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One of the single largest land deals in South Carolina history has been finalized, a nearly $1.1 billion transaction that brings a new financial backer to the Nexton and East Edisto real estate developments.
MeadWestvaco Corp. said it has completed the $934 million sale of 501,000 acres of U.S. forestlands, including about 200,000 acres in the Palmetto State. The rest of the properties are in Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and West Virginia.
The buyer was Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. The $1,864-per-acre acquisition closed Friday, about two months after it was announced.
At the same time, the Seattle-based company has become a partner in MeadWestvaco's locally based real estate development arm.
That piece of the deal totaled $152 million and involves 109,000 acres in the Charleston region.
Of that, Plum Creek paid $12.5 million for a 5 percent stake in MeadWestvaco's active local real estate deals, including the 4,500-acre Nexton mixed-use community that's starting to take shape near Summerville.
The rest of the money is going toward long-term developments, namely the large-scale East Edisto project that MeadWestvaco has been planning for several years. Plum Creek bought a 50 percent interest in that separate joint venture.
MeadWestvaco Community Development and Land Management will be calling the shots for the two new partnerships, said Ken Seeger, president of the Summerville-based division.
"All we've really done is bring about $150 million in outside investment capital into the business," Seeger said Monday. "It's to make sure we have enough capital to perform the development we're planning over the next five to seven years, when we plan to invest $400 million in our business."
Plum Creek isn't a builder - it's mainly a buyer and seller of land - but it determined that taking a small stake in the Nexton joint venture will pay off.
"The more we looked at it, the more attractive it got," said Rick Holley, chief executive officer. "Charleston is one of the fastest-growing middle markets in the country today."
The 72,000-acre East Edisto deal, on the other hand, will involve numerous land sales to outside developers once MeadWestvaco obtains the various approvals, he said.
"It's really our bread and butter," Holley said Monday.
MeadWestvaco announced this year it was seeking a financial partner to help it "unlock the value" of its real estate division. The Richmond, Va.-based company has been shifting away from making paper and into higher-end packaging and chemicals. As a result, it no longer needs as much timberland to grow trees to feed its mills.
Contact John McDermott at 937-5572
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Introducing The NVS StandPoint
It gives us great pleasure to introduce the NVS StandPoint or "The StandPoint" – the latest of our efforts to give the everyday Nigerian more visibility, voice and clout in the shaping of Nigeria.
The StandPoint, our editorial, will appear on the front page of the website every other Monday, beginning Monday, July 12th. However, the board may, on occasion, comment sooner than the fortnightly schedule allows—when events of paradigmatic significance occur between scheduled comments.
The StandPoint will be written in the format of a traditional newspaper editorial. It will also display the watchdog and ombudsman characters of newspaper editorials. However, as the products of a fiercely independent and rigorous process of group punditry and deliberation, the editorials will be punchier, more unsparing, and less restrained. The mainstream media and commentators may freely reproduce our editorials, with due attribution.
The StandPoint will express the consensual position of the NVS editorial board on deep societal issues and on the permanent crises that our country faces.
The StandPoint will approach every issue with an open, non-judgmental mind. Our critiques and recommendations shall be constructive, challenging and, where necessary, actionable.
We stake our collective honour on our impartiality, fairness, balance, and our commitment to good governance, leadership accountability, and personal responsibility.
The team that will oversee this editorial initiative comprises the following NVS members and contributors:
- Chika Ezeanya - Researcher with keen interests in the broader African policy and development discourse.
- Farooq Kperogi - Journalist, writer, university teacher, blogger, and researcher at Georgia State University, Atlanta.
- Ikhide Ikheloa - US-based educator and writer
- Moses Ochonu - Professor of African History at Vanderbilt University, Nashville Tennessee
- Okey Ndibe - Novelist and political columnist teaches at Trinity College in Hartford, CT..
- Pius Adesanmi - Associate professor of Literature at Carleton University, Ottawa Canada.
- Salisu Suleiman - Director, Good Governance Group, Abuja
- Sonala Olumhense – Journalist and researcher at the United Nations, New York
Join the conversation through disqus comments or via our forum. Click on any of the tabs below to select your desired option. Please engage decently.
- Disqus Comments
- Forum Discussion
Good idea and great timing. With the upcoming elections, it will be good for NVS to present its own take on events.
However, too many so-called 'diaspora' Nigerians.
If the intent here is for this Standpoint to represent the view of foreign-based Nigerians, then all is well and good. But if not, then it might be advisable to find more Naija-based team-members.
The ease with which this type of endeavour can be misrepresented as being the mouthing off of disgruntled Nigerians living abroad should not be underestimated.
Good point. We are aware of this and are reaching out. Stay tuned.
Another thing sir. Is it possible to identify the political leanings of each those mentioned? Methinks the idea will be DOA if any member is found out to be partisan.
Good one, NVS!
I sense a new awakening of this outfit (nvs)
And I wish you godspeed as you launch-out.
1. Is this StandPoint going to be based on sampling of NVS members opinions on issues or solely the perspective of the editorial team?
2.What criteria was used to choose the editorial team
3.Malam Gwobezentashi has also been someone that has offered insightful analysis in this village, albeit elements of deceit atimes........so why is he not in the team
4.Test running this stuff in the village and weighing feelings and reactions may be a good idea before going at it full stream
Will be intersting to see how this works out, since I'm aware that "members" of the board don't share one view point.
I'm sure thats already been considered anyway.
Looking forward to reading the editorials....
Maybe,maybe not. Some questions don't have yes or no, right or wrong answers.
That may just be a recipe for paralysis and contention. On the other hand, it may be a wonderful thing. Good thing is I assume we will be able in our usual way to rip to shreds opinions (and members of the editorial team )we don't like.
Just be thankful you're not one of them
On the surface, this is a great idea, after all the blogs and online media have almost taken over the media in societies like we have in the United States. And NVS does seem to have some wide recognition even in the Nigerian mainstream media now, so I am not surprised at this decision. I am a bit surprised at the way the idea has been presented. I do have a couple of concerns. This panel says they will call it as they see it and so I will also do the same in my comments
1. I will echo Eja it appears you have only one member based in Nigeria. Are you indirectly saying that Nigerians are not good enough to be unbiased?
2. Janjaweed makes another good point you are saying there will be rigorous debate. Well if the group share political and social ideologies how rigorous will their debates really be?
3. This board is supposed to give the "everyday Nigerian" more visibility and a voice. Well as we noted, most of the members are located in the Diaspora and more importantly, they are all accomplished individuals, are they really the reflection of everyday Nigerians? Or accomplished literary Nigerians? There are no housewives, Architects, Engineers, Contractors, High school teachers, Nigerian university teachers, Doctors, Nurses, Shop owners, business men and women on the panel and that leads to me next point.
4. The panel is apparently comprised of Journalists and liberal arts academia. However some of NVS best minds (IMHO) are not in arts, academia or the media industry. Le Carre (Financial) Dr. Bunch (Medical) SLB (IT) Tonsoyo, Soul Sista, Da Bishop and of course good ole I Love Nigeria (legal) Max Siollun (Naija history) C Ikpatt (Ex-Naija Cop) just to name a few that also have well thought out and strong opinions on the state of affairs in Nigeria.
5. As this group is going to be writing and NVS editorial, it appears that you are indirectly giving these 10 individuals the power and voice to speak for NVS, but not by consensus. Will they write their editorial reflecting the views (majority and minority) expressed within NVS or will they champion their own views? As it is is called an NVS editorial, I might be mistakenly assuming it should reflect the majority view of the people who make up NVS. But, I may be wrong.
6. Hmmm... it appears you have only two women on the panel of ten...I am almost sure there are a few more capable women on NVS...you talking about fiercely independent? How about Dewdrops and Lateesha?
7. Will NVS members who do not agree with the editorial have the freedom to make comments and criticize the editorial as you know we are a very opinionated group. You can see we have not problems criticizing Reuben Abati, or even the great Kongi
8. Finally, is this just another forum for more Naija bashing or will the group come up with real, possible solutions rather than just commentary. Is this another avenue to tell us how bad Nigeria is which we almost all know or to make targeted commentary accompanied by possible and probable solutions? As personally I think we have enough people who tell us how bad Nigeria is, problem is nobody seems to want to do much about it than just talk. But maybe talk will eventually bring change, I have my doubts.
As always I value the opportunity to be able to at least express my views on NVS even if they are in the minority. My two cents!
For the purpose of those IE6 people having trouble with the homepage, the full statement has been reproduced in the opening post of this thread.
@ N.a.r guest, you write:
" Will NVS members who do not agree with the editorial have the freedom to make comments and criticize the editorial as you know we are a very opinionated group. You can see we have not problems criticizing Reuben Abati, or even the great Kongi "
Isn't that what you are doing right now, criticizing constructively? You critique already answers your question my broda or sister.

subset: commoncrawl


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That's because the campus is hosting a free workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. that day titled "The Developing Child: What Parents, Providers and Teachers Need to Know."
Four concurrent sessions dealing with various topics of early childhood development — from movement-based learning and literacy to music and nutrition and even a session about helping children through stressful times — will be presented, and participants may choose to attend two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
The highlight of the event, however, will be the morning's keynote address by Don Monopoli, a member of the acclaimed children's entertainment group The Learning Station.
Founded in 1985, The Learning Station is a nationally recognized recording and performing company that captures the attention of young audiences by using music to teach valuable life lessons to children.
The event's closing address will deal with physical developmental red flags, and the first 25 attendees who elect to participate will follow the conference with a training course for CPR certification or recertification.
In addition to the valuable information provided by the keynote and closing address — both of which will be presented in the Memorial Gym — and the morning and afternoon topical sessions — which will be held in either the gym or South Hall, lunch and educational resources will also be provided.
Attendance to the conference is limited to 300 participants, with reservations being taken on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline for registering is Tuesday, Oct. 24.
The event is being funded by a portion of a $200,000 grant distributed by the state Attorney General's office as a result of a class-action lawsuit against a vitamin manufacturer.
The vitamin settlement grant has helped TTU's School of Human Ecology perform a child nutrition study and the university's department of exercise science, physical education and wellness construct a motor development lab for children.
Those two academic units are teaming up with several other university-affiliated organizations to provide "The Developing Child" workshop, and organizers are encouraging school systems to offer in-service credit hours to teachers of young children who participate.
For more information about the event, call Sue Bailey in Human Ecology at 931/372-3157 or Pat Jordan in E.S.P.E.W. at 931/372-3811.


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The horrendous massacre at the Sandy Hook primary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in which 20 children and seven adults were brutally murdered, indicates that the evil force that turned two normal teenagers at Columbine into nihilist murderers is still very potent. What the two Columbine killers and Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old Sandy Hook killer, had in common was unusually high intelligence. The Telegraph, a British newspaper, reported online:
Lanza was said by classmates to be fiercely intelligent.
"You could tell he was, I would say, a genius," said Miss Israel. "There was something that was above the rest of us."
He'd correct people's Latin homework, when they were aged around 14, and at 16 was among the list of top students in his English class, studying "Of Mice and Men" and "Catcher In The Rye" — the classic tale of troubled youth.
"It was almost painful to have a conversation with him, because he felt so uncomfortable," said Olivia DeVivo, who sat behind him in English. "I spent so much time in my English class wondering what he was thinking."
"He didn't have any friends, but he was a nice kid if you got to know him," said Kyle Kromberg, now studying business administration at Endicott College in Massachusetts. He studied Latin with Lanza.
"He didn't fit in with the other kids," he said. "He was very, very shy. He wouldn't look you in the eyes when he talked. He didn't really want to lock eyes with you for very long."
He was also a technical whizz kid, keen on computers and video games, and part of a group who would meet up for computer programming get-togethers.
Obviously, Lanza was also exposed to the entire secular-humanist curriculum of our atheist public schools: evolution, values clarification, sex education, and other programs that served to wrest children away from traditional Biblical religion. What was the religion of his parents? Were they church goers? His parents were divorced in 2009 when Adam was 17. He was born in 1992. The Columbine shooting took place on April 20, 1999, when Lanza was seven years old. Had Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, the Columbine killers, become his heroes?
Click here to read the entire article.
Sam Blumenfeld (photo)


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Apple hires mobile payments expert -- iPhone to replace your credit card?
Looks like Apple has gone and hired a NFC (near field communications) expert to be their new head mobile commerce. Benjamin Viger, formerly product manager for mobile wallet, payment, and NFC at mFoundry, NearFieldCommunicationsWorld rounds up a plethora of recent Apple patent filings he just may be helping bring to market:
- An NFC-based mobile payments service that lets consumers make payments to merchants and other consumers via a credit or debit card, directly from their bank account or using credit stored in their iTunes account.
- The 'iPay, iBuy and iCoupons' patents, describing a comprehensive mobile payments, mobile commerce and mobile marketing business based around an NFC-enabled iPhone.
- Products+, an NFC-based product marketing and promotions application.
- An airline ticketing and boarding pass application that describes an unmanned, automated airport ticketing and baggage counter kiosk and introduces the concept of an automated security checking process where users of the iTravel app could process themselves through the security clearance system and check themselves in at the boarding gate.
- The Grab & Go patent, designed to make it easy for customers to transfer files between devices such as the Mac, iPhone and Apple TV.
- An NFC-enabled iPod, games controller, TV and iPhone.
- An NFC-based concert, entertainment and sports venue ticketing application that includes exclusive bonus features for users of Apple's service.
So does a world where you can wave your iPhone in close proximity to a radio receiver in order to pay for your next iPad (or pair of jeans, or turtleneck, or whatever) appeal to you?
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Apple hires mobile payments expert -- iPhone to replace your credit card?
Yes, please!!! I'd love that! I have the Case-Mate Credit Card case and I love it because it let's me travel light with only my debit card and ID. This would be great for people, like me, with disabilities. I don't carry cash because it's too hard for me to manage. My disability is physical not learning.
Apple is simply getting in line with all the other hand set makers and the carriers.
Google is already ahead of the curve on this and has been positioning the Google wallet as a micropayment method as well as a tap to pay device in android.
This is fairly common in Japan, and the carriers hope to take a huge boots out of the credit card business.
Expect massive government regulation in this area. Expect it to be used as justification for even more rigerous lockdown of phones. Jailbreaking will become a criminal act once again.
This is a great idea! However they will need to work out how to keep it secure from thieves, and will go with a programable RFID chip or will they require the user to purchase a new type of credit/ debit card type of paymen that you must by from apple. Any way all I know is that will make apple millions more if they succeed.
Steve Jobs @ iPhone 5 Dem: Oh, there's just one more thing. iBank.
I love the new cutting edge technology. I look forward to this way of paying for things. I do agree on how the security will need to be enhanced more than the debit card/credit cards we currently have.
By the way, I use ibank and its an awesome program. I will never go back to the pc world.....
I have never been exposed to people who will literally complain about everything. I'm sorry Rene, I love tipb but got readers complain about every damn thing!
"Apples behind the curve."
"We'll have to jailbreak."
Please shut up!!!
Now there goes my complaining!
Funny how everyones got a complaint about Apple. As if Apple has really done wrong against people. So the iPhone 4 has antenna problems, all of the sudden anything else Apple is planning to do is a failure? Of course, Apple isn't perfect. I'd like to see the people complaining do better.
Mobile payment is a new and rapidly-adopting alternative payment method – especially in Asia and Europe. Instead of paying with cash, cheque or credit cards, a consumer can use a mobile phone to pay for a wide range of services .
Why did you delete my comment? Nice censorship you have here.


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It's an annual event for
"I think we have a pretty solid council and I'm pretty excited about it. I think the city council working with our staff and its citizens will accomplish a lot this coming year. Course we're always concerned about water but that's been the problem with this area for fifty years so we've always been concerned with water. But we have some plans in affect."
The mayor also talked about how recent oil production has helped increase economic infrastructure that will benefit the city for several decades.


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The CONDOR® Trailer Only Chock ( SC-2000 ) The CONDOR® SC-2000 Trailer-Only Chock is our all-steel version of our Pit Stop, and has all the same capabilities except it is designed for trailer use only. Our patented adjustable cradle fits all bikes from dirt bikes and sportbikes, to cruisers and heavy touring bikes, and anything in between, up to 3,000 lbs. It will work on front and rear tires from 14" to 22" and 80mm to 230mm. The patented locking mechanism effortlessly and securely supports your motorcycle in an upright position on all transportation platforms. Our chock will hold your motorcycle so securely, only one person is needed to load and unload any bike, and only two tie-down straps are required. And you won't damage your sensative suspension parts because you never need to overtighten your tie down straps. The Trailer Only chock attaches and detaches to your trailer in seconds with four wing nuts. You will be amazed at how secure and safe your ride will be once tied down in the CONDOR® wheel chock. The SC-2000 comes complete with all brackets and hardware to mount this unit to your trailer or lift table. The CONDOR® SC-2000 folds down for easy storage and weighs only 26+ lbs. It's dimensions in the upright position are 9" wide, 25" long and 15" high. Once folded, it becomes 9" wide, 25" long and 7" high. If you don't require the free-standing versatility of the Pit Stop, the Trailer-Only model is the way to go. Patent No. RE 42,971
Showing reviews 1-10 of 12 | Next
Posted by Mark on 9th Jan 2012
We are in our 60's and these chocks make it possible to transport our bikes to great riding locations with ease!
We saw them at a show, either Americade or BMWMOA Rally, and when we got our new trailer we immediately tossed the chock that came with it and ordered our Condors!
Posted by Jeffrey on 9th Jan 2012
Have one on my trailer for the past 4 years. Just ride on and get off the bike. It stays there. One person loading. Easily adjustable for my CBR, my VTX, the Goldwing and when a friend borrows the trailer for his ZX-14.
Posted by MadDog on 9th Jan 2012
This has to be one of the easiest ways to transport a big bike especially a bike like the GoldWing with limited tiedown options. Drive your Wing on, get off, attach two straps to the frame near the center of the bike and you are good to go. Wouldn't leave home without it.
Posted by Myk on 9th Jan 2012
Purchased a Condor Chock earlier this year and bolted it on my 4'x 8' trailer. Loaded up my '83 Interstate and drove over 150 miles without a single problem. Fantastic piece of equipment!!
Posted by Byran on 9th Jan 2012
After trying a couple other wheel chocks (that lacked in quality, or versatility or both) I decided to bite the bullet and invest in two good wheel chocks. Fast shipment and price match gave Motorcycle Superstore the business. When they arrived I was very pleased with my purchase, the quality of this product is superb and the versatility for various wheel sizes is what I needed. I also ordered a 2nd set of mounting brackets so I could set the trailer up with 1 bike in the middle or 2 bikes. Very easy to use and very secure hold on the tire. Great Product.
Posted by Tracy on 9th Jan 2012
The Condor wheel chock is the best buy you can make. Easy to install and holds the motorcycle in the upright position.
Posted by Ken N. on 9th Jan 2012
We trailer our HD Ultra long distances, and I don't have to worry about the front forks twisting and turning, causing the bike to lean, plus it's a one-man operation to load, and I only need two straps. Quick, easy and secure.
Posted by John on 9th Jan 2012
This is by far the easiest installation and use of a wheel chock that I have experienced. It is very adjustable to the majority of wheels. Very pleased
Posted by Bob on 9th Jan 2012
This wheel chock is leaps and bounds better than the other chocks I have used. My front tire is 6" wide, but fits in this chock with ease.
Posted by Michael Funk on 9th Jan 2012
I purchased this chock to go on a custom built aluminum motorcycle trailer. I had seen the chock demonstrated at Sturgis and decided if I ever needed a chock this is the one I would get. The chock works perfectly, is well constructed and should last for many years. I simply drive the bike onto the trailer and into the chock and get off. No one else needs to hold the bike up for me and I can load the bike, tie it down, without assistance. A great product.
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Trailer Only Chock
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Cottonwood Lodging and Attractions - Bed & Breakfasts in Cottonwood, AZ - Attractions Near Cottonwood Around the Verde ValleyWhen you're in Cottonwood, you're never far from breathtaking sights, family-friendly attractions, historical landmarks, natural beauty and quality lodging. Within minutes, visitors can go from exploring the Historic Old Town Cottonwood area on foot, to softly rumbling through a serene riparian canyon by train, to winding along red rock highways and steep cliff-side mining town roads by car. And just as easily, it seems you can weave back and forth between Cottonwood's ancient Sinanguan and 19th century past and a peaceful present, with Cottonwood's rich mining history and today's small-town charm ever-apparent as you explore the Verde Valley. Check out Cottonwood hotels and motels, shops, galleries, restaurants, and attractions for kids and adults alike.
Be sure to make time to walk the "Jail Trail," Cottonwood's river walk that begins behind Historic Old Town's unique Cottonwood Jail, or explore the Verde Valley's handful of wineries just 20 minutes from Cottonwood. If you love hiking, fishing, canoeing and exploring state parks and landmarks, check out Tuzigoot National Monument and Dead Horse Ranch State Park, both just minutes from the center of Cottonwood.
Cottonwood, Arizona at-a-Glance
Founded: 1879
Location: Yavapai County, central Arizona, 103 miles north of Phoenix
Claim to fame: Named for the beautiful cottonwood trees that line the Verde River banks.
Known as: The "Biggest Little Town in Arizona."
Population: 12,301 as of Oct 2010
Median age: 40
Median family income: $27,444
Median 2010 home value: $135,900
Altitude: 3,314 ft
City centerpiece: Historic Old Town Cottonwood along Main Street
Signature annual events: Chocolate Lovers Walk - annually the first Saturday of December; Christmas Parade - annually the first Saturday of December; Verde Valley Gem and Mineral Show - annually in March; Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival - annually in April; Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza - annually July 4th; Verde River Days - annually in September; monthly car show events in Old Town year-round,
Weather: Average spring/summer temperature: 86 F; average fall/winter temperature: 70 F. 275 sunny days per year.
Lodging: About 15 hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, and inns
Things to Do: Outdoor recreation, museums, walking tours, hiking and walking trails, Verde Canyon Railroad, Blazin' M Ranch, nearby casino, bars and nightlife, special events, Out of Africa Wildlife park, wineries, tours, Sedona, Jerome and Grand Canyon
Written by: Christina Hecht
Montezuma's Castle lies 30 minutes east of Cottonwood
Marvel at perfectly preserved ancient Indian ruins
View from the hillside Jerome, a former ghost-town
Jerome is a beautiful 30-minute drive from Cottonwood
Cottonwood Lodging & Attractions
Nestled between Prescott and Sedona in the heart of the Verde Valley lies Cottonwood, Arizona, a former mining town and jewel of the riparian river valley that offers today's visitors and residents panoramic views of rolling green foothills punctuated by red rock formations. Cottonwood is a funky combination of a medium-sized urban community and a charming, shady and gentrified historic Main Street district. Explore Cottonwood itself, strolling through Old Town galleries, thrift shops, and kitschy boutiques. Dine at one-of-a-kind restaurants and diners, and be sure to stop at the tasting room for Arizona Stronghold, one of Arizona's finest wineries. If you wish to venture out into the Verde Valley, with Cottonwood at the hub, visitors can follow short spokes outward to experience the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, the former ghost town of Jerome, red rock sightseeing in Sedona, and, of course, all the attractions in Prescott.
Things to Do near CottonwoodSee More »
The Gateway to Northern Arizona
Prescott is the gateway to northern Arizona. Within just a couple hours driving time, Prescott visitors can find themselves in neighboring Cottonwood, the former ghost town of Jerome, Arizona wine country, surrounding by monolithic red rocks of Sedona, or peering downward into the vast and unbelievable Grand Canyon. Prescott is the perfect central Arizona location from which to venture out, and we're sure you'll always want to return. Plan a multi-day visit, because you'll want to spend several days checking out all the best that northern Arizona has to offer. The best Prescott day-trip itineraries include Jerome, wine country, Sedona, and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Jerome, Arizona
Jerome, Arizona was built on Cleopatra Hill above a vast deposit of copper. The mines, the workers and those who sought its wealth formed Jerome's history. They were a brave and raucous mix: miners, smelter workers, freighters, gamblers, bootleggers, saloon keepers, storekeepers, prostitutes and preachers, wives and children made Jerome what it was. Today, visitors walk the hillside streets visiting galleries, shops, restaurants and bars. Bikers feel quite at home at (in)famous Jerome haunts such as The Spirit Room. Wine and food lovers indulge at the Jerome Winery and local artisanal eateries. Thrill-seekers delight in Jerome's reportedly haunted hotels and former houses of ill-repute.
Sedona, Arizona
Just 90 minutes north of Prescott, Arizona, Sedona has become a day trip and overnight destination for visitors to Northern Arizona who wish to explore the famous red rocks, the scenic Verde River, the 1.8 million-acre Coconino National Forest, or the winding road through Oak Creek Canyon. There are a nearly infinite number of things to do in Sedona! Relax atop shaded boulders that dot the 16-mile gorge of Oak Creek Canyon, take a rugged Jeep tour or helicopter tour deep into Sedona's authentic Indian ruins, scale a red rock monolith that penetrates the crystal blue sky or feel the earth's energy at one of several Sedona vortexes. Whatever you do, Sedona will take your breath away.
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon, Arizona is a sight to behold at least once in a person's life. A visit to Prescott is near enough that it's a shame not to venture northward to the Grand Canyon. Prescott is an ideal launching point for a Grand Canyon adventure, as the South Rim is just a 2.5 hour scenic drive from Prescott. One might explore the grandeur of the Grand Canyon by helicopter and air tours, river rafting tours, guided jeep and van tours, or a guided hike on the South Rim or the more remote West Rim (4 hours from Prescott.) Experience Grand Canyon area camping, attractions, visitor centers, hiking, tours and more at the Grand Canyon. Whether by air, river or land, a Grand Canyon day-trip is a definite must-do!
Yes! Send me Prescott Deals
Quick Links
Best Places to Stay
LodgingA full list of Prescott economy, moderate to upscale lodging including hotels, bed & breakfasts, cabins, motels, and resorts. [more]
HotelsPrescott has some of the most charming hotels in the country. Choose from historic or brand-name Prescott hotels downtown or nearby areas. [more]
Bed & BreakfastsA visit to a charming town like Prescott begs a stay at a charming bed & breakfast. After all, Prescott is Arizona's Bed & Breakfast City. [more]
MotelsWhether they're called motels, limited service hotels or economy hotels, clean and comfortable is the meaning at these Prescott motels. [more]
CabinsSurrounded by the beauty of the Bradshaw Mountains, these Prescott cabins and cottages offer the best of the outdoors year-round. [more]
Pet FriendlyPack your pooch for Prescott and check out these pet-friendly and dog-friendly Prescott hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts. [more]
ArizTravel.com » Prescott
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October 01, 2013
Are you an amateur ghost hunter? Thrill seeker? Fan of the Wild Wild West and its legendary cowboys, gunfighters, miners and the "soiled angels" that entertained them? Then make your plans to visit some of Arizona's most haunted and storied spots to see if you experience similar paranormal phenomena reported by other tou...
- Dear Arizona Travel: Beating the Summer Heat?
June 04, 2013
Dear Arizona Travel: We plan on visiting Arizona this summer and want to do a lot of fun stuff, but how can we get out of the heat? We love horseback riding, hiking, wine touring and especially river rafting. We have an 11 year old and a 14 year old; we are a very active []
- Arizona Biker-Friendly Hotels and Motels
March 27, 2013
In the spirit of Arizona Bike Week 2013 and as a complement our 7 Best Arizona Scenic Drives, we thought we'd put together a list of Arizona Biker-Friendly Hotels and Motels. In truth, most hotels and motels are biker-friendly. But bikers need hotels and motels that don't just tolerate bikers, but cater to motorcycle rid...


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Individuals taking this course are either:
1. Individuals who plan to start an approved program;
2. Staff selected for training by the administrator or owner of an approved program; or
3. Individuals who are seeking training prior to seeking employment.
In order to be eligible to take the course, you must have:
Do not submit the $420 application fee until you have received a confirmation letter stating that you been accepted into the course, as all fees submitted to the department are non-refundable.
For more information on becoming an Alcohol Education for Minors Program Administrator/Instructor and copies of Application Forms, contact Celeste Lunceford, MS, LPC/Director of Offender Education Programs at 512-834-6628 x2140 or 1-800-832-9623 and email@example.com
Internet Policy | HHS Agencies | Homeland Security | Statewide Search | Texas.gov | Privacy Practices


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Heal's specialises in beauty gift sets for both men and women. Show someone how much you care by treating them to beautifully packaged beauty gift sets from leading toiletries brands. Toiletry gift sets from leading toiletry brands feature favourite products from each collection.
Toiletry gift sets are a great way to test a toiletries brand you haven't tried before, or to introduce someone to your favourite brands.
We have a large selection of toiletry and beauty gift sets from leading brands including Molton Brown, Noble Isle, Neom, Ortigia, Bramley and Cowshed.
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Cousin of Soham murder victim Holly Wells killed by loose horses on the A14
Posted: April 10, 2014|
A coroner called for new laws to ban fly-grazing after a 23-year-old man from Soham was killed by horses which had escaped onto the A14.
Thomas Allen, who is the cousin of Soham murder victim Holly Wells, was driving home on Christmas Eve with his girlfriend when his car hit one of five horses, which had strayed onto the dual carriageway.
He died on Christmas Day 2012 - 10 years after the death of schoolgirl Holly, who was murdered with friend Jessica Chapman by school caretaker Ian Huntley.
Horse owner Stacy Humphrys, 27, who was responsible for a herd of between 30-40 animals, had been repeatedly warned about previous escapes from the field near Sproughton, Suffolk.
Related content
Humphrys, of West Meadows travellers site in Ipswich, admitted causing a public nuisance and was jailed at Ipswich Crown Court for two years and four months last month.
At an inquest into Mr Allen's death in coroner Peter Dean recorded a verdict of accidental death and said the tragedy was an "accident waiting to happen". He called for fly-grazing, where animals are taken to fields to feed without permission, to be made illegal and said he would write to police forces and local authorities to "ensure sufficient priority is given to the problem."
Dr Dean will also write to the Government asking for fly-grazing to be made a criminal offence to "minimise the chance" of another "dreadful tragedy happening again."
He said: "It's very clear that what took place was an awful tragedy.
"There had been numerous reports of horses on the loose on or near the road or in locations where the potential for an accident was always there."
Dr Dean added: "The picture here seems to be a recurring problem with potential deficiencies in the legislation that might have enabled it to have been dealt with more swiftly."


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North Korean officials announced Saturday that detained American citizen Kenneth Bae will be tried before the country's Supreme Court on charges of plotting to overthrow the government, WORLD reports. If convicted, Bae could face the death penalty. According to media accounts, Bae is thought to be a Christian missionary linked with an Ohio organization called The Joseph Connection, tough all reference to his faith connections appear to have been removed recently from the Internet. North Korea is known for its brutality toward Christian missionaries, and evangelism in the country is a serious crime. Bae has been in North Korean custody since early November after being arrested by officials in Rason, a zone which borders China and Russia. The exact nature of his alleged crimes has not been revealed, but North Korea accuses Bae, described as a tour operator, of seeking to overthrow the country's leadership. According to friends and colleagues, Bae is a devout Christian from Washington state, based in the Chinese border city of Dalian, who traveled frequently to North Korea to feed orphans. At least three other Americans detained in recent years have also been devout Christians.
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Selena Gomez Kansas City Tickets
Selena Gomez Kansas City Concert
We make it easy to get the best tickets at the right price. You can start finding tickets today by clicking on one of the upcoming performance dates below. If you are going to be in MO anytime soon you might as well stop to see the Selena Gomez concert. The concert is going to be one of the most popular in the area by far. If you are in Kansas City and need a concert to go to, the Selena Gomez concert is going to be one of the most popular concerts of the year. If you are looking to buy tickets our company provides you with a secure checkout and never stores your information when you make a purchase. We sell out all available seats fast so make sure you purchase them before the seats sell out. Selena Gomez is huge in Kansas City so buy your tickets quick. Visit Kansas City and catch the Selena Gomez concert that is coming there soon. All Good Seats provides seats at a low price so you can enjoy the concert.
Selena Gomez Concert Schedule Kansas City, MO
Selena Gomez is currently not playing in Kansas City, MO but you can check out other Selena Gomez Tickets here.
Selena Gomez Kansas City
Selena Gomez will be in Kansas City soon so make sure you get the seats you want through All Good Seats. Once you decide when you would like to see Selena Gomez, you can choose which seats you want to sit in. Tickets are guaranteed to be delivered to you before the event itself. E-Tickets will be emailed to you upon purchase and can be printed out once you recieve the email. Once you have decided on a date, use our filters to find the perfect tickets for you. Our tickets are offered on a first come first serve basis so make sure you order them fast. If you are having trouble navigating our site or finding seats please call our toll free number 888-895-6813. We update our inventory constantly so you will be able to get and up to date look at what tickets are available.
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In light of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., local law enforcement agencies across the country began looking into new and different solutions when dealing with armed intruders.
The Washington Country Sheriff's Office was no different, as Sheriff Ed Graybeal wanted his department to seek out a program in which the officers would be trained to instruct teachers and school administrators on how to deal with a school intruder situation internally, according to WCSO Capt. Bryan Horton.
With the assistance of Safariland Training Group from Jacksonville, Fla., local law enforcement personnel, a Washington County school administrator and volunteers participated in a two-day intruder training course that the company developed. The training in Washington County was the first in the nation using the group's pilot program, which focuses less on school lockdowns and more on strategies, such as exiting schools safely and fighting off intruders to save lives.
On Friday, sheriff's office personnel, as well as Dr. Susan Kiernan, assistant director of Washington County Schools, participated in an eight-hour armed intruder training session.
Following Friday's course, 12 officers returned to David Crockett High School Saturday at 8 a.m., with the assistance of four Safariland instructors, to instruct around 23 volunteers in another eight-hour session.
Terry Nichols, a Safariland instructor, said early morning sessions included a presentation on the program and at mid-morning participants broke into groups to learn specific skills, such as how to escape a building safely, how to deny access to a room by barricading the door, as well as how to fight for your life.
"What history is showing us on these active-shooter events in schools ... (is) sometimes lockdown is not enough," he said. "We're doing everything right, but we're still having these extreme tragedies like we saw at Sandy Hook in Connecticut. We're trying to give the law enforcement skills to go back and teach the teachers and school administrators ... some of the other strategies we can employ, beyond lockdown."
Around 2 p.m., participants consisting of mostly Washington County reserve officers and their families, took part in various role-playing scenarios to learn how to survive under stressful conditions.
WCSO personnel, with Safariland's assistance, set up realistic scenarios of intruders entering classrooms, auditoriums and school hallways, aided with the sounds of gunshots and recorded screams to help reaction timing to each situation.
While running through the different armed-intruder scenarios, every participant –– youth or adult –– was asked to act as a second-grader would during each instance.
As the adults and children ran outside from a back door in a classroom in one scenario, they played their parts as pretend second-graders by holding hands and staying close to the building's perimeter, while trying to get away from the mock situation.
Katie Huffine, wife of one of the reserve officers at the session, said Saturday morning that she was already learning a lot, which included not having a victim mentality in a dangerous situation and to instead be a survivor.
"I think it's very comforting to have a plan, to think what you might do if this happened," Huffine said. "I think I'm going to learn some new things that I can apply in my office setting. You're not limited to schools, it's wherever people are gathered. I would hope that everybody, every school system in the area is interested and that they would take advantage of it, of the training that these officers are getting, because this is our community. We live here, we need to protect it."
Nichols wanted to clarify that the training is specifically targeted for adult participants and the children who were present at Saturday's exercise came with the adults, many of whom were their parents.
He said Safariland instructors were around Saturday for help or assistance, but said they wanted the local law enforcement officers to take the lead role.
"They're doing a great job. They were great students yesterday," Nichols said. "This is the pilot program. The sheriff here and the school administrators wanted to be the first and we're very thankful that they did. I travel around the country teaching and you don't often see this level of cooperation where you have the local law enforcement and school districts actually coming together on a Saturday ... and doing these kind of things. It's very very good to see that this is going on in this area."
Horton said Safariland instructors are a mix of retired officers –– city, county, state and federal –– conducting the training sessions.
"It's been a privilege for us to have these guys in here," Horton said. "They are so knowledgeable. We've had them here two years ago to do a different type of class and that's why we wanted them to come back because they are very good at what they do. They have the experience to teach it."
He said those trained in this weekend's course would be part of a bigger training session in May, where they plan on training 60 teachers and administrators the same tactics learned this weekend, with the goal being that by the start of the next school year that every employee in the school system would have attended and completed the class.
"I'm already starting (to get) calls from some day cares and some churches wanting us to come in and teach it, so we're going to be busy for awhile," he said.


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"They'll unearth a secret."
Some are off their a game, a breaking point is near and digging for the truth has one girl remembering exactly what happened… Watch this spoiler video for what's coming up on Tuesday February 5 at 8:00 PM on ABC Family.
Read Soaps.com's Pretty Little Liars Recap to find out what Ezra learned last night. Vote where you'd pick to be employed in our Weekly Soap Debate: Best Workplaces and share your preferences.
Feel free to join Soaps.com on Twitter @soapoperafan, "like" Soaps.com on Facebook to dish on "Pretty Little Liars," all soap operas, "Dallas," "Glee," "Grey's Anatomy," "Revenge," and "Vampire Diaries."
"Pretty Little Liars" Logo courtesy of ABC Family.
- Amy Mistretta


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11 Monday sessions:(June 22, 29, July 6, 13, 20, 27, Aug 3, 10, 17, 24, 31)
8:15 to 9:45 pm
Half an hour of skill development followed by 3 on 3 for the final hour with balanced teams. Contact Scott Mirwald at firstname.lastname@example.com if you are interested.
Sports AdvantEdge offers Hockey Specific Training Sessions! This session is a hockey specific session for athletes entering 8th grade and high school. The format will include a warm-up/stick handling and shooting sessions/speed/conditioning and a strength program geared for hockey players.
Simply Defense has been running defense camps and clinics for the past 12 years and offers programs in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Connecticut.
Website: www.simplydefense.com
Camp Location: Verona Ice Arena
Camp Date: Jul 24-26 (Fri, Sat, Sun)
Contact Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Office Number: 810-985-4529
If you would like an article considered for posting on the Verona Wildcats Youth Hockey website, please email exactly what you would want posted to "email@example.com".
Submissions should include a title for the article, the body of the article, and a picture or graphic. Submissions will be considered for relevance to the Verona Wildcats Hockey program. Submissions can include, but are not limited to, tournament results, community outreach or upcoming events that involve Wildcat hockey teams and association. Submitted article content may be edited prior to posting.
Have questions about our association or not sure how to get started? Use the following helpful links or contact a board member for assistance.
Program Levels & Costs - View the levels of play that Verona offers.
Registration - Details on registration for the upcoming season.
Board of Directors - Have questions and can't find the answers? Contact a board member and we'll help you out!


text: No recent wiki edits to this page. GameplayMeganoid is a retro styled platformer with fairly simple gameplay. You play as a character with the ability to double jump. You have to get to the end of each of the fairly short stages without getting killed and while picking up as many orange gems as fast as possible.


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U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. 20240
To: Bureau Equal Opportunity Officers
From: E. Melodee Stith, Director, Office for Equal Opportunity
Subject: Cooperation and Conduct of Department of the Interior employees in EEO Investigations
By letter dated August 22, 2002, the San Francisco EEOC District Office brought to my attention, the fact that some employees within the Department of the Interior had refused to cooperate with an EEO investigation. The Administrative Judge wrote in part..." am compelled to comment on the inappropriate conduct of ...personnel in refusing to cooperate with an EEO investigation and refusing to provide relevant documents. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable...."
Such conduct is inconsistent with the spirit of the Federal EEO Complaint Process, and is not in keeping with our responsibilities in conducting ourselves appropriately as federal employees. Further, MD-110 stipulates that the agency retains responsibility for conducting an appropriate investigation of complaints filed against them. The Director, EEO must ensure that the complaints process is carried out as expeditiously as possible.
Bureau Equal Opportunity Officers, as well as Equal Opportunity Staff throughout the Department, are responsible for ensuring that EEO investigations are conducted in a timely, appropriate and professional manner at all times and that employees cooperate fully with the EEO Counselor, the EEO Investigator in all phases of the investigation. Failure to do so may result in adverse inferences drawn against the agency.
Distribution: All Bureau/Office Equal Opportunity Officers
Inquiries: Mercedes Flores, Chief of Staff, Office for Equal Opportunity, (202) 208-6120
Expiration: When superseded


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The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Department of Highways, announces that a temporary lane closure is scheduled for the bridge on the Bluegrass Parkway between Anderson and Woodford Counties. The closure is necessary for corrective (reseal) work to be completed.
Work will be performed:
· Thursday, March 14 – 8:00 a.m. through Friday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m. (noon)
The location for the westbound left (fast) lane closure on the bridge will be between mile point 61.792 and mile point 61.947.
Appropriate signage and traffic control devices will be in place to guide the traveling public.
All scheduled work is subject to change depending on weather, emergencies and other factors beyond the control of the Department of Highways.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet asks motorists to be aware of the work zone and to utilize safe driving habits when traveling through the area.
For up-to-date traffic and travel information dial 511 or visit www.511.ky.gov for the latest statewide traffic updates.


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Welcome to the Crescent Rotary Club of Greensboro (North Carolina) website! We hope you will find it useful and informative.
Crescent Rotary was founded in 1964 and currently has over 80 members. Beyond our weekly lunch meetings and speakers of local interest, our Club has a rich heritage of fellowship and embodiment of the Rotary theme, "Service Above Self." In addition to raising tens of thousands of dollars each year to support local charitable causes, Crescent Rotary provides considerable financial and hands-on support to international causes such as polio eradication, Operation Smile, and health, hunger, clean water, and literacy causes for poverty-stricken areas throughout the world. We believe strongly in the work of Rotary International, as evidenced by our recognition in 2004 as the first Rotary club in the WORLD to achieve the "Triple Crown Club" status – meaning that our members are:
• 100% Paul Harris Fellows (they contributed $1000 to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation)
• 100% Sustaining Paul Harris Fellows (they contributed $100 or more per year to the Annual Programs Fund)
• 100% Benefactors (they made the Permanent Fund a beneficiary in their estate plans or they made an outright gift of US$1,000 or more to the Permanent Fund).
Crescent Rotary members and their families volunteer their time for a wide variety of local and international activities such as the Greensboro Urban Ministry "Potter's House," the Salvation Army "Red Kettle" program, Kids' Voting, and Greensboro Beautiful's "Big Sweep." We are also participate in Rotary Shadows Day, working with students from Weaver and Smith and helping them to learn about various careers. We have continued our commitment to Project Rebuild — working with the Greensboro-based Rotary Clubs and Housing Greensboro to do critical home repair work for low-income, elderly and disabled home owners.
We also enjoy another important component of Rotary International, fellowship and fun! We have a number of fellowship and social events outside of our weekly meetings – including our annual Dinner/Fundraiser, outings to local sporting events, club and district golf outings, Holiday socials for Crescent Rotarians and their spouses/significant others, and "Family" socials.
This year, we are continuing our '5th Mondays'. When our calendar indicates a month with 5 Mondays, the weekly luncheon meeting will be cancelled.
I invite you to peruse our site and learn more about us.


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Yankee Doodle NanaWritten by Michael Miller | Editor in Chief Emeritus | email@example.com
This summer marks the 70th birthday of my mother-in-law Kay, our family's Nana. Her only request was that we gather as much of the family together as we could for a July 4 celebration. That entailed planning for nearly 40 people, ranging in age from a few months to 72 years.
My wife and I volunteered to set up a special day, which was to include a family photo and activities leading up to fireworks. I take pride in showing off Northwest Ohio, so I set out to assemble a busy and fun day.
Most of the family lives three hours north in Michigan, and few of them have ever spent time in Toledo, so I was hoping to arrange a day to showcase our region.
Three-dozen Scotts, Millers, Hanigans, Spiteris, Pfannes, Miners, Heasleys, Morses and several boyfriends and girlfriends met at 1 p.m. July 4 at Side Cut Metropark in Maumee for the largest group photo since the Buckongahelas' family reunion in 1995.
We gathered on the Riverview side, which I knew offered, you know, a river view, plus a meadow and majestic trees. As we set everyone in place for the photo, Side Cut offered its most idyllic tableaux. Deer jumped in the meadow, swans drifted down the river and geese deposited enough droppings to evoke the floor of Willy Wonka's pudding factory. What do geese eat that gives them such prodigious amounts of poop? How do they know how to scheme to deposit it across such a wide area where people are walking? It was impossible to tiptoe through the field of goose poop. The whole family was weaving and dodging around the waves of waste, goose-stepping all over the park.
There's probably a better way to phrase that.
The 7,540 combinations of families were photographed in slightly less time than it took for Mad Anthony Wayne to defeat Lincoln's Union forces in the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
After the photo, the family threw its collective goose poop-encrusted shoes into the river and headed for lunch. Some of the family went to nearby P.F. Chang's, but wanting to confirm the rest of the afternoon's festivities, several of us drove Downtown to check in to our rooms at the Park Inn on North Summit Street. For the past few years, a small group of us has booked a room near the top of the hotel, facing the river, to watch the city's fireworks. With our young children, it is easier to watch the displays from nearly eye level and then tuck them in, thus avoiding crowds, heat, bugs and the other joys of standing shoulder to shoulder with 10,000 people.
We checked in to our rooms, greeted by a hotel full of Jehovah's Witnesses conventioneers. The Witnesses were very friendly in the elevators and corridors and not a single one was pushy or working to convert anyone, but I still noticed that other hotel guests tended to step around them and avoid them, with the same deliberate choreography we employed to step around goose poop at Side Cut Metropark.
After settling in, nearly a dozen of us walked the few blocks to The Blarney Irish Pub for lunch. My Hanigan in-laws are hardcore Irish, so it was the perfect choice for them to tip back a Guinness. The Blarney was not serving drisheen, barmbrack or crubeens, but its salads, sandwiches and fish and chips were stellar.
The centerpiece of the afternoon was a visit to Fifth Third Field to watch the Mud Hens battle the Columbus Clippers. We bought 30 seats, two rows of 15, right along the first base line, for the more than reasonable price of $9 per ticket. None of our guests had been to Fifth Third Field, and I took pride in their impressed reactions to the fine ballpark. The kids got to share cotton candy, many adult beverages were consumed and the Mud Hens whipped the Clippers 7-0. Kay's 70th birthday was duly noted on the video scoreboard and as a bonus, one of our party who was arriving late grabbed a home run ball as it sailed onto Monroe Street.
It may be a cliché to mention Fifth Third Field as one of Toledo's uncontested jewels, but our afternoon reinforced that reputation and left a great impression with our family guests.
We thought we would zip back to The Blarney to grab some food to set out at the hotel, so we ordered a dozen different appetizers and enjoyed another round of beer while we waited. By this time, the fireworks and ballgame crowd had The Blarney packed to capacity, so we knew it would be a longer wait than usual. Inside, Arctic Clam was cranking out one singalong song after another, with lead singer Nicole Khoury at her most ardent.
Just as the food was delivered in a small mountain of Styrofoam containers, the fireworks began blasting above Fifth Third Field. We needed to rush the food to the hotel before the city's fireworks started, but with Monroe Street closed to foot traffic, we had to hustle down Jefferson Avenue and cut through the Seagate Convention Centre to get back to the hotel. Rushing through the crowd with fireworks blasting directly above us made me feel like I was a background player in a World War II movie. "Saving Private Ryan's Nachos," maybe.
Safely ensconced in the room, with the kids' "Happy Birthday Nana" banner framing the glass wall, we oohed and aahed as the fireworks blasted over the Maumee River.
As I watched the reflection of the red and blue explosions in the water, my mind kept dwelling on the fate of little Elaina Steinfurth; Was the missing toddler under those waves, her lifeless little body illuminated in the muddy depths as the celebration flared above? The thought derailed my mood and made my heart incredibly heavy.
So I was already emotional when my brother-in-law Brian began singing "God Bless America." Within a few lines, nearly all of us joined in: "From the mountains, to the prairies/To the oceans, white with foam/God bless America/My home sweet home."
The fireworks punctuated our song, and I turned away to hide the tears that flowed for Elaina, mixed with overwhelming gratitude for my country and my family.
After the fireworks, the kids were put to bed and, with many still-hungry adults on hand, we walked a few blocks to pick up pizzas from Home Slice on South St. Clair Street.
The streets were packed with pedestrians and crawling cars, with crowds standing outside the busy bars. As we walked with the pizza boxes, every intoxicated woman from every car and in every alcove and on every corner called out for a piece, making various offers ranging from blowing a kiss to more Mardi Gras-oriented temptations. This knowledge does me absolutely no good, but single men, remember next July 4 to carry pizza down South St. Clair Street and you are almost guaranteed a piece.
That was just one of many lessons and reflections on a great day for the family. I was gratified to show Toledo at its best. God Bless America, indeed.
And happy birthday, Nana.
Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Tags: Arctic Clam, Elaina Steinfurth, Fifth Third Field, Home Slice, Michael S. Miller, Mud Hens, Nicole Khoury, Side Cut Metropark, The Blarney Irish Pub


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Baseball Card of the Week: Special Dock Ellis (1945-2008) Edition
In 2005 Ellis was the subject of a very good profile by Keven McAlester in the Houston Press. McAlester's piece begins with this anecdote:
Thirty-five years ago, on June 12, 1970, Pittsburgh Pirate and future Texas Rangers pitcher Dock Ellis found himself in the Los Angeles home of a childhood friend named Al Rambo. Two days earlier, he'd flown with the Pirates to San Diego for a four-game series with the Padres. He immediately rented a car and drove to L.A. to see Rambo and his girlfriend Mitzi. The next 12 hours were a fog of conversation, screwdrivers, marijuana and, for Ellis, amphetamines. He went to sleep in the early morning, woke up sometime after noon and immediately took a dose of Purple Haze acid. Ellis would frequently drop acid on off days and weekends; he had a room in his basement christened "The Dungeon," in which he'd lock himself and listen to Jimi Hendrix or Iron Butterfly "for days."
"Dock," she said. "You're supposed to pitch today."
Ellis focused his mind. No. Friday. He wasn't pitching until Friday. He was sure.
"Baby," she replied. "It is Friday. You slept through Thursday."
Ellis remained calm. The game would start late. Ample time for the acid to wear off. Then it struck him: doubleheader. The Pirates had a doubleheader. And he was pitching the first game. He had four hours to get to San Diego, warm up and pitch. If something didn't happen in the interim, Dock Philip Ellis, age 25, was about to enter a 50,000-seat stadium and throw a very small ball, very hard, for a very long time, without the benefit of being able to, you know, feel the thing.
McAlester profiles Ellis via that performance against the San Diego Padres, ending with the retired pitcher in the here-and-now -- well, given that it was three years ago, the here-and-then -- telling how Ellis continued to use drugs until shortly after the birth of his son in the late 1970s, and had gone on to work as a prison drug counselor.
Here's a link to Richard Goldstein's obit about Ellis in the New York Times. And here's a link to a detailed box score of the no-hitter, from baseball-reference.com.
And here's what I believe is Dock Ellis' rookie card. It's from 1969 -- which, not coincidentally, marks the high-water mark of my baseball card-collecting career.
Ellis made his major-league debut in 1968, after four and a half years in the minors. In '69, at age 24, he started 33 games and posted a record of 11-17. His best year was 1971 -- he went 19-9 that season and finished fourth in the Cy Young Award race. He went on to play for the Yankees, the A's and the Mets before returning to Pittsburgh for a cameo in late 1979 to close out his career as a Pirate.
If you want your very own Dock Ellis rookie card, you've got a few days left to bid on one at eBay.
Mine's not for sale.
-Tom Finkel (Ellis photo by Gary Leonard)
Sponsor Content


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To be honest, I don't really know where to post this since it isn't exactly news so I'm posting it here as a sort of "Now you can slightly get more organized" using Compendium if you haven't switched to this new version yet.
This is the release notes btw and you may prefer heading straight for this as I'm omitting some things I didn't test like Movie Maps (think Movie annotations except offline and layered inside Compendium itself) - http://compendium.open.ac...lease-notes-2.0-beta1.htm
*Links are now easier to modify - Used to be you have to right click on a line after selecting it. Now there's a toolbar that allows you to modify several settings at once.
Cons: As far as I know the curved link is the default and there's no setting to change this. (Used to be compendium's line is straight only. Now it added 4 new settings - short dash, long dash, curved, squared)
*Linked Files browser - Used to be when you drag a file into Compendium and leave it, you don't really have an overview of every file you put in and therefore may have no idea how to mass-remove some leftover files.
Cons: From what I can see, it's still just a list node that auto-detects the location of all the linked files and the number of times it has been read.
*Pre-Set Templates
Cons: The templates are extensive but unless you understand what the purpose of those templates are, you won't be getting any of it just from browsing the title of the templates.
*Button based location bar - This is totally new in Compendium.
Cons: It's not exactly a tab bar but in a way a tab bar would be too intrusive and the way this is set up would be great...if it functioned like a tab bar.
Instead this allows you to quickly switch back and spot what sub-map your nodes are located. I appreciate the change because Compendium used to have a problem with switching back from the previous location and switching back from the previous window. Still...I think an up button would have just as been good for that purpose if it means the location bar functioned like a tab bar.
*Cleaner more visual lay-out - For the most part, it's the same default look but many options have been simplified and additional cues have been added like when you select a node, there are 4 arrows indicating that it can be moved in any direction
Cons: For the most part, the look isn't to my taste but it's more of a personal issue. I really don't like seeing 4 arrows when selecting a node. Dropdown arrows are kind of annoying in that most of them only try to hide 2 additional menus. I can't spot the icon set change and it might have been removed.
Conclusion: For the most part it's not a necessary upgrade since there are still bugs. On the other hand, it may be worth it to test ride the new Compendium just because it might be more stable now although I didn't really test how good it is at importing and exporting and I don't really know HTML to test those features.


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34 35th St., Unit 26, Brooklyn, NY, 11232
Wolfram|Alpha Blog : Stephen Wolfram's Introduction to Wolfram|Alpha
Shared by reBlog @ Eyebeam
Stephen Wolfram's Introduction to WolframAlpha
|May 13, 2009
Building the ultimate computational knowledge engine is a highly ambitious and long-term project. The WolframAlpha that you will get to start exploring next week is really just the beginning. Still, there are a lot of ways that you might use WolframAlpha.
In this screencast, Stephen Wolfram gives a quick introduction and demo of today's WolframAlpha.
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- Original article


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Now Playing
Connect with Us
KRWG.ORG-The Region's Home Page
12:54 pm
Mon November 8, 2010
Sitel Plans To Hire 140 In Las Cruces
By KRWG News
Las Cruces – Sitel today announced that it is actively expanding its customer care call center in Las Cruces. The call center has begun a recruitment drive that will expand its staff by more than 140 associates by August 2011 to work with a new banking client.
During the recruitment drive, Sitel will seek both English and Spanish-speaking associates to support the continued expansion of Sitel's growing client portfolio that is outsourcing their calls to provide superior customer service. Sitel provides personalized customer care and the newly hired Las Cruces associates will provide inbound customer care support.
"This expansion reflects economic improvement in the local Las Cruces community," said John Munoz, site director at Sitel. "Since last month, Sitel has announced two expansions for different accounts and we continue to see growth into the new year."
In late October, Sitel's Las Cruces site announced the expansion of its staff by more than 80 associates working with a digital satellite television provider.
Prospective applicants are invited to apply online in Sitel's "Careers" section at www.sitel.com as soon as possible for immediate consideration.


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There are a number of ways to show your support for The Jimmy Little Foundation.
There are a variety of ways to engage in sponsorship of The Jimmy Little Foundation at a variety of levels.
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(KJRH) One of two Tulsa, Oklahoma police officers facing charges following the murder of their daughter's boyfriend has bonded out of jail.
Gina Kepler posted a $25,000 bond on Thursday.
Shannon Kepler remains inside the Tulsa County Jail, within the confines of an isolation cell for his own safety.
Gina Kepler, charged with accessory to murder after the fact, did not say much about the shooting death of the Kepler's daughter's boyfriend, only repeating, "no comment" and "please respect my privacy."
The veteran police officer's history with the department was unveiled as her disciplinary records were released following the death of Jeremey Lake Tuesday night.
Read more: http://bit.ly/V83iCz
Copyright KOBI-TV. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without written permission.


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FSU Home → Freshman Center → New Students → First Steps pre-vU → Reading Club
2014 Reading Club Selection
The Chancellor's Reading Club selection for 2014 is The Other Wes More: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore.
About the Author
Wes Moore is a youth advocate, Army combat veteran, social entrepreneur, and host of Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network. His first book The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates became an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller.
Born in 1978, Wes and his sisters were raised by their widowed mother. Despite early academic and behavioral struggles, he graduated Phi Theta Kappa in 1998 as a commissioned officer from Valley Forge Military College, and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001, where he also played football and earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations. He then became a Rhodes Scholar, studying International Relations at Oxford University.
After his studies, Wes, a paratrooper and Captain in the United States Army, served a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan with the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. Wes then served as a White House fellow to Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice. He serves on the board of the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), The Johns Hopkins University, and founded an organization called STAND! that works with Baltimore youth involved in the criminal justice system.
Wes is committed to helping the parents, teachers, mentors, and advocates who serve our nations youth. A portion of all book proceeds for The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates are being donated to City Year and the US Dream Academy.
About the Selection
"Two hauntingly similar boys take starkly different paths in this searing tale of the ghetto... Moore writes with subtlety and insight about the plight of ghetto youth, viewing it from the inside out; he probes beneath the pathologies to reveal the pressures- poverty, a lack of prospects, the need to respond to violence with greater violence- that propelled the other Wes to his doom. The result is a moving exploration of roads not taken."
-Publishers Weekly
Where to Find the Selection
Incoming freshmen must receive the free selection from University College at First Steps and read it before Freshman Seminar begins in August. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates can be found in University College at First Steps. If you did not receive a copy at First Steps, please come visit University College in the Helen T. Chick Building, Front Office!
It is also available new, used, or as an e-book, for a price, from Amazon.com, Apple iBooks, and Barnes & Noble, among other online sources.
Reading Club Assignment
Entering freshmen, your initial Reading Club assignment is to
To complete this assignment, students will need to access their FSU e-mail and Blackboard, FSU's online course management software.
To help prepare you for the discussion, you will find a set of discussion questions in the Freshman Seminar Commons website.
Every registered student has an FSU e-mail address. Students can look up their FSU user name and password if they know their Banner ID. Once they know their user name and password, they can access their FSU e-mail.
Students access Blackboard using the same user name and password they use for e-mail.


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More motivation to read
On Tuesday morning, the entire student body at L.B. Yancey adorned white and red striped paper hats while reading books in the hallways.
The school-wide reading celebration was part of the National Education Association's Read Across America event, which honors Dr. Seuss's March 2nd birthday.
"I think it's somewhat of a tradition to celebrate Dr. Seuss, but it also breaks up the monotony of reading in the classroom," said Assistant Principal Lanisha Daye. "It changes the setting and gets kids inspired because everyone is reading together."
Kellye Walton, a third-grade teacher at Yancey, said the reading event helps to motivate the students.
"I think it is helpful because they get to have fun reading; they get to see other kids read; they get to see the teachers read," she said. "It's good because it's motivating the students, and it's a fun way of reading."
At the local and state level, administrators are placing increasing emphasis on reading in the elementary schools with additional tests and requirements.
The new Read to Achieve legislation, which went into effect this school year, mandates that third-grade students demonstrate reading proficiency, otherwise they will not be promoted to the fourth grade.
Rhonda Lucas, a Yancey teacher, said she is in her first year teaching third grade.
"I've taught second-, fifth- and sixth-grades," she said. "I did not realize the magnitude of what third-grade teachers have to contend with. It's astronomical."
Lucas said one the most time consuming assessments is the Reading 3D benchmark testing, which kindergarten to third-grade students take three times a year.
She said the benchmark testing has several components, including three one-minute assessments.
There is also a word recognition part and a comprehension section where students read a story and answer written questions.
"If they don't pass the written component, we can't go on to oral component," she said. "So even if they are able to read the words of the story, if they are not comprehending, it will kick them back. That can be disheartening. I have one student that can read 144 words per minute, but the comprehension is not there. So I have to teach him how to slow down in order to be able to pay attention to what is going on in the story."
Walton said her biggest challenge is finding time to be able to teach between all the different assessments.
"It is time consuming doing the different assessments and trying to get the students prepared for the assessments," she said. "You don't feel like you have enough time to prepare them and actually have time to teach."
Like many third-grade teachers, Walton said the additional tests exacerbate the pressure she feels.
"I do feel pressure because I want them all to do well and how they do reflects on me," she said.
Contact the writer at email@example.com.


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West Cumbria family's thanks for little Jack's life
Last updated at 12:33, Friday, 08 February 2013
A Maryport family will thank the hospital that saved their baby son's life with a fund-raising event next week.
Jack Stuart was rushed to Newcastle's Freeman Hospital for surgery as it was discovered he had two holes in his heart when he was eight weeks old.
Mum Kerry Walker, of Gilmour Street, said she and Jack's father Tony Stuart were in shock at the seriousness of the situation.
Kerry, Tony and Tony's mum Sadie Fisher rushed Jack to the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven where tests revealed that he had a small hole in his heart.
It was only when he was transferred to Newcastle as an outpatient that a second, much larger hole was discovered.
Kerry said: "We had gone there for the day and ended up being there for 10 days.
"The hospital was fantastic. I was allowed to stay with Jack until after his operation when he was in intensive care.
"They gave Tony a flat to stay in and I stayed there with him when Jack came out of surgery.
"The staff were so good. They gave us tokens for cheap meals and looked after us as well as Jack."
Sadie said that a fund-raising event at Maryport Navy Club next Friday would be a chance to thank the hospital and celebrate a good news story.
Jack, now a healthy seven months old, will return to the Freeman Hospital for annual checks, but Kerry said: "He's a happy, normal baby now.
"I want to thank the Freeman, my family and all those who helped, and not least my three teenage kids who looked after themselves during that period."
The event will start at 7pm with entertainment from Billy Steel, Gordon Mattinson, Just Jock, Billy Lowes, Val Stockdale and Mick Grace. There will be tombola and a raffle.
Tickets are £3, available from the navy club on South Quay.
First published at 12:20, Friday, 08 February 2013
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk
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