," according to the statement from Clapper's office, but the agency chooses not to do so.
Many courts have ruled that police don't need a warrant from a judge to get cell phone location data. They only have to show that, under the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (EPCA), the data contains "specific and articulable facts" related to an investigation—again, a lesser standard than probable cause. Delaware, Maryland and Oklahoma have proposed laws that would require police to obtain a warrant for location data; Gov. Jerry Brown of California, a Democrat, vetoed a similar measure last September. Last year, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill championed by Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, which would have updated the ECPA but wouldn't have changed how location data was treated. Leahy and Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, have introduced a similar bill in March. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, introduced a separate bill in the House that would require a warrant for location data as well as emails.
IP Addresses—What Computers You Used
Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and other webmail providers accumulate massive amounts of data about our digital wanderings. A warrant is needed for access to some emails (see below), but not for the IP addresses of the computers used to log into your mail account or surf the Web. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, those records are kept for at least a year. The NSA also runs a program called Marina designed to sweep up Internet "metadata," or "digital network information," according to the Washington Post. Whether that includes IP addresses is unclear.
Police can thank U.S. v. Forrester, a case involving two men trying to set up a drug lab in California, for the ease of access. In the 2007 case, the government successfully argued that tracking IP addresses was no different than installing a device to track every telephone number dialed by a given phone (which is legal). Police only need a court to sign off on a subpoena certifying that the data they're after is relevant to an investigation—the same standard as for cell phone records. FISA also allows the FBI to apply for a secret court order to get "any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items)" relevant to an international terrorism or spying investigation.
Emails—Messages You Sent Months Ago
There's a double standard when it comes to email, one of the most-requested types of data. A warrant generally is needed to get recent emails, but law enforcement can obtain older ones with only a subpoena. Google says it received 16,407 requests for data—including emails sent through its Gmail service—from U.S. law enforcement in 2012. And Microsoft, with its Outlook email service, disclosed in March that it had received 11,073 requests for data last year. Other email providers, such as Yahoo, have not made similar statistics available. In January, Google said that it would lobby in favor of greater protections for email. The National Security Agency also obtains emails from companies such as Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and AOL under a program called Prism, as revealed by The Washington Post and the Guardian. Clapper has said the program does not target U.S. citizens or anyone in the country.
This is another area where the ECPA comes into play. The law gives greater protection to recent messages than to older ones, based on a 180-day cutoff. Only a subpoena is required for emails older than that; otherwise, a warrant is necessary. This extends to authorities beyond the FBI and the police. I.R.S. documents released in April by the American Civil Liberties Union suggest that the I.R.S.' Criminal Tax Division reads emails without obtaining a warrant. The ECPA update bills introduced by Leahy and Lee in the Senate and Lofgren in the House would require a warrant for the authorities to get all emails regardless of age. The Justice Department, which had objected to such a change, said in March that it doesn't any longer. Clapper has said the Prism program is legal under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which lays out how intelligence agencies may spy on non-U.S. citizens abroad. Under "limitations," the section says the surveillance "may not intentionally target a United States person reasonably believed to be located outside the United States" and "shall be conducted in a manner consistent" with the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
Email Drafts—Drafts Are Different
Communicating through draft emails, à la David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell, seems sneaky. But drafts are actually easier for investigators to get than recently sent emails because the law treats them differently. Under the NSA's Prism program, drafts presumably would be accessible along with other emails and files kept by companies such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL.
The ECPA distinguishes between communications — emails, texts, etc.—and stored electronic data. Draft emails fall into the latter, which get less protection under the law. Authorities need only a subpoena for them. The bills introduced by Leahy and Lee in the Senate and Lofgren in the House would change that by requiring a warrant to obtain email drafts. In defending the Prism program, President Obama has said it does not target email accounts of U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Messages—As With Emails, So With Texts
Investigators need only a subpoena, not a warrant, to get text messages more than 180 days old from a cell provider—the same standard as emails. Many carriers charge authorities a fee to provide texts and other information. For texts, Sprint charges $30, for example, while Verizon charges $50.
The ECPA also applies to text messages, according to the EFF's Fakhoury, which is why the rules are similar to those governing emails. But the ECPA doesn't apply when it comes to actually reading texts on someone's phone rather than getting them from a carrier. State courts have split on that issue. Ohio's Supreme Court has ruled that police need a warrant to view the contents of cell phones of people who've been arrested, including texts. But the California Supreme Court has said no warrant is needed. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 declined to clear up the matter.
Cloud Data—Documents, Photos, and Other Stuff Stored Online
Authorities typically need only a subpoena to get data from Google Drive, Dropbox, SkyDrive and other services that allow users to store data on their servers, or "in the cloud," as it's known. The NSA is also gathering "stored data" from companies like Google, according to an NSA PowerPoint briefing obtained by the Washington Post and the Guardian. Clapper has said only non-U.S. citizens abroad are targeted.
The law treats cloud data the same as draft emails—authorities don't need a warrant to get it. But files that you've shared with others—say, a collaboration using Google Docs—might require a warrant under the ECPA if it's considered "communication" rather than stored data. "That's a very hard rule to apply," says Greg Nojeim, a senior counsel with the Center for Democracy & Technology. "It actually makes no sense for the way we communicate today." If cloud data is covered by FISA—which seems likely, as the law specifically states that "documents" are included—it would let the FBI request a secret court order for data deemed relevant to international terrorism or spying investigations.
Social Media—The New Privacy Frontier
When it comes to sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the social networks' privacy policies dictate how cooperative they are in handing over users' data. Facebook says it requires a warrant from a judge to disclose a user's "messages, photos, videos, wall posts, and location information." But it will supply basic information, such as a user's email address or the IP addresses of the computers from which someone recently accessed an account, under a subpoena. Twitter has reported that it received 1,494 requests for user information from U.S. authorities in 2012. The company says it received 60 percent of requests in the second half of 2012 through subpoenas, 11 percent through other court others, 19 percent through search warrants and 10 percent through other means. Twitter says that "non-public information about Twitter users is not released except as lawfully required by appropriate legal process such as a subpoena, court order, or other valid legal process." The NSA is also gathering data from social media from companies such as Facebook, YouTube and Paltalk as part of its Prism program, according to the NSA PowerPoint briefing. Clapper has said only non-U.S. citizens abroad are targeted.
Courts haven't issued a definitive ruling on social media. In September, a Manhattan Criminal Court judge upheld a prosecutor's subpoena for information from Twitter about an Occupy Wall Street protester arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge in 2011. It was the first time a judge had allowed prosecutors to use a subpoena to get information from Twitter rather than forcing them to get a warrant; the case is ongoing.
Peter Maass is the author of Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War, which chronicled his experiences covering the war in Bosnia, and Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil (Vintage), about the ways oil shapes the world. Maass has written in-depth magazine stories about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker and other publications.
Theodoric Meyer is an intern at ProPublica. He was previously an intern at The New York Times and The Seattle Times and has written about everything from triceratops to the data centers Google and Facebook operate in rural Oregon.


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The New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund) in January closed $850 million of real estate and private equity transactions, according to a monthly transaction report State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released today.
The Fund closed one real estate transaction worth $300 million and three private equity transactions totaling $550 million. No placement agents or intermediaries were used in the transactions.
DiNapoli publishes monthly transaction reports that detail the nature, size, and parties of Fund investments. The report also indicates whether a third-party agent or intermediary was used in obtaining the Fund investment. This effort is part of DiNapoli's ongoing commitment to increase transparency and openness in the operations of the pension fund. Monthly reports dating back to February 2007 are also available online.
Click here for a copy of the January 2009 transaction report.
Click here to access the monthly transaction report archive.


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The seaside streets of Langley brimmed with light, laughter, art and music this weekend during the 39th annual Choochokam Music and Arts Festival.
Choochokam, or a gathering of stars, appeared to live up to its name this year as thousands of attendees filled the town with a jubilant ruckus.
Art and craft vendors lined the roads selling wares ranging from glimmering accessories to vibrant paintings, Mehndi body art, handblown glass and more. Shop owners and artists chatted with customers composed of friends old and new, neighbors and visitors from Everett to the East Coast.
The scents of a savory smorgasbord of foods wafted from the edge of the festival area where restaurateurs served up a variety of delights from falafel to pulled pork, pad Thai and shaved ice.
To combat any concern that the warm weather might damper anyone's enjoyment, South Whidbey Fire/EMS set up a spray-pole near the food vendors and nonprofit area, which doused attendees with a spritz of cool water.
In the Kids' Zone, members of the Whidbey Children's Theater and Northwest Language Academy entertained younger crowds with activities such as face-painting and stage performances.
From Langley Park to the coastline, attendees could hear the beat of a drum or the strumming of a bass as musicians performed on one of the three stages.
Saturday's musical festivities began with the electro-grooves of Budapest West on the main stage at 10 a.m. and continued until 10 p.m. when festival goers disbanded — or re-congregated at the pub — following the crowd-favorite Saturday night street dance, which featured more original songs from bands 20 Riverside, Letters from Traffic and the Ben Rice Blues Band.
Traditional African percussion from Whidbey Islanders Dana Moffett and Sarungano & Friends kicked things off with marimba from the main stage Sunday, preceded by Seattle jazz group Rik Wright's Fundamental Forces at the Useless Bay Coffee Company stage. These acts were followed by a bevy of others, like Bellingham folk band Br'er Rabbit and country rockers The Druthers, who serenaded the streets until the festival's conclusion at 5 p.m.
Kelly Copenhaver, a Choochokam Arts Foundation volunteer and South Whidbey resident, sold souvenir posters and T-shirts from the non-profit booth located in the US Bank parking lot Sunday afternoon. According to Copenhaver, sales, like the spirits of her fellow festival-goers, were high.
"We've only lived here for three years, but it's everybody's favorite weekend," she said.
Copenhaver added that, despite a blown-out knee, the street dance remains her favorite part of the festival.
"Jumping on concrete is probably not the best decision," she said with a laugh.
The dancing didn't end with the dimming of Saturday's festival lighting, and by Sunday morning kids and adults from the Good Cheer Thrift Store to Useless Bay Coffee Company were back to tap their toes and sway their hips in time.
Robert Keene and his son came from Burlington to sell their handmade sterling silver, gold, copper and bronze jewelry. They have been coming to Choochokam off and on for 12 years, returning for the idyllic location and lively festival aura as much as for the solid customer base.
"It's a beautiful place," Robert Keene said.
For next year's 40th festival, organizers intend to turn up the volume and incorporate even more musical acts. Information related to sign-up and volunteer opportunities for Choochokam 2015 can be found online at choochokamarts.org, by emailing email@example.com or by calling 360-322-4822.
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All rights reserved.
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text:
Hollywood, Emma, Egdell, Valerie and McQuaid, Ronald W (2012) Supporting disadvantaged young people to make the transition from worklessness to employment. In: ESPAnet Conference, 6-8 September 2012, Edinburgh. (Unpublished)Full text not available from this repository.
|Item Type:
|Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
|Uncontrolled Keywords:
|Youth employment; unemployment; labour markets;
|University Divisions/Research Centres:
|Edinburgh Napier University, Employment Research Institute
|Dewey Decimal Subjects:
|300 Social sciences > 330 Economics > 331 Labor economics
|Library of Congress Subjects:
|H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
|Item ID:
|Depositing User:
|Dr Valerie Egdell
|Date Deposited:
|28 Sep 2012 14:31
|Last Modified:
|05 Jan 2015 12:08
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text:
Get a Job, DUDE!
This has been quite a busy month for ex-Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) [possibly the busiest he's been in two years?] On February 5, 2013, Walsh tweeted his intention to kick off the GOP version of Clash of the Titans:
He was, of course, referring to the launch of the Conservative Victory Project, a new initiative by the Karl Rove-linked super PAC American Crossroads to prevent TEA Party yahoos from blowing elections that the Rove-backed establishment yahoos could blow for themselves.
Meanwhile, Walsh has been firing off public teasers, responding to the [alleged] clamor from his constituents that he run for the US Senate, or maybe for Governor of Illinois, whatever. Walsh also has a brand new Facebook and Twitter presence—Walsh Freedom—to keep his fan club informed of his "next moves."
And, while he was busy "filing papers" for his new PAC, I guess he decided to clear up any other legal loose ends and "filed papers" to terminate his famous child support arrangement because . . . NO JOB!
According to Walsh's court filing:
Joe's employment has been terminated through no voluntary act of his own and he is without sufficient income or assets with which to continue to pay his support obligation. Due to a substantial change in circumstances, Joe requests that his child support obligation be terminated based on his present income and circumstances.
Now wait just a gol-dern minute there, I would argue that "Joe's employment has been terminated" by the voters of his district because Joe "voluntarily" made a flaming asshat of himself at every possible opportunity such that, at their earliest convenience, they fired him.
Walsh's lawyer, Janet Boyle said:
Nobody's saying he's not going to pay anything," Boyle said. "All we are saying is that Mr. Walsh's circumstances have changed and he, like every other father in the state, is entitled to seek a modification ... If he doesn't make any more money for the next four months, why would he continue paying $2,134?
We take your point, Ms Boyle, but, like every other father in the state, he's also bound by his prior order until the court grants a modification.
Walsh's ex-wife's attorney said:
. . . that the former congressman is behind on child support payments that were dictated under a previous court order and that Walsh's ex-wife was taken by surprise by a Feb. 1 court filing that asks "to terminate child support obligation," saying Walsh "is without sufficient income or assets with which to continue to pay his support obligation."
This is the first communication we've received from the congressman; she had no information prior to receiving this filing in the mail that he was going to seek," said Jack Coladarci, an attorney for Walsh's ex-wife. "He did not pay January and he has not paid February support… You still have to keep paying until the judge says you can stop.
To be fair, Walsh had a three-months heads up on his January unemployment and might have planned accordingly.
This may all seem a little deja vu-ish because it is. Oddly enough, Joe Walsh filed a similar action in 2011 [when he commenced sucking on the government teat] complaining that a US Representative's six-figure salary was just too paltry for anyone to reasonably expect him to pay child support. [An unusual statement for someone whose financial disclosures showed him making between $30 - $40K—in a good year.]
For a guy with five kids, Walsh seems to take a pretty cavalier approach to providing for them. A glance at his resume shows a—shall we say—varied work experience.
1985 BA in English from University of Iowa
Mid 1980's Embarked on acting career, attending Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute in New York City and Los Angeles
1991 Back to school MPP from University of Chicago
A number of jobs described as social work by New York Times
Taught American History at Oakton Community College
Gig at Heartland Institute - a Libertarian Free Market think tank
Consultant for United Republican Fund—a PAC dedicated to getting Republicans elected to Illinois State government
Venture Capitalist at Ravenswood Advisors—a Chicago boutique investment bank
US Representative
When Walsh entered Congress he was fond of pointing out that he was proud to be the poorest member of the incoming freshman. That's something of an understatement, since his net worth, as calculated by the Center for Responsive Politics was a negative $317,498.
When Walsh's wife saw him loaning $35K to his campaign while he was behind in child support, she squealed [who wouldn't].
Here's a report on the 2011 court filing from the Chicago Sun-Times:
Walsh now claims he didn't pay $117,000 in back child support payments that he owes, because he and his wife reached a "verbal agreement" that he would stop sending money because he had none (after being elected to a six-figure salaried job in Congress).
In a court filing in December, 2011, a month after [Joe Walsh] was elected, [ex-wife Laura Walsh] said he stopped paying child support because, he told her, he didn't have any money.
The congressman, in a court filing Thursday, says he wasn't making much money, his ex-wife was making good money, and their kids were spending more time with him than with her.
As a result, he could have gone to court and sought a modification of his child-support obligations, though he didn't take that official step, his attorney said in the court filing.
"He reasonably relied on Laura's representations and conduct, to his detriment," the court filing says.
Walsh said he and his wife decided not to formalize their "verbal agreement" in court because "Joe and his former wife were both tired of court appearances and the resulting emotional and financial impact on the family. Neither party had the financial or emotional wherewithal to continue the battle."
Laura Walsh's attorney denied that.
Ah yes, the old "verbal agreement" with the higher-earning wife defense . . .
So the Walsh's wrangled and wrangled, a judge rebuked Walsh for not showing up at a hearing, and the media explored the irony of an Obama-bashing fiscal conservative deficit hawk being a "Deadbeat Dad." Finally, the Walsh's came to a settlement, child support payments started to flow out of Congressman Walsh's paychecks and, in a joint statement, the Walsh's whited-out the Deadbeat Dad tag and restored the Congressman's sterling reputation.
Walsh, who acknowledges he has "a few isolated dings like a lot of people do," says it's not a pattern.
Walsh's "few dings" include almost $30K in tax liens going back to 1992, a 2009 foreclosure and having his wages garnished for back child support.
In an interview last spring shortly after news of the foreclosure broke, Walsh pointed out that financial problems should have no effect on a candidate's eligibility. But, perhaps, a lifetime record of financial mismanagement should . . .
Silver Lining: there's a chance that Walsh's money problems will soon be over because a) his youngest child turns 18 in May and b) he plans to sue the Chicago Sun-Times for having a vendetta against him:
The story stated and implied that I did not want to make child support payments and was behind on payments. Both statements are false. I have never shirked my financial responsibility for my children. … The Sun Times has had a vendetta against me since I was first elected. I will no longer take it. I have had to live with the "deadbeat dad" label, even though the original case against me was dropped one year ago, and my ex-wife acknowledged that I have always been a loving and supportive father.
Well, Joe, I don't find it so unreasonable that a public court filing "to terminate child support payments" might be construed as "not want[ing] to make child support payments." And, yes, the original case was "dropped" because you and your ex came to a settlement that resulted in the withdrawal of $2K/month from your paycheck. And yes your "ex-wife acknowledged that [you] have always been a loving and supportive father" [just in time for a re-election campaign].
And perhaps it's not really a "vendetta" when the media reports on the asshat, teabagger, publicity-hound sound bytes you produced—word for word.
Good luck with the lawsuit, Joe. And here's hoping that no one is ever foolish enough to elect you to public office again.
Posted by Bette Noir on 02/12/13 at 04:49 PM • Permalink
Categories: Politics • Nutters • Teabaggery •


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The Mercury had a 'police' article with a humourous slant. Matt Davis, a displaced (misplaced?) Londoner, wrote about his 11 week stint at the Citizen Police Academy.
I am not sure the Police Department would proudly point Mr. Davis out in any graduation photo (there was one wasn't there?), but the article is well worth the read.
As a writer - there is a tendency to be viewed as either 'for' or 'against.' Somehow - to criticize automatically aligns one with the 'against' crowd. That one might want something better is dismissed as being opinionated.
Arguably, Mr. Davis started to see the other side. E.g., he states: "But it did change my perception of what it's like for a cop to walk into every call, virtually blind to the dangers lurking within."
He also recognizes some of the other problems not recognized by the everyday citizen: "Add to that the risk of occasionally being shot at, lousy training facilities, and a city government that doesn't exactly prioritize funding for your bureau, and you've got zero fun on your hands."
Some might even believe that Mr. Davis has been brainwashed. "Obviously, it's a natural tendency, once you get immersed in something, to start seeing things from their perspective," Handelman said. "And I think that's what happened when you hung out with [the cops]."
Mr. Handelman is known from the website and organization Copwatch. But, his view while popular among many is unproductive because it is a 'them or us' attitude. To be against the police because they are the police is nonsense.
Bottom line - the Mercury article is a balance view. Mr. Davis - even though coming to understand the everyday problems of being a police officer - doesn't let the department off the hook.
Humour can be informative.


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THE RECIPE: Whole Baked Fish in Sea Salt
If you've got a hankering for something visually impressive this is the dish for you.
I'd never baked anything in salt before so I was practically giddy with excitement when I got this assignment.
Listen, if you're in a hurry I'll just tell you my bottom line: looks great, tastes fine.
My fish was bland. When I told a friend that she said, "Sometimes I'm in the mood for bland." And I said, "To each, her own." I used a two and a half pound line-caught Canadian Whitefish, which is, I discovered, not the world's most flavorful fish. Next time I use this recipe, and there will be a next time, I'm going to use a salmon.
This is a simple dish to prepare. I cut a leek and a lemon and toasted some spices. Then things got ground and everything goes inside the fish. I should mention that I didn't have coriander seeds, only the powder. I did the best I could "toasting" the spices, even though a third of them were already ground. I discovered, too late to buy a new baking dish or get a smaller fish, that the fish was too long for anything other than a cookie sheet. Not that that was a problem in the least. I mixed the egg white and slat mixture and then did everything on the cookie sheet.
There's a very helpful video on the website about this dish. I'd recommend watching it if you are feeling nervous about making the salt crust—I watched it twice just to make sure I didn't miss anything.
After you mound the salt under and around the fish you put it in the oven for 30 minutes. I made garlic fries in my convection counter top oven (my Christmas gift from my boyfriend, thank you Dan) and a watercress salad. The fish was done and fragrant after 30 minutes and I took it out of the oven to cool for 10.
Then it was time to WHACK it with a knife. I was especially looking forward to this and was worried that my crust wouldn't have gotten hard. This is probably due to pie crust trauma, I'm now braced for failure every time a crust is involved. I felt the salt (with a clean finger) and it seemed hard. I then raised the back of my knife, and THWACK, it broke! I cleared away the salt, even using a pastry brush as suggested (a housewarming from my cousin, thank you Meegan) and then attempted the de-boning technique I learned from another video on the site. That went . . . ok. Not perfect.
Again, the fish was tasty but disappointingly flavored. The leek, lemon, spice stuffing didn't infuse the flesh as much as I had hoped for. But we still enjoyed it very much. And took a lot of pictures.
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To make a race issue out of the Lance Armstrong debate is absurd. This is about a man being stripped of winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times, the most grueling athletic competition in the world. I suspect today's technology detects what yesterday's could not, seeing that blood samples are kept for years for later testing. I believe he deserves his day in court and no agency should have the authority to strip him of his honor.
Pete Rose didn't get excused
White athletes are not all excused. Does the name Pete Rose come to mind?
The daily Sound Off column comes from calls to the Press-Register's 1-800-568-4123 Sports Sound Off line, where readers can speak theirs minds on anything they wish. Because of the large number of calls received, not all are published.


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Chaz Jankel [2002]
- 2496 reads
Chaz Jankel [2002]
Chaz Jankel made his name as Ian Dury's collaborator and founder member of backing band, The Blockheads. As a solo artist, he's most well known on the dance scene for co-writing 'Ai No Corrida', which was covered by Quincy Jones, and 'Glad To Know You' and '3,000,000 Synths', both big underground dance hits in the USA. Keen to know just where the title 'Rêve De Chèvre' comes from, we trapped him in his North London lair…
What's your earliest memory of music?
Lonnie Donegan. I was about 6 or 7 years old. I saw him on a record cover or magazine holding an acoustic guitar and I thought, 'wow that looks good, I like the look of that'. Somehow I managed to get my parents to buy me a Spanish guitar. I seem to remember my first teacher was a Spanish lady who spoke no English. It was a little tricky.
Did you come from musical family?
No, but later on, my cousin married Joe Loss's daughter and then that was the first musician who entered the family, which was handy because he was very encouraging every time he came over to us at a family occasion. Told my dad to encourage me. I started playing guitar when I was 7, well a few months later I got into piano. I've been playing both instruments since.
Was one easier that the other?
They both offer something slightly different. I hope I have a natural aptitude for both. With guitar, I tend to get more into the funk, Latin blues, that sort of area. With piano, I'm more sort of harmonically based these days, trying to extend my knowledge of harmony. Currently. I've been putting a jazz quartet together. So I've gone back to late 50s, early 60s style of Blue Note.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Probably Cliff Richard and the Shadows. But when I was about 14, I heard a Lee Dorsey record called 'Get Out Of My Life Woman' and it had the most fantastic drums in it. It's what people would think of as a hip hop rhythm now - bum-bop-de-bum-bum-bop - the whole thing started with this rhythm. I thought, that is it. So I started tuning into R&B from there and that lead onto me discovering Sly & The Family Stone. They were my heroes, that band. I think I brought that influence into the Blockheads. When I met Ian, I was heavily into Afro-American music.
Were you a record buyer or just a musician?
As far as my budget allowed I bought records, but I wasn't an anorak. There were certain records that I heard that I just had to have. I'd go to record stores and thumb through the latest US imports. I'd buy things like Isley Brothers, Staples Singers, anything with a funky bassline, War.
What did you do when you left school?
I went to St. Martin's Art School, but at the same time, I'd started to play with a band outside of college called Byzantium.
What style of music did Byzantium play?
Folk-rock, which was becoming a bit of a bone of contention, really. I was much more into soul. I remember one gig… I was convinced I was a soul brother. I had this outfit hand-made in a little boutique off Carnaby Street. It was sleeveless with white satin flares and red satin inserts.
You were a one-man O'Jays!
Yeah! It would have been fine if we were all into that kit, but the rest of the band were wearing jeans and had long hair. I looked as if I'd lost my band. I clearly remember doing a gig at Dingwalls and I felt great, but every time I looked across I thought, 'Oh no, this doesn't look right at all'.
How did the rest of the band feel about your sudden conversion into an O'Jay?
Slightly perplexed, really. Eventually, we parted ways.
How did you come across Ian?
Through an ad in a piano shop. The guitar player from Ian & The Kilburns went into the shop and said their keyboard player had just left. So I got a call saying they were playing at the Nashville. I went down there and watched in awe as they played their set. It was more like a circus than music. Cabaret, but very dark cabaret. Ian was wearing a Tommy Cooper fez, the guitarist looked like Frank Zappa. It was very offbeat. I was hypnotised. After it was over, I walked like a zombie towards the stage and followed the band to where they'd gone. They're all sweating from having finished playing and there was one person facing the door: Ian. He saw me coming and said, "'Ere mate, do I know you? Well fack off then!" And I stood there like a rabbit dazzled by headlights. Then I backed off and the guitar player said, "You're not Chaz Jankel are you? Oh, sorry about that." Anyway, I got the gig.
When did they go from Ian & The Kilburns to Ian Dury & The Blockheads?
Well we kept the band together foe about three or four months doing the pub circuit as Ian & The Kilburns, but I felt there was something ambitionless about the group. Ian was ready for a change. One day, I whispered into his ear: how about disbanding the group, or why don't we write some songs and he said, yeah, that's a great idea. So we knocked the band on the head and started writing. We originally wrote in his flat in the Oval. We did 'Sex And Drugs And Rock'N'Roll' there. Then we started to assemble New Boots And Panties.
Did you have a deal?
No, but Ian's manager was in the same building as Stiff Records. He went round to the majors and no-one was interested but Stiff said they'd put it out. Then they asked us to tour so we asked Charley Charles and Norman Watt-Roy and they said yes, but only if they could bring the rest of their band, because they'd been playing for Loving Awareness. The other members of the band were Micky Gallagher and Johnny Tunbull, so they came and then Ian brought in Davey Payne who played sax in Kilburn & The High Roads.
The difference between the first and second albums was astounding. What happened?
I think Ian became more open to the musicians' musical influences. Before that, he came in with his love of Gene Vincent and Chuck Berry and I brought in my hard funk edge with things like 'Wake Up And Make Love'.
You know, the keyboards were very spacey and that style of music really stood out among the rest of punk and new wave music of the time. It was really musical.
Well, I think the same's true today. I don't think many English bands draw from Afro-American music. The only person I can think of is Jamiroquai on a band level. Ian had had the whole of his life to write New Boots And Panties and it got to the next album and there was pressure on us to write another and he didn't have many lyrics. So I would suggest little musical ideas to him. 'Inbetweenies' was one of the first ones. It was quite unique on a technical level because Ian had to sing on the 2nd beat of the bar, which was anathema to him, because what it meant was the music coming first and him fitting in on the landscape that had already been plotted. He eventually came round to it and we sang the song for many years. But I don't think Ian was entirely happy with this.
When you made the first solo album, Chaz Jankel, you were still in the Blockheads weren't you? How did that come about?
One night in 1979 we played in Amsterdam and after the gig we went back to the Hotel American and we'd acquired some rather attractive female company to accompany us back.
To discuss music, of course.
And poetry. Suddenly I'm in my hotel room with this beautiful Dutch model. Everything astrologically was happening for me that night, I can tell you. Next thing I know, this melody pops into my head, but I realised that the melody wasn't suitable for the Blockheads. I gave a cassette with the melody on to Kenny Young, who'd co-written 'Under The Boardwalk'. Anyway, he calls me from MIDEM. 'Chaz, I've got this great idea for your melody: "Ai No Corrida, that's where I am…"' I had no idea what he was talking about. So he told me all about this movie by Oshima, In The Realm Of The Senses (the Japanese name was Ai No Corrida). It was a true story about a geisha who fell in love with the madame's husband but because of the class system there was no chance they could have a relationship.
In their sexual encounters, the woman would strangle the chap to the point where he nearly passed out. One day, in their depression at the fate of their relationship she kept pulling on the knot and he died. She was so distressed, she cut off his meat'n'two veg and put it in her pocket. She was wondering the streets, completely off her head and got locked up and stayed incarcerated for about 30 years. She became a feminist icon and when she came out in the 70s Oshima made a movie about her. Funnily enough, I was in Spain around the time it came out doing a promo and a photographer puts his arm round me and says, "Chaz! I love bullfights too" and I'm like, "what?" And it turns out that Ai No Corrida means No More Bullfights in Spanish.
After going solo, you re-joined Ian to make Lord Upminster. How did that happen?
Chris Blackwell, head of Island, thought it would be a good idea for him to work with Sly & Robbie and Ian took me along as co-writer, though we didn't actually have any material prepared. We had a couple of days before the session started to work on material and the first song he sung me was 'Spasticus Autisticus'. I just put a guitar riff with it. The problem was it was all done hastily and I don't think that record's produced very well. Although 'Spasticus Autisticus' stayed in our set and ended up as one of Ian's favourite songs.
What was the inspiration for '3,000,000 Synths'?
I was just playing around with synths at the time, Oberheim synthesisers, and I just followed my instinct on that. There was no real plan. There were a lot of synths that ended up on that track.
But not 3,000,000, though, surely!
Not 3,000,000. We needed a bar count all the way through, just so we'd know where we were in the song, so Phillip [Bagenall] counted 'one, two…' I thought it was quite Kraftwerky to leave the counting in so we left it. So it was the counting and number along with the synths that gave us the title. I've always been heavy into the groove and it was based on a fat groove. And then we played about with the synths on top.
Did you realise it was big in clubs at the time?
I knew 'Glad To Know You' was big. Going back to Lord Upminster. I was in the Bahamas and Sly Dunbar had Music Week and he says, "Hey Chaz, there's a song of yours in the dance charts." And 'Glad To Know You' had gone in the dance charts. It got to number one and stayed there for 9 weeks. I flew to New York and went to Studio 54 and hung out with the DJs. It was a good time. I knew that 'Questionnaire' and '3,000,000 Synths' were also on the 12-inch, but I never actually heard them play '3,000,000 Synths'. 'Glad To Know You' I heard a lot, but not that.
When did you go to Studio 54?
It must have been after 'Glad to Know You' had been released as a 12-inch in America, which must have been about 83 or 84. I was given an award, Dance Artist of the Year, by Music Week. It's that phallic looking thing over there [points at penis-shaped award]
OK. 'Rêve De Chèvre'. What about that, then?
We used bizarre titles for our records and I'm desperately trying to remember which one that was!
It sounds like an odd proto-house record with dubby piano.
Ah, it was a remix of 'Questionnaire' with all of the music taken out and the percussion left in.
What was the inspiration for these tracks, because they're very odd, especially since they're nestling between more pop-oriented things.
I suppose I was trying to make my records accessible, but when it cam to doing the 12-inch or a B-side, the pressure was off, so you could let your hair down a little and have fun. I think my stuff was always quite soulful based. Ian would co-write with me, he co-wrote 'Glad To Know You'. There was a song called 'Boy' which, apparently was a rare groove record. I was working with this woman called DJ Elaine at the time about 15 years ago and she told me.
What about making modern dance records, does that appeal to you?
Yeah, it does. I'd really like to put together a heavy duty R&B thing together and I might rope in some of the Blockheads for that. I'm also working with a really good songwriter called Alex Watson. You know since Ian's passed away, I've got myself a publishing deal with Famous Music and they put me in contact with another writer and she writes great lyrics and she's a brilliant singer. She wants to make her own record now. We're co-writing for other artists and for her album. She's also in another band called Iron Eye, who are about to put out their first record. So I'm very energised on the dance tip. It won't be house. I'm more into mid-tempo grooves and R&B.
© Bill Brewster
Originally published in Faith, 2002
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A mysterious spacecraft touches down across the globe, Amy Adams is on the hunt.
Watch Trailer →
The intergalactic misfits are coming back to theaters in 2017.
Read News →
'Man Seeking Woman' creator Simon Rich will write the script focusing on Wonka pre-Charlie adventures.
More Info →
A race against the clock to hunt down the bombers before they strike again.
Follows five ordinary teens who must become something extraordinary to take on alien threat.
Source: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/NowNLater/
With Inferno in theaters this weekend, which Robert Langdon movie did you enjoy more?
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AMHERST - His Football Bowl Subdivision program has been beaten on the field and at times beaten up in the media.
The University of Massachusetts will enter its third FBS season with its second head coach. The chancellor who championed the move, Robert Holub, is long gone and replaced by Kumble Subbaswamy as campus chief.
The program is facing a possible 2016 season as an independent. But where some see challenges, athletic director John McCutcheon sees opportunity - and remains convinced that UMass' FBS growing pains have been less about pain (though there has been some) and more about growing.
It will get better, he says steadfastly, because it already is getting better.
"We have grown our attendance in our first two years, and it will continue to grow. We are seeing progress on many fronts,'' McCutcheon said Wednesday.
"We have always looked at this as a 5-for-7 transition. We have said that from the start.''
McCutcheon does not agree with the notion that the transition has been more difficult than anticipated. He most certainly does not agree that the challenges were not anticipated when UMass ended more than 20 years of debate by upgrading to the FBS in time for the 2012 season.
McCutcheon's tenure as UMass athletic director has seen momentous change and success on many fronts. Just this spring, the campus celebrated a return by the men's basketball team to the NCAA tournament.
This month, UMass hockey fans watched one of their own, goalie Jonathan Quick, position the Los Angeles Kings to win their second Stanley Cup since his arrival.
It is still reasonable to say McCutcheon's legacy at UMass will rest largely on his school's transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the larger, more expensive and more potentially lucrative FBS. He remains convinced the Minutemen are on the right track.
The latest challenge is a search for a new conference after UMass refused an opportunity to join the Mid-American Conference in all sports, not just football.
The MAC was no longer interested in UMass as a football-only member. That will make the 2015 season the school's last in the MAC, and at least a subsequent season or two as an football independent is a legitimate possibility, though by no means assured.
"Our schedule for that (2016) season is one-third set already. As we move forward, if we get to where we feel we should start filling in the blanks, that won't take us out of any ongoing conversations about future conference affiliation,'' he said.
"It's not a question of if we will find a new home, but when.''
Such conversations have been going on for years. Discussions with the Sun Belt Conference ended when the Southern-based league - which was never a logical geographic match for UMass, but might have provided a suitable temporary home - announced it was putting expansion plans on hold.
The MAC ouster caught many fans by surprise. McCutcheon said it did not catch UMass by surprise.
"We knew, going into the MAC, that our situation was somewhat linked with Temple's,'' McCutcheon said.
The MAC was committed to allowing UMass and Temple to compete as football-only members only if both schools remained affiliated. In 2012, Temple left the MAC to return to the Big East Conference, which was later renamed the American Athletic Conference.
The MAC gave UMass the choice to join as an all-sports member - or leave. The Minutemen took the second option, even though that could mean a period of independent football that McCutcheon expects to be brief, it it happens at all.
McCutcheon said that if anything has been a surprise, it is not the radical changes in the FBS landscape, but the speed to which those changes have occurred.
This sped-up process has shrunk the time frame that UMass might have expected to assimilate into the FBS. But it has not altered or derailed its original vision or plan, nor did it catch UMass unaware, he said.
"Two things took place. Conference realignment exploded in a way unprecedented in NCAA history, and the advent of the FBS playoff system (and its revenue formula),'' McCutcheon said.
"An opportunity opened up for Temple that was quicker than anticipated ... we have done everything we can to deal with change, but we don't control all the moving parts. We do control some.''
He said even after UMass entered the MAC, "we have kept our ears to the rails,'' with an eye on future opportunities. That remains the case, he said.
McCutcheon also thinks some misconceptions have developed over UMass' view of its own FBS future. One is that its return to McGuirk Stadium in Amherst for three games this year, with the other three home games at Gillette Stadium, represents a retreat from a prior vision of becoming a Gillette-only team.
"Gillette (as a sole home field) was never the intent. We always knew we would have a homecoming back to campus,'' McCutcheon said.
"Whether than meant one, two or three games as year at McGuirk, we didn't know. What we did know was that for the first two years, we had to play all our games at Gillette because McGuirk was not yet suitable for FBS games.''
He said another misconception is that the option of becoming an all-sports member of the MAC was the league's idea. McCutcheon said that's not true.
"That was a clause that we put in,'' he said. "Before (the most recent) conference realignment, there was a good deal of talk that the Big East would split, possibly devastating the Atlantic 10 as a basketball conference.''
The Big East did split, with the Catholic private schools forming their own league. But not only did the Atlantic 10 survive, it thrived.
That left UMass with no basketball-related reason to leave the A-10. It did leave the school with the still-unfinished business of finding a new football league.
McCutcheon is convinced that will happen. He said he cannot guarantee when.
"It's hard to tell, but the opportunities are out there and our conversations will be ongoing,'' he said.
Renovating McGuirk Stadium, its 49-year-old campus facility, is one of many positive steps McCutcheon says have occurred since UMass took the step to the FBS.
"Our capital improvements to the program have been extremely positive, and I am proud of the type of young men we have brought into the program,'' he said.
There is also far better coordination between the athletic, administrative, marketing and student groups, he said.
As far as attendance was concerned, UMass' entry to the FBS came with little hard data to rely upon. Two UMass-New Hampshire Colonial Classic games at Gillette Stadium - one of which drew more than 32,000 fans - gave reason to believe the team could draw in Foxborough.
"The Colonial Classic was our only real experience (prior to FBS),'' he said.
The crowds have not lived up to expectations. Yet even there, McCutcheon sees a silver lining: ticket sales rose 25 percent from 2012 to 2013.
To him, that's proof that those fans who did attend games in Foxborough enjoyed the experience, and did not let a 1-11 inaugural season (and a winless home campaign) discourage them from coming back.
The 2013 attendance level of about 15,000 was not what UMass envisioned when it entered the FBS. McCutcheon said they still represented record numbers for UMass football ticket sales.
"We knew it would take a while to get our Eastern Mass. fan base motivated. It's still something we are working on, but we've learned a lot,'' he said.
McCutcheon does not think the return of some games to Amherst this fall will damage whatever progress has been made in Eastern Mass.
"We have told them we wanted a balance (between Eastern and Western Mass.), and that we are looking at this as a way we can involve the entire state.''
He knows the Minutemen have a new ace in the hole this year. The return of Mark Whipple as coach was widely applauded by fans who recalled Whipple as the architect of one of the most amazing turnarounds in college football history.
In 1998, Whipple inherited a team that had gone 2-9 in the previous season. That year, UMass won the NCAA Division I-AA championship.
He returns with experience as an NFL assistant, hoping to build a program whose two-year FBS record is 2-22.
McCutcheon said the desire to win should not be confused with absolute urgency. He also thinks UMass is closer to success than many people think; last year's losses included two one-pointers.
"We had opportunities to win last year, we just couldn't close the deal. We don't want to put undue pressure (on Whipple), because everybody needs time to put a system in place,'' McCutcheon said.
"But we will see progress this year, and it will be fun.''
Whipple does face the unusual recruiting challenge of convincing high school players to commit to a program whose future league affiliation is unknown. McCutcheon thinks his coach will still make the case for UMass.
"His message will be for kids to look at the program and the commitment we have made,'' McCutcheon said.
"This is a great university and a great place to get an education. There will be the chance to play for a great coach and staff.''
The 5-to-7 year window is a reasonable time frame. In 1962, the newly formed New York Mets were considered an embarrassment (albeit a lovable one) to Major League Baseball.
By 1969, the Mets were world champions.
The dynamics are different for a public university that is competing at a time the NCAA itself continues to sail into uncharted waters. McCutcheon remains convinced that necessary groundwork has been laid for future success.
Some patience is required, he said. So is a nimble approach to the changing NCAA football landscape and yes, a few more wins would be nice, too.
None of this should come as a surprise to anyone, he said. And none of it discourages McCutcheon from thinking UMass will eventually enjoy the competitive, marketing and financial success it envisioned when the Minutemen took the plunge into the FBS pool.
"We said from the start that this would take some time, and we have positioned ourselves for success,'' McCutcheon said.
"We have invested in this program, and we are committed to it. We will find a way to make it work.''


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Medicare has decided a Susquehanna Township woman needs an ambulance to get to life-sustaining dialysis treatments and will continue to pay for the rides.
DeAna Cornelius was told by phone Wednesday that a review of her situation was decided in her favor.
"She was very nice. She apologized for making me wait so long. That was really nice," she said. A Medicare spokeswoman confirmed the ambulance was deemed medically necessary.
The phone call ended weeks of uncertainty and anguish for Cornelius, who has end stage kidney failure and depends on dialysis to clean her blood. The 48-year-old also has a disease called lymphedema, which causes fluids to fill her lower body and which has caused her legs to swell to enormous size. She weighs about 500 pounds.
She says he can only take a few steps before becoming exhausted. For several years, she has relied on an ambulance and crew to take her back and fourth to dialysis. She goes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and remains connected to a dialysis machine overnight. The ambulance crew picks her up late in the evening and brings her home around 4:45 a.m. the following day.
In late December, she received a letter informing her an auditor working for Medicare had determined she is capable of getting to dialysis by other means, such a country-sponsored van. She was told Medicare wouldn't pay for an ambulance after Jan. 15.
According to the rules of Medicare, which is a federal program, an ambulance is covered only "when the patient's condition is such that the use of any other method of transportation would endanger the patient's health."
Medicare's denial of ambulance services was put on hold after Cornelius appealed. However, Cornelius said that wasn't made clear to her and to the ambulance company. Since Jan. 15, she has spent much of her time worrying about how she would get to dialysis, or whether she would be billed for the transport, which costs more than $320 for a two-way trip. She was hospitalized after missing treatment.
The decision that Cornelius qualifies for ambulance transport was made by SafeGuard Services, a Camp Hill area-based Medicarecontractor. SafeGuard referred questions to a Medicare spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman, Lorraine Ryan, said in an email that SafeGuard "received additional information that supported the need for the beneficiary's transport by ambulance. This was not a formal 'appeal' as no claims were denied. It was a re-evaluation of the medical information to make a determination as to the beneficiary's eligibility for ambulance transports."
Ryan and another Medicare employee had said last week that unjustified ambulance transports involving dialysis patients are a problem. They said Pennsylvania has more basic ambulance companies than New Jersey and New York combined, and some make a business of connecting with dialysis patients and transporting them at Medicare's expense. This is especially common in the Philadelphia area. Some dialysis patients have been videotaped walking out of their homes after being dropped off by an ambulance, they said.
"Some companies are making it sort of a niche business. That's all they do," said a Medicare employee who spoke on background and wouldn't give her last name.
Medicare, which pays for medical care people 65 and older, also pays for dialysis treatment for people under 65 who have end stage kidney disease. (Medicare also covers people under 65 who have ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease).
Ryan said the number of people on Medicare with end stage kidney disease rose from 110,000 in 1985 to 454,000 in 2012. She said it costs an average of $60,000 per year to transport someone back and fourth to dialysis treatment.
Cornelius said she has had very little mobility since her lower body began filling up with fluids. Aside from going to dialysis, she said, she has been out of the house only once in the past year. On that occasion, her son pulled his truck up to her steps, she was helped inside, and then he pulled up to the door of the home she was visiting.
She said she feared that, if she was unable to have an ambulance take her to dialysis, she would be forced into a nursing home. She said she has explored assorted options, including kidney transplant and gastric bypass, that might help her lose weight and regain mobility. But she said the combination of kidney failure and lymphederma reduces her options.
Still, Cornelius, who relies heavily on her sons for caregiving, said she hopes to use an exercise routine to strengthen her legs, allow her to lose weight, and return to a more normal life. "I have to fight. I don't want to end up in a nursing home," she said.


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US: Gay Catholics to turn their backs on Cardinal who compared Pride to Ku Klux Klan rally
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Reader comments
hardly — its the kkk that are after GAYS BLACKS ….,
The HIPOCRITICAL CATHOLIC CHURCH …
Which protected GAY PEDOPHILE priests for decades …
WITHHOLDING PERVERT PERSECUTION of THEIR BROTHERS!
Are now SANCTIMONIUS to the point of … "JUDGING OTHERS?" … WTF?
THAN YOU show to others NO DIFFERENT THAN YOU!
pedophiles, by definition, aren't gay, & usually identify as straight.
The HIPOCRITICAL CATHOLIC CHURCH …
Which protected GAY PEDOPHILE priests for decades …
WITHHOLDING PERVERT PERSECUTION of THEIR BROTHERS! …
HOW …Are now SANCTIMONIUS to the point of … "JUDGING OTHERS?" … WTF?
THAN YOU showed to others NO DIFFERENT THAN YOU!
To turn your back to someone who hates you is a safety risk, I think.
Sorry about the double posting … SLOW MODERATORS and NO DELETE OPTION! …
again …
WTF? Did your 'webmaster' miss that class? … or day at school?
Why in the world would anyone openly gay continue to be Catholic???????
Years and years of cruel sadistic brainwashing unfortunately takes some people a long time to get out of their heads.
Another closet case like O'Brien?
Ironically, Belmont is the street that the Gay Pride Parade runs down in Chicago. ~
Once you accept that all religious anti-gay rhetoric is really about the desire of organisation like the catholics to produce more little followers, it really isn't worth getting worked-up about. Virtually every 'sin' defined by religion is simply about the requirement to procreate to satisfy that particular religion's need for more cannon fodder. So, for those 'gay catholics' (unfathomable, I know …) who want to protest, I'd say this: try to undo your years of psychological conditioning and find a religion (if you must) which approves of you rather than one which hates your guts.
and also to produce more kids to keep the priests and hierarchy's dicks hard and discharged
'Gay Liberation Network and the Rainbow Sash'
Sounds like the Rainbow LGBT fascists don't like free speech and have to revert to Beer Hall Putsch politics .They have much in common with the KKK – they both hate catholics …but even more so (read the Rome-o-phobic comments on Pink news if you don't believe me !).
The Church is the best friend of homosexuals, both because she tells them they are made in God's image and have intrinsic dignity and rights and are called to be saints, and because she is the only social force left that insists on moral absolutes—so when they sin against themselves she says NO, just as she does to heterosexuals who sin against themselves sexually, but when others sin against them she says NO also. No one else dares to say NO. She speaks up for everyone, including homosexuals.
garbage. eg Hitler, Mengele, Goebbels, Eichmann and Himmler were all catholics and learned their hatred of the Jews etc by going to catholic schools, as was the norm in germany , protestants went to protestant schools.
to see how the church supported the other power monger in Europe
This is the same church which burned people at the stake, murdered tens of millions of muslims during the crusades etc
`1. stick your sin BS where the sun doesnt shine, the church doesnt rule
2. why dont you come out for equal rights for women in cluding supportingg women as priests and bishops, and supporting birth control so women are not simply used as baby factories
3 In America alone 6000 priests are known to have sexually abused children. Yet not one single priest has been excommunicated for those crimes
Lots of those kids have committed suicide – great way to protect life
Example of church teachings in the real world – a gay youngster I asked if he was suicidal. He said "I wouldnt give my catholic parents the pleasure of seeing me dead.
BBTW the battle is all but over – gays are going to be marrrying in more and more countries etc. this year alone april – june – Uruguay, NZ, France, England and wales have marriage equality.
Brazil has now 14 of 28 states with marriage and is implementing it in the others under supreme court orders.
columbia's having SSM starting
Ironic, isn't it? The Cardinal making that comparison when what he espouses should be compared to the KKK.
What a nasty old bigot. He would have to be the furthest place possible away from truy Christianity, just like his idol old ex-Benedict.
ITS NOT BENEDICT, ITS RATZInger
To give you back to someone who wants to be heard is a wonderfully powerful message. What a great idea. The semons of all these bigots should get the same treatment.
Sorry for the typos you = your, semons = sermons :-)
this asshole cardinal also protected molester priests
BTW the apology is an old game – One makes outrageous statements that create hate and then after the furor in the press dies down, one appolgizes, knowing quite well that most people will not see the appolgoy and many will come to hate the victims of the first statement
in Psychology its called
HIstory of horror of this monstroisty hq in rome
History of it in germany during the nazi regime
BTW from personal experience in the USA deep south during segregation, the catholic churches there were as bigoted against black people as the so. Baptists who justified slavery as per the bible
Why – because all they cared about was more money – picking the pockets of the fools.
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East Shore and West Shore birth announcements are supplied by area hospitals and are published as we receive them.
Jan. 2
Jackson, Anthony and Chelsea, Newville, son. Mrs. Jackson was Chelsea Swartz.
Oldroyd, Chelsea and Billy Stull Jr., Mount Holly Springs, daughter.
Jan. 5
Magbuhos, Grace and Zachary Eppley, Mechanicsburg, daughter.
Jan. 6
Windholz, Colby and Alyssa, Carlisle, daughter. Mrs. Windholz was Alyssa Keens.
Jan. 7
Barrett, Heather and Nafis Carter, Carlisle, son.
Yost, Kevin and Aimee, Newville, son. Mrs. Yost was Aimee Neuenschwander.
Jan. 11
Johnson, Mishana and Dennis Harwell, Carlisle, daughter.
Note: Due to a recommendation by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, some hospitals do not send us birth announcements.


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Meet the man
Edward Forster is a Western New York native with great pride in the city and the direction in which it is headed. Starting humbly as a dishwasher, Edward realized he wanted to cook professionally after cooking a simple meal for his high school sweetheart and watching the smile that his creation brought her.
Studying at the Culinary Institute of America gave Edward a great base of knowledge with which to begin his culinary education. Needing to learn at the stoves of the best, Chef Forster worked for Jean Georges in London at his Vong. After completing culinary school, he returned back to Buffalo where he worked at Oliver's and fortuitously met Chef Mike Andrzejewski.
The itch to travel, learn, and grow led him to three years with Georges Perrier's fleet of restaurants in Philadelphia and Atlantic City. The final move in his culinary travels led him to the center of innovation in the U.S, Chicago. With positions leading Michelin starred Graham Elliot and Paul Kahan's Blackbird, Edward was really able to carve out a culinary style all his own.
Today, he is back in Buffalo, trying to raise the culinary bar one plate of food at a time. Having opened Mike A at the Lafayette Hotel, with uber restauranteur Mike Andrezejewski, the food scene of Buffalo was shown a new style of cuisine. He led the restaurant to the Buffalo News' first perfect 10 rating, as well as accolades from the Boston Globe's Steve Jermanok, mentions by the New York Times, and press galalore in WNY.
Today Chef Edward gets to show his passion to a sea of guests at Buffalo Proper Plate & Pour. Showcasing his style of contemporary American cuisine, Buffalo Proper has a small share plate themed menu for guests to enjoy. Stop by 333 Franklin St. to try a few dishes today!


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Blind biker to show off trick moves at diabetes bike event in BaltimoreUPDATED 1:07 PM EDT Apr 23, 2013
The American Diabetes Association's annual Tour de Cure bike ride is coming up, and this year, a local trick cyclist with a special connection to the disease who has overcome huge obstacles will be performing. Kim Dacey reports.
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The hopes of competing for a Class 2A state football title took a big hit for the Riverside Rebels in June when it was announced that starting quarterback Deuce Wallace will be moving to Tennessee to be near his ill grandfather. The departure of the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Wallace leaves a huge hole in the Rebels' offense.
Thursday, the Rebels were revealed as the No. 30 ranked team in the NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune's Preseason Top 50 for the 2014 season. The absence of Wallace, who led the Rebels to an 8-2 record in 2013, will hurt, but Riverside still boasts a roster consisting of a number of talented players including receivers Herb Magee and Von Julien and defensive end Joe Anderson.
We want to hear from you. What do you think of Riverside's ranking, despite not having Deuce Wallace anymore? Please vote in our poll and tell us what you think. If you wish to elaborate on your answer, we invite you to do so in the comments section below.
Travis Connelley can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 504.826.3405.


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Arginine is a colorless, crystalline compound, with a melting point of 207°C, which occurs in decomposing animal and vegetable proteins, and in the muscles of invertebrates. It is one of the most widely distributed products of protein hydrolysis and is obtained in particularly high concentrations from proteins belonging to the protamine and histone classes.
Arginine has the chemical formula: H2NC(NH)NH(CH2)3CH(NH2)COOH.
Related category• BIOCHEMISTRY
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This deal has ended.
Likely only for a few hours, Amazon has the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy on sale for just $21.49, the lowest we've seen. This features the newer episodes one, two and three, and has a ton of extras. It's received 4 out of 5 stars from over 80 buyers. Shipping is free with $25 and there's no sales tax (except KS, KY, ND, NY, WA). Black FridayNo longer available


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Chase Edmonds had a strong showing Saturday at the Penn State Advanced Skills Camp.
The 5-10, 185-pound senior running back from CD East has been camping this summer at several schools in search for an FBS scholarship.
Edmonds, who rushed for 1,320 yards and 15 touchdowns last season against a strong Mid-Penn Commonwealth schedule that included PIAA Class AAAA runner-up Coatesville.
Plus everybody on the planet knew the Panthers were a one-dimensional offense. Edmonds was going to get the rock.
In 10 games Edmonds proved his durability on a weekly basis with a whopping 231 carries in 2012.
"My film from last year wasn't what I wanted it to be. Coaches have been telling me I'm a lot better in person than I look on film," Edmonds said. "I also get knocked for my size. But I've grown and added even more weight. So it's a size thing."
Edmonds already has offers from FBS schools Fordham, Lafayette and Colgate. Albany and James Madison are seriously interested.
But Edmonds, who has added nearly 30 pounds and grown three inches since he burst onto the scene in 2010 as a sophomore, believes he has the tools to be an FBS back.
That's why he put together an intense camp schedule and will wait until October of his senior season to make a final decision.
"I believe I'm a Division I back," said Edmonds, who was clearly one of the better backs at the PSU camp. "I feel I was overshadowed a little by (Harrisburg RB) Robert Martin last season. The guy blew up.
"A lot of people knocked me for my speed. But I got a lot faster this year. "
Almost a full second faster, plus 10-15 pounds heavier, than a year ago, Edmonds clocked a 4.53 at Penn State in the 40 and a week earlier at Maryland posted a 4.51.
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