text:
Voice and data signals can be transmitted simultaneously yet independently over a subscriber telephone line. The speech and data use the same cable pair as far as the local exchange but thereafter they may be routed to the same destination or to different destinations, as desired. Each terminal unit (A or B) has a low pass filter (2) to isolate the voice and data. A data switch (5) switches an oscillator (6) by FSK. Switch (7) locks onto the Data Ready Interface (8). Bandpass filter (9) feeds the signal to the telephone line. A loop back switch LBS provides for testing from the exchange.
1. A transmission system in which data and voice signals can be transmission system in which data and voice signals can be transmitted independently yet simultaneously over a telephone line, the system comprising co-operating first and second terminals, each terminal having connections connectible to a respective data terminal unit, the telephone line, so that a data unit is connected to the telephone line via the associated terminal and to a respective telephone, the first terminal having means for generating a first carrier signal above voice frequency, the second terminal having means for generating a second carrier signal above voice frequency, the first and second carrier signal frequencies being substantially separated from each other and being permanently assigned to respective terminals, each of said terminals further comprising: first and second bandpass filters used for selecting respectively said first and second carrier signals in respective transmit and receive circuits of the terminal, the receive passband of the first terminal and the transmit passband of the second terminal being centered on said second carrier frequency and the transmit passband of the first terminal and the receive passband of the second terminal being centered on said first carrier frequency; said transmit circuit including a modulator for modulating the respective carrier signal with data for transmission from the transmit circuit to the line via said connections; said receive circuit including a demodulator coupled to said second filter and used for recovering data from the respective carrier signal received from the line via said connections, and an amplifier used for amplifying the recovered data; a low pass filter coupled to said connections to receive both voice and carrier signals from the telephone line and having a passband effective to pass only voice signals and thus isolate the voice and data signals and having a loss frequency characteristic effective to minimize the effects of low frequency interference signals affecting the data transmission, and wherein one of said terminals has a manually operable loopback switch connected to the connections connectible to the data terminal unit and having a first state in which normal transmission and reception takes place between the associated data terminal unit and the telephone line via said one terminal, and a second state in which data from the telephone line is looped back to the telephone line via said connections connectible to the telephone line and data from the associated data terminal unit is looped back to the data terminal unit via the connections connectible to the data terminal unit to facilitate a test procedure to test the system.
2. A transmission system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the modulator for modulating each transmit carrier signal uses a frequency shift keying technique and comprises an oscillator, an active bandpass filter receiving signals from the oscillator, and an electronic switch which controls the filter characteristics to produce the two FSK frequencies.
3. A transmission system as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of said terminals has a carrier detection circuit comprising an amplifier for amplifying the carrier signal received from the line via said second connections, a balanced rectifier for rectifying the amplified signal and a trigger circuit coupled to receive the rectified signal and having a switching point set to clamp the output of said carrier detection circuit at said second connections in the event of the level of the carrier signal falling below a predetermined minimum value corresponding to the switching point.
This invention relates to data transmission systems, in particular to data transmission over subscriber telephone cables.
It is already known to transmit data signals over twisted wire pairs and systems are already known which enable data and voice transmission to carry on simultaneously over the same physical pair of conductors.
However these present systems tend to be expensive and cannot operate at line losses much above 25 dB. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for transmitting voice and data independently but simultaneously over a pair of wires in an economical way, and with line losses up to 40 dB.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a transmission system in which data and voice signals can be transmitted independently yet simultaneously over a telephone line, the system comprising first and second terminals, the terminals being connectible between a data terminal unit or a telephone exchange and the telephone line, each terminal comprising: first and second bandpass filters for selecting transmit and receive carrier signals in respective transmit and receive circuits of the terminal; a modulator for modulating the transmit carrier with data to be transmitted from the transmit circuit to the line; a demodulator in the receiver circuit for recovering received data from the carrier received from the line; an amplifier in the receive circuit for amplifying the received data; characterised in that the filters have different passbands lying in the range 36 kHz to 68 kHz; and a low pass LC passive filter is provided for isolating the voice and data signals and effective to minimise the effects of low frequency interference signals affecting the data transmission.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a duplex data transmission system in which data and voice signals can be transmitted independently yet simultaneously via two terminals arranged to cooperate with each other over a telephone line, such terminal comprising: a low pass filter to separate the voice and data signals; a first carrier bandpass filter; a second carrier bandpass filter; the two filters selecting data-bearing carrier signals; a modulator for modulating the transmit carrier with the data signals to be transmitted via one of the bandpass filters; a demodulator for recovering received data from the carrier received via the other bandpass filter; and a carrier detection circuit characterised in that the first filter has a pass frequency in the range 60-68 kHZ and the second filter has a pass frequency in the range 36-44 kHz, is provided for detecting the presence of received carrier and effective to inhibit or enable operation of data terminal equipment coupled to the system in dependence upon the level of the received carrier.
Preferably the means for modulating the carrier for transmission uses frequency shift keying techniques and comprises an oscillator, an active bandpass filter, and an electronic switch which controls the filter characteristics to produce the two FSK frequencies.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention one of the terminals has a loopback switch which has a first state in which normal transmission and reception takes place and a second state in which a data signal received and recovered is looped back into the modulator and re-transmitted from that terminal to facilitate a test procedure to test the system.
In a preferred embodiment the carrier detection circuit comprises an amplifier for amplifying the incoming signal, a balanced rectifier for rectifying the amplified signal, and a Schmitt trigger circuit for receiving the rectified signal and effective to clamp the output in the event of the level of the carrier signal falling below a predetermined minimum value.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention the terminal has a synchronous oscillator circuit for providing a synchronising clock signal from the terminal, the oscillator circuit comprising an input for receiving decoded data, an edge detector for producing a short pulse for each data transmission, and a binary counter arranged to count a local oscillator signal which is reset by the short data transmission pulses to provide the synchronising clock signal.
In order that the invention can be clearly understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a data and voice transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a detailed circuit diagram of the FSK decoder and carrier detection circuit of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a detailed circuit diagram of the synchronising oscillator output circuit of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 and 4A are detailed circuit diagrams of the transmit oscillator and data switch of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a data and voice transmission system according to another embodiment of the invention in which one of the subscribers is a dedicated data terminal, and
FIG. 6 shows circuit details of a loopback switch for test procedures, together with interface circuits for the subscriber terminal A shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a subscriber terminal A on the left hand side and an exchange terminal B on the right hand side connected at second connections CON 2, CON 2A by a nominal 140 Ohm line which would normally be a twisted wire pair. The two terminals are similar and comprise similar components except that the transmit frequency for the subscriber terminal is 40 kHz and the receive frequency is 64 kHz whereas the exchange terminal transmits at 64 kHz and receives at 40 kHz. This could be the other way round.
The system provides a data link over an existing telephone network, in such a way that the transmission of data over a cable pair does not affect the simultaneous transmission of speech using the telephones TEL1, TEL1A, connected to the terminals A, B, at respective connections CON3,CON3A. The speech and data use the same cable pair as far as the local exchange, but thereafter they may be routed to the same destination or to different destinations, as desired.
Carrier-frequency techniques are used to provide a full duplex data channel, together with a completely independent normal telephone service, over a single unloaded cable pair. Each terminal interfaces via connections CON1, CON1A with the data terminal unit, which may be a visual display unit, a word processor, facsimile equipment, or telemetry and security equipment. The telephone may continue to be used in the normal originate and receive speech calls by using audio frequencies. At the exchange, the exchange unit separates the derived data channel from the physical voice channel.
Alternatively it is possible to patch the exchange with a passive bridging filter so that only two terminals are required, one at each subscriber terminal. This would be applicable to a "dedicated" telephone line and is described later with reference to FIG. 5.
Yet another alternative is for example a PABX which can handle carrier frequencies, would be once again to have no terminal i.e. in the exchange, simply a terminal at each subscriber i.e. a call-connect system. We have found that the equipment to be described can cope with a line loss of up to 40 dB. Therefore even with a 20 dB loss in the exchange, caused mainly by the fairly massive loading coils, a very significant telephone line length can still be accommodated for example at 64 kHz the attenuation of a 0.5 mm LDN cable is about 6 dB/km giving a workable line length of over 3 km for a 20 dB loss.
We have found that the main guard against impulsive noise components in the speech band resides in the passive low pass LC filters 2 and 2A and the design of this is critical. Passband loss must be low and stop band loss high with good impedance presentation to the telephone handset with d.c. passage up to 100 mA. The loss over the frequency range 200-4000 kHz is less than 1.5 dB where the send and terminating impedance is 600 ohms. At 150 ohms termination and send impedance the loss is not greater than:
______________________________________ 7.5 dB at 4 kHz 1.0 dB at 6 kHz 18.0 dB at 10 kHz 35.0 dB at 16 kHz 40.0 dB at 20 kHz 50.0 dB at 30 kHz 70.0 dB at 50 kHz 80.0 dB at 70 kHz 80.0 dB at 100 kHz______________________________________
Each terminal has a transmit and receive circuit and an audio path 1 via a 3.4 kHz low pass filter 2 which isolates the audio signals from the data signals. In the transmit circuit a data terminal input 3 is connected via a V24 interface 4 to a data switch 5 which switches an oscillator circuit 6 to modulate the data by frequency shift keying onto the transmit carrier at 40 kHz. Switch 7 locks on to the Data Terminal Ready interface 8. The bandpass filter 9 feeds the signal to the telephone line.
In the receive circuit a received data signal passes through a receive bandpass filter 10 centered at 64 kHz, a receive amplifier 11 and a receive signal detector 12. A carrier detect circuit 13 detects the presence of a carrier having at least a predetermined minimum level, below which the equipment is clamped in a non-operate state. A synchronising circuit 14 provides a data clock signal for synchronising the data terminal equipment for synchronous operation although a synchronous operation is normal since this data transmission system is designed to be transparent to the transmission of data. A V24 output interface 15 couples the signal detector output to the data terminal unit.
The above description relates to the left hand side of the block diagram 1, and on the right hand side similar components have been given similar reference numerals with the suffix A.
The system operates as follows. One of the terminals connected to a data terminal unit (DTU) receives a Data Terminal Ready (DTR) signal from the DTU. This switches the data-bearing carrier frequency to line. At the same time the terminal A (for example) returns a Data Set Ready (DSR) signal to the DTU. Alternatively the same interface protocol can be achieved using a Request to Send (RTS) signal and returning a Clear to Send (CTS) signal: this procedure also switches the carrier frequency to line. Data can now be received by the terminal A from the DTU and sent to line. On receipt of the carrier frequency at the far end, terminal B, it is converted to data and fed to the Received Data interface at the far end DTU. The Carrier Detection Circuit 13A detects the incoming carrier and produces a 12 volt d.c. output. It passes the signal to the DTU thereby signifying that valid carrier signals are being received from the originating DTU.
Referring now to FIG. 2 the receive FSK decoder 12, carrier detector circuit 13, receive amplifier 11, and receive interface circuit 15, of FIG. 1, are all shown in detail. The input to the decoder is buffered by a pre-amplifier A1 with resistors R1 and R2 performing the gain function. The output of A1 is a.c. coupled by capacitor C1 to the input pin of the FSK integrated circuit decoder DEC. This is a phase-locked loop decoder whose frequency is set by resistors R3, R4 and capacitor C2. The centre frequency is derived from the relationship:
fo =(f1 +f2)/2
where f1 and f2 are the mark and space frequencies.
The system bandwidth is set by resistor R5.
Capacitor C3 sets the loop filter time constant and the loop damping factor. Capacitor C4 and resistor R6 form a post-detection filter. Resistor R7 provides positive feedback of the FSK decoder chip, which is infact a comparator, to facilitate rapid transactions between logic output states.
The presence of an incoming carrier of at least a predetermined minimum level is detected by the carrier detection circuit 13 of FIG. 1. The function of the carrier detect circuit is to determine whether the incoming data signal is a valid signal or not. Thus if the loss of the telephone line (or telephone line plus PABX loading coils in an embodiment where the PABX switch can transmit data and the transmission terminals A and B are both located at subscriber locations) exceeds 40 dB then the carrier detect circuit will lock out. In detail in FIG. 2 this circuit is enclosed in broken line as indicated. The incoming amplified signal (referring to FIG. 2) is further amplified by amplifier A2, the resistors R8 and R9 performing the gain function. The signal is then rectified by a full wave rectifier arrangement FWR comprising an amplifier A3, diodes D1 and D2, capacitor C5, and resistor R10.
The rectified signal is fed to a Schmitt trigger circuit STC whose bias is set by resistors R11, R12, R13 and R14. The hysteresis of the circuit is set by resistor R15 for approximately 3 dB, and the switching point is set by resistor R16 for a minimum level of -40 dB ref., the voltage corresponding to 0 dBm/140 Ohms.
The output of the Schmitt trigger STC on the one hand drives a light emitting diode LED which indicates, when illuminated, the validity of the incoming carrier signal and is extinguished when invalid; on the other hand the output is fed to the V24 interface connection terminal OP1, and via line L1 to the negative input of logic circuit LC1.
The decoded data output signal from the FSK decoder DEC is also fed to the negative terminal of the logic circuit LC1 whose positive terminal is set by voltage divider resistors R31, R32 to either a positive or negative 6 volt DC potential (M.P.Q.) depending on the desired logic state of the output of circuit LC1 when no incoming signal is detected. The output of circuit LC1 is fed to a V24 interface connection, i.e. part of block 15 in FIG. 1.
Referring now to FIG. 3 for synchronous versions of the data transmission system receive and transmit synchronous oscillators (synchronising circuit 14, FIG. 1) are provided. These form a basic part of the equipment and are either connected in circuit for synchronous versions or are left unconnected for asynchronous versions of the equipment.
The transmit clock source comprises a crystal oscillator CO (in broken line) which consists of an inverting operational amplifier A4, a crystal CR1 having a frequency of 2.4576 MHz, start-up capacitors C6 and C7, and resistor R17. The oscillator output is fed by an integrated circuit buffer inverter A5 to the clock input of an integrated circuit binary counter BC whose reset is held low.
The counter outputs BC1 to BC5 are at twice the data frequency and they are fed to an integrated switching circuit SC. Only one switch is in the operate state at any one time. The lowest switch number corresponds to the highest baud rate as shown below:
______________________________________Switch position: BC1 BC2 BC3 BC4 BC5Baud rate: 9600 4800 2400 1200 600______________________________________
The receive clock circuit is synchronised as follows. The data output from the decoder DEC is fed via line L2 to a CMOS edge detector circuit ED (enclosed in broken line) which produces a short pulse for each data transition. The pulses vary in sympathy with the received data and are used to reset an integrated circuit binary counter BC'. The clock signal to this device is derived from the crystal oscillator CO via line L3. The outputs of the binary counter BC' are derived by dividing the crystal oscillator frequency by 2n where n=10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
These outputs are fed to a second integrated switch circuit SC' whose switch positions 1 to 5 correspond to the baud rates as shown below:
______________________________________Switch position: 1 2 3 4 5Baud rate: 9600 4800 2400 1200 600______________________________________
The wave form is then inverted by an integrated buffer inverter A7 to give a negative edge at the centre of each data bit (i.e. the clock runs at twice the data frequency). The resulting waveform is fed via a level shift circuit A8 to the V24 interface connection.
Referring to FIG. 4 the transmit oscillator 6 and data switch 5 will now be described. The oscillator is a frequency keying oscillator which produces a clipped sine wave which is filtered to produce a pure sine wave fundamental waveform. An amplifier A9 forms part of a unity gain inverting amplifier. Its output is set by diodes D4 and D5 and resistor R18 controls the current through the diodes. Amplifier A10, resistors R19, R20, R21 and R22, potentiometers R23, R24 and capacitors C8 and C9 form an active 40 kHz (or 64 kHz) bandpass filter.
In the input data switch the transistor TR1 acts as a switch to shunt potentiometer R24 and resistor R22 across potentiometer R23 and resistor R21, thus changing the filter characteristics to produce the two FSK frequencies, which are 43.86 kHz (level 0) and 36.14 kHz (level 1) or 67.88 kHz (level 0) and 60.14 kHz (level 1). For oscillation to occur the phase shift around the oscillator must be 0� or multiples of 360�. Therefore the frequency which is phase shifted by 180� through the filter is the oscillating frequency. The gain of the oscillator is controlled by resistor R25 and the output frequency appears at terminal Z.
If fc is the carrier frequency, and fo is the FSK frequency, then fc -fo corresponds to a data "1" and fc +fo corresponds to a data "0".
The transmit bandpass filter 9 of FIG. 1 shown in detail in FIG. 4a consists of a capacitor C10, inductors L1 and L2, capacitors C11 and C12. It is a passive two-section filter which operates between source and load impedance of 1 kilohm.
In one embodiment of the invention the two transmission terminals shown in FIG. 1 can be located each at a subscriber station where the data equipment is arranged locally "in-house". FIG. 5 shows this. In addition to the terminals A and B there is provided a passive bridging filter PBF where carrier transmission through the local exchange switch is not possible (e.g. a digital exchange). This bridging filter PBF includes data patch connected via a high pass filter HPF with low pass filters LPF allowing the voice or speech path to feed into the exchange for switching as required.
Referring to FIG. 6 there is shown a loopback switch LBS controlled by a manual control button on the subscriber terminal A of FIG. 1. This switch on the subscriber terminal A or B provides a loopback test facility when in the operate position (i.e. depressed). As shown in the drawing it is in its normal (unoperated) state. When operated it connects together the transmit and receive paths via terminals 10, 12, 6 and 4 so that data received via connections CON2 (CON2A) is returned to the line; and it holds the Data Terminal Ready DTR interface 9 (FIG. 1) to +12 volts via terminals 3 and 5, thus allowing the data-bearing carrier frequency to be switched by switch 7 (FIG. 1) continuously to line via the bandpass transmit filter 9 (FIG. 1). Thus the received data is looped back to the source. Further data from the associated data terminal unit DTU via the connections CON1 (CON1A) is returned through the LBS switch contacts 2, 9, 11; i.e. DATA TX and DATA RX are connected together, so that the switch LBS provides two separate loops.
A V24/V28 interface between the Data Terminal unit and the terminal A is provided by amplifier All which operates as a comparator. When data is to be transmitted from the DTU the terminal A receives either a Data Terminal Ready (DTR) signal or a Request to Send (RTS) signal which is generated by the DTU. The terminal responds by returning a Data Set Ready (DSR) or Clear to Send (CTS) signal, respectively, to the DTU. This is a level 1 interface which signifies that data can now be transmitted by the DTU.
On receipt of a DTR or RTS signal the input of amplifier All will go to a high state, which will cause the logic level at terminal AB to be low. This in turn switches transistor TR2 off, which enables amplifier A12, thus allowing the carrier frequency to be transmitted to line via the bandpass transmit filter.
Similarly, data is presented to the terminal A in the V24/V28 format, i.e. �12 volts to �3 volts working into a load between 3 and 7 kilohms. The ouput of amplifier A13 of FIG. 4 is the inverse of the input data; this switches transistor TR1 on/off in sympathy with the incoming data, as previously explained, in the data switch 5.
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James Beard Foundation Kicks Off Summer with the Better Burger Project™
The James Beard Foundation is kicking off the Better Burger Project™ just in time to heat up the grill. In partnership with the Mushroom Council, JBF is challenging chefs and restaurants nationwide to create a delicious, healthier, and more sustainable hamburger by blending ground meat with finely chopped, cultivated mushrooms. Chefs competing in the Better Burger Project™ will feature their "better burger" on menus from Memorial Day, 2015, through July 31, 2015, and America will vote for their favorites through an Instagram-based social media challenge.
"As a chef, restaurateur, and chair of the D.C. Food Policy Committee, I'm thrilled to join the Better Burger Project™ in an effort to help educate diners across the country on the many benefits of blended burgers," said Spike Mendelsohn. "We have an amazing opportunity to highlight how strategic food choices can reduce strain on the environment but also provide a variety of flavors and nutritional benefits. A blended burger... Read more >
What We're Reading: May 18, 2015
Cool off as the temperatures skyrocket with some homemade ice cream sammies. [Huff Po]
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Happy Hour: The Tom O'Connoll
As much as we love our whiskey, recent rising temperatures have us reaching for lighter spirits and refreshing flavor profiles. This variation on a Tom Collins cocktail comes from Breuckelen Distilling, known for their artisanal spirits made from only locally grown grains. The Brooklyn-based craft distillers riffed on the classic recipe by using zesty lime juice and adding an invigorating herbal twist. Get the recipe here.
For more on Breuckelen Distilling and other craft spirit producers in urban locations, click here.
On the Menu: Week of May 18
Here's what's coming up at the James Beard House and around the country:
Monday, May 18, 7:00 P.M.
Dynamic Duo of Food and Drink
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An Israeli company is developing a sugar substitute that aims to cure our collective sweet tooth. [MUNCHIES]
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Ask a Chef: Paul Shoemaker
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What is your inspiration behind the menu for this Beard House event?
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Recognize this fresh face behind the focaccia? It's none other than James Beard Award winner Mario Batali, prepping for our annual summer shindig Chefs & Champagne® way back in 1996. Back then, the tasting party and auction took place in August at the Ladies Village Improvement Society in East Hampton, NY. While the date and the venue may have changed, one thing about Chefs & Champagne® has remained constant: a knockout lineup of chefs serving up some of the best of America's culinary offerings. See what's in store for our 2015 fête, honoring Daytime Emmy Award–winning chef and cookbook author Carla Hall.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: There's this guy locally, who is absolutely the luckiest 9-ball player I've seen, and he has maintained this luck for all of time I've played him. I don't know if it's the fact that he is convinced he's lucky or if it's an unnatural talent, but he's good enough at it that most everyone else in his circle makes him call the 9. I personally am dazzled at his uncanny ability to whack at seemingly hail marys and get a roll, the nine a bunch of the times. I also know that this guy(young IMO) has a very limited tenure with the game of pool, 4 years tops, so it's not like I've found a sleeper just waiting to perform. WTF is it with this dude? Are some people just natural at busting clusters and seeing outragous down table action or what???sid~~~fun to play the guy...laughs even at his own luck, and I find that personality intertaining enough to toss him winnings when it happens


text:
Christmas may have come and gone, but the big shopping season isn't over yet. Retailers are doing all they can to shed their winter merchandise with end-of-season sales, so there are still plenty of deals to take advantage of.
Items that are routinely discounted after Christmas include small appliances, holiday-themed merchandise, electronics and winter clothing. Here's an idea of where to go to find them for the lowest prices:
Shopping online can be a cost-effective way to spend gift cards to big-name retailers. When you spend $50 or more at Target.com, items ship for free. With the purchase of some big-ticket items such as a 32 gigabyte iPod, you'll also get a $50 Target gift card.
Amazon.com is offering 40 percent to 70 percent off items, including toys, pet supplies, electronics and clothing. Some of the deals featured include a capsule speaker for $17.68, Eureka handheld vacuum for $36.99 and nine-piece car-care kit from Mothers Hardcore Enthusiast for $55.99.
Some after-Christmas deals are offered in-store only. Kristi Tolley, marketing manager of Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, says the outdoor shopping experience is half the fun of bargain shopping after the holidays.
"Last year, we didn't have super long lines or anything. People just like to come out and enjoy the mild weather and browse the sales."
At Old Navy, customers can save the most on men's and women's coats, which are priced as low as $20. Kids' jeans are on clearance and can be found in-store for as low as $10.
Ashley Lydon, manager of Palmetto Moon in Towne Centre, says the store's best deals include holiday items and outerwear. Holiday-themed cups and ornaments are marked down to 50 percent off, and Columbia fleece jackets are priced at around $20.
"We expect to be busy throughout the weekend," Lydon says.
Shoppers who were eager to browse the year-end sale at Gwynn's of Mount Pleasant were lining up outside the door Wednesday morning, according to owner Marshall Simon.
The sale that shoppers were eager to browse includes holiday home decor, candles, clothing and boots.
Simon also said designer labels such as Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg and Tory Burch can be found amid the marked-down items.
Plenty of deals can be found at stores at Tanger Outlet this week. Just make sure to print coupons and see which stores are having sales on the mall's website at Tangeroutlet.com/Charleston/coupons.
It may be tempting to spend all your Christmas cash frivolously, but remember to do a little homework for the items on your wish list and make sure to compare prices.
Reach Abigail Darlington at 937-5581.
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MATTOON -- A man faces burglary charges for thefts from multiple retail stores. 20-year old Jonathan Bushue was arrested Wednesday afternoon in the 700-block of Broadway Avenue. Police say Bushue stole items from several stores including Walmart, CVS, Dollar General and Sears.
Copyright 2015 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Unlocking the Key to Deep Sleep
By Sarah Fenske
Making the Ferguson Commission Matter
By Danny Wicentowski
My Fake Boyfriend Became a Real-Life Crush
By Lindsay Toler
Rep. Jeffrey Pogue Bill Would Ban Unisex Bathrooms
By Danny Wicentowski
Darren Wilson Gives Speech to Nonprofit
By Danny Wicentowski
Angel Stewart and Other Victims of Violence Ask for Mercy
By Jessica Lussenhop
Obama Praises St. Louis' LaunchCode
By Lindsay Toler
By Lindsay Toler
All those "NWO" T-shirts, all those "Austin 3:16" caps, all that talk about Jesse "The Body" Ventura's ascension to the role of Minnesota governor. Stories on Bill Goldberg and Steve Austin in Spin, Rolling Stone, USA Today. All compliments of a game that many still find, well, ridiculous and beyond belief.
Veteran wrestling announcer and writer Larry Matysik, the voice of the KPLR (Channel 11) show Wrestling at the Chase in its last years, answers the age-old question of credibility, saying, "For those of us in the business, who've put blood, sweat and tears into it, it's real. It's absolutely real."
Or, as he eloquently puts it: "For nonbelievers, no answer is satisfactory. For believers, no answer is necessary."
One of the greatest believers in the sport was a venerable St. Louisan, Sam Muchnick, who died on Dec. 30 at the age of 93. He was the leading promoter in St. Louis for decades, with his live cards at Kiel Auditorium and his tape-delayed broadcasts of the classic Wrestling at the Chase evoking memories for plenty of St. Louisans in all age groups.
Matysik says he was hired by Muchnick to do play-by-play for the Chase series, with a minimum of input from Muchnick.
"It's funny," Matysik says. "From the start, he never led me into doing it in any particular way. He wanted to do it as a sport, to do straight announcing. He didn't like the hard sells, the carnival-barker stuff -- which was fine, because I agreed with that. With Mickey Garagiola and I, it was like listening to your neighbors talk about wrestling. It's not that we knew any more about wrestling than you did; it's not that we're geniuses. It's just that we were around it more. It's something that Jack Buck once said.
"I remember growing up with Jack Buck, Buddy Blattner, Harry Caray, Joe Garagiola doing the calls. And it wasn't until I was into the matchmaking end of things, towards the end, that I knew what would happen. Nobody knew. The business was very much protective. In fact, that might be too soft of a word. They just really didn't want people to know."
And, as Matysik notes, that filtered right down to the announcers at ringside, who were calling the action "blind," not sure which way the bout would turn. It kept things interesting for them and for the audience.
Muchnick's ability to hire top-notch announcers was just one of many skills he brought to the table. Obviously, names like Buck and Caray resonate with fans of baseball; fans of the old school of Wrestling at the Chase surely remember the dry, distinctive call of Matysik and Mickey Garagiola's whimsical color commentary.
In fact, it was a job that Garagiola didn't seek out. Becoming the color man and ring announcer, that was all Muchnick.
"The show had been on since 1959," he says. "My brother had been doing it in the 1960s. In 1969, Sam asked me to be a ring announcer. Hell, I was a waiter -- I didn't know anything about doing that. Here I've been waiting tables, but Sam said, 'You've got a line. You can do it.' The next week, I'm announcing the fighters, where they're from, what they weighed. And I did that until the show went off the air in 1982."
For those in their 20s and 30s, Wrestling at the Chase was very much a Sunday-morning staple, when politics, religious shows and movie theme shows (like Western Theatre) competed for attention. Kids, though, obviously gravitated toward the scenes coming from the Chase, which was an absolutely bare-bones operation, with a ring, a couple of cameras, bleacher seats rising up in the back and fans within spitting distance of the contestants.
Garagiola, a delight to speak to on the subject, remembers, "Where I lived, on the Hill, every tavern played Wrestling at the Chase on Saturday nights. The people were really into it -- they'd be sitting at the bar, talking wrestling, yelling in Italian."
For some, the show was more than a passing fancy. It became an introduction into one of America's most fascinating subcultures.
"It's all real vivid to me," says Wayne St. Wayne, South Grand artist and a former pro wrestler. "Wrestling at the Chase sparked my whole interest after watching it by accident one Saturday night. Then I learned that the TV matches weren't the only matches, that they were also held at a big place called Kiel Auditorium where I'd never been. On TV, you'd get the guys fighting lesser competition, but at the Kiel, the best were going against one another.
"Going down to Kiel was something I wanted to do for a few months. And once I did, it was one of the most exciting things I'd ever do in my life. The visuals were amazing. The glow of the white ropes, the smell of beer and cigar smoke, the roar of the crowd that would shake you down to your deepest molecules."
Sponsor Content


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LETTER: What a disappointment
To the Editor:
In August 2013, my letter to the Editor "Stone is stepping up on fracking" was published in The Sanford Herald. It stated: "Representatives [Mike] Stone, [James] Boles and [Mike] Hager led the way in the N.C. House to make fracking the safest possible, tirelessly campaigning to stop dangerous legislation that can permanently contaminate Jordan Lake Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to more than 300,000 people and flows out through Harnett and Lee Counties" to the Cape Fear River.
To be sure, ... they fought to keep final approval by the N.C. legislature of the fracking guidelines that were under development at the time. We were assured they were to be the safest in the country.
This year the last of the draft guidelines were released and contain some of the [least safe] guidelines in the country. Last month, these three representatives all did a flip-flop and aggressively supported an Energy Modernization Bill (SB 786) that states these rules could go into place without any further legislative action.
What a disappointment for the citizens of Harnett and Lee counties and the rest of us with drinking water supplied from Jordan Lake Reservoir.
Charles Ritter


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"The Miggy" New Balance Available on April 13, 2013!
The highly anticipated Burn Rubber x Miguel Cabrera x New Balance US574, "The Miggy," will be available exclusively at Burn Rubber on April 13th, 2013 (not April 8th as reported on other sites). They will release in store at 12 noon and any remaining inventory will be made available in our web store at 1pm EDT. Hit the jump for a detailed look and more information.
To distinguish the "The Miggy," the woven tongue label features three crowns on the outside and Cabrera's winning statistics on the inside, as well as an orange, navy and white camouflage foot bed and to pay homage to Cabrera's 44 home runs, there will only be 44 pairs released.


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Peshkar Productions workshops covered many diverse groups, as part of LIANT I ran workshops with Meninhos an excellent drum group linked to the Brazilian organisation of the same name.
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Hold down Control (PC) or Command (Mac) key + mouseclick to select more than one option
|Avg. Dinner Entrée
|Greater than $25
|$18.01 - $25
|$12.01 - $18
|$7.01 - $12
|Less than $7
Posted by Lauren on 10/10/2010
This pizza is amazing. I had the artichoke slice which is, although huge, so rich and delicious.
Posted by anonymous on 09/09/2010
I live around the corner and have been going to Artichoke since its opening. I remember strolling by one night early on, pretty drunk and looking for anything warm I could find to eat. They were out of pizza and about to close up, but the guy behind the counter gave me a hot cup of pasta - FOR FREE. I was sold. Flash forward to about a month ago. I've wised up and rarely wait when the line is long, so I called ahead for a whole Sicilian pie (this is better than the eponymous artichoke, by the way). Half an hour, as told, I came to pick up my pizza. Like a veteran, I cut to the front of the line, and happily waited a few minutes to catch the guy's attention without bugging him. Apparently my pizza never went in, was given to someone else, or disappeared into the back of the oven, because no one knew where it was or offered any explanation. I was told it would be a couple more minutes. I finally left half an hour later, luke-warm pizza in hand, out like 35 bucks (they recently raised the price), and without an explanation, discount, or even a simple apology. And this was not the first time they screwed up a phone order for me. When I do crave a slice and the line isn't too long, I'm ready for their lackadaisical, inattentive, and pretentious approach to pizza. My visits are less and less frequent though. As they continually raise the prices, reduce ingredient quality and slice size, and show no concern for their customers, that feeling of my tail between my legs as I walk out the door is harder and harder to bear.
Posted by ANONYMOUS on 08/19/2010
I went in the middle of the day, so not much of a wait. Still, the guy behind the counter acts like he's doing you a favor. I ordered the artichoke slice which was greasy, and salty (and I'm a saltaholic). The crust was more like a soft bread, rather than a pizza crust. I love artichokes and was pretty disappointed considering the hype.
Posted by anonymous on 07/29/2010
I do not think i have ever enjoyed a slice of pizza as much as i did before i had artichoke. My sister had been ranting on about it forever and finally one day i went with her to get a slice and i was glad i did. It's not that regular cheesy pizza that you can find anywhere. It's different and basically perfect. In my opinion the best slice is the crab slice then artichoke. Obviously if this place was able to start off making one single slice and get the amount of customers they have.... they know what theyre doing.
Posted by tiffizz on 07/28/2010
The wait is worth it once -- the signature artichoke pizza is creamy and decadent, with a warm soft crust. Slices are large and an easy fill-up for under $5. The pizza's not perfect, but it's unique and decidedly deserving of its cult following.
Posted by Pizza Whore on 07/20/2010
OMG! When will all these poor people waiting on line realize that they are buying slice of hype. $4.00 for a glooby slice of pizza with can of soup topping on an overdone, burnt, and chewy crust. Staff is rude and have this, "yeah watta ya want" attitude. There are so many other places that are better, cheaper and give you service with a smile. I hope they go under. They don't deserve to take up precious NYC real estate.
Posted by Ema on 06/22/2010
Definately worth the wait!


text: Hello, I recently bought a Samsung T220HD monitor and I'm using it as my computer monitor and for my xbox 360. The native resolution is 1920x1050, and the xbox 360 looks superb. However, when I run 1920x1080 on the PC, everything looks great except for the text. The text is blurry and hard to read sometimes, and is a headache to read. Any solutions to fixing this? I have the PC hooked through a DVI-HDMI adapter too.


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Step 1: What You Need
Other than that, the list of supplies is very short:
- At least one large t-shirt* you are willing to bid farewell (One men's large to x-large t-shirt makes one potholder, so how many you need really depends on what you are making)
- Scissors
- Large knitting needles, at least US size 13, 9.0mm (I'm using US size 19, 15mm)
* T-shirt type note: Best to use are ones with no or at least not 'heavy' graphics and ones that have no seams down the side (the body of the fabric is a seamless tube).
Step 2: Making the 'Yarn'
Pull the strip just hard enough that it curls together and appears more rope-like. If you have many shorter pieces like me, tie them together with a square knot (this, by the way, is not the way one would normally change colors in knitting, which you can do if you like, but I wanted a more knotted, raggy look).


text:
Click Here to Watch the Whole Video in HD at Black Breeders
BlackBreeders.com is the premiere spot for butt nasty, cum drenched, bareback Bruthasex and all of our flixxx are 100% exclusive and 1000% raw!
To get you ready for the exclusive release of Four Da Raw Way, the sequel to the FFM smash, here's a scene from the flick that started it all. (Taken from Three Da Raw Way)
Pixels: 320X240 | Bitrate: 350K
Pixels: 640X480 | Bitrate: 700K


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Viewers: in countries Watching now:
Whether you're looking for inspiration or just a color fiend, Kuler's fun, intuitive interface makes creating and sharing color palettes easier than ever. It's accessible from Adobe Creative Cloud applications, via the web, and even on your mobile device. Justin Seeley shows how to use the Kuler color wheel to pick and choose color, dial in the perfect hue with color rules, and name, tag, and save your themes. Plus, learn to capture color from the world around you using the camera on your smartphone or tablet and the Kuler mobile app. This course will get you excited about color again.
(SOUND) . My name is Justin Seeley, and I'm a staff author here at Lynda.com. I'd like to welcome you to Kuler Essential Training. If you're a designer looking for inspiration or colors for your next project. Or if you're simply color obsessed and love to create rich and engaging palates for various purposes. Kuler is a great community that allows you to do just that. In this course, I'll be walking you through using the all new Kuler interface, which saw a refresh with Adobe's creative cloud platform. From there we'll talk about creating your own custom color themes, by using the color wheel to pick and choose all of your different colors.
I'll also show you how to work with color rules to dial in that perfect hue or shade that you're looking for. And I'll also show you how to name, tag, and save your themes, so that you can use them in your design projects going forward. From there, we'll be focusing on the mobile experience with Kuler. Where I'll show you how to use Adobe's all new mobile application, which allows you to capture, edit, and save color themes while you're on the go. Cooler is a great community for color enthusiasts, and it's my go to place to find color inspiration for all my design projects.
Hopefully, by the end of this course you'll be able to say the same thing. Now all right, let's go ahead and begin our look at Kuler Essential Training.
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about Kuler Essential Training .
Here are the FAQs that matched your search "" :
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Access exercise files from a button right under the course name.
Search within course videos and transcripts, and jump right to the results.
Remove icons showing you already watched videos if you want to start over.
Make the video wide, narrow, full-screen, or pop the player out of the page into its own window.
Click on text in the transcript to jump to that spot in the video. As the video plays, the relevant spot in the transcript will be highlighted.


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Augusta RiverHawks Professional Hockey Club
712 Telfair St. Augusta, GA 30901
Contact: Ken Vezina – Assistant General Manager
706-993-2645 firstname.lastname@example.com
RiverHawks Re-Sign Jim Gehring and Add Forward
The Augusta RiverHawks Hockey Club has announced that they have re-signed forward Jim Gehring for the 2011-12 season. Additionally, the Team has signed forward Jesse Eckternach to their 2011 training camp roster.
Gehring, 27, played his second professional season last year and split time between the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) and the Federal Hockey League (FHL). During his time with the RiverHawks, he played in 31 games scoring nine goals and adding eight assists for 17 points. While in the FHL, the speedy winger scored 13 goals in 17 games with the Cape Code Bluefins.
During the 2009-10 season, Gehring played in 13 games with the Reading Royals of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Prior to turning pro, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Gehring enjoyed three prolific seasons at West Chester University. During his tenure there Gehring scored 155 goals and added 122 assists for 277 points in just 103 games.
"Jim came to us mid-way through the season and slowly progressed into a core member of the team," said RiverHawks' Head Coach Brad Ralph. "Jim is an explosive skater and has one of the league's best shots. He is a quality person and will be a leader on our team this year."
Eckternach, 25, played four years at Mercyhurst College, an NCAA Division I school that produced RiverHawks' 2010-11 star forward Neil Graham. Prior to attending Mercyhurst, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound winger's scoring potential was on display in junior hockey, scoring 45 goals and adding 51 assists for 96 points in just 102 games with the Fargo-Moorhead Jets of the North American Hockey League.
"Jesse is looking for a chance to prove himself," said Ralph. "He had minimal playing time at Mercyhurst but is a strong skater, has a great shot and has all the tools necessary to produce a lot of points at this level. He comes highly recommended and will be a force to be reckoned with."
The RiverHawks open the Southern Professional Hockey League's season with a home game against the Mississippi Surge in a rematch of the 2010-11 President's Cup Final. The game will be played at the James Brown Arena on Thursday, October 20th at 7:35pm.
Season tickets are on sale for the 2011-12 season and are available through the RiverHawks' front office at 706-993-2645. Information on the team and tickets is available at www.augustariverhawks.com.


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Primo, the new library search system went LIVE in June 2014.
Coming Summer 2014: New Library Search
Big changes for the MHCC Library
A new library management system will debut in mid-June 2014. This system handles important library functions like circulation, ordering, and cataloging physical materials, as well as the many electronic materials that we own or license, such as databases, ebooks, and ejournals. We are moving with our partner libraries in the Orbis Cascade Alliance from 37 stand-alone systems to one powerful, shared system. Through a single search box on the library home page, you will be able to search across a much broader array of content from our collections.
Orbis Cascade Alliance is a consortium of academic libraries across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. We are working together to strategically build our collections, share services and resources, and take advantage of new technologies. This single, shared library system is a hallmark of our innovative collaboration, which brought you Summit, our shared lending/borrowing system, a decade ago. Now, by moving from 37 library systems to one integrated system, we will improve the research experience for you—our students and faculty members—and better manage and access the resources you need.
Mt. Hood Community College will join 18 other libraries that have already migrated to the new system. Because this is a major undertaking, it will be January 2015 before all 37 Alliance libraries are up and running on the shared system. If you would like to see the new catalog called Primo in action now, you can check out the Lewis & Clark and Willamette University library catalogs.
The library is committed to providing you the same excellent services you have come to expect from us, including the delivery of Summit and InterLibrary Loan items (ILL), during this transition. We have created a guide which provides detailed information on the implementation and answers some of your questions.
A large scale project like this one is bound to have some unexpected bumps along the way. We and our colleagues at other Alliance libraries are working hard to smooth the path and will be doing so for some time. We appreciate your patience and support as we move to this next-generation library system. It's an ambitious undertaking: 37 libraries to one—expanding our support for your research and discovery.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns about this or any other library service.
Megan Dugan | Library Manager
Mt. Hood Community College
26000 SE Stark St
Gresham, OR 97030
Much of the content and structure on this Primo guide was adapted, with permission, from the following:
Please direct any questions you have about this transition to Library Manager Megan Dugan:
Gresham Library | 26000 SE Stark St. | Gresham, OR 97030


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WarwickSU.com uses cookies to help us give you the best experience on our site. If you continue to use our site, we'll assume you are happy to recieve our cookies.
Thanks for logging in to WarwickSU.com. Please take a few moments to complete your profile.
Matthew Rogers is the SU's Societies Officer.
Today is my last day as Warwick SU Societies Officer and it's been an incredible year! It has been fantastic to work with some great staff members, sabbs and students and has taught me lots of useful skills that I will use for the rest of my life. There are so many highlights that it would be impossible to name them all, from crowd surfing in the piazza on Freshers' Weekend to taking 2 coaches of students down to London to protest against continued government meddling in Higher Education.
The job has been tough at times, but unbeatable in terms of sheer variety and enjoyment. Here's a run down of my favourite parts of the year and the positive changes I've been involved with, with the great help of many friends and colleagues.
Representation and visibility
An SU for Societies
On my manifesto I wanted more society engagement in the SU as an organisation and as a building, and I have been part of several things that I hope have improved this:
Raising the Profile of Societies
I firmly belief that Societies are one of the best things Warwick University has to offer, and it's about time we recognised this properly
The nitty gritty
The other sabbs and I think it's important to share these successes with you so that you know that you can make a difference to how the SU is run by getting involved in it and fighting for change. I was very pleased to have fulfilled my entire manifesto this year The SU is only as strong as the students behind it, and when they are, it is an extremely powerful organisation that can campaign for change. In a time of uncertainty in the HE sector, it's even more important that students work together to protect their best interests as well as those of future students. Please get behind next year's sabb team as you did with us to help them achieve even better things.
Finally, I'd like to wish Silkie the best of luck in the job. She's going to be awesome and I can't wait to see all the work that she will achieve during the year.
Thank you for all your support this year, it has been one of the very best of my life so far!
Andrew is the Postgraduate Officer.
Bebe is the Welfare and Campaigns Officer.
Cat is the President of Warwick SU.
Isaac is the Societies Officer.
Maahwish is the Education Officer.
Rob is the Democracy and Development Officer.
Ruby is the Sports Officer.
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text:
Short courses
CPAS staff regularly run science communication short courses, specifically tailored to help scientists and teachers better communicate scientific research, or to help others to better understand the process and findings of science.
Whether would like to add value to your science, learn how to simply explain your research, be more relaxed during your public presentations or simply hone your communication skills, attend a CPAS short course.
Science Communication and the Web: Short Course
The Internet and social media sit at the heart of modern science communication, but are you using the web in the best possible ways to communicate? This short course focuses on providing you with the skills and knowledge you need to triumph when...
» read more about Science Communication and the Web: Short Course
Science communication for ANU staff & students
Today, more than ever before, scientists are required to communicate their research to industry, government, the media and the public. The pressure comes from many sources including employers, funding bodies and policy makers, all of whom want...
» read more about Science communication for ANU staff & students
Science communication for mums
Canberra mums can now get some entertaining help with science homework thanks to a new program organised by The Australian National University. The program - Science for Mums - is being run at Canberra's Questacon. Under the program, a group of...
Science communication for research scientists
These short courses are for scientists and engineers and are tailored to your busy schedules. We understand that you cannot set aside a regular time over a long period so the course is short and focused. Completing the short course qualifies you for...
» read more about Science communication for research scientists
Science communication for science teachers
The professional development short courses for school science teachers have been an important science communication outreach effort by CPAS for the past eight years. These short courses, known more popularly as 'Creative science teaching using...
» read more about Science communication for science teachers


text: 4.6 Million Canadians live with the pain of arthritis. GWP was asked to create a breakthrough TV campaign to re-set the Canadian Arthritis Society's agenda by reaching out to Canadians and asking them to share their stories of pain. Based on learning from the flood of stories that came back (as Tweets, Facebook postings, phone recordings, and web postings) the society is re-engaging with its audience and focusing its efforts on the things that matter most to its constituents.


text:
Reasons to vote LaGuardia
I support Ron LaGuardia for the Moorpark Unified School District board because I know him to be a man of the utmost integrity and sincerity. The adjectives that come to mind when describing Ron are:
Committed — as the parent of a child who attends Moorpark schools, Ron has perhaps the most important investment in the high standards and success he has promoted since 2004 through his work as a board member.
Cooperative — Ron works successfully with all groups of people, other board members, parents, administrators and teachers. His open, attentive manner invites a variety of opinions.
Fair — after listening to opinions and researching carefully, Ron's final decisions have been fair to all concerned parties.
Nonpartisan — Ron's opinions are not based on political considerations, but are relevant to the facts at hand. Ron believes strongly that partisan politics have no place in his thinking as a board member.
Reliable — Ron has been a faithful reader in our school's Peach Hill Posse reading program since 1996, coming each month to a classroom to read to children who admire him as an important member of their school community.
Dedicated — Ron has served on an astonishing number of community committees, 15 which directly affect the welfare of youth in addition to other organizations, such as Rotary and the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce, whose fundraising directly and indirectly benefits young people and the Moorpark community.
Ron is a good man, dedicated to Moorpark's children. He deserves our votes!
— Linnea Brecunier,
Subscribe to the Ventura County Star
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-710-6182.
Monday-Friday: 6am-3pm / Saturday: 6:30am-10:30am / Sunday: 7am-11am


text:
Jonathan Morrow published an interesting blog a couple of days ago titled, "The Truth About Making Money While You Sleep." He made a couple of interesting points that are thought provoking.
His first point was that getting to where his businesses are so automated that money comes in while he's goofing off takes a ton of work.
For the past three years, I've worked at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for stretches of around six months without taking a single day off.
For the vast majority of that work, I wasn't paid a dime. Rather, I was building a machine capable of running on its own.
That's what truly successful entrepreneurs do:
We build money machines.
We take our expertise and transform it into systems that run without us. Sometimes that means hiring employees, but in my opinion, the best system to put in place is something infinitely cheaper, easier to manage, and simpler to create right now.
The best advice millionaires around the world have given me is that it takes a lot of hard work up-front in order to become a millionaire. But, it really isn't work if you do it right, because if you love what you do as much as they do, then it really isn't work.
Jonathan's second point is that the best "money machine" you can build is content. Here's his "secret" formula.
- Find somebody who is good at selling stuff (maybe that's you)
- Create content that duplicates what they do
- Distribute said content to as many people as possible
- Repeat the process until you have the desired level of income
- Go goof off (hooray!)
If you want to "make money while you sleep," you've got to create the kind of content that does the work for you.
Really, that's it. It's the whole shebang.
Jonathan makes the point that this is something that not everyone can do. But–and here's the exciting thing–it is something that anyone can do. You don't have to be a certain age or have certain qualifications, degrees, certifications, resume's or a CV. So, as Jonathan says, "Clone yourself by creating lots of awesome content. Distribute that content far and wide. And then goof off, if you want to. Life is short, my friends, and I don't know about you, but I intend to savor every last moment of it."
Learn about the book, The Teens' Guide to Becoming a Millionaire by clicking here.
Learn about the book, The Secret to Money Mastery by clicking here.


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Sunday, November 10, 2013 - Sunday, November 10, 2013
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sponsored by: Salon deZen
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, October 23, 2013 - Salon deZEN is hosting a special fashion show event on November 10th from 6-8pm in celebration of our fundraising efforts for the Bethany House. The Fashion For Compassion event will feature the freshest fall looks provided by REVEL Style, and a special guest speaker from Bethany House of Northern Virginia. There will be light hors d'oeuvres and cocktails served, as well as door prizes for guests. 100% of proceeds go directly to Bethany House.
Event Contact Info:
(703) 963-5423


text:
Club Penguin Blog
Blog — What's New
Hi Penguins!
We've seen a lot of rumors floating around about a certain Project: Super Secret. Do you remember Spike Hike mentioning this in his "Where in the World is Spike Hike" post last year? We've been working on some amazing things and here's a sneak peek of one of them!
Shout out to Riyita for creating the epic hoodie ;)
What do you think Project: Super Secret is? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Waddle on,
-Club Penguin Team
Hi Penguins,
Some of you may have heard that Club Penguin in the Russian and German languages will be no longer available after Sept. 2, 2015. We'd like to thank our entire community for your dedication and enthusiasm for Club Penguin over the years. For those of you affected by this, we want to know you are ALWAYS welcome to play in any of our other languages—English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish.
And if you have any questions, please check out our FAQ page for help.
To celebrate the great times we've had so far with our Russian and German players on Club Penguin, we thought it'd be wonderful to share an image or a story of our favorite memories. We'll share some of these memories on Sept. 2, 2015 to show our support and thank our community for their continued awesomeness.
You can submit a picture of your favorite memory here or leave a comment below.
Waddle on,
-Club Penguin Team
Hi friends!
The team's working hard to get new things ready for you—the Disney Pixar Inside Out Party's coming!! On desktop computers it'll be July 23-Aug. 5 and on the Club Penguin app it'll be July 23-Aug. 19.
So I was asking around to see a bit of the room art for that party, and managed to get my flippers on this concept sketch for you...
This looks to me like a pirate captain's dream room! What do you think?
Waddle on,
—Club Penguin Team
Hi Penguins!
Frederiksen4 was nominated by Ic Blizzard, here is their comment:
"I would like to nominate Frederiksen4! Because the food he cooks in the Mall's cafeteria is DELICIOUS! He even brought carrots for my Purple Dinosaur Puffle! I hope he's next!
Waddle on!"
Congrats Frederiksen4 – I hope one day I can try some of this delicious food!
Want to nominate a friend for Penguin of the Week? Leave a comment telling us why! Winners receive 10,000 coins and the POTW Background.
Waddle on!
-Club Penguin Team


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The best presentations are those where the speaker tells a story, right? Likewise, when we find a book riveting, we'll pass it around. Stories may inspire us, sadden or thrill us. Whatever the emotional response, a story evokes a connection with the storyteller. Which is why telling tales in your B2B communications is so important if you want your readers to connect with you.
The more details and facts in your story, the more likely we are to believe it. So everything you say about your service or business or yourself, in print, online or verbally, needs to include details and facts so that it rings true. And that means using unambiguous, concrete words.
In 2010, a study by Joachin Hansen of New York University and Michaela Wanke of the University of Basel showed that concise, clear statements win out over wordier ones.
In their study, they asked participants to read one of two statements and say if they thought it was true or not. The statements were:
1. Hamburg is the European record holder concerning the number of bridges.
2. In Hamburg, one can count the highest number of bridges in Europe.
More people believed the second. While each statement says the same thing, the second gets to the point quickly and presents a clear image – of counting bridges.
That's because concrete words are more precise. For example, if I told you I ate a pizza for dinner, you might ask what type. But if I had told you I ate a Hawaiian pizza for dinner, you'd immediately have an image of the pizza and not have to ask what topping I chose.
Verbs can also be concrete. There's little ambiguity about 'sleep', 'run', 'swim' or 'jump'. But verbs such as 'help', 'love', 'enjoy', 'assist', 'deliver' are less precise and often come a myriad of interpretations.
So, if you want your readers to connect and believe you, tell the truth using solid, unambiguous words.
For more information, see www.heskethtalking.com.
For help with your B2B writing, contact Rosemary Gillespie on 02 9314 7506 or 0411 123 216.
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What began in 1996 as a small golf tournament to benefit a local San Antonio charity is today a nationwide effort to improve the lives of children. The Valero Benefit for Children, a project of the Valero Energy Foundation*, has proudly delivered millions of dollars to children's charities across the U.S. since Valero became title sponsor of the PGA TOUR's Texas Open tournament in 2002. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, funds are distributed to children's charities in the communities where Valero has major operations. The result is a network of strong, well-supported agencies with the means to help thousands of disadvantaged, abused and neglected children. The Valero Benefit for Children is proud to partner with these agencies to make a lasting difference in children's lives.
*The Valero Energy Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.


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Best and most protective case for the iPhone 4?
Other than the Otter, which takes a jackhammer and explosives to get into, what are some other protective cases for the iPhone 4? I'd like something with a belt loop instead of just a clip which can slide off the belt when you're sitting down. There's not much of a selection around my town. TIA.
Griffin Tech has a case, I think it's called the Survivor that is supposed to be similar to the Otterbox. Never seen one though.
The griffin survivor is better than the otter in every way...I own both!
Case for iPhone 4
Thanks for the Griffin tip - I found this case that even meets military specifications (Mil-Spec)! Griffin Technology: ARMORED - Real Proof Survivor and iPod touch Contest
Not crazy about the volume buttons being covered, though.
Thanks for the replies.
Most ultimate protection cases completely cover everything, including the buttons and ports to help keep debris out of them.
Well i have the iballz minis they do not fit well but they are very drop resistant. I have the otterbox and it works really well i went on a class trip to new york and dropped it in a puddle. it sat in the water for about 15 seconds before i got back to it and all of the senors were good and every thing worked. i just truned it off and let it dry for the rest of the day.
I have the Griffin Survivor, and agree it's pretty much bomb proof. However, the hard shell case is just close enough to the audio jack port that any standard size 1/8" audio jack does not fit. Only the thin Apple-type audio jacks will fit. It's kind of annoying to take the case off every time I want to listen to my iPhone using a standard audio jack cable.
Also, the case is bulky, which adds to the protection. It can be quite large in your pocket.
I live a pretty active lifestyle in a somewhat rugged mountain town, so this case will probably stay on my phone for it's life.
I have both the Otterbox Defender and the Commuter. The Defender is too bulky and the Commuter leaves too much exposed. I also have an Incipio Bombproof.It's a bit clunky but it take serious impact and grips great. I also have too many cases, but those are the best for impact.
I'm particular to the bumper. But it seems as if you're looking for a full case. Bumper looks simple and clean.
I like the bumper as well, but there are situations I know I'll be in that need more protection than it can provide me (i.e.: having a few too many drinks and being a butter fingers).
Roots makes a rubber case and belt clip holster combo. I was going to buy one but opted for the double the price Otterbox Defender with belt clip holster combo. I think it is much more durable and worth the price. Makes the iPhone 4 feel more substantial. I like the fact that it is very unlikely to be damaged. Just for the record, like all my devices, my iPhone 4 has the Zagg InvisibleShield full body protection also. I guess I have more money than brains - wish my bank account agreed with it though!
I have the Invisilble Shield on my iPhone 4 for about a week before I had them take it off. It kept on getting messed up even though I followed all the directions.
FYI: If you want the Otterbox Defender, you can get it for $35 through CompUSA/TigerDirect.com: CompUSA.com | OTTRAPL2I4XXX | Otterbox Defender Cell Phone Case- iPhone 4
Eyn products makes a great case! Compact and hold I'd credit cards and room for bills! Really nice'
My wife got the Vapor Comp in red and I got the Vapor Pro white edition. The Comp packaging is like you would see on an accessory hanger at the store while the Pro came in a nice box with a carrying case as well.
My first impression is that they really look nice and they are pretty light. The quality seems to be there. The Vapor Comp fits perfectly, but the Vapor Pro was a little snug. The Comp came with a silver blackish screwdriver and the Pro came with a silver screw driver. The screws on the Comp are shorter and wider, while the screws on the Pro are longer and thinner so the screw drivers are not interchangeable. There is no obvious sign of signal or GPS lost on either case on the iPhone 4 or 4s.
I decided not to use the back covers or the clear front ones, since I feel that it takes away from the design of the iPhone. My only issue is that the Vapor Pro makes the phone a little wider to grip so that is something to get used too.
Now for the pictures. My wife is the black iPhone 4 and mine is the white iPhone 4s.
Vapor Comp in red
Check out the lifeproof case (fully waterproof!). All the reviews I've read/seen don't have anything seriously bad to say for this type of case.
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Walter Brasch: While most Tea Partiers are White, middle-aged or senior citizens who are angry but not violent, whenever there is violence, whenever there is racism, discrimination, or homophobia, there are Tea Party sympathizers present.
When Violence Comes From the Right, Media Hear No Evil
Joseph Palermo: Despite the work of media watchdog groups like Media Matters, and groups that track right-wing extremism, like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, the corporate media insist on ignoring the influence of the Far Right's toxic rhetorical drumbeat of hatred and anger in promoting a political context where violence can break out.
The "Mad-As-Hell" Party Scores as the Anxious Class Stews
Robert Reich: It's the economy, stupid. American politics is turning anti-establishment because so many Americans feel screwed by the economy and they blame the establishment. If there's a trend here, it's not left-wing Democrats versus right-wing Republicans. It's the "Mad-As-Hell" Party against both.


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Rob puts the Hero Video Cam on the front of his car and set it to take a photo every 2 seconds. Set to music
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Reebok Men's Calgary Flames Grey Team Logo T-Shirt
Product Information:
Sport your fandom during every shift in the Reebok® Flames Authentic Logo Shirt. A screen-printed team logo shows your team spirit while the team's colors add style. An NHL® logo adds authenticity to this officially licensed tee for a win for any true fan. A regular fit and crew neck ensure all day comfort. Train in this tee during the day, or wear the Reebok® logo shirt on a hockey night in Calgary.
- Reebok® Calgary Flames logo tee
- Screen-printed team logo on the chest
- Reebok® wordmark for added style
- NHL® shield logo for authenticity
- Fabric: 100% cotton
- Officially licensed by the NHL®
- Reebok
Country of Origin: HondurasWeb ID: 19394616


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Just as springtime often reminds us to remove our closet clutter, it is also a great time to consider revamping your resume. Whether on the job hunt or just doing some routine maintenance, take time to refresh your resume with these tips:
Remove personal pronouns. Your resume is about you, so there is no need to say, "I have developed an updated filing system." Instead say, "developed an updated filing system."
Clear up inconsistencies. Use consistent formatting throughout your resume. If your job titles are bolded, then make sure each title is in bold and the same font. If Illinois is abbreviated in your address at the top of your resume, it should be abbreviated in every instance it appears on your resume. Make sure you are making consistent choices throughout your resume.
Highlight your accomplishments. If your resume simply lists job duties for previous positions, you are not focusing on your unique selling points. What did you bring to the position? What value did you add? Change a description of "trained employees" to "trained over 15 new hires by creating realistic client-based scenarios."
Re-organize as needed. Ensure that the most important information on your resume is very visible. How do you determine what is important? Consider the job you want or the type of job you currently have. What skills and experiences are most relevant in showcasing the skills needed to do your desired job or current position? (Reading over a detailed job description can help with this). If necessary, list only the most relevant career work experiences (in reverse chronological order). Then add another section further down, "Additional Experience," to list other positions that may be less critical to emphasize.
Proofread, then proofread again! Although obvious, it is important to take the time to make sure your resume is well organized, easy to read and error free. Try proofing from the bottom of your resume and moving up. Sometimes it will help you catch things you may have previously missed.
By Kristin Nisbet-White, assistant director of the Millikin Career Center


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Below is the poem entitled The Nocturnal Driver which was written by poet
windle. Please feel free to comment on this poem. However, please remember, PoetrySoup is a place of encouragement and growth.
Read Poems by
Nicholas Windle
The road looks very different driving in the dark,
Here and there a signpost to keep you on the mark.
A strange type of enchantment, as the moon her shadow cast,
A portrait from a gothic film, taken from the past.
Occasionally someone joins in to help you on your way,
But be quick or you will miss them, for you know that they can't stay.
Inside you have the comfort of the warmth against the chill,
As your hand turns up the heater switch, while the other holds the wheel.
Some music has been playing to help you on your way,
As you reach your destination it's almost the break of day.


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Coney Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coney Island is a peninsula (formerly an island) in Brooklyn, New York. It is famous for its beaches, amusements like the Cyclone wooden roller coaster, Parachute Jump, and Wonder Wheel ferris wheel, boardwalk, and hot dogs.
It is unsure how Coney Island got its name. It may be because of its cone-like islands. It may also be because when the Dutch people arrived on Coney Island, there was a large population of rabbits, so they named it "Rabbit Island", which translates to "Coney Island" in English. It also may have been named by an Irish pirate, for islands in Sligo bay.


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Wayne plays host to unbeaten Sissonville
WAYNE — Whether an opponent's 4-0 or 0-4, Wayne High School's football team knows that opponent will try everything possible to bring down the two-time defending West Virginia Class AA champs.
Thus, the Pioneers don't alter their week-long preparations. That approach has served them well.
"We stay focused," senior Alex Elkins, offensive tackle and nose tackle, said Tuesday prior to practice. "We get ready for a new opponent every week. We never get complacent.
"It feels good to know we'll get a team's best shot every week. We've earned that through hard work." Sissonville gets the next shot at Wayne at 7:30 p.m., Friday, at Pioneer Field. The Indians (4-0) are No. 2 in the West Virginia Class AA ratings this week and the Pioneers (3-0) are tied for fou r t h .
"Not worried about that," Elkins said of Sissonville being ranked above the Pioneers and off to its best start since 2006. That was the case last week when Wayne blitzed then-No. 3 Ravenswood, 57-6, at home.
Senior Curtis Followay, who plays tight end, offensive line and defensive end, said the Pioneers got a valuable lesson in a Week 1 win over Tolsia .
The Pioneers led at the half, 7-0, and ended up winning, 28-0.
"First-game jitters maybe," Followay said. "It wasn't acceptable. We made adjustments and took care of business. It has to be that way from the start every game." Wayne coach Tom Harmon knows his players are aware of what they're in for each week. No buildups are necessa r y.
"It's the old cliche. You try not to get too intense over any one opponent," Harmon said. "The pressure you put on yourself is enough. We've been the hunter and the hunted. The goal is to be competitive. If you're on top, you want to stay there. If not, you want to get there." Harmon knows the senior season is special for those playing for the final time and those following their exa mples.
"It's a big year every year for them," he said. "So much evolves around them. Some are vocal, some lead by example. It's something to see how they take on their roles." "When someone's down, you're there for them," Elkins said. "When someone makes a big play, you're there to congratulate them." Followay was introduced to football at age 6 playing for Wayne in the Tri-State Youth Football League. He moved on to middle school and then the varsity for one of the top programs in West Vi rgi n ia .
"I've been in the system from E (Division in TSYFL) to now," Followay said.
"In A (Division) it gets more technical. You get prepared for this.
"It goes by so fast. See those kids (Wayne midget league players go by the varsity at practice) ... A teamers. Next thing you know you're a senior and it's the final varsity season. There's been some big changes."
"It's gone well," he said. "You know the guys next to you have been working just as hard as you." Harmon said he knows each senior class wants to exit the best way possible. with a state championship.
"You try not to be too negative," Harmon said. "You hold yourself to a high standard of perfection. The name of the game is improvement. We face changes every year. The philosophy stays the same. We're fortunate we have guys who want to carry that mantle." "At the start of the year you think Wheeling (home of the Super Six state championships)," Elkins said. "That's the goal of any team." Wayne has outscored its three opponents, 148-13. Sissonville has racked up 162 points and allowed 42. The Indians blanked Tolsia, 52-0, in Week 3.
Last week, they edged Scott, 22-20, when the Skyhawks failed on a two-point conversion with just over two minutes left.
The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.


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Developer: Akella
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platform: PC, XBox
Release Date: July 2, 2003
by Ray Ivey
A couple of years ago, Bethesda Softworks published a game from Russian developer Akella called Sea Dogs. It was a promising strategy/RPG hybrid about pirates of the Caribbean. Since then, they've been industriously working on the sequel.
Sometime this spring, after a deal with Disney was struck, Sea Dogs II, was magically transformed into Pirates of the Caribbean. I admit here that I have publicly and privately been critical of this transformation, but I'll do my best to set that aside for this review, even though I think it was a CHEAP AND CYNICAL MOVE on Bethesda's part. However, as the cooler-headed Randy Sluganski pointed out to me, at least we know Bethesda will take that money and use it to try and make good games (just not another Morrowind expansion, please! We're tired!).
The game bears some similarities to Bethesda's gigantic Morrowind, in that the direction and activities of the game is extremely player-driven. The story takes place in a tumultuous area of the Caribbean, with islands controlled by the Dutch, Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. You can follow the main story, which has you starting off by helping the British interests, or you can help out any other nationality, or you can remain a neutral merchant marine, or become a smuggler, or become a black-hearted pirate. This flexibility is admirable.
Also admirable are the lovely graphics. Though they could use a bit more variety (every town and jungle looks exactly the same) what's there is extremely attractive. Kudos must also go to Bethesda for actually having an ATTRACTIVE MALE LEAD CHARACTER. This just doesn't happen very often in computer games.
Nice graphical touches include rats and lizards that are dynamic and react to your presence.
Though it does certainly contain strategy elements, Sea Dogs II Pirates of the Caribbean feels more like a regular RPG than Sea Dogs did. There's an interesting rack of skills and abilities to invest in when your character levels up. And while the game feels quite stingy on giving out the points, the payoff is that with every single point you invest in a skill or ability, you see a noticeable improvement in your character. For instance, I made the decision to invest heavily in making my hunky captain a good swordsman. Every time I bought new points for him in skills and abilities that affected his sword fighting, I could easily see the improvement in his performance. This is a nice change from some RPGs in which you find yourself wondering if your archer is really better at ranged criticals than he was before you spent that hard-earned skill point on him.
The skills in the game range from sailing, boarding, melee fighting, commerce, and leadership, to expertise in guns, swords, bad weather, cannons, and other specialized skills. This again enriches the "play the game as you see fit" game model.
The game also has an interesting main quest, with a good story and varied missions.
However. For every admirable quality in Sea Dogs II Pirates of the Caribbean, there's a downer as well. Let's get into those.
First of all, what is it with Russian game developers and game interfaces?! Every Russian game I've played has a GUI that I wouldn't wish on the most irritating Volga boatman. Doing even the simplest tasks in the game requires a ridiculous amount of button-mashing. For example, to open a door, it takes AT LEAST THREE CLICKS. Sorry, but this is just bad game design. Plus, many times you're given choices, and the obvious choice (what should be the default) is the LAST choice listed. It's like a waitress saying, "Stop me when you hear what topping you'd like you your baked potato: 1) Battery Acid, 2) Sand, 3) Scissors, or 4) Butter and Sour Cream." I'm extremely surprised Bethesda put up with this, and didn't demand that Akella streamline the mess they made of the interface. It's almost impossible to imagine that game testers didn't howl with displeasure when exposed to it.
Even worse is the unforgiving learning curve. This is a complicated game, in that there are several distinct playing modes: exploring and conversing on land, shopping, hiring, fighting, sailing, cannon-firing, boarding, etc., etc. The game has only the flimsiest tutorial, and that's only for the land part.
Here's the worst part. The very first time you put to sea, you're immediately beset by a horde of ships that sink you in about thirty seconds. So instead of giving you a couple of minutes to learn a completely new (and clunky) interface, you're frantically trying to learn it in the few seconds before you're sunk. Topping off the horror is that each time you reload, you must sit through the long (and admittedly beautiful) cut scene again – nope, no clicking through it is allowed! It's enough to make you toss in your captain's stripes before the game has even begun. Again, I can't figure out how this kind of bad game design decision made it past any responsible test players. Baffling.
In a game this complicated, each aspect of game play needs its own tutorial!
Which brings me to the saddest news I have to report. It's not rats or lizards or interface issues that bring this game to its knees, it's BUGS. Despite the interface, despite getting killed/sunk twenty times before I figured out how to run the hell away and survive, I began really enjoying this game. Like I mentioned before, the main quest is quite interesting, and I was enjoying buying bigger and better ships, becoming a better trader and a more skilled captain, and becoming absolutely hell on wheels with a dueling sword.
I was even pleasantly surprised that little bits of the plot of the movie were actually worked into the game! I began hearing rumors of a ship of cursed pirates, and even had an initial encounter with them, and with the Black Pearl as well.
A few quests into the main plot, I hit a quest-killing bug in which two characters were simultaneous standing in the same spot. This made them both impossible to speak to, which was a problem, as one of them was the quest character. Fortunately, I reloaded a save and it didn't happen again.
BUT THEN, deep into the main quest, I hit a much more deadly, game-killing bug. After a particularly difficult encounter at sea, the Quest Log stopped working. This made it impractical to continue playing, as the Quest Log was an extremely valuable game tool. It kept track of important details of what you had to accomplish, and often even included vital extra information. When quests were completed, you could see your progress and figure out possible next moves.
Hoping it was a fluke, I painstakingly replayed the difficult battle again, but the bug happened again in the exact same place.
My repeated requests for help on the issue have gone unanswered by Bethesda. So I can't tell you if I'm the only person in the universe that this has happened to, or if it happens to everyone, or if Bethesda is working on a patch for it, or what.
Therefore, I'm going to give this game two grades. One grade assumes the bug is fixable, the other assumes it's not. Because if it's not, then of course I can't in good conscience recommend this game to anyone. But if it is, it's certainly worth a look if you can overcome its significant problems.
Final Grade (with bug fix): 70%
Final Grade (without bug fix): 40%
System Requirements: For PC:
1500 MB disk space
DirectX v8.1
... Also available on Xbox.
Comment on this article


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Since my background (long ago!) was trauma therapy, I've been very interested in research recognizing birth trauma. One study I especially like has grown into an entire website and support system for women with traumatic births: http://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk
The author of the original study is now researching subsequent births. http://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/news.htm
"Professor Cheryl Beck and the University of Connecticut are conducting a research study on Subsequent Childbirth after a Previous Birth Trauma. If you would like to take part in the research, please read the Recruitment Notice (PDF)."
(you'll actually need to go to the site to get the .pdf)
This study is not officially endorsed by preeclampsia.org or the Preeclampsia Foundation, and I haven't had any contact with the study author except to offer my own participation. I just found the recruitment notice and thought the experiences of all the amazing women here would be really helpful for this study, and I hope more women here will participate!
I already have a 20 page birth story to give her [:I], now I need to write up how the previous 8 months of actual pregnancy went...


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We apologize but we are unable to process online orders at this time as we are building a better PetSupermarket.com. To purchase any of our products, please visit one of our retail locations or visit our Amazon store here. You can find your nearest Pet Supermarket by using our Store Locator
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