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I've read some books on disaster tourism and the collapse of Detroit — Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDeuff and Sixty to Zero by Alex Tayler III are examples of the form.
But there is life, hope, and economic success in Detroit too. There are some who are alive. Who fight, and who want money.
Bryce Hoffman's American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company is not an objective book. And Hoffman is not an objective author. Icon is clearly written with the cooperation of Alan Mulally and Ford. It is a pean to a genius CEO who notes obvious issues (executives don't like to say bad things about themselves), implements industry-standard decisions that are de rigeur in many industries (tracking systems that can identify which worker but a specific faulty part in a specific product), and deceives his way to the stop (thru treatment of certain underlines, as well as the entire United Auto Workers).
But my point isn't to drag Mulally thru the mud. It's a fact that while Mulally's American competitors were going bankrupt, Ford was able to ride out the financial storm. Indeed, the only competition that Alan Mullaly's Ford has for the most innovative, most successful American auto company is certainly Elon Musks's Tesla. Ford isn't the leader in hybrids. But it is #2. And like Tesla, it's building on successes.
It's unlikely that Mulally will ever be the recipient of a cult like Steve Jobs. But nor is American Icon simply paid publicity, like Who says elephants can't dance?. Rather, American Icon is like Dean Barrett's travel knowledge: proof that the writer is alive, the subject is alive, and all the faults of joys of human struggle are playing out on a healthy subject.
American Icon is a well written book, and Ford seems like a well managed company. In most cities and most industries, this would not be remarkable. But given the collapse of Detroit and the death of General Motors and Chrysler it is a celebration of life.
I read American Icon: Alan Mullaly and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company in the Nook Edition.


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The North Cape Tour
Visit the North Cape and the great sights of the arctic. Experience reindeer, fishing villages and the northernmost of Europe. Join us on a journey through stunning scenery with view stops along the way. All entrance tickets included. This tour corresponds with all cruise ships and Hurtigruten - and you are guaranteed to be back in time.
Join the North Cape Tour to the northernmost of Europe. The journey goes through stunning scenery with fjords, endless ocean and cliff coast. We make view stops along the way with great photo oppertunities. You get to visit a fishing village, a Sami family and to see reindeer up close. There will also be a sightseeing through the arctic town of Honningsvåg with optional stops to the church and galleries. At the end of the journey we bring you back to your ship in good time before its departure. Included: - Excursion from Honningsvåg to the North Cape with return transfer - Entrance ticket to the North Cape Hall (including movie theatre, historical exhibitions, the Cave of Lights and all facilities) - A long stay time at the North Cape Hall providing a no stress visit (minimum 1 hour and 20 minutes) - A visit at a Sami family with traditional Sami outfits and reindeer - Sightseeing through the arctic town Honningsvåg with its sights and attractions - Visit to a picturesque fishing village with its harbour and fishing boats - Great photo opportunities with view stops overlooking fjords, ocean and the monumental North Cape cliff - At the end of the tour you may visit galleries, gift shops and the local church (optional) For your safety and comfort all our drivers are highly experienced. Please note: This excursion adjusts to the arrival and departure time of all cruise ships. You will always be back in time before your ships departure. Duration: 3,5 hours Meeting time: 15 minutes prior to departure. Your chosen departure time is printed on your traveller's document. Meeting place: Tourist information in Honningsvåg, next to the cruise pier. Your bus is marked "The North Cape Tour" Important: We are located next to the cruise pier, within a 2 minute walking distance. We adjust our departures to your ships arrival time. If you travel with Hurtigruten we recommend the North Cape Express that corresponds with Hurtigruten. This tour is operated by North Cape Tours. Did you not find a suitable departure or available seats? We recommend the North Cape Express and the North Cape Midnight Tour. Please visit us online at www.northcapetours.com for more information.
Last updated: 08/14/2023
Source: Book Finnmark

subset: commoncrawl


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Actually your wrong. I am not just coming back to school. I have been at school for the last 8 weeks. In two weeks it will be the holidays here.
Kidz Submit By:
NIckname: lagannz
Age: 11 1/2
NO, School RULES!
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: Moon365
Age: 13 1/2
" I just wanted to thank you for always providing me with up-to-date information. You people are so sweet. Thank you from an African American female from..."
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: Tweety
Age: 13 1/2
School does not suck because you can learn, and you can get a college degree.
Age: 10
School sucks but sometimes it can be fun. I'm in grade 5 and we have free time!
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: sugarsweety_22
Age: 13
Nope, it's really cool cause I'm in junior high. It's sooo much fun, especially the boys. Just kiddin' I'm in 7th grade.
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: weaviewonka
Age: 11
Well school kinda sux for me. I'm in 7th and I really wanna go back to 6. I miss that year!! The teachers are so bad.
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: chocolate222
Age: 11
I think school kinda sucks but it can rock sometimes. I'm in 7th grade and I think it's cool!
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: greenred55
Age: 14
School isn't really all that bad but it's what the person thinks and feels. Your teachers can have a big impact on what you feel. I personally like school. It helps me achieve my goals and I like to see my friends on a daily basis.
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: tigger55
Age: 13
School sucks! I mean everyone is trying to be better than each other and I would rather be stupid than wake up at 7:00 AM. Please make school close FOREVER!
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: demon1
Age: 12
Well, school sucks sometimes but hey, think about it - where'd you get all your friends from? =D
Kidz Submit By:
Nickname: 1_l0v3_Avril
Age: 14
Have your say
What do you think about school?


text: Back in January -- on Data Privacy Day, no less -- IBM announced Identity Mixer, a new technology for protecting users' personal data during authentication. On Friday, it announced that the technology is now available to developers on its Bluemix cloud platform.It's common for apps today to require that users prove their identity and other credentials, but all too often that authentication process exposes a raft of unnecessary and potentially sensitive personal information along the way.To access an online streaming-movie service's app, for example, users might have to prove that they have a paid subscription and are over 18 years old. Traditionally, that would mean revealing their full date of birth along with assorted other personal details that aren't actually necessary for the proof, such as first and last name, address, etc.When a breach happens, there's all that much more potentially sensitive information exposed.Identity Mixer is designed to protect users' privacy by focusing just on the essentials of the proof. Thanks to a set of algorithms based on cryptography work done at IBM Research, the tool allows developers to build apps that can authenticate users' identities using what's known as a "zero-knowledge proof" that collects no personal data.Specifically, Identity Mixer authenticates users by asking them to provide a public key. Each user has a single secret key, and it corresponds with multiple public keys, or identities. Each transaction a user makes receives a different public key and leaves no privacy "breadcrumbs."So, in the streaming service example, users would have both identity and subscription credentials stored in a personal Credential Wallet. To access a movie, they could use that electronic wallet to prove that they're entitled to watch the selected content without having to expose any other details.The result, according to IBM, is that users' privacy is better preserved, and the service provider is spared the need to protect and secure all that extraneous data."One of the key principles for protecting privacy is the concept of data minimization," said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "Anything that can be done to reduce the amount of data that's collected as part of the authentication process is definitely a very good thing."


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The Stereotypes About Gays and Straights Are True
It turns out the stereotypes about gay and straight men and women are kind of true. Data-obsessed dating site OKCupid sorted through what gay and straight users claim they like to compile the snazzy charts you'll find below.
Gay Men vs. Straight Men (click image to expand):
Gay Women vs. Straight Women (click image to expand):
These traits are so obvious they're almost offensive, but these are the words and phrases that people from each group used the most in the profiles they wrote about themselves. Guess we can't get so mad next time someone makes a joke about gays loving The Devil Wears Prada or The L Word, or straights going crazy for cars and lip gloss. [OKCupid


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This article is more than 1 year old
RSS service developed for Salesforce.com
Everything you can read
A consulting start-up is RSS-enabling Salesforce.com's customer relationship management (CRM) service, aggregating subscribers' data and helping users reduce information overload.
Spanning Partners has launched Spanning Salesforce.com 2.0, a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) service that delivers sales information to subscribers' PCs and mobile devices without firing up a browser or wading through email for updates.
Subscribers can sign-up for Spanning's service by clicking on the RSS buttons at the company's website and run popular aggregators such as FeedDemon, NewsGator or NetNewsWire.
Spanning founder Charlie Wood, previously NewsGator's vice president of enterprise solutions, told The Register his service helps solve the problem of information overload and access to data in enterprise applications.
In Salesforce.com's case, subscribers must use either check their data by taking the time to go online through a browser or by receiving alerts via email, raising the problem of sorting and finding data as more email arrives.
"Aggregation is getting solved by NewsGator and Microsoft, but the piece that was missing was having enterprise software applications RSS-enabled," Wood said.
"RSS specifically for Salesforce.com lets users get at their data which ever way they want. Right now you can do on the Web, there's an Outlook version and a mobile version. RSS is a natural extension of that. CRM can benefit from RSS."
Seven RSS feeds are available covering unread leads, open opportunities, opportunities for this quarter, opportunities for the next quarter, open cases, open escalations and new documents. These links are free; however, Spanning will charge Salesforce subscribers to build RSS links to customized implementations of the software.
Apparently Salesforce.com has no immediate plans of its own to open its online service to RSS, according to Wood. ®


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Vertalingen: Nederlands English
Speak up for our women religious
U.S. women religious, whose leaders meet in Dallas next month, find themselves in a terrible position. On one hand, they can defend their approach to religious life. Through decades of prayer and work together, they have discerned that approach, articulated in their Vatican-approved charters, as God's call. The process has drawn them deeply into social apostolates through which they have become a powerful representation of Catholic life throughout U.S. culture and the wider world.
On the other hand, they can work quietly in attempting to navigate the institutional shoals, placating those among the hierarchy who believe that a 19th-century model of religious life, shuttered up and held in place by an unthinking acquiescence to a male hierarchy mistakenly referred to by some as obedience is the salvation of religious life. The option holds the possibility of avoiding a public confrontation and the unpleasant consequences of such a standoff. However, it also holds the likely possibility that religious life in the United States will be re-engineered in secret by the men in the Vatican. It holds the prospect that the soul of a project rooted in and encouraged by the Second Vatican Council would be hollowed out.
The social sciences have a term for the situation of women who feel compelled to be compliant with the men who are bent on demeaning and humiliating them: They call it battered wife syndrome.
So much is at stake in the decisions the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will take about how to proceed because the very integrity of the organization has been called into question with a Vatican-initiated "doctrinal assessment" of its activities.
The doctrinal investigation of the Leadership Conference, which represents 95 percent of women's orders in the United States, was initiated by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As much as it is, in itself, an affront to the sisters in the United States, it is all the more insulting because the congregation is headed by an American, Cardinal William Levada. As a former bishop and archbishop in the United States, he certainly could recite, with little prompting, the countless ways religious sisters provided him with an educated, inspired and active church over which to preside. Certainly he knows as well as anyone that the Catholic presence in the wider culture from institutions such as hospitals, schools and colleges, to ministries in parishes, and to the neighborhoods of desperate inner cities would be seriously diminished without the sisters whose loyalty he now questions. In that context, the investigation is a shameful betrayal of trust.
The doctrinal congregation's investigation is only part of the nuisance distracting U.S. women religious today. They are also contending with another investigation said to be, of course, for their own good conducted by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, headed by Cardinal Franc Rodé. The benignly titled "apostolic visitation" is by any other name an invasive probe of how the sisters live and whether they conform to some unspecified measure of what religious life should be. At best, it's a setup. Rodé has several times revealed his conclusions about religious life in the United States, and they are hardly appreciative of what the sisters have done.
Rodé recites the tired shibboleths of a minority who see the future in the enthusiasm of a few small conservative orders that have gone back to habits and regimented community life. That approach is not to be dismissed, but it must also be noted that it has limited appeal. The numbers, by comparison to the alternative, are miniscule. The conservative model should be able to coexist with newer forms of community that involve different levels of membership and a greater role for lay associates. Imagining that the future of religious life resides primarily in a re-enactment of the past is similar to dealing with the priest shortage by insisting on a celibate all-male clergy even if it means raiding other priest-short countries to maintain the impression that all is well.
Underlying all of this, particularly the doctrinal investigation of Leadership Conference, is the basic question: What do bishops hope to achieve?
Before attempting to answer that question, it is necessary to note that the Vatican, in initiating these investigations, is revealing not a crisis in religious life but rather a crisis of the clerical and hierarchical culture.
It is a crisis most graphically depicted in the scandalous behavior of the hierarchy worldwide in its handling of the clergy sex abuse crisis in which bishops systematically and repeatedly chose the preservation of their culture over the lives of children.
In the case of the sisters, what Vatican officials hope to achieve appears to be a forced, public acknowledgement by the sisters that the bishops and cardinals hold all the cards and are the final arbiters of how the women will conduct their lives.
The resultant clash is inevitable. The Vatican that repeatedly extols the dignity of women and whose representative at the United Nations recently argued for the equality of women culturally and economically is the same structure that insists that men, and celibate men at that, are the only humans qualified to make major decisions for the Catholic community. The hypocrisy is embarrassingly evident. The theological and exegetic rationales for such duplicity are by now threadbare and rotting.
Framing the current situation in such stark, adversarial terms may seem to some counterproductive, even detrimental to the sisters and their attempts to work with and reason with the Vatican.
Indeed, there are rich opportunities in these conflicts for seriously exploration of the future of religious life. But to do so in a way that recognizes the work and intelligence of the women involved would require a sea change in hierarchical attitudes about authority, women and what it means to lead a community.
It is impossible to have a dialogue when one side is convinced of the outcome before the conversation begins. It is impossible to have a dialogue when one side believes it is vested with all of the wisdom and answers necessary, when it inherently distrusts changes to the status quo, and when it is convinced that leadership is defined as the ability to control.
Women religious cannot pull themselves out of the quicksand into which they have been thrown. Even while tormented by conflicted loyalties, they still seem to hold on to some hope that someone in the hierarchy will actually hear what they are saying. They are aware, too, that any response they make must take into consideration not only their own convictions and integrity but also the needs of the vulnerable in their communities, especially the elderly. If they have any hope of moving beyond the battered wife syndrome, they need strong, public support of the Catholic community they have so diligently served for decades.
Individuals, parishes, justice groups, alumni groups, all of those who know how different the world would be had it not been for the life of a woman religious need to speak out now and let the Vatican know how much the sisters are appreciated. We all have the power to easily join the discussion and perhaps affect the course of things. Individuals and groups can sign respectful letters and make sure the local bishop and those in the two Vatican congregations conducting the investigations understand the depth of feeling that exists for women who have dedicated their lives to service of the church and others. Send copies of all correspondence to the papal nuncio in Washington.
It is also time for bishops who understand the unseemly politics of the moment, who in private wince at each new insult to religious women, to show some courage. Those who know how dependent the life of their local church is on the service of religious women should end their silence. Speak up. Use your newspapers, Web sites, columns and blogs to highlight the contributions of women religious. You could be taking a first step toward both altering the culture that has brought on this sad episode as well as healing the growing and unnecessary breach between women religious and some members of the hierarchy.
If we want religious women to continue to minister while exploring the possibilities of the future with confidence and integrity, they need to know the church is behind them. Ending up with sisters who feel battered will serve no one and will only bring further shame on an already beleaguered community.
The above Editorial of The National Catholic Reporter was taken from the July 26, 2010 issue.
Ik kan het artikel niet helemaal lezen en wil dat ook niet. De eerste alinea's geven mij al weer zo'n vreselijk gevoel van indoctrinatie door wat zich de Kerk wil noemen. Het mismanagement van zo'n amerikaanse kardinaal. Het is zo erg; we weten het wel. De r.-k kerk heeft die problemen al 1000 jaar. Zo lang al pikt iedereen het, nu ja, de uitloop is groot. Kerken worden gesloten. Verloren gaat de boodschap van de bergrede; laat al die visitators en prelaten dat weer een doorlezen. Ik wordt kwaad, omdat ik het niet kan laten enig vertrouwen te stellen in die kerk. Ten onrechte, maar als het je wortels zijn, wat wil je dan?
Bert Roebert - Bennebroek
Reactie plaatsen
- Alle reacties worden vóór publicatie door de redactie beoordeeld. Wij behouden ons het recht voor reacties te weigeren of in te korten zonder opgaaf van redenen.
- Een inzending mag maximaal 1000 tekens bevatten en moet goed leesbaar zijn.
- Lees andere inzendingen zodat u in uw reactie niet in herhaling vervalt maar nieuwe argumenten geeft. De reactie moet inhoudelijk zijn en iets waardevols toevoegen aan het artikel. Dus bijvoorbeeld geen agressief taalgebruik.
Terug naar "Kom op voor onze vrouwelijke religieuzen" | Naar boven


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Adam Jones scored his fourth goal of the game in sudden death, double overtime Friday, leading the host Peterborough Lakers to a come-from-behind-win over the Maple Ridge Burrards in Game 1 of the Mann Cup final.
Jones tallied six points, while Shawn Evans followed suit with two goals and eight points for the Lakers at Peterborough Memorial Centre.
Ben McIntosh and Dan Taylor led the way with four and three goals, respectively, for the Burrards. Curtis Dickson netted two goals for Maple Ridge against his former team.
Evan Kirk picked up the goaltending win, stopping 44 of 57 shots for the Lakers.
Frank Scigliano stopping 56 of 69 shots for the Burrards.
The Lakers took the lead after the first period, as Jones potted two of his three goals in the game to make it 3-2.
Peterborough came out shooting in the second, pushing the score to 10-5 as Evans netted two goals and two assists to lead the charge.
The third period, though, was all Burrards as they scored six goals, all coming within the first 10 minutes.
Peterborough's Thomas Hoggarth tied the game up with just over four minutes left in the frame to force overtime.
In the first OT, McIntosh scored his fourth goal of the frame, coming on an assist from Dickson.
McIntosh had eight points total in the opening game.
Dickson completed his hat-trick with just over seven minutes left in overtime, and finished with seven points.
The lead did not last long, though.
Hoggarth once again tied the game with under three minutes left in the frame to force double overtime.
Peterborough was able to scrape through to score in sudden death double overtime to take the first game of the Mann Cup.
After the game, Burrards general manager Lance Andre said he thought the team performed well considering it hadn't played a game for two weeks.
"We knew the first one was going to be tough and if we won we were going to steal one."
He added that for the second game, Saturday (4 p.m. PST), the Burrards will have to make a few adjustments on defence and in the face-offs circle, and compete more for loose balls.
A classic to start game 1, 14-13 as @thejonesy16 scores the winner in double OT to give the @PtboLakersLax a 1-0 series lead. #MannCup
— teddy jenner (@OffTheCrosseBar) September 8, 2018
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text:
Word and Image Leave Lasting Mark in "Iwo Jima"
- Christian Hamaker Contributing Writer
- 2007 19 Jan
Release Date: January 19, 2007 (wider release)
Rating: R (for graphic war violence)
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 142 min.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura, Hiroshi Watanabe, Takumi Bando, Yuki Matsuzaki, Takashi Yamaguchi
Honor and duty are noble callings, but what are we to make of them when they're put to ends with which we disagree? Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" – a companion piece to Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" that depicts the same battle at the center of that film, but this time from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers – forces us to consider the humanity and dignity of people who fight against America.
On the island of Iwo Jima, Japanese forces await the arrival of American forces and the coming battle for control of the land. If it comes under American control, the island will become a launching point for American forces to attack Japan.
The thoughts of the Japanese soldiers are conveyed through letters they wrote in their final days, while waiting to confront the advancing American army. The letters are unearthed in the present day at the beginning of the film, before the film flashes back to the battle for the island and the stories of the soldiers who wrote the letters.
The fight to establish control of Mt. Suribachi – the hill on which American fighters were captured on film, raising the U.S. flag – ends early in "Letters From Iwo Jima," but even before that occurs, the grim situation for the Japanese men has been laid out.
The urgency of the mission for the Japanese soldiers is compromised by the failing war effort in other venues. Faced with a lack of communication between air and ground forces, and no naval support, the Japanese men are told to fight to the death to protect the island.
None of them labor under the illusion that they will prevail against overwhelming American military might, but they take up their calling to preserve their "sacred land," as they call it, and to honor the Japanese Emperor and themselves by fighting to the death.
In the face of the futile effort and the determination by superiors to see there are no Japanese survivors of the battle, some of the men attempt to flee. Most of the men, however, follow orders and die on the island. In one particularly disturbing sequence, a group of men kill themselves with their own grenades rather than face capture.
Ken Watanabe stars as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, a man whose knowledge of America and loyalty to Japan help him lead his men with compassion and effectiveness, knowing all the while what will be the outcome of their struggle. Lt. Ito (Shido Nakamura) embodies the strict code of the Japanese military, insisting on suicide as the only outcome when victory is no longer an option. Kazunari Ninomiya stars as family man Saigo, a baker who is forced to join the military, but who promises his wife and unborn child that he will return alive.
As moving and universal as the story and its themes are, "Letters From Iwo Jima" never gives us the full picture of the Japanese warrior mentality. Yes, the men fought bravely and against all odds in a losing cause, and did so to their deaths. Nothing less was acceptable, as the film clearly shows.
But the Japanese war mentality was even more extreme and terrifying. Ironically, a recent book that describes this is authored by none other than James Bradley, who co-authored "Flags of Our Fathers" – the basis for the other 2006 Eastwood film on World War II. In Bradley's "Flyboys" (a story of WWII pilots that has no connection to the film of the same name from last year, which centered on the first World War), Bradley explains the terrifying reality of Japanese fighters who digested the livers of American pilots as a way to increase their courage and fighting spirit. Also, school children were instructed to worship the Japanese Emperor – a loyalty that remained among the soldiers of "Letters From Iwo Jima," until their dying moments.
Eastwood's latest film is gorgeous but difficult at times to watch. The amazing battle scenes result in ugly carnage – a reminder of the consequences of war. The consequences of American victory are not addressed in this film, and were not the point of Eastwood's less well received "Flags of Our Fathers." Therefore, this sorrowful yet beautiful film may not satisfy those looking for the bigger picture of national and global implications of combat. Instead, what Eastwood gives us here is a picture of men, created in the image of God, who, for the most part, face death with blind obedience to their leader and country.
"Long live the Emperor!" the soldiers shout moments before their deaths – an empty rallying cry for the losing side of battle. The sadness the viewer feels is not so much because time has vindicated the other side of that fight, but because the obedience on display is misguided and destructive – something to which everyone can relate.
AUDIENCE: Adults
Language: Some subtitled profanity.
Violence: Wartime fighting, including attacks from air, hand-to-hand combat, grenade explosions, gunfire, shooting of deserters, bayoneting, severed limbs, burned and disfigured bodies; a horse dies; a dog is shot.
Suicide: Treated as a noble form of death; several men fall on their own grenades, another shoots himself.
Sex/Nudity: None.
Drinking: Some drinking and smoking.
Religion: Some fleeting verbal references to God, and to the "other side"; prayer for the victory of the "Empire"; mention of a day when men will pray for the dead soldiers' souls.


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Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent says he's "just trying to deal" with the death of his teammate and "very best friend" Jerry Brown.
Brent is charged with intoxication manslaughter in the accident that killed Brown.
Brent was released from jail in the Dallas suburb of Irving after posting $500,000 bond Sunday, a day after police say he was drunk and speeding when the vehicle he was driving clipped a curb and flipped.
Brent's release came about an hour after the Cowboys secured an emotional 20-19 victory in Cincinnati with a field goal on the final play. Brent was supposed to start the game.
The 25-year-old Brown was a member of the Cowboys' practice squad and living with Brent while he pursued his dream of playing in the NFL.


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Read the Fine Print: Court Costs
This article is part of a series lifting the veil on the numerous and profound changes to vital North Carolina programs and services made in the lengthy and wonky special provisions of the budget. We're starting with the special provisions in the House budget and will continue when the Senate releases its version of the budget.
Special provision in focus: Justice & Public Safety
This special provisions and the policy changes included can be categorized as:
- Just plain sticking it to all those [insert type] people
Special provisions attached to the budget suggested by the House budget subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety outline over $80 million in new and increased court fees that are intended to offset state appropriations to the legal system. That's a lot of dough by any standards, but the real kicker is that those dollars may exist mostly in the minds of legislators, not the wallets of those in the justice system. It's completely unrealistic to assume that raising the statutory fees will result in 100% of the fee revenue forecasted. As anyone who has worked in or around the court system knows, not every plaintiff and defendant is flush with cash these days.
And talk about kicking people when they're down – the special provisions suggest we should double the court fee assessed on foreclosures, from $150 to $300 per foreclosure. Yes, you heard that right. As we're mucking our way out of a deep, dark recession caused mostly by wild financial speculation on mortgages and irresponsible lenders, our legislators have the gall to suggest that North Carolinians who are in the heartwrenching process of losing their homes should shoulder more of the cost of providing core government services.
Of course, we'll probably be told it will all work out to our advantage because they'll be cutting corporate taxes as part of the budget. So, the banks that wrote the mortgage to the family now in foreclosure will get a tax cut, and the family losing their house will just have to go a little bit deeper into debt than they already were thanks to the court's new, higher foreclosure fee. Why would anyone object to THAT scenario?
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.


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Shop Popular Categories
NorthlineExpress.com is your complete one-stop-shop fireplace accessories super-store. You'll enjoy browsing our extensive selection of fireplace supplies, including top quality fireplace screens and doors, beautiful realistic looking vented and vent free gas log sets, hundreds of unique fireplace tool sets to choose from, and so much more! From chimney caps and maintenance items to everything you will ever need to dress up your fireplace, NorthlineExpress.com has it!


text: We have a 3 vert, and now that that is in hibernation, are thinking of a winter vehicle. Have had in the past a 3 xi which was great in the snow. We are thinking of an X5 for the extra room. I know bimmers are not cheap to operate, and if you do preventive upkeep, they are great. Still, I'm reading a lot about the X5 being alot less reliable and problematic. (and costly) What have you heard or experienced yourself? Also, what are you getting for MPG? (I'd be interested in a 3.0)


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An Open Letter to the Crawford County Mental Health Center:
December, 1986
Perhaps our most precious treasure—in large part a buried treasure—is the potential that exists within us as a people. We have the capacity to face the facts, to understand ourselves, to make wise choices, to live in a harmonious relationship with our fellow men and women.
We have knowledge—not perfect, but a usable knowledge—of the psychological environment which can release these capacities. This growth-promoting climate is created by persons who are real and genuine, sensitively understanding, and who have a caring concern for those with whom they are working.
I hope that the staff of the Mental Health Center—the administrative, professional, and support staff—can become increasingly able to create such a nurturing climate. I hope they can be fully present as real persons, to those with whom they deal.
I know that this is a goal we can only work toward—not a goal we can fully achieve. But I have found it helpful to recognize that What I am is good enough, if I can only be it, openly.
I wish you success.
Resident Fellow


text:
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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 25, 2009) - Head East Tennessee State University softball coach Andrea Mangrum announced a few schedule changes for this 2009 season on Wednesday afternoon, as the Lady Bucs added two series and changed the time of their home game versus Virginia Tech.
After having three games washed out at the 2009 Frost Classic in
One game the Lady Bucs added to their slate is a single-game road contest at No. 9 Tennessee on Tuesday, April 14. The game time inside Sherri Lee Parker Stadium has still yet to be announced.
ETSU also added a home doubleheader with Radford on Friday, May 1 in
The Lady Bucs also moved their game time against Virginia Tech up two hours on March 31. Instead of a 7 p.m. first pitch, ETSU will face the Hokies on its home turf at 5 p.m. in
ETSU continues play on Thursday afternoon when they head down to
For more information on Lady Buccaneer softball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.


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Part 7: Bringing the 8 1/4 Up to Speed
How to refresh the Mopar 8.25 rearend
Related Video
While not particularly known for its strength, the ubiquitous 8.25-inchrearend found its way under a whole slew of cars and trucks. Definitelynot as sexy as the 83/4, a drop-in-style differential featuring theconvenience of easy gear swaps or the nuclear bomb-proof Dana 60, butthis Salisbury-style differential is plentiful and reasonably strongwhen healthy. In a perfect world each and every one of us could affordto replace that modest 81/4 with one of Ma Mopar's beefier offerings,but we most certainly don't live in a perfect world. What to do then?It's simple--give the folks at Randy's Ring and Pinion a call and orderthe parts necessary to reinforce your 8.25.
You will recall that our Project Stealth Bomber '89 Diplomat police carwas being prep'd for the Nevada Open Road Challenge last May. We decidednot to take our chances on the stock physically abused unit out back,and instead opted to freshen it up with a new sure grip and an eventaller final drive ratio. Equipped from the factory with a 2.94 opendiff, we calculated our gear ratio based upon cruising speed versus rpm.With a 28-inch tall tire and a 2.94 gear ratio, 110 mph would require4,500 rpm while the same speed with a 2.76 gear and the aforementionedtires drops cruising rpm to a leisurely 4,000 rpm. So, we opted for the2.7s. We also took the opportunity to install an Auburn limited slipunit. The experts at Ramjet Rear End Repair were given the stage toperform the task of bringing the Stealth Bomber's rearend up to speed.
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This natural color view from the Cassini spacecraft highlights the myriad gradations in the transparency of Saturn's inner rings.
The dark shadows of the rings separate Saturn's southern hemisphere in the bottom of the image from the north. The innermost D ring is invisible, laid over the planet's northern hemisphere. The translucent C ring runs through the middle of the image. The denser B ring stretches across the top of the image.
This view looks toward the sunlit side of the rings from about 48 degrees below the ringplane. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this natural color view. The images were acquired with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 28, 2009 at a distance of approximately 1 million kilometers (620,000 miles) from Saturn. Image scale is 59 kilometers (37 miles) per pixel.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/. The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org.


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We regret to inform you that, due to a technical issue, we can't currently accept new projects and organisations. We're working as quickly as we can to get this fixed and look forward to seeing your work on the platform soon!
In the meantime, please do sign up to our newsletter through the homepage, and if you have any questions drop us a line at [email protected].
Find out more about our migration and integration cluster, led by betterplace lab.
DSI in the field of migration and integration developed in a unique way: in direct response to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of refugees in 2015, scores of DSI projects aiming to support refugees emerged at the same time, with offers ranging from language support to orientation, housing and general Q&A platforms. By summer 2017 we at betterplace lab counted 120 projects in Germany alone.
Since 2015, as the needs have shifted from emergency assistance to long-term integration, so have the projects' focus, with a large number of projects ending up being discontinued. Yet there is no doubt that finding adequate integration and inclusion strategies in the face of mass forced migration will be one of the defining challenges for Europe this century. It will require coming up with new innovative solutions and including the broadest possible range of actors as part of a holistic, interlocking integration process. Looking at what DSI has to offer in this field is therefore not only very interesting but also politically extremely relevant.
Where we're headed
The aim for our cluster is to grow the impact of DSI, particularly in the field of labour market integration, represented through online job matching platforms but also coding schools where newcomers acquire IT skills highly relevant to the current labour market. Furthermore, we want to create space for knowledge sharing and cooperation among European projects.
So far, most of the DSI for integration activities have been focused in Germany. Our database of DSI projects we know in this area shows a strong concentration of around 60 projects in Berlin, around 60 in the rest of Germany combined, and about 60 in the rest of the world.
The main challenges for the projects in Germany have been to generate sustainable funding and to foster cooperation with established actors in order to stabiliae their efforts and and reach a wider audience. Our focus in Germany is therefore to lobby for lower barriers and less bureaucracy when it comes to funding opportunities. We also want to create space for constructive dialogue and mutual understanding between DSI projects, established charities and the public sector in order to increase cooperation.
Many of the advances made and lessons learned in Germany are applicable to other contexts. And after over two years since the "explosion period" of new projects emerging almost daily, it feels like the right moment to promote international diffusion and collaboration.
We aim to achieve our goals by following three parallel tracks of work: We're reaching out to our existing network for a follow-up on the event we hosted last summer, the digital refugee summit. The aim is to talk about successes, failures and new challenges since then, in order to inform our approach to the transnational peer learning events.
In terms of peer learning, we will be focusing on fostering exchange between different coding schools. Therefore we are organising one peer learning event specifically for European "refugee coding schools" and a second event addressed to a broader audience including policy makers working on labour market integration. The aim is to discuss how these programmes fit into existing policy around labour market integration, and make recommendations for improvement. We have already completed an analysis of this kind for the German context, which will serve as our basis to look at other national contexts, as well as EU level policy and programmes.
The third topic we're focusing on is promoting diversity within the DSI community, specifically greater representation of those with migrant backgrounds. So far there are only few examples of newcomer-lead innovation, such as the app buraucrazy, and we're exploring different ways of promoting diversity in tech in a webinar held at the end of this year.
We are curious to find out what DSI can add to existing efforts of migrant integration on a European level as well as to helping create more open and welcoming societies. As migration is a transnational rather than a national issue we want to find ways to connect people across Europe working on similar topics and grappling with similar challenges. We will deepen transnational cooperation with the help of existing networks like Techfugees, the Helpers Alliance and Refugees Welcome International.
At betterplace lab we are a team of two working on the topic of DSI for Migration and Integration, Lavinia Schwedersky ([email protected]) and Ben Mason ([email protected] ). Get in touch with us if you have ideas you would like to share, a project that is relevant to our cluster or just want to have a chat!
To keep in touch with the project and DSI in Europe, follow us on Twitter @DSI4EU and sign up to our newsletter .


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Does EP Need a Soccer Complex? Yes — More Than a Baseball Stadium [OPINION]
The Paso del Norte Group's hand-picked sports consultant seems to see it. El Paso native Omar Salgado being picked first in Major League Soccer's draft last year supports it. And if we have the gonads to put votes and money on the line, it may even come to pass.
The best thing El Paso could -- and should -- build for itself is a soccer complex.
This would be better than building a baseball stadium. Better by far than another arena. Better than swimming pools, multi-purpose gyms and skate parks.
And not just a stadium, either. A whole soccer complex. Multiple soccer fields around one large stadium.
It's something I've thought about for years, so in the face of the Paso del Norte Group's sudden reappearance in the news and the bond issue it would like passed, I'll actually unveil my thoughts on how to spend other people's money at the end.
If you're not a soccer fan, I'm not here to tout the "sport of the future" and convert you. Don't make me ill by dredging up those useless prophecies from the 1970's.
I am here to tout the sport of the present. The sport played by thousands of El Pasoans, from peewees to retirees. The sport that gave El Paso it's first top draft pick in any professional league, ever. The sport that sports more jerseys around town than any other.
And, speaking of the future, If El Paso is to have one in sports outside of UTEP, it will be through soccer, immediately making it more important than building a baseball stadium.
A big, new ballpark would be great, and I've said so. But in comparison to a soccer facility, a ballpark is at most two-dimensional: it's wonderful entertainment and spurs downtown revitalization. That's big, but that's all.
Forget the arena talk. With three other arenas within a 40-mile radius ready to undercut a large and expensive facility when bidding for concerts and events, I can't see a new arena being anything but an albatross for the city.
But a legitimate soccer complex? Now we're talking.
Reading the comments from Horrow Sports Ventures chairman, Rick Horrow, in the El Paso Times' piece on the bond being put on a ballot this November, I was honestly surprised a soccer stadium was part of this plan. Frankly, I'm a little relieved I'm not alone.
But it can't just be a stadium awaiting a professional team. This is only truly worth it if it's a complex.
Why soccer over other sports and facilities?
In part because we have hundreds of good soccer players, here. More and more soccer programs are discovering El Paso's wealth of talent, and if Salgado lives up to his potential and becomes a star it will only attract more pro and college scouts and coaches.
But the lament of many teams around town is El Paso's ridiculous lack of good fields and facilities. High school teams play on skinny football fields of plastic grass or natural turf that, by Texas' high school season in mid-winter, has hardened into adobe.
Even more important to development in soccer are club teams. If it weren't for the Sun Bowl Association's growing Academy Sports+Outdoors club tournament, El Paso's soccer clubs might starve for lack of civic attention when it comes to addressing needs. Teams could bang their heads against a goalpost and get more love from their hometown.
A city that wishes to nurture it's very real talent needs the facilities to do so. That El Paso's soccer teams continually scratch and claw for fields on which they can practice, much less play, is almost criminal.
Just because El Paso doesn't have a lot of grass doesn't mean there's no grass-roots support.
And what if El Paso gets this facility? What is the end result?
We already mentioned one -- the Sun Bowl Association's big soccer soiree. It's already the largest youth tournament in the Southwest. Allowing it the space to grow only brings more teams, more families, more hotel stays and meals. More scouts and coaches for our kids, too.
Doubt that's a big deal when it comes to economic impact? You're wrong. Just saying. I'm living this right now. Sports tourism is a single wave of money waiting to wash over a city that does things right.
I have a daughter who plays club volleyball. We travel to other cities around four times a year. We took her to the world's largest volleyball tournament in Dallas two weekends ago, the Mizuno Lone Star Classic.
One parent told me walking into one of these big tournaments with hundreds of volleyballs flying everywhere was like watching popcorn pop. If there is a more apt description, I have yet to hear it.
And, oh, did they set this thing up brilliantly. As soon as families walked into the Dallas Convention Center's massive hall, you walked into a...mall, really...of booths selling ribbons and hairbands and purses and bedazzled t-shirts and Justin Bieber posters, and it drew the thousands upon thousands of teenage girls and their daddies' wallets like big-eyed bees to flowers.
The place looked like the Dallas Fire Department had hosed it down with neon pastels and glitter.
My wallet was whisked out of its pocket with such velocity, my hip is still recovering from the burns. And that's before it took the hit for the $9 smoothies!
If every team brought 10 girls, that's also 10 families. Multiply that by the more than 1,400 teams that attend over two weekends. That is major bank for the city of Dallas -- an eight-figure shot spreading from the convention center and area restaurants and hotels all the way down to the booth that sold my girl her big purple hair thingie.
There won't be a 1,400-team soccer tournament anywhere anytime soon, but the Academy Sports+Outdoor tournament is expected to have between 170 and 200 teams this June. Do some simple math. Say, 15 players per team (probably more) with 200 teams. That alone is 3,000 soccer players. Now add their parents and other relatives, all looking for hotel rooms and places to eat.
Now imagine you could double the size of this tournament with the right venue. Hold one big tourney and two or three smaller ones each year. Boo-yah, El Paso!
This is why it needs to be a complex, not just a stadium.
And the end game of this brings it all together, turning a good two-dimensional idea into something truly great that can benefit El Paso at every level.
Yes, I'm still talking soccer.
Think about it. If El Paso were ever to break into any big league, which league would it be, the NFL, NBA or MLB?
Are you kidding?
If it's anything, it's MLS -- Major League Soccer.
And if the next Omar Salgado is waiting in the wings, MLS already has an apparatus that allows teams to claim homegrown talent.
If you're one who thinks we should never spend money on sports, I think you're wrong. Don't underestimate the power and attention it brings. We do plenty of other good things worth morsels of attention from time to time, but the spotlight never shines as brightly on this city -- positively, anyway -- as it does when it shines on our sports.
Right now, the Hyundai Sun Bowl and UTEP (when the Miners win) are the two things that lift this city's reputation past the baseless and harmful border violence blather coming from our own governor's office.
When Rick Perry won't retract statements that car bombs are blowing up in our midst, he might as well be spray painting gang slogans over every El Paso tourism billboard in America. We're the safest city in Texas and our governor uses us as a political pigskin so he can talk tough on crime.
This is what we're up against in our own state. We need all the help we can get.
How about another great message about El Paso that extends not just beyond the political phonies within our own big-money borders, but internationally? A message that can also nurture an already-solid base of local talent, perhaps giving the best of it a boost into a world that plays the same game.
MLS is international news. If he makes the grade, MLS will be Omar Salgado's ticket to playing soccer in Europe someday. What if El Paso could be the city to make that happen for the next hometown kid?
You see what I mean about added dimension? You would never get anything close to this from Triple-A baseball. A soccer complex couldn't be placed downtown, but this is something that would go way beyond revitalization.
And so, here you go -- the grand plan, such as it is. A mountain stadium and shopping center in the southwest corner of Transmountain Road and U.S. 54. There are more practical locations, but I was searching for an eye-catching spot at an important intersection.
I know. It's federal land and, even if Uncle Sam sells, it would have to be combed for old unexploded shells from its days as a Ft. Bliss gunnery range. But it seems to me that Northeast El Paso is, first, central to what is more and more El Paso del Norte -- not only El Paso, but also southern New Mexico, including Las Cruces and Alamogordo. Transmountain Road and U.S. 54 is the main crossroad of this central location.
Second, Northeast is the only area where big box anchor tenants do not exist outside Walmart and Lowe's. No Target, no BestBuy. Those two alone would go a long way toward making any shopping center profitable.
Part of my thinking is, if a soccer complex had to be built with private money, what could you do to not only build it, but sustain it financially? I know my thinking on this is incomplete -- I'm no business/real estate brain -- but a property management group built not just to sell itself to the next big mall management firm, but built to sustain a shopping center and put money into a soccer franchise and its facility might be just the thing.
Big malls make big money, but a lot of that money goes to pay big rent to firms that aren't located here, so that's money that doesn't necessarily stay in El Paso.
I'm sure there are plenty of other places, plenty of other plans, but, for what it's worth, this one's mine.
Don't hate, just debate. And if it's on the ballot, vote Yes.


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Coding with kids
James shares his experience of teaching a class of 9 and 10 year old children how to code, and offers some advice:
- Don't dumb it down
- Use real-world examples
- Make it hands on
- Set clear expectations
- Award certificates and/or stickers
As members of the web community we have a responsibility to share what we have learned. I can't think of a better way of doing that then helping kids get started.
Hear, hear!


text: Appendix 1: Capital works deductionsWarning: This information may not apply to the current year. Check the content carefully to ensure it is applicable to your circumstances. End of attention Division 43 of the ITAA 1997 provides for a system of deducting capital expenditure incurred in the construction of buildings and other capital works used to produce assessable income. Last modified: 13 Feb 2019QC 44343


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Tips on Planting Roses
Carefully dig the individual holes for your new roses. Holes should be at least 12 inches deep and 18 inches wide. Mix about one-third organic material (peat, pine bark, or compost) with some of the soil from the hole, along with a gallon or two of well-rotted cow manure, if available. A half-cup of bone meal or superphosphate, thoroughly mixed with the soil, is a good addition. A similar amount of agricultural gypsum is beneficial for heavy clay soils.
Soil preparation can be done just prior to planting, but is more effective if completed several weeks or months before planting.
Rose 'Katy Road Pink'
Spacing of the plants will vary with varieties. Most Polyanthas can be planted as close as 18 to 24 inches, while Chinas, Bourbons, Teas, Hybrid Perpetuals, Hybrid Teas, and Hybrid Musks are best at a 3- to 5-foot spacing, depending on the variety. Climbers and ramblers need more space to develop their potential. Eight to 10 feet is appropriate for most, but under good growing conditions, Banksias, Cherokee, and certain others could be spaced at 15-foot intervals.
Bare-root plants should be set out as soon after receiving them as weather and time allow. If a delay of more than a few days is necessary, remove the plants from the shipping bag and 'heel them in' by covering the roots and part of the tops with loose soil. Container-grown plants may be set out at any time, but most rose growers avoid the hot summer months, when extra irrigation and care may be necessary to insure success. Prune tops back an inch or two to just above a live and healthy bud on each cane. Cut back canes or roots damaged in shipping or handling to healthy tissue. Dig the hole large enough to accommodate the natural spread of the roots, and fill with the soil mixture described earlier. Firm the soil well around the roots, and water thoroughly to remove air pockets and settle the soil firmly around the root system. Set plants at approximately the same level at which they had been growing, or slightly deeper.
Roses are heavy users of nutrients and require frequent application of fertilizers. To determine fertility of existing soil, contact your county Extension agent for instructions on submitting a soil sample.
Do not apply fertilizers until the first set of flowers begins to fade for everblooming types, or in the case of once-blooming roses, 8 to 10 weeks after planting. A heaping tablespoon per plant of a complete fertilizer, such as 6-10-4 or 8-8-8, may be applied every 4 to 6 weeks until about September 1. Application after that time can promote soft fall growth that may result in freeze damage. The time-honored fertilizer for roses is well-rotted cow manure. Since manure may not be available, commercial fertilizers have become popular. Phosphorus is the material that helps plants develop strong, healthy roots and prolific flowering. Superphosphate is usually available, and can be applied at the rate of 3 to 4 pounds per 100 square feet. Since phosphorus is not very mobile in the soil, it should be well mixed during preparation.
Nitrogen is easily and quickly depleted from the soil, and needs to be applied periodically during the growing season. It is necessary for more and bigger canes, stems, and leaves. Slow-release commercial fertilizer or natural materials, such as cottonseed meal, last longer and require fewer applications through the growing season.
Potassium is needed for promotion of new growth, disease resistance, and cold tolerance. All 3 nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) are included in balanced fertilizers. Many rose growers apply a balanced fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks during the growing season.


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With the help of a U.S. federal judge, Microsoft has struck a blow against one of the Internet's worst sources of spam: the notorious Waledac botnet.
Microsoft said late Wednesday that it had been granted a court order that will cut off 277 .com domains associated with the botnet. This will effectively knock the brains of Waledac off the Internet, by removing the command-and-control servers that criminals use to send commands to hundreds of thousands of infected machines.
[ Learn how to secure your systems with Roger Grimes' Security Adviser blog and Security Central newsletter, both from InfoWorld. ]
Thought to be used by Eastern European spammers, Waledac has been a major source of computer infections and spam over the past year. Microsoft believes the botnet can send over 1.5 billion spam messages daily.
In a lawsuit against the unknown spammers behind Waledac, filed Monday with the U.S. District Court of Eastern Virginia, Microsoft argues that Verisign, which manages the .com domain, is a choke-point for the botnet. The court has apparently ordered Verisign to remove the botnet's command-and-control domains from the Internet.
"This action has quickly and effectively cut off traffic to Waledac at the '.com' or domain registry level, severing the connection between the command and control centers of the botnet and most of its thousands of zombie computers around the world," Microsoft said in its blog post announcing the effort.
Microsoft designed its lawsuit so the court order would sever the control ties to the botnet before its controller had time to react. "That unplugging of the Internet connection had to be done without him knowing," said Richard Boscovich, a senior attorney at Microsoft's digital crimes unit, in a video on the blog post.
Many of the affected domains already appeared to be gone after Microsoft's announcement, but others still appeared to be up.
Verisign could not immediately be reached for comment.
Because Waledac uses peer-to-peer techniques to control hacked boxes as well, Microsoft has more work to do, however.
"It's a busy night tonight and tomorrow is probably going to be a busy day as well," said Jeff Williams, director of Microsoft's Malware Protection Center in an email interview.
Williams didn't provide details on what Microsoft was doing to further attack Waledac, but in its blog posting the company said it is "taking additional technical countermeasures to downgrade much of the remaining peer-to-peer command and control communication within the botnet." Microsoft expects to "continue to work with the security community to mitigate and respond to this botnet," the post states.
Known internally as Operation b49, Microsoft's takedown operation "was the result of months of investigation and the innovative application of a tried and true legal strategy," Microsoft said.
Microsoft tried to strike a blow against Waledac last April, by adding detection for the infection to its Malicious Software Removal tool. But that didn't stop the botnet, and spam levels have remained high.
"They didn't kill it," said Paul Ferguson , a researcher with Trend Micro, via instant message. "I've been getting a boat-load of Waledac spam lately."
The majority of the domains ordered cut off are listed as having owners with contact details in China. The domains were registered with a small number of Chinese domain registrars, according to the Microsoft complaint, including one that was recently ordered by China's domain name overseer to improve its verification of customer information used to register domains.
(Owen Fletcher in Beijing contributed to this story.)


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- Home
- Departments
- Public Safety
Public Safety
Welcome to Little Canada's Public Safety Webpage! We believe in providing the highest quality of safety and security services for our citizens. We understand that in order for our community to excel, safety, health and well-being must be assured. This is our absolute priority, and we strive in every way possible to support our commitment to excellence.
Dial 911
Dial 911...whether it is a police, fire, or medical emergency. Your 911 call is routed directly to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department who will send help.
Ramsey County's deputies have emergency medical training. If they are first on the scene, they will administer emergency medical treatment to stabilize the patient until a life-support unit arrives.
Today, on the advice of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, you should call 911 any time you have a concern needing the attention of law enforcement.
How Calls Are Handled
The way calls are handled at the dispatch center today, emergency and non-emergency calls all end up in the same place. This eliminates the issue of wondering whether an issue is truly an "emergency." Second, for effective law enforcement, our deputies need to be aware of troublesome activity as soon as possible to give them the best chance to make a difference. Many times, issues are discussed on social media with no initial contact with law enforcement. By the time the Sheriff's Department becomes aware of a concern, the activity or suspicious person is no longer present.
It should be understood that, depending on current call loads, the dispatcher will help determine if a deputy should be re-routed from an existing call. In some cases, an immediate response may not be necessary or possible. However, if they aren't called, we are likely missing an opportunity to make a difference.
So, if you see possible illegal or suspicious activity, please don't hesitate. Call 911 and help make our community a safer place to live.
You can sign up with Ramsey County for text or email notifications, including:
- Amber alerts
- Community updates
- Crime incidents
- Emergency warnings
- Weather advisories


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cULTRA Father Time Hoodie
Regular price $129.00
Please allow 5-7 business days for shipping.
- Pullover hoodie sweatshirt is made with soft, mid-weight fleece and generous fit for comfort. Features a jersey lined hood, heavy gauge drawcord and 1x1 ribbing at cuffs and waistband.
All items are unisex.
Right now, the fashion industry exists in an age that dehumanizes and disenfranchises people from their most authentic self. From Instagram's echo chamber, to fast fashion, true artistry and purpose are being suppressed in favor of what is "in". cultra's mission is to empower its wearers and subscribers through art and fashion and by giving them a platform.
The clothes derive inspiration from various American historical contexts. Some examples are the 1860s cowboys and militiamen in Midwestern United States, the Black Panthers of the 1960s, and current-day military men and women. Through this, cultra hopes to create clothing that has longevity and can be kept in your closet for years. By cultivating a community environment, which welcomes people from all walks of life, cultra also hopes to foster open discussion and transparency around issues that matter and should be talked about from different perspectives. cultra is not just a fashion brand, it is an artist network geared towards change and will continue to push the boundaries set in place without selling out.
Sign up for our newsletter and follow us now on Instagram @cultra.official, so you can be updated on current projects and cultra events!


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When Ivy League classics professor Bill Kincaid receives news of the murder of his estranged identical twin brother, Brady, in a pot deal gone bad, he leaves the world of Northeastern academia to travel back to his home state of Oklahoma. Upon arrival, he finds that reports of his brother's death are greatly exaggerated, and he's soon caught up in the dangerous and unpredictable world of drug commerce in the backwaters of the Southwest. In the process, he reconnects with his eccentric mother, meets a wise and educated young woman who has bypassed academia in favor of the gentler rhythms of life, and unwittingly helps his troubled brother settle a score with a pernicious drug lord who uses Tulsa, Oklahoma's small Jewish community for cover. (Source)
Find more trailers and clips on our homepage.


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Thursday, 9 February 2012
18 comments:
I love iHerb. I did a giveaway post for them a couple years ago, and they gave me $50 to spend on their site for myself...as a thank you!! Btw, those Ecoplanet crackers are ridick!!!!! Loves!ReplyDelete
I love iHerb! So many brilliant products!ReplyDelete
My favourite has to be the Larabars, Clif bars, Lunabars and Peanut Butter & Co. I have a wishlist that goes on for miles!
I have never tried EcoPlanet crackers before - but after you described them it sounds like I'm missing out! I couldn't live without Tamari Rice Cakes - they are the perfect snack and taste sooo good!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous10 February 2012 at 05:53
I am crazy for those crackers. In fact, I can't buy them anymore because my partner and I ate an entire box on our way home from the grocery store! Dangerous little crackers!ReplyDelete
Crazy Rumors and Hurraw balms are amazing. I love them. There are so many flavors!!!
That site looks great! I'd heard about them before and thought about ordering vitamins there, but I didn't know they had so many awesome vegan goodies! I love Crazy Rumors lip balms and I'd love to try Dandies, and the crackers you mention sound really good as well. Thanks so much for the coupon code!ReplyDelete
oh my! thanks for this. am going to have a look! i want those cheddar crackers!!ReplyDelete
Ooh! I'll have to have a look and see what shipping costs to Australia are like!ReplyDelete
I've used iherb a few times, but just for Yogi tea I couldn't get in the UK. But you've inspired me! I ordered some tea, plus those cheese crackers and those marshmellow treats! Couldn't use the code as I already had an account, but registered a new address-Still didn't work :(ReplyDelete
But can't wait to try my treats! :)
Thanks so much for introducing me to iHerb and giving me the $5 off! :DReplyDelete
I used your coupon code, thank you so much! I ordered two lip balms (Crazy Rumors & Hurraw), dark chocolate sandwich cookies, the vanille sandwich cookie with green tea, crackers, marshmallow treats - and Peanut Butter & Co. white chocolate peanut butter! I'm so excited - thanks for your suggestions and of course, for the coupon! :-)ReplyDelete
Are you crazy, Jojo? This is not good for me. I shouldn't look at that site. Nope.ReplyDelete
Ok, I'll probably cave in.
Like the look of that site! Can't wait till payday to get ordering, those peanut butter rice krispie things look great!!! xReplyDelete
- Anonymous25 February 2012 at 09:33
You can get both brands of lip balm here - from supersmoochers online or eBay (where postage is included in price but just buy one at first because it is sent out with a 10% off your next order discount code) or from the Vx shop in London.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous9 March 2012 at 20:49
I love iHerb, but I had no idea how many vegan products they had. I usually just go on to order Bob's Red Mill and brown rice syrup. Thanks for the tip about the shipping weight, I had no idea that it went up after 4lbs. I think I have some website surfing to do now, I totally want to get some lip balm.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous11 March 2012 at 20:21
Thankyou for the tip and discount code! I just placed an order of wonderful things like luna and clif bars! :)ReplyDelete
Hey, that's fantastic. Im going to check it out too! Thanks for the heads up!ReplyDelete
Uh oh, iherb here I come!ReplyDelete
- Anonymous21 June 2012 at 12:53
wow i got 52% off my order for 3x HURRAW! lip balms thanks so much :)ReplyDelete


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Jose A. Blanco is the author of 'Panorama: Introduccion a la lengua Espanola, 4th Edition' with ISBN 9781617677052 and ISBN 1617677051.[read more]
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Theres still another months worth of summer fun to be had at Colorados mountain resorts before the colors begin to change, the night air becomes crisp, and the minds of alpine enthusiasts begin to wander towards tune-ups, new gear, pass purchases, and early snowstorms. Many resorts are offering great summer activities and lodging specials through the end of September.
The Labor Day weekend is the last holiday weekend as resorts begin their preparations for the winter. Whether washing down an afternoons worth of competition chili with renowned microbrewed beer, attending music festivals featuring award-winning musicians, taking a ride in a vintage aircraft, or enjoying the many summer sporting and recreational opportunities at Colorados resorts, the Labor Day weekend festivities offer something for everyone. Below are some of the events and activities taking place during the long holiday weekend around Colorado Ski Country.
Labor Day weekend festivities at Aspen/Snowmass are headlined by the Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival, featuring three days of world-class concerts on multiple stages, eclectic food, beverage vendors, and more.This years acts include Jason Mraz, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Keith Urban, Train, Little Big Town, Journey, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Colorados own Paper Bird. Additionally, the final Bluegrass Sunday atop Aspen Mountain at the Sundeck will take place on Sunday, September 1, featuring the Roaring Fork Valleys own Smuggler Mountain Boys. Visit jazzaspensnowmass.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
On Labor Day, Monday September 2, the most adventurous eaters in Colorado will convene at the foot of Aspen Mountain for the second annual Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival and Barbecue, hosted by the Ajax Tavern at the Little Nell Hotel. This all-you-can-eat/drink event will feature conventional oysters on the half shell, Rockefeller oysters and other creative oyster hors doeuvres, and the famed Rocky Mountain Oyster. Tickets are $75 and are available at https://ajaxtavern.ticketbud.com/oysterfest. For more information and reservations, please call 970-920-4600 or 888-843-6355. Or visit www.thelittlenell.com.
Copper Mountain
Copper Mountains Labor Day tradition, Copper Country, is a free Labor Day festival tradition celebrating the best of the American spirit. Incredible live music, an arts festival, and Copper Kids Arts & Crafts come together to make this Labor Day weekend event ideal for the entire family. This years lineup includes Savannah Jack, The Long Players, Michael McDonald, Texaco Country Showdown and headliner Kenny Rogers. More information can be found at CopperCountryFest.com.
Crested Butte
On Sunday, September 8, Crested Butte Mountain Resort will host the annual Gravity Slave Downhill Mountain Bike Race, now a pure downhill format with a $2,000 cash purse for the winners of the Open Pro Class. Racing begins on Sunday morning, with course training from 8:30 10 a.m. and a 10:30 a.m. race start time. Registration is available online at www.skicb.com/mygroup with the package code: gravityslave2013.The $50 registration fee includes a race day ticket for Sunday, September 8.
Special racer lodging rates start at $99 per night, plus a resort fee and taxes, which can be reserved by calling 800-810-7669. For more information, visit www.ridecb.com/gravityslave or call Patti Hensley at 970-349-2217 and visit www.vimeo.com/71995088 to preview the challenging downhill course on the Avery trail.
The bike race coincides with Mt. Crested Buttes annual Chili and Beer Festival on the weekend of September 7 and 8, 2013. Breweries from throughout the southwest will be on hand withtheir finest brews to take the heat off the chili prepared by Crested Butte locals. In addition to beer &chili tasting, attendees will be able to enjoy live music while taking in the beautiful backdrop of Mt.Crested Butte. Hosted by the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce, this festival will bring together more than 1,000 enthusiasts to celebrate great beer and Mt. Crested Buttes finest chili. For more information, visit http://www.cbchamber.com/chili–beer-festival.html.
During the entire month of September you can save 20 percent off all CBMR lodging. Stay in Crested Butte and enjoy the brilliant changing of the aspen groves and cottonwood trees into golden yellows, radiant oranges and dazzling reds. During the month of September, the Red Lady Express lift is open from 10am – 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Plan your stay over a weekend and receive a free scenic lift ride for each person on the reservation. To make reservations, call Crested Butte Vacations at (800) 600-2803.
Durango Mountain Resort
Durango Mountain Resort is open weekends and Labor Day now through September 29.Visitors can enjoy a bevy of adventure activities including a new ropes obstacle course, new water runners, mountain biking, hiking, scenic chairlift rides, an alpine slide, climbing wall, bungee trampolines and more.
Guests can take advantage of lodging packages starting at $38 per person, per night, and enjoy two nights lodging and Total Adventure Tickets for the entire family, which include Alpine Slide rides, miniature golf and other activities like the bungee trampoline, the new ropes obstacle course, climbing wall, the new Water Runners, and more.To book the Summer Last Hurrah Package or for more information, call (800) 525-0892 www.DurangoMountainResort.com.
Labor Day weekend in Steamboat features a variety of events with something for everyone. On Friday, August 30, Colorado native musician Zach Heckendorf takes the stage at Gondola Square with his rich, hip-hop influenced acoustic-driven sound. On Saturday, August 31, the Steamboat Stage will host Skyfall, the latest installment in the James Bond film series featuring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, and Javier Bardem.
On Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, the Wild West Air Fest will bring a vintage and warbird static aircraft display, classic cars, radio controlled airplane shows, the Wings Over the Rockies KidSpace and much more. Visitors may purchase flights in several aircraft, from helicopters to World War II Navy bombers and others.
On Sunday, the Professional Bull Riding circuit comes to Steamboat with the Rocky Mountain Bull Bash. This thrilling event pushes cowboys skills to their limit as they take on top-ranked bulls to compete for a big cash prize. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Steamboat.com/things-to-do.
For more information about Labor Day festivities at and around Steamboat, visit Steamboat.com/things-to-do.
This Labor Day weekend, the Telluride Film Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary August 29 September 2. The festival, which does not announce its program in advance, has hosted the North American or global premieres of four of the past five winners of best picture at the Oscars, including this years winner, Argo. The Telluride Film Festival and the Town of Telluride have announced that a new venue, The Werner Herzog Theatre, is being created to host this years festival. The theater will be located in Tellurides Town Park Pavilion and will be the festivals most technologically advanced theater, accommodating 650 pass holders. Visit http://www.visittelluride.com/ for more information.
This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. The Black Crowes, Jim James, and Melissa Etheridge will headline this years festival (September 13 15). Additional musicians booked to play include Gary Clark Jr., John Hiatt, Mickey Hart Band, Anders Osborne, the Otis Taylor Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Karl Densons Tiny Universe, Allen Stone, ZZ Ward, The New Mastersounds, The Bright Light Social Hour, The Relatives, and the 2013 International Blues Challege champion Selwyn Birchwood Band. There will also be a sampling of some of the best craft breweries in the country. Visit http://www.tellurideblues.com for more information.
As summer winds down, Telluride will welcome the ultimate health and wellness festival, the Telluride Work Out Weekend Festival (Sept. 19 22). The Telluride WOW festival will feature presenters, instructors and athletes to hold fitness classes and interactive sessions on the latest health, fitness, wellness, nutrition and medical trends. Visit http://telluridewow.com for more information.
Winter Park
The Zopp Family Circus welcomes guests into the intimate 500 seat tent for a one-ring circus that honors the best history of the Old-World Italian tradition. Starring Nino the clown, the circus is propelled by a central story (as opposed to individual acts) that feature acrobatic feats, equestrian showmanship, cainine capers, clowning and plenty of audience participation. Tickets are $20 for VIP chair seating or $15 for general admission, and children under 2 are free.There will be one performance on Friday, three performances on Saturday and Sunday and one performance on Sunday providing guests ample opportunities to see the show during their Labor Day weekend at Winter Park. For more information, visit WinterParkResort.com/events-and-activities.
On the following Saturday, September 7, The Village at Winter Park will host the Whiskey & Wings Festival, featuring some of the best whiskey and wings in Colorado.Local restaurants will be presenting their finest chicken wings in a variety of styles and flavors, with visitors determining which delectable wings are the best. Guests can wash down their wings with whiskey tasting while enjoying live music.Taste tickets are just $1 each (a buck per wing) while whiskey tasting is $10 for four tickets (good for two tastings) and a special commemorative Whiskey & Wings Festival glass.For more information, visit WinterParkResort.com/events-and-activities.


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Augmented reality. It's definitely a buzz phrase, but what is it, exactly? How do you experience it? Is there an app for it? Oh, most definitely. Here are 10.
True to their title, augmented reality apps add something to what you see, using a combination of camera, GPS, and sometimes, in the case of the iPhone 3GS, a compass. The result is something like a real-life heads-up display on your phone, and it's spectacular.
It's been a few months since Apple enabled AR apps in the iPhone's firmware, and as you might expect, there's been an explosion of new takes on the concept. Here are ten of the best:
Note: Most of these apps will work best with the iPhone 3GS, and some explicitly require it. It's worth checking into exactly what you lose without the compass before downloading. Also, here's the article in one page.
Layar: Layar was one of the first augmented reality mobile apps to hit any platform, so by the time it made the jump from Android to the iPhone it'd had some time to mature. Layar is an augmented reality framework, not a single purpose app—it's fed by a growing library of "layers," which range from Wikipedia to Flickr to apartment listings in your local town. Plus it's free, so it's a great way to see how the hell this augmented reality thing works in the first place.
Wikitude: Another straightforward overlay app, this one hovers little text bubbles over the locations of geotagged Wikipedia articles. What differentiates this from something like Layar is that through the app's website, Wikitude.me, you can add your own points of interest. Most of the data sets used by AR apps are broad and not that useful outside of large cities, so this is a good way to build your own hyperlocal augmented reality.
Robotvision: A location-based point-of-interest app like Layar or Wikitude, for contrarians. Why? Because it uses Bing local search, like a badass* OK? It's a nice change of pace if you're getting tired of browsing through local historical sites with Wikipedia, or watching local Twitterfiends broadcast their locations every eight minutes. A dollar.
*Person who prefers not to use Google. (You can use Google if you want, too.)
Nearest Subway: Overlays your camera's view with floating, labeled avatars of your nearest subway stations. This one's local to NY, though there are similar apps for other cities (Nearest Tube for London, Bionic Eye for Tokyo, etc). But it doesn't matter, because the experience of actually using this thing borders on sexual, especially if you're used to compass-less Google Maps. Two dollars.
Assassin FPS: Remember that old Kids in the Hall skit, where Mark sits back and pretends to crush everyone's heads with his fingers? This is that, except more modern, less funny and ever-so-slightly sinister. It's essentially an FPS HUD, gun included, superimposed onto real life. You know, so you can shoot your boss in the face because he's got coffee breath, or rocket-blast your wife's silly porcelain dog figurine collection, because you hate her so so so much and wish she would just die, that harpy. Healthy coping, for a dollar!
Pocket Universe: Pocket Universe is a mixed bag. It's not a camera overlay app, so in a way it's the least pure augmented reality app of the bunch. The effect, though, is the same: A compass-equipped iPhone 3GS can use Pocket Universe to display a labeled map of the cosmos matched to wherever it's pointed. It's a heavy-duty astronomy news and reference app in addition to the AR feature, which helps justify the $3 price.
cAR Locator: This concept has been around in one form or another since the advent of GPS in phones, probably because it's extremely simple to execute. Also: useful! Tag your car's location when you get out of it, then later, just point your camera at the parking lot to see your spot. Two dollars, which to be honest. is probably too much.
Yelp: Yelp is my go-to service for new local recommendations in the first place, but the addition of augmented reality adds a layer of whimsy to your typical "where can can a guy get a decent wax job and/or hamburger around here?" adventures. This one's secret—you've got to shake your phone to activate it. Free.
Urbanspoon: Like Yelp, except with an explicit, specific food focus. The augmented reality implementation is much slicker here too: tilt your iPhone down to switch to 2D map mode, and tilt it back up to switch to THE FUTURE. Free.
Junaio: Augmented reality on phones is still a fairly new concept, and most other apps fit a fairly simple template. Junaio is more ambitious, letting users construct 3D scenes in their cameras' viewfinders, place them on a map and share them with others as pictures or as part of explorable layers. The current implementation is kind of rough and the aesthetic is cartoonish, but Junaio captures the spirit of AR better than most. Free.
This week, Gizmodo is exploring the enhanced human future in a segment we call This Cyborg Life. It's about what happens when we treat our body less as a sacred object and more as what it is: Nature's ultimate machine.


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ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons hired Scott Pioli as assistant general manager on Wednesday, reuniting him with GM Thomas Dimitroff.
Pioli was director of player personnel for the New England Patriots from 2000-08, including six seasons with Dimitroff, who directed college scouting. He was the Kansas City Chiefs' general manager for four years before leaving by mutual agreement in January 2013.
Pioli, 48, will join the Falcons on Feb. 3, after he completes his contract with NBC Sports and SiriusXM Radio.
Pioli began his NFL career in 1992, when he was hired by Bill Belichick as a scouting assistant for the Cleveland Browns. Pioli was made the New York Jets' director of pro personnel in 1997 before joining Belichick in New England.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Dimitroff initiated the push to bring in Pioli.
"This move was made as a result of Thomas' competitive drive to build the best personnel team in the NFL, and the addition of Scott to his team certainly reflects that," Blank said.
Dimitroff said Pioli is "one of the most respected and adept talent evaluators in the NFL."
"We have worked together well in the past and been friends for more than 20 years," Dimitroff said. "We have had the opportunity to experience a lot of success together, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to join our personnel team so we can work together again."
The Falcons were 4-12 in 2013 after five straight winning seasons.
"We have made the commitment to improve every aspect of our organization this offseason, and with the addition of Scott to our personnel department, we have taken an important step to enhance our scouting staff," Dimitroff said.
Pioli to Falcons


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Everything Now Solo Show opening
Elephant Parade - Copenhagen and Singapore
Triumph of Unity - We live in a world that continues to be plagued by intolerance, hatred, and violence so the importance of having society place an emphasis on love, peace, and empathy grows ever more consequential during these troubling times. Sadly, the strife stemming from various religious and political conflicts has contributed both directly and indirectly to the endangerment and potential extinction of many of our planet's wildlife including all of the elephants in Asia. Due to the alarming statistics regarding the rapidly dwindling population of Asian elephants we members of the Elephant Family are doing all that we can to save, protect, and support these cherished beings. Furthermore, we feel that if the prominent political and religious powers of the world were to find a way to truly unite for the common good we could fix many of our planet's numerous problems. The elephant's crown is intended to serve as a symbol for the unification of worldwide spirituality, love, devotion, and motivation—the glory of the Triumph of Unity. If the people of the world are capable of uniting for worthwhile causes, regardless of personal backgrounds or beliefs, then surely we will indeed one day be able to triumph over our many shared adversities. Love is the power that brought together this eclectic mix of international artists for the purpose of helping to save these Asian elephants, and love continues to be the driving force behind most charitable works, so let us all remember to keep love in our daily actions. Love, Sona Mirzaei and Per Hillo <3Read More
Elephant Parade Singapore
Elephant Parade Singapore


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Book Blitz: Inseparable by Missy Johnson!
YA Bound Book Tours is organizing a Book Blitz for: Inseparable by Missy Johnson. This book blitz will run from July 1st to July 8th. Make sure to stop by the participating blogs to enter the giveaway!
by Missy Johnson
Release Date: 05/14/13
Summary from Goodreads:
Release Date: 05/14/13
Summary from Goodreads:
Can you imagine losing your twin?
Nineteen year old Lily is still struggling with the death of her identical twin, Abby, a year later when she moves away from home for college. Even in death though, their bond is still strong, with Abby visiting Lily in her dreams.
When a chance encounter with Twenty-One year old Dane Hansen changes Lily's life, Lily's friends warn her off becoming involved with Dane. He's bad news, according to the rumors, anyway.
Dane has experienced loss himself, he understands Lily, and the more time he spends with her, the harder he falls. There is something he hasn't told her though, something almost nobody knows, and it's something that might stop Lily from feeling the same way.
Abby holds the key to something that will change Lily and Dane's life forever, but how do you get someone else to believe something you don't quite understand yourself?
Available from:
Author Links:
***Excerpt #2***
He breathed in sharply. "You're not playing fair, sexy." He muttered, as he slowly walked closer to me. I let his arm slide around my waist, and eyed him with caution as he brought me flush against his body. I narrowed my eyes at him as he ran his finger down the middle of my chest, opening the third button. I shivered as he ripped the final buttons apart."Don't you make your bed?" I laughed, raising an eyebrow at him. He shook his head proudly.
"You know, research has shown there is actually less bacteria in an unmade bed when compared to a made one." He said, brushing the creases out of the sheet.
"Is that you're idea of foreplay?" I giggled, "Woo me with your bacteria talk, Dane. It really turns me on." I said in my sexiest voice. He blushed, then pulled me into his arms, caressing my face.
"Are you making fun of me, Lily?" He asked, teasing me with promises of a kiss. My lips lurched forward, trying to catch his. He was too fast for me, pulling away, with a sly smile. Then leaning in again, and pulling away. "Still want to make fun of me?" He murmured, his eyes narrowed.
Really? He thought he was the one with the power here? He was about to learn a valuable lesson. I pulled out of his embrace, circling him around the room until I was up against the bed.
"You don't want to kiss me, Dane?" I pouted, tilting my head to the side, my hands threatening to undo the second top button of my shirt. Eventually, it popped open, giving him an eyeful of breast.
One signed copy of Inseparable and 5 e-book copies of Inseparable (INT)


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New Castle County will forgive library fines up to $25 and collect food for the needy during the second annual "Food for Fines" week, county officials announced Wednesday.
Overdue fine forgiveness is offered as a holiday gift – Dec. 12 through 18 only – to anyone who presents his or her county library card and asks for amnesty at any branch in the county library system.
"This was a great project last year and we're happy to bring it back in the holiday spirit," County Executive Thomas P. Gordon said, noting that the debut "Food for Fines" was covered by media as far away as California and as prominent as The Baltimore Sun.
At the same time they are forgiving fines, libraries will collect food donations to support AFSCME Local Union 459 Needy Family Fund's annual Holiday Food Drive, said General Manager Sophia Hanson of the Department of Community Services, which includes county libraries.
Library branches, their locations and hours are listed at www.nccde.org/286/Libraries. Residents also may find their nearest county library by calling (302) 395-5680.
At a time when more than one in every eight Delawareans struggles with hunger, "Food for Fines" donations will support Local 459's longtime effort to provide holiday meals for the less fortunate, Hanson said.
All kinds of canned goods and other nonperishable foods are welcomed in unopened, unbreakable packages – not beyond expiration dates – and may be donated anytime during library hours in bins placed by libraries' entrance/exits, Local 459 President John Spence said.
The amnesty offer ends when libraries close on Dec. 18 and covers only overdue fees, not lost, billed or damaged items.
Last year's debut "Food for Fines" amnesty week was arranged in a matter of days after the idea was suggested by Youth Services Librarian Elisabeth Simmons of the Kirkwood Library, who read about a similar program in Maryland.
"We all knew right away that this was a tremendous idea and the turnout proved us right," Hanson said.
About 1,400 library cardholders took advantage of the offer, she said, adding, "we waived exactly $7,693.55."
For more information, contact Administrative Librarian Marlene Esposito at (302) 395-5665 or [email protected].


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First Full Trailer for THE BOOK THIEF
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Driving east on McDonough Road recently, a bag of trash either purposefully discarded or accidently lost from a passing vehicle rested on the shoulder in front of beautiful Flintwood Farms. The bag split and litter blemished the roadside, drawing attention from the gorgeous flower beds.
I'll never understand why people throw litter from car windows as if the roadside is their trash can.
My deep disapproval comes honestly. When I was in high school, I got a summer job as a "pollution control specialist."
And cigarette butts, as if the countryside is their ash tray. Bill Torpy in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that littering is his "pet peeve," too. He cited a 2009 national survey from the Keep America Beautiful folks that found 15 percent of Americans admitted they littered, compared to 50 percent in 1969. We've come a long way since those days, but we still litter.
The same survey showed an estimated 51 billion pieces of trash line the nation's roads and highways at any given time.
My deep disapproval comes honestly. When I was in high school, I got a summer job as a "pollution control specialist." Our county received a government grant that provided funds to employ twelve high school boys to clean up county roads. They gave us a bushel basket and an axe handle with a nail in the end of it and we walked up and down the roads controlling pollution. Actually, we picked up trash. Litter that inconsiderate people tossed and left behind.
We reported to the county prison camp every morning, sharpened our nails, filled up the ice chest, and jumped on the red prison bus with bars on the windows.
It was a great job. It paid a whopping $2 per hour–minimum wage. We reported to the county prison camp every morning, sharpened our nails, filled up the ice chest, and jumped on the red prison bus with bars on the windows. People stared at us as we rode around town, wondering what we did to deserve this.
You wouldn't believe what we found. The usual paper, bags, bottles, soda and beer cans, and food wrappers. I recovered a slalom water ski and a pair of good blue jeans that fit. One day, after an overnight rain, I came upon a balled-up towel in the wet grass. I stuck my nail in it and tossed it onto the asphalt for the truck to pick up. It didn't "thud" like a water-logged towel; it "ker-plunked." I unwrapped it and inside was a .38 caliber pistol. I lost it to the sheriff's department and never heard which crime I helped solve.
Before picking up trash became community service, I worked this job for two summers, learning to drive a dump truck with a manual shift, seeing snakes most everyday, and getting into our share of mischief that only high school boys enjoying the great outdoors could. One of our characters collected any snakes we found, threw them in a potato sack and carried them home. We rode around Baldwin County with a sack of snakes on our bus several times a week. We collected a dump truck load of trash every day.
After my experience in pollution control, I don't care to see another piece of litter. Like our moms used to say, find a trash can and clean up behind yourself.
Therefore, brethren, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him, in peace, without spot or blemish. 2 Peter 3:14
Having recently preached through portions of 2 Peter, I came to 2 Peter 3:14 – "Therefore, brethren, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him, in peace, without spot or blemish."
Peter wrote in light of the imminent return of Christ, (one day, without warning, Jesus will return, he wrote) be diligent to pursue a pure life. In 3:11, Peter called us to exhibit holy conduct and godliness. Make purity and holy living top priority.
Peter admonishes every believer to clean up their lives and pursue godliness. As we strive to live a life that pleases God, be sure our life is free of moral stains and unbecoming blemishes.
Is there anything in your life that is not pleasing to God? Is there any practice or habit that you'd be embarrassed for Jesus to see if He returned today and found you participating in it? What areas of your life need cleaning up?
If I get disturbed about someone throwing trash out a car window, how much more disturbed does God get when He views the impurities and litter in our lives? Would He tell us to clean up our life?