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On my 27th birthday, I asked Susan Montaigne, a girl I dated at the time, to take me to dinner at the Old Time Spaghetti Factory. It was only our fourth date, and I didn't want her to spend an extravagant amount on a relationship neither one of us was certain would last. For the occasion, Susan requested a table inside the renovated trolley car installed to the left of the entrance, surrounded by dining tables and booths and elaborate light fixtures from the ceilings and, all around us, miniature replications of works by the British masters.
Our table was set against the wall of the trolley car, and Susan and I faced each other in front of a glassless window that looked down on the balding pate and perm of another couple outside the car. Next to us a family celebrated the son's birthday, and the son and I looked across from each other with contempt. The space between our two tables barely allowed the waitress to slip through and deliver the free bread I ate without pause throughout the entire experience, one side of each free slice smoothed with garlic butter and powdered with Parmesan cheese. When the bread was gone, I'd discreetly pour teaspoonfuls of Parmesan cheese and eat them.
Susan told me about how, at work, her boss the assistant manager had told her she "screwed everything up" by being a half-hour late, even though she'd called Waldenbooks before it opened and explained that her grandmother needed to be dropped off at the hospital for her monthly injections. When she walked in at 10:30 she saw the line of people at the register holding copies of the books she then remembered had been advertised for the past month, its release date Tuesday, my birthday. The assistant manager hissed the comment to her as she rushed around the counter and logged in to her register. Susan told me she didn't speak to him the rest of the day, even when he tried to engage her in conversation when the rush subsided. He even asked her how her grandmother was—Susan's grandmother was three years dead. She'd really been late to work because of a second bowl of bran and a syndicated rerun of the Hogan Family. At that early stage, I was beginning to understand that Susan's conscience was based upon her personally constructed reality.
"Wow, to think that my birthday falls upon such an occasion as the release date of Dragon's Wing, Knight's Blade," I said. "I'm honored."
Susan held her glass of water in one hand and rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me for a moment," I said, digging into my front jeans pocket. I'd felt a vibration from my mobile phone—a brief flash that indicated a text message.
"That's strange," I said, scrolling through.
"What's up?" Susan said.
"Nothing, I think. Just a birthday wish. But it's from a number I don't recognize."
The message read exactly:
Happy Birthday, Jeffery! I wish you to get everything you DESERVE.
"Kind of sinister," I murmured, looking at the number again, but at that moment the wait staff went into the "Happy Birthday" song for the kid next to us and Susan didn't hear what I'd said. I figured I would write back later and ask who it was.
Susan pulled a hand-sized square from her purse, wrapped in red Christmas paper and tied with a curled ribbon.
"Well, I hope you had enough to eat," she said, handing the package over to me. "And I also wanted to give you this."
"Oh, this is too much," I said, really quite delighted. "Can I open it now?"
"Of course," she said. I noticed the father of the birthday boy glance over at us.
"Gosh, I love presents," I said, and after untying the ribbon I opened the package at the taped edges as my mother had shown me, in case anyone wanted to save and reuse the wrapping. When the gift was completely uncovered the paper was a single un-torn sheet.
"Thanks," I said through a false smile.
Susan had given me—I knew it as soon as it came out of her handbag—a CD. I'd had the notion she'd made a mix of her favorite songs, one of the fundamental steps in building our relationship. But instead of a hand-printed track listing on the CD cover I saw three heads cut off at the necks, each with varying degrees of facial hair: a compilation of the 70's rock band Grand Funk Railroad. Having the distinction of not being an LP but an MP3, it included not only their greatest hits but all of the songs on all of the albums the band ever released.
I set the disc on the table. In the length of a single thought I knew it would go under that pile of CDs I owned but never listened to, like the Best Of record with which a secret Santa had rewarded me under the gross misapprehension I liked Ugly Kid Joe.
"I hope you like it."
"Sure," I said. "I really like 'Slowride.'"
"That's Foghat."
When the check came I made the pretense of going for my wallet, even opening it, and with relief I slid it back into my pocket when Susan waved her hand. I'd only brought a couple of dollars anyway.
We had another date Friday and since I'd gotten paid I felt comfortable splurging for a movie and dinner and a few drinks afterward. Susan wasn't a big drinker, and as not to appear as big a drinker myself I kept my number of martinis to a record-low of three. Afterwards she acquired a reckless attitude reinforced by her rum and diet coke, and I took full advantage of her tipsy-ness by accepting the invitation into the apartment she shared with a sleeping roommate.
We made love. It was ultimately satisfying, but a disquieting feature of the proceedings was that, more than once, I saw her staring amorously at our reflection in the full-size mirror on the door of her wardrobe. I felt self-conscious, me not being a great fan of my nude reflection. When I would accidentally catch my own wide buttocks spread out in front of me I had to look away. In the morning, I woke up before she did and was perfectly happy not to have the coffee and improvised breakfast, trying to make small talk with the grumpy roommate I was sure we'd awoken the night before.
When I got home, I showered, read a few articles in an out-of-date Vanity Fair someone had left in my apartment weeks ago and answered a phone call from my friend Dave, who wanted to have a beer. I agreed, lying in bed in my underwear. Idly I began to scroll through the text messages on my mobile phone, erasing old ones, recalling parties and dates from two months previous. When I reread the message I'd received at the Spaghetti Factory I didn't feel the same creepy impact I'd felt on Tuesday. Again, I wondered who'd sent it—but the message had gotten cold. It was too late to send a response to the birthday wish, and I didn't care enough nor want to spend the money on a text message to find out identity of the sender. I deleted it from my phone. It was probably from someone in another department at work, someone I might have spoken with at a party and to whom I carelessly mentioned my oncoming birthday—and perhaps someone whose first language wasn't English.
The text message reminded me of Susan's gift, the Grand Funk Railroad MP3 that had already sunk halfway down the pile of rejected CDs. I put on a pair of pants and took the MP3 out of its case. Discs like this certainly weren't licensed by the bands or the record companies. A few words in Russian stood out at the bottom of the back cover, under the song titles categorized by album. Where had Susan gotten it?
That was only the first question, which led to the fundamental mystery: why? Did she think I enjoyed Grand Funk Railroad enough to want to own a copy of every song they ever recorded? Had I ever given her the impression I liked Grand Funk Railroad or the kind of music bands like that made, or did I seem, in general, the kind of person who liked such a band? I'd never brought Susan over to my house, so she'd never seen the poster with the yellow background, the four heads of the mustachioed Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles in the foreground, which was taped lengthwise over my bed. I liked old rock and roll, but Grand Funk Railroad didn't fall in to my sphere of aesthetics.
A more distasteful theory, but more probable, was that Susan really liked Grand Funk Railroad and wanted to "turn me on" to them. But what kind of girl likes Grand Funk Railroad? I shuddered when I imagined her at one of their reunion concerts, sweaty, poised on the shoulders of a baldie from the original era, the sleeves of her T-shirt ripped off, the front of which she lifted occasionally, to catch the eye of the guitarist. But what kind of dreams did the Grand Funk Railroad trio inspire? What kind of lost soul would find itself in the bombastic drumming, the over-stimulated production? Unless she received the MP3 from a boyfriend who couldn't tell Grand Funk Railroad from the Kinks and she was simply re-gifting the MP3 to me, this Grand Funk Railroad disc represented some truth about Susan she couldn't express in her own words. And like anybody, she relied on music to express her feelings for her. Perhaps she wasn't even a fan; even if she didn't like their music, perhaps she believed Grand Funk Railroad gave others a deeper glimpse into her psychological or emotional makeup, those parts not apparent in her eyes or seemingly unconscious gestures. I had sympathy. I felt the same way about Last Year at Marienbad—if anyone wants to know how my mind works, along what rigid lines it moves, they only have to watch that film. But I could never actually sit through Last Year at Marienbad again.
I'm no elitist. I enjoy Friends occasionally, when they don't insist on creating yet another artificial romantic relationship between the limited pool of characters. I felt it was too hasty to dismiss Grand Funk Railroad out of hand—I'd withhold any criticism until I'd given the disc a fair listen. I put it into my stereo and let it play at a low level. The disc spun while I read another article in Vanity Fair, while I washed a week's worth of dishes, while I dusted between my books and went through dirty clothes making a pile for the Laundromat, while I made a tuna sandwich and ate it. The more popular songs stood out, of course, at once, while the other songs slid away—and at that point I didn't know whether they'd slid away into oblivion or some ultra-receptive, self-assaulting and hateful corner of my memory. The disc played when, after the exertion of lazy weekend chores, I lay down and thought about what groceries I needed from the supermarket. And the music still played when my mobile phone, right by my head, went off over the music.
"Where the hell are you? I've been waiting here a half-hour." When Dave's voice stopped, I could hear the distorted strains of loud music in my ear.
"Dave? Oh shit, what time is it?" I looked over at my stereo, which displayed the time when it was turned off, but now it only read PLAY.
Playing the Grand Funk Railroad MP3 interminably.
"It's 8:30. I'm about to split. I wanted to buy you a beer for your birthday, but Jesus—"
"Oh man, I'm sorry. I'm leaving now."
I hung up, jumped into some clothes and locked the door to my apartment. I stepped into the car and the Oldies station came on a second before the engine. The Oldies station is my default radio setting, although I sometimes make unsuccessful forays into mainstream modern rock, becoming acquainted with such lamentably unforgettable characters as Good Charlotte, Hoobastank, and Avril Levaigne.
As I drove to Amy's Place, a dive bar in Chinatown, I listened to the national DJ and his "Solid Gold Seventies" program, which broadcast every Saturday. I heard Terry Jacks and Mike Nesmith along with news bulletins from the void of those dead years. After a run of advertisements from the lube company, the supermarket chain, the department store having a sale, and a new film that had opened the day before, there was the acapella jingle theme of the program by the white female singers.
"It's the top of the hour and time for our Solid Gold Seventies Rock Block—" I heard the familiar opening of a song behind the DJ, a guitar and organ intro I'd experienced earlier that day. "This working-class band hails from the Midwest and wants nothing more than to help you 'party down'—the one and only American Band, Grand Funk Railroad!"
"That's strange," I remarked to the windshield, after I looked down at the glowing dial of my car radio. I didn't change the station—there was nothing better on any of the other channels. It was a Grand Funk Railroad tune I didn't recognize, but was sure I'd heard before.
Dave sat at a table eyeing a woman on one of the barstools. There was half a glass of beer in front of him.
"Finally, for Christ's sake," he said. "What happened? You doing the nasty with that chick from Waldenbooks?"
"No," I said, reflecting upon the previous evening.
"You dog," he said. "Come on, give me the scoops. When did it all happen? Second date? Third?"
"You know I'm not one to kiss and tell," I said. "What are you drinking? I'm going to the bar."
"No way." Dave held out a twenty. "It's your birthday. And put something on the jukebox while you're up there. I'm tired of listening to Social Distortion."
I got two beers and went over to the jukebox, the kind that had whole albums available for selection. I flipped through the CD covers, through Led Zeppelin and TLC, and stopped when I saw three faces I recognized—Grand Funk Railroad, their Greatest Hits. You could get three songs for a dollar, and I thought it would be funny if I spent a whole dollar on them.
When I came back "The Locomotion" had already begun. I handed Dave his beer and he looked around the bar, up at the ceiling.
"Did you pick this?"
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "I'm kind of getting into them."
He leaned in. "So tell me the story of you and what's-her-name," he said, skipping right past my ironic reference to Grand Funk Railroad.
I gave him the details of the past dates I'd had with Susan, with clinical elaboration on the night before. I really am one to kiss and tell, and with great relish.
"So she likes to look in the mirror? Awesome." Now "Some Kind of Wonderful" played overhead. "Oh Christ, I can't believe you spent good money on Grand Funk Railroad!"
"And there's another one coming," I said.
But Dave didn't get the joke and after the run of Grand Funk Railroad we had to sit through the obligatory "Over the Hills and Far Away." We talked a bit about our jobs and went home early, neither of us too drunk.
Even before I fully woke up the next morning a wordless, five-note melody played in my head. Five notes repeating over breakfast, while I brushed my teeth and shaved. I tried to remember the rest of the melody, to locate whence it came. After several attempts at recalling different songs I'd heard in the recent past, I finally stood up, cried "It's that damn Grand Funk Railroad" and went over to the stereo. If I couldn't locate that song and play it entirely, I'd have that brief part in my head all day. For over an hour, I went through different parts of songs, sometimes whole halves, until I found the melody. At last I could flesh it out, make it real, not some lingering strain to haunt me through my activities. Soothed somewhat, I got dressed and went to the grocery store.
The muzak in the supermarket was so bizarre, with its unusually heavy chamber strings and synthesized percussion, that I asked the cashier, while she ran my canned goods over the red laser, what it was. She said she was sure she didn't know, that she could hardly hear it. I remarked that it should be changed, that she should mention it to her manager, that the whole time I'd been walking through the aisles I felt disturbed, uneasy. Perhaps it was pitched at too high a key?
Later that night I called Susan and we chatted for a bit, agreeing to see each other again on Wednesday. "She's some kind of wonderful," I said, hanging up the phone.
At work the next day, I was typing a daily report after lunch when Shanif, her hair in rows of braids tight down her head, rounded the corner of my cubicle and stood over me while I typed.
"Excuse me, Jeff?"
"Yeah?" I had a list of power verbs taped on the border of my computer screen and wanted to use at least five of them.
"Well, I was wondering—we all were wondering—if you could stop doing that."
I turned and looked at her, my fingers paused over the keyboard. "What do you mean?"
"That yelling thing. The thing where you yell the same thing over and over."
"Really?" I said, looking around. I'm sorry, I didn't even notice."
"It's that fucking Grand Funk Railroad song," I heard Alvin yell from over the wall of his cubicle.
"You keep saying," Shanif said, "I'm getting closer to my home. I'm getting closer to my home. Over and over."
"How long was I doing that?"
"For nearly fifteen," she looked at her watch, "no, twenty minutes."
"Gosh Shanif," I said, feeling a red heat in my face, "I'm sorry. I'll shut up."
She nodded and turned away. "Thanks," she said, when she was out of my line of sight.
I did a hack ending for my report (using only three of the five verbs I'd planned on using) and sent it out, and for the next hour I sat in my chair, listening to myself lest I blurt out anything else unawares. I wasn't prone to doing or saying things unconsciously. I've never once talked in my sleep, according to my girlfriends over the years. The fact that I'd been repeating a set phrase awake while oblivious of it was troubling. What if I were to let out some great secret to my coworkers without knowing what I was saying? What if they found out about me? I had no history of mental illness in my family, and no recent episodes of great stress. "I'm just getting older," I told myself. I stood up and had a cigarette on the balcony.
As I put on my jacket at the end of the day Mr. Gladstone, my boss, approached me. I'd seen him looking around from the other side of the room, and when he found me he set his steps directly to my cubicle. Mr. Gladstone was bald and shorter than me, wore hound's-tooth jackets. I was sorry for him because he was always intimidated when he had to discipline his subordinates.
"Jeffery, I hope I won't use up too much of your time. I have to speak to you for a moment."
"Sure, Terry," I said. "What's up?"
"It's about your report today," he said, holding a sheet in front of me. "Usually your reports are concise and descriptive, but today the language was—unacceptable."
"What was the matter with it?" I took the sheet and scanned it—I'd judiciously used three power verbs. And to great effect, or so I thought.
"It's just that some of your terminology is just not appropriate for a professional report," Mr. Gladstone said, looking over my shoulder to point out the offending lines. "Here you mention that sales of product A-43 are in a 'funk,' while the results of target marketing product D-32 have been 'grand.' In this line you compare the overall progress of department J to the movement of a train—such figurative language is not appreciated by the administration, you understand, they like numbers and verbs. And, in probably the biggest error of the report, you describe the delivery team from downstairs as 'some kind of wonderful.'"
I didn't recall writing any of those words. But there they were, with my name on them. "Some kind of wonderful," I said senselessly.
"That's right, Jeffery. Look, I can make sense of this stuff, but admin—you know how they get. What made you want to take this kind of poetic license?"
"I don't know, Terry," I said, and began to take off my jacket. "I'll rewrite it, and send it upstairs—"
He looked at me. "It's all right. Go home. I'll just need to change a few words here and there, and then I'll hand it to admin." Extending his benevolence for one moment, he was compelled to be stern in the next. "But I want to see a progress report up to your usual snuff next week."
"Sure, Terry. Thanks." I went to my car.
The radio started a second before my engine, and I was immediately thrust into the middle of Grand Funk Railroad guitar solo. "Jesus, what are you guys doing to me?" I cried, turning the radio dial off. But it was no use—I'd already caught the solo and my mind continued to play the song, repeating various parts, until I got home. I didn't even know the song's name.
I walked into my unlit apartment, threw my jacket in my armchair, and when I turned to switch on the light I saw three heads in shadow, looking out at me from the wall. "How did you get in here?" I whispered. Breathing heavily, I felt for the light. It wasn't who I thought it was—there weren't three heads but four, the Beatles smiling as if they knew what was happening to my mind. Not thinking, I turned on the stereo for company as I changed from my work clothes. The Grand Funk Railroad MP3 was in the player and the triple attack of drums, bass, and electric guitar came at me like a physical presence, like a shove from behind. I turned it off right away and went into my kitchenette to make dinner.
I went back into my bedroom/living room with two boiled hotdogs and mashed potatoes, thinking I'd eat them while I watched TV. I set the plate on the coffee table and turned on the television. The cable, it appeared, was out. I scrolled through channels of color bars, hoping for something, anything, and at last I came upon a commercial for tampons and left it there as I settled into my armchair. I was equally ready for a sitcom, a nature documentary, or a made-for-TV movie for women.
When I saw the spinning sphere icon that signified "Music Memories" I coughed up an un-mashed potato that had gone down un-chewed. In a brief introductory segment the program gave a general description of Grand Funk Railroad from obscurity to fame. Instead of turning the TV off, I watched the entire special with the belief that if I learned something about the band I would no longer be tortured by what I didn't know, or only half knew. By becoming familiar with Grand Funk Railroad, I could, like the wise enemy, defeat them. Besides, I was afraid of silence, of being still, afraid of what I might hear or say.
At the end of the program I used the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and stood quietly over my bed for a few moments. I heard nothing. I got under the covers and went right to sleep.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of someone singing—me. I'd been singing loudly while I slept, for god knows how long, and when I closed my mouth the last words were "Everybody's doing a brand new dance—"
I leaped out of bed, determined to engage myself in some activity to keep my mind occupied. I made an elaborate breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and oatmeal, made it desperately with full concentration upon the process of preparing each dish, and whether Grand Funk Railroad went on inside of me, or came out of me, I was too busy to notice. When it was time to get ready for work I tuned the radio to the classical station and sang opera through my window in incomprehensible syllables for as long as my throat and diaphragm would allow.
At ten o'clock my office mates would usually gather around the coffee machine for an informal break. Cookies and crackers were spread out on an aluminum tray with a snowy house printed on its face. I threw two chocolate chip cookies in my mouth to keep it busy while I stood around with the others.
"I can't believe what happened to Charlie," Alvin said. They were discussing a television series I had yet to see. He turned to me. "Did you ever imagine that?"
I swallowed what I'd been chewing and said, "No, unfortunately I didn't see it." And then I couldn't help myself. "Did anyone happen to catch the Grand Funk Railroad doc last night? It was—grand."
"Was it funky, too?" Shanif said.
"Man, this guy's got Grand Funk Railroad on the brain," Marshall said. "He's been humming it all morning."
"Damn it," I said loudly, not to him, but a sharp "Damn it" in general—everyone turned to me, all of them silent. "Excuse me," I said, and walked past, brushing Alvin on the shoulder.
The rest of the day I avoided staying in my cubicle for any prolonged period of time, where the others might hear me, except when I made a phone call to Susan to cancel our date Wednesday. I claimed I was sick. I made periodic trips to the bathroom to slap myself in the face—and I was frequently outside, smoking handfuls of cigarettes in one sitting.
Dave called when I had been at home for a few hours, but I had little to say beyond the limited vocabulary of Grand Funk Railroad and there was no point in a long conversation. I paced around the apartment with no appetite, no desire but to exorcise the jumbled melodies and lyrics that came in waves through my body, drowning out my thoughts. When it got too much to bear I turned on the stereo and played the first track on the MP3—and at once the noises in my inner ear, the disparate cries of the lead singer and the random cymbal crashes subsided, stopped torturing me as if they'd been momentarily appeased. I stood with my head close to the speaker, sweating. With Grand Funk Railroad playing externally, I didn't hear it internally.
Finally thinking clearly, I grasped the enormity of the situation: Susan had cursed me. But why? Was I the vessel of masculinity she'd despised in secret all along, hating me behind her smiles, waiting until I was partial to her and receptive to her interests before she sabotaged my mind? Or was her evil, like the worst kind of evil, arbitrary? Was I to suffer only for her pleasure? While the disc moved through its tracks on the stereo, I fell into a blissful stupor, images of my revenge upon Susan turning to the grotesque. I fell asleep on the carpet without a pillow under my head.
The sun shone through the window when I awoke, its warmth going straight through my unchanged work clothes. I stood up, filled with wonder at the clarity of my mind. I could think! There were no tom-toms, no sledgehammer bass lines. I thought it was over, that the spell of temporary monomania had passed, until I glimpsed my stereo and understood how I'd regained control of my faculties. The MP3 was on repeat and Grand Funk Railroad still played unchecked. Preoccupied as I was with my thoughts, I hadn't noticed the music. I ejected the disc, nearly breaking the CD drawer as I yanked it out. As soon as the music stopped Grand Funk Railroad went thundering along in my brain. I slammed the disc in its case and left the apartment for the mall.
Susan saw me coming from over one of her shelves and smiled at me as I came around and faced her. New Age section. It made sense.
"Oh, you're visiting me at work!" she said, the liar, and under the delight in her voice was the evil of a sadist, a bloody sorceress. Then her smile fell to a look of mock concern. "Oh Jeff, you don't look so well. Are you sure you should be out of bed?"
"You'd like to see me lying down," I said, much too loudly. A fellow in khakis sitting on a footstool looking at an illustrated military history hardcover looked over the lenses of his reading glasses at me. I was glad to have a witness. "Lying down dead!"
She stepped back. "What?"
"You're such a liar," I said. "You lie to your boss, you lie to me, you lie to everyone."
Her face reddened as she pretended to be offended. "What's your problem, weirdo?"
"My problem?" I raised the Grand Funk Railroad MP3. "It was a grand scheme, Susan. With this disc you could put a spell on me, get me into some kind of—funk, and then I would be railroaded into hearing 'We're an American Band' every second of the day."
"How did you do it, Susan? I thought we were having a good time together, some kind of wonderful. I wanted to do the locomotion with you, near the railroad, and everything—but why this fucking band, Susan? Can't you see what it's doing to my mind?"
"Are you listening to yourself? Have you gone insane?"
I threw the disc against the bookshelf. The case broke open and the CD rolled a short way before reflecting a prism on its blank, mirrored side. "I just want it turned off, Susan. I don't know how you did it, or why Grand Funk Railroad. But just turn it off."
I walked toward the exit. The situation would have been easier for me to swallow if I was insane. Instead, I knew exactly what I was saying, how absurd it was. I only slightly heard Susan call out from behind me: "The only reason, you fucking psycho, I gave you that disc is because I called your work and some guy said you were into them." I barely heard her voice fill with fake tears. "I thought you'd like that gift, you asshole. He said you would think it was funny."
I was already late for work but as soon as I left the store, I realized that I'd thrown away the only antidote to the unceasing music in my mind. Panicked, the sludgy melody of another Grand Funk Railroad song beginning to drown me with its turgidity, I ran down the escalator to the Sam Goody and, moving quickly, flipped through wrapped compact discs in the "G-Rock/Pop" section. I found three records—two album releases and Best Of—and brought them to the cash register.
"Is this all the Grand Funk Railroad you have?" I said.
The cashier was one of the dyed-black hair, tie-wearing, post-punk emo music snobs who play bass guitar in a noise rock band. They perch behind espresso machines in Starbucks, hunch over the info desk at Borders, scrape grills at vegetarian diners. He looked at my stack of CDs and smiled, not unfriendly.
"Isn't that enough Grand Funk for anyone?"
"Look in the back," I said dangerously—the twitching in my cheek, the tight lips immediately indicating that I was not to be made small talk with. While he was away from the counter I greedily went over the photographs, track listings, and copyright information on each of the shrink-wrapped CDs. He returned with a Grand Funk Live reunion album from the 1990's. "It's the only other one we've got," he said. "And it's kind of recent, so I don't know if you'll like it."
"It'll do," I said, not even looking at the black and white cover. "Ring it up. No, wait, wait—this too." It was too much effort to grit sense through my teeth, what with the riffs going in circles around and around, the drum playing fills and reversing and playing fills again. I ran over to a shelf and took a portable CD playing boom-box and set it on the counter. "And these batteries." In my car, I unwrapped the first CD with my teeth and slid it into the player, studying the tiny printed liner notes while I drove.
I walked in the office unwashed, unshaved and rumpled, with a new boom-box under my arm. As I made my way to my workstation, I noticed the others looking up at me. I didn't care if they noticed I hadn't changed clothes. The drums were pounding at my temples, the bass throbbing between the beats. They knew—but to what extent? I slunk past their stares and set the boom-box on my desk, intending to play a disc at a low level. Maybe it would be enough.
"Jeffery." Mr. Gladstone stood behind me while I tried to locate the volume controls. He said the name gently, and I knew right then how hard it would be for that kind man to do what he had to do. I dropped my head and turned around, not facing him, still looking at the floor. My fear had dampened the sound inside.
"I'm sorry—we're all sorry—" and at this I lifted my head and saw the entire office standing beyond him. What was this? Had they come to witness my termination personally, to mock me—or worse, pity me?
"Don't," I said.
"Jeffery, we're sorry that we never, as your respected and beloved coworkers, recognized or celebrated your birthday. Happy birthday, Jeffery. Belated, of course, but please believe me when I say no one knew."
"Whoo!" Alvin yelled, and everyone clapped their hands. All this clapping made me nervous—it sounded like the audience from a live album.
"We all put a little pot together to get you a gift," Mr. Gladstone continued, "and Marshall searched high and low to find you the right one."
Marshall stepped forward, next to Mr. Gladstone, his hands behind his back. "Now we all know how much you like music, Jeffery, especially the music of a particular band—"
"Don't," I said, but no one was listening to me.
"A particular band from the Seventies, what they've told me is an American band—all right, I don't have to go on, you know what it is."
Marshall pulled his hands from behind his back and unfurled a black T-shirt. The three-headed image of Grand Funk Railroad was embossed on the front.
Everyone applauded again and Alvin stepped up, snatching the shirt from Marshall.
"Come on, try it on, see if it fits," he said, taking my arm and putting it through one of the sleeves. I could have resisted, but I stood there and let him dress me.
"That's it," he said. Meanwhile someone had brought out a cake and set it on the table and someone else began to cut it. The design on the frosting was an electric guitar and a drum kit together in a cluster.
"Geez, Jeff, I can't believe you never let anyone know it was birthday last week," Shanif said, licking a finger-full of icing from her index. "If a little birdie hadn't told us—"
I felt as if someone had stabbed me in the spine with an electrified crowbar. I rushed over to Shanif, shoving Karla and Bruce and Marshall out of my way. "Who told you? Who told you it was my birthday?" I screamed, holding her by the shoulders. She didn't look up at me—her gaze was locked on the six-eyed stare from the front of my over-large T-shirt.
"He did," she said through her rattling teeth, and pointed to the rear of the office, at a single wooden desk not enclosed by a cubicle, where a man sat straight-backed writing something in longhand on a pad of yellow legal paper. I released her, the rest of the workers frozen in either disbelief or horror—it didn't matter to me. I'm sure they all waited for when I'd go for the cake knife so that they could tackle me and bludgeon me into unconsciousness with some office object. Rather than reach for the knife, I walked to the rear of the office, toward the man whose old-fashioned desk was out of place with our Formica models, who was writing, writing, only stopping for an instant to flip the page on his legal pad.
He was young, not much older than me, and wore thick but rather stylish glasses. I could feel the weight of everyone's naked glare as I slowly approached him, Grand Funk Railroad either sleeping or dead inside me. Aside sound the friction of his short pencil against the paper a hushed, unintelligible music played over a twin-speaker portable radio to which the man leaned one slightly cocked ear, as if he was transcribing what he heard over the airwaves. When I stood over his desk I saw four Beatles Yellow Submarine action figures in a row among his dictionary, his notebooks, his pencil sharpener, and his mug of writing implements, pencils in different colors and black and blue ball point pens, and the Panasonic radio. I smiled at the four toys, my eyes growing wet—it was as if I was seeing four friends I knew I'd never see again. When his pencil stopped, he looked up at me.
"I want to turn it off," I said.
He narrowed his eyes. "Trust me, you wouldn't prefer the silence. Silence feels like this." Very deliberately, he turned the page on his legal pad and showed me the blank lines. To further his point he turned the volume switch on the radio until it clicked off. Suddenly, a dimension disappeared. The world lacked depth, the furniture before me lost solidity. Silence provided no meaning. Sound drove everything.
"But why Grand Funk Railroad?"
He looked away from me and crossed his legs as he sat back in his chair. After a few seconds, he shifted the position of the John Lennon figure slightly, so it was looking forward. "Why Grand Funk Railroad? I thought you would find it funny."
He clicked on his radio and went back to his writing without waiting for a response. I had nothing to say. Only to hear, to hear like warmth or cold, to hear like being wet, to hear like pain. I could only hear on the inside. I turned away from the Beatles, all four of them looking dead and beyond me, and went for the cake knife and for silence, as the writer had expected.
[cincopa AQJAiVazrxCA]


text:
Created by platform genre veterans responsible for classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, Yooka-Laylee is a fresh and colorful revitilization of the collectible-focused adventure game.
Explore huge open worlds filled with pun-loving characters, inventive puzzles and well hidden secrets, as our green and purple duo attempt to thwart the greedy corporate villan Capital B.
Check back here for regular updates on Yooka-Laylee news as we prepare for a nostalgia-filled trip recalling the charming platformers of yesteryear.
- Developer: Playtonic Games
- Publisher: Team 17
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh operating systems, macOS
'Yooka-Laylee' Trailer
'Yooka-Laylee' Release Date
Yooka-Laylee is due to release worldwide on April 11, 2017, with the Nintendo Switch version to follow at some point later in the year.
'Yooka-Laylee' Pre-order Bonus / Deluxe Edition
What's included: Everyone who pre-orders Yooka-Laylee on PC, Xbox One or PS4 will instantly unlock a Yooka-Laylee Toybox. The Toybox is a self-contained, spoiler-free sandbox game designed to give Yooka-Laylee backers a taste of the platforming mechanics in the final game.
Price: $34,99
What's included: On Steam and GOG.com you'll find a Digital Deluxe version of Yooka-Laylee that features the Toolbox plus a 24-page digital manual and art book and access to the soundtrack.
Price: $44,99
'Yooka-Laylee' Guide: Secrets, Easter Eggs, Cheats, Tips & Tricks
- How To Catch All Ghost Writer Color Types
- Abilities Guide: All Moves And How To Unlock Them
- Quack-Fire Quiz Answers: A Quick Revision Guide
Where To Download 'Yooka-Laylee'
You can download Yooka-Laylee on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch digital stores, or on Steam for Microsoft Windows, Linux and Macintosh operating systems.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Armed robbery on West Wood StreetUpdated:
Most Popular Stories
Near-death overdoses lead to drug warning
MATTOON, Ill. (WAND) – Mattoon officers say a potentially dangerous drug is circulating in the city.
Being Transgender: The struggle of following their journey
(WAND) - Being transgender is a topic that's been making headlines lately for numerous reasons.
Catching up with Decatur's Christian Williams
DECATUR -- Basketball star Christian Williams led St. Teresa to the 2015 2A state championship game and then chose Iowa among a list that included Illinois State, Bradley and Northern Illinois. After playing two years for the Hawkeyes, he decided to pursue more playing time elsewhere. More than two dozen schools reached out to St. Teresa after Williams announced he was leaving Iowa, and he chose Indiana State from a list of finalists that included Evansville and UW-Milwaukee. In this ...
1 killed in Logan County crash
LOGAN COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) – State police say a serious crash killed one person on Interstate 55 Wednesday night.
Firefighters respond to vacant house for third time
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Firefighters from the Decatur Fire Department responded to a vacant home fire on Thursday morning.
The page you requested is currently unavailable. Pages on this site are constantly being revised, updated, and occasionally removed. You may have followed an outdated link or have outdated pages in your
Police: Serial liquor thief targeted single store
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A man who police say tried to steal liquor from the same store several times is behind bars.
Wednesday Night Highlight Zone: 11-22
A jam-packed week of high school basketball tournaments continues with the Decatur Turkey Tournament, Lincoln/Eaton Round Robin Tournament and the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament! MacArthur pulls away from Thornton late and Mt. Zion is rolled by Top 15 Chicagoland squad Bolingbrook. Lincoln stifles Cahokia while at St. Anthony, the Bulldogs fall to Highland, Effingham edges Okaw Valley and Mattoon beats Breese Central. Decatur Turkey Tournament (First Round) MacArt...
Man behind bars in murder investigation
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Decatur murders triple since 2016
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Wednesday Night Highlight Zone: 11-22
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City plans to build fire house on West Mound Road
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Suspect car chase leads to crash, arrests
I-Team: "Undrinkable"
Model Illinois Government holds simulation
I-Team: Porn site posts pics of students
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Spirit of Giving
Join WAND, Cromwell Radio, Walmart North and Macon County Toys for Tots in the Spirit of Giving Toy Drive, Friday, December 1st. T
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DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - You can help keep central Illinois children warm this winter by donating new and gently used coats during WAND-TV's Coats for Kids drive.
Agribusiness Today
Get your agribusiness report here!
Web Exclusives
Here at WAND we strive to bring you the latest coverage on news happening across central Illinois, and this page is a continuation of that effort.


text:
Product Description
The beautiful hand-crafted Sence Copenhagen When Love Makes Sence Long Silver Necklace features a trio of pendants to include a grey agate stone, a tiny silver plated heart and a silver plated disc with the words "When Love Makes Sence". A guaranteed go-to piece for the new season.
- Sence Copenhagen
- When Love Makes Sence Collection
- Silver Plated
- Base Material: Brass
- Length 90cm, 2.5cm pendant
- Grey Agate Stone
Arriving in official Sence Copenhagen gift packaging from Lizzielane, your Sence Copenhagen When Love Makes Sence Long Silver Necklace is the perfect gift.
Grey Agate is the stone of balance. Agates are considered Power Stones. They are very grounding, solid and stable. All Agates have excellent protective and healing energy and stimulate analytical capabilities and precision. Agates also help awaken and discover your inherent natural talents.
Sence Copenhagen's designers are strongly influenced by the trends, moods and colours of the fashion season, producing jewellery themes that beautifully enhance current fashions. Within this collection you will discover the necklace or bracelet that's just right for your up coming occasion, coordinating with your new outfit or reviving a particular favourite. The base material of the metal components is brass, which is then lavishly covered in silver or gold and then put together with a variety of semi-precious stones and fresh water pearls.
We couldn't be more excited about this new collection from Sence Copenhagen and we hope you are too!


text:
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee - Consumer Review
Build Quality
Reliability Value
Build Quality
Reliability Value
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
First Time Jeep Owner and Loving It!
By Ashley S. on
Vehicle2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4dr SUV 4WD (3.7L 6cyl 5A)
ReviewThis is my first SUV and my first Jeep and I must say I am truly pleased so far. I've had it almost 3 weeks now and it is exactly what I was looking for. It drives smooth, has good pickup, and has some really great features. I got one with 16k mileage with the Xpackage for an awesome deal! I saw on some of the other models that people left reviews for that they had a problem with water leaking, I drove mine in torrential downpour last night with no problem. I looked at many different kinds of SUV's before choosing this one and I am fully satisfied with my choice. Comfortable, roomy, fun to drive, and an overall great SUV.
Best FeaturesSteering wheel controls, mine came with remote start which is a great feature to have, heated seats, overall interior appearance is very nice, computer personal programming, satellite radio, so many to name!
Worst FeaturesOf course every SUV could use better gas mileage. It says 15 highway on my window sticker, I've been getting around 16.5 mpg, not too bad, but some SUV's get around 20. Locking gas cap would be better too. Other than that can't think of any complaints, great SUV for your buy!
Recommend (1) (0)
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text:
Mumbai, Nov 24: The rupee on Monday, Nov 24 opened slightly weak at 50.05 against US dollar, down by two paise from its last close of 50.03, on fresh buying of dollars by foreign banks and others.
A fluctuation was seen in the rupee in a range between 49.97 and 50.16 per dollar in the intra-day trade. The domestic currency was slightly weaker in early trade today, as shaky Asian stocks fuelled expectations of accelerated capital outflows from local shares, dealers informed.


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we walked around the local park. lots of birds and kids on scooters. walking thru where the old train tracks were and looking at the wildfowl on the large pond (pictured).
i had my phone recording in my pocket . decreased the volume of walking and treated a little so it sounded like a train chugging.
converted to midi and added a muffled voicelike synth / fx accompaniment.
Hello all..
Walk to the Water(disquiet0268)I am a little wiser thanks to this weeks prompt and Jiro Taniguchi. Lovely art and sentiment I had never heard of until now. I used to take more time exploring my neighborhood and this was a perfect excuse to go enjoy this sunny beautiful day! Made some great field recordings, took some nice pictures and just enjoyed the open space and creek. Trying my hand at unfamiliar instruments and tunings was fun, and I hope the results aren't too offensive to more experienced ears. The piece is two instruments, one field recording and one instance of Space Designer in Logic. Hope you enjoy
I'm sad to have to say this again: please write your song's link in full apart from the embed! I'm only seeing blank grey rectangles with soundcloud written in the middle. Commenting is uneasy here since comments don't appear under the post. Groups have stopped on SC, so I'll only see your songs when Marc posts them as a playlist, and if I want to like a song I'll have to remember which one and do a search in SC!!! Does anyone thinks this is convivial in any way? I long for the rich conversations we used to have on SC in the comments section.Claude
This was make from a recording of me walking down the aisle of an airplane. I also added an 808 drum set and some piano. The sample is processed through a vocorder (which I am slowly trying to learn how to use).
Here's the link to my piece -- https://soundcloud.com/plusch/walk-around-the-park-disquiet0268
After a long stretch of cold and grey weather, this weekend southeast Michigan was treated to sun and unseasonably warm temperatures. I took a brisk walk around the park near my home, during which I made some recordings on my phone. (Sorry for the low-end audio quality.) I chopped out three sections, normalized them, and did some EQ-ing to minimize the rumble from the wind. In Reaper, I spliced those sections together and put some multi-band compression on the master track. In the piece, you can hear vehicles going by, my footsteps on the sidewalk, a passing runner singing to headphone music, dogs barking, a passenger jet overhead, birds tweeting, and children playing.
I think that this's the first time that I participate in Disquiet Junto Project. I know the project since a long time ago, but usually I'm doing a lot of things… In any case, I'm a bit obsessed with walking/psychogeography and I've read The Walking Man, so I wanted to participate.
My contribution is just a raw field recording of a walk under the rain. It's not new, I love walking under the rain and I have a lot of recordings, but I love this specific one because I was under a plastic umbrella and the sound of the rain drops is peculiar.
I took a 3-minute walk at midnight (a very familiar route at a very unfamiliar hour) and recorded it on my phone. Listening back, I took note of the "tonal centers" that I walked by, found the pitches, and then re-recorded them on an old organ. I recreated my footsteps using two drums and the ice cracking underfoot using rattles.
Then I mixed in the original walk vveeerryyy quietly for a little extra "found sound" earthiness.
It was a fun start, but I don't think it's a whole composition yet. I was entertaining the notion of adding some very light piano. Maybe in the future.
I recorded this while traveling, and have yet to hear it over anything but cheap little headphones.
I took a long stroll through my hometown, and recorded with my mobile phone; the churchbell, the blacksmith, the suspension monorail, pedestrians, birds, cars driving through the rain. At home I cut it up in a wave editor, and assembled it. Then I came across some drafts I had played into the wave editor with my guitar, and thought of combining these two.
was a bit in doubt with this weeks junto. so again used some field recordings i made in Thailand last year. as there are ambience recorded in the old water tower our landlord rebuilded as a very nice one room appartment in about ten meters hight,beautiful sight on a coconut tree field and lovely sounds of many kind of birds and other creatures.took some original sounds, almost untreated and sounds i thought they´ll fit to get a wider spectrum. used Density Inst. for mangling soft some of the sounds,added stones samples and two synth sounds to the source sounds.only took thre different reverbs for deepness and widening.
Aloha,using sounds from free sound www.freesound.org/people/FreddyFool/sounds/207807/
Later. Les
A little late.... but you know.
This weeks project inspired me to do a bunch of field recordings... just randomly threw them together and fiddled around with my OP1. Tools: Zoom h5n / Shotgun mic / OP-1
In the email notification for disquiet0269 this link to 0268 was attached - is that right, I wonder.So, for now and my half live duet: For my half duet I started and arpeggio, turned the modulation wheel way up and enjoyedwonderous swirly-whirly sounds
Just the link - https://soundcloud.com/dreygrade/pierwalk-disquiet0268
My contribution - it was on time on Soundcloud but only just been able to add it here .A short walk on Cromer Pier in Cromer, Norfolk, England around lunchtime on Friday 17 February 2017.An opportunity on holiday to make a short binaural recording of a walk on a pier. We had just eaten chips on the pier and were heading off to get ice creams for two 6 year olds and the grown-ups, so time was limited.I placed the binaural headphones around my neck (no time to attach to ears properly) set to record and walked from the pier to an ice cream shop.I managed to lag behind enough to avoid recording our conversations.Person saying 'does anyone want an ice cream' is not me.Only minor edits to remove clicks.Extra info after conversation with sevenism on Soundcloud -It was the first time I'd been there - to Cromer, I walked from the benches in the middle of the pier about half way down, turned left after leaving the pier and stopped outside Ronaldo ice cream shop
Oh yes I see that in my email notification I think it might be an error - should it be http://llllllll.co/t/record-half-a-duet-disquiet-junto-project-0269/6652 ?I like the swirly piece
Sorry. I messed up the link in the email.


text: Problem: When recieving incoming calls message on screen when call is showing on device screen it shows system message : ["blacklisted incoming number"] {not exact message, but similiar...}. This is happened a couple of times so it is not a fluke. The calls work at first, but after this you cant recieve calls from that number. There is no setting or list to remove or edit the blacklist "feature". Device: Motorola Droid (original verizon wireless) Rom: Shadow Rom 2.0 (***not shadow rom v2.0.1 or v0.1) Resolution: TBD


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Traveling Luck for Camp Fosseen, Washington, United States
Where is Camp Fosseen?What's around Camp Fosseen?
Wikipedia near Camp Fosseen
Where to stay near Camp Fosseen
The timezone in Camp Fosseen is America/Whitehorse
Sunrise at 07:07 and Sunset at 16:02. It's light
Latitude. 47.8950°, Longitude. -117.1131°
Weather near Camp Fosseen; Report from Deer Park, Deer Park Airport, WA 28.5km away
Weather :
Temperature: 6°C / 43°F
Wind: 10.4km/h South
Cloud: Broken at 2200ft
Weather :
Temperature: 6°C / 43°F
Wind: 10.4km/h South
Cloud: Broken at 2200ft
Satellite map around Camp Fosseen
Loading map of Camp Fosseen and it's surroudings
Geographic features & Photographs around Camp Fosseen, in Washington, United States
- stream;
- a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.
- Burping Brook (1.8km)
- Litter Creek (6.4km)
- South Fork Deadman Creek (7.6km)
- Johnson Creek (9.4km)
- Miller Creek (10.2km)
- Brickel Creek (10.4km)
- Supper Creek (10.4km)
- Newman Creek (11.6km)
- McCabe Creek (12km)
- Pell Creek (12.1km)
- Blister Rust Creek (12.4km)
- Cottonwood Creek (12.6km)
- Thompson Creek (12.6km)
- North Fork Little Deep Creek (12.7km)
- South Fork Little Deep Creek (12.7km)
- Ross Creek (12.7km)
- Twin Bridge Creek (12.8km)
- North Fork Blanchard Creek (13km)
- Little Deer Creek (13.1km)
- Dinner Creek (13.4km)
- Middle Fork Hauser Creek (13.5km)
- Right Fork Hauser Creek (13.8km)
- mountain;
- an elevation standing high above the surrounding area with small summit area, steep slopes and local relief of 300m or more.
- Bald Knob (2.3km)
- Quartz Mountain (3km)
- Beauty Mountain (3.2km)
- Round Top Mountain (3.3km)
- Spokane Mount (3.3km)
- Spokane, Mount (3.3km)
- Horse Mountain (3.4km)
- Kit Carson, Mount (3.7km)
- Shadow Mountain (4km)
- Day Mountain (5km)
- Tripps Knob (5.9km)
- Ragged Mountain (6.3km)
- Ragged Mountain (6.3km)
- Green Mountain (9km)
- Local Feature;
- A Nearby feature worthy of being marked on a map..
- Camp Fosseen (0km)
- Cooks Cabin (3km)
- Mount Spokane Fire Station (9.7km)
- Mount Saint Charles Ranch (12.5km)
- Homestead Campground (12.7km)
- Homestead Campground (12.7km)
- Green Bluff Substation (13.1km)
- ridge(s);
- a long narrow elevation with steep sides, and a more or less continuous crest.
- Linder Ridge (1.4km)
- Hay Ridge (4.2km)
- Missouri Ridge (7.5km)
- Danby Ridge (12.7km)
- gap;
- a low place in a ridge, not used for transportation.
- Smith Gap (2.6km)
- Blanchard Hump (13km)
Accommodation around Camp Fosseen
- tower;
- a high conspicuous structure, typically much higher than its diameter.
- KXLY-TV (Spokane) (3.4km)
- KXLY-FM (Spokane) (3.4km)
- spring(s);
- a place where ground water flows naturally out of the ground.
- Big Springs (2.3km)
- Hysing Spring (7.9km)
- flat;
- a small level or nearly level area.
- Big Meadows (12.1km)
- range;
- a series of associated ridges or seamounts.
- Three Rocks (10.3km)
- cliff(s);
- a high, steep to perpendicular slope overlooking a waterbody or lower area.
- Orchard Bluff (13.3km)
- basin;
- a depression more or less equidimensional in plan and of variable extent.
- Hells Hole (6.9km)
- valley;
- an elongated depression usually traversed by a stream.
- Swansons Chute (12.6km)
- bay;
- a coastal indentation between two capes or headlands, larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf.
- Muzzy Bay (13.4km)
- dam;
- a barrier constructed across a stream to impound water.
- Warner Dam (10.6km)
- park;
- an area, often of forested land, maintained as a place of beauty, or for recreation.
- Mount Spokane State Park (3.8km)
Wikipedia entries close to
Camp Fosseen
- Green Bluff, Washington city o
- Hauser, Idaho city city o
- Milan, Washington city city o
- Elk, Washington city city o
- Rathdrum, Idaho city city o
- Spirit Lake, Idaho city city o
- Otis Orchards-East Farms, Washington city city o
- Cyan Worlds landmark science
- State Line, Idaho city city o
- Trentwood, Washington city city o
- Post Falls, Idaho city city o
- Green Acres, Washington city city o
- Millwood, Washington city city o
- Liberty Lake, Washington city city o
- Fairwood, Washington city city o
- Deer Park, Washington city city o
Airports close to Camp Fosseen
Felts fld(SFF), Spokane, Usa (32.4km)
Spokane international(GEG), Spokane, Usa (50.2km)
Fairchild afb(SKA), Spokane, Usa (58.5km)
Castlegar(YCG), Castlegar, Canada (182.3km)
Cranbrook(YXC), Cranbrook, Canada (243.2km)


text:
Kinect v2
AX-12A Dynamixel servos
This quadruped robot will use AX-12A Dynamixel servos (might be upgraded to the more powerful AX-18A). The legs currently have 20 DOF and there are an additional 2 DOF for the body. Servos and brackets are from the Robotis range, with some replaced by their metal counterparts available from Trossen Robotics. They will be painted to match the colour theme. The rest of the parts will be mostly 3D printed where appropriate. The main framework of printed parts forming the body will be sandwiched between 1.6 mm thick custom (laser-cut?) aluminium plates.
The novel aspects of this quadruped are its articulated legs, which have higher DOF than usually found on small quadrupeds, and its articulated "spine", which will help it in navigating uneven terrain.
This robot shares many ideas and knowledge gained from my other Dynamixel-based robot, the ROSoloid. Whether or not it gets integrated with ROS and the custom GUI remains to be seen. At the very least, the Raspberry Pi will run the kinematics and walking gait code.
One main thing I felt the ROSoloid humanoid robot was missing was an advanced sensory system. The advantage of the quadruped is its capability to carry heavier loads and provide a stable platform for sensors, hence the idea to add a Kinect! Its size seems to be perfectly fitting with the rest of the profile.
The build progress of this robot can be followed on my personal website.


text:
With the overwhelming amount of social media networks out there, it's easy to feel over-connected, over-stimulated and, more importantly, it's hard to keep it all organized! Fortunately, for you, we have rounded up five ways to get the most out of your social media accounts, and to ensure sure they are set up safely, securely and efficiently!
1) First things First: Security
Security and settings are likely the most talked about topics in the social media world, and commonly the most misunderstood. Although Facebook has the most complaints regarding security, their security features have actually gotten much more user-friendly and it's now relatively easy to control your settings.
Ever wonder who can actually see your status updates and photo shares? Simply, go to the top right corner of your profile and click on the lock icon (see picture below). Under this little widget, you can access almost all of your security settings. In these settings you can select exactly who can see your posts, from friends, the public, or even only you! These helpful icons are on every status update, photo album or song you have ever shared and can, at any time, be changed.
Scared about sharing your Pinterest pins or Instagram posts on Facebook? Simply "unlink" your accounts and stop the world from knowing a little too much about you based off your pinning habits. To learn how to unlink Pinterest visit this helpful how-to guide from their blog here. Unlink Instagram by going to "settings", "preferences" and edit your share settings how you see fit!
2) Not All Photos Were Meant to be Shared:
Not every one of our Facebook friends has to see every picture we have ever been tagged in. Have you ever had a fun night out, and a girlfriend uploads hundreds of pictures to Facebook the next day? You may not quite remember the entire night, but by the looks of the pictures, you have seen better days. Before you know it, you are getting notifications that you have been tagged in more than one less than appealing photo of yourself. Thankfully, there is a way to prevent this catastrophe from ever occurring again. Introducing tagging review: Simply go to your Facebook settings, go to "timeline and tagging" and turn the "review posts friends tag you in" feature to "on". Now you can review and approve every photo, status and video you are tagged in and save yourself from future embarrassing situations.
3) Get Your Push Notifications In Check:
With the obscene amount of emails, texts, news updates and baby announcements we all receive on a daily basis, social media updates can get a little overwhelming. If your main access method to social media networks is your mobile device, turn off those push notifications stat! Is it really necessary to get notified every time that Instagram photo of your lunch gets a like? Turn all push notifications off for most social media apps in your general mobile settings and unplug, one baby step at a time.
4) Clean House:
Let's face it; the amount of Facebook friends, Instagram followers, and Snapchatters you have on your list of "friends" has gotten a bit out of hand. When scrolling through your News Feed you probably realize that at least 50% of people who are sharing updates, may be people you haven't talked to in years (and probably wouldn't even recognize in person). While Facebook is a great medium to stay connected, you may not necessarily want to see a friend of a friend's daily status update about how much they hate their job. Instead of going on an un-friending spree, you can simply go to their Facebook profile and select "unfollow". Now their daily updates will no longer clog your feed, which leaves more room for content you are actually interested in, like Best Friends For Frosting posts!
5) Filter More Efficiently:
Whether you are sharing photos of your amazing day at the vineyard, or using photos to promote your blog, you may have noticed that you spend WAY more time than you should re-sizing, filtering and editing photos on your desktop and mobile device. Save more of your valuable time with The Next Web's list of the best tools for editing photos for social media.
Got any other great tips for us? Share them below!


text:
VCA students ripped [sheeps] hearts from their chests in St Kilda Road this morning to dramatise the effects of an intended 25% increase in tuition fees due to be debated by Council this afternoon.
From a media release issued by the Victorian College of Arts Student Union yesterday (Tuesday):
On Wednesday June 29th, during the university calendar mid-year break, Victorian College of the Arts Council intends to increase domestic VCA student tuition fees by 25%, and international student fees by a further 5%. When measured against the VCA's 2006 enrolment target this will equate to a $666, 936 increase to College's earnings whilst it will be students who feel a very real squeeze – now and well into the future.
In 2004 VCA Council decided NOT to increase fees when many other institutions did, largely due to a hard fought campaign by VCA students. However VCA did introduce up front fee places for the first time for domestic undergraduate students at that time – approx $13000 per year.
With students already at risk of losing their student organizations, due to the government's draconian Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) Legislation, the VCA Council issued a media release refuting the government's VSU proposal. VCA Council say they support students. These current actions clearly demonstrate otherwise.
The chances of the majority of VCA Graduates paying off their HECS debts are very slim. Many students face great difficulties finding significant employment related to courses they have studied at the VCA, and arts jobs are notoriously low paid. Reduced income potential and ever increasing student debts makes it hard to get car or home loans, etc
"Emergency student loans have been at an all time high this year. VCA cannot keep making students pay more and more – at some point this has to stop," said Jim Rimmer, VCA Student Union Community Development Officer. Kanishka Karunaratne, VCASU Education Officer, has commented, "The fact that the VCA Council waited until the holidays to try and push through the increase shows that they know students are not going to be happy with this decision. It is the students that make the VCA and the College Council need to remember that. Student fees are already unaffordable and any increase will unduly add to this already significant burden. They can not expect students to pay any more." "Students are already going to suffer from the governments rampage to lower their working conditions and this can only mean further decreases in student's living standards. The VCA Council moving to increase HECS fees by an additional 25% contributes further to this assault," added Alison Hogg, President of the VCA Student Union. Felix Elridge, National Union of Students President exclaimed "It is no surprise that the VCA Council are attempting to increase HECS at a time when students are battling the government's attacks on student unions. With universities across Australia seeing increasing class sizes, HECS increases, and massive cuts to Government support, this is when students need their student organisations the most!"
Students of the college were planning a further action for 4.30pm, timed to coincide with the Council meeting: turning over-sized cogs and holding up factory walls and smoke stacks to symbolise the turning of universities into degree factories.
Ripping their hearts out:
The VCA degree factory:


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{American Apparel Bow Hair Clip, Ciaté Velvet Manicure in Berry Poncho, Blue Suede, and Mink Cashmere, American Eagle Tweed Blazer, H&M Dress, Madewell Stripe Tee, Matt & Nat Hendrix Handbag, Topshop Skater Skirt, Current/Elliot Jeans}
I absolutely love the bow hair clips from American Apparel and wear them often {as seen here}. I also adore that these pants, this jacket, and these shoes can all be dressed up or down and worn for any occasion from the office to a holiday party.
Are you a fan of the velvet trend?


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By Piet Jonas
This app is only available on the App Store for iOS devices.
This applications helps to calculate the sunrise and sunset times of your current location or each location in the world on each day of the year. Enjoy planning your next holiday, trip or photo session where ever and when ever you want to go.
It keeps several locations which can be chosen from a list of cities from around the world or searched on GeoNames.org
What's New in Version 2.4.2
- fixed location and timezone bug
This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad
- $0.99
- Category: Reference
- Updated: Jul 10, 2015
- Version: 2.4.2
- Size: 2.7 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: Piet Jonas
- © 2008 Piet Jonas
Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.1.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.


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The Prima Double Layer Sweater by Joie is one shirt made to look like two. There is a crew neck, open knit throughout, a rolled edge at the hem, and 3/4 length sleeves. Underneath is a contrasting lining. The outer layer is 100% wool, and it is available in caviar/dark grey and sage/heather grey.
Read More in: Sweaters
Share this Article with others:
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Came straight to this page? Visit Shirt Snob for all the latest news.


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can easily build the 3 different models step by step.


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text:
Rovers - Hoskins not for sale
Bristol Rovers insist Will Hoskins is not for sale after rejecting an offer from Scunthorpe United.
Last Updated: 01/01/11 1:29pm
Bristol Rovers insist Will Hoskins is not for sale after rejecting a 'ridiculously low' offer from Scunthorpe United.
Skysports.com revealed earlier in the week that the Iron had failed in a bid for the striker, who has scored 11 goals since joining Rovers last summer.
Pirates chairman Nick Higgs revealed Scunthorpe's offer for Hoskins, but stressed the League One club are not looking to cash in.
Higgs told the Bristol Evening Post: "I can confirm that Scunthorpe have made a ridiculously low offer for Will Hoskins.
"It isn't something we considered because Will is not for sale."
Scunthorpe boss Ian Baraclough has acknowledged an interest in Hoskins and expects several clubs will be keeping an eye on the former Watford forward.
"Will Hoskins is someone who I have admired now for a few years," said Baraclough in the Scunthorpe Telegraph.
"He is doing very well at League One level with Bristol Rovers. I am sure he is a player who will interest other clubs, not just us."


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Mike Lazaridis is having a bad week.
The engineering wizard who helped build Research In Motion Ltd. into a global wireless powerhouse is on a publicity campaign to personally promote the features of company's long awaited PlayBook tablet to select media outlets. So far, the results have been mixed.
Earlier this week, The New York Times portrayed him as an exasperated executive frustrated with "negative sentiment" about the company. On Wednesday, the BBC posted a short video of him abruptly terminating an interview after a reporter asked about government interference in India and the Middle East with RIM's widely admired BlackBerry network security.
[Watch the video here]
"That's just not fair," Mr. Lazaridis, RIM's co-chief executive officer, bristled in response to the question from reporter Rory Cellan-Jones. "First of all we have no security problem. … We've just been singled out here because we are so successful around the world. It's an iconic product."
When Mr. Cellan-Jones pressed again for a response, Mr. Lazaridis said: "It's over, the interview. You can't use that, it's not fair, it's national security. Turn that off."
The short one minute and 29 second clip went viral, ranking as the most viewed video on the BBC's website, ahead of videos about the capture of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and U.S. President Barack Obama's deficit cutting plan.
"RIM is on record with our approach to lawful access issues and there are no recent developments to report," a spokeswoman for the company said in an e-mail. "Lawful access issues are now recognized as normal industry-wide issues and like others in the industry, we will continue to work with law enforcement and regulatory officials around the world as appropriate."
The fascination with Mr. Lazaridis's conduct reflects the enormous scrutiny RIM is under days ahead of its April 19 launch of the PlayBook in North American stores. The tablet will pit the Waterloo, Ont.-based company against the retail might of Apple Inc. and its iPad, which currently commands about three quarters of the tablet market.
Mr. Lazaridis is not the first technology innovator to stumble stepping out of the laboratory into the communications arena.
When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg tried to defend his company's controversial privacy practices during a filmed session with Wall Street Journal reporters last summer, he began sweating so profusely that he had to stop and remove his hooded jacket. The move revealed an internal company mission statement to be "more open."
"Oh my God, it's like a secret cult," reporter Kara Swisher quipped during the interview.
Apple founder Steve Jobs found himself in hot water last summer when he publicly responded to public complaints about the antenna on the company's iPhone 4 by complaining that customers were not holding the device properly. After weeks of technology blogs that skewered Apple for "Antenna Gate," the company agreed to change faulty cases on the phones.
Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page nearly derailed the company's IPO in 2004 when Playboy Magazine published an in-depth interview with them during a so-called quiet period when securities laws restrict public comments ahead of stock issues. The IPO was allowed to go ahead after the Securities and Exchange Commission delayed approval.


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VMAs Nominations Live Stream: Watch MTV Video Music Awards Nominees Announcement Online
The 2016 VMAs nominations will be announced on Tuesday. Check out the live stream below!
For the first time in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards, the nominees are being unveiled via a streaming event broadcast through Facebook Live. Several TV hosts and personalities from the network will be on hand to reveal who's in the running for a coveted Moonman trophy. But that's not all.
MTV has also enlisted more than 10 street artists to help announce the nominees for the biggest category, Video of the Year. The group will create artwork on the spot to reveal who is nominated for the award show's top honor. Those participating include D White, John Paul Ogrodnick (JPO), Damien Mitchell, Marc Evan, Resa, BKFoxx, Queen Andrea, Hektad, Giz, Such and Poem One.
The "sweeping and panoramic mural" will highlight the five artists and videos that will be competing. The VMAs winners will eventually be announced when the MTV Video Music Awards are held at Madison Square Garden on August 28. It will mark the first time the ceremony takes place at the iconic venue, and the first time it's held in New York since 2013.
A host for the event will be named in the coming weeks. The nominations live stream is slated to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern. Watch below!


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Niina Halonen
M.A. (Education)
PhD Researcher in Educational Psychology at the Department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki
Researcher at the Engaging Working Culture -project
Areas of interest: technology-mediated learning, knowledge practices, leadership, design-based research
Inspired of people and innovations, learning and teaching. Loves also business life. Thinks that the right attitude is everything. Loves the big questions of life and enjoy already solved little things.


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Memphis hires co-offensive coordinator Justin Fuente as head coach
Published December 8, 2011 by email@example.com (Ryan Osborne)
The University of Memphis has hired TCU offensive coordinator Justin Fuente as its new head coach, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reported Wednesday night.
According to the report, Fuente will be introduced at a noon press conference Tuesday.
Fuente, 35, will replace Larry Porter, who was fired last week after leading the Tigers to a 3-21 record in two years at the helm.


text: Hey guys, I need some help. My Droid keeps rebooting on it's own. It's stuck in a boot loop. I have tried to do a wipe and restore a nandroid backup that I made last week and it's still rebooting. As soon as the phone tries to mount the SD card it reboots. I have also tried to restore it to a plain vanilla backup that I made right after I rooted my phone. Clockwork see the SD card with no problems and can read and write to it. Also Win 7 can see the card when I put it in my laptop. This seems to have started after I used MotoTorch Flashlight and had to do a battery pull on it because the phone locked up. What can I do? Thanks guys.


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Istanbul - Turkey is against any military strike on Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday, warning that speculation risked destabilising the region.
"We do not think it is right even to talk of possible military intervention in the region... We are against such intervention and believe it would create more instability," Anatolia news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying in Ankara.
"It is unacceptable that countries suspected of having nuclear weapons cause new tensions in our region," Davutoglu said, referring to Israel.
His comments came amid speculation that Israel could launch a strike on Iran with President Shimon Peres warning last weekend that an attack was becoming "more and more likely".
Tehran responded by threatening to hit back against any attack or even the threat of military action.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), meanwhile, made its hardest-hitting assessment yet about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons drive.
"It is necessary to eliminate nuclear weapons not only in this or that country, but in the whole region," Davtoglu added.
The Turkish foreign minister called on both Iran and the UN atomic agency to be "clear and open" in their allegations and responses.
I dont think that Turkey has any say in this matter. They would certainly not accept responsibility for Israels security. On the contrary--- God bless Israel and its people!
Turkey as gateway between Mid-East and Europe has every right to comment as to security within the region. When a known nuclear power threatens a suspected nuclear power then the whole region has an interest in what is taking place. The security of the area is dependent not on any single nation but upon all nations in the area collectively, so if one nation threatens to attack another nation on suspicion of developing nuclear weapons then it creates a bigger problem since it has been proven before that WMD was a myth and a ruse to attack a nation not to long ago and after many years no WMD was found.
If you are insinuating that the WMD in Iraq was a myth,then you are very mistaken. Its presence in Iraq was known to the international intelligence community, also the enemy of the USA. They(WMD) was removed and removed to Syria just prior to the US invasion.So, with the odd exception or biased observer, as we see here,all know it.
Dirk are you saying that General Colin Powell who attained the rank of a four star general and had the highest rank in the US military as head of the joint chief of staff and also held the position of Secretary of State is a liar and that you Dirk a nobody from S.A. knows more than him. Please read his memoirs as to the war in Iraq you can find it at the US library of Congress
Dayaan- What you think of me and what Colin Powell said in public (for political reasons)is of no concern to me. In fact, from what you have uttered here, if I irritate you, excellent. What I said above, is however fact- believe it or not, your choice.
Dirk you are the one that feels irritated since you cannot handle the fact that a respected person such as General Collin Powell stood up for the principles that has guided him his whole life and told Blabbering Bush that he is a liar and that you yourself cannot give any thread of evidence to prove otherwise. Even the Israeli military respect him as a man of integrity and principles. All you have is hearsay by certain elements in the Israeli Lobby and Zionists intent on domination.
Dirk. I thought you worked with this "stuff". If you did you would know that Turkey is probably the only Muslim/Arab country that Israel can say is an ally.
I really suggest Israel takes not of what Turkey says on this matter.
Barry, Dirk only thinks he knows what is going on there. General Colin Powell resigned because of the misinformation about WMD that was spread and that they used him to talk about it at the UN. In his memoirs he said he felt totally betrayed by the intelligence community that he worked with his whole life that they could fabricate such lies. Dirk would probably contend that General Colin Powell doesn't know what he is talking, an officer who attained the highest rank in the US military as head of the joint chiefs of staff. Turkey is not the only ally that Israel has in the region there is Jordan and of course Egypt although relations are strained with two of its allies ie. Turkey and Egypt, Jordan has also expressed reservations as to attacking Iran. The US has stated that Israel has to stop alienating its neighbors with its actions since the Arab Spring could bring peace to Israel it is totally dependent on Israeli actions. So Israel should take note of its allies feelings since it is the only ones it have at present in the region.
An ally? Having diplomatic relations, as with Egypt, does not make it an ally. You will remember that Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel in protest to Israel handling of the protest flotilla.Personally, I thought Israel handled them quite well- I would have sunk them. Dont be naive and believe everything you see and read. In reality, more often than not, its very different. God bless Israel, and if you have any doubt about which God, feel free to ask, but I suspect you know.
Wow your ignorance amazes me Netanyahu himself admitted that Israel only have 3 allies within the region. In 2001 the Arab League offered Israel full recognition in return for an independent Palestine this was rejected by Israel - Tzipi Livni in a recent letter to J-Street said that she hopes that the current Israeli leadership seize the opportunity and get to accept the Arab Peace Initiative for full recognition of Israel which they have left on the table for many years now but has not been accepted by the liar Netanyahu. Of course now you will call Tzipi Livni an Anti-Semite. As to the God of the Jews are you referring to the one whose name they are not allowed to mention in fear that they might blaspheme it, their own Torah condemns them for this even the Bible says that only those calling on His name will be saved. Jesus (may peace be upon him) also reportedly said that those calling on the name of God will be saved. Unfortunately the Jews says no we can't mention the name of God. Jesus (may peace be upon him) told the Jews of his time that God has rejected them since they placed their traditions ahead of the laws of God.
Israel doesnt need the support of any nation. Infact, biblical prophecy declares that every single nation will turn against Israel and that God will fight for them. Who needs nations when you have God on your side? Israel - you have my support.
@LilaHearst which biblical prophesy are you refering to. It is a well documented fact that their is no original copies of the Bible or even the Torah available to reference against. Even one of the languages that the Bible was originally written in Aramaic is no longer spoken so how truthful is this prophecy that you are quoting. It is also a well documented fact that changes has been made over the centuries to suit who ever was in control.
Yes. Discussing with the likes of Dirk is like pulling teeth very painful. I respect their point of view even though they have never been to Israel/Palestine Turkey or even Saudi Arabia like I have and I think you may have traveled around the middle east as well. I think their views would be different if they had been there. Unfortunately they have the bible as a crutch to justify any bad thing Israel/USA does. So very one sided
The issue is not one sided.
@ lila:
German soldiers during WWII were claiming that god is fighting on their side...every body claims that god is on his side when in a war...
but as napoleon says: God fights on the side with the best artillery!
And look what happened to Napoleon. Not good person to admire I'm afraid.


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"The President? I cried on his shoulder. And I was crying there and he's patting me on the back and looking around to who he's gonna talk to next.."
Before last year's election, Patricia Smith, the mother of murdered Benghazi mission officer Sean Smith, spoke forcefully about getting to the truth of what happened.
Patricia Smith, the mother of slain State Department employee Sean Patrick Smith, is now blaming President Barack Obama for her son's death.
"I believe that Obama murdered my son," she said Thursday from the living room of her Clairemont home. "I firmly believe this."
Members of Obama Inc. lied to Smith and told her that it was all about the movie.
That Susan Rise, what -- she talked to me personally and she said, she said, this is the way it was. It was -- it was because of this film that came out.
COOPER: So she told you personally that she thought it was a result of that video of the protest?
SMITH: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. In fact all of them did. All of them did. Leon Panetta actually took my face in his hands like this and he said, trust me. I will tell you what happened. And so far, he's told me nothing. Nothing at all. And I want to know.
Exactly. I told him, if it's such a secret thing, fine, take me in another room, whisper in my ear what happened so that I know, and we'll go from there. But no. No, they -- you know, they treat me like -- at first I was so proud because they were treating me so nice when I went to that reception. They all came up to me and talked to me and everything. I cried on Obama's shoulder. And he -- then he'd kind of looked off into the distance.
So that was worthless to me. I want to know, for god's sakes. Or for Allah's sake or whoever's sake is there.
Now Patricia Smith is speaking out again and talking about the pressure that has been coming down on her.
My son himself told me that he warned them…. He said: 'I told them, I sent messages'…. He was on the tele-type of whatever it is… he was on there telling them, just before it happened, and that the guy out there was taking pictures of the place. He was telling them that. He was a communications guy and he was communicating that.
They don't tell me much. They want me to shut up…. I was told, and I really would rather not say by who, [though] I can if you need it, but I was told that I'm causing a lot of problems and to shut up…. I told them 'I will not! I will not shut up until I find out what really happened!'
The President? I cried on his shoulder. And I was crying there and he's patting me on the back and looking around to who he's gonna talk to next. So I didn't feel any comfort there. Hillary? I cried on her shoulder also, but she paid a little attention to me then walked off.
That's the reason I keep opening my mouth about it. I want someone to admit it so that it won't happen again. So that there's safety there.


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Looks a harmless Billboard promoting Microsoft's Cloud Technologies right?
Well it would be, however this billboard has been placed a mere 5miles from VMware World Headquarters in Palo Alto. Its also on the route that most VMware employees take to work!
For someone who has worked at Microsoft for over 5years now this sort of feisty advertising is a sight for sore eyes. Over the time that I've been here, its been frowned apon internally if we create a campaign that competes directly with another software vendor. However "Cloud Computing" seems to be the game changer!
Next step for Microsoft? Hopefully a focus on Social Marketing and viral


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National Museum of Natural History
10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
Ground Floor, outside Atrium Cafe Floor Plan
On view is an environmental sculpture of entwined maple saplings -- approximately 8-1/2 feet high -- created on site by North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty. Starting from a basic sketch, the artist works spontaneously -- reacting to the space, his materials, and visitors who watch him at work. Photographs of the work in progress are also on view.


text:
- Lifestyle & Amenities
- Independent Living
- Assisted Living
- Health Services
- Your Parents
- For Residents
- Contact Us
Ready to come see for yourself?
There is one thing you can't deny when you visit Friendship Village – the lifestyle is outstanding. Our residents make the most of every day. With more than 450 activities and opportunities that fill the calendar each month, there is never a shortage of things to do. From social clubs and hobby groups to visiting lectures and entertaining events, the problem won't be what to do, but how do I fit it all in. Shape up in the fitness center, volunteer at a local organization or just meet friends for a good laugh over a good meal.
There are so many advantages to living the active senior lifestyle at Friendship Village that go beyond great amenities and exceptional services. We are committed to helping you be the best you can be with innovative whole-person wellness programs as well as our proprietary Get Set 4 Life program that helps you plan for a successful future.
Resident Information
Click here for information regarding campus activities, events, and dining menus.
An Engaging Lifestyle
Director of Lifestyle, Mike McCann discusses how the engaging lifestyle at Friendship Village can help seniors get set for the rest of their life.
Friendship Village Media Highlights


text:
Wireless Network Card Problem!
I have a usr11g wireless networking PCI card and a WMP54GV2 wireless network card and I was wondering how I could connect either of these and go on the net (I would prefer to use the USR11g.) So anyone able to help me?
I am using Ubuntu 5.1 btw!
You'll probably want to read up on ndiswrapper if you haven't already. Ndiswrapper uses the windows driver to work with Linux. If you search LQ, you'll find lots of threads on the topic.
I need a tutorial, I have no idea how to work it.
You need to install ndiswrapper, then install the XP driver for your device.
The process for doing this is in the ndiswrapper documentation which can be accessed here.
You need to read the installation instructions which will guide you through the installation of ndiswrapper and the installation of the driver and the module loading.
Then it is a matter of using iwconfig from the command line or a gui program of your choice depending on your system.
Then you could ask direct questions that would be easily answered. Your request as it is is too broad to get a good answer.
Be sure to state what you have done and the problem you are facing.
|All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:45 PM.


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Omaha (NE) Millard South WR Vondrae Tostenson may have been one of the happiest players in the country two weeks ago when the football season started. After missing his junior season with a major ...
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Subscribe today to read the full article and get everything Rivals has to offer.
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- Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
- Breaking recruiting news


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As August is Ending
It's been 3 weeks "on our own" and we're all surviving! That said, we do miss the male human and hope he gets to come home to visit for the long weekend. I'm still trying not to complain. Many Military families deal with further distances and longer separations. I mean, even we have in the[…]Read More


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|Page (1) of 1 - 11/26/13
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Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale treat their sons Kingston and Zuma to a fun day out at Disneyland. Ref: SPL657902 261113 Video by: Splash News
|Gwen Stefani Shows Off Her Bump on a Disneyland Day Out
Source:GrabNetworks (c). All Rights Reserved


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Words containing enerousn
Found 3 words containing enerousn. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words that contain enerousn. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play!
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Two-way, four-star running back/safety standout Dietrich Riley (6-1, 200, 4.47) from La Canada (Calif.) St. Francis. He has 16 offers on the table with his three coming from three very diverse schools. Riley talks about his latest three offers and his take on his overall recruitment.
"My most recent offers came from Cal, Alabama, and Northern Arizona," Riley said. "I'm open to anyone.
"Even though they (Northern Arizona) might be a small school or whatever, but you know, anything can happen. You just never know. I know that one of Northern Arizona's coaches used to coach at St. Francis and he's a good friend of our community.
Article Continues Below
"He (Northern Arizona coach) was just down at USC helping out at the Rising Stars Camp and he was just saying they were supposed to come out in the spring and offer and even though they knew I am being highly recruited they wanted to offer me just in case something would happen."
"I actually have a good relationship with Alabama's defensive backs coach (Kirby Smart)," Riley said. "Markeith Ambles set me up with them a few months back and I called their defensive backs coach (Smart) to tell him that I was really interested in them.
"Markeith spoke very highly of him (Smart)," Riley said. "So I wanted to get in contact with them to let them know that I had family in Montgomery, Alabama, and that I definitely had interest in them. Alabama ended up offering me.
"Cal's offer made me feel great," Riley said. "Cal is not just a great prestigious football program, but academically they are right at the top. Cal is definitely a school that can get you far in life with that degree. Cal is definitely a great school, I must say."
Does Riley have any leaders or narrowing things down at all?
"I'm still wide open, but I know of one school that I'm going to take an official visit to and that's Tennessee," Riley said. "It's up in the air right now, my family and I have been talking about me taking an official visit out there, I haven't confirmed it, but maybe, I'll be going out there when they play Georgia.
"I think I'll start to narrow things down around August maybe, depending if I get anymore offers," Riley said. "There are still a few schools that I'm waiting to hear from like Texas. I hear that Texas is done with their recruiting.
"I would like to hear from Florida," Riley said. "A lot of guys from California are getting offers from Florida. That is another school that I would like to hear from and maybe Ohio State. They (Ohio State are getting a lot of guys from the West Coast.
What about Riley's two local schools, UCLA and USC?
"They are trying to make a big run on me, but I'm not really focusing on them," Riley said. "I am looking at schools out of state right now.
Is one of Southern California's top prospects thinking of heading out of the area for college?
"It's a possibility, it's up in the air," Riley said. "I'm not really focused on staying in California. I might leave the state. I have family in the south and the Midwest so it could work out.
What is Riley looking for a college?
"Academics, first and foremost," Riley said. "A great environment that is family oriented and have a good vibe with the coach.
"Playing time is definitely important to me," Riley said. "I am looking at depth charts when it comes to looking colleges.
"Just a place where I am comfortable and can see myself living at when football is over."
Is there a timeframe for Riley's decision?
"I'm kind of thinking maybe before the season or maybe after the season," Riley said. "I don't know. I was thinking kind of the day before my Mom's birthday. I think that would be nice and special for her, but I'm not really sure.
"I kind of want to take my five official visits," Riley said. "You get explore different environments and schools. You get to know other players, but I'm not really sure.
Most of Riley's offers are coming in for his skills as a running back, but a lot of schools can see him lining up at safety. Riley is a team first guy, doesn't seem to have a preference.
"I just want to play ball," Riley said. "I'm not too worried about what position I play at the next level."
For his junior season performance, Riley was selected first-team all-state, first-team all-CIF, Area Player of the Year and League Offensive player of the Year.
Riley accounted for over 1,400 rushing and receiving yards while scoring 13 touchdowns.