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Our contributors have various level of experience but all are passionate about the topic at hand. Click through the bios below to learn more about the women bringing you the latest news around the garage each and every weekend.
Administrative Staff
Katy Lindamood - Creator and Administrator
Katy Lindamood is a freelance writer, blogger and self-proclaimed NASCAR addict. Since the age of 12 Katy has been following racing. That's when on a whim her mother chose to watch the 1993 Daytona 500 rather than some Lifetime movie. Bored out of her mind, Katy began hoping for a wreck. Just moments later Rusty Wallace went on the ride of his life in a barrel roll down the backstretch. From that moment on, Katy was addicted.
Based on her first experience watching a race, Katy became a die-hard Rusty Wallace fan. How could someone go on a ride like that and walk away? She was the only teenager she knew who decorated her room with pictures of drivers rather than the latest teen idol and there are pictures of her crying while opening her NASCAR-related Christmas gifts. Katy dreamed of one day getting to meet the man who had peaked her interest in the sport though when she got the opportunity in 2008 she panicked. Yes, there are pictures of that as well. (Just ask Jenn)
These days Katy cheers for Kurt and Kyle Busch along with a few underdogs like David Ragan. Katy currently co-authors The Biff Files with her best friend Jenn and would move into the infield of Charlotte Motor Speedway (AKA Lowe's) if they would allow her. In addition, Katy contributes to several blogs, including The Final Lap and 4wide. Katy also maintains the Penske Racing Examiner page for Examiner.com and enjoys writing about some of the most talented drivers in the sport today.
Skirts and Scuffs is the brainchild of Katy, who recently realized that women who covered racing or were looking for a career in a motorsports-related field weren't getting the publicity they deserved. Katy acts as the administrator and managing editor of Skirts and Scuffs as well as a contributing author. While it was Katy's idea to begin the site, it's not just her site. It's the site of every women who puts their words on the page. She is excited to see what happens next and welcomes any woman who wants their voice heard to join the team.
Katy resides in Ashland, Kentucky, with her husband Ryan, their dogs, and one really annoying cat. Katy can be contacted via e-mail or through twitter (@NASCARKaty).
Interested in what Katy has to say? Check out her ramblings here.
Rebecca Kivak - Lead Editor and Contributing Columnist
Rebecca Kivak is a NASCAR enthusiast from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (about an hour away from Pocono Raceway). Though living nearby one of the sport's most unique tracks, Rebecca didn't think much about NASCAR until one fateful day in May 2006, when her boyfriend changed channels to watch the Nextel Cup race in Richmond, Va. From that day on, Rebecca was hooked. She has tried to make up for lost time by learning as much as she can about the sport and its personalities.
Rebecca's favorite drivers are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. She likes Earnhardt Jr.'s style of racing, personality and passion for the sport; Johnson's drive and calm-under-pressure nature; and Harvick's fire and toughness. Rebecca also likes Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Landon Cassill, to name a few! She follows the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series intently while keeping up with the Camping World Truck Series.
Rebecca stands behind her drivers, but is always open to others' opinions. She enjoys talking with other NASCAR fans about their drivers and various issues in the sport. Rebecca attended her first race at Pocono Raceway in June 2007.
She graduated from Penn State University in 2004 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Economics. Rebecca works as a copy editor and page designer at a local newspaper.
Rebecca can be found on Twitter (becbeat555), Facebook (Rebecca Kivak) or e-mail (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Rebecca covers a little bit of everything for Skirts and Scuffs. Check out her latest contributions today!
Columnists and Contributors
Jennifer Eblin - Associate Editor and Contributor
Jenn credits an ex-boyfriend with introducing her to the world of NASCAR and in particular Kevin Harvick. Forced to watch the races with a screaming fan, she had no idea that one day she would be a screaming fan. Lovingly referred to as the "unofficial stalker of NASCAR," her friends and family tease her that drivers are starting to recognize her and even David Ragan commented that she was beginning to look familiar!
Kevin Harvick remains as her favorite driver, but she also supports Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, David Ragan and David Stremme.
She's had the chance to meet nearly 20 drivers and has a story about each one, though chatting with Stremme about her adopted hometown of South Bend ranks high as one of her favorites.
When not shouting at the television or annoying fans with her love of Kyle Busch, Jenn works as a full-time freelance writer. In the NASCAR world she contributes to The Biff Files, runs NASCAR Stalker and serves as the Kevin Harvick Examiner. She's also proud that an article about Dale Earnhardt Junior's bar Whisky River was picked up by the bar and published on their website.
Jenn lives in Southwestern Ohio with her Kasey Kahneloving boyfriend, two indoor cats and several stray cats that randomly show up, looking for food from "momma". You can follow her on Twitter (@racingcupcake), but be warned, she really doesn't like Jimmie Johnson.
Jenn's got a lot to say and you can read it here.
Janelle Jalbert - Contributor
Janelle Jalbert is a native of Southern California who began following NASCAR in the 80s. Though she enjoys a variety of racing formats, her favorite racing is in NASCAR's top three tiers. Her favorite drivers through the years have included Bill Elliot, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Tony Stewart and others. Janelle's interests include NASCAR/racing history as well as current events. She currently serves as both the Southern California Motorsports Examiner and the NASCAR Truck Series Examiner for examiner.com.
Outside of the racing scene, Janelle is an educator with more than a decade of experience in 5th grade through university settings. She is currently serving as an online instructor for 5 different universities. Janelle holds dual B.A. degrees (linguistics and liberal studies), a M.Ed. in cross-cultural teaching, and a M.A. in English. She is currently working on a PhD in education. She is also in the process of creating a racing-themed program to help students transition to college. Janelle's publications include books (such as Success Skills for Middle and High School Students, 2001), chapter contributions (as in Conscious Entrepreneurs, 2008), and various articles through journals and alike. In addition to racing, Janelle enjoys traveling and has lived, studied, and traveled in more than 15 countries.
Skirts and Scuffs gives special thanks to Janelle for providing Skirts and Scuffs with its name. For more information on Janelle check out her NASCAR Truck Series and Southern California Motorsports pages on Examiner.com. Janelle can also be contacted through Facebook and Twitter.
Amanda "Mandi" Ebersole – Contributor
Many may consider her a newbie to racing but that doesn't mean her knowledge is lacking. Amanda became interested in Nascar as something to talk about with her father. Originally she was not that interested but now her Dad comes to her to ask questions about someone's car or when qualfying is.
Amanda's favorite driver is Carl Edwards, she considers him the total package as far as a driver, personality and sponsor advertiser. She admits she have even falling into the sponsor realm and bought products because he talks about them.
Amanda never thought she cared about sports but admits her devotion to Nascar runs deep, admitting that she left a family picnic so I could be home for a race.
Find Amanda on Twitter for more information.
Amanda Vincent - Columnist
Amanda has been covering NASCAR for almost a decade now, beginning with the syndicatied racing newspaper column, "This Week in NASCAR," and the syndicated weekly racing newspaper page, "A Look at Racing," which she also does all the design work for. Over the years she has also added writing for SpeedWeekly, a weekly racing magazine, the NASCAR Nationwide Examiner beat for Examiner.com, and covering both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series for NASCARcomplete.com to her writing resume. She is now also working with Mahalo.com in getting a NASCAR section to their site off the ground and is working closely with AutoRacingDaily.com to expand their growing website.
Over the years, she has also written for Speedway Illustrated magazine, ElementOfSpeed.com, and written NASCAR-related articles for Kentucky Living and Kentucky Monthly magazines on Kentucky Speedway and a former Kentucky-based Nationwide Series team.
Amanda also dabbles in race photography, providing accompanying photography to some of her written work, in addition to picking up photography-specific assignments, including work for Alabama Motorsports Park (when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was associated with them) to help document Brad Keselowski's first Nationwide Series win at Nashville Superspeedway in 2008 and JamieMcMurray.com back when he was running in the Nationwide Series full-time for Brewco Motorsports (now Baker Curb Racing).
Amanda can be contacted via email or Twitter for more information.
Michelle Hauser - Contributor
Michelle is not new to the NASCAR world. She got into the sport in 1997 at the age of 7 liking drivers such as Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte. In 1998 her first favorite driver end up being Matt Kenseth and she has stuck with him ever since. She also goes for Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Busch. She has a big heart for her drivers and she never backs down when it comes down to people wanting to point out the flaws in her favorite drivers. Michelle will not hold anything back and she will always speak her mind about anything dealing with NASCAR.
When it deals with writing, she's has a little experience during her junior year of high school writing for the school's newspaper. It's obvious she knows more NASCAR than any school and teenager related issues. Michelle is currently working a part-time job and is pursuing a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification in plans to work with young children in the near future.
Michelle can be contacted through Twitter. You can also find her hanging out on Facebook and MySpace when she's not working or tuned into the race.
Melissa Bleier - Contributor
Melissa Bleier is a native Californian who attended her first race on a whim and had no idea that it would lead to a lifetime love of stock car racing. Ten years ago, someone asked her if she wanted to come hang out for the afternoon, drink a few beers, and watch a NASCAR race…and her whole life changed when the cars came roaring by. Growing up, her folks owned a mom and pop grocery store and she would kill for a time machine to go back and get all the NASCAR promotional merchandise that came through.
For the last three years, she has worked as a research historian in San Francisco. Even though she's 33 now, when she grows up, she wants to work as a NASCAR race track historian. Melissa wrote her Master's Thesis on historic race tracks and the significance of stock car history. She called it "Don't They Just Turn Left? NASCAR's Heritage Race Tracks and Preserving Stock Car Culture."
Her favorite driver is Fireball Roberts and she wishes that she could have met Smokey Yunick. At the races today, she yells her crazy head off for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart; she can even be seen in a NASCAR commercial, doing just that.
If it isn't stock car racing, it's SciFi. A funny combination, but it works out perfect for her. You can find her on Twitter - @TheTrackGirl (also @Uwila) or check out her historic race track blog at HistoricRaceTracks.Wordpress.com
Jen Preston - Columnist
Jen Preston is a lifelong and diehard NASCAR fan who was born and raised outside Kansas City, Missouri, where she lives with her mom and her younger brother, Davey (yes, as is Allison). She's currently attending a local community college and hopes to transfer to a larger, four year university to major in journalism.
An Earnhardt fan to start, Jen now puts her support behind several drivers in all three of NASCAR's top series: Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Reed Sorenson, and Brian Scott. She originally became a fan of the sport after learning "The Intimidator" had once driven a pink car. She's been absolutely hooked ever since.
Aside from racing she is also a fan of the Denver Broncos, New York Yankees and the WWE, and will also tune into an IndyCar race now and again. She's been to Kansas Speedway every year since it opened, and Daytona, Bristol, Richmond, Atlanta and Charlotte are atop the list of tracks to visit on her bucket list.
When not writing about NASCAR for Skirts and Skuffs, Jen also covers women's wrestling for Hit The Ropes radio show (http://www.hittheropes.com/wrestlingarticles/index.php/writers/94-jen-preston).
Jen can be contacted through Twitter (www.twitter.com/jpreston32), Facebook (www.facebook.com/legendkillerprincess) or e-mail (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Kiara Boal - Contributor
Kiara Boal is not one of the typical NASCAR Fangirls that just like a driver because of their looks. NASCAR has been a part of her life since she was a little girl. She never really had a favorite driver until Kyle Busch came along. Then she was hooked :) She would just root for anybody. NASCAR means so much to her because it's one place where she knows she belongs. Kyle Busch is her favorite not because he wins all of the time it's because of his style of racing. He reminds Kiara so much of herself in so many ways. She had the chance to meet Kyle on July 22, 2009. It was one of the best days of her life! She is also a fan of Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, & Clint Bowyer.
Kiara is very opinionated and sometimes her opinions cause fights with other NASCAR fans or most recently Jr Nation. She never backs down to any challenge when it comes to NASCAR. Kiara has gotten in many fights about defending NASCAR or Kyle Busch at school, on Myspace, or even at the track.
You can contact her on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, or on NASCAR.com's Community.
Whitney Richards - Columnist
Whitney Richards is a native of Northeast Tennessee and has been a fan of NASCAR since late 2000. Whitney attended her first NASCAR race, a Nationwide event, March 2003 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Since then she has attended several other races at Bristol including one Camping World Truck Series race, two Nationwide races, and one Sprint Cup event.
In June 2003 Whitney became a fan of Matt Kenseth and has been an avid supporter of him since then. Whitney also follows the rest of the Roush-Fenway organization and cheers on David Ragan as well. In addition you may find Whitney rooting for Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch.
Whitney is a fan who doesn't hesitate for a second to defend her drivers if someone starts talking bad about them. She stands 100% behind her drivers and does not give up on them no matter what happens. She has been told countless times that she cares to much about her drivers, but she doesn't let that bother her.
Whitney's writing experience comes from personal blogs such as those appearing on MySpace and Livejournal. She did write an essay about the COT and how it is affecting NASCAR during her freshman year of college. Whitney is currently enrolled at East Tennessee State University where she is planning on a degree in business and technology. She hopes to one day get a job working with a race team or at one of the tracks in her home state of Tennessee.
Lauren Shaw - Contributor
Lauren has been an avid NASCAR fan since 2001. Her favorite drivers include Elliott Sadler, Martin Truex Jr, Brad Keselowski, and Landon Cassill. She also likes other drivers like Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Scott Speed. Lauren got into racing because of her dad and Elliott Sadler helped keep her enthusiasm going. She's incredibly protective of her drivers and opinionated about all things NASCAR. The racetracks she's been to are Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway. And her favorite racetracks are Phoenix International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Auto Club Speedway.
Lauren is a 19 year old college sophomore, currently enrolled in the Veterinary Technology Program at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. NASCAR is her hobby where animals have been her passion since a young age.
Lauren can be contacted via Facebook or Twitter or through her personal blog.
Jenna Marie - Contributor
Jenna spent the majority of her life with no knowledge of the NASCAR world. She was one of those typical girls who said she didn't want to watch people drive in a circle. It stayed that way until a fateful day in February 2008 when she was forced to watch the Daytona 500. She wasn't looking forward to "wasting" a day in front of the TV, little did she know, it would change her life forever.
It was during the 2008 Daytona 500 that Kyle Busch caught her eye. His passion for racing showed through his driving and he sparked an interest in her that she never knew she had. She quickly developed a passion for racing and has been a fan ever since. Normally you'll find her cheering for her favorite drivers, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Brian Vickers. However, she has a handful of other drivers that she cheers for as well. She loves her favorite drivers for a reason and doesn't care if you like them or not.
Even though she has only been a fan for two years, she's learned a lot in a short amount of time. From watching the experts on TV, attending races, and talking to race fans, she's become very knowledgeable about the sport. She respects every driver, crew chief, team member, and employee at track.
Jenna is in her early 20's and currently works in the business world at an international company. On weekends, you can find her watching racing on TV or at the racetrack.
Jenna can be contacted via Twitter.
Summer Dreyer - Columnist
Summer Dreyer is a young NASCAR enthusiast from Topeka, KS who enjoys writing everything NASCAR. Though she grew up in a family of stick-and-ball sports, NASCAR has become her passion and obsession and she hopes to one day become a NASCAR journalist. Summer first became interested in NASCAR after playing the EA Sports video game her brother received in his Easter basket that spring.
Quickly learning the names of all the drivers and racetracks, she tuned into her first race in late spring/early fall and has been watching weekly ever since.
Summer also writes for Element of Speed and has her own NASCAR blog called "Next Time By" where she surveys NASCAR fans about recent events in racing. In addition Summer hosts a weekly radio show on Blog Talk Radio where she discusses recent events and fan reactions. Summer can also be found sharing news on Joe Gibbs Racing with her duties as the JGR team examiner for Examiner.com.
If you would like to contact Summer, you may do so on her Twitter page, Facebook, or e-mail.
Indira Newell – Contributor
Indira Newell is a writer, historian, and long time NASCAR and motor racing addict. In addition to writing as the Marcos Ambrose Examiner, Indira is a freelance writer who created and maintains the Marcos Ambrose Fan Crew and writes grants for non-profit organizations and universities. She is an active volunteer within her church and community. A native of Washington State, Indira and her family recently relocated to Australia.
Indira can be contacted via email, the NASCAR.com community, Infield Parking, Facebook, and Twitter.
Lindi Bess - Columnist
Lindi Bess is a somewhat new fan to NASCAR. She became interested in Auto Racing while dating her now husband, Darryl, in the late 1980's. They would often catch the ¼ mile drag strip racing held at their local track, Infineon Raceway (Sears Point Raceway) and the nearby Sacramento Raceway. The speed, the sounds and the smells of the track really fueled her interest in racing. Something she could sink her teeth into as well as enjoy with her now husband Darryl and their close friends and family.
As far as having a favorite driver goes, it wasn't until she attended her first NASCAR Cup Race that she became really involved in the Cup Series as a whole. That was back in 1990 at Infineon Raceway (Sears Point Raceway). This was their first experience at a NASCAR event. At that point, Lindi went with the hometown boy, Jeff Gordon and Mark "The Kid" Martin.
They brought their 2-1/2 yr old daughter Chrissy along with them. It made for a most memorable experience and from then on, a family tradition. It was at this race that her family came face to face with the beloved Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Chrissy was losing the war against a green Ninja Turtle ice cream bar. Mr. Earnhardt was walking by us and said "That's what it's all about". Smiling as he walked past. A moment etched in our memories.
But then, a couple of yrs. later a handsome young driver who really caught her eye and she was hooked. Jimmie Johnson was the whole package. He seemed to have a passion for racing that was very admirable not to mention stats to boot. Everyone, family and friends alike, are aware of Lindi's loyalty to Jimmie Johnson. She supports him as well as the whole Hendrick Motor Sports Team; which happen to include all of her favorites. It makes for an interesting rivalry in the Bess household. We'll leave it at that.
Lindi and her husband live in the Napa Valley, about 45 mins from Infineon Raceway. She has works as a CNA, specializing in elder care. Her husband, Darryl, is Commercial Truck Driver for Biagi Brothers Trucking. They are both supporters of the MS Society, as Darryl is living with RRMS. They have a daughter, Christine 22yrs, who works for an up valley winery. Christine is currently expecting, adding a whole new dimension to their household.
Lindi can be contacted on facebook (Lindi Bess) eblogger and twitter (@LindiBess_48fan)
Amanda Bradeen - Contributor
Amanda Bradeen is 19 and is in love with NASCAR. It's as simple as that. Amanda lives in Maine and is an English major at University of Maine at Augusta. She also comes from a family of local drivers. Her grandparents and uncle race at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford ME. Her dad used to race at Beech Ridge Raceway in Maine as well. He walked away with three championships.
She became obsessed with Dale Earnhardt Jr and NASCAR at age 11 and hasn't given up hope on her favorite driver. She eventually wants to move to North Carolina and work with NASCAR. She always enjoys writing a truly unique and awesome NASCAR stories!!!!!!! She is newly amazed with how the cars are built! Though she does have her favorite, she enjoys watching NASCAR in general. New Hampshire is her home track and she tries not to miss a race. She has also been to Richmond which was amazing she said, and next on her list is Bristol. Amanda can be contacted on Twitter, Facebook or MySpace by looking for Mander88racer.
Tara Crittenden - Contributor
Tara credits her grandparents for her love of NASCAR and her mother for a love of racing in general. Her earliest memories of racing would be at the famed Manzinita Speedway watching J.J.Yeley turn the wheel before her became a big named star.
Born and raised as a Dale Sr. fan, she happily watched NASCAR till her grandfather passed on in '94. From there to early 2001, her grandmother used it to share a bond. An avid Dale Sr. and at the time Adam Petty fan, she gave up the sport from Feburary of 2001 till the end of 2004 after the untimely death of both her drivers. In early 2005, a geeky looking kid from Chesterfield, Virginia caught her attention in what is now known as the Nationwide series and her love of the sport has been engulfed into an endless flame, burning with passion. Known as 'Denny Hamlins Biggest Fan', she admits the deal wasn't sealed to he scored his first career Sprint Cup pole at Phoenix Int'l Raceway on what was her 17th birthday, 11-11-2005.
Tara is a freshman at Mesa Community College (studying Public Relations and Marketing) and currently resides in Tempe, Arizona, with her sister, niece, and nephew who she has turned into future fans of the sport, (they're Denny Hamlin fans.) and a bunch of ROWDY frat boys. Other than her diehard love of Denny Hamlin (which has got her far, scoring lunch with him and PIR, and winning Phoenix 1 of 'Dennys Seats') she roots her heart out for Brian Scott in the Camping World Truck Series and for Michael McDowell (a hometown boy) and Justin Allgaier in the Nationwide Series. She also has a love for J.J. Yeley (another hometown boy) and Landon Cassill and wishes they both still raced in NASCAR.
You can find Tara on Twitter at @dhamsbiggestfan ranting about her drivers' up and down rollercoaster of a season, and how much she dislikes Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr (really Jr Nation more than him) and her on and off love/hate affair with Kyle Busch. She's not one to go down without a fight and has been frequently unfollowed/blocked by many because they can't handle the truth. Tara admits that she's a proud fan, (and does not take anyone's BS towards her drivers and will put them in their spot, seeing as she's gotten into many fights with men 3 times her age cuz they can't handle that Denny Hamlin's the real deal.)
Tara is a well seen figure every race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, the one in a head to toe DH gear, running around, meeting as many drivers as she can (54+ and counting) and working on getting her degree from Mesa Community College and Arizona State University to work for NASCAR/ISC after graduation. Other than living the life of a racefan, Tara looks up to Kim Wallace (Kenny Wallace's wife) as her role model for being a racing wife and a wife in general and to Mary Lou and Dennis Hamlin for their admiration to never give up on their sons' dream.
You can reach her:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dhamsbiggestfan
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bigtaara
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dhamsbiggestfan
her personal LJ at http://www.dhamsbiggesfan.livejournal.com
Katelyn Kinnett - Contributor
Katelyn Kinnett does not consider herself a race-fan but rather someone who appreciates speed. She began watching racing in 1995 and fell in love with her fathers favorite driver, Jeff Gordon. In 2004 she began to take her passion for speed a bit further than most. She began looking into schools in the Charlotte area so that she could one day be involved in the sport that had been her passion for nearly a decade.
In 2005 she began to network with fans, team members, & drivers hoping that these connections would one day pay off. In 2006, she applied early to Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, NC--10 miles South West of Charlotte, NC. She was accepted & entered into the Motorsports Management program in the Fall of 2007. In the Spring of 2008, she worked for Lowes Motor Speedway and also worked at the inaugural ARCA race at Rockingham Speedway that May, hoping to network with people that would be valuable to her future. She was also hoping to become more rounded in the general sense of racing in both a business aspect & a social aspect.
She is currently living back home in Cincinnati, OH but visits Charlotte frequently and plans on moving back to North Carolina within the next year or so to fulfill her dream of working for Hendrick Motorsports.
Before contacting her on any outside sites, please note that she is very opinionated and passionate about the things she enjoys in life, so although she keeps her opinions on this site toned down, her personal websites are full of opinionative statuses and/or tweets.
If interested in contacting Katelyn:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kkinnett
Myspace: www.myspace.com/katiek99
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Katelyn.Kinnett
Jenny Sigelko - Contributor
My name is Jenny Sigelko and I was born & raised in the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan. I am an only child, which brought the best of both worlds. I learned how to cook and sew and knit from my mother, and also learned to change the oil and do woodworking and repair things from my father. Motorsports has been part of my life from the very beginning, spending many Saturday nights at the local race track {before it closed} and many Sunday afternoons watching the races on TV.
It seemed very natural to go to college to become a Mechanical Engineer. I was given an opportunity at the company my father worked for, Chrysler, to work there and get a masters in ME. He retired after 40.5 years about 6 months before I started. I have now worked there almost 12 years. We say that in the 80 year history of Chrysler, we have nearly 53 years covered. The last 18 months has been nearly pure torture for us in Detroit. I look forward to hearing your impressions of the US auto industry, as well as helping you glimpse 'life on the inside'.
During my Senior year in High School, my hero, Alan Kulwicki died in a plane crash. Then followed Davey Allison's helicopter crash.
One of my assignments at Chrysler was to work on the Craftsman Truck Series Dodge test team. People discouraged me from taking the assignment, telling me it would probably hurt my overall career. I am forever glad that I listened to my intuition that this would be a life changing experience. I was never so happy to get up to go to work, nor have I had a tougher job. After a year, I reluctantly left for greener pastures. I have kept up my friendships that I made during that time.
I enjoy seeing my friends on TV during practices and races, and I do wish I could rejoin them. I volunteered with KAutomotive Nationwide team this summer and fall as shop help. I am hoping to continue that next year. I hope to bring a different perspective to your forum, one that may focus on the 'off the track' work that is done week in and week out to prepare for the track. I also hope to motivate my girlfriends here to go to your workshops and get into those tools! Armed with a bit of knowledge and confidence, you'll be playing 'armchair car chief' during the races.
Recently, I went back to school for a degree in Psychology. I love to cook and run and bike, {which I ride to work}. I seem to be constantly fixing my car, or playing with my cats. Two years ago I married a man who is not into racing as I am, but is not jealous by my relationship with motorsports.
Genesis (Genna) Short - Columnist
Genesis Short (better known as Genna to her fans) is a 25 year old NASCAR fan, amateur photographer, and semi-professional writer who hopes to make her living writing for popular NASCAR magazines or websites. By day, she works for Sprint as a universal Care and Finance agent. By night, she is a belly dancer, singer, and budding journalist. She can be reached on Twitter (@GennaGirl), e-mail (firstname.lastname@example.com), or on her website (www.One4theWin.com).
Genna and recently started a podcast entitled Hour of Horsepower. Skirts and Scuffs has partnered with HoH for the 2010 season and we wish her the best of luck!
Patti Rodisch - Columnist
Patti Rodisch is a freelance writer. She currently writes for BleacherReport.com, where she is an analyst. Also she writes for FanHuddle.com, foxsports.com community, NASCAR.com community and FanZone Sports. As you can tell she loves to write and write about NASCAR.
She got her first opportunity to cover a NASCAR Sprint Cup series and NASCAR Nationwide series weekend in July 2009 at Chicagoland Speedway. She has been a NASCAR fan since 1997, the first race she watched was the CMT 300 at New Hampshire and Jeff Gordon won.
She is from the Midwest but has big plans to move to North Carolina to pursue her goals of writing for the sport she loves.
You can contact her at email@example.com. Patti is also on twitter @Patti_Rodisch.
Lacy Keyser - Contributor
I am Lacy, I love to act, sing and write! I love NASCAR! Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Tony Stewart are my favorite drivers. Junior is my Smexy 88! Amp that 88! I also love Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin.
I have been a NASCAR fan since I was a kid. I tend to have really strong opinions and I don't back down from a fight.
Roaslie Thompson – Columnist
Rosalie is a graduate of West Virginia University where she majored in Journalism. She is a freelance writer who lives in the South and enjoys following NASCAR both by attending races or watching them on TV.
Rosalie maintains several personal sites and writes for Examiner.com as the Stewart-Haas Racing Examiner.
Paula Thompson – Contributor
Paula was born into auto racing - her father has been on pit crews at Dunn Tire Raceway Park (formerly Lancaster (NY) Speedway) since the 1960s. Her racing highlights include seeing the family favorite, Bill Elliott, win the pole and the race at her first NASCAR race (Pocono #2 in 2002), and watching Dave Blaney, Steve Kinser, and Sammy Swindell pop wheelies on the front stretch at Ransomville (NY) Speedway during a World of Outlaw race in the 1990s. Her favorite drivers are Bill Elliott, Dave Blaney, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears, and the late Alan Kulwicki. She also follows NHRA drag racing (the Forces and Ron Capps) and IndyCar (Sarah Fisher, Helio Castroneves, and Dario Franchitti).
Paula is the Buffalo Events and Buffalo Sports Travel Examiner, and a featured sports writer on Xomba.com; you can also find her work on Associated Content and Bleacher Report. Paula can be contacted on Facebook or through her Buffalo Sports Travel email: email@example.com.
Monica Alvarez – Contributor
Monica Alvarez spent her early childhood Sunday mornings in the sofa next to her dad, watching Formula 1 races. As a little girl, the sound of engines and tires screeching on the pavement excited her and was her favorite sound. Soon she stopped watching F1, losing her attention for racing and it diminished fast. Spending the rest of her childhood and early teen years not discovering the world of NASCAR until February 2008 when her NASCAR obsessed teacher was talking about this majorly exciting thing called the Daytona 500. Curious, Monica waited and when the engines roared to life, the green flag waving and DW's signature "Boogity, boogity, boogity!" she was hooked. She had yet to pick a driver to cheer for until she found the homeboy.
Monica, a New York native, but adopted Southerner at age 5 when her family moved to Chesterfield County, Virginia; discovered at the spring Martinsville race in 2008 that Denny Hamlin was from Chesterfield, Virginia. Not only did they were they both from Chesterfield, but that Denny attended the same middle school and high school she was at. She saw his driving and win at Martinsville, and fell in love with the Virginia native.
Nothing could stop her from learning about her new driver and about the sport she just discovered. People may think she doesn't know NASCAR, but in just one season, she's learned more than her brain could handle, from the science in the cars, to the tracks, to the drivers she went to like, dislike, and not care about, to just about anything in the NASCAR world and is learning more and more with each season. She is a fiercly loyal fan, defending her drivers from haters but respecting their opinions though she may not agree with them, friends, and random strangers that pick on her sport, saying that NASCAR isn't.
A young fan, still in her roller-coaster teenage years; she is currently a student at Manchester High School where she is lucky enough to see her hometown boy's firesuit in the trophy case everyday and plots on stealing it one day. She has a passion of many things, and is willing to fight to defend them. Monica is an a avid Denny Hamlin fan--no other driver can take his place in her heart-- along with her other main favorites Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano--whom she got to meet in September 2009, many other drivers and is a newly converted Kyle Busch fan after hating him with a burning passion, then going to a love/hate relationship with Rowdy. She still hasn't found it in herself to forgive Brad Keselowski for anything yet and probably won't, making Brad her worst enemy though she hasn't met him and hopefully won't. She is severely allergic to Hendrick Motorsports with the exception of a off-season Jimmie Johnson when he isn't winning and the young Landon Cassill who isn't really with Hendrick, or in NASCAR much anymore, tearing her heart a little. She has a love for IndyCar (Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti) but no longer watches F1 except very rarely, since NASCAR stole her heart.
You can find her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/11ovenpeace), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?ref=name&id=100000371003228), LiveJournal (http://11ovenpeace.livejournal.com/profile), or her email (email@example.com)
Jessica Tow – Contributor
Jessica Tow, like Katy, is a self-proclaimed NASCAR addict. She's been following racing since she was born...literally. Her dad used to race enduro and street stock race cars at the local short tracks, but stopped soon after she was born. When Jessica was a toddler, her parents got divorced, and she went to live with her dad. He's the one who influenced her to get into NASCAR.
Growing up, Jessica's favorite driver was the the Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt. She loved everything about that man. His walk, his talk, his style and flair. Him and his black #3 was everything she loved about NASCAR racing. Everything was going great, or so it seemed...until Dale's untimely death. When Dale died, Jessica was devastated. But not for too long; she followed her dad and became a fan of Tony Stewart. He quickly became her #1 driver and was the one she rooted for each and every week...until Joey Logano entered the picture in 2007.
Joey Logano, aka Sliced Bread, is now Jessica's new favorite driver. But not to worry, she's still a Smoke fan! She's met Joey in person multiple times through meet and greet opportunities and from walking around the race track. She's witnessed many of Joey's firsts in person at NHMS. She was in the stands when he won the 2007 Busch East Series Championship, when he ran his first ever Sprint Cup Series race and when he won his very first Cup Series win. Talk about being a #1 fan, her bedroom is all Joey Logano-ed out. Among many other things, she has pretty much his entire die-cast car collection, plus an exclusive cardboard cutout of him that he personally autographed to her. That cutout now has a special place above Jessica's bed post - she claims him to be her guardian angel :p
Jessica's been attending NASCAR events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway since 1999. She goes to both Sprint Cup Series races each year, and has the greatest time. She highly recommends that you go to a race in person if you haven't already. It's like a whole new world! Everybody gets along with each other and it's just like one big, happy family. You'll love it! Plus tailgating is simply amazing ;)
NASCAR has truly been a passion of Jessica's for quite a long time. It's pretty much a part of who she is and what she does. It's her lifestyle!
Jessica currently resides in New Hampshire. She'll be graduating from high school in 2011 and is hoping to attend college in North Carolina. You can find Jessica on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and/or the NASCAR.com Community.
Elise Lindsey - Contributor
Elise Lindsey is a Southern California native who grew up with racing around her. Her brother, Devin Lindsey, currently races go-karts at the national level and is hoping to move to Late models and run in the lower divisions of NASCAR within the next year. Her long time boyfriend, who is legally blind in one eye, also races go-karts (hence the love story) and hopes to one day make it into formula one. Her grandfather, uncle, and cousins have also been involved in different types of motorsports as well. It's no surprise that one weekends she is likely to be found at some sort of racetrack rooting on her brother, boyfriends, and close friends.
Her favorite NASCAR driver is Kyle Busch, thanks to her 7th grade History teacher, but she also roots on Joey Logano and Mark Martin. She has no problem standing up for her favorite drivers but also welcomes other opinions. Because her brother's racing lets her family travel to different places and race with the big guys she has met many famous race car drivers that come down to the go-kart level to compete, such as: Michael Schumacher, Dan Weldon, Buddy Rice, Jamie McMurray, and Phil Giebler/
In addition to being a motorsports enthusiast, Elise enjoys scrapbooking and making crafts which she shows off in her personal blog Love Lisy. (http://lovelisy.blogspot.com)
Elise is currently attending San Diego State University in San Diego, California and plans to graduate in 2013 with a degree in exercise and nutrition. She hopes to one day take her degree and work for some motorsports team.
Elise writes a craft column for Skirts and Scuffs that includes a wide array of crafts suitable for NASCAR fans of all ages.
Unique Hiram - Contributor
Unique Hiram is a freelance writer and blogger who became a passionate, loyal NASCAR fan approximately in 1997. While serving as an active duty Navy sailor she began to seriously sit down and learn more about this phenomenal sport with some of her shipmates. Her favorite all-time driver was the late and legendary Dale "The Intimidator" Earnhardt, Sr. Due to his untimely death, his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has moved into the #1 spot of her favorite NASCAR drivers.
Some of the other drivers that she loves to watch include Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, and Martin Truex, Jr. Her favorite racetracks include Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, and Talladega Superspeedway.
Through her affiliation with Team South Carolina Midlands/Racer's Reunion she has been privilaged to help in the restoration efforts of Columbia Speedway in Cayce, South Carolina and continues to be an advocate for preserving as well as writing about the history of stock car racing.
Currently, Unique has been contributing her writing talents to the fan-based NASCAR News & Notes and Racer's Reunion. You can contact her via email at firstname.lastname@example.com or on Twitter @Unekone_88.
Molly Horn - Contributor
My name is Molly Horn; I'm 17 and started watching NASCAR during the Nationwide Vegas race in February of 2010. I do online high school andKyle Busch is my driver. I see a lot of myself in Kyle, I'm hard headed and when I do get competitive I hate to lose. I'm new to the sport, so I'm not that knowledgeable yet, but I'm learning fast.
I like other drivers such as Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon. I hope to go to a race one day, and have the chance to meet these amazing guys. I thank Lacy Keyser so much for getting me to watch my first race; thanks to her I now have something to be passionate, and opinionated about besides music no one knows about.
Jennifer McDaniel - Contributor
Jennifer is a 3rd generation NASCAR fan and grew up hearing stories about racing on Daytona Beach, Labor Day Southern 500 at Darlington and drivers like David Pearson, Fireball Roberts and the Flock Brothers. It was an unspoken rule growing up that her family had to be home from church by 1:00 on Sundays in order to be able to watch the race on TV. She distinctly remembers watching the Daytona 500 in '79 (even though she was only 9) and knows the difference between a cam shaft and a carburetor.
Jennifer McDaniel - Contributor
Jennifer is a 3rd generation NASCAR fan and grew up hearing stories about racing on Daytona Beach, Labor Day Southern 500 at Darlington and drivers like David Pearson, Fireball Roberts and the Flock Brothers. It was an unspoken rule growing up that her family had to be home from church by 1:00 on Sundays in order to be able to watch the race on TV. She distinctly remembers watching the Daytona 500 in '79 (even though she was only 9) and knows the difference between a cam shaft and a carburetor.
It's little wonder that she has definite ideas about NASCAR and its history and future, but she is always glad to make NASCAR friends and enjoys giving her rather vocal opinions on occasions.
Jennifer is a music and art teacher of 15 years and is currently working on adding Secondary (6-12) English/Language Arts to her repertoire. Living near Augusta, Georgia, she is a wife and mother to two boys, who attended their first live NASCAR race at Darlington this May (2010). She is doing her part to carry on the tradition of NASCAR fans and supports her children's choice of drivers, Jeff Burton and Mark Martin.
While not generally cheering for a specific driver, Jennifer is a devoted fan of the sound of 43 V-8s charging at 190 miles an hour and occasionally finds herself rooting for Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, and Marcos Ambrose. It also wouldn't hurt her feelings one bit to see Rockingham, "The Rock", added back to the racing schedule. She freely admits that Bristol is her favorite track, and she and her husband have a long term plan to eventually attend races at every track. She looks forward to the day when she and her husband can travel to all the NASCAR races in an RV, tailgate with the crowd, watch an amazing race and take a leisurely ride back home.
Jennifer has contributed blog posts to www.rowdy.com and has her own blog site at www.jennipmcd.blogspot.com where she posts about whatever is happening in her crazy world. She is also something of a self-proclaimed NASCAR sociologist, as she finds the stories about the people as entertaining as the racing itself. Jennifer can also be found on twitter @jennipmcd.
Amber Arnold - Contributor
I grew up in New Hampshire, approximately 30 minutes from NHMS. I went to my first race when I was about 13 or so, the track has only been around since 1990. I've always been a fair weather fan but I always knew that going to a race and watching a race with friends and family was a lot of fun. I've liked Dale Jr. since he started in the Winston Cup series.
I know people who race and work in the Modified series and have had the chance to watch a few races from the pit box when they raced at NHMS.
Even though NASCAR has always been a sport in my background, I became addicted to it during the 2010 Daytona 500; actually, I've been living and breathing NASCAR since then.
I've been writing for a long time; I've focused on Journalism and creative writing in college; I have a diploma/certificate in screenwriting from New York Film Academy and I'm working on my first movie script; (about journalists and NASCAR, go figure).
Amber Arnold - Contributor
I'm 25 and a huge NASCAR fan from Oklahoma. I consider myself lucky to be smack dab in the middle between TMS and Kansas. I was first introduced to NASCAR by my grandpa in 1995 and then later re-introduced to the sport by my Dad. My favorite driver was Rusty Wallace, simply to irritate my Dad who was and still is an Earnhardt fan! After Rusty retired I found myself following Dale Earnhardt Jr, and while I am still a JR fan I have since become more of a Brad Keselowski and Brian Vickers fan.
My first race was the spring Fontana race in 2007 where Jr blew an engine very early in the race. Needless to say my first experience was not the greatest! I attended the spring Texas race this year and was lucky enough to meet Brad, Brian, and Scott Speed. I am now officially hooked for life!
Outside of NASCAR, I am currently a nursing student and I hope to one day be involved in sports medicine. I have two sons named Kyle and Austin who are 3 and 1 and of course they are already NASCAR fans!
Holly Machuga - Contributor
Holly Machuga grew up in Upstate New York, a place where racing isn't very prominent. Her grandfather raced Chevys before she was born and watched NASCAR, cheering for Dale Earnhardt. When she was at her grandparent's house on race weekends, they would watch together. The last race she watched with them was the 2001 Daytona 500. A day she will never forget. Even though she was young, the memory stuck with her. Holly pulled herself away from NASCAR, scared that every race would outcome like the last she had watched.
Eight years later, the opportunity arose to go to Michigan International Speedway with her grandparents. Reluctantly, she said yes. After a few hours in the fan plaza, she was hooked. Her grandmother suggested she pick Kasey Kahne as her favorite driver, seeing as how he had great potential and was a great driver. She did and has supported him ever since.
Now, Holly is completely into being a NASCAR fan. She watches the races every chance she gets and is the creator of Team Kahne, a group of fans supporting Kasey Kahne. She hopes to become a motorsports journalist or a public rep once out of school. But for now, she enjoys writing for herself. Her favorite drivers are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Ryan Truex, and Elliott Sadler.
My twitter is: @mybrandneweyes
Eight years later, the opportunity arose to go to Michigan International Speedway with her grandparents. Reluctantly, she said yes. After a few hours in the fan plaza, she was hooked. Her grandmother suggested she pick Kasey Kahne as her favorite driver, seeing as how he had great potential and was a great driver. She did and has supported him ever since.
Now, Holly is completely into being a NASCAR fan. She watches the races every chance she gets and is the creator of Team Kahne, a group of fans supporting Kasey Kahne. She hopes to become a motorsports journalist or a public rep once out of school. But for now, she enjoys writing for herself. Her favorite drivers are Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Ryan Truex, and Elliott Sadler.
My twitter is: @mybrandneweyes
Hey I'm Genevieve; a 30 something living life in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm new here and love it!
I grew up in New Hampshire, approximately 30 minutes from NHMS. I went to my first race when I was about 13 or so, the track has only been around since 1990. I've always been a fair weather fan but I always knew that going to a race and watching a race with friends and family was a lot of fun. I've liked Dale Jr. since he started in the Winston Cup series.
I know people who race and work in the Modified series and have had the chance to watch a few races from the pit box when they raced at NHMS.
Even though NASCAR has always been a sport in my background, I became addicted to it during the 2010 Daytona 500; actually, I've been living and breathing NASCAR since then.
I've been writing for a long time; I've focused on Journalism and creative writing in college; I have a diploma/certificate in screenwriting from New York Film Academy and I'm working on my first movie script; (about journalists and NASCAR, go figure).
Amy McHargue - Contributor
Today, Amy is a single mom of a 14-year-old son living in Southern Indiana. Besides her love for NASCAR, IRL and other forms of motor racing, she considers herself a bit of a weather geek and is an avid fan of The Weather Channel. A fan of sports other than racing, she is a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Reds. Amy reads a lot of best-selling fiction and enjoys the writing of authors Clive Cussler, Stephen King, James Patterson, Robert Ludlum, Jean Auel and others.
Amy received her Associate of Arts degree in Business in 2009, and will receive her Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Security & Management in 2011. Ultimately she plans a move to points farther south to get away from winter weather. Her dream home would be a condo on the beach, a few miles south of the Daytona International Speedway.
Amy posts on Twitter as @AmyMack74, can be reached by email, and maintains a NASCAR related Blog.
Amy McHargue - Contributor
Amy McHargue remembers watching INDYCar with her father from the time she was four or five years old. She grew up in a small town 75 miles south of Indianapolis, Indiana. A love of racing was developed at an early age watching the speed of INDYCar on TV, and the month of May always left her wishing she could be at the race.
After graduating high school, Amy moved to Indianapolis, 3 miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and attended her first events at IMS in 1993. When 1994 broughtNASCAR to The Brickyard, she spent time around the track during NASCAR practice and qualifications. That first year of The Brickyard 400, the fans and atmosphere drew her in and by race day Amy was a new fan of NASCAR. She watched Dale Earnhardt Sr. cross the finish line in 1995 from seven rows away from the track and was a diehard Earnhardt fan from that day forward. Since 1994 Amy has attended more than half of the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 races.
After graduating high school, Amy moved to Indianapolis, 3 miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and attended her first events at IMS in 1993. When 1994 broughtNASCAR to The Brickyard, she spent time around the track during NASCAR practice and qualifications. That first year of The Brickyard 400, the fans and atmosphere drew her in and by race day Amy was a new fan of NASCAR. She watched Dale Earnhardt Sr. cross the finish line in 1995 from seven rows away from the track and was a diehard Earnhardt fan from that day forward. Since 1994 Amy has attended more than half of the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 races.
Today, Amy is a single mom of a 14-year-old son living in Southern Indiana. Besides her love for NASCAR, IRL and other forms of motor racing, she considers herself a bit of a weather geek and is an avid fan of The Weather Channel. A fan of sports other than racing, she is a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Reds. Amy reads a lot of best-selling fiction and enjoys the writing of authors Clive Cussler, Stephen King, James Patterson, Robert Ludlum, Jean Auel and others.
Amy received her Associate of Arts degree in Business in 2009, and will receive her Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Security & Management in 2011. Ultimately she plans a move to points farther south to get away from winter weather. Her dream home would be a condo on the beach, a few miles south of the Daytona International Speedway.
Amy posts on Twitter as @AmyMack74, can be reached by email, and maintains a NASCAR related Blog.
Stacie Ball - Columnist
Once a fan, always a fan; I think this goes for anyone in any sport. But for me, Stacie Ball, it is a whole different level when we discuss NASCAR, better known as the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. I have never been to an actual race, yet it does not make me less of a fan. I watch pretty much every weekend, as if it is a drug for me.
Why do I watch the sport of NASCAR? I watch it because you honestly get to know the players and drivers through interviews and the way they handle themselves via social media like Twitter and Facebook. How many other sports do you get to see the fun side of an athlete along with seeing what they are doing away from work? I think it is one of my favorite things about social media, which makes watching even more fun.
I'm a fan of five-time Champion Jimmie Johnson, among many of the other drivers who really have heart by making time for the fans. Drivers Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and the Busch brothers are among the other racers in the different series of the sport.
What you should people know about me? I am a Michigander. I love sports of all kinds, NASCAR being my favorite. I blog, I chat and most of all I am being me, myself and I. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Another way you can get to know me if through my different blogs and social media accounts.
My NASCAR Blog NASCAR Space Station: http://nascarspacestation.blogspot.com/
My Personal Blog Me, Myself, and I Spacie Stacie: http://memyselfandispaciestacie.blogspot.com/
My NASCAR Twitter Account: @NASCARSpaceShip
My Personal Twitter Account: @Spacie_Stacie
My Yahoo SN: spacie_stacie
My E-Mail Address: email@example.com
If you are interested in becoming part of the Skirts and Scuffs team just let us know! You can contact Katy via email at email@example.com


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Top Definition
Tool used to desend from moutain of shit your life has become
I'll be lucky if I have a shit toboggan left after this divorce attorney is done with me!
by Intent... April 22, 2009
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Something you ride through a shitstorm. Anything that helps you through a shitstorm, i.e. a difficult situation or set of circumstances.
I'm just gonna hop on the shit toboggan and ride out this hellride of a week.
by Dusty Pellegrino May 16, 2011

subset: commoncrawl


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After a fatal crash, a community is supporting one family during a difficult time.
Robert Terry Tooley Jr., 42, of Louisville, was killed July 18 when a Nissan Maxima collided with his motorcycle.
A recent column by David Meredith explored the Theory of Evolution. Meredith wrote that the Theory of Evolution is not anywhere close to scientific fact and that the scientific community does not agree on the factuality of the theory... He also claimed the Theory of Evolution has throughout history contributed to numerous atrocities, including but not limited to the Holocaust.
Today I took my oldest daughter to Freshman Orientation. It was an exciting day, and I really enjoyed the two hour drive with her.
The day we move her into the dorm will be our 20th wedding anniversary. Two big milestones that I'm sure will leave me in a state of pondering, if not a bit emotional.
A Henry County man is charged with arson after setting a fire this weekend in the Oldham County Jail.
Oldham County Police arrested 20-year-old Justin Reed on Sunday for violating an emergency protective order.
Jailer Mike Simpson said four to five hours into Reed's stay at the jail, staff members smelled smoke and spotted it seeping from his cell.
He's the embodiment of the American Dream. Poor, handicapped, immigrant, yet through established principles has risen to the top in his field. His name is Dennis Ogbe.
Dennis was the featured speaker at a Rotary meeting I attended not long ago. Whereas history is full of examples like his, it was great to hear and see one up close.
A La Grange man owes more than $2,900 to local water companies after his prank left more than a thousand homes with little or without water pressure as firefighters scrambled to shut off gushing fire hydrants.
Police say a huge increase in home invasions and burglaries this summer should encourage residents to lock up.
Oldham County Police Detective Chris Morris said Tuesday that local police have seen a 15 to 20 percent increase in theft, burglary and home invasion this summer.
Morris said simple precautions could deter burglars.
Pretty as a picture and looking more like a homemaker than an FBI agent, Jeanne James – a petite, mere sliver of a woman in a bright yellow dress and high heels – recently enthralled the Prospect/Goshen Rotary Club with stories of mobsters and godfathers.
An Oldham circuit judge declared a mistrial this morning amid jury selection for a man charged with burglary and complicity to murder in the 2009 shooting death of a La Grange man.
Circuit Judge Karen Conrad told more than 50 jurors gathered for the third day of jury selection that the trial for Raymond Carrion II will be rescheduled in 2012.
Oceana Allen was crowned Miss Oldham County Fair on Tuesday night at the Oldham County Fairgrounds in Buckner.
Copyright © 2016
The Oldham Era is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Oldham County and LaGrange, Kentucky, and the surrounding area.


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Athletes can run, but they can't hide
- From: News Corp Australia Network
- February 08, 2013
THE country's top athletes have been told to turn themselves in and dob in their mates before they are hauled before authorities on doping or match-fixing claims.
As investigations home in on players, coaches, doctors and sports scientists, sporting heads warned it was only a matter of time before police paid them a visit.
Justice Minister Jason Clare said police officers in every state and anti-doping authority ASADA were sifting through a mountain of information following 30 hearings.
That included more than 100 intelligence reports prepared from the year-long investigation by the Australian Crime Commission.
"Don't underestimate how much we know," Mr Clare said.
"And if you are involved in this, come forward before you get a knock at the door."
The chiefs of major sporting codes yesterday spoke of their shock following confidential briefings with the ACC, whose chief executive John Lawler foreshadowed criminal charges.
AFL chief Andrew Demetriou and NRL boss David Smith promised to combine with rugby union, cricket and other sports in a united front to keep their games pure.
The major codes have promised to run integrity units to deal with doping, betting and ethical issues.
Sports will share information and implement doping sanctions across codes.
And there will be zero tolerance for support staff involved in peddling drugs.
Players have been told to come forward and that sanctions may not be as heavy if they confess.
"I think this is an opportunity for anybody who is caught up, inadvertently or otherwise, perhaps to step forward and talk about that," Mr Smith said, adding the NRL was throwing extra resources at its investigations with ASADA.
"Because what we know and what history tells us is, actually, you will get caught."
ASADA chief Aurora Andruska said any piece of information, no matter how small, could be a vital piece of the puzzle.
Sport Minister Kate Lundy said the Government had learned from the Lance Armstrong scandal and would strengthen ASADA's powers, leaving people who refuse to cooperate liable for penalties.
"We were informed by the USADA's report into the Lance Armstrong affair that it was investigative powers, not straight dope testing, that led to the revelations that emerged," she said.
States and territories were already working on nationally consistent laws outlawing match fixing, she said.


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1920 Notre Dame Season Review
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|Table of Contents
|Vol. 5, No. 3-4, 2008
Issue release date: March 2008
|Section title: Alpha-Synuclein
Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 Colocalizes with α-Synuclein in Parkinson's Disease, but Not Tau-Containing Deposits in TauopathiesPerry G.a, b · Zhu X.a · Babar A.K.a · Siedlak S.L.a · Yang Q.a · Ito G.c · Iwatsubo T.c · Smith M.A.a · Chen S.G.a
aDepartment of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, and bCollege of Sciences, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Tex., USA; cDepartment of Neuropathology and Neuroscience, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Corresponding Author
George Perry, PhD
College of Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio
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OSHA News Release - (Archived) Table of Contents
OSHA News Release – Region 2
U.S. Department of Labor
Region 2 News Release: NY 175
August 30, 2001
Contact: Chester Fultz
Phone: (212) 337-2319
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. -- A New Jersey company's failure to train employees on the safe operation of forklifts contributed to serious injuries suffered by an employee and prompted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration today to cite the firm. The company is facing a fine of $101,250.
Cosmetic Essence, Inc., of Ridgefield, N.J., was cited for 17 alleged safety and health violations, centering on the company's failure to train employees on forklift operations. A worker sustained severe lacerations and chemical exposure after falling from a forklift into a 2,000-gallon chemical mixing kettle last February. He was being lifted on a pallet by the forklift at the time of the accident.
This worker would not have had to suffer such a serious injury had the employer followed the proper training procedures for forklift operations, said Lisa Levy, OSHA's area director in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. "OSHA's training standard for forklifts and other powered industrial trucks was revised to help reduce accidents like this. Cosmetic Essence, Inc. must be held accountable for this accident.
OSHA's investigation resulted in the company being issued an alleged willful violation with a proposed penalty of $63,000 for failure to train workers in the proper operation of forklifts. Sixteen citations for alleged serious violations were also issued for failing to determine whether employees were capable of driving forklifts, not providing safety platforms for workers being lifted by forklifts, and neglecting to properly guard open-sided platforms. The serious violations were accompanied by a $38,250 proposed penalty.
In 1998, it was estimated that approximately 100 workers are killed and almost 95,000 are injured each year in industrial truck accidents. OSHA's revised training standards for industrial trucks was effective in March 1999.
A willful violation is defined by OSHA as one committed with an intentional disregard for, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSH act and regulations. Serious violations are those in which a condition exists where there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm can result.
Cosmetic Essence, Inc. has 15 working days to contest the citations before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
|OSHA News Release - (Archived) Table of Contents


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In Brief: Senate approves jobless bill
Senate approves unemployment bill
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted 59-38 Monday to resurrect federal jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed, and a small band of Republican supporters swiftly appealed to a reluctant Speaker John Boehner to permit election-year action in the House as well.
Steps are needed "to restore unemployment benefits to struggling Americans," seven House Republicans wrote Boehner, of Ohio, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, of Virginia.
Despite the appeal, the bill's prospects are cloudy at best, given widespread opposition among conservative lawmakers and outside groups and Boehner's unwillingness to allow it to the floor without changes that Republicans say would enhance job creation.
The White House-backed bill would retroactively restore benefits that were cut off in late December, and maintain them through the end of May. Officials said as many as 2.7 million jobless workers have been denied assistance since the law expired. The aid would total about $256 weekly, and in most cases go to men and women who have been off the job for longer than six months.
House Democrats unveil budget plan with tax hikes
WASHINGTON -- House Democrats unveiled their response to Paul Ryan's GOP budget on Monday, and it relies on $1.5 trillion in higher taxes over the coming 10 years and the economic benefits of immigration reform to make the numbers work.
The plan by Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen counts on hundreds of billions of dollars in tax revenues from an influx of immigrant workers to help reduce deficits to the $600 billion range by 2024.
The bill also embraces President Barack Obama's call for additional infrastructure spending, early childhood education and additional jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. Ryan's plan ekes out a balanced budget by 2024 by repealing the Affordable Care Act's coverage provisions and cutting spending across a wide swath of the budget. Both plans face House votes this week, with Ryan's budget expected to pass in the GOP-controlled body.
Army: Fort Hood suspect had requested leave
FORT HOOD, Texas -- The Fort Hood soldier suspected of killing three people and wounding 16 last week began his rampage on the Texas Army post after an argument related to taking leave, military investigators said Monday.
Army spokesman Chris Grey didn't indicate during a brief news conference whether Spc. Ivan Lopez was granted the leave or the circumstances behind the request. The shooting spree Wednesday ended when Lopez killed himself with his .45-caliber pistol after confronting a female military police officer, who Grey said fired once at Lopez but missed.
A spokesman for Lopez's family said last week that Lopez was upset he was granted only a 24-hour leave to attend his mother's funeral in November. That leave was then extended to two days.
-- from wire reports


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on March 31, 2013 - 12:07 AM
, updated March 31, 2013 at 12:08 AM
For high school students adept at working on cars, the National Automotive Technology Competition is a chance to show their stuff.
Four area seniors – on two teams, with two members each – will compete Tuesday and Wednesday in New York City, with the New York International Auto Show as the backdrop. Thirty teams from around the United States and Canada are entered, with $3 million worth of prizes and scholarships at stake for the students and their schools.
The big stage and prizes make the competition compelling. But the students' instructors, auto-dealer groups and event organizers see a much bigger picture: a chance to stoke students' interest in careers such as automotive technology and develop future talent.
The Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association (NFADA) and its local partners, including Erie Community College and auto dealers and other businesses, have been boosters of the competition for years. At the regional finals in January, a team from the Orleans-Niagara BOCES Niagara Center – Dan Ruble and Kyle Jung – finished first and earned a spot in the national finals, representing the NFADA.
The runner-up team from Burgard High School – David Thie and River Saxbury – is also going to the finals, representing the New York State Auto Dealers Association in Albany, which did not have its own entry. The high finish was a breakthrough for Burgard, which has a long tradition in vocational education but had never made the finals. The school has taken notice of the team's accomplishment.
"All of the teachers are always congratulating us," Saxbury said.
A team from Western New York has never won the national competition but has finished as high as third. Local supporters are upbeat about this year's local entries, but they say regardless of how the two teams place, reaching the finals is a major achievement that should open doors for the students.
"When they go to work and that's on their resume, 90 percent of the [dealership] service managers around here know what it means," said John Domagala, who serves on the NFADA's Auto Tech Committee. "They're looking at that, and they're saying to themselves, 'This looks good, this sounds good.' "
Domagala should know. He built a career in the industry, after growing up as a self-described "hot-rod kid." The 1950 Burgard graduate said he and his classmates are especially proud that a team from their alma mater is in the finals.
"These guys feel like I do, too: 'Hey, maybe we've got a chance to shine,' " Domagala said.
The National Automotive Technology Competition uses a points system to judge the students on their abilities to perform tasks at work stations and to repair problems planted in their assigned vehicles, within a time limit. The competitors must follow proper diagnostic procedures, just as they would in a service department.
The national competition can get intense, but the event at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is only a part of the story.
Auto dealers and other supporters helped nine two-member teams from area schools prepare for the regional competition held in January at ECC's Vehicle Technology Training Center in Orchard Park. The Ford Dealers of Western New York sponsored this year's regional event; each team was matched with a Ford dealership to prepare to work on an F-150 for that round.
"Our dealers do a good job," Domagala said. "We don't have a problem going into the dealerships and asking them to train the kids."
At the national finals, a variety of auto brands will be in the mix. The Orleans-Niagara team will work on a Subaru Legacy, and the Burgard team will work on a Mercedes-Benz E350. The students partnered with Mercedes-Benz of Buffalo and Northtown Subaru to prepare.
The local finalists have family members who have worked in the auto industry. "It kind of runs in the family, I guess," said Ruble, from the Orleans-Niagara BOCES team. And Thie enjoys getting things repaired and running again.
Event supporters say just participating in the regional or national rounds pays dividends for the students, by building their confidence, connecting them with industry professionals, and exposing them to career options. "Our employment department is always getting requests from dealers for techs," said Paula Battistella, who serves on the NFADA's Auto Tech Committee.
Some dealers want to hire experienced technicians; the NFADA tries to encourage them to consider up-and-comers to fill openings, too.
"The way we look at it, we're going to give you a kid that has potential," Domagala said. "You have to bring it out of them."
ECC is a local focal point for automotive education, with its training center in Orchard Park. Ed Szczepanski, professor of automotive technology, said there is strong student interest in ECC's automotive programs. Some of the programs are tied in directly with Chrysler and Ford, giving participating students a combination of classroom learning and work experience at a dealership.
What students earn once they graduate from high school and get a job as an auto tech varies widely, depending on how much experience and education they walk in with, and what dealerships pay. The state Department of Labor says in Western New York, the 3,520 workers it classified as auto service technicians and mechanics earned a median salary of $33,290.
The pay can go much higher than that as employees move up the career ladder.
"You can start as a tech and then you can work your way up to a service manager and just work your way up from there," Ruble said. "You can go a lot of places with it."
Jung, his teammate, said he is interested in going to college for an auto diesel program and becoming a dealer technician, perhaps for a BMW dealership.
Frank Downing Jr., president of Towne Automotive Group, said Towne dealerships have technicians who have moved up from entry-level positions to their current jobs.
Bob Voss, an instructor in Burgard's program, said going to the national finals builds the school's reputation, as it pursues national certification for its auto education program. "We're right on the verge of being certified, and this is certainly going to help us," he said.
Voss said he is impressed with the strides the Burgard program has made. And the work for the students is by no means easy: he noted the vehicle they have trained on, the Mercedes-Benz E350, is "probably one of the most electronically complicated vehicles on the market."
Saxbury, from the Burgard team, said he is looking forward to competing in New York City. "To be honest, I didn't expect to place in the (regional) competition, so anything from here is a bonus."
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Browns Interested In Jon Gruden As Next Coach
The former Bucs coach and current Monday Night Football analyst could become a popular name in the midwest next year. ?Pat Schurmur finally got a win this past weekend, but with new ownership and management, his job is most definitely in trouble.
Read more here.


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I am introducing a new kind of rankings that I will be posting team by team. The rankings will consist of the top 20 teams (a full offense consisting of 5 O-Linemen, a QB, And 5 skill positions including FB, RB, WR, and TE, and a D, 3-4 or 4-3 depending on the available personnel) consisting only of the players from a given college. I will reveal the rankings from the 20th team all the way to #1, one article at a time. Stay tuned to see the latest ranked team and please comment on if my rankings are accurate or if there are any notable players that I have left out.
College NFL Teams: Ranking the Best NFL Player Producers
By Dani Caplan ,
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories


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This Craft Kalimantan film highlights indigenous weaving traditions used in the production of high quality art products. The products are the work of artisan groups, made up of 90 per cent women, who live in and around the forests in Kalimantan, Indonesia. These groups continue to struggle in defence of their culture and tradition through the art of weaving crafts.
(Credit: Gekko Studio)
International Day of the World's Indigenous People
(9 August) website
For more information, view also the Panel discussion "Indigenous designs: Celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own culture" that took place on 9 August 2011.


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This episode was alright, Cyndaquil is cute. I'm glad Ash caught it and not that other jerk of a trainer.
This episode was alright, Cyndaquil is cute. I'm glad Ash caught it and not that other jerk of a trainer.
Episodes like these make me really annoyed of Team Rocket. It was funny how they left Brock and Misty realizing that Ash and Pikachu weren't with them. But, yay. Ash got a Cyndaquil.
Hinoarashi's performance certainly at a top draw as he defeated Sandpan. Good to see that it did not follow Yuji at the end. Probably he will going to abuse Hinoarashi because he used the net and tried for force it to follow him. Which somehow makes Yuji nothing more different than Rocket Dan by the way he catches it.
Why was the COTD in this episode talking like the Cyndaquil was the only one, when he was the one who said there's supposed to be wild Cyndaquil roaming the forest, indicating there's more than just the one him and Ash were after?
My top favorites
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Formerly Painkiller2001
I really liked Team Rocket's flashbacks to their previous jobs here; seeing Jessie work at a fast food place and eat a burger made me cackle. Anyway, Team Rocket's giant Meowth mecha was actually pretty competent, and seeing Ash's Cyndaquil battle that guy's Sandslash at the end of the episode was pretty cool.
With Ash using Cyndaquil against some guy's (the guy that competed with Ash for the Cyndaquil) Sandslash, there was an obvious type disadvantage but very unexpectedly (for me), defeated the Sandslash.
Sugimori art used; Peace to Dragons and Fairies
Banner created by me
The team rocket flashback scenes were so touching in this episode. Also Ash competing with the other trainer was a great episode idea, it made me cheer for ash and I was happy when he succeeded
IGN: Creyk
Cyndaquil was awesome here and TR's gum throwing mecha was epic lol. I kind of liked the jerk Sandslash dude, though.
Cyndaquil was so cute so I was pleased that Ash caught one here and defeated that Sandslash trainer as well. I liked the Meowth mecha that Team Rocket used here too especially how it fired bubblegum.
Cyndaquil was my favorite Johto beginner Pokemon, so I was proud when Ash caught it + I didn't know Team Rocket had secondary jobs.
So we got glimpses of how the TRio makes extra money and saw Ash catch Cyndaquil and fight that Sandslash trainer. Pretty cool episode. 9/10


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Top Definition
awesome person that is often imitated but never duplicated.
Nicole is so godly that I adore her.
by 060106 July 17, 2006
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A Nicole is someone who is omnipotent. A Nicole is gorgeous, intelligent, mysterious, witty, hilarious, out-going, creative and seductive, yet she is also tough, street-smart, experienced, brave, enduring, and mainly a wonderful mother. Nothing and nobody can compare to a Nicole in any aspect. Mess with a Nicole, or her family, and you will regret ever being born.
"Why vote for either Presidential candidate, when there is a Nicole out there much more suitable for the position?"
by Nicoleisgreat May 24, 2008
pretty much the most awesome person you will ver hope to meet. many people try to be as balla as nicole's but in many cases to not suceed.nicoles are pretty awesome and pretty much the greatest thing sience...EVER! many people hope to be nicole but never are because shes a ballaholic!
nicole ur so damn awsome i wish i was you!
by nicole is pretty awesome December 07, 2006
1. An individual who is described as funny, enduring, and charming.
2. A female who enjoys eating grapes and partaking in the ritual of laughter at the same time.
1. An individual who is described as funny, enduring, and charming.
2. A female who enjoys eating grapes and partaking in the ritual of laughter at the same time.
Nicole chocked on a grape. This amused the group.
by Violet N. November 22, 2007
A lovely girl who dresses fresh to death that attracts the boys.
Nicole has such cool style, I wish I was as cool as her.
by ajhiwsi March 23, 2008
girl that i love
i love you nicole
by Vdiddle August 26, 2008
Slang term for a very amazing, attractive individual.
Damn your so hot, you're so Nicole!
by GeoffreyDBFL August 23, 2008


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Gowanus Residents Call Shuffleboard Bar Royal Palms a Royal Pain
The conflict should be settled over a relaxing game of parcheesi.By Hugh Merwin
The conflict should be settled over a relaxing game of parcheesi.By Hugh Merwin
Brooklyn Brine goes brick-and-mortar in Gowanus.By Hugh Merwin
Old-people-themed fun!By Jenny Miler
A calamity at a museum devoted to death, and related topics.By Mark Jacobson
It's called Egg 'N' Grog pie.By Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
A bold move.By Alyssa Shelasky
Some cities have all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts; New York has the beefsteak.By Jenny Miller
Clam belly sandwiches are one now step closer to being a reality in Gowanus.By Hugh Merwin
The community board's land-use committee gave the supermarket's plans a green light.By Jenny Miller
Finger on the Pulse's barbecues are back, and Mister Sunday comes to Gowanus Grove.By Daniel Maurer
A Gowanus houseboat is the new Williamsburg loft.By Nitasha Tiku
Plus: a candlelit Earth Day dinner, a guacamole contest, and more, in our daily roundup of neighborhood food news.
"Another Yo MTV Raps 'bling-bling' vip club" and a venue that's "in the spirit of what's happening now in Gowanus."By Daniel Maurer
A company exec promises it's still happening.By Alan Sytsma
Varieties both savory and sweet will be on the menu at a new occasional Sunday supper.By Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
Right on the streets.By Mike Vilensky
It's now called 400 Carroll Street. But will there be booze?By Daniel Maurer
After four years, one of the city's best outdoor venues is gone.By Daniel Maurer
Plus: Nanoosh in midtown, and a Stamp Out Hunger campaign, in our daily roundup of neighborhood news.
Two chances to make the rounds among a bevy of mobile vendors.By Daniel Maurer


text: January 25, 2014 A section of Folly Beach's Center Street was shut down to vehicular traffic on Saturday to allow local restaurants and bars to take over for the annual Taste of Folly. With more than 20 restaurants and bar participating, the family-friendly event offered something for everyone, including a chili cook-off, a hot dog-eating contest, the Bartenders Mix-Off Winner's Circle and the Server Olympics. In addition to all the food and drink fun, attendees enjoyed live music by One Kool Blow and the Jordan Igoe Band, bid in the silent auction and date auction, and took advantage of kid-centric entertainment including bounce castles. The Taste of Folly benefitted Folly Beach Parks and Recreation.


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Posted at 9:45 AM on July 15, 2011
by Paul Tosto
(1 Comments)
State Senate DFL Leader Tom Bakk savaged the proposed budget deal between Republican leaders and Gov. Mark Dayton, calling it a "totally irresponsible solution" to the state's finances.
"I don't plan on voting for a borrowing proposal," Bakk said on MPR's Midmorning program.
The deal is essentially the Republican plan for no new income taxes that closes the budget gap by withholding money from schools, about $2.1 billion, and borrowing against future revenues from the state tobacco settlement fund. It also contains several Dayton conditions, including a bonding bill of at least $500 million and no across-the-board cuts of state workers.
Bakk gave credit to Dayton for his work to end the state government shutdown. But he was incredulous at the idea of holding back K12 education funds "and saying, 'well the next legislature that gets elected after 2012 will pay you back.'"
Interestingly, Bakk also said that he was not in the room during the final negotiations. He'd been a key player for weeks with Dayton pressing DFL positions. But he told MPR's Kerri Miller that he pulled out "when it looked like it was going to be a borrowing deal."
Bakk, Dayton and other DFLers had pushed for an additional tax on Minnesotans earning more than $1 million a year. Republicans rejected the idea as a potential jobs killer, hurting high income people who create jobs in the state.
Bakk, though, said his research showed that would not have been the case. He said of the 7,700 Minnesota tax filers earning more than $1 million, only about half lived in Minnesota with the rest simply having taxable investments here.
Among the millionaires living in the state, "next to none our business owners," he said. "Business owners reinvest in their business, so they don't have high tax liability. To say that they're 'job killing tax increases,' there is no study, no data to back that up."
While it's likely that few if any legislative Democrats vote for the compromise, Republican leaders say their majorities hold enough votes to pass it.
Click on the play button below to listen to the program:
Governor Dayton is simply too nice a guy. He's spent his whole life working for people who weren't born with his privileges - from teaching in a ghetto school to a long career in public office. When faced with the burden of keeping people out of work - though Republicans felt no such compunctions and haven't in this state for many years - he couldn't let the bleeding continue.
I've wondered during this agonizing year just who were Dayton's friends. Who was supporting and backing him up? Frankly, the DFL movers and shakers have not seemed worth much, certainly not the likes of Vance Opperman who was quick to say he wanted to keep his coffers overflowing. How much did the most vociferous liberals actually help the governor? Bakk and Greiling and all the others who are now kvetching failed to help this good man nearly as much as they should have. Now's the time to stand with him. When the deal is done, they can start truly working to oust these aliens from our state government.


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Pedagogical Discourse is a new study (8/2006) aimed at scaffolding and assessing student interactions within online discussion boards. Using analyses of the discourse, course ontologies and student profiles, we will scaffold learning opportunities by connecting students to each other and to related course material and discussions. We will work with undergraduate computer science students. Participating institutions include USC, UC Irvine and Tulane University.
The project is funded by a National Science Foundation CCLI-Phase 2 (Expansion) grant [Award #0618859].
Motivation As web-enhanced and distance education
approaches become increasingly integrated in engineering courses,
discussion boards offer a promising avenue for supporting collaborative interaction and reflective problem solving. However, existing systems for on-line discussion are often not fully effective in promoting learning in undergraduate courses, and pedagogical interventions
can be necessary to keep collaborative discussions focused and productive.
Goal The goal of the project is to design, deploy and evaluate software tools that automatically structure and scaffold student interactions within on-line discussion boards. Our tools will analyze graduate student contributions to past discussion topics and recommend the contributions that are useful, relevant or of interest to undergraduates who are contributing to a current discussion topic. The system will provide guidance using tutorial scaffolding strategies such as generating questions and comments, inviting participation and clarification, and referring students to past discussions of a related topic. Student profiles will be used to encourage individual students to contribute to particular topics. Evaluation studies conducted at three institutions will focus on the effects of different versions of discussion board on student performance, interest in engineering topics and retention rates.
J. Kim & E. Shaw, Pedagogical Discourse: Connecting students to past discussions and peer mentors within an online discussion board. 21st Annual Conference on Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Pasadena (IAAI-09), 2009.
S. Wyner, E. Shaw, T. Kim, J. Li & J. Kim, Sentiment Analysis of a Student Q&A Board for Computer Science, Workshop on Computational Models for Natural Argument (CMNA), Joint Int'l Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), 2009.
J. Kim, T. Kim & J. Lee, Identifying unresolved issues in online students discussions: A multi-phase dialogue classification approach, Proc. of the AI in Education Conference, 2009.
E. Shaw, J. Kim & P. Supanakoon, MentorMatch: Using student mentors to scaffold participation and learning within an online discussion board, Proc. of the AI in Education Conference, 2009.
J. Kim, E. Shaw, S. Ravi, E. Tavano, A. Arromratana & P. Sarda, Scaffolding of On-line Discussions with Past Discussions: An Analysis and Pilot Study of PedaBot, Proc. of 9th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS'08).
J. Kim, E. Shaw, E. Tavano, A. Arromratana, P. Sarda & C. Beal, Towards Automatic Scaffolding of On-line Discussions in Engineering Courses, Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA 2008).
S. Ravi & J. Kim, Profiling Student Interactions in Threaded Discussions with Speech Act Classifiers, Proc. of the AI in Education Conference, 2007.
J. Kim, E. Shaw, G. Chern & R. Herbert, Novel tools for assessing student discussions: Modeling threads and participant roles using speech act and course topic analysis, Proc. of the AI in Education Conference, 2007.
J. Kim, G. Chern, E. Shaw & D. Feng, An Intelligent Discussion-Bot for Guiding Student Interactions in Threaded Discussions , Proc. of the AAAI 2007 Spring Symposium on Interaction Challenges for Intelligent Assistants, 2007.
J. Kim, G. Chern & E. Shaw, Towards automatic assessment of on-line discussions: Analyzing student "speech acts" , American Educational Research Association (AERA 2007).
D. Feng, J. Kim, E. Shaw & E. Hovy, Towards Modeling Threaded Discussions through Ontology-based Analysis, In Proc. of National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-2006).
D. Feng, E. Shaw, J. Kim & E. Hovy, Learning to Detect Conversation Focus of Threaded Discussions, In Proc. of the Joint Human Language Tech. Conf./Annual Meeting of the North Amer. Chap. of the Assoc. for Computational Linguistics (HLT-NAACL 2006) .
D. Feng, E. Shaw, J. Kim & E. Hovy, An Intelligent Discussion-Bot for Answering Student Queries in Threaded Discussions, Proc. of the Int'l Conf. on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI-2006), 2006.
J. Kim, G. Chern, D. Feng, E. Shaw & Eduard Hovy, Mining and Assessing Discussions on the Web through Speech Act Analysis, Proc. of the ISWC'06 Workshop on Web Content Mining with Human Language Technologies, 2006.
J. Kim, E. Shaw, D. Feng, C. Beal & E. Hovy, Modeling and Assessing Student Activities in On-Line Discussions, Proc. of the AAAI Workshop on Educational Data Mining, 2006.
J. Kim & C. Beal, Turning quantity into quality: Supporting automatic assessment of on-line discussion contributions, American Educational Research Association (AERA 2006), 2006.
E. Shaw, Assessing and Scaffolding Threaded Discussions, Proc. of the AI in Ed Conf, 2005.


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Spring Rally Day @ Pleasureville UMC
March 30, 2014 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 amFree
Rally Day celebration March 30th 9 am at Pleasureville UMC in York with The Susquehanna Slide Express, a trombone ensemble from South-Central PA, comprised of professional musicians with a wealth of experience and an extensive repertoire of literature! You won't want to miss this energetic group of musicians! A love offering will be received for the ensemble. Open to the community!


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