text:
CONNY B. McCORMACK
|October 1, 2001
FROM: Conny B. McCormack, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk
This report responds to Supervisor Antonovich's motion of September 25, 2001 requesting the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to report back to the Board by October 9, 2001 with an action plan to fully implement a touch screen voting system. This motion was in response to the California Secretary of State's September 18th announcement de-certifying the use of pre-scored punch card voting systems in the State no later than January 2006 or, if feasible, "in time for the 2004 presidential elections" (Attachment A contains the full text of the Secretary of State's announcement). This unprecedented decision to disallow use of a currently operational voting system affects 8.5 million registered voters in nine California counties, including Los Angeles County's 4.1 million voters.[1]
Following a brief overview, this report offers a preliminary examination of the major issues associated with voting system replacement including implementation timeline, funding, current state of readiness, logistical concerns, staff resources, election vendors' capacity, voter awareness and education on the use of a new system, poll worker training, and the impact to the County's 88 cities responsible for conducting municipal elections. Follow-up reports will be submitted to your Board as more information becomes available regarding the issues outlined herein.
The last time the County purchased a new voting system was in 1968 when there were 40% fewer registered voters than today.[2] Throughout the past 33 years, the County's Votomatic punch card voting system has been well maintained and continually upgraded, most recently in 1997 when the entire inventory of 36 ballot card counters were replaced. As was highlighted in my January 2001 report to your Board on Voting System Comparisons (Attachment B), very low operational cost is the primary reason why this system has remained in use. Additionally, until touch screen voting systems were certified for use in California in 1999, there was no viable alternative system to punch card voting for Los Angeles County due to our size, complexity and diversity.
The report referenced at Attachment B explains in detail why large paper ballot optical scanning systems, that have replaced punch card voting in a number of small to mid-sized counties in the U.S., are not a feasible alternative here. This is primarily due to optical scan ballots costing up to ten times more than punch card ballots and the County's current requirement to provide ballots in six foreign languages in addition to English.[3] Additionally, the County needs to accommodate a sizeable community of disabled voters, including the blind, by providing the opportunity to vote privately and independently. This is only possible with touch screen voting systems and not paper-based systems.
The County conducted a successful pilot program using a touch screen voting system in conjunction with the early voting period [4] in the three weeks preceding the November 2000 General Election. A full assessment of the pilot program and recommendations for the future were included in the January 2001 report to your Board. That report recommended establishing a Touch Screen Voting Task Force [5] to formulate a plan of action to move toward the goal of replacing the punch card system.
On January 30, 2001, on a motion by Supervisor Yaroslavsky, your Board directed the CAO and RR/CC to report back identifying Federal, State and County funds to support expansion of touch screen voting. On March 1, 2001 the CAO and I submitted a memo outlining several Federal and State bills that had been introduced proposing funding for upgrading voting technology but no action had been taken on those bills at that time and no County funding had been identified.
The County's Touch Screen Voting Task Force met on March 28, 2001 to discuss funding and operational requirements in order to conduct touch screen voting in conjunction with the early voting period for the March 2002 Primary Election. Subsequently, I sent your Board a report on March 30th (Attachment C) detailing these requirements, including the need to allocate $3 million in funds by April 30, 2001 in order to proceed in time for the March 2002 election. As no funding was forthcoming, the planning focus shifted to the November 2002 General Election. The status of the project to deploy touch screen voting devices at 35-40 locations during the early voting period in advance of the November 2002 General Election is described under Section II - FUNDING and Section III - STATE OF READINESS below.
It would be unwise to be lulled into the belief that the County has four years and three months, until January 2006, to completely eliminate the use of the pre-scored punch card voting system. While setting 2006 as the outside date, the Secretary of State's de-certification announcement leaves open the possibility of an earlier date. Additionally, the federal lawsuit brought by Common Cause/ACLU against the Secretary of State [6] seeks a 2002 de-certification date for pre-scored punch card voting systems. This case remains a major factor regarding timing of de-certification.
In late August Judge Stephen Wilson set a trial date of January 14, 2002 to hear this case in Los Angeles federal court. The Secretary of State is attempting to settle this lawsuit in the wake of the Secretary's de-certification announcement. Although initially rebuffed by the plaintiffs due to their dissatisfaction with the 2006 deadline, attorneys for the plaintiffs and the Secretary of State met with Judge Wilson on October 1st regarding settlement. According to the Secretary of State's lead attorney, the plaintiffs are willing to settle if the de-certification deadline is moved to November 2004.
In a conference call on October 3rd with Secretary of State Bill Jones, his lead attorney, his elections chief, myself and three other Registrars, information was provided to the Secretary regarding the reasons why it would be impossible for all of the affected punch card counties to transition successfully to a new voting systems during a presidential election year, which is the most challenging election in the four year cycle. We explained the importance of introducing new technology in an off year such as the November 2005 Uniform District Elections (UDEL) when voter turnout is dramatically lower and the ballots are less complex for these city, school and special district elections.
During that telephone call
we also discussed the fact that touch screen voting is a nascent technology
with significant stages of development and maturity still remaining. Even
if/after funding for expensive system replacement is identified, we highlighted
the importance of RFP procurement issues and timelines, retooling election
processes including equipment delivery, storage and maintenance, the need
to develop and integrate a new absentee voting system for the 25-30% of
the public who have been voting by mail using pre-scored punch cards,
poll worker recruitment and training challenges to use advanced, unfamiliar
new technology, voter education and other issues.
Late last week the Secretary of State's Elections Chief sent a memo to Chairs of the affected Boards of Supervisors, CAOs and Registrars (Attachment D) outlining the areas of focus of the November hearings. The RR/CC will convene a meeting of the County's Touch Screen Voting Task Force to prepare documentation to present at the November 14th hearing in Los Angeles.[7] It would be very helpful if members of your Board and key County staff attend this hearing.
If the de-certification deadline
is accelerated to November 2004, or even if a compromise is forged for
a date in late 2005 but sufficient funding has not been identified to
acquire and operate touch screen voting technology countywide, the RR/CC
will prepare a contingency plan for use of an alternative paper based
voting system until such time as a new electronic voting system can be
The best estimate of system acquisition cost to purchase the necessary hardware and software for a countywide implementation of one of the currently available touch screen voting systems is $100 million. This figure does not include other factors that are expected to be more expensive than punch card operational costs including annual system maintenance, the need to upgrade the voting equipment storage facility, charges associated with delivery of much heavier equipment, additional technical and operational staffing, vendor support costs as well as anticipated consultant fees to assist with voter education and poll worker training. We are in the process of collecting information on these ancillary, on-going costs from Riverside County and other jurisdictions that have implemented touch screen voting systems.
State Funding: AB 56, a bill to place a $200 million bond issue on the March 5, 2002 Primary Election ballot, passed out of the State Legislature on September 15, 2001 and is awaiting the Governor's signature. Assuming the Governor signs it and a majority of the state's voters approve it, the County may be eligible for reimbursement of up to $75 million of the estimated $100 million acquisition cost.[9]
If bond funding does become available, AB56 calls for establishing a committee made up of representatives selected by the Governor and the Secretary of State who will, once appointed, need time to determine guidelines for grant applications.
Federal Funding: Although several bills have been introduced in Congress containing provisions for federal matching grants for voting system upgrades, none have reached a floor vote in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. Staff to the authors of these bills have candidly admitted that funding for voting system improvements has diminished in priority in the wake of the September 11th national focus on anti-terrorism legislation. Also, it must be noted that no federal funds have ever been appropriated to finance any aspect of Primary or General elections, although federal candidates always appear on these ballots and the County is required to comply with federal mandates regarding voter registration file maintenance and ballot availability in five foreign languages that costs millions of dollars annually.
County Funding: In the worst case scenario, assuming non-availability of State or Federal funding, total system acquisition costs estimated at $100 million for one of the currently available touch screen voting systems could fall on the County. However, if up to $75 million in State matching grants becomes available next year, the County's $25 million local match could be financed over a number of years as was done in Riverside County's acquisition of a touch screen voting system last year. Also, the 88 cities within the County are a potential funding source for either a portion of the system acquisition cost or on-going per election equipment lease costs.
To date, funding estimated at $3-4 million has not been identified for the County's anticipated next use of touch screen voting in conjunction with the early voting period for the November 2002 General Election. If the State bond issue mentioned above is placed on the March 2002 Primary Election ballot and it passes, the County could anticipate recouping up to 75% of the cost of this crucial next step to phase-in the transition to a new touch screen voting system.
The County's pilot program experimenting with touch screen voting in conjunction with the early voting period in the three weeks preceding the November 2000 General Election was a successful and important first step in learning about new touch screen voting system technology. However, the pilot program was instituted on a small scale and involved only nine locations with 21,963 voters casting their ballots using this new voting method. Due to the truncated timeline to launch the pilot program and the fact that at that time only one of the three certified touch screen voting system vendors had the capacity to accommodate the County's complex multi-lingual ballot requirements, a one-time contract involving purchase of only very limited hardware and no software was negotiated without an RFP process.
As stated in the Overview to this report, the focus of the RR/CC's efforts during 2001 has been in preparations for conducting a much more substantial touch screen voting implementation beginning with the early voting period in conjunction with the November 2002 General Election. The scope of this project was identified in numerous meetings with staff of the RR/CC, ISD/ITS, CIO, CAO and County Counsel.[10] This culminated in the release of an RFP on September 14th seeking a system to accommodate seamless integration of ballot layout and ballot tally for punch card election day and absentee/mail voting with touch screen early voting for use beginning in November 2002. The bidder's conference to review the RFP and to answer questions was held on October 4th. Three touch screen voting system vendors attended and expressed interest in competing for this project.
It required six months of preparation and multi-departmental coordination to write this comprehensive 150+ page RFP in anticipation of the need to acquire 1) sufficient touch screen voting hardware to accommodate up to 150,000+ touch screen voters at 35-40 sites in conjunction with the early voting period for the November 2002 General Election, and 2) the integrated software to accomplish complex ballot layout and to tally the votes compiled from two different sources, touch screen and punch card. Vendor selection and final contract negotiation is expected to be completed within the next four months for this relatively modest interim acquisition anticipated to cost $3-4 million.
By contrast, the timeline to prepare a RFP and conduct contract negotiation for a countywide touch screen system acquisition costing up to $100 million would obviously be more extensive and time consuming than the ten month process involved to move to the next application of touch screen early voting beginning with the November 2002 General Election as outlined above.
Of great importance regarding
the issue of timing and readiness for total system conversion is the fact
that touch screen voting technology is in its infancy. Converting too
rapidly to a new voting system countywide could relegate the County to
an expensive acquisition of first generation electronic voting technology.
Most election officials and academicians, including the Cal Tech/MIT voting
technology project [11], recommend
waiting a few years for greater maturation of electronic voting systems
prior to full system implementation.
Loading hundreds of ballot combinations of election contests and candidates onto 30,000+ touch screen voting devices, testing the accuracy of the tally software and rolling the equipment out to the County's 5,000 voting precincts will present an unprecedented challenge. Currently available touch screen voting equipment is heavy, weighing between 40-60 pounds per unit. Compared with the portable, 2 pound Votomatic unit and foldable voting booths, the net difference in delivery weight per countywide election is anticipated to be an additional 500+ tons. Also, delivering expensive electronic equipment to the voting locations prior to election day and post-election equipment pick-up leaves open the possibility of theft or tampering. Currently, poll workers take the election supplies, including 30,000+ Votomatic punch card units, to and from the polling locations on election day. Additionally, when not in use, storage of the new equipment will require larger and more customized space.[12]
An assessment has not yet been made regarding the anticipated need for additional RR/CC technical and operational staffing to transition to state-of-the-art election equipment. This evaluation is in progress.
With regard to vendor resources, the small number of election system companies is a major concern as numerous counties throughout the U.S., including many of the largest, are embarking upon voting system conversions. Currently, there are four companies certified to sell touch screen voting equipment in California. Several others have begun the process of submitting newer models of equipment for certification. In addition to manufacturing capacity, election support capability is a concern due to the relatively small number of personnel employed by election companies and the competing needs of new accounts during the same time of year.
Poll worker recruitment, retention and training continues to be the most difficult operational issue for all election departments. For each election, approximately 50-60% of poll workers are seasoned veterans who are familiar with the current voting system. Training on how to operate challenging new technology for 100% of the 25,000 poll workers required for each countywide election, as well as sustaining training for the 40-50% of new recruits for each subsequent election, presents a formidable obstacle.
When Clark County, Nevada converted to electronic voting equipment in 1996 the governing body instituted a requirement to place two trained County managers at each voting location in recognition of the continuing challenge of operating electronic voting equipment.
Your Board's July 2001 motion supporting and strengthening the County's voluntary employee poll worker program that was begun in 1998 may prove to be helpful regarding recruitment issues. However, to date this program has resulted in very few new volunteers for the upcoming November 6, 2001 UDEL election. An expanded program modeled after Clark County may have to be considered in conjunction with a countywide implementation of a new voting system.
Poll workers are truly the front line of the voting process in a democracy. Inevitably, some poll workers will cancel at the last minute with or without notification, will arrive late on election morning or will encounter a locked building - all situations that impact voters who arrive at 7 a.m. to vote. While such problems delayed poll openings at only ½% of the voting precincts for the November 2000 election, voters in 27 of the 5,000 voting locations were affected. Currently, when a poll location is locked at 7 a.m. voters are able to cast a punch card ballot outside in the parking lot and be on their way. If electronic voting equipment is locked inside, some voters may have to leave before the problem can be rectified. This is but one example of issues that need to be considered with the dynamic of a new voting system.
After 33 years of using the punch card voting system in Los Angeles County elections as well as elections conducted in 88 incorporated cities, voters both at the polling locations and the 20% who vote by absentee mail are familiar with it. With the introduction of a new voting system, all 4.1 million registered voters in the County will need to learn how to use a new system.
Surveys completed by 9,000 of the 21,963 County voters who voted on touch screen equipment in conjunction with the November 2000 election revealed a high satisfaction level regarding the ease of use of this ATM-type approach to voting. As noted earlier in this report, the next step of system phase-in is being planned in conjunction with the early voting period for the November 2002 General Election when 150,000+ voters would be anticipated to cast their ballots on touch screen devices at 35-40 locations throughout the County.
A successful new system implementation will require devising a comprehensive plan involving a wide range of voter education processes. A key component will be hands-on system use, highlighting how vital it is to secure the necessary funding to proceed with plans to conduct early voting on touch screen devices for the General Election next year.
A strategy involving city clerks participation is essential to ensure that after a new voting system is in place voters throughout the County have the opportunity to vote using the same system whether the election is conducted by the County or by clerks of the 88 Cities within the County. Complex cost sharing arrangements will have to be developed. This remains an on-going process in Riverside County following their conversion last year to touch screen voting. We are currently gathering information from the Registrar of Voters in Riverside regarding the impact and costs to the cities within that County.
Engineering and delivering a successful replacement voting system on the uniquely demanding scale of serving 4.1 million voters will depend upon identifying and solving a myriad of challenges including funding, logistical concerns, staff and vendor resources, poll worker training, voter education and the impact on the 88 cities that conduct elections in the County. It is essential to avoid a hastily implemented process that could deliver a legacy of poll workers overwhelmed by technology, unable to serve a large number of voters, and/or procuring expensive equipment that becomes obsolete within a short period of time.
A deliberative, phased-in approach is necessary to achieve the smoothest possible transition. As a follow-up to the successful November 2000 pilot program, it is essential to continue with touch screen voting in conjunction with the November 2002 election. To do so will require allocation of approximately $3 million this fiscal year. This will result in a larger number of voters having the opportunity to experience electronic touch screen voting next year. Due to the audio capability of touch screen voting systems, blind and visually impaired voters are able to cast their ballots privately and independently and many ESL voters are better served due to the six foreign language alternatives that can be programmed into a touch screen voting system. Continuing the option of touch screen voting is also essential in order to further the development of staff expertise begun during the pilot program last year.
This report has been docketed for oral presentation to your Board on October 9th. The Secretary of State will hold a hearing in Los Angeles on November 14th to discuss voting system transition issues. You and members of your staff are encouraged to attend.
C: Chief
Administrative Officer
1. The Secretary of State has the authority to certify and decertify voting systems in California (under Government Code 12172.5 and Elections Code 19222). The affected Counties currently using Votomatic or Pollstar pre-scored punch card systems are Alameda, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Clara, Shasta and Solano.
2. There were 2.9 million registered voters in the June 1968 Primary Election.
Based on federal requirements the County prints ballots in Chinese, Japanese,
Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese and in Korean as a result of Board policy
adopted in 1998. When printing bilingual ballots, i.e. English and Spanish,
or English and Chinese, multiple optical scan ballots are required. San
Francisco converted from Votomatic punch card to optical scan paper ballots
in November 2000 and spent $700,000 on optical scan ballots for 486,000
registered voters while Los Angeles County spent nearly the same amount
on punch card ballots for ten times as many registered voters. The number
of translated languages may increase once the U.S. Department of Justice
evaluates the 2000 U.S. Census statistics to determine if additional languages
are required under the U.S. Voting Rights Act.
6. County Counsel has sent several memos to your Board advising of the status of this lawsuit.
We will request the site of the hearing be changed from the RR/CC
office in Norwalk to the Hall of Administration.
11. The Cal Tech/MIT Voting Technology Project released a report in July 2001 entitled "Voting: What Is, What Could Be" highlighting the need for further development and evaluation of electronic voting equipment (www.vote.caltech.edu).
12. Riverside County found storage of their new touch screen equipment to be a major challenge especially regarding electrical requirements to charge back-up battery units and building storage racks that allows appropriate access for system maintenance.
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text:
HAIL BRITANNIA! bounteous Miss Hillcrest is England's loveliest entry in the uncommon market In almost 11 years of unveiling feminine charm, we've discovered our Playmates in small-town shops, in big-city banks, in our own offices, in beauty contests, in various facets of showbiz, on college campuses, and in our Playboy Clubs. Though for the most part we've discovered them, occasionally our Playmates have turned the tables, introducing themselves through letters with snapshots enclosed, as did Nancy Jo Hooper, our February 1964 Playmate. Our prize for the most refreshingly direct approach to date, however, goes to Rosemarie Hillcrest, the statuesque British beauty who graces our gatefold this month. A 21-year-old student at the Sceptered Isle's prestigious Exeter University, Rosemarie jetted 4000 miles from Devon, England, to Chicago, U.S.A., for the express purpose of placing her name and numerals (41-25-38) in nomination for Playmate laurels. Rosemarie has long been a Playboy fan (though a copy of Playboy costs $1.20 in the United Kingdom, it's still the largest-selling American magazine there) and Playboy's popularity on the Exeter campus further kindled her long-cherished dreams of becoming a gatefold girl. "I knew I had the wherewithal to be a Playmate," Rosemarie later told us, "but I was hesitant to travel all the way to America, because I was afraid I might not even get an interview." With some urging from school chums, however, Rosemarie decided to visit the United States during her summer vacation -- with a scheduled stop at Playboy's home base in the Windy City. Thus it was that one afternoon in the summer of 1963 she appeared on the marble doorstep of The Playboy Mansion, on Chicago's Near North Side, requesting to see Editor-Publisher Hugh M. Hefner, who happened to be at home that afternoon. She was shown in. Understandaby impressed, Hef arranged Playmate test shots, the results of which were, as the British might understate, a bit of all right; so much so that a few months after Rosemarie had returned to England, we arranged to fly her back to the U.S. (between semesters) to pose for her official Playmate photos in the Playboy Studio. Rosemarie was so taken with America and with the Playboy world that she plans to come back after graduation to work as a Playboy Club Bunny. As far as we know, when she dons her satin ears she'll be the first Bunny-aristocrat: Her ancestry, which traces back to the England of William the Conqueror, entitles her to a coat of arms. Her intellectual escutcheon is equally prepossessing: She reads deeply in the works of such British novelists as Anthony Trollope, George Eliot and Jane Austen. But her abiding interest is economics, a subject in which she will soon hold a bachelor's degree. A disciple of the British economist John Maynard Keynes, Rosemarie thinks that America's economy should be more closely planned, says she believes the late J.F.K.'s greatest domestic achievement was consciously applying deficit spending to boost prosperity. Our 5'6" Miss October is also an accomplished equestrienne and first-rate swordswoman. Except for TW3, she finds television "a terrible bore, which I blamed on Britain until my first visit to America, when I learned that the only thing worse than British television is American television." She also can't tolerate the Beatles or their fans, reserves special contempt for affected men. But she's not hypercritical, she avers: She digs show horses, showbiz folks, sunshine, rose-period Picasso, athletes, progressive jazz and masterful men. "Though deep down I'm a sensible girl, I'm sometimes rather too spontaneous for my own good," she admits candidly. "Which explains why I do outrageous things, like coming to America -- that have wonderful results, like becoming a Playmate." The wonderful result of Rosemarie's spontaneity is -- in this instance -- undeniable; skeptics can refer to the gatefold for additional evidence, and for further insights into our beauteous and bounteous bundle from Britain.
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PlaymatesPlaymatesPlaymate of the Month December 1978 - Janet Quist
PlaymatesPlaymatesPlaymate of the Month October 1975 - Jill de Vries
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Town Square
SUV crashes into light pole, tree on Sunol Boulevard
Original post made on Mar 11, 2009
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 7:11 PM
on Mar 11, 2009 at 9:02 pm
"distracted"=cell phone use, probably texting with head down. I have seen the exact same thing happen before, except the power pole did not come down.
on Mar 11, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Did you see the green van parked on Santa Rita, bad hit. Another driver texting? Dude, I feel for you.
on Mar 11, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Those power poles have a bad habit of not moving out of the way...:)


text:
Monitorix 2.2.0 Unveiled
The new release of the free open source system monitoring tool includes two major new features.
The Montitorix Project's newest release offers a new MySQL statistics multigraph and support for OpenBSD systems. Version 2.2.0 also includes a number of bug fixes. Read the changelog for a detailed list of updates or download the latest version from the project website.
Issue 167/2014
Buy this issue as a PDF
Tag Cloud
Tool Predicts Which Websites Will be Compromised
Carnegie Mellon researchers say 3 million pages could fall down the phishing hole in the next year.
SSH Key Management Guidelines
The US government rolls new best-practice rules for protecting SSH.
Knoppix 7.4 Released
Klaus Knopper announces the latest version of his iconic Live Linux system.
PHP Attack Puts WordPress and Drupal at Risk
All websites that use these popular CMS tools could be vulnerable to denial of service attacks if users don't install the updates.
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.


text:
What do you get someone who has everything?
So the PD and I aren't an item but we're spending time together and I'm spending time on his penis so… I guess I should get him a present. It took me ages to find the right thing. He has everything he needs. Mostly gaming stuff, dvds and comics. Hm, manchild.
I spent the night trawling the shops for something. Anything he'd actually want. I managed to find a belt with a superman belt buckle, grindhouse on blue-ray, a huge jar of sweets and a bottle of cava. Done. It was exhausting. Why can't people just exist in a minimalistic environment and then there would be no issue finding them gifts.
Wow… you say pub I say sexy time. Wait. I mean I say quiz!
I did something bad. Well, it felt bad at first and then I got over it.
We went to the pub quiz. Me, my housemate (Z) and a friend (K). With the Porn Director (PD). I need them to give me their genuine input and they genuinely seem to like him. Score.
Well, after the pub quiz we had a bit to drink and went back to mine and had sex. He drove me to work in the morning and I sat staring at my computer feeling pretty disappointed with myself. I don't do this. I've never done this. It's not how I roll. Well, I did roll… literally… with him.
So after telling my girl buddies and them reassuring me that it's what people do these days I felt less annoyed with myself. So I grew some balls and got on with my day.
Happy New Year!
Well, we celebrated in syle by pretty much doing all the things that are (quite rightly) expected of young people. PD came over to the house whil S, Z and I were in the pub. S went home as he wanted a night to himself and we went and picked up two more friends and headed in to town to one of the pubs and met up with two more friends. We drank hard and at midnight left the pub and walked to a club where the girls could dance (PD was in his element being the only guy among 7 girls). PD stopped me in the street and kissed me. If we weren't both so fickle it would have been cute. Well, it was cute for two commitment phobes.
We danced until 3am and then headed home where we drank some more before heading to bed at 5am. It was immense. The next morniing I was blessed to not have a headache and drove the PD home.
Slather me in lard and sing me a carol…
I love Xmas!
It wasn't always the case but this year has been different and I loved every second of it! I got home on Friday after work and peeled and prepped all the veg for Xmas day. I even sent some veg porn piccies to my friends… my life is that tragic!
I drove my little bro to midnight mass and then, at 2am, I went to bed.
Xmas day was fab. I went for a 4 mile run. Then I showered and I wore a black cardigan and skirt and leopard print pumps. Fit fit fit. I didn't really specify anything I wanted and I got some lovely gifts. I received make up, a dressing down, fat pants (I have raved about them in the past), running bra, laundry bag, an iPod dock (weird… I don't have an iPod!) and an iPod Nano… Ah… the mystery is solved!
I LOVE MY IPOD NANO! It's pink and tiny and glorious! Before my nano I had an MP3 which was clocking on for 5 years old. I'm one of those people who won't buy something unless I genuinely need it. I won't give in to things that I want very easily. It may seem brutal but it's kept me out of debt and one day I'd like a home. So I was reluctant initially but once I investigated it was love… pure love. Not only have I got 340 songs on there but I can get radio AND it has a little pedometer! Bliss!
Anyway, I bought my mum a nice big bunch of flowers and some vest tops and I got my dad some coffee mugs and coffee. My little brother a t-shirt and sweets and my big brother a book he asked for and some sweets.
I helped lay the table and we chowed down. It was lovely.
So, less of the family bliss and more of the dating stuff…
Last time I updated the porn director hadn't been in touch. It turns out he was on set for 5 days without a phone or computer. I got a facebook message explaining and the hottest. picture. ever. I think he thought he looked bad – he was trying to show me how he'd been without a shave for 5 days. Admittedly, he looked tired but also a little like David Beckham… n-i-c-e. So it seems perhaps I was premature with my assumption. We'll see what happens.
In other dating news I was emailing a guy who seemed okay but once I spoke with him on the phone realised we were not a good match at all. I may also have a date with someone else on Wednesday but it's yet to be confirmed.
It takes two for me to really kill it dead…
Yes… there was a second 'date' with the porn director.
I say date like 'date' because it was more out of the blue. We'd planned to do something on the Monday but I had a hectic day on the Tuesday and needed my beauty sleep so he asked if I wanted to go over on Sunday afternoon to help decorate his tree.
Well, what sort of Christmas Elf would I have been if I'd said no?!
Off I toddled to his house (I was impressed I could find it again!) and we decorated his tree and watched Family Guy. I was very aware of myself. I think it's because he is a lovely guy. Obviously as a result I think I just came across as a bit of a fool! That's what I get for being out of the dating game for such a long time.
So now it's almost a week later and I know he's been busy and so have I but I suspect I may not see him again.
Hey-ho. I refuse to feel disappointed. I'm not sure what he was looking for. Perhaps something that would move faster than I was willing to in which case it's not a great loss to me.
Back to the drawing board.
Which advice to take…
So… I'm one date in. He's a nice guy. He lives close by. Sure he has a strange job but he's genuinely really lovely.
Friday morning I wake up at half 9. Unusual for me. I ate (I eat a lot these days!) and slung on my jogging gear and jogged in to town to pick up foundation and blusher. I get a text.
'tell me all the details!' – D
I tell her how I liked him and while I was wittering on he kissed me.
I get another text from someone else.
'how'd it go?' – N
I reply 'I like him. I'm seeing him again on Monday'
'aren't you mean't to play it all aloof' – N
I reply (and perhaps a little harshly) 'I'm too old for that shit.'
'I just thought men like the chase.' – N
'But eventually the chase has to wear of – then what? They lose interest? I'd rather get on from the start.'
This small conversation really threw me. Was I going about it all wrong? I hate game playing. I hate the phoning someone who will constantly divert your call to voicemail but never has any issue with calling you when they need something. Or who can hold out not calling the other the longest. Boring, petty games of heartache and anxiety. I've been in them all. I'm sick of it. I'm too old for it and I know what I want these days. I don't want 6 month affairs. I'd genuinely like something a little more meaningful and solid. I'd like the other person to be as interested. I see friends moving on and I just want a small slice of that.I'm sick of feeling like the disaster that can't hold down a relationship.
I haven't done a lot of baking recently. Plenty of jogging and eating easy food but not much baking. I made some peppermint creams which my ma loves.
icing sugar
green food colouring
peppermint flavouring
the consistency ideally needs to be so you can pick it up so it's still a little wet but it doesn't stick to your hands. Put on to a baking sheet about the size of 10 pence pieces.
The other baking I did was some allspice, banana and sultana cookies. They didn't turn out like the chewy plain ones I usually make – they came out fluffier but they smell good.
80z butter
8oz sugar
12oz s/r flour
2 chopped bananas
dash of all spice (I was hefty with it!)
2 handfuls of sultanas
mixy mix mix and put on baking tray which ever size you desire and bake in a 200 degree oven for 15 mins.
Date number 1!
That's right. I did it.
I went on my first date since single status was taken on back in October.
I was so nervous. I spent the day in my PJs and at around 4pm I had a shower and put on black trousers and a black round neck sweater. Realising I looked like I was going to a funeral so put on my leopard print pumps. No one would wear those to a funeral right?
Also – like sod's law dictate I had the worst spot ever between my top lip and my nose. Shit shit shit. So I tried out lots of make up methods to cover it best I could and then ruffled my hair. I'd have taken a picture but I'm not sure you would have appreciated it. I wasn't feeling confident with my look. I did do a bit of digging around with the port director and from our discussions I think i could deduce he was a boob rather than bum man and he mentioned he liked kissing so I made an effort to make my lips look really lush. I think this could be classed as the 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.'
So… I turn up with my heart racing… proper racing. I haven't been on a date since, well… August 2009. What if he really does not like me. I'm conscious of my spot and that my hair is not doing what I want it to do. I buy a diet coke. Now… should I buy him one? Is that dating etiquette? I don't know so I forget about it and sit in a booth and try to focus on anything else in the bar but fail miserably.
He turns up. I literally break a sweat. He's lovely. Really lovely. He has a great smile and he's tall and has the kind of hair you want to run your fingers through. That's right. I said it. I want. To run. My fingers. Through his hair! Don't judge me!
So he gets a beer and we chat for a while. It doesn't feel awkward or uncomfortable at all. I was worried that we would have nothing to talk about since we'd been talking so much on email. He has a few quirks which put me at ease. We bantered about everything and although his job is really unusual it's really interesting. We chatted about Christmas and presents and family arguments! I then opened up a little and told him some of the dysfunctional aspects of my family which caused me not to spend much time at home over Christmas. It was at that point, while I was smiley and laughing about something which, at the time, had caused me heartache and unhappiness that he leant in and kissed me.
I'm not used to guys liking me or being attracted to me… I'm awkward and geeky and clumsy. I say strange words like 'oh my god' and 'awesome' a lot. Mid kiss I muttered 'Why are you doing this?' he immediately stopped. What guy wouldn't. It's not what you want to hear from the girl that you are kissing. The thing is, in my paranoid mind, I assumed he was doing it to make me shut up! I guess perhaps he saw a vulnerability that he wanted to protect. He replied 'I just really wanted to do that. You're pushing me away so I'm assuming that…' and mid sentence I kissed him back. I like him a great deal. I feel like I know him because we've talked so often.
We talked until about half ten and I offered to drive him home as he'd had a few beers. He was quiet in the car and I wasn't sure if he was regretting his actions or what but we got back to his and he invited me in. My friend's words echoed in my head about '1st date etiquette' and allowing men to chase blah blah blah. I accepted and went in. It was a true bachelor pad. Well, I say that but I would have happily lived there. I couldn't get around the fact he worked from home and there was little structure to his working week and he was completely motivated to get his work done from his own steam. I am more than sure I would be obese and unemployed if I were ever told to work from home. Everything would be distracting and I'd eat everything in sight. Anyway, back to the date. I looked around and we chatted and I watched some of his work which was really, really good stuff. I kissed him again and made my way home.
So my realisations from the date were…
1. I am so out of the game. I don't know how to date at all. I feel like I'm on a job interview and have to perform somehow. I struggle to relax and be myself.
2. I really like this guy… which is obviously great because some dates can be so horrendous. I can feel myself panicking though. What do I do now? I'm seeing him next week but some friends have said 'be aloof' and 'play the game' but when I hear that sort of thing I start to panic. I don't want to get in to a dating scenario where we play games. It's so unpleasant and uncomfortable. I can't think of a better way to make 2 people unhappy. I think because sometimes I don't like me I don't know how anyone else will possibly like me. What about when I'm in a temper or I don't have make up on… blah blah blah.
Solution: I'm just going to take it in my stride. I don't want to chase or be chased or make someone unhappy in any way. I think we get on and have a similar humour. I don't want to be annoying or irritating and I certainly don't want to sideline friends like I may have done in the past. I guess it'll work out if it's meant to.
What's the strangest/best/worst date you've ever had and why?


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1 posts tagged "America's Cup"
Gucci Honors Women In Film, Vuitton Gets Sticky, Puma Sets Sails for America's Cup, And More…-------
Actress Jessica Chastain, one of the stars from this year's Cannes Film Festival, has been nominated, along with Caroline Champetier, Federica Pontremoli, Nansun Shi, and Athina Tsangari, for Gucci's first Award for Women in Cinema. The final decision will be made at the 68th Venice International Film Festival by an impressive group of judges: Frida Giannini, Robin Wright, James Franco, and Valeria Golino. [Vogue U.K.]
Here's a new pairing for you: milk and Vuitton. Under the name La Belle Jardiniere, Louis Vuitton has released its haute honey, straight from the roof of their Paris headquarters. [Hint]
During this year's America's World Cup Series, you can hit up port Puma in between races. As the official sportswear label for the event, they will have pop-up fan shops at ports hosting the races and official America's Cup gear for sale online as well. The series' kickoff events begin August 6 in Portugal. [WWD]
New mom Miranda Kerr proved she is ready for sailing and suit season when she showed off her rocking body in a Jets swimsuit on the David Jones runway this morning. She didn't wait to get rid of any baby weight, that's for sure. [Racked]


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NYT's Lydia Polgreen describes their informal credit and barter system:
Zimbabweans have devised a variety of solutions to get around the change problem, none of them entirely satisfactory. At supermarkets, impulse purchases have become almost compulsory. When the total is less than a dollar, the customer is offered candy, a pen or matches to make up the difference. Some shops offer credit slips, a kind of scrip that has begun to circulate here.


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Murray N. Rothbard
Definition of 'Murray N. Rothbard'
A natural-law libertarian and ardent proponent of Austrian economics, Rothbard was and remains a controversial figure for his belief that the free market should provide even those services that are considered traditional functions of a limited government. He opposed taxation, considering it a form of slavery; espoused self-ownership; and supported the idea of an anarcho-capitalist system that would end the government monopoly on force.
Investopedia explains 'Murray N. Rothbard'
Born in New York in 1926, he earned a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University. In his formative years he was influenced by Ludwig von Mises.
Filed Under: Finance/Economics Pioneer, Ludwig von Mises, Murray N. Rothbard
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text: Celebrity Health Scares The Famous Women Who Have Bravely Shared Their Health Struggles by Annie Gabillet 5/15/13 34 Reactions 59 Shares Print 18 14 22 4 1 In her moving op-ed today, Angelina Jolie revealed that she had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she was at high risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Other women who might be at risk motivated the actress and activist to speak out about her private health decision. Angelina wrote: "Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people's hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action." As Angelina's message of prevention and empowerment spreads across the Internet, she's not the only famous woman to generously share her health struggles. Christina Applegate and Wanda Sykes have discussed mastectomies. Others like Beyoncé Knowles and Nicole Kidman sacrificed some privacy to add to the conversation about miscarriages, while women like Gwyneth Paltrow and Brooke Shields have helped increase acceptance of postpartum depression. Whether about mental illness, fertility struggles, or cancer, when recognized and accomplished celebrities open up, it helps raise awareness and understanding about the health issues that impact women. Read through for quotes from some of these brave women now. Source: Getty What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2008, Christina Applegate talked about what it was like to have had a double mastectomy after cancer was detected in one of her breasts: "Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I scream, and I get really angry and I get really into wallowing in self-pity sometimes, and I think it's all part of healing." Source: Getty 1 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Good Morning America cohost Robin Roberts announced in 2012 that she was fighting a rare blood disorder, after beating breast cancer five years earlier: "Today, I want to let you know that I've been diagnosed with MDS or myelodysplastic syndrome. It's a disease of the blood and bone marrow and was once known as preleukemia. My doctors tell me I'm going to beat this — and I know it's true." Source: Getty / Craig Barritt 2 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Giuliana Rancic revealed on the Today show that she was diagnosed with breast cancer during a routine mammogram appointment. In December 2011, she underwent a successful double mastectomy: "It was incredible instant sobbing, and it was like the world just crashed down around me. I couldn't believe it, 36 years old, no family history." Source: Getty / Frazer Harrison 3 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Catherine Zeta-Jones talked about her bipolar disorder in 2011, with the hope of decreasing the shame associated with it: "This is a disorder that affects millions of people and I am one of them. If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it. There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help." Source: Getty / Donna Ward 4 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In her 2013 HBO documentary, Beyoncé reflected on her miscarriage experience: "I picked out names, I envisioned what my child would look like . . . I was feeling very maternal. I flew back to New York to get my checkup — and no heartbeat. Literally the week before I went to the doctor, everything was fine, but there was no heartbeat. I went into the studio and wrote the saddest song I've ever written in my life. And it was actually the first song I wrote for my album. And it was the best form of therapy for me, because it was the saddest thing I've ever been through." Source: Getty / AFP 6 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2008, Cynthia Nixon revealed that she battled breast cancer and offered some advice to other women: "Talk with your doctor, make healthy lifestyle choices and most importantly, know your body as that can make all the difference in the world." Source: Getty 6 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kylie Minogue was frank about her breast cancer experiences for the benefit of other women in 2008: "Listen, this is an opportunity for me to say something that I have not said before. I was misdiagnosed initially. So my message to all of you and everyone at home is, because someone is in a white coat and using big medical instruments doesn't necessarily mean they are right." Source: Getty / Fred Duval 7 / 24 Hoda Kotb What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Today show anchor Hoda Kotb, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, shared an uplifting message back in 2008. During her battle, Today show cameras followed her journey, which included a mastectomy, treatment, and reconstructive surgery: "It's something I hated hearing right after my surgery when just walking was unbearable, but it's true. Cancer survivors are blessed with two lives. There is your life before cancer, and your life after. I am here to tell you your second life is going to be so much better than the first." Source: WireImage 8 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2011, Sheryl Crow shared the silver lining of her 2006 breast cancer diagnosis: "Anyone who's diagnosed with anything will agree that such news is not only a showstopper but also an opportunity to recreate the way you live and how you look at life. It was for me." Source: WireImage 9 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2005, Melissa Etheridge recalled finding a lump that was breast cancer: "It was alarming because I hadn't seen it the day before. And I didn't quite understand what it was." Source: Getty 11 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2007, Brooke Shields opened up about postpartum depression, hoping to help other women feel less alone: "The biological shifts in a woman's body are mentally devastating. There's so many different things that happen, and so many changes, and we are taught that if you don't do this beautifully then you are wrong, you are bad, you are not a good mother, you are not a good woman. Our culture and our society does not support 'defective mothering.'" Source: Getty / Stephen Lovekin 11 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2011, Wanda Sykes revealed how her children played into her decision to undergo a bilateral mastectomy after doctors found a form of stage zero breast cancer in her left breast: "We never hid anything from the kids. They were a huge part of my decision because I wanted to be around for them. I feel whole again, I really do. I've told them, 'Mommy's boo-boo is much better now.'" Source: WireImage 12 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Emma Thompson spoke frankly about her battle with depression in 2010: "The only thing I could do was write. I used to crawl from the bedroom to the computer and just sit and write, and then I was alright, because I was not present. Sense and Sensibility really saved me from going under, I think, in a very nasty way." Source: Getty / Avik Gilboa 13 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gwyneth Paltrow talked about her struggles in 2011: "I thought postpartum depression meant you were sobbing every single day and incapable of looking after a child. But there are different shades of it and depths of it, which is why I think it's so important for women to talk about it. It was a trying time. I felt like a failure." Source: Getty / Slaven Vlasic 14 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Demi Lovato shared her experience with bipolar disorder in 2011: "I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar. I feel like I am in control now where my whole life I wasn't in control." Source: Getty / Chelsea Lauren 15 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2008, Edie Falco wrote honestly about her struggle with breast cancer. In 2003, while working on The Sopranos, Edie was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer; the show's producer worked Edie's filming schedule around her treatments: "The moment a doctor says 'We have bad news' is life changing. For me, time stopped. I couldn't walk. I couldn't breathe. Luckily I was with my boyfriend, because I would have passed out otherwise. But then I thought: I am a strong woman. I have resources to get good treatment, so why not me? Perhaps, better me than some single mother of three kids who is working three jobs. I know I can handle this." Source: Getty 16 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 During a 2012 interview on the Today show, Bethenny Frankel revealed she had a miscarriage after eight weeks of pregnancy: "I have thought about other women more than myself. I can't believe what people go through if they can't even have the one." Source: Getty 17 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 During a 2007 interview with Vanity Fair, Nicole Kidman revealed her baby loss: "From the minute Tom and I were married, I wanted to have babies. And we lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic. And that's when we would adopt Bella." Source: Getty / Jemal Countess 18 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Courteney Cox was honest about her challenges in 2004: "I get pregnant pretty easily, but I have a hard time keeping them." Source: Getty / Michael Buckner 19 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 While undergoing IVF treatments, Celine Dion spoke with Oprah Winfrey about her fertility struggles in 2010: "They said that I was pregnant, and a couple of days after, we were not pregnant again. We didn't want to feel like we were playing yo-yo. 'I'm pregnant. I'm not pregnant. I'm pregnant. I'm not pregnant.' So we didn't want to do this thing. But we did have a miscarriage . . . I never gave up. But I can tell you that it was physically and emotionally exhausting." Source: Getty / Denise Truscello 20 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Paula Deen shared her struggles with agoraphobia and panic attacks in 2007: "Some days I could get to the supermarket, but I could never go too far inside. I learned to cook with the ingredients they kept close to the door." Source: Getty / Alberto E. Rodriguez 21 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In 2010, singer Mariah Carey talked openly about suffering a miscarriage before the birth of her twins: "It kind of shook us both and took us into a place that was really dark and difficult. When that happened . . . I wasn't able to even talk to anybody about it. That was not easy." Source: Getty / Theo Wargo 22 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 Maura Tierney spoke about the challenge of losing her hair while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. She reported being cancer-free in 2010: "Being bald is no fun. It just happens; your hair falls out in kind of a weird way — sort of like you're shedding — so at a certain point you're just like, I have to shave my head. It's very vulnerable because your hair is perceived as strength or vitality." Source: WireImage 23 / 24 What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 In a New York Times op-ed, Angelina Jolie wrote about her decision to have a double mastectomy after finding out she had the BRCA1 gene: "Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex." Source: Getty / LEON NEAL 24 / 24 18 14 22 4 1 Read More Celebrity InterviewsQuotesChristina ApplegateAngelina Jolie Celebrity Interviews Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass's New Movie Was Basically Relationship Boot Camp 1 day ago Stop What You're Doing to Cook Along With My Drunk Kitchen's Hannah Hart 1 day ago Go Inside the Half Shell Costume With Ninja Turtle Noel Fisher 3 days ago Daniel Radcliffe on That 1 Time He Tried (and Failed) to Impress His Girlfriend 5 days ago Meet Brenton Thwaites, the Star of The Giver and Your New Crush 6 days ago Pornography, Prostitution, and Lewd Code: We Talk to the Let's Be Cops Cast 1 week ago Angelina Jolie Can You Guess Who Angelina Jolie Is Working With Next? 1 week ago 23 Celebrities Who've Given Birth Via C-Section 1 week ago Christian Louboutin Wants You to Walk in Angelina Jolie's Footsteps 1 week ago Angelina Reveals Brad's Most Romantic Gesture Yet 2 weeks ago The Very Best Celebrity Engagement Rings 7/20 The Ultimate Celebrity Tattoo Gallery 7/19 Christina Applegate Watch, Pass, Rent — Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues 12/21/13 Duck Dynasty Drama on POPSUGAR Live! 12/20/13 When Will Fans Get to See That Alternate Cut of Anchorman 2? 12/17/13 The Red Carpet Just Got a Whole Lot Funnier 12/16/13 Who Says Funny Ladies Can't Be Fabulous on the Red Carpet? 12/12/13 Christina Applegate Has a Happy Family Vacation in Hawaii 8/20/13 Get a Personalized Celebrity & Entertainment Newsletter! Help us customize your newsletter by selecting your interests (optional): A Listers Young Hollywood Movies TV What's Your Reaction? 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Reactions omg21 1 year Where is Kathy Bates? Link Love The Country Music Association says goodbye to Taylor Swift — ET Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa share their wedding snaps — Us Weekly Matthew McConaughey is bringing back the fanny pack — HuffPost Celebrity See Gwyneth Paltrow's new Hugo Boss commercial — Lainey Gossip Sofia Vergara's new ring isn't what you think — Dlisted Shia LaBeouf "is like a brother" to this Fury star — JustJared Can you believe Christie Brinkley is 60? — Hollywood Tuna Hilary Duff releases a new video — Pink Is the New Blog Kate Upton and her boyfriend take the Ice Bucket Challenge — The Superficial


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Fact-checking Solyndra
By Becky Bowers, Angie Drobnic Holan
Published on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 12:06 p.m.
With the collapse of Solyndra generating bad headlines for the Obama administration, White House officials are defending the program that helped fund the solar power company's now-shuttered Silicon Valley factory. Meanwhile, the controversy has provided fodder for a new ad from Americans for Prosperity, a group that works closely with tea party activists.
If you're new to the Solyndra story, start with our fact-check of the Americans for Prosperity ad. The ad says that President Barack Obama gave "half a billion in taxpayer money to help his friends at Solyndra, a business the White House knew was on the path to bankruptcy." We rated that Mostly False. Part of what the ad says is correct, but the charges of political cronyism aren't supported by the existing evidence.
In defense of the program, White House senior adviser David Plouffe said the loan guarantee program that helpedSolyndra "was a program that was supported by President Bush." We rated his statement Mostly True. The program was started under President George W. Bush, but Obama expanded it through the economic stimulus of 2009.
Finally, Mitt Romney mocked Solyndra as a company that had "robots that whistled Disney songs." Romney said this was an example of how government doesn't know how to run a business. We rated his statement Half True. The whistling robots were actually driverless forklifts that played music as a safety feature.
Hear any other facts about Solyndra that you would like checked? Drop us a line at email@example.com
See individual fact-checks for complete sources
Researchers: Becky Bowers
We want to hear your suggestions and comments. Email the Florida Truth-O-Meter with feedback and with claims you'd like to see checked. If you send us a comment, we'll assume you don't mind us publishing it unless you tell us otherwise.


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Elkhart County Commissioners Monday accepted a $115,000 interlocal agreement for animal control services from the city of Elkhart.
According to Elkhart County Administrator Tom Byers, the Elkhart agreement is the last of five interlocal agreements to be accepted by the county connected to animal control. Also submitting agreements over the past few months were the city of Goshen and the towns of Middlebury, Bristol and Wakarusa.
Those five interlocal agreements make up a larger, $194,044 county-wide agreement first approved several years ago establishing Elkhart County government as the intermediary between the Elkhart County Humane Society and the various communities included in the agreement.
Through the agreement, the city of Elkhart is required to pay the county $115,000 in animal control costs, while Goshen pays $64,644, Middlebury pays $5,400, Bristol pays $4,000 and Wakarusa pays $5,000.
Once all payments have been collected the county will combine the payments into one lump sum that is then paid to the Elkhart County Humane Society as a way to simplify the payment process.
Other Business
• Tara Boocher-Whaley, executive director of Elkhart County Community Corrections, informed the board that her department has successfully secured its yearly $2.2 million grant from the Indiana Department of Corrections. Community Corrections handles such corrections-related programs as home detention, community transition, work release, juvenile alternatives to incarceration and victim/offender reconciliation.
• The board approved a three-year, $32,400 agreement with MAXIMUS Consulting Services Inc. for professional consulting services. According to Byers, the county has used MAXIMUS for a number of years to develop a cost allocation plan which allows the county to make sure it is getting reimbursed for the proper administrative costs. The total of $32,400 will be paid in three yearly installments of $10,800.
• The board approved an out-of-state travel request by Elkhart County Highway Department Manager Jeff Taylor to send one of his engineers to Pittsburgh in June for the annual International Bridge Conference.


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Woman in court over abandoned baby (From Herald Series)
When It Happens Panel Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting 'OXFORD NEWS' to 80360 or email
National News RSS Feed
Woman in court over abandoned baby
3:44am Wednesday 21st May 2014 in National News © Press Association 2014
A woman accused of abandoning a newborn baby girl in a park will appear before a crown court judge today.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces a single count of child neglect in connection with the discovery of the infant, later named Baby Jade by hospital staff.
It is alleged that the baby was abandoned "in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health'' in the Stechford area of Birmingham in October last year.
The woman, who is in her 20s and lives in the east of the city, is due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing.


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The New Orleans Saints ran the ball well without Mark Ingram while Drew Brees spread the ball around in their 27-11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meaning that Marques Colston didn't put up huge numbers. Colston's fantasy owners won't exactly be throwing things at their monitors after his performance, but five catches for 52 yards and no touchdowns isn't exactly going to win anyone their matchup this week.
Colston had 424 receiving yarda on the season with three receiving touchdowns entering Week 9. Colston was averaging 71 yards receiving per game. Colston's receiving yards per game were up nearly five yards per game from last season.
Colston was ranked as the 8th ranked wide receiver according to Yahoo! heading into his match up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who rank 26th against the pass, giving up 268 passing yards per game.
For more on the New Orleans Saints and Marques Colston, visit SB Nation's Saints blog Canal Street Chronicles. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.


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|Baseball » News
|» A-Sun Championship Central » Eagle Baseball Camps » Recruit Questionnaire » News » Schedule » Roster » Coaches » Statistics » Archive
Baseball Comes up Short Against No. 22 Florida State, 11-9
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The FGCU baseball team came up a couple runs short on Wednesday night, dropping an 11-9 decision at the hands of Florida State. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 13-10 and the Seminoles improve to 13-8 on the season.
A total of eight Eagles saw the mound, adding to the four other pitchers thrown in game one, for a total of twelve different FGCU pitchers in the mid-week series at Florida State.
The Eagles opened up the first with a fly-out and a groundout followed by back-to-back walks from Tim Roberson (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Mikel Alvarez (West Palm Beach, Fla.). Zach Maxfield (North Port, Fla.) stepped up with a two-out single to right field to score Roberson to give the Eagles their first lead of the two-game mid-week series.
Richie Erath (West Palm Beach, Fla.) got the nod for his sixth start of the season and retired the Seminoles in order in the bottom half of the first, and faced the minimum amount of Seminoles hitters in two innings of work, allowing no runs on one hit.
The Eagles increased their lead in the third, sparked by Josh Upchurch (Cape Coral, Fla.) who reached on a leadoff error by Seminole first baseman Jack Posey. With one out, Alvarez singled through the left side, followed by a walk and then a sacrifice-fly by Josh Chester (Weston, Fla.) to put the Eagles up 2-0 after two and a half innings.
Trent Landa (Jacksonville, Fla.) entered the game in the third and retired the first Seminole he faced. The Seminoles would have a chance in the inning with two runners on with two outs, but Landa was able to get Tommy Oravetz to groundout to secure the Eagles 2-0 lead after three. Landa threw one full inning, allowed no hits, two walks, and no runs.
In the fourth, Robert Greene (Cape Coral, Fla.) drove his sixth home run of the season off the Dick Howser Stadium scoreboard in left field to put the Eagles up 3-0.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the Seminoles would score eight to take their first lead of the game, 8-3. Jack Posey homered to left center to cut the Eagles lead to 3-2. The Seminoles would later load the bases and tie the game at three on a two-out walk by Jason Stidham to bring up Mike McGee. McGee would send a double down the left field line to score two to put the Seminoles up 5-3. The Seminoles would extend their lead in the innings on a three-run home run by Stephen Cardullo.
The Eagles would decrease the Seminole deficit to 8-5 in the sixth on a two-run home run by Robert Greene, his second of the game and his seventh of the season.
Tim Roberson singled to right to lead off the Eagle seventh. Mikel Alvarez would run the count full to earn a walk, followed by an RBI single up the middle by Maxfield to pull the Eagles within two. With one-out and runners second and third, Brad Roberts (Tampa, Fla.) put one off the scoreboard to give the Eagles a 9-8 lead.
The lead would change once again as the Seminoles scored three in the eighth on three hits, and one Eagles error in the inning to put the Eagles down 11-9.
The Eagles would go quietly in the ninth, as Jimmy Marshall pitched a perfect frame to pick up his fifth save of the year for Florida State.
Hunter Scantling picked up his first win of the season for the 'Noles, hurling a perfect 1.2 innings with one strikeout. Chris Sale took the loss, dropping his record to 2-3 on the season. Sale was charged with three runs (one earned) on three hits in 1.0 inning of work.
Robert Greene and Brad Roberts each had solid days at the plate, as both finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Greene hit two home runs, his sixth and seventh of the season, while Roberts hit his fourth home run of the year.
The Eagles will continue their 11 game road trip as they head to Nashville, Tennessee to face conference foe Belmont for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 27th at 4:00 pm.


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Join the fastest-growing franchise in the photo entertainment industry.
TapSnap stands out among entertainment franchises as the only one backed by proven business development experience. For over a decade our management team has helped entrepreneurs launch and grow successful businesses in a variety of industries. Our latest innovation in this successful line of business systems is TapSnap - a photo booth reinvented as an open-air photo entertainment system that capitalizes on the incredible popularity of social media.
Why you'll love TapSnap
TapSnap is committed to making your business both personally and financially rewarding. Here's how it works:
1. Profitable business
Imagine earning hundreds, or even thousands, per event while helping clients create long-lasting memories at everything from weddings to mitzvahs, school graduation parties, birthdays, and corporate events. TapSnap brings a huge wow factor to any event. Plus, TapSnap has extremely low overhead - you won't have worry about real estate expenses, perishable inventories or having employees.
2. An incredibly fun "work" environment
You'll never be able to think about work in the same way again. Your role is to assist event guests while they have the time of their lives taking photos, enhancing them with green screen backgrounds, digital props, and personal messages, and then sharing them on social media. We call it the "TapSnap Experience" and it is contagious. The laughter and smiles are all the proof you'll need to know that everyone had an amazing time. This is a business where you'll feel incredibly good at the end of the day.
3. Proven business model with built-in flexibility
TapSnap has been a part of everything from small personal celebrations all the way to events for some of the world's largest and most well-known brands that often involve multiple TapSnap systems and can last several days or more.
TapSnap events typically take place on evenings and weekends, so you can become your own boss while still enjoying the stability of your regular employment. Or, you can just enjoy the tremendous potential of part-time work, with full-time pay.
Here's how TapSnap makes it easy for you to run your business on your own terms.
- Portable photo entertainment system – Our sleek and sophisticated phototainment kiosk was designed with you in mind. Completely mobile, TapSnap can be transported in most SUV's and takes no longer than 15 minutes to set up. TapSnap is so user-friendly that other people can easily be taught to operate the system at events for you.
- SnapCentral – Our national contact center handles your important calls while you are at your day job, working at an event, or just enjoying your free time with family and friends.
- SnapBook – Proprietary software that enables you to pre-program and customize TapSnap systems prior to events, manage your schedule and bookings, and generate revenue and event reports - all from the comfort of your home or office.
4. Established Network
You won't be going it alone with TapSnap. You'll be joining an established network of enthusiastic and helpful fellow franchisees and corporate staff.
- Franchisee Forum – Allows for an open flow of communication between TapSnap franchisees and corporate staff. Here you can communicate online with other franchisees to share your ideas and forge connections across the country.
- Corporate Sales Team – Sells Team TapSnap on our franchisee's behalf to larger accounts. Our national network of franchisees makes it possible to land major corporate accounts, multi-city/multi-day events, and much more. Our corporate team works with some of the largest and most well-known brands in the world and has brought in large-scale national events for franchisees across the country.
5. Ongoing Development
You'll have the power of a national franchise on your side. TapSnap is committed to staying ahead of the curve and here's how we do it:
Product Development Team
TapSnap stands by our technology every step of the way. We have over a decade of experience creating exceptional kiosk technology and it shows. Our skilled and experienced Product Development Team work with the latest technologies to ensure that TapSnap remains at the forefront of event entertainment. New features are regularly added through software updates so you'll always have cutting edge technology and something new to offer clients.
6. Comprehensive Support
You will receive everything needed to run a successful TapSnap franchise, including one-of-a-kind training and a ready-made infrastructure to support you as you grow your business.
- TapSnap University: A 3-day hands-on program that teaches you everything you need to know about running your TapSnap business. Includes world-class sales training by a Brian Tracy certified instructor and real-world training by successful franchisees.
- Operational Support: Strong business infrastructure is at the heart of the TapSnap franchise system. Client Relationship Management (CRM) software, a Franchise Portal with vital business resources, an online store for purchasing supplies and TapSnap branded apparel, and SnapBook software are all designed to help you operate your business efficiently and profitably.
- Tech Support: Only a basic level of computer expertise required - no special technical aptitude is required to start your business with TapSnap. In-house technical support is available should you require any extra help with hardware or software.
7. Marketing Support and National Branding
You'll be tapping into some serious marketing clout when you join TapSnap.
- PR Support by a national public relations firm to help you with your initial launch and raise exposure about your business.
- Online and offline marketing support by experienced marketers, graphic designers, copywriters and social media experts.
- Ongoing website development and SEO
- Online advertisements with targeted national media and national event planning associations
- Advertising in national publications and mass media
This is an exclusive opportunity for the right person who can deliver the absolute best and who has the drive to make TapSnap a success.
Act quickly to secure your place with TapSnap as only a limited number of franchise territories are available.


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When we think about dangers along the coast, sharks and hurricanes come to mind.
But would you believe that rip currents kill more people than sharks, hurricanes or lightning strikes.
Your first line of defense is to know the dangers before you get in!
"Very little water getting in your airway can cause you to drown," says Orange Beach Safety Director Melvin Shepard.
It takes as little as 60 seconds to drown. Shepard and his team of lifeguards have rescued thousands from the Gulf of Mexico but there were many they weren't able to save like Coral Ronan's father.
"He was a very good swimmer," Coral Ronan said about his father.
In fact, Joe Ronan was the Gulf Shores aquatics director for more than 10 years. Despite his training, he drowned in 2008 while fishing in the Gulf.
"He was in about waist-deep water when a rip current came and swept he and three other men out," Coral Ronan said.
Rip currents are responsible for more than 100 deaths each year. Shephard says most drownings, including Ronan's, happen on "Red Flag Days."
A red flag signals water conditions are hazardous. Shephard says it's important to know what each flag represents.
"Take the time when you get here to notice what flag we have posted for the day, and read what that flag means," Shephard said.
Shepard encourages you not to go in the water on red flag days, but he also warns that you never know when rip currents can flash up.
Knowing what to do if you get caught in a rip current could be the difference between life and death.
Experts say if you are caught in a rip current you should follow these steps:
"The more you struggle, the more tired you become. As they begin to struggle, they can no longer keep themselves afloat. So, they start to stretch their necks keeping their mouths above the water. What happens is that opens your airways so the air in your lungs can escape quickly," Shepard said. "So, the best thing to do is to keep your eyes toward the land. A lot of people think a rip current pulls you under and that's not the case. All they do is pull you away from the shore."
If you do see someone in trouble, don't become a victim, too. Many people drown trying to help someone from a rip current.
If you see someone in need of help, call 911 or alert a lifeguard, if there's one nearby.
After her father's death, Coral Ronan started the R.I.P Foundation to try to get more lifeguards along Alabama's beaches.
"Losing him, I have gained this passion and willingness to stand up and say there is something that can be done," Coral Ronan said.
The safest place to swim is near a lifeguard station. Check with them before swimming.
Lifeguards also caution you about relying on flotation devices. They say it can provide a false sense of security. They add, nothing replaces knowing how to swim.
For more rip current safety tips and how to spot a rip current, visit the National Weather Service website.
To learn about Coral Ronan's R.I.P Foundation check out the group's Facebook page.
Copyright 2014 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
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Sign up for StyleTalk updates and win a £250 wardrobe
Cardigans are a wardrobe essential all year round. From long cardigans to short cardigans, try a staple black cardigan with going out tops or day dresses.
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If it's near and dear to your heart, Patch wants to know – tell us about EG's best place for ice cream.
Nominate your favorite ice cream place in the comments below. Once you do, Patch will officially add it to the running for best of the best – and later this summer, it may beat out the competition to become the number one Readers' Choice.
We will take nominations through July 9; voting begins July 23.


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Larry Derfner
Beware, J Street: The Kerry deal looks rigged against the Palestinians
Well-intentioned American Jewish liberals backing this latest U.S.-led peace process appear to be riding for a fall. What is J Street going to say if, after urging American Jews to support the Kerry peace mission, that mission wins the support of the right-wing Netanyahu government – but not that of the Palestinians, who view it as the terms of their surrender? And what will J Street say if Western liberal opinion, and even much of Israeli liberal opinion, decides that the Palestinians are right? This is a question that J Street and all American Jewish liberals supporting U.S. Secretary of…Read More... | 11 Comments


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If you see any problems in the following sentences, can I have your comments?
1.XX was a tyrant.Because of him, a lot of people suffered a lot.
2. XX is a good city for sightseeing. I still remember all things I saw, visted in there.
3. If you are still hesitating to visit a foreign country, i recommed you to go to XX.


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McElwee, a lawyer in Charleston, is with the firm Robinson & McElwee PLLC. The view expressed is his own.
In her Oct. 6 New York Times column, Maureen Dowd imagined the U.S. capital in 2084 as a place of total misery and wretchedness and an ensuing darkness that will devour the rest of the country.
In her gloomy portrayal, police are not getting paid, federal funds have shriveled, the government has shut down, fanatics are barricading themselves in the Capitol, the country has defaulted on payment of its sovereign debt and China is moving quickly to fill the gap caused by our weakness.
These prophetic economic calamities and breakdowns in law and order that will beset America in late century are not incredible or improbable. Dowd's reasons, however, for her predicted 2084 crisis are wholly implausible and crudely farcical.
In explaining in 2084 who was at fault in 2013 for her predicted national tragedies, Dowd engaged in a Halloween spoof by having a father tell his son that it was the Grand Old Party. The Republicans, the father said, had become infected with a "mutant form of ideology" known as "the Sarahcuda Strain after the earliest carrier," which decreased their "brain function" and caused them to ignore "their basic survival instincts."
Dowd obviously did not do her homework before she wrote her baseless op-ed that attributes fault to the wrong culprits for having caused her predicted national economic debacle in the year 2084. An oxymoron lurks here.
It is not the Republicans whose ideology about fiscal responsibility mutated or whose basic survival instincts were ignored in 2013, as Dowd claims.
Rather, it is President Barack Obama whose ideology about deficit spending and national debt has mutated. It is President Obama and his party colleagues in the U.S. Congress who refuse to acknowledge, against what should be their survival instincts for the nation, that their non-negotiable, extravagant spending of borrowed dollars is unsustainable and will ultimately destroy the United States.
Seven years ago, in 2006, then-Sen. Obama is reported as having said: "Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. America deserves better.
"I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit."
Because of President Obama's mutation on fiscal responsibility since 2006, it is now plausible to have him say: "I am shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.
"America has no debt problem and no failure of leadership. America could not be better. I am, and will continue to be, opposed to any effort to limit America's debt."
In 2006, President Obama was speaking in terms of what is in the interest of the nation and what is necessary for the United States to survive in the longer term.
He is speaking today in terms of what is in the interest of his much narrower voter-constituency, largely the older entitlement generation, and what is necessary to protect their interest in order to keep them voting as he and his party would lead them. Survival for that living constituency yes, but not for their descendants who will be overcome by their ancestors' debts.
Thomas Friedman, in his Oct. 15 NYT column, is "Johnny on the Spot," when needed. Titled "Sorry, Kids. We Ate It All," Friedman's article observes that whether today's young people "realize it or not, they're the ones who will really get hit by all the cans we're kicking down the road." For them, today's Facebook generation, "the cupboard will be largely bare if current taxes and entitlement promises are not reformed." And yet, they, "the most affected if we don't think long term," have not been a part of any mass movement to demand that the present generation leave something for them.
Friedman suggests that young people may be beginning to pay attention, led by such well-known people as Geoffrey Canada, the president of the Harlem's Children's Zone, who, among others, is urging "future seniors to start a movement to protect their interest." (I suggest that the "movement" also include the mothers of these future seniors.")
In speaking to crowds of students at various colleges and universities, Canada relates that "we have made a promise to all of our children (at the Harlem Children's Zone): You play by the rules … we will get you into college and on your way … toward a future of financial security."
But then, according to Friedman, Canada adds, "the current spending on my generation— I'm 61 — if it continues unabated, will erase any chance my children will have the safety net of social, education and health services they will need. It seems deeply offensive to me that we will be asking these poor children from Harlem to subsidize a generation that is, by and large, more well-off than they are, and then leave them deeply indebted in an America that had eaten the seed corn of the next generation."
Had Dowd read and studied the Congressional Budget Office's "2013 Long-Term Budget Outlook" ("CBO") released some two weeks before her Oct. 6 publication, she would have learned that the CBO projects that in the year 2084, the federal debt held by the public will have soared to about 225 percent of the projected gross domestic product of the United States, compared to about 73 percent today, and about 55 percent when President Obama first took the office.
In terms of dollars, the total federal debt when President Obama took the office in January 2009 was about $10.6 trillion and today is approximately $16.7 trillion.
The CBO in that same September 2013 report stated that the soaring federal debt is not sustainable and will increase the probability of a federal crisis in the United States.
These are the real reasons for Dowd's dire prophecies for the United States in 2084.
Acknowledgements: Having always been a registered Democrat, I intend to re-register as an independent. I, too, have mutated over the years.


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Angelo arrives home to find clothes all over the floor and his boyfriend Erik Rhodes fresh from the shower. 'What happened here'? Angelo asks. Erik deflects the question by telling him how happy he is to see him and how he wants to get down to business. Erik leaves no time for talking, making out with his boyfriend and pushing Angelo's mouth down to his hard cut cock. Angelo forgets all about the strewn clothes with the massive meat in his face; gulping and gagging on it and finally soaking it with his saliva. Erik fucks Angelo throat like a pro, then pushes Angelo onto the bed, working over Angelo's cock and ass with his wet mouth. Erik readies Angelo's hole for his thick cock and plunges his man meat deep inside the bubbled ass. Erik pounds Angelo's hole like a fuck machine. Erik then positions Angelo on all fours and slams him from behind, pounding deeper and harder until gobs of milky white cum soak Angelo's leg and sheets. Erik pulls out and dumps his hot man juice all over Angelo's back. The two collapse on the bed and fall into 'Une Petite Mort'. What goes around... cum's around!


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Fire crews and paramedics at a Gwinnett County fire station got a special thank you on Monday. Deborah Walsh suddenly went into cardiac arrest in her driveway a year ago Sunday, and she credits the crews at Fire Station 27 with saving her life. Walsh doesn't remember much about what happened to her because she passed out and was unresponsive. But on Monday, she and her family got the chance to hug the first responders who helped to save her. Walsh's husband, Rob, performed CPR on his wife until fire crews arrived, with the help of 911 operator Cassandra Ramos. She helped a friend talk him through exactly what he had to do to save his wife. Ramos was also on hand Monday, and the Walsh family told her they'll be forever grateful for her help.
WHBQ-TV | Fox 13 485 S. Highland St.Memphis, TN 38111Main Station: (901) 320-1313Newsroom: (901) 320-1340


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Ibex Buzz, our company blog for the latest in Ibex and beyond. Check in often to see what's new in our world, after all you never know what's happening here.
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|Harold J. "Fuzz" Pohlman
|Wednesday, May 22, 2013 12:03 AM
March 29, 1927
May 21, 2013
He was born March 29, 1927, in Delphos to Aloysious and Theresa (Spieles) Pohlman, who preceded him in death.
On May 29, 1949, he married Dolores "Dolly" Etzkorn, who survives in Delphos.
Other survivors include three sons, Denny (Vickie) Pohlman of Delphos, Kevin (Annette) Pohlman of Rochester, Mich., and Glenn (Debi) Pohlman of Delphos; two sisters, Mariel Etzkorn and LaDonna (Warren) Peterson of Delphos; four daughters, Connie (Ken) Burgei of Wausseon, Beverly (Dewey) Fuerst of Van Wert and Linda (Art) Klausing and Ann (Tony) Wrasman of Delphos; a brother, Paul "Bounce" (Margaret) Pohlman; 18 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
He was also preceded in death by three sons, Daniel, Donald and Harold; two brothers, Raymond and Jerome "Dewey" Pohlman; three sisters, Helen Dickman, Marie Berres and Ruth J. Pohlman; and two grandchildren, Amber and Adam Wrasman.
Mr. Pohlman was a lifelong farmer and proudly served in the Army during World War II. He was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, where he served as an usher for 40 years; a member of the Delphos City School Board for 22 years, Eagles Lodge 471; VFW Post 3035, American Legion Post 268; Knights of Columbus 1362; and the Foresters. He loved traveling, gardening, gambling and loved spending time with his family.
Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the Rev. Chris Bohnsack officiating. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, with military graveside services conducted by the Ottoville Veterans Council.
Friends may call from 2-8 p.m. Thursday at Harter and Schier Funeral Home, where a K of C service will begin at 7 p.m. and a Parish Wake will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Preferred memorials are to St. John's Church or St. Rita's Hospice.


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Metro police are investigating a deadly crash in a neighborhood near Skyline Hospital.
The wreck happened at about 7 a.m. on Chesapeake Drive.
Officers tell Channel 4 News that the woman driving the vehicle has died. A 3-month-old infant riding in the car was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center. Police say he was not seriously hurt.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The vehicle came to rest near a backyard fence.
Copyright 2013 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
A woman who was texting while driving was impaled by guardrail pole.
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