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PARKERSBURG - Many local artists took a creative journey to see where it would lead them in the Parkersburg Art Center's annual Regional Exhibition and Competition.
The exhibit, which opened Sunday, revolved around the theme of "You Are Here," like as seen on a map.
Many of the 102 pieces represented variations of taking a journey, whether it is between two physical points, a journey through life or some other personal notion of a journey.
Article Photos
Photo by Brett Dunlap
Gerry Enrico, of Point Pleasant, is a professional artist who won the Best of Show Award in the Parkersburg Art Center's annual Regional Exhibition and Competition for a portrait he did of his daughter, entitled "Isabella 16," done in charcoal pencil.
Photo by Brett Dunlap
Steven Morningstar, the art chair at Parkersburg High School, is shown with his work "On A Journey," a collage detailing a recent trip he took with some friends. It won second place in representation of theme at the Parkersburg Art Center's annual Regional Exhibition and Competition.
Photo by Brett Dunlap
The Parkersburg Art Center had a large crowd Sunday for the opening of its annual Regional Exhibition and Competition. There were 102 pieces representing the work of 62 artists from a 70-mile radius around Parkersburg.
The show will run through Aug. 31 at the art center, located at Eighth and Market streets in downtown Parkersburg. The Regional exhibit was open to any artist within a 70-mile radius, with artists allowed to submit up to two pieces of their work, said Abby Hayhurst, executive director of the art center. There are 62 artists participating in the show this year.
"It is a great opportunity for these artists to get together," Hayhurst said. "They all meet each other and are able to exchange ideas.
"This is one of our favorite shows of the year."
The pieces in the exhibit cover work in a number of mediums, including painting, photography, digital composites, woodcarving, tapestries and more. One artist even utilized a car door in one piece.
"Many of them are amateur artists," Hayhurst said. "Many of them do it as a hobby.
"This is an opportunity for their work to be judged with their peers. It is also an opportunity for their work to go on display in a professional gallery setting."
Alison Helm, the chair of the West Virginia University Art Department, was brought in as a juror to pick the prize winners of the show.
Hayhurst believes many of the artists, in talking with the other artists, will get ideas and will try to incorporate those ideas in their own work.
Sarah Cordonier, of Parkersburg, is showing for the first time in this year's Regional show. She entered a three-dimensional ceramic piece and a three-dimensional piece that looks like a typographical map made out of foamboard. She made the pieces while working with an instructor who urged her to put them in a local showing, but Cordonier didn't.
"I saw an advertisement for this show and thought there was no reason why I shouldn't honor her and enter these pieces," Cordonier said.
She was impressed with the quality of work being shown at the exhibit.
"There are a lot of incredible artists with some really nifty pieces of art here," Cordonier said. "I am really enjoying this because the artwork is so diverse.
"I would encourage any artist to enter a show like this. It is a great way to get your name out there as far as artwork goes."
Steve Morningstar, the art chair at Parkersburg High School, used maps of the Inyo National Forest and the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well of pictures of he and his friends during a recent fishing trip to make a collage detailing their experiences. His collage won second place in representation of theme.
Morningstar was also impressed with the quality of work represented in the show.
"It shows how much talent is in this (70-mile) radius," he said. "It brings in enough professional, amateur and artists who are teachers from places like Marietta College and Ohio University.
"You see a nice mix of the different talented artists from throughout the area."
The show's theme can be interpreted in a number of different ways.
"The idea of a theme really works out good, because that creates a parameter for artists so they have something to focus on," Morningstar said. "When you see all of the different ways they manifest using those parameters, they come up with all these different ideas.
"It brings a whole different perspective to using one concept which is something we teach the kids in school as well," he said.
Gerry Enrico, of Point Pleasant, is a professional artist who won the Best of Show Award for a portrait he did of his daughter, entitled "Isabella 16," done in charcoal pencil.
Enrico has tried to do a portrait of his daughter every year since she was little.
"I draw her every year so I can see her growing up," he said. "You can see the changes in her face."
The portrait was done a couple of years ago as his daughter is now 18 years old.
"She lives in New York," Enrico said. "It is to show her that I think about her all of the time."
With all of the talent entering the show, Enrico thought he might be lucky to get an honorable mention.
"It is a surprise," he said. "When I look at the artwork here, this is a great show and a good competition.
"I really didn't think I would get Best in Show. I am very thankful for that."
One of the museum's docents, Carol Bidstrup, will give a gallery talk at noon Wednesday at the art center. She has a couple of pieces in the show. She is going to talk about how an artist looks at artwork and explain things from an artist's point of view.
Hayhurst said the public who comes to the show will be surprised by the number of talented people in the area.
"We are so lucky here in the Valley," she said. "We have an extraordinary amount of talented artists."
The art center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and daily admission $2 for adults and no charge for children under 12.


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If you are a winery, move on, this doesn't concern you. You guys are doing great – Google knows where you are and as long as the local winery directories (Example: local vintner association) and Yelp list you on their site, online users will find you. Who should read this? Wine e-commerce retailers and wine industry B2B (business services) businesses should. Let me make something clear, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is no longer a thing. SEOmoz.org – the leading source for education for the internet marketing industry is no longer called SEOmoz but just "moz.org" . There is a reason for that – online business growth isn't about tips and tricks to get listed for page rank (appearance on the first few listings in online search results for a specific keyword) anymore. Not that search engines are not important, but now most websites can't even get ranked on them unless their internet marketing strategy involves superior engagement from online users – and this doesn't happen from tricks. Trix are for kids, man.
Engagement is Key
Examples of Online Engagement:
- Bounce rates (percentage of users who only visit one page and leave)
- Time spent on webpage
- Social media fan comments and shares
- Inbound links (links on other websites to your website) from other wine industry websites with high engagement themselves
- Blog comments
Still make sure each page on your website is optimized for keywords, that is the easy part. But the wine e-commerce industry and wine B2B is competitive and keyword optimization is not enough, that is just scratching the surface.
"Content is King" is the saying in online marketing. But not just any content, good relevant content that appeals to your specific audience. A good example of superior blog content is Gary Vanyerchuks' tv.winelibrary.com. If you're B2B in the wine industry, look to none other than Rob McMillan's blog. These guys know how to create loyalty and trust with great content. That in turn leads to what they are really after – not just page rank – though that comes naturally with great content – but actual sales of wine for Gary V and leads for winery and vineyard business loans for Rob. Another great B2B example is www.winelawonreserve.com, a wine law attorney's website; Lindsey Zahn knows her stuff.
Gotta Have Niche in Wine Business Marketing
It is a really smart time to get into retail wine e-commerce. If you can identify a niche – like a specific varietal, region or style (biodynamic, natural, etc. ) you can really make a place for yourself online. I see huge opportunity, not in the general wine e-commerce websites like wine.com, but very specific online wine retail sites. If you haven't checked it out, there are some really great online fine wine auction sites that are an interesting subset of the wine e-commerce business model.
If you don't have the option to niche your online brand, blogging is even more important. If you are a new general wine e-commerce site, in the beginning of your online marketing, you will need to create traffic to your website in some other way than search engines. This is where it becomes even more important to work on generating traffic to your website from social media and other referring sites. Wine bloggers love great content and with proper outreach they will link to your site referencing your blog post articles. Besides inbound links, creating great content on your blog will build your own huge following on social media – like Gary V.
For all those wine barrel, bottling and label design companies, you need to rely on the big guys like Wine Business Monthly, The Drink Business and Wine Industry Insight to share your blog posts. Not only are they sharing your content and generating traffic to your website, but they are endorsing you. That goes a long way.
It is easier said than done. I know. But whoever is writing your blog posts needs to know your customers. They need to know the questions and concerns that your clients and customers are asking about. And it needs to have personality, I love the Wine Curmudgeon. He tells it like it is – is it no wonder he has such a huge following? This doesn't come easy for him, nor do I suspect it does for Gary V. Producing great content is not a natural art, but takes years in the journalism biz like it did for the Wine Curmudgeon and I suspect that Rob McMillan has a love for storytelling that runs parallel his love for wine finance.
Boring Content Won't Work
Those of you who are outsourcing your blog content for $30/article, I know who you are. I can see it in the writing. It has no personality, follows all the SEO rules with proper keywords, images and links; but is it really working for you? Did your sales increase? Did your leads increase? My husband and I were talking about buying quality products for our home last night. Josh said that he actually felt like he has lost money on the stuff we have purchased from Ikea. It fit our need at that time with our budget, but none of it lasted and has or will be replaced. Now we shop at Restoration Hardware and meticulously research online reviews on all the products we buy. Unfortunately for us, the lifetime value of that Ikea dining table was more expensive than the Restoration Hardware table that we bought to replace it. I know, the cheap furniture is so appealing! But does it really meet your needs or does it appear to? The same goes for anyone promising increased sales with blog posts outsourced for $30/per 600 words. You can test it for yourself, but if it doesn't achieve your goals, don't eat your dinner on the floor, just spend some real money on a quality table where you can enjoy a lifetime of wine and food.

subset: commoncrawl


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Home > TSA Homepage Root > Fan Shop > MLB Fan Shop > New York Mets
New York Mets Apparel & Gear
Recommended for You
The Amazin' Mets
Forever cast in the role of Robin to the crosstown Yankees' Batman, the New York Mets may not have the championship hardware of their rivals, but that hasn't stopped them from carving out a legacy all their own. Stepping into the void created by the Dodgers' and Giants' departure for the West Coast, the Mets wear the official state colors on their uniforms and approach each game with a never-give-up mentality that makes them a New York institution, through and through.
In 1960, National League baseball returned to New York City when it was announced that the Mets would be the latest expansion franchise. Their moniker was inspired by the corporation that was responsible for their creation, the Metropolitan Baseball Club. While the unveiling of Shea Stadium was widely celebrated, there wasn't much else about Mets baseball in the '60s that inspired any sort of confidence. It wasn't until the "amazing" events of 1969 that the conversation changed.
Led by future Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver and his 25 regular-season wins, the Mets leapt out of the National League basement and won 100 games in '69. They made quick work of the Atlanta Braves to capture the NL pennant, and then stunned the Baltimore Orioles in the Fall Classic to claim their first world championship. Mets fever was born, and while moves like the 1972 acquisition ofWillie Mays would placate fans, it wasn't until the '80s that the Mets would follow up on their title aspirations.
Players such as Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez would become household names, not just in Queens but throughout the country. Flying high on all the star power, the team would march back to the playoffs in '86. In Game 6 of the World Series, a grounder by Met Mookie Wilson trickled through the legs of a Boston fielder, and the rest, as they say, is history. A second world championship banner would be hung at Shea Stadium the following spring.
While the Subway Series of 2000 would split New York in two, the Mets weren't able to replicate the magic they conjured up in either the '69 or '86 campaigns. Stars have come and gone, but the fans (including A-list supporters such as Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock) have never wavered. The new Mets coliseum, Citi Field, opened in 2009 and is a veritable museum of baseball history.
The much-celebrated Home Run Apple, moved over from its perch at Shea, welcomes fans as they descend on the stadium. Inside, they can marvel at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and learn more about one of the greatest athletes ever to play in New York. And that's the other thing about being a Mets fan. It's not just about celebrating the amazing hometown team; it's about reveling in just how incredible the sport can be. Come-from-behind wins, mile-long home runs, and everything in between -- that's what being a supporter of the Mets is all about.


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Dubai Financial Newsletter
We produce a regular daily electronic newsletter of all the latest financial and corporate information within Dubai and the UAE. We provide this as a FREE service to existing and prospective clients without any commitment on your part.
To join our mailing list, please complete the information below and click 'Sign Up Now'.


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A Driffield support group for a local hospice have held their Annual General Meeting.
The Driffield Support Group met on Thursday 20 September at the St Quentin Arms in Harpham to discuss fundraising plans for their 25th anniversary year.
November marks the 25th anniversary of the support group of the hospice which is based in Scarborough.
The group are planning a year of fundraising events, the highlight of which will be a silver anniversary ball held at Driffield Showground at Kelleythorpe on March 9.
Lee Barker, CEO of the hospice and Ian Westmorland, Chairman of the Trustees of the hospice also attended the meeting.
Driffield Times & Post photographer, Pam Stanforth went along to photograph the meeting.


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You now save Rs 2 on every litre of petrol and Re 1 on diesel you buy as government effected a cut in the prices of auto fuels from Thursday midnight. With the decision, the government has achieved two objectives.
While the move will primarily contribute in checking inflation, it also neutralises the June 2006 price hikes of Rs 4 in petrol and Rs 2 in diesel prices.


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Get an overview of this hotelWi-Fi, airport shuttle, near Boise State University
On Boise River
This Idaho hotel is on the Boise River, a half-mile from Boise State University and less than 2 miles from downtown.
Indoor pool, spa tub
Cottonwood Suites Boise Riverside Downtown provides an indoor pool and spa tub, a courtesy airport shuttle, and complimentary continental breakfast.
Wireless Internet
All 111 guestrooms offer free WiFi and satellite TVs with pay movies and premium channels, refrigerators, and microwaves.Would you like to give us feedback? Share it! Opens in a new window
Cottonwood Suites Boise Riverside Downtown3031 Main St Boise ID 83702
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Cottonwood Suites Boise Riverside Downtown is on a greenbelt on the banks of the Boise River, a half-mile (800 meters) from Boise State University.
Continental breakfast is served every morning. On-site amenities also include a fitness facility, sauna, steam room, and an indoor pool with spa tub. 24-hour business services are available, and self-parking is free during a guest stay. Free roundtrip airport shuttle service is provided on request. This hotel welcomes children and pets (dogs only).
- 24-hour business center
- 24-hour front desk
- Free airport transportation
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Elevator/lift
- Fitness facilities
- Free breakfast
- Free self parking
- Free WiFi
- Indoor pool
- Laundry facilities
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Number of floors - 3
- Sauna
- Smoke-free property
- Spa tub
- Steam room
- Total number of rooms - 111
- Year Built 1975
Family Friendly Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Indoor pool
- Laundry facilities
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free toiletries
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Daily housekeeping
- Desk
- First-run movies
- Free local calls
- Free WiFi
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board
- Microwave
- Pay movies
- Phone
- Premium TV channels
- Private bathroom
- Refrigerator
- Satellite TV service
- Shower/tub combination
Where to Eat
Coffee is available in the lobby, and a complimentary continental breakfast is provided each morning from 6 AM to 10 AM.
This Cottonwood Suites does not have its own restaurant, but there are excellent dining options within the surrounding area.
Nearby Things to Do
The hotel has a fitness room/gym, sauna, steam room, and an indoor pool with spa tub. A walking and biking path is accessible from the greenbelt along the river behind the hotel.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or near the Cottonwood Suites; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Downhill skiing nearby
- Cross-country skiing nearby
- Snowboarding nearby
- Snowmobiling nearby
- Snowshoeing nearby
- Kayaking nearby
- Sailing nearby
- Water skiing nearby
- Rafting nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
- Mountain biking nearby
- Bicycle rentals nearby
- Ski lessons available nearby
- Ski equipment rental shops nearby
- Golf lessons available nearby
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Minimum check-in age is 21
Check-in time ends at midnight
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Special check-in instructions:
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 25 per accommodation, per stay, plus a deposit of USD 25 per stay
- Dogs only
- 2 per room
- Specific rooms only, restrictions apply
- Pet-friendly rooms can be requested by contacting the property at the number on the booking confirmation
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
Service animals exempt from fees/restrictions
Optional extras
- Pet deposit: USD 25 per stay
- Pet fee: USD 25 per accommodation, per stay
Hotel Name
- Boise Riverside
- Riverside Boise
- Shilo Inn Boise
- Shilo Inn Boise Riverside
- Shilo Inn Riverside
- Shilo Inn Riverside Boise
- Shilo Inn Riverside Hotel
- Shilo Inn Riverside Hotel Boise
- Cottonwood Suites Boise Riverside Downtown Hotel
- Cottonwood Suites Riverside Downtown Hotel
- Cottonwood Suites Boise Riverside Downtown
- Cottonwood Suites Riverside Downtown
- Shilo Inn Boise Riverside Hotel Boise
We should mention
This property offers transfers from the airport. Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Up to 3 children 12 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. The property allows pets in specific rooms only and has other pet restrictions (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section). Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.


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The Georgia Historical Society. All rights reserved.
The collection is open for research.
This collection is processed at the Basic Level (or collection level). There is no detailed inventory for this collection as it is not fully processed. To request that this collection be added to our priority list of collections to be fully processed as staffing and funding allow, please contact the Library and Archives staff.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Christmas Moultrie was born a slave on 25 December 1857 on the Mulberry Grove Plantation, west of Savannah, Georgia. He died on 23 April 1956 and is buried in the Cherokee Hill Cemetery in Port Wentworth, Georgia.
This collection contains an undated photograph of Christmas Moultrie and a 1979 article written by John Eugene Cay, Jr. entitled, Ducks, Dogs, and Friends, which describes the hunting adventures and relationship between Moultrie and Ward Allen, a professional duck hunter and gentleman from Savannah, Georgia.


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Being a grown-up is bullshit.
1) Replacing the windows in your house brings you to higher orgasmic heights than your last, well, orgasm.
2) You become very interested in the state of the new grass growing in your front yard. So much so that you will use any excuse to make people go and look at it. People. Like the mailman. Or a random jogger.
3) You own a designated Puke Bucket.
6) You refer to the hardware store as the happiest place on earth.
11) Bra-less, your breasts appear to be two oranges in tube socks. This alarms you less than it should.
23) You don't drink to get sloppy, you drink because you "like the taste."
47) Between the Teacher's Institute Days, the celebration of Columbus's Taint, International Ballpoint Pen Day, and obscurely PC-named weeks off, you're not entirely sure your child actually attends school. Ever.
106) Once you get the kids to bed, your racy thoughts turn to ugly pajamas and television. When your spouse turns to you with "that look" in his eye, your only real response is a resonating sigh.
235) Tax refunds are no longer spent on a Hot Wing Tour of the US, but used to replace a door. A door, I should add, that while not entirely functional, is not broken.
551) You become irate at those stupid fucking teenagers driving up and down the street at Mach 8. So much so that you have a collection of golf-balls ready to lob at their cars.
1301) Your major selling point when purchasing a new mobile phone is no longer, "What games can it run," but rather "Does it have a calendar? What about silent setting for meetings, Oh and does it synch with my linked-in?"
3159) Your idea of a "good time" involves reading a book about famous mathematicians.
7741) When you're out past 9 PM, you're all, "HOLY SHIT it's LATE."
19320) You begin to buy plants based upon the time of year that they bloom rather than, "does the name sound like an STD?"
What are some other signs you're getting old, Pranksters?
(I've been up half the night playing Barf in Buckets, so my brain is a little fried)
I have food issues.
I like to think of them as sort of cute lil quirks, you know, the sort of thing that makes me endearing rather than annoying, but having lived with a foodie (The Guy On My Couch) and a pseudo-foodie (The Daver), I've come to realize that my food issues are more on the oh-my-God-you-are-so-weird spectrum. But hey, at least I have kicky hair.
See, while I happen to love fruit, I can't look at canned fruit. In fact, the smell of canned fruit makes me heave histrionically. Actually, most things in cans repulse me. I'd rather go hungry than eat canned food. Which means when the Zombie Apocalypse happens, I'm gonna die. Immediately. Well, if I'm not raptured.
Hey, it's possible.
(so is John C Mayer being un-douchey, the sun rising in the west and squirtable cheese in a can.)(…WAIT A MINUTE)
Anyway. Food issues.
They include a distrust of cream based salad dressing (especially thousand island, which appears to be the direct creation of Satan's bunghole) and other creamy things in a can. Especially mayonnaise. The very thought of mayonnaise may ruin my appetite for mere moments at a time!
Mayonnaise is just so…so…WRONG.
A couple of months ago, The Guy On My Couch agreed to make me spinach and artichoke dip without the artichokes because who the hell likes those? (apparently most people who are not me). As I was off scouring the sale-rack for half-price Pop Rocks, The Guy On My Couch sneakily purchased a tub 'o' Mayo. I didn't see it until we were in the car because he was being all stealth-like about it – he knew I'd overrule him and put back the mayo.
One morning, before he had a real job, I asked him to make the dip for breakfast.
Aunt Becky: "Hey, can you make the spinach dip now?"
The Guy On My Couch: "Sure."
Aunt Becky: "You can't put mayo in it."
The Guy On My Couch: "Just…don't come into the kitchen."
Aunt Becky: "Why?"
The Guy On My Couch (shuffles feet around): "There's a zombie in there."
Aunt Becky (runs for the mustard): "Oh my GOD, REALLY? BATTEN DOWN THE MOTHERFUCKING HATCHES!"
The Guy On My Couch: "Um….yeah!"
Aunt Becky: "You're going to put mayo in the dip, aren't you?"
The Guy On My Couch: "LOOKIT THE SQUIRREL OUTSIDE. ISN'T HE HILARIOUS?"
Aunt Becky: (glares) "Nice try."
The Guy On My Couch (preens): "THANKS!"
Aunt Becky: "On second thought, let's go get donuts."
Now that tub of white goo that looks mysteriously like spooge has sat in my lazy Susan for months, unopened. I'm sure as shit not going to open it up and grab out a nice big spoonful and if someone were to do it in my presence, I'd probably sit there making barfy noises until they opted to go into the other room. I'd, of course, follow them and continue heaving.
(my six word memoir? "Not just stupid, but annoying too!")
The problem is this:
Aunt Becky wanders into the kitchen and, upon gazing lovingly at the box of Equal, notices a white tub of goo:
*Grabs can and spoon*
"FUCK, it's MAYO. DAMMIT."
Rinse, repeat, every two or three days. God BLESS you Topamax for wiping my short-term memory. So glad I can still recall every phone number I've ever had but cannot manage to remember where I left my pants or how to update my blog.
I'm aware that the "smart thing" to do would be to dump the mayo once and for all, but no one has EVER accused me of being smart unless they were being particularly sarcastic, which, who could blame them?
Now if you don't mind, I have a tub of Marshmallow Fluff waiting for me….
….oh right. Never mind.
So what's going on with YOU, Pranksters? What's YOUR six word memoir?
Interviewing for jobs is bullshit.
I mean, you're standing there, nervous as shit, and apologizing to the silk plant to your right for bumping into it because you know the secretary is secretly taking notes on you and OH EM GE is that a camera above you or have you been watching too much reality television?
On my last job interview, well before I'd gotten pregnant with Alex, I was doing the rounds and applying for all sorts of jobs I didn't really want. I figured the interviews were "good experience," plus, I got to wear a suit. I like suits.
I'd applied for a job working for a major US health insurance company. I'd be doing some claims processing, going over the necessity for certain treatments, and, I later learned, (ALLEGEDLY) taught to work the system in order to ensure that the members got what they needed when they needed it.
It was the only job I'd been applying for that managed to pique my interest. The rest of the interviews went like this:
Aunt Becky: "Hi, I'm…"
Person Interviewing: (interrupts): "Do you have a pulse?"
Aunt Becky: *blinks*
Person Interviewing: "I mean, OBVIOUSLY you have a pulse, you're here, right? (nervous laugh)"
Aunt Becky: *blinks*
Person Interviewing: "Can you start on the Ortho floor this afternoon? We've got a ratio of 8 patients to one nurse and no nursing techs. You'll be working an 18. SOUND GOOD?"
Aunt Becky: *blinks*
Person Interviewing: "Here's your uniform."
Aunt Becky *backs away slowly*
Person Interviewing: "You can wear jeans! JUST GO TO THE ORTHO FLOOR PLEASE! J-CO* IS COMING!"
That's the way my interviews had gone. And as much as I'd loved to have worked an 18 on a floor without techs with 8 whole patients who weren't quite ambulatory, I had enough respect for my back to turn it down.
So my job at the insurance company, well, it was what I'd wanted. Mostly. I didn't want to work weekends or holidays. Working an 18 would leave me injecting myself with normal saline just to stay awake. I love people. I don't love sick people. Shitty career path, huh?
First stop on my interview train was to a computer where I had to type shit. I think they wanted to make sure I wasn't going to type, "I HAVE A BOMB MOTHERFUCKERS" or something. Last I checked, everyone our age types at like 8097 words per minute. Side effect of the computer generation.
Once the computer, which was made in approximately 1902, green words and all, booted me off, I waited for my round of interviews. I checked the room for cameras, but didn't see any. Delusions of paranoia much?
Eventually a spry looking lady came to get me. She introduced herself as the person I'd be working for, which made me breathe a sigh of relief – she seemed both sane and high energy. Great combo.
She led me to a small meeting room and began chit-chatting with me while we waited for the other person to show. Apparently, at Super Huge Insurance Company, two managers did the interviewing. I immediately suspected a good-cop/bad-cop routine.
The second manager sauntered in, and I immediately read her as a bitch. Between the way she walked, the way she sneered when my manager spoke, and the haughty smile she gave as she tossed her bleached-blond hair back, I could tell that, had she been my table and I her server, she'd have run me around every time I got near her, only to stiff me and complain to my manager in order to get some free coupons.
My heart sunk. I thought about all those ortho people I'd have to lug around and shuddered instinctively.
Before we began, my manager assured me that the questions were unique – there were no "wrong" answers. We went back and forth between the standard interview questions, "how would you handle XYZ?" "Where are your pants?" "How would you describe yourself in three words or less?"
Bitchy blonde lady asked me one, "What happened the last time your boss made a decision for you to carry out – but it was something you didn't want to do?"
I wracked my brain. Generally when my bosses told me to do something I didn't want to do, I deliberately disobeyed. No wrong answers. No wrong answers. So I can keep talking and it won't be WRONG. I love this game!
They stared at me. I began to sweat – I couldn't tell the about the beers I'd snuck in the back coolers or the times that I didn't charge my friends for keg beer. I couldn't tell them about sprinkling a ton of red pepper flakes into the dipping sauce of a particularly rude table. Um. THINK, Becky, THINK. Or BULLSHIT, Becky, BULLSHIT.
"Well, there was this one time (okay, that sounds good, like you know what your saying. Good work, mental high five!), that my manager Peter, he, um, (BECKY, STOP SAYING UM. IT'LL CLUE THEM IN THAT YOU'RE FULL OF BULLSHIT) well, he asked if anyone was stealing blocks of cheese. He kinda looked like a detective, ready to catch the cheese thief, but that's mostly because he looked like he'd stepped out of the set of a 1920's movie (STOP ADDING DETAILS, MORON). When he asked me if I knew who'd been stealing cheese, I said 'I didn't know' even though I MAYBE knew. (God, this is the stupidest thing I've ever said.)"
I looked at the two of them, ashamed, knowing I'd blown that. But NO WRONG ANSWERS! PHEW.
The blond one glared at me, rolled her eyes and spoke, "You're wrong."
My mouth dropped open as my face turned electric red. Not being much of a blusher, it made it that. much. worse.
She continued, "I don't think that's what you meant."
Okay, now I was just confused. Rather than respond, I simply stared at her. My manager got all flustered and quickly ushered me out the front door where I realized, once and for all, that I was not being filmed. My reality-show dreams had been dashed.
And there was no way in fuck that I'd gotten that job.
That afternoon I got the offer letter.
I started the following week.
*J-CO isn't to be confused with J-LO. J-CO is actually the Joint Commission, accredits and certifies health care organizations. They're also pedantic and annoying as shit when they come for inspections (as, I hate to admit, they should be).


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The wishbone offense first debuted in college football on September 21, 1968 when the University of Texas, coached by Darrell Royal, played the University of Houston. Dubbed the "pulleybone" buy reporters, Royal later referred to it as the wishbone offense.
The wishbone offense that Texas began using in 1968 was created after Royal watched a Texas A&M option offense defeat Bear Bryants' Alabama team in the Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1, 1968. Coach Royal instructed his offensive coordinator, Emory Bellard, to develop an option offense that utilized a 3 back backfield. Bellard came back to coach Royal with the wishbone formation.
According to Barry Switzer, in his auto biography "Bootlegger's Boy", the wishbone formation was actually created by a junior high coach by the name of Spud Cason in Fort Worth, Tx. Cason created the wishbone out of the "T" formation because he had a back that was too slow to get to the line of scrimmage fast enough to lead block so he moved the middle back, the fullback, forward a step creating a backfield that was shaped like the wishbone of a chicken. It was originally called the "Monning T", named after the school Cason coached for, Monnig Junior High School.
Bellard used the wishbone formation as the basis of the triple option offense that he presented to Coach Royal. The triple option offense was born and bacame the signature offense of the University of Texas. Texas tied with the University of Houston in that first game, lost their second game against Texas Tech, then won their next 30 games straight and two national championships.
In 1970, Pual "Bear" Bryant installed the wishbone at Alabama and midway into the 1970 season Chuch Fairbanks, encouraged by Barry Switzer, switched to the wishbone offense ant Oklahoma University. Barry Switzer, considered by many to have perfected the 'bone', used the offense at Oklahoma until he risigned from college coaching in 1989 as the fourth winningest coach in NCAA division I history with a .844 winning percentage and three national championships.
Since the development and perfection of the wishbone, teams from all levels have used it to some degree with success. Besides, Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma, other major college teams have had success with some form of the wishbone including Georgia Tech, Army, Navy, and Airforce.


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Virginia Johnson
Scarecrows have been known at least as long ago as ancient Egypt. In some cultures, people were sent to the fields to keep away the pests. The Creek Indians did this in America. Before modern times, the English would also send out the very young and the very old to their fields with noise makers. All people rely on a good harvest to last them through the winter, and scarecrows, human or straw, help them to have one.
Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, starts on a magical, snowy day. There's still school though so Hazel and her best friend Jack make plans to meet up and go sledding afterward. Since her Dad left her and her mom, things have really changed for Hazel in a bad way. She had to stop going to the fun school where the teachers were happy she had such vivid imagination and creativity. Now Hazel goes to classes where the desks are perfectly lined up all the time, and there is to be no fidgeting. Hazel fidgets anyway.
Author Jean Fritz has written many books that kids enjoy. They're often funny and full of adventure and always have great characters. They're also pretty much absolutely true. Jean specializes in history books, especially people's life stories. As a biographer, she tries to get to know the people and the times in which they lived through research including reading their own words. Then she takes all that history and turns it around in her mind until it becomes a story her readers will enjoy.
Start the New Year by joining the CRRL in giving a wonderful book—or two or twenty—to those who may not be familiar with the joys of reading. Sign up by January 5, 2014, to receive multiple copies of amazing books. The only catch: they cannot be resold. Neither are they to keep for yourself or your bibliophile friends. They are to be given away with joyful hearts, as an invitation to the world of reading. There's no charge to be a book giver, but you do need to apply.
On Christmas Eve, a young girl dreams her beloved toy comes to life. He becomes her Nutcracker Prince and dances his Clara through the land of sweets and defeats the wicked Mouse King. Perhaps you've seen the ballet-- it's so popular that many ballet schools make it their featured holiday production year after year. The music is amazing-- from the wild Russian dance to the slow and mysterious Arabian dance. It all flows together to create a magical night of exhilarating performances.
Back in the time of horse-drawn carriages and gas-lit streets, tiny Sophie was found floating in a cello case next to a sinking ship nigh unto London.
Rome grew from a small band of villages in central Italy to the greatest empire of its time. Roman law and sciences spread throughout the Western World, changing forever the ways of the Europeans and North Africans. Romans built coloniae (colonies) on their western frontier by very strict standards, making certain that the people who lived there knew they were a part of the Empire. The ruins of Roman forts and bath houses can be found in England, at the edges of Roman rule, and the parts of the great Roman roads can still be seen today.
In 1800, the land held by the new United States was small compared to what was called Louisiana. Louisiana was named for King Louis XIV. It was part of a large claimed area in the New World called New France. It stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains.
When winter skies turn gray, and the air thickens with chill, life becomes harder for the feathered ones. Food is scarcer, and handouts from us humans can make a difference to them. Take just a few minutes to create a place for the birds to hang out on a frosty day. Once you've got your feeder hung, check out a bird identification book from the library to learn the names of your grateful guests.
Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker jumped off the train in Manifest, Kansas, well before it officially stopped—and for good reason. Abeline was in a bit of a mood. She, who was used to criss-crossing the whole nation alongside of her beloved drifter dad Gideon, was being parked for an entire summer at the dustiest, driest town imaginable while he goes to work a railroad job in another state. In Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpoole, the year is 1938—about 20 summers since her Dad was here as a boy. The whole town, not just the lawns and the gardens, seems like it's about to blow away in the June wind. What Abilene doesn't realize is that this seemingly dead place is full of secrets and regrets just waiting to bubble to the surface.


text:
Order Reprints
Journal: Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2007
Volume: 8
Number: 788
Article: Consideration of the Factors Influencing the Specific Rates of Solvolysis of p-Methoxyphenyl Chloroformate
Authors: Malcolm J. D'Souza, Darneisha Reed, Fumie Koyoshi and Dennis N. Kevill
Link: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/8/8/788
MDPI provides reprints in high quality with convenient shipping to destinations worldwide. The articles are printed in on premium paper with high-resolution figures. Our covers are customized to your article and designed to be complimentary to the journal. These reprints are ideal additions to your portfolio. Copy details: 135g/m2 paper, 2x stitched, full colour and glossy finish, orderable in quantities from 10 to 1000.
If you have any questions, or special requests, please write to email@example.com; we are happy to provide you with the information you need.


text:
Colloidal Silver is a dietary supplement with over 30 ppm per serving of 99.999% pure colloidal silver to support and maintain a healthy immune system. They use proprietary technology to process this high quality Colloidal Silver for maximum effectiveness. You may expect a wide range of nutritional benefits.
- Non-GMO.
- Fast Absorbing Liquid Formula.
- Super Oxygenated Pure Colloidal Silver.
- Vegan.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not meant to diagnose' treat or cure any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutritional supplement program or before using these or any product during pregnancy or if you have a serious medical condition.
Serving Size: 1 teaspoon (5 mL)
Servings per container: 48
Amount per Serving / % DV
Silver 30 ppm / *
* Daily Value (DV) not established.
Ingredients: Distilled and ozonated water' 99.999% pure silver. Contains no additives' coloring or stabilizers.
Contains no known allergens. Gluten Free.
Adults take 1 teaspoon three times daily for one week' then ½ teaspoon three times daily until desired results are attained.
Children under age 12 take ½ teaspoon three times daily for one week' then ¼ teaspoon three times daily until desired results are attained.
Do not exceed the recommended daily serving without consulting your health care provider.
Consult a healthcare professional before use.
Always keep in dark container out of sunlight. Do not freeze.
Best if used within 24 months from date of purchase.
Allergy / Dietary Needs
- Allergen Free
- Gluten Free
- GMO Free
- GMP Certification
- Made in the USA
- Stabilizers Free
- Vegan Product
- Additive Free
Ratings & ReviewsReview This Item
Overall Rating for Colloidal Silver 30 ppm - 8 fl. oz (237 ml)
Displaying reviews 1-4 of 4
By Glenda
from Denver
Great to head off infections
I get a lot of sinus infections Colloidal Silver helps
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
By Caroline
from Florida
Works great for Sinus!
I have used Colloidal Silver by Trace Minerals Research and have been pleased with its results. I will continue to use it with sinus infections and colds. So glad you have it available!
It helps with colds and sinus problems.
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
By Beth Gutierrez
from Iowa
First time buyer
I bought Colloidal Silver by Trace Minerals Research to treat a boil on my daughter's skin. It was responding to nothing that I did, including topical prescription strength antibiotics. I finally brought the boil to a head, and poured some of this on it, and had her digest some too. I'm happy to report it is now healing. Because she is prone to staff and skin infections, I will be keeping this on hand to help prevent future break outs on her skin. So far, I am quite pleased.
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
By Carri
from Michigan
Kept the sniffles away
I ordered Colloidal Silver as another weapon in our arsenal to keep our little ones healthy this winter. We use it internally each day and it really seemed to help keep the sickness away!
√ I would recommend this item to a friend.
Displaying reviews 1-4 of 4
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Please ask any questions you may have about this specific product in the field below.
Your question(s) and our corresponding answer(s) will not be confidential and will be posted publically on this specific product page.
Additionally, PureFormulas is unable to directly recommend products in relation to specific health conditions. Please contact your trusted healthcare practitioner for direct product recommendations.
If you have any general questions regarding orders or our policies and programs, please contact our Customer Happiness Team @ 1.800.383.6008
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medications or have any medical condition, consult your doctor before use. Your healthcare professional is the best source for guidance before beginning an exercise or nutritional supplement program.


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Featured Music:
"Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant (Young Sarah pulls a cookie con)
"Tierra Lejana" by Orquesta Mazacote (Sarah & Chuck realize they've been conned)
"The Bomb" by Pigeon John (Team Walkerburtowski pull together a Hungarian wedding reception)
"What I Like About You" by The Romantics (Chuck DJ's the wedding)
"At Last" by Etta James (Sarah & Jack get a father/daughter dance)
"A Million Years" by Alexander (final montage)
Jack: (to Sarah, in the letter) You gave this to me a long time ago and I want you to know I never spent a dime of it. I only ever added to it. It should more than cover the cost of your wedding to the Schnook. I hope now you can have all the adventures you ever wanted with a man far better than me.
Jack: You don't have the authority, you pretend you do.
Sarah: That's right... fake it till you make it.
Sarah: You know, if there is one thing I am not, Chuck... it's a sucker.
Chuck: Yeah, well, me neither. I mean, we're not a couple of sappy, helpless love birds.
Sarah: Yeah, that's right. We're CIA agents. Daphne Peralta... she chose the wrong couple to con.
Chuck: That's us, right, honey?
Sarah: Of course I mean us.
Chuck: Just check.
International Episode Titles:
Czech Republic - Chuck a svatební koordinátorka (Chuck and the Wedding Coordinator)
Although credited, Mark Christopher Lawrence (Michael "Big Mike" Tucker), Sarah Lancaster (Eleanor "Ellie" Bartowski-Woodcomb), Scott Krinsky (Jefferson Barnes), Vik Sahay (Lester Patel) do not appear in this episode.
Original International Air Dates:
Canada: April 20, 2011 on SPACE
Turkey: May 23, 2011 on CNBC-e
United Kingdom: June 9, 2011 on Sky LIVING/Sky LIVING HD
Australia: July 29, 2011 on FOX8
Czech Republic: November 6, 2011 on Prima COOL
Sweden: November 30, 2011 on TV6
Finland: December 5, 2013 on Sub
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Blog has been shifted to http://www.basichackingskills.com/! Articles and videos from now on will be posted over the new updated link and the posts that are already made on the previous link will not be moved. Yes, that's a good news for people who've bookmarked our articles! Since we've moved to self hosting we will be our own boss. We are trying not to lose our subscribers, hopefully we'll succeed. Thanks guys for being with us all this way. From now on, we will get you premium content for free and will be coming up with a lot of new and exciting stuff! Stay updated, keep following!!!
#4 Web Development Basics – PHP Introduction
How to connect from a PHP file to a MySQL database
One of the best features of PHP is how easily it interacts with MySQL. This allows you to store information in a database for your website to access and then create dynamic content. In order to do this you need to be able to read and write to the MySQL database from your PHP based website.
You can connect to your database from a PHP file with the following code:
mysql_connect("your.hostaddress.com", "username", "password") or die(mysql_error()) ;
mysql_select_db("Database_Name") or die(mysql_error()) ;
Obviously you need to change the highlighted items to represent the actual values for your database.
Once you are connected to your database you can read data or write to your database.
The Difference Between a Programmer, a Hacker, and a Developer
There is often spirited discussion and debate about the differences between Programmers, Hackers, and Developers. Most descriptions I've seen are flawed in at least one serious way, so I provide below my preferred—and I hope more accurate and elegant—definitions:
- A Programmer is someone who can solve problems by by manipulating computer code. They can have a wide range of skill levels—from just being "ok" with basic scripting to being an absolute sorcerer with any language.
- A Hacker is someone who makes things. In this context, it's someone who makes things by programming computers. This is the original, and purest definition of the term, i.e., that you have an idea and you "hack" something together to make it work. It also applies to people who modify things to significantly change their functionality, but less so.
- A Developer is a formally trained programmer. They don't just solve problems or create things, but…
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Five Interesting Facts About the Inventor of the C Programming Language
Dennis Ritchie's invention, the C programming language paved the way for many of the popular modern programming languages in use today. Languages such as JavaScript have borrowed concepts either directly or indirectly from C. Dennis Ritchie is credited with helping shape the digital era for his invention of the C programming language. Here are some interesting facts about this great inventor's life.
The Career and Education of Dennis Ritchie
Dennis Ritchie attended Harvard and graduated with degrees in Physics and Applied Mathematics. He began working at Bell Labs in 1968 and later went on to receive his PhD under the supervision of Patrick C. Fischer. His doctoral dissertation was titled "Program Structure and Computational Complexity." Ritchie was best known for his work as a key figure in the development of the UNIX operating system. He also co-authored the quintessential book on C, titled "The C Programming Language."
Awards Given to…
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#3 Web Development Basics – MySQL Basics
This video gives a basic idea on the data representation in a database application such as MySQL. We will also explore some SQL commands and start interacting with the MySQL console. We will discuss about creating databases, tables and also to list and view info about tables.
#2 Web Development Basics – Hello World!
In this video you will learn to write a basic 'Hello World' program in PHP once you've setup your WAMP sever up running. This video will help beginners to write there first code in PHP.


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Basic Job Description:
Inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people. Includes rail transport inspectors, such as freight inspectors, car inspectors, rail inspectors, and other nonprecision inspectors of other types of transportation vehicles.
Sorry, no data available
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Holland / RIASEC Career Code: NA SOC: 53-6051.00


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Video of the Day – My Toronto
October 28, 2011
Celebrate the cultural diversity of our great city as British Teeth takes you on a journey to discovering what makes Toronto great. What's Your Toronto? You can catch British Teeth live at TOsketchfest […]
Video of the Day – The Worst Dragon's Den Pitch Ever
October 24, 2011
Peter Oldring of This is That pitches arguably the worst idea ever to appear on The Dragon's Den. Now, they say that truth is stranger than fiction. So if you've seen a real pitch on […]
Video of the Day – Ninja Sex Party
October 12, 2011
This one is definitely NSFW but it's a goodie from our friends in Ninja Sex Party. Enjoy this, then enjoy them live at TOsketchfest on Nov 10 and Nov 11.
Picnicface Premieres Sept.21 on The Comedy Network
September 21, 2011
Yep – our friends from Halifax have been very busy beavers since we saw them last at TOsketchfest in 2008. They've expressed their comedic voice through virtually every form of media available. Their feature film […]


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Happy Anniversary to us! Today RIS is two years old. Thank you to all of our diners for making our restaurant such a special place! We hope to see everybody during December for special happenings such as Jingle Lunch, the Schramsberg Wine Dinner, Holiday Sides and Pies, the Gingerbread House Event, and of course our New Year's celebrations! Check back here for more details coming soon. There's always a reason TO RIS!
Next: A Very Sweet Afternoon
Previous: Join RIS at the Georgetown Jingle!August, 2016
July, 2016
May, 2016
April, 2016
March, 2016
February, 2016


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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Little Crazy...
13 comments:
- David said...
I'm pretty much in awe of how you guys do this. Unconditional love.
And will keep praying for you all.
- April 8, 2009 at 4:47 AM
- 3saints said...
I hate to admit that I've been stalking your blog! ;) I'm so sorry that your having so many issues with Gavin's line..I can't imagine.
Good for you for insisting on coming home, we do the same thing.
Keep your chin up! How did things go with Make a Wish? We meet with them in 2 weeks and I'm a little nervous about it.
- April 8, 2009 at 4:48 AM
- ~ Lisa @ AbidingThere~ said...
I'm praying that the day arrives soon when you can look behind you and say, "remember those grueling months of medical drama...but look at how healthy he is now...thank God it's behind us."
- April 8, 2009 at 5:10 AM
- Rachael said...
Man you are like the energizer bunny. I don't know how you do it. Thanks for the update.. I was getting worried.
I am amazed at your fortitude. I am a mom too (kids long grown), so I fully understand how that happens; however, I want to say, just for the record, you are an awesome mom.
- April 8, 2009 at 6:25 AM
- Reagan Leigh said...
I sure was hoping no news was good news. It sounds like things have gotten a little stressful again lately. Praying that everything goes well with replacing his line and that you'll be back at home in no time!
- April 8, 2009 at 7:12 AM
- Taria M. said...
I'm so sorry for your family! I think about Gavin so much throughout my day, and know that God is providing for all of you. I'm amazed at your unending strength (I'll praise God for it!), and how you just keep going. You are being lifted up in prayer. Thank you for giving us an update. :)
- April 8, 2009 at 7:25 AM
Praying, Praying, and more praying!!!
- April 8, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Have you thought about asking them to put in a single or double implanted port. It is similar to a central line but you put a needle into the port (it is implanted just under the skin).
The only reason I am suggesting it because our daughter has a mitochondrial complex I disease and it totally 24 hour dependant on tpn and saline. She also gets several unexplained fevers with many cultures coming back negative and is on iv meropenum (Meropenem is an ultra-broad spectrum injectable antibiotic used to treat a wide variety of infections.
Just wanted to give you maybe some options in regards picc lines/central lines as we have had so many break/leak etc. with no explanations. With the implanted ports it has made a great difference in the quality of her life.
Wishing you nothing but the best for you and your family.
- April 8, 2009 at 1:31 PM
- ginger said...
Sorry about the drama but I am glad to hear you got to go back home--good for you!
I will continue to pray for you guys!
- April 8, 2009 at 9:04 PM
- Heather said...
Oh,the little drama king ... seriously though,praying for things to slow down a bit for you all.It is more than about time.Prayers for that and so much more.Love from California.
- April 8, 2009 at 10:02 PM
Praying for a big turn around real soon.
Wishing you ALL a Happy Easter :)
Magic exists...only in the moment!
Much Love to ALL
- April 9, 2009 at 4:17 AM
- About Me said...
Thinking of and praying for all of you! I hope that you all find some joy in this Easter holiday with all of the daily struggles you face. You are amazing!!!! Emily
- April 9, 2009 at 5:23 AM
- Natasha said...
I am praying for Gavin, just thought you should know you are not alone in your prayers.
- April 9, 2009 at 9:04 AM


text: Posted January 2, 2014 There are other issues that may impact a person's weight. It's not always a "just say no" issue. Like what? If you eat a perfect diet it is impossible to be fat. The problem is most people are so helplessly addicted to garbage food that it becomes a conscious priority over their health. It's their decision to be fat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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One of the biggest disadvantages of a USB stick is the fact that you can only use it for one operating system. So if you use your USB flash drive stick on your Mac it will only be usable for Mac OS X, when connecting it to your Windows system you won't be able to read any data.
By formatting your USB stick in a certain way, you can use it for both operating systems. To format the USB stick you do not have to use any 3rd party application, the standard Mac OS X Disk Utility does this job perfectly.
Lets start 'Disk Utility' (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility). On the left column select the USB stick that you want to format. Select the tab 'Erase' and if format MS-DOS (FAT), you can change the name if you like. When you have setup everything right, hit the 'Erase' button and make sure that you transferred the files from your USB stick before you confirm and start formatting.
After completing these steps you can use your USB stick for both Mac OS X and Windows. The use of the FAT file system however does have some disadvantages; the biggest drawback is that you can't use files larger than 4GB.


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Early Childhood Education, Associate in Science for Transfer
The Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education for Transfer degree prepares students to work with children from infancy through middle childhood, to teach in child care and development programs, to participate in the broader society as child advocates, and to transfer into the California State University.
The Early Childhood Education Program educates and trains students in developmentally appropriate practice guided by principles established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Through a broad range of theoretical perspectives, students examine child growth and development, gain experience in observation and use of appropriate guidance techniques, learn to plan and implement curriculum, and demonstrate knowledge of state licensing regulations for child care and development programs. Program curriculum is aligned with the Child Development Permit Program Matrix and with the Curriculum Alignment Project.
Program Learning Outcomes
General Education
Complete one of the following general education patterns:
Students are advised to double-count courses in the major to also satisfy general education when possible. Course subject credit will be awarded in satisfaction of both major and lower division general education requirements, but the units will only be counted once in computing the total number of units for the degree. Students must double-count CDEV 021 and CDEV 026 to remain within the prescribed 60-unit limit.
Core Requirements
Complete 24 units
Minimum Major Units Required: 24
Complete all courses with a grade of "C" or better.
Minimum Degree Units Required: 60


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Diva Mizuki
August 8th, 2008
Meet with Diva Mizuki, she's a captain of starship. Definitely she has a biggest boobs in the whole universe. Ohhh yeah... they're driving me crazy! And today her startship stayed to repair at our planet. I think this is a good chance for you to have some fun with her huge tits :)
Game Size: 10.9 MB


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an error saying insufficient permissions.
an error saying insufficient permissions.
See if the previous version will install. I've had problems with the backend since the last update.
Haven't been able to reproduce this particular problem. Just released 2.0.3 patch, please update and see if it works as well.
If not, please contact me directly so I can get credentials to reproduce this more quickly.
support at businessdirectorypluginDOTcom$@^&^#@
(removing obvious bad characters)
Thanks for checking it out - we decided to use another plugin.
@ danetidwell
What plugin did you decide to use?
This topic has been closed to new replies.


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Happy belated birthday to Peter Watkins! (a lot of birthdays going on) I believe it was last friday. Sorry Pete. We've been busy.
Happy belated birthday to rippers Riley Stevens (yesterday) and Kyle Kaitanjian (friday)!
Riley Stevens is no stranger to lurking under bridges. Here's Riley casually assaulting San Pedro in this Straight Skating piece brought to you by Mob Grip. Music by Witch • "Mutated" • Paralyzed • Tee Pee Records
This year marks Black Label Skateboards 25th year! To celebrate we will be re-releasing some of our favorite parts from our past videos. This week we are showing Anthony Schultz's part from our third full length video "Back In Black" released in 2006.


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2007: The Year in Review
At the end of last year I made the optimistic projection that the worst of the market slide was over and that the knitting industry had emerged stronger, smarter, and more agile, diverse, and customer-focused than ever before. While it's true that new yarn stores continue to open, and new yarn companies continue to enter the market, many online and brick and mortar stores continue to close—even ones that seemed to be doing well. We are gaining but we are also losing.
A Catch-22
Ironically, we as knitters have never had it so good. It's a buyer's market. For every online yarn store four years ago, we easily have ten today. For every small hand-dyer, a dozen or more. Need a shawl pattern? Go online and you'll find hundreds from which to choose. We have an embarrassment of riches before us. Yarns everywhere we turn, books literally falling off the shelves, needles and gadgets galore.
We are eager consumers, but it looks like the supply is starting to exceed the demand. No matter how wonderful the products out there—and we have some pretty fantastic stuff on the market these days—there is a limit, and the market is clearly still in need of correction.What We Loved in 2007
We knitting consumers had quite a ride in 2007. The sock boom continued to be the main story, with even more hand-dyed sock yarns and books and needles and knitalongs and clubs all feeding a passion for socks that seems to have no end.
In terms of books, we had some of the most solid releases in years. Ann Budd ushered in a whole new generation of sock knitters with Getting Started Knitting Socks. Interweave further sealed the sock deal with its Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave compendium of gorgeous sock patterns. The folks at Vogue fired back with a giant, hard-covered Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Sock Book featuring not only patterns but history and technique as well. And Cat Bordhi once again demonstrated the power of fresh ideas and publishing yourself when she released her much-anticipated New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Volume One (which really should be titled, "Socks, The Next Frontier").
Fans of Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks cheered when her follow-up book came out this year, fittingly titled More Sensational Knitted Socks. And in an ironic twist of timing, two books came out almost simultaneously on the subject of knitting two socks—also simultaneously—on two circular needles. First was Antje Gillingham's Knitting Circles Around Socks, and three months later Melissa Morgan-Oakes' 2-at-a-Time Socks.dyeing their own sock yarn—to the point where they decided to get a wholesale license and hang out their shingle on Etsy. The vast majority of these yarns are superwash fingering-weight merinos and blends from the same few suppliers (Louet, Henry's Attic, Ashland Bay, or Kraemer), and even the dyes come from the same few suppliers, making the dyer's eye and aesthetic the key differentiators. Some small-scale discoveries this year included Sunshine Yarns, Yarn Chef, and Hazel Knits. In terms of the colors themselves, we finally began to move away from the brightly contrasting multicolor yarns (sometimes jokingly referred to as "clown barf") to more harmonious blends and semisolids. Let's Hear It For Lace
Socks weren't the only game in town, though. More and more knitters finally stepped over the lace threshold and worked our first yarn-overs and SSKs. (Lace is another great use for those sock-weight hand-dyed skeins of superwash merino, too!)
Supporting this new passion, Jane Sowerby released an exquisite study of Victorian lace, aptly titled Victorian Lace Today. And the folks at Skacel answered lace knitters' prayers when they released a special Addi Turbo Lace circular needle with a sharper tip, lighter weight, and softer cord optimized for lace knitting.
What's That I'm Knitting?
While knitalongs have been on the rise for at least a year now, we witnessed a new twist on the theme this year: mystery knitalongs. And the most popular ones involved lace projects. The idea behind a mystery knitalong is that you sign up for a project with no idea what you're knitting. Each week, you're fed another clue (i.e., pattern section) until finally the finished project reveals itself. More than 6,000 knitters signed up for the Mystery Stole 3 knitalong, and DK the Nautical Knitter had her Secret of the Stole knitalongs too—a new version of which they're launching for the coming year.
Raves for Ravelry
And where did people talk about their mystery projects? Besides in the knitalong Yahoo groups and blogs and in the KR Forums and on their personal blogs, I mean? On Ravelry, of course!
Although still in beta testing and only admitting a limited number of applicants each week, Ravelry has been the major story in the online knitting world this year. Called by some the Facebook for knitters, this online service was launched in April by young Boston couple Jess and Casey. Jess learned to knit four years ago and loves it. Casey is an excellent programmer and loves Jess. Together, they've created a place where knitters can maintain public listings of everything in their stash—each skein we own, all of our books, needles, and even our friends. You can see what other people are stashing, reading, knitting, and even hoping to knit. (I counted 4,663 listings of Cascade 220 Wool as of this writing, just in case you were curious.) Discussion groups and fan clubs exist on nearly every topic under the sun. Are you a Jeep driver? There's a group for you. Is your name Heidi? There's a group for you too. There's even a group for "Smartass Yarn Ho's." Just imagine what'll happen when Ravelry finally opens up to the general public, which we hope to happen some time in early 2008.Dot-Nots
Sheep don't usually browse the Internet (no high-speed access in the pastures), so they probably had no idea the attention their fibers were getting this year—especially in the realm of organic wools and farm yarns. I fell swiftly and completely for the simplicity and softness of New Mexico Organic, a two-ply wool spun at Green Mountain Spinnery using their eco-friendly "greenspun" method. In terms of adding color and "crunch" to the organic equation, Darlene Hayes swept me away with her naturally dyed Nature's Palette Organic Worsted-Weight Columbia yarn, a collaborative effort between her and teacher/fiber artist Judith MacKenzie McCuin.
Speaking of color, I was thrilled to see Kristin Nicholas return to center stage with the release of her book Kristin Knits. Years ago Kristin was creative director at Classic Elite Yarns before taking a hiatus to have a family and move to a farm in western Massachusetts. She details her creative endeavors and daily goings-on at the farm in her blog, Getting Stitched on the Farm, which is one of my weekly must-reads. Every pattern in her new book uses Kristin's yarn Julia (named after her daughter), which is distributed by Nashua Handknits.
And a more personal "hello" happened in October when my very first baby—The Knitter's Book of Yarn—was finally released to the world. It has been a deeply moving experience and I remain monumentally grateful that so many of you are as passionate about yarn as I am.
But alas, for every hello this year, there seemed to be a goodbye. In November we bid adieu to both the legendary knitting artist Mary Walker Phillips and KnitU moderator Gail McHugh. This month, Bonnie Franz sent out the final issue of the colorwork newsletter, Stranded, which she launched in 2002; and veteran online retailer Meredith Bright closed the e-doors to Yarnware.com. And just last Sunday, the KR community lost one of its longtime contributors and friends when Mary Lou Daniel succumbed to cancer.
In 2008
Despite the market challenges—which I'm still confident we shall overcome—the knitting community is alive and well. We are smarter and more resourceful than ever before. Thanks to the Internet, we are more connected than ever before.
My hope for 2008 is that we remain connected to—and respectful of—one another. May we stay challenged and rewarded by what's on our needles, and may we never lose our love of the craft.
This year is nearing an end, but our journey together continues. Please know how much I value your readership and trust, and how I look forward to continuing our adventure together in the New Year.
All my best to you,


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By Ms. Carroll Kim (TRADOC)February 9, 2011
FORT MONROE, Va. (Feb. 7, 2011) - Lt. Col. Greg Motes, the 2010 U.S. Army Capabilities Integration Center and Association of the United States Army writing contest winner, candidly recalls entering the contest on a whim.
"The Thursday before the contest, my boss gave me the flyer and asked me if I was going to submit something," he said. "The day the entries were due, I sat down and was curious if I could write 5,000 words in one day. Throughout the day, it became a challenge, which drove me to complete it."
While Motes, a PhD candidate, wrote the winning piece in a day, it addressed a topic he had studied for years. Titled "Looking Forward: People First", his entry is about considerations to prepare the Soldier of 2025 with information needed to best do his or her job.
"My background is in appreciating the needs of the user, education and technology, so the opportunity to provide my view of the issues that will face us in 2025 (as well as the potential) was something that I knew would be fun to write, and would be right in the 'sweet spot' of ideas that I have been developing for years," he said. "The topic of mobile devices, situation awareness and training are very close to my work and academic experiences - partly tied into the dissertation that I am writing."
"Some of it is technical: building a network and crating apps that allow the data to be presented and manipulated by the Soldier. Other parts are about the cultural and institutional changes that will be required to get us to goals of getting that data to the Soldier," he said.
"In the end, though, it is about the Soldier. Making sure we are doing everything we can to get the best available information to the Soldiers wherever they are to make the best decisions possible."
The writing contest allowed Motes to bring his ideas to the attention of senior leaders and he encourages those interested to pursue the opportunity. Motes was awarded $1,000 as a prize and was able to meet retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, president of AUSA, and Lt. Gen. Michael A. Vane, deputy commanding general for Futures and director of ARCIC.
"I believe there are some great visionaries out there who are looking for a venue to express their ideas, and contests like this provide a potential entry into the arena of ideas," he said. "I like writing, and I like self-imposed challenge, and was pleased just to accomplish that. Getting to talk to Gen. Sullivan and Lt. Gen. Vane about apps was another great part about winning."
Motes is now serving as the chief of Mobile Applications Branch at the U.S. Army Signal Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, Ga. where he writes digital applications that will get information to Soldiers in a convenient way.
Motes was commissioned in the U.S. Army as an armor officer in 1994. He was chosen to be a Functional Area 53 (Information Management Systems) officer and has deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as Germany and the Republic of Korea. Motes also has a master's degree in Information Technology and is a doctoral candidate in Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida, preparing a dissertation titled "Combat Alert Notification Systems Impact on Situational Awareness: Analysis of a User Notification System in a Command and Control Environment".


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THEATER; Battered and Broken, So That She May Rise
By VINCENT CANBY
Published: October 18, 1998
VIVIAN BEARING, at age 50 a professor of 17th-century poetry, has devoted her life to the ''Holy Sonnets'' of John Donne. She holds the sort of Ph.D. that restores some sense of academic majesty to the honorific of doctor, now most frequently used by radio and television people who tell us whether the sun is in or out.
Vivian's concerns are a bit more cerebral: the line by line, word by word, comma by comma investigation of the work of a poet who jousts with God using wit, paradox, philosophical speculation and dialectics to get at the meaning of life. The poet never wins; his dazzling sonnets are ends in themselves.
When first met in ''Wit,'' Margaret Edson's fine play now at the Off Broadway MCC Theater, Vivian is wearing a hospital gown of an institutional size and flimsiness to deny any patient's individuality. Her only distinguishing feature: a cherry-red baseball cap that doesn't quite hide her bald head. She has the beaky, hollow-eyed look of a large handsome chicken that has been plucked too soon.
Right at the start of ''Wit,'' it is apparent that Vivian values words too much to waste them. ''It is not my intention to give away the plot,'' she tells the audience with mock humility, ''but I think I die at the end.''
She does die at the end but, for the next two hours that pass in a wink, the audience is treated to the kind of theatrical experience of which legends are made. We come to know and appreciate the mind and substance of this singular character and of the playwright who conceived her, as well as the ravishing potential of the singular actress who plays Vivian: Kathleen Chalfant. You have seen Ms. Chalfant in many productions, usually in support of other people; you probably remember her best as the mother in Tony Kushner's ''Angels in America.'' In ''Wit,'' Ms. Chalfant becomes a star, triumphing in the role of her career.
Vivian has advanced metastatic ovarian cancer, identified as Stage Four (there is no Stage Five). In the course of the play, she is undergoing a cycle of still-experimental chemotherapy, which requires that she be hospitalized for up to a week out of every four over an eight-month period. It is a horrendous assault on the body and the psyche.
Her constitution, which is that of an ox, astonishes the doctors. She is Exhibit A in their daily rounds as they talk over and around her, observing, feeling and probing. ''It's just like a graduate seminar,'' she says. ''Once I did the teaching; now I am taught.''
The doctor she sees most often is Jason (Alec Phoenix), a bright young clinical fellow on the oncology team in charge of her case. By chance, he had taken her course in 17th-century poetry. He had no interest in Donne, but he wanted to prove to himself that he could earn an A (he actually got an A minus) in one of the toughest courses the university offered. In a play of more commonplace goals, a sentimental bond might be established between the patient and her whiz-kid doctor. Not in ''Wit.''
There is a relationship, but it is one-sided: the increasingly introspective Vivian slowly recognizes in Jason the same kind of ruthless, utterly impersonal obsession with knowledge that propelled her own career. The only difference is that his field is cancer research. Theirs are ruthless obsessions, perhaps, but not worthless. They might even be called magnificent, the word used by Lloyd C. Douglas in the title of one of his sudsy romantic novels in the 1930's.
Possibly the play's toughest, most moving confrontation is prompted by Jason's impatience with Vivian's attempts to be something other than a textbook case in his eyes. He doesn't apologize; he more or less admits that she is. He says that med school courses in bedside manners are a waste of time for researchers. When she continues to question him as to how cancer became his subject, he suspects that she is experiencing new symptoms: mental confusion, maybe even memory loss.
She persists in her probing of him. More for his own satisfaction than hers, he begins to talk about the profound mysteries of cancer, sounding almost like a poet. Healthy cells, he explains, can be grown in the lab in a tissue culture, but they eventually conk out. Cancer cells are something else. They will replicate forever. It is called ''immortality in culture.'' Says Vivian: ''It sounds like a symposium.''
Ms. Edson has her own remarkable feeling for words. Her accomplishment as playwright has been to take the life of a woman who never married, who had no lovers (as least none that still haunt her dreams) and who has no family, whose focus is narrow if deep, and create a big, strong character of enormous range and theatrical interest.
In flashbacks we meet briefly but importantly her father (Walter Charles) and the professor, Dr. Ashford (Helen Stenborg), who initially taught Vivian the need for discipline and precision when dealing with Donne. Dr. Ashford is especially scathing about ''inauthentically punctuated'' Donne texts, what with their ''hysterical'' semicolons and exclamation points. A wonderfully grave and wise eccentric of 80, she returns toward the end of the play to read to the now heavily sedated Vivian. The scene, which could have been bathetic, is a killer.


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DEXTER -- Essie Evans Vinson, 88, died Aug. 3, 2004, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter.
Born May 11, 1916, in Maynard, Ark., daughter of the late Clabe C. and Bessie Elena Fowler Evans, she had lived in Sikeston, Lebanon and East Alton, Ill., before moving to Dexter in 1979. She was a member of the Church of Christ in Dexter.
On April 8, 1941, in Ancel, she married Edwin Campbell Vinson who preceded her in death on Jan. 4, 1992.
Survivors include: three brothers, Fowler Evans, Keiger Evans and Billy J. Evans of Dexter; and three sisters, Theda Nydegger of Stayton, Ore., Wilma Thomasson of Mount Vernon, Ore., and Wanda Norman of Pleasantview, Utah.
One sister, Madge Evans, also preceded her in death.
Visitation is from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Watkins and Sons Funeral Home in Dexter, where services will be at 10 a.m. Monday. The Rev. Dale Grissom of Dexter will officiate.
Burial will follow in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Sikeston.


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By Andrew Allsman| Posted: September 10, 2013| Contact |
Of course, the news was already out days ago when St. Louis Post Dispatch writer Jeremy Rutherford broke the news that Hull and the Blues were close to reaching an agreement.
"It was perhaps the worst-kept secret in all of St. Louis," said Stillman in regards to the announcement.
Hull, 49, left the Blues 15 years ago after 11 seasons with the club to play with the Dallas Stars. The Hall of Fame forward was all smiles on Monday as he was officially introduced as an Executive Vice President with the team.
"I never wanted to leave 15 years ago, and I'm glad I'm back, I can tell you that," said Hull to the sound of a cheering Blues fan base in the background.
"I'm really proud to be a part of Tom's vision to bring a Stanley Cup to St. Louis and to the great fans we have here."
Hull, who has spent his post-playing days with Dallas in a number of front-office roles, will focus his attention to the business side of the Blues. He is expected to handle a variety of tasks, but for now, he says he will be working on selling tickets.
Hull's experience with Dallas, and his connection with St. Louis made the hire an easy one for Stillman, who has been interested in bringing Hull on board since he bought the team in 2012. At one point, Hull was rumored to be a part of the ownership group led by Stillman, who, at the time, was pursuing the purchase of the team.
"Brett Hull belongs with the Blues, it makes all the sense in the world for him to be there," Stillman said. "We've thought that from day one, but we wanted it to work in the right way where it's good for Brett and good for the organization. We think it's a great thing for all concerned."
A native of Belleville, Ontario, Hull played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League, but his best were with the Blues. The team is hoping the creativity and passion that he showed on the ice will carry over to his new job. However, it was made obvious on Monday, by the fans that filled the back of the press conference, that the city's love for Hull still persists.
"When Brett Hull is in town, there is a buzz," Stillman said. "People are excited. There is something special about his effect on St. Louis."
After all, Hull is a big reason hockey lives on in St. Louis.
"Many would say that Brett built this arena; many would say he built this fan base," said Stillman.
Hull made a huge impact on the city of St. Louis during his 11-year tenure. To this day, his name is still associated with franchise records, including: most goals scored in a regular season (86), all-time goals scored (527), hat tricks (27), power-play goals (195), and game-winning goals (70). The team is hoping his impact off of the ice will be felt as well.
It was almost impossible for the hockey-loving owner Stillman to keep a business face during the press conference. To him, adding Hull to the team is more than just a PR move. However, Stillman did not mince words when discussing what it was like having Hull in the fold.
"We are elated that Brett Hull is coming home to the Blues."


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Breast Cancer, Metastatic or Recurrent (cont.)
Metastatic or recurrent breast cancer is treated with a variety of medicines, including chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Medication choices
Chemotherapy. Medicines may be given by themselves, or in some cases, in a combination. Medicines may also be combined with trastuzumab or lapatinib for HER2-positive cancer. Commonly used medicines include:
Hormone therapy. Medicines for hormone therapy include aromatase inhibitors, tamoxifen, antiestrogens (such as fulvestrant), or megestrol.
Other medicines may be used. For example, tyrosine kinase inhibitors may be given with lapatinib and capecitabine. And corticosteroids or bisphosphonates may be used if cancer has spread to the brain or spinal cord.
Opiate pain relievers are the most common medicines used to treat cancer pain. If your doctor isn't able to help you get relief from your pain, ask to see a pain specialist. Cancer pain can be complicated and may require a doctor who has had specialized training.
Dealing with side effects of medicines
Chemotherapy can often cause nausea and vomiting. To help relieve any nausea that you may have, your doctor will prescribe medicines to control and prevent nausea and vomiting that you can take along with your treatments.
eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise
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"This is not unique to Mississippi County, it's a nationwide problem," noted Mississippi County Clerk Junior DeLay.
After receiving a dozen or so cancellations from several of its polling judges, DeLay and other county employees only finished filling Mississippi County's polling judge positions Monday afternoon.
"It's very difficult to find the ones that are still doing it," DeLay admitted. "We had so many cancellations. We've been filtering in new ones who have never worked before and training them."
It is hard to find polling judges, agreed Scott County Clerk Rita Milam.
"Most of them have done it for years and years," Milam said. "Some elections, I don't have any trouble finding judges, and some I do."
Milam said she is grateful to the judges because they're really doing an act of service to their country.
"It's a community gesture because it isn't that well paid," Milam pointed out. "They're doing it because they believe in the system."
DeLay said one reason for the lack of judges is there aren't as many housewives anymore, DeLay said.
"There are so many working females now," DeLay said. "When you start drawing from a pool, it's mostly retired people who are judging -- but we're not gender-specific."
Another reason is a lot of them just don't want to do it, DeLay pointed out.
"When we got the optical scan ballot tabulator, there were no counting judges anymore," DeLay said. "It eliminated a lot of work and stress on the judges. We were kind of on cruise control until the ordeal in Florida.
"Now we have provisional balloting and the government is throwing more and more at the judges. It scares a lot of them off, particularly if you're a retired lady, and you start getting these legalities you have to abide to," DeLay explained.
But as people get older, it also becomes harder for them to work all day -- especially on Election Day.
"It's a long, long day for them -- and some of them, if they have to, will work until 8 or 9 at night," Milam pointed out.
A typical day for a polling judge begins with setting up the polling place around 5:30 a.m. with the county providing judges with all of their supplies and ballots at each precinct, DeLay explained.
Once the polls open, judges are checking IDs, having voters sign in and issuing them ballots, DeLay said. Judges are making sure votes are placed in the ballot box properly, and once polls close, judges account for their ballots, he said.
Training sessions are held prior to every different type of election with each election consisting of certain rules. For example, the rules for the presidential primary today are different from the general municipal election in April, DeLay noted.
But Dana Shanks with the New Madrid County Clerk's office said it hasn't really been a problem getting polling judges to volunteer in New Madrid County.
Lou Stellato is one of the polling judges working in New Madrid County today. She's over at Market Place, or the Big Prairie Four precinct, on the south end of Sikeston.
"Right now, I've noticed that most of the judges have been here for years and years," said Stellato, a retired employee of New Madrid County. "But pretty soon there'll be a big retirement of the ones that have been doing it, and then they will have to have meetings to teach the new ones."
Stellato said working as a polling judge is enjoyable, but it's also a lot of work.
"A lot of people say, 'This job is easy. They just sit there and ask names.' But it's a long job and you have to know how to handle things," Stellato noted.
It's also an interesting job, Stellato said. And often times judges can witness first hand the power of voting.
"Anybody interested in knowing how the community is run should take the opportunity to vote because a lot of times, it takes only one vote to win," Stellato said. "I just hope everybody gets out and votes," she paused, "because a lot of places don't have that."


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SAN FRANCISCO -- Central Valley farmers trying to halt construction of California's bullet train have asked the state's highest court to review the project, setting up another possible legal showdown over the controversial San Francisco-to-Los-Angeles rail line.
In a petition filed Tuesday in San Francisco, opponents of the project urged the state Supreme Court to take their case because an unfavorable appellate court decision dismantles century-old legal precedent on the "enforceability" of voter-approved bond measures.
"If the Court of Appeal's decision is allowed to stand, the trust and confidence of California's voters ... will be seriously undermined," the filing states.
At issue is whether the California High-Speed Rail Authority followed a sweeping set of stringent rules for selling $8.6 billion in bonds approved by voters in 2008 to begin construction of the project, which state officials now project will cost $68 billion.
Last November, a Sacramento Superior Court judge shocked high-speed-rail officials when he ruled in favor of the Kings County farmers and residents who had filed suit against the state to stop the bullet train.
But in late July, the Sacramento-based Third District Court of Appeal ordered Judge Michael Kinney to vacate his decision -- a huge victory for Gov. Jerry Brown, one of the project's biggest cheerleaders. The judges found the rail authority's finance committee acted properly last year when it voted to approve the issuance of bonds.
Several weeks or months may pass before the state Supreme Court responds to Tuesday's petition for review, and legal experts say predicting whether the court will take up the bullet train case is a toss-up.
The appellate court was reluctant to overrule the Legislature's endorsement of a bullet train funding plan it approved several years ago that was at the heart of the opposition's case for killing the project. The Supreme Court may feel the same way, said Gerald Uelman, a Santa Clara University law professor who directs the Edwin A. Heafey Jr. Center for Trial and Appellate Advocacy.
"The high-profile nature of these proceedings does not guarantee Supreme Court review," Uelman said.
Rail authority spokeswoman Lisa Marie Alley accused Hanford farmer John Tos and other plaintiffs of trying to "thwart the will of the people" by seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal's 3-0 ruling in late July, which came after Brown brokered a budget deal that guarantees the rail line its first funding stream -- a quarter of the "cap and trade" fees generated by California's landmark 2006 law that limits greenhouse gases by punishing big polluters.
Leading economists say bullet train funding could reach about three-quarters of a billion dollars a year within the next few years. California already has $3.2 billion in federal funding for the project, and demolition work near Fresno has started that is clearing the way for the construction of the rail line.
Still, questions linger about the state's ability to obtain more construction funding from a skeptical Congress, and several other legal challenges remain unresolved.
Bullet train believers, however, said Tuesday that they're not worried.
"High-speed rail will revolutionize how people travel, commute and move around California," said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. "This train won't be stopped, and San Franciscans will celebrate the day when the first high-speed rail train pulls into the 'Grand Central Station of the West' at the Transbay Transit Center."
But attorneys representing the project's opponents say they're confident the Supreme Court will hear the case and rule in their favor.
"The authority is now on life support," said Michael Brady, the plaintiff's lead counsel. "It has been granted a stay of execution by the Court of Appeal. Today's filing seeks to lift that stay."
Contact Jessica Calefati at 916-441-2101. Follow her at Twitter.com/calefati. Read the Political Blotter at IBAbuzz.com/politics.


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As a young girl, Michele-Bridget Ragsdale--recreation coordinator for Pacifica's Parks, Beaches, & Recreation Department-- wanted to be a teacher, just like her mom. And although she's never regularly stationed herself in front of a blackboard as her mother had for 35 years, Ragsdale's job gives her a pretty good feel for what youth like to do for fun, and, it keeps her on her toes.
"It keeps you really busy," Ragsdale said of the position she's held for 10 months. "There's a lot more work to be done than in 40 hours."
Ragsdale came into the position after working as the youth and camp director for the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto where she helped build an 8-1/2-acre campus and managed to increase enrollment from 450 students one summer to 1,500 the next.
Always wanting to keep busy, Ragsdale looked to move on after things got settled at the center. She began seeking out her next adventure and, ultimately, landed on the job opportunity in Pacifica.
Ragsdale came with extensive experience as a camp director and while she counts the activity as a passion, she was seeking a broader range of after school programs to work with. In accepting the new position in Pacifica, she said she was happy to assume new tasks such as handling the rentals for the building, attending regular field trips with the youth and co-advising the Pacifica Youth Advisory Board with Denise Reed, the city's Meals on Wheels and Transportation Specialist.
"We're there to help have the teens identify ways to help the community," Ragsdale said of the board.
The group of seven teenagers--drawn from each of Pacifica's high schools--have been surveying the community currently, asking Pacifica residents what they want to see in their recreation department. Once the feedback comes in, Ragsdale said she looks forward to implementing residents' suggestions into their programs.
Ragsdale herself grew up in a home where she was encouraged to explore the arts, culture and sports and ended up participating in swimming and pursuing theater and music. In fact, at one point, Ragsdale--who carries both bachelor's and master's degrees in vocal performance, was once very serious about furthering a budding career in opera.
"I've got two passions and that's camp, kids and recreation programs and opera," Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale was performing throughout Europe and working on finding an agent when, ultimately, she decided she'd rather stick close to her family in the Bay Area.
"I really love what I'm doing," she emphasized.
Still, Ragsdale manages to keep singing.
When she first started in mid-April of last year the department was gearing up for their annual Junior Olympics, a big youth event approaching its 50th anniversary this spring.
Mike Perez, the PB&R director, remembers how Ragsdale had to jump right in and get to know the staff during one of the busiest times of the year.
Perez said they felt Ragsdale brought in some fresh perspective with her non-profit background and that her degrees in vocal performance didn't deter them from hiring her. In fact, they helped land her the job of singing the national anthem at last year's big event. As far as Perez can remember, Ragsdale is the only staff member to hold such an honor.
"She had coordinated events, got the kids in the right lane and sang the national anthem," Perez said. "She brings a lot to the table."
Carina Woudenberg can be reached at email@example.com


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Courthouse series continues Tuesday
Published: Monday, October 24, 2005 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 24, 2005 at 12:00 a.m.
The second in the series of Historic Courthouse Forums about interior renovations and exhibits in the courthouse will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the auditorium of East Henderson High School.
At each forum, Henderson County Manager David Nicholson will present plans for the renovated courthouse interior. Also, a brief promotional video will outline renovation plans and private fundraising needs. Tom Orr, member of the Historic Courthouse Corp., will discuss possible uses for the "People's House," the portion of the soon-to-be renovated courthouse dedicated to history, education and culture.
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