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Reed gifted with great attitude and ability
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
"I don't know if it's arrogance. It's just confidence," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura of the rookie, who is 9-for-10 in save situations. "All closers have a certain amount of it. He has it. In his situation, he's never come in and looked scared or unconfident at all."
Reed actually thrives on tough situations, such as the one he pitched out of in the eighth inning during Saturday's 8-6 victory, retiring Corey Hart with the bases loaded and protecting a one-run White Sox lead. As for picking up his first career four-out save, Reed just looked at it as a chance to have more fun on the mound. It's all part of that inherent desire to become a closer he's possessed since his college days at San Diego State.
"You know, I was told he had it already," said Ventura of Reed possessing that attitude before making the big league club. "I just noticed from Spring Training on, talking to different people who had him in the Minors. That's the way he came. It wasn't like he didn't have it before he got here."
Peavy says goodbye to close friend Akerfelds
CHICAGO -- Following a shutout thrown against Oakland on April 23, Jake Peavy departed the Bay Area and returned to San Diego for the night to say good-bye to his former coach and close friend Darrel Akerfelds.
Akerfelds had been battling pancreatic cancer since being diagnosed approximately 19 months ago after undergoing back surgery, but his fight appeared to be coming to a close. Yet, after that visit, Akerfelds still made it another two months through sheer will and determination before succumbing to the disease Sunday afternoon.
"It's been inspiring," said Peavy of the fight shown by his friend. "To get the news he had given to him, he knew the percentages, he knew what he was up against.
"Just the attitude he kept. This guy was laying on his death bed sending me texts, encouraging me after a bad start. It was amazing to me.
"His friendship meant the world," Peavy said. "He was a little bit of everything to me: he was a dad, he was a brother, a mentor and a best friend there in San Diego. It has been a tough last 24 hours. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I knew things were headed south."
In conjunction with the Jake Peavy Foundation, Peavy put together "A Day with Jake Peavy" charity raffle with proceeds from this unique fundraiser benefiting Peavy's Foundation and Pancreatic Cancer Research. This idea was originated in honor of Akerfelds, who maintained his job as the San Diego Padres bullpen coach while he valiantly battled this illness, and was also dedicated to Peavy's maternal grandmother, Dama Lolley, and her own cancer battle.
This raffle raised more than $50,000. The winners, Terry and Lynn Iker, were selected on June 12, which also happened to be Akerfelds' 50th birthday.
"I'm happy we ended the raffle on his birthday," Peavy said. "He made 50 years old. He was excited about the raffle and the money we raised and that we were doing it in his honor. He was a little shy and any attention he received. He's in a better place and he's not in the pain he was in last night."
Danks dealing with 'process' of rehab
CHICAGO -- John Danks has talked about his disdain for down time caused by a trip to the disabled list, which the durable southpaw experienced for the first time in his career last season due to a strained right oblique. But dealing with the unknown associated with his first shoulder injury, a Grade 1 strain of the subscapularis muscle to be exact, makes this current bout of inactivity even more trying.
"It's a process, I understand that," Danks said. "The hardest part for me is listening to my body and knowing exactly when stuff I feel is just soreness and being able to determine whether it's something I can throw through or back off.
"This is all new to me. So, that's kind of been the hardest part. That, and being impatient, wanting to get back out there."
Danks played catch on Sunday, as he continues his injury rehab program under the watchful eye of White Sox head athletic trainer Herm Schneider. If all goes well, Danks could return some time at the end of July or early August but he's not setting any sort of timetable.
"Obviously we are doing everything we can to expedite that," said Danks, who is 3-4 with a 5.70 ERA over nine starts this season. "But at the end of the day I have to listen to my body. Certainly that's definitely something that you are going to have to keep yourself from getting down, just because things aren't progressing quite like we'd like."
Managing increased workload key for young pitchers
CHICAGO -- Nate Jones is fast approaching his career-high for games pitched at 42, with the right-hander having appeared in 28 entering Sunday's series finale with the Brewers. Hector Santiago isn't far off from his high-water mark of 38, sitting presently at 23.
It's a concern for the White Sox how these young pitchers will hold up in August and September, with the extra innings and extra pressure of a contending team. But it's not a present worry.
"That's the one thing of having younger guys," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You are going into an area they haven't been in yet. It's about playing the game and for them to stay focused. Instead of having them worry about it, we'll think about that stuff."
Jones has allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits in his last seven games, covering five innings, and has a 4.19 ERA over his last 17 appearances. But even with his less-than-best stuff Saturday, Jones still managed to make a big pitch, retiring Ryan Braun on a fly ball to right with the bases loaded in the sixth to keep the White Sox in a game they eventually won.
"To me, he's just another guy I have to attack that I have to throw strikes to," said Jones, who credits the shoulder program of head athletic trainer Herm Schneider and the strength and conditioning program of director of conditioning Allen Thomas for how strong he presently feels. "That's all I try to do. No matter who is up there."
Third to first
Dylan Axelrod is expected to start Thursday at Yankee Stadium, although manger Robin Ventura didn't completely confirm that start on Sunday.
"I would imagine he is the guy," Ventura said.
A second-inning error charged to Dayan Viciedo on George Kottaras' run-scoring double Saturday night was changed Sunday by the official scorer, meaning Axelrod was charged with a fifth earned run and Kottaras picked up an RBI. Viciedo's errorless streak also stayed intact at 85 straight games.
Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, and follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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subset: commoncrawl


text: Posting a new thread as the Super Rugby season is over so we kinda need a dedicated thread for this now. The Wallabies have named their squad for Saturday night's game against the All Blacks in Sydney. Berrick Barnes retains the number 10 jersey he had against Wales, and Quade Cooper loses out alltogether as he hasn't had enough game time this year to warrant a place in the national team. Which is a shame, we need someone to boo at when the Wallabies face us in Auckland next week Thoughts and opinions? Maybe some South African or Argentinean fans want to comment on their upcoming game in Cape Town?


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"Currently we see practice in the classroom guided by policies from the federal government that are not aligned to qualitative research. One of our main goals is to better align research to policy to practice. We are pleased that this initiative has the support and participation of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Senator Lou Correa and Assembly Member Jose Solorio and look forward to working with all legislators interested in taking action.â€
Tag Archive for "Race to the Top"
Obama Weekly Address: Education for a More Competitive America & Better Future
by Chris Prevatt •
In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced that on Monday, his administration will send to Congress the blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act that will overhaul No Child Left Behind. The plan will set the ambitious goal of ensuring that all students graduate from high school prepared for college and a career, and it will provide states, districts and schools with the flexibility and resources to reach that goal.
California denied new education funds: Torlakson response
by Chris Prevatt •
According to today's LA Times, "California was disqualified Thursday from receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in school reform funds when federal education leaders announced that 15 other states and Washington, D.C., are in the running for billions in federal grants. The money at stake is the first round of $4.35 billion that the Obama…
Teacher performance should not be measured by a series of multiple-choice questions
by Chris Prevatt •
By teaching to a test we end up teaching as though we are programming a computer for limited and simple functions rather than teaching students the full spectrum of knowledge necessary to be productive and involved members of society. Life is not a series of multiple-choice questions and our students are not monkeys trained to use a #2 pencil to fill in bubbles on a sheet of paper.
A Teacher's Letter to President Obama
by Chris Prevatt •
During your campaign you said, "I am tired of hearing teachers blamed for our collective failures." If you really meant this, Mr. President, then please stop blaming teachers because we are all tired of hearing this too.
Race to the Top-Buyers Beware
by Mike Matsuda •
While our local districts are comprised of well intentioned, highly educated and reflective leaders who are doing their best to find resources to fill the budget shortfall, we are perplexed that some districts (60% state-wide) agreed to submit a "Memorandum Of Understanding†with the Governor's Office to participate in California's application for the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) competitive grant program.
Not much of a Race To The Top for Orange County schools.
by Chris Prevatt •
The Orange County Register reports that Most O.C. districts say no to Race To The Top Reforms. As few as nine Orange County school districts have committed to implement sweeping reforms championed under President Obama's federal Race to the Top grant program for schools, leaving up to 19 ineligible to receive the potentially millions of federal stimulus dollars that California is seeking.


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(My latest book God vs. Darwin: The War Between Evolution and Creationism in the Classroom has just been released and is now available through the usual outlets. You can order it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the publishers Rowman & Littlefield, and also through your local bookstores. For more on the book, see here. You can also listen to the podcast of the interview on WCPN 90.3 about the book.)
In yesterday's post, I highlighted the order by Obama to kill a US-born citizen Anwar al-Awlaki because he believes that he has been inciting people to violence. In other words, he has been targeted for summary execution, not because of any actions, but because of things he is alleged to have said. Columnist and analyst Glenn Greenwald, who is also a constitutional lawyer, recounts the legal history of the rights of free speech.
The question of where First Amendment-protected radical advocacy ends and criminality begins is exactly the sort of question with which courts have long grappled. In the 1969 case of Brandenburg v. Ohio, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed a criminal conviction of a Ku Klux Klan leader who — surrounded by hooded indivduals [sic] holding weapons — gave a speech threatening "revengeance" against any government official who "continues to suppress the white, Caucasian race." The Court held that the First Amendment protects advocacy of violence and revolution, and that the State is barred from punishing citizens for the expression of such views. The Brandenburg Court pointed to a long history of precedent protecting the First Amendment rights of Communists to call for revolution — even violent revolution — inside the U.S., and explained that the Government can punish someone for violent actions but not for speech that merely advocates or justifies violence. (my italics)
Given this extremely broad interpretation by the Supreme Court of the protections granted by the constitution to free speech, how does the government get away with the claim that it can actually kill anyone whose speech it dislikes? It is using the fear and paranoia that has been carefully cultivated by the Bush-Cheney-Obama regimes to make people so fearful of vague threats that they are willing to shred the hard-won rights laid out in the constitution and put their fate in the hands of a protective father-figure. The 'home of the brave' has become the home of people hiding under their beds.
How the government gets people to acquiesce in these policies is to use anonymous sources to leak to the media that someone is a very, very bad person who deserves to die. The media dutifully report this and then excitedly and gleefully report as a success in the 'war on terror' when that person is reported killed, no matter if other people are killed along the way. No one seems to ask how we really know if this person is bad if there hasn't been a trial, and whether mere assertions by government officials (often anonymous) are sufficient to deny that person's right to life or even due process rights. It seems as if all that is necessary is to use the words 'war on terror' or to call someone a 'terrorist' for the constitution to be shredded.
As Greenwald says:
[I]n Barack Obama's America, the way guilt is determined for American citizens — and a death penalty imposed — is that the President, like the King he thinks he is, secretly decrees someone's guilt as a Terrorist. He then dispatches his aides to run to America's newspapers — cowardly hiding behind the shield of anonymity which they're granted — to proclaim that the Guilty One shall be killed on sight because the Leader has decreed him to be a Terrorist.
All of this underscores the principal point made in this excellent new article by Eli Lake, who compellingly and comprehensively documents what readers here well know: that while Obama's "speeches and some of his administration's policy rollouts have emphasized a break from the Bush era," the reality is that the administration has retained and, in some cases, built upon the core Bush/Cheney approach to civil liberties and Terrorism.
When Obama was seeking the Democratic nomination, the Constitutional Law Scholar answered a questionnaire about executive power distributed by The Boston Globe's Charlie Savage, and this was one of his answers:
5. Does the Constitution permit a president to detain US citizens without charges as unlawful enemy combatants?
[Obama]: No. I reject the Bush Administration's claim that the President has plenary authority under the Constitution to detain U.S. citizens without charges as unlawful enemy combatants.
So back then, Obama said the President lacks the power merely to detain U.S. citizens without charges. Now, as President, he claims the power to assassinate them without charges. Could even his hardest-core loyalists try to reconcile that with a straight face? As Spencer Ackerman documents today, not even John Yoo claimed that the President possessed the power Obama is claiming here.
In another post Greenwald pursues this theme:
Here again, we see one of the principal and longest-lasting effects of the Obama presidency: to put a pretty, eloquent, progressive face on what (until quite recently) was ostensibly considered by a large segment of the citizenry to be tyrannical right-wing extremism (e.g., indefinite detention, military commissions, "state secrets" used to block judicial review, an endless and always-expanding "War on Terror," immunity for war criminals, rampant corporatism — and now unchecked presidential assassinations of American citizens), and thus to transform what were once bitter, partisan controversies into harmonious, bipartisan consensus.
As regular readers know, I quote Greenwald extensively because, unlike most commentators in the mainstream media, he not only knows about what he writes but he cares deeply about upholding basic civil and constitutional rights. If you are not reading him regularly, you are missing a lot.
POST SCRIPT: The Daily Show (February 2009) on fear-mongering
Using these kinds of tactics, any and every atrocity is justified under the guise of 'protecting' us. (For some reason, after the 3 second Comedy Central introduction, you have to click the pause button and then the play button to start the video.)
|The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
|Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c


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Tomilea H. Lee-Cross, 70, of Russellville, died Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Little Rock. She was born August 3, 1942, at Plano, Texas, to Thomas and Leta Harvey. She was a member of Central Presbyterian Church, was a teacher for 38 years, a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and the Arkansas Retired Teachers Association.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Billy "Butch" Harvey.
Survivors include her husband, Bob Cross; two sons and daughter-in-laws, Layton and Robin Lee of Yellville and Christopher and Laura Lee of Los Angeles, California; a step-son and his wife, Joe and Melanie Cross of Clarksville; a step-daughter and her husband, Julie Cross and Moses Mendoza of Minneapolis, Minnesota; five grandchildren, Isaac, Lily, Liam, Wyatt and Ben Lee; eight step-grandchildren, Micah, Mason, Mia and Melina Mendoza, Taylor Tumbleson, Garrison Cross, Danielle Leavell and Jacob Smardo.
The funeral service will be at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012, at Central Presbyterian Church, officiated by the Rev. Brian Brock. Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery, by Shinn Funeral Service of Russellville.
The family received friends on Monday evening, from 5 to 6 p.m., at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the Youth Program of Central Presbyterian Church, 400 West Main Street, Russellville, Arkansas 72801.
The online obituary and guest book are available at www.shinnfuneral.com.
Paid obituary


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Are you sure you want
catfile and not
To be honest, I use those so seldom, I never really paid attention to the difference.
Making both of those changes results in a lot of uninit value warnings from catpath, even though the tests pass
sub catpath {
my ($self,$volume,$directory,$file) = @_;
# this gives me uninit warnings
if ( $directory ne '' &&
$file ne ''
Huh, what are you passing to it?
Er, um, really wish I had read the documentation rather than doing a quick %s/one/fortheother/. *blush*.
Heh. That's what I meant by "Unix blinders" – and not pejoratively, as I used to wear them for the longest time myself. Unix is so nicely simple: no volumes, no distinct namespaces for file and directory names, just one uniform hierarchy… after a while one forgets the bizarre things that exist elsewhere.
use File::Basename;


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Imagine doing all this on board the beautiful Oosterdam which will be your "floating resort" for our weeklong Twilight Convention at Sea and Alaska Adventure. When you're not hanging out with us at our private Twilight events, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the Pools, Spa, Gym, Restaurants, Lounges and open Decks.I'm just imagining my husband trapped on a cruise ship full of mostly teenage girls screaming over Twilight with nowhere to escape to. hehe [via Twilight Sisterhood]
April 3, 2009
Take a Twilight Cruise with Ashley Greene & Kellan Lutz (a.k.a. My husband's nightmare vacation)
If it weren't April 2nd, I'd think that this was an April Fools joke. Looks like you can go on a Twilight Fan Cruise with Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz. See the details about how you can book your trip to a floating Twilight convention here.
7 comments:
sometimes I despise being on the East Coast...ReplyDelete
Please! This is a husbands optional cruise. At least thats my story and I'm sticking to it. We will both be happier.ReplyDelete
How fun would that be?!?ReplyDelete
A week?! Geez, I kinda feel bad for Ashley and Kellen - that's a looot of Twilight!ReplyDelete
A week of Kellan Lutz? And husbands are optional? What more could a TwiMom want?ReplyDelete
Oh yeah - Peter Facinelli.
I bet they are not on the boat for a whole week. Remember the boat does visit different stops along the way. This is a brilliant idea but does not fit in with my "Where is the nearest exit?" philosophy.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 7, 2009 at 4:38 PM
robert isnt on it?ReplyDelete
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text: This course is an interdisciplinary course. It serves to introduce students to the fundamentals of semiotics, communication theory, linguistics, as well as to an innovative way of looking at texts from the point of view of the underlying feelings and implied human values and from the point of view of cultural conditioning. Students learn about different types of texts and the goal of the course is to teach them how to be more discerning readers. Another goal of this course is to teach students the basic concepts of semiotics and communication theory in a practical and entertaining way, employing a hands on approach. The course uses an innovative approach to texts. Instead of the usual analysis of texts which allows us to understand their surface meaning, we teach students how to see the authors hidden prejudices as regards to sexism, racism, nationalism, etc. We focus on hidden, underlying values and silent implications which affect the readers often without them realizing it. Values which are unconsciously adopted and often spread without noticing are explored. One of the methods to reach this goal is exploration of major world religions and myths.


text:
© 2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Rule 5 Draft a unique opportunity
Indians could choose to take flier on prospect
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- Maybe the Indians will leave the Winter Meetings with a new player, after all. With an open roster spot in the wake of last week's trade that sent catcher Kelly Shoppach to the Rays, the Tribe is exploring potential pickups in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. This continues to be a quiet week for the Indians on the whole, but this is one way the club could infuse new blood into the mix. The Indians -- and the Mark Shapiro regime, in particular -- don't have much of a Rule 5 Draft history. They haven't taken a player in the Rule 5 since they swiped infielder Travis Chapman from the Phillies in winter after the 2002 season. But even then, they immediately sold Chapman's contract to the Tigers, who ended up returning him to the Phillies, anyway. With a young roster and a rebuilding effort under way, the Tribe is open to the possibility of adding someone in this year's Draft. "We're spending time on it," Shapiro said. "We're definitely talking about it. In the past, we've felt we wanted to protect our own players. But we were able to create some roster flexibility this year." If the Indians, who have the fifth pick in the Rule 5, select a player, they will have to pay $50,000 to the club they selected him from. The player would then be required to remain on the Tribe's active Major League roster or disabled list for the length of the 2010 season. Otherwise, he would have to be offered back to the original club for $25,000. The Indians are like any other team in that they are tight-lipped about which players they might be interested in. So, purely from an outside-looking-in standpoint and understanding the Tribe's need for impact pitching, some names that might be worth considering are that of Rays right-handed starter Aneury Rodriguez, Blue Jays right-handed starter Michael McDonald, Rockies right-handed reliever Matt Daley, A's left-handed reliever Brad Kilby, Yankees left-handed reliever Zach Kroenke and Orioles right-hander Josh Perrault. And that is far from a comprehensive list. "The one or two guys we consider might get picked before we get up there," Shapiro said. "But there are guys who, if they're there when we pick, we might be active on." The Tribe protected seven players -- infielder/outfielder Jordan Brown, left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez, infielders Carlos Rivero, Jason Donald and Wes Hodges and outfielder Nick Weglarz -- from the Rule 5, filling up the 40-man in the process. While the Shoppach trade opened up a spot, it came too late for the Indians to protect any of their other Rule 5 eligibles. That list includes right-handers Carlton Smith, Steven Wright and Yohan Pino, left-hander Chuck Lofgren, infielder Jose Constanza and catcher/first baseman/outfielder Matt McBride, all of whom have the potential to be picked up by another club. One other name to watch Thursday is that of reliever Jason Grilli. The Indians signed Grilli to a Minor League deal with a Spring Training invite last week, but he is Rule 5 eligible, and the speculation is that he might get taken by another team. As it stands, the Indians view Grilli, formerly of the Marlins, White Sox, Tigers, Rockies and Rangers, as a potential option for their big league bullpen. If he makes the club out of Spring Training, he'll be in line to make $800,000 this season. "We think he can come in here and definitively compete and most likely be a factor in our bullpen," Shapiro said. "He has good stuff and the ability to strike people out. He's an established big leaguer." The Indians could always do what the Braves did in 1988 and use the Rule 5 to select one of their own players. But such a move is obviously rare. Unfortunately for those who feast on the all the deals and rumors that pervade the Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 is about as exciting as it gets for the Tribe this week. Shapiro and his staff are spending the week gauging the market, but it's going to be weeks before that market develops enough for the budget-conscious Indians to find the kind of bargains they're looking for. "It's a matter of just clarifying our interests [with agents]," Shapiro said, "and staying in touch."
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The daughter of William and Lottie Mae Thomas Hawkins, she was born Nov. 6, 1927, in Bluffton. She was a member of the East Point Baptist Church in Russellville and Second Baptist Church in West Helena. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jesse Cooper and sister, Bertha Luker.
Left to cherish her memory are a daughter, Joyce Thompson of Ward; two sons, Garry Cooper of Russellville, Thomas Cooper of Russellville; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; brother, Thomas Hawkins of Dumas; and sister, Euthadean Cooper of Palm Springs, Calif.
Graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, at Sunset Memorial Park in West Helena with Larry Pless officiating. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Monday at Humphrey Funeral Service in Russellville. Internet obituary and online guest book are available at www.humphreyfuneral.com.


text:
Former Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, whose Twitter account has landed him in hot water before, apologized earlier on Twitter for what the future hall of famer called a joke he tweeted Saturday.
Jones' remark was in reference to gators, the Rio Grande, and illegal immigrants.
On Saturday, Jones tweeted, "Y'all think if they took all them gators they trap in Fla and La and put them in the Rio Grande, it wud stop the illegals from crossing? Jk"
The tweet was retweeted more than 2,000 times and become fodder for both social media sites and mainstream news organizations including USA Today and Fox Sports.
He initially defended the tweet and his use of the shorthand Jk (just kidding) at the end of the tweet. Shortly after sending the "illegals" tweet, Jones wrote, "Man it's hard to argue with ignorant, misinformed people! I guess that's what the 'block' button is for" on Saturday.
But by the next day Chipper had changed his tune.
Jones tweeted an apology on Sunday to no one in particular for the joke, writing, " I realize that my tweet yest was offensive and distasteful. An attempt at humor was a terrible mistake. Please accept my heartfelt apology!"


text:
ANAHEIM – Runners for the first time can sign up for a 10K race that will go through both Disney parks here.
The company is adding the Disneyland 10K to its slate of events for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, traditionally over Labor Day weekend.
The 10K race will be Aug. 31 through Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and city streets. The route has yet to be finalized. Registration begins Jan. 22.
This is the first 10K race at any Disney park; putting on long-distance races has become a thriving division of the company, runDisney. Nationwide, the 10K distance – 6.2 miles – is the third most-popular race length, behind 5Ks and half-marathons.
"Now, runDisney's got all the distances covered," said Bob Hitchcock, a runDisney spokesman.
Anaheim's two half-marathons usually sell out quickly.
On Labor Day weekend, runners will be able to receive a medal – the Dumbo Double Dare – by running in the 10K on Saturday and the half-marathon on Sunday.
Nikki Abejon, 27, of Irvine, said she plans to try for one.
"While a lot of people are saying I'm crazy, I'm excited to show them I can do it," Abejon said in an email.
About 23,000 people participated in last year's Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend events, including a 5K and children's races. Disney has estimated that the weekend brings in $20 million to $30 million to the area.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3793 or email@example.com


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In the Durango Herald on Feb. 26, a confessed cycling cheat, Floyd Landis, is going to receive about $25 million from a whistle-blower fee if our federal government wins a substantial judgement from another cheat, Lance Armstrong.
An annual $100 million U.S. military fund supported the Tour de France bike races and what is not well-publicized, NASCAR races. One can only imagine what kind of thrills that massive amount of money does for the person giving it all away. I truly hope this $100 million expenditure is part of the sequester package or is thrown out as a waste of time and money.
Most of us can only dream of partying with celebrity race figures or collecting $25 million as a good guy or bad guy whistle-blower. The potential for a bad person to get all of that cash is an eye opener and will probably convince a once-good citizen to make an attempt to set someone up with financial means. A few times I have been set up, such as a pushy request to invest six figures in a bogus Mexican resort. Fortunately, I didnt go running to borrow and was later told to dare not mention the predators name.
This world is turning more wild west than ever. A friend turned Jesus in for silver. The interpretation of the scriptures about Jesus nailed on the cross is that he died for our sins. My take on his death is: Watch your back at all times so you wont get nailed. You never know if the person pretending to be a friend at your dining room table will turn on you.
Sally Florence


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This past April 16 was Record Store Day, "a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently-owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally." That there are only 700 such places left in the United States is sad, because those of us of a certain age can remember when you could buy records everywhere.
One such place was in my hometown, Gibson's Discount Store. Gibson's was like a modern chain drug store, a Walgreens or a CVS, in that it stocked a little bit of everything, but also like a dollar store in that much of their stuff was off-brand and sold cheap.
It also stocked a few records. Independent rack jobbers would provide the records and the rack to display them on, and the store would receive a percentage of the sales — which is why it wasn't uncommon to see racks of records in drug stores, department stores, and even in service stations back in the day.
Gibson's carried the top albums and a few singles, but it was also the first place I ever saw that carried cutouts. A cutout is an album or cassette sold at a discounted price, usually because it's been discontinued by the label. A cutout album would have a corner of the jacket cut off or a hole punched in it; cutout cassettes (and later, CDs) usually had a notch sawed in the plastic case. This was to mark them so that they would not sold for full price — or, in the case of promotional copies sent to radio stations and record stores, not sold at all.
Where regularly-priced albums were six or seven dollars back in the 1970s, cutouts often sold for a couple of bucks and sometimes less. And while I loved music, I loved getting music for cheap even more — and as a result, I became a denizen of the cutout bins forever after.
It was at Gibson's that I scored one of my favorite cutout purchases, the sort of musical bonanza that would have appealed to the geek I was circa 1975. One fine night I stumbled across the Warner Special Products compilation Superstars of the '70s, a four-vinyl-album collection of hits I knew and artists I recognized. I remember staying up very, very late the night I brought it home, just to listen to the whole thing.
I know now that Superstars of the '70s is a bit unusual in that it contains a handful of artists whose music is rarely found on various-artist anthologies of this type: [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]the Rolling Stones[/lastfm], [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Led Zeppelin[/lastfm], [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Black Sabbath[/lastfm], [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]the Eagles[/lastfm], and [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Yes[/lastfm], all of whom were available for the series as a result of their association with Warner Brothers, Elektra, or Atlantic Records. As an indication of what rock radio — as distinct from the Top 40 — sounded like in 1973, when the set was released, you can't do better, although you might argue over the inclusion of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]the Bee Gees[/lastfm], [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Judy Collins[/lastfm], or [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Roberta Flack[/lastfm].
The most off-the-wall track on the album is probably [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]the Byrds[/lastfm]' version of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Neil Young[/lastfm]'s "Cowgirl in the Sand," which appeared on the band's self-titled 1973 album. I used to skip over it when I played Superstars of the '70s back in the day, but I wouldn't skip it now.
For more on the Superstars of the '70s series, click here. For more Rock Flashbacks, click here.


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2004 Chevy Silverado 3500 - Alter Ego
A Show-Stopping Daily Driver
What's the point in building a full-blown show truck that will probably spend more time in the garage than on the street and having an average looking and performing daily driver to fetch the groceries in? There is really no need for two different trucks, especially when valuable time and effort can go into creating just one, all-encompassing, trophy pulling and errand running custom. Casey Ridinger, from Marion, Mississippi, is a firm believer of streamlining his projects as much as possible, which is evident in the final results of his ground-leveled, Duramax-equipped '04 Chevy 3500.
In order to bring the 3500 down into the weeds, Casey employed Jamey Jordan and Don Bracken from Innovative Customs, in Meridian, Mississippi, to first install a set of Ekstensive Metalworks upper and lower control arms along with Slam Specialties RE-8 'bags. At the rear end, 'Big' John Adkins, from Southaven, Mississippi, then attached a Suicide Doors triangulated super pivot four-link to the Chevy's frame. An Oasis XD2000 compressor, two 8-gallon Suicide Doors tanks, four 1/2-inch SMC valves, and 3/8-inch stainless airlines regulate the new suspension system's air pressure with the quickness. To get the truck to lay as low as possible, a stock-floor body drop was deemed necessary and preformed while the 3500 was a temporary resident at Innovative Customs. In order to protect and preserve the frame modifications, Jamey sprayed a few coats of Por-15, which seals the metal from the elements and corrosive road gunk that builds up from everyday driving. A set of 24x81/4-inch Diesel Wheels rollers and 305/35R24 Toyo Proxes ST-II tires have been bolted onto the heavy-duty Chevy. Being tucked up under each fender, the wheels have surely served as competent conversation starters.
To really get onlookers talking, Casey took his truck's Duramax 6.6L V-8 diesel engine and increased its performance by adding dual 12-inch Flex-A-Lite cooling fans, an Edge Performance programmer, a Jamey Jordan original cold air intake system, and a machined turbo mouth, which was skillfully fabricated by Sam Smith. Jamey also fabbed the 3500's 4-inch exhaust system, which boasts a rumbling RBP muffler. Since it was necessary to create new front wheel tubs, the computer and fuse relay box for the Allison transmission were relocated underneath the rear seat and two Optima blue top batteries were mounted to the side of the rear framerails. This seems like somewhat of a chore to undertake for an average daily driver, but to Casey, it made all the sense in the world to do things right with his dual-purpose heavy hauler.
Now that the dualie was resting on the concrete and performing with less engine restriction, Jamey and Don, of Innovative Customs, began working on the cosmetic metal fabrication portion of build. Custom sheetmetal bed walls, wheel tubs, and a relocated gas filler round out the rear modifications, while the front fenders were boxed in and tubbed to make room for the truck's larger rolling stock. New Era Bedliner of Houma, Louisiana, sprayed the bottom of the hood, the inside of the front fenders and bedsides, as well as inside of the bed box for aesthetic and protective purposes. A Chevy HHR roof rack has been planted to the top of the cab and chrome door handles with color-matched bezels make for attractive exterior accessories. Don blasted the dualie's metal surface with vibrant PPG Victory Red paint, which is truly a winning selection for any low down, heavy-duty hauler.
The atmosphere inside the Chevy's cab is also just as exciting as the outside, as the entire dash, center console, and door panels have been painted to match the lively exterior color. 'Bag switches and Dakota Digital gauges have been mounted to the front of the center console for a quick and easy glance at the air ride's psi levels. Justin McCary was brought in to wire up the custom sound system, which features a Pioneer touch screen receiver, a Rockford Fosgate 10-inch sub and drop-in replacement front and rear door speakers, and an RF P400-4 four channel amp for a much needed audio boost. The driver and passenger seats have both been upgraded with rear mounted 7-inch Visonik monitors, increasing the entertainment value for those lucky enough to catch a ride.
As anyone can clearly see, Casey was right on the money for building a dual-purpose custom that fulfills both show truck and daily driver requirements. Casey would first like to thank his mom for the support and to those who played a role in creating his decked out dualie, especially Innovative Customs.


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Welcome back. I'm also on Penobscot bay, about 25 miles south of you.
Welcome back. I'm also on Penobscot bay, about 25 miles south of you.
Thanks for the replies!
Actually no, I didn't build a "little house" but I did restore the one that we live in. If you visit the bayside website, click on "contact us" and look for the red cottage on that page. It used to be a boat building shed that produced 18' daysailors.
New to the BMWMOA and to beemer bikes. Just picked up a sweet '99 R1100RT with less than 18k miles. Having lots of fun with it. Also have an HD Heritage Softail and a couple of Suzuki gixxers (GSXR 1000 & 1100). Been riding for 37 yrs and have had many bikes. You know what, I love 'em all.
This is a really cool club and it's fun reading the forums. I enjoy reading the different experiences riders go through when they're out and about, close to home or touring. Hope to meet some of you on the road, somewhere, someday.
I'm 54, retired and loving it. I'm a combat vet, retired Police Officer, Commercial Pilot and former Actor. Worked a few Law & Order episodes (all three) first as a long haired, tattooed, multi-pierced bad guy (which I do have, except the bad guy part ) . Then later as an NYPD officer (after I cleaned up my act) but since I'm out of acting, I'm back to the long hair, piercings, etc.
I love riding (naturally). I also dabble in music and astronomy but my heart is in the Rocky Mtns where I hope to go back to soon. I'll tell ya, there's nothing like it. I can't even describe the sheer beauty of the rockies as you're gliding by those "fourteeners" on two wheels. Oh heck, anywhere I ride I'm happy, as long as I'm riding.
Welcome back GS and welcome in Nomad!!
Glad to hear from all of you and happy your here!
Mike & Robin Fifer http://www.n-scale-model-trains.com/ 2002 R1150RT Current
1995 K75S Sold
1996 R1100RT sold
HI, I'm Walt, well I started riding when I first Joined the Navy in 72, my folks told me that as long as I lived under their roof, I would never own a bike. But I had watched "Here comes Bronson" in the lated 60's and always wanted one.
I was up in Connecticut on a Sub, and bought a 59 VW to get around and couldn't get insurance. one day I was at the insurance company asking about insurance. they wanted $600 every 6 months for liability insurance on the bug. about then another guy shows up and pays his bike insurance policy, $67.00. I ask the lady how much it would be for me, about $50 for a 500cc bike. sold the bug the next day and bought my first bike a Suzuki T-500 Titan. and I have been riding since. I have owned 6 hondas, 2 yamaha, a harley, and now I got a R1150 GSA.
I ride to work everyday when ther is no ice on the road about 10 months a year. I am going to put in for the further milage program this year. I am ready I think. should be easy to place in the top ten in oregon. I was riding last month when the temps were down to 27 degrees. I was wondering what the wind chill was at 785 miles an hour.
I am retired form the Navy, served on Nuclear submarines for 20 years. I think that is part of the reason I like to ride so much. being out in the open now...
I have riden in 46 of the 50 states and right now I am planning a trip to Alaska next year, I want to go to the Artic Circle. I have been under the ice many times on the boats. I also need to go to 3 more of the canadian provenses to get them all, but I have never been to mexico. Maybe someday.
I hope to see you someday on the road. Like Bronson, I'm heading down that long lonesome highway............
I had a good friend that has passed away but he was on sub's.
I will never forget , he used to tell a story about submariner's and flyboys in a bar.
After many barbs back and forth, it was pretty clear the sub had many advantages to the aircraft at which point the pilot said to "Bill" "Well all of that is true but there is one thing for sure , I bet I can get my bird in the water before you get your sub in the air"
The bar finally went silent and a round of drinks was shared by all.
Mike & Robin Fifer http://www.n-scale-model-trains.com/ 2002 R1150RT Current
1995 K75S Sold
1996 R1100RT sold
Welcome, Stacia.
It is great to have young ladies like you in our Organization.
Thank you for your contribution in the "First Bike" column. You got a really nice bike.
I hope to meet you in Tennessee, in the National Rally.
Next winter, if you have too much snow at home, try to aim South !
Warm regards.
Ruben Tenorio.
International Delegate.- BMW Moto Clubes Mexico.
Vicepresident.- BMW Clubes Federaci??n Latino Americana.
Ambassador.- BMW Motorcycle Owners of America.
Hi, Walt,
It's nice to have another ex-bubblehead on the forum. And if you do want to go visit Ruben in Oaxaca, let me know. I lived in Mexico (Aguascalientes) for a couple of years and worked mostly in Mexico for nearly 20 years. The only club rally I attended was in Tequisquiapan in 1986, but they do know how to have fun and the Mexico rallys are top notch. Now that I am (forcibly) retired, I have the time and wouldn't mind seeing some friends in Mexico City and making some new ones elsewhere in the country.
Ride Safe,
Phil Marvin - El Paso, TX
ex-QM2(SS) USS Nathan Hale SSB(N)623G
[Hi, I'm Tom Lemke. I live in Westfield NY, which is about 10 mi. from the PA border just off I90. My frist BMW was a 1978 R60/7. After 2 years, I traded it in on a 1978 R100S in Luffmister touring trim. In late fall of 1984, I traded it in on a 1984 R100RS LE. It was on this BMW that I qulified fro the 100,000 miles on BMW's award. In May of 1987 on my way to the Squar Root rally in MD, I totaled it while trying to slow down from 55 mph on oily wet black top. I was highsided at about 50 mph, but was not injured due to being fully protected from head to toe with BMW helmet, leathers, gloves and boots. I replaced the RS with a 1987 K75S, which sold in 1992. I was away from motocycling until 2006, when I bought a 2005 Honda VT750 Shadow Aero. In 2008, I started looking online for a K100RS. I found one on the BMWMOA Flea Market. It is a 1991 Pearl White one, with 35k on the odometer. I put a set of Brigestone BT-21's on it, and I love the way it handles. The belly pan and both sides of the faring are scarred, and the right side mirror is also scarred. I intend to have these things repaired this year. I' also having trouble with tha ABS. the ABS light flashes and the brake light stays on; any suggestions?
I hope to get to the National and the Finger Lakes rallies this year; hope to meet you there.
Welcome Tom, Glad you are back on a bike.
Mike & Robin Fifer http://www.n-scale-model-trains.com/ 2002 R1150RT Current
1995 K75S Sold
1996 R1100RT sold
Hi Mike & Robin. Thanks for the warm welcome. Hi Walt. Glad to see you here. Right off the bat Walt we have two things in common; we're both newbies here and we both started riding in '72 when we went in the military. I've been riding ever since. Did you happen to make it to Subic?
Last edited by njnomad; 04-12-2009 at 11:28 AM.
Hi! We are Frank & Claudia DelloRusso from the Boston, MA area, proud parents of 2 great kids and grandparents of 4 fabulous, very young grandchildren (the 10 month old is in my lap at this very moment desperately trying to help me type this entry). I spent 4 years in the Air Force right after high school (where I met Claudia, in Germany) and 4 subsequent years in college, then a whole bunch'a years working for the many different iterations of the then rapidly changing "phone company", from which I was forcibly retired 6 days after 9-11. It was painful at the time, but in hindsight, they did me a big favor. Been riding bikes for over 40 years and this 2003 R1150RT is our first BMW. We joined BMW MOA just yesterday at the advice of a friend, also a member and BMW GS rider.
We bought our RT used, two years ago, with only 6K miles on it (2 previous owners), and have had some unfortunate serious and expensive problems which resulted in limited use since. But all has been sorted out (thanks to MAX BMW in North Hampton, NH) and will, hopefully, remain so.... because Claudia is now spoiled rotten and because this bike needs to carry us across the country to CA and back between mid-May and mid-July, this year. I've done some long distance riding in my younger years (on a 1972 Norton Commando (to Iowa), which I still have, and a 1984 Moto Guzzi 850-T5 (to Illinois), now being ridden daily by our son. This little round trip, x-country adventure, a "test" or "testimonial" in celebration of our 40 years of marriage (July 5th) will be our "Mt. Everest".
The motivation for this ride has been the recent loss of too many relatives and close friends, some of whom were too young to pass. One (my closest friend) spoke his dying words to me and they were as follows... "There were so many things I wanted to do...". With that, Claudia and I decided that we didn't want to leave too many "should'a-could'a-would'a's in our closet... so off we go.
The plan is to head south through NJ and PA to Front Royal, VA and take Skyline Drive and the Blueridge Parkway all the way to the Franklin, NC area. Then head west to Denver, cross the Rockies and spend a few days at Lake Tahoe. Then north to Wyoming and Yellowstone and east to SD and the Black Hills, across MN and up to Grand Marais, WI on Lake Superior (near Thunder Bay, Ontario), back down through Green Bay (must check out Lambeau Field) and then take the S.S. Badger across Lake Michigan from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI. Then probably through Ann Arbor, into Ohio, across PA on Rt. 6 and into NJ, and finally home. There'll be some stops along the way to visit some family old friends.
Part of the trip west from NC includes a stop in Blytheville, AK to visit the grave site of Claudia's mother. There's an amazing Rod Serling "Twilight Zone" kind of story that goes along with this visit, but it's way too long to deliver here. Maybe we'll get to meet some of you throughout our travels, and that'd be a good time to tell it over a few cold beers.
We have a trip route planned (very limited Interstate travel... mostly state roads), but it's not cast in stone, so any advice, re: special roads, sights, places to eat or lodge that anyone would like to pass along would surely be welcomed.
Ride safe,
Frank & Claudia DelloRusso (email@example.com)
P.S. Being brand new to this group, the web site and this forum, I'm not very familiar with the "process". So... my apologies in advance in the event that I don't follow the proper protocol.
Welcome Frank and Claudia! No worries, we don't have much protocal, and somethimes not many manners either. However, you will see that there is a large group of great folks who frequent the website, although only a small fraction of our overall club membership. Enjoy the ride!
Mike & Robin Fifer http://www.n-scale-model-trains.com/ 2002 R1150RT Current
1995 K75S Sold
1996 R1100RT sold
[QUOTE=john1691;Enjoy the ride![/QUOTE]
Thanks folks... perhaps a BETTER request for advice regarding this trip would have been... "What state and local roads should we definitely NOT take?" But, I know that's an unreasonable request since I haven't provided anyone with any significantly detailed information regarding our planned route... it's a big country. Maybe I'll put something up on this thread once I finalize the general route and the states we'll be riding through.


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Why do some perfer the Manga rather than an actual Anime?
A picture is worth a thousand words as some say. But in a visual standpoint an Anime that's based off of the manga brings more devolpment in how it's going to protrayed. One of the big aspects many have forgotten is:
• Animating Emotions that make the characters feel human like.
• Beautiful music to make scenes feel alive.
• And the prolonging of the Manga. Realistic.
Why read a Manga page with words when you can watch 30 minutes of a animating show. Is it fillers?


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Ever since the pagan ages, Spring synonymous with fertility and our modern wedding season goes hand-in-hand with those ancient beliefs.
Even the Royal Couple-To-Be, Prince William and Kate Middleton, are getting married on a gorgeous spring day at the end of April.
We enjoy being a part of the symbolic spectacle, but a lot of the time, weddings can be musically dry and overwhelmingly boring.
If Prince William and Kate Middleton chose these Top Ten Fun Pop Songs About Wedding Bells and Love Spells, they would definitely not fall victim to a yawn epidemic at their reception.
10. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Beyonce[/lastfm]-"Dangerously In Love"
It seems like Beyonce and[lastfm link_type="artist_info"] Jay-Z[/lastfm] have been together for eight million zillion years and that they have the healthiest relationship in the music industry.
Instead of just running to the alter, the two took their fabulous time and once they got married, they successfully kept out of the paparazzi flash-bulb.
We guess if someone was saying lyrics like "I am in love with you/You set me free/I can't do this thing/Called life without you here with me/Cause I'm Dangerously In Love with you/I'll never leave/Just keep lovin' me/The way I love you loving me" all the time, things would have to be awesome.
9. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Enrique Iglesias[/lastfm]-"Hero"
While Enrique Iglesias can come off as sort of a player, he's been with tennis goddess Anna Kournikova for almost eight years, although there have been rumors that the two have married and separated a couple times. Despite the drama, the two are apparently still together and in the world of pop star relationships, that is about fifteen lifetimes.
Maybe Iglesias really is Anna's hero, like he sings in his tune "Hero:" "I can be you hero baby/I can kiss away the pain /I will stand by you forever /You can take my breath away."
8. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Keri Hilson[/lastfm]-"Knock Me Down"
When "Knocked Me Down" came out a couple years ago, Keri Hilson was still in her "gorgeous-girl-next-door" phase. Now she's moved on to bigger and badder things, but that doesn't stop us from getting a little teary-eyed and love-crazed every time we hear her lyrics:
Never thought I fall for you as hard as I did (as hard as I did, yeah)/You got me thinking about our life, our house and kids (Yeah)/Every morning I look at you and smile/Cause boy you came around and you knocked me down (knocked me down)
7. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]B.o.B[/lastfm]-"Nothing On You"
One of the reasons we think B.o.B's "Nothin' On You" would make a great wedding song, is that Bobby Ray is totally honest about the fact that even though there are hot chicks around the world, none of them can compare to his hometown hottie:
Hands down there will never be another one/I been around and I never seen another one/Look at your style I ain't really got nothin' on/And you wild when you ain't got nothing onVodpod videos no longer available.
6.[lastfm link_type="artist_info"] 98 Degrees[/lastfm]-"I Do (Cherish You)"
Although [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Nick Lachey[/lastfm]'s marriage with [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jessica Simpson[/lastfm] didn't work out (probably because of her psycho, creeper dad), he eventually got married to the beautiful, exotic Vanessa Minnilo, for whom these lyrics are now intended:
I do cherish you/For the rest of my life/You don't have to think twice/I will love you still/From the depths of my soul/It's beyond my control
5. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Chris Brown[/lastfm]-"Forever"
We were sort of shocked when we heard the volatile, stripper-loving Chris Brown had a forever-themed love song. It's still a perfect song for a wedding dance with lyrics like:
It's like I've waited my whole life for this one night/It's gonna be me you and the dance floor/'cause we've only got one night (one night) /Double your pleasure/Double your fun and dance/Forever (ever, ever)
4. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]No Doubt[/lastfm]-"Marry Me"
No one ever expected pop-punk grrrrl, [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Gwen Stefani[/lastfm], to have a soft spot in her heart for the domesticated life, but she proved all the naysayers wrong by marrying [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Bush[/lastfm] hunk, [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Gavin Rossdale[/lastfm], having two adorable kids, and living happily ever after.
Just like the lyrics in her song:
I can't help that I like to be kissed/And I wouldn't mind if my name changed to Mrs./This is one side, my conventional side/An attraction to tradition/My vintage dispositionVodpod videos no longer available.
3.[lastfm link_type="artist_info"] Rihanna[/lastfm]-"Only Girl (In The World)"
This would be a great song for a bride to skip down the aisle with or even sing to her husband. What bride doesn't want her husband to "make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world/Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love/Like I'm the only one who knows your heart?"
2. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Katy Perry[/lastfm]-"Waking Up In Vegas"
While not exactly the most romantic of the marriage songs, it's a hilarious adventure in the life of Katy Perry while she is in Vegas with her partner-in-crime.
Perry's marriage to Russell Brand was much longer, drawn-out affair but the actual time between meeting each other and marriage was short, making us wonder if these lyrics, "Why are these lights so bright?/Did we get hitched last night?/Dressed up like Elvis/Why am I wearing your class ring?" could hold a grain of truth.
1. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Bruno Mars[/lastfm]-"Marry You"
Bruno Mars' "Marry You" hasn't been technically featured as a single off his album yet, but after it was used in Glee, the song skyrocketed to success. Just like Katy Perry's "marriage song," "Marry You" talks about getting hitched in Vegas after too much booze, but it's still a sweetly fun love song:
Is it the look in your eyes/Or is it this dancing juice?/Who cares baby/I think I wanna marry you.Vodpod videos no longer available.
- What is your favorite love or wedding song? Let us know in the comments!


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Rajendra Pillai
About the Author
Rajendra K. Pillai was born in Calcutta, India. Having grown up in a Hindu nation and in a Muslim neighborhood, he was acutely conscious of being in the minority as a Christian believer. Rajendra has a passion for relating to and reaching people of other cultures. He has an MBA in Global Economic Development from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, and conducts corporate training in cross-cultural and management issues for organizations including the USDA, National Institutes of Health, the FBI and several other public and private organizations. He also speaks at churches and conferences across the country.
From the Trade Paperback edition.


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A decade in the making, SAC Capital Advisors LP will be forced to close its doors following a $1.2 billion insider-trading settlement with the U.S. government. The agreement follows the hedge fund giant's earlier, $616 million civil pact with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The $1.8 billion penalty, a record for an insider-trading case, will go to the U.S. Treasury.
Under the agreement, which is subject to court approval, the SAC companies will plead guilty to each count for which they are charged in an indictment unsealed in July 2013, charging the SAC companies with securities fraud and wire fraud in connection with a large-scale insider trading scheme.
The agreement imposes a $1.8 billion financial penalty on the SAC companies — the largest insider trading penalty in history — split between a $900 million fine in the criminal case and a $900 million forfeiture judgment in a civil money laundering and forfeiture action filed by the government simultaneously with the criminal charges, according to a Nov. 4 statement released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It also provides that the SAC companies and their affiliates will no longer accept outside investor funds and will shut down operations as an investment adviser.
After years of denying any wrongdoing, the hedge fund founded by billionaire Steven A. Cohen agreed to plead guilty to criminal insider-trading charges, to give up managing outside investors' money, to submit to a five-year probationary period, and to monitoring by a compliance consultant.
"We take responsibility for the handful of men who pleaded guilty," SAC said in a statement, The Wall Street Journal reported. "These wrongdoers do not represent the 3,000 honest men and women who have worked at the firm during the past 21 years. Even one person crossing the line into illegal behavior is too many and we greatly regret this conduct occurred."
According to the indictment, from 1999 through at least 2010, numerous employees of the SAC companies allegedly obtained and traded on material, non-public information that they were not permitted to have, or recommended trades based on such information to SAC portfolio managers or the SAC owner.
Under the terms of the settlement, the government is not prevented from charging any individual with insider trading offenses and seeking the maximum prison term for such offenses. However, Cohen is not expected to be charged personally with any crime, the Journal reported. Wall Street traders have said that the settlement gives Cohen a chance to manage his own multibillion-dollar fortune, or possibly return to managing money for outside investors through a new company.
For more details on the SAC case, check out InsideCounsel's coverage below:
SAC Capital Advisors and its founder hope to settle with SEC
SAC trader's lawyers seek access to witnesses
U.S. indicts SAC Capital on fraud charges


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My letter grade to date is a solid "B" all things considered.
Just curious how everyone would grade the season so far. If you take away the Gonzaga series and Northwestern series we are 24-8 (6-3 B1G). However, in reality we are 25-13 (7-5 B1G) with the 2 meltdown series' since it isn't fair to play the would've could've should've game.
I think it was nice to get the "conference road series losing streak" money off of our backs this weekend. Also, the kids are playing hard despite their fair share of mental breakdowns, but that will happen at times when you're playing an aggressive "force the issue" style of baseball Darin & Co are coaching.
I know some people are more & less optimistic than others on here, so I figured that it would be fun just to see how things shake out if everyone were to assign a letter grade.


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They've come up with a novel solution to the dilemma of accommodating gay priests. They can form civil unions, but they have to be abstinent within them.
Men in a civil union will now be allowed to become bishops in the Church of England, but they are not allowed to have sex.
Intercourse between two men — or two women — remains a sin.
"Homosexual genital acts fall short of the Christian ideal and are to be met with a call to repentance and the exercise of compassion," according to Anglican doctrine.
It always leaves me gobsmacked that they can talk about a universal "Christian ideal" issued by the will of an omnipotent deity that specifies exactly where you can put your penis. It's kind of cute that their holy book can be interpreted to constrain penile activities, but at the same time, endorses slavery and treats rape as a property crime (it is not an abomination to stick your penis in an unwilling woman, after all!)
I'm also wondering how they plan to enforce their proscription. Will they be installing cameras in gay priests' bedrooms?


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Lego Star Wars III certainly isn't a giant leap forward. Instead, it's a cautious step in generally the right direction, adding some welcome new features to TT Games' multi-franchise while failing to address more persistent problems. Those expecting the Lego Star Wars games to conclude once all the movies had been covered (twice) clearly aren't cynical enough: The surprisingly good Clone Wars animated TV series forms the foundation for this entry. You might expect the game to suffer without iconic scenes or a coherent narrative, but the humor and charm ultimately win out.
The bold and colorful designs that make up the show's distinctive style are an ideal fit for TT Games' Lego interpretation. While all the Lego games have been wonderfully inventive in adapting their real life counterparts, Lego Star Wars III benefits from The Clone Wars' existing stylization. The enhanced graphics engine features an improved lighting system and more complex animations, particularly for the Jedi. The Clone Wars television show offers a hyper-realistic portrayal of the lightsiders, who are able to accomplish feats their movie counterparts could only dream of. These are replicated in Lego form, including several Force Unleashed-style kill animations, which make the proceedings a little more lively. For example, your Jedi can shimmy up the legs of an enormous droid, slashing at its knee joints before moving on to another opponent.
While the improved animations give the impression of a more exciting combat system, they haven't changed at all. Lightsaber combat is still a matter of mashing the attack button and occasionally combining an attack with a jump for an area-effect attack. It's a shame TT Games hasn't felt the need for an update–even something as simple as a light attack/heavy attack system would add some much needed depth.
The game certainly isn't without new mechanics. As Jedi became Generals during the Clone Wars, here you'll assume a similar role. During certain missions and the new Galactic Conquest mode, players take charge of a battlefield. A certain number of areas need capturing, and once in possession, players can construct buildings such as barracks, landing pads and shield generators using the studs they've collected. These buildings summon troops and vehicles to help with the battle. You can leave them to their own devices, drive the vehicles or even directly order the troops around with a radio trooper. These segments break up the platforming nicely, though they require little to no strategy and act only as a diversion. All the same, they're a welcome new feature.
Variety is one of Lego Star Wars III's strengths. Between platforming, puzzle-solving and combat, the game rarely falls into a rut. The most visually impressive missions, however, involve flight. In your gunship or fighter, players have fly around one of the impressive capital ships, possibly landing in an assigned area to perform a given task–be it activating torpedoes or helping to douse a fire. One of these missions takes place planetside among the clouds and is a rather memorable moment in the game. Unfortunately, TT Games still hasn't managed to perfect their vehicle control scheme, which rarely does what you want it to. With so many games suffering from the same complaint, it's a little tiring.
Of the many joys to be found in Lego games, collecting studs to buy all the characters and extras is one of the most appealing. The Clone Wars continues this tradition with a huge selection of characters as well as a wonderfully interactive central hub. This hub (previously Dexter's Diner and the Mos Eisley Cantina) is now two capital ships locked in combat. At any time, you can jump into a starship and take a trip into space to explore either ship. Both vessels offer plenty to discover and several challenges to participate in. TT Games have outdone themselves in this regard.
Unfortunately, as outright fun as Lego Star Wars III is, it's riddled with little bugs and frustrations. The PC version contains several glitches that can force players to restart a level or even cause outright crashes. These occurrences are far too common in Lego games. Additionally, in many levels you'll find yourself unsure of what to do next. A convenient message will often pop up from Yoda, but as a general rule, the useless hints will stay on screen ("You need an R2 unit to access this console!") while more helpful tips go unnoticed. Though the game shouldn't hold your hand the entire time, often you'll be left scratching your head in bewilderment.
Lego Star Wars III should easily be the best the series has to offer. With superior graphics and a decent variety of game styles, it easily overcomes any shortcomings in narrative. Unfortunately, the same problems that have plagued previous Lego games are still on display: difficult to control vehicles, overly simplified combat, unresponsive controls, glitches, drawn out levels, and poor guidance. These problems should have been sorted years ago, and while they don't necessarily ruin the experience here, they do leave a bitter aftertaste. Lego Star Wars III could have been exceptional. Instead, gamers are left with a mildly good offering with too many basic flaws.
[Reviewed on Xbox 360]


text: Coffee filters, they don't do all that good with oils. Just go ask any restaurant if they could spare a fat filter or 2. I'd give you some if I was closer. Producing lard....darn I used to have one of them huge cast iron kettles, must have been a 60+ gallons. That's what they used them for in the old days, scalding pigs and then produce lard after the butchering. I watched them do just that in Mexico a couple times, everything in the pot bones and all....lets make lard. The smell can be a little offensive and the end product a little on the dark side. But tasty....! I like that smiley...reminds me of my youth when we set up my big cast iron kettle for "corn on the cob" parties. That thing would sing when set on a large fire with 40 gallons of water boiling in it. Then dump the cobs in there by the hundreds and later fish them out with a leaf rake. A few pounds of butter preferably set on the hood of someone's junker and some salt. LOTS of beer.... I had some doubts about the fat rendering method, did not match what I learned many years ago but had to wait until I got home to my somewhat extensive library of very old cookbooks.Because I remembered the process should start with water and then found a recipe in "The cuisines of Mexico" by Diana Kennedy: Easy and best of all....no mess or much time wasted stirring the pot. A meat grinder and 2 lbs of pork fat:Cut the fat into pieces and pass it through the coarse disk of a meat grinder or chop finely in a food processor.( My notes on that...works better if the fat is frozen first and then chop as it is thawing. The food processor works well as long as it is a real one like a Cuisinart, not a wimpy discount one.Same applies to the cleaver work.) A large bowl and 1 cup of cold water: Pour the water over the fat in the bowl and mix it well. Set aside to soak for at least 6 hours. 3 8-ounce jars: Sterilize the jars.(Note and food service tip, we now use an Hydrogen Peroxide solution to sterilize our equipments.) Preheat the oven to 350 F. A heavy iron pan: Transfer the fat and water to the pan. Place on top shelf of the oven and cook until the fat starts to render- about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 225 F and continue cooking for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Pour off the drippings from time to time, straining them into the prepared jars. Set the jars aside for about 36 hours and then seal and store in a cool, dry place. Author's notes on the process: " The rendering could be done on top of the stove but I find the steady. indirect heat of the oven more satisfactory-the fat is less likely to catch you unawares and start to brown." (Diana Kennedy, The cuisines of Mexico, 1989) Now that you have lard, go make some deep dish pies in them cast iron pans.I always get a kick of feeding pies to the vegetarians, vegetable shortenings just don't do it for me.


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© 2010 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Choo eyeing options as deadline nears
Winning gold in Asian Games would waive military service
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Shin-Soo Choo's military obligation to his native South Korea has been weighing on his mind for several years. And now, as the deadline for that obligation nears, even Choo's Indians teammates are starting to wonder if their right fielder will have to give up two years of his career to satisfy the demands of his country. "Jake Westbrook asked me about it," Choo said Monday. "I told him, 'I'm with you guys. Don't worry about it.'" Able-bodied South Korean men must serve two years in the military by the time they turn 30 years old. For the 27-year-old Choo, who turns 28 in July, that deadline is coming up quick. Choo spent his entire life preparing to become a professional baseball player, and he refuses to walk away from the game at a point where he should be entering his prime. He is hoping to get clearance from the Indians to participate on the South Korean baseball team in the 2010 Asian Games, which take place in November. If he does, and his team wins a gold medal, Choo would receive an exemption from the South Korean government. But what if Choo doesn't get that clearance or the Korean team doesn't win the gold? Well, in that case, he would have to go to his backup plan. He's not divulging what that would be, because he knows people back home are hanging on his every word. It could be that Choo would pursue citizenship in the United States. Perhaps more likely is the possibility that he would simply not return to his native land and avoid the obligation. No matter how the situation shakes out, one thing that is certain is that Choo has no plans to miss the 2011 and '12 seasons. "I try not to think about [the military obligation]," he said. Choo, coming off a solid first full season in the big leagues, went back home to Korea for 35 days this winter and enjoyed rock-star-type popularity. In November, a Korean television network ran a documentary on Choo that was shot late in the 2009 season. "A lot of people watched it," Choo said. Choo said he got emotional when he saw that, unbeknownst to him, his father had been interviewed for the documentary. His father told the story of the first time Choo and his family visited the United States after he was signed by the Mariners in 2000. The family came to Arizona, and Choo's mother complained that the weather was too hot. His father, meanwhile, looked at American and Latin players who were, in many cases, taller than Choo, and he worried that his son would struggle to adjust to the language barrier and the culture differences. "That was the first time I knew he was thinking that," Choo said of watching the documentary. "I started to cry." Choo's popularity level stateside might not be what it is currently in Korea, but that will change if he reaches his potential. He batted .300 with an .883 OPS last year, becoming the first Asian-born player to notch 20 homers and 20 stolen bases (he actually swiped 21) in a single season. After the 2010 season, Choo will be eligible for his first round of salary arbitration. It's a distinct possibility the Indians will try to work out a contract extension with him this spring to buy out his arbitration years. That would be yet another sign that Choo isn't going anywhere, regardless of his obligation back home.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Poisoning & Toxicity
Toxic Weeds Likely Behind the Deaths of 19 BLM Horses
December 17, 2012
Preliminary results from Colorado State University suggests ingestion of the plant caused the horses' deaths.... Read More
Simultaneous Ivermectin and Solanum Plant Poisoning in Horses
December 07, 2012
Horses consuming Solanum plants could be at risk for ivermectin toxicity, even if the drug is dosed correctly.... Read More
UK to Host 2013 Equine Showcase, Breeders' Short Course
December 04, 2012
The programs will highlight industry research findings, reproduction topics, and horse management issues.... Read More
Weed of the Month: Common Milkweed
November 16, 2012
Common milkweed produces cardiac-glycosides that are toxic to horses and can cause death within 24 hours.... Read More
Could Endophyte-Infected Fescue Cause Lameness in Horses?
November 06, 2012
Researchers observed noticeable lameness in horses consuming high levels of endophyte-infected seeds and hay.... Read More
Fluoridated Water and Horses
October 14, 2012
Studies are needed to determine safe limits of fluoride in feed and water for horses.... Read More
Horse Owners Warned that Ragwort in UK "Worse than Ever"
October 07, 2012
Ragwort is a poisonous weed for horses which results resulting in liver damage and, sometimes, death.... Read More
UK Graduate Student Spotlight: Daniel Hestad
September 29, 2012
Hestad studied how endophyte-infected tall fescue seed ingestion would affect nonpregnant mares.
... Read More
Weed of the Month: Wild Carrot
August 25, 2012
Mild neurotoxicity to horses was reported in Europe but is not considered a serious threat in North America.... Read More
Weed of the Month: Johnsongrass
July 23, 2012
Johnsongrass is a coarse-textured perennial grass that grows well in pastures, gardens, fields, and roadsides.... Read More
High Blister Beetle Numbers Reported in Texas
July 09, 2012
Reports indicate a higher than usual number of blister beetles, which are toxic to horses, in some areas.... Read More
Making Sense of Mycotoxins
June 29, 2012
Mycotoxin exposure in horses, caused by feed contaminated with fungi, can be dangerous or fatal.... Read More
Weed of the Month: Red Maple
March 23, 2012
Red maple is a valued landscaping tree in the eastern United States and Canada but is also toxic to horses.... Read More
Equine NSAID Use: Indications and Complications
March 21, 2012
Even when NSAIDs are used appropriately, the drugs can still prove damaging to the patient.... Read More
Ionophore Intoxication in Horses
March 21, 2012
A recent recall of horse feed contaminated with the ionophore antibiotic monensin has prompted many questions.... Read More
Western Feed, LLC Recalls Kountry Buffet Horse Feed
March 05, 2012
The recalled Kountry Buffet 14% horse feed could contain monensin sodium, which can be fatal for horses.... Read More
Tennessee Horse Deaths Puzzle Authorities
February 23, 2012
Tennessee law enforcement authorities are hoping to solve the mystery surrounding the sudden deaths of ... Read More
Case Studies in Equine Toxicology
February 20, 2012
Equine toxicology experts Drs. Cynthia Gaskill and Laura Kennedy present case studies of poisoned horses.... Read More
Persimmon Ingestion and Colic: A Retrospective Study
January 15, 2012
Persimmon fibers and seeds can create an obstruction in the GI tract, resulting in serious impaction colic.... Read More
Understanding Atypical Myopathy
December 30, 2011
Atypical myopathy--a sudden onset of acute muscle pain and damage--is related to pasture rather than exercise.... Read More
Atypical Myopathy: 100+ Cases Diagnosed Worldwide in 2011
December 29, 2011
France and Great Britain each logged 34 cases in 2011, while just four cases were diagnosed in North America.... Read More
Botulism or Ticks Likely Caused Australian Horse Deaths
November 02, 2011
Botulism and scrub tick infestations both cause the progressive muscular paralysis seen in the deceased horses... Read More
Rattlesnake Bites in Horses: A Retrospective Review
October 16, 2011
Researchers noted a 9% mortality rate in horses bitten by rattlesnakes.... Read More
Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue and its Effect on Broodmares
August 22, 2011
Tall fescue produces a toxic alkaloid that causes disorders in broodmares that consume the forage.... Read More
Toxic Blue-Green Algae Forces Trail Event Cancellation
August 01, 2011
A competitive trail riding event in Kansas was canceled due to blue-green algae in Big Hill Reservoir. ... Read More
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Case Studies in Equine Toxicology
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Black Walnut Risks in Horse Pastures
Q. Is it dangerous for my horse to graze near areas with black walnut trees and walk through fallen walnuts?


text:
© 2006 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Chavez leaps into highlight reel
Robs Rolen of home run, completes double play
By Jack O'Connell / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Endy Chavez, who began the National League Championship Series on the Mets' bench, joined an array of New York outfielders in postseason play with larceny in their gloves. Chavez's remarkable catch in the sixth inning of Game 7 on Thursday turned a potential two-run home run by Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen into a double play. At the park where the curtain call first gained prominence in the 1980s, Chavez had the unusual request to come out of the dugout not just once but twice, and not for hitting a home run, either. Seldom does a defensive play warrant such attention. "Within the context of a game, that was the most unbelievable play I've ever seen on a baseball diamond," Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado said. "When I got to the fence, I thought I had no chance," Chavez said. "I've made some good catches in my career, but I never took away a home run like that." It brought to mind other dazzling October plays in this city. There were the game-saving catches by center fielder Tommie Agee and right fielder Ron Swoboda at Shea Stadium for the Mets in the 1969 World Series. Going back even farther, there were the catches made at Yankee Stadium by two Brooklyn Dodgers left fielders, Al Gionfriddo robbing Joe DiMaggio in the 1947 World Series and Sandy Amoros doing the same to Yogi Berra in the 1955 World Series. And at the Mets' original home, the Polo Grounds, where the New York Giants once resided, center fielder Willie Mays made his famous "money catch" off Indians first baseman Vic Wertz in the deepest part of center field in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. Mets manager Willie Randolph came to the mound after Oliver Perez walked Jim Edmonds with one out in the sixth and Scott Rolen coming to bat. Chad Bradford, the sidearming right-hander, was warming in the bullpen. Rolen had a premonition that Bradford would enter the game at that point. After Game 6, Rolen noted: "Bradford has been tough on me. I have a pretty good idea that I'm going to be facing Bradford at some point again." After talking it over with Perez and catcher Paul Lo Duca, Randolph elected to stay with his starter. "I felt Oliver had enough to go against Rolen," Randolph said. "I liked the matchup with Rolen. He has a good high fastball, and I thought he pitched to him pretty well." The move seemed questionable when Rolen tore into a Perez delivery and hit a drive to deep left that had the look of a two-run home run that would have given the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
Chavez, who replaced Cliff Floyd (sore left Achilles tendon) as the Mets' left fielder in Game 1 of this series, then went into his act. Chavez ran to the warning track, planted his right foot, leaped at the wall and raised his glove (right) hand. The ball was on the way down when Chavez snared it. He came to earth with the ball cradled in his glove resembling a snow cone."I just tried to jump as high as I could," Chavez said. "My glove almost came off when I caught the ball. I was trying to keep it in my glove." "It was an unbelievable play," said Rolen. "You are going to see a lot of highlights for that play for a long time. I thought it went over the fence. I saw some white when he caught the ball. I thought it bounced and went over the fence." As was the case with Amoros, Chavez helped the Mets get another out with a strong throw to shortstop Jose Reyes, whose relay to Delgado doubled up Edmonds, who was well past second base when Rolen's drive was caught. "When I came down, I saw that Edmonds was past second," Chavez said. "Reyes and [second baseman Jose] Valentin were waving at me for the ball. I just threw it in their direction and hoped one of them caught it." When Chavez returned to the Mets dugout, Perez greeted him with a hug. Then the fans began chanting for him to take a couple of bows. "I know the play gave the team more energy," Chavez said. "It was exciting. Everyone was going crazy. I was going crazy, too."
Jack O'Connell is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Newcomer Martin offers high praise for pitching staff
By Tom Singer / MLB.com
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Russell Martin's first impression of Pirates pitchers was a jaw-dropper.
"This is the first time I've seen so many live arms in one camp, and I've been to nine of them," the Bucs' new catcher said following a blustery workout at Pirate City.
This was quite a commentary coming from someone who spent the first phase of his career with the traditionally pitching-rich Dodgers and the last two years with the Yankees' best-money-can-buy staff.
But Martin, in a crash course to familiarize himself with his inherited staff, has had his head turned.
"Everyone's got really live arms," he said. "This is good stuff. It's impressive. I'm impressed. I don't think guys on the team even realize what they have right now."
Lefty Sanchez impresses Bucs during BP session
BRADENTON, Fla. -- It would be incorrect to say all other activity at Pirate City stopped when Jonathan Sanchez took the mound. But all eyes did turn to Field 1, which became the camp's focal point on Sunday for Sanchez's two-inning turn in batting practice.
Front-office types, personnel mavens and coaches congregated behind the batting cage to get a look at and evaluate the veteran, yet non-roster, left-hander's stuff.
Sanchez showed them plenty.
"He had a good day," said one of the interested observers, manager Clint Hurdle. "He threw free and easy, very good velocity, and threw some good breaking balls. We saw what we were hoping to see. He had some very nice sequences, for his first time on the mound. Now we hope to see the consistency that he'll need."
The initial interest in Sanchez is understandable: He could be a terrific find for the Pirates at a Major League salary of $1,375,000 if he makes the club. But his clock is already ticking, since he will be able to request his release on March 24 if not yet on the big-league roster.
Draft pick Gaffney considering return to baseball
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Tyler Gaffney, the Pirates' 24th-round Draft choice last June who has decided to return to Stanford for his final season of football eligibility, will consider resuming his baseball career following graduation, according to Larry Broadway, the club's director of Minor League operations.
"We have spoken with Tyler and he has decided to put his professional baseball career on hold in order to complete his undergraduate degree at Stanford and play his senior year with the football team," Broadway said. "He had nothing but positive things to say about the organization and would like to keep open the possibility of returning to the Pirates once he has completed his education and football career.
"We respect his decision, which was ultimately a difficult one for him to make, and wish him nothing but success and good health until he returns."
Gaffney, an outfielder, made a solid pro debut at State College last summer, batting .297 with an OPS of .924 in in 111 at-bats.
Worth noting
• For the first time in more than a quarter-century, there could be some confusion if someone on one of Pirate City's fields calls out, "Maz!"
Bill Mazeroski, the Bucs' Hall of Fame second baseman, is of course here. But so is Vin Mazzero, the right-hander. The only other "Maz" in Pirates history? Lee Mazzilli, the 1983-86 outfielder.
• James McDonald has been having a good time reconnecting with a couple of new Pirates with whom he had come through the Dodgers farm system -- infielder Ivan De Jesus and catcher Lucas May.
Last word
"His cumulative experience can be valuable. And you can tell after just a couple of days in camp that he is a positive influence. But ... you've still got to be able to play." -- Pirates GM Neal Huntington, on veteran Brandon Inge, signed to provide help in the clubhouse and off the bench.
Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog Change for a Nickel. He can also be found on Twitter @Tom_Singer. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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text:
Hello peeps! My secret name that I'll go by
( If you don't mind) is Wolfy, me and my BEST FRIEND, came up with that name, and I am trying to write a nice lil' Fan Fiction about ' him'
So hello to all of you!
I am still in school, but I hope to write a couple stories about now :-)
It would please my hopfully for some Review and Read if I make a Fic in the end
:-) Until we meet again, fellow readers!


text:
Can you let me know bits of information:
Can you let me know how use the ZoneAlarm Security Suite, only with the Lists. This would make it so much easier for me having to get rid of spam. Is there a way of doing this.
Operating System:Windows XP Pro
Product Name:
Software Version:


text: I have a bad habit of putting things in parentheses (a fact that annoys my brother). I like to procrastinate (SO not good for my grades!) I tend to lose all common sense when I'm angry (so don't provoke me). I think JKR is the goddess of writing and I would do anything to have her talent (ebay here I come!). I will try to create a story soon. It will be called "Before and After". It is a romance fic mostly based on James and Lily but it will have other ships. I am new at this so it might suck. If you wanna email me (for some strange reason) my email address email@example.com. Good bye. All hail JKR! *Vala*


text: Good morning, Boxer Cafe has started to now advertise some of the pieces that they made for our bike, pretty cool. Craig Schmidt the owner is awesome and a enthusiastic to say the least, thanks Craig for all the hard work. He has always been a fan of Josh's work and we are so glad that they agreed to provide these parts for our build.