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The Office for Academic Integrity provides students and faculty with information and resources that promote and maintain UFV's commitment to Academic Integrity. As well, we handle informal facilitated resolutions and formal appeals by providing information and managing the process for students and faculty with regard to appeals of misconduct issues and appeals arising from conflicts over student evaluation, placement, transfer, accommodation of disability, admission, course challenge, academic policy, and assessment. The process is determined by the Student Academic Misconduct Policy (70).Whenever possible, the Director will endeavour to reconcile appeals and complaints at the informal stage by using a variety of resolution methods. Please note the Director is not an advocate for either students or faculty but a facilitator for the resolution of appeals and complaints.The Academic Integrity office is guided by the principle of natural justice, which is interpreted as ensuring procedural fairness. The appeals process ensures that both parties will know the evidence in advance, will be given the opportunity to speak about their side of the case, and to have unbiased decision makers.This site is intended to be used as a tool to provide students and faculty with information about academic appeals and academic integrity and misconducts.
UFV recognizes that students have the right to appeal decisions and practices that directly affect their academic standing. The Final Grade Appeal Guide and the Final Grade Appeals Policy (217) available on the website will help you to understand the appeal process and organize your appeal.Faculty and staff members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Final Grade Appeals Policy and the appeals process.If you have questions regarding academic appeals, contact the Office of Academic Integrity and Appeals.
Students at UFV must take responsibility for ensuring they meet the requirements for academic integrity and for avoiding academic misconduct. The UFV community expects that all members will meet and maintain the highest standards of academic honesty.Therefore, students who are uncertain if they are violating the Student Conduct Policy have an obligation to seek advice, preferably from their instructor. Further advice can be sought from department or program heads and the Office for Academic Integrity and Appeals. A lack of familiarity with the Senate Policy or with the appropriate standards of academic honesty on the part of a student does not constitute a defense against its application.NOTE: The role of the Academic Integrity and Appeals office is to handle academic appeals and misconduct appeals. Issues concerning harassment will be referred on (please see the Harassment Prevention Policy 110.05) and students alleging instances of instructor misconduct will be forwarded to the relevant Dean.
If you are not sure which policy or procedure is most relevant to your concern or if you have any questions, consult with the Academic Integrity and Appeals office.


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Do you have an avatar and what do you think of the 3D world? The [URL="http://fixunix.com/www.FountainBlue.biz"]FountainBlue[/URL] had held today it's annual event, that gathered startups, enterprise companies and individuals that are excited about the opportunities in the virtual world application space. The virtual world is getting its adoption in gaming (both desktop and mobile), educational, healthcare, and overall collaborative environment spaces. Players in the space include Comcast, Sony, Sun, and of course startups like Masher Media, ISO Interactive, KohdSpace, among others.
There are multiple technologies involved in building the virtual world applications. Unity is often a preferred choice for 3D game development, Java is often in the list for programming languages, and for deployment [URL="http://www.projectdarkstar.com/"]Darkstar[/URL] is used for massively scaled multi-player networking layer. Sun's [URL="https://lg3d-wonderland.dev.java.net/"]Project Wonderland[/URL] demo was focused on how to use open-source toolkit for creating collaborative 3D virtual world, and here is how it looks.

subset: commoncrawl


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an annoyingly clueless and perfectly coiffed hipster; spends more money on adornment and haircuts than on food.
I can't stand these wannabe-Jet loser coolsie fucktards. I mean, won't that haircut look ridiculous when they're in their jammies and not those stripey tops and all-over denim?
作者 peachy keen 2005年2月22日
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Tense, ugly, riveting debate unfolds in the Dallas City Council briefing room ahead of vote on city judges
Leading up to Mayor Mike Rawlings' surprising reversal of field on the judge issue this morning, Dallas City Council members put on one of the ugliest and most riveting debates in recent memory.
Sandy Greyson kicked it off with this: "I know this is gonna pass because there's at least eight votes."
She, like most everyone else, apparently figured Rawlings was going to stick with his straw vote two weeks ago. Of course, he didn't, but we'll get to that later.
Greyson went on to say how troubled she was by the proposal to expand the court by one part-time and two full-time municipal judges in order to add three specific judges who did not make the cut during the council's first vote (before Jasso reversed position).
Ann Margolin seconded that notion: "I feel very strongly that what's happening here is wrong."
Then came Angela Hunt, who let loose with a blistering address to those council members supporting the judge additions. The targets of her speech came back with angry tirades of their own. But first, Hunt:
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TYRONE - Companies in the Tyrone Industrial Park could receive a five-year break on property taxes for improvements made under a proposal approved by several taxing bodies on Wednesday.
Property owned by Albemarle Corp., Chicago Rivet & Machine Co., Gardners Candies and Dixon Tool & Die Co. Inc. would be part of a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance zone, which is designed to encourage economic development by providing temporary tax breaks.
Representatives of Tyrone Area school board, Snyder Township supervisors and Blair County commissioners voted for the LERTA zone at a public hearing on Wednesday. A quorum of each group had to be present and vote affirmatively.
Because Tyrone Borough Council didn't have a quorum present, it will have to vote at a separate hearing before its scheduled March 11 meeting.
The state LERTA program allows local taxing authorities to temporarily exempt businesses' improvement projects from property taxes for up to 10 years. In this case, the breaks will only last for five years, Altoona-Blair County Development Corp. President and CEO Martin J. Marasco said.
He emphasized that businesses in the LERTA district will continue paying their current real estate taxes. "This only applies to an abatement on [new projects]," he said.
Under the abatement, the businesses will pay zero property taxes on improvements the first year, increasing incrementally until, by the sixth year, they're paying taxes for all of the improvements.
Patrick Miller, ABCD Corp. executive vice president, told representatives the industrial park meets the criteria for LERTA because it includes parcels of underutilized or vacant land.
Miller and Marasco said while they originally planned to focus on Albemarle Corp.'s $30 million expansion announced last month, other projects in the industrial park have been announced or discussed.
Gardners Candies announced a manufacturing facility expansion Feb. 27, and Marasco said Bill Dixon of Dixon Tool & Die, along with JMD Company directors - whose business is located on Dixon's property - have been in talks with a Pittsburgh company about adding a facility on the third portion of Dixon's property, which currently is vacant land.
Miller said it makes sense for the LERTA to be associated with all four properties because if plans moved forward only for Albemarle Corp., there's a good chance the other companies would too.
"We do know additional economic activity is going to occur within that park, and it is our opinion that if we would move forward with a single-purpose LERTA ... we would be doing this over and over and over again," Miller said.
Because Chicago Rivet's owners have not announced expansion plans, there's no benefit to them unless they want to make improvements within the next five years, Marasco said.
Miller said while there is a termination date for the LERTA zone, "if any of the companies would pull a permit before the actual termination date, they would be entitled to their five-year LERTA."
"Their clock would begin to tick when their building permit was pulled and stamped," he said.
Now that the boundaries have been approved, each taxing body must vote separately, either through an ordinance or resolution, to adopt LERTA as a whole.
Although a portion of Albemarle Corp.'s property stands in Snyder Township, all of its taxes go to Tyrone Borough.
So, while supervisors Robert Nelson and board President Charles Diehl were required to, and so voted, to adopt LERTA's boundaries, Diehl added that the taxes in Snyder Township will not be affected.
Mirror Staff Writer Kelly Cernetich is at 946-7520.


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Lee Nelson
Gloucester Guildhall, Gloucester
Lee Nelson: Serious Joker
Lee Nelson: Serious Joker
What people are saying about Lee Nelson
Rated 5 out of 5 by Mama Dee from Lee Nelson #legend I wen to see Lee Nelson @thelowrytheatre in Manchester. He is so talented, i lmao ..so funny. Would go & see him again.
Date published: 2016-02-09
Rated 5 out of 5 by LNaomiW from Brilliant! Loved it! I took my mum for her Birthday, and she loved it! I also enjoyed the experience. The show was awesome, Lee Nelson was great, and so funny, he held it down so well, considering there was a lot of heckling coming from a few drunk people. I think maybe limit the alcohol at the bar if people come across too drunk. I wasn't too sure I'd enjoy Lee as much as I did, but i was nicely surprised, he was brilliant! But all in all I would defiantly come again, and will indeed look out for more shows.
Date published: 2016-02-13
Rated 5 out of 5 by Trev and Ann from Our first theatre event this year We rarely go to theatre events unless its something we think will be excellent or of interest to us. We had seen Lee Nelson on TV and thought we might enjoy seeing him live. We never stopped laughing through the whole show, and his interaction with the audience (especially considering the small theatre) was amazing. The kind of show you could quite easily go to again because the audience would be different for him to interact with.
Date published: 2016-05-02
Rated 5 out of 5 by Merton Parker SW20 from 'Well Good' - the maturing Cheeky Chav hits the mark. Travelled 50 miles with the Trouble & Strife for a reminder of what a classically genuinely nice comedian can be without using one swear word - Lee/Simon shows his underlying sophistication and would not offend teenagers right through to octogenarian- a real family pleaser.
Date published: 2016-04-15
Rated 5 out of 5 by Charley1601 from First comedy event, and definitely won't be my last! Bought two tickets for myself and my father as a Christmas present. Delivery was great, no problems whatsoever. The event was much better than expected. It was the first comedy event both of us had been two and we didn't stop laughing all night. Honestly a great night out!
Date published: 2016-03-14
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sarah89 from Laughed out loud for the whole show Really good night out. Like the way the humour was based around interaction with the audience. Be prepared to be the butt of a few jokes. We laughed continuously. One of the best, if not the best, stand up show we have seen.
Date published: 2016-03-28
Rated 5 out of 5 by Sidmouth Sam from Fantastic show. Tickets arrived in plenty of time. Venue was great and the comedian was fantastic. Lee Nelson had us laughing all the way through and great banter with the audience. Would definitely see him again.
Date published: 2016-04-04
Rated 5 out of 5 by Brydie from Very funny show Very funny show, went as one of my partner Christmas gifts. I was unsure but I absolutely loved it. Couldn't stop laughing!!! Top show
Date published: 2016-04-11


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Organizers of the Wisconsin State Fair announced Monday the addition of Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience to the opening night of the fair.
Bonham, son of famed Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, will join the previously announced Heart performance on Aug. 1.
Bonham performed the Zeppelin song "Stairway To Heaven" with Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart in December at the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Led Zeppelin.
Organizers said the performance will feature a 30-minute tribute to Led Zeppelin at the end of the show.
Tickets for Heart with Jason Bonham sell for $25 and $35 and include admission to the State Fair. Tickets are available online at www.wistatefair.com or at the ticket office located at 7722 W. Greenfield Ave.


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someone who is inconceivably great, consistently excellent and superior to everyone in every way and also gets mad dick/vag by just being who they are
Jennika beats Usain Bolt in a race, Usain says "Damn Jennika, I suck compared to you. You are a blessyute."
door jennikasnumberonefan 14 oktober 2013
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What an NFL Draft run for the Palmetto State.
Clemson running back C.J. Spiller was the ninth overall pick in 2010. A pair of former Lowcountry high school stars – Summerville's A.J. Green and Fort Dorchester's Robert Quinn – went in the 2011 first round.
The 2012 draft marked the first time since 1981 that two South Carolina Gamecocks – Stephon Gilmore and Melvin Ingram – were picked in the first round.
Next year is all about Jadeveon Clowney, the Gamecocks' All-Planet pass rusher.
But 2013 isn't bad for an NFL Draft "off year." Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins made 48 consecutive one-handed catches on ESPN's "Sports Science" this week and, more impressively, might go in the first round Thursday night. South Carolina's D.J. Swearinger and Clemson's Andre Ellington (Berkeley High School) are likely early picks. Wherever Marcus Lattimore goes in the draft, the South Carolina running back and his recovery from knee surgery is a major draft storyline.
State natives among top draft prospects include Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (Rock Hill) and LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery (Greenwood).
Here are the top draft candidates from South Carolina and Clemson, and a selection projection:
THURSDAY (Round 1)
DeAndre Hopkins
School: Clemson
Position: Wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-1, 214
Note: A junior with great hands, "Nuk" vaulted out of Sammy Watkins' shadow last season, an 18-touchdown year capped with his famed fourth-and-16 catch against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Hopkins was involved in an NFL Combine controversy last week when his name was connected to a trashed Indianapolis hotel room (he vehemently denied accusations).
What they're saying: "He's got really soft hands and knows how to position his body," said NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt, the former Dallas Cowboys personnel director.
FRIDAY (Rounds 2-3)
D.J. Swearinger
School: South Carolina
Position: Safety
Height/Weight: 5-11, 208
Note: A fearless and fierce hitter with coverage and blitzing skills, Swearinger plays better than his size and modest Combine numbers.
What they're saying: "He plays with confidence," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said. "He's a rough, tough kid. And then you have to have the computer numbers to justify it, and he has. When you look at him on paper and you compare his numbers at 208 pounds, he plays, I think, faster than his times, anyway. And you look at his production and his consistency, and you've got to think second round. That's where I have him projected."
Andre Ellington
School: Clemson
Position: Running back
Height/Weight: 5-10, 199
Note: When healthy, Ellington was one of the nation's best running backs over the last three seasons: 3,436 rushing yards, 33 touchdowns and 59 receptions. Plus, he's a good kick returner. Durability — Ellington pulled a hamstring at the NFL Combine – has been a problem.
What they're saying: "He can catch a football; he's tougher than people think," The NFL Network's Mike Mayock told Michigan Live. "He would protect (Detroit Lions quarterback) Matt Stafford. He would give up his body to block for him."
Marcus Lattimore
School: South Carolina
Position: Running back
Height/weight: 6-0, 225
Note: Almost everyone is pulling for Lattimore to bounce back in the NFL after a horrific knee injury suffered last fall against Tennessee. Lattimore's recovery is going better than expected but there is no target date.
What they're saying: "Everything has been progressing perfect," Lattimore said. "I know I'll be back playing football, no doubt. One team is going to believe in me. I know that."
SATURDAY (Rounds 4-7)
Malliciah Goodman
School: Clemson
Position: Defensive end
Height/Weight: 6-4, 275
Note: Underachieved as a senior – until his three sacks against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Ace Sanders
School: South Carolina
Position: Wide receiver/return specialist
Height/Weight: 5-7, 175
Note: Junior star of the Gamecocks' Outback Bowl victory over Michigan is most likely to make his NFL impact in the return game.
DeVonte Holloman
School: South Carolina
Position: Outside linebacker
Height/Weight: 6-2, 245
Note: Typical pluses and minuses for a "tweener" who isn't quite a strong safety but has enough strength to take on blockers as a linebacker.
Devin Taylor
School: South Carolina
Position: Defensive end
Height/Weight: 6-7, 268
Note: Scouts love the basketball wingspan and intelligence, but not the inconsistency.
Dalton Freeman
School: Clemson
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-5, 294
Note: A smart, agile player who will have to add bulk to ward off massive NFL interior linemen.
Rashard Hall
School: Clemson
Position: Safety
Height/Weight: 6-2, 210
Note: Made some big plays and can deliver ball-jarring hits but consistency was an issue.
Reach Gene Sapakoff at 937-5593 or on Twitter @sapakoff
Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (6) misses catch under pressure from LSU linebacker Lamin Barrow (57) during the second half of the Chick-fil-A Bowl NCAA college football game, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)×


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After having my first daughter, Leah, I was told, "Just wait for the terrible twos."
For some odd reason, you always seem to get your fair share of unsolicited advice when you're a first time parent.
After sailing pretty smoothly through her second year, I took a sigh of relief and figured I had lucked out. It had been fairly easy. An occasional temper tantrum but nothing this mommy couldn't handle.
Little did I know what I was in for!
Why they call it the "terrible twos" and not the "terrible threes," I'll never understand. She can understand what we say, talk back, and manipulate things now, things that she couldn't comprehend at 2. We're only 5 months into 3 years old and I'm already ready for 4!
Leah is what we like to call ... spirited. She is so gentle, kind and loving but, boy, is she a spitfire. She knows exactly what she wants, when she wants it and how it needs to be done. And if you dare derail from that plan, you will pay for it.
Let me share some of the most recent "Leahisms."
Last week, we were in the kitchen baking some fun Halloween treats and she did not understand why she could not play with an egg like she would a ball.
Of course, the eggs had to be room temperature so they were sitting on the counter teasing her. After my many attempts at trying to distract her with a play egg from her pretend kitchen and holding the egg gently then putting it back on the counter and leaving it, it ended with her in her room screaming, crying, snot and tears running down her face, and the huffing and puffing from her trying to catch her breath. All of this over an EGG!!
And don't you dare pick out shoes that don't match her outfit or put on her princess dresses in the wrong order! Yes, she has to wear them all at once. She is very meticulous.
Then there's the, "Mommy I want to fly like Tinkerbell," talks. We even went as far as to buy her wings to make her feel better. But my sweet girl just doesn't understand why she can't fly like the Disney fairy.
Oh, to have the worries of a 3-year-old.
With all of the Halloween talk recently, she tells me multiple times a day that she wants to go to Halloween. No matter how many times I remind her, she doesn't get that we have to wait for Halloween to come to us. Mommy can't come to the rescue on this one and hop in the car and go to Halloween.
If only we could all have that sweet, innocent, loving heart of a 3-year-old. She sure does bring us a lot of laughs!
What silly things have come out of your little ones' mouths? Isn't it amazing to see how they perceive the world?!


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HOLLIDAYSBURG - Shooting from the 3-point arc is Lauren Donley's stock and trade, so her eyes lit up when she got an open look from the right wing late in the game.
"I wasn't surprised. We've been running our offense, and they've been getting me open," Donley said. "I knew it was going in."
Donley's intuition was spot on.
Article Photos
Mirror photo by J.D. Cavrich
McKenzie Hatch (left) and Darby Lee of Hippo-Fleming-Pertile (Altoona) fight for the ball with Morgan Jennings of McLanahan Corporation (Hollidaysburg).
Hippo-Fleming-Pertile Law Offices used its strength inside to build a commanding lead in the second half but its perimeter play to hold on at the end for a 55-51 win over defending champion McLanahan Corporation (Hollidaysburg Area High School) in the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA Women's Basketball Summer League High School Division championship on Sunday at the Reliance Bank Gymnasium.
The victory avenged a setback in the regular season for Hippo-Fleming-Pertile, Altoona Area High School's entry into the league. Hartford recruit Darby Lee of Hippo-Fleming-Pertile paced all scorers with 19 points, all coming from near the basket.
"We knew from the beginning that it was going to be a hard game, but we look forward to it. I would expect nothing less from a Hollidaysburg game," Lee said. "The key thing is just to keep your composure in that situation."
Hippo-Fleming-Pertile handled the mental pressure twice - although it had some issues handling the full-court pressure McLanahan's applied to erase a nine-point deficit in the last 8 minutes. McLanahan even secured a 49-48 advantage when Alexis Palfey passed to Morgan Jennings for a tough fall-away jumper with about 2 minutes to play.
Around a minute later with the same score, Donley found herself all alone on the wing and got the ball to swish the go-ahead trey. Then, her younger sister, Sarah, found her filling the lane on the fast break for a layup that made it 53-49.
"It feels good that I can score in other ways [than just 3-pointers]," said Lauren Donley, who finished with 11 points and three treys.
Jennings scored again to cut the difference to two points, and Hippo-Fleming-Pertile turned the ball over twice to give McLanahan an opportunity to tie. Courteney Storm's 3-pointer from the top of the key was off, though, and Palfey couldn't covert the follow.
"I thought it was open. I just didn't hit it when I should have," said Storm, who scored 10 points to join Jennings (14) and Ashley McClain (11) in double figures.
McLanahan's pressure paid immediate dividends to completely change the complexion of the game. Hippo-Fleming-Pertile turned the ball over the first three times it faced the press and ended up with six against it in 8 minutes.
"We knew there was plenty of time to come back. We just kept working hard," Storm said.
Trailing for most of the first half, Hippo-Fleming-Pertile took control in the first 10 minutes of the second behind its post players. Lee, freshman Alayna Biesecker and Rachel Dibert combined for 32 points.
H-F-P coach Jill Helsel tried to keep her players from getting flustered when they were down at halftime.
"She pretty much just said, 'Keep doing what you're doing,''' Lee said. "'You're down, you need to get up.' We just came out and got it back."
Hollidaysburg swept Altoona in three games during the 2012-13 high school season but graduated five of its top seven players. Judging by the competitiveness of Sunday's game, though, the series in 2013-14 still might be pretty exciting.
"I think just by being in the championship shows we have the ability to be good," Storm said. "Losing to Altoona is always going to be bitter. It's a big rival."
MCLANAHAN CORPORATION (51): McClain 3 4-4 11, Palfey 4 0-0 9, Storm 4 2-2 10, Jennings 6 2-5 14, Scheel 0 2-4 2, Davis 1 0-0 3, Hurliman 0 0-0 0, Kirsch 0 2-2 2, Haupt 0 0-0 0. Totals - 18 12-17 51.
HIPPO-FLEMING-PERTILE LAW OFFICES (55): Hatch 2 1-3 6, S. Donley 0 2-3 2, L. Donley 4 0-1 11, Lee 9 1-4 19, Biesecker 4 1-2 9, Dibert 1 2-2 4, Mayhue 0 1-2 1, Caracciolo 0 0-0 0, Knab 1 0-0 3, Muffie 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals - 21 8-17 55.
Halftime: McLanahan Corporation, 29-25. 3-point goals: McLanahan Corporation 3 (Palfey, McClain, Davis); Hippo-Fleming-Pertile Law Offices 5 (L. Donley 3, Knab, Hatch).
Officials: Terri Piatak, Joe Bilka, Jack McDougal.


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Source: WSJ
quote: Not to say it's not a good phone, but a lot of those sales are to people who wouldn't know a good phone if it hit them in the head.
quote: Samsung marketing wins again.
quote: Even professional grade displays have to be calibrated out of the box. I guess those are crap too?
quote: AMOLED technology is far FAR superior technically to LCD. LCD is an obsolete technology that quite frankly should be phased out at this point.
quote: Reality check time, the Galaxy S3 destroys the One X in every performance metric and has more features.
quote: The GS3 screen does poor in sunlight
quote: Dont be butthurt.
quote: You can get a Nexus 4 with a better screen for much less.
quote: HTC's flagships cost about as much but you're getting much better displays with those, same with the Lumia 920 that I have, blows the GS3's away.
quote: Companies like HTC with great new products are getting buried because of it.
quote: Look I want to see this HTC vs Samsung thing put to a stop, it goes against EVERYTHING we're supposed to be about. Apple is the enemy, not each other! Samsung is doing it right, they are moving headsets and grabbing market share. They've done more than anyone to make Android a household name. Don't hate on them because you think HTC should be in their place, that's ridiculous. Cheer for HTC to get better, sure, but don't hate on Samsung wtf?
quote: Three friends got the GS3 last year and they grew to hate it due to how clunky the UI is, crashes, short battery life, and its terrible screen.
quote: The Android developer believes that TouchWiz now "feels like it has been sent a few years back in time to the Froyo days."
quote: If they took half their marketing budget and put it into a better display
quote: The self-validators have a hard time dealing with this.
quote: The people that care whether it's stock Android or not are the people that will put a custom ROM on it anyway. Most consumers have no idea what the differences are between the stock Android and Sense.


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Seek out 10 best secluded U.S. beaches
POSTED: 12:50 PM PDT Apr 11, 2012 UPDATED: 06:59 AM PDT Aug 02, 2013
If you love beaches but hate the crowds, Casual Living magazine offers up the 10 best secluded U.S. beaches.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.blog comments powered by Disqus


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5 Celebrities Who Get More Hate Than They Deserve (Part 4)
At least half of my job responsibilities at Cracked involve needlessly hating things. Of course, just like working the cash register at McDonald's doesn't necessarily mean a person enjoys Big Macs (gross), me writing a joke about an athlete or entertainer doesn't necessarily mean I agree with the prevailing public opinion about the subject of that joke. Sometimes I'm just doing my job.
Celebrities who get unreasonable amounts of hate are the main order of business on this week's Unpopular Opinion podcast ...
... where I'm joined by musician Danger Van Gorder of the band Countless Thousands and comic Delanie Fischer. Up first, we discuss ...
#5. Nicolas Cage
Ethan Miller/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Why All the Hate?
Is "hate" the right word as it pertains to public sentiment about Nicolas Cage? Maybe not, but "respect" certainly isn't the right word, either.
It used to be, though! Up until the last decade or so, Nicolas Cage was a highly regarded actor who made more good choices than bad when it came to selecting roles. It wasn't until the mid-2000s, when notoriously terrible movies like Ghost Rider and Wicker Man started making regular appearances in the Cage catalog, that things took a turn for the worse.
Just kidding, I know everyone loves Wicker Man.
From that point on, Nicolas Cage was recast as a tragic-head-injury-less version of Gary Busey, just spewing crazy on everyone and everything he encounters, all while squandering his vast Hollywood fortune on worthless trinkets and artifacts along the way. That would all be fine and well if his movies were still enjoyable, but more often than not, we strike out on that front as well.
Again, excluding Wicker Man.
To anyone with an interest in the matter, it's become painfully obvious that Nicolas Cage is making movies strictly for the paycheck these days. In short, Nicolas Cage has become a sad real-life embodiment of the deranged lunatics he was once (and now understandably is) so adept at portraying on screen.
Why He Doesn't Deserve It
Aziz Ansari and/or Chris Rock recently joked that being a comic is way harder than being a musician, because comics are expected to come up with completely new material constantly, whereas musicians can play the same hits for an entire career. I'm not sure who came up with that comparison first, but I think they're both wrong.
I suspect most musicians with any sort of back catalog to their credit would love nothing more than for their new stuff to become popular enough that people are content just hearing that, as opposed to screaming out requests for decades-old hits night after night. They probably wouldn't bother making new music if that wasn't the case. If your chief complaint as an entertainer is that fans expect and encourage you to try new things, you should examine your motivations for wanting to be an entertainer in the first place.
What does this have to do with Nicolas Cage? The answer, of course, is Neil Young.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Yes, of course.
In keeping with the spirit of this article, don't take the fact that I bashed his stupid "high-resolution music player" last week as some sort of sign that I dislike Neil Young. Quite the opposite. In the annals of music history, he's like my third or fourth favorite person ever, primarily because he's built a career on giving not a single shit if people actually enjoy the work he's doing. He doesn't record a weird '80s synthesizer-laden album full of electronic dance music and then hit the road to play "Heart of Gold" and "Cinnamon Girl" to throngs of adoring fans. No, he makes that album, puts on a skinny tie, plays that album in its entirety, and then records it all so you can still see it decades later on DVD.
It is a path he has been on his entire career. He has never wavered from it, and people love him for that, even if it means running the risk of being unexpectedly subjected to hearing a concept album about the environment in its entirety when you spend money to see him in concert.
For all intents and purposes, Nicolas Cage is the Neil Young of movies. Just like Neil Young, we tend to forget that, even back when it seemed like he was doing nothing but great work, a quick examination of the facts reveals that there has never been a time when Nicolas Cage wasn't shitting on his body of work by making movies so terrible that they border on self-sabotage. Sure, Neil Young mostly ruled in the early '70s, but he also followed up the biggest success of his career, the 1971 album Harvest, with a terrible movie with an equally terrible soundtrack by the name of Journey Through the Past.
With that in mind, can you remember what Nic Cage came back with after the one-two punch of Raising Arizona and Moonstruck? That's right, Vampire's Kiss, a movie you've never seen about a publishing executive who thinks he might be a vampire. As terrible as that movie might be, I can guarantee Nicolas Cage is the best thing about it.
That and the poster, obviously.
What I'm getting at here is that Nicolas Cage is not a once-great actor who destroyed his own legacy. Nicolas Cage is an unspeakably talented actor who takes a lot of chances without regard for how any of them might impact his reputation or career. Yes, he's hit a bit of a rough patch in terms of making "great" movies, but he's got a lot of years ahead of him. Many people had given up on Neil Young after he spent the entirety of the '80s making terrible music, only to welcome him back to work right at the end of the decade when "Rockin' in the Free World" came out and put him back in everyone's good graces.
Nicolas Cage will have another hit someday, and you will love him again when he does. What makes Nicolas Cage special is that, even then, he still won't give a shit what you think, and you'll know it when Wicker Man 2 comes out a few months later.
#4. Anne Hathaway
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty
Why All the Hate?
I don't know, you tell me. Why do so many people hate Anne Hathaway? That she's hated is not in dispute; there wouldn't be an entire BuzzFeed article on the subject if the hate wasn't real. BuzzFeed doesn't deal in trivia. They put together a rundown of some of the main reasons people online cited for their Hathaway hate.
Of course, in typical BuzzFeed fashion, the "article" features approximately 10 to 15 words actually written by BuzzFeed staff, none of which involve addressing the individual shots people fire in Anne Hathaway's direction. It's only because they think you're too stupid to read more than one paragraph at a time, though. No worries, if I was afraid of heavy lifting, I wouldn't be working here. Let's finish that BuzzFeed article for them.
Why She Doesn't Deserve It
Let's get the really controversial stuff out of the way right off the bat.
I don't really know how to address this one. Are we saying Anne Hathaway is ugly? She's not. I'm not sure what else to say. Forest Whitaker has a crazy eye, no one hates him for it, you know?
You sound stupid.
While I agree that it isn't the strongest screenplay she's ever written and her directing work was much better on Inception, it still seems like a bit of a stretch to blame the relative shittiness of The Dark Knight Rises on Anne Hathaway. At least part of the blame falls on the fact that it was a stupid movie. Beyond that, if you weren't satisfied with her portrayal of Catwoman, by all means, tell me who did it better?
Go ahead, say it!
Right, everyone sucks as Catwoman, because Catwoman is a stupid character. That said, you'd probably take the role too if you were an actor.
If you saw Love and Other Drugs, that's your fault, not Anne Hathaway's.
Citation needed? I don't know, but everything else is basically this said eight different ways. As far as I can tell, the biggest knock against Anne Hathaway is that there isn't anything to hate about her. That's definitely boring, but do we need to be such dicks about it?
#3. Liam and Noel Gallagher
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Why All the Hate?
Have you heard the rumors that '90s Brit-pop legends Oasis might be reuniting? Of course not, you're probably in the United States, which means you likely didn't even realize they kept making music after "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" ruined your summer almost two decades ago.
For a handful of folks here in the states (like me) and just about everyone in England, where Oasis is still popular enough that they set a U.K. record by selling 500,000 tickets for their 2009 tour in just seven hours, an Oasis reunion is huge news. For everyone else, it's a good reason to revisit all the reasons people learned to hate Oasis so much during their heyday.
Why They Don't Deserve It
Liam and Noel Gallagher, for lack of a better term, are a couple of cunts. Relax, ladies, it just means "jerk" in England or whatever. Kids say it in school and such. If anything, it's England's egregious and continued use of the term "fag" that should offend people.
Jason Oxenham/Getty Images News/Getty Images
It's a disgusting habit.
Anyway, people don't like the Gallagher brothers much, because the Gallagher brothers aren't very likable. Sure, most of their antics are right in line with the kind of thing that people adored about the Sex Pistols and bands of the like, but for some reason, people are a lot less tolerant of it coming from Oasis. Is it because Oasis also happens to "borrow" a good portion of their catalog from other artists? So do a lot of people, but to their credit, at least they aren't the Spice Girls with cheap guitars, which is a perfectly accurate description of the Sex Pistols, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
"Which one of you is Ginger?"
I've always seen Liam and Noel Gallagher's unspeakably terrible personalities as something else, though. To me, Oasis has always been an embodiment of the notion that love conquers all.
Including the need for manicured eyebrows.
Sure, if you get them in the same room for more than a few minutes, it's obvious that the two can barely stand to be around each other, but that just makes the fact that they stuck it out long enough to release seven albums over the course of a decade and a half all the more impressive. No matter how successful a band may be, they don't usually survive one member sitting in the balcony smoking cigarettes, drinking whiskey, and heckling the other members loudly just a few short hours after dropping out of a televised concert with claims of a sore throat.
Yes, that happened to Oasis, and no, I don't know the exact spot in that 45 minute video where you can see it. I'm sure some helpful Oasis fan in the comments section will have the answer you seek, though. Anyway, Kurt Cobain would've shot Dave Grohl in the head for pulling a stunt like that, and coming from anyone else, Noel Gallagher most certainly would have as well. Liam Gallagher is his brother, though, and no matter how much of a bloody cunt he may be, at the end of the day, those two will always love each other. They even wrote a song about it.
Are the Gallagher brothers assholes? No, but only because the proper term is "arseholes" where they come from. Beyond that, yes, totally. That doesn't make watching them pretend to hate each other any less enjoyable, though.


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Las Venturas City Planning Department
Redirected from Las Venturas Planning Department
this wiki
The Las Venturas City Planning Department is a municipal government building located near the Come-A-Lot casino in southeastern Las Venturas. This is the main setting of the mission Architectural Espionage, and is only accessible to the player during this mission. Blueprints for major building sites are contained within these offices, which are closely watched by guards carrying pistols. Photography within this building is strictly prohibited, as are unconcealed weapons.
The clock behind the receptionist reads and stays at 7:35, even though time moves at one minute per second of real-time in the game.
The "First Aid" room on the 3rd floor doesn't contain a life-restoring power-up nor a bulletproof vest, as some players are led to believe by the signage of the door.
Therefore, the only way to replenish your health in this building is by buying snacks from the vending machines opposite the room for $1 each.
Guard: "Put that weapon away, sir, this is a public building!"
(After a few moments, if the player has not put the weapon away) "This is your last warning, sir. Put that weapon away!"
(After putting the weapon away) "Thank you for your co-operation sir"
- In several rooms on the top floor, the blueprints of Starkweather's Estate from Manhunt can be seen.


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Residents protest: Addition to proposed subdivision a traffic concern
April 22, 2013
MARTINSBURG — Several residents surrounding a proposed subdivision are unhappy with the potential impact of the project, and they voiced their displeasure during a public hearing held during a recen......
Why doesn't the article include the developer's name? I just did a google search and found it is Rushmire LTD in the Channel Islands--not a US corp.
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No it is that we are sick of out-of-towners like major coming here to tell us how they think things should be. We also don't care to be exploited by a company that intends to offshore its earnings to avoid taxes. We all get stuck with paying for the infrastructure while the developer pays profits but pays zilch.
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Sorry, *reaps* profits but pays zilch. Sticking us with the bill to build more roads and schools and pay for more police is what's not cool.
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Great. It will turn N. Rt. 11 into the same mess as S. Berkeley. Just keep dumping in housing with no thought as to where to the kids will go to school, where the traffic is going to go, the water issues, cable...Ugh...We have kids schooling in mobile pods now in S. Berkeley and it takes like a half an hour to get through two stoplights in Inwood at certain times because of this very lack of planning....
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Another traffic light to stop traffic in the middle of the night for no reason. Gotta love the thought process that a traffic light solves all travel woes.
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Mo Money for the county council. Thats all that matters. Don't worry about the infrastructure. Hold on, I'll ask Ma what she thinks. She says you could build it in Martinsburg. Their city council has no problem with adding another tax levy to their citizens. They are use to it!! Have to pay for all those retirements at age 50 you know.
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I think proving ur personal property has been transferred to the state your buying a house need to be proving at closing most of these potential homes will be occupied but MD and va person who will not register so will not contribute to the area at a tax level but will utilize public school and public school transportation this is just one factor in the continue to build. If they would just slow it down maybe the value of house will rise in this area and honestly in the big picture ask your self why would developing this area be so active when there are little local jobs. the police force and teachers are being reduced. Seems Martinsburg is becoming a living pad for functional localities.Its discouraging because there are so many empty buildings business and otherwise that we continue to use our resources for senseless having what you want. And the quality of some of these promised developments you drive through them and after the first Round of forclosure they are not what was planne
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What did the planning and zoning have in their master plan for the county?
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Danner, So don't stop at the light if you don't like the color. That seems to be the new game around here. Either don't stop for it or go through it at the last second when it is just turning from Green to Red. Set at the intersection of 9/11/45 sometime and watch, there are often two or three vehicles that will go through a light after it changes. Many of them are cement carriers from a certain county concern. Sometimes traffic leaves the stop light at K Mart and is going 55-65 miles an hour when it hits the top of the hill. I keep waiting for a school bus from Berkeley Heights to get hit there.e
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The developer acquired the adjacent property and wants to enlarge the neighborhood. There's no zoning in Berkeley County. Single family homes make better neighbors that used car lots or strip clubs. I'd be thrilled.
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Really? I wasn't suggesting that cable would be harmed. I was one of the last people to get cable when it finally came to the area, because it took years to run it. I was suggesting that perhaps, along with the overall infrastructure, that cable, water, schools, roads, etc., would not be prepared for more housing, as S. Berkeley clearly wasn't. And your politics don't impress me. Getting us out of one mess by digging us into another is not favorable to those of us left to deal with the ramifications and day-to-day of it all. Instead of sitting on here all day, making snarky remarks, get into your car at about 2:50pm & go to CVS in Inwood, and after you've exited & driven back home, talk to me again about your gubment, and extremists. For some of us, this is just logistics, or a lack thereof.
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"...So don't stop at the light if you don't like the color."
You're right about people just blowing through them. I tend to do better than some of the others. What gripes me is that after about 7 or 8 in the evening, most of the lights around here could be switched to a flashing light. It's frustrating to be coming home from a trouble call at 2 AM (I'm in the technical world & take calls at all hours of the day & night), with NOBODY else on the road (except cops & the occasional drunk) and the stupid traffic light flips to red. Why? Other areas (Hagerstown for example) set many of their lights up as a timed event. I've talked to local WVDOH & get transfered to a guy in Burlington who doesn't seem to understand the concept. It's as if they are in a whole other world.
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The only thing that matters is that the residents had the opinions/concerns shared. Now, bring in the dozers and let's build some roads and houses!!!
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A million new residents then there will be. All without water because you have taken thee. Who are these millions the locals ask in vain, Ma says they are the transplants while holding her cane. Why don't they return from where they came, because that place they destroyed and left in shame. Stay thirsty my friends!!
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The jobs created by building the new homes are temporary. The people who will buy and live them will likely not work in our counties or anywhere near here; they will commute into the city, merely adding to the traffic congestion locally and otherwise, while we will still be sitting here pondering how to stuff more children into the overcrowded classrooms of the overcrowded schools. If people are so gung ho about temporary jobs as the fix-it for everything, how about building a few more schools for people who already reside here instead of doing everything backwards.
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Perhaps after this is approved these concerned residents will question why they voted in County Commissioners who are developers just because they had a R next to their name.
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Couldn't have said it better myself!
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Showing 17 of 17 comments


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Sources: KCNA, CNN
quote: Its not Obama or just one person attempting to mandate gun control laws.
quote: How have you not heard about this, by now?
quote: "Because aside from Fox News and some Internet sources..."
quote: Its laughable that Mark "Michael Moore" Kelly staged purchasing purchasing an AR and then complain about how easy it was. Mark Kelly has compartmentalized clearance and no background check red flags!
quote: Not sure why you got rated down. We all know you're pulling hard for the right, but what you said is proven fact.
quote: THE ONLY WAY THIS PLAN WOULD WORK WAS FOR INNOCENT MEXICAN CITIZENS TO DIE AT THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS WHO OBTAINED THESE GUNS! So, yeah, the Obama administration's plan was for Mexicans to die in the hopes that public opinion here would change. Pretty sick stuff.


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The Proper Way to Store Food in Your Fridge (02:03)
Putting away the groceries may seem like a no-brainer, but storing everything correctly in the fridge can help your food stay fresher. For example, did you know that some veggies won't last long stored next to some fruits? In this CHOW Tip, Suzy Brannon of CHOW.com gives you the lowdown on what to put where so that your provisions don't spoil. Click here for more info from CHOW.com on the best way to store food in your refrigerator.
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The spillway for Andy Johnson's dam says, "In God we trust" on one side, and "United we stand," on the other.
Four American flags wave over the spillway. A welder by trade, Johnson designed and built the spillway himself.
"That's just who we are around here," he said.
Johnson and his wife, Katie have lived on the property near Fort Bridger, Wyo. They built the pond on Six Mile Creek in 2011 to provide water for their cattle and horses, and a place for their family, including daughters ages 4, 9 and 12, to swim and fish.
When Johnson started the project, he worked with the state and local engineers' offices to make sure he complied with all the regulations.
Rick Deuell, surface water administrator with the Wyoming State Engineer's Office, said, "He applied for a permit for a stock water pond. That was approved. He complied with all the Wyoming State Engineer's Office regulations."
He said his office sends a notice to all permit applicants stating they are responsible for determining if any further permits are required from other agencies.
Johnson said they do indeed do this–now.
"They changed the permitting process after this case. They send out a certified letter stating that any other permit required is the responsibility of the property owner. I did not receive that letter. Both the state agency and the local engineer's office have learned a tremendous amount throughout this case. At this point nobody actually knows if we truly do need a 404 permit or not. That's pretty much what the whole case is about."
A Section 404 permit is required by the Corps of Engineers, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, for the discharge of dredged or fill material into water of the U.S., including wetlands. Certain activities, including construction and maintenance of farm or stock ponds, are exempt from Section 404 requirements, according to the water.epa.gov website.
However, if the activity represents a new use of the water, and the activity would result in a reduction in reach or impairment of flow or circulation of regulated waters, including wetlands, the activity is not exempt.
Deuell said the application for a stock pond is one of the most common his office deals with.
Johnson said, "I know hundreds—literally hundreds — of people in my state who have put in a pond like this without a permit from the EPA. In fact, I'm one of the few who have acquired a state permit for a pond. We're trying to go about this the right way. It's cost us a fortune. We pay so much in taxes, we tried to get permission, and to have this agency work against us is frustrating."
The difference for Johnson ended up being in who lives downstream.
"From the information we have gathered, we have a neighbor who took it upon themselves to make all the phone calls. It's really very strange. Everybody in our community absolutely loves our project. These neighbors moved here from out of state," Johnson said. "Their son was in the trackhoe when I was building the dam. I was showing him how to run it, they were out there taking pictures. The next day they reported us to the Corps of Engineers."
The Investigation Begins
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent two interns to the Johnsons' place.
"They did a real brief inspection. They, at that point, didn't know if we were in violation or not. They said they would contact us," Johnson said.
The next contact they received was from the Environmental Protection Agency.
"They came out to our house. We said if there's any problem or anything we missed, we apologize and are willing to work with you. They told us we may or may not be in violation, but it was up to us to prove we're not."
According to a statement from the EPA, "Mr. Johnson's construction of a dam within the main channel of Six Mile Creek was done in violation of a well-known and well-established Clean Water Act permitting process administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA. These permits are intended to protect our nation's surface water resources, and downstream waters and uses, from activities that can introduce pollutants to waterways and permanently alter aquatic habitat and watersheds. EPA understands the Wyoming State Engineer's Office informed Mr. Johnson of this permitting process during its review of his project in 2011...The Corps also did so in October of 2012."
Johnson tells a different story.
"We had a conference call in June of 2013 with the state engineer's office, EPA, Corps, federal attorneys and local state engineer's office. The state told the EPA that they had never informed me of a 404 permit, nor do they deal with a 404 permit with anybody in the state. We thought at that time that everything was cleared up."
The conference call concluded with the understanding that the Johnsons would be notified of a decision by the Fourth of July. Six months later they received a 50-page administrative order in the mail, saying they were in violation of the Clean Water Act. The order said they had 10 days to respond in writing that they would completely comply with the order, or request a conference call with the EPA.
The order said Six Mile Creek is a perennial tributary of the Black Forks River, which is a perennial tributary of the Green River. The Green River is, and was at all relevant times a navigable, interstate water of the United States, according to the order.
According to the compliance order, the area of the creek affected by the "unauthorized activities provided various functions and values, including: wildlife habitat for birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians; water quality enhancement; flood attenuation; and/or aesthetics."
It further stipulates that "the placement of dredged and fill material into Six Mile Creek constitutes the 'discharge of pollutants,'" and says, "Activities to be carried out under this Order are remedial, not punitive, and are necessary to achieve the CWA's objective 'to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters.'"
Ray Kagel, co-owner of Kagel Environmental, LLC, and former wetlands enforcement officer with the Corps of Engineers, was hired by Johnson's attorney, Dan Frank, to assess the situation. Kagel's business focuses on assisting property owners who are accused of violating the CWA, particularly Section 404.
Kagel said, "Although the EPA alleges that Mr. Johnson's placement of fill material into Six Mile Creek constituted the "discharge of pollutants," the actual truth of the matter is that the relatively tiny amount of clean earthen fill material placed below the high water mark of this small channel could not possibly affect the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the Green River, located some 100 miles away. This standard (affecting the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the nearest navigable water) is required by the U.S. Supreme Court in order for the EPA to have Section 404 jurisdiction (See Rapanos V EPA). It's referred to as the "significant nexus" rule."
$187,000 Per Day
The fines outlined in the order could amount to $187,000 per day, if Johnson refuses to comply by completely removing the dam.
According to the EPA statement, "EPA has not made any determinations regarding penalties in this matter. An order the agency sent to Mr. Johnson this past January simply cites the maximum penalties for noncompliance established by Congress in the Clean Water Act. References to these penalty provisions are included in all EPA enforcement orders to ensure that respondents are fully aware of the relevant provisions of environmental laws."
Johnson said the dam has provided an improvement to the habitat and aesthetics, as well as the water quality.
"Our water test came back that our water is actually 41 times cleaner than the so-called affected navigable water, which is 100 miles from me," Johnson said. "We see ducks and geese, blue herons, bald eagles. There are 4-5-pound brown trout in there."
Though the EPA is bringing the accusations of the violations, Johnson is charged with proving that he did not violate the CWA.
"The EPA has done no soil samples, no water test, a very, very vague jurisdictional report and basically put the burden of proof on us," Johnson said. "We had no idea what to do. We didn't know what they wanted. We didn't know what to look for. They never told us how to be in compliance, if we needed to do anything, change anything. They never helped us."
According to Kagel, Johnson was not in violation of the CWA for three different reasons.
"We determined, in our professional opinion, that the little channel in which Andy Johnson constructed his pond was not subject to jurisdiction under the CWA. The small channel of Six Mile Creek flows directly into a non-jurisdictional man-made irrigation canal, and is therefore not a tributary to the nearest navigable water, which is the Green River located approximately 100 miles away. Even if it were subject to the CWA, it clearly fit the exemption for a stock watering pond. His permit from the state of Wyoming said it was specifically for a stock watering permit. Even if it was subject to jurisdiction under the CWA, and if it didn't qualify for that exemption, it was still authorized — which means there was no violation—under a general nationwide permit number 18. This permit does not require any notification to the Corps of Engineers. It's an automatic permit that you don't have to make any application for. Provided the work doesn't involve filling wetlands — and both the Corps and EPA admitted that this doesn't involve filling wetlands — it is in compliance if the fill material is less than 10 cubic yards below the ordinary high water mark of the channel. We found it was about eight and a half cubic yards below the high water mark. Even in my former position as an enforcement officer, I could have found no evidence of any violation." ❖


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The Towers of MicrovilleWednesday, September 1st, 2010
Living in New York City for over a dozen years, it's been easy to forget just how much mass media has changed in that short time. In New York, newsstands are still stuffed with all sorts of fat newspapers and magazines. And there's still plenty of locally originating programming on our radio and TV stations. I suppose these are all benefits of living right in the hub of the the biggest media market in America. Even during these tough times advertisers still invest in our millions of eyes and ears. While it's true there's been some scaling down over the last few years, for now much of the twentieth century media landscape remains intacf. And we still have a lot of pay phones around here too, although not always in good repair,
But when I get out of town I'm quickly reminded that the world outside of my bubble is in an advanced stage of media transformation. Many city newspapers I come across are about the thickness I would associate with a college paper.I don't really see much local TV here or anywhere, but quick scans of the radio dial are dull forays though assorted syndicated content and prepackaged music introduced by voice tracking strangers from afar. And plenty of the public radio stations i come across are just relay transmitters connected to one studio that provides content for a dozen or more stations at once.
Despite my city slicker ways, I have a love for visiting small towns. I always like the line in that Kid Creole song, "Going Places"– "Believe me, when you leave New York you go… nowhere." Which is a little snarky, but there's some truth there. And for me, it really is where I like to go from time to time. Nowhere. If just for a while. Some quiet. Some nature. Perhaps a dirt road. Dark skies filled with wondrous celestial objects by night. Stuff I can't find at home.
And as I've mentioned so many times here, I do love the RF quiet of the countryside– being a world away from all the human infrastructure and gadgetry, and an often ideal environment for DXing shortwave and AM radio by night. And perhaps surprisingly, daylight listening out in the boondocks can be rather interesting as well. In many isolated corners of this country, there's some unique local radio to be found on the AM dial, if you take the time to scan around. And I always hope to come across some of those stations that still make a point of serving their community somehow. (In a more profound way than relaying Limbaugh or the "Music of Your Life.")
A long long time ago, television and radio stations were required by smartly constructed regulations to be directly responsible to their local community– to provide credible news and information (and music and entertainment) in the interest of the area's population. Broadcasting was supposed to be a call to service for those how transmitted on the public airwaves. And the "news" wasn't expected to be profitable either. And there was something called the fairness doctrine…
By the late eighties stations were no longer expected to be responsible or fair, and the rise of right-wing radio began when the syndicators of the Rush Limbaugh Program began giving the show away to small stations across the country. And more and more of the music stations that clung to the AM dial were automated, many by satellite services.
And it's been a long steep decline from there, and over the last couple decades deep deregulation and the evolution of media in general have all but stripped away most of the local talent and local concern from small town radio. Radio stations originally licensed to serve small regions and communities are often programmed from afar now. And one big corporation may own half the stations in one town. If you've ever sampled AM radio while driving across the country, I don't have to tell you that the majority of these once strategic local media outlets have been reduced to relay transmitters for syndicated rightist talk, sports jabber, or just prepackaged music.
However, that's not completely true. At least not yet. Contemporary hit radio formats moved the FM band decades ago, but there are still a few stations on the AM dial who program their own brew of oldies and/or nostalgia, or perhaps traditional music, and are able to commands enough of a local listenership and ad revenue to keep the bills paid, and keep a few people employed. I've written about some of these stations over the years, like WHVW in the Hudson Valley of New York, and WCXI outside Flint, Michigan. While both of these stations are locally programmed, neither comes close to staffing air talent around the clock. WHVW relies heavily on homemade music automation, and WCXI is strictly a daytime operation. And in the summer they sign off at six p.m., hours before sunset.
In a more common scenario, small town radio stations will feature talk or music programming from afar for most of the day, but will showcase a local program or two during more popular listening hours (usually the drive-time hours, or late mornings).
Whenever I've gotten a chance to travel, I like to get some essence or flavor of the regions I'm traveling through. Which isn't always easy in these over homogenized and globalized times, especially when you're moving at interstate speed. But listening to regional AM radio, when I can find it, gives me some small sense of where I am. Like in western Pennsylvania for example.
I-80 in Pennsylvania is an unusual piece of highway. Unlike any other interstate I can think of, it cuts through a large American state (the long way!) and never approaches one major city. It serves a more national function– linking the east coast megalopolis with the great lakes region. That's what I was doing, zooming from New York to see the folks in Michigan.
If you wanna go to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, or even Allentown, there are I-80 exits all the way offering highways that will eventually get you there. But this hilly and green interstate highway is graced with only a handful of exits where you'll find an actual city waiting at the end of the ramp. I found one of 'em about two-thirds of the way across the state– DuBois, Pennsylvania, where I recorded this.
WCED-AM DuBois, PA – Gary Stormer 06-28-10
"One more time I wanted to mention, we're looking for a LARGE dog…"
It's hard for me to think of one line that epitomizes small town radio more eloquently than a plea to help locate an escaped house pet. And apparently this missing mastiff is one of the bigger news stories of the day in Du Bois, Pennsylvania. And it's Gary Stormer on News Talk Radio WCED. And it seems like likely that Stormer is, in a sense, the voice of DuBois.
Sounding younger than his years, Stormer has been at WCED for a long time. When he was hired back in 1973, WCED was still a full service AM radio station in the mid-20th century tradition, with an array of local hosts offering news, information and comfort (and probably safe MOR music) for folks in Western Pennsylvania. That was a number of formats ago, and the only one left is Stormer– the lone local guy in the morning on a station that carries an all too typical roster of national right-wing propagandists like Limbaugh, Hannity and Mike Gallagher.
And while I don't know Stormer's politics, he sure sounds a lot nicer than Limbaugh and his ilk. And it seems like almost every advertiser is also friend of his. And if you have a local event or political campaign you're looking to promote in the DuBois area, you probably probably wanna find yourself sitting in the studio with Gary Stormer some morning.
I don't know much about DuBois, other than reading online about its history as a lumber and coal town. And the yearly "Soap Box Derby" is kind of a big deal there. And the winning teenager usually lands a guest spot with Gary on the WCED Morning Show.
While data from this year's census isn't available yet, ten years ago the population DuBois was found to be 98.18% "white." And I doubt that's changed much. In that vein, I found the ad for "Bamboo Garden" in this clip in this clip kinda funny.
I love small town radio commercials in general. I don't mean the Geico ads and all the usual national ad campaigns, but the spots produced in-house– where and the stations production team get to show off their talents, anybody who works at the station could become an actor in a short drama or comedy. Or both at once. Like this couple who personify some of the biggest fears white Americans may have when it comes to dining at an Asian restaurant.
Him: "It's CHICKEN…aaaah, I think?"
Her: "HOT SPICES… oh joy.
Followed by the soothing announcer:
"Never settle for what you don't want to eat again…"
You see, at Bamboo Garden you can create your own custom stir fry. No surprises. No strange Asian ingredients sneaking into your digestive system. Kind of reminds of me of those pain-free dentistry commercials. And it seems somehow appropriate that this fear-free stir fry democracy would occur out at the Main Street Mall.
One other note. Gary plays "Fact or Crap," a simple game where listeners are prompted to call in and guess if some historical factoid he offers up is a fact or just… crap. Yet, the whole concept seems so 1973, when a quick Google search will answer questions like this in a second or two. And the woman who calls in kinda sounds like she might have done just that.
Just seven years ago the Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget made the role towns like DuBois play in their region official. Just as major cities are and their region of influence are known as "Metropolitan Statistical Areas," expanses of America dominated by smaller cities are now classified as "Micropolitian Statistical Areas."
The "micropolitan" designation comes from having a core city with less than 50,000 residents. Folks who live hours away from large cities still need the same services, supplies and media as people in major population areas, and the dominant town in the region often provides those people well beyond the city limits. Which near DuBois means radio stations like WCED and places like the Main Street Mall. And I'm sure there's a Wal-Mart too. (I just looked it up, there's TWO of those discount monstrosities there.)
Like the industrial Midwest, which really begins at the edge of Pennsylvania and works around the Great Lakes basin, DuBois has seen better days, losing about a third of its population since World War 2. Which is still much better than the devastation that's occurred to cities like Flint and Detroit in Michigan, and nearby Youngstown, Ohio. But a week or so later I found myself on the fringes of another "Micropolitan" area. This time in northern Michigan, which hasn't been so savaged by the decades of declining industry.
According to the 2000 Census, the Northern Michigan tourist haven Traverse City, Michigan had a population of 14,532, just a little bigger than DuBois in its heyday. And unlike the old coal mining town and the big cities in Southern Michigan, the population of Traverse City is on the increase.
For people who visit Traverse City in the summer, the city can seem a lot bigger than fourteen thousand or so. Which is probably because there's so many people flock there in the summertime. Located on beautiful Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan, Traverse City is the largest city in the northern upper peninsula of Michigan. And because of that, it's influence really extends far beyond the micropolitan statistical area that surrounds it. At least in the summer. And fittingly, the glories of the tourism season is the topic at hand in this next clip.
WTCM-AM Traverse City, MI – Joel Franck 07-06-10
Like WCED, WTCM also broadcasts Limbaugh and Hannity (and the vile Mark Levin) and an assortment of rightist monkeys through the day. However, they hold onto the last five hours of the morning with two local hosts– Ron Jolly and Norm Jones. But here you get neither. Instead you'll hear Joel Franck, the station's News Director, sitting in for Jones. His producer Michelle is playing sidekick.
Although Traverse City isn't quite in the U.P. (or The Upper Peninsula), Joel's articulation bears a lot of the cadence and emphasis of the "Yooper" accent of that region. If's a little North Dakota, a little Ontario, with some Ohio in there. A little flat. A long "A" quite often. And some funny words and phrases.
As I tune into this program, the overwhelming sense is that Franck must be treading water between guests or something– prodding listeners to call in and share what they think summer means. He's obviously fishing for feel-good responses, as festival season is underway and all the downstate money is pumping into the economy, but I do hope that the host who usually holds down this time slot is a little better at coming up with show filler on the fly. Franck may be a fine news guy, but as a talk host he doesn't seem to bring much sizzle to the table.
And maybe I'd be gettin' all chapter and verse as I preach to the choir on this one, but isn't it heavenly how Joel's patter is blessed with such a swell congregation of church metaphors.
"This is God's country, there's no doubt about that. And things like the lilac festival make that happen… spreading the gospel of summer here on News Talk 580."
Of course, he wasn't proselytizing or anything. But you can tell a lot about somebody by the well of metaphors they dip into. Like the way Rush Limbaugh is always using lingo from TV football. When you hear somebody keep going back to the same conceptual broom closet for language and comparisons, you can be sure that it's the place where his brain likes to wallow, where his soul is most active. For Rush it's ESPN. For Joel Franck, it's church. Or something like that.
And then there's an ad for Howard Walker, who since this time has become the Republican candidate for a state senate seat in Michigan. Sadly but not unexpectedly, he's pushing the simpleton "tea party" agenda– lower taxes, less government as "keys to turning this state around." As if the ongoing tragedy that is the Michigan economy would get better if rich people could continue to pay even lower taxes. While that might seem a little misguided, I'm sure it would make the Koch brothers happy.
The next commercial took me by surprise. It's promoting the "Epsilon Jass Band" and the dixieland service and concert they put on at a local church through the summer. While I don't know anything about the provenance of these events, it is kind of interesting how for almost fifty years some southern Louisiana roots culture was successfully grafted onto the top of Michigan's lower peninsula. I find it heartening to know that there's actually a contingent of white folks doing the second line in Petoskey, Michigan every summer– sporting masks and umbrellas "made by the official umbrella lady of New Orleans." Who knew?
Like I said, you can learn some interesting stuff by turning on your AM radio when you travel around the U.S. It ain't like hobnobbing at the beer garden at some summer festival, but sometimes AM broadcasting can really bring you to the street level of a local community. The FM band and local television is often all about making money and national trends, but AM radio isn't so profitable, or slick. As I've said before, amplitude modulated broadcasting doesn't rake in the cash it once did, but it remains a good medium for transmissions of power and identity. And it's a way that broadcasting can enrich and strengthen a community.
Three years ago the FCC finally realized how so much deregulation has destroyed what was once and proposed new regulations to force stations to once again provide content in the interest of their community of license. The way it used to be. , when the radio spectrum was originally considered to be a "limited resource belonging to the public. But the mega-corporations are fighting the FCC' to stop ANY new regulations on the industry. They no longer consider themselves "trustees" of the public airwaves. Too often radio station is merely a money machine these days. And the few corporations that own most of them are not interested in localism or diversity or serving anyone or anything– other than their own profit margin.
In closing, I'd like to encourage you to check out your local AM dial some time, and see what's left. Sometimes I forget that here in New York City there's some fascinating local programming on the AM band as well. You just need to know when to listen. We have some quirky homespun radio here too. If you take the time to sort through the schedules of the brokered stations. While this is a big big city, much of New York is a compression of small towns (we call them neighborhoods) with lots of individuality and personality, and characters.
Of course, this kind of AM radio is rarely as professional and polished as you might hear at higher profile stations. And I won't deny that part of the charm is getting a chuckle or two from the rough edges and amateur announcing you occasionally hear. But more often I listen for the passion and individuality of the presenters on these show. And you can feel the connection between the folks on the air and their listeners. And the sponsors. They know each other personally. Or they could. Or they will. Or they just feel like they know each other, because they having something important in common. They really live together.
Yes MP3 players are fun, and podcasting and streaming radio continue to pull people away from traditional radio all the time. And people carry around little pocket phones that do all that and SO much more. It's not hard to see why there's a prevailing school of thought that old-fashioned radio, especially AM (and shortwave), is becoming irrelevant. But I'm not so sure. At least in the long run. I do wonder if someday radio will rediscover the importance of truly serving their community of listeners, and not just airing cheap canned content between commercials.
And some lost dogs might have a better chance of getting home.


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Have you ever seen a picture or video of food that made you sick just from looking at it? That's what happened when we saw a video from the Travel Channel's popular show Man v. Food. The dish was so piled with meats, cheeses, sauces, and who knows what else, it could no longer be identified as food.
We know that food challenges aren't the only culprit when it comes to shameful servings, so we decided to come up with a rap sheet for the worst food felons. Here's our Most Wanted list of top culinary criminals starting with the simply overindulgent and ending with the disgustingly gluttonous.
Wanted for: Imitating a Healthy Beverage – Green Tea Latte
Starting off our list is the deceptive Green Tea Latte from Starbucks. Getting a venti (20 oz.) of this beverage with whole milk will cost you 500 calories and 71 grams of sugar. So much for the idea of green tea always being a healthy choice.
Wanted for: Ridiculous Use of Sugar – Ice Cream Sandwiches
Disney, it's a happy, magical place. It's also a place where you can get ice cream sandwiches as big as your face. The two homemade chocolate chip cookies and three heaping scoops of ice cream are delicious, but I speak from experience when I say you'll have sugar shakes and nausea for hours after eating.


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Despite jumping out to a halftime lead, the Durango High School boys soccer team�s season is over.
Durango, seeded 25th in the CHSAA Class 4A Boys Soccer State Championships, fell victim to a strong rally by No. 8 Sand Creek on Thursday, as the Scorpions captured a 4-2 win in the first round of the Class 4A postseason on a cold evening in Colorado Springs.
The Demons (9-4-3) managed to work their way in front after 40 minutes, rallying from an early 1-0 deficit to lead 2-1 behind a pair of goals from Zeb Soignier, scored within 59 seconds.
But Sand Creek unleashed a three-goal barrage after halftime to set up a meeting with No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain in the second round Saturday.
�Had a little wind against us in the second half, but I just think Sand Creek obviously was determined to get that lead back,� DHS head coach Kenny Wood said.
It�s the first time under Wood the Durango boys side has bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. DHS fell to Evergreen in Round 2 a year ago, and in 2010 the Demons made a run to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Despite the loss, Wood said he was impressed with the way his team played in the first half, stringing together chances thanks to solid passing combinations.
�Everything seemed to go well for us. Lots of great soccer in the first half,� he said.
The two teams participated in a pronounced physical battle, Wood said, on a day that saw wintry conditions on the Front Range. DHS also played with goalkeeper Patrick Leach, who spent most of the year on junior varsity, without the services of Ben Marvin-Vanderyn and Will Sommerville.
�I think we have two black eyes and another injured, so it was a pretty physical game,� Wood said.
Still, the third-year head coach was pleased with what his charges accomplished despite the early postseason exit.
�We had a really great season. I didn�t think in all our losses and ties, nobody beat us. It�s one of those things, we just had some mental errors,� Wood said.


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Over a month after National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Vice President Mumia Abu-Jamal was moved from death row, he remains in transitional solitary confinement under harsh restrictions.
DA Drops Death in Case of NLG Vice President Mumia Abu-Jamal
Pushing back against what appears to be a coordinated national crackdown on the Occupy movement, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is bringing preemptive legal challenges to halt camp evictions and other politically motivated police abuse.
In response to the ongoing unwarranted surveillance of Muslim and Arab Americans by local and federal law enforcement agencies, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) has published its essential "Know Your Rights" booklet in Arabic.
Photo by Jefferson Siegel
The MLTF has issued a Know Your Rights guide for military protesters, whose First Amendment rights fall under unique restrictions.
212-679-5100, ext. 15
The National Lawyers Guild mourns the passing of its former president, Debra Evenson. One of the nation's foremost authorities on the legal system and institutions of Cuba, Ms. Evenson was Of Counsel with the law firm Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman, P.C.
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) provides legal defense and educational resources to activists who are being targeted as part of the 'Nerd Scare,' including individuals alleged to be affiliated with "Anonymous," LulzSec, and other activists and hacker collectives.
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ATLA Religion Database
ATLA Religious Database(American Theological Library
Association) provides informaiton on topics such as biblical studies,
World religions, church history, and religion in social issues.
ATLA contains more than 1.2 million bibliographic records covering
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ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
This database is the full test version of the ATLA Religious
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This tutorial is intended to give an overview to those seeking to
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A title list of all journals included in the ATLA Religion Database may be found
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ATLAS is an online collection of major religion and theology
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Access to the databases is limited to students, faculty, and staff
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Cambria Heights High School graduate Steve Hoover set out to tell a friend's story in his first feature film, "Blood Brother."
He and his film crew ended up snagging top honors at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and, with the film's exposure, are helping make a difference in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
"Blood Brother," the story of Hoover's friend, Rocky Braat, who moved to India to care for HIV-positive orphans, won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and the Audience award: U.S. Documentary at the January festival, held in Utah.
Article Photos
Steve Hoover
Hoover, 30, who graduated from Cambria Heights in 2001 and from the Art Institute in Pittsburgh in 2006, is a director at the production and visual-effects facility Animal, in Pittsburgh, where he lives with his wife.
No one associated with the film had any connections to get into Sundance, and they were just surprised and honored to be there, Hoover said.
Hoover's other works include directing the music video for Owl City's song "Fireflies," his dad, Ray Hoover of Loretto, said.
Fact Box
'Blood Brother'
On the Web: www.bloodbrotherfilm.com
To make a donation to the nonprofit organization Living to Inspire Global Healing Today, visit www.givethemlight.org.
Ray Hoover, and his wife, Carol, and Steve's mom, Kathy Budicky and her husband, Paul, of Ebensburg, attended Sundance.
The story in his son's film was touching, and he is very proud of him, Ray Hoover said. He saw his son's talent emerging at art school.
"The whole purpose of this film is to generate money for the orphanage in India," Ray Hoover said, "and the exposure they got at Sundance and other film festivals will hopefully allow them to do what they set out to do."
Hoover met Braat while attending school in Pittsburgh.
"I made 'Blood Brother' simply to tell the story of my best friend. ... As a boy, his mom was a drug addict with abusive boyfriends, and his father was a mystery to him until the age of 7," Hoover said in a director's statement. "Rocky had dreams of becoming a successful graphic designer, until one summer when he made an impromptu trip to India. He met a group of HIV/AIDS orphans while there and, to everyone's surprise, decided to leave behind all he had accomplished in order to give them what he felt they deserved."
The friends kept in touch, Hoover said.
Hoover always wanted to film a documentary, and he was curious in what way Braat's decision was affecting him and why he decided to move to India, he said.
What Hoover learned about includes a lot about sacrifice and how "complex" and "unique" Braat is, he said.
Braat still lives in India as a volunteer in a rural village among the lowest class, the Living to Inspire Global Healing Today website said. The nonprofit organization was created in response to Braat and the film.
Current challenges include the children, who are living longer with the advancement of medicine, can only stay at the orphanage until a certain age by government mandate, the release said. The children face prejudice due to misinformation about their disease, which also limits their stamina, affecting how long they can work at a time.
The film, funded through donations, also has made ties with other organizations such as Arms Around the Child and Red Hot, the release said.
The goal is to spread the help, Hoover said.
Mirror Staff Writer Amanda Gabeletto is at 949-7030.


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ROCKFORD — J.R. Sullivan's "Hometown Holiday," a music and theater holiday show, will be held Dec. 13-14 in the Sullivan Theatre at the Nordlof Center, 118 N. Main St.
Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, and at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 14 and will feature local musicians and actors.
Cost: $30. For information or tickets: 815-968-0595, coronadopac.org.
Location, ST | website.com


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Softball Tallies 7-4 Win Over Radford
AUBURN, Ala. - - The Ball State softball team closed the opening day of the War Eagle Classic hosted by Auburn with a 7-4 win over Radford Friday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field.
The Cardinals (14-7), who topped Alabama A&M 12-0 (5 inn.) earlier in the day, continue play in the three-day tournament Saturday with games versus No. 23/24 Auburn (6:30 pm ET/5:30 pm CT) and in-state rival IPFW (8:30 pm ET/7:30 pm CT).
Fans can listen to the games LIVE and FREE on BallStateSports.com with Torey Fox calling the action.
In the win over the Highlanders (4-13), senior first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) went 4-for-4 from the plate, including a pair of doubles. She finished the opening day of the War Eagle Classic going 7-for-7 with a walk, three doubles and a solo home run.
Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Schifferdecker (Belton, Mo./Belton) turned in a strong effort in the circle versus Radford, striking out a career-high eight batters on the way to improving to 7-1 on the year. Over seven innings of work, Schifferdecker limited the Highlanders to eight hits and four runs, only two of which were earned.
After a pair of scoreless innings, the Cardinals deposited three runs on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. Sophomore center fielder Briana Evans (Tulsa, Okla./Union) led off the inning with a strikeout, but was able to reach first on a wild pitch. After Evans stole second, a single from junior right fielder Loren Cihlar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) put runners on the corners.
Evans would come around to score the game's first run on a throwing error by the Radford catcher, while Cihlar reach second on the error. A groundout from sophomore second baseman Emily Dabkowski (Plainfield, Ind./South Putnam) pushed Cihlar to third, setting up a RBI double from Rager.
Senior third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) followed with a RBI single to right center, driving in the third BSU run of the inning.
Radford would score single runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, cutting the Ball State advantage to 3-2.
However, the Cardinals rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth to regain control of the game. Cihlar and Dabkowski opened the inning with back-to-back singles, setting up a three-run blast off the scoreboard from senior left fielder Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney). Rager followed the blast with a single, advanced to third on a Bickel double and eventually scored BSU's final run of the game on a wild pitch.
Radford would post two more runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the Ball State lead to 7-4. The Highlanders would threaten again in the bottom of the seventh, sending the tying run to the plate with two outs. However, after making an amazing diving grab for the second out of the inning, Cihlar would camp under a fly to end the game.


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on July 7, 2013 - 8:27 PM
An oasis from the midsummer heat, an escape from the all-too-familiar threat of violence and a welcome addition to the community.
That's what community members on the city's East Side are calling the state-of-the-art splash pad at Martin Luther King Park about a month after its long-awaited – and much-delayed – debut and after a spate of rainy weather has made it tough to enjoy the splash pad even after it opened.
But what started as another dreary day cleared up enough for the water feature to be put to good use Sunday. Residents who spoke with The Buffalo News during an afternoon at the splash pad gave the $4.5 million water feature high marks in safety and enjoyability despite the yearlong construction delay that marred its arrival.
Stephanie Nitsche, an area resident, brought two of her kids to the splash pad to beat the 80-plus degree heat. "It's just a really good day for it, and the kids were hot and sticky at home," she said.
Nitsche, 28, said this was her family's first time using the splash pad, but not for lack of trying – rainy weather kept her from bringing her kids to the park at least four times since the pad opened June 1, she estimated.
Sunday afternoon, however, the weather proved ideal for a jaunt to the splash pad. Nitsche sat on a nearby bench and watched as her kids sprinted through some of the splash pad's 300 synchronized jets of water, shrieking delightedly all the way.
Nitsche added that, come winter, she looked forward to watching her kids skate across the same surface. The five-acre water feature is designed to be a splash pad in the summer, a reflecting pool in the spring and fall, and an ice rink in the winter.
Fellow mom Danielle Washington was visiting with her 1-year-old son. She said her family uses the splash pad often, in part because it is conveniently located across the street from their home.
Washington, 29, said members of the community use the splash pad on a regular basis. Sunday afternoon, about 20 kids could be seen playing in the splash pad. Washington said that number was about average.
"It's great," she said. "We needed it."
Washington did have one complaint: The water feature itself should be larger in order to accommodate more kids at a time, she said. The circular splash pad covers four acres, but less than half of that surface area appears to be in range of the fountains.
Twenty-one-year-old Shaquille Dudley works as a splash pad attendant for the Olmsted Parks Conservancy on weekends. "People come out every day" to use the splash pad, he said. Saturday was the busiest Dudley had ever seen the splash pad – he estimated that about a hundred kids were using it and the nearby pool.
The children at play amid the glittering arcs of water made for a serene scene Sunday afternoon. Chantele Ross, a neighborhood resident for the past 14 years, said the relaxed atmosphere was what kept her and her family coming back to the splash pad.
Ross, 42, lounged in an armchair as her two children played. She said she felt safer here than elsewhere in the community, reassured by the constant police presence. A police car was parked near the entrance to the splash pad, and the officer on duty said that an officer was assigned to the park seven days a week during the splash pad's hours of operation.
Before the splash pad opened, "I never came and did this because of safety," Ross said.
"It's a break," she added. "That will make me keep coming back."
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A memorial fund for 17-month-old victim, Garret Grice, who died in a Londonderry fire Thursday.
Authorities believe smoke inhalation in the accidental fire was the cause of his death.
Investigators said another child turned on a stove burner which ignited cooking oil. The mother and that child left the home to go see a relative across the street. The 17-month toddler was left sleeping in the home before being killed by the fire.
Anyone who wishes to make contributions to Grice's family, may send donations to: Citizens Bank on 1550 Elm St., Manchester, N.H. 03104.
On Sunday, Derry and Londonderry fire unions along with Peabody Funeral Home said they would cover the cost of the funeral.