text:
- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Adult/High School
This book follows a handful of high school students throughout the year leading up to their graduation. It is a harrowing and hilarious story told from the points of view of the teens and their families as they navigate the maze leading to the holy grail of acceptance by a major university. Coll celebrates and skewers the people and the politics waged on both sides of the application process as the students pick their dream colleges and these institutions either pick them back or toss them onto the scrap heap of second- and third-tier safety schools. The characters evolve through their trials and learn about themselves and one another and accept the loss of one dream while embracing another. They include Harry, a scarily normal overachiever; Maya, the talented but seemingly least gifted of a wealthy Indian family; and Taylor, a girl teetering on the verge of self-abuse or self-discovery. These are teens who come from fairly affluent families and schools. They are treated with respect and love by the author, and readers will return the favor. YAs interested in the college selection process will find this book illuminating as they see in it their own fears acted out and resolved. It reads a bit like a Stephen King novel minus the horrific ending.
—Will MarstonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
"If your teen is among the thousands of high school seniors anxiously awaiting their college acceptance letters, Coll's witty satire of the admissions process will provide both of you with some much-needed comic relief."—Life magazine
"Hilarious and dismaying."—George F. Will, Newsweek
"Coll's tale of the harrowing days of college admission is spot-on."—People
"Skillfully executed . . . a winning social comedy . . . Captures the reasoned irrationality of teens . . . It will prove a winning combination for readers who are in the throes of the rejection letter hype."—USA Today
"Coll neatly captures the irony and humor of an era in which colleges peddle to junior high kids and Saturdays are all about SAT prep."—The Christian Science Monitor
April grace saw shimmering trails of light, even when she shut her eyes. The scores of bulbs illuminating the enormous wrought-iron chandelier chained to the rafters of the converted barn had imprinted themselves on her brain, and bursts of white danced inside her head like the tails of rogue comets. Her head throbbed, and she wished she could slip out of the middle of the row in the packed auditorium without causing a small commotion, embarrassing her son.
As a single mother, Grace couldn't afford to actually get sick. Sick days were used to compensate for the spousal void in her family life, and she had just cashed in a week of them to accompany Harry on a spring-break road trip to tour college campuses. Surely she was just worn out from the long drive the previous day, followed by a night spent tossing and turning on a soggy, flea-ridden mattress at the bed-and-breakfast. The guidebook had advertised the Yates Inn as "quaint," but she guessed that description was nearly as old as the place itself, a nineteenth-century moss green clapboard house that had lost its charm somewhere along the way, possibly a couple of decades ago, when it appeared to have last been painted.
She and Harry had raced to this 9:00 a.m. information session and campus tour, forgoing the inn's complimentary pancake breakfast after learning it would take at least half an hour to reach the school by car. Dinner the previous night had been an inedible sandwich from a sketchy-looking diner in Scranton, Pennsylvania, that smelled like eggs, so it was possible that her current distress was really just hunger. Nevertheless, she felt her symptoms redouble as the preppy, boyish admissions officer at the podium responded to questions from anxious parents.
"Can you tell us what percentage of the class is accepted early decision, and how much of an advantage does an early applicant have?" A female inquisitor, whom Grace couldn't actually see from where she sat, asked her question with an urgency that made her sound slightly hys-
"This year, 55 percent of the class was admitted early decision," said the young man, who had earlier identified himself as Soren. "So clearly, if Yates is your first choice, there's an advantage to applying early. That said, all applications are considered on an individual basis. There is no magical formula for admittance."
"What about the SAT?" another parent asked. "Is there a cutoff for scholarship eligibility? How much weight can you give to these numbers if they can't even score the tests correctly?"
"Yes, of course that's on everyone's mind. But please don't worry. We look at the application as a whole. The SATs are only one small piece of the puzzle." This answer elicited a few audible groans.
"How many applied overall last year? What is the acceptance rate? And what about the wait list?" asked a voice in the back of the room.
"This year, we've had 4,601 applications. We ultimately accepted
35 percent of those. We have a wait list of approximately 300. It varies year to year, but last spring three moved off the list."
A few people coughed and rearranged themselves in the creaky folding chairs that had been set up to accommodate the overflow crowd, causing sounds of discomfort to ricochet around the acoustically challenged room. This was an alarmingly high rate of rejection for an obscure liberal arts college tucked in the middle of nowhere, requiring more than an hour's drive off the main highway, along sixty-five miles of winding roads that snaked through fields of cornstalks and grazing cows.
Grace's heart began racing. She took a deep breath. This had to be a really bad place to get sick--were there any doctors in this tiny town? They were at least two hours from anything even resembling a city. Looking around, Grace observed that a couple of other parents looked vaguely unwell, too. Perhaps there was not enough oxygen in the stifling auditorium, which was packed so tight it had surely exceeded its fire code capacity. Or maybe they were all just having garden-variety anxiety attacks, the result of absorbing this slow trickle of disconcerting information about college admissions.
The woman in front of her, who had earlier asked which undergraduate majors helped forge a path to the most prestigious MBA programs, took off her blue blazer and rolled up her sleeves. Grace noticed that the husband also wore a blue blazer and that the two boys sitting between them were clad in identical, brightly striped, Ralph Lauren polo shirts. It had not occurred to Grace to dress up for the occasion. She had thrown on a denim skirt and a favorite Gap sweater, and her long hair, secured in a ponytail, was still damp from the shower.
Soren fielded another question having to do with recommendation letters and whether a school's music teacher counted as an academic reference. "Recommendations are just one piece of the puzzle," he replied wearily, not actually responding to the subtleties of the question. "There is no secret formula for admittance," he repeated. "We look at the applicant as a whole."
Soren raked his fingers through a shock of unruly thick blond hair that looked deliberately, even expensively, mussed, as he tackled the next question. Grace thought he didn't look like a man of much gravitas, but he did have the suggestive subliminal appeal of an Abercrombie & Fitch model. In fact, Grace had observed that the Yates University view book itself bore an uncanny resemblance to the controversial clothing catalogue, which, even in its cleaned-up, less overtly pornographic state, still featured pictures of scantily clad coeds who looked as if they'd just stumbled out of a frat party. She wondered if these images might have had something to do with Harry's reluctant agreement to visit the campus, even though he had rejected all of his mother's other non-Ivy League suggestions. But then, there was probably some other way to explain his compliance, since he was not the sort of boy who typically responded to the advertising stimuli so aggressively lobbed at his age group. Harry didn't even own an iPod.
"Mom, are you all right?" Harry whispered in her ear. "You look kind of funny."
"I'm great," Grace replied, managing to pat him reassuringly on the knee.
Another parent asked a question about the importance of grades versus standardized test scores, and then wondered aloud about how much weight would be given to her son's fluency in three languages and his forthcoming summer internship at NASA. "Think of the application as a jigsaw puzzle," Soren said. "Grades are one piece, scores are another." He sounded bored with his own answer, as though he uttered these same words several times a day, which he no doubt did. He had been asked some version of this same question at least six times in the last thirty minutes, and the schedule indicated that there were four separate information sessions being offered that day. The interrogator in this instance--
a squat, wild-haired woman in her mid-fifties who resembled one of several hermit-like, mentally unbalanced chemists in Grace's office--was not this easily put off. She wanted numbers, percentile groups, statistics, solid granules of information to record in the red, three-ring binder balanced on her lap. Specifically, she wanted to know whether her son, the skinny, meek-looking youth sitting next to her with the same unfortunate hair DNA, was going to be able to use Yates University as his safety school. There was a murmur in the room, as the rest of the audience absorbed and remarked on the arrogance of this question. Her poor son slumped in his chair.
Soren winced and stabbed at his chest with an invisible knife, pretending to be wounded. A few people laughed nervously. He smiled and fiddled with his hair before saying he was sure that after touring the campus in a few moments and getting to know a bit more about the place, her son would no longer regard Yates as his safety school. He then reviewed the mechanics of his jigsaw puzzle analogy.
Grace looked around the room and noticed for the first time that it was not just the obnoxious wild-haired woman who had a notebook, but that many of the parents, and several of the students, too, were recording Soren's words. Harry also produced a small pad from his pocket and jotted something down.
Even if many of the parents in the room seemed too tightly wound, Grace still felt comforted by the sight of the kids themselves, the incoming freshmen of wherever it was they might wind up. Despite all the hand-wringing in the media about the moral decline of today's youth--a phenomenon variously blamed on violent video games, instant messaging, text messaging, indecent MySpace postings, MTV, Internet pornography, and the supposedly widespread practice of "hooking up"--Grace observed that these kids seemed pretty similar in both dress and demeanor to her own peers some thirty years ago. Flare-bottomed jeans and tie-dyed T-shirts seemed to be back in style, and there was even a smattering of turquoise jewelry. At least on the surface, these kids all seemed to be polite and focused and frankly more conservative than she and her friends had been at their age.
Grace had little opportunity to make these sorts of observations at home. Her own son, Harry, was a teenaged anomaly who went off to high school each day as if he were on his way to a job as the CEO of a For-tune 500 company. He wore khaki pants with a starched shirt and blazer and carried a briefcase as well as a backpack. This might have seemed a recipe for social disaster, but no one dared mock Harry. During freshman year, when he was one of only three ninth-graders taking an Advanced Placement history class, he was assigned the nickname "AP Harry." The teachers and the principal also knew him by this name. AP Harry had served as his junior class president and was currently campaigning to head the student body for the forthcoming school year. He was not an especially social creature, opting to spend most of his free time studying, but from what Grace could tell, he was not disliked. His classmates seemed to understand that he was golden, a mini-master of the universe at nearly seventeen; even if they didn't want to be his friend, they didn't want to get in his way.
Grace, too, understood that her son was an aberration. According to the child-rearing textbooks, Harry ought to be holding up liquor stores by now rather than apprenticing for a future in politics. Grace and her husband, Lou, had divorced when Harry was in second grade. And it was not the sort of quiet, amicable split one might expect from highly educated people living in the affluent suburbs, where parents went to family counselors and read books about how to protect the children from the emotional fallout of divorce. Rather, this was the sort of separation that involved the police, child services, teams of attorneys, the garnisheeing of Lou's salary for failure to pay alimony and child support, a kidnapping attempt, the brandishing of a gun on their leafy street, and an eventual restraining order. As a consequence, Grace's plans to stay home and be a full-time mother quickly fizzled. She worked long hours as a malaria researcher at the nearby National Institutes of Health, and Harry endured years of mediocre after-school day care. As if this were all some endless test from God, just when Grace felt things were under control a couple of years after Lou had ceased showing up drunk, in his pajamas, banging on her door in the middle of the night, the director of the afternoon child care program at Harry's elementary school was arrested on charges of pedophilia.
Against all odds, Harry had not dropped out of high school or joined a gang: he was a student leader, the principal clarinetist in the school band, a boy who kept his room tidy and helped his mother uncomplainingly with chores. Grace was proud, but she found Harry's drive alarming. She wished he would tone things down a notch and just be a kid.
Harry was extremely smart, but his transcript had a glitch, which was a piece of information he kept to himself, his secret shame. Until the fall of his junior year, he had never received anything other than an A. Then he took AP English Language, where despite herculean efforts he landed a humiliating B, a grade largely attributable to the emphasis on writing, with weekly in-class essays that factored heavily into the final grade. Harry claimed that the real problem was not with his writing skills, but with the teacher, Mr. Joyce, who he sensed didn't like him. Harry perceived the B as the beginning of a downward spiral exacerbated by his first two stabs at the SAT. While his math score was a perfect 800, despite relentless cramming and expensive private tutoring sessions they could not really afford, he could not pump his critical reading score up over a 720, and his writing score was the same. Grace's insistence that these numbers were, objectively, extremely impressive only seemed to exacerbate his frustration.
Grace couldn't have cared less about any of this. Her chief ambition for her son was that he turn out to be a nice, decent human being, as unlike his own father as possible, and on this front she was watching worriedly. In temperament he was still the same sweet kid he'd always been, but his great march forward was sometimes disheartening to watch. She was confident that his drive would get him anywhere, with one possible exception. AP Harry was probably not going to get into Harvard. He was a strong candidate, but Grace could do the math: with a 9 percent acceptance rate, according to the last numbers she had seen, a middle-class white kid without a legacy did not have the odds in his favor. Yet Harry had his heart set on Harvard, and the word rejection was evidently not in his 720 vocabulary.
grace wondered if this session would ever end. She was beginning to perspire. The blue-blazered father in front of her folded the Yates brochure about freshman seminars into a makeshift fan. Campus tours were supposed to have already begun; they were twenty minutes off schedule, and the male model at the podium was having a hard time stemming the flow of increasingly frantic questions--every one of them from parents, she couldn't help but observe.
A hand two rows in front shot up, and Grace thought she must have been hallucinating when she spied the distinctive chunky diamond ring of her across-the-street neighbor. Nina Rockefeller's arm flailed crazily, like she was hailing a cab in a drenching rush hour storm. How unlikely was this? Grace had been going out of her way to avoid Nina for about two years, sneaking out of her house at odd hours to minimize the chances of running into her. Now she had driven more than four hundred miles to one of the most isolated college campuses in the northeastern United States, and there Nina was, just a few feet away.
For years they had been close friends, thrown together by the circumstances of geography and parenting. Harry and Nina's daughter, Taylor, were both only children, and their birthdays were just two months apart. It was at first a natural, easy friendship even if they had little in common besides the kids. They spent years of languid weekend afternoons parked in lawn chairs sipping iced tea, watching the children run from yard to yard, their miniature plastic ride-on cars giving way to sophisticated water guns and, later, walkie-talkies, baseball bats, and Frisbees as the summers ticked by.
As the kids grew older, however, Nina seemed to grow weirdly competitive, and Grace began to dread their exchanges. Plus, Nina was a talker, and just bumping into her outside their homes could cost as much as half an hour. There were mornings when Grace even put off retrieving the newspaper from her driveway if she spied Nina on her porch, watering her plants. Grace assuaged her guilt by telling herself she simply didn't have time for idle morning chatter or she'd be late for work. Lately, though, her efforts at avoidance had become more deliberate as Nina was edging toward insufferable, never veering far off the topic of the bright future of her remarkable daughter, Taylor.
Grace thought her neighbor was joking when she raised the topic of college the summer before the kids began eighth grade. Hoping to change the subject, Grace naively quipped that it didn't yet matter; until they entered high school, she said, they could at least enjoy life without stressing out about test scores and grades. Nina was quick to set her straight. Any high school-level classes the kids took in middle school would show up on their final transcripts, she reported. Nina explained that the county had recently changed the policy of letting students erase these grades from their records in an attempt to curb grade inflation. An A in an honors class carried a higher-weighted value than an A in a regular class, but in Verona County there were no honors classes offered in middle school. This was just wordplay, however, since the students had been tracked and then grouped according to their abilities since around the time they learned to tie their shoes, and a certain sliver of kids were working at an accelerated level regardless of the name slapped on the course. Nina's point was evidently that a straightforward, old-fashioned A, even in a mind-numbingly difficult class, could technically bring down a student's overall GPA. Grace couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. She understood the mathematical principle involved, but still, wasn't an A an A? But she nodded her head, pretending to acknowledge this grave injustice.
Grace knew it was absurd to let these sorts of conversations make her anxious. Harry was so driven that she didn't need to keep an eye on his performance; if anything she worried that he would drive himself insane trying to manipulate his already solid record. Still, sometimes Nina made her feel like she wasn't doing enough. Not only had Nina signed Taylor up for SAT prep three years ahead of the normal schedule, but she also put on retainer what she said was the best private college counseling service in the country, recently profiled in The Wall Street Journal. Undaunted by the fact that the consultancy was based in New York, or that their fee for two years of advice was more than $30,000, Nina opined that it would reduce family tension to have an outside party be in charge of guiding Taylor through the touchy process.
In an effort to avoid these harrowing conversations, Grace had begun to set her alarm half an hour early on weekday mornings so that she could walk her dog before Nina set out in one of her several bright pink sweat suits, yanking her overweight schnauzer along on a Burberry leash. Grace's dog, a gentle giant of a mutt that appeared to be at least part Saint Bernard, must have had some sixth sense about the Rockefeller's pet because her hair stood on end whenever he approached, which added a second layer of tension to their walks. But even a willingness to sacrifice precious minutes of sleep offered no respite; just last week Nina had spied Grace two long blocks ahead and had run to catch up, shouting for her to wait.
"Terrific news," she had said, remarkably well-put-together with makeup and jewelry at 7:00 a.m. Grace assumed she was going to deliver some encouraging update on the house next door to her and catty-corner to Nina, an eyesore that had been on the market for an entire month. Instead, she announced breathlessly, "Taylor just got straight A's."
Grace feigned enthusiasm but inwardly recoiled. Didn't grades fall into the zone of private information, along with age and weight and financial net worth? She could not imagine ever talking about Harry's grades with anyone other than his teachers or his guidance counselor. Or possibly Harry's father, although that was purely hypothetical because they were not actually on speaking terms.
Grace reminded herself that she had resolved not to get sucked into this snakepit of parental competition. Study after study showed that there was no correlation between where a person went to college and his or her future happiness, or even earning power. She knew plenty of people who had underachieved in their youth and had gone on to do great things. And she could cite many examples of the reverse--kids who burned out by the time they got to college or simply couldn't cope without their parents micromanaging their lives; she had heard of some parents who even called their college kids to wake them up for morning classes. But it was hard to step back when everyone at Harry's high school, students and parents alike, spoke of little else, and the kids were all jockeying to get into the same handful of schools. At a recent junior parents' meeting, the head of guidance had rattled off a series of sobering statistics, including the fact that from this year's class of 496 graduating seniors, 53 had applied to Cornell, 57 to Northwestern, and 59 to the University of Pennsylvania. All of them had GPAs over 3.8. About ten kids were admitted to each school, and five were accepted to all three. As Grace pondered these numbers, she couldn't help but think that ironically, this would make a good math problem on the SAT. On the subject of identifying the right safety school, the guidance counselor had referenced the terrifying, widely gossiped about, and evidently true story of the National Merit finalist who applied to twelve schools and didn't get into a single one.
Sometimes when she heard these anxiety-inducing anecdotes, Grace wondered whether she had been smart to remain in the area after her divorce. She had stretched herself financially, heavily mortgaging their house, because this was arguably one of the best public school systems not just in the state, but in the country. But lately she had begun to think she had done Harry a disservice by staying. Perhaps he would be driving himself less hard, and would have a better sense of perspective, if she had relocated to some small town in the Midwest. And even if she was wrong about that--if this college mania had reached into the most remote pockets of America--at least a community of less means might have other sorts of benefits, like fewer kids with credit cards, or a lower percentage of luxury cars in the student parking lot.
Still, Grace tried hard not to let Harry's preoccupation become her own. She knew there were hundreds of good colleges out there, some of which she had never even heard of before, like Yates. She had done just fine going to the University of Maryland, which had been the only school her parents could afford. It had never occurred to her to feel short-changed. She always felt she'd received a perfectly decent education and had not suffered, apart from the unfortunate fact that she had met Lou in an anatomy class and made the mistake of marrying him.
As it was, Harry was most definitely part of the problem, if not the most extreme version of it around. He had memorized the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the top fifty liberal arts colleges as well as the separate list of universities--those offering both doctorates and masters--and he frequently asked Grace to quiz him to see if he had his numbers straight. At first Grace had played along, not fully grasping the point of the exercise. But once she realized the pathos of what he was doing--obsessing about whether Pomona ranked 7 or 8 and how many points that was above, say, Oberlin (14)--she refused to play, even when Harry insisted that he was just sharpening his memory retention skills. (Yates had entered the list for the first time ever last year, coming in at number 50.) Even without her help, he had lately progressed to the point where he could provide subcategories, such as a school's selectivity rank and average rate of alumni giving.
The last time Grace bumped into Nina--another morning encounter in which Grace pretended unsuccessfully that her headphones prevented her from hearing her neighbor's noisy, chipper approach--Nina told her she was doing some reading to learn where various well-connected American women had gone to college and where they had met their spouses. Grace laughed out loud, certain she was kidding, but the hurt look on Nina's face assured her this was not a joke.
After that conversation, Grace had made an even more radical change to her schedule. She began to set her alarm a full hour early and would sneak out in the dark to walk the dog. All of these efforts had failed her spectacularly, however, because here was Nina, just two rows away. As Grace leaned forward to stretch the muscles in her back while the admissions counselor repeated his clichés, the ostentatious diamond in Nina's ring caught a streak of sunlight, refracting it into even more bouncing specks in Grace's pounding head.
Taylor sat beside her mother, looking sullen. She seemed to be in distress. Regardless of whether Taylor was as brilliant as her mother claimed, she was no longer the happy, freckle-faced little girl who used to play roller hockey in the street with Harry and all of the neighborhood kids. Sometime in the last year, she had become transformed into a pale, haunted-looking teenager. Her once luminous black hair was now tinged with purple and hung in greasy, unkempt strands. Grace wondered if perhaps the girl was using drugs. But that didn't seem quite right, given that Taylor had become a complete loner and, while hardly fat, didn't have that heroin-chic, skin-and-bones physique one tended to equate with a serious drug habit. Grace wasn't an expert on these things, but she did assume that at least part of the allure of the drug culture was the instant camaraderie. Yet Harry reported that Taylor sat alone at lunch each day, declining his occasional invitations to join him. He also said she fled school after the final bell rang and on the few occasions that he left at the same time, she seemed to deliberately sprint ahead to avoid him.
From her slightly elevated position, Grace could see that Nina's roots were growing in darker than the rest of her blond hair. Her hand continued to wave frantically, but so many other hands competed that young Soren kept passing her over. Nina actually began to blurt out her question unsolicited, but at that precise moment Soren finally found the wherewithal to declare the information session over, instructing them to break into small groups for the campus tours. They were trying something new this year, he explained. Students would go on one set of tours, parents on another. He told them where to gather, accordingly.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked his mother again, shaking her gently on the shoulder. "You look kind of pale, Mom . . . pale, sallow, pallid, wan . . ."
Grace forced a smile and blotted her forehead with a piece of used tissue she found in her pocket. "Ashen?" she asked.
"Very good, Mom," Harry said, smiling adorably.
The synonym game was something else he liked to play, something he had read about in an SAT prep book. Grace feigned more enthusiasm than she really felt for the game, but she played along on the ground that at least it was not as obnoxious as the U.S. News game. Plus, she felt it was the least she could do, given his frustration with his score.
"You really look awful, Mom," he said as they filed out of the row.
"Thanks, Harry . . . Just what I wanted to hear. But if you don't mind, I am feeling kind of . . ."
"Yes. Well put. Peaked. So I think I'll skip the tour. You go ahead. I'll wait here . . ."
She pointed toward a set of armchairs in the outer room of the barn flanked by a table with two alluring pots of coffee and a platter of doughnuts. But then she saw Nina Rockefeller coming straight toward her. "Or maybe I'll find a nice bench, outside."
Excerpted from Acceptance: A Novel by Susan Coll. Copyright © 2007 by Susan Coll. Published in March 2007 by Sarah Crichton Books, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. All rights reserved.
The questions and discussion topics that follow are designed to enhance your reading of Susan Coll's novel Acceptance, a hilarious comedy of the competitive college admissions process.
Set in the neurotic world of a high-strung high school, Acceptance introduces us to such characters as AP Harry (a nickname derived from the unprecedented number of Advanced Placement courses he's taken) and Maya Kaluantharana, whose mother wants to have her diagnosed with a learning disability so she can boost her already strong SAT scores by retaking the exam with special accommodations. Acclaimed novelist Susan Coll is at the height of her wry, perceptive powers as the college countdown ticks away for Harry, Maya, and the other students at Verona High, an elite public school in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
On the other side of the equation is Olivia Sheraton, an admissions staffer charged with recruiting prestige itself to Yates University, a dilapidated liberal-arts school enjoying a new surge in popularity thanks to a statistical error that landed it on U.S. News & World Report's list of top colleges. Balancing political pressure from colleagues with a daily quest simply to find a remarkable applicant, Olivia discovers that the price of acceptance fluctuates wildly. And as they navigate the turbulence of writing personal essays and taking standardized tests, the seniors from Verona are about to learn a similar lesson.
By turns comic and compassionate, Acceptance delivers a provocative look at the climbers and clout brokers of higher education.
Questions for Discussion
1. Grace is the first parent we meet in Acceptance. How does her household compare to the others in her neighborhood? Is Harry at a disadvantage by having been raised by a single parent?
2. Not all of Verona's students are as academically driven as Harry. What separates the overachievers from the underachievers? Do either of these categories describe your experience in school?
3. What are the similarities between Harry's and Taylor's obsessions? As Harry becomes fixated on admission to Harvard and Taylor compulsively hoards mail, what insecurities are they soothing? What quirky obsessions would you admit to having?
4. How does Maya cope in the shadow of her high-achieving siblings? Why do her parents despise academic mediocrity? Can you picture Maya thriving as a college athlete?
5. How have attitudes toward college admissions changed since you were in high school? How did your school compare to Verona? What did your parents tell you about higher education?
6. In the seventh chapter (October), Harry runs into Lily Wong, who moved to an inner-city school district after a college counselor said she stood a better chance of getting into Harvard if she did "something to counter the smart Asian kid stereotype." Does this scenario capture any realities?
7. Discuss the relationship between money and education described throughout the novel. What did money buy for the wealthiest families? Should Lily's inner-city school receive the same amount of funding (per student) as Verona?
8. In your opinion, what does an SAT score measure? Would you pay for your child to receive the daily "test prep" recorded messages featured in the novel?
9. What makes the concept of college admissions competitiveness such a good target for spoofing? How is she able to blend humor with serious topics, and realism with the absurd? Which exaggerations were your favorites?
10. How is Maya's outlook on success shaped by her summer in India? What had she believed about typical teenagers? Are the students depicted in the novel typical teenagers?
11. Nina insists that Taylor needs acceptance to a university where she will find a rich husband. Does a young woman's key to success differ from a young man's? How have college admissions standards changed since Nina was on the hunt for a spouse?
12. What is the effect of the sometimes elaborate background stories given for various characters, such as Basil Dickerson's history at Enron, "overseeing the trading of charity futures"?
13. Discuss the satire of academia in Acceptance. After exercising so much power, why must Olivia remain an acting dean and compete in a recruitment search? Will she ever get to be truly in charge of anything? What are the honest answers to the applicants' questions about getting into a top-tier school?
14. Taylor decides not to follow the considerable advice she receives regarding her application essay, and her decision to be frank almost keeps her out of college. What would have happened if she had crafted a "selling" essay for college admissions?
15. The Yashequana lawsuit recalls headlines about prestigious universities that now have to confront embarrassing aspects of their histories. How do the current goals of these universities compare to the principles on which they were founded?
16. What were your reactions to the novel's ending? Which would have served Harry better: huge debt and a Harvard degree, or a free ride at the University of Maryland?
17. In the epilogue, Harry reads a statistic that implies it's harder to get a job at Wal-Mart than to be admitted to Harvard. How does the competitive scenario described in Acceptance compare to life after college? To what degree do American universities resemble corporations?
Praise for Acceptance
"Acceptance is A+ entertainment—witty, clever, and unpretentious. Excellent reading for all, but a MUST-READ for anyone with teenage children." —Anita Shreve
"Having just sent one kid off to college and with a second now preparing to apply, I had shivers of recognition again and again as I read Acceptance. Fortunately, each shiver came along with its corresponding several smiles and chuckles. Susan Coll has written a dead-on satire that's also full of heart, which is a rare achievement." —Kurt Andersen, author of Heyday
"I don't know why anyone would bother with those big, ugly college admissions manuals when a novel as smart and savvy as Acceptance can give us the same tips, with laughs. Susan Coll could make hell fun—and she does." —Marilyn Johnson, author of The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries
About the Author
Susan Coll is the author of karlmarx.com and Rockville Pike. She lives outside of Washington, D.C., with her husband and their three college-aged children.
Posted August 27, 2013
hate it. so boring.Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Posted March 20, 2008
Acceptance shows the real college application process and is incredibly accurate with all the details. After I started my college applications, I read this book and was surprised at how they described the college tours, how to apply to colleges, and the requirements you need to enter colleges. This book is incredibly witty, clever, and smart. Susan Coll does a very good job at describing what college is really all about. I recommend this book to any teenager in high school.Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Posted April 4, 2007
In her third novel, Acceptance, Susan Coll once again gives a master class in the deftest comedic story-telling. In a tale packed with wry observations and cringe-making set pieces, this is a comedy of the college admissions process that will give parents of younger children nightmares about what the future holds for them and their offspring. The applying kids Harry, Taylor and Maya are each carefully constructed characters with their own, not necessarily predictable, problems. From the broad range of parents, Grace is probably the nearest to the ¿everymom¿, valiantly trying not get swamped by the whole process. In counterbalance to these is the wonderfully cynical Olivia, who provides sober reflection on the entire education system which a lot of world-weary adults will recognize. In the hands of a lesser writer these characters might have come across as less than perfect, but in Coll¿s hands they take on a depth that adds pathos to the crackling humor. Definitely another novel by Coll to be savored and enjoyed.Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Posted April 19, 2007
I just starting doing college tours during spring break and my mom got me this book to read while we traveled. I was amazed at how accurate most of the stuff regarding colleges was. I had just read the first chapter, regarding boring informational sessions at colleges and intense parents asking a million questions. At the first college I went to, it was exactly like that, which I thought was hilarious. Great for anyone, especially high schoolers worried about the imminent college decisions.Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Posted September 21, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Posted August 6, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Posted January 26, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Posted April 7, 2011
No text was provided for this review.


text:
The 113th Congress convenes Thursday.
Senators gather on the steps for a ceremony to welcome back Illinois Sen. Kirk.
Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is among them.
Tammy Baldwin with U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson and Herb Kohl
U.S Sen. Tammy Baldwin's reception
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin as retiring Sen. Herb Kohl looks on
Retiring U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Auburn beat Texas A&M 69-64 in College Station to finish the regular season on a high note. The Tigers will play South Carolina in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday. Auburn has beaten South Carolina twice this season.
Click here for the original story.
Welcome to SECTalk.com
|Welcome to SECTalk.com -- The Home of 6 Straight National Titles!
You are currently accessing our site as a guest which means you can't access all of our features such as social groups, sports betting, and many more. By joining our free community you will have access to all of these great features as well as to participating in our forums, contacting other members, and much more. Registration only takes a minute and SECTalk.com is absolutely free, so please join today!
If you have any problems registering or signing in, please contact us.
Countdown to Kickoff
Latest Topics
Latest News
Top High Fived
Top Bettors
KT Harrell, Chris Denson lead Auburn past Texas A&M
Started by Spunk, Mar 08 2014 04:16 PM
Similar Topics
|Started By
|Last Post Info
Pinned Week 1: Texas A&M at South Carolina
Started by GAMECOCK_FAN, 13 Aug 2014 In: SEC Sports → Official Game Threads
- Hot 37 replies
- 895 views
Pinned Week 1: Arkansas at Auburn
Started by GAMECOCK_FAN, 14 Aug 2014 In: SEC Sports → Official Game Threads
- Hot 151 replies
- 3,001 views
South Carolina/ Texas a&m trophy
Started by DjCrenshaw, 17 Jul 2014 In: SEC Sports → SEC Trash Talk
- Hot 178 replies
- 3,207 views
Auburn depth chart released
Started by HFS, Yesterday, 11:13 AM In: The West → Auburn Sports
- 3 replies
- 76 views
Another opener, an eighth different Auburn starting QB
Started by Spunk, Yesterday, 01:04 PM In: The West → Auburn Sports → Auburn News
- 0 replies
- 28 views
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
Welcome back from spring break, students. Here's a look at just a few of the events taking place on the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus this week and heading into the week of April 1 — marking the 5th annual Social Justice Week at UW Oshkosh.
– Download UW Oshkosh This Week, March 25 as PDF –


text:
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Dr Dan Sylveste, an archaeologist who has for years been fascinated with the long-dead alien race the Amarantin, is about to discover something that could change the course of mankind. But before he can act on anything his wife is killed and he is captured when a coup sweeps across the planet Resurgam.
Meanwhile, an astonishing ship bearing a crew of militaristic cyborgs and a kidnapped Gunnery Officer is bearing down on Resurgam, crossing light years of space to enlist Sylveste¿s help to save their metamorphosing Captain. Only Sylveste, or, more accurately, the software programme containing his father¿s knowledge that he carries in his mind, can save the Captain.
None of them can anticipate the cataclysm that will result when they meet, a cataclysm that will sweep through space and could determine the ultimate fate of humanity.


text:
Have you visited Dr. Richard Fox? Rate you experience below.
Internal Medicine Physicians in Tamarac, FLContact Dr. Fox
Dr. Richard Fox specializes in internal medicine in Tamarac, Florida.
Dr. Richard Fox has been compared 321 times. Details of Dr. Fox's experience as an DO and his hospital affiliation are available on your free doctor report.
Dr. Richard Fox identified specializing in Internal Medicine.
A hospital affiliation covers any doctor who has an affiliation, association or admitting privilege with a hospital. A doctor's particular affiliation to a specific hospital can translate to the overall quality of that provider.
Dr. Fox is affiliated with 1 hospital:
Patients may also know Dr. Richard Fox DO as:
7351 W Oakland Park Blvd, Suite 103 Lauderhill, FL 33319
6233 N University Dr, Tamarac, FL 33321
7800 N University Dr, Tamarac, FL 33321
7154 N University Dr, Suite 326 Tamarac, FL 33321
3001 Coral Hills Dr, Suite 360 Coral Springs, FL 33065
Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine
Are you Dr. Richard Fox?
Update your information


text:
|Number of Exterior Shelves: 1
|Assembly Required: Yes
|Shape: Square
|Tools Needed for Assembly: No
|Design: Table
|Additional Parts Required: No
|Style: Modern
|Top Finish: Rich Matte Red Cocoa
|Base Finish: Rich Matte Red Cocoa
|Distressed: No
|Base Material: Wood
|Top Material: Wood
|Solid Wood Construction: No
|Hardware Material: Metal
|Storage Under Table Top: No
|Drop Leaf Top: No
|Magazine Rack: No
|Drawers Included: No
|Exterior Shelves: Yes
|Cabinets Included: No
|Base Type: Solid
|Legs Included: No
|Lighted: No
|Adjustable Height: No
|Product Care: Spot clean
|Country of Manufacture: China
Questions & Answers
"Hi, what is the weight limit of the table?" asked by Lyschitt
Hokku Designs Nobu End Table
It's ok.
Patrick from Willis, TX– Verified Buyer
It looks good, but the shelf design is not as functional as I expected. Next to a couch or recliner, the lower smaller shelf is harder to reach than I imagined. Nice looking, but given another chance I'd probably try another.
Very stylish and sleek
Amanda from Cliffwood, NJ– Verified Buyer
I didn't want standard end tables but I also wanted a storage option. I was looking for a modern style and these fit the bill and look great.
Serves its purpose
Daniel from Royal Oak, MI– Verified Buyer
I wouldn't say this item is super-high quality, but it doesn't look cheap either. We love its modern look, but it is a bit light (our toddler can push it around pretty easily). The top piece arrived damaged, but All Modern sent a replacement piece within a few days. Overall, we're pretty happy with this purchase.
Nice size
Deanne from Murrieta, CA– Verified Buyer
I purchased this for my daughters room. It has enough room on top for several things even a plant. She assembled it and said it was very easy to understand. The finish is black with a hue of red very attractive.
Great table
SI from WI– Verified Buyer
I put this in my bedroom and works perfectly in my space!
Nobu end table
Vivian from FL– Verified Buyer
Read all the reviews but was still not sure. Loved it!!! It is the right table for the space I wanted. Forget about painted bars that other costumers had issues with. For the price, it was the best.
Waiting Room Table
Denise from Hermosa Beach, CA– Verified Buyer
Works perfect, fits in small corner in client waiting room. Silver poles are painted, but you can't tell. Very inexpensive for a part of the office that get's the most abuse.
Only One Concern
Christopher from Denver, CO– Verified Buyer
The table is solid and looks nicely finished, but the silver bars on its front are actually spray painted wood, and not chrome as I had hoped for. Not a concern for anyone but me, though!
Nobu End Table
Kim from Old Orchard Beach, ME– Verified Buyer
This table is exactly what I expected, color and size. It fits perfectly in our newly renovated living room.
Decent buy
Julie from Victoria, BC– Verified Buyer
Simple and sleek. Easy to match existing furniture. Decent priced.


text:
|ESPN: SportsNation
Late..let's go.
What needs to happen in Sunday's game for the Broncos to pull of the upset?...besides Big Ben, Mike Wallace and Polamalu all geting hurt...
Steelers offense is strapped with Roethlisberger injury, no Mendenhall and a still shaky O-line. The secondary missing Ryan Clark is a big deal. Can Tebow have a real day throwing the football? If he does, the Broncos can win.
Mort, if you had to pick one franchise from each conference that was the most underachieving, who would you pick? My thoughts are SD & DAL, which makes their retention of their respective GMs (AJ Smith
Apologies. My computer is having technical problems. I will alert when I feel it will operate efficiently.


text:
April 11, 2013
Results from Transport Capital Partners' First Quarter 2013 Business Expectations Survey found that while some carriers are reporting an increase in brokered freight services in the last three months, a majority of carriers (62%) are using fewer brokers than six months ago.
The percentage of carriers reporting an increase in brokered freight services doubled between August 2012 and February 2013, from 16% to 35%, a reflection of seasonal freight fluctuations last year and this year.
"Freight brokers continue to provide loads that improve asset utilization and effeciency as customer demand fluctuates," states Steven Dutro, TCP partner.
Brokerage spot market freight still amounts for less than 5% of volumes for almost 50% of the carriers, about the same as February 2012, traditionally one of the highest quarters for the use of broker services.
"The first quarter has a lower freight demand and this leads to idle trucks chasing scarcer loads, with spot market rates represented by brokers declining," states Richard Mikes, TCP partner. Smaller carriers rely on brokers more often than larger carriers as they have lower lane density and marketing staff.
"The importance of brokers to smaller carriers is often significant, although we seldom hear of rate levels that are adequate to sustain a carrier," says Dutro. "Often it is a case of: a little can help, but too much can be deadly." The increase in the number of carriers reporting the use of broker services could also be tied to overall optimism for volume and rate increases.
"We see carrier optimism along with their drive to balance freight networks building interest in acquisitions. Gaining customers and capacity in key lanes will improve carrier profitability," notes Mikes.
We offer e-newsletters that deliver targeted news and information for the entire fleet industry.
The expert, Mark Betner from Citgo will answer your questions Ask a question
Wheel end expert Jeff Geist from STEMCO will answer your questions Ask a question
Fiery Crash Video Paints Portrait of Brave and Caring Truckers
The True Causes of Rubber on the Road
Freightliner's S2G Propane-Autogas-Powered Truck Chassis
Volvo Brings Trucking Web Series to America
Stemco Launches CentriFuse HD Line of Brake Drums
Peterbilt Adds New Configuration for SmartAir System
Chicago Pneumatic Announces New Impact Wrench
Mitsubishi Announces Idle Limit System Option for Canter Trucks


text:
Loading ...
The married couple behind Asia Oriental Cuisine, Alex and May Zhong, thought they retired from the restaurant business until a vacation across Asia reignited their passion for the continent's diverse cuisines. The Zhongs decided to bring a taste of Thailand, China, Japan, and Vietnam to Lehigh Valley, opening up a Asian eatery of their own in a converted house in Allentown.
Because the Zhongs want to cultivate the atmosphere of a friendly dinner party, visitors are welcome to uncork any beverages brought from home after May happily shows them to their seats. In the kitchen, Alex whips up colorful dishes of peking duck with homemade steamed rolls, Hong Kong?style roast pork, or Indonesian tempeh. Over the years, Alex's recipes have received many honors, including five Reader's Choice Awards from The Morning Call, a Decadent Dish Award in Lehigh Valley Style magazine, a spot on the Chinese Restaurant Foundation's Top 100 Overall Excellence list, and the Guinness world record for most accurate fortune cookies.
It sounds strange, but Dan DiZio found the perfect pretzel machine hiding in a nondescript Florida garage. Once he saw it, he knew what he had to do. With help from his friend Len Lehman, DiZio hauled the equipment back to his native Philadelphia?where as a child he once sold homemade pretzels to his neighbors. He soon opened the original Philly Pretzel Factory. Today, nearly 15 years since first opening, Philly Pretzel Factory whips up fresh batches of secret-ingredient dough across 100 locations in eight states. The pretzels are twisted by hand into salted or cinnamon-sugar pretzels and pair with the shop's signature brand of mustard, or sweet blends of chocolate and butter-cream. The menu also tucks hot dogs and spicy sausages into pretzel rolls, and dusts salt on "rivets," or soft pretzel bites, which can top party trays or bind the masts of gravy boats.
Louie's Restaurant has been an Allentown family favorite since 1958, when Sue and Gino Belletieri–parents of Louie and his two brothers–first opened the restaurant that grew to become the Louie's of today. Their trademark sauces, such as the marinara with its robust flavors and garlic kick, are made with original recipes and are sold at area supermarkets. At lunch and dinner, families feast on signature Italian dishes at Louie's checkered tables, where time-tested recipes continue to impress decades later. In addition to playing sports games on flat-screen TVs, Louie's also hosts musicians on Friday evenings, providing entertainment aside from the pasta, glorious pasta, twirled around forks.
With nods from USA Today, CBS News, and The Washington Post, Rodizio Grill, founded by S?o Paolo?born Ivan Utrerahas, made a name for itself as an authentic Brazilian charrascuria?a South American?style rotisserie. Cooks slow-roast and skewer select cuts of beef, pork, poultry, and lamb, as well as seafood selections and grilled pineapple. They also offer a gourmet salad bar that encourages diners to pair marinated pork loin or Brazilian sausage with fresh, leafy greens and farm-fresh croutons plucked right off the tree. All the while, gauchos?also known as Brazilian cowboys?bustle about the restaurant bringing unlimited slices of tender meat directly to tables.
At The Grid Code, an 11,000-square-foot arena lays the field for bouts of recreational trigger pulling. The indoor NERF arena shelters players from the elements as they duck behind tires, wooden structures, and poles to elevate these Hasbro instruments, which expel soft foam ammo, to a truly competitive degree. The Grid Code rents out all necessary safety gear, masks, and supernatural force fields, and can organize spaces to accommodate parties and corporate teambuilding.
Krocks Grille Pub ushers pub fare toward casual diners gathering for a night out or laid-back meal. The Krocks' menu features hot plates from its arsenal of gut-tickling appetizers and filling entrees. Homemade chicken fingers ($6.95) get mouths warmed up in anticipation of the jaw-stretching honey-barbecue bacon cheeseburger ($8.25) or obstinate hard-c rejecting krab kake sandwich ($7.95).


text:
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Label Daddy
Save 20% on Label Daddy labels for Back to School! Label Daddy is the number one solution for labeling your belongings! Remember to label all clothing, sports equipment and other personal belongings your kids bring to school, camp, sports leagues, day care, and other places. Label Daddy labels keep them from getting lost or mixed up with others.
These labels are super durable peel-and-stick washable labels -- they're washer/dryer safe, microwave safe, dishwasher safe and UV resistant! Label Daddy labels are also fun and attractive. You design your own labels! Pick from tons of colors, sizes and logos, including Disney and Marvel characters, MLB, NBA, and NHL team logos, other sport and fun logos, and more. Our exclusive laminated coating gives labels an extra layer of protection and is a must for camp! These labels are made in the USA and shipped directly to you worldwide.
Save 20% on your entire Label Daddy order - this is the best discount available anywhere. Use code USFAMILY20 at checkout. http://www.usfamily20.labeldaddy.com
Posted by Charlotte Strickland @ 8:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: 20% Off, LabelDaddy, USFG, Washable Labels
Sunday, July 27, 2014
School Will Be In Session!
So we made the right decision when we decided to homeschool Olivia for another year. Jason and I both felt that she did so well being homeschooled last year but she needed a new curriculum compared to what she used last year. We used last year BJU Grade 4 except for the Math which we used Saxon Math and that just didn't work out too well for her. I looked at several different curriculum's that might work for Olivia but the best one that looked like it would be very structured for her is Abeka. So we went up to the Homeschool Gathering Place on Friday and put most of her books on consignment there and picked up most of her items she needs for school. We still have to get a few things but that's about it. I am searching on facebook and on ebay and online for a few things but I know I will find them used rather than new. At least that's the plan for us.
Summer is almost over for many of the students and I figured that if we go ahead and start school now by the time April or May rolls around she will be finished with school. I also plan on having a set schedule for her which will help out a ton as well.
When I get home from my parents house, it will be time to start packing up the house and getting things together for our move. We are moving from where we are living back up to the area where I am from. I can't wait and can't wait to be around friends and Olivia's friends again. It will be epic for her and she is excited as well.
How is your summer going? What have you been up to?
Summer is almost over for many of the students and I figured that if we go ahead and start school now by the time April or May rolls around she will be finished with school. I also plan on having a set schedule for her which will help out a ton as well.
When I get home from my parents house, it will be time to start packing up the house and getting things together for our move. We are moving from where we are living back up to the area where I am from. I can't wait and can't wait to be around friends and Olivia's friends again. It will be epic for her and she is excited as well.
How is your summer going? What have you been up to?
Posted by Charlotte Strickland @ 5:12 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Our 10 Favorite Family Friendly Restaurants at Disney World
I wanted to share with all of you my readers our 10 Favorite Family Friendly restaurants at Walt Disney World to eat at. We normally go to the same restaurants but this year we are keeping a few of the favorites but we are venturing out of our comfort zone and trying new ones. I'm pretty sure we might find some new ones to add to this list. Maybe we will add to this list! Having a picky eater in the family (and no we're not talking about me or my hubby) we sometimes have to find a restaurant that is kid friendly. But the good thing is that all of the restaurants at WDW are kid friendly! But here are our Top 10 Favorites that we love!
- 'Ohana, located at the Polynesian Resort. (Breakfast or Dinner)
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Epcot in Norway. (Lunch) We have only eaten lunch here.
- Liberty Tree Tavern, Magic Kingdom. (Lunch or Dinner)
- The Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner). We have only eaten breakfast here and love it! Must eat here every trip now!)
- Earl of Sandwich, Downtown Disney. (Lunch, Dinner). We ate lunch here and loved it!
- Tony's Town Square, Magic Kingdom. (Lunch, Dinner). We have only eaten dinner but it is oh so yum!
- Teppan Edo, Epcot in Japan. (Lunch or Dinner)
- Yak & Yeti, Animal Kingdom. (Lunch or Dinner) We have only eaten lunch here. Loved it!
- Tusker House, Animal Kingdom. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) We have had breakfast and lunch here. Breakfast is our favorite only because it has Krispy Kreme donuts!!
- Trails End Restaurant, Fort Wilderness Campground. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) We have only eaten dinner here but it is a must eat at every trip!!!
Posted by Charlotte Strickland @ 6:03 PM 0 comments
Labels: Animal Kingdom, Eat, Epcot, Favorite Family Friendly Restaurants, Hollywood Studio, Magic Kingdom, Top 10, Walt Disney World
Monday, July 14, 2014
Keep Momming
"I participated in a campaign on behalf of MomCentral Consulting (#MC) for Shire. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating."
As an actress, a public health advocate and former journalist, Holly Robinson Peete has seen it all. And as a mother of four, she's encountered just about every parenting challenge you can imagine. One of her biggest challenges as mom is building and maintaining a close relationship with her teenage daughter, Ryan.
The mother-daughter relationship is a unique one, and that dynamic can be even trickier during the tween years. Yet sometimes, people dismiss certain behaviors as "typical tween girl behavior" when those behaviors can be symptoms of something more serious. Research suggests that girls are more likely than boys to report having mostly inattentive Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Since inattentive
symptoms can be less noticeable than hyperactive and impulsive symptoms, it is
important that moms know what to look for.
I'm proud to be joining forces with Shire, CHADD and Holly Robinson Peete to announce the launch of keep momming, a new public service initiative geared towards the moms of tween girls to raise awareness of ADHD.
The campaign is anchored within a new digital hub, KeepMomming.com, where you'll find tips, tools and other go-to resources for moms, including a checklist to help recognize the symptoms of ADHD – inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity – and then encourages moms to talk to their daughter's doctor. The keep momming initiative can help moms learn about ADHD and provide ideas on how to spark a conversation and stay connected with their tween.
Don't miss Holly's message about the keep momming initiative http://goo.gl/Uayao5, and be sure to check out the website at KeepMomming.com.
Posted by Charlotte Strickland @ 9:06 PM
Labels: #MC, Keep Momming
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Sea Tow Influencer
"I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Sea Tow. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating."
Now that summer is upon us and that we have been to the beach and plan on going back more this summer it's time to bring on the fun! My best friend who lives at the beach has been looking into getting either jet skis or a small Sea Tow Boat which I think would be awesome to drive! I remember growing up and going to Ocean City, MD with my family. We would rent a boat and head out to sea for a day and we would have so much fun too! But there was always the safety measure's that we would have to take before we could go out on the sea for a cruise.
Sea Tow is the #1 choice for boaters out there? I personally knew that because of my friends and family who own a boat or who go boating often. We have life jackets at my parents house that we used when we would go boating with our friends in the past but haven't used them since then. We probably should update them now since we plan on going more now that Olivia is older and is enjoying the outdoors. Sea Tow is perfect for all boaters nationwide for on-water assistance when needed! Plus they have a membership and having a Sea Tow membership you receive free towing, fuel drops, jump starts, priority service, Automated Radio Checks, 24/7 nationwide coverage, knowledgable Captains, covered undergroundings, savings, and much more! Sea Tow memberships are available in Gold Card for $169 a year and Lake Card for $119 a year options.
The Sea Tow Foundation was created in 2007 by Sea Tow founder, Captain Joe Frohnhoefer. The Sea Tow Foundation promotes safe boating practices and education initiatives that directly reduce accidents, fatalities, and property damage related to recreational boating. The Sea Tow Foundation has distributated close to 15,000 life jackets nationwide to help make recreational boaters safer on the water with Life Jacket Loaner Stands located Nationwide!
I feel that this is such a great idea with loaning out life jackets because for those who can't afford a life jacket but still want to enjoy boating with friends should be able to. It's not fair to them to not be able to enjoy it! We want to be able to go on a jet ski this summer sometime during the summer at least. I have never been and I would love to go! Even if it's just on a lake. We are planning on going to White Lake which is about 30 minutes from our house next week and we can't wait to float around and get some sun but not only that but to enjoy the lake and quietness too. Olivia loves going far our in the lake too because she can which is a plus compared to the ocean! One day we will get a boat and be able to go enjoy the lake and enjoy the ocean too! We plan on making some really tasty snacks while we are at the lake and we can make them for on the boat too while at the beach!
What fun things are you planning on doing this summer?
Posted by Charlotte Strickland @ 4:10 PM 2 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Ferrari Driving School3232 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103
Email this business
(718) 278-6679 Additional Contacts
Ferrari Driving School has been teaching safe driving since 1968! Professional Driving Instruction & Road Tests. Low Rates Beginner to advanced courses. Call For Fast Road Test appointment. Cars-Free Pick-up, Teenage program, 5 Hour Class open to the public. Free CDL Training & Road Test (If qualified) Class A tractor trailer, Class B Trucks, Class BP/C Buses, Fork lift training.


text:
Military sexual assault: a comparative legal analysis of the 2012 department of defense report on sexual assault in the military: what it tells us, what it doesn't tell us, and how inconsistent statistic gathering inhibits winning the "invisible war"
Military sexual assault: a comparative legal analysis of the 2012 department of defense report on sexual assault in the military: what it tells us, what it doesn't tell us, and how inconsistent statistic gathering inhibits winning the "invisible war" (PDF)
Source: Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society
In May 2013, the Department of Defense released its 2012 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) report. 1 It is two volumes, totaling 1,494 pages of information related to military sexual assault. 2 While this seems an overwhelming amount of information, a thorough analysis reveals many inconsistencies, problems in the information gathering, and the absence ofmany vital statistics. Much of the report is focused on the Department of Defense and individual military branches touting their efforts at eradicating sexual assault, becoming akin to a "show and tell" exhibition rather than providing accurate, rigorous, and useful information. This Article discusses the numerous flaws in the data gathering and reporting process and how these errors are inhibiting the implementation of effective battle tactics on this front.
Approaches for Establishing Fraud Risk Assessment Programs and Conducting Fraud Audit Risk Assessments Within the Department of Defense
Approaches for Establishing Fraud Risk Assessment Programs and Conducting Fraud Audit Risk Assessments Within the Department of Defense
Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General
The objective of the review was to identify approaches for establishing fraud risk assessment programs and conducting fraud risk assessments within the DoD. The review focused on various DoD activities including procurement, retail, and financial operations.
What We Found
We identified numerous innovative approaches for conducting fraud risk assessments. Of the 33 DoD organizations we interviewed,* 13 were conducting entity-wide risk assessments, 26 were conducting fraud risk assessments when performing audit-related work, 23 were providing fraud awareness training, and 3 were concentrating on internal control evaluations.
DoD entities are encouraged to modify any of the described approaches to suit their specific mission, size, and fraud vulnerabilities. The approaches were developed through research and interviews with 100 subject matter experts representing DoD organizations, academic institutions, private companies, and nonprofit organizations.
Fraud risk assessment approaches developed by the Marine Corps Nonappropriated Funds Audit Service; Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Audit Division; and the Army Audit Agency are highlighted within this report. Additionally, entity-wide fraud risk assessment approaches developed by the DoD Investigative Organizations; Naval Exchange Service Command, Office of Internal Audit; and the Naval Sea Systems Command Office of the Inspector General are also discussed in detail. The report also contains information on auditor and entity-wide fraud risk assessment approaches developed by external DoD organizations.
We used documentation obtained from the subject matter experts to develop example documents included in the report Appendixes. Example documents include audit organization fraud risk assessment policies, financial statement audit fraud interview questionnaire, and an entity-wide fraud risk assessment report. The report also provides information on auditor fraud brainstorming and interviewing techniques and DoD fraud case study examples.
Management Comments and Our Response
We have incorporated draft report comments received from the Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command; Naval Audit Service; Defense Health Agency; Defense Information Systems Agency, Office of the Inspector General; Air Force Office of Special Investigations; and Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. No further comments are required.
CRS Insights — District of Columbia: Marijuana Decriminalization and Enforcement; Issues of Home Rule and Congressional Oversight
CRS Insights — District of Columbia: Marijuana Decriminalization and Enforcement; Issues of Home Rule and Congressional Oversight (PDF)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)
Decriminalization of marijuana in the District is one of several issues that have engendered controversy and congressional intervention. Like the controversies surrounding the District's medical marijuana initiative, needle exchange, and abortion services, the District's marijuana decriminalization act pits the principle of home rule against Congress's constitutional authority and prerogative to intervene in District affairs.
Supporters of the law point to the shift in public opinion surrounding the legalization of marijuana use; noting that the majority of the country favors legalization. They also note that the act is intended to address the racial disparities in marijuana arrest rates in the District. According to a committee report accompanying the legislation, blacks accounted for 90% of the marijuana arrests in the District despite evidence that they use marijuana at a rate comparable to use by whites. Supporters note that a single arrest for marijuana possession has a significant impact on future employment and career prospects.
Opponents of the law argue that enforcement will be problematic given the unique status of the District as the Nation's Capital. On the one hand, possession of a small quantity of marijuana on non-federal lands would be reduced to a misdemeanor punishable by a small fine. On the other hand, possession of that same quantity of marijuana on federal lands, including the Mall, the National Zoo, and Rock Creek Park could be prosecuted, at the discretion of the Department of Justice, as a federal offense and subject the offender to six months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine, given that marijuana is defined as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. §811). The matter of enforcement is further complicated by the presence of 32 federal law enforcement agencies that provide assistance to the District's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) through cooperative agreements that expand the area of jurisdiction an agency's law enforcement personnel may patrol with the power to arrest.
iDATA: Improving Defences Against Targeted Attack
iDATA: Improving Defences Against Targeted Attack (PDF)
Source: Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (UK)
iDATA is a CPNI cyber research programme. The programme consists of a number of projects aimed at addressing threats posed by nation states and state-sponsored actors. iDATA has resulted in a number of outputs for the cyber security community. This document provides a description of the iDATA programme and a summary of the outputs.
Cyber Risks: The Growing Threat (III – updated)
Cyber Risks: The Growing Threat
Source: Insurance Information Institute
Amid a rising number of high profile mega data breaches—most recently at eBay, Target and Neiman Marcus—government is stepping up its scrutiny of cyber security. This is leading to increased calls for legislation and regulation, placing the burden on companies to demonstrate that the information provided by customers and clients is properly safeguarded online.
Despite the fact that cyber risks and cyber security are widely acknowledged to be a serious threat, many companies today still do not purchase cyber risk insurance. However, this is changing. Recent legal developments underscore the fact that reliance on traditional insurance policies is not enough, as companies face growing liabilities in this fast-evolving area.
Specialist cyber insurance policies have been developed by insurers to help businesses and individuals protect themselves from the cyber threat. Market intelligence suggests that the types of specialized cyber coverage being offered by insurers are expanding in response to this fast-growing market need.
There is also growing evidence that in the wake of the Target data breach and other high profile breaches, the number of policies is increasing, and that insurance has a key role to play as companies and individuals look to better manage and reduce their potential financial losses from cyber risks in future.
Information Exposed: Historical Examination of Data Breaches in New York State
Information Exposed: Historical Examination of Data Breaches in New York State (PDF)
Source: New York State Attorney General
From press release:
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today issued a new report examining the growing number, complexity, and costs of data breaches in the New York State. Using information provided to the Attorney General's Office pursuant to the New York State Information Security Breach & Notification Act, the report, titled "Information Exposed: Historical Examination of Data Security in New York State, analyzes eight years of security breach data and how it has impacted New Yorkers.
The report reveals that the number of reported data security breaches in New York more than tripled between 2006 and 2013. In that same period, 22.8 million personal records of New Yorkers have been exposed in nearly 5,000 data breaches, which have cost the public and private sectors in New York upward of $1.37 billion in 2013. In addition, the report also found that hacking intrusions – in which third parties gain unauthorized access to data stored on a computer system – were the leading cause of data security breaches, accounting for roughly 40 percent of all breaches. Attorney General Schneiderman's report also presents new recommendations on steps that both organizations and consumers can take to protect themselves from data loss.
CRS — Unaccompanied Alien Children: Potential Factors Contributing to Recent Immigration
Unaccompanied Alien Children: Potential Factors Contributing to Recent Immigration (PDF)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via U.S. State Department Foreign Press Center)
Since FY2008, the growth in the number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras seeking to enter the United States has increased substantially. Total unaccompanied child apprehensions increased from about 8,000 in FY2008 to 52,000 in the first 8 ½ months of FY2014. Since 2012, children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (Central America's "northern triangle") account for almost all of this increase. Apprehension trends for these three countries are similar and diverge sharply from those for Mexican children. Unaccompanied child migrants' motives for migrating to the United States are often multifaceted and difficult to measure analytically.
Four recent out-migration-related factors distinguishing northern triangle Central American countries are high violent crime rates, poor economic conditions fueled by relatively low economic growth rates, high rates of poverty, and the presence of transnational gangs.
U.S. Sentencing Commission Authorizes Delayed Retroactive Sentence Reductions for Drug Offenders
U.S. Sentencing Commission Authorizes Delayed Retroactive Sentence Reductions for Drug Offenders (PDF)
Source: United States Sentencing Commission
On July 18, 2014, the Commission voted unanimously to apply a reduction in the sentencing guideline levels applicable to most federal drug trafficking offenders retroactively. Unless Congress disapproves the amendment, beginning November 1, 2014, eligible offenders can ask courts to reduce their sentences. Offenders whose requests are granted by the courts can be released no earlier than November 1, 2015.
+ Retroactivity Amendment and Synopsis (PDF)
+ Chair's Remarks on Retroactivity Vote (PDF)
+ Public Comment on Retroactivity
+ Impact Analysis: Retroactive Application of 2014 Drug Guidelines Amendment (PDF)
+ Recidivism Analysis: Offenders Receiving Retroactive Sentence Reductions (PDF)
DOG OIG — Development and Implementation of Sexual Assault Evidence and Criminal Records Retention Policy
Development and Implementation of Sexual Assault Evidence and Criminal Records Retention Policy
Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General
We initiated this review as required by the "National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014." Our objective was to review the Military Criminal Investigative Organizations'[1] (MCIO) progress in implementing DoD policy on the retention of and access to evidence and criminal records relating to sexual assault of service members as required by "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012," and Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 5505.18, "Investigation of Adult Sexual Assault in the Department of Defense," January 25, 2013, Incorporating Change 1, May 1, 2013.
DoD has developed policy for retaining and accessing evidence and criminal records for sexual assault victims as required by NDAA FY 2012. The MCIOs have issued Service-specific policies and procedures to implement Federal law and DoD guidance.
Management Comments
No written response to this report was required.
EU — Fighting fraud: Major progress in anti-fraud policy but Member States must do more to combat fraud
Fighting fraud: Major progress in anti-fraud policy but Member States must do more to combat fraud
Source: European Commission
Member States must step up their work to prevent, detect and report fraud affecting EU funds, according to the Commission's annual report on the protection of financial interests (PIF report). The report sets out detailed recommendations on areas that national authorities should particularly focus on in this respect. The report finds that detected fraud in EU spending accounts for less than 0.2% of all funds. Nevertheless, the Commission believes that greater efforts at national level both on combatting and detecting fraud should be deployed. The annual PIF report therefore recommends, amongst other things, that Member States review their controls to ensure they are risk-based and well-targeted.
On the positive side, the report notes that good progress is being made at national level to implement new rules and policies which will strengthen the fight against fraud in the years ahead. Moreover, at EU level, the past 5 years have seen major advances in shaping a stronger anti-fraud landscape. These initiatives can have a marked impact on fraud levels, once they are fully implemented.
Crime in England and Wales, Year Ending March 2014
Crime in England and Wales, Year Ending March 2014
Source: Office for National Statistics
Key points
- Latest figures from the CSEW show there were an estimated 7.3 million incidents of crime against households and resident adults (aged 16 and over) in England and Wales for the year ending March 2014. This represents a 14% decrease compared with the previous year's survey, and is the lowest estimate since the survey began in 1981.
- The CSEW covers a broad range of victim based crimes and includes crimes which do not come to the attention of the police. Decreases were evident for most major crime types compared with the previous year; violence saw a 20% fall, criminal damage fell by 17%, and theft offences decreased by 10%.
- In contrast, police recorded crime shows no overall change from the previous year, with 3.7 million offences recorded in the year ending March 2014. Prior to this police recorded crime figures have shown year on year reductions since 2002/03.
- While both series have shown falls in crime since 2002/03, police recorded crime has fallen at a faster rate than the survey, particularly between 2006/07 and 2011/12. This has raised questions about the quality of crime recording by the police.
- For the most recent year this pattern has changed with the recorded crime series showing a similar level of crime compared with the previous year while the survey continues to fall. The renewed focus on the quality of crime recording by the police is likely to have prompted improved compliance with crime recording standards in some police forces, leading to a higher proportion of reported crimes being recorded. This is thought to have particularly impacted the police recorded figures for violence against the person (up 6%) and public order offences (up 2%).
- The number of police recorded shoplifting offences showed a 7% increase compared with the previous year. Anecdotal evidence from police forces suggests that this rise is likely to be a result of a genuine increase in crime rather than any change in recording practice.
- There was also a large increase in the volume of fraud recorded (17% year on year), though it is difficult to judge to what extent that reflected an improvement in recording practices, an increase in public reports or a rise in actual criminality.
- Sexual offences recorded by the police saw a 20% rise from the previous year and continues the pattern seen in recent publications. This rise is related to the effect of the Operation Yewtree investigation, connected to the Jimmy Savile inquiry, whereby more victims are coming forward to report offences to the police. Improved compliance with the recording standards for sexual offences in some police forces may also be a factor.
Global Cybercrime: The Interplay of Politics and Law
Global Cybercrime: The Interplay of Politics and Law
Source: Centre for International Governance Innovation
Examining global cybercrime as solely a legal issue misses an important facet of the problem. Understanding the applicable legal rules, both domestically and internationally, is important. However, major state actors are using concerted efforts to engage in nefarious cyber activities with the intention of advancing their economic and geostrategic interests. This paper explores the recent unsealing of a 31-count indictment against five Chinese government officials and a significant cyber breach, perpetrated by Chinese actors against Western oil, energy and petrochemical companies. The paper concludes by noting that increased cooperation among governments is necessary, but unlikely to occur as long as the discourse surrounding cybercrime remains so heavily politicized and securitized. If governments coalesced around the notion of trying to prevent the long-term degradation of trust in the online economy, they may profitably advance the dialogue away from mutual suspicion and toward mutual cooperation.
Hot Spots Vehicle Theft Report
Hot Spots Vehicle Theft Report
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau
From press release:
For 2013, the 10 MSAs with the highest vehicle theft rates were:
2013 Ranking 2012 Ranking 1. Bakersfield, Calif. 3. 2. Fresno, Calif. 2. 3. Modesto, Calif. 1. 4. San Francisco/Oakland/Hayward, Calif. 6. 5. Stockton-Lodi, Calif. 4. 6. Redding, Calif. 10. 7. Spokane-Spokane Valley, Wash. 9. 8. Vallejo-Fairfield, Calif. 8. 9. San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, Calif. 7. 10. Yuba City, Calif. 31.
Decline in Drug Overdose Deaths After State Policy Changes — Florida, 2010–2012
Decline in Drug Overdose Deaths After State Policy Changes — Florida, 2010–2012
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (CDC)
During 2003–2009, the number of deaths caused by drug overdose in Florida increased 61.0%, from 1,804 to 2,905, with especially large increases in deaths caused by the opioid pain reliever oxycodone and the benzodiazepine alprazolam (1). In response, Florida implemented various laws and enforcement actions as part of a comprehensive effort to reverse the trend. This report describes changes in overdose deaths for prescription and illicit drugs and changes in the prescribing of drugs frequently associated with these deaths in Florida after these policy changes. During 2010–2012, the number of drug overdose deaths decreased 16.7%, from 3,201 to 2,666, and the deaths per 100,000 persons decreased 17.7%, from 17.0 to 14.0. Death rates for prescription drugs overall decreased 23.2%, from 14.5 to 11.1 per 100,000 persons. The decline in the overdose deaths from oxycodone (52.1%) exceeded the decline for other opioid pain relievers, and the decline in deaths for alprazolam (35.6%) exceeded the decline for other benzodiazepines. Similar declines occurred in prescribing rates for these drugs during this period. The temporal association between the legislative and enforcement actions and the substantial declines in prescribing and overdose deaths, especially for drugs favored by pain clinics, suggests that the initiatives in Florida reduced prescription drug overdose fatalities.
McCaskill: Campus Sexual Assault Survey Results a 'wakeup call' for Schools
McCaskill: Campus Sexual Assault Survey Results a 'wakeup call' for Schools
Source: Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
U.S. Senator and former sex crimes prosecutor Claire McCaskill today released the results of a first-of-its-kind national survey on campus sexual assaults—results McCaskill said must serve as a "wakeup call" to the nation's institutions of higher learning.
The massive survey of schools demonstrates a disturbing failure by many institutions to comply with the law and with best practices in how they handle sexual violence against students—failures which affect nearly every stage of the institutions' responses to sexual violence.
Among the findings in McCaskill's survey:
- Investigations: Federal law requires every institution that knows or reasonably should have known about an alleged sexual assault to conduct an investigation. But 41 percent of schools surveyed have not conducted a single investigation in the past five years. More than 21 percent of the nation's largest private institutions conducted fewer investigations than the number of incidents they reported to the Department of Education, with some institutions reporting as many as seven times more incidents of sexual violence than they have investigated.
- Training: 21 percent of institutions surveyed provide no sexual assault response training at all for members of their faculty and staff. 31 percent of schools do not provide any sexual assault training for students.
- Title IX coordinator: Colleges and universities are required to assign a staff or faculty member as a Title IX coordinator, with responsibility for coordinating the institution's compliance efforts, including investigations of sexual harassment and sexual violence, but more than 10 percent of institutions surveyed do not have a Title IX coordinator.
- Adjudication: Federal law requires institutions that receive claims of sexual assault to conduct an adjudication process to determine whether an assault occurred and, if it did, to reach a determination. But:
- 33 percent of schools failed to provide basic training to the people adjudicating claims.
- 43 percent of the nation's largest public schools let students help adjudicate cases.
- 22 percent of institutions give athletic departments oversight of cases involving athletes.
- Climate surveys: Confidential climate surveys of students are one of the best ways to get an accurate portrait of assaults on a campus, but only 16 percent of schools conduct climate surveys.
- Coordination with law enforcement: Law enforcement officials at 30 percent of institutions receive no training on how to respond to reports of sexual violence, and 73 percent of institutions have no protocols on how the institution & law enforcement work together to respond to such violence.
Is Scrap Metal Theft Legislation Working for States?
Is Scrap Metal Theft Legislation Working for States?
Source: Council of State Governments
Insurance companies, law enforcement officials and industry watchdogs have called scrap metal theft—including copper, aluminum, nickel, stainless steel and scrap iron—one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. State leaders have taken notice, passing a flurry of legislation meant to curb metal theft and help law enforcement find and prosecute criminals. Researchers at The Council of State Governments, in collaboration with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, set out to determine if all that legislation is having an impact on metal theft rates.
To determine if state legislation has been effective at curbing metal theft, a thorough analysis is needed that starts with an evaluation of trends in metal theft incident rates at the state level. After an evaluation of the existing research and interviews with state and local officials and law enforcement personnel across all 50 states, CSG researchers concluded that metal theft data for states are not available for analysis.
Because metal theft is such a significant and widespread problem, and because accurately tracking metal theft is key to establishing evidence-based practices designed to both deter theft and to assist in the investigation and prosecution of theft, it is imperative that states evaluate ways to begin collecting these data.
Moving forward, it is unlikely data will be available on a scale necessary to perform meaningful analysis unless a widespread effort is launched to create systems to document, track and report metal theft crime uniformly and consistently. CSG researchers recommend continued discussion regarding the development of a uniform tracking system for metal theft or modifications to current systems.
CRS — Domestic Federal Law Enforcement Coordination: Through the Lens of the Southwest Border
Domestic Federal Law Enforcement Coordination: Through the Lens of the Southwest Border (PDF)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via U.S. State Department Foreign Press Center)
Federally led law enforcement task forces and intelligence information sharing centers are ubiquitous in domestic policing. They are launched at the local, state, and national levels and respond to a variety of challenges such as violent crime, criminal gangs, terrorism, white-collar crime, public corruption, even intelligence sharing. This report focuses on those task forces and information sharing efforts that respond to federal counterdrug and counterterrorism priorities in the Southwest border region. More generally, the report also offers context for examining law enforcement coordination. It delineates how this coordination is vital to 21st century federal policing and traces some of the roots of recent cooperative police endeavors.
CRS — The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions (updated)
The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions (PDF)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)
The U.S. Secret Service has two missions—criminal investigations and protection. Criminal investigation activities have expanded since the inception of the Service from a small anticounterfeiting operation at the end of the Civil War, to now encompassing financial crimes, identity theft, counterfeiting, computer fraud, and computer-based attacks on the nation's financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure, among other areas. Protection activities, which have expanded and evolved since the 1890s, include ensuring the safety and security of the President, Vice President, their families, and other identified individuals and locations.


text:
- Strasburg to undergo further forearm tests
- Nationals to introduce Harper on Thursday
- Nats option Balester, recall Zimmermann
- Morgan receives seven-game suspension
- Dibble takes time off after radio comments
- Willingham has successful knee surgery
WASHINGTON -- Nationals third-base coach Pat Listach said he would like to manage the Cubs. According to published reports, Listach became a candidate for the job after Lou Piniella stepped down following Sunday's game against the Braves. Mike Quade is currently the interim manager.
Listach managed in the Cubs' Minor League system for four seasons, going 253-221. His best season was in 2008, when he guided Triple-A Iowa to an 83-59 record, and he is still respected by the organization.
"I would definitely like the job," Listach said. "But I have a job to do here in Washington. If that job is available, it would be a dream come true. When you bring a championship to that city and that team, it's a big deal.
"It's one of the elite jobs in baseball. When you start talking about the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers, that's the elite of the elite. Just to be considered is an honor. It makes me feel good as a person that I've done the right things in this game that people would consider me."
While in the Cubs' Minor League system, Listach managed players such as Geovany Soto, Tyler Colvin and Carlos Marmol, who are currently in the big leagues.
"They had success in the Minor League level, and they have been promoted and they have stuck," Listach said.
Piniella is the reason Listach is with the Nationals. Piniella spoke to then-general manager Jim Bowden, who hired Listach as the team's third-base coach because of that recommendation.
Listach understands there will be a lot of competition for the Cubs' managerial job.
"I respect all the other managers who are in contention -- Ryne Sandberg, Mike Quade, Fredi Gonzalez and Bob Brenly," he said. "We have all heard the same names. I respect all those guys. They are good people. They want the job as well. I hope they keep Quade as manager."
Strasburg to undergo further forearm tests
WASHINGTON -- Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg, who is on the disabled list because of a flexor strain on his right forearm, will have an arthrogram Thursday to determine if something is seriously wrong.
Strasburg hurt his forearm on Saturday in an 8-1 Nationals victory over the Phillies. With the Nats leading, 5-1, and one out in the fifth, Strasburg was facing Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown when -- on a 1-1 pitch -- he grimaced in pain and shook his right arm.
Strasburg then motioned for the Nationals' trainer to come to the mound. Manager Jim Riggleman, pitching coach Steve McCatty and head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz came out to see what was wrong with Strasburg, who wanted to stay in the game but left a few moments later.
In that outing, Strasburg pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, striking out six batters and walking none. He threw 56 pitches, including 38 strikes.
On Sunday, Strasburg had an MRI on the forearm, and the team doctor didn't like what he saw, so Strasburg will have an arthrogram to get a better look at the arm.
Nationals to introduce Harper on Thursday
WASHINGTON -- The Nationals are expected to hold a news conference to introduce outfielder Bryce Harper, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, on Thursday at 5:45 p.m. ET, before their game against the Cardinals.
Fans will be able to see the news conference on the stadium scoreboard.
Harper agreed to a five-year contract worth $9.9 million, which includes a $6.25 signing bonus. The deal is a new record for a position player signed out of the Draft. The previous record was held by Mark Teixeira, who received a four-year, $9.5 million Major League deal in 2001.
Harper is expected to wear uniform number 34.
Nats option Balester, recall Zimmermann
WASHINGTON -- The Nationals optioned reliever Collin Balester to Triple-A Syracuse after Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Cubsand are recalled right-hander Jordan Zimmermann on Thursday. Zimmermann is scheduled to start against the Cardinals on Thursday night.
The news came a day after Balester was recalled from Syracuse. Balester appeared in one game and pitched one shutout inning against the Cubs on Tuesday.
As for Zimmermann, he will make his first Major League appearance since July 18, 2009, after recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Zimmermann pitched in 16 games last year and went 3-5 with a 4.63 ERA. He was 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in four starts at Syracuse.
Zimmermann will replace Stephen Strasburg in the rotation.
Morgan receives seven-game suspension
WASHINGTON -- Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan received a seven-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his inappropriate actions, which included intentionally throwing a baseball into the stands, during the Nationals' 8-1 victory over the Phillies on Saturday. The thrown ball struck a fan in the crowd.
Morgan is appealing the suspension and was in the Nats' lineup in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Cubs. He went 0-for-3 but made a nice running grab.
"I have to just wait for my appeal process and, as far as I know, I'll just take it from there," Morgan said. "I can't really say too much there. This is ... news to me."
Dibble takes time off after radio comments
WASHINGTON -- Through their representatives, the Nationals and the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network said TV analyst Rob Dibble was not suspended. He asked for a few days off, and it was granted.
The news comes after Dibble, on his XM radio show, criticized right-hander Stephen Strasburg for not playing with injuries. Strasburg is currently on the disabled list because of a flexor strain in his right forearm.
A baseball source said that members of the Nationals organization were not happy with Dibble's comments, but they did not take action to suspend him.
With Dibble taking a break, Ray Knight will be the color commentator, while Phil Wood does the pre- and postgame show. Dibble, who was not available for comment, is expected to return on Saturday, when the Nationals play the Cardinals at Nationals Park.
Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.