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In the News: Local and Regional Stories Compiled and Edited by Our News Staff
Caption: Ferriday Police Chief Arthur Lewis
Ferriday Mayor Sherrie Jacobs suspended Police Chief Arthur Lewis again, the third time in four months. Jacobs believes Lewis is not right for the job. And the aldermen have stated they support Lewis. Alderman Glenn Henderson said he believes the mayor will continue to issue 30-day suspensions until the chief quits.
The 29th Annual Natchez Powwow will be held March 25-26 at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. Events include a stickball game, gourd dancing and intertribal dancing. Arts, crafts, and exhibits of Native American culture will be on display. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. For more info and a schedule of events, visit natchezpowwow.com.
Natchez police seized more than 30 grams of marijuana at a Red Carpet Inn room, arresting Timothy Vanison, 46, of Natchez. Officers were called to the hotel for a disturbance involving Vanison and smelled marijuana coming from his room. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute within a school zone.
Ferriday Alderman Johnnie L. Brown, Sr. died recently at Oschner Medical Center in New Orleans. Brown had served as aldermen since 2005 and had previously served on the parish school board and had been director of Concordia Parish Recreation District No. 1. He served as a pastor and educator in the public schools. Brown was 68. An interim alderman will be appointed to fill Brown's slot and a special election will be held.
Woodville aldermen turned down a request from their street superintendent to purchase two riding mowers. Aldermen know the mowers are needed, but there is no money in the budget for the purchase. Aldermen considered renting electronic voting machines for this summer's town election. But a $7,500 rental was considered too expensive. Aldermen voted to use paper ballots.
Mississippi homeowners have through March 31 to sign up for homestead exemption at county tax assessor offices. Adams County Tax Assessor Reynolds Atkins said you don't have to sign up for the exemption if you have previously received the exemption. You should sign up if you purchased a new home, if your spouse died, if you turned 65 or have become 100% disabled. For more info, call 601-442-6732 or visit the Tax Assessor's Office at the Adams County Courthouse.
A federal lawsuit has been filed against the Adams County Sheriff's Office on the behalf of the children of the late Joey Sturdivant. Sturvidant had been an inmate of the Adams County Jail in March 2016, when he hung himself in the jail with a bed sheet. Sturdivant had been repeatedly been beaten by inmates with the connivance of an Adams County jailer. Former jail employees Victor Smith, Drasilla Rounds and Carla Dunn were also listed as defendants in the suit. Smith, as jailer, and inmates Kelcey Watson and Jerome Harris and was subsequently arrested and indicted for conspiracy and aggravated assault.
Sheriff Travis Patten offered no comment but said he would do so after the suit has been resolved.
Wilkinson County School Superintendent Kimberly Jackson told her school board that approximately 94% of students attend school each day, but that the high school's attendance rate is only 89%. Jackson wants to increase the attendance rate to 95%. The district still has a problem with teacher absenteeism, with the high school averaging 37 absences per month, which Jackson feels is too high. The state says the Wilkinson County Schools earned a grade of "F" in the previous year. The district has submitted a remedial plan to make improvements.
Three armed men robbed a Natchez Democrat worker who was emptying trash into a waste bin at the back of the newspaper's building. The robbers stole the victim's wallet and cell phone, but he was not injured.
An Alabama man was robbed of his cash on Cemetery Road in Adams County. The man had traveled to Natchez to purchase a truck advertised on Craigslist. The three thieves placed a tree across the road and when the man got out of his vehicle to remove the tree, the robbers came out of the woods and stole his money at gunpoint. Police believe the criminal are the same crew who robbed a Natchez Democrat employee.
The Catahoula Parish Police Jury held a one-hour ethics training course for its employees this month. State law requires public agencies to hold the training to prevent problems.
Vidalia's annual CPA audit showed improvements in bookkeeping but more work to be done. The Silas Simmons audit for 2015-2016 showed $17,000 in past due invoices for the new technology center were past due, even though the federal funds were on hand to pay the bills. The city failed to keep the required reserves in the hydro fund as required by ordinance. Expenditures exceeded statutory limits and aldermen did not revise the budget show the difference. And convention center and riverfront losses topped $1.3 million. The audit reviews the final year of the Copeland administration.
Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell said the city will delay rebidding the depot project until a consultant designs a plan for the bluff to St. Catherine Streets.
Vidalia has appointed three men to its planning commission: Jay Hamilton, Jeff Ferguson and Dewitt Wyatt.
The Concordia Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards dinner at the Vidalia Convention Center. Heather Malone and Pat Biglane were named Concordians of the Year. Brandon Rowe was awarded Educator of the Year and Concordia Bank received Business of the Year honors.
Concordia Parish deputies responded to a burglar alarm and ending up arresting Justin McCarty, 35, of Vidalia, on burglary and drug charges. McCarty initially escaped authorities, but they tracked him down at his Stephens Road residence, finding meth, Xanax and marijuana.
Former Vidalia Police Officer Hannah Bradford was found not guilty of assault in Natchez Municipal Court. Off duty at the Under the Hill Saloon, Bradford was charged with assault after she put her hands on a patron after a disagreement. Judge Lisa Dale said video was unclear as to what happened and the level of "touching" by Bradford, did not rise to the level of assault.
Ferriday police arrested Robbi Ford, 52, of Ferriday, and charged him with molestation of an nine-year-old girl. Police said children were playing hide-and-seek in Rabb Addition, when Ford allegedly joined in the play and touch the child inappropriately several times under her clothing. She fought off her assailant and was later taken by a relative to Riverland Medical Center for treatment.
Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten and Natchez Police Chief Danny White said they have increased patrols since five convenience stores were robbed in one week. Despite an increase in property crime and violence in the city limits in recent months, Natchez aldermen have taken no action to stem the incidence of crime. Mayor Darryl Grennell formed an ad hoc committee to talk about what can be done. The committee has met, but no decisions have been made.
Candidates running for mayor of Woodville this year include Gary D'Aquilla and Keisha Ford. Both are running as independents.
Former Ferriday Police Chief Johnny M. Evans died recently. He had filled Kenneth Hedrick's post as chief when Hedrick was elected Concordia Parish Sheriff.
Attorney Paul Benoist responds to Walter Brown's Threat of Suit New Orleans Hotel Consutlants
Re: New Orleans Hotel Consultants MS, LLC
Dear Walter:
This letter is in response to your certified letter dated March 9, 2017, received by me on March 13, 2017 with your caption, "New Orleans Hotel Consultants MS, LLC", and threatening me with a lawsuit.
All of my public and private discourse on all things Natchez is in my individual capacity as a resident and taxpayer in Natchez and Adams County, MS. In no way am I representing anyone as an attorney, but I will say that there are thousands of persons still left in this community, many, many of whom have come to me with their concerns about the status quo here, and the failure of the City to modernize and streamline its operations. My use of my office stationery is for convenience only. All opinions expressed herein below are personal and not professional.
To repeat, I do not represent anyone or any entity on any MS matter, and certainly do not represent anyone of any concern to you.
Next, I do not have any problem with Warren Reuther or his company(ies). I appreciate his business investment and taking the huge risk of investing in a currently decaying and depopulating City. He comes here with a platform already in place. I have not seen the "MS" component of the LLC to date, other than in your letter.
I do indeed have problems with the City of Natchez and the way it administers or fails to administer its legislatively created public functions. I have a problem with its failure to adjust its size in proportion to the 40% - 50% decline in population here since 1970. This disappointment includes any missed opportunities to reorganize or re-charter the City since the handwriting was put on the wall decades ago about the direction of the City of Natchez. It looks to me like the City functions in the same ways it did during the last period of general prosperity here in the 1960s.
The City should shrink with the population; the budget should decline, not increase; surplus properties need to be shorn; the size of the council should be reduced; the very form of municipal government should be questioned, or discarded and merged with the county.
You and I have briefly discussed in the past the archaic MS constitution and tax system, and in recent times, the defects in the MS use of "commissions" and other variants of political subdivisions of the state of MS, which I understand began in the 1920s or 1930s. We have an unnecessary dual civil court system. We have optional public positions, like tax collector, that need to be collapsed and done away with.
These "commissions" seem to me to generally be very awkward attempts to depoliticize things by which paid public servants are shifting their responsibilities onto unpaid community volunteers whose efforts are then thwarted by the elected officials who should be doing the tough work. These arrangements have caused much recent grief in our community, including two bankruptcies and the disappearance of Natchez Regional Hospital, in part due to the inability of the Board of Supervisors to directly monitor hospital operations. I understand there to be similar issues at the Adams County Port Commission. There are all sorts of problems with a quasi-legislative and weak mayor form of government, another archaic relic of MS. In my opinion, free standing political subdivisions like Natchez Waterworks and Natchez Housing Authority simply compound the problems of our declining area, and add public payroll positions, when we need to be consolidating, modernizing technology and reducing the number of public sector jobs.
As a civilian trained lawyer in a legal system that is based on cohesive, interlocking constitution, codes and statutory legislation, it seems that most MS laws are ad hoc, and have been passed with the thought of pre-designed failure, are anti-public involvement, anti-public transparency, anti-public records, and anti- modern governmental practices–practices that are quite successful elsewhere, in communities, unlike Natchez, that are growing and thriving in the 2000s.
As I understand it, you have worked very closely with the City of Natchez and many of these local boards and commissions for many, many years, including the approximate 30 years I left Natchez, before returning in 2001. It is my understanding that you have represented many of them. If this is correct, the current state of local government affairs represents part of your personal work legacy. For me, I remain hopeful of radical changes made here before the City simply implodes - like Flint, Detroit, Port Gibson, Fayette, Tallulah, Lake Providence, and Silverton, CO. I think the question is going to be whether we will ever again be a healthy, vibrant, relevant community, or just a whistle stop for day tourists killing idle time.
Now, to the specifics addressed in your letter. You know that I practice Louisiana law exclusively and that I do not have a Mississippi practice. You know this because you have been in my office more than once, have seen the sign in the lobby which specifically states that I have a Louisiana practice only, and you have picked up my business cards, which also indicate that we practice in Louisiana only. All of this has been cleared by both the MS Bar and the LSBA.
You also know, because I have told you, that I associate Mississippi counsel when a Mississippi legal issue presents with my Louisiana clients and those who contact me for representation in matters for which I cannot handle. You can confirm this with Bill McGehee, Bruce Kuehnle, Scott Slover, Eileen Maher and many others. You also know that Natchez is my hometown, and that I have some family, many friends and associates here. You further know, because I have told you, that I have Louisiana and other out-of-state business clients, associates, family and friends who have been interested in investing in Natchez, but for the reputation Natchez has developed for being a closed, rigged system, with duplicate and unnecessary overlapping local government in Natchez and Adams County. These potential investors are concerned that they will get hosed down if they come to Natchez. They continue to watch. And, you know that I am a member of Natchez NOW/Inc., and support financially our privately led industrial recruiting efforts.
In fact, you will recall telling me that "if we had it to do over again, we would not do it this way", in speaking of local governmental organization. You will also recall my expressed interest, since around 2009, in working towards a consolidated government, such as enjoyed in West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge parishes, both thriving, not dying, an hour away, with top rated school systems. Apparently, I am not alone--these same deep interests and opinions of mine regarding consolidation were recently expressed by former mayors Tony Byrne of Natchez and Charles Evers of Fayette at a recent presentation for the Natchez Historical Society at The Hotel Vue.
I have also expressed to you my concern about our huge public debt, largely due to grandiose, overbuilt buildings, voted in by City and County despite a declining population. Again, we have had a 40-50% population exodus within the City limits since the 1970s. The City appears from my research to date to continue to approach local governance using the system in place during our most recent period of general prosperity, the 1960s. In short, in our times, the City has markedly changed– but the City government has not. It is time for it to be changed out.
In my opinion, the City needs to make large, significant and radical changes, if it wishes to retain any semblance of relevance. We are very close, in my opinion, to the tipping point from which we will never recover. I call this critical mass. One example is that I have to explain to judges all over the state of Louisiana that we do not have the facilities nor the people to do neurosurgery in this area. They routinely are surprised, because that think of Natchez as a larger City than its current 13,000 or so residents.
A friend of 40 years from the Delta with a family involved heavily in MS state politics for decades tells me that Natchez has never formed the legislative alliances it needs to be effective in the legislature, and it has always been an outlier. So, we rely on heroic efforts of some in Jackson, but at the end of the day, we have been marginalized, and this is known statewide.
In my opinion, after some years of study, the City, its operations and methods of conducting public business, is one of the primary contributors to the decline of this area, coupled with an anti-business climate by historic preservationists that has shuttered approximately 30-40 downtown businesses that would otherwise be collecting sales taxes. The best example of this in recent times is Roux 61, which gave up trying to locate within the City and went into the county, where, as I understand it, all sales taxes then leave the area, with none coming back here.
In this ongoing mismanagement of our City in the face of a declining population, the Historic Natchez Foundation, National Park Service and garden clubs have also played a significant role. Don't get me wrong–we have lots of hard working people doing something they believe in, and they have mission statements to follow. But at the end of the day, there has to a person or persons who can take the local positives and negatives and forge them into a cohesive public sector leadership. Our City is currently overrun with non-profits paying no taxes, riding on the backs of the ever declining and shrinking number of taxpayers. A recent example of this is the return of Brumfield School to the City by the state of MS and the subsequent transfer of it by the City to a non-profit tied to a local church. So today, Brumfield sits, out of commerce, paying no taxes, falling to the ground. Like the convention center, it is of no apparent financial benefit to the City or the good of its citizens. The same can be said of the Ritz Theater and the old First Baptist Church. The old General Hospital and Margaret Martin are more of the same. Same for the Feltus house occupied by VFW. And, let's not forget the empty eyesore of the former Waste Management yard on Wall.
The focus here to save and hold old buildings until they go to ground has so far gotten us nowhere, since 1973, except arguably preserving the bones of a long ago important city. Who are we preserving these buildings for? The young have left and are still leaving in droves. Old families on fixed incomes cannot keep up the repairs. Building an oversized welcome center and a convention center whose debt has not been properly serviced in the midst of a 40 -50% decline in population is to me, very poor management and an indefensible use of public funds and trust.
It also appears to me that many, if not most of the decisions made by our elected City officials are made with no strategic aforethought or study of consequences. If the surplus properties held by the City were only to be put back into commerce with deed restrictions that they must remain in the taxable private sector, it would be an immediate improvement, and the City coffers would at least get something out of them. More importantly, the pressure of paying taxes would force the private owners into action to make some commercial use of the properties.
In the face of all of this, the City Aldermen are now talking about delivering the coup de grace to a wounded City – raising taxes on the handful of us here who pay taxes. Our small and getting smaller every year group is sandwiched in between the 31 - 33% poverty rate, the age qualified homestead exempt, and the non-taxpaying churches and non-profits who have run successful businesses out of the City, like Roux 61, further reducing the taxpaying portion of the populace. Meanwhile, I detect no sense of urgency by any elected officials to address those problems. The City continues to duplicate public safety functions the county can better handle. We are doomed to total failure if this is not radically corrected, and corrected soon.
As to my contacts with Messrs. Reuther and Tipton, perhaps Mr. Reuther has not told you, but it was Mr. Reuther on multiple occasions who invited the public at large to contact him for information. Mr. Reuther also telephoned and left a message for me to call him, which I have not, for the specific reason that I have said what I have to say, which is that the public officials have the duty and obligation to insist on contractual compliance by the Reuther company(ies). I had never heard of Mr. Reuther until about 18 months ago, and to my knowledge, I have never been introduced to him nor had the pleasure of speaking with him. We do not travel in the same circles. Thus, any categorizations of Mr. Reuther otherwise are of your own making.
As to Mr. Tipton, Walter and I grew up together and played sports and graduated in the same year. We also share membership in First Presbyterian Church, along with Butch Brown. Perhaps Mr. Tipton has not told you that, out of the blue last year, he contacted me for lunch to solicit my support for expansion of the convention center—a meeting which I enjoyed, but in which I had no interest, except as to the public/taxpayer effect on this community and reigning in what looks like out of control public spending, poor bond refinancing practices and possible sale of the convention center to his employer. While I am not in the tourism business, I am educated in public finance, budgets and accountability, and have a significant investment in Natchez real estate to protect.
As to your client, Mr. Reuther, you will not find a single person who can truthfully say that I have ever said anything but that Mr. Reuther's investment in our community is appreciated, that Mr. Reuther is doing what all business people naturally do, and our public officials have failed in doing their duty to monitor and require Mr. Reuther's company to provide the contracted reporting for the management of public facilities. I do not know, but assume that you drafted the contract signed by Mr. Reuther's company back in 2006. I have seen in the City's minute books that you indicated that the contract was revised 12 times prior to execution in December 2006, so it seems you were involved at some level in that transaction. That agreement says that Mr. Reuther's company is a fiduciary to the City, the highest standard of trust afforded under the law, as far as I know. The reports I have seen since October 2016 due to my public records requests still do not go to the depth called for in the plain terms of the contract. One need not be a lawyer to read a contract.
As a property owner in downtown Natchez, I have also been very vocal, and have stated my belief that the public officials have an obligation to hold public hearings that include input from the local residents, business owners who collect the tourism taxes, who have invested in downtown in hopes of capturing tourism business that was represented to them would be open and available to all of them when they voted for a public convention center. I read your recent letter to take a very different view–that secrecy, bullying, threatening lawsuits and hiding public business is the proper approach, and on that we will never agree. Those people, like Mr. Reuther, also have a stake in the community. Those people are complaining to me, very loudly. The general complaint is that since the transfer of the convention center to your client, they no longer receive RFPs or opportunities to bid on catering jobs and have been shut out of convention center business. There is another group of taxpayers who are incensed that they cannot use the convention center for high school reunions and are forced to use the caterer selected by Mr. Tipton. The contract says that the City approves caterers– the reports I get are that many of the caterers have been run off and no report has been made to the City. If this is what is going on, or is only perceived to be going on, these are items of public interest on account of the public nature of the convention center, and it is an issue the NCPC and City should be investigating. Finally on this topic, you will also find that I have been vocal that the letting of all lodging and food and beverage business associated with the convention center should be transparent and open with a fair opportunity for participation in the business, or the City should divest itself of ownership and the debt, and find a buyer for the convention center.
Of course, I also have a First Amendment right to express all of those concerns, along with other Natchezians. Still further, despite MS's underdeveloped law on public records, I have a right to view and copy the public record. Public officials everywhere in these United States have an obligation to preserve the public record and to make the public record available to the public.
This is fundamental in a democratic republic.
Former City Clerk Melissa Hawk made a diligent search of the public record and confirmed to me that there had been no disposal of any public records in 15 years, and therefore her search was exhaustive. Mr. Tipton then volunteered to me that I should view the public record—specifically the Board of Aldermen minutes—for the reporting to the City during the contract period. After viewing the public record (review not yet complete), with the assistance of Mrs. Hawk and Temple Hendricks, and in communication with the current City Attorney, there is so far no evidence that there was or has been the requisite annual reporting made by New Orleans Hotel Consultants. In recent times, there have been some cursory reports and some summary reports submitted late that I have paid for, but no detailed reports that are set out in the 2006 contract. I have given you about 15 points in the contract that seem to be deficient to date. In my mind, those detailed reports are essential for public officials to evaluate the performance of the lessee/obligor and without them, no informed public decision can be made on the way forward, whether by NCPC, as I read the legislation, or the City. I have asked when that reporting will be made, and I assume that my question has in part prompted your letter threatening to sue me.
So, I again pose that question: When will the requisite detailed reporting be made? And again, I fault your former client, the City of Natchez, and the current NCPC, for not doing their job under that expired contract, not your current client, the Reuther interests, although I naturally asked myself – why would the Reuther interests not fully comply with a contract, if business is good enough that it has announced acquisition of another building to be converted into a luxury hotel?
As to your reference to the MS Code of Professional Responsibility, which do not apply to me as a resident, taxpayer and public critic only, you should recall your legal advice via e-mail dated September 10, 2012 to former Mayor Butch Brown, copied to former City Attorney Hyde Carby, at the time you were apparently also providing legal representation to Mr. Reuther's company. The e-mail outlined the steps required for Mr. Reuther's company to have a contract beyond the 2012 expiration date—all the while also describing resulting audit problems for the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission (NCPC) that continued to transfer monies to the City under expired agreements. I have attached that public email for your reference.
Perhaps I do not fully understand the context of that e-mail, but in it, you appear to be giving legal advice to Mayor Brown, while at the same time representing a private concern that would or could be in conflict with the interests of the City.
I have not yet reviewed the public record to determine how many commissioners served on the NCPC from May 1, 2012 until April 4, 2016. It is, however, public information that the commission that resigned on April 4, 2016, discontinued transfer of monthly monies to the City when it was finally able to obtain copies of its records it had requested for over one year for the first time in mid-March 2016. The former NCPC was operating in the dark, and agents of the City refused to turn over the commission's own records to it, all while you, the former mayor and former city attorney knew that there was a contract compliance issue. The former NCPC then sought Mississippi legal advice to confirm your same conclusion in the September 10, 2012 e-mail--specifically, that the facilities management contract had expired in 2012, and no contract was in place that even allowed the NCPC to expend funds. All of this was hidden from the former NCPC.
By its very description and nature, the public record is meant to be viewed, copied and shared, and all public officials holding office, including commissions, are clearly within the scope of persons who would most likely be contemplated as persons entitled to view and work with the public record, to say nothing of private taxpayers like me.
In conclusion, I represent no one but myself as a taxpayer and resident owning property that, like property owned here by everyone else, is declining in value. It is declining in value, in my opinion, in large part due to mismanagement of our City by our public officials, our elected stewards and trustees, for many years, with poor decisions made over and over again while the population has shrunk 40 -50% since the 1970s, and with little to any effort to conduct public business in the view of the public. This is where you and I will never agree. I want all of the public business on the table and out in the open and fully transparent and standing room only crowds at public meetings and a vigorous debate on all matters of public concern. I want City officials to be looking at the budget daily, like some of their county supervisor counterparts, not just coming to meetings unprepared and ill informed.
The last time I checked, we had 630 houses and small businesses and lots for sale in Natchez and Vidalia. If you assume a household of four, that means around 2400 people are looking to leave the area; if only three, then 1800. I have the right to question and criticize everything of public interest in Natchez, and the people who are working in it or for the City. All of the issues outlined in your letter of March 9, 2017, and this letter are of public interest, because your private clients have contracted and are using public property owned not by your client(s), but at this time by the City of Natchez. Personally, since
I see absolutely no public benefit whatsoever to the City at this time under the private management of the convention center by your client, I would have no objection to and in fact would support transfer of the convention center to your client in exchange for ridding the City and the taxpayer's of the near $8,000,000 debt still owed on the bonds. The City also needs to rid itself of the 28,000 square foot Visitor's Center, Margaret Martin and the other properties mentioned herein, and more. If a property is transferred to the private sector and required to stay in the private sector with deed restrictions, something will happen, due to economics. Other states have enacted statutes to take away non-profit status if a non-profit takes and then sits on property. They have even done this in New Orleans. Other states have used payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to get some contribution from the non-profits.
None of my letters or e-mails concern any current legal case or controversy. Your letter to me is completely off target on Rules of Professional Responsibility as if we are in litigation. I will not agree not to communicate with anyone I think has an interest of needs to know about these public issues.
I am not writing any of these letters, e-mails or other communications as a lawyer, only as a very concerned resident and taxpayer who has watched the City of Natchez steadily deteriorate and depopulate since the 1970s. I ask you to respect my rights and to respect the public's right to know all things about all public business—including your public legal advice to public officials while you were representing private business client(s) with the possible effect of foisting additional taxes on taxpayers. There is almost no valid reason for secrecy in working with public sector clients, and the public can smell it when public work is secreted.
We are going to have a very hard time attracting industry to this City if we do not fix both the perception and reality of our local government and how it functions to show the outside world that Natchez is once again serious about business, is transparent, and is not about saving decrepit buildings owned by non-profits that are dragging all of us down the tube, while celebrating creation of a few $9.00 per hour jobs. At the core of this is cleaning up decades of doing business the so-called Natchez Way. It begins at City Hall.
With kind personal regards, I am
Yours truly,
Paul H. Benoist
Rinaldi Report: Real Crime-Fighting by Peter Rinaldi
Following the outrage over our most recent Miss-Lou Magazine editorial concerning crime in Natchez, it's good that Mayor Darryl Grennell responded to citizens' complaints at a recent aldermen's meeting and agreed to form a community committee to try to deal with the growing crime problem.
The crime crisis is really nothing new. Our papers have been documenting the growth of property crime that makes Natchez one of the most dangerous cities in the state and the nation (bottom 2% of safe cities according to FBI stats.)
Then there's the outbreak of violent crime, which has been escalating in recent years, most notably three killings and six shootings since the New Year.
We haven't seen any real action from our political leaders yet. So far, it's been just a lot of talk. But I was pleased that Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis responded to my complaint about violent crime by calling me a racist. That means she and others like-minded are at least paying attention. My poor attempt at satire may have had some intended good results.
So what should be done specifically to change what is happening in Natchez?
First, the city must establish and keep and juvenile curfew seven days a week, for kids aged 17 and younger. Curfew should be 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. Work and medical emergencies exceptions would be OK, subject to verification. Sorry, you must be home from prom by midnight or you and your parents get a summons to court.
The city needs a zero tolerance approach to crime-fighting. Police must stop and frisk suspicious people when they have displayed the signs of causing and or being in trouble. Criminologists George Kelling and James Wilson authored articles which say even low level disorder leads to blight and crime. The "Broken Window" theory says that even a broken window will lead to bigger things if ignored.
So everyone that gets caught stealing at Walmart, Belk or store X gets 30 days jail time even on the first misdemeanor offense. After about a year of tougher sentencing, the thieves would get the message. If you steal in Natchez, you go to jail in Natchez.
Police need to do aggressive patrolling with roadblocks. Force all the traffic on MLK on a certain Friday night down Pilgrim Boulevard and then stop every car. Then the roadblocks move to downtown, Highway 61 South or North or other locations, every week, every night. The crooks come out late at night. So you don't have to start the roadblocks until juvenile curfew starts at 11 or 12 at night. Yes, we're all going to hate to be stopped when we are trying to get somewhere, because 95% of us have done nothing wrong. But the cops will catch criminals, people without licenses or insurance, nab guns and drugs. Do this for two years and keep surprising people where the roadblocks will be at midnight, 2 a.m., 4 a.m. and multiple roadblocks on the same night. The roadblocks will have a dramatic, curbing effect. We want the criminals to think that the cops will catch them, because, if the thugs travel by car, they will get caught.
Unlike major cities where cops in tandem can walk a beat to catch criminals, in Natchez crime is mobile. Thugs get in their cars and drive around. So if you want to catch criminals, you've got to stop cars.
Of course, when you arrest someone, if he or she is on probation or parole already, there's no bond for the crime. He does not get out of jail. All the bad boys running through justice court with reduced bonds just go out and commit more crimes. They don't pay fines. They don't follow the law.
No more. They get arrested. If they get convicted, they go to jail and stay for six months, a year or what is appropriate for the sentence. That means the arraignment procedure has to consider two questions. Will the accused show up for trial? And does the accused have a history of criminal activity? If the answer is he has a history of criminal activity recently or of long-standing, he is not a candidate for bonding out. He has proved that he will commit crime if given the chance.
The intensified approach to preventing crime includes the police, sheriff's office, justice court, city court, circuit court and the district attorney's office.
While Judge Al Johnson's sentences are usually tough when the crime is serous, Judges Lillie Blackmon Sanders and Patricia Dunmore have a well-earned reputation for going soft on criminals, including repeat offenders. This has got to stop. There also has to be fewer plea bargains, taking felonies and reducing them to misdemeanors and letting the criminals go free.
While it's still to early to tell whether City Judge Lisa Dale will be tough on crime in municipal court, it's time for her to stop letting shoplifters go with a fine and a ban on entering a store.
And before I get called a racist one more time, let me remind you that other than Al Johnson, little has been done by our whitey-white leaders, mayors and aldermen of recent years, to do anything positive on the this subject. Crime has been ignored by both white and black leaders and allowed to grow out of control.
While the sheriff's office has been doing a good job of arresting people on felony charges during the Mayfield-Patten eras, it's pretty obvious the city police are not doing a good job of fighting crime. Surely, they do get sidelined by traffic response, accidents, domestic calls, funerals, wayward dogs, etc. But the battle to fight crime in Natchez-Adams County is a battle that will be fought primarily in the city limits. So it's up to the city police to get it done. And obviously, right now Natchez is losing that battle.
I've just mentioned a few items that should be addressed. In future articles, I will write about how to change the police department to be more effective.
We should commend Mayor Grennell for at least opening the conversation about crime, when his three predecessors were in denial, their political positions being that crime in Natchez wasn't that bad. You know differently and so do I. Crime is wrecking our wonderful city. And it will take more than a yak-yak committee to turn things around. It will take specific action.
Otherwise, instead of calling Natchez "The Bluff City," we might as well call our home "Little Jackson."
On reflection, I probably should have written this commentary instead of the "rodeo" one. But like all of us, I have a lot to learn and sometimes make mistakes.
But one mistake Natchez has made was to let its property and violent crime problem grow, nearly unimpeded, which is much more important than what I place on a given page in a certain issue.
Grants, hugs, parenting programs and after-school intervention are not going to fix this. The proper law enforcement, prosecution and sentencing will provide the necessary remedy.
Our newspaper serves Southwest Mississippi and East Central Louisiana.
55 Sgt. Prentiss Drive, P.O. Box 17833, Natchez, MS 39122, Phone/FAX 601-446-8803
Peter Rinaldi, publisher
Clarisse Washington, editor
Jennifer & Angela Essary, graphics department
We publish Miss-Lou Magazine, The Natchez Sun and Natchez Sun XPress.
See our other website at www.missloumagazine.com for more local news, commentary and feature articles. Miss-Lou Magazine's print edition can be found online in a pdf format at www.missloumagazine.net.


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"All the characters who have housed my stories now have permanent apartments in my head - I still have tea with them." bw
Showing posts from June, 2011
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Skip to this pages content | Skip to site navigation | Skip to My Red Cross
Chantelle (left) is taking steps towards recovery and reconnecting with her community with support from her PHaMs worker Terry.
Chantelle is 26 and has been living with depression and anxiety since she was a teenager. A childhood of bullying and isolation caused Chantelle to rarely leave the safety of her home. Now, through the support of her PHaMs mentor, Chantelle is taking steps towards recovery and reconnecting with her community.
As a child, Chantelle moved around a lot. She was bullied by her siblings and peers, and when her parents separated, she became estranged from her mother.
Feeling isolated and suffering from depression and anxiety, Chantelle dropped out of high school and cut herself off from society. "(I) locked myself away in my bedroom for self preservation. I felt socially inept. I stayed away from society and people", she explains.
For ten years Chantelle tried different mental health programs and services but was unable to find one that offered her the support she needed. In January 2010, she was referred to the Red Cross Personal Helpers and Mentors program (PHaMs) and hasn't looked back.
"I had no expectations coming into the program, as I was so disappointed with others. I thought that PHaMs had to be better than the others, it couldn't be worse. I thought at first nothing would help, though after a time I realised this program was different", she says. "This one gives me my own freedom, setting it apart from the others".
"My first contact with the worker was casual, not in some stuffy office environment. We met on the front steps of my house. It was a good experience, chilling out on the steps, just talking about the program, no pressure and casual, in my own home environment", Chantelle recalls of meeting her mentor, Terry, for the first time.
Over the past 20 months, Terry has seen Chantelle regain self confidence allowing her to slowly reconnect with her community and learn to cope with mental illness. "When I started working with Chantelle, she chose to stay indoors", Terry recalls, "I slowly encouraged Chantelle to visit a local café, where we sat out doors at her request. We slowly ventured further each visit, initially in the car, where she said she felt safe".
Chantelle now attends a weekly church group and looks forward to contributing to group discussions.
Chantelle appreciates the relaxed nature of the program. "My experience with the program is a good one; forcing people to do things with mental illness is never good", she says. "People need to feel like they aren't made to do things if they are unwell."
The PHaMs program focuses on strengths - what people with a mental illness can do, rather than what they can't do. It aims to assist people with a mental illness to lead a fulfilled life, working with people to increase their self confidence, to connect with their community and meet individual goals.
Red Cross emphasises social connection as a key element in reducing vulnerability and improving recovery, and this is something that Chantelle now recognises as being an important step in her recovery. "One thing I needed was to get out in the community, which I was not aware of at the time" she says. "There was no pressure to do this, I was gently encouraged. I did it in my own time, by my own choice."
PHaMs has supported Chantelle in taking control of her life and in making positive choices towards the road to recovering.
"With help I came to realise everything is my choice", she says. "I realised I had to make the choices to help me recover. It helped me understand when it was me not wanting to do things or when it was the mental illness not allowing me, giving me more control over things."
"You can choose to survive or choose to live", she says. "Having just one person understand makes a world of difference."
Photo: Australian Red Cross / Matt Walker
Jasmine (left) visits Pauline providing meaning and value for both women. Read more.
Debra (right) came to Red Cross for help and formed a friendship with volunteer Sue. Read more.
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It does help to moisturize lips but I don't notice any long term results from this. It also leaves a white cast on your lips which doesn't look very nice. It looks and feels like a face or body moisturizer which is a little odd.
okay, lets just start this off by saying that THIS IS MY NEW HOLLY GRAIL LIP PRODUCT!! I put this on every night along with my face routine and it works so. damn. well. My lips get very dry in these colder months, and the first night i tried this i was thoroughly stunned by the results. It keeps my lips soft and healthy.
This is yet another gem out there for my dry lips and it works well. I still swear by ordinary vaseline, and maintaining good hydration.Winter for me, brings on more of a need for protection.
During the winter my lips get extremely dry and cracked. I purchased this product yesterday and used it last night. My lips feel amazing this morning.
These reviews are the subjective opinions of ChickAdvisor members and not of ChickAdvisor Inc.


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Dubstep Awards Vol.3 WAV-FLP
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Las Vegas, Nevada – (The Hosting News) – January 19, 2009 – The SearchBoth.com search engine solution, is designed to enable users to search both Google and Yahoo at the same time, on one split screen. The company has taken the site to the next level, by enabling users to search most of the Internet's most popular sites at the same time.
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Rent Faith, Science and Understanding 1st edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by John Polkinghorne. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Yale University Press.
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Pilot Flying J Goes for a Win With Drag Racing Series
Travel center operator will have significant presence at NHRA events this summer.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Pilot Flying J signed a marketing agreement with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) whereby the travel center operator will have a significant presence at NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events this summer.
As part of the agreement, Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J will receive on-site display rights at select events, where it will promote highway safety and provide information on career opportunities in professional truck driving. Promotional video spots and public address announcements are also part of the partnership.
"Partnering with the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is a great opportunity for us," said Mark Hazelwood, president of Pilot Flying J. "It's important for us to promote highway safety and to recognize the hard work and dedication of NHRA's professional transport drivers through our Pilot Flying J Truck Driver Challenge."
Professional transport drivers for NHRA race teams will compete in the Pilot Flying J Truck Driver Challenge at Mello Yello events in Houston; Bristol, Tenn.; Chicago; and Charlotte, N.C.
"The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and its teams rely heavily on professional truck drivers to transport equipment and race cars across the country during each racing season," said Gary Darcy, NHRA's senior vice president of sales and marketing. "This is a perfect marketing partnership for our sport and it provides Pilot Flying J with great opportunities to not only attract new customers for its travel centers, but also assist in their programs to recognize and celebrate professional truck drivers."
Pilot Flying J operates more than 650 travel centers, which provide professional drivers with access to more than 65,000 parking spaces, 4,400 showers and 4,000 diesel lanes.


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If the Bryan brothers go on to win their second Wimbledon men's doubles title on Saturday, there is no question that they will have earned it. Having been pushed to 16-14 in the final set of their third-round match with last year's champions, Jürgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner, Bob and Mike Bryan then proceeded to see off Michaël Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 in another classic on Friday.
The trademark chest bump was on show for the Court One crowd to enjoy and the American twins will surely be glad to get on to Centre Court for the final against Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania, the No8 seeds, last year's runners-up and a team still chasing their first grand slam title.
With their powerful serves and flashy returns, it is hard to believe that the 33-year-old Bryans have won Wimbledon only once. That came in 2006 when they beat Zimonjic and Fabrice Santoro of France, a win that completed a career haul of all four grand slam events. Their styles appear perfectly suited to grass but three times they have been on the losing side in finals, in 2005, 2007 and 2009.
Victory over the Indian partnership of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi in the final of the Aegon Championships at London's Queen's Club was the perfect platform for the No1 seeds. Having eased through their first two matches they have been pushed to the limit twice in three matches, while Lindstedt and Tecau enjoyed the day off having already reached the final.
Should they come out on top, the Bryans will win their 11th grand slam men's doubles title and equal Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most Grand Slam team titles.
Their triumph in Melbourne in January was their fifth Australian Open title, while three US Open titles are accompanied by one French Open crown. Llodra and Zimonjic, both former champions at The Championships, were aiming to reach their first major final together. Llodra claimed the 2007 title with Arnaud Clement and Zimonjic triumped in 2008 and 2009 with Daniel Nestor.
Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, the No8 seeds, booked their place in the final of the women's doubles with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory over the No4 seeds, Sania Mirza of India and Elena Vesnina of Russia. They will have to wait to find out their opponents, however, after the clash between unseeded Samantha Stosur and Sabine Lisicki and the lucky loser pairing of Marina Erakovic and Tamarine Tanasugarn was suspended deep in the third set due to bad light.
Stosur and Lisicki led 5-2 in the final set in rapidly fading light but could not put their opponents away, and when Stosur dropped her serve in the 10th game the match was suspended at 6-3, 4-6, 5-5.
The match had originally been scheduled to follow the men's singles semi-finals on Centre Court but was switched to Court 12 due to the length of those matches.


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kcmom2 Review
Not 'great' quality, but a nice curtain
I purchased these curtains in the neutral tones--NOT the purple-ish option--and they are as expected. I like the pattern and add some depth to my otherwise somewhat patternless kitchen. These are not my 'forever' curtains, but will be great until I find something I love. I've received compliments on them and enjoy seeing them at my back door/windows everyday. My biggest complaint about them is the fabric quality--they are not high quality, thick fabric--not poor, but these aren't going to do any insulating or serious light blocking.
- How did the color on site compare with the actual product? The color was accurate
- Please tell us about the quality of the product. The fabric is thinner than I would've liked, but the grommet work and stitching is good.
- How accurate was the on site description of the product? Good
Was This Review Helpful?


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Omar Salas
Geek Camp 5 Day 5: Mentors
Geek Camp identifies talented global entrepeneurs and connects them with the Silicon Valley to drive momentum and accelerate growth. To date, over 600 companies have applied – so far 40 have been accepted. Geek Camp alumni have gone on to raise rounds from US investors, been accepted to top accelerators and have also established US-based companies.


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|Transcript Information [edit]
|Season №:
|Episode №:
|July 11, 2016
|"Goodbye, Krabby Patty?"
|List of episode transcripts
Simplified list of episode transcripts
This article is a transcript of the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Lame and Fortune" from season nine, which aired on July 11, 2016.
- [the episode opens up on the island of Bikini Atoll, where a rope accidentally rips, decelerating the supply of fortune cookies down to Bikini Bottom]
- SpongeBob: Whoa, look at that cloud, Gary! It looks just like a giraffe eating ice cream.
- Gary: Meow.
- SpongeBob: You're right, Gary, all this cloud-watching is making me hungry too. Ooh, look at that big one, Gary! It's getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and—
- [SpongeBob gets crushed by the giant box of fortune cookies and rises from the sand]
- Gary: Meow.
- SpongeBob: Gary, that was a pretty heavy cloud.
- Gary: Meow.
- SpongeBob: You're right, Gary, it's not a cloud at all.
- [SpongeBob pushes himself out of the sand]
- SpongeBob: Let's see what's inside.
- [SpongeBob then removes a piece of the box and releases all of the fortune cookies]
- SpongeBob: Whoo, fortune cookies! Vague prophecies baked into delicious bite sized snacks. These cookies can see the future, Gary, which means they knew we were hungry, even before we did. Let's eat!
- [SpongeBob and Gary begin eating the fortune cookies. SpongeBob opens his fortune and starts reading it]
- SpongeBob: "A great fortune has fallen upon you." [gasps] Did you hear that Gary, the fortune is true! Let's look at your future. [Gary hands SpongeBob his fortune] "Happy trails will follow you always." [gasps and points] Your fortune came true too!
- [Gary then looks behind him to gaze at his trail]
- SpongeBob: Cookies with fortunes that actually come true? We have to share these with everybody!
- [the scene transitions to the Krusty Krab, where Mr. Krabs is declining SpongeBob's idea]
- Mr. Krabs: No, SpongeBob, we are not handing out anything free with every purchase! Even the smiles here cost a nickel.
- SpongeBob: Aw, why not, Mr. Krabs?
- Squidward: [chuckles] Because, SpongeBob, fortune cookie fortunes are always lame and they never come true
- SpongeBob: Oh, but that's where you're wrong, Squidward. These fortune cookies are different, try one. [Hands him the fortune cookie]
- Squidward: [backs it away] No. [SpongeBob pushes it back to him] Way.
- [SpongeBob forces Squidward to eat the cookie by controlling his arms and shoving the cookie in his mouth. Squidward then spits out the fortune and begins reading it]
- Squidward: "You will be rewarded for your particular talent." Right. [Squidward turns around]
- French Purser: Excuse me Mr. Squidward Tentacles, you have just won the most miserable cashier in Bikini Bottom contest. Here is your cash prize! [Hands Squidward the money and begins celebrating]
- Squidward: Holy harpoons, the fortune did come true!
- Mr. Krabs: [snatches the money] Me cash register, me money. [walks away]
- Squidward: And that's why my depression is award-winning.
- SpongeBob: [Mr. Krabs shoving money into his pants] Don't you see, Mr. Krabs, the fortunes in those cookies are real. Can't we share them with everyone?
- Mr. Krabs: [coughs] You know, you're right, SpongeBob. [pledging] We will share these magical macaroons with all the folks in Bikini Bottom. You just leave it to me.
- SpongeBob: [jumps in excitement] All right!
- Squidward: [throws confetti] Hooray. [tilts head down]
- [the scene transitions to Mr. Krabs, who is seen giving a free fortune cookie to his customers] This is how you hook them! [shoves a funnel in SpongeBob's pore] Now remember, the first one is free! [grabs a load of fortune cookies and implants them into SpongeBob to throw out to the customers]
- Dale: [opens and eats cookie, then reads fortune] "Something wonderful is about to happen to you." [gets licked by a group of worm puppies then giggles] I love puppies, thanks fortune cookie!
- Mable-Monica: "Eat your hat and you will fall in love." [takes hat off to eat and sees Lenny eating his hat. They both run to each other, dancing and kissing]
- Mable-Monica and Lenny: Thanks fortune cookie!
- Fred: "You will soon injure your legs?!" [Piano crashes down on Fred's legs] My legs! I was looking for an excuse to get out of jury duty. [plays piano] Thanks fortune cookie!
- SpongeBob: Those fortune cookies are a hit.
- [the crowd then runs into the Krusty Krab crowding it up, which attracts Plankton's attention]
- Plankton: Fortune cookies at the Krusty Krab, aye? Well, Eugene, I have a prediction too. You are in for an epic fail supreme with extra cheese! [evil laugh]
- Karen: Sheldon! Where are you!?
- [Plankton then falls into the Chum Bucket, where Karen is seen complaining]
- Plankton: Barnacles, woman, would it kill you to leave me alone for five minutes!
- Karen: Sorry your royalship, but the garbage isn't going to take itself out. [drops garbage bag on Plankton]
- Plankton: [slips out from under bag] Riddle me this, computer wife, what's hollow, full of lies, and leaves a bad taste in your mouth?
- Karen: Our marriage? [she then shows an image of a wedding ring]
- Plankton: No! Fortune cookies. And Krabs is raking it in right now because all of his fortunes are actually coming true?! So...
- Karen: [imitating Plankton] So, you got an evil plan to get the Krabby Patty secret formula and soon it will be all yours, [evil imitated laugh]
- Plankton: [surprised] Wow, I can't tell if you're sarcastic or psychic.
- Karen: Ugh. [rolls eyes]
- [the scene transitions to Plankton, who is creating fortune cookies with bad messages in them]
- Plankton: This will be a good one, "You stink." [evil laugh while Karen is packaging the cookies]
- [the scene cuts to the Krusty Krab, Where Plankton is bringing in the load of bad fortune cookies. SpongeBob grabs the cookies and sets them inside the Krusty Krab, where they are ready to be sold]
- Plankton: Enjoy your new fortune cookies, Krabs!
- SpongeBob: [singing] Time for a refill.
- [the Krusty Krab is loaded, and Squidward is selling the cookies without a break]
- Squidward: My tentacles are going to fall off if I don't get a break soon, Mr. Krabs!
- Mr. Krabs: [pushes Squidward] Look out, Mr. Squidward, I'll teach ya how to run a cash register. [pacing to put the money in the register and runs out of fortune cookies]
- Mr. Krabs: Huh? More cookies, SpongeBob!
- SpongeBob: Fortunes flying in, Mr. Krabs. [drops a load of cookies]
- Plankton: Let the wave of misfortune begin.
- Dale: "I'll get stomach cramps from the Krusty Krab?!"
- Customer #1: "The octopus with the big nose just spit in your food?!" [Squidward wipes his nose]
- Fred: "A yellow sponge will serve you salmonella?!"
- Fred: "You will live forever if you eat at the Chum Bucket?!" [Crowd gasps]
- Susie Rechid: Lets eat at the Chum Bucket. [crowd agrees and runs down to the Chum Bucket]
- [Mr. Krabs loses his customers, causing his eye pupils to roll into the cash register like coins, and has a "no sale" sign in the register. The scene transitions to the Chum Bucket, where it is jam-packed with customers]
- Mr. Krabs: What did we ever do to those fortune cookies to make them lie about us like that?
- SpongeBob: Well, the fortunes in those cookies were always right before. [Plankton appears to be jumping in a fortune cookie bowl] Here Mr. Krabs, maybe this next one will change your luck.
- Mr. Krabs: [Mr. Krabs picks up cookie, opens it, and starts reading the fortune teller] "Unless you give a tiny copepod the Krabby Patty secret formula, you will die?!"
- Plankton: [opera voice] Hello! Did someone say copepod?
- [SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs shriek, and starts running with fear to his office, where he locks the door and starts guarding it]
- Plankton: Just wanted to borrow a cup of grease Eugene. I'll come back later, ciao!
- Mr. Krabs: [nervously speaking] J-just how true are these cookie fortunes SpongeBob?
- SpongeBob: If the cookie says it's true, then it's true. Horribly, terribly, truthfully, true! [begins wailing]
- Mr. Krabs: "You will die." [echoes in head four times, leading to a vision of Mr. Krabs's funeral service]
- Pearl: [sobbing] Oh I'll miss you daddy! But I really can't wait to spend your hard earned money on shoes! [laughs and runs away]
- Mr. Krabs: [wakes up] Me money!
- SpongeBob: Mr. Krabs. [weeping tears and filling up Mr. Krabs's coffin, causing him to float down and hit his head on the floor. Vision ends]
- Spongebob: Mr. Krabs? Mr. Krabs, it's time. [SpongeBob's arm breaks off while holding on to Mr. Krabs] It's time to give up the secret formula to Plankton! Because your life is worth more than some scrap of paper in a bottle.
- Mr. Krabs: You're right me boy-o, [heads toward his safe] I've got to face me fortune. [takes secret formula out of safe]
- [the transition cuts to the Chum Bucket, where Karen is controlling the crowd]
- Karen: Don't crowd, there's more Chumbalaya where that came from, unfortunately. [Plankton is seen feeding the customers]
- Crowd: [gags]
- Plankton: The scheme is working perfectly, and here comes gullible Krabs now to hand-deliver the secret formula. I promised myself I wouldn't cry. [chuckles]
- [SpongeBob appears having trouble getting inside the Chum Bucket]
- Mr. Krabs: Oh, this crowd is impossible!
- SpongeBob: [snatches secret formula] Leave it to me Mr. Krabs. I'll make sure Plankton gets his so you won't get yours. [jumps inside the crowd] Hot stuff comin' through! [sinks down the crowd]
- Plankton: Don't worry secret formula, I'm comin' baby!
- [Plankton then jumps in his boat to grab the secret formula, but SpongeBob is off-balance, so Plankton uses his fishing rod to grab the formula]
- SpongeBob: [hands out formula] Here Plankton, Mr. Krabs wants you to have this.
- Plankton: [chuckles] Finally! [Plankton reaches for formula, but the formula got knocked around by the crowd] No! [he then finds it rolling on the floor] Ah-hah. [after being crushed and abused by the crowd he decides to kick all customers out] I have had enough! Get out of my restaurant you mindless sheep! I wrote those fortunes, [crowd gasps] they were fakes, don't you get it?! Now all of you out! [growling]
- Dale: Lets go back to the Krusty Krab. [crowd agrees and starts running back to the Krusty Krab]
- [Mr. Krabs receives his formula back]
- Plankton: I guess I didn't really think that through.
- Mr. Krabs: Well, I figured the funeral fortune was phony Plankton.
- Plankton: Oh yeah?! What are you going to do about it Eugene?
- Mr. Krabs: Nothing Sheldon. Here, have a fortune cookie.
- Plankton: [opens fortune cookie and starts reading the fortune teller] "You will go on a long voyage where you will get everything you deserve." [gets picked up by Mr. Krabs] Hey!
- [the ending follows to a Chinese restaurant where Plankton pops out of a fortune cookie and is avoiding the chop-sticks]
- Plankton: Hey! Mommy!


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|Musaboru no Oni
|Died after return:
Musaboru no Oni was an oni of the Shadowlands.
Appearance Edit
Musaboru no Oni had a long tail with a grayish black carapace and four limbs with insect-like claws. Its head had multiple compound eyes and a large slobbering mouth such a spider, dripping a potent paralysis poison from its teeth and claws. [1]
History Edit
Summoned Edit
Once a shugenja, Yozo retired to a monastery in Crab lands near Takatsu Mura and took the name Musaboru. The monks had supported the Steel Chrysanthemum during the War of Spirits, spying on the Crab in return for generous bribes. Such avarice attracted the sort of wicked spirits that haunted Crab lands. Musaboru was seduced by whispering kansen, and Musaboru no Oni was summoned. The oni destroyed the monastery and threatened Takatsu Mura before Musaboru finally slew it. The monk took his own life shortly after. [2]
Assault of the Celestial Heavens Edit
When Fu Leng assaulted the Celestial Heavens, Musaboru no Oni was one of the oni with him. Musaboru no Oni devoured the essences of several lesser Fortunes and gained great power. The divine energies of those Fortunes, combined with the regret seeded deep within the demon, created something new. Yozo was reborn, as a dragon and Fortune of Vengeance. The two beings shared the same soul and attempted to live in harmony, but their opposing personalities would not allow them any peace, although they both attempted to do so for many years. [2]
Opposite Twins Edit
Both Yozo and Musaboru no Oni were unique among their kinds. The demon embodied Musaboru's rage, but carried a tiny spark of righteousness within it. The dragon embodied Musaboru's piety, but still carried a hint of cynical bitterness. [3]
Death Edit
The two could not continue to co-exist, for the presence of the other was an unbearable agony. In 1166 the oni arrived the place where it was created an consumed the souls of several villagers. The local magistrate, Hiruma Hitaken, was also its prey, but Hitaken was able to flee, being part of his soul consumed. Yozo also reached the monastery to end his pain, and in human form resembling identical twins the fight began. They were changing their shapes to their true ones during the battle, but no one took the upperhand against the other until Hitaken, who had been advised by the Keepers of the Books of Enlightenment, attacked the oni. The suicide attack gave the opportunity to Yozo to destroy the oni, but the dragon would also not survive. As Yozo was dying, it told its story to Hitaken. [2]
Aftermath Edit
Hitaken gained a deal of power from both Yozo and the oni, becoming the Heir of Vengeance. [2]
External Links Edit
- Musaboru no Oni (Wrath of the Emperor)
- ↑ Creatures of Rokugan: Third Edition, p. 137
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Destiny of the Dragon, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Destiny of the Dragon (Tourney)
|This Shadowlands related article is a stub. That means that it has been started, but is incomplete. You can help by adding to the information here.


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Mother Jones (abbreviated MoJo) is an American magazine featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. The magazine caters to the Left side of politics.[1][2][3]
The magazine was named after Mary Harris Jones, known as Mother Jones, an Irish-American Trade union activist and ardent opponent of Child labor.[4] The stated mission of Mother Jones is to produce revelatory journalism that in its power and reach informs and inspires a more just and democratic world.[5]
- ↑ Here Are The 5 Most Liberal And Conservative Media Twitter Feeds
- ↑ Mother Jones Lures David Corn From The Nation
- ↑ Mother Jones names Monika Bauerlein Chief Executive Officer; Clara Jeffery, Editor-in-Chief
- ↑ [1], Mother Mary Harris Jones.
- ↑ 19, 2012 The History of Mother Jones
Adapted from Wikipedia


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- auntie
- noun Date: 1725 aunt
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
auntie — UK [ˈɑːntɪ] / US [ˈæntɪ] or aunty UK / US noun [countable] Word forms auntie : singular auntie plural aunties informal your aunt. A child often calls a woman auntie when she is a close friend of the family … English dictionary
auntie — 1787, also aunty, familiar dim. form of AUNT (Cf. aunt). As a form of kindly address to an older woman to whom one is not related, originally in southern U.S., of elderly slave women. The negro no longer submits with grace to be called uncle or… … Etymology dictionary
Auntie — Aunt ie, Aunty Aunt y, n. A familiar name for an aunt. In the southern United States a familiar term applied to aged negro women. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
auntie — or aunty [an′tē, än′tē] n. pl. aunties aunt: a familiar or affectionate form … English World dictionary
auntie — A diminutive of aunt, used mainly by young children to a real aunt, or to a close female friend of the family. The word is sometimes followed by the first name of the woman concerned. Auntie may also be used by adult speakers, especially by… … A dictionary of epithets and terms of address
auntie — [[t]ɑ͟ːnti, æ̱nti[/t]] aunties also aunty N FAMILY; N TITLE Someone s auntie is their aunt. [INFORMAL] His uncle is dead, but his auntie still lives here. ...my Auntie Elsie … English dictionary
Auntie — The word auntie or aunty can mean: *A pet form for the word aunt *An informal name for The British Broadcasting Corporation (otherwise known as the BBC). *An informal name for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (otherwise known as the ABC)… … Wikipedia
auntie — aunt|ie aunty [ˈa:nti US ˈæn ] n informal 1.) an aunt ▪ Auntie Lou 2.) used by children to address a woman who is a friend of their parents … Dictionary of contemporary English
auntie — (also aunty) noun (plural aunties) informal 1》 aunt. 2》 (Auntie) Brit. the BBC … English new terms dictionary
auntie — n. (also aunty) (pl. ies) colloq. 1 = AUNT. 2 (Auntie) an institution considered to be conservative or cautious, esp. the BBC … Useful english dictionary


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- When Peter sits up and watches 'Chick Flicks' all through the night the floor is covered in DVD covers and tissues. When Lois discovers him, Peter stands up and the blanket he has on his lap falls exactly on top of the DVDs, covering them all, but the tissues are nowhere to be seen.
- When Stewie and Olivia were sitting on the bench at night, the comet they spot disappears into the bridge.
Previous Episode's Goofs /// Chick Cancer's Goofs \\\ Next Episode's Goofs


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It's only a 52-minute version of the 84-minute film, so think of it as an extended trailer. Airs at 8pm EST tonight. Details here.
"Hellbound?" to air on the Documentary Channel in Canada tonight
July 23, 2013 by Kevin Miller Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: documentary channel, hellbound documentary, kevin miller Leave a Comment
Related posts from Hellbound:
About Kevin Miller
Kevin Miller is an award-winning screenwriter, director and producer who has applied his craft to numerous documentaries, feature films and shorts. Recent projects include "The Chicken Manure Incident," "Hellbound?," "Drop Gun," "No Saints for Sinners," "spOILed," "Sex+Money," "With God On Our Side," "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" and "After..." In addition to his work in film, Kevin has written, co-written and edited over 60 books. Need someone to edit your book? Kevin's your man. He lives in Kimberley, BC, Canada with his wife and four children.


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About the Book
During 3 days of June 2009 I shot nearly 170 portraits of anonymous... Long exposure and personal feeling... Discover a monochrom piece of eternity...
Features & Details
- Category Portfolios
Large Format Landscape, 13×11 in, 33×28 cm
88 Pages
- Publish Date Feb 09, 2010
- Tags long exposure, b&w, black, white, numeric, portrait, french, photography, art
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Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP) Car Hire
Traveling to Corpus Christi, Texas? AirportRentalCars.com is proud to offer affordable car hire rates at Corpus Christi International Airport. Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the south of Texas and is as unique as it is beautiful. Located in the heart of the city is the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station and other must see attractions. Be sure to check out the USS Lexington, Texas State Aquarium, as well as the Botanical Gardens when visiting this great city. Come to Corpus Christi to relax and enjoy yourself! At Airportrentalcars.com we offer discounted car hire rates with some of the biggest names including: National, Budget Car Hire, Enterprise, Alamo Car Hire, Hertz car hire, Avis Car Hire, and more. Check out great car hire deals at AirportRentalCars.com by entering your travel information in the search form.
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Gorgeously Exotic !
nice colors!
It reminds me of the kinematics of the parade with this beautiful music. She had so much class. As your drawing, we see she imposes.
Wow, this is fantastic!
Severe beauty.
WOW!...looks awesome..kupo!
Excellent details!
Loving the bright colors!
Very nice
This is wonderful! Excellent work painting the skin and the details on the face!
It's nice to see some Edea art, and a very nicely painted one at that!
Thanks, I'm surprised there isn't more Edea art, I think she is such an interesting looking character.
Wow she is interesting. I love the digital painting, it has so much digital detail and sharp colors. It's hard not to pass it up and give a critique on the quailty of work. Keep up the excellent work.
The colours in this image are very beautiful
Awesome! Really nicely done! Love how vibrant the colors are and the rendering in her face. Still dig that game
Very nice, did you use stock brushes or a pack. Pretty hard finding a good brush pack.
Thank you. I used brushes from various issues of the Imagine FX magazine that were created by other artists.
Gorgeous !! Beautiful artwork !
Love this !...great work, ( and it's my favorite FF game)
Thank you. It is one of my favourite FF games as well, it's in the top 3 but it is so hard to choose.
I like it, Great Sorceress Edea paint.
Nice Portrait!
wow Very nice


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The deal could mean savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for the NSA and federal taxpayers, but is more of a gamble for Bluffdale, which had to issue a $3.5 million bond to help pay for new water lines. Bluffdale leaders consider that section of the city, now covered with sagebrush, ripe for new businesses.
Read the rest of this post on the original site »


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Would You Buy Sunshine Insurance?
Travel insurance can be a lifesaver on certain types of trips, but with less people choosing to spend their money on vacations, the industry has seen sunnier days. These gloomier times have encouraged businesses to become more creative, and a couple French travel agencies are trying to attract customers with sunshine insurance.
If vacationers endure at least four days of rain during one week, the insurance policy would make them eligible for a partial trip refund. Satellite photos provided by the French weather bureau are used to calculate how much money policy holders should be paid. The agencies did a trial run last year before officially launching the product, and 10 percent of the travelers who expressed interest in the insurance policy would have received money back due to insufficient weather.


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Mast-O Musir - Persian Yogurt Dip With Shallots
Recipe by Barbell Bunny
A delicious and creamy side that goes with almost anything, like pita chips, lavash bread, ruffled potato chips, or basmati rice. From My Persian Kitchen.
Top Review by UmmBinat
This is good. I did change the shallot to sweet white onion with a tiny bit of mashed garlic. I do find shallots slightly strong. Even this was a bit strong but it went well with recipe#428339 and a salad, for a basic meal. I used Balkan (thick) yogurt and a little water to thin somewhat. No nonfat yogurt. I may make this again. Made for PAC (Pick A Chef) Spring 2011.
See Discussion:1 Review
Ingredients Nutrition
- 1 shallot
- 236.59 ml plain nonfat yogurt
- 236.59 ml Greek yogurt
Directions See How It's Made
- Finely dice your shallot.
- In a bowl, mix the yogurts and shallots thoroughly.
- Cover and place in the fridge 2 to 3 hours.


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To the Youth Olympic Games—After Exams!
After once dreaming of making it to the Olympic games and narrowly missing a birth in the Sochi Olympics, Aivaras Tumas has finally made it to the Olympics—just not as an athlete.
Lithuania's 10-athlete team for the Youth Olympic Games to be held February 12 – 21 in Lillehammer, Norway, will have a perfect guide: former alpine ski racer Aivaras Tumas. Once upon a time he dreamed of making it to the Olympics and competing in the Sochi games with Rokas Zaveckas. Now Aivaras will finally get a chance to take part, just not as an athlete, but as one of the event's Young Ambassadors.
Though the professional athlete gave up his career for serious studies in England, he briefly returned to Lithuania and dropped by the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee (LTOK). Aivaras spoke about sports, and what awaits the young Olympians in Lillehammer.
What was your goal in professional alpine skiing, and why did you finally give up the sport?
I started skiing when I was seven years old, and I started to really participate in races when I joined the Kalnu Ereliai Ski Team. Coach Jennifer Virškus from the USA paid special attention to Rokas Zaveckas and I. I was competing for a place at the Sochi Olympics with Rokas; he was stronger, and later I had to give up sports in order to go to university in England. Currently I'm studying computer engineering at the University of Manchester; I'm in my second year.
How did you learn about the opportunity to be a Young Ambassador at the Lillehammer games?
The LTOK discussed various possible candidates, and invited me to participate, not only because I was a candidate for the Olympic team, but also because I took part in two European Youth Olympic Winter Festivals. At first I didn't think I'd be able to go because of my studies. Later after discussing it with my father I decided to accept the offer.
What was your impression of the Young Ambassador meeting in Lillehammer?
The Ambassadors are all young and very warm people who have just completed their professional sports career. They are real leaders, some of them have even participated in the Olympic Games. It was very interesting to meet these kinds of people. I didn't expect such a warm welcome, they all accepted me very warmly, and they were all interested in what type of country Lithuania is.
What will your roll be in these games?
The athletes don't only race, they get so much more—they're able to learn how to be leaders and to act as a team. I will have to help the Lithuanian team, to inform them of what and where things are happening. If the Lithuanian athletes have questions, they will always be able to ask me.
I'll also have to come up with a variety of activities to introduce the athletes to. I have some good friends from Turkey and together we're planning to organize relay races, hopefully we'll be joined by athletes from other countries—the Russians, Austrians, Estonians.
Is it not disappointing that you're not able to compete yourself?
No, because now I'm intensely focused on my studies, and competitions require a lot of time and energy. The Ambassador's role is ideal for me because I can see all the events, since I'm no longer an athlete I can relax more, and see the whole operation from the inside.
Do you have any suggestions for other young people who would like to become Young Ambassadors at the Olympic Games?
You need to have reached significant achievements in sports. Although I did not participate in the Olympics, I was an Olympic team candidate and I participated in the Olympic Festivals, so I should be able to reach a similar level. It's important to be fluent in English. You also need to be a social person, warm and friendly, with good communication skills, and relate well to other people.
The Lillehammer Young Ambassador will leave immediately after his exams. He'll live in the Olympic Village along with the other team members.
The 10 Lithuanian representatives to the second Youth Olympic Winter Games include biathletes Nadiežda Derendiajeva, Vitalija Kutkauskaitė, Linas Banys; cross-country skier Rokas Vaitkus; alpine skiers Andrejus Drukarovas ir Eglė Augustaitytė; ice hockey player (in the individual challenge tournament) Dino Mukovozas; snowborder Aras Arlauskas; and ice dancing team Guostė Damulevičiūtė ir Deividas Kizala.
The Youth Winter Olympic Games is being held for the second time; the first event was in 2012 in Innsbruck. The Games are organized by the International Olympic Committee and the Lillehammer Youth Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee, managed by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture, the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Lillehammer Municipality.
The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee finances the participation of the young athletes in Lillehammer, and contributes to their preparation.
This article was provided by LTOK.lt; translation by Jenn Virskus.
IevaJ heads to the World Cup!
If not prevented by the weather, soon-to-be Olympian Ieva Januškevičiūtė will open a new chapter in Lithuanian alpine skiing history this weekend in SloveniaBy Marius Grinbergas, sportas.info
This weekend, Ieva Januškevičiūtė will be the first Lithuanian woman to start an Alpine World Cup ski race. The race will take place in Kranska Gora where the 19-year-old will race the giant slalom on Saturday and the slalom on Sunday.
Arriving in Slovenia with her Italian team, Kronplatz Racing Center, Januškevičiūtė did her excitement ahead of such an exceptional start. "You need at least one really serious race before the Olympics," said the athlete who made her debut at the last World Championships.
Although, the weather in Kranska Gora has deteriorated in recent days. "Today there was already 70cm of snow, and it continued to snow heavily," said the Olympian.
For the Vilnius resident, this will be her last rehearsal before the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, which start on Feb. 7. Januškevičiūtė will be the first female Lithuanian athlete to participate in the alpine compensations. She will ski in the slalom and giant slalom events. Seventeen-year-old Rokas Zaveckas will compete in men's alpine skiing.
Until now, only two Lithuanian athletes have competed in the World Cup: 1998 Nagano Olympian Linas Vaitkus and Vitalijus Rumiancevas, who took part in the 2006 Torino and 2010 Vancouver games. The best result came from Linas Vaitkus, who was 34th in a SG in 1997 in the USA. Rumancievas started two GS races, but did not reach the second run in either.
Ieva Januškevičiutė is fun and fearless, says Cosmo
Alpine skier and soon-to-be-Olympian Ieva Januškevičiutė now has one more thing in common with ski stars Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso, and Mikaela Shiffrin: her own page in a magazine. She is Lithuanian Cosmopolitan's "Fun, Fearless, Female," for February. "It's just so surprising, I still can't believe it—Olympics, magazine, and I even have my own [ski serviceman] now!" Januškevičiutė exclaimed. The international team she trains with in Italy now employs a technician for the racers, though he won't be able to accompany her to Sochi. Like many other young racers, she'll have to prepare her own skis at the Olympic games.
Januškevičiutė qualified for the Olympic slalom in December, and qualified for the giant slalom at a recent race in Slovenia. "The weather was terrible," she said, "but it was super easy to make those points there." Points are calculated by the time difference from the race leader, combined with the race penalty, which is an average of the points of the top skiers in the race.
"But I'm really happy about how my slalom trainings are going, I'm hoping it will go even better in the race." Januškevičiutė still has a few more days of training and racing in Italy before she returns to Lithuania to see her friends and family—and pick up her Olympic team gear—before flying to Sochi on Feb. 6 with teammate Rokas Zaveckas.
The February issue of Cosmopolitan hits newsstands in Lithuania this week. Watch Januškevičiutė in the Olympic women's giant slalom on Feb. 18 and the women's slalom Feb. 21.
Road to Sochi: An Olympic blog, part 3
Alpine skier Ieva Januškevičiutė: On Vanessa Mae, the positive power of music, conversations with her family, and relaxing before the raceFrom sportas.info; Translated for The Lithuania Tribune
Ieva Januškevičiūtė will be the first Lithuanian athlete to participate in the Olympic women's alpine skiing events. This is the 19-year-old skiers third blog post, "The Road to Sochi." Read part 1 here and part 2 here.
Hello! The Olympic games are getting closer. I will go to Sochi on Feb. 6. Until that time, I'll be in Italy; I'll travel back to Lithuania on Feb. 4 or 5. But before that, I still have a few races.
At a race in Slovenia I finally achieved Olympic giant slalom qualification. Therefore in Sochi I'll be able to race in both the slalom and the giant slalom. The famous violinist Vanessa Mae also started the race in Slovenija. It wasn't the first time that we'd met at a race. Personally, I don't know her, but we've said hello to each other.
Road to Sochi: An Olympic blog, part 2
Alpine skier Rokas Zaveckas: On catching the Olympic spirit two years ago, his secret fears, containing his excitement, and his friendsFrom sportas.info; Translated for The Lithuania Tribune
Rokas Zaveckas will start the men's Olympic alpine skiing events on Feb. 7. This is the 17-year-old's second Olympic blog post, "the Road to Sochi." Read part 1 here.
After the holidays at home, my dad and I got back on the road. I started races in Austria and Germany.
Like always, on the eve of the competition, we discuss our expectations, and which tactics to use. Should I put all my effort into the first run, or would I get too tired, should I risk more on the second, and so forth.
Road to Sochi: An Olympic blog, part 2
Alpine skier Ieva Januškevičiūtė writes her second Olympic blog post about the holiday at home, traveling to Italy with her alpine equipment and an impressive slackline workout (video)From sportas.info; Translated for The Lithuania Tribune
Ieva Januškevičiūtė will be the first Lithuanian athlete to participate in the Olympic women's alpine skiing events. This is her second blog post for "The Road to Sochi." Read part 1 here.
So I'm headed back to Italy. I got to spend about two weeks in Lithuania. I came back from Sweden on Christmas Eve. I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family at my grandmother's in Šilutė. The last thing I wanted to do was drive 300 kilometers to Šilutė after the long trip from Sweden, but I did really want to see my grandmother. It was fun to celebrate Christmas. I spent the rest of my vacation in Vilnius, it was good to meet up with old friends. But it was so sad to see Lithuania with almost no snow at Christmas. As a result, I wasn't able to get any ski training in here.
Road to Sochi: An Olympic blog
Alpine skier Rokas Zaveckas: On a great childhood, learning to dance, security in Sochi, his mother's cooking, and reading on the roadFrom sportas.info; Translated for The Lithuania Tribune
Rokas Zaveckas is the primary candidate to represent Lithuania in one month—Feb. 7—in the men's Olympic alpine skiing events. This is the 17-year-old's first entry in the "Road to Sochi" blog.
Sometimes they say, that serious athletes don't have a real childhood or adolescence. It's not true. My childhood was one of the best there can be. Without sport, I wouldn't have had those experiences.
Of course, there wasn't a lot of free time, but that was only in the winter, because after the trips I had to get serious about my studies. In the sumer, there was kite surfing, sailing, and wakeboarding. Everything was about sports. I can't sit still.
A ticket to Sochi is an incentive to work even harder
"I've reached an intermediate goal," said Ieva Januškevičiūtė, the first female alpine skier in Lithuania's history to participate in the Olympic Games.—Marius Grinbergas, sportas.info; Translated by Jennifer Virškus for The Lithuania Tribune
The Lithuanian delegation to the Sochi Olympics will reach a new record—on Feb. 7, at least nine athletes will represent Lithuania in the Winter Olympics, although only a month ago only five had a guaranteed ticket.
Now it's clear that the honor of Lithuania will be defended at the 2014 Winter Olympics by two cross country skiers, two biathletes, two alpine skiers, ice dancers Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniūnas, and speed skating and short-track skater Agnė Sereikaitė.
One of the most recent to jump on the Olympic train was Ieva Januškevičiūtė. The 19-year-old from Vilnius secured her ticket to Sochi on Nov. 30 at a competition in Italy. The Lithuanian champion has so far only qualified for the slalom race, but she expects to qualify for the giant slalom as well.
The Lithuanian alpine skiers place on the Olympic team was secured when she scored her fifth International Ski Federation (FIS) result under 140 points. The points are calculated by time behind the race leader—the smaller the difference, the lower the points.
Januškevičiūtė's fifth result under 140 was at an Italian national junior slalom race on Nov. 30 where she scored 118.95 points. The next day she improved on that result with a 116.28. In addition, at a race in Sweden last week, she took 39th place with a score of 103.77 points.
"The feeling to become an Olympian—it's perfect. I'm very happy, but I have not achieved a high emotional breakthrough, only an intermediate goal. There is no need to think about it too much because there are a lot of things going on. I need to focus on the next race, training, and not to forget that it's the process that is the most interesting, not just achieving goals," said Januškevičiūtė, who said that before Christmas she will participate in several more competitions in Sweden to try and meet the giant slalom Olympic qualifying criteria.
After a storm on the race course, a quiet Christmas
Eleven starts in 15 days. After such a race series in Sweden, Rokas Zaveckas set under the Christmas tree a spectacular Christmas gift—an Olympic qualification.—Marius Grinbergas, sportas.info
For the past half year, 17-year-old Rokas Zaveckas has been like a guest in his own house. From a camp at the end of June on an Austrian glacier, the road to the Sochi Olympics took the skier from Vilnius to South America for two months. There he participated in an International Ski Federation (FIS)-sponsored training camp in the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, and also started 11 races in Argentina and Chile.
Upon his return to Europe, the skier spent just a couple of weeks in his birthplace before leaving again. This time, a month of training in the Alps. In the three weeks before Christmas, Zaveckas was absorbed in a race marathon in Sweden, where he reached his most important career goal—Olympic slalom and giant slalom qualification standards.
Road to Sochi: An Olympic blog
Ieva Januškevičiūtė: On her start down a small hill in Lazdijai, a taste for traveling places that don't include warm beaches, her studies, the Christmas spirit, and the darkness of Sweden.—From sportas.info
Ieva Januškevičiūtė will be the first Lithuanian athlete to participate in the Olympic women's alpine skiing events. This is the 19-year-old athlete's blog entry, "The Road to Sochi."
Everything started like this… When I was six or seven years old, my dad started to teach me how to ski on the hill behind the Lazdijai swimming pool. Later we went several times per year to ski in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Of course, we also skied at Liepkalnis.


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16 weeks today!
On the blog today | Baby Small at 16 weeks!! I hope everyone had a fabulous week :)
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Birth: January 21
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I'm a farmers wife. I'm a mommy of two adorable boys with baby# 3 on the way! I'm also a Nebraska Wedding Photographer! You can visit our blog to learn more about us! http://lifewiththesmalls.tumblr.com/
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American Idol Season 8 semi-finalist Mishavonna Henson has released her holiday duet with country singer Crystal Gayle. Called Christmas Everywhere, it's sung from the perspective of a daughter and mother who are separated geographically but not emotionally. The track's available on iTunes, but you can listen to it -- and some of Mishavonna's other music -- on the player below.
Mishavonna has also posted a video of herself covering Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts.
Nashville-based Brian Mansfield began writing about music for USA TODAY in 1997 and took over Idol Chatter just before the start of Season 8. He co-authored Make Me a Star: Industry Insiders Reveal How to Make It in Music, and while he has never auditioned for American Idol, he did sing Boot Scootin' Boogie at Disney World's American Idol Experience the day the attraction opened (he lost). More about Brian | E-mail Brian


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You won't be able to dismiss this by usual means (escape or click button), but you can close it programatically based on user choices or actions.
"I was looking for an invitation for the morning after wedding breakfast for my daughter's wedding. I loved the way this invitation was worded. The breakfast we are hosting is very casual. We want the guests to come in, grab a coffee and a treat, chat for a bit and then go. This invitation said it perfectly"
"The quality of the paper and the colors are beautiful. I was extremely happy with the wonderful customer service. It turned out exactly how I wanted!"
"Very nice card, colors are great, we have used Wedding Paper Divas before and are very happy with the quality and service"
"I loved the invitation, changed words to make it a bridesmaids' luncheon invite for a wedding planned in lavender. The card was smaller than I expected as other cards I have ordered were larger in size. I made an assumption it would be the same size as others and must have missed the size description. Loved the print and the art on the back of the card."
"Paper quality very good, it is clear the company wants you happy with the product. I worked over the phone and online with customer service to make sure that everything was exactly the way we wanted it. Very happy!"