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Today's Good Read on the Southland: Crime-N-Shame edition, features some of the region's more interesting crime reports the past few weeks.
Creepy Guy Tries to Pick Up Teens at White Castle, in Oak Lawn, Jan. 7
A physically fit man with a ponytail tried to pick up a 16-year-old boy at the Oak Lawn White Castle, at 9501 S. Cicero Ave., the evening of Jan. 7.
Oak Lawn police were called to the restaurant where they were met by the teen and his friend. According to the victim, he and his friend were inside the restaurant when they saw a man lift up his shirt and show them his ribs. The boys told police they didn't know the man.
The man walked over and introduced himself, then walked outside the restaurant, according to the report. While the boys were at their table, the man stared at the victim through the window and motioned with his head toward the bathroom. While the victim's friend was refilling his drink, the man came back inside, approached the victim's table and asked the victim if he wanted to go into the bathroom. The victim told the man he wasn't interested. "When the victim rebuffed the man's advances a second time, the man said, "Fine, it's your decision, but I tip well," according to the report.
When the boys left the restaurant, they saw the man and ran across the street and called police. Police checked the area and a Pace bus looking for the man but couldn't find him. Restaurant employees advised police that the man had left 10 minutes earlier.
The man is described as a white male in his early 30s with black hair and olive skin, 6 feet tall and weighing 180 pounds. The victim said the man was "physically fit" and wore a black trench coat, blue jeans and a black-and white fitted skull cap, and he wore his hair in a pony tail.
She's In with the 'Wrong Crowd' in Orland Park, Jan. 8
At 56, you'd think someone would be able to avoid the "wrong crowd." Or at least come up with a better excuse for the cops. But Brenda F. Clark, 56, of the 9200 block of Racine Avenue in Chicago, told police that she hid a $20 watch in her sweatshirt and left an Orland Park department store without paying. Clark later told police she knew what she did was wrong and that she was "following the wrong crowd," according to the report.
Mischief in a Church Parking Lot in Tinley Park, Jan. 9
Is nothing sacred? A worshipper at , 7399 159th St., returned to her vehicle after evening Mass at about 7 p.m. and started to back out when she heard a strange noise, police said. Someone had removed four of the five lug nuts from all of the wheels but the one of the front right side, according to police. The wheels had almost fallen off when the woman tried to pull out, and the lug nuts were found on the ground by the car, police said.
Thieves Take Wedding Rings in Tinley Park, Jan. 7
Someone took a $3,200 flat-screen TV, a $800 watch and jewelry valued at a total $5,150 from a home on the 16700 block of 82nd Avenue, Tinley Park, between 7:30 and 11 a.m., police said. The thieves also took two wedding bands: a yellow gold band valued at $695 and a white gold band. The owners did not know the value of the white gold band, police said.
Broken Birdbath in Oak Forest, Jan. 15
Someone egged a woman's front window and knocked over her birdbath in the 4900 block of West 158th Street, a woman told police.
Fed Up, Sped Up in Oak Forest, Jan. 8
In technical terms, this is what we call "driving like a jerk." Cops call it "reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident." Michael Ryon, of the 4700 block of West 151st Street faces both charges, according to police, because he caused the driver behind him to hit his car . Ryon was being followed closely by another driver when he slowed down. The driver behind him, who told police he was following too closely, then tried to pass Ryon. Ryon sped up, swerving between lanes to prevent the other driver from passing, police said. The two reached the Oak Forest Post Office, where lanes merge. Ryon sped in front of the other driver, then braked suddenly, police said, causing the other driver to rear-end him. He then continued driving until police pulled him over. He is due in court on Jan. 27.
Heroin Overdose at Church in Palos, Jan. 7
At about 9 p.m., police responded to a possible overdose at , 8245 W. 111th Street. A man was found passed out in the bathroom with a syringe and needle nearby and was taken to Palos Community Hospital, police said. The man was staying at the South Suburban PADS shelter overnight at the church. Sacred Heart has been participating in the program for the last five years, said pastoral associate Bill Droel.
South Suburban PADS is a Chicago Heights-based nonprofit that works with local faith communities to provide services to homeless individuals throughout the south suburbs. Boie said this was an uncommon occurrence and the PADS program at Sacred Heart has not presented any previous problems.
"Incidents like this are very rare," Droel said.
What's in a Name? in New Lenox, Jan. 10
Patricio Rojas, 19, of Markham, was pulled over after New Lenox police said he ran a red light near Route 30 and Schoolhouse Road. Police say Rojas then gave them a false name but they discovered his real name after he signed it on his citation sheets. Upon searching Rojas' real name, police discovered he had a suspended license and a warrant for his arrest in connection with a failure to appear in court in Oak Forest and Markham. Rojas was issued citations for disobeying the red light and driving with a suspended license, and taken to the Will County Jail on charges of obstructing a police officer.
Official Distraction in Evergreen Park, Jan. 6
A man who tried to videotape police during a traffic stop at 84th Street and Pulaski Avenue was arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer. At 7:34 a.m., police said, Kerry Johnson, 57, of Chicago, was standing next to a car during the stop and taking the officer's attention off of his duties by video recording the officer and yelling to get the attention of others. Johnson continued to watch the officer from the sidewalk, near the officer as the officer was talking to the traffic offender, according to police. The officer noted in his report he had seen Johnson do the same thing on two other occasions since Dec. 25.


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The following was taken from a press release.
Boston College (BC) and Dedham Health & Athletic Complex (DHAC) today announced that DHAC, New England's largest integrated health and wellness facility, will serve as the new home court for the Boston College Athletics' Tennis program.
DHAC will be designated as the official home of Boston College men's and women's tennis teams and will host NCAA matches and practices for the Eagles throughout the 2013 season, providing BC with more than 500 hours of match and practice time on the complex's 11 indoor hard courts. Heading into the 2013 season, The Eagles look forward to once again taking on a challenging slate of the Atlantic Coast Conference and New England teams.
While terms of the deal were not disclosed, DHAC and BC Tennis will collaborate on joint promotions, with the intention of building a long-term and mutually-beneficial relationship.
"Boston College has a rich history in competitive athletics and we're proud to welcome its outstanding tennis players to their new home courts at Dedham Health," DHAC owner Lloyd Gainsboro said. "We've made tennis a core offering at our complex since its inception and we look forward to hosting exciting college tennis this year, and to building a lasting partnership with a venerable institution."
Founded in 1863, BC has an impressive track record of successful athletics programs. The BC Tennis program offers both men's and women's teams fall and spring play. Head Coach Scott Wilkins is at the helm of the men's team, and Head Coach Nigel Bentley leads the women's. The men will begin spring play on Jan. 18 at the Harvard Invitational in Cambridge; the women's team will begin its spring season with a dual match on Jan. 19 versus Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.
"Through our partnership with the Dedham Health & Athletic Complex, our student athletes have the opportunity to train and play in one of the area's foremost tennis facilities," said BC College Director of Athletics Brad Bates. "Dedham Health is an impressive fitness center, with cutting-edge offerings that will enhance our team training and match play. We look forward to introducing our team to the Dedham Health membership, and to building a strong relationship that we hope will last for years to come."

subset: commoncrawl


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Prudential RideLondon Cycling Show
With a theme of 'inspiration', the Prudential RideLondon Cycling Show will connect and inspire cyclists and would-be riders of all ages and abilities.
Following the inaugural Prudential RideLondon Cycling Show, the plaudits from visitors and exhibitors have rolled in. While this first edition of the show occupied only a small footprint, it offered a big experience for the 35,000 visitors. While guest appearances on the Box Hill Cafe Prudential Stage by the likes of Laura Trott and Martyn Ashton were met with great enthusiasm the display teams of Animal WD40 Actions Sports and Andrei Burton were wowing huge crowd throughout out the three-day show with incredible stunts.
Hundreds of visitors were able to have their picture taken on Wiggo's Olympic Throne and thousands signed the Prudential RideLondon Inspiration Wall. The 1km virtual time trial saw people queuing to enter – most were good enough to win an event jersey and some now have a greater appreciation of the skill and endurance the professional sprinters possess.
In the coming months we will update these pages as plans unfold for the 2014 event.
The Prudential RideLondon Cycling Show will feature a vast selection of manufacturers, international races, charities, magazines and medical companies under one roof, so if you're planning to visit the show, make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to look around.
If you would like to find out more about exhibiting at the 2014 Prudential RideLondon Cycling Show, please fill out this form.
Opening Times
The 2014 Prudential RideLondon Cycling Show will be open on the follow days and times:
Thursday 7 August
Friday 8 August
|Saturday 9 August
The Venue
The Prudential RideLondon Cycling Show will be held at ExCeL London, with easy access from Custom House Station on the Docklands Light Railway. The show will attract 45,000 visitors over its three days. With 10,000 visitors each weekday and 25,000 on Saturday, you may want to consider visiting in the week to avoid the crowds on Saturday. If you have to come on Saturday, before 11:00 is the quietest time.
How to get to ExCeL
ExCeL is connected to the Jubilee line at Canning Town via a three-minute DLR journey (Docklands Light Railway) to ExCeL's dedicated station Custom House for the West entrance. (Prince Regent Station for the East entrance.)
ExCeL is also connected directly to the Central, Northern, Circle, District and Waterloo & City lines at Bank and the Circle and District lines at Tower Hill via the DLR.
ExCeL is in London Underground Zone 3. We strongly advise that you use an Oyster card or purchase a return ticket or travelcard as ticket-purchasing facilities are limited at ExCeL.
All valid London Underground tickets are accepted on Docklands Light Railway (DLR). Custom House DLR Station is adjacent to the ExCeL centre entrance.
Come and share your experience with more than 45,000 like-minded people at the cycling event of the year.


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We'd love to speak with you
To make contact with us please complete the form below and your enquiry will be sent directly to a member of our team. If you have a query that relates to one particular service(s) we offer, eg website design, SEO, web development etc feel free to leave a comment to that effect. Either way, a member of our team will be in contact with you within one business day (generally even quicker).
We look forward to discussing your website and online needs and to outline to how we can be of assistance!


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WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney abruptly moderated his foreign policy positions in this weeks debate on issues like ending the war in Afghanistan and averting another conflict in Iran, hoping to neutralize one of President Barack Obamas main strengths with the election only two weeks away. But the move toward the political center comes with potential pitfalls.
By abandoning several of his sharpest criticisms of Obama from the past several months, Romney risks upsetting some conservatives and reinforcing the allegation levied repeatedly by the president on Monday night that his positions lack conviction and leadership.
His aim was to appear sober and serious, a plausible commander in chief, by not engaging in saber-rattling for political points. By narrowing the gap between his positions and those of Obama, he also may have succeeded in giving undecided voters, particularly women, the impression that he would lead a war-weary America into another conflict only reluctantly.
Romney aides said both the tone and substance of their boss arguments were intentional and that he carried with him into the debate a key piece of advice: Talk about peace.
The overarching goal, they said, was for Romney to look like a suitable commander. After adopting a more assertively militaristic tone to win the GOP nomination amid challenges from more conservative candidates, he sought at all costs to avoid appearing as a warmonger.
I want to see peace, Romney said in his closing statement.
The shifts in the debate were stark for a candidate who only last week described Obamas foreign policy as unraveling before our very eyes.
Unconditionally endorsing Obamas 2014 deadline for removing U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan, Romney reversed his opposition to what he had termed a political timetable that wasnt necessarily supported by U.S. generals on the ground. And he declared the presidents troop surge in Afghanistan a success.


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Leadership Douglas, a Douglas County Chamber of Commerce Program, has a longstanding tradition of success in our community, and the chamber is currently accepting applications for the 2014 Class. Participants will get to know one another and will learn from the exchange of ideas and experiences. In addition, they will gain knowledge and understanding on crucial issues facing our community, while also attaining leadership skills to make a difference.
Only 25 students are selected each year to participate in this highly selective program. Class participants are a diverse cross section of individuals from business, public service, education and service organizations.
About Leadership Douglas
Topics covered in the 2013-14 Leadership Douglas program include:
* Personal Leadership
* Natural Resources
* Local and State Government
* Economic Development
* Health & Wellness
* Arts & Recreation
* Public Safety
* Education
* Non-Profit and Social Services
The time commitment for participants includes nine full-day sessions from September - May, a graduation luncheon, several evening meetings and an overnight retreat. Attendance at all programs is mandatory. Cost for the complete course is $600 and includes the retreat, all sessions and materials, meals and transportation.
Apply today! Download the Application HERE!
For more information visit www.douglascountygeorgia.com/leadership-douglas or call 770-942-5022. Applications must be submitted by March 15, 2013.


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Design: VP2217
Single Palm Tree Personalized Vertical Invitation
Personalized Vertical InvitationINVVPI
Made to Order - 1 business day processing+shipping
Your Price: $1.29 each
Minimum Order Quantity: 50
Qty. of 50 - 99 price $1.29 each
Qty. of 100 - 199 price $1.19 each
Qty. of 200 - 299 price $1.09 each
Qty. of 300 + price $0.89 each
Start your tropical event off with scenic Palm Tree Invitations!This Single Palm Tree Vertical Invitation features a scenic tropical escape with a palm tree looking over the ocean. Each Palm Tree Vertical Invitation is made of heavy paper and measures 6 1/2 inches long x 3 3/4 inches wide which includes white envelopes for mailing. Personalize this Single Palm Tree Vertical Invitation with customized text to coordinate with your event's theme.
Please allow ample time for delivery. Our ship date for this product is noted in your shopping cart. Many items are shipped separately, so please allow extra time for these items to arrive. Shipping charges are based on the value of the merchandise and not the number of shipments. For additional shipping information, contact our Customer Service Department at (firstname.lastname@example.com or 1-800-227-2789).
Detailed shipping information
Detailed shipping information


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We have 4 main clubs that run on a Sunday morning. Features include a bible story, singing, quizes and crafts. We also look to give the children opportunity to serve sometimes in the main service to encourage a servant heart of love for God from a young age. Our desire is that all our children will come to know Jesus as Saviour and be equiped to serve him with pride. We also aim to foster a great community amongst our children which will prove supportive to them in a sometimes challenging world.
Pre-school age
Lighthouse Club
School Years: Infants
Middle Club
School Years: Juniors
Breakfast Club
School Years: 7-9
The worship leader indicates when the children can leave for their clubs and the teachers will bring the children back at the end of the service.


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hold forth Formal
Meaning: to talk about a topic for a long time, often in a way that other people find boring
For example:
- hold forth As Mark held forth on a range of topics, those caught in his circle started to yawn and look at their watches.
- hold forth on sth All through dinner Ruth held forth on her favourite subject - herself.
Quick Quiz:
Stuart likes to hold forth on a range of subjects whenever he can


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A couple of days ago Apple released iOS 5.1.1 to all Apple devices and just after it with a few days iPhone Dev Team released Redsn0w 0.9.11b1 for all A5 devices which gives you the ability to downgrade your device to a lower version of firmwares.. Today I would like to tell you that @Notcom the well known developer who is behind TinyUmbrella has just announced releasing a new version of TinyUmbrella with the support for iOS 5.1.1..
With the recent RedSn0w release, the ability to downgrade your device's firmware has been fully restored for A5 users. But to utilize the new feature, you need to have the SHSH blobs from an earlier version of iOS. Remember you must to save your SHSH blobs in order to downgrade to the version you want.. So come on if you are on iOS 5.1.1 let's save the SHSH blobs and have some fun..
If you found this post useful, hopefully hit the +1 (recommend) button ⇉
You can follow Abdelrahman Mohamed on Twitter, join our Facebook fanpage and add me on Google+ to keep yourself updated on the latest jailbreak and unlock news.


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- Mobile site
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Droitwich Advertiser
Like us on Facebook
Memory Lane - 50 years ago (From Droitwich Advertiser)
Get involved! Send your photos, video, news & views by texting BA NEWS to 80360 or e-mail us
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Memory Lane - 50 years ago
12:00pm Thursday 19th January 2012 in Memory Lane
BROMSGROVE Olympique Cycling Club held its annual dinner dance at the Marlbrook, which attracted a record attendance of more than 200 people. At its annual general meeting, held a day later, it was reported that the club was more financially sound than in previous years and there were now more than 35 paid up members.
à FOLLOWING the announcement to raise rents on Bromsgrove's council estates, there were rumours of a rent strike among those who lived on Catshill's estate. Labour councillors, including Mr Webley, had called a press conference on the matter.
In a prepared statement Mr Webley said it was important that the public were aware of the reasons for large rent increases and were persuaded not to take the foolish actions
Comments are closed on this article.


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Bazaar 1.10 Integrates Shelve/Unshelve
Bazaar, the open source distributed version control system software has been released in version 1.10.
The developers have improved the version-copy function, especially with small updates in substantial projects. Shelve and Unshelve commands, with which individual changes can be reversed, are now part of the core functions. Several bugs have also been fixed.
Version 1.10 of the GPL software, essentially developed by Canonical is, as tarball on the launchpad platform, available for download. In addition, Ubuntu packages can be accessed on a PPA site, with further distros to follow.
Issue 166/2014
Tag Cloud
Heartbleed Bleeds On
According to a report, many potential victims of the Heartbleed attack have patched their systems, but few have cleaned up the crime scene to protect themselves from the effects of a previous intrusion.
Drone Brain Goes Open Source
DARPA and NICTA release the code for the ultra-secure microkernel system used in aerial drones.
Password Management Services Vulnerable to Attack
Should you trust an online service to store your online passwords?
New Raspberry Pi Adds Two USB Ports
New B+ board lets you build cool things without the complication of a powered USB hub.
Microsoft Grabs No-IP.com Domains
Redmond rushes in to root out alleged malware haven.
Firefox Steps into 3D
New initiative will bring futuristic virtual reality effects to the web surfing experience.
New Trojan Targets Online Banking
Dyreza malware launches a man-in-the-middle attack that compromises SSL.
HP Rolls Out Massive Cloud Network
New cloud combines worldwide access with local attention to data security.
New Attack Targets Wireless Logins
A first cousin of the recent Heartbleed attack affects EAP-based wireless and peer-to-peer authentication.
Geeks Petition for Free Lenovo BIOS
FOSS community acts to protect freedom of choice for laptop devices.


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Local Theatre Listings
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View The Sun's print ads online.
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Let us know about holiday events
November 14, 2003
Entries must include event name, synopsis, date, time, location with street address, contact phone number and price. Submissions without this information will not be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit submissions.
Photographs will be accepted but not returned. Jpeg format is preferred for electronic images.
Send via e-mail to email@example.com with "holiday event" in the subject line or via regular mail to West Sound A&E, Attn: Holiday Event, 545 Fifth St., P.O. Box 259, Bremerton, WA 98337.
Deadline for submissions is noon Nov. 21.
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Halub says council members shouldn't be compensated
Simi Valley City Council candidate Eric Halub is a familiar face at council meetings, where he regularly berates those on the dais.
The principal target of his ire is Councilman Steve Sojka, whom Halub recently told needs "to be taken out" in the Nov. 6 election.
Halub, 27, a security guard, said he is running for the council to bring more transparency to City Hall and reduce costs. Halub is among seven candidates seeking two council seats, including incumbents Sojka and Barbra Williamson.
"As a representative, I believe your job is to give total transparency so that you empower the people to have the will to go up against government," said Halub, who ran a distant third in the city's 2010 mayoral race behind winner Bob Huber and runner-up Sojka. "Right now, there is no transparency in how our taxes go to council members' retirements and their pay."
For the record, the city posts the salaries and benefits of all five council members on its website.
Halub, a political conservative, said council members should be willing to serve without compensation.
Each member is paid a $14,433-a-year stipend and up to $41,309 in annual benefits. Under a policy the council adopted in May, new council members will be offered far less in benefits — $21,834 annually. Council members, with Huber dissenting, exempted themselves from the decreased benefits if they are re-elected.
"Right now we have a couple council members who are getting nearly $60,000 a year to do a part-time job where they meet twice a month," Halub said.
Williamson, who is seeking her sixth term in November, takes the biggest amount of benefits on the council, for a total annual compensation of $52,074.96, according to the city's website.
"I can do that same job with no salary and no benefits," Halub said. "I believe the only benefit is to serve the people."
Halub opposes public employees unions, saying that in a perfect world, the city would not have to negotiate compensation for its employees with their unions, Service Employees International Union Local 721 and the Simi Valley Police Officers Association.
He said he frequently singles Sojka out in his public comments to the council because the incumbent was initially appointed to his seat in 1998.
"That's dangerous because he was handed that job as our public servant," Halub said.
Sojka has since been elected to four-year terms in 2000, 2004 and 2008, and he is seeking his fourth full term.
Halub is realistic about his chances of unseating Sojka or Williamson.
"If I don't win, it will better prepare me for 2014" and another council run, he said.
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Funeral services for Tina Blake, 87, of Charlestown, will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Grayson Funeral Home, Charlestown, with burial in Charlestown Cemetery. She died Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, at Providence Retirement Home, New Albany.
She was born Sept. 16, 1925, in Whitesburg, Ky., to James and Dora Boggs Morgan. She was a former employee of Colgate Palmolive and was a member of the Eagles, American Legion, and VFW auxiliaries in Jeffersonville.
Survivors include her brothers, Hubert Morgan, of Charlestown, and Wade Morgan, of Jeffersonville; and sisters, Lillian Fields, of New Washington, and Burnell Perry Kays, of Jeffersonville.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harlan Lee Blake; brothers, Clemon Astor, Hurstle, Verlon and Venice Morgan; and sister, Laveda Grider.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and after 9 a.m. Saturday, at the funeral home.
Online condolences may be made at www.graysonfuneralhome.com.


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The Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at the US Geological Survey (USGS building) on Sunrise Valley Drive on Friday November 9, 2012 between the hours of 7:30am-1:30pm.
To make your life-saving appointment please call
1-800-Red Cross
We need to restock our blood supplies after the hurricane. Please help us by donating!


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WINNER Caption Challenge: Nancys – Pelosi and Reagan Blog Home I Fear for the Safety of Bill Kristol
The Best Daily Show Interviews with TV & Radio Correspondents
In honor of The Television & Radio Correspondents Appreciate Fortnight, we present to you fourteen of our favorite Daily Show interviews with media personalities…
14. Rachel Maddow
13. Brian Williams
12. Anderson Cooper
10. Ira Glass
9. Katie Couric
8. Ted Koppel
7. Chris Wallace
6. Howard Stern
5. Dennis Miller
4. Tom Brokaw
3. Jack Cafferty
2. Bill O'Reilly
1. Chris Matthews
Tags: ABC, Anderson Cooper, Bill O'Reilly, Brian Williams, CBS, Chris Matthews, Chris Wallace, CNN, Correspondent List, Dennis Miller, Fox, Ira Glass, Jack Cafferty, Jon Stewart, Katie Couric, MSNBC, NPR, Rachel Maddow, The Daily Show, This American Life, Tom Brokaw
About Us
Comedy Central's Indecision is the network's digital hub for news, politics and other jokes: we're here, we're everywhere. We're not affiliated with any television show. We're affiliated with ourselves.


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Jamie Hood, suspected of killing one police officer and wounding another, freed hostages and surrendered after a standoff. His demand for TV coverage shows heightened tensions between police and criminals.
Shooting deaths of police officers have risen rapidly in the last year, spiking in the last three months and fueling fears of a 'war on cops.' What is top cop Eric Holder going to do about it?


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To Spain and backTwo students swap cultures and share experiences
Thousands of miles away from their homes, two Pirates shared their thrilling, intimidating and life-changing experiences as they studied in each other's home countries, each taking valuable life-lessons away from it.
For Cary, N.C. resident Cassidy Cloninger, senior communication major and Spanish minor, her studies in Grenada, Spain this past June and early July were much different than the two other touristy trips she had taken in high school.
Cloninger and around 25 other Pirates linked up with the Study Abroad service and embarked to southern Spain to embrace the laid back, simpler culture of the Spaniards. The program, IOCI, was sponsored by professor Rosa Lopez-Cañete, whose hometown of Seville isn't too far away from where they studied.
All of the students were paired and placed with a native host family, immersing themselves with the Spanish language 24/7. Five days a week, the students would walk miles through the city to the University of Grenada and attend class with students from universities across the states, along with international students from other countries.
One major cultural difference, which Cloninger went into detail about, was the four hour nap period, known as a siesta, from 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Classes were held from 12 p.m.- 2:15 p.m., then a giant lunch, which they came home for, accompanied by relaxation and then class again from 4 p.m.-6p.m.
"My host mom would make a giant lunch," said Cloninger. "She would say, 'I can't believe you have to go back to class.' Somehow she didn't have to go to work after siesta. I don't know how she worked that out."
Unlike the U.S., Spain has a lot of specialized stores, rather than general places like Wal-Mart or Target. On one street corner, there would be a fresh fruit stand, the next a bread shop, a pastry shop next to that and a butchery beside that.
"My host mom wouldn't buy food for the whole week," said Cloninger. "She would go every day and get fresh stuff."
"I don't like meat that much, but it is considered rude to not eat whatever they put on the plate," said Cloninger as she recalls meat and bread being the prominent foods she ate.
Like Cloninger, graduate student Juan Calvo Cubero, studying in Greenville to earn his PhD in Biology, has had a challenging, but rewarding experience so far.
Originally from Barcelona, Spain, Calvo Cubero landed in the U.S. for the first time this past August, preparing for his studies, along with the arrival of his wife, Marta, and three-month-old son, Liam.
After receiving his bachelor's degree in maritime sciences from the University of Cadiz in southern Spain, Calvo Cubero eventually began working at a research center that was collaborating with professor Dr. Enrique Reyes. After a year of work, Calvo Cubero came back to Greenville with Reyes, and will continue his program for the next two years here in Pirate Nation.
"Here, it is more difficult than in Spain to get a Ph.D. because the classes are better, more intense, demand more from you," said Calvo Cubero. "It is very different because the classes, the professors want you to speak and discuss, and in Spain it is more listen and nothing else."
And speaking, as Calvo Cubero mentions, is the most challenging part about being in the U.S.
"The main thing is the language, because if everything were Spanish it would be easy," said Calvo Cubero, "because it is easy to joke and do a little sentence, but when you say 'Hello,' it is hard to say what's next."
Though the experience so far has been challenging and intimidating at times, Calvo Cubero was all smiles when he talked about how this was a great challenge, even though he misses Spanish culture.
"The kind of life in the city here, it's very important to have a car and go every place by car," said Calvo Cubero. "In Spain, it is more common to walk, all the restaurants are near."
Even though both Cloninger and Calvo Cuber studied in different counties, they both agreed that it is an amazing experience everyone should take advantage of if they have the opportunity. In order to get a good grip on the world and its cultures, it's best to learn first hand.
This writer can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Belgium's Tomorrowland festival, touted as the world's largest music festival, came to an end on Sunday night, but not before it had seen what is believed to be one of the last performances of EDM superstars Swedish House Mafia as a trio, debuted a new single from movement hero David Guetta and transformed Flanders' De Schorre National Park for tens of thousands of fans.
The festival's last two days saw a world-class lineup of headliners throwing out two-hour sets, including Afrojack, Grammy Award-winning producer Skrillex, Martin Solveig and Guetta. Currently the world's No. 1 deejay according to DJ Magazine's 2011 rankings, Guetta exclusively premiered his new single, "Falling to Pieces" from the main stage. The track, which features the angelic vocals of Australian singer/songwriter Sia Furler, comes on the heels of their 2011 collaboration, "Titanium."


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Functions and Weddings
The Coach House at Ford Park provides a unique venue which offers not only a function room but a wonderful setting with delightful gardens, a nature trail, natural play area, orchard and kitchen garden and lots more, making your occasion an enjoyable day for all your family and friends.
The Coach House is Grade II listed and set in nine acres of mature gardens and parkland which are owned and managed by the community. Recently restored and extended the venue offers a fully accessible function room on the first floor opening out onto a Roof Terrace with spectacular views across Morecambe Bay. Rising dramatically behind the venue, the Sir John Barrow Monument sits on top of Hoad Hill creating a variety of settings for photographs of your special day.
The Coach House Community Enterprise Limited is the trading subsidiary of Ford Park Community Group; a registered charity. By choosing The Coach House for your special day, you will be supporting this important community amenity.
Award-winning Head Chef, Rufino Ferreira will work with you to design a quality menu to suit your tastes and budget. Rufino's experienced team will be on-hand to ensure that your day runs smoothly.
Meetings and Conferences
We have one private function room, fully central heated and air conditioned, with attached roof terrace. There is free Wi-Fi access throughout the Coach House and car park is also avaliable.
The room can sit 50 people Cabaret style and 80 people Theatre style.We offer a sound system, flipchart, laptop and projector with screen (charge applicable for laptop and projector).
Corporate Facility Tariff
The cost is £60 to hire the room for a full day. Alternatively, £10.80 inc VAT per hour. Minimum of 2 hours hire.
Tea and Coffee can be provided for £1.40 per person or £1.90 with homemade biscuits.
Chilled Willow water £1.10 per person or complimentary chilled tap water
Buffets avaliable from £6.95 per person.
Private Functions
We have one private function room, fully central heated and air conditioned, with exclusive use of attached roof terrace. Car parking is available. Due to the venue size a maximum of 50 guests can be accommodated for a seated meal or buffet. If you wish to hire the whole building we can accommodate 100 guests in total.
The cost to hire the function room is £60 for the day or £90 for the day and night. The cost to hire the whole building (exclusive use throughout) is £150. All prices are inclusive of VAT. We provide catering to suit your budget. Please see below buffet menus for options and prices. We are happy to cater for any special dietary requirements.
- Coach House classic buffet
- Coach House buffet
- Childrens finger nibbles buffet
- Coach House hot buffet
Call for more details 01229 581666


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Near or far
We don't think it's much of a long shot to say that you're longing for shots shot from along way away. So as long as we're taking a shot in the dark here, we'd like to introduce you to the Canon SX30IS digital camera from Canon. With a 35x optical zoom, you can take all those long shots and make them close shots, as the SX30IS is able to get up close and personal with a max range of 840mm, or you maybe (unlike in other pursuits) you want your shots to go wide — no problem with a 24mm wide angle lens. With so much zoom, there has to be a catch, and there is: just in case you lose your subject when you're zoomed in, Canon has included a Zoom Frame Assist button on the camera so that you can catch them again; when you hold the button down, it goes back to a wide angle mode so you can search for your subject, and begins tracking them; then, when you've released the button, the camera goes back to its original zoom length. Plus, thanks to optical image stabilization, even when you're zoomed to the maximum range, your shots won't come out blurred or indistinct.
Ready for your close-up
It's not enough that the SX30IS takes great pictures, with an incredible zoom range, so Canon has also added an HD movie mode, so you can take great 720p movies with the same camera you're taking amazing photos with. But that's still not enough for Canon: they've also included a dynamic image stabilizer into their video mode, making sure that when you're taking movies of moving subjects (and when aren't you?) you'll get clear views of them, rather than unidentifiable blurs. Plus, you can use a variety of shooting modes, and are able to zoom in and out without a problem.
Smart camera
Canon gives you a lot of options in how you take photos, allowing you to choose whether you wanted to take a portrait, or maybe you wanted a landscape. Or perhaps it's a sports shot, but what if the light is low? Oh, and you can adjust the focus (but be careful not to get the wrong focus). Of course, you can spend a whole lot of time choosing all these options; or you could just let the camera choose for you and focus more on finding your perfect moments. Thanks to the Smart Auto mode included in the SX30IS, you can do just that, allowing the camera to select from 28 different settings to always make sure that you get the best possible shot, even when those settings might be changing from picture to picture.
In the box:
Included with your purchase of the Canon SX30IS are: lithium-ion battery pack, battery charger, neck strap, lens cap, case for hot shoe cap, A/V cable, USB interface, CD-ROM, SX30IS camera.
Canon SX30 IS (May 06, 2011)
|Ease of Use
|Overall Rating
Reviewed By: jim c. - estero, FL
I do wild life photographt and liked the idea of a 24-820mm compact zoom lens. I tryed it out this morning out by my favorite eagle nest with disappointing results. The zoom is too slow to respond, it is difficult to capture a flying eagle in the view finder,even in a static situation it also lacks a continous quick shot capability. It will probably be Ok as a fixed lens in a ideal , long lense situation but for general wild life photography I will need to use my Rebel with a 250mm zoom. Canon was not too sharp by not designing it for standsard filters or providing a detailed owners manual. It supposedly has a wink feature which I cant seem to find in the menu. I am a Canon loyalist but find this camera disappointing..
Comparison Specifications
- Max pixels: 14.5 megapixels (total) / 14.1 megapixels (effective)
- Compatible memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC / Memory Card / MultiMediaCard/MMC Plus/HC MMC Plus
- Zoom power: 35x optical / 4x digital
- Shooting modes: Smart AUTO, P, Tv, Av, M, C1, C2, portrait, landscape, sports, SCN, movie, smart shutter, low light, super vivid
- Flash modes: auto, red-eye reduction, auto red-eye correction, on, off, fe lock, slow synchro, smart flash
- Movie mode: HD 1280 x 720 (30fps, 6fps, 3fps, 1.5fps) / 640 x 480 (30fps, 6fps, 3fps, 1.5fps) / 320 x 240 (30 fps)
- Manual custom: Focus
- Viewscreen: 2.7" TFT color LCD (230,000 pixels / 100% coverage)
- Inputs/Outputs: USB 2.0 / HDMI mini out / analog out / stereo audio out
- File formats: DPOF version 1.1 compliant
Additional Specifications
- Shutter speed: 1 - 1/3200 sec. / 15 - 1/3200 sec. (total shutter speed range, varies depending on shooting mode)
- Dynamic movie image stabilization, zoom available during movie recording
- Optical and electronic viewfinder
- White balance control: auto, daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H, flash, custom
- Photo effects: my colors, vivid, neutral, sepia, black and white, positive film, lighter skin tone, darker skin tone, vivid blue, vivid green, vivid red, custom color
- Photo effects: poster effect, color accent, color swap, fisheye effect, miniature effect, beach, foliage, snow, fireworks, stitch assist
- Continuous shooting: 1.3 shots/sec (normal, P), 3.6 shots/sec (normal, low light), 0.6 shots/sec. (AF, P), 1.0 shots/sec. (AF, low light), 0.6 (LV, P), 1.1 shots/sec. (LV, low light)
- Still image: 4320 x 3240 / 3072 x 2304 / 1600 x 1200 / 640 x 480 / 3744 x 2104
Manufacturer Specifications
- Aperture: f/2.7 (W) - f/5.8 (T)
- Focal length: 24 (W) - 840 (T) mm (35mm film equivalent)
- Focusing range: Auto: 0 in./0 cm - infinity (W), 4.6 ft./1.4 m - infinity (T); Normal: 2.0 in./ 5 cm - infinity (W), 4.6 ft./1.4 m - infinity (T); Macro: 0 in. - 1.6 ft./ 0 - 50 cm (W)
- Focusing range: Manual Focus: 0 in./0 cm - infinity (W), 4.6 ft./1.4 m - infinity (T)
- Sensitivity: Auto / ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600 equivalent / AE Lock / ± 2 stops in 1/3 increments
- Power source: Battery pack NB-7L (approx. 370 - 400 shots or 10 hours playback) / AC adapter kit ACK-DC50 (sold separately)
Dimensional Specifications
- Dimensions: 4.84" W x 3.64" H x 4.24" D
- Weight: 21.2 oz (including battery and memory card)
Canon SX30IS Warranty Details
1-year limited parts and labor warranty


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Lockport Union-Sun & Journal — We're a little more than half way through October, and while a lot of exciting things have happened (Red Bull space jump, the season premiere of "American Horror Story") I feel like a lot more exciting times and opportunities to come together and celebrate have been swept under the rug, or lost in the hustle and bustle of the news cycle by virtue of them not involving space, Red Bull or Presidential candidates.
We are currently in the small window of calm before we're forced to put aside political differences in the name of 'the holiday spirit.' Let's take this time to prepare ourselves to be civil by having a few dry runs to work on our 'togetherness.' Today I'd like to take a moment to spotlight some of the awesome holidays we've missed while we were busy setting our DVR's and starting parody twitter accounts for Mitt Romney's binders and #Invisible_Obamas_Chair.
Let's start with what I feel is an important topic that has been greatly ignored in recent days, the life blood that courses through the veins of most of this great nations adult's and all of its college students I am of course talking about pizza. October is national pizza month, a gift from the Greeks (the ancient Greek for 'fermented pastry' being "pikte" which in Latin became "picta" which eventually became "pizza" because, language? ) by way of the Italians has been a part of our 'too tired to make a real dinner' routine for hundreds of years. I have a personal appreciation for this celebration because the Dominos '5-5-5' deal literally kept me and my roommates alive for much of 2008, what have you done to celebrate?
Some of us are generally better than others and don't lower ourselves to the base enjoyment of sliced pepperoni or any other animal products, for these people, we celebrate vegetarian month, which started October first with World Vegetarian Day. In case you took my last sentence too seriously, I would like to point out that October is also "Sarcastic Month."


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General Information
This Commission of the International Union of Crystallography focuses on experimental and theoretical work on charge spin and momentum densities. The aim is to combine experimental techniques, theory and computations to come to a coherent understanding of electronic charge, spin and momentum densities in atoms, molecules and condensed matter. The Commission usually meets at the
- IUCr Congress and General Assembly,
- Sagamore conference, and the
- Gordon Research Conference on "Electron Distributions and Chemical Bonding"
which are held in consecutive years, and on a three-year cycle. The time format for the Gordon Research Conference on Electron Distribution and Chemical Bonding will be however changed to a two-year cycle after the next GRC to be held in 2013. There is an ongoing discussion on how to handle the ensuing problems related to the Commission's activities planning.
Béatrice Gillon (France)
LLB (CEA-CNRS), Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique and Centre National de Recherche Scientifique), Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
Telephone: +33-01-6908-2791
Fax: +33-01-6908-8261
Important News
The Book "Modern Charge Density Analysis" edited by Carlo Gatti and Piero Macchi is now published by Springer, see the link.
This book contains 21 chapters, authored by many experts in the field and presents the state of the art of the research in this area.
Gordon research Conference on "Electron
distribution and Chemical Bonding"
Les Diablerets (Switzerland) June 2-7, 2013
ORGANIZERS: P. Macchi (Chair, Bern Univ., Switzerland), W. Scherer (Co-chair, Augsburg Univ., Germany)
• 27th European Crystallographic Meeting (ECM27)
Bergen, Norway
August 7-11, 2012
The 27th European Crystallographic Meeting will be held in Bergen, organized by the Norwegian crystallographers in August 2012. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet again at the European level, after the XXII IUCr meeting in Madrid, and following the ECM26 held in Darmstadt.
ORGANIZER: K. W. Törnroos, University of Bergen, Norway
SECRETARY: C.H. Görbitz, University of Oslo, Norway
• 6th European charge density
meeting (ECDM6)
High Tatras (Slovakia)
September 15-20, 2012
Prof. S. Biskupic, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Assoc. Prof. J. Koíšek, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava


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Glen E. Banner, 76, Kokomo, passed away at 7:23 a.m. Friday, March 1, 2013, at Fairmont Rehabilitation Center. Glen was born Dec. 13, 1936, in Kokomo, to the late William Ernest and Virginia Audrey Banner (Wynn). He attended Palmer Elementary School, Central Junior High School and graduated from Kokomo High School in 1954. He attended Indiana University Kokomo and Butler University, earning a B.A. degree in journalism, history and political science in 1965. He attended post-graduate classes in political science at Butler in 1966. Glen enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the latter part of the Korean Conflict. As a Navy hospital corpsmen, he attained the rate of first class petty officer, serving at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Pensacola Naval Hospital and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
After graduation from Butler, he was commissioned an ensign as a public affairs specialist in the U.S. Naval Reserve. During his 39 ½ years tenure in the Navy and Naval Reserve, he saw duty in the Pentagon, various Norfolk commands, the Naval Research Center at Carderrock, Md., USNR Headquarters in New Orleans, as well as tours of duty in Spain, The Azores, Italy, North Africa and Sicily. CDR Banner was commanding officer of Public Affairs Unit 9-1 and the Naval Reserve Internal Affairs Units in Indianapolis. He taught at the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin Harrison and was its deputy commanding officer for Reserve and National Guard summer training.
In 1986, he returned at active duty at the rank of commander, assigned the headquarters of the Atlantic Command and NATO Forces in Norfolk, VA. For the next two years, he worked on special computer programs designed for planning military maneuvers, earning the Department of Defense Meritorious Medal for his work. He helped formulate plans for Desert Storm and a peaceful invasion of Haiti.
In his sophomore year of high school, he went to work in the circulation department of the Kokomo Tribune and served as a circulation supervisor in that area for four years. After returning from active duty in the Navy, from 1961 to 1981, he worked as a reporter, photographer and editor at the Tribune. His fields of writing included police and court reporting, military affairs, environmental pieces and local history, including his column, "A touch of Nostalgia". During his tenure at the Tribune, he won nine major writing and photography awards, included one in the 1970s awarded by the Society for Professional Engineers for the 15-part series on alternative forms of energy.
From 1961 to 1981, he also served as the paper's auto racing editor, designing its Indianapolis 500 tabloids for 19 years. In 1970 to 1972, he worked weekends as a photographer for the United States Auto Club and was a USAC official in the capacity of public relations for its Sprint and Championship Dirt Divisions from 1973 through the 1980 season.
Glen was a member of the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Indiana Historical Society, Kokomo Exchange Club, Sigma Delta Chi and American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, serving as Midwest vice president. Glen, along with his wife Charla, founded Features Unlimited, specializing in public relations and advertising. He was also editor of two weekly newspapers in Kokomo, The Community Messenger and the Kokomo Perspective, which he helped Don Wilson establish. Glen and Charla also worked in the press room at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, providing the press with daily reports in 1984.
Survivors include a son, Timothy Banner and wife, Angie; a daughter, Melody Webster and husband, Kris; grandchildren, Payton and Parker Banner and Thomas Webster. He was preceded in death by his parents, along with his wife Charla, who passed away Feb. 27, 2011.
Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church 3155 S. 200 West, Kokomo. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. also at the church. Burial will take place in North Union Cemetery in Howard County. Memorials may be made to the church, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Envelopes will be provided. There will be full military honors provided by the U.S. Navy and the Kokomo Military Rites team.


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The Daily Item
WATSONTOWN — Jason Victor Skotedis, 33, of Watsontown, died on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013.
He was born in Lewisburg, a son of Connie L. Lenig, of Northumberland and the late Victor Theodore Skotedis.
Jason was a graduate of Shikellamy High School, Bloomsburg University with a bachelor of art degree in history, and Summa Cum Laude with a degree in civil engineering technology from Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport.
He was employed prior to his death at Larson Design Group, Williamsport and held an Engineer-In-Training certification.
He was an active member of the Northumberland Lions Club and a member of the American Society of Highway Engineers.
Jason loved reading, writing poetry, studying mathematics and physics, cooking, golfing and spending time with family and friends. He will be fondly remembered for his compassionate heart, his inspiring talent, his love for education, and his use of the world as his classroom. Jason was dearly loved by his family.
In addition to his mother, Connie L. Lenig, and stepfather, Steven R. Lenig, of Northumberland, he is survived by one sister, Crystal A. Skotedis, of Harrisburg; two stepsisters, Melissa A. Evitts, of Enola, and Stephanie A. Sawka, of White Hall; one stepbrother, Michael P. Lenig, of Katy, Texas; paternal grandmother, Janet Skotedis, of Selinsgrove; maternal grandmother, Doris Reed, of Greenville, N.C.; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
In addition to his father, Victor Skotedis, he was preceded in death by his uncle, T. John Skotedis; paternal grandfather, Theodore Victor Skotedis; and maternal grandfather, David Lee Reed.
Friends may visit with the family from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 238 Market St., Sunbury, where a celebration of Jason's life will be held at 4 with the Rev. Elizabeth Affsprung as celebrant.
Interment will be at the convenience of the family.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Jason's memory may be made to Penn College Foundation, c/o "Scholarship Fund in Memory of Jason V. Skotedis," 1 College Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701.
Arrangements are by the David T. Zweier Funeral Home Inc., Sunbury. To share your remembrances, please visit: ilasting.com/JasonSkotedis.


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Small Pine Cones
Sold in pairs, our small cones make wonderful hostess/teacher gifts, dinner party decorations and stocking stuffers. These babies are always wonderful to have on hand for the holidays. Each duo comes wrapped in recycled corragated paper finished with a cotton ribbon. 1.5" diam x 3" h. Burn time: 4 hours each.
Pictured in: antique, bamboo, brick,cream, celadon,black, espresso, natural, robin's egg blue, sage, tangerine, wine and turquoise.
$20.00 a pair
In Stock: This item ships in 1 day.
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You're invited to OPIN's first "Sweat For A Pet" charity event hosted by Pilates of Stamford!
Come sweat and support a pet!
For each ticket you'll receive a 30 min pilates class on July 21st, plus a voucher for any 1 hr group class
All ticket sales will benefit OPIN, Inc - Outreach to Pets In Need!
During this event, Pilates of Stamford will offer Reformer, Tower/Mat, and Chair classes. This event is for both beginners and those who have experience with Pilates.
Classes start at 1:00pm, but you can purchase a ticket(s) for any class(es)/time(s) listed on eventbrite. Each class is 30 mins.


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Welcome to JoshKole.com!
The Official Home Page and Website of Pornstar
Josh Kole
This is just the beginning!
Please check back often for HOT updated Josh pictures, upcoming events and appearences, new video scenes, and of course,
lots of Josh Kole items for sale.
Gallery 1: Basic Josh...sort of! Gallery 2: Fatigues Gallery 3: Tractor Story Gallery 4: The Money Shot!
Check out the new Gallery 5 "Leather Josh" added April 2007!
*All photos on this
site are Copyrighted and can not be copied or distributed without proper
authorization of the rightful owner. It does not matter that this is a FREE site, the copyrights
still hold true.
JoshKole.com Home • Videography • Josh Gallery 1 • Josh Gallery 2 • Josh Gallery 3 • Josh Gallery 4 • Josh Gallery 5
"Ask Josh" Advice Column • Store • Contact Josh • HardCastleMedia.com
© 2007 HardCastle Media, LLC


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Thoughts following the series loss to the JaysBy
These last nine games have been just brutal. The Yankees have lost six of the nine, including three to the lowly Indians and Blue Jays. Those games should be gimme's — I probably would have been a little bummed out if they had only won four of the six. Instead, they got just three. The injuries have been piling up and their impact is starting to catch up with the club, particularly offensively. There's only so many platoon players you can sandwich into one lineup. Anyway…
1. This goes without saying, but the next ten games are enormous. Three at home against the Orioles, three at the Rays, then four at the Orioles. That's make or break type stuff for New York and Baltimore. If one of them wins seven or eight of ten, they'll probably be sitting atop the AL East in two weeks. On the other side of the coin, seven or eight losses will really bury someone. If all three clubs kinda tread water these next two weeks, it's good for the Yankees since they're already in first place. Obviously I would like to see them increase their division lead during that time, but staying in first place is most important thing.
2. The Angels are a ways back (with a lot of teams ahead of them) in the Wild Card chase and I wonder if (hope?) they'd be willing to trade Torii Hunter to the Yankees like, today. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez aren't coming back anytime soon and the Bombers need the extra bat for these upcoming games. Hunter is having a decent year (.294/.347/.430) and he'd give the Yankees someone capable of hitting both lefties and righties (splits), which I consider a glaring need. They could continue to play Nick Swisher at first and not have to deal with Raul Ibanez/Andruw Jones-level defense in right as well. Hunter has expressed interest in playing for the Yankees recently, though I have no idea if he's been passed through trade waivers yet. He's due to become a free agent after the season and the Angels could save about $3M by dumping him on New York for September. The only problem is time: they would have to swing a trade by midnight tomorrow for Hunter to be eligible for the playoff roster. I wouldn't get my hopes up.
3. Since the start of August, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano have combined for a 2.22 ERA (2.64 FIP) with a 7.67 K/BB in 24.1 innings. The rest of the bullpen? They've combined for a 4.97 ERA (3.45 FIP) with a 2.92 K/BB in 41.2 innings. I actually thought the second batch of numbers would be much worse than that. Boone Logan has been the team's third best reliever all season, and Joe Girardi really doesn't have another reliable right-hander in the bullpen other than his two top guys. Derek Lowe and Cody Eppley are far too hittable while Joba Chamberlain has zero control (nevermind command) coming off Tommy John surgery. Maybe Cory Wade will be effective when he rejoins the team next month, but otherwise the only other right-handed relief help on the way is David Phelps when Andy Pettitte gets healthy and returns to the rotation. I shouldn't even say "when," I should say "if."
4. Be honest, did you really think Derek Jeter would be hitting .321/.363/.448 through the team's first 130 games when the season started? Even if you completely bought into his second half last summer and felt that the mechanical fix he made while on the DL cured him of all his ills, this still feels like 90th-percentile outcome stuff. Thirty-eight-year-old middle infielders just aren't supposed to hit like this. In fact, Jeter's 118 OPS+ is the sixth highest by the full-time shortstop that age behind two guys: Luke Appling (1947 and 1949) and Honus Wagner (1912, 1915, 1916). The only other middle infielders in the last 50 years with a 117 OPS+ at age 38 (or older) are second baseman Jeff Kent (123 in 2007) and Joe Morgan (136 in 1982). This is historic stuff from the Cap'n. Shortstops this age just aren't supposed to be this productive.
53 Comments»
This wasn't as depressing as I though. I agree with all points. Getting Hunter is an interesting thought, never really considered it. I'd be down for that.
Jeter's season has been a real pleasure to see. Love it.
Axisa clearly using these postw to save $$ on a therapist, as I'm sure we all are at this point. Commenting on RAB has become therapy since the ASB.
I havent stayed abreast re: Tex, when do we expect him back?
the yankees just suck right now, not much better of a way to put it. they are 18-21 since the start of the a's 4 game sweep. they need to get healthy, i thought a-rod was only about a week away? i hope tex comes back soon. hopefully they can get a little lucky as well.
Nice post and good thought on Hunter…..though if he were placed on waivers I would bet the Giants claim him
wouldn't the yanks get a first chance at him because they are in the al?
I think we'd get first shot because we're in the AL? I might be mixing that up with football. But I thought it went by record in the waiving teams league then by record in the opposite league.
At this point, all we as NYY fans can hope is they put together 2-3 weeks of hot baseball going into Oct. bc even with this talent, if they play like this thru Sept. and we are lucky enought o make the playoffs, it won't be a pretty appearance.\
I've always said every talented team plays World Series winning baseball at some point in the season. Every year, the top teams tput together a run where they seem unbeatable. Some put that run together in April, others in August, and, much like the '05 & '12 StL Card's, sometimes heading into Oct.
Hopefully, for the NYY sake, they can put together than run, but it's looking more and more likely this team played it's best baseball in the month leading into the ASB and have essentially fallen apart since.
No chance. The Angels are only 3.5 back of a WC spot and are a well built team to not only win a one-game playoff but make an extended run if they get in. It'd be a great move, but the Angels aren't selling.
1. I've been saying this same thing since yesterday. These next 3 series must be won and won decisively or it's over. As bad as the past 9 games were we're still up by 4 and get a reset on Friday with our ace on the mound.
2. Nope. Scocia is managing for his job and the comebacks last year show that a team can still come back at the beginning of September. The Angels won't blow things up as they've invested too much into this season.
3. There's nothing we can do. The starters will have to pitch deeper. When, not if, Andy returns we'll have 3 starters who can go 7 so it won't be as big of an issue. Phil has been more economical lately as well.
4. I did and I've been saying all along that Derek Jeter is the MVP of this season. Trout won't be able to get his team into an expanded playoff so how valuable is he? It's between Jeter and Cano if the Yanks win the AL East.
while trading torii hunter certainly cant be called "blowing things up" (cmon, really?)…. i do agree the idea of the angels selling a useful part to the yankees in the middle of a wild card chase is hard to take seriously.
1. Mike saying all three teams treading water would be good for the Yankees is the same thing as you saying that the next 3 series "must be won and won decisively or it's over"? That's weird because they don't seem the same at all.
4. Derek's amazing numbers have been my favorite part of this season, but he's not even worthy of being mentioned in MVP talks. Defense counts too remember, and the way Derek plays defense now he needs to hit like this to be even an above-average major league player. The fact that he's doing that is a huge achievement given his age and position, but there are no handicaps in MVP voting.
Very flawed MVP rational, IMO.
You seem surprised. After all, Eddard has been "saying this same thing since yesterday." That should be engraved on his tombstone. And of course only a couple weeks ago he was insisting that the division was already won. And people wonder why I don't get too high or low about the standings during the course of a season. So much can happen in 162 games.
You're right, I shouldn't be surprised. I'm the same way as you with the standings. A baseball season is always a roller coaster. Getting freaked out by the lows and overly excited by the highs just ignores the reality of how seasons actually play out.
Trout is the best player in baseball right now, the Angels might not make the playoffs but they have played so well since he's been up, that they will have an over .500 record after such a terrible start to the year
I really think the only other possibility is Miguel Cabrera winning the MVP if he leads his team into the playoffs and the Angels really fall flat. Even a finish within, say, 3 or 4 games of a playoff spot and I see Mike Trout as a mortal lock for MVP. Just look at his numbers, and he didn't come up to the bigs for almost a month.
Derek Jeter is 25th in just the AL in WAR. If he wins the MVP it would be a crime.
I don't think he deserves it this year because Trout has been outstanding, but it was an absolute crime he lost in 2006 ( and maybe even 1999). Hope he finishes in the Top 5.
Rick Ankiel ?
The Hunter idea is intriguing at first glance, but I'm not sure the cost would be worth it. In the short term an OF and bat seems like a big need, but in two weeks with ARod and Tex back both needs should be considerably lessened. If it's just the 3M I say what the hell, it isn't my money. But I wouldn't give up any significant prospects for a band-aid.
the 2nd paragraph is kinda…. out there, isnt it? how are the angels "a ways back"? and why would they want to give up torii hunter to the yankees?
Yeah, that's not happening.
Jeter isn't your average 38 year old SS. He's a legend. Best SS ever. The baseball gods sent Jeter and he's here to stay.
He'll record his 5000th hit by hitting a walk off grand slam on September 27th, 2024 against the Red Sox, eliminating the Red Sox in the pennant race and making them the only team aside of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Angels of Anaheim to never reach the playoffs since 2009. A month later Jeter will win his 10th World Series ring and retire as the greatest player ever. He'll be the first 50 year old player to be named the regular season MVP and World Series MVP.
oh, btw: 49 year old A-Rod retires too after hitting a 5 year low 20 homeruns and admitting that it's time to say goodbye. 60 year old Barry Bonds announces his return to baseball 1 day later to chase A-Rod's homer record of 932, signing a record breaking 10 year 350 million dollar deal with the Red Sox. Roger Clemens, closer of the Red Sox, praises the deal. Meanwhile Josh Beckett took over KFC and was elected president of Red Sox Nation, formerly known as North Korea.
If you need any further information: rent my crystal ball for $100.000 at icanpredictbaseball.com
This makes perfect sense except for your comment about Clemens, who will be starting, not closing.
Meanwhile, it finally turns Awesome O'Clock in 2043 and Jaaahhhhn Laaahhhckey finally comes off the DL.
That was very entertaining
Jeter doesnt surprise me. Im pretty biased though because my first season paying attention to baseball was 96 and I was 8. I dont think this team if very good this year and I hope they hold on. I feel bad for Jeter.
you might be the only person on the face of this earth that feels bad for derek jeter
This line-up looks like Spring Training….4-5 regulars and the rest, fill-ins. Steve Pearce batting clean-up…WOW!
Key is always starting pitchers……if they dont go deep into a game, we get the bad-bullpen for a few innings, that puts the game out of reach. Cant wait for Sat new faces…… the good first half of Eppley/Rapada has been forgotten + demote Joba until control returns and cut Lowe.
If the Twinkies would kick in enough to make Mauer's AAV closer to 15 million would you trade for him?
15 other teams wouldn't mind trading for him at that rate.
even if this team makes the play offs they are screwed….only the 1-3 hitters are hitting, the rest are automatic outs…you know your team is trouble when you have Pearce hitting clean up with a .198 AVG Martin as your number 5 hitter…what a joke.
And you think this lineup will be the same one that possibly takes the field for game one of the ALDS which takes place on October 6th?? Including today, that's THIRTY-EIGHT DAYS away.
Do me a favor since you're out on that ledge…JUMP!
Not only that, but you'd think a bunch of fans who just watched the Yankees lose 2 out of 3 to Toronto would be in prime position to realize that anything can happen in 3 baseball games. Even if the Yankees are playing the same lineup they are not and the same shit baseball they are now, it's still just a 5 game series. Any team can beat any team.
This, to both of you. If the playoffs started today, I would be concerned more. But they don't, so I'm not.
yankees have been playing like shit lately, its not just the 5 games. the sample size is big enough. 18-21 since the Oakland series. this team as it is right now will be lucky to make the playoffs
"As it is right now" has nothing to do with "as it will be tomorrow" or the next day or next week or thirty-eight days from now when the playoffs begin. Like I said, jump off the ledge if you want. Or you could wait to see what happens when some of these injured players come back. Or to see if perhaps other teams go into a season ending funk, because that sort of stuff happens all the time. Those teams are still the ones doing the chasing, you know. And maybe THEIR season gets spoiled by some crap team already out of the race who they overlook.
I'm loving the "thoughts…" posts. A nice addition. What they may lack in formal literary coherence, they make up for in insight and quick turnaround.
vinegar and water
In regards to that last point – imagine where this team would be without Jeter's unreal season?
Like I said last night – I stubbornly expect 6-4 in the next 10. Not because I have confidence in this bunch right now, but because they better show their worth now, since they couldn't be bothered to show it these past six games.
I'm surprised that Jeter has done so well and pleased that he has (so far) resisted some of those silly projections that were offered back in the spring for his season.
On the other side, I'm not surprised by the Yankees' difficulties generally. Take away ARod and Pettitte from the team that had been performing well before the ASB and that's bad enough. Then take away CC for 2 stints on the DL, Nova, and add Teixeira and you've got a recipe for disaster. Elderly gents like Ibanez (who certainly earned his keep earlier) and Andruw (who should be pensioned off), can't do the work. Ichiro is a bit disappointing (I know his average with the Yankees). Martin is engaged in a titanic battle with the Mendoza line. You might think Granderson, Cano, Jeter, and Swish would be able to carry the ball, but some percentage of any 4 guys are likely to slump and that was recently the case with Cano. I don't know what's happened with Granderson. Let's hope Jeter and Cano don't go into one now. They need FOUR serious hitters working constantly until Tex and ARod return–if….
They recently acquired some guy I had never heard of to bat clean-up against the Jays: Peirce? Pierce? Pearson? Parson? I forget. You knew right away this was bad news.
Pitching staff? down to 3. Phelps hasn't the experience to be counted on against the O's and Rays (maybe he'll full me). I'm hoping Freddy can handle the less than intimidating Rays' bats, but I dunno.
A good chunk of the bullpen has finally lost it.
If the Yankees finished September out of the playoff hunt, I would be surprised, but after their play since the ASB, who could be shocked?
They had better put it all together before their next encounter with the Jays. That AAAA lineup smelled Yankee blood in the water this week and overachieved. They'd love to knock the Yankees right out of everything: it would make an otherwise catastrophic season almost (almost!) successful.
But if the Yanks pull themselves together they've got a good chance to end the season, i.e., the last week, very strong. IF IF IF.
…true, and which places them in the same bucket as all the other postseason teams. There is not great team in baseball to worry about, yet that also includes the Yankees, so health and a little bit of luck will be required.
Robbie Cano is second in WAR in the AL, yet I feel like he's underachieved big time this year.
The starting pitching more often than not has been good. They are the least of my worries on a game by game basis.
The bullpen is an issue, but you can't predict when scrap-heap bullpen arms are going to go bust. It's the nature of the beast. We've got a closer, set-up man and 7th inning/LOOGY. It's hard to really bank on other guys after that.
The offense frustrates the shit out of me to no end. We start innings with doubles, and the runner doesn't even move off of second base. Bad situational hitting. Lack of speed and ability to "create runs".
Andruw Jones/Raul Ibanez have done nothing since the break. Catcher is a black-hole. Granderson is a strikeout or grounder to first waiting to happen. Cano looks lost Vs. LHP. Chavez couldn't possibly stay that hot for long. You've gotta hope A-Rod comes back and hits to offset the inevitable Swisher/Jeter regression to the norm.
andruw jones should be released and cashman needs to get someone else. he is a joke. a 200 platoon hitter who cannot field
Regarding, Jeter, no, I don't remember anyone projecting this type of season. I had him pegged for a .290/.340/.390 year, which I would have been more than happy with at his age, and would have been more than more productive enough getting the Yankees to within one to two years of figuring out life post Jeter.
That said, I also never bought the comparison to past middle infielder arguments. Jeter is a first-ballot HOFer who has been an outlier in a number of ways for more than a couple seasons now. The fact that he's in a list with Appling, Wagner, Morgan and Kent is more appropriate, because he has far more in common with that list of three HOFers (and probably a 4th eventually) than he does with a list of other 38-year-old middle infielders. He is greater than all but a few of the greatest SS's ever, so comparing him to a list of lesser beings and also rans isn't necessarily telling.
Yanks will probably be fine.
CC takes a while to get rolling, Pettitte might be back soon, Kuroda is fine, Hughes is putting it together (I know…Charlie Brown/football).
A-Rod will be back soon. Teix will be back. Both will be rested.
Grandy Man will tweak something with KLong just in time for late September.
Swisher will fall off a cliff just in time for the playoffs, but everyone else should be fine.
I wish Cashman would admit a mistake and don't compound it by signing Curtis Granderson long-term and thanks Robinson Cano for stepping up when we the team really needs you
I wish Cashman would admit a mistake and don't compound it by signing Curtis Granderson long-term and thanks Robinson Cano for stepping up when the team really needs you
I wish Cashman would admit a mistake and don't compound it by signing Curtis Granderson long-term and thanks Robinson Cano for stepping up when the team really need you


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Instant oral fluid alcohol test collected on-site. Approved by DOT as a screening test and must be accompanied by a BAT for required confirmation.
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Band Club brings together anyone who wishes to continue expressing their instrumental music talent. Students, faculty/staff and alumni can participate in Band Club by performing for talent shows, athletic events, and locations in the Cedar Rapids community. Playing an instrument is a great talent worth sharing with the Mount Mercy Community!
President: Hillary Kaefring, email@example.com
Secretary: Tessa Friason
Treasurer: Benjamin Nelson
Advisor: Gerald Kreitzer


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Apply Technology to Engage Students
I stumbled upon this video while browsing through some tech blogs. One of my friends is a teacher who really wants to find more and more ways to engage her students. I know that it's difficult to give a lot of students enough attention and help when we have all of these budget cuts and teacher layoffs. Knowing that more and more people are creating innovative, technology-based methods of helping students is great because this is creative, useful, and most-of-all a way to use what little money and time we have as efficiently as possible.
I also love how it says that "these teachers have used technology to humanize the classroom." (It's oxymoronic and a little ironic, but it is such a mindblowing concept!)
Let's push for more innovative uses of technology to help our students especially because we're in the technology mecca of San Francisco!
P.S. The geek in me got super excited about all the data and metrics that Khan Academy provides teachers because 1) it's just plain cool and 2) I completely believe in "knowledge is power" especially in terms of data and measurements used to get informed about what's going on and using that to improve things. (AKA "Feedback"!)
Technology in Education
I think it's a brilliant idea as well. Integrating technology and education should be part of a larger agenda that will make students more innovative, versatile and globally competitive. Most teaching curriculum/methods fail to adapt to changing times. Creatively engaging students through technology will definitely end the education system's struggle for relevance in the 21st century.
It Works
Technology is great for the classroom. Just having graduated from middle school last year I saw technology already starting to play a big role in the way kids are learning. It engages the children and put a 21st Century twist on lessons that have been taught for generations.


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Do your emotions sometimes spin out of control? Do you fly off the handle at an innocent remark? Does anger or resentment get in the way of your relationships? Or do you fear strong emotions and avoid expressing your own?
Our emotions are vital to a healthy Christian life. Emotions tell us something important about ourselves, the world, and about our key relationships. Fear alerts us to danger, injustice provokes anger, and we rejoice in the presence of a loved one. As the Catechism tells us, through our emotions we intuit the good and suspect evil. Emotions are our God-given radar.
Sometimes couples will shy away from sharing their true feelings, fearing conflict. But, as Catholic attorney and mediator Mary Meade points out, conflict is actually healthy for couples—as long as they know how to discuss their differences respectfully and lovingly, without abusing, belittling, or being contemptuous. Honest expression of our feelings (even the more intense ones) is normal and healthy for a relationship.
But sometimes, our emotions can spin out of control and push people away. We burst into tears at a perceived slight or we are nearly incapacitated by fear and anxiety. We might struggle with anger (see my previous column) or with deep resentments. Some of us over-react when criticized, while others withdraw or become emotionally distant.
I once had a colleague who would become contemptuous and hurl angry insults whenever she was criticized (even necessary, constructive criticism). As a result, her co-workers refrained from giving helpful feedback and often walked around on eggshells around her. Her tendency to over-react actually had roots in emotional wounds from childhood. As an adult, it is difficult for her to hear criticism without feeling rage.
Our emotional reactions often signal us that we need to resolve some issue from the past. An inappropriate emotional response—for example, flying into a rage over a colleague's critical comment—may indicate that we have a wound related to neglect, abuse, or other serious trauma. Our fear or anger shows that we have some personal issues that need to be addressed.
Psychologist Paul Ekman (whose pioneering work on emotions and facial expressions is portrayed in the TV show Lie to Me) describes an occasion when he over-reacted to his wife not calling him when she was out of town on a business trip. He experienced waves of anger, fear, and jealousy while waiting for her call…emotions triggered by his sensitivity to abandonment, due to his mother's premature death when he was only fourteen years old.
Not all past wounds are as poignant as a death of a parent, physical abandonment or sexual abuse. A child can be wounded by lack of affection, the silent withdrawal of a father into his work, or a chaotic homelife where daily battles raged. John Eldredge says that "every man carries a wound." And that wound carries a negative message: you aren't good enough, you're not a man, you aren't loveable, you don't have what it takes, you can't trust anyone.
Unmet emotional needs can result in fears of abandonment and rejection (which, in turn, can give rise to anxious, depressed, or angry feelings) and in shame (there must be something wrong with me that I was abused or mistreated). Feelings of helplessness and self-loathing take a tremendous toll on our personal integrity and our interpersonal relationships. Yet we can be unaware of this toll. It's hard to see how our own woundedness impacts our present and future relationships. We may over-react or under-react emotionally, become over-sensitive or overly critical, fly into rages, attempt to control others or act perfect, or use alcohol or other substances to lessen the pain from the emotional wound. These wounds can hold us back from living the abundant life God calls us to.
We are all wounded in some way. It's the effect of Original Sin. Pope Benedict says that the ultimate fear every human being faces is complete aloneness, existential abandonment. "In the last analysis all the fear in the world is the fear of this loneliness…the loneliness into which love can no longer advance." Deep down, underneath the scars of past and present wounds, we fear isolation, abandonment, loneliness. Someone contradicts us or ignores us and the wound is re-opened.
The good news is that Christ, the Divine Physician, not only heals our souls, but also our emotional wounds. We are never too stuck or too wounded for his healing grace. Christ wants us to be healed in this life. He has come to set us free!
This does not mean that all of our problems will disappear, for Christ warns us, "In the world you will have trouble" (Jn 16:33). Yet Scripture repeatedly reassures us (some say, 365 times!) to fear not. Fear is opposed to love, but "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). Not only does perfect love (God Himself) free us from fear, but our own efforts to love more perfectly (that is, to love with Christ's love) can work toward dispelling our own fears.
We all want to feel safe and secure, to feel loved and validated for who we are. In our healthy relationships, this happens. But even our deepest human relationships are limited. Ultimately, only Christ can fill the "eternity-shaped hole" in our hearts and free us from fear, anxiety, and resentment. "Christ strode through the gate of our final loneliness…in his Passion he went down into the abyss of our abandonment," writes Pope Benedict. Through God's grace and with the help of our loved ones who remain affirming, trustworthy, and loving, we can begin to transform our negative emotions of fear, anxiety, anger or shame into those of love, joy and peace.
3 Comments
Well I am sorry to be the dissenting viewpoint, but I was put off immediately just by the photo above the article. What purpose does it serve to show a man verbally confronting his wife? Would the same effect not be served if a photo of the couple showing them back to back? Men are always painted as the aggressors, the testosterone-laden primates that are not able to check their emotions, inflicting harm to all the world around them. It's beyond cliche' and disturbingly offensive. To further drive the point home, our gentle author writes " A child can be wounded by lack of affection, the silent withdrawal of a father into his work," Really, as if as the sole provider for our family, we have to be punished also for having to spend time away from family while the fairer, kinder, more empathetic sex is martyred because she got to stay home and raise the children. (Ask any man which he would prefer, to be around his family, or the sharks of the business world.)
Maybe I am the walking wounded, but it isn't fair to have it rubbed in by the very real and accurate reproduction of comments like "you aren't good enough, you're not a man, you aren't loveable, you don't have what it takes,". I realize at this point I'm going to be comparing apples to oranges but, I would have much rather seen an article about the sins of pride, and the inability to compromise in any situation, or just the inability to compromise with your spouse. This lethal one, two knock-out combo will lead to a destroyed marriage faster than any subliminal or underlying behavioral traits or previous episodes in life that may have caused wounds.
I often find it alienating to have someone constantly portray men as the offenders in any and all situations. I mean honestly, if the article had a photo above it showing a man sitting in the easy chair, and his wife unleashing a verbal attack above him with her arms in the same position, mouth agape in mid-scream as shown for the man above, I think my point would be easier to identify with. We can't always portray men as the offenders in every situation. All it does is reinforce negative stereotypes, which is almost never helpful.
But I'm always open for dissenting opinions, and have been known to adjust my beliefs based on accurate an thoughful counterpoints.
Tom: I agree the photo was not a great choice but I think you might be taking it a bit far. Our staff uploads lots of images for articles and sometimes they don't get it right but the meaning you were trying to ascribe was a bit much. In any event I think the article is a good one and very useful to many of us. We have changed the photo so hopefully if you re-read the article you will get more out of it this time.
Brian, I will refer to the rules of meeting new people: Like or dislike is usually established within the first 3 seconds of meeting someone for the first time. I would imagine if you saw a photo of a parent spanking a child, it would immediately instill feelings of alienation in every reader who (like me) prefers the "Courtship of Eddie's Father Approach" whenever possible (most of the time). Yet the meaning of the article is not lost, just harder to view objectively if the first glance sets us up in a defensive posture. I see you have changed the photo. I applaud you for your thoughtful consideration. I agree it is a good article. And if I chose to point out the flies in the soup, it's not because I'm an antagonizer; just helping the palatability. (Even if that means diminishing the protein content.)


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Al Shabaab, which means "the youth" in Arabic, is an organized, but shifting, Islamist group in Somalia. It has had several incarnations. It is frequently referred to as a terrorist group in the media, and the U.S. State Department designated it a terrorist group in March, 2008. However, it also may be understood as a political party, a militia, and a movement.
Home Base:
Founded in :
2003 or 2004
Notable Attacks:
- February 2009: A suicide car bomb attack killed 11 African Union soldiers who were part of a peacekeeping force in Mogadishu
- January 2009: The group captured the national Parliament building in Baidoa, and took control of the city without the use of violent force.
- June 2007: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Somali Prime Minister's house. The PM was not killed; but there were other injuries and substantial property damage.
- 2007-2008: Assassinations. The group claimed responsibility for a number of assassinations of government officials.
- 2003-2004: The group was linked to the murder of four foreign aid workers
Leadership and organization :
Al Shebab was headed by Aden Hashi Ayro until he was killed by a U.S. airstrike in early May, 2008. Al Shabab members are reported to be mostly adolescents and young men in their early twenties. They are for the most part poorly educated and some have criminal backgrounds. When it first emerged, it had a small membership. The group maintained a loose organization and are reportedly inspired by Al Qaida. There are no organic links between the two groups, however, although it is reported that Ayro may have trained in Afghanistan.
Origins: the Islamic Courts Union and Al Shabab:
According to a number of accounts, Al Shabab grew out of the youth wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).The ICU are a group of united Islamic courts that slowly took on increasingly substantial governance tasks, since the central government was entirely dysfunctional following its 1991 collapse. By 2006, the ICU were in control of much of Southern Somalia.
According to this account, the youth wing of the ICU reconstituted itself as a militia after 2006. In 2006, the ICU hold on Somali territory was loosened, and a transitional central government established. While much of its leadership left for neighboring countries while the youth wing re-established itself as a militia.
Dr. Moshe Terdman, in a report for the S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies at Tel Aviv University, characterizes Al Shabab rather differently as an independent movement that was "integrated quite tightly with the ICU armed forces, acting as a sort of 'special forces' for the ICU" (In Somalia at War-Between Radical Islam and Tribal Politics, March 2008). In Terdman's accounting, the link between the ICU and al Shebab arose from Ayro's appointment as the head of a militia for one of the courts.
The defeat of the ICU in 2006 serves as the immediate context for al Shebab's evolution into an insurgent group. The transitional government, backed by Ethiopian troops who were, in their turn, backed by US and other Western governments, asserted rule in 2007.
ICU members, as well as others, formed insurgent forces for different reasons related to their opposition to either the transitional government, the Ethopian occupiers, the U.S. relationship, or specific losses of power related to clan politics. One of these groups was organized under Ayro, and called itself the Youth Mujahidin movement (Harakat Shabab al Mujahidin).


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CSG Systems International
CSG Systems International Reviews
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54% of the CEO
Peter E. Kalan
"Good for starters, flexible, good environment"
Pros – Flexibility, good environment, good for beginners
Cons – Lack of learning curve and no potential for upward movement
"Software Engineer"
Pros – Flexible, professional atmosphere, cutting edge technology
Cons – Very sensitive to market and more layoffs.
Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend
2 people found this helpful
Pros – People are great and very intelligent.
Cons – Process is a bit overburdened, but does help create consistency.
Advice to Senior Management – Setup formal mentoring program for employees.
Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend
1 person found this helpful
"Satisfied but definitely room for improvement"
Pros – The work environment is pretty friendly
Very casual dress code is a bonus
Benefits are above average from what I know about.
Cons – Information passed down from upper management is much too vague and generic.
A lot of situations where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is up to.
Quick to bring the hammer down on what is viewed from upper management as a problem but extremely slow to reverse when the situation shows it's justified.
Advice to Senior Management – Upper management needs to find a way to truly communicate better with the average employee. They do a good job at regular generic updates but those just don't seem to be effective.
"Feel lucky to be employed"
Pros – Decent pay, challenging work, good benefits & vacation.
Cons – The reviewer that commented "no rhyme or reason to layoffs" certainly hit the mark. They seem to have gone on unannounced without pattern or end for years. Unlike other layoffs I've experienced no explanation was given for the vast majority of them and no "end" ever announced.
The comments about the acquisitions are things I've heard & felt more than once as well.
Advice to Senior Management – Nothing to add to what's already been said.
3 people found this helpful
"A mediocre experience which has gotten worse significantly in 2012."
Pros – Great benefit package, generous vacation allowances
Cons – An oligarchy of service bureau oriented business model types who don't get the way business is run in the technology industry today.
Advice to Senior Management – Either learn how to manage multiple recent acquisitions or divest yourselves of them
No, I would not recommend this company to a friend
2 people found this helpful
Pros – Pay - Co-workers - Benefits - location - work environment - challenging work
Cons – Middle to Upper Management can be terrible in many of the departments - favoritism (many based on who you know and how much money you have- definately not based on the knowledge and experience you bring to the table - promotions being offered to those that have no experience or knowledge at all)- unfair and unethical at times - layoffs
Advice to Senior Management – Have a consulting team come and in meet with your middle managers, upper management, and your associates. Listen to what the consultants offer as feedback and take steps to resolve the issues that you will be made aware of.
No, I would not recommend this company to a friend
"good. valuable"
Pros – Good professional environment. Nice employees.
Cons – Omaha is a small city in MD.
Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend
"Little information-sharing between team members and other departments. Seems to be no rhyme or reason to layoffs"
Pros – Certain locations seem to be more protected from constant layoffs. Acceptable benefits, 401k, pay.
Cons – Good old boy network. People live in fear of losing their jobs, making staying of task difficult.
Advice to Senior Management – When you acquire a company, do not try to completely alter the direction of it. That has not been successful.
No, I would not recommend this company to a friend
5 people found this helpful
"Not the right place for anyone who is a professional with integrity"
Pros – Free popcorn. Given early out on the eve of holidays. Not a horrendous amount of overtime. Interesting and challenging work. Some very nice smart coworkers.
Cons – People there are frightened of making a mistake, frightened of offending "the ear", and afraid to trust each other. Example: small group of developers discussed a laborious paper process that could be replaced by file compare, sounded like they have wanted this for a long time. I'm not a developer but I thought I'd bounce the idea off a developer from another team. Other developer quickly looked around to be sure we were alone, dropped voice to a whisper and said "You HAVE to be careful what you say! There are people who have been here a long time and don't want things to change." The good news is I see they are advertising for an internal auditor so maybe the cloak and dagger era of process improvement will end soon.
Advice to Senior Management – Empower the technical staff to make changes, they know what isn't working and how to fix it. Support the technical staff instead of treating them like they cannot be trusted. Figure out which people are refusing to allow change and figure out what is causing the fear in the technical staff. Maybe an anonymous hotline for whistle-blowers would help. Train the managers on how to be managers.
No, I would not recommend this company to a friend


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Brandy Reveals New Tattoo
Brandy got some new ink for the new year. The former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant braved the pain and revealed her tattoo of the elephant-headed deity Ganesha, the Hindu god of success, prosperity, and protection against adversity, on the underside of her left arm. "Remover of all obstacles," said Brandy of the meaning behind the tat.
She credited her friend Monica for getting her into tattoos. "You know you were the one that got me in to tat's and Louis Vuitton," Brandy tweeted to her "Boy Is Mine" collaborator.
Are you feeling Brandy's tat? Let us know!
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