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Recently when Jeb Bush was asked about President Obama, he replied that he thought that Barack Obama is a good man who cares deeply about America. Then he went on to explain that he thought his vision and policies were wrong.
That's really what I want in politics. Adults at the table. People who can disagree with one another over how to accomplish good ends. People who can disagree vehemently with the policies of another person without attacking their religion ("He's a Muslim!"), their nationality ("He's a Kenyan!"), their political inclinations, or their character.
I know Christians who HATE George W. Bush. And I know people who HATE Bill Clinton. Ironically, the two men seem to like each other. Just like Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neal were drinking buddies and like Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy vacationed together with their families (taking a break from heated arguments with each other in the Senate—see the clip below of Hatch speaking at Kennedy's funeral).
We live in an age of Fox News and MSNBC. An endless supply of anger and rage for fuel. I have found it helpful the last few years to refuse to watch both networks (except on rare occasions for something special).
I agree with Jeb Bush: Barack Obama seems like a good man—a loving husband, a doting father, a caring leader. That doesn't mean I think his foreign policies are going well. And from everything I've seen, I think it would be enjoyable to spend an evening with George W. Bush. He, too, seems like a man with a sense of humor who loves his family and friends.
But somehow in our current political climate, it feels like you're supposed to pick one of them to hate.
Our churches are filled with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. In largely Democratic churches (and yes, I know some!), Republicans may feel like they can't say anything lest it seem that they don't care about equality and justice. In largely Republican churches, Democrats may feel like they have to bottle up their thoughts and plaster fake smiles on their faces lest others accuse them of not caring about liberty and Christian values.
I once had a church leader tell me he didn't know how you could be a Christian and a Republican. A few years later I had an elder in another church say he couldn't fathom how you could be a Christian and a Democrat.
Can the demonizing please end? Can the character assassinations cease? Can we have sane political discourse? Can we find arenas where spirited arguments about policy and means can take place without assuming the other side hates our country?
And, while I'm at it, can we please remember that our true "citizenship" is in heaven (Philippians 1:27; 3:20) — and that our true "city charter" is the narrative of one who emptied himself, served, and died (2:6-11)? Politicians, policies, and even nations come and go through the centuries. But the in-breaking kingdom of God continues to invite us to the way of Christ.
The Rhythm of Grace
June 7, 2015 "Teaching Your Kids to Dance – Part 1 – The Rhythm of Grace" – Mike Cope from GCR Church on Vimeo.
The Lead of Guidance
June 14, 2015 "Teaching Your Kids to Dance – Part 2 The Lead of Guidance" from GCR Church on Vimeo.
The Spin of Fun
June 21, 2015 "Teaching Your Kids to Dance – Part 3 The Spin of Fun from GCR Church on Vimeo.
The Lift of Wings
June 28, 2015 "Teaching Your Kids to Dance" Part 4 The Lift of Wings from GCR Church on Vimeo.
The Lunsford Foundation Trail around Abilene Christian University is my default jogging path when I'm in Abilene. It has become a sacred space for morning exercise and devotion.
Before I begin the 1.84 mile trail, I pause briefly at Jacob's Dream. I remember well the first time Jack Maxwell described the project to our little covenant group. I've been there for devotionals, weddings, baptisms, and photoshoots. It's a perfect spot to pause for a moment as the morning light shines through the stones, the space creating a sense of seeing the cross in the east.
From there, I walk down the sidewalk to where it hits the jogging trail, turning south (right) to run counterclockwise.
The first lap is a time to meditate on the many scriptures that line the path.
The first comes immediately at .07 mile (marking from where the sidewalk meets the trail). Matthew 6:33 – What a powerful way to start the day—by focusing on a passionate pursuit of the kingdom.
Next comes Psalm 103:12 (at the .35 point): a chance to soak in the constant forgiveness of God, the one who removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
The third scripture (at .50 mile) is Psalm 121:2. Our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. As another psalm says, some trust in horses and chariots (and other human weapons), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
What an appropriate time to join the Psalmist in saying (at .70): "Bless the Lord, O my soul. And let all that is within me bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1)
The fifth scripture (Psalm 119:105) celebrates the constant blessing of God's word—which is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (1.01 mile).
We return to praise next with Psalm 135:3 (at 1.26), declaring the Lord's goodness, knowing that it is pleasant to do so.
The seventh scripture in the path appears at mile 1.37 and is the longest quotation (from Psalm 18:32-35). Once again we remember that our hope and confidence are anchored in God, who arms us with strength and keeps our way secure.
The final two passages come from Paul's writings. The first, Colossians 3:23 (in the context of addressing slaves), reminds us that whatever we do, we should work at it with full devotion, knowing it's ultimately for the Lord. (at 1.47)
The final one, Ephesians 6:2-3, seems like an odd choice—a reminder of the fifth commandment to honor our father and mother—until you remember how many university students are on the path. Some come from wonderful, affirming, life-giving homes; others came from homes where shame and blame were the name of the game. But all of us have to learn ways to honor our parents. (at 1.79)
Besides the passages in the sidewalk, there are engraved stones that I sometimes take in (depending on the pace!): 2 Chronicles 16:9 (at .43), John 3:16 (at .61), Proverbs 16:3 (at 1.37), and Romans 12:12 (also at 1.37).
On my second lap, I enjoy praying for the mission of Christ around the world nation-by-nation, with the help of the many banners that line the course. Even though many are for ACU promotional branding (including 34 of 42 which announce that "There's a new cat in Division I"), the others bear the names of countries. I'll choose one of the promotional banners to pray for students, faculty, and staff of the university. But then I pray for the other countries, including friends I know in some of them—like Antenor and Phyllis Goncalves (and others) in Brazil.
At the end of a second or third lap (full disclosure: if I do a third lap, I'm pretty focused on running; not much praying going on at this point), it's a brief walk back to Jacob's Dream to remember that in baptism I've been called to a new life, a new hope, a new mission in Jesus Christ.
"I thought elders were supposed to lead! This isn't a democracy where they take a congregational poll!"
"They seem to have no regard for the opinions of the church. They just decide and move on without considering the church!"
It isn't easy being an elder. So often, they just can't win. I've heard the above comments from the same members—at different times over different issues. The position they express (Lead more! or Listen more!) depends on which side they're on.
If it looks like the elders are going to make a decision that I agree with but that many in the church disagree with, then I'm leaning into their responsibility to lead. Shepherds lead the sheep!
If it looks like the elders are going to press forward with something I don't like, then I'm going to squawk about how they aren't dictators. Shepherds don't trample over the sheep!
Alas, it's hard to win this one as elders.
The truth is that elderships must do both: they must stay in close touch with the church. They must listen to the voices of all the sisters and brothers in a church. Discernment is an important part of the process of decision-making. AND they must eventually decide. And it seems increasingly (as with American politics) that there is fall-out with every decision. It's too much. Or it isn't enough.
This is the point in a great blog where a seasoned minister gives the answer to this dilemma.
I don't have one. If I did, I'd open a consulting business and get rich.
I'm only pleading with people to see the challenge. And perhaps be a bit more compassionate. Press hard. Pray hard. Make your case. But do your very best to make the hard work of leading a joyful one.
And I know: it can't always be.
A popular Metroplex minister's rant about an anonymous note he got has become infamous. One professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary has pointed to it as a model of how to deal with such critics. The preacher leads into it with these words about the challenging life of a pastor:
"The Shepherd rarely gets to play in the middle of all the healthy sheep when they're having a bar-b-que and playing a volleyball game. He's on the fringes where the wolves and the sheep with rabies are. So a great deal of my week is spent walking through the tragedies, heartaches, and sins of other men and women."
I've been to a lot of bar-b-ques and volleyball games as a minister, but I digress. The big problem is that he has to deal with "sniper shots from those who disagree." Specifically, he mentions: "I got this real hateful little spiteful email this week."
Then in a voice that builds to Driscollesque screaming (because screaming carries more pastoral authority), he says:
"We have not created a system here that hides from you. We'll receive any bit of rebuke and any bit of critique. But you sign your name when you send stuff in, you immature, weak little cowards! You sign your name, you silly, pathetic little boy! You don't take jabs behind an alias. Who does that? So in any realm we're not above reproach. In any realm you can question, you can come in and have your questions an——Don't take jabs at us behind some alias where you sit in the crowd and do nothing, you narcissistic zero! Sign your name!"
I get it. Anonymous notes are frustrating. I remember as a young minister that I took a good bit of pride in refusing to read anything that wasn't signed.
And then, one year, I decided to get well. I decided to deal with my anger.
A spiritual guide told me that my attitude toward anonymous notes was problematic. Those notes said less about the people sending them than they said about me. Why did people feel like they couldn't sign their name? Why did they think I wasn't approachable? How had I sent signals that it wasn't safe to come to me (despite what I might have said)?
Oh, sure. It probably feels good to scream. And all the other angry young guys will high five and give an "attaboy."
But I think the old schoolground taunt may be right: "What you say is what you are!"
In my own life, if there was an immature, weak little coward, it was me. I wasn't brave enough to hold onto myself emotionally and spiritually to have respectful conversations with critics. If there was a silly, pathetic little boy, that was me, too. Too pathetic to grow up and handle conflict like an adult.
It's more fun ministering after getting well. No ranting is necessary. No cheap shots. While I don't welcome anonymous notes, I now read them carefully and prayerfully, looking for insight and wondering if I'm still sending signals that I'm not safe.
The truth, however, is that as I've learned to welcome criticism, the anonymous notes have pretty much stopped.
Recently I taught a Bible class at our congregation on hell. Many were unaware that the Christian tradition has—faithfully, scripturally, prayerfully—come to various understandings of that topic. They know only the version that I heard a dozen times from the infamous Jimmy Allen sermon:
"Suppose this old world were made of solid steel. Put an ant on the equator and start him walking. He travels at the rapid pace of 1/17 of a mile an hour. This solid steel ball is 25,000 miles in circumference. How long would it take that ant to wear down a path a half inch deep? How long to completely wear the earth in half? Well, that's not eternity. . . ."
When this message on "fire! fire! fire!" was over, well, no wonder so many of us lost sleep for months—all the words about grace notwithstanding.
But there are other ways faithful believers have thought of hell besides just "eternal, conscious torment."
Here is the bibliography I gave the class for those who may be interested:
Baker, Sharon. Razing Hell.
Bell, Rob. Love Wins.
Butler, Joshua Ryan. The Skeletons in God's Closet.
Fudge, Edward. The Fire That Consumes.
Jersak, Bradley. Her Gates Will Never Be Shut.
Lewis, C. S. The Great Divorce.
Middleton, J. Richard. A New Heaven and a New Earth.
Parry, Robin. The Evangelical Universalist.
Parry, Robin. Universal Salvation? The Current Debate.
Talbott, Thomas. The Inescapable Love of God.
Walls, Jerry. Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.
Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope.
As an introduction, I'd suggest the 2012 documentary "Hellbound?" which is currently streaming on Netflix.
I'm thrilled with the "guests" (translation: Christians who aren't from our particular tribe) who will be presenting at the Pepperdine Bible Lectures. Here are a few of them—and why I wanted them to join us.
GENE APPEL is the senior pastor of the Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim. When we met in 1998, Gene was the minister for the Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. Out of his own personal brokenness, a dream was formed and Central became one of the fastest growing churches in America. From there, Gene moved to Willowcreek Community Church for several years before moving to Anaheim. He'll be speaking at our leadership session on Tuesday afternoon.
NADIA BOLZ-WEBER grew up at the Eastside Church of Christ in Colorado Springs before becoming a student at Pepperdine. When I read her book Pastrix and after hearing her on NPR, I wanted to know more. So I asked if I could hang out a bit when I went to Denver. I joined a small group for morning prayers that she led, and then we went to a coffee house. This was not Starbucks in Abilene, however! As she says, people may think she's "out there," but in her world she's considered a soccer mom. How true! Our quick visit turned into three hours. During this time I realized that she was the de facto pastor of most of the people in the coffee shop, whether they attend any church or not. She is a powerful communicator of the gospel, and I'm so thankful that she'll be returning to Pepperdine to present on Thursday morning.
CHAP CLARK, one of the authors of Sticky Faith, is professor and chair of youth, family, and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He'll be presenting as part of the Boone Center for the Family track. (What a great partnership I've enjoyed with Sharon Hargrave, the executive director of the center!)
DAVID KINNAMAN is the president and majority owner of the Barna Group, based just up the coast from us in Ventura. In his 19 years at Barna, he has supervised or directed interviews with more than 400,000 people. Many will be familiar with his books unChristian and You Lost Me.
MARK AND DEBBIE LAASER have blessed the Christian community as leaders on the subject of sexual addition. Their session on "Sexual Integrity in a Fallen World," will also be in the Boone Center track.
SCOT MCKNIGHT has been a good friend ever since he spoke at one of our Zoe conferences in Lubbock. "We" (in Churches of Christ) have been blessed by his user-friendly New Testament scholarship. And he has felt a special affinity to our heritage. I'm hoping to baptize him before the week is over. Ok, not really. But I might at least give him some kind of honorary membership. (Actually, now that I think about it, who is in charge of giving those in our tribe? Randy Harris maybe?) He's our lead scholar as we study through James. It was a great blessing last fall when he Skyped in with our keynote speakers to lead us through the book.
JASON RUSSELL is one of the cofounders of Invisible Children. While in Africa many years ago, he promised a boy named Jacob that he'd help end that decade-long war; and when he returned home he launched the now infamous film. He'll be one of the guests in a session hosted by Mana Nutrition.
DAVE STONE is the senior pastor of the Southeast Christian Church in Louisville. Dave, a popular speaker all over the country, will be joining Jeff Walling in a morning session at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Finally, I want to mention how glad I am that KENT BRANTLY is going to join us (though he's certainly not a "guest" as defined above). I was his minister when he was a college student, and the spiritual passion that people all over the world now know about was there even then.
We'd love to have you join us in Malibu on May 5-8. Registration is here.
I can't begin to tell you how much I love this picture. It's truly worth a thousand words, a thousand sermons, a thousand books. Amy Bost Henegar is preaching at the Manhattan Church of Christ while baby Emma sleeps away. Amy said she followed the rule "never wake a sleeping baby." I love that behind her on the communion table are the words "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Indeed!
I cannot wait to show this to my granddaughters.
We all know that many universities have been stressed since the economic downturn of 2008. Many face declining enrollment, high debt, deferred maintenance, and inadequate endowments.
But shockwaves went through the university academic world recently when Sweet Briar College announced that it will shut its doors at the end of this academic year. Despite an endowment of around $90 million, they recognized that they were headed the wrong way.
Paul G. Rice, the chairman of the board, said he knew some would question their decision. But he responded: "We have moral and legal obligations to our students and faculties and to our staff and to our alumnae. If you take up this decision too late, you won't be able to meet those obligations. People will carve up what's left—and it will not be orderly, nor fair."
One person commented about the closing of this 700-student college: "As higher education analyst Kenny Rogers once remarked, 'You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.'"
It's a challenging time to be at the helm of any university; but I'm thinking especially of the challenges of those schools associated with Churches of Christ. Imagine the challenge of maintaining student enrollment and raising funds among a group that is in long, slow decline.
Here are the current (2013) endowments as listed on Wikipedia or on the US News & World Report university website:
Pepperdine – $716 million
Abilene Christian – $331 million
Harding – $105 million
Lipscomb – $62 million
Oklahoma Christian – $59 million
Freed-Hardeman – $43 million
Faulkner – $15 million (2012)
Lubbock Christian – $14 million
York – $10 million
Ohio Valley – $1.4 million
Rochester College – not listed
Southwestern Christian – not listed
Historically, these universities—along with amazing campus ministries at many other schools—have been so important to Churches of Christ. But the challenges facing them are huge! (Keep in mind that these aren't the only numbers that matter when predicting future viability. E.g., endowment-per-student is probably more important than endowment size itself.)
This is the place in a blog where a solution would be really nice. Of course, this is above my pay grade. But given the challenges facing universities everywhere, it would be good to invest prayer, encouragement, and $$ in their work.


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"Science is organized common sense where many a beautiful theory was killed by an ugly fact."
Thomas Henry Huxley
"In a world of full of manipulation, half-truths and lies, the conspiracy theory is often a safer bet than the official story."
Gary Hopkins
"Science is a first-rate piece of furniture for a man's upper chamber, if he has common sense on the ground floor."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office."
Henry Louis Mencken
"Science is simply common sense at its best - that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic"
"In its famous paradox, the equation of money and excrement, psychoanalysis becomes the first science to state what common sense and the poets have long known - that the essence of money is in its absolute worthlessness."
Norman O. Brown
"Science is nothing but trained and organized common sense differing from the latter only as a veteran may differ from a raw recruit: and its methods differ from those of common sense only as far as the guardsman's cut and thrust differ from the manne"

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, April 30, 2009
Didn't See That One Coming
Anyway, let the always interesting Court nomination games begin. Random guess: Sonia Sotomayor.
8 comments:
- Ben said...
Actually, for the record, Ian (over at Overruled) has been predicting it's Souter for some time.
- Mike said...
Yeah, I'd been hearing Souter for a while too. Originally I had also guessed it would be Stevens, though I believe Souter . After Ginsburg's recent health problems, I actually figured that would make her less likely to retire soon; she's seemed pretty defiant in the wake of all that.
Anyway, I have absolutely no clue about the lower levels of the judiciary, so I can't even begin to hazard a guess. But with the Senate firmly in Democratic hands, I imagine Obama's term could see quite a few retiring Justices replaced with liberal minds. Let's just hope they're Lawrence v. Texas liberals rather than Kelo v. New London liberals. (There's probably a better analogy, but for whatever reason those were the two that occurred to me.) - 10:04 AM
- Ben said...
Unfortunately, in the Supreme Court, those were the same liberals. Go fig.
Anyways, I'm hoping for a real hardcore liberal in the mold of Thurgood Marshall. But we'll probably get a moderate liberal in the mold of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Yeah, she's considered the far left of the Supreme Court now. That's because the court has become much, much more conservative over the last 30 years.) - 10:58 AM
- Matthew B. Novak said...
And yet... they're not conservative enough in the one area I'd like to see... But not liberal enough in the others. It's maddening.
While we're on the court, did anyone see that recently searches of vehicles were limited by the court in a 5-4 decision in which Thomas and Scalia were in the majority? - 11:28 AM
- Mike said...
Yes Ben, that was my point, but thanks for the clarification :)
Yeah Matt, I saw that decision and was both surprised and not. From a true conservative standpoint, the decision makes sense. But Thomas and Scalia have frequently rendered decisions counter to true conservative values in favor of the culture wars (see the aforementioned Lawrence, which always seemed to me to be a clear violation of Equal Protection). Every now and then, I'm surprised by the Court's split on a case. But usually the only wild card is Anthony Kennedy. - 9:58 AM
- Matthew B. Novak said...
But if I remember correctly (and I might not), Lawrence didn't even make it the real equal protection questions (the heightened standards of strict or intermidiate scrutiny) because Kennedy decided that moral legislation couldn't even be a rational basis for a law, much less a compelling justification. I think that was what Scalia was railing against in that case, and so like the other justices, didn't really consider whether the law properly weighed the interests.
I'll be honest, for the most part I've found Scalia to be fairly consistent. Kennedy is definitely the wild card. Before it was O'Connor... and man, that card was wild. - 12:15 PM
- Ben said...
They limited vehicle searches?! I remember Scalia was big on limiting searches of homes....but vehicles? That's great!
- Mike said...
Of course, when it comes to sexual morality between consenting adults, Kennedy was right. But not knowing how exactly Kennedy worded the Court's decision, I can understand Scalia's objection. For example, clearly killing somebody in cold blood is immoral, and I doubt Kennedy was saying the government shouldn't legislate against that. But if the opinion didn't make any distinction, I can understand Scalia's objection.


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I spotted this fully modified Nissan Skyline GT-R at WEKFEST EAST in NJ this Summer. The color at first was a little off to me, but matched up with bronze Volk wheels and a function over form stance (drop), uplose it grew onto me. The wing and carbon fiber hood accents not only look good but serve they're purposes as well.
What do you think of this GT-R?


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Mr. and Mrs. Martin Vinson and Mrs. Jacqueline Bennett announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their children, Abby Stutsman and Timothy Bennett of Hawesville, Ky.
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Town Square
Hopes resurrected for grocery store
Original post made on Sep 21, 2008
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, September 19, 2008, 11:08 AM
a resident of another community
on Sep 21, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Hopes resurrected for grocery store
Council supports idea for new retail, high-density housing on downtown lot
How about a PARK with TREES and BENCHES but no fountain....
Downtown is to to CLUTTER already. Let's have some GREEN areas....
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 22, 2008 at 10:33 am
More traffic. Less parking.
Remember this when voting for the the city council members.
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 23, 2008 at 8:33 am
Richard, The park next to city hall is next door.
a resident of another community
on Sep 25, 2008 at 11:33 am
What, Pioneer Park or Eagle Park not green enough for you? There is also bush/mercy park and lets not forget that park that name i can not remember, the one at the end of Castro next to Neto... I'm pretty sure that's still considered a park. Kinda sad to be crying for more green if your not aware of those. There is plenty of Green with-in a short walking distance.
a resident of Castro City
on Sep 25, 2008 at 3:33 pm
palo altans and now mtn viewers moaning about affordable housing... what we need is *more* affordable housing and all they can do is discriminate against those of us who don't make at least 100k a year. I deserve affordable housing, and I deserve it locally! I work here, so do I have to rent here for the rest of my life?! I want to own my home too, and I need affordable housing to do it!
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Sep 25, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Still dont get why we need a another market. What is so bad about the asian market? Not sure a large market can survive without more people downtown. There is plenty of parking with the new parking structure.
a resident of another community
on Oct 12, 2008 at 11:21 am
Why not turn reduce Shorline Blvd down to 4 lanes and all the extrea room would make a good park


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Charles Darwin's readership largely consisted of other well-educated Victorian men, nonetheless, there were a few women who did read, review, and respond to Darwin's work. One of these women was Darwin's own niece, Julia Wedgwood, known in the family as "Snow". In July 1861 Wedgwood published a review of Origin entitled "The Boundaries of Science" in Macmillan's Magazine. As a family member and one of the few female reviewers of Darwin's work, Wedgwood's review merits further exploration.
Julia Wedgwood was said to be one of the smartest of her generation in the impressively intellectual Wedgwood and Darwin families. Through her family, Julia Wedgwood gained connections to many academic and literary luminaries of the day including Charles Darwin, Robert Browning, Thomas H. Huxley, Elizabeth Gaskell, John Ruskin, James Martineau, and Thomas Erskine. At her zenith, Wedgwood was considered one of the great female intellectuals. Deeply interested in reconciling intellectual Christianity and Darwinism, Wedgwood worked for 22 years on a volume entitled Moral Ideal: a Historic Study. Her book is a history of the evolution of ethics in the great world civilizations, from antiquity through Victorian scientific positivism and theological modernism.
Given her interest in reconciling Darwinism and Christianity, it is unsurprising that Wedgwood structured her review of Origin as a dialogue between the religiously orthodox "Philocalos" (lover of beauty) and the defender of Darwinism "Philalethes" (lover of truth). Importantly, Wedgwood's review suggests that natural selection is not inherently at odds with Creation. The crux of Wedgwood's argument is that natural selection provides an explanation of the origin of species but says nothing of the origin of life. Therefore, Creation is upheld as the means by which life came to be and natural selection is upheld as the means by which God's creatures reach His ultimate goal. As Wedgwood wrote:
"The principle of natural selection is the answer to the question, How were these forms perfected? It throws no light on the question, Whence do they originally spring?
Wedgwood's review was well-received by Charles Darwin. Indeed, Darwin wrote to Wedgwood about her review, saying:
"Some one has sent us 'Macmillan'; and I must tell you how much I admire your Article; though at the same time I must confess that I could not clearly follow you in some parts, which is in main part due to my not being at all accustomed to metaphysical trains of thought. I think that you understand my book perfectly, and that I find a very rare event with my critics." [Letter July 11, [1861] from Darwin, C.D. to Wedgwood, F.J.]
Although Wedgwood was an accomplished thinker and writer, her scholarly career was impeded by the societal expectations placed on her as a maiden aunt in a large family circle. As a result of her familial position, Wedgwood spent much of her adult life caring for relatives' children and ailing elderly relatives.
Toward the end of her life Wedgwood regretted that she had not had the opportunity to attend university as many of the younger generation, and lamented that she might have made so much more of her life. On 8 March 2013, International Women's Day, when the Darwin Correspondence Project hosted an event to augment wikipedia entries on some of the women encountered in Charles Darwin's letters, Snow Wedgwood was one of our priority figures and her entry was largely re-written. It can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Julia_Wedgwood
Posted by Myrna Perez
and Katie Ericksen Baca
Jose Harris, 'Wedgwood, (Frances) Julia (1833–1913)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/52808, accessed 14 Sept 2010]
[Wedgwood, Frances Julia]. 1860–1. The boundaries of science, a dialogue. Macmillan's Magazine 2 (1860): 134–8; 4 (1861): 237-47.
Wedgwood Barbara and Hensleigh Wedgwood. 1980. The Wedgwood Circle, 1730-1897. Studio vista. London.


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(a) Five or more employees of any corporation, copartnership or individual employer or any governmental corporation, agency or department thereof, or
(b) Five or more members of any trade or professional association or of a labor union or of any other association having had an active existence for at least two years where such association or union has a constitution or bylaws and is formed in good faith for purposes other than that of obtaining insurance; where such persons, with or without their dependents, are issued the same form of an individual policy varying only as to amounts and kinds of coverage applied for by such persons, under an arrangement whereby the premiums on such policies may be paid to the insurer periodically by the employer, with or without payroll deductions, or by the association or union for its members, or by some designated person acting on behalf of such employer or association or union. The term "employees" as used in this section shall be deemed to include the officers, managers, employees and retired employees of the employer and the individual proprietor or partners if the employer is an individual proprietor or partnership.
Note: WV Code updated with legislation passed through the 2016 Regular Session
The West Virginia Code Online is an unofficial copy of the annotated WV Code, provided as a convenience. It has NOT been edited for publication, and is not in any way official or authoritative.


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Just popping in to say . . .
- The tulips have bloomed and are falling over.
- Hot apple fritters have been discovered.
- Tomato & spinach soup was whipped up with lots of basil accidentally.
- The Aidez cardigan is super close to completion, and it would have been done much sooner had I not been distracted by this knit which I happened to finish in one week. Whew!
- March Break is only a week away. I'm thinking a day at the sugar bush 'cause we loves our maple-y syrup. Mmmmm . . . That's totally worth a vacation day.


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A young family is forced to confront its demons -- literally.
A young family is forced to confront its demons — literally — in "Insidious," a possession thriller less terrifying than fun. This latest shocker from the original "Saw" buzzers, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell, flaunts an adequate measure of the duo's trademark borderline-camp humor while channeling as if by Ouija board the unholy likes of "The Exorcist" and "Paranormal Activity" (whose director Oren Peli serves here as a producer). The Sony Pictures pickup probably won't post "Paranormal" numbers, but, with its bevy of memorably demonic setpieces, it should scare up sizable biz with younger auds and auteur-minded horror aficionados.
As the chief engineers and residual beneficiaries of "Saw," Wan and Whannell know plenty well enough to keep their creaking door open for "Insidious" sequels, which is to say the pic's ending is, well, tentative as best. Near the playfully cheesy start of what will likely come to be regarded as "Insidious I," the Lambert clan — fledgling songwriter Mom (Rose Byrne), teacher Dad (Patrick Wilson) and three kids, including grade-schooler Dalton (Ty Simpkins) — are settling into a new suburban abode. Creaky floorboards, swaying doors, mysteriously "misplaced" boxes and a dripping faucet — everything including the kitchen sink, in other words — suggest that the new house may well be haunted. Naively snooping in the creepy attic, little Dalton falls off a ladder and into a coma, or so the kid's doctor maintains. In fact, might the boy's incapacitating illness stem from something freakier? Dalton's younger brother reports seeing the "comatose" kid walking around at night. Stressed-out Mom begins to see what she thinks is an intruder in the house. Dad starts staying late at work because he just can't deal with whatever's happening at home. And Wan gradually shifts "Insidious" from haunted-house chiller to demonic-possession pic, starting with the appearance of bloody handprints on poor Dalton's bedsheets. Like Wan's "Saw," whose comic tonal cues haven't been adopted, alas, by its many sequels, "Insidious" takes a subtly silly approach to its mounting mayhem. As if the Satanic disturbances weren't unsettling enough for her, Mom is visited by her outrageously intense mother-in-law (Barbara Hershey, offering a tongue-in-cheek mirror image of her controlling mommy from "Black Swan"). An unkempt pair of bickering ghostbusters (Angus Sampson and Whannell himself) also appears on the scene. The film's final reels take place in what the family's hired exorcist (a fab Lin Shaye) calls "the further," whose resident evil is a hellish, red- and black-faced beast that bears absurd resemblance to Darth Maul from the "Phantom Menace" episode of "Star Wars." Arguably, "Insidious" could've used even more such Wan drollery, but, in visual terms, the film is exceptionally vivid by modern horror standards, with razor-sharp widescreen cinematography capturing every nuance of the fog-enshrouded sets. The likable Wilson and Byrne play it largely straight as a couple besieged by more child-rearing challenges than they ever imagined, and the swirling, string based score by Joseph Bishara is both patently ridiculous and rather effective. As good humor would have it, Bishara also serves the production by appearing as a "character" listed in the credits as "Lipstick-Face Demon."Insidious
A Sony Pictures Entertainment release of an Alliance Films presentation, in association with IM Global, of a Haunted Movies production. Produced by Jason Blum, Steven Schneider, Oren Peli. Executive producer, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. Co-producers, John Leonetti, Aaron Sims. Directed, edited by James Wan. Screenplay, Leigh Whannell.
Camera (color/B&W, widescreen, 35mm-to-HD), David Brewer; music, Joseph Bishara; production designer, Aaron Sims; art director, Jennifer Spence; set decorator, Charles Leal; costume designer, Kristin M. Burke; sound (Dolby Digital), Zsolt Magyar; supervising sound editor, Joe Dzuban; re-recording mixers, Dzuban, Craig Mann; visual effects supervisor, Darren Orr; visual effects, Spy; special effects coordinator, Bart Dion; special makeup effects, Fractured FX; stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer; line producer, Jeanette Volturno-Brill; assistant director, Albert Cho; casting, Annie McCarthy. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Midnight Madness), Sept. 15, 2010. Running time: 101 MIN.
Josh Lambert - Patrick Wilson
Renai Lambert Rose Byrne
Elise Rainier - Lin Shaye
Dalton Lambert - Ty Simpkins
Lorraine Lambert - Barbara Hershey
With: Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Andrew Astor, Joseph Bishara.


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Waller v. Texas & Pacific Ry. Co.
Annotate this Case
- Syllabus |
- Case
U.S. Supreme Court
Waller v. Texas & Pacific Ry. Co., 245 U.S. 398 (1918)
Waller v. Texas & Pacific Railway Company
No. 92
Argued December 17, 1917
Decided January 7, 1918
Plaintiffs, as testamentary trustees, sought to hold the Texas & Pacific Railway Company, as by an express trust, for the satisfaction of certain bonds, part of an issue made under a deed of trust, in 1872, by the New Orleans, Baton Rouge & Vicksburg Railway Company. The deed purported to cover the right of way and aid lands, then unearned, which had been granted to that company by § 22 of the act creating the Texas & Pacific (Act of March 3, 1871, c. 122, 16 Stat. 573), and the contention, generally stated, was that the Texas & Pacific, by succession to the benefits of the grant through a quitclaim made by the grantee in 1881 to an intervening company, by construction of the railroad by that company, and by a practical merger with it in that year, had become directly and expressly liable -- this in view of the terms of the deed of trust, of the act of Congress and the instrument of consolidation, and the circumstances attending the transactions. When the suit began in 1913, the bonds were more than 10 years overdue, and interest had been in default since 1876 or longer; the railroad had been owned and operated by the Texas & Pacific since the merger; the aid lands had been held, mortgaged, and otherwise dealt with as the property of the intervening company, subject to the merger agreement, and the validity of the deed of trust of 1872 had been challenged in 1890, and denied by a decree taken pro confesso against the trustee, which, however, the plaintiffs here claimed was collusive, and not binding, and not applicable to the right of way. The bonds in suit were owned by plaintiffs' decedent for seven or eight years before his death, but whether he was an original holder or purchaser did not appear, nor was there any evidence concerning his notice or knowledge. Held, without deciding the merits, that the suit, begun in 1913, was barred by laches. For, even if it be assumed that, under the deed of trust, an action could not have been maintained for the interest until the bonds matured in 1902, yet no attempt was
made to avail of a provision for the taking of possession by the trustee at request of any bondholder, for default of interest, and furthermore, the court may neither suppose nor indulge an ignorance of the open activities of the companies and the long possession and operation of the railroad by the defendant. Held further that the fact that the defendant had itself paid off most of the bonds issued with plaintiffs' was immaterial in the absence of the reasons for so doing, and that, in view of the magnitude of the recovery sought (more than $100,000) and the long claim and operation of the property and expenditures upon it, the delay could not be excused upon the assumption that defendant's position had not changed since 1881, when its liability, if any, accrued.
229 F. 87 affirmed.
Suit to compel payment of thirty bonds issued by the New Orleans, Baton Rouge & Vicksburg Railroad Company under the circumstances hereinafter detailed. It was originally brought against appellee and the New Orleans Pacific Railroad Company and the Union Trust Company of New York. The latter company was dismissed from the suit. No process was issued against the New Orleans Pacific Railroad Company.
The bill presents the jurisdictional qualification of the parties and the following facts, which we state narratively:
The New Orleans, Baton Rouge & Vicksburg Railroad Company, which we shall refer to as the Baton Rouge Company, was incorporated December 30, 1869, by a special act of the Louisiana legislature and was given the usual powers to execute the purpose of its incorporation, to borrow money and issue bonds, etc., and secure their payment by a mortgage of its stock and franchises and property which it then owned or might thereafter acquire.
The Texas & Pacific Railway Company, herein referred to as the Texas & Pacific Company, was incorporated March 3, 1871, by an act of Congress (Act March 3, 1871, c. 122, 16 Stat. 573), and was granted certain lands to aid in the construction of its road, and by a section of the act (§ 22), a grant was made to the Baton Rouge Company of the
same kind -- that is, alternate sections of public lands per mile, in the State of Louisiana, upon the condition that the company complete the whole of the road within five years of the passage of the act, the lands to be selected on each side of its road on a route to be selected by the company to connect with the Texas Pacific at the eastern terminus of the latter through the public land from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and thence by the way of Alexandria. The company was empowered to mortgage the lands.
September 4, 1872, it exercised the power and executed a mortgage or deed of trust to the Union Trust Company of New York, transferring and conveying, among other things, all of its railroad and personal property and all the right, title, and interest it then had or it or its successors might acquire to the granted lands. The trust company accepted of record its trusteeship.
The mortgage was intended to secure 12,000 bonds of $1,000 each, payable September 1, 1902, with interest at 7% payable semiannually; 1,250 of the bonds were issued and certified by the trustee.
Complainants, as executors and trustees of the estate under the will of David J. Waller, who died in 1893, are the owners and holders before maturity of 30 of the bonds with 52 coupons attached thereto.
It was covenanted in the mortgage by the trustee thereof that a sinking fund should be established and maintained and an amount equal to 1% of the company's gross earnings, after certain deductions, and the proceeds of the sales of the granted lands should be paid to the trustee for the fund for the benefit of the bondholders. The mortgage was duly recorded.
The railroad company accepted the grant and filed a map of its general route from Baton Rouge to Shreveport and a like map showing the general route from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The lands were then withdrawn
from entry and sale by the order of the Secretary of the Interior. And, under the terms of the grant, the lands vested in the company, subject only to the construction of the road.
January 5, 1881, the Baton Rouge Company, by deed of quitclaim, conveyed the lands to the New Orleans Pacific Railroad Company, referred to herein as the New Orleans Company, and its successors and assigns, and thereafter the Baton Rouge Company no longer maintained its separate corporate existence and became merged and consolidated with the New Orleans Company.
The conveyance and acceptance were filed by the New Orleans Company in the Interior Department, and the Secretary of the Interior, under an opinion of the Attorney General of the United States, recognized the New Orleans Company and that the Baton Rouge Company had title to the lands and could sell and assign the same.
On March 13, 1883, the Secretary of the Interior transmitted to the President a report of the examination of 260 miles of the road and recommended that they be accepted, and that patents be issued for such lands as might have been earned by their construction by the New Orleans Company, as assignee of the Baton Rouge Company, the mortgagor thereof. The recommendation was approved, and patents were issued to the New Orleans Company, but solely as the assignee of the Baton Rouge Company and as its grantee for 679,284.64 acres of lands in Louisiana. The foregoing state of facts in respect to the title of the lands were determined and adjudged in New Orleans Pacific Ry. Co. v. United States, 124 U. S. 124.
By an Act of Congress of February 8, 1887, all lands which were not forfeited thereby were relinquished, granted, conveyed, and confirmed to the New Orleans Company as assignee or Baton Rouge Company by the transfer above stated, and title confirmed to
approximately 746,954 acres within the grant to the Baton Rouge Company. At this time, the New Orleans Company was and now is consolidated with and merged into the Texas & Pacific Company.
Within six months after the conveyance to it by the Baton Rouge Company, the New Orleans Company transferred all of its property to the Texas & Pacific Company, with the object and intention to merge the former with the latter under the latter's name. The land grant acquired by the former company was expressly reserved, and its corporate recognition was to be continued and maintained until further authorized corporate action. In addition to the lands patented to the amount of 679,284.64 acres to the New Orleans Company as assignee of the Baton Rouge Company, other lands have been patented to it amounting in 1917 to 1,001,000 acres, and the New Orleans Company has since procured further patents and filed applications for additional lands, and still continues to do so. The records of the Secretary of the Interior show that there is a balance still due of more than 1,000,000 acres.
By the act incorporating the Texas & Pacific Company (1871), it was provided that the property and franchises acquired from each of the consolidated or purchased railroad company or companies should vest and become absolutely the property of the Texas & Pacific Company, subject, however, to all of the debts and obligations of the acquired company or companies, and that the consolidation should not impair any lien which might exist on any railroads so consolidated. It was provided that there should be no consolidation with any competing road, and that the contracts and obligations of railroads consolidated should be liens upon the Texas & Pacific Company.
From about the time of the recognition of the New Orleans Company, the Texas & Pacific Company controlled
it and still controls it, and, by the recited acts and transfers, became charged with the lien of the mortgage by Baton Rouge Company to the Union Trust Company (September 4, 1872) and the other obligations of the New Orleans Company, particularly the performance of the covenants in the mortgage and the payment of the bonds secured thereby. The recognition of the companies and merger in the Texas & Pacific Company and transfer of the lands granted were all a part of a scheme to secure from the United States the grant for the purpose of raising money thereon by mortgages and bonds secured thereby to construct and equip a transcontinental railway from New Orleans to the Pacific, as appears from the act incorporating the Texas & Pacific Company (Act March 3, 1871).
The lands patented in the name of the New Orleans Company were appropriated by the Texas & Pacific Company, it continuing the other company in name for the sole purpose of receiving patents, and controlling its corporate books, accounts, and records, the New Orleans Company maintaining no corporate existence and having no officers or directors (this on information and belief), and the Texas & Pacific, in violation of the terms of the covenants of the mortgage by the Baton Rouge Company to the Union Trust Company and the trust thereby created, has diverted the proceeds of the lands granted from the use and purpose of the mortgage and in fraud of complainants and the holders of bonds secured by the mortgage to its own use and to the use of the New Orleans Company and to other uses not authorized by the deed of trust. The persons to whom the sales of the lands have been made are so many that it is wholly impracticable to enforce the lien of the mortgage and who have by occupation under the color of title acquired an impregnable title thereto.
The Union Trust Company and certain bondholders
were made parties defendant in an action brought against the Baton Rouge Company by the trustees under deeds of trust of April 17, 1883, and January 5, 1884, executed by the New Orleans Company, to declare them first liens upon the lands described therein and to secure an issue of bonds authorized thereby, and asked for judgment that the deed of trust from the Baton Rouge Company to the Union Trust Company (September 4, 1872) did not affect or give any lien in or to the lands, and that the same be cancelled. A decree pro confesso was entered so declaring and adjudging.
The bondholders were dismissed from the case. The attorneys for the complainants were attorneys for the New Orleans Company and the Union Trust Company. There were false allegations in the bill, an the Union Trust Company, though in duty bound as trustee to defend the action and the trust created by the mortgage, failed to do so, permitted the destruction of the lien, and permitted the New Orleans Company and the Texas & Pacific Company to appropriate to themselves or to other purposes the proceeds of the sales of the lands which were at least worth $5 per acre.
The subject matter of the suit exceeds $3,000, and the complainants are without remedy at law.
Discovery is prayed of the quantity of lands patented, the amount of sales and the proceeds thereof, and that the Union Trust Company and the Texas & Pacific Company account to complainants and to all other bondholders similarly situated for all money and property received from the enjoyment and sales of the lands to the extent of their bonds and coupons, and that they be adjudged to pay complainants the amounts found due them.
The answer of the Texas & Pacific Company qualified or denied certain of the averments of the bill and admitted others. It set up the various acts of Congress referred to in the bill and the transactions between the Texas &
Pacific Company and the New Orleans Company, but assigned a different cause and effect to them and to the acts of Congress and to what was done under them. Its defenses may be concentrated in four propositions stated by counsel:
"1. That the Baton Rouge Company never acquired title to the land grant lands, and that its alleged mortgage of September 4, 1872, never became operative as a lien thereon."
"2. That prosecution of the action is barred by the decree of the Circuit Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Louisiana in the suit of Dillon and Alexander against the New Orleans Pacific Railway Company and others."
"3. That the Texas & Pacific Railway Company is in no way connected with the land grant or the transactions referred to in the complaint."
"4. That the suit is barred by limitations and by the laches of the complainants."
Upon the issues thus formed, if it can be said there are issues upon anything else but the characterization and legal effect of the acts of Congress, the instruments referred to and the transactions detailed, the district court expressed opinion that it was unable
"to see how any express trust ever existed in plaintiff's favor or in favor of his decedent except that created by the mortgage to the Union Trust Company as trustee, the bounds and limitations of which are set forth in the deed itself,"
which instrument, the court said, was "in effect nothing more or less than a mortgage and to be treated as such." The mortgage and debt, therefore, the court said, might be enforced against the property at the situs of the latter, but by this suit, the court said further, it was sought to enforce the collection of the debt, not from the property mortgaged, but from another corporation now alleged to be personally liable for it. Such liability, the court
continued, could only result from some trust ex delicto to be implied from some state of fact shown, and not upon any direct undertaking by the New Orleans Company or the Texas & Pacific Company to pay the debt of another, to-wit, the Baton Rouge Company. Therefore, the court concluded that its decision must turn upon either one or both of the affirmative defenses made by the Texas & Pacific Company -- that is, either the statute of limitations or laches, or both.
Reciting that the bonds matured September 4, 1902, and this suit was commenced May 7, 1913, the court finally applied the statute of limitations of ten years according to the law of New York and Louisiana. It, however, expressed the view that the defense of laches should be sustained, and referred to O'Brien v. Wheelock, 184 U. S. 493, and dismissed the bill.
The court of appeals affirmed the district court, but rested its decision upon the defense of laches, citing therefor O'Brien v. Wheelock, supra, and saying:
"The proposition is somewhat startling that the holder of the obligations of one corporation secured by a mortgage on its property may maintain a suit 40 years after the date of such obligation and based thereon against another corporation not a party thereto."
MR. JUSTICE McKENNA, after stating the case as above delivered the opinion of the court.
To establish a trust against the Texas & Pacific Company, it is argued that the purpose of the Act of Congress
of 1871 was to provide for the construction of a transcontinental railroad from Texas to San Diego, California, and from thence to San Francisco by another company, and that the Baton Rouge Company, the New Orleans Company, and principally the Texas & Pacific Company were instruments of that purpose, and the grant of the Baton Rouge Company, by its mortgage to the Union Trust Company, became charged with a lien for the payment of the bonds issued by the railroad company, which lien followed the conveyance of the lands to the New Orleans Company and to the Texas & Pacific Company, and that, besides, there was a personal trust first in the Union Trust Company, and successively in the other companies. And the argument is attempted to be fortified by § 4 of the Act of Congress of 1871, which authorized the Texas & Pacific Company to acquire other railroad corporations, and was by § 6 to become responsible for the debts or obligations of any company so acquired.
To sustain this contention, the provisions of the various instruments are adduced, and their requirements, especially that the bonds were entitled to the benefit and security of a sinking fund to be set apart for their redemption whereby the proceeds of all lands granted to the railroad company (the Baton Rouge Company) were to be applied to the payment of interest on the bonds and to their redemption and also 1% of the gross earnings of the company, and that the railroad and its equipment were mortgaged for like purposes and all
"the lands and sections of land situated, lying and being on either side of the said railroad, as the same may be finally located and constructed in accordance with and as granted by the act of Congress"
of March 3, 1871.
The mortgage to the Union Trust Company was in trust for the purposes expressed above, and it was provided that, if default should be made in payment of interest
or of any payment to the sinking fund and continue for the period of six months or in default of any requirement of the mortgage, all of the bonds outstanding, at the option of the holders of a majority in interest of such outstanding bonds, should forthwith become due and payable. And further, upon written request of the holders of at least 1000 bonds then out standing, the trustee should foreclose the equity of redemption of the property embraced in the hypothecation, and at the request of a bondholder might take possession of the road.
Sales of the lands were provided for and the disposition of the proceeds, any balance remaining to be appropriated to the purpose of the sinking fund. There was a covenant by the company to pay on June 1, 1880, and on the first of June of each succeeding year a sum which should equal 1% of the gross earnings received by the road from its operation twelve months immediately preceding, which sum should be applied by the trust company or its successors to the redemption of the bonds, and that the trust company, on the first days of January and July of each and every year, should designate by lot for redemption a number of bonds sufficient to equal, as near as might be, the accumulations of the sinking fund and cause a notice to be printed of such purpose.
It is contended that, by reason of these provisions and the facts detailed, a trust was created that followed the lands to whosesoever hands they reached, and each possessor of them became a trustee and bound with respect to the property to the execution of the trust in the same manner as the original trustee, the Union Trust Company, was, citing for this result Ketchum v. City of St. Louis, 101 U. S. 306.
And, by virtue of this principle, the New Orleans Company is declared to have been a trustee and the lands granted to it subject to the execution of the trust, and the Texas & Pacific Company has also become a trustee.
Another ground of liability is asserted against the latter company. It has been consolidated, the contention is, with the New Orleans Company, and the latter has disappeared from sight and significance, leaving the Texas & Pacific in sole responsibility. And yet the instrument of consolidation expressly excepts "the lands and the land grants acquired or to be acquired" by the New Orleans Company from the United States, the State of Louisiana, or the Baton Rouge Company, or from any other source, other than lands necessary or needful for railway purposes. There is an express exemption and exclusion of such from the provisions of the instrument of consolidation. And it was provided that the corporate existence of the New Orleans Company should be maintained, and its power to carry out the existing contracts and to mortgage any land grant it had acquired or might acquire from the Baton Rouge Company or otherwise should remain unimpaired.
There is therefore some ground for the contention of the Texas & Pacific Company that there is a want of that privity of property which, according to the insistence of appellant, is necessary to make that company trustee of the Baton Rouge Company's mortgage of 1872, and that §§ 4 and 6 of the act incorporating the Texas & Pacific Company have not the meaning ascribed to them, and further that the Baton Rouge Company never acquired any lands to which a lien could attach, and that the asserted trust had nothing upon which it could be exercised, neither lands to sell nor railroad to take possession of and operate, both of which -- sale of lands and operation of road -- were necessary to the execution of the trust, and that it was so determined in a suit against proper parties by the decree of the Circuit Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
To this contention, complainants reply: (1) the decree was collusively obtained; (2) it did not cover the right
of way and roadbed which, it is said, is admitted to have come to the Texas & Pacific Company from the New Orleans Company; (3) independently of the deed of trust and irrespective of it, the arrangement between those companies was an attempt to conserve the subordinate rights and interests of the stockholders of the Baton Rouge Company at the expense of its creditors -- an attempt, it is insisted, always judicially condemned. Cases are cited, among others, Northern Pacific Ry. Co. v. Boyd, 228 U. S. 482.
The argument to sustain or oppose the respective contentions we need not recite. They have indication in the pleadings and, it may be, in what we have already said. We rest our decision on the defense of laches which, we think, has been sustained.
In 1872, the Baton Rouge Company executed the instrument the particular trusts of which are now attempted to be enforced. Before that time, it had filed a map of general route, but no map of definite location; but after that time, the record discloses nothing done by it until 1880, when it conveyed the lands to the New Orleans Company.
The activities of the New Orleans Company are shown, and through and by what struggles it was enabled to construct the road. The record shows assertion of rights by some of the bondholders, but also shows that the assertion was met by challenge of legality, and judicially determined against. During all that time, during all of the notoriety of the transactions detailed, the owner or owners of the bonds in suit made no claim by word or act and now, over ten years after their maturity and forty years after their issue, a claim of personal liability is made against the Texas & Pacific Company. It is to be borne in mind that the interest on the bonds has always been in default, certainly since 1876, and there was remedy provided for such default. At the instance of
any holder of the bonds, the trustee could have taken possession of the road, and, if of the Baton Rouge Road, then of its successors in liability, the New Orleans and the Texas & Pacific Companies, for if they were successors in liability, they were successively subject to the remedy. If it be said that such remedy was extreme and inconvenient, it had potency as a threat in the hands of a diligent creditor, and besides, if there was a successive personal liability, it accrued against the New Orleans Company in 1880 and the Texas & Pacific Company in 1883.
The delay is attempted to be excused. It is said action for nonpayment of interest could only be taken by the holders of 1,000 or a majority of bonds outstanding, and that it appears the Texas & Pacific Company had acquired 1, 183 of the 1,275 bonds which were outstanding. It is hence contended that complainants' testate could not have been guilty of laches before his death, and that the present complainants could not act until the maturity of the bonds in 1902. It is further said that complainants filed a bill in 1908 in the United States district court in Louisiana to collect the bonds, and that, until the filing of the answer in that case, complainants were ignorant of the merger of the New Orleans and the Texas & Pacific companies or of the suit filed in 1890 to remove the cloud of the asserted lien of the mortgage of the Baton Rouge Company to the Union Trust Company of 1872.
But what complainants' testate knew does not appear, and whether he was an original holder or a purchaser, except that it was thought he owned the bonds for seven or eight years before his death. And the ignorance of complainants is extraordinary in view of their interest, if it was an attentive interest. If we may suppose ignorance of records, we cannot suppose -- certainly not indulge -- an ignorance of the open activities of the companies and the possession and operation of the railroad by the Texas & Pacific Company.
It is again said in excuse that it does not appear that the Texas & Pacific Company has changed its position, which it is said is the same as it was in 1881, and that it has even realized the benefit of the trust and so far executed it as to pay before 1890 most of the bonds. Why those bonds were paid or acquired and upon what motive do not appear, and it cannot be said that a company which has been in possession of and operating a great property for many years, having spent large sums of money upon it in the belief of having a clear and unencumbered right, is inequitably unaffected by a claim against it, asserted as a result of remote transactions with which it had no connection. And certainly it may be urged that it would surprise and strain any condition to be suddenly called upon to pay $107,700, that sum being the amount of principal and interest (7%) of complainants' demand.
Decree affirmed.


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National award-winning director Lenin Rajendran's forthcoming film Edavappathy is about the plight of Tibetan refugees who have been denied entry into their homeland by the Chinese.
The shooting of the film started in Coorg in Karnataka where there is a considerable Tibetan population, and has now shifted to Munnar.
Siddhartha Lama and Uthara Unni play the lead pair. Manisha Koirala and Prashanth Narayan are part of the cast.
Edavappathy is produced by Green Cinema and the cinematographer is Madhu Ambat. The music directors are Pandit Ramesh Narayan and Mohan Sithara.
Siddhartha Lama returns to Malayalam cinema two decades after he created quite a storm as the young Rinpoche in the Sangeeth Sivan film Yoddha, along with Mohanlal.
Uthara Unni is the daughter of well-known actor Urmila Unni. The shooting will shift to Chitradurga in Karnataka soon.


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Chiefs focus on pros, not pucks
THE MAZDA PEEWEE Chiefs Player of the Week is Matthias Smith. The 5',1', 100-pound goalie wears jersey #31 and says his favourite NHL player is Pekka Rinne.
The NHL returned to action last Saturday, and that proved a distraction for both the Courtenay Mazda Peewee Chiefs and the Nanaimo Clippers.
The Chiefs were in The Harbour City for a minor hockey exhibition game with the Boatmen. Nanaimo skated to a very uninspired 4-0 win, with both sides focused on something other than the game at hand.
On Sunday afternoon the Chiefs hosted the Saanich Braves. Despite controlling long stretches of the game, the hockey gods did not shine on the Chiefs as they fell 7-2. Despite the lopsided score, the game appeared much closer.
The Courtenay Mazada Chiefs next home action is this Sunday, Jan. 27 at 10:45 a.m. at Sports Centre Arena #1 against Kerry Park.
– Mazda Peewee Chiefs
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Courtyard Fort Meade BWI Business District
Get an overview of this hotelSuburban hotel with restaurant and indoor pool
Situated in the business district, this hotel is within 6 mi (10 km) of National Security Agency Headquarters, National Cryptologic Museum, and TagParty RECON. Historic Savage Mill and Monster Mini Golf are also within 6 mi (10 km).
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Room Amenities
All 140 rooms provide conveniences like sitting areas and refrigerators, plus free WiFi and flat-screen TVs with cable channels. Room service, coffee makers, and free weekday newspapers are among the other amenities available to guests.
Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new windowCourtyard Fort Meade BWI Business District
Hotel Amenities
In addition to an indoor pool, Courtyard Fort Meade BWI Business District provides a spa tub and a fitness center. The hotel offers a restaurant, a coffee shop/café, and a snack bar/deli. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access.
This 3-star property offers access to a business center and meeting rooms. This business-friendly hotel also offers a picnic area, a fireplace in the lobby, and laundry facilities. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
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- Family Hotel
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- Free Wi-Fi
- Snack bar/deli
- Laundry facilities
- Refrigerator
- Microwave (on request)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Premium TV channels
- Pay movies
- Separate sitting area
- Free weekday newspaper
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Air conditioning
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave (on request)
- Private bathroom
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Shower/tub combination
- Iron/ironing board
- Desk
- Daily housekeeping
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
- Cable TV service
- Flat-panel TV
- Room service (limited hours)
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Free WiFi
Where to Eat
Cooked-to-order breakfasts are available for a surcharge.
Courtyard Fort Meade BWI Business District has a restaurant serving breakfast only.
Room service (during limited hours) is available.
Nearby Things to Do
An indoor pool and a spa tub are on site. Other recreational amenities include a fitness center.
- Golfing nearby
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- In-room accessibility
- Accessible bathroom
- Roll-in shower
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Pets not allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No rollaway/extra beds available
No cribs (infant beds) available
Optional extras
- Breakfast fee: between USD 5 and USD 15.00 per person (approximately)
Hotel Name
- Courtyard Fort Meade BWI Business District
- Courtyard Fort Meade BWI Business District Annapolis Junction
- Courtyard Fort Meade BWI Business District Hotel
We should mention
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. Set meals are served in guestrooms only (no menus or public dining).


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It's hard to imagine a toddler being consumed by debt and racking up outrageous bills. I certainly don't envision that when I look at my 13-month-old son, but maybe I should.
The statistics surrounding child identity theft are staggering, especially in Arizona. AllclearID.com, a fraud-protection website, found that ID theft involving children under age 5 has jumped 105 percent nationally since last year.
The Federal Trade Commission calls Arizona the identify-theft capital of the United States, and the rate of child ID theft in our state is twice the national average. It's enough to make every parent investigate their children's Social Security numbers.
Identity-theft specialist Eduard Goodman says criminals could be unsuspectingly swiping your child's number at the pediatrician's office. So could be the cleaning crew or a worker at their school. There are even "underground" websites that predict a baby's Social Security number before he or she is born.
The thieves take numbers and run them through the three credit agencies to make sure they're unused numbers. If they are, they likely belong to infants or children.
Child identity theft can result in ruined credit, bad background checks, defaulted loans and years of lost opportunities for the young victims. But there is recourse, even though it's a painstaking process.
Some tips on spotting a problem and acting on it:
Look for unusual mail addressed to your child. Correspondence from financial institutions or calls from creditors are a big red flag.
If your child is a victim, report it to the three credit agencies immediately.
Consider blocking your child's Social Security number from being used until your child is 18.
Credit companies alerted to the problem also can do what is called a "suppression." It prevents others from using a child's Social Security number.
Goodman suggests running your child's Social Security number through the three credit agencies annually to make sure it's unused.
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Nitroglycerin sublingual tablets are used to treat episodes of angina (chest pain) in people who have coronary artery disease (narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart). It is also used just before activities that may cause episodes of angina in order to prevent the angina from occurring. Nitroglycerin is in a class of medications called vasodilators. It works by relaxing the blood vessels so the heart does not need to work as hard and therefore does not need as much oxygen.
Nitroglycerin comes as a sublingual tablet to take under the tongue. The tablets is usually taken as needed, either 5 to 10 minutes before activities that may cause attacks of angina or at the first sign of an attack. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take nitroglycerin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Nitroglycerin may not work as well after you have used it for some time or if you have taken many doses. Take the fewest tablets needed to relieve the pain of your attacks. If your angina attacks happen more often, last longer, or become more severe at any time during your treatment, call your doctor.
Talk to your doctor about how to use nitroglycerin tablets to treat angina attacks. Your doctor will probably tell you to sit down and take one dose of nitroglycerin when an attack begins. If your symptoms do not improve very much or if they worsen after you take this dose you may be told to call for emergency medical help right away. If your symptoms do not go away completely after you take the first dose, your doctor may tell you to take a second dose after 5 minutes have passed and a third dose 5 minutes after the second dose. Call for emergency medical help right away if your chest pain has not gone away completely 5 minutes after you take the third dose.
Do not chew, crush, or swallow nitroglycerin sublingual tablets. Instead, place the tablet under your tongue or between your cheek and gum and wait for it to dissolve. You may feel burning or tingling in your mouth as the tablet dissolves. This is normal but is not a sign that the tablet is working. Do not be concerned that the tablet is not working if you do not feel the burning or tingling.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Before taking or using nitroglycerin,
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.
Nitroglycerin sublingual tablets are usually taken as needed to treat episodes of angina; do not take them on a regular basis.
Nitroglycerin may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms or those listed in SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS section are severe or do not go away:
Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
Nitroglycerin sublingual may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while you are taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online ( Web Site) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).
Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA's Safe Disposal of Medicines website ( Web Site) for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.
Symptoms of overdose may include the following:
Keep all appointments with your doctor
Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.
It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.
AHFS® Consumer Medication Information. © Copyright, The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc., 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. All Rights Reserved. Duplication for commercial use must be authorized by ASHP.
Selected Revisions: October 15, 2015.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


text: Here's the Best Birth Plan EverKatie J.M. Baker6/29/12 7:15pmFiled to: JKBabiesBirthHospitalsPregnancyMcsweeneystweetshutterstock61EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Some highlights from McSweeney's Internet Tendency's delightful "Jamie and Jeff's Birth Plan":AdvertisementWhile we do not have a traditional "philosophy" of "childbirth," we have been heavily influenced by orthodox Wholefoodism and the "(d)well baby/good design" movement. We believe strongly in the power of the female body and a long-term night nurse. We are opposed to torture/gluten. In the event you are ever unsure how to proceed today, please ask yourself, "What Would Gwyneth Do?"We would like mood lighting, like on Virgin America.We would like to donate the placenta to the people of the Gulf Coast.We ask that the baby be bathed in our presence, in the delivery room, in San Pellegrino.In lieu of a traditional hospital gown, Jamie would prefer to be dressed like Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer.We challenge even the most attachment parent-y parents to keep a straight face.AdvertisementJamie and Jeff's Birth Plan [McSweeney's Internet Tendency]Image via Kiselev Andrey Valerevich /Shutterstock.Reply61 repliesLeave a reply


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Hopefully this will be in celebration of the release of the first Map Pack for the PC as they still wait for the release. You should all give it a try though, Modern Warfare 3 on the PC has great graphics compared to the consoles if your system can handle it.
"Activision will be hosting a Free Weekend for Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3! Pre-load the game now and be ready to play when the free weekend starts on Thursday, April 26th at 10am Pacific Time.
Click here to start pre-loading, or visit www.steamgames.com/about to install Steam.
The Free Weekend of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 will let you play the multiplayer portion of the base game."


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Big Earls Greasy Eats6135 E Cave Creek RoadCave Creek 85331ph: (480) email@example.com
Big Earls Greasy Eats has become a landmark in Cave Creek, Arizona. We are Located in the heart of Cave Creek I was born in the 1930's and started out as a gas station.
In 2002 I blossomed as Big Earls Greasy Eats. When I say "The Last HONEST Hamburger!" that is exactly what I mean.
We serve all natural hormone free meat and chicken everyday. Fresh baked buns, hand chopped veggies, REAL mayo and butter. You can TASTE the differnce.
When you are in the neighborhood stop in for the best breakfast in town, highly talked about lunch and dinner. Wash down that meal with an ice cold beer, a glass of wine, or any drink from our FULL bar.
We are looking forward to meeting you, serving you, and having you become our friend.
Love Earl & The Earls Crew
Big Earl's Greasy Eats
6135 E Cave Creek Rd, Cave Creek, AZ 85331


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High Desert District |
Release Date: 07/23/12 | |||||||||||
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BLM Fighting Seminoe Wildfire |
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service, Carbon County, Wyo., and the City of Rawlins, Wyo., is fighting the Seminoe wildfire approximately 30 miles northeast of Rawlins, Wyo. The wildfire was first reported at 3 p.m. on July 21; the cause is under investigation. The fire is burning an estimated 650 acres of grass, sagebrush, and juniper and ponderosa pine on BLM and Bureau of Reclamation lands, roughly one mile north of the Seminoe Dam. Resources on the wildfire include one Type III helicopter, air tankers, and six interagency crews. The Western Wyoming Type III Incident Management team will also be deployed to battle the blaze. Outdoor recreationists utilizing the campgrounds and summer cabins near the Seminoe Dam west of the Miracle Mile area are urged to use caution or avoid the area entirely since fire behavior can change suddenly and fire spread is unpredictable if high winds develop. |
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of Americas public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In Fiscal Year 2015, the BLM generated $4.1 billion in receipts from activities occurring on public lands. |
--BLM-- High Desert District 280 Hwy 191 N. Rock Springs, WY 82901 |
Last updated: 07-23-2012 | |||||||||||
USA.GOV | No Fear Act | DOI | Disclaimer | About BLM | Notices | Social Media Policy | |||||||||||
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BUKIT JALIL: Russian Vladimir Ivanov had only five hours of sleep before playing in the qualifiers.
However, that did not stop the tall and valiant Ivanov from making it to the main draw of the Maybank Malaysian Open at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old won his two qualifying matches – beating Malaysia's Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif 10-21, 21-12, 23-21 and Hong Kong's Chan Yan Kit 21-16, 21-17 – to set up a match against Japan's Kenichi Tago.
"Both matches were hard for me as I only had five hours of sleep after arriving in Malaysia at 2am. Thankfully, I did not fall asleep on the courts today," joked Ivanov.


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Money isn't everything to Wall Street — it's the only thing. Against the backdrop of low interest rates and improving financial conditions, corporate America is throwing an impressive amount of cash at shareholders. In fact, it's now rare to find a major company not engaging in share buybacks or dividends.
At the end of the third quarter, cash and short-term investment balances in the S&P 500 (ex-financials) jumped by 18 percent year-over-year to $1.36 trillion, according to FactSet. Furthermore, companies in the S&P 500 generated $351.3 billion in free cash flow during the quarter, which represents the second largest amount in at least a decade. Eight of the nine sectors under consideration managed to increase free cash flow from a year earlier.
With cash piling up on balance sheets, a record number of companies are returning money to shareholders in the form of share repurchase programs and dividends. Over the past year, 369 firms in the index participated in both forms of distribution — that's the highest amount since at least 2005. Only 16 companies in the S&P 500 did not participate in either buybacks or dividends over the trailing 12-month period.
While the argument can be made that some companies should be returning even more money to shareholders, let's take a look at the top 10 firms with the biggest share repurchases over the trailing 12 months. All 10 firms also have significant dividend programs.


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Even flying halfway around the world it appears I won't escape the rain…
I was approached today by an operative from our UK branch (code name "The Brit" and sometimes referred to as Tin) who worked with me while conducting surveillance of one William the Sheep.
It was suspected that William might be a high level officer of the notorious BAA! network and might be engaged in subterfuge and espionage operations here in America and abroad after travelling to the US via unsuspecting souvenir seeking tourists.
I followed William to Europe and after extensive monitoring was able to clear him of all wrong-doing until his picture showed up on a Russian web site and raised suspicion once again.
Tin had come to inform me that there was a lot of chatter being picked up amongst known operatives in the BAA! network which would tend to indicate something big was happening.
That's when he told me about another suspected BAA! agent known as "The Vagrant"
The Vagrant first came to our attention sometime in 1998; caught on surveillance video waiting to be "˜picked-up' at Sheep World, located just North of Auckland, New Zealand. It wasn't long before his "˜merging with the crowd' tactic worked and he was able to turn his back on the rolling, verdant hills of Warkworth for the metropolis that is Sydney, Australia. Spurning the "Collective" he emigrated sometime in 2000 to Wiltshire, England; a county with tenuous
connections to the Australian and New Zealand Baa networks. It's possible The Vagrant was the nucleus for clandestine "˜BAA in England'! recruiting sojourns to Cranleigh, England; Lugano, Switzerland; and LochCarron, Scotland finally lead to Houston, Texas in 2002 where he's been "˜sleeping' for 5 years.
I'm not sure what this all means. It would certainly appear that William and The Vagrant share a similar modus operandi. Two sheep passing themselves off as mere tourist baubles? You might recall that William found passage to the United States after being "purchased" from a vendor at the Edinburgh Woolen Mill. This allowed William to arrive in the U.S. in 2002, the same year as The Vagrant. It was only a few short years later that William was jetting off to Amsterdam and Paris with a stop over in Belgium where he was spotted consorting with a possible BAA! network splinter cell in Bruges.
We lost track of him for a brief time before he was spotted on the night train from Paris to Venice where I proceeded to follow him to Florence and Rome.
Tin informed me that Galway, Ireland was coming up frequently in the chatter. It appears I will be off to Aerfort Na Sionna on the morrow to do a little investigative work…
Arrived in Galway without any problem. Houston to Chicago with a 40 minute layover. Turns out the connecting flight was just on gate over in the very same terminal.
Luggage arrived safely and I caught a cab from the airport in Shannon to the Marriot in Galway.
I didn't really sleep on the plane so I was pretty beat when I check into the hotel. I got some breakfast and decided to set my alarm and take a short nap. When the alarm went off I was sorely tempted to just go back to sleep but I knew this would be a bad idea so I forced myself to get up and get moving.
Galway is a very pedestrian friendly city. I was able to walk/shamble down to the city center and poke around. Very crowded on a Saturday. Tourists and street performers everywhere. The thing I am noticing more and more when I travel is how distracted the pedestrians are as the walk around yakking or texting on their mobile devices.
When they're standing still it's not so bad, they're just clogging the pedestrian arteries. When they're walking they're like human smart bomb/missiles without the "smart."
I made myself keep moving and I wandered around quite a bit. Most of the street performers were unremarkable at best, with the exception of two.
This young harpist was quite talented and a joy to watch, even if the din of the street traffic washed away much of the subtlety
Then there was this guy:
Cardboard instruments, cardboard sheet music, cardboard CD's, cardboard pet dog. The only thing that wasn't cardboard was the instrument case and the ever-growing pile of Euros inside it. He performed quite recognizable songs (mostly Irish traditional standards) by mouthing a series of "plinks" and "plonks." He even brought up a spectator for a duet.
Note the paperclip capo on his "instrument."
I must confess, it was probably one of the most sublimely brilliant pieces of street performance I have ever witnessed. Of course I witnessed it while being utterly sleep deprived.
Stumbled upon an Irish biker bar.
Haven't gone in yet.
Lots of BMW motorcycles parked out front.
Wandering around, shooting pictures.
Feel a tug on the pant leg.
Look down.
See child.
"Hey Mister, please take our picture:"
Scan for parents.
Daddy nods.
"OK, gather round"
Elated children squeal with joy.
Ahhhh, Ireland…..
Farewell to your bricks and mortar, farewell to your dirty lies
Farewell to your gangers and gang planks
And to hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin, she's lying at the quay
For to take oul Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay
A small bird sat on an ivy bunch
And the song he sang was "The Jug Of Punch."
And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.
Spotted The Vagrant outside of Galway.
As it happened, I was joining my friend Owen and his family at their lovely home for lunch.
Wouldn't you know, Mr. Finn and The Vagrant are old pals.
An Irishman? A sheep? No good can come of this!
Trust no one….
Keeping in mind that the baldheretic server is operating on local time in Houston, posts that appear to be made at 6:00 pm are actually going up around midnight due to the time difference.
In essence, I am blogging to my US readers from the not so distant future.
No flying cars or jet packs, but somewhat closer to developing cold fusion.
Haven't found a way to play this to my advantage in regards to the lottery…curse the luck.!
It feels good to have been at the Galway office today. I got to meet/see again many of my Irish co-workers.
It's a good atmosphere there. We made plans for initial phase of the domain migration and we're pushing that part through this evening.
We'll see how it went when we get in tomorrow morning.
Two of the lads took me to a place called Shambo's that features sandwiches served on unique Shamrock shaped focaccia or wholemeal breads.
It's not a tourist place. This one was located in very industrial area and it was full of working class and professional type people obviously out on their lunch break.
That didn't stop me from photographing my lunch before chowing down, though!
Click for the yummy goodness of full size
It was quite yummy!
After work today I decided it was time to have my official first Guinness in Ireland. I'd heard all the stories about how Guinness tastes soooooo much better in Ireland and I wanted to see for myself, especially since I am not all that fond of Guinness in the first place.
Owen, Niall and Paul all unanimously agreed that Murphy's Pub was the place to go for this so I wandered down toward the river to find it.
It wasn't much trouble and went in and had a seat at the bar and placed my order with the bartender.
And I, being the camera toting dufus I am, captured the momentous beer for posterity.
Let me state for the record that it is absolutely true. This Guinness tasted fantastic! Smooth and not bitter like I recall my American experiences.
I see a few more pints in my immediate future….


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Every year Out puts together a list of the 50 most powerful gays and lesbians. This year, 11 women were included:
In case Out needs some more ideas, we thought we'd come up with some for them. You know, for next year. Diana Nyad, swimmer Megan Rapinoe, soccer player |


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The Truth About Broadband Privacy
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.
1. 3…2…1… Blast Off!
2. Romney takes an early lead
3. David Axelrod Endorses Mitt Romney for President
4. Cook: State Republican parties gave national GOP 9 seats for 2012.
5. A Little Perspective, Please.
1. 3…2…1… Blast Off!
For those of you in Washington, D.C. today, I've got a deal for you — free empanadas. For breakfast, go to the Capitol South metro station.For lunch, head to Farragut Square.Did I mention they are free?The empanadas will be from the food truck, DC Empanadas. You'll get coffee and other beverages too.This is so exciting and long overdue. Our sister publication, Human Events, is going through a whole sale makeover and relaunch today. It is important and I am excited about it.I have seen the new site and printed page. They are gorgeous.Why all the fuss? Because Ronald Reagan's favorite newspaper is headed back into actual, full time news gathering and generation. If you ask me, we charting a redirected course away from one of the singularly major, yet unheralded, accomplishments of President Bill Clinton.You can read that last sentence again. Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. Romney takes an early lead
Romney takes an early lead over President Obama.The FOX News poll released Friday, Romney leads Obama 46% to 44%.The Rasmussen Reports 2012 Daily Presidential Matchup Tracking poll has Romney leading Obama 48% to 43%.Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. David Axelrod Endorses Mitt Romney for President
David Axelrod, Chief Strategist for President Barack Obama, endorsed Mitt Romney for President on Fox News Sunday this morning. He told Chris Wallace, "The choice in this election is between an economy that produces a growing middle class and that gives people a chance to get ahead and their kids a chance to get ahead and an economy that continues down the road we're on."That is precisely right and precisely what Mitt Romney's campaign has been telling people. Good to see David Axelrod agrees.I couldn't have said it better myself. Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. Cook: State Republican parties gave national GOP 9 seats for 2012.
Cook Political Report has more or less formalized their 2012 redistricting scorecard; their final score is a gain of one Republican seat, based solely on redistricting. Cook notes that this total actually represents about 10 to 15 seats being fortified for the GOP, given that the majority of legislators who benefited from redistricting were Republicans. This will no doubt infuriate Democrats, but then: elections matter.In particular, state legislature elections matter.Please click here for the rest of the post.
5. A Little Perspective, Please.
From Business Week:Exxon's top exec got a 17pct. pay raise in 2011Please click here for the rest of the post.


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Joe Stern What is your itinerary? I have never been overseas before and was thinking about hitting paris, berlin.... Fly in Nov. 21
4 years ago
Dates 23 Nov '12 to 1 Dec '12
Flexible? No, not really
Est. Cost 2,000 - 5,000 EUR (EUR Euro)
Type Travel Partners Wanted
Name Thanks Giving Berlin / Prague / London 2012
Going to Berlin and London, could add another destination.
Thanks Giving Berlin / Prague / London 2012
Still looking for flights? You can have flight experts compete against one another to find you the absolute best and cheapest flights.


text: Combining form and function, the Iron Label SIR70FD guitar by Ibanez is an exciting new made-for-metal instrument. Cloaked in an Iron Pewter finish and sleek bound rosewood fretboard makes for a dramatic silhouette. Lurking beneath the graceful 3-D shape is mahogany specifically chosen for the Iron Label Series of electric guitars. The SIR70FD Iron Label is light enough in terms of comfort, heavy enough to provide the tone and sustain that Ibanez is known for. As the originators of the thin, fast neck, the Nitro Wizard neck is yet another achievement in playability, providing the kind of comfort that translates to responsiveness and speed. The best-of-all-worlds DiMarzio pickup configuration provides an impressive palette of distorted tone textures. Ibanez SIR70FD Iron Label Electric Guitar Features