text:
General Info
Love to watch smoking men
I am straight, but very bi-curious and I have a serious smoke fetish for smoking men. Sadly,I don"t smoke anymore, but fantasize and jack off about it daily, and love watching smoking men stroking and getting blown or fucking. If I were ever single again I would become such a smoke slut.
WARNING: Any institution or person using this site or any of its associated sites for study or projects. You do not have my permission to use any information of my profile or pictures in any form or forum both current or future. If you have or do, it will be considered a serious violation of my privacy and will be subject to legal ramifications. I recommend that other members post a similar notice as well.
Turn Ons
Smoking men, especially reds and masculine, hairy men. Self-suckers, guys jacking off, mutual j/o, nipple play (my nips LOVE attention). MMF
Turn Offs
scat, blood, violence, hate, feminine acting men.
About myself
Marital Status
Social Orientation
Tobacco Consumption
I'm a light social smoker
About my Partner
Ideal partner
Married, just like to watch smoking men and fantasize
Looking for
Male, Bi-Couple, Gay-Couple, Group
Tobacco Preference
I want my partner to smoke heavily
Physical Profile
Best Feature
Body Type
Facial Hair
Body Hair
Very Hairy
Pubic Hair
Unshaved; Normal
Hairy Bodyzones
Sexual Interests
Sexual Orientation
Sexually Daring
I'm curious
Sexual Accessories
Willing to experiment
Bondage Gear
Not into bondage
Porn Movies, Which?
Amateur, Anal, Bisexual, Busty women, Cumshots, Fetish, Gay, Hard
Porn Movies, With?
Wish my partner would watch with me
Top Comment
All Comments
Hi sexy - do you have SKYPE??
I have to hand it to you: this is one of the most original profiles here on the wank tube! Being a smoker, your fetish is hotter than fuck. In my youth I probably learned to smoke and suck dick at the same time. "It's an oral need" someone once told me while sucking my dick. I STILL smoke and I STILL suck dick and thank you for this hot place to cum to.
Thanks for the frienship request and ad of one my vids as one of your favorite!
Smokin Hunk!
Appreciate the add and thanks for liking the pics!
Gracias por solicitar mi amistad.
Hi, thanks for adding me
Hola, gracias por agregarme
I'm a smoker :D
great stuff you have here!!
tnx for accepting my friend request!
My first boyfriend smoked. It turns me on totally ever since.
Thanks girthdix ... welcome.
Thanks, i love your photos
Cheers for the add mate :-)
I would love to feel you deep in my tight hole bud... let me know if you ever wanna meet up sometime
Yo Girthdix~thanks for the friend request man!
my pleasure sexy
UMNN! You are a very handsome daddy
Thanks for the friend request and for the complment
Thanks for the friend request~ Love watching hairy men j/o and I'd gladly suck your dick while you smoked anytime
You're welcome hottie
tks, you are welcome!
Thanks for the friend request!
thanks for favoriting my vids bud
Thanks for your friend request!
hi my sweet friend, i love your boobs. umh
Anytime, bud! Thanks for checking me out!!!
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cum to los angeles and let me make your fantasy cum true
Hey Sexy! Thanks for the invite ;-)!!


text:
Jani Lane
|This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2012)
|Jani Lane
|Birth name
|John Kennedy Oswald[1]
February 1, 1964
Akron, Ohio, United States
|August 11, 2011
(aged 47)
Woodland Hills, California, United States
|Singer-songwriter, musician
|Vocals, piano, guitar, drums
|Years active
|Associated acts
|Warrant, Plain Jane, Sean E. River Project, Saints of the Underground, Great White
Jani Lane (February 1, 1964 – August 11, 2011) was an American recording artist and the lead vocalist, frontman, lyricist and main songwriter for the glam metal band Warrant. From Hollywood, California, the band experienced success from 1989–1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. Lane left Warrant in 2004 and again in 2008 after a brief reunion. Lane also released a solo album Back Down to One in 2003 and the album Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner with a new group Saints of the Underground in 2008. Lane contributed his lead vocals and song writing to many various projects throughout his career.
Childhood and youth[edit]
Lane was born John Kennedy Oswald (later changed to John Patrick Oswald),[1] on February 1, 1964 in Akron, Ohio.[1] The youngest of Eileen and Robert Oswald's five children, John grew up just east of Akron in Brimfield, along with his older brother (Eric) and 3 older sisters (Marcine, Michelle and Victoria). Eric was an accomplished guitarist and Lane himself learned to play drums, guitar and piano by ear at age 6 with his brother, Eric and sister, Vicky, guiding, teaching, and participating with him. Lane grew up listening to Cleveland rock station WMMS (100.7 FM, "The Buzzard"), and was introduced to all types of bands and music by his brother, Eric. With his sister Vicky's connections in the music scene with many bands and with his parents Bob and Eileen's aid, he quickly made a name for himself at a very young age.[4][5] Lane played drums under the name "Mitch Dynamite" in clubs by age 11, again with the prompting of his sister and her boyfriend's band "Pokerface", he started his climb to bigger and better things. ("Mitch Dynamite" is listed as the drummer in the credits for Warrant's Latest and Greatest CD). Throughout the years, Lane would sometimes jump behind the kit to play with his band, and he had played the drums in various formats and gigs, always enjoying "jam sessions" at home and in public with his brother and sister as back-ups.[4][5]
By the time Lane was 11, his siblings had left for college or marriage. He graduated from Field High School in 1982[6] with many options available to him in the immediate future, including football scholarships at Kent State and Ohio State, drama scholarships, etc. He was an Honor Roll and above-average, intelligent student from kindergarten through high school. He chose his passion much to the chagrin of his parents, who wanted him to continue his education. He idolized his father, and both parents were torn with Jani's decision.
Early years[edit]
After graduating from high school, Lane joined the band Cyren, featuring vocalist Skip Hammonds, guitarist John Weakland, bassist Don Hoover (and later, Rusty Fohner), with Lane on drums. After making a name for himself and his band in Ohio, he relocated to Florida in 1983, playing drums for Dorian Gray, before forming Plain Jane with future Warrant bandmate Steven (Chamberlin) Sweet. It was at this time that Lane adopted the stage name "Jani Lane." Lane got the name from his German grandparents' pronunciation and spelling of Johnny as "Jani." They said it as Yay-nee and that stuck. While playing drums with Dorian Gray, Lane began vocal training with Central Florida vocal coach/trainer Ron Feldman. Feldman introduced Lane to Creative Engineering, Inc. in Orlando where he worked as a programmer of the animatronic character, Dook LaRue, the drummer for the Rock-afire Explosion. His vocal debut was at Fern Park Station in Fern Park, Florida.
Lane and Sweet later relocated to Los Angeles, where they took various odd jobs to survive. Struggling to make ends meet as a musician, Lane resorted to working in a pornographic video warehouse.[7]
By 1986, Plain Jane had become a regular feature in the L.A. club circuit. Erik Turner, who had founded Warrant in July 1984, was impressed by Plain Jane's songwriting and vocal performance, and invited Lane and Sweet to jam with his band at Hollywood's db Sound in September 1986.
After generating notoriety on the club circuit, Warrant began to attract the attention of record labels. Following an abortive deal with A&M records over a contribution to the soundtrack for the motion picture Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, the band signed with Columbia Records. The Columbia deal came via the partnering of Warrant and manager Tom Hullet (known for working with The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, and others). Tom became Lane's mentor and friend until his death from cancer in 1993.
As lead vocalist with Warrant, Lane wrote all of the band's material including four Top 40 hit singles: "Down Boys", "Sometimes She Cries", "Big Talk" and the number 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Heaven" for Warrant's debut double platinum album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich in 1989, which peaked at number 10 on The Billboard 200.[8] Lane also wrote another four Top 40 hit singles: "Cherry Pie," "I Saw Red," "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Blind Faith" for the second album, the double platinum Cherry Pie in 1990, which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200.[9] Lane also co-wrote and performed with Warrant the song "The Power" in the 1992 movie Gladiator. The band also released their third album in 1992, the critically acclaimed Gold record Dog Eat Dog which peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200.[9]
Lane left Warrant in March 1993 to pursue a solo career but returned to the band in September 1993, helping the band to secure a new record with Tom Lipsky of CMC International. The band then recorded Ultraphobic in 1995, Belly to Belly in 1996, Greatest & Latest in 1999 and a cover album Under the Influence in 2001.
Due to personal and business disagreements, Lane left Warrant in 2004. In January 2008, the band's agent, The William Morris Agency issued a new photograph of the band with Lane prominently featured, confirming his return to the band. It was the first time that all original members had been in the band since 1993. The band's first show with all original members was in May 2008 in Nashville. Warrant then performed a series of shows during the summer of 2008, but by September 2008, Warrant and Lane agreed to move forward separately, due to "too much water under the bridge." Warrant and Lane both continued to perform Lane's compositions live and Lane continued to write for himself and other artists.
Solo career[edit]
Lane became involved in acting in the early 1990s. He made a brief appearance in Caged Fear, and also appeared in High Strung in 1991.
In 1993 Jani Lane started working on his first solo project, titled "Jabberwocky," the album represented a significant musical departure from previous work but continued to be pushed back. Between 1997 and 2000, demos of Lane's solo material began surfacing on the Internet, with some bids on eBay reaching an estimated $US100.00 per copy.[10] In 2002 Lane decided to postpone the "Jabberwocky" project and instead release a brand new project as his debut solo album. The "Jabberwocky" project remained unreleased.
Lane's official debut solo album, Back Down to One, was released on June 17, 2003 through Z Records and (2006) in the US on Immortal/Sidewinder Records. It carried a "power pop" sound which was more closely aligned with the sound of Warrant than the unreleased Jabberwocky project. Shortly after the album's release Lane was admitted to a rehab center for alcohol and drug-related exhaustion.[11]
In August 2004, Lane withdrew from the Bad Boys of Metal tour after only eight shows.
In Fall 2004, Lane contributed the lead vocals for the first ever theme song to a novel, The Devil of Shakespeare, by author, Billy McCarthy, along with JY from Styx, Ron Flynt 20/20, Chip Z'Nuff of Enuff Z'Nuff.
Lane contributed vocals on the track "Bastille Day" and "2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx" for the Magna Carta 2005 Rush tribute album Subdivisions.
Lane had success with the "VH1 Classic Metal Mania: Stripped" discs where the acoustic version of "I Saw Red" was included on disc 1, a new acoustic swinging version of "Cherry Pie" featured on disc 2 and a new acoustic version of "Heaven" featured on disc 3.
In 2005, Lane became a fan favorite on the popular VH1 series Celebrity Fit Club 2. The rocker's alcohol problems were highlighted during the show, and many viewers were rooting for his recovery.[12]
In 2006 with the reissue and US release of "Back Down to One" Lane attempted to restart his own version of Warrant. Although "Back Down to One" was credited as a solo release the singer assembled a new touring band for the album subsequently titled "JANI LANE'S WARRANT". Unfortunately, his first batch of solo shows, in Michigan, would be stopped by legal action from his former band mates objecting to the use of the Warrant band logo on his posters.[13] Lane continued touring without the Warrant name and logo.
Lane lent his vocals to numerous tribute CDs during the 2000s and in 2007 Lane released a solo cover album titled "Photograph", featuring a collection of his tribute contributions.
Keri Kelli and Lane wrote a song for Alice Cooper, titled, "The One That Got Away." It was recorded by Cooper on his 2008 record, Along Came a Spider. Lane also finished work on his side project, Saints of the Underground. This project also consists of Bobby Blotzer and Robbie Crane (both from Ratt), and Keri Kelli (from Alice Cooper). Their album, Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner was released on April 22, 2008 by Warrior Records and was mixed by legendary producer/engineer Andy Johns, who worked with such bands as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, and also featuring additional bass work by Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, House of Lords) .[14] The band was originally called "Angel City Outlaws" when they posted their first two promo singles: "Bruised" and "Exit".[15]
In summer 2010, Lane toured with Great White, filling in for singer Jack Russell, who was recuperating from surgery after suffering internal complications.
Personal life[edit]
During the shooting of Warrant's "Cherry Pie" video, Lane met model Bobbie Brown, who starred in the video, and they wed a couple of months later in July 1991. They were married for three years and had a daughter, Taylar, in 1992 before divorcing in 1993.[16] Lane got married again in 1996 to actress Rowanne Brewer, a former Miss Maryland USA, and the two welcomed a daughter, Madison, the following year. They ended their marriage in 2005.[17] Lane was married a third time in 2010 to Kimberly Nash, to whom he remained married at the time of his death in 2011 despite no marriage license ever being produced and claims they were separated for almost 10 months.
On August 11, 2011, Lane was found dead of acute alcohol poisoning at a Comfort Inn hotel in Woodland Hills, California.[2] The cause of death at autopsy was recorded as undetermined; he was 47 years old.[18][19]
A public memorial concert for Lane – with performances by fellow rockers Great White, Quiet Riot and L.A. Guns – was held on Monday, August 29, 2011 at the Key Club in Hollywood.[20]
With Warrant
- 1989 Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
- 1990 Cherry Pie
- 1992 Dog Eat Dog
- 1995 Ultraphobic
- 1996 Belly to Belly
- 1997 Warrant Live 86-97
- 1999 Greatest & Latest (New versions)
- 2001 Under the Influence
- 2002 Back Down to One
- 2007 Photograph (cover album)
With Saints of the Underground
With Liberty N Justice
- 2007 Addiction
- 2011 Sin (Single)
- 1992 Gladiator OST: "We Will Rock You" (Queen cover)
- 1992 Gladiator OST: The Power
- 2001 Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure OST : "Game of War"
Other Work
- 1998 Forever Mod: Portrait of a Storyteller – Tribute to Rod Stewart: "I Was Only Joking"
- 1999 Not The Same Old Song And Dance – A Tribute to Aerosmith: "No Surprise"
- 2000 Tribute to Van Halen 2000: "Panama"
- 2000 Cheap Dream: Cheap Trick Tribute: "I Want You to Want Me" (The Mission UK Remix)
- 2000 Leppardmania- A tribute to Def Leppard: "Photograph"
- 2000 Queen 4 A Day Shameless 2000: "Backing Vocals on Far Away, Lonely Night in Paradise"
- 2004 VH1 Classic Metal Mania: Stripped: "I Saw Red (Acoustic)"
- 2005 VH1 Classic Metal Mania Stripped 2: Anthems – "Cherry Pie (Acoustic)"
- 2005 Hell Bent Forever – A tribute to Judas Priest: "Electric Eye"
- 2005 Subdivisions: A Tribute to Rush: "2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx", "Bastille Day"
- 2006 A Tribute to Bon Jovi: "Lay Your Hands on Me"
- 2007 VH1 Classic Metal Mania Stripped 3: "Heaven (Acoustic)"
- 2007 Monster Ballads Xmas : "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
- 2007 Famous 4 Madness Shameless 2007: "Backing Vocals on Better Off Without you, Magical Misery, Dirty Shirt, She's Watching You"
- 2008 Led Box – The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute: "The Ocean"
- 2010 Siam Shade Tribute: "1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou"
- 2011 Sin-Atra: A Metal Tribute To Frank Sinatra: "That's Life"
- 2012 Dial S for Sex Shameless 2012: "Backing Vocals on Far Away"
As Jani Lane
- 1991 Voices That Care (Various) U.S. #11, U.S. AC #6 CAN #61 non-album song
Music videos[edit]
|Voices That Care (As Jani Lane) (Various)
|David S. Jackson
- ^ a b c Hughes, Mark (August 12, 2011). "Jani Lane, Former Frontman for Glam Band 'Warrant', Found Dead". Forbes.com. Forbes.com LLC. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
- ^ a b "Warrant frontman Jani Lane died of alcohol poisoning". Reuters. October 5, 2011.
- ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (August 12, 2011). "Jani Lane, Heavy-Metal Lead Singer, Dies at 47". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Klosterman, Chuck (July 19, 2001). "Glam Slam Metal Jam – Bands from 1980s at Blossom Tonight". Akron Beacon Journal (Beacon Journal Publishing Co.). p. E12 – Entertainment.
- ^ a b Abram, Malcolm X (August 13, 2011). "Former Warrant Singer Jani Lane, 47, Akron/Cleveland/Kent Native – Hits Include 'Cherry Pie', 'Heavan' ". Akron Beacon Journal (Beacon Journal Publishing Co.). p. B1.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (June 22, 1995). "B.I.G. Big on Pop Charts: Rapper a.k.a. Biggie Smalls to Be at Gund with Ice Cube, Others". Akron Beacon Journal (Beacon Journal Publishing Co.). p. E2 – Entertainment.
- ^ WARRANT | MusicMight
- ^ "Allmusic (Warrant awards & charts)Billboard albums". Allmusic.
- ^ a b "Allmusic (Warrant charts & awards) Billboard albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012.
- ^ "Former WARRANT Frontman To Embark on Solo Tour in May". Retrieved 2014.
- ^ "Jani Lane: Bio". Retrieved 2011.
- ^ "A Look Back at the Life of Jani Lane". Retrieved 2014.
- ^ "Jani Lane's Warrant". Retrieved 2011.
- ^ "Saints of the Underground debut album". 2008. Retrieved 2011.
- ^ "Angel City Outlaw tracks". Retrieved 2014.
- ^ "Cherry Pie vixen".
- ^ "Jani Lane and Rowanne Brewer".
- ^ "Former WARRANT Singer JANI LANE Dead at 47". BlabberMouth.
- ^ "Jani Lane, lead singer of Warrant, dead at 47". cbs8. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
- ^ "Jani Lane memorial concert". BlabberMouth.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Jani Lane at the Internet Movie Database
- Jani Lane, Warrant, And The Tribute That Wasn't
- Photos Of Jani Lane
- Jani Lane Interview
- Jani Lane Self Written Bio
- 1964 births
- 2011 deaths
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American singers
- Alcohol-related deaths in California
- American heavy metal singers
- American male singer-songwriters
- American rock singers
- American rock songwriters
- People from Akron, Ohio
- People from Portage County, Ohio
- Singers from Ohio
- Songwriters from Ohio
- Warrant (American band) members

subset: commoncrawl


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Hi all
After realising I have hit the 15 stone mark for the fourth time in these short ten years, I have decided to embark on exante, as LL was sucessful in the past ( though cant bear the taste of their satchets now) Its my second day and even though its going well I get the nagging fear sensation, when i think about not eating, which is crazy. Wanted to post and see if I can support via forum, as well as be supported.
To get through the first week (weigh in, 28th Nov)
Lose half a stone for my brothers b'day on the 15th december and
fit into my favourite dress without bulging in it!
Lose one stone for christmas and buy a new favourite dress! (aim 14 stone)
To have lost one stone and a half by the 14th January for a meeting with colleagues ( 13.5 stone)
For my holiday to iceland on the 25th February, to have lost another stone taking me to 12.5 stone and a size 14 again :-)
Week one - weigh in 210 lb
week two -


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PRESCOTT, AZ, January 21, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- True West Realty, L.L.C. announced strategic moves to position the company as the preferred Realtor of high-end ranch estates, custom homes, and Prescott, AZ horse property. The actions include two new hires and the exclusive listing of a new mountain subdivision.
Susan Petersen rejoins the True West Realty team after a hugely successful turn selling a high-end residential subdivision in Prescott's prestigious Williamson Valley. During the last three years Ms. Petersen sold over $32,000,000 of residential lots and custom homes at American Ranch as that development's leading sales agent. She brings a keen understanding of the local land, ranch, and custom home market.
"We are thrilled to have Susan back on our team. She's a proven pro with an unmatched knowledge of the local residential land market. Since she lives on her own ranch with horses, she's an expert on the equestrian lifestyle and northern Arizona real estate and horse property," said Peter Gooding, President of True West Realty.
Also joining the True West team is Dale McCall, previously the number two selling sales agent at American Ranch. Before relocating to Prescott in 2002, Mr. McCall was a consistent top producer in the Phoenix market with Realty Executives, winning numerous awards for high achievement. For over ten years running he was ranked in the top 10% of Realty Executives sales professionals nationwide.
"True West is very fortunate to have Dale's twenty-two plus years of successful experience selling land and custom homes. He's a genuine expert on the land and custom homes of Williamson Valley. Dale and Susan make an extraordinary team and will provide the very highest level of market knowledge and customer service to Prescott Arizona real estate and custom home buyers and sellers," Gooding said.
Downer Trail developers choose True West to market new mountain subdivision.
As a testament to its expanded capabilities, True West Realty was recently retained to exclusively market Prescott's newest mountain subdivision, Downer Trail. Downer Trail is a newly completed subdivision of one-acre custom lots conveniently located only minutes from Prescott's historic downtown Square. The custom lot community is fully improved with city water and sewer, high speed internet, and natural gas.
According to Petersen, "The unique hilltop location, with panoramic views amidst Ponderosa pines, offers both privacy and proximity to Prescott's charming downtown." McCall added, "We believe Downer Trail, attractively priced from the mid $100s, represents Prescott's best value for "in-town" custom lots."
Until its recent expansion True West Realty exclusively represented communities developed by True West Land & Ranches, most recently LV Ranch Estates, Prescott's finest ranch estate development located in Williamson Valley. To learn more about True West Realty, including information on all its real estate listings, please visit http://www.truewestrealty.com
About True West Realty
True West Realty, L.L.C., a True West company, is a full service real estate brokerage specializing in Prescott, Arizona's finer ranches and custom homes. True West Companies, a Scottsdale, Ariz-based enterprise, is respected for its high quality rural residential projects throughout Arizona. True West is the developer of LV Ranch Estates in Prescott and other residential and ranch style communities in Coconino, Yavapai, and Maricopa Counties. To learn more about LV Ranch Estates and True West please visit http://www.lvranchestates.com


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Scotland Wedding from N. Barrett PhotographyYou know you're meant to be when you meet the love of your life halfway across the globe from both of your homes. Yup, this adorable couple met in Kenya and fell in love almost instantly. Fast forward and theirRead More On SMP


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Betty Lee (Hoffman) Romer, 79, peacefully passed away on Nov. 5, 2012 surrounded by her loved ones after recently being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Born to Samuel and Irma Hoffman on Sept. 11, 1933 in Fort Collins, Colo., where she was raised and graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1951. She worked part-time jobs to support herself and her children. She started working full-time at Colorado State University. She worked for the Housing Department and was the secretary for Pingree Park. She retired in May of 1997 after 30 years of service. She continued to work at CSU for an additional 10 years part-time. Finally deciding to retire for good, she kept busy going fishing, camping, working in her yard, spending time with her friends, traveling, and being with her family. She never met a stranger and loved talking to them. She loved babies, little children and animals. She had a wonderful sense of humor and always made us laugh.
She leaves behind her son, Kevin Romer and his wife, Jana and grandchildren; Kacey, Zackery and Lyndsey; daughter, Kelly Meyer and her husband, Marvin, grandchildren, Sarah and Wade all of Fort Collins; son, Rodney Romer, and his wife, Hollie of Cheyenne, Wyo. She is also survived by her sister, Joyce Willbanks; nephew, Rick Willbanks; and nieces, Sherrie Johnson, Melody Eustrom and their families. Special friends, Judy, Terry and Doris, and her most precious love, her little dog Abby, a gift from her son, Randy.
She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Randy Romer; and brother-in-law, William Willbanks. Mom has reunited with those that have gone before her and we can be assured that she is being taken care of. Life will not be the same without her and she will be so deeply missed. She was taken from our lives much too soon.
Our family would like to thank the numerous nurses, respiratory therapists, Oncology staff and doctors at MCR and PVH that took such loving care of our mother and grandmother during her short stay.
A celebration of her life will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Timberline Church, South Auditorium, 2908 S. Timberline Road. Private burial at a later date.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, in care of Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive, Fort Collins, CO 80524. Friends may send condolences to the family at bohlenderfuneralchapel.com


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Sonnet adds SATA 3 host cards for PCIe, ExpressCard
updated 09:40 pm EDT, Tue June 21, 2011
Uses 6GB per second, ideal for SSD drives
Sonnet Technologies is now offering its own brand of SATA Revision 3.0 host controller cards, the Tempo PCIe 2.0 for desktop and the two-port Tempo ExpressCard/34 or single-port Tempo Edge ExpressCard/34 for notebook computers. All three are backward-compatible with 3GB per second SATA devices, but are designed to work with newer storage options that can support the SATA 6GB per second interface that Revision 3.0 offers.
SATA Revision 3.0 is well-suited to work with solid-state drives (SSDs) which can saturate a 3GB per second connection in some circumstances. The Tempo cards are compliant with the Advanced Host Controller Interface standards and are plug-and-play with no software installation required for either Mac or Windows computers (10.5 or later for Mac, Vista or later for Windows). The cards are compatible with standard hard disk drives and eSATA optical drives as well as SSD and enclosures with integrated hardware RAID controllers.
The notebook-compatible cards fit in ExpressCard/34 or ExpressCard/54 slots -- the single-port model features a super-slim design, and all three models use locking eSATA connectors to keep data connections secure. All three models have a suggested retail price of $80 and are available directly from Sonnet as well as other retailers.


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Our annual memberships come with a free pair of binoculars when you pay our standard price by Direct Debit.
" My wife and I have been members for over 40 years and will certainly carry on being so. You're doing a wonderful job preserving the natural treasures of Britain from the coastline and countryside to historic buildings for future generations to appreciate."


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Photo ID: 185443
Added: 23. Nov 2009
Copyright:David Dieschburg
License: Photocase Basic License
Bei Verwendung würde ich mich über eine Nachricht freuen
------©David Dieschburg-----
Nice focus on the droplets! Really simple and pretty.
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Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday Morning Adventures
In my search to find a church last night, I even typed my question to God into Yahoo: "Where should I go to church in Colorado Springs?" But I'm worried that maybe God uses Google, not Yahoo.
Finding a church would be so much easier if someone was actively trying to get you there. I think back to my Ft. Collins days when you would invite someone to church and sit with them and invite them to small group. How nice and easy. Oh, if someone would just invite me to their small group! But when you're the one trying to insert yourself into a church, unbeknowst to any of the regular goers, it can be awkward. It's not that everyone isn't very friendly, it's just hard to take that next step.
Mike and I have decided what we really need to do is to become pagans so that any given church will be more excited about recruiting us. It's no longer the days when counter-culture people are discouraged from church. Actually, you're far better off the weirder and more messed up you are. Many churches don't just want to recruit more Christians--you can sometimes see the disappointment in your eyes when they find out you're already saved; they want the lost. And Mike and I just don't make that great of a trophy--we've been Christians for over 20 years, we're not alcoholics, we don't have weird piercings. In short, we're too respectable.
So the next church we visit, Mike is going to wear black eyeliner and probably get a bull-ring for his nose. I'll definitely be wearing some mesh gloves and boots with lots of buckles. I'll probably say, "damn" several times in casual conversation. I think that will make me edgy enough to make the Christians want to minister to me. Maybe we'll even develop some other bad habits like hard liquor and democratic beliefs. (We're even considering pretending to be from Kyrgyzstan...that would totally leave them salivating over us.)
I jest. I know from the outside this makes me sound like a completely self-absorbed, self-serving Christian who just wants everyone else to minister to her. But going to a new church is hard, and finding a church that can become your church family is even harder.
7 comments:
- Becky said...
You should try Springs Calvary. We've been invited to join their small groups no less than 8 times. No kidding.
We actually really like it. :) It'd be fun if you went there too.
- February 8, 2009 at 4:32 PM
- Amber said...
Thanks, Becky! That's sweet of you. Maybe we will.
- February 8, 2009 at 6:33 PM
- Amber said...
But Becky, can I still wear the mesh clothes and talk in a Kyrgy accent?
- February 8, 2009 at 6:40 PM
- ian said...
Next Sunday, wear the button.
- February 8, 2009 at 11:44 PM
- Aloe said...
I went to Pulpit Rock when I lived there over the summers during my CSU years. And one of my old college roommates and her husband also go there and love it. If you're interested I could put you in touch with them. They're awesome people. :)
- February 9, 2009 at 6:35 AM
- Amber said...
Yes! The button!
Jess, I didn't know you lived in the Springs!
- February 9, 2009 at 7:08 AM
- Aloe said...
I spent 2 summers there waiting tables at a Beau Jo's on Academy and Union. It is now however a matress store. But I do love that town! It's so pretty and there is a ton to do there. :)
- February 10, 2009 at 5:13 AM


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The home at 145 Black Oak Drive has been condemned by Buncombe County emergency officials in fear that it may slide down the hill into other homes.
- Filed Under
The sinking home at 145 Black Oak Drive has become something akin to a tourist attraction for some residents in the neighborhood.
Throughout the day Thursday, groups of people walked up the steep road, bypassed a mudslide that blocked vehicle access to the home and took a look at the house, which is slowly collapsing as the earth gives way underneath it. At least one resident said it looked as if an earthquake struck the property.
"It's still actively moving," engineer Marvin Mercer told a group of about 50 residents who gathered at Beaverdam Fire Department to learn more about the situation. ...


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This article is an easy way to get started scripting. This will teach you how to script simple scripts that trigger when you touch them from the start.
This tutorial is for people familiar with ROBLOX, and know Roblox Studio very well (a few weeks of experience). They should be familiar with the explorer, properties, and the output.
Spelling is very important when scripting. If you misspell something, your script will not work properly. Most of the time, the output will catch these simple syntax (spelling) errors. To open the output window go to view-->Output.
Before you can script, you must have something to put your script in. I suggest finishing your map before starting any scripting. To start out, we will make a simple door that opens by a button. After you make the door and button, group it and name the door "Door" and the button "Button." Then you have to insert a script into the button. To do that select the button, then in the menu, do Insert -> Object -> "Script". Now you have to open it. While in Explorer, select the button again, click the plus sign, and double click on the Script. All that should be there is print("Hello World!"), which is the default text that you should remove. Then, you can start actually scripting!
WARNING ! If the door is composed of more than one brick, you must name all the bricks.
These are lines that are best to remember, you will use these in many scripts. This is the first major line you will use,
function Touched(otherPart)
which is the function line for code that uses the Touched event.
Note again that the spacing and capitalization are very important. The next line is usually the last line used in scripts using the Touched event:
This will make the function run when the script's Parent, the detector, is touched. Don't forget these lines, as an error in one of these is common.
If one looks in the properties window while having a brick selected one will see several variables such as: BrickColor, Size, CanCollide, and Transparency. Anything in the properties window can be altered in a script.
To make the door invisible, change the Transparency property:
script.Parent.Parent.Door.Transparency = 1
NOTE: Remember that script.Parent represents the button. The parent of the button is the grouped model - which contains the bricks called Door and Button. So script.Parent.Parent is refering to the model. The next step is script.Parent.Parent.Door which will give you access to the brick called Door.
To make a door such that one can walk through it, change the CanCollide property:
script.Parent.Parent.Door.CanCollide = false
How do you know if you use numbers or True/False? If the property has a checkbox, then it is true or false, true being checked, and false being unchecked. If it is a value, like transparency is, then it is a number between 0 and 1. If it has a drop down menu, like BrickColor, then it has a value for each item in the menu. Usually the values are pretty random, starting at 0. BrickColor codes are in this page: Scripting.
So, our script so far is:
function onTouched(hit) script.Parent.Parent.Door.Transparency = 1 script.Parent.Parent.Door.CanCollide = false script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
But, we forgot one thing. Ends! You need an end to finish the functions and other pieces of code. We need one end to finish every function. So, if you have 5 functions, you will have 5 ends. The ends go right before the ending line, like this.
function onTouched(hit) script.Parent.Parent.Door.Transparency= 1 script.Parent.Parent.Door.CanCollide= false end script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
But we still need to make the door solid again after a while, so we will add a wait function by using this line:
That waits 3 seconds before going to the next line. Now to return the door to its original state:
function onTouched(hit) script.Parent.Parent.Door.Transparency= 1 -- an invisible door script.Parent.Parent.Door.CanCollide= false -- a walkthroughable door wait(3) script.Parent.Parent.Door.Transparency= 0.3 -- a partially visible door script.Parent.Parent.Door.CanCollide= true -- a door you can't walk through anymore end script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
That is a working door, but there are shortcuts to make it easier. You can see a lot of repetition ("script.Parent.Parent.Door") so we can make that easier.
WARNING: If your door is a group of 2 bricks (or more), called e.g., "Door", which is a group of the bricks BodyA and BodyB:
function onTouched(hit) script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyA.Transparency= 1 script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyB.Transparency= 1 script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyA.CanCollide= false script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyB.CanCollide= false wait(3) script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyA.Transparency= 0.3 script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyB.Transparency= 0.3 script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyA.CanCollide= true script.Parent.Parent.Door.BodyB.CanCollide= true end script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
Every brick that composes the door must be scripted.
Before the function onTouched(hit) line, define the door with this line: {code|=door = script.Parent.Parent.Door}} If we have that, we can shorten the script:
door = script.Parent.Parent.Door function onTouched(hit) door.Transparency = 1 door.CanCollide = false wait(3) door.Transparency = 0.3 door.CanCollide = true end script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
WARNING : With a door of 2 bricks called for the example Body A and BodyB
door = script.Parent.Parent.Door function onTouched(hit) door.BodyA.Transparency= 1 door.BodyB.Transparency= 1 door.BodyA.CanCollide= false door.BodyB.CanCollide= false wait(3) door.BodyA.Transparency= 0.3 door.BodyB.Transparency= 0.3 door.BodyA.CanCollide= true door.BodyB.CanCollide= true end script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
You can even insert things like, Explosions, Messages, Values, and more. A full list of what you can insert is here: Class reference. The most common ones, however, are:
With the things you insert you have to define parts to it. Try inserting these things while in studio to see what you have to define. With the Message you have to define:
Let's make a message block. We'll start with the lines to remember:
function onTouched(hit) end script.Parent.Touched(onTouched)
Now, to insert the message object: {code|= msg = Instance.new("Message") }} Now, the things we have to define are Parent and Text:
msg.Parent = game.Workspace msg.Text = "This is the sample message text."
We can also, make it more simple like this:
msg = Instance.new("Message", Workspace) msg.Text = "This is the sample message text."
But we need to make it go away, after 3 seconds. The Destroy() method will remove the message from the screen. Remember to put a colon between msg and Destroy:
wait(3) msg:Destroy()
So, now the whole thing:
function onTouched(hit) msg = Instance.new("Message", Workspace) msg.Text = "This is the sample message text." wait(3) msg:Destroy() end script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
If you try to touch this, you will see a bunch of messages because the onTouched function will keep going over and over. To fix this, use Debounce.
If you use debounce, it will look like this:
debounce = false function onTouched(hit) if debounce == false then debounce = true msg = Instance.new("Message", Workspace) msg.Text = "This is the sample message text." wait(3) msg:Destroy() debounce = false end end script.Parent.Touched:connect(onTouched)
Loops are what you use to make things repeat; Instead of copying and paste dozens of times. There are 3 different types of loops.
While loops need ends to show where they go back to the beginning. We only need one end here too because there is no function. Here's the whole script:
while true do wait(001) -- change this time to however many seconds you DON'T want there to be a message msg = Instance.new("Message") msg.Parent = game.Workspace msg.Text = "Please send me a friend request!" wait(300) -- change this time to however many seconds you want the message to remain msg:Destroy() end
"for" is used to make something go a set number of times. Unlike while true do the makes it go constantly. For Example:
T = 5 --How many times it does it. for i = 1, T do b = Instance.new("Part") b.Parent = game.Workspace end
The 'for' sets i initially to 1 then adds 1 to i after each iteration has passed until i is equal to T. This would insert a part into the work space 5 times.
It is possible to use "for" to get to children of anything, e.g.,:
a = game.Workspace:GetChildren() for i = 1, #a do if (a[i].className == "Part") then a[i].Reflectance = 1 else return end end
This way to make something loop is rarely used. You can use a for loop do do anything that repeat can do but repeat is simpler. For Example:
Nv = Instance.new("NumberValue") repeat Nv.value = Nv.value + 1 until (Nv.value == 8) print("It stops at 8")


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Pizza Inn Map
1380 Industrial Pkwy.
215-679-5874 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
Now that you know where you want to enjoy a meal, it's time to find the restaurant. Print out this Pizza Inn map and take the driving directions with you so you can locate the restaurant easily.
Check out the 2015 edition of GAYOT's Annual Restaurant Issue, which features the Top 40 Restaurants in the US and more.


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Remember Nov 17th Masacre, Protests in Athens, Greece.
Remembering the massacre of Nov 17.
The head of the march leaves Parlaiment behind and heads to the American Embassy. During the Military Junta's rule the American embassy played a critical role in legitimizing the repressive regime, and was an unapologetic supporter of the military's tactics.
» View Fractures Photo Collective
Page Link:


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Everything you know is wrong: Oranges aren't orange.
Oranges weren't named for their color – because their color often wasn't orange. Find out how they get their brilliant hue, why many ripe oranges have to be dyed, and why nothing in the world is what you think it is. »


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In response to a number of GOP Senators backing away from the anti-tax pledge he authored, Grover Norquist is speaking out.
Norquist, an anti-tax lobbyist and head of Americans for Tax Reform, created the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in 1986 during the Reagan administration. It has been signed by 238 representatives and 41 senators, in addition to over 1200 current state legislators. The signors agree to "solemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases."
"Some of the people who are being dragged up are retreads," Norquist said. "There's nothing new in the last weekend about some of the senators who said they would be open to tax hikes."
Norquist said that three of the outspoken senators are a part of the "Gang of Six" who spent eight months "pretending to negotiate" tax increases and spending cuts with the Democrats, which resulted in nothing but tax increases being offered.
In his defense, Norquist contends that the legislators' promise not to raise taxes was made to the voters in their state, not to him.
See Norquist's interview with Fox News' Neil Cavuto here:
See related story here:
Top Republican Senator abandons 20-year-old anti-tax pledge
Cheryl Carpenter Klimek
Latest posts by Cheryl Carpenter Klimek (see all)
- Florida Five: Trump's Fla. visit promises 'bigger' American Dream, DWS' Dems drowning in debt - November 30, 2015
- Florida Five: Rubio, others show how to pardon a turkey, Fla. dodges hurricanes for 10th year - November 27, 2015
- Florida Five: Shark feeding frenzy on Fla. beach, Fla. politicians have a lot to be grateful for - November 26, 2015


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- Filed Under
Neither rain, sleet, snow or a the state's fourth-ranked Class AAA squad could derail Rossview High's girls' basketball team from picking up the program's most important win to date.
After ice and snow shutdown the city of Clarksville for the better part of Monday, the Lady Hawks' preparation for the program's first ever state tournament game was in limbo.
Tuesday was no better as school was canceled for a second straight day. Add to that, the 10 a.m. start to its girls' state tournament quarterfinal game - a time teams are unaccustomed to playing during the regular season - and you have the ...


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Anchorage Chamber Publishes Article on Fairview Business Association
View Article (PDF – 2.2 Mb)
Fairview Economic Revitalization Plan
View Proposal (PDF – 620 Kb)
Anchorage Muni Assembly Endorses Gambell Street Redevelopment Project
On September 24 the Anchorage Municipal Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution below which allows us to proceed to the next steps with the Alaska Department of Transportation to further the project. Supporting documents are also included.
- View the Muni Gambell Endorsement (PDF – 12.0 Mb)
- View Gambell Street Redevelopment Technical Document (PDF – 23.6 Mb)
- View Gambell Street Redevelopment Technical Document Appendix (PDF – 64 Mb)
Our Association
The Fairview Business Association was founded by local Fairview businesses to advocate for policies and initiatives that will improve the success of our businesses individually and as a whole. The Fairview Business District represents opportunities to create a strong economy for Anchorage due to our unique combination of mixed housing, retail and wholesale, light industrial, industrial, manufacturing, transportation, hospitality, recreation, service and professional businesses and worker training facilities.
Fairview Business Association 2012 Priorities
2013 Results of Fairview Business Survey Released
In November and Decemberof 2012 the Fairview Business Association surveyed 70 local businesses on business conditions and suggestions for improving the future. Read the
2012 Fairview Business Survey
Businesses are qualified if located in the areas bordered by:
- North (Government Hill)
- South (Chester Creek)
- East (Reeve Boulevard)
- West (C Street)
Association Address: PO Box 201262, Anchorage AK 99520-1262


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Philip (II) of Macedon (382–336 B.C.), king of Macedonia, 359–336 B.C. He was the father of Alexander the Great. In his youth Philip spent several years in Thebes, where he learned Greek military tactics and became a fervent admirer of Greek culture. Upon the death of his older brother, King Perdiccas III, Philip deposed the rightful heir to the throne, his infant nephew, and became king.
Philip's ambition was to gain control of Greece and to bring Greek culture to Macedonia. He first seized the gold mines of the coastal mountains, then built a powerful standing army, devised a new tactical formation, the Macedonian phalanx, and started moving southward. He used force only when necessary, preferring negotiation, bribery, and fraud to achieve his purpose.
The Athenian orator Demosthenes urged the Greeks to unite against Philip but little was done until it was too late. Philip defeated Athens and its allies at Chaeronea in 338 B.C. and then subdued the Peloponnesus. He planned next to free the Greek cities of Asia Minor from Persian rule, and in 336 sent advance forces to the Hellespont. Before he could take further action he was assassinated by Pausanias, a member of his court. Both Alexander and his mother, Queen Olympias, have been suspected of involvement in the crime (Philip had recently left Olympias for another woman), but probably without justification.


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Apple 'Best of 2012' markets apps, movies, music, books
updated 04:48 pm EST, Thu December 13, 2012
Other categories cover podcasts, TV shows
Apple has unveiled its annual Best Of list for 2012, which promotes content the company is selling through the iTunes Store, the App Store, and the iBookstore. The Best Album, for instance, is Shields by Grizzly Bear; Best Director is claimed by Wes Anderson for Moonrise Kingdom. Taking Best Show is Breaking Bad.
There are 24 categories in all. Under apps, notably, Paper by FiftyThree is the iPad App of the Year, while a relatively unknown title -- Action Movie FX -- is the iPhone App of the Year. At the iBookstore, Peter Heller's The Dog Stars has been picked as Best Novel, and Katherine Boo's Beautiful Behind the Forevers is the official Best Nonfiction title.
The Adam Carolla Show has been chosen for Best Audio Podcast. In contrast, the Best Video Podcast is Sesame Street.


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We are a family owned and operated company that was founded in 1960. We take pride in the fact that we are a 24-hour service oriented company. To further enhance the service work, we have a 42-foot boom truck to service parking lot lighting, and an electric scissors lift for the installation and service of other elevated devices.The work we perform for our customers is 95% commercial and industrial, and approximently 5% residential. We have design-built the service requirements for small commercial properties of lighting and power requirements for large offices and industrial sites.
In the meantime you can reach us at [415-468-2248] and by fax at [i415-468-0103]. We are looking forward to hearing from you. You can also contact us at our e-mail address: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag
Arden Kysely
July 20, 2010
Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag Carrying stuff on a dual-sport day ride is easy, right? You toss it in a backpack or bum bag and head for the hills. Or maybe you bungee it to the back or drop it into saddlebags. These conventional methods have worked for years, so why change? Comfort and performance come... Read more »
Rev-Pack Super Deluxe Saddle Packs Motorcycle Luggage Review
Clement Salvadori
July 10, 2008
[This Rev-Pack Super Deluxe Saddle Packs Motorcycle Luggage Review was originally published in the July 2008 issue of Rider magazine] Bigger is sometimes better, especially when it comes to carrying stuff on a motorcycle, and these Rev-Pack Super Deluxe Saddle Packs may be the biggest motorcycle saddlebags... Read more »


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I'm looking for an artist, and that artist will get some motherfucking green! I think its about time to put my money where my mouth is and see if I can tempt one of you guys with cash to get one of my ideas down on the page, but with a spirit of fun and laid-back-ness about it.
I have several stories that I will write up in script form, but it may depend on the style of the artist which story is chosen for the story, but input is always nice, on any level.
If you are interested and live in the UK, then the pay will be distrubted via an online transfer. If you live outside the UK, then it would be via PayPal. The amount that is paid is negotiable, so we'll see.
sorry, hagihajsuki, I am beginning to work on that script, I've been working alot and had a Greek assignment due, so I'm gonna shoot that over to you asap, so don't be thinking that this post will detract from what I said I would write for you.
If you wanna do this, let me know, obviously, and post a link to your art thread or just post some art for me to evaluate. Then we'll talk.
C'mon guys, this is basically a job offer. Lets see what y'all got!


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There are a couple film makers who are using Kickstarter.com to raise funds for a movie about TSA.
They are trying to raise $8,500 by May 13th.
Short Synopsis:Jack is a TSA agent. He doesn't know which he hates more; his job or his personal life. But when the TSA institutes a new policy that turns passengers into zombies (as another option to full body scan or grope), Jack knows things have to change.
After he gets fired for taking a stand, Jack finds a mysterious prototype TSA security wand that turns his life upside down. Armed with the wand and a new determination, he sets out to make a difference.
I am backing this project (but other than the publicity I get from contributing to Kickstarter I have no other ties to this). If you would also like to help please contribute.
Daniel Bittner said,
Thank you very much for your generous support! We need more people like you who put their money where their mouth is!
Simon said,
Good stuff – I'm in!!


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The reserve officer's role in law enforcement
Maligned by some cops, warmly welcomed by others, reserve police officers are 'extreme volunteers' whose contributions to their communities are becoming increasingly visible
If a person wanted to start a heated discussion in the comments field of a PoliceOne column — or in email responses to a survey question — they'd have a handful of sure-fire topics from which they might choose. One such topic, for example, is the matter of reserve police officers. I've intended for several months to do a column on reserve officers, and in the Career Newsletter last month I inquired with PoliceOne Members what the prevailing thinking among full-time sworn LEOs is on this subset of the police ranks.
I was unsurprised to find out that while one line of thinking on the subject — supportive of reserves — does seem to dominate the opposing view in sheer volume of responses, those in opposition to such programs are a wee bit more vocal. Let's begin the discussion on reserve officers by reviewing a sampling of what folks said in reply to that query last month.
PoliceOne Members Speak Out
Terry Scherer, Chief of Police for the LaPorte (Ind.) Police Department said in his email to me, "I believe that reserve officers are useful and valuable to help out police departments. They should never, however, replace full time positions in my opinion. I am very happy with our reserves as they step in and help us when we need the help. The program has also been beneficial in being a pool from which we can recruit full-time officers."
Lt. Tony Flowers of the Marion (S.C.) Police Department said further, "Our Department consists of 25 full-time sworn officers. As of this date we are currently down to 20 full-time sworn officers. Percentage wise, that comes to 80 percent. We are slotted for four officers per shift. We run four shifts but currently have only three officers on three shifts and one officer on the fourth. That definitely puts us in a bind as officers are steadily having to work overtime. We currently have one reserve officer who probably works more hours for free than 50 percent of the full time officers. He would love to come aboard full time but can't afford to take a $10,000 to $15,000 pay cut to leave his current job to work as a police officer. He is very motivated and loves helping us out. He is available at a moments notice and never complains about any task he is asked to perform. I feel that the reserve officer program is a definite plus, especially to small departments, and it helps us out tremendously."
"We have recently hired additional reserve officers to supplement our full-time personnel," wrote Joseph P. Morris, Chief of Police City of Florence (Colo.) Police Department. "In fact some officers that have left the agency for other law enforcement careers, have remained active as Reserves with the department and their knowledge and expertise has been a valuable asset to the community. The Reserve program has become a first step entry level, into our recruiting process to add full-time officers to the department. Successful candidates selected from the reserve program, are ready to move on to the full-time field training program when hired, having agency experience and training."
Officer Ben Gilman of the Alexandria (Ind.) Police Department said in an email to me that he himself is a reserve officer. "The role that reserves serve is vital to our departments as well as community. We keep all of the annual training that the Full Time Officers keep and work side by side with them daily performing the same job functions. Our Reserve Academy was very strict with hands on training that lasted months not including our ride along FTO Program before being released to patrol alone. Our Reserves work many hours saving our department money in overtime and staffing costs. While our department may only consist of 13 full time Patrolman cost effectiveness is key to the survival of any department. Our Chief and assistant Chief are very supportive and help with any needs we have, as well as all of the Officers on staff. I don't have to tell anyone how expensive all the gear we wear is but at least our department has helped out with radios and even vests. All in all I suppose what I am getting at is the Reserve Officers in Alexandria perform well and save the city money at the same time, covering vacations and off time. I am proud to say that I am a police officer in my town and I'm sure where ever you are you can say the same. Reserve or full-time, we still fight the same battles."
"The reserve program is great for departments to fall back on," said PoliceOne Member Gordon Corey in his email to me. "Even though most reserves are limited commission, if you have full-commissioned officers who are willing to still volunteer as reserves, that gives departments the opportunity to utilize these officers to fulfill call-ins and vacations from full-time officers. With this option, departments won't have to worry they will make the wrong decision. With reserves who are just reserves and have full time jobs other than law enforcement jobs only make decisions based on what they learn in the reserve police academy which is far less than what a full time officer is taught in the police academy."
Finally, there was this email, from another PoliceOne Member who said, "I believe the 'part time' system of policing is absolutely ridiculous. The job has changed since walking down the street and spinning your baton. We now encounter more diverse and complicated situations, where we are expected to wear a multitude of hats, and do it perfectly the first time. We contend with more anti-police groups, 24/7 video taping, and more charging and law suit filings then ever before. As such, to do this job without a full salary and full benefits is insane. If every 'part time' or reserve officer quit, they'd HAVE to hire full timers. Although relocating is difficult and not always feasible, those laid off may have the option of heading to the larger cities who always hire."
There are many comments to be found here on PoliceOne which in tenor and number reflect the thoughts above:
I've corrected some grammar and spelling in there, but you get the idea.
Reserves in the News
Most notably — and most recently — is the item from a few days ago that chronicles the story of a retired U.S. Marine named Roy Bickford, a reserve officer with the Lincoln (Maine) Police Department who "didn't hesitate or even worry when an elderly woman rushed toward him late last month yelling that her husband wasn't breathing." Gunnery Sergeant Bickford, who had previously been decorated for saving lives in the first Gulf War and Somalia, was given a commendation by the Lincoln Town Council for his actions that July afternoon.
Remember PoliceOne Member Joe Vargas from Anaheim, who led off the above collection of comments on reserves? I take care in pointing out that at least one reserve officer during Vargas' tour with the Anaheim PD was a Devil Dog just like the aforementioned Gunny Bickford. Sadly, though, Anaheim Reserve Officer Edward Smith — who had been named Orange County Reserve Officer of the Year in 2001 — lost his life while leading a company of 200 Marines into Baghdad in 2003. Gunny Smith was survived by his wife and three children.
Five Basic Groups
The fifth group appears to be a small minority, but like all bad apples they tend to have a significant impact on their surrounding bushel. I don't want to dwell too long on this group, but they do exist, and that existence does create a serious perception problem not only for other reserves, but for all LEOs.
For example, there was the recent case in which a Bridgton (Maine) reserve police officer resigned his post following being charged with domestic violence assault. Prior to that, back in June, there was the item about a reserve officer from Gaston (Ind.) who allegedly shot and killed his wife in their home. A couple of years ago there was the reserve officer from the Albuquerque Police Department who came under investigation for a variety of complains, including illegally taking overtime pay. Back in 2007 a reserve officer from Kansas was accused of looting a supermarket following a tornado.
A Variety of Roles
Regardless of their role, at agencies where reserves already exist, they're not likely to disappear from the department's plans. At agencies that don't now have reserve programs, it's about a 50-50 chance reserves may one day become part of the mix (read: they might, and then again, they might not). Where do you stand? Add your thoughts below, or, as always, send me an email.
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Includes transportation, gourmet picnic lunch (with full day guided fishing), rod fee, rental equipment if needed, professional guide and exclusive river access. A typical half-day trip runs 4-5 hours and a full-day trip runs 8-9 hours. Trips can be customized to your schedule and are subject to the best judgment of our guide staff.
Start the day by meeting your professional fishing guide at the Outfitter's shop downtown at 8:00am or simply have him/her pick you up at your home for your fishing retreat.
We'll get you geared up with what you'll need for the day, whether that's just some essential flies and tippet or full rod, reel, and kit. After a quick 15 minute drive to the area of the river you will be fishing, we'll begin our wade and walk approach.
Whether you're a beginner or an avid fisherman guided trips will prove to be most beneficial; our guides will assist you every step of the way on each element of fly fishing from instructing how to spot and understand where fish are most abundant in the river to casting techniques and how to hook and then net your big catch, every trip will prove to be a great experience.
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access to goods and services, usability of rest rooms and accessible parking and drop-off areas. For additional
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Fedora converts package keys
After discovering that some Fedora servers have been illegally accessed, the Fedora Project is, as of today, converting the signing keys for Linux distribution packages.
The Red Hat sponsored Linux distribution became aware of the intrusion at the end of August. One of the servers compromised was a server used for signing Fedora packages and as a result, the project has decided to change the key. Project leader Paul Frields writes: "While there is no definitive evidence that the Fedora key has been compromised, because Fedora packages are distributed via multiple
third-party mirrors and repositories, we have decided to convert to new Fedora signing keys."
The project developers will use the so called Phase 1 to initiate updates for Fedora 8 and 9, which will begin the conversion. From today the new packages are available on the mirror servers. Among others, the packages 'fedora-release', 'package-kit' and 'gnome-package kit' are being re-vamped.
The user will have to verify and import the updates with the new GPG key. The software guides the user through the download process but instructions are also available at Fedora-Wiki. After that, the package management receives updates as newly signed packages from a new repository.
In Phase 2, Fedora developers will not only update, but will assign new keys to all Fedora 8 and 9 releases.
Issue 23: Raspberry Pi Adventures/Special Editions
Buy this issue as a PDF
Photon Controller Goes Open Source
VMware bids for a stake in the container industry with a bold effort to integrate containers with its classic virtualization system.
New Point-and-Click Exploit Kit Appears in the Wild
3ROS attack tool lowers the technical bar so anyone can be an intruder.
Firefox Finally Gets Tracking Protection
Mozilla's latest browser offers powerful new privacy feature
New Password Looter Tool Steals Passwords from a Password Manager
If attackers are on your system, saving your passwords in a password vault is no protection.
Over a Million Websites Are Still Using SHA-1
Faulty hash algorithm persists, despite efforts by experts to raise awareness.
Dyreza Malware is Back
Powerful man-in-the-middle attack is now targeting online shopping.
Kernel Developer Matthew Garrett Forks the Linux Kernel
Another high-profile coder says the kernel team needs a kinder, gentler culture.
Bugzilla Bug
Bug database has a bug of its own that could allow an intruder to create an unauthorized account.
US Launches New Strategy for Broadband Access
Report focuses federal resources on achieving universal Internet access.
RC4 Finally Gets the Fork
Leading browser makers say "no" to porous encryption algorithm


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DeLeon Eskridge wouldn't be where he is, with a chance to be the University of Minnesota's starting running back as a true freshman, if he wasn't mature for his age.
Eskridge came a long way from the edgy kid who grew up in a rough neighborhood in South San Francisco's Hunters Point projects. He credits a lot of his growth to the support he received while spending his last two years of high school at Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, Calf.
"Maturing as a football player and in general started when I went to Serra," said Eskridge, who rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in the Gophers' 35-23 victory over Montana State last week. "I wasn't a troublemaker, but I had to mature mentally and get my mind right. They stress that just as much here, so I see what they were doing back then. It did mature me for (Minnesota), because you can't just worry about things on the field; you have to worry about off the field as well."
Gophers coach Tim Brewster said Eskridge and fellow freshman tailback Shady Salamon, a Cretin-Derham Hall graduate, have handled the transition to college life and the pressure of being major contributors as freshmen better than most 18-year-olds would.
"(Eskridge's) character is big-time," said Brewster, who has yet to decide between Eskridge, Salamon or junior Jay Thomas to start Saturday against Florida Atlantic. "He is a mature young guy, just like Shady. The game is not too big for them, and that's what gives them a chance.
Serra coach Patrick Walsh suspended Eskridge for one game during his senior season for talking back to coaches on the sideline, but his star player quickly learned a lesson. Walsh said Eskridge was never a problem afterward and represents his program well.
"In my mind that whole thing made him a better person," said Walsh, whose team lost 29-28 Saturday to nationally ranked De La Salle Catholic High School of Concord, Calif. "During our game against De La Salle we announced DeLeon's rushing game at Minnesota, and the home fans erupted. We're excited and very proud of what he's doing there."
Maresh cleared: Gophers recruit Sam Maresh said he has been cleared to start the process of returning to the field next year, less than three months after undergoing heart surgery to repair a valve.
The standout linebacker from Champlin Park High School was one of the Gophers' top recruits for the 2008 class, but he had to miss this season after having heart surgery June 26. Maresh said in an e-mail Wednesday that he was given permission by his doctor to start lifting weights and working out.
Maresh said he was also told that he has no heart murmur, that his valve is working perfectly and that if he had surgery a month before it was done, then he "would have been playing right now."
"He told me to get back in shape and run," Maresh said in the e-mail. "I was not expecting to feel this great so soon."
Next January, Maresh said, he's scheduled to have his final stress test and an echogram to make sure his ventricle has returned to normal size. He's planning to "grayshirt," which means he will be a part-time student and won't be a member of the football team until next year. His goal is to join the Gophers for spring football practice in April.
Briefly: Sophomore left tackle Dominic Alford ran Wednesday, but he's still day to day because of a left ankle injury. Brewster also said junior center Jeff Tow-Arnett (knee) practiced at full speed and is ready to play Saturday.
Up next: Florida Atlantic at Gophers, 11 a.m. Saturday, Big Ten Network, WCCO-AM 830


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Ferry District hearing just adjournedNovember 8, 2007 at 3:54 pm | In Elliott Bay Water Taxi, West Seattle news, West Seattle politics | 15 Comments
We monitored some of this afternoon's King County Ferry District hearing on the water taxi and other proposed foot-ferry operations. The district board members, aka King County Council members, had just received the proposed operations plan/budget (which we are awaiting to pass on to you) — they have a lot of decisions to make, and the next meeting is Tuesday morning. One thing we were glad to hear — toward the end of the meeting, West Seattle's KC Councilmember Dow Constantine talked about the excellent in-person turnout (we saw some known WSB readers at the podium!) and also the fact more than 50 people submitted "online testimony" — for which the specific link was created after a WSB reader asked about it. Way to go for public participation, and stand by for more details on the decisions to be made and how it will affect you, both in terms of transportation and taxation. 4:15 PM UPDATE: Here are those details, contained for starters in the County Executive's "transmittal letter" (read the full text here) — we're still reading through it ourselves, but one topline is the proposed funding plan (quoting from the document now): "a property tax levy of 5.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed value over ten years."
15 Comments
I must say I'm not encouraged that this will be an effective transportation option. See the following from the letter (link referenced above):
The plan further calls for the Ferry District to assume operation of the Elliott Bay Water Taxi and that the sailing period for the Taxi to be extended to April through October in 2008 and 2009. The plan assumes the necessary upgrades to the Seacrest dock facility would be in place by the beginning of 2010 allowing the Water Taxi to move to year-round service. However, this is a conservative schedule and upon completion of preliminary engineering and design work, it may be possible to have these upgrades in place to begin year-round service at an earlier date. Under a year-round schedule, winter season service (November – March) will be commuter only hours and during April – October will provide a full service schedule similar to the sailing schedule operated the last several years. Year-round service will be operated by DOT's marine division using King County employees and a new vessel purchased as part of a
three-vessel procurement.
You'll notice that there is NOT full service for the full year and even when there is full service there is only the mention of "full service similar to the sailing schedule operated the last several years." What that means folks is that we would have a permanent dock for an occasional ferry. Does that make sense? No, it doesn't make sense. Unless the sailing schedule is at least comparable to that of a bus – 30 minute headways – then it's not a viable transportation option – PERIOD.
Why waste even more of our limited transportation dollars on a permanent tourist attraction? As mentioned, I'm definitely NOT impressed with this plan and I'm clearly voting NO on any tax increase that produces this occasional taxi service. I was led to believe this would be more, but it isn't.
Comment by chas redmond — 5:23 pm November 8, 2007 #
Oh, and if I don't get to vote on this and my county council representatives, instead, go ahead and raise the tax levy, then I'm voting NO for my district representative the next time around. I'm really tired of nickel-and-diming ourselves to death for these "partial" solutions to a viable transportation alternative. I take it Dow has never actually used the Water Taxi on a regular basis. If it isn't frequent, reliable and basically 24/7/365 then it isn't public transportation worth the money.
Comment by chas redmond — 5:27 pm November 8, 2007 #
This is the default setting for city and county governments, tax the property owner. Dow Constantine has never met a tax he did not like, it is only .05/1000 now, in a year or two it will be at $1.00 all this an no need for a public vote on this. I am not a fan of Tim Eyman, but this is why he gets such a big audience. Why not taxes lattes, I do not drink them but I pay the carbonated beverage tax for my cola habit.
Comment by jdp — 6:54 pm November 8, 2007 #
This was to be 3.4/1000 but it was raised to 5.5/1000. So we have already experienced a $0.021 increase, a 40% plus increase, before it even made it into existence. Good job Dow, Ron, that should make West Seattle one of the highest taxed areas in the state, something we can be proud of.
Comment by jdp — 7:20 pm November 8, 2007 #
I am Chris Arkills, legislative aide for Dow Constantine. I wanted to respond to a few of the issues raised in the comments here.
Chas Redmond and jdp unfortunately chose to make several assumptions about the Ferry District Plan that are simply untrue. I was busy all night with soccer practices and homework and couldn't post earlier, but I did want to address the issues involved.
First, the reason the water taxi can't go to full-year operations at this time is that the wooden float at the dock is in very poor shape and must be taken out of the water in the winter months. The 161,000 users of the Water Taxi are well familiar with its poor condition. To go to year-round operation the wooden float must be replaced with concrete floats and improved ramps. To replace docks in a marine environment you must navigate a regulatory obstacle course that involves fish windows, tribal considerations, state laws on marine environments, city permitting issues and much more.
The plan is to operate the Water Taxi with the current fine service from Argosy for 2008 and 2009. The plan states in the quote referenced above that dock replacement is on a conservative schedule. It has been a working assumption of the planning of the ferry district that every effort would be made to try to have dock improvements done by fall 2009 so that we could shift to year-round service after Argosy finished the summer season. The plan also expands the season for the next two years considerably to try to help commuters have other options.
Second, if Mr. Redmond had read the attachments on the King County website he would see that the DRAFT schedule for the water taxi under King County operations does have 30-minute headways for most of the day. What is envisioned is much better service. King County will be buying or leasing 30-knot catamaran, low-wake, low emission, fuel efficient boats that will allow more frequent trips. The plan also envisions ticket kiosks that will help speed boarding so that the marine crew isn't taking money as you board.
Dow often uses the Water Taxi–many times to attend Mariners games with his parents. I personally use it over 20 times a year and would love to use it more as schedules and service improve.
Finally, jdp makes accusations that this is a funding source that will increase over time. I encourage you to call our office at 296-1008 or go to this link and read all of the supporting documents posted there:
Look for the tabs on the right which show the briefing paper and attachments. If you read the plan you will see that this is a conservative proposal to build waterborne transit as a commuting option throughout King County. The intent of the Ferry District is to set a rate that is adequate to fund the Vashon Passenger Ferry, the Elliott Bay Water Taxi, to fund five demonstration routes on Lake Washington and Puget Sound, and if they are successful to turn them into permanent routes with the same funding level. The proposed tax amounts to about $22 annually for the owner of a $400,000 home.
For the average West Seattle resident facing years of viaduct unrest it is a prudent choice to get cars from Vashon Island and West Seattle off our already congested roads. The taxing level increased because the council and the executive wanted to plan a system that could sustain itself and provide for a true benefit to most residents in the county over time. At the lower rate, county residents would be paying to support a system that mostly benefited West Seattle. It is important that all taxpayers in the county receive benefits and that is why we chose to set a rate that plans for future growth. Boats are proposed from Ballard, Kirkland to the UW, Des Moines, Renton, and Kenmore in the north. Each will have supporting shuttle service which will help deliver commuters to the ferries.
Waterborne transit carries millions of people every year in Vancouver, San Francisco, New York and cities around the world. It is long past time that we use the waterways of the Puget Sound region to better move people around our region.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Thank you for your time and for being interested in the Elliott Bay Water Taxi.
Comment by Chris Arkills — 11:53 pm November 8, 2007 #
You say you either want them to go all out or not at all? I'm confused. How about some baby steps? The water taxi has already shown itself to be an effective commute option. No doubt it can be made more effective. How about some alternatives to siphoning everybody onto the bridge every time? Oh wait, there aren't any, unless you're far enough south to scoot down to highland park. Anything that gets fewer people crossing that bridge is a win. I don't see any other options on the horizon. Truth is we're all screwed anyway when they knock the viaduct over.
Comment by Jeff — 12:11 am November 9, 2007 #
There is an article in the Seattle Times today regarding the ferry district that states a $0.55/1000 tax rate, which is substantially larger than the previously mentioned amount. It also states that the ferry district cannot exceed a tax rate of $0.75/1000. Mr. Arkills, thank you for your response, but my fear still is we will get taxed to the maximum allowed. I am hoping the rate mentioned in the article is an error.
Comment by jdp — 6:57 am November 9, 2007 #
The number you cite is indeed in error. The rate is actually .0055 or 5.5 cents per $1000 in home valuation. This plan is nowhere near the 75 cents allowed by the state legislature. It is specifically designed to allow for future growth without increases in the tax rate. I would be happy to discuss it further with you.
Comment by Chris Arkills — 7:43 am November 9, 2007 #
Chris, Jeff,
Chris is right, I should have read the whole set of briefing papers and not just the Ron Sims' transmittal letter.
I am supportive of any alternative transportation and the Water Taxi and Vashon passenger ferries serve a legitimate purpose for – presently – a small fraction of potential users. My concern is that if we're going to build out a new transportation node that we look at what makes other nodes successful and what their constituency is. The existing Water Taxi serves a small footprint of West Seattle residents with limited sailings. The proposal which the King County Ferry District has put forth would provide roughly twice the sailings a day but still falls short of a full-service transportation node. Monday-through-Thursday service would still end at 7:00 pm. Friday and Saturday service would run through 11:00 pm with hourly sailings after 7:00 pm and Sunday service would still be severely curtailed.
Yes, these are baby steps, yes they are good and perhaps appropriate. I have two points to make, though.
One – I've lived here since October 2003, that's four years. In these four years my mortgage has grown by $340 a month. That has all been based on tax add-ons to my mortgage from the county. Sounds okay, right? It's roughly a 30 percent increase in my mortgage in four years. Not okay. It's a fixed rate (5.02 percent) 15 year mortgage.
Second point is my transportation options have not grown in those same four years. I still would have to take two buses to use the Water Taxi. The water taxi shuttle is coordinated with the water taxi but no other buses are coordinated with the shuttle. I can't drive to the Seacrest terminal because there's no place to leave a car for the day if I did. Taking the various buses to the dock is nearly twice as long as waiting for the 21 or 54 buses to get essentially to the same spot downtown.
Finally, I'd really like to see some overall transportation coordination. If we're going to increase the Water Taxi schedule, make improvements to the dock, run the service year-round, who is the service for? At the same time that this service is being contemplated, another King County service is also being planned – the Rapid Ride bus system. The proposed route for the West Seattle leg of that service appears to provide route options for those in West Seattle living between Alaska Junction and the Fauntleroy ferry dock. This water taxi service still appears to serve primarily the Alki and Admiral neighborhoods. One section of West Seattle is scheduled to get 15-minute rapid bus service for 18 hours a day. Another section of West Seattle is scheduled to get expeditious water taxi service but on 30 minute centers part of the day and hour centers for the rest and for most of the week only 12 hours of actual service.
To me, this sounds like a large disparity in public transit service delivery to the same section of the city and I'm still concerned that we're not accommodating riders with truly effective public transportation.
Comment by chas redmond — 9:44 am November 9, 2007 #
I agree that we need to go all-out developing waterborne and other transit means, and that frequency and reliability of service is absolutely critical to making this stuff work.
However, there's so much bad info around about taxes that I feel the need to question Chas's contention that his mortgage has gone up by $340 a month because of tax increases. If his mortgage has gone up that much, I suspect it's because his assessed value has jumped. He's still paying a lot more, still an uncomfy increase, for sure. But that's not because of tax rate increases like 5.5 cents/$1000 for the ferry district. It's because real estate values have skyrocketed. Whether or not we see tax levies like this just isn't the main factor when market values have jumped so much in the past few years (and assessments have risen along with values, as they ought to). The rise in value is the major factor. Of course, there's a benefit to the property-tax-payer in those rising values too. But it's harder to complain about rising values than about taxes.
Comment by Sage — 12:50 pm November 9, 2007 #
I agree with chas. The options feel a bit disjointed.
How about having the Vashon to Seattle passenger ferry stop at Fauntleroy to pick up us southenders.
Or better yet lets bring back the trolley and the mosquito fleet. Both options served us well until the car generation arrived and eliminated everything in its path
Comment by Michael Lieberman — 12:57 pm November 9, 2007 #
For those who live in a bubble as large as their arms allow them to reach, I offer my sympathy.
There are others who can see the value of an extraordinary new way of travel, and for whom $25 or $35 dollars a year is, what may be termed
'chump change.' To them, I say thank you.
IMO, we are custodians for a precious resource, our city. We cannot stop it's growth without killing it. We can however, lay good foundations that will support additional citizens along with ourselves.
There will be some kind of feeder service to the ferries, be assured of that. If not from metro, maybe the city could issue jitney licenses to permit private shuttle services for not only the ferries, but for other service throughout the West Seattle peninsula, as well as for other sectors of the city needing such service.
The coming economic changes and permanent increases in the cost of oil will require us to be innovative in our attempt to cope.
It won't be a walk in the park to achieve meaningful results. It will be a tough slog.
Even though I may not be here to see the results, I still want to see something started.
Comment by old timer — 2:24 pm November 9, 2007 #
+$340 in taxes a month? Surely you must mean per year unless your assessed value increased by over 300 grand, in which case, nicely done! I agree that other things should be done to get things moving better. For instance, coming from the south, when the bridge is clogged up, so is the Avalon connection to Harbor ave, so basically you still have to wait in the same bridge traffic that you're trying to get around. Also, to tie it in better with metro like you mentioned would be a huge gain.
For me right now the water taxi is difficult to get down to unless I'm biking. If I'm on foot I'll usually bus it in. But when I'm on my way home, and I know the boat will leave precisely at 6:10, and I don't have a clue when the 55 will decide to come by, or what the viaduct is like, or what the bridge is like, I'll take the water taxi hands down. It ain't necessarily more convenient (yet?), but it's a lot more predictable.
Comment by Jeff — 3:35 pm November 9, 2007 #
Jeff, yes, part of the growth in mortgage was assessed value. I'll concede that this is a worthy experiment. I would also argue that if the entire process had been more public and more of us had weighed in earlier that we might also be spending a little more of our annual taxes on this but that the service levels might also be accommodatingly more advantageous. I really don't like this transportation-planning-in-the-back-rooms approach which seems to go on here. When was my first opportunity to weigh in on this – couple days ago at KC Council Chambers. Did anyone here get invited to or attend any KC Council or KC Transportation Department meetings discussing this? And, if it affects my tax dollar then it's my business and apparently my only outlet has been individual emails and discussions with Dow's staff or Dow. He's one person on this panel. Where was the interaction with the process? What – other than a service designed FOR me by others am I getting with my tax contribution.
That's my issue here. When , where and how were the citizens of King County allowed involvement? I'm on pretty much every transportation-related email list-serve in the region and I would have been at meetings had I been aware. Am I living in some vacuum and the rest of the county was not? There was an article and a few presentations of this concept which appeared in the WS Herald. There were a handful of community associations which got somewhat insider briefings. That's not really an interactive process in my view. Once you review all the PowerPoint material you get the sense that this is a well-researched done-deal. I suppose many would argue that's what we elect our County Council members to do. I would still argue that when it comes to spending my money I am owed a seat at the table – as I said, I might like to spend more to get more. Some may recall that I mentioned at one of the doomed SMP board meetings a suggestion that the board be bold and ask the public for exactly the money it WOULD take to build the monorail. They didn't and we voted their scarecrow scheme down. Now here we are again, not spending enough in a specific area to get a truly useful service.
Comment by chas redmond — 7:04 pm November 9, 2007 #
Chas, you should be ashamed of yourself, taxing the whole county for these boats.
Why should old retired people in Enumclaw/Maple valley/North Bend, or even Seattle have to help pay for these boats.
Shame on you.
Comment by Jimbob — 9:15 am November 14, 2007 #
Sorry, comment time is over.
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EXETER, N.H., Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ - It's not just big business in the U.S. that is requiring a bailout. There are more than 30 million small businesses across America being negatively impacted by current economic conditions. Access to credit is drying up. Loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) have decreased by 30%. Declining home values are contributing to declining collateral values, which mean that entrepreneurs have less to offer banks as backup for a loan.
Compounding the problem is that tighter business credit means entrepreneurs are turning to personal credit and savings to finance operations. Higher personal debt and shrinking assets are further contributing to reduced creditworthiness. Rising energy and food costs are competing for limited dollars forcing many entrepreneurs to choose between sustaining the family and sustaining the business.
If small business is indeed the backbone of the U.S. economy, who is going to bail them out?
"We're hearing from small businesses all over the country at an alarming rate that are panicked and uncertain about how they are going to survive under current economic conditions," said Deborah Osgood, cofounder of Knowledge Institute, Inc., a philanthropic organization that specializes in economic development. "The challenge for us right now is to help them to learn about and effectively navigate what resources are available that can help to stave off their needing to file bankruptcy or simply close their doors."
The means to bailout these small businesses in crisis has been put in place by Knowledge Institute through a collaborative effort between government, public nonprofit agencies and private sector corporations. The fact is that there are thousands of government and other public programs funded by U.S. tax dollars that provide free and low-cost help to support all aspects of business startup and growth including business planning, funding, marketing, import/export and other forms of targeted assistance.
The problem is that these programs are difficult to find, understand and access. To overcome these obstacles, Osgood and her business partner and husband, Dr. William Osgood, have co-opted other private sector corporations in sponsoring the creation and ongoing support of buzgate.org, an online community that identifies, catalogs and translates these programs making them available, understandable and accessible to everyone, everywhere at no charge via the Internet.
"It is critical that government, economic development agencies and private corporations work together to support the health and vitality of our small businesses right now," said Dr. Osgood. "This sector employs over 116 million people and represents over half of our nation's gross national product (GNP). Failure to keep this engine strong will have profound and far reaching negative affects on all aspects of our economy and our communities."
In a recent buzgate.org survey of small business users, over 54% respondents said that access to capital was a primary concern. Michael and Cheri Reid from Alabama wrote, "Our small local trucking business opened in 2006 with 5 employees. Due to the excessive cost of fuel throughout 2007 and with our excellent credit, our banker encouraged us to apply for an SBA-backed bank loan and then subsequently declined the loan citing current market conditions. With no loan and our personal credit maxed out, we laid off our last employee and stand to lose everything that we've worked for over the past twenty years."
Buzgate.org responded to this situation within 24 hours, identifying additional financing venues including access to an angel funding network, factoring, commercial mortgage options, peer-to-peer lending and a business loan network. Also introduced was SCORE, a national network of experienced business counselors who volunteer their time to help anyone with most aspects of business management either face-to-face or through email.
"Running a business always has challenges, particularly a relatively young one in an industry as dynamic as multimedia online presentations," said Michael Grosso, founder and president of KinetiCast. "Given the current economic climate, it is even more critical to be able to turn to a network like buzgate.org and find answers and local contacts needed to not only respond to market shifts, but to also support continued growth."
Unlike the big business bailout that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars with questionable results, making use of free and low-cost business assistance resources that already exist through a public/private initiative that is privately sustained, isn't going to cost taxpayers another dime and yet provides small businesses with the very help they require for surviving the current economic crisis. To learn more, visit http://www.buzgate.org.
About buzgate.org
buzgate.org is a public/private initiative created by Knowledge Institute, Inc. to serve as a national resource and referral network in support of small business startup, growth and sustainability. Network access is available to all individuals via the Internet at no cost, and is fully supported by private sponsorships. Visit http://www.buzgate.org for more information.
Deborah Osgood, Knowledge Institute
603.658.0340 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Deborah Osgood at http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=77666
SOURCE Knowledge Institute
Posted at http://www.forbes.com/prnewswire/feeds/prnewswire/2008/10/07/prnewswire200810070700PR_NEWS_USPR_____NETU020.html