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Looking for jokes and funny text messages? Search no more 'coz you're in the right place. Below is our collection of jokes and funny text messages and text messages that you can copy and send to your friends via text/sms or paste in your facebook or twitter accounts.
Jokes and Funny Text Messages collection
- FROG: what does my future hold?
FAIRY: you'll meet someone who wants to know everything about you.
FROG: great! Will I meet her in a party?
FAIRY: no. in biology class
A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, "I would like to buy some cyanide."The pharmacist asked, "Why in the world do you need cyanide?"The lady replied, "I need it to poison my husband."The pharmacist's eye got big and he exclaimed, "Lord have mercy! I can't give you cyanide to kill your husband. That's against the law! I'll lose my license! They'll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things will happen.
Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide! "The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife.
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, "Well now, that's different. You didn't tell me you had a prescription."
The family is sitting at the dinner table.The son asks his father, "Dad, how many kinds of boobies are there?"
The father, surprised, answers, "Well son, there's three kinds of breasts. In her twenties, a woman's breasts are like melons, round & firm. In her thirties & forties, they are like pears, still nice, but hanging a bit. After fifty, they are like onions."
"Yes, you see them, and they make you cry.??
This infuriated his wife and daughter so the daughter says, "Mom, how many types of "willies" are there?
"The mother, surprised, smiles and answers, "Well dear, a man goes through three phases. In his twenties, his willie is like an oak tree, mighty and hard. In his thirties & forties, it's like a birch tree, flexible but reliable. After his fifties, it is like a Christmas tree."
"A Christmas tree??"
Yes dear, dead from the root up and the balls are for decoration only."
Bert always wanted a pair of authentic cowboy boots. He's an elderly man and figures he's not getting any younger. So seeing some on sale one day, he buys them, wears them home, walking proudly.He walks into the house and says to his wife:
"Notice anything different about me?'"
Margaret looks him over, "Nope" she says.
Frustrated Bert storms off into the bathroom, undresses, and walks back into the room completely naked except for the boots. Again, he asks, a little louder this time, "Notice anything different NOW?"
Margaret looks up and says, "Bert, what's different? It's hanging down today, it was hanging down yesterday, and it'll be hanging down again tomorrow.
"Furious, Bert yells, "AND DO YOU KNOW WHY IT'S HANGING DOWN, MARGARET?'" 'Nope', she replies.
Bert Yells 'CAUSE IT'S LOOKIN' AT MY NEW BOOTS"
To which Margaret replies… "Should have bought a hat, Bert, Should have bought a hat."


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Search Results Showing Item 5 of 57
The language of flowers : A Novel
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- ISBN: 9780345525567 (electronic bk)
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- Publisher: [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2011.
Content descriptions
|Summary, etc.:
|NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what's been missing in her life. And when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.
|Target Audience Note:
Text Difficulty 4
UG/Upper grades (9th-12)
5.8 ATOS Level
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Electronic reproduction. New York : Ballantine Books, 2011. Requires OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 2807 KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB).
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Search Results Showing Item 5 of 57

subset: commoncrawl


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Rent-A-WreckConsumerAffairs Unaccredited Brand
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32 Rent-A-Wreck Consumer Reviews and Complaints
I reserved a car in Seattle. Chris, the "customer service agent" was the rudest jerk I have ever dealt with in my life as a consumer! The car they gave me had a huge crack in the windshield, it smelled badly, and was filthy inside and out. Even though I had a reservation I had to wait 2 hours before anyone brought back a car for me to drive. As I was driving to my hotel the car died twice, so I brought it back the next day, ruining all of my business plans for that day.
Chris was there and was not apologetic at ALL. It is difficult to get across just how rude he was to me, like renting me this malfunctioning car was my fault. He even yelled at me. He wouldn't give me a different car! Someone brought in a manual transmission car and he grudgingly let me have it after quite some time, only because no one else could drive it. I had just filled the returned car with gas and had to fill this new one with gas-- what a waste of money and time. I have never witnessed such awful customer service in my life! Rent-A-Wreck obviously does not stand behind their cars, and the customer has no rights. I will never rent from this company again.
I rented a car from them that was dented completely around the outside of the car. The inside of the car smelled horrible & the cloth seats were stained, floor needed to be vacuumed. A hour after driving the car it started to have mechanical issues. I called the Glen Burnie, MD office where I picked the car up from. The man that I spoke with started yelling at me about the issue. Which was that the car was overheating, a red light came on & the thermostat kept jumping to hot & back down to cool. Me & this man was on the phone arguing & I threatened to call the BBB.
He then let me speak to the manager who told me the car just needed a coolant. I told him that it was not my responsibility to do any maintenance on their car. He then told me to go to a gas station & wait for 1.5 hours for him to come bring me another car. I told him no I would not do that. We then agreed for him to meet me at my home. The new car that he gave me had the same disgusting look & smell on the inside...
That car also had a coolant issue. I bought a coolant myself because I needed to get back & forth from work. And had no other transportation options. I was scared to turn on the A/C. I sprayed the cloth seats with Febreze & put air fresheners inside of the car. Nothing worked to kill that horrific smell. This place was a cheap option... NEVER AGAIN... I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy. Oh yea I forgot, I went to their bathroom & there was NO RUNNING WATER in the sink. How do they wash their hands? They just leave out & shake customers' hands knowing they haven't washed them after wiping their **!
This has been absolutely the worst experience with a business of any kind that I have had. I reserved my car and followed all instructions. Unfortunately my flight was cancelled due to severe weather that was approaching that evening. When I called to cancel my rental I was told that I was going to be charged the full amount anyway! What? They said they would as a "courtesy" let me use it as a credit for a future rental. Problem is, this trip was for a specific purpose and I have no plans to go to Newark. These are deceptive practices. No one should be expected to pay for something that was not provided. All I can say is...Believe all of the negative reviews and stay far, far away from this place. I will be fighting this for sure!!
Simple advice.. DO NOT RENT CAR WITH THEM. NEVER EVER. They are playing with ones plans. I rented a car with them and they gave me way, way OLD car and its door was not functioning and I was not able to open door/get into the car itself and it was 11 PM night time. And no one was there to answer my questions. When I call them, they did not receive and finally I had to take Uber and they ruined my whole week plans. I called them 10 times and left VM over Saturday, Sunday, but they did not call me on Monday. I only had to call them that "I did not use your service as car was garbage and door was not functioning," and they were not at all feeling bad about this. They said "but we were able to open the door," then I said "I have a video of the car condition" then they said "we don't care. We were able to open the door."
Then I asked my credit card company to file dispute, and when credit card company call them, that said, they tried to reach me many time but I did not reply him. That was biggest lies. I am not sure what to write for this company. Please see attachment for the CAR they gave me. It might look good in picture but in real it was worst than worst and the door condition. And when we call they are saying nothing is wrong with door.
I received a phone call from James from the Newark Airport location who was informing me that I needed to sign some forms that were emailed to me regarding liability insurance. I explained that I was driving, but that I had some questions, and asked if he could explain what the insurance would provide? He told me that the forms are "self-explanatory" insisting that he is very busy but told me I was not interested in reading them. I reminded him that it was his job to explain his forms to me because I am unsure what the liability coverage is for. He said that it was "my job to drive one of his cars". Then he corrected himself and said, actually it was a "privilege" to be driving one of his cars. I told him it was a privilege to have a license to drive, but unsure why he was telling me that it was my job or my privilege to drive his Rent-A-Wreck car? His customer service skills were horrendous and he was extremely argumentative!
I was not asking him neurosurgery advice, I was asking him to relay to me what was covered. He must have felt really out of place being asked and was abrasive, arrogant, rude, and condescending. He called me, and he is what I had to deal with for answering the call from Rent-A-Wreck? I told him this was my first experience renting from this company and still could not answer my very "self-explanatory" question. Now, I do not know that I can trust them when I have to pick up my car tomorrow and it is too late to get my money back fully refunded. I will never do business with Rent-A-Wreck again! First and last experience! I normally rent with Hertz and Enterprise for business and I will continue with them from now on.
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The "company" is a total scam. The car was delayed for over six hours without notice, charged cancellation fee even though the fault was theirs! Very rude and ignorant people. The office location of the business does not exist. Stay away from these scammers!
I also would give a zero star rating if possible. We made a reservation for a car in Seattle for the Christmas holiday season. We had to cancel because of complications, so I called Rent-A-Wreck in Seattle where the rude employee told me that they had charged my CC $25 cancellation fee. I told him I had just made the reservation first of all, and secondly, no other car rental company charges for a cancellation if done 24 hours before pick up. And thirdly, there was no reason to be rude, as we have dealt with many other car rental companies in the past (and present) and have always been treated with professionalism. He told me to "go **" myself, and hung up the phone!!! This mistreatment seems to be the norm, rather than the exception for Rent-a-Wreck. I will make it my mission to spread this information to every travel site I can. Their behavior is unacceptable in any situation. Beware!!!
I found this on their website: "We may affectionately refer to our cars as wrecks, but our fleet of clean, well maintained and safety inspected vehicles..." It's a complete lie!! I booked a minivan on 30th Aug. The car was a mess. One of the chairs inside was broken. It was pretty dirty on the inside as well. I had to buy a cleaning agent to clean up the car before I could let my family sit in there. The staff was not helpful at all in changing the car or getting it cleaned. The car was vibrating crazy once I reached the freeway. I will definitely really not recommend it.
MECHANICALLY UNSAFE, which was not apparent until either freeway speeds were reached or it was raining (significant pull to the left, brakes were sketchy when wet, wipers were so BAD I had to find a place to pull off and have them replaced); ILLEGAL TO DRIVE (the windshield was cracked which they assured me was not illegal, but when I checked with a former WA cop was assured I could be stopped and issued a ticket for the offense); The driver's side had a BROKEN WINDOW that got stuck in the down position and once I was able to raise it again I could not use it (making drive through situations interesting); and it was a SMOKE FILLED mess.
I don't care what the car looks like. I accepted the 167K dented mess (considering the name, I knew what I was getting into). But when I asked for another car I was told this was the last one. When I called another franchise after being on the road for thirty minutes and starting to realize the list of issues, I was told they couldn't fix it either. The final straw was when it started to pour on my way back north from Oregon and the brakes got wonky and I had to pull off and replace the wipers. I was on my way back to SeaTac. Was I supposed to pull off the freeway in the pouring rain and hope some person from this franchise was going to drive down and pick me up??? I was just told I should have brought the car back when I discovered the problems. So their argument was I was supposed to test drive the car, in the rain, before accepting it?? The website says the cars will be "safe". That is a total lie.
Not only will I never use this franchise again EVER. But the corporation has lost my business for life. It took over a week for corporate to finally contact me to tell me it was my fault I wasn't getting even a partial refund. The local franchise still hasn't had the guts or decency to respond to me. It's been over three weeks since I returned the car with a two-page letter detailing my concerns. I almost put my kids into this car without knowing what I was stepping into. This must stop before someone is killed.
My husband made a reservation for my son and sister and their dates changed and tried to cancel the reservation. And Jose the manager said that I could not and that my husband had signed the paperwork - contract. What a rude person.
Actually, consider this a ZERO star review. I flew across country for a very important job interview. Since it was a quick stay (1 day), and last minute, I booked with RAW: they were the only ones that had the availability I needed. The two year old Nissan I was given looked great, but the A/C didn't work. They offered to fix it, but as I was on a strict time frame I couldn't wait, so opted to drive the no A/C vehicle. All was great until after I checked into my hotel, then went to grab a quick lunch. The car refused to start. After about 10 minutes of trying, it finally came to life. I had RAW on the phone and was told there "isn't anything wrong with the car" and "the lady that just brought it back didn't complain," and "just drive it." So... I stop for lunch and guess what, the car doesn't start again. Another call to RAW: I told them to bring me a new car as I needed something reliable to get me to the interview.
The gentleman on the line said maybe I "could get a jump from someone," but they couldn't drive the 36 miles to bring me a working vehicle. He suggested the problem might be the engine kill switch and to keep trying. I spent 30 minutes in the heat before it finally started. However, that luck didn't last long enough to get me to my interview on time! I was stuck on the side of the road, in the middle of the desert at noon (in a black dress suit), praying that a cab would come out that far. Though I got a cab in the desert (for an additional $40), I was late to the interview. Rent-A-Wreck apologized profusely telling me they were on the way with a different car, that a wrecker would pick up the original, and RAW would refund ALL my money. It's a week later, and of the $123.10 I paid for a one day rental, I've received a refund for $49. They assessed me a $72 surcharge (!!!) for using 1/2 gallon of gasoline. When they say RENT-A-WRECK, they're not joking.
Rent-a-Wreck's website states: "We keep our fleet of cars, trucks, and vans clean and well-maintained; they are far from wrecks! Our vehicles are more like the cars you drive everyday." My car, however, was in fact an absolute wreck. To list just a few of its deficiencies: trunk was broken and would not open; interior reeked of mildew and the sun visors overhead light, and vent covers had been ripped out; turn signal did not work; tires were noticeably under-inflated and car could not be safely driven over 55 mph (one tire eventually went entirely flat); headlights were so clouded that driving at night was unsafe.
Clearly this is not an everyday used car. Renting a car of this deplorable condition is not only deceitful and unprofessional, but due to the risk to my safety and life, also seriously unethical and a huge legal and financial liability to Rent-a-Wreck. (What would have happened if I have been in an accident caused by the broken turn signal or under-inflated tires?) To say I am appalled and furious with Rent-a-Wreck is an understatement. I will ensure my experience is known by as many people as I can, and that others never make the mistake I did and rent from a company as shameful and shady as Rent-a-Wreck.
We hired two cars from here last autumn. One had a collapsed suspension and bald tires and the other had brake disks so worn that the disk was being ground down. After returning home we got a bill for 10,000 NOK for damage to the underfloor of the car with collapsed suspension. Avoid at all costs.
On a trip to New York with the family, we decided to rent a 6-passenger van from Rent-A-Wreck in Newark NJ. When a shuttle bus brought us to a parking lot to pick up the vehicle, I was shown the vehicle I was expected to drive off the lot with my family in tow. This is where everything went south very quickly. The vehicle was rundown. Trim missing from the bumper (front and rear), nasty sagging seats that were uncomfortable just to look at and generally looking like it was driven for some time in a third-world country before being retired to Rent-A-Wreck in Newark, NJ. There was NO WAY I was going to pay $694.48 for what was literally a wreck and put my family through that.
I was given a number to call and spoke to a girl about my concerns. She put me on hold and got back to me after speaking to her boss. The option I was given was to take this vehicle for four days and return on Wednesday for a better vehicle. I explained that I was headed to Warwick, NY and that returning four days later to pick up a better vehicle was out of the question. I asked to speak to her boss. He or she never called me back. Subsequently I rented an Infinity SUV from Hertz as soon as I left that lot for about 75.00 less.
The face sheet of their used car rental and leasing states, "In the event that a van is not available due to circumstances beyond our control, we agree to refund your money back in full." That never happened and I am currently two months later going on round 2 of trying to get my credit card issuer to settle this matter. I live in Arizona and just happened to check the local Rent-A-Wreck website. The images of the vehicles are not even close to representing what I was supposed to drive my family around the state of New York for a week.
Please do not rent a vehicle from this franchise location based on the images on the internet. You will have your trip ruined, lose your money and have a very frustrating experience with people that have no business sense regarding customer satisfaction. Do yourself a big favor and shop around and deal with a reputable company who stands behind their product with pride. Sign up for all the rental company membership cards and get their discounts on rentals. If you want to drive a vehicle that looks like it just returned from the ISIS fleet of war vehicles, then Rent-A-Wreck in Newark, NJ is the place for you. But PLEASE, leave your family home.
In the spring of 2015 I reserved a minivan from Rent-A-Wreck. Soon after making the reservation I was contacted by a customer service rep. telling me that if I didn't want to get one of their old cars I would have to pay an additional $200. I declined. A little while later the rep called me back and said she would have to cancel the reservation because I was not willing to pay the extra $200. She said this was a policy dictated by the head office. I told her I expected to get the best car available at the price quoted in the reservation. I checked the Rent-A-Wreck website at that time and could not find any mention of different pricing for different aged vehicles and the same vehicle for the same time was still available for the same price.
True to her word, the vehicle we received was in horrible shape. The car had over 200,000 miles on it with major dents on all sides of the vehicle and duct tape on the side window. The tires were so bald that at one point while driving up a straight not-very-steep hill on a major highway the tires started to skid out. The dirtiness and smell of the interior was truly disgusting. We had to air out the car before we could even get in. The car had not been vacuumed or cleaned and had less than half a tank of gas. We also had to pay a parking fee to a third party when we picked up the car. While using the car it died and we had to call for roadside assistance to get a jump start. The battery had not been installed properly and we spent a day of our trip finding a mechanic and getting the electrical system looked at as well as one of the tires repaired. This resulted in us having to book an additional hotel since we could not make it to the hotel we had planned to stay in.
While we were dealing with getting the vehicle repaired the customer service rep at the Rent-A-Wreck head office insisted he would take care of us. When the repairs were complete and I asked for compensation for costs associated with dealing the repair of the vehicle he said he wouldn't be able to help us and immediately his phone started cutting out and went dead and I never heard from him again. I tried emailing him the receipts for costs but never received a response. I also emailed my request for compensation to the office I rented the vehicle from and never received a response.
WHAT A MISTAKE. I do not even know where to start. I made reservations to rent a minivan from the Rent-A-Wreck car rental company. I called and confirmed my car rental 3 (three) days in advance. I also called and asked questions, and the night before, I called again just to double check. When I came to pick up the car (on time at 2 p.m.) I was informed that they did not have the car. I was there left without a car, planned and scheduled to leave to South Carolina in one hour. Not one person seemed to care. This was on Friday, July 31 of 2015. The staff is so unprofessional and unfortunately very ignorant. No word of sympathy, or "We apologize." All they wanted for me to do is to leave.
I am a business owner myself. The way they operate this location is embarrassing and something should be done about it. I was not willing to leave, and please believe me I kept my cool and professionalism to the end. No change of tone on my behalf. Believe me, I wanted to scream, but the people working there would ignore that too. The girl that was assisting me was on her phone playing a game and answering to her personal text messages. I requested to speak to a manager. When he came out of his office same ignorant reaction, following with the words "Someone did not return the car that we had reserved for you" Well, "Thanks a lot." Maybe, just maybe someone could have called to let me know.I was advised to drive to Midway Airport to rent a car and they would reimburse the difference. Just imagine it is already an hour later and I am stuck in traffic going to the airport to rent a car. At the airport, going from one rental company to the other, standing in lines, finding out that they do not accept walk-ins.
Finally at the 6th or 7th rental company after 1.5 additional hours I rent a small SUV. The total price for our rental $1,700.00 compared to the $700.00 that I was supposed to pay at Rent-A-Wreck.I called before I finalize this transaction just to make sure Rent-A-Wreck would cover the difference. I was assured by the young lady working with me at the Rent-A-Wreck that they would. I took the SUV. Had to call one of my employees to come with another person to pick up my personal vehicle from the airport.
On my way home I stopped by Rent-A-Wreck to give them the bill. With what I went through already there was no trust left. I went in and gave them the paperwork on the SUV car rental. She (the very same person that guaranteed that the Rent-A-Wreck would cover the difference) called the manager. He looked at the $1,000.00 difference and told me that they can only pay $490. I would pay for taxes, everyone has to pay that, and the $1,000.00 difference would have to be covered by me.
I thought that I was going to cry. I told them that I had no choice but to return the car to the airport and end up without a car. I went to the airport and returned the SUV. I was charged a $130.00 fee for renting the SUV and returning it after only an hour. After sitting in the Rent-A-Wreck office I listened to conversations that employees there had with other clients. All were complaining, and all were ignored and treated with no respect. This company should have their license taken away. NEVER AGAIN. At the end I ended up with a 15 passenger van (made reservations for a 7 passenger minivan) there were 6 people traveling with us. The gas expense was out the roof.
I had a appointment and a car on reservation and we were going to the BWI location. We were looking for the Rent-A-Wreck location and it wasn't until we were in with the rest of the rental car location that the lady on the phone with us (Melissa) said "Oh that's right. At BWI it's called Car One." We went over to Car One and we told the lady what we just went through and she said "Oh I'm sorry you went through all that." She has us give her our bank card and insurance papers. She does all the paperwork, checks our insurance and 20 minutes later says "Oh we now have no car for you." I am calling BBB and putting my experience with this place on Facebook, and letting all my employees and their families and mine know how this company is unless something is done about this situation.
I reserved a minivan July 21st, 2015 for August 12th, 2015 - August 17th, 2015. August 11th I received a voicemail stating that they didn't have the van available. The claim was that people were not bringing in the vans so they gave me a number to another rental agency that wanted double the money I would have paid for the van I had reserved. I could not find another van on such short notice within my price range. I ended up driving two cars for family vacation. A total inconvenience not dependable at all. I will NEVER do business with this company again.
I showed up to pick up the vehicle I had reserved and was greeted with "well you're a no show you had to be here an hour ago" followed by "I don't understand why you were able to reserve something we don't even have". What kind of service is this?!?! Then another rude individual came in and started going off on me about their 1 hour grace period that nobody mentioned on the phone nor was it anywhere in writing in my confirmation email. WORST COMPANY EVER!!!
This was the worst experience I've ever had with renting a car. Customer Service was very unprofessional, rude and nasty. They weren't helpful or accommodating with the issue we were having with the car. I asked for a full car in size. I was given a Mazda 6 which was totally unacceptable for any kind of driving. The signal light was crushed. It had a different color front fender on the driver side. It looked like it was in an accident missing hubcaps, dents and scrapes, scratched all up and the inside was filthy, dirty, and nasty and reeked of marijuana. This car should not be on the road at all!!!
Then I was given a Mercedes Benz c480 which was smaller, which was dented, scraped, scratched. Also 2277 miles past its oil change. It was dirty. Car mats were stained up and the doors had dirty oil stains and the CD changer did not work. The chairs were stained and filled with all kinds of crumbs. It had not been cleaned. Rims were dirty and the seats had all kinds of trash under them. No paper work for the car to prove rental, no driver's manual. I fully intend on making a formal complaint against this company.
I'm not sure if this is a franchise or not, but I will take this matter to the proper department to see that something is done! I'm very upset and disgusted on top of that disappointed with it all service and product .Only reason why I took the car is because it was too late to go to another company to rent a car and I didn't want to lose 75.00 for cancellation for nothing .They don't deserve free money. It was pertinent that I get to Florida for my granddaughter's graduation.
I needed to get a car due to an emergency. I booked online and got an confirmation. My car was reserved for 5pm. I get there early at about 4:30 pm. When I got to the rental place, there was a note on the door saying... "Sorry we missed you!" I waited, knocked, called to no avail. It was hot, I had no air and my car would not start. My husband was out of town and I need to pick up my daughter from the train station. This is why I needed to get a rent a car in the first place.
Needless to say, I was livid and scared because I had no way to get my daughter!!! I would never use this business again!! It was the worst experience ever. They should be shut down. I never got a call and when I called, they say or after you book online, "You should call to confirm that we have a car available to you!!!" What!!! This was the general manager that would not pick-up the phone. When I found that out, it made it even worse. A manager would do that??? Never again! ** the manager and the Rent-a-Wreck association both suck!!!
I had already bought an alternator and was quoted 2 hours of labor. Instead he replaces my battery and tells me that my alternator was fine...and hit me with a bill that was 235$. Not fair, I could have changed my battery for way cheaper. But I could not change the alternator because it was on the bottom and back of my engine...and now here we are 1 week later and my alternator is acting up again.
I needed to rent a car for Christmas Day at Newark Airport and upon only finding very expensive car rentals was planning on canceling our reservation for a cabin in the Hudson Valley as the car was going to cost as much as the cabin. That is until we came across Rent-A-Wreck searching for car rentals on Kayak. We booked a car for 200 dollars which was advertised on Kayak and significantly cheaper than the other rental companies.
Two days later I get an email from Rent-A-Wreck saying "We do not have any vehicles available for the time period you are looking for, nothing has been charged to your credit card. Our website was blocked at the time period you made the reservation because we were sold out, there was a glitch that allowed you to make the reservation. We apologize in advance but have no availability for Christmas day as we will also be closed."
So I check Kayak and turns out the 'glitch' is completely made up. I can still book cars on Rent-A-Wreck for the same price and same days. Not only do they advertise cars that are not present they advertise being open on days they are not. Now it is too late to cancel our cabin reservation and we are booking a car for 400 dollars from somewhere else. Rent-A-Wreck needs to stop falsely advertising cars that are not there on days they are not open on Kayak, which is a major hotel/flight/car rental purveyor. It is completely unacceptable they do not provide correct information and booking thru Kayak. This also extends to their website as Kayak forwards you to their website and that is where you complete the booking.
I rented from Rent A Wreck to pick up a car at Newark Airport. I was told I would receive confirmation that day of renting online, however it didn't come until I had just boarded the plane for Newark. I had called them repeatedly the night before as well as that morning but they just said it was coming. I couldn't get it up on my phone, so I called them and they told me to not worry the car would be waiting. I ordered a sub-compact car, as it's easier to park both in New Jersey Tri State area. I arrive Newark, and after waiting about 20 minutes and 3 phone calls, was picked up and brought to the lot that had the car waiting. I was shocked to see it was a yellow sports car, with lights completely fogged over.
I was in a foldable wheel chair, which would not fit in the trunk and took major work to get it in the back seat. I was traveling to New Jersey to see specialists for my foot. I had surgery in May and was still unable to walk. I went back into the office and they said there wasn't a Rent A Wreck representative there and that this car was the only one they owned on the lot. It was actually a parking lot for people who fly out of Newark or workers at Newark Airport that leave their cars there for a fee.
I called the company direct and was told the same thing. It got much worse. By now I had seen a copy of the contract and all of the fees that were not disclosed including driving it to New York. One of my destinations - it's within 10 miles from where I picked up the car. Now having no other choice I had a doctor's appointment to get to direct from there and was not late because of this experience. I take pictures of the car inside and out, then with no other choice, get in the car and note all of the things wrong with it including the missing air vents, electric switch to move seat was just hanging on a wire, windshield wipers that were all worn out, very hard to see causing a dangerous situation in addition as soon as I stopped at the exit of the parking lot, it appeared the brakes weren't working well if at all.
I called again and they said they didn't have anything except a Mercedes to rent to me but it would cost a lot more. I actually thought to myself, they must be filming this, but it was no joke. I literally crawled to the doctor's office. Never going over 30 miles even on the Garden State Parkway. It was crazy. The next morning, I ended up doing nothing else but trying to contact anyone that would listen at Rent A Wreck Corporate. My calls and time apparently went on deaf ears, because to this day, I haven't heard back even though I was told they would contact me. I tried get them to allow me to bring it to another Rent A Wreck location so that they could verify the shape of the car, but they said it wasn't possible - they were all franchisees and one couldn't do that.
To this day not sure why, but found rides to most places I needed to go to, and waited for them to contact me - 4 days later no word. Now two months later still no word. This car should not be rented and this company should be out of business. As a side note, the corporate website, states the cars they rent are not wrecks, they are the same cars everyone is driving. The name is just "catchy". When I told this to the location I rented from, they told me that's a lie. What did I think I was renting with a name like "Rent A Wreck" and that they can't control what is stated on the website! WOW, really hoping a lawyer comes up with a lawsuit and quick. I will definitely join forces. I wouldn't rent from them again, and I advise everyone to stay away from the NEWARK, NEW JERSEY location if they value their lives!!!
I called and attempted to rent a car from them but after not even getting halfway through the rental contract, I decided to cancel after I was told about all the fees if I rented with them. Fees which I couldn't find anywhere on their website when I was searching for a car. I told them to just cancel everything and I didn't even complete the contract.
I go to get gas later that evening for my car and was told it was declined... So I go home and I check my bank account and realize every penny in my account was gone! They charged me for every penny I had any way. How they knew the exact amount I had in my account I will never know. I was supposed to attend a very important conference for work the next day and now it looks like I have to miss it since all of my money was taken and I will have to wait several days for my bank to get my money back. I'm so pissed right now that they completely screwed me over! They have no 24-hr customer service even at their airport locations. I called every number on their site and either the numbers were out of service and the rest all closed.
I rented a vehicle from this company in August of 2013 for a personal vacation. During the vacation, the vehicle suddenly would not start. I called the office to report the stalled engine and they said I was too far from their office to send anyone to help me even though I was well within the 100mile radius from the office as defined by the contract. This resulted in my need to get jump starts twice from the roadside, flagging down passenger vehicles to help. I was forced to cut my vacation short as I no longer trusted the car and on my way to drop off the car early, it completely stopped working while driving on the freeway. I was stranded in the 2nd lane of the California 101 interstate freeway with oncoming traffic nearly rear-ending me. I was terrified. Nobody at the office picked up the phone and I was forced to find a towing service of my own.
Upon visiting the office after this ordeal, they were extremely rude to me and refused to refund more than a day's worth of expenses even though the car had been mechanically impaired for days prior. They told me I should have brought the car in when I first needed the jump start, not offering compensation for my lost days on vacation or terrifying experience. I was forced to cut my vacation short and experienced a terrifying evening stranded on the highway. When I went in to speak to them the worker said he couldn't do anything because the manager was not in and that the following morning, the manager would be in. The next morning, the manager was not in again. They spoke over me and did not even allow me a chance to speak. Their customer service is appalling and the vehicles they rent are dangerous.
This company is claiming a bumper was damaged on a car that we rented. The company said I overlook the damage to the bumper when we had to circle all marks on the car prior to renting the car. The car bumper had a tied-down on the body of the car. The car had a lot of chip paint marks. We did not hit or got hit when we had this car. It is a shame. God will win this battle.
Worst car ever. I understood I was renting a "wreck" but this was barely drivable. The transmission slipped. The sideview mirror was not the correct size (it literally looked like a purse mirror that had been glued on) and it did not stay in place rendering it useless. The rearview mirror actually fell off at a point. There were pieces of the car dragging underneath, causing a horrid noise and probably sparks. The trunk nor the glove box opened (luckily, I didn't need registration or insurance). The radio was missing buttons and only got in two stations.
It was so absolutely disgustingly dirty that I felt the need to shower within a blocks drive (I opted for a can of Lysol antibacterial wipes from the nearest convenience store). The a/c didn't work. It was 90 degrees and humid that day. There was 208.000+ miles on the thing. Beyond the car, both at pick up and drop off, the office wasn't open on time forcing me to wait around the back of their shady office (an old converted house). This is the shadiest place ever and hands down the worst. Most disgusting car I've ever sat in.
I wanted a car with air conditioning. I received a car with AC, but the AC was not working at all. I had to cancel my medical appointment in Philadelphia for this morning. The temperatures were to be oppressive in Philadelphia with high temperatures and high humidity. I also, received a car with many dents. The car was a mint green Taurus with 165,000 miles on it and it had orange paint all over the front fender. Most importantly, I don't feel like it was safe to drive because the brakes were not too good. It felt like I had to push the brake down to the floor to work. The interior was the worst! There's a cigarette butt in the back seat. The car was so dusty like it had not been used in a year. Simply put, the interior was filthy inside. I talked to Joe in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and he said I should return the car when they open and I will get a full refund.
I plan on returning the car when Rent-A-Wreck opens at 8:30 this morning. Plus, I had to wait from 3:20 to 4:30 to get the car! The car was sitting right there in the parking lot the whole time. Why did I have to wait so long? The car was on empty so I had to put gas in the car. They have a $100.00 deposit plus $53.00 in cash from me. I hope that I will be reimbursed like Joe from Scotch Plains, New Jersey mentioned to me. I really needed to go to this appointment in Philly and I am upset that I will not be able to go and I do not think that I will be able to reschedule in the near future. I needed this appointment.
On 06/22/10, I called Rent-A-Wreck. A representative, Jessica, informed me I could rent a Ford Focus at $169 for the week & needed $100.00 for deposit; the remaining balance will be charged once I returned the car. I went to Rent-A-Wreck, another rep., John, stated the Ford Focus isn't working & gave me a Dodge Neon. After getting home, I realized the car was lacking an inspection sticker & had an email attached in the left hand corner windshield explaining the car failed inspection. I called John & said what if I would've been pulled over for a simple spot check that would've been embarrassing. He said, "Don't worry, if you're pulled over, the ticket would've come to us." He gave me a Ford Taurus that I kept until I checked my bank account & noticed $100 was not charged, $373.05 was charged. I was under the assumption that $100 was the only amount to be held.
I immediately returned the car because they weren't telling me everything; instead were more focused on me signing the documents to take the car. I called the manager, Carl, who was absolutely rude. He decides to credit me for only 1 day & supposedly refunding $20 for gas & $19 for getting the Neon cleaned. My bank account was hit with approximately 11 overdraft fees. Moving forward, Carl said he won't reimburse me for the fees; this is pretty much "my fault". John then said I was getting 5-10% discount for my AAA Membership. When I dropped off the Ford Taurus, I asked John if my discount was applied & how much was it for. He stated it was & for 5%. Per AAA, there's no record of this transaction.
I've been back & forth with this facility due to their unprofessionalism, lack of courtesy & respect for me as a customer. I should've been fully compensated for my troubles as an out of state visitor. It's evident that the reps. at Rent-A-Wreck are more focused on a dollar instead of understanding the importance of valuing their customers. I'm outraged as to the neglect & treatment I received. I've been affected majorly financially. No one deserves this kind of abuse, neglect, rejection & deceit. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I have been financially damaged during my stay from Texas to New Jersey.
Rent-A-Wreck Company Information
- Company Name:
- Rent-A-Wreck
- Website:
- www.rentawreck.com


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O: McKenna Hall
Professor of Management and Information Systems
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com: 206-281-2377Office: McKenna Hall 204
Education: MBA, Ball State University, 1984; MDiv, Anderson University School of Theology, 1985; PhD, University of Passau, 1992. At SPU since 1992.
Gerhard Steinke came to the School of Business and Economics to bring leadership to the graduate Information Systems Management program. Born in Canada, he has worked for various Canadian government departments as well as a small consulting firm. His academic experience includes work at universities in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Germany. Dr. Steinke completed his doctoral work at the University of Passau in Germany in 1992.
Dr. Steinke has taught Information Systems and Information Security at Seattle Pacific University for the last 20 years. In addition, he has consulted for organizations such as Boeing, Microsoft, AT&T Wireless, and the state of Washington. His international assignments include teaching courses and seminars in Mexico, Dubai, Malaysia, and Romania.
Task-Based Security for Knowledge Base Systems
Reihe Informatik, Shaker Verlag, 1992
Please view Dr. Steinke's CV (PDF) for additional publications.
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We do wonder sometimes ... just how much money do the innovation team at Mars get paid? Now imagine this situation - a meeting at Mars HQ with the innovation team (the people in charge of coming up with new products!!)
Team Member 1: "We need a new idea for some new M&M's - got any ideas!?"
....cue long silence ....
Team Member 2: "Eureka!! How about MEGA M&M's!??"
Team Member 1: "What's a MEGA M&M!?"
Team Member 2: "It's a normal M&M ... but it's 3 times bigger"
Team Member 1: "Wow I never would have thought of that"
Well that's the situation we imagine happened at Mars HQ when coming up with these M&M's Mega Milk Chocolate. These folks are as said above ... normal M&M's but three times the size. They come in a 42.0g pack and in all the normal yellow, red, green, blue and brown colours.
7.0 out of 10


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Unscientific and potentially skewed surveys are hardly a means to determine the academic calendar for our public schools. It would be opportune for our School Board members and administrators, when considering the school calendar, to place priorities on assisting our children to be best prepared for academic success.
There are several logical reasons why the opening of the school year has been made earlier in recent years. Among the more well-known reasons are increased time for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test preparation. In addition, for many high school students, national and international achievement exams for International Baccalaureate and College Advanced Placement begin on approximately May 1 and run for about three weeks.
Teaching the curriculum for these exams is concluded by the end of April and once these exams are concluded, after the third week in May, school is essentially over for these students. Students deserve to be prepared as well as possible as the repercussions and ramifications are significant, both academically and financially (Florida students obtaining their IB Diploma receive 100 percent Bright Future Scholarships when attending Florida state schools). Not only is an additional two weeks of learning in August a significant benefit, but generally once these exams are finished in May, the class time for these ambitious and committed students is essentially non-productive.
We ought to attempt to consider all benefits to ensure success of all our students. Dr. Frank Till should be commended for taking this stand to give our children a brighter future, and the School Board members ought to reflect carefully and responsibly on what is best for the academic success of our children.


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Today is the day we are reopening the pool. Its pretty early to be open but, we wanted to get it going and see about getting some work done. we did have someone come out and fix the leaking light (hopefully)...when our pool was closed down the water drained down the light.
Does anyone know if that putty fix on the light actually hold and work?
we are also thinking of replacing the skimmer (it has the old rectangle shape) and maybe a replaster (maybe on that)....the pool is so old and needs some work but, we are hoping to get it all fixed up
hope to post pics soon...
I plan on becoming a life member and ordering our test kit....I'm just thrilled to find this forum and the wealth of experience and knowledge!!!
Christine (chris)
40yr IG gunite 20 x 40


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Home > WSU Press > Human Biology > Vol. 64 (1992) > Iss. 5
Article Title
Polymorphism and Differential Selection for the Sexes
Document Type
Various genetic models with different fitnesses for the sexes are investigated. Only a limited set of fitness values will result in a stable polymorphism, and the rate of approach to these equilibrium frequencies is extremely slow. These results indicate that there are problems associated with the interpretation of some human genetic traits by such models.
Recommended Citation
Livingstone, Frank B.
"Polymorphism and Differential Selection for the Sexes,"
Human Biology:
Vol. 64:
5, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol64/iss5/2


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Police in Cumberland County investigate a pair of weekend burglaries in the Allendale Development. The first burglary happened last Saturday evening at about 8:30 pm in the 100 block of Allendale Way. A 32 inch television was taken from a finished basement. No force was used in entering the house.
The second burglary happened in the 300 block of Blacklatch Lane during the overnight hours between Sunday night and Monday morning. A screen was removed and an unlocked window was opened to gain entry. A laptop computer near the window was taken.
Lower Allen Township Police say in both cases the burglar(s) gained entry through the backyard to the rear of the houses. Residents should be alert for suspicious persons walking through yards, and unusual vehicles not normally associated with the neighborhood or street.
Anyone with information on either crime is asked to contact Lower Allen Township Police via Cumberland County Communications at (717) 238-9676.


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Funding the Beef Checkoff and transportation issues emerged as top priorities when the Texas Farm Bureau Resolutions Committee met in Waco, Nov. 12 and 13, to sift through hundreds of policy resolutions submitted by County Farm Bureaus. The committee streamlined the resolutions for voting delegates who will take action at the TFB state convention in Waco, Dec. 1-3.
Noting that funding commodity promotion programs is important to Farm Bureau members, TFB Vice President Bobby Nedbalek of Sinton said the committee voted to increase the Beef Promotion and Research Checkoff from $1 to $2 per head to offset the effects of inflation. The $1 per head beef promotion program was started in 1985. The committee also supported a corresponding increase for imported boxed beef.
"We've seen the benefits we've received from the Checkoff as it has been and feel justified to increase the Checkoff contribution to do more promotion of beef," Nedbalek, the committee chair, said. "We realize how much good commodity promotion programs have done in the past and we're looking forward to the challenges to market our products in the future."
The committee also noted potential effects of the Trans-Texas Corridor and other toll roads on the future of transportation in Texas, and addressed those concerns. They supported increasing or indexing dedicated taxes for construction and improvement on non-toll roads.
"We're seeing all of the major highways across the state needing their maintenance costs to be taken care of by some means," Nedbalek said of the delegates' intent. "As we develop new highways and new interchanges, we have used up a lot of those funds. We don't have the surplus of funding in the transportation system now to accommodate our growth and maintenance."
Other resolutions set for consideration at the state convention would:
· Request immediate funding to eliminate fever ticks from the temporary preventive quarantine areas in Texas and to prevent their spread throughout the U.S.
· Support the use of state funds for maintaining small watershed flood control structures built under the USDA PL-566 program that are listed as public safety concerns.
· Address right-to-farm laws, noting that anyone moving into a farming area should not have the right to sue an agriculture producer because of dust, noise, odors or drift so long as the property had been in operation before the new resident moved in.
· Support tightening requirements to qualify for wildlife management valuation for property taxes.
Those resolutions that will advance to AFBF delegates for consideration at the national convention in New Orleans, La., in January include:
· Support any means to challenge and reverse the Supreme Court ruling on Kelo vs. City of New London.
· Support retaining the safety net provisions and disaster provisions in the 2007 Farm Bill.
· Oppose expansion of federal control of streams under the Clean Water Act.
Resolutions adopted at the Texas Farm Bureau state convention become policy that guides the organization throughout the coming year. Those resolutions approved by AFBF delegates in January will provide a roadmap for the national organization in 2008.


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AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Online coupon company WhaleShark Media said it was changing its name to RetailMeNot and acquiring the leading online coupon site in Holland, Actiepangina.nl.
The acquisition marks RetailMeNot's fourth in Europe, in addition to online-coupon companies VoucherCodes in the United Kingdom; Poulpeo in France; and Deals.com in Germany.
The company did not disclose the dollar amount of the latest deal, but a person familiar with the matter said Actiepangina cost under $10 million.
Bankers consider RetailMeNot a likely initial public offering candidate for late 2013.
Unlike companies like Groupon, known for working with small companies to provide one-off discounts, RetailMeNot works with larger companies to create online coupons that give smaller discounts, but more regularly. The model is closer to the traditional clipped coupon.
(Reporting By Sarah McBride; editing by Andrew Hay and Bob Burgdorfer)


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It wasn't even a week ago that US carrier Verizon filed court papers to block Apple's request to ban certain Samsung devices from the market. In the filing, Verizon has said that banning devices like the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Droid Charge, Infuse and Galaxy S 4G would not only hurt the company, but hurt consumer choice and the economy, as well. Today, T-Mobile has stepped up to voice their opinion on the situation.
According to a court filing T-Mobile made today, Magenta thinks a decision in Apple's favor would "unnecessarily harm" the carrier and its users. T-Mobile has been very clear that the holiday season depends on Samsung devices. They've already ordered enough to get them through Q4 2011; an investment that "cannot be recouped easily." They continue on to say, "at this late date, T-Mobile could not find comparable replacement products for the 2011 holiday season."
It's clear that T-Mobile is worried about losing revenue above all else, but consumers would largely benefit should Apple's injunction be rejected. The hearing on the injunction is only two weeks away, so don't be surprised if we see some other big names come up to support either side. Last time we brought up third-party voices in Samsung and Apple's legal battles, the general opinion seemed to be that they were a good thing. Still feel that way?


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Margie I really enjoy the workshops and our sessions. There are a few people I know in my situation or who have gone through a recent cataclysmic event who would benefit from this book you recommended and haven't had the pleasure of working with you for guidance. Thanks Margie you are a real support at this time. You make me feel more comfortable in this time of transition.
You have given me a chance to refocus and recharge. You have been a great help.
Regarding our recent program, I got a lot out of it and really happy that I did it. I already have a list of people I'm engaging with and I feel well prepared for the discussions I am having. I get the question "so what are you going to do now" and I am ready to respond to this.
I recently completed the C-I-T program and would recommend it to any leader at a road block in their career who is wondering how to make the right next step. The C-I-T program helped me think holistically about what is important in my life and understand where my work fits in. It gave me new insights into the critical things I need to look for in any role to be successful. Margie's deep commercial experience also showed through, in her practical advice.
My first contact with Margie was as a post-graduate recruit and since that time I have been fortunate to build an enduring professional association with her over the past 14 years. Margie's cross industry knowledge and experience, her considered and practical advice and unique ability to ask the 'right' clarifying questions at various change points in my career, have been invaluable as I've transitioned from graduate hire to an executive team leader today. She has exceptional skills in defining the most optimal career paths and determining other areas where an individual might best be suited. For anyone wishing to take that next career step or change career path, I would recommend Margie's CIT service without hesitation.
I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Margie over several years. Margie's approach is a good mix of pragmatism and innovation which helps deliver successful outcomes for people and business. I am continuously impressed with the long-term relationship approach Margie takes to support achieving the best all round outcomes.


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From the top of the Abbott Ridge Trail facing east in Glacier National Park, this 30M pixel panorama shows several mountain ranges and individual peaks including Mt. Sir Donald at over 10,600 ft, the Illecillewaet glacier, the Rogers Pass summit, highway #1, and much much more. A fabulous hiking area that I personally found beautiful the whole way up which is rare, the Abbott Ridge trail itself is almost a 1100m elevation gain so be prepared if you want to experience these amazing British Columbia features. [ 33 more words ]digitaldean.com/glacier-national-park/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Aside from the fact getting a massage just feels really good there are actually some suppressing pretty surprising health benefits.
1. Massage reduces muscle tension and can help to reduce stress.
2. Massage helps to stimulate the circulation of lymph fluid throughout the body which has a cleansing effect.
3. Many people find that massage is great at helping to reduce pain from things like fibromyalgia, arthritis and migraines.
4. Helps to circulate fresh oxygen into your blood.
5. Massage helps to maintain and improve flexibility of the joints.
6. Massage improves your immune systems function making you more resistant to disease.
7. Helps to reduce and alleviate muscle spasms and cramping.
8. Helps to promote deeper breathing.
9. Improves the health of your skin by stimulating blood flow.
10. Massage also has an powerful calming effect on most people and fosters a relaxed peaceful state of mind.
The ideal form of massage is one given by a trained practitioner but this is not always practical and form many of us the cost is prohibitive. A much more economical way to reap the many benefits of massage is by owning a personal massager like the thumper mini pro which allows you to enjoy a deep relaxing professional quality massage anytime you need it.
Posted under Exercise Equipment, massager, thumper
This post was written by David White on November 9, 2008


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Home content
To be a One-Stop Solution production house, we constantly strive to improve our services and product quality to meet to our valued customers' need.
The Re-board, which is design to utilized its strength, can be achieved at a lower weight and minimum material usage in comparison to homogenous products.
What's more, the Re-board is made up to 95% of renewable resources and in 100% recyclable!< Read more >


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You have probably been hearing a lot about Ghana lately. This West African country is often cited as a prime example of the 'Africa Rising' phenomenon. Even prior to Barack Obama's visit in 2009, when Ghana was the only country the newly elected president chose to visit on the African Continent, it was forging a reputation as busily sewing the seeds for economic and social progress and cultural renaissance.
Ghana, as the history books will tell you, was the first African country to gain post war independence. This happened in 1957, when the famous Pan- Africanist Kwame Nkrumah announced that 'the battle has ended' and modern Ghana, Africa's 'Black Star' was born. British influence is still felt in Ghana, with quaint legacies such as bakeries specialised in masterfully iced cakes, primly uniformed school children and the posh tones of the BBC world service blaring out from taxis and tro tros - the fleet of ratty mini-buses that bounce you from one end of the country the other. But Ghana is very much a forger of its own destiny – and what a ride it is
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text: Ph.D. Pittsburgh. Schellenberg's work focuses on a range of topics in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of language. She is particularly interested in the nature of perceptual content, the epistemic role of perceptual experience, and mental capacities. She is also working on imagination, singular content, and space perception. Her publications include "Experience and Evidence", Mind; "Perceptual Content Defended", Noûs; "The Situation-Dependency of Perception", Journal of Philosophy; "Ontological Minimalism about Phenomenology", Philosophy and Phenomenological Research; "Belief and Desire in Imagination and Immersion", Journal of Philosophy; "Action and Self-Location in Perception", Mind.


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Graduate Commencement Address 2011
May 14, 2011
"Be Still"
Old Testament Reading: Psalm 46 (NIV)
New Testament Reading: Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)
I am deeply honored that you have asked me to speak on this very important day in your lives. Congratulations, graduates, on your wonderful achievements. This has been a year of firsts for me as Whitworth's new president. What a wonderful community to be a part of – thanks for your gracious welcome. And I must admit to you that this is my first commencement address. As many speeches as I've given, as many people I've spoken to, this is my first occasion to send graduates off with a speech. Now, I've sat through plenty of commencements, and some pretty bad speeches. Before being asked to speak at this one, I used to think that commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing graduates should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated. I've grimaced as commencement speakers told hundreds of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that individuality is the key to success. By far, the best commencement speeches are the shortest, so I will do my best to be brief.
Tomorrow I will officiate at Whitworth's undergraduate commencement ceremony – a time to celebrate an important achievement for our graduating seniors, and the culmination of their significant efforts in reaching their educational goals. But for all of you, I dare say, today's graduate commencement ceremony most certainly honors your uncommon commitment to furthering your knowledge and expertise in ways that have required great sacrifice, not only on your part, but also on the part of your loved ones. For many of you, homework and projects were completed by sacrificing precious evening and weekend time with family and friends. For most of you, your graduate education has come at the expense of something else that would have undoubtedly paid you more immediate dividends. My dad used to say, "If you think education is expensive, you should try ignorance!" But for all of you, this achievement represents your admirable commitments not only to the life of the mind, but also to leadership, service, and professional development. Graduate degrees are not easy to earn – only one in 10 Americans has earned a post-baccalaureate degree. You have good reason to be proud of yourselves, as we are proud of you. You all inspire us, Whitworth's staff and faculty, to strive even harder to live out our callings to education and to this place called Whitworth. Your investments of time and energy inspire us to invest even more of ourselves in to serving you and the students who will come after you. And your sacrifices remind us of the value of our own sacrifices as we labor together to live out Whitworth's mission to prepare its graduates to "honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity." Thank you for those important gifts, and congratulations.
Congratulations, too, on timing the job market so well. I can just hear the sage conversations that occurred for some of you one or two years ago: "Getting a graduate degree is a great option right now because of the sluggish economy. Heck, by the time I graduate, the economy will have recovered and I'll be beating away the job offers." Well, your market-timing abilities aside, the economy is still struggling to recover from the financial meltdown, and while many of you have either found or retained your desired jobs, I know some of you are still looking expectantly for the next opportunity. We face very uncertain times, do we not? I want to encourage you today on that front, and I'll come back to that point in just a bit.
The title of my address this morning is Be Still. That's an odd title for a commencement address, isn't it? After all, we are here today not only celebrating the energies and activities that went into the successful completion of your graduate programs, but also celebrating what all of us (including those sitting behind you graduates) anticipate will be marvelously energetic, meaningful, successful and (some are praying, particularly those sitting behind you) financially lucrative lives of professional service in business, education, counseling, and ministry – no pressure. Dr. Aaron McMurray, Whitworth's director of alumni relations has already started identifying which of you will be the first to win alumni awards for your achievements – we're all counting on you! We certainly know that you don't accomplish all of that by being still!
Being still was the farthest thing from my mind when I finished my graduate work in 1997. As it will for many of you, the completion of my graduate degree meant moving my family to a new location, starting a new job, beginning my climb (once again) up the professional ladder, being called upon, indeed challenged, to demonstrate my value and worth to the organization and people I was called to serve. After all, a higher degree comes with higher expectations, as it should (one in ten, remember?). Plus, like many of you, I had graduate school debts to pay off. And like many of you, I had people watching closely from the sidelines, mostly advocates but also a few skeptics, waiting to see what would become of the guy sporting the fancy gown and graduate hood. I stand here today, 14 years later, with an even fancier gown and some extra hardware hanging around my neck, and people are still wondering what I can deliver. Achievements, promotions, success, being debt-free, living up to others' hopes, dreams, and expectations ...these things are going to require action! You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom. Being still is for slackers.
Interestingly, in both King David's lyrics found in the Psalms and in Jesus' words found in the Gospel of Mark, we see the command to "be still," although, I will concede, in neither case within the context of a commencement address. In the first instance, the command to "be still" is an instruction to us. In the second case, Jesus commands his own creation to "be still," but in doing so, we will see, he draws a connection back to the psalmist's lessons to us.
We live today in what Harvard economist John Kenneth Galbraith once called "the age of uncertainty." Instability in global economic and financial markets, unprecedented geopolitical unrest and outright revolution, a precipitous decline in society's trust in institutions of all kinds – including businesses, education providers, and the church – and a palpable, almost overwhelming malaise seem to be crowding out for many people all sense of clarity, optimism, and hope for the future.
Unemployment continues to hover at 9 percent, and many economists, including me, think that number understates the weakness plaguing our labor markets and the underlying economy. For generations of Americans, the three assets they could count on most – their homes, their retirements, and their healthcare coverage – now hold less value and induce more anxiety than ever before. "The earth gives way and the mountains quake," the psalmist reminds us. No longer are America's economic problems only our own; we see in dramatic fashion how our economy affects the entire globe, and conversely, the direct impact that the actions of people and organizations halfway around the world have upon us here in Spokane. Perhaps the most troubling thing is that at the root of many of these challenges lie the unethical and morally reprehensible actions of a few who have caused our society to question the trust and confidence it has placed in corporations and other organizations founded to serve our best interests. The word "big" has taken on a new meaning in the common lexicon, not simply as a description of the scale and scope of American business, but as a scarlet letter that assumes the worst intentions for all of us – big oil, big healthcare, big banking, and even big education.
Yes, even a profession as ancient and noble as education is under intense scrutiny these days, and trust and admiration for the education sector seems to be waning. As Americans read regular accounts of our country's students falling farther and farther behind the students of other industrialized countries, as well as those of some developing nations, Americans are right to question what seems to have gone wrong with our educational system. Uncertainty surrounding the funding of public education, the equality of access to high-quality K-12 and higher education, the assessment of students and teachers, and the competing interests of basic versus vocational education is just as troubling as the economic uncertainties I've mentioned. Like those disciples in the boat with Jesus that afternoon, educators are navigating stormy and turbulent waters, indeed.
And perhaps the institution facing the greatest number of challenges is Christ's church. Sexual abuse scandals, fiscal mismanagement, declining mainline Protestant church attendance, continuing disagreements, made all too public, about ordination standards for women and members of the GLBT community, attempts within society to turn the United States into a more decidedly Christian theocracy, potentially marginalizing so many of our citizens from other or no faith traditions, all the while undermining Christ's central teachings on justice, love, mercy and inclusion – these are but a few of the challenges that the church faces at the dawn of the 21st century. "The mountains fall into the heart of the sea, and its waters roar and foam," King David writes.
Are you encouraged yet? Well, I bring good news that we can seek and find great encouragement from the words of the psalmist and Jesus. Although challenges facing the professions you are serving seem overwhelming and intractable, you leaders cannot flinch in the face of adversity, change, and uncertainty. No, indeed. You must embrace these challenges for what they are – opportunities to lead. What is true about all of the professions and disciplines represented here today – teaching, counseling, education administration, business, theology, and ministry – is that they are noble and honorable professions, and they are important mediators for doing Christ's work in a world that needs your leadership.
Educators, you are doing Christ's work when you care for and nourish intellectually the youth of the world. Christ reminds us in Matthew 25 that the service and care we provide for our children, the least of these, is service and care provided to and for Christ himself. "Let the little children come to me," Jesus admonishes us (Matthew 19). Teachers, you are Christ's light to the world as you light the lamp of learning for your students, and as you provide access to transformative education for those who deserve opportunities to develop and use their God-given gifts and abilities.
I grew up in a broken home and lived in poverty with my mother until I was nine years old. I was challenged with emotional, behavioral, and educational setbacks. After I failed the third grade, my mom, previously divorced, married my stepdad, and we moved to Dallas, Texas, for a fresh start. I'll never forget my third grade teacher that year at Moss Haven Elementary School. Nancy Smith didn't see me as a failure, or as someone to seat in the coat closet as my previous teacher had done. She saw me as a child of promise: bright, eager, and maybe a little rambunctious. She spent hours with me, loving on me, encouraging me, and expecting much from me. Not only did I pass the third grade, I made straight A's. And now I'm the president of a university, and Nancy Smith's name, some 32 years later, is being spoken in front of hundreds of graduates and guests at commencement. Educators, you are agents for Christ's love, justice, and mercy. God is concerned with your life's purpose and mission.
In my former role as dean of a business school, one of my favorite things to do was to lift up, in the face of increasing scrutiny and derision, those business leaders who saw their activities as living out true vocation, who saw their organizations not merely as accumulators of profit, but as agents for the common good. Dan Cathy, a good friend of mine and the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, a quick-service restaurant company located in Atlanta, once told me that his favorite movie was Chariots of Fire because of Eric Liddell's line in that movie, "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure." Dan Cathy said to me with tears in his eyes, "God made me a good businessperson. And when I make someone a good chicken sandwich and a cold sweet tea, when I employ thousands of people and help them provide for their families, when I train young people to go the second mile when they provide service to others, I feel God's pleasure."
The creation and distribution of wealth is a noble activity – or it should be. Providing services and products that improve the lifestyles, health, and productivity of others is worthy of our best efforts. The stewardship of resources, the opportunities to reinvest in communities, the obligation to provide meaningful employment to all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, and the eagerness to care for nature in the process – these are things about which God is concerned. Business leaders, don't buy in to the false divide between the secular and the sacred. Don't bury your talents, but invest them in the kingdom (Matthew 25). You, too, are agents for Christ's love, justice, and mercy. God is deeply concerned with your life's purpose and mission.
And what is more central to this noble work than studying God and his generous revelation to us through holy scripture and the person of Jesus Christ, sharing the amazing grace and truth of the Gospel and equipping people to respond faithfully to God's call on their lives? Theologians, pastors and lay leaders, Christian educators and ministry directors, you are Christ's hands and feet as you nurture, care for, and empower the church to do God's redeeming work in a broken world. I had the pleasure yesterday morning to attend the Spokane Leadership Prayer Breakfast, where 400 members of the Spokane community gathered to pray for our elected and appointed leaders. The keynote speaker was 1982 Whitworth alum Noel Castellanos, who is CEO of the Christian Community Development Association and founding pastor of Chicago's La Villita Community Church. Noel and his family have lived for 20 years in one of the most difficult neighborhoods in the inner city of Chicago, where they have committed themselves to being God's agents of grace and shalom to their neighbors. Noel and the CCDA model for the church a fresh approach to how to work in and with communities. In a recent interview for the journal Faith and Leadership, Noel said, "We work from the inside out. We work long term. We move into the neighborhood and stay there for the next 20 to 30 years. We do life with our neighbors, and let the gospel permeate everything we do."
Master of arts in theology graduates, as you carefully search for a greater understanding of the mysteries of God, as you give comfort to the bereaved, provide divine sustenance to the spiritually hungry, and preach God's grace and truth in a world where both are in short supply; you labor with the Good Shepherd in caring for his flock. You are agents of Christ's love, justice, and mercy, and God is profoundly concerned with your life's purpose and mission.
So it follows, if God is concerned with your life's purpose, if he has called and equipped you for your education at this university and for the important work and service you will offer as you leave this place -- work and service that will animate Christ's redemptive work in the world -- then all of this isn't really about you and me, is it? It's about what God is doing through you, through each of us. And if it's about what God is doing, then what do we have to fear – even in the face of great adversity, change, and uncertainty? As we cling tightly to the sides of the swaying boat, Jesus rebukes us, saying, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Romans 8 instructs us that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose," and "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Philippians 1 reminds us that God, "who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Paul is reminding us of our purpose and identity in Christ if we proclaim him Lord and Savior, but I believe with all my heart that God's redemptive work in us is mediated through his particular calling on our lives, our calling as husband, or mother, or nurse, or accountant, or teacher, or investment banker, or college professor, or school counselor, or youth ministry coordinator. What is required of you in this calling? "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Good people, you are agents for Christ's love, justice, and mercy. God is intimately concerned with your life's purpose and mission, because he is the author of that purpose and mission.
We indeed live in challenging times. Our professions are under attack. Leaders feel beleaguered. The world is shifting. Change is constant. Uncertainty reigns. "The earth gives way, the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, the waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging," David warns us. Our boats are rocked and unstable, the storms are closing in, and we are prone to be afraid. But God is concerned with our missions. He's invested. He's all in. God loves us and the people we serve. He's called us -- with our varied gifts and talents, passions, and experiences -- to the work we do.
So what is God's word for you this day? When you are overwhelmed with the tasks of the day, when the details just don't seem to be working out, when you are feeling worn down and your hope is fragile, God says, "I am your refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." When you are fearful that your efforts aren't making a difference, or that the winds of resistance are about to knock you down, or that your investments in an advanced degree at Whitworth might not pay off, God says, "Do not fear. I, the Lord God Almighty, am with you." When your foundation is rocked, when your tank is empty, when, in the process of serving others, you realize your needs may be greater than those of the ones who depend on you, God says, "I will be your fortress." When you are too frantic with the urgent matters of the day, fighting fires, solving problems, moving too quickly over so many tasks that you are neither attentive to nor effective at any one of them, God says, "Be still, and know that I am God." When you face failure, when the demands are just too much, when you can't see through the haze of uncertainty, when giving up seems a much better outcome than being swallowed up, when that graduate hood feels more like a noose than a fashion statement -- right there at the brink -- Jesus reminds us that he is God and we are not, and he commands the wind and waves to cease their attack. "Be still!" Have faith.
Graduates, we indeed live in interesting times. But the challenges you are being called to conquer have been ever-present, even during your study here, and yet you have not been deterred from finishing the race. You enter the next chapter of your lives with eyes wide open, well-informed and superbly equipped to meet those challenges with intellectual competence, moral courage, and deep compassion. Abide in the full confidence that God has called you here to Whitworth, and that God sends you into a world of great need, to be agents of Christ's love, justice, and mercy. Thank you for your commitment to enter that noble service. We love you, we're so very proud of you, and we wish you Christ's blessings as you lead and serve. Amen.


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Disaster 5K Run/Walk
EVENT DATE: Oct 19, 2013
DEADLINE TO GIVE: Oct 19, 2013
FUNDRAISER SET UP DEADLINE: Oct 17, 2013
Be Boston Strong with us this year as we salute the responders to the Boston Marathon bombings in honor of the six month anniversary of the attack. Red Cross volunteers and other responders, such as the Upper Cape Special Response Team who were a part of the response to the manhunt that week, will be there to be recognized in a short ceremony at 9 AM. After the recognition ceremony our heroes will lead us to the start line and officially start our race.
Come join us for the 3rd Annual Disaster 5K Run/Walk on October 19th, 2013 at the Hyannis Village Green, come rain or shine!
The registration is open to the public and costs $20; all the proceeds will go to support local disaster relief.
The 5K registration takes place from 8-9 am, and the race begins at 9:15 am. Come dressed up as your favorite superhero and compete to win the best costume prize for a team or individual. The first 100 to register will also receive a free T-shirt and medals will be awarded to the first male and female finishers who are the "Master and Mistress of Disaster".
So put on your best Superman or Catwoman costume and be a hero to your local Red Cross Chapter by raising money for local disaster response. Special prizes for funds raised by each participant: earn a Red Cross baseball cap, sport bag or fleece by raising $100, $250, $500 or more!


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In the Deep South!Thursday, January 24th, 2008
I've just arrived in Birmingham, Alabama and had my first rehearsals of The Protecting Veil with the Alabama Symphony, who are absolutely first class. Chief Conductor Justin Brown is doing an amazing job, and there's a city-wide buzz about the orchestra, who are evidently on a steep upward artistic curve. The Alys Stephens Hall is very good to play in, so I'm really looking forward to the first concert tomorrow night, which starts with an arrangement that Justin and I made for cello and strings of Albinoni's Adagio.
I guess this is what Birmingham UK felt like 30 years ago when a young Simon Rattle took on the job there and went on to do such extraordinary things. If they get the funding they need, I think something similar will happen here. Watch that Deep Southern space!
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