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A person who is incredibly awesome. He is trusting, kind, and hella funny. He could be insanely nerdy and love Star Wars but that's okay because that's what makes him an awesome friend. Oh and he is not that bad with the ladies I might add. Girls take note of this. Find yourself a Junior.
"Who did you say was awesome again?"
"Junior is awesome!"
"Right I can't forget that!"
"Junior is awesome!"
"Right I can't forget that!"
by Darth Invader 94 January 29, 2012
22 more definitions
Top Definition
Your third year of high school. Junior year means you are finally an upperclassman, after two years of crap at the sophomore and freshman ranks. However, as a junior, you still aren't the top dogs in the school, and still have another year to take orders from older douchebags. Junior year marks the beginning of the second half of your high school career...Good Luck.
Junior year is like playing the role of Robin for a whole school year.
by Jakabones August 12, 2006
An 11th grade student in high school who generally sticks by the seniors instead of looking up to them, and of course, looks down upon the immature dramatic freshman/sophomores.
Joey is a junior who doesn't have to stress over graduation, nor does he have to be surrounded by annoying freshman/sophomores. Woo hoo.
by Morbidia May 28, 2005
An awesome person, usually praised for no particular reason. Is a man of great sex often surrounded by girls who want to get some. Junior's are often athletic and kind.
humans<Superman<Chuck Norris<God<Junior
by mmnbvcxzasdfghjlqwertyuiopxcvb October 11, 2010
Basically the year when you are not yet a senior, but think you are as cool as the senior and better than the seniors. It is generally the peak of high school and kids get cocky and think they know it all. It is the first year of indepedent driving in most states, but learners permits start in different countries. To be a cool junior, you pretty much need to have your own car, and the prom is a big deal for you. It is like life or death. Junior year is also the hit in the head year, when you realize that college is only 2 years to go and you'll have to prepare for your partying by taking the SAT and get into Harvard to party.
Staci is a junior. Time to go to the prom and study for the SAT.
by Kyle 230 May 04, 2010
A freshly bleached asshole. Clean and breathtaking, but still just an asshole.
My wife came home from the spa, bent over, and showed me her junior.
by rambo111 December 29, 2011
a demonic group of high-schoolers that is at just the right time in they're career so that they're just old enough to be considered upperclassmen, but just young enough to not have the stress of college apps like the seniors. this results in a tremendous and annoying ego enhancement, making them the most troublesome and/or obnoxious class in the school.
freshman: (to junior) do you know where room 231 is?
juniors: yea its down the hall to the right (freshman leaves and junior and friends laugh because they know it's actually on the other side of the school)
junior: (to senior) how are the college apps going?
senior: not too well, i haven't finished yet AND i got deferred from my first pick.
junior: HAHAHHAHHAAHAHAHAHAsucks.
juniors: yea its down the hall to the right (freshman leaves and junior and friends laugh because they know it's actually on the other side of the school)
junior: (to senior) how are the college apps going?
senior: not too well, i haven't finished yet AND i got deferred from my first pick.
junior: HAHAHHAHHAAHAHAHAHAsucks.
by sidero December 19, 2009


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Emancipation Proclamation
Tuesday, January 01, 2013 1:05 PM
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About 100 people took part in the Birmingham Emancipation Association's annual celebration at Bethel Baptist Church, Bernie Points Tuesday January 1, 2013 in Birmingham, Alabama. This year marks 150 years since then U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Retired Federal Judge U.W. Clemon was the featured speaker at the event that was rich in history and singing. (Frank firstname.lastname@example.com)
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- Birmingham Emancipation Association celebrates 150 year anniversary of Emancipation Proclamation (slideshow, video) January 01, 2013, 1:20 PM

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Thanks for hosting, Theresa!
Thanks for hosting, Theresa!
Thanks for the great instructions. I combined two kits for my page Ponytails Designs When Skies are Gray and Roseytoes Walking on Sunshine.
Ginger Bread Ladies Remember When kit
I have been wanting to make this LO for awhile now! Your slow scrap was the perfect opportunity - thanks for hosting! I LOVE LOVE my results!
Thanks for the slow scrap! here's mine using your My Story kit
This slow scrap was perfect, as I wasn't able to participate at the right time. Here is my layout using the Birthday bash freebies. Link to the layout: http://gallery.gingerscraps.net/show...rthday&cat=755
Proudly Creating for
Ginger Scraps CT - Connie Prince - Luv Ewe - Little Rad Trio
Amy Martin - Lynne-Marie - Sas Designs
Guesting for Kaye Winiecki
Thanks Theresa for hosting.
Ginger 0913 SGS0919.jpg
Kim Goodman
Proudly CTing for Ponytails Designs, Winsor Digi Designs, Queen Bee Scraps, Leaving A Legacy, Arizona Girl, Double Trouble, Scrappiness Designs


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friDAY, JULY 5, 2013
40 homeless
40 people were left homeless last night after fire destroyed all 19 units at THE Waupelani HEIGHTS APARTMENT COMPLEX in State College. fire crews say 2 people were rescued from a balcony and A section of the roof collapsed as they worked to contain the flames.
The Red Cross is helping the residents and A State Police fire marshal is investigating the cause.
fatal u-t-v wreck
A teenager from DUBOIS DIED IN A U-T-V CRASH ABOUT 2AM YESTERDAY IN WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, JEFFERSON COUNTY. POLICE SAY 19 YEAR OLD Lexie Wise was SPEEDing WHEN She RAN DOWN AN EMBANKMENT AND HIT A TREE. HER PASSENGER, 20 YEAR OLD Shannon Thompson OF Reynoldsville was flown to A PITTSBURGH HOSPITAL.
2 drown
tragedy in clinton county yesterday. A MAN AND wOMAN DROWNED when THEIR FLOATATION DEVICES WERE SWEPT OVER A DAM ALONG THE RAIN-SWOLLEN SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BETWEEN LOCK HAVEN AND WOODWARD TOWNSHIP. A KAYAKER RESCUED A 3RD PERSON.
boating accident
1 person was FLOWN TO JOHNSTOWN'S MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER FOLLOWING A JULY 4TH boating accident on the Youghiogheny River Lake IN SOMERSET COUNTY. the VICTIM'S NAME HAS not BEEN RELEASED AND the state Fish and Boat Commission IS INVESTIGATING.
dui arrests
THE BLAIR COUNTY D-U-I TASK FORCE ARRESTED 6 PEOPLE FOR DRUNK DRIVING DURING A CHECKPOINT WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THEY STOPPED 450 VEHICLES ALONG ROUTE 36 IN HOLLIDAYSBURG. ONE OF THE suspects was WORKING AND DRIVING a client back to a local youth detention center. HIS blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
22 YEAR OLD ARMY COMBAT MEDIC Adam Hartswick OF PINE GROVE MILLS LOST BOTH OF HIS LEGS IN MAY WHEN AN I-E-D EXPLODED IN AFGHANISTAN AND HE WAS BACK IN HAPPY VALLEY YESTERDAY FOR THE 4TH FEST PARADE OF HEROES. HARTSWICK IS BEING TREATED AT WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER IN MARYLAND AND HE SAYS his doctors are pleased with his progress SO FAR. ALSO HONORED AT YESTERDAY'S EVENT WAS SERGEANT Vincent Reynolds, a 2006 Bellefonte graduate who also lost a leg to a BLAST in Afghanistan.
Board of trustees MEETS NEXT WEEK
WHEN Penn State'S Board of Trustees meetS NEXT FRIDAY AT THE CAMPUS NEAR UNIONTOWN, YOU CAN WATCH IT LIVE. The meeting startS at 1:30 and will stream live, online at wpsu.org/live. MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO DISCUSS TUITION RATES FOR THE COMING SEMESTER.


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A wine with great beauty and finesse. Such elegance and ethereal quality for this estate. Full body, with ultra-fine tannins and a juicy delicious finish. Long and beautiful. This is the best Lynch in a long, long time. I love the precision here. Try in 2018.
(2/ 2013)
The 2010 Lynch Bages is an absolutely brilliant wine, and somewhat reminiscent at this stage in its development of the profound 1989. Jean-Charles Cazes, who took over for his father a number of years ago, has produced a magnificent wine with the classic creme de cassis note intermixed with smoke, graphite and spring flowers. It is a massive Lynch Bages, full-bodied and very 1989-ish, with notable power, loads of tannin, and extraordinary concentration and precision. This is not a Lynch Bages to drink in its exuberant youth, but one to hold on to for 5-6 years and drink over the following three decades.
(2/ 2013)
*Cellar Selection* This sumptuous wine is driven by perfectly ripe fruit as well as dense, dusty and dry tannins. Great swathes of blackberry sweep across the palate, followed by juicy acidity. Such a combination will make this impressive wine a delight to drink in 10 years and beyond.
(2/ 2013)
Roasted cedar, tobacco and bay leaf notes start off this structured but lively bottling, with intense currant, blackberry and black cherry flavors at the core. The iron-laced grip and pleasantly austere plum pit and licorice snap accents fill in on the tar-tinged finish. Great range, character and typicity. If you ever need to explain Pauillac to someone, give them this. Best from 2018 through 2037.
(3/ 2013)
Bright ruby-red. Classic Pauillac aromas and flavors of cassis, black cherry, menthol, minerals and licorice lifted by a violet topnote. Intensely flavored and sharply delineated, with terrific fruit intensity to support its very bright acidity. This firmly structured, gripping wine is a bit dominated by its serious tannic spine today, but the dark berry fruit gained dramatically in creaminess with some time in the glass. Potentially one of the best vintages for this large property in many years.
(8/ 2013)
Intense cassis purity. Bags of fruit filling out all those fine tannins. Firm, dense, chewy and alive. 17.5/20 points.
(11/ 2012)
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Below is a listing of the wine review scores we frequently reference in our notes. While these sources remain an excellent source of information, we always recommend that you trust your own palate. Scores in these publications often represent the personal taste of an individual critic, which may not always coincide with your own. We have a huge team of excellent wine professionals that can match wines you've had in the past with new arrivals that meet your flavor profile.
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2010 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Pre-Arrival, Elsewhere $100+)
2012 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough (Elsewhere $30)
2013 Domaine de Bila Haut "Les Vignes de Bila-Haut" Côtes-du-Roussillon Villages
2013 Patient Cottat "Le Grand Caillou" Sauvignon Blanc
2013 Lagoon Hill Sauvignon Blanc Martinborough (Elsewhere $13)
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Final AMD Catalyst 13.1 is coming today, 13.2 Beta is coming end of the month.
The same as 313.09 did before.Code:towo:Defiant> inxi -SG System: Host: Defiant Kernel: 3.8-rc3.towo.1-experimental-amd64 x86_64 (64 bit) Desktop: Xfce 4.10.0 Distro: siduction 12.2.0 Riders on the Storm - xfce - (201212092126) Graphics: Card: NVIDIA GK107 [GeForce GT 640] X.Org: 1.13.1 driver: nvidia Resolution: [email protected] GLX Renderer: GeForce GT 640/PCIe/SSE2 GLX Version: 4.3.0 NVIDIA 313.18
Final AMD Catalyst 13.1 is coming today, 13.2 Beta is coming end of the month.
Thats all fine and good, but you can't refute the facts that AMD's involvement in OSS driver development has improved the infrastructure upon which the whole stack runs. Intel still isnt even using gallium yet and they have no plans to do so. Intels only goal is to make their hardware function somewhat. They have no interest in making a better platform. AMD has done more for the graphics stack in Linux than anyone else. And nVidia just uses their own proprietary stack.
I won't knock nVidia. I do believe we would all be better off if they invested a similar amount of effort into there own OSS drivers, but it isnt going to happen. And the fact remains that if your going to use proprietary drivers nVidia is still the bets choice. But if like me you will only use OSS drivers than AMD is the only good choice. At least investing in AMD means you'll be improving the infrastucture upon which future generations of hardware drivers will be built.
Last edited by duby229; 01-16-2013 at 12:18 PM.
That's my biggest beef with AMD/ATI at the moment.
If you have a card older than a 5000 series you're pretty boned. I have a Sony Vaio laptop laying around, it has an ATI 4250 or something I believe. On Win 7 it could still play many games like Gothic 4, Force Unleashed, Crysis etc, albeit not on high details.
On Linux however if I wanted to use it, I'd have a choice of 12.6 "legacy" drivers which wouldnt be supported for most games anyway and would run like ass or use the AMD FOSS drivers which run like even more ass and also overheat the machine like crazy and crank the fans to sounds like a jet taking off. Not a pleasant situation.
If I was to ever buy a laptop again I'd get one with a Intel GPU chip (yes even for some light gaming) or heck even NVIDIA.
Anyhoo, all that aside, I'm looking forward to trying this new driver when it lands in Arch repos.
Onestly i don`t know when or if will ever have and ideal situation. Meaning free open drivers close to the performace of the windows proprietary ones. So the cruel really at present time Nvidia very good closed source support, intel i don`t own i heard that their drivers are open but pretty buggy too some on the other hand speak very highly of them especially with SNA. And well AMD wich never had enough money or resources to invest alot in linux. I don`t amd combo because i curently own an athlon neo x2 based laptop, and its the hottest of the, and intel alway did well on mobile front i can`t even use my amd laptop without a cooling pad in the summer, plus many users ask just one tiny thing from OSS drivers if possible ofc, close to blob power management. If i would at least have that i wouldn`t bich about amd that much
The problem with AMD cards is that they don't even start some first rate titles via WINE (like all Unreal_Engine_3 titles), wile Nvidia works with near the speed of Windows (WINE-platinum class). Intel has also better compatibility rate and works for good open source drivers evolving Mesa. So No1=Intel, No2=Nvidia, No3=(that never matters).


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- olapic-scroller
Baltic Dining Chair
- Overview
- Take it easy. Our new Baltic Dining Chair is crafted with a powder-coated, rust-resistant frame and sustainably harvested, FSC®-certified eucalyptus wood. Finished in a weather-resistant polyurethane coating, it's easy to keep clean and will see you through endless summers of alfresco entertaining.
• FSC®-certified eucalyptus with a honey finish.
• The FSC® promotes responsible forest management. Learn more.
• Powder-coated aluminum frame.
• 18"w x 23.6"d x 32.6"h.
• For outdoor use.
• Cushion sold separately.
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text:
Man's home a 14-foot canoe in Boston Harbor
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
BOSTON (AP) — They say no man is an island, but Michael Richard Smith has been creating his own floating homes in Boston Harbor.
"What it really seems like is he's trying to figure out whether it's feasible to live out there," Coast Guard Lt. Joe Klinker said Tuesday.
The Coast Guard official said the agency would take action if Smith entered a security zone, but that he has stuck to recreational areas.
"It's not a major concern for the Coast Guard right now," Klinker said. "... A lot of people who don't have a place, live by the water. But on the water is unique."
On Monday night, Smith tied up and slept on a floating dock about 100 yards offshore from the New England Aquarium.
Boston Police Department's Harbor Unit has offered him city services, but he declined, police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca said Tuesday. She said Smith did accept a new life vest with reflectors and a whistle from police.
Police told Smith not to operate his canoe at night, because it doesn't have lights. And while police said they'll continue to check on his safety, like the Coast Guard, they said Smith doesn't appear to be breaking any laws.
The name of Smith's canoe is a tribute to the family of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island whom the mariner admires for his support of First Amendment freedoms. He used the name of Williams' mother, because he said women need more recognition.
Smith said he's spent years trying to advocate for better public schools, and has passed on a newsletter he's written on the topic to politicians, including Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. The canoe owner said he thinks about public policy as he's paddling through the harbor and that living on the water has taught him balance, patience and fortitude.
Smith is a wiry, mustachioed man with long brown hair who tucks a silk pink rose into the brim of his explorer hat. He dresses in layers to stay warm, but also doesn't seem to mind that colder weather will be coming as winter arrives.
Smith plans to sleep out in Boston Harbor all winter and prefers to concentrate on the beauty of his surroundings rather than the bareness of his accommodations.
Before sunup Tuesday, Smith saw a shooting star skitter across the New England sky and said later he made a wish meant for all people, no matter where they bunk at night.
"I wished self-esteem for all of us," he said.


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Congrats Gaiasabre!
I've only read just the first introductory post, but that was enough to get me interested! Fascinating merging of a wildly alternate history with the existing timeline.
I will try to come back and find out more about Imperial France in 1897 (and how the 1914 mod handles HOI combat in 1897!).


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Ladies, when you're going to an Eagles game, you want to display the most amount of team pride possible while looking good in the process. When you're looking for a shirt to show off your rockin' fashion sense and your Philadelphia spirit, put on this split shoulder T-shirt from Touch by Alyssa Milano and you'll be the best dressed fan in the stadium. This stylish tee features a distressed Eagles logo printed on the front, slits going down each sleeve, a tie at the end of the sleeve and a slim fit to show off your feminine curves. When you show up to the stadium in this shirt, your fashion forward fanaticism is sure to get noticed.
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My Aragon Stories
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Legacy: 7. Fortune
Bilbo sipped his brandy and surveyed the tea laid out on a low table in Rory's study. One of the kitchen-girls had brought it in a few minutes before, and he had flirted with her and teased her and sent her off with pinch on her cheek and compliments to Maddie.
Yesterday, he and Frodo had spent most of the day on the butterfly hunt, systematically going through the linens in use in the Hall. A call of "Wilwarin!" alerted the other to a successful catch. Most of them had been found at the very back of a few linen presses, though they had stripped some things off beds, tables and chairs. A stack of bedclothes, a collection of small towels and tablecloths, and several other pieces had turned up, though Bilbo knew for certain that Prim had more than that when she and Drogo had left Hobbiton to return to Brandy Hall. In particular, he remembered a few very fine pieces in which she had taken great pride that had not turned up.
Rory had supplied a large trunk with a raised eyebrow and a great sigh, but no questions. Last evening, Bilbo and Frodo had sat in Bilbo's room and examined the catch. Frodo had sat next to the butterflies, unfolding them, looking at them intently, then very carefully and precisely folding each and placing it within the trunk. Sometimes Bilbo recognized a particular item, and if he had a story he could tell about it, he would. When Frodo had found the wedding night sheets, unwashed but carefully folded and wrapped in another white cloth, he had simply looked at them for a time, then refolded and stored them away. He had laid his quilt across the top of the other linens like a mother tucking in her child for the night. After all had been stowed, they had smoked another pipe in silence before Frodo gave him a kiss and went off to bed.
Bilbo sipped more of the brandy. He was careful not to drink too much - he needed a clear head when dealing with Esmeralda. He had asked Rory if he could make use of his study today. It seemed fitting, considering the other talks that had happened in this room over the last few days. His outrage had cooled, though it had not abated, and he did not intend to be particularly agreeable to this duplicitous cousin. It helped that he had already begun some scheming for how to woo the ever-ambitious Eglantine. Rory's comments about Dwarven-hearted Hobbits had not been forgotten.
The door creaked a bit, and Esmie swept in. The canning and drying of harvest fruit was underway, and she had been working in the kitchens and in the cook yard. Her hair was pulled back from her face, and fastened with a simple clasp, some stray locks wafting about. The bridge of her nose and the apples of her cheeks were a touch sunburnt from time in the yard. She was dressed as simply as one of the cooks - a solid-fronted white blouse with a low neck and short sleeves, a plain brown skirt a bit shorter than she usually wore, a wide leather belt to support her back and sides as she lifted heavy things and stooped over the low tables. Though her face and hands were freshly scrubbed, a scent of sweat and wood smoke clung to her. She had been doing the Mistress' work this season, since Gilda could not. Even so, her bearing was as regal as an Elf's, and Bilbo was reminded again that this was as highborn and noble a Hobbit as could be found.
They exchanged greetings and Bilbo made a great fuss over seating her in Rory's chair and serving her the meal. She giggled and teased and flirted back at him as the Mistress should do with a doddering old cousin. Bilbo scarcely ate (he could barely clean his plate the first round, and could not manage seconds), and bided his time.
'You and Frodo quite tore the Hall up yesterday, Bilbo,' Esmie said after he returned from placing their used dishes on a tray in the corridor. He smiled at her, but did not reply, and poured her a brandy. She took a large sip. 'Just what were you two doing? I've been hearing rumors of stolen sheets.'
'We were on a butterfly hunt,' Bilbo smoothly replied. Esmie looked at him blankly for a moment, then comprehension dawned. She did not look too pleased. Bilbo had forbidden Frodo to look in Sara and Esmie's quarters for anything, and was thinking now that he should pay his own visit.
'You have disrupted quite a few people with your antics, Bilbo,' she scolded, 'and Frodo certainly does not need to be encouraged in such things.' A hard stare, but not the look he so detested. 'He should have been asking politely, not rummaging through others' belongings.'
'But others had his belongings, and others have rummaged through his things,' Bilbo calmly responded, 'and young men are impetuous. In any event, since he will soon be departing, he needed some help gathering things and setting his affairs to rights before he goes. I am only too happy to assist.' He sipped and watched.
'And where did you hear this?'
'From Frodo.'
She made an exasperated sound. 'I told him not to upset you with the news.' Cousin Esmie was not at all pleased.
'I am very glad he did. I should hope at least one adult in this Hall would be upset on his behalf. And I certainly did not care for how you represented my own position to him.'
Esmie looked at him in astonishment. 'What do you mean?'
'You led him to believe that I approve of you sending him to Pal. You know I do not.'
'But you do agree that he cannot remain here, and you also agree that he cannot go with you…'
'No, I don't agree with that. I firmly believe, indeed I know that Frodo would be better off with me. The trouble is that his reputation is better off with Pal.'
Esmie gave a shrug and sipped from her glass. 'He'll come to no harm with Pal. That's all that matters. He'll be free of you. No more antics like what happened yesterday. Rory may not care, but Pal will see things are proper.' Her gaze was as disdainful as her tone was condescending.
Bilbo's blood went cold and he stared at her with no small malice. Her expression became a bit of a smirk, rather like the one Sara had given him at table last Highday. 'Why are you going to such extremes to keep me away from my boy, Esmie? What sort of a monster must you think I am to forbid me to even see him?'
Esmie was all concern and apology, 'No, no, Cousin Bilbo, nothing like that! It's just that you don't seem to care how things look, and you keep doing improper things because you don't care.'
Bilbo sipped and reflected. She's right, if not being totally honest. Some would deprive me of my boy because they know it will hurt us both. But it's true that I'm heedless of gossip. I must think of Frodo, not just myself. The trouble was the only thing he could think of about Frodo was the child's pain and fear, which were not going to be handled well in a warren like the Great Smials.
'Bilbo, please, don't be so downcast,' Esmie pleaded. She gave him her brightest smile, the charming Old Took smile that he himself could use with such excellent results, a smile Frodo had not quite mastered because it took a bit of cunning to carry off. He smiled like a sad old man, while the rest of him crouched, watching to see what she was planning. 'It isn't so bad as you make it out to be. Give the lad a few months to settle in, and I'm sure we could get permission for you to see him.'
Esmie smiled rather conspiratorially. 'Well, you should know that Eglantine has rather a soft spot for you, and we both know how dear the boy is to you. I don't know how often it could be arranged, but she is rather certain that she can get Pal to unbend a bit. I shall add my voice, as well, and see if we can get my stubborn brother to be reasonable.'
"She likes her comfort too much to risk it. Has a touch of the Dwarf in her heart." Rory's warning echoed in Bilbo's head. He knew that Eglantine's soft spot for him was firmly located in her purse. He began to wonder from where Esmie's affection emanated. She would not risk her brother's ire and disgust without something in return. This required investigation. Bilbo had the sensation of facing something predatory.
'But, Esmie, doesn't that rather defeat the purpose? If my very presence endangers his reputation, than why would you allow me around at all?'
Her gaze sharpened. 'It would not be very often,' her voice was a touch waspish, then grew polite, with the knife edge hidden under a silky cover, 'and there won't be anything he can't or won't recover from in such a visit. As long as you mind your manners, and don't encourage him in improper habits.'
'I told you before, Esmeralda, that you sicken me with such intimations, so please to stop them.' She did not look as abashed as she had a few days before. 'Besides, I rather think that your concern on such matters is greatly misplaced. I don't believe I could "encourage" Frodo, as you put it, since he has no such inclinations. He's infatuated with you, my dear, not me. I rather think that a certain jealous husband has been saying spiteful things to embarrass a young lad in the depths of his first tween love.' Bilbo sipped his brandy, and watched where she would next move.
Esmie gave an indignant snort. 'Well, of course I know the silly boy is mooning over me! It is rather obvious, and he should be more careful of jealous husbands.' She gave Bilbo a knowing look over her glass as she sipped. 'He's not depraved, Bilbo, and he's not stupid. Frodo has an eye for curves, like any Brandybuck, and I'll allow as to how Sara is more jealous than he should be. But it isn't just Sara talking. The boy is definitely doing - naughty - things with other lads and is getting known for them.'
'Such as? What? When? With whom?' Bilbo shot back, 'And just what is "naughty"? Kissing another lad? Putting his hand down someone's pants besides his own? Selling himself at the crossroads?'
'Bilbo!' Esmie gasped. 'That is quite enough!'
'Well, it would be quite enough if you would say which it is, Esmie. But since all I hear are rumors, no details, no proof, and all I see is a tween lad rather intently watching your bottom when you walk away or sneaking a look at your bosom when you lean over, I am left with no opinion except that it is Sara's lies.'
'You haven't been here very long, Bilbo,' Esmie snapped, 'and Frodo's been on his best behavior. There is some substance, though I shan't repeat it. It's not something that bears repeating. You will just need to see for yourself. Or, better yet, not go prying and possibly changing rumor into proof. In any case, this is distasteful to talk of.'
Bilbo set his empty glass on the table beside him. Esmie held out her glass for him to refill it, and he did. He was not sure there was any longer a point to the conversation. But he was still trying to figure out what Esmie wanted. Moving Frodo to the Great Smials did not require his approval, and everyone besides himself seemed quite certain that doing so was the best thing for Frodo, so why did she even bother to talk to him about it? And no one could say exactly what it was the lad was doing to make them all so edgy. It could be almost anything.
Esmie began to chatter, and he smiled politely, waiting for her to say something new. 'Eglantine and I have been writing a bit the last few days, and everything is set. Once Harvest rites are done tomorrow, then there isn't too much to do until the threshing in Southfarthing come the first week of Winterfilth. So, the children and I are going to pay a visit to Pal and Eglantine, and get the boy settled in time for the threshing, which will be a busy enough time to keep him from brooding too much on going somewhere new. The children and I will stay for a few weeks, then be back in time for gathering winter gourds and begin the autumn butchering. We'll be leaving next Hensday.'
'You can't!' Bilbo exclaimed.
'Why not?' Esmie asked, puzzled.
'Not Hensday. Wait until Highday! Mersday is our birthday. I promised Frodo we would celebrate it together,' Bilbo replied, 'Surely you can't have forgotten? You wouldn't make him leave just before his birthday?'
The look on Esmie's face was all the answer he needed. 'He needs to go, soon, and if you truly cared for the boy, as you claim, you'll go home sooner and not make the leaving more difficult than it's going to be. He will arrive at the Great Smials to a birthday celebration, and will be welcomed quite merrily into his new home. I'm not heartless, Bilbo. Much better to arrive at a party than leave from one, don't you think?'
Bilbo did not have any words. He was not sure he could breathe. Another promise, broken. And he'll think I knew about this, too. He just stared blankly at Esmie as she prattled on.
'It is the perfect time for him to go. He'll arrive at a party, and meet all his cousins at once. Then, there will be all the business of the harvest, and getting things settled for the winter. Pal has said he'll keep Frodo close and teach him what he can. He'll keep a good eye on him, and people will see him with Pal. That will be very good for both of them. Pal so wants a boy, you know! He and Eglantine are hoping for one, soon, and I think Pal will be quite taken with Frodo. You needn't worry, Bilbo, and perhaps at Yule, you can pay a visit.
'Frodo will not have a minute for missing anything, particularly not the fellows he has been associating with. Pal will teach him to be a proper farmer and gentlehobbit, and the girls will be quite mad about him. He has a bit of growing to do, of course, not that that's a bad thing. While it's good for him to be thinking about girls, he's too young to be doing much, and the girls still need to do some growing up.'
Bilbo had only been paying half an ear to Esmie's words as he tried to control his own hurt, but the last sentence finally broke through the fog. 'What girls? It sounds like you have some specific ones in mind.'
Esmie beamed warmly. 'Of course I do! None other than Pearl and Merle. They are good girls, and that would be an excellent match for either of them. Yes, yes,' she said to Bilbo's incredulous expression, 'I know they all seem a bit young, but one can't start too soon with setting out proper expectations. It's too bad Merle is so much younger, though there is the example of his own parents, but I doubt he will want to wait so long for her to come of age. Pearl's about right, though, and, by then, Pal and Eglantine will love him as much as Sara and I do.'
'Oh, I hope they'll love him a bit more than Sara does. Rather over-planning his life, aren't you?' Bilbo asked dryly, 'Aren't you setting your hat a bit higher than your head? And why in such a hurry to plan all of this? They're all children! There's time when the time comes.'
Esmie drew herself up in her chair and stared at him scornfully. 'And what else should we be doing? Leave him to blunder about as you have? Perhaps if someone had taken you more firmly in hand, Bilbo, when you were Frodo's age, you wouldn't be so disreputable now. What follies might you have avoided had you been shown what you should do instead of allowed to wander, following your own whims? Perhaps you have developed a taste for unnatural things and cannot be pleased with aught else, but Frodo has an eye for women and shall be given the proper guidance and encouragement.'
'You know nothing of my tastes, Esmeralda, and you demonstrate a woeful ignorance of how I was raised,' Bilbo said very calmly but very precisely. He was glad he had stopped drinking. 'I suggest you not speak any more on this, lest you truly anger me.'
'Of course, Bilbo,' Esmie replied, still scornful, 'as you wish. It is probably all - rumor - anyway. As you say is the case with Frodo.' He just watched her. She preened a bit, sipping from her glass. 'Though, even for Pearl, it will be a long wait. But, the wait won't be so bad.' Bilbo heard her voice slow, become thoughtful, but then she continued, brightly, earnestly, 'And other lads manage such a wait quite well, if they respect their promised lass!'
'What do you care if he waits or not, as long it's a lass he's caught with in some hayloft, or behind some hedge?' Bilbo quietly asked. 'After all, such things are quite natural and only a touch scandalous. Nothing he can't recover from.'
He was not prepared for her anger. 'What is wrong with you, Bilbo Baggins?' she snapped. 'Why do you object? Why are you so contrary to no good purpose? Everything I am trying to do is for Frodo, to do what is best for him so he doesn't end up like you! Don't you want him to be respectable? Aren't you the one who came in here but a few days ago, saying he was bound for great things? Answer me this if you can, you meddlesome old fool: Is what I want for the boy really so different from what you want? In the end, isn't my approach more likely to get him to that point than wandering about with you, talking to queer people and speaking words no proper Hobbit can understand? I warn you, Bilbo, you had best not oppose me. If you continue to speak against what is sensible, I shall begin to think you do have wicked designs on the boy, and I shan't be quiet about it. Quit being a dog in the manger, trying to hold on to everything that you have no use for. Don't you want to see children in Bag End again?' She downed the last of her brandy in a gulp, and glared at him.
Bilbo felt as though he had been hit over the head with a Dwarven battle-axe. He dragged himself to his feet and went over to the window that looked out on the Brandywine. He stared out, keeping his back to Esmie, trying to get his thoughts under control. She's right. Is what she wants so different? Isn't her way better, kinder in the long run? You're an odd one, Baggins, made for an odd life, but hasn't Frodo already had too many terrible things happen to him? Frodo's misery when they had argued about him going to Pal kept haunting him. I want to spare him from more of that! Aren't you being selfish, Baggins, dangling ideas and tales of adventures in front of Frodo? It's a dishonest way to his heart. He heard Esmie stand and pour another brandy. She'd ruin him, too, if I interfere. She'd say things of me, but it would be in connection to him, and he would be the one to suffer. I'm old, I've heard it all before, but I was respectable, once. I was respectable until after my adventures. He'd never even have that. He heard Rory's chair creak as Esmie sat down. I do want him to be happy. I want him to marry and have children, all the ones Prim and Drogo wanted to have, and they would be brought up in Bag End, as I had hoped theirs would be, and…Bag End?
Bilbo's back stiffened as he suddenly saw everything with perfect clarity. It was as when he had awoken in Mirkwood and had found himself half-encased in spider thread. He felt he had been peering closely at the colored knots on Prim's quilt, and only now perceived that there was a pattern created by the tiny, disparate threads. All of Esmie's plots and desires were laid bare before him, and he wondered at himself for having failed to see them. He instantly knew he had to fight his way out of these tangles before they immobilized him, and left Frodo at this spider's mercy. She was far more formidable than the ones he had battled under the dark trees. What I wouldn't give to have Sting at my side now. His wretchedness disappeared as a sharp, calculating fury took hold. He turned from the window and slowly sauntered over to Esmie.
'Ah, Esmeralda, Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities,' he softly mocked as he approached, 'You don't know me so well as you think. Do you know who I am?' He remembered back, almost fifty years ago, the last time he spoke to so heartless and dangerous a creature. 'I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging-fly. I can see you, though you do not see me.' And you have very foolishly shown me the chink in your armor, sweet cousin. He was right in front of her chair now, and he grasped each arm and leaned down towards her, as he had done to Rory but a few days before.
She pulled away against the back of the chair, watching him warily. He smiled wickedly, then began to run his eyes over her in a casual, measuring fashion, lingering on her lips, throat, breasts and lap. As he did so, he casually asked, 'So, cousin, tell me, where do you intend to do it?'
'Intend what? What do you mean?' she said nervously, 'Get back, Bilbo. Leave me be!'
'Here, or there?'
'Here where or where there? What? You're talking nonsense!'
'Brandy Hall, or the Great Smials? I think the Great Smials.'
'What ?!'
'Bed Frodo, of course.' The sound of her hand slapping his face was probably loud enough to be heard in the corridor. Esmie stared at him in fury and dismay. Caught you. 'I don't think you'd dare, here, with Sara, but what better way to make the lad feel at home in a new place than a roll in the sheets with his heart's, well, his loins' desire?' A second slap rang out. Bilbo's smile widened into a wolfish leer. 'And it would not really be a problem, seeing how close Sara and Frodo look, if something should come of it. I've heard rumors you are thinking of another child.' He was ready for her slap this time. As she swung, he quickly grabbed her wrist and pinioned her arm to the arm of the chair. Just as quick, he had the other wrist captured and Esmie trapped in the chair. Another quick motion and he had one knee resting on the seat of the chair between her thighs.
'Of course, if the babe had Frodo's small feet, you'd have a bit of explaining to do,' he mused.
Esmie struggled for a second. 'Get away from me! Let me go!'
Bilbo pulled a long face. 'But, Esmie, I thought you'd be glad that I'd finally found my way between a maid's legs.' He dropped his dark humor and let his fury show. 'Trying to do what's best for Frodo? Wanting him to be happy? What lies! You are thinking only of yourself. You are manipulating my boy to bind him to you, playing with his love and his fears in a most shameless way. And you are manipulating me through him, using threats of ruined reputation and promises of a fleeting visit to secure my compliance. You are almost as good at riddles as I am. Answer me this: Where does the inheritance of this old, mad, childless Hobbit go? Who gets the dragon treasure? Who gets Bag End?'
Esmie had stopped struggling against his grip, and was slowly relaxing against the back of the chair. She looked up at him with some amusement. 'To the pathetic little orphan cousin whom he dotes upon in a rather unseemly way.' Her eyes glittered through thick lashes, 'And whomever commands the cousin, commands the fortune.'
Bilbo had to admire her cleverness. He had never spoken about who was, or would be, his heir, and most agreed he was too mad to figure things out - he would die someday and the Sackville-Bagginses would probably claim the lion's share of the spoils simply by virtue of proximity. But the more astute would have known that Bilbo left very little to chance (when it did not involve racing out the front door with not even a handkerchief, of course) and the more observant had (correctly) figured out who held sway over Bilbo's heart. Esmie had calculated some ages and likely death dates, and had taken it a step further. Rather clever, but still despicable.
'Ah, lady fair with the fiery hair,' Bilbo said softly, dangerously, 'you certainly have all the men about you by the short hairs, even one as unnatural as I. Don't underestimate the effect you have on me, and don't believe all you hear. I'm not entirely without a taste for things that are soft and curved. I don't think you'd mind me that much, since you seem to like foolish fellows with heavy pocket. Shall we see?' Esmie flinched as Bilbo as he nuzzled her along her jaw, and tried to wiggle free. Bilbo pulled back a few inches and looked at her with feigned dismay. 'Oh, dear me, that was rather rude, wasn't it? I forgot to pay you first. Then again, while it's not certain that I do have a taste for men, I can assure you, dearest cousin, that I have no taste for whores, so you're safe on that count. We each have something the other wants, so why don't we see if we can do a little business?' Though, truth be told, a small voice at the back of his mind urged him to continue, to possess her, hurt her, make her suffer. He pushed it away. No revenge, just the lad.
'Get your perverted hands off of me and leave!' she hissed, 'I have nothing to say to you!'
'You are no one to call me a pervert when you intend to bed a child, Esmie.'
'And you have no such intentions? Frodo's hardly a child, not with what he's been doing. At least what I do is natural.'
'What you do? So you make a habit of this, debauching tween boys?' She glared at him. 'Esmie, as I said, we have business to attend to. You have what I want, I have what you want. You know very well my boy is worth more to me than any material thing - that's what you're counting on to make your scheme work - so I shan't bother to deny it. I now know you wish for material things more than you care for him, so spare me from any protestations of love or care for Frodo. Why don't we give each other what we most want? I've never been one to haggle very much, so the advantage is to you. What do you want for Frodo? Name your price.'
'What do you mean, name my price?' Her eyes were calculating.
'Just that, tell me what you wish to receive so that I may take my boy with me.'
'Surely you can get yourself a boy for less than that. He can't be so enjoyable.' Bilbo was glad he had his hands full holding on to her wrists, else he might have struck her for her words. The little voice spoke again, urging him to punish her for her temerity. It took several heartbeats for him to silence it.
'Do you want my dragon-gold? There's plenty, more than you'd know what to do with. It's all yours, every last coin and chain.' What of it? I can always get more. 'Perhaps you want Bag End? Lobelia will kick up a bit of a fuss, but I'll give you the key right now if you wish.' Perhaps Frodo and I will go to Rivendell sooner than I thought. 'Still not rich enough for your liking? Have it all. I reserve the clothes on my back, for modesty's sake, and my walking stick, since I'll be tramping off. The rest, every book, every chair, every flower in the garden, it's yours for the asking. The only thing I want is my boy.'
Esmie had relaxed again after his promise not to molest her further. Bilbo could tell she was measuring, considering, balancing. Is Sara a part of this? Is she wondering what she can bargain without him here? No, his jealousy would ruin her fun, and her gain.
'"My boy,"' she said in a pensive tone, 'You always call him that. I can believe you'd trade all for him. You'll deny him nothing. Do you truly desire him that much? Does he want you back half so much? Would he want you if you had nothing to give him?'
'Perhaps he wouldn't, but that is for him to decide, not you.'
'How true is what you say, "My boy"?'
'I don't understand.'
Esmie's eyes gleamed with scandal, 'You know there are other rumors about your boy, that he is precisely that. The three of you living together for so long at Bag End, and then they move away, about the time children should be appearing, and none happen. So childless for so many years, then you pay a long visit to Buckland, and she's with child. You should see yourself next to him. You could very well be sire and get, you're so alike.'
'No more so than Frodo looks like you or Pal. Did I sire you, too? I wish that I had, for then I could disown you.' Bilbo had not thought he could detest her any more than he did, and was not pleased to be proven wrong.
'It might be enough to explain the business in the boat.'
Bilbo's hands clamped down more tightly on her wrists, pressing them hard into the wooden arms of the chair, making her grimace and gasp. 'I don't care to hear about it. Were I you, Esmie, I would not be saying such things too loudly around Rory. I doubt he would care to have his sister's name besmirched this way.'
Esmie snickered. 'Who do you think said it to me?'
Bilbo studied her smirking face for a moment and narrowed his eyes. She was telling the truth on this. 'I don't believe you. Even if Rory thought such a thing, he'd be too discreet to say it.'
'It's when Gilda fell ill so badly for the first time. He wouldn't rest and then drank too much. I finally got him to come back here and he unburdened his heart to me. Talked about Gilda, and not wanting to lose her like he did Prim. And then he went on about Frodo, how he'd never held it against you, and I must never tell the boy, and all that mattered was that he had something of Prim left to him. It didn't matter which Baggins sired him because he was certainly Prim's child.
'Of course, other people besides Rory have speculated. They've always wondered at that marriage. It wasn't at all proper for them to have lived with you for so long. When no child came, you know, some wondered if the couple weren't you and Drogo.' Bilbo remembered those rumors only too well; it was because of them that Drogo and Primula had eventually moved out of Bag End. 'Prim did bear a child, so the fault lay not with her. If your cousin had been able to sire something, she'd have had a child much sooner. So the only question that remained after the babe arrived was who did sire Frodo? People in Buckland not only know how to count, they also know how to count backwards. And you were so conveniently visiting at the time.'
Bilbo carefully tucked that bit of information away for future use. Affecting nonchalance, he replied, 'Well, better that people think he's my son than my lover.' Esmie smirked more evilly, and drew a breath to speak. 'If you say the next words on your tongue, woman, I shall beat you.'
She bit them back and glared at him. After a few seconds, she dropped her eyes and shook her head. 'Well, however fine a tale it may be, I do not believe it. If he were, you'd have claimed him by now.' She looked at him with contempt. 'Nor do I believe you would know how to get a child.'
'I assure you I do. Would you like me to demonstrate?' He moved his knee further up, pressed against the inside of her thigh, moved his face closer to hers. That little voice pressed on him again, encouraging him, saying how easy it would be, how much she needed to be put in her place, how satisfying it would feel to take her. She recoiled at the venom in his voice, and he smiled, satisfied.
'So, Esmeralda, I grow weary of this. You do nothing but repeat slander that has circulated for years, and which has nothing to do with our business. Have you an answer, or do I need to let you think on it a bit more? What do you want?
Bilbo looked at her in confusion. 'What do you mean, nothing?' She would never simply hand Frodo over to him, so she was up to something.
Her tone was gleeful. "Nothing. I don't want anything because I don't need anything from you. You see, I have one other thing you don't have, old man. Time. And because of that, you have nothing to offer me. You may dodder on a few more years, but not for thirteen more. You see, I can have all of what you offer eventually. What you have will go to Frodo. You would not withhold it from him, even knowing what you now know. In the mean time, I have Frodo, and you don't, and I shall enjoy what I have. I'm sure I could explain away small feet, assuming Sara even noticed them. Would you deny his child anything? There's nothing you can do to hurt me. Anything you try will simply come back to hurt the lad.'
Bilbo stared into her malicious gaze and shook his head. He stepped away from her, releasing her from his grip and strolled over to the decanter. She bounded out of the chair and followed him. He calmly poured himself a glass, then turned back to her, taking a seat on the edge of the desk.
'Do we understand each other, Baggins? Do as I say, don't cause a fuss and I'll let you see the boy. Be very good to me, and I can arrange for you to do whatever you like with him.' Bilbo just raised his eyebrows, expression bland. 'Don't be so quick to be rid of your treasure, though, cousin. The lad's affections might not be extended so easily if there was nothing but affection offered in return.' Bilbo nodded thoughtfully and took a swig. Esmie was getting annoyed. 'Better yet, why don't you do everyone a good turn and die, Baggins. Spare us all your wild tales and lies and miserable songs,' Bilbo smiled broadly, 'and die like you're supposed to.' Esmie stopped railing at him and glared.
Bilbo just sat, sipping his brandy, smiling benignly back at her. After a minute, she swept out. He drained his glass and carefully set it back on the tray. He felt older than his ninety-nine years. He had sat down by the tree once again, and allowed the spider to half weave a web about him, showing him how she worked and what she used to create her dreadful entrapments. You've found your clues, Bilbo. Now it is time to cut through the web and be the stinging fly once more.
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text: 2011 Texans Predictions Category Football Houston Texans Photo Galleries Sports The Houston Texans push for their first playoff berth. The Texans will face the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. (credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images) They return a potent offense which was third in the NFL in total yards and features Arian Foster (the NFL's leading rusher), Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. The Texans also think that they have fixed one of the worst defenses in the league. They started by firing their defensive coordinator and hiring Wade Phillips and then signed Johnathan Joseph and Daniel Manning in free agency. They also drafted JJ Watt in the first round to solidify the front seven. Prediction: Texans beat Colts (credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images) The Colts have been the Texans' nemesis since the inception of the franchise but that is the Colts with Peyton Manning and he won't be there week one. The Texans will run the ball with or without Arian Foster on the 25th ranked rush defense last year. The depth of their backfield as well as the explosive weapons that the Texans have on the outside makes the difference as the Texans win their first game. Record: 1-0 Prediction: Texans beat Dolphins (credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) The Dolphins' biggest addition in the offseason was Reggie Bush, which is not much of an addition when you lose Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams and you were already ranked 29th in rushing. Add an average at best Chad Henne and this is a game the Texans must win if Gary Kubiak expects to keep his job. As long as the much improved secondary keeps track of Brandon Marshall this game shouldn't be too close. Record: 2-0 Prediction: Saints beat Texans (credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) This will be the first real test of the Wade Phillips' defense. The Saints and Drew Brees had the third ranked passing attack last season and the Texans will find out if the additions of Johnathan Joseph and Daniel Manning were enough to fix a woeful secondary. In the end it will be a shootout but an improved rushing attack is the key to a Saints victory and the Texans' first loss. Record: 2-1 Prediction: Steelers beat Texans (credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) This could be the toughest game on the Texans' schedule. The Steelers will pound Rashard Mendenhall into the soft center of the Texans defense all day long. In addition to that the Steelers' blitzing style of defense always gives Matt Schaub trouble and even a completely healthy Arian Foster can't win the game on his own. The Steelers send the Texans, broken and bruised, back to .500. Record: 2-2 Prediction: Texans beat Raiders (credit: Bob Levey/Getty Images) The Texans and Raiders seem to play close games every year but this year is different. The one advantage that the Texans always have is Andre Johnson, except when he is playing against Nnamdi Asomugha. But with Asomugha, Johnson will be free to run loose throughout the Raiders secondary as he leads the Texans to another home win. Record: 3-2 Prediction: Ravens beat Texans (credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images) If the Steelers matchup is not the toughest game, then it is Baltimore. The Ravens are on a historic run of maintaining an elite defense but all good things must come to an end at some point; it may not be now but they are getting older and it showed when the Texans torched them in the fourth quarter last year. But the next few years of Baltimore's success will be based on their offense. With the addition of Vonta Leach and Lee Evans and the continued development of Joe Flacco the Ravens could become an elite offensive team. Vonta Leach will be clearing massive holes for Ray Rice straight up the middle of the Texans' new defense. The Ravens win in a backyard brawl. Record: 3-3 Prediction: Texans beat Titans (credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images) The ex-Oilers are lucky to have Chris Johnson back in the fold because he is all that team has and he continually rips up the Texans defense. But this time there is just not enough talent around Johnson to give the Titans a win. Even if Johnson goes off for 150 yards (again) the Texans offense is too much for the Titans defense to keep up with. Record: 4-3 Prediction: Texans beat Jaguars (credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) The Jaguars had no history with the city of Houston before the Texans started playing in 2002 but they quickly became a heated rival. The Texans wrap up the back to back division rivalry games with a two game win streak and a 3-0 mark in the division. The Jaguars will probably be starting Blaine Gabbert at this point in the season and if Maurice Jones-Drew is injured this game could get ugly. Record: 5-3 Prediction: Texans beat Browns (credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) This is a game the Texans can not sleep on. Colt McCoy is coming back to Texas and Peyton Hillis is the type of back that should scare the Texans senseless with the troubles that they have had stopping backs that like to go up the middle. The Texans offense should be able to carry the team through but this is not the layup that many people are making it out to be. Record: 6-3 Prediction: Buccaneers beat Texans (credit: J. Meric/Getty Images) The Texans roll into Tampa Bay high on a three game win streak (Texans fans get excited pretty easily) but Josh Freeman and the Bucs will slam the breaks on that roll. The Bucs are walking a tenuous line of being both underrated and a popular bandwagon pick. LeGarrette Blount had a break out season last year and will be too much for the Texans to handle in combination with Kellen Winslow and Mike Williams. Record: 6-4 Prediction: Texans beat Jaguars (credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Even if Blaine Gabbert has made drastic improvements by this point in the season he is no match for Matt Schaub. They have no wide receiver to match Andre Johnson and Arian Foster is a more dynamic running back than MJD. The Texans take advantage of their bye week and the beautiful weather in north Florida in November and sweep the Jags. Record: 7-4 Prediction: Falcons beat Texans (credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub have an old fashioned "Matt shootout" but Ryan emerges victorious. Michael "the burner" Turner will have to be healthy in this game for the Falcons to win but we can't project injuries even if there is a good chance that Turner might miss this game based on the number of carries and yards he had last year and the pattern of his career. Record: 7-5 Prediction: Texans beat Bengals (credit: Joe Robbins/Getty Images) The Bengals are dangerously close to reverting back to true Bungle form. If this drama with Carson Palmer is not resolved cleanly or if Cedric Benson gets arrested again I think we can assume that Marvin Lewis will be fired and the Bengals will claim their throne as the worst organization in the NFL. Sorry, Mr. Brown but I think you know it. Obviously the Texans win this game for reasons too many to name. Record: 8-5 Prediction: Texans beat Panthers (credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last season and they focused on keeping their team the same during free agency. They spent big money on Deangelo Williams and one year wonder Charles Johnson. They also used the first pick of the draft to get Cam Newton who may be a game changer or he may be a bust. If Carolina has any chance in this game Newton needs to be dynamic, but even if he is I don't think the Panthers' defense can contain Arian Foster or Andre Johnson. Record: 9-5 Prediction: Colts beat Texans (credit: Joe Robbins/Getty Images) The Texans have never beaten the Colts in Indianapolis and that streak continues. After a slow start without Manning the Colts will be making a late push trying to take the division and make the playoffs. There is a reason why Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever and it'll be on full display as the Colts take one that they have to have. Report: 9-6 Prediction: Texans beat Titans (credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) Expect the Titans to battle the Texans tooth and nail but with the playoffs and possibly the division on the line, the Texans bring their 'A' game. Hopefully by this time Mario Williams has figured out the OLB position and can rip apart the Titans offensive line and put great pressure on Jake Locker. Record: 10-6 At 10-6 the Texans are clearly in the playoff picture and should be able to snatch a wild card spot unless the Colts have more issues with Manning's health, in which case they may be able to win the AFC South for the first time in franchise history. Prediction: Boring game against Vikings (credit: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) The final preseason game is often nothing to write home about. The starters won't play much, if at all, and coaches strip down the playbook to the point that they resemble middle school playbooks. Since the game as a whole isn't much to watch, you have to focus on individual players. Several fringe players fighting to make the roster will get their last chance to prove they belong. Backup players will get a ton of snaps to show what they could do if given a shot to play more regularly. Next Gallery: DeMeco Ryans Kicks Off Verizon Player Shows View Comments


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Event Sponsorship Opportunities
Dear Potential Sponsor,
I invite you to become associated with a major cultural asset in Detroit. Eastern Market is one of the largest public markets in the country, and a beloved venue where families come together for food and fun.
During the coming year, Eastern Market Corporation (EMC) will be hosting a wide variety of events that are great corporate sponsorship opportunities. The Annual Flower Day, Harvest Fest, Home for the Holidays, Taste the Season Series, Thanks & Giving and many others weekly events provide a vehicle to increase public awareness of your company and/or products. We believe that these sponsorship options truly create an opportunity to connect with existing and potential customers while supporting a Detroit institution. We are eager to explore these options with your company or design a custom sponsorship package.
Many of our corporate partners support more than one EMC event to benefit from continuous corporate exposure throughout the year. We would be happy to explore opportunities for multi-event sponsorships tailored to your organization's specific marketing needs.
To learn more about how your organization can partner with EMC and help support the Market please feel free to contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com at (313) 833-9300.
Warm Regards,


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RN NCLEX® prep exam workshop prepares RN students to sit for the RN NCLEX® exam. The focus is on the questions and topics that appear most frequently on the RN NCLEX® exam. The workshop includes test taking techniques for all the new, alternative type questions. All RN students are required to take this workshop.
Category: Health Care
Location: Greenwood
Course Number: 60032
Dates: Dec 08 2014 - Dec 10 2014
Days: M T W
Times: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.


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Contact Us
The Psychological/Psychiatric Examiner Services Program strives to provide courts with access to highly skilled and competent examiners for civil commitment and Rule 20 evaluations. The program maintains a roster of examiners who are licensed physicians or psychologists and willing to accept these types of cases and comply with Judicial Branch policies.
Civil commitment is a legal process that allows the state to order a proposed patient into treatment even if the person objects. Because the process drastically impacts a person's rights, it is only used in narrowly defined circumstances. Minnesota's procedures for civil commitment are contained in chapter 253B of Minnesota's Statutes. As part of the commitment process, an examiner must be appointed by the court. The proposed patient may also request a second examiner. The examiner submits a report to the court that offers an opinion whether civil commitment of the proposed patient is appropriate.
Pursuant to Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure (20.01 and 20.02), Rule 20 evaluations occur in criminal cases when there is a belief that a defendant may not be competent to proceed with the case or was not responsible at the time of the alleged offense because of mental illness or developmental disability.
Statuatory qualifications: Knowledgeable, trained, and practicing in the diagnosis, and assessment, or treatment of mental impairment, and who is; (1) a licensed physician; (2) a licensed psychologist who has a doctoral degree in psychology or who became a licensed consulting psychologist before July 2, 1975.
If you meet the qualifications and are interested in becoming a Psych Services Examiner, please complete the form using the following link and return the completed form to the mailing address listed below.
Examiner Information Form
To access the Psychological Services Online Invoicing Application, please click here or use the site menu located in the upper right of this page.
Court Services Division
Psych Examiner Services Program Staff
(651) 297-1096 (phone)
Send an email via our contact form
Minnesota Judicial Center (MJC)
25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155


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All Shook Up continues Opera House run
Thursday, January 24, 2013
ROCHESTER — C'mon Everybody! Shake it up in the club, set in a small Midwestern town in 1955, when Rochester Opera House Productions presents All Shook Up, the Broadway musical comedy featuring 24 Elvis Presley classics like Heartbreak Hotel, Love Me Tender, Can't Help Falling in Love and Don't Be Cruel.
This Rochester Opera House Production began its run on Jan. 17 and continues through Jan. 27 with evening performances at 8 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.) and matinees at 2 p.m. (Doors at 1 p.m.)


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Approximately 13 percent of children aged 6 to 11 and 14 percent of adolescents aged 12 to 19 are overweight. The ever-increasing waistlines put children at risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. But there is another problem, often overlooked, accompanying the grim statistics from the U.S. Surgeon General's office. Those extra pounds also put children at risk for sleep apnea, a serious, debilitating, and potentially life-threatening sleep disorder, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).
Sleep apnea is characterized by brief but numerous involuntary breathing pauses during sleep. These breathing pauses cause awakenings throughout the night, making it impossible for sleep apnea sufferers to enjoy a night of deep, restorative sleep. People with sleep apnea often feel sleepy during the day and their concentration and daytime performance suffer. While being overweight or obese are risk factors for sleep apnea, being thin does not preclude a diagnosis.
Sleep apnea, generally considered a problem among middle-aged men, can be a problem for youngsters, too. With the increasing rates of obesity in children, it's likely there will also be an increase in sleep apnea. The repercussions of sleep apnea and poor sleep for children are vast. When children do not get the sleep they need, they are at risk for health, performance, and safety problems; difficulties in school are often the result. However, sleep deprivation in children is often overlooked or attributed to attention-deficit or behavior disorders.
Parents should be aware of nighttime and daytime symptoms of sleep apnea. At night, symptoms include:
• Snoring
• Breathing pauses during sleep
• Restless sleep
• Mouth breathing
• Difficulty getting up in the morning, even after getting the proper amount of sleep
Daytime symptoms include:
• Hyperactivity
• Inattention
• Behavior problems
• Sleepiness
If parents suspect their child has sleep apnea, his/her symptoms should be discussed with a pediatrician or other health care provider.
To help your child get a good night's sleep:
Establish a regular bedtime and wake up time. Parents and children should plan a daily schedule that includes the basic daily sleep requirements for particular age groups. This schedule should be maintained on the weekends, though students can be permitted to sleep longer for one or two hours on weekend mornings if necessary.
While individual sleep needs can vary, the amount of sleep suggested for children each day by sleep experts is:
|10.5 - 18 hours of sleep
|18 months – 3 years
|12 - 14 hours
|3 - 5 years
|11 - 13 hours
|5 - 12 years
|9 - 11 hours
|9.25 hours
Create a bedtime routine. Bedtime routines are important, regardless of a child's age. It should include at least 15-30 minutes of calm, soothing activities. Discourage television, exercise, computer and telephone use, and avoid caffeine (found in beverages, chocolate and other products).
Achieve a balanced schedule. Identify and prioritize activities that allow for downtime and sufficient sleep time. Help students avoid an overloaded schedule that can lead to stress and difficulty coping, which contribute to poor health and sleep problems.
To help children maintain a healthy body weight, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers these tips:
Be supportive. Children know if they are overweight and don't need to be reminded or singled out.
Plan family activities that involve exercise. Instead of watching TV, go hiking or biking, wash the car, or walk around the mall. Offer choices and let your children decide.
Eat meals together as a family and eat at the table, not in front of the television. Eat slowly and enjoy the food.
Don't use food as a reward or punishment. Children should not be placed on restrictive diets unless done so by a doctor (for medical reasons). Children need food for growth, development, and energy.
For more information visit NSF's Web site at www.sleepfoundation.org.


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In the thirty-four years since his retirement, Henry (Hank) Aaron's reputation has only grown in magnitude. But his influence extends beyond statistics, and at long last here is the first definitive biography of one of baseball's immortal figures.
Based on meticulous research and extensive interviews The Last Hero reveals how Aaron navigated the upheavals of his time—fighting against racism while at the same time benefiting from racial progress—and how he achieved his goal of continuing Jackie Robinson's mission to obtain full equality for African Americans, both in baseball and society, while he lived uncomfortably in the public eye. Eloquently written, detailed and penetrating, this is a revelatory portrait of a complicated, private man who through sports became an enduring American icon.
Excerpted from The Last Hero by Howard Bryant. Copyright © 2010 by Howard Bryant. Excerpted by permission of Anchor, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Howard Bryant is the author of Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, which was a finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research's 2003 Seymour Medal, and Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball. He is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine; appears regularly on ESPN's The Sports Reporters, ESPN First Take, and Outside the Lines; and serves as sports correspondent for NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. He lives in western Massachusetts.
A Conversation with Howard Bryant
Author of The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron
1. Why Henry Aaron?
After my second book, Juicing the Game, the natural progression for my thought process was heading toward one question: "Who in baseball do you admire? Is there anyone this sport can be proud of?" It wasn't simply the fatigue of writing about steroids and tainted heroes that drifted me toward Henry Aaron, but because the steroids scandal occurring during the same time as the housing-and-mortgage scandal told me something larger was taking place in this country, that the value systems we ostensibly seek—honor, integrity, accountability—were becoming almost quaint. In baseball, as the drug scandal intensified, players would tell me, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying." It was that level of cynicism that made me consider writing about someone who certainly was not perfect but had a larger mission for himself beyond money, that here was a person for whom those values are not quaint.
2. Did he cooperate?
It took roughly eighteen months for him to agree to speak with me. I first began working on this project in May 2006 and that was in the middle of when Barry Bonds was nearing Henry's record. Henry Aaron wanted nothing to do with the Bonds record chase. He didn't want to be asked questions about Bonds, did not want to be placed in the debate about anabolic steroids. He did not want to engage at all.
When Henry's attorney, Allan Tanenbaum, and I spoke for the first time, he was extremely pessimistic about the book and the public's reaction to Henry Aaron. He was convinced that the public did not care about him except in being positioned as the polar opposite of Bonds. He was certain that I was only interested in one thing: Bonds. Over many phone calls spanning several months (the key conversation taking place over Thanksgiving 2007), Allan finally accepted that my motives for writing the book had nothing to do with Bonds and everything to do with a man I considered to be an American icon.
A few months later, on January 31 (ironically on Jackie Robinson's birthday), Henry Aaron and I had our first phone call. He was extremely pleasant and engaging but echoed Allan's sentiments about his own life. "People don't care about me," he told me. "They only care about what I did as a baseball player. There's more to me than that." I was amazed at the considerable divide that existed between the enthusiasm I received whenever I mentioned the possibility of writing about Henry and what he considered to be the public's perception of him.
3. What most surprised you during the writing/research?
There were many surprising aspects of the research, which is why I truly love to research and write books. Whatever your initial thoughts of your subject are, they will invariably be altered the deeper you learn.
I was as guilty as anyone in following the accepted Aaron myth: played in Milwaukee, was always overshadowed by players in bigger markets, snuck up on even the shrewdest evaluators of talent from the day he entered the big leagues to the day when suddenly he and not Willie Mays was in the best position to break Babe Ruth's all-time home run record.
None of this is true, and that was the most surprising thing. Henry Aaron was a phenom, a top prospect from the day he joined the Indianapolis Clowns. He was a comet tearing through each level in the minor leagues, and when he arrived for his first spring in Bradenton, Florida in 1954, all eyes were on him to be the next great player.
The myth came later. As the Milwaukee Braves fell in the standings at the beginning of the 1960s, people did begin to forget about Henry, and he quietly accumulated Hall of Fame numbers. But that was only because the public lost interest in a losing team, not because it was unaware of his enormous ability.
4. What is the lasting legacy of Henry Aaron?
A famous sociologist told me during an interview that the steroid scandal has created a gap between the record holders and the standard bearers of major league baseball. Barry Bonds is a record holder. Henry Aaron is a standard bearer. The latter is far more important and valuable than the former.
And it carries weight beyond the baseball diamond, where Henry always wanted respect. He spent his life being compared on the baseball diamond to Willie Mays, but Henry Aaron wanted to follow in the legacy of Jackie Robinson, to use his platform to provide opportunities for people who did not have them. Baseball was simply a means to that end.
From the Hardcover edition.
"Beautifully written and culturally important . . . tells the Aaron story with gusto and a ferocious sweep. . . . Bryant may just have given us a classic."
—The Washington Post
"Illuminating and rigorously researched."
—New York Times Book Review
"A welcome and long-overdue portrait . . . thoughtful, insightful and deeply engaging. . . . It easily stands as one of the most impressive profiles of a ballplayer in years."
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Bryant is a great writer for a great subject. . . . Mr. Aaron's story is the epic baseball tale of the second half of the 20th century."
—Atlanta Journal Constitution
"Impressive. . . . Nuanced. . . . For baseball junkies, The Last Hero offers enough about ballplayers of the era and the game to amply satisfy. But fortunately this book offers more. This is not mere hagiography. This is the tale of a man performing in the public eye, laboring under a persona projected by others with preconceptions of their own, but who gradually moves forward in his quest for self-determination."
—Bill Nowlin, The Boston Globe
"Brawny. . . . The Last Hero had the forceful sweep of a well-struck essay as much as that of a first-rate biography."
—The New York Times
"The best baseball biography to come along in years, a work that fuses the storytelling acumen of a David Halberstam with the sensitivity for race and sport embodied by writers such as Dave Zirin and William Rhoden. . . . For readers eager to know the man behind the numbers and the footage, Bryant hits one out of the park."
—The Bay State Banner
"Perfect for the sports fan and the history buff."
—Good Morning America
"No one was more important to the game of baseball in the last half of the 20th century than Henry Aaron and no one writes about that supremely talented man, that tumultuous time and this treasure of a game better than Howard Bryant. Together, they are an extraordinary combination, and the book Bryant has written gets to the heart of the complicated and dignified, patient and consistent genuine hero that is Henry Aaron."
—Ken Burns
"Marvelous. . . . Wrists, legs, heart, brain—here is the full picture of a great man and ballplayer who finally gets his due."
—David Maraniss, author of Clemente
"There will surely be other books on Hank; there may never be a better book on Henry Aaron than Bryant's The Last Hero."
—Mobile Press-Register
"A fascinating and at times a troubling book, which revivified the lovely old game for me."
—Tracy Kidder
"A must read for baseball fans of every generation."
"We already know Henry Aaron as one of the greatest players in the history of baseball. Now, in Howard Bryant's impeccably researched and nuanced biography, we know Henry Aaron not just as a great ballplayer, but as a remarkable man. In The Last Hero Bryant asks the hard questions and cuts through the myths to create a timeless and unflinching portrait of an American icon and his times. And as in any great biography, in learning about Aaron's life we also learn something about our own."
—Glenn Stout, series editor, The Best American Sports Writing