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Jesus never described the gospel as an escape hatch, whereby we can exchange his current world for a spiritual retreat far away. Never. Rather, his gospel was: "God's kingdom is here! It is now! Heaven has come to earth!" So when Jesus invited his first disciples to "Follow me," he was inviting them to get in on the world-redeeming, evil-conquering, status-reversing, life-transforming movement of God that had invaded planet Earth.
Jesus was inviting his followers to live out (not just pray) the words, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Christ invited us, not to abandon our world that needs restoration, but to become catalysts and conduits of the gracious movement of God in today's world.
Lately I've been using an old Yiddish story from Peter Frost to illustrate this: There was a baker named Morris who had always lived in the same little village. He awoke one morning bored and disgusted with his life. He looked over at his sleeping wife and asked himself, "Why her?"
Rising from bed, he peeped into his children's bedroom. "Why them?" he muttered and walked out of the house. Looking back at his old tumbledown house from the walkway he was overcome with gloom again. "Why that?" As Morris walked to the village his mood grew darker still: "I'll never be able to fix up that old house. My wife never gives me a moment's peace. My children are selfish and foolish. I barely make a living baking bread."
Then Morris remembered something his rabbi said. "Someday we will all go to heaven," the old man said, "and there everyone will be happy, content and no one will know trouble or pain again."
"When will I get to go to heaven?" wondered Morris. Suddenly, he answered his own question: "Now! I will go now to find heaven!" So, instead of walking to the bakery, Morris started off in the opposite direction, the direction the old rabbi pointed whenever he talked about heaven. Off Morris went toward the horizon.
As night fell, Morris took off his boots and pointed them in the direction he was walking, so that when he awoke, he would know which direction to go. He then collapsed into a deep sleep. While Morris slept, an angel came along the same path. The angel stood over the sleeping baker, listening to him snore.
Then the angel noticed Morris' boots pointing toward heaven and gave a quiet chuckle. He realized Morris' intentions, and acting mischievously, turned Morris' boots back toward home and then faded into the night. Morris awoke with the morning sun, put on his boots and started off in the direction they were pointing.
As Morris walked, he noticed that the path looked oddly familiar, especially when he came to an old wooden gate that seemed to be an entrance to heaven. He was surprised it wasn't made of gold or expensive wood. Still, he lifted the latch and went into the yard. This heavenly yard looked so much like his yard back home. The door to the heavenly house also looked familiar.
He entered the house and sat down at the table, the smells of heavenly food making his mouth water and his stomach rumble. A woman, so very like his wife, served him a large steaming bowl of soup and a fat roll. He ate everything put before him.
Meanwhile, two young children danced into the kitchen and smiled up at him. These children in heaven were so nice, quiet and friendly that Morris had to sigh with happiness. "Yes," he thought, "it is exactly as the rabbi said. I have found heaven, and it is simply wonderful."
This old Yiddish tale is more than a quaint story. It is the truth of the gospel. For when we ask the question, "How far is heaven?" we never have to look beyond the world in which we live. Jesus, with a clever smile on his face, has pointed our boots back to the place we know best.
It all began in 1980 when the executives of the one of the largest companies in the world, secretly commissioned a scheme named "Project Kansas." The commission had the most daunting task any group of business people could be given: Re-engineer a product, re-package it, and successfully market it to re-gain the falling market share of the last thirty years.
So the commission got to work. They completely redesigned their product and its packaging, conducted field tests, focus groups, sample marketing, and extensive surveys. And the results were strong.
The new product was favored by consumers, over the old one, nine to one. So, with great anticipation, on April 23, 1985, the company stopped production of its older, now antiquated product and unveiled to the world its new creation: New Coke.
Now, I grew up a couple of hours from the Atlanta headquarters of Coca-Cola. The company and drink have been so influential in that neck of the woods that every carbonated drink on the market is simply referred to as "a Coke." It's not "pop." It's not "soda." It's not "cola." It's not root beer, Sprite, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper. It is Coke. The flavors of the Coke are secondary. But not in 1985.
New Coke was a disaster, especially in the southeast. That 10% minority that didn't like the new product, not only didn't like it, they felt betrayed. Lobbing organizations were formed, public protests were staged, Coke had to hire additional staff to respond to complaints, Coke signs were booed at major sporting events; even Fidel Castro complained.
Three months after its launch, the company made the announcement that old coke, "Coca-Cola Classic," would return to the market place; an announcement so important that Peter Jennings interrupted General Hospital to tell the nation. And by the end of the year, just eight months after the fiasco had begun, the Classic formula was outselling every cola product on the market, a position it has not given up to this day.
Coca-Cola's continued success is due largely to the fact that its leadership had the courage to admit it had the wrong product, returned to its original formula. They succeeded, not because of product innovation, but because of product restoration. They went back, in order to go forward. Maybe the church should do the same.
See, a lot has changed in the church over the years. There have been renewals, schisms, reformations, changes in style, music, and architecture. Many of these changes have been cosmetic and cultural. But some of these changes have been a reformulation of the "original formula" so to speak.
We admire, love, and quote Jesus, our originator, but we look, sound, and preach so very different than he did. We often speak of the good news of the gospel as a way of getting healthier, wealthier, and wiser; or as a therapeutic device to help us with our anxieties; or as a means of escaping this present world – taste tests prove this is what consumers like.
But the gospel that Jesus preached was that the good news that the kingdom of God had arrived. This kingdom wasn't for our personal comfort. It wasn't a disembodied place on a cloud with halos and golden harps. This kingdom wasn't a spiritual ticket that guaranteed a seat on the glory train to heaven upon death.
Rather, Jesus' message was that the rule of God had been brought to bear in the present world: "God has moved into the neighborhood," to use Eugene Peterson's vivid phrase. Jesus did not come to live in your heart like an imaginary friend. He came to bring you into thekingdomofGodthat you might be a part of God's ministry of justice, compassion, and mercy.
He came, not to give you peace about the afterlife per se, though he will, but he came to revolutionize the life you live today. The objective, according to Jesus, was not to get people into heaven, but to get heaven inside of people. That is a formula that can change the world.
"God said it, I believe it, and that settles it." This slogan is one of today's all too common bumper sticker defenses of the Bible. The phrase is sometimes amended to read, "God said it…and that settles it," to reflect that personal belief is inconsequential in the matter. Proponents of this view caricaturize the Bible as a divinely dictated book of statutes whose truth is crystal clear to anyone who has sense enough to simply read. Of course they fail to clarify that what they call the "truth" is their view of the truth, shaped by their unique set of circumstances, experiences, and presuppositions.
I often encounter fervent, sincere, Bible-believing people who say things like, "We need more of the Bible around here." I don't disagree, but the sense I get is that what some people really want are for their interpretations of the Bible to be upheld, validated, and shouted at everyone else in the room. They want the preacher to hit all the hot buttons on all the hot issues – and hit these buttons with some zing – so that they can shout "Hallelujah, we are right and everybody else is wrong!" Then they can continue with business as usual, celebrating their own spiritual beauty and criticizing the ugliness of those with whom they disagree.
Thus, "believing the Bible" can create hard-hearted, judgmental, graceless religionists who patrol society with their personalized weapons of rigidity and arrogance. In such cases, both belief and the Bible have been misappropriated. Christians can become "settled" for sure, but are simultaneously nothing like their namesake, Jesus Christ.
I think there is a more principled approach to dealing with the Scriptures (even if my suggestion is shaped by my own unique set of assumptions): What if we begin to read the Bible descriptively rather than just prescriptively? That is, what if the Bible describes the human search for the Holy – and the Holy's interaction with the human – rather than simply prescribing religious behavior?
Such a change would allow us to be set free from stagnant dogma that "settles it," and instead put us on a journey of faithful exploration. We could then read the Scriptures, not to confirm our righteousness and others' wrongness, but looking for clues to how we can better know God. After all, that's what I believe the Bible is all about: God spoke through the lives, experiences, and writing of those who went before us, so we could know him. And he is best known in the person of Jesus. Everything before Jesus is prelude, everything we read about him is gospel, and everything we read after him is reflection.
So we can see that the goal of the Scriptures is not to give us ideas about religion; not to help us form sharper or better doctrinal statements; or to build theological armaments against those who believe differently than we do, or to answer all of our questions. It is to bring us face to face with Christ, and to become like him.
Consequently, we must be cautious not to fall more in love with the statues of the Scriptures than the actual Subject of the Scripture. We must guard against being more committed to our presuppositions about God than the Person who came to show us who God is and who we can become. We cannot be more smitten with the Bible than we are with Jesus, as strange as that may sound, for that is nothing less than a subtle form of idolatry.
Our faith isn't built on the Bible. It is built on a Person. There is only one foundation for Christian faith (the Bible says as much!), and that foundation is Jesus Christ. Upon him our faith rests, upon him the church is built, and he is what the Bible is about. I'm not advocating setting the Bible aside, but to actually embrace it, and see to whom it points. This may be an unsettling way to approach the Scriptures, but being "settled" isn't the point; knowing and becoming like Jesus is.


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Volume 2: Issue 2
September/October 1997
Can You Be Transgendered and Christian?
Table Of Contents
Cover Story
From The Pulpit
Bible Study and Inspiration
Holy Humor!
Story: Transgendered and Christian:
Transgendered Christians, Gays and Our Common Bond
--By: Robyn M.E. Shanor, PhD MDiv
Being a transgendered Christian is in many ways similar to being a gay Christian. We face a number of the same issues, and some different issues as well.
Transsexual Theology
-- By: Starchild
When the Apostle Paul describes how our being one in Christ through our Baptism breaks down the normal human boundaries that we see as barriers, he is very explicit in including gender as one of these now irrelevant conditions.
John 3:16
-- By: Barbara Jean Jason
How can we be a Christian and be transgendered/gay, or both? The answer is pretty clear in John 3:16.
Happily Christian, Openly Transgendered and---A Seminary Student???
--By Vanessa Sheridan
For the last ten years of my life I've been on a rather amazing journey of self-discovery--a spiritual quest, if you will. My goal was to find out if my intrinsic transgendered orientation and corresponding behaviors were compatible with faith in God through Christ Jesus.
The Way Out
--By: Becky Allison
And just as clearly as I ever heard any voice, I heard Him say to me, "Becky, this is your way out."
From a Chapter on the ELCA Today - Transdenomination to Transgender
--By: Carol Stabel
Perhaps in the expanded community of believers, ELCA churches of the Lutheran World Federation, uniting with other Reformed brethren, will renew their commitment to "justification by grace through faith" -- hopefully abandoning any discriminatory or voyeuristic focus upon sexual and gender content of constituent families and homes.
Back To Topic List
The God I Came To Know
--By: Alden Möller
Gay people who love God have a tough time reconciling the two concepts. This is not because of its 'paradoxical nature', but rather due to the brainwashing we have to endure from childhood.
Coming Out=Born Again
--By: Darren McDonald
It was only after actually screaming out loud one night with tears streaming from an honestly bleeding heart to God to take away my infliction of homosexuality that I was at last able to be released from years of secret torture.
True Freedom
--By: Parker Allen
Ironically, the one place that I was not free to be myself was in the church. Ironic because Jesus spoke of honesty and integrity.
Back To Topic List
Am I Ex-Straight? Ex-gays and the Ethics of Labels
--By: Candace Chellew
Ever since I have heard the term "ex-gay" it has troubled me. Those who say they have left homosexual behavior and feelings behind brandish the label proudly.
Choice in Sexual Orientation: The Sword That Cuts Both Ways
--By: Patricia Nell Warren
"Choice" -- and how both gay and religious leaders perceive it -- is a key word in today's noisy national debate about gay rights.
Do Homosexuals Need to be Healed of their Homosexuality?
--By: Joseph Adam Pearson, Ph.D.
The overwhelming majority of people believe that homosexuality is immoral. I do not. I believe that homosexuality is amoral and that homosexuals individually are either moral or immoral.
Back To Topic List
"The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology"
Young author challenges historian Boswell's conclusions
--By: Gip Plaster
He said he can be gay and Christian without relying on possible evidence of same-sex unions performed in the early church.
God's Gay Tribe
by M.R. Ritley: A Groundswell of Gay Spirituality
--By: Scott Isebrand
"Being gay is not an accident . . . it is a calling."
Inerrancy and Insolence
--By: Candace Chellew
Proving others wrong can be addictive. It can lead you to believe you are always right, about everything. Even when you are wrong you continue to try to prove others wrong, knowing you are right, no matter what.
Dual Attraction
By: Sunchild
Being bisexual does not mean equal attraction to both sexes, which is the first misconception of bisexuality.p>
Back To Topic List
From The Pulpit:
Being Fundamentalist
--By: Reverend Michael S. Piazza
Fundamentalists in Jesus day were no more open minded than they are in our day, and there is a bit of the fundamentalist in us all.
Being A Crazy Dog For Christ
--By: Reverend Paul Turner
Throughout his life Jesus, again and again, performed crazy dog stunts. He ate with tax collectors, spoke to prostitutes, walked among the lepers, the poor and the sick. He dared to ask if a rule was more important than God's people. Do you get the picture? God is calling us to be crazy dogs!
Sexual Ethics for All of Us
--By: Rev. Thea Nietfeld
To include spirituality in the discussion of the sexuality is to claim our wholeness: our bodies are not separated from personal maturity, from meaningful commitments, from fears and friendships and from our interdependence with the rest of the natural world's web.
Back To Topic List
Bible Study and Inspiration:
Living The Way of Truth
--By: Candace Chellew
John 14:6 -- Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me."
The Road of Life
Posted with permission -- Author wishes to remain Anonymous
When I met Christ, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.
Back To Topic List
Holy Humor!
Top Ten Things That Would Be Different If The Twelve Apostles Had Been Gay Men
The Thermodynamics of Hell
Back To Topic List
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subset: commoncrawl


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|Birth Date:
|Orinda, Calif.
|High School:
|Miramonte HS
UC Santa Barbara
2009: Placed second in the 100 butterfly (54.46), third in the 200 backstroke (2:00.63) and seventh in the 200 IM (2:05.50) at the Big West Championships. 2008: Placed third in the 200 backstroke (2:02.56) and fourth in the 100 butterfly (55.51) at the Big West Championships...Also earned CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major All-American Honorable Mention accolades. 2007: Was fourth in the 100 fly (55.80), fifth in the 200 fly (2:07.62), fifth in the 200 backstroke (2:04.16), and twentieth in the 100 backstroke (57.84) at the Big West Championships. Nationally: Competed at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100-meter butterfly and placed 87th with a time of 1:02.14. High School
Swam for Miramonte High School, coached by Don Heidary...Holds school record in the 100 fly...A two-time all-league and All-American honoree...Competed for Orinda Aquatics, coached by Ron and Don Heidary...Honors include Most Improved award...Played water polo for Miramonte. Personal
Katherine Ure was born on Feb. 3, 1988 to parents Herb and Elma...Has a younger sister, Molly...Interests include: puzzles, brain teasers, magic, reading and eating at Chipotle...Enjoys reading the "Harry Potter" series...Most memorable athletic moment was competing at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska...Majoring in sociology.


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Game of Thrones 207: A Man Without Honor
SPOILER WARNING: All events that have occurred in the TV show up to and including yesterday's episode are fair game. I have read the books but I will not go any further beyond small hints that only fellow book-readers will catch on to. You've been warned.
This week's episode was different than most, it had a whole lot of character development and almost no macro-level action. As such, I'm going to be experimenting with something different as well. As usual, the post will largely be divided based on geography, but I'm also going to split some of it based on character and thematic groups. Don't worry, you'll see what I mean.
Theon Greyjoy is sure in a pickle. Nobody likes him, he goes from trying to rally the Ironborn to please Robb Stark to attacking the North to please his father. He just can't win. Anyway, the actors in "Game of Thrones" have perfected the art of fading from smirk to grimace. If you watch the episode again, look for the way Theon's expression changes as he turns from the people of Winterfell to the horribly burnt bodies of Bran and Rickon Stark. I mean, those bodies are Bran and Rickon, aren't they?
Well, they might be. Theon did say there was nothing he wouldn't do to stop himself from looking like a fool and that it's better to be cruel than weak. Then again, when they mounted Ned's head on a spike in King's Landing it was perfectly recognizable, so why go to all the trouble of burning the bodies? Let alone the bodies of two boys Theon once thought of as brothers and whom he clearly still cares for, despite trying oh so hard to act like he doesn't. And if Theon really did find and kill the boys where are Osha and Hodor (who'd be pretty hard to miss)? That said, this is "Game of Thrones," we all know anyone can be killed. Maester Luwin was certainly convinced, are you?
As I suspected, the dragon-napping was a way for Pyat Pree to get Daenerys into the House of the Undying. Most of you still don't know what that means, but take my word for it, going there is just about the only interesting thing she does in the second book. As I've said her story line is boring, so they're adding stuff like the dragon-napping and Xaro's little coup d'état to spice things up a bit. There's not much else to say other than let's wait and see where it takes us. Oh, and that Pyat Pree is one creepy motherfucker.
The Lannisters as good guys?
As I've often discussed, one of the best things about Game of Thrones is that there are no good guys or bad guys, no heroes or villains, no black or white, only human beings and thus shades of grey. This week's episode gave us some of the best evidence of this yet, as we got a glimpse into the minds of a number of prominent members of House Lannister. While they've done some awful things, the Lannisters are still human, and they've undergone many of the same struggles as the characters we love.
Last week, we saw a different side of Tywin when he told Arya about teaching Jaime to read. His humanization continued this week, partly because of the way he told Arya she reminds him Cersei after she said "most girls are idiots." Like Cersei, Arya has no interest in things that are "meant" for girls, although I'm sure she didn't take too kindly to being compared to someone one her to-kill list. More importantly however, Tywin actually took steps to protect Arya, who he now believes to be highborn, telling her to say "m'lord" rather than "my lord" if she wants to pass herself off as a commoner. Whether or not Tywin knows who she is specifically remains to be seen.
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Posted in: Television
Tags: Arya Stark, Benjen Stark, Bran Stark, Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Eddard Stark, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones blog, Jaime Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon, Jon Snow, Maester Luwin, Nate Kreichman, Rickon Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Ygritte


text: MainSports & GamesVolleyball Listen VolleyballThis page draws together volleyball-related information for all of Special Olympics. The coaching materials and other links will help you get a good sense of how this sport contributes to Special Olympics. StoriesEventsGames Team Coordinated EffortThe game of volleyball is attractive to all types of players, from competitive to recreational, young and old. To play volleyball players need to acquire a few basic skills, learn a few rules, require very little equipment, and can play the game almost anywhere - from the beach to the gym. The aim of the sport is to score more points by hitting the ball with the hands and sending it over the net to the opponent's court.Recently, Special Olympics was awarded a two-year grant from the SportsUnited Division of the U.S. Department of State to support a coaching fellowship to recruit and train high level Special Olympics coaches and leaders from the United States, Serbia, and Montenegro. A total of 20 fellows from the United States, Serbia, and Montenegro will participate in various 10-day workshops focused on recruiting and training high-level coaches and adapting their skills to work with athletes with intellectual disabilities to compete in soccer (football) and volleyball. Learn MoreAbout This Page Special Olympics focuses on the individuality of each athlete so that coaches can train and encourage growth in skills and accomplishment. The coaching materials, rules and other resources on this page have been specially prepared for coaches working with people with intellectual disabilities. Coaching Special Olympics athletes calls for the same skills and experience that many coaches are familiar with. The extra information in our coaching guides about working with people with ID is what makes our materials helpful and valuable.


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TV big factor in creation of brutal schedules
If Peter Holt mutters a few curses in the direction of Gregg Popovich's office as he writes that check for $250,000 to David Stern this week, he needs to remember one thing:
Just how broadly he smiles each time he receives a check from Olympic Tower that represents the Spurs' share of the league's TV revenue.
Lost in the indignation, official and otherwise, over Popovich's decision to send four of his best players back to San Antonio rather than play them against the Heat is this: The role TNT network's exclusive Thursday night programming played in the brutal Spurs' schedule that led to the coach's choice.
The cable network paid through the nose for that TNT Thursday accommodation. Now Holt and his partners in Spurs ownership will pay for Popovich's reaction to playing four games in five nights. That run was dictated, in part, because one day of each week effectively has been taken from those who must figure out the giant jigsaw puzzle that is the league schedule.
Plotting 82 games for each team has been a nightmare for years, and more so since the league expanded to 30 teams. There are arena availability issues in every city. Some are just as knotty as the Spurs face each February, when the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo takes over the AT&T Center for most of the month.
The league has a computer program to guide the schedule makers, but some practical issues always have been beyond even digital solution.
Scheduling became much more difficult when the league agreed in 2003 to limit Thursday games to the two aired that night by TNT. The cable giant pays a nine-figure rights fee, part of the $932 million the league will get this season from its TV partners, and insisted on having no competition for NBA-obsessed viewers on Thursdays.
One side effect of that accommodation: The schedulers had to cram all but 40 of 1,230 regular-season games into six days per week, rather than seven.
Didn't that guarantee more back-to-backs and stretches of four games in five nights for every team?
Except for Orlando, which has only 13 sets of back-to-back games, every team has at least 15 of those. Twelve teams have 20 or more. Philadelphia has 22, a league high.
Except for Utah, every team this season has at least one stretch of four games in five nights. The Knicks and Timberwolves have four such stretches of schedule brutality. Five more have three.
The Spurs' schedule falls in the middle of the brutality scale: 17 sets of back-to-backs and two sets of four games in five nights.
Stern doesn't care about any of the factors that should have mitigated outrage at Popovich's decision. Or TNT's unintended role in how they came about. What the commissioner saw was a potential ratings bonanza for TNT being sabotaged. So he threatened substantial sanctions before one of the most entertaining games of the season brought decent Nielsen numbers.
Popovich insists the decision to sit Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker was made as soon as he took a gander at the schedule when it was released in August. If his team was to have a shot at winning Saturday's game against the Grizzlies, he reasoned, his Big Three needed to be fresh to face Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Tony Allen.
Danny Green was added to the scratch list when Popovich increased his workload on the recently concluded six-game road trip after injuries sidelined Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson.
Could it be that Stern took note of Popovich's assertion and pored over the Spurs' schedule to find the next time they will be playing four games in five nights before settling on the third-highest amount in league history as their punishment?
See, Popovich will bring his team to Stern's "home court," Madison Square Garden, on Jan. 3 to play the Knicks, Stern's favorite team, in San Antonio's fourth game in five nights.
If Popovich were to sit his Big Three in that game, Stern's head might explode.
Twitter: @Monroe_SA


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Ella Moss
ELLA MOSS high low dress sz S - worn once
I've been an active seller on eBay for 15 years as well as an ER nurse and a mother of three. Three years ago I opened a consignment boutique called My Chic's so and haven't needed to list much online nor had the time. Now with 750 consignors and good help I am utilizing eBay and other online sites to help move personal and store inventory. If you like My Chic's on FB you can see my daily posts and get first dibs on the newest hot items even before the locals get here.
All items in my store are in great condition. I carry name brand clothing, shoes and accessories for the whole family. I have designer purses, hats, scarves and jewelry as well as small home decor and unique pieces made by my local artists I'm hoping to have listed soon as well.
I ship for FREE so please consider this in my prices. I will leave feedback for you once it is received. Please contact me with any problems before leaving feedback...even neutral. I am human and sometimes miss something in which I will offer a full refund, but cannot refund if "it doesn't fit right."
This is a cute dress from my personal closet - worn once
Measures lying down flat across : in inches
Chest - 17
Waist - 19
Hips - 20
Length - 32 - 43
Material - rayon and stretch


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We rave about SO MANY food items throughout the year, it's hard to keep up with 'em all. So we're taking this opportunity to present to you the TOP ATE new products to add to your supermarket list... Take notes!
1 bar: 90 calories, 3g fat, 80 - 85mg sodium, 18g carbs, 5g fiber, 8g sugars, <1g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2*
These BRAND-NEW treats are close cousins of those Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies we love so much. Same shape and size, but sweet new varieties! The lemony one is so fantastic, it will convert non-lemon-lovers, and the coffee cake is perfect with a morning cup of joe. Hitting shelves in June, a.k.a. TOMORROW!
1 bar: 70 calories, 2g fat, 30mg sodium, 14g carbs, 5g fiber, 3g sugars, 8g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2* With "good-for-you ice cream" in the name, this product isn't exactly a tough sell. But what the name doesn't tell you is that these frozen bars taste AMAZING. As for flavors, pick your craving: Coffee, Fudge, or Orange Cream! We still can't get over the low calorie and fat counts AND the high fiber and protein stats. Click ASAP to locate a store near you that carries the bars.
1 wedge: 35 - 45 calories, 1.5 - 4g fat, 110 - 180mg sodium, <1 - 1g carbs, 0g fiber, <1 - 1g sugars, 2g protein -- PointsPlus® value 1* Have you gotten your hands on these BREAKOUT cheeses yet? You must! The white cheddar? Literally the PERFECT choice for making guilt-free mac 'n cheese. Try it in place of the Light Creamy Swiss in this recipe. The Chive & Onion cream cheese is a DREAM topper for light bagels. (Click for bagel picks!) These newbies aren't supermarket staples yet, but the White Cheddar wedges can be found at Sam's Club and look for the Chive & Onion ones at Walmart.
1 stick: 60 - 80 calories, 4 - 5g fat, 140 - 190mg sodium, <1 - 1g carbs, 0g fiber, 0 - <1g sugars, 5 - 7g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2* You want more cheese? Here you go! These new and improved string cheese sticks from Kraft/Polly-O are so impressive. Totally special and essential for zazzling up snack time. Just LOOK at the flavors! We're getting hungry thinking about that Sweet BBQ Twisted stuff... Mmmmm!
1 oz. (24 - 28 nuts): 160 calories, 12 - 13g fat, 25 - 30mg sodium, 7 - 9g carbs, 3g fiber, 3 - 6g sugars, 5 - 6g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4 - 5*
Almonds are hunger-busting superstars, thanks to their kick-butt combo of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. But they can be slightly boring. Enter these fun flavored nuts! The coffee kinds come in Mocha, Roasted Coffee, and Caramel Macchiato, and the fruity ones come in Blueberry, Strawberry, and Raspberry. Yum city! HG tip: Portion these out ahead of time to avoid inhaling two to three servings in one sitting.
1 tbsp.: 120 calories, 14g fat, 0mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0g protein -- PointsPlus® value 4*
"OIL?" Yes, oil! Although it's calorie and fat dense, oil can be super healthy... Just make sure to measure the stuff! This blend is incredible because it combines grapeseed, canola, and extra virgin olive oils, so you get the health benefits of all three. And since the flavor is nice and light, this product is crazy versatile. Try it when grilling up veggies!
1 oz.: 110 calories, 0g fat, 0mg sodium, 24 - 28g carbs, 2 - 6g fiber, 10 - 23g sugars, 0 - 2g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2 - 3* Whether you love Marvel heroes or just want new flavors of freeze-dried fruit snacks in your life, these treats are mega must-haves! Choose from Mighty Bananas (Thor), Legendary Cinnamon Apples (Captain America), Incredible Pineapples (The Hulk), Invincible Strawberry Bananas (Iron Man), and Ultimate Strawberries (Spiderman). Snack on 'em straight, enjoy them in parfaits, add 'em to snack mixes... You name it!
1 package: 100 calories, 7 - 9g fat, 220 - 230mg sodium, 6 - 9g carbs, 2 - 3g fiber, 3 - 5g sugars, 2 - 4g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3* Seaweed snacks are amazing and have been gaining in popularity. Well, the GimMe company has put a whole new spin on the crispy goodies! These flavor-boosted crumbles come in Cheddar Cheese, Honey Dijon, and Sesame. YEAH. They taste outstanding, and, if you want, you can eat the whole bag. YUM!
Check out this "Best of Spotted on Shelves..." roundup! Protein-boosted almond milk, chocolate cream cheese, meatless finds, and MORE!
Share the fun food news... Click "Send to a Friend" now!
How should you celebrate the last day of May, a.k.a. National Salad Month? With one of these awesome salads!
SmartPoints® value not what you expected? Click here for more info on how the values are calculated, plus more FAQs about PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® values on our website.


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California Department of Transportation
January 21, 2011
District 1 - Eureka
Contact: Phil Frisbie, Jr
Phone: (707) 441-4678
Sacramento – Continuing the push to rebuild California's infrastructure and spur job growth, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) today allocated $1 billion to 107 transportation projects statewide, including $838 million from Proposition 1B, a transportation bond approved by voters in 2006. The remaining allocations came from assorted state and federal transportation accounts.
"From one end of the state to the other, transportation projects are providing jobs and improving mobility for people and businesses in California," said Caltrans Director Cindy McKim.
Since its passage, $6.8 billion in Proposition 1B funding has been allocated by Caltrans and the CTC. Highlights of yesterday's funding allocations include:
- Mendocino County - $495,000 from Proposition 1B funds to construct a roundabout at the intersection of Route 1 and Simpson Lane. A roundabout will relieve current and future projected congestion at this intersection more efficiently than traffic signals.
- Mendocino County - $2.6 million in State and Federal transportation funds for storm damage repairs on Route 101 near Rattlesnake Creek Bridge. Repairs include constructing a retaining wall, reconstructing shoulders, and improving drainage
For information about all projects that received allocations please visit: http://www.dot.ca.gov/docs/ctcprojectallocationsjanuary2011.pdf
# # # #


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Listen right in your browser or your own player: 64k mp3 | 128k mp3 | 320k mp3
Sodom & Gomorrah
Last Friday's set included a transition (segue, AKA, for those in the industry or who just like using the technical term) that won radio for the day. Maybe even the week.
It was proudly brought to you by COLLEGE RADIO. Nowhere else on the FM dial will you still hear creations such as this. Serendipity was a hefty contributor, as both the disks involved actually fell off the shelves on one or another of our heads so that they could be played.
I'm talking about Diabolic's "Vengeance Ascending" followed by Beth Severe's "Sodom & Gomorrah." You can link to the playlist, and you can listen to the archive.


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Blue Devils girls fall to 2-2 with 44-37 loss
DEEP RUN�South Lenoir�s first game at home on Tuesday looked a lot like the previous three on the road.
Playing their opening contest at Jimmy Smith Court following three consecutive wins away from Deep Run, the Blue Devils did what they�ve done all season � lay waste to their opposition.
For the second time this season, the victim was Richlands as the Devils (4-0) used an early 15-0 run to put away the Wildcats 65-35 and remain undefeated.
The SL girls weren�t as fortunate. They stumbled their way through most of the game and dropped a 44-37 decision to a Richlands squad they had defeated on the road a week ago.
The Devils rarely missed a step although they didn�t play their best basketball.
�I don�t want to sound like I�m nitpicking, but I know we can play better,� SL coach Jeremy Barnett said. �We did plenty of good things tonight, but we were too careless with the basketball and didn�t do as good a job on the boards as we�ve been doing.�
SL turned the ball over 28 times but more than made up for their own ball handling woes with an active, ferocious pressure defense that harassed the Wildcats into giving up the ball on 35 possessions.
The Devils collected 18 steals, which led directly to 28 points, almost the entire margin of victory.
�I have no issues with the way we played defense,� said Barnett, whose team has not allowed more than 35 points in a game so far this season. �We�ve been a tremendous defensive team all year, which has helped generate some easy baskets on the offensive end.�
Richlands led 4-2 just over a minute into the game before SL dropped its defensive curtain.
Seven of the next 8 Wildcat possessions ended in turnovers, and by the time the carnage had ended, the Devils led 17-4.
Only once (17-8) did the lead dip below double digits again.
�Once we established ourselves defensively we were able to create some separation,� Barnett said. �That�s the same formula we�ve used in every game and hopefully it will continue.�
The Devils received numerous outstanding individual performances.
Jonte Midgette led all scorers with 20 points, while 6-8 center Jaquan Wooten dominated the interior with 11 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and a pair of assists.
The two combined for one sequence that summed up the entire game. Midgette misfired from 3-point range, but Wooten grabbed the offensive rebound and then made a nice pass back to Midgette, who was streaking into the lane and easily converted a layup.
That type of teamwork by the Devils was on display most of the contest.
�It says a lot about this team that they can win a game by 30 points and still not be satisfied,� Barnett said. �They know they didn�t play as well as they�re capable and they only want to get better.�
Dion Jones added 11 points and 5 steals for SL, which hosts Pamlico Tuesday.
After scoring the game�s first 4 points, the SL girls (2-2) fell into a lethargy from which they never recovered.
Previously winless Richlands reeled off the next 13 points and never trailed again, although the Devils did close to within one early in the third quarter and to within two, 34-32, on a free throw by Meosha Franklin with 3:21 left in the game.
The Wildcats (1-2) closed out the game by hitting 7 free throws down the stretch.
SL turned the ball over 34 times and shot just 22 percent (12 of 54) from the floor. Adding insult to injury, the Devils connected on only 7 of 19 attempts from the free throw line.
Demyia West paced SL with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Girls Box
Richlands 13 7 7 17�44
South Lenoir5 12 6 14�37
WILDCATS (1-2) � Jennie Washington 14, Caliyah Toudle 13, Kalina Taylor 10, Monssen 3, Nunu 2, Batchelor 2, Martin, Scurlock.
BLUE DEVILS (2-2) � Demeyia Adams 10, West 8, Franklin 7, Suddeth 6, Epps 4, Meready 2, Gates, Williams.
Boys Box
Richlands 8 6 11 10�35
South Lenoir17 19 20 9�65
WILDCATS (0-2) � Toudle 8, Cottle 6, Marshall 6, Hayes 4, Harrington 4, Jackson 3, Rivers 2, Batchelor 2, Davis, Barber.
BLUE DEVILS (4-0) � Jonte Midgette 20, Jaquan Wooten 11, Dion Jones 11, Mickens 8, Williams 5, Cooper 5, Whaley 3, Stroud 2, Kelly, Williams, Turner, Huffman.


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Welcome to Medical Mondays, where medical facts for the purposes of fiction are discussed ad nauseum and my readers are left only slightly vertiginous.
All I ask in return is that you become a follower of my blog and post a link on your blog when I post. Easy peasy.
Also, don't forget to check out Mental Health Mondays at Laura's Blog!


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Greg Daily
So, how's that grilled cheese sandwich and fried chicken?
Sounds like someone needs to branch out the taste buds.
But wait. We're not talking expanding the cereal collection — we're talking exploring Boulder's great ethnic restaurants.
And, no, going to Taco Bell does not count as authentic Mexican cuisine.
Since most of us can't afford to travel the world, Boulder makes it easy to find good, authentic ethnic food.
Here are 10 spots to satiate your worldly hunger.
Pupusas Sabor Hispano
Where: 4550 N. Broadway, Boulder, 303-444-1729
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday
This restaurant may look like a strip mall hole in the wall, but the authentic Salvadorian cuisine is one of Boulder's hidden gems.
The signature dish — a pupusa — is a big pancake-looking, thick corn tortilla stuffed with meats and good stuff. Or go bold and try some menudo or a taco con lengua — a tongue taco.
Don't forget to try the salsa bar with six different salsas.
Ras Kassas Ethiopian Restaurant
Where: 2111 30th St., Boulder, 303-447-2919
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Finally. We can eat with our hands in public. In fact, you pretty much have to eat with your hands.
Ras Kassas has been a Boulder favorite for years. The Ethiopian restaurant is known for being extremely vegetarian-friendly.
This is a good place for a first date — get all the awkwardness out of the way by playing with your food together.
Try the pan-fried red trout or spicy organic red lentils.
Info: raskassas.com
The Taj
Where: 2630 Baseline Road, Boulder, 303-494-5216
Hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-10 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Indian food cravings are like sushi cravings. They won't go away until satisfied.
Now that I made you crave Indian food, head to The Taj, where you will be super pleased. For those who have never had Indian food, the restaurant has the best buffet in town with a big variety of dishes which makes it great for trying out different things.
Info: tajcolorado.com
Chez Thuy
Where: 2655 28th St., Boulder, 303-442-1700
Hours: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 4-9:30 p.m. Sunday
Pho — Vietnamese soup — has been gaining more and more popularity with restaurants popping up all over the place, akin to Starbucks in the '90s.
Chez Thuy has been brewing up fabulous pho in Boulder since the '90s.
The Vietnamese cuisine also serves pad Thai, grilled and stir-fried entrees, salads and fantastic spring rolls.
Info: chezthuy.com
China Gourmet
Where: 3970 N. Broadway St., Boulder, 303-440-3500
Hours: 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Sunday-Friday; 4:30–9 p.m. Saturday
Who needs a fancy restaurant? China Gourmet in North Boulder is definitely a no-frills restaurant, but serves up some of the best Chinese food in Boulder.
Customers order at the counter and pick it up at the window when called.
Make sure to bring cash, though — the restaurant doesn't take credit cards.
Info: chinagourmetmenu.com
Where: 1630 63rd Street, Boulder, 303 440-4045
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
For those who like a little spice in their life, and their food, Efrain's will set your senses on fire.
With a spice scale from 1 to 10, the Mexican restaurant serves all different taste buds.
You can't go wrong with any option, but if you're looking for adventure, skip the menu and order the Efrain's burrito, which is "smothered in who knows what."
Get there early, because there's usually a wait.
Where: 4457 North Broadway Street, Boulder, 303-442-2717
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
Latin food without the meat, might sound unappetizing, but that's not the case at the vegetarian-and-vegan-friendly Zudaka.
If you're a carnivore who's a little nervous, don't fret — the dishes are just as delicious without meat.
Try the hallaquitas, Venezuelan tamales coated in melted cheese, and don't be afraid to make a mess by piling on salsa, hot sauce and black beans — it's the only way to properly enjoy it
Tangier Moroccan Cuisine
Where: 3070 28th Street, Boulder, 303-443-3676
Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-9:30p.m. Monday-Saturday
Ignore the strip mall location, and stop in to Tangier Moroccan Cuisine for a quick adventure.
Leave your comfort zone, take your shoes off and sit on the floor. Enjoy the Diafa, a traditional Moroccan dinner for two, which features your choice of menu options including appetizers, entrees and finish it off with a piece of baklava and some mint tea.
Show up on Friday or Saturday night and enjoy belly dancing with your meal.
Sherpa's Adventurers
Where: 825 Walnut Street, Boulder, 303-440-7151
Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday
No need to climb Mount Everest to get good Tibetan food, just head over to Sherpa's Adventure for a taste of the Himalayas.
Made by genuine sherpas, who grew up in Nepal, enjoy delicious comfort food from across the world. Stop by for a taste of classics such as mooms, handmade Tibetan dumplings — try them fried for an extra kick.
Even learn more about booking a trip to Nepal by checking out their Traveler's Library and Lounge.
Arabesque Cafe
Where: 1634 Walnut Street, Boulder, 720-242-8623
Hours: 8 a.m.-4 a.m. Monday-Saturday
Satisfying that craving for Middle Eastern food might involved ready-made hummus and store-bought pitas, but not at Arabesque Cafe.
The Chai is brewed from their own spices, the pita is homemade, the hummus is ground from fresh chickpeas and the water has a subtle hint of rose in it.
The friendly atmosphere is perfect for a casual breakfast or a lunch date with friends.
But don't plan on having dinner — Arabesque closes at 4.


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Snak Shack
Post Reply
Is the Snak Shack that is sold at PetSmart safe for the guinea pigs? It looks like it would be a lot of fun for the piggies, and says that it is 100% edible, but the ingredients say that it is make with pine shavings.
Man, that is what I thought. Too bad, it's awefully cute. But, I thought occational alfalfa was a good thing. Like the alfalfa cubes to help their teeth. Just not too much for a piggie over a year old. Am I wrong about this?
Hay cubes aren't that great. They don't work their jaws like regular hay. My pigs ignore them and Petstupid stinks.
That thing is an expensive toy. Just get them some KM timothy hay and they will love it more.
That thing is an expensive toy. Just get them some KM timothy hay and they will love it more.
Oh, they definitely have a continuous supply of timothy hay, I just do the alpfalfa cubes as a treat, and they love them. They run up and snatch them out of my hands, but if they are not good for the piggies then I will stop giving it to them.
They're fine as a treat I suppose, but some pigs are more prone to bladder sludge and stones, so you have to be careful.
The snak shacks also contain honey if I remember correctly. I was thinking about getting them too a few months ago. I didn't see the pine shvaings but I think I remember honey being an ingrediant.
Meh, even if it were timothy I wouldn't buy it. It's SO processed and while I'm not positive about seeing honey, there were definitely LOADS of sweeteners in there. And all that food coloring? If it doesn't make them sick, it'll make a mess at the very least. My pigs get so excited over a carrot for a treat, I no longer even consider store bought ones.
The other thing that I saw that looked cute was a baseball looking toy made out of vegetable something or another, that is supposed to be edible. But, when I looked it was tied together with thread. I wouldn't think that would be save!
I know you guys are right, but I just look at a bag and think, how can a bag be fun, this cute toy looks so much better, but I know I am thinking from a human perspective not a piggy one.
Actually, I have tried a bag before, and they seemed somewhat scared of it. Maybe it was the noise it made. They did love it though when I cut a hole in a medium sized box and filled it with shreaded paper. All you could hear were happy noises and scurrying feet! I think I will try the bag again, maybe they will like it this time.
Post Reply 34 posts


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I LOVE LUCY Candy Factory "Talking" Doll
Officially licensed poseable doll celebrates the classic candy factory episode with replica costume, sound bites and the I LOVE LUCY® theme song.
Measures 14" H
From The Ashton-Drake Galleries
- Price:
- s&s◇
"Let 'er roll!" Celebrate one of the most classic TV moments and the 60th anniversary of the I LOVE LUCY® SHOW with this collectible I LOVE LUCY talking doll, available exclusively from The Ashton-Drake Galleries. Not only does this Lucille Ball doll feature her distinctive voice from the side-splitting episode in which Lucy and Ethel work in the candy factory, she also plays the I LOVE LUCY theme song.
Officially licensed, this 14-inch tall Lucy doll has poseable arms and legs for a variety of display options. She's expertly handcrafted in artist's resin for the utmost realism and wears a replica of the star's pink candy factory uniform, complete with a chef's hat covering her silky red hair. For added delight, her hands are filled with "chocolates!" Strong demand is expected from Lucy fans everywhere, so order now!
Fine adult collectible, not intended for children under 14.
- A collectible I LOVE LUCY talking doll celebrating the 60th anniversary of the beloved I LOVE LUCY® SHOW and commemorating the classic episode in which Lucy and Ethel work in a candy factory, available exclusively from The Ashton-Drake Galleries
- Finely handcrafted in artist's resin for the utmost realism, perfectly capturing Lucy's unforgettable persona and features silky red hair
- She talks! At the push of a button, this Lucy doll features her distinctive voice from the side-splitting "Job Switching" episode; she also plays the timeless I LOVE LUCY theme song
- Wears a replica of Lucy's pink candy factory uniform, complete with chef's hat and "chocolates" in her hands
- Lucy's arms and legs are poseable, so you can display her however you like
- Requires 1 "CR 2032" watch battery (included)
- Doll stand included
- Certificate of Authenticity
- Measures 14" H; 35.6 cm H
Fabrics may vary slightly.
I LOVE LUCY and related marks are trademarks of CBS Broadcasting Inc. ©2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. Images of Lucille Ball are officially licensed by Desilu, too, LLC. Unforgettable Licensing. "I LOVE LUCY" Written by HAROLD ADAMSON, ELIOT DANIEL. Copyright 1953, Renewed 1981. Harold Adamson Music/ASCAP/Desilu Music Corp/ASCAP. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
©2011 The Ashton-Drake Galleries


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aredfield necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 106 diseños de 29 diseñadores freelance.
Lakeside Family Farm
We're a 4th generation farm in Central Maine that's looking to develop more of a brand for our mixed vegetables in local markets.
Here's a taste of some of the vegetables we grow that might provide some inspiration: peas, string beans, corn, beets, corn, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, lettuce, kale, broccoli, chard, and even more! We'd love for a logo to incorporate one or more of these vegetables, but...we're open to additional style suggestions.
We sell primarily to wholesale accounts now, but are planning to expand into alternative markets like farmers' markets and maybe a roadside stand. This logo would be on a label you might find in the produce section of your local grocery store.
We would like the logo to reflect the importance of small-scale, local agriculture in Maine, or maybe highlight the vegetables themselves - there are really several different directions we'd be excited about.
We're looking for a logo to use on our packaging and promotional materials. For example, we pack snap peas in a small, plastic clamshell box that's crying out for a beautiful label! Additional uses might involve a 50 lb. paper potato bag, web usage, or the welcoming canvas that is the side of our delivery trucks.
We want to distance ourselves from the sleek corporate logos of big agriculture, but define ourselves as more upscale than your typical backyard gardener.
- We do need the text "Lakeside Family Farm" and "Newport, Maine" in the image.
- As you might expect, the design must be scalable.
- no cartoons, no clipart, no photographs.
- Multicolored designs are fine (welcome, even) but a black and white version should be pretty snazzy as well.
- file formats should be in .jpg, .psd and (UPDATE) .ai.
Sorry we can't provide more explicit requirements, but we're pretty open to different kinds of ideas!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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The future of education in Northeast Florida took a giant leap into the 21st century in early May when the new College of Education and Human Services Building opened on the UNF campus.The College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) is the last UNF college to build a new facility. For years, since 1974, before Human Services was added to the College of Education's title, Schultz Hall served as home for the college. Schultz Hall, named in 1992 in honor of Frederick H. Schultz, consisted mainly of administrative offices and a few classrooms. Education classes met at locations all over campus. Faculty, students and staff were the educational vagabonds of the University.No longer is that true -- a fact which causes Dr. Larry Daniel, dean of COEHS, to maintain a perpetual smile when discussing his new building. "The true excitement I have about the building is the fact that everyone and everything affiliated with the college will be under one roof," Daniel said beaming. "We have had people and programs scattered across the University in disparate locations for many years. We will now be unified in a single facility."Dr. John Venn, interim chair of the Department of Leadership, Counseling and Instructional Technology, is a veteran of 30 years at UNF. He is also a professor in the Department of Exceptional Student and Deaf Education and a research associate with the Florida Institute of Education. Venn had an office in Schultz Hall for the past 15 years. For the first 15 years of his UNF career, he taught classes all over campus, including in nine buildings and a few portables."I think the new building is awesome," Venn said. "I am in my new office on the third floor, and it is comfortable, attractive and spacious. It is so much better than my office in the Schultz Building that there is really no comparison."The new building, designated as Building 57, has 13 classrooms, including two computer classrooms, and 146 offices. Each office suite includes a conference room, storage space and a mini-kitchen and break room.In addition to the extra work space in his own new digs, Venn sees a plethora of reasons why UNF will be better prepared to better educate its students. "We have state-of-the-art facilities for our students in our new building. The classrooms are flexible and attractive with ample storage. The technology and equipment in the rooms are all new and current. We have an array of meeting and conference rooms including a model technology room and educational technology center. All of this will help us to do an even better job educating students and continuing to improve our programs."The new three-story building encompasses 107,000 square feet and cost $21.3 million, including furnishings and equipment. Construction began Dec. 17, 2007. The building is on the west side of the campus core near the Coggin College of Business and the Student Union. A few classes are being offered in the building this summer, and all of its classrooms are scheduled for classes in the fall term.While nothing has been finalized, discussions are ongoing about moving some College of Arts and Sciences departments into Schultz Hall now that COEHS has moved out.Daniel listed a nuts-and-bolts inventory of amenities in the new building. They include: wireless Internet capability throughout the building with state-of-the-art "N" bandwidth (the fastest wireless access available at UNF) and several areas in which students can sit in cushioned chairs to use the Internet or study; an educational technology center with open access computers for approximately 35 students; and classrooms with movable furniture so that instructors may arrange the classroom environment to suit the learning needs of the students and the purpose of the given course.All classrooms have roomy storage closets. Teaching methods classrooms have storage space for materials and running water for classes such as science and art teaching methods. There's also an American Sign Language learning lab with modern digital audio/video technology for helping students learn American Sign Language.The sleek, new building has classrooms on the first two floors. The walls are yellow on some floors and white with yellow accented features on office doors on other floors. Walls in the hallways of the office suites are curved slightly creating a sense of movement and space. Large lobbies on all three floors can be used for public events and receptions. The building also has a conference center with a large auditorium-sized room, which seats about 200 people and a smaller adjoining room, which seats approximately 100 people. Perhaps, the most striking feature of the new building is the many large windows throughout the facility. The outside front is glass from top to bottom.An interesting, attractive interior-decorating touch to the building is a transparent blue wall, which follows the stairs from the bottom floor to the third floor. Plans are for lights to be installed on the bottom floor, illuminating the wall and casting a blue hue outside through the building's many windows. The facility is a certified "green building," which means it employs energy-saving measures, recycled materials and natural light to enhance the work environment.Pat Hanford, director of development for the College of Education and Human Services, is excited about the potential for community interaction in the new building. "This building was designed with a variety of public spaces and an open, light-filled atmosphere," Hanford said. "The new environment will enable us to become more engaged with the community and our professional colleagues due to the flexibility we now have to hold a variety of events and professional development activities in our own building. This college is on the verge of getting to the highest level in regional and national prominence."Schultz Hall will no longer be home for COEHS, but the name Schultz will continue to be associated with the college. The main lobby of the new building will be named for the Honorable Frederick H. Schultz. A $250,000 gift from The Schultz Foundation Inc. will establish the Educator Preparation Initiative Endowment Fund, which will support the college's efforts to provide people entering teaching as a second career with the tools needed to become certified.There will be an open house for the new building from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 24. President Delaney will take the podium for some special remarks around 4 p.m.
Ah, there's nothing like a quick dip in the pool, a tranquil trip down a lazy river or just soaking up some rays and sipping a soft drink and nibbling on a snack after a tough day of classes and hitting the books.Those are just some of the options available to UNF students who'll be moving into Osprey Fountains, the University's newest residence hall, this fall. The place is loaded with amenities, recreational and educational.Casey Deviese, a sophomore business management major from Fernandina, is moving into Osprey Fountains this fall. If the Osprey Fountains staff ever needed someone to serve as the star of a promotional video, Deviese is a prime candidate. She's enthusiastic ? to say the least ? about Osprey Fountains.Deviese, who has lived in Osprey Cove, Osprey Hall and the Villages, has a short-and-sweet answer when asked what the Osprey Fountains has that the other residence halls didn't: "Everything." Urged to elaborate on her answer, Deviese rattled off a litany of advantages to living in Osprey Fountains. "It has a comfortable study area, a grill where I can grab a burger when I feel hungry after studying by the pool for a while - and getting a tan. I no longer have to carry my trash all the way downstairs to the dumpster, and the fitness center is right downstairs if I ever felt I needed to shed off the extra calories." She then added: "Another thing I love about the Fountains is that it's like an apartment complex/resort."The 365,000-square-foot, $85 million Osprey Fountains has two five-story towers connected to a two-story commons building featuring two fitness centers, one of which is for aerobics and yoga, a game room with pingpong tables, air hockey, foosball and a pool table, programming and activity rooms, offices, large conference rooms on the upper floor and an Ozzie's Convenience Store and Grille. The residence hall, with a capacity of 1,000 students, is for sophomores and juniors. It has four-bedroom, two-bathroom and six-bedroom, two-bathroom suites."This building won't disappoint anyone," said Paul Riel, director of the Department of Housing Operations, during the early construction of Osprey Fountains in fall 2007. He proved to be prophetic, judging by the accolades from students like Deviese. "This building doesn't exist anywhere else in the country," Riel added. Osprey Fountains is on the eastern ridge of campus off Kernan Boulevard. There is an 800-foot-long walking bridge connecting Osprey Fountains to the main campus. An Osprey Connector Shuttle will also stop in front of the building on a regular basis.There is a 12,000-square-foot plaza formed by the back of the commons building and the five-story residence towers. This is where the lazy river pool and the regular swimming pool are. A slow current propels students on rafts around the lazy river pool. Landscaping is being added to the plaza. Music playing from satellite radio stations will be piped in through speakers at the base of palm trees on the plaza. Jimmy Buffet is one of the more prominently featured artists. Riel and Lynn Hendricks, director of the Department of Residence Life, tried to think of everything. There's even a surfboard-washing station so students aren't tempted to bring their boards into their rooms to clean them.Ozzie's Grille has a take-out window opening on the plaza. They offer simple made-to-order grilled items including hamburgers, cheeseburgers, grilled-cheese sandwiches, chicken fingers and fries. Students can take a swim, towel off and grab a burger and coke. The convenience store will stock toiletry items, detergent, frozen entrees, soda and ice cream among other items. Osprey Fountains will have a mail room in each of its two towers, north and south."This new housing facility will provide our residents with state-of-the-art accommodations," Hendricks said during an early construction phase. "It means we are able to offer some of the finest on-campus housing in the state."Living areas, referred to as "houses," on each of the five-story towers have a kitchen, two study rooms and a common lounge. Osprey Fountains also has a large two-floor lounge called the Upper Deck, which has six plasma televisions and a 42-inch television. Each floor has a trash and recycling room so students won't have to leave the residence hall to dispose of those items, which are taken care of by Physical Facilities workers. Air-handler units for the cooling and heating system are in the hallways so they can be worked on without having to disturb any residents in their rooms. Osprey Fountains also has pay-per-print equipment for copying those important class papers.Osprey Fountains is a mile or so down a road called Osprey Ridge Road. The first things visitors come to, immediately adjacent to the residence hall, are a basketball court, sand-volleyball court, two tennis courts and a putting and chipping area for golfers. There is also a one-mile track encircling the facilities.The last residence hall built at the University before Osprey Fountains, the largest residence hall at UNF, was Osprey Crossings in 1991. The name Osprey Fountains was selected because of the fountains built in ponds near the residence hall.
Step into one of Linda Connelly's nursing classes and you will experience more than a lecture. Connelly recently returned from a position in the Army as deputy commander for nursing for the 345th Combat Support Hospital in western Iraq and two locations in central to northern Iraq. She brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience from her time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.Connelly was awarded the Bronze Star for her contribution and service to the Army. The Order of Military Medical Merit, an organization founded by the U.S. Army Health Services, inducted Connelly because of her distinguished service and impact in the medical arena.Connelly managed the daily duties of hospital operations in three locations: Al Asad, Tikrit and Mosul. During her deployment, she and her team implemented the first-ever Iraq nurse training program. The program provided state-of-the-art training with the help of a grant from the United States to purchase training mannequins. The training directly supported the strategic vision of the Army to create civil health care capabilities for a successful Iraqi government. The program provided several clinical training opportunities and is scheduled to be expanded to two other hospitals. While she was in Iraq, UNF showed its support of the Iraqi people by providing books to the Iraqi nurses and hospital staff for further training to build their nursing library."We were able to help the Iraqi nurses learn more than just book material, it was hands- on experience with the equipment," Connelly said.Connelly coordinated with the Air Force hospital in Balad to provide joint nursing critical care. She eased the workload within her facilities and developed a nurse staffing model that matched nursing capability with clinical requirements.Connelly and her team also developed electronic nursing records for soldiers."If a soldier gets transferred to a different hospital or country, the doctors and staff should have one source of medical records," she said.The electronic record that Connelly and her team created became the model for the rest of the combat-support hospitals. It enabled medical personnel to immediately access a soldier's entire medical record when needed and preserves it for future care.It was a year ago this Memorial Day that Connelly deployed to Iraq. She left behind her husband and four children."It was the easiest for me in the family. É I had someone to cook and clean for me," Connelly said. Her 13-year-old son had it the hardest while she was away. "The other children managed on their own, but it was hard for him being the youngest," she said.Connelly appreciates all the help from the UNF faculty and administration who encouraged her family while she was in Iraq."Also almost every week one of the faculty, including the administration, called my husband to ask if there was anything he needed or they could do," she said. "The faculty was great and extra supportive."The faculty also recognizes the value of Connelly's experience. Dr. Pam Chally, dean of the Brooks College of Health, admires Connelly's efforts in Iraq. "We are very proud of Linda and appreciative of the role she has played in caring for our military," Dr. Chally said, "Knowing Linda's situation has made me even more aware of the extreme sacrifice our military makes in preserving our freedom."Communication was the hardest part. If a soldier was killed nearby, the military blocked the phone lines to ensure no information leaked back to America before the Pentagon notified the families of those who were killed. The military also limited Internet access. Connelly found the time difference, seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, frustrating to deal with."Some of us would get up early in the morning just so we could speak to our families," she said.Thankful to be back home and teaching at UNF, Connelly shares experiences with her students while helping them apply valuable principles to their daily lives as they learn to be nurses."It's not all about memorization. If you got a B on your test but you are able to apply the principles on a daily basis, you really got an A," Connelly said.She wants her students to be able to apply the principles taught as opposed to memorizing or regurgitating them for an exam. During her time in Iraq, Connelly renewed her clinical skills and challenged her leadership abilities. She was resilient and adaptive to the changing situations in Iraq.Connelly also teaches cultural sensitivity, something that reminds her of her time in Iraq."There are different behaviors and beliefs that other countries have that we should know how to recognize and appreciate," she said.Connelly deployed with two of her former UNF nursing students, Lt. S. Lott and Lt. T. Burns. It was a unique experience for all three nurses. "I could see the application of the community home bases were ingrained in the nurses from UNF and they were resilient," Connelly said.One of Connelly's primary contributions to the classroom is her experience overseeing the 345th Combat Support Hospital. Her students get a chance to see how she lived in the front lines as a nurse during the war. During her oversight of the 345th Combat Support Hospital, Connelly was able to aid soldiers with routine procedures and devastating war wounds. She found routine visits typical, which included everyday things like kidney stones and viruses. In contrast, she found war wounds more traumatic experiences. Connelly and her staff turned to life saving measures that increased a soldier's chance of making it out alive by 98 percent. If soldiers made it to the combat support hospital soon enough, they would be taken care of. If it was something medical personnel could handle in Iraq, they would take care of it. They also maintained relationships with other personnel in other hospitals.
We live in a disposable society. Unfortunately, many things no longer needed are tossed onto the ground and end up washing into lakes, rivers, ponds and oceans. It's an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality, according to UNF biology professor Dr. Tony Rossi, who said he's always been amazed by the number of people he regularly sees throwing garbage onto the ground or walking past litter they could easily pitch into a trash can.UNF's groundskeepers do what they can to keep the litter under control on campus, but some of it inevitably ends up making its way into campus lakes and ponds. There, it wreaks havoc on the ecosystem.Rossi and a group of students from the UNF Biology Club have seen enough and have decided to take action. The student organization, with Rossi as its faculty adviser and biology grad student Christy Crace as its president, is officially adopting the lakes and ponds on campus."In the Biology Department and with the Biology Club, we have a great group of students who actually want to do something and give something back," Rossi said. "I've always felt that we're not doing enough. We finally decided that enough is enough, and we need to do something to change this problem."Rossi said the problem exists primarily in bodies of water that are close to a lot of student activity and busy roadways. Candy Cane Lake, near the Robinson Center, Osprey Village, Osprey Hall, Osprey Landing and Osprey Cove, is a prime example. Rossi said the lake is often a total mess."You'd be amazed how much trash people throw off the boardwalk into Candy ane Lake, and it's not just casual pollution, although that's the bulk of it," Rossi said. "On the weekends, students will throw chairs, loungers and even tables into the lake and somebody has to clean that stuff up."Later this month, club members will begin clearing the lakes and ponds of all debris, not only along the perimeter, but also on and under the surface, using pool skimmers to reach the debris near the water's edge and paddling around in kayaks and canoes to get to the harder-to-reach and submerged items.Rossi and Crace expect the first cleanup to take at least a half a day to complete, depending on the number of people who volunteer to help. Subsequent cleanups, which will take place once a month, will be less time-consuming."In addition to the Biology Club, there are plenty of other environmentally aware organizations on campus that we hope will come out and be a part of this too," Crace said. "Having more people helping out will make the work a whole lot easier. But also, this isn't just a biology issue. This is a campus-wide issue and these problems are happening on a global scale as well, so if we can bring it home to students on a local level, it's a step in the right direction."During their cleanups, Rossi hopes to catch the attention of students passing by to make them more aware of the problem."We're trying to get people to think about their actions because they do have an effect," he said. "If you throw your trash out the window of the car, it doesn't just disappear. It goes somewhere and somebody else has to pick it up. So this is all about changing minds and changing behaviors."The University's administration is behind this effort and applauds the Biology Club for stepping up to implement and organize the project. Partly to give credit to those doing the work and partly to remind the campus community not to litter, UNF will purchase and post signs at the lakes adopted by the Biology Club."It's great that we'll have signs posted, but whether there are signs made or not, we're still going to do this. I do want people to know that someone is caring for these lakes," Rossi said. "We're putting a name on this and saying somebody's claiming this project and somebody cares about this problem. Hopefully, the signs will help raise awareness and change some attitudes."As the main man responsible for the campus landscape and the Sawmill Slough Preserve, Chuck Hubbuch is particularly appreciative of the Biology Club members' efforts. "A small but dedicated crew tries to keep up with the never-ending program of litter on campus. Physical Facilities and the recycle and refuse crew appreciate any and all help in the efforts to keep the campus clean," said Hubbuch, assistant director of Physical Facilities. "I am very happy to have students participate in the effort. I think their involvement is essential if we are to reduce litter and the acts of littering on campus."Anyone interesting in joining the clean-up efforts is encouraged to contact Rossi at ext. 1934 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Learn more about the Biology Club.
Not sure what to do with the kids this summer? The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, an affiliate of UNF, has opened enrollment to University employees with children between the ages of 6 and 12 for artcamp@MOCA, a series of nine week-long sessions of creating art. Sessions start June 15, run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a break during Independence Day week. And, the best part is UNF employees qualify for a special rate of $133 per session - a 33 percent savings off the non-member rate. "Everyone at MOCA is so excited to join the UNF family," said Deborah Broder, MOCA's executive director. "This savings program is something special to welcome UNF to our family, introduce ourselves to those who may have never visited the museum and give the campus community a taste of the unique offerings available to them when they join MOCA." ??During artcamp@MOCA, museum educators and certified local art educators provide quality instruction in a wide variety of subjects and media, including various art-making activities, exploration of art history, tours of the museum's collection, literacy and creative movement. Space is limited. The sessions are as follows.
Session 1: June 15 - 19 : Go Crazy over ColorSession 2: June 22 - 26: Build Up, Break Out SculptureSession 3: July 6 - 10: Move It, Make It with AnimeSession 4: July 13 - 17: No Rules Art: Using Unusual MaterialsSession 5: July 20 - 24: Break it Down: Design TechniquesSession 6: July 27 - July 31: Alternative Art WorksSession 7: Aug. 3 - 7: Playful PrintmakingSession 8: Aug. 10 - 14: Build Up, Break Out Sculpture (2)Session 9: Aug. 17 - 21: In Demand: artcamp@MOCA Favorites
For more information, call or e-mail Kelly Eason at 366-6911, ext. 207, or email@example.com.
In order to continue improving this publication, Marketing and Publications needs your feedback on Inside, which is distributed electronically to UNF employees each month. Please take a few minutes to complete an online survey to let us know how you feel about the newsletter's content, photography and value to you.Since our previous survey in September, Inside has addressed a number of issues that readers requested, including adding more news about campus construction and campus activities. In addition, Inside has increased the use of photos to make the publication more eye-friendly.Every publication must continue to improve to meet readers' expectations in order to be successful. The staff at Inside would love to hear what you think so we can continue to improve this publication. Comments and suggestions will be anonymous. To complete the survey, click on the following link: http://survey.unf.edu/survey/se.ashx?s=5A1E27D25A36ADEE.
The American Heart Association awarded UNF's Department of Health Promotion its Gold Level Award for being a "Fit Friendly Company." The award was based on "Healthy Osprey" initiative program offerings and performance in the following categories: physical activity, nutrition and creating a culture that promotes and embraces holistic health. UNF was one of three organizations throughout the Jacksonville area to receive such recognition.Receiving this designation allows the Department of Health Promotion and the University community to provide additional collaborative health programs with the American Heart Association. The designation also allows the University to utilize the AHA endorsement on all health and fitness-related programming.The department also received a Bronze Level Worksite Wellness Award from the Mayor's Council on Fitness and Well-Being for the "Healthy Osprey" initiative.
Office of the Dean: Dr. Pamela S. Chally was the keynote speaker at the Shands Jacksonville Nursing Research & Education Fair: Nursing Research Podium Presentations on May 7. Her presentation was titled "Ethical Issues in Research."Athletic Training and Physical Therapy: Dr. Rose Marie Rine presented "Balance: Evaluation and Treatment for Children" and led two workshops at the British Society of Pediatric Audiologists Annual Conference in Sheffield, England, in May.School of Nursing: Dr. William D. Ahrens was selected to receive the Jo Ann Barnett Award for Compassionate Nursing Care in Education by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Alumni Chapter.Dr. W. Patrick Monaghan gave a paper and lecture presentation on "Navy Hospital Corpsmen in Vietnam" at the American Association for the History of Medicine annual meeting in Cleveland in April. Also, he was selected for the Distinguished Alumni Award at Bowling Green State University and will give the commencement address there in August.
Marketing and Logistics: Dr. A.C. "Josh" Samli has a new book published by Springer, "International Entrepreneurship," which is Samli's 20th published book. Samli also just published an article "Entrepreneurship Economic Development and Quality of Life in Third-World Countries" in Applied Research Quality of Life. In addition, Samli was awarded the Kenan Evren Professorship at Florida Atlantic University for its first summer term. As part of this chair professorship, Samli will teach a graduate course, work with the Ph.D. candidates and interact with the local Turkish business community.
Biology: Dr. Doria Bowers and colleagues presented "Effects of Sindbis Virus Variants on the Mosquito Host" and "Behaviors and Response to Repellents in Sindbis Virus-infected Mosquitoes" at the Sixth Arbovirus Surveillance & Mosquito Control Workshop in St. Augustine. At the annual meeting of the American Mosquito Control Association, Bowers and her colleagues presented "Sindbis-infected Aedes aegypti Behavioral Response to Repellents and Attractants" in New Orleans in April.Dr. Courtney Hackney presented a seminar titled "Implications of Sea Level Rise Wetlands" to the Louisiana Coastal Assessment Science Board.Communication: Dr. Peter Casella was named co-chair of the Festival of Media Arts Committee for the news division of the Broadcast Education Association at the annual BEA convention in Las Vegas in AprilDr. Siho Nam gave a presentation at the annual meeting of Popular Culture Association in New Orleans titled "Regulating Free Labor to Fence Out Free Speech: Internet Real Name Policy in South Korea."Criminology and Criminal Justice: Dr. Jennifer K. Wesely published "'Mom Said We Had a Money Maker': Sexualization and Survival Contexts Among Homeless Women" in the journal Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 32, No. 2.English: Dr. Marnie Jones co-presented "C. S. Lewis in the Age of the Internet: from 'God's Storyteller' to 'Satan's Tool'" at the annual meeting of Popular Culture Conference in New Orleans in April.Dr. A. Samuel Kimball gave an invited lecture, "Evolutionary Economy, Deconstruction, Literary Darwinism: A New Hermeneutic," at the Institute for Literature, Media, and Cultural Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, in April.Mathematics and Statistics: Dr. Beyza Aslan presented "Three Dimensional Discharging Structure of a Mountain Thunderstorm" at the Society of Industrial Applied Mathematics Conference in Columbia, S.C.Psychology: Dr. Rebecca Marcon presented a poster "A New Universal Pre-kindergarten Program in Childcare Centers: Predicting Child Language and Early Literacy Outcomes" at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development in Denver in April. At the same conference, Marcon and Dr. Susan Perez co-presented with a UNF student the poster "Family Pro-social Behavior: Influence of Parental Age, Values and Pro-social Tendencies."Sociology and Anthropology: Dr. Keith Ashley co-presented a paper titled "Where is the Corn in Peninsular Pre-Columbian Florida?" at the Society for American Archaeology meeting in Atlanta in April.Dr. Rosa De Jorio published "Between Dialogue and Contestation: Gender, Islam and the Challenges of a Malian Public Sphere" in Journal of the Royal Anthropological Association, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2009.Dr. Gordon Rakita co-presented a poster titled "Ground Penetrating Radar at the 76 Draw Site, Luna County, New Mexico" in a symposium called New Research in the Casas Grandes World for the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Atlanta.World Languages: Ángeles Fernández Cifuentes presented "Guzman el Bravo y la Oralidad" at the VIII Congreso Internacional de Literatura Hispánica, held in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, in March. At this same conference Luis Mora-Álvarez presented "El Héroe Metrosexual en La Mujer de mi Hermano de Jaime Bayly" and Nuria Ibáñez Quintana presented "Casa Matriz: Demoliendo el Repertorio Materno." In addition, Ibáñez Quintana's essay, "Rememoración Escénica de un Camino de Reencuentro," appeared recently in Estreno, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Otoño, 2008).
Yongan Wu presented "Experiences and Thoughts of Incorporating Quia into Beginning Level Chinese Classes" during the 2009 Chinese American Educational Research and Development Association International Conference in San Diego in April.Jorge Febles reviewed Anke Birkenmeir's "Alejo Carpentier y la Cultura del Surrealismo en America Latina" in Hispania, Vol. 92, Issue 1, in March.
Construction Management: Dr. Carol Woodson represented UNF at both the national and regional meetings of the Associated Schools of Construction National Conference in April.School of Engineering: Dr. Dan Cox participated in the National Science Foundation (NSF) program on "Technology Transfer" in March, as part of the NSF's Partnerships for Innovation Program. Cox also hosted the visit of professor Rainer Bartz and seven students from Cologne University, Germany.Dr. Adel ElSafty served as the facilitator in a group discussion as part of the Main Library's "Great Decisions" seminar series on U.S. relations with other parts of the world.Jean Fryman presented "What is an Engineer Anyway" to students at Hendricks Avenue Elementary and Yulee High School's Career Day.Dr. Alan Harris, Mouhamad Al Akkoumi and James Sluss presented and published their paper, "A Comparison of Passive Optical Network Security," at the SPIE Defense, Security and Sensing Conference in April. SPIE is an international membership society serving scientists and engineers in industry, academics and government, as well as companies producing leading-edge products. It was formerly known as the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Enginers. At this same conference, Harris, along with Al Akkoumi, Robert Huck and Sluss, presented and published their paper, "Challenges Facing Mobile Free-space Optical Communications."Drs. Albert D. Ritzhaupt and Susan Vasana presented their paper, "Method for Supporting Hybrid Peer-evaluation in Engineering Education," at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in April.
Office of the Dean: Dr. Marsha Lupi was asked to chair the Associate Deans Committee for the 2009-2010 academic year.Foundations and Secondary Education: Dr. Marianne Barnes served as a panelist on WJCT's "First Coast Forum" show, which discussed introducing intelligent design in Florida classrooms. To watch the segment, go to http://www.unf.edu/publicrelations/media_relations/tv_news_coverage/index.html#FirstCoastForum .
Department: Office of Human ResourcesJob: Assistant Director Classification and CompensationYears at UNF: 2.5What would you like to do when you retire?I love people and especially enjoy seeing their "light bulb" go on as they embrace a "shared vision."I love to provide others with constructive direction on how best to accomplish their goals.My gift in this area has allowed me to develop many relationships, at all levels, over the years.I believe my career and leadership opportunities, training and ability to interact with people has prepared me to consult as a visionary leader.When I retire, I would like to assist individuals and organizations (for profit and not for profit) to determine the best method for making complex things simple in order to achieve their vision.What is your favorite thing about working at UNF?One of my favorite things about working at UNF is, of course, our students. Their presence reminds me of the continual opportunities that exist for one to accomplish personal and career goals, and their achievement confirms that age is not the determining factor.What is the best thing you ever won?I'm working toward being nationally recognized as a Certified Compensation Professional. This certification offered through WorldatWork currently requires the completion of nine courses ($1,500 each).I recently attended a luncheon sponsored by the Jacksonville Compensation Association, where I was the proud recipient of the door-prize drawing for one of the courses.Tell us about your family.I have two beautiful children. My daughter, Cierra, is 21 years old and my son, Chaddrick, is 17. I'm the proud grandmother of a 9-month-old bundle of joy, Elani Grace.If you could choose any other career, what would it be and why?If I could choose any other career it would be in the area of marketing. I love to help others establish a clear vision plan and to develop strategies to promote their product or services.If you won the lottery, what would do with the money?At this moment, I could not say what I would do if I won the lottery, but one could rest assured that many others would benefit from my winnings.What is your favorite way to blow an hour?My favorite way to blow an hour would be to simply take time to reflect on things that have impacted my life. This is an opportunity for me to relax while evaluating my past and future.What was the best money you ever spent?The best money I have ever spent was on the foundational education of my children, allowing them to attend private school and the purchases made toward various educational materials for them.
What is the proudest/happiest moment of your life?The happiest moment of my life was the birth of my children. Seeing their little faces and anticipating the opportunity to shape their character gave me great joy.
What person had the greatest impact on your life?
The person that has had the greatest impact on my life would be my mother. Over the years, she exemplified a spirit of happiness, giving and caring. Her personality and contributions leave a lasting positive impact on the life of others.Who is the most famous person you ever met?I have met several famous people over the last couple of years. The most famous would be the handsome, debonair Blair Underwood.What was the last book you read?The last book I read was titled "The Power of 10 Percent." This small motivational book is a very quick read. The inspirational and motivational thoughts contained therein encourage you to make small changes that cumulatively will alter the course of your life.
Q: (from Faith Hall, Alumni Services) - When will the UNF sign at the Kernan entrance be replaced? (It features the old logo with the state of Florida in the "N").A: (from Zak Ovadia, director of Facilities Planning and Construction)
- Replacement of the UNF sign at the Kernan entrance is part of the Way-finding program currently being implemented. Before we embarked on wholesale replacement of all signs, we had a few prototypes installed at strategic locations and have invited comments from the campus community. Since these comments have been overwhelmingly positive, we are now proceeding with the remainder of the signage package. We expect the new Kernan-entry sign to be in place by mid-June.
Q: (from Linda Smith, Thomas G. Carpenter Library) - Why does Osprey Connector Shuttle No. 7 have on the side the phrase "We will swoop" rather than "We will swoop you up"?A: (from Vince Smyth, director of Auxiliary Services) - Shuttle number 7 had some body damage, which required removal of "you up" during repairs. The graphics vendor will replace the missing lettering this summer.Q: (from Billie Lombardo, Continuing Education) - I love watching the geese come every season and then watching as the eggs hatch and the young ones grow strong enough to fly away. Could you give us some information on these beautiful birds such as: Do they mate for life as presumed? How long do the eggs incubate? Where are their nests hidden? Where do they go when they leave here?A: (from Dr. Kelly Smith, associate professor, Biology Department) - Canada geese are typically monogamous (although like most monogamous birds, there have been observations of "cheating spouses").They nest in tall grasses and other areas that are a little off the beaten path and usually near water. I know their natural preference is for islands, but we have few of those available here. I saw one nest next to a retention pond on the north side of campus a month ago. Typical incubation is three-and-a-half to four weeks in length. They will lay only one nest if successful, but if all of the young die early in the season, they will try to lay a second nest in a season. Many of the birds around here are non-migratory since we see them all year long, although some may move a bit further south in the winter. More information on the Florida breeding population at the following link: http://www.myfwc.com/bba/ posted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.Q: (from Linda Burks, Admissions) - With the growth of the University and the budget being in the condition it is in as far as hiring new staff, why can't we have a recycling area and a shredding area in most if not all of the bigger buildings so that the recycling staff doesn't have to stop and open every office to pick up recycle and/or shredding? This seems like a solution to more things to recycle with fewer staff to handle those duties.A: (from Matthew Taylor, director of Physical Facilities) - Thank you for your suggestion. While you have a valid question, sometimes we cannot implement every suggestion. Having shredding equipment in facilities presents a requirement to have space and power available for this requirement.Additionally, it would require industrial type shredders and they would need to be emptied more frequently than picking up the materials that require shredding and process the materials through our heavy duty industrial shredder. Having a central recycling pickup point has the same problem with space. Depending on the size of the container, we could have problems with fire-code violations by taking up space or blocking corridors. Had we been faced with seriously deep budget cuts, the idea for the recycling bins in a central location in all facilities was being considered.
Welcome to the following employees, who either were hired by UNF or offered new positions at UNF from mid-April to mid-May:Jessica Behnken, custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesNathaniel Clark, custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesHa Dam, custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesAngela Ervin, senior custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesBruce Evans, assistant men's basketball coach, AthleticsRebecca Hall, custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesRonnie Hill, groundskeeper, Physical FacilitiesBruce McLean, landscape grounds supervisor, Physical FacilitiesMary Mincey, senior custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesTung Nguyen, custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesInez Nichols, adjunct instructor, NursingLoi Pham, custodial worker, Physical FacilitiesJenea Smith, adjunct instructor, NursingVicki Van Gundy, adjunct instructor, College of Education and Human ServicesMarvin Weatherspoon, groundskeeper, Physical FacilitiesCarl Wilhite, maintenance mechanic, Physical FacilitiesMarcie Woznick, adjunct instructor, NursingMilestone AnniversariesThe following employees will celebrate milestone anniversaries at UNF in June:30 Years:Kathy Hughes, director of IT Network User Services, Information Technology Services10 Years:Alison Cruess, coordinator of information technology, Information Technology ServicesGerald Merckel, associate dean, College of Computing, Engineering and ConstructionTom Mills, associate director, Advancement ServicesFive Years:Gerard Giordano, professor, Exceptional Student and Deaf EducationRobin Hill, business manager, Small Business Development CenterCongratulationsMichael Biagini, director of Financial Systems, was recently one of the top 100 finishers at the Boston Marathon. Biagini, who has run the marathon previously, recorded his best time this year.Kim Diamon, associate director of Alumni Services, graduated this spring with a master's degree in educational leadership.Annie Litchfield (Enrollment Services) and Jose Gomez (formerly of Enrollment Services) were married Saturday, May 2, at Friday Musicale's L'Engle Hall in Riverside. The Gomezes met on the job in June 2006 while working for the Technology and Training Department of Enrollment Services. Jose left to work in the IT field for a private company in Jacksonville shortly after the couple began dating.


text:
Nokia N800 gets WiMAX
Gears up for big Sprint
Nokia's N800 tablet is to get Mobile WiMAX connectivity in order to be used on Sprint's US WiMAX network next year, though it's probably keeping Wi-Fi and Bluetooth just in case.
The N800 sits oddly in Nokia's portfolio of mobile phones, and the occasional set-top box. With VoIP it can make and receive phone calls, but calling it a mobile phone only causes confusion as it has no cellular connectivity - it slips between the converging technologies.
But it is an excellent platform for Nokia, and anyone else, to try out new ideas and technologies. Being Linux based smoothes software development, and the relatively large form factor (compared to a phone handset) makes the addition of new technologies less complex.
Anyone surprised by this endorsement of a non-cellular technology should remember that Nokia doesn't consider itself to be in the mobile phone business - it's in the personal electronics business, and proudly claims itself to be the largest manufacturer of portable music players and digital cameras.
Nokia has patents in parts of the 3G standard, so would like to see that succeed, but it's certainly not going to cut itself off from alternative technologies if they provide another route into the pockets of punters. ®