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Voices Question
General: How you have been affected in this economy and what you want to hear from President Obama during his State of the Union address?
Comments: 192
Teachers are being treated like the Whipping Boy for this downturn in the economy. If you segregate the data, city school districts and low-income districts fail often. However, suburban school districts and affluent disctrict are thriving. Can we please consider community reform before we beat up well meaning teachers. The teachers did not take down the economy, but we continue to crush them. Please take care of our educators and start going after the 1 percent.
Vincent Pennisi
After years of reckless spending at both the federal and state levels, the politicians are looking for scapegoats. States such as Ohio, Wisconsin, and Illinois are trying to blame public employees for our financial problems. The public employees had nothing to do with causing this mess. I have taught for 32 years and have always paid my fair share towards my pension. Now the politicians want to take away our collective bargaining rights and blame us for the state's financial woes. The Washington politicians want to balance the budget on the backs of seniors. The President needs to stick up for the middle class and seniors on January 24th
Renee King
There is more to what needs to be said by President Obama than what the AFT insists its members focus on. These are issues that don't get a lot of "air-time" or media attention, but they loom over our heads like an approaching, dark storm. We ignore them, to focus inanely, and myopically, on things like "jobs" and "unemployment" at our risk. In the long run, they bode far more peril to our lives than the topics that the AFT would love us to jawbone endlessly about. They are: 1) Peak Oil - We are running, inexorably,out of petroleum, without which civilization grinds to a halt. 2) Overpopulation - The earth is finite - get used to it.
James Close
With the advent of globalization and the offshoring policies of previous administrations, we've created a structural job deficit. Those jobs will not return. Besides innovators/Entrepreneurs who may (but mostly will not) need large work forces, I see no other way of filling the hole but with WPA-level infrastucture projects. And of course, it'll cost trillions in tax dollars. Better than wasting it on tax-cuts for billionaires and Afghanistan. In a paragraph what is the Obama Jobs Plan? It's time to get extreme in your decisionmaking
Joe Zeinner
-Point out the simple facts that the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy DID NOT create jobs; that $10 trillion of the $14 trillion deficit is due to the borrow and spend republiCON Presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush and GOP Congresses. -That we have seen 22 consecutive months of private sector job growth under his leadership, in spite of unprecedented republiCON obstruction. -Highlight the SUCCESSES of the Auto industry loan (it wasn't a bailout) and of the Affordable Care Act. These are just a few. Thank you so much for the opportunity for average Americans to voice our opinions. Enjoy the rest of the day!
Paul Ladniak
Personally, I have witnessed the shrinking of my purchasing power with the dollar. Others are much worse off through being either unemployed or underemployed. President Obama can greatly assist in rebuilding the economy by getting rid of the massive amount of regulation(s) that he has tied around business since coming into office.
Karl Reger
As a recently retired art teacher, I am upset about the continued budget cuts to public services in state and local governments. The education budget cuts mean teachers of the arts are being laid off. I want President Obama to focus on job creation with federal money to rebuild infrastructure, help fund state governments' budget shortfalls, and to increase the taxes of the 1% who have benefitted from the services of the government and can afford to pay more to help our country and the middle income and poor people of the US.
Paul Wortman
I want the President to come out very strongly in favor of unions and pensions. Both have been integral to the creation of the middle class, and I want to hear my President say that he believes in both and that he will fight to the finish for both. Making a decent living is something every American should be able to strive for, and after working a lifetime paying into a pension system, Americans should be able to count on getting back the money they were guaranteed.
Esther Allman
The effect of President Obama's national education policy has been devastating to public education. As a former Central Falls, RI teacher, I am appalled that the federal government has reached its hand into local school districts via the "Race to the Top" initiative. Central Falls HS has been decimated. Arne Duncan and President Obama personally commented on how pleased they were that the 89 teachers in the district were fired, without ever having stepped foot into the poorest town in the smallest state. Obama's push for corporate charter schools is equally corrupt. Pushing for corporate control of local education funds (via RTTT) is wrong.
Anne McLaughlin
I would like him to fess-up that he has done a totally inadequate job running this once great country for the past 3 years & that he is stepping down as President; also that since Joe Biden is inadequate to assume the presidency that the Speaker of the House will be sworn-in the next day.
Alan Kent
I want the President to reaffirm his commitment to advocate for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act that would make it easier for workers to have a say as to whether they want to join a union. The erosion of the middle class has paralleled the decline in Union density. This trend needs to be reversed. As the President himself said when he signed the Lilly Ledbetter law: "I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem. To me, it's part of the solution. You cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement." (Jan. 30, 2009)
Win Heimer
I would like to hear the President say he will hold the banks accountable for the damage they did to the US economy through their predatory lending practices.
David Curry
Re: Education: The answer is not an even heavier reliance on value-added assessment and student test scores tied to teacher evaluation. The research findings indicate test scores should not be used for major stakes teacher evaluation. Period! The Danielson Frameworks combined with a professional portfolio, peer and subject area supervision, mentoring programs, student achievement and a heavy dose of monitored self-assessment would be a better route to go. Too much reliance, too, on more charter schools where the track record is not all that favorable as the small minority which are success stories are heavily supported by business/foundations
Charles Kochheiser
President Obama should've kept all his promises before being elected. What happened aftermath? I have friend who lost their jobs, houses and other equities. Yes because of the lack of leadership and decision making. Obama should stop spending money on sending troops overseas. What are our benefits from these actions?
Aziz Elmrini
President Obama, Will u please help the teachers! I am so tired of coming to work and our superiors reminding us that we have 30 mil dollars to cut from the budget! The principals make the teachers feel like they are unwanted and easily to be replaced by cheaper workers! This is commonly happening in Tx because the education budget is running dry! Our republican governor, Rick perry is not using the rainy day fund or any money that the federal government is offering! The educators are getting the brunt of this because there are not a lot of degrees job options being offered! Therefore we feel stuck. Will please help bring back jobs to USA?
Mokeita White
He should defend the right of workers to organize. He should take steps to require states to fund schools.
John Latimer
I want to hear President Obama address the nation wide assault on union workers, particularly teachers and women. It appears that all the bad fiscal decisions made by politicians and legislators will be solved on the backs of union workers, teachers, nurses, and the middle class. I want all legislators, state and federal, to be held accountable to the bills they pass. In other words, you "reform" my pension which will take me over 34 years of service to receive 75% of my salary because I am costing the state toooooooo much money, then you need to reform your own!!!!! Burris can take Obama's Senate seat and receive a pension? Are u kidding me?
Therese Schuld
I want to hear how he is going to assure those of us in the service fields like teaching, nursing, and law enforcement from continuing to be the scapegoat for what ails the economy. I want to know how he will assure my profession's livelihood in an era where states are "stealing" the funds needed to provide adequate care. We all strive to provide excellence of service and yet we are continuing to be seen as "easy money" to patch struggling state budget problems that were not of our making.
Dawn Heeren
I'd love it if the President would point out that the continuance of programs for the middle and lower classes (i.e. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) is a false choice. It was the corporatist plan all along to starve the government for money by implementing the Bush tax cuts and getting involved in two wars. By starving the government for revenue, they can now turn around and state that we can't pay for these programs and need to eliminate or drastically reduce them. The solution is simple. Raise the taxes on the rich back to what they were before, which was already an historic low, and you'll solve the problem.
John Goodman
I would like the President of the United States address the issues that the 99% represent. Since the banks and wall street were bailed out, now these very institutions should be returning the favor to the government through taxes as pay back for the assistance they received. Instead of applying the cutbacks on the middle class, the wealthy should be coming to the assistance of the government in the debt crisis. When it comes the field of education, superintendents, principals and assistant principals should be held responsible for the safety and discipline of the students in the school. Each individual teacher can only do so much.
Claire Scesney-Lundahl
I would like the president to confront Republican's failure to provide infrastructure funding by refusing to pass the Jobs Bill. Yet, they say the President chooses the environment over jobs in negating the XL Pipeline. They're duplicitous in their message, and they need to be called out.
Donna Ferrier-Johnson
Jail for the criminals in banking who ruined our economy. WPA Style Jobs Program reconstructing our infra structure to get the young out of poverty. A progressive tax code to make the 1% pay what they owe this country for their riches. Audit the military/industrial/congressional complex, end the war economy, create a Department of PEACE, and put the tax money into supporting education, a single payer health system, providing FOOD for the nearly 30% Americans who go hungry every night. Jail all of the war criminals who lied us into the war in Iraq and were involved in torture. Restoration of habeus corpus. End the rape of the environment.
William Mc Guire
I have a union job, and so I have not been badly battered by this economy - yet in my family, everyone else has. My parents lost retirement savings in the Lehman Brothers collapse, and each of my siblings has lost a job, a home, or a significant portion of their income. I want to hear the President talk about what he will do for housing to shore up the middle class, and what he will do to create more good jobs. I want to see healthcare access and quality continue to improve - while the Affordable Care Act did not go far enough, it must be vigorously defended. And for our long-term security, we must act to slow climate change.
Janey Skinner
The AFT general statement is excellent. To it I add affordable health care for all and not the privatization of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; that President Obama will end the war in Afghanistan. It's time The Carlyle Group, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, etc. concentrate their profit making investments on life saving manufactures. Ask us to push Congress for laws that protect workers' pensions. Give our troops their GI bill for education and health. Forgive student loan debt. Tout the necessity of public education, libraries, housing, transportation, spaces, and a productive civil service
Patricia Hollingsworth
After 9 years, I am leaving teaching. Principals have used the budget cuts against teachers. Their bullying has gone from bad to worse. "Do exactly what I say, or you'll be included in the next round of layoffs," is the message. Pettiness abounds. All creativity has been eradicated from the classroom. Teachers who dare to be different are targeted for harrassment - to drive them to resignation; to thoroughly kill their spirit - the joy for learning that once drove their desire to teach. I graduated magna cum laude; I am a published author; I am a favorite teacher among students. Indeed, I shall miss my students, but that is all.


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FORT VALLEY -- For a man who spreads kindness, receiving it is humbling.
When Bob Votruba sold his home five years ago and took up residence with his Boston terrier, Bogart, in an old school bus he found on Craigslist, he had no idea a school bus would lead him to Middle Georgia.
Blue Bird Corp. donated a 24-foot bus to One Million Acts of Kindness on Thursday to support its mission of speaking to schoolchildren about being kind, giving back and peace. Votruba will use the bus to travel around the U.S., speaking on behalf of the organization he founded.
His charter fits our charter, Blue Bird Chief Operating Officer John Kwapis said.
Because Blue Birds main focus is to provide school buses for children, One Million Acts of Kindness was a perfect choice for the company to donate a bus to, Kwapis said.
With help from Mid-State RV Center and PPG Industries, the bus had a custom paint job in light blue. Votruba has nicknamed the new bus Bluebird.
The total value of the donation, including paint, labor and the bus itself, was about $25,000, said Erin Lake, marketing communications manager at Blue Bird.
Votruba started his mission after the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, in which a student killed 32 people before taking his own life. Votruba wondered if one persons act of violence could affect that many people, how much could one person do spreading kindess?
The old bus with its 450 quotes written on it will be shipped to Blacksburg, Va., the site of the massacre.
The messages from the people he visits will be written on the new bus later. For now, it is a blank slate with only logos.
Inside is just as bare -- there are no seats, save the drivers -- but Votruba has plans to get a king-sized bed as well as file cabinets for his next five years traveling in the bus.
With his previous bus, he had about 7x12 feet of living space, almost as big as the walk-in closet in his former home.
The new bus also has air brakes and air conditioning.
It is a giant act of kindness to let me continue this mission, Votruba said.
The kindness bus has reached hundreds of thousands of children, he said, not to mention the global reach his Facebook and Twitter feeds have gained.

subset: commoncrawl


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What is this medicine?OXICONAZOLE (ox i KON a zole) is an antifungal medicine. It is used to treat certain kinds of fungal or yeast infections of the skin.
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An absorbent powder such as talcum powder or an antifungal powder may be applied to the skin to keep it dry. Apply the powder to the affected skin in between applications of this medicine.
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Those 7:30 a.m. commutes will get darker before they get lighter when Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Remember, you'll "fall back" and set your clocks back one hour. Many electronic devices automatically adjust when Daylight Savings Time begins or ends. It begins again on March 10, 2013.
That extra hour gives you a chance to get out in Shorewood and have some fun or give back. You could:
- Take in Shorewood High School's production of "Lend Me a Tenor" at 7 p.m., then step out for a cocktail safe in the knowledge you can sleep an extra hour;
- Lend your neighbor a hand and volunteer for the annual Yard Clean-Up Day;
- Promote your own event on Patch
- Sleep.
When you change your clocks in the fall and spring, it's also a good time to change smoke detector batteries and check to make sure device are in working order.
Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Savings Time. Around the world, about 75 countries and territories have at least one location that observes daylight saving time, according to TimeandDate.com. On the other hand, 164 don't observe the time change at all.


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Jammer's Review
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"Hard Time"
Air date: 4/15/1996
Teleplay by Robert Hewitt Wolfe
Story by Daniel Keys Moran & Lynn Barker
Directed by Alexander Singer
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
"When I had the chance to show that no matter what anyone did to me I was still an evolved, human being, I failed. I repaid kindness with blood." — O'Brien
Nutshell: Intense and pulling few punches, this is one of the most powerful dramas in the history of the franchise.
O'Brien is wrongfully charged with espionage by the Argrathi government and sentenced to submit to an artificial memory implant that makes him believe he has been incarcerated in a cell for 20 years. He wakes up after a few hours of "therapy" (torture would be a better word) to return to a life he hasn't known for a perceptual eternity.
It's not too often that O'Brien gets a story all to himself, and it's a wonder why not—Colm Meaney is a terrific actor, which is demonstrated in full force by "Hard Time," a powerful, engrossing tale about a man trying to cope with the psychological effects of an agonizing mental punishment.
I think the reason this episode works so well is because it is, in essence, a very simple concept: A man rebuilding a life he hasn't known, while simultaneously burying a dark secret. This makes riveting drama, especially when applying it to a character that the audience has grown to care about over the years of two television series. O'Brien is the perfect character to apply this tragedy to, because he's the series' resident "everyday man," with a family who loves him, and friends who worry about him.
The plot sticks to the essentials. (Aside from a passing reference, "Hard Time" doesn't waste any time explaining why exactly the Argrathi punished O'Brien, or if they even gave him a trial, or even who the Argrathi are.) This story is solely about the aftermath, which is empathizing to say the least.
I suppose even a sturdy character concept like this could potentially be botched, but with Deep Space Nine's creative team at work, there is never an iota of evidence that the writers, producers, actors, and director Alexander Singer didn't know exactly what they were doing. Because "Hard Time" lies in capable hands, it becomes a show with emotional substance.
Consider, for starters, the first act. O'Brien returns to DS9 for, what is to him, the first time in 20 years—and the episode drives the point home with a surprisingly simple but very effective shot of the station from O'Brien's point of view in the Runabout. This success of this shot all lies in its method: It's as if the episode is showing us the station for the first time ever (sort of like the opening scenes of the pilot episode, "Emissary"). By this point, "Hard Time" had my complete attention, and for the remainder of the show it kept it.
The show spans the weeks following O'Brien's return, as he sees Keiko for the first time in two decades (even forgetting that she was pregnant), begins the process of relearning the station, and eventually tries to go back to work. It's drama that rings very true because of top-notch execution. Perhaps part of the success lies in the episode's skill of using detail. Scenes like O'Brien's difficulty with using the replicators, his initially bizarre-seeming habit of rationing food, and the fact that he has become accustomed to sleeping on the floor may seem easy to overlook at first, but they convey emotion and uncertainty extremely well.
The other reason this works is because of Colm Meaney's performance—he's terrific. Just about every scene directly involves him, and in every scene Meaney is compelling, commanding, passionate, and believable. His ability to successfully convey a wide range of emotion—whether confusion, sorrow, anger, or frustration—is highly admirable. It's above and beyond anything he's done on the series to date; the writers finally supply him with a story that has genuinely great impact.
O'Brien claims he was alone in his cell for the entire sentence, but the episode's flashbacks prove otherwise. He in fact had a cellmate named Ee'Char (Craig Wasson) who became his best and only friend and helped him mentally survive his endless lockup. But now on DS9 he begins hallucinating; Ee'Char appears to O'Brien on numerous occasions and tells him to listen to his friends and come to terms with his experience.
But O'Brien can not come to terms with his ordeal because he refuses to fully acknowledge it. He tries to repress irrepressible memories, and doesn't want to admit how severely the experience has affected him. And it becomes evident that something else happened to O'Brien aside from his jail term—something that is eating away at his very soul.
Bashir sets him up with a counselor, but O'Brien refuses to continue going to the meetings. O'Brien becomes edgy and impatient, eventually demanding that Bashir stay the hell away from him. He threatens Quark over a petty situation. He gets impatient and nearly hits his own daughter. His inability to deal with his situation forces Sisko to relieve him of duty and mandate counseling terms.
Still, O'Brien does not want to face what he has been burying since he returned. The episode climaxes when O'Brien pulls a phaser out of a weapons locker and contemplates killing himself. And when Julian talks him down from suicide we learn why O'Brien is so tormented and overwhelmed with guilt: because he killed Ee'Char over a heated misunderstanding just weeks before he was released.
This turns out to be one of those "human situation" messages, and it works quite well. It's about how O'Brien needed to feel like an evolved human incapable of murder despite what the Argrathi put him through. Yet, in one moment of rage, he killed his best friend over some scraps of food—and now he is unable accept it or accept himself. He feels no better than an animal. Bashir's point, however, is a relevant one: that an animal wouldn't have given killing a second thought, whereas O'Brien believes he deserves to die. Now this is strong storytelling.
The episode ends the way it should: with no miracle cures to O'Brien's problems, but simply the assurance that over time he will survive, recover, and return to his normal life.
Technically speaking, the episode is nicely structured so that flashbacks and current time fit together properly and smoothly. Also lending a helping hand is a poignant score by Dennis McCarthy—one of his best in a long time—which often sets an appropriately dark mood. But the overwhelming reason "Hard Time" is a winner is because of its human and emotional qualities wrapped up in a positively gripping hour.
I have only one worry about the outcome of this episode, and I worry because I've seen it happen all too many times on TNG, DS9, and Voyager: I worry that next week we may see no evidence of O'Brien's experience, despite the fact that this type of experience should noticeably change his personality. If O'Brien is walking around next week as if nothing has happened, I will not buy it, and I will not be pleased. Still, in such a case that would be a fault of the series in general, definitely not the fault of "Hard Time."
Previous episode: Rules of Engagement
Next episode: Shattered Mirror
33 comments on this review
I've always felt that the experience in "Inner Light" would've been the most profound experience in Picard's life and changed him irrevocably. However, that wasn't our intention when we were creating the episode. We were after a good hour of TV, and the larger implications of how this would really screw somebody up didn't hit home with us until later (that's sometimes a danger in TV – you're so focused on just getting the show produced every week that sometimes you suffer from the "can't see the forest for the trees" syndrome). We never intended the show to completely upend his character and force a radical change in the series, so we contented ourselves with a single follow-up in "Lessons".
Good episode, but I thought the 'distressed person tries to commit suicide and is talked out of it by a friend' was a little cliché. The other thing that bothers me (and again, not a problem with the episode itself, but with the series as a whole) is that just a few episodes ago in "Sons of Mogh" Bashir easily erases a Klingon's memory because he was suicidal, but here he excludes that option almost immediately. I think I would prefer to lose all my meories than to remember 20 years of torture in prison.
But no, this is really an episode sticking its middle finger up at Gene Roddenberry...again. We are told that in school, Federation teachers tell students that humanity is super awesome and doesn't ever succumb to rage or hatred. What? Nothing about that is what the Star Trek premise is about--humanity experiences the same emotions as it ever has or will--as cavemen did, as they did during the crusades, during our time and the future--but the "evolved" part is about the society we create, not our feelings. That such an arduous torture caused Miles to loose the humanity he had been taught is not a comment on the flimsiness of the premise at all; he was TORTURED, he went insane after 20 years of it. Geesh.
There were a number of very tender and poignant moments in the episode, especially the very quiet responses of Bashir and Odo, but the ending felt ridiculous; if we are to accept this story as being true, Miles must either abandon his old life or kill himself (abandon it all together). Julian's little pep talk in the cargo bay is not enough to evoke the kind of healing Miles would need to even begin a journey to normalcy.
In VOY season 3, Kes is forced to endure a different kind of trauma; at the end, Tuvok tells her she will never be the same, and sure enough Lien's portrayal after this episode is noticeably different from before even though the scripts thereafter never mention the actual events of the episodes. THAT's continuity, that's character development. I'm sick and tired of this show's fans claiming that rehashing past events constitutes good story telling.
You took what most people here agree is an excellent hour of television and reduced it to a collective "Screw You, Gene Roddenberry" by the writers. Honestly, how dare you? Many of the DS9 writing staff worked with Gene Roddenberry. They knew Gene Roddenberry. Gene Roddenberry was a friend of theirs. Elliott, you're no Gene Roddenberry.
The show did not have to bring up the values O'Brien was taught in grammar school in order to show a very moving and personal hour of television, which for the most part this is.
I don't know what else to use as evidence of this other that what is said in the episode; Federation children are taught that modern humans don't succumb to hatred or rage. This is just stupid. When has this been true? It SOUNDS sort of like something that might fit in with a society which vaunts its own peaceful values, which the Federation does, but when you take an opposing argument and reduce it to childish dribble like that, your counterargument is virtually meaningless. That's par for the course in this series.
There are also, some evident flaws in the episode which have nothing to do with philosophy or Gene Roddenberry--like the pep-talk I mentioned.
Overall, it's a pretty darn good episode with some flaws and one hugely offensive and stupid philosophical counterargument to what I attribute, out of convenience, solely to Gene Roddenberry, but which has grown up in the hands of many others. Who his friends and coworkers were is not particularly relevant. He made no attempts to be ambiguous with his beliefs or his axioms for Trek.
All in all A rather useless, pointless episode...
...I seem to recall...
Personally I didn't mind that much the depresiveness. Much of DS9 is dark and depressing and I like it. The biggest problem for me was that the episode is so damn obvious and therefore boring. First few minutes are intriguing but then you have pretty good idea what's gonna happen. Sure, you don't know how precisely would O'Brien's mental condition manifest itself but it's clear that he'll be confused and his family will be hurting. The rest is just like an illustration of the book you've already read.
And a brilliant use of Science Fiction: How many shows can take a character you've come to care about, put him through such a profound experience and still resonate and ring true?
Definitely one of the best of series. Hats off to the writers and Colm Meaney in particular.
Oh and good review Jammer.
I get so sick of the peace-nik federation sometimes. So these aliens kidnap a starfleet officer for nothing, mind-rape him, almost destroy his career and life with NO apology, and the federation does what.......NOTHING. F-that. this is why I sometimes prefer original Star Trek. Hell, the Talosians did that to Pike for 2 days and they quarantined the quadrant!!!!!
3rd, I also am bothered by the fact they couldn't mind-wipe Obrian, when we have seen it at least 10 times in Star Trek.
That all being said, those are conceits you must accept as the audience, and if you can accept them, which I do, the episode is truly marvelous and thought-provoking! 4 stars!
An all-around superb episode that is engrossing for the entire 45 minutes.
Leave it to O'Brien to give us another good ep.
The first thing I feel is anger and dismay over what happened to O'Brien--he was punished with 20 years of simulated prison time for a crime he didn't even commit? And the Argrathi didn't even tell DS9 until after they carried out his sentence? I wish that had been explained. (Also, Bashir could selectively erase Kurn's memories in 'Sons of Mogh', but not O'Brien's?) Then I just feel sorry for him, and intrigued by him repeating old habits from prison in order to function. It was kind of a guilty pleasure when he told off Bashir, even though he obviously wasn't himself.
O'Brien's revelation at the end is harrowing, and contradictory to Roddenberry's vision in a big way, but that doesn't bother me. Thanks to Bashir, O'Brien doesn't let the experience destroy him and begins to move on. A stunning episode with the most moving plot since 'The Visitor'.
This episode also brings up the memory-wipe option. I do not remember if it's a complete wipe only or if you can pick and choose memories to wipe. This episode states the former yes but I'm not sure if that's been contradicted in earlier episodes. If it's the case that only the whole memory can be wiped, then I can see that it not being an attractive option despite what he went through. Then it becomes an added internal struggle of: Do I erase my whole life as I've lived it (wife, kids, career, friends) to rid myself of the time in prison or do I end it altogether (suicide)? Being intensely emotionally distraught I'm sure compounds matters even further.
What happened in "Sons of Mogh" was unfortunate the way it was handled at the end. It is further unfortunate because I understand how it can cloud the viewpoint on that aspect of this episode. They were completely different circumstances, nevertheless, and as I posted in that thread I really wish it was at least implied Kurn had a say in the matter.
Anyway, another great review and a classic episode.
4 stars.
This episode is an exercise in emotional indulgence, all with no point.
I get on DS9's case all the time for its Trek apologism and a few other annoyances, but even I am a little dismayed that you don't seem to like any of it--are there episodes of this or other Trek series you do like? I'm curious to know what your cup of tea is.


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Sakura Watch – Updates and Photos for 2014
Sakura Watch, June 2, 2014 - Last blossoms hang on near Grenadier Pond
Sakura Watch, May 24, 2014 - Akebono / Fugenzo trees are in peak bloom
Sakura Watch, May 21, 2014 - Blossoms are falling but others are beginning to open
Sakura Watch, May 16, 2014 - After rain fewer blossoms left to see for the long weekend
Sakura Watch, May 13, 2014 - Peak bloom throughout the park, but less blossoms overall
Sakura Watch, May 9, 2014 - Blossoms have begun to open!
Sakura Watch, May 7, 2014 - Blossoms are now days away from opening
Sakura Watch, May 5, 2014 - Progress to date pushes up bloom to begin later this week
Sakura Watch, May 1, 2014 - More buds begin to swell into the next stage
Sakura Bud & Bloom Tracker
Updated – May 24, 2014
- The Akebono/Fugenzo variety of Sakura are in peak bloom and should continue to bloom in the week ahead. These trees are the round, puffy flower variety and resemble doubled up carnations. There are 3 trees located at the bottom of the winding path as well as 8 more located at the bottom of Hillside Gardens and along Grenadier Pond.
The tracker will track % of bloom still able to view with PINK bars.
| 0%100% |
New site, New Features!
Welcome to the new website designed to help make your visit more enjoyable with these new features:
Sakura Bloom Prediction
May 24, 2014 – The Akebono/Fugenzo variety of Sakura are in peak bloom! Read more on the Bloom Prediction dates page…
New and Events
Read about Sakura in High Park in the news and see upcoming cherry blossom related events
Follow, Tweet and Share – Everywhere!
Whether to share your love of the Sakura // Cherry Blossoms with the world or simply make it easier to keep up with the Sakura Watch, join any of these social media sites so you don't miss out on seeing the blossoms this year:


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Des Moines —
This week Governor Branstad, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Senate Republicans commended the United States Department of Labor after learning that the department has begun to reconsider onerous regulations about youth working on farms.
In November of 2011, Branstad and Northey sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis voicing their concern. In the letter, Branstad and Northey asked the department to give Iowa farmers a fair opportunity to comment and called the rule "a prime example of Federal overreach."
Senate Republicans are pleased to learn that Secretary Solis and the Department of Labor are reconsidering their burdensome regulations on Iowa farm families. Agriculture and family farm life is part of the life blood of Iowa and so many of Iowa's kids learn the value of a strong work ethic by working side by side with their parents on the family farm.
We believe that Iowa farm families are better at ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their children than bureaucrats in Washington.
It is important we continue to provide opportunities for young people to learn about agriculture and gain experience by working on farms in a responsible manner.
This announcement by the Department of Labor shows that they are responding to the comments they received and hearing the concerns of the farming community.


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Firms warned against ditching associate lockstep
Readers' comments (21)
We at Badenoch & Clark have recently explored this topic (http://www.market-talk.co.uk/2009/11/06/lockstep-vs-merit-based-pay-structures/).
If firms are looking to change their pay structure they should carefully consider how they go about it. Forcing change on employees will affect a firm's ability to retain staff.
Firms should look to involve their employees in the process to ensure that they are engaged in any change ( http://www.badenochandclark.com/files/file/Employee-engagement-a-guide_jpg.pdf).
Oh, come on. So you did a ring round and some of the people you spoke to aren't sure it's a good idea - and that translates into "Firms warned against ditching associate lockstep"? This is tabloid stuff.
love the assumption that associates would be offended by a move to greater meritocracy.
probably rests on another assumption - that the new system is likely to be used so that perceived poorer performers will be held back, but that perceived top performers will not be promoted early.
Firms have been too frightened that they will lose associates if they start changing the comp system. Now is the right time to be doing it. If they had any balls they'd cut pay levels again. As a in-house lawyer I am appalled that my bills are going towards paying for associates who aren't even differentiated on merit.
I think Badenoch & Clark's comments show that there is real concern among associates (and their employers) over a move that - whether it's the main driver or otherwise - will see firms save money on both salary and bonuses.
It's not about whether the lockstep is anachronistic, but about how performance is recognised and rewarded.
For some firms moving away from the lockstep is surely a disastrous move. For the bigger firms who can hire and fire at will the meritocracy has to be better. But for the smaller firms and even some of the regions it could be a recruitment nightmare.
It could even create a split in the market?
how are associates likely to move up the career ladder if they don't get access to cases which those at the bigger firms have access to? Could it end up with a two tier profession, where some are judged on their merit and others by how many years they have worked?
And what will this mean for instructions? Will in-housers be forced to pay the extra money to go to the CIty firms which are able to work on a meritocracy, leaving smaller firms to dwindle?Of course meritocracy-based career paths are probably best, but there are reason why it doesn't suit all firms.
Nobody is pretending that locksteps are a good system, but as Churchill said of democracy, it is the least worst that has been tried. Big firms just aren't equipped to properly assess merit across practice groups, let alone assess potential recruits against their existing crop of associates. I'm sure they are making changes for the more senior lawyers, but my money says it is only a matter of time until the junior associate ranks work out that they are all being paid within a grand of a median "lockstep" figure at each PQE band.
Anonymous at 5.31pm. I am appalled that in-house lawyers, wanting to go home early, often ask for unnecessary things to be done that create more work for law firms. And then act as an obstacle to getting bills paid.
Merit is fine, but juniors are pretty much interchangeable and clients don't make it better by farming out dull work to expensive firms then complaining about fees.
I'll repeat what I said on another thread:
While I don't deny that it makes sense to reward exceptional performers, for the average associate (and, on a grading curve, there will obviously always be "average" associates), this smacks of stealth salary cuts to me.
Many of us think we work hard, but while merit has something to do with that, it's not always the case that partners can judge these things fairly. If a partner brings in fewer deals, and associates get less challenging work, partners can just keep salaries low and their profitability stays the same. They would have no incentive to pay for their salary costs (which their hiring policies are directly responsible for) by trying harder to bring in work and run the firm more efficiently.
Merit is already taken into account in appraisal systems at many firms, and feeds directly into bonuses. Surely that is how (hard work x competence) should be rewarded? The issue some firms seem to be ignoring is that there is often both a fixed and variable component to salaries. Merit is taken into account in the variable (bonus) element. The firms moving away from lockstep are merely trying to lower the amount they pay for the fixed component, which is likely to become a to move to a rate that is lower than market as a starting point for base salaries. There is nothing wrong with this if you think associates are paid too much; but these firms are being cynical and dishonest about things - they are in effect trying to give the impression that they are paying comparable to market rates, but in reality are reducing certainty about an associate's basic salary. I say again - I feel this may be verging on the dishonest. A better way to put it would be "We want to give you a lower base salary, and you'll have to earn the rest - though note your ability to control the quality, quantity and nature of the work you get, as well as the partnership's judgment on what you deserve for putting up with this, may be highly arbitrary and subjective".
If you think an associate isn't worth the basic salary that the "lockstep" firms pay, then the only way to compete with those firms would be to convince everyone that the "average" associate on a merit curve (who, in many respects, will have no certainty on where on the curve s/he will fall) would earn as much under non-lockstep as under lockstep. Otherwise, they'll go where they get a better guaranteed salary, with a variable merit bonus. As we will no doubt see, I believe the average salary will fall at non-lockstep firms (as Pinsent's Jonathan Bond appears to be admitting in the earlier article), and with it, the overall quality, collegiality and team-spirit that we all hope to work with, as people compete to be seen to be better and harder-working, rather than supporting each other in what can be a difficult and challenging environment.
Anonymous | 16-Nov-2009 5:41 pm - do you live in the 1970's? The professional is already two tiered and smaller firms are dwindling, whereas the proactive firms are alligning / have alligned themselves as global businesses rather than big law offices. Meritocracy means that people that do well are rewarded and those that don't are not. If the ones who do not progress decide to leave then I doubt too many are concerned as long as the pool of hungey talent is standing by to learn and progress. Typically those firms with a meritocracy will invest heavily in training.
Meritocracy doesn't suit firms with poor management...and those with a pure lockstepped partnership where time in the seat seems to be rewarded more than ability....and profitability.
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Summertime19 06 2007
I am officially on leave from teaching for the summer — first time in years I have had any extended time to do anything else but teach or research (or have major gut-rending surgery, but that's another story).
I will take leave from posting on this blog at the same time, because it is primarily for the benefit of my students. I'll be back in September. In the meantime, I will catch up on reading, learning how to relax, and a bit of vacationing.
In the meantime, check out the postings over at Mind Hacks, Cognitive Daily, and Developing Intelligence. Click on the links over to the right —->
Categories : Uncategorized


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Hello boys,
So, I'm coding the header for a website, and I've got a div floated right which contains the search, some links, buttons and a welcome message.
Problem is, the floated div is perfectly positioned above the navigation in the top right corner of this fluid layout in FireFox - but in IE and Opera it is pushed down on top of my navigational elements.
If anyone could take a look at this and help me to determine what I've overlooked, it would be highly appreciated.
Link: http://alexstanford.com/clients/emma...om/header.html
Thanks in advance,


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Say,I was wondering about that. Does anyone who actully WAS the FIRST Skater EVER to use Off-Ice-Training....and how Off-Ice-Training started?
Say,I was wondering about that. Does anyone who actully WAS the FIRST Skater EVER to use Off-Ice-Training....and how Off-Ice-Training started?
I think it depends on what you call "off-ice training". A lot of skaters in the early 1900s took ballet or did some kind of dancing like ballroom, because it helped their skating (with good body positions, musicality, etc.)
You should never write words with numbers. Unless you're seven. Or your name is Prince. - "Weird Al" Yankovic, "Word Crimes"
Just Off-Ice-Training in genual. Was there a number 1 Skater by name who did Off-Ice-Training first?
I don't think there would be any record of that. I would guess that pretty much every high-level skater in history has done some kind of additional training off the ice.
You should never write words with numbers. Unless you're seven. Or your name is Prince. - "Weird Al" Yankovic, "Word Crimes"
It must have occurred to the first jumpers and lifters, "Wouldn't it make sense to learn this off-ice first?"
FSWers "questions" always hurt my brain, and not in a good way ...
Not sure what you mean by the first jumpers. The first jumps on ice were probably jumping over natural obstacles like logs frozen into streams.
Later jumping over a hat or larger object show off. By the early 20th century there was a sport of barrel jumping, started by speedskaters. They couldn't have practiced that off ice without the speed.
I think some figure skaters were doing the equivalent of waltz jumps in the early 19th century. Again, no need for off ice practice.
Axel Paulsen, a speedskater first and figure skater second, figured out by the 1880s how to jump off a forward outside edge, turn around more than once in the air, and land backward. Perhaps he was the "first jumper" in the modern sense. But I doubt he practiced jumping and rotating off the ice first. It was the edges that created the rotation, the idea of jumping and rotating in the air.
After that the single jumps from other edges were invented in the early 20th century. Again, the whole point was to jump from one edge to another edge.
Maybe when some skaters started trying to rotate 2 times in the air around the 1920s they tried it off ice first. But even then I doubt it. Again, the speed and the curve of the edges made the rotation easier and would have inspired the attempts by advanced skaters who felt comfortable on the blades and could make good use of the speed and edges to generate rotation.
As double jumps became common and not restricted to a few top athletes, around the 1940s, that's probably when skaters started jumping and rotating off ice would have started being a useful training exercise.
I wouldn't suggest significant numbers of off-ice jumps. On the ice, much of the landing force gets transitioned into horizontal motion. That's not the case off-ice. As the gymnasts say, you 'stick your landing.'
What Sylvia said. Practicing doubles off-ice.
Our coaches used to encourage us to participate in ballet classes in the '70s. I don't remember if we had a name for those kinds of activities, but if it was up to me, I'd call it: Off-Ice Training.


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Find and book great restaurantsFind a Restaurant
|31 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JH
|020 7768 0267
|Price: £52.00
|Wine: £19.00
|Champagne: £52.00
|Opening Hours:
|Mon-Sat 12N-2.30pm 5.30-10.30pm
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
In Latin American Spanish, rather oddly, a 'peru' is a turkey. This Peruvian restaurant is similarly confusing. Is it a neighbourhood joint (albiet Charlotte Street grade) or is it a fine dining establishment? From start to finish, it wasn't clear.
Despite there being only 50 covers in the place, they've chosen to put a hostess station by the door… yet there's no cloakroom, so you are greeted, escorted to a table, and then left to dump coats and bags on the seating and floor. We were served by three different people during our lunch, two of whom I would have sworn on the holy book were the maitre d'. Their website lists two head chefs, an executive chef, an MD, a manager and a founding partner. Where do they put them all? The former cloakroom, it must be.
Happily, I loved the service. The aforementioned hostess is strikingly beautiful and covered in cool tattoos, yet down to earth and chatty. My lunch companion and I talked 13 to the dozen throughout, yet the staff managed to interrupt us to introduce the dishes without causing irritation. Everyone we interacted with (and there were many) was a pro.
Food-wise it's 10 out of 10 for presentation: elegantly plated, with vibrant colours, unexpected arrangements and microscopically finessed garnishes; definitely the best-looking food I've seen in this category of restaurant. The range of ingredients was eye-poppingly impressive: I've travelled in South America and yet hadn't heard of half the menu (more tree tomato emulsion, sir?). Tasty too: zingy sauces accompanied most dishes, amongst the best of which was a clever black olive foam, served up as a neat array of circular purple blobs. The 'signature' starter of braised octopus was the most successful execution of that scary cephalopod I've ever had: tender, flavoursome and moreish. Sea bream ceviche had gone pleasingly plump from its marination in 'tiger's milk', of which I greedily spooned up every drop.
Despite their best intentions, however, I couldn't call the place a fine dining destination. There was a familiarity to the range of flavours: acidic citrus tang, while delicious and refreshing, returned again and again across the dishes. And if it's not fine dining then the pricing starts to look a bit iffy: it's easy to spend £10 on a starter and £20 on a main. Similarly the room does not match those intentions: the place was no more than 70% full, yet at times I struggled to hear what my companion was saying. I can't imagine what it would be like on a Pisco-fuelled night at capacity.
Confusion aside, if they let a bit of heat out of the prices, which could easily be achieved by serving up a few P45s to the executive staff, then this would be an absolute returner for me.


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What Is It?
A vasectomy is a minor surgical procedure that is done to make a man sterile (unable to father children). The procedure is usually done by a urologist, a specialist who deals with the male reproductive system. A vasectomy cuts or blocks the vas deferens, the tube that carries sperm away from the testicle to be added to semen. There are two vas deferens, one for each testicle on each side. Once the vas deferens are cut or blocked, sperm cannot pass from the place where there are manufactured, the testicle, to the reservoir where semen and prostatic secretions (secretions from the prostate gland) are stored. It is the combination of sperm and the secretions from the prostate that allow sperm to survive. During ejaculation, this sperm containing fluid is ejected through the ejaculatory duct and through the penis during orgasm. After a vasectomy, a man can continue to have normal erections, normal sexual intercourse and normal ejaculations of semen, but this ejaculate is sperm-free and cannot impregnate a female sexual partner.
About 500,000 vasectomies are done each year in the United States. This procedure usually takes only 15 to 20 minutes, and almost all vasectomies are done in the urologist's office or outpatient operating room.
A vasectomy is intended to produce permanent sterilization. Special microsurgery can reverse a vasectomy and restore fertility in some cases, but there are no guarantees that fertility or vasectomy reversal will be successful. This delicate procedure is expensive and is successful in only about 60-70% of cases. If you have even the slightest doubt about ending your chances for future fatherhood, then you should consider using another form of birth control which is more readily reversible. Although a husband does not need his wife's consent to have this surgery, it is appropriate for him to discuss his vasectomy with her beforehand.
Page 1 of 9 Next Page: Vasectomy What It's Used For
From Health A-Z, Harvard Health Publications. Copyright 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Written permission is required to reproduce, in any manner, in whole or in part, the material contained herein. To make a reprint request, contact Harvard Health Publications. Used with permission of StayWell.
You can find more great health information on the Harvard Health Publications website.


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|I have all kinds of art. I have poetry, short prose, dragons, mermaids people cat-girls, dragon-girls, creatures I made called etoli, regular humans, guys, comics, colored pictures, just shaded pictures, and a bunch of others. I have also included some of my older pictures so that you can see how I have improved over the years. I regularly post drawings, and with each one I draw I try to better than I previously did. I hope you enjoy SOMETHING that I draw, lol! ^^
Note: "Featured" does NOT mean my best art, and is actually usually my worst. "Featured" is other art that does not fit into any of my folders. The art in the individual folders has both good and bad art, but I have made separate folders for my best art.


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| Production and Operations Management
Anita L. Tucker and Sara J. Singer
Management-By-Walking-Around (MBWA) is a widely adopted technique in hospitals that involves senior managers directly observing frontline work. However, few studies have rigorously examined its impact on organizational outcomes. This paper examines an improvement program based on MBWA in which senior managers observe frontline employees, solicit ideas about improvement opportunities, and work with staff to resolve the issues. We randomly selected 19 hospitals to implement the 18-month long MBWA-based improvement program; 56 work areas participated. We find that the program, on average, had a negative impact on performance. To explain this surprising finding, we use mixed methods to examine the impact of the work area's problem-solving approach. Results suggest that prioritizing easy-to-solve problems was associated with improved performance. We believe this was because it resulted in greater action taking. A different approach was characterized by prioritizing high-value problems, which was not successful in our study. We also find that assigning to senior managers responsibility for ensuring that identified problems get resolved resulted in better performance. Overall, our study suggests that senior managers' physical presence on their organizations' frontlines was not helpful unless it enabled active problem solving.
Keywords: quality improvement;
patient safety;
implementation research;
Management Practices and Processes;
Organizational Culture;
Performance Improvement;
Health Care and Treatment;
Health Industry;
Tucker, Anita L., and Sara J. Singer. "The Effectiveness of Management-By-Walking-Around: A Randomized Field Study." Production and Operations Management (forthcoming). (Revised September 2013.)
| HBS Case Collection
April 2013
(Revised March 2014)
Dignity Health: Prevention of Retained Sponges
Anita L. Tucker and Lydia Ypsse Kim
Teaching Note
| HBS Case Collection
May 2012
(Revised February 2014)
Learning About Reducing Hospital Mortality at Kaiser Permanente
Anita Carson Tucker
Keywords: patient safety;
process improvement;
organizational learning;
knowledge development;
Working Paper
| HBS Working Paper Series
The Diseconomies of Queue Pooling: An Empirical Investigation of Emergency Department Length of Stay
Hummy Song, Anita L. Tucker and Karen L. Murrell
Keywords: pooling;
queue management;
strategic servers;
social loafing;
empirical operations;
health care;
Management Practices and Processes;
Service Delivery;
Health Care and Treatment;
Health Industry;
Division of Faculty & Research
Harvard Business SchoolSoldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163


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Map Your Stress Points
Hair, lungs, heart, immune systemHair
Considered a barometer of inner health, hair is often the first to suffer. A body under stress burns nutrients, like the vitamin selenium, and that can lead to dull hair and premature graying. Chronic stress can trigger the autoimmune system to attack hair follicles, causing hair to fall out completely or in clumps.Lungs
One of the first things we do when we feel stressed is hyperventilate. It's part of the body's fight-or-flight response -- in case we're in danger and need the extra oxygen in our bloodstream to run for cover. Those quick breaths can cause dizziness and sharp pains in the diaphragm. Severe stress can aggravate asthma and other dangerous respiratory conditions.Heart
A heart under stress pumps fast and hard. Blood pressure rises as the body produces the hormones epinephrine and cortisol. That can lead to heart palpitations and chest pains. In those with heart disease, stress can prevent blood from clotting properly and stimulate the formation of plaque that plugs arteries.
Researchers say that even thinking about something stressful raises blood pressure. And a Swedish study concluded that stressful romantic relationships were more damaging to a woman's heart than work-related stress: Women in troubled marriages were three times more likely to be hospitalized for heart problems.Immune system
Ever get sick after a stressful event? Extreme and constant stress lowers our white blood cell count, making us more susceptible to disease and hampering our body's ability to heal itself. One recent study showed that the pneumonia vaccine was less effective in people under constant stress. Meanwhile, researchers are studying the link between stress and autoimmune disorders like Graves Disease, in which antibodies attack the thyroid, eye muscles and skin.


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The Columbia's 12th annual Community Harvest begins Sept. 1
Date: August 31, 2009
by: Robin Hartill | Community Editor
Over the past 11 years, The Columbia Restaurant has raised more than $925,000 for charities at its seven restaurants during the "Community Harvest" fundraiser. During the month of September, the restaurant provides a list of charities to diners. The customer chooses a charity, and The Columbia donates 5% of the check to that organization.
"It's a way for us to partner with all these very special non-profits," said Casey Gonzmart, chairman of The Columbia Restaurant. "Every year we hope to do better."
This year, the St. Armands Circle restaurant, 411 St. Armands Circle, has partnered with the following 15 charities:
• American Cancer Society
• American Red Cross
• Animal Rescue Coalition
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County
• Children's Cancer Center Inc.
• H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
• Humane Society of Sarasota
• Make-A-Wish Foundation
• Mote Marine Laboratory
• Pediatric Cancer Foundation
• Salvation Army
• TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care
• The V Foundation for Cancer Research
• United Cerebral Palsy of Sarasota/Manatee
Contact Robin Hartill at email@example.com.
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Mote-tagged shark swims toward Sarasota
A 14-foot, 2,300-pound great white shark is currently heading eastbound toward Sarasota.
Police get a wheel deal from anonymous citizen
An anonymous citizen recently contacted the town with an offer to buy the Longboat Key Police Department a new bicycle.
Surprise daytime turtle encounter
On his evening beach walk, Longboat Key resident Mike Haycock was in for a big surprise when he spotted a sea turtle coming out of the water Sunday.


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Urasawa - any bad experiences?
Not a bad experience, but I definitely wasn't floored by it.
Thought the whole meal was too long. Every single dish was well executed and generally very pleasing, but nothing that was completely unforgettable.
Still, I have no regrets going. I think if you appreciate good food and a fine dining experience, you owe it to yourself to go at least once.
Not a bad experience, but I wasn't floored by it either. For the money we spent - about $900 for two of us - I expected to be transported to some higher culinary state. I expected a meal that I would remember in detail for the rest of my life or at least years to come. I had an excellent meal, but nothing like that. Much of what we had was perfect, fantastic ingredients, perfect execution, but there was something about it that seemed sort of staid. There wasn't any real sense of fun to the food, or odd couplings of things, or surprising contrasts. Nothing about dinner surprised me and for all the carryings on and expense, I wanted to be surprised and challenged. Instead, there was something about it that seemed strangely conservative.
I'm glad I went, once. And if someone wanted to take me out there I'd happily go again - I wouldn't be disappointed because my expectations would be lower. But I wouldn't go there and pay for it myself again.
If someone was offering to take me out to any restaurant in Los Angeles no matter what the cost, I'd pick Providence above Urasawa.
Urasawa is probably the most beloved LA restaurant on this board. It deserves its "ultimates destination restaurant" status. I can't think of a single bad experience in my 7 visits there.
Just so you know, your meal may exceed $300 per person, depends on drinks, extra orders of food, etc...


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1sam·plenoun \ˈsam-pəl\
: a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from
: a small amount of something that is given to people to try
: a group of people or things that are taken from a larger group and studied, tested, or questioned to get information
Full Definition of SAMPLE
Examples of SAMPLE
- We would like to see a sample of your work.
- I tasted a sample of the new cereal.
- Free samples were handed out at the store.
- The sample included 96 women over the age of 40.
- A random sample of people filled out the survey.
- We looked at a representative sample of public schools.
Origin of SAMPLE
Related to SAMPLE
Other Audio Recording Terms
2sampletransitive verb
: to taste a small amount of (something)
: to try or experience (something)
: to test, study, or question (a group of people or things taken from a larger group) to get information
Full Definition of SAMPLE
Examples of SAMPLE
- She sampled everything the resort had to offer, from golfing to yoga.
- A low percentage of the women sampled said that they smoked during pregnancy.
- Five of the 20 schools sampled did not meet the standards.
First Known Use of SAMPLE
Other Audio Recording Terms
: used as an example of something
Full Definition of SAMPLE
Examples of SAMPLE
- The teacher handed out a sample essay.
- Here are some sample questions for the test.
First Known Use of SAMPLE
sam·plenoun \ˈsam-pəl\ (Medical Dictionary)
Medical Definition of SAMPLE
Learn More About SAMPLE
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up sample? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


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Abbey Hill Golf Centre
- 2 courses - 1 - 18 hole, 1 - 9 hole
- 6000 yardage
- Floodlit driving range
Telephone: 01908 563845
Visit their website at www.abbeyhillgc.co.uk.Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands Golf Club
- 18 holes
- 6079 yardage
- 71 par
Telephone: 01908 583596
Berks, Bucks and Oxon Union of Golf ClubsCounty Union Office Bridge House Station Approach Great Missenden Buckinghamshire HP16 9AZ
Visit their website at www.bbogolf.com.Three Locks Golf Club
- 18 holes
- 6400 yards
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Visit their website at www.threelocksgolfclub.co.uk.
Wavendon Golf Club
Parkland with six small lakes as hazards.
- Three courses
- 18 holes 5570 yards. Par 68
- 9 hole course 1365 yards. Par 27
- 9 hole Pitch & Putt course Par 25
- 36 bay Floodlit covered Driving Range
- Putting Green
Telephone: 01908 281811
Visit their website at www.jackbarker.com.
Windmill Hill Golf Centre
The Windmill course is located by the Windmill Hill roundabout(H8/V2) on the A421, on the outskirts of Bletchley. A flat parkland championship course designed by Henry Cotton.
- 18 holes
- 6,720 yards
- par 73
- driving range with 23 bays
- 3 practice putting greens
- free practice area
- 2 function rooms for hire
- professional shop
Tel: 01908 631113
Visit their website at Windmill Hill Golf Club.
Woburn Golf and Country Club
Woburn Golf and Country Club is unique. No other club is able to offer its members and guests a choice of three courses all ranked by Golf World Magazine in the top 100 courses in the British Isles. This puts Woburn in an unrivalled position and means any day spent on the Duke's, the Duchess' or the Marquess' course is truly memorable.
The Duke's course has been the scene of the British Masters for 20 years as well as other top men's and women's professional events. The course was created on some of the finest inland golfing country in Europe.
- Duke's 6,963 yards
- Duchess 6,651 yards
- Marquess 7,214 yards
Telephone: 01908 370756
Visit their website at www.woburngolf.com.
Useful Links
BBC Golf: www.news.bbc.co.uk/sport1
LPGA - Ladies Professional Golf Association: www.lpga.com
St Andrews: www.standrews.org.uk


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Routine to Michael Jackson in the synchronized swimming Olympic London2012 (by ThePhonchrist)Source: youtube.com
- 1 year ago
- 3096
- Tags:
Nerds rule. Just sayin'.
Olympics vs Mars
(via huffingtonpost)Source: luminousenchiladas
- 1 year ago
- 52
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Source: gettyimages
The Olympic Cauldron & Runners:
Competitors run past the Olympic Torch durng the Women's 5000m Round 1 Heats on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 7, 2012 in London, England.
Photo by: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images


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August 1, 2014
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Crews are working to fill in a sinkhole that opened up near West Town Mall Thursday night.
Kendall Road near Gleason Drive is shut down. No word when it will reopen.
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It wasn't too long ago when we mentioned what the folks at SHAPE Services were up to. Okay, okay, it was a brief mention, but the thought of VoIP over 3G/EDGE should have tickled your fancy. IM+ Talk is now out of beta and sporting a new version – 4.3! Here's what the change log tells us:
Version 4.3
Check out some of the features of IM+ Talk:
The idea of being able to make free VoIP calls via 3G/EDGE or Wi-Fi should make you want to call everyone and tell them all about it. Why not; it's free as long as you select "VoIP only" or "VoIP preferred". For more information on saving with IM+ Talk, click here. IM+ Talk is available for $29.95 and is available to BlackBerrys running OS 4.3 or higher.
Contest:We have 20 copies of IM+ Talk to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered. Perhaps you can tell us who you talk to the most - how much money do you think you will save? Basically, tell us why you think you deserve IM+ Talk! Contest ends this Sunday at midnight PST. Please only leave one comment, multiple entries won't count.
airdrew Dec 24, 2010 at 1:40 am
Been searching for an app that use skype to make calls on the bb. I make calls quite a bit on skype, so this would allow me to use my bb to call ppl on skype, when I don't have access to my computer. Pick me plz.
Oh yeah... VoIP... on IM+!! the best messaging application!!!!!
Pedestrian_A Dec 24, 2010 at 3:29 am
Cool! That's the one and only Skype program on the market...
obaquerizo Dec 24, 2010 at 3:52 am
Cool with this so helpfull to no go to the computer during work, or most of all out of the office
baayers Dec 24, 2010 at 4:05 am
This would give me a way to skype family and friends when I'm on the road or away from my PC. Would be a major help.
PiaCake Dec 24, 2010 at 5:25 am
I'll be So Happy I could Die!!!
My GF traveled with her family, And I wanted to find any way to be able to be able to talk with her...
I got so many gifts for my Friends and Family that i ended up broke :P
I can't even buy this app for 30$ right now :P
and I Really need it !!!...I really can survive for the holidays without hearing her voice !! :S :P
Happy New year to all Crackberry members and Merry Christmas!!! :)
ItsTheTAHA Dec 24, 2010 at 5:54 am
Can New Years eve get any better ?? :P
I really need this app!!
I would pay anymore for calling !!
Everyone i know have skype on their desk's computers and work almost 24/7 :P ... so It would like Literally Save 100% of what I usually pay for my calls :)
Ryan !!..
Be my Santa and Give a sweet copy of IM+ Talk :)
& If Do, I'll Pinky Promise to be a Very Good Boy in 2011 XD
Good luck eveyone , happy new year, and merry Christmas !!!
iterumruditleo Dec 24, 2010 at 6:01 am
Would be your best Xmas gift! Lol
Berry_Girl28 Dec 24, 2010 at 8:33 am
Pick me!
thholr Dec 24, 2010 at 8:38 am
This is awesome
jmcamos Dec 24, 2010 at 8:50 am
creef1014 Dec 24, 2010 at 8:56 am
That's sounds really sweet...i'd love a copy
dougdog Dec 24, 2010 at 9:03 am
I need this app badly
turbogt Dec 24, 2010 at 11:12 am
I call my family and cousin who live abroad! Great to finally have a VoIP app. Cheers!
Galactic2 Dec 24, 2010 at 11:19 am
I call my family that live in florida and North Carolina, as I live here in NYC. I also have numerous friends that live scattered across the U.S. I would love this.
murray5 Dec 24, 2010 at 11:28 am
IM+Talk will allow me easier access to my friends and family on the other side of the world!! It's always a challenge to reach everyone in Australia and New Zealand. IM+Talk will make my life easier and allow me to stay in touch more frequently. Thanks Crackberry!!
KA_RIM_BB Dec 24, 2010 at 1:01 pm
That would be amazing !!!
Wishing to get a copy :)
Thanks crackberry for the opportunity !! :)
Good luck To everyone !!
Merry Christmas and happy new year!! :D
Karlos349 Dec 24, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I use skype daily at home and at work, but have to use up my minutes while travelling. This would streamline my communications, and allow me to be moble, even while at home. Then I wouldn't have to be chained to my desk. =)
Kor770 Dec 24, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Oh very very nice! Would absolutely love one :)
koditten Dec 24, 2010 at 3:41 pm
i want won! This looks great! Consider this my entry post.
dukevzla Dec 24, 2010 at 4:04 pm
it's nice to have Voip on EDGE
tellmebb Dec 24, 2010 at 4:58 pm
this would be nifty to have, voip! :D great.
Toypetas Dec 24, 2010 at 9:09 pm
can i have that please?
Edica#CB Dec 24, 2010 at 10:07 pm
i could use this!
Lost track of my comment so this is just in case
This would be awesome.
This would be awesome.
This would be awesome..
WesSunday Dec 25, 2010 at 4:01 am
Whoop! Good luck everyone! :D MErry Christmas & a happy new year to all! :)
dweldom Dec 25, 2010 at 8:41 am
Hit me up with this! looks awesome!
joshuaff Dec 25, 2010 at 10:10 am
I've got family out in BC. This app would be perfect for me!
dadymon Dec 25, 2010 at 10:21 am
Skype on my torch? just need a dule camera!
lmengerink Dec 25, 2010 at 10:29 am
*fingers crossed*
joseph27cohen Dec 25, 2010 at 10:43 am
What a great app, i would love to win a copy, i will be great to have Skype with Voip on my blackberry, it will be very usefull for my job.
dani3lr Dec 25, 2010 at 11:31 am
I want to win this application. make me easy to communicate with others outside my country..
bbcoolvan Dec 25, 2010 at 11:34 am
Hurray! Finally able to compete with the iphone. GO Skype! GO IM+Talk!
gollumbird Dec 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Hello World!
maara Dec 25, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Nice contest
steven_a1991 Dec 25, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I'm in...........
matyc Dec 25, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Merry christmas
wsu2071 Dec 25, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Cool app.
EnnEnn Dec 25, 2010 at 1:02 pm
This would be useful to call family in Poland who use Skype
YamiAijin Dec 25, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Wow, sounds nice to have one of these
guido68 Dec 25, 2010 at 1:06 pm
This would be great to have :)
bhupeshg Dec 25, 2010 at 1:09 pm
May i have one please.
sweet, i would really love this since skype isnt supported on bb
nevermind#CB Dec 25, 2010 at 2:19 pm
wow looks great
jljljl13 Dec 25, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Meeeeeee :)
djtaube Dec 25, 2010 at 2:57 pm
This will be the only way I can let him know how upset I was not having a new BlackBerry accessory under the tree.
keysoflife Dec 25, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Would love to get a copy of this for the hliday season :)
buket123 Dec 25, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I would like this cause I like to talk to my friends on MSN and skype with people :D
Lithearium Dec 25, 2010 at 4:52 pm
*raises hand*
Yes please!
FotosNow Dec 25, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Perfect! Now the final answer for my current SkyPe number. Already have Skype number forwarded to my BB, using this will not count against my minutes.
I'm a buyer! But free is even better.
madgin Dec 25, 2010 at 6:47 pm
One for me please :)
Shadowz360 Dec 25, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Entering to win...Very useful app =)
mcspeno101 Dec 25, 2010 at 9:25 pm
My girlfriend lives in the US! calling charges are a pain just spent 1500 dollars on a bill! me please!
ShenTeK Dec 25, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Wooooo, this will come in handy =)
Lucied666 Dec 25, 2010 at 10:28 pm
For IM+
candy84 Dec 25, 2010 at 10:42 pm
I would love to be able to contact my loved ones during this holiday season with this app. I have many many family members back in Canada and the US. I am in the UK right now, and this app would help me in so many ways!
It gone to save me a lot $$$. No need two phone & IDD card.
Artwerks Dec 26, 2010 at 12:43 am
Great app, I want one =]
hilarious_cool Dec 26, 2010 at 1:35 am
I would like one
hilarious_cool Dec 26, 2010 at 1:48 am
I would like one!
Wow............. can I have this one please......
This is the apps that I needed... for my LDR with my gf.
And a perfect Christmas gift for me :)
Thank you
xiLLeNtz Dec 26, 2010 at 4:26 am
get me that for my 9800 !
shamoo711 Dec 26, 2010 at 5:24 am
Would love to use this to talk to my family who live in Germany! Calls are faaar too expensive and we only speak through Skype - but its hard since sometimes I am away from the computer, and with the time difference etc, anyway this app would make life alot easier!
Dravot Dec 26, 2010 at 5:39 am
Skype on my BB? I'd like that.
mghoniem Dec 26, 2010 at 7:29 am
this application SUCK SO BAD!!! it simply record a voice and then send it, you cant talk and listen at the same time... $29 IS WAY TOO MUCH FOR SUCH LAME APP!!! try it... you cant really talk.. its not full duplex!!!
JackatMac Dec 26, 2010 at 9:28 am
nice app -- VOIP is nice -- I love to save money calling friends in foreign countries
sebastienlatil Dec 26, 2010 at 9:31 am
cool stuff ! I want it
pattste Dec 26, 2010 at 9:45 am
Please pick me.
bibeberry Dec 26, 2010 at 10:41 am
i want im+ talk please i use im+ lite and i love it for free
Alli4ever Dec 26, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Would be nice app to have, choose me please!
thairy Dec 26, 2010 at 1:42 pm
This aplication is simply excellent! The use in its trial version and loved it! Skype really works on 3G and wifi! I would love to buy but in my country (Venezuela) do not have free access to U.S. dollars unless we have credit card and I have not! I would be extremely happy to have the full version so you can stay connected with friends and family q is outside the country without involving government spies calls per operator as normal if they do! Thanks in advance! H&K ♥
uberino Dec 26, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Woooow!!! Please guys i'd love to have one of these. I make frequent calls from asia to my girl friend in africa. I'd really be grateful if i got one. Thanks in advance. Compliments of the season.
blauer-fisch Dec 26, 2010 at 7:10 pm
I like to win one of this copy, yeah please.
And I would love to try this one too
EnriqueRv Dec 26, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Hope I win! I really need it!
sam81#IM Dec 26, 2010 at 8:24 pm
I really need this one. I havta talk
koilmaker Dec 26, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Crackberry Rules!!
corvette_stingray Dec 26, 2010 at 9:39 pm
Thanks Crackberry
corvette_stingray Dec 26, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Thanks Crackberry
Kirbentech Dec 26, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I'd love a copy. My mother lives in Switzerland, and regularly does research in Mongolia. I don't call her when she's in Mongolia, so this would help keep the communications lines open! KH
sheldonbk Dec 27, 2010 at 12:00 am
have never tried skype.. sounds like this would be very powerful
Supermathie Dec 29, 2010 at 5:14 pm
About time something like this came out - I can get on all my XMPP and VOIP accounts now!
damirk Dec 29, 2010 at 11:41 pm
You have to love Crackberry for the best knowledge, best information, and the best contests!!!
VoiP and IM+ Talk ... gotta HAVE IT!!! My late xmas present...is going to the best one. Thank you in advance for picking me...just saying. :-)
xHazardx Jan 1, 2011 at 4:49 pm
it has skype yes!!!11!!
sl33pyon3 Jan 3, 2011 at 10:28 pm
If I could be one of the lucky winners of this cool app, I can finally get my android using boss to stop making fun of me.


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When it was announced last week that the always disruptive Sacha Baron Cohen had been banned from the Oscars, the story was picked up by many, many news outlets.
After Cohen, dressed as The Great Dictator, dumped his friend Kim Jong-Il's ashes all over Red Carpet commentator Ryan Seacrest ("Who are you wearing Ryan?"), I smelled a conspiracy.
The Dictator was supposedly carrying Kim's cremation urn in order to fulfill the late North Korean crazy person's life-long dream to attend the Academy Awards, but I suspect the whole thing was planned/scripted, beginning with SBC being banned from the ceremony.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Who is Ryan Seacrest Wearing?
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text:
Blindly Trusting the Next Millionaire Governor
Gubernatorial candidates Bill Haslam and Mike McWherter are both millionaires and have made clear they won't take the $170,340 salary paid to the governor, if elected.
Not so clear is how they would deal with the inherent conflict in relying instead on income from private enterprises that hire lobbyists to make certain that actions of the governor and Legislature ensure profit, not loss.
Last year, Haslam made about $3 million from investments outside of his income from family-owned Pilot Corp., according to a document that lists the amount received, if any, from each source. The document was provided in response to a News Sentinel request.
Those investments would be placed in a blind trust if he is elected, Haslam said. But the Pilot interests would not be included.
McWherter had about $1.1 million in income last year, according to federal income tax returns he has made public. In response to a News Sentinel request, McWherter also provided on Friday a hand-written listing of assets and their value that indicates his net worth is about $13 million.
The Jackson businessman says all of his business and investment assets would be placed in a blind trust if he is elected governor.
So begins a story by yours truly in Sunday's News Sentinel. There are also links to the documents cited.


text:
Reporting from New York — — In the second episode of the new NBC series "Smash," a hard-driving Broadway producer played by Anjelica Huston throws a drink in the face of her ex-husband and former business partner at a midtown Manhattan watering hole.
"Would you get out of my booth?" she snarls. "I'm not giving you Bond 45 in the divorce, Jerry!"


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Monday, January 21, 2013 —
There's something to be said for longevity.
For almost 27 years, Gwen Hinson has served as transportation director for the Stanly County Umbrella Services Agency, or SCUSA as it's typically known. She was hired from what is now Stanly Industrial Services to work as SCUSA's first and — as it turns out — only director.
When the system began on July 1, 1986, it's main goal was to bring together the different organizations in the county that primarily shuttled it's customers to and from particular destinations. It could be a doctor's appointment or a trip to the grocery store or even a longer trip out of the county to a Veterans' Administration hospital in cities as far away as Durham, Charlotte or Winston-Salem.
SCUSA began with nine vehicles and uses 16 buses or vans today. It services 17 different organizations in Stanly County, from the YMCA, to Monarch, Inc. and other places such as daycares, after-school programs and the town of Norwood for its nutrition site for the elderly. SCUSA also services qualified residents in Montgomery County.
And the biggest misconception is SCUSA is only for old or disabled people. In fact, the organization services people of all ages from all over the county.
"We'll pick up a mom, pick up her kids at school to take them to the doctor, take the kid back to school and then take the mom back home," Hinson said.
"We take quite a few people to the community college. We've got all kinds of people, young, old, disabled, not disabled riding with us and going places."
Numbers Don't Lie
SCUSA ranks as one of the highest in its peer group in the state, according to 2012 data released by the N.C. Department of Transportation's Public Transportation Division. The study largely represents rural counties and is comprised primarily of 21 peer groups within 31 counties which don't operate on a fixed system such as a bus route in a major city that makes routine stops.
SCUSA ranks ahead of the state average in efficiency trips per mile (.20 for SCUSA to .171 for the state), passengers per hour (3.48 to 2.68), cost per trip ($13.22 to $16.64), subsidy per trip ($5.40 to $5.68) and cost per trip by year ($13.22 to $15.29). In 2012, SCUSA traveled 313,790 miles over 17,966 hours, down slightly from 333,525 miles over 18,786 miles in 2011.
Those numbers are very competitive, especially against bigger counties with larger cities and budgets such as Buncombe (Asheville), Cleveland (Shelby), Randolph (Asheboro) and Johnston (suburbs of Raleigh).
"Gwen's system, she's an extremely well-respected person among her peers across the state," Stanly County Manager Andy Lucas said.
"You hear from folks at the DOT and they respect what she does. SCUSA has a record of safety and compliance, and they do things that are innovative with training. They are at the top of their field, especially with rural transportation providers.
"You look at the studies done on an annual basis like cost per mile and per passenger and we always score very well. You look at the metrics of how we scored and we're always near the top of rural counties. But we'll always find ways to do things better and work toward continuous improvement."
Hinson is always dealing with situations involving funding, keeping costs low along with getting the most out of state and federal grants that are used to help keep SCUSA running. In 2012, SCUSA received $827,591 in total funds. Broken down, that's $164,404 in federal funds, $173,321 in state funds and $489,866 in local funds, which includes fares and contracts from organizations. That's down from the $851,558 received in 2011.
Those early days were quite challenging for Hin-son, from trying to develop a system that would work to doing it all within a workable budget. But she's got a pretty good handle on things now. She's been routinely involved with several state committees and agencies, serving titles such as president, vice president and secretary. She recently completed 18 years of service with the N.C. Public Transportation Association.
"When we first started the system, all I had learned I learned at the vocational shop as far as transportation," Hinson said.
"Then when you get inundated with the state throwing all these reports and all these management plans and all that. And it's not like they come down and teach it to you. You get all this then all of a sudden you've got all these people who want to go somewhere and you've got all these reports to do and you have a part-time secretary and a little hole in a place somewhere and that's your desk. So I cried a lot the first six months."
How It Works
SCUSA operates from 6:30 a.m. until around 3:30-4 p.m. on weekdays. Hinson estimates at least three trips to Stanly Community College are taken a day, in addition to other routine trips for those who may be going to the doctor's office, picking up groceries or going to a destination for job training, for example.
Hinson estimates 50-60 people are transported on a given day. SCUSA averages from 4,000-6,000 trips a month both within the county and outside of it, depending on holidays.
People who need to use SCUSA can call to arrange an appointment. Depart-ment of Social Services handles scheduling for Medicaid patients, which makes up around 25 percent of SCUSA's clientele. That schedule is sent to SCUSA, which incorporates it into the rest of its daily routine.
Since there's not another service like this in the county the organizations serviced by SCUSA receive a tremendous benefit.
"I couldn't say enough good things about (SCUSA)," said Sharon Scott, director of Depart-ment of Social Services for Stanly County.
"It's a wonderful organization and they are responsible to our needs and client's needs. If someone receives Medicaid and they don't have a way to get to an appointment, it's up to Social Services to provide those services. We rely on SCUSA for that transportation.
"We are on the phone constantly to arrange a trip. So it's a wonderful relationship and I think they are a great organization and serve the county well, not just for DSS clients."
The more people that use SCUSA during a given time, the lower the costs per passenger. But a light day doesn't mean someone will necessarily be turned away or asked to change their appointment.
Not that there are many of those. Hinson said SCUSA cut down to one driver on Mondays but had to add another recently because of the increased demands on that day. Tuesday through Friday is even busier.
"We are considered demand response," she said.
"You call in and make an appointment, we pick you up and then take you home. We ask for at least 24 hours, but our schedules have gotten to the point where now we ask people 'if you get an appointment today that's for two weeks from now, go ahead and call it in.'
"We probably have some appointments on the calendar for December of this year or at least September of this year. We'll take them now as far as you've got them in. We do get filled up so quickly."
And that includes general public traffic throughout the county, which is divided into zones. People who use SCUSA will pay a fare based on where you live and where you're going — the cheapest is $1.50.
"That's for people that are not affiliated with any agency that's going to have the agency pay for that trip," Hinson said.
"Money in that grant can't be used to supplement any other grant or funding source we may have. If they are a Medicaid person, Medicaid is going to pay for that trip, but if they are not Medicaid or Senior Services or vocational workshop or whatever, then they pay the public fare."
Kay Eddins is the operations supervisor at SCUSA and has been with the organization for 20 years, starting out as a driver. She primarily does scheduling but also handles everything from assigning vehicles to problems that might arise either with those vehicles or the people involved.
"People appreciate it. You've got that handful that will say 'thank you,' and that makes your job worthwhile," Eddins said.
"A lot of people don't, but then you've got some that will tell you thank you and they appreciate what you do and if it wasn't for you, they couldn't go anywhere. There's a lot of people we transport that live by themselves. We know more about them than their family knows, most times.
"There's a human factor in this job as well as doing the job. You get to know these people. You are interacting with the public all the time you're at work."
That's one thing that motivates a lot of the drivers to do what they do, a lot of times going above and beyond just driving someone to and from a destination.
Don Gordon has been a driver with SCUSA for three years, typically working three days a week as a driver for out-of-country trips. He retired as a worker for the state of North Carolina for 30 years and wanted to give back to the community.
"I was looking for something part-time and this about fits the bill for me," Gordon said.
"I felt like giving back. There are some people who really need this service. That's when you feel good when you've helped somebody."
Hinson said they go to numerous functions to explain what SCUSA does and how it can benefit them. In a lot of cases, she said people know what they are about but don't really feel the need to look into it further until the need becomes greater.
"I got a call the other day from a man whose father had fallen and had broken his foot," Hinson said.
"Now he was in a wheelchair and had no way of getting him anywhere. He couldn't walk and they couldn't lift him, that sort of thing. He needed to get to the doctor the next day. Until that happened, that man never needed us.
"Now somebody has told him we can do the wheelchairs, so he needed to get his father on the system right now. That's what we find a lot of times."
Evelyn Jaquinta has been using SCUSA for around two years, primarily because her sight has decreased dramatically over the years.
"I live alone and I'm 82. I'm on a walker and I can't see very well. I use them every week," she said.
"They take such good care of me, I don't have to worry about this. I came out of the nursing home after I broke my left foot. I've had knee and vision problems, too.
"I couldn't do without them. They treat me like a queen, they really do."
Eddins has heard stories such as that and is motivated because of it.
"What we do can't wait until tomorrow. We've got things on the schedule that have to be done and they have to be done today when they are scheduled," Eddins said.
"If somebody isn't here, you have to cover. You can't call them and say 'sorry, driver is out.' That can't happen."
The sames goes for Lucas.
"If folks realized the number of people served and how it cuts across all social demographics of the community, they would be surprised," Lucas said.
"We certainly provide transportation for seniors and elderly. They need to get to a doctor's appointment, and it's reliable and gets them to the place and back safely.
"It's also about people going to workforce development, with them going to the community college and continuing education classes. And people just need to run errands and go to the grocery store."
Need A Lift?
Exploring the many sides of SCUSA
Monday, January 21, 2013 —
There's something to be said for longevity.
- Homepage
Heather Hughey, Locust ABC general manager, shows off a luau-themed display. One of the things done to make the store more attractive is putting together displays like this in the store.
From struggle to success
The Locust ABC store opened in 2008 in the midst of the stock market crash and, even in its second year, found itself at a negative 6.56 percent profit.
- Storm causes loss power, spree of alarms
- SBI probes lawyer for suspected drug buys; no charges filed
- From struggle to success
- Local News
Richfield says fight remains for funds
While the rest of the county may be breathing a sigh of relief over the new points allotted to N.C. Highway 24-27 by the N.C. Department of Transportation, the Town of Richfield says the fight isn't over.
- School board seats see challenge
- Richfield says fight remains for funds
- Local Sports
Stanly All-Star 15 year-olds lose in championship finals
The Stanly County 15 year-old All-Stars Babe Ruth Baseball team battled its way through the losers' bracket after suffering a 10-9 loss to the Union County Americans to reach the championship finals.
Stanly rallied to force a deciding third game but Union County prevailed to earn a trip to the regionals in Varina, Virginia.
- Stanly All-Stars reach state championship round
- Stanly All-Star 15 year-olds lose in championship finals
- Regional & National Sports
Sideshows involving Rice and Dungy stain NFL's image
Pro football training camps should be all about, well, football. But the talk around the NFL is about Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice's two-game suspension, Tony Dungy's indelicate remarks about Michael Sam and Jim Irsay's largesse. What kind of league is Roger Goodell running?
- Grandstands feel a little empty at NASCAR races
- Sideshows involving Rice and Dungy stain NFL's image
- Opinion & Letters to the Editor
As wonderful as Ireland was, there's just no place like home
I expected a lot of things from my six-week study abroad program in Dublin, Ireland.
I expected to miss family and friends, I expected to see a lot of things that I'd never seen before and I expected, more than anything else, to yearn for sweet tea. For the record, I did miss sweet tea quite terribly.
- Impeachment arms Democrats, doesn't end the Obama disaster
- As wonderful as Ireland was, there's just no place like home
- Weddings and Engagements
Poplin-Mooney Engagement
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Poplin of Norwood, N.C. announce the engagement of their daughter, Amanda Lauren Poplin, to Evan Clay Mooney, son of Mr. Clay Mooney of Asheville, N.C. and the late Mrs. Elaine Mooney.
- Austin-Lisk Wedding
- Poplin-Mooney Engagement
- Features
Can black women have it all?
In a powerful new essay for the National Journal, my friend Michel Martin makes a compelling case for why we need to continue the having-it-all conversation.
- This Weekend in Stanly County
- Can black women have it all?
- Regional
Aiken campaigns in Asheboro
Clay Aiken slipped into an Asheboro restaurant virtually unnoticed while campaigning in the city last Thursday.
- World traveler chooses Asheboro to pursue fine arts
- Aiken campaigns in Asheboro
- State & National News
This Facebook post from the Lockport (N.Y.) Police Department, which has since been removed, asks about the offensiveness of the word "negro."
Police department turns to Facebook for guidance on use of 'negro'
LOCKPORT, N.Y. - What seems to be a data entry mistake by a small town police department in western New York has turned into a social media firestorm centered around the word "negro" and whether it's acceptable to use in modern society.
- Stranger's generosity stuns Ohio veteran
- Police department turns to Facebook for guidance on use of 'negro'