text:
THE TOUGH CUSTOMER- No nightstand: Fur flies further in furniture fight
As I reported in my last column ["Unhappy ending: Customer, furniture-seller at odds," May 8], Meghan Pianta emailed me two weeks ago to update me that after almost seven months she still had not received the furniture she ordered from Under the Roof about which I had written in February.
Jeff Grosfeld, Under the Roof's co-owner, was taken aback by Pianta's complaint because, he said, his store and Pianta had agreed upon May 10 as a furniture delivery date, and as far as he knew, all was well.
He also asked that I not write another story about Under the Roof, since mention in my column was "bad press." Following that, Pianta wrote to say she didn't send her previous email "in hopes of stirring up more problems with this situation."
Still, I thought the continuing conflict was illuminating, and I let both Pianta and Grosfeld know I would be writing anyway.
So Grosfeld took matters into his own hands:
He wrote Pianta and me on May 6 to say, "The nightstand arrived in our warehouse from New Jersey this morning as planned. However, after much consideration, we have decided to refund Ms. Pianta for her entire purchase plus interest. ... We are wondering why she chose to contact the reporter instead of just replying to the email we sent to her or calling us to discuss it if she was dissatisfied with our plan. We were not presented with an opportunity to satisfy her complaint before a reporter was called. We do not consider that a fair way to conduct business."
Grosfeld's decision to pull the rug out from under Pianta at the last minute is tough to fathom. Grosfeld is acting like that temperamental soup vendor from the famous Seinfeld episode– I don't like the way you've acted! No nightstand for you!
His concern that a mention in my column would be bad press was unjustified. While I gently chided the store for using an answering machine during business hours (and was therefore sympathetic to Pianta's frustration), I also was puzzled by her dissatisfaction in light of the agreed-upon delivery date. Further, I said I was "inclined to believe Grosfeld's claims that ... his store has adequately communicated with Pianta, at least since my initial column."
More importantly, though, Pianta and Under the Roof had a seven-month long deal for her to get furniture. Whether Grosfeld believes her getting in touch with me was fair, it clearly did not breach the bargain they had struck, and he's obligated to perform.
Returning her money with interest, while better than nothing, is not performance.
I emailed Pianta to see if she had a comment, but I did not hear back from her, so for all I know, she might not mind at all. That's beside the point.
Two weeks ago, Grosfeld was concerned about a story. Now he's touched off another story.
On a happier note, I heard recently from Brenda Jones, the Fifeville homeowner about whom I wrote last summer. Menacing tree branches from a neighbor's yard hung over Jones' house ["Hello, hello: Tree dispute falls on deaf ears," August 9, 2007]. The property's owner, Eugene Williams' Dogwood Properties, had for years refused to do anything about it, and every one of the city's political leaders had failed to even acknowledge Jones' plea for help.
Three weeks ago, a very happy Jones called to tell me Woodard Properties had purchased the adjoining property and had informed her it would be trimming back the trees.
And last but not least, Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced this week that his office has taken legal action against Instant Cash Title Loans of Charlottesville, the outfit on High Street that lent Estelle Williams $230 at 240 percent annual interest ["240 percent: Why the AG's looking at car loans," January 10, 2008].
At issue is whether Instant Cash properly structured its loan to Williams– and apparently others– as the open-ended credit required to charge the high interest rate. McDonnell's suit alleges it did not.
Although local media reporting on the case declined to note that it was this column that first uncovered the questionable loan, the AG's office noted as much in its press release announcing the action. While I appreciate the recognition, it's more satisfying to simply see the government respond. It renews my faith that we can each make a difference.
Got a consumer situation? Call the Hook newsroom at 434-295-8700x405 or e-mail the Tough Customer directly.


text:
How to Be a Selfless Leader in Your Business
Things You Need to Know to Succeed as a Life Coach
Consistency Is the Hidden Power to Your Success
4 Ways You Can Develop Indispensable People as a Business Owner
6 Ways You Can Be More Productive at Work
9 Reasons Why Attending Networking Events is Crucial for Entrepreneurial Success
6 Creative Ways to Hype Up a New Product on Social Media
5 Skills I Learned in the Military That Helped Me Become a Successful Entrepreneur
3 Scientifically Proven Things Entrepreneurs Should Be Doing to Increase Overall Performance
12 Essential Skills Required to Succeed as an Entrepreneur
5 Ways to Remain Undefeated In Life and Cherish Each Moment Successfully
3 Ways to Rethink Motivation in a Busy World
A Step by Step Process That Will Help You Make the Impossible, Possible
(Part 2) Conquering the Impossible Space Between Where You Are Now and Where You Want to Be
(Part 1) Conquering the Impossible Space Between Where You Are Now and Where You Want to Be
8 Key Factors That Discourage Investors From Putting Money Into Your Startup
5 Must Have Branding Tools for Your Startup
5 Ways to Deal With Startup Uncertainty
The Best Side Hustle You Can Start Today In Just 15 Minutes
You Are The Problem With Your Business
30 Inspirational Quotes by Michelle Obama That Will Lift Everyone Up
90 Success Quotes You Should Have Tattooed On Your Body!
42 Les Brown Quotes That Will Intensify Your Motivation
31 Highly Successful Women Share Their Most Powerful Quotes
38 of Drake's Most Memorable Motivational Quotes
This 5 Minute Test Will Instantly Change Your Life
How 8 Minutes of Meditation Can Give You the Productivity Boost You Need
5 Life Lessons You Can Learn From Hitting Rock Bottom
9 Personal Growth Lessons I Learned From Being Bullied
6 Reasons Why You Should Never Glorify Failure After You've Failed
4 Ways YOU Can Create Powerful Habits – James Clear
How To Relentlessly Live In Your Potential – Ben Kelly
6 Ways to Expand Your Consciousness for More Success – Garrain Jones
How to Share Your Vision and Ideas With The Super Wealthy – Kevin Harrington
5 Habits Of Radically Authentic Leaders – Malaine Lea
3 Prince EA Videos To Change Humanities Path To Greatness
(Video) What Is Success? An Entrepreneurial Story To Inspire You
(Inspirational Video) What If Today You Knew You Were Going To Take Your Last Breath?
How To Make Enough Money From A Blog To Quit Your Job – Kate McKibbin
How Finding Your Passion And Becoming An Entrepreneur Can Lead To Happiness – Chiquita Searle
Assertive men and women shape the world. Actions are rewarded. Thoughts and potential without assertive action lead to a heart filled with regret, and a life...

subset: commoncrawl


text: If you enjoy bombshells without the added dramatics of a pornstar, you'll love these AMATEUR clips at spankwire.com. The only thing that's sloppy is the way they suck a dick, but they fuck like the pros. This is a celebration of the everyday luscious libido, the common horny hormone, and the adventurous women letting loose and fucking in FREE porn videos. We welcome you to a new world of the everyday, a universe where your once common lady has begun to express her nasty sexuality, and we've turned them into sex movies. These are organic orgasms being had by household hot babes. These fresh appearing faces smile back at you with a memorable gaze, something like that sexy chick from work, but with all the enthusiasm of a professional adult performer. They are finally wild, and their inhabitations are gone at span wire. You'll love the endless supply of normal nymphos, and regular riding cock AMATEURS at Spankwire.com. Come on in and find a world of FREE sex with that woman who looks like your intern. Just like your worker, these hot scenes are with all unpaid jezebels. They do it for fun, and they'll entertain you with every aspect of their assets. Prepare to enter a world of leisure and leave feeling even more relaxed. This is a vacation away from the norm, this is a realization of that dream you had last night. Welcome to the enjoyment of watching recreational sex caught on camera.


text:
Miles from civilization — traveling on hand-cut trails, crossing rivers and ravines submerged in 6 feet of water or deeper, with radios blaring from $1,800 sound systems, driving $10,000 to $15,000 side-by-side ATVs — avid off-roaders like Daniel Smith, owner of Wicked Off-Road in Vidor, live for the challenges the motorsport brings their way.
"You never know how deep (the water) is," Smith said. "You just start riding through and hoping for the best. That's part of the fun. I've been riding, and the next thing I know, I'm coming up out of the water, and my vehicle is completely submerged. I hit a hole sideways, and I'm standing on my (Polaris RZR), completely drenched."
Smith said that his friends, coworkers and he try to go riding every chance they get, and that the thrill of the unknown keeps them coming back for more.
"I've flipped my (RZR) over more times than I can remember," he said. "Part of the excitement is riding with a bunch of friends and just partying. You've got radios playing; you're having a good time. The other part is you go somewhere you haven't been in a while, and someone else has been out there and dug up a rut. You think you can go through the same hole you've been through before, but it doesn't always work out."
Smith's co-worker, mechanic and Bridge City native Eric Runnels, is in the Texas National Guard and works at Wicked Off-Road when he is not deployed. His last deployment was in Djibouti, Africa.
"While I was deployed, I got with Daniel and asked him to do all the work on my truck so it would be ready for me to ride when I returned home," Runnels said. "I told him when I returned from Djibouti, I wanted to come and work with him at the shop. I've always had an interest in working on vehicles because I don't like to bring mine anywhere else."
Runnels said the atmosphere of off-roading is what attracted him to it.
"It's crazy," he said. "You've got all your friends out there. … You come up to a hole, and your buddy says 'I don't want to go through it,' but you do anyway."
And where craziness is present, so is risk of injury.
"I was riding, and I couldn't see because it was dusk," Smith said. "My cousin had stopped in front of me. I was doing about 50 mph, and I hit his back tire. I flew out of my ATV and hit my head on the ground. I was knocked unconscious. I've had four wheelers flipped on top of me. I've had ATVs on top of me under the water where someone else had to pull them off. If there wasn't someone right there, I would have drowned."
Clearly, off-roading can be dangerous, as communications technician Denver Leger said he knows first-hand. He and his friends, a crowd of 40 with trucks and side-by-side ATVs, had a close call while riding near Quiet Village in Vidor.
"It was a heck of a trail with mud holes you would not want to be in," Leger said. "But we were in it, and it was fun. About halfway into the trail, the lead driver stopped, and the whole line of us halted behind him. 'He's got a gun,' someone in the front yelled. An old, red-headed man with a beard, wearing cut-off sleeves, cut-off pants and no shoes, told us that he did not want us riding on his property and that we needed to turn around and leave. We explained to him that we had no intention of harming him or his land, and that no guns were necessary to get us to leave. With some sense talking and smooth negotiations, we were allowed to pass with no harm as long as we did not come back."
Leger said that moments after the altercation, his friend made a misguided turn, dropped a rear-drive shaft and became stuck in the mud.
"The hours that passed were fleeting," he said. "We were stuck out there all night. My friend and I had managed to escape to the front of the pack. We finally made it out of the woods by 4:30 a.m."
Smith said it is not uncommon for off-roaders to have guns pulled on them or to be chased by cops, and that he has experienced some dangerous situations himself while riding.
"You ride behind private property, and sometimes the people that own the private property get mad because the ATVs are so loud," he said.
Mike Leleux, patrol lieutenant at Orange County Sheriff's Department, said he has received a couple of complaints from residents in north Orange and north Vidor regarding off-road vehicles trespassing on private property. There are steps that property owners can take if these vehicles trespass on their property.
"If (a resident) has a section of property and one of those big trucks (drives on it), creating ruts in the mud and property damage, without authorization, they can file charges for trespassing and criminal mischief," he said.
Leleux said that he does not receive as many complaints from property owners as people may think because most off-road truck owners would rather take their trucks to ATV parks like Mud Creek Off-Road Park in Jacksonville.
"You hear a lot of teenagers talk about these places," he said. "They trailer their trucks and bring them to these parks to compete."
Events like Mud Nationals at Mud Creek Off-Road Park in Jacksonville, attract off-roaders like Smith and Runnels to East Texas every year. Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the event, which annually attracts more than 15,000 ATV enthusiasts. Traci Engi, the coordinator of Mud Nationals, said the event draws not only people from all over the country, but also the world — including Canada, Mexico, Sweden and France.
"It's the largest off-road ATV event in the world," she said. "It's a five-day event. We have competitions and a concert on Friday and Saturday nights. We try to plan it so there is something for you to do all the time, in addition to your average riding."
Engi said riders from all ages and walks of life attend the March event.
"It is not just for hard-core enthusiasts," she said. "The young and the old attend. You have your hard-core racers who put thousands into their vehicles, as well as your average guy who brings his hunting ATV and putts around all week."
Runnels said he enjoys Mud Nationals for a variety of reasons.
"You ride all day and drink all day," he said. "There are over 30 vendors (from the area) out there like Wicked Off-Road, Performance ATV and Lumberton Off-Road. All these off-road vendors bring trailers and promote their business. If you see something you like, you can buy it."
The main perk of attending the event is the contacts an off-roader can acquire, Runnels said.
"You meet different people and different vendors and talk to those different people," he said. "You start learning more about the vehicles. As a result, the next time you tear up your vehicle, instead of bringing it to the shop and spending thousands of dollars on it, you can buy the parts and do it yourself."
Another reason Runnels said he enjoys events like Mud Nationals are the females that attend.
"Girls are in bikinis, drinking and dancing," he said. "It gets plain ridiculous at these off-roading events."
Monica Britnell, a secretary from Lumberton, says she loves going off-road and is attracted to men with trucks.
"I think girls are attracted to (off-road trucks) because they are big, tall and powerful," she said. "I've had friends tell me that all they will date is a guy with a big truck."
Not all women that attend mudding events are there just to party and watch the men drive, however. Some are there to compete. Hannah Owens, a 16-year old junior at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School and resident of Vidor, races her 1984 K5 Chevy Blazer, "Daddy's Paycheck," at ATV parks like Mud Farm in Sour Lake, where she has won first-place at least eight times.
"This year at the Mud Farm, I held first-place all season," Hannah said. "But I don't do it just to say I won first place or for the money. I've won no more than $180 each time. I just do it because I love driving my truck."
The first time Hannah raced, she said she was shaking and crying.
"It's very nerve-racking, but once you line up, you've got your helmet on, and you're in front of that pit, everything disappears," she said.
Hannah not only races her truck, but she also helped her father, Todd Owens, build it.
"She's built it from the ground up," said Shelly Owens, Hannah's mother. "She has a lot of blood, sweat and tears in her truck."
"My dad taught me everything," Hannah said. "I can take a transmission and transfer case out in 30 minutes and put another one back in."
Todd rides with Hannah when she competes in the races because of her age. The ritual of not only building the truck together but also racing it together has brought the two closer together.
"I know I'm making my dad really proud when I pull that pit," Hannah said. "He can't quit screaming and giving me high fives. That adrenaline rush just makes me wanna do it all over again."
Hannah's mother, Shelly Owens, also races her 1992 extended-cab Chevy S10, "Feeling Froggy," at mudding events and has won several awards. Shelly said she is also aware of the dangers of mud racing, as she has witnessed competitors in life-threatening situations.
"You have to respect it," she said. "Wear your helmet and safety harness. I've seen someone flip his truck, and I watched him hit his head on the ground seven or eight times. If he wasn't wearing that safety equipment, he would have died."
Linda Romero and her husband, Wesley Romero, own the Mud Farm where Hannah and Shelly race regularly. Linda said the park, which has been open since 2010, has held events where as many as 45 trucks have run at the same time.
"The Mud Farm has three straight pits," she said. "One pit is for your four-cylinder trucks and is not as deep as the others. The next pit is a little bigger and is for your medium-sized trucks and then we have what we call the tractor pit that is for the big trucks with the tractor tires. We also have a horseshoe pit, in the shape of a horseshoe. We also have a long dirt track that trucks can race each other."
Unlike mud trucks, which are usually built from the ground up by racers such as Hannah and her father and are not street legal, some four-wheel-drive trucks are mainly for looks.
Off-road enthusiasts who own these high-price trucks can face high financial outlays that, according to Runnels, come with the territory.
"If spending money is a factor for someone, then they probably will not like off-roading," he said. "When I bought my ATV, it just had a 2-inch lift kit. But within a month, I added 10-inch lifts, snorkels, exhaust, programmers, rims and tires."
Runnels has around $12,000 invested in his ATV, and Smith has over $30,000 invested in his.
"The cost of accessories adds up quick, but that's part of it," Smith said.
Britnell said that she enjoys riding in street-legal trucks like the ones owned by Runnels and Smith, especially when she is sitting at a stoplight towering over the cars next to her and looking down on them.
"It puts a smile on my face," she said. "They're sitting there, staring at the truck, and you can tell that they are saying 'Oh my God, that is a big, bad truck.'"
But those big, bad trucks can come with some big, bad headaches. And one of those headaches comes from tight inspection tolerances.
"From the center of the headlight, the vehicle cannot be higher than 54 inches," said Linn Myers, owner of Linn's State Inspection in Vidor. "The exhaust has to extend past the passenger compartment (the part of the vehicle in which the driver and passengers sit) with no leaks in it and has to have a tailpipe and converters. The tires can't say 'for off-road use' or 'not for road use' on them, and they have to have at least 2/32 tread at the wear bars."
"The vehicle has to be able to pass inspection at a Texas authorized inspection facility," Lieutenant Leleux said. "It has to have a proper exhaust, which is muffled. As long as it passes state inspection and it is within the legal limits, it's street legal. There are no restrictions on (ATVs) if they are not driven on the public roadway. Just like a racecar, if it is not street legal, it can't be operated on a public roadway."
Leleux said that if off-road trucks do not fit the requirements needed to pass state inspection, they will be pulled over and ticketed if they are seen driving on public roadways.
Insurance on street-legal off-road trucks is variable, according to Rachael Felice, personal accounts representative at John P. Nickhum State Farm Insurance in Vidor.
"When we give an insurance quote, we take into account a ton of factors — age, make and model of the vehicle, driving record, credit score," she said. "It depends on the rating of the vehicle and the cost of the vehicle. I had a customer who had (an off-road truck) that was jacked up, and it was rated as a regular vehicle."
As long as there are avid enthusiasts like Smith, Runnels and Leger who enjoy the perks that come with off-roading, there will likely be others as well who are willing to pay high dollar for ATVs, brave the dangers and deal with the headaches that come with the motorsport. Shelly and Hannah say they will continue to compete with the men and have messages for other women who might have an interest in off-roading.
"You can do anything you put your mind to," Shelly said. "Don't let someone discourage you because if it is something you really want to do, you can do it,"
"Go out there and show them how it's done," Hannah said.


text: You had to know it was coming. After extending its well-regarded Retina display technology from the iPhone to the iPad, then the 15-inch MacBook Pro, Apple continued packing pixels on Tuesday by introducing the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina. Like its larger Pro predecessors, it also gets thinner and lighter this year, and like the MacBook Air, it sacrifices its optical drive in the process. Yet unlike that most waif of Apple notebooks, the Pro still uses a full-power CPU running at 2.5GHz — not the clocked-down chips found in the MacBook Air and its Ultrabook competitors. Its high resolution, low weight and full-speed processor make the MacBook Pro difficult to find a close competitor to in the PC world, but we picked Sony's Vaio Z for its similar no-compromises approach. Read on to see how they stacked up, along with the old 13-inch MacBook Pro thrown in for good measure.


text:
Migrating from Android to iOS or iOS to Android can seem like a daunting task because everything from the software, to the apps, to the phone itself is different. Whether you're making the switch for your personal device, or your employer is providing a new device for work, you'll want to make sure you're set up for success on the new operating system. Again, this may seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be.
Today, cloud and software can communicate with different devices, making the migration a little less scary. This also applies if you use both platforms simultaneously and want your life available across your entire ecosystem of devices. Click through the slideshow to understand the steps you can take when making the switch from one operating system to the other, as identified by Andrew Blaich, lead security analyst at Bluebox Security.
Related Topics : In Their Own Words: The Four Dark Horses for the Third Major Mobile OS Speak, HTC, Mobile Search, 3G, Location-Based Services
Wearables are revolutionizing the workplace, with innovations that create a safer work environment or enhance the way professionals are able to go about their job. ... More >>
Here are the top 10 strategic technology trends that will impact most organizations in 2017. Strategic technology trends are defined as those with substantial disruptive potential or those reaching the tipping point over the next five years. ... More >>
Digital innovation is by far the biggest influencer, changing the way we do just about everything, from shopping to communication to running a business. ... More >>


text:
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Mathieu Perreault still needs to get to a comfort zone with the Ducks after being with his new team less than a week.
His impact Saturday night will be heartily welcomed by his teammates if there is more of it in store.
Perreault took an entry pass from Francois Beauchemin on a last-ditch shift in overtime and beat Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom to give the Ducks a 4-3 victory over the Wild at Xcel Energy Center.
The goal capped a wild sequence during four-on-four play in which Perreault was stopped on an odd-man rush but got another after Jonas Hiller foiled the Wild's Kyle Brodziak on a two-on-one break up ice.
"Kind of got open there," Perreault said. "A great pass by Beauch. Found a way to slide it through."
Perreault didn't need much time to leave a good impression after the Ducks didn't give up much to acquire him from Washington on Sunday. The diminutive center also set up Jakob Silfverberg's second-period goal in an effective night.
"We actually worked on that a little bit last practice," Perreault said. "I was trying to give him a couple of passes in the slot to one-time it. Just kind of worked out the same way we kind of practiced it."
The Ducks were far from perfect. They still struggled in their defensive zone and on the penalty kill with Zach Parise and Jason Pominville getting power-play goals to cut into their two-goal leads. Parise also tied it up early in the third.
But it was a far better showing that their opening-night debacle against Colorado. Saku Koivu and Nick Bonino got the Ducks (1-1-0) out to a quick 2-0 lead and Silfverberg made it 3-1 early in the second.
Hiller got his first start of the season and stopped 30 shots.
"We're not perfect," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We're not anywhere where we want to be in a week from now even. But as long as we can make positive strides every night, I think we're sitting in good stead."
Contact the writer: email@example.com


text:
Posts Tagged 'Willis Laird'
Amanuensis Monday – Willis Laird Death Certificate
I had a flu bug this weekend, and it is that flu bug that I have to thank for having a "Happy Dance" weekend!
A little virus had me sitting more than usual, and to combat boredom, I started 'hunting' on the Internet for ancestors and their siblings! Thanks to the virus, I don't remember exactly how I arrived at this wonderful Kentucky website, but I'm not sure I had ever been to this one before, and if I had, it has a lot of new 'stuff' on it, including my Gr-gr-grandmother's brother, Willis Laird's death certificate!
As a volunteer here in my own county, I am doubly appreciate of those who find and share family history information, and I want to say "Many thanks to the volunteers of this Southern Kentucky website at http://www.so-ky.com! I am so very grateful to find out for certain now, that Willis is my Gr-Gr-Grandmother Elizabeth Laird Jones Crabb's brother"
You can see a scanned image of Willis Laird's death certificate here: http://www.so-ky.com/dth/14/Jesse%20W.%20Laird.jpg
According to the website, Willis' first name is actually Jesse, and though his death certificate doesn't state that, his tombstone does. Comparing the dates on tombstone and death certificate help verify that they are one and the same.
Information on the death Certificate:
Commonwealth of Kentucky
State Board of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Place of death:
County: Hart KY
Vet.Fot. Northtown
Registration District No. 6174
File No: 4772
Registered No. 51
3. Sex Male
4. Color or Race: White
5. S/M/W/D: Married
6. Date of Birth: May 7 1835
7. Age: 80 yrs 8 mos 8 da
8. Occupation: Farmer
9. Birthplace: KY
10. Name of Father: Hesikiah Laird
11. Birthplace of father: Unknown
12. Maiden name of Mother: Patsy Carter
13. Birthplace of Mother: Unknown
14. Informant: V. J. Eggsdon/Iggsdon (?) Address: Cave City
15. Filed: Feb 17, 1916 Informant: J. M. Isenberg
16. Date of Death: 2-15-1916
17: I here certify, that I attended deceased from February 4th, 1916 to February 14th, 1916, that I last saw him alive on February 14th, 1916, and that death occurred on the date stated above at 8:00 a.m. (I think, hard for me to read). the
Cause of Death was as follows:
Lagrippe – Duration 15 daays
Contributery: Pneumonia
Secondary: (illegible, at least to me)
Duration 5 Days
Signed: J. T. Godby, M. D.
2-16-1916 Address: Cave City, KY
18. Length of residence – not filled out
19. Place of Burial: New Hope Date of Burial: February 17, 1916
20. Undertaker: J. W. Oster Address: Cave City, KY
What a lot of information is contained in this death certificate! I know that Willis was living in the Cave City area, and that he died 4 years after his sister Elizabeth Laird Jones Crabb did.
I know what cemetery Willis is buried in, and luckily enough (and thanks to the Southern Kentucky volunteers) also have a photograph of the tombstone as well as photographs of the cemetery and church there, and will be sharing links to that soon!
Thank you Kentucky volunteers! I'm still doing a Happy Dance!
More Laird info:


text:
COLUMBIA, MO -- The success of the undefeated Missouri Tigers, ranked No. 5 in the latest college football polls, has resulted in a change for the University of Missouri Student Recreation Complex and its patrons. The complex is now closing during home football games, beginning at kickoff, and will remain closed the entire day, according to the Columbia Missourian.
Laura Salerno, assistant director of membership and events for the complex, tells the Missourian that the policy was implemented after two years' worth of data showed that the complex was not often used during home football games.
"The benefits associated with maintaining the facility did not justify the expense," Salerno tells the newspaper.
Some students at the University of Missouri are not happy with the policy. Graduate student Arica Henderson tells the Missourian that she would prefer the complex to be open on game days.
"As much money as I have paid for the student rec center, I would like it to cater to the needs of as many people as possible, not just football game-goers, even if they are the majority," Henderson says.
Senior Justin Pannullo tells the newspaper that the new policy hurts non-students the most and adds that it could prevent some patrons from being able to use the complex when it is most convenient for them.
"Some people don't have the weekdays to work out, and they need the weekends," Pannullo says.
The closure of the complex on game days also cancels some Tiger X cycling and yoga classes that are not included in the mandatory student recreation fee. Students enrolled in more than six credit hours pay $133.11 per semester in recreation fees, according to the Missourian, compared to $129.74 per semester last spring.
The complex will close at 1 p.m. Central Daylight Time on Saturday when the Tigers' play host to the University at Buffalo. Last Saturday, Missouri's home game against the University of Nevada kicked off shortly after 11:30 a.m.
After this weekend, the Tigers have three home games remaining this season, all on Saturdays, with kickoff times to be determined.


text:
This is a story.
An instructor boasted that he taught the "best Karate money can buy" and charged his students accordingly, particularly for dan rankings. One student believed this, and when he eventually earned his 5th dan, had to mortgage his house to pay for it.
As it happened, this 5th dan was at a restaurant one night and picked a fight with a Karate student from another dojo. This other dojo was not fancy at all. In fact, it was in a garage, and the Sensei awarded no ranks or titles.
The 5th dan was supremely confident and kept pressing and pushing. Unable to avoid it, the other student finally defended himself and knocked the 5th dan out with a simple punch.
When he awoke, the 5th dan was beside himself. How could a no rank, nobody defeat him so easily? Hadn't he paid for the best Karate money could buy?
The next morning, he went to his dojo and confronted his instructor. "You said that you taught the best Karate money could buy!" he yelled. "How could that guy beat me?"
The instructor thought about it and decided to come clean. "I do teach the best Karate that money can buy," he confessed. "But that guy's Sensei teaches the best Karate."
The moral of the story is that Karate skill is not something that can be bought or sold, it is only earned through hard training. The best dojo could be in a garage, house, yard, church, recreation center, park... anywhere. And the best Sensei will probably not look like what the public thinks a "good" Sensei would look like. He or she will probably be an unassuming, unpretentious, down to earth person.
Be careful. For every person willing to "buy" Karate, there will be person willing to "sell" it.
Also, that 5th dan should not have picked a fight!
Charles C. Goodin
Best Karate...
This is a story.
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Getting In Shape
This will be a short post, but it is a truism.
It is much easier to stay in shape than it is to get in shape. I mean much easier.
That is why it is important not to allow yourself to get out of shape once you are in shape. Even though it take effort to continue your training, this effort is small when compared to the time and effort of getting back into shape, especially if you let yourself go badly.
There are many reasons not to train or to put it off. We all are too busy. But it is in your best interest to keep in shape. The time you save by laying off training will seem small compared to the time it will take to get back into shape.
I should add that the older you get (especially past 40 or 50), the harder it becomes to get back into shape.
Once you get in shape, keep in shape.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, July 28, 2008
Tapping the Egg
Tonight I made an error during training and will share it in hopes that others can avoid the same mistake.
I was explaining to the class that Karate is usually not done as a challenge -- one person openly challenging another where each is ready to fight. Instead, it is more likely that you will be hit in the back of the head or get a false crack. Or, if you are fortunate enough to block or evade the first hit, you will have only a split second to react before the second hit arrives. So we are preparing for something that you really cannot fully prepare for. You have to be able to move by reflex, and even then there is an element of luck. That is why it is so important to be aware of the situation and environment, and avoid the attack.
Anyway, I asked my second son (the head of our dojo) to throw a punch to my head, which I dodged, but to simulate getting hit, I started to fall. As I was falling, I threw a left downward uraken (backfist) which caught my son in his right... egg. Since youngsters might read this blog, I prefer to use the term "egg", but you probably know what I mean.
As it turned out, my uraken must have been perfect, because it had an immediate result. To be honest, I felt nothing at all. I thought I only snapped the outside of my son's gi. I felt no physical contact at all. None.
So here are some of my observations.
First, I should have been more careful. My Sensei is very good about stepping back before he throws an uraken to a person. I should have done so too. After dodging/blocking, I should have slid back out of range before throwing the uraken.
Also, my control was off because I was simulating falling. I should have been more careful about this too.
Second, this shows how little it takes to injure someone when you hit his "egg". I even used my left, which is slower than my right. But the angle and contact must have been just right. Interestingly, the snap was probably good because I was falling. The energy of the fall was easily transferred to the uraken.
Third, I used koshi in the technique. I did not intend to do so -- it just happened. This is why it is best to step out of range before throwing an uraken or other koshi driven technique. Sometimes you might hear that your koshi has a mind of its own. That may sound exaggerated, but when you move by reflex your koshi will move by reflex too. By the time you are aware of moving, you will have already done so.
Lastly, I was relieved that it was my son I hit. I do not want to hit anyone, but if it had to happen, I am glad it was my own son. For his part, my son "sucked it up" well and didn't show any anger. He is a calm person, and knows that I would never hurt him on purpose.
What should you do in a real confrontation if you are hit in the groin and feel that you are going to pass out or double over? I would rush the attacker and throw my best technique while I still could. I would probably go for a takedown, but that it just me.
My main advice is that it is best to step out of range before throwing an uraken or any technique for that matter, unless you are moving in very slow motion. Remember, it does not take much to crack an egg! And there are other parts of the body that could have been just as easily injured.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Monday, July 28, 2008
Fukyugata Ichi -- Progress
I am now 50 and have practiced Karate for about 35 years or so. Please keep this in mind when you read below.
I feel that I am beginning to be able to do Fukyugata Ichi a little bit "OK".
Some people like to perform "high" kata to show their skills. But I think that it is more revealing to watch someone perform Naihanchi Shodan or Fukyugata Ichi. Particularly in Fukyugata Ichi, there is no room to hide poor techniques. Either you can do it, or you cannot. You can't cover it up or blur it.
The first movement of Fukyugata Ichi is incredibly difficult to do well. I have only seen one person in my life deliver that first downward block explosively with no extra movement. From the starting point -- POW! I still cannot do that.
The turns from the front to the back, and from the back to the front, are also very challenging. Almost everyone I have ever seen is too late -- the downward blocks come too late after the turns.
Fukyugata Ichi is an easy kata to learn but an incredibly difficult kata to perform well. Have you ever seen a black belt perform the kata in a tournament? Maybe so, but generally it is something only a beginner would do.
I do not participate in tournaments, but even in demonstrations higher ranking black belts will typically perform kata such as Passai, Chinto, or Kusanku.
I cannot stress enough how advanced and difficult basic kata such as Naihanchi Shodan and Fukyugata Ichi are. And with respect to Fukyugata Ichi, if you can do the very first movement well, you can certainly do the entire kata well. One movement -- Karate.
Please keep in mind that I said that I feel I can now do Fukyugata Ichi a little bit "OK" -- not well. Perhaps in another 35 years I will work my way up to that! I'll let you know when I am 85.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Tough Neighborhood?
Sometimes you will hear that a Karate Sensei grew up in a tough neighborhood and had to learn martial arts in order to survive on the streets. This is particularly true in certain neighborhoods here in Hawaii.
I have to admit that I did not grow up in any tough neighborhoods. My father was in the Air Force and I grew up on or near Air Force bases. I was born in 1957.
One of the things I recall growing up was that we children did not want to get into any fights because of two things: (1) the MPs (military police) were always around; and (2) we did not want our fathers to get called in by the Base Commander. I think that the second reason was always in the back of my mind. I had heard about children who had gotten their fathers in trouble and this was certainly not something to do! My father was an enlisted man and being called in to be reprimanded by a Colonel would have been it!
But also, I did not see many fights as a child. Perhaps my childhood was idyllic. I spent my time fishing, in Boy Scouts, and in Judo (later Karate). I cannot remember having anything stolen from me, or anyone demanding money from me. I guess that I was lucky.
When my father went to serve a year in Viet Nam, my mother, sister and I lived off base in Shalimar, Florida. I think that my father was sort of assigned to Eglin Air Force Base in connection with his tour of duty in Viet Nam. Even there, in Florida, I had no problems. Everyone was nice to me. I did not get into any fights and the only scary thing I ever saw was snakes! No one treated me badly because of my mixed race. I did see prejudice against black people, which I had not seen on military bases. There are many people of different and mixed races on military bases. I felt perfectly normal being of mixed race (Caucasian and Japanese).
I have to say one thing about Shalimar. That place had the best fishing ever! I would ride my bike and fish off a nearby bridge all day long.
I guess that the point I am trying to make is that I did not grow up in tough neighborhoods -- just the opposite. My views about Karate are probably colored by this. I realize that the world can be a dark and dangerous place. The self-defense aspects of Karate are useful and for some people, necessary on a day-to-day basis. But I pursued the martial arts for enjoyment and self-improvement, and still do.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
What Are You Hitting?
For each movement in a kata, you might ask yourself, "What am I hitting?" Are you hitting something, or twisting something, or pulling something? Whatever it might be, you must be doing something to something. Kata are not simply movements in the air.
The above statements might seem obvious, but I have often asked Karate students what they are doing, only to find out that they have no idea! Of course, new students wouldn't know what they are doing. That is something that they still have to learn. But more advanced students and instructors would be expected to know what they are doing.
And at an advanced level, a student might know many applications for a single technique.
Once a student has an idea of what he is hitting (or twisting, pulling, etc.), then he will have a better idea of how he could do it -- what part of his hand or foot will be used, will the power be delivered sharply, gradually, in a twisting manner, etc.?
In order to know how you are supposed to do something, you have to know what it is you are supposed to be doing. If a movement can be both a strike and a throw, the student might explore how the movement would be done for each type of application. Sometimes they might be done the same, or they might be very different.
Usually kata are always done the same, but with very advanced instructors, you might see some variations depending on what they are visualizing.
I watched one instructor perform a kata in which he took an extra step forward before punching. Later, he explained, "he moved." The attacker in his mind was out of position, so he had to take an extra step. Or perhaps he was just pulling my leg.
When someone shows me an application, I usually say, "Yes, it could be that." I think there are many possibilities -- some more usable and practical than others. But it is our job as students to wonder what everything means. Our Sensei are not supposed to tell or show us everything. That would be too easy!
The next time you perform a kata, you might ask yourself what you are hitting (throwing, twisting, controlling, blocking, parrying, slipping, breaking, pulling, poking, raking, pressing, gouging, stomping, punching, kicking, sweeping, kneeing, butting, checking, elbowing, etc.) for each movement.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, July 17, 2008
1000th Post -- Hawaii Karate Museum Collection
It is hard to believe, but this is the 1,000th post of this blog!
I wanted to have something profound to say, but that is difficult. So I will let you know about something I am working on.
One of the important parts of the Hawaii Karate Museum is our rare book collection. Consisting of several hundred books, about 1/3 of the collection was donated by Karate Sensei, students, and supporters around the world. The remainder was purchased by the museum.
One of our objectives was to get the collection together. In some cases, books were stored in poor conditions before we obtained them. Since our books go back to the late 1800's, properly storing and preserving them is extremely important. It is also important to properly secure them. As you can imagine, this is a very big and expensive job.
We have decided that the best way to preserve, protect and ensure the perpetual existence of the collection is to establish it at the Hamilton Library at the Manoa campus of the University of Hawaii. I am in negotiations at this time and it looks very promising.
To have a historic Karate collection at a major university sounds like a dream, but it may soon be a reality. This will also ensure that Karate Sensei, students, researchers, and enthusiasts will have access to the collection. As planned, the rarest portion of the collection will be in closed shelves and will have to be viewed in a special area. However, the larger portion of the collection will circulate, meaning that the books can be checked out. This is something our museum could not have done on its own.
I will keep you informed of the progress. Please wish us good luck as this is a monumental event.
For my part, I will continue my efforts to obtain rare Karate books, at least for the next 10 years, and will add these to the collection. Why 10 years? From the age of 60 on, I think I should spend more of my time training and teaching, no?
Thank you very much for reading this blog, for your words or encouragement, and support of our projects.
1,000 posts. Hard to believe. A Karate collection at Hawaii's major university. Also hard to believe.
Charles C. Goodin
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Who Is The Senior?
Sometimes you will hear students argue about whose Sensei is the senior. This is something that only students would do, because their Sensei know who the senior is.
Students tend to argue about such matters because they think that the higher their Sensei is, the higher they too are. This, of course, is ridiculous.
I am the senior in my dojo (naturally). However, of my different Karate Sensei, I was not their senior student (not even close). But I have continued to practice when most of the other students have stopped, and have been determined enough to form and maintain a dojo. That is what it takes.
Did my Karate Sensei have other students who were senior to me? Certainly. Do those students continue to practice and teach? Generally not.
Let me ask you this question. Who is more senior, a junior student of Kentsu Yabu or the senior student of Chosin Chibana? Both Yabu and Chibana were students of Anko Itosu. Yabu was clearly the senior in age and in Itosu's group of students. I'm sure that Chibana Sensei would recognizae Yabu as his senior.
However, Chibana Sensei taught much longer and produced many more students. In that sense, Chibana was a far more successful teacher.
So whose student would be senior -- a junior student of Yabu or a senior student of Chibana?
I hope that you get the point. This is only something a student would argue or worry about. In fact, a good student would not -- a good student would simply train hard and respect all his seniors. I am not elevated by my Sensei's status. If anything, I get ahead by hard work and practice.
I respect my Sensei. I respect other Sensei. But that alone will not improve my skill.
I will say this. I feel extremely fortunate to have two fine Sensei of Shorin-Ryu (and a senior friend who coaches me like my own Sensei). When I move, I feel happy. I have the luxury of their experience and refinement -- and their exceptional ability to teach it. On my own, I could not have learned to move the way that I do now (that is an understatement -- on my own I moved like a brick!). But that is not an issue of seniority. They are not skilled because of seniority, but because of their own hard work and insight.
Seniority, rank, and titles are usually very poor measures of skill.
Charles C. Goodin
Fukyugata Ni
I recently spoke to senior friend of mine who teaches Goju-Ryu. I commented that the Fukyugata Ni kata, developed by Chojun Miyagi is weird. I can accept that it is weird to me, since I practice Shorin-Ryu. And even though our Fukyugata Ni is actually a Shorin-Ryuized version of Miyagi Sensei's creation, it still is a weird kata. Fukyugata Ichi (created by Shoshin Nagamine), in contrast, is very straightforward, symmetric, and sort of like origami.
I was a little surprised to hear my Goju-Ryu friend say that the kata was weird to him too!
I wonder why Miyagi Sensei didn't use Tensho as the template for Fukyugata Ni -- it looks so much more like a Goju-Ryu type kata.
One thing I have learned over the years by watching my Goju-Ryu friends, is that their Fukyugata Ni (Gekki Sai) has more strikes than our Fukyugata Ni. We have turned many of their strikes into blocks. We have to realize that they are right -- their founder created the kata. We are the ones who are interpreting it through our own eyes. I teach the strikes in our bunkai.
I'm sure that they would do the same thing (reinterpretation) if they did one of our Shorin-Ryu kata -- except that I'm pretty sure that Goju-Ryu people would not do our kata!
Charles C. Goodin
Like Naihanchi
Recently, I spoke to my son Charles, who is the head Sensei of our Hikari Dojo (I now assist him). I essentially told him this:
"Son, one of the most important things to remember is that the Naihanchi kata should be the first kata taught. Teach all three before moving on the Fukyugata kata.I firmly believe this to be true in our dojo. Naihanchi is more than a simple drill. If you can do Naihanchi well, you can learn to do all kata well.
If a student learns Naihanchi well, his basics will the good. Then all his kata will look like Naihanchi. But if a student learns the Fukyugata kata and Pinan kata first, he will probably have weak basics and his Naihanchi will look like those kata.
All kata should look like Naihanchi. In fact, Karate can be taught with the Naihanchi kata alone."
In our dojo, Naihanchi Shodan is usually the first and last kata we do.
Charles C. Goodin
Center for Okinawan Studies at the UH
Last week I was very pleased to attend the opening ceremony for the Center for Okinawan Studies, part of the School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It has long been the dream of educators and community members for there to be such a center at the UH. The center is not under the Japanese program -- it stands on its own.
Dr. Leon Serafim is the director of the center.
One of my missions with the Hawaii Karate Museum has been to see that Karate is included among the cultural treasures of Okinawa. We often think about Okinawan dance and food, but I am confident that the most widespread aspect of Okinawan culture practiced worldwide is Karate. When there are cultural events, I try my best to provide materials and exhibits about Karate.
Dr. Mitsugu Sakihara was a leading Okinawan history and culture educator. When I began formulating the museum, he took the time to take me to lunch and urge me to always study Karate as part of Okinawan culture, not as a sport or mere athletics. I have always been guided by his words, which have been echoed many times by elders in the Okinawan community, such as Mrs. June Arakawa.
If you study or teach Karate, I too urge you to study its roots in Okinawa and also here in Hawaii.
I wish the new Center for Okinawan Studies the best of luck and will do what I can to assist it with Karate research and materials.
Charles C. Goodin


text:
Happy Valentines Day!
The Mister and I love Valentines Day. And we love this scripture above.
You have heard it a thousand times. Whether you read the bible or not. You've heard it at almost every wedding and seen it hanging on walls in framed pictures or in a beautiful hand made needlepoint by your old Aunt Ida.
It's familiar.
Perhaps too familiar.
I had an un-married friend say years ago that Valentines Day should really be called "Singles Awareness Day". At the time I thought it was funny. After all she was "sort of" joking. But then again I could laugh, Valentine's Day hadn't ever been a struggle for me since I met The Mister before I turned 21.
Back then my young mind respected the definition of love from the scripture above. It seemed simple enough. I wanted to be all those things for The Mister. Certainly he wanted to be those things for me. How hard could it be?
Somehow I equated "Love is kind, love is patient" for "love is easy." Oh yeah, and how 'bout "love is pain free".
But today I can look at the familiar passage in 1 Corinthians 13 and be thankful that The Mister doesn't have to place his trust in me to meet all that love requires. It is in Christ that we fully fill up on love. Perfect Love. And in turn we may love others with the love He has given us.
By God's grace he freely gives us His love: which is patient and kind.
As individuals we can daily seek the love of God through reading His love letters to us (The Bible) and fill up on it, so we can lavishly love those around us.
I know that there are times that I will unintentionally fail The Mister. When my words come out less than gentle. When I am feeling impatient because things aren't going my way. When it is Valentines Day and I saved shopping for The Mister until the day of...and the kids woke up with a fever. (Yikes!)
This love of Christ isn't just for old married couples.
It's for singles.
It's for the young.
It's for the old.
It's for you.
You may have heard it shouted on a street corner or seen people on TV that try to make the love of Christ feel cheesy or cliche, maybe, just maybe, even make it feel wrong.
It isn't a box of chocolates, or beautiful jewelry, or a dinner date tonight.
Oh no! It's so much better than those impersonal things, because the Love of Christ is real and it perseveres. It's relational , as close and personal as the sweetest Valentine. It's deep and fulfilling and will satisfy you better than any date or thing ever will. And when you fill up on His love, then everything else is overflow.
So go on! Fill up! And then, for heavens sake, go eat some chocolate! It is Valentines day!
La Vida Dulce!


text:
This is the 2014 Hyundai Veloster RE:FLEX. You can buy it this spring. It's like a normal Veloster, only with a colon in its name. I'm told it's an awesome, artsy thing to do. What do I know? I went to journalism school.
The Re[colon]flex comes with the base Veloster's 1.6-liter four-cylinder, sending its 138 horsepower to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. That means the Re[colon]flex has relatively slow reflexes.
Only 3,000 people will get a chance to buy a Re[colon]flex. If you like the 18-inch chrome wheels, the LEDs, 450-watt stereo and the choice of red or black leather, but aren't a fan of the exclusive Ice Pearl paint in the picture, you can also get it in white, black, red or "Vitamin C." That last color might be the most healthy for you.
Photos: Hyundai, Brian Williams


text:
Conference Hotel
Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA
Product Demonstration Sessions
Exclusive In-Depth Demonstration Session
A one and a half hour session conducted by a single company that offers a venue to instruct a targeted audience on your product in a pertinent, timely and cost effective manner. It is an opportunity to go beyond the sales pitch into the specific, detailed product features and benefits to those individuals who are the early adopters of new services, products, techniques and technologies. The session will be listed in the program and promoted right along with the technical sessions and will be open to all ASIS&T meeting attendees.
*Includes a 20% discount on Conference Program Advertising.


text:
My Kind of Life: I Was a Viread Guinea Pig
With All My Paranoia, Baggage and Skepticism
Clinical trials are necessary, but who wants to be a guinea pig? Who wants to take a new chemical formulation that has only been tried on rats and monkeys? I'm far from a rat, despite what some people have said. And while I'm just a few genes away from being a monkey, the thought of being in a trial can be scary.
It is a difficult decision, but if we want to help each other and give medicine a chance to advance, clinical trials are necessary. Participants of clinical trials may be tomorrow's heroes.
Oddly enough, with all my paranoia, baggage, skepticism and distrust of authority figures, I entered into a clinical trial. The main reason I entered this study was financial. Clinical trials often mean free medical care. I also had a good relationship with my doctor at NorthStar Healthcare and trusted his insight enough to get over my doubts and jump into the research pool.
He also told me that this new drug had no side effects. Naturally, I didn't believe this for a second, but I had nothing to lose except my T-cells.
There are a million questions that rush through your mind when thinking about entering a clinical trial. What is this chemical? What are the side effects? Am I willing to deal with them? There are side effects the drug manufacturer knows about, but one of the reasons for the trial is to see what other side effects may occur.
Then there's the compliance component. Am I willing to come to this clinic or doctor's office as often as the protocol demands?
Then before you begin the trial they must be sure you are a good candidate. This may mean a million different things depending on the study. Are you treatment naive? Is this your first or fourth regimen? Are you the correct gender, age and weight? Are you healthy enough? Are you sick enough? Qualify, qualify, qualify.
And then once you qualify, you must sign the paperwork. This was the only part that made my legs quiver because within all those documents you are signing there is one that says something like, "If I drop dead due to this study I will not hold this doctor or this company liable for my death." So you have to swallow, take a deep breath and realize that hopefully the odds of this really happening are very low and this is just part of this marvelously litigated nation.
After you have signed your life away you have much blood drawn, and after these results come back, you may be lucky enough to be chosen.
What cinched it for me was that I needed a new drug and here was the promise of one at the right price with no co-pays and free blood work and doctor visits. My current regimen had run its course, my viral load was climbing and my T-cells were dropping. I needed a third drug in order to beat down the virus and get up-to-date with the latest in HIV therapy efficacy.
So here comes this flat, round, chalky white pill without a name and I start to take it, as prescribed, twice daily.
The first three months I walked in there and the research technician took my vitals and asked me the same questions over and over. This was followed by an inspection of how many pills I had taken, literally. The tech would take my bottle and walk away and then come back always happy with me because I was 100% compliant.
After three months I was given a new batch of pills and told to stay on the regimen and not change a thing. The pills were now oval shaped and a pretty light blue. Within approximately six weeks my blood work had come back and my viral load had gone undetectable from somewhere around 120,000 copies and my T-cells soared to almost 400 from nearly 200. They didn't have to tell me that when the pill changed shape and color I had started on the real stuff.
The drug was Viread and my skeptical self could not believe that I had not experienced any side effects.
Not only has Viread proved to be effective as an antiretroviral drug, but Gilead Sciences reported huge profits this year based on the drug's position as the fifth best-selling HIV antiretroviral drug in the U.S.
When someone is on a placebo like I was initially and the researchers find the drug is working, they will switch the patients from placebo onto the real drug as soon as they can because it would be unethical not to. This is why clinical trials have come full circle to a trusted and respectable way to go about helping science, yourself and your community.
If the trial comes to a close and the drug is not yet available on the market, in most instances the drug will be supplied to you so you may continue this new regimen. In a clinical trial you get exceptional treatment from doctors and support staff that want you to be pleased so you will stay the course and the trial will truly be a success. Nobody wants dropouts because the data is then skewed. You receive free medical exams, laboratory tests, and a drug that is not yet available to the general public.
You may even get success.


text:
One of the grand Unix traditions is that source code is built directly inside the source tree. This is the simple approach, which has been used for decades. In fact, most people do not even consider doing something else, because this is the way things have always been done.
The alternative to an in-source build is, naturally, an out-of-source build. In this build type you create a fresh subdirectory and all files generated during the build (object files, binaries etc) are written in that directory. This very simple change brings about many advantages.
Multiple build directories with different setups
This is the main advantage of separate build directories. When developing you typically want to build and test the software under separate conditions. For most work you want to have a build that has debug symbols on and all optimizations disabled. For performance tests you want to have a build with both debug and optimizations on. You might want to compile the code with both GCC and Clang to test compatibility and get more warnings. You might want to run the code through any one of the many static analyzers available.
If you have an in-source build, then you need to nuke all build artifacts from the source tree, reconfigure the tree and then rebuild. You also need to return the old settings because you probably don't want to run a static analyzer on your day-to-day development work, mostly because it is up to 10 times slower than a non-optimized build.
Separate build directories provide a nice solution to this problem. Since all their state is stored in a separate build directory, you can have as many build directories per one source directory as you want. They will not stomp on each other. You only need to configure your build directories once. When you want to build any specific configuration, you just run Make/Ninja/whatever in that subdirectory. Assuming your build system is good (i.e. not Autotools with AM_MAINTAINER_MODE hacks) this will always work.
No need to babysit generated files
If you look at the .bzrignore file of a common Autotools project, it typicaly has on the order of a dozen or so rules for files such as Makefiles, Makefile.ins, libtool files and all that stuff. If your build system generates .c source files which it then compiles, all those files need to be in the ignore file. You could also have a blanket rule of '*.c' but that is dangerous if your source tree consists of handwritten C source. As files come and go, the ignore file needs to be updated constantly.
With build directories all this drudgery goes away. You only need to add build directory names to the ignore file and then you are set. All new source files will show up immediately as will stray files. There is no possibility of accidentally masking a file that should be checked in revision control. Things just work.
Easy clean
Want to get rid of a certain build configuration? Just delete the subdirectory it resides in. Done! There is no chance whatsoever that any state from said build setup remains in the source tree.
Separate partitions for source and build
This gets into very specific territory but may be useful sometimes. The build directory can be anywhere in the filesystem tree. It can even be on a different partition. This allows you to put the build directory on a faster drive or possibly even on ramdisk. Security conscious people might want to put the source tree on a read-only (optionally a non-execute) file system.
If the build tree is huge, deleting it can take a lot of time. If the build tree is in a BTRFS subvolume, deleting all of it becomes a constant time operation. This may be useful in continuous integration servers and the like.
Building in separate build directories brings about many advantages over building in-source. It might require some adjusting, though. One specific thing that you can't do any more is cd into a random directory in your source tree and typing make to build only that subdirectory. This is mostly an issue with certain tools with poor build system integration that insist on running Make in-source. They should be fixed to work properly with out-of-source builds.
If you decide to give out-of-tree builds a try, there is one thing to note. You can't have in-source and out-of-source builds in the same source tree at the same time (though you can have either of the two). They will interact with each other in counter-intuitive ways. The end result will be heisenbugs and tears, so just don't do it. Most build systems will warn you if you try to have both at the same time. Building out-of-source may also break some applications, typically tests, that assume they are being run from within the source directory.


text:
You see the following error code and message when you transfer a balance to another payment option in your Microsoft account on your Xbox 360 console:
Sorry, there's a problem with the Xbox service. Try again later.
Status code: 80162751
This may mean that the payment option to which you're transferring an outstanding balance is not valid.
To resolve this problem, try the following solutions.
Solution 1: Confirm that the information for your payment options is correct
Make sure that the billing address for your Microsoft account matches the billing address you use with your credit card company. Also, make sure that your card's expiration date hasn't passed. Here's how:
Note If there's an error, select Edit profile, and then follow the instructions to update the information.
If you still experience the problem, try the next solution.
Solution 2: Remove unused payment options
Important If the payment option is used to pay for a subscription, you'll need to cancel your subscription before you can remove your payment option. For more information, see How to cancel your Xbox subscription.
If your payment option is used for purchases only, you can easily remove it. Go to Change a payment option on your Microsoft account, select Remove a payment option on the left side of the screen, and then follow the instructions.
Thanks for your feedback!
Provide feedback for this topic
Would you like to contact Support regarding the "Error 80162751 occurs when you transfer a balance in your Microsoft account on Xbox 360" issue you were reading about or a different issue?


text:
Carl Stjernfeldt
Fund: Castile Ventures
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-08-27
We met with Carl when he was with Battery and again recently after he joined Castile. Carl is by far one of the most intelligent and insightful VC's that we have spoken to, and we have spoken to many. He asks intelligent questions. He does a lot of research before the meeting and is quick to acknowledge areas that he does not know as opposed to pontificating on those subject matter like other VC's.PRIVATE: Members Only (64 Characters)


text:
The Changing Face of HIV Testing
As an AIDS service provider, I was always told that the need for written informed consent for HIV testing couldn't be stressed enough. But I also experienced first-hand the difficulty of getting clients to discuss their very personal risky behaviors. And once that challenge was overcome -- once they felt comfortable enough to discuss risk reduction and the need for HIV testing -- I then had to re-establish enough rapport to get written consent before we could actually move forward with an HIV test. Sound complex? It was.
But due to the recently amended HIV Testing Public Health Law in New York State, more people will have access to HIV testing without having to give written consent. The new law states that consent can be given orally, as long as the person understands the test is for HIV, the routes of transmission, and the meaning of the test results.
The amendment also makes it mandatory for health providers to offer HIV testing to all of their patients between the ages of 13 and 64, and to younger people if risks are present. This can only help us fight AIDS, as it is a huge "small step" that will help to normalize and destigmatize HIV. Too many medical providers have been hesitant to provide adequate information and HIV testing in our communities. The HIV stigma that we battle every day (ingrained even in medical providers) not only prevents information from authoritative figures like doctors from reaching those who need it, but also hinders early detection -- one of the most important components of defeating HIV.
I remember meeting one young man who at the age of twelve had engaged in more HIV risk behaviors than most adults I've met. He shared that he had tried to get an HIV test after attending an "HIV 101" workshop that I presented at his school. He went to see his pediatrician, who checked him for "everything." When he returned to get his results, he discovered that "everything" did not include an HIV test. He received a physical examination with bloodwork, but to this day is unsure exactly what that included. He lost faith in his doctor and decided to research some nearby community-based organizations, who also refused to test him for HIV because of his age. He then realized that he had my contact information and reached out to me for support. Since I was an Adolescent Health Education Specialist with the youth department of my organization, I worked to make sure he was educated, counseled, tested, given his results, and linked to necessary care. I hope that with the newly amended law, HIV testing will be a lot more accessible to young people like him, who need it the most.
I also recall counseling a young woman who never believed she was at risk for HIV until she was diagnosed. She shared her thoughts about her relationship with her doctor, saying that if he had discussed HIV testing during any of her many visits, perhaps she would have realized its gravity and taken greater steps to protect herself. At the very least, she could have found out her HIV status at a much earlier stage of the disease. Again, this demonstrates the need for greater integration of HIV awareness and testing into our everyday lives. The message should start at home and flow all through the media, which has such great influence in our society. And we need accurate information, of course!
I've met many people who feel like the amended testing law will have little to no effect on their lives, or the process they follow to test for HIV and other STIs. They talk to me about their lack of access to medical providers due to poverty, lack of insurance, and immigration status. They tell me that all they have left are the community-based organizations, which can provide them with free and confidential services.
Other clients have told me during counseling sessions that they have health insurance and medical providers, but still choose to go to community-based organization for services, including regular HIV and STI testing, education, safer sex and harm-reduction materials, and supportive services. Their reasons range from the bias-free and nonjudgmental environment that these organizations offer to the availability of multiple services available at one place -- something we call "one-stop shopping." It's about establishing a comprehensive and well-rounded model of care that engages community members about overall health and wellness.
I guess there are no shortcuts to education and awareness yet, but that's for another article and another day. Perhaps it'll be when we as society are ready to truly integrate HIV education in all aspect of our lives: real information accessed through school education, faith-based settings and even our day-to-day peer conversations.
As a society, we need to truly integrate HIV education into all aspects of our lives, including comprehensive information in school programs, faith-based settings, and even in our day-to-day peer conversations. I'm not saying that our leaders don't care about HIV, because throughout my years as an HIV educator I've met many teachers, organizers, and faith leaders who take a direct role in spreading HIV awareness. But at the end of the day, we can always learn and improve our efforts to defeat HIV. We can always do more.
Nelson Villegas is the program coordinator of counseling, testing, and referral services at Harlem United.


text:
I�m paid to give my attention to things that I otherwise couldn�t give two hoots about.
Indeed, that is part of my job description as a newspaper editor. We get our start down this rocky path as wide-eyed reporters when we�re hired to actually attend meetings of government organizations and remain awake the entire time without the aid of Red Bull, a Five-Hour Energy Drink or substances used by long-distance truckers. Staying upright and semi-alert is perhaps the most challenging part of these assignments. The truth is, many reporters end a night of meeting coverage with clothing scarred by pens that skid from notebooks onto their laps as they nod off.
So this term �ink-stained wretch� often applied to newspaper people could actually have nothing whatsoever to do with the press.
Anyway, there are hundreds of events, occurrences, issues and conflicts happening in a given day that I monitor via computer or telephone at work, because, well, I pretty much have to. The list runs the gamut from government and its rather suspect spending habits to lawmaking and its relationship to the production of sausage. It could be anything from foreign policy � or the lack of it � to high finance � or the lack of it. Along the way there are myriad references to Kanye, the Kardashians and Krispy Kreme. Through it all, I am tasked with figuring out who Amanda Bynes might be and why anyone should care, whether North Carolina will actually have a budget next year and which person in public life will say something so incredibly stupid that it might be talked about nonstop until someone else comes along and does something equally ridiculous.
As a result, when I get home at night I like to really concentrate on not much of anything at all. There are dozens of things I pay attention to at work that leave my head as soon as I�m off the clock. Some recent examples . . .
News in general, especially cable TV news. It is never, ever on at my house unless someone calls to clue me in that something of immediate consequence is under way like hazardous weather or reading the Powerball lottery numbers. This is because TV news is always disturbing in one way or another, which is why I only watch uplifting TV shows like �Mad Men,� �Breaking Bad� or �The Walking Dead.�
That may tell people all they need to know about the state of cable news.
Congress. Don�t think more needs to be said.
Renaming the Washington Redskins to something more politically correct. � or not.
Immigration. It never crosses my mind at home, ever. At work, however, I�m forced to ponder whether there should be more border security or a path to citizenship or amnesty or none of those things or perhaps another entire crop of ideas no one has brought up yet. I just know that whatever is done needs to be consistent, fair and � more than anything else � enforced.
The trial of George Zimmerman. I don�t even think about that one at work.
The trial of anyone mentioned by TV shriekstress Nancy Grace.
Tax reform. I only recognized Grover Nordquist when he dropped by the office recently because several months ago he cropped up on the TV show �60 Minutes� before I could change the channel to �The Simpsons.� I was briefly trapped on CBS because an NFL game ran too long.
And I don�t think about unions, protesters, ALEC, the Tea Party, Art Pope, Thom Tillis, John Boehner, Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid.
And Obamacare? At work I�m swamped in it, but it�s never a topic of discussion in my house. My hunch is, though, that will change and soon.
Other people I ignore at home include: Honey Boo Boo, Lindsey Lohan, James Franco, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Al Franken, Jesse Ventura and Michael Moore. The guys who make duck calls, have their own TV show and sell books by the gross were on the list until last week, when my spouse accidently happened upon their TV show. She had no idea who they are. I was familiar with them because I had read about them � at work.
Which brings me to Paula Deen, who used to be a topic of conversation at home mainly because I joked that she cooks with enough butter and lard to fund two decades of cholesterol research. Her food is probably equally dangerous to her language on race.
Now that I�m here, I can and will say this about the ongoing flap about the celebrity cook and her admission in a court deposition that like many other Southerners of her generation, she used the �N-word� and did so liberally because nearly everyone did. Well, my mom, who is older than Paula Deen, didn�t, and she wouldn�t let me get away with saying it and as a result I don�t. Fact is, I wince each time I hear it, no matter who says it, where and whatever the context. Don�t like ethnic jokes either, for that matter.
But the cable news explosion over Deen and her unfortunate remarks and lack of a decent upbringing veered the way cable news always does when it explodes � messy, all over the place and making all others feel somehow dirty for having experienced it.
Which is why I don�t watch cable news at home.
And if anyone tries to make me, well, it�ll cost ya.
Madison Taylor is editor of the Times-News. Contact him by email at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter @tnmadisontaylor.


text:
For this fourth week of 2013, we went on a short vacation with old Army friends from the late 1960s when we were neighbors in Germany. I took some photos, but not as many as I planned to take. Too busy having fun I suppose! Now Im caught up and feel good about being able to finish the fourth week and start on week five.
Journaling: We left home Sunday morning and drove straight through to the beach. Barb & Dave met us there arriving just a little after we got arrived. We were like four kids looking forward to our fist vacation! The highpoints were food, conversation, beach and photographs, golf, shopping, talking and walking. More photos and talking! Gotta add in some Scrabble for Barb & Mollie! The guys played golf and Barb & Mollie walked, shopped, went to 3 bookstores, lunch at Panera. We enjoyed dinner out each evening and breakfast out each morning! No cooking at all. We went to the BX so Mollie could buy her new MacBook Pro! Barb and I love haunting Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and Sun Dog books in Seaside. We girls split a fabulous piece of Modica market coconut cake. We all left for home on Saturday morning. Ernie and I stopped for a short visit with the kids. They had just gotten home from the circus so we stayed for a couple of hours and got back home about eleven oclock.
In the Swim Kit (sunglasses, altered with PSE filter) Pattie Knox
Jans Paper Pack Lynn Grieveson
Krafty Ledger Paper Pack Katie Pertiet
Rounded Corner Clipping Masks Brushes Katie Pertiet
Times Of Your Life Hand Drawn Brushes Ali Edwards
Font used is Moms Font


text:
The Insulator program prepares you to apply non-conducting materials, which prevent or reduce the passage of heat, cold or sound, to a wide range of industrial, plumbing, heating and air conditioning equipment.
Application Deadlines
All application deadlines, start dates and training schedules are posted on the Tradesecrets website.
Career Options
Insulators are employed by construction companies, insulation contractors and industrial plants. Many graduates of the program have become estimators, supervisors and business owners.
Grad Employment Rate
Employment rates reported by NAIT alumni are for information purposes and do not guarantee future employment opportunities.
Median Journeyman Salary
Salaries reported by NAIT alumni are for information purposes and are not a guarantee of future alumni income.
Tuition & Fees (Cost per semester)
Tuition Cap: $686.00
Tuition International
Entrance Requirements
All applicants are required to meet the following academic and subject prerequisites.
This program has additional entrance requirements in addition to academic prerequisites.


text:
- Share
Scratch your back, I'll scratch mine
Catching on A UK study has confirmed that itching really is contagious, and that seeing someone scratching makes you more likely to start scratching yourself.
The study highlights centres in the brain important in the sensation of itch and the urge to scratch.
Understanding these centres better may eventually help people with chronic itching disorders, according to researchers Dr Henning Holle at the University of Hull and colleagues from Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Thirty-three volunteers watched 20 second videos of another person either scratching or tapping a part of their body. The volunteers were 64 per cent more likely to scratch themselves if they were watching a scratching video, the authors reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Holle says the experiment shows 'contagious itching' is normal - something everybody does to some degree. "Virtually all of the people we tested showed evidence for contagious itch."
A further 18 participants lay in an MRI scanner while watching the videos. This enabled the scientists to observe their brain activity as they watched people scratching.
The brain scans showed areas that contain 'mirror neurons' - which may facilitate copying of movements seen in other people - were activated during the scratching videos.
"That's definitely part of the explanation, but it's not the whole story," says Holle.
Do I care about you or me?
Another active area was a hidden lobe of the brain - the anterior insula.
"The insula is a key area for empathy for pain," says Holle. "So sharing may be part of it. You see somebody scratching themselves, you know that is an unpleasant experience and you empathise with that person."
But surprisingly when the participants completed empathy questionnaires, those with higher levels of contagious itch did not have higher empathy scores says Holle.
It's possible that the insula is sharing the unpleasant sensation of itch rather than empathetic feelings for the scratcher, he says.
Instead they found personality test ratings for neuroticism - the tendency to experience negative emotions - were highest for the people who did the most scratching.
Holle thinks it makes sense that responses to seeing pain or itch in others might be different.
"With pain and its relationship to sympathy ... you are more likely to come towards that person ... whereas itch doesn't have so much sympathy component, it's more 'me-oriented.'"
It might even be an advantage to move away from another person who is scratching, he suggests. "If you think about itch in the environment - that's a warning sign for you."
An itch you can't scratch
Holle hopes work like his may eventually be able to help people with 'psychogenic itch.' People with this condition constantly feel itchy, but no physical cause can be found.
Holle's team's work is "exciting", says Professor Gil Yosipovitch of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre in the US, a dermatologist and an expert in brain imaging who published some similar experiments last year.
"The psychology part adds a lot to this study and the fact that there is brain imaging adds another layer to our understanding," says Yosipovitch.
However, he thinks that the brain mechanisms of itch are "very complex" and more work needs to be done. "I don't think it can all be put down to neuroticism. I think it relates to a lot of areas such as memory," he cautions.
"Some people think itching is funny," says Yosipovitch, "but this is a symptom that affects millions of people. It's not trivial. It affects quality of life and it affects sleep."


text:
Indiana University East now offers five bachelor's degree completion programs for students enrolled at its off-campus location in Lawrenceburg at Ivy Tech's lakefront campus. IU East and Ivy Tech Community College Southeast in Lawrenceburg have partnered to offer:
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
- RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology
By offering these degree programs, IU East and Ivy Tech are providing an opportunity for baccalaureate and graduate education for residents of southeastern Indiana. The current and future job market is in need of educated professionals; IU East and Ivy Tech can help meet the need for a well-trained workforce in Dearborn County and greater Cincinnati metropolitan area.
If you are in, or have graduated from, one of these programs, click below to see what Pathways programs are available to you.
There are also online options for some of the IU East programs.


text:
Engineered with all the same performance features as the technologically superior Kyoudo™ Fight Shorts, the Mizuchi™ Shorts will evoke your true fighting spirit with their Japanese Water-Dragon inspired, fiber-fused designs. These high-performance and extremely durable fight shorts are built to outperform, outlast and outclass the competition. Engineered with the Mechanical PolyDirectional™ stretch fabric, innovative tie system, exclusive Guardlock™ inner grip waist band system and Pro Performance stretch panel, you will be getting all the latest in fight wear technology.
Innovative tie system with indestructible webbing for a distinct, customized fit
Contains Hayabusa's exclusive Guardlock™ inner grip waistband system
Reinforced T3 stitching for ultimate strength and durability
Extraordinary High-IQ™ odor inhibiting effects
Fiber-fused printing technology for lasting style
Bold Japanese Water-Dragon inspired design
Created with Mechanical PolyDirectional™ stretch fabric
Pro Performance stretch panel and split side seams for unrestricted range of motion


text:
ESO Garching Scientific Visitor Programme
ESO Garching (and Chile) offer the opportunity to Scientists from any other institution to visit for periods of weeks to months. If interested, contact a Faculty member.
Information about workshops, meetings, colloquia and seminars, both for Garching and Santiago, can be obtained from via the Scientific Meetings page and links therein.
This Page is also linked to similar information provided in the ESO/Santiago Page, so that a unified picture of ESO scientific activities can be drawn.
We hope you found the information you are looking for and we welcome your comments or suggestions.
Scientific Visitor Programme in Garching
- Programme Manifesto
- Application Form
- List of current visitors
- Past visitors: 2007; 2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019
Scientific Visitor Programme in Chile
Please consult the ESO/Chile Scientific Visitors Programme.


text:
- Description
What better way can you greet family, friends and guests into your house than with a stylish funky doormat. This doormat is made from tufted coconut fibre which is high quality and great for cleaning those dirty footwear on the way in. The Glitter Come In Door Mat is dyed with exterior paints which sticks to the coir making this mat hard wearing and looking professional for years to come. Features, Made with a non-slip PVC backing Natural coir (coconut fibre) Suitable for indoor & outdoor sheltered use Hand finished in the UK Choose the perfect design for you & your home.
Brand: Artsy Doormats Materials: Not Specified Config Colour: black
- Reviews
- Delivery Info
Delivery Options
Standard Delivery - Usually arrives in 3-5 working days
Next day Delivery - Arrives next working day*
Saturday Delivery - Arrives Saturday*
Extra Info
*Next Day - Available when ordered before 12pm excludes weekends and bank holidays.
*Saturday Delivery - Available when ordered before 12pm on Thursday.
For an estimated delivery cost outside of mainland UK feel free to contact:
Email: email@example.com
Telephone: 0800 157 7264 Mon-Fri 09:00 - 17:00
or use live chat between Mon-Fri 09:00 - 17:00
For more information view: Delivery & Returns


text: Share: Comments Print June 28, 2013 at 11:09 AM Lawsuit fear led to Port of Port Angeles deal Posted by Nick Provenza PORT ANGELES (AP) — A Port Angeles port commissioner says the unusual resignation and rehiring of the executive director was a move to avoid a lawsuit. Commissioner John Calhoun told the Peninsula Daily News the relationship between executive director Jeff Robb and some members of the port's senior staff was dysfunctional and had deteriorated to the point it could have resulted in a lawsuit. Robb resigned Monday for health issues then signed a one-year contract at the same $138,000 annual salary for the newly created job of environmental affairs director. Commissioner Jim Hallett cast the only vote against the job shuffle, calling it a sweetheart deal to give Robb 30 years of government service so he could retire next year with full benefits. Comments | More in General news, Government | Topics: Port of Port Angeles, rehire, resignation


text:
Discerning the News
It's no secret that many Christians harbor deep skepticism of the "liberal media elite." Some have been burned by the media, noting unfair or unfriendly coverage from the past. "I never just accept what newspapers say about people. I …Read More
Sarah Bailey
Sarah Pulliam Bailey is online editor for Christianity Today and a contributor to GetReligion.org.


text:
More in Mumbai Guide
More in Entertainment
More in News
More in Photos
More in Videos
More in Sports
More in Lifestyle
Thank you for your interest in email newsletters from Mid-Day. Input your email address below, select the desired newsletters, and click Sign Up to submit.
By signing up for email, you are agreeing to receive news, and information from Mid-day.com . Click here to visit our Privacy Policy. Easy unsubscribe links are provided in every email.
Get the latest news, top galleries and trending videos in Entertainment,Mumbai, India, World and Sports delivered to your inbox
Get the latest news, galleries and videos in bollywood, hollywood, web series and television delivered to your inbox
Get the features from Sunday Mid-day delivered to your inbox
Much in the news telly couple Jay Bhanusali and Mahi Vij were recently spotted together holding each others hands at an event that was held recently in Mumbai.
Sign up for all the latest news, top galleries and trending videos from Mid-day.com


text:
by Rob Glidden
Staff Writer
With the current school year winding down, the Board of Education filled two important administrative positions for next year, appointing Marilyn Kahl as the new principal of Kelley Elementary School and Michael Halloran as the newest assistant principal at Southington High School.
"You both came from rich pools of candidates and rose to the top," said Chairman Brian Goralski. "We look forward to your work in Southington."
Surrounded by family members and given a standing ovation by the meeting's attendees, the new administrators thanked the school leaders during brief remarks.
Kahl has been serving as the assistant principal at Derynoski Elementary School for the last two years. Before that, she had worked for 16 years as a teacher at Cheshire's Highland Elementary School.
"The last two years have been so rewarding and I'm looking forward to this new professional challenge," she said. "It's really an honor, although I am sad to leave Derynoski."
Kelley has a much smaller student population than Derynoski, and Kahl said this would help her eventually learn all the student's names and spend more time in the classrooms. She is replacing longtime principal Elizabeth Lutz, who Kahl described as a leader with "huge dedication."
Halloran, a Southington native, has been the principal of the CREC Polaris Center in East Hartford since 2009. Before that, he held a variety of administrative positions in Hartford schools. He said he was excited by the chance to participate in Southington's school system, which he greatly admires.
"It's an honor and privilege to be able to serve my community," Halloran said. "I'm very much looking forward to the tremendous opportunities that come with this position."
Now one of four assistant principals at the high school, Halloran will replace the retiring Andrew Bayer, who has held the position for over a decade.
Both new administrators will start on July 1.


text:
Play the Slate News Quiz
With Jeopardy! superchampion Ken Jennings.
Welcome back to Slate's weekly news quiz. I'm your host, 74-time Jeopardy! winner Ken Jennings.
Every Friday I'll be testing your knowledge with 12 challenging questions on the week's news events, big and small, including happenings in science, sports, politics, and culture both high and low. The questions are multiple-choice, and time is of the essence: You have 30 seconds to answer, and as the seconds tick away, the question's point value drops from 50 all the way down to zero, so you'll want to click on your answer as fast as you possibly can. There's no penalty for an incorrect answer, so feel free to take a guess if your puny human brain fails you.
At the end of the quiz, you'll be able to compare your score with that of the average contestant, as well as to the score of a Slate-ster whom I've talked into taking the quiz on the record. This week's contestant is June Thomas, culture critic and the editor of Outward, Slate's LGBTQ section.
Think you can ace my quiz and beat Thomas? Good luck!
The Slate Quiz is back! It'll take you just a minute or two to test your knowledge of the past week's news. On the plus side, that's Internet time you won't spend shopping—for example, buying the tiny town of Swett, South Dakota. Last week, Swett's lone residents put the whole community up for sale for the low, low price of $399,000. That includes a tire shop, three trailers, and a popular local tavern. You're probably better off sticking to the news quiz. No Swett.
Question 1 of 12
A cease-fire ended Tuesday in what nation, with the president announcing on Facebook that he would fight "to free our land from dirt and parasites"?
Question 2 of 12
On Saturday in Hawaii, NASA successfully tested a "flying saucer" craft that it plans to use for what?
Question 3 of 12
According to a New York Times report, an official inquiry was ended after who made death threats to government investigators?
"I could shoot and kill you here in Iraq and no one would do anything about it," the Blackwater project manager allegedly told his State Department guests in 2007. Sassy!
Question 4 of 12
After a 32-year career, Michelle Howard has become the first woman ever named to what position?
In 1999, Howard became the first black woman to command a Navy ship.
Question 5 of 12
Last week, Bolivia's leftist government announced what unusual reform, to show the country's new direction?
And speaking of turning back the clock, up next we have a question about Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.
Question 6 of 12
The Supreme Court ruled this week that Hobby Lobby cannot be compelled to provide employees with what?
The improbably named retailer has religious objections to certain methods of contraception for women, or at least paying for them.
Question 7 of 12
Facebook owned up to secretly doing what to 689,003 users back in January 2012?
Backlash mounted when Facebook published a study showing that it found it could change the mood of its users' posts by tweaking the content of their feeds.
Question 8 of 12
A British medical society announced last weekend that the United Kingdom is facing a critical shortage of what?
Supplies have dropped dramatically since 2005, when donors lost the right to anonymity, and fertility clinics are increasingly reliant on overseas donations.
Question 9 of 12
At long last, $76 million in funding has been approved to erect a suicide barrier where?
A stainless steel net will be erected to deter jumpers. A record 46 suicides occurred on the bridge in 2013.
Question 10 of 12
The Obama administration has announced that it is seeking to join 161 other countries in the Ottawa Convention, an international treaty condemning what?
The goal is to ban landmines altogether by 2025, but some U.S. politicians have objected, calling mines an important weapon in the country's military arsenal.
Question 11 of 12
A new Oxford Economics analysis shows that Americans lead the world by having accumulated 429 million of what this year?
Question 12 of 12
In a bizarre final legacy of slain drug lord Pablo Escobar, what has been chomping cattle and scaring farmers in the jungle east of Medellin, Colombia?
The BBC reports that the out-of-control hippo population in the Magdalena River is descended from four animals that escaped from Escobar's ranch two decades ago.
Anonymous User
Log in to track your scores!
June Thomas
Outward Editor
Mining precious metals from asteroids
Landing humans on Mars
Removing defunct satellites from orbit
Anally probing drifters and cattle
"Open carry" advocates
Veterans Affairs administrators
Blackwater employees
Shia LaBeouf
The FBI's "Most Wanted" fugitive
World Cup referee
President of an Ivy League university
Four-star U.S. Navy admiral
Banning handshakes
Making the clock on top of the Congress building run counterclockwise
Adding a 3-D flying eagle to the national flag
Alphabetizing the phone book by first name
Overtime pay
Contraception coverage
Maternity leave
Scrapbooking paper and glitter glue
Running facial recognition on all their photos
Crashing Google apps on their mobile devices
Selling their data to China
Manipulating their emotions for science
Rabies vaccinations
Mental health patients
The Golden Gate Bridge
Mount Fuji, Japan
The Eiffel Tower
General Motors
Driftnet fishing
Nuclear testing
Unused vacation days
New credit cards
Spam emails
Excess calories
Bejeweled piranhas
Coked-up mosquitoes
50 African hippos
Luis Suarez
0 points
0 points
June Thomas
Outward Editor
0 points
Quiz Template by Chris Kirk and Andrew Morgan