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In the latest 'racist music video' accusation, Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" has sparked an online petition demanding it be pulled from YouTube, with some Muslims claiming it is blasphemous.
More than 50,000 Muslims have pledged their support for the video to be removed because of an offending scene, which shows an Islamic necklace burned by lightning shot from Perry's fingers.
Shazad Iqbal of Bradford, West Yorkshire, who started the Change.org petition, said the burning of the pendant with the Arabic word for God was "blasphemous" and "distasteful".
Update: "Dark Horse" video edited to remove pendant
"At 01.15 into the video 'Dark Horse', a man is shown being burned, whilst wearing a pendant (also burned) forming the word 'Allah', which is the Arabic word for God," Iqbal wrote.
"Such goes to show, that blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video, since Katy Perry (who appears to be representing an opposition of God) engulfs the believer and the word God in flames."
He added: "Using the name of God in an irrelevant and distasteful manner would be considered inappropriate by any religion."
Most signatures so far have come from Britain, but people from Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also entered into the debate.
"Absolutely disgusted at the music industry for allowing this to happen," wrote Bilal Khan from Birmingham. "Music should be about spreading love not hate."
Faeezah Shaik from South Africa also commented: "Artists should consider the impact their 'art' would have on society and not just go ahead and do things for the sake of being controversial."
Perry is also seen pole-dancing with bizarre cat-human bodyguards in her latest video, which has amassed over 30 million views.
The US pop star grew up in a devout Christian home as both her parents were traveling Pentecostal ministers. She started her career singing Christian Gospel music before deciding to change track.
Perry recently told Marie Claire that she now has no identification with any religion or "old man sitting on a throne" but still feels "a deep connection with God".
The idea that Katy Perry meant to insult Islam is ludicrous
It is not the first time Perry has been criticised for her portrayal of other cultures. She received a strong backlash for her 'Japanese' performance of "Unconditionally" at the American Music Awards last November.
Most-followed people on Twitter
Most-followed people on Twitter
1/10 1. Katy Perry
The 'Roar' singer currently tops the most-followed chart, with 54.2m followers to her name
2/10 2. Justin Bieber
The teen popstar is hot on Katy Perry's heels with 52.7 followers
3/10 3. Barack Obama
The president of the United States of America has 44m followers. Obama is the first US president to have won an election with the help of a specifically targeted social media campaign
4/10 4. Lady Gaga
The singer's little monsters have helped her gain fourth position with 41.5m followers
Getty Images
5/10 5. YouTube
Not a person as such, but the hugely popular viral video site has 43.4m followers on Twitter
6/10 6. Taylor Swift
The pop/country music star has 41.7m followers but is only following 125
Getty Images
7/10 7. Britney Spears
The singer and current Las Vegas residency star has 37.9m followers
Getty Images
8/10 8. Rihanna
The Bajan star has 36.2m followers on Twitter and is one of the most followed celebrities on Instagram
9/10 9. Instagram
The social media site comes in at an impressive ninth with 33.7m, despite tweeting minimal photos
10/10 10. Justin Timberlake
JT has 33m followers, making him the most-followed male pop star after Justin Bieber
Getty Images
Other singers to be accused of cultural insensitivity include Lily Allen, whose video "Hard Out Here" was labelled racist because of the twerking black backing dancers
Rihanna was also ordered to leave an Abu Dhabi mosque last year after compromising the "sanctity of the site" by posing for a photoshoot.
Perry seems to have no qualms about her controversial behaviour, as she recently attended Miley Cyrus' Bangerz tour and enjoyed a front row kiss with the "Wrecking Ball" singer.Reuse content


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Saturday, September 29, 2012
Wilson's Open Show Rodeo (Rodeo & Equestrian)
Location: Page/Lake Powell, AZ
at the Vermillion Downs in Page, AZ
Nelson's End of the Summer Roping (Rodeo & Equestrian)
Location: Nelson Roping Arena, Jeddito, AZ
Buckles to High Point #5 & Under. #6 & Over of the day. Other awards will follow in each category.
Broken Arrow Co-Ed Slow Pitch Softball Tourney (Sports)
Location: Vanderwagon, NM
located 18 miles south of Gallup, NM. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th place Awards. MVP, All Tourneys, & 4 Individual Awards. Entry Fee is $175 per team, plus game ball. For more information contact Francy tom at 505.713.6566 or 505.879.4375
Southwest Junior Rodeo Association Regional Finals (Rodeo & Equestrian)
Time: 8:00 AMLocation: JT Arena, Indian Wells, AZ
Come out and see young rodeo athletes showcase their talents/skills in the (buckaroos, pee wee, jr girls & boys, Sr girls & boys) Divisions, for the year-end championship.
TRT Trailer Roping (Rodeo & Equestrian)
Time: 9:00 AMLocation: Arrowhead Arena, Manuelito, NM
Books Open at 9A and Rope at 9:30A
National Weather Service Open House (Community Outreach)
Time: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Location: National Weather Service, 49 Hughes Ave., Bellemont AZ 86015
National Weather Service Open HouseTour our facility and learn how forecasts are made. Learn more about the northern Arizona Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.There will be science experiments, storm videos, and a weather balloon launch at 1pm and 4 pm. Our office is located on Camp Navajo, ten miles west of Flagstaff on Interstate 40, take the Bellemont exit number 185 and just follow the signs to our office.The open house is free and fun for the whole family so come check it out!
Aces Wild Dance (Concerts & Dances)
Time: 8:00 PM to 11:55 PM
Location: A Gym, Shiprock, NM
Grand Door Prize is 2 Tickets to the Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas.

subset: commoncrawl


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Article Preview
OLD MASTERS BRING $646,500 IN LONDON; Greatest Sale of the Season at Christie's--$50,000 for a Van Dyck, $42,000 for a Raeburn.
Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES. ();
June 29, 1929,
, Section , Page 7, Column , words
LONDON, June 28.--Pictures from the collections of Viscount D'Abernon, Viscount Lee of Fareham, Viscount Powerscourt and others brought $646,500 today at Christie's in the greatest sale of old masters of the season.
June 29, 1929
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Has your lawn mower's engine gone caput? Swing into Johnny's, the largest parts dealer in the Southeast, and find the part that will bring your lawn mower or other small engine machinery back to life.
Straight up honest salesmanship
We believe that honest is the best policy, and when you need to fix your machinery, you shouldn't be oversold. You'll walk out with the part you actually need, even if it costs less than what you came in for.
Can't find what you're looking for?
Just ask one of our helpful staff. We'll search to find you the part, and special order it for you. If the part is out of date, you'll be recommended a similar product.
Come browse through a wide inventory of small engine parts and more:
Feel admiration for your service
Local law enforcement, firefighters, and senior citizens receive a 10% discount. Just inquire when you check out.
Call Johnny's today at 912-526-4090 or stop in at 751 S. State St. in Lyons to browse through the inventory of the largest parts dealer in the Southeast.


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By now, you've probably read or heard a few things about the
He comes to UC after spending the last five years at the University of Missouri and made such a favorable impression there, that seven members of Mizzou's athletic department, including AD Mike Alden, traveled to Cincinnati to attend Babcock's introductory news conference.
Babcock previously worked at
After answering a variety of questions about his vision for Bearcat athletics at his news conference on Monday, Whit was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me discussing his background.
Where did you grow up and what is it known for?
My hometown is
What did your folks do for a living?
My dad was the baseball coach there at James Madison and took JMU to the College World Series in 1983. They lost to
How long was your father the baseball coach at James Madison?
He was the baseball coach for nearly 17 years. He announced his retirement to go into athletic administration, and his last year of coaching was my freshman year of playing. I was quite an average player. I heard a guy say that the Latin definition of athletic director is that you couldn't play and you can't coach. I'm sure I fit that quite well.
Did you father coach anyone that we would recognize?
He had one year where seven of his nine position players were drafted - that was probably the best year. He had a player named Billy Sample who played for the Rangers and he had a guy named Dana Allison who pitched for the A's for a little while. A lot of his players made it to minors but only a few advanced to the show.
Since your father coached there, did you always dream of attending James Madison?
I was really intent on getting out of town and I really loved basketball. But I was probably a Division II or Division III basketball player, so I decided to stay there and go to school and play baseball. I did move out of the house and live in the dorms - I did not want to live at home any longer like most of us at the age of 18. In hindsight, that student-athlete experience was A-plus and taught me how to deal with so many things. It also prepared me to be around an athletic department where things financially weren't easy. If the only school I had been at was
What posters of athletes did you have on your bedroom wall as a kid?
Dr. J was one of them. I remember that foul line dunk poster was on my wall. I think I liked the afro and the fact that he played for the 76ers. But he was such a dynamic figure there and brought some style to the game in the 70's. I was a big Boston Red Sox fan so I liked Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice too.
Before looking into the job, what did you know about the
The few times that I was here with
You knew Butch Jones from when you both worked at
It was pretty darn quick. Just to say, "Tell me about it. Tell me everything about
Is Whit your full name or is that short for something?
My full name is Bradley Whitney Babcock, and I should have a lot more family money with a name like that. It sounds like aristocracy, but I am the son of a coach and a phys ed teacher and a homemaker mom. It's a family name and my dad is Brad so I go by Whit.
Describe the perfect day?
The perfect day? It has to have my family in it and my faith in it. But the perfect day on this campus would be to spend some time with our student-athletes - maybe one or two in particular that as freshman, came in a bit immature or came from a rough background and then to see them as seniors and how they've grown and become young men and women. If they can graduate and beat
I'd love to hear from you at email@example.com
If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
And I'm on Facebook. Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.


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Sleepless in Seattle is tonight's West Seattle outdoor movie
Tonight's West Seattle outdoor movie is the romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
Directed by the late Nora Ephron, Sleepless which was shot largely in Seattle of course was inspired by the 1957 film An Affair to Remember and used both its theme song and clips from the film in critical scenes.
The climactic meeting at the top of the Empire State Building is a reference to a reunion between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in that famous film.
This Saturday, the charity is the Loghouse Museum. Westside Dermatology is donating $203 worth of skin care and a gift certificate for a 60-minute facial, which has a $109 value. Plus, gift cards from Pagliacci Pizza, Leo Smith Architects, and Dr. Heidi Horwitz.
- Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin
- Meg Ryan as Annie Reed
- Bill Pullman as Walter
- Ross Malinger as Jonah Baldwin
- Rosie O'Donnell as Becky
- Gaby Hoffmann as Jessica
- Victor Garber as Greg
- Rita Wilson as Suzy
- Barbara Garrick as Victoria
- Carey Lowell as Maggie Baldwin
- David Hyde Pierce as Dennis Reed
- Dana Ivey as Claire Bennett
- Rob Reiner as Jay
- Kevin O'Morrison as Cliff Reed
Located at in the courtyard at 4410 California Ave SW by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse.
All movies start at dusk and are FREE.
Gates open at 6:30pm.
We encourage our readers to comment. No registration is required. We ask that you keep your comments free of profanity and keep them civil. They are moderated and objectionable comments will be removed.


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Vaulted Ceiling, faux wood beam, ceiling fan?
We have a 10' high vaulted ceiling. Originally, the builder put the ceiling box for the fan roughly 1' off to the side of the peak. We would like to put a faux wood beam down the center of the ceiling peak and have the fan mounted in the center of the wood beam. The faux wood beam is made of polyurethane foam and presumably not safe to mount the electrical box to, to hold the fan. I am pretty confident that I can build a box of 2x4's above the drywall that will safely hold the box/fan, but I'm wondering if there is an easier way, or a specific kit for installing the fin like this? Anyone done an install like this before? Thanks!
How thick is the faux beam? Can you get to the peak from above in the attic? You will need to have some wood in the peak to securely fasten a fan rated box onto. I would probably screw a 2x4 directly to the peak of the ceiling and then carve out the faux beam to cover it. The 2x4 would have to be 1 1/2" above the bottom of the faux beam which would then make the fan box flush to the bottom. I don't know of any "kits" for this kind of installation.
This doesn't answer your question, but do you already have the beam, or know exactly where you are going to buy it? I ask because two years ago I looked around for such a beam and came to the conclusion they don't exist any more. I couldn't find one anywhere! I ended up making a beam from MDF.
I take it you have access above the ceiling to build the frame. Is the wire(s) long enough to move to the new spot? What do you plan to do with the existing box?
Thank you guys for the replies.
I will know tomorrow which company/beam I will be dealing with. Once I know that, I will be able to plan ahead and do as wiremeup suggested and mount a small 2x4 in the peak, and build it down if necessary so that the box will be at the proper height. The beams come in a "U" shape, but I might need to hollow out the sides a bit to fit the box correctly. I think after reading wiremeup's reply, and staring at the ceiling, I know what needs to be done. I do have access above the, and the wires are plenty long enough to make the changes.
dmaceld, there are a few companies that sell these beams, the most popular on google is fauxwoodbeams.com They seem to have a good selection and I remember folks here speaking highly of them. The company I am most likely going to order from is outwater.com They arent too far from me and have sent me a sample that seems pretty realistic at the 10' height. Also, the lead time from FWB.com was 3-6 weeks and I just cant wait that long to get this room finished. Its been a disaster since October when I tore it all apart. Now, our new furniture is sitting in the dining room, and all thats left to do is lighting, painting, and flooring.
1 Attachment(s)
I am going to post this in case anyone else is doing something similar.
I went into the attic to see what was above the peak. At the very center, there is nothing along the peak, except for where the trusses from the roof above were, which was every 2'. The builder used the existing roof trusses, and added some framing to hold the ceiling up. I first marked the very center of the room and drilled a 3/4" hole up through the drywall to run the wires through and to let me see the center when I went into the attic. I added a 2X4 with 90 degree deck brackets in between the trusses, sitting level on top of the drywall peak above the hole I drilled, after putting the wires through the hole.
I then drew out on paper a diagram of how the beam will sit against the ceiling and took a bunch of measurements. I cut 3/4" plywood in 1' by 6 1/8" sections. I glued/screwed 2 together and drilled a 3/4" hole for the wires. I marked the board down the center, lined it up with the peak and attached it to the center of the ceiling using 4 3" drywall screws, through the drywall and into the 2x4 I installed in the attic. The 6 1/8" is the measurement of inside the beam, so the beam fits over the plywood. Now, I measured down to just short of flush with the beam surface and ripped a 7" 2x4 so the electric box sat down at the right height. I cut notches out of the ends and predrilled them for 2 screws. I installed the box, making sure it was centered and level. The beams came in 10' lengths and the seam is right in the middle. I filled the seam with small pieces of the stained edges from cutoffs and caulked them in place with brown caulk. I'll post a pic of the finished beam over the weekend. I got the res of the beam and fan up there last night. Looks great and works great too!
Just hope that plastic box is one that is approved for use with a ceiling fan....
It was a "ceiling fan box" according to the label and the mounting screws that came with the fan go through the box and into the wood above it.
Outwater in NJ sells them......and a whole lot of other stuff.:thumbsup:
Thats where I got them from. I called Friday, and had them Tuesday! Cant beat that!
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What appeared to be a friendly race between a car and a motorcycle has left a Lancaster teen hospitalized with serious injuries.
Howard Penegar Jr., 18, was riding a motorcycle on S.C. 9 Bypass shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday when he lost control of the vehicle and wound up on the side of the road, according to a Lancaster Police Department incident report.
Penegar was with some friends at Chick-fil-A shortly before the accident. He left the restaurant on a motorcycle, while his three friends left in a gray Honda, the report said.
Robert Howey
It's back-to-back and still solidly out front for the national champion University of South Carolina Gamecock baseball team.
The 55-14 USC team, as the College World Series slogan implies – history happens here – did so as the sixth team to repeat as the college baseball national champion.
Reece Murphy
Lancaster County school board members approved an $82 million budget for fiscal year 2011-12 Tuesday night and they're asking county residents to help pay for it.
This year's combined budget includes a $70,563,397 general fund budget for daily operations and an $11,490,840 debt services budget for debt payments and capital needs.
The budget includes a shortfall of $831,936 balanced against equity, or savings from prior years' budgets maintained to meet operating costs each year.
Jesef Williams
HEATH SPRINGS – You may wonder what's been going on the last few weeks inside the former church that's now the United Citizens Club of Heath Springs.
Several cars are routinely parked outside the Hart Street building. Adults regularly enter and exit the center, while children of various ages head out to play in the yard a few times each day.
However, seeing those actions doesn't give you a good feel for everything that's taken place inside.
Jesef Williams
KERSHAW – No residents voiced concerns and council members made it official in just a few minutes.
Not long after they sat down in their seats, Kershaw Town Council unanimously passed final reading of the town's 2011-12 budget during a special meeting Tuesday night at Town Hall.
Little discussion took place this time regarding the $1.17 million general fund budget for 2011-12, said Town Administrator Tony Starnes.
Authorities have arrested a third person in the June 4 armed robbery at the Stop-N-Shop convenience store on McIlwain Road. Keon Jamal Howze, 19, of 106 Caskey Lane, was arrested today. Two others, Dequavion Joel Grier, 19, Tryvarius Lamar Grier, 17, both of 3344 Oakridge Road, were arrested Wednesday.
All three have been charged with attempted armed robbery and attempted murder, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.
For full story, see the Friday edition of The Lancaster News or visit our website after 6 a.m. Friday.
Jesef Williams
Authorities have arrested two men they say are responsible for the armed robbery last month at the Stop-N-Shop convenience store on McIlwain Road. Meanwhile, a third suspect is still being sought.
Dequavion Joel Grier, 19, and Tryvarius Lamar Grier, 17, both of 3344 Oakridge Road, have each been charged with attempted armed robbery and attempted murder, according to a press release issued Thursday by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.
Christopher Sardelli
A Lancaster man was arrested Monday after propositioning and assaulting a teenager as she walked home last weekend, according to a Lancaster Police Department report.
Tavaris Bernard Brown, 20, 708 Sowell St., was arrested June 27 and charged with assault and battery, third degree. Lancaster Police Capt. Paul Smith said Brown was arrested at his home after a teenage girl reported Brown confronted and grabbed her late Sunday night.
Christopher Sardelli
Faced with a tide of angry residents, and with a significant chunk of revenue on the line, Lancaster County Council echoed the infamous words of President George H.W. Bush by saying "no new taxes."
That is, until council meets again July 11.
Even after months of discussion, public input and a series of budget workshops, County Council spent hours Monday night debating what to do with the county's 2011-12 budget.
Jesef Williams
Rachel Bruce hasn't been the same since last week's four-wheeler accident that took the life of a Lancaster County man.
Bruce was playing a video game about 11:30 p.m. June 22 inside her Taxahaw Road home when she heard a loud noise.
Her first thought was that somebody was trying to break in. But that proved to be far from the truth.
Bruce heard frantic screaming outside and later saw three people laying on the ground – a man and two children.
Copyright © 2017
The Lancaster News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lancaster County and Lancaster, South Carolina, and the surrounding area..


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I do wish this product helped with undereye darkness, but it definitely worked in the moisturizing department.
I don't need much help with wrinkles (yet), but I love the way this product smells and glides on.


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A Review Of The 2007 USDC
- Author
- American Ballroom Company
- Published
- Sep 12, 2007
The United States Dance Championships, run by the American Ballroom Company, were held in Florida from the 3rd to the 8th of September and I found this year?s event particularly notable in regards to the new venue, the consistently increasing number of competitors, and the closeness of the competition results.
First of all the competition has made the move from the Westin Diplomat Resort in Fort Lauderdale to the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, in Orlando Florida. From the perspective of the dancers this was an all around improvement.
The Hotel ? Cost
Over the past few years, one of the main deterrents cited by many competitors who did not attend the event but would have liked to centered on the cost involved. The Wyndham was a beautiful new hotel to be sure but both the rooms and dining were a bit expensive and the general atmosphere seemed chilly.
In comparison the Royal Pacific Resort (also a new hotel as of its opening in 2002) was friendlier and, in my opinion, more reasonably priced ($169 plus tax a night). Also, the new venue is closer to the nearest airport than the Westin Diplomat Resort was (Orlando airport to the hotel is a $17 one way shuttle ride)).
The food at the Royal Pacific was really excellent with a lot of choices (several restaurants including a very good sushi bar I personally enjoyed) and was less expensive than the Westin, plus, there were several places close by outside the hotel that made dining even more affordable.
Hotel - Amenities
The rooms were very nice and the view outside my window of the tropical jungle river circling the hotel was fabulous. As far as amenities and other things to do at the hotel there is no comparison. The Royal Pacific hotel has a much bigger and better Lagoon Style Swimming Pool (reminded me a bit of when the competition used to be held at the Fontainebleau in Miami) with a sloped entry, and sand beach area, water slides, both a water and sand volleyball court, poolside café, ping pong tables and evening movies projected over the pool. As far as exercise facilities the gym (free for the dancers; a nice touch arranged by the organizers) was pretty extensive with free weights, weight machines, ellipticals and treadmills, sauna and steam room. There were also reasonably priced massages and spa treatments available.
Hotel ? Location
Outside the hotel you could take a short walk to Universal Studios next door (as guests at the Royal Pacific you could purchase buy one get one free tickets, making it a $70 admission fee for two people instead of $140, plus if you showed your room key you got to access the preferred pass lines to the rides), or a free water taxi to the Universal CityWalk (located outside the Universal Studios so no fee to get in) which has 30 acres of shops, restaurants and nightclubs. For thrill seekers and those with strong stomachs there was also a rollercoaster ride called Islands of Adventure (at least a few couples that I know of made multiple visits there,) and there were golf courses close by for those so inclined.
One other item of note was the Royal Pacific is very pet friendly. Quite a few dancers had dogs with them and there were walking services and dog food available.
Hotel ? Drawbacks
The drawbacks I heard expressed about this hotel were that it was a bit of a walk to the ballroom from two of the three accommodation towers and that you had to go outside briefly to get to it, plus there was some concern expressed about the service being a bit slow in the restaurants, wake up calls not always functioning, and the room maids not being as on the ball as they could have been regarding cleaning up, making beds and leaving towels.
From the professionals and other dancers there was also some disappointment expressed that the pool was closed at 10pm and the bars all closed at 2am (did not leave much time for celebrating or commiserating after the evening?s competition).
The organizing staff I talked to were all very interested in feedback as regards to anything that could be done to improve the experience for the competition attendees. They also indicated that they were meeting with the hotel management the day after the competition to address any issues that had been brought up to get them fixed before next years event.
The Ballroom
The layout of the ballroom with a long side front allowed the judges to spread out along the stepped stage at the back without obstructing the view of any of the spectators. The stairs on the stage allowed judges to get a good view of the dancers, especially in the early rounds when it was congested on the floor. They also lent themselves to a more dramatic entry onto the floor and line up for the awards.
The split staging with judges up one end of the stage and the competitors entering from the other side kept a nice separation between the two.
The Ballroom - Drawbacks
Some of the competitors were not fond of one long side being essentially blank, they commented that the lighting was too bright throughout the ballroom and did not focus attention on the dance floor. Basically there was scope for improvement in the staging of the event to create more impact and atmosphere for the dancers and audience. Given the organization at work behind this event I have no doubt they will make the necessary changes and come up with something special for next year.
The Competition
Five months prior to the competition in 2005 there were changes made in the management structure of the USDC by the owners, the American Ballroom Company which resulted in Wayne Eng (current Executive Vice-President of ABC) being tasked with organizing the event going forward. Under his stewardship it has been apparent that there is a greater emphasis being placed on servicing and highlighting the needs of the Pro-Am competitors and the Professional United States National competition titles whilst still maintaining the Open to the World competitions as prominently featured events.
These changes are obviously resonating favorably with the competition dancers since in the last two years entries in Pro-Am and Professional events have doubled. From 2005 to 2007 Pro-Am entries went from 3,508 to almost 6,970 and in the Pro events entries more than doubled from 221 to 460. The Amateur entries have also risen from 152 to 247 over the same time period.
The Competition
The Pro-Am events saw some very intense competition and the event winners were truly deserving of their titles.
In the Professional events, the National Smooth and Rhythm were particularly exciting this year. Any one of the finalists in the Smooth and in the top levels of the Rhythm had the potential to step up to the plate and win. It was great theater and, although the respective winners were completely deserving, it was sill very close, setting up a very exciting year to come with lots of possibilities for all the couples again at the 2008 USDC.
The holding of all the US National titles in the same week at the same venue makes for a great spectacle, and this year in particular the fact that they were so hotly contested combined with the move to a different hotel (as good but more reasonably priced and with better amenities and a better location) made for a fabulous week. I for one enjoyed it enormously and will be reserving my spot at the 2008 USDC to experience the dancers fighting it out in their quest for a National title once again.


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Sorry for not updating sooner, but mommie still does not have a computer and probably won't until she pays all my vet bills. bol
I am doing great now and did NOT need surgery afterall. The discs were NOT herniated as originally thought, just "swollen" so the meds worked along with some temporary restricted activity and extra TLC. Watch out Ellie ... here I come. Yipee!!!!
The day after I got home, off to the vet we went.
Good news:
I am safe. I am home. I do not have heartworms. They even tested for the baby fila and it was negative so I'm back on HW preventatives. Also, I lost less than half a pound over the 8 weeks while I was missing, so someone MUST have been feeding me well most of that time.
Now for the Bad News:
I was walking a little strange, but mommy thought it was probably my old arthritic knees. Nope, the vet said my patellas were just fine, but when she checked down my spine.... UH OHHHHH! X-rays confirmed 2 HERNIATED DISCS in my back with at least one possibly ruptured. The vet thinks someone probably hit me, but we may never know what really happened? The elderly couple that saved me said that I was dragging one of my legs the day they found me. I still have movement and feeling in my back legs so I started on antibiotics and steroids last week. Problem is I keep throwing up and not eating much, but I AM still drinking alot. Mommy is very worried and just does not want me to be in ANY pain. I have to be careful not to jump up or down from anything. I cannot even chase Ellie (actually, I have not really felt up to it). If I loose the feeling in my leg(s), then I will need emergency surgery within 24 hours. If the steroids do not help, then I may need further tests and surgery any way.
Please, keep sending prayers and Power of the Paw. I need ANOTHER miracle!
note from Bailey's typist Thurs May 8: B's mom still does not have a computer. she stopped vomitting after Sun and is eating a little more now. one week follow-up is tomorrow. will post updates soon.
Mommy just picked me up and called my typist immediately. I was found yesterday by a nice elderly couple. The story is that I was wandering around a neighborhood about 4 miles away from home. The couple saw mom's ad in the newspaper and called today. I was in good shape and may have only lost one pound at the most so mommy thinks I must have been with some other people before yesterday (she has her suspicions).
Anyway, I'm not EVER leaving mommy's side ever again. Life could not be better. I'm back to annoying Ellie and even pooping on the floor, but mom is loving every minute of it! Tomorrow I will get a vet check and restart my heartworm preventatives. Mom also mentioned fleas and b-a-t-h, OH MY!!! I don't care as long as I get to be home with mommy and Ellie.
Words are not enough to thank everyone for all your continued prayers, support, and efforts.
Bailey, Safe at Home!
Copyright © I-5 Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Calcasieu Parish Superintendent Wayne Savoy. (American Press Archives)
Last Modified: Sunday, September 22, 2013 7:09 PM
By Andrew Perzo / American Press
What is Calcasieu Parish School Superintendent Wayne Savoy's salary, and how long is the term of his contract?
Savoy, whose contract was renewed at the end of 2012, this year will be paid $153,737, said Kirby Smith, spokeswoman for the Calcasieu school system.
The contract, which runs for two years, set his salary at $150,723, but a Consumer Price Index-based cost-of-living adjustment added later boosted it to the current amount, she said.
"The CPI is figured at the end of each calendar year. The CPI increase for 2013 is the result of the 2012 CPI, and was carried over from Mr. Savoy's previous contract," Smith wrote in an email.
"The salary amount listed in his current contract is correct and does not reflect the 2012 increase because it began on Jan. 1. The CPI increase from his previous contract started at the end of January 2013."
The current contract allows for a CPI increase — of no more than 2 percent of the salary amount — beginning in January 2014, and it says additional raises may be given at the discretion of the School Board, based on Savoy's job performance.
According to the document, any performance-based raise "may, but need not necessarily, be based upon the Board's evaluation of the Superintendent's performance in relation to the objectives and targets" listed in the contract.
Those objectives:
• Development of Plans for Improvement of community relations and involvement of all communities served by CPSB."
• "Development of a school visitation and involvement plan at all levels within the school system and within individual schools so that all school staff will be aware of the interest of the School Board and the Superintendent in the performance of each individual school."
• "The Superintendent shall promote fiscal responsibility and awareness by developing a written information sharing plan along with periodic statements of revenue and expenditure status and predictions."
• "Development of and presentation to the Board of plans for improvement of the educational attainment levels of students of this school system. Such plans shall address, among other items, what additional resources and supervision may be needed by lower performing schools."
In September 2012, some members of a School Board contract committee wondered whether the superintendent should be paid more. But Savoy told them he didn't want a raise.
"I'm fine where I'm at. I want to thank you folks for thinking that the position needs to have more money, but I'm fine," Savoy told the committee, according to an American Press story published Sept. 7, 2012.
"I don't want this to be an issue. If we're going to give money to somebody, give it to teachers and the people that are in there every day. I'm making a good salary."
Online: www.cpsb.org.
The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email email@example.com


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Howdy, and welcome to another recall roundup. Mazda announced this week it is issuing a recall to corral a herd of malfunction-causing spiders out of the fuel systems of 52,000 of its Mazda6 cars from model years 2009-2010.
Spider-wrangling isn't normally part of Mazda's job description, but the yellow sac spiders in question "may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent line" which can cause a buildup of pressure, eventually leading to cracks in the fuel tank, according a press release by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
To make the fix, Mazda won't be employing my first choice, which would be hiring highly trained spider wranglers outfitted with miniature lassos to catch and hogtie any spiders that sneak into Mazda6s before they can weave their webs. Instead, they'll install a (boring) "'spring to prohibit spider intrusion' and the computer will be reprogrammed to prevent a build-up of pressure in the emission control system," according to David Shepardson of the The Detroit News.
For more information, contact Mazda at (800) 222-5500.
Here's the rest of the recall roundup.
- Chrysler is recalling almost 250,000 Town and Country, Grand Caravan and Journey minivans and crossovers from the 2010 model year. The recall addresses engine stalling issues linked to key fobs that fit into the dash switching from the run to accessory position while driving, causing the engine to shut off. For more information on getting your vehicle squared away, contact Chrysler at (800) 853-1403.
- Ford has two recalls this week. The first recall involves 24,000 Ranger pickups, and seeks to remedy a potential fire hazard created by a throttle body shield chafing the fuel line, eventually causing a fuel leak. The other covers 8,000 Ford Edge, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550 and Lincoln MKX vehicles from the 2011 model year. A fault in the body control module could overheat and cause a vehicle fire. For more information, contact Ford at (866) 436-7332.


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Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton has told CNBC that the price of games will not increase for the PlayStation 4. Games will cost at most $60 for Sony's next generation console. The console will also offer smaller games for as low as $0.99.
"I think people are willing to pay if they see value there and I think there's more choice than ever before for consumers," said Tretton. "We're going to welcome free-to-play models; games from 99 cents up to those $60 games."
"But if you really see where the heat is for the true gamer on the console it's still that big-form experience that typically runs upwards of $50 million to develop and will justify that $60 price point and will give people hours and hours of gameplay on a daily basis for months and years to come," he added.
Tretton also said Sony has several events planned between now and the consoles launch this Holiday season. Sony has received some criticism for not showing what the PlayStation 4 console will look like, but Sony is more concerned with "what comes out of the box, not what it looks like. I can promise you that it will be plastic, it won't be triangle shaped or round. You'll see the box in due time."
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Top 50 developers 2011
This year we kick off our construction and development special by turning the sod on an all new, exclusive survey of the top 50 developing housing associations. Nick Duxbury and Gene Robertson report
Welcome to the year of new starts. Well, not necessarily in the strictest house building sense of the word - but certainly from a housing policy perspective.
For developing housing associations all the assumptions they have traditionally relied upon have changed. Grant funding for the building of social homes has been scrapped and in its place affordable rents at 80 per cent of market levels has been introduced, exposing landlords to commercial risk and market volatility. Also to take into account in the context of a torrid housing market and constrained lending climate is the overhaul of the planning and benefits systems. In short, associations that want to develop must now do so in an entirely new policy landscape.
Fresh approach
To reflect this, Inside Housing decided to overhaul our annual top 50 developers survey. Together with the rest of the sector, we have opened our sails to the winds of change and taken a fresh tack.
Every year to date, our survey has focused on a development pipeline of three to four years. The introduction of the coalition government's four-year affordable rents programme has complicated this approach. The results we would have obtained from end of year reports would not have painted an accurate picture of the massive changes facing the sector. And by the time it did, the rankings on the table would barely change for the four-year life cycle of the programme.
So instead of comparing pipelines, we have asked what organisations have actually built in the past financial year. We elected to rank the top 50 associations based on completions because it seemed the best, most concrete way to measure change on a year-to-year basis. But, we know it's not the only one so we have also produced several break-downs including by new starts and tenure, as well as a separate table for what associations plan to build next year, and in total over the next four years.
The latter gives us a tantalising first peek of which organisations are set to become the sector's leading developers over the coming years and which will take a back seat.
Despite all the policy change and challenging market conditions, looking at the number of completions in 2010/11 it is impressive just how much continuity has been maintained from the previous year.
'I think development has been quite strong through out 2010/11,' says Richard Hill, deputy chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency. 'Reflecting on the past two or three years the sector has kept development going throughout a very difficult time in the market. If you look at the volume of affordable housing compared to overall housing supply it is doing very, very well.'
Positive results
According to HCA figures published last week, the number of affordable housing completions in England actually increased by 8,088 homes last year to 64,242. Our survey shows that the top 50 developing housing associations were responsible for 31,125 of these new homes - just under half - with the number of starts at a similar level (31,246).
'Our starts are a bit down from where we were in 2009/10 when we were on 64,811,' explains Mr Hill. 'But our completions last year were much higher at 64,242 compared with 56,118 in 2009/10. And essentially what is happening there for us is that 2010/11 was the final year of the [national affordable housing] programme so we were ramping up completions.
'We were expecting stock to fall off, but actually because we did well in efficiency on grant rate in particular, we didn't see a drop off in delivery last year as we might have seen. Your top 50 survey does bear out that organisations kept delivering through out 2010/11.'
A positive result for the number of homes completed in 2010/11, then, but can this continue?
Our survey reveals that, based on bids to the HCA under the affordable rent programme, there is a pipeline of almost 122,300 homes being developed over the next four years by our top 50 associations. Averaged over four years, this means that our top 50 developing associations will build around 30,565 homes a year - just 2 per cent less than last year.
While the 122,300 homes in the four-year pipeline include some rolling over from grant-funded schemes and development on organisations' own balance sheets, the figure suggests the affordable rent programme has garnered enough support to meet the government's aim of 150,000 new homes from the £1.8 billion available. Indeed, only one respondent, 22,000-home Flagship Housing, said it had not bid for affordable rent funding.
'Moving from last year to this year is quite hard because although we have a committed programme that moves forward, associations are having to take a view about what they expect to do on the affordable rent programme,' says Mr Hill. 'The risk profile is very different. We have moved away from a situation where pretty much all the larger associations were interested in development at a reasonable scale to a different market.'
Managing risk
Already we are seeing a picture of just how different this market is. Our results seem to reflect a significant change in attitude towards development risk. The ambitions of some organisations that have never been top-of-the-table contenders previously is as interesting as the risk-averse approach from others which have traditionally been top 50 big guns. Testament to this is the arrival of seven new entrants in the top 50 developers by completions, and 11 newcomers in the top 50 developers by four-year pipeline.
Unsurprisingly, it is in this latter table of expected development where the real change in attitude towards risk can be seen. Most notable is 79,011-home Sanctuary Group which has been extremely ambitious in its approach to using affordable rent to develop. Last year it was ranked 22, but based on its four-year pipeline it will top the table, building 1,900 more homes (subject to HCA negotiations) than its nearest rival Affinity Sutton over the next four years.
Similarly, Sovereign Housing Association will rise from 16th place in 2010 to 4th by April 2015. Swan Housing Group is also set to rise up the pecking order 10 places from 19 to nine by 2015.
There are smaller organisations, like 12,775-home Wirral Partnership Homes, which failed to make it into the top 50 this year but which plan to take advantage of the affordable rent programme to step up to the development plate in a big way almost from a standing start. 'We intend to go from [a development pipeline of] four to 400,' enthuses Steve Eaves, regeneration and development manager at Wirral Partnership Homes. 'Our entire programme will hopefully be funded using affordable rent conversions on a small portion of existing stock to create internal subsidy to make this stack up.'
Not every housing association has been so ambitious, however. The development programmes of some top 50 old hands look set to shrink under the affordable rent programme. Places for People, which owns or manages 61,926 homes was ranked six last year but will drop 19 places to 25 based on its four-year pipeline. Meanwhile 63,000-home Circle will fall 23 places to be ranked 26 by 2015 and Genesis Housing Association, this year's number five, drops off the table.
Cautious plans
A more cautious approach to development is set to become the norm according to Rod Cahill, chief executive of Catalyst Housing which is set to build the most homes in 2011/12 but then drop to 16th place by April 2015.
'We bid [to the HCA] at a level that was about half of what we have been doing over the past few years,' he says. 'We are in a relatively strong position because we have quite low gearing [debt to equity ratio] so I would be surprised if other associations weren't being similarly cautious and that wasn't the general rule.'
There are also alternative funding sources and opportunities other than affordable rent emerging for developing associations. The HCA's Mr Hill says associations will start building for the private rented sector too this year. He points out that the bond market is becoming an increasingly popular source of finance, and, as the mortgage market continues to improve (there are now around 20 lenders active where 18 months ago there were just seven) Mr Hill expects increased demand for low-cost ownership properties, which this year make up 23 per cent of completions, and 24 per cent of starts.
Uncertain future
There are several other factors that could help or hinder development over the next four years that our survey cannot take into account; the new homes bonus which kicked off in April to incentivise building and the planning system will undergo its own makeover when the Localism Bill becomes law in the Autumn - a move Mr Hill considers broadly positive for housing.
Not everyone is so optimistic about the future, though.
'The overall supply figure is worrying,' concludes Catalyst's Mr Cahill. 'I think [the government target of] 150,000 homes will be reached, but what then? This model is not sustainable or repeatable. We need to know the plan to replace affordable supply.'
That, of course, is the kind of new start that our survey can't shed any light on.
In numbers
number of homes completed last year by the top 50
number of starts last year by the top 50
number of homes expected to be completed in 2011/12 by the top 50
number of homes expected to be completed over the next four years by the top 50
Future development explained
We decided not place the emphasis of our survey on the four-year pipeline projections because the figures are still dependent on the outcome of negotiations with the Homes and Communities Agency and because we want our top 50 to reflect yearly change. However the online version of the article, which you see here, does include a table ranked by four-year pipeline.
How the top 50 developers tables were compiled
Inside Housing asked the 100 biggest housing associations in England and those that were part of last year's survey, nine questions relating to the number of homes they built in the past financial year and how many they intend to build over the next four years.
The latter figure is indicative of associations' ambitions rather than the actual number of homes they will build, given this is subject to negotiation with the Homes and Communities Agency.
As is the case with any survey, the top 50 developers is heavily reliant on honesty from the organisations involved - although we will be spot-checking end of year reports. The top 50 tables are, of course, unable to include developing housing associations that declined to take part in the survey.
By including last year's rankings we are not comparing like for like but decided that it was an interesting addition to the tables if only to demonstrate the different results achieved under the new criteria. And by electing for completions per year as our main criterion for the tables, organisations are hostage to where they are in their development cycles.
However, overall, we felt this approach would produce a far more meaningful picture of what the top 50 developing associations are doing now and what they are set to do in the future.
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Getting to the Goal of achieving a no kill state for Michigan requires reform and change at over 100 Michigan shelters. Each year we witness citizen advocates not willing to accept the status quo and want accountability of their tax dollars and charitable contributions. The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance stands ready to provide technical assistance to organized citizen groups. There are tools also available to help. A good place to start is this Political Advocacy at the Local Level guide.
Advocacy groups in Michigan include:
GRACE (Genesee Residents for Animal Control Evolution) focuses on advocacy in Genesee County.
Make Michigan Next Ending breed discrimination is an important step forward for Michigan pet owners and their pets. Make Michigan Next (MMN) is a campaign to end breed specific legislation (BSL) in Michigan. Backed by a coalition of animal welfare organizations, MMN will collaborate with lawmakers to draft legislation to protect the rights of pet owners and prohibit cities, townships, and counties from establishing breed discrimination laws. Municipalities with breed discrimination laws currently in effect will be required to replace them with responsible pet ownership laws.
Michiganders for Shelter Pets is a coalition of concerned Michiganders who want to help shelters and the animals in their care. Their mission is to positively impact the lives of homeless pets and to work collaboratively with Michigan shelters. For 2013/2014, primary goals include assisting with efforts to ban gas chamber euthanasia and pound seizure in Michigan shelters.
Mi-PACA (Michigan's Political Action Committee for Animals) focuses on creating a dynamic, growing voting bloc of animal welfare advocates to elect representatives who support animal protection and shelter reform.
Puppy Mill Awareness of Southeast Michigan is a grassroots organization dedicated to ending commercial breeding "puppy mills" and protecting families from puppy peddlers, pet stores and bad breeders by lobbying for stronger laws, setting up information booths, completing research studies and launching pet store campaigns.


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Buyer beware: That's the expert advice for beachgoers wanting a quick fix to brighten their pearly whites for summer.
DIY bleaching kits are sold at supermarkets and pharmacies for as little as $30 and some claim to whiten teeth "by up to seven shades".
But the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) is reviewing the rules around the use of hydrogen peroxide - the active ingredient in dental whitener - after the Ministry of Health flagged the products as potentially harmful.
High-strength products such as the 16 per cent hydrogen peroxide Lovely Smile 3-in-1 Whitening Pen (Life Pharmacy, $50) could be banned if new regulations are implemented.
The less potent Hollywood Nights Tooth Whitening Wand with 3.5 per cent hydrogen peroxide (Foodtown, $33) could remain on the supermarket shelves.
Stronger bleaching products will continue to be available from dentists.
Ministry of Health chief dental officer Robyn Haisman said: "The risk of adverse effects from the use of these products is not adequately controlled in order to protect the public from harm.
"The greater the concentration of hydrogen peroxide used, the greater the risk."
The distributor of Lovely Smile, Jayjay Joshie, said tooth whitening products would be ineffective with less than 12 per cent hydrogen peroxide - "3.6 per cent? That's pathetic," he said.
He claimed the Lovely Smile pen was safer than weaker products because it contained potassium nitrate and calcium phosphate to "remineralise" the teeth during treatment.
Rather than restricting the ingredients, Joshie said products should carry a warning label so consumers could make an informed choice.
The Dental Council is the government-mandated regulatory body for dental products.
Council chairman Robert Love said the common chemical found in over-the-counter whitening products could damage teeth irreversibly and even kill teeth with cracked fillings or untreated cavities.
"Hydrogen peroxide around 4 per cent is effective with minimal risks," he said. "But you can buy stuff that has 30 per cent and that could cause a lot of damage."
He said all DIY tooth whiteners should also carry warnings against long-term use.
The effectiveness of over-the-counter products was also questioned by NZ Dental Association chief executive David Krump.
"They will lessen surface stains caused by drinking tea and coffee but there's no such thing as taking your teeth back six shades," he said.
"If the natural colour of your teeth is less than white, it is not going to make a difference at all."
But Otago University dental professor Murray Thomson warned that even professional tooth whitening might be risky.
He said some operators were not qualified dentists and sidestepped regulations by calling themselves "cosmetic centres".
"Teeth are very fragile and we're talking about some serious chemicals being applied," Thomson said.
"I'd actually be reluctant to have something that caustic put on my teeth by someone without proper qualifications.
"You'll be left with an expensive dentist bill to get it all cleaned up - if the damage is even able to be fixed."
Trainee dental therapist Jennifer Lunt wants a Hollywood smile for her wedding next summer - but she won't be going near the over-the-counter products.
Four years ago she bought a $30 Pearl Drops whitening kit from the supermarket because one of her eye teeth seemed off colour and she was impressed by claims that the hydrogen-peroxide based product would brighten her smile by several shades.
"It turns out the tooth had died over a period of time and was infected. When I changed dentists this year I needed a root canal and a white composite filling to cover the discoloured tooth," the 22-year-old said.
Lunt said if she had trusted her instinct and gone to a new dentist, rather than buying a cheap whitening kit, she would have saved more than $1500 in expensive and painful dental work.
"The packaging on a kit you get at the supermarket can't give you proper dental advice or tailor a treatment that's suitable for you," she says.
Lunt, who is in her third year of studying oral health at AUT University, says over-the-counter whitening kits are a "marketing ploy".
"It needs to be restricted because someone could really harm themselves using it, especially if they keep on lathering it on like the instructions say.
"I definitely want something done for the wedding but I'm going to pay good money to get it done properly.
"I know home bleaching won't work."


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City Expands Promotion Criteria Beyond Test Scores
Decisions about whether to promote students to the next grade now will rest in the hands of New York City teachers and principals in a clear move away from a strict reliance on standardized test scores in math and English.
The city's Department of Education on Wednesday announced changes to its promotion policy for third- through eighth-grade students, saying educators will use multiple measures, like report card grades and classroom work, along with performance on state tests, to identify students who have not mastered grade-level work.
The full text of the policy change can be read here.
Previously, the promotion policy required students achieve a Level 2 on state tests in order to be promoted to the next grade. Those who scored a Level 1 were flagged for summer school after which they took a multiple choice test to determine if they could move on to the next grade.
This year, teachers will put together portfolios of work for students they have identified as struggling. Principals will decide, with oversight from district superintendents, whether to promote a student or recommend him or her for summer school.
Instead of the August test, summer school work will be added to a student's portfolio for principals to review.
"This new way forward maintains accountability, but mitigates the unintended consequences of relying solely on a single test," said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña in a statement. "Through a comprehensive evaluation of student work using multiple measures, our new policy is a step forward for students, parents, and schools."
City education officials said they changed the promotion policy to comply with the latest New York budget agreement, which forbade school districts from basing promotion decisions solely on state test scores.
The new policy must be approved by the Panel for Education Policy which is scheduled to vote on it in May.
Education officials said they expected a similar number of students to be held back and attend summer school this year compared to last year. In 2013, after the introduction of new, harder state exams, the D.O.E. recommended students for summer school who scored in the bottom 10th percentile on the tests.


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Based in Dakar, our regional team provide support, advice and guidance for our programmes across West Africa.
Over 650 million people live without safe water.
2.4 billion people don't have access to adequate sanitation, one in three of the world's population.
Around 315,000 children under-five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation. That's almost 900 children per day.
WaterAid first started working in West Africa in 1985. We now operate across seven countries in West Africa: Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
In May 2012, we opened our West Africa regional office in Dakar, Senegal. The team works to strengthen WaterAid's impact and visibility at the regional level through building relationships with local governments and advocacy and development partners.
The office is also responsible for providing support, advice and guidance for all country programmes in the region.
For more information on our work in West Africa please contact us.


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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the finalizing of a plan to build nearly 800 apartments in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo.
"We place no limits on construction in our capital city," Netanyahu said Sunday at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting. "Just as they build in London, Paris, Washington and Moscow, we will continue to build in Jerusalem."
Netanyahu's response came after an exchange between the European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
"Settlements are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible," said a statement issued over the weekend by Ashton's office. "The EU has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in east Jerusalem, in line with its obligations under the 'road map.' "
Lieberman responded with a statement saying that Israel would not negotiate the status of Jerusalem.
"Jerusalem is not a settlement. Gilo is a Jewish neighborhood," he said. "Today there are 32,000 to 33,000 Jews living there. It's an integral part of Jerusalem."
Israel's Interior Ministry on Oct. 18 announced its final approval for plans to build 797 new apartments in Gilo, located in the southern part of eastern Jerusalem. The initial approval for the project came in June.
The Jerusalem Municipality must still issue building permits for the project.
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The Libec Professional Single-Stage Aluminum Tripod is a heavy-duty tripod designed to be used with a jib arm, or a video head. It is a rigid tripod that ensures a stable camerawork. It is a portable tripod that can be used to place your camera at a good height.
The tripod has a payload capacity of 198 lb, and features a 100mm diameter ball head.
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By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY
This time of year, tourists are flipping for seafood up and down the East Coast. Luscious Maine lobster or mouthwatering Maryland crab — which is better? With the guidance of Roadfood.com's Michael Stern, USA TODAY's Kitty Bean Yancey checked out great spots for cracking a crustacean, nibbling a crab cake or lapping up a lobster roll. Which netted the most raves? Read on.
St. Michaels, Md.
Chatting about crab houses with a Marylander is like talking politics or religion: Opinions fly, but few minds are changed.
A draw at The Crab Claw Restaurant (410-745-2900; thecrabclaw.com) off the Chesapeake Bay on the Miles River in the cute tourist town of St. Michaels is crab feasts — a proud Maryland tradition. "If he doesn't kick, we don't cook," proclaims a sign assuring crabs are fresh. They're steamed, then presented to be pounded with wooden mallets at paper-covered tables inside or on a deck overlooking the water. Discarded shells pile foot-high. Rolls of paper towels serve as napkins. Tour buses park. The Claw's so popular it doesn't need to accept credit cards.
PHOTOS: Crab-house hunting in Maryland
Downing delicious crab bits with melted butter, Old Bay seasoning and vinegar is a messy social ritual. "Too much work" for the amount of meat retrieved, says Stern, no longer a fan of cracking crabs. As for the Claw's crab cake, a secret family recipe that's won many awards? Fine but not divine on a recent day, served with cole slaw, fries and a packet of Kraft tartar sauce rather than homemade.
For crab cakes, Stern suggests The Narrows Restaurant (410-827-8113; thenarrowsrestaurant.com), near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Step inside the waterside building — more upscale than most crab joints — and ask to be seated on the glassed-in porch. Watch sloops glide by and herons fly. Order an award-winning jumbo lump crab cake ($17.95 with one side at lunch, $18.95 at dinner), and try not to wolf down the golden-brown broiled dome kissed with mayo, mustard and Worcester and Tabasco sauce. Like the best crab cakes, it has virtually no filler — just a bit of cracker meal.
Cast Your Vote
About an hour's drive south in the hamlet of Hurlock, via roads that pass cornfields, another worthy cake awaits. The Suicide Bridge Restaurant broiled version (410-943-4689; suicidebridge.com) has a crispier, paprika-dusted crust, is spicier thanks to Old Bay and is my companion's favorite. A jumbo lump crabcake is $18.95 and includes sides. Diners sit at tables topped with maps of the Chesapeake and overlook the bridge that gives the eatery its eerie name. According to the tale on place mats, the bridge has been the site of a half-dozen suicides.
Sated but still seeking crab to swoon for, we're in the car driving to out-of-the-way Waterman's Crab House (410-639-2261; watermanscrabhouse.com) in Rock Hall, about an hour north of the Bay Bridge. At sundown Friday, the vibe is Jimmy Buffett. Locals drink Landshark Lager on the deck overlooking Rock Hall Harbor. Strangers exchange pleasantries. The $15.50 crab cakes (broiled, fried, with two sides) are meaty, but not exceptional tonight. Better bet: steamed crabs with a coat of Old Bay and other seasonings. Famished? All-you-can-eat-in-two-hours with two sides is $29.99.
Finishing a feast, Matt Maltby of Centreville, Md., talks crab. He's been to most Bay hot spots. "For crab cakes, you can't beat The Narrows. But this is a gathering place. If you want to sit back and enjoy the evening, you can't beat this."
Around him, shells stack up, the hum of happy conversation rises and the band strikes up another TGIF tune.
By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY
The lobster rolls at the Maine Diner are to die for: chunks of the best part of the crustacean kissed by mayo, presented on a hot dog bun with a dusting of paprika and a pickle.
Wiscasset, Maine
It's only 11:10 a.m., but already there's a line outside Red's Eats (207-882-6128), a red-and-white frame shack on Main Street by the bridge over the Sheepscot River.
Tourists and locals are waiting, very politely, for the white double doors of the serving window to open. Finally, at 11:42 — 12 minutes past opening time — order-taking starts. "This line's nothing like it usually is," observes Clay Adams, an insurance agent from New Gloucester, Maine. "I go to Florida, and they say, 'Do you know Red's?'"
PHOTOS: On the lobster trail in Maine
The drill: Order, pay cash, wait for your number to be yelled out, take away your bounty or eat on a small deck. A sign touts Red's famed attraction: a toasted hot dog bun packed with lobster chunks and served with mayo or drawn butter, as "Maine's Number One Lobster Roll." Not on this trip, but the $15.75 roll is worth the drive, and the wait adds to the mystique.
Another lobster lover's mecca: the Maine Diner (207-646-4441; mainediner.com), about a 1½-hour drive south in Wells. The parking lot is jammed with cars bearing out-of-state plates. Avoid the line by snagging a seat at the counter, where homemade pies sit in a stand. A specialty, the $20.95 lobster pie, is fine if you want hot lobster pieces in a mini-casserole topped with crushed, buttered Ritz crackers. Even better is the lobster roll ($16.95 on a recent day), served hot or cold on a grilled bun with a choice of sides. Chilled is a treat in summer: tender pieces dressed with mayo and sprinkled with paprika.
At this point it's becoming a chore to find off-the-beaten-track lobster heaven. It's not at The Lobster Shack at Two Lights (207-799-1677; lobstershacktwolights.com) in Cape Elizabeth on the outskirts of Portland. Stern loves the setting: quintessential Maine with rocky coast, two lighthouses in view, picnic tables and swooping gulls. But the voice on a loudspeaker calling orders for pickup is jarring. The $13.99 roll, nice enough, is nothing to write home about compared with top competitors. A $19.99 boiled lobster dinner with two sides is enjoyable, but "not the best I've ever had," says Rick Baldwin, 46, of Austin, touring with wife Marcie. They pronounce the no-frills spot pretty but touristy.
Time to head for the hills — or in this case, the woods and back roads. Final stop is Five Islands Lobster Company (207-371-2990; fiveislandslobster.com) on a wharf on the island of Georgetown, a 15-minute drive from Bath. You can go miles without seeing another car. Fresh catches sold here are shipped most anywhere.
No lobster is held in the giant seawater tank more than two days, says Brian Conley, a personable 21-year-old manning the counter. A market-priced 1¼-pounder cost me $15. At a window next door, another staffer sells lobster rolls: outstanding, especially if the sweeter soft-shell variety is in season.
Conley shows how lobsters are cooked here: in net bags in a vat of boiling saltwater, about 15 minutes for smaller ones. My order is pulled out, rosy-hued. Conley starts to explain how to get the choicest morsels, then offers to do the job, handing over a plate of succulent meat.
Lobster nirvana has been achieved.
Who wins the smackdown?
Maine lobster rolls by a claw's length. The best are sweet, succulent and decadent — no filler, packed with premium meat. They require no work to eat.
But wait!
Roadfood.com's Stern opts for Maryland crab cakes: "The very best are better than the best Maine lobster roll. They're rich. Fresh lump crabmeat is the diamond of seafood."
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text:
Ibrahim al-Asiri
|Ibrahim al-Asiri
April 18, 1982
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
|Other names
|Saudi Arabia
|Known for
|al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula bomb-maker
|Home town
|Abdullah al-Asiri (younger brother)
Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri (born April 18, 1982) is a citizen of Saudi Arabia suspected of being chief bomb-maker of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.[1] He was reported to have been responsible for making the bombs used by his brother Abdullah al-Asiri in his suicide bombing, the 2009 Christmas Day bomb plot, the 2010 cargo plane bomb plot, and the May 8th 2012 Terror Plot.[2]
Little is known about al-Asiri's early life; he was born in 1982 into a religious and military family in Riyadh with four brothers and three sisters.[3]
The Saudi Gazette reported that Ibrahim had been imprisoned and released. His imprisonment was a result of an attempt to enter Iraq to join Islamist insurgents.[3] He reportedly left Saudi Arabia for Yemen together with his brother Abdullah al-Asiri — whom he had recruited to al-Qaeda — to join up with al-Qaeda members.[1]
On February 3, 2009, Ibrahim and Abdullah were named on a list of Saudi Arabia's most wanted terrorist suspects.[4][5][6] The list published by the Government of Saudi Arabia listed 85 individuals, 83 of whom were Saudis, and 2 were from Yemen.
On August 27, 2009, Abdullah blew himself up in the Jeddah office of security chief Mohammed bin Nayef, after posing as a repentant militant.[1][7][8] Abdullah, who had been recruited by Ibrahim as a suicide bomber, used a PETN bomb that his brother had hidden in his rectum. Abdullah died in the attempt, but Nayef survived with minor injuries.[9][10]
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula[edit]
Ibrahim is suspected of being the main explosives expert for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the bombmaker responsible for building the bombs in the 2010 cargo plane bomb plot.[11] He is a likely suspect due to his history of creating explosive devices using PETN, including his involvement in the failed Christmas Day bomb plot.[12] Evidence suggested the same person constructed both the Yemen parcel bombs and the device worn by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who attempted to ignite the Christmas Day bomb on a plane in 2009. One of the detonators was nearly identical to the one used in the Christmas Day attack.[13]
In May 2012, American security officials leaked their acquisition of a document describing how to prepare and use liquid explosive implants -- surgically implanted improvised explosive devices.[2][14][15][16] The implants would contain no metal parts, making them virtually undetectable by X-rays. Al-Asiri was reported to have been responsible for the development of the new weapon.
Reports of death[edit]
Al-Asiri had been reported as possibly killed in a drone strike together with other AQAP suspects, among whom was the American-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, during the month of September 2011.[17] However a Yemeni official denied that al-Asiri was killed.[18]
On August 13, 2013, it was reported that Al-Asiri may have been seriously wounded in a drone strike which occurred on August 10, though the reports were never confirmed.[19]
Al-Asiri was thought to have possibly been killed in a firefight on April 20, 2014. Yemeni troops recovered bodies to run DNA tests, but the tests were not a match.[20][21]
As of 2016, Al-Asiri has appeared in a video making references to Saudi Arabia's recent executions of al-Qaeda militants, so he is still alive. [22]
US Sanctions[edit]
On 24 March 2011, al-Asiri was added to the U.S. list of terrorists. He is wanted by the government of Saudi Arabia and is the subject of an Interpol Orange Notice.[23][24]
Al-Asiri's father is a retired soldier. He has three sisters and, now, two surviving brothers.[1]
See also[edit]
- Nizar Rayan, who successfully recruited his own son for a suicide bombing mission
- ^ a b c d Abdullah Al-Oreifij (September 1, 2009). "Suicide bomber named". Saudi Gazette. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
- ^ a b Daniel Klaidman, Christopher Dickey (2012-05-14). "Ibrahim al-Asiri: The Body Bomb Menace". Daily Beast. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
Newsweek has learned that U.S. intelligence officials circulated a secret report that laid out in vivid detail how doctors working for al-Asiri had developed the surgical technique. An American government source familiar with the report described it as 15 to 20 pages, single spaced, and replete with schematics and pictures. "It was almost like something you'd see in Scientific American," the source said.mirror Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "DailyBeast2012-05-14" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b BBC News (9 May 2012). "Profile: Al-Qaeda 'bomb maker' Ibrahim al-Asiri". BBC News.
- ^ "Kingdom unveils list of 85 wanted militants abroad". Arab News. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on September 10, 2009.
- ^ "85 on Saudi wanted list of militants". Saudi Gazette. February 3, 2009. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ Carol Rosenberg (February 2, 2009). "Saudi 'most wanted list' includes freed Guantánamo detainees". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009.
- ^ Hammond, Andrew (August 30, 2009). "Saudi prince defends policy on militants". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009.
- ^ "Bizarre tale of Saudi bomber: Al-Qaida terrorist rode victim's private jet". Metro US. August 30, 2009. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009.
- ^ "Passenger jets carried Dubai bomb". Al Jazeera. October 31, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ "Saudi Bombmaker Key Suspect in Yemen Plot". CBS News. Associated Press. November 1, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ^ McGreal, Chris; Dodd, Vikram (October 31, 2010). "Cargo bombs plot: US hunts Saudi extremist". London: The Guardian. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "Al-Qaeda plot: Flight ban on freight from Somalia". London: Telegraph. November 1, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ Frank Gardner (November 1, 2010). "Saudi man 'key suspect' in jet bomb plot, says US". BBC News. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ David Pescovitz (2012-05-14). "You da bomb! (surgically-implanted explosives)". Boing boing. Archived from the original on 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
According to Newsweek, US intelligence officials report that al Qaeda's explosives expert Ibrahim al-Asiri and medical doctors have been designing bombs to be surgically implanted into the bodies of suicide bombers. The idea is that the technique would somehow foil airport scanners. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "You da bomb!"
- ^ Anissa Haddadi (2012-05-14). "Al-Qaida's 'Body Bombs' increase Fears of Global Attacks by Master Bomb-Maker Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
Experts and intelligence sources say the terrorists could use the powerful explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate, known as PETN and insert it in the bodies of would-be suicide bombers. According to reports they would then be able to detonate the implanted explosives via injections. The bombs would not be detectable to airport body scanner, increasing risks of attacks similar to the 2011 September attack on the Twin Towers in New York and on the Pentagon.
- ^ "Breast bombers: Doctors trained to plant explosives inside chest of female suicide bombers". The Daily Mirror. 2012-05-14. Archived from the original on 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
MI6 chiefs believe doctors have been trained to plant explosives inside the breasts of female suicide bombers.
- ^ Top al Qaeda bombmaker dead in drone strike, CBS News, September 30, 2011
- ^ Official: Al-Qaida in Yemen bomb maker not killed in Al-Awlaki strike, Associated Press in Washington Post, October 2, 2011
- ^ Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Richard Esposito (August 13, 2013). "Reports:Al-Qaeda's Master Bombmaker Wounded In US Drone Strike". NBC News. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Was al Qaeda bomb chief killed in Yemen?, Mohammed Jamjoom and Barbara Starr, CNN, April 22, 2014
- ^ DNA test: Remains from airstrike in Yemen not those of al Qaeda bomb-maker, Paul Cruickshank, Mohammed Jamjoom and Nic Robertson, CNN, April 28, 2014
- ^ "Bomb-making terrorist threatens US, Saudi Arabia over executions". Fox News. Associated Press.
- ^ Department of State's Terrorist Designation of Ibrahim Hassan Tali Al-Asiri, U.S. Department of State, 24 March 2011
- ^ US designates al-Qaida bomb maker as a terrorist, AP, Chicago Tribune, 24 March 2011
External links[edit]
- Department of State's Terrorist Designation of Ibrahim Hassan Tali Al-Asiri, U.S. Department of State, 24 March 2011


text:
One of the sunniest summers in more than 50 years saw almost 600 extra people rescued from New Zealand beaches during the patrol season compared to the same period the year before.
Most took place in the northern region where there were 619 rescues compared to 478 in the previous season, which begins on the Labour Day weekend and ends at Easter.
Nationally there were more than 1600 people pulled from the surf, above last year's total of 1088.
The most dramatic were the rescue of 28 people in two separate dramas at the end of the season. Ten Korean fishermen were plucked from a rock at Port Waikato last month and 18 schoolchildren were caught in a rip at Dunedin in February.
The busiest beach was Muriwai - also the site of a fatal shark attack - but Volunteer Lifeguard Service chairman Tim Jago said he was not surprised by its 105 rescues for the year.
"Yes it's a season of high statistics but ... when more and more people go to the beaches, statistically you're going to have more rescues,'' Mr Jago said.
"Truth be known we didn't feel busy because surf conditions have been spectacular.
"Whilst we've been busy and we've certainly been tired at the end of the day, you wouldn't have said we were stressed [and] you wouldn't have said we were getting desperate.''
There were 12 drownings at beaches during the summer, double the number from the previous year, Water Safety New Zealand said.
Surf Life Saving spokeswoman Lisa Honeybone said it was believed only one person drowned at a beach during lifeguard hours. A 43-year-old man could not be revived after being pulled from the surf about 600m from the flagged area of Whiritoa Beach on the Coromandel on Christmas Eve.
Volunteer lifesavers spent more than 200,000 hours patrolling about 80 beaches, undertook more than 1980 first aid treatments, conducted 580 searches and took more than 120,000 preventative actions.
Surf Life Saving northern region chief executive Pam Elgar said many people rescued from the surf had ignored safety messages.
"We're ... seeing consistencies in drowning incidents where people are wearing inappropriate clothing and are unaware of hazardous surf conditions and rips,'' Ms Elgar said.
Top 10 nationwide rescue statistics:
1. Muriwai - 105
2. Raglan - 92
3. Whangamata - 61
4. Taylors Mistake (Christchurch) - 58
5. Piha - 57
6. Mt Maunganui - 55
7. Omanu - 52
8. Karioatahi - 46
9. Papamoa - 46
10. Opunake - 46


text: World Wide Guesthouse is set in the Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong, 1,313 feet from iSquare. Each room at this guest house is air conditioned and is equipped with a flat-screen TV. You will find a kettle in the room. Each room has a private bathroom. For your comfort, you will find slippers, free toiletries and a hairdryer. World Wide Guesthouse features free WiFi throughout the property. There is ticket service at the property. The guest house also offers car hire. Avenue of Stars is 1,641 feet from World Wide Guesthouse, while Kowloon Park is 1,969 feet from the property. Hong Kong International Airport is 15.5 miles away.


text:
Learning in the City
Besides the elegant rows of landmark townhouses, there are also many cultural attractions that surround the Hunter College campus. With such easy access to every museum, theater, library, business and cultural resource in New York City, it's no wonder that Hunter College students regularly intern at places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and CNN, as well as hospitals, schools and city and state government offices. Our Career Development Services Office assists students in utilizing the resources of New York City to enrich their learning experience.


text:
ArchiveOtherArticles 2007
3 Items
20 Years of Out There
Matt Peiken
Dec 2007
January can be to the performing arts as the midnight hours are to television—repositories for the weird, the risky, and ultimately, test patterns. In that vein, nobody knew what to expect in 1989, when the Walker Art Center and Southern Theater defrosted their January calendars by clustering a program of new, experimental, and under-the radar work. Today, the Out There series is an annual bedrock of…
"My Africa is Always in the Becoming:" Outside the Box with Faustin Linyekula
Brenda Dixon Gottschild
Sep 2007
Backstory "If there's any politics about my work, it's to put individuals at the center of the discussion rather than treating them like sheep." Talking one-on-one with Faustin Linyekula makes you realize how much we are led by appearances, and how misleading appearances can be. As is probably the case with so many people he meets (black, white, brown—on whatever continent he may be), this powerful man…
Super Night Shot
Robin Arthur
Aug 2007
OK, it goes something like this: there are four of them and one is Hero (although later on he decides to be the Villain), one is the Location Scout, one is the Publicity Agent, and one is the Casting Director, and it all starts at the end, when you're in the bar before the show has really started and you get given these sparklers and streamers and you're asked to welcome the performers back into the…


text:
The Leonard Lopate Show
Shaping America, Shaping the World
4 segments
The Last Great Senate 33 min
Unorthodox 14 min
On today's show: we'll look at the Senate of the 1960s and 1970s, which gave us the Civil Rights Act, Great Society legislation, and battled with the executive branch over abuses of power. William H. Gass talks about his latest collection of essays. Today's installment of A History of the World in 100 Objects is all about a stone fragment from a pillar erected by the Indian Emperor Askoka. Deborah Feldman talks about her experience in the Satmar Hasidic community. Historian Robert Kagan, who has the ears of both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, tells what he thinks the world would look like if America's role in it were diminished.


text:
The Palo Pinto County courthouse in Palo Pinto. The Streamline Moderne style structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Location in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
|Named for
|Palo Pinto Creek
|Palo Pinto
|Largest city
|Mineral Wells
|• Total
|986 sq mi (2,554 km2)
|• Land
|952 sq mi (2,466 km2)
|• Water
|34 sq mi (88 km2), 3.4%
|• (2010)
|• Density
|30/sq mi (12/km²)
|Congressional district
|Time zone
|Central: UTC-6/-5
Palo Pinto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 28,111.[1] The county seat is Palo Pinto.[2] The county was created in 1856 and organized the following year.[3]
Palo Pinto County comprises the Mineral Wells, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth, TX Combined Statistical Area. It is located in the Western Cross Timbers Ecoregion.
- 1 History
- 2 Geography
- 3 Demographics
- 4 Communities
- 5 Notable people
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Native Americans[edit]
The Brazos Indian Reservation, founded by General Randolph B. Marcy in 1854, provided a safety area from warring Comanche for Delaware, Shawnee, Tonkawa, Wichita, and Caddo. Within the reservation, each tribe had its own village and cultivated agricultural crops. Government-contracted beeves were delivered each week. Citizens were unable to distinguish between reservation and non-reservation tribes, blaming Comanche and Kiowa depredations on the reservation Indians. A newspaper in Jacksboro, Texas titled The White Man advocated removal of all tribes from north Texas.[4][5]
During December 1858, Choctaw Tom, at times an interpreter to Sam Houston, and a group of reservation Indians received permission for an off-the-reservation hunt. On December 27, Captain Peter Garland and a vigilante group charged Choctaw Tom's camp, indiscriminately murdering and injuring women and children along with the men. Citizens feared retribution from reservations tribes.[6]
Governor Hardin Richard Runnels[7] ordered John Henry Brown[8] to the area with 100 troops. An examining trial was conducted about the Choctaw Tom raid, but no indictments resulted.
May 1859, John Baylor[9] and a number of whites confronted United States troops at the reservation, demanding the surrender of certain tribal individuals. The military balked, and Baylor retreated, but in so doing killed an Indian woman and an old man. Baylor's group was later attacked by Indians off the reservation, where the military had no authority to intervene. At the behest of terrified settlers, the reservation was abandoned that year.
County established[edit]
In 1856 the Texas state legislature established Palo Pinto County from Bosque and Navarro counties and named for Palo Pinto Creek. The county was organized the next year, with the town of Golconda chosen to be the seat of government. The town was renamed Palo Pinto in 1858.
Early ranching and farming years[edit]
Ranching entrepreneurs Oliver Loving[10] and Charles Goodnight,[11] who blazed the Goodnight-Loving Trail, along with Reuben Vaughan were the nucleus of the original settlers. An 1876 area rancher meeting regarding cattle rustling became the beginnings of what is now known as the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.
Fence Cutting Wars in Texas lasted for approximately five years, 1883-1888. As farmers and ranchers began to compete for precious land and water, cattlemen found it more difficult to feed their herds, prompting cowboys to cut through fences. Texas Governor John Ireland prodded a special assembly to order the fence cutters to cease. In response, the legislature made fence-cutting and pasture-burning crimes punishable with prison time, while at the same time regulating fencing. The practice abated with sporadic incidents of related violence 1888.[12]
Later growth years[edit]
James and Amanda Lynch[13] first moved to the area in 1877. In digging a well on their property, they discovered the water seemed to benefit their well-being. Word spread about the water's healing powers, and people from all over came to experience the benefits. Eventually, the town of Mineral Wells[14] was platted. The Mineral Wells State Park[15] was opened to the public in 1981.
The Texas National Guard organized the 56th Cavalry Brigade in 1921, and four years later Brigadier General Jacob F. Wolters[16] was given a grant to construct a training camp for the unit. In 1941, Camp Wolters was turned over to the United States Army. It was redesignated Wolters Air Force Base in 1951. Five years later, the base reverted to the Army as a helicopter trailing school . The base closed in 1973 when the helicopter school transferred to Fort Rucker in Alabama.[17]
Possum Kingdom Lake was acquired from the Brazos River Authority in 1940. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the facilities, and the Possum Kingdom State Park opened to the public in 1950.[18]
Upham Oil and Gas Company has operated in Palo Pinto County since its founding in 1956 by the late Chet Upham of Mineral Wells, who was also the chairman of the Texas Republican Party from 1979-1983. The company is now run by his son, Chester Robert Upham, III.
Circa 1992, licensed wildlife rehabilitator Amanda Lollar purchased an old building in Mineral Wells that had become a residence for thousands of wild bats. Lollar operated the building as Bat World Sanctuary.[19]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 986 square miles (2,550 km2), of which 952 square miles (2,470 km2) is land and 34 square miles (88 km2) (3.4%) is water.[20]
Major highways[edit]
Adjacent counties[edit]
- Jack County (north)
- Parker County (east)
- Hood County (southeast)
- Erath County (south)
- Eastland County (southwest)
- Stephens County (west)
- Young County (northwest)
|Historical population
|Est. 2015
|U.S. Decennial Census[22]
1850–2010[23] 2010–2014[1]
As of the census[24] of 2000, there were 27,026 people, 10,594 households, and 7,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11/km2). There were 14,102 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.19% White, 2.32% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 6.56% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 13.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,594 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. As of the 2010 census, there were about 2.0 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.[25]
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,203, and the median income for a family was $36,977. Males had a median income of $28,526 versus $18,834 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,454. About 12.30% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.50% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.
- Gordon
- Graford
- Mineral Wells (partly in Parker County)
- Mingus
- Strawn
Census-designated place[edit]
- Palo Pinto (county seat)
Other unincorporated communities[edit]
Notable people[edit]
- Steve Tyrell, singer and recording artist
See also[edit]
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ Crouch, Carrie J: Brazos Indian Reservation from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Minor, David: White Man from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ "Choctaw Tom". Fort Tours. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Texas Governor Harden Richard Runnels". State of Texas. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas State Library and Archives Commission
- ^ Baker, Erma: John Henry Brown from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Thompson, Jerry: John Robert Baylor from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ "Oliver Loving". PBS.org. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Oliver Loving Descendants
- ^ "Charles Goodnight". PBS.org. Retrieved 27 April 2010. The West Film Project and WETA
- ^ "Fence Cutting Wars, Texas Adjutant General R.N. Steagal Letter To John Ireland March 31, 1884". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas State Library and Archives Commission
- ^ "James Lynch, The Founder of Mineral Wells". Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce
- ^ Sam Fenstermacher. "Mineral Wells, Texas". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas Escapes
- ^ "Mineral Wells State Park". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- ^ "Brigadier General Jacob F. Wolters". Fort Wolters. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Brian N. Bagnall
- ^ "Camp. Wolters". Fort Wolters. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Brian N. Bagnall
- ^ "Possum Kingdom State Park". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
- ^ Wendy Lyons. "Amanda Lollar, Bat Woman". The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved 27 April 2010. Wendy Lyons
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ Where Same-Sex Couples Live, June 26, 2015, retrieved July 6, 2015
External links[edit]
- Palo Pinto County government's website
- Historic Palo Pinto County materials hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Palo Pinto County from the Handbook of Texas Online
Coordinates: 32°45′N 98°19′W / 32.75°N 98.31°W
|Young County
|Jack County
|Wise County
|Stephens County
|Parker County
|Eastland County
|Erath County
|Hood County


text:
Greetings and Salutations!
Yesterday, I finally got my car. There was a hold up with the car but it finally got here. The saleman called me (as he had previously done to tell me my car didn't make it in...waiting for the short throw to get installed) and said, "I have have bad news..." I'm thinking, great another delay. He said, "If you don't get here in the next 5 minutes, you won't be able to see your car roll off of the truck."
Needless to say, my face is sore from smiling.
I will try and post some pics as I see they are often requested.
*** The leather looks darker in person. I noticed from other pics that it looked like a really light gray (as they do in my pics), but it does look darker in person.