text:
Sixty Seconds of Rain
What was once routine became difficult and unknown. Falling asleep, waking up, watching movies with friends, going out with my boyfriend, working as a cashier – simple tasks seemed impossible. In a year, three people I loved died—here one minute and gone the next. With a sudden flash, a thunderstorm came and went, taking everything I had known. Sixty seconds turned into minutes, which turned into weeks, months, until a year had passed and I had no idea where it had gone. I wished I could get each moment back but knew that what was once my normal life was forever gone.
As I give my parents a kiss goodnight and walk up to bed, I hear the wailing noise of an old-fashioned alarm clock going off. It had gone off ten minutes prior but was snoozed, and now it continues until my mother finally walks into her bedroom and wakes up my father. Protesting for lack of sleep, he rolls out of bed. He shuffles out of the bedroom, his old man slippers scuffing the floor, his half-opened eyes illustrating his fatigue and restlessness. As his eyes adjust to the light and my mother's freshly brewed coffee, his sense of awareness improves. He showers quickly and finishes two cups of coffee before filling his to-go mug with a third dose of caffeine. Despite the fact that the women of the house are ready for bed, our only male presence makes his way to work, calling out the customary "I love you" to the house and putting a force field of protection—the alarm system—on before he leaves.
BOOM. The thunder sounds, and a beam of lightning crosses the sky.
The call lasted no more than sixty seconds. With a shake in her voice and a tear in her eye, my mother said my grandfather had passed. My father's father. I ended the call as I slid to the floor with my hands covering my face.
When I finally decided to make my way inside my dorm room, the room felt cold. The people inside felt distant, and my heart ached with an unthinkable pain. It was like having the wind knocked out of me while choking on something lodged in my throat. As I tried to breathe, my intake of air felt limited and my chest began to tighten as I recalled what she had said.
"Sam, you need to come to hospice, Grandpa passed away. Everyone else is already up here." The man I had known my whole life, the one who would hug me so tight, tell me how beautiful I am, and yell at me when I played the wrong card in euchre was gone—no longer there to teach me about life in ways no one else could.
The rain continues to come down even harder, a torrential downpour. With each bucket of water hitting the ground, the sky brightens for a mere second, gone as quickly as it came. The deafening thunder quiets as the sound of my thoughts surface.
I go to school the next morning, as usual, and make my way through each class as the rain outside hits the concrete like a stampede running toward me. It feels as though the day has been extended on my behalf. My state is catastrophic: I woke up late, agitated from a poor night's sleep, and I still look like I just rolled out of bed. My professor's voice goes in one ear and out the other. The thunder is so loud; yet the ticking of the clock can be heard from across the room.
Making my way down the hall after class, I am struck by the memory of a different call. Again shaky-voiced and teary-eyed, my mother told me that my soccer coach of eleven years had died the night before, suddenly, at a sectional soccer game. I couldn't comprehend it. The pain overwhelmed me: the ache in my heart, the lodge in my throat, and the pit in my stomach were unbearable. I couldn't believe my coach, friend, and mentor would no longer be a presence in my life.
So much is going on outside: the rain, the thunder, the lightning—all in unison as if trying to warn me that something else is coming.
I stand in my kitchen, talking to my sister and our boyfriends. My mother is interrupted from her rambling about dinner plans when she gets a call that changes her pace. Her tone of voice tells me it's happening again. The uneasy pain rushes through my body. My mother begins to speak and I immediately block out her words. I watch her lips move and feel my tears begin to fall. I sink into the chest of my boyfriend with the recognizable knot in my throat and I choke up. My grandmother, my father's mother, has passed away.
I have a paralyzing feeling within, a pounding headache, but fight through it to come to my own consciousness. When my father finally gets up tonight, before he can even fully adjust and become aware of what is happening, I interrupt his ritual of getting ready for work by diving into his arms. The outpouring of emotions lifts a weight off my shoulders. The touch of life, comfort, acknowledgement of fragility comes from the simplicity of my father's hug. The effortless embrace of my father becomes the cure for a bad day, a form of reassurance, and an outline of expression. As I hug my father, my senses return, and as my head rests on his chest and my arms slide around to his back, he brings both of his arms around me and grips them tight.
His original Old Spice deodorant escapes his shirt and makes its way to my nostrils, and even though he quit smoking a few years ago, the scent of Winston Light lingers. As I squeeze tighter he follows my lead and pulls me closer to provide the affectionate gesture back. We hold each other for as long as it takes to fully feel our embrace, when we let go we mutter the customary "I love you," then the coffee smell makes its appearance and the night continues as we make our way off into our separate directions, realizing the weight of the rain has been lifted by the hug.
In a moment, you can say I love you, you can hug someone, and you can let someone know how much he or she means to you, but it only takes sixty seconds for everything to change. A life can also be taken, and the world can change, leaving you to mend the worst moments of your life. One minute, reality is there, but by the time a single drop of rain falls from the sky, it can disappear.
In loving memory of my grandparents, and my soccer coach and number one fan.
© Samantha Reynolds, 2014
Samantha Reynolds is a writer and journalist at St. John Fisher College. She has written for Fisher's Cardinal Courier Newspaper, C Magazine, and Collegium Alumni Magazine.
Musing Thoughts and Meditations
I believe in the forces which propel the dust particles aimlessly around my room.
Shimmering and catching the light "just so" as they go by my lamp.
Do you think them settling on my bookshelf
or on my dirty laundry pile
is all part of God's plan?
Hell, maybe it's the crux of his plan.
Maybe his plan would fall to pieces, crumble entirely
should this dust particle not reach its holy destination
on my bookshelf.
Or perhaps there are things in this Universe
which simply don't matter.
Things which are allowed certain freedoms
to be and to act this way or that, one way or the other
Hell, maybe there is free will?
Perhaps entropy and randomness
as employed by floating dust particles
are free of God's grasp.
Maybe God doesn't care about some things
(How intolerable for the devout!)
Or, maybe God is just powerless to stop
the dust on my bookshelf.
A mighty God indeed.
That such a small thing as a dust mote would shake its fist
and defy the supreme deity.
I always liked the David and Goliath story.
© Chris Wolfe, 2014
Van Morrison Sang "These Dreams of You"
I, the one who keeps fire in his soul
Who draws you closer
Hoping to one day share its warmth
Who tiptoes past all rough and unfinished surfaces
Secretly hoping you will hear me
Who silently gives great lectures
In the halls of your unconscious
Daring to hijack all your dreams and beliefs
And make them my own
Hoping one day you will recognize me as yourself
I who, at your command, will provide you the world
Parsing out all its depleting resources
Stripping them from God's ungrateful children
Knowing full well that at your whim I will have to turn back and face them
Tail between my legs
And give all of myself back.
© Patrick Doyle, 2014
Patrick Doyle is a writer and musician living in Los Angeles. He plays guitar in Rash, whose album, The Center of Gravity, is currently available through Carbon Records.
The Nebulae
Our entire oratory
was a lack that night,
our last love a knot
of supernova gathering
like lost flame flashes
black and blank in a gesture
of sky only now we know
is a new something swelling
past that sudden us.
You were thinking alien ships
and I of nothing but sex
and my own unknowable
God. Did we forget
the long collapse
of our own false gravity,
our bodies a slow formation
embedded in our other bodies,
extra-terrestrial and
interstellar and existing
on the precipice of
indifference. I need to
tell you there is no other
star-map to chart the strange
continuance of yourself,
no Martian colony to gather
what remains of the fallen
giants, this past of you
and I the only kindling
to tower up like match lights
an effigy of after-image created
in your own what else
to spark and light and burn.
© Alicia Hoffman, 2014
Originally from Pennsylvania, Alicia Hoffman now lives, writes and teaches in Rochester, New York. She is the author of "Like Stardust in the Peat Moss"(Aldrich Press) and has had poems recently appear in Innisfree Poetry Journal, Orange Room Review, Right Hand Pointing, and elsewhere.
You Fell Forward and Back
Diving couldn't save you when you fell
and your face crunched first on the pavement
and your body dropped like a doll
I didn't know if that simple moment
that excruciating present would expand
with the whole montage of your life
but you rallied and kept your eyes open
in the bright which I blocked with the shade of my hands
while I talked to you enthusiastically, incessantly,
trying to hold you to your body with my words
and you stayed, you willed through every bump over the bay bridge
and as we swaddled you with love in the ER
your eyes were windows for the first time in memory
registering the wisdom and experience of 84 years
and not the decline into infancy on the other side.
© Carolyn Weber, 2014
Carolyn Weber is training to be an AMI Montessori teacher and writes in her spare time. She's a regular contributor to Canto Magazine.
Pitfall Ascension & Gratitude
Pitfall Ascension
Don't count the days
Since last weakness
Since falling
Into an abysmal crevasse
Remember though
What lies beneath
And wisdom attained
Knowing true strength
Mind body soul
Today tomorrow forever
Having slain what lurks
Having ascended
To old solid ground
Where the air
May be thin at times harsh
But bright is the light
Of future's beacon
With knowledge and experience
Thank the slain creatures
As those native to our land do
For if the lurkers and the abyss
Death and depths did not exist
You'd take for granted
Not fully appreciate life
Beauty without ugliness
Warmth without cold darkness
© Benjamin Bresee, 2014
Benjamin Deegan Bresee is a student of life who pours thoughts into the notes of his phone at 2 am. Often resembling poetry, unedited from the heart and mind, allowing him to sleep.
Several Struggles on Whatever Love Might Be
turning over above
a plain slope of peachfuzz
in the redolent eventide haze
the breath of dusk subjects me
to your quiet shoulders
broad in my memory
we are just so so this evening
that i wonder what love is
let's pretend we are a secret.
i know you from before
the lamb in the bible
so the lion prays god to turn away
such that i might truly show
the feast of my desire
you resemble plentitude
becoming whole, dripping from my chops like velvet from the buck's horns
full to bursting, becoming young
the flesh tears my favorite circle open on the sweet grass
glowing the exact murky darkness of hunger and fear
there is something inside of this
tossing in your violent feathered breasts
you know all the time
exactly how i need to be hurt.
hold the pillows by the ends and slam them together to burst the sin out
make the bed into sweet churning
batting lashes and lashings
eventually everything becomes fucking.
i died when you untied my knots
like a hero at sea
now what am i, an arrow?
hungry for the leaping prey of your wet tongue?
how pink
i didn't know boys had such pinkness
or men such viscid eyes and licks.
i will only ever hurt you twice
once, i'll cut you open
i'll get in
and once again i'll sew you closed
i'll stay.
shake your watery body
break the string of pearls
loosen the melodic drops
all mine
and i'll stay
just to feel the clapping fall
i never said take me with you
i said take me.
i will
hum right
you will
drop your dew
we can do this
what's left to be done at least
the most
a bed of knives
blades of flowers
all that cutting
i'd like for you
screw me
and chop me up.
you will
touch my flimsy wings
i will
never fly again
so go on then
come on
get on
when i get started missing you
you fetter me
so let me be
your wall
your ladder
your paint
your beating wake
your high
your bloodshot eyes
your space.
the chair you toss
the glass you break
the cops that show
the cuffs you wear
i'll be the cop car baby
lie down and let me be
the window you stomp out
with both your feet
i'll be your feet
let me be your sentence
the draft & whisper
the coo of doves through your cell window
legs of light
only one short tear stained note
crumpled and smoothed again
your confinement
and its end
just let me be
the axe you grind
the tree you chop
the plucking stump
the finger you cut off
the soil that drinks up
the blood
what you feel when it's all gone
the hunger
the knife
let me be sharp
the fire
the glow
your hot meat
let me be your tongue & teeth
your thirst in the cool pool of
time frittered in visions
our obscurity
all of what you spend that passes
the piss and shit and rotting gas
dreaming on your flyblown
departed lips
crunch of leaves, someone's coming
let it be me
if you lack tonight
i'll be your gun
slip your sluggish finger in
know there is no safety
just let me be the pink
it's just us
i'll watch
you sleep
i'll be
the damp slow tossing in the night
that brings the hunger back
and when you roar across the sky
ripping the day a fresh young new one
like mine
wound tight
tight wound
wings of clay and ash, daggers
feathers devouring light in turns
screeching vengeance in the heat
let me be the heat
and the seeking scour
the piercing dive
descent that brings you down
let me be your down
and your coming
you're coming
back to me
© Djesika Ilènn, 2014
Djesika Ilènn is a student of the visual, performance and healing arts. She is usually working on several things and most often in some sort of love or trouble. You can find her in her writing.
Three is a trinity;
So let there be mediocrity;
in this blue spruce tree that I present to thee.
And thereafter a peace may wash over this space.
Maybe I'll find my place, but in any case; I love you.
My dreams may die or fly through this dense bone and though the stone wall; up to a heavenly ear.
And all this pain and fear;
I see it is surreal.
Just an electromagnetic manifestation of pulses that I have made...mine, my mind.
I feel the bind; and I find that none of it is real.
I leave this state and find a new deal; again and again until there is nothing left of me to offer.
Never leave me
See what I see.
© Jess Hanselman, 2014
Drop Cap
On the ribs of the river,
folding a white cloth's legs into yogic lotus,
I drowned the Buddha in a crying stream of ink,
wrung him out like any suppertime dishrag
over this porcupine's backbone
and flayed the thing of quills
beside a thirsty roll of ream. On my knees,
under the eaves, I led with a drop cap
and wrote what the woods could never notice.
Then, as before: water over stones. A single leaf.
© Jeff Handy, 2014
Jeff Handy is a recent graduate of SUNY Geneseo with a BA in Philosophy. His poetry has appeared in MiNT Magazine and Gandy Dancer and is forthcoming in the Southern Humanities Review. He currently lives in Austin, TX but can also be found on occasion at his blog.
A Short Story in Four Parts: Stuck in the Swamp
Kildare Dobbs discovered it was Tuesday quite by accident.
It had not been his first startling discovery which had come with the unrelenting, obnoxious, unforgiving buzz of the electric clock telling him it was morning, that he had a hangover, and that when he finally gathered about him the necessary courage to fumble around his pockets of his khaki trousers, he would find that he had spent a good deal more money last night than he could afford.
But he had been on a bender and wasn't even sure what day of the week it actually was.
He discovered it was Tuesday by accident when he went to lunch at Torb's.
He had a more than passing acquaintance with the blond-haired waitress with the too-wide space between her front teeth and she revealed the day of the week with a reminder that today's special was barbequed spare ribs.
Torb's always had barbequed spareribs for Tuesday's special. He always had the Irish Stew instead.
That it was Tuesday not only determined his choice of lunch, it also determined his choice of dinner; where he was to have it, what he was to have and who he was to have it with.
Tuesday meant Marsha for dinner.
He pulled a cigarette from his shirt pocket and searched through the others for a light and found neither his brass Zippo lighter nor, for that matter, any money with which to pay for lunch. He asked the blond-haired girl named Jamie with the too-wide space between her front teeth for a pack of matches and a pen and wrote a check to cash, signing it on the back and watching the ink as it left his signature.
It would probably bounce, and they both knew that. But it was a game they had between them at times like this. She would cover it for him -- and redeem it later.
He had known Jamie since high school when she worked the breakfast shift at the Towne Diner on the corner of Market Street and now, she had the lunch shift at Torb's.
Marsha for dinner.
It had been six months since her father had committed suicide – waking at 4:00 a.m. to milk the cows and instead, putting a forty-five caliber bullet through each one's brain and then turning the gun on his own. A lot had happened since.
Kildare Dobbs and Marsha had escaped midway through her Father's wake, much to the dismay of her Mother, Millicent, who wanted to show Daughter-Mother fealty to the mourners.
Marsha wanted none of that. What she wanted just then was Kildare Dobbs and they had driven down to the lake where, in the sand beyond the point where the deserted part of the beach was, they had made love – not once, not twice, but three times.
It wasn't a surprise to either of them.
Kildare Dobbs had wanted to fuck Marsha Downey since the ninth grade. But she was a cheerleader and always more into guys who were into football. Dobbs was always into cars instead. And by the time they were seniors in high school, it became apparent that Charley Downey, Jr. was also into Marsha – in a big way.
The story would have ended when Marsha and Charley married the summer after high school, but instead came to a very real end when he came back from Vietnam in a flagged draped coffin.
Since graduation, except for one winter as wingman on the town's snowplow with Charley Downey, Sr. -- Junior's father -- Kildare Dobbs had been the sole reporter for the town's weekly newspaper. And he had been Marsha's shadow, admiration at a distance – always the best friend as she mourned.
But as they walked the beach hand in hand in the twilight of the day of her father's funeral, it seemed quite natural when she came close to him, turned her soft, full lips upward towards him and asked "Are you going to kiss me now?"
He had and in an instant, the kiss had turned to exploring hands, clothes shedding around both of them.
Despite what everything thought – that she was bedding everyone in town since Downey's death – in fact, she hadn't had any sex in over 18 months.
Since that summer evening, they had spent most waking hours together and every evening that Kildare Dobbs wasn't working late on a story and Marsha busied herself making plans for their future.
The Farm was gone.
Marsha's mother had the farm auction within the month. And, she had broken ground on the new house she was building high up the hill within 60 days of the funeral.
Marsha had been the beneficiary on a $100,000 insurance policy her father had left her which caused the chasm between her and her Mother to grow ever wider as Millicent Belding thought all the money should go to her.
But the auction of 150 year-old farmhouse full of antiques, a working farm and 320 prime acres had brought her a tidy little sum of her own. Developers had been salivating over the land for years as a site for a new Shopping Mall and planned community and Millicent Belding had been more than happy to accommodate them.
"It was what Herman would have wanted," she had said – at least ten times a day, thought Dobbs.
For her part, Marsha threw herself into planning her escape with Kildare Dobbs.
She had bought one-way plane tickets to Paris and they were scheduled to leave on New Year's Day. She had found an apartment just off Rue des Ecole and within sight of Notre Dame Cathedral and down the street from the Sorbonne where Kildare Dobbs would write his novel and she could work as an English tutor for students at the University. Her planning was impeccable, right down to storing all of their furniture and clothes in October before winter really sets in.
"We'll buy everything new," she exclaimed one night after making love. "A new life in a new country. We'll live in a new city with new friends, a new wardrobe of Paris clothes for me, and a new typewriter for you. And you can write and cook exotic French dinners for me while we sip new French wines and you write your novel."
There was only one part of the plan that she was having a problem with, and Kildare Dobbs was thinking about it as he ate his stew.
Kildare Dobbs didn't want to go.
Quite frankly, he liked his job at the paper. And he liked that he knew everyone in town and that most days, he could finish his work by noon and spend the rest of it either sailing, fishing, or drinking.
He didn't speak French, he wasn't much of a cook and he had only casually mentioned writing a novel once when he was riding with Mike Vickson when he got arrested for DWI by the local cops for driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Mike's girlfriend then picked him up at 4:00 in the morning at the station. Mike was still drunk when they released him. He got into an argument with her, kicked her out of the car and then smashed it up while driving down the same street an hour later. He was dead by 6:00.
"That would make a good story," Dobbs said at the bar the next afternoon.
But he hadn't really meant it.
Now, as he finished his homemade stew, he began to check off the ingredients that would mean the usual evening with Marsha.
A flower, red and a rose-- from the florist on the corner. Champagne -- two bottles and while not particularly expensive -- expensive looking. A card from the grocery store -- more for show than for sentiment.
© Ken Warner, 2014
Brooklyn Train
So many sleeping men.
Heads that bob and sway belie double breasted suits, wide flat caps, and unerring beards.
Mustaches bristle and prickle, silently asserting invulnerable masculinity and lack of need.
They do not know the heads to which they attach themselves swing heavily with the motion of the car.
The long man in the corner caves and hollows, his torso a poor support for his man costume,
Designed to distract.
I see you mouth, which hangs,
Sweet eye fluttering behind closed lids,
And I do not dare breathe for fear of breaking such magic, though we hurtle forward,
Enveloped in the desperate cacophonous disaccord of steel on steel.
I sit enraptured as their constructs, now sunk to the floor, roll about our feet,
Right side to left, as the train rounds each curve.
They are so mortal, though this they would deny, starting awake to avoid the catch.
I want to tell them they shall never be caught, they have formed their agents, built their machines.
And though their dreams crowd the seats in my car,
They may ride with their jaws slack until their vestments refresh, all polished buttons or laced work boots,
For their machines clash and clang and never stop,
Running endless on the tracks they have laid down,
Denying that man ever sleeps.
©Audrey Amir, 2014
Audrey Amir is a teacher, writer, and social worker specializing in Narrative Therapies. Her first collection of poetry, Machines and Broken Glass, is due Spring 2014 with Split Oak Press.
Girl Sweeping
I still remember a friend of the
family who sternly shamed
my mom saying I didn't know how
to handle a broom. The lady wasn't
German as is this fanciful
figurine, a little girl sweeping—
part of the Hummel line....
Should I keep such a knicknack?
So sweet and uncomplaining
so neat and quaintly dressed
seemingly so unaware that
Arbeit doesn't necessarily
make one free...! I could
have her next to me where I rise
as a reminder that when dark
rumblings roll in one's direction
apparently from nowhere they
probably don't mean anything at all.
Witness that I've learned to
sweep quite well—and that I
regularly sweep—naturally, since
it keeps my eyes from stinging—
part of coping I would say—a
valuable lesson one could teach
as early as five.
© Laura Klinkon, 2014
Laura Klinkon is a writer, poet, and translator who lives in Rochester, N.Y. Active in Rochester Poets, Just Poets, and Writers & Books, she has a new book of poems, Trying to Find You, orderable locally from firstname.lastname@example.com or from Amazon.com.
I drank all the wine,
and the swallows of my brain
stopped flapping their wings.
© Ashley Hamilton, 2014
Three Poems About Sex
1. Emotionally Unavailable (Winter 2011)
She scratches my knee
as she gets up for class.
I stay seated while she
tries to leave, standing
in my doorway, not quite
sure how. She looks to my
bed in shambles and then
to me. I tell her I never
kiss goodbye, so she asks
"Can we hug at least, please."
I hold her against me,
wanting to kiss her,
knowing I shouldn't,
so I don't.
2. Old Habits Die Silently (Fall 2011)
I lie in bed with my hands linked
behind my head, practically whistling
"Afternoon Delight," a jackass grin
stamped across my face that I don't
even remotely attempt to conceal
as she gathers her clothes from across
the room; things always need throwing,
though we regret the disarray in the end.
It's been awhile, months since the last
time, thanks to the polite mourning period.
As she leaves, I salute her, and choke on an
"I love you."
I really don't, not even close, but I guess
I'm still used to saying that after sex.
3. The Last Time (Summer 2011)
We lay in her bed after our final fight,
my bags wait in the foyer, while next
day's suit hangs on the bedroom door,
the tie she got me folded in the front
breast pocket and a train ticket hidden
behind. She looks at me, tears and snot
dripping down her face, and, with a voice
charred like an ash tray from a summer
cold, mutters, "Can we make love?"
I slowly nod. It's almost like the first time,
a year and three months ago, awkward
and uncertain, though tomorrow is for sure.
The next day she graduates and we smile
for all the pictures her mother won't stop
taking, while her father packs up her life.
She walks me to the school shuttle,
wearing this orange and white polka dot
dress, her hand clutching mine, our strides
growing slower and slower, as the van gets
nearer and nearer. Jim, the driver, takes my
bags and I ask him for a minute. I look into
her acne stained face and puffy red eyes as
she tells me she loves me and we'll always
have Venice. I say about the same. We kiss
for the last time and I climb inside. Strapping
on my seat belt, I turn for one last look
and see her collapse on a nearby bench.
Jim smiles and asks, "How you doing?"
I say, "I just said goodbye
© Alex Riad, 2014
Alex Riad is a writer and theatre artist living in New York City. His plays have been produced in Manhattan, Upstate New York, as well as England and his writing has been published in The Cardinal at Wells College. More information and samples of his work can be found at www.alexriad.com.
The Hat Trick of 1939
In 1939 in Warsaw my Uncle Anzlem was a famous magician. He used to fly over the Polish ghettos on an old crust of bread. He'd wave down to our pale faces peering out from shattered black factory windows: small scraps of meat, foraged mushrooms, bitter roots would rain down into our outstretched hands. Old men, children, wives – they'd cheer him on, tell him he was a hero.
One night we dared to come out to watch him perform tricks under a hastily-done scene painting of the Pleiades. Uncle Anzlem pulled a rabbit out of a hat. My aunt grabbed it, broke its neck, and ran upstairs to the stove to boil it.
My aunt used to simmer folktales in our small kitchen. Sometimes when she stirred the pot I'd see faces from her past speaking in the broth: the frightened eyes of a courageous girl hiding somewhere in an onion field; the fists of an ogre beating her senseless in a pile of straw.
One August morning the steam turned her into a witch with chicken claws for hands and death in her eyes. I hid in a cupboard and watched through a crack. I saw my uncle's shoes eventually appear from the fields in a cloud of dust, and he whispered a tearful incantation in her ear.
She collapsed to the floor in a puddle of boiled water and turnips.
"It's alright, come out now, it's over,"' said my uncle. The steam's spell was broken. I waited until I saw human fingers reappear on my aunt's small hands.
In her youth, she had been the most promising ballerina at the Ballet Russe.
Teachers, friends, everybody- called her "Leokadia the Lovely."
One night we came out of hiding to watch her dance behind a farm shack in Ostrog.
We saw her pirouette through the weeds in a veiled turquoise gown of bright stars; so beautiful everyone wept in silence. My uncle stared at her, his eyes wistful, starving. He was so astonished by her grace he dropped his famous magic hat.
It hit the toe of his boot and rolled into the dirt.
That night we listened for the German troops.
The only sound you could hear at 3:00 a.m. was the wild rabbit's heart pounding as it crept up out of the brim and ran back toward the forest.
© Celeste Helene Schantz, 2014
Celeste Helene Schantz is a writer and English teacher living in Fairport, NY. She serves on the board of Just Poets of Rochester, and is currently at work on her first book. You can find Celeste on Facebook.


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Like many of you, I'm legitimately surprised that Waka Flocka Flame is joining the cast of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta alongside girlfriend, Tammy Rivera. Of course, I'm also most grateful 'cause Waka is great in interviews. The same goes for his his mama, the incomparable Deb Antney. Now, I don't know a lot about Tammy, but I do know she and Waka have been in a three year "courtship," only now they're working to take things to another level — you can see what that's all about in our supertrailer. Tammy's also the cutest thing ever. Ditto for the shots of them together as a couple.
Get to know them through pictures and be ready when they make their debutMonday, May 5th at 8PM ET/PT. Be excited. This will be everything. Now, let me go turn on "No Hands."

subset: commoncrawl


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News Section: Politics
Governor Scott Agrees to Three Debates
BRADENTON – Governor Rick Scott has agreed to three debates with likely Democratic opponent Charlie Crist, but has turned down at least four other proposed debates, including all of those proposed by Florida news outlets. Crist says three debates are not enough opportunity for people to see them square off, though the number is in line with past races.
Scott says he's willing to participate in a debate on Spanish language station Telemundo on October 10, business group Leadership Florida's debate on October 15, and a CNN debate on October 21.
The governor debated Democrat Alex Sink three times prior to the 2010 election, while Crist debated his 2006 opponent Jim Davis twice.
Four other proposed debates – Spanish language network Univision; Florida NBC affiliates; the Tampa Tribune/Florida's Public Radio Network; and the Tampa Bay Times/Florida CBS affiliates – were agreed to by Crist but not Scott.
In a press conference after Scott's announcement, Crist called for a "town hall-style debate" in which Scott could be asked about education cuts during his administration, as well as his role in his former company's admitted Medicare fraud, which took place under his watch.
Crist still faces a challenge in his party's primary from former state Senator Nan Rich, who says she would continues to be disappointed that Crist refuses to her the debate between them that Democratic voters want. Crist, however, stood by his refusal to debate Rich once, even as he chastised Scott for agreeing to only three encounters.
Join the conversation post Facebook comments here or on our site at the bottom of article.
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August 14, 2014
Dreams Take Flight at Chicago Air and Water Show
The Chicago Air & Water Show is back for another year and better than before. In 2013 the annual airshow, the largest free airshow in the country, was missing the fire power of the military acts as a result of sequestration. The return of military acts seems to have sparked greater interest in this year's show. Today at the media day for the event there was nearly double the media participation from 2013 and more than I have seen in the eight years I have covered the show.
Sean D. Tucker, a 20 year veteran of the show, said that this year he has seen bigger crowds at many of the shows he has performed at. Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder. Anyone that works or lives in the Chicagoland area no doubt learned today that the U.S. Navy Blue Angels are back, and I am sure they will help draw record crowds. They made several appearances over the city today as they made their spot checks in advance of Friday's practice performance and the two weekend demonstrations.
New to the Chicago Air & Water Show
Team AeroDynamix are making their first Chicago Air & Water Show appearance this weekend. The team which has been flying together for over ten years is currently the largest aerobatic team in the world with 12 aircraft. They fly a variety of models of RV Kitplanes including Rv-4, RV-7, RV-8 and RV-8A variations. Most of the pilots built the planes they will be performing in. You might mistakenly think that as home-built aircraft they would not be very sophisticated, but that seemed far from the truth.
I had the opportunity to fly with them today and the RV-4 I flew in was equipped with a Glass Cockpit and Synthetic Vision. A few minutes in this sporty little airplane and I realized why you see so many each year at AirVenture. It is an airplane that seems very fun. The team treated us to a sampling of their tight formation flying over the backdrop of the Chicago Skyline. I look forward to seeing their 15 minute demonstration this weekend.
Rosie the Riveter and the Blue Angels
There were a few neat stories behind the scenes at the media day event. One of which was 96-year-old Isabelle Settle, who played a Rosie the Riveter role, during World War II. As a 4'10" woman she was assigned the role of riveting wings and other tight spaces of C-54 Skymaster's at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Chicago. She has had a lifelong interest in aviation and airplanes.
Today she and her 78-year-old sister Ida were the guests of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Several of the pilots including Commander Thomas Frosch spent time with Isabelle talking about her role in WWII and genuinely thanking her for her service and presented her with framed poster signed by the entire team. After meeting with the pilots members of the Blue Angels maintenance team then brought her out to the aircraft and talked about the work they do to maintain the fleet of F/A-18's flown by the team. Isabelle loved the opportunity to share a few of her stories with the team.
Young Eagle Over Chicago
While the Blue Angels were celebrating 96-year-old Isabelle, 17-year-old Malik Baker was running across the Gary Jet Center tarmac trying to secure a signature that would let him complete a dream experience of his own. Baker, a rising Junior in the JROTC program at Chicago Military Academy one an essay contest to receive a Young Eagles flight experience of a lifetime. A few minutes after I spotted him running off in search of his mother he returned with the necessary Young Eagles paperwork.
The Young Eagles, founded by the Experimental Aircraft Association, is designed to give children between the ages of 8 to 17 an opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating children about aviation. In 2013 Stunt Pilot Sean D. Tucker was selected as the Chairman of the organization that has flown more than 44,000 Young Eagle flights since 1992. In that rich history, never has a Young Eagles flight been accompanied by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Sean Tucker had arranged to fly Malik Baker along the Chicago Lakefront with a Blue Angels escort. After which Sean took Baker out to a practice area where he let him fly the plane and walked him through a variety of aerobatic maneuvers. Malik commented about his experience "I love it, I will never forget this day."
The Young Eagles offer flight experiences throughout the country, you can learn more on the EAA Website.
Living the Dream
It was another great Chicago Air & Water Show media day for me as well. I enjoyed flying the Archer III from Chicago Executive along the lakefront early this morning to participate in the event. Shortly after I arrived at Gary International the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) was put in place along the lakefront to clear the airspace for the airshow performers. So after the show with the TFR still in place I needed to fly West of Gary and go north along the west side of O'hare. I of course did not perform any aerobatics flying back in the Archer, but I spent some time thinking about how blessed I am to be a pilot and have the opportunity to enjoy aviation.
Just over 10 years ago I decided to make my dream of flying a reality and earned my pilots license. Along they way I have enjoyed some amazing aviation adventures. All of which I never would have experienced if I had not been so moved by aviation at a young age that forged that dream in me. I hope if you are in the Chicago area you will come out to the Chicago Air & Water Show this weekend, bring your kids, neighbors or friends. You never know it just might inspire the next pilot!
Posted at 10:23 PM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (8) | Save & Share This Story
August 12, 2014
Blue Angels Headline 2014 Chicago Air and Water Show
The 2014 Chicago Air & Water Show roars back to life this week. The 56th Chicago Air & Water Show will feature the return of military acts that missed last year's show due to sequestration. Crowd favorites the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be the headline act, supported by the U.S. Army Golden Knights, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and MV-22 Osprey. Although the military performances get much of the attention, the Chicago Air & Water Show has another stellar line-up of civilian performers and teams including Sean D. Tucker, Team Aeroshell, Chuck Aaron and the Red Bull Helicopter, Team Aerostars and the Warbird Heritage Museum foundation A-4 Skyhawk.
New to the Chicago Air & Water Show in 2014 is Team AeroDynamix, the largest aerobatic team in the world flying 12 RV-8, RV-7, and RV-8a kitplanes. We are scheduled to fly with them on Thursday and will share some photos and videos later in the week.
We have prepared our 2014 Chicago Air & Water Show guide which includes information on the performers and tips on the best places to watch the Chicago Air & Water Show. The city is expecting approximately two million people to come out this year, but if you are not a fan of big crowds we recommend checking out the Friday practice show. Teams will run their full performances in preparation for the weekend show. The practice show and the weekend shows will begin around 10am and run through 3pm with the finale being the performance by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
Whenever large crowds congregate it typically means you can expect slower than usual data connections for your smartphones. This year AT&T is planning to make sure the tweets, instagrams and Facebook posts of the millions enjoying the show can be shared with millions more. AT&T is testing a temporary antenna to boost signal in the area so your messages don't time out. Paul Biasco of DNAInfo reports that AT&T installed an 18-beam Luneburg Lens Antenna last week in preparation for the Chicago Air & Water Show. "It's the first time they have deployed the device anywhere in the country to combat what they call the 'look at me' or 'look where I am' effects."
Though, if you really want to capture the sights at the Chicago Air & Water Show we recommend this airshow photography guide to help you make the most of your photos from the event.
Check MyFlightBlog.com throughout the week for updates or follow us on Twitter for updates during the week!
Posted at 7:03 AM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (2) | Save & Share This Story
August 22, 2013
Aviation Adventures: Planned and Unplanned
Aviation Adventures come in both the planned and unplanned variety, as illustrated by my most recent flight. Every August since 2005 I have covered the Chicago Air & Water Show for MyFlightBlog and a few other media outlets but in all those years I had never flown into the event at Gary International Airport. So a fellow club member and friend, Louis (from Sky Conditions Clear), decided we would make a day of it by flying down in the Leading Edge Archer, then enjoy talking and flying with some of the acts for the Chicago Air & Water Show then finish the day logging more time in the Archer.
Planned Adventure
On a perfect VFR Thursday morning we preflighted the airplane then launched Eastbound from Chicago Executive. Once over the lakeshore we turned south and enjoyed a beautiful view of Chicago as the sun shined on the windows of the skyscrapers. I elected to pick-up flight following for the trip down the lakefront but despite the great weather I believe they only notified us of one other aircraft that was taking advantage of this beautiful VFR day. The flight down was uneventful but enjoyable. We taxied down to Gary Jet Center where we parked the Piper Archer right next to Team Aeroshell's four T-6 Texans.
Louis and I spent the first hour or so of the media day walking the flightline checking out the various aircraft including Sean Tucker's Oracle Challenger Bi-Plane, Art Nalls' L-39 and Sea Harrier, an A-4, and a variety of T-6 Texans.
Shortly there after we met Harvey Meek the Team Lead of Team Aerostars, a locally based aerobatic team that team that despite being in existence for 12 years were making their Chicago Air & Water Show debut. I had spoken with a fellow member of the team leading up to the show and knowing that Louis and I were pilots he ensured us he would get us up in their aircraft to learn about their team and the performance of their Yak-52s. Having never flown in a Yak-52, I was eager to check it out.
We conducted a brief flight briefing where we discussed the mission objectives which was to fly along the lakefront to Chicago so a Reuters photographer could take some shots of a Team Aerostars airplane with the city skyline as a backdrop. After that we would return to the airspace West of Gary for a brief aerobatic demonstration.
Sitting backseat in Harvey's aircraft he informed me he would let me take the controls shortly after the flight and lead the flight up the lakefront. True to his word, as we exited the Gary airspace Harvey gave me airplane. It was an easy plane to fly, and felt quite responsive. After achieving a successful photo run, including this shot featuring Harvey and I and the Chicago skyline, we headed back South to get inverted.
Back near Gary where there is more airspace for aerobatics Harvey helped me experience the aerobatic performance of the Yak-52 through a series of maneuvers including loops, barrel rolls and a Cuban Eight. After my flight Louis got to take a backseat for his flight with Team Aerostars. As fun as the flying was we equally enjoyed getting to meet the Team Aerostars pilots and their support staff. We learned that the all fly commercially by day, aerobatics on the weekends and several of them even live in fly-in communities, pure aviators at heart. By all accounts it was a successful day full of aviation adventure, little did we know how much more adventure we had ahead.
Unplanned Adventure
After the airplanes were all tied down or put to rest in the hangers and it was clear there were no more rides to be had or aircraft to ogle at, we fired up the Archer III. Louis would be the Pilot in Command for the return flight. Our plan was to visit a small uncontrolled airport nearby for a few landings then go VFR over the top of Midway then fly south and east of O'hare then come up the from the south to the north on the west side of the O'Hare airsapce on our way back to Chicago Executive.
After four near perfect landings (video does not lie) at Bult Field by Captain Bowers we began a final taxi back to the end of the runway to prepare to for the return flight to Chicago Executive. Nearing the end of the runway Louis asked if I felt a shake, which I had not. He said he was feeling a vibration in the rudder pedals and then a pull and quickly made the correct assessment that we had blown a tire. In an excellent example of airmanship Louis immediately stopped the aircraft, and shut it down right on the taxiway. After the blades settled I got out and confirmed we had a left main tire flat. Louis was busy trying to determine what happened while I started to wonder what in the world we were going to do to get the aircraft back, or get ourselves back to Chicago as it appeared there would be little support at this sleepy airport.
We made a few calls and learned that there in fact was a mechanic based at the field that is typically there usually three to four days a week. So walked nearly a mile (5,000 feet) down the runway to the Hangar were we were told we might find him. As we approached two gentleman in the limited baggage space of a Cessna 152, they hoped out of their existing project to hear our plight and quickly offered to help. Randy, the owner of Aircraft Professionals, took his tug out to examine the wounded bird. Shortly after he returned with the great news that he believe he would be able to change out the tire, right there on the taxiway.
He and his partner loaded up a truck and a golf cart and we drove back to the plane to get to work. This was my first experience with a flat so it was entertaining to see how it was handled. Randy, propped up the plane and he and his technician removed the wheel pant and wheel. After initial inspection he believed the tire was in great shape and that it was a tear in the tube but promised a more detailed check back at the hangar. We raced a golf cart and an aircraft tug back to the hangar where he confirmed the tire was in great shape and that likely a pebble had been inside the tire rubbing up against the tire tube and it finally broke through causing the flat. Louis was relieved that this was further proof that his landings and taxing skills were not the cause, I never had any such doubts.
Thirty minutes later the new tube was installed, the wheel fairing was replaced and we did an extended taxi to confirm the tire seemed good and balanced. We gave a big thanks to the guys at Aviation Professionals and promised to come visit there field again after such great hospitality. A few hours behind schedule, and with the airplane due for another rental we scrubbed the VFR over Midway and headed back past Gary up along the lakefront where we took in a lovely sunset over the city and watched the lights come on at Soldier Field in advance of a pre-season game.
Returning to Chicago Executive we both agreed that it was a spectacular way to spend the day. We both logged PIC time in the Archer, dual time in the Yak-52, got to perform aerobatics and learned how to handle an unexpected adventure like a flat tire on the taxiway. Aviation adventures are fun no matter what form they come in.
Posted at 8:00 PM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show, Flight Experiences | Comments (63) | Save & Share This Story
August 14, 2013
Jim Cornelison to Skydive & Sing National Anthem at the Chicago Air & Water Show
Jim Cornelison well known for his emotional renditions of the National Anthem at Blackhawks games will skydive into the Chicago Air & Water Show. Cornelison, will be be the guest of the All-Veteran Parachute Team and join them for a tandem skydive to kick off the 55th Annual Chicago Air & Water Show. After landing at show center at 10am he will sing the National Anthem.
Jim Cornelison is in his fifth season as the Chicago Blackhawks' full-time national anthem singer, having made regular appearances singing the anthem at the United Center since 1996. He has performed nationally and internationally with some of the biggest names in opera, such as Plácido Domingo and Zubin Mehta. Known as a heroic tenor for the dark color of his voice but ability to sing in a tenor range, he has sung with opera companies in Bordeaux, London, Brussels and San Francisco, among many other places.
The All-Veteran Parachute Team, formed two years ago, will be making their Chicago Air & Water Show debut this weekend. In addition to giving Cornelison a ride to the show the team will make multiple jumps at each show. Each jump will allow them to showcase their accuracy and precision skills landing on a target at North Avenue Beach (Show Center).
The team is comprised entirely of combat veterans, active and retired service members. Each of the members who will be jumping over Chicago are former U.S. Army Golden Knights and have been deployed in support of various conflicts over the past 25 years. According to member Dave Herwig, "Our goal is to expand the team to have at least one member from each of the five branches of service."
Herwig explains that, "The goal of the team is to give back to the American public for their continual support of our men and women who defend our freedoms each and every day. Every jump is dedicated to every veteran from all branches and all conflicts." The team recently teamed up with Nashville Recording artist Jamie Tate who will sing "I'll Give My All" during one of their jumps each day. Herwig says, "It will bring on goose bumps and raise the hair on your arms, it has been a real crowd pleaser hearing her sing while team leader, Mike Elliott, descends on the crowd with a huge American flag.
You can learn more about the All-Veteran Parachute team on their website, via twitter and Facebook.
Learn more about each of the acts at the 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show in our Ultimate Guide to the Show.
Posted at 1:44 PM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (1) | Save & Share This Story
August 9, 2013
Art Nalls and the Sea Harrier at the Chicago Air and Water Show
Think you will miss out on the roar of jets this year at the Chicago Air & Water Show? Think again. Art Nalls plans to pilot the fastest aircraft in the 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show, the Sea Harrier FA2. Nalls shared with me what we can expect from his Harrier demonstration. "My demo is slightly different from the USMC Harrier demo. First, I'm a bit faster. I can easily reach over 600 knots in my first pass, which is over 700 mph. The Marines can't go quite that fast". Nalls continued, "Second, I'm licensed as an aerobatic pilot, while the Marines are not. I plan to do rolls, Cuban 8's, 4-point aileron rolls, as well as the Hover. In the hover, I will back up, go sideways, and pirouette the airplane in the hover. Providing the winds are within very tight limitations, I will also "Bow to the Crowd" which is to point the nose of the airplane toward the crowd, and point the nose down to approximately 45 degrees."
Built by Hawker-Siddley, hist Sea Harrier was the second one ever built and is the oldest surviving one. Those at Show Center will be able to see the V/STOL, Vertical and or Short Take-off and Landing capabilities of this unique aircraft. Nalls is the only person in the world to privately own an airworthy Sea Harrier. A U.S Naval Academy graduate, Nalls logged over 900 hours in the AV-8A variant of the Harrier including over 400 shipboard landings. Nalls is also a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base. He has flight time in approximately 75 different aircraft including the B-52, C-141, C-130, A-7, A-37, T-38, F-4, F-5, F-15, and F-16, and F-18. When the opportunity to own a Sea Harrier came available he jumped at it and has been showing off the aircraft since.
In addition to showing off the performance of the Sea Harrier, Nalls will be bringing a Czechoslovakian Advanced Jet Trainer, the L-39 Albatross to demonstrate as well. He or a fellow pilot, Joe Anderson, will be showing off this aircraft during the show. The L-39 quickly became one of my favorite aircraft when I had the chance to spend an hour with Gauntlet Warbirds (Aurora, IL) in their L-39 performing aerobatics. Greg Morris of Gauntlet Warbirds explained, "After entering production in 1972 the L-39 had great success as a jet trainer and light attack aircraft throughout the world, at one point being used by nearly forty air forces. It is still flown by numerous militaries including Russia, Ukraine, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and Egypt." The aircraft has a maximum speed of 490 knots (.8 mach).
Although sequestration will prevent active military aircraft from performing at the 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show you can still expect to hear a few jets roaring overhead Chicago.
Photo by Ulf Wallen
Posted at 6:59 AM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (1) | Save & Share This Story
August 2, 2013
Chicago Air and Water Show Viewing Guide
Each year about this time I start to receive many requests from friends and family and through MyFlightBlog.com for tips on where to watch the Chicago Air & Water Show. I thought I would share some of my suggestions for the best places to watch the Chicago Air & Water Show. I have my thoughts on many of the popular viewing spots on the map to the right.
The 55th Chicago Air & Water Show will be uniquely different than any show in recent history. Each year airshow fans migrate to the lakeshore to see a variety of civilian and military acts culminating in a headline demonstration by either the U.S. Navy Blue Angels or the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Unfortunately, as a result of sequestration cuts the military acts including the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army Golden Knights, U.S. Navy Leapfrogs, and several fighter and bomber demonstration teams have been scratched for the 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show.
With limited jet aircraft and a proliferation of WWII era aircraft the recommended viewing area for the 2013 Chicago Air and Water Show has been reduced.
Unobstructed Views
The best way to view the show is from a place where you will have an unobstructed view of the entire show. The only real way to do that is from a boat on Lake Michigan. If you are one of the lucky few that own a boat or know a friend that does that is surely one of the best ways to get a clear view of the action. If you don't own and can't mooch a ride you can always pay to take a cruise. Check out this comparison of Chicago Air & Water Show cruises.
Airshow Center
The Airshow center is North Avenue Beach. This is where the Harrier usually shows off the V/STOL maneuvers. Additionally, the flight teams will use this as the center point of their show. If they have a loop or a crossing pattern this is where it will take place. As a result, this is a very popular place to watch the show so expect there to be large crowds and you will need to arrive early to get a spot on the beach. If you want to enjoy the excitement of viewing the show from show center but want to ensure you have a place to sit check out the special offers from Castaways.
Altitude, Altitude, Altitude
We are talking about an airshow (well, also a water show but who are we fooling?) so altitude makes a difference. A rooftop deck or balcony located near the center of the show action and above neighboring buildings provides a great way to watch the show. The challenge here is that typically you need to share that space with a lot of other interested parties.
Although I have never tried it, I have heard some suggest visiting the John Hancock Chicago's Observatory. I can imagine those spots will be crowded too but must provide an interesting view of the show. I highly recommend the Hancock over the Willis tower this year with the exclusion of many of the jet teams which needed more airspace to maneuver and often circled past the Willis tower.
A Blanket On the Lakefront
Most people view the show from a blanket on a beach or a spot along the lakefront. I used to suggest heading north to Diversey or Montrose Harbor where you could have had a great view while also avoiding much of the crowd. This year I recommend getting as close to show center as possible.
This year you will need to be closer to the lake then you have in the past. I recommend being East of Clark St. and no further North then Diversey. To the south I would recommend staying north of Congress Parkway. The more manuevable civilian aircraft won't need as much airspace to operate as the military demonstrations of years past have needed.
Gary International Airport
Most of theperformance teams are based out of Gary International Airport for the Chicago Air & Water Show. For those in Indiana and well south of the city this has become a popular place to see the planes. Although you won't see a true airshow performance you will see the planes leaving and arriving, and flying in formation.
Listening to the Air & Water Show
Chicago's WBBM 780 has live coverage of the Air & Water Show. If you are not a die-hard aviation enthusiast or have a certified plane spotter with you I always suggest bringing along a radio so you can hear from the broadcast team what it is you are looking at flying by. If you are at show center there are speakers from which you can listen to Airshow MC Herb Hunter but that can often be a challenge over the roar of the planes so a personal radio is highly recommended.
Practice Day
The flight teams have their media day on Thursday and a few may come as far North as Chicago briefly. However on Friday there is nearly a full practice show. Most of the teams will run through their full performance and only a few single plane acts are missing on Friday. The practice usually runs between 10am and 3pm and is a great way to see the show without the crowds.
If you have a favorite place to view the Air & Water Show and are not afraid to share it and I will add the best suggestions to the guide. For more information check out our 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show Ultimate Guide.
Posted at 6:24 AM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (89) | Save & Share This Story
August 1, 2013
Interest in Airshows Is In a Free Fall
There is a strong discussion going on over at AirFacts in regards to a recent article asking "Are airshows dying?".
The sad reality is that I think there is little to debate, interest in airshows is in fact declining. There is a lengthy list of reasons that may contribute to that including a decline in the pilot population, weak economy and the grounding of military demonstration teams as a result of sequestration to name a few.
A source I often look to when trying to establish a trend is Google Trends. Sadly, as you can see from the charts below there is an indisputable decline in interest for airshows, if search traffic is used as an indicator.
AirVenture, America's largest annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts, widely considered the largest airshow in the county, has seen modest declines if you rely on their data which shows a 12% decline from 2009 (578,000 attendees) to 2012 (508,000). However, the picture is more bleak when you look at the Google Trend which shows a peak in July 2006 declining to nearly half the search volume of 2006 in 2012. With Airventure 2013 closing in a just a couple of days it is unlikely that enough searches will come in during the final days to improve the 2013 trend. As Airventure is more about experimental aircraft and general aviation it should be of note that the decrease in interest in the show this year is likely not drastically effected by sequestration.
The Chicago Air & Water Show which is just around the corner will surely suffer serious interest and attendance declines without the Thunderbirds headlining this year. The Google Trend shows that current interest is below where it was just five years ago. I think this show which historically relied heavily on military demonstrations will be adversely effected by sequestration. It will be very interesting to come back to this report in a few weeks to see what the 2013 search volume was like for the Chicago Air and Water Show.
I think this data clearly shows that interest in airshows is declining. The questions is what if anything can be done about it?
Posted at 9:23 PM | Post Category: AirVenture, Airshows, Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (268) | Save & Share This Story
July 21, 2013
Geico Skytypers To Make First Chicago Air & Water Show Appearance
The 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show will feature several new acts in 2013 including the Geico Skytypers. The team will fly an 18-minute low altitude precision performance showcasing the performance of their six SNJ-2's, best known for training the greatest generation of pilots. The SNJ-2 is often identified as the T-6 Texan and is an aircraft Chicago Air & Water Show fans should be familiar with as it is flown by Team Aeroshell and also by several other performers over the year.
The Geico Skytypers will be flying the largest formation of these aircraft in the shows history. The Thunderbirds who were scratched from this year's show are known for their Delta Six formation. The Skytypers will start their performance showing off their precision flying with there own Delta Six formation before then splitting off into a diamond formation of four aircraft with two opposing solos. They will then join up again to finish their performance as a six team delta formation.
The Skytypers take skywriting to whole new level. Skywriting is traditionally done by a single aerobatic aircraft that writes a single work in script in the sky before it often dissipates quickly. The Skytypers have taken the 1940s trainers and tricked them out with glass cockpits and a computer system for printing messages in the sky that can be read from over 15 miles. Steve "Sting" Kapur, a team pilot and marketing officer, explained that a computer synced with each aircraft helps them to write messages as long as 6 miles long in the sky. Expect to see messages from the team leading up to the show and throughout the show promoting the show and their sponsors.
The team is looking forward to making their first appearance at the Chicago Air & Water Show. Kapur said "I have been a spectator at the show several times and it will be a thrill for me to perform for Chicago and I am really looking forward to it."
You can learn more about the team on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and via their website. Want to see what it is like to be a member of the Geico Skytypers? Check out their 8 webisodes on YouTube.
Posted at 8:26 PM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (0) | Save & Share This Story
July 19, 2013
No Thunderbirds at the 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show
In March the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds cancelled their planned appearance at the 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show as a result of sequestration cuts. Just days ago it was announced that the Thunderbirds would resume training thanks to the Restored Flying Hour Program authorized by Congress. Unfortunately, the Thunderbirds will still be scrubbed for the 2013 Chicago Air & Water Show as they will be focusing on training for a limited 2014 performance schedule.
According to Lt. Col. Brett Ashworth "The Thunderbirds will not resume aerial demonstrations previously scheduled for 2013 ... They're back to flying, but only training flights." It is yet to be seen if the Restored Flying Hour Program will allow solo and two aircraft teams to return to performing demonstrations.
That leaves most people wondering what to expect at the 2013 Air & Water Show. For one it will be a quieter show with fewer or no jet aircraft at the show. The city just released their list of headliners which is comprised of many perennial favorites including Sean Tucker and Team Oracle and Team Aeroshell as well as a few other returning civilian acts including The Firebirds Delta Team and Chuck Aaron in the Red Bull Helicopter.
New to the show in 2013 will be Team Aerostars flying the Yak 52 TW, a Soviet designed aircraft that was a WII aerobatic trainer. Also new is the six aircraft Geico Skytypers who will be flying an 18-minute low altitude precision performance as well as typing messages in the sky (More on the Skytypers early next week).
We will be reworking our Chicago Air & Water Show Viewing Guide as our recommendations for best places to view the show will change drastically based on fewer military acts that used more airspace for their performances. Until then our recommendation is that this year it will be more important to get closer to show center at North Avenue beach to enjoy the acts.
Check out our Guide to the Chicago Air & Water Show for information on each of the acts and updates leading up to the show.
Posted at 6:49 AM | Post Category: Chicago Air and Water Show | Comments (0) | Save & Share This Story
September 11, 2012
Airshows Bring Aviation to the Forefront for a Weekend
Ever wonder what it would be like to live in one of those aviation communities where taxiways and runways took precedence over roads and all your neighbors thought about aviation as much as you did? Once a year I get to experience one of the largest aviation communities in the country, Chicago, IL. The arrival of the Chicago Air & Water Show magically transforms my city into a land where everyone has airplanes on the top of their mind (whether they like it or not). Whether at the water cooler at work or mingling with neighbors people are suddenly speaking my language: aviation.
It is for this reason that the Chicago Air & Water Show has become one of my favorite weeks of the year. Like most pilots, I can't hide my love for aviation so friends, family, coworkers and neighbors know of my passion for aviation. When a friend of mine learned his brother, a pilot in the U.S. Navy, would be bringing his plane to town he thought to reach out to me to see if I would be interested in coming out to airport to greet him. Of course I was interested, however, the thought of sitting in rush hour traffic on a Friday night driving from the northside of Chicago, through the city to Gary and back was not too appealing. So I decided to make a flight experience out of it and instead take a beautiful flight along the Chicago lakefront to Gary. Al Waterloo, fellow club member and host of Simple Flight Radio (Check it out) joined me for the adventure.
Pilots love sharing their love of aviation with others and showing off their latest plane. The crowd a pilot draws to see their plane often varies based on the cool factor of the plane they are currently flying. As a result, John Keith, a member of the Virginia Beach based Raging Bulls (VFA-37), a squadron of F/A-18C Hornets, was greeted by a large family contingent when he arrived in Gary on Friday night and I was happy to be invited to be a part of the welcoming committee.
John took the time to point out some of the unique features of his plane and to talk about some of his experiences landing the F-18 on the USS Harry Truman Aircraft Carrier. After learning about his airplane the entire family, John, Al and I walked the tarmac at Gary International Airport which resembled a military base that night. Alongside his Hornet were a few of the larger F/A-18 Super Hornet, T-38 Talons, A-10 Warthogs a F-4 Phantom in addition to civilian planes like T-6 Texans and T-34 Mentors. As a pilot I loved looking at all these planes but also enjoyed the fact that everyone else seemed in awe of these machines as well.
It was great getting the VIP tour of the tarmac as I know on the Saturday and Sunday of the show people lineup along a fence-line to see these airplanes in action from a distance. As we were walking back to the FBO, John picked up his flight bag which was filled with all his maps and old school paperwork used to navigate a plane that was built before the age of glass panels. He pointed out that the Archer I was flying had more advanced navigational functionality than his F-18. True enough but I would trade rides in a heartbeat.
After thanking the Keith family for letting me be a part of their family for the night we climbed back in the Archer III for our return flight to Palwaukee. On the flight back the city was aglow, the moon was hidden below the horizon, making the effect of the city lights that much more impressive and a perfect end to a night of celebrating aviation.
It saddens me when the annual airshow ends and the light switch is flipped and my fantasy land of aviation enthusiasts evaporates. Though, I love that for a week aviation was brought to the forefront and surely some of those in the crowds at the Chicago Air and Water Show now have a new passion for aviation like this girl jumping up and down as the Blue Angels Fat Albert C-130 flew over during the show.
Posted at 7:50 PM | Post Category: Airshows, Chicago Air and Water Show, Flight Experiences | Comments (0) | Save & Share This Story


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John Denvil Johnson
Position: T
Height: 6-4 Weight: 216 lbs.
Born: November 28, 1909 in Grantsville, UT
Died: October 27, 1978 in Tooele, UT
High School: Grantsville
College: Utah (school history)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 0 (14747th overall since 1950)
1-time Pro Bowler (fine print)
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Below is the poem entitled Foster Boy which was written by poet
Deason. Please feel free to comment on this poem. However, please remember, PoetrySoup is a place of encouragement and growth.
Read Poems by
Danielle Deason
You were told not to lie.
Told if you did,
You would die.
But don't pay attention.
They didn't know how to you in the right direction.
Always high,
Always pushing you aside.
That's why your here,
Here with these other boys.
In this place you called home.
But this man wants to take you,
To give you some place new.
Your too old for toys,
But he will treat you right.
So please don't try to fight.
He wants to raise you better,
And he has a wife,
You've already met her.
So take care when you leave...
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Real Dupont: A Neighborhood Blog
DuPont is a planned community but not everything has gone to plan. The Northwest Landing development has created opportunities and challenges. Join us as we forge our identity and gain our voice.
Monthly Archive for December, 2010
SEPA Determination of Nonsignificance is Significant
Quietly buried in the back of a local paper, but fully compliant with the law, is a notice that has raised some eyebrows and sounded some alarm bells. [Read More]


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Robert Scherer's Starship NC-51 (N514RS) at Oshkosh AirVenture. Dan Webb sent this to me to rub it in my nose that I am not able to go to OSH this year. Story: http://bit.ly/935W0P
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Ity.im API
Ity.im is a URL shortener that claims to be "the most powerful." For one, using Ity.im can make you money by displaying interstitial and frame ads when a short URL is used. The Ity.im API provides access to shortening and expanding functions from within your application.
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A dangerous uncertainty hovers over the Levant. Even before Israel commenced air strikes on the Gaza Strip on December 27, 2008 the situation in the region was volatile. The massive air strikes launched by Israel on Hamas targets were hardly surprising and seemed to send a simple message to Hamas: Enough is enough.
The official objective of the Israeli action is to stem the firing of Qassam rockets into southern Israel. A ceasefire, in effect between Israel and Hamas for six months, officially ended on 19 December following which Hamas pounded southern Israel with almost 300 rockets in just a few days. The rockets are seldom lethal, and have caused few injuries, but they enrage Israel. Yet the existence of a ceasefire for the past six months tells only half of the story. The other half concerns the economic blockade, imposed and sustained by Israel, which has left Gazans feeling under siege. Israel eased the blockade during the ceasefire but many essential goods remain banned.
The official purpose of the assault is not entirely fabricated but it does serve to mask an un-stated, but no doubt equally important, Israeli motivation: to remind their foes that they have teeth. A successful assault on Gaza may serve both to expunge the ghost of a flawed war against Lebanon in 2006 and to re-establish the credibility of Israeli deterrence. Put simply, Israel wants its enemies to fear it.
Furthermore, Israeli domestic politics may also have played a decisive role in determining both the timing and the severity of the assault. Israel will go to the polls on 10 February with the latest opinion polls suggesting that the Likud, led by former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, will emerge as the largest single party in the Knesset. The Likud still rejects the idea of a genuine state for the Palestinians, favouring "economic peace." Taking a tough stand against Hamas now may bolster the electoral prospects of the two principal parties in the governing coalition: Kadima, led by foreign minister Tzipi Livni, and Labour, led by defence minister Ehud Barak.
Those in Israel who seek peace with the Palestinians fear that Ms Livni—their new hope—will fall at the election along with the chances of a negotiated settlement. The triangular pattern of Israeli politics—with the centrist Kadima sucking support away from the Likud on the right and Labour on the left—looks set to harden the parliamentary gridlock, thus precluding real stability and a genuine move to settle the existential conflict.
Perhaps the most tragic element of the conflict is the fact that the outline of a solution remains obvious to most observers: draw a border roughly along the lines that existed before the war of 1967; share Jerusalem as capital of both states; and acknowledge, while agreeing not to implement, a symbolic right of return of Palestinians to the parts of their homeland now in Israel. There can be no lasting peace, and no regional stability, without a strong and secure Israel, and a sovereign and viable state for the Palestinians. Whether the parties agree to resolve the situation in 2009 or 2019 they will face the same geography, the same neighbours, and the same animosities. More years of bloodshed and pain will not change those facts. The only path to a real and lasting peace is through negotiation. But what prospect of that?
Much will depend on the outcome of February's elections and whether Hamas and Fatah are able to settle their differences. Certainly, the situation seems worse now than it has for several years. But the night is darkest just before the dawn and even hard-liners like Mr Netanyahu have proven more conciliatory in office than in opposition. Much may hinge on the approach adopted by the incoming Obama administration.
Obama's election raised expectations that new American policies are forthcoming. But the president-elect has shown no sign of having any better ideas than President Bush. Indeed, on a visit to Sderot, a small city on the edge of Gaza, earlier this year Obama commented: "If somebody was sending rockets into my house, where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing."
The U.S. established a new framework at Annapolis in November but Hamas was excluded. Instead the Palestinians were represented by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority and the head of Fatah who control only the West Bank. During the Democratic primaries, Mr Obama suggested that he did not necessarily oppose negotiations with groups like Hamas, though he spent much of the campaign retreating from that position under fire from critics. His approach thus remains murky at best.
On the ground the same arguments are being re-stated almost hourly. Israel will not rest until Hamas stops firing rockets across the border. Hamas demands that Israel end the economic blockade. Hamas will kill more Israelis. Israel will kill more Palestinians. Until someone, or something, breaks the deadlock, it's Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun.


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The Bachelor
Why Is Bachelor Ben Flajnik in Las Vegas – Exclusive!
Early this week, Bachelor stud Ben Flajnik popped up in Sin City, excitedly tweeting from his suite at the Luxor hotel and, the next day, from lunch at Carnegie Deli at the Mirage. Since then, his followers and fans have been on high alert. Why Vegas? Could it be he's there to… elope?
Relax, we here at Wetpaint Entertainment have discovered the real reason he's in Las Vegas. Simply put, he's there on business. "He told me he was in town with a few co-workers," a hotel guest who had the chance to chat Ben up exclusively tells Wetpaint Entertainment. "He's in the middle of setting up a big deal with MGM Grand Resorts to distribute his wine." MGM Grand Resorts, it should be noted, owns the Luxor and the Mirage, among many other properties in Las Vegas and worldwide.
Whether Ben is currently engaged or not is still a mystery, but one thing is clear: his company, Envolve Winery, is thriving. "Ben says that ever since he got home from filming The Bachelor, he's hit the ground running," the hotel guest adds. "He says he's been super busy, but that business has been great."
But the trip may not be all work and no play. "Ok," Ben recently tweeted. Looking for something do to in #lasvegas. Any suggestions? Long work day."
Need your daily dose of The Bachelor? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. After all, you'd get our final rose.


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Typhoon Yolanda in Coron, Palawan
The body of a typhoon victim is carried out by rescuers in Coron, Palawan on Saturday, November 9, after being badly hit by super typhoon Yolanda. Lowell Estepa
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Alex Elmestad Artist-in-Residence ExhibitionFebruary 27th, 2012
Congratulations to Alex Elmestad, CAM's Manager of Public Programs and Interpretive Technology, on the opening of his artist-in-residence exhibition, Institutional Memory, at the Luminary Center for the Arts this past Friday. Here's what Alex had to say about his exhibition.
"The main objective of this exhibition will be to produce a memory of past experiences within a publication that will hold not only personal histories within the pages, but the intimate and personal narratives of the community will also become part of the institutional history.
A limited edition book will be produced from the manuscript taken at the opening. As a literary form of expression as well as written documentation of an event, exhibition, or project, this catalog will take the form of a performance first. A stenographer will be hired during an opening. Equipped with a stenotype, the modern shorthand machine, the stenographer will be assigned to a specific gallery and will be instructed to eavesdrop on as many conversations as possible over the course of opening night and the week following. In many ways a museum is a listening tool often asking for feedback from the visitor in order to improve its mission and enhance experiences. Without the social dialogues welcomed and formed within the forum atmosphere of a museum, the public would not feel ownership with the institution. It is exactly the dialogues produced that make the space personally important for members of the community. Through this performance the metaphorical museum ears are literally personified with a living person transcribing and recording the social activity inside the space.
This performance will exceed the boundaries of traditional recording and will somewhat venture into espionage because the stenographer will be obtaining information without permission of those in the space. Thus the issue of private and public space is raised. The fragmented conversational material will then be reviewed by the artist, notes will be made and items will be arranged to create a more cohesive, yet engaging narrative; however, conversations will not bealtered to any degree. The artist will work with an editor to realize the literary vision of the work, and a final manuscript will be approved and the artist will collaborate with a local designer and print shop to produce a visually interesting editioned publication to be sold by the organization. Titled Institutional Memory and produced as a print multiple, the work is intended to be shared with others. As a limited edition, the work will maintain a certain value and have ephemeral qualities, but the main objective will be to produce a memory of past experiences within a publication that will hold not only personal histories within the pages, but the intimate and personal narratives of the community will also become part of the institutional history. As a result the institution truly becomes a place of dialogue consisting of many voices that are listened to and the exchange is materialized in a written form. The publication will include an introduction text written by the director, a short discussion between the artist and stenographer, select typed short hand notes, and the edited conversational narrative."


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The Attention Cocktail from The Hawthorne
The Attention Cocktail from The Hawthorne
About This Recipe
|serves 1
|Active time:
|2 minutes
|Total time:
|2 minutes
|Special equipment:
|mixing glass, bar spoon, coupe glass
- 2 ounces Tanqueray gin
- 3/4 ounces Dolin Dry Vermouth
- 1 barspoon absinthe
- 1 barspoon Crème de Violette
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 two-inch piece lemon rind
Combine gin, vermouth, absinthe, crème de violette, and bitters in a mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir. Strain and serve in a chilled coupe glass. Squeeze lemon rind over the top and rub around the rim. Serve.


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Best Place for a First Date St. Louis 2004 - Wrestling at the South Broadway Athletic Club
Wrestling at the South Broadway Athletic Club
2301 S. Seventh St.
St. Louis, MO 63104
Readers' Choice: Blueberry Hill
If you want to play it safe, pick a restaurant, any restaurant. When it comes to the first date, this is a status quo, bubblegum move. Second date? Sure. But a first date that harbors any aspirations of moving on to that second date requires an eccentric, action-packed selection. And it doesn't get any more eccentric and action packed than the South Broadway Athletic Club's once-a-month (typically the second Saturday) card of Mid Missouri Wrestling Association tomfoolery. Here you and your companion will find choreographed grapplers that range in character from cavemen to Chinese warrior chicks to gay black Confederate soldiers. The popcorn is free, the whiskey is cheap, and the stands (VFW hall-style tables and chairs, really) always house an ample supply of hoosiers to amuse the two of you if the action in the ring gets stale. It may not be the most romantic way to punch your ticket, but romance is for the long haul. The first date is all about impact and creativity, and South Broadway wrasslin' has both to burn.


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I'd say it's a marketing grab.
TiPb on APR Marketplace Discussing Wholesale Application Community vs. iPhone App Store
American Public Radio's Marketplace was gracious enough to have me on yesterday to discuss the new 24 telco Wholesale Application Community with Stacey Vanek Smith.
Can a coalition agree on standards and deploy them fast enough to keep up with Apple's App Store juggernaut, or is this just a play to get trendy, hot apps on low end feature phones?
Listen in, and then let me know what you think...
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
TiPb on APR Marketplace Discussing Wholesale Application Community vs. iPhone App Store
Way to go, Rene! That's what, 3 or 4 times on Marketplace now? :)
Oh, and that one guy says their chances of being successful are probably as good as Apple? No. Highly doubt it.
Great concept, but the fragmentation of the software platforms on the hardware will cause issues. Some Android devices aren't going to be updated to the latest and greatest pastry that Google comes up with. Most certainly a program written for a Blackberry 8100 probably won't work on a 8330. Who knows.
@Vince - I heard it fine. @Rene - I heard that piece on the radio and didn't realize it was you.
The concept is good - I think if they can agree on the right store designer/developer/management, they can probably get 10,000 - 20,000 apps up where the store knows what phone is accessing the store and so what apps to make available to the customer - but starting from now it will take two years, by which time all the target hardware/software will have changed twice, and the whole App store model may have morphed into something else, and Apple won't have had any of their problems . . . gonna take a lotta pain to make this work.


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More New and Used
from Private Sellers
World Trade Law after Neoliberalism Reimagining the Global Economic Orderby Lang, Andrew
Oxford University Press
Questions About This Book?
Why should I rent this book?
Renting is easy, fast, and cheap! Renting from eCampus.com can save you hundreds of dollars compared to the cost of new or used books each semester. At the end of the semester, simply ship the book back to us with a free UPS shipping label! No need to worry about selling it back.
How do rental returns work?
Returning books is as easy as possible. As your rental due date approaches, we will email you several courtesy reminders. When you are ready to return, you can print a free UPS shipping label from our website at any time. Then, just return the book to your UPS driver or any staffed UPS location. You can even use the same box we shipped it in!
What version or edition is this?
This is the Reprint edition with a publication date of 3/22/2013.
What is included with this book?
- The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any CDs, lab manuals, study guides, etc.
- The Rental copy of this book is not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. You may receive a brand new copy, but typically, only the book itself.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Regime encounters: trade and human rights
2. Trade and Human Rights in Historical Perspective
3. The Global Justice Movement
4. Inter-regime Contestation
5. The Limits of Coherence
The trade regime and the neoliberal turn
6. Against Objectivism
7. Embedded Liberalism and Purposive Law
8. Neoliberalism and the Formal-technical Turn
9. Trade in Services
10. Conclusion: After Neoliberalism?


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MVC Vikings Women's Wrestling News
Carl Murphree - Head Women's Wrestling Coach
(660) 831-4090
Coach Carl Murphree came to Missouri Valley College in 2003 from Napa, Calif. Murphree has coached wrestling for 30 years—nine at the collegiate level. Coach Murphree led MVC to National titles in 2004 and 2005. In 2005 Murphree was named WCWA Coach of the Year.
Coach Murphree was instrumental in establishing high school girls wrestling in California, and hosted the first NHSF sanctioned tournament in the United States—The Napa Valley Girls Classic. For his efforts Murphree was inducted into the California Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006.
Coach Murphree has two children, Emilee and Daniel. Both are former California high school state wrestling champions. Murphree earned his bachelor of science degree at California State University-Sacramento.
Tiffany Sluik-Women's Wrestling Graduate Assistant Coach
Coach Sluik begins her second season as Graduate Assistant for the Missouri Valley College Women's Wrestling Program in Fall of 2013. Tiffany received her undergraduate education at Jamestown College where she earned degrees in Business Administration and Health and Fitness Administration. Tiffany was a 3 time All-American while at Jamestown and was Captain of the Jamestown Squad.
Tiffany began wrestling at the age of 10 in her hometown of Mason City, Iowa. Tiffany has been active in coaching youth wrestling and brings a great wealth of knowledge to the Missouri Valley College Program. Coach Sluik will be pursuing a Master's Degree in Kinesiology at the University of Central Missouri.
Upcoming Women's Wrestling Events
Recent Women's Wrestling Events


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When thinking about DJ hire for your next event in Wellington, you can't go past Audiohead, the most affordable and experienced in the business.
With over 15 years of experience in the DJ field, we know how to cater to the needs of people attending a variety of functions. With the highest quality sound equipment and lighting, Audiohead provides a spectacle that will take your party or gathering to the next level. The right music can make for a truly memorable event, without the extra costs of a live DJ!
Call us now for more information, or to book our DJ hire system today!


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Video: Web extra: Tips for keeping burglars away from your home
One minute. 5 minutes. 14 seconds. When it comes to home theft protection, these are the numbers you need to know.
On average, it takes just one minute for a burglar to break into your home. They get everything they need in just 5 minutes. And a break-in occurs every 14 seconds in the U.S.
The victims come from low-income, middle-income and even upper-income neighborhoods. But they all share one thing in common. Something about their homes stood out to crooks and made them vulnerable.
Are you making the same mistakes too?
Take the Burglary Secrets quiz here
We met up with Police Capt. Guy Turner of the Westlake Police Department to find out why burglars might target one home but avoid another. He took us to a vacant home that has been broken into twice.
Security mistakes at the vacant home are also repeated at occupied homes all over Northeast Ohio.
"The first thing you want to do is make it look like you are home," Captain Turner told Maureen Kyle.
He's a huge fan of leaving outside lights on at all times. This improves your chances of someone spotting someone at your door, or walking around the side of your home.
Motion detector lights, out of reach, are a huge plus as well. "You are creating the chance for someone passing by to say 'What's that guy doing at my neighbor's front door?" Turner says.
Inside noise will keep burglars outside. Turn a radio or television on. Most burglaries occur during the day when robbers think you aren't home. A security system or even a security sign are deterrents.
Turner says a barking dog is also a great security measure. "It doesn't have to be a big dog. It has to be a yappy dog," according to Turner.
Your front door might be making you a target. Recessed doorways offer more seclusion for robbers.
That's another reason why good lighting is a must. Keep hedges in check. These are another great hiding spot for burglars.
Making burglars think you are home is one step. But Turner says that's not all.
"The second thing, you want to do is slow them down," he says. It takes, on average, 1 minute for a burglar to get into your home. By slowing them down, you improve your chances that they'll move on to another home.
Glass doors offer easy access to burglars, especially if your glass is single pane. Replacing it is the best option, but not without significant cost.
A more economical fix is installing a deadbolt lock that's keyed on both sides. Sliding glass doors are also targets. A dowel, or cut-down broom stick make sliding glass doors and windows much more secure.
Turner says never hide keys on the outside of your home. Burglars know all the great hiding spots too. It's better to leave an extra set of keys with a trusted neighbor.
He also shared this important warning: If someone knocks on your door, seems surprised when you answer and asks for someone who doesn't live there, that's someone casing your home.


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By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2004 The military's anthrax and smallpox immunizations are safe to administer to service members, a senior military medical officer told 2004 Tricare conference attendees here Jan. 28.
"The vaccination programs we operate are designed to keep troops healthy, to help troops get back home safely," said Army Col. John D. Grabenstein, deputy director of clinical operations for the Military Vaccine Agency.
Concerns about the safety of the vaccines, Grabenstein said, have been thoroughly checked, with findings provided to federal health officials and civilian physicians. Service members, he explained, are medically screened before receiving the vaccines. Very few serious ill effects have been attributed to the administration of the vaccines, Grabenstein pointed out.
The military's anthrax and smallpox vaccine programs have been under way for seven and two years, respectively. Grabenstein said more than a million people across DoD have received anthrax immunizations, and about 560,000 service members and civilians have received smallpox vaccination.
"We continue to collect data on vaccine safety," Grabenstein said, emphasizing that officials "look at both the trees and the forest, both groups of service members and individual ones."


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Gruhpravesh Vacation
Gruhpravesh Vacations Facilities
The vacations we offer at different resorts are known for their varied facilities. Constructed in tune with the enriching and healthy environment, the resorts consist of many essential and luxurious facilities to be availed by the customers. Located and prime location it is well connected with the national high way. Clients are provided with fully furnished cottages having well-built kitchen and proper water & electricity supply. Further, customers are also provided with swimming pools, health clubs, spots club and boating that helps in relaxing. The restaurants, bar and dhaba incorporated here are ideal to fulfill clients need for tasteful appetite. Moreover, there are many other factors, which have added an extra advantage to our facilities:
- Club house
- Nature care treatment
- Landscaping & water body
- Ayurvedic massage
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- Exclusive jogging & cycling track
- Spacious pyramidal meditation hall
Gruhpravesh Vacations Destinations
Backed with a team of proficient professionals, we have managed to extend our business all over India. It is our expertise in this domain that we have managed to increase the count of Gruhpravesh Vacations Destinations. We have been able to establish the presence our business by providing our customers holidays at various beautiful locations. Clients can avail our valuable services at destinations like Goa, Munnar, Manali, Ooty, Gangtok, Pondicherry, Shegaon, Shirdi, Lonavla and many more.
To,Gruhpravesh Infra & Resort Private Limited


text: Riawunna Centre People You are here UTAS Home Riawunna Centre People Can't find who you're looking for?? Search the UTAS directory. Search by Staff type: Academic Faculty Professional Postgraduate Research Research Fellows Research General Honours Tutors All Staff Search people: 1 Name & Position Title Phone & Email Ms Tanya Harper Murina Course Co-ordinator/Lecturer 03 6324 3386 email@example.com Mr Geoff McLean Associate Lecturer 03 6324 3378 email@example.com 1


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Welcome to the E.V.E. Litecom Web Site.
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Preview/PDF - Print specific search result pages
Hi everybody, I'm new to the forum and I was hoping that someone might have ideas about something I'd like to accomplish. Here it is:
Let's say I have a PDF file containing 40 pages, and I want to find the term "not verified". So I do a search and there are 22 results (each "not verified" appears on its own page, so there are 22 pages that have the term). Is there a way that I can print only those 22 pages? When the results show up, there is a list of those pages (not thumbnails) so I can't select those 22 pages to print.
If anyone has any ideas about how to get this done (or on Adobe Reader) I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank You
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