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Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:50 pm
Post subject: is it too soon????
hi everyone,
like i wrote earlier i have just had my 3 months scan, so getting really excited about baby.
was wondering when is it ok to start buying baby things??? been seeing loads of cute and gorgeous baby grows e.c.t but dont want to buy anything too soon and jinx myself.
kimberley xo
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 6:24 pm
Post subject:
hi kimberly!
If you really want to start buying for baby then go for it..i waited till afetr my 12 wk scan so as we knew the baby was ok, then i went wild in mothercare!!
there i so much to get as well thats its nice to pick up a few bits here and there, make a list and buy a little something every week. i just went on a shopping spree with my mum the other day and im glad i already have most of the things as im quite big already and didnt want to be walking around the shops nearer the end of the pregnancy. the only thing i wont have in the house till after baby is born is the pram.
i rekon you should get down the shops and treat yourself.. happy shopping.
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 12:57 am
Post subject:
yes definately!!!
im to excited to wait till the birth to find out!!! lol! was thinking i'd buy loads when i know babys sex, that way i can buy all things blue or pink!!
do you know what your having??? me and partner have fingers crossed for a boy!! lol!
kimberley xo
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:47 am
Post subject:
hi kimberly
yes were having a little girl already got one shes 2 and a half cant imagine having two didnt find out with my first it was boring having to by yellow and cream things then when your babys born you dont want to put them in any thing thats not pink or blue this time has been fun every things pink!!! x
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:10 pm
Post subject:
Hiya i think it is different for everyone. I am 26 wks and havent bought a thing yet because I know it probably sounds silly but I dont want to jinx anything as we were trying for over 3 years for a baby. I was thinking the other day that maybe I should start thinking about it soon, what did all you girls buy first and have you got a good list?? Happy buying everyone xx
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:01 am
Post subject:
hi everyone,
still havent actually bought anything yet, although i've been in mothar care browsing.
took home a few catalogues from mothercare, adams and other childrens stores, and have marked everything im liking in pen.
everythings creams and whites at the mo, thinking about holding off untill after my 20wk scan so i know weither to buy blues or pinks!!!
thanks everyone for the replys and gud luck on all your pregnancys!
kimberley xo

subset: commoncrawl


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Pay-sharing, employer social media access bill OKd
Both House Bill 1188, which would prevent employees from being punished for openly discussing their pay, and House Bill 1407, which would prevent employers from requiring access to both a potential or current employee's private social media and email accounts, now await Gov. Maggie Hassan's signature.
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MISSOULA, MONTANA - There is a hidden America. In this nation of plenty in which fly the banners of so many a proud heritage, a country rich in variety and strengthened by diversity, there are untold stories of hardship. The American story includes the narratives of those shadowy figures that hover at the periphery of mainstream life, eking out what they can from the margins, getting by while hiding out and hoping for a better day, if not for themselves, then for their children.
Such are the stories of the tens of millions of Canadians who cross their country's vast border with our own each year seeking opportunities undreamt of in their glacial homeland. Some come on foot, braving the elements, skittering along makeshift rope bridges spanning the icy chasms that separate the world of their birth from the world of their ambitions. Others come by leaky canoes, poled along by human traffickers known as kayotes. Some stow away aboard lumber trucks destined for the gilded frontier. Others crowd together and storm border crossings in plaid avalanches that claim dozens of lives each year, human statistics trampled beneath the lemming galoshes of their countrymen. But however they come, man or woman, young or old, they come in their multitudes, desperation in their steely eyes, the pulse of thick, cholesterol-dense blood in their blue trappers' veins, and wherever they settle down they transform the communities they join, whether for better, or, as many sources claim, for worse. In this series we will uncover just some of the truths that lie hidden in this secret America, this world of oddly pronounced vowels and conspicuous courtesy, this dark, secret world of the Sapbacks.
At the turn of the current century, Missoula was a town with a population of a mere 65,000 souls, most employed as insurance underwriters for one of the three-dozen agricultural giants that base out of the area owing to its low taxation and historically lax enforcement of industrial regulations. Packaged food giant ConAgra Foods, the largest employer in the region, moved its headquarters to Missoula from Omaha in 2004 when regulators overseeing its previous site stalled the company's plans to launch a line of all-sodium drink additive under the brand name "Mister Quenchy." Since its relocation, ConAgra has begun full-scale strip-mining of Western Montana's MSG deposits. In that undertaking it employs some half-million miners at the state minimum wage of three dollars a day plus once monthly use of the company's mule. Almost all of the miners employed by ConAgra come from Canada. Most of them have been displaced from their traditional sources of livelihood. Virtually none have valid immigration documents.
As a result of large-scale industrial undertakings like ConAgra's, Missoula today is a sprawling metropolis of over four million. The wretched conditions of its makeshift shanty-towns place it just ahead of Detroit on the United Nations' list of places not to be visited by Asian dignitaries during photo ops to put a kind face on globalization.
Sol Epstein is an undocumented Canadian employed in the ConAgra mines. Like most Canadians, Sol speaks no English. He communicates with his fellow Canadians in a pidgin known as Canglois, a blend of several tribal dialects and Canada's official language, Sumerian. Through an interpreter, Epstein shared part of his story with me.
"I am a furrier," he said. "Like my father and his father before him and also my Aunt Vicki, who was accepted by the men for her mustache, I furred. For as long as anyone in my village can remember, we trapped the beaver. Great Father Beaver gave us his oily pelts and his scaly tails and we thanked him with offerings of sorghum. Like furriers all over the world, we furred by day, slept by night and biddy-biddy-bummed like wealthy men. But then the Yanqui came and told us we must fur no more. So instead we planted the Yanqui's maize. But it would not grow in our soil of pure gypsum. So then we went hungry. Some of us would try again to trap Great Father Beaver, but he would give his pelt and tail only grudgingly and when we could gain a pelt, we could not sell it for today the Yanqui wants only hats made of the Southern Man's cotton. So we starved."
By his own account, Epstein has been in the U.S. nearly five years now and has returned home only once, to attend his daughter's fifteenth birthday celebration, a traditional ceremony called, in Canadian, a soixante-sans-quarante-cinq-anjera.
"I miss my family," he says. "This winter my oldest son, Mgabo, will undergo the manhood rite. Should he pass his trial, clinging to the braided whiskers of a caribou as it tramples a warehouse floor of threshed rye, he will become a leader in our village. But I will not be there to see it. The company charges me almost as much to rent a shovel as it pays me in one week. What little I have left I must spend on Sterno to warm my lentils. I haven't any means to travel. Some nights I curse the gods for making me be born Canadian."
In the ghetto Epstein calls home, scurvy, cholera and scabies are widespread. Occasional visits from Doctors Without Borders do little to halt the spread of disease.
"Each week," says Hans Frenkle, a volunteer surgeon, "I see more cases than the week before. We have typhus here, malaria, smallpox, and more herpes than you can shake a stick at."
And the situation is not restricted to the camps. According to Missoula officials, nearly one-third of all students in the city's public schools are Canadian, some born in the U.S., others smuggled across the border by their parents. "It's a difficult choice," says Monica Byrd, principal of South-Central Missoula's Sutherland Middle School. "Either we refuse to educate the Canadians, and accept their presence among us as unwashed barbarians, or we teach them the best we can, disrupting the progress of our own children and bleeding our public coffers dry."
School officials we spoke to were reticent to comment upon the incidence of violence associated with the growing population of Canadian students. But while we were in Missoula, two Canadian students at Guy Lombardo High, on Missoula's gang-ruled North Side, pelted a native-born Montana boy with rocks while screaming at him, "Give us us free!" The victim, seven-year-old Stephen Furman, was admitted to Missoula General Hospital and treated for third-degree shame.
In future installments we will examine the deeper issues that affect Canadian immigration. We will consider the views and opinions of experts on both sides of the debate regarding our more than 5,000-mile northern border and we will explore programs underway to halt the tide of Canadization in states like Montana through relief and development of Canada's own resources. We offer no platitudes about this difficult topic and we promise no clear answers to the complex questions that arise when considering the lives of our fellow human beings. But we promise to look at the problem from every angle.
In Part Two of this series, "A Home at the End of the World," we will examine the squalid, prehistoric lives of Canadians in their natural habitat to gain a deeper understanding of how and why our desperate neighbors in the frigid north have become a force that each day furthers the mapling of America.
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Pilot goes from air to space
By AOPA ePublishing staff
Col. Eric A. Boe, a pilot on the space shuttle "Endeavour," credits the Civil Air Patrol with helping him to achieve his career goals of becoming a fighter pilot and an astronaut. Boe is a former Georgia Wing cadet and current Florida Wing member. He soloed at 16 at a flight encampment conducted by the Georgia Wing and credits his cadet experience for solidifying his desire to fly.
"That was my first real opportunity to fly an airplane by myself," he said. "CAP gave me that opportunity, and it really made a difference in the long term. It's always nice to have flown before you show up at pilot training." The shuttle, which launched on Nov. 14, is scheduled for a 15-day mission involving repair work at the International Space Station, with four planned spacewalks.
November 17, 2008


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SEOUL: Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Electronics, has been no stranger to scandal as head of South Korea's largest company and the huge conglomerate it anchors.
And he has emerged each time, even from a bribery conviction, relatively unscathed. But new allegations — chiefly, that the conglomerate maintained a 200 billion won ($215 million) slush fund used to pay off influential figures — have the 65-year-old tycoon up against a wall instead of celebrating two decades of corporate success.


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Engineer Tactical Operations
The most direct factors governing engineer construction capability in the Republic of Vietnam were men, materials, and equipment. The last two items were in short supply throughout the early phases of the construction program but became more plentiful in 1966 as the logistical situation improved steadily and as more base and port development projects neared completion. With control of materials and equipment vested elsewhere, the improvement in quality or quantity of manpower remained the most likely means for early increases in the construction capability of the 18th Brigade. But there were prospects of loss of know-how among its units.
During April and May 1966 a significant proportion of the engineer troops in South Vietnam were nearing the end of their twelve-month tours of duty. The loss of so many seasoned men at approximately the same time threatened the operational expertise of many units. To lessen the effect of this "rotational hump," the several group headquarters initiated programs of which the measures taken by the 45th Group were representative. The primary goal of the group was to prevent one month's rotation from exceeding 25 percent of any one battalion's strength. Four steps were taken to accomplish this goal: an overstrength of 10 percent was authorized for the battalion; some individual tours of duty were shortened by as much as one month, allowing the administrative load to be spread over at least two months; the tours of 10 percent of the men eligible for rotation were voluntarily or involuntarily extended for one month or longer if necessary; and soldiers were interchanged with men in other battalions who had less Vietnam service in order to lessen the impact of the loss on any specific battalion.
To maintain the manpower resources capable of sustaining operational support, General Ploger agreed to soldiers with nonengineer military occupational specialties as fillers. He also requested and obtained temporary authorization for an overstrength of between 10 and 15 percent, since a 15-percent overstrength could be economically employed without augmenting equipment. The temporary increase in personnel enabled engineer commanders to
take full advantage of the dry season to complete as much construction as possible before the monsoon weather curtailed activity. Local Vietnamese laborers and some from other countries, primarily Filipinos, were employed whenever and wherever possible, but their use had several drawbacks. South Vietnam was traditionally an agricultural country and its people lacked most of the skills common to a more technological society. There was very little skilled labor available to the South Vietnamese Army. The civilian contractors, who had preceded the Army engineers to Vietnam by several years, had exploited the skilled labor market to such a degree that most indigenous workers employed by the Army could be used only on jobs requiring few or no technical skills. Nonetheless, the Vietnamese proved to be industrious, easily adaptable people, eager to learn and contribute.
Engineer units came to realize the potential of the local nationals, and several training programs were initiated to instruct them in such skills as carpentry, masonry, mechanics, and vehicle operation. Eventually Vietnamese workers were providing valuable assistance throughout the construction program. By late 1966 the 159th Engineer Group was graduating a class of heavy equipment operators every two weeks, and thus alleviating a serious shortage which existed among military men in that particular specialty. Not only did the training of formerly unskilled Vietnamese increase the Army's construction capability, it also provided a base of skilled workers who, once the war was over, could put their experience to good use in developing their nation. Their contributions to the future growth of the South Vietnamese economy would be substantial.
On 8 June 1966, the 45th Engineer Group headquarters arrived at Cam Ranh Bay, breaking the drought in the deployment of engineer organizations from the United States that had lasted nearly five months. After establishing its command post at Dong Ba Thin, the group assumed command of the 20th and 39th Combat Engineer Battalions as well as two light equipment companies and a dump truck company from the 35th Group.
Not long after the arrival of the 45th Group, headquarters of the 79th Engineer Group (Construction) was deployed from Fort Lewis, Washington, arriving in Vietnam in July. The 168th and 588th Engineer Battalions (Combat) were attached to the 79th Group with added support acquired from the 362d and 577th Engineer Companies (Light Equipment). In September the 79th assumed command of the newly arrived 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat), and in October the 86th Engineer Battalion (Combat). The addition of two more group headquarters, while increasing
engineer capability, put an added burden on the headquarters staff of the 18th Brigade. The brigade had expanded to include five groups with a total of seventeen battalions. A redistribution of areas of responsibility was effected in order to apportion the work load as equally as possible.
By early 1966 three principal bases of logistical support had been established in Vietnam. Qui Nhon, supported by the 937th Engineer Group, was the primary base of nondivisional strength in the northern II Corps area. The 35th Group at Cam Ranh Bay was geared to the support of the southern region of II Corps. The Saigon-Long Binh complex manned by engineers from the 159th Group was responsible for both the III and IV Corps. While their support was never completely limited to their respective field force elements, most of each group's activities took place within the bounds of the particular tactical zone it supported. When the 45th Group arrived, its immediate area of responsibility included Tuy Hoa, Dong BA Thin, Ninh Hoa, and the northern Cam Ranh peninsula, thus relieving both the 937th and 35th Groups of some responsibility. The 79th was given responsibility for nondivisional engineer activities in northern III Corps, thereby assisting the 159th Group.
Coordination of the various group activities became increasingly difficult for brigade headquarters at Tan Son Nhut. To establish a better position from which to manage the efforts of the entire brigade, the 18th moved a task group to Dong BA Thin, establishing northern headquarters for the brigade on November 18th. With five group headquarters, eighteen battalions, twenty-one companies, seven detachments, and two separate platoons to supervise, it was time for a modification of the command structure to relieve the strain on the overburdened 18th Brigade headquarters.
On 1 December 1966, using personnel from the headquarters of the 921st Engineer Group (Combat) which had remained uncommitted since its arrival in midsummer, the U.S. Army Engineer Command, Vietnam (Provisional) (USAECV), was established, subordinate to U.S. Army, Vietnam, but operating with considerable independence. (Chart 4) The 18th Brigade colors were shifted to Dong BA Thin and the north headquarters was dissolved. On 20 December the Engineer Command moved from Tan Son Nhut to establish its headquarters at Bien Hoa in response to General Westmoreland's promptings to all the headquarters within Saigon to move elsewhere. Soon there was a scheduled exodus, known as MOOSE, an acronym for "move out of Saigon expeditiously." The entire Army headquarters began to move, principally into the Long Binh area, creating a sudden crush of new construction require-
1The provisional headquarters of the United States Army Engineer Command, Vietnam, reduced the span of control from five to three major subordinates.
ments for the engineer units in the Saigon area. The Engineer Command was the first major headquarters to move and settled quickly into a partially completed tent and prefab cantonment which had been scheduled for construction in early 1965 by contract to provide housing for the 173d Airborne Brigade. The 62d Engineer Battalion (Construction) was moved from Phan Rang to Long Binh at the cost of one month's production to help in the MOOSE program.
1operational control, Americal Division
2operational control, II Field Force, Vietnam
3The Army Engineer Command remained a provisional organization, lacking the approval of the Office of the Secretary of Defense
The Engineer Command drew further personnel from the 18th Brigade, including its commanding officer. In ceremonies conducted at Tan Son Nhut, Major General Robert R. Ploger, recently promoted, assumed command of U.S. Army Engineer Command, Vietnam (Provisional), while his former deputy commander, Colonel Paul W. Ramee, succeeded him as commander of the 18th Brigade. Still additional engineer headquarters positions were filled from the U.S. Army, Vietnam, Engineer Section, which was dissolved with the formation of the new command. The 921st Engineer Group headquarters remained on the books, uncommitted, as a basis for personnel requisitions until its inactivation much later.
Under the new arrangement, the Engineer Command directed the operations of the 18th Brigade headquarters as well as those of the 79th and 159th Groups. The 18th Brigade, in turn, exercised command over the 35th, 45th, and 937th Groups. (Chart 5) Necessary engineer support of I Field Force was handled by the 18th Brigade while the Engineer Command worked primarily with II Field Force. In both cases the groups continued to deal with the tactical commanders, providing assistance as requested. Areas of responsibility for the brigade and groups were established, with the 18th Brigade responsible for all of II Corps, the 159th Group responsible for the Saigon-Long Binh-Vung Tau-Dong Tam area, and the 79th Group responsible for the remainder of III and IV Corps.
The shift of the 18th Brigade from Saigon to Dong BA Thin was soon followed by a shift of boundaries within the new brigade area. (Map 9) Headquarters, 937th Group, moved inland from Qui Nhon to Pleiku and assumed responsibility for all the Central Highlands; Headquarters, 45th Group, then moved from Tuy Hoa to Qui Nhon to fill the gap in the northern half of coastal II Corps created by the move of the 937th. The 35th Group extended its responsibility from Cam Ranh Bay to north of Nha Trang.
In its new area, the activity of the 18th Brigade was split between combat support and construction in a 35 to 65 percent ratio. (The proportion of combat support showed a notable rise from the 10 to 15 percent being contributed at the end of 1965.) Combat support operations centered on building new air and ground lines of communication and maintaining those already in existence. Major construction effort was directed to the expansion at Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay.
The 159th Construction Group concentrated on improving the continuously expanding logistical complex at Long Binh and developing the port at Vung Tau. In late 1966, as a result of the arrival of the 9th Infantry Division, the group shifted some of its efforts to new construction in the Long Thanh and Dong Tam areas. With the acquisition of another construction battalion and construction company, the 159th became almost completely organized for and oriented to construction. In recognition of this, the group's responsibility was reduced in January 1967 so that it consisted of only the area around Long Binh and Saigon.
The 79th Construction Group continued to support construction at the base camps of the 1st and 25th Divisions. The group's area of responsibility expanded by January 1967 to include all of the II Corps Tactical Zone except those base complexes under construction by the 159th Group. Shifting frequently from construc-
tion to combat support, the group made sizable contributions to Operations CEDAR FALLS and JUNCTION CITY.
The engineer command and control structure in the Republic of Vietnam was significantly strengthened again during 1967 with the arrival of Headquarters, 34th Engineer Group (Construction) , from Fort Lewis, Washington, on 23 March, and Headquarters, 20th Engineer Brigade, on 3 August. Two additional battalions and several separate companies had joined these units by early fall.
The arrival of a second brigade headquarters allowed U.S. Army Engineer Command, Vietnam, to place the groups operating in III and IV Corps under the control of one headquarters, thereby reducing to two the number of headquarters reporting directly to the command. The new structure also allowed the engineer organization to parallel that of the tactical field forces. With the 20th Brigade headquarters at Bien Hoa and the 18th Brigade at Dong BA Thin, the brigade areas of responsibility now coincided with the tactical areas assigned the two field force commands. This new arrangement facilitated the engineer support needed by the two tactical commands.
The distribution of effort within the Engineer Command continued to shift emphasis from construction to combat support and lines of communication upgrading. The arrival of three land clearing platoons by the summer of 1967 permitted a commitment to large-scale jungle clearing operations in both field force areas. The arrival of six construction battalions and three asphalt platoons boosted the progress in upgrading of the land lines of communication to new levels. Under the approved program all critical highways in South Vietnam were to be upgraded to two-lane paved surface roads with permanent steel beam bridges installed as required. Of first consideration was the vital National Route 1 which paralleled the entire coastline north of Saigon.
In the construction field, Army engineers inherited a muchneeded windfall of equipment from civilian contractors when a cutback in funds forced the contractors to phase down operations. With the equipment, however, the engineers also inherited the projects already begun by the contractors.
As the Engineer Command continued to expand in the summer of 1967, the organization and functions of its staff underwent a series of changes. On 10 June General Westmoreland, as U.S. Army, Vietnam, commander, directed that the USARV Engineer Section be reestablished. The Commanding General, U.S. Army Engineer Command, Vietnam, was then formally designated U.S. Army, Vietnam, Engineer, a position he had held in fact if not in title. Under
this new organization, the Engineer Section was essentially the planning staff and the Engineer Command staff functioned as the operating staff. After reorganization, the Engineer Section moved from Bien Hoa to Long Binh to occupy a portion of the newly completed headquarters building complex of U.S. Army, Vietnam.
Cedar Falls and Junction City
The first two months of 1967 saw the beginning of the war's two largest operations to date, CEDAR FALLS in the Iron Triangle and JUNCTION CITY in War Zone C. CEDAR FALLS, conducted in January 1967, began as a battalion operation and ended with two divisions and three separate brigades involved in destroying the enemy in what had been one of his strongest sanctuaries. As part of this operation, for the first time in the war the engineers virtually eliminated large areas of jungle, clearing nine square kilometers. To do this the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Division, developed and, with the support of the 79th Group, tested the "dozer-infantry team" concept in which bulldozers, equipped with the newly introduced Rome Plow and previously used only in relatively secure areas, actually became part of the assault force.
During one phase of Operation CEDAR FALLS an engineer task force consisting of 300 men from the 1st Division, including some of the divisional engineers, and 300 men from the 79th and 159th Groups was organized into clearing teams to operate under four field control centers in separate areas within the Iron Triangle, a Viet Cong stronghold thirty-five kilometers north of Saigon. During the eighteen days in which the task force operated, teams of two tank dozers followed by six conventional dozers, some equipped with Rome Plow blades, moved with the infantry to cut and clear 2,233 acres and checkerboard the area with landing zones to support future operations.
Engineer activity in Operation JUNCTION CITY closely followed that in CEDAR FALLS, with the locale shifting from the Iron Triangle to War Zone C in Tay Ninh Province. The 65th Engineer Battalion of the 25th Infantry Division conducted the major clearing operations, constructing landing zones and bridges as the area was cleared. The battalion also maintained sixty-six kilometers of roadway in addition to providing the normal minesweeping and demolition teams. During the operation Army engineers built three airfields capable of handling C-130's and established two new Special Forces camps to guard the airfields and provide continuing surveillance of the area.
Operational Control
As more and more engineers arrived in Vietnam and the pressures of mounting tactical responsibilities grew in each of the two field force commands, operational control of nondivisional engineer units became increasingly a matter of debate and concern. Although combat divisions had organic engineer units under their direct control, many felt that the work load and demands being placed upon the field force called for additional units to insure rapid response to critical tactical situations.
From the time of their introduction in Vietnam and specifically since the arrival of the 18th Engineer Brigade in September of 1965, nondivisional engineers had divided their efforts between combat support and base development. The massive effort required in base development made engineer officers resist the transfer of any of the scant number of their units to the tactical headquarters of the field forces. General Ploger and his immediate superior, General Engler, deputy commander of U.S. Army, Vietnam, were convinced that engineer units transferred to field force control would lose their maximum construction potential when they were not directly engaged in combat support. Both men felt that the demands of the
construction program were such that the Engineer Command could not afford to lose any of its production potential.
In the spring and summer of 1967 the entire matter came to a head. Lieutenant General Bruce Palmer, Jr., having just taken command of II Field Force, requested operational control of nondivisional engineer battalions to carry out directly the engineering functions of missions being assigned to tactical headquarters. After investigating the situation, General Engler refused the request on the grounds that the field force had never been able to use more than one and a half support battalions at any one time in tactical operations. He insisted that operational control of engineer battalions remain with the Engineer Command until complete support units could be committed to combat support 100 percent of the time.
During late spring of 1967 General Engler returned to the United States and General Palmer moved from the position of II Field Force commander to that of deputy commander of U.S. Army, Vietnam. Lieutenant General Frederick C. Weyand then became the commander of II Field Force. In an effort to assure his successor direct control of some engineer troop resources, General Palmer moved to formalize a more precise means of identifying engineer support for the field forces. He asked that agreements be drawn up between the field force commanders and the Army Engineer in which particular engineer units were designated "on call" for possible duty in tactical operations.
Lieutenant General Stanley R. Larsen, commander of I Field Force, saw little advantage in the new arrangement. He had been pleased with the response of local engineer units to the needs of the tactical operations in his sector. He felt that an agreement whereby only certain engineer units could be used by his commanders would reduce the flexibility he had enjoyed in previous situations. According to the new proposal, units located in the area of an operation would have to be bypassed while units on call might have to be moved a considerable distance to provide the needed support. The result in I Field Force was the formalizing of an agreement that maintained the same kind of relationship with the area's nondivisional engineer, heading the 18th Engineer Brigade, that had existed before General Palmer's request.
In the south an agreement was drawn up with General Weyand to put two battalions of the 79th Engineer Group, the 168th and the 588th, under the operational control of II Field Force to meet tactical requirements. The 100th Engineer Company (Float Bridge), the 500th Engineer Company (Panel Bridge), and the 362d Light Equipment Company were also earmarked for II Field
Force. The 79th Engineer Group, which was assigned to the Engineer Command, was still responsible for all formal construction projects assigned these units. The II Field Force maintained operational control for all combat support operations, revolutionary development projects, and lines of communication maintenance and upgrading within the group's area of responsibility. This arrangement was made in June and as of mid-August the identified units reported no significant change in their day-to-day operations.
The method which had evolved for providing engineer support to what corresponded to a corps did not conform with established U.S. Army doctrine. That doctrine prescribed within an interior corps, that is, with other corps on either flank, an engineer structure of at least one group, and perhaps one group per division, commanded by the corps engineer. In South Vietnam, while there was a field force (corps) engineer with his own planning section, he had no assigned troops. Engineer support was furnished after the fashion of that for Army artillery units placed in general support. The two concepts differ in that a corps engineer normally orders subordinate units to carry out prescribed missions, whereas when the corresponding units are placed in general support, the corps engineer requests them to carry out missions but each supporting unit commander may disapprove the request in whole or in part. It is easy to appreciate the uncertainty which might attach to a situation where support units are not commanded by the tactical commander. Even so, in spite of repeated urging to identify deficiencies in the general support system extant in South Vietnam, no field force commander would admit to any lack of engineer support in any operation. In fact, all commanders expressed only praise for the timeliness and efficiency of that support.
The II Field Force continued to exercise operational control of the two combat battalions and three separate companies of the 79th Engineer Group into the fall. On 12 August General Ploger concluded his tour of nearly two years in South Vietnam and was succeeded by Major General Charles M. Duke, who had previously headed the 18th Engineer Brigade. Most operational support requirements of II Field Force during this time had been transmitted through the headquarters of the 20th Engineer Brigade, which had arrived in Vietnam in early August. In a letter to General Weyand, commander of II Field Force, on 16 September 1967, General Duke reiterated that units of the Engineer Command would respond immediately to operational support requirements. When the need for support was urgent, General Duke encouraged the field force commander to transmit his requirements directly to the engineer group or battalion headquarters immediately concerned. All rou-
tine or planned requirements, however, were to be processed through channels leading to Brigadier General Curtis W. Chapman, Jr., commanding general of the 20th Engineer Brigade.
On 26 September General Duke met with Major General George S. Eckhardt, the deputy commanding general of II Field Force, to discuss again the matter of operational control of engineer units in the two southern corps tactical zones. At this meeting General Eckhardt asked for operational control of combat group headquarters plus all the combat battalions, light equipment companies, and bridge companies in the 20th Brigade. He stated that the operational support requirements in the area had increased to such an extent that a group-size element could be kept fully occupied. General Eckhardt also pointed out that the responsibilities of the field force included the revolutionary development program and the training of Vietnamese Army troops. He suggested that engineers were especially vital in these fields and that since the field force had operational control of all other elements necessary to carry them out, it was only natural that the engineers be placed in the same status.
General Duke was surprised at the new and enlarged request in light of the success that had been evident in past operations. He reaffirmed that he could accept this arrangement only if the field force commander would be willing to account for the formal construction projects assigned these units. This condition was not acceptable to General Eckhardt. His command was a tactical one and could not be concerned with construction programs outside the tactical realm.
Since no new agreement could be reached, the procedure discussed in General Duke's letter to General Weyand remained in effect. Engineer units continued to respond to their primary mission of operational support with the ease and timeliness that made any change in the control arrangements seem unnecessary. Neither the support of tactical operations nor the prosecution of the base development program suffered appreciably. Had more engineer troops been available in South Vietnam, it is possible that their effort could have been completely allocated to assisting field force programs aimed at Vietnamese refugee resettlement, Army training, and civic action.
United States Army Engineer Construction Agency, Vietnam
As a result of field visits by General Harold K. Johnson, former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, the USARV Engineer Section initiated studies to develop an organization which would centralize control
over the soaring Military Construction, Army, and facilities engineering costs in Vietnam. By reducing a number of engineer detachments and shifting spaces within U.S. Army, Vietnam, the U.S. Army Engineer Construction Agency, Vietnam, was organized in April of 1968. With the exception of its real estate missions, the construction agency was essentially a management organization, charged with coordinating both military and contractor effort in the areas of real property maintenance and construction. Although the organization was not empowered to award nor to modify contracts for performance by engineering contractors, it provided at each installation serviced by the contractor some representatives of the procurement officer for U.S. Army, Vietnam, who retained authority to award or amend contracts. The Engineer Construction Agency could analyze contractor operations and management in detail and recommend improvements in contracts to minimize costs. This arrangement, with its withholding of contract authority, forced the referral of engineer problems outside the engineer structure.
In the area of construction, the new agency coordinated the military and contractor positions in the USARV Military Construction, Army, program and the USARV portion of the MACV lines of communication program. It provided design, quality control, construction management, and equipment utilization assistance to the construction agencies. The construction agency also assumed the management of the USARV base development program.
The ability of engineers to respond to commanders' requirements for the support of facilities was due largely to the unusual organization of the Army Engineer Construction Agency. With a designated installation engineer in full control of construction organization at each military base, not subject to directive authority of local commanders, more control and emphasis could be placed where limited resources were most effective. The engineers have generally been reluctant to have engineer units attached to combat units for support because of their occasional misuse by tactical commanders who sometimes do not understand the capabilities and missions of engineers. Rather, they are better utilized in the general support role where the engineer command controls over-all priorities and engineer efforts throughout a whole area. The vertical organization of the construction agency placed engineer support of facilities in a similar role and thus retained centralized control of engineer resources. By relieving the installation engineer of the burden of direction and evaluation from tactical commanders, the agency produced better response theater-wide and more stringent
control over not only facilities engineering services but also minor new construction efforts.
Dong Tam
By the end of 1966 the tactical situation in IV Corps made it necessary for the Engineer Command to develop plans for a large base development program in the Mekong Delta region. A location was sought for use as a staging area for operations by U.S. Army tactical units south of Saigon. The site had to be deep enough in hostile territory that the presence of American troops would alone deter enemy activity. It also had to be located in a rather sparsely populated area to reduce the expensive resettlement of local civilians. The problems of tactical resupply and of transporting materials dictated that the base be accessible to a system of navigable waterways. Finally, since during the monsoon season there was virtually no dry land south of Saigon, the site might well be determined by the proximity to a suitable source of fill material. Enough fill would have to be available to raise an area of approximately six hundred acres to a level higher than the watery countryside. It was apparent from geological formations that sand would have to come from a riverbed to provide the needed fill.
A site was finally chosen on the My Tho River about three miles west of the city of My Tho. The land for this camp that became known as Dong Tam was obtained by dredging sand from the Bassac River and pumping it into what had been rice paddies; approximately eight million cubic meters of fill were required.
Company C of the 577th Engineer Battalion arrived at the partially filled Dong Tam site on 21 January 1967 to begin work on the 7,500-man camp and operational base to be manned by troops from the 9th Infantry Division. Mess halls, showers, and latrines were immediately put under construction. To assist in the movement of supplies, two Bailey bridges were placed across an intervening river to connect the camp with the city of My Tho to the east. During the spring of 1967 Company C was joined by engineers of the 169th Engineer Battalion from their previous location at Long Binh and men from the 9th Infantry Division working in the self-help program. By May, 20 percent of the planned construction for Dong Tam had been completed; it included a brigade headquarters, several mess halls, and numerous prefabricated buildings. A 1,670-foot runway enabling fixed wing light Army aircraft and helicopters to bring supplies to the site had also been completed.
A sixty-bed MUST (medical unit, self-contained, transportable)
hospital was begun during the spring. Two inflatable wards had been completed along with a surgical building and supply center when the 169th arrived. A medical helipad was also under construction. The inflatable buildings were susceptible to collapse if punctured and when during an attack an enemy mortar round impacted nearby, two of the key structures were hit by fragments. From the engineer point of view, the added work and materials needed to protect the inflatables raised a serious question as to the utility of the MUST in Vietnam.
Another question raised in the development of Dong Tam (as well as a few other sites) related to the advisability of erecting the standard two-story wooden barracks in view of the vulnerability of the second story to long-range, flat trajectory weapons. The vulnerability was more apparent than real and the trade of ground space for elevation, extra roofs, and roof trusses kept the seemingly safer single story structure from becoming standard. There is no known incident of a soldier being wounded while in the second story.
The summer saw the completion of more permanent buildings, including wood frame billets for hospital personnel and covered
storage areas. Work was also begun on a water and electrical distribution system and on a waterborne sewage system.
The construction project at Dong Tam was hampered as much by nature as by enemy activity. Changing weather plagued the engineers in the delta at every turn. During the summer and fall the monsoons brought rain and the problems of erosion and mud. During the winter and spring, in the dry season, wind erosion damaged machinery as well as terrain. To stabilize the soil during the monsoon season the engineers of the 169th developed a mixture of sand and concrete to gain the desired surface strength in road and hardstand construction. Concrete curbs were designed with corrugated metal pipe spillways in an effort to reduce extensive damage from excessive runoff. Overland grades were kept at a maximum of 2 percent to minimize erosion. Terraces were sodded or seeded with rice to keep them from washing away in the fall or blowing away in the spring.
As areas were filled sufficiently to raise them above the water table, they were immediately occupied by troops. Living in tents with wooden floors, the infantry soldiers played an important role in the construction program through their own self-help effort.
The building program at Dong Tam necessitated the development of engineering techniques found nowhere else in Vietnam. The instability of the ground in the Mekong Delta required that most large buildings be supported by piles. The extensive use of sand cement was another important innovation. Because concrete aggregate had to be shipped by barge from Vung Tau to Dong Tam, a five- to ten-day trip, it could be used only in the most important concrete structures. The high water table in the area created many other special problems for Army engineers. Holes dug for signal and power poles had to be shored with 55-gallon drums. If the poles were not placed and set immediately, the holes filled with water and new ones had to be drilled.
A peculiar problem also developed in connection with the unusual underground storage tanks installed for protection at the Dong Tam site. Concrete collars had to be placed around the tanks to keep them below ground. Before this precaution was taken, underground storage tanks, suddenly popped out of the ground when their flotation was increased sufficiently by the withdrawal of their contents.
During the summer of 1967 the port facilities in Dong Tam were improved and enlarged considerably. The 41st Engineer Company (Port Construction) built two LCU (landing craft, utility) ramps, an LST ramp, and a pontoon barge and finger pier during the summer. Forty-eight thousand square yards of warehouse stor-
age, 30,000 square feet of hardstands, and 5,000 square feet of maintenance shops were also completed.
In December 1967 four Navy personnel air cushion vehicles arrived at Dong Tam. The vehicle site consisted of a stabilized ramp, an extensive hardstand area, and two maintenance buildings. The Army engineers completed all approved work on the Dong Tam project by the end of 1968. The engineers there made the first inroad into enemy activities in the Mekong Delta and provided an acceptable base of operations for the men of the 9th Infantry Division.
Move Into I Corps
Army engineer involvement in Vietnam had been limited initially to the II, III, and IV Corps Tactical Zones encompassing most of the southern three quarters of the country.
A substantial incursion into I Corps Tactical Zone developed when in early 1967 the Americal Division was dispatched to Duc
ENGINEERS' SHELTERS FOR INFLATABLE HOSPITAL STRUCTURES AT DONG TAM could withstand a direct hit by an 81-mm. mortar shell.
Pho, a brigade base site, and Chu Lai. To reach Duc Pho the troops conducted a tactical operation across the beach to their future base one mile inland. There, soon afterward, the 39th Engineer Battalion, which had left its long-established work site at Tuy Hoa and was now attached to the division as its organic engineer unit, worked to develop an airfield for C-130's and for Army helicopters as well as the associated cantonment and logistic support facilities. After a good start at Duc Pho, efforts were made to link up road connections with II Corps Tactical Zone to the south and the Marine and Navy elements to the north. The 45th Engineer Group had its support responsibility extended to include the Americal area of operations. By the end of 1967 new pressures resulting from increased North Vietnamese infiltration across the demilitarized zone forced engineer units to prepare for duty in I Corps. Before this time, troops north of Chu Lai in the northernmost provinces of the Republic of Vietnam had received their engineer support from engineers organic to Marine Corps units in the area and from Navy construction battalions (Seabees).
In January 1968 the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was alerted for immediate movement north. The 45th Engineer Group was given responsibility for the additional engineer support during the movement and for sustained support in the I Corps area. (Map 10) Located at Qui Nhon at this time, the group prepared to move north at the height of the enemy Tet offensive and in the midst of the monsoon season. The movement toward the base camp near Hue was complicated by weather that made helicopter flight unreliable and by enemy activities on the ground that made convoy travel extremely hazardous.
The first unit of the 45th to start north was the 35th Engineer Battalion (Combat). Its immediate mission was to move overland, preparing Route 1 for heavy traffic north. The operation was not an easy one considering the level of enemy activity in the northern provinces. The battalion left a landing zone thirty miles north of Qui Nhon on 8 February 1968 to begin the trip up Route 1 toward Da Nang. After reaching DA Nang, the battalion pushed north in an effort to open the Hai Van Pass and the road north of DA Nang as far as Phu Loc. On 12 February advanced units of the 35th reached Ap Nam O, five miles north of DA Nang. Movement farther north became more costly as each mile was opened. Bridges and culverts had been destroyed at many points on the road. Enemy sappers constantly disrupted repair efforts with sniper fire and random mines and booby traps. With assistance from units of the 101st Airborne Division and the 502d Infantry Regiment, the 35th was able to remove the obstacles and replace the damaged bridges by 24 February. On 29 February one company of the 35th linked up with elements of the 32d Naval Construction Regiment working to open the road south from Phu Bai. On 1 March convoys were rolling from DA Nang to Phu Bai for the first time since the beginning of the Tet offensive in early January.
The 14th Engineer Battalion (Combat), located at Cam Ranh Bay, was withdrawn from the 35th Engineer Group to head north. The unit had originally been instructed to prepare to move by sea to Quang Tri where it was to provide support for an over-the-beach logistic operation, but plans had been changed when it was learned that conditions on the beach would not allow the landing of LST's. Fortunately, the 35th Battalion had already opened the road north of DA Nang enabling convoy travel to reach the northernmost areas of I Corps. The 14th was then ordered to travel by convoy to Wunder Beach, just south of Quang Tri. Once the battalion reached its destination, one company was sent inland to provide combat support for the 1st Cavalry Division located at Camp Evans. From the base camp, the remainder of the battalion built roads and
performed other engineering tasks essential for the movement of supplies in preparation for Operation PEGASUS, which was aimed at lifting the siege at Khe Sanh.
The 27th Engineer Battalion, the fourth and last engineer battalion to arrive in I Corps, was assigned the task of providing support to the 101st in the Hue area. Teaming up with the 591st Engineer Company (Light Equipment), the 27th prepared to move from a site known as Blackhorse, thirty miles east of Saigon, by any means of transportation available. Wheeled vehicles were moved by sea to DA Nang, where they were met by drivers flown there by C-130's. The vehicles then were driven in convoy to Gia Le, south of Hue, via the newly opened Hai Van Pass. Heavy equipment was moved by LST directly to Tan My and driven overland to Gia Le. The remaining troops of the 27th were flown directly from Saigon to the Phu Bai airfield near Gia Le. The entire unit reached Gia Le by the middle of April.
The first major task of the 27th Battalion was to support a joint operation by the 1st Cavalry, 101st, and a South Vietnamese airborne brigade up the A Shau valley on Route 547. This task included clearing and opening Route 547 for vehicle traffic and
removing all jungle vegetation within three hundred meters of the roadway. The clearing was accomplished through the coordinated work of platoons of Rome Plows.
The construction of the winding, mountainous Route 547-known as the A Shau Expressway-is an excellent example of the cooperation and coordination involved in the lines of communication program. Route 547 was begun in March 1969 when I Corps tacticians decided the 101st Division needed an all-weather land supply link from the division's base camp near Hue into the A Shau valley, a notorious enemy stronghold. The 27th Engineer Battalion and seven attached companies were assigned to the project and designated the 45th Engineer Group's Tiger Task Force.
Various parts of the road construction job were distributed all along the proposed route. Company C of the 27th installed culverts behind the initial effort of the 59th Land Clearing Company, assisted by helicopters from the 101st Division. The culverts were assembled in the base camps where men and equipment could work freely, and then transported, dangling by hook and line from Chinook helicopters, to the construction site.
The engineers in Vietnam relied upon innovation and ingenuity, which often were the only means of solving the myriad construction problems they encountered. Land clearing teams along Route 547 had to clear areas bordering the roadway which sometimes dropped off sharply to 60-percent grades. Engineers devised an unusual method of tandem dozing to deal with this situation. Referred to as yo-yo dozing, this method used two dozers; one was positioned on the roadway as an anchor and the other was hooked to the first, rear end to rear end, then lowered over the edge of the slope with its plow pointed straight down to clear a swath through the trees and brush. When the dozer with the plow reached the bottom of the grade, the two dozers reversed their winches and the anchor dozer drew the second dozer back up the grade to begin a new cut. The procedure was repeated until the required 200-meter strip was cleared.
Farther down the road other elements of the battalion constructed a Bailey bridge spanning the Song Bo River. Nearly every facet of road construction was exhibited in the building of Route 547, which was a crucial link in the road system and not merely a
EARTH-FILL BYPASS FOR BRIDGE DESTROYED BY ENEMY. Six-barrel culvert will replace bridge.
military convenience. After the U.S. forces have left, 547 will remain as a valuable commercial artery for the city of Hue and the people in the surrounding areas.
Army engineer operations now encompassed every province in South Vietnam. From the marshy rice paddies of the Mekong Delta to the mountainous highlands along the demilitarized zone, engineers were hard at work applying their expertise in support of combat operations carried out by the allied military forces and in assisting the Vietnamese people in their efforts to build a nation.
Military Assistance Program
The military assistance program in the Republic of Vietnam was by no means limited to support from the United States. In response to an appeal by President Johnson in 1964, several nations of the Free World came to the aid of the beleaguered people of South Vietnam. The military and nonmilitary engineer contingents of these Free World Military Assistance Forces came from Australia,
Thailand, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea and contributed much independent engineer work. Of these countries, Korea furnished the largest engineer contingent. Each Korean division had its organic engineer battalion and one additional battalion known as the Dove Force, a title reflecting its peaceful mission. Based in Ben Hoa Province, this last unit systematically initiated a series of comprehensive local improvement programs oriented toward the improvement of public health, sanitation, rural development, and transportation. The Korean troops "proved themselves adept in establishing a rapport with the local population by stressing the kinship of aspirations and the brotherhood of the Asiatic peoples."
The commitment of the Republic of the Philippines to the welfare of the people of South Vietnam was manifested in August 1966 with the arrival of a 2,000-man Philippine Civic Action Group. Consisting of engineers and medical teams supported and protected by an organic security force, the group assisted the Vietnamese authorities primarily in Tay Ninh Province and to a less visible degree with small teams in several other provinces. During 1967-68 the civic action group cleared a large section of the Thanh Dien forest, long an enemy stronghold, and constructed a model resettlement village for 1,000 South Vietnamese families outside of Tay Ninh city.
Realizing that Thailand could be the next target of communist aggression if Vietnam should fall, the Thai government made its first commitment of combat forces to South Vietnam in early 1967. The Thai engineers, in addition to providing close combat support for the very effective Queen's Cobra Regiment and Black Panther Division, were especially active in civic action programs within their areas of responsibility.
Australia and New Zealand made significant contributions to the physical and social betterment of the Vietnamese people. Thousands of tons of construction materials were made available for local development projects as was the technical assistance necessary to train unskilled local inhabitants.
Before other Free World forces could contribute significantly to the struggle in South Vietnam, U.S. Army engineers laid the groundwork for their allies. Prior to their arrival U.S. engineers initiated construction of base camps and logistic facilities for their support and consistently contributed materials and effort to the allies when their own resources fell short.
Apart from the actual combat troops provided by Free World forces, no less than thirty-five other nations contributed food, medical supplies, equipment, technical advisers, and millions of dollars
THE A SHAU EXPRESSWAY during upgrading by the 27th Engineer Battalion.
in economic aid to support the Vietnamese war effort. The assistance provided by these nations represented a solid front united in the common purpose of resisting the destruction of one of their own by communist insurgency.
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Blues Music History
Blues Music History Summary & Analysis
The blues emerged from a black cultural melting pot in the American South of the 1890s, drawing on a rich mix of African-American spirituals, traditional songs, European hymns, folk ballads, work songs and hollers, and contemporary dance music. By the 1910s (when the first recorded blues were published as sheet music), the blues had taken the form widely recognized today: 12 bars, AAB lyrical structure, and a distinctive scale with the third and seventh notes flatted.
Blues came into its own as an important part of the country's relatively new national popular culture in the 1920s with the recording, first, of the great female classic blues singers and, then, of the country folk blues singers of the Mississippi Delta, the Piedmont of the Carolinas, and Texas. As huge numbers of African Americans left the South (driven by dismal socio-economic conditions and the hope of a better life above the Mason-Dixon line) between 1915 and the 1940s, the blues went with them and took root in the urban centers of the North, particularly Chicago. The more urban, electric blues that developed and eclipsed the rural blues of the '30s fed directly into both rock and roll and what would become known as rhythm and blues. With the folk revival of the 1950s and '60s, white audiences "rediscovered" and breathed new commercial life into the folk blues (and some of the remaining Delta bluesmen who had languished in obscurity since the 1930s) and made it the cornerstone of the tremendously popular British and American blues rock of the next decade.
But to say that the blues was or is just that skeletal outline is like describing a human being using only descriptions of DNA and genetic processes. The blues, one prominent writer has suggested, happened "as a result of one group of people being forced to enter another's history."11 The story of the blues, then, is the history of African Americans told through the story of their most popular music. The blues is the story of the frustrations of failed Radical Reconstruction, of violence and oppression in the Jim Crow South, of the desperation of the sharecropping system, and of the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. The story of the blues is the story of black culture coming to a position of prominence and influence in American society. It is the story of the women of the classic blues whose early records—the first "race" recordings—pointed to a tremendous market for African-American cultural production, and of the young white liberals and intellectuals who sought out the rural blues as an artifact of America's vanishing agrarian past. It is the story of the cultural present finding inspiration in the cultural past. But perhaps most fundamentally, the story of the blues is one of American race relations, a document of struggle and conflict on the one hand. but also a suggestion of something universally human that just might point the way toward a future more premised on understanding and cooperation.


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Power Play
(If any tax is payable it will be calculated and shown at checkout.)
Preview (read now) Add to my own site Give this ebook to a friend Add to my wishlist Author's page Publisher's page
more#1 New York Times–bestselling author Catherine Coulter returns with the newest full-throttle adventure in the FBI series featuring Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock.
Natalie Black, the U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, has returned to Washington, her job in jeopardy. Her fiancé, George McCallum, Viscount Lockenby, has died in a car accident, and mysterious rumors begin that she's responsible begin to surface: she broke off the engagement and, heartbroken, he killed himself. Then someone tries to force her off the M-2 outside London. Again, rumors claim it was a sympathy ploy. When she returns to the United States, she's nearly killed when a car tries to mow her down while she's out for a run. No one believes her except FBI Special Agent Davis Sullivan.
Meanwhile someone is following Sherlock. A stalker? Then someone tries to shoot her from the back of a motorcycle, but the assailant gets away. Sherlock next gets a call from an Atlanta mental hospital warning her that Blessed Backman has escaped. This is not good news. Blessed is a talented psychopath out for revenge against the agents, primarily Sherlock, whom his dying mother begged him to kill since she and Savich brought down her cult.
How to find out who's trying to kill the ambassador to the U.K.? How can they get their hands on Blessed Backman before he succeeds and kills Sherlock? The clock is ticking and the danger intensifies . . . less
Penguin Publishing Group; July 2014
400 pages; ISBN 9780698165786
Read online, or download in secure EPUB
Title: Power Play
Author: Catherine Coulter
400 pages; ISBN 9780698165786
Read online, or download in secure EPUB
Title: Power Play
Author: Catherine Coulter
Buy, download and read Power Play (eBook) by Catherine Coulter today!
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The Echo Meat Hanger duck call is an acrylic double reed which is for the serious duck hunters who are looking for true duck. Beginners to experts will appreciate its ease of use combined with its superior tone from top to bottom.
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act into law.
First duck stamp, designed by Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist, Jay N. "Ding" Darling, issued.
Prairie drought peaks.


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'You've never had it so bad': Ed Miliband targets living standards
Ed's history lesson: forget Harold Macmillan and remember how Ronald Reagan beat Carter in 1980
LABOUR leader Ed Miliband will go to Bedford today to revive the memory of Tory Prime Minister Harold Macmillan who told an audience in the same town in 1957: "You've never had it so good."
Miliband's message to the squeezed middle will be that "You've never had it so bad" and that the Tories, like Supermac in the Fifties, are out-of-touch toffs who don't feel their pain. The BBC is reporting he will go further by giving some details about how he will raise taxes on the rich - including a mansion tax - to boost the living standards of the many.
In an interview with Patrick Wintour of The Guardian, Miliband says: "Today we will be opening up a new front. Cameron has a direct responsibility for what is happening to living standards. Because we have not got the growth, it is feeding through into wages that are falling way behind prices. It is a massive issue for people. It is the biggest issue that people talk about."
Miliband is hoping to catch what is described as the "gloom mood". Ipsos/Mori polling for the Resolution Foundation shows that more than a third of people do not think there will be growth by 2015, and 40 per cent think they will be worse off than today. Miliband is convinced a campaign based on living standards will be a game-changer for Labour.
Many, including Andrew Neil on yesterday's Daily Politics, are old enough to link Miliband's tactics with those of another long-dead politician - US President Ronald Reagan, who won the presidency against Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1980 by posing the question (see video below): "Ask yourself - are you better off than you were four years ago?"
Miliband is convinced most voters will feel worse off in 2015 and his living standards campaign will help Labour restore its credibility on the economy.
However, Downing Street is already planning a spoiling operation by hinting that Chancellor George Osborne could bring back the 10p tax rate.
Gordon Brown, in his last significant act as Tony Blair's chancellor, stupidly abolished the 10p tax rate in 2007, leaving millions of low-paid worse off. He tried to compensate them by adjusting tax allowances but today they are still paying 20p in the £1, twice the old rate.
The Prime Minister fuelled speculation when he told Ed Miliband at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday: "We won't forget the abolition of the 10p tax rate."
Downing Street has briefed the Daily Mail that it could be part of Osborne's Budget plans for the future. It would cost the Treasury billions - and require a tax increase somewhere else – but the Mail claims it would put another £250 in the average person's pocket and remind them that it was Labour who were responsible for increasing the tax on the low paid.
Miliband could call Cameron's bluff by admitting Brown got it wrong and pledging in Bedford to bring back the 10p tax rate. Then the voters in the squeezed middle might take notice. Vague promises are not enough - they need real beef, not more horse.
Disqus - noscript
I was there in Bedford in 1957. The unfortunate truth is that you cannot have 'growth' without an enormously damaging fire sale. Like in the previous recessions.


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By Conlan Rios
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
A new kind of puzzle game has crawled into the App Store and it's called Wriggle!
YOUR GOAL is to free the blue worm (by dragging its head or tail) from the maze in as few moves possible.
UNLOCK ACHIEVEMENTS by solving puzzles perfectly or simply by completing as many as you can.
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY as kids will enjoy the easy ones while the expert puzzles will be challenging for the most brilliant puzzle fanatics.
TWEET YOUR PROGRESS as you get closer to completing all 80 puzzles.
The challenge has been made: can you Wriggle your way out of this one?
- Unique new puzzle design with 80 hand-crafted puzzles across 4 difficulty levels.
- Record keeper so you can replay puzzles and try to beat your personal lowest move count.
- Eight bonus Achievement badges to unlock and reveal.
- Twitter button so you can tweet your solved puzzles as you progress through the game.
- Flexible sound so you can listen to our music or your own, while still enjoying the sound effects.
- Close the game and come back to it later; your current puzzle will be saved.
For game news and updates:
@ twitter.com/conlan
@ conlanrios.com
The puzzle designers:
@ twitter.com/clickmazes
@ clickmazes.com
@ silcom.com/~tomjolly
Puzzle Design / Concept by Andrea Gilbert & Tom Jolly
Game Development by Conlan Rios
Artwork by Chuck Lin
Sound Effects by Mike Weiser
Please be sure you're running firmware version 3.0 or higher on your device.
For 1 player.
What's New in Version 1.22
- Added new game icon.
- Minor Twitter posting fix.
iPhone Screenshots
Customer Reviews
It's okay. 3.5 stars
But I'd have to agree the difficulty is nice in that you don't waste time on pointless levels but the degree to which they more difficult is questionable. I'm certainly not a genius but a bit above average iq. Still at level 10ish or so I find my frustration to the point of game deletion. I think a hint system is needed. Also the new icon. Red? Huh, the worm that gets you to next level is blue. Red worm with angry face equals or associates at least to me frustration. This colors how I view game when a solution seems impossible. I think I see what you ate attempting to accomplish by trying to find enough earnest, obsessive drive to enhance a players game experience but it is a fail for me. All you manage to do amp frustration at game leaving little choice but to quit game and consider deletion as I hate to skip levels.
Anyhow, if you read user reviews consider hint system and more story or change to happy worm otherwise you just make confusion as to why red worm the mascot.
Wriggle is an extremely fun app, particularly for people who love logic types of puzzles. The graphics are top notch although the Wriggle bugs could be a bit more appealing. Overall, highly recommended puzzle app created in part by Tom Jolly, a well known, creative inventor of all types of puzzles. I hope to see more apps from him.
supes addictive
This game is super addictive . I LOVe IT!!!!!!!! I can't stop playing it makes me happy inside and brings in sunshine on a rainy day. Watching the weaner-like tail wriggling all over the screen makes me supper excited! This is an uber fun game and I totes recommend...for seriously. GIVE MONEY TO THE WORMS
- $0.99
- Category: Games
- Updated: Jun 08, 2011
- Version: 1.22
- Size: 3.6 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: Conlan Rios
- © 2011 Andrea Gilbert & Tom Jolly
Compatibility: Requires iOS 3.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.


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APR 27, 2013 - Boston Herald
A Must Read - Share
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals have signed goaltender Michal Neuvirth to a two-year, $5 million contract extension.Neuvirth will make $2.4 million next season and $2.6 million in 2014-15 in the deal announced by the Capitals on Saturday.The 25-year-old goalie ranks third in career wins in franchise history with 55, but he's become the backup this season behind Braden Holtby as the Southeast Division champions prepare for the start of the playoffs next week.
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View the original review at: http://www.countryweekly.com/reviews/born-free-kid-rock
The Southern rock, blues and country influences that have always been an undercurrent in Kid Rock's music take center stage now that he has broken free from the rap and metal styles that permeated his past seven studio albums.
Kid declares his loyalty to his hometown of Detroit, despite the economic downturn in process, on "Times Like These." His scratchy, craggy voice strains on the piano-driven, Bruce Springsteen-esque title track, a freedom anthem in which he states, You can knock me down and watch me bleed / But you can't put no chains on me.
Collaborations pepper the album: "Flyin' High" features Zac Brown, while Martina McBride contributes soaring vocals on the second verse of the R&B-flavored "Care," with rapper T.I. providing stylistic counterbalance. Kid re-teams with his "Picture" duet partner Sheryl Crow for "Collide," this time adding fellow Detroit native Bob Seger to the mix.
As he moves beyond his rap boundaries into more country-rock fare, this album is a step forward for the Kid.
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[2] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BC7MRM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=counweekmaga-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004BC7MRM
[3] http://www.countryweekly.com/reviews/coal-miner%E2%80%99s-daughter-tribute-loretta-lynn
[4] http://www.countryweekly.com/reviews/story-your-life


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American English: /ˈprɛdəˌtɔri/ British English: /ˈprɛdət(ə)ri/
Translation of predatory in Spanish:
- (animal/insect)
rapazExample sentences
Example sentences
- Mammals and birds in particular developed new forms, whether as fast-running herbivores, large predatory mammals and birds, or small quick birds and rodents.
- But those predatory insects that locate prey through chemical sensing are not deterred.
- If predatory birds expect their prey to fall to the ground, Schmitz and Auliya's argument runs, they would be unlikely to notice a lizard still hanging from a branch.
- I mean, there have been cases of predatory females seeking out young, teenage boys to have their wicked way with…
- Belinda Hoare, of Home and Away, portrays the extraordinary lead character, Miss Julie a fallen, desperate, sexually predatory heiress seeking to be saved by love.
- The bill also significantly improves protection for society's most vulnerable groups against exploitation by predatory sexual offenders.
Definition of predatory in:
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Grammar and usage help for Spanish:
= trending


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Woodchuck Launches 16-Ounce Cans
Woodchuck Hard Cider, one of the top selling hard ciders in the United States, is introducing 16-ounce cans of its flagship Amber cider to the market.
12-ounce Amber cans first rolled off the line in 2012. That package has seen growth of 42 percent over the last year as consumers venture outdoors with the Amber can in hand. Those same consumers have called for a larger format can and Woodchuck is once again answering the call.
"The Amber can has been a great success for us. It allows for our cider to be available no matter the circumstance," says Woodchuck president and CEO Bret Williams. "The cider category is rapidly growing and to be able to offer fans a 16-ounce version of our classic red Woodchuck can is really exciting."
The new Woodchuck Amber 16-ounce cans are shipping now and will be in stores in the coming weeks. It will be sold in a 4-pack as well as single cans and will be targeted to the convenience channel, one of the category's biggest growth opportunity segments.


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Alternative brews for Oktoberfest season
Märzen and Oktoberfestbier -- or simply festbier -- are the traditional beers served at Oktoberfest, but just because it's October doesn't mean you have to limit your beer choices. If you want something a little sweeter and stronger, try a bock or doppelbock, or a lighter, but still sweet Vienna lager. Or try one of these:
1. Gordon Biersch's new, very hoppy IPB -- or Imperial Pilsner Brau -- which tastes uniquely German. Like all imperial pilsners, it has a big malt backbone and intense bittering. It uses all four of the noble hops -- Hallertauer Mittelfruh, Saaz, Spalter and Tettnanger -- as well as natural carbonation. The result is an exquisite unfiltered beer, thick and rich, and bursting with big hop flavor, which actually increases as the beer warms.
2. Another great German style that's somewhat underappreciated is schwarzbier or "black beer." Linden Street Brewery's Burning Oak Black Lager is a terrific schwarzbier. Brewer Adam Lamoreaux describes it as "every bit as session-able and easy drinking as an Oktoberfest beer. It's very communal, and I love seeing the bigger smiles on everybody's faces after sharing a few."
3. If you're feeling contrarian, try something at the other end of the spectrum. E.J. Phair's new brewer, Craig Cauwels, is releasing a new amber ale, Shorty's Revenge. At 8 percent alcohol per volume, it's more of an English-style strong ale, with big malt character and great hop balance. It's hard not to love a beer whose label promises to "sneak into your house, rearrange your living room furniture, shave your cat, and change the message on your answering machine while you sleep."


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Multiple Sclerosis Health Center
Botox May Ease Multiple Sclerosis Tremors
July 3, 2012 -- Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will develop a tremor, and until now, there was little that could be done to minimize this shaking.
Now new research shows that shots of Botox, the very same wrinkle-busting injection that helps frown lines, may ease hand and arm tremors.
The findings appear in Neurology.
MS is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body misfires against the myelin, a fatty substance that insulates the nerve fibers of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves (central nervous system). Approximately 400,000 people in the U.S. have MS. Jack Osbourne, a reality TV star and son of Sharon and Ozzy, recently revealed that he has MS.
Symptoms range from mild numbness in the limbs to paralysis or loss of vision. Tremors may occur in the arms, legs, head, body, or muscles needed for speaking and/or sex. They are caused by the destruction of myelin in the nerves that are responsible for voluntary movements.
Botox is FDA-approved for use in treating crossed eyes, muscle spasms, excessive sweating, migraine headaches, and loss of bladder control due to MS. It is also being investigated in a host of other diseases and conditions, including osteoarthritis.
Botox for MS Tremors?
In the study, 23 people with MS were given Botox injections or inactive shots in their affected arm. Three months later, they received the opposite treatment. Researchers measured the tremor severity and their ability to write and draw before and after the injections. They also took videos of the participants performing these tasks.
The Botox seemed to make a difference.
People showed improvement in tremor severity, writing, and drawing at six weeks and three months after the Botox shots, the study shows.
Tremor severity improved by about two points on a 10-point scale, which took a tremor from the moderate range to a milder one. Participants improved by an average of one point on a 10-point scale in writing and drawing tasks.
Muscle weakness developed in 42% of people after Botox injections, compared to 6% of those who received the inactive shot. This weakness was generally mild and went away within two weeks.


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What do you recommend?
Hey, my nephew, SPC Andrew Artz is currently with 2nd Platoon, 511th Sapper Company, 326th Engineer Battalion, out of Fort Cambell, KY and is currently deployed to Baghad in support of Operation New Dawn, under the 1st Infantry, and 25th Infantry Division, and him and the guys in his platoon NEED COMIC BOOKS!
Here's what he wrote:
I got together a small list of requests that some of the soldiers would like:
Almost everyone would like to read Captain America.
WE3 (some twisted comic by Grant Morrison)
All Star Superman (if there are more than the two you already sent)
Anything with Spider-man.
Any Graphic Novel by Image Comics
I'm going to put a couple of boxes of stuff together for him and need suggestions... what would you send? I'll get the WE3, but what would you send that's truly great, self-contained stuff? Le me know!
Labels: action heroes


text: Since the FA has demoted John Terry of the role of England captain, I wonder is there any point of him continuing playing for England. He oblviously is regarded as an embarrasment to the FA. He is a scapegoat/pariah for the Media (SUN etc) to kick at and who say he should have stood down a long time ago. Atleast JT has the support of Capello and AVB and fair pair to them giving their support. All in all, he damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Also, if he is to continue playing for England he has to play with the brother of his accuser. So there definitely will be no friendship there. Rio Ferdinand has refused to take the captain's post..... Think of it, in theory he would have been handed (historically) the title from his arch enemy. The Ferdinand family would probably disapprove anyway. We all known blood is thicker than water. In my opinion, he should forget about playing for England and consentrate on Chelsea FC who both support him and pay his wages. No matter how the court case goes he will always be tarnished with racism.


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From now until June 16, enter for a chance to win a 2-year lease on a 2014 Toyota Tundra SRA double cab 4x2 truck! That's a $16,800 value.
Two winners will also win either a trip for two to the Country Thunder Music Festival in Twin Lakes, WI., a $4,000 value, or a trip for two to the Toyota All Star Bassmaster Event in Muskegon, MI, a $3,000 value.
You must be 18 years or older to enter, but all you have to do is come in our store and fill out a slip with your info! Hurry, the end date is coming up soon.


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'The Good Dinosaur' Delay Means No Pixar Movie in 2014
Problems in the production of "The Good Dinosaur" mean that Walt Disney's Pixar Animation Studios won't release a movie next year for the first time since 2005.
The film, about an alternate history where dinosaurs and prehistoric humans co-exist, has been pushed back from a planned release in May of 2014 to November of 2015, Disney's film studio announced Wednesday.
Pixar recently removed "Good Dinosaur" director Bob Peterson, as previously reported in the Los Angeles Times, and has yet to name a new director.
It's not unusual for animated films to be delayed. Pixar's own hit "Finding Nemo" was pushed back from November of 2002 to May of 2003. But 18 months is particularly long and in part reflects the significant retooling underway on the picture.
"The Good Dinosaur" is now set to open on a date originally reserved for "Finding Dory," a sequel to "Finding Nemo" featuring on a fish with short-term memory issues voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. That film will now open in June of 2016.
Also part of the cascading dominoes on Disney's release slate: "Maleficent," a live-action spin-off of "Sleeping Beauty" featuring Angelina Jolie as the titular villain, will open on May 30, 2014, when "The Good Dinosaur" had been set to debut. It had previously been scheduled for July 2 of 2014, a crowded timeframe just one week after "Transformers 4" and a week before "Fast & Furious 7."
Disney also recently delayed its fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie from July of 2015. It has yet to be rescheduled but it expected to come out sometime in 2016.
For more entertainment features, go to Mercury Prize Nominee Laura Marling Plays the WSJ Cafe


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Nationwide Children's Sports Medicine clinics offer treatment for "Cauliflower Ear", also known as 'Wrestlers ear' or 'Boxers ear', injuries that are most often seen in wrestling, boxing and martial arts.
When struck in the ear during competition or practice by a hand, foot, an opponent's head or even the mat the ear can swell causing disfigurement. The blunt force trauma to the outer ear causes a separation of the outer skin from the cartilage that forms the shape of our ears. Blood or other fluids fill the space in between and disrupts normal blood flow. The skin on the surface of our ear is the only blood supply for the cartilage, and without it the cartilage is starved of vital nutrients and can cause tissue death and calcification, fibrous tissue and disfigurement. This damage to the cartilage of the ear increases the risk of infection.
The swelling can be treated in the office in a normal outpatient procedure. If possible, the ear is numbed and the fluid is aspirated (removed) with a needle and syringe, and then a compressive dressing is stitched into place to help the outer layer of skin heal back down and reconnect with the cartilage.
After the proper amount of healing, the stitches and dressing are removed.
Due to the repetitive traumas that can happen in wrestling, boxing and martial arts, the potential for re-accumulation of blood is high. The best time to fix an ear in this condition is as soon as possible. The longer the condition goes on, the more scar tissue and calcification occurs.
These injuries are almost completely preventable by wearing proper and well-fitting headgear. Prevention of Cauliflower ear is the easiest, least painful and best route by far.


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California drug case a cautionary tale
December 7, 2013
Any young person who is contemplating or has already begun using drugs should be told about the sad case of a young man in California (recently in the news)....
So what! Just because they haven't caught the 'supplier' doesn't let this guy off from his crimes. He deserves to pay for his own crimes and when they get the other person/persons...they also will pay for their crimes.
I think this article is stupid. It's attempt to bring up the drug pushers' guilt also tries to make excuses for adults deciding for themselves to become drug addicts. Dumb!
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To some people, Kony Ealy was lucky enough to win the genetic lottery.
His sheer size and strength for a high school student rivals collegiate players as his 6-5, 230-pound frame towers among the rest. It's a big reason for his success at New Madrid County Central High School.
But, it's not the only reason.
One of Southeast Missouri's most exciting athletes has intrigued fans of football and basketball since his sophomore year at NMCC simply because of the massive potential he possesses.
"Can this guy go grab a tennis racket and go play tennis? Sure," NMCC head football coach Arlen Pixley said. "Could he go play volleyball? Yeah.
"Whenever I think of an athlete, I look around the area and I can't think of anybody that even comes close. I don't think they could have done what he has done -- I don't think they would have done what he's done."
Kony Ealy is the definition of an athlete. He has always had the physical tools to pursue any athletic route he pleased. And during his senior year, he has obtained a ferocious mental drive that will in no doubt make him a force to be reckoned with at the collegiate level.
Which is why he is the Standard Democrat Male Athlete of the Year.
"He didn't have that confidence he had during his senior year," NMCC Athletic Director Diane Fowler said. "He had the great physical attributes but didn't know what to do with it. Through a well-organized football program that made him strive for the very best and his growing determination, he finally saw what he was capable of."
Ealy is the youngest of 11 children. His father, Willie Ealy, stands at 6-foot, 2-inches tall while his mother, Nettie Jones, is 5-foot, 11-inches. With five brothers and six sisters, most of which standing above 6-foot, to contend with growing up, Ealy said that's where his competitive nature began.
"To be honest, I wasn't always the biggest," said Ealy. "But, I've always tried to out-do the best. I always played against my older brothers and cousins, and when I played AAU I played up against older competition.
"I've got a pretty big family and that's what kind of helped me into what I am now."
"You don't see too many kids built like that," NMCC head basketball coach Travis Day said. "He came from a good size family with great genetics."
Throughout his high school career, Ealy has always been noticed, because of his size or talent, on both the basketball court or on the football field. His first organized season on the gridiron was his sophomore year at NMCC. By the time he had reached his senior season, he had been receiving numerous off-season awards as well as offers from various colleges about his future in football.
On Feb. 3, Ealy signed his letter of intent to play football with the University of Missouri following a senior campaign that consisted of 104 total tackles, 28 tackles for a loss and 12.5 sacks. He was also a finalist for the Missouri defensive player of the year and has been a first team All-State selection the past three years.
"My signing, for me and my father and the rest of my family, was one of the proudest days of my life," said Ealy. "It was a huge lift off of my shoulders. Mizzou has been in my corner from day one and I wanted to stick with them."
Ealy has been a do-it-all player for the Eagles. He's played offense, defense and special teams and has been a focal point for most opposing teams the Eagles faced. The hustle and bustle of playing more than one role took away from his one true position at defensive end. And even with the distraction, Ealy still flourished at the position.
"The thing with him, it's the technical side of it that he'll learn by specifically being involved in one position," said Pixley. "Here, he was moved around everywhere. Now that he can focus on being specifically a defensive end, his upside is tremendous.
"Kony's a different type of defensive end," Pixley added. "He's that type of kid that in a 3-4 scheme gives you that flexibility where you can rush the passer, blitz off the edge or standup and drop into coverage.
"He's done that with us for three years straight."
Although Ealy has seen much personal success of his own, he isn't lost on the fact that it took others to help get him to this place in his life.
"My teammates, if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't be here right now," said Ealy. "I give credit to Dontre Jenkins, G'Darius Stevenson and Rodney Anderson. Those are just some of the few that helped get me here. It wouldn't be possible without them.
"The administration, my athletic director, coaches, teammates, fans, everybody, it wouldn't be possible if I didn't have them behind me."
In return, Ealy did everything he could to give back to those who had helped him. He diligently put in the time in the classroom to enable his chances at a college scholarship.
"Taking the harder classes and doing things that he probably didn't want to do was tough for him," Fowler said. "A lot of kids wouldn't have went that extra mile like he did. I was extremely proud of him for handling that responsibility. He rose to the occasion and has got a great opportunity ahead of him.
"He did a lot of things that I was really proud of this year. His effort this year was tremendous."
On top of his football success, Ealy has been just as impressive on the hardwood. As an all-district, all-conference and all-state award winner throughout the last three years, Ealy was the beginning of what most people garner as the most physical basketball team in Southeast Missouri.
"It all started with him," Day said. "He's been the anchor in the paint which allowed us to guard the perimeter with full-court, in-your-face pressure. If you happened to beat our guards, you had 230 pounds in the paint to contend with next."
His senior season consisted of 16.7 points per game as well as just under 10 rebounds a game.
"The thing that makes me laugh is that the one thing that everybody always says about New Madrid basketball is that we're the most physical team they ever played against," Ealy said. "I think we did a good job this year."
After the Eagles' basketball season was cut short in the district tournament after a loss the the Charleston Bluejays in the semifinals, Ealy continued to stay active. He ran track for the first time making him a rare, three-sport athlete.
"He's been blessed with athleticism," Day said. "I don't think there's too many sports he probably couldn't play. It's something that comes natural to him."
Following his high school graduation, Ealy didn't waste any time getting on campus at Mizzou. Ealy received his diploma on Tuesday, left for campus on Thursday and was in the Tiger's weight room that following Friday.
He knows this is his shot. It's what he has worked towards on the field and in the classroom. Ealy isn't going to let that massive potential go to the wayside. It's something he's had to deal with for the majority of his life, the good and the bad of living up to his potential.
"There's always pressure on him," said Day. "It's a no-win situation for him because 'he's supposed to do that'. Us coaches knew that he always preformed like we wanted him to.
"He's the type of kid that whatever you ask him to do, he's going to try and do it his best."
"He's got a little bit more than just (potential)," Pixley said. "He's tapped into it in the last couple of years."
Ealy doesn't mind the message board fodder and the gossip that has followed him. He's heard it all before. It's just one of the many things that drives him to be the very best.
"I take that as gratitude," Ealy said. "I like it when people say things that like because that encourages me even more to do work in the weight room and the classroom. I take it and build off of it."
The opportunity Ealy has with the Missouri Tigers in the next four years is a once in a lifetime one. He finally has the chance to concentrate on one sport, one position and one goal. With his new-found confidence and the genes of the Ealy family behind him, there's no telling where Ealy may wind up.
"He's got a great future ahead of him," Pixley said. "He's got the height, the weight and all of the physical tools. He brings a good mental game with it as well."
"If he continues to improve the way he has the past few years, I don't think there is any stopping him," said Fowler.
"His upside is tremendous," said Day. "Now, he can concentrate on one sport and really learn just one sport. He's never had a chance to learn just one thing. He's got one spot and one goal now.
"The sky is the limit for him."
School: New Madrid County Central
Year: Senior
Height: 6-5
Weight: 230
Sports: Football, Basketball, Track and Field
Honors: Two-time, first-team All-State selection and finalist for the Missouri defensive player of the year as a senior. Labeled a four-star recruit, Ealy was ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 3 player in the state of Missouri and the No. 11 weakside defensive end prospect in nation. In basketball, Ealy was also an all-state player as a senior.
Future: Received a scholarship to play football at the University of Missouri-Columbia.