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Early last week, I took a taxi to the gym with a couple of the other American guys. We paid the taxi driver after arriving to our destination and a couple minutes after that I reached in my pocket but didn't feel my wallet. You could imagine the immediate panic mode I went into after fearing my wallet was gone in a foreign country. I rushed back to where the taxi had dropped us off, but no luck.
I'm standing outside just scanning taxis and they go by, hoping to see the one I got out of. The only problem was that all the taxi drivers drive the same exact car and there were hundreds of them passing by. After I scanned taxis for a while, I looked on the sidewalk and in the street to see if maybe it had fallen out of my pocket when I got out. I couldn't find it, and if I had dropped in on the ground, it would have been picked up and gone by then - especially a few days before Christmas.
I started thinking about what was in my wallet. It's small like a money clip, so I carry two debit cards, pesos, my ID, apartment key, and a Disney World pass. Don't ask me why I still have the Disney World pass in there. I calmed myself a little because I knew all of those things could be replaced and I could easily have my cards cancelled.
I then went to a police officer nearby to try to ask him if he had seen my wallet. He didn't speak English and I wasn't particularly sure how to ask him in Spanish. I proceeded to play charades with him by pointing to his back pocket, making a small rectangle with my fingers, and then pointing to my eyes. I threw a few Spanish words in there but I could tell he had no idea what I was saying. I was never good at charades anyway. 'How could I be so careless?' is what I kept asking myself.
After being outside for a good hour and having no luck, I figured I'd go work off steam in the weight room and then come back out to look for my taxi or ask the police officer if he had seen my wallet. After working out, I went back outside but 'nada' - nothing.
I would be the one guy to lose his wallet in a different country. Luckily it wasn't my passport or I'd be stuck here. I could see myself now selling fruit on the side of the street, or better yet infiltrating the Colombian mafia and making millions after spying as a translator for the boss of the Cartel. Hey, you never know…
Anyway, I returned to the apartment and to my surprise, the guy at the front desk had my wallet. I guess the taxi driver came back to where he picked us up and returned it. I immediately thanked God. When I checked to make sure I still had everything, the only thing missing was my cash. He took about 35 dollars. Merry Christmas to him.
The main thing this week is that for some reason our whole apartment complex would lose water randomly for hours at a time. I would wake up to wash my face and as soon as I turned on the faucet, no water would come out. I called up a couple of the other Americans that are in a different complex and they didn't have water, either. So this week I have been grinding just to brush my teeth, wash my face, and shower. I have been using bottles of water from the grocery store to wash my face and brush my teeth. Luckily when I've needed to shower, the water has been on. I feel bad for my boys Deangelo Mack and Zack Varce who have been using gallon water bottles just to shower.
Baseball-wise, I believe our team is in third place. We haven't been playing good ball at all. We have zero pitching compared to the other teams. Everyone knows you can't win games without pitching. We continue to have the longest games I have ever played in my life. It's hard to stay focused as a defender and as a batter when you've had long innings in the field.
However, better focus is one of the things that I'm working on for this winter ball season. I believe if I can play and focus well in these conditions, then I should be able to compete in any type of situation thrown at me. All my life, coaches have continued to tell me to 'compete' and that's what I will continue to do. However, I was always taught by my parents - more specifically by my mother - that you cannot do anything without FOCUS!
So now you know. Not all athletes' goals just revolve around statistics or physical elements of their game. The mental aspect is just as important. Some say it is more important than anything else. All I know is that I want/need every single part of my game to improve. That's what I'm here to do.
Some of my American teammates are going to be leaving and heading back to the States right after the New Year. I know I can't afford to leave. I would be doing myself a disadvantage by not finishing something I chose to start. I will continue to grind it out and enjoy my time here!
This past week, I got a new roommate. My previous one left a couple of weeks ago to play in the Mexican League. I had the room to myself for awhile. Now José has moved in from Venezuela and we share the room. When he came in, he was sick. I was like 'Oh great, I'm going to get sick, too.' I mean he was sneezing, coughing, snorting, and blowing his nose left and right. So nasty! I told him, 'I'd better not get sick because of you.' He said, 'Just pray bro; it will be alright.' That's when I thought to myself, "You'd better pray that this SARS mask I'm about to get from the store blocks those infectious germs you are sending my way!' Needless to say, I'm writing this blog with stuffy nose and a scratchy throat.
One thing that is really cool to see is all the tourists coming in for the holidays. People are arriving from all around the world and now I don't feel like such an outcast. All kinds of people are just filling the beaches during the day and cruising streets at night. There is a little strip close to my apartment with casinos, shops and restaurants. It actually reminds me a little bit of the Vegas strip (from my playing days at UNLV), but a smaller Spanish version. Crazy amounts of people are walking up and down the street - people trying to sell you stuff and homeless people asking for money. Of course, they don't have the Bellagio Water Show here. However, I do think I saw a small sprinkler system doing its best imitation.
Christmas Eve brought a nice experience for me. My teammate and former Cardinals minor leaguer Ronald Ramirez invited me and a few other teammates over to his parents' house to enjoy a fine meal and friendly conversation. It was such a thoughtful gesture and his family was so nice to be around. Ronald speaks good English but the rest of his family doesn't know it at all. There was a lot of Spanglish and sign language going on, which made the night that much more eventful.
(Photos: 1.Teammate Zachary Varce (follow him on twitter @zacharyvarce) wearing Henry Henry's motorcycle helmet and sports glasses. 2. Christmas Eve with Ramirez and his family (left to right: Ronald, my roommate, Deangelo Mack, me, Ronald's father). 3. Some homeboy who is always trying to use my glove to shag flyballs. 4. Christmas Eve view of the beach. 5. Deangelo letting Ronald's nephew play angry birds on his phone.)
Christmas came the next day and it was weird waking up and having no family to be with, but little did I know I was going to receive the ultimate Christmas gift from my teammate Zachary Varse. Somehow we had gotten on the subject on "Dexter" the TV series shown on Showtime. If you haven't seen it, I advise you start watching right after you finish reading my blog. Anyway, I told him that I was mad at myself because I had stopped watching in the middle of the fourth season last offseason and had not gotten around to getting all caught up. That's when he made me smile ear to ear when he told me he had seasons four and five with him on DVD. Yeaaaaa!!!! He came through clutch and now I have something to watch on my computer while my roommate watches "Novelas," a Spanish soap opera.
I'm still mourning over my Lakers Christmas Day loss to the Bulls, which I was able to watch at a restaurant here. Oh, and for those of you that have been reading my earlier blog reports as well, you'll be glad to know that I still don't have Internet. I never received the wireless card for my laptop that I was promised.
So that being said, I'll keep grinding, collecting hits and pesos. You guys keep reading the blogs. There is a lot to be told about Colombia. Come back next week and I might tell you about my coach fighting the umpire on the field.
Hasta luego!
Follow me on Twitter @Xavier_Scruggs.
© 2011 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com and stlcardinals.scout.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Clothing Your Kids Challenge Day 6: Winter Gear!
Since the weather is getting colder day by day, it's the perfect time to have your kids try on last year's winter gear like heavy coats, snowsuits, hats, and gloves to see what still fits. Today's challenge is to prepare for the winter months!
Have you been shopping for your kids' winter gear yet? Do you like to buy brand new things every year or do you try and reuse things from previous years?
If you missed yesterday's activity, you can find it here. If you haven't signed up for the Clothing Your Kids Challenge yet, you can do so here!
Already did it these last few weeks. I've got 2 sets of hats and gloves for everyone. And coats for everyone.
I try to reuse from the year before. The baby is going to wear older sisters old winter stuff and older sister can still wear last years stuff.
i reuse as much as possible. both my girls winter coats from last ear fit so we lucked iout there!
We try to reuse things from the year before,I usually have to buy new gloves,hats and scaves. But I buy them a new jacket every year,but try to reuse the heavy coats. I'm shocked that my 5yr old still fits his coat from last year. He has grown so mucg in the past few months,I always buy their coats a size or 2 bigger that way they have room for their clothes and they can reuse it the next year.
I have gotten everything I need since last year, mostly everything I got was on clearence. I even got her a coat for $1
They already have their winter coats and snow pants and boots. I got the coats a little while ago - both on sale, and they are the kind that have multiple parts so that they can wear a windbreaker, a heavy coat, or wear them together....son hasn't outgrown his snowpants, but DD needed new ones.....both of them needed new boots and I found them on sale as well....this time, though, I made sure to purchase the coats a size larger than what they needed so they can at least wear them for 2 years
Quoting Janet:
I just bought one new winter coat. The other one still fits my DGS. So yes I will reuse winter coats.

subset: commoncrawl


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AUBURN -- Auburn's path to its first Final Four since 1990 won't through undefeated and seemingly unbeatable Connecticut, but it does include a potentially back-breaking second-round game in one of the nation's toughest road venues.
The Tigers (29-3) were awarded a No. 2 seed in the NCAA women's tournament Monday and will play an opening-round game Saturday at 11 a.m. against 15th-seeded Patriot League champion Lehigh (26-6) at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, N.J.
If Auburn wins, the Tigers would advance to play the winner of seventh-seeded Rutgers and 10th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth on Monday.
"It's a tough road, but there are no easy roads," said Auburn coach Nell Fortner. "That's how the tournament works."
In the Sweet 16 round, Auburn would advance to Oklahoma City, but even there top-seeded Oklahoma could be waiting.
"It's a tough region, no doubt about it," Fortner said. "We're going to be play on home courts. If we're fortunate enough to move on, we'll play at Oklahoma."
The only benefit from Auburn's tough tournament draw is that the Tigers are on the opposite side of the bracket from No. 1 UConn. If the teams play each other, it won't be until the national championship game.
"You don't really want to meet them until the very last game," Fortner said.
The Tigers were on the tournament bubble in 2008, but they watched Monday's selection show without the same jitters. The No. 2 seed was all but guaranteed (although a few players held out slim hopes of getting a No. 1), and when Auburn's name was called on ESPN there were cheers and smiles, but not the incredible elation of 2008.
As soon as the pairing was announced, ESPN commentator Kara Lawson gravely intoned, "That's a lion's den that Auburn is potentially walking into."
But players didn't dwell on the possible second-round matchup.
"I feel like we got a good draw," said senior Whitney Boddie. "On TV they were talking about how it was going to be hard, but I think we match up well with all of these teams. We're going to take it one game at a time. The coaches are going to prepare us like they always do."
Lehigh is making only its second NCAA tournament appearance in school history after posting a school-record 12 conference wins.
"We made a point of telling the players that we're not happy just to be here," said Lehigh coach Sue Troyan. "We're going to practice hard and coach hard to try to win."
Auburn players and coaches watched the selection show and mingled with perhaps 100 or more fans at a restaurant near campus. Even if every person in the group immediately booked a flight for Newark International, it probably wouldn't make a dent in Rutgers' home-court advantage.
"It's nothing new," said senior DeWanna Bonner. "We just left the SEC tournament and Tennessee had the home-court advantage. We just had our little group of fans and they had this whole big arena. It's not even about the fans right now. We've just got to go out and play hard."


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Written by: Paul C. Johnson, Herb Sutherby, Tom Little, Murray C. Schwartz & Marian M. Houtman.
Where's the benefit from wife's having worked for 30 years?
I lost my wife in October and this caused me to see what, if any, benefit I might have been eligible to receive as a result of her death.
She was 51. I am 56. For now, the income benefit is zero. At age 60, I'll have a two-year window of some benefit — yet to be spelled out and maybe never gotten.
The math on this is shocking. Contributions totaled $85,000 — half hers, half her employers'. In the course of 30 years of work at a very modest return (3 percent) the number would have been a respectable $250,000. Yet, the Social Security Administration number is zero.
Bernie Madoff's in prison while the single greatest Ponzi scheme operator — the Social Security Administration — goes scot-free. Further, merely suggesting you'd like your earnings invested — a phrase used emptily again and again by Obama — rather than confiscated, is received about as well as if you offered to have mama thrown off the train.
The howls of condemnation would and have been more deafening, as Bush can attest. There is one upside to the Social Security Administration. I did get a death benefit of $255. That took a call to record my information, to then set up an appointment to take the same information, submit paperwork, and then wait for the "windfall."
Insulting is too kind of word. Sadistic cruelty would be a more accurate description. And still the Social Security Administration walks free.
Paul C. Johnson/Kalamazoo
Too many things to think about and none of them are good
I went to school for eight years in a one-room country school. I had a great teacher. She taught all eight grades, plus ran many more activities. One thing she taught us was to think.
No doubt, it is a good skill, but, at my advanced age, I wonder if I may have too many things to think about.
I spend a lot of time watching TV, especially the U.S. Senate. When one side says something and then the other side says just the opposite, I wonder how do I determine who is telling me the truth?
The governor of Illinois got in a lot of trouble because it was said he tried to sell a senate seat. But U.S. senators are making financial deals to get other senators to vote the way they want them to — is that OK?
The Democrats say the Republicans are using scare tactics. Then they come back with some of their own. They say if a bill does not get passed now, it may not get passed. They also say 41,000 people a day are going to lose their insurance. As I understand it, if this does pass, most of the benefits will not take effect until 2014. I am thinking so why wait four years? If the benefits do not take effect for four years, why do we have to be in a hurry to pass the bill? It tires me to think about it!
Other thoughts: Is it OK, given our history of assassinations in this country, for people to carry guns (just because they can) at meetings where our leaders are speaking?
As much as I like to watch TV, why do I pay for cable and spend about 15 percent of the time watching the same old commercials?
The stock market really gets to me. It seems if someone, some where, says something, it goes up or down. If oil goes up, gas goes up now! If it goes down, it seems to take a while to get through the pipeline.
The value of a house goes down but not the taxes.
No cost of living for those of us on Social Security but Congress gives itself a two percent raise.
I could go on and on but, I do not want to think about it right now.
Herb Sutherby/Paw Paw
One tragic incident is no reason to throw whole group under the bus
It is with great sadness and disbelief that I read the Kalamazoo Gazette editorial on why homeschool laws should be strengthened.
The Gazette singled out one tragic example of abuse and chose to throw every homeschool family under the bus. This was not objective journalism. No examples of abuse were listed by families whose children go to public or private schools. No examples of how the majority of homeschool children succeed academically and socially. No call was made to colleges in the state to see what their opinion is of homeschool students.
The editorial stated the parents will have their day in court to defend themselves, but the editorial board of the Kalamazoo Gazette certainly did not feel the homeschool community should have that same opportunity.
Does the Gazette really think the reason families home school is so they can abuse their children and this is why the homeschool movement is growing? If they do, then a serious reality check is needed, nothing could be further from the truth.
Tom Little/Kalamazoo
Movement toward passage of health-care bill is reason to celebrate
There is reason to celebrate. For the first time in American history the people of this country will be able to feel more secure, more prepared for sickness because the Senate passed a health-care insurance bill that will cover virtually all Americans.
Thirty million Americans who had no health insurance will be covered under this bill which also provides major health-care reform that has been desperately needed for decades.
The cost of medical care in this country has bankrupted many Americans, leaving them destitute in the wake of astronomical doctor and hospital bills. The medical system itself has been out of control mainly because regulatory monitoring has been almost nonexistent.
The health-care insurance bill isn't a perfect bill. It dissatisfies some Americans, both in Congress and elsewhere, but the passage of this bill is a good start in correcting some injustices and brings sanity to the medical system.
President Obama deserves high praise for his leadership and his unyielding support for this long delayed bill.
Murray C. Schwartz/Kalamazoo
Common sense will prevail if Prairieville residents don't sign petitions
As a resident of Barry Township — a next-door neighbor of Prairieville Township — I've closely followed the activities of the Prairieville Township Recall Committee.
I am amazed by the lack of truth in the petitions for the elected officials facing this recall. In recent months, all allegations have been appropriately addressed by Prairieville's elected officials. They've stood tall, spoken the truth and provided documents that refute the allegations made against them.
Citizens of Prairieville need to know that signing a recall petition will only cause ongoing division in the community, a possible change in leadership in the township, confusion, costs related to elections and frustration on the part of all affected citizens.
I am puzzled why a small group would chose to put their fellow citizens through a recall that could cause so much destruction, especially when it is based on falsehoods? If you are really that dissatisfied and you can do a better job, why don't you run for office yourself in a regularly scheduled election?
Voters in Prairieville Township, please do not sign a recall petition. You can control your destiny by simply withholding your signature.
I am proud of the leadership currently occupying offices in Prairieville Township and all the efforts made by the Citizens for Common Sense in Prairieville Township to preserve that "common sense" and save scarce taxpayer dollars.
Marian M. Houtman/Delton


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Hi all,i've got a few handful of bulbs to plant and wondered if they will multiply on their own or will i need to buy more?
Species include,snakes head fritilary,bluebells,wild tulips,wild daffodils,snowdrops and lesser celandine.The soil is adequate enough and i know how deep to plant them but i'm not sure about their spreading habit.Will i have to dig them up at a later stage to split and seperate them?
Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
Hi all,i have recently planted hedging whips around the perimeter of my garden and to my horror have woke up to mole hills!! Could these critters prove to be a real problem??
great thread,....anything to help the bee's!!
Signed up.
Joe_the_Gardener wrote (see)
Is this area literally a bog, i.e. water table permanently at surface?
Is this area literally a bog, i.e. water table permanently at surface?
Hi,the water comes and goes to suit weather condition's.Just beyond the bottom of my garden is a tiny brook so i guess it is part of a water table?? But the answer to your question is,no, the water is not always present.
Thank you for your replies.One thing i neglected to mention is that i prefer to garden in a native fashion for the wildlife.So i keep the planting schemes very simple.Sorry about that.A lot of people think i'm boring but i personally feel that the wildlife benefit more.So,any idea's of a native theme would be great.Hope this hasn't put you guy's off!!!
Hi Bunnysgarden,the soil around here is a clay/loam mix.Things that are doing well in the area are oak,beech,willow,poplar and hazel.
Hi all,i'm new to this forum and will start with an immediate problem that some of you may help with.I have an area of my garden that is a peat bog.I know what you are thinking...lucky me but i want to plant some trees,shrubs and wildflowers down there and don't know where to start.I know if i plant this area i will probably damage the peat bog in the long term.Please advise if anybody can.
Thank you.


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Labor Day Mad with Kung-Fu Blander / Destroy Bob the Builder Destroy
This weekend is Labor Day weekend here in the States, which means a lot of good relaxing, BBQ food, and the final, unofficial send-off to the warm Summer season. Here at the ToonBarn Studios, as much as we love building snow forts in January, losing out on our beach-going hot days is a little upsetting. In fact, it's a little MADdening. Thankfully, Cartoon Network has tapped into that energy, with a brand new episode of MAD just waiting for us on Labor Day Monday, September 5th. At 8:30PM, be sure to check out Alfred E. Neuman's latest creation, Kung-Fu Blander / Destroy Bob the Builder Destroy.
Latest posts by ToonBarn Rob (see all)
- Ben Affleck Batman and Batmobile hits the intrawebs - May 13, 2014
- Ben 10 Omniverse: Rise of Heroes - February 1, 2014
- Ben 10: Omniverse Art Style – Good or Bad? - January 29, 2014


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According to authorities, James H. Bryant, 56, of Harmersville-Pecks Corner Road, was arrested on Sunday, Jan. 27 after police responded to his residence at 9:51 p.m.
The first officer to arrive on the scene exited his vehicle and approached the residence. Police said Bryant then allegedly began to approach the officer with a large knife in hand.
According to authorities, the officer drew his weapon and ordered the accused to stop.
Bryant allegedly ignored the officer's warning and continued toward him, still holding the knife in a threatening and aggressive manner, police said.
After several warnings and closing distance within a few feet, Bryant then dropped the knife, police said. At this time, a back-up officer immediately handcuffed Bryant, authorities said.
Through further investigation, police learned that a female family member of Bryant had locked herself and her two young children in a bedroom in the house, police said.
According to authorities, the woman was attempting to escape Bryant who had been allegedly threatening them with a large kitchen knife.
Bryant was transported to the LAC police headquarters where he was processed and charged with terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, and possession of a weapon with certain persons forbidden, authorities said.
After processing, Bryant was lodged at the Salem County Correctional Facility, in Mannington, in default of $100,000 cash bail pending further court action, according to police.


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Cosmetic Chaos
There's a new beauty rage sweeping the nation for all the beauty-savvy and obsessed – like me.
Monthly "boxes" arrive at your door, filled with cosmetic surprises. There are all different kinds now, Cult Cosmetics, Julep (which specialize in nail polish), Beauty Bar, Glossybox and Beauty Army, just to name a few.
Even dogs can get in on the action with Barkbox and there's also a Conscious Box, which features healthy foods and supplements.
I've subscribed to two of them, just to check them out: Ipsy and Birchbox.
About two years ago, I found the magic of Birchbox. It was one of those little advertisements on the side of my Facebook page and it enticed me, "Try it!" This was my first experience with the subscriptions and I was hooked
Okay, Birchbox didn't necessarily twist my arm. I was excited to receive high end beauty samples once a month, and it really wasn't that expensive; $10 a month was a good price for me to try out beauty products that I might not get the chance to find in this area, or even think about trying.
I liked the variety they sent me; one month I would receive some awesome skin scrubs and tattoo eyeliner, the next month I'd receive a Stila full-size lipgloss and flowery nail decals. Some of my favorite products I received were travel size dry shampoos, Essie nailpolish and Lancome mascara.
I had invited several of my friends to try it who were disappointed with the service. They didn't care for the random products and strange brands. I was just eager to try different things and I didn't have many expectations … until I found Ipsy.
Ipsy is based on the same structure. You get a box every month, except with Ipsy, you also receive a make-up bag. The styles of the bags always are cute and I always find some use for them, whether it's giving them away to my friends or organizing my hordes of lipgloss in my purse. I've gotten John Freida shampoos, NYC eyeshadow and beach waves hairspray.
Ipsy also gives you coupons for each product you receive in the box. Many of the products have been full size and I found myself using them more.
While I ultimately kept the Ipsy box and canceled Birchbox, both companies have qualities that I really enjoy.
They are no commitment sign-ups. You can skip a month or cancel at any time, as long as it's before the billing cycle. Their customer service is great and each month you receive tracking information via email so you know when your package will arrive.
For most of these subscription services, you take a quiz so they can better accommodate your beauty preferences. I usually choose the most outlandish answers so I can get cutting edge, funky cosmetics, but if you're into the natural look, they can suit you just the same.
For more information on Ipsy, visit www.Ipsy.com and for more information on Birchbox, visit www.birchbox.com.
Have any of you tried the beauty subscription boxes? Drop me an email and let me know what you thought of them!
Wiegand is a reporter for the Sun-Gazette. Her column is published on the last Friday of each month. She may be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Focused on their mission of serving and helping others, members of the Kenner Rotary Club recently made several donations to three city departments this holiday season.
Kenner Rotaryofficials donated $250 to the Kenner Fire Department to help pay for training aids in a fire prevention program for local kids. They also donated $500 to the Community Development Department to support the after-school tutoring program at Kenner resource centers. In addition, the club donated $2,000 to the Kenner Food Bank.
"Without organizations like this, we would not be able to provide for all our residents who need help to get by during the year," Kenner Mayor Michael Yenni said.
Club president Rick Wilderman reported that the Rotary's main creed is "service above self" in the community.
The donations continued as the Rotary Club members identified two families in need and provided help for the holidays. They donated a Christmas tree, food, toys, clothes and personal items. The Kenner club also assembled and distributed 156 food baskets, complete with turkeys and all the fixings.
The gift of reading
Students at John J. Audubon Elementary School are excited to read according to Principal Yvette Gauthreaux.
And they have a great incentive.
"On Friday, December 10, the Kiwanis Dawnbusters visited our school," Gauthreaux said. "They hosted a reading program for the first semester of school and were here to give away prizes."
Gauthreaux said the Kiwanis gave away bikes, Ipods, bowling passes and pizza passes.
Also to assist in the celebration was Katy the Duck from Acadian Plumbing and Boudreaux from the Zephyrs Baseball team.
"We truly appreciate the men from this Kiwanis club," Gauthreaux added.
The Dawnbusters Kiwanis Club began the community service program several years ago to encourage students at local elementary schools to read.
Tutor training
Start The Adventure In Reading needs volunteers to tutor students one-on-one in reading.
There are several tutoring locations in the New Orleans area. No teaching experience is necessary and STAIR staff will provide the training.
Training will be held on the following dates: Jan. 10, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Woodland Presbyterian Church, 5824 Berkley Drive, New Orleans; Jan. 18, and Jan. 24, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1545 State St., New Orleans; and Jan. 12, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Jefferson Presbyterian Church, 4450 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson.
To register for training, contact Elizabeth Artigues at the STAIR office at 504.899.0820 or email@example.com or visit www.stairnola.org.
Castle closed
In observance of the New Year's holidays, the Children's Castle in Rivertown will be closed Saturday.
Quo Vadis Hollins can be reached at 504.883.7055 or email@example.com.


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Friday, July 13, 2012
You don't have to be around animal rescue too long to realize two very important words, "shelter" and "humane", are not always truisms. The Wisconsin Humane Society ("WHS") not only embraces the core values of compassion and caring, their staff live it every day through the lives of the animals they serve. Their mission statement is simple, yet complete:
The Wisconsin Humane Society's mission is to build a community where people value animals and treat them with respect and kindness. Our goal is to save lives.
With their long history and care of hundreds of thousands of abused, abandoned and neglected animals since 1879, WHS is firmly focused on a brighter future for all animals. Their comprehensive adoption program not only matches homeless pets with new families, they do so without any time or space limits. WHS provides lifesaving medical care for over 20,000 animals annually including approximately 5,000 wild animals, and operates one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation hospitals of its kind in the United States. In 2004, they merged with the Ozaukee Humane Society and in 2011, opened the doors of the state-of-the-art WHS Ozaukee Campus, expanding their reach into Wisconsin communities. Moreover, as an independent non-profit, their organization receives no government funding, meaning they rely solely on donations from private businesses and individuals.
Creativity is evident throughout the entire operation and takes WHS pet adoption to a whole new level. Cats and dogs are cared for in the Royal Cat Hotel or the Canine Country Club. An army of Cat Cuddlers offer individual attention to their feline guests including petting, exercise, and ample playtime each day. Canine Country Club dogs are assisted by Bow Wow Basics volunteers who spend one-on-one time with each dog to improve their socialization skills and teach them basic commands like "sit" and "stay". Rabbits, Guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, and birds are quartered in the Small Animal Boutique on Adoption Avenue, the bright corridor with a "street-scape" design through which potential adopters, school groups, and visitors can peruse the animals. Care to take a virtual tour?
But the humane mission doesn't stop there. In addition to their pet adoption program, WHS provides numerous animal welfare benefits to their local communities, including a spay/neuter clinic for low income families and humane education for children and adults teaching respect and proper care for animals, as well as recommendations to reduce pet overpopulation, neglect, and abuse. Companion animals from the facility also visit residents in local care facilities as part of the pet assisted therapy program. They even have a WHS Rescue Waggin' Program to transport rescued dogs overpopulated shelters to safe havens throughout the region and more recently, launched the Wisconsin Humane Society Pet Insurance Program to help pet owners with responsible financial planning for unexpected veterinary care.
Interested in seeing adoptable pets available at The Wisconsin Humane Society? Visit the Milwaukee campus at 4500 West Wisconsin Avenue or the Ozaukee campus at 630 W. Dakota Street in Saukville, WI. You can also view their adoptable pets right here on Petango! Click the following links for either Milwaukee pet adoption or Ozaukee pet adoption. The rest of us can learn a lot from their dedication, values, and commitment.
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OSCODA - An Iosco County church hosts an open house tonight at the new location of its Oscoda homeless shelter.
Organizers want to better acquaint area residents with the realities of local homelessness and the services that the Emmanuel Mission shelter offers.
Hope Anglican Church in Oscoda runs Emmanuel Mission as an emergency ministry for the homeless. The facility is newly located in the fellowship hall of Hope Church, 219 W. River Road.
Emmanuel had operated in neighboring Au Sable Township. The shelter closed in February to accommodate the move.
"We're opening a bigger facility with more services to help people find jobs," said Michelle West, a shelter volunteer.
Tonight's open house runs from 7-8 p.m. at the mission. For more information, please call West at (989) 739-0152.


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In football, the practice squad is professional purgatory.
Though 53 players will crack the Kansas City Chiefs' regular-season roster, only 46 will suit up on Sundays.
The remaining eight are left on an island of uncertainty. Paid interns who tormentingly twiddle their thumbs on game days, praying for opportunities but knowing the unemployment line is a stone's throw away.
But with names like Arian Foster and James Harrison still roaming NFL fields, "practice squad" is no longer the athletic stigma that it was once considered. If anything, it's more indicative of (in)experience than talent.
With preseason less than a month away, five names are primed for the Kansas City practice squad.


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The subtitle on the Sept. 30 story "Schools: economy's building blocks" proclaims: "Shrinking education funding calls for creative ways to prepare tomorrow's workforce." Reading further, we discover that "Businesses will blow off Oregon if the state can't produce an educated workforce and good public schools for workers' children." The emphasis on turning today's children into tomorrow's workforce harks back to the concerns of the Industrial Revolution. Not that these concerns weren't valid at the time, but now the goal of merely a competent workforce is outdated. If creating workers is all we need from our public education, then our schools are sufficient, even in their current depleted state.
Given the current unemployment rate, Oregon doesn't need more workers. It needs creative, innovative, self-sufficient, forward-thinking individuals who start businesses and solve problems. Perhaps Oregon's vision of good education (or lack thereof) is as much to blame for the current problems as Oregon's lack of funding.
Tara Lindis
Northeast Portland


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Event Details
Date(s) & Time(s)::
February 8, 2013 at 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM
Location: Cub Care Children's Center : 201 Main St. Vestal NY
Phone: (607) 786-9006
Email: email@example.com
Event Description
Enchanted Evening is a Fundraising Event for Cub Care Children's Center. This event is open for all children ages 3-5, regardless of district. The children can bring their favorite adult sweethearts to share in an enchanted evening of fun for all.
Date night with your Sweetheart Preschooler will include:
Dancing ≈ Entertaining Activities ≈ Bubble Machine Photos ≈ Desserts ≈ Memory Keepsake
For more information please contact Cub Care Children's Center at 607.786.9006.


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With a name like MOM's Organic Market, it might sound like the 10-store independent based in Rockville, Md., takes a down-home approach to its operations. And it does — if your home happens to be highly energy-efficient, organic and a staunch steward of the environment. Recognizing the company's longstanding efforts to reduce waste and minimize its impact on the environment, SN has named MOM's the winner of 2013 Sustainability Excellence Award in the Independent ...
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President Obama is urging cooperation in promoting summer and year-round youth jobs initiatives.
The president held a conference call Thursday with mayors, businesses and non-profit leaders across the country, including Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski.
"POTUS has some good ideas on business community partnerships we may be able to implement here," Pawlowski said in a tweet, adding that he will work on putting together a summer jobs program for Allentown.
A spokesman for Pawlowski could provide no further details about the mayor's plans.


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A-1 Self Storage in Santa Ana, CA is open 7 days a week! We provide the convenience of the longest access hours in the area, and feature 24 hour access on select units.
2555 S Main St
Santa Ana
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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- How to manage all of the towels used at the gym is the question fitness facility staff struggle with every day.
The Wall Street Journal noticed this problem and also noted a Grand Rapids-based solution: Steve Molewyk's Towel Tracker.
"Towel usage is cut by half with the system," Molewyk said. "They take a lot less, there's a level of accountability."
Molewyk, a Marne businessman, invented the Towel Tracker after seeing how labor intensive towels are for gyms, also noting how many are taken, but not necessarily used by gym members.
RELATED: Don't take the towels: Marne man's invention tracks towels at health clubs, hotels
Cyndy Vogt at the David D. Hunting YMCA calls the towels "a cost of doing business."
Vogt said in the greater Grand Rapids area, they YMCA provides 40,000 towels each week. The David D. Hunting branch alone can account for nearly half of that usage, she said.
They lose from 10 to 20 percent of the towels they provide, she said.
"We would love to see every towel returned, but it's just one of those things," Vogt said. "We encourage members to drop off towels at bins available throughout the entire facility. There's a 'Last Drop Towel Stop' as you leave the building."
She said returning the towels simply slips the mind of clients, and taking the towels is not "intentional as much as accidental."
When Sue Pemberton, business operations manager at Towel Tracker, owned a gym, she said she spent $50,000 annually on towel costs.
"Members feel entitled to the towels, but it's very expensive to provide that amenity," she said. "But they do expect it."
Gym towels cost between 50 cents and $2, depending on size and quality, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Some gyms have removed towel service from their amenities.
The Lowell branch of the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids doesn't provide a towel service, Vogt said, but that's because it's a storefront and they do not have the ability to provide the service at that location.
According to WSJ, at a Jackson, Mich., YMCA, towel service was eliminated in 2008. The company's CEO estimated between 50 and 100 members were lost. Molewyk said that in addition to towel theft, gym owners must deal with laundering the towels and the labor cost of monitoring towel quantities around the gym. His Towel Tracker offers a solution.
The Tracker, a machine the size of two pop machines, dispenses and collects towels for gym members. The members swipe their identification badge and can take as many towels as they want. Each has a microchip embedded, so the company can monitor how many towels their clients take and return.
The machine also tracks how many towels are in the machine, on either side, so if more are needed, the machine can be replenished, or if the dirty towel side is full, staff is alerted to remove the soiled linens.
Customers are "quick to adapt" to the towel tracker system, said Jim Shawver, Towel Tracker sales executive.


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A Harrisburg man was arrested Saturday after Susquehanna Township police said he removed packages of meat and four kegs of beer from the Glass Lounge on North Front Street.
Terry Faust, 44, was charged with burglary and criminal conspiracy and placed in Dauphin County Prison.
Police said employees of the lounge witnessed a man removing boxes of meat and kegs of beer on Thursday evening and loading them into a white van.
Police were able to obtain a partial license plate, which they said led them to an address in the 800 block of Piketown Road and Faust. Police said the meat and beer were recovered at the scene.
A warrant for a second man is pending.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Detective Donald Cairns at 717- 909-9242.


text: This week Out Da Box Radio is happy to bring you a special interview with Michigan based Mello Music Group Producer "Apollo Brown". He took the time to speak in-depth about how he got his start and who some of his influences were in music. We also got a chance to reflect on some of his recent successful projects, like the "Trophies"LP with O.C., The Guilty Simpson Project (Dice Game), and this year's collabo project with Ghostface Killah and Ugly Heroes. With so much great music already under his belt, I can only see further progress and success on this brother's journey. I certainly wish him the best as he continues to grow musically in the future. Definitely feel free to pick up some of his recent releases over a mellomusicgroup.com when you get a chance. In the meantime be sure to check out our insightful radio interview with Apollo Brown himself. Much Thanks. Enjoy!


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DETAILSThe book's title, he says, neatly sums up his mindset about stardom. "I can't blame it on talent, because it's not," Rogers says. "It's being in the right place at the right time." The timing of this memoir comes as Rogers finds himself in front of younger audiences, thanks to his pal Lionel Richie. Richie's comeback this year, with a "Tuskegee" album of country duets, prompted appearances at two hipster music festivals, South by Southwest and Bonnaroo. On both occasions, Richie made sure that Rogers was by his side for a rendition of "Lady." Richie wrote the song for Rogers, who released it in 1980 on a greatest-hits record. It quickly earned the No. 1 spot on three Billboard charts. They revived the ballad as a duet for "Tuskegee," one of the best-selling albums of 2012. "We are good friends for 40 years," Rogers says. "He and I have a song, 'You Can't Make Old Friends,' and we're trying to get in (the studio) and get it done. You never know with Lionel. His yes is a no, and his no is a maybe." Rogers made sure to include a couple of Richie anecdotes in his book, detailing the genesis of "Lady" -- written piecemeal as Rogers waited for each verse in the recording studio -- and describing a boat trip they took in the Bahamas. "Suddenly 15-foot waves were pitching the boat around like a toy in a bathtub," Rogers writes. "Lionel proceeded to toss up everything in his stomach, including the Ritz crackers I thought would save him."
Who: Kenny Rogers, signing copies of "Luck or Something Like It."
When: 7 p.m. Oct. 8.
Where: Books-A-Million, Brook Highland Plaza, 5287 U.S. 280 East, Birmingham, Alabama.
Info: 205-995-5181.


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By Lisa Carolin
The Livingston Community News
For more than 50 years, the Brighton school district has offered an adult education program. But it has evolved over the years to include students who need a different learning setting or a smaller school.
The Alternative and Adult Education Program is run by Brighton Community Education.
"We're small, we're personable, and we teach outside the box," says program director JoAnn Rodgers, who retired Monday. "We can get to know the students better because the program is small. When you've got more than 2,000 kids in a high school, some get lost."
Rodgers says the scheduling of Brighton's alternative program differs from that at Renaissance Alternative High School.
"Our classes start at 9 a.m., which is appealing to teenagers, and we also have an evening program that starts at 5:45 p.m., which helps those students who work," says Rodgers. "We're the only one in the county that offers a program in both the day and evening."
The adult education program is for people seeking a high school or a General Equivalency Diploma. Rodgers says more adults have been coming to the program in the last couple years because of the economy.
Earl Peters, 61, graduated from the adult education program earlier this month.
"I dropped out of school when I was in 10th grade to help my mom pay bills," says Peters. "I got a job when I was 18 at General Motors, then got drafted and went to Vietnam, and then went back to work at General Motors and retired at the beginning of 2007. I wanted to get a part-time job and decided I wanted to finish my education first. After being out of school for 45 years, I was scared to death, but I did better than I thought I would. I think my life experiences helped."
Rodgers says many adult education programs have closed over the years due to cuts in state funding; the South Lyon school district will close its adult education program in the coming school year. Howell is the only other district in Livingston County to offer adult education. Rodgers says people come from all over the county to attend Brighton's program.
In the 2007-08 school year the program served 240 people. "About one third of our students are adults and the rest are ages 16-20," Rodgers says.
One of those students is 17-year-old Kaylee Hancock of Green Oak Township, who graduated earlier this month.
"I decided at the end of my sophomore year at Brighton High School that things weren't working for me there," she says. "My mom had graduated from the Alternative and Adult Education Program in 2006 and really liked it and said I could go there. The alternative program doesn't have the cliques like the high school does."
"The teachers really care if you learn the material and are always willing to help," says Kaylee's mom, Betty Lou Hancock, who was 46 when she graduated. "Students are in the program to learn and to get their diploma, and the commencements are so personal and emotional."
In February, the Michigan Department of Education sent a team to monitor Brighton's Alternative and Adult Education Program. The team looked at student files and the budget, and then gave recommendations on what could be improved.
"The four reviewers spent time congratulating the program for how well it is structured and run and told us that they used our program as the best-practice example," says Anne Rennie, director of Brighton Community Education. "We normally get $35,000 from that funding source, and this year we were awarded an extra $10,000 due to what the reviewers called the excellent performance of our program."
The Alternative and Adult Education Program is located in the Brighton Education and Community Center and has four classrooms in one wing of the building.
Rodgers says many of the program's teachers come in and tutor students on their own time.
"That speaks to the dedication of our staff," says Rodgers. "If students don't learn the way we teach, we need to teach the way they learn. My staff firmly believes that. We meet the students where they are and make them feel wanted, accepted and loved."
Lisa Carolin can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or at 810-844-2010.


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General Advice for Travelling in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is a great place for a vacation and well over 2 million people visit this small country every year. But please note that Costa Rica is a developing country and not a fully developed country. This means among many things, things will not be the same as in North America or Europe. So, expect things like bad roads, lack of signs, crazy drivers etc etc.
Another reality of traveling in developing countries (some more than others) is crime. Costa Rica has its share of crime against tourists (almost all non-violent). I do not say this to scare you, but only to be realistic and take certain precautions so you will limit yourself to the possibility of being a victim. Here are just a few general tips while traveling in Costa Rica.
- Be weary of people offering to carry your stuff for money. This always happens when you get off busses. If they do handle your bags, they expect a tip. 500 colones (almost $1 is plenty)
- Careful of people (especially locals), that are overly friendly and start recommending other hotels etc. They do not usually do this out of the goodness of their heart. They usually get a commission.
- Do not leave bags unattended in your car. Also always make sure your car is not parked out on street overnight unless you feel it is secure with a guard.
- When parking in city areas on street, there is usually a person on the street (they wear orange vests) that will watch your car. They are worth every colone. I will usually give them 500 colones when I park and another 500colones when I return (total almost $2). This is usually double what locals pay, but have never had anyone take anything out of my car, and the guy will many times even stop traffic to allow me to pull out safely
- Do not flash money around. Also note that many places do not accept US $50 or $100 bills
- Try and pay with local currency where possible. Paying with dollars is a sure way to get short-changed on exchange and shows other people you are "green" at traveling in CR.
Travelling by Public Bus to and from Puerto Viejo
- If arriving at airport, you can arrange taxi to prebuy your ticket and meet you at airport and take you to bus station. Click here for all details.
- Watch your bags very carefully in Bus Stations and at bus stops. Do not leave bags unattended.
- If bags are in overhead on bus, don't leave them unattended during road stop if you get off the bus. Bags underneath are not usually a problem as they know "the good stuff" is in carry-on.
- From San Jose to Puerto Viejo is assigned seating. Drivers side (left side) is best for Ocean Views when you get to the coast.
- Returning to San Jose is not assigned seating, so as soon as you see bus arriving, make your way to front of the line in effort get good seat. If there are two of you, one store luggage and other one get in line and reserve 2 seats.
- There is no bathroom on these busses. But they do make a couple stops along the way.
- For bus schedules and other general information, click here.


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There's so much information online just begging to be curated: news, social media, images, video, websites… the list goes on. Reading great content from my favorite blogs and websites is one of my favorite down-time activities. It's also an important part of my job as an IT Director because I need to stay on top of the latest trends, announcements and tech news. Just a few years ago, the tools I used to use for reading and consuming content were Google Reader, StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious… you know all the big names.
More recently I've discovered some great new tools to read and share my favorite content which I've included here in this list. Whether you are a person who just likes to stay on top of the latest news, a blogger like me who needs a way to organize the vast amount of information that comes my way or a person who just enjoys sharing what they find with others you'll love this list. Tech-savvy readers may know of some of these tools already but I'm guessing there's plenty of new sites and services here for you to discover. I actually discovered quite of few of these links by checking my blog analytics — turns out many DailyTekk readers knew about some of these great items before I did!


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This summer, Marion Emerson McHenry, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lewis McHenry, her mother nee Victoria Knight, was a student in the University of New Orleans' Summer Abroad program in Innsbruck, Austria. She plans to travel next summer as well, as a communications intern in London under the auspices of Southern Methodist University, where she is a junior studying toward a bachelor of arts degree in communications.
Marion graduated from the Louise S. McGehee School, where she was chosen to sing in the Ensemble Choir and served a mentorship in music her senior year. She also was a story editor of the yearbook when it was awarded the Louisiana Scholastic Press Association's top state honor for small schools; was an honors student and member of the Beta Club; and received the school's Outstanding Community Service award and the Silver "M" Award.
Her hobbies include cooking, traveling and music. She has interned at a local design firm and worked as a restaurant hostess and nanny. Marion has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Children's Hospital.
Her goal is to put her communication skills to work for a corporate, political, governmental or charitable organization.
Marion was honored earlier this summer with three other debs at a Southport Hall party hosted by their parents.


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Stop giving prisoners so many privileges
To the Editor:
Unbelievable! Gov. David Paterson wants to spend $800,000 for two double-wide trailers for conjugal and family visits. Unemployment is still at an all time high, our state income tax is on hold for refunds, aid is being cut daily from schools, hospitals, state parks are closing, and he wants to give inmates more luxuries, saying "it is one key way to encourage and facilitate strong relationships with their families".
Did any of these inmates think about or care about the effect their actions were going to have on their families once they committed the crimes and ended up in prison? What about drugs being smuggled in?
These people committed crimes; they should not be rewarded for their actions! Think about the family of the victims. How would you feel if your child, parent or best friend was a victim of one of these "model" prisoners?
Prison is prison for a reason; let's stop glorifying it and giving prisoners so many privileges. Maybe then they will learn their lessons and not be repeat offenders. Isn't that one of the goals of prison?? Forget conjugal visits; teach them values, respect and common sense!
Lisa Kapp Calabria
Guv's trailer proposal sickening and disgusting
To the Editor:
At a time when New York State is cutting education and closing schools, cutting jobs and wages, and closing our parks and beaches, Gov. David Paterson wants to spend $778,000 on two trailers, so inmates' families can visit them for a few days while in prison?
What about state workers' wages? What about our schools and education? What about our state parks and beaches? They all affect the children and families of law abiding citizens.
Sickening and disgusting.
Morris Parish
Did they think of families before committing crime?
To the Editor:
An atrocity. Gov. David Paterson is giving $800,000 to inmates to have time with their "families".
Excuse me: If they wanted to be and do well with their families, why did they not do it before committing the crime?
He is shutting down parks that are used by law-abiding citizens? I am more than furious. I think I may sue New York state and I will have others that will follow my lead.
Cynthia Kennedy
Why close parks but give perks to inmates?
To the Editor:
I attended Sunday afternoon's rally at Clark Reservation State Park with my family and about 250 other loyal supporters from the community to support keeping our state parks open. This local geological treasure is used by local colleges and school groups for educational field trips and by the community for its incredible hiking trails. The cost to keep it open is $98,000.
Monday's paper reported that Gov. David Paterson has earmarked $778,000 for a conjugal visit trailer at a prison. Why does the governor give benefits to convicted criminals but take them away from law-abiding citizens?
Brenda Alkins


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Researchers who estimate Minot's 2012 population at nearly 49,000 also project growth of 9 to 23 percent over the next few years, depending on the forecast model.
The Impact Assessment Group at North Dakota State University, Fargo, released its population study findings to Task Force 21 and the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce Thursday. Some legislators and area city officials attended the presentation.
Minot could reach a population of 60,021 by 2017 under one scenario that considers housing already built or the planning stage.
"This is a good snapshot of not 'if' but 'when,'" presenter Nancy Hodur said.
The study also used an employment growth measure to estimate Minot's 2017 population at 53,208. The 2010 census counted 40,888 residents. New census figures released Thursday estimated 43,746 residents in July 2012.
Both the housing and employment models considered the service population, which includes both permanent and temporary residents. The study determined that Minot residents tend to live in traditional housing arrangements, making it difficult to distinguish between permanent and temporary. However, of the nearly 49,000 residents estimated to be living in Minot last year, the employment model suggests nearly 43,000 were permanent residents.
Combined with Burlington, Surrey and 12 surrounding townships, but excluding Minot Air Force Base, Minot's service area was forecasted at 65,942 residents under the employment model and 79,462 residents under the housing model for 2017.
"Both models suggest that you have a high demand for housing and substantial population increases," Hodur said. "We made some assumptions about how rapidly it will build out, but when this is built out, there will be a substantially larger community here than there has been in the past."
The housing model projected a small amount of growth in the rural areas but tremendous growth in Minot, Burlington and Surrey.
Based on existing housing and proposed housing developments that could be built over the next five years, Burlington could go from a 2010 population of 1,060 to a population of 6,638 in 2017. Housing units would increase from 410 to 3,176.
Surrey could grow from 934 residents in 2010 to 4,658 residents in 2017. This assumes a housing increase from 335 units to 1,361 units.
The study showed 2,589 housing units constructed in Minot from 2010 to 2012 and another 6,889 housing units platted and approved but not yet completed. The projection is that Minot's housing units could increase from 18,744 in 2010 to 28,222 by 2017.
Because the housing model showed a somewhat larger population than the employment model, the implication is that Minot may capture a larger share of the population working in the region than it traditionally has, Hodur said.
"We don't know exactly if the people will live where the jobs are. It may end up that Minot may absorb a higher percentage because the people will prefer to live in Minot," Hodur said.
Jobs in the petroleum sector are forecast to grow for another eight to 10 years before declining and stabilizing, according to the study. Hodur said the data doesn't account for a newer forecast that increased the assessment of the amount of recoverable oil reserves in the Bakken.
Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman said the study results fall in line with the city's estimate that there are nearly 50,000 people living in Minot today. He said the city will be ready for the growth as it comes.
"I am a little concerned with the infrastructure costs and doing it as quickly as we have to," he said, although he added that the infrastructure being built will accommodate growth well past 2017.
"It gives us some idea of what we are charged with," Mark Jantzer, city council member said of the study results. The projected growth will mean more demand for city services, such as water, sewer, garbage pickup and police and fire protection.
"It's a big challenge," Jantzer said, "but I think we are up to the task."


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Benson intends to race for the charity-driven, West Michigan-based Racingawareness.com team in Berlin's brand new Premier Boyne Machine Super Lates division this summer. The class offers template bodied Late Model stock car racing.
Jeff Striegle of Byron Center, who is an owner with the Racingawareness.com team, said Benson is scheduled to compete in six races, beginning with the June 21 Rowdy 251, featuring NASCAR standout Kyle Busch.
Benson, 48, began his career on West Michigan short-tracks, and his 1989 Berlin Late Model track championship helped launched his NASCAR career. Benson has won races in each of NASCAR's top three levels.
"We are thrilled," Striegle said. "Johnny is respected by the other drivers and loved by the fans for obvious reasons, so we are excited to have him race with us."
Racingawareness.com raised approximately $55,000 for the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Foundation in its first season in 2010. Striegle, along with Berlin track announcer Norm Jelsma and Mike Bursley, an owner with Perfect Circle Racecars of Jenison, founded and maintain the team.
The team fielded a Berlin Modified and will be returning in 2011 to compete for the track championship with driver Dave Lake, who won Berlin's Super Stock title this past season. Striegle said the team's first year was such a success that they decided to expand to two cars this season. Benson will be driving a Perfect Circle Late Model.
"We have one of the best, if not the best driver to campaign at Berlin," Striegle said. "He gives us the kind of exposure for the cause that we are looking for. This completes our team."
Berlin promoter Mike Blackmer said the new class has created plenty of interest.
"This is awesome. I can't wait for April," Blackmer said. "We have had a number of guys already commit, like Brian Campbell and Johnny VanDoorn and Eric Jones, a 17-year old up-and-comer from Lansing. We have Kelsey Steele and Brandon Hermiller and Gabe Ensing planning to run.
"We have reduced prices this year, and our sales for season tickets are up. I think you will see our crowds up, and they will see some great racing."
Berlin's 61st season is scheduled to open April 23.


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BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Baldwin County Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack asked county commissioners for $20 million to run his department next year, but $2.1 million could be cut if revenue falls short, officials said.
Mack said his office has run under budget this year, and commissioners said the unspent balance could be used to help pay for next year's operations. His employees have not had cost of living adjustments or merit raises since September 2009, the sheriff said.
Crimes reported declined in 2009, he said, and the average number of people in the jail each day fell to 530 -- about 100 inmates less than the previous year. He credited the decline to timely referrals to Circuit Court and participation in drug court as well as pre-trial and community corrections programs.
Costs will increase, the sheriff said, as the county grows. Currently, according to federal justice figures, Baldwin should have up to 247 deputies. At present, there are 90, Mack said. Roughly 262 employees work in the Sheriff's Office, he said, including all deputies, dispatch staff, jail operations and office personnel.
The sheriff requested an additional nurse, an electronics technician and a community corrections deputy and office worker, but struck through requests for six communications officers, seven deputies and one case manager for community corrections.
Merit raises of $341,000 were struck through in his request. Mack also dropped $800,000 in requests for new vehicles, asking for only $84,000 for corrections automobiles.
Mack asked the commission for $1.5 million to set up a building for community corrections, replace aging electronic controls in the jail, repair the roof and paint the interior of the jail. He dropped requests to replace the radio system, cover the rear of the docket area, build a new administrative office and new vehicle maintenance facility, saving $7.5 million.
Mack said the commission had set aside $1 million for community corrections and his department needed to use that money for a building. Commission financial staff members said they were not sure where the funding was listed in county accounts, but it was not identified as part of any bond warrants.
In today's budget hearings, commissioners also heard requests from Probate Judge Tim Russell, who asked commissioners not to cut his department's funding. Russell requested $3.1 million to operate the probate office.
"The worst of times is not the time to cut your revenue-generating agencies," Russell said. "Because we do generate revenue," he said, "we are asking for your consideration."
Finance Chairman Frank Burt said all officials might have to come for additional meetings if revenue does not match spending requests. Burt pointed out that the commission is legally bound to finance the Sheriff's Office even though it is not a revenue generator.
Commissioners did respond favorably to Russell's request to increase poll worker pay to match Mobile's pay rate. Inspectors will get $150 base pay and clerks will get $125 daily. Federal and state elections add $25 each when votes are statewide and/or national.
The budget for the County Commission should see a few changes next year, officials said, with newly elected office holders incurring costs for training.
Commissioners-elect Bob James and Tucker Dorsey will have choices to make on accepting county vehicles or getting reimbursed for mileage if they drive their own cars. They can each have a cell phone owned by the county. Health insurance coverage for their families could mean cost differences as well, officials said.
Commissioners reviewed contingency accounts and the economic development allocation. Last year the industrial development budget was $450,000. That money went to pay for the toll road study for the hurricane evacuation route connecting the Foley Beach Express to Interstate 65. An additional $158,000 from the previous year was used to finish out the $558,000 cost of the study.
Commissioners agreed to move an announced budget meeting at the Central Annex in Robertsdale from Thursday to Aug. 6 at 8:30 a.m. The meeting was changed to allow attendance by several department heads who will be attending federal arbitration meetings in Washington.
County commissioners will meet each Thursday through Sept. 2 to formulate and finalize next year's budget.


text: Call it the legislative equivalent to "tough love." A package of bills in the state legislature would force third grade students in Michigan to be held back if they scored poorly on a standardized reading test. The reasoning here is the belief students up to third grade learn to read and from third grade on they read to learn.


text:
Orange Taylor III, 21, of Southfield was charged with an open count of murder, which gave the jury a choice of first- or second-degree murder, in the death of Laura Dickinson, 22, of Hastings.
The jury began deliberations Friday and continued Monday, but it told Washtenaw Chief Circuit Judge Archie Brown on Tuesday afternoon that a decision wasn't possible.
"Do you believe there is any possibility you could reach a verdict on one or any of the charges," Brown asked the jury.
Jurors answered: "No, your honor."
"Sometimes you just can't reach agreement," Brown told them. He then set Jan. 28 as the date for a new trial.
Family members of Dickinson at the court had no immediate comment. A message was left Tuesday evening at a coffeehouse in Hastings owned by the family.
As he was being led from the courtroom, Taylor pumped his fist in celebration toward his family.
"You have a hung jury so there must be some indecision," his father, Orange Taylor Jr., said later. "He's not that type of person. True enough, he's young, but he's not a murderer."
Taylor also was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carries a penalty of up to life in prison.
First-degree murder automatically brings a penalty of life in prison without parole, while second-degree murder carries up to life in prison.
Juror Lauretta Codrington, 48, said she was one of two who favored acquitting Taylor. She said the remaining 10 favored conviction.
The evidence, she said, did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed the crime: "We couldn't place the defendant in (Dickinson's) room before she died," said Codrington, who lives in Ann Arbor and owns a sports management company.
Authorities say Dickinson was sleeping when Taylor entered her room the night of Dec. 13. They say he raped her and smothered her with a pillow. A surveillance video shows him leaving with some of her property.
A custodian found her body Dec. 15.
Initially, university officials told her parents and the media that there was no sign of foul play.
An independent investigation and a U.S. Department of Education report both found that the university had violated a federal act requiring the disclosure of campus security information.
The school's Board of Regents later fired university President John Fallon.
Vice President for Student Affairs Jim Vick and Public Safety Director Cindy Hall were forced to retire.


text:
I'm close to graduating and I just finished making a portfolio containing the best school projects that I've worked on. Is it ok to post the link here so that people could critique it?
Are we allowed to post portfolios for critiquing?
#1 Members - Reputation: 129
Posted 11 April 2013 - 01:52 PM
#2 Moderators - Reputation: 15029
Posted 11 April 2013 - 02:32 PM
Post a link, like others have done.
Sloperama Productions
Making games fun and getting them done.
Please do not PM me. My email address is easy to find, but note that I do not give private advice.
#3 Members - Reputation: 129
Posted 11 April 2013 - 07:27 PM
Ok, here is what I have so far: http://ray-ng.wix.com/raymondng
I would appreciate any sort of advice and critiques. I realize that one of the game pages doesn't take you anywhere, but that is because I'm still in the midst of working on this with my team.
#4 Members - Reputation: 940
Posted 11 April 2013 - 10:12 PM
In your description of projects, list the tools, techniques and other stuff first. Since you said you wanted to work in AAA or MMO's a, non-technical, HR department employee will be looking over your webpage (if they even look at all). List key buzzwords, and other things they will be scanning for, in a very obvious manor. They probably don't know how motion capture works, but they have a list of "skills" or "tools" or some buzzword that they will be scanning for to judge whether you qualify or not. Good luck
#5 Moderators - Reputation: 40634
Posted 12 April 2013 - 03:39 PM
Took me about 30 seconds of looking at the link to figure out what to look for, and what to click on.
That's about 29 seconds too long.
I open the site and I see "I'm a student, and here is some flash". It does not say "I am a game developer". I had to scroll down, then I had to figure out what I was looking at, then I had to figure out where to click. (I tried about six items before finding your hover-flash-links)
Read this, the advice mostly applies to your site.
Some good examples (courtesy of Google, no preference to any of these people)
Lots of goods. Load the site and there are immediately good pictures and links.
Similar. No hunting for the games, just the immediately obvious links to what he has worked on.
Simple design. Picture of the game, description of what it was and what he did.
Similar, but design is reversed right to left.
You might also want to read this and similar pages.
Finally, even the best-looking web page in the world will be useless if nobody looks at it. Your resume and other job application information *MUST* draw the person to draw the person to look at your web site.
Check out my book, Game Development with Unity, aimed at beginners who want to build fun games fast.
Also check out my personal website at bryanwagstaff.com, where I occasionally write about assorted stuff.
#6 Members - Reputation: 129
Posted 12 April 2013 - 05:15 PM
Frob, I thank you for the critical advice and examples. I did note that the last link you have there isn't working (at least for me), do you have another link? Also, what do you guys think about a slideshow? A friend of mine who is far more skilled than I am keeps on recommending that I add a slideshow at the homepage.


text:
A nearly two-year review of the Cleveland Division of Police says its use-of-force policies and training are in line with national standards. That's the word from Cleveland officials, who presented the results of the report Wednesday. ideastream's Nick Castele reports.
The review was conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Police Chief Michael McGrath said he was satisfied by the results.
"Overall, once again, PERF found the division's policies to be sound, and our training and procedures to be sound," McGrath said.
McGrath said no one incident prompted this review -- and in fact, the chief asked for it a year and a half before dozens of officers joined a car chase that ended with police fatally shooting two unarmed people.
But one of the 26 recommended policy changes seemed to reflect that incident -- it would ban firing weapons at a moving car, even if the car is being used d to exert deadly force.
The head of Cleveland's police union, Jeffrey Follmer, disagreed with that idea. Police have said they opened fire on the car last year for just that reason -- saying the driver appeared to be trying to ram officers.
"You know, a vehicle can be used as deadly force," Follmer said. "If you have a mother and her child out there, and a vehicle is being used as deadly force, are we not supposed to take action?"
Responding to a question about the chase at the press conference, Mayor Frank Jackson said that police shouldn't respond in overwhelming numbers during vehicle pursuits.
"That culture is not sustainable if you want to maintain a trusting relationship between the public and the division of police," Jackson said. "It is not good for the public and it is not good for the police officer."
In response, Follmer defended police actions.


text:
Shot in Costa Rica
Exif: F Number: 9, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/400 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 400, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 38.00 mm, Model: NIKON D7000
Uploaded on 9/2/2012 7:24:13 AM
Camera: Nikon D7000 Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Pat Harry. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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text:
|Download : Games : Puzzles : Pretty nude girl in a jigsaw puzzle 96 pieces
Beautiful 96piece jigsaw puzzle of Olga, a pretty nude girl on a bench - Windows Freeware. Beautiful jigsaw puzzle of Olga, a pretty nude girl on a bench. She is smiling, looking into the camera.
PrettyNudes02.exe 1.0 20-Aug-06 English 361 KB
The preview photo is not available until after you complete the puzzle, giving an extra air of mystery and increasing the difaculty. It is 96 pieces.
|Jigsaw Puzzle Daily Game. Beautiful 96piece Olga Girl Bench.
| PrettyNudes02.exe


text:
Essex County authorities today charged a Newark man in the killing of his girlfriend's infant daughter.
Everette Sheppard, 22, was arrested late Friday night for an alleged sex assault on the 9-month-old girl. After reviewing the case over the weekend, prosecutors this afternoon upgraded those charges to murder, spokesman Paul Loriquet said.
The girl, Victoria Madison, died Friday after she was rushed from her family's North Ward apartment to University Hospital in cardiac arrest, police said.
Investigators interviewed Sheppard, the girl's mother, Sheila Troutman, 19, and others who were inside the Kemsco Village townhouse when she fell ill.
On Saturday, an autopsy determined her death to be a homicide and concluded that Victoria had died from blunt force trauma to her body, law enforcement officials said. But authorities have not said if the alleged sex assault contributed to her death.
Troutman has not been charged. A second child, a 2-year-old brother of the victim, was taken from the home on Friday by state officials and placed in a temporary foster home, state Division f Youth and Family Services spokeswoman Kate Bernyk said. She declined to say whether the child remains in the foster home.
Sheppard was held at Essex County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday.


text: '\" t .\"*************************************************************************** .\" Copyright (c) 1998,2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc. * .\" * .\" Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a * .\" copy of this software and associated documentation files (the * .\" "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including * .\" without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, * .\" distribute, distribute with modifications, sublicense, and/or sell * .\" copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is * .\" furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: * .\" * .\" The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included * .\" in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. * .\" * .\" THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS * .\" OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF * .\" MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. * .\" IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ABOVE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, * .\" DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR * .\" OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR * .\" THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. * .\" * .\" Except as contained in this notice, the name(s) of the above copyright * .\" holders shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the * .\" sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written * .\" authorization. * .\"*************************************************************************** .\" .\" $Id: form_win.3x,v 1.10 2006/11/04 17:12:00 tom Exp $ .TH form_win 3X "" .SH NAME \fBform_win\fR - make and break form window and subwindow associations .SH SYNOPSIS \fB#include <form.h>\fR .br int set_form_win(FORM *form, WINDOW *win); .br WINDOW *form_win(const FORM *form); .br int set_form_sub(FORM *form, WINDOW *sub); .br WINDOW *form_sub(const FORM *form); .br int scale_form(const FORM *form, int *rows, int *columns); .br .SH DESCRIPTION Every form has an associated pair of \fBcurses\fR windows. The form window displays any title and border associated with the window; the form subwindow displays the items of the form that are currently available for selection. .PP The first four functions get and set those windows. It is not necessary to set either window; by default, the driver code uses \fBstdscr\fR for both. .PP In the \fBset_\fR functions, window argument of \fBNULL\fR is treated as though it were \fBstsdcr\fR. A form argument of \fBNULL\fR is treated as a request to change the system default form window or subwindow. .PP The function \fBscale_form\fR returns the minimum size required for the subwindow of \fIform\fR. .SH RETURN VALUE Routines that return pointers return \fBNULL\fR on error. Routines that return an integer return one of the following error codes: .TP 5 .B E_OK The routine succeeded. .TP 5 .B E_SYSTEM_ERROR System error occurred (see \fBerrno\fR). .TP 5 .B E_BAD_ARGUMENT Routine detected an incorrect or out-of-range argument. .TP 5 .B E_POSTED The form has already been posted. .TP 5 .B E_NOT_CONNECTED No items are connected to the form. .SH SEE ALSO \fBcurses\fR(3X), \fBform\fR(3X). .SH NOTES The header file \fB<form.h>\fR automatically includes the header file \fB<curses.h>\fR. .SH PORTABILITY These routines emulate the System V forms library. They were not supported on Version 7 or BSD versions. .SH AUTHORS Juergen Pfeifer. Manual pages and adaptation for new curses by Eric S. Raymond. .\"# .\"# The following sets edit modes for GNU EMACS .\"# Local Variables: .\"# mode:nroff .\"# fill-column:79 .\"# End:


text:
By Adalio Sanchez
Forward-thinking academic institutions rely on advanced technology systems to support internal research programs and to improve their own IT operations. Just as importantly, the practical application of these technologies in the academic world plays a critical role in promoting the development and education of students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Throughout my career as a technologist, I've witnessed firsthand how the right technology solutions have the power to foster and advance STEM education and make our education systems smarter – from turning ideas into useful knowledge and practical business technologies that can benefit our economy and society, to filling the employment pipeline with workers equipped with the skills necessary to make them competitive and successful.
But ensuring these institutions have the opportunity to apply the most advanced technologies in the lab, in the classroom and campus wide requires the active partnership and participation of businesses and technology providers. We regularly see examples of the significant benefits, knowledge and new skills for everyone involved that result from this kind of collaboration.
The University of Miami's Center for Computational Science is working to advance the field of genetics through the development of its Human Genome Clinical Annotation Tool for identifying specific genes associated with various human diseases. The tool is integrated with several large clinical and biological databases and must analyze as many as 200 billion data points in tens of thousands of individuals in order to accurately identify the genomes. The university turned to IBM to develop and deploy a high performance computing system for use by its students and faculty called Pegasus to efficiently perform these complex calculations and analyses.
Built with an advanced Intel CPU, the Pegasus solution is five times faster and more powerful than its predecessor, with the ability to perform 160 trillion floating-point operations per second, speeding the university's research and the advances in medicine that will result. Pegasus also is used to help determine what path the Earth's climate will take and supports the university's climate, hurricane and oceanographic research programs. Additionally, the IBM solution lifted University of Miami onto the top 500 supercomputing list.
Marist College, a private liberal arts college based in Poughkeepsie, New York, is furthering cloud computing research efforts and educating students in Software Defined Networking technology through an SDN Innovation Lab sponsored by IBM.
Together, IBM and Marist help students and researchers evaluate new, smarter technologies to solve pressing business needs. For example, researchers are currently testing a cloud computing innovation that will soon prevent costly voice and data network disruptions during weather-related crises.The invention will enable data center operators to re-provision and protect these applications in mere minutes from a remote location during a storm – something that previously took days. Work like this isn't just creating technology solutions for the real world; it's also providing Marist students with valuable first-hand experience to help develop the high-demand, specialized skills required for today's workforce.
At the University of Groningen in the Netherlands – founded in 1614 and one of Europe's oldest research universities – education and research capabilities are being transformed with high-performance technology. The university turned to IBM for an HPC solution that could support its large-scale research projects, including its "Target" analytics project that was designed to change the way large amounts of raw data can be managed and analyzed to provide valuable information.IBM designed a platform supported by high-capacity, high-bandwidth server and storage technologies that increased HPC performance at the university by 50 percent, giving leading researchers and students at the university access to the predictable performance and quick data processing they need now while optimizing infrastructure to accommodate future data growth.
These are just a few examples of how academic institutions across the globe can adopt smarter technologies to advance the state of learning and research, develop the STEM skills of tomorrow's workforce and drive real-world applications for advanced solutions in key fields such as analytics and cloud.
Follow IBM Smarter Planet on Google+
Previous post
4:47 pm
people power is first for doing anything.
Posted by: Sathish
10:16 am
Science are going higher and higher
Posted by: katalizatoriu supirkimas kaune
8:08 pm
Thank you Adalio for keeping the STEM focus. The need to have highly educated technology savy individuals is tremendous and will continue to accelerate as technology advances at levels never before experienced. It's imperative for all to get on aboard so that as a whole, society can be self sufficient. Enjoyed the article.
Posted by: Wanda Ronquillo
1:44 pm
STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Posted by: Julie Craft
1:38 pm
Great article! I enjoyed the examples that show how technologies are leveraged with academia. I hope this type of effort continues to increase the pipeline of students who pursue a career in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) area.
Posted by: Michelle Davis
2:10 am
what is STEM?
Posted by: Frans
5:46 pm
Adalio, thanks for sharing. Great examples of how smarter technologies are advancing STEM education levels in the classrooms worldwide.
Posted by: Tonieh Moshier


text:
Monday, August 9, 2010
Bombshell Beauty Hits the Air Waves with Bombshell Boutique
It was a wonderful day of hanging out with a bunch of girls - talking about everything from lipgloss to our favorite jeans, jobs, kids and everything in between - that culiminated in a 5 minute segment on Twin Cities Live.
Click here to view the video: twincitieslive.com - Bombshell Boutique
Denise (in red) surrounded by her models. Aren't these women stunning? And as nice as they are pretty.
I wore my denim dress from LucieLu, styled for fall with knee-boots. Forgive the frizzy hair - it was a steamy 95 degrees here in the Twin Cities today!
You'll find more behind-the-scenes pictures over on my Facebook page.
I had a great time and am thrilled to have met such a great group of Bombshells. Though we were all nervous to be on camera, each woman really owned her look! Out of the five outfits featured, which one would you like to add to your own wardrobe?
11 comments:
I would choose the lace dress the model next to Denise is wearing. Very classic chic...ReplyDelete
I love each outfit that is next to Denise...Gorgeous lace dress. In black it would be perfect for a night out and the dress on the left looks perfect for work or a dressier event during the day. Loves it!ReplyDelete
I have two favorites, the lace dress, but in black with nude undertones and your dress!! I will have to have both at some point...they are fantastic!! Both different styles, yours very modern and the lace one in black with nude undertones is very old Hollywood to meReplyDelete
Great segment! Can't wait to check out this store when I am in town (in a month!).ReplyDelete
I love the lace dress too -- so feminine. Black would be beautiful too but I just love that one. I want it! And I love your denim dress too!ReplyDelete
I bet that was a blast.ReplyDelete
I *love* that denim dress! I saw it a the Bombshell Boutique preview party and about died. Great to see it on someone!ReplyDelete
the dark dress with the red flats-altho I loved the dress you wore as wellReplyDelete
I totally just bought that Lucielu dress today. Now I'm just playing around with shoes and accessories for it... (thanks to Polyvore, which I JUST decided to get into...) Which do you like best? http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=22905540ReplyDelete
Great styling, Jessica! I like all the shoe options but am leaning towards the Bottlesup Sandal. Which is your favorite?ReplyDelete
I've decided the Bottlesup is my favorite - esp. after playing around on Polyvore. (Holy cow it's my new favorite online styling tool. Indispensable!) I also am learning toward some taupe knee high boots for the cooler months: http://bit.ly/d7pEHbReplyDelete
My dress shipped yesterday, so i'm excited to start playing with options. I might even debut it for Opening Night this Friday! (I work at a performing arts center.)
Do you have any suggestions for layering options?
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text:
Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin
- Directed by Chi-Hwa Chen
===Story=== Jackie Chan apprenticed in a series of straight-faced martial arts revenge films before he found his true calling as the clown prince of kung fu in ''Snake in the Eagle's Shadow'' and the original ''Drunken Master''. The sprawling clan-war conspiracy adventure ''Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin'' is one of his best pre-fame efforts, a tale of tenuous alliances and double-crosses, with cocky young warrior Jackie in the middle stirring up trouble. The sly rascal in the den of thieves, however, is actually an honorable young acolyte on a mission of vengeance. It's the usual story, with a little more comedy and plenty of old "strike and pose" fight scenes energized by Jackie's youthful athleticism. The opening theme song was cribbed from the same music library that supplied ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''. ''--Sean Axmaker'' ===DVD Features=== *Color *Widescreen
|Jackie Chan
|Nora Miao
Recent threads
- Genre: Adventure Movies
- Director: Chi-Hwa Chen
- Producer: Columbia/Tri-Star
- Length: 96 min
Theatrical Release North America Jan 1, 1978
DVD Release North America Mar 12, 2002


text:
Ex-IBM workers get federal aidDecember 28,2013
Ex-IBM workers
get federal aid
MONTPELIER The U.S. Department of Labor authorized former employees of the Williston IBM plant and some other businesses involved in memory design services in that town to participate in a program designed to help workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign competition, state officials said this week.
Meanwhile, officials from the Vermont Department of Labor and the states independent U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders are asking the federal labor department to amend the approval issued earlier this month to include workers from the IBM campus in Essex Junction.
Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan said in a Thursday release she didnt know why the Essex Junction workers werent included in the Trade Adjustment Assistance ruling. So she said her department is looking for information from displaced workers to support the amended petition.
Sanders said he was dismayed the Essex Junction workers werent included. I strongly believe all of these workers deserve to receive Trade Adjustment Assistance and I will pursue this matter vigorously, Sanders said.
The ruling makes workers from IBM and other companies who have lost their jobs eligible for a series of programs, including re-employment service and training reimbursement.
Although the company does not comment on the numbers of its layoffs, Noonans office said last summer that the company laid off 419 people.MORE IN Vermont NewsDemocratic gubernatorial nominee Sue Minter has nabbed the endorsement of President Barack Obama,... Full StoryCabaret, the Kander and Ebb musical, has remained timely and timeless since its 1966 Broadway... Full StoryCOLCHESTER The Vermont Press Association is sponsoring Debate Sunday this afternoon to allow... Full Story
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Colorful mural planned for Luther Burbank Park
When artist Natalie Oswald first saw Luther Burbank Park she was struck by the scenery. Oswald, who was commissioned to paint a mural above the tennis courts on the North-end of the park, couldn't help but notice the stunning backdrop aligned with her style, what she describes as "a lot of nature and birds and sky and water."
"When I apply for something I want to make sure that there is something there that speaks to me and resonates with my style."
Oswald will begin painting in late August and expects the process to take about a week. The project has been funded and commissioned by the Arts Council.
When she first learned about the project, the wetlands and nature of the space resonated with her. Oswald's early sketches depicted a sinking sun above the water. But community input helped her tone down the bright colors, which some neighbors thought would be a distracting display on the practice wall.
"Of course, that made perfect sense to me. Things like that – where an issue or a consideration will come up – I really enjoy that part of the process," says the painter.
Oswald is trained as a studio artist. She lives in Port Townsend and made her first commissioned mural last year.
"When you're in the studio, it's a very private, controlled environment. You have your coffee and your music and you know what to expect," she laughs. "With murals, there are always surprises...You spend 20 minutes talking to a kid or the rain starts coming down."
Oswald typically works from top to bottom. Her sketches are transferred to a grid and from the page onto a wall, using sidewalk chalk. After cleaning and priming the space she begins meticulously to transfer her vision to her canvas. Because of the enormous size of the space, Oswald will likely use a spray gun, much the same as is used for car detailing.
"We inherited that park from King County and the design that was already there needed to be upgraded," said Amber Britton, arts and cultural events coordinator for the city. "We thought this was the perfect pallete to compliment the new playground."
Oswald's installation will be the Island's first public mural.
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text:
MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Hermine is getting a little stronger in the Gulf of Mexico as it heads toward the coasts of Texas and Mexico.
A tropical storm warning was issued early today for the southern Texas coast. A tropical storm warning was already in effect for the coast of Mexico from Tampico to the mouth of the Rio Grande.
Hermine's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 45 mph with additional strengthening expected before the storm makes landfall.
Heavy rain is predicted with northeastern Mexico into south Texas getting 4 to 8 inches with as much as a foot in some places. It could cause flash floods and mudslides.
The storm is located about 280 miles south-southeast of Bronwsville, Texas, and is moving north near 10 mph.
Meanwhile, a remnant of Tropical Storm Gaston continues to linger about 450 miles northeast of the Lesser Antilles. National Hurricane Center meteorologists said there "is a high chance" this system could reform as Gaston in the next 48 hours.
The hurricane center said heavy rains and gusty winds could begin to affect portions of the Leeward Isands late today and tonight.