text:
Travis The Dragon
It leaked yesterday and I'm sorry to say that I'm VERY disappointed in it. What I love most about LP is Chester's great singing when he sings higher pitched and really belts it out. The new album has almost NONE of that! I don't get it. Why on earth would they leave out the VERY BEST part of LP??? I was so looking forward to this album too! Oh well. I'll have to crank up the new Maiden for the 78978946498th time!


text:
Letter: Read up on city ordinances before parking in SLC
To those who park in Salt Lake City, beware: You'll be ticketed if you park a few extra inches from the curb.
When my wife returned to her car on 500 West, she found a $25 ticket for parking beyond 12 inches from the curb
She had a tape measure in the car; she measured her front tire. It was a few inches over the 12. When she explained to the parking enforcement person at the City County Building that the regulation was not posted anywhere, she was told the law is published in the city ordinances and in the DMV instruction book.
Costs to contest the citation could total $165 plus the $25 fine.
So if you plan to park: (1) Be familiar with all the city ordinances or carry a copy. (2) Refresh yourself on the rules in the DMV booket. (3) Carry a tape measure to check your position before leaving your car. (4) Always have the mayor's home phone number in case you need Becker the Biker to explain.
Plus, always carry a flashlight so you can read instructions on the sometimes-working parking permit towers after dark.
Bill Brennan
Salt Lake City
See more about comments here.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Anne Revere | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season View more items Anne Revere Performer ( b. Jun 25, 1903 New York, New York, USA - d. Dec 18, 1990 Locust Valley, New York, USA ) Female ProductionsAwards ProductionsDate of ProductionsToys in the Attic[Play, Drama, Original] Also Starring: Anne Revere [Anna Berniers]Feb 25, 1960 - Apr 08, 1961Jolly's Progress[Play, Original] Also Starring: Anne Revere [Emma Ford]Dec 05, 1959 - Dec 12, 1959Cue for Passion[Play, Drama, Original] Performer: Anne Revere [Mattie Haines]Nov 25, 1958 - Dec 27, 1958Four Twelves Are 48[Play, Comedy, Original] Performer: Anne Revere [Nellie Bawke]Jan 17, 1951 - Jan 18, 1951The Three Sisters[Play, Drama, Revival] Performer: Anne Revere [Masha]Oct 14, 1939 - Oct 21, 1939As You Like It[Play, Comedy, Revival] Performer: Anne Revere [Celia]Oct 30, 1937 - Nov 1937The Children's Hour[Play, Drama, Original] Performer: Anne Revere [Martha Dobie]Nov 20, 1934 - Jul 1936Double Door[Play, Melodrama, Original] Performer: Anne Revere [Caroline Van Bret]Sep 21, 1933 - Jan 1934Wild Waves[Play, Comedy, Original] Performer: Anne Revere [Miss Lehman]Feb 19, 1932 - Mar 1932The Lady with a Lamp[Play, Drama, Original] Performer: Anne Revere [A Nurse, Miss Pelt]Nov 19, 1931 - Nov 1931The Great Barrington[Play, Comedy, Original] Performer: Anne Revere [Katie]Feb 19, 1931 - Mar 1931 1960 Tony Award® Best Featured Actress in a PlayToys in the Attic [winner]Also Starring: Anne Revere Find out where Anne Revere and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)


text:
The Crossroads of the Aether
I am in need of assistance my fellow SPE staff and members. I have planned a rather extensive trip over to the continent of Europe. In the following passage I will show all the places I plan on visiting. While I have somewhat decided what the last three places are going to be on my list I have yet to decide what are going to be the first five cities I go to are. Here is the full list of the countries and major cities I plan on seeing. Edinburgh Scotland, London England, Barcelona Spain, Copenhagen Denmark, Amsterdam The Netherlands, Berlin Germany, Stockholm Sweden, and Geneva Switzerland. While I have loosely based the trip ending with these last three major cities in three different countries they are this thus far. First will be Edinburgh, Scotland. To be followed by going to London, England. Finally the last stop (currently) will be Barcelona, Spain. Granted I know the rest of the places I have chosen are relatively close. I need a start off point. Also, if you have a different recommendation as what the starting and ending places don't hesitate to suggest. This trip has yet to be set in stone, but I know it will eventually happen. Thank you and I bid all a fond farewell for now. Happy Traveling.
Views: 42
Well, I can tell you that I am going to take plenty of pictures (making sure the phone is empty of all things that take up space. So, you can live vicariously through the photos I have taken. As I mentioned in the addition to France I wanted to stay outside of Paris. The reasoning for this is their highly elitist attitude toward Americans in general. As far as my french goes, I know very little considering I never took a language in school thanks to being dyslexic. So, I have been hunting for translators on android to avoid awkward situations. As far as your assessment, and travel route, I really like the format and think I am going to follow your suggestions.
Must add, I wish I was making this trip!
Ah ok, now that I know how long you will be there that helps as well. Ten weeks, lets see, well I'd say there are definitely things in or around Paris (was there a long time ago as well, as well as Barcelona on the same trip) that are worth seeing. Do keep in mind the Chunnel/Eurostar train route is to Paris is the most common and its a fast train that most likely makes fewer stops along the way (what I'm seeing advertised is London to Paris in 2h 15m). However, staying for any length of time in Paris might not be what you want to do. The Parisians can be rather rude and snotty as a general rule to Americans, but I hear most places outside Paris its the opposite. How's your French (they appreciate folks who at least try to speak French)? There are plenty of things to see outside of Paris though in France, Versailles Palace is well worth seeing and is just outside Paris, there is the Loire Valley (tons of Castles, but haven't been there), also have heard that Avignon (was the seat of the Catholic church for a while) is interesting as well.
Also adding Ireland into the mix, at least as progressions go, if you are ending there you may want to rethink the order you go places (there may be other things involved I don't know about, so only a suggestion). Basically what I'm seeing now is a trip made of three large "loops". 2 northern loops and 1 southern. Loop 1: (start in Amsterdam? Schiphol Airport, landed and left from there-great airport one of 2 Int. airports in the Neth. ) Netherlands---->Denmark------->Sweden--------->Germany. Loop 2: (Start in Germany)------>Switzerland------->France (Perhaps some stops along the way)-------->Spain------------>France via Paris. Loop 3: (Starts in Paris) Paris-------->(chunnel) England (London)-------->Edinburgh---------->Ireland. I figure since the last place you are going is Ireland that loop will have to be last (yeah I know thank you captain Obvious), but Loops One and 2 could be interchanged and even run backward as they basically could both end up in France I think. Mind you I'm not a travel agent, so all this would have to be researched for viability/availability.
Anyway, keeping in mind that Western Europe's rail system is quite good and traveling from country to country (generally no more than a "day", Netherlands can be crossed in 4 1/2 hours top to bottom by train-done it) is like traveling from state to state here, you could do this in a more haphazard way as well from a centralized hub (say France for example). 10 weeks is certainly enough time to make a pretty good tour of Western Europe.
Ok, I am going to take your suggestion and add France the trip, but I want some place other than Paris but close enough to the chunnel so I can make a quick trip to london after my week in France, but balance everything out I am also going to end the trip in a lbgtq friendly town in Ireland to round out the trip to an entire time in Europe for ten weeks and two weeks in Buffalo and Niagara Falls for a total of two weeks to say hello to friends and get the rest of my belongings from my friends that are holding on to them.back in my old home town. Thank you.
Just as the "layout" and "progression" is concerned Edinburgh to London to Amsterdam works pretty good (good choices, been to each at least once in my life. So far as progression, I'd say that Amsterdam to Copenhagen Denmark to Stockholm Sweden to Berlin Germany makes good sense too. From there it's a big leap from Berlin to Barcelona Spain.....................I'd say stop somewhere in France along the way. That also would depend on your mode of transport. through France would make good sense if you go by train (the trains are far better in Europe than in the US, and prolly the cheapest mode of transport other than backpacking). If its by plane then I guess the order prolly won't make too much difference.
© 2015 Created by Hephzibah Marsh.


text:
Is a Romantic Sydney getaway package what you need to recharge those batteries? In Sydney's early history many would have liked to escape from The Rocks. Now you can escape to The Rocks with someone special to experience the vibrant hub of Sydney with this exciting package.
The Rocks Romantic Getaway Package includes buffet breakfast in Scarlett Restaurant in the heart of the historical Rocks precinct. Also receive a bottle of Australian sparkling wine and chocolate dipped strawberries upon arrival then relax and enjoy a late checkout to 1pm.
Take advantage of this Romantic Sydney Getaway package now.
*Rates are per room per night and is subject to availability.
Room Types & Rates
All room types are included and the room rate for this package is determined by the room type. Please click BOOK NOW to view our availability and rates.
Harbour Rocks Hotel is one of the best Sydney Rocks accommodation offering some wonderful Sydney accommodation packages. Whether you are looking for weekend getaways, Sydney conference venues or one of the best Sydney Harbour restaurants around, come and visit this very unique, boutique Sydney hotel accommodation.
Copyright © 2015 Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney
Sydney Harbour Restaurants – Boutique Hotels Sydney – Sydney Luxury Hotels
"Very pleasant and helpful staff. Much more intimate experience than in the larger impersonal hotels. Nice location in the Rocks near the bridge and Circular Quay. Good selection of restaurants on the doorstep."


text: Industry knowledge, Adaptability, Strategic thinking, Global perspective. In an era of unprecedented industry challenges, these are just some of the competencies today's utility managers must master in order to meet the growing demands of leadership. UEC's competency-based curriculum ensures a well-rounded learning experience, allowing participants to increase knowledge and skills while finding new ways to enhance professional effectiveness. The program is committed to developing the capabilities of all its participants in five major areas of competency:


text:
Product Description
Butterflies take flight in this beautiful dreamland Butterfly Tent. 18 glittery butterflies will rest on this lovely purple tulle netting that makes this flowing canopy. It can be hung from the ceiling or used outside on sunny days, hung from a tree limb or other overhead structure. Canopy opens with tie backs. Enough ribbon to hang from standard ceiling. Comes with a convenient zipper bag for storage.


text:
eBook Category: Mystery/Crime
eBook Description: Dave Bolt doesn't know what the Racers' star quarterback has to do with the game no gambler would touch, but it smells like a mighty fishy fix. When Jimmy Quinn doesn't show for a meeting and has disappeared, Bolt suspects more than a thrown game. Quinn's books show a few shady deals, but nothing too suspicious. Now Bolt has a dead gambler on his hands, and what he wants to know is--is Quinn next on the list or a cold-blooded killer? No one ever said the sports business was a cup of tea and Dave Bolt takes his coffee strong, bitter and black.
eBook Publisher: E-Reads, Published: 2004
Fictionwise Release Date: July 2004
4 Reader Ratings:
Trust your agent and God, in that order.
That is Dave Bolt's First Law, and it ought to be engraved on the heart of every professional athlete seeking representation. Sure, we players' agents are fallible, but our judgment in money matters is infinitely superior to that of most athletes, believe me.
Jimmy Quinn didn't believe me, and he paid through the nose.
Jimmy was quarterback of the Indianapolis Racers, then in its second year as a National Football League expansion club. My handsome, rusty-haired, freckle-faced client, a former Ohio State star, had led his team into a place of contention in the Central Division and they were clinging to first place late in the season. He wasn't a spectacular quarterback, but he had poise and maturity far beyond his twenty-three years. His specialty was not making mistakes, a skill I'll trade for any three others you can name. He'd been intercepted four times the whole season. He knew how to throw the ball away, eat it, or take a rushing lineman's best shot while getting off a last-moment pass. If he stayed healthy, he was surely destined to become a biggie.
His call came in as I was downing the tail end of a pastrami-rye-light -- mustard-hold-the-coleslaw -- and a Coke in my office on a Monday afternoon in the third week of November. The Racers were scheduled to go against the Detroit Lions in Indianapolis on Monday Night Football that evening, with the revived second-place Lions bidding for a tie in the standings with the Racers. It was a game I wouldn't have missed for anything, and I'd been looking forward all day to settling down in front of a twenty-one-inch screen with some close friends that evening. The last thing I'd have predicted is that I'd be sitting in Racer Stadium watching it live, but that's what happened.
Jimmy's call took the form of a screen play. A friendly, open "Hi, Dave. How's things?"
"Hey, Jimmy! Things are just dandy. You up for the game?"
"Higher 'n a satellite. How'd you like to come out here and see us ream the Lions tonight? I can put you in the best seats in the house."
It was tempting, but I said, "Much as I'd love to, I've got some pressing appointments early tomorrow morning. I'm afraid I'll have to be a no-show. But I'll be watching--"
"Dave?" His voice had dropped in timbre from happy-go-lucky to grave, and here's where he delivered his screen pass. "Dave, I... I really need to see you."
"What's the matter, buddy?"
"A problem."
"Why don't you hit me with it over the phone?"
"I really can't."
"Can you give me a hint?"
"Mmm... no. No, I really can't."
"I wouldn't trouble you this way if it wasn't serious. I'll pay your air fare."
"Shit, I don't care about that." I drummed my fingers on the desk and opened my appointment calendar. I was booked solid tomorrow morning -- a breakfast with Alvin Dark, a midmorning meeting with Red Auerbach, and lunch with some people from Wilson Sporting Goods to discuss endorsements by some of my clients. Engagements not to be broken lightly. I said as much to Jimmy. As I had a critical and absolutely unbreakable meeting this afternoon, I wouldn't be able to get away until late, so I couldn't see Jimmy before the game. Meaning we'd have to get together afterwards, meaning I couldn't catch a flight back to New York till the following day. "Now, is it that serious, Jimmy?"
"Uh... yes," he said, his voice cracking with nervousness.
"Okay, where do you want to get together?"
"There's a restaurant, Barber's, everyone knows where it is. I'll meet you there a little after midnight."
"Unless there's an overtime," I sighed.
"There's not going to be an overtime," he said confidently.
True to his word, Jimmy arranged for me to have the best seats in the newly completed stadium. Located in the second tier on the fifty-yard line, they obviously had been designated by the architect to be the focal point of the bitter winter wind that swept off the prairie and funneled through the open west end of the stadium. Even my forethought in bringing two sweaters, a mouton overcoat, a heavy wool scarf, a knit woolen hat, and a pint flask of Wild Turkey availed little to ward off the vicious chill of the Indiana night. They say that in cold weather a man's scrotum stretches tight in order to bring his balls closer to his warm body. Well, five minutes into the first quarter mine was stretched tighter than the skins on Buddy Rich's drums as my balls sought refuge somewhere in the region of my pancreas.
I will say, though, that the game did some to take my mind off the cold. Both the Lions and the Racers wanted to win something awful, and they came out popping. Greg Landry, the Lion's QB and for my money one of the best in the NFL, was never sharper, marching his reconstituted team -- there'd been a purge of veterans after their last catastrophic season -- up-field from their own twenty-eight-yard line deep into Racer territory on the strength of a purely passing offense which caught the Racers off balance. Not a single ground play did Landry essay until, with third down and five to go on the Racers' eighteen, he called a draw that caught the Racers' middle linebacker, Gene Harvey, on a blitz. The play went for thirteen yards, then Landry, after two fruitless attempts to crack the Racers' line with off-tackle plays, bootlegged the ball into the end zone without a finger being laid on him.
But Jimmy Quinn brought the Racers right back with a ninety-yard march, and, almost as a way of thumbing his nose at Greg Landry, Jimmy picked up most of it in the air. It was mostly nickle-and-dime, slant-ins, square-outs, and buttonhooks for four or five yards at a time, a bruising end-sweep to pick up the first down, then back to aerials. A honey of a screen, with Quinn permitting himself to be chased fifteen yards before unloading to his halfback Enos Jespersen, went for sixteen yards, then Jimmy uncorked a nifty bullet to his tight end Jerry Scorese threading the needle of the Lion's zone defense on a deep slant. The safety brought him down on the five, and on the next play Jesperson barged through a gantlet of Lion defenders to tumble into the end zone.
"And it looks like we have a game!" Frank Gifford was blaring on a portable television set sitting in the lap of a fan in front of me.
"Indisputably, Giff," affirmed the voice of Guess Who.
"Of course, if I'd been playing on that defensive line," deadpanned former Detroit rushing great Alex Karras, "Jesperson would've got in a lot faster."
"If you're fishing for a compliment," Cosell retorted, "you'll find me taking the bait with alacrity, Alex Karras. If you'd been on that line, I guarantee Jespersen would have been stopped dead in his tracks."
"Shucks, Howard, you're only saying that because I outweigh you by seventy-five pounds," Karras came back.
The rest of the quarter settled into a defensive duel with two exchanges of punts, then Greg Landry found his second wind and took his team seventy yards for a touchdown, forty-five of them on the wings of a perfectly thrown deep sideline pass to a wing-footed rookie wide receiver named Phil Becker. Jimmy Quinn shifted to a ground game after finding a weak spot in the Lions' rushing end, but finished a long drive that started on his own six with three gorgeous completions to wide end, tight end, and halfback respectively. And just before the half ended, the Racers advanced far enough into Lion territory to pick up a field goal. Going into the locker room, the Racers held a three-point edge, 17 -- 14.
It took a major effort of will to motivate my muscles to propel me out of my seat. I knew how those Arctic explorers felt when they were tempted to lie down in the midst of a blizzard and lapse into that sweet icy sleep from which there is no awakening. But I managed to pull myself into something of an erect posture and forge my way to a concession stand. I'm not crazy about hot chocolate, but at that point I'd have gladly consumed a quart of pure arsenic as long as it was hot.
I dropped in on Gifford, Cosell, and Karras in the broadcasting booth, pressed flesh, and exchanged pleasantries. Frank was kind enough to arrange for me to sit in an enclosed press box with some ABC station executives who'd also fled from the cold front, and I spent the second half in shirtsleeves complaining about the intolerable heat. But at least my game leg (the ankle injury that forced my premature retirement from the Dallas Cowboys acts up in cold, damp weather) thawed out and the prospect of confinement to a wheelchair was postponed for a few years.
The third quarter was a distinct disappointment after the exciting first two. Both teams played sluggishly, and I suspect they'd gotten too comfortable in their warm locker rooms. The Lions nudged a field goal over the crossbars from thirty yards out to tie the score, but the period was played entirely between the twenty-five-yard markers and I actually dozed off for a minute, only to find nothing had transpired during my nap. Undoubtedly the respective coaches laid some sharp words on their boys between quarters, because when play resumed we were plunged back into the brand of football we'd witnessed in the first half. A Racer interception on Landry woke up the offense and fans alike, and Jimmy Quinn came on strong with as pretty a march as you're likely to see, weaving ground and air games into a tapestry of rare loveliness. Racers 24, Lions 17. The Lions didn't come back on their own set of downs, but after an exchange of punts Landry electrified his teammates with a run on a busted play that netted him twenty-five yards, and instead of running out of bounds as a prudent quarterback ought to do when a safety is coming up with blood in his eye, Landry lowered his shoulder and bowled the startled player over, reminding me of Joe Kapp in his heyday. Landry then assembled a drive that took the Lions in on six plays. Tie game again.
Then the Lion defense sagged when its capstone, middle linebacker Herb Ryder, got his bell rung and wobbled off the field wondering what year it was. Jimmy Quinn exploited it immediately with a series of slants aimed at befuddling Ryder's rookie replacement. Four plays later, Quinn took the ball in on a sneak, and when the Lions fumbled the kickoff, Quinn shattered the game open like a piñata with a perfectly thrown post pattern to his tight end, and that was the ball game.
I traipsed out of the stadium, clinging to the crowd to extract a little extra warmth against the frigid blasts that awaited us outside. Luckily, there was a long line of taxis scooping up fares as fast as customers could jump in. As Jimmy had predicted, the driver knew where Barber's was and drove me to a modern, spacious restaurant on the ground floor of a newly erected skyscraper in midtown about six minutes from the stadium. I waited at the bar for half an hour nursing a Galliano on the rocks, a rare departure from my customary bourbon, but I'd had enough of my customary bourbon for one night and the sweet liqueur soothed my stomach and prepared it for the sumptuous dinner ahead. But after forty-five minutes I began to get a little impatient and a lot hungry, and after an hour I began to get worried.
I had no phone number for the Racers' locker room, even assuming Jimmy was still there, so on the off chance he might have gone home for some inexplicable reason, I called there. A female voice answered, sonorous and well modulated, like an executive secretary's. This would be Jimmy's wife Carol, whom I'd never met.
"Mrs. Quinn?"
"Dave Bolt."
There was a pause, which I interpreted as confusion.
"Is Jimmy there?" I asked.
"Why, no. Isn't he with you? He said he was meeting you after the game."
"He hasn't arrived yet."
"How odd."
"He didn't call you, or anything?"
"Does he usually loiter around the locker room after a game?"
"Not for an hour. Not when he has an appointment. Look, I have the private number for the locker room. Give me the number you're calling from, and I'll call you right back."
I read the number off the phone, hung up, and waited. A trickle of adrenaline accelerated my heartbeat, but I'd been around ballplayers too long to get genuinely concerned.
Genuine concern came a minute later when Carol called back and said Jimmy had left the stadium forty-five minutes ago. And the adrenaline valves really opened when Carol said, "I was afraid something like this was going to happen."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure," she said, voice now trembling with anxiety. "But he's been nervous, uptight, all week. Something's been bothering him, and I don't mean worry about the game. In fact, Jimmy doesn't worry about games. This was something else, and something important."
"Do you have a clue what it might be?"
"No. Oh, of course..."
She censored the thought and I said, "Of course what? It might be a woman?"
"It wouldn't be the first time," she said resignedly.
"Mrs. Quinn, can you come down here now?"
"No, there's no one to watch the kids. But maybe you can come over here. We're only fifteen minutes away from where you are."
She gave me directions and, after leaving word with the maître d' where I was going to be in case Jimmy finally turned up, I hailed a taxi and directed him to a suburb named Beechwood and a street named Alvin Court. The third house on the left was a small ranch house which looked like the first house on the left, the second house on the left the fourth house on the left, the first house on the right, ad suburbum. It was just right for the income bracket of a second-year quarterback, but if Jimmy carried his team to the playoffs, he'd be looking for larger quarters in the spring. His contract came up for renewal, and visions of many digits danced in my head, or had until today. They'd been replaced by some chilling fantasies, and as I pushed the bell it was all I could do to force a knot of fear back down my gullet. Up to now I'd been hoping against hope that Jimmy had blown some minor problem out of proportion, a hundred-dollar overdraft at his bank or something. But I knew it was not to be. You just had to be standing there in the middle of a dark Indianapolis suburb at one-thirty in the morning, when all good little quarterbacks are snug in bed with their wives and lights out, to know it was not to be.
It is all but federal law that dashing young quarterbacks must have beautiful wives, but I must say I wasn't prepared for the beauty that greeted me at the door. Between her mention of kids, and the lateness of the hour when even movie starlets tend to look a little frumpy, I'd expected a woman somewhat on the heavy side in a flannel robe, bunny rabbit slippers, and curlers. Rarely have expectations been so gratifyingly disappointed. Carol Quinn was tall, lithe, soft, and beautiful. She had long brunette hair brushed to a high gloss, framing a face that was faintly Eurasian in bone structure, wide almond eyes, a slightly snubbed nose, generous lips. Her complexion was a beige tint highlighted by a kind of sunrise pink and so smooth it looked as though it had been finished with a jeweler's cloth.
She wore a sand-colored chiffon negligee over a flowing nightgown that invited stares but rewarded them only with the almost imperceptible button outlines of her nipples on small, high breasts, still a bounteous reward considering what I'd imagined I'd find standing on the other side of the door.
Her mouth was drawn down with worry but she managed a warm smile as she reached out to press my hand, a hand so cold it sent a shiver through her. I realized I was standing stupidly in the doorway, and I stepped inside, shuddering.
I removed my coat, scarf, and hat and draped them over a little chair in the hallway, and Carol led me into the living room. Her chiffon swished as she moved, and she left a trail of fragrance that elicited naughty fantasies from my brain. The living room was boxy and simply furnished, but Carol apparently had a nice decorator's touch. The inexpensive colonial furniture, rust-colored carpet, and bright print draperies were sensitively mixed and matched. Despite so many opportunities for vulgarity, Carol had created a warm and comfortable home.
"You look like you could use a drink," she said, gliding to a bar-cart in a corner of the room.
"As a matter of fact, I've used enough drink for one evening, thank you. But if you wouldn't mind putting up some coffee, don't trouble yourself, instant will do just fine..."
"Certainly, but if you don't mind..." She poured herself a stiffish glass of vodka over a single ice cube. "I haven't had quite enough to drink, myself. Not that I'm a drinker..."
"I think you can be excused, considering the circumstances."
She demolished half the glass in one swig without wincing, making me wonder how valid was her protest that she wasn't a drinker. "Will you have a bite to eat, too?" she asked, flowing toward a swinging door that obviously led to the kitchen.
"If it's not too much trouble. I'm kind of... well, famished is what I'm kind of." I started for the kitchen, but she waved me off.
"You sit right there. I'll be back in one minute."
I was too jumpy to sit, so I paced the room while Carol tinkered in the kitchen, looking at a little collection of seashells, then at a shelf of books, divided into industrial engineering texts belonging to Jimmy, bestsellers and Book-of-the-Month Club selections for Carol. I halted in front of an antique mirror and grimaced at my own face. Even at the best of times I grimace at my face, or at least at my poor old nose, a collection of bone-shards no longer than a match head, compliments of high school, college, military, and professional football players and one jealous husband. I keep resolving to have my nose fixed now that I don't play football any more, but I really can't spare the time, and besides, in the back of my head is the suspicion that I haven't met the last of the jealous husbands.
The rattle of plates on a tray underlined that thought.
I raked my hair with my fingernails, kinky ochre hair that betrays a liaison between an ancestor and a slave girl, which makes me certifiably lynchable in the South, though the hair is the only hint that I'm not of pure Anglo stock; the hair, I should say, and an ineffable compassion for people of the black race.
One last check-out in the mirror, because I felt this inexplicable urge to be as attractive as possible when Carol Quinn came back through the kitchen door. Not bad, not bad, but only hot food and coffee would drain the purple out of my cheeks from the bitterly cold night.
She swept back into the room trailing clouds of glory and bearing a tray laden with meat loaf, a pitcher of gravy, and a mug of coffee steaming tantalizingly. "The meat loaf is cold," she apologized, "but the gravy is warm and the coffee is like lava."
"You're very kind," I said, plunging into the repast while Carol refilled her vodka glass and sipped from it, watching me eat with a kind of Jewish Mother pleasure. I ate fast, not just because I was hungry, but also because I wanted to talk. I finished, suppressed a belch, sipped some coffee, and leaned forward in my chair. "Mrs. Quinn--"
"Carol, please." Her dark eyes kindled slightly with the invitation to familiarity.
"Carol. You said that Jimmy was nervous, upset, all week long. You don't know why, what it might be?"
She shook her head, her tresses swirling from shoulder to shoulder in slow motion, like someone in a shampoo commercial. 'Did Jimmy have money problems?" I asked.
"Just the usual, making-ends-meet problems. Actually, come to think of it, he told me not too long ago that we were in good shape. Some kind of investment he'd made had panned out, and we have a cushion."
"Did he tell you what that investment was?"
She pulled her legs up under her on the couch opposite me and smoothed her negligee down with graceful hands. "No."
"Now, don't be mad at me, but -- did Jimmy ever associate with anyone suspicious? You know, gambler types?"
"I seriously doubt it. He's very... um... moral about things like that. In fact, he once bawled out a teammate of his for talking too much to a stranger at a bar. No, I can't believe Jimmy would get mixed up in anything like gambling."
Though I broke off that line of questioning, I reserved judgment on Carol's reply. A ballplayer could very well be up to his ears in gambling and his wife wouldn't have a scintilla of suspicion. For the next question I moderated my voice; it dealt with a subject as delicate as Flemish lace. "You said something about other women. Do you mind... uh... elaborating?"
She sighed and lubricated her throat with vodka for the difficult conversation ahead. "There've been other girls, what can I say?"
"Looking at you, I know what I'd say."
She looked at me with appreciation tinged with something volatile and dangerous, as if her need for flattery approached desperation. Her ego had been badly bruised, and she clutched at my compliment like a floating spar in a shipwreck. "You wouldn't say it if you'd seen me pregnant, which I was for eighteen out of the first twenty-two months of our marriage."
"I understand," I said, flashing back to the time when Nancy, now my ex-wife, was pregnant with Jody. For a man with normal sexual appetites, pregnancy is almost as difficult as it is for his wife. Jimmy wouldn't be the first man to have sought relief outside his marriage during that trying period.
"But you're not pregnant now," I said, taking advantage of a natural opportunity to study Carol's soft body directly. She certainly wasn't pregnant; except perhaps with a needy sexuality that unnerved me.
"Bite your tongue!" she laughed. "No, I'm not. But Jimmy's tasted the apple. And God knows he has enough girls to choose from. He needs a fullback to run interference for him when he comes out of the locker room."
"All I meant was, now that you're back in good shape -- in lovely, lovely shape..." It was madness to flirt with her this way, but the normal mechanism of restraint seemed to have broken down and the words just rolled out of my throat unchecked.
She ran a hand through her hair seductively, and God knows where things would have gone from there had not the phone rung. "There's our boy now," I said with a breeziness I didn't really feel.
"I don't think so," she said, rising in a fluid motion and crossing the room to the telephone on a table beside a rocking chair in the corner. "When I called the locker room, I spoke to Hobie Gilmore. He said he'd call. He wanted to speak to you."
Gilmore was head coach of the Racers, a highly respected and popular man around the league and a hometown Hoosier favorite, as he'd starred for Indiana University and later coached them before becoming an assistant coach with the Houston Oilers. He'd then been tapped for the head coach slot when the NFL awarded a franchise to a syndicate of Indianapolis investors. His popularity was always a puzzle to me; he was a dour, testy man who hated the press, scorned public relations, and disdained anything that did not bear directly on improving his team. But he'd fired the rookie club up from the first minute he took command, sparking them to a winning record the first year and now a place of contention the second, and the press accepted his abuse good-naturedly -- as long as the Racers won.
Carol picked up the phone and answered it breathlessly, obviously cherishing the slim hope that it was Jimmy. Her shoulders drooped when the caller identified himself, and she held the phone out to me.
"Hello, Hobie. Any word on Jimmy?" I said.
"No. You?" His voice was a nasal baritone, and he spoke in grunts.
"No. Do you have any ideas?"
"I didn't until half time."
"What happened at half time?"
"You know somebody named Barry Posner?"
"Sounds familiar, but I can't place it exactly."
"He's a member of the Commissioner's security staff."
I snapped my fingers. "Right." The Commissioner retains a number of men whose sole duty is to investigate rumors of suspicious activities among pro football players, especially those related to gambling. The nicest thing I've heard football players call them is police, but they're a grim necessity and will always be until the Second Coming when mankind is redeemed and made incorruptible.
"Posner collared me outside the locker room," Gilmore said. "He told me tonight's game had been taken off the boards early this afternoon."
"Whoo boy," I groaned. "Taken off the boards" is gambling parlance for calling off all bets. Bookies will stop taking betting action on a game if they have any reason to believe there's something fishy about it. The NFL security boys like this Barry Posner keep their fingers firmly on the pulses of bookies, betting operations, and the people who make up the odds, in order to detect precisely such a flutter.
So much for Carol's confidence that Jimmy couldn't possibly be involved in gambling.
But, of course, this was jumping to conclusions. On the other hand, the connection between Gilmore's news and Jimmy's disappearance was too ominously logical to dismiss lightly.
"Did Posner have any notion as to why?" I asked.
"Yes. He said someone dumped a ton of money on the game, taking Detroit on the point spread."
"What was the spread? Four?"
"Five. We were favored by five."
"Who was it who put the money down, did Posner know?"
"No, he's checking into it now. Whoever it was tried to screen his bet by going through half a dozen front men around the country, but rumors started flying, and you know how fast rumors fly through the gambling network."
"Faster than a joke," I said. I thought about it for a moment, fishing for an intelligent question hovering just out of reach. Then it came to me. "Did Posner say exactly when the game was taken off the boards?"
"I told you, he said early this afternoon."
"He wasn't more specific than that?"
"No. Why?"
"Just curious," I fibbed.
Gilmore didn't buy it. "You know something."
"No, honest," I protested.
"Why did you fly out here today? Not just to freeze your ass off watching a football game."
"I have other business out here," I replied casually, seeing no reason to draw Gilmore into the matter at this stage.
"Why don't I believe you?" Gilmore said.
"Oh, ye of little faith! Do me a favor: call me if you learn anything more."
"Where will you be?"
That was a good question. Jimmy had said he'd book an accommodation for me, but he didn't say where. I put my hand over the mouthpiece. "Did Jimmy say what hotel he was putting me up in?" I asked Carol.
She looked at me, first levelly, then meaningfully. "It's too late for you to go hunting up a hotel. You can stay here."
I uncupped the mouthpiece, gulping. "Uh, I'm not sure yet. I'll call you tomorrow morning."
"Posner's going to want to speak to you. And we'll have to prepare a story for the press."
I put the phone on the receiver and looked at Carol. She was draped on the couch, her dark hair shimmering in the quiet light, her negligee flowing in gentle swirls along the contours of her body. "I don't want to put you to any trouble," I said politely.
"It's no trouble," she said softly. "It's no trouble at all."
Copyright © 1975 by Richard Curtis


text:
We spotted a fairy and gnome or two during our Enchanted program on Wednesday afternoon in the Children's Room.
What better way to beat the heat than spend the afternoon in the library? This week as part of our Dig Into Reading summer reading program, the Children's Room hosted an Enchanted party all about gnomes, elves and fairies! We read The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies by Ammi-Joan Paquette before going off to try all sorts of fun activities. Library friends tried their hand at gnome bowling, created fairy and gnome houses out of cardboard tubes, discovered their fairy & gnommish names, and tied a ribbon on our fairy tree. We still have lots of fairy, elf, and gnome books to check out in case you missed the fun yesterday.
Next week Wednesday, July 24 we'll be hosting musician Stuart Stotts for an afternoon concert at 1:30pm. Story Sparklers family story time continues Monday July 22 at 10am as well - see you soon!
Read the Library Newsletter


text:
Grantee Profile
Center for Responsible Lending
Grants to Center for Responsible Lending
$2,000,000Active Strategy
2011 (Duration 4 years)
MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — The proposed grant will be used to build a permanent endowment so that CRL can continue its work in addressing the need for safe, sustainable credit products. Earnings on this endowment will allow the organization to engage in a strategic planning process, so that it may address both the current opportunity for implementation of the reforms from the Dodd-Frank bill and its changing role as watchdog for the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
$500,000Active Strategy
2008 (Inactive Grant)
Community & Economic Development
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — In support of research, policy analysis, and public education to curb predatory lending and to advance a comprehensive home foreclosure prevention and mitigation initiative in the City of Chicago (over two years).
The MacArthur Foundation awarded Center for Responsible Lending $2,500,000 between 2002 and 2015.
Related NewsSee All
"CFPB: Regulation Done Right"
Related Grantee: Center for Responsible Lending


text:
Jim Suttie: Let your divot be your teacher
If you hit a bad shot, you obviously want to improve that shot the next time you try it. Since you can't see yourself and you don't have a teacher there telling you what to do to improve, you have to rely on different forms of feedback information.
There are basically four feedback mechanisms that give you information on the quality of your swing:
The ball's flight (direction, distance, and trajectory),The place on the club where the ball hit,The feel of the shot.The size and direction of the divot.
In this tip, I will concentrate on how to read your divot to give you some indication of what you did on your previous swing.
For example, if you are taking very thick divots, it would mean that your swing could be getting too high and, consequently, too steep and choppy. The correction would be to try to make a flatter, more rounded swing. This will shallow out your downswing and get rid of the deep divot. I am also sure the greens superintendent will become a better friend.
Then there are those of you who don't even take a divot when you hit an iron. If this is you, you probably hit a lot of thin shots because you are simply "picking" the ball off the turf by hitting too inside-out on the downswing with an arm swing only.
All of these players hit with their weight on their right side at impact. If you don't take a divot, then I would put a golf tee four inches in front of the ball and try to hit the tee on every swing. This will create a divot in front of the ball and make your weight move to the left leg at impact. Watch your iron game improve immediately.
Examine your divot after impact and see where it is pointed. If the outside of the divot is deep and the direction of it is going to the left, then you can assume you are swinging outside-in across the ball.
In most cases, this produces pulled shots and pull slices. This type of divot is always caused by starting the downswing with the right shoulder or right hand. I would fix this by simply thinking that you are swinging from 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock. This will create an inside-out approach to the ball and a slight hook.
If your divots tend to be toe-deep then you are, most likely, turning the club too early in the downswing. The fix would be to use your lower body more and your hands, arms and wrists less.
Generally speaking, most amateurs should try to create a long and shallow divot after impact. This divot should be even on both sides. It also should point at the intended target.
To practice getting a better divot, you might want to put two clubs on the ground aiming at the target. Just give yourself enough room to swing you club through that area. Just practice getting a better divot and watch your swing get better.
If all you want for Christmas is a better ball flight then I would start by making a better divot.
Dr. Jim Suttie, 2000 National PGA Teacher of the Year, is available for lessons at Suttie Golf at the Club at Twin Eagles North Naples and Cog Hill Golf Club, Lemont, Ill. For lessons and program information call 800-765-3838 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Subscribe to the Naples Daily News
Need Help? Call us at 1-888-878-6842.
Monday-Friday: 6am-6pm / Saturday: 7am-3pm / Sunday: 7am-2pm


text:
You limited your search to:
Partner: UNT Libraries
Language: English
Degree Discipline: Computer Science
Degree Level: Doctoral
Collection: UNT Theses and Dissertations
3D Reconstruction Using Lidar and Visual Images
Date: December 2012
Creator: Duraisamy, Prakash
Description: In this research, multi-perspective image registration using LiDAR and visual images was considered. 2D-3D image registration is a difficult task because it requires the extraction of different semantic features from each modality. This problem is solved in three parts. The first step involves detection and extraction of common features from each of the data sets. The second step consists of associating the common features between two different modalities. Traditional methods use lines or orthogonal corners as common features. The third step consists of building the projection matrix. Many existing methods use global positing system (GPS) or inertial navigation system (INS) for an initial estimate of the camera pose. However, the approach discussed herein does not use GPS, INS, or any such devices for initial estimate; hence the model can be used in places like the lunar surface or Mars where GPS or INS are not available. A variation of the method is also described, which does not require strong features from both images but rather uses intensity gradients in the image. This can be useful when one image does not have strong features (such as lines) or there are too many extraneous features.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Adaptive Planning and Prediction in Agent-Supported Distributed Collaboration.
Date: December 2004
Creator: Hartness, Ken T. N.
Description: Agents that act as user assistants will become invaluable as the number of information sources continue to proliferate. Such agents can support the work of users by learning to automate time-consuming tasks and filter information to manageable levels. Although considerable advances have been made in this area, it remains a fertile area for further development. One application of agents under careful scrutiny is the automated negotiation of conflicts between different user's needs and desires. Many techniques require explicit user models in order to function. This dissertation explores a technique for dynamically constructing user models and the impact of using them to anticipate the need for negotiation. Negotiation is reduced by including an advising aspect to the agent that can use this anticipation of conflict to adjust user behavior.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
An Algorithm for the PLA Equivalence Problem
Date: December 1995
Creator: Moon, Gyo Sik
Description: The Programmable Logic Array (PLA) has been widely used in the design of VLSI circuits and systems because of its regularity, flexibility, and simplicity. The equivalence problem is typically to verify that the final description of a circuit is functionally equivalent to its initial description. Verifying the functional equivalence of two descriptions is equivalent to proving their logical equivalence. This problem of pure logic is essential to circuit design. The most widely used technique to solve the problem is based on Binary Decision Diagram or BDD, proposed by Bryant in 1986. Unfortunately, BDD requires too much time and space to represent moderately large circuits for equivalence testing. We design and implement a new algorithm called the Cover-Merge Algorithm for the equivalence problem based on a divide-and-conquer strategy using the concept of cover and a derivational method. We prove that the algorithm is sound and complete. Because of the NP-completeness of the problem, we emphasize simplifications to reduce the search space or to avoid redundant computations. Simplification techniques are incorporated into the algorithm as an essential part to speed up the the derivation process. Two different sets of heuristics are developed for two opposite goals: one for the proof of equivalence ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Algorithms for Efficient Utilization of Wireless Bandwidth and to Provide Quality-of-Service in Wireless Networks
Date: August 2000
Creator: Kakani, Naveen Kumar
Description: This thesis presents algorithms to utilize the wireless bandwidth efficiently and at the same time meet the quality of service (QoS) requirements of the users. In the proposed algorithms we present an adaptive frame structure based upon the airlink frame loss probability and control the admission of call requests into the system based upon the load on the system and the QoS requirements of the incoming call requests. The performance of the proposed algorithms is studied by developing analytical formulations and simulation experiments. Finally we present an admission control algorithm which uses an adaptive delay computation algorithm to compute the queuing delay for each class of traffic and adapts the service rate and the reliability in the estimates based upon the deviation in the expected and obtained performance. We study the performance of the call admission control algorithm by simulation experiments. Simulation results for the adaptive frame structure algorithm show an improvement in the number of users in the system but there is a drop in the system throughput. In spite of the lower throughput the adaptive frame structure algorithm has fewer QoS delay violations. The adaptive call admission control algorithm adapts the call dropping probability of different classes of ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Automatic Speech Recognition Using Finite Inductive Sequences
Date: August 1996
Creator: Cherri, Mona Youssef, 1956-
Description: This dissertation addresses the general problem of recognition of acoustic signals which may be derived from speech, sonar, or acoustic phenomena. The specific problem of recognizing speech is the main focus of this research. The intention is to design a recognition system for a definite number of discrete words. For this purpose specifically, eight isolated words from the T1MIT database are selected. Four medium length words "greasy," "dark," "wash," and "water" are used. In addition, four short words are considered "she," "had," "in," and "all." The recognition system addresses the following issues: filtering or preprocessing, training, and decision-making. The preprocessing phase uses linear predictive coding of order 12. Following the filtering process, a vector quantization method is used to further reduce the input data and generate a finite inductive sequence of symbols representative of each input signal. The sequences generated by the vector quantization process of the same word are factored, and a single ruling or reference template is generated and stored in a codebook. This system introduces a new modeling technique which relies heavily on the basic concept that all finite sequences are finitely inductive. This technique is used in the training stage. In order to accommodate the variabilities ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Autonomic Failure Identification and Diagnosis for Building Dependable Cloud Computing Systems
Date: May 2014
Creator: Guan, Qiang
Description: The increasingly popular cloud-computing paradigm provides on-demand access to computing and storage with the appearance of unlimited resources. Users are given access to a variety of data and software utilities to manage their work. Users rent virtual resources and pay for only what they use. In spite of the many benefits that cloud computing promises, the lack of dependability in shared virtualized infrastructures is a major obstacle for its wider adoption, especially for mission-critical applications. Virtualization and multi-tenancy increase system complexity and dynamicity. They introduce new sources of failure degrading the dependability of cloud computing systems. To assure cloud dependability, in my dissertation research, I develop autonomic failure identification and diagnosis techniques that are crucial for understanding emergent, cloud-wide phenomena and self-managing resource burdens for cloud availability and productivity enhancement. We study the runtime cloud performance data collected from a cloud test-bed and by using traces from production cloud systems. We define cloud signatures including those metrics that are most relevant to failure instances. We exploit profiled cloud performance data in both time and frequency domain to identify anomalous cloud behaviors and leverage cloud metric subspace analysis to automate the diagnosis of observed failures. We implement a prototype of the ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Bayesian Probabilistic Reasoning Applied to Mathematical Epidemiology for Predictive Spatiotemporal Analysis of Infectious Diseases
Date: May 2006
Creator: Abbas, Kaja Moinudeen
Description: Abstract Probabilistic reasoning under uncertainty suits well to analysis of disease dynamics. The stochastic nature of disease progression is modeled by applying the principles of Bayesian learning. Bayesian learning predicts the disease progression, including prevalence and incidence, for a geographic region and demographic composition. Public health resources, prioritized by the order of risk levels of the population, will efficiently minimize the disease spread and curtail the epidemic at the earliest. A Bayesian network representing the outbreak of influenza and pneumonia in a geographic region is ported to a newer region with different demographic composition. Upon analysis for the newer region, the corresponding prevalence of influenza and pneumonia among the different demographic subgroups is inferred for the newer region. Bayesian reasoning coupled with disease timeline is used to reverse engineer an influenza outbreak for a given geographic and demographic setting. The temporal flow of the epidemic among the different sections of the population is analyzed to identify the corresponding risk levels. In comparison to spread vaccination, prioritizing the limited vaccination resources to the higher risk groups results in relatively lower influenza prevalence. HIV incidence in Texas from 1989-2002 is analyzed using demographic based epidemic curves. Dynamic Bayesian networks are integrated with ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Boosting for Learning From Imbalanced, Multiclass Data Sets
Date: December 2013
Creator: Abouelenien, Mohamed
Description: In many real-world applications, it is common to have uneven number of examples among multiple classes. The data imbalance, however, usually complicates the learning process, especially for the minority classes, and results in deteriorated performance. Boosting methods were proposed to handle the imbalance problem. These methods need elongated training time and require diversity among the classifiers of the ensemble to achieve improved performance. Additionally, extending the boosting method to handle multi-class data sets is not straightforward. Examples of applications that suffer from imbalanced multi-class data can be found in face recognition, where tens of classes exist, and in capsule endoscopy, which suffers massive imbalance between the classes. This dissertation introduces RegBoost, a new boosting framework to address the imbalanced, multi-class problems. This method applies a weighted stratified sampling technique and incorporates a regularization term that accommodates multi-class data sets and automatically determines the error bound of each base classifier. The regularization parameter penalizes the classifier when it misclassifies instances that were correctly classified in the previous iteration. The parameter additionally reduces the bias towards majority classes. Experiments are conducted using 12 diverse data sets with moderate to high imbalance ratios. The results demonstrate superior performance of the proposed method compared ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Computational Complexity of Hopfield Networks
Date: August 1998
Creator: Tseng, Hung-Li
Description: There are three main results in this dissertation. They are PLS-completeness of discrete Hopfield network convergence with eight different restrictions, (degree 3, bipartite and degree 3, 8-neighbor mesh, dual of the knight's graph, hypercube, butterfly, cube-connected cycles and shuffle-exchange), exponential convergence behavior of discrete Hopfield network, and simulation of Turing machines by discrete Hopfield Network.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Convexity-Preserving Scattered Data Interpolation
Date: December 1995
Creator: Leung, Nim Keung
Description: Surface fitting methods play an important role in many scientific fields as well as in computer aided geometric design. The problem treated here is that of constructing a smooth surface that interpolates data values associated with scattered nodes in the plane. The data is said to be convex if there exists a convex interpolant. The problem of convexity-preserving interpolation is to determine if the data is convex, and construct a convex interpolant if it exists.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries


text:
Northwestern students will stand for 27 hours from March 5-6 to raise awareness for the estimated 27 million people around the world who are victims of human trafficking.
The Stand For Freedom event is held nationwide and is led by students who are passionate about changing the world. Various Northwestern students will participate by taking shifts to stand from Tuesday, March 5 at 11 a.m.-Wednesday March 6 at 2 p.m. on the Keyser Brickway on the See Stance page 2B Northwestern campus.
The Stand For Freedom event is a part of the larger END IT Movement led by the non-profit organization International Justice Mission. The organization searches out ways to raise awareness of modern-day slavery and stop and save people from human trafficking.
Megan Smith, sophomore nursing major, is spearheading the Stand For Freedom event. Smith first learned about the END IT Movement at the Passion 2013 Conference in Atlanta, GA.
"I went to Passion in January and found out about human slavery in the world today and felt convicted to not just stand by. I decided to get with some friends to start the movement on our campus. I'm really excited to see what God is going to do with this. I've been really encouraged by the interest I've seen from the students." said Smith.
College minister of the Northwestern Student Movement at First United Methodist Church, Conner Byrd, is encouraging his college group to attend and invite their friends.
"This movement is important because it places an importance on what God values: which is the human life. It brings attention to the overlooked and the unseen and it raises awareness and value to their life; which is just as important as yours or mine."
Byrd took his group to the Passion 2013 Conference and since then had been fired up about creating awareness of slavery around the world through the END IT Movement.
Amanda Angers, senior health and exercise science major involved with the END IT Movement on Northwestern's campus, remarks that human trafficking is closer than we realize:
"New Orleans, where the Super Bowl was hosted this year, is a 2 hour drive from my family, from where I spent most of my childhood. It has been found that during the Super Bowl each year more humans are sold into sex trafficking and slavery than on any other night. I think back to my childhood and can't begin to imagine it being replaced with sex trafficking and forced manual labor. It has been estimated that there are 27 million enslaved around the world, 27 million who have no hope, no voice, no way out. I joined the end it movement so that my voice and freedom can be used to bring freedom to those whose voices are silenced."
If you are interested in participating in Stand For Freedom, contact Megan Smith.(email@example.com) If you want more information about the END IT Movement and how you can help stop human trafficking around the world, visit www.enditmovement.com.


text:
The Cards continued to get off to a hot start in 2012 as they went into Milwaukee to take 2 of 3 games. So far, there doesn't appear to be a lot of rust on the bats, except for when they faced Zack Greinke. A couple of things stand out. One is that Tyler Greene has only played in one game when they faced lefty Randy Wolf yesterday. I got the impression the Greene would play about every other game instead of righty-lefty matchups. The other is that Mike Matheny used the same lineup for the first 3 games.
Game 1 featured 4 HR's by the Cards behind a solid start from Jaime Garcia. Garcia went 6 innings, giving up only 2 ER's. Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday and David Freese all went deep. The Cards also continued to be aggressive on the bases, with Furcal and Beltran each getting a SB. Mitchell Boggs pitched 2 scoreless innings, but Kyle McClellan gave up 3 ER's in his only IP. There was a scuffle when George Kottaras ran into Daniel Descalso, and was later plunked by McClellan. There's no way it was intentional though, as the ball that hit Kottaras was a curveball. Aside from J.C. Romero and McClellan being ineffective, it was a solid game as the Cards won 11-5.
Game 2 was the moment we've all been waiting for. Adam Wainwright returned to the mound in his first start back from TJS and pitched pretty well. His line of 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 ER's and striking out 6 while only allowing one walk was encouraging. His control was better than I had hoped for as he got 9 groundball outs against one fly out. That's a great sign going forward. The offense was kept off the board by Greinke. Of the 6 hits the Cards got, 2 were by Freese and 2 were from Jon Jay. All 6 hits were singles, and Greinke is now 13-0 in Miller Park. Fernando Salas got touched for 2 ER's on 3 hits in 2/3 of an inning. Brewers win 6-0.
For the final game of the series, the Brewers altered their rotation, sending Randy Wolf to the mound instead of Shaun Marcum because of the problems the Cards have had against soft tossing lefties over the last few years. This time, the Cards made them pay for it. Wolf only got through 5 innings, giving up 9 hits and 3 ER. Lance Lynn let it fly, routinely touching 94 MPH on his fastball throughout the game and mixing in his breaking stuff really well. In 6 and 2/3 innings, Lynn only gave up 2 hits, 1 ER, 1 walk and struck out 7. The Cards pounded out 14 hits for the game, and Beltran hit his 2nd HR of the year. Shane Robinson played CF in place of Jay, and connected on a 3-run HR in the 9th. Rafael Furcal raised his average to .526 with 3 more hits, and it's starting to look like his lingering problems from his appendectomy are over. Cards win 9-3.
The Cards now sit at 3-1 and head to Cincinnati today. The new, slimmed down Jake Westbrook kicks off the series with his first start of the year. A hot start is exactly what the 2012 Cards team needed. It seems a few arms in the BP aren't quite as sharp as we had hoped, but the SP and the offense seem to be in midseason form. The Cards were 6-12 against the Brew Crew last year in the regular season, and it looks like so far the subtractions in the offseason are not affecting the team. If the Cards can keep Joey Votto and Jay Bruce off base they could easily come home 5-2.


text:
Rolly: At-risk ROTC program may move to charter school
Here's a little-known tidbit about sequestration: It has forced a cut of about $20 million nationwide from the high school Junior ROTC program, an education staple in public schools since World War I.
The cut has meant between a 15 and 20 percent cut in pay for high school ROTC instructors, who mostly are retired military personnel. That has led to reports of instructors leaving for other opportunities because of the reduced pay.
School districts are required to pay the ROTC instructors a certain minimum based on their rank and pay when they were in the military, but half the salary is paid by the Department of Defense. The cuts have reduced the instructors' annual compensation from 12 months pay to 10 months pay.
Junior ROTC has been in steady decline since the Vietnam era, and in Utah only a handful of high schools still offer the program. Clearfield, Northridge, Provo and Dixie high schools offer Air Force ROTC, while Independence alternative, Taylorsville, Ben Lomond and Ogden offer Army ROTC. More than 1,000 high school students are enrolled in ROTC statewide.
East High School, which has had one of the longest running ROTC programs in the country, dating back to 1916, is the last school in the Salt Lake City School District to discontinue the program, although the Independence alternative school has taken up that slack.
Retired Air Force Maj. Kit Workman, an ROTC instructor at Clearfield, says the program offers much more than preparation for the military, with a strong dose of technical and job-ready education, and it instills discipline and self-confidence in the students.
ROTC competitions include air rifle teams, drill teams and computer efficiency teams.
Workman said it also has been a landing place for at-risk students who otherwise may not have completed their high school education.
But while ROTC in the traditional public schools is at risk, Utah is poised to open its first ROTC-based charter school at the beginning of the next school year, thanks to legislation passed in the last session.
The school would be an Air Force ROTC institution, with the emphasis not only on military instruction, but on aerospace technology, computer protection technology, air frame and engine repair and other disciplines related to the aerospace industry that will prepare students for the modern job market, said Workman.
Students will wear uniforms and participate in drills and parade marching, along with competitions like air rifle shooting, while also maintaining the basic high school curriculums.
The bill specifically requiring the State Charter School Board to accept applications for a military charter school was co-sponsored by Rep. David Lifferth, R-Eagle Mountain, and Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.
The charter must still be approved by the Charter School Board and the State School Board, but a board of directors for the school has already been formed, which includes Rep. Curt Oda, R-Clearfield.
The military school board is looking for a campus near Hill Air Force Base, said board member and treasurer Sherrain Reber. She said the board hopes to enroll between 240 and 360 students the first year, with a proposed ultimate enrollment of 1,080.
Workman said he is excited about the curriculum emphasis on aerospace, computer technology and robotics because of the presence of aerospace giants Boeing and ATK in Utah and the possibility of a Boeing expansion in the state.
Stephenson was instrumental in legislation forging the way for charter schools 15 years ago and said he hoped there would be more charters focusing on specific interest areas like technology or other occupation-ready skills.
The legislation creating the inclusion of a military charter school also specifies charters for career and technical education, and whose mission is to enhance learning opportunities for students at risk of academic failure.
See more about comments here.


text:
The finalists for the 2014 World Car Awards have been announced. The shortlist features 12 cars from manufacturers including BMW, Ford and Audi, with the winner set to be announced at the New York International Motor Show on April 17.
The judging is down to a jury of 69 motoring journalists from around the globe. Here are the nominations.
A replacement for the 3 Series Coupe, the BMW 4 Series is a more stylish and sporting alternative to the popular saloon. While visual relationship between the two is obvious, only the bonnet is shared. The 4 series also gets a 10mm reduction in ride height and a wider track for a more agile drive.
The German manufacturer's first fully electric vehicle is also available as a range extender, alleviating range anxiety. It's based around a carbon fibre tub and is also aiming to give electric vehicles a more desirable image, as one of the first premium EVs.
Penned as a rival to the BMW 5 Series, Cadillac has struggled with sales in the UK. Revised styling, quality, tech and driving dynamics are all aimed at persuading execs out of their BMWs and Mercedes.
The MPV sector is one of Citroen's specialities. Crisp and modern styling inside and out on the latest model makes it one of the best looking family wagons money can buy. Frugal engines and reduced emissions also boost its green credentials.
An all-new fifth-generation Mondeo is set to arrive at the end of the year but the current model is still winning plaudits for its passenger refinement and driving dynamics.
The newcomer to the small business exec market offers more tech and innovative steering technology. Engines have also been adopted from Mercedes so economy and refinement is up there with the class leaders.
Jeep's new bold styling approach and dramatically improved interiors are beginning to get recognised. A focus on off-roading ability and economy improvements is helping the Cherokee compete against its European rivals.
Lexus isn't one for following the crowd and the IS continued that trend. Sharper steering, firmer suspension and a more rigid chassis have all been fitted to the latest IS. There's still no diesel option, only a V6 petrol and hybrid powertrain is offered.
The third-gen Mazda 3 employs the brand's latest SkyActiv engine tech and weight saving measures. Substantial visual changes inside and out make the 3 one of the best looking hatchbacks in its class.
While most manufacturers tend to opt for evolution rather than revolution with design of a new model, Peugeot completely overhauled the new 308. A lighter, stiffer, more efficient and prettier car replaced the previous model, taking the fight directly to the VW Golf.
In recent months Skoda has been going form strength to strength. The Octavia is based on the VW Group's MQB platform and offers the practicality of a saloon at hatchback prices. For added performance Skoda also offers a firey vRS version.
No!!! All POS! Where's the world-beating JLR?! Brit journos 100% say JLR tops?! British engineering best! Get a Jaaaaaag! Jezza says Jags are best! Jezza think only of common people watching his top programme needing advice on which JLR/McLaren sh1theap to buy; never his bank balance.
This was posted during school hours. Some truant going on here. Year 5 kids should be doing lessons not posting stuff that makes zero sense on AE forums.
Just give the i3 the award and forget about the rest.
Interesting that the Infiniti Q50 is in contention when this very own publication slates it so badly! Go figure.
Cadillac, hands down.
I personally think it should be the 2014 Cadillac CTS. It is aimed at 5-series BMW but handles better and it totally decimated it at the Nurburgring. The interior is far more upmarket and the engines are more powerful and will probably be a tad cheaper too. Giving it to the BMW just because its a BMW is badge snobbery.
I have not been fortunate enough to drive a Skoda, but the feedback from those who have is usually high. The Citroen does looks very stylish, too.
Tesla Model S. You guys put the Q50 in?
Why picture a previous generation Octavia......


text:
Templewood Golf Course
- 160 Brooks Rd, Templeton, MA 01468
- (978) 939-5031
- www.templewoodgolfcourse.com
|18 total holes at facility
|Green fees - $38 to $48 (estimate)
|Designed by Geoffrey S. Cornish
|Built in 1999
|Driving Range: Yes
|Public Community golf course
Templewood Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation length golf course in Templeton, Massachusetts. This short layout provides for a fun golf experience for golfers of all skill levels. Difficulty level of the course is unknown at this time, but will be provided soon. Online tee times may be available at Templewood Golf Course or at nearby golf courses, often at a substantial discount from the going green fees rate.
|Course Rating
|Back Tees
|Golf Pro: John Ross
|Course Superintendent: Randy Sawin
|Manager: Annette Matusewicz
Although the info is most often reliable, occasionally there may be errors. If you stumble upon something that should be updated, please fill this out.
Please login to add your review.


text:
Hours of Operation
Monday - Thursday: 7:30-4:30
Friday: 7:30 - 5:00
Saturday: 9:00-1:00
Closed All Federal Holidays
Rome Federal Credit Union
937 Seneca Street
Rome, NY 13440
Phone: (315) 339-1658
Fax: (315) 339-0304
The Annual Meeting of the Rome ...
The Staff and Board of Directors of Rome Federal Credit Union would like to welcome you as ...
This free service is available to all members and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. View your accounts, transfer between accounts and schedule payments from the comfort of your home.
Once enrolled you will receive a password from us, the first time you log on you will be prompted to change your password.
For security, we do not have access to your password, we can only change it if you lock yourself out. You will be asked a set of security questions that will enable you to reset your password at any time.
Alert! We will never email you or call you and ask for your password, account number, pin number, or social security number. You should never give this information out to anyone.


text:
John Grace: In golf and investing don't take unnecessary risks and stay the course
Whether you are a golfer or an investor, we can all agree that you want to avoid hazards and stay on course. It's all about staying in the game as opposed to being out for the count.
Subscribe to the Ventura County Star
Ready to subscribe to the Ventura County Star? Choose between a Premium or Digital subscription below.
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-710-6182.
Monday-Friday: 6am-3pm / Saturday: 6:30am-10:30am / Sunday: 7am-11am


text:
Thursday, November 29, 2012
© Copyright 2015 Albany Herald
ALBANY — Darton State College's Continuing Education Department will host a Professional Women's Forum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Darton Student Center in room 266.
The featured speaker is Dr. Melinda Greenfield.
Greenfield is a board certified dermatologist at the Albany Dermatology Clinic and has lived in Albany since 2001.
She is a graduate of the University of Maryland and received a degree in Osteopathic Medicine from Nova University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
She is a clinical assistant professor at the Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Medical College of Georgia.
Currently, she is the president of the Georgia Osteopathic Medical Society and is on the executive board for the Dougherty County Medical Society.
Twice a year the Darton State College Department of Continuing Education and Economic Development hosts the Professional Women's Forum.
It is designed for women of Southwest Georgia to meet and network, learn about educational opportunities, development strategies for success and to inspire one another to achieve great things.
A distinguished guest speaker highlights each forum.
The $25 fee includes lunch, and reservations are required.
Networking begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch noon-1 p.m.
To register, call (229) 317-6730.
The College urges those planning to attend to make reservations and payment at least three days prior to the event.
More like this story
- Osteopathic medicine to grow in Albany, region ( August 1, 2010 )
- Med school admissions forum to be held Thursday ( July 13, 2013 )
- 'Bizarre Moments in Medicine' focus of event ( February 3, 2012 )
- Dr. Thomas Bozzuto of Albany named Georgia Osteopathic Medical Association president ( November 3, 2013 )
- Darton women's group to meet Nov. 18 ( November 5, 2011 )


text:
Serving Fayetteville, TN 37334
A highly rated Law Firm established in 1985 practicing Divorce law. Offers free consultation and accepts credit cards.
A highly rated Law Firm practicing Divorce law.
A Law Firm established in 1988 practicing Divorce law. Offers free consultation.
Divorce refers to the legal end of a marriage. Each state has its own requirements governing when a divorce may be granted, including a residency requirement and grounds or a reason for the divorce. Find divorce legal articles and contact a Fayetteville, Tennessee divorce law firm from the list of results on this page provided by Lawyers.com.


text:
Antique Ivory Carvings - Emperor and Empress with Escorts in Horse Drawn Carriages
Click thumbnails for expanded view.
- $7,500.00
- Quantity Available: 1
Hand Carved Ivory - VERY RARE SET of an EMPEROR and EMPRESS with DRIVERS in HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGES with ESCORTS on HORSES - 13 POUNDS! This is a set of an Emperor and Empress in horse driven carriages with drivers and escorts on horses on shaped sectional ivory bases. The detail is absolutely stunning. The Emperor clutches his beard with his left hand and a sword with his right. His throne is enhanced with the carvings of 4 dragons, dragons on the body of the carriage and a dragon sitting atop the parasol above the carriage. The dragon is the symbol of luck, wealth, good fortune and wisdom. The dragon represents male vigor and fertility and is also the imperial emblem of the Emperor. The dragon is the symbol of the emperor and ranks first amongst the 4 supernatural creatures. His escort rides a beautiful horse. The escort has a sword hanging from his right side. He clutches a spear with his right hand and the reins with his left hand. The driver holds a whip in his right hand and the reins in his left. There is a lantern resident on either side of the driver. The emperor, escort and driver all wear deeply incised armor and well decorated clothing. The Empress clutches a tassel with her left hand and a Ju-i scepter with her right hand. The Ju-I in the Ch'ing Dynasty was presented to high court officials as a marker of Imperial favor. The Ju-I tradition is thousands of years old. Originally thought to be a short sword, used for pointing, it later became a primitive phallic symbol given by the Emperor to a favorite consort. It reached its present symbolism in the Tang Dynasty during the 7th and 8th centuries. Her throne is enhanced with the carvings of 4 phoenixes, phoenixes on the body of the carriage and a phoenix sitting atop the parasol above the carriage. The phoenix is the emblem of the Empress. It only appears during times of peace and prosperity. It ranks second of the 4 supernatural creatures. A train of small birds is always in attendance when the phoenix flies. The phoenix represents the 5 Human Qualities - Virtue, Duty, Correct Behavior, Humanity and Reliability. It also represents sun and warmth for the summer harvest and symbolizes peace, beauty and good fortune. Her escort rides a beautiful horse. The escort has a sword hanging from his left side. He clutches a spear with his left hand and the reins with his right hand. The driver holds a whip in his right hand and the reins in his left. There is a lantern resident on either side of the driver. The empress, escort and driver all wear deeply incised armor and well decorated clothing. Please note that the artist has even taken the time to carve the individual teeth on each of the horses. The clothing and even the apparel on the horses are beautifully and deeply incised. The facial features of the emperor, empress, driver and escort are extremely well detailed and consistent with the theme of this piece. Both pieces have a lovely patina that comes only with age and these pieces are also very substantial. The ivory weighs 13 pounds in total and the ivory measures 13.25" tall and 17" wide on each piece. These carvings are 100% genuine elephant IVORY and in EXCELLENT CONDITION. They were HAND CARVED and HAND SCRIMSHAWED in China by a gifted master craftsman in the early 1900s. They have a lovely patina that nature has chosen to bestow upon them. These carvings are UNIQUE and exhibit beautiful IVORY GRAIN which is guaranteed to be clearly visible. The ivory has been highly polished and exquisitely detailed. The quality of the ivory, the quality of the carving and the quality of the scrimshaw work are all exceptional. These carvings were legally imported into the USA and can only be shipped to locations within the USA. This gorgeous pair would certainly make a marvelous addition to your collection of fine ivory Asian antiquities and should steadily increase in value over the years. Dimensions of Ivory (Each): 17.00" x 13.25" x 8.00" Weight of Ivory (Total): 13 Pounds - IF YOU WOULD LIKE ADDITIONAL PICTURES OF THIS ITEM THAT ARE LARGER AND SHOW MORE DETAIL, PLEASE SEND US AN E-MAIL AND WE WILL FORWARD THEM TO YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- View Storefront
- Contact Seller About This Item
- View Store Policies
Dealer Accepts:
Item Details:
- Reference #
- Quantity
- 1
- Category
- Fine Art
- Department
- Antiques
- Year
- See Listing
- Dimensions
- Width: 17 inches
- Height: 13.25 inches
- Depth: 8 inches
- Weight: 13 pounds
- Condition
- See Listing
- Material
- Ivory


text:
Enlarge / Alternate Images
Mr. Thrifty SkeletonNo bones about it, Mr. Thrifty prides himself on being a fabulous learning tool for children, students, doctors, masssage therapists, or anyone interested in the human skeleton. He is economical and user friendly. Provided with a heavy metal stand. Calvarium, skull, arms, and legs are removable. Mr. Thrifty stands 33¼" tall. This skeleton is designed to function as a tool that will help increase your knowledge of skeletal system.Non-returnable.
Choose from a variety of chiropractic tables including Benches, Flexion, hylo tables and more.
Check out our large selection of Analgesics including Biofreeze, Cryoderm, Prossage, Sombra and more.
We offer a wide variety of portable tens units to help with your electrotherapy.
Flexible payment schedules and lease terms available. Contact us today!
ScripHessco tables are completely reconditioned by our factory trained technicians and guaranteed. Click here for a list of available tables.
We are dedicated to helping you make informed decisions about the products you purchase.
Near one of our regional offices? Then you are close to a factory trained service representative. ScripHessco service is guaranteed.
Sign up to get our latest product information, promotions and news right in your mailbox!
We live by the philosophy that our customers are like family. Excellent customer service is our priority!


text:
Located in the heart of Cardiff's city centre, Barocco is a unique and stylish experience. The décor is plush and opulent whilst the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. A great place for many occasions from business lunches to a relaxing break from shopping, from afternoon coffees, to casual evening dining or a night out with friends.
Call 029 2041 3600Email email@example.com
Click here to download the menu and see the full range.