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Tag Archives: Can Your Fines
Thank You for Canning Your Fines
You made a difference. Whether you donated a single box of pasta or emptied your entire pantry, you made a difference by donating to this year's Can Your Fines food drive. The food you gave may already be on the … Continue reading
Can Your Fines food drive returns to Mentor Library
The Can Your Fines food drive is returning to Mentor Public Library and, once again, library patrons can donate food in exchange for forgiveness of their fines. The food drive will run all through November and people can donate at … Continue reading
Thanks for the Can-Do Spirit
We want to thank everybody who donated during our annual Can Your Fines food drive. Thanks to you, we were able to donate about 880 pounds of food to the food pantries at St. Gabriel and St. John Vianney on Monday. … Continue reading
Can Your Fines food drive returns
Most people don't need an incentive to do something nice. For example, we held a food drive earlier this year and you donated 175 pounds of food just because you wanted to help people who needed it. Well, we're asking you to give again … Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


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If you have any questions or require further information on any of our events or services, please don't hesitate to get in contact.
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If you need to know availability, running times, ticket prices etc, please call 01874 611622 for the most up-to-date information.
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Gavin Vollans is a senior associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman UK LLP with experience in real estate investment, finance, development, portfolio management, general landlord and tenant matters. His clients include banks, universities, public sector bodies, offshore funds, institutional investors, developers and high-net-worth individuals.
Gavin's recent work has included a number of pension fund forward fundings and investment acquisitions, Central London office acquisitions, hotel financings and the liquidation of a 40-property commercial and prime Central London residential portfolio.
Prior to joining the firm, Gavin was a senior associate at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP.
Shown below is a selection of Gavin's engagements.


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- Home
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Quick Contact
Director of Admission
Eckerd College
4200 54th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33711
Toll-free: (800) 456-9009
Gregory L. Gerdeman
Assistant Professor of Biology
Office: 136 James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences
Lab: 106 CMLS
Lab Phone: 727-864-7446
Phone: 727-864-7899
Fax: 727-864-8382
Email Professor Gerdeman
Ph.D. Pharmacology; Vanderbilt University 2001
B.S. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Centre College 1995
Courses Taught
Cells & Genes (BI 112N), General and Molecular Physiology (BI308), Neuroscience (BI 397), Receptor Pharmacology (BI 412), Integration of Biology (BI 498), Molecules and the Mind (Winter Term), A Brain by Any Other Name (Autumn Term), Western Heritage in a Global Context I&II (WH 181, 182)
Research Interests
Neurophysiology, evolutionary neurobiology, pharmacology, synaptic plasticity, drug addiction
My research focuses on the physiology and evolutionary neurobiology of the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoids are lipid signaling molecules that are generated and released from cellular membranes in response to various patterns of physiological stimulation. In the mammalian brain, endocannabinoids are generated in postsynaptic neurons, and then travel backwards across synapses as "retrograde messengers" in order to regulate the vesicular release of classical neurotransmitters. Thus, the activity-dependent release of endocannabinoids seems to be a way in which neurons "fine tune" their own synaptic inputs, as a form of cellular feedback and synaptic plasticity. It is known that endocannabinoid-mediated plasticity is important for processing sensory input, motivating behaviors, preventing neurotoxicity, and influencing various forms of learning and memory. Endocannabinoids activate the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, so named because these cell surface receptor proteins are also the principal targets of cannabinoid compounds from the cannabis plant, especially the psychoactive constituent Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). I am interested in the evolutionary origins and physiological functions of these CB receptors and other cellular targets of the endocannabinoids.
Click here to read National Geographic News coverage of Dr. Gerdeman's research on endocannabinoids and the evolution of endurance running behaviors.
Research Grants
Co-Principal Investigator, "Neurobiological Rewards in the Evolution of Endurance Running in Humans and Cursorial Mammals." Funded by the National Science Foundation, 2008-2011. Collaboration with Dr. David Raichlen (Univ Arizona) and Dr. Andrea Giuffrida (Univ Texas at San Antonio).
Postdoctoral research, "The Functional Neurobiology of Cannabinoids in Brain" (U01 DA14263-04). Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse; 2002-2007.
Predoctoral research, "Cannabinoid Modulation of Neostriatal Glutamate Release." National Research Service Award, (F31 DA05928). Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse; 1999-2001.
Other Interests
Music and nature. Traditional West African percussion and other hand drumming. Philosophies of nonviolence and interdependence. I am fascinated by spiritual practices of contemplative and shamanic traditions and the intersection of these practices (and world views) with the perspectives of modern neuroscience. Meditation, hiking, and camping are all important in my life. I am on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of Americans for Safe Access, and am faculty sponsor for the Eckerd chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Published articles and book chapters
Raichlen, D.A., Foster, A.D., Gerdeman, G.L., Seiller, A. and Giuffrida, A. (2012) Wired to run: exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implication for the runner's high. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 215: 1331-1336.
Raichlen, D.A., Foster, A.D., Seiller, A., Giuffrida, A. and Gerdeman, G.L., (2012) Exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling is modulated by intensity. European Journal of Applied Physiology, DOI:10.1007/s00421-012-2495-5.
Gerdeman, G.L. and Schechter (2010) The molecular physiology of endocannabinoids. In The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis; Its Role in Medicine, Politics, Science and Culture. Julie Holland, ed. (Park Street Press), pp. 52-62.
Gerdeman, G.L., Schechter, J.B. and French, E.D. (2008) Context-specific reversal of locomotor sensitization to cocaine by the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant. Neuropsychopharmacology, 33: 2747-2759.
Keeney, B.K., Raichlen, D.A., Meek, T.H., Wijeratne, R.S., Middleton, K.M., Gerdeman, G.L. and Garland, T. (2008) Differential response to a selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist (SR141716: rimonabant) in female mice from lines selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running behaviour. Behavioural Pharmacology, 19: 812-820.
Gerdeman, G.L. (2008) Endocannabinoids at the synapse – retrograde signaling and presynaptic plasticity in the brain. In Cannabinoids and the Brain, Attila Köfalvi, ed. (Springer: New York) pp. 203-236.
Gerdeman, G.L. and Fernández-Ruiz, J. (2008) The endocannabinoid system in the physiology and pathology of the basal ganglia. In Cannabinoids and the Brain, Attila Köfalvi, ed. (Springer: New York) pp. 423-483.
Ronesi, J., Gerdeman, G. L. and Lovinger, D. M. (2004) Disruption of endocannabinoid release and striatal long-term depression by postsynaptic blockade of endocannabinoid membrane transport. Journal of Neuroscience, 24(7): 1673-1679.
Gerdeman, G. L., Partridge, J. P., Lupica, C. R. and Lovinger, D. M. (2003) It could be habit forming: drugs of abuse and striatal synaptic plasticity. Trends in Neurosciences, 26(4): 184-192.
Gerdeman, G.L. and Lovinger, D.M. (2003) Emerging roles for endocannabinoids in long-term synaptic plasticity. British Journal of Pharmacology, 140: 781-789.
Gerdeman, G. L., Ronesi, J. and Lovinger, D. M. (2002) Postsynaptic endocannabinoid release is critical to long-term depression in the striatum. Nature Neuroscience 5: 446-451.
Gerdeman, G. and Lovinger, D. M. (2001) CB1 cannabinoid receptor inhibits synaptic release of glutamate in rat dorsolateral striatum. Journal of Neurophysiology 85: 468-471.


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Aquatics offers a wide variety of Health & Safety courses, including lifeguarding, CPR, First Aid, Home Pool Safety, Swim Coach Safety training, Water Safety Instructor and Certified Pool Operator. Please view the documents below to view all of our course offerings and registration information.
UREC Safety Training Information | Schedule & Costs
Please print and fill out the Registration Form and bring it by the Member Services Office at either the Aquatic Center or the Student Recreation Center during our business hours, Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-5:45pm or Friday 8:00am-4:45pm.
For additional questions or information, contact the Aquatic Center Member Services Office at (205)348-5244, Alex Sandoval at email@example.com, or Zack Tolbert at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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I always wear my hair long that sometimes I forget to get it trimmed for months! hehe. I really think (believe) that short hair (just below the ear lobe) would make me look like a bulldog. :D So I wear it long even when it gets too frizzy.
I really did not expect that my hair would be this short (it's just like my hair back in first year high when the stylist didn't follow what I wanted). I told the stylist that it should be around 3 inches below the armpit... I was just surprised that it's much shorter than what I wanted. Anyway, can't do extensions now :D and having one would be expensive.
Got it shorter and layered than the usual.


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American Forces Press Service
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Jan. 6, 2006 U.S. forces dropped eight bundles of humanitarian assistance supplies near Bamyan in central Afghanistan to help hundreds of families there survive the harsh winter, military officials here reported.
The bundles consisted of winter clothing for men, women and children as well as beans and rice, cooking oil, tarps, health kits, took kits and blankets. Together the supplies weighed more than 14,000 pounds.
"As the cold winter months come to Afghanistan in force, we've found that we are in a unique position to help those who are suffering the most," said Air Force Lt. Col. Josh Jose, Combined Joint Task Force 76 deputy chief of operations. "The delivery of these items to Bamyan allows our forces in that area to ensure that numerous families would be safe from the elements as the winter months move on."
U.S. provisional reconstruction teams in the area are distributing the supplies with the help of local government leaders.
(From a Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news release.)


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Software powering many of the devices we use has a critical flaw that can give an attacker root access, we?ll give you the details. Plus why the server admins for the Olympics have moved into their data center, and we get on our CISPA sopa box! All that and more on this week?s TechSNAP!
Home to epic shows like The Linux Action Show, STOked - The Ultimate Star Trek Online Podcast, Jupiter@Nite - Our nightly live show that features news and highlights from the day!


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I've been seeing spinach artichoke dip on a lot of restaurant menus lately. Trust me, that's not because restaurants are actually making it. Made fresh it's amazing, and a perfect dip for parties.
A classically trained chef demonstrates techniques and recipes for the home cook with humor and passion.
Discover the best in original web series.
© 2014 Blip Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Blip is part of Maker Studios


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Kindergarten Pressure
One of the joys of working in education policy is being able to discuss the trials and tribulations with actual parents. You know, the ones who dictate how a child will be educated, policy be damned. I have yet to encounter the truly crazy parent. Just those who are genuinely interested in how what happens in a policy discussion on the state or federal level will ultimately impact their children. I also tend to believe that, when it comes down to it, all parents want the best for their child and seek right solution. The kind of parents that realize there is no one size fits all child so why should there be the same approach to schooling?
I also know that when it comes to making policy sometimes not much attention is paid to the population who will be most affected. I don't necessarily expect lawmakers to reach out to every 8 year old to get their opinion on homework but real discussion on the impact of a piece of legislation with parents should be a more regular occurrence. I say this in general terms and not only in education but in a good majority of legislative issues. Numbers are looked at, budgets are surveyed but there's a personal aspect that is often missing. I enjoy speaking with my friends who are parents to find out their thoughts or accidentally popping into a discussion by way of Google Reader.
Such was the case when I read a post by Kristen Howerton as to what she should do about sending her October born babies to kindergarten this fall. Several options were presented but I have found that parents of late fall babies often question when to send their child into kindergarten: Put them in at age four or wait another year until they are five (almost six)? I was born on October 26th and started kindergarten at four, went to college at 17, graduated at 21, was lobbying Congress at 23. It all worked out fine in the end but I/my parents can only say that confidently some 20 years down the road. I can also recall notable moments where my socialization might not have been on par with my older peers. Specifically bedwetting until third grade even though I was only seven; taking the car out for jaunts at 16 because all of my friends had already been driving for a year; general bullying that was either because I was a socially awkward, chubby child or because kids are assholes. The point is that there were many cases where now, when I read posts/see questions as to whether or not a child is socially ready for kindergarten at four, I question my parents' reasoning to send me 'early'.
For the record, at the time I went to kindergarten - 1988 - the cutoff date for kindergarten enrollment was December 31st. The decision to send me at age four was because I was reading well above my grade level and had been in daycare for years therefore I seemed socially ready. I actually asked my mother about this recently and she said that she really didn't put that much thought into it. It was presented to her, she enrolled me in half-day kindergarten and then an after-school program and I survived. The end.
Then again in 1988 there weren't the same strictly mandated regulations as to how a third through eighth grader will do on a test no matter the age of the child being tested. There weren't the same pressures on local education agencies or states competing for grant funding and education reform wasn't a multi-billion dollar industry. Perhaps it was just that at the time, there wasn't the pressure that there is now for children to perform on demand for teachers to teach to the test. There also weren't budget issues within states and in the home so when it came to full-day schooling districts were more able to afford it and parents didn't necessarily find themselves between a rock and a hard place. A place where there is less emphasis on actual readiness and more placed on affordability and how the district will fare. These are things that I am left to wonder about when parents find their children on the brink of 'traditional' schooling. What is mandated? Not necessarily "is my child ready" but "can I afford this?" It's a tough decision to say the least and as the pressure for a child to know XY and Z by an arbitrary date becomes more and more prevalent and states grapple with the rising costs of education, I wonder how parents are dealing and the inevitable impact on their child.


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By Johanna Rubba, Ph.D.,
Professor of Linguistics, English Department,
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo 2/3/97
1 What is Ebonics?
Ebonics is a language system characteristic of certain speech communities in the United States, especially (but not exclusively) African American communities in urban areas and the South. Although it has many features that distinguish it from various dialects of English, it also has very much in common with kinds of English all over the world. It also differs from community to community. We must be careful to note that (a) not all African Americans speak Ebonics; (b) there are non-African Americans who do speak Ebonics, by virtue of having grown up in the communities where it is spoken.
There is a significant scientific literature on Ebonics. The field which
studies it is called 'sociolinguistics'. Within sociolinguistics, Ebonics
has been known as Black English, Black English Vernacular or BEV (pronounced
'bee-ee-vee' or 'Bev'), and (most currently) African American Vernacular
English or AAVE (pronounced like 'have' without the 'h', or 'ay-ay-vee-ee').
Linguists of various races have studied its systems of grammar, pronunciation,
and vocabulary, as well as its origins and history, since the 1960s. The
term Ebonics was first used in the 1970s. Some highly respected linguists
who have worked on Ebonics are: John Baugh, William Labov, John Rickford,
Geneva Smitherman, and Walt Wolfram. All have published books and articles
on the subject.
2 Where does it come from?
There are two theories about the origins of this language system. One, called the 'dialectal hypothesis', asserts that Ebonics is a dialect of English, which evolved, as all dialects do, through a history of social and geographic separation of its speakers from speakers of other varieties of English. The other, called the 'creole hypothesis', asserts that Ebonics evolved out of a pidgin language that developed in West Africa as a result of the slave trade and commercial trade between Africans and Europeans during the 16th-19th centuries. This theory says that the pidgin language grew into a full-fledged language (a full language that develops from a pidgin is called a creole language) used by slaves, who, because of deliberate mixing of Africans from different tribes in the slave trade, did not share a common language. Creole languages have arisen in many parts of the world where European colonization has taken place, including the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Papua New Guinea.
These theories are not mutually exclusive; both can contain truth. Establishing
the history of any language system (but especially one that has not been
written down) is complex and detailed work, and linguists are still working
on the origins of Ebonics. It is, however, well-established that (a) Ebonics
has some features that are also found in West African languages; (b) some
American English words (tote, yam and others) may well be borrowings from
African languages; (c) Ebonics shares many features with many dialects
of English; (d) the evolution of Ebonics since the end of the slave trade
and the migration of many southern Blacks to the north shows that developments
typical of dialect divergence are also taking place.
3 Is it 'bad English', 'slang', 'dialect', 'language', or what?
Most linguists would characterize Ebonics as a dialect of English. Some
(usually strong believers in the creole hypothesis) claim that, due to
its pidgin and creole origins, it is a separate language. All linguists,
however, agree that Ebonics cannot correctly be called 'bad English', 'slang',
'street talk', or any of the other labels that suggest that it is deficient
or not a full-fledged linguistic system. Whatever kind of critter Ebonics
is, from the point of view of grammatical complexity, it is the same kind
of critter as what is called 'standard English', 'proper English' or 'correct
4 How do linguists decide these questions?
The language vs. dialect question is difficult even within linguistics. Linguists usually rely on a criterion called mutual intelligibility to decide the question in scientific terms: if A and B speak different language systems, but can understand each other when each is speaking their characteristic language system, they are speaking dialects of the same language. If they cannot, they are speaking different languages. Other criteria must also be met: the two language systems must be similar in their pronunciation, grammar, and word stock. This prevents the absurd conclusion that Russian and Chinese must be dialects of the same language if two people, both fluent in both Russian and Chinese, understand each other when one speaks Russian and the other Chinese. Russian and Chinese do not have enough linguistic substance in common to be judged dialects of the same language.
All languages vary along lines of social demarcation -- age, gender,
ethnicity, religious affiliation, region of origin, etc. The best way to
view the situation is to view a language as a set of dialects that are
all still comprehensible to one another, and that share a good deal of
linguistic substance.
More important regarding the Ebonics issue is: Why is this question so important? The way the terms language and dialect are used by non-linguists is crucial here. If federal, state or local money for educational programs hangs on this definition, then clearly it is important. Money for education should hang on the needs of the children and on methods of helping children that can be shown to work. Whether this involves calling something a language or a dialect should only be important insofar as it can be demonstrated that language differences or dialect differences create special educational needs. This can certainly be shown in many cases of both language and dialect differences.
Public attitudes also depend on the classification. Many people consider
a 'language' to be something fully structured and fully functional, and
a 'dialect' to be a version of a language that is degenerate in some way,
and therefore not as respectable. These are not the way the terms are used
in linguistic science, and the public attitude is incorrect. All varieties
of English, so long as they meet the criteria outlined above, are dialects
of the language called English.
5 Is it a good or bad idea to use it in the classroom?
There is no danger in using nonstandard kinds of English in the classroom,
as long as they are presented in an accurate context, and as long as children
are also provided with plentiful models of standard English. Children are
language-learning machines, and develop sensitivity to style and dialect
variation early in life, if they are exposed to it. Dialect diversity can
even be a topic of study in the classroom: Walt Wolfram, of North Carolina
State University, has developed a set of lessons for teaching about dialect
diversity in elementary schools (see the bibliography). Teaching children
the known facts about language variation would be a service to the whole
community -- it would prevent much of the misunderstanding surrounding
the current controversy.
6 What does Oakland want?
Ask them, or read their resolutions and come to your own conclusions.
Much of the reaction in this controversy has been due to people second-guessing
Oakland's goals.
7 Is Ebonics 'genetically-based'?
No particular language comes with a human's genetic inheritance; only the ability to learn any language does. A child born in China to Chinese parents but adopted out in early life to an African family in Kenya would grow up speaking the language of her adopted family perfectly. We learn the language spoken by those who raise us and interact with us when we are small children.
The word 'genetic' is used in linguistics, however, as a technical term
to describe the relationship between languages that come from a common
source language (for example, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portugese all
come from a variety of Latin carried by Roman soldiers and administrators
to far-flung corners of the ancient Roman empire). In this sense, Ebonics
might be said to be genetically related to other dialects of English, under
both the dialectal and creole theories of origin (since creoles are mixtures
of languages, and one of the languages contributing to the original African
creole was English). Whether Ebonics is, in this sense, genetically related
to West African languages or not depends on how true the creole theory
proves to be.
8 Why should we pay attention to what linguists have to say about Ebonics, or about anything else, for that matter?
We know more than you do ... we have master's degrees (and doctorates) in ... Science! : )
Seriously, linguistics is not a very well-known or high-profile field. This is mostly our own fault, for keeping our heads in the clouds of theoretical research and disputes, and for looking down our noses at fields like education, foreign language teaching, and other areas that want to apply linguistics -- i.e., use it for something practical. The education community also rightly despairs of the rapid changes in linguistic theory and the many rather unsuccessful attempts to use linguistic theory to teach grammar.
The general public also uses terms like 'linguist', 'linguistics' in a way different from the way linguists themselves use them. For much of the public, a linguist is someone who learns or uses many languages, translates between languages, or studies 'proper' grammar and usage, and is an authority on 'correct' usage. These are not concerns of scientific linguists, however. Our concerns are like those of scientists who study any other phenomenon: entomologists study bugs; botanists study plants; economists study human behavior with regard to the exchange of goods; psychologists study the way human minds learn, experience emotions or mental disorders; linguists study the language behavior of human beings.
Linguistics has made important discoveries about what language is and how it works. Linguistics proceeds according to scientific methods, and does not approach the study of language with prejudices or value judgments. We know much more about language than we did 100 years ago: we know what the basic components of a language system are, and are making great strides in understanding how languages function in conveying meaning. The three most important discoveries of linguistics with regard to the current debate are:
(a) all languages and dialects are systematic, that is, they all follow rules that dictate pronunciation, word meaning, sentence structure, and the structure of larger items such as conversations or stories. There is no scientific basis for claims that one language or dialect is more 'grammatical', 'complex', 'logical', 'clear', or in some other way qualitatively superior to another.
(b) all languages are in a constant state of change, and that change is not degeneration, just change;
(c) dialect diversity within a language (such as English) results from
the language of different groups undergoing separate paths of change.
9 If all languages and dialects are linguistically equal, why do our schools and other institutions insist that only one kind of English is 'proper' or 'correct'?
This is the result of social prejudice, the favoring or disfavoring of particular social groups. It is no accident that the varieties of a language that come to be thought of as 'proper' or 'correct' are invariably associated with the upper classes, those who wield political, economic, and social power. These classes also control the educational and publishing worlds. Whatever kind of English, French, Spanish, or German they spoke became the standard dialect. Since these classes established the educational system and require mastery of the standard dialect in order to grant access to higher learning and powerful employment or social positions, they effectively impose their dialect on anyone who aspires to education or upward mobility. They also control what gets published. It is also no accident that the varieties of language that come to be called 'substandard' are invariably associated with groups that are the targets of prejudice: inner-city poor or working-class folk (Cockney English; African American English); rural peoples (Appalachian and 'cowboy' English); ethnic minorities (Native American English, 'Spanglish', African American English). The dislike of the groups was transferred to the forms of language used by them; the dislike of those language forms then became institutionalized with the establishment of an educational system, and continues to be promulgated and enforced today.
So the notion of 'good vs. bad English' is simply one more institutionalized prejudice. The belief that some varieties of English are inherently inferior to others is no different from the belief that some skin colors are inherently inferior to others: both are beliefs that rest on historical accidents of who had privilege and power at a crucial moment in history, not on scientifically-describable superiorities of one over the other.
Over time, attitudes towards dialects have been divorced from the groups
that use them, so that many people now categorize a person as undesirable
from the cue of how that person speaks: a black student who speaks 'well'
(read: standard English) would no doubt be judged more intelligent, cooperative,
and competent than that same student speaking 'Ebonics' (read: 'bad English').
Such results have been obtained in actual studies of language and dialect
attitudes in other parts of the world.
Bibliography: (This is a relatively randomly assembled list of sources. Search words such as 'sociolinguistics' or 'Black English' turn up many useful sources in our library or on the Web.)
-Adger, Carolyn, Walt Wolfram, Jennifer Detwyler, & Beth Harry. 1993. Confronting dialect minority issues in special education: Reactive and proactive perspectives. The Third National Research Symposium on Limited English Students' Issues. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
-Burling, Robbins. 1973. English in Black and White. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
-Cleary, Linda M. 1993. A profile of Carlos: Strengths of a nonstandard dialect writer. In Linda M. Cleary and Michael D. Linn, eds., Linguistics for Teachers. NY: McGraw-Hill.
-CCCC (Conference on College Composition and Communication). 1974. Students' right to their own language. College Composition and Communiciation, Special Issue, Vol. XXV, Fall 1974, pp. 32.
-Gilyard, Keith. 1991. Voices of the Self: A Study of Language Competence. Detroit: Wayne State U. Press. A compelling personal story of conflict over cultural and linguistic identity.
-Labov, William. 1969. I'The logic of nonstandard English'. n Language and social context, Pier Paolo Giglioli, ed., Penguin, 1983.
-Labov, William. 1995. Can reading failure be reversed? A linguistic approach to the question. In V. Gadsden and D. Wagner (eds.), Literacy Among African-American Youth. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
-Simpkins, Gary A. and Charlesetta Simpkins. 1981. Cross cultural approach to curriculum development. In Smitherman, Geneva, ed., Black English and the education of Black children and youth: Proceedings of a national invitational symposium on the King decision. Detroit: Center for Black Studies, Wayne State University.Bridge readers experiment.
-The Story of English. PBS video documentary series. Available in Poly library. Episode #5 'Black on White' sets out the creole hypothesis and gives much information about the contribution of Ebonics to American English.
-Wolfram, Walt. 1995. Dialect awareness and the study of language. In Ann E. Robertson, and David Bloome, eds., The student as Researcher of culture and language in their own community. Hampton Press. Contains lessons on dialect diversity for elementary school.
-Wolfram, Walt . 1992. Dialects and American English. Prentice-Hall.
-Wolfram, Walt and Donna Christian. 1989.Dialects and Education: Issue and Answers. Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics. Out of print, but available through El Corral Bookstore. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.


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Remember an an earlier post about all the loot food bloggers receive, including offers of a free car? It's happening again, at the Northwest Food and Wine Festival (note home page promoting Buick rather than food and wine) coming up in Portland, OR.
Two well-known bloggers forwarded this email, which offers them not just a car but lodging for two nights and free tickets to the event:
"Because we know you love fine wine and good food, we wanted to invite you to be Buick's guests the weekend of the Northwest Food and Wine Festival, Nov. 13 and 14 in Portland, Ore. Buick is the official automotive sponsor of the Northwest Food and Wine Festival, and we think you'd enjoy experiencing a selection of the more than 800 Pacific Northwestern wines and 50 restaurants that will be offered there.
"To get you (and a guest) to and from the festival, Buick would like to loan you the new 2010 LaCrosse. As part of the culinary adventure, we'd also like to pay for two nights of lodging in downtown Portland at the Benson Hotel and give you two free tickets to the Northwest Food and Wine Festival.
Here's what they'd have to do in exchange:
"In return, we ask only that you enjoy the vehicle, attend a Buick-hosted Tweetup cocktail party Friday, Nov. 13, participate in a ride and drive and lunch on Saturday, Nov. 14, attend the Northwest Food and Wine Festival Saturday evening, and if you are moved to do so, share your experiences."
And then, at the end of the email, there's flattery:
"Buick is offering this opportunity to only a handful of the most influential foodies on the West Coast.."
Buick makes no overt demand that these bloggers write about the car. That's not classy. Instead, company officials hope that by the time these bloggers do the following:
- spend hours at the cocktail party, where Buick will promote the car
- attend a lunch, where Buick will promote the car
- test drive other cars Buick promotes during the "ride and drive" they agreed to attend
- and drive around all weekend in the car
…they might write about the vehicle in a Tweet, on their Facebook pages, or (heaven help us) on their food blogs.
If they do so, it's a cheap way for Buick to get its message out to targeted car buyers, whom the car company has determined are also these bloggers' audience. When influential people endorse a product, it's far better than if Buick just bought an ad in a magazine. And most of the time, it's less expensive, too.
If I got this email, I'd press the Delete key. I wouldn't want to write about a car in my food blog. No matter how tempting it is to save money on tickets, a room, and a rental car, it wouldn't be worth all the time spent at Buick promotions when I could be enjoying the food and wine. I have no doubt, however, that many food bloggers will take them up on it.
And you? Would you mention the car in social media or on your blog, in exchange for these goodies? Or might you feel justified in taking the freebies, then not mentioning the car, since it's not required? How would you work it, or would you?
10 Responses to "Buick Offers Free Car, Room and Tickets"
Hi Dianne,
First off, I'd like to thank you. I have a dog-eared copy of your book on my nightstand, and I still return to it frequently for guidance. In many ways, your book is responsible for improving the quality of my writing on my site.
With respect to the Buick offer, I would see no problem accepting the car/room/tickets, but would feel absolutely no obligation to mention any of it. Buick obviously wants as many food bloggers as possible to attend the festival and, yes, it would be good publicity if they would write about it. I don't really think Buick expects them to write an entry on their food blogs about the merits of the car – any more than one would expect a job applicant to, say, Google, to blog about the airline, hotel, and lunch spot that Google paid for in an attempt to woo them to join the company. If Buick sincerely thinks that food bloggers would devote entire paragraphs to a car, then that's their mistake.
I believe the controversy over blogger ethics is blown way out of proportion. Journalists, especially those who cover technology and gaming and music, have received complimentary review copies of merchandise all the time. Do you think Walter Mossberg pays for a new mobile phone to review whenever the latest and greatest comes out? Why should bloggers, who, 90% of the time reach a far narrower audience than the most popular print journalists, be subject to a different standard? If companies want to give freebies to bloggers who reach, at most, a few thousand people, then that's their error to commit.
I receive offers of free merchandise on a fairly regular basis. If I feel that the product would be of interest to my audience, then I accept it. If, on the other hand, the product is not a right fit (such as an offer of Broadway show tickets), then the offer is declined. In general, I advise each representative that I will only write about a product if I really believe in it and enjoy it – and if they don't see a mention of it, that means it didn't really do it for me. To me, there's little difference between having the products come to you and visiting a trade show and taking free samples.
The Best Food Blog Ever
So, based on your earlier blog posts and new government mandates, would it be illegal to take them up on this? It almost sounds a little like buying into a "condo" share. They hook you with all these things you have to do, and then you get this, but not before that.
Seems a little out there for sure, but is it any different than someone getting sponsored by a car dealer for a year, like a sports personality, for example?
Boy-wondering who is getting these offers and what they will do.
I really appreciate you taking up the freebies controversy. I started my blog on exploring Scandinavian food and culture just two months ago, and I just wrestled with my first freebie offer–whether to take it or not. As a former journalist who now does some PR work, it's really interesting to where people are at on both sides of the debate. On one hand, gifts can be really bad, but on the other, free books, play tickets, etc. are just part of the industry norm for such reviews.
It's a tricky topic, and I'm glad you're getting the conversation going.
What do cars have to do with food? This one is easily disregarded…the subject of the promotion is so clearly unrelated to food, I can't imagine why someone would accept it out of anything other than material desire. Now, if I was offered tickets to the event, plus an area winery tour & tasting (or behind-the-scenes tour of a food business), plus free lodging, I'd be tempted to consider it: it would extend my knowledge of a relevant topic. In that scenario, the deal-breaker is the structured promotional time, and implicit expectation that you'll produce promotional messages on social media. (Maybe even at the Buick party? Ick. I'm envisioning a horde of bloggers, standing around, Twittering. What fun.)
I'd hit the delete key, if only because if I'm going to a food and wine festival, why would I want to devote so much time to being around Buicks? I suspect that it's this kind of insane, orthogonal marketing that got GM in so much trouble in the first place. (Killing Pontiac instead of Buick wasn't such a bright idea either.)
Thank you! You often write very interesting articles. You improved my mood.
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I think Derek raise good points.
At first I wondered, as Howard Baldwin did, would it be diferent if it was a food company? How is it different than a food company sponsoring recipes contest winners to go to a Foodbuzz festival + hotel room + car + all the food?
What would I do? I turned down offers before, but the more I see other bloggers doing it, I feel tempted to do it too, as long as I don't expose my blog and its readers to too much commercialism. I need to be convinced it won't turn them away as I sometimes feel being sold to on some blogs that have turned to be more about promoting products than providing good contnet.


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Wildmind Meditation News
Aug 22, 2012
Be more mindful for a better workplace
Jen Weigel, Chicago Tribune: Can you be a success in the world of business and still be mindful? What exactly does it mean to be "mindful" anyway? According to Mirabai Bush, one of the creators of a mindfulness course developed for Google employees called "Search Inside Yourself," you will be more productive and motivated if you use respect, compassion and generosity in the workplace.
"Mindfulness has to do with paying attention to what's happening in the moment without judgment," said Bush. "Sometimes people think being mindful means being slow — it's not about being slow, it's about being slow enough that you can …


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Saving money on your utility bills doesn't have to mean wearing your winter coat inside, forking over the money for a new heating or cooling unit - or convincing your landlord to replace it. There are lots of inexpensive ways to keep costs down in your home, so you can comfortably wear your pajamas. Read on for some top ways to save on utilities.
1. Perform an energy audit
An energy audit is an inspection of your home for ways to shrink your utility bills, normally by eliminating unnecessary usage. For instance, if you see a space above your outside doors, you can assume that, in the winter, cold air from outside is entering, and hot air is escaping.
A simple energy audit you could perform yourself includes looking for air leaks (open space around doors or windows), checking insulation levels, tallying light bulb wattages and checking and changing filters in your heating and cooling units. You can also hire a professional energy auditor, or if you are a renter, ask your apartment manager (or landlord) to send a maintenance team member to perform an audit. Also, consider calling your utility company, which often employs an energy auditor who will come to your home for free.
2. Install a digital thermostat
Heating your home is expensive, so there's no reason to pay for your heat when you're not at home. Purchase a digital thermostat from a home improvement store for less than $100. Then, program your thermostat to increase the temperature in your home half an hour before you arrive from work.
How much can you save? According to the Department of Energy, you can save 10-15% of your heating (and cooling bill) on an annual basis by reducing the temperature in your home by 10-15% for eight hours a day. This is approximately a temperature reduction of 70 degrees to 60 degrees while you're gone during the day.
Save even more money by reducing the temperature while you sleep under a heavy comforter or thick blanket at night. You can program the thermostat for a nighttime temperature that will return to the daytime temperature before your alarm clock wakes you up in the morning.
Although programming a thermostat can save you money, remember not to reduce the temperature too much while you're gone, especially if you have family or indoor pets at home during the day. If you are a renter, ask your landlord or apartment manager for permission before installing anything in your home.
3. Caulking and weatherstripping windows and doors
Caulking and weatherstripping is the easiest and cheapest ways to reduce energy bills. This is because you are letting outside air directly into your home through cracks around doors and windows, causing your heating or cooling unit to work harder to keep the room at a comfortable temperature.
Air sealing a home can reduce heating and cooling costs by 20% according to statistics from the Alliance to Save Energy.
4. Improve insulation in attics and exterior walls
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, adding extra insulation in your attic and exterior walls can reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 30%. Insulation can be bought relatively cheaply. Virtually any home's attic can be insulated for a few hundred dollars, or less if you do it yourself. Installing insulation in exterior walls is more complicated and should be done by a professional.
5. Ask your utility company about other pricing plans
If you are in an area of the country that allows you to choose a utility provider, that provider might offer various pricing plans. One plan might offer lower pricing if you agree to be a customer for six months to one year. This is because the company is afraid of losing your patronage to another service provider. Be careful when you sign this agreement because if you decide to cancel within the time frame, you might have to pay a cancellation fee.
6. Save money in other parts of your electric bill to make up for heating costs
The Department of Energy says about 10% of your electric bill comes from lighting your home. With a pad and pencil, note the wattage of each light bulb in your home. Each bulb you replace with a lower wattage bulb will save you money on your electric bill. For instance, if you switch one 60-watt light bulb to a 30-watt bulb, that lighting fixture will use half the electricity. And of course, you can save even more by turning off lights after you leave a room.
You can hang up your winter coat and be comfortable in your home while decreasing your utility bills. All you have to do is cut back on utility usage that doesn't have any benefit to you, such as letting heat escape through air leaks and leaving lights on in empty rooms. Your pajamas will thank you for it.
For other ways to reduce your utility bills read Home Energy Savings Add Up and Save Money On Summer Bills.


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Last month, Paul Graham wrote a great essay on why startups should "Do Things That Don't Scale"- essentially forget about growth in early stages in order to have significant customer interaction or even acquire customers individually. It's something that's counterintuitive to most startups because they want to see explosive growth, and doing things that don't scale can seem counterproductive to achieve that kind of growth.
There are a couple of things that bother me about this line of thinking, and I'll speak from experience in explaining why there has to be a balance between doing things that don't scale, and doing things that do. The first thing that's truly wrong in Paul's essay is something you see all the time, in every day life- his essay suffers from classic omission neglect.
Omission neglect is the psychological term for failing to consider all the information that's relevant to a situation. In the essay's case, it's the fact that examples of successful startups are called out to reinforce the main idea, while there are likely hundreds of others who did the same thing, and failed. There's a reason why the author calls out Facebook, Stripe, and AirBnB as examples: they were successful! There are currently 440 graduates of YCombinator (the accelerator Paul Graham runs). They were likely all given this same advice- yet we are only hearing about the companies that were successful. In order to make the proper judgment on whether this advice is useful, we have to consider all (or as many as we can) examples of companies that used this strategy, and what the outcomes were.
Doing things that don't scale can also hurt you if you can't adapt quickly enough. When we first launched matchist (my startup), our goal was to have a conversation on the phone with every single user. We knew from customer development that freelance web developers were frustrated with sites that just treated them like pieces of data, and business owners looking to hire web developers were frustrated by automated responses from outsourced developers. (Think: "Dear Sir/Madam").
At first, it worked perfectly. We developed relationships with everyone, formed a basis of trust, and got users to view our service more favorably than even we expected. Our advisors told us, "This phone call thing won't scale." We pushed back saying we would figure it out and that the personal, human touch was vital to our process.
Guess what? It didn't scale. Luckily, matchist was growing quickly and all of a sudden our hands on process began to hurt us and provide customers with a negative experience. It was taking us days to get back to clients who were looking for developers and scheduling calls with hundreds of developers and business owners became a juggling act. Some would fall through the cracks because we'd forget to follow up, and all of a sudden the quality of our service was compromised. We knew we had to introduce automation and began mapping out how we could automate most of the processes while still keeping a human touch. We came up with a solution, but it's still evolving as matchist grows every month. We know we will outgrow our current solution quickly.
One other implicit assumption in Paul Graham's article is that you'll have access to capital in order to help you scale your processes. Once VCs see the rampant growth you're developing with your unscalable processes, you'll be able to hire employees or have access to capital to build solutions to handle the flow. This is most often not the case and is an obvious, what I like to call, Silicon Valley Bias. Most tech startups are built to need VC funding to scale. For startups outside of Silicon Valley, relying on the ability to raise capital can lead to a dubious future. It's one where you rely on others to judge your business and may take terms that aren't great for the business because you NEED growth capital to survive.
I would hedge this risk by doing things that don't scale, but having a roadmap with scenarios planned out. For example, if we grow at X% month over month in the next year, we'll need X number of employees. We'll achieve this by raising $XX from angels or we'll have revenue coming from these three potential revenue streams.
One last note: It's important to consider the context in which Paul Graham writes his article. I'm based in Chicago, but travel to Silicon Valley frequently to meet with partners and potential investors. Whenever I read an article about what's happening out West, I have to put my Silicon Valley goggles on (metaphorically, I don't own Google Glasses…yet!). The reality is that in other parts of the country, investors and thought leaders have different views based on their own contexts.


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Alberta economy snapshot for March 3, 2012
Slow 2012 for Canadian economy?
Troy Media – by ATB Financial
It started out well, then went into reverse; a strong rally in the summer, but weakness by the late fall. Canada's economy was growing in fits and starts in 2011, and ended on a bit of a soft note.
Real GDP advanced by 1.8 per cent (annualized rated) in the fourth quarter of last year, down from a much healthier 4.2 per cent advance in Q3. It was also well below the 3.0 per cent growth posted in the U.S. in the final quarter of the year (see next page).
According to The Daily, released yesterday morning from Statistics Canada, "Both goods-producing (+0.5 per cent) and services (+0.4 per cent) industries grew in the fourth quarter. Manufacturing, retail trade, and oil and gas extraction were the main contributors to the growth. Gains also occurred in professional, scientific and technical services, the public sector (education, health services and public administration combined) and construction."
For the year as a whole, Canada's real GDP (i.e., adjusted for price inflation) expanded by 2.5 per cent, after an increase of 3.2 per cent in 2010.
The softer growth in the fourth quarter will provide assurance to the Bank of Canada that inflation poses little threat, and that the current accommodative monetary policy – that is, low interest rates – is appropriate.
The GDP figures reported this morning are only at the national level; province economic accounts for 2011 won't be released until next month. However, given the strong contribution oil and gas extraction made to the national GDP, Alberta is likely to have far outpaced average provincial growth.
U.S. growth revised upward
The U.S. Commerce Department revised fourth quarter GDP growth to 3 per cent, up from the original estimate of 2.8 per cent.
This was obviously a positive surprise and was a result of better than originally reported commercial construction and consumer spending, combined with lower imports.
At 3 per cent growth, the U.S. economy was growing at its fastest pace since the first half of 2010. It's good, but it's not great and it's one of the main reasons many economists (namely Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke) believe that the improving job numbers that have recently been reported might not be sustainable.
Oil sands and Bakken transportation issues
According to information from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the depressed price that North American producers are receiving for crude oil (compared to the higher prices in Europe) isn't as bad as the depressed price that North Dakota producers are getting.
While the price gap between West Texas Intermediate crude and international Brent crude averaged $18/bbl last month, the gap between Bakken Crude (North Dakota produced crude) and WTI hit a high of $28/bbl in early February. (It has since narrowed to $13/bbl). So, at certain times during the month, North Dakota produced crude sold at a $46/bbl discount to internationally produced crude!
Transportation bottle necks are being blamed for the divergence in price. There isn't enough capacity getting crude from storage in Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast, and the ramping up of production in North Dakota has eclipsed the pipeline capacity to take it out of the state. The EIA estimates that Bakken production is approaching 500/bbl a day, up from 100/bbl mid-decade.
More on crude transportation issues
With expanding oil sands production, more pipeline capacity will have to be built, but this requires getting a lot of government regulatory approval. In a recent CD Howe Commentary, Joseph Doucet, acting Dean of the U of A Business School, makes numerous recommendations as to how the process could be improved.
Dr. Doucet argues that the current process is flawed and could be improved by harmonizing the regulatory review process, instead of having different levels of government and various departments doing effectively the same work. Also, all of the connected policy goals (such as overarching social and environmental issues) should be kept out of the regulatory review process and, instead, be dealt with at the government policy level.
There are four recommendations made in the report: efforts should be made to move to a single regulator for energy policy; an overarching framework should be devised to provide clear direction; a national strategy needs to be developed to set goals and concerns; and public and private interests need to be separated during hearings.
Housing investment in Alberta
The housing market impacts the economy in a myriad of ways, including higher resale prices, higher realtor commissions, homeowners' spending more because they feel wealthier, and impact on the consumer price index. By far the most important impact, however, is in investment spending. This is where the rubber hits the road.
New housing starts provide the largest portion of housing related investment, but the amount of money spent on renovations isn't negligible and it can actually be more stable. When the housing market is hot, there's a huge incentive to draw down equity to redo the kitchen; but when the resale market cools there's also an incentive to up-grade your home instead of moving up the property ladder (if you're in a position to do so).
Billions are spent annually on housing related investment in Alberta, and housing is the second most important source of investment spending (after the oil sands). At the height of the boom, over $2.5 billion was spent in a single quarter building homes. It's since come down substantially, without falling off a cliff, but renovation spending has been rising, slowly and steadily, for a number of years now.
Selling oil is not enough
In economics, the current account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid).
Canada's current account balance improved slightly, by $2.6 billion, in the fourth quarter of 2011. The total value of goods and services being shipped out of Canada was exceeded by the goods and services shipped into Canada by $48 billion in 2011. In short, this means Canada needed to effectively borrow the equivalent of $48 billion from the rest of the world to finance the deficit.
Thanks to crude oil, Canada has a merchandise trade surplus, but it has a severe deficit when it comes to trade in services (everything from engineering to the royalties you implicitly paid last time you saw a Hollywood movie).
Adding to the current account deficit is the fact that, over the years, foreigners have invested far more money in Canada than Canadians have invested abroad, resulting in a rather large net outflow of income in the form of profits and dividends.
Category: Business


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Vanguard spray foam insulation manufacturer, Icynene, has unveiled its latest product innovation – Icynene Classic Plus™ – designed to help meet the stringent requirements of the 2012 ICC International Building Code. The 0.7lb/ft3 open-cell spray foam insulation product offers one of the highest R-values available on the market, at R4 per inch, allowing building professionals achieve R-22 in a typical 2x6 wall assembly.
"The building industry across the country has been struggling to meet the strict requirements of the 2012 ICC International Building Code as the number of states adopting the new code grows. As a higher density open-cell spray foam product with a high R-value, Icynene Classic Plus™ provides the opportunity to build code compliant assemblies confidently and efficiently," said Howard Deck, Icynene President and CEO.
Complementing its high R-value, Icynene Classic Plus' superior formulation offers excellent adhesion on a broad range of substrates, temperatures and humidity conditions making it ideal for use in areas that have adopted the latest building codes such as the north-east and north-west US. Moreover, the spray foam insulation's formulation offers easier spray control to achieve a yield of up to 16,500 board feet as well as the opportunity to reduce waste and additional labor during application.
"Icynene continues to lead the evolution of the insulation segment by meeting the demands of the building industry and the challenges it faces as new requirements and regulations are implemented," said Mr. Deck.
The ESR Report for Icynene Classic Plus™, ESR #1826, can be downloaded from the ICC-ES website www.icc-es.org or from the Icynene website www.icynene.com.
The introduction of Icynene Classic Plus™ follows the recent launch of Icynene ProSeal™ last month and Icynene ProSeal Eco™ - the world's first 100% water-blown, closed-cell spray foam insulation product in September 2013.


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Model For Success, the REFM Blog
by Bruce Kirsch on January 21, 2013
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Magick & The Matrix
Documentary description
Magick & The Matrix (released Dec. 15th, 2009) is about Abdul AlHazred's Necronomicon and the Illuminati's concealment of the truths it bares. This documentary takes a practical look at black magic and the forces behind it. Then, delves into The Matrix-like world the Necronomicon paints. It discusses the multi-dimensional beings that feed off of us, parallel universes, and explains much Illuminati and Freemasonic imagery.
Illuminati Symbolism Presentation [1:52hr] (released July 6th, 2010)
Download:Entire Documentary Collection in Yotube-ready form (with huge ebook collection)[3.1Gb]
Download: Michael Wynn Entire Collection [4.3Gb]
Downloads & Links
Download Magick & The Matrix [Video: 560Mb] [Combo DVD: 4.2Gb] [COLLECTION: 2.7Gb]
Hollywood Insiders: Magick & The Matrix [SCRIPT]
Illuminati Symbolism & Predictive Programming presentation [Video: 700Mb]
Watch Online
Illuminati,Black Magic & The Necronomicon 1/4
Uploaded by ricintoxin81. - News videos hot off the press.
Video 1
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About Magick & The Matrix
What's to say? I was reading through the ebooks I downloaded, and stumbled upon a gem. Abdul Al Hazred's "The Necronomicon." From the moment go, I was enthralled by the story that unfolded in its pages. A story that seemed to be a compilation of information I had come accross in diverse places, all in a bite-sized 90 pages. Portals, astral-travel, devils and gods. A story seemingly ripped out aof countless Satanic texts I've read previously. It was too much truth, in too few pages; I knew I was reading something very important. Call it the fantasies of Lovecraft, or the psychotic ramblings of an Arab; I call it fact.
Further, ( and as usual :-) ) it reminded me of a few movies I was familiar with; namely The Matrix and The 9th gate.


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Arthritis & Rheumatism, 04/26/2012
Synovial fluid (SF) augments fibroblast–like synoviocytes (FLS) responses to TLR–2 and TLR–4 ligands. This effect was largely due to soluble CD14 (sCD14). The results demonstrate that sCD14 in the setting of osteoarthritis (OA) and meniscal injury sensitizes FLS to respond to inflammatory stimuli such as Toll–like receptor (TLR) ligands.
© 2015 M3 USA Corporation. ALL Rights Reserved.


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Before the Test
During the Test
After the Test
Follow these suggestions to help control and reduce test anxiety. If you continue to experience test anxiety make an appointment with a counselor in Counseling Services.
214 Center Grove Road Randolph, NJ 07869-2086 (973) 328-5000
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text:
An issue's been dividing the halls of Leon High School. "I'd go further than that. I'd say the school is divided, the parents are divided, the community is divided," said Leon Superintendent Jay Winn.
It all goes back to what happened in the high school office, about a month ago. A teacher asked a male student to deliver a note to the band room. The band teacher thought the messenger was rude and disruptive, and brought the student to Principal David Jones' office.
Jones admitted to Winn that he and the student got into a loud, verbal argument. "One teacher said when she first heard it, she got behind the copy machine," said Winn.
The student told Winn, that when Jones wouldn't listen to him, he started to walk out. The student alleges Jones grabbed him by the shoulder, and pulled his shirt collar over his ear.
Winn says the next day, the student and his father showed up at his office. "He showed me the bruise and there was a bruise, a significant bruise, on top of the left shoulder of the student," said Winn.
Winn says a nurse verified that the bruise was made in the last 24 hours. Jones was then placed on administrative leave. Jones isn't commenting on the incident, but denies grabbing the student.
Four people say they saw what happened that day, the student, the teacher who brought the student to the office, the school secretary, and Jones.
"Three statements were somewhat consistent and there was one statement that was not consistent with the other statements," said Winn.
The Leon County Sheriff's department has turned over the case to the county attorney. Winn says that hasn't stopped everyone in the community from coming to their own conclusions. After hearing talk in the community and reading comments at KBTX.COM, Winn says he checked the student's discipline record.
"I would not classify this young man as a discipline problem. I looked back more than just one year," said Winn.
Winn says he'd like everyone to take a step back and let justice run its course. "I don't know for sure what is going to happen in this situation, but I do know one thing. We are not going to mistreat students at Leon School."
The student involved spent some time in ISS for trying to leave the office. Winn says he and the district's elementary and junior high principals have been filling in, during Jones' absence.
The school board is waiting to see what, if anything, the County Attorney does with the case. At that point, it will decide what to do next.
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By C. Trent Rosecrans
Another day, another injury to a National League Central starter.
Sunday's victim is Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, who was diagnosed with what the team is calling "a mild case of shoulder tendinitis."
Rodriguez has been scratched from his start on Tuesday. He singed a three-year, $34 million contract this offseason, avoiding arbitration. He was 11-12 with a 3.60 ERA last season.
Rodriguez joined Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals, Zack Greinke of the Brewers and Johnny Cueto of the Reds as NL Central starters to miss at least part of the spring with injuries. Wainwright is out for the season, Greinke will miss the beginning of the season, while there's no timetable yet for Cueto or Rodriguez.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsmlb on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed.
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Step 1: Materials
-A roll of fishing wire
-Some cardboard
-A broom (to sweep up the glass ornaments you drop and break)
Step 2: Instructions
2. Cut desired length of fishing wire and stick through holes. Secure with lots of tape.
3. On the bottom end, loop an ornament through and tie a knot.
4. Cut excess string sticking out of the knot.
5. Repeat until the ornaments resemble a tree outline. Remember to hang the ones in the middle higher up and the ones along the edge lower.
6. Hang up to your ceiling somehow. (I used rope.)
7. Stand back and admire. Take pictures and brag :)


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Isabel Marant Étoile
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Please call 1.888.222.7639 to speak with a Customer Service Representative.
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This video is to show the stupid liberal idiots that YES ISLAM IS HATEFUL AND IS BEING TAUGHT IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS!! As with ALL muslim hate mongers, they DENY their own agendas, and insist the translations are jumbled. Basically, muslims want people to believe anyone against islam is not tolerant of islam. Problem is, it is ISLAM that's not tolerant. I have the videos of teenage girls being stoned to death for wearing makeup, women's faces melted from acid because they didn't wear the hidjab or "slave scarf". I have countless videos of beheadings and torture of Christians. I have never seen Christians or Jews doing any of the above mentioned. So let's not fool ourselves, you useless liberal fags. Islam is the true hate, the true problem with the world and anyone who stands up for islam should just cease to existl. Europe is no longer free, America is next. Fuck islam, fuck mohammad, and fuck anyone who thinks otherwise, BECAUSE YOU ARE WRONG, ISLAM IS EVIL!!!


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Ponir - details and analysis
The name Ponir has a web popularity of 82,900 pages.
What means Ponir?
The meaning of Ponir is unknown.
Ponir has a Facebook presence of 8,660 pages.
Ponir has a Google+ Plus presence of 275 pages.
Ponir has a Linkedin presence of 135 pages.
Ponir has a Twitter presence of 202 pages.
The most popular images on the Internet for name Ponir:
White Pages has 54 occurrences for name Ponir.
What is the origin of name Ponir? Probably Russia or UK.
ponir.com domain is already registered.
ponir.net domain is already registered.
ponir.org domain is already registered.
Ponir spelled backwards is Rinop
This name has 5 letters: 2 vowels (40.00%) and 3 consonants (60.00%).
Anagrams: Ipron Riopn Inpor Nroip Nriop Rnoip Nipro Pnori
Misspells: Ponit Ponyr Ponil Poni Ponira Pnoir Ponri Poinr
|Mr Ponir
Hasan Ponir
Kamruzzaman Ponir
|Shaty Ponir
Asaduzzaman Ponir
Esma Ponir
|Dustu Ponir


text:
Below is the poem entitled Walking my dog differently PART ONE which was written by poet
Elly D. A.
Wouterse. Please feel free to comment on this poem. However, please remember, PoetrySoup is a place of encouragement and growth.
Read Poems by
Elly D. A.
Elly D. A. Wouterse
last Friday-evening as usual
a few minutes after half past eight
as always another walk
with my suddenly flu-like old dog
his 100 yards
of pulling the leash
then sitting eager and glamorous
and receiving to carry it amorous
you went left or right
on our soft command
always checking where we are
while taking care of his own transfer
returning home
and waiting for his reward
first a piece of apple, pear or cucumber
then in his basket hours of slumber
this morning
his disappearing eye
his quizzical look
and search for a painless nook
two hours later
our biggest fear is real
his other eye broke
now our suddenly blinded bloke
our 21-minute last ride
his head on my lap
thank you my doggy friend
your last heartbeat under my hand
never again
your too long 5th nail
tapping on the floor
wish I could hear once more
who will bark
in the middle of day or night
for invading frogs
or postwomen touching your mailbox
who will dry
without a word
the tears I cry
without ever asking why
you're walking alone
carrying all day long
your own leash in your beak
I'll walk on forever feeling your warm cheek
©Ellie Daphne
PS. For the 2nd time this year we had to let a friend go..
First 15 old Australian Kelpie Duke and only last Saturday
very unexpectedly and suddenly 10.5 years old Australian
Shepherd Digger... only 10 days before the arrival of his meant-to-be
playmate-puppy Australian Kelpie Captain Broome Uluru((CAP for friends)
Relate your poem to one of these Quotes (Old/New) Free Poetry Contest spomsored by Giorgio V
11) "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."
- James Herriot


text:
The great room inside CASI in Davenport was transformed today to help seniors in the Quad Cities.
Saturday, July 13th, 2013 was the 6th Annual Indoor Garage Sale at CASI, located on Kimberly Road in Davenport.
Organizers say the event is one of CASI's biggest fundraisers of the year, which they say are very important at a time when funding for non-profit organization is being trimmed back on the state and federal levels.
"I feel like it grows every year," says Sarah Arp, Marketing Coordinator with CASI. "We do get big items — furniture, tables, pictures frames, computers, TVs — which helps out a lot.">
All the sales from the event go right back to CASI, which provides exercising as well as health/wellness classes, plus support groups and advocates for seniors in order to help them live independently for as long as possible.


text:
Sweetwater can help you develop your own special blend of coffees … dark to light roasts, from various regions of the world, and all Fair Trade* Certified, and Organic, and we will mail it to you.
Questions? e-mail or call 706-878-1521.
Every day at Sweetwater, we have:
- Coffee – frozen or piping hot
- Teas – hot or cold,
- Fruit smoothies
- Italian sodas
- Home made soups like roots and beans or curried sweet potato
- Eggs just about any way you like them
- Club and grilled cheese sandwiches made with Country Bake Shoppe breads
- Sour cream pound cake, brownies, muffins – all made from scratch and in house!
Come on over.
For the latest news, please check our Facebook page.
Sweetwater is happy to offer PENNY WEDNESDAY when senior citizens and veterans can purchase an "in house" cup of coffee (with a refill) for just a penny. How long has it been since we have seen a Penny Cup?
The beautiful Village of Sautee is alive and well. Music every Friday night during late spring, summer, and early fall.
First Friday of each month offers bluegrass and old time music at Inside Out. The rest of the Friday evenings you will find music at Sweetwater Coffeehouse with local and regional artists performing traditional and original music from many genres. Music starts at 7 and goes until 9.
Please visit the Sautee Nacoochee Community Association on line to find out about all of the fantastic events taking place there over the next few months. Programming is the best it has ever been!
Sweetwater offers breakfast and lunch daily. Choose from a toasted bagel with cream cheese and Hillside Orchard jams, home made chicken salad on a bed of organic greens, Jessi's Club – a hearty meal for a hungry man, or eggs any way you like them.
Those are only a few of your options. The choices are limited only by the resources we have available in our kitchen. In the summer you can always count on garden fresh tomatoes and organic greens.
Sweetwater Coffeehouse (Sweetwater) is and has been a successful Sautee business for over 18 years. The brainchild of Eric and Anna Anderson, Sweetwater was purchased by Carolyn Hayes in December of 2008. Carolyn and her son Zach have continued to provide the place and service that Sweetwater is to the community.
Sweetwater is committed to carrying top quality products at affordable prices. Fair Trade Certified and organically grown coffees and teas top the list of products offered. The coffees and teas are sold by the cup or by the pound.
All of the baked products are made in house and, with the exception of the brownies, are created from scratch. The brownies start out from a mix, but then are modified with espresso, Georgia pecans, syrups, spices and flavorings into something totally all their own. Sweetwater's sour cream pound cakes are always a treat, and if you arrive at Sweetwater at just the right time, you can have a piece just out of the oven.
To accommodate the needs of our growing community, Sweetwater is now offering made from scratch soups, along with grilled cheese and club sandwiches made with breads from The Country Bake Shop. Our regulars come back for our egg and cheese bagel sandwiches, and daily specials such as quiche, Sautee Caprece, and tarragon chicken salad.
If you are in need of a special gift or card, Sweetwater can help. Our specialty coffees and teas are available by the pound or box. The beautiful mugs and not always so beautiful but very folksy face jugs are made by local potters who love their craft and demonstrate that love in the pieces they create.
On our walls you will find original paintings, prints and cards by local artists who honor Sweetwater by placing their work with us. We have home made quilts and pillows, re-created jewelry, and clocks made from photographs.
Sweetwater owes much of it's success to its location on Highway 17 very near where 17 intersects with Highway 255 at the Old Sautee Store. The Sautee-Nacoochee Community Center is located less than a mile down Hwy 255. The village of Sautee is quickly becoming a destination as it adds specialty shops featuring products that cannot be found just anywhere. Sweetwater is proud to be a part of the the village of Sautee's business and cultural community.
Sweetwater is very aware that the support it has received over the years from the Sautee community, and from customers in North Georgia and beyond has made Sweetwater what it is. Sweetwater has become a home away from home for many. Our goal is that Sweetwater will always be so.
2242 Highway 17
PO Box 46
Sautee-Nacoochee GA 30571
OPEN: Mon. – Fri. 8-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 11-6


text:
Sam Perry Scholarship deadline approaching
Granville Health System Foundation will be accepting applications for the 2014 Sam Perry Memorial Scholarship Program until April 30.
The scholarship, established in honor of physician's assistant Sam Perry, will be awarded to a Granville County resident who has been accepted into a two- or four-year allied health program at an accredited school and intends to pursue a career in an allied healthcare field.
Eligible programs include clinical laboratory sciences, physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiological science, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry and related careers, and physician's assistant.
Applications from previous winners will be accepted.
For an application packet, go to ghsFoundation.org/ScholarshipApplication or call Kristen Paynter, community relations specials at Granville Health System, at (919) 690-2149.


text:
- EnviroGuy - http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy -
'Rare and historic October nor'easter' summed up by National Weather Service
Posted By Todd B. Bates On October 31, 2011 @ 2:12 pm In Uncategorized | Comments Disabled
The National Weather Service has posted a summary [1] of the "rare and historic October Nor'easter" that led to several deaths and caused widespread power outages this weekend.
The storm "delivered snow, heavy rain and strong winds to the mid-Atlantic region," according to the preliminary summary by the weather service's Mount Holly Office.
Here's a map showing snowfall totals [2] in the region covered by the office:
Article printed from EnviroGuy: http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy
URL to article: http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy/2011/10/31/rare-and-historic-noreaster-summed-up-by-national-weather-service/
URLs in this post:
[1] posted a summary: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi/view_wss.php
[2] a map showing snowfall totals: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi/storms/10292011.html
[3] Image: http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy/files/2011/10/SnowMap2.jpg
[4] Image: http://blogs.app.com/enviroguy/files/2011/10/Snowpumpkins.jpg
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2009 EnviroGuy. All rights reserved.


text:
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|Dr Marko Scholze
|Research Fellow, School of Earth Sciences
|Areas of expertise:
|My present research field can be described broadly as the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon cycling, and...
|terrestrial ecosystems | carbon cycling | climate system | climate change risks and impacts | paleo glacial-interglacial transactions | anthropogenic perturbation | inverse modelling | data assimilation
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text: Clearwater Christian College earned the # 42 spot among regional colleges in the South in the 2011 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News Media Group. The exclusive rankings, which include more than 1,400 colleges and universities nationwide, are available online at www.usnews.com/colleges, and in the guidebook at newsstands and bookstores. The 2011 Best Colleges guidebook defines regional colleges as four-year institutions that focus almost entirely on the undergraduate experience and offer a broad range of programs in the liberal arts. Since these institutions attract students primarily from neighboring states, U.S. News ranks these colleges by geographic region. Dr. Stratton, president of CCC, said We are thankful for this recognition from U.S. News, and we view this as further evidence that Clearwater Christian College continues to offer an undergraduate education with exceptional quality and with a Christ-centered emphasis. The total score for each institution is based on several criteria: peer assessment of academic quality (25 percent), graduation and retention rates (25 percent), faculty resources (20 percent), student selectivity (15 percent), financial resources (10 percent) and alumni giving (5 percent). Over the past two decades, the U.S. News college ranking system has become the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities. Print Article