text:
NEWARK — Federal regulators have cited a Newark industrial gas manufacturer for 19 violations, many involving inadequate safety procedures, following an inspection of its repackaging plant.
The company, Welco Acetylene Corp., which manufacturers highly flammable acetylene gas — commonly used for fueling blowtorches — was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Among the violations considered "serious," were the company's inability to maintain combustible waste material in metal containers and its failure to develop written safety guidelines regarding employees and equipment.
According to the Department of Labor website, acetylene is so easy to ignite that a static charge developed by walking across a carpet floor on a dry day can be 1,700 times greater than what's needed to spark the gas.
The proposed fines total $49,200, and Welco can contest the violations.
"The safety hazards found at Welco's facility put its workers at serious risk of injury and must be addressed promptly," said Kris Hoffman, director of the OSHA office in Parsippany.
A message left with Welco vice president John Smith was not immediately returned.
• Federal regulatory agency cites Rockaway pipe manufacturing plant for safety violations
• Leaking acetylene tank blamed for car explosion in Jersey City


text:
HOLLAND, MI – Holland police this morning plan to identify the bicyclist killed Monday, April 29, in a crash at East 16th Street and U.S. 31.
The bicyclist was struck by a car around 9:25 p.m.
The bicyclist was unconscious when rescuers arrived.
Police said the victim's identity, as well as additional details of the crash, will be released later this morning.
E-mail John Agar: email@example.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ReporterJAgar

subset: commoncrawl


text:
CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose started Saturday in the Bulls' 93-83 win over the Mavericks after sitting out the past three games because of ankle and foot problems. Rose warmed up before the game and said he was feeling better.
Rose finished with 11 points and eight assists in 32 minutes but after the game admitted to some soreness.
"It was throbbing a little, but the great thing about it is we got the win and we get a couple of days off to get treatment and I'm going to stay off my feet and hopefully it's going to get better," Rose said after the victory, which moved the Bulls 2½ games ahead of the Miami Heat for the East's top spot.
TNT's Craig Sager reported during Thursday night's game against the Heat that Rose had fluid in his ankle and foot because the ankle was taped too tight before last Sunday's game against the Detroit Pistons. While Rose tried to brush off that report, he also admitted that he wouldn't tape his ankle before Saturday's game. Usually the 23 year old just wears ankle braces instead of taping.
"I wouldn't say that," Rose said prior to Saturday's game while discussing the apparent tight tape job. "Just playing again, getting my minutes back, overtime (in Detroit), playing the way that I play, I think that had something to do with it more than the tape."
Rose noted that he used to get his ankles taped when he was younger, but hasn't done so in several years before last weekend.
"When I was younger, I used to get them (taped)," he said. "I didn't think nothing about no fluid or anything. I just thought that I was sore, but ever since I got to the league things changed."
With the Bulls now having just tw games left to go in the regular season, Rose admitted that it was important to him to play and try and get his timing back. He has missed 26 games this season because of various injuries. Since injuring his groin in a March 12 win over the New York Knicks, Rose has played in just three games.
"It's important just to get my rhythm back," he said earlier Saturday. "But the team is playing all right, they're playing good basketball. I'm just trying to fit in, trying to still be a part of this team and do whatever it takes to win."
"I think (Rose) played a very controlled type game," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said after the win. "He was taking care of the ball, running the offense and just trying to get a feel for being out there again."
Rose also acknowledged that it was difficult for him to to watch the Bulls' loss to the Heat on Thursday. Without Rose on the floor, the Bulls managed just 72 points.
"(It was) definitely hard," he said. "Knowing our background with that team. But hopefully in the future we should meet each other."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


text:
To the editor,
While visiting my family in Pictou County over the holidays, I made one last sentimental visit to the Zellers store in New Glasgow. It was nostalgic because Zellers has been a part of our Canadian identity for many years and it will soon be gone forever. Everyone who grew up in Pictou County has at least one memory of shopping at Zellers. I can even recall going downstairs in the "old" Zellers store downtown to look at the toys at Christmas time. Every September it was Zellers for school supplies. One happy spring it was a brand new 10-speed bike from Zellers. I even worked at Zellers one summer when I was in university.
There was a time, before giant American box stores oozed greedily
across our borders, that we were all satisfied purchasing from stores like Zellers, Goodman's, and Eaton's. What's next? Our beloved Canadian Tire? We inch closer and closer to seeing every last Canadian company go out of business because Canadians have an insatiable need to buy more and more cheap, American brand name goods – made by children in third-world countries – that they do not need!
I can see the faces of so many of the hardworking men and women who were a part of the Zellers store in New Glasgow for so many years. Thank you very much for your years of service to the shoppers of Zellers in Pictou County.
Support our own country. Buy Canadian products. Shop local stores.
Rebecca Fraser


text:
- Conference date: 25–29 August 2008
- Location: Cologne (Germany)
Although an important effort has been devoted in the last decades to measure reaction cross sections of interest in astrophysics, most nuclear astrophysics applications still require the use of theoretical predictions to estimate experimentally unknown rates. The nuclear ingredients to the reaction model should preferably be estimated from microscopic or semi‐microscopic global predictions based on sound and reliable nuclear models which, in turn, can compete with more phenomenological highly‐parametrized models in the reproduction of experimental data. The latest developments made in deriving the nuclear inputs of relevance in astrophysics applications are reviewed. They mainly concern nuclear structure properties, nuclear level densities, optical potentials.
New developments to improve the predictions of radiative neutron capture rates are also discussed. They include the recent improvements made to the TALYS reaction code and the analysis of the pre‐equilibrium contribution. The direct reaction mechanism is also discussed and new estimates on the basis of the newly‐derived nuclear ingredients are compared with the compound‐nucleus contribution.
Key Topics
- Acoustic modeling
- 2.0
- Astrophysics
- 2.0
- Chemical reaction cross sections
- 2.0
- Nuclear reactions
- 2.0
- Nuclear structure models
- 2.0
Probing Inflation with CMB PolarizationDaniel Baumann, Mark G. Jackson, Peter Adshead, Alexandre Amblard, Amjad Ashoorioon, Nicola Bartolo, Rachel Bean, Maria Beltrán, Francesco de Bernardis, Simeon Bird, Xingang Chen, Daniel J. H. Chung, Loris Colombo, Asantha Cooray, Paolo Creminelli, Scott Dodelson, Joanna Dunkley, Cora Dvorkin, Richard Easther, Fabio Finelli, Raphael Flauger, Mark P. Hertzberg, Katherine Jones‐Smith, Shamit Kachru, Kenji Kadota, Justin Khoury, William H. Kinney, Eiichiro Komatsu, Lawrence M. Krauss, Julien Lesgourgues, Andrew Liddle, Michele Liguori, Eugene Lim, Andrei Linde, Sabino Matarrese, Harsh Mathur, Liam McAllister, Alessandro Melchiorri, Alberto Nicolis, Luca Pagano, Hiranya V. Peiris, Marco Peloso, Levon Pogosian, Elena Pierpaoli, Antonio Riotto, Uroš Seljak, Leonardo Senatore, Sarah Shandera, Eva Silverstein, Tristan Smith, Pascal Vaudrevange, Licia Verde, Ben Wandelt, David Wands, Scott Watson, Mark Wyman, Amit Yadav, Wessel Valkenburg and Matias Zaldarriaga
Data & Media loading...
Article metrics loading...


text:
Nb: infants must be under the age of 2 and
children must be under the age of 12 at the time of
25 rooms with radio, telephone, TV, mini bar and safe. Pries are based on a north facing twin room with bath and wc. The following room types are available at a supplement:


text:
Officials with the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board said in an 11:45 a.m. press conference that they would announce school closure decisions for Thursday around 3 p.m. today.
Safe travel to school is key, said Dana Peterson, deputy superintendent with the Recovery School District. Stan Smith, Orleans Parish interim superintendent, said staff were in schools checking on conditions.
The districts' decision will directly affect only about a dozen of New Orleans' nearly 90 public schools. However, they have been coordinating with the city's charter schools, which make their own decisions about scheduling and weather.
New Orleans Archdiocese schools will follow the decision of the Recovery School District.
"We trust that our students are enjoying the rare snow day but are looking forward to getting back to school," Peterson said.
All New Orleans public and Catholic schools have been closed Tuesday and Wednesday.


text:
Discussion: Dissecting data quality measurement: Key assessment metrics
Profile: ITKE
Tags:Data quality
Thanks! We'll email you
when relevant content is
added and updated.
when relevant content is
added and updated.
In a book excerpt, data quality architect Laura Sebastian-Coleman explains data assessment terminology and details a framework for measuring quality.


text:
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove has identified 61-year-old Frank Rhodes of Gulfport as the man shot and killed during a standoff with police Friday night.
Hargrove said Rhodes was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:18 p.m. An autopsy revealed he died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Warren Strain of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations confirmed that at 10:13 p.m. Friday, Gulfport police responded to a report of shots being fired within the 12400 block of Holliman Circle.
Upon arrival, officers engaged an armed 61-year-old black male -- identified today as Rhodes -- in the driveway of a residence. During the exchange, Rhodes was killed.
"The preliminary investigation shows that officers were placed in a situation in which they had to discharge their firearms," Strain said, adding that they are still very "early" in the investigation.
Strain said it's common practice -- though not required -- for police/sheriff's departments to bring in the MBI to investigate a shooting when officers are involved.


text:
The 11-member board of the Michigan Strategic Fund has not seen a 'nay' vote on a measure to spend taxpayer funds that anyone can recall. In fact, by the time a proposal for spending gets to the board for a vote, it has already been decided that the funding will be approved.
That's because the some of the strategic fund board members meet behind closed doors with staffers to discuss the outlays prior to the board's monthly public meeting.
The number of board members present in these private meetings is kept to four, therefore the gathering can't fall under the state's Open Meetings Act, which requires governing bodies to conduct business in public.
"Boards are permitted to have committees and we do have a committee," said Jennifer Nelson, senior vice president of community development and portfolio management at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the body that oversees the money and administers programs approved by the MSF board.
The strategic fund board is required by law to meet in open session. The board approves taxpayer money – in the form of bond issuances, loans, grants and other favors - to businesses and municipalities for a wide array of endeavors, from so-called job creation to economic development.
For example, the board in July signed off on a $3 million grant for Jackson National Life's headquarters expansion.
The strategic fund board's committee was established to "review the monthly MSF agenda and work with staff on various policy issues," according to a resolution passed by the MSF board. The vote to form this committee was unanimous, of course.
The notion of avoiding the state's public meeting law when discussing the dissemination of millions of dollars of taxpayer money is a bit scary. A board of this power without a voice of dissent is likewise disturbing,
Nelson contended in a recent interview that there is plenty of discussion on most expenditures during the public meeting of the MSF board. She acknowledged that there is also discussion during the committee meetings including "any guidance from staff..."
Do the members of the MSF board know how they are going to vote going into the public meeting? After all, no dissension can be found in the meeting minutes.
"I wouldn't go that far," Nelson said. "What the advisory committee is doing is using the skill set of the members on the MSF board that allow them to provide guidance to us as we are negotiating deals."
So the strategic fund committee meets to give guidance to its staff, and the staff of the strategic fund gives guidance to the strategic fund board members.
Why can't that be done in public? It sounds like the hard work is done in this committee, and the board is simply a rubber stamp.
Further examination of the resolution creating the advisory committee explains how this operation works.
It reads that "two briefing calls are held before each board meeting, with no more than five board members on each call. "
That's because more than five members would constitute a quorum, which would put the MSF board in very blatant violation of the Open Meetings Act.
Which Nelson acknowledged, before heading back to her circular logic; the board committee meets in private to air out the issues and then the board decides in public.
There have been issues with the operation of the MEDC and by proxy, the Michigan Strategic Fund, for some time. State lawmakers both Democrat and Republican have focused primarily on a return on the investment of public money in the form of tax breaks, crying about "transparency," whatever that means today.
The fact that the detractors have fretted more about metrics such as job creation numbers than a very basic tenant of a free and open society - the ability of the public to watch its money being spent - tells me that MEDC critics are driven by politics more than concern for constituents.
Poring over the minutes of the MSF board meetings, it appears there is a decent amount of concern by board members for how money is being spent. Why, then, does it insist on holding committee meetings out of the public eye? And how can there be nary a 'no' vote on a public project?
I decided to follow the advice of Robin Luce Herrmann, a media attorney at Butzel Long in Bloomfield Hills.
She told me, "It's always good to say to them, 'I understand that you're complying with the state's open meetings act but you can do better and really be advocates for transparency and accountability by looking at your constituents and saying, 'what can I do to maximize their understanding of what government is doing?' Do you have any thoughts on this?' "
I sent those exact words in an email to MEDC CEO Michael Finney, who is also on the board of the Michigan Strategic Fund, in August. I never heard back from him.
There's your answer.
Steve Miller writes about government transparency for MLive and our partner Lansing City Pulse, a weekly alternative newspaper in Lansing. Miller is a 2012 Edgar nominee for his true crime book, Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender. His latest of six books, Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock 'n Roll in America's Loudest City, is in bookstores now. He lives at www.Avalanche50.com and @penvengeance. You can email him at email@example.com.


text:
Things to know, Aug. 15
The Taney Dragons will play in the Little League World Series at 3 p.m. today. We have lots of coverage – including a story about how some folks are claiming the Taney team cheated.
Going to the Jimmy Buffet concert on Aug. 30 in Hershey? If you are planning to tailgate Julia Hatmaker has what you need to know.
Penn State football news – Audrey Snyder has coverage of camp and Joe Hermitt has a great photo gallery of yesterday's practice.
The app-based ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft have filed for licenses to expand their reach across the state -- including Dauphin, York, Cumberland, Perry, Lancaster and Lebanon counties.
Tony Stewart will not drive in Sunday's race in Michigan. Did he make the right decision?
The death by suicide of Robin Williams has sparked discussion about depression. Our own opinion editor John Micek shared his thoughts – worth a read – as well as an op-ed from state Rep. Mike Schlossberg on the same topic and his struggle.
If you need something to do this weekend, Julia Hatmaker has a rundown of the movies opening including "Anjaan," "Boyhood" and "The Expendables 3."
Weather forecasters say today will be a nice warm day with low humidity. By tomorrow night, however, we could have some showers and thunderstorms.
PennLive reporters will be covering a number of high school football scrimmages tomorrow. Writers also have had a ton of previews for you to check out.
Sign up to get 'Today's Front Page' in your inbox every morning
"Today's Front Page" is a new morning email newsletter that delivers the day's top headlines to your inbox seven days a week. This newsletter is sent every morning at 6 a.m. and includes the morning's top stories, a full list of obituaries, links to comics and puzzles and the most recent news, sports and entertainment headlines.
The newsletter is free and it's easy to sign up. Just visit pennlive.com/newsletters to sign up for "Today's Front Page" and other PennLive newsletters.


text:
As the National Aviary gets ready to open its new birds of prey show, eagle watching is all the rage in Allegheny County. Bald eagles have come back to the area.
No email address was supplied by
To complete your registration on this site, please supply an address.
Please confirm or modify the email address to which you will have subscription offers sent.
For a more personalized experience, please supply the following optional information.


text:
Henry Winkler, one of TV's all-time favorite stars as The Fonz on the hit 70's and 80's sitcom Happy Days, has a legendary acting and directing resume that dates back four decades. He is now about to hit the New York Times best seller list with his debut adult non-fiction book I've Never Met An Idiot on the River: Reflections of Family, Photography, and Fly-fishing.
The book is set to debut at No. 30 on the New York Times Bestseller list on June 26. Henry has penned a heart-warming collection of humorous anecdotes and heartfelt observations about his passion, fly-fishing – and on life, love, and the importance of family. The book features his original photographs of beautiful nature-filled scenes, along with inspiring prose on how fly-fishing helps him reflect on what really matters in life.
From "Happy Days," to Great Days for Fishing, from leather jacket to waders, Henry Winkler has written a new book on Fly Fishing. He's not a newcomer to writing books. He has written children's books and others. As an actor, producer, director and author his career has been one absent from supermarket tabloid headlines.
He's a Fishaholic. In interviews he has been known to refer to a day on the river as a "washing machine for the brain," problems being washed away by the river. As true as that may be, it does sound like a form of rehab. He talks about brown and rainbow trout. His first trip on the Smith River and being hooked, he even describes fly fishing in Zen like terms. In one interview he was asked, what are some of your favorite places to fly fish? His response was, "Montana. Montana. Tennessee was good, Idaho was very good, Wyoming is good, but Montana is like heaven on earth." He talks about being banished to his own boat because he fishes his wife's water. Does this not sound like someone with the addiction we all share?
Winkler's warm-hearted spirit anchors the simple collection of Montana and Idaho river photos, reminiscences, and asides, resulting in a fantastic Father's Day gift for any patriarch who owns a pair of knee-high rubber boots. The hand-written photo-captions font is also a nice touch.
Idiot begins with a good-natured and sometimes humorous chapter by Winkler's wife, Stacey. If she is to be believed (and probably she should be; no one is more unbiased than a spouse), Winkler really is as he appears – a kind, humble, open, genuine person. (Note, though, that she also describes Winkler as having "no tolerance for anything that distracts from the wilderness experience" while he's on the river. Like, um, idiots? No!)
The first chapter also contains a noteworthy photo of Stacey holding a nice trout in her gloved hands. The amazing part – her gloves appear to be leather. That's a new one; no Glacier Gloves for her.
The six remaining chapters are Winkler's own, and they are an unusually unguarded bit of writing. Winkler is candid about his insecurities and limitations, and his struggles to overcome them. There is plenty of self-mockery, but no self-protection, and the book is refreshingly free of irony. Winkler seems to realize that there's no joy in scornful irony, nor is there any shame in open enjoyment of life's simple pleasures. The book is suffused with a gentle humor, homey anecdotes, and startling humility. For example, Winkler apparently falls in the river at least once a day. This should endear him to many readers.
Winkler also draws many analogies between trout fishing and life, and while none of the analogies is necessarily earth-shattering, most all of them ring true. And it seems like every life lesson improves Winkler's fishing, and his time on the river improves his life. Sound familiar?
Overall, this book is a quick read, and it's frequently amusing. It does not pretend to be anything more than its subtitle suggests. It paints a clear picture of a fanatical fly-fisherman, someone who's single-minded in his pursuit of trout. It also showcases Winkler's focus on family (not in the political sense). And speaking of family: if you are a father, there are some insights and observations that will probably strike a chord – though be forewarned that some of Winkler's fatherly anecdotes will likely make you feel like a bit of a heel. Not only is Winkler the Fonz, but he is apparently just about the most aware, reflective and attuned Dad too.


text:
Dr Nancy Klimas MD, is a
Professor of Medicine, Psychology, Microbiology and Immunology at
the University of Miami School of Medicine.
She is a member of the federal CFS Advisory Committee
(CFSAC) and former President and current Board Member of the
International Association of CFS/ME (IACFS/ME) and a founding editor
of the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Dr Klimas has been a leader in the field of ME/CFS
research for many years and recently Dr Klimas opened a model clinic
for CFS patients with the aim to treat patients as well as train doctors.
Dr Klimas has published over a 130 peer reviewed
scientific papers.
As the
principal investigator of one of the NIH sponsored CFS Research
Centers she leads a multidisciplinary research team representing the
fields of immunology, autonomic medicine, neuroendocrinology,
behavioral psychology, rheumatology, nutrition, and exercise
physiology. The University of Miami CFS Research Center is exploring
interactions between the immune, autonomic and neuroendocrine.


text:
Although your article about state spending ("Oregon state spending: The big squeeze," May 10) mentioned the state legislature's ability to reduce any voter-approved crime sentence with a two-thirds vote, it failed to mention that a three-fifths majority could raise revenue without a public vote by increasing taxes in a fair manner. If three-fifths of the legislators voted to raise the $10 minimum corporate tax on wealthy corporations or income tax on those who earn more than $250,000 a year, schools would not be facing drastic cuts in services, huge class size increases, and the loss of PE teachers, music teachers, librarians and other important teachers.
The legislators need to step up to the plate and raise revenue to save our schools.
ALLEN KOSHEWA Southeast Portland
I am saddened at the state of our educational system here in Oregon and the outdated revenue generation for the general fund. We, as voters, have done little to support sustainable quality education for Oregon's children by not educating ourselves about the impact of our votes.
I have been shocked and dismayed at the reactive rather than proactive approach to public safety in our state which is taking more and more of the general fund dollars (ie, mandatory longer sentences for certain crimes, hence millions of dollars going for building and maintaining new prisons that do nothing to improve responsible citizenship). Research clearly states that quality education is a factor in producing responsible citizens.
When asked "Why don't we have a state sales tax?," a fellow Oregonian replied, "No state sales tax is like a badge of honor." Well, in this Oregonian's opinion it is a badge of stupidity! I am calling on our legislators to be bold and responsibly raise revenue to protect our most vital services.
MICHELE MOULTRIE Fairview
Oregon's budget hole is expected to be $4.4 billion. That's slightly more than six days spent on the Iraq war. It's a little more than the cost of two B-2 Stealth bombers.
Isn't it obvious by now? As long as we keep wasting our money on war we'll never have enough for the things we really need.
PER FAGERENG Southeast Portland
Speaker Dave "Tax Hike" Hunt and his loyal Dems in the House have decided to kick us Oragonians while we are down by attempting to raise income taxes yet again. Despite Oregon recently having moved into the number two slot for highest unemployment rate in the nation, Dave and his pals just can't kick that addiction to tax dollars. They like it so much they even decided tax us into the afterlife by raising the tax on filing a death certificate from $7 to $20 (HB 2244). Now Dave wants those households making more than $250,000 to pony up for the rest of us by paying more taxes than we do.
Are we all not created equal? Then why should we all not pay the same? Penalizing success is never a good idea. Please say no to socialism before it ruins this great state.
RON BASHAM Gladstone


text:
What To See And Do With Kids In Kauai, Hawaii
By Sonya
UrbanKitchen: S'mores Pudding Cookies Recipe From Lick Your Plate! Cookbook
By Sonya
How Parenting Is Like an Episode of Mad Men
By Alison Tedford
What Fitness Tracking Device Is Good For You?
By Sonya
Camp Or No Camp, There's Always Something To Worry About
By Erin Silver
How To Find Time To Make Healthy Meals For Active Kids
By Admin
Obviously after pouring through all these wonderfully uplifting, occasionally painful father stories over the past week, I was able to reflect both on my own father and what kind of father I want to be to my two sons.
My father and I did not whittle on the front porch of our farmhouse growing up. We did not have deep, meaningful conversations intermittently interrupted by the smack of a hardball hitting our gloves during lazy afternoons playing catch.
My father is difficult to describe, not a paintable picture, nor a round peg in a square hole. My relationship with him now is rooted in a history of ignorance by choice. He would admit some gaps in parenting were rooted in his own selfish behaviour. I admit to completely eliminating these parental gaps from my own memory to focus on the times his influence was asked for and provided. Did I miss him growing up? Probably, but his absenteeism was never too extended and while going through his own personal struggles made it easy to forget about his kids, his sometimes stoic and occasionally (and wonderful) sense of mirth usually made it easy to forgive and forget, in that order.
I am my father's son; there is no doubt about it. We look alike, our mannerisms are the same and my increasing frustration at the cost of parking and the lack of customer service in this world remind me of his outlandish exasperation growing up. I would cower in the back seat of the car as he lambasted the poor attendant asking for 12 dollars for 20 minutes of downtown parking. I think it was parking that drove my father from being a city person to the cottage and gated community person he is today.
I love him fiercely. I love his faults as much as I do his many spectacular qualities. Do I want be like him? Not really. Injected with the sensitivity of my mother has allowed me to recognize some of the misogynistic qualities I share with my dad and try to correct them, or let them at least lie dormant until I don't care anymore. I have his charm, which both me and the hundreds of women I have used it on should be just a tiny bit grateful. I am just grateful for the one woman it really worked on 15 years and 15 minutes ago.
So what did I learn about being a father from my dad? I learned how just being there, having a presence in my son's life is vastly important. And I learned this from the times he was there as much as the times he wasn't. I learned that even though I was real shitty kid that my dad still loved the hell out of me, and when he was focused on me as a project, he took steps to yank me from the muck, clean me up and kick my ass back into the fray. Sure he was squinting while doing this, but I always thought it was because his heart hurt so much.
I am more attentive as a father now because I am afraid I won't be later on. I am engaged and involved. I surround my boys with as much love as I know how to give. I thank my profession a bit because I take pride in my ability to communicate. And by communicating, I mean listening, not listening to myself talk. My boys come to me with all their ruthless and inane problems. Some are knee skins and some are why do my friends hate me so much. I listen, peppering their stories with suggestions, not solutions. I let them know I am human, flawed, stupid, but I make sure they know how important it is to have values you believe in. Honesty, integrity, kindness, loyalty, brevity – make all decisions based on these tenets and it's difficult to go wrong. They will make bad choices, but hopefully they will be limited and the consequences not so severe.
These things my father taught me. Maybe not so much on purpose or by example, but I ended up this way and just by nature he gets to take some credit. And he deserves it. And I deserve him.
And for that, and my love of scotch (and basketball), I thank him.
And I I thank you so much for all the wonderful entries for the BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK OS 2.0.
They all were beautiful in their own way.
The randomly selected winner from all the entries was from Danielle from Surrey, British Columbia.


text:
hola, and welcome to the forums
Hello Everyone i am new to Wii chat and i am looking fo Wii freinds to chat with. I am a chilled person and fun to be around. I like to play my Wii My favorite game for Wii would have to be Zelda TP.
Last edited by GetMoney; 06-07-2007 at 09:29 AM.
hola, and welcome to the forums
"Theres is nothing impossible, just men incapable." (N/A)
Brawl FC: 2921-8755-4852, If you add me pm me.
Hi there.. You should find some good friends if you want to...
Read and follow the rules.
the site feedback holds great tutorials for your reading enjoyment.
Welcome to the forums! You have come to the right place to make some new Wii friends.
WiiChat Photo Album:
Hey welcome to the forums and enjoy posting
Myself talking to a patient during a EMS call..
"If you got hurt from your wiimote, you probably deserved it..."
who gets hurt from there willmote
Spoiler Alert!@TNightsOfGaming - My inane prattle
F*** b*tches, get money etc..
Hey buddy, and welcome to the forums :]
(made songs out of a few usernames recently..)
Welcome to wiichat and enjoy your stay. You will fit-in just fine.
The key to immortality is first living a life
worth remembering. - Bruce Lee
PSN ID: Byuakuya


text:
The Redskins' Unsung Catalysts For Success
If the brass of the Washington Redskins stumbled upon a genie in a bottle and were granted just two wishes (not the fairytale three) for the 2013 season, they would likely be the health of their starting quarterback and an improved pass rush. Before obliging and granting the wishes, the genie, despite being freed from the confines of its lamp or bottle, would certainly express irritation at the predictability and lack of imagination in the team's most desirous wants.
Despite the added variables of Robert Griffin III's and Brian Orakpo's return from injury, a healthy quarterback and a consistent pass rush are, after all, the humble wishes of just about every NFL team. For decades, but particularly in today's forward pass-dominated game, success is predicated on a team's ability to keep its quarterback vertical and comfortable and to ensure its opponent's signal caller is horizontal and harassed.
Which is to say that if the 'Skins hope to flirt with back-to-back NFC East titles, they need RGIII behind center and Orakpo, along with his fellow members of the defense's front seven, to be the disruptive force their talent portends — but you already knew that. Not even three paragraphs in, I've managed to insult your football intelligence and leave you as irritated as that genie after granting those boring wishes. There is, of course, much more to the Redskins' 2013 success equation. Two units, in particular, are poised to determine whether the team will take a leap forward or regress during the upcoming season.
Fortified Air Defenses
Here's one last statement of the obvious: the 'Skins pass defense was bad in 2012 … real bad. A series of injuries to Brandon Meriweather and Tanard Jackson's suspension subtracted the anticipated starting safeties from the lineup for practically the entire season. Continuing the karmic gloom, the team's pass rush was foiled by season-ending injuries to Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker in Week 2. The combination of those unfortunate events dumped untenable responsibility on a crop of cornerbacks that were average at best. It was a perfect storm that resulted in the league's 30th-ranked pass defense … but it felt even worse.
Help, though, has arrived.
At safety, there is a good chance that Madieu Williams and Reed Doughty, the primary starters last year, won't even make the roster in 2013, let alone see significant action. Williams is currently a free agent, and with Meriweather's return to health, the drafting of safeties Phillip Thomas (third round) and Bacarri Rambo (sixth round) and the possible return of Jackson from a year-long suspension, Doughty will be fighting for a job this preseason.
The most likely scenario, assuming Eeyore's cloud doesn't descend upon the secondary again, is that Meriweather and Thomas earn the starting strong and free safety jobs. When Meriweather was healthy last season, he flashed considerable talent, and while Thomas is an unknown NFL commodity, he simply has to be an upgrade over Williams. Together, it's an intriguing combination that could make the safety position a defensive asset as opposed to a position opponents regularly and successfully attacked in 2012.
Last season's starting cornerbacks, ho-hum island dwellers DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson, figure to occupy the top two slots on the depth chart and supply the mediocre returns in 2013 'Skins fans have accepted as the ceiling for the uninspiring tandem. Cornerbacks three through five (or six depending on the final roster crunch), though, are likely to be significantly improved. E.J. Biggers is favored to initially fall into the 3-slot and, having reunited with former coach Raheem Morris, could prove to be a shrewd, below-the-radar free agent acquisition. David Amerson, a 2013 second-round pick, and Richard Crawford, a 2012 seventh-round pick that showed promise in limited duty last season, will likely round out the depth chart.
While the 'Skins lack elite talent at corner, it's hard to quibble with the depth offered by that cornerback stable. It also wouldn't be surprising to see Amerson or Crawford challenge for significant playing time as the year unfolds. Ideally, both will progress throughout the season and rise to the top of the depth chart in 2014.
When RGIII Gives, Who Will Receive?
One of the most significant and problematic factors contributing to RB Alfred Morris' record-setting season (more on that later this week) and the offense's over-reliance on RGIII's athleticism was the largely unimpressive performance from the team's wide receivers. Pierre Garcon was the best of the lot, but a Week 1 toe injury cost him several games and he never returned to full health. The venerable Santana Moss was the team's most consistent receiver, and led the team with eight touchdown catches. The younger receivers, free agent signee Josh Morgan and 2011 draftees Leonard Hankerson and Aldrick Robinson, had their moments but failed, individually and as a group, to provide RGIII a reliable option. In all, not a single wide receiver managed to catch 50 balls or record 700 yards receiving. That would have been okay in 1962, but in 2012 it was wholly inadequate.
With RGIII's injury and expected reduction of his legs' role in the offense, the wide receivers are on notice. This unit simply must perform better in 2013. Garcon's toe injury seems like it will be a chronic annoyance that will, at times, limit his performance and may threaten his availability. Santana Moss will be back, but at 34, the best the team can hope for is a repeat of his steady performance in 2012. So if the wide receiver corps is to realize the growth the team requires, much of the responsibility will fall in the laps of Morgan, Hankerson and Robinson.
There are a few legitimate reasons why the "Enigmatic 3" might answer the call. Wide receiver is a position that benefits from repetition, and 2013 will be Morgan's second and Hankerson's and Robinson's third season in the offensive system — and all will obviously be in year two with RGIII. Further, Morgan, who had offseason tune-up surgery on an ankle he broke in 2011, and Hankerson, who had surgery for a torn labrum in his hip before the 2012 season, should be in better overall health.
However (rose colored glasses discarded), the reality is none of the three are going to suddenly morph into Calvin Johnson. So they aren't All-Pro's in the making, but each has the potential to be a solid contributor and that's exactly how this collection of wide receivers can excel. Garcon, the most talented of the bunch, was only the No. 2 wide receiver in his previous gig in Indianapolis. Santana Moss, even in his prime, was an elite No. 2 or slot receiver disguised (out of necessity) as a No. 1. Where this unit can threaten defenses is when or if an evolved Morgan, Hankerson or Robinson is dancing one-on-one with an opponent's No. 2, 3 or 4 cornerback. Individually this group under-whelms; collectively, they have the potential to be a weekly problem for defenses — particularly given the talents of the guy feeding them the ball and the 'Skins' established running game.
Frankly, if the 'Skins are going to take a step forward offensively in 2013 and if RGIII is going to remain healthy during the upcoming season and long-term, the ancillary talents on offense — and specifically at wide receiver — have to be consistent playmakers. They — and I'm referring specifically to "The Enigmatic 3" — cannot continue to whimsically appear or disappear while relying on RGIII to mask their off-Sundays and accentuate the irregular moments when they happen to beat an opposing corner.
D.C.'s inescapable summer storylines will be RGIII's recovery and, to a lesser extent, Orakpo's fragile pectoral muscle. They will be as unavoidable as the endless dribble about Congressional gridlock, sequestration and the pending collapse of western civilization. If it's possible to hate a ligament, there's a good chance that by the start of the season the ad nauseam coverage of RGIII's health will inspire ill feelings toward the quarterback's innocent but over-publicized ACL. I can hear the jokes now, "John Boehner, Barack Obama and RGIII's ACL walk into a Capitol Hill bar …".
To break from the anticipated narrow coverage (for psychological reasons if nothing else), widen your personal view of the squad and keep an eye on the secondary and wide receivers. If the 'Skins are going to be somebody in 2013, they will absolutely need RGIII and Brian Orakpo to be present and accounted for; but if they're going to be a contender, they'll need vastly improved play from the secondary and wide receivers.


text:
Cimarron Park & Golf Course
901 Lake Elmo Ave N.
Lake Elmo, MN 55042 Get Directions
Call Us Today! (855) 648-2549
Community Overview
Located in scenic Lake Elmo, MN, Cimarron Park is a family oriented pet friendly mobile home community which offers your family a plethora of activities and amenities all at your finger tips. Being conveniently located in the Minneapolis metro area means that when you settle into Cimarron Park you will never be more than minutes away from a wealth of shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities. The Lake Elmo Park Reserve is just 2 miles away, and the Washington County Fairgrounds are a mere 6, but why leave Cimarron park at all when this neighborhood has within itself a basketball court, bike trial, a golf course, a picnic area, a playground, and a community swimming pool? Cimarron Park also has on-site management to ensure your peace of mind. With so much to offer both outside and inside the community, Cimarron Park is a great place to call your own. Come by and see us today and let us welcome you home!
Featured Homes View all
3 Bed 2 Bath Home For Sale
675 Cimarron
Lake Elmo, MNBed: 3
Bath: 2
Sq Ft: 1,344For Sale: $59,900Details Add to Favorites


text:
'Nightwing' Writer Kyle Higgins on Redefining and Relocating Dick Grayson [Interview]
One of the relatively few DC Comics writers to be well into the second year of his original New 52 gig, Kyle Higgins has big plans for Nightwing, the original Robin who many fans think of as the first born son of the DC Universe; the younger readers' original counterpart in Batman's world of mystery, danger and adventure. But as Higgins explains in an interview conducted just ahead of Nightwing #18's release this week, defining Dick Grayson by his relationship to the Batman has its dramatic drawbacks. Teaming with artist Brett Booth for what's intended to be another long stretch of issues, Higgins aspires to define Nightwing as his own man with his own mythology, cast and indeed city. Issue #19 will see the superhero relocate to Higgins' hometown of Chicago on a mission that has major emotional weight for the young hero.
Click ahead to read what Higgins had to say about the future of Nightwing, but not before you read issue #18. On sale now and drawn by Juan Jose Ryp, the issue concludes with a major revelation that will drive the action in Nightwing for the foreseeable future. In other words, SPOILER ALERT.
ComicsAlliance: So Bret Booth and your new storyline begin in next month's Nightwing #19, but there's a new issue out this week. Presumably that deals with the recent death of Damian Wayne Robin.
Kyle Higgins: Obviously issue #18 deals with the events of Batman, Incorportated #8 in a certain way– specifically the fallout of Damian's death. As it relates to Dick Grayson, Damian was something of a light at the end of the tunnel for Dick. Having just gone through all the chaos and all these tragic events [in previous Nightwing issues], Damian is the one who was there for Dick like a brother. He was the one who essentially said, "You can lean on me if you have to." Just when things were looking up for Dick, Damian was taken from him as well. So issue #18 is about Dick finding the resolve to pull himself out of this. It's manifested in the way Dick stops the dealer who's trying to sell Dick's father's Flying Graysons costume, which has been Jokerized. But just as Dick finds that resolve to get some closure on Damian, Sonia Zucco lets slip the bombshell that her father [Tony Zucco, the murderer of Dick's parents] is still alive and living under an alias in Chicago.
CA: Ah ha. Hence Nightwing's relocation to Chicago.
KH: Exactly. Issue #19 is the beginning of the Chicago arc. As far as Dick is concerned, it's a one-and-done deal. He's here to find the man who killed his parents. Tony being alive is an interesting dynamic for a few reasons. Firstly, he's the man who really changed the course of Dick's life forever. He's the man that took Dick's parwents from him. But also in the aftermath of all of this tragedy having struck Dick in recent months, Tony being alive and at large is something Dick can actually control. It's something Dick can actually deal with. That's very appealing at this point in his life.
CA: Why send Nightwing to another city? For the story purposes, why is Zucco in Chicago and not in Gotham City?
KH: Well clearly Zucco likes deep dish pizza and is a fan of the Bears. I really didn't have a choice in that matter. But on a serious note, there are a couple of reasons. The first is primarily because… being a character in the New 52 and being involved in a lot of the crossovers, I've started to feel like we've been establishing a ceiling for Nightwing in the way that he is being defined by his relationship to Batman and the way that he fits into some of the crossovers. One of the things I really want to do going forward is find a way to define Dick Grayson and Nightwing in a way that the fact that he was Robin is just one aspect of his life. Not the overreaching defining trait about him. I think if you ask most people to describe Nightwing in two or three sentences, the first thing they're going to say is, "Well, he used to be Robin, but now he's grown up and he's his own guy." What I'm looking to do is develop a mythology, a cast and a rogues gallery and a world for Dick Grayson and for Nightwing that is centered on the fact that he was a circus performer who watched his parents fall to their deaths when Tony Zucco cut the trapeze wire, and now his motivating force as Nightwing is he wants to catch people when they fall. In order to do that, I feel like we have to tell the story outside of Gotham City.
KH: There's also the logistics aspect of it. If you're going to set a story in Gotham City, there is a logistical feeling that you're up against in terms of how big the story can ever get or how terrifying the villain can ever be. At a certain point the reader tends to ask, "Why isn't Batman getting involved?" That point speaks to what I was saying, the ceiling of defining Dick and Nightwing by his relationship with Batman.
CA: How is Chicago different for Nightwing in terms of being a masked superhero? Are there even any other superheroes in Chicago?
KH: There used to be heroes in the city. There were a handful of heroes and masked vigilantes several years ago. There are no longer "masks" in the city. They're actually all dead. That's a story point and a history that we'll be developing, as Nightwing is the first "mask" to show up in in the Windy City in some time. We'll start to draw that out and perhaps see some characters from that old group.
CA: And as far as Dick Grayson's personal life is concerned?
KH: Most of the money he had burned up [in a previous story]. So now he's heading to the city with, as the first issue of the arc puts it, "two pennies and a Nightwing suit to his name." He'll be subletting an apartment for a few weeks or months, depending on how long he's going to be in Chicago for Zucco. And when the Nightwing suit gets torn up he's going to have to figure out how to fix it. It's definitely much more of an everyman approach to the character. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now, ways to make him more relatable. That's also another reason why I chose Chicago. I chose a real city because I think that setting helps ground the story in a way that readers can relate to.
CA: And it helps that you're from Chicago, right?
KH: Oh, that wasn't a factor at all…
(click image to enlarge)
CA: And you're working with Bret Booth on this story, he's the new ongoing artist, right?
KH: Yes. Bret comes on with issue #19. His style is very much geared towards a character like Nightwing. It's very expressive, very energetic. It's a collaboration that's been very rewarding for me personally. Bret and I talk a lot, we go through every story together. He's someone I can call when I get stuck on something and we talk through it. He's also someone who doesn't sleep. The dude is so fast, it's really very impressive! He's working on the third issue of the run right now and we've got plans for a long tenure on the book. Knock on wood.
Nightwing #18 is on sale now in comics shops and digitally from ComiXology. Bret Booth and Nightwing join Kyle Higgins for a trip to Chicago in Nightwing #19, on sale in April.


text:
Sharron Sparks Boyle
A brown shadow moves inches below the water heading towards Imagine. A square brown head bobs several feet from the boat as a medium sized loggerhead turtle surfaces for air. I move and suddenly the startled reptile uses its strong flippers to propel down and away from an unexpected encounter with human beings.
I soon learn that several sea turtles, ranging from plate size to nearly two feet across, were hanging out in a protected cove not far from where we anchored. The next morning
I hoist the kayak over the lifelines and paddle the short distance to the cove. A school of red snapper and a large ray dart inches under the surface as I quietly glide over clear azul waters.
Suddenly, a small sea turtle appears two feet away from my drifting kayak. It dives, resurfaces and moves away. I dip the paddle to follow the small turtle when a splash catches my eye. A larger turtle moves in the opposite direction. I spot three turtles that day. These aquatic reptiles have beaten the odds.
The odds against a sea, or other turtle, making it to adulthood are slim. Biologists report, that only tiny fractions, up to 1 percent, of young turtles reach adulthood. From the time a female turtle begins the journey to lay a clutch of eggs the fight for life begins. Sea turtles make a perilous journey back to the site where they were born. After eluding sharks, poachers, boat propellers, shoreline development, and ingestion of plastic on the long journey, a female can leave a clutch of 100 eggs or more buried deep in the sand.
Eggs that haven't been dug up by other turtles seeking nests, eaten by snakes, fire ants, or disturbed by humans will hatch after 55 to 80 days. The baby turtles begin a perilous race to the water as they attempt to outrun hungry raccoons, ghost crabs, seagulls, and other predators. All seven species of sea turtle, Green, Hawksbill, Kemp's Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley, are endangered or threatened.
I've always been a turtle advocate. I brake for turtles. Once on Route 45 in Mannington Township I stopped my car as another parked on the shoulder across the highway. Simultaneously we emerged from our cars to retrieve a painted turtle from the road. It was none other than B. Harold Smick Jr. Pam Williams, Michele Burke and so many others I know also stop for turtles.
The many ribbons of marshes, creeks, lakes and ponds that decorate Salem County provide a natural habitat for water turtles such as the Painted, Red Bellied and Snapping. The Eastern Box Turtle thrives in wooded and wetland areas. As temperatures rise, these turtles make their way across the roadways to find soft soil to lay their eggs; too often losing the race with the cars.
Over the years, my kids had temporary turtle pets. Mrs. Crosson and Scooby Doo spent the summer with us after being rescued from a nearby roadway. The box turtles ate well that summer feeding on berries, slugs and worms offered by my daughters By fall, the turtles were released to return to their natural habitat.
An Eastern Box turtle with a cracked shell lived under an azalea bush in the back yard for three years. In the morning my son would coax it out with treats of blueberries and strawberries. At dusk it rested in a shallow bed of moist soil and leaves.
A female box turtle digs a shallow nest in loose soil and lays three to eight eggs. Females
may lay several clutches of eggs per year. Eggs are incubated for 75 to 90 days. The warmer the temperatures, the quicker eggs hatch. Box turtles can live to 30 to 40 years. Some have been reported to reach 100 years old.
The Eastern Painted Turtle and Red Bellied Turtle are colorful. Identification can be confusing. The Red Bellied Turtle is much larger and does not have yellow stripes on its legs and tail. After mating in late spring and early summer, females dig a nest on the land. In about 10 weeks the eggs hatch and the baby painted turtles dig their way to the surface. Painted and Red Bellied turtles can live up to 30 years.
My sister Linda Dolbow of Pilesgrove works hard in her garden. She and her husband, Donny, recently watched as a red-bellied turtle left a clutch of eggs in their garden. She's excited about her new crop. "This year I'm growing turtles." How many can say that?
A Route 49 road warrior is the Common Snapping Turtle. As a child my grandmother warned me, "If they bite you, they won't let go until the sun goes down."
Homemade snapper soup was one family member's specialty. A muddy looking knobby shell and long tail easily identifies snapping turtles.
Snapping turtles are not picky eaters. In the wild they eat just about everything they can catch, including fish, frogs, crabs, snails, insects, carrion, vegetable matter, baby ducks and other turtles. Females can travel as far as two miles to lay 20 to 40 eggs. Eggs hatch on an average of 80 days. Snapping Turtles can live to be 30 to 40 years old. This turtle can grow quite large, up to 60 pounds.
Take extra care when handling snappers. This turtle can stretch its neck straight out, to the sides and two thirds back. Despite their reputation of being aggressive, snapping turtles usually avoid confrontation while in the water. On land they can strike quickly if disturbed.
Sharron Sparks Boyle and her husband, Ed, transitioned from a house to a boat in 2009. They will spend the next two years living on Imagine, a 42-foot Passport Sloop.


text:
The winner will be announced at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 13!
The Student Life Survey is designed to help the Division of Student Affairs design programs, services and events that appeal to and satisfy the needs of the student population.
Your answers are important and all will be taken into consideration.


text:
Plain Softboard
Plain Softboard
Clients can avail from us a comprehensive range of plain softboards made of bagasse (sugar-cane) fibers. We groove or drill these boards for improving their sound absorbing capabilities, which make these ideal acoustic boards., which is soft, resilient, and light colored sheet material. These boards are usually 10 to 25 mm thick and finding its wide application in construction industry, our plain softboards are usedfor ceilings and wall linings, especially where reflected sound has to be reduced. We have gained expertise in manufacturing different kinds of Insulation Boards, which include soft board. These boards are perfect for ceiling, partitions, panels and floorings.
Composition and manufacture: For making these boards, bagasse is reduced to fibers that are then felted to form a continuous sheet. These sheets are passed through a drying oven after cutting to approximate size and trimmed to board sizes. By grooving insulating boards to part of their depth in various patterns, the improved acoustic properties can be obtained easily.
Technical Specifications:
Thickness: 8.0 mm to 25.0 mm
- 1220 x 1220 mm
- 1220 x 2440 mm
- 610 x 1220 mm
- Generally within the range of 230 to 330 kg/ml
- IS 3348 maximum is 400 kg/m3
- BS 1142 maximum is 350 kg/m3
Weight of boards varies according to brand. Typical weights (kg/m2) are:
- 2.5-2.7 for 9mm thickness,
- 3.2-3.7 for 12mm,
- 4.4-5.4 for 18mm,
- 6-7.5 for 25mm.
Composition and manufacture: Bagasse is reduced to fibres which are then felted to form a continuous sheet. After cutting to approximate size, the sheets are passed through a drying oven. These sheets are trimmed to board sizes.
Improved acoustic properties are obtained by grooving insulating boards to part of their depth in various patterns.
APPEARANCES: Surface texture: Varies from smooth to dimpled. Colour of most boards is various shades of cream and brown. Some boards are coated with a white primer for painting. Special boards available: Painted, paper plastic or textile faced. Flame-retardant treated types are available on request.
MIDLam Boards are hygroscopic in nature. Their dimensions change in response to changes in humidity. If these dimensional changes take place after the boards have been fixed they may cause bowing or gaps at joints. To avoid this the moisture content of board may first need to be adjusted to that of the surrounding air by conditioning. Conditioning is done by placing the boards in the room where they are to be fitted for 24 to 48 hours to attain the same moisture content.
To,MID-LAM Boards


text:
Playable Silent Hill teaser P.T. downloaded 1 million times
Konami has revealed some impressive download numbers for Hideo Kojima's cryptic playable teaser, called PT, for his new Silent Hill game.
Kojima-san himself took to the stage during Sony's pre-Tokyo Games Show press conference to reveal that PT had been downloaded just over 1 million times on the PS4 PlayStation Store since it was announced at Gamescom in mid August.
PT was a cryptic reveal for the revival of the Silent Hill horror series under the guidance of Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Torro.
Upon completing the creepy first-person PT players would get presented with a teaser for the new game which is called Silent Hills and will feature The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus.
Thanks The Sixth Axis.
Latest News
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 after all
- Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third gets a release date
- Adr1ft is coming to PC and consoles at the end of the summer
- EA gives the new Mirror's Edge a name – Mirror's Edge Catalyst
- ZombiU PS4 and Xbox One port reportedly in the works
- Mike Bithell's Volume to be released this August
- Gearbox's new shooter Battleborn gets a pre-E3 trailer
- Steam Controller launches in October, Steam Machines arrive in November
- Gears Of War devs Black Tusk change their name to The Coalition ahead of E3


text:
You have to give it up to Hannibal - both the Warrior team that outlasted all other Section III sides and made the state final four, and the community that rallied around them, all the way to the end.
Hundreds of purple loyalists made the trip to the Glens Falls Civic Center, braving (or maybe beating) the gathering Nor'easter to see whether the Warriors could take the magic one step further in Friday night's state semifinals against Malverne, from Long Island.
Immediately, Hannibal ran into something unfamiliar - a press. Most of the teams it played during the regular season and playoffs had straight man-to-man looks. Some even matched the zone the Warriors preferred. None stayed in your face the way Malverne did from end to end.
Unable to get much going against the press, Hannibal managed just 13 first-half points, a drought from which it never could recover. Down by 12 at the break, the Warriors hit some shots in the third quarter to pull within eight, but could not get any closer.
To be sure, the 52-38 defeat was painful, but no one (except maybe Ken Sturges and his players) ever thought Hannibal would get this far. Tyler Baker, Chad Burridge, Doug Morgan and the rest of the guys have worked hard, both on and off the court, to keep the entire Hannibal sports program thriving despite some tight budgets. What they've done, in basketball and football, is quite special.
Malverne plays Ogdensburg Free Academy tonight at 9 p.m. for the Class B title. It's part of a title tripleheader that starts with Finney (going for a repeat) meeting Chateguay in Class D at 5:30 and Friends Academy (who knocked out defending state champion Campbell-Savona) meeting Sidney (LaFayette's conqueror) at 7:15. All the games will be on Time Warner 26, a real treat, as will the Class A and AA title games tomorrow.


text:
DETROIT, MI -- The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday called for Detroit to be provided federal aid like cities recovering from natural disasters.
Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) said the city's bankruptcy shows a need for "real urban economic policy" and an "end to austerity policies."
"The problems in Detroit have not been caused by its residents, municipal workers and retirees," she said in a long statement issued Tuesday as the city holds primary elections under the shadow of emergency management.
"The current crisis Detroit faces is due to much larger economic forces, including the deindustrialization of our cities, and specifically, the decline of the Detroit-based auto industry; a deliberate policy of the state of Michigan to suburbanize the Detroit metro area; a 50% reduction in longstanding state-shared revenues to its cities and towns since 2002; and pervasive poverty. Detroit's per capita income is 60% less than the per capita income of the state as a whole."
Detroit filed for bankruptcy July 18 with Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr looking to provide the city relief from $18 billion in long-term obligations in a dramatic restructuring effort that could include cutting retiree pensions and health benefits.
"Some want to unfairly make city workers and their pensions the scapegoats, but they are not the problem," Fudge said. "Since 2012, the pensions of non-uniformed workers in Detroit have been reduced by 40% and the average pension is now just $19,000 per year... Bankruptcy should not become the excuse to break contracts, cut pensions and vilify individuals who make our cities safe and livable."
She criticized members of Congress who have sought measures to prevent a Detroit bailout, though the city has not asked for one.
"These same members have no qualms with requesting federal assistance when fertilizer plant explosions, hurricanes, record snowfall, or drought have negatively affected their communities," Fudge said. "And yet, they give a cold shoulder to one of America's great cities in its moment of greatest need...
"The CBC is pleased that President Obama and Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council, have stepped forward to offer help with regard to federal grants and other assistance to Detroit. We stand ready to work with the Obama Administration, Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Detroit), and our colleagues in Congress to devise an immediate infusion of federal assistance for Detroit that creates new economic opportunities, mitigates the effects of fiscal austerity, maintains critical city services, prevents the privatization of public assets, and preserves the livelihood and retirement security of the city's residents."
Follow Khalil AlHajal on Twitter @DetroitKhalil or on Facebook at Detroit Khalil. He can be reached at email@example.com or 313-643-0527.


text:
Kira Wampler had previously been chief marketing officer for ridesharing app Lyft.
For the young, texts are as meaningful as calls
Are you speaking their language?
The text message turned 20 yesterday, and, to celebrate, Experian Marketing Services released a survey of 1,485 U.S. smartphone owners on the ubiquitous, 160-character messages.
The most interesting finding is that 48% of smartphone owners ages 18 to 24 and 47% ages 25-34 say that a conversation via text message is just as meaningful as a telephone call. 37% ages 35-44, 28% ages 45-54 and 15% age 55 and older give text messages the same weight as voice calls.
I text far more than I talk, and you can count me among the 28% of those ages 45-54 who give texts equal heft. These days I rarely use my iPhone to make or receive a call. I communicate via text. It's just simpler and to the point. And it gives the recipient leeway as to when they can reply. If they have their hands full at the moment and can't take a call, they can reply to my text message when they get a minute. Plus, texts allow me to communicate thoughts when they strike me, a thought that perhaps doesn't add up to enough time to merit a phone call. Phone calls interrupt, text messages come and go as you please.
It strikes me that if half of smartphone owners ages 18 to 34 say texts are as meaningful as phone calls and you as a retailer have a good number of customers in this demographic, you should be reaching out to them by text message. You should have a box on the checkout page asking for a customer's mobile number while clearly explaining they will receive special sale notifications and exclusive deals if they sign up for text messages. And you should clearly indicate approximately how many times a week they will receive a text message. You can do the same thing with a box on the home page, though I think it probably will be more effective on the checkout page where people are accustomed to entering personal information. But text-happy younger folk will likely respond to a good text offer anywhere.
Here are some more nuggets from the Experian survey:
- During a typical week, 95% of smartphone owners talk on their mobile phone while 59% text.
- Among smartphone owners ages 18 to 24, 89% talk on their phone and 85% text.
- During a typical month, smartphone owners ages 18 to 24 send 2,022 text messages and receive another 1,831 for a combined total of 3,852 texts sent and received. With every age bracket moving up, the number of texts drops by roughly 40%. For instance, smartphone owners ages 25 to 34 send, on average, 1,110 text messages a month and receive another 1,130 for a combined total of 2,240 messages.
- During a typical month, smartphone owners ages 18 to 24 make 119 calls on their mobile phone and answer another 64 calls. Adults ages 35 to 44 make and receive the most calls on their mobile phones in a given month. (Call counts do not include inbound and outbound calls that go unanswered.)
- Even when asleep, young adults' smartphones continue buzzing from inbound texts. In fact, 37% of 18-to-24 year-old smartphone owners receive texts at 4:00 in the morning. By comparison, just 20% of smartphone owners ages 25 to 34 receive texts at this late hour as do 17% of those 35 to 44, 15% of those 45 to 54, and 10% of those ages 55 and older.
Text messages have become part of the fabric of everyday life in the 21st century, especially for younger consumers. There are many vendors out there that work with retailers to create smart text message marketing programs. Unless your customer base skews senior, you should be thinking about how you can put text messages to work in a meaningful way to help sell in this increasingly mobile world.


text:
Fred Phelps, the former pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, who bedeviled the funerals of American soldiers with posters declaring God's hatred of gay people, died Thursday in Topeka. To some folks, Phelps' death will be met with the same glee that accompanies the demise of serial killers and kleptocrats. As the 84-year-old lay dying, for example, there were some not only anticipating his end, but also suggesting that his funeral be heckled and picketed as he had done to so many others.
But apparently Phelps won't have a funeral. Another member of the Kansas church told The Huffington Post that the church has a policy against memorial services. I've never heard of such a church. Then again, I've never heard of a church that's so serious about twisting the Gospel into a message of hate.
What are we to do with people who've done despicable things? Cheer their deaths? And thus become like Phelps who cheered the deaths of soldiers who'd done nothing but fight for their country? A country Phelps believed was too gay-friendly? Or are we to give him the honor and respect that he denied others?
James Earl Ray, the man who said he assassinated Martin Luther King Jr., was in a kind of terrestrial purgatory after his May 1998 death in prison. Who would speak over his remains? And where?
His confession and his guilty plea notwithstanding, I'm not convinced Ray - who was arrested at a London airport en route from Portugal to Belgium - had the sophistication to pull off the assassination and escape to Europe. King's family didn't believe it, either. Still, the official story is that James Earl Ray killed King. What church would be recorded as affiliating itself with such a man?
Two mostly black churches in Nashville, Tenn., said no thanks. Nashville's Metropolitan Interdenominational Church, a racially mixed congregation founded and led by a black man, Edwin C. Sanders II, said yes.
As reported by the Associated Press, Sanders said, "We gather with broken hearts to do our grieving work to the end that we might discover both comfort and courage. And we gather to celebrate the life of James Earl Ray. To remember the life that he lived and to hold it before us today as one utterly unique and significant human life."
Sanders later gave an interview to Gary David Comstock, the author of "A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations." In that interview he talked about officiating the service for such a reviled man. Metropolitan had participated in needle exchanges for intravenous drug users and openly welcomed gay people, but Sanders said, "Doing (Ray's) funeral here was one of the more controversial things we've ever done ... We simply say we acknowledge all folks as being children of God and of course the situation with James Earl Ray made it easy, because even though there were all kinds of contradictions in his life, the fact is he was a baptized believer. We have to believe that he had the promise and the guarantee the same way we have it."
The great contradiction of Phelps' life is that he was once a civil rights attorney whose advocacy on behalf of mistreated black people earned him praise. His Kansas City Star obituary quotes a former president of the Wichita Chapter of the NAACP who said that black people there once "likened (Phelps) to Abraham Lincoln, President Kennedy and Martin Luther King."
But to gay Americans, Phelps wasn't a liberator. He was a great condemner, declaring that God had a burning hatred for them.
The men's Bible study group at my church just watched "The Redemption of General Butt Naked." The title isn't nearly as shocking as the documentary's content. It features Joshua Milton Blayhi, a warlord during Liberia's civil war who, like the fighters he led, conducted killing sprees clad only in boots. Blayhi says that he liked hacking his victims with a cutlass more than shooting them with a gun. Before Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he made the audience speechless when he guessed that he and his fighters had killed no fewer than 20,000.
When Blayhi appears before the TRC he's been converted. He's not just a Christian. He's a Christian evangelist. He's been preaching Jesus' love and asking those whose loved ones he raped, whose babies he dashed against the rocks to forgive him.
Forgiving may be the hardest thing victims of hatred ever do, harder even than surviving or recovering from their attack.
I don't know that Phelps ever had the humility to seek forgiveness for characterizing God as a hater of people. But did he need to seek it in order for us to extend it?
Jarvis DeBerry can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him at twitter.com/jarvisdeberry.


text:
BAY VILLAGE - Residents waking up Thursday morning may need to take a few extra minutes to clean the snow off any cars parked outside and shovel their sidewalks and driveway.
Snowfall began early this morning. By about 2 a.m., the snow was so heavy there was limited visibility.
Snow was accumulating on roadways early this morning, making them slick.


text:
GUANAJUATO, MEXICO – Indiana State's Greggmar Swift added another notation on his growing list of accomplishments after taking the bronze medal in the 110 meter hurdles at the 2012 North America Central American Caribbean (NACAC) Under 23 Championships Saturday.
Swift, competing for Barbados, ran 13.54 in the finals to earn the Bronze medal. Countryman Shane Braithwaite took the Gold in 13:31 just edging Barrett Nugent of the United States who finished in 13.32 to claim the Silver. Swift ran 13.69 in the preliminaries to advance to the finals.
The Sycamore also ran the second leg of the Barbados 4x100 meter relay team that finished in fifth with a time of 40.30.
"It was a very good effort by Swift," John McNichols, Indiana State men's track & field coach and coach of the Sycamore hurdlers, said. "He medaled and his time was his second fastest legal time."
Although Swift lost to countryman Shane Braithwaite, he did beat Eddie Lovett of the United States in the finals (13.58). Braithwaite competes collegiately at Texas Tech while Lovett competes at Florida. Swift beat Lovett in the finals at the Drake Relays where Swift won the event (13.72) and Lovett finished fifth (13.89).
"I ran an okay race today, gave it my all and I got a bronze medal," Swift said. "At least my times are consistent."
Former Sycamore Aubrey Herring competed in the first NACAC Championships in 2000 and won the Gold medal in the 110 meter hurdles (13.96) as he defeated Andrew Lissade of Canada (13.98) and Randy Gillon of Antigua (14.33).
Swift will become the first member of the Sycamore track & field family to compete in the Olympic Summer Games after he qualified to represent his native Barbados in the 110 meter hurdles. Swift will join 2009 world champion Ryan Brathwaite and Shane Brathwaite of Texas Tech in representing their native Barbados in the 110 meter hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Swift finished second in the Barbados National Track & Field Championships with a time of 13.52 seconds. Ryan Braithwaite won the event with a time of 13.39 with Shane Braithwaite third in 13.63. Both Ryan and Shane Braithwaite had previously surpassed the "A" standard to earn their spot on the Barbados Olympic Team while Swift had to hit the "A" standard of 13.52 to take the third hurdle position on the team.


text:
I've always wondered at the value of retaining the wisdom teeth.
Mine are odd little bastards, come in and then go on vacation from time to time, I never know when I'll touch my gums and find one cutting through. Useless little cretins.
The Top Ten Daily Consequences of Having Evolved | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine
So I saw this on Mark's weekend love link. Number 8 says our big brains are responsible for our crowded teeth necessitating the removal of wisdom teeth for many people. But in reading Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price, it seems that the modern diet is responsible for our malformed dental arches, cavities and crowded teeth.
I've always wondered at the value of retaining the wisdom teeth.
Mine are odd little bastards, come in and then go on vacation from time to time, I never know when I'll touch my gums and find one cutting through. Useless little cretins.
My Fitday public journal.
Me vs. Russian Boar, hunt is on Aug. 20th. WHAT'S MORE PRIMAL THAN THAT?!
Recently survived Warrior Dash, New England.
Game Developer, ex-Chef, long time Fatbody.
Some of those claims are crap.
The claim that we are not built for walking upright and that back pain is the inevitable result is also no more than a dubious assertion. Back pain is mainly down to "bad use" as the Alexander people would say. People tend to accumulate bad postural habits and pain necessarily follows from that. Teach them how to lose those habits and the pain goes. An NHS study involving 500 people pretty much shows that:
Back pain and Alexander technique - Health news - NHS Choices
I guess aches and pains could also be exacerbated by systemic inflammation. So, again, there are ways and means of dealing with that. Back pain doesn't follow from our physiology: we're actually quite nicely set up to do what we do; we just have problems coping with the demands of modern life which tends to throw our responses off and layer unhelpful habits on top.
The same claim is made about painful and potentially deadly childbirth - that it's just a consequence of having pelvises shaped for upright walking. Or God's punishment, take your pick.
I have all my teeth (wisdom teeth included) and never have had an issues. Maybe I have a small brain :-)
I only have two, on the right side of my jaw (never developed on the left side), but they've grown in just fine. I would think it would make more sense for people to simply not develop them (as in cases like mine) than to have evolved to need them surgically removed. The fact that so many people need surgery seems more like a side effect of poor jaw development due to our diets.
My teeth are also naturally straight without braces.
If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive. --Audre Lorde
Owly's Journal


text:
Second Set: Frederick's had a private club feel, but what a strange club it was
Lately, I've been buying more worms than I have in the past. Which has probably caused me to think about Frederick's Music Lounge a little bit extra, since my worm dealer, Paul's Bait & Tackle, is almost directly across the street from the shuttered venue.
Sometimes, for me, I'll see a place that's no longer in business and I'll start to think about what it was like, back when it was around; maybe that happens to you, too? Especially when you've worked there? Yeah, I know it does. Let's not be silly.
True, true. Here comes another Thursday confessional, you're thinking. Yup. I did, for the span of about three months, work the door at Frederick's, the new guy on the rotation, assigned to Tuesdays, some Thursdays and the occasional weekender. It was a interesting place to work, in large part because Frederick's was pretty much already my go-to, default bar on nights when I wanted to catch some music, without ever having to pay a cover. Actually, my attendance there had really kicked in well before the place was reborn as a five-night-a-week-music hub for South City.
A quick bit of history, with some gaps, no doubt:
A tour by Fred Friction
Frederick's was founded by the late Frederick Boettcher Sr., a salesman who traveled the Midwest from his homebase in Cape Girardeau. Through those traveling years, he frequently moonlighted as a vocalist, a crooner who enjoyed the mid-century styles of music. With a family in tow, he eventually resettled in St. Louis and, after a time, took up residence in an interesting building on Chippewa Street, halfway between Morganford and Kingshighway. A large, sunken room addition provided a perfect place to host musical events; and, for a time, Frederick's had a certain swingin' '80s notoriety, with a piano bar, comely servers, a small menu and a reputation as place to tuck away from the daily troubles of life.
By the time I lucked into the space, a decade-and-change past that heyday, the room had a different feel. Frederick Boettcher was often the lone employee, tending bar with what could be described as a salty touch. If you were unknown and wanting to burrow into what was happening inside this fun, unusual room, you had to pass through a period of hazing. The stories came constantly, from Frederick and from one of his prime regulars, Paul Stark, who enjoyed a very specific seat along the rail.
There were stories about weddings performed alongside the backyard grotto, presided over by Boettcher, himself. (True.) About an ice cream factory located in the basement. (True.) About the key club days, when you had to be a member to come in, with membership including access to a closet full of adult videos. (Very possibly true.) That the room was, in its prime, a meeting spot for gentlemen and ladies and the significant others, those special someones who were not their wives and husbands. (Almost surely true.) That you had to ring a bell, identify yourself and be buzzed in (100 percent known to be true) since it was my introduction to the place, and the one enjoyed by many a hepcat in the '90s.
To gain entry to Frederick's, for a time, was to gain admittance to a public room that had retained a private club feel. To drive past, seeing the funky, wooden sign for the Lounge, you might not stop for the first 100 times, until someone would clue you in to the delights inside. And once you found it, you tended to stick. If anything, the regulars at that version of Frederick's were a fairly tight-knit group, often running down Chippewa together, to Johnny Gitto's on Sunday nights. There, Boettcher would serenade the room, in front of Bill Rowe's house band. It was a cool time.
Frederick Boettcher died in 2000, succumbing to cancer. And his son, Fred Friction, would become the new face of the operation, with Stark running many of the day-to-day operations.
A second (third? fourth?) life
Frederick's Music Lounge didn't have a full nine lives, but it didn't lack for changes over the years. And as Fred Jr. took over the booking of the room, live music returned to the tiny, front-of-house stage, augmented with a player piano that was frequently in use and sometimes in tune. Surrounded by a crazy-quilt of wall decorations, a full-sized, dead tree inside the doorway and a tiki hut over the bar, the stage at Fred's would soon become one of the most sought-after destinations for young bands in St. Louis.
Though there was an Americana vibe to many of the bands, on a given night you could find some twisted hip-hop, lots of singer-songwriters, a few comics and an occasional oddball act, so out there that it would be hard to peg it in a genre. Though local groups began the process of filling the Frederick's calendar, touring bands soon followed, some playing Frederick's pretty much exclusively when coming through town. The room may've had an occupancy of 49, but on nights when the more-popular draws pulled in, the room could accommodate (at times, uncomfortably) about twice that, with the body heat causing the front windows to literally sweat right along with the crowd.
While buying worms recently, it dawned on me that the room had been shuttered for a little while. How long? The website that Stark developed to document the strange days of Frederick's has the best materials on the departure of the room, which hosted its last show on Feb. 11, 2006. Though some of the links on the site have disappeared from the digital realm, there are still plenty of fun reminders of early 2000s, when Fred's was one of the most intriguing, unique venues in town.
At some point, almost every super-regular enjoyed at least one night in the employ of Frederick's. For me, there were maybe a few-dozen shifts, spread out over several months. But I enjoyed more nights than that at Frederick's, certainly in the triple digits.
These days, I'll pass by the room at least a few times a week, sometimes forgetting to look over. At the time of the closure, well-documented by the local press, there was a general, vague reference "a Korean family was buying it, just for use as a house." And whatever the owners' ethnicity, the place is still closed to the public, the signage long gone, no plaque there to remind the unknowing of this awesome little slice of St. Louis nightlife history.
Seven for seven
As Frederick's moves into a seventh year of non-existence, here are seven, random memories. Be sure to pull on some reading waders, as the nostalgia might get a bit thick underfoot.
1. Paul's Playhouse
Those of us who enjoy a night in a barroom go for a cocktail, or three, sure. But we also go for that sense of place, that emotional connection that occurs when a room's collective minds meet-up in perfect harmony with your own. While Fred Friction booked the biggest chunk of the week, Paul Stark usually held court on Monday nights, sometimes bartending. Though not trained in drink-making, per se, he understood the human component of it all, making everyone feel at home, through well-timed zingers and containers of fresh popcorn, served in plastic dog bowls.
On Monday's Paul would program TV shows like "Police Squad," running them one-episode-a-week until the program's completion. Fun movies were a staple, played after the shows. And if you hung around long enough, he'd even let the regulars organize and promote their nights; I distinctly recall programming a night of short films and another one full of rock documentaries. If the room had the private club feel suggested above, the Monday night crew was even tighter, the same faces coming out each week.
The key programming on these evenings was "Pee-Wee's Playhouse." The room would roar when the secret word was announced, Paul ringing the loud bell behind the bar, or kicking on the in-house bubble machine. That act, of course, would lead to people pulling out the nearby umbrellas, kept around for just that moment. In those instances, the melding of entertainment and reality was nearly complete, all of us cast in roles, weirdos in a weird bar, enjoying life in a way that comes around only too infrequently. These nights happened a decade ago, but the scene's so rich in my mind. I miss those Mondays, still. Really, truly.
2. Smoke House Blues
Frederick's was a smoker's bar. By the time a visit ended, even a non-smoker had downed a half-pack through simple osmosis. Working the door meant sitting on a deck, six, or seven feet above the stage and probably 10-feet over the floor. On nights when the room started filling up, you could literally watch the ceiling start to trap the smoke. Each time the door would open, a small ripple of wind would extend out a few feet, then would recede as the door closed. The house fans were outgunned, never able to catch up.
This might seem like exaggeration. It's not. The reason I probably paused on my employment wasn't the $35 cash tip-out at the end of the shift, or the shift drink after midnight, or seeing the Saw is Family every couple weeks on a slow Tuesday (though I certainly got my fill of their set). It was the smoke.
The door, in fact, was the prime place to people watch, as you could peek down on the crowd. It gave you a special vantage point to the madness below, even as you were busy logging Paul's complicated run sheet, which included 15-minute check-offs, detailing how many people had come into/out of the room. Luckily, because the place was pretty well-regarded by almost everyone, the fools were minimal and the toss-outs infrequent. These were generally cool folks, even the 65-year-olds who were carded, per house custom, every time through the door. They were alright, yeah. And they liked to smoke.
3. Drinkey Drinkey
If there was one thing that the regulars at Fred's enjoyed more than smoking (and maybe even more than seeing/hearing live music) it was this: drinking. If our half-pack analogy rings true, then walking into Fred's stone-cold-sober meant that you'd immediately cross the threshold, walk down the steps, saunter past the tree and suddenly realize that you were buzzed. Just entering room meant hitting a .02 blood alcohol count. It was the damndest thing.
And to immediately contradict what was said just a paragraph above, it was the regulars who were the most-apt to get foolish and get away with it. Various stories circulated about late-night activities on the picnic bench in back. Or what happened when the Darth Vader mask was worn. Or ... well, there were a lot of stories.
One night, another regular and I tied one on. It was during the Noiseday Hootenany, the weekly, Thursday open mic. Roy Kasten, the longtime local music writer, was onstage. The other regular (no names; initials: Z.M.) convinced me that it'd be fun to stand behind the performer, in the window behind the stage, a few feet above the bandstand. We went up, pantomimed during the performance. We accepted hand-slaps and the like on the way in. But, in retrospect, it was something of a dick move. Really was. Not the only one that ever occurred at Fred's and not the only one I ever engaged in there. But it's the one I'd like back. Sorry, Roy, it was a drinker's bar. And drinkers drink. And, then, gosh ... then!
4. Art Gallery and Billiards Hall
It's appropriate, somehow, that Fred's had a pool table. Not a regulation one, the kind you see at every corner tavern. It was a bumper pool table. Weird, right? Nah. Not at Fred's. It totally fit there. And no one could beat the owner. Frederick Boettcher owned the table, literally and figuratively. To fall into the trap of playing him for a beer was a rookie's mistake, one that went through the generations. Poor saps. We all learned, eventually. And no amount of practice on an off-night was going to change your fate.
Above the table was a huge mural, painted by Frederick Boettcher Sr., one of a few that he drew on the walls over the years. As time passed, all kinds of other stuff started bunching up the walls, not the least of which was an impressive collection of women's undergarments; they swung from a ceiling fan, the bras and panties becoming a de facto part of the air purification system.
At some point, I moved into and out of a house on nearby Parker. Two things were left in the house by a previous tenant: a 32nd degree Masonic certificate, framed; and a huge, three-by-four-foot wooden owl, also framed. Eventually, multiple moves of the owl got to me, and Fred Friction took it in, one of the many orphaned pieces that adorned those walls. Wonder what ever happened to it? And all that other stuff? 'Cause there was so much stuff!
5. Ice Cream Factory
We alluded to the ice cream factory earlier, and that's how the facility was introduced to newbies. In fact, Fred Sr. had set up a small packing plant in his basement, just through a doorway at the side of the bar. To walk through that door was to enter yet another level of the strange, multi-floored Frederick's complex. In that room were multiple tubs, plastic bags and industrial equipment. As a frequenter of the place, I eventually asked to fill in on a shift in the ice cream factory, told to wear some old shoes and clothes that could get soiled by the dust.
As best as I could figure it, Boettcher was a middleman of some sort. He'd get frozen yogurt powder from parts unknown, which would then be re-packed and sealed in new, smaller packages. Those would then be sent to international buyers. To this day, I don't understand how the system worked, or how this distribution system came to live in a South City basement, let alone one attached to a bar. If not mistaken, I was told that the packing we were doing was meant for a shipment to Oman or Yemen.
My shift was spent sneezing, despite a bandana covering most of my face. The colored powder kicked up constantly, and the device that heat-sealed the packages was a scary one, with the possibility to pinch your hands on a super-hot clip. Yikes. Happy to have done it once. And just once.
6. Radio, Radio
Despite the closure of Frederick's in 2006, both Fred Friction and Paul Stark have maintained a strong, radio presence in St. Louis, through popular (and very different) shows on KDHX, 88.1 FM, where I've been known to also work.
Fred Friction was influenced by my new worm shop, Paul's Bait & Tackle, which inspired the name of his show, "Fishin' with Dynamite." Airing on Thursday mornings from 10 am.-noon, the show was not drawn up in the "best practices for community radio lab," which is exactly why it's so awesome. And, we'd guess, why it's so popular with fans. Rooted in Americana, Friction runs through classic country alongside rock songs recorded last week. No small amount of the music comes from bands that cycled through Fred's, some of them two- and three-generations removed from the exact bands that played there. But Fred Friction is loyal to the acts he loves, and you'll hear Two Cow Garage, Nadine, the Bottle Rockets to this day. You can also catch Fred Friction as a live performer around town, playing music from his album "Jesus Drank Wine," and other tracks from his days in the Highway Matrons.
Paul Stark held the distinction of hosting the longest-running ska show in the U.S., "Ska's the Limit," which is now ably hosted by JJ Loy. These days, he gets up early on Saturday mornings, hosting "Musical Merry-Go-Round," a kid's show aimed at both the pre-tween set and their parents. As he did with "Ska's the Limit," the show is remarkably organized, with Stark taking hours to lovingly prepare and organize each set, which takes up far more time than the two-hours of broadcasting. He also organizes touring shows to arrive in St. Louis, oftentimes through Off Broadway, which has hosted many a MMGR matinee show on Saturdays and Sundays. If you're lucky, you'll also catch him at the Trophy Room, after his every-three-weeks haircut.
7. Mystery pick
What to put here? A nod to the lovely bartenders: Erika, Kathy, Dana, Trish? A remembrance of all the Frederick's-to-Rocket Bar runs at 1:30 a.m.? That time when I had to borrow $2 from Fred Friction to buy the complete CD catalog of touring performer Tracy Shedd? The good times in the grotto? Another reference to the "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" days and how perfect those were? Maybe a reference back to the Darth Vader mask? That one! Nah, that one'll have to wait for the book...


text: We had an ice cream social at work today. I went to be social-- didn't eat anything (which was fine, I had lunch a couple of hours before and am not the least bit hungry). People were cool, but when asked I said that I don't eat sugar and they pointed out there was frozen yogurt. Mmmm, no thanks, I can be social without the sugar.


text:
Anyway, I managed to cut down the 200 or so photos from Quarryhill Botanical Garden to a slide show that I hope represents how special it is -- for its beauty and the importance of its plant collection. Almost all the plants have been grown from seed collected in the wild in Asia. More than 20,000 of these, many endangered, are spread over 25 acres. The garden was started in 1987 on the rolling hills of Sonoma County by the late Jane Davenport Jansen, who sponsored 15 seed-collecting trips before her death in 2000.
Many more expeditions have traveled to East Asia since then, at least one a year, usually to China, says Bill McNamara, director of Quarryhill, who worked closely with Davenport Jansen.
I still can't get my head around the fact that almost all of the plants in the garden are grown from seed. I don't even have the patience to start vegetables from seed. You have to see it for yourself. One of the first things you notice when you enter the entry courtyard is a vine growing over the arbor with a shaggy trunk as big in circumference as a telephone pole. We all stood there trying to guess what it might be, and were astonished when McNamara told us it is a rose; a 25-year-old Rosa banksiae also known as 'Lady Banks.'
We were introduced to another rose, Rosa roxburghii or chestnut rose, with huge yellow hips covered in brown prickles, and had the opportunity to see the most amazing swaths of heavily blooming toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta, I believe), as well as a cascade of magenta stamens spilling onto a white petal of Magnolia sapaensis.
I want to go back to the garden in spring when the Arisaemas and Podophyllums unfurl and the dogwoods bloom. In summer as the roses and lilies reach their peak. And in winter when the bark of my beloved Stewartia pseudocamellia and madrone (Arbutus menziesii) are most obvious.
But I'm happy for now.
-– Kym Pokorny