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This infographic that delves into Americans' increasing obsession with social media, along with their increasingly fractured attention spans.
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The new version of Google's container-orchestration system adds cross-cloud and state-management features, while also simplifying setup
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"Google Kubernetes has a reputation for being more powerful but more difficult to manage. Version 1.4 is aimed as much at making Kubernetes less burdensome ......."
To kick off his company's Ignite conference in Atlanta this week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Adobe will run three of its most popular software as a service apps on the Microsoft Azure IaaS cloud. The move is a power play by Microsoft, but it should be taken with a grain of salt: Adobe uses Azure competitor Amazon Web Services heavily, too.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"As part of the agreement, Adobe will make Microsoft Azure its preferred cloud platform for the Adobe Marketing Cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Document Cloud."
AWS, Azure, Salesforce, and the rest enable you to build and/or deploy stuff in record time -- but those clouds aren't killing on-prem IT for good reason
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"If the IT department is a dinosaur ............. then why is it taking so long for the giant lizard to die?"
In flash storage these days, it takes more than speed to win over many enterprises. Flash pioneer Violin is introducing its fastest arrays yet but also bringing its Concerto OS to the cloud.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
The flash storage pioneer is introducing its fastest enterprise arrays yet
Cloud can handle the peaks in storage and computing demand, but organisations must be able to get it up and down quickly in order to benefit from the potential cost efficiencies and infrastructure agility that it can offer.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"In industry, IoT gives birth to IIoT, which involves monitoring the performance of complex machinery such as gas turbines, aircraft, ships, electrical grids and oil rigs."
Worried about a 'rigged' election? You should be, but the risk lies in outdated technology and untrained bureaucrats, not voter fraud
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
A fresh report from the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology puts it succinctly: "Voter machines, technically, are so riddled with vulnerabilities that even an upstart script kiddie could wreak havoc."
InfoWorld celebrates the 25th birthday of Linux -- and the new generation of open source projects Linux enabled
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"...... Linux has expanded far beyond its conquest of the server market. If you include Android, which is built around the Linux kernel, not to mention embedded Linux devices from TVs to network switches, you're talking billions of instances."
Google Cloud Platform today announced a major release of three database services from beta, signaling that they're ready for production use. Google Cloud Platform will now be positioned to handle the routine but vital database needs of corporate clients as AWS and Microsoft have been doing exclusively until now. Cloud SQL, Cloud Bigtable and Cloud Datastore are all now in general release, Google said in a blog post.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
Big words from Dominic Preuss "...... making Google Cloud Platform the best public cloud for your enterprise database workloads,"
Ayesha_Fatima's curator insight, August 17, 9:40 AM
Best Website_Design Company ❤ SEO SMM Service in Pakistan dial+92315-7888-478 http://www.thexit.net
To have a hybrid cloud, you need a private cloud -- but does one really need to be an extension of the other?
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"And what sort of path is there to a hybrid cloud, where the private and public cloud environments are parallel and can be managed of a piece?"
Changing with the times is frequently overlooked when it comes to data security.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"Recent efforts to upgrade these massive security systems are still falling short."
For developers, worrying about infrastructure is a chore they can do without. Serverless computing relieves that burden
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"AWS Lambda is the best-known example of serverless computing. As an Amazon instructional video explains, "once you upload your code to Lambda, the service handles all the capacity, scaling, patching, and administration of the infrastructure to run your code." "
From www
The world of retail may never be the same, thanks to the internet of things (IoT) and its network of connections
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
Changing the consumer experience with IoT
From www
While there's room for improvement, a new federal report should help put to rest concerns that energy usage from data centers is getting out of hand.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"Thanks to better cooling and powering strategies, better power management and cloud computing, the energy consumed by data centers is under control, ....."
More and more enterprises are moving towards multi-cloud environments, but data encryption and security remain a stumbling block, according to the latest research from workload security provider HyTrust.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"When it comes to security, 44% encrypt data using a cloud provider solution, while 28% deploy a separate data encryption solution."
Find out which ones give you more (or less) control over your data
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
5 of the best products reviewed
Advanced practitioners display hybrid vigour
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
Cloud computing is so mainstream these days that maybe it should just be called "computing".
Building a perimeter fence around traditional infrastructure may reduce some IT risks, but it sacrifices agility. Composable Infrastructure offers a better way.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"In short, it would be a Composable Infrastructure – one that turns compute, storage and fabric into fluid pools of resources that you can effortlessly compose and recompose to meet each application's changing needs."
Micrsoft is in the midst of a historic strategic pivot to embrace Linux as a first-class supported platform. We explore the implications for enterprise IT and business decision-makers, and recommend practical steps to position your organization for a cross-platform Microsoft strategy
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
Azure has emerged as an alternative to AWS, and Microsoft has partnered with Docker to deliver container support for Windows Server 2016.
Computers may not wear suits and carry briefcases, but they know how to search for lawsuits online
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
The new computer named 'ROSS' is an AI computer that acts as a bankruptcy lawyer and is now being employed by some of the world's largest law firms. Oh and they will still charge you as if a person spent hours instead of seconds to reach the same conclusion.
Peter Azzopardi's curator insight, August 30, 3:15 AM
The new computer named 'ROSS' is an AI computer that acts as a bankruptcy lawyer and is now being employed by some of the world's largest law firms. Oh and they will still charge you as if a person spent hours instead of seconds to reach the same conclusion.
Companies now consider cloud security to be superior to on-premise environments, but often expose themselves to risk by blindly relying on a glut of technology they are unable to actively manage.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"..... finally, clearly defined responsibilities are needed both with your cloud service provider and within your own company, as clearly in the end, where security is concerned, the buck stops with you."
This comprehensive guide covers what serverless computing is and how it could reduce the complexity and cost of your cloud infrastructure.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"Why it matters? Serverless computing services reduce the overhead and cost of managing either physical or virtual infrastructure......"
Data scientists have a lot of tools at their disposal, but not all of them are equally accessible. Aiming to put IBM's Watson AI within closer reach, analytics firm Columbus Collaboratory on Thursday released a new open-source R extension called CognizeR.
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"Watson services for language translation, personality insights, tone analysis, speech-to-text conversion, and visual recognition are among the first to become available through CognizeR."
Desktop development environments for Mac and Windows use native virtualization for speed and boost Docker's out-of-the-box cluster management and scheduling system
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"Docker for the desktop wouldn't be much good without Docker itself, so Docker for Mac and Windows come bundled with the latest edition of the Docker Engine, 1.12."
A new app store, meanwhile, will help business users find line-of-business SaaS applications
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"...... With Cortana Intelligence, for instance, sales reps will be able to predict which products and services a customer will need next, thereby helping to focus their cross-selling efforts."
Users of the cloud storage service can create file systems that grow or shrink as needed
Peter Azzopardi's insight:
"EFS is designed for a wide range of file workloads, including big data analytics, media processing, and genomics analysis, AWS said."
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Transit Commission
Jul 30 6:30 pm
Maple Grove Government Center - 12800 Arbor Lakes Parkway
The Transit Commission provides user input into the operation and planning of the Maple Grove Transit System.
Jul 30 6:30 pm
Maple Grove Government Center - 12800 Arbor Lakes Parkway
The Transit Commission provides user input into the operation and planning of the Maple Grove Transit System.
October 6, 2016—The North Metro Mayors Assoc. is hosting a legislative candidate forum in Maple Grove.
View the 2016 fall brochure detailing a wide array of programs.
Enjoy outdoor food and fun every Thursday through October 20th. Market open from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Community Center.
View online the fall edition of the City Focus Newsletter.
Stay updated on City, County, and State road projects in Maple Grove with this interactive map.
Enjoy the amazing entries that were submitted in the annual Maple Grove Moments Photography Contest.
The City Council has established five initiatives relating to development, comp. plan update, succession planning, etc.
View the 2015 report on Maple Grove's monitoring of drinking water and other important facts and tips for water quality and conservation.
Open for season. Take note of NEW entrance. Access via County 81 south to MG Parkway -- on east side across from 105th Avenue.
Maple Grove Pkwy is closed from 99th to 105th. Signs posted from north/south using Fernbrook Lane as detour.
Volunteer to inventory the City's public and front yard residential and commercial trees.
Stay in the loop with City happenings, news & events.
Follow/subscribe to updates from the City Departments and City Administrator.
Work is underway from I-694 south to I-394 with lane and ramp closures through November 2016.
Submit your non-emergency service requests online through YourGOV. Available via the web or your mobile phone.
Check it out for everything Maple Grove -- meetings, events, activities, and videos--things to know and do.
Maple Grove is currently accepting applications for 2016 election judges

subset: commoncrawl


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WWDTM Cinema Event
Watch the week's news get the treatment it deserves in the comfort of your neighborhood theater, when the NPR news quiz show Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! brings its star power to the big screen for a special LIVE performance in select cinemas nationwide.
Ever wonder what Carl Kasell looks like when he does his impersonations of newsmakers? Now's your chance to find out. NPR's Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me! is coming to the big screen – right here in Toledo…. with host Peter Sagal, and panelists Mo Rocca, Tom Bodett & Paula Poundstone… as well as special guests you won't want to miss. We promise.
Join WGTE for the first ever Wait Wait… cinema event, beamed LIVE from New York on Thursday, May 2, at 8PM (ET). There will a taped encore showing at 7:30pm (local time) on Tuesday, May 7. Local showings will take place at Franklin Park 16 in Toledo and Fallen Timbers 14 in Maumee.
For advance tickets and the list of cinemas, go to www.FathomEvents.com. Get your tickets now – they won't last!


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on September 9, 2012 - 9:27 AM
, updated September 9, 2012 at 9:37 AM
"Over the Rainbow," Anselmo says, has all the challenges a singer could face. There is the initial octave leap ("Somewhere...") And the up-and-down motion in "If happy little bluebirds fly..."
"There are fourths, fifths, everything," Anselmo says. "We always ended student shows with everyone singing 'Over the Rainbow.' "
"Student shows" has a sweet, modest sound.
And Anselmo, who is 88 and jokes about his childhood on Buffalo's West Side, could be described as modest. But there his nothing modest about his students, who are smiling down from photos on the walls of his Williamsville home. Among them are Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli and Mandy Patinkin. To the world, they are legends.
Anselmo has a different view of them.
Take Tony Bennett. "I used to go over to his apartment to teach him," Anselmo says. "He had this dog, a Maltese. That dog would not let him sing. He had to hold this dog all the way through the exercises."
A photo of Judy Garland holding her daughter Liza is autographed: "Dear Andy, take care of my baby girl love child. She trusts you."
Anselmo is especially moved by that picture.
"One night I was in Sardi's," he says, alluding to the famous New York restaurant. "I taught Mrs. Sardi. All of a sudden the door opened, and in came Judy. She was carrying flowers, but she didn't look well. I thought, 'Oh, I hope nothing happens to her.' "
Garland, he sighs, died soon afterward. "It's sad when people like that pass on," Anselmo broods. "They're irreplaceable."
So, you could say, is Anselmo himself.
In 1978, with his late partner, John Albert Harris, he founded the Singers' Forum, a nonprofit singing school in Manhattan. The school, over the years, has trained a galaxy of stars. Just one single installment of the Andy Anselmo Achievement Awards - an annual fundraiser - featured Minnelli, Patinkin, Julie Harris and Joanne Woodward.
Buffalo playwright and filmmaker Joey Giambra featured Anselmo in his 2007 film "La Terra Promessa," about Italian immigrants on Buffalo's West Side. Giambra first became aware of Anselmo's unique talent in the 1940s, when Anselmo had a show on WEBR.
"You start with all this talent, and it entertains others, before you find out your real strength lies in the teaching of others," Giambra says. "That's what he did."
Anselmo is now semiretired. He eased up on his commitments with the Singers' Forum years ago, and last year, he moved back to the Buffalo area. But the Singers' Forum goes forward, as he had planned that it would.
Coincidentally, it remains in Buffalo hands. Don Rebic, a pianist and cabaret artist from Buffalo, is its current artistic director.
"Andy, God bless him, he kept this place afloat a long time," Rebic says on the phone from the school. "He's a go-getter. He knows how to talk to people and he gets what he wants. They don't make them like that anymore.
"There are still pictures of him all over the place. It's not like his presence isn't felt here. You walk off the elevator and see a picture of him with Liza. He had a big New York Times interview. May 30, 1993," Rebic says, reading from the page. "That's prominent on the wall. He's still on the website. He's out of the day-to-day business, but we keep his legacy alive."
'A yoga master, a guru'
A serene sun room acts as an office, with a desk and colorful paintings. Even the rug in the bathroom offers a pep talk. "Inspire," it reads. "Create."
Anselmo, impressively youthful, has always lived up to those challenges.
As a boy, he took voice lessons at Buffalo's Community Music School. The school assigned him to a particular teacher, Louise Sleep. Sleep would not have been his choice at the time, he says - he had hoped for another teacher. But she put him in touch with her teacher, William Whitney, at the New England Conservatory.
Whitney had known Johannes Brahms and had studied the master's songs. He was also a great champion of bel canto. Italian for "beautiful singing," bel canto is a classical voice training method that had been polished over 300 years. Singers learn by singing short arias that are what the Chopin etudes are to pianists - pieces that help you learn and are, at the same time, beautiful.
"He was like a yoga master, a guru," Anselmo says of Whitney. Whitney, he says, had intended to be a singer himself. "But someone threw a stone at him, and hit him in the eye, and he could never go on stage because of that."
Anselmo spent six years in Boston, living the bohemian life in a variety of apartments. In 1961, armed with his new vocal technique, he moved to New York.
"It was a wonderful time. Everything wasn't as expensive as it is now," he says. "People trying to get started in show business could find a place to live."
'He was kind of scary'
Once, Anselmo and his combo were at a club, playing "The Shadow of Your Smile," from the Elizabeth Taylor movie "The Sandpiper." He writes that a drunk Eddie Fisher, newly divorced from Taylor, angrily knocked all the music off Anselmo's piano.
Wacky adventures accompanied Anselmo's ascent in the music world.
"I used to tease Andy all the time," one friend, Johnny King, reminisces in the book. "We'd be out somewhere and I'd go into the men's room and come back and say, 'Oh, you know who was in the men's room? Richard Rodgers!' And he'd go flying into the men's room, singing 'Some Enchanted Evening.' Of course, Richard Rodgers wouldn't be there."
At first, Anselmo did not recognize his gift for teaching. He found it thanks to his friendship with Geraldine Fitzgerald, the beautiful actress who appeared with Laurence Olivier in the 1939 "Wuthering Heights," playing the girl the tormented Heathcliff marries but does not love.
Anselmo met her when she was in her early 50s, preparing for a secondary career in cabaret.
"Her hair was a beautiful, red Irish color," he says. "She touted me everywhere. She said, 'You are a great teacher. You must continue with this.' "
"Anyone she met, she said, 'You've got to go to this teacher.' She'd buy them lessons as birthday presents."
One of those friends was Mandy Patinkin. The future star of musicals began his career as a reluctant voice student.
"He said, 'I just came because Geraldine Fitzgerald told me to. I'm an actor, not a singer,' " Anselmo recalls. "He was kind of scary, full of energy."
Patiently, Anselmo put Patinkin on bel canto arias and "Over the Rainbow."
"Once we got started, he just fell in love with the exercises, which absolutely amazed me," he says. "This beautiful voice started coming out of him."
Patinkin's wife became involved. Her solidarity, Anselmo says, helped a lot. One day Patinkin announced that he had his first audition, for "Evita."
"What should I sing?" he asked in a panic.
Anselmo told him: "Well, you know only one song. Sing it."
So Patinkin sang "Over the Rainbow." He gave it a trick ending - that is, a surprise ending, with heightened high notes.
"He had beautiful high notes," Anselmo says. "They went wild. They told him to go home and learn all the songs from the show, for another audition the next day. We worked on the songs, and it was as if they were written for him. I said, 'Mandy, you're going to get this job!' "
"He's a beautiful, beautiful man," he adds. "If I said, 'Mandy, come to Buffalo next week, he'd come."
Eartha and Alec
The vibe reflects Anselmo's nuts-and-bolts wisdom.
Don't smoke, is one piece of advice he offers.
"It's a bad thing," he says. "It coats the vocal cords. Usually it's not as bad as you think it is. They're usually not smoking as much as you think they are. Cigarettes are a great prop. But it's a bad thing."
What about drinking?
"It affects you," Anselmo says.
"A lot of it is publicity, showmanship. Dean Martin made a thing out of it, but he didn't really drink all those drinks. Sinatra could drink. But it's not good for your throat. I couldn't drink and sing, either. I didn't drink at all till I was 82. Now I have a glass of wine."
Anselmo has always kept in mind his students' individual goals. He coached actresses - Mary Tyler Moore, Joanne Woodward and Brooke Shields, whom he loves - how to project their speaking voices. He readied Julie Harris for the 1965 musical "Skyscraper." He also taught Jose Ferrer. And Mia Farrow, when she was making a children's album. When Regis Philbin wanted to sing, he turned to Anselmo, too.
Eartha Kitt was a complicated case. Anselmo liked her, but her voice needed work. Alec Baldwin also posed challenges.
"When Alec Baldwin walked in, he was 18. He had the worst speaking voice. I said, 'Alec, we've got to work on your voice,' " Anselmo says. "He is another giving, wonderful person."
"You can help anybody, really," he says. "You just go with it and see what happens."
Right now, Anselmo's main protegee is Caroline Jones, a 22-year-old aspiring country singer in Greenwich, Conn. She is the daughter of billionaire hedge fund titan Paul Tudor Jones, who with his wife is a generous supporter of the Singers' Forum.
Anselmo coaches Jones every two weeks.
"She flies me in," he says. "I stay there for three days. I get my shot at New York and come back. She can sing anything - she can do opera, theater and country. She'll be bigger than Elizabeth Taylor. She's been a joy in my life unlike anything else. I'm leaving her all my music, all my things. She can pass it on like no one else. She's the one.
"When you work with someone like that, it's a spiritual thing."
'Don't push it'
Occasionally, though, a student finds him.
One such student was Mari McNeil. For years a respected folk singer locally, she decided in midlife to start exploring jazz. Buffalo was good to her. First, she was able to get coaching from the great cabaret pianist Guy Boleri. Her next stroke of luck was meeting Anselmo.
"I was booked to sing at a birthday party at the Saturn Club. He was going to be there," she says. "It was very intimidating, knowing he had coached Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett, Mandy Patinkin. It scared me out of my wits."
But they hit it off. McNeil had just written an essay for The Buffalo News' "Women's Voices" column, about trying to get her start as a singer. "He had read it that day," she marvels. "He said, 'You're that girl! Where do you want to go with your career, and how can I help you?' "
Anselmo put her on bel canto exercises and what McNeil describes as "vocal scales upside down." "It's the craziest thing I have ever done," she says. "But it relaxes your larynx and your facial muscles so your vocal cords are free to vibrate in the correct way. You learn unaffected singing, just allowing a sound to occur, rather than pushing it out.
"One day he said to me, 'Grow it slowly. Don't push it. Let it grow slowly. You've got many, many years to sing. Don't be impatient. It'll happen."
The advice gets to the heart of Anselmo. For him, it's not just about "Over the Rainbow," it's about body and soul.
"If everybody sang, we wouldn't have guns," he told the New York Times in 1993.
He still embraces that philosophy.
"Singing always makes you feel better," he says. "There's nothing like singing."
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Brianna's Law, which was sought approval after the January 2008 kidnapping, rape and murder of college student Brianna Denison is back up for discussion in the upcoming legislative session and freshman Assemblyman Jim Wheeler, R-Gardnerville, is asking constituents what they'd like to see happen.
"As a member of the Judicial Committee, I will be asked to vote on this issue," he said. "I ran on a platform of voting in line with my constituents' wishes regardless of any special interest influence, or even my own feelings on an issue."
However, Wheeler said he is uncertain how his constituents feel about the law.
"The law would allow police in the state to obtain a DNA sample from anyone who is arrested for a felony, regardless of whether or not they are convicted," he said. "While this could assist greatly in the identification of suspects sought for outstanding criminal cases, it also is in direct contravention of our Fourth Amendment right to privacy. Say, for instance, a person is suspected for a crime and arrested. A DNA sample would be taken during the booking process. If, just a few days later, the detectives find the suspect did not commit the crime, his/her DNA would still be kept in the national database forever."
In the Denison case, the man convicted and sentenced to death, James Biela, was convicted of also raping two other women.
Biela had been arrested in 1996, and members of Denison's family testified before the Legislature in 2011 that if his DNA had been on file from that arrest, authorities could have traced him after the first reported rape in 2007.
Currently, Nevada authorities can only keep DNA after a conviction.
The law failed to gain approval in the 2011 Legislature and is back with modifications this session.
Denison disappeared from a friend's couch on Jan. 20, 2008. Denison had family in Carson Valley, and resident Claudette Springmeyer helped in the search for the girl, who was found Feb. 15.
It would be another nine months before a tip from Biela's girlfriend would result in his arrest and ultimate conviction. The Nevada Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in August.
A bill draft to revise the law was requested in June by now Sparks Sen. Debbie Smith and co-sponsored by Assemblyman Pat Hickey.
Anyone wishing to provide input to Wheeler on the law may contact him by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com or calling (775) 684-8843. His mailing address is 401 S. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701-4747.
Article Topics: LegislatureLegislature


text:
on November 15, 2012 - 12:01 AM
MOVIES: Opening tonight, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2"; opening Friday, "Lincoln" (PG-13); coming Nov. 23, "Red Dawn" (PG-13).
CONCERTS: Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, 7 p.m. today, Town Ballroom, 681 Main St.
Big Sugar with Willi Williams and guests Bright Light Social Hour, 8 p.m. Friday, Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls.
This is the '60s, 8 p.m. Friday, Riviera Theatre, 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda.
Dark Star Orchestra, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Town Ballroom, 681 Main St.
Pieces of a Dream, 8 p.m. Friday, Tralf, 622 Main St.
Hurricane Sandy Relief Benefit Concert featuring the Informers Band, Heritage, Hotel Bravo, Blurock, the New Marionettes, Early Attic and Blue Rootz, 4 p.m. Saturday, Tralf, 622 Main St.
Tragically Hip, 7 p.m. Saturday, Seneca Allegany Casino Events Center, 777 Seneca Allegany Blvd., Salamanca.
Megadeth, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls.
Cranjam with Funktional Flow, the Maniacs and Slip Madigan, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Tralf, 622 Main St.
THEATER: "Tuesdays with Morrie," 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Ellicott Creek Playhouse, 530 Ellicott Creek Road, Tonawanda.
"Rumors," 7 p.m. today, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Leary Theatre, Niagara University, Lewiston.
POETRY: Reading by George Grace, Ryki Zuckerman, Gene Grabiner, 7 p.m. today, Artspace Buffalo Gallery, 1219 Main St.
Reading by Monica de la Torre, 8 p.m. today, Rust Belt Books, 202 Allen St.
Reading by Tony Hoagland, 8 p.m. Friday, Baird Hall, University at Buffalo North Campus, Amherst.
EXHIBIT: "The Science of Sports," Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, through Jan. 6.
There's a new bath product on the market and its name says it all. "FUN" is LUSH's latest invention that's made its way over from Japan. The moldable soap can be used as a body wash, shampoo, bubble bath solution or can be played with like play dough. It comes in a variety of bright colors and scents, like sweet orange and mandarin, lime and lemon, and chamomile and lavender that will make bath time fun. Also, a portion of every purchase of a bar of FUN will go to help underprivileged children. It is $7 per bar at http://www.lushusa.com/.
GlamFans makes it easy to cheer on your team in style. GlamFans offers accessories that look great and add a touch of glam to any outfit. Choose from clips, headbands and bobby pins that are embellished with sequins, beads and rhinestones. For college sports fans, the new college line includes more than 200 NCAA universities. Each costs about $12-$15. See store info at www.glamfans.com.
"But hair doesn't define me. It's just an accessory that I get to wear, like a handbag or shoes."
– "Cloud Atlas" actress Halle Berry, talking about her short haircut, in People magazine
– McClatchy Newspapers


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on January 2, 2013 - 8:38 PM
LOCKPORT – A Niagara Falls man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Niagara County Court to taking part in the near-fatal gang beating of a man outside a Falls bar March 24.
Stefan Grabowski Jr., 23, of Niagara Street, admitted to second-degree assault and was scheduled for sentencing March 8 by County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas.
Defense attorney James J. Faso Jr. said Grabowski has a good chance at probation, but Farkas made no commitments. The maximum sentence is seven years in prison.
Witnesses said four or five men beat up Thomas Pembleton outside Club Ultra on Third Street, but so far only Grabowski has been charged.


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MXInterLink5 technology allows for great flexibility in installation of the CounterMax MX-L-LPC series. Each item in the MX-L-LPC series is sold separately, and the MX-L-LPC under cabinet light will require additional accessories if not being used as an add-on to an existing installation. The MX-L-LPC series features a built-in dimmable driver that can be powered by a corded plug, direct-wire via a direct wire box or by being connected via a connecting cord to another unit. All accessories are sold separately and are available in black or white to better match cabinets and MX-L-LPC finish.
Uses MXInterLink5 accessories. Click here for a complete list of compatible accessories.
Lutron® or Leviton® LED Dimmer
Collection: CounterMax MX-L-LPC
Type: Under Cabinet
Finish: Anodized Bronze
Material: Aluminum
Glass: Clear
Number of Bulb: 6
Light Type: LED
Bulb Type: Cree LED
Bulb Max Wattage: 2.46
Fixture Max Wattage: 14.74
Rated Life: 50,000 Hours
Rated Lumens: 640
Color Temperature: 3000 K
Bulb(s): Integrated
Dimmable: Lutron® CL or Leviton® LED Dimmer
Input Voltage: 120
Width: 3"
Height: 0.55"
Length: 18"
Hanging Weight: 2.2 lb.
UPS Shippable: Yes
UL Standard: Dry
CounterMax MX-L-LPC Collection
The CounterMax MX-L-LPC series, a state-of-the-art low profile LED under cabinet light, installs easily under the cabinet and emits a crisp white light which illuminates without shadows. Dimmable using a standard wall dimmer and cabinets stay cool and safe with LED light output. CounterMax MX-L-LPC series is connectable with or without cords using MXInterLink5 technology, making this series convenient as well as beautiful.


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Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation Reaches Settlement Agreement with Sunshine Financial Group
Sunshine Financial agrees to make restitution payments totaling $660,000
BALTIMORE, MD (September 13, 2011) The Maryland Department of Labors (DLLR) Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation, announced a settlement agreement with Sunshine Financial Group, LLC, attorney J. Scott Morse and the State Collection Agency Licensing Board in response to allegations of improper collection of fees from Maryland consumers in debt collection cases filed in District Court. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Sunshine Financial Group will provide refunds to Maryland consumers of all attorneys fees and compound interest paid by consumers, and will forfeit those amounts in any judgments previously entered. The total amount of restitution involving refunds and forfeited amounts totals over $660,000. Under the agreement, Sunshine Financial Group will also dismiss 314 cases that it had previously filed in Maryland courts and will pay a fine of $20,000.
Commissioner Mark Kaufman and the entire Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation work tirelessly to promote sound consumers protections in the financial services industry and to protect Marylanders from unscrupulous practices. This settlement is another victory for Maryland consumers, said Maryland Labor Secretary Alexander M. Sanchez.
We continue to move aggressively against improper collections activities that target our most vulnerable citizens, said Commissioner of Financial Regulation Mark Kaufman. This settlement will bring real relief to hundreds of Maryland consumers.
The Settlement Agreement is available on the DLLR website (PDF document, 1.2MB, download Adobe Acrobat for free). The Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation licenses and regulates mortgage lenders, servicers and originators, as well as consumer debt collection agencies, check cashers, consumer finance companies and other financial intermediaries. In addition, the Office charters and supervises over 60 banks, credit unions and trust companies.
The Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation protects and empowers Marylanders by safeguarding workers, protecting consumers, providing a safety net and cultivating a thriving workforce that can meet the demands of Marylands dynamic economy. Follow DLLR on Twitter (@MD_DLLR) and Facebook.


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ALPINE MEADOWS, Calif. -- The 2-star competition of The North Face Masters of Snowboarding presented by PrimaLoft concluded Thursday under sunny skies at Alpine Meadows. The venue conditions were firm but chalky, providing many fun features and technical lines for athletes. Harry Kearney of Telluride, CO and Mary Boddington out of Crested Butte, CO took top honors at the event.
"The riders impressively managed adverse and variable snow conditions throughout today's competition," said judge Rob Kingwill. "It takes a lot of experience and skill to maintain control while executing difficult tricks and fluid speeds on this type of snow. At the same time, the athletes really pushed the progression of big-mountain snowboarding, choosing creative and highly technical lines."
Kearney took the men's first place position with a score of 82.00. Kearney chose to tackle the incredibly technical Castle Chute. He rode a flawless line through the chute maintaining fluidity and control throughout the maneuver. He punctuated his stellar performance with a back flip off a jump near the finish.
Rounding out the men's podium in second place was Squaw Valley local Gregory Terziev with a score of 79.67. Terziev rode a smooth line on the looker's right side of the venue executing a 180 off a knob near the top. Jonathan Penfield, from nearby Northstar California Resort, clinched the men's third place finish with a score of 79.00. The judges particularly enjoyed the huge backside 360 Penfield threw off a large cliff near the bottom of the venue.
In the women's field, Mary Boddington charged straight down the fall line with a nice clean air at the top. She continued her run with fast fluid turns and a second air in the middle. A method grab at the bottom of her run was the icing on the cake and earned a score of 86.00.
In second place, was first time Masters competitor Claudia Laflamme out of Fernie, B.C., with a score of 83.00. Claudia rode an aggressive line through the trees hitting a number of features along the way. Also on the women's podium in third place, Lizzy Beerman out of Snowbird, Utah, linked nice carving turns from top to bottom earning a score of 68.33.
Three women and five men total earned competition spots in Friday's 4-star event at Squaw Valley. Heightening the excitement of their wins, both Kearney and Boddington advanced. Joining Kearney on the list of advancing men are Jerry Mark, Zeerip Zepplin, Jake Larue and Dave Trout. Claudia LaFlamme and Brithany Thomson will also join Boddington at Squaw Valley.
The North Face Masters is part of the Freeride World Qualifier system. FWQs are rated on a 1 to 4-star scale with competitors earning more or less points at events according to venue difficulty and scale, competitive pool and other factors. The Masters is the top-level qualifier event and a pivotal step for athletes hoping to advance to the SWATCH Freeride World Tour by The North Face.


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This is CR0. The 7D was made precisely as the first model to go head-to-head with the Nikon equivalent, previously their models were slotted in between the other brand's models. Leaving that price segment to the D300 successor doesn't make marketing sense. If anything, it's the 60D line that needs to be revamped or eliminated, since it is silly to have 3 Rebel-class croppers (xxxxD/xxxD/xxD) in the lineup (if we go by the conventional wisdom that the 60D is indeed nothing more than a "super Rebel").
Given the way the 7D has stomped the D300 and the D300s, you have got to think that Nikon will be coming full bore with with D400 just the way they came with guns blazing on the D800. I'm really curious to see what they offer. I'm betting it will be good so Canon you know has to plan a good response.Credibility I give to this CR1 rumor? Probability <1%.
My two cents on this. The 7D is really a little bit odd; if one digit (xD) canons are for the pros, then the 7D was a bit weak. On the other hand there are are 3 consumer bodies (xxxxD, xxxD, xxD). This lineup somehow makes sense, just that the 7D is not really pro-grade.This is how I see the future lineup from Canon: The 1Dx is for sport and wildlife shooters (high speed with 12fps, high ISO up to 200k). Then there will be the 5DmkIII, it looks at the moment that it won't compete with the D800, but I can see where it could be placed. the 5D will be for photojournalists who also like to make movies. The 5D is smaller more mobile package then the 1D, emphasis will be on good high ISO (low light ability, and video)But there is somethin missing in the pro sector, and this is the landscape shooters. And here could the often rumored 3D fit in, which will be aimed at the D800. A camera with high resolution (40+MP) but a slower speed.With these 3 pro bodies, there is no room for a 7D, so the xxD will move up a little (to where the 50D was). The difference between a 600D and 60D is quite narrow at the moment, and I think it makes sense to widen this gap.Conclusion: 3 consumer bodies (entry, standard, advanced) and 3 pro bodies (Action, Landscape, Photojournalist) from canon, this would be a nice and logic lineup.
Why do you think the 1Dx would work for wildlife shooters?
The 7D is a great camera in which Canon made one, horrible mistake: 18mp in a crop sensor. Too much. I'd love to see the 70D or 7D II with dual SD/CF, same build, micro adjust at both ends of the lens, and a 14mp or 12mp sensor. I'm just not getting the same sharpness I got from my 40D and 50D when it comes to wildlife. The pixel level IQ is "off", IHMO. I shoot RAW, and I have no interest in jpeg wizardry at high ISO's. That is meaningless. We need to see real improvement from unprocessed RAWS at ISO 100.
For all those 7D fanboys who got all up in my grill earlier in this thread because I said the 7D noise is horrible compared to the 5DII (and then made themselves feel better by -rep'ing me), I wasn't talking out my backside.You can clearly see here:http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-III-DSLR-Camera-Review.aspxClick on the ISO100's and you'll see the difference. That the 7D has quite a fair bit of noise, even at base ISO100. Look at all those grey areas - they all look pretty grainy to me. No click on 5DMarkII - much cleaner. That was readily apparent to me in real world tests with the naked eye, well before I saw this link.Seriously - being objective and telling a 7D owner that their image sensor is inferior to a full frame is like telling a religious zealot in a strange cult that their God doesn't exist. Some people seriously need to get over themselves and realize it's just a camera, and not an extension of their ego.If there is a 7D mark II, then hopefully they take a leaf out of the D800's book - Nikon managed to do some really good work at high pixel densities, with a lot less noise than that at base ISO.


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Diane Kruger and longtime beau Joshua Jackson showed no lack of loving emotion over the weekend.
The actress came out to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, Calif., to support her man, who performed during The 24 Hour Plays, presented by Montblanc.
"She held back while Josh walked the red carpet," an onlooker tells PEOPLE. "But at the after party, the couple was fully together, while hanging out with Amy Smart."
The typically private pair – the subject of recent engagement rumors – stuck to the back area of the party where they weren't as noticeable, but the source says the twosome were smiling and laughing a lot, adding, "[They seemed] totally in love."
Jackson, who appeared as "a total gentleman," was in a great mood at the event, the source says, adding, "It was really sweet to watch [the couple together]."
Ashley Greene, Brooklyn Decker, Jessica Szohr and Wilmer Valderrama were also among the celebrities who took part in an on-stage performance.
– Jessica Wedemeyer
Diane Kruger & Joshua Jackson's Lovey-Dovey Play Date
Michael Bezjian/Getty


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Earlier this year, I wrote a post outlining the projected impact of both the Obama and McCain tax plans [3], as analyzed by The Tax Policy Center. NBC recently produced a two and a half minute piece about the two.
A huge point that the piece makes is that we don't know how the recent bailouts will affect tax plans going forward. Both plans were introduced in a world where the government didn't own Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, or an 80% piece of AIG (and not in discussions for a $700B bailout package!). I personally think that the tax cuts proposed by both sides will be impossible and you'll have a case of George H.W. Bush's "Read My Lips, No New Taxes" flip.


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Sources: The White House {PDF], The Wall Street Journal
quote: is people are hard wired to need a foe to slay and in the absence of one they turn on each other instead. Observe the people around you for a while and see how frequently they categorize people as either us or them based on all kinds of things large and small.
quote: It's our animal instincts to dominate, to defeat others.


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quote: The "supporters" of nuclear always came up with that argument: it is safe since there hasn't been many problems with it, comparing with others energy sources....The backbone of human societies can only afford some sort of manageable calamities. If the damage is too severe it can all crumble like a castle of cards.
quote: In the extreme, is like having, in the future, an amazing technology that provided clean energy (contrary to nuclear), but with the drawback that it had the probability of an world ending event happening once in 100 years.


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on December 4, 2012 - 6:17 AM
In a world that more and more frequently seems to press the Big Questions upon us at every turn, there can be few more necessary writers than Flannery O'Connor.
O'Connor is The Buffalo News Book Club selection for December, a month in which we traditionally turn to a classic read. Last year, we tackled James Joyce.
This year, we take up O'Connor's soaring 1955 short- story collection, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories."
Amid the tinsel and giftwrap and holly, readers are invited to spend time with a uniquely American writer whose blisteringly direct, forthright prose proves the short story can move us as much as a novel, and maybe more.
Not only that: O'Connor is also unforgettably funny, and smarter than any two or three of the rest of us put together.
This slender story collection starts off simply, with a slow-burning tale – the title story – about a manipulative grandmother who doesn't want to go on a road trip with her family.
But be warned: This book travels miles and miles before its conclusion – and, though now 57 years old, it may just be the sharpest, most shocking book you'll read all year.
O'Connor is a thoroughly urgent modern writer, even as some of her Southern Gothic-tinged fiction (she would shudder at the label) can seem remote and antique. She is an American voice we need to know in order to make sense of the country – let alone the world – that we live in.
O'Connor, a Roman Catholic and native Southerner who died in 1964 at age 39, is unafraid of tackling the questions that, if they occur to us, keep us awake nights – or in a state of perpetual semi-alert. That is vividly evident in "In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find."
O'Connor's writing seems fully in agreement with what C.S. Lewis had to say about life as a Christian in a modern era, in "Mere Christianity":
"Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage."
Yet O'Connor – born Mary Flannery, in Savannah, Ga., in 1925 – is funny and wry at the same time. While she tackles the big issues of human existence and morality and ethical living, she never forgets that readers also really like to laugh.
"The girl had taken the Ph.D in philosophy and this left Mrs. Hopewell at a complete loss," O'Connor writes of one of her characters.
And then, a bit later: "All day Joy sat on her neck in a deep chair, reading. Sometimes she went for walks but she didn't like dogs or cats or birds or flowers or nature or nice young men. She looked at nice young men as if she could smell their stupidity."
Among O'Connor's probing points, in this collection and elsewhere in her novels and stories:
• Why do some people go through life deformed and disabled, while others are blessed by beauty and, what may in the end be much better, dumb luck?
To hear what O'Connor has to say about that, turn to "Good Country People," the second-to-last story in this collection, in which a smooth-talking Bible salesman works his way into the confidence of a young woman, Joy (renamed by herself Hulga) Hopewell, who has been crippled in a shooting accident and uses a wooden leg.
• Why do humans suffer – and, moreover, suffer in ways that seem wholly out of proportion to any wrongs they may have committed in their brief and miserable lives?
For O'Connor's take on the subject of human suffering and its value, as a redemptive or embittering force, see the title story. In it, a killer nicknamed The Misfit encounters three generations of a small-town Southern family on a road trip.
"I said long ago, you get you a signature and sign everything you do and keep a copy of it," the criminal tells the grandmother, after a car accident has brought them all together.
"Then you'll know what you done and you can hold up the crime to the punishment and see do they match and in the end you'll have something to prove you ain't been treated right. I call myself the Misfit,' he said, 'because I can't make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment."
• Does God care about you, me, any of us? And, deep down, do we care about each other? How much is blood worth, and marriage, and friendship?
You can't get a more poignant take on these questions than "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," the third story here (and another piece that reveals O'Connor's singular brilliance with, of all things, the titles of stories and novels, and the names of characters).
In this story, a man calling himself Tom T. Shiftlet arrives at a remote rural farm where a scrappy, self-protective woman named Lucynell Crater – described by O'Connor as "about the size of a cedar fence post," with "a man's gray hat pulled down low over her head" – lives with her intellectually disabled daughter, a large, mute, blond-haired girl, also named Lucynell.
The stranger marries the daughter, and takes her on a weekend honeymoon to a hotel, with unexpected results.
"He was more depressed than ever," O'Connor writes of Shiftlet, at the story's conclusion, "as he drove on by himself."
O'Connor lived in Milledgeville, a small rural town in Georgia, most of her short life. She never married, instead living with her mother, Regina Cline O'Connor. O'Connor raised peacocks and other exotic fowl as a hobby, and maintained correspondences with many pre-eminent writers of her day. (Pay attention to her stories and novels for images of birds, especially peacocks.)
A product of the Iowa Writers Workshop, O'Connor was also a lifetime student of Catholic theology and doctrine, and remained a devout Catholic all her life. She reviewed books for Catholic papers, and was known to lecture on religious topics.
Her slim output as a published writer consists of two novels, more than 30 short stories, and numerous critical works. She died at 39, of complications from the lupus that had also claimed her father.
In one of her essays, O'Connor wrote this, of her point of view as a writer and woman: "I see from the standpoint of Christian orthodoxy."
"This means that for me the meaning of life is centered in our Redemption by Christ and what I see in the world I see in its relation to that. I don't think that this is a position that can be taken halfway or one that is particularly easy in these times to make transparent in fiction."
Even today – perhaps never more than today – O'Connor spurs us on, to consider the questions that define us as humans.
More from the author
If you enjoy this month's selection by Flannery O'Connor, try these other titles in her bibliography:
• "Wise Blood," a 1952 novel.
• "The Violent Bear It Away," a novel from 1960.
• "Everything That Rises Must Converge," a short-story collection published in 1965.
A good website to visit, for an overview of O'Connor's life and work, is "Comforts of Home," www.flanneryoconnor.org.
To reach the Book Club at The Buffalo News, write to us at firstname.lastname@example.com, or by mail at The Buffalo News Book Club, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240.
email: email@example.com


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on January 7, 2013 - 6:58 AM
Whoever said "the hardest part of doing something is taking the first step" obviously never made a New Year's resolution. You start out with the best intentions, but then somewhere down the line, your resolve usually fizzles out before the goal is attained.
That's why this year, we suggest taking your resolution to the next level, with several mobile apps that specialize in helping you achieve your personal goals. With a whole lot of willpower and a smartphone, this can be the year you finally finish what you started.
Burn baby burn
The resolution: To lose those pesky pounds that have been plaguing you.
The app: Livestrong MyPlate Calorie Tracker, $2.99, available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.
What it does: Livestrong's MyPlate Calorie Tracker is a mobile food journal that makes it easy to track the food you eat wherever you go.
Using a daily calorie target that is based on your weight and weight goal, the simple-to-use app helps individuals make healthy choices thanks to a nutritional database of more than 1.3 million foods. And with an additional section for keeping track of calories burned from various exercises, users will be on their way to reaching their goal weight in no time.
Quit the stick
The resolution: To quit smoking.
The app: My Last Cigarette, 99 cents, available for iPhone.
What it does: My Last Cigarette uses daily, motivational readouts that encourage kicking the habit. With stats like money saved and increase in life expectancy since you quit, this easy-to-use app makes quitting smoking seem not so daunting.
It's not easy being green
The resolution: To make a better effort at living an eco-friendly lifestyle.
The app: Green Genie, free, available for iPhone.
What it does: The Green Genie gives users more than 100 easy eco-friendly projects to incorporate into daily life. It also translates green terminology with the help of a glossary of terms. The app lets you track the effects of your new efforts with a carbon footprint calculator. Another section of the app tracks how much money you've saved.
Taking care of business
The resolution: To organize your life.
The app: Wunderlist 2, free, available for iPhone and Android.
What it does: Wunderlist 2 helps you say goodbye to the days of missed appointments and forgotten grocery items. Users can create and manage multiple lists all in one place.
Wunderlist 2 also lets you share your lists with other people (perfect for those times when you send someone to pick up groceries for you). Notifications and reminders keep you on top of your daily tasks, and the app's subtasks help users break down larger projects so they don't feel so overwhelmed.
Hey, big spender
The resolution: To start shopping smarter and saving money.
The app: Toshl Finance, free, available for iPhone and Android.
What it does: Using charts and stats, Toshl Finance helps users understand where their money is going and how they can make their paychecks last longer. You'll be able to track your spending and cut down on frivolous purchases. And should you find yourself traveling to another country, there's a currency exchange section that will help you continue to make smart purchases no matter where you go.
The gift of gab
The resolution: To learn a new language.
The app: Babbel, free, available for iPhone and Android.
What it does: Babbel makes learning a new language feel like an attainable goal. It features up to 3,000 vocabulary words per language, and users can use the app's integrated voice recognition to practice pronunciations and progress at a faster rate.
The never-ending story
The resolution: To finally finish that stack of books sitting on your bedside table.
The app: ReadMore, $2.99, available for iPhone.
What it does: Whether you're already a bookworm or you'd just like to be, ReadMore acts as your personal reading log. Not only does it let users track reading habits with stats like average read time or pages read per day, it also provides motivational feedback to get you closer to tackling whatever reading goal you set this year.


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|Welcome to the MANGA Forum.
|You will have to register before you can post: log in or sign up at the top of the page to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
this has to be the most beautiful song ive ever heard, its my favorite! how do you feel about it? and hey, to whoever who has heard this, it pisses me off! some jackass made a remix of it! its bullshit!
it's a great song,& it's a beautiful song :D =D
Is life reality or is it a mirror image of what you want it to be?
I love the song thats why i learned to play it on piano and guitar. It's a truly soothing song. Is life reality or is it a mirror image of what you want it to be?
you can play piano AND guitar wow i cant play the piano but i want to so im gonna get my mom to get me lessons, but man thats so awesome! :D =D
so if they want to make fun of it they can "copyright is a goverment law so thats their problem not yours" ~if you want to die stand in my way~ ~if you want to live get out of my way~ ~its your choice so choose wisely~
~Nan Kuru Nai-Sah~
nobody can change it well they could but what would be the point? (~if you want to die stand in my way + if you want to live get out of my way = its your choice so choose wisely~)
Yea the remix really sucks i like the original alot better its relaxing
thats where you have to draw the line ~HAVE A BLOODY (GOOD) HALLOWEEN~


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Nittany Lions and Wolverines each need to establish themselves today
October 12, 2013
Five things to look for as Penn State tries to bounce back from a shocking blowout loss to Indiana against a Michigan team that's undefeated but barely beat weak opponents Akron and Connecticut. No....
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Fires to the east have created "clouds" that have cooled the near-100s to the low-90s temps. Breezes aren't helping the fires, but at least the air isn't so "heavy" and humid.
From Star Wars Episode VII: the Broadway Edition... FN and the Amazing Technically-Poe's Dream Jacket.
We had actual rain. And not just cheapo sprinkles; it stayed wet on the ground, you could feel the drops. If I were driving, I'd have needed wipers on. It cooled the temps, but the humidity still made it ugh-worthy outdoors. Hope some of it was by the fire zone.
From Star Wars Episode VII: the Broadway Edition... FN and the Amazing Technically-Poe's Dream Jacket.
It hit 80ish today, but we didn't have the humidity of last week so the heat wasn't "as bad."
2 weeks ago it was in the high 80's and humid as bleep, then last week it was barley in the 70's, today was more of the same with temps in the low 70's.
Weather has been nearly perfect every day since I got back from Comic-Con. Friday was the first day since then that was warm enough to actually do some swimming. Damn confusing July with these 70-degree days.
Darth Vader is becoming the Mickey Mouse of Star Wars.
Kylo Ren - came from Space Brooklyn, although he moved to Space Williamsburg before it was trendy.
The use of a lightsaber does not make one a Jedi, it is the ability to not use it.
"Cooled" down to the upper 90s for the past few days. We've been hammered by triple digits for most of the summer. This is the seventh hottest summer on record in my area. We've "enjoyed" temps from 100º to 110º for the most part. We won't cool off until October when we will see highs in the 80s.
¡Que la fuerza te acompañe!
Cool! Literally. Forget the post above!
Sneaky low pressure has been sneaking cool air from the Pacific into the Central Valley causing our temps to top out in the upper 80s. Feels like Fall! Wish it would stay but it won't.
¡Que la fuerza te acompañe!


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Football Team Completes Spring Practice
Ball State's football team conducted its annual Spring Scrimmage to wrap up the spring session in preparations for the 2014 season.
With a modified scoring system, the defense defeated the offense by a 44-22 margin for head coach Pete Lembo, who will be in his fourth season at the helm in 2014.
"We had a great crowd here and we got through the day pretty healthy," Lembo said. "I think our defense continues to move forward and grow up. Offensively, we are a work in progress. We had some special teams guys step up today and that was good to see. We are looking forward to the summer and fall camp as we prepare for Colgate."
Jack Milas, a redshirt freshman quarterback, completed 10-of-26 passes for 144 yards, including a long pass of 71 yards. Ozzie Mann, a sophomore, completed 7-of-12 passes for 43 yards with a long pass of 11 yards. True freshman David Morrison, who started school at Ball State in January, completed 3-of-6 passes for 38 yards with a long completion of 26 yards. Kyle Kamman, a junior for the Cardinals, completed 2-of-8 passes for nine yards.
"The quarterback battle is still very much a battle," Lembo said. "We are not overly concerned with rushing to make a decision. Hopefully, they will all continue to get better. We were a little inconsistent in the passing game and that is not all on them. We have a lot of room to get better in a lot of areas."
Shane Belle, a fifth-year senior wide receiver, caught a 71-yard pass from Milas for the longest play of the day. Belle ended the scrimmage with two catches for 75 yards. KeVonn Mabon had six catches for 42 yards, while Cwynnettie Brown managed three receptions for 43 yards.
Jahwan Edwards was the top rusher in the scrimmage with 13 carries for 26 yards, while Teddy Williamson rushed 10 times for 20 yards.
"We are deep at tailback, and they will have a good supporting cast," Lembo said. "We are going to be solid up front on the offensive line. We have three very good tight ends."
Defensively, Aaron Taylor and Anthony Winbush led the White with six tackles apiece. Dae'Shaun Hurley intercepted the first pass of the game and returned it 37 yards to the five-yard line, plus added two tackles. Trey Gardner and Tracy Key each registered one sack in the modified scrimmage. Brian Jones, Daniel Garces, Ben Ingle and Keenan Noel added five tackles apiece.
"We had some younger guys generate some pass rush," Lembo said. "Anthony Winbush has been a pleasant surprise and got to play a little more today because of some injuries."
Ball State will open the 2014 season Aug. 30, with a home game at Scheumann Stadium vs. Colgate.


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Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice
Criminal justice professionals provide vital services to protect citizens. Trained and educated law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers, and correctional officers play important roles in the provision of these important services. Law enforcement officers protect the property and the lives of the people on their jurisdiction. Probation officers also spend much of their time working for the courts. Correctional officers maintain order within a correctional institution, and enforce rules and regulations.
If you are looking for a career field that can both change your life and the lives of others, you might want to consider the Criminal Justice program at Tyler Junior College.
Degree Plans
The Associate of Arts (Field of Study) degree in Criminal Justice is designed for students wishing to major in criminal justice and then later obtain their bachelor's degree. Those students wishing to seek employment in the criminal justice field as a federal law enforcement officer, state or federal probation officer, or parole officer should choose this degree plan as these jobs all require the applicant to possess a bachelor's degree.
The Associate of Applied Science in Law Enforcement Investigations is a two-year degree intended for those students who wish to seek employment with a law enforcement agency upon graduation. This degree plan includes courses in the arts and sciences curriculum, along with the basic criminal justice courses included in the transfer (AA) degree. More importantly, it incorporates specialized courses in the field of criminal investigations, including basic field work in crime scene processing. The program's emphasis is to provide the student the basic background skills needed to become a criminal investigator.
It is the mission of the Criminal Justice Department at Tyler Junior College to prepare our students for careers in the various fields within the Criminal Justice System and/or to transfer to a university in order to complete their bachelor's degree by providing both a theoretical and practical understanding of the American Criminal Justice System.
As part of the Criminal Justice Department's mission, we also incorporate the Three Promises of Tyler Junior College into the student's educational experience - A Quality Education, A Vibrant Student Life, and Community Service.
Short URL to this page: www.tjc.edu/CriminalJustice
Criminal Justice Contact Information
Jason B. Waller, MS
Department Chair
Office: Pirtle T-116
Email: email@example.com
Telephone: 903-510-2539
Advising contact: 903-510-2347


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Jon Super/Associated Press
Jon Super/Associated Press
MANCHESTER, England
The U.S. women�s soccer team is back in the Olympic gold medal match after a wild come-from-behind 4-3 win over Canada with a goal in the final minute of extra time.
Now the Americans will be out to avenge one of the most gut-wrenching losses in the program�s history.
Alex Morgan gave the U.S. its first lead of the night in the third minute of injury time Monday, completing the win over Canada in the Olympic semifinals at Old Trafford.
Morgan�s 6-yard header, on a long cross from Heather O�Reilly, looped high into the net over goalkeeper Erin McLeod for the winning goal. Megan Rapinoe scored in the 54th and 70th minutes and Abby Wambach in the 80th for the U.S.
The Americans overcame three one-goal deficits, all due to a hat trick from Canada�s Christine Sinclair, who scored in the 22nd, 67th and 73rd minutes. In many ways the win was reminiscent of the landmark comeback victory against Brazil in last year�s World Cup.
�Even when they scored their third goal, there was something in me that knew that we had more, that we could give more,� Wambach said. �I don�t know what that means, quite honestly. I don�t know if it�s just confidence until the end, but this team has a belief in itself, even when the going gets rough.�
Next comes the game the U.S. players have been eyeing for more than a year, a rematch with Japan on Thursday at Wembley Stadium with gold on the line. The top-ranked Americans lost to Japan on penalty kicks in the World Cup final last summer, a stunning blow that became a source of motivation as the players prepared for this year�s Olympics.
�This is redemption for us,� midfielder Carli Lloyd said. �We know how hard it was for us after that game. It hurt us for a really long time.�
The U.S. team has played in the title match in every Summer Games since women�s soccer was introduced in Atlanta in 1996, winning the gold in 1996, 2004 and 2008 and the silver in 2000.
The Americans advanced by continuing their dominance of the neighbor to the north, extending their unbeaten streak against Canada to 27 games (23-0-4). The Americans lead the all-time series 44-3-5, the last loss coming at the Algarve Cup in 2001.
But it wasn�t easy. Sinclair was an imposing force, scoring her 141st, 142nd and 143rd goals in international play. She�s now even with Wambach for No. 2 on the all-time list, both chasing Mia Hamm�s world record of 158.
Canada coach John Herdman said before the game that the run of futility against the Americans was on the minds of his players, and he addressed it with them in the run-up to the match. He also injected some pregame intrigue by accusing the Americans of using �highly illegal,� overly physical tactics on free kicks and corner kicks.
Certainly, his team gave one of its most spirited efforts on the biggest stage ever for a game between the neighboring rivals, scoring the most goals the U.S. has allowed since a 5-4 win by the Americans over Australia in May 2008.
The game included a pair of U.S. goals resulting from moments rarely seen in soccer, including a corner kick that curled in for a goal and a goalkeeper whistled for holding the ball too long. Canada coach John Herdman felt the goalkeeper call was a miscarriage of justice, and he also felt referee Christiana Pedersen of Norway missed a hand ball in the penalty in front of the U.S. goal.
�She will have to sleep in bed (Monday) after watching the replays,� Herdman said. �She�s gonna have to live with that. We will move on from this. I wonder if she will be able to.�
The Americans dominated possession in the early minutes, but then the U.S. defense did the unexplainable � it lost track of one of the top goal-scorers of all time.
Marie-Eve Nault played a ball ahead to Melissa Tancredi, who tapped a pass over to Sinclair. Sinclair then slalomed through the penalty area, maneuvering around defender Kelley O�Hara to beat goalkeeper Hope Solo with a simple right-footer from 10 yards.
It was the first goal allowed by the U.S. in more than 360 minutes � since a pair of early scores by France in the Olympic opener two weeks ago. The U.S. also trailed at halftime for the first time in this tournament.
The Americans found an unconventional way to pull even early in the second half, with Rapinoe scoring directly on a corner kick. She curled the ball just inside the near post, glancing off the legs of defender Lauren Sesselmann and goalkeeper McLeod as it settled in the net.
Then came a dizzying sequence of three goals in six minutes. The Tancredi-Sinclair combo worked again, with Sinclair heading Tancredi�s cross just inside the post from 10 yards to put Canada ahead 2-1. Three minutes later, Rapinoe got her second, launching a right-footer from the edge of the area and off the post.
Then it was Tancredi again, leaping high to head in a corner kick, again just inside the post for goal No. 143, moving her temporarily ahead of Wambach.
Wambach got even with Sinclair � and tied the game � with a penalty kick resulting from an unusual call: McLeod was whistled for holding the ball more than six seconds, giving the Americans an indirect free kick inside the area. Rapinoe took the kick, and it glanced off the arm of Nault. The referee awarded the spot kick, which Wambach converted off the left post in the 80th minute.
The game became a battle of attrition in extra time, with the Americans having the better of the chances. Wambach put a header off the crossbar in the 119th minute. The officials then declared there would be three minutes of injury time, just enough for Morgan to put one in and avoid the penalty kick shootout that Solo already was preparing to face.
�I don�t have much to say because I need to wrap my head around what just happened,� Solo said. �And that�s the truth of the matter. We tend to keep things interesting.�
Hussein Malla/Associated Press


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Dealmaker of the Week: Davis Polk & Wardwell's William Chudd
Chudd led the deal team advising Irish drugmaker Shire Plc on its sale to AbbVie for $54.8 billion in cash and stock—marking the largest ever corporate inversion, in which a U.S.-based company lowers its taxes by moving overseas.
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Top Definition
The holiday the day after thanksgiving where a copious amount of marijuana is smoked. This holiday takes place on black friday, the busiest shoping day of the year.
Celebrate weedsgiving before you go out and hit up the black friday rush and sales
di tint 25 novembre 2005
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Source: Boston University [PDF]
quote: If it wasn't for Jason's articles, I would've thought that the global warming "fad" was dead.
quote: I haven't heard a peep about global warming in a better part of a year yet it was soooo important that we had to do something NOW. Just as I predicted. Not only is it not talked about anymore, no one even remembers talking about it in the first place. Hilarious stuff.
quote: Personally I think that's unfortunate. Growing up, I recall rainforest deforestation was covered in far greater detail in the media. Personally I feel that's the single biggest environmental issue; and a problem mankind can prevent if we're responsible.
quote: What are my thoughts on the topic? Warming is of course empirically verifiable, but we have yet to fully quantify it, and I think "stopping" it is largely out of our hands. No amount of carbon credits will fix things, and people like Gore are just clever snake oil salesmen.
quote: Thus I feel it's a topic worth devoting some research too, but I feel it's overstated. And I feel that people are exploiting it with alarmist statements in order to get funding or government loans (e.g. Solyndra).
quote: I think you're misinformed. Your tax dollars -- a fair deal of them -- are going to fund global warming studies. Many of these studies are highly speculative and admittedly have a large margin of error.


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Social Security reacts by cutting schedule
November 25, 2012
If you need to visit a Social Security office, plan to get there early. Now, the public can visit Social Security offices only between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays....
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Steve Aoki Tickets
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on September 19, 2012 - 12:01 AM
, updated September 19, 2012 at 6:18 AM
"Charred & Scruffed: Bold new techniques for flavor on and off the grill" challenges the orthodoxy of grilling technique with innovations that promise to add more than a new marinade to your next grilling session.
Want the best crust on your meat? How about laying it right on red-hot chunks of hardwood charcoal that's been blown clean of ash with a hair dryer? "Instead of a long process of building up the crust," writes Adam Perry Lang, "this alternative superheats any melting fat, basting ingredients and juices and penetrates the meat with a blast of aromatized steam."
Sure, you might have to knock off bits of charcoal, but when it comes to "clinching," as Lang calls it, fans say the flavor is worth the effort.
Lang cooked at top kitchens like Le Cirque and Daniel before switching his focus to barbecue and becoming a top finalist. He later opened Daisy May's BBQ in Manhattan, and wrote a best-selling cookbook, "Serious Barbecue."
His innovations aren't just I-bet-you-never-thought-of this stunts. They're refined, flavor-driven techniques for the moderately ambitious. "Spackling" is applying a finishing paste built around the concentrated flavor of ingredients like dehydrated roasted red peppers.
Scruffing is essentially roughing up the smooth surfaces of cuts of meat or other proteins to make it easier for flavors to penetrate and stick.
Lang captures the warm, savory juices that escape to the cutting board when a large piece of finished meat is sliced for serving. He adds olive oil or vinegar, fresh herbs and spices, chops it all together, and turns the sliced meat in the mixture before serving.
Lang's book also shines with side dishes and accompaniments. He groups them by the effects cooks want to achieve: "Melting, Creamy and Comfortable," like creamed corn with chives and chiles; "Crisp, Fresh and Sprightly," with mango cilantro salad; and "Crispy Bits," like chicken skin cooked under a brick.
Follow Lang's instructions to prepare his "man steak" and you'll re-educate yourself on best grilling practices. Apply seasoning blend, and rub it in with moist hands to form a "meat paste." Flip it frequently on a hot grill, and forget about classic grill marks. It's good if it sticks. Clean and oil the grate for a second cooking stage that includes applying tangy baste with an herb brush.
Serve in a board sauce with a sprinkle of salt, and you might say there's more to learn about grilling steak after all.
Charred & Scruffed by Adam Perry Lang
266 pages, $24.95
On the Web: Check out the recipe for Lang's Man Steak with Thyme Zinfandel Salt at blogs.buffalonews.com/hungryformore


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Top Definition
When a guy is getting someone up the butt and he ejaculates an enormous amount into his/her anus and then he/she proceeds by shitting it back out into the partners mouth.
When Wade was getting Tyler up the butt he gave him a Dirty Wade and Tyler loved it.
por TnKalltheway 08 de Julho de 2009
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Gene Reese is the kind of man who built his own house, room by room, on the land where a midwife brought him into the world 55 years ago.
Vote in Local Heroes contest
Vote in the national Local Heroes contest, which will award at least three wheelchair-accessible vans to winners.About 1,100 stories are posted online. Voting is underway and ends May 10. You can vote once per 24 hours.To see Goose Creek resident Gene Reese's story and others, go to www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com and click on Enter or Vote Now. Then search by name, city or state.There are 17 South Carolina residents' stories posted, including Rob Duckworth of Goose Creek who works for the Center for Spinal Cord Injury.
There, he and his wife, Brenda, raised their five children amid a Goose Creek community rich with extended family.
An old family photo hangs in the den today. In it, Reese stands a good head taller than his petite wife and five little kids, all wearing smiles and their Sunday best.
It is the last photo of Reese standing.
The picture was taken in 1992, one week before a drunken driver rounded a bend on a two-lane road just as the young father was heading home from work.
The curve
It was 10:30 p.m., dark when he rounded a curve he had driven through countless times before, just a mile from home.
When an oncoming car with three men inside crossed the center line, Reese tried to veer.
But the car smashed head-on with such force that the steering wheel crushed Reese's chest and abdomen, severely damaging his aorta, the body's largest artery and a critical blood supply route from the heart. Pressure built, threatening to burst the aorta and end Reese's life in minutes.
Paramedics rushed him to Trident Medical Center.
Family members on the scene raced to tell Brenda.
The drunken driver and his passenger died right there. A backseat passenger was ejected and suffered major head trauma.
At the ER, a doctor warned Reese's brother that nine of 10 patients with similar injuries don't leave the ER alive.
But Reese's brother is a preacher, a man who believes that God answers prayers.
"My brother will be that one who comes out of here," he said.
Reese's last memory of his old life? The dreary, post-winter brownness of the landscape beyond the hospital.
Life in a coma
Eight hours of surgery later, an incision cut down the length of his chest, kidneys failing, lung collapsed and gall bladder ruptured, Reese lay in a coma.
He lingered in its grip for more than two months.
During the months of waiting, Brenda raised their five children, ages 5-14. She kept up the routines of school and sports and friends.
But after two months passed and two nearly became three, a nurse suggested Brenda bring the kids to visit in case their presence would jar something deep within him.
A doctor voiced concern. If Reese died, did Brenda want the kids' last memory of their father to be a man comatose on life support?
Brenda brought all five children to see him. They kissed his cheek and spoke to him.
Reese awoke the next day.
In heaven?
While Reese was comatose, an old lady came to his dreams. He was sitting in a church bus seat, arms strapped down, as she blew smoke into his nose, irritating his throat.
When Reese awoke in the hospital, more than two months after his last memory, he lay facing a window. The landscape greeted him with the verdant green of a Lowcountry summer.
Maybe I'm in heaven, he thought.
He felt a breathing tube down his throat, irritating it like the old lady's smoke. He felt his arms strapped down.
He heard the wind whoosh loudly outside although the trees weren't blowing. Really, it was air conditioning whispering in through a vent.
He heard voices coming right through the walls. It was the PA system way down the hallway.
His senses felt oddly keen, long as they'd gone silent.
As his brain realigned with a wakeful state, he saw the tubes. Endless tubes stuck into every place a tube might prove useful to keep a nearly dead man alive for two months.
He saw a machine. Every time it pumped, his chest rose.
He tried to move.
Sharp as ever
Nobody knew yet that he'd damaged his spine at the T10 vertebra in the back's midsection. He was paralyzed from roughly the waist down.
"It wasn't shocking to me. I knew people who were paralyzed. We'd deal with it," Reese recalls. "I was just thinking about getting through a day, then a week, then a month."
Two years would pass before Reese believed he'd live long.
"We were just so happy he was alive that we could handle the rest," Brenda recalls.
Reese was an electrician, a man used to fixing things. Soon, he longed to contribute, to take pressure off Brenda and the kids.
"How am I going to put them all through college lying here on my back?" he asked himself.
Their youngest child wouldn't remember Daddy walking. But they all learned that when they got out of the car, someone needed get their father's wheelchair out of the trunk and help him transfer into it. They had to plan where to park so there was enough space for Reese to get out into his wheelchair. They had to find a curb cut and be sure a wheelchair could traverse wherever they went.
"It was an entire adjustment of life," recalls their son, Brian Reese, who was 9 at the time.
Learning to drive
A year after he nearly died, Reese sat in the driver's seat of a car and told his kids he was going to learn to drive.
They all laughed.
"How on Earth are you going to drive?" they asked.
So he went to a Greenville hospital to learn to use hand controls to drive. A teacher taught him to drive around an empty parking lot.
It terrified him. His thoughts fled back to that night, glitching on the memory of a car slamming into him. But after several hours, he ventured onto an old road, then a two-way street and last a highway.
But driving at home meant driving on that very road, rounding that exact curve. Even 21 years later, he still gets flashbacks, especially if a car is rounding the bend when he does.
Today, makeshift crosses dot the curve. He wonders what his cross would have looked like.
"Every time I pass those crosses, I think one should have been mine," he says.
Helping others
He bought a used van and a used lift and installed the device himself, rewiring it and fixing damaged parts.
He repairs his own hand controls, his originals from 20 years ago. He installed a lift at the Masonic lodge where he's a master and Brenda a matron.
"I get around just because I have electrical abilities and mechanical abilities," Reese says. "Otherwise, I would still have to rely on my wife."
But one day in 2004, he blew a tire on his wheelchair. It was almost Christmas, and everything was closed.
He called the Disability Resource Center in North Charleston, which ran a loan closet for people who couldn't afford durable medical equipment or needed emergency loaners. The technician told Reese to bring his chair on in. It was Christmas Eve.
"No charge," the man said. "That's what we do. We help people in emergency need."
He mentioned he was moving and needed a replacement.
"Well, look no further," Reese said.
Hope for a van
Reese spent five years fixing equipment for folks as far away as China until he suffered a severe infection in his spine.
Today, the grandfather of five lives on disability income. It pays the bills, although barely.
Trouble is, his 1992 Chevy van, the one he modified himself, leaks oil and water. He can't afford to replace it, so he drives fearful of breaking down someplace where he can't get around.
Then he heard about Local Heroes, a contest held by the sponsors of the National Mobility Awareness Month.
In it, people vote for stories from those who need the prizes: one of three wheelchair-accessible vans.
Brian Reese helped his dad submit his story.
Yet the elder Reese just sees himself as a regular guy who went through something millions do.
One in three people will be involved in a drunken driving crash in his lifetime. Every day, 27 people in the United States die in one, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Recently, Reese logged in to check how many votes his story had received. He wound up reading other people's instead.
"My heart goes out," he says. "I want to vote for some of them."
Reach Jennifer Hawes at 937-5563, follow her on Twitter at @JenBerryHawes or subscribe to her at facebook.com/jennifer.b.hawes.
Reese transitions from a praise-and-worship time in church to the service at Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, where he is a deacon.×
Reese says goodbye to two of his five children as he leaves Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston.×
Gene Reese greets Ruth Waring, a member of Ashley Missionary Baptist Church.×
Goose Creek resident Gene Reese prays at the altar of Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston with his family.×
Gene Reese and his wife, Brenda, arrive at Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, where Reese is a deacon. He worries that his aging, handicap-equipped van will break down and leave him stranded.×
Gene Reese arrives at Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, where he is a deacon. He worries that his aging handicap-equipped van will break down and leave him stranded.×
Gene Reese and his wife, Brenda, arrive at Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston where Reese is a deacon. He worries that his aging handicap-equipped van will break down and leave him stranded.×
Goose Creek resident Gene Reese is too tall for the van he equipped himself with a lift and often hits his head coming and going. However, he worries the aging van will not be running much longer and cannot afford to replace it.×
Gene Reese and fellow deacon Johnny Fields lead Sunday School at Ashley Missionary Baptist Church.×
Gene Reese Sr. prays at the altar of Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charlest with his family. ( Leroy Burnell/postandcourier.com/4/21/2013 )×
Gene Reese Sr. transitions from a praise-and-worship time in church to the service at Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston where Reese is a deacon. ( Leroy Burnell/postandcourier.com/4/21/2013 )×
Gene Reese Sr. works on the control arm of an electric wheelchair in 2009 when he was still volunteering to repair used wheelchairs for the Disability Resource Center, which provided them for people who cannot afford to purchase their own. (Brad Nettles/staff) 1/30/09×
Goose Creek resident Gene Reese Sr. is too tall for the handicapped-equipped van he equipped himself with a lift and often hits his head coming and going from it. However, he worries the aging van will not be running much longer and cannot afford to replace it. ( Leroy Burnell/postandcourier.com/4/21/2013 )×
Gene Reese Sr. and his wife, Brenda, arrive at Ashley Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston where Mr. Reese is a deacon. He worries that his aging handicapped-equipped van will break down and leave him stranded somewhere. ( Leroy Burnell/postandcourier.com/4/21/2013 )×


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County names EMA leader
January 11, 2013
LISBON — The Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency has a new director whose special skills will come in handy should al-Qaeda invade....
If they would have given Darren that 9k bump along with the Tim none of this would have happened. Now we are weaker than ever until the new guy gets up to fema speed and a real deputy is hired. Hopefully he will stay considering the last 5 or so people quit in less than a year. Ever wonder why there haven't been any grants approved lately? The direct result of commissioners bad business decisions. It's going to be a while before the ema meets fed grant status again.
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What Columbiana County needed was the best qualified individual for this extremely important position. Most people do not realize how the right individual can make things happen correctly in time of disaster. I wish this young man the very best as he served his country well and now will serve Columbiana County. It is too bad that the commissioners could not have given an increase to Mr. Dodson when he asked so he looked for other employment and accepted a position. The starting wage of the director now is $59, 000 and is a slap in the face to Mr. Dodson who was making $50,000 and was fully trained and qualified with lots of experience. Another disturbing issue is the politics. I know for a fact that there were resumes received from other military members for this position by the 8/3/12 deadline with college degrees and were qualified with their emergency experiences and received letters stating the position was filled. Early August this position was not filled, why sign the letters MS
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***addition comments from last post** letters MS. Dillard saying so? Just say "A further review of all candidates is still needed". Another go around with qualified civil applicants were also turned down at the end of October (look at the 11/1 Article). Why? A possibility of holding this position open for a friend coming off of active duty. Again, I wish this young man the best but too bad for the apparent politics that took place. It is a shame Columbiana. Please learn from this lesson with the hiring process and the politics.
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It appears Mike Halleck has created chaos since he was elected and the other two kow-tow to him.
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There were applicants after the deadline.
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Joe Czonka was quoted here saying someone super qualified was supposed to surface before the elections. There you have it.
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The soon-to-be groom, 31, who is engaged to Jessica Biel, is due back in the States Sunday after his extra-long (border-crossing) weekend with a posse of 25 pals.
A dressed-down Timberlake and his company, which included longtime pal Trace Ayala, arrived at the Mexican bachelor destination Friday.
After keeping it low-key with a planned game of golf Saturday, Timberlake's crew, who stayed seaside at the El Dorado Golf & Beach Club, were due to go out one last time that night before heading home.
What Happens In Vegas…But for Timberlake, the festivities began in – where else? – Las Vegas on Thursday with his partygoers all decked out in suits, a la the Rat Pack. His crew started off with dinner at Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Resort's Sinatra, an Italian restaurant featuring photographs of (decorated ladies' man) Frank Sinatra on the walls and films starring the late actor.
Following dinner, the group headed to Surrender Nightclub, where "JT was all smiles, though he stayed hidden" in a private outdoor cabana, a source tells PEOPLE.
Sipping 901 Tequila throughout the night, the Trouble with the Curve actor stayed tame (and clothed) as several of his buddies stripped down to their swim attire and jumped into the adjacent private pool overlooking the 60,000-sq. ft. nightclub.
"It was definitely JT's bachelor party," adds a source, who says multiple members of the group were overheard referencing the party as the reason they were in Las Vegas.
Though not a part of Timberlake's party, producer-rapper Timbaland was also at the club and went over to his old friend (and recurrent music collaborator) to send his wishes.
Later, the group made a late-night stop at Wynn Las Vegas's Tryst Nightclub.
Although the couple has not revealed a date for their big day, as of July, Biel, 30, insisted she wasn't in wedding-planning mode.
"I'm just enjoying being engaged," said Biel, whose plans to wed Timberlake made headlines in January. "You're in this romantic, ahhhhh, breathless moment that I'm just trying to extend as long as possible."