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IBEROSTAR Parque Central
OverviewIBEROSTAR Parque Central
The elegant 5-star IBEROSTAR Parque Central Hotel is located in central Havana, Cuba. Known for its Spanish colonial-style architecture, which pulls in the rich culture of the streets, our top hotel is regarded as the best hotel in Havana. The IBEROSTAR Parque Central Hotel is an excellent starting point for tourists wanting to dive into Cuba's history and explore the most authentic streets and corners in Havana. Whether you are staying with us as a family holiday or a couple's getaway, our top hotel in the Havana is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience.
- In the Centre of Havana. The IBEROSTAR Parque Central Hotel is nestled in the heart of Havana. Thanks to its coveted location, the hotel is within close proximity to the Capitol's featured tourist sites, lined with music and the best attractions and popular destinations such as Bar Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio.
- Unmatched Views. Guests can admire unbelievable city views from the charming French windows and doors of the hotel. Our hotel allows for unrivalled vistas of Havana's distinct glass buildings including the Capitol Building, the Great Theatre of Havana, and the Fine Arts Museum. Guests can also enjoy the most spectacular views from the IBEROSTAR Parque Central Hotel's pristine rooftop swimming pool.
- Luxury and Comfort. Every comfort and luxury that you could hope for in a hotel is offered at the IBEROSTAR Parque Central. All rooms are fully furnished and provide a wide array of facilities. Accommodation choices range from our Double Rooms to the majestic Presidential Suite.
- Parking
- Meeting Rooms
- Cradle
- Air Conditioning
- Satellite Television
- Safe
- Minibar
- Room Service
- Fitness room
- Pool
- SPA Sensations
- Professional animation shows
- Wi-Fi (with charge €)
- Luxury facilities
Elegant 5-star colonial-style hotel located in the heart of Havana.Book Now
IBEROSTAR Parque Central
- Neptuno % Prado y Zulueta
- Ciudad de la Habana
- Cuba
- Tel.: 537.8606627
- Fax: 537. 8606630
- E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Country Facts
- Language: Spanish
- Currency: Cuban Peso (CUP)
- Population: 11.242.628
- Capital: La Habana


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Riding Lessons in West Virginia
Scroll down to browse our newest West Virginia riding lessons listings or use the quick search on the left to search by farm, trainer, area or discipline.
Do you offer horseback riding lessons? List your WV riding lessons services in our equine business directory - free!
Almost Heaven Farm / Mitzi Javers - Small private riding lesson program.
Kenna, WV

subset: commoncrawl


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Nepal Journals OnLine (NepJOL) is a service to provide access to Nepalese published research, and increase worldwide knowledge of indigenous scholarship. Read more.
R Carosi
University of Pisa, ITALY Italy
C Montomoli
University of Pisa, ITALY Italy
E Appel
2 University of Tübingen, GERMANY Germany
I Dunkl
University of Göttingen, GERMANY Germany
Lin Ding
4 Instititute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, Beijing, CHINA China
DOI = 10.3126/hjs.v5i7.1242
Himalayan Journal of Sciences Vol.5(7) (Special Issue) 2008 p.35
Himalayan Journal of Sciences ISSN 1727-5210 (Print) 1727-5229 (Online) Contact journal editor


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Live updates
Police appeal after debris left on train tracks
British Transport Police are appealing for information after several trains in South Devon have crashed into objects deliberately placed on the railway line.
In the last month, concrete lids, metal road signs and cones have been put on the line near Newton St Cyres. The incidents have led to several delays.
British Transport Police warning on railway theft
The British Transport Police is warning people to keep an eye on their belongings when they're travelling on trains between London and Cornwall.
Teams of officers have travelled in relay between London Paddington and Penzance on board First Great Western's 1206hrs departure from Paddington.
They've been offering advice and safety tips as well as handing out leaflets and answering any questions or concerns passengers may have about keeping their possessions safe.
Near-miss as lorry tyre left on railway line
British Transport Police are appealing for witnesses after a high-speed train suffered damage after striking a tyre believed to have been deliberately placed on the line.
It happened last Sunday (22 December) at around 1.20pm.
A train travelling towards Penzance struck the large tyre on the tracks between Menheniot and Liskeard.
Do you recognise these men?
British Transport Police said there was an alleged incident at Exeter St David's Railway Station in which three men who refused to buy tickets became verbally abusive to members of staff.
Police have released CCTV images of three men they believe will have information that could assist Officers.
The alleged incident happened at about 4pm on Monday (29 July).
Railway Police release CCTV image
Train manager suffered 'abuse'
British Transport Police say a train manager suffered abuse on a service between Truro and St Austell.
Officers have now issued the above CCTV image of a woman they would like to speak to in connection with the alleged incident, which took place onboard the 21:45hrs Penzance to London Paddington sleeper service between 10.30pm and 11pm on Friday.
PICTURES: Fatal level crossing crash near Taunton
One person killed in level crossing crash
British Transport Police have confirmed that one person has died after a train hit a car on a level crossing in Somerset. It happened near Athelney, which is on the line between Taunton and Castle Cary.
There were no reports of any passengers on the train being injured in the crash.
The car is trapped under the front of the train and services are stopped in the area. First Great Western is operating replacement buses between Taunton and Westbury.
Man wanted in connection with assault on train in Cornwall
British Transport Police have released a CCTV image of a man they'd like to speak to following an assault on a member of rail staff in Cornwall. It happened on a train arriving at Lostwithiel Railway Station on the evening of Wednesday 5th December. PC Steve Campbell has issued this appeal:
"Following a ticket dispute on First Great Western's 1916hrs Penzance - Plymouth service, a male passenger is alleged to have assaulted a member of staff on board the train.
"I am now issuing a CCTV image and appealing for anyone who can identify the man in this photograph as I believe he will have key information which can assist the investigation.
"I would also like anyone who witnessed the incident on the train to come forward."
People with information are asked to contact British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 40 50 40, quoting incident reference B7/WWA of 03/01/2013
British Transport Police appeal for information
British Transport Police are looking to speak to a man who became abusive and threatening towards the train manager on the 8.34pm Paignton-Exmouth service when asked to leave the train.
The man did not have a valid ticket and when he left the train he began banging on the windows and continued threatening the train manager as the service left the station. The man is described as a white man in his thirties and was travelling with a Doberman-type dog.
BTP have now issued a photograph of a man they would like to speak to who may have information which could help the investigation.


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Civil War-Era Memories from The Memphis Daily Appeal
from The Memphis Daily Appeal
In recognition of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, "Civil War-Era Memories" features excerpts from The Memphis Daily Appeal of 150 years ago. The Appeal is publishing from Jackson, Miss. Perspective from our staff is in italics.
Apr. 15, 1863
Memphis Items / Bold Theft — The "Argus" notices the fact that some contemptible thief entered the church yard of St. Mary's church on Poplar Street and ran off a favorite cow belonging to Bishop Oley.
Apr. 17, 1863
Yankees came out on the Hollow Ford Road from Memphis toward Hernando yesterday, but Col. Faulkner advanced and promptly stopped them.
Movements at Vicksburg — Five Gunboats Pass Down / One Gunboat Burned and Two Disabled — The Federal fleet made another important movement on the river last night. Eight gunboats were sighted approaching the city, and everything was put in readiness to receive them ... A fire from the batteries was immediately opened, which was replied to by the vessels with a terrific fire of grape and canister. Five of the boats succeeded in running the gauntlet. (For more, read the "New York Times" account, "Moonless on the Mississippi," from the "Disunion" series at http://nyti.ms/17GENPm).
Apr. 18, 1863
Latest by Telegraph — The suppression of the Memphis papers is attributed to the republication of an article from the "Cincinnati Commercial" censuring General Grant. The Federal cavalry at Memphis is being increased for the purpose, it is supposed, of operating in Northern Mississippi.
Letter from Richmond — I have the best reasons for believing that a battle will be fought on the line of the Rappahannock in less than three days' time ... The month of April will be memorable in history. DIXIE (The Appeal's Virginia correspondent was right about an imminent battle, although he was wrong on the timing. The Battle of Chancellorsville was fought from April 30 to May 6 and resulted in the death of one of the South's greatest fighters, "Stonewall" Jackson.)
Apr. 20, 1863
Letter from Vicksburg — It is now reliably ascertained that the late movement of Gen. Grant was a feint, for the purpose of inducing the Confederates to reduce their forces here by sending the troops to points threatened with more imminent danger. I have it also from reliable authority that the reported arrival in Memphis of the greater part of Grant's army was a ruse, got up for the same purpose of misleading and deceiving our authorities here. Instead of going to Memphis and on up the river, the troops were simply removed from the peninsula opposite Vicksburg to Milliken's Bend, a distance of not more than twenty miles, and the reinforcements are on the way down, instead of up the river.
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Remote TV from your phone.Remote is a free, fun, and easy-to-use app that turns your Phone into a remote control. So wherever you are in your house, you can control your TV with a tap or flick of a finger.The same way you play music or video, fast-forward, pause, and rewind. Choose a song, shuffle an album, or skip to the next track. Even create Genius playlists.
Rate & Review
3 yrs ago - Nokia 5200
where i can find cracked for tv remote plz help me..thx
4 yrs ago - Nokia N78
gracias s


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Over last few months, Mrs. Wells and I have given sixth grade students at Elkin Elementary School the opportunity to read with first grade students during a reading buddy program on Friday mornings each week.
Half of the students from my class would venture to Mrs. Wells' classroom and half of Mrs. Wells' class would trek to my room. After the initial meeting, both of us knew the program would be a hit with both sets of students. As the next Thursday rolled around both classes were asking questions like, "Are we going to read with the first graders again?" and "Are our reading buddies coming this week?"
They did get to read with their reading buddies again that week and for several weeks following. Both sets of students learned many lessons during that time. One lesson in particular became paramount: when young readers watch older readers, they learn that reading is both important and fun.
Over the years, many things have changed in education. How we assess student's learning, what we assess in student's learning, whom we assess, when we assess, what we teach, how we teach, and the list goes on.
However, one constant has remained. For students to become better readers, here's the secret: they must read!
Now, before you criticize that statement as simple, plain, and obvious, think about what it unpacks. Did you love to read as a child?
What did you love to do if it wasn't reading? Why didn't you love to read? What would it have taken to get you to read more often? These are just a small sampling of the questions teacher and parents alike are wrestling with daily. Many years of research have gone by and many findings have been both helpful and not so helpful.
What the majority agrees on is that children need assistance in finding a genre they crave to read, and then they need the freedom to read to their fullest. When children read what they want to read they will not only read more often but also will experience more growth when their favorite genre is paired with a good book within their reading ability.
The easiest way to find that is to let him try a few books he likes. Use a "three strikes" rule. Missing three words on a page means the book is too difficult for him to enjoy on his own. Ask him a couple of questions about what he read so you know he understands and can talk about the book. Get the book and let him loose to read and talk with you about what he's reading. Then reading will become more fun because you're doing it together. His "fun reading" will become practice in learning how to become a better reader overall.
Here are some suggestions I have found over the years that have helped many parents.
First, let your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, stepchildren, and any child that looks up to you, see you reading and enjoying what you read. Second, talk with children about what you're reading and about what they're reading. Open up the flow of dialogue so they know they can tell you about what they love and hate in the texts they encounter. Thirdly, set aside time to read with them and to them. Take turns reading some books that have text a little too difficult for them but not so difficult as to make the frustrated.
You can help them as they wrestle with unfamiliar words and can model how to read them. Read to children anytime during the day or at bedtime each day. Start a habit of doing this with them daily and it will serve both as a teachable moment and as a relationship builder between the two of you.
Finally, develop a strong relationship between you, your child, and your child's teacher. When your child sees that you and their teacher both value reading as important and that both of you hold him or her accountable as a student, great things can happen. Reading will become a topic of conversation as well as a skill to master.
I challenge all of us to take these steps to heart. As families continue to disintegrate, and children continue to feel more and more isolated from their peers, and as society continues to challenge any and all standards, don't miss out on an opportunity to build a strong family that can withstand today's stresses. Why not let that building project start around a good book? Why not begin today?


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If you thought that ChatRoulette was simply an internet playground comprised of pimply-faced teens and serial masturbators, well, you're not entirely incorrect. There are most certainly scads of those people hanging around the hottest URL in the game, but then again, there's also Merton.
You see, a scant four days ago, an anonymous YouTube user who calls himself Merton posted a video under the username PianoChatImprov. In it, a bespectacled young man wearing a green hoodie serenades a series of users with funny, improvisational, piano-driven songs relaying generically specific details about the person on the other end of the screen. And during this time, the video has gone viral (fancy internet lingo!) and racked up nearly 700,000 views. So, who exactly is this Merton fellow, anyway?
Merton's particular style of ivory tickling and sing-songy approach led some early fans to speculate that he was, in fact, Ben Folds. We had our doubts, as A) aside from the specs, it doesn't really look like Folds and B) we're fairly certain a songwriter as gifted as Folds wouldn't rhyme "hand" and "planned" so frequently. Our suspicions were confirmed when Vh1's own Bex Schwartz got in contact with the mysterious YouTube superstar earlier today to confirm that he wasn't the popular piano man.
That said, Merton does not have any plans to reveal his "secret" identity just yet. We applaud his decision, but knowing how ravenous the internet can be, we're fairly certain we'll know everything about good ole Mertles by week's end. Here's hoping he is able to make a buck and book a late night appearance or two before TMZ inevitably outs him.
– Mark Graham


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A startup company trying to commercialize nanotechnology invented at Clemson University has turned to the University of South Carolina for help.
Selah Technologies LLC and USCs Nanocenter said Monday theyre working together to investigate the possible use of one of Selahs advanced materials in cancer detection.
The startup companys advanced materials called carbon-based quantum dots and carbon single-walled nanotubes were discovered by Clemson chemistry professor Ya-Ping Sun.
Two-year-old Selah has a deal with Clemson to manufacture the materials in black powder form and market them as a specialty chemical to various industries. Earlier this month, Selah announced a deal with Osram Sylvania Inc., the maker of Sylvania light bulbs, to explore use of its materials in the lighting industry.
Now, USC will test the viability of the quantum dots for cancer detection and could own, along with Selah Technologies, any new technologies resulting from the research.
USC chemistry professor Tom Vogt, director of the Nanocenter, said the quantum dots are an "almost perfect" match with chemistry developed by Qian Wang, a researcher at the Nanocenter.
"This was sort of a marriage almost made in heaven," Vogt said. "They have great materials, and we have the chemistry that was needed to make them even better materials."
Wang will lead an investigation into whether the quantum dots can attach to cancer cells inside a human body and then glow to show doctors where the cancer is. Hell also attempt to prove the quantum dots are not toxic in a biological system.
"Wouldnt it be great if we could be No. 1 in cancer detection in the nation and maybe ultimately in the world with this kind of technology," Vogt said.
Michael Bolick, Selahs chief executive, said his company turned to USC instead of Clemson to explore the cancer detection market because Clemson "didnt have the nano biotechnology focus that I found with Qian Wang."
"Clemsons already on our team," Bolick said. His company employs eight in a business "incubator" in Pendleton operated by the Clemson research foundation.
Vogt said the research partnership shows the states research universities are working together with private industry to help South Carolina.
"Selah is taking an important Clemson discovery from the laboratory to the marketplace, and were helping them," he said. "And by doing that, were showing theres a collaboration between the research universities and the private sector. I think thats something we should be proud of in South Carolina."
John Ballato, Clemsons associate vice president for research and economic development, said the Upstate university accomplishes its economic development mission whenever companies that spin out of its research succeed.
"If those companies grow and prosper, then weve done our job, regardless of who they partner with or where they are located," Ballato said.
USC and its Nanocenter are part of a loose coalition of companies and universities planning an annual conference on advanced materials as a step in developing a world-renown advanced materials industry in South Carolina.
Also in the coalition are Clemson, which operates an Advanced Materials Center along State 87 in Anderson County; and the University of North Carolina Charlotte, which is collaborating with Clemson in optics materials research.
Participating companies include Milliken & Co., the Spartanburg-based textiles and chemicals company; Michelin North America Inc., the Greenville-based tire manufacturer; General Electric Co.s Energy unit, whose engineering headquarters is based in Greenville; and Zeus Industrial Products, an Orangeburg-based manufacturer of plastic tubing for medical devices.


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Bryan Adams' Hit-Heavy Fox Show
By Jeremy Essig
Lightning Bolt's Sharp New Sound
By Jason Robinson
Fleetwood Mac Back with Classic Lineup
By Hans Morgenstern
Here's Who's Making STL Noisy This Spring
By Joseph Hess
Beatles Sister Louise Harrison Departs the Midwest
By Peter Gilstrap
By Julia Burch
Working Class Dogs to Honor Rick Springfield
By Jeremy Essig
Torche Gets Back Into Its Heavy Groove With Restarter
By Nathan Smith
"They may have given us some money, but they're damn sure they ain't the boss of me, and there's no way they're gonna interfere with our live show," says Brock with unusual conviction, noting that the band's decision to go with Epic was driven by a simple and time-honored motive: cash. "They do give you more money to record with, and that's a luxury. Basically, our intention was to hijack the fat wallet for recording."
If you're going to pull a heist, you might as well go big, and that's precisely what Modest Mouse has done. When the band was with K and then Up, it was typically limited to budgets of roughly 7 or 8 grand and allotted about a week for the recording, producing and mastering of each release. Epic, on the other hand, gave the players a $100,000 budget and all the time they needed to record their debut release for the label. They took full advantage of the offer: Green, Judy and Brock headed to Clava Studio in Chicago and emerged four months later with the completed The Moon and Antarctica, their most concise release yet. By adding sprinkles of lap steel guitar, violin, banjo, percussion and reverberating little sound bites to the production, they colored in some of the monotone gray areas present in earlier releases. Old friends of the Modest Mouse sound who are unfamiliar with the new platter may find it different in that the drums and guitar are less prominent and new space-age quirks pop out like wedding-day zits. Some of those differences, Brock contends, were more the result of happy accidents than deliberate orchestration.
"(Producer) Brian Deck and I were sitting around getting drunk, mastering this thing," Brock says, "and at the time, we were so enamored with the sounds, we wanted to make sure they were heard." Early in the production, though, an incident occurred that would change the direction of the sessions.
After a drunken melee in the so-called Golden Gloves district of Chicago (he was attacked by as many as 14 inebriated youths), Brock's mouth had to be wired shut for a month-and-a-half. Though it might sound torturous to some, he says the injury actually enhanced the instrumental aspects of the then-in-production recording.
"They fucked me up pretty good," he says with a smile. "But having my jaw broken was great in respect to its effect on the album, because I had to take a different approach to recording. Usually when we record, we lay down the basic tracks, and I feel guilty if I don't hurry up and get the vocals done. But this time I couldn't sing. So I just hung out, wrote a lot more instrumentals, and had a chance to really listen and work on it before laying down the vocals."
Despite the unusual way in which it attained its orchestral qualities, The Moon and Antarctica certainly does smack of a more polished approach to writing and recording. The stringed lullaby of "3rd Planet" and the pretty patience of nylon-string guitar work on "Perfect Disguise" exemplify the differences between The Moon and previous efforts. Unlike on Interstate 8 or The Fruit That Ate Itself -- where most tunes were fairly straightforward and drenched in heavy guitar and hard-to-ignore drumming -- The Moon takes listeners on a ride through a musical picture book. Rather than the constant strumming of guitar or beat-it-into-your-head bass and drum lines, the album is peppered with sparse sounds.
"When I first listened to the album, I was horrified," Brock says suddenly, as his van continues toward Eugene. Then, after a moment, he seems to make an associative analogy, perhaps noting the landscape, where miles and miles of clear-cut trees -- just stumps, really -- are thinly veiled behind the 100-or-so yards of timber that line the interstate. "I think it's going to take a long time for this album to grow on people," he says, "and for them to appreciate it."
Sponsor Content


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Cat rides bus so often it gets picture on side
Posted: July 29, 2009|
MEET Casper, the commuting cat who's fast becoming a celebrity on Plymouth buses.
Regular users of First's number 3 service may recognise the fluffy feline, who has been driving his owner up the wall with his constant trips to the city centre.
The adventurous cat politely queues behind other passengers at the bus stop outside his Barne Barton home, then quietly trots on board and curls up on a seat for the ride.
But far from causing mischief he has proved a hit with drivers and customers alike, who always make sure he returns home safely.
Casper's journey takes him from just outside his house in Poole Park Road to the final stop at Royal Parade and back, via St Budeaux Square, HMS Drake, Keyham, Devonport and Stonehouse.
His owner Susan Finden has only just found out about his antics – but First Group have been bussing Casper around for months.
Now the company is even hatching plans to decorate the side of a Ugobus with a giant photograph of Casper, such is his popularity on the route.
Susan, who picked him out of a rescue home in 2002, said he had always been a free spirit; she named him Casper after the cartoon ghost when he immediately started giving her and husband Christopher the runaround with regular 'disappearing acts'.
The 55-year-old care worker said: "He'd always go off and have a wander. Once I had to walk a mile and a half with a cat basket to bring him back from a car park.
"He does love people, and I don't know what the attraction is but he loves big vehicles like lorries and buses.
"We think he must have come from a travellers' site or a haulage yard because he's not scared of loud vehicles at all – or dogs.
"We think he's about 12 years old but he has no road sense whatsoever; he just runs out across the road to the bus stop."
Susan found out about Casper's regular 11-mile round trips when he followed her to the bus stop one morning, avoiding passing vehicles by a whisker.
"The driver told me he gets on all the time," she said. "I couldn't believe it.
"He queues up in line with people and just sits patiently in the queue good as gold – it'll be 'Person, person, person, cat, person, person.'
"He seems to be picking First buses rather than the Citybus ones, but we don't know why.
"When the drivers do their turnaround they'll all check the bus and if he's on there they make sure he stays on for the return trip. Then local people will take him off when he gets to the right stop.
"I'm really appreciative to all the drivers for making sure he gets home safely; I'd hate to lose him."
First's Karen Baxter said the firm had put a notice up in the drivers' rest room asking them to look after the rogue passenger if they spotted him sneaking on.
One female driver even has a photo of Casper on the desktop of her computer.
Ms Baxter said the company had no plans to charge him for his trips.
"In cat years he's an OAP so he'd get a free bus pass anyway," she said, "and I'm not sure we'd feel comfortable selling a cat a Rover ticket."
Driver Rob Stonehouse added: "He usually just curls up at the back of the bus. Sometimes he nips between people's legs but he never causes any trouble."
Casper would not tell The Herald the reason for his trips.


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Michael De Leon
Michael A. De Leon is a graphic designer by day, but wears many hats in his off time. In 2004, after several years of covering the Spurs, he started Project Spurs, a Spurs team fansite as an outlet to provide content to Spurs fans, while continuing to write for himself and learning the ins and outs of online publishing and web design. He has since built a writing team and started a popular weekly Spurs podcast called the Spurscast.
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Lyons named D-League Performer of the Week
Austin Toros forward Leo Lyons has been putting up great numbers for the Toros since he was re-inserted into the lineup, and it appears the D-League has taken notice. Today, the D-League announced that Lyons was named the Performer of the Week for games played during the week of February 28. Lyons, a 6-9, 200-pound […] [Read More]
Toros take down the Skyforce
By Jeff Garcia, Toros Nation The Austin Toros (17-22) beat the Sioux Falls Skyforce (7-30) 115-96 today at the Cedar Park Center in a much-needed win to stay within reach of the final playoff spot in the D-League. Not to mention getting a win after two crushing losses in the past week. Early in the […] [Read More]
Toros Make Trade Hours Before Trade Deadline
By Mikkayla Guillett, Toros Nation Just as Moses Ehambe was beginning to adjust and produce quality numbers for the Austin Toros the team decided to trade him to the Iowa Energy for guard Kyle Weaver. Ehambe's numbers in the month of February were mediocre at best (he scored a month high eight points against New […] [Read More]
Toros trade Beal
The Austin Toros will be one player short when they play the Texas Legends tomorrow at the Cedar Park Center. Unfortunately for the Toros, that player won't be coming back. Yesterday, the Toros traded rookie Jermaine Beal to the Erie Bayhawks as part of a three-team deal that will net them a third round selection […] [Read More]
A display of talent, defense and professionalism: Squeaky Johnson
By Paul Garcia, Toros Nation As I was walking into the Cedar Park Center from the back gate this past Saturday evening, from a distance I could see the basketball court and a few basketballs being shot into the air. As I approached the basketball court, I saw a player working with his trainer and […] [Read More]
Toros Fall to Thunderbirds in Final Seconds of Double Overtime
By Paul Garcia, Michael De Leon, Mikkayla Guillett, Toros Nation The Austin Toros (15-21) faced the New Mexico Thunderbirds (15-22) tonight at the Cedar Park Center looking to get another win but it was too little, too late in a thrilling game double-overtime game. Toros lose, 119-117. Toros' Marcus Cousin opened the game by scoring […] [Read More]
On the Road with Michael Joiner: Dallas
Austin Toros forward Michael Joiner is a four-year D-League veteran and in his second season with the Toros. He has agreed to write an "On the Road" series for Toros Nation and this is his fourth post. By Michael Joiner Back after a commercial break. The new part of the season has officially begun. In […] [Read More]
Former Spurs in D-League All-Star game
Several San Antonio Spurs alumni were selected for and played in today's D-League All-Star game. Marcus Cousin, who was with the Spurs in training camp and preseason is currently the starting center for the Austin Toros and he was selected to start at center for the West. In just over 20 minutes, Cousin finished the […] [Read More]
Toros at the break: a season in transition
By Jeff Garcia, Mikkayla Guillett, Toros Nation While Austin Toros' Marcus Cousin will be in Los Angeles making an appearance in the NBA D-League All-Star game this weekend, the rest of the Toros will have a much-needed weekend off. At the break, the Toros are a game and a half out of the playoff hunt. Unless things […] [Read More]
On the Road with Michael Joiner: RGV
Austin Toros forward Michael Joiner is a four-year D-League veteran and in his second season with the Toros. He has agreed to write an "On the Road" series for Toros Nation and this is his second post, which he wrote before last night's win against the RGV Vipers. By Michael Joiner It's game day against […] [Read More]
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By Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service
PORTSMOUTH, Virginia, April 5, 2005 Though he got only a few minutes to chat with them during his recent trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said "the troops are doing well."
The Joint Chiefs chairman provided this assessment to reporters after his keynote address to defense industry representatives here today at the Joint Force Command/National Defense Industrial Association Industry Days 2005.
"It never fails, when you go to Iraq or Afghanistan (or the) Horn of Africa, that the troops know exactly what it's about," Myers said. "They understand the importance of the mission and I'd say morale was extremely high. It has been from the start."
Myers said issues remain in carrying out the mission, such as how the forces are structured in the 21st century. One element that needs addressing is rebalancing the reserve component-active force mix. Myers said the balance as it is right now hampers force agility and flexibility.
That and other issues will be addressed during the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review, he said.
The Army is doing a terrific job, the chairman said. "They are, of all the services, the one that is probably the busiest," Myers said, referencing deployment tempo. "They are also involved in transforming themselves."
He noted the service is transforming to a modular concept. With a modular force, Myers pointed out, commanders can pick and choose the building blocks desired to come up with the most effective combat unit for the job.
"They decided the basic unit of combat will be the brigade," Myers said.
With this decision comes the increase in the number of brigades from 33 to 43 with very little increase in end-strength. Some of those new brigades are already on-line and serving in Iraq.
This kind of action is truly transformation, he said.
"Don't think of transformation as a new ship or plane or tank. That's not what it is," he said. "It's how do we organize ourselves ... lead ourselves? What's our doctrine?
"This is a big deal. And they've done it very well," the general said.
Myers said there are a myriad of reasons why people to join the military.
"I'm convinced that clearly one of the reasons people want to join now is that they understand that this nation is at risk right now. The stakes are very high and they want to do their part," the chairman said. "In many respects, this is the next 'Greatest Generation.'"


text:
Session W45: Atom-Light Interactions: Experiment and Theory
11:15 AM–2:15 PM, Thursday, March 24, 2011
Room: A310
Sponsoring Unit: DAMOP
Chair: Charles Clark, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Abstract ID: BAPS.2011.MAR.W45.14
Abstract: W45.00014 : Efficient Backward Emission from Optically Pumped Air
Preview Abstract MathJax On | Off Abstract
Andrew Traverso
(Texas A\&M University)
Rodrigo Sanchez-Gonzalez
(Texas A\&M University)
Michael Grubb
(Texas A\&M University)
Dmitri Voronine
(Texas A\&M University)
Kai Wang
(Texas A\&M University)
Luqi Yuan
(Texas A\&M University)
Alexei Zheltikov
(Texas A\&M University/Moscow State University)
Arthur Dogariu
(Princeton University)
James Michael
(Princeton University)
Richard Miles
(Princeton University)
Vladimir Sautenkov
(Texas A\&M University)
Alexei Sokolov
(Texas A\&M University)
Simon North
(Texas A\&M University)
Marlan Scully
(Texas A\&M University/Princeton University)
We demonstrate the generation of backwards emitted coherent light in atmosphere via optical pumping. The backwards emitted light is narrow band centered at 845 nm and is generated from the dissociation of molecular oxygen and then subsequent two photon excitation of these newly dissociated oxygen atoms. Both the dissociation and excitation of oxygen are driven by a single 226 nm $\sim $10 nanosecond pulsed pump beam. The produced 845 nm light is a pulse approximately 10 nanosecond in duration and not only exhibits threshold characteristics, but is also nearly diffraction-limited. This optically-pumped mirror-less light source which propagates back towards the pump source presents a unique opportunity to develop new techniques for remote sensing.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2011.MAR.W45.14


text: Former Creed frontman Scott Stapp spent yesterday night in jail following a domestic complaint filed by his wife Jaclyn, a former Miss New York, on Monday morning. According to The Orlando Sentinel, Stapp returned home at around 8 a.m. on Monday after a night out partying with friends. When his wife asked him if he'd been using drugs, she claims he threw an Orangina bottle at her. He doesn't dispute this business with the bottle, but says that it landed at her feet and that it wasn't aimed at her. His lawyer told the press, "The allegations are not accurate. He's sad the allegations were lodged." Stapp was charged with misdemeanor assault and ordered to have no contact with his wife, nor to enter his home except to use the recording studio there. So the judge almost got the sentence right.


text:
Rule targets elected officials' travel donations
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A state ethics agency has closed a loophole that allowed the governor and other elected officials to benefit from large donations without reporting them as gifts, potentially cutting off a major source of their travel funding.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission recently approved a rule limiting the use of large contributions by nonprofits to pay for a public official's travel costs.
The nonprofits act as third-party conduits for money given by wealthy interests that is intended to aid an elected official.
The rule change will take effect later this month.
Critics have said that any trips for official state business should be paid by taxpayers rather than wealthy interest groups that might be seeking to influence state policy.
The commission felt it was important to close the loophole that allowed donors to give beyond the state's $420 gift limit, according to the agency's executive director, Roman Porter.
"The commission thinks it's important to provide to the public the true source of gifts," Porter said.
Under the current system, for example, a business or wealthy individual can give an unlimited amount of money to the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit supported by business interests, to help pay the travel expenses for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When the new rule takes effect, that donation will be treated as an official gift and will be limited to $420 if it is intended specifically for Schwarzenegger's activities.
Contributors can continue to donate unlimited sums to the nonprofits and other third parties as long as their donations are not limited to a specific office-holder.
"We will comply, as we have in the past, with the FPPC laws and regulations," Larry Dicke, the foundation's chief financial officer, said in a statement.
The Protocol Foundation is the most well-known of the groups because it has used contributors' money to pay for Schwarzenegger's trips to China, Europe, the Middle East, Canada and Mexico.
Although the governor has no more trips scheduled this year that could be affected by the new regulation, donors to the foundation have contributed more than $1 million for past travel, according to state records.
The foundation is run under the auspices of the California Chamber of Commerce and is headed by the chamber's president, Allan Zaremberg, along with California Business Roundtable President William Hauck.
One donation of $250,000 came from Aga Khan, a billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of 20 million Muslims worldwide.
The money paid for Schwarzenegger's high-profile trips to the Global Climate Conference in Denmark and to visit American soldiers in Iraq last year. The foundation also covered travel expenses for the governor to attend a technology trade show in Germany.
Another private organization composed of corporations, labor unions and environmental groups, the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy, has paid for some 30 overseas trips for lawmakers since it was created in 1979.
On the Net:
California Fair Political Practices Commission: www.fppc.ca.gov
California Protocol Foundation: www.calprotocolfoundation.org
California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy: www.cfee.net
Subscribe to the Ventura County Star
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text:
Buzz 06.09.15 | 03:50AM EDT
Buzz 04.09.15 | 03:40AM EDT
Singers Yoon Jong Shin and Jang Jane revealed a picture taken together.
Buzz 11.15.14 | 03:38AM EST
Singer Jang Jane revealed a completely different side of herself.
Buzz 10.21.14 | 03:10AM EDT
Singer Jang Jane revealed her chic fashion style.
Buzz 10.17.14 | 02:01AM EDT
Singer Jang Jane revealed her increased beauty.
Buzz 01.27.14 | 10:08AM EST
Singer Jang Jane revealed a self-camera photo with red lipstick on.
Buzz 12.12.13 | 12:59AM EST
Singer Jang Jane revealed herself much brighter than before.
Headlines 12.04.13 | 02:02PM EST
Singer songwriter Jang Jane is joining Yoon Jong Shin at his entertainment company.
Buzz 06.08.13 | 04:46AM EDT
Singer Jang Jane updated her fans.
Buzz 05.25.13 | 09:45PM EDT
Singer Jang Jane, who was recently admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed with abnormalities in her peripheral nervous system, let the fans know that she has been discharged.
Stars on TV / Movies 02.08.13 | 04:44AM EST
Singer Jang Jane revealed her increased beauty.
Buzz 01.30.13 | 05:03AM EST
Singer Jang Jane revealed her doll-like body.
Buzz 01.20.13 | 06:38PM EST
Singer Jang Jane revealed pictures before she cut her hair.
Buzz 01.12.13 | 02:52AM EST
Singer Jang Jane updated her fans with a photo.
Buzz 11.01.12 | 11:48AM EDT
Singer Jang Jane was stuck in New York due to hurricane Sandy.
Hot Issues 10.31.12 | 03:02PM EDT
Due to the unexpected hurricane Sandy, stars' schedules have been delayed.
Headlines 09.01.12 | 03:32AM EDT
Singer Jang Jane revealed the story behind her new song "Summer Night."
Fashion & Style 08.07.12 | 09:38PM EDT
Jang Jane's shocking makeup caught much attention.
Headlines 08.03.12 | 06:35PM EDT
Singer Jang Jane released the new song to her upcoming album at 'Lee Sora's Second Proposal'.
Headlines 07.15.12 | 07:28PM EDT
Jang Jane performs with singer Joosuc on "Show Me the Money."
Buzz 05.17.12 | 04:03PM EDT
Singer Jang Jane showed off her chopstick legs.


text:
Since we screwed you over last Thursday, we're doing two Top 5′s this week. Tomorrow, we rank the Top 5 mascots of South Florida sports.
If you could have a drink with any celebrity with Miami ties who would it be? LeBron James is too obvious of an answer, let him spend some time with his family. Narrowly missing the cut is WQAM's Joe Rose, who often leaves the office bathroom at 8:00 a.m. screaming "It burns, it BURNS, make it STOP!" That's a character, that one.
5. Jeffrey Loria, Marlins "Owner"
Stop shouting and hear me out, damn it.
We go to one of the swankiest restaurants on Miami Beach — like Prime One Twelve — and order a bottle of 1907 Heidsieck, which apparently is like the most expensive wine in the world having once sold for $275,000. Then I take the bottle to the face, take a "pee-pee" break and never return, leaving our "owner" with the bill.
Not sure if that's worse than his email inbox, though.
4. Rick Ross, Rapper
Though Ross was born in Mississippi, he was raised in Miami and attended Miami Carol City High.
I would ask him questions like, "how many items can you hide in your beard at once?" or depending on how the evening is going, "have you ever accidentally killed a woman mid coitis?"
3. Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson, Actor/Wrestler
Dwayne Douglas Johnson was raised in California, but was also a defensive lineman on the Miami Hurricanes' 1991 national championship team. The wrestler/actor has earned roughly $58 million this year.
He seems like a cool dude, and has an interesting connection to many different worlds — sports, acting, and wrestling.
2. Eva Mendes, Actress
The stunning actress/model/singer/designer was born in Miami.
Name me one dude who didn't develop a crush on her after seeing Hitch. Don't lie, you've seen that thing 12 times. And if you haven't seen We Own the Night, I highly recommend not seeing it, but checking her out in this NSFW-ish video.
1. Pat Riley, Immortal
All he does is win.
He's become a Miami deity. Forever overshadowing his tenure as a player or coach, will be the time he built a dynasty in ONE summer and the time he told Danny Ainge to "shut the fu*k up." And if this Beasley Experiment pans out, I will have no words.
I wonder what Pat's poison is? Scotch, right? Or is it something more exotic, something we've probably never even heard of that hasn't been released to normal human beings yet?
Josh Baumgard (@JoshBaumgard) is the editor-in-chief of Page Q. Send him an email.
Photo: @kfrasy


text:
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text:
American Legion to host town hall meeting on VA health care
The American Legion will host a local town hall meeting for veterans that will focus on the past, present and future of health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center in Huntington.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at American Legion Post 16 at 1421 6th Ave. in Huntington. Members of the Legion's System Worth Saving Task Force will attend.
Veterans who have served in the Armed Forces and are currently receiving health care from VA are encouraged to participate. Local members of all veterans service organizations are also welcome to attend.
The team will also visit the VA medical center the following day to interview patients, staff and administrators.
"We conduct these site visits each year to evaluate and report on the quality of health care our veterans are receiving," Ralph Bozella, chairman of the task force, said in a news release. "Our next report will take a comprehensive look at VA health care since we first started evaluating it."
The System Worth Saving program was created in 2003 by then-American Legion National Commander Ron Conley. The task force travels to about 15 VA medical centers per year. The task force compiles an annual report based on its findings and submits it to Congress, the White House and senior VA leadership.
Input received from veterans during town hall meetings is used to help members understand challenges and make recommendations for improving their medical care, Bozella said.
For more information on the town hall meeting, contact Jacob Gadd at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.


text:
Equine Facilities
Julia Bristow
firstname.lastname@example.com Piney Grove Rd
Taylorsville, NC
Phone: 336-302-5250
Visit Web Site
Horses for sale: Yes
Buckskin Paint Quarter Horse
Woodridge Farms is dedicated to the breeding. raising and showing of top quality Quarter Horses and Paints. Young performance prospects always available by today^s top Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle bloodlines. including own sons and daughters of Good Version. Hot N Blazing. Sweet Talkin Chip. and many others.
NCDA&CS Markets Division - Livestock Section, Neil Bowman, Manager
Mailing Address: 1020 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699-1020
Physical Address: 2 W. Edenton Street, Room 402, Raleigh NC 27601
Phone: (919)707-3151; FAX: (919) 733-0999
Jobs | Mission Statement | Accessibility Statement | Disclaimer | Privacy Statement
Steve Troxler, Commissioner of Agriculture


text:
Click Here to Watch the Whole Video in HD at Bound In Public
Bound in Public is the premiere site to see real male humiliation in public places. It features gay BDSM and bondage as well as gay gangbangs, degradation and hazing.
Christian Wilde and Jessie Colter decide to drag their bound whore Connor Patricks to Club Eros, a bathhouse here in San Francisco, with his eyes blindfolded. The horny crowd takes his clothes off and starts playing with the bound stud's cock. The bathhouse slut has no trouble getting his cock hard, feeling the hands rub up on his body. Connor is thrown onto the couch, sucking cock as the horny crowd plays with his ass. Christian ties the boy up and beats him with the flogger. Once some clover clamps are attached to Connor's nipples, Jessie torments him with the zapper all over his body. Connor crawls into the locker room where everyone has their hard cocks lined up and waiting. He's passed around like a whore before the guys take turns fucking him. Connor works all the cock he can find and even takes a load of cum to the face. The horny crowd awaits in the sauna as Connor crawls in servicing their cocks. Connor's made to eat ass as he's plowed from behind before the guys give the slut
Pixels: 320X240 | Bitrate: 350K
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text:
Tom reveals that Craigs restraining order has been overturned, and there's no legal reason why he can't spend time with Johnny. Adam is impressed with Gwen's singing.
Dusty attacks a man he believes is Craig, but when he sees it isn't Craig, Dusty asks the man, "where is Craig Montgomery?"
While Dusty questions the man for information about Craig, Emily shows up and tells Dusty Craig is at Barbara's suite. Dusty immediately heads for the suite.
An alarmed Lucy asks Craig to leave, but when Craig refuses to leave Lucy yells for Chaz. Chaz and Barbara come running. Lucy takes Johnny and leaves the room, and Barbara picks up the phone to call Jack.
At the Gala, a panicked Lucy arrives with Johnny. Lucy asks Margo and Tom if they've seen Dusty. They inform Lucy that they haven't seen Dusty, and they ask her if something's wrong. Lucy tells Margo and Tom about Craig showing up at Barbara's suite.
Soon after, Dallas shows up with Craig, and right behind them is Dusty. Dusty tells Craig he'll kill him if he touches Johnny again, and Margo advises Dusty not to make threats like that in front of a bunch of cops.
As Margo gets ready to arrest Craig, Craig hands a piece of paper to Tom and asks Tom to do the honors. Tom steps forward, takes the paper from Craig, and reads it aloud: "The restraining order against Craig has been overturned. There is no legal reason that he can't spend time with his son... from now on."
The news shocks them all, and Margo asks Tom if he knew about this, but Tom informs Margo he knew nothing about it.
Dusty is told he's still Johnny's legal guardian, but Craig does have the right to see Johnny and spend time with him. Dusty asks to see the paper, and Craig tells Dusty they have some unfinished business. After Craig tells Dusty they have some unfinished business, a very angry Dusty gives Craig a look to kill. Dusty tears up the paper and tells Craig he doesn't care what it says! He goes on to say he will get the order reinstated.
As Dusty walks away, he is informed that until the order is reinstated Craig has a legal right to Johnny. Craig turns to Lucy and asks for his son, but a baffled Lucy looks toward Dusty. Again, Craig asks Lucy to hand over Johnny. Dusty tells Lucy not to give Johnny to Craig, and he informs Margo that he doesn't care if she arrests him, because Craig will not touch Johnny. Lucy, still holding Johnny, tells Craig Johnny belongs to Dusty, and she hands Johnny over to Dusty.
While joy riding, Carly and Prince Adolfo hear sirens behind them. The prince speeds up in an attempt to out run the cop, but a very frightened Carly persuades him to pull over.
Jack approaches the car, and Carly seems surprised. Jack tells Prince Adolfo, "If you're looking for a racetrack, Indianapolis is that way." Prince Adolfo and Carly talk Jack out of a ticket, and Jack insists on escorting them back to the Gala.
Back at the Gala, Carly asks the prince if they can go back to his penthouse, and the prince agrees. However, as Carly and the prince get ready to leave, the prince is told Vienna is off with another man. Carly assures the prince Vienna will be fine, and she insists they continue to his penthouse. The prince refuses telling her he must find Vienna, because she's wearing the jewels.
Adam gets ready to leave to find Jade, but Gwen's singing stops him in his tracks! He looks impressed as he listens to Gwen sing. Adam smiles and tells Casey, "Not bad. Not bad at all."
As Gwen leaves the stage, she approaches Adam to find out what he thinks. Adam tells Gwen her name will have to be changed from Munson to Morrison, because Morrison makes for a "great singer." He goes on to say it will take money, but he believes with a few minor adjustments they can make a singer out of her. An extremely cheerful Gwen thanks Adam before he leaves.
After Casey, Maddie and Adam leave, Will offers Gwen the money she will need to start her singing career. Will goes on to tell her he'll stand by her side through the whole thing, because he wants to make her a star. She kisses Will and tells him it's a deal!
Adam finds Jade in the lobby, and he asks her why everyone is against her. Jade thinks they told him the truth, but Adam tells her they haven't told him anything. He goes on to tell Jade he wants to hear the truth, and he wants to hear it from her, not the others.
At the dorms, Maddie makes the first move on Casey when she kisses him. Casey returns Maddie's kiss, but before things progress further he gets up to lock the door. As Casey goes over to the door, they both scream as they see the slasher!
At the hotel room, Vienna passes out again, but before Simon can snatch the necklace he hears someone trying to bust in the door. Soon after Simon puts on his shirt, Prince Adolfo, a security guy and Carly bust through the door.
While inside, they find Vienna passed out on the bed with Simon standing beside the bed. Simon panics and tells the prince it's not what it looks like. The prince tells Simon, "In my country you'd be hanged for this." Jack informs the prince he saw Vienna wandering the halls. He goes on to say, since she was "drinking excessively" he brought her back to his room in order to save them from embarresement.
The prince is angry with Simon, and demands that Simon hand over Vienna. Simon doesn't stop him, so Prince Adolfo carries Vienna out of the room.
Soon after Prince Adolfo and the security guy leaves with Vienna, a fuming Carly confronts Simon. Carly tells Simon she held up her end of the deal, and that she almost ended up "road kill" by doing it. She proceeds by telling Simon she hates him.
Carly's mood changes when Simon holds up the necklace for her to see. Carly looks confused, because she just seen Vienna leave with the jewels still around her neck. Simon explains to Carly that Vienna was wearing a replica. He goes on to say he switched the necklaces and they have the real one. Carly's so excited that she hugs Simon and says, "We did it! We did it!"
When Carly asks Simon how he done it, Simon tells her he was able to obtain a detailed photo of the jewels, which he took to a jeweler to have a copy made. He told Carly that he told the jeweler he wanted to treat his girlfriend like royalty. Carly tells Simon she feels "better than royalty."
Later, Carly shares her enthusiasm with Simon. She says to Simon, "It was exhilarating you know. Like... almost... almost better than sex."
"Are you kidding me? Nothing... is... better... than sex," Simon replies.
Immediately after Carly tells Simon what a thrill their adventure was, the two begin making out.
Next on As the World Turns...
Simon and Carly start to make love again, but a knock at the door startles them.
Emily tells Craig, "You have no idea what I want."
"Of course I do, because I want the same thing," Craig replies.


text:
Randy Shaw: NPR cannot win its fight with Congressional Republicans without completely sacrificing its journalistic integrity. It must either rally the public in its defense or give up federal funding altogether.
GOP Strives to Make Hate Groups Look Respectable
David Love: The GOP cannot have it both ways. They cannot take a stand in favor of hate groups—white supremacists, neo-confederates, and homophobes—and take offense when their critics call them out for it.


text:
The proposed opening of a new Habana Outpost in New Orleans has some Fort Greene neighbors buzzing.
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text:
April 26, 2014
The title says it all, huh?
Those of you who have seen it know what I'm talking about.
I think I made a mistake by buying the soundtrack yesterday. It played on the iPod for no less than six hours. Seriously.
To say the songs are catchy and addictive is like saying the Grand Canyon is an annoying pothole.
My 15-year-old may sing it more than my princess-obsessed little girls.
And he's a boy. It's adorable. I want to kiss him all over his face and snuggle him in my lap, but he's two inches taller than I am, and probably outweighs me too. But to hear him singing "Do you wanna build a snowman?….." as he's doing his morning chores may be cuter than when he was 2, in a sleeper, with a lisp…and my regular readers certainly know how I feel about THAT!
Also? My big, manly military husband does all the motions to "Let It Go"….with the theatrical arm-flinging and spinning, and general ice-queen-ness.
He told me that he went into a meeting at work the other day, singing one of the songs…..and another guy there joined in.
Even my 17-year-old son has been caught singing a line here and there. He just smiles sheepishly because, really, you can't help yourself.
And I'm not embarrassed to admit that I sing some of the songs at the top of my lungs while making breakfast. The kids all cringe and tell me I'm ruining it, but the reaction is half the reason I do it.
I'm all mature like that.
You just can't help yourself with this movie, can you?
This Morning
March 8, 2014
So this was a conversation that was heard in our house this morning…….
Yummy Man was telling the bigger kids about the Malaysian plane that disappeared from radar recently.
12-year-old: "Good thing they weren't flying over the Bermuda Circle!"
I think we need to revisit shapes.
After a few cracks about the Bermuda Square and the Bermuda Quadrangle from other family members who find themselves humorous, we got it straightened out.
But I think I pulled a muscle laughing about that one!
Good thing about having lots of kids? Lots of laughter!
My life is pretty cool.
February 24, 2014
We use Easy Grammar for our grammar curriculum.
Because it's easy.
One of my kids, who shall remain nameless, had a section that required him to make certain words into plural form. He had easy words like "shark" and "house", and then slightly harder ones like "woman" and "salmon". Then he had the trickier ones like "crisis" and "curriculum".
But the one that stumped him was "puff".
He'd already done the plural of "calf" and "knife" and I guess he had that method stuck in his head.
Because he wrote down that the plural of "puff"?
And I'm STILL gonna be laughing over that one when I'm 80.
In Keeping With the Potty-Training Theme
February 16, 2014
Here is a conversation I had with 3-Year-Old a few weeks ago as I was helping her get dressed for bed…..
3-Year-Old: "Mommy! I went icky in my undies today in the garage!" (She had been wearing training pants and thought this was a significant occurrence that needed to be brought up.)
Me: "Oh, that's not good. We don't go icky in our undies EVER, and CERTAINLY not in the garage!"
3-Year-Old then gave me an expression that was a cross between I-can-if-I-want-to and WHY-is-that-not-something-we-do? It-was-a-nice-place-to-go….quiet-and-private-and-heated.
Me: "If you need to go icky, go in the potty! Just tell Mommy that you need to go and I'll help you, just like normal, ok? Because we just don't go icky in the garage in our undies. MOMMY doesn't go icky in her undies in the garage. 11-Year-Old doesn't go icky in her undies in the garage. 9-Year-Old doesn't go icky in her undies in the garage. GRANDMA doesn't go icky in her undies in the garage (correct me if I'm wrong here, Momma). DADDY doesn't go icky in his undies in the garage. 17-Year-Old doesn't go icky in his undies in the garage." (You're seeing a theme here, aren't you?)
3-Year-Old, looking confused and apparently feeling the need to clear up my obvious confusion: "NO, Mommy! I-I-I-I-I-I (big emphasis on this) go icky in my undies in the garage!"
Totally missed the point.
But….MAN, she's cute and funny! (Even WITH the icky-in-her-undies-in-the-garage thing.)
WARNING! Gross Post Ahead!
February 4, 2014
If this is your first time reading this blog, you probably want to start in a different area because THIS post will make you wish you hadn't come here. It also might make you a little nauseous. And shuddery. So I would suggest that you start reading here or here. You'll thank me. Seriously.
If you are not a mother, or you have weirdly clean and hygienic children, or you are easily grossed out by gross things that are gross, read no further. Go read a blog by a mom who has kids whose clothes always match and who never do anything gross. (And good luck with that.)
Because THIS post could win an award for being gross AND may earn me a call from concerned and possibly horrified, grossed-out friends and family. Who think it's gross.
(I'm also going for a record for how many times I can use the word "gross" in a post. Can you tell?)
Three-Year-Old, who is in the process of potty-training, gave us all a collective shudder this afternoon.
And not in a good way.
She was sitting on the potty and had made a deposit, if you catch my drift. She was being supervised by a sibling who wouldn't have had any reason to think that letting her eat a pretzel stick on said potty would be cause for any kind of restriction or alarm. I probably would've let her do the same thing when I was her age. This turned out to be a bad thing, however.
Because, well, she accidentally dropped it.
And not on the floor.
Also? She fetched it. From the potty with the deposits in it.
Also also? Um…….. She ate it.
Again, in case you passed out there for a second like I did when I heard the story……
She. Ate. It.
And that, my friends, is the grossest thing any kid of mine has ever done.
That I know of.
If you decide, after reading this, to delete this blog from your feed reader, I won't hate you or even blame you. I'd probably do the same thing.
But then I'd reconsider.
Because a mom who actually admits this kind of thing happens in her house, has GOT to be a WAY worse mom than I am.
And I would need and relish that knowledge on bad days when I'm feeling like the worst mom in the world.
I would just remember that horrible mom whose kid ate her snack out of the poopy toilet.
You're welcome.
Also? Thank you to those of you who told me a gross story or two from your house to make me feel better about the stories that happen in THIS house. It's a good feeling to know we're not as weird as I thought.
Sorry About That
January 29, 2014
So if you weren't up early reading possibly-offensive blog posts yesterday morning, you missed my possibly-offensive blog post.
I wrote it and thought it was pretty good, although I did grimace a time or two while typing it out. Then I hit "publish" and had Yummy Man read it and he jokingly expressed concern that we might get a knock on our door from Child Protective Services if word got around. But I just kinda snorted and said that this is what happens to moms with kids and this is what kids DO, although she's the first one of mine who has ever done it, and she's number 10.
So then I went to bed and didn't think about it until the next morning…..when it was very early here and I was nursing and I got horrified by the incident, looking at it from YOUR viewpoint. And I thought maybe it would be just too gross to post. (Hey! I'm a poet!)
So now that I've got your interest, here's what we'll do. If you want me to post the gross story, tell me the grossest thing any of your kids have ever done…..and let me give a caveat here. I'm not talking teen-age grossness….I'm talking toddler grossness. If any of yours exceed or come close to the story I was hesitant to post, I'll post it. Deal?
Get crackin'.
Gross me out.
So I've been out of commission, so to speak. I've had some emails inquiring about my condition, and I'm happy to say that we are now the proud parents of another sweet little boy.
Okay, maybe not LITTLE little, but little to us.
And now I will commence with the birth story, so if you are not inclined to curiosity about such things, I'll give you a minute to excuse yourself. Also? If you have any kind of modesty issues or squeamishness towards anything having to do with blood, placentas, the breaking of womb waters, or just general talk of "girl stuff", please do us all a favor and get lost.
Sorry. Lost it there for a minute. I have little patience with people who aren't completely fascinated with my girly innards that produce the most awesome babies in the universe.
Is that a problem?
Okay, so here goes…….
First of all, I must put this first part in caps, because it's so awesome…….
See? Awesome!
I had gotten everyone up for the day and was getting 3-year-old dressed for church. I was sitting on the floor in her room, slipping her dress over her head when I felt it.
The Gush.
This was the third birth I've had that began with my membranes rupturing. It's not a pleasant feeling, but IS a very good gauge of how fast I then needed to move, and a kind of alarm, making it very well known to me that labor was coming.
I yelled to Yummy Man, thinking he could hear me, but he couldn't and besides, the three older girls in the room with me ran yelling down the hallway that my water had broken. I think it was the single greatest and most unusual sentence they had ever uttered…..and they relished it. The teen-aged boys that we have here, shuddered quietly and retreated to their room. I yelled for beach towels and cloth diapers and basically began barking orders while waddling around the house with the equivalent of a hay bale between my legs. Yummy Man ran to help me, asking what to do and what I needed. He was very happy that this had finally begun because he'd been bugging me about it for weeks.
Weeks, I tell you.
While sitting on the potty, hoping to drain all the juice I could from my loins, (See? I told you this was gonna get earthy.) I called the hospital and told the GUY that answered (WHY oh WHY are there men on the OB ward?) who I was, that my water had broken, that it wasn't the best color, and that my labors go pretty fast.
We can see the hospital from our backyard, so it only took a few minutes to get there. From the time my water broke, until they made sure that I was indeed in labor and the contractions truly started was about an hour.
They got me in a bed to monitor me before they committed to admitting me to give birth. I told them that I was very anxious to get an epidural as soon as possible because the labor was going to go fast and I didn't want to do it without an epidural.
I LOVED that they listened to me and actually got the anesthesiologist from another room to come and take care of me. Everyone who helped me that day was very aware of the time and had an urgency to all that they did because of my history and because they actually took me seriously. I have never experienced this before in any other hospital births and I was highly impressed and almost embarrassingly grateful.
They moved me to what would be my room and got me settled with the epidural. It was the easiest, best epi I've ever had and I almost hugged the guy who did it. He was respectful and gentle and now I'm thinking it was because he kinda viewed me as his grandmother and wanted to help me in my time of need…..but maybe not.
At this point, I was between 6 and 7 cm dilated. The midwife actually asked me if I thought she should check me when I arrived and I told her that I DID want her to so that we knew where we were. So that was the verdict. At that point, it was about 3 hours since my water had broken.
The epidural made me happy and things were calm and nice for awhile. At about the 4 hour mark, for some reason, EVERYONE in the room all left at the exact same time, even Yummy Man. He was going to get me more ice water, but ALL the nurses and midwife just left the room to tend to other things. And wouldn't you know, THAT'S when Tiny Britches decided to slide down into the birth canal. I yelled for Yummy Man and he came running back in really fast and maybe called out to others..not sure. But let me say here that, for a split second, I considered calling out to one of the nurses or the midwife who had just left, seeing as how they were just outside in the hallway since the nurses' station was right there. But I couldn't remember their names, and just calling out, "DOCTOR!" or "NURSE!" just seemed like a bad Chevy Chase movie or something.
(Yes, I was thinking about Chevy Chase movies while my baby boy hovered on the brink between the inside of my womb, and the outside of my womb. I am not a normal mother.)
So Yummy Man yelled for someone and they all came running back in. Again, the midwife asked if she should check me and I told her that she really did need to because his head was just inside me and I knew things were gonna go fast. I was complete at that point.
But then Little Britches decided to make things more interesting by squeezing off his cord, or perhaps holding his breath…..wait, can a baby not yet born even do that?
Anyway, they lost him on the heartrate monitor and then things got dicey.
They put me on oxygen and started yelling at me to turn this way and that way and get up there and put that down there and basically be a Russian gymnast who can barely move her legs because of the epidural AND who can barely move PERIOD because she has the equivalent of a birthing ball filled with cement inside her abdomen.
They faintly got his rhythm back, but then promptly lost it again. Somewhere in there, they shoved a large needle in my arm to stop the contractions while they tried to get him back on the monitor but that didn't seem to work. So at this point, the midwife starts explaining to me that the worst case scenario is that they take the baby by c-section, but she is really going to work hard at getting him out the normal way.
A few minutes later, and more flinging me here and there and everywhere, she told me that I was GOING to push the baby out NOW, and since I was only having mild contractions now because of the medicine they had given me, THEY would tell me when to push.
So basically, it was 5 minutes or so of really brutal football practice, where all the coaches are yelling at you to PUSH! PUSH! PUSH! and you ARE, but it doesn't feel like you're doing anything because they are STILL all yelling at you, saying the baby has to come NOW, and did I mention that they were yelling?
Because normally, isn't it the mom that's yelling?
Yeah, I thought so too.
But I was busy pushing while they yelled at me.
And there was yelling.
So after 5 or 6 pushes (wherein my caregivers yelled at me), our eleventh baby was born!
And when the midwife pulled him out, she raised him up in the air and exclaimed, "THAT'S a toddler!"
He weighed 10 lbs., 14 oz.
And he is my SECOND biggest baby.
He looks uncannily like number 9…..so much so that I tell people that I had twins….5 years apart. He is precious and good and handsome and cuter than white kittens.
I just love that little kid to death. Funny how incredibly much you can love someone you just met.
So that's the story. I think it's one of my best yet. =)
A Little Announcement
November 18, 2013
So there's one little detail I forgot to tell my readers.
You know, both of them.
I'm within spitting distance of bearing our 11th baby.
I know. I get really fun around this time. I'm just full of cheerfulness, optimism, and sparkling rainbows.
I'm 44 years old; I have gray hair mixed in with my brown hair, wrinkles in places you would expect, and a huge belly that makes people stare when I walk into a room or store or restaurant. I'm very close to reminding everyone that they each have their own personal cameras on their phones and THIS would be a good time to use them.
With every past pregnancy, I haven't had to deal with the stuff I have to deal with this time, namely smart-alecky, teen-aged boys who find themselves highly amusing.
I have 3 of them now in the house and they make fun of me as often as possible, slamming themselves against the wall when I walk past like there's not enough room for both of us there, laughing at me and making beer-gut and burping jokes when I scratch my belly, and stuffing couch pillows under their shirts and lumbering around the house. You know, respectful things like that.
Also? They call me Bump. As in, "What's up, Bump?" and "What's for supper, Bump?"
And I'm past the paddling stage with them, seeing as how one of them is over 6′ 5″, another one weighs as much as I do when I'm not pregnant, and the other one was born with bulging biceps. Girl babies in the nursery when he was born were like, "Whoa, dude. Those are impressive guns!" 'Cause, you know, baby girls talk like that.
The balance of power has shifted, although I can still send them to bed early and take away computer privileges.
Way better than paddles.
Don't mess with Mommy when her hormones are like an impending tsunami, being held back by a pitiful, shoddy ocean dam.
Yesterday, the dam cracked a little. I woke up with a mental list of all the things Yummy Man had done before going to bed that didn't sit well with me then, and was SO gonna come out now. And it came out and he was okay with it, actually, since it wasn't anything really important in the scheme of life….just in that seriously-hormonal moment in time when trivial things become massive vehicles of doom. And then I cried about the birth and all that fear that I get when I'm close to birth and how I wish I was like those women who look forward to all of this, and I'm just dreading all the pain and yuckiness and pain, and pain. And then I also maybe cried a little bec we were turned down for an assignment to Europe. That was supposed to be my Christmas present from Yummy Man, but the Air Force Personnel Center apparently didn't get that memo or, as an alternative, read my mind. What a bunch of losers!
This child is going to be between 10 and 11 pounds and probably come out with shoulders the size of Yummy Man's. We've had this issue before and, when I was telling the midwife at the hospital about how big my baby boys are, and how I should've considered the size of our offspring when I was choosing a mate, she about bust something laughing. I didn't see the humor. I was serious. If you want to have small, fragile babies that slip out without much fanfare at all, do NOT marry a man who has a lethal DNA mix of Dutch and German ancestry. Marry small. Like, leprechaun small. Trust me on this.
But I AM excited about meeting this little boy and being his mommy and watching how he becomes the little man God wants him to be. It's just the getting-him-here part that bothers me at times.
Seriously. I'm not a bad mommy. I just have a problem with the entire idea of pain. I even felt bad for the cow we used to have, when SHE gave birth. I was all….."I know, Momma. I feel your pain. Push through it. You can do it!" And I do realize how weird that is.
If you haven't been reading my blog for awhile (What is WRONG with you?), then you won't understand my references to birth pain and will probably think I'm a big, wimpy, prissy loser. But you'd be kinda wrong, seeing as how half of my babies have been over 9 pounds, and most of THOSE over 10. AND I had my biggest baby, who weighed 11 pounds, on the living floor in our house in Iowa.
Those are my mom credentials. If I had a business card, all my babies' birth weights would SO be on it, along with how many times we've moved as a family and how many instances of child-vomiting I've endured and cleaned up.
Back to the birth pain link. It's right here. Enjoy. (Snort!)
Well, Hello There. Also? Yummy Man said it's been a year to the day since I last posted so I should have a wittier title than this but I'm just not doing that right now.
November 2, 2013
I realize in the undertaking of this, a long-lost blog post on a long-lost blog, I am probably writing into the internet void but I'm okay with that. Sometimes, believing that no one may ever read this helps to make the writing of said post easier.
Or not.
The truth is that life got hard. Like, really hard. And it was hard to see joy, much less just make it through the day without being like those gross hamsters that eat their children alive.
That probably wasn't the best analogy I could've chosen. But I can think of worse ones so be thankful you got the one you got.
These last three years have been the worst and hardest of our marriage. There have been crises that threatened to undo us….things that probably allowed Satan to think that maybe he's making some progress in the destruction of a marriage and family.
But we've conquered much and we are fine and even happy.
Because in 9 months or less, we get to leave this, the worst assignment of my husband's career. We're happy about that. We're relieved that the end is finally in sight and able to be counted in months.
We're in our last winter here, which is significant when you live where we live. In less than a year, we will probably be back in the land of Chick-fil-as and Targets and, if we're REALLY lucky, Panda Expresses.
Also? Thrift stores that don't charge eight dollars for toddler dresses.
OR, we could end up in the land of church bells, fluffy sheep, and really cool markets where you can buy old stained glass windows from 150-year-old churches and wooden toys that will last so long, my grandchildren will play with them.
Either way, we're ready to go. Yummy Man and I are ready for different reasons than the kids. The kids are itching to take a long road trip with lots of hotels with indoor swimming pools and free breakfasts and stops at restaurants where they get to choose whatever they want to eat, instead of what's on the $1 menu, because the Air Force is paying and we're gonna live it up. Also, almost limitless turns on various cell phone games and iPods and the like.
Oh, and movies. Even though we try to strike a balance between regular kid movies and educational fare. It's harder now to figure this out because the taller children want to watch things like Tim Hawkins, the hilarious Christian comedian, and the shorter children want to watch Winnie the Pooh. And a documentary on World War II isn't met with the same enthusiasm by the short people as Syd the Science Kid is.
I'm just gonna tell everyone that this is good for them. Patience, delayed gratification, letting others watch their age-level videos without complaining about how painful the amateur animation is to watch and making general fun of the entire DVD. Not everyone can be entertained with the same videos anymore. Life is hard.
We WILL learn character-developing things while being shut inside a crammed van with people next to us breathing too loudly through their nostrils or resting their elbows on sibling hipbones for 10 to 14 days straight.
It's a fun experience that I start out calling an adventure in the first week, and then call other various, inappropriate names through clenched jaws and fists until we arrive at our final destination intact.
And now to leave you with a funny kid anecdote……..
My older kids enjoy the music of TobyMac. They enjoy making music videos for some of his songs which usually turn out hilarious, with me laughing so hard, tears are rolling down my face, even though I'm thinking that's not the intended response.
Now, my 5-year-old is a fan of TobyMac and I can't figure out if this is fine with me, or very very disturbing in ways that I haven't fully formed in my brain yet.
Either way, yesterday he told me that he had made up a song so I asked him to sing it for me. Mysteriously, it sounded identical to a TobyMac song, but with different words. When I asked him what the title was, he said this……..(and it deserves its own line so here goes)
Joey Lives in a Burrito.
And there is nothing else I could write that would top that.
November 2, 2012
We don't do Halloween here.
We just don't.
I won't go into all the whys and wherefors but they are all noble except this one…..
Is it just me or is Halloween decorating just plain tacky?
I would also feel okay using the words redneck, trashy, and perhaps throwing in a garish or two.
Orange? Really? Black is classy but when you mix it in with orange, it just screams dollar-store-plastic-flamingoes-on-the-front-lawn to me.
Does anyone else get that?
Instead, we do "harvest parties" which, I realize, is just a cover-up but instead of plastic spiders and fake bloody hands and the always-offensive and equally-trashy skeletons, you get horns-'o-plenty and a harmless scarecrow or two.
And pumpkins. By they way, I know they are orange and all, but pumpkins are just classy and it kinda upsets me that they have been lumped in with the unclassi-ness that is Halloween.
Like, if I was a pumpkin? I'd be ticked.
So we went to a harvest party at church and it was kinda rockin' fun. They did a raffle thing where they had all these cool kid-gifts and if you played a million rounds of bobbing-for-apples, knock-down-the-cans, and throw-the-rings-onto-the-sticks thing, you'd get tickets that you could put into the raffle for whichever gift you wanted.
Can I just say that our family CLEANED STINKIN' UP! My kids were so successful with winning the raffle over and over again, that I may have to rethink my stance on playing the lottery.
Literally half of my kids won stuff.
They also had raffle gifts for adults and we could've tried for those, but they just didn't appeal to me. Here is a list of what they were to see if you agree……
1. An axe. I have no problems with axes. It's just that, at this point in my life, living on a military base, I have little need for a nice axe.
2. Ammo for a gun that we don't own. If the gun had come with it, that would've been another matter.
3. A gift certificate to get your nails done. I'm sorry but I just don't get the whole pedicure/manicure thing. I mean, WHY would I spend the time AND the money to get someone else to clip my nails and paint them when I can get that done in under 10 minutes in my own bathroom, wearing my bathrobe? I mean seriously. This is something that I will have to ask God to explain when I get to heaven because I just don't get it.
4. A container of truffles. Now, I'm not against chocolate, but if you gave me a choice of truffles and Sour Patch Kids? I'm not picking the truffles. Plus, who came up with that name anyways? It just sounds all hoity-toity, and like they would be this incredibly French pastry that you'd roll your eyes and moan at the second one hit your lips, but, to me, are just waaaay overrated dessert pieces. Plus, I don't need candy sitting around my house, calling to me from the cupboards.
So I didn't play any games or get any tickets. But I learned something new that night, as did my 4-year-old.
Apparently, the idea of a raffle, no matter how many times or ways you try to explain it, is not easily grasped by small children with cowlicks and lisps. I found this out when the kids' fishing pole went to another small child, and MY small child began crying uncontrollably while running dramatically across the room to my side. BUT! BUT! The next name that was called…..for a small plastic toolbox….was the exact name of said toddler!
So here's a tip I can pass on to you, my dear readers…..If you don't get something you want someday, CRY HARD, and if there is someone that you can dramatically run to…..preferrably across a room, but a green, flowery meadow would be EVEN BETTER….do that too. (and doing it in slow motion would be even cooler!) Because as soon as you do that, you'll get that thing you cried about! Really! It's an amazing trick!
And one that I had to explain to 4-year-old was a fluke so unimaginable in our home, it would never happen again. Sorta like seeing the Loch Ness Monster.
If we had, which we haven't.
And assuming that it exists, which it probably doesn't, even though I wish it did.
So there you have it. A blog post with the words "harvest party" AND "Loch Ness monster" in it!
Try to duplicate THAT anywhere else on the internet today!