text:
(1) A deferred or suspended sentence is not a prior conviction when it has been dismissed under RCW 9.95.240 -AGO 57-58 No. 106 [[to Board of Prison Terms and Paroles on August 2, 1957]];
(2) A deferred or suspended sentence is a prior conviction if the same has not been revoked or dismissed.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
July 1, 1959
Honorable Harris G. Hunter, ChairmanBoard of Prison Terms and Paroles201 Institutions BuildingOlympia, Washington Cite as: AGO 59-60 No. 50
Attention: James D. Skaggs, Member
Dear Sir:
In your letter previously acknowledged, you have requested the opinion of this office on questions which we have paraphrased as follows:
1. Whether a felony conviction, which sentence thereon was deferred or suspended and later dismissed in accordance with the provisions of RCW 9.95.240, is a prior conviction for the purpose of setting a mandatory minimum sentence under RCW 9.95.040 (2); and
2. Whether a felony conviction, which sentence thereon was deferred or suspended and never revoked or dismissed, is a prior conviction for the purpose of setting a mandatory minimum sentence under RCW 9.95.040 (2).
We must answer your first question in the negative and refer you to AGO 57-58 No. 106 [[to Board of Prison Terms and Paroles on August 2, 1957]], a copy of which is attached, for an analysis of this problem. We answer your second question in the affirmative after noting two distinct problems involved therein.
[[Orig. Op. Page 2]]
In answering your second question, we should first differentiate between a deferred and a suspended sentence. In this regard, we use the term "suspended sentence" in the following analysis to indicate that situation where the court has adjudged the accused guilty of the crime, passed proper sentence upon him, but arrests the execution or operation of the sentence upon certain specified conditions. A "deferred sentence" occurs when the court adjudges the accused guilty of the crime but stays or "defers" imposition of sentence and places that person on probation. With this distinction in mind, we will proceed to analyze each of these situations.
Your question involves an interpretation of RCW 9.95.040, which provides so far as material here:
"The following limitations are placed on the board of prison terms and paroles with regard to fixing the duration of confinement in certain cases, notwithstanding any provisions of law specifying a lesser sentence, to wit:
". . .
"(2) For a personpreviously convicted of a felony either in this state or elsewhere and who was armed with a deadly weapon at the time of the commission of his offense, or a concealed deadly weapon at the time of his arrest, the duration of confinement shall not be fixed at less than seven and one half years." (Emphasis supplied.)
Accordingly, it is felt that your question resolves itself to the issue of when is a person "previously convicted of a felony."
InState v. Liliopoulos, 165 Wash. 197, 5 P. (2d) 319 (1931), the Supreme Court of the State of Washington held, for purposes of appeal, that a suspended sentence was a final adjudication. It would therefore seem that the fact that the trial court has arrested the operation of a sentence already imposed does not affect the validity or finality of said conviction and sentence. Such a conclusion would then tend to support a proposition that such a "conviction" would also be final as a prior conviction for the purpose of imposing a mandatory minimum sentence on a subsequent conviction.
[[Orig. Op. Page 3]]
Although there is substantial authority for the position that the term "conviction" as used in statutes which, in effect, increase the length of punishment for subsequent convictions, requires not only a "conviction" in the accepted sense but also an operative sentence thereon, such reasoning would not seem to be persuasive. See 5 A.L.R. (2d) 1077. Many jurisdictions which have considered this problem, and it is submitted the majority, although the annotation does not take this position, have arrived at a contrary view and have concluded that the fact that a court has exercised its discretion and sought to rehabilitate an individual without recourse to incarceration does not alter the ultimate fact that such a person has sustained a previous conviction of a felony. Winn v. Commonwealth, Ky. Ct. App., 303 S.W. (2d) 275 (1957); State v. Olson, 200 Iowa 660, 204 N.W. 278 (1925); 5 A.L.R. (2d) 1077.
Seemingly, those cases cited at the end of this opinion in regard to deferred sentences should also be included in this reference, as they would appear to be an extension of the theory of the above cases.
Although the supreme court of this state has not specifically ruled on this issue, there are cases which tend to support the above reasoning. In the case ofState v. Edelstein, 146 Wash. 221, 262 Pac. 622 (1927), the court was presented with an analogous problem; whether a prior felony conviction, from which sentence the defendant had been pardoned, was still a prior conviction within the intent of the habitual criminal statute. The court there concluded that such was a prior conviction and that the exercise of executive clemency did not expiate such a conviction for all purposes. See alsoState v. Cullen, 14 Wn. (2d) 105, 127 P. (2d) 257 (1942). Such an interpretation, applied to the instant problem would indicate that the trial court's exercise of discretion in choosing to arrest the execution of sentence would not affect its substance as a previous conviction.
This reasoning receives further support in the case of State ex rel. Zbinden v. Superior Court, 135 Wash. 458, 238 Pac. 9, 240 Pac. 565 (1925). In that case the relator had been convicted of a felony and his sentence thereon had been suspended. He was subsequently charged and convicted of another felony. When the relator requested that he be placed on probation from the latter conviction, the trial court held that under the applicable statute the relator was not entitled to such clemency and refused to exercise its discretion in the matter. On mandamus to force the trial court to exercise its discretion, the supreme court was required to construe the applicable statute (Rem. Comp. Stat. § 2280, which is presently RCW 9.92.060, with the pertinent limitation amended out by § 1, chapter 227, Laws of 1957), which then read:
[[Orig. Op. Page 4]]
"Whenever any personnever before convicted of a felony or gross misdemeanor shall be convicted . . . the court may in its discretion . . . direct that such sentence be stayed . . ." (Emphasis supplied.)
The court held, without discussing the point directly here in question, that the relator had been previously convicted of a felony and was therefore not entitled to the benefits of the statute. The decision does, however, necessitate a conclusion that a conviction, where sentence has been suspended, is a prior conviction within the meaning of the suspended sentence statute.
Although this case was concerned with a benefit which might be granted to a defendant, and not concerned with a law which effectively increased a defendant's punishment, it is submitted that the reasoning equally applies and that a conviction where sentence has been suspended and not revoked is still a previous conviction within the intent of the statute.
It is therefore the opinion of this office that a suspension of sentence would not distinguish such a conviction so as to render inoperative the provisions of RCW 9.95.040.
The "deferred sentence" situation must be considered separately as it presents a very important technical variance from a suspended sentence. Here, the trial court chooses not to impose a sentence upon a defendant but to immediately place him on probation. Accordingly, it must be decided whether a "conviction" occurs prior to the imposition of sentence for the purposes of the mandatory minimum sentence statute.
We might first consider what actually occurs when a person is granted a deferred sentence. The court normally proceeds as with any other criminal prosecution up to the point of sentencing. However, the court, instead of pronouncing sentence, only formally declares and adjudges the accused guilty of the crime, and thereupon stays the imposition of sentence upon conditions set forth. In practice, then, the court does formally find the defendant guilty of the crime. Does this then constitute the "conviction" contemplated by the statute in question?
At the outset, we are met with a number of Washington decisions which arguably indicate a negative conclusion to this question. InState v. Farmer, [[Orig. Op. Page 5]] 39 Wn. (2d) 675, 237 P. (2d) 734 (1951), it was held that no appeal would lie from a deferred sentence; this case being in accord with an earlier decision on the same point. SeeState v. Siglea, 196 Wash. 283, 82 P. (2d) 583 (1938). From these decisions it is evident that a conviction where sentence is not imposed is not final for purposes of appeal.
InState v. Burnett, 144 Wash. 598, 602, 258 Pac. 484 (1927), our high court said, in construing the intent of the habitual criminal statute:
". . . that word [convicted], as used in the statute, manifestly meaning a finding or plea of guilty and an enforcible [[enforceable]]judgment rendered thereon in a court of competent jurisdiction."
InState v. Siglea, supra, at p. 285, the court said, in concluding that no appeal could be taken from a deferred sentence:
"As a prerequisite to an appeal in a criminal case, there must be a final judgment terminating the prosecution of the accused and disposing of all matters submitted to the court for its consideration and determination. . . .
"The term 'judgment' has been defined as the determination or sentence of the law, pronounced by a competent judge or court, . . . affirming that, upon matters submitted for its decision, a legal duty or liability does or does not exist. . . .
"In a criminal case, it is the sentence that constitutes the judgment against the accused, and, hence, there can be no judgment against him until sentence is pronounced. . . ."
This statement was further amplified in State v. King, 18 Wn. (2d) 747, 753, 140 P. (2d) 283 (1943), wherein it was said:
"In its technical legal signification 'sentence' is ordinarily synonymous with 'judgment' and denotes the action of a court of criminal jurisdictionformally declaring to the accused the legal consequences of the guilt which he has confessed [[Orig. Op. Page 6]] or of which he has been convicted." (Emphasis supplied.)
When these cases are read together, a strong argument can be made that our court has in fact concluded and held that a final judgment is a requisite of a "conviction" and inherent in a final judgment is the imposition of sentence by the court. However, it should be noted that the statement in the Burnett case was only dicta, as such a conclusion was not required for the decision of that case. There the court was concerned only with what had to be alleged in the information, in order to charge a prior conviction. TheSiglea case is also explainable, in that the court was only concerned with what type of judgment was appealable under the rules applicable at that time.
The statement above quoted from the King case, though ostensibly supporting the prior statements, can be construed favorably to the conclusion expressed in this opinion. There, as evidenced by the portion which is above underlined, the court actually points out that the judgment and sentence is merely the declaration of the legal consequence of guilt of which the person had previously beenconvicted. SeePeople v. Funk, 321 Mich. 617, 33 N.W. (2d) 95 (1948).
There are a number of statutes which lend support to the conclusion that a conviction technically occurs prior to the imposition of sentence. When these statutes are considered in light of the rule of construction that statutes inpari materia are to be construed together, they become entitled to substantial consideration in the resolution of this issue. As was said inState v. Houck, 32 Wn. (2d) 681, 684, 203 P. (2d) 693 (1949):
"Statutes inpari materia must be construed together. Statutes inpari materia are those which relate to the same person or thing . . . and in construing a statute, or statutes, all acts relating to the same subject matter or having the same purpose, should be read in connection therewith as together constituting one law. The object of the rule is to ascertain and carry into effect the intent of the legislature, and it proceeds upon the supposition that the several statutes having to do with related subject matters were governed by one spirit or policy, and were intended to be consistent and harmonious in their several parts and provisions."
[[Orig. Op. Page 7]]
RCW 10.01.050 provides:
"No person charged with any offense against the law shall be punished for such offense, unless he shall have been duly and legally convicted thereof in a court having competent jurisdiction of the case and of the person." (Emphasis supplied.)
RCW 10.01.060 also provides:
"No person informed against or indicted for a crime shall be convicted thereof, unless by admitting the truth of the charge in his plea, by confession in open court, or by the verdict of a jury, accepted and recorded by the court: . . ."
From a reading of these statutes, it is evident that the legislature in using the term "convicted" contemplated that point in a prosecution where the court formally declares the accused guilty of the crime charged, and did not contemplate that the term was to include the imposition of sentence by the court. This point is aptly made in the probation statute, RCW 9.95.200, which begins:
"After conviction by plea or verdict of guilty of any crime, the court upon application or its own motion, may summarily grant or deny probation, . . ."
See also RCW 10.64.020. Therefore these statutes would seem to furnish us with a sound indication that the legislature in using the term "conviction" in RCW 9.95.040, intended the term to mean a finding or adjudging of guilt and not the passing of sentence.
It might be argued, however, that criminal statutes must be construed strictly against the state and in favor of an accused, State v. Thompson, 38 Wn. (2d) 774, 232 P. (2d) 87 (1951), and that the above interpretation would not be a strict construction, but as was said in the case ofState v. Rinkes, 49 Wn. (2d) 664, 667, 306 P. (2d) 205 (1957):
"In construing penal statutes, we are committed to the following rules:
"A court may not place a narrow, literal, and technical construction upon a part only of a statute, and ignore other relevant parts. In the process of construction, the intention of the lawmakers must be extracted from a consideration of all of the provisions [[Orig. Op. Page 8]] of the act. In re Cress, 13 Wn. (2d) 7, 15, 123 P. (2d) 767 (1942). Statutes are to be construed according to their evident intent and purpose. . . .
"Where an act has a doubtful or ambiguous meaning, it is the duty of the court to adopt a construction that is reasonably liberal, in furtherance of the obvious or manifest purpose of the legislature. . . .
"Penal statutes are to be construed strictly, to the end that offenses not entitled to be included shall not be prosecuted. But they are not to be construed so strictly that they would be defeated by a forced or over-strict construction. . . .
"Strict construction of a penal statute means merely that the punitive sanctions must be confined to such matters as are clearly and manifestly within the statutory terms and purposes. It does not mean that a forced, narrow, and over-strict construction should be applied to defeat the obvious intent of the legislature. . . ."
Therefore, even assuming that the statute is ambiguous and subject to construction by the court (seeState v. Houck, supra; Parkhurst v. Everett, 51 Wn. (2d) 292, 318 P. (2d) 327 (1957)), the intent of the legislature should govern,Lynch V. Dept. of Labor & Industries, 19 Wn. (2d) 802, 145 P. (2d) 265 (1944); Graffell v. Honeysuckle, 30 Wn. (2d) 390, 191 P. (2d) 858 (1948), and an absurd or unreasonable construction will not be placed upon such a statute.
In applying these canons of construction, it would appear that when the legislature used the term "previously convicted," it intended that term to mean that point in a prosecution where the court formally adjudges the accused guilty of the crime. The theory underlying this type of legislation is most compatible with this interpretation. The legislature, in passing the statute, would seem to have been more concerned with the past conduct of the individual, than the possible punishment which he had received for that conduct. It would indeed seem absurd that the legislature intended to exclude a person who had received a deferred sentence, merely because a trial court had exercised its discretion on a previous occasion.
As was said inPeople v. Funk, 321 Mich. 617, 621, 33 N.W. (2d) 95 (1948), in deciding whether a deferred sentence was a prior conviction within the intent of their habitual criminal statute:
[[Orig. Op. Page 9]]
". . . The statute does not make imposition of sentence upon the previous conviction a prerequisite to the enhancement of punishment upon the fourth conviction. The conviction is a finding of guilt. Sentence is not an element of the conviction but rather a declaration of its consequences. . . ."
Such a statement would be equally appropriate in regard to our mandatory minimum sentence statute.
Although the cases which have considered this point are all directed toward habitual criminal statutes, the reasoning is equally applicable to RCW 9.95.040, and they are the more persuasive authority. SeeState v. O'Dell, 71 Idaho 64, 225 P. (2d) 1020; Ex parte Farr, 87 Okla. Crim. 411, 198 P. (2d) 748 (1948); People v. Rave, 364 Ill. 72, 3. N.E. (2d) 972 (1936).
The Supreme Court of the State of Washington would seem to have anticipated this issue when it said in the case of State ex rel. Brown v. Superior Court, 79 Wash. 570, 573, 140 Pac. 555 (1914):
". . . Numerous cases have been cited as to the proper meaning to be given the word 'conviction' in criminal statutes; whether it means the finding of guilty by either court or jury, or the status of a defendant after the finding of guilt and the imposition of judgment and sentence. It is enough to say that sometimes it means the one thing and sometimes it means the other, and we must look to the context to ascertain the real meaning to be given in the particular case. . . ."
Accordingly, in view of the foregoing arguments, it is the opinion of this office that the term "previously convicted" as used in RCW 9.95.040 encompasses those cases where the sentence was deferred and never revoked or dismissed.
It is hoped that this opinion will be of some assistance to you.
Very truly yours,JOHN J. O'CONNELLAttorney General
LAWRENCE ROSSAssistant Attorney General


text:
Accessories and Documentation
The mounting hardware that ships with the Vortex Plus is pretty inclusive. In the back is the Intel universal mounting solution. In the middle are two variations on the AMD mounting. The bottom has the thumb latch for the AMD bar on the right, and of course a couple of wire fan clips.
Additionally in the kit you will find the Intel locks and push pins to keep the universal mounting plates locked onto the board, along with a syringe of Cooler Master's own thermal compound.
I guess I was the lucky winner! I got two sets of instructions. Better to get a little bit more than be left with none at all. This fold out is very well written and easy to understand for both AMD and Intel applications.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Recent comments
- Ken Collis
- August 26, 2012 - 02:38
I enjoy going to my cabin, fishing and hunting in my area of the south coast. The cabin trips are always good because my wife, and usually when I'm lucky my kids and grandkids are there as well, but the hunting and fishing trips I always look forward to because even if my harvest is poor I know that I enjoyed the wilderness. I think of the fact that hundreds of others have stood in exactly the same places as I, but we were all alone just the same. One thing for sure, especially when you personally know of family and friends that used the same area for the same things, thier presence remains. Is it ghosts, or just my mind, I wonder?


text: iPucks gamesBookmark the permalink. Release date: Sep 4th, 2009 Price: 0.99 Version: 1.6 Seller: Douglas Currie Buy Now STP SCORE: Not yet reviewed Description Related Games Godzilla – Smash3 Monument Valley Threes! MovieCat 2 – The Movie Trivia Game Sequel! The Room Two Papa Sangre II Device 6 Lead the Brave Where's My Water? 2 Amateur Surgeon 3


text:
The unlikely pairing of conservative Ted Olson and liberal David Boies, two lawyers who had opposed each other during the 2000 Bush v. Gore case, to represent the plaintiffs was something not even the most bipartisan fantasist of a screenwriter could have come up with—pure cinematic gold, which the filmmakers mine most profitably. However one may feel about Olson's participation in the Bush case, even his most hardened left-wing haters might come to feel differently about him after seeing the awe-inspiring smarts and fair-mindedness he displays throughout the film. In fact, if ever one needed a strong argument against that often justly popular edict to "kill all the lawyers," The Case Against 8 would serve most effectively.
Trying to do the right thing becomes, for everyone involved, the simple theme of the movie, never an easy prospect. When a large number of members of the queer/liberal community express outrage over Olson's participation, we hear one prominent AFER member sigh, "The fact that we are fighting LGBT groups more than right-wing nut jobs is mind-boggling." But the drama builds as we see the witnesses being carefully prepared and smile at their answers to pointed questions, which merely affirm their deep love for each other and incredulity that such devotion in need of legal recognition could be so threatening to bigots. Kate Amend's lucid editing propels us excitingly into the courtroom as the AFER group enters, filled with trepidation and yet an uncanny kind of confidence. Even the court's decision to block any broadcast of the trial doesn't get in the way, for Cotner and White's decision to have the parties reading from their own transcripts is the perfect solution, even gaining somewhat in retrospective power.
After the initial victory against Prop. 8, there were the usual, expected appeals by the opposition to invalidate the decision, which, again, were handled by the lawyers with skillful and compassionate aplomb. It's quite amazing how moving this film is, reaching a rollercoaster emotional peak when the plaintiffs give their plainspoken but supremely eloquent public address. Misty eyes and lumps in the throat should be an audience commonplace, exacerbated by the scenes of the two couples finally being officially joined in wedlock, post-trial. As touching as this footage is, with the lesbian newlyweds surrounded by their ecstatic four sons (from previous heterosexual marriages), the film is most affecting in its law-office depiction of ferociously smart and humane minds, tirelessly at work to make such scenes the new normal in this country.
Click here for cast & crew information.


text:
@MELINDA – I mentioned this in another response – Good Morning America aired at story about this problem this morning and mentioned the Freddie Mac acting CEO. I was so glad to see this, but it still was NOT as big as it shoudl be. Also, my bro left a comment about the Army having a growing problem with an increase in suicides. We have GOT to start talking about this stuff without fear!! THANK YOU!
Jen–we really do need to talk about the increasing amount of hopelessness that so many people seem to be crippled by today. Depression is at an all time high. Personally, I think more people could benefit from seeking a higher spiritual plane. I know, for me, that true serenity and peace has come from that path.
Peace to you, Jen–


text:
found a new home!
Plenty of my friends are looking
for one too. Find a pet to adopt.
Find a pet to adopt |
My name is Laci Lee!
Facts about Laci Lee
- Breed: Yorkie, Yorkshire Terrier
- Color: Silver & Tan (Yorkie Colors)
- Age: Puppy
- Size: Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
- Sex: Female
Laci Lee's Info...
I am already spayed, housetrained, purebred, up to date with shots, and good with dogs.
INITIAL BIO 01/29/2011: Meet Laci Lee! Laci Lee was surrendered by her previous owner because she went into Assisted Living and could not take her there with her. Laci is a darling little fluffball who is full of energy. She is 10 months old and weighs 6.5# and is currently under treatment for demodectic mange. Laci Lee has only two more treatments to go before completion. Because she has been an 'only child' in her previous home, it is thought at this time that she would prefer to be the only Princess in the home - since Laci Lee just came into rescue, please check back for updated bios.
Other Pets at United Yorkie Rescue - FL - Palm Coast - Lee Filer
Why Adoption is a Great Option
Laci Lee, a Palm Coast Yorkie, Yorkshire Terrier puppy was adopted! Here's how you can benefit by looking at adoption as an option to buying a Yorkie, Yorkshire Terrier for sale in Palm Coast, or seeking a Yorkie, Yorkshire Terrier puppy from a breeder in Palm Coast.
- Rescues and shelter volunteers in Palm Coast already know the personality and tendencies of their pets. This means they can match you with the right pet. That will makes it much easier transition to owning a pet for yourself and your new pet.
- On average adoption fees are much less than you'd pay a Palm Coast breeder, or pet store. Plus most often rescue pets have already been to the veterinarian for a check-up, had a round of vaccinations, and are spayed or neutered. That is a lot of savings!
- You will become a hero, and give a needy dog or cat a loving home. In fact, there are even Yorkie, Yorkshire Terrier breeders who help with Yorkie, Yorkshire Terrier rescue. One puppy or kitten adopted in Palm Coast paves the way for another one to be saved.


text:
Man who says his dog was boiled to death speaks out
Mint farmers throughout the state are reevaluating their operations after one of their own pleaded guilty to breaking federal environmental laws.
WSBT first learned about the Starke County mint farm in August when a man said he watched his dog boil to death in the nearby creek. Pete Daley says he's been struggling since his dog passed away nearly a year ago. The burns to his own legs have healed, but he hasn't forgotten.
"My daughter got me this at the blueberry festival," says Daley as he pulls a dog tag from his shirt and shows it off, "it says in memory of George."
Daley wears his best friend's name around his neck. George was his dog — a white lab.
"That dog saved my life one night, because I am a diabetic," Daley explains, "he was doing everything he could to wake me up that night. I finally woke up and my blood sugar was 18 or 19. I have never been that low."
But Daley is still haunted by the day he couldn't save George's life.
We first met Daley last August. He told us about the day in August 2010 when he took his dog to Robin's Ditch, a stream that runs near Koontz Lake, to cool off. He didn't know the water in a nearby drainage ditch was scalding hot, until he heard his dog shrieking in pain.
"I thought he was in a snare or a leg hold," says Daley, "when I stepped into the water that is when I found out it was hot. I pulled my foot out but my dog was screaming and going crazy. I finally stepped in as far as I could and tried to pull my dog out but he was so hot I couldn't even stand to touch him. Then when I did finally get a hold of his legs and I pulled him, his hide slid right off his legs."
George died in that creek and Daley suffered serious burns to his own body.
WSBT took a thermometer to the water a few days later. In some areas it was as hot as 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
The hot water was coming from a nearby mint still. The Indiana Department of Emergency Management confirmed it had already been investigating the still after Daley's family contacted them on August 8, 2010.
The owner of that still, Michael Materna, was charged and pleaded guilty to knowingly discharging pollutants and hot water without a permit in violation of the Clean Water Act.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, "As part of the mint oil processing by Materna in the summer of 2010, water that was heated to temperatures of 160 - 190 degrees Fahrenheit and amounts of mint oil were repetitively discharged from the Materna facility into a roadside ditch..."
WSBT attempted to contact Materna several times in August of 2010 but our phone calls and inquiries at his mint still operation were fruitless. Several calls to his attorney Wednesday were not returned.
IDEM says they are still working with other mint farmers to make sure they're in compliance. There are less than two dozen mint farmers in the state — most of them in northwest Indiana.
According to St. Joseph County Mint Farmer Randy Matthys, many mint farmers feel they have been treated unfairly. Many farmers have received federal subpoenas because of IDEM's and the EPA's investigation. Matthys says IDEM came to the area in 1994 and presented information on permits and regulations to farmers but in the past 16 years never followed up. He says farmers felt they were all compliant. He says he and other mint farmers feel IDEM and the EPA have been too hard on Materna. Matthys says farmers who discovered they were not in compliance are all working to get there now. IDEM confirms this.
Materna is scheduled to be sentenced on September 1.
Copyright © 2015, Sun Sentinel


text:
The beauty of an oceanside, major metropolitan city that spans such a vast distance and encompasses so many different cultures and activities is that the choices of entertainment are seemingly endless. Check out these tours that take you and your family (where appropriate) into a wide variety of LA communities and environments.
The TMZ Tour
In partnership with Starline tours, TMZ runs a hilarious, very entertaining tour of all the spots where celebrities got in trouble, arrested and incarcerated. Unlike most Hollywood celebrity tours, you will not be driving past celebrity homes or famous dining locales unless something illegal took place there. At every stop you will be treated to a TMZ video with a crazy song telling you about where you are and why. With caustic humor, jabs will be made at the celebrities who made that location famous. Our tour guide Van who is also a paparazzi could have had his own stand up show. He had us laughing from the moment we got onto the bus until we turned into the parking lot at the end. Part of the tour is celebrity spotting. If you spot one, you get a Tshirt. Van actually jumped off the bus a liquor store in West Hollywood to see if there was a celebrity shopping inside. If you are a fan of TMZ this tour is definitely for you.
Malibu Wine Trail
Pick-up at west side hotels
(310) 393-6555
More Info
Get to know the wineries that are right here in your own back yard. Malibu Discovery operates a wine trail tour that includes tastings at 3 wineries, lunch, and a goody bag, all for $159 per person. Tours run every day and you need to make reservations three days in advance. If you're not a tourist visiting from out of town, the operators will arrange for you to start the tour at a convenient hotel location.
Vintage Venice Tours
More Info
Take an in depth walk through Venice, California with writer and resident Jonathan Kaplan. Kaplan's fascination with the history of Venice, the development of the city and the many events that took place there, including the movie and music scene launched him into the tour business. As he says on his website, rather than bore his friends hundreds of times with the same historical details he couldn't help but recite, he decided to share this info with tourists who actually want to know about things like the canals, which rooftop a homeless Jim Morrison slept on, where they filmed the movie Grease or the spot where Charlie Chaplan donned his moustache and signature hat for the first time. There are four different walking tour options.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The future is being invented at JPL, and the lucky public gets to see some of it every month during the public tours, which are free, and come with free parking! You have to make reservations at least 3 weeks in advance, and bring government ID for each adult, but once you're in, you get to see a film about JPL and then you take a 2-hour walking tour of this fortress of space research and exploration.
Segway Tour
All Los Angeles Tours
(866) 654-1622
More Info
When in Rome….or in this case LA, do as the Angelenos do, don't walk, Segway. Because as Missing Persons sang in the 80's "nobody walks in LA." Ok thats not true. LA is really a pedestrian city in many ways. But it is fun to mock our extravagant ways in LA and how much more extravagant can you get than having a Segway take you on a walking tour rather than actually walk? All Los Angeles Tours offers several Segway tours of Beverly Hills that afford you the chance to see the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills lifestyle all without setting a foot on the pavement. So if you've always wanted to scoot down Rodeo drive this is your chance to do it!
Asian Food Walking Tour
Another Side of LA Tours
More Info
Los Angeles is home to peoples of varying nationalities and backgrounds, each with their own cuisine. If you are into Asian food and want to delve deeply into an authentic experience, the folks at Another Side of LA have created custom tours just for you. They will take you into Thai Town, the second largest population of Thai's in the world, for a 3.5 hour experience that will engage your tastebuds and your senses as you explore a brief historical and cultural overview of this emerging culinary destination of Los Angeles. Or take a walking food tour through Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district, a historic neighborhood that is over 100 years old. They also offer a Dim Sum Tour and a tour of the San Gabriel Valley's New Chinatown. Sign me up! Sounds delicious.
Sunset Ranch Hollywood
Always wanted to see the Hollywood sign up close and personal? Why not see it on horseback? Sunset Ranch Hollywood offers one- and two-hour rides with spectacular views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign from Mt. Hollywood. Considered the "best view of Los Angeles" this is one tour not to miss. Kids must be at least 8 years old to take the ride.
Behind the Scenes at the Getty Museum
Another Side of LA Tours
More Info
Los Angeles is also home to the most expensive museum in the world. Designed by Richard Meyer, The Getty Museum is an architectural wonder at the pinnacle of a mountain featuring breathtaking views and lovely gardens. Just touring the Getty itself is an experience to remember from the tram ride up the hillside to the vast travertine expanse of the building. Inside The Getty houses an impressive collection of works by masters from every period. Another Side of LA provides private guided tours of The Getty that offer you the history and architectural details of the building as well as the art collection housed within.
Laura Gerson loves to discover things about Los Angeles and share them with your family. She blogs about kids activities and resources for moms at Mom Angeles.


text:
In January 2013, Medicaid and HealthWave will become KanCare. KanCare will improve the care that is provided to eligible Kansans and add new covered services, such as basic dental care. The Kansas Hospital Association is dedicated to assisting Kansas hospitals with the implementation of the KanCare program which is reinventing Medicaid for Kansas. If you have questions, contact Chad Austin or Tish Hollingsworth.
KanCare Page on KDHE Web Site
KanCare RFP and Section 1115 Waivers
Tools and Resources
The three selected three health plans, or managed care organizations listed above will partner with subcontracted organizations to help in providing certain sets of services. KanCare health plans are required to offer all current Medicaid services to beneficiaries who are enrolled in their plans. Additionally, as part of the KanCare program, each of the health plans will offer some extra (value-added) services to consumers at no cost to the State.
Click here for a current list of TAG members


text:
Sponsored by: Missoula Federal Credit Union
Nov 26, 2012 6:09 PM by Dennis Bragg - KPAX News
POLSON - Residents all across Western Montana will have a chance to weigh in this week on a proposed water management agreement between government agencies and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
It's an agreement that could resolve years of uncertainty over water management in Western Montana. But critics are also worried the pact could have a significant impact on farms and homes, especially in the Mission Valley.
Although the draft water compact is just now coming up for a week of hearings all across Western Montana, work on the proposed agreement has been underway for years.
Tribal, state and federal agency leaders have been try to working out an agreement that would establish a framework for water management in the decades to come, protecting historical uses, but also doing a better job of allocating water to protect fish and wildlife, and anticipating future needs.
At the heart of the agreement is the court-ordered requirements to meet the original agreements outlined in the 1855 Hellgate Treaty, which mean the pact must not only protect and manage water resources in the Flathead basin, but eventually the entire Clark Fork basin, stretching from the Blackfoot to the Bitterroot and downstream.
Members of the negotiating team believe they've come up with the best agreement that satisfies the courts, but will also provides a "scalable" management plan that will accommodate the available water resource as it varies from season to season.
But some groups, and especially in the Mission Valley, are worried the agreement could have far-reaching impacts on irrigation and agriculture, and even residential water wells and future development. In meetings stretching back to last summer they've expressed concern about not only the terms of the proposed pact, but the way it's been developed.
This week the latest draft of the plan is expected to supported, and criticized in hearings starting Libby, then moving to Bigfork and Kalispell Tuesday, Polson, Hot Springs and Thompson Falls on Wednesday, Arlee, Hamilton and Missoula on Thursday and then next week in Deer Lodge, Philipsburg and Ovando.
The parties will then figure out what revisions might have to be made, with the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission deciding before Christmas whether to submit the plan to the Legislature in 2013. Congress and the tribes will also have to ratify the pact.
The negotiating teams for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the State of Montana, and the United States have completed a proposed Water Rights Compact and released it for public review and comment.
The water rights settlement will quantify the water rights of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes on and off the Flathead Indian Reservation and provide for the administration of water rights on the Reservation.
Click here for more information, including copies of the proposed Compact and Ordinance. You can also click here. Send email or contact Rob McDonald, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (406) 675.2700 ext. 1222 or Bill Schultz (406) 542.5880, or Jay Weiner, (406) 444.6844, Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission
Submit written comments on the proposed Compact or Ordinance to Mr. Chris Tweeten, Chair, MT RWRCC, 2705 Spurgin Road, Building C, Missoula, MT 59804 or email
Public Meeting Schedule
LIBBY- Monday November 26, 2012 Time: 7:00 pm. Location: City of Libby - Ponderosa Meeting Room, 952 East Spruce Street, Libby, MT
BIGFORK - Tuesday November 27, 2012 Time: 1:00 pm. Location: Bethany Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall (Basement), 8559 MT HWY 35, Bigfork, MT
KALISPELL - Tuesday November 27, 2012 Time: 7:00 pm. Location: Outlaw Inn Hotel Winchester Room, 1701 US HWY 93 South, Kalispell, MT
POLSON - Wednesday November 28, 2012 Time: 9:00 am. Kwa TaqNuk Resort, 49708 US HWY 93 East, Polson, MT
HOT SPRINGS - Wednesday November 28, 2012 Time: 3:00 pm. Salish Senior Center, 214 N. Spring Street, Hot Springs, MT
THOMPSON FALLS - Wednesday November 28, 2012 Time: 7:30 pm. Thompson Falls High School Band Room, 601 Golf Street, Thompson Falls, MT
ARLEE - Thursday November 29, 2012 Time: 10:00 am. Arlee Senior Center, 106 Wessinger Street, Arlee, MT
HAMILTON - Thursday November 29, 2012 Time: 3:00 pm. Ravalli County Administrative Center, Third Floor Conference Room, 215 South 4th Street, Hamilton, MT
MISSOULA - Thursday November 29, 2012 Time: 7:30 pm. Double Tree Edgewater, Blackfoot Room, 100 Madison, Missoula, MT
DEER LODGE - Tuesday December 4, 2012 Time: 9:00 am. Powell County Community Center, 416 Cottonwood Avenue, Deer Lodge, MT
PHILIPSBURG - Tuesday December 4, 2012 Time: 2:00 pm. Granite County Museum, 135 N. Sansome Street, Phillipsburg, MT
OVANDO - Tuesday December 4, 2012 Time: 7:30 pm. Ovando School Gym, 108 Birch Street, Ovando, MT
1 day ago


text:
found a new home!
Plenty of my friends are looking
for one too. Find a pet to adopt.
Find a pet to adopt |
My name is Bentley - ADOPTION PENDING!
Facts about Bentley - ADOPTION PENDING
- Breed: Pomeranian
- Color: Red/Golden/Orange/Chestnut
- Age: Young
- Size: Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
- Sex: Male
Bentley - ADOPTION PENDING's Info...
I am already neutered, housetrained, purebred, up to date with shots, good with kids, and good with dogs.
Such a beautiful, sweet little guy! House trained and crate trained, and has lots of love to give to some lucky family! Great with other dogs and kids, this little guy is about as perfect as they come. For more information or to request an application, email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Other Pets at ArkanPaws Animal Rescue - CT Chapter
Why Adoption is a Great Option
Bentley - ADOPTION PENDING, a Somers Pomeranian dog was adopted! Here's how you can benefit by looking at adoption as an option to buying a Pomeranian for sale in Somers, or seeking a Pomeranian dog from a breeder in Somers.
- Rescues and shelter volunteers in Somers already know the personality and tendencies of their pets. This means they can match you with the right pet. That will makes it much easier transition to owning a pet for yourself and your new pet.
- On average adoption fees are much less than you'd pay a Somers breeder, or pet store. Plus most often rescue pets have already been to the veterinarian for a check-up, had a round of vaccinations, and are spayed or neutered. That is a lot of savings!
- You will become a hero, and give a needy dog or cat a loving home. In fact, there are even Pomeranian breeders who help with Pomeranian rescue. One puppy or kitten adopted in Somers paves the way for another one to be saved.


text:
Call for Concept Notes- Equity-Oriented, ICT-based Public Health Solutions |
Call for Concept Notes: Equity-Oriented, ICT-based Public Health Solutions in Latin America and the
Public eHealth Innovation and Equity in Latin America and the Caribbean (eSAC) is a project that aims at improving the health of disadvantaged groups and contributing to the advancement of equity in health in the Region, by nurturing and promoting ICT-based innovation in public health (Public eHealth). The project is funded by the Ottawa-based International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and jointly implemented by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the People, Health Equity and Innovation Research Group (Phi Group) at the
Through this call, eSAC hopes to stimulate creativity and intellectual cooperation in the Region by promoting the development and sharing of highly innovative, effective, pleasantly ingenious and simple Public eHealth solutions with the potential to promote equity in health. eSAC invites researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs in Latin America and the
Submission Categories Concept notes can be submitted in two separate categories.
Field-Tested Solutions (Cat. A): open to concept notes describing fully-developed solutions/prototypes that have already been successfully field tested and whose application could be either scaled up or expanded to different population groups or settings. Proof of Concept (Cat. B): open to concept notes describing solutions/prototypes at an early stage of development, whose theoretical feasibility has been demonstrated but that have not been field-tested, yet.
Innovation Awards
The three best solutions in Cat. A will be awarded cash prizes of Can$15,000, Can$10,000, and Can$5,000, respectively. The three best solutions in Cat. B will be awarded Can$5,000, Can$3,000 and Can$2,000, respectively. Eligibility - The call is open to:
- researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs, working either individually or in teams;
- universities, research centres, and not-for-profit organizations and institutions.
- startup companies (i.e.: newly created companies still experimenting with their business model, products and services);
Main applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of one of the countries in the Latin American and Caribbean Region. Selection Process and Criteria Concept notes will be reviewed by an international panel of experts including representatives of PAHO/WHO, the
Each submission will be independently assessed, in double blind, by two reviewers. Concept notes will be reviewed according to the following list of criteria.
Relevance: does the proposed solution address a clearly identified and properly described/quantified public health priority in the region?
Equity focus: does the proposed solution address a public health problem that disproportionally affects marginalized population groups?
Innovative value: does the proposed solution adopt a novel approach to the solution of a problem or challenge?
Elegance: does the proposed solution employ a simple, pleasantly ingenious technical approach?
Appropriateness: is the proposed solution designed taking into consideration the environmental, ethical, cultural, social, and political circumstances in which the target population lives?
Openness: does the proposed solution promote the use of open source, non-proprietary, free or quasi-free tools?
Affordability: is the proposed solution accompanied by a discussion of how it can be brought to market so that it can be afforded by the intended user population(s)?
Sustainability: does the proposal include a well-thought strategy aimed at harnessing extra resources and securing long-term sustainability?
On January 7, 2013 applicants whose concept notes have been short listed will be invited to prepare a full proposal Disclosure of Information and Treatment of Intellectual Property Applicants retain the intellectual property of their contributions but grant eSAC and its partners a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, copy for use, and publicly display or distribute the submitted materials, and any parts of them, for the exclusive purpose of administering and operating the competition, promoting submissions to others, promoting eSAC, and advocating and better understanding the field of Public eHealth and health equity. Contact Information
For further information, please contact us at:
Or +1-202-905-0510
Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 18:19 |


text:
There was an error retrieving images from Instagram. An attempt will be remade in a few minutes.
Tag Archives: Greek Summer
Floral Romper
How I would love to take pictures in front of all the houses in downtown Zante, where each one is painted in a different color, from pastel pink to bright orange..
In other news, after trying all the traditional sweets, like fitoura (fried sesame paste with sugar), I think it's time for a hardcore cleanse.
I'm really gonna miss everything.
Wearing Topshop floral romper (similar here), Greek leather sandals with crystal hearts, Asos ponytailer
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Asos ponytailer, Floral romper, Greek island, Greek Summer, LEather greek sandals, Outfit Post
Polka Dot Fun
After swimming all day in waters full of sulphur and collagen (I really need this last one :) ) – a bit smelly but so worth it – we headed to dinner in a Caribbean, reggae style place with amazing fusion cuisine.
Chocolate / biscuit mousse AND chocolate mosaic for dessert.
Wearing F21 dress, similar here, Allyouneedisstyle handmade sandals (soon on sale on the blog) , Asos sunnies (similar here), Make Up Forever lipstick
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged cateye sunglasses, Greek Islands, Greek Summer, Outfit Post, polka dot dress, streetstyle, Sulphur beach, Zante
Paisley Print
The scenery in Zante is breathtaking and so is the food. Since my arrival I have overdosed on tanning and culinary treats (fishsoup shots was a delicious surprise) and all I want is time to stop.
My book awaits me,
Wearing dress by H&M, yellow suede sandals by River Island, seashell earrings bought in Monaco, raffia clutch similar here
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Greek Summer, H&M paisley dress, Outfit Post, Paisley print, Seashell earrings, streetstyle, yellow suede sandals, Zante
Fringed Benefits
Second day in Zante was exactly like the first one, delicious food and much needed sleep. Adding to that the wonderful colors of the island, breathtaking sea view and ice cold beverages and all I want is time to stop.
Hope you are all having a wonderful summer time! :)
Wearing Dress by River Island, Vintage Heart Necklace
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Fringed Dress, Greek Islands, Greek Summer, River Island, Zante


text:
Anderson College students in front of the school, from the 1958 Columns yearbook
NEW DATABASE! ScienceDirectAvailable from our Database webpages.ScienceDirect College Edition is one of the most trusted science databases with a powerful search platform, SciVerse. Content includes 1,146 peer-reviewed journals going back to 1995 and 2,073 books. Millions of scholarly articles and book chapters are available.
New Books
Abigail Adams: A Life
By Woody Holton
This book reveals the story of a woman who was extremely unique for her time. Through its detailed accounts, the work shares the brilliance and vivacity of our nation's second First Lady. This book is an excellent read for anyone who enjoys historical biographies.
Cave Art
By Jean Clottes
This work offers a rare look at the world's first form of art. With superb photography and thorough description of over two hundred pieces of cave art, this book provides an in-depth look into the world of prehistoric art.
Ebooks on EbscoHost
Careers for Travel Buffs and Other Restless Types
By Paul Plawin
Are you having a hard time deciding on a major or career? Do you enjoy traveling and meeting new people? If so, this is the book for you. Each chapter is dedicated to a different travel related career including travel writing, travel agents, business and many more. It also provides the steps to acquiring the right travel job for you.
Nutrition for Sports and Exercise
By Lori A. Smolin and Mary B. Grosvenor
This work emphasizes the extreme importance of healthy eating when participating in sports and exercise by explaining the role of nutrition and food as energy for exercise. This book is a great resource for anyone who has committed to eating healthy and exercising in 2012.
Students in the joint Anderson College/Anderson Memorial Hospital nursing program, from the 1959 Columns yearbook
If you haven't had a chance to, please come by the library and check out our nursing display cases, located near the entrance of the library!
February is Black History Month! Please come by the library and check out our display of books written by African American authors. It's located on the front circulation desk.
Anderson University's May 2011 Commencement speaker, Dr. Belle S. Wheelan.
We are excited to announce our new ebook collection, ebrary! With this new collection, we're adding 70,000 books on a variety of subjects. ebrary allows a user to:
· Search across every single word on every single page of every single eBook.
· Copy and paste. Email. Print. Cite.
· Take notes. Store and share your research online.
Get it here – On Campus Link
Or here – Off Campus Link
View the Quick Start Guide.
Downloading – Although ebrary eBooks can be downloaded as an entire book, book chapter, or page range, most users prefer to access them online where the ebrary reader provides a superior reading experience along with many research aids such as highlighting passages, note taking, and online storage of your research when you create a personal account.


text:
Interactive Intelligence Honored On 'Best Places to Work in Indiana' List
Unified IP business communications company Interactive Intelligence (News - Alert) has been named among the 2011 "Best Places to Work in Indiana" by BizVoice, Indiana's statewide general business magazine.
This is the fifth consecutive year Interactive Intelligence was ranked on the list, which is coordinated by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Interactive Intelligence moved up 12 places this year, from 16th place in 2010 to fourth place among the 36 winners in this year's large company category.
Interactive Intelligence was founded in Indianapolis in 1994 and employs about 900 people. Today it is a publicly-traded company, posting annual 2010 revenue growth of 27 percent.
Companies chosen for the "Best Places to Work in Indiana" honor are those that "strike the right balance of taking care of employees while operating a successful organization," according to Indiana Chamber of Commerce president, Kevin Brinegar.
"A critical part of our success is the loyalty of our employees," said Interactive Intelligence founder and CEO, Dr. Donald E. Brown. "With an average annual voluntary turnover rate of only 10 percent, our people give us the key competitive advantage of continuity – a rarity in the high-tech industry. I want to thank every person here for their tenaciousness, creativity, and hard work that's helped make Interactive both a successful company and a 'best place to work.'"
Interactive Intelligence's two northwest-side headquarter buildings occupy a total of about 200,000 square-feet and feature a modern, award-winning interior design with fitness center, game room and café.
In addition to standard benefits, the company offers volunteer opportunities for employees through the charitable Interactive Intelligence Foundation, paternity leave for new dads, an on-site health care clinic, assistance with elderly care, discounted on-site massage sessions, an on-site fitness trainer, exercise "boot camp" classes, a casual dress code, and ample career and leadership development programs.
(Interactive Intelligence's director of human resources, Debra Jones, SPHR, recently wrote an article about "Keys to Creating a Leading Workplace Culture," which was published in BizVoice magazine's online edition on May 20.)
In addition to its 2011 "Best Places to Work in Indiana" ranking, Interactive Intelligence has been honored locally as one of Indiana Business magazine's "50 Great Indiana Businesses," among the Indianapolis Business Journal's "Top 25 Fastest Growing Public Companies," a United Way of Central Indiana "Company that Cares," and an Indiana Chamber of Commerce "Outstanding Employer of the Year" for the company's internship program.
The 2011 "Best Places to Work in Indiana" program honors the top companies in the state, as determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. Winners were selected from two categories: small to medium-sized companies of between 15 and 249 employees, and large companies of 250 or more employees.
This year's "Best Places to Work in Indiana" winners were recognized by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce on May 5 during an awards dinner held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
More information about the "Best Places to Work" companies is available in a special section of the May/June issue of the Indiana Chamber's BizVoice magazine, accessible online at www.bizvoicemagazine.com.
Tracey Schelmetic is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Tracey's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Juliana Kenny


text:
Merge 25K Training Report: April Henry, Merge fan
Merge staffers and friends from all over are taking part in the Merge 25K race on March 22 and will be sharing their training stories. Register here & visit our race page for all of the details of our course and finish line party!
If you would like to share your training story with us, please email email@example.com.
From April:
Training for the Merge 25K is nearly over. I completed a grueling 12 miles with a little help from friends Elizabeth and Molly on Saturday March 8th. Would you believe me if I told you that I gave birth to my second child nearly 12 weeks ago? Yes, I am out of my mind. Just last week I ran a total of 23 miles under severe sleep-deprivation. I am determined to see this race through to the end.
On November 15, 2013, five weeks and two days before the due date of my second child, I signed up for the Merge 25K, despite the fact that I was no longer comfortable running. I knew I would be determined to get back into shape, and what could be better than a long run sponsored by Merge records. While Merge would be celebrating 25 years, I would be reminiscing my undergraduate days (nearly 20 years ago) at Indiana University, where I developed a strong love for independent music; more specifically anything on Merge, Sub Pop, or Touch and Go. I can still recall the numerous trips I took with friends to either Chicago or Louisville to see bands such as Superchunk, Polvo, Tortoise, Shellac, Folk Implosion, Sebadoh, etc. I still listen to these bands today while running and on occasion I have tried to instigate dance parties with my two-year-old, but it is hard to shake your booty to math or indy rock.
Having already birthed a child, I assumed my second child would arrive early providing me with plenty of time to prepare for my longest run ever. As each day passed by, I grew concerned that I would not have enough time to prepare. Naturally, my son Archer came the day before his due date (December 22) exactly three months before the race. At my two week check up the midwives told me I could resume running in 2-4 weeks. I smiled as their recommendation went in one ear and out the other and I began running/walking on my treadmill that very same day. I spent the next three weeks walking/running. Then on Saturday January 24th, I joined two friends on a run; managing five miles without any walking. This is when my true training for the 25K began. I have never hurt so much after a run as I did after those five miles. My thoughts at that time were "how in the hell am I going to finish this race?" Now, I know I can do it. Sure, it will not be at a record pace, but I will run the entire race.
As you might imagine it is difficult finding the time to run with two boys under the age of three, but I am managing. Unfortunately, I have to spend three days a week running on my treadmill, while my older son Felix is at preschool and his younger brother Archer sits in his swing next to the treadmill. I am able to get through my 3 to 4 mile runs by rocking out to a variety of music. Some days it is Beirut, Two Door Cinema Club, Phoenix, The Decemberist, The Shins, etc. and on other days it is music from my past such as Fugazi, Folk Implosion, Superchunk, Dinosaur Jr., The Cure, etc. One great thing about the treadmill is that I can sing very loudly, especially since Archer still thinks my voice is beautiful. Anyways, I am plugging along and looking forward to seeing all of you on race day.


text:
Our "Bingo Fanatic" mug is a great gift for any bingo fan. Displayed on a quality, dishwasher safe mug, this superb full-colour design is guaranteed to make them smile. Only available with photo upload.
Enter Recipient's Details
Add Photo (Required):
© News Group Newspapers Limited Registered in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy Policy . To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Press Complaints Commission (PCC)


text:
The newspaper about the West
London Bridge is tourist bait in Lake Havasu City, Arizona By Chuck Woodbury
The top of the bridge looks a lot different than it did in jolly ol' England of yesteryear. |
It wasn't long before tourists started showing up, and pretty soon, thanks to McCulloch and his bridge, the town was fat with cash, partly from all the money local real estate companies (including McCulloch's) were making from folks who came to see the bridge then bought homes to stay.
Nowadays, the London Bridge is one of Arizona's biggest attractions. Lake Havasu City has golf courses, affordable homes and a winter population of retired folks in Winnebagos. It's even got a Wal-Mart just a few blocks north of the bridge.
Town visitors can explore a one-acre London village at the foot of the old bridge. For entertainment, they can tune into local radio station KBBC, identified on the air as "BBC radio."
©2002 by Out West Newspaper.
Out West, 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.


text:
Goldie Hawn gives a heart-breakingly brave, endearing performance, and Susan Sarandon a shrewdly withdrawn one in The Banger Sisters, but writer Bob Dolman's directorial debut betrays his stars. Two old pals -- groupies who snapped pix of the rock-star members they caressed in the '60s -- Suzette (Hawn) and Vinnie (Sarandon) were dubbed ''the banger sisters'' by, we're told, Frank Zappa (a slander on the dead, since Zappa invented a much better term for such women in ''Suzy Creamcheese''). ''Sisters'' could have explored how female counterculturalists were exploited and liberated by hippie sexual freedoms, but instead, Dolman reduces Sarandon to an uptight suburbanite and writes Hawn as a bigger bubblehead than she ever was on ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.''
Sarandon handles the initial embarrassment of introducing her friend -- and by extension her past -- to her husband and children with aplomb. And you can see Hawn trying to insert some irony and grace into her lines, but her character exists to wiggle and coax Vinnie to, y'know, groove on life. In a disconnected subplot, Geoffrey Rush gives an understandably panicky performance as a blocked writer whose creative juices flow only after Hawn's strenuous ministrations. Really, the sole favor Dolman does the plucky Hawn is to light her rear end so that its continued gloriousness can be appreciated.


text:
Large Print
View Donors
Live on New Server
Home Page
Latest News
Fandoms List
Latest Stories
Latest Completed Stories
Search TtH
Search Multiple Sites
Advanced TtH Search
Top Fic
Most Recommendations
Hits Per Chapter
Total Hits
Most Reviews
Most Reviewers
Overall Length
Random Fic
Any Story
Unreviewed Story
Short Story
All Challenges
Donors' Challenges
Unanswered Challenges
Answered Challenges
Official Challenges
Open Pairings
Completed Pairings
Site Rules
Frequently Asked Questions
Beta Readers Wanted
Resources for Authors
Site Statistics
RSS Feeds & Syndication
Customising the Site
Privacy Policy
List of donors
TtH Forums
Member Blogs
Crossing Over Awards
TtH Community Live Journal
TtH Drabbles Live Journal
Twisted Shorts Live Journal
Contact Us
Call Home
Related Stories
1. The Anomaly
2. The Wandering Spirit
3. The Prodigal Son
Whole Story
Standard View
Printable HTML
Offline HTML (no images)
Plain Text (no images)
EPUB Ebook (no images)
Mobipocket/Kindle (no images)
Report to moderator
Summary: Newbies to the Council don't quite know what to make of Xander Harris.
Multiple Crossings
2 Nov 12
2 Nov 12
The Wandering Spirit
The next time Xander Harris crashed into the Council, it was in the literal sense, directly in the middle of the roof of the car Dom was trying to piece back together after Buffy Summers once again failed to grasp the basic premise of driving. (Jeeps were not meant to be used as weapons against Fyarls!) Everybody froze, staring at the lump on the crushed car until Harris took a great gasping breath. Then everyone burst into motion, Jesse reaching for the phone as everyone else tried to get him off the vehicle without hurting him further.
Brian grabbed hold of what he thought was shoulder and a child's scream, high-pitched and terrified, broke the silence. Faith burst into the garage and hands shot into the air. Nobody wanted her to think they were causing Harris pain.
In one of those stunning displays of athleticism Slayers excelled at, she went from the floor to crouched beside Harris in the blink of an eye.
"Oh, hey. The cavalry," he said into the sudden silence, a little wheeze to his voice.
Faith snickered. "Yeah, X. I've arrived." She pointed at the kid, who was staring at her in wide-eyed fascination. "This her?"
A slight hesitation, then, "Nope."
Faith rolled her eyes because it was apparent to everybody that Harris didn't want to get into it here. "Can you get up?"
"Yeah, sure. Just give me a day or two," he said and Brian's estimation of him went up because he'd never heard
take that tone with either of the Senior Slayers before.
Faith just snorted and put her hand on the kid's back. When there was no screaming, she pulled her away from Harris and handed her to one of the SITs that'd materialized beside the car. The little girl whimpered a bit but didn't start screaming again.
Harris took a deep breath, then started levering himself upward. Faith slid her arm around his back, supporting him as he sat up, blinking. He looked down at the hood of the car and winced. He rolled his head towards Dom as he said, "Shit, sorry. This wasn't one of your racing cars, was it?"
"Nah, Council standard," Dom said after a second, shrugging. Brian was a little surprised himself because the dude couldn't tell the difference between a sedan and a racing car? "Summers already got a piece of it."
Harris started to snicker, then broke off with a cough and a wince. "Yeah, I keep meaning to teach her to drive."
"We'd appreciate it," Dom said, which was the biggest understatement ever.
Faith apparently got tired of waiting around because she huffed, scooped Harris up into her arms and bound out of the room, his bitching that he could walk, thank you, drifting back to them.
*** *** ***
Mia was full of stories of the wonderful Xan during his stay in the infirmary and Brian maybe would have developed a complex but Harris had a knack for being everybody's favorite without it coming across that anyone wanted in his pants. That and Mia was using the same tone to talk about him that she did Dom or one of the crew, like he was family.
Then, he was suddenly out of the infirmary and everywhere again, leaving the same trail of bewilderment and confusion in his wake. News had already spread around that Harris was a field Watcher and an Original, but that was now joined by the story of how he'd daringly rescued a little girl that was magical enough to give Rosenberg a run for her money. Well, more than one story, honestly, because no one had actually managed to get him to explain what was going on there and everything the gossip mill had was secondhand.
He tripped across Tim Speedle on the balcony when he was trying to find somewhere quiet to think and Speed said, pointing, "Guy's a freak of nature."
Considering the nature of the inhabitants of the Council, Brian could only think of one guy that'd cause that reaction. He looked over the balcony and his eyebrows rose when he saw Harris stretched out on the grass, Osbourne sitting beside him diddling with a guitar. Brian hadn't even known Osbourne knew how to
a guitar.
"He's an Original," Brian said, shrugging, because it bore repeating. "Of course he knows stuff about them that we don't."
"Yeah, but Rosenberg and Summers have known Osbourne just as long as he has and neither of them have gotten him to play," Speed said, shaking his head. "Rosenberg lights up when he enters the room and that is just fucking eerie, and Summers smiles. And they're both Originals, so why does it take him being around to get those reactions?"
A husky laugh cut across Brian's argument and he felt a shiver work its way down his spine. By the way Speed's eyes widened a bit, he was a little freaked out as Faith stepped around the corner and said, "B and Red got so used to him always being one step behind them that it's wigging them out to turn around and not find him there. This 'on another continent' business fucks with their heads. Plus they can't fish his ass out of the fire in a hurry if they need to. So they worry and they stress and they freak everybody out until he comes home and everything's status quo again."
She took a puff off her cigarette, eying them, then swiftly hopped over the railing and landed beside Harris and Osbourne. Harris gave a startled squawk which died down when she lay down, her head propped up on his thigh, her boot burrowing under Osbourne's ass. Then he just ran his fingers through her hair as he said something to Osbourne, who nodded and resumed plucking at his guitar strings.
"Freak of nature," Speed said definitively, shaking his head.
Brian found he really couldn't argue with that.
*** *** ***
Harris showed up in the garage shortly thereafter while everybody else had gone to lunch. Because Brian was the most used to bureaucratic red tape and nonsense, he got saddled with the paperwork which meant he was eating a sandwich at his desk when Harris wandered through the door, hands tucked in his pockets. He meandered around the room before finally ending up at Brian's desk and flopped down in the chair opposite it.
"So. How's Council life treating you?" he said amicably, hands folding across his stomach.
He sounded friendly and nonchalant but Brian knew an interrogation when he saw one.
"Fine," he answered a little warily.
"Good," Harris said, bobbing his head. "So you're all integrating well? Making friends and stuff?"
No, not really. "Sure," he said, shifting uncomfortably.
Harris gave him an indulgent smile and said, "Liar. You guys don't leave this garage except to eat or find a street race that we're all pretending we don't know about." Brian's stomach clenched but Harris waved it away. "As long as nobody gets hurt, we don't really care. There are worse ways to get an adrenaline high." He sighed and sat forward. "We do care about the integrating stuff. At least, I do. I like Mia and she does good work in the infirmary. She seems happy. I'd like you guys to be happy, too, so that you'd maybe actually enjoy staying here."
"It's not like we can actually leave," he said and he tried not to be bitter about that. There was too much legal hullabaloo if they left the Council's umbrella of influence.
Harris shrugged. "If you're not happy, talk to Giles. Legal's already trying to get things squared away for you guys. He can give them a push if you want."
Brian blinked. "I thought you wanted us to stay."
"I do," Harris said, lifting an eyebrow. "But I want everybody to be happy more."
Brian thought about it for a minute, then said, "I think we're as happy here as we'd be anywhere."
"Good," Harris said, smiling brightly. "Now, I, uh, I'm gonna be leaving soonish and I thought I'd warn you guys. I mean, I'll be back in about a month for the memorial anyway, but Buffy's probably gonna wreck another car while I'm gone. I'm not sure, but I think she's got a thing for one of your crew."
"Dom's crew," Brian corrected on instinct. Then, "She could just ask him on a date."
Harris snickered. "Oh, that'd be bad. We don't- None of us really
at dating. I mean, this is Buffy's idea of flirting. I'm just saying."
"Oh," Brian said and tried to think. He thought back and his eyes widened. "
"Yeah," Harris said, nodding. "So just, uh, make sure she doesn't kill herself getting his attention, okay? We're all out of urns and stupid."
Brian blinked and thought about asking what the hell urns and stupid had to do with each other but Harris was walking away, tossing a quick wave over his shoulder.
*** ***
Harris slipped out of the Council without any fanfare and Summers managed to take the top off of a Jeep Grand Cherokee in a daring feat involving three transfer trucks and a polgara demon.
Leon threw a wrench when it limped back into the garage. "Damn it, woman. Stop committing vehicular homicide. Just get somebody else to drive you."
She gave him a dark look before stomping out of the garage.
"Dude," Jesse said, staring at him worriedly. "Don't, like, give her incentive to kill you."
Letty snorted from under the hood of a car and said, "He does that every time he stares at her ass."
Summers came stomping back into the garage and flung a set of keys at Leon. He caught them, surprised, when they bounced off his chest and she gave a wicked little smirk.
"I need to go to the mall and since you volunteered," she said, folding her arms across her chest.
Brian's eyebrows rose and he bit back a laugh at Leon's gob smacked look. Summers had never paid them the least amount of attention that anyone noticed, too busy terrify SITs and breaking cars. This all just smacked of Harris's meddling and Brian was maybe a little glad of that.
Next Chapter
Related Stories
Published Authors [3203/20745]
Crossover Stories [19297/23586]
Answered Challenges [928/5589]
Complete FFAs [2761/4307]
Site code originally based on Storyline ©IO Designs 2002. All stories posted remain the property of their respective authors; permission from the author is required to publish them elsewhere. Any trade marks that appear on the site are used without permission and remain the property of their respective owners. All donations are used to provide the service; no profits are made by the site owners, developers, or authors from publishing works on this site.


text:
Disney Universe
In Disney Universe, players can select from more than 40 classic and contemporary Disney character costumes,including Alice ("Alice in Wonderland"), Mike ("Monsters, Inc."), TRON ("TRON: Legacy") and Stitch ("Lilo & Stitch") to explore six different worlds inspired by legendary Disney and Disney Pixar films. Each world will allow players to experience objectives and missions that follow Disney and Disney Pixar movie storylines. Players will select a character-based costume, with each costume offering a specific tool that changes and grows in power as players adventure through the game. Disney Universe offers frenetic gameplay, multiplayer with up to three friends and slapstick humor that will appeal to players of all ages.
*OS: Windows XP/ Windows Vista/ Windows 7
*Memory Ram:
*Hard Disk Space:
*Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
*DirectX: 9
*Network : Broadband Internet Connection
*Keyboard / Mouse
*Installation: DVD-Rom Drive


text:
In every part of our vast country you'll find unique experiences to make your dream holiday come true.
Australia delivers a phenomenal range and depth of family holidays that include intimate encounters with our plentiful and unique wildlife, adventure in a stunning array of wilderness environments, authentic Indigenous experiences that offer insights into the world's oldest living culture, a whole host of family learning opportunities not to mention some good old fashioned family fun.
Animal Encounters Australia serves up family animal encounters in every shape and form.
Adventure & Wilderness The Australian landscape is tailor-made for adventurous family holidays.
Culture Find out about kids' art programs, activities and hands-on experiences.
Learning Australia has some unique settings for family learning experiences.
Learn More
History Australia also offers a host of family experiences that delve into the country's history.
Indigenous Experiences An Indigenous adventure is perfect for families who want to learn about Aboriginal culture.
Fun Finally there's no place better than Australia when it comes down to having some plain old family fun.
Animal Encounters
Australia serves up family animal encounters in every shape and form.
With our seas and bays brimming with dolphins, whales, turtles, coral and tropical fish there are a host of ways to get up close and personal with aquatic life from snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, hand feeding the fish on Ned's Beach on Lord Howe Island and swimming with the whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef. You can watch turtles nesting and tiny hatchlings make their way to the safety of the water and you can even have shark and crocodile encounters, if you dare, at places like Townsville's Reef HQ, Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, the Wilderness Wildlife Park outside of Broome, Darwin's Crocosaurus Cove and Oceanworld Manly.
Australia's iconic marsupials have long been a family favourite and all the major zoos and wildlife sanctuaries from Healesville to Taronga offer Aussie animal encounters alongside more exotic species. Brisbane's Lone Pine Sanctuary is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary, Victoria's Moonlit Sanctuary on the Mornington Peninsula offers nocturnal tours, and all over Kangaroo Island families are likely to discover the entire diaspora of Australian animals from koalas to wallabies, kangaroos, emus and echidnas. You can even see Tasmanian devils at the Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary.
Australia's diverse birdlife also entrances the younger set who can hand-feed lorikeets at the Gold Coast's Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, wander around the tropical bird enclosure at the Rainforest Tropical Habitat in Queensland's Port Douglas, watch pelicans being fed at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, and marvel at the nightly parade of the world's largest colony of little penguins on Phillip Island.
There are also plenty of opportunities for adventures of a less wild kind, like riding camels along Cable Beach in Broome, hand feeding farm animals at Melbourne's Collingwood Children's Farm, and even watch performing sheep dogs at Norm's Coolies Performing Sheep Dog shows in South Australia.
Back To Top
Adventure & Wilderness
From deserts to rainforests, from coral reefs to the Outback, the Australian landscape is tailor-made for adventurous family holidays. With 19 UNESCO World Heritage sites that range from the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, and Gondwana Rainforests to the Tasmania Wilderness, Lord Howe Island Group, and Purnululu National Park as well as Australia's 12 National Landscapes that span everything from Australia's Red Centre to its Green Cauldron and include such dramatic adventure zones as The Australian Alps, Australia's Coastal Wilderness, The Flinders Ranges, The Great Ocean Road, Greater Blue Mountains, Great Southwest Edge, Kakadu, Kangaroo Island, Ningaloo – Shark Bay, and The Kimberley there is so much waiting for families to discover.
Take a day trip to the pontoons on the Outer Barrier Reef off the Whitsundays, Cairns and Port Douglas where you can see the reef from the underwater viewing chamber and submarine as well as snorkelling and taking a beginners dive.
Enjoy an outback cattle station experience in the Kimberley, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. Horse riding is offered on a range of outback cattle stations in Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and NSW.
Culture - Art, Music, Dance, Theatre
All the major art museums/galleries in Australia's capital cities offer kids art programs that both help interpret exhibitions and offer hands-on art making activities. Some, like the National Gallery of Victoria, have dedicated kids' art centres.
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is a world-leading state-of-the-art centre for experiencing the moving image in all its forms - film, television, internet, games. It offers kids' flicks and kids' hands-on workshops and production programs in its digital studio plus some fabulous exhibitions about the moving image.
Australia has some unique settings for family learning experiences. There are a whole host of dinosaur adventures along Queensland's Tropic of Capricorn while you can journey to the stars at the Melbourne Planetarium.
Budding science enthusiasts can visit the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, test hypotheses with dozens of interactive hands-on exhibits at Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, and watch real scientists at work at CSIRO Discovery.
For families more interested in social history, you can discover what it's really like living at sea at Darling Harbour's National Maritime Museumand learn for themselves how Australia's diverse communities have shaped the Australian national landscape at the National Museum of Australia.
The list is endless: there are farm-based kids cooking classes at Tasmania's Agrarian Kitchen, circus skills workshops at Circus Arts Trapeze School, opportunities to learn about how rich the desert is at the Alice Springs Desert Park and you can even see how kids in remote parts of the country go to school at the School of the Air.
Australia also offers a host of family experiences that delve into the country's history. There's nothing like historical villages such as Victoria's Sovereign Hill and Flagstaff Hill to bring history to life. The interactive Discovery Zone at the Australian War Memorial gives kids graphic wartime experiences such as crawling through a WWI trench or climbing aboard a Vietnam War era helicopter.
There are family ghost tours of Sydney's Quarantine Station, antique dolls and teddy bears to admire at the Toy and Railway Museum of Leuralla House in the Blue Mountains of NSW and opportunities to sail on the Lady Nelson replica tall ship up the Derwent River, jump on board 100 year old carriages of the Pichi Richi Explorers on the oldest section of the Ghan Railway in South Australia and explore a piece of living history at Tasmania's Brickendon Historic Farm and Convict Village.
Indigenous Experiences
An Indigenous adventure is perfect for families who want to learn a little about the richness of Australian Aboriginal culture.
Kakadu, Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Parks in Northern Territory and Booderee National Park in New South Wales are all jointly managed by National Parks Australia and traditional owners. All offer remarkable Indigenous tours and adventures including tours to rock art sites, dot-painting workshops, spear throwing, bird watching, river cruises and introduction to traditional laws and sacred sites.
Bush tucker tours are offered everywhere from Kooljaman at Cape Leveque on the Kimberley's Dampier Peninsula to the Bama Way in North Queensland and Brambuk National Park and Cultural Centre in Victoria's Grampians National Park.
Finally there's no place better than Australia when it comes down to having some plain old family fun.
There are the Gold Coast's grand and glorious theme parks: Dream World, Sea World, Movie World, Wet 'n' Wild and the new Outback Spectacular Show.
Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart all have numerous beaches within their city limits while Brisbane offers Streets Beach at South Bank and Darwin has the Wave Pool and Recreation Lagoon.
New South Wales' Lord Howe Island and Western Australia's Rottnest Island offer good old fashioned family holidays where most people get around on bicycle.
Families can swing through the trees at places like Victoria's Otway Fly and Trees Adventure, Queensland's Jungle Canopy Tours, go sand-boarding on Strahan's Henty Dunes on the Stockton Dunes on the Central Coast of New South Wales or go for a ride on Puffing Billy, Australia's oldest steam railway, in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges.
While Daydream Island in Queensland's Whitsundays serves up the perfect family tropical island getaway whose highlights include one of the world's largest man-made living coral reef lagoon and an "Around Australia" 19-hole mini golf course.
Discover Friends of Australia Holiday Favourites
John Bertrand
Terri Irwin
David Whitehill
Steve Liebman
Sophie Falkiner


text:
I'm hoping that someone can help me with selecting the right window size. We are renovating a kitchen that involves an addition. The design has a window over the sink at 90" wide (finished size). I'm looking at putting in a center picture window with a casement on either side. The RO height is 39 5/8" if that matters. Is the total RO size an adequate measurement to use to determine a proper fit, and would this take into account the frame around the window? If not, what is the best/safest way to determine the right size? The windows that I'm considering have separate dimensions for the casements and another for the center picture window. They would be assembled and shipped as one unit. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you. |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by windowsonwashington (My Page) on Thu, Jul 18, 13 at 17:53
You would submit the RO size to the manufacturer and they would make the unit with their recommended cut back once they clarify the size with you. |
My recommendation would be to try and stay with standard sizes but if you have to customize it and you have a three wide unit, have the flankers be standard size and customize the center picture window. This will help with cost. |
Deduct 3/4" on width and height and should be good. |
Thank you for your responses! |
- Posted by StrongWindows (My Page) on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 0:56
That R.O. height is about right for a standard kitchen counter and back splash. If you are going with a taller than normal back splash then you may want to deduct the appropriate amount off the height of the window so that the window will still be above the back splash. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Windows Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here


text:
- The Global Game - http://www.theglobalgame.com/blog -
Scotland | As foretold in scripture: 'The queen of the South will rise up …'
Posted By John Turnbull On 18 April 2008 @ 21:34 In History,Scotland | 4 Comments
One day we will find
All our dreams are viable
'Cause we've got God on our side
We're the only team in the Bible, Bible, Bible …
—"Queen of the South" (© Chris Belford)
"I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it." (Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, 1 Kings 10:7)
Dumfries, Scotland | Few football anthems have succeeded in pairing "viable" and "Bible," but Queen of the South [1] are a side of multi-millennial pedigree. Via a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon [2]–type exercise, one can date the west Scotland team's heritage to the 10th century BCE, following the links from a 19th century politician and poet to festival traditions of the Middle Ages to the synoptic Gospels' allusion to the "queen of the South," itself a reference to the visit of the Arabian queen of Sheba to King Solomon, recounted in the Hebrew Bible.
They do seem to be the only team mentioned explicitly in the biblical canon—excluding apocryphal works. Numerous sides are named in passing: Bury, Arsenal, The Strongest and so on (see the Guardian survey [4]). "Corinthians," naturally, forms the title of part of Paul's epistolary output, so strong conceptually that his correspondence to the troublemaking residents of ancient Corinth extends to two volumes.
Unlike the other coincidental connections between football teams and the Bible, however, "Queen of the South" seems to have been selected based on the appearance of the phrase in Matthew 12:42 (and parallels)—or was it? Research suggests that the connection is not a direct one—hence the need for the Kevin Bacon game.
Journos and supporters have mentioned the scriptural imprimatur often over the past week as, for the first time in its 89-year history, Queen of the South has advanced to the Scottish Cup final. Its opponent will be Rangers on May 24 in Glasgow.
Long-time supporter Murray Ritchie [5], writing in the Scotsman, asked for "divine intervention [6]" before the Apr 12 semifinal versus Aberdeen. The only comparable occasion took place in 1950, when Queen of the South—known as the Doonhamers, from a traditional Scots reference to Dumfries as "doon hame"—played Rangers in the Cup semifinal, also at Hampden. The teams drew 1–1, with Rangers easily winning the replay.
Supporters at QOS v. Aberdeen might have borrowed from the red-letter words of Jesus as he speaks prophetically of the "queen of the South." The queen had testified to Solomon's wisdom and riches, as recounted in 1 Kings 10 (and 1 Chronicles 9), but would have had something different to say had she arrived in Jesus' day or at Hampden Park on this April afternoon: "See, something greater than Solomon is here!" Four times the Doonhamers took the lead; three times Aberdeen equalized. Five goals came in one 12-minute span: "It was like a game of Pro-Evolution Soccer," said midfielder-defender Ryan McCann [7]. The 60th-minute goal by John Stewart, on loan from Falkirk, finally finished the scoring.
Ritchie's affection for Queen of the South, which plays in the 6,412-capacity Palmerston Park (featuring Scotland's tallest floodlights), went against his father's wishes. Having grown up in the Borders, Ritchie's father referred to rugby as "football." "When he meant football," Ritchie continues, "he called it soccer."
For him soccer wasn't really a game for men. He also worried, I suspect, that a little Dumfries boy like me, at the impressionable age of eight, might be lured towards the cultural darkness of Glasgow's Old Firm. So [my parents] agreed that if I was to follow football it would be as a Queens supporter. Queens fans have a saying that "yer hame team's yer ain team" and it was probably on that basis that my mother took me along to the only Scottish Cup semi-final that Queens have played—until today.
The side's current form—"punching above their weight," in the time-worn saying—becomes more extraordinary on learning that only this season have Queen of the South players become full-time footballers. The club's chairman, Davie Rae, is a retired farmer. As Hunter Davies comments [8] in the current New Statesman, all the players but one are native Scots—the exception is from England. They are the kind of team for whom the domestic cup competitions offer the prospect of breaking, if only for a moment, the perception of unassailable Old Firm dominance that Scottish football offers the world.
Dumfries [9], a medieval rampart overlooking the River Nith, has held status as a royal burgh since William the Lion, king of Scotland, issued the charter [10] in 1186. The chartering acknowledged the town's strategic importance to the southwest part of the country and allowed Dumfries self-governance, celebrated each June as part of the Guid Nychburris (Guid Neighbours) Festival [11]. At each festival, held the third Saturday in June, criers proclaim the charter; then, the Queen of the South is crowned, heralding mid–19th century politician David Dunbar, who, whether drawing on the Bible or indulging in sentimental pandering, gave Dumfries its nickname.
The festival itself is a catch-all of civic pride and kitsch [12], offering rugby players in drag as well as handwriting and best-dressed-window competitions. One local, writing anonymously [13], confesses a love-hate relationship to such events and to the place in general, which she labels "Dumpfries." Of Guid Nychburris, she says:
In the week leading up to the main Saturday all the horsey types flee about the boundries of Dumfries and the main roads on horseback. This is called the Riding of the Marches. It is an old tradition dating to when the English would come over the border and burn down Dumfries. The principal players in this are the cornet who has a horn-type thing and his lass. On Guid Nychburris Saturday the Queen of [the] South is crowned. She is a girl from one of the four secondary schools.
Like the football team, the festival suggests a tradition older than what can actually be documented. A librarian, according to the BBC, invented the festival in 1932 as a riposte to such communal events in the Borders. The first "Queen of the South" football club, the Wanderers, formed in 1873 but is not related to the present side, which in 1919 amalgamated three area teams into a new Queen of the South United. The "United" quietly dropped from use.
But though the historical traces might be weak, there is no shame in milking the literary allusion to the messianic figure of Christianity and to the ancient kingdom of Sheba [14], located in Marib, a Yemeni province in southern Arabia. From Sheba came the finest aromatics of the second millennium BCE: frankincense, a white resin obtained from trees, and myrrh, harvested from bushes. The queen of Sheba's gifts to Solomon of gold, spice and gems thus prefigure Jesus' birth narrative: gifts across time to two different Israelite kings.
And, if you like, she also serves as the mysterious eponym of a Scottish football club with eyes on European competition. Borne by dromedaries in caravan, this queen is up for the cup.
Despite suffering a "bizarre bout of beginners' nerves [15]," Queen of the South fought back in the Scottish Cup final on 24 May to equalize. Nevertheless, Rangers prevailed 3–2.
4 Comments To "Scotland | As foretold in scripture: 'The queen of the South will rise up …'"
#1 Comment By Donhamer On 23 April 2008 @ 14:16
If you pay attention to Queen's history you should be able to see that they are not currently punching above their weight. Granted the cup final is an exception. However, it is only with Willie Harkness becoming chairman in 1967 that the club went into stagnation and decline. Since his departure in 1994 the club have been rebuilding steadily. While the league season of 1999/2000 was disappointing the revival back to the top half of Scottish football as they were pre-Harkness is the harvest of the efforts put in at the club in the post-Harkness era.
#2 Pingback By Top 10 Sources for Intelligent Football Coverage | EPL Talk On 24 April 2008 @ 07:29
[...] writes about stories you won't find elsewhere such as amputee soccer players in Liberia, the connection between Queen of the South football team and the bible, and remembering New Jersey's soccer immigrant [...]
#3 Comment By General Lee On 25 April 2008 @ 18:16
The semi-final … what a day! Doonhamer before and Don-hamer after … brilliant! What made it a great day was the way we and the Aberdeen fans could have a bit of crack together after the game.
Coincidences and symbolism. All footies are superstitious, aren't we?
We are the South. Iffen we whoop [... Rangers ...] next month we are fulfillin' a biblical prophecy, how about that?
#4 Comment By Doonhamer On 25 April 2008 @ 19:00
First (to all) apologies for the typo in my zeal to add my comment (it should of course have been signed as Doonhamer).
I have to agree on the comments about the Dons fans in defeat. A credit to Aberdeen, to Scotland and to football. I wish them well.
Article printed from The Global Game: http://www.theglobalgame.com/blog
URL to article: http://www.theglobalgame.com/blog/2008/04/as-foretold-in-scripture-queen-of-the-south-4-aberdeen-3/
URLs in this post:
[1] Queen of the South: http://www.qosfc.com/index.htm
[2] Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon
[3] Queen of the South: http://www.qosfc.com/only%20team%20in%20the%20bible.mp3
[4] survey: http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,13854,1669177,00.html
[5] Murray Ritchie: http://www.scotsindependent.org/brown/murray_ritchie.htm
[6] divine intervention: http://sport.scotsman.com/football/The-only-team-in-the.3975540.jp
[7] Ryan McCann: http://www.qosfc.com/07rmccann.htm
[8] comments: http://www.newstatesman.com/200804170039
[9] Dumfries: http://www.futuremuseum.co.uk/Default.aspx?Id=375
[10] charter: http://www.guidnychburris.co.uk/output/the_charter.asp
[11] Guid Nychburris (Guid Neighbours) Festival: http://www.guidnychburris.co.uk
[12] catch-all of civic pride and kitsch: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/6742053.stm
[13] anonymously: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/destinations-national/dumfries-in-general/416551/
[14] Sheba: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1082648.stm
[15] bizarre bout of beginners' nerves: http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.2296342.0.queen_of_the_south_2_3_rangers.php
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2010 The Global Game. All rights reserved.