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After logging a bunch of miles on the road last week I cannot begin to tell you how thankful I am that this week the farthest trip I have to take is to work which is about 5 miles from home. I'm pretty sure after arriving home Sunday evening that if I had to go any further than that my lower half would go on strike. Permanently. I love my vehicle but I'm tired of it right now. For those who didn't catch my tales of the road you can read about our longer trip last week here. I also mentioned that after returning home from that trip we turned around a day and a half later to go and begin doing things to prepare our "new" house for our arrival while my husband worked the weekend. While my husband, I and our youngest two children were there our oldest daughter traveled with some other students from her high school to an honor choir in a different part of the state. It is that trip which has made me stop and ponder some things the last few days. Our family has the practice of praying together before anyone takes off on a trip. We take a moment to ask God for a safe journey when we are all together in the car before starting off. My husband and I pray with any child who is leaving with a group on an outing. I pray with my husband before he leaves for work each week. It is just something we do. Like so many other things I thought less and less about why we were doing it and just did it out of habit until something happened this weekend that gave me pause and reminded me that all too often I take things for granted. I think every once in a while we need a reminder. I got mine.
Saturday night while sorting and boxing things up at the house into which we are moving I received a text from our daughter that they were headed home from the honor choir. I texted back to have a fun trip and paused a moment to ask God to keep them safe on the way home. If I'd have known what was going to unfold I probably would have done more than pause a moment. I'd have hit my knees. About an hour after her text arrived my phone rang, the ringtone indicating it was our daughter calling. The conversation went a little like this:
Me: "Hey you! What's up?"
B: "Hi Mom. I'm just calling to let you know we are stopped on the highway right now. I didn't want you to worry when I wasn't home by the time you thought I should be."
Me: "Stopped on the highway? Is everything okay?" (I was thinking flat tire at this point.)
B: "We're fine. A car just crossed the line and sideswiped the van but everyone is okay. We're waiting for the other van to get here and pick us up. She isn't too far behind us." (For those of you who have never had a conversation with a teenage girl this would be a good place to inform you that they talk FAST when explaining things to you.)
Me: "Sideswiped?! Are you sure everything is okay."
B: "We're all fine. The driver's window got knocked out but no one got hurt. We just can't drive without a window. Mrs. Bender is coming. My phone battery is dying so I can't explain it all now. Don't worry. I'll call when I get home."
I did manage to refrain from asking too many questions such as "Why do you always have enough battery to tweet but never enough to talk" and let her off the phone. After disconnecting the call I texted her father who was working and passed on what little information I had to him. I really should have known better than that. He immediately was prepared to take emergency time off from work to go and pick up his little girl. (That's one of the many things I love about him. He is a GREAT daddy.) It took me a little to convince him that they had things under control there and that there was no possible way for him to arrive there before the other van arrived. We had to trust the teachers who were with them had it under control. Again I stopped and, along with my mom and younger daughter, prayed for the kids safety for the rest of the trip and thanked God for keeping them safe that far. It sounded like a pretty minor incident from the things our daughter had said and the sound of her voice. That's what I thought anyway until she arrived home, called me, and filled in some details.
It seems a drunk driver crossed the center line of the two lane highway they were travelling. The choir director who was driving his students got over as far as he could without running them into the ditch and tipping their 15 passenger van but the oncoming car still clipped the driver's side mirror sending it crashing through the driver's window. Guess whose child had been sleeping in the seat right behind the driver. Mine. She opened her eyes at the sound of the glass shattering and blowing everywhere: mostly on her and the choir director. Part of the mirror clipped her forehead and she had glass fragments everywhere but she assured me she was okay and not bleeding. No cuts just a couple scratches. Oh – and she'd bumped her head. Again. She hadn't said anything to anyone because she didn't think there was any big deal. No. She didn't think she needed to see a doctor. Yes. She was going to take a shower and make sure she had all the glass out of everything. After talking to her a while I was able to settle my racing mother's heart down and assured by her that she was in fact fine I let her off of the phone. Good thing because her daddy called her right after we hung up. He too wanted more details. After he talked with her he sent me a text:
Do you realize what could have happened? That wasn't sideswiped – it was almost a head-on!
Yes I had already realized that and I was already crying and thanking the Lord for protecting our daughter and all of the other people on that van. Thanking Him for preventing the oncoming truck from crossing any farther into the van's path. Thanking Him that all that was hit was a mirror. Thanking Him that the van didn't tip. Thanking Him that our daughter's eyes had been closed so the glass didn't hit them. Thanking Him for the choir director who did such an excellent job protecting his students as best he could by keeping his cool. Just thanking Him. Then it occurred to me that our "habit" before trips was probably more important than I had let it become. I wondered how many other close calls had happened that I never even knew about. How many times had we been kept safe while traveling from things I didn't even see coming? How grateful I am to God that in all the trips we've taken this is the worst accident any of us has ever suffered. We are blessed beyond words and I hadn't even taken the time to think about it or thank Him before Saturday night's reminder. The thought running through my head that evening over and over was: "This is why we pray…." I'm just so thankful He answers whether my head is fully in the game or not…..So Thankful!
This is what a "few scratches" from flying glass looks like…..but she's still smiling…..
10 responses to "This Is Why We Pray"
Yeah….sometimes it's the stuff that didn't happen….
Oh Paula- so glad God does hear our prayers!


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facebook, Funny, guys, male, men, Postaday2011, social network
30 Wednesday Mar 2011
Posted Uncategorizedin
facebook, Funny, guys, male, men, Postaday2011, social network
You forget a very important 7., which is closely related to 4. & 5.
The "look at all the cool places I've gone" guy. The one who regularily updates with pictures of himself on a backpacking trip through the grand canyons, a shot of him in a too-small-bikemobile in Thailand, etc. This guy likes to mix "look at all the places I've done" with "look how cool I was when I did them" and adds a dash of "and look at how athletic I am."

subset: commoncrawl


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{Sunday, August 19, 2007} The things kids say
Man kids sure know how to hit ya right where it hurts. I know they don't mean it but sometimes it just the thing to throw you over the edge. K hasn't been herself today. She's been real laid back and just lounging around on the couch all day. This morning she slept until near 1030, totally not like her. After lunch we were sitting on the couch watching Naruto. K was sitting next to me. She leaned on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. Then she looked at me and said "will you always remember me?" I looked at her a bit stunned. I have no idea where this came from. It sounded kind of like something someone would say when they know the end is near. I don't want to think about that but that's what I was reminded of. So I wrapped my arms around her and assured her there is no way I could ever forget her. I love her too much to ever forget her. We laid on the couch together for a little over an hour just cuddling. Something seems off about her today. I'm hoping it's just the chemo.


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Simeon did not just pray, he also listened intently. Look at verses 26 and 27, "It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit (and) … moved by the Spirit, he went…" Folks, we have two ears and one mouth. That tells me that we should listen twice as much as we talk. Someone once said that it is impossible for a worthwhile thought to enter into your mind while your mouth is open. Our silence is often golden!
If we will listen to the Holy Spirit in 2017, there will be obvious evidence.


text:
Life is sort of back to normal. The kids are back in school. School Halloween parties were cancelled and parent-teacher conferences are getting rescheduled. Halloween in our town is Saturday afternoon, depending on whether the neighborhood wants to do it (ours did it Friday night). There are still trees down and some transformers hanging from loose wires. Slowly, our town is collecting the rising piles of leaves and tree branches (though trees need to be disposed of by homeowners). The gas rationing officially ended this week (though it's been unofficially ended since last week, at least in our town).
The Board of Education met to figure out how to deal with the extra 'snow days' we took during the hurricane. On the table: spring break. Fortunately that was spared (for now – let's see how much snow we get this winter). We did lose 1/2 day of MLK Day and they'll be in school now on President's Day. Not a big loss for this family – we have no travel plans and it was only a one day break anyway.
In all, 60% of New Jersey schools closed as Sandy approached. As of Tuesday, 99% of the 600 school districts were open, up from 82% last Friday. Not that schools are damage free. In one nearby town, the two elementary schools are sharing one building for the short term. Nine districts are sending kids to another district for school, or using borrowed space.
I think the homes in our town all have power now. For our service provider, PSE&G, there were only a few hundred outages still as of Monday. For another Jersey carrier, JCP&L, there were 2,000. In Long Island, though, as of Monday night almost 60,000 homes still were out. At the same time, Brooklyn still had 16,300 customers without. The storm killed power to 8.5 million homes in 10 states during the storm.
Those commuting into New York City, whether from New Jersey, or the boroughs, are still having a rough time. New Jersey Transit can't even estimate when service will be fully restored. Now, 33 of the usual 63 trains go into NYC per hour (up from 13 just after they restored some service). Trains are very crowded and often late. Mark is still alternating between the trains and the bus. He said he got to Penn Station 15 minutes before his scheduled train, and it was already standing room only. As for buses, accidents have increased delays and from all accounts, the ride is miserable – especially if you didn't get a seat.
His building has heat again, though still no shuttles. The commute is longer than usual for him, and he's getting a little more worn out.
An interesting look in a numeric way at the hurricane.
If you'd like to help out, here's my page listing many of the Hurricane Sandy donation options. The food banks are looking for money, frozen turkeys and nonperishable foods. They're having a food drive this Saturday and Sunday in many New Jersey towns, if you're local and want to donate. FYI – ShopRite lowered the amount you need to have spent to qualify for a free turkey (now it's $300). It's easy to get yours – I picked up mine yesterday (and actually had room to store it in the freezer – that's a first).


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- Stammie16
- 6 years ago
- Wedding: November 2011
Whew! I JUST finished my last batch of thank you notes from my shower which was on Jan 28th. All ~50ish in less than 2 weeks! Hand-written, personalized to each person. Kinda proud of myself. How about you ladies? Is < 2 weeks fast, average, slow?


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Today has been an incredibly relaxing day, aside from the stupid puzzle I got sucked into that will never get finished. I just want to start on my new donut puzzle, but I can't until I finish this ice skating rink disaster that's taking over my dining room table.
I can't just leave it because I'm trying this new thing called finishing what I start. Maybe you remember me talking about it a few weeks ago? Well, puzzles are my little way of getting better at that, one piece at a time.
There's also a dog staring at me right now. My roommate is dog sitting for a friend, but right now she's at work, and I made the mistake of letting out the barking puppy in the hopes she would be quiet. Instead she's using this time to stick her wet nose all over my freshly-showered self. I'm trying not to make eye contact, because every time I do, it's like an invitation to come gnaw on some other bone that's still attached to my body.
But for this brief moment the house is silent, and I'm just going to let her jump on the other couch, because it means she isn't jumping on me.
And I spoke too soon. She just decided this couch looked better.
Now she's eating moss off of my fake tree. But at least she's quiet.
Why is it that when dogs have tons of toys lying all over the floor they want to play with the one thing that is not meant for them? They are like children, except they bite. Oh wait…
And now she's eating the chair. I give up.
So this weekend I met two local authors who self-published their books. Don't get me wrong, I don't look down on self-publishing. I know quite a few successful authors who self-published, it's just not the route I want to go. One author I met was very sociable in an annoying way and the other just sat at his table. They were at two different bookstores, by the way.
The obnoxious lady-author kept calling people "young man" or "young lady" and asking them stupid questions like if they were getting into trouble. One, no one likes a brown noser. And two, please just leave me alone. No I don't want to read your romance novel, and no I don't really want your card.
She mentioned that she normally writes spy thrillers. People asked for a romance novel, and it's selling better than anything else she's written. If it takes your audience telling you what kind of writer you should be, rather than discovering that yourself, I'm not sure I want any advice you'd like to give me.
The other guy was quiet, non-invasive. Not saying that's the better way to be, but I was more inclined to ask him about his book than to have Ms. Too-Much-Perfume shoving her book in my face. He wrote a book on his life as a coal miner, and while that's not really my thing, I respected his work more. He was honest, he was direct, and he wasn't trying to butter me up into making a sale.
That was another thing. The one lady was trying to use her autograph as an incentive to buy the book. I'm sorry, but your signature is not a selling point unless you're JK Rowling, so don't even try it. Keep it on your checks, not in my books.
Overall I tried to avoid them both. I'm not sure what that says about me as a writer, but I don't feel like I missed out from the conversations. Of course I may regret that one day when someone I don't talk to is someone I should have. But I think for this weekend, I'm safe on that count.


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The papers are from my stash, the sentiment Stampin Up and I coloured cuthbert with copics.
Thanks for Stopping By x x x
The papers are from my stash, the sentiment Stampin Up and I coloured cuthbert with copics.
Thanks for Stopping By x x x
Oh Joey, I love this Card!! But then again I love all your cards..
Have a great Day!!
Hugs Norma jean
Hi Joey,
I love the papers and colours. The layout is fabulous and the image is so sweet. This is a fantastic card for a child. I love it.
Fiona x
How cute Joey! Love the background paper with the flowers. Would do nicely for a X-mas card as well!!
Greetz, Frea
Gorgeous card, Joey! I love the layout.
This card is great Joey!
Love the colours!
Hugs, Marit.
oh love this how cool is that wee chap,love the papers you have used,hugs cheryl xx
Hi Joey oh he is cute! love the card the layouts fab!!1
Really cute card Joey, lovely colours!
Helen x
oh joey just love this sweet card!love those colours together ~perfect!
vanessa xx
ps hope we get a diagnosis soon ~ however there is a new doctor , from when aaron had is diagnosis~ will be interesting to hear her conclusion, as she has many different ideas and comes from canada
Hi Joey!
Fab card just been and downloaded this little sweetie,i love cuthbert I have a few images os him and really must use them :)
hugs amanda xx
He is so cute Joey, will have to nab this one. Gorgeous little card.
Hi hun.Glad you liked your card.Thanks for stopping by me blog.I love Cuthbert but no printer in action lol boo hoo.Your card is sooooo gorgeous lovely colours.Happy Weekend.xxx
ANother gorgeous card Joey and I lovethe colours. He's cute!!
Hi Joey, this is so cute, Sue x
Gorgeous card, Joey! A really cute image and I love the colour combo and papers! Hugs Delphine xx
AWW!! He's a sweetie!! LOVE the colors and the shiny balloon!! WOW!! :) HUGS


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German States: Waldeck-Pyrmont. Georg Taler 1811-FW,...Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
DescriptionWaldeck-Pyrmont. Georg Taler 1811-FW, D-923, KM-C7 (Pyrmont), 28.02 grams, MS61 NGC, very rare type struck for Pyrmont with Carl as Prince. Boldly detailed with no adjustment marks and fine old-time patina. Ex: Hess-Divo, Auction 300, lot 1120.
From the Grundy Collection.
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text:
My favourite part of my makeup routine has to be applying my highlighter, I know there's loads of people that says you can easily go over the top with it and look awful, but not me.
Give me all the highlighter, make me shine and sparkle like a disco ball that you'll be able to see from space. With my love for highlighters it means I'm constantly buying and trying new ones to find one that makes me shimmer.
This Makeup Revolution Strobe highlighter in Flash is amazing especially for the fact it's only £3 it's a right ole bargain.
Flash highlighter is basically a white pearl shade which has a bit of a holographic effect I think when used which I think is the mixture of the strobing and highlighter effect.
The texture of this is completely soft to the touch and on the skin and it's silky and easy to apply. When applied it looks so much more expensive than it actually is, it actually reminds me quite a lot of my Becca highlighter that I have which is £30 more expensive than this one by Makeup Revolution.
Fair enough the packaging of this is pretty basic and bog standard with the black and clear plastic with the logo printed on the case but it doesn't need to be anything fancy or anything because lets face it for £3 you can't expect to get high end packaging.
I absolutely love this highlighter for the price of it and think it gives off a amazing highlight, like I'm actually shocked at the price because of how much I love it and makes me shine bright like a diamond.


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Corral Men's Turquoise Tyson Durfey Performance Line TD Boots - Square Toe
Details/corral-men%E2%80%99s-turquoise-tyson-durfey-performance-line-td-boots---square-toe/2000229233.html A3504
- Corral Men's Turquoise Tyson Durfey Performance Line TD Boots - Square Toe
- Item # 2000229233
Additional Information
Additional Product Data
- Aptos Styles Search: 2000229233
Features & Description
- Full grain leather
- Western embroidery
- 11" turquoise shaft
- Square toe
- Roper heel
- Leather outsoles
- Leather lining
- Pull tabs
Become the next Tyson Durfey on your rodeo circuit when you pull on these western boots from Corral. These Tyson Durfey boots have a rugged look with their full grain leather construction and edgy turquoise upper and embroidery. They have a square toe and roper heel which make them great for the ranch and the road.


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Welcome to my Website
On this website I want to bring the island El Hierro closer to you and show you where to unwind in a wonderful relaxing way.
Come to one of my guesthouses and escape from your daily routine in unspoiled nature, watch how goat cheese is made, enjoy my organic vegetables and fruits and spoil yourself with a relaxing massage.
Simply experience completely happy and stress free holidays!
Have fun while looking through the website


text:
I wanted to make a patchwork rug for DH like this one we made for DD last visit, but the colours we had in the velvets were limited. That's one of the problems with sewing from recycled materials, you can't just go out and buy what you need to finish a project, you have to work with what you have. Not that I've had much luck with finding what I want in craft stores when I go looking. Anyway, as you can see when we made DD's quilt, most of the velvet was pinks and reds. I slowly pulled out a pile of other colours, browns, reds, and a tiny bit of orange, and eventually picked out all the other colours I had, and was left with a beautiful array of autumn colours, that inspired me to send DD out to pick an autumn leaf from the tree.
This is the rug that eventually worked it's way out of the materials, and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out from a bunch of velvet that initially looked all pink. Because of all the agonising over colours and patterns, it took most of the day to complete this one, unlike DD's rug, which only took a few hours.
We used the bitty leftovers of the velvet to piece together the back, since none of the colours that were big enough to do it in once piece fitted in with the autumn theme.These appliqued leaves added the perfect finishing touch I think, even though my Mum and Dad kept saying they were stars! Hopefully when we pull this rug out next autumn, as it starts to get cold, it will help us feel a little more autumny. Hopefully the little liquidamber's that I plan to dig up from around the base of my mum's tree and plant in our front garden will help as well.


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Four years ago I had a 'mid-life crisis'.
At the time, it felt complicated, but with a little reflection, it was fairly simple for me to see how I ended up there. My life looked like a pretty little picture from the outside: I seemingly 'had it all'. However, I was secretly and quietly drowning on the inside. I had become a shadow of myself and the fear of turning 40 only highlighted the question of "what happened to ME"? The pressure and guilt I put on myself to be a perfect business owner, wife, and mother became too much. I was numbing out, overly stressed, suffering panic attacks, and always questioning am I doing the "right" thing as a parent. This negative energy started to snowball affecting all aspects of my life, including the ones I loved most, my husband and boys. Simply, I wasn't the person or parent I wanted to be.
Over a six month period, I went into the boxing ring with the universe and boy, was it sending me clear messages that I needed to change or keep suffering bigger consequences. The final KO was when my advertising agency of 12 years suddenly and unexpectedly closed it doors. This heartbreaking news made me stand up and take responsibility for all the emotions, habits, and other issues I was holding on to that were keeping me from living a less stressful, more fulfilled life.
Healing these deep wounds wasn't an easy road especially one full of potholes, and bumps. I wanted an alternative to traditional therapy, and a friend suggested I see a Kinesiologist, who specialised in gently releasing mental, emotional and physical habits that are blocked in the body. She helped me release childhood patterns of behaviour (mainly triggered by stress and issues with self-worth) that were showing up in my adult life over and over again. In that growing and healing process, I learned new techniques such as meditation, affirmations, setting intentions, and breathing exercises. I couldn't believe the sufficient changes in a short amount of time; I was sleeping better (without having to rely on pills), my stress levels reduced, my productivity increased, I started saying no to people and situations that didn't feel right and saying yes to my pursuit of happiness. I become connected to myself and in return connected more deeply with others. My so called mid-life crisis turned out to be my mid-life awakening.
Then one inspired night, after attending a course called "Living Life Passionately" through my Kinesiologist, I tried a guided meditation with my eldest son, at bedtime. I thought it would be a wonderful gift to teach him some positive life habits, reduce any stress he might be holding on to and help him sleep more soundly. I couldn't believe how receptive, calm and open he was. Since then, it transformed and progressed into a beautiful ritual. I even started to do it with our very hyper three-year-old, and it even worked at his restless age. Their bedtime went from chaos to calm. It took out the exhaustion of the negotiations, the bribes, the threats and the tension all associated with trying to get them to bed. Not only did it stop my hair from growing white, but it also made me a calmer, more present parent. Our connection started to develop in a deeper way, and the process overall was enhancing their self-worth. When they asked me to teach Dad, I began to write.
Being a parent I know all to well what other parents can go through at that dreaded bedtime. It's frustrating, chaotic and time-consuming. Even for parents who have dream sleepers, I can't recommend guided meditation enough: this is a wonderful way for families to connect and build their child's self-worth by getting rid of anything negative that may have happened during the day and replacing it with a more positive mind set. It's a stress reliever for both the parents and their children. It's also about carving out a special time in this crazy, fast paced world. Children want our undivided attention, so it gives both parent and child space to unplug and plug into each other.
Self-confidence is important for a child's abilities and judgment, however, in my opinion, the key to a happy and fulfilled life stems from somewhere deeper - self-worth. Self-worth is our internal currency and cannot be bought or sold, but it can grow or shrink. As a parent, I feel it's one of my jobs is to guide and build this valuable currency of self-worth. When life is swimming along nicely, they will feel good about themselves and when difficult and stressful situations arise they can stay calm and know deep down they are just as significant and worthy as anyone else. It's about nurturing, honouring and trusting the deepest part themselves – their hearts.
When I incorporated techniques of mindfulness into my life, I was able to weather the storm of my mid-life crisis and feel self-worth again. I wanted my children to experience this too. To guide children in understanding their value, uniqueness and that their power lies within them, not on factors and influences outside of them is a powerful gift. Self-worth is a story that begins in childhood and can affect an entire lifetime. If a child has a healthy sense of self-worth, it will allow them to make positive choices in becoming their best and happiest selves.
Danielle Wright is the author of Sleepy Magic: A Magical Step-By-Step Night-Time Ritual for Calm, Connected and Conscious Children, published by Nero and available now from Booktopia, Amazon, iBooks and all good bookstores.


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By James Allen-Robertson (This post originally appeared on Medium)
When the President tweets, how do we know who is really behind the keyboard? With a trained Neural Network, we might be able to find out.
Prior to March 2018 Donald Trump had been using an unauthorised personal Android phone in his role as POTUS. Whilst a source of anxiety for his Staff, for journalists and researchers this was particularly useful for distinguishing the words of the President himself, from those of the White House Staff. With Twitter's API — the gateway Twitter makes available for anyone wanting to utilise their data — providing information on the 'source' for each Tweet, it became a fair assumption that if the 'source' was Android, it was pure Trump.
However as you can see from the following chart that maps the month of the tweet (on the x axis) by the frequency of tweeting (on the y axis), around March 2017 activity from Android drops off, and iPhone activity picks up.


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The Sandusky case and college football
When the Jerry Sandusky case exploded onto the national media scene, I was still working at the Gainesville Sun as a copy editor.
Being at a newspaper in a college town, where football is viewed more as an article of faith than a game, and University of Florida football is an obsession, I felt like I had a front-row seat to what college football is and what it can become when perspective goes by the boards.
It reminded me of the Harold Lloyd silent movie from the late 1920s, "The Freshman," where a young man becomes a college student and tries to impress a girl by being on the football team. The joke was that the college was a football team that had a small college attached to it. Not much has changed in 80 years.
I didn't work on the sports desk, but I could see both in the newsroom and in the city itself what a Gators' football game did to the city. Hotels – even the very bad ones – had no rooms available. Fans would park outside the stadium and "tailgate." On my walks on gameday, I'd see the giant pickup trucks, tents and satellite dishes, receivers and big-screen TVs set up blocks from the stadium. These people were crazy about their Gators.
Tickets inside the stadium were sold out long in advance, except near the end of the season when it became clear the Gators were not going to the national championship. A significant proportion of the law enforcement personnel of the region would be at the game to provide security, and the three most famous words in the sports lexicon, "Security is tight," got a workout in the media.
I was stunned to learn that people could get arrested at "The Swamp," aka Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, for such harmless actions as standing on their seats, being seated in the wrong seat and being in the wrong section of the stadium. When there was talk of not using so many law enforcement personnel as stadium security on game day, a howl erupted, claiming that al-Qaida might see this as an opportunity to strike. Who wanted a terrorist attack? Especially if the Gators were ahead late in the third quarter.
On Saturday night, after the game was over and the stories were written, we'd get the police report on the number of fan arrests and ejections at the game. It was noted during the most recent season that the number was going down, mainly because attendance was dropping. As the Gators were not setting the world on fire, fans were becoming apathetic, the police said, and not running wild and committing arrestable offenses like standing on their seats, drinking underage, etc.
(Forget that fan is short for fanatic, and the notion of an apathetic fanatic makes no sense. In college football, you can't blame the players' poor performance for a team losing, so you blame apathetic fans. Or the coach. But never god. Stay with me, it's brilliant.)
Behold, the approach of Coach
At every college with a football program, there is a pecking order of people who are the most important people on campus. At the top of the pyramid is the coach of the football team.
The coach of the football team, often known just as Coach, is godlike in all his powers and functions. In him resides the power of victory and loss, pride and dismay, and his team's performance determines if a university's name is spoken with fear or derision by alums and current students, as well as competitors, especially the presidents of other universities.
In Division I football, Coach can tell his alleged bosses, the athletic director and the university president, where to go and what to do when they arrive there. He also makes vastly more money than they or nearly anyone else in the community makes, into eight figures for multi-year contracts, so he is assumed to be brilliant and knowledgeable on every subject under the sun besides football.
In contrast, the coaches of the other sports teams hardly matter and cannot command the epic salaries a head football coach can demand.
Coach is not only a secular leader, he is also a religious leader. He can be of any Christian denomination he wishes, so long as it is fundamentalist, and has to be "active" in the church, and sometimes will give the Sunday sermon about how god wants his team to win. In fact, Coach and his wife and kids at a church can turn a little "strip-mall and folding chairs storefront church" into a megachurch, especially if he a) keeps winning, b) resists the urge to go somewhere else to coach for much more money and c) doesn't fool around with a woman not his wife.
Coach is portrayed as the savior of young men who otherwise would be bad people, and it often seems that the worse a young man was, the more credit Coach gets for turning him around. It warms the little hearts of the fans to hear about Joe Doaks, who used to point guns at and rob or beat up women at Subway, but now he's sacking QBs and making "straight-As" in college. Forget that he's "taking" classes like "Skills and Practices in Football" and "The College Experience" for credit. Forget that his most recent girlfriend keeps "walking into doors." He's in college, he's helping the team win, Coach turned him around and that's all that matters.
I read in a book about a college out west that the entire football team was making straight-As in the Swahili language, but when a professor of Swahili from another college tried to engage them in conversation, he found that they knew only a few simple phrases, and not much else. It turns out that the Swahili professor had been "turned" and was giving take-home tests and allowing players to miss class for football practice and games.
It's not uncommon for pressure to be put on professors to give athletes, especially football players, a "break" on classes, and raise grades so eligibility is maintained.
The legend of JoPa
At Penn State, Joe Paterno was Coach. Look, at how many universities would students riot if a well-liked journalism professor was fired? Very few, and it would be put down with live ammunition.
After Paterno resigned by force amid the revelations of his inaction after being informed of Jerry Sandusky's activity, students went on a destructive rampage. I understand about sports fandom being an effort to bask in reflected glory, but setbacks should not lead to violence.
I remember a friend saying that Paterno ran the cleanest program in college football. In a sport where dirty programs were winning programs, and a place like the University of Miami that had for years a football program that celebrated what one writer at the Gainesville Sun called "thug culture," a clean program is like a breath of fresh air.
But this one had a dirty, dirty secret.
Coach attracts many hangers-on, and some get assistant coaching jobs. Jerry Sandusky was someone who had that status, and may have been considered to replace Paterno after his retirement. Assistant coaching jobs serve a couple of purposes, though everyone knows who gets the credit when the team wins: Coach, and no one else.
Assistant coaches take on the details of football coaching, like linebackers or quarterbacks or running backs, and today are greatly compensated, even by colleges in dire financial distress, out of fear that the assistants might move on and become the head coaches of other football teams, making life hell for Coach. So it is that some assistants are paid seven-figure salaries.
Go team go!
The college town is expected to be totally for the team when it plays at home, and there are very few businesses in Gainesville, for example, that are not "Gator" this or "Gator" that. On game day, in addition to "security" at the stadium, there is the officer who guards Coach, especially when he walks onto the field at the end of the game to accept the congratulations of the other coach. Officers fight hard for those jobs, and to be in the picture on TV and in the newspapers. Forever after, the officer can say that he protected Coach during the championship season, and that can be used for promotion, to get a new job or during disciplinary hearings as a point in favor of the officer.
In fact, the relationship between law enforcement and the football program at many universities is seldom explored, mainly because journalism students don't want to find their cars towed. At the University of Florida, it was known that a prominent UF alum and attorney was on call any hour of the day or night if a football player had a "misunderstanding" with law enforcement ranging from being drunk in public to smacking his girlfriend around to shoplifting.
Law enforcement officers can make hefty overtime working football games, and the concern about loss of lucrative off-duty assignments may lead to offenses by both coaches and players being overlooked.
To be fair, however, it is important to note that before the Sandusky affair exploded, there was an very serious incident involving a radio personality who broadcast UF's football games, and he was investigated, caught and punished severely. He now is doing time in state prison. So the system can work.
In the local community, Coach and his holy acolytes, the assistants, also are expected to be active in local charities and sit on the boards of the nonprofits. They are expected to help raise money and get their pictures taken with the unfortunate. This is to highlight their "softer" side, and some may even have personal charities – as Sandusky did – to take all the credit for any help given.
Their involvement may be limited to lending their name and posing for a few photographs, with professional nonprofit executives leading and volunteers doing the real work, or they may be more hands-on. Maybe it's best for the nonprofit to just have the name on the letterhead, as we've seen in the Sandusky case.
Limiting the damage
When I was a boy, there were plenty of activities where there were adult male leaders trying to guide a bunch of rambunctious young boys. Maybe it was a more innocent time, but I think my peers and I had a good idea that there were boundaries, and that if an adult superior made a move on you that you thought was not allowed, it was best to retreat before anything happened.
Nothing untoward ever happened to me, but I also did not attend sleep-away camp, go on camping trips or have long-term contact with strange adults. The parents of my friends were always friendly and in charge, and it would have been terrible if one of them had violated the rules of behavior. None ever did.
The problem with a lot of private nonprofits is that they are dealing with underprivileged boys from backgrounds where their male parent is unstable or absent, very much unlike my own life. It's easy for a man like Jerry Sandusky to move in and become a "substitute father" to those boys, and then take the next step and violate their trust.
I have no sympathy for Sandusky or his family, but I pity the boys. They learned that no one could be trusted, not even their benefactors. I'm sure that the stories began to go around that Sandusky was "creepy" and – the way boys talk – that you had to be careful not to be alone in the shower or any other compromising position with him.
But these boys were hungry for guidance and love from a father figure, and when they couldn't get it at home they had to turn to a non-relative. Now, we know that fathers or uncles may molest their sons or nephews, and the law provides the same penalties as for strangers, but it takes a very sick and demented man to take advantage of a fatherless boy who is seeking guidance.
And while the boy may have the will to resist, the fear of the man – who is powerful and known in the community, both socially and economically – may break down that will.
The Penn State cover-up
Not many people in the community want to take on Coach or his assistants, and the accusations against Sandusky were very serious matters. It's obvious that the accusations went to the very top – to football coach Joe Paterno – and to lesser lights, like the president of the university and two officials, but the action taken was geared toward protecting the university and Sandusky.
Had Sandusky been an assistant baseball or tennis coach, there is little doubt that he would have been exposed and fired. But football, that's a different matter. When your university is so closely defined with the football team, any infraction is a very serious reflection on the team and its culture. Having an assistant coach just accused of something like molesting young boys can throw the whole football program into disarray, and bring the wrong kind of publicity down onto everyone.
A cover-up seemed the logical approach, with Sandusky having limited access to the university after the accusations. But the thing is that the moral thing to do would have been to report the infractions to the police, and let them deal with Sandusky, the victims and the witness(es), and decide if more investigation was needed.
But in universities, the first priority is to protect the football program, not the victims. That was the downfall of JoPa and those "under" him in the hierarchy. For in these tight times, the football program is always under attack. There often are claims that the program returns significant sums of money to the university in the form of TV deals worth billions, but the money that doesn't cover the sports department's expenses just gets dumped into a general hopper or goes to a university foundation that then doles it out.
It's odd to me that a "football" college doesn't simply use the leftover cash – if it has any – from lucrative contracts to simply give scholarships to deserving non-athletes, bypassing the foundation bureaucracy and helping those in need, but hardly surprising. Those who run the foundations are economic elites, and they "know" better what the money should be used for.
(For an example of the wonderful things university foundations can buy for the right people, check this out. It's about my alma mater. Here's another story about it. And another.)
Ultimately, protecting the football program became the priority here, and fears about what might happen to donations and the university's reputation spurred the effort to cover up what Sandusky did to those boys.
Time for the last kickoff?
It is considered the ultimate blasphemy to suggest that perhaps the solution is to eliminate college football, especially at certain universities. It has happened, mainly for cost reasons.
Even the NCAA will not invoke the "death penalty" on a college football program, no matter how bad the behavior of a couple of players or the corruption in the program. Sports has always been a big deal in American life, and to be fair football is not the only sport where there has been controversy over sexual misconduct or cheating – academic or otherwise.
The problem is that Penn State's program was held up as a model for other colleges to follow. Joe Paterno was more than just Coach in many people's eyes. He was the ideal coach who saw to it that his players succeeded as more than just jocks. Other coaches might claim to aspire to those goals; Paterno lived them.
It's tragic that one mistake – and it was a whopper – destroyed his career. I mourned his death, too. Can one mistake undo all the good a man has done?
Paterno had a chance to show real character, and failed that test. That doesn't make him a bad person. But if Sandusky had been caught early and punished the reputation of Penn State's football program would have been sullied, but then when it was seen that the program and the people who ran it were willing to obey a higher law, it would have been vindicated, JoPa would have been a hero and Jerry Sandusky would be a footnote in the history of college sports.
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Posted by jwpiper on December 29, 2008
Last night, on the plane from Fort Lauderdale to Cleveland, I had an experience which I've come to quite enjoy the more I fly: turbulence. Now, we were in a 737, which are generally boring flights (give me a prop any day), but with the changing weather fronts in Cleveland, the plane danced on its way down.
What is it that I like to about turbulence? I guess in the life I lead I'm not often faced with my own mortality on a regular basis. I live a comfortable life in a nice neighborhood in a politically and civilly stable country. I don't often let go of control over my physical body – I walk, I drive, I sit, I lay – and in most cases, I'm acting on my environment or trusting in faithful friends such as gravity and friction. When flying, I have no control. That doesn't even cross my mind on a regular basis because I walked on the plane and I sat down.
But when I'm being tossed about in the sky, my control is given over to a pilot who isn't me and physical principals which I'm much less familiar with. Sure, I can understand and explain those principals, but it's a palpable reminder that I'm not really in control of much of anything. Its also a reminder of Who is, and I find it quite comforting.


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The funds to repair our beautiful windows have been donated by a parishioner – THANK YOU! Thanks also to Henry and Brett Swiatek and staff for your work here at SJK!!
Restoration of our rose window, original to our church in 1892, started on October 20 and is being carried out by local artistry and architectural restoration specialists Swiatek Studios (www.swiatekstudios.com).
Mullion and frame restoration will be carried out where necessary and the window will be recalked, sealed and painted.
Missing or broken panes of the nave windows on Swinburne St will also receive repair/replacement and repainting. Replacement pieces will be ventilated as necessary so as not to cause condensation or additional oxidation of the leaded windows.
Exterior paint and sealing of the rose window was completed Fri October 24.
Pingback: Saint John Kanty's Rose Window getting some TLC | Broadway Fillmore Alive
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In your list I'd change the side of Colorado and Ohio.
Colorado was voting Republican more than the nation years ago, but with the demographic change they had in the last decade or so the trend is going the other way. In 2008 it gives an almost 9 point lead to Obama while nationally he had a 7.2 points lead.
Ohio on the other hand is much closer to the national average but typically gives slightly a better than the nation result to the GOP guy,and a little worst than the nation result to the dem, with the exception of 2004 when Kerry had practically the same in Ohio that he had nationally.
Oh my God, don't talk perfect sense to these people...Romney wins National PV, he wins Ohio. Period.
|2004 National
|2004 Ohio


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Alain de Botton is a philosopher who likes the best of religion, but doesn't believe in God. So he's created "The School of Life," a secular community in London. This week, we join Krista Tippett as she interviews him about ritual and perspectives on religion – perspectives that might surprise religious listeners.
Alain is frustrated by popular dismissals of religion and believes that the most boring question one can ask of any religion is whether it is true.
In the words of Alain de Botton in this interview, "It seems to me that most debates on religion currently center around the existence or nonexistence of God, and I've sat in on many of these debates. They are, frankly, boring not because they're not touching on a very important issue. It is important. They're boring because no one ever makes any headway because, you know, the atheists look at the religious and think that they're stupid and the religious look at the atheist and think they're damned and both sides are fiercely entrenched. The argument about whether God does or doesn't exist is, I think, ultimately one where most individuals are not rationally aware of their reasons for believing in what they believe."
DOWNLOAD: A SCHOOL OF LIFE FOR ATHIESTS (51 minutes)
Credits: Tippett, Krista. "A School of Life for Athiests." On Being, American Public Media. September 6, 2012.


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Lil Wayne Fans Due Refunds After He Skips Concert
October 2, 2017
Lil Wayne ditched a concert in South Carolina on Saturday because he wouldn't go through security.
He was scheduled to perform at Columbia's Colonial Life arena for the second annual Fall Ball.
Lil Wayne didn't want to follow standard safety procedures at a check point and turned around and left.
The show went on without him because Cardi B, 2 Chainz and more were there.
The arena released a statement saying, "While we regret the artist's decision not to perform, Colonial Life Arena is not willing to bypass its security standards and jeopardize the safety of its patrons, performers, or staff members." Refunds will start to be distributed out today. (Billboard)


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Most of us don't have the money to just go out and start a business worthwhile that will provide a decent salary, it's easier just to work for a good company.xiongmao wrote:Now I'm in Spain I see a lot of unemployed millenials. Hopefully I'll find out more why youth unemployment is so high. But in Barcelona it's clear that millenials aren't really getting on their bikes and starting businesses - Chinese immigrants are doing that here.
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Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
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Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
The only problem with working for a good company is that most of us are striking out in the job hunt because women, baby boomers, and members of the elite are taking all the jobs.
Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
It is worse in the US with "Affirmative Action" which punishes single men, especially caucasians.
Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
Most young men should probably ignore EuroBrat's advice about working for a big company. He has a tough hide, like a rhinoceros, and is totally brazen as a marketer.
Most people aren't like that.
So, if you are starting off, unless you have (or can fabricate) a commodity-skill -- like a CPA,or an IT certification -- big companies will break your heart. They will hire you and give you a position (like sales) in which failure is a certainty. Because even if failure is a certainty (like an ice company's Alaska territory), they STILL need to fill that position. Firing you for failing to sell ice to Eskimos, will give them someone to blame. You.
Churn and burn, baby. Churn and burn.
PS to Eurobrat:
I mean that "rhinoceros" and "brazen" stuff in a GOOD way.
"Well actually, she's not REALLY my daughter. But she does like to call me Daddy... at certain moments..."
Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
I myself have been placed in the failed before starting position before, we all have.
Having the willpower to pick yourself off the ground, dust yourself off and get back on the horse is what separates the winners from the losers.
Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
That is accurate but you forgot to include a lack of decent jobs that pay a livable income and more people than there are available jobs.
Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
That too. But even men strike out when they apply to minimum wage jobs, which make up most of the jobs in today's economy. Not only most men can't get decent jobs, they can't get any job. It's just like fat unattractive women being unattainable as well quality women.
Re: Are Millenials Lazy?
All the more reason to just pack up and move elsewhere.
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Please tell us about any protest you are planning, or even just thinking about. Whether you are concerned about schools, libraries, fitness centres, youth support, advice centres or any other service under threat, we are trying to assist and coordinate the fight against cuts to local and national services in Salford.
Here's a report on a recent protest organised by the residents of Irlam and Cadishead:
SALFORD LIBRARY PROTESTS CONTINUE - Salford Star - with attitude & love xxx


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Once again, I'm not in the mood to do a vlog…sorry guys, so I'm just doing a normal post this week. Here's what walked into the house this past week:
Books Bought
ARCs, Review Copies
Mooched Books
Library Books
1. Wetlands by Charlotte Roche – I heard an interview with the publisher of this one and knew I had to have it. My review of it is already up!
2. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – I'm so excited about this! I was jumping up and down when I got an ARC of this one. And the sad thing is, I still haven't read Shadow of the Wind! Can you believe that?
3. Freewill by Chris Lynch – The first of many Printz books that I mooched. I'm trying to mooch the whole Printz collection :p
4. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer – Another Printz Book…point to Dewey for this one.
5. Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers – Printz book
6. Many Stones by Carolyn Coman – Printz book.
7. JPod by Douglas Coupland – It's more Coupland…need I say more.
8. Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger – Printz book and LAMBDA winner.
9. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta – I bought the audiobook of this one, but I always have a hard time with audiobooks…so I checked this one out of the library.
10. Savvy by Ingrid Law – I've been curious about this one, and then Kailana reviewed it and I knew I had to read it…so a point to Kelly.
11. The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot – Nymeth's fault…
12. Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan – I just love Shaun Tan's work and hadn't read this one…and Eva reviewed it and it sounded really good…so point to her!
13. Thriteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher – Just sounds really good.
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Hope you had a Great Weekend
North Carolina ratified the US Constitution this day in 1789 and became the 12th State of the Union
Thomas Edison announced he had invented the phonograph in 1877
83 million viewers watched the CBS episode of "Dallas" to find out "Who shot J.R."
The House voted NOT to admit The District of Columbia as our 51st State in 1993
In the News: Man escapes flames in Sunday fire in Taylorsville…Fires raging all around us…Alexander County School Bus involved in Friday crash…County Commissioners will host information session with State ABC Board next week
Sunny and Breezy Today….Very Dry, no rain in sight
Cougars Football Season is over….Hoops about to begin….JJ joins NASCAR Royalty with 7th title…Cowboys still streaking…Will Browns go 0-16 ? County Sports Hall of Fame Induction is tonight
Happy Birthday: Marlo Thomas, Godlie Hawn, Troy Aikman, Ken Griffey jr, Michael Strahan
Sad that the Cougar Football season is over but if you're going to get knocked out of the playoffs, do it against the best. Dudley is the best team I've seen, maybe ever and without question the best defense I've witnessed. Thank you Seniors !
Jimmie Johnson is underrated. I know, he's a superstar but the guy don't get credit for how great he is, it's taken for granted or denied by those who might not like him. He's an icon an deserves to sit alongside with Petty and Earnhardt
Let's hope we can stay lucky. With fires raging all around us and no rain in sight, we are living in a tinderbox. This is scary stuff
If a Turkey is still alive today, have they survived the Thanksgiving Holocaust ?


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A group, not sure if it's the Gideons, passed out Bibles at a local state college. A few of the kids accepted them, then threw them on the ground. I picked them up and gave them to a local church. This was in 2005.
Why is it that Christians are the only religion in the world that is required to be tolerant of everyone else??
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Selecting "categories" under the negative rule does not protect my posts. It only protects the categories page.
Since I have over 100 posts, and the "negative" selection area only shows 25, I cannot protect my posts individually so they are all public.
Several others have posted this problem in support, but I have not found any suggestions on to how to fix it.
I have WP Membership Premium 2.04 and WP 3.1.2.
P.S. Yes, WP Membership is enabled. Yes, my levels are active.
Any ideas on how to fix this?


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LaMelo Ball Says 'Beat That Ni**as Ass' Live On WWE While LaVar Bounces Off The Ropes (VIDEO)
The Ball family has been everywhere this year, so naturally they would take their talents to WWE on RAW that just so happened to be in Los Angeles this week.
At some point, LaVar Ball removed his shirt and started bouncing off the ropes attempting to intimidate 'The Miz'. While he was doing that, his youngest son, LaMelo Ball, briefly got on the mic and yelled 'Beat That Niggas Ass'.
LaMelo Ball "Beat that N*gga ass" on Raw pic.twitter.com/AZVx2cgI57
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) June 27, 2017


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Dual Injury Accidents Sends at Least Three to Local Hospitals
BROOKSVILLE – Two injury accidents to report at this time; the first, a rollover accident on Emerson Road near Green Valley Road, injuring a woman and possibly two children. The injuries do not appear to be severe, according to our sources.
The second accident occurred on Broad Street and Mondon Hill Road, which is now being reported as a hit and run with injuries. Police are searching for at least one vehicle that left the scene. There is no description of the suspect vehicle available at this time.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ™2013 – 2015 Real News Real Fast, Inc.


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Big Pimpin at the Florida State Fair!
February 19, 2002
Filed under Uncategorized
I don't think a person has lived until they have traveled across the state of Florida in a VW Beetle with 3 cheerleader coaches. I really don't.
I left my home at about 10 AM on Saturday, and caught a bus to the Metrorail station. Then I took the Metrorail to the Tri-Rail station. Then I took the Tri-Rail to West Palm, and Patrick picked me up, because Kim was borracho from the night before. Or maybe Elliot rocked it hardcore, and she had a sore cooter. I dunno… Whatever.
On the way to their apartment, Patrick said that Erica wanted to go see Crossroads with me. I was like… Who? And he asked me if I knew Kim's friend Erica, and I said no. This was my first hint that Kim and I were not traveling alone. I figured she was some 12 year old from Kim's team, but she turned out to be a 21 year old Giancarlo wannabe cheerleading coach.
When we got to their place, Britney Spears was on TV, so right away I was into that. (Not really, but I faked like I was. Her hat was kinda wrecking it for me) A few minutes later Kim gave me a dope new bracelet, and a few minutes after that Erica showed up. And then a few minutes after that Stephanie showed up. And then a whole bunch of minutes after that we finally left.
First stop was Wendy's and from when we left the parking garage, until after we left Wendy's I was talking to Brandon, and I really wasn't able to A)hear him, or B) keep up with the conversation because I was also trying to hear what the 3 cheerleaders were saying.
So then we were finally on the road and we drove and drove and drove and then we stopped and Kim and I peed and I got another drink, and then we drove and drove and drove and then we stopped and I peed and got another drink and then we drove and drove and drove and turned around and then there we were.
The funniest thing happened as we were pulling into the Days Inn parking lot… I forget who said what, but I think Stephanie said "Erica, there's your boyfriend.", meaning a dude that was out front sweeping, or something, and then I think Erica yelled at the poor guy and said that her friend thought he was hot. That was all funny in itself, but it was the most funny to me when we were checking into the hotel, and that guy was behind the counter. He was kinda cool though… He gave me an Apple.
And then… We checked into our rooms, and changed and we went to the fair. We watched some cheerleading teams do their thing, and then we left.
We went back to our hotel rooms and got changed again. I thought we were gonna go to Y Bor City, and I was gonna maybe (but probably not) bust some moves on some ladies, so I took a shower. As I was finishing getting ready, Kim came over and said we were maybe gonna get pizza instead of going out. I was pretty bummed because for the previous week all I had heard about at work was how much I would like Y Bor City, and blah blah blah… And the more I thought about how much preparing for this trip I had done during the week, the more bummed I got. Like, not drinking, and doing my laundry Thursday night, and would I have even gone if I thought the highlight of the trip would be the fair…? But I was totally trying to keep in mind that we were not there for me in any way. So I was like… "Fuckit! I'll have fun no matter what we do." So we went to Hooters.
My buffalo shrimp was the bomb, but they never brought my (or Stephanie's) curly fries.
The 4 of us drank 2 pitchers of Coors Light, and Stephanie and I each drank a pounder after that. Erica the genius didn't have ID, but they let her drink anyways. Only, she didn't really drink… She just kinda sipped a very little amount.
Kim and I went to the gift shop and spent nearly $55!! I got a dope visor, and Kim got some stuff for her and Brandon.
We went back to the hotel room, and then everyone came to my room and then I was all alone.
I felt kinda bad the whole time because Erica was supposed to stay in some other hotel, but ended up staying with Kim and Stephanie. That meant 3 girls in one room with 2 beds, and me all alone in my room with 2 beds. I thought about offering my extra bed to Erica, but something told me not to. I think it was the way Stephanie and Kim kept ignoring Erica's… um… Complaints that were requests… Or requests that were in complaint form. I dunno, but something told me it would be a bad idea. The same for loaning her money, since she kept saying she only had $6.
The next morning I slept in until about 9, and at about 10 Kim came over and then we went to the fair. Stephaine and Erica had been there since earlier in the day.
The fair was pretty fun. It had all of the usual stuff. I think I ate 3 corndogs, one of which Stephanie put between her legs! I bought a lot of crap, including some almost too hot to eat, "Chernobyl", $15 beef jerky, and some cheese that I'm too scared to eat, since it wasn't refrigerated for about a day. Kim and Stephanie rode a mechanical bull and then we drove home.
The next morning Kim and I went to Best Buy, and I bought 3 DVDs (Jeepers Creepers, Made, and Brian Deegan's Total Chaos) and the Disturbed CD. From Best Buy we went to a gas station that had a Subway in it, and got sandwiches. Then Kim drove me home. I took a shower and went to work. I got there at about 5:30 and went home at 6:45.
I watched all 3 new DVDs, did a little bit of work on my Mac, and went to bed.
All in all, it was a dope trip, and I'm very glad I went. I thought it was just going to be Kim and me, but I think it was better with the other 2 girls there.
I wouldn't be surprised if we end up doing it again.


text:
sine wave inverter
You May Also Be Interested In:
inversion equipment
sine inverter
sine wave
sine wave inverter
wireless paging
The Santak inverters have been tailor-made for the telecommunication
industry. They comply with the Chinese YD/T777-1999 standard called
"the Inversion Equipment for Telecommunication" and have been
awarded a network entry license by the Ministry of Information Industry.
With 48V DC input, the inverters put out 220VAC sine wave power at
extremely low noise and high reliability. They are widely used with small
and medium scale computer, data exchangers, telegraphic terminals,
wireless paging equipment, micro-wave telecommunication equipment,
PBX, rear-side management systems, telephone distribution systems,
group exchange systems and tolling systems and other equipment that
require stable and reliable sine wave power supply.
1) Extremely low return noise and no disturbance to talking quality
2) Use-friendly interface, LED simulative display, LCD digital display
and computer screen display of inverter operation status
3) RS232 port, smart power management software, automatic file
saving and shutting down at power abnormalities
4) Special charging system design for better protection of battery life
5) Short circuit, overload, overload, over voltage and low battery
6) Compatible with generators and suitable for harsh environment
where power voltage is extremely unstable
7) With standard on-line structure (three ports) and can be used as UPS
Models: G1000, G2000, G3000
1) Capacity: 1KVA (800W) , 2KVA (1400W) , 3KVA (2100W)
2) Output voltage: 220VAC15%
3) Frequency: 50Hz11%
4) Waveform: sine wave (T. H. D) linear load
5) Efficiency: >=75%, >=80%
6) DC input voltage: 40VDC~57VDC
7) Current/wide band noise: <10%
8) Current/return band noise: <=2 of the input current
9) AC input voltage: 220VAC120%
10) Frequency: 50Hz13%
11) Protection: high output voltage, battery low, overload, short circuit
12) LED display: normal, inverter, load and battery's percentage
13) LCD display: input and output voltage/frequency, battery voltage,
14) Communication interface: RS232 port
15) Figuration display inverter status, normal, failure, battery capacity,
load, temperature, automatic file saving and computer shutdown
16) Noise: <45dB, <55dB
17) Temperature: 0oC ~ 40oC
18) Humidity: 20% ~ 90% (non-condensing)
19) We accept order with special specifications
Dimensions: (W x D x H) : 330 x 140 x 320mm, 556 x 194 x 400mm
N. W. : 15kg, 31.5kg, 33kg
G. W. : 17kg, 33.5kg, 35kg
Specifications only for reference, subject to change without prior notice.
330 x 140 x 320mm, 556 x 194
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text:
Eyeing the ACO: Demonstrating Engagement and Appropriateness
As health systems around the country initiate conversations with various constituents about becoming accountable-care organizations (ACOs), consternation in the radiology community continues over exactly what participation from practices might look like. Alan Kaye, MD, CEO of Advanced Radiology Consultants (Fairfield, Connecticut), says, "Almost every hospital is thinking about becoming the nidus of an ACO, and so are a lot of physician-run entities. It has generated a fair amount of interest, so we have to be involved in helping to fashion the appropriate structure and processes to make sure utilization is appropriate. That will bring tremendous value to the organization." Unfortunately, early radiology practice experiences with bundled payment models aren't particularly revealing about what might be in store when the ACO model becomes more widespread. Philip Russell, CEO of South Texas Radiology Associates in San Antonio, notes that his practice's participation in the CMS Acute Care Episode Demonstration was fairly cut and dried. "There was no difference for us," he reports. "The patient got an exam, the radiologist did his or her work, and we sent a bill to Medicare. The level of service activity was generally confined to radiographs of the chest and extremities, and those kinds of activities really limit themselves, with regard to the radiologist's role." Demonstrating Engagement Despite the lack of early information about ACOs, Kaye is very clear about the importance of being prepared for the new payment/delivery model, which has as its key goals lower costs, better quality of care, more clinical cooperation, and greater patient engagement. Stressing that he is not necessarily sure about the long-term viability of the model, he nonetheless believes it is not to be ignored and will be a factor in the short term. "If the terms are appropriate, my practice will participate in multiple ACOs," he says. "I'm not bullish on the concept, but I am realistic. I have to make sure I cover my bases." For Kaye's practice, preparation for greater patient engagement has consisted of initiatives that were already underway. "My practice is an early adopter of the meaningful-use program, and through that, we have a patient portal that has become very active, so our patients now know who we are and what we do. We know how many patients sign up for it and access it. It's a new concept for them, so sometimes, we have to educate them about what it is, but we are getting over 150 patients a week signed up now, and more than 150 patients are accessing their reports each week," he explains. The practice also monitors its patient-satisfaction levels using the Press Ganey survey. "We have extremely high scores—which, I think, is something that will present us as a good partner for an ACO," Kaye says. "A lot of this was not necessarily done with ACOs in mind. It's just among the tenets of running a good practice: You want to be a preferred partner, and those parameters for an ACO are the same as those through which referring physicians and patients choose to come to you." Taking Shape When it comes to how ACO models will take shape in his community and nationwide, Kaye is uncertain whether hospitals or physician groups will have more skin in the game. "Physicians feel that they are the ones in the best position to affect utilization," he observes. "Hospitals, on the other hand, feel that they have the administrative know-how and are probably the largest cost center in the health care system, so they feel they have the ability to have that effect." Utilization, indeed, will be key to the goals of cost reduction and clinician cooperation, and it is in this area that Kaye anticipates that radiology practices will have the most work to do. "One of radiologists' most important tasks will be to become more involved in the appropriateness of the examinations that are requested," he says. "ACOs will strive to make changes in the way we do things. From the patients' point of view, there are potential ambiguities. On one hand, it's great—they get the right exam for the right indication. On the flip side, however, from their perspective, it may seem that their physicians are being paid not to do something, and that is a major departure from business as usual." With that in mind, radiology practices (contrary to popular belief), "have a lot of opportunities to connect with the patient better," Kaye says. He points to screening modalities as particularly pivotal to making this change possible. "We can apply the model we have with mammography with some of the others—CT colonography, lung-cancer screening, and coronary screening," he says. "That will move us up the food chain, in terms of what we bring to the table, and patients will begin to appreciate who we are and what we do more." That participation in the care continuum will pay dividends for radiology practices seeking a seat at the ACO table, Kaye predicts. "We have to show our value to the ACO," he concludes. "We need to demonstrate that we can help further its goals, if we do participate. If we do that, and demonstrate radiologists' historical political and business acumen, ACOs will welcome us in leadership roles." Cat Vasko is editor of RadAnalytics and associate editor of Radiology Business Journal.


text: Right now, I'm beginning proper work on the northern frontier; I've done a bit of it already, but quite half-heartedly. This is where much of the action will take place with northern barbarian tribes and monsters beyond imagination. I am currently designing the wood areas around Carnar (in the middle of the continent) as well as on the other side (to the west) of the continent, at what is called Lake Crying Widow. At that lake, a crusader army will have its stronghold high up on a cliff. The Crusaders have it as their sworn duty to fight the barbarians and bring civilization further north and as such, they've been keeping the very west of the Frontier's northern border safe for a hundred years.


text:
Miss Bambi Lynn!
If you remember, as a Christmas gift, I drew a winner from all the clients I worked with in 2013 for a free shoot!
Well, Miss Amber (aka Bambi Lynn) won and we got together for a session full of giggles and chatting.
She did her own hair and makeup and totally rocked it. I've loved working with this lady and this time was no exception!


text: Patient: Hello, I'm a 29 year old female. I had a question regarding glucose levels. I am not a diabetic. I do keep it in check and my fasting BG's are in normal range. I have intense sugar cravings immedialey upon waking up in the morning. It used to be sporadic, but now it is quite frequent. In fact I find myself using refined sugar as motivation for getting out of bed. It also happens at different times throughout the day, but early morning is most consistent. I do have increases in these cravings with hormonal fluctuations, but they seem to keep persisting throughout the month. I am a nursing student under an insane amount of stress. I'm afraid that I'm also emotionally overeating. This has me terrified because my mother died at an early age from complications of diabetes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for considering my issue, and I think you provide a wonderful service here.


text:
Teaching Artists
Ashleigh Blevins (Musical Theatre, Voice)
Ashleigh Blevins began her singing career at the age of three, performing for packed stadiums with her father's country western band, which headlined and toured with some of the biggest names in country music in the 80s. She earned a BA in Vocal Performance from Eastern University in Philadelphia, PA, where she holds many performance credits in local theatres and opera houses. In 2007, Ashleigh married the man of her dreams and moved to St. Louis, where a humbling stint at Starbucks led to the opportunity to perform benefit concerts at The Sheldon and work for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Ashleigh has taught voice and theatre for over ten years. She also has expertise in early childhood education and working with students with disabilities. Ashleigh teaches in the upper school of the Miriam School in Webster. She has also taught for South City Community School and STAGES St. Louis, where she coached private and group voice, held music and theatre residencies in numerous schools in the St. Louis area, and directed/music directed many musical productions. She originated and now directs the children's music ministry at The Journey - Tower Grove, where she also serves as a worship leader. She is a published composer, a recording artist, a proven educator, and a fierce advocate for her students to be transformed and to transform others through the power of music and the performing arts..
Tim Eidman (Musical Theatre, Dance)
Tim Eidman is a St. Louis native and is so excited to back at GCPA for the summer! He is a graduate of St. Louis University High School and Loyola University Chicago. While in St. Louis, Tim trained in dance at COCA and was a Muny teen. In college he was a dance and theater double major. While in college he studied ballet and modern and was able to dance works of Petipa, Folkine, Bournonville, as well as Graham, Duncan, and Humphrey. Tim is an alum of the London Dramatic Academy where he spent a semester studying acting under Kathryn Pogson. He attended the School at Jacob's Pillow where he worked under the direction of Chet Walker studying the technique and repertoire of Bob Fosse. Professional credits include: A Jazz Happening with Lucie Arnaz (Jacob's Pillow); Oklahoma and The Addams Family (Tibbits Opera House); The Producers, The Bardy Bunch, and Mary Poppins (Mercury Theater Chicago). This summer and fall he will be embarking on a Disney Cruise Line as a dancer through 2018. Thank you to the entire GCPA team for this opportunity!!
Marty Fox (Musical Theatre, Voice)
Marty is native of Bremen, IN (right near nowhere), but moved to St. Louis with his wife, Stephanie Fox, in 2010. Prior to that, he was a successful actor, music director and vocal coach, working in and out of New York City for nearly a decade. He attended Simpson College, a small liberal arts school in Indianola, IA, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance and Piano Performance. He has coached singers and actors from LA to NYC.
Since moving to St. Louis, Marty has had the privilege of working with a number of local theatre companies - GCPA, Stray Dog Theatre, Insight Theatre, STAGES St. Louis, STAGES Performing Arts Academy, Echo Theatre, Hot City Theatre, and New Jewish Theatre to name a few - in both performance, music directing and accompanying capacities. Some of his favorite shows & roles include West Side Story (Tony), Falsettos(Whizzer), 1776 (John Adams), Guys & Dolls (Sky Masterson), As Bees in Honey Drown (Evan Wyler), Footloose (Willard) Thoroughly Modern Millie (Jimmy Smith), and Sweeney Todd (Tobias Ragg). Marty is also the Principal Accompanist for the Gateway Men's Chorus (www.gmcstl.org), a local 501(c)3 organization, dedicated to affirming and promoting gay culture through excellence in musical performance and education.
From 9-5, you can find Marty masquerading as an A&D Account Executive with Professional Office Environments in Maryland Heights. He and Stephanie are the loving parents to Moose & Sammy, two highly rambunctious and remarkably loudmouthed Beagles.
Stephanie Fox (Musical Theatre, Dance)
Originally from Oklahoma, Stephanie graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Music: Music Theatre. After moving to New York, she continued her education privately at studios including Jen Waldman Studio, Kimberly Vaughn: Kimberly Vaughn Performance Studio, Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway.
Stephanie has choreographed many shows across the country including: White Christmas, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Godspell, Annie, Oliver, Seussical, Annie Get Your Gun, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Ruthless. As an educator, she has taught dance, musical theatre, song interpretation and audition technique in St. Louis, Oklahoma, and Indiana at studios including ArtWorks Academy, Range of Motion Dance Studio, Round Barn Theatre, On Broadway Productions, Poteet Little Theatre and Oklahoma Childrens Theatre. The past 3 years she has taught with STAGES PerformingArts Academy both in technique classes and at St. Louis area schools in their Outreach Department. Currently, she is on the Dance Faculty at COCA as well as choreographer for Chaminade College Preparatory School.
A proud member of Actors' Equity (Stephanie Long), Stephanie has performed across the country at theatres including: The Round Barn Theatre, Mt. Washington Valley Theatre, Shawnee Playhouse, KJK Productions, Cortland Repertory, College Light Opera and Group Theatre Too. Some favorite credits include: National Tour: Junie B. Jones (May); Regional: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie), A Chorus Line (Diana and Maggie), Nunsense (Sr. Robert Anne), Godspell (Robin), Grease (Jan), Titanic (Alice Beane), Pump Boys and Dinettes (Rhetta), and White Christmas (Judy).
Jenalyn Hampton (Musical Theatre)
Jenalyn recently graduated summa cum laude from Missouri Baptist University. While working on her B.S. in Business Administration, she minored in Theatre and participated in several performing arts groups including a drama ministry group, praise ministry groups, and choirs. Her passion for the arts began when she was little and continues to grow. Some of her favorite performances are Wendy Jo (Footloose), the title role in Annie, Cassie Cooper (Rumors), Wendy (Peter Pan), and Sally Applewhite as Mary Hatch (It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play) where she was nominated for the Irene Ryan Award for Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 5 in 2016-2017. Jenalyn has received extensive training in the arts including various techniques, styles, genres, analyses, and collegiate-level performances. Jenalyn enjoys working with the children's productions at her church and is thrilled to be a part of GCPA to teach kids the powerful impact of the arts.
Robyn Hartley (Dance, Musical Theatre)
Robyn Hartley is a former dancer with the Alabama Ballet. Along with her training in ballet she has had performing and teaching opportunities in musical theatre with various groups and high schools both in the midwest and the south. She is passionate about passing on her knowledge to the next generation and creating a positive environment in her class where artistry can grow and individuals feel free to explore. She has been teaching performing arts for over 20 years and is currently living in St Louis with her three children.
Ashreale McDowell (Dance)
Ashreale McDowell is a native of St. Louis, MO. She discovered her passion for dance her junior year of high school, at Central Visual and Performing Arts. She was rewarded with a pre-professional scholarship to COCA. Through the tough struggles of starting dance at a really late age, COCA helped her grow and develop her technique. She received a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Webster University. It was at Webster where she was able to not only deepen her training as a dancer, but discover her artistry as a mover and performer. She has had the wonderful opportunity to work with artists such as Alicia Graf, Antonio Douthit Boyd, Kirven Douthit Boyd, Leonard Cruz, Jimena Paz, Jessica Taylor, and Alana Marie Urda. She has performed with The Black Rep and The Muny. Ashreale has also studied and performed in Italy. She is a teaching artist with Springboard and COCA. She was a company dancer with Beyond Measure Dance Theater, under the direction of Alicia Sunshine Gbaho. Ashreale is currently a company dancer with Consuming Kinetics Dance Company, under the Executive and Artistic direction of Arica Brown.
Maggie Niven (Acting, Musical Theatre)
Maggie Niven is a graduate from Stephens College with a BFA in Theatre Arts and an emphasis in directing. Maggie hails from Kansas City, where she grew up loving theatre and learning from her two theatre parents (Kip Niven, professional actor and Beth Reiff Niven, Stage Manager). She has just returned to the Midwest after living in Phoenix, Arizona for a year working at Theater Works as the first ever Constance W. McMillin Fellow in Directing and Youth Education.
Maggie has directed shows such as: Love, Loss and What I Wore and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, as well as assistant directing shows like, To Kill a Mockingbird, In the Village of the Brothers Grimm, and Once Upon a Mattress. In the future, she hopes to receive an MFA in directing and become a professional director and educator. Maggie is ecstatic to be joining the GCPA team and looks forward to starting a new chapter of her life in St. Louis.
Bojana Knezevic (Acting and Movement)
Bojana Knezevic was born in Kotor, Montenegro. She earned her B.A. with honors at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, Montenegro. After several years working in theatre and television, her interest in theatrical body movement led her to Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France, where she earned her Masters. During this time she developed her unique acting style based on a focus on the human body and movement, and she gained work experience to specialize in Movement Dynamics, Movement Analysis, Neutral Mask, Gestual Languages, Comedia Dell'Arte and Half Masks, as well as applied technique to Dynamic Approach to Poetry, Painting, and Music, Tragic Texts, Chorus and Hero, Bouffons, and Theatre Clowns. After graduating, Bojana returned to Montenegro and began working as a Movement Coach and Teacher at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, Montenegro.
As an actress, Bojana was a part of the Montenegrin National Theater ensemble from 2006-2016, where she performed her most significant and award-winning roles including Tiresias (Antigona), Ruth BB Night (Motifs of Report of Herrnburg), Anica and Bishop (Encyclopedia of Lost Time), and Doris (Seven Deadly Sins).
Since moving in St. Louis, Bojana works as free artist and mother of two beautiful girls, Sena and Zara.
Lori Pagano (Musical Theatre, Voice)
Lori Barrett-Pagano earned her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Washington University in St. Louis. She has been teaching voice for over 20 years – currently as an adjunct voice faculty at St. Louis University, privately out of her home, as well as voice and musical theatre classes at STAGES Performing Arts Academy.
Lori enjoys singing numerous styles of music and has performed with musical theatre, operetta, and opera companies as well as being a worship leader at her church. Locally, she has performed with The MUNY, STAGES St. Louis, Union Avenue Opera, Echo Theatre and SIUE Summer Showbiz. Regional credits include The Minnesota Opera, North Star Opera, Minneapolis Musical Theatre, Theatre in the Round, and The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company. Her most enjoyable performing is to sing and dance around the house with her actor/singer husband, Paul, and her most precious stars, son, Xavier, and daughter, Kalia.
Paul Pagano (Acting)
Paul Pagano, a native of St. Louis, received his BA in Drama from Washington University and Masters in Theatre Education from Fontbonne University. As an actor, Paul has had the opportunity to work with the Guthrie Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Children's Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Hey City Theatre, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, the MUNY, STAGES St. Louis, HotCity Theatre, and many others. He has worked with Hunter Foster, Kathy Fitzgerald, Peter Michael Goetz, Anne Bogart, and Dan Goggin. Proud member of Actors' Equity Association since 2001. As an instructor, Paul has taught at COCA, the Utah Shakespeare Festival Teen Acting Intensive, St. Louis University High School, and STAGES Performing Arts Academy. When not on stage or in the classroom, Paul's favorite roles are being a husband to wife, Lori, and father to budding stars, Xavier & Kalia.
Kristianna Pirrie (Musical Theatre, Acting, Voice)
Kristianna previously studied Theatre and Music at Drury University, but has now moved back to her hometown and studied Music Education at Missouri Baptist University. Kristianna has been a performer for almost 15 years, beginning primarily with dramatic and comedic acting. She grew to love the arts and became highly involved in her high school theatre and music programs, community theatre, The Patt Holt Singers of St. Charles, All State and International Thespian Festival Productions, Honor Choirs, Chamber Choirs, District and State Solo Competitions, Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the St. Louis Cappies Critics Program. Among other awards, Kristianna was blessed to receive acceptance to the OpenJar Institute in New York City and an award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical from the St. Louis Cappies Critics organization for her role of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She is currently a part of Union Avenue Opera's Crescendo Program and a member of both the American Choral Directors Association and National Association for Music Educators. In her spare time, Kristianna is blessed to be a part of the GCPA team and excited to give back to the arts community of St. Louis by working with young performers of the future!
Vanessa Roman (Acting for Film)
Vanessa Roman has been working in the film and theater industry for the last 18 years. She studied film and video as well as creative writing at Webster University, and worked with several of the professors on their professional projects as casting director, actor and producer. In 2001, she joined the staff of City Players Theatre and began working as their literary manager, often joining the directing and stage managing team for many productions in addition to serving as dramaturge. In 2003, Roman had her first play produced by First Run Theatre and she joined the team as resident director and literary consultant, helping new playwrights take their works from page to stage.
After several years working as an actor, Roman decided to start making her own films. She wrote, produced and directed a short horror film, "Play Dead" in 2009 that went on to win Best Horror Short and Best Juvenile Actor at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. The short played in film festivals in Toronto, Germany and around the country. The following year, she produced and directed a second award winning short film called "The Inheritance" which won Best Experimental film at the Toronto Female Eye Film Festival. After that followed many projects where she produced, directed and acted in various film and theater productions.
In 2015, Roman took on her first feature film, "The Importance of Doubting Tom", a romantic comedy she wrote, produced and directed. She hired five Los Angeles actors as well as many local actors and shot the film in the University City Loop, highlighting some of the areas small businesses. She hopes to get this film in theaters soon. Roman often directs and acts for Clayton Community Theatre, one of her favorite companies. Last year, she was nominated for nine Theater Mask awards for the production of "The Women" that she directed. Her passion has always been working with actors and helping them find their voice on stage and screen.
Laura Roth (Musical Theatre, Dance)
Laura Roth is a native of Jacksonville, IL and a summa cum laude graduate of Southeast Missouri State University where she earned a BA in Dance and a minor in Religious Studies. In addition to teaching at GCPA, Laura teaches at STAGES Performing Arts Academy and COCA andchoreographs community and high school musicals regionally. While attending Southeast, she danced with pH eXchange Dance Theatre under the direction of Philip Edgecombe and Hilary Peterson and choreographed multiple works for Southeast's main-stage productions. Laura now dances professionally with Common Thread Contemporary Dance Company under the direction of Jennifer Medina, has had the pleasure of working on freelance projects with ANNONYArts and Masterworks Chorale, and recently coordinated The Dance on Film Project, St. Louis.
Jeana Smith (Dance, Musical Theatre)
Jeana began dancing and singing at four years old. At the age of nine, she became a member of the Actor's Equity Association and moved to New York City to perform the role of the Balloon Girl and the Understudy to Baby June and Baby Louise in the Broadway revival of GYPSY starring Tyne Daly. In 2001, Jeana received her BFA in Musical Theatre and a Minor in Dance from Millikin University. Jeana then moved back to NYC to dance on scholarship at Broadway Dance Center. During that time, she had the incredible opportunity to tour the country assisting jazz dance legend, Frank Hatchett. She also performed in the Equity Ensemble at the Muny Opera from 1996-2004. Some of her favorite shows include: 42ND STREET, FUNNY GIRL, HELLO, DOLLY!, DAMN YANKEES, and PETER PAN.
Jeana has been teaching dance and musical theatre to children ages 3-18 for over fifteen years. She is currently on staff as an instructor of Musical Theatre, Tap, Theatre Dance, Jazz, and Early Childhood classes at the Gerri Stretz Professional Dance Center in St. Louis, MO. Jeana has spent the past 8 summers teaching musical theatre camps and choreographing youth musicals at STAGES Performing Arts Academy in Chesterfield, MO. She has been honored with numerous awards for her choreography at dance competitions both regionally and nationally. She has choreographed STAGES Performing Arts Academy's Broadway Performance Workshops of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (2008), THE ARISTOCATS (2010), 101 DALMATIANS (2011), THE JUNGLE BOOK (2012), CINDERELLA (2013), and SLEEPING BEAUTY (2014) . Jeana also choreographed the St. Louis Chapter of the American Parkinson Association's annual fashion show from 2003-2007, and has assistant-choreographed the Tellerettes for the St. Louis Teen Talent Show in 2013 and 2014. Jeana is thrilled and overjoyed to share her love and passion for performing with all of her students, as well as her own two young children.
Jasmine Spencer (Hip Hop)
Jasmine Spencer, a St. Louis native, is a hip hop dancer and choreographer. She has been dancing since the age of 14, she studied various styles of dance while a member of the Belleville Elite Dance Academy competition team. One of her favorite honors was the Honor Roll Scholarship from Monsters of Hip Hop. From there, Jasmine attended Missouri State University where she studied Dance and was the president and choreographer of the university's Essence of Hip Hop Team. While back in St. Louis, she assists Anthony "Redd" Williams and acts as Assistant Artistic Director/ Instructor at COCA, Instructor at Renee Johnson's Dance Studio and Renee's Dance Floor. Jasmine is also a choreographer for the University City High School Golden Girl Dance Team and happens to be a featured dancer for local St. Louis hip hop recording artist, Mai Lee. Jasmine has performed with Lee at many local events and is featured in the singer's "Lowkey" music video.
Sarah Vlodek (Musical Theatre)
Sarah has had a passion for performing from a very young age, beginning dance lessons at the age of 2, and being in her first musical at the age of 7. Sarah recently graduated from Waldorf University where she earned both a B.A in Musical Theatre and a B.A in Vocal Performance. Sarah discovered her love for directing and teaching when she directed her first one act play in high school, and since then she has taught private voice lessons, worked as an ensemble assistant for the St. Louis Children's Choirs, and co-directed the Musical Theatre Showcase at her university. Sarah has attended several summer vocal intensives where she has performed in many scenes and full length operas including Don Giovanni, Little Women, and Susannah. Sarah has also performed in many musicals, with a few of her favorite roles being Mother in Ragtime, Pennywise in Urinetown, and Cathy in The Last Five Years.


text:
A freighter carrying hundreds of migrants trying to enter Europe is drifting in high winds off the island of Crete, and Greek authorities have launched a rescue mission with five ships.
A coast guard statement says the 77-meter-long (250-foot) cargo freighter suffered engine failure Tuesday, some 30 nautical miles southeast of Crete.
Also read: Coast Guard considers new bulb for Hatteras Lighthouse
Read more