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When people describe Chris Foster, they say he�s the guy. The mentor. The friend. The go-to guy. The person to make you laugh. The whole package.
When people describe Chris Foster, they say he�s the guy. The mentor. The friend. The go-to guy. The person to make you laugh. The whole package.
On New Year�s Eve, Chris, a husband and father of two, a youth pastor and finance manager at Don Williamson Nissan, fractured his skull playing football at a church youth lock-in. He has been in the hospital ever since.
Now a close friend is rallying the community for support by starting a fundraiser on youcaring.com to help the Foster family.
�Chris is like my brother,� said fundraiser organizer Tony Shaw Jr., recalling how Chris taught him how to play the drums. Now they both play in the First United Pentecostal Church of Jacksonville�s band together. �This guy, he does so much for the community.�
Among other things, Foster serves as the youth pastor at the church.
�Just to see the way that the youth are motivated through him is phenomenal,� Shaw said.
Shaw said Foster gives in so many ways and touches so many lives that it�s impossible to keep track.
�If he wore a hat for everything he did for our church, he�d been full of them,� Shaw said.
Shaw said at the time of his accident they were playing touch football out in the parking lot as they usually do, but Chris went out for a catch rather than play his usual post of quarterback.
When he went out for the throw, he slipped, according to Shaw.
�His feet basically went out all the way into the air, no body stopping him, it was all head,� Shaw said.
Chris was transported to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville that night for emergency brain surgery, but when he got to the hospital the doctors decided to wait because the swelling in his brain had stopped.
Chris has gone back and forth out of consciousness. Chris�s wife Arisha Foster said the first week he was in the hospital, Chris was recovering quickly and he was supposed to go to rehab. But on Jan. 6, he went into cardiac arrest and was without oxygen for 16 minutes. Doctors told Arisha that time caused more brain damage. Since then he has not been conscious and has been on life-saving measures such as a temperature-regulating machine and a ventilator.
�The doctors said the only way my husband would be able to be released from the ICU unit would be if he would be able to regulate his body temperature on his own and breathe on his own,� Arisha said.
On Jan. 15, Arisha said he was breathing 75 percent on his own, but still on a ventilator. He was also regulating his own body temperature.
Arisha also said the medical team�s assessment of Chris was that even if he recovers enough to breathe on his own and regulate his own body temperature, he will be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life, and Arisha will be his caretaker for the remainder of his life.
But she said she still has hope. Her idea of recovery for Chris is him sitting up in his bed and walking out of the hospital.
Arisha hasn�t left the hospital since Chris was admitted and she said she doesn�t plan on leaving until he does.
�I feel I won�t leave this hospital until it�s he and I walking out of here,� Arisha said.
Chris�s parents, Bobby and Linda Foster, residents of Jacksonville for decades, have been back and forth between Jacksonville and Greenville since the accident.
The Foster�s 15-year-old son Andrew has been by Arisha�s side the entire time, and their 7-year-old Cody has stayed with family friends in Jacksonville. He has seen his father once.
Arisha describes her husband as and outgoing witty person who �loves to live life to the fullest making others laugh.�
�He always likes to bring a smile to someone�s face,� she said.
As evidence of the lives he�s touched, Don Williamson Nissan General Manager Alycia Tomazic said Chris�s accident has affected everybody at the dealership where he�s worked for approximately seven years.
�It�s so crazy for him to just not be here,� Tomazic said, adding that it�s the first thing on everybody�s mind each morning.
For that reason, she starts out the work days with an update on his condition as well as a prayer for Chris, who she said is a mentor and friend to all at the dealership.
�Chris is a special, special guy,� Tomazic said. �He�s always the person you can go in and talk to.�
The dealership recently ordered Team Foster bracelets to show their support. Tomazic said they will distribute them at work and also make sure Arisha and the church get them as well.
Shaw said people who don�t even live in the community have been touched by Chris and his family. The proof, he says, is in the Facebook page called Those Touched By The Life Of Chris Foster, which they have created to show support for him and his wife Arisha Foster, and their two children.
�We�ve been calling it Team Foster,� Shaw said. �His big thing for the youth this year was Unity. Unity. Unity.�
Shaw said even more than monetary donations, �we could use the prayers.�
Most every day, he gets on the YouCaring website and posts an update on Chris�s condition. People also use the Facebook page to post their prayers and good wishes for his recovery.
Shaw said Arisha hasn�t asked for anything; however, Shaw said she hasn�t left her husband�s side, so he said he would like to raise some money to get her and Chris� parents a hotel room across the street from the hospital.
�To get away from that stress, because you know every day it�s moving forward or moving backward and it�s a roller coaster,� Shaw said.
He said he would also like to get her some basic items such as toiletries for her everyday needs.
�She�s been incredibly strong,� Shaw said.
The rest of the money will be used to help with medical expenses and helping with the family�s costs getting to and from Jacksonville to Greenville, Shaw said.
Donations can be given through youcaring.com/teamfoster, or Shaw said if people do not feel comfortable giving through a website, they can give directly through their church.
Donations can be dropped off or mailed to the United Pentecostal Church attn.: Team Foster located at 140 Piney Green Rd. in Jacksonville.
Arisha said she was humbled to learn about the fundraiser being organized for her family in light of Chris�s accident.
�I was overwhelmed with the act of kindness that has been showed to our family,� she said. �You don�t realize how much you meant to people until you�re in a crisis situation and you see the love, the support.�
Over the weeks since Chris has been in the hospital, Arisha has been showered with testimonials of how the Foster family has touched the lives of people in their church and throughout the community by things as small as giving simple pieces of advice or providing a meal to someone in a time of need.
She said they have also received abundant support from the wider Christian community from all over the world who has heard about their family through their church�s network � Arisha even received a recording of a church in Africa praying for Chris�s recovery.
�They don�t know me from Adam, but because we are a body of believers, they support us,� Arisha said. �We are pushing until something happens.�
Arisha said she still believes a miracle will happen, and she puts updates on her Facebook page to encourage people who are praying for her family to continue being strong. She invites people to friend her to keep updated with Chris�s journey.
�What I want the public to know is miracles happen today,� Arisha said. �Prayer does change situations. There is a God and there is nothing that is impossible for Him to do, and all we have to do is believe.�
Want to help?
Send the Foster family well wishes at https://www.facebook.com/groups/558615544230172/. Donate to help the family at youcaring.com/teamfoster.
Donations can also be dropped off or mailed to the United Pentecostal Church of Jacksonville attn.: Team Foster located at 140 Piney Green Rd. in Jacksonville.


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COMMUTERS have taken their last train ride on the Bicester to Oxford line for at least two years.
The last train left Bicester Town station for Oxford just before midnight yesterday ahead of £130m of work to upgrade the line and completely rebuild the station.
The line between London Marylebone, Bicester Town and Water Eaton, which will be called Oxford Parkway, will open next summer and the Oxford/London Marylebone link will open in spring 2016.
From today, buses will replace trains and will stop at Bicester Town, Islip and Oxford station.
But commuters said the "short-term pain" will be worth the gain.
Regular commuter Pete Osborne, 54, of Bicester, said he will get the bus to Oxford.
He said: "We been waiting for this for 20 years. There will be a bit of pain but it's short-term pain."
Lorna Nichol, 50, from Langford Village, Bicester, said: "I think it will be really good when it reopens."
Joakim Selin
Joakim Selin, from Bicester, has been commuting for the past 18 months and said the journey into the city would be more difficult. But he added: "I hope it will get better in the end."
Jackie Wood, who runs a mobile coffee stall at the station, said: "We have noticed the number of customers has gone down in the past week – our business has been a quarter of what it has been."
Ad Hill, 46, from Bicester, said she had a contract working in the centre of Oxford, but once it was finished she would look for work elsewhere. She said: "I have been using it for just over a year. It's painful to get into Oxford on the A34. It (the closure) doesn't help with the short term battle on the A34."
Dr Ian East, from Islip, the chairman of the Oxford-Bicester Rail Action Group, said: "The impact of the closure on regular commuters, and others who rely on the line, is severe.
"Now they face a significantly longer journey time by bus, with the prospect of getting stuck in traffic jams."
Chiltern Railways said as part of the replacement bus services on offer, four buses would be fitted with cycle carriers that will be able to transport eight bicycles each.
Jenny Payne, customer service director at Chiltern, said: "The new line between Oxford and London Marylebone will bring great benefits for the region.
"However, we recognise that the work significantly affects our Bicester to Oxford customers for an extended period of time."
Bicester Town station is also used by shoppers heading to Bicester Village. It expects customers and staff will use the replacement bus service, but said the most popular rail route was via Bicester North station.
Lorna Nichol
Once completed, Chiltern Railways Evergreen 3 project will provide Oxford commuters with a second London link to Marylebone, in addition to the existing Oxford-Didcot-Paddington line.
Projected journey times are 66 minutes between Oxford and London, and 14 minutes from Oxford to Bicester.
That compares with the current journey time of Oxford to Paddington of typically 55 minutes and Oxford to Bicester of 25 minutes.
Although the rail line is closed, freight and construction trains will still travel along paets of the line and level crossings will be in use.
Both Bicester Town and Islip stations will be rebuilt and the track doubled and electrified.
The East West Rail link through Oxford and Bicester to Milton Keynes and Bedford is due to open by December 2017.
- For more information on the replacement bus services, see chilternrailways.co.uk

subset: commoncrawl


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Hara Tiles Light Blue Rug
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Anthony wants to retire in N.Y. | Hayward, Jazz fail to reach deal | Suns pass on Bledsoe extension | Fredette to be a free agent; Kings don't extend Vasquez | Adelman promises to give Williams a chance
No. 1: Anthony: 'I want to retire in New York' — Yesterday, we told you in this space that Knicks star Carmelo Anthony and GM Steve Mills had come to an agreement to not discuss a possible contract extension for Anthony during the season. During last night's Knicks-Bulls game on TNT, Anthony opened up about his plans for the future, going as far as to say he wants to 'retire in New York.'
"I think a lot of people jumped the gun when I said I wanted to be a free agent," he said. "And yeah, I want people to come play in New York. I want them to want to play in New York. I want New York to be that place where guys want to come play."
VIDEO: Carmelo Anthony on his desire to stay with New York
No. 2: Hayward, Jazz fail to agree to contact extension — Contract extension were doled out to several members of the 2010 Draft class during the offseason and training camp including John Wall, Larry Sanders, Paul George and Derrick Favors. Jazz forward Gordon Hayward and his representatives had been in talks with Utah's front office about a deal, but nothing materialized before yesterday's deadline. Sam Amick of USA Today has more on why the deal fell through and what's next:
When it comes to NBA extensions, it's a calculated risk any way you slice it. The only thing that changes is the side that's rolling the dice.
So it was that the Utah Jazz and small forward Gordon Hayward couldn't reach an agreement before the midnight ET deadline on Thursday night …
As veteran agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment explained it after months of talks with Jazz officials regarding Hayward didn't pay off, it's a tough task to pull off when both parties know that the now-or-never moment doesn't happen until the offseason. The evidence supports that claim, as only six players from the draft class of 2010 signed extensions in the latest go-round: Indiana small forward Paul George, Milwaukee center Larry Sanders, Washington point guard John Wall, Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins, Utah forward Derrick Favors, and Memphis guard Quincy Pondexter.
"The most difficult deals to do are extensions — other than the max," Bartelstein told USA TODAY Sports by phone just before the deadline passed. "When someone is offering you a max, then it's easy. Those are easy. Other than that, they're difficult because … there's not a marketplace, so the teams sometimes have a view of wanting to get something for doing it early, and the player wants to get what he perceives his value to be, so they're hard to do."
As it pertains to Hayward, there were strong signs in the days leading up to the deadline that he was leaning toward taking the restricted free agency route. The Jazz were clearly hoping to secure Hayward after agreeing to terms with Favors on a four-year, $49 million deal, but they'll now have the chance to match the highest bidder this summer when the 23-year-old may be the leading man among the younger class of free agents.
Bartelstein was quick to compliment the Jazz for their handling of the negotiations, and dispelled any notion that this is a sign that Hayward is looking to head elsewhere.
"The main thing is that the Jazz put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into wanting to get something done, and we put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to get it done," Bartelstein said. "It was not due to a lack of trying. That's for sure. There was a lot of time and a lot of energy spent the last few months in working at it, but sometimes you just can't come up with something that both sides feel good about. That doesn't change at all — at all — how Gordon feels about the Jazz."
No. 3: Suns, Bledsoe can't come to extension agreement — Suns guard Eric Bledsoe had an impressive preseason and led Phoenix to a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in their season-opener. Those games represent all of Bledsoe's career to date in Arizona and although the 2010 draftee was eligible for a contract extension up until last night, the Suns were have a hard time determining what, exactly, to pay him if they offered him such a deal. That lack of time together may have been one of the tipping points in the Suns' decision to not offer Bledsoe an extension, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic:
The Suns and Eric Bledsoe have been talking about a possible contract extension that could have locked up the point guard through 2018.
They could not find common terms by Thursday night's deadline but the Suns still intend for Bledsoe to be part of their future.
"There is no rookie extension with Eric but that doesn't in any way suggest that we are not excited that Eric is a Sun and we look forward to Eric being a Suns for a long time," said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby, who has been engaged in extension talks over the past month with Mark Termini, the former agent who works as a negotiator for Bledsoe's agent, Rich Paul.
"It's a hard thing to do. We had numerous conversations over the past few weeks. We had a good, professional exchange of ideas."
The task of extending Bledsoe was a challenging one, especially with Bledsoe logging one game as a Suns before the 9 p.m. deadline struck Thursday night. Bledsoe has been a backup for his first three NBA seasons with the Clippers but surely will increase his value this season as a starter and focal point for the Suns. He is only 23 and was highly sought when the Suns made a trade to acquire him from the Clippers in July.
"Both sides are trying to make projections on what Eric's performance and new role are going to be," Babby said Thursday night. "Those projections are not necessarily precise and, from the Suns' perspective, it needs to be considered from the context that Eric will be a restricted free agent in the summer, which gives us matching rights. In the end, it seemed prudent to wait until July. In the meantime, we will be rooting for Eric to have a great season."
Babby would not characterize how close the sides came in negotiations. The parties assumedly were talking about a four-year deal, rather than the option of a five-year deal for a designated player to get a maximum-salary contract.
The dilemma of what to pay Bledsoe was spelled out previously here.
It appears that the talks did not turn contentious, which is a danger in such situations.
"It was completely professional, not acrimonious," Babby said. "Everyone understood the task was a difficult one because of the nature of the circumstances and the context of restricted free agency."
No. 4: Kings decline to pick up Fredette's option, pass on Vasquez extension — Back during the 2011 Draft, the Kings took part in a three-team deal that, in part, helped them land former BYU sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette. Since landing in Sacramento, though, Fredette's playing time has been inconsistent and when it came time to decide to pick up his option for 2014-15, the Kings passed on it. As well, new starting point guard Greivis Vasquez, whom Sacramento acquired in the offseason in the Tyreke Evans trade, was eligible for a contract extension, but the team passed on that, too. Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee has more on the moves:
Those who have wanted the Kings to "Free Jimmer" might get their wish.
The Kings on Thursday declined to pick up the fourth-year option on guard Jimmer Fredette's contract for the 2014-15 season, which would have paid the 2011 first-round draft pick a little more than $3 million. The deadline to do so was Thursday at 9 p.m.
Therefore, Fredette will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Kings could re-sign him at a reduced salary, but the decision likely means this will be Fredette's final season with the team.
It also means Fredette probably would bring more value in a trade because his expiring deal would create salary cap space for next summer's free-agent class. The trade deadline is Feb. 20.
During the offseason, the team drafted Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum and acquired Greivis Vasquez from New Orleans. The Kings' front office likes Isaiah Thomas, and Marcus Thornton has two years left on his contract.
A huge crowd greeted Fredette at Sacramento International Airport when he arrived following the draft, and he remains extremely popular, even though his playing time with the Kings has been inconsistent.
Thursday also was the deadline to reach agreement on contract extensions for 2010 first-round draft picks.
The Kings had two players eligible for deals, Vasquez and forward Patrick Patterson. Neither landed an extension.
Sacramento can make both players restricted free agents after his season, giving the Kings the right to match an offer from another team and retain them.
No. 5: Adelman promises Williams will get his chance — Since being taken with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2011 Draft, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams has had a wildly inconsistent role on the team. Last season, he played in 78 games, starting 56 of them, and saw his averages in scoring (12.0 ppg), rebounding (5.5 rpg) and shooting (43.0 pct) hit career highs. Then came the season-opener on Wednesday night in which Williams failed to get off the bench despite being healthy. Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman and Williams addressed the player's role after Thursday's practice and Adelman vows that Williams will eventually get his chance, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune:
Wolves coach Rick Adleman had a couple things to say about Derrick Williams. First, the third-year forward will get his chance to play. Second, we should all calm down on the issue.
"I don't worry about him as much as you guys do," Adelman said after Thursday's practice. Williams, who works at both forward positions, did not play in Wednesday's opening-night victory over Orlando. A former second-overall pick, Williams' playing time has fluctuated since he joined the team.
"He's going to get a chance to play when it looks like there is a good opportunity for him," Adelman said. "But there are other guys, too. Right now Robbie Hummel's played very well, the whole month he's been here. It could be one of those guys. It could be (Shabazz Muhammad), who has played well. Nobody has separated himself. (Williams') best spot is the four spot, and it's almost impossible to get him minutes at the four spot."
Williams, asked about his situation, said he wasn't disappointed. "No, we won, you can't be disappointed when we win," he said.
But on the matter of patience? "I've been patient two years now," he said. "So we'll see. I don't know.''
Interestingly, Williams retweeted an item originally tweeted by Los Angeles Clippers forward Jamal Crawford Wednesday night. "Watched a bunch of games tonight," Crawford wrote. "One thing that is clear. Situation, and opportunity has a lot to do with success in the NBA.''
"That's all the NBA is, opportunity," Williams said. "That's why I retweeted it."
But when will his come? The power forward position is where Kevin Love plays, and Dante Cunningham is usually his backup. That leaves the small forward position. And for Williams to play there, Adelman said he needs to see the right matchup.
SOME RANDOM HEADLINES: Wizards guard John Wall got a warning about flopping … J-Smoove is enjoying the start to his career in Detroit so far … The Magic are readying for their home opener and the official kickoff to their 25th anniversary season … The reviews are in for Pierre the Pelican, and they're not pretty
ICYMI Of The Night: We've got to imagine Clippers TV play-by-play man Ralph Lawler is a little horse after these three straight alley-oop jams by Blake Griffin …
VIDEO: Blake Griffin converts three straight alley-oop jams


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Reviewed by Karen Z. (age 10)
When they got to the house, Chad thought it was really big. So when they got in, he met his neighbors that rent rooms from Aunt Rosebud. He met Madame Keppelle and she tells fortunes and she told Chad, ?I see trouble all around you.? One day, when they went to a museum and they saw mummies, snakes, and beetles, then they met Mrs. Palmer and her son David. Mrs. Palmer told Chad and Jeannie about the time she didn?t have any money so she wanted to sell her diamond bracelet, but it got stolen. She put it in David?s room, where she thought no one could see it, because his room was messy.
Next, Chad met Mr. Callahan and he looked very shy. He also went to jail once. One day, Jeannie and Chad and Mrs. Palmer went to the grocery and saw Mr. Callahan. He looked guilty, so Chad sneaked into Mr. Callahan?s room that night and could see David?s room through the window, just like he could see through his own window! Aunt Rosebud told Chad that Dr. Dempsey used to live in his room, before he was killed. He was a dentist, who wanted money. So Chad thinks Dr. Dempsey or Mr. Callahan could have stolen the diamond bracelet. Chad also thinks his own room is being haunted by the ghost of Dr. Dempsey! The mystery continues? Read the book to discover how the mystery is solved at the end of the story!
My favorite part was when Chad solved the mystery of who stole the diamond bracelet, because then the story got happier. My least favorite part was when Chad thought Mr. Callahan was another person who could have stolen the bracelet because I didn?t want anybody else that lived there to be like Dr. Dempsey? because he was haunting Chad! I did like this book, because it made me think about who could have stolen the diamond bracelet, and there was a scary beginning, a mysterious middle, and a happy end!
I think my brother would like to read this book. He would like to read this book because he loves to read really scary stories. He also likes to get scared by scary stories!


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Sunday, December 22, 2013
Soviet Problem Stakes Quotes
Jockey Quotes
RAFAEL BEJARANO, SWISS LAKE YODELER, Winner: "On the turn, she looked like she was going to get a little tired, especially because the speed hasn't been stopping. It looked like Rovenna had something left, so I had to work hard to make sure she wouldn't get away. She doesn't have that quick acceleration, but she always tries. She'll do better in longer races."
Trainer Quotes
JERRY HOLLENDORFER, SWISS LAKE YODELER, Winner: "(Whittingham) has been an idol of mine from the very beginning. When I came on the racetrack, everybody in the world knew his name. I'm pleased to break any kind of record he ever held. I'm very humble and very grateful. Considering this is the end (of Hollywood Park) makes me sad, but I've had a lot of good luck here and won a lot of races. I'm going to be sorry to see Hollywood Park go. I think this filly wants more ground. I wasn't sure she had enough going to get there, but she kicked it in real late. (Bejarano) just has a magical way of getting the job done. The seven furlongs might have been a little short for her.''
Read more articles in the Hollywood Park category.


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Grashopper Table Lamp Orange
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