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hi everybody. my first post here. i'll try to give you as much information on my problem as i can in as few words as i can.
i only have the van for a week. it sat still for about 6 months, so it took 3-4 minutes to start the very first time i saw it. over the next couple of days/200 miles/20 starts it began starting instantly, ran solid once warm, and put out 2000 miles in the week after that. so here i am in Massachusetts, 300 miles away from home(NY), parked in a hotel parking lot, shut off the engine and waiting for my reservation e-mail. i decide to open my window for a smoke, so i turn the key to ignition without starting the van and leave it that way for about 10 minutes. once i get the bad news from the hotel, i try to start it again, it cranks and nothing happens. that night i didn't do much.
next day, Labor Day, everything's closed so i venture to open the engine cover. checked all the fuses prior to that, they were all good. first thing i did was check for spark. PLEASE, tell me i did it right. i removed the wire right from the (very old)ignition coil, took a wire connected to an unpainted body area and held it close to the coil contact. cranked it - no spark. should i check at the rotor cap or it doesn't matter??? mind you, the electrical components in the van are all out of wack. speedometer is showing about 3/4 of the actual MPH, voltage meter is at 16v with ignition on, and 18v when running. fuel gauge can't be trusted. half the switches don't work, some are mixed up(rear defrost switch opens the rear door, no power locks and so on...) also, i cannot eliminate the possibility of me pulling out a wire with my foot while using the e-brake. i actually found a loose brown wire coming out from behind the fuse box and connected it to where it seemed to belong - a metal bracket which seems to provide ground.
next day, today, i decided to start replacing stuff. first, new ignition coil - $17 bucks, why the hell not. no change. thick pink wire to the coil has 11.5v(battery starting to give out), skinny short white with a connector is loose, hasn't been used for anything for a while. the skinny red and white from the coil to the ignition control module both have 11.5v. next, i took a walk and got a new ICM(ignition control module). no change. that's when i renewed my AAA membership and towed it to a shop. the guy took a quick look, measured the fuel pressure. it was 45psi, and i know it's lower than it should be, but he said it should be enough to start. then he checked the fuses again - all good. connected his scanner and said there was no communication with the computer. then he closed the shop and left for a week-long vacation.
now it's parked at a closed shop with the battery almost dead, i'm a mile and a half away in a hotel, wasting money, unable to complete my job assignment, looking at another tow, hours of diagnostics, possible rape by the local mechanics tomorrow, fresh out of ideas and no hope of making it back home for my daughter's birthday. the van cost me around $1800 so far and now i don't know if it's worth investing money into it any more.
i'll be able to post some pictures of under the dash area tomorrow, maybe you guys can see something i can't. oh, and i think it's a 95 body, but 94 and older interior. the dashboard is still squarish, and after a thorough search i never found the underhood fuse block i'm supposed to have on a 95. thanks for taking your time to read this. what's my next step?


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You've just finished reading Jishou Akuyaku Reijou na Konyakusha no Kansatsu Kiroku - chapter 16: Ch. 16 by Natsume Hasumi, Shiki
If you like the manga, please click the Bookmark button (Heart icon) at the bottom left corner to add it to your favorite list. If you find any errors, contact us so we can fix it as soon as possible!

subset: commoncrawl


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We are always looking for great people to join our team. If you are passionate about design, technology and imagination, and believe that through education we can positively impact our community and our world, we want to hear from you!
Send your resume to firstname.lastname@example.com. We will keep your resume on file and contact you if your qualifications match future opportunities.


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Current Articles
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Masters rider Neal Schubel has been handed a two year ban by the US Anti Doping Agency, which administered the punishment after deeming that he bought and used EPO.
The 45 year old from Saginaw, Michigan, didn't test positive for the substance, but rather was implicated by unspecified evidence.
USADA's statement announced that Schubel's period of ineligibility would begin on November 18, 2010, the day he accepted the sanction. It added that there would be another penalty, and gave an indication of the timeframe when he admitted starting doping.
"Schubel is disqualified from all competitive results achieved on and subsequent to August 1, 2006," it said, "the date he first committed the anti-doping rule violation based on his prompt admission to USADA after being confronted with evidence in USADA's possession, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes."
Schubel's results, which can be viewed on the USAcycling.org website, can best be described as modest.


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We tend to cling to God more during trials than when things are running smoothly. God uses the negative aspects of life to strengthen our soul, to increase our spiritual vision and to give us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
As we take the focus of life off our self and place it on Christ in us, we are much less earthly minded and much more spiritually minded. God's influence increases in us as we decrease and get out of His way (John 3:30).
God replaces the negative character traits of our personality with the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We are no longer self-reliant, but we depend on the Holy Spirit to direct our steps.
We learn to depend on God instead of our human understanding and reasoning. People will fail us, but God never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). He never changes and He is always reliable (Hebrews 13:8).
Pursuing peace, which the world gives, is elusive and fleeting. Only peace found in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is deep and dependable (John 14:27).
There is no requirement in order to form this personal relationship. We simply sit at His feet (Luke 10:42). We abide, motionless and clearing our mind and heart of clutter.
We give Him praise and glory for all He does for us each day. We pour out our gratitude to Him for His benevolence, grace and love.
Father God, let us follow the example of the psalmist and sing of Your excellent love and impartiality (Psalm 89:1), Your power (Psalm 59:16) and Your goodness (Psalm 100:5). As we give You a more intimate place in our heart and life, we gain more intimacy with You.
Remind us to have fun as Your child and to enjoy spending time with You. Our soul thirsts for You, our Living God (Psalm 42:2). Our flesh cries out for You and we attentively seek You (Psalm 63:1). You are so real to us that we can almost taste and see that You are good (Psalm 34:8). We love you with our whole heart.
Thought for the Day:
We can chat with God throughout our day even about the mundane issues we are facing or the most boring of chores or responsibilities; we ask His advice about hurdles we encounter, the best way to perform a task and for wisdom about issues with our personal relationships.


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Burj Khalifa,Burj Dubai, Downtown Dubai,Business Bay,DIFC,Sheikh Zayed Road,Dubai Marina,Jumeirah Lakes Towers,Palm Jumeirah,Palm Jebel Ali,Dubai Sports City,Dubai Silicon Oasis,Dubailand,Waterfront etc...
Dubai Construction Update Links:
Monday, October 19, 2015
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Family history passed down through the last several generations of the Estep family in Tioga Co., Pennsylvania has always said that the immigration of James and Elizabeth Pritchard Estep to the United States was in 1858 entering through the port of Philadelphia. Contrary to family lore, I have discovered that they in fact landed in New York, not Philadelphia. Believe me, it wasn't easy finding this document! For one thing, the family name is spelled ASTOP.
Thanks to the internet and that so many historical documents are now being digitized I found the ship manifest and for the first time now know the name of the ship they sailed on; The Sparkling Wave! This manifest lists the names and ages of all passengers. Take a look by tapping the image here. It is quite clear that this is the family of our James and Elizabeth Estep since the children's names which were all previously known are listed. James' age is given as 32 years and his occupation is listed as miner (good to know because he and his sons were all coal miners once they came to Pennsylvania). Elizabeth is shown to be 30 years old on this list. These ages are different from what was previously thought. Here's what I knew when I made one of my first webpages in 1998:
The ancestral history of JAMES ESTEP, immigrant ancestor to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
Imagine you are a 30 year old women, the mother of 6 children aged 9 years to 2 months and you are on board a sailing ship for 6 to 8 weeks heading for a better life in the United States. Such was the position of my great, great grandmother, Elizabeth Pritchard Estep. The names and ages of the children when they arrived were: Sarah Anne age 9, Ann Astop age 3, Lewis Astop age 8, John Astop age 4, William Astop age 2 and the baby James Astop age 2 months. The country of origin is given as England (Wales was under English rule) and their destination is listed as Pennsylvania. They brought with them one chest, one trunk and bedding. During the voyage they traveled in the Baggage section of the ship with these very few of possessions from home.
James was born 5-12-1818 in Breconshire, Wales, the son of John and Jane (Lewis) Estop. John and Jane had sons names John, Lewis James and George. They also had daughters named Mary and Rachel. The children were all baptised in Llanover (Llanvoyer) Breconshire, with the exception of Mary who was baptised again in Llanfair Kilgeddin at the age of two.John, the father, was listed as a laborer until the 1834 baptism of George. He is listed there as a carpenter. He was born in 1794, in Great Whitley, Westershire and died in Llanfair Kilgeddin, Monmothshire in 1860. He married Jane Lewis, born 1794 in Llanfihangel Cwm Du, Breconshire, in 1814 in the same town. She also died in 1860 in Llanfair Kilgeddin. Her parents were Lewis Lewis and Mary ?. She had a sister named Anne, who was born in 1797 in Llanfihangle, also.John Estop was the son of John Easthop born about 1760, place unknown, but believed to be Great Whitley. He married Martha Goodsir, born in 1765, in 1791 at Great Whitley. He died in 1844 at Llanfair Kilgeddin and she died in 1859, also in Llanfair Kilgeddin.This is information gathered from Dewi Thomas, of Consultant Ancestral Research Wales by Al Estep (email@example.com) who most generiously provided it to me to add to these ESTEP family history pages.UPDATE: James married ELIZABETH PRICHARD who was born in Grosmont, Monmouth, England August 16 1824 Christen 14 November 1824. Father William Pritchard, Mother Elizabeth Charles. (provided by Daniel B. Estep at firstname.lastname@example.com)
They arrived on the Sparkling Wave at the port in New York City on October 29th, 1857. I found this advertisement card on pinterest showing a picture of the ship. Even though this ad is from 1859 and says the Sparkling Wave is next sailing to San Francisco, I thought it was really neat to be able to see exactly what kind of ship the family traveled on.
I also found several newspaper advertisements in a Cardiff, Wales paper that listed costs and what was provided for a journey to New York in 1857. A limited number of passengers were taken on in steerage for the cost of 8 Guineas per person. That cost included food and water, but passengers needed to provide their own bedding. Accommodations were simple, you shared space in the hold below deck with other passengers, sleeping on the floor or on your belongings which for the Estep family were few. Little privacy there. Imagine nursing an infant let alone being watchful of your other 5 children. Such was life for the 6 to 8 weeks it took to traverse the Atlantic.
Finding this record was not easy. The family name is written "Astop" rather than Estep. And their ship arrived in New York, not Philadelphia! No wonder it took so long to locate this record! You may see a list of the descendants of James and Elizabeth Estep here.
- Personal family history records of Cynthia H. Smith, Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania
- https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-5P92-9?/cc=1849782&wc=MX62-XZS%3A165789901 : 21May 2014
- New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891, database with images, FamilySearch, 180-23 Oct 1857-24 Nov 1857>image 162 of 640; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~chsmith/estepfamhist.html
This page © 2017, Cynthia H. Smith
Send email to firstname.lastname@example.com
This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.


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What Drapery Fabrics Hang the Best?
Drapes can be one of the most expensive additions to your home. You want them to hang correctly, and you can be assured you will make the right choice once you understand a bit about fibers.
Natural fiber fabrics, such as cotton and linen, when lined with natural fiber lining, tend to be more easily trained into place and hold that shape better than man-made fiber fabrics. If the drapes are cut and sewn well and hung on level curtain rods, the curtains tend to hang they way they were meant to by design and hold their shape with minimal steaming. Man-made fiber fabrics or blends of natural and man-made fibers may not take a new shape. If they are cut and sewn correctly and hung on a level curtain rod, they are more likely to hang according to the drapery design, but even with steaming the desired shape may disappear with time.
Most natural-fiber fabrics do not produce as much static as man-made fiber fabrics. If the drapery and lining fabrics are made of the same natural-fiber content, they tend to not develop static and repel each other. Man-made fibers produce much more static, which causes the very disagreeable repelling of lining and drapes. This action results in the flaring of drapes: the drapes flare out at the bottom and might not be able to be trained to stay in place in spite of repeated steaming or tying in place.
Photo Credits
- Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images


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One woman cries in church as she gets the no indictment news #ferguson #mikebrown http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3QOjcdIIAAss2Y.jpg
BREAKING: No indictment for Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in Michael Brown shooting nbcnews.to/1v76e04 http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3QN5YXIMAAHsoA.jpg
Crowd chucked bottles at police and into the police department building. Getting very tense out here. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3QP1gWCEAANjqt.jpg
Cops approached quickly
Outside while #McCulloch is speaking RT @michaelcalhoun : "Hands up! Don't shoot!" #ferguson #clayton vine.co/v/O1g2eTPHgEO
Statement from Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3QQtuvCMAI7LXj.jpg
The @ksdknews control room as grand jury decision is announced http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3QQ7XGCYAAXukL.jpg


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Festive Sausage Roll
If you are looking for a quick and easy snack to serve to friends and family this Christmas, then we have the perfect suggestion for you! Who doesn't love a good sausage. We use Lincolnshire chipolatas, baked with a beautiful organic wildflower honey and wholegrain mustard. A simple recipe that delivers every time. Don't forget to serve with our beetroot dip – a winning combo.
Baked Lincolnshire chipolata sausages with organic wildflower honey and wholegrain mustard. Dipped with our fresh and minty Beetroot dip
· Lincolnshire chipolatas – they really are the best! We use Lincolnshire chipolatas from Meridian meats in Louth, a cracking little market town in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds.
· Wholegrain mustard
· Organic wildflower honey from Little Over Apiaries
· Place the sausages in a baking tray and cook for 40 mins at 190 degrees.
· Halfway through baking the sausages, mix the honey and mustard in a bowl and pour over the warm sausages
· Turn the sausages once before the end of cooking to stop them sticking.
· Once out of the oven, let them cool a little.
· Place the sausages on a serving platter with our beetroot dip and watch them being devoured by your guests at speed.
We love to see your foodie creations so remember to tag us @thedipsociety and post a photo on social media.


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Jesca Hoop is a singer/songwriter who started her musical career being a nanny for Tom Waits' children; Waits' reaction to her music, he said, "was like going swimming in a lake at night".
I first heard Hoop on the 'KCRW: Morning Becomes Eclectic' broadcast in 2004 (Waits apparently gave KCRW her demo), falling in lurve instantly with her beautifully lush voice. Later in 2007, she released her debut album, 'Kismet' -- which featured many of the songs on the KCRW show, as well as new tracks.
I really enjoy both, but the KCRW show is my favorite, as I feel some of the intimacy of the songs is lost in the production of 'Kismet', or shown in a different light. Both are great though, def give these a listen.
mind the graves


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Potential government-induced mortgage credit crunch in 2013
To understand the credit crunch, and why we might have another one, I have a visualization exercise for you that I originally posted back in 2007:
Imagine a room with 100 people representing the pool of subprime borrowers. These are new entrants to the market. They were previously unable to buy due to bad credit, lack of savings, and other reasons. All of them are told they are going to bid on an asset that never goes down in value, and they will be given the ability to borrow unlimited funds (stated-income "liar loans") The only caveat is the borrowed money must be paid back when the asset is sold (not that they care, they already have bad credit). Imagine what happens?
People start to buy the asset, and prices rise. Others in the room seeing the rising prices come to believe that the value of the asset never declines, and they join in the bidding. As the bidding drives prices even higher, a manic quality takes over the bidding and people compete with each other, often bidding higher than the asking prices. Nobody wants to be left out. There are fortunes to be made. Greed drives prices upward at a staggering rate. As the last of the 100 people buy, prices are very high, everyone has made money, and it looks as if prices will continue to rise forever . . .
Then something strange happens: there is nobody left to make a purchase. (A key indication of the end of a speculative mania is a huge decline in sales, as was witnessed over 2006 and 2007). Transaction volume drops off dramatically, and prices stop their dizzying ascent. Nobody is particularly alarmed at first, but a few of the more cautious sell their assets to pay off their loans. Since there are no more new buyers, the first selling actually causes prices to drop. This is unprecedented: prices have never declined! Most ignore the problem and comfort themselves with the history of rising prices; however, a few are spooked by this unprecedented drop and sell the asset. This selling drives prices even lower. Now those who still own the asset become worried, some continue to deny that there is a problem, and some get angry about the price declines. Some of the late buyers actually owe more than they paid for the asset. They sell the asset at a loss. The lenders now lose some money and refuse to loan any more money to be secured against the asset. Now there are even fewer buyers and a large group of owners who all want to sell before prices drop any lower. Panic selling ensues. Everyone wants to sell at the same time, and there are no buyers to purchase the asset. Prices fall dramatically. This asset which was sought after at any price is now for sale at any price, and there are few takers. People in the market rightfully believe the asset will continue to decline. Owners of the asset have accepted the new reality; they are depressed and despondent.
In any group of people, there are always a few who do not believe the "prices always rise" narrative. Some recognize that asset prices cannot rise indefinitely and cannot stay detached from their fundamental valuations. These people witness the rally and the resulting crash without participating. They wait patiently for prices to drop back to fundamental values, and then these people buy. As these new buyers enter the market, prices stop their steep descent and market participants start to hope again. It takes a while to work off the inventory for sale in the market, so prices tend to flatten at the bottom for an extended period of time; however, just as spring follows winter, appreciation returns to the market in time, and the cycle begins all over again.
What is written above is true of any asset whether it be stocks, bonds, houses or tulips. In this case, it is the local housing market, and the room of new buyers represents subprime borrowers, but the concepts are universal. One phenomenon somewhat unique to the housing market is the forced sale due to foreclosure (stocks have margin calls). Even if the psychological factors at work during the panic could somehow be quelled, the forced sales from foreclosures would drive down prices anyway. True panic is not required to crash a housing market, only dropping prices and an inability to make payments.
Though that was written five years ago, haven't we witnessed all of those stages play out since then? The reports I generate each month show prices at or below their historic norms relative to rental parity. The market is turning from despair to a grim acceptance of lower prices as we bounce along the bottom.
The chart below is two years old, so we are one or two steps further along, but we still haven't reached the point where private sector deleveraging is stopped. There is some question as to whether we have made any progress given the renewed quantitative easing.
Mortgage Putback Threat Reduced for Lenders Under New Rules
By Clea Benson – Sep 11, 2012 9:25 AM PT
The U.S. overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (FMCC), seeking to reduce the threat that banks will have to buy back flawed mortgages from the two firms, laid out new rules designed to spur lending and ease the housing crunch.
The changes will apply to future loans, not those that are the subject of current bank complaints that the taxpayer-owned companies are being too aggressive in forcing them to buy back loans made at the height of the housing bubble, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said today in a statement.
The GSEs are aggressively pursuing lenders and forcing them to buy back their bad loans from the housing bubble. That isn't going to stop. What lenders are looking for is more certainty about what they face on loans they are originating today and in the future.
The new system, which takes effect on Jan. 1, should give banks more certainty about future costs by flagging potentially faulty mortgages earlier, FHFA said. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will use data collected on the loans they buy to spot potential defects, and will review samples within three months of purchase instead of waiting until borrowers default.
"Lenders want more certainly about their risk exposure, and the enterprises want to ensure the quality of the loans," Edward J. DeMarco, FHFA's acting director, said yesterday in a North Carolina speech where he outlined the changes.
Regulators including FHFA and the Federal Reserve have said that banks are shutting out otherwise eligible borrowers and demanding higher credit scores than necessary because they are afraid Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will force them to repurchase loans if they become delinquent.
As I pointed out a few days ago, Some creditworthy families will always be denied mortgages. It is not possible to give everyone a loan. We tried that back in 2005, and it didn't turn out very well.
'Lending Defensively'
David Stevens, president and chief executive officer of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said the rules probably will give banks more confidence that they won't be forced to buy back loans unless there are serious problems with origination.
"Obviously, we need to see the details, but anything in this direction is really important, because lenders today are lending defensively," he said today in a telephone interview. …
As they should be. What's shocking to me is that anyone thinks otherwise. Lenders are supposed to be careful who they lend money to because they want to get their money back. Lending aggressively leads to losses, and since we are discussing government-backed loans, we all want lenders to be lending defensively.
Under the new rules, the companies won't force lenders to repurchase defaulted loans if borrowers have made 36 months of consecutive on-time payments. Banks will be protected from buyback requests after only 12 months of payments for certain types of loans, such as those originated under the federal government's Home Affordable Refinance Program, DeMarco said in the Raleigh, North Carolina, speech.
I love how the government changes the bar to suit their purposes. For loan buybacks, in order to protect taxpayers, the borrowers must make three years of payments. Fair enough. For loan modifications, the government wants to see 12 months of payments. Anyone should be able to do that. If they can pay rent, they should be able to pay a loan. However, for propaganda purposes, the government considers a loan modification "permanent" after only three payments. Apparently, they know many of these "permanent" loan modifications are going to fail, so they make the lender wait 12 months to get off the hook for the losses.
…"What you're going to see is a surge in more audits, rather than less, just as companies are getting comfortable that the worst is behind them," Rood said in a telephone interview yesterday.The early reviews may cause lenders to raise underwriting standards instead of loosening them, Jaret Seiberg, senior policy analyst at Guggenheim Partners, said today.
"This is why we still see the putback policy as yet another factor that could add to what we worry will be a government-induced credit crunch in 2013," Seiberg wrote in a market commentary. "How big of a factor this is will largely depend on how those initial loan reviews go."
Once a credit crunch gets started, it doesn't stop until standards tighten to the point only the most qualified borrowers are given loans. That's why now, a full five years after the credit crunch gripped the market, standards are still tightening. Only when borrowers stop defaulting on new loans will the process of tightening stop. Neither banks nor the government is keen to lose money on bad loans, so standards get tighter and tighter until the losses stop. That's how the credit cycle works.
In the wake of the housing bubble, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been reviewing files on defaulted loans originated between 2005 and 2009 for signs of faulty underwriting. In the first two quarters of this year, the two government-sponsored enterprises asked banks to buy back mortgages with an unpaid principal balance of $18.9 billion.
In 2008 we bailed out the banks and told them to loan money. They didn't. And for good reason. There weren't many creditworthy borrowers as evidenced by the billions in loan buybacks from this period. The forced buybacks are an essential feedback mechanism in the system. It's the only thing ensuring good underwriting in an era of insured securitization.
Banks usually end up paying about half of the unpaid principal balance when a putback demand is successful, according to the companies.
… Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Ally Financial Inc., set aside almost $3 billion to buy back bad home loans in the first half of 2012, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Regional lenders including Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks Inc. said they set aside at least $1.3 billion for such loan repurchases in the same period, exceeding their total for all of 2011.In his speech at the American Mortgage Conference, DeMarco outlined future steps FHFA will take to shrink Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's footprint in the mortgage market.
The fees the enterprises charge to lenders to guarantee loans, which will have increased by 20 basis points by the end of the year, will continue to be raised, he said.
As loan costs go up, either bank margins go down, or borrower costs go up. If borrower costs go up, loan balances get smaller, and the housing market faces a new headwind. One of many it will contend with over the next several years.
Eventually, credit standards will ease somewhat. Once lenders fear losses less, they will loosen their standards, and we will begin the cycle all over again. Hopefully, this time, taxpayers won't be on the hook for the losses. Right now, we are.


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SHAKOPEE, Minn. (WCCO/AP) — The city of Shakopee is giving the all-clear after a biomass facility plant explosion rocked the city south of Minneapolis.
The explosion was reported around 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Koda Energy, a joint venture with Rahr Malting Company, which produces malt. The facility is located at 800 1st Ave. W.
"I heard a very loud boom, a huge explosion followed by a huge fireball," neighbor Jolene Tesch said. "With all the stuff that's been going on with the news … it was scary."
By mid-afternoon, the city tweeted that there are no air quality or environmental concerns following the Koda Energy silo explosion. The fire caused damage to two biomass fuel silos and their conveyor system, as well as the truck unloading facility, Koda Energy said. A smouldering fire remains, which is expected to burn itself out.
The seven employees that were on site, are accounted for and are safe.
Koda Energy does not yet know the cause of the fire, or when it will resume operations.
"The first (explosion) caught my eye and I happened to look over and see the second one," Jerry Dahl said. "I saw flames shooting about 100 feet in the air."
The city of Shakopee had asked all residents and visitors within a mile radius of Koda Energy and Rahr Malting to stay indoors until safety issues were investigated. Koda Energy is regulated by the MPCA and became fully operation in May 2009. Rahr dates back to 1847.
"We still have to do some investigating to determine the cause," Koda Energy Director of Supply Mike Marsollek said. "The main concern was getting everybody out side, accounted for, and makings sure the public was safe."
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Escape Into the '80s, Movie #1
Synopsis: Pubescent punk promotes perky prostitute, provokes perturbed pimp, plunges Porsche, pleases pimply peers, personifies piggishness, pooh-poohs parents, pursues Princeton!
Blurb From the VHS Jacket: "There's a time for playing it safe and a time for.. Risky Business."
What Did I Learn?: Porsche made some really ugly cars in the early 1980s. And dark grey? What a lame colour for a high-performance sports car.
You Might Like This Movie If: you want to see the film that launched Tom Cruise's career, and allowed him to make certain... other videos.
Really?: 1) Wait – was it physically possible for Guido to catch up with our heroes after they zoomed away from him at the hotel? 2) Funny how Joel gets suspended for five days, flunks two mid-term exams and is thrown out of the Future Enterprisers, and yet none of this is important later on. 3) So, Joel throws the mother of all parties – complete with hookers – and none of the neighbours complain, or phone the cops.
Rating: Risky Business is one of those films that I enjoyed as a kid, but it now seems rather dated. Sure, the movie has a few laughs, and the musical score by Tangerine Dream is still pretty stylish even after 30+ years, but Risky Business has a couple of problems: a) it seems to be far more of a celebration of greed and materialism than a satirical take on those traits, and b) none of its characters – Joel, his asshole friends, Lana, or Guido the killer pimp, are even remotely likeable. Risky Business isn't a bad movie, but it rubbed me the wrong way. 6/10 stars.


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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Crockpot Refried Beans {No Soak!}
If you haven't notice by now, we love mexican food at our house. Anything from enchiladas to taquitos, casseroles to tostadas... we'll eat it all! However, one thing I dont love about mexican food at home, it canned beans. They always seem too thick and dense, and always have a metallic aftertaste. Not to mention all the preservatives in them! So when I saw a recipe for homemade ones that looked easy, I pounced! Obviously, I tweaked the heck out of it to make it fit my family, but it worked wonderfully! They are great in burritos, on nachos, or just as a side! I will definitely be making these again!
3 cups pinto beans
10 cups water
3 TBS minced garlic
1 large onion
1 TBS chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 -3TBS Taco Seasoning
1 TBS kosher salt
Rinse pinto beans under cold water. Chop onion. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours, then LOW for 2 hours. Remove and keep extra liquid. Mash beans with a potato masher, adding liquid until you reach desired consistency. I actually ended up pureeing 1/2 of ours in the blender, but we like ours almost as thin as restaurant beans, so really, it's up to you!
Once the beans are mashed, taste them. At this point they are very very plain. Too plain for us, so I add more salt and taco seasoning, but that's totally up to you!
Store in air-tight containers, for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Or freeze in ziplock bags.
Posted by The Stratton Family at 5:00 PM 1 lovely comments
Labels: crock pot, recipes, side dishes
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Crispy Chicken Ranchero {Taco Time copy cat}
I worked at Taco Time for quite a while in my teenage years. And still to this day, I love their food, but this has to be my favorite thing on the menu! I love chicken strips anyways, but wrap them in a tortilla, with ranch and cabbage!? Uh, YUM! They are even better made at home too, because you dont have all the fry oil and who-knows-what-else that goes in fast food! We had these for much the other day with leftover spanish rice and it all came together really quick!
Makes 2 Burritos
2 large flour tortillas
4 frozen chicken strips, cooked (I used baked popcorn chicken)
1 cup prepared spanish rice
shredded cheese
shredded cabbage
ranch dressing
pico de gallo (I left this off because my husband hates it)
On your tortilla, place half the rice, 2 of the chicken strips and cheese. Nuke in the microwave for only about 15 seconds.
Top with cabbage and salsa, drizzle with ranch. Roll and serve!
Posted by The Stratton Family at 10:45 AM 0 lovely comments
Labels: copy cat, lunch, main dish, mexican food, recipes
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Wild Rice and Sausage Casserole
2 cooked cups white rice
1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup cooked spicy sausage
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
I made this with leftovers, which is the reason my measurements are using cooked ingredients. But really, you can mess up this recipe, so if you are using uncooked, just guess, and if it seems a tad dry, just add a little more milk.
Other than that, mix all your ingredients in a large bowl, transfer to a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, and then remove foil and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. All the ingredients are cooked, so you just want to make sure its heated through.
To freeze, transfer to a foil baking dish, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and then foil. Label with the instructions (Once thawed, remove plastic wrap and replace foil. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, then without foil for 10 min.) and freeze.
Posted by The Stratton Family at 5:00 PM 2 lovely comments
Labels: casserole, dinner, freezer meal, pork, recipes
Monday, December 10, 2012
Menu Monday
I've got lots of rollovers from last week!
Monday- 10 minute Navajo Tacos
Tuesday- Pizza
Wednesday- Crock Pot French Dips
Thursday- Broccoli potato soup with rolls
Friday- Friend Christmas Party
Saturday- family Christmas party
Posted by The Stratton Family at 11:14 AM 0 lovely comments
Labels: Menu Monday
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is one of those things I always forget about, until it's the only option for lunch! I made this the other day last minute when I had to take my husband lunch, and we were out of lettuce to have regular ham sandwiches. They were a huge hit with my husband, and a nice change from the norm!
2 cups cookes, shredded and cooled chicken
1 apple, diced
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup miracle whip
salt & pepper
Mix everything in a bowl and chill. Serve on wheat bread (our favorite) or on crackers.
Posted by The Stratton Family at 10:30 AM 0 lovely comments
Labels: chicken, lunch, recipes, sandwiches
Friday, December 7, 2012
Decking Our Halls {2012}
I love putting out my Christmas decorations! It really makes it feel like the holidays are here!
I didn't go too crazy this year, pregnancy and a 2 year old consume my life now, so decorating is more of a luxury than a necessity ;)
But here's some of what I got up this year!
This is what I'm most proud of this year. I saw something similar on pinterest, but it was selling on etsy for like $40! But in my mind of course, I think "I can make that!" So, I did! It's not perfect, but I like it! I had to take it down to get a decent picture of it, but normally its on the wall.
I used the 'vaseline' technique to get the chippy paint look!
Posted by The Stratton Family at 5:00 PM 6 lovely comments
Labels: Christmas, holidays, home decor
Thursday, December 6, 2012
3 Bean Enchilada Soup
I love soup on a cold winter day! This soup is a perfect mix of mexican flavors and comfort food!
1 Large can green enchilada sauce
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can light red kidney beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 teas. cumin
1 tsp onion powder
2 teas. garlic (in the jar)
2 cups frozen corn
1 teas. cumin
1 tsp onion powder
2 teas. garlic (in the jar)
Garnish options: shredded lettuce, sour scream, cilantro, fried tortilla strips.
Dupm everything (except garnishes) into a crock pot or large pot. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook on low for around 20 minutes. Theres no meat, so you just want everything nice and hot!
Posted by The Stratton Family at 8:00 AM 1 lovely comments
Labels: dinner, mexican food, recipes, soup
Monday, December 3, 2012
Menu Monday
Is everyone loving this cooler weather as much as me!? Too bad my husband isn't a big soup fan, or we would be having it every day! I did manage to sneak it it without too much resistance!
Monday: Wild rice and Sausage Casserole (freezer meal)
Tuesday: Breakfast Casserole
Wednesday: Kung Pao Chicken with steamed veggies and rice
Thursday: Broccoli and cheese soup with rolls
Friday: Date Night
Saturday: 10 minute Navajo Tacos
What are you all making this week!? I need some new recipe ideas to try!
Posted by The Stratton Family at 10:10 AM 1 lovely comments
Labels: Menu Monday
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Fistula Foundation
Fistula Foundation plays a vital, unique role to help women who suffer from fistula receive life-transforming surgery.
Fistula is an injury that devastates lives of women in the world's poorest countries and most rural areas where mothers still deliver babies without medical help. A woman enduring prolonged, unrelieved obstructed labor nearly always loses her baby. If she survives, she is often subjected to yet another horror – obstetric fistula – rendering her incontinent and uncontrollably leaking urine and wastes. Untreated, these women are often deserted by their husbands and shunned by their communities. Treated, she can live a healthy, productive life.
We fund more fistula surgeries in more places than any nonprofit not receiving government financing in the world. We fund the very best organizations helping in the places where need for fistula treatment is greatest, partnering with the most respected, productive and effective hospitals and local doctors. In the last four years, we've grown from focusing exclusively on Ethiopia to funding 42 projects in 18 additional countries, 10 in Africa.
The Foundation adheres to the highest standards for financial management and is dedicated to keeping operating expenses low. Since 2006 the Foundation has earned the Better Business Bureau Seal for meeting its Standards for Charity Accountability and 4-Star ratings from the charity rating service Charity Navigator, ranking the Foundation in the top 3 percent of all nonprofits evaluated.
Contact Information
Fistula Foundation
1922 The Alameda, Suite 302
San Jose, CA 95126
T: (866) 756-3700 (toll free)
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
Financial Information
Fistula Foundation, The is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization. Click below to view our most recent independent audit and IRS Form 990.
Donate Now to Fistula Foundation
Volunteer Opportunities
Become part of our Circle of Friends program. Plan and hold your own fundraising and informational events. Opportunities also occasionally available in our Santa Clara, CA office.
To donate to this member charity by check, please print our designation form and mail it with your check to
Aid for Africa
P.O. Box 8734
Topeka, KS 66608
CFC number explanation


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In a recent article in the New Yorker, Adam Gopnik remembered the trauma of Barbar the Elephant's loss of his parents and the need to up sticks from the wild and make his fortune in the big city. :(
Barbar was a key moment in us granting the elephant human qualities, sentimentalizing the wild and providing zoos and fun parks dramatic license to present staged realities of the wild.
And the entertainment that surrounds the elephant is unforgettable: Colonel Hathi in the film of The Jungle Book. Dumbo. And the fantasy of elephant tea parties.
The stock of elephants may be falling in West, Central and East Africa and the conservation movement working hard to save them but now in some parts of Southern Africa, there is a problem of too many animals and in some places elephant culling and the animal's meat is back on the menu.
In a programme that will be shown on Channel 4 Television in the U.K. next week, two of England's most original, environmentally-conscious chefs - Fergus Henderson and Jeremy Lee - challenge their and our food taboos.
Fergus and Jeremy attempt to eat their way up the ladder of animals considered taboo for consumption in the U.K. but part of the diet of other cultures. They travel the world. One place they visit is the Kalahari Desert in Namibia at the time of an elephant hunt. I directed the documentary.
The population of elephants in Southern Africa is now increasing due to conservation and the changing course of water supply across the continent.
In countries like Namibia, villagers and elephants compete for water and vegetation and stories are legion of attacks and killings of humans by the animal.
Because of conservation, regulation of hunting and food price inflation, there are often shortages of meat to eat in the country.
And in need of investment, Namibia makes a market in the professional licensed hunting of elephants.
At $30,000 upwards a pop, wealthy Europeans and Americans visit the country in the summer to hunt for 'trophy' meat. Once the animal is killed and the hunters taken their 'prize' - be it the animal's feet or head - villagers are invited to cut up the carcass and share the meat.
All of this is done in the name of ecotourism, "sustainable population management" and villagers love the taste of elephant meat.
In a landmark decision last year, the South African government lifted the moratorium on elephant culling in the Kruger National Park.
I couldn't eat an elephant. But plenty do.
What interests me more is that while in one culture, an animal is mythologized; in another, people happily kill and eat the thing.
Now there's nothing either shocking or surprising about that - except that liberal right-on-ness says that today we should eat real food and celebrate authentic, local and seasonal food culture. And eating elephant in Namibia appears to be all of these values writ large.
Authenticity is a huge currency of popular modern culture.
There's the honesty and integrity of Obama.
A limitless diet of TV shows on extreme eating, tribal living and meddling with lost tribes - i.e. Discovery Channel +1, 2 and +36.
And in an age of frugality, supermarket shelves are filling with offal and foodie culture is going gooey at the thought of eating food down on the farm.
To almost all of us, eating elephant is an authentic step too far. (as is dog - see my earlier post)
It transgresses taste, cultural preferences and personal style.
But doesn't Namibian relish for elephant start to make our commitment to 'real', 'local' and 'authentic' food look like a load of old parochial chic?
Image of dead elephant courtesy of Abby's Mom.


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Last March I went to a songwriters retreat in Tennessee where 25 of us were immersed into some intensive training over a weekend. Right away, we were challenged by being put into small co-writing teams to develop songs. No leader was assigned for these teams so, we were "forced" to cooperate. Each team found a way to make the purpose of being together what led them. This put me in a place where I had to decide to humble myself and be supportive as well as brave enough to share my own ideas.
The church can be a place of incredible beauty and power if everyone cooperates in following their leader, Jesus. Sadly, this is often not the case in many congregations. I've learned that my place in the body of Christ is too keep the main thing, the main thing. It does me no good to wish that others would be better team players and be disgruntled when they're not. It starts (and ends) with me being led by the Holy Spirit, loving God with all my heart and others as myself.
I beg you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that all of you agree with each other and not be split into groups. I beg that you be completely joined together by having the same kind of thinking and the same purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:10 NCV


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Welcome to Convento di Santa Croce
un ancient monastery located in Umbria, the green heart of Italy,
restored in 2015 to become the ideal place for nature lovers
and guests seeking a dream location to celebrate a wedding, anniversary or important event.
Convento di Santa Croce offers 12 rooms and suites that can accommodate up to 24 people.
Convento di Santa Croce is the ideal location to host wedding banquets and civil ceremonies in the external courtyard or frescoed rooms.


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We don't normally do stories about jargon-ey industry numbers and statistics, but when you see something about 10 billion dollars, youhave toat least take a peek. That's what the mobile gaming industry is expected to rake in by 2014. Not bad for a market that just a few years ago was about as niche as you could be.
In fact, this year alone, the iPhone is expected to rake in more than $1.7 billion in app sales. That's three times more than what Android is expected to bring in, even though there are more Android phones in the US.
Above: Better get those fingers more nimble than ever, because iPhone/mobile gaming is the new black
This is all according to Futuresource Consulting, an analyst group specializing in the mobile industry. Just to provide some context for howmuch money$10 billion is - that's about one-fourth of the 2009 revenue of the entire video game industry. The video game industry has risen over a span of more than 30 years, but most people had never even thought of buying a game on their mobile phone more than five years ago.
The highest area of growth in mobile is expected to be "freemium" games, or games that are free to download but coerce players into buying additional content once they've been sucked in. We personally hate that word - just as much as we hate refudiate andsimplexity - but it's gonna start dominating the lexicon pretty soon.
Futuresource also expects to see a big rise in the number of ad-funded games. So start marking your calendars for when you'll start seeing Best Buy, Colgate, and Tide iPhone games. You know it's coming.
So what does all this mean to you? Well, first off, if you don't have a smartphone, you're totally living in the past, maaan. I mean, seriously. Secondly, expect the iPhone and others to continue to get more attention from the big publishers. Casual games will grow to an even bigger industry, but we hope with more sophisticated phones and more hardcore gamers going mobile, we can get some serious titles for our iPhones too.
Oct 26, 2010


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|Unit History Project
Report of the Operations of the U. S. S. "YANKEE."
Captain J . W . MILLER ,
I beg to submit my report of the work performed by the detail, from the first naval battalion of New York on the U . S . S . " Yankee."
1 received orders on April 23d, to send a detail of officers and men to the navy yard, New York, who were willing to volunteer for duty on the "Yankee," and on A p r i l 26th, sent the detail as ordered. The men a l l enlisted, and the officers passed their examinations and were duly commissioned, having been granted leaves of absence by the commander-in-chief, New York state.
The crew of the " Yankee," with the exception of the commanding officer, executive officer and navigator, was entirely composed of men furnished by the first naval battalion of New York.
The only casualties occurring were the death of Landsman T. C. LeValley from appendicitis at Key West, Fla,,, after an operation had been performed by the surgeons of the hospital, and the wounding of Landsman S. P. Kennedy in an engagement with a Spanish gunboat at Cienfuegos, June 17th. The latter was transferred to the hospital ship " Solace," and has recovered. When the ship's company were paid off at Philadelphia, September 2d, 1898, there was no one on the sick list, and the battalion marched across to the " New Hampshire" with 100 per cent, present, which of itself shows the care and attention that was paid to the health and comfort of the men by the regular officers in charge of the ship.
I inclose abstract of the log of the " Yankee." We joined the ship May Gth; left the yard May 9th; proceeded to sea May 11th, and from that time on were continuously on duty on the northern patrol until May 29th, when she sailed from New York for Cuba, and from that date until the ship arrived in New York, August 28th, we were actively engaged in Cuban waters.
I am glad to report that during the whole cruise there were no serious Infractions of regulations, and nothing but very light punishments were found necessary by the commanding officer of the " Yankee." When the men first went aboard the " Yankee" they were absolutely unaccustomed to sea life and to looking after themselves in the messes or elsewhere, and the exigencies of the service were such that they were sent on a ship hurriedly and incompletely fitted out, and the day. after leaving the navy yard the ship went to sea on patrol duty, which kept the ship constantly at sea, and gave no chance for the usual shaking down. A l l this made it very hard on the crew, and It took longer for them to get In shape. As to handling the battery, that was picked up at once, and the men were always ready and keen at any time to jump to their guns. While in southern waters they were called on to coal ship several times night and day, vHiieh was work of a very trying character, and work which they never had been called on before to do, but it was done without any complaints, irrespective of time or temperature, and to the best of their ability.
The only criticism that has been made of the officers and crew was the fact that they were not seagoing men. and in this respect I would state that in January last I was unofficially in Washington, and while there called at the navy department and asked if they could tell me, supposing we had trouble with Spain, what the men of the first naval battalion, New York, would be required to do. I was told that we would be on the second line of defense, and I endeavored to get ready on that line. When the war did break out I was ordered, on very short notice, to furnish a crew for the U. S. S. " Nahant" and U. S. S. " Yankee," besides manning the signal stations. These crews were furnished when required. I respectfully suggest that if the naval militia, of New York state, is expected to furnish full crews for ships in times of war, the United States government should supply them with a seagoing vessel, capable of berthing at least one hundred men, and mounting a few modern rapid-fire guns, which vessel could be taken out on short cruises in summer, and would give the officers and men a chance to familiarize themselves in time of peace with the duties they would be called on to perform in time of war.
In conclusion, I beg to state that the officers and men of the first naval battalion, New York, have responded to every call of the government; have performed all the duties that were required of them cheerfully, and to the best of their ability.
Very respectfully, W. B. DUNCAN, J R . , Commander.
Extract of Log of the U. S. S. " Yankee ."
Thursday, A p r i l 14th: The U. S. S. "Yankee/' formerly the Morgan liner " E l Norte," was placed in commission in the Brooklyn navy yard.
Tuesday, April 19th: Commander Will aid H . Brownson joined the " Yankee " and took command of her.
Friday, May Gth: Naval militia joined the ship, and commenced taking on ammunition and stores.
Sunday, May 8th: United -States marine guard came aboard under the command of Lieutenant Pendleton.
Monday, May 9th: The " Y a n k e e " left the navy yard and proceeded to anchorage off Tompkinsville, where we remained until
Wednesday, May 11th: Proceeded to Provincetown, Mass., arriving there on the evening of the same day. That night received orders to proceed with the U. >S. S. " Columbia," to the vicinity of Block Island, and in company with that vessel to establish a patrol from Block Island to Henlopen. This duty we performed in conjunction with the " Columbia," for a portion of the time, and over the whole route from Block Island to Henlopen for the remainder of the time until
Thursday, May 26th: Proceeded to New York for coal. The orders under which we were acting, while on patrol duty, made it necessary for us to report every day, either at Block Island or Henlopen. In order to accomplish this, it was necessary for us to run at a high rate of speed, day and night, generally through thick and foggy weather. At night we were not allowed to show any lights or sound the whistle, so that this duty was a particularly dangerous one. This latter fact is evidenced by the accident the " Columbia" met with, shortly after we had returned to New York, when a British tramp vessel ran into her, ramming a large hole in her side and sinking the Englishman.
Sunday, May 29th: Sailed from New York, passing Sandy Hook at 5.09 p. m.; steamed to the southward.
Monday, May 30th: While at target practice, Corporal John James Murray was killed, and Private Jesse Fuller, both of the marine guard, was wounded by an accident at the forward port six-pounder, due to an unusually long hang-fire of the English cordite. At sunset Corporal Murray was buried at sea with appropriate ceremonies.
Thursday, June 2d: Arrived at Mole St. Nicholas at 5.30 p. in., and sighted in the dusk two suspicious steamers. We cleared ship for action and steamed slowly into the harbor. The suspicious steamers turned out to be the " St. Louis " and the collier " Justin." We all left the Mole that night.
Friday, June 3d: Arrived at Santiago de Cuba early in the morning, the " Justin " coming in after us. We found the fleet off Santiago to consist of the following: The flagship " New York," " Brooklyn," " Iowa," " Massachusetts," " Oregon," " Texas," " New Orleans," « Dolphin," " Mayflower," " St. Louis," " Porter," " Marblehead " and despatch boats. We at once reported to the flagship and took up our position with the fleet. About 11 p. nr., the " New Orleans," being stationed next to us, sent up three red rockets, and signalled that she had seen a torpedo boat putting off from the harbor. The u New Orleans " at once started blazing away at the torpedo boat, and the " Yankee " quickly followed suit. Signals were sent up summoning the entire fleet, and in a few minutes the whole squadron was bearing down upon the u New Orleans " and " Yankee," and amidst a terrific bombardment the torpedo boat disappeared. The next morning the " Porter " picked up two expended torpedo tubes.
Saturday, June 4th: In the afternoon we received a signal from the flagship to " clear ship for action," and to take up our position preparatory to bombarding the forts. We at once prepared to engage the enemy, the " Yankee" having the best position nearest the forts and the shore. When close inland we discovered a small battery, and Commander Brownson signalled to the. flagship for permission to bombard the fort near the railway trestle and reduce it, but the admiral signalled back " You may not reduce the fort," much to the disgust of all the officers and crew. About 5 p. m., the admiral signalled that the forts were not to be attacked to-day, and the fleet retired; each ship resuming its original position.
Sunday, June 5th: Lying i n our position with the fleet
Monday, June 6th: A t 5 a. m., all hands were called, and 7.30 the bombardment of the forts and batteries of Santiago de Cuba commenced. The " New York " was nearest the shore, and next to her and between her and the " New Orleans " the " Yankee " took up her position. The bombardment lasted three hours, during which time all the batteries were silenced. During the latter part of the bombardment the " Yankee " had the closest position to the batteries and shore. The " Yankee " and " New Orleans " also silenced the small battery near the railway trestle. About noon the " Dolphin " noticed a train running along the railway near the coast, and promptly opened fire on the train with its small guns, killing., it is reported, 112 men, and tearing up a great deal of the track. The " Yankee " was the last ship to retire from the bombardment.
Tuesday, June 7th: The " Yankee," " St. Louis " and Marbiehead " all sailed for Guantanamo, or Fort Cumberland, arriving there about 5 in the morning, when all hands were called. We at once started in bombarding a block-house and small village near the entrance of the harbor. The block-house was entirely destroyed, as was the village, by the " Yankee," and we (the " Marblehead " aud " Yankee ") then proceeded further up the harbor, until we sighted a Spanish gunboat, at which we took several shots, but were unable to hit her, owing to the fact that she retired behind the fort. We then sent several shots into the fort, and returned to the " St. Louis," which had been left at the entrance of the harbor to cut the cables. This she succeeded in doing, cutting both cables, the " Marblehead " cutting the third and a. smaller one; the result being that Santiago de Cuba, is now without cable connection of any kind, and is unable to communicate either by mail or cable with Spain or the rest of the world. At 10 p. m., the " Yankee " sailed for Santiago de Cuba.
Thursday, June 9th: Left Santiago de Cuba about midnight of Wednesday, arriving at Mole St. Nicholas at noon. On the way we overhauled two steamers—one turning out to be the " Norse," a Norwegian steamer, and the other the " E l y , " an Englishman. We fired a blank shot from our forward six-pounder to bring these vessels to. The papers of both were examined and found to be correct. A bumboat came alongside from the Mole, and we were able to buy oranges, alligator pears, and other fruit. Heat terrific. The troops of the fort at the Mole were paraded in our honor. We left the Mole about 7 p. m., and at 10 p. m., sighted a light off our port bow. Later on more lights were discovered, one of them being a very powerful search light, and it was supposed that we had ran across the Spanish fleet. We put on full steam and eventually succeeded in getting away from the fleet and arrived safely at Santiago de Cuba early
Friday, June 10th: We reported our experience to the admiral, and a boat was sent ashore to inquire definitely whether the Cervera fleet was still in the harbor. We left Santiago at noon and arrived at Port Antonio, Jamaica, at 7 p. m., leaving there
Saturday, June 11th, at 1 a. m., and arriving at Montego Bay, Jamaica, at 8 in the morning. We found in the harbor the English cruiser " Indefatigable," and our captain went on board. Later in the day Captain Primrose returned the visit.
Sunday, June 12th: Left Montego Bay Saturday evening, arriving at Santiago de Cuba early Sunday morning. At noon to-day we sailed from Santiago and proceeded along the southern coast of Cuba in search of the Spanish steamer " Purissima Conception," arriving at Cienfuegos
Monday, June 13th: At 1.15 p. m., we sighted a steamer near the entrance of the harbor, which proved to be a gunboat, apparently coming out of the harbor to capture what she thought to be an American merchantman. We trained our guns aft to keep up the illusion, and started for her at full speed. As soon as w7e were close enough to her we opened fire upon her, which she immediately returned with good aim. The forts and batteries in the harbor also opened on us, the shells from both the forts and the gunboat falling close around us. Another boat, a smaller one, at this time came out of the harbor and assisted the first gunboat and forts, but eventually we succeeded in driving both of the enemy's boats into the harbor after a hard fight, and we ourselves retired to a safe distance. During the engagement Landsman Kennedy- was seriously wounded in the left shoulder. We dropped several shells into the forts, exploding a magazine. We afterwards learned from the Cubans that we had hit the gunboat, killing four men and wounding seven, and the boat itself had to be beached as soon as it got to the river.
Tuesday, June 14th: Sighted a man-of-war coming out of the harbor; immediately cleared ship for action, and gave chase. She turned out to be the German cruiser " Geira." We spoke her, and she proceeded on her way. Returned to Cienfuegos, and continued the blockade of the fort.
Wednesday, June 15th: Still off Cienfuegos watching for Spanish nierchantman, but as she did not put in an appearance by noon, we started at 1 p. m., for Santiago de Cuba, arriving there Thursday, June 16th, at 1.30 p. m., too late for bombardment of the forts, which had taken place earlier in the day. The " Vesuvius " was very successful in dropping several dynamite shells into one of the batteries, creating great damage.
Friday, June 17th: Left Santiago at 11 a. nr., for Guantanamo, where we arrived at 2.30 p. m., finding in the harbor the " Oregon," " Dolphin," " St. P a u l , " " Solace," and several other American ships. The American flag was flying over an encampment occupied by the marines, and the Cuban flag flying over the village destroyed by us on our last visit. Landsman Kennedy and Seamen Whitman and Bogert were transferred to the hospital ship " Solace."
Saturday, June 18th: Coaled all Friday night and Saturday at Guantanamo, where we were joined by the " St. Paul," " New York," and. other ships. Left here 6 p. in., bound for Cienfuegos.
Sunday, June 19th: En-route for Cienfuegos. Overhauled and boarded the British schooner " Union," bound from Montego Bay to Trinidad, Cuba. A small lire was discovered in one of our bunkers, which was extinguished. Overhauled a Norwegian bark, and also overhauled and boarded the British steamer " Adula," of the Atlas line, with a number of Spanish refugees from Cienfuegos, bound for Kingston, Jamaica.. Arrived off Cienfuegos in the evening.
Monday, June 20th: During the night we arrived off Casilda and discovered a steamer in the harbor; also a dismantled gunboat. We opened fire on the steamer at 9.30 a. m., and she came out for a short time, but rapidly retreated to the harbor under our fire. A small gunboat also came out and fired at us without effect. We shelled the fort with shrapnel and did some damage, but, as we were unable to enter the harbor, could not destroy either the gunboat or steamer. We ceased firing at 12.30 p. m.
Tuesday, June 21st: While cruising along the coast to the west of Cienfuegos, about noon, we saw a small party of Cubans, and sent a boat ashore to communicate with them. The boat brought back three of their leaders, one of them being the governor of Matanzas, Colonel E. V . Zegueira, and we supplied them with provisions, medicines, tobacco, etc. The Cubans also told us that we sunk the gunboat that came out of Cienfuegos harbor on the 13th of June, and attacked us under cover of the forts. They said that the gunboat was riddled from stem to stern, and took fire and burned the moment she got back to the wharf. Pour of her men were killed and seven wounded. While the whaleboat was being hoisted after taking the Cubans ashore, it was dropped, and all the men were pitched Into the sea, but fortunately they were all saved. In the evening we sighted our sister ship, the " Dixie," and our captain went aboard her.
Wednesday, June 22d: Off Casilda harbor. Tried to make an entrance into the harbor, sending a whaleboat ahead of us to mark out the channel with buoys, but finally decided that it would not be safe to take such an unwieldy and cumbersome boat up the harbor. The " Dixie," Commander Davis, threw some shells into a small fort near Casilda., the fort answering once or twice, but without effect.
Thursday, June 23d: Still blockading Casilda and Trinidad de Cuba. Nothing of importance occurred to-day. We sent a whaleboat ashore near Casilda, but were unable to communicate with the insurgents.
Friday, June 24th: Off Trinidad de Cuba. At noon, while cruising along the coast, five miles to the west of Trinidad de Cuba, we discovered a Cuban flag on the shore. A whaleboat was sent in, and brought off a lieutenant of the Cuban army, who reported that there was a small force of Cubans in the vicinity. We supplied them with some provisions and tobacco.
Saturday, June 25th: We left Trinidad de Cuba at dusk on Friday evening, arriving off the coast of the Isle of Pines about noon, where we discovered several small sloops. We fired a blank shot across their bows, but, as they paid no attention to this, we sent a solid one, to which they replied by hoisting the Spanish flag and sailing close inshore under cover of the reefs. In the afternoon we sent two cutters to the fishing boats; one boat under Lieutenant Cutler and the other under Ensign Dimock. These boats captured the fishing smacks, five in number, and brought them alongside the "Yankee." They had a large quantity of fish aboard, intended for Havana; four dogs and two Spaniards. The dogs and Spaniards were brought aboard, and the Spaniards were allowed to return ashore with their own effects later in the evening. The boats were burned and sunk during the night. In the evening we sighted what was apparently a Spanish torpedo boat, but she disappeared on seeing us, and we saw no more of her.
Sunday, June 26th: Cruising off the coast of the Isle of Pines during the night and early morning. Boarded the American ship "Hollyhock;" found her papers were all right, and permitted her to proceed on her way to Honduras. Also boarded the British steamer " Bangore Head," bound from Swansea to New Orleans. About 9 a. nr., started for Key West, F l a . , arriving there without any further incident on Monday, June 27th, for coal, provisions, ammunition, etc., at 12.35 p. in., and found there among other ships the following: "Lancaster," flagship "Newark," " Amphitrite," " Terror," " Miantonomoh " and " Puritan."
Tuesday, June 28th: Commenced taking on coal at 7 a. in. Transferred Seamen LeValley and Fowler and Coal Passer Mackin to the Marine Hospital at Key West, Fla .
Wednesday to Saturday, July 2d: Taking on coal and provisions at Key West. On Friday, July 1st, Seaman LeVailey died in tlie Marine Hospital, Key West, from appendicitis.
Sunday, July 3d: Left Key West at 4 a. m. A. Kelly, jack-ofilie- dust, left in the Marine Hospital suffering from the effects of the sun.
Monday, July 4th: Fired a salute of 21 guns at noon. Bound north for New Y'ork on account of the report that Seaman Le Valley died of yellow fever contracted on board this ship. Wednesday, July Gth: Arrived off Tompkinsville at 9 a. m., having passed quarantine without any trouble.
Wednesday, July 6th, to Tuesday, July 12th: Taking on coal for ourself, and ammunition for ourselves and the ships constituting Watson's squadron. The crew was granted 24 hours shore leave, the port watch going ashore on Friday and the starboard on Saturday.
Tuesday, July 12th: Sailed from Tompkinsville at 3 p. m v and after a rough night arrived at Hampton Roads, Va.., Wednesday, July 1.3th, at 4 p. m., proceeding straight to the nayv yard, Norfolk, Va., where we arrived at 6.50 p. m.
Thursday, July 14th: Taking on ammunition for Watson's squadron and making a few changes in the ship. Commander Brownson went to Washington in the evening, returning Sunday, July 17th, -in the morning. Sailed from Norfolk, Va., at 3.00 p. m., bound for Santiago-de Cuba.
Monday, July 18th, a board was convened, consisting of Lieutenants Cutler and Greene and Passed Assistant Surgeon J . P. McGowan, to inquire into the circumstances of the death of Private W. W. 'Smith, U . S. M . C , who shot himself in the pilot-house of the "Yankee" on July 8th. The court found that he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver.
Wednesday, July 20th: Overhauled and boarded the British steamer " Brookline," of the Boston Fruit Company line, bound from Kingston to Boston, with mails aboard. Had to fire two solid shot across her bows before we could bring her to. Court-martial held to-day on an oiler and fireman for refusing to obey orders.
Thursday, July 21st: Arrived off Santiago de Cuba at 9.15 a. m. Commander Brownson went on board the flagship " Brooklyn " immediately. At noon we proceeded to Guantanamo, having in tow the converted yacht " Yankton," which had arrived off Santiago with only one ton of coal in her bunkers. We arrived at Guantanamo Bay at 4 p. m., and found assembled there the flagship " New York," " Oregon," " Indiana," " Iowa," " Vulcan," " Vesuvius," and a large number of colliers and supply skips.
Friday, July 22d: Commenced unloading the ammunition and supplies we had brought from New York and Norfolk for distribution among the fleet.
Saturday, July 23d: Still unloading ammunition.
Sunday, July 24th: The crew split up into visiting parties and went to see the other ships.
Monday, July 25th, to Thursday, Jul}' 28th: Unloading ammunition and taking on 400 tons of coal. On Thursday night the following official bulletin was posted on the gun deck, having been received from the flagship "New York " : "The following telegram has been received from New York by way of Santiago: ' Washington official bulletin states that Spain formally sues for peace through the French ambassador.' " The bulletin was read with much enthusiasm by the crew.
Friday, July 29th: At 7.15 a. m., the commander-in-chief of the North Atlantic squadron, Bear Admiral William T. Sampson, with his chief of staff, came aboard, and at 8 o'clock the " Yankee " left Guantanamo Bay, steering to the westward past Santiago de Cuba, and viewing the wrecks of the " Maria Theresa" and " Oquendo;" returning to Guantanamo Bay at 5.30 p. m. The commander-in-chief then left the ship.
Saturday, July 30th: Lying in Guantanamo Bay.
Sunday, July 31st: Still at anchor at Guantanamo Bay. Arisiting parties went to Camp McCalla and to the various ships in the afternoon.
Monday, August 1st: At 8 p. m., hove anchor and left for Ponce by the admiral's directions, with ammunition for the " Massachusetts."
Tuesday, August 2d: At 3 in the afternoon met the " Dixie," and upon Commander Davis informing us that the " Massachusetts " had left Ponce, Porto Rico, on Monday bound for Guantanamo, we reversed our course, returning to Guantanamo. At 11 p. m., we overhauled and boarded the British steamer " B u r ton," but finding her papers all right, permitted her to proceed on her way.
Wednesday, August 3d: About 9 a. m., sighted the Norwegian steamer " Marie," overhauled her and sent an armed boarding crew with Lieutenant Cutler to examine her papers; these and her cargo being suspicious, Lieutenant Cutler and his crew remained on board i n possession and brought her in behind the " Yankee " to Guantanamo, where we arrived at noon. Immediately upon our reporting to the admiral our catch, and the overhauling of the " Burton," he sent us out to sea again to endeavor to catch the latter ship which we succeeded in doing about 3.30 p. nr., that same afternoon, and placed Lieutenant Duncan with an armed boarding crew aboard her. The " Yankee " reached Guantanamo at 6 p. in., and the " Burton " about two hours later.
Thursday, August 4th: Lying in Guantanamo Bay. At 11 p. m., the admiral notified the " Burton " that she might proceed out of the bay at her own w i l l ; the " Marie " still held. At 10.30 p. m., the following signal was flashed from the flagship: " Secretary cables negotiations pending for peace. You will not sail until further orders."
Friday, August 5th, to Wednesday, August 10th: Lying at anchor in Guantanamo Bay. On Wednesday, August 10th, at 9.40 p. m., the following message was flashed from the United States flagship " New Y o r k " : "Associated press dispatch states that peace protocol has been agreed upon." On August 8th the Norwegian steamer " Marie " was permitted by the admiral to goto Santiago and unload her cargo.
Thursday, August 11th: Got under way and stood out of Guantanamo harbor at 5.45 p. in., bound for Crooked channel, which we, together with the " Dixie " and " Brooklyn," were to patrol in search of the blockade runner " Montserrat." We remained off Crooked channel until Sunday evening at 6 p. nr., without finding the u Montserrat."
Sunday, August 14th: At 6 p.m., started for Guantanamo, and at 10.20 p. m., passed the flagship " New York " with a number of other ships bound for home. The " N ew Y o r k " signalled to us: " Hostilities have ceased—blockade raised—we are bound to New York—proceed to Guantanamo." To which we replied: " Congratulations on going to New Y'ork."
Monday, August loth: Dropped anchor in Guantanamo Bay at 8.30 a. m. Commodore Watson in command of the " Badger." Tuesday, August 15th, to Wednesday, August 24th: Lying at anchor in Guantanamo Bay with the fleet under the command of Commodore J . C. Watson. On Tuesday evening, August 23d, at 6 p. m., we received orders to proceed the next day to Tompkinsville. Wednesday, August 24th: At noon left Guantanamo Bay, homeward bound.
Sunday, August 28th: Arrived off Tompkinsville at 10.35 a. m. Tuesday, August 30th: At 11 a. m., got under way, bound for League Island navy yard, Philadelphia, where we were ordered by the department to proceed and be mustered out. Arrived there early
Wednesday, August 31st, and on
Friday, September 2d, were mustered out; paid off and sent via the Pennsylvania railroad to New York.
A printable version of this report is here.
Back to the New York Naval Militia- Spanish-American War Units
This page was created with funds from the New York State National Guard. New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs: Military History Last modified: May 23, 2011 URL: http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/spanAm/infantry/spanAm_NYNM_Miller_report.htm


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Star Wars cast confirmed as Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill return... and will be joined by newcomers Adam Driver, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley
- The cast of Star Wars VII was announced on Tuesday by Disney and Lucasfilm on the movie's official web site
- Star Wars vets Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will all reprise their roles in the film due out in 2015
- Adam Driver, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are joining more seasoned actors Andy Serkis and Max von Sydow
- Ridley tweeted, 'Overwhelmed by all the support. This is the greatest day of my life... it's exciting!'
After months of speculation, the cast of Star Wars VII has finally been announced.
On Tuesday Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed on the official Star Wars website that Girls star Adam Driver would take a part in the relaunched film as well as newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Max von Sydow were also listed as cast members.
It was also confirmed that stars of the original trilogy - Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker - would also be in the film, which will be directed by JJ Abrams and released in 2015.
Scroll down for video...
Confirmed: JJ Abrams, (15) at the cast read-through of Star Wars Episode VII at Pinewood Studios with (clockwise from right) Harrison Ford (1), Daisy Ridley (2), Carrie Fisher (3), Peter Mayhew (4), Producer Bryan Burk (5), Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy (6), Domhnall Gleeson (7), Anthony Daniels (8), Mark Hamill (9), Andy Serkis (10), Oscar Isaac (11), John Boyega (12), Adam Driver (13) and Writer Lawrence Kasdan (14)
A black-and-white photo of the cast and crew was accompanied by the announcement.
Casting for the new film, which will be the first installment since Disney took over the franchise from George Lucas, has been so secretive it has been compared to the plans for the Death Star.
It was first claimed by The Hollywood Reporter that Driver would play a villain in the film. In recent weeks it was speculated that Boyega (best known for Attack of the Block), and Isaac (who stood out in Inside Llewyn Davis) could be contenders.
They're back for more: Harrison Ford (left), Carrie Fisher (center) and Mark Hamill (right) from the original Star Wars films are returning
It was a blockbuster: The original cast members in 1977's Star Wars
Though it was reported on April 10 by The Hollywood Reporter that Maisie Richardson-Sellers could land the female lead in Star Wars VII, that role went to Ridley, a newcomer who has made mostly shorts films and popped up in only a few TV shows.
After the announcement was made, Ridley tweeted: 'Overwhelmed by all the support. This is the greatest day of my life. I'm told I can't say who I'm playing yet, but it's exciting!'
Domhnall is a Tony Award nominee who played Bill Weasley in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2.
Serkis has appeared in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and the Lord Of The Rings films. Von Sydow got an Oscar nomination for his work in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
She became a pinup thanks to the franchise: Carrie as Princess Leia in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi (left) and with Mark, who played Luke Skywalker, in the first Star Wars movie (right)
Ever since the film was announced in November, it has been reported that many of the original cast members would make cameos.
It wasn't until Tuesday that it was finally confirmed that Harrison, aged 71, Mark, aged 62, and Carrie, aged 57, would definitely be back.
It was reported in March that Peter, aged 69, would reprise his role as Chewbacca.
The movie will hit theaters on December 18, 2015.
In March, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger said the new project would begin filming in May and will be set 30 years after the events in 1983's Return of the Jedi.
The new faces: Girls star Adam Driver (left), British TV actress Daisy Ridley, (center) and John Boyega from Brit film Attack The Block and the forthcoming 24: Live Another Day, (right) are joining the veterans for the relaunch
The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.
Director J.J. Abrams says, 'We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.'
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer.
It has previously been reported that Abrams was planning to cast unknowns in the new film, following in the footsteps of George Lucas's 1977 cast.
Prior to the announcement on Monday, Disney CEO Bob Iger had only revealed the return of one fan favourite.
'Rumour has it that almost every actor in the world has been cast in this movie, but so far, the official cast member that we've confirmed - the only one - is R2D2,' he said. 'There will be some very familiar faces along with a trio of new young leads.'
Rounding out the cast: Oscar Isaac (left) and Domhnall Gleeson (right) will take on smaller roles for the movie that starts shooting in May
Headed to London: Andy Serkis (left) and Max von Sydow (right) will reportedly film their scenes at Pinewood Studios
In early April it was revealed that some of the footage was already captured for the highly anticipated reboot.
'We're actually shooting some of it now. We're up against it,' Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said.
And while acknowledging that casting had been the 'toughest' part of the process, Horn admitted there had been problems with perfecting the film's script.
'It's all about the screenplay,' he said. 'It has to be screenplay, screenplay, screenplay.'
More vets back for fun: Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca (left), Kenny Baker, the man in the R2D2 unit (center), and Anthony Daniels, who made C3PO a hit (right), have signed on as well
The stayed close: The main cast members in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi
When quizzed whether the script was ready, Horn said: 'It actually is now.'
He confirmed the final draft was written by Lawrence Kasdan and JJ Abrams from an early effort by Michael Arndt. Kasdan co-penned The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi.
The movie will reportedly primarily be shot at London's Pinewood Studios.
Deadline reported that Harrison's Han Solo character will be making far more than a cameo appearance and will in fact have a 'gigantic' role in the seventh episode.
Little else is known about the plot at this point, although Disney was said to be loosely using an original plot by Lucas, who is creative consulting, as an outline.
The people behind the scenes: Director JJ Abrams (left), Lucasfilm producer Kathleen Kennedy (center) and producer Bryan Burke (right)
Shooting in a place far, far away: Alec Guinness and Mark Hamill in the original Star Wars with R2D2 and C3PO; the new film will reportedly shoot in Abu Dhabi
Central to the plot: According to Deadline, Ford's Han Solo (left) will have a big impact on Abrams' version of Star Wars as will Hamill's Skywalker (right)
The plot is being speculated as Disney LucasFilm's Kathleen Kennedy recently announced that the narrative will not be a pre-existing, one such as those in comic books that continued the story.
'In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe,' she said in a statement.
'While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe.
The 'walking carpet' is back too: The cast of the 1977 film with Chewbacca, played by Peter Mayhew
The cast:
Anthony Daniels: 'Apologies to all those fans at Calgary Expo who asked me about Ep VII. Keeping the secret in front of y'all was the hardest act I ever did.'
John Boyega: 'Honoured to join this amazing universe and thank you for all the support ....May the force be with you #SWVII'
Daisy Ridley: 'Overwhelmed by all the support. This is the greatest day of my life. I'm told I can't say who I'm playing yet, but it's exciting!'
Other stars' reactions:
Josh Gad: 'I can't deal. It's actually happening. Geeking out.'
Mike Shinoda: 'If you guys are wondering where I am, I'll be in line for Star Wars tickets from now until it comes out.'
Kyle Newman: 'Classic. Classy. @starwars Cast.'
Matt Berry: 'Congrats to Daisy Ridley for her Star Wars role. You need to realise that this is purely due to her appearance in Toast Of London last year.'
Chris Gore: 'BREAKING! Donald Sterling cast as bartender who says, "We don't serve your kind here," in Star Wars VII.'
Rob Delaney: '@starwars If Jar Jar's not in it, I'm not seeing it. #IStandWithJarJar.'
'For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in role-playing game material published in the 1980s.'
With Han apparently being featured heavily, the original idea that the script would focus on his children with Leia has slowly been squashed to leave the suggestion that Luke, Leia and Han will remain the central characters.
It is expected that another big announcement regarding the movie will take place on May 4, which is known to fans as Star Wars day.
Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor starred in the prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). Hayden Christensen joined the cast as Anakin Skywalker for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith (2005).
The movie is set for a December 18, 2015 release.
They had big shoes to fill: Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd and Ewan McGregor in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
A young Darth Vader and Princess Leia: Hayden Christensen and Portman in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2002)
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Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia.
threaten (one) with
To use some specific punishment as a warning for someone to do or not do something. His parents threatened him for a week without video games if he didn't clean up his room. We must aim to topple any government that threatens its citizens with imprisonment or bodily harm for merely offering a dissenting opinion.
threaten someone with someone or something
to warn someone that there will be punishment in the form of someone or something if conditions are not met. No, no! Your Uncle Herman is not coming here! Please don't threaten me with Uncle Herman! Are you threatening me with bodily harm?
threaten with
To express a threat against someone by some means or action: The principal threatened the rowdy students with expulsion.


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McCain and the Republican party have talked about taxes and spending, but I don't think they have been framing the debate very well. McCain has talked about how Obama will raise taxes and how McCain will lower taxes, and of course the former thing is evil and the latter is good. I think what he and many Republicans have failed to do is to really get to the essence of why this is a good thing.
Democrats and swing voters are well aware that no one really likes to pay higher taxes, Biden's comments to the contrary.
First of all, I like the idea of lower taxes for other people making more money than myself because I think higher taxes for others affect me indirectly. I don't want to go too much into detail into the theory what more liberal people dismiss as "trickle-down" economics, but I sincerely believe that higher taxes on the rich can affect productivity, and therefore job creation for myself and for my children. Now, this argument can be taken to the extreme. Of course if we tax the rich .5%, we won't get very much tax revenue, but the same goes when we tax at 99.5%, simply because productivity would grind to a halt. So, there is an optimal point somewhere in between, and I tend to think it may be in the teens.
Secondly, though, is that I believe that the tax rate and amount of spending is a representation of how we view the role of government. If we believe in lower taxes and less spending, both in overall amount and where it goes, of course we believe that government should have a limited role.
Unfortunately, McCain and Republicans running for office in Colorado focus on the lower taxes and less spending, but they don't focus on why this is so important. As far as average voter knows, they are in the pockets of the rich people. They have focused on my first point, the productivity argument, but not so much on the idea of why limited government is a good thing. McCain did touch a little bit on this in the final debate concerning health care, but he hasn't focused on the overall principles of limited government that resonate with more voters than we realize. It seemed like Reagan did focus on this. Even though Reagan supported a sizable military, he still talked about the idea of the government leaving people alone and believing in the sweat and ingenuity of the average American person. McCain, however, is just focusing on the possible results of this, which are lower taxes and less spending, not the higher principles behind them.
Hopefully, this likely election loss for the Republican Party will help them rediscover and effectively communicate the ideals of a government that does less. Instead of pushing for lite government, they are currently pushing for Obama-lite government.