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KALAMAZOO — When the NHL Vancouver Canucks asked Nick Bootland if he had room for a 6-foot-2 forward, the Kalamazoo Wings coach said he'd take a look.
So far, the gamble is paying off big time
In his six ECHL games, 20-year-old Wesley Myron has two goals and four assists, making him a point-a-game guy so far.
Because of illness, he was a scratch for the K-Wings' 4-1 win at the Cincinnati Cyclones Monday afternoon and takes a three game points streak into Thursday's game at the Reading Royals.
The rookie scored his first pro goal in the team's 3-2 overtime win at home against the Toledo Walleye last Friday,.
He added his second in the K-Wings' 4-3 overtime victory at Toledo on Saturday, adding two assists, including the primary helper on Yann Sauve's OT game-winner.
"He's had lots of opportunities in the first few games he's been here," Bootland said. "You've seen him wheel. That (first goal) was a good shot, knocked the water bottle off. What a great first goal for him. Something he'll remember for a lifetime."
Unlike most of Vancouver's drafted players in Kalamazoo, Myron didn't come by way of the AHL's Chicago Wolves. He started this season as a freshman at Boston University and left midway through the Terriers' year.
"For me, it was basically I had surgery in the middle of my last year of junior before I went to Boston and I hadn't played much hockey," Myron said. "(At Boston) I was not getting much ice time and things weren't really clicking for me. It wasn't really a good fit."
In spite of his injury last season, Myron amassed 42 points, including 17 goals, in 26 games with the Victoria Grizzlies of the BC Major Midget League. At Boston this season, he had two goals and an assist in 21 games.
"I just wanted to play some more games," he said. "I hadn't played a lot of hockey. It was a great chance to come here and it's working out for the best."
Since Myron was drafted in the sixth round by the Canucks last year, "I just called them up and let them know that I was contemplating leaving school and they did the rest," he said of coming to Kalamazoo.
If it's more games he wants, he's certainly getting them now. Since joining the K-Wings Feb. 8, Myron's played in six of seven games and the schedule is something he's getting used to.
"In college you play one or two games a weekend and that's it," he said. "For those one or two games, guys are fresh and ready. It's high-tempo, run-and-gun hockey, where here, you're playing every second night almost it feels like since I got here. It's a lot more structured game. Guys are in the right place at the right time. It makes it easier playing with better players."
Myron and the K-Wings will head out on another East Coast swing, Thursday at the Reading Royals then Saturday and Sunday at the Elmira Jackals before returning to Wings Stadium to host the Cyclones March 1.
Bootland said Myron brings a spark to the team.
"He's a kid you can see the potential in," Bootland said. "He needs to get stronger, but at the same time, he's 20 years old and he's come in here and he's made an impact. He keeps things simple. He's a natural centerman, but he's going to play a little bit of wing and center here. He's done a pretty good job so far, being thrown into the fire."
The biggest adjustment for the rookie is living on his own.
"It is different, for sure," Myron said. "I've got a great roommate in (defenseman Joe) Charlebois. He shows me the ropes. I call mom occasionally for different meal ideas. I've been trying to cook but I've been borrowing his car and running across to Tim Horton's."
Charlebois, who turned 27 years old on Monday, is a good roommate for a young guy. He played four years at University of New Hampshire and knows what it takes to adjust from college life to the pros.
"I was in the same position before," Charlebois said. "We were all that age at one point. I had somebody helping me and showing me the ropes, so the least I can do is give him some pointers and help him along the way."
Of the cooking thing, Charlebois said: "In college, they feed you almost every meal and you don't have to worry about it. When you turn pro, you have to worry about where you're going to eat and what you're going to eat every time. You have to make sure you eat right. That might be his biggest adjustment."
So far, Myron said he's happy with his choice to give up a four-year college scholarship for the pros.
"When you play junior hockey out in western Canada, that's what my goal was, to get a scholarship and go to college," he said. "That's what the goal was then, but now it's to play pro hockey and keep advancing up a level."
Next game
K-Wings vs. Reading Royals
When: 7:05 p.m. Thursday at Sovereign Center, Reading, Pa.
Radio: WZUU-FM (92.5)


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It's your credit history. What does yours say about you?
"Peter Ustinov said, "The great thing about history is that it's adaptable." That's certainly true of your credit history: because you can alter your credit history to make it look it's best. Here's how.
Step one? Get a free copy of your report from annualcreditreport.com.
Step two? Go over your history and look for mistakes. Are all the debts yours? If there are negatives, are they accurate?
Step three? Dispute any negative entries that are wrong or outdated. Most negatives can only stay on your credit history for seven years.
And here's something really important. If you dispute anything on your credit history and the credit bureau can't prove that it's accurate, they gotta take it off."
So you if you have bad stuff that's wrong dispute it. If it's true, you have to right to provide an explanation.
You can also write the lender that put the negative there and ask them to remove it.
Bottom line? You may not be able to alter world history, but you can certainly alter your credit history.
All you need is a little more information and I've got it for you right here at moneytalksnews.com...check it out. And if your history is really bad, take solace from this quote from Warren Buffet: If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians. For moneytalksnews, I'm Stacy Johnson.

subset: commoncrawl


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"Some years ago I wrote a little article, `What Can Miserable Christians Sing?' I dashed it off in about 30 minutes one afternoon, and yet I have received more positive letters and emails about that one little piece than anything else I have ever written. It seemed to strike a chord."My thesis was very simple: there is nothing in the typical book of hymns or praise songs that a woman who has miscarried a baby, or a parent who has just lost a child to cancer, can sing with honesty and integrity on a Sunday.
"The desperation and heartache of such moments are things which we instinctively feel have no place in a religion where we are called on to rejoice in the Lord always. Yet there is a praise book which taps such emotions and gives the broken-hearted honest words with which to express their deepest sorrows to God.
"It's called the book of Psalms; and its recovery as a source of public praise in the Christian church can only help the church overcome its innate triumphalism and make room for the poor and the weak; that is the very people that Paul alludes to in 1 Corinthians which are the normal kind of church member."And today I find the article has once again returned to my inbox; this time cited by my friend, the well-known British journalist, John Macleod. Who would have thought that a 30 minute editorial would have such an apparently long life?" - Rev. Dr. Carl. R. TruemanRead the London Times article.
Westminster Theological Seminary - 2960 Church Road, Glenside PA 19038 - 215-887-5511© Copyright/Privacy 2014 Westminster Theological SeminaryDesigned and Developed by Trinet Internet Solutions


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We love a great renovation story. Each week, we visit homes throughout the New Orleans area, writing about the ways residents have transformed their houses into more personal spaces.
This week, we stopped by artist Martin Welch's renovated barn-turned-studio and Wade and Sandy Perrin's baseball-themed backyard.
Now we want to hear from you. Do you have an appealing personal space? If you've got a well-decorated den, kitchen, kids' rooms, sewing room, patio, porch, home theater, water garden, powder room or other favorite spot, tell us about it.Send us a short description of your space or project. If you've got before and after photos, please include them along with your name, address, daytime phone number and a snapshot to: email@example.com.


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This deal has ended.
The Fire Sense Bullet Patio Heater is now at Home Depot for $269.10, before $20 off $200 coupon code NEWYR912 (expires 1/14) lowers it to just $249.10. This features 41,000 BTUs, and 18-foot range of heat, Piezo igniter, and stainless steel burners. Shipping is free with sales tax charged in most states.No longer available


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Travelport Clogs $49.99-$69.00
Your favorite clogs are back! Travelport is one of our best-selling Traveltime family members. If you're looking for a shoe that can comfortably handle an 8-hour shift, these updated clogs for women are ideal. In fact, if you're pulling overtime, our Travelport clogs can still go the distance. (Of course, they're perfect as a casual, anytime clog.) Travelport features a fashionable rope detail and stripe lining. This slide-on style has a removable sock liner that absorbs shock and provides amazing comfort.


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Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone has made a concerted effort to recruit New York talent. Those efforts have proven to be successful in recent years. One of those prospects is Rochester (NY) product Devan Carter. A talented running back, Carter was recruited to play linebacker for the Orange. Unfortunately, he was injured this past week and is out for the rest of his senior season.
"Yeah I had a spiral fracture on my fibula," Carter said. "It sucks. It happened against West Irondequoit."
Carter described the pain as an eight out of ten. He remembers the play that resulted in the injury clearly.
"It was 24-power," the Brighton High star recalled. "I broke away and was running to the end zone. There was one more defender to beat. He dove to get me out of bounds and I guess the way he hit me it got my legs caught up with his legs. The pressure was just too much and spiral cracked my fibula on my left leg."
Despite the injury, doctor's told Carter he was lucky. He is expected to make a full recovery without any long-term effects.
"I didn't tear any tendons or ligaments," he explained. "I don't really have to rehab or anything, I just have to heal it up. I just have to rest and let it heal and I'll be good. I should be back and ready to work out and stuff in like a month and a half or two months.
"The doctors told me initially out of anything that could happen this was probably the best thing that could happen with how I was hit. I didn't rip any ligaments or damage any joints or anything. It's just a crack in the bone."
Carter had previously mentioned that he wanted to take a visit to Syracuse. He said, this injury does not change those plans.
CuseNation.com's John Garcia Jr. contributed to this report


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The 33rd Investors Bank Annual President's Cup Night Race, sponsored by the Millburn-Short Hills Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Monday, June 18.
The 5K run, which attracts more than 1500 runners each year, begins at 8 p.m. and follows a route along Essex Street and Millburn Avenue finishing near Charlie Brown's Steakhouse Restaurant.
Investors Bank is providing major corporate sponsorship for this year's race. Kevin Cummings, President and CEO of Investors Savings Bank said "Investors is honored to sponsor the 33rd Annual President's Cup Night Race and serve as its principal sponsor. We are proud to have our name associated with one of the most sought-after 5K races in the tri-state area. Investors Bank looks forward to continuing its partnership with the Millburn-Short Hills Chamber of Commerce, the Township of Millburn and the other supporters of this prestigious race.
The President's Cup Race is one of the most beloved Township traditions and we look forward to continuing this proud tradition.
Additional corporate sponsors include: The Sneaker Factory Running Centers, the Mall at Short Hills, Charlie Brown's Steakhouse, Peerless Beverage Company, Samuel Adams, Saucony, and NJ American Water.
Additional Race sponsors include: American Red Cross of Millburn-Short Hills, Hilton Short Hills, Jackson Lewis LLP, Kaiser Chiropractic Center Inc., Katz/Novoa Architects & Planners, Saint Barnabas Medical Center and Sports Training Physical Therapy. Also included as sponsors are: Studio 1200, Summit Medical Group, The Alternative Press, Weichert Realtors as well as Casey & Keller, Inc., Millburn Laser Center, New Jersey American Water, and Paper Mill Playhouse. Completing the sponsor list are: Can Do Fitness, Hennion & Walsh, Cox Printers, Priddy Learning Academy, The Montessori Children's Academy, Flywheel Sports Millburn, Gibbons, P.C., La Strada Novoa, Millburn PBA Local #34, Watchung Pediatrics. and James Weill & Associates. Sponsors will be on hand with information and give-aways.
Charlie Brown's Steakhouse in Millburn will host the pre- and post-race activities and provide post-race beverages. The Sneaker Factory will be responsible for race registration and organization. Race prizes will be courtesy of Saucony. Priddy Learning Academy is providing medals to all participants in the Kids Fun Run.
The Kid's Fun Run, which will be held prior to the race, begins at 7:30 p.m. on Essex Street adjacent to the Charlie Brown's parking lot.
Applications will be available at Sneaker Factory at 308 Millburn Avenue or on-line at compuscore.com. For further information call the Chamber of Commerce at 973-379-1198 or the Sneaker Factory at 973-376-6094.


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Step into a garden center or hardware store, and it's likely you'll see "green," "organic" and "eco-friendly" slapped on myriad products.
Organic gardening has hit prime time; it is no longer solely the domain of hemp-clad hippies living in multicolored buses.
And it is not just vegetables; every facet of yard maintenance -- soil conditioning, weed and pest control and lawn care -- now can be done using organic products. This is nothing new. Legions of gardeners have been doing this for years.
But with "going green" in vogue, many more of us are giving it a try.
A spring survey by the Garden Writers Association Foundation found 35 percent of consumers are more inclined to buy organic plant food and fertilizers, while one in three will give organic pest control products a try.
The market has responded in kind. You can find thousands of products labeled organic from big names such as Scotts Miracle-Gro Products Inc., Sun Guard Chemical Co. Inc. and Bayer CropScience offering everything from amino acids to worm castings.
Helping push this are food safety scares, such as E. coli-contaminated spinach, and government warnings of how once-common pesticides, such as diazinon, are linked to acute health problems.
John and Sandy Venman have been riding the organic, chemical-free bandwagon all their lives. And they are glad to see more of us climbing aboard.
The Venmans, who run Venman Landscape Services in Rockford, stand by natural, nontoxic biological fertilizers and minerals for lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetable gardens and indoor plants.
"Nature provides everything you need; you don't have to use man-made chemicals," John Venman said. "Some popular chemicals used for years are now banned."
Reducing our dependence on fertilizers and pesticides is as easy as building healthy soil, Venman says, a philosophy echoed by horticultural professor Jeff Gillman, author of the 2008 book "The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks and the Bottom Line."
"How do you do that? You build the soil with correct amounts of compost and mulch, choose plants that do well and place them in their optimum locations," Gillman said recently.
"These are the true parts of organic gardening."
Even if a product or practice is called organic, don't assume it is automatically safe for humans and beneficial to the environment, Gillman said. Insufficiently composted animal waste can be a source of harmful E. coli contamination, he said.
Cost vs. contentment
Consider the spring rite of putting down fertilizer with a crabgrass pre-emergent. A bag covering 5,000 square feet can be found at many garden centers for about $10.
• For more information on the benefits of growing organic, visit thehappygardener.info
• For natural remedies to garden problems: planetnatural.com
• Want to know which plants repel certain garden pests? Visit ghorganics.com
• For more organic gardening ideas: safelawns.org
• Acres USA is a monthly magazine that calls itself "the voice of Eco-agriculture:" acresusa.com
• Organic Gardening magazine from Rodale Inc. has been a staple for three generations of gardeners: organicgardening.com
• Grow Organic: Over 250 Tips and Ideas for Growing Flowers, Veggies, Lawn and More," by Doug Oster and Jessica Walliser. St. Lynn's Press 2007.
• "The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks and the Bottom Line" by Jeff Gillman. $12.95, Timber Press 2008
Corn gluten, the organic choice for pre-emergent crabgrass control, can be twice as expensive as synthetic fertilizers, thanks largely to another earth-friendly movement: ethanol.
"My price has gone up 44 percent since last fall," Venman said.
Still, it is worth the expense, Venman contends.
"The reason for corn gluten, it encourages soil life," he said. "Crabgrass grows due to a deficiency of calcium, microorganisms and water.
"To grow a lawn, you have to create minimal stress, and number one is moisture. Right now, there is an epidemic of people who lost lawns" due to heat and prolonged dry conditions last summer, Venman said. "Organic soils can hold from four to 12 times their weight in water."
Healthy soil reduces weeds and insect problems, which, in turn, reduces what we have to spend each year to maintain a manicured landscape, he said.
Take grub control, for instance. We treat our lawns to get rid of Japanese beetle larvae feeding on grass roots and later spray plants to kill Japanese beetles. For a typical city lot, you might spend more than $30 a year killing the grubs and then the Japanese beetles with products containing imidacloprid, permethtin and carbaryl.
Or you can spend about $33 for a 10-ounce container of milky spore, a naturally occurring bacterium that kills grubs that ingest it.
Granted, milky spore will not protect you from Japanese beetles coming from the neighbor's yard, but at least your lawn will be OK and will not need another treatment for 10 to 15 years, advocates say.
Getting started
Not many of us are likely to investigate -- much less care -- whether our composted chicken manure comes from birds fed with genetically modified grain.
Some day, you might get to that point, but for now, let's keep it simple with baby steps. The transition to organic gardening may mean trading the gas mower for reel or electric mulch-mowers. Mulching mowers also put nutrients back into the lawn, which reduces the need to use chemicals.
Fertilize plants with bagged compost and natural organic fertilizer. And if you do not have a compost pile going, get one started (see related graphic).
When you buy plants, select those in organic biodegradable pots you plant directly in the ground, bypassing plastic pots.
Environmentally friendly products to control insects include horticulture oils and insecticide soaps. Plant marigolds in the vegetable garden; the roots are toxic to harmful nematodes and deter whiteflies around tomatoes. Lamium is a popular perennial that wards off potato beetles.
Gardening with native plants also reduces the need for spraying and, in turn, attracts beneficial birds, bees and butterflies to pollinate plants and feed on insects.
There are ways to check the veracity of products that claim to be organic. The Organic Materials Review Institute has an online listing of more than 1,600 products that have passed rigorous reviews, ensuring they comply with USDA standards.
"Many fertilizers and pesticides are chemical based and can contain ingredients that were never intended for the garden or field," said Miguel Guerrero, marketing director for the Organic Materials Review Institute. "That's why organic farmers and gardeners across North America look for the OMRI seal when considering a new product.
"We try to reduce that confusion from all of the products out there and the claims," Guerrero added. "There are some labels that don't have any standards behind them. It may be an entirely self-designated seal of approval."


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Patrice Bergeron became a member of the Boston Bruins organization as a 17-year-old when he was drafted in the second round of 2003.
Nine seasons later at 27, the center has established himself as not only a model player for the younger generation, but an example of what it takes to don the black and gold.
The Bruins locked up Bergeron to an eight-year, $52 million extension Friday, which will guarantee him wearing the spoked-B sweater through the 2021-22 season.
If he fulfills the terms of this contract at the level to which Boston fans have grown accustomed, there's no doubt Bergeron's No. 37 will be lifted to the TD Garden rafters someday.
"He embodies a lot of what the Bruins stand for," general manager Peter Chiarelli said via conference call. "He's a responsible player. He's a hard player. He's a leader. He's a clutch player and he's just got kind of a classic way of carrying himself that I like to be part of, and the Bruins like to be part of."
The alternate captain will carry a $6.5 million cap hit (up from $5 million) starting after next season, when he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
Chiarelli admitted Bergeron could have received more in the open market, but neither he nor the team wanted to reach that point, making it a priority to get a deal done during the offseason.
"I got to thank my teammates for helping me on and off the ice to become a better person and a better player, and I'm real proud to obviously be a Bruin, hopefully for life," Bergeron said. "I have a lot of pride every time I step on the ice as a Bruin and I couldn't be happier."
Bergeron's value to the Bruins cannot be fully expressed in words.
His character, work ethic, drive and sacrifice for the sake of the team are remarkable, maybe even a bit crazy.
His gutsy performance during June's Stanley Cup Final – when he played with a separated shoulder, broken rib, torn cartilage and punctured lung – will never be forgotten, even though the Bruins fell to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.
Neither will his game-tying and winning goals in Game 7 of the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, when the Bruins overcame a three-goal deficit with 11 minutes to play to win 5-4 in overtime.
Bergeron said he's healing up well, but it's taking more time than expected. Monday will mark three weeks since season's end.
He's not allowed to increase his heart rate for four weeks in order for his lung to recover properly without collapsing.
"I can't wait to start working out again and just get started and ready for next year," said Bergeron, who remained adamant he'll be ready for training camp in September.
Some might say an eight-year deal is a bit risky due to Bergeron's concussion history. The 2012 Selke Trophy winner and two-time finalist has battled four of them, the most major of which came Oct. 27, 2007, ending his season after 10 games.
He missed 15 games the following year with his second after he collided with defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who was playing for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Bergeron sat out the first two games of the 2011 Eastern Conference final after suffering his third concussion in Game 4 of the conference semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers.
His fourth occurred April 2 against the Ottawa Senators, sidelining him another six games.
Bergeron was annoyed and emotional when he received the bad news, but dedicated himself to another successful recovery to ensure he was healthy and ready for the latest Stanley Cup run.
"When you're looking at giving a long-term contract to a player, you look at everything and you accept a lot of the risks," Chiarelli said. "... but Patrice is a terrific character guy and he's shown his resiliency, so we're comfortable with the risks, and it certainly isn't something we took lightly."


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by Patricia Lane Evans, Nicki Lane Crauford and Kirk Brandon
Documenting the Craxford family has never been a straight forward exercise. As the ramifications of this family tree have been teased apart we have been beset with official mistakes, mis-spellings and voluntary variations in the presentation our surname. Although these vagaries have not by any means been fully clarified, we came to believe that we had at least a reasonable and common understanding of our heritage.
As we have looked at our cousins and other near ancestors, we have uncovered further examples that hint of historical confusion and obfuscation and none more so than that of the family Pigott. In this article we are concentrating on Minnie Pigott who became the actress Mimi Crawford and subsequently the Countess of Suffolk.
The liaison between the Craxford and Pigott families began when Alfred Lane (senior) married Georgie at St Peter's Church, West Hackney on October 9th 1882 (1). We know from the certificate that she was 23 years of age when she married and that her father was John George Pigott. They had met when she had been employed as a singer and actress at the Britannia Theatre in Hoxton, London. It seems likely that her mother was named Louise who may have been born in Ireland and she may have been one of the witnesses at the wedding service. Curiosity was mildly piqued further by the subsequent registration of their son, Alfred Lane (junior) born the following year (2). Georgie is now formally declared to be 'Craxford, formerly Forde'.
Very little is known about the ancestry of the Pigott family. Entries for them in the usual internet sources (Ancestry.co.uk; findmypast.co.uk) tend to be sparse or non-existant. Indeed the entry in the marriage index noted above has Alfred Lane marrying a George Pigott! Simple mathematics show that she was born around 1859. Over the course of the next five years the family produced for her a brother (christened Alfred George Ford) in 1860 (3) and a sister (Maud Mary) in 1865 (4).
Robert Chalmers was born in August 1858. Nothing is known of the circumstances of their meeting, but he and Maud Pigott, Alfred Forde's sister, were married in 1888 (5). The 1891 census return for London finds them living at 31 Fitzroy Road with their two young children (Mabel and Ralph) and Robert was working for the Upper Division of the Civil Service as a clerk at the Treasury. (6)
From here his rise was meteoric. He became Permanent Secretary of the Treasury and Auditor of the Civil List between 1911 and 1913, was appointed Governor of Ceylon from 1913 to 1916 and Joint Secretary to the Treasury until 1919. He held an academic office at Cambridge University and wrote several books on oriental studies and aspects of British colonies. He was made a life peer and a Privy Counsellor.
They had three children, a daughter, Mabel (born 1890) and two sons, Ralph (1891) and Robert (1895). Ralph was a champion fencer and represented Great Britain in the individual epée event at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Both sons joined the Army in World War I. Ralph served as a captain with the 2nd batallion of the Suffolk Regiment. He was killed in action at the Second Battle of Ypres on May 8th 1915. He is commemorated at the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial. Robert also enlisted and served as alieutenant with the 15th batallion the London (Prince of Wales Own Service Reserve) Regiment. He too died in action, on the Somme barely three weeks after his older brother. He was buried at the Military Cemetery at Chocques, Pas de Calais, France.
Maud died in July 1923. She was buried in the East Sheen and Richmond Cemetery at Ricmond upon Thames. Robert remarried in 1935 to Iris, the daughter of Sir John Biles. He died in 1938.(8)
The hunt for Mimi has been tortuous to say the least. A definitive birth certificate in the name of Mimi was never found despite exhaustive searches. This is perhaps not surprising as Mimi is more likely to be a pet name (Italian derivation from Maria, Mary or Marion) rather than a given name and there are a dozen possible girl Pigotts with 'double M' (Maria Maud; Mercy Mary etc) christian names registered between 1897 and 1915; let alone alternative spellings of Piggott and Ford / Forde. There are no Forde-Pigotts listed.
The unlikely clue that has probably unlocked this puzzle was part of the 1901 census return from the Northern town of Middlesbrough. In residence at 8 Dunning Street, just doors away from the recently opened Empire Theatre, was Alfred G Forde, a theatre manager, with his wife Louisa and daughters Eileen (4 years) and Minnie (3 years) (9) .
Louisa Caroline Bryant had been born in London in 1876, one of eleven children and the eldest daughter of car man, James Bryant, and his wife, Mary Ann Mooney. In 1891, the family were living in Hanover Square in the Borough of Westminster. The teenage Louisa had aspirations for the stage and was training as a ballet dancer. Looking back at previous records showed that Alfred Forde had married Louisa Bryant in London in 1896 (10). Their daughter, Minnie Mabel, was born in Holloway, London on December 27th 1897 (11)
In the early years of the new century, the family moved back to London settling in a house in Torriano Avenue, Camden. Alfred died in early 1929.
With her looks and coming as she did from a background steeped in the stage, it was perhaps inevitable that she should follow a career in the theatre. Even though she was not actually a Crauford she used the name Crawford as her stage name as a tribute to the Craufords of the Britannia Theatre. (This is also an interesting comparison with Henry George Lupino who took the stage name 'Lupino Lane' because of his association with the same family and theatre).
It is known that Mimi appeared on stage as a child actor. There is a record of her performing in the musical play "Pinkie and The Fairies" by Frederick Norton and Walford Graham Robertson at His Majesty's Theatre in December 1909 and with Sir H Beerbohm Tree's Theatre Company in February 1910 (12). Stage plays and tours were the order of the day through the years of the First World War.
She played the title role of "Sally" at the Winter Gardens, London in September 1922. (13). She starred in a number of plays and reviews between 1925 and the early 1930s ('R.S.V.P.' and 'The Co-optimists') appearing at such theatres as the Vaudeville and the London Hippodrome. She appeared with Fred Astaire in 'Stop Flirting'.(14) She made a guest appearance in a performance of the Johann Strauss' opera, "Die Fledermaus", at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden before King George V and Queen Mary on May 29th 1931. She danced a specially choreographed interpretation of the Blue Danube Waltz which had been introduced into the opera (15). Her musical repetoire included songs from Richard Addinsell, George and Ira Gerswin and Lorenz Hart and Richard Rogers. She also starred and sang in a number of films towards the end of the 1920s including "In An Old World Garden", the title song for which was written and composed by Harry S. Pepper.
There are also a number of pieces in the archives including a recording of her performance of "And Now We Are Six ((a)Sneezes (b) The friend/ (a) The emperor's rhyme (b) Furry bear)" poems by A.A. Milne on the HMV label.
She was well known to the general public as a dancer and singer. She was photogenic and one correspondent recalls that her face was regularly seen on adverts on the sides of buses when he was young (16).
Such was her popularity that she featured in several sets of coloured insert cards issued with packets of cigarettes from the Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada (pictured here) and WD & HO Wills in the 1920s. (17) In the second Wills set
from 1926 she had two photographs - Nos 26 and 29.
Mimi met and fell in love with Charles Henry Howard. The Earl, who had significant interests in the United States and Australia as well as an ancestral home in England had seen her perform on stage. Their engagement was reported in the Queensland Press (17) and their wedding subsequently in The Times.
The following article appeared in the March 1934 edition of TIME magazine (19) which also announced their society engagement:
Engaged. Charles Henry George Howard, Earl of Suffolk, 28, grandson of the late Chicago Merchant Levi Leiter; and Dancer Mimi Crawford (Mimi Forde Pigott), niece of Robert Chalmers, First Baron of Northiam, one time Governor of Ceylon. They were married in London at St Luke's Church, Chelsea on March 7th 1934. They had kept the occasion low key and only 30 close friends were in attendance. Mimi wore a long yellow dress trimmed with sable and a yellow 'picture' hat. (20). Interestingly the marriage registration indexes note her as Mimi Forde-Pigott (21). The couple honeymooned in the west of England. She took the title Countess of Suffolk and they had three sons (Michael John who became the 21st Earl, Maurice David and Patrick Greville).
Charles was born on March 6th 1906 and inherited the title 20th Earl of Suffolk and 13th Earl of Berkshire on the death of his father during the first World War in Mesopotamia in 1917. In his early career he entered Dartmouth College with the intention of becoming a naval officer but quit to join the crew of a Windjammer sailing ship. After a short period with the Scots Guards he moved out to Australia to become a "jackaroo" (an agricultural trainee).
After they were married, he and Mimi lived at Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire where their children were born.
He had gained an honours degree in Chemistry from Edinburgh University. During the second World War Charles was in charge of a Scientific Research Experimental Unit whose primary work was to investigate and make trials of the methods required for dealing with new types of unexploded bombs. He was killed in London on May 12th 1941. On that day he and two assistants took an old and rusted bomb to the Erith Marshes to examine it. This seemingly harmless weapon exploded, killing Lord Suffolk and his assistants.
A citation published in The London Gazette of 18th July 1941 read: "The KING has been graciously pleased to award the GEORGE CROSS to:- Charles Henry George Howard, Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire (deceased), Chief Field Research and Experimental Officer, Directorate of Scientific Research, Ministry of Supply. For conspicuous bravery in connection with bomb disposal." (22) Mimi attended an investitute at Buckingham Palace in October 1941 where she received the medal from the King.
Mimi died on February 22nd 1966.
Once again we have seen that accepted names and public personnas can be very deceptive and lead genealogists and amateur researchers into a series of wild goose chases and a tangle of paperwork. It does seem clear that the family name was Pigott from the start and that Mimi's father was given the name 'Ford' (note no ending 'E') as a third christian name. It is possible that this represents a maternal surname but this has not been confirmed. By the time of Mimi's birth, the 'E' had appeared and her father had dropped the name Pigott in favour of Forde. As noted above Minnie Mabel was soon contracted to Mimi. When and why Pigott resurfaced and the hyphen was added is not known. It is of note, though, that Minnie Mabel's sister, Eileen, was registered as Forde-Pigott when she married Clarence Birkett in the summer of 1929.
Perhaps the answer lies in a letter sent in 1947 by Louise (Alfred and Maud Mary's sister) to her niece, Eva, who had emigrated to Canada. She wrote: "You remarked on my using the name of Pigott. Well, it is my name - Forde-Pigott - but Forde was used only for both Uncle Alfred and Edwin (her younger brother) as stage names therefore professionally known by that name. When Uncle Alfred died and everything had to be settled in our full name it was then considered it better to use my full name."
Kirk Brandon is first cousin (once removed) of Mimi Crawford, the relationship is through Mimi's maternal aunt, Agnes Bryant. Patricia Evans and Nicki Lane Crauford are both first cousins (twice removed) of Mimi Crawford, through her paternal great aunt, Georgie Forde.
Kerin Freeman has written a biography of Charles 'Jack' Henry George Howard GC, the 20th Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire detailing a boy born into the world of aristocracy and privilege and a life full of action and courage which was tragically cut short as a result of the 550 bomber raid on London on May 10th and 11th 1941. The book "The Civilian Bomb Disposing Earl: Jack Howard & Bomb Disposal in WW2" by Kerin Freeman (2014) is published by Pen & Sword Books Limited, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK. ISBN 978-1-47382-560-4.
Kerin is a freelance journalist and author based in New Zealand. After first hearing of and being intrigued by Jack Howard's story, she spent five years researching official papers, letters and other documents to produce the final manuscript.
1. Alfred Lane Craxford to Georgie Pigott: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Marriages Dec 1882 Hackney 1b 786
2. Alfred Lane Craxford: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Births Sep 1883 Shoreditch 1c 109
3. Alfred George Ford Pigott: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Births June 1860 Shoreditch 1c 152
4. Maud Mary Pigott: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Births Dec 1865 Hackney 1b 385
5. Robert Chalmers to Maud M Pigott: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Marriages Sep 1888 Westminster 1a 937
6. 1891 Census (England and Wales): Pancras RG12/118 24 134 8: www.ancestry.co.uk
7. Robert, 1st Lord Chalmers: Portrait painted about 1920: wikipedia. From the Wikimedia Commons Gallery.
8. CHALMERS, Rt Hon Lord, PC, GCB, KCB, CB (18/08/1858-17/11/1938): British Academy Fellows Archive: http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/archive.asp?fellowsID=1548
9. 1901 Census (England and Wales): Middlesbrough RG13/4576 19 49 16
10. Alfred George Forde to Louise Caroline Bryant: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Marriages Mar 1896 St George Hanover Square 1a 666
11. Minnie Mabel Forde: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Births Mar 1898 Islington 1b 206
12."Pinkie and The Fairies": University of Glasgow; Special Collections
13. Mimi Crawford, Actress: in "Who's Who In The Theatre" 556
14. 'Stop Flirting': http://www.fredastaire.net/music/stagemusic.htm
15. Opera Season: Their Majesties to attend: Hull Daily Mail Monday May 25th 1931: The British Newspaper Archive; © The British Library Board.
16. Peter Lane Crauford: Personal communication (2005)
17. Wills Stage and Film Stars: WD & HO Wills Ltd. http://www.moviecard.com/wills/wil-stagefilm4aces.html
18. Queensland's Earl to Wed: The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld: 1933-1954) Friday 23 February 1934 page 13. The National Library of Australia
19. TIME Magazine. March 5th 1934. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,747123,00.html
20. "Earl weds dancer": The Montreal Gazette. March 8th 1934
21. Charles Henry George Howard to Mimi Forde-Pigott: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Marriages March 1934 Chelsea 1a 700
22. The Right Honourable Charles Henry George Howard, Earl of SUFFOLK & BERKSHIRE, GC (Posthumously): http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/SuffolkBerks.htm
23. The George Cross: image from Sarah Jane Framing and Medals
If you have any questions or comments about the information on this site in general, or you have further information regarding this article, please Get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.
Added: June 6th 2005
Last updated: August 31st 2015
Internet Beacon Diamond Site - 2010© The Craxford Family Genealogy Magazine and individual copyright holders.


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BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:iCalendar-Ruby VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:
Sunday\, March 11 | 1:00-4:00pm\n
The Craft of Writing Poetry\n
Adult Workshop with Brendan Consta ntine\n
$30/$20 CAFAM Members\n
Poet Brendan Constan tine presents a special generative workshop inspired by CAFAM's Deconstr ucting Perestroika exhibition. Are you a 'writer of conscience?' Is the re a line between art and propaganda? What is Ekphrasis? Come spend an afte rnoon exploring these and other ideas in an atmosphere of laughter and crea tivity.\n
Advanced registration required\, online at www.cafam.org or email: firstname.lastname@example.com:20120311T160000 DTSTAMP:20161023T152117 DTSTART:20120311T130000 GEO:34.062177;-118.3555702 LOCATION:Craft and Folk Art Museum\,5814 Wilshire Blvd. \nLos Angeles\, CA 90036 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Craft of Writing Poetry Adult Workshop with Brendan Constantin e\, Brendan Constantine UID:196379 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR


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Posts Tagged: Stephen Sondheim Results 12
Stephen Sondheim's Wonderful Years
"Alice Longworth Roosevelt said, 'First you're young, then you're middle-aged, then you're wonderful,'" Stephen Sondheim remarked at the conclusion of his 80th birthday celebrations at Avery Fisher Hall in 2010.
Stephen Sondheim in Six Songs
Once upon a time, Americans grew up humming show tunes. They dominated radio airwaves, so, even if you hadn't seen the musicals (or the films made from them), you knew the melodies and words to the songs of "Oklahoma," "Carousel" and "My Fair Lady."
But that changed as pop, rock and rap started to control airtime. Today, it's a rare Broadway song that cracks the national consciousness. It's in part for this reason that James Lapine's HBO documentary, "Six by Sondheim," which debuts December 9, is so fascinating and important.
'Fiddler' Lyricist Feted at 90
Sheldon Harnick isn't going to be 90 until next April, but the celebration of that milestone kicks off October 27. That's when Brooklyn's Encompass New Opera Theater honors one of Broadway's greatest lyricists at its annual gala.
Happy Birthday, Stephen Sondheim!
Stephen Sondheim turns 83 today — a birthday always worth noting, though this time it will pass without an entire year of galas and concerts, as was the case on the composer's 80th. Even considering the Jewish contributors to modern American musical theater — Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Leonard Bernstein (and many, many more) — it is Sondheim who has done the most to explore what is possible within the boundaries of the musical form. He is constantly pushing and reinventing, making musicals about ideas, themes, and plots that few other composers would have taken on. As such, I have selected what I consider to be his three finest musicals, though dissent in the comments section is welcome.
An Unscripted Moment With Stephen Sondheim
Last night, as a performance of "An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin" drew to a close, one of those unscripted, magical moments on Broadway unfolded before an appreciative crowd at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.


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He's way cooler than Kenny G.
There. You can't tell me I didn't have ANYTHING nice to say about Dave Koz, who headlined a sold-out Tri-C JazzFest concert Saturday night at PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theatre.
His easy-on-the-ears stylings have made this sax player a superstar in the smooth-jazz realm, although that tag doesn't do him justice. He may well be the John Coltrane of vaguely funky schmaltz.
"I think we're going to have fun tonight," Koz, 46, announced early on. Despite the sedative nature of "Honey Dipped," "Surrender," "Castle of Dreams" and other instrumentals heavy on feel-good melody and devoid of anything remotely edgy, the audience proved not only receptive, but downright excitable.
I kept waiting for a disembodied voice to say: "Today, considerable cloudiness. High, 61." Koz's music is huge on the Weather Channel.
Koz was a triple threat on tenor, alto and sopranino saxophones. He often stood with legs splayed and wore an expression of intense concentration while wildly swinging his horn up and down and side to side, as if wielding some terrifying weapon of mass destruction.
Then again, in some ways, perhaps he was.
Koz proved to be a firm believer in the adage that if something is worth doing, it's worth overdoing. Halfway through the show, he slipped into the audience to deliver a melodramatic "Over the Rainbow." We weren't in Kansas anymore. Unfortunately, we didn't quite make it to Oz, either.
The showboating proved contagious, as Koz's bandmates took turns hamming it up onstage. The silliness reached critical mass when musical director Brian Simpson stepped into the spotlight to execute a keytar solo behind his back.
During "Can't Let You Go (The Sha La Song)," fans kept singing the sha-la-la refrain long after the song was over.
"We could do this all night," a visibly gratified Koz remarked.
Mercifully, he opted instead to bring the performance to a close with "You Make Me Smile."
At least the evening got off to a respectable start, courtesy of Joe Sample. Accompanied by a nimble rhythm section with his son Niklas on bass, the versatile jazz pianist effortlessly alternated between elegant chords and shrieking bluesy solos.
Peppered with personal anecdotes between numbers, Sample's enjoyable set mixed original fare such as "Rainbow Seeker" with evocative readings of "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You" and "Stormy Weather." At the end of the latter standard, the proverbial clouds parted to give way to a bright, uptempo finale.


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Hypotrochoid Art Set
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Watch what takes shape with the classic gear-spinning, pen-pushing, shape-spiraling hypotrochoid set. An art form that's fascinated mathematicians for centuries, this set contains all you need to produce your own captivating creations.
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Hypotrochoid Art Set - 8"L x 1"D x 3"H
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The original Nutcracker cast | NOTABLE
Pictured is the original cast of "The Nutcracker." The kneeling girl is Amy Berto, current Whidbey Island Dance Theater assistant artistic director.
After 20 years, Charlene Brown is still artistic director of "The Nutcracker." She invites all who danced at Island Dance and were involved in the 1991 Nutcracker production in any way or performed in the 1992 first year of "Living Room" to be her guest at the 20th Anniversary Nutcracker.
A celebration performance is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, at the South Whidbey High School Performing Arts Center.
Amy Berto, pictured at right kneeling, was part of the original cast and remains with Whidbey Island Dance Theater as the current assistant artistic director.
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By James F. Sweeney
Early in T.C. Boyle's new novel, "When the Killing's Done," a character asks, "What if we just left everything alone like the world was before us -- like God made it. Wouldn't that be easier?"
Easier? Certainly, but hardly possible. It would defy human nature and rob Boyle of the makings for a novel about the wrongs we commit when we attempt to right our wrongs.
The setting is the Northern Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. They are surprisingly wild and unsullied, sometimes referred to as this country's Galapagos Islands.
The National Park Service, in the form of biologist Alma Boyd Takesue, is determined to preserve the native plants and animals by eradicating the invasive species squeezing them out: black rats on Anacapa Island and, later, wild pigs, sheep and golden eagles on its larger neighbor, Santa Cruz Island.
Standing in her way is Dave LaJoy, leader of an animal-rights group opposed to killing a single rat or pig, even to save the island fox and the murrelet, which got there first.
The novel, set in the first half of the past decade, is based on a real battle between the park service and anti-eradication activists. The story must have been irresistible to Boyle, who lives nearby and writes often about our tangled relationship with nature.
The fight stretches over years as LaJoy and his followers try to thwart the park service by whatever means possible.
While LaJoy might hold one moral high ground, Boyle makes sure we don't like him. How? By making him a white man with dreadlocks, the owner of a chain of electronics stores and a bully of waiters and waitresses. Honestly, two of the three would have sufficed.
For all the rich material, "When the Killing's Done" can be a frustrating read. Boyle is an indulgent writer, and he crafts long, minutely detailed scenes that build but then deflate. Or, worse, he approaches a climax, then shifts the focus, mentioning what happened only later.
On the other hand, he writes powerfully about nature, such as this description of a flock of ravens attacking newborn lambs: "Every time she closed on a mob of them they rose and flapped off to the next kill and she was left with the dead and dying stretched out like refuse at her feet, the barely formed limbs twitching still, eye sockets bloodied and vacant, the looping blue entrails exposed."
Takesue is the granddaughter of a woman who was shipwrecked on Anacapa Island for two weeks. LaJoy's folk singer girlfriend, Anise, was raised on a Santa Cruz sheep ranch by her mother, who left the mainland behind in hopes of finding a purer way of life. How these women relate to their mothers and grandmothers is the richest part of "When the Killing's Done."
Readers familiar with Boyle's view that humanity is screwed and any attempts to avoid that fate only make matters worse (though funnier) will find more cheerful nihilism here.
Despite the good intentions of all involved, the killing is never done.
James F. Sweeney is a critic in Fairview Park, Ohio.


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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Freshman pitcher Mathew Price pitched six solid innings in his first collegiate start and senior outfielder Sean Ryan collected four hits as Virginia Tech took a 12-3 victory over USC Upstate on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the Courtyard by Marriott Baseball Classic at Harley Park.
The win improved the Hokies' record to 4-0, marking the first time Tech has opened a season with four consecutive seasons since winning its first five games of the 1993 season. USC Upstate fell to 1-2 with the loss.
Price, a right-hander from
Both teams picked up a first-inning run by loading the bases and scoring with a sacrifice fly. Left fielder Steve Domecus (
Tech picked up another sacrifice fly in the second inning, this time from second baseman Tony Balisteri (
Ryan and Hohman also teamed up in the fourth, starting a big inning with back-to-back singles. A one-out single by catcher Anthony Sosnoskie (Front Royal,
Tech tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning with Ryan picking up his fourth single of the contest moving to second on a wild pitch and scoring on a single by designated hitter Austin Wates (
Relievers Brandon Fisher (
Tech out-hit the Spartans 18-6, with Ryan leading the way with a 4-for-5 day. Sosnoskie, who was named the event's most valuable player, picked up three hits in four trips to the plate. He finished the four-games with a .643 batting average (9-14), three home runs, two doubles and seven runs batted in. Sosnoskie was joined on the All-Classic Team by teammates Domecus and Wates. Domecus had two hits and three RBIs in Sunday's game and finished the event batting .563 with seven RBIs. Wates hit .500 over the four games.
The Hokies are scheduled to open a seven-game homestand on Tuesday with a 3 p.m., game against
For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Baseball).


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Oak Hill Academy lost a tough battle with Milton High School but Ben McLemore put on a show, throwing down two dunks at the 2011 Hoophall Classic.
The 6'5" senior is currently undeclared, but he told MassLive.com's Ben Larsen that he is deciding between Kansas and Missouri.
More from this game:
See video of Oak Hill's point guard Quinn Cook (Duke) »
See video of Milton's leading scorer Shannon Scott (Ohio State) »


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Fretizell Locke-Wiggins and Latana Locke, who are sisters-in-law, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the federal government as employees of a tax preparation service that was used to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office recommended no prison time based on their cooperation with investigators.
U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade ordered three years probation for Locke and Locke-Wiggins, including four months home confinement while on electronic monitoring.
The sisters-in-law in 2009 and 2010 worked for Preyear's Tax and Check Cashing Service, which had locations in Monroeville, Atmore and Thomasville.
Alice Mobley, who had a controlling interest in the company, stole more than half a million dollars using the tax preparation service to file bogus income tax returns on behalf of thousands of clients. She pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court last year and was sentenced to six years, three months in prison.
According to court records, Locke-Wiggins and Locke sold Social Security numbers and other information about children to clients. The children were then fraudulently listed as dependents on the clients' tax returns to reduce their tax liability.
"I would like to apologize," Locke told the judge as she sobbed. "This has been the worst two years of my life. Every night, every day, you go to bed with it on your mind and you wake up with it on your mind."
Locke said her husband is a church deacon, and "it has been an embarrassment."
Locke-Wiggins also apologized, saying "it will never, never happen again."
Granade said that even though the pair did not personally profit from the scheme, the law seems to indicate that she must order restitution.
The judge directed prosecutors to report back in one week whether she must impose restitution, and if so, how much should be ordered.
In addition to prison time, Mobley was ordered to pay $720,000 in restitution.
So far, $350,000 in cash and more than $100,000 in assets has been recovered, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Mobley used a variety of schemes to illegally pump up income tax refunds. She also increased refunds based on the child tax credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit aimed at helping the working poor. She also listed phony businesses to get deductions.
In some cases, her clients conspired in the fraud and split the profits, but in other cases, tax filers were unaware and Mobley kept the money for herself.


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Driving Alabama is a weekly look at auto industry news, from the state's car assembly lines to its roadways and beyond.
Top stories: The Alabama-made Hyundai Elantra and Honda Odyssey are included in Edmunds.com's list of the Best Used Cars for 2013.
The auto website cited the 2006 to 2011 Elantra as the top compact sedan and the 2006 to 2011 Odyssey as the top minivan/van. Hyundai's Montgomery factory began producing the Elantra in 2010, as a 2011 model, while Honda's Talladega County plant has been assembling the Odyssey since 2001.
Edmunds created the list based on several factors, including vehicle reliability, safety, value and availability. Consumer ratings and crash test results also were considered.
Other vehicles that made the list, which was limited to 2006 to 2011 models, are the Honda Fit, Ford Fusion, Toyota Avalon, Honda Accord, Volvo C70, Subaru Outback, Honda CR-V, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9, Toyota Tacoma, Ford F-150, Infiniti G35/G37/G25, Toyota Prius, Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang GT.
In other Alabama auto industry news, it looks like the state's connection to the papal motor pool is fading.
In July, Mercedes executives met with Pope Francis, who assumed his role in March, to officially hand over the keys to the latest popemobile, which was converted from an M-Class SUV produced at the German automaker's Tuscaloosa County factory.
But the new pontiff seems to favor much humbler rides. So far, an open-air jeep and a 2008 Ford Focus have been his preferred modes of transport. And just last week, he picked up a 1984 Renault4, with 186,000 miles on the odometer, Yahoo Autos reports.
The car was donated by an Italian pastor to Francis, who has shunned the luxurious trappings of papal life for more frugal options.
In the rearview: Last week was full of news about the United Auto Workers' efforts to organize unions in the South's auto assembly plants, including Mercedes in Alabama.
The UAW says a majority of workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tenn., auto plant have signed union cards, while Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said the automaker could become a 'laughingstock' if a deal with the UAW goes through.
Meanwhile, a key executive for Mercedes parent Daimler says the Tuscaloosa County plant has no need of a works council, which the UAW is pushing for as a part of its campaign.
Automotive eye candy: From a $315,000 Ferrari that can go from zero to 62 mph in three seconds flat, to a Rolls Royce decked out with cashmere, diamonds and a champagne cooler, the cars displayed at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany last week likely surpassed the imagination of even the most creative car lover. The Associated Press took a look at the most stunning models. See the photos.
Numbers of the week: $30,500 and $30,405. Those are the starting prices for the 2014 editions of the Honda Pilot SUV and the Honda Ridgeline pickup, respectively. Both vehicles are produced at the Japanese automaker's Talladega County plant. Read more about the latest updates from MotorTrend.
Back in the spotlight: Hyundai, which assembles cars in Montgomery, will be a part of advertising's biggest stage for the seventh consecutive year. The Korean automaker will run ads during the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, 2014. No word yet on which models will be featured. Read about Hyundai's past Super Bowl campaigns.


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Camel, Ostrich, and Mascot Races at the Fair Grounds
Saturday, August 18, 2012 11:54 PM
MATTHEW HINTON / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE WGNO meteorologist Hank Allen falls of his camel Desert Brees during a camel race at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., Saturday, Aug. 18, 2012. Trixie Minx of Fleur de Tease rides Humphrey Bogart, left, and Nikki Landry of Voodoo 104 rides Hump De Hump. Allen though sore was not injured.
Related articles
- Ostriches, camels and mascots take to the track at the Fair Grounds August 20, 2012, 6:55 AM


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Rating: 5 stars 1 1 review
700 Mesopotamia St Eutaw AL 35462 USA
Those who participate in our demonstrations not only learn the technical aspects, but also create a small artwork to keep. The demonstrations are educational, fun and inspiring! Iron pouring is historically significant in the industrial, economic and cultural development of Alabama.
Past activities include demonstrations and workshops at events such as the Magic City Art Connection in Birmingham, Alabama, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art's FLIMP festival, the Sucarnochee River Folklife Festival in Livingston, Alabama, numerous ABANA sponsored artist blacksmith events as well as the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and the Soule' Live Steam Festival in Meridian, Mississippi. Partners with Alabama Art Casting include the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the University of West Alabama, the Museum Of Steel Sculpture in Coalbrookdale,England, Red Top Mountain State Park in Georgia, Alabama Power Foundation, Sculpture Trails of Solsberry, Indiana and Meridian Community College.
Target demographics:
Iron casting demonstrations and mold making workshops Foundry program development, operational and safety training Technical assistance and consulting for artists Fully functional portable foundry available by appointment for road pours Have Furnace, Will Travel !!
Alabama Art Casting is a nonprofit organization, featured regularly at Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park and offers demonstration pours for events, schools and groups across the Southeast
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By RICHARD FREELAND
Colleen Murphy, a junior at Westfield State College, is just back from the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, where she was part of a student delegation mingling with world leaders.
For her, the choice of public over private college was not solely a financial decision. "I wanted a small school with a campus feel," she recalls.
"My guidance counselor was like, 'Oh, Westfield State, wouldn't you be more interested in a private college?' But most of my classes in my communications major only have 20 people in them. And some of my friends at private colleges are amazed because their classes are bigger and they don't get that one-on-one with faculty the way I do."
Holyoke Community College student Liam Hogan approached college with a bit more skepticism. Upon graduating from high school in 2007, he did some EMT training but couldn't get his foot in the job market. Unsure of what to do next, he signed up for a few classes at HCC.
Along the way, Liam discovered something he never knew about himself: He likes to learn.
"He's on fire now," raves his academic advisor. "He's doing great academically, he's involved in student government, and he's probably going to law school."
As both a historian and a leader in higher education, I know that Colleen and Liam's successes are deeply rooted in our state's history. The very notion of publicly funded education was born here in Massachusetts. We opened the nation's first schools and passed the first laws requiring that children be taught to read and write.
Under the leadership of Horace Mann of Franklin, the nation's first Board of Education doubled state aid to public schools. The "Father of American Education" would have been pleased to see Massachusetts' first place ranking on the "Nation's Report Card" (National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NEAP), a biennial accounting of all 50 states.
So, it may surprise many readers to learn that our state's proud legacy of leadership in support for public schools has never extended to the public colleges that educate more than half of our high school graduates.
The Bay State is home to the oldest system of public colleges in the nation. Yet we rank No. 1 among the 50 states in cuts to public higher education appropriations over the last five years.
To his credit, Gov. Deval L. Patrick has recognized the serious nature of these funding inadequacies and has called for increased funding for our institutions for this coming fiscal year.
The Patrick Administration has also held the line on funding for student scholarships, has helped secure access to better loans, implemented the MassTransfer program to help students make smooth transitions from community to state colleges, and authorized a $2 billion bond bill for capital projects that is already delivering funds to campuses.
All of us who are advocates of the system applaud his leadership on these worthy investments.
Yet dollars alone won't change public perceptions. Too many Massachusetts residents have traditionally viewed the public system as an also-ran or an after-thought.
They point to the more than 100 private colleges and universities that share our landscape and ask, why do we need top-ranked public colleges in Massachusetts, given the presence of so many prestigious private institutions?
As a former President of Northeastern University, I understand such sentiments. As the Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education, I must challenge them. At a time when our knowledge-based economy depends on highly skilled workers, when the state's population is stagnant, when graduates of private colleges are less inclined in the past to remain in Massachusetts after graduation, we need to educate our home grown talent to the highest possible level.
Simply put, Massachusetts cannot expect to hold onto its first place showing as a national educational leader unless that mantle of excellence extends upward, beyond K-12, to include the four years of public post-secondary education. We are ready to hold ourselves accountable.
Last week, I asked the Board of Higher Education to give final approval to The Vision Project, a new initiative that will measure our achievements and identify areas where improvements are needed.
Our 29 public campuses are united in their commitment to demonstrate, through annual reporting and 50-state comparisons, the value of the academic work taking place on our campuses.
Leaders at the community colleges, state colleges, and the University of Massachusetts have helped shape the Vision Project. Our goals are ambitious but essential. We will produce the best-educated citizenry and workforce in the nation. And we will be a leader in research that drives economic development. We will, and we must.
Our public campuses educate students whose success will in large part determine Massachusetts' future ability to compete for jobs and economic investment.
That point may have been lost in the public debate until now, but it is not lost on Colleen Murphy. "In the future, we're the ones who are going to be running the state," she declares. "Shouldn't the future be today's priority?"
Richard Freeland is Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.


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BIRTHS Bronson Methodist Hospital
TERRY AND SARA BARNES, of Vicksburg, a son.
ISIL AND LEVENT HAMDEMIR, of Galesburg, a son.
SCOTT AND REBEKAH BOOS, of Portage, a daughter.
WHITNEY HUDSON AND ANTWAN TILLMAN, of Kalamazoo, a daughter and son.
AARON AND MEAGAN SRACKANGAST, of Galesburg, a son.
TIM AND EMILIE FAILLO, of Kalamazoo, a daughter.
BRAD AND NICOLE WINKELMAN, of Paw Paw, a daughter.


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Several La Crosse residents will be out of their homes until next week after a Christmas Day apartment fire on Ristow Court.
Nobody was injured, but the damage forced at least four people out of their apartments.
They won't be let back in until fire inspectors are able to take a look at the building. Because of the holiday, that won't happen until Monday.
In the meantime, the American Red Cross is helping the residents with housing, food and other basic needs.
One Red Cross volunteer was called in to help on Christmas Day but didn't mind being called in on a holiday.
"I'm appreciative of what I have and it's nice that I can give back to somebody on Christmas," Bob Milisch said."It's nice to give back to somebody any day but obviously during the holidays its even better."
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.


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Pakistan, Karachi News : A committee formed by the Sindh Government to stop forcing marriages with Hindu girls.
Law Department statements issued, Justice (retd.) Bhagwan Das will head the committee. It also includes Justice (retd.) Majida Rizvi and Advocate Jamal Mal.
The committee will work on a Hindu Marriage Bill and present it to the law department before Eid.


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Jackie Reyneke grabbed 19 rebounds and scored 10 points when Northern Highlands defeated Holy Angels, 45-42, in the semifinal round of the Bergen County Tournament at Ramapo College in Mahwah.
Northern Highlands grabbed the lead in the first quarter when it outscored Holy Angels, 18-9. Madison Dunbar contributed 15 points and five assists for Northern Highlands. Catherine Slepian and Melanie Lockett each scored 14 points.


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Five Oscar-winning actors who have won in other categories
What company is George Clooney likely to join on Sunday?
Laurence Olivier
Two men to date have won Oscars for Best Picture (awarded, of course, to the producer) and Best Actor, but only one of them won both for the same film. Laurence Olivier's multitasking abilities had already been recognized by the Academy in 1946, when they took the relatively unusual step of handing him an Honorary Oscar for his achievement in directing, producing and acting in his bold Shakespeare adaptation "Henry V," for which he also received Best Picture and Actor nominations. Two years later, he won both those awards for another rendition of a Bard classic, "Hamlet," making it the first non-US film to claim the Academy's top prize. He lost Best Director to John Huston or "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," and would never receive another non-acting nomination -- though he'd end his career with 10 performance citations.
"Hamlet" (1948) - Best Picture, Best Actor


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VanDyke, regional president of Fifth Third Bank, and Sieger, president of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, were honored at a luncheon at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
The foundation also honored Maura Corrigan, director of the Michigan Department of Human Services and a former Michigan Supreme Court Justice with the group's "Trillium Lifetime Achievement Award."
Van Dyke, named one of American Banker's "25 Most Powerful Women in Banking" in 2007 and 2012 and a "Woman to Watch" in 2005, 2010, and 2011, serves on the boards of Davenport University, Calvin College, the GVSU Foundation, Spectrum Health Systems, The Right Place, Inc., Business Leaders for Michigan, and Grand Action.
As head of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation for more than 25 years, Sieger serves on the boards of the Councils on Foundations, the Council of Michigan Foundations, the Kent County Family and Children's Coordinating Council.
Also honored was Jessica Wehby, a junior at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) who was recognized for her involvement as a high school student in "Young Women for Change," the foundation's leadership and philanthropic granting program.
Whehby currently serves as the president of GVSU's Amnesty International chapter, secretary of the school's Lions' Club, and co-chair of GVSU's 2012-2013 Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
Last year, Wehby was honored as the "Most Promising Junior Leader" by GVSU and received the 2012 Hutt Scholarship based an essay competition to "Write About Your Best Day Ever."
Funds raised by the $100-a-plate luncheon will support the foundation's programs, which raised and awarded more than $3.2 million to more than 540 programs empowering women and girls in areas including education, health, poverty, violence and discrimination.
The foundation has given more than $400,000 to West Michigan groups, including the Women's Resource Center, Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women, the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, the Inner City Christian Federation, Arbor Circle, Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore, Safe Haven, and the West Michigan Academy of Music for Girls.
E-mail Jim Harger: email@example.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHHarger


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Have you visited Dr. Stan Lin? Rate you experience below.
Neurologists in Pleasanton, CA
Dr. Stan Lin specializes in neurology in Pleasanton, California.
Dr. Stan Lin has been compared 166 times. Details of Dr. Lin's 37 years experience as an MD, his hospital affiliation and education at Kaohsiung Medical University are available on your free doctor report.
Dr. Stan Lin has an average rating of 1.5 stars (out of 5) with a rating of Poor based on 1 reviews.
Have you visited Dr. Stan Lin? Rate you experience below.
Dr. Stan Lin has been identified as specializing in Neurology.
Insurance plans and networks accepted by a doctor are not necessarily universal across all locations at which the doctor practices. This can be affected by many factors such as different group practices, hospital affiliations and working arrangements at those locations. Checking that the doctor you are visiting and the facility they are at are in-network providers for your insurance plan can save you money and headaches later from surprise medical bills.
Dr. Stan Lin accepts the following plans at 2324 Santa Rita Rd, Pleasanton, CA
A hospital affiliation covers any doctor who has an affiliation, association or admitting privilege with a hospital. A doctor's particular affiliation to a specific hospital can translate to the overall quality of that provider.
Dr. Lin is affiliated with 1 hospital:
Dr. Lin attended medical school at Kaohsiung Medical University and graduated in 1979 having 37 years experience.
While there is no proven correlation between the quality of one's educational institution and the quality of one's professional competence, it is often an indicator. Medical schools have various levels of selectivity (some are harder to get into than others), and both the quality of their clinical training and level of research are measured. Additional medical training in both residency and fellowships and the facilities they are conducted at also provide a history of the doctors' level of training and experience.
Patients may also know Dr. Stan Lin MD as:
ValleyCare Physicians Associates, 4466 Black Ave, Suite A Pleasanton, CA 94566
5575 W Las Positas Blvd, Suite 310 Pleasanton, CA 94588
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Once again, The Oregonian files a report of an attractive white woman tearful assertion that she was "attacked" by a "mad black". Bethany Storro's "got a fragile mental state", noted Cmdr. Marla Schuman.
To which I say who gives a damn? What about the "fragile mental state" of "several [black] women who matched the description" in Vancouver, Washington, stopped by the police? What about the fragile mental state of the larger community, terrorized into believing that an "Acid Bandit" roams their city?
If this case doesn't rise to the level of a "hate crime", what does one have to do? Why isn't this woman in jail? "Filing a false police report" is the best Cmdr. Schuman can come up with? How about assault and battery … on the community?
Mark .b Smith


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Oak Mountain (15-14) scored three runs in the top of the sixth to earn the victory.
Camercon Bice picked up the win on the mouond while Richard Green and Connor O'Brien had two hits each, and Heath Quinn added a double.
Jacob Gibson and Perry Cancilla had two hits each for Springville.


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The Christmas season is now upon us. Of all the commonly-celebrated holidays, Christmas does the most to blend the innovative and the familiar.
One of the most familiar holiday traditions in our community is the annual performance of the ballet ''Nutcracker,'' by the Chautauqua Region Youth Ballet Company. The well-known dance production lights up our community with holiday spirit, and gives a chance to perform on the stage of the Reg Lenna Civic Center, to more than 60 area residents, from preschoolers to those who have been adults for a while.
This week, I'd like to share with you how this year's performance will stand out from the dozens we have enjoyed in the past, and salute the company for its high professional standards and the hundred upon hundreds of hours of skilled labor and talent, which go into creating these high quality productions.
Article Photos
We beg your indulgence with the fact that we have had to write the column well in advance of the performances, and remind you that all of our facts are correct at the time of the writing, but might have changed by the time you read it. Of all the arts, ballet is probably the one which is most susceptible to sudden and unexpected changes of casts, and other elements of performances.
Like Clara and her magical Nutcracker, in the famed ballet, let's share s journey to magic and delight.
The public is invited to enjoy performances of ''Nutcracker'' on Dec. 12 and 13 at the Reg Lenna Civic Center, in downtown Jamestown. Saturday's performance will begin at 8 p.m., while Sunday's begins at 2 p.m.
There will be two additional performances which will be presented only to school children, for whom a field trip to the Civic Center has been arranged, during the school day.
Tickets are $22 for those who wish to sit in the loge. The general public will be charged $15 for seating in the orchestra or the upper balcony, while students, senior citizens, and children can buy tickets in those places for $12.
Purchase tickets in advance at the Civic Center Box Office, in person, or by telephone at 484-7070. You can also purchase tickets by computer at www.reglenna.com/tickets.
If you've never seen the CRYB productions, we are not talking Miss Henrietta's School of Dance, here. This is a very professional production, with full costumes, scenery, etc.
Throughout the years, the productions of ''Nutcracker'' by CRYB have invited a wide range of talented professional dancers from within and outside our community, to perform the most demanding of the roles.
In recent years, brilliant young dancer Daniel Ulbricht, who got a major leg up on his successful career with New York City Ballet at the Chautauqua Institution's School of Dance, has returned to our area to perform as the Cavalier, who partners the ballet's female lead, the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Each year, Ulbricht has invited a soloist from City Ballet to dance the female lead.
Professional dancer Jordan Spencer, of Warren, who started dancing major roles in the CRYB ''Nutcracker'' as a pre-teen, has often loyally returned to our area to dance major roles for CRYB.
This year, sadly, New York City Ballet will be performing in Washington, D.C., the weekend of Dec. 12 and 13. Spencer will be performing elsewhere, as well.
In their place, the company has found a very young, and very talented young man, to perform the two major roles in this year's production.
Jacob Artist is a senior at Williamsville South High School. He has been dancing since the age of five, and performs with the Classical Ballet of Western New York and its affiliated school, Lockport City Ballet. He recently performed leading roles with the Chautauqua Ballet Company, in last summer's Amphitheater season.
According to Monica Alch, artistic director of CRYB, Artist will dance the title role of the ballet: the magical Nutcracker who comes to life on Christmas Eve, to defend the young girl who received him as a Christmas present from an attack by mice. He will also dance the role of the Cavalier who partners the ballet's leading lady - the Sugar Plum Fairy - as the final climax of the evening.
We recently made the journey to the studios of CRYB, which are located in the carriage house, behind the Sheldon Mansion, at the intersection of Lakeview Ave., and Falconer St. We were able to watch a few of the massive preparations for the upcoming performances, and to chat with the guest artist about his coming performances.
Ironically, while I was able to enjoy three of his Amphitheater performances, last summer, I didn't get to see him dance in the rehearsal. He suffered an injury in the week before the rehearsal I attended, and was ordered not to dance for a period of time, by an orthopedic specialist.
Will he be able to take on the major demands of his roles in mid-December? He assured me there will be no question, he'll be ready.
Jacob Artist is a good looking young man, who is unusually tall for a dancer. When he is sitting in a chair, he could be any teen athlete, wearing jeans and a dark blue T-shirt.
Dancers need to start very young, if they're going to have any kind of career. They don't have the time to develop, that artists in nearly every other field have.
They perform in a profession in which injuries can occur at any time which could stop their careers on a dime. Most professional dancers are used to dancing with pain. They may smile radiantly as they leap and turn, but they rarely feel the freedom and joy which they project to the audience.
I asked about the current injury. He answered, ''I was working with my company in Buffalo, doing a series of simple steps, and my ankle rolled a bit. I thought I had a minor sprain, but when the pain didn't go away, I went to a doctor, and he diagnosed a stress fracture in my ankle.''
The scene I watched in rehearsal was the Christmas party, which begins the ballet. The stage is full of people of all ages, including a large number of children. The plot of the ballet suggests that Clara, the daughter of the party's hosts, receives a large wooden Nutcracker as a gift from her godfather, a magician named Drosselmeyer.
When the guests leave, Clara comes back downstairs to play with her toys, but she it attacked by an army of mice, led by the powerful Rat King. When things look dark for our heroine, her Nutcracker comes to life and duels with the Rat King. The rat nearly wins, but the girl bravely throws her shoe at him, which distracts him long enough that the Nutcracker can prevail.
In gratitude for her help, the Nutcracker dances with Clara, lifting her again and again. Then, he places her in a magic sleigh, and takes her out through the snowflakes - all represented by graceful dancers in white - until they arrive at the Kingdom of Sweets, which is ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy.
The second half of the ballet takes place in the Kingdom of Sweets, as the fairy commands all the delicious treats which she commands to dance for Clara. At the climax of the evening, the fairy herself dances very difficult and demanding steps, partnered by her Cavalier. In this production, Artist will dance both principal male roles.
I watch him do what is called ''marking his part.'' He walks through his movements, not lifting pretty Madeline Jones, who dances the role of Clara, nor actually performing the grand leaps and thrilling turns which he will do during the actual performance. Instead, he makes motions to suggest what he will actually do in performance, and the dancers who will interact with him, make instant adjustments in their movements, to accommodate the fencing moves or the lifting or whatever he will eventually do with them.
Watching young dancers, some of them very young children, concentrate completely and demonstrate the demanding and complex movements of the dance is thrilling, all in itself. In our culture, so many teens are terminally cool, and wouldn't dream of allowing themselves to enter fully into a fanciful tale such as this. How many ''experts'' would give professional testimony that all this learning is more than can be expected of them. Alas.
If one of them pauses, even for an instant, the other dancers around him will pile up, and could be injured. The scene would be ruined.
It's fun to observe the lead dancer. Twice during the period I was at the rehearsal, someone said some version of ''A dancer named Artist. That's funny.''
I watched him smile, failing to detect even a suggestion that he's probably heard that statement a hundred times in the past week, alone. I ask how being a dancer has changed his life.
''Dance takes a lot of time, although I still have time to go to a football game or hang out with my friends,'' he told me. ''Probably the biggest change it has made in me is that I have learned to pick up new things very quickly. It's taught me a lot of discipline and made me learn very fast, and that's useful in just about everything I do.''
In June, when he graduates from high school, what will he do? He answers, ''I'm trying to decide whether to study dance at a college, or to audition for a company right away.'' It occurs to me that he could go to college in five years, but he probably couldn't begin a career as a dancer in five years.
What would be his dream future? He'd like to go to the School of American Ballet, in New York City, and eventually become a principal dancer with New York City Ballet. SAB, was founded by famed choreographer George Balanchine, as a training program for the ballet company, which he also founded.
If company members are injured or additional dancers are needed for a particular ballet, it is not unusual for especially talented students from the school to be introduced into performances by the professional company.
Artist began dance at the age of five. He began performing jazz and tap dances. When he was 12, he was advised the if he had any hope of a career as a dancer, he should study ballet, as it is the root from which all other forms of dance derive.
''I hated it at first,'' he said. ''But, it was so difficult and so full of challenges, I quickly changed that opinion. Now I love it, and I can't imagine not doing it.''
Is it difficult for a high school senior to go to a strange town and be integrated into a company of unfamiliar dancers, in a leading role on whose shoulders rests a great deal of the responsibility for the production's success?
He denies it. ''Monika has gone out of her way to make me feel welcome and to make me part of the CRYB company, and Elizabeth Bush, the company's manager, has been wonderful about knowing what I need and helping me to get it,'' he said.
You can welcome Jacob Artist to Jamestown, and can enjoy a performance which very well may one day lead to a great international career.
Now, let me tell you who, from our community, will be sharing the Civic Center stage with him:
I've already told you about Jacob Artist and about Madeline Jones, who will be dancing as Clara. Some dancers will be performing as many as four or five roles, so we'll do our best to name everyone, in his or her largest role. Anyone whose name I leave out is offered my genuine regret. I'm doing the best I can, here.
Monika Alch, in addition to adapting the classic choreography of original choreographers Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa to the needs of the Jamestown stage, will be dancing the role of the Grandmother who is invited to perform a special dance at the party which opens the ballet.
Paul Mockovak, from the faculty of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the State University at Fredonia, will perform as Drosselmeyer, the magical godfather.
The role of the Sugar Plum Fairy will be shared by Molly Marsh, Amy Weidert, and Brittney Pearson.
Kym Paterniti will reign in the role of the Rat King.
Len Barry will perform as the vain Mother Ginger, a resident of the Kingdom of Sweets.
Garrett Adams will be Fritz, the bratty brother of poor Clara. Duane Mallaber will appear as her father, and after five times through the cast list, I can't find who will play her mother.


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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The Nuclear Cowboyz show - described as the world's
most explosive choreographed arena-based freestyle motocross touring
production - will come to Van Andel Arena for the first time next year.
"The show is insane, it's like the finale at the Fourth of July fireworks but for our entire show," freestyle motocross athlete Derek Garland said while laughing. "It is definitely worth coming out and seeing. You'll be on the edge of your seat for the whole show."
Now in its fifth year, the Cowboyz announced this month that a Grand Rapids stop would be part of a 15-city tour that will occupy the arena on Jan. 24-25, 2014.
"We are taking Nuclear Cowboyz to a whole new level in 2014 for the tour's fifth anniversary," said a press release from Juliette Feld, producer and executive vice president of Feld Entertainment. "Together, (our athletes) are taking what's humanly possible to the limit."
The story will be told through more than 1,000 gravity-defying freestyle tricks, and will also include laser effects, pyrotechnics, and a soundtrack comprised of heavy metal, electronic dubstep, and alternative hip hop.
In addition to the motocross stunts, the event includes the critically-acclaimed Shaolin Kung Fu Warriors, who use their bodies to bend metal rods, break objects, and lift themselves into the air on the points of handheld spears.
"It is sensory overload," said Nuclear Cowboyz show director Jayme Dalsing. "There is so much going on that it might be tough to catch everything. It is definitely a lot to take in, but there's something for every age group."
A motocross rider with more than 10 years experience, Garland
will lead the Nuclear Cowboyz along with some of the world's top freestyle
motocross athletes, including multiple X Games medalists Jeremy "Twitch"
Stenberg, Taka Higashino, Mike Mason, Matt Buyten, Ronnie Faisst and Colten
Moore. Freestyle big wigs Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunne, Brody
Wilson and Marco Picado are also scheduled to appear.
"Doing a backflip with huge explosions next to me is pretty awesome," Garland said. "We have the best-of-the-best out riding with us, and it is about as extreme as it gets."
Dalsing said the Nuclear Cowboyz event allows the world's best freestyle riders to interact with each other in a less competitive atmosphere.
"In the X Games, they compete against each other, and they don't necessarily want to talk to guys that could potentially take a lot of money away from them," Dalsing said. "With our show, it is like a big family. It is a fun atmosphere because of that."


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Good golfers beware.
Expect the wave of top amateur golfers in Massachusetts to traverse the fairways of Wyantenuck Country Club in Great Barrington course to leave shaking their heads – in amazement.
Expect more of the same in July, when the design of Charles Banks and Charles Pryde hosts the Massachusetts Amateur Championship July 11-15.
"You don't play on a golf course with greens much better than what we have," Wyantenuck CC's 12th year head golf professional Tom Sullivan said. "(Superintendent) Peter Bacon has been here for close to 25 years and I am never at a loss for words when it comes to talking about the shape he always has the golf course in."
Wyantenuck, which celebrated its centennial in 1996, will host the state amateur for the first time.
"It's going to be a great championship, we have a great match play golf course," Sullivan said.
"The greens are its defense, you have to keep the ball on the correct side of the hole. You are a lot better on some hole with a 25-footer uphill than you are with a 3-footer downhill. It may look benign, but the greens can be very tricky."
The adage "true test of golf" applies here.
"You have to use your head, you don't want to be hitting the ball out of the rough and it is not a pin-seekers course," Sullivan said. "You better have a game plan."
Sullivan said there is no signature stretch of holes that is tougher than another, but said handling the opening third of the golf course is key.
"If you get through No. 6 or 7 at even par, 1 or 2 over ... you should be OK,;" Sullivan said. "There are some birdie holes coming up."
Wyantenuck plays to a par 70, with three par 5s and five par 3s.
"If you play all the par 3s at even par, you have done a good job," Sullivan said.
From the tips, Wyantenuck plays only to 6,500 yards.
"And some guys may not need their driver until No. 5, or the whole front side," Sullivan said. "You may see a lot of hybrids, but those guys can hit those 240, 250 yards.
"Anyone who has played here before, I won't say it's a great edge ... but it is really going to help. You need a practice round, or two, here."
With Wyantenuck as host, it marks the second time during the last 27 years that a Berkshire County course has staged the five-day tournament. Taconic GC in Williamstown was host in 2004 when Frank Vana Jr. was champion.
"We know people don't come out this way too often and we're OK to keep it that way," joked longtime member and current MGA president Jack Dezieck said. "But for one week, we'll welcome everyone."
Ten sites statewide will hold qualifiers between June 6 and 23, including local venues CC of Wilbraham (June 13), Chicopee CC (June 14) and Stockbridge GC (June 21). Entries, available to golfers with an MGA/USGA GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 4.4. Entries close May 5.
"We're very excited to host this and the membership has been great, because they will have to give up the course for a while," Dezieck said. "
Past champions include the likes of Francis Ouimet, Jesse Guilford, Frederick Wright and Ted Bishop and current PGA Tour players Fran Quinn Jr., James Driscoll and Jim Renner.
John Hadges of Thorny Lea GC is defending champion, winning his second title in three years last summer at Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton.
Andy Drohen (2003) of Glanville is the most recent champion from Western Massachusetts, while Jim Salinetti (1997, '98 and 2000) was the last champ from Berkshire County.
Wyantenuck, a private course, is an approximate 90-plus minute drive from downtown Springfield.
Wyantenuck Country Club waiting to state its case at Massachusetts Amateur Golf Championship
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on April 09, 2011 at 8:26 PM
Good golfers beware.


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Happy Birthday Mr. Pink!
Today is a very special day– it is my husband's birthday–which most of you know as Mr. Pink.
I am so lucky to have such a supportive husband- he not only takes me to the craft stores–he sometimes even shops with me in them 😉 Can't beat that!
Anyway, Happy Birthday babe- I love you!
For today- I made Mr. Pink a project to celebrate his favorite team- and it seems completely well-timed considering it is football season!
It's not the same as taking him to a game- like I have in the past– but, it is a reminder of the memories we've made in the past years– at games!
To make this fun little glass block- I purchased a glass decorating block from Hobby Lobby, when they were on sale (this is important! LOL)
Then, I used Square 1 Masterpiece to make the Red and Black letters using my Gypsy and the Varsity Letters Cartridge. Square 1 will be releasing colored wall decor sheets very soon- and I knew instantly I would want to use Square 1 because it is so user-friendly and simple to work with! No sticking to itself and tearing–it's as simple to use as a cling! I didn't even have to use a transfer sheet! If you missed my video on Square 1- here it is.
I cut the football out with Sports Mania, at 3 inches. I filled the glass block with white 35 ct. lights- and that's it. It was actually a pretty quick project, and I think it will look great in his office!
Don't Forget
that today is Pink by Design Fan Flash Friday, and today we are posting Birthday projects in honor of Mr. Pink's birthday- so be sure to write Happy Birthday on the PBD Facebook wall!
12 Comments
Happy Birthday Mr. Pink. Hope you have a great day! Love your block Sarah, I just made one for Halloween. I need to make a Hawkeye one for this weekend!
Love your glass block! Happy Birthday to Mr. Pink!!
Love it, and Happy Birthday MR.PINK!!!
Happy Birthday Mr Pink!!!! Cool gift idea Sarah, I'm sure he will love it!
Puppy Hugs!
Happy Birthday Mr. Pink! I hope you have had a relaxing,kick up your feet day!
Ah another September baby! Happy Birthday "Mr Pink" you're one awesome Dude!
Big Blog Hugs
very fun projec. I know someone who would love this..Hmmm holiday gift idea YES!! Hope Mr. Pink had a great bday
Happy birthday , Mr. Pink.
Here's to another wonderful year!
That was a cool project!
Which Big Red? From Steubenville Ohio???
Just wondering….
Hubbie and I just left the game in Harding Stadium… LOL
HAPPY Belated Birthday Mr. Pink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope you had a wonderful day.
Such a great gift… I lov it…..
Happy belated birthday, Mr. Pink from a Nebraska girl. Watching the Huskers kick some Fresno butt right now. Great present for a birthday week
Happy Birthday Mr Pink, hope you had a wonderful birthday and got spoilt from Mrs Pink