text:
SCOTT, LA. -- While relaxing in bed after a long day's drive, the night stand fell off the wall and crushed a hearing aid. The hotel apologized, change our room, and assured us that insurance would cover our loss. Our room was not comped.
After several calls and emails, and a final assurance that the hearing aid loss would be reimbursed, it was ordered for $1500.
At this point all return correspondence from Hampton Inn stopped. They refused to return phone calls and they refused to reply to emails. I finally called and asked for a supervisor. She put me on hold while she called the General Manager or the owner. She then informed me that the hotel would not be covering the loss because the hearing aid looked like someone stepped on it.
Needless to say we were angry and weary, upset. It is far beyond our understanding how a large hotel could treat long-term customers this way. We must now hire an attorney and take them to court. These are very bad people and we won't be staying at Hampton Inn ever again.
VICTOR, NY -- I had a terrible experience at my recent stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Victor, NY. I unfortunately had a death in my immediate family. My family chose this hotel because of proximity and use of the suite room for my disabled mother. We had three rooms total that they could not accommodate to be near one another. Our day began early and we went to the funeral home, church, burial and the after reception. As you can only imagine we were exhausted.
We returned to the hotel wanting to just rest around 3:30 P.M. We came back to dirty rooms. All three of our rooms were not even touched. We called down to the main desk to ask for housekeeping and were told that they had 102 rooms to clean. We then asked if it could be done now and they sent someone up. What we saw them do was grab towels, make the beds with the current linens, vacuum the rug and spray something in the air. They did this in about 5 minutes. They also started the dishwasher since it was full of dirty utensils and plates when we arrived on Friday. Appalling.
We called to get our third room cleaned but had no answer from the housekeeping line. We called down to the main desk who told us housekeeping left an hour ago and that our room could not be cleaned. Excuse me? This is not a budget inn. This is a hotel and suite and when we pay $130 (+) per night for a room, I don't expect that housekeeping leaves at 4:00 PM. We did not occupy the room from 8:00 AM–3:30 PM. Our room was not cleaned and to have housekeeping leave a hotel and have no other option in a FULL SERVICE hotel. What? We were also told if we wanted fresh towels, we had to come down to the lobby main desk and get them ourselves.
So now in addition to not providing housekeeping, they do not have any guest services. To make it worse, the rooms that we had were placed directly next to and under a birthday party. Anyone else find it odd that a guest decided to have a birthday party in the hotel rooms and on the floor. Of course too, their rooms were not adjoining but at least 5 or 6 rooms apart. So they had a dozen screaming kids running up and down the hallway.
The parents put the lock in the door jamb so the room door wouldn't shut so that when the kids slammed open the door, it would swing shut with a large thud, over and over and over again. In our rooms below, we heard the running up and down the hallway. Finally after hour one, we called the front desk. They advised that there was a birthday party and that it shouldn't last much longer. They told us to please not yell at the children.
We left for dinner after hour 2. We went down to the main desk at one point about the clean room guarantee. The hotel has it advertised clearly all over the walls and in the room. We were told that we had to talk to someone tomorrow about the 100% guarantee we were asking about. I woke up on Sunday morning to have my bill under my door for two nights at $250. We also have a bill for around $600 for the other two rooms. Close to $900 for two nights in what was the worst experience in a hotel I have ever had.
ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA -- I write this letter with a completely different outlook on Hilton Hotels due to my most recent experience at what should have been a quick 2 night stay at a Hampton Inn & Suites in Roseville, CA. My fiancee and I were headed to Roseville on a little getaway where we planned to visit family for 2 days and then proceed to Tahoe to enjoy the Sierras. We made an online reservation through Travelocity for 2 nights, 1 king size bed, no smoking for a rate of $104/night for 3/12 through 3/14.
Upon check-in, everything seemed to be somewhat normal… I came in and a man by the name ** assisted me. He asked me for my last name and a credit card for incidentals. I responded with my last name and asked if he needed the reservation number. He told me that it wasn't necessary and I then handed him my fiancee's credit card, the same card in which we had made the online reservation with, he swiped the card handed me my room keys and briefly explained where my room was. I told him thank you and went back out to the car to grab our luggage, and my fiancee and I proceeded to our room.
Having been in the car for nearly 2.5 hrs, I felt the need to take a shower. As I got out of the shower my fiancee informed me that a lady called from the front desk and said we might want to call Travelocity. I picked up the phone and dialed the front desk and the young lady informed me that Travelocity had phoned the Hotel, apparently because they weren't able to reach our cell numbers, and requested we give them a call. She gave me the number and we hung up the phone. Not knowing what was about to transpire... I didn't feel that a phone call to Travelocity was an urgent matter, after all, we were already checked in.
Being newly engaged, we did what every couple does upon first entry to the room. To make a long story short without all details, there was 1 missed call in our room, followed by a thunder of pounding on the front door accompanied with shouts of "ROSEVILLE PD, OPEN THE DOOR" My fiancee became petrified and ran to the bathroom. I went to open the front door to the room, and was immediately met by 2 officers who sternly requested I step out into the hallway. Half dressed, I acknowledged their request and stepped into the hallway.
For the next 30 minutes, I was interrogated about who I was, where was my I.D., whom I was staying with, how I paid for the room, where I was from, etc. etc. I then had to furnish proof of not only my identity, but my fiancee's as well. We were then told that there was suspicion that we were some sort of credit card thieves who had booked the room with a stolen credit card.
Fortunately enough, I kept my online reservation print out and was able to finally turn the officers away after showing them the paper. This whole thing took place in the hallway where other guests walked back-and-forth as they watched the officers completely humiliate and intimidate, myself, a half-dressed man who has never once had legal troubles of any kind through his entire life.
After this subsided, I quickly took the elevator down to the lobby to speak to Mgmt. about what had just happened. To my surprise, not only did the same arrogant kid, **, show a total lack of sympathy for the obvious poor Mgmt. decision he had made by calling the Police, but he made it clear to me that "Not only is that Our Policy… You don't like we can ask you to leave!" WOW!!! Is all I could say to his quick response that wreaked of a person that clearly had no meaning of what customer service was about, but definitely had no business being in Hotel Mgmt.
Moral of the story… STAY AWAY FROM THE HAMPTON INN & SUITES, unless you're alright with criminal treatment, at higher room rates than your reservation, topped off with a staff that really wishes you just hadn't stayed at their hotel.
NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA -- This hotel places a pending charge against your credit card even when they are told no and you do not give them authorization to do so. I reserved and paid for my room online with my credit card weeks before my stay with a prepay non refundable status. I verified my card had been charged properly weeks before my arrival. When I checked in at this hotel, I was told I needed to give them a credit card for incidentals. I told the desk clerk I had pre-paid and would not be using any incidentals so I did not need to give them my card for incidentals.
When I got home, I found a pending charge of $50.00 against my account anyway. I do not take lightly people placing charges against my credit card without permission. I called the hotel only to be sent to the manager's voicemail. I left a message and called back again and again to discover no answer at the hotel. I finally used a second cell phone to get the hotel to answer my call. I asked who was in charge to be told there was no manager at the hotel to help. I asked for the district manager to be told they did not know that information.
When I pushed further, I was finally told the District manager's name and number. I called only to go to yet another voicemail. I called the Hampton Inn complaint line only to be told by **, the representative, she could not help, only the hotel could release the charge. I asked to speak to a supervisor only to be told there was not one on duty. I pushed to speak to a supervisor and magically there WAS one on duty and available to speak??? Again I was told by **, the supervisor, there was nothing they could do.
BE AWARE THIS HOTEL USES YOUR CREDIT CARD EVEN WHEN YOU DO NOT GIVE THEM PERMISSION. You would think the use of a customer's money for two extra weeks when the charges are prepaid online, which by the way is non- refundable, would be enough compensation when you tell them you will not be using incidentals and do not give them your card.
They obviously get the credit card number off the online transaction and place pending charges against it anyway. I know it is a small amount of money but that is not the principle for which I am angry. I do not take kindly to anyone charging my card without my permission. I will not be staying at this hotel again. If I find out this is standard procedure, I will not be staying at any Hampton Inn again.
FT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA -- My wife and I went on a cruise out of Ft Lauderdale in March. We stayed at The Hampton Inn at 2301 SW 12th Avenue for one night. The following morning we took the shuttle to the cruise terminal. When we got on board the cruise ship, my wife began to unpack. She discovered that she had left a small plastic bag in the room containing all of her earrings. As we had been preparing to leave the hotel room, she decided to change the earrings that she was wearing. Somehow in the hustle and bustle of getting ready to leave, she left the bag in the room.
I immediately called the hotel from the ship and asked to speak with the manager. The person who answered the phone informed me that he was busy and asked what she could do for me. I explained what had happened and asked if the bag containing my wife's earrings had been turned in by the housekeeping staff (one can hope, can't he?).
She put me on hold to check and when she came back, she said that nothing had been turned in. She also told me that she had spoken with the General Manager and he said he did not have time to talk with me. She said they would check with housekeeping and that I should check back with them when we returned from the cruise. We did that but as I expected, nothing was found.
That bag contained at least 20 pairs of earrings, some costing over $500.00. There is definitely a thief working in housekeeping at that hotel and I believe the General Manager could have gotten to the truth if he had been interested. Yes, I know. My wife created this problem by leaving the jewelry in the room but don't we have a right to expect honesty from people who operate the hotels that we pay our money to? I know this -- I will never again stay at a Hampton Inn.
Several weeks ago (June 3-5, 2011), my organization (from Freeport, IL) took some adult students on a field trip to Kansas City, Kansas. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Olathe, Kansas. Since we had gone through a touring company, I believed that the reservations would be the same as we requested. When we got to the hotel, the desk people were not accommodating because we needed extra beds in the room and they told us that it was against the law to put rollaway beds in the rooms.
After seeing the rooms, we understood that reasoning. After figuring the situation out ourselves, we still encountered a very unhospitable desk clerk who seemed offended when asking her questions. Some of the students are smokers and since they didn't see anything posted in the hotel; neither on the door, at check-in; nor signs in the room; these students assumed it was alright to smoke. After being alerted by the desk personnel, the students quit smoking and were told by the desk personnel "not to worry" because they would not be charge.
As the leader of the group, one would assume that we would have been informed of this infraction so we could make sure it did not happen again. Our bus driver who was staying in the hotel with us was reprimanded about where he parked the bus and was "rudely" informed that he should move the bus (one block away from the hotel).
Our overall stay at the Hampton Inn turned out to be very unpleasant and we were ultimately charged $150.00 = $450 for three rooms that students had smoked in and $10 for each pillow the students took (which we didn't know were missing) and have no problem paying for replacement pillows. The Hampton Inn contacted the tour company who made the reservation for us rather than contacting us - even though during check in, they got our names and addresses.
My issue is: why someone didn't contact us to let us know what the smoking policy was and alert us that these adults were violating the rules. Hotel personnel seemed unhappy with our group (30) being there so it was probably a (serves them right) kind of attitude. Why didn't the desk personnel say there was "no smoking" in the hotel during check-in, we were from out of state. I am unhappy with my experience at the Hampton and although I have the experience of staying in other properties, I believe I can fairly say that THIS experience has left a very bitter taste in my mouth and the 29 other adults.
DANBURY, CONNECTICUT -- I prepaid for a reservation online with Hampton Inn in Danbury CT on January 27th 2011. Hampton Inn Danbury - 81 Newton Road, Danbury, CT, United States, 06810. Tel: 1 203-748-6677. Fax: 1 203-744-0891. On January 31st, 2011, after looking at the weather and storm reports, I called the Hampton's toll free customer service number and spoke to ** who told me that the hotel would issue refunds for reservations if they needed to be canceled due to weather-related issues. I decided to wait one more day before making a decision but when February 1st came along and the weather conditions were not improving, I decided to cancel my reservation.
I called the Hampton Inn's designated prepaid reservation line: 800-236-7113 and spoke to an agent who said they were in fact issuing refunds due to the weather but that I would need to call back the next day (24 hours prior to my reservation date) since my check in date was not until February 3rd. She also stated that the weather was so bad that THEY would be closing in 1 hour and that SHE was personally suffering due to current weather conditions as her father who has cancer would have to be airlifted to the hospital because the roads were closed! I thanked her and told her I would call back as she advised on Feb 2nd.
When I called on Feb 2nd, I was met with a recording that their offices were CLOSED because of the weather. So I called back today, Feb 3rd, and was told that they were no longer willing to refund my money! I was kept on hold, hung up on, and treated very insolently. Even though they acknowledged all prior conversations with prior customer service agents, they refused my request for a refund.
The last agent I spoke to was ** who refused to let me speak to a manager she called **. I told her I would be contacting my bank to dispute this charge. The amount was for $336.90. Fortunately, I was able to report this to my bank, Wells Fargo, and get the refund that was owed to me. Shame on Hampton Inn for preferring to put families at risk than to honor their own refund policies!!!
PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY -- My wife and I booked a room for Sunday January 2, 2011 night through Hotels.com. Full disclosure - the information we received when we booked the hotel stated they have a 24 hour cancellation policy. Saturday, January 1, 2011, night was terrible for our family as my kids were sick and vomiting all night long and consequently, we could not make our trip. We called Hotels.com early in the morning and they stated that they had no problem providing the refund under the circumstances, however, they needed the approval of the GM of the property.
The GM, Mr. **, was contacted and he would not approve the refund because we did not cancel within 24 hours. We explained to the hotel that we could not have possibly foreseen the Saturday night events and that we still wanted to stay at the hotel at a later date, however, they will still not approve the refund. In fact, in my opinion, the hotel staff seemed uncaring and unhelpful and couldn't care less about our circumstance.
The Guest Services toll free number was of no help and their staff seemed just as uncaring. After my third call to the Guest Services number, I finally reached someone who seemed to care, however, she was unable to help me. I called the hotel again on January 3rd to speak to Mr. ** but unfortunately he was not in. Instead, I was put through to the manager on duty by the name of **.
After him not being able to help me satisfy my issue, and once again a Parsippany North staff member who seemed to care less, he proceeded to use profanity and go off on a F-bomb tirade towards me. Obviously, I was shocked. Once Mr. ** heard of this conversation, his reply was not of apology or even concern. He blamed me as ** had obviously lied about the conversation in order to make himself look better. Regardless, a hotel manager telling me to ** and "Go ** yourself". Are you kidding me?
I have been met with nothing but poor customer service at almost every turn from the Parsippany North NJ hotel itself to almost every person that I have talked to in Guest Services at the Hampton Inn/Hilton. I even had someone I know personally call anonymously to the hotel to ask a question that I thought might help me and the Parsippany North staff member who answered the phone was also rude to them.
I have no idea what is going on there but I strongly suggest that you stay away from this hotel. I can only imagine if I would have stayed there and I had a problem in the middle of the night with one of my kids. It sounds like if I would have had to ask for hotel help, I would have been greeted with a resounding NO and a WE DON'T CARE.
PINE KNOLL SHORES, NORTH CAROLINA -- I made a reservation at the above property three weeks prior to our arrival date. Checked on it twice prior to the trip. While enroute on July 25th during our 8 hour drive with three children, I received a call from the front desk at 5:22 pm saying that the credit card that was on file was declined. I tried to give her a new number but phone service was bad in rural South Carolina. I called them back with a new card number several minutes later.
At that time, I was informed that my reservation had dropped from the system and that my room was reserved by someone else. I argued the fact that I had a reservation first and they had no right in bumping me. The front desk clerk asked if I would like the general manager to call me back, I requested that she did. The GM, ** never called me back, I had to call her and then she would not make herself available.
Upon arriving at the hotel, she did come to the front desk. Funny thing, when researching for a hotel to stay at this very same issue was posted online at several sites. The previous guests stated that reservations don't mean a thing at this location. I guess, I experienced it first hand while having a road weary family in tow. I asked Ms ** why she did not call me back, her response was "you were going to come here anyway."
That was not the right thing to say. She mentioned that they have no control over the computer system and could not help me. However she could "walk" me to another property in Morehead City. I said, "if I wanted Morehead City, I would have booked Morehead City."
My complaint is the attitude of the General Manager was unsympathetic, rude and lacking any customer service skills. I find it extremely hard to believe that a reservation can "drop out of the system" and someone can jump online and grab my room. Systems must be designed with flexibility since many circumstances can happen in your industry.
I have a strong suspicion that I was bumped because they had a wedding party in the hotel that weekend. I bet my room was sold at a higher price to a wedding guest that failed to make a reservation. Clearly, reservations mean nothing at this location and customer service skills are non-existent. Do yourself a favor, steer clear of this shipwreck on the beach!
WEST POINT, TENNESSEE -- Don't ever check into a hotel that does not take time to tell you any rules or regulations, especially something important that may be put on your card and then you have to go through a dispute process to find out why and try to reclaim your money. Worst hotel stay I have ever experienced in my life and I am in my 60's. No full explanation, max you can be charged I was.
Why have someone at the desk late at night if they don't tell you any information, or even worse give you the wrong information. No one word about a non-smoking installation, who knew I never stayed there before. Charged $250.00 to get this ** ( flip the room) which consisted of cleaning all bed linen, excuse me but was I sleeping on dirty linen?? All they had to do was explain things to me.
If I break a rule, punish me, don't take every last cent I have. Why the max amount, the room did not smell. One cigarette was lit by my roommate and immediately put out. It was not on purpose, at the time, the executive housekeeper was in the room. Sorry it was a mistake, don't break me. Hampton Inn Suites have a whole lot more money than I do. I need help.


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Recurring Dreams
After that I dreamt that my cat came in from outside having caught a live monkey in the yard. She brought the monkey in the house where it proceeded to wreak havoc. It was a nightmare obviously.
These dreams showed a rare creativity as far as my nighttime imaginings go. Normally my brain just recycles the same few story lines every time I go to sleep. Being an imaginative person, I've always wondered why this was because you'd think I'd have a whole scope of exciting images and ideas from which to glean dreams, right? Maybe I use up my creativity in my waking hours so when I'm asleep my brain just rehashes the same blah blah from my subconscious. Perhaps I'm trying to work through some issues and until I do the recurring dreams won't end.
My sister and I both share the dream where we have to go back to school. For me sometimes it's high school, but often it's college. There's been a mistake and the university is revoking my degree for some reason. I usually find out that I have to go back and retake several math classes in order to get my degree back. Other times they want me to finish high school before I can have my degree again and that means that I have to go for the whole four years. Many times, I'll find myself in class with a big paper due that I haven't completed and the feeling is terrible.
A lot of people have the tornado dream. I have this one fairly often. A tornado is coming. I'm trying to get away from it. Sometimes it also manifests as the tsunami dream or the hurricane dream, but it's always the same plot. It's coming. I'm running. Many of my dreams contain disturbing images of waves so towering that if I watch those extreme surfing shows or even Deadliest Catch on TV, I get scared.
My other recurring dream drives me crazy. It's always Christmas Eve and I'm frantic because, well, it's Christmas Eve and no one has done anything to prepare. There's no tree, no food, no presents, nothing and I'm scrambling to try to make Christmas for my family so the holiday isn't ruined. Often in this dream I'm running to the store trying to get there before it closes and I find there's no food or presents left on the shelves and I wake up feeling like an utter failure with a profound sense of sorrow and regret. I once asked a friend of mine who is into dream interpretation about this dream and he said it sounds like I'm disappointed in something.
I don't know though. What does it all mean? Does anyone else have the same dreams over and over?
18 comments:
- Liz said...
I have the Christmas Eve dream too! Usually it's the day OF extended-family Christmas and I haven't gotten any gifts. So, I'm scrounging around my childhood bedroom looking for stuff to wrap the recipients might like.
And last year? My cousin was late to extended-family Christmas because she had to hit Walmart en-route to get gifts! Like my worst nightmare is just life for her. (Place where she was working was closing and that was their last day so she'd just got her last paycheck. But STILL)
- Kerry said...
A lot of that sounds like you're working to process anxiety, and it doesn't have a particular focus, so it finds expression in several different situations.
Maybe you do need to process something.
I've been having nastier dreams lately and I'm trying to find the reason (other than the one day I about wanted to strangle my husband). I don't often have recurring dreams, other than being in the theaters where I work.
I hope your dreams settle down and you have some fun ones!
- Gina said...
I have the Christmas dream - only for me, I wake up on Christmas morning and I have no gifts for the kids. I usually only have it around Christmas, when I am feeling overwhelmed.
I also have recurring dreams that aren't the dream that is the same, but the location - I have a whole dream town/city with schools, a college, a park, an amusement park, highways, a mall, etc. I have tons of dreams that happen in this city and it is always the same - as if it were a real place that I have been.
- Cassandra said...
I've had a tidal wave dream a few times but in my dream I know that death is inevitable and I don't run. Instead in one I was searching for my youngest daughter to tell her I loved her before we both died and in another I was with my Mom and we were both like "well this figures" and we said our 'I love you's and I woke up enough to change the dream so that we would survive.
I'm not sure if this means I'm not afraid of death or just that I'm odd.
Theres a lot of themes about control and anxiety in your dreams. Wanting to be in control but everything around you is completely out of control?
And the words may have something to do with feeling exposed, or you are giving too much of yourself away perhaps? And/or that you feel as though what you write or say may have a negative impact on your relationships with people.
Recurring dreams are dreadful, but I think that dreams are usually a good indicator of your wants and desires or things you need to address and deal with, in life or within yourself. I do hope that your dreams return to something more pleasant soon though.
- Spirit Guide Convos said...
I have the same two recurring dreams for YEARS!
The first is about my teeth - they are either falling out in bunches, crumbling in my mouth or my gums are growing over them. I haven't had this one in a while, though.
The other dream, that I still have fairly often is losing my car. I go somewhere and when I come out, the car is gone and the rest of the dream I am in a total panic, looking for it.
Oh my god, I have had the same nightmare-about having to go back to high school or college, too! that's too funny!
- Ciarra said...
I have school dreams. Not so much that I was sent back to school, but just that I am in school again. Sometimes I realize that I'm sitting at my desk naked and I freak out. Other times I dream that I'm frantically trying to open my locker and I can't remember the combination.
I also have tsunami-type dreams that involve towering gigantic waves. Sometimes I am running along a craggy beach and the wave is coming, so I scramble up a the cliff to try to avoid it. Other times I'm boogie boarding and I'm teetering on the very top of the crest of a gigantic wave, looking down at the breach, freaked out that at any second the wave will crash and I'll be tumbled under.
I also have dreams where I'm breathing under water. I'll go for a swim and then realize I can breathe, like I have gills. And I'm swimming along colorful coral and fish and it's all very tropical.
It's been awhile but I also dream that I can fly, just by using my mind. I'll take a running leap and then just glide up, however high and fast that my mind makes me go.
- Kerry said...
@spirit guide convos:
I've heard it said that dreams about losing your teeth have to do with personal power, capacity to make things change. Don't know about the gums growing over the teeth; sounds like what would happen if you hold yourself back when you know it's right to do something.
I have travelling dreams - always in lovely hotels... gorgeous rooms with views to die for. I think I take mini vacations at night.
I've had the school dream quite a few times, but not so much lately since it's been ages since I was in a classroom. Usually there's a test, and of course this surprises me, and I can't get the text on the page in focus. Reading in dreams is hard!
It's funny that you write this, because I had some really bizarre dreams Sunday night. I had to drive some work friends somewhere after work, and I had some anxiety about getting there. Then of course I lost my car, and Tina Fey(!) helped me get a ride from some cops. At one point I was in a small amusement park, and these alien-type creatures were in the lead cars of some younger-child rides. They were supposed to be inanimate, but every so often they would turn to me and their faces would morph into grotesque visages.
Told you they were bizarre!
I have flying dreams a lot. I love those. I feel so free, and I'm not afraid.
My bad dreams are usually me in my home and someone or something is there, and I know it's a dream but I can't wake up. Or I keep waking up in my dream, and it's not a dream. Very scary when I actually wake up.
I always have the same dream when I'm sick with a fever.
Things - this is the only part that varies, and it has been anything from inanimate objects to animals - start falling all around me and they keep falling faster and faster. Then they are going so fast that I wake up and find that my fever has finally broke. So weird...
I have had the teeth falling out dream several times. I've also had the missed a class in school because I'm lata nad missed a major test dream.
Here's a cool Web site that has lots of interpretations for really obscure things:
I usually have the school panic "dream" in waking moments, although I haven't been a student in over a decade. I don't so much have recurring dreams, but the location (which isn't real life) often recurs and is familiar to me now.
- One Mean MFA said...
I used to have a recurring dream where I was at train station with my parents and sister. I had my favorite doll with me. My parents would get on the train with my sister and leave me. A hundred years would pass and I was this old lady with a doll waiting. Horrible. Especially for a child of 5.
Now, I dream in science fiction. Strangly enough, I don't read that much science fiction and and I don't really watch much sci-fi either. I can't understand it. All the weird worlds, the dystopia. Yikes. Maybe it's my obsession with politics. It makes me wonder if I'm supposed to write a sci-fi novel. I'm pretty sure that would be a big fat disaster.
Do you own a dream dictionary? There are so many really good ones out there that combine different theories of dream analysis. If you don't have one, you should check them out. There are tons at Barnes and Noble, and I bet you can download them onto your Kindle.
I love talking dreams. Holy Moly.
my husband and I are both 50 and we STILL have the dreams about missing college classes!! Nothing like that panic-y feeling of trying to find a class you haven't even been to, but still have to take a big midterm for it!! Arrgghhh!
- Green said...
The first dream means you are worried that people can see what you're not saying to them.
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Honolulu Community College sponsors its first songwriters workshop
First Annual MELE Songwriters Workshop, July 10-12, features local and national award-winning songwriters and industry professionalsHonolulu Community College
MELE Program Coordinator
HONOLULU — Honolulu Community College's MELE Program will host the First Annual MELE Songwriters Workshop, July 10-12, bringing together award-winning songwriters from the mainland with local music professionals and business leaders for three intensive days of seminars, panels, critiques and networking.
"There has never been anything like this gathering of songwriting talent in Hawaiʻi," said Ramsey Pedersen, one of the co-founders of MELEMusic & Entertainment Learning Experience.
The national songwriters participating in the workshop have combined sales approaching $200 million and work in many genres including pop, rock, urban, country, and Disney film/TV. Among those participating are:
- Disney hit makers Adam Watts and Andy Dodd, who have sales of over $40 million worldwide, with songs on "Hannah Montana," "High School Musical" and "Camp Rock." Their song, "Beautiful Soul," (Jesse McCartney) received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Pop Award in 2006;
- Dennis Matkosky, writer of such mega-hit songs as "Maniac" from the movie "Flashdance." He has sales of $60 million, and has written for artists ranging from Diana Ross to Clay Aiken, James Ingram, LeeAnn Rimes and Keith Urban. His songs have been in the Top 10 of Billboard charts in jazz, R&B, adult contemporary, country, rock, pop, Christian and gospel;
- Craig Wiseman, a three-time winner of the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year award. His song for Tim McGraw, "Live Like You Were Dying," won the 2005 Grammy for Best Country Song. He also has song-of-the-year winners from the Country Music Awards and the Academy of Country Music. His publishing company, Big Loud Shirt, founded in 2003, has had eight No. 1 hits; and
- Kristal Oliver, a prolific songwriter, performer and producer from the Philadelphia urban music scene who has written for and sung with The Cheetah Girls, Diddy, Danity Kane, Heather Hedley, Kerri Hilson, Raheem DeVaughn, Cassie, Skillz, and Blake Lewis.
The impressive lineup of national songwriters will be joined by accomplished local songwriters Noland Conjugacion, Puakea Nogelmeier and Manu Boyd, and Jon De Mello, founder and CEO of The Mountain Apple Company, the leading record label in Hawaiʻi, which distributes locally created music in 88 countries worldwide, including Brother Iz's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," from the first Hawaiʻi-produced platinum CD.
Workshop participants will learn how these highly successful professionals got started, how the writers honed their craft, what goes into structuring a great song, and what it takes to bring a song successfully into the world of the music industry.
In addition to the sessions on the art and craft of songwriting, the workshop includes song critiques, a participants' song showcase, and essential information about contracts, royalty structures, management, and dealing with record labels and music publishers.
"MELE exists to teach all aspects of the music industrycreative, technological, and business," says Keala Chock, who coordinates the program at Honolulu Community College. "The long-term vision is to strengthen the production of music in Hawaiʻito teach the crafts and skills and disciplines essential to creating music that can thrive in the global business of the 21st century, making its mark in the world for the benefit of Hawaiʻi."
Registration for the workshop is now being accepted online at www.melesongwriters.org. A complete schedule and information on participating speakers is also available online.
There will also be an opening night concert, "Harbor LightsThe Songwriters Sing," at Aloha Tower Marketplace on Friday, July 10. Tickets for the concert are available to the general public for $20, and can be purchased online via the "registration" page at www.melesongwriters.org.
The Songwriters Workshop is co-sponsored by the ASCAP, Outrigger Enterprises Group, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), and the Mountain Apple Company.
The Music and Entertainment Learning Experience (MELE) is a program that provides training to develop artistic creativity, entertainment business expertise and technical production skills. In partnership with Nashville's Belmont University, MELE students can earn dual credits at Honolulu Community College and Belmont University, with the option of transferring into Belmont's four-year degree program. More information about this program can be found at www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/mele.
Honolulu Community College is an open door, comprehensive community college that offers a broad range of liberal arts courses and 24 career and technical education programs. The college is an integral part of the University of Hawaiʻi System. Students have direct transfer to UH Manoa, UH West Oʻahu and UH Hilo to complete their four-year baccalaureate degree. Students enjoy high-quality education at very affordable tuition rates and receive instruction in small classes taught by well-credentialed faculty who are dedicated to excellence in teaching.
For more information, visit: http://www.melesongwriters.org.


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UMass Amherst Parents Association (UMAPA) [1]
All parents/families of undergraduate students are members of the UMass Amherst Parents Association (UMAPA) and there is no charge for being a member.
The UMAPA helps build the connection between UMass parents and the campus community. All members receive our Parents Association Calendar and Handbook at the start of the Fall semester.
We also hope to increase parent/family involvement on campus by expanding opportunities for volunteerism [2] and advocacy.
We are excited about our Parents Association and look forward to working with you over the coming years. We hope you'll enjoy the benefits of our membership while exploring the Pioneer Valley!
Mission Statement
UMass Amherst Parents Association was created to strengthen the partnership between UMass and the parents of our undergraduate students. The mission of UMAPA is to provide support and information to the parents and guardians of UMass undergraduate students to help insure a positive and successful campus experience.


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Novak Djokovic beats Berdych to set up Del Potro semi
- From the section Tennis
- Venue:
- All England Club, London
- Date:
- 24 June - 7 July
- Coverage:
- Live on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC HD Channel, Red Button, BBC Radio 5 live, plus 10 live streams available on the BBC Sport website, tablet, mobile and connected TV.
Top seed Novak Djokovic reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the fourth year in a row with a comfortable defeat of the Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych.
Djokovic, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament, won 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-3.
Berdych, runner-up in 2010, broke twice in the second set to lead 3-0 but made too many mistakes at pivotal moments.
Former champion Djokovic will play Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who beat David Ferrer in straight sets, for a place in the final.
The Argentine recovered from a nasty fall in the first game of the match to advance to the last four and said he would "do my best" to be ready for the Djokovic match on Friday.
"I have experience with injuries. I know it's the semi-finals of a Grand Slam. All the players feel something, some pains, it's normal," said the eighth seed.
"I have my knee problem, but my opponent could have different injuries. You have to be stronger than the rest.
"I will need to be 100% or 110% against him. But if I'm OK, if I do everything good to be ready for my next match, it will be exciting to play against him."
Britain's second seed Andy Murray, who overcame Fernando Verdasco in a five-set thriller, is in the other side of the draw and will face Jerzy Janowicz for a place in the final.
Djokovic warned the rest of those contending for the title that he was playing as well as he ever has at the All England Club.
"I am really happy with the performance. I am playing some of the best tennis on grass of my career," he said.
"It was a very close match, it could have gone either way. He could have won the first two sets, he had a double break in the second.
"I don't know how I managed to go ahead, I don't know how I turned it around."
Seventh seed Berdych trailed Djokovic 13-2 in head-to-head encounters before the match but beat his rival at Wimbledon in 2010, in their only previous meeting on grass.
The 27-year-old Czech pushed the world number one all the way in the first set, although he was unable to make too many dents in the formidable Djokovic serve.
An energised Djokovic, 26, hit 15 winners and only two unforced errors on the way to winning the opener, which he secured via a tie-break.
But Berdych broke to love early in the second set - only the third time Djokovic had been broken in the tournament - before forcing a double-break to go 3-0 ahead.
However, Berdych allowed his focus to slip in the next game and was broken back before Djokovic raised his levels again to level at 3-3.
And with Djokovic bristling again on Court One, Berdych fell apart when serving to stay in the set, handing it to his opponent with a tame forehand into the net.
It was the same story early in the third set, with Berdych sending down two double faults to give Djokovic a 3-1 lead, after which the steely Djokovic managed to keep him at arm's length.
Djokovic, winner of the men's singles at Wimbledon in 2011 and bidding for his seventh major title, has now reached 13 consecutive semi-finals at Grand Slam tournaments.
Eighth seed Del Potro looked like he might not last a game of his last-eight encounter against fourth seed Ferrer.
The Argentine fell heavily on his strapped left knee during the fifth point of the game, causing the match to be delayed for five minutes while he received treatment.
But the former US Open champion eased his way back into the match and saw his feisty opponent off in surprisingly straightforward fashion.
The 24-year-old Del Potro prevailed 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and 16 minutes to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final.
"It's going to be dangerous if I don't recover in the next few days," Del Potro said of his knee.
"I was really close to pulling out, I felt a lot of pain. But the doctor gave me some massive pills.
"I think I played my best tennis in this match, I'm so happy with my level at this moment."


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STARmeterTop 5000
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Garret Dillahunt
Actor | Soundtrack | Director
Garret grew up in the state of Washington and attended the University of Washington where he studied journalism. He received his MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program. He appeared on and off Broadway and in theaters around the country before he began pursuing film and television roles. He has two brothers: Brett, a teacher; and ... See full bio »
Born:in Castro Valley, California, USA
More at IMDbPro » Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro


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Just stumbled across your article when looking for uv proofing silnylon. A very clearly written article by the way.
Ordered the other week a tarptent SS2 and will definitely put on an extra layer of sillicone coating on the floor (inside and out). But am wondering would it also be a good idea to put a coating on the outer tent in order to give it extra uv protection straight away. Or am I better of in using the tent for a few weeks and then applying the coating? The tent will mainly be pitched during the evening/ night however there will be a few times it will face the light of day.
Hope you or soomeone else can shed some light on what is best for me to do.


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Agony and prayers filled St. Mina's Coptic Orthodox Church Sunday as hundreds of mourners attended Kyrillos' wake. The brown-eyed boy, who was on the cusp of starting Kindergarten, was crossing Richmond Road on Staten Island with his mother and his sister Friday night when he was killed by a hit and run driver, 33-year-old John Sanjurjo.
His father was inconsolable when he talked exclusively to Eyewitness News reporter Darla Miles.
"He could have at least waited until I buried my son," said the victim's father, Reda Gendy, "I'm going to send him a postcard of my son every single birthday."
Reda is comforted by his tight-knit Egyptian family. Kyrillos' mother had bruises on her face during Sunday's wake, but what you couldn't see was her shattered heart.
"My wife was on the hood of his car and he left," said Reda.
Sanjurjo was arraigned Sunday morning and charged with three counts of leaving the scene of an accident.
"This guy destroyed a whole family," said the victim's aunt, Mary Abdel-Malik.
"I think it's ridiculous that he's not being charged with manslaughter at the very least, said the victim's cousin, Adam Gendy.
Adam Gendy says little Kyrillos Gendy had so much energy and was so full of life.
"The mother is in a phase of denial right now. She has no words. We brought a psychiatrist on board to speak with her," Adam Gendy said.
Sanjurjo's entire family showed up to support him in court. His attorney argued the 33-year-old former Air Force servicemember turned himself in, even though there was no evidence that puts him behind the wheel.
A candlelight is set to be held at Kyrillos' school in South Amboy Monday evening.


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This is a lesson about the solar wind, Earth's magnetosphere, and the Moon. Participants will work in groups of two or three to build a model of the Sun-Earth-Moon system. They will use the model to demonstrate that the Earth is protected from... (View More) particles streaming out of the Sun, called the solar wind, by a magnetic shield called the magnetosphere, and that the Moon is periodically protected from these particles as it moves in its orbit around the Earth. Participants will also learn that the NASA ARTEMIS mission is a pair of satellites orbiting the Moon that measure the intensity of solar particles streaming from the Sun. (View Less)
In this project, students construct shelters that have varying properties and place them in the same location, or place similar shelters in different locations and compare temperature data taken in each shelter. Students predict what will happen for... (View More) each of the different shelter designs or placements and perform the steps of student research. The resource includes a student worksheet. This learning resource is part of the Atmosphere chapter of the GLOBE Teacher's Guide, and is supported by the GLOBE atmosphere protocols. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students


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I get a moment to myself and think, "What the hell?" I can't believe this is my life and I can't believe that in a week's time I will have lived 30 years of it. WHAT THE HELL, indeed!
It has been a month since I started on the skin regimen. Some places on my face have responded better than others, but I think it is moving along okay. My doctor said that we wouldn't know if it is really working until I have been on it for three months. Fingers crossed. I am sick of looking like a teenager with crow's feet.
My bedroom also looks like it belongs to a teenager. It is really awful. I haven't cleaned it in god knows how long. My dresser drawer is broken so it lays lifeless on the floor, getting panties throw at it and regretfully accepting said panties. I have clothes everywhere, I know what is clean though, because the dirty ones do end up in the hamper, yeah me! The clean ones lay on a llama fur rug I have on the floor. There is a cup left on my side table from milk and cookies I had last night. The space next to me on the bed is covered with books ranging from such titles as, "Feng Shui Made Easy," (pfft...scoff) to "The No Cry Potty Training Solution." In reading the last book I have come to learn that it means the kid doesn't cry; the mom on the other hand can't stop crying as she cleans puddles of pee off the bathroom floor. No cry, pfft...scoff, whateves man. Anyway, by the time I get back into my room it is far too late to even think about putting my laundry away. I just want to watch the Food Network until I pass out and my television shuts itself off. "What about the weekend?" you say. What is a weekend? I am a mom I don't get those anymore, everyday is the same. Joaquin comes in my room first thing in the morning, and puts his little face right up to mine and says, "Wake up, Mom. I wanna wah-wah," (waffle) so that is exactly what I do, wake up and give the children their wah-wahs. I would much rather hang out with all of them then put away stupid clothes.
Week before last I was much more ambitious. I got out made an effort to connect with new people, it went well. Things were good. I felt like I was settling into this new life I have created. I could text people and they would receive my text and text something back in order to make plans. Ummm. What do ya know, eh? I had fun, went to a movie, went to Mike's for a fight, saw a bunch of people at the Twilight Concert Series thing, that was good but really packed. Fun though, I felt grounded and important to people.
Then last week, Monro was home and he was so excited to go to camp that he couldn't focus on anything else. I had so much to do to get him ready. He was a total spazz cadet. Elodie had two sessions of therapy with her two different therapist. We were/are only down to one car. I don't know what is wrong with the Honda, but the "check engine" light is on so we can't drive it. Can't get it fix because there is no money to pay anyone to fix it. It is a whole ordeal.
Last week felt uneasy and it was just peaking more and more until there was a completely collapse on Sunday. My heart was once again broken, so to the sewing machine I went to stitch it together. It is hard to not have an unconditional love to run to, eyes red and puffy, snotty Klenex in hand and not feel shame. I know that as an adult I should be strong and grieve in silence or alone, but fuck, it is hard. So hard when I have lived almost all 30 of my years with a friend to go to. I haven't had parents to support me like that, so there is your answer to that, no mom. It would be nice to have a love to trust to just let me know that even though things are rough I am good and I can do this. I do and have been telling myself that, but there is very little reinforcement. I know that I am a tough girl, if you read over my blog, you can see the things that I have been through and that I made it out with a smile on my face and a lesson to tuck into my pocket. But...I want that...I want closeness. It is not like I depend on it. Obviously, I haven't had it in awhile and I am still breathing and able so smile and laugh, but gah...I just want some love in my corner. I know I have a lot of support out there I really do, and I am so grateful. A lot of my friends from growing up are scattered across the country. I wish I could wrap my soggy arms around you in real life and have you pet my head and tell me to shhhh. Just shhhh....because it is going to be fine.
As I sit here writing I have a knot in my throat and my eyes have become all glossy. What a painful year! I guess it was needed, some sort of cacophonous crescendo at the end of my twenties to remind me those were ten hard ass years. I can only hope that next Tuesday when I turn that corner onto my thirties it will be toward a sunnier side of the street. It is all a series of moments, I am making the best of mine, thankfully with the help of my loves there will be more and more of this dainty evolution.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Cacophonous Crescendo...
I get a moment to myself and think, "What the hell?" I can't believe this is my life and I can't believe that in a week's time I will have lived 30 years of it. WHAT THE HELL, indeed!
1 comments:
- Cadie said...
I love you.
- August 17, 2009 at 9:52 PM


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Content Count72
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About NathanS
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Profile Information
Ford Model
Fiesta 1.4 Titanium (Vision Blue)
Ipod Nano Not Working On Aux Socket On Fiesta
NathanS replied to Devo's topic in Ford Fiesta ClubFigured this out with mine, the iPod has a built in FM tuner which seems to be always active, this causes a feedback loop with the cars FM tuner when plugging a cable into the iPod headphone socket and car AUX in socket as the iPod headphone socket acts as an aerial for the iPod's FM tuner (thus causing the hiss). I bought a dock connector to headphone socket plug off eBay for a couple of quid, as the iPod's dock connector is not used as an aerial the hiss doesn't occur :) Something like this does the trick:-
NathanS started following Just Under 8 Mins Of Fiesta Fun, Ipod Nano Not Working On Aux Socket On Fiesta, Retro-Fit Usb........ It Works!! and and 4 others
Retro-Fit Usb........ It Works!!
NathanS replied to mikester's topic in Ford Modification DiscussionsThanks, not having much luck on eBay finding a seller who knows the difference between the 2 units!
Retro-Fit Usb........ It Works!!
NathanS replied to mikester's topic in Ford Modification DiscussionsThis looks interesting, do these parts work with the basic 6 button headunit without the nice matrix display? Or would I need to update that also as part of the retrofit?
These above show where the mounting arm is fitted after removing the rear section of the centre console, the metal plate you can see in the second photo is removed and replaced with the base of the armrest. The good thing about this arm is it doesn't involve any drilling or !Removed! into the existing plastics. Also, had a drive around with it today, you can use the handbrake without having to move the armrest but obviously it does get in the way a little - just use a bit of common sense!
In order to use the handbrake you need to lift the armrest up, which is no problem as you're only going to be using the handbrake when you've come to a stop anyway (unless you think you're a rally driver!). I'm sure that's the same on some factory fit armrests too, so I don't see it as an issue or anything. Having said that I've not driven it since installing it, so maybe I'll see how I go on with the armrest down :)
A few pics after installation.
Installed and all is well, was a bit difficult getting the centre console piece back in once the metal arm was in place, but managed it in the end. The armrest is good quality and fits in well with the standard trim in my Titanium, looks like it could have been a dealer option imo. Have just seen the price has just dropped to £99 on Amazon also, bit annoying as only received mine yesterday! <_<
My Boomerang armrest arrived today (from Amazon.co.uk). Going to be fitting it as soon as I can get hold of a socket set :-)
Fiesta Software/hardware Interface?
NathanS replied to NathanS's topic in Ford Fiesta ClubSo nothing really available yet then that will let us tinker with our electronics, hopefully something will be released at some point!
Fiesta Software/hardware Interface?
NathanS posted a topic in Ford Fiesta ClubThis has probably been asked before, but is there any software/hardware interface (like VAGCOM) that is available for our Fiestas? I imagine Ford have something they use to update certain elements of the car, but has it made it into the public domain at all?
Loud Squeaking From Front Of Car? (09 Fiesta Titanium)
NathanS replied to NathanS's topic in Ford Fiesta ClubGot the car in this morning to get this sorted, bit annoyed that it's not covered by the warranty after 1000 miles though!
Loud Squeaking From Front Of Car? (09 Fiesta Titanium)
NathanS posted a topic in Ford Fiesta ClubI've been getting a loud squeak at low (0-25) speeds, seems to stop once you get past 30 but it's starting to get very annoying when meandering through traffic! Is anyone else getting similar to this? You can hear it from inside the cabin with the windows shut but once you open the windows it's much more noticeable. I've uploaded a recording of the sound here:- http://audioboo.fm/boos/220909-fiesta-squeak
O/t - New Focus St
NathanS replied to aph1101's topic in Ford Fiesta ClubI'm not liking that at all, the front grill is just way OTT and ruins the whole shape of the car :(
Just Under 8 Mins Of Fiesta Fun
NathanS replied to adzmcp's topic in Ford Fiesta ClubI wish my Fiesta looked like that!
Fiesta Mk7 Hd Tv, Looks Pretty Awesome
NathanS replied to Nick MK7 TDCI's topic in Ford Fiesta ClubDoesn't look great, the interface on some of those screens looks terrible :o


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Mike Burden sets his sights on another unsuspecting opponent who catches a screen pass and can't wait to turn upfield.
Burden, a 6-foot-1-inch, 205-pound Palatine junior who tracks adversaries with the certainty of a heat-seeking missile, unleashes his muscular body full-force.
The crunching hit reverberates up to the press box, where opposing coaches grimace and openly admire Burden's style of play.
"There isn't anybody in the entire state who hits harder than that kid," said one coach.
Burden's intimidating presence heads the Tribune's 1994 All-State defensive team, a reckless abandon that will play to a statewide television audience when Palatine faces Providence in the Class 5A championship Saturday at Illinois State.
Burden and Downers Grove South defensive back Mike McGrath are repeat selections from last year's team. McGrath proved he could hit with the best during an early-season confrontation with 6-4, 245-pound John Cerasani of Schaumburg, who is headed for Notre Dame next season.
"We play Mike wherever we think the offense is going," said Palatine coach Joe Petricca of his combination defensive back/linebacker.
Imagine how much more impact Burden might have if he only played defense. He has doubled up all season as the Pirates' power running back and has assumed even more of the offensive burden since starting quarterback Matt Marzec broke his collarbone three weeks ago.
"There have been a couple games where I was pretty exhausted in the fourth quarter," Burden said after a victory over Buffalo Grove. "When I go home after games, I'm pretty sore. But I get to dish it out on defense, and I like that. Why do I hit so hard? I like to let people know I'm coming."
Burden and McGrath are joined in the secondary by Evanston's Marcus White, touted as the top defensive back prospect in the state. On the second team, Shepard's Tony Pryor was the SICA North's defensive player of the year and Ryan Spielman of Bishop McNamara the Catholic League's MVP.
They're joined by a couple of spectacular small-school, Downstate stars. Pontiac's Jason Smith returned one interception for a 70-yard touchdown and scored on kickoff returns of 96, 82, 88 and 86 yards. Doubling as a wideout, his career yardage total was 3,199 yards, averaging 19 yards whenever he touched the ball. Carthage's Jason Duncan had 10 interceptions, returning two for TDs. He also returned one punt and two kickoffs for scores and averaged 36.6 yards per catch as a receiver.
Imagine how that secondary would thrive behind NFL-size defensive linemen Mike McGee (6-5, 280) of Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Jeff Alheit (6-8, 295) of McHenry, Jamie Wu (6-4, 300) of St. Charles and 6-3, 230-pound speed pass-rusher Rameel Connor of Proviso West, who is headed to Illinois.
"Rameel is the best pure pass-rusher in the state," said his coach, John Wilson. "He was involved in over 100 tackles, including 21 for losses. He's quick off the ball with great acceleration and tremendous moves. His 39-inch vertical leap allowed him to deflect seven passes."
In between the stellar secondary and the monstrous defensive front are four linebackers who commanded the utmost respect on their teams. Naperville Central's Bryan McNulty was the DuPage Valley Conference's defensive player of the year, as was St. Rita's Tim Angsten in the Catholic League. Chris Havens is a primary reason why Homewood-Flossmoor is playing for a 6A state title against Naperville North on Saturday and Jeff Weisse led West Aurora to one of its best seasons ever.
Second-team linebackers Ron Barr of Belvidere and Levelle Brown of Naperville North are also competing in Normal this weekend. Barr set a 5A title game record last year with 19 tackles in a 7-0 victory over Bolingbrook. Despite being injured during the regular season, Wheaton-Warrenville South's Ron Grego was a unanimous all-conference pick and considered one of the top college prospects in the state.
Special mention must be given to several near-misses on this year's offensive and defensive squads. Mattoon's athletic wideout Josh Rutledge was also third in the Class AA slam-dunk contest last year and fourth in the state in the long jump.
Lexington linebacker Mike Heuer, who plays in the 1A title game against Sterling Newman, had 98 solo tackles and 62 assists. Pekin QB Jason Sirotak passed for 2,541 yards-third-best in state history-and 21 TDs. Steve Duzan of Downstate Marshall rushed for 2,001 yards and 25 TDs while Tuscola linebacker Stan Wienke made 154 tackles, forced seven fumbles-recovering four-and picked off two passes.


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Jon Stewart has been named the most influential man of 2010 in a new online poll of more than half a million people.
The victory, determined by readers of AskMen.com, comes just days before The Daily Show host leads the tongue-in-cheek Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington. The Oct. 30 demonstration is expected to be attended by hundreds of thousands of people via satellite events worldwide, be covered by every major North American news organization, and has been informally endorsed by no less then Oprah and the president of the United States.
So yes, you could say the man's got some influence.
"The Daily Show provides the most intelligent political commentary on U.S. TV, but it's also not above scatological humour and penis jokes," says John Alberti, professor and director of cinema studies at Northern Kentucky University. "In a way, Stewart is like a smart adolescent — which is very appealing to a lot of men."
Few details have been revealed about Saturday's "call to reasonableness," which will be held in tandem with satirist Stephen Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive. But media hyperventilation over the rally, whose stated purpose is to promote rational thinking in an alarmist political climate, has only affirmed Stewart's status as a cultural kingmaker.
"A lot of people take him very seriously," says Alberti. "He's got that bad boy image, but in a more likeable, class-clown way."
According to AskMen editor-in-chief James Bassil, voters sweepingly threw their support behind guys who share a similar penchant for creating their own norms in defiance of the status quo.
"We see a theme of moving off the conventional path," says Bassil, who's based in Montreal. "This year's top five — (Stewart), Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Kanye West — all found success in their fields . . . by breaking the rules of their industries."
Tiger Woods was a notable exception, having fallen off the list entirely after ranking No. 30 in last year's survey.
"Breaking the rules didn't pay off as well for him," Bassil says dryly.
The Top 49, said to reflect "what it means to be a modern man in 2010," includes Colbert (No. 11), bad-boy comedian Russell Brand (49), actor-author James Franco (7), Virgin Group maverick Richard Branson (14), "Old Spice Guy" Isaiah Mustafa (30), talk-show host Conan O'Brien (12), NFL quarterback Drew Brees (6), Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner (20) and Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley (19).
Canadians in the Top 49 include Olympic hockey hero Sidney Crosby (37), the Bank of Canada's Mark Carney (31), recording artist Drake (28), and magazine mogul Graydon Carter (10). Win Butler, the American lead vocalist of Quebec-based band Arcade Fire, is also named (44).
What's On Tonight for


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May 15 2010, 9:00 pm
Uhmm whenever i try to use those icons in Icon Ultima it doesnt work?
How don't they work? Its probably an issue with IU
Er People are sending porn... lol
Kevin208 wrote:
Er People are sending porn... lol
Where? Where? LET ME HAVE IT!!
Joking :3
Falacy wrote:
How don't they work? Its probably an issue with IU
How does Icon Share work exactly? The only possible reason I can think they wouldn't work with IU is because they may have been rsc extracted. Not saying anyone has one but it's a possibility.
rsc extraction has little effect on things. First off, that's how vast majority of icons were stolen, and they all used to work fine. Second, resource extraction has been fixed, so its no longer an issue.
Anyway, I think this may be some generic BYOND fail as usual. Try opening the icon, changing anything about it, and then re-saving it.
You weren't kidding! You can really program efficiently. You should enter the video gaming business.
2 bad that theres no option to save all, currently uploaded icons : ) would be great to see this coded in.
why isnt this up?
Your really wierd why you say lol hmmm m thinking you LOVE PORN! ().()
LOl you like porn!
man i want some icons!!
whos talking about porn
The word Porn.Is univailable.
it's great falacy 4ever
I brasilian and like this ;)
RIP's Place
Its ok... but too many noobs upload the same thing and try to claim it as theirs


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This is a list of United States Code sections, Statutes at Large, Public Laws, and Presidential Documents, which provide rulemaking authority for this CFR Part.
This list is taken from the Parallel Table of Authorities and Rules provided by GPO [Government Printing Office].
It is not guaranteed to be accurate or up-to-date, though we do refresh the database weekly. More limitations on accuracy are described at the GPO site.
§ 1331 - Congressional findings and declaration of policy
§ 1332 - Definitions
§ 1333 - Powers and duties of Secretary
§ 1334 - Private maintenance; numerical approximation; strays on private lands: removal; destruction by agents
§ 1335 - Recovery rights
§ 1336 - Cooperative agreements; regulations
§ 1337 - Joint advisory board; appointment; membership; functions; qualifications; reimbursement limitation
§ 1338 - Criminal provisions
§ 1338a - Transportation of captured animals; procedures and prohibitions applicable
§ 1339 - Limitation of authority
§ 1340 - Joint report to Congress; consultation and coordination of implementation, enforcement, and departmental activities; studies
§ 47 - Use of aircraft or motor vehicles to hunt certain wild horses or burros; pollution of watering holes
§ 315 - Grazing districts; establishment; restrictions; prior rights; rights-of-way; hearing and notice; hunting or fishing rights
§ 1740 - Rules and regulations


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Airfares are up and headed higher this summer. Airlines are blaming higher fuel prices.
"You'll see gradual increases and then a much bigger jump in April and May, when people start shopping for the summer travel season," says Rick Seaney, CEO of travel website FareCompare.com.
The latest data on average fares show that Southwest charged $140 each way during the fourth quarter, JetBlue charged $156 and United Continental charged $270. Length of flight accounted for most of the difference – on a per-mile basis, prices were similar.
The average fare rose 9 percent between January 2011 and January 2012, according to Airlines for America, a trade group of the biggest carriers. Fuel is driving the increases. The spot price of jet fuel rose 18 percent over the same period, according to government figures. Airlines burn 48 million gallons per day, making fuel their biggest expense.
There's little that airlines can do about fuel prices. They hedge, which is like buying insurance against big price spikes, and they've been adding more-efficient planes, but it takes years to replace a whole fleet.
The simplest response is to raise fares – that's what they did nearly a dozen times last year. They'll do it again this year.
Airlines will respond to higher fuel prices this year by boosting fares, running fewer sales and cutting some flights, predicts Deutsche Bank analyst Michael Linenberg. He noted that despite a weak economy last year, the seven carriers in Airlines for America used the same moves to boost revenue by $14.1 billion, more than offsetting a $12.2 billion increase in fuel spending.
Vacationers are usually the first to cut back on travel if it becomes too expensive. Americans are already paying an average of $3.72 a gallon for gasoline, up 30 cents in the past month. The hike is even higher in Orange County. O.C. motorists are paying an average price of about $4.35 for a gallon of regular unleaded, according to AAA. O.C. drivers are now less than 25 cents away of the all-time record of $4.59 set in June 2008.
The airlines have to be careful not to price themselves out of a market.
"About 75 percent of leisure travel is not essential," says George Hobica of the travel website airfarewatchdog.com. "Fares have reached a ceiling. I think you'll see more people stay home, or they'll drive or take the bus or the train."
Even business travel, which accounts for an outsized share of airline revenue, could be affected. Corporate profits rose strongly in 2011, which helped prop up business travel. But research firm FactSet, which surveys analysts, estimates that first-quarter earnings will barely rise.
Kevin Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition, which represents corporate travel managers, says big corporations have set their travel budgets for the year. But at smaller firms, he says, "if it feels like it's getting more expensive, they'll cut back or look for cheaper ways to do things."
The big airlines have tried to raise prices four times this year and succeeded twice.
When they failed, it was because discount airlines, such as Southwest and JetBlue, declined to go along. Consumers will change airlines to save a few dollars, and the Internet has made comparison-shopping much easier.
Still, when it comes to setting prices, the airlines are dealing from a position of strength. Since 2008, mergers have eliminated three major U.S. airline companies and reduced competition. That's made it easier for airlines to limit flights, charge higher prices and return to profitability after losing money for most of the 2000 decade.
With higher fuel costs, more routes become unprofitable and targets for the chopping block. That will make it harder for passengers to get where they want to go.
In announcing that AirTran Airways would stop flying to several cities later this year, Bob Jordan, the executive who runs Southwest Airlines' AirTran unit, says, "there are some markets that we simply cannot make work" at current fuel prices.
The airlines say that over the long term, airfares have increased far less than other consumer goods and services. And although most U.S. airlines made money the past two years, there have been many years since 2001 in which they lost money. The industry's recovery is tenuous.
Net profit margins at U.S. airlines fell to 0.3 percent last year from 1.6 percent in 2010, according to Airlines for America. The group's chief economist, John Heimlich, says that in the past decade airlines increased revenue by packing more people on the plane, but there just aren't many empty seats left anymore. Airlines need to raise more money to cover fuel, labor costs and other expenses – and that means higher fares.
The airlines' latest attempt to raise fares – by up to $10 per round trip – failed this week. But they won't stop trying.
"You win some; you lose some," Heimlich says of the attempted fare increases, "but there is no letup in the rising cost pressures. Fuel isn't the only one, but it's the biggest."
Here are some tips on saving on airfares at a time when fuel prices are going up. The ideas come from www.farecompare.com, a consumer website.
Best time to buy summer airfare: Wait about 3 months before departure. If you plane to depart on vacation in early June, for example, start shopping in early March.
Fly from major hubs: Bigger airports mean more competition, especially for international travel from both U.S. and internationally based airlines. Rather than flying from a regional airport like John Wayne Airport or Long Beach Airport, take a close look at driving to a bigger "hub" city airport like LAX. But don't forget to factor in fuel and parking costs into the equation (and note: there are some isolated cases where this premium isn't charged).
Be flexible in traveling days: The most expensive days to fly are almost always Fridays and Sundays because that's when everyone wants to travel; save big by booking flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays.
Best time to buy airline tickets – Tuesday noon Pacific time: Tuesday is the the best time to buy airline tickets, but be careful as most of these discounted airfare are pulled on Thursdays, so your probably paying too much if buying on the weekends.
Pack light, pack smart: A family of four can save as much as $200 (or more) on airline bag fees – if everyone uses a carry-on. Khaki weighs less than denim, and you only have two feet so leave some shoes at home.
–Register staff writers Gary A. Warner and Alejandra Molina and The Associated Press contributed to this report.


text: Dewey let me help you out here. Maybe you can scale back my little devil dude status. jjm is the one who is looking to buy a kite. I talked to him at the snow demo. I think he is looking for a sweet deal or I should say his wife is making him look for the sweet deal. Maybe send him a PM?


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He is on solids now and gets 1 meal of solid meal at daycare...typically he is ready for me to nurse him when we get unless a nap has gotten in the way .
I will start doing one night feeding in the middle of the night as long as he wakes up. I pump before bed because typically if you wake him and he is tired he won't eat when tired.
I planned on trying 3 pumps at work but so far this week I have not been successful due to a busy work schedule. I thank everyone for the suggestions and will try them all.


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Our global community of professional designers present their ideas. You provide feedback.
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FLAT ROCK — A near-death experience taught Jackie Pflug, who survived a terrorist hijacking and later colon cancer, the value of living life with no regrets, she said Thursday.
FLAT ROCK — A near-death experience taught Jackie Pflug, who survived a terrorist hijacking and later colon cancer, the value of living life with no regrets, she said Thursday.
An author and motivational speaker, Pflug was the guest speaker at the Women Helping Women Luncheon at Kenmure Country Club. The annual event, sponsored by Pardee Hospital Foundation, honors women who have survived cancer in addition to celebrating the foundation's fundraising efforts for the hospital's Women Helping Women program.
Donations to the program provide for uninsured women to have access to medical care at Pardee Hospital for breast and other cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis and other critical women's health needs.
As a survivor of an airline hijacking in 1985, and then colon cancer in 2003, the Texas native said her life experiences taught her a thing or two about facing the unexpected in life.
"I'm constantly making sure that my dreams and my goals get accomplished," she said. "I learned to fall in love with the idea of living with no regrets."
Pflug was making her dream of living abroad a reality when tragedy struck on Nov. 24, 1985, on a routine flight from Athens, Greece to Cairo, Egypt, the country she was working in at the time. Armed Palestinian men who called themselves "The Egypt Revolution" took control of
EygptAir Flight 648 and demanded the plane fly to Syria, she said. With the plane running out of fuel, the aircraft landed instead in Malta, an island in the Mediterranean.
Once on the ground, the terrorists demanded fuel to fly to Syria, but the Maltese authorities refused, Pflug said. The terrorists then carried out a threat to begin shooting a passenger every 15 minutes until their demands were met, starting with the flight's two Israeli passengers, then moving on to the three American passengers, she said.
After several of the plane's passengers had been shot by the terrorists, Pflug said it was her turn. They walked her to the door of the plane and put a gun to her head. She recalled taking in her surroundings for what she believed would be her last day on earth.
"It was a beautiful blue sky with white fluffy clouds," Pflug said. "My favorite kind of day."
Moments later, the terrorist pulled the trigger, shooting her at point-blank range.
But Pflug survived, rescued five hours later when the terrorists agreed to let an ambulance pick up the dead in exchange for food. While being taken to the morgue, Pflug opened her eyes and the rescuers realized she was alive.
Her life was changed forever, Pflug said, as doctors told her the severe brain injuries she had sustained meant she would never fully regain her vision. She also suffered problems with short-term memory and expressive language skills, she said.
Pflug said she sank into a deep depression. The turnaround came one day as she watched Oprah and saw Dr. Phil counseling a mother experiencing separation anxiety when sending her child to school after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"He told her to take him to school and go to work anyway ... to behave your way to success," she said.
Armed with new determination, Pflug said that within 19 years she went from a kindergarten reading level to a 12th-grade reading level. She did not completely regain her sight but did get her driver's license back. Having divorced after the hijacking incident, she found love again. She remarried and had a child, Pflug said.
When Pflug was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003, she had surgery to remove part of her colon. She has been cancer-free for seven years, she said.
"There are three things to remember when you are faced with difficulty," Pflug said. "One, it is important to have a great attitude, to be positive, cheerful. Two, don't worry. Don't sweat the small stuff. Three, it is important to be grateful."
She encouraged the audience to take time out at the end of each day to write down five things they are grateful for.
"It will change your life," she said. "Someone once said, we don't know how rich we truly are. The key to being joyful is to always be grateful."


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Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Get Fixed
So let's talk about fixed gears for a moment. I've got one. I've got two, actually—an old Bianchi Pista that looks like it got trampled by a herd of angry wildebeest, and a new-ish Mercier Kilo TT that I bought off of Bikesdirect when I realized it was a cheaper option than buying a new fork and wheelset for the Pista. Of course I hadn't counted on the inevitable desire to upgrade, but c'est la vie.
BMX companies have been dipping their beaks into the fixed-gear market for a while now—FBM makes the Sword, Volume sells the Cutter and the Creedence, Profile makes parts and SNAFU picks them out of a catalog. In fact, Volume, FBM and Profile all have separate sites for their fixed clientele. Guess the fixed-gear guys don't want to even acidentally look at some stupid kid's bike.
Well, now Subrosa has seen fit to enter the fray with their own fixed gear, the Malum Fixed, due out in July:
And then there's SE Racing, already churning out as many no-budget Drafts as the market can bear (or that you can stuff into a shipping container), aiming more upscale with a super-limited DC Shoes collabo PK Ripper Fixed (self promotion, holla).
To be honest, the Malum looks really cool. Can't say I'd want all that Shadow stuff—I'd get rid of that chain before I even bolted the front wheel on—but all in all, it looks like a nice bike. The SE is aimed more at the sneaker-obsessed downtown crowd, so of the 2,500 they're making, roughly a dozen will actually be ridden. Still curious to see a real photo. It might kill Perry Kramer, though. Unless he's getting royalties.
I suppose as long as "fixed-gear freestyle" keeps going, BMX companies will try to get a piece of that market. And who can blame them? Price points start higher, and the labor and material costs are more or less the same (insert JPR correction here). Make that money. Although I might think differently when someone orders a 700c STA.
18 comments:
- Thomas said...
"...Profile makes parts and SNAFU picks them out of a catalog."
i've thought about getting a fixed gear or some type of road bike, but i think i'll just stick with 20 inch wheels.
- May 20, 2009 at 3:40 PM
making a complete fixie marketed towards the hipster and/or bmx kid is about as smart as applying for a job at General Motors right now. If anybody from said crowd wants a fixie they are going to do what all their 'cool' friends do and search craigslist or go dumpster diving for an old pujo or fuji and convert it over. 'Vintage' is the new black.
- May 20, 2009 at 3:48 PM
- Stephen said...
There was a guy here that got a 24" Shaman made. It took over a year to get it and he rode flatland on it. The guy was a giant. Think Gheorghe Mureşan.
- May 20, 2009 at 4:05 PM
If you want to ride a fixie, go for it. more power to ya! I think these bikes look pretty cool to be honest. The freestyle fixie thing is stupid, but the bikes them selves are cool. But if you start dressing a different way to emulate another persons "fixie style", then you are a fucking posing loser.
This whole movement and "fashion" can be directly linked to bike messengers in NYC. And good for them! They have their own world, which WAS unique. They did it first. It was their "style" and the bikes were designed to be minimulist for logical reasons.
But now since the fixie/hipster/Urban Outfitters movement has taken the country by storm I find it down right hilarious to see these want-to-be hipster idiots starving for some sort of social network validity. Want-to-be bike messengers riding down Ventura blvd w/ a messenger bag, capri pants and make believe registration tags in their spokes. haha. Try harder you fucking idiots. No one can tell you're not a real messenger. Especially in the San Fernando Valley where there are NO FUCKING BIKE MESSENGERS.
I'm going to take it all one step further and dress up like a Mailman and just act the part, to be cool. yea. I may even turn a jeep into a make-believe mail truck.
I cant wait for this stupid fucking fashion trend to go out of style. Ride a bike, but dont put a costume on before you leave the house.
- May 20, 2009 at 4:27 PM
I have to agree with Jesus on the second part of his statement, in that, how the fuck are bmx kids gonna be able to afford a new fixie when every week they're buying the latest limited color matching shoes/seats/hats, etc?!?
It doesn't really make sense to me as to why they're selling them, but it's totally cool with me that they're making them. My guess is that the riders/employees at those companies either already rode, or wanted one, so they just started making them because they have the capability. And shit, if I was an aging hipster/washed up bmxer, getting a bmx-branded fixie would fit right in next to my Mercedes. :)
- May 20, 2009 at 4:39 PM
Actually, many of the fixed kids like bmx and some even ride bmx. It's the BMX kids who hate fixed gears. That's why the seperate websites.
- May 20, 2009 at 6:11 PM
- Jake said...
you're supposed to be condescending and preachy, to present an opposing view to the superfluity of bmx products.
- May 20, 2009 at 6:17 PM
Anyone care to inform me on a legitimate benefit to riding a fixed gear over a single speed with brakes? Seems much more unsafe and a way bigger hassle since you can't coast and actually enjoy a bike ride. I don't know though, I've never been on a fixie before.
- May 20, 2009 at 8:10 PM
im tired of seein lame ass skin tight denim shorts wearin mustash havin douchebags with the little flip hats in austin. you suck and your bike sucks, hurry up and die
- May 20, 2009 at 8:33 PM
- Jimmy said...
From the Malum product detail om Sparkys:
- ** All 3 sizes are able to bar spin **
- May 20, 2009 at 10:43 PM
Fixies are for dumb people who can't comprehend the benefits of coasting.
They look like retarded circus chimps riding their bikes like that.
- May 20, 2009 at 11:03 PM
nice quicksilver ref.
martin aparijo forever!!!
- May 20, 2009 at 11:44 PM
- ronan said...
fixies are ridiculous, especially when you see them doing lame barspins etc. Its a big silly fashion thing that is going to die out - real soon!
- May 21, 2009 at 7:37 AM
Ride a fixed gear. Try it. Open your mind, what are you, a republican?
It's actually pretty fun. Yes, it's more work, but at the same time you hold momentum easier than on a bike that coasts, so it doesn't feel like more work.
It's not for everyone.
And for the person complaining about tight pants and little hats, have you ever seen BMX kids? Replace the little hats with flat brim Animal hats and you pretty much have 2006.
- May 21, 2009 at 8:47 AM
- Russ said...
I think riding a fixed is LESS work, actually. You can fly up hills in a gear you wouldn't even consider being in on a conventional road bike, and it's pretty easy to just relax your legs and let the pedals keep spinnin' when you get tired.
Fixed gear freestyle is awful, though. Like drag racing in a Prius. You can do it, sure...but why would you want to?
- May 21, 2009 at 10:48 AM
- Smitty said...
Oh, I see how it is...you put us on your shelf, we're twiddling our thumbs waiting for a SPRFLS update, while you're playin' at Street Level. Well, I hope she buys you breakfast anyway...
- May 21, 2009 at 10:56 AM
* Fixed gears are fun to ride - going fast on anything is fun - but the related material culture is incredibly dumb.
* "Urban assault" (RAAAWRR!)mountain biking died off pretty quickly, and fixed gear freestyle will suffer the same fate. And why don't those dudes just get Volume Sledgehammers and put cogs and skinnier tires on them?
* They couldn't call it the PK Fixster?
* Do people actually do this shit in real life? http://velocouture.wordpress.com/
- May 21, 2009 at 12:00 PM
- SeanMurphy said...
You would be surprised what kind of Standard customs are being made in the last month... we will shout you out when that STA-fixie is ordered.
- May 28, 2009 at 3:27 PM


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Drake Tells Universal Music To Stop Taking Down The Music He's Leaking
from the stop-it dept
However, even granting that, this shows yet again how far out of touch Universal Music is, and how its claims that it's protecting "artists" are full of it. The artists know how promotion works these days. Universal Music, apparently, does not.
And this raises a much bigger issue: as ICE continues to seize domains and the PROTECT IP Act continues to move forward, are these really "rogue sites"? After all, if the artists themselves find them valuable as a means of promotion, and disagree with their own labels about whether or not these sites are useful, why is the government solely relying on the labels' definition of "rogue" sites?


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When a cellphone is stolen, the NYPD routinely subpoenas phone call records to track down suspects. Call records from stolen cellphones are entered into the Enterprise Case Management System database. Phone numbers in the database are hyperlinked, allowing detectives to cross-reference it with other [Full Story…]
#NYPD Creating Database of Cell Phone Logs
November 28, 2012 at 11:21 am


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Cash-for-bail scam: Suspended judges get bail
The Andhra Pradesh high court today granted bail to suspended judges T. Pattibhirama Rao and K. Lakshminarasimha Rao as well as Karnataka legislator G. Somasekhara Reddy in the cash-for-bail bribery case involving former Karnataka minister G. Janardhana Reddy.india Updated: Sep 25, 2012 13:07 IST
The Andhra Pradesh high court Tuesday granted bail to suspended judges T. Pattibhirama Rao and K. Lakshminarasimha Rao as well as Karnataka legislator G. Somasekhara Reddy in the cash-for-bail bribery case involving former Karnataka minister G. Janardhana Reddy.
The high court granted bail to the main accused and suspended CBI court special judge Pattabhirama Rao and two others on a day when Janardhana Reddy was produced before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Hyderabad.
Justice Samudrala Govindarajulu, who had reserved orders last week, pronounced the same Tuesday.
The judge did not agree with the ACB's contention that Pattabhirama Rao may tamper with the evidence if released on bail.
The court granted bail to another suspended judge, Lakshminarasimha Rao, and Janardhana Reddy's brother Somasekhara Reddy, a member of the Karnataka assembly from Bellary Urban.
The court also dismissed ACB's petition challenging bail granted by the ACB court to Pattabhirama Rao's son Ravichandra and a junior lawyer Aditya.
The ACB had arrested Pattabhirama Rao on June 19 for allegedly taking a bribe for granting bail to Janardhana Reddy in the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) scam case.
City small causes court judge K. Lakshminarasimha Rao, district and sessions judge D. Prabhakar Rao and a realtor were also arrested by the ACB for trying to bribe Pattabhirama Rao on behalf of Janardhana Reddy's family.
The CBI court special judge, who rejected the offer which came through the two judges, later allegedly received Rs.10 crore from Somasekhara Reddy and other relatives of Janardhana Reddy for granting bail in May this year.
Retired judge TV Chalapathi Rao and a rowdy sheeter Yadgiri Rao were also arrested for allegedly receiving the bribe money on behalf of Pattabhirama Rao.
Janardhana Reddy, who was lodged in a Bangalore jail in another illegal mining case, was brought to Hyderabad Monday night on a prisoner transit warrant. The ACB produced him in the trial court Tuesday.
Those arrested in the case include another Karnataka legislator TH Suresh Babu, a follower of Janardhana Reddy.
First Published: Sep 25, 2012 13:04 IST


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Insanity: Getting Worked Up Over One Company's Slight Change Of Opinion In The Creditworthiness Of The US
from the it's-an-opinion dept
We've discussed this before. For absolutely no good reason, the US government decided to put the opinion of various rating agencies into law, requiring certain institutions to maintain certain percentages of "highly rated" bonds in order to engage in certain activities. The insanity is that it effectively forced the world to think about ratings from S&P and Moody's as if they were fact, even though they're really just opinions. And to do all of this even if their ratings go against one's own opinion. And, of course, we all know that the ratings agencies are far from perfect, and have an unfortunate history that suggests that, at times, they've succumbed to pressure.
So, even if you believe that the US government's financial position is a disaster (and, again, a case can be made for that), it's crazy to pretend that one company changing its opinion (just slightly) has any actual meaning. Most of the market can and does make its own decisions on the creditworthiness of US debt, no matter what S&P says. In other words, the (slim) risk of the US actually defaulting is already priced in. The S&P saying what people are already thinking doesn't mean that anything fundamental changed... other than its opinion.
Markets are made based on the interaction of buyers and sellers. Not the (sometimes questionable) opinions of just a few firms.


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Palmers Lodge - Swiss Cottage Informations
Awarded "Best Customer Service 2013†by the British Education Travel Association and 'Silver Award for Best Accommodation' in the UK youth travel.
- Adaptors
- 24 hour security
- 24 hour reception
- Internet
- Bar
- Bicycle Parking
- Board Games
- Book Exchange
- Breakfast Not Included
- Cafe
- Card Phones
- Common Room
- DVDs
- Elevator
- Fax Service
- Free City Maps
- Free Internet Access
- Free WiFi
- Games Room
- Hairdryers
- Hairdryers for Hire
- Hot showers
- Housekeeping
- Internet Access
- Jobs Board
- Key card access
- Kitchen
- Laundry Facilities
- Linen Included
- Lockers
- Luggage Storage
- Meals Available
- Outdoor Terrace
- Parking
- Playstation
- Pool Table
- Restaurant
- Safe Deposit Box
- Tea & Coffee Making Facil
- Tours/Travel desk
- Towels for Hire
- Vending Machines
- Washing Machine
- Wii
- Credit Cards Accepted
- No Curfew
- Non Smoking
- Taxes included
- Cable TV
- Reading Light
When leaving the station take exit number 2, turn left on exiting the station. Walk up the hill slightly staying on the right hand side of the road, following College Crescent after walking 2-3 minutes you will come to a small fork in the road, to the left is College Crescent and to the right is Fitzjohns Avenue. Directly in front on the left of you will be big red building which is us.
There are many buses which go directly to Swiss Cottage station, the key buses are 82 from Victoria station, 113 from Marble Arch and 13 from Covent Garden.
Informations about Palmers Lodge - Swiss Cottage
Awarded "Best Customer Service 2013†by the British Education Travel Association and 'Silver Award for Best Accommodation' in the UK youth travel.
Whether you're a backpacker or a budget traveller, you will enjoy Palmers Lodges Swiss Cottage. The grand charm of the historic building combined with our great service and location will be one of the most unique city experiences you will have in London.
Free Wi-Fi
Free breakfast
Free linen
Recently renovated, Swiss Cottage boasts not only a fantastic London city location and building but our services are unbeatable! We have a 24 hour reception so you can be assured we are always there for you if you need us, we have also taken great care when it comes to your safety & security so you don't need to worry and can chill in our bar or relax in the lounge and watch the latest game.
An added bonus is that beds are pre-made and come with linen all for free, so the late arriving lodger can jump straight into bed, or the bar! We do believe that a happy lodger needs a good breakfast, which is why we have a free continental breakfast for you to start you day in a good way! We also offer free Wi-Fi throughout the hostel so you can stay in touch with the rest of the world and explore what's on in London!
It is easy to forget when you stay at Swiss Cottage that there is a vibrant city just outside waiting for you! We are close to the underground (tube to the locals) so you can be in any of London's hotspots within minutes! If it's shopping you're looking for, the tube will take you directly from Swiss Cottage Station to the centre of Oxford Street, or you can shop till you drop at Europe's largest shopping centre Westfield. You could also have a drink or two in Leicester Square, take a spin on the London Eye or spot Kate and William at Buckingham Palace, all this and more with the tube from Swiss Cottage Station just around the corner!
Just some of our facilities and services:
â–ª24 hour reception and staff
â–ªCheck in time 2pm, but you're always welcome to arrive before as we can store your luggage
â–ªCheck out time 11am
â–ªLogged and coded keycard door access
â–ªFree safes and luggage lockers in every room
â–ªEnsuite rooms available
â–ªFree overnight coach and car parking
â–ªFree full continental breakfast
▪Full restaurant meals from £5
â–ªFull CCTV coverage for added security
â–ªFree linen and beds which are premade
â–ªGroup meal menus and packed lunches available
â–ªBar and late night lounge areas
â–ªReading, conservatory and quiet rooms
â–ªDisabled access and lift
â–ªLarge selection of rooms including double, twin and dormitory rooms
â–ªHeavy duty laptop and valuables safes at reception
â–ªGround floor reception and rooms
â–ªGroup and individual luggage storage
â–ªPayphone, fax and photocopy facilities
â–ªFree Wi-Fi and PC access
â–ªWashing and drying facilities available
â–ªTheatre and attraction ticket sales at reception
â–ªSouvenirs and toiletries sales at reception
Note that this property has a maximum stay of 31 nights.
All under 18s must be accompanied by an adult and have a written approval from parents with a copy of their passport or I.D. If staying in a single sex dorm room the adult and child must be the same gender. Please note under 16s are not allowed to stay in dorm rooms. You must book a private room.
Please note that reservations for the night of the 31st December 2013 will be subject to a no-cancellation policy.
This property has a 24HR cancellation policy. Bookings will need to by cancelled via email by 2pm of the previous day the guest is supposed to arrive.
Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.