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Project Stories
Child FIRST
Bridgeport, CT
Juan and His Mother
As written by Darcy Lowell, M.D., Director, Child FIRST
Juan was a bubbly three-year-old boy with big brown eyes and dark brown curls. He lived with his loving parents and infant sister on the first floor of a small, red brick apartment building. It was 8:00 p.m. on a cold November night. Juan was cuddled by his mother's side on the couch in the living room reading a book before bed. His father was watching football. Suddenly Juan's building was surrounded by flashing lights. Huge men in strange uniforms carrying enormous guns broke down the door to the apartment, tore apart the furniture, pushed Juan's beautiful mother to the floor, and took his beloved father away in handcuffs. Juan shivered in the corner, unseen. And, as the FBI departed, the life that Juan knew was over.
Juan's mother was in shock. She learned of her husband's criminal activity just as Juan did, in the middle of the chaos and fear of that night. She felt sick with guilt and stupidity—instead of furniture, her husband was selling illegal drugs. After all, in the past he had "el vicio," a common Latino term for substance abuse. Juan's mother tortured herself. She should have known; she lived too well. Her family isolated her. Shamed by the nature of her husband's offense, too wounded to ask for help, Juan's mother abandoned herself to the darkness of her depression. She did not get dressed. Lights remained off and shades pulled. The plants died. She did not leave her bed for weeks, except to care for Juan and the baby in the most basic sense: food, clothing, daycare. She was numb. Who would ever listen or understand?
One bitter day in March, the phone rang. The call's sense of urgency demanded every ounce of energy Juan's mother could muster. "Come and get your child. He is a terror. He kicks, hits, and never stops crying. We cannot take it anymore." Juan was expelled from daycare.
Juan's mother was so numb, she was unable to see what was happening to little Juan. He was too scared, too lonely, too forgotten, too angry. Juan's mother initiated a timid search for help. She could not, would not do it for herself, but she tried for her son. A neighbor told her of a special school for children with problems, with professionals who worked for the school system. She called. They placed Juan in a classroom with trained teachers who could support him, but clearly this was not enough. Juan lashed out at the other children, throwing toys, kicking, biting. His abandonment and rejection only deepened, while Juan's mother sank deeper into her depression.
The professional staff was seriously worried. They recommended that Juan's mother go for treatment for her depression, that she bring her son to outpatient mental health services. Juan's mother could not. She was frozen. She had no energy. No one would understand. Juan's behavior continued to deteriorate. The preschool teachers talked about expulsion, and whispered about delinquency, hospitalization, medication, and incarceration. They had seen children like this before. And so, they called Child FIRST, an intensive home-based intervention that had helped many of their hardest-to-reach families. Child FIRST agreed that this case was in imminent crisis and agreed to begin immediately. Maria, a bilingual mental health/developmental clinician, and Gloria, a care coordinator, were assigned to Juan's family.
Maria called the next day, and the next, and the next. Calls were ignored. Letters with smiley faces were discarded on the floor. Juan's mother's ambivalence about getting help was very evident. "I was not sure I wanted to know what I felt," she explained later. "I did not think I wanted to show the mess inside of me to anybody." Weekly calls continued. Maria's sweet voice only asked, "Is there anything that I can do for you?" After one and a half months, the team was allowed to come to the home.
Juan was now in his third school, still full of rage, tearing through the classroom, lashing out at children and staff. When Maria and Gloria entered the home, Juan emerged, his face contorted with anger. This little four-year-old rammed his foot into his mother's leg, banged the cabinets, and "accidentally" slammed Maria's fingers in the door. His screaming was constant; his face raw and stained with endless tears. More of the story unfolded. Juan's mother drove three hours to a high security federal prison each week, so Juan could see his father. And after every visit, Juan's emotions overwhelmed him and he would vomit uncontrollably and run a fever.
So, the treatment began. Maria gave voice to the hurt and anger and fear and sadness that boiled inside Juan and to the shame and guilt and sadness and fear inside herself. Maria gave Juan a little plastic toy; it was a fat man with a big mouth in his belly. She told Juan that when little boys and girls have trouble finding words for the feelings they have, it sometimes comes out in other ways. Maybe they speak through their bellies. Maybe they have to vomit instead. This was Juan's favorite toy. He kept it with him at all times.
Every week, through play, through words, through song, the feelings were heard, and things began to change. Juan's mother's somber presence became an articulated voice, with clear maternal authority. "In this family, we do not hit. Hitting hurts very much. We can have angry feelings because daddy is not here, but we cannot use our feelings to hurt anybody." The house became more alive: a picture here, a plant there, good Puerto Rican recipes cooking on the stove. Gloria helped her find a part-time job at a local clothing store. Juan's compulsive play with children eaten by dragons, with fathers dragged away to be killed, gradually stopped. And a smart and playful little boy who could be comforted by a loving and energetic mother slowly emerged.
Then, one Monday afternoon, Juan's mother called Maria. "Juan did an incredible thing. Yesterday, we went to see his father. He looked at his daddy, grabbed his face and said: 'This is not right; you are a bad daddy. You left us alone. I do not like you. I am angry with you. I love you.' Juan's father hugged him and cried and said, "You are right. I am so sorry. I love you so." And when Juan and his mother left, for the first time in many months, Juan did not get sick – no vomiting, no fever.
And that week, when Maria came to play, Juan smiled and handed her his special, fat little man with the big mouth in the stomach. "Here Maria, this is for your box of toys. Other kids may use him. I do not need him anymore."


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subset: commoncrawl


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In the professional arena, Web design and development projects are very seldom solo endeavors. Instead, most professional Web projects are team efforts. Therefore, Web designers must be able to collaborate with others as a productive member of a team with a common objective.
Working productively as a member of a team is about more than simply showing up for meetings. In fact, it's about more than just doing your share of the work. It's about working together to overcome individual weaknesses and enhance individual strengths.
A good team player understands that productive teams are more than the sum of their parts. That is, if we assume that an average individual's productivity can be quantified by the variable p, then we should expect the total productivity of an effective four-member team to be well in excess of 4p. This is because a good team works together to support its members and helps them bring out their best.
The team project is intended to give you a taste of what it's like to work as a member of a Web design team. In all likelihood, you will find that it has its ups and its downs. The project is therefore designed to help you take advantage of the ups and work through the downs.
The team project will occupy you to varying degrees throughout the semester. To help ensure that each team manages their time in a manner that will allow successful completion of the project, there will be numerous checkpoints with deliverables due at various points throughout the semester. Unless I announce otherwise, these checkpoint deadlines will be considered non-essential. Failure to meet them will reflect poorly on your team's performance, but the penalty for a single missed deadline will not be catastrophic. Consistent failure to meet these deadlines, however, will likely have a significant impact on your team's grade.
An important difference between groups and teams is that teams are more formally structured. Effective and productive teams are much more likely to arise from a process that seeks to distribute talents among teams than from a process that encourages friends to band together.
To this end, I intend to assign students to teams, not to let students form their own teams. This process will be completed in class.
Teams will consist of three to five students (with four being the target number), and will be formed as early in the semester as possible.
Once formed, teams will remain together throughout the semester. Part of learning to work together as part of a team is learning how to overcome your differences and reach a consensus. I will be available throughout the semester to assist teams in these endeavors, but breaking up or reassigning teams will generally not be an option. After all, in the professional world you seldom have complete control over your teammates and must learn to work with them instead.
One of the first things your team must do is identify an acceptable project. This project idea may arise internally as the personal vision of a team member, or it may be found externally by networking with friends, family and employers or the time-honored tradition of "pounding the pavement." Regardless of where you find your idea, it's important to begin by ensuring that all members of the team are interested in and excited by it.
I encourage teams to identify and select practical, real-world projects. If you can find a company, organization or individual who could benefit from your efforts, that will give you excellent experience working with a client. Even if your team chooses to pursue the personal vision of a team member, that team member must be willing to serve double-duty as both fully contributing team member and client. In short, whatever project you choose, there must be at least one individual who can be identified as the client or stakeholder.
My recommendation is that you think carefully about the stakeholder when deciding which project to undertake. External stakeholders are generally preferable to a team member acting as stakeholder. Stakeholders located near enough to campus to allow for face-to-face meetings are generally preferable to those accessible only by phone and e-mail. A stakeholder who is excited about and committed to the project is highly preferable to one who needs to be convinced that the project is a good idea.
Projects may involve the creation of a Web site from scratch or the redesign of an existing Web site, but your choice of project must be suitably ambitious to occupy your whole team for the entire semester. If you find a project that appeals to the group, yet seems too ambitious to tackle in a single semester, consider "carving out" a project as the first phase of some larger ongoing project (that will be completed after the course). If you choose this approach, however, be careful to define the parameters clearly so that all team members understand the objectives for the team project and what, if any, obligations will persist once the course ends.
I am not placing any particular minimum or maximum on the number of pages a project may involve, since a 100 page site with pre-existing content and a similar design across all pages could conceivably be far less work than a 10 page site built from scratch using differing designs for each page. As a team, you will need to evaluate each project idea to ensure that you can define the project parameters in a way that makes it sufficiently challenging yet achievable.
Previous semesters' teams have submitted comments at the end of the semester reflecting the lessons they learned while completing their projects. You may wish to review their reports of Lessons Learned both before you begin and as you progress through your own Team Project, as the issues they encountered are very likely to be similar to those you will encounter.
The reason you are required to read several textbooks during the first half of the semester is to enhance your knowledge and capabilities as a Web designed. Toward that end, you will be expected to apply the knowledge you acquire from these books toward your Team Project.
As you read each book, take appropriate notes and consider how that material might be applied to your Team Project. As you apply material from each book to your project, make note of the fact. These notes will make it easier to write your final report at the end of the project.
Teams will be expected to work through their differences in the interest of achieving their objectives. Individuals will be expected to contribute their fair share of the effort necessary for the team to accomplish that.
I strongly recommend that each team delegate the necessary tasks in a manner that involves all team members in all phases of the project. This is much more likely to result in an enjoyable and successful experience than a "relay race" approach in which each team member does their part and then passes the results on to the next team member. Think of it as the difference between a braided rope and a chain. If one link in a chain breaks, the entire chain fails. However, if one strand of a braided rope breaks, the remaining strands can often hold on until the job is done!
As with any group endeavor, there is a chance that an individual may not be performing in a manner satisfactory to their teammates. If such a situation should arise and the team cannot resolve the issue internally, the other members of the team may, with my prior permission, vote to penalize that non-performing team member (or "free rider") by having participation points deducted from the free rider's grade.
If the problems with the free rider persist subsequent to the first penalty, the other members of the team may, again with my prior permission, vote on whether to exclude the free rider from the team. If a majority of the team members vote to exclude the free rider, the excluded student will be required to complete a separate team project on their own.
Obviously, when a team votes to exclude a member, they will complete the project shorthanded. As such, exclusion should be used only as a last resort when the excluded member is not contributing anything to the team already.
Please note that the process of excluding a free rider from a team must be initiated at least 120 hours prior to the team's scheduled final presentation. However, if a team member has already been penalized prior to this deadline, it is possible that I will allow the team to vote to exclude that member for continuing non-performance after this deadline, even if that exclusion makes it effectively impossible for the excluded team member to complete a project on their own. Therefore, as a team you need to be sure to act on problems as soon as they arise. And, as a team member, if your team decides to take action against you, you need to take the initial warning very seriously and do everything possible to fulfill your responsibilities right up until the final presentation is made to avoid being excluded at the last minute.
It is important to note that while I prefer to operate through the mechanisms outlined above and assign the same project grade to all members of a team, I do reserve the right to assign different grades to different members of the same team when I believe that exceptional circumstances warrant such an action.
Due Thursday, September 12th in class
The first checkpoint submission centers around creating a team resumé. Its purpose is to let you (and me) get a sense of what talents and interests your individual members bring to the team and what you're currently thinking with respect to the project.
While the resulting documents are expected to be reasonably formal and professional, I am not going to dictate a specific format. There is no need for fancy bindings or covers, but you should produce something that your team would feel comfortable sharing with someone who was thinking about hiring you for a project.
Since you may, in fact, find that you have the need for just such a document, and since the requirements will result in the inclusion of information that you might not necessarily wish to share with a potential client, it is acceptable for your checkpoint submission to consist of multiple documents, as long as those documents are formatted in a consistent way and subdivided in a rational and meaningful manner.
In short, as long as you meet the requirements outlined below, I am allowing you the freedom to do so in whatever manner best suits the needs and style of your team.
The checkpoint submission must satisfy the following minimum requirements:
A sample of this checkpoint submitted in a previous semester is available for you to review. The requirements were somewhat different when it was written, but it does demonstrate the level of thoroughness and professionalism I am ideally seeking.
You may also find it helpful at this point to consider some of the lessons other teams in previous semesters have learned as they completed the project.
Going beyond these requirements is perfectly acceptable if you feel it is warranted.
Due Thursday, September 26th in class
The second checkpoint submission centers around generating a product plan that sets the direction for your project. This is the point by which you will need to have settled on one idea and developed your plan for how to realize that idea on the Web.
For this checkpoint submission, I recommend that you consider the guidance available in section 1 of the Cohen book. You may follow the boilerplates she provides throughout the section or write in accordance with your own format. However, the end result should be thorough and professional in its coverage and its presentation. Again, fancy bindings and covers are not necessary, but careful proofreading and polished formatting are.
Different teams and different project ideas are going to result in different needs for the product plans, so I am not going to specify a specific format. However, I will expect your product plan to include at least the following sections:
Depending upon the nature of your project, you may find it necessary to include additional sections in your product plan. These sections may include, but are not limited to, sections describing your expected revenue model and your budget.
There will not likely be much need for a section describing your projected schedule, since I will be largely setting your schedule throughout the semester. However, if you expect your project to continue beyond the end of the course, feel free to provide a section describing the overall schedule of what you intend to accomplish within the course and what you expect to do after the course is complete.
A sample of this checkpoint submitted in a previous semester is available for you to review. The requirements were somewhat different when it was written, but it does demonstrate the level of thoroughness and professionalism I am ideally seeking.
As always, these are minimum requirements; you are welcome to go above and beyond them if you feel your situation warrants.
Due Thursday, October 17th in class
The primary objective of the third checkpoint is to establish the underlying structure of your project site. By the time you submit this checkpoint, your design process should be well underway. Be sure to reference the documents you produced for the second checkpoint as you work toward the third checkpoint. This will help ensure that your design evolves in a manner consistent with your overall plan for the site.
For this checkpoint submission, you may want to reference the guidance available in section 2 of the Cohen book. You may find Cohen's advice a helpful place to start, but you are likely to find that you need to go well beyond the boilerplates she provides. However you choose to proceed, the end result should be thorough and professional in its coverage and its presentation. As before, fancy bindings and covers are not necessary, but careful proofreading and polished formatting are.
As with the product plans, different teams and different project ideas are going to have different design needs, so I have not specified a format. However, I will expect your checkpoint submission to include at least the following sections:
A sample of this checkpoint submitted in a previous semester is available for you to review. The requirements were somewhat different when it was written, but it does demonstrate the level of thoroughness and professionalism I am ideally seeking.
As always, these are minimum requirements; you are welcome to go above and beyond them if you feel your situation warrants.
Due Thursday, November 7th in class
The primary objective of the fourth checkpoint is to finalize your design and set the stage for your team to actually begin the process of building your project site. Be sure to reference the documents you produced for the previous checkpoints as you work to complete this checkpoint. Bear in mind that these are meant to be simply checkpoints along the way in a single cohesive project, and resist the temptation to treat them as individual projects.
This checkpoint submission will likely require a bit more creativity than the previous checkpoints. If you have been utilizing the Cohen text, you will find that she offers far less specific guidance. However, feel free to use that guidance as a starting point. Hopefully, by this point in the semester, the individual expertise of your team members will be starting to come "on line" as they finish their individual projects. As before, the end result of this checkpoint should be thorough and professional in its coverage and its presentation. Fancy bindings and covers are not necessary, but careful proofreading and polished formatting are.
At this point, each team will likely be so deeply involved in the specifics of their project that it makes virtually no sense to dictate a specific format for this checkpoint. Instead, I will endeavor to describe what I expect in a general sense and let each team decide how best to implement those objectives for their project.
The submission for this checkpoint should be the culmination of your design process. I will expect it to explain how you intend to realize the goals and implement the features stated in your second checkpoint submission. I will also expect it to clearly lay out a plan for building a site that is consistent with the information architecture, labeling and navigational systems presented in your third checkpoint submission.
You may use any forms of documentation that you feel will work for your needs, but you should at least include page grids (or schematics/wireframes), page designs and coding guidelines.
Page grids establish the basis for the page layouts you intend to use. There should be one page grid for each distinct page layout you intend to use.
Page designs describe the presentational specifics for a page. Typically, there will be one page design for each page grid, but that's not absolutely necessary. One page design may suffice for your whole site, or you may find it necessary to associate different page designs with a single page grid. Include as many details as possible in the page design with respect to color, spacing, typography, imagery and any other aspects of the design that need to be recorded.
Coding guidelines lay out guidance for your team members to follow as they begin building the pages of the site so that there is consistency of coding techniques and formatting styles throughout the site. The more thoroughly defined your coding guidelines are, the more consistent the code produced by different team members will be. This, in turn, will make it much easier for team members to read, understand and (if necessary) fix the code of others.
In short, if you do your page grids, page designs and coding guidelines properly, an outsider should be able to join your team at any point and immediately become a useful contributor to the project by producing pages. In other words, the combination of these three documents should provide all the information needed to implement the pages of your site, with the exception of the actual content.
This checkpoint should also contain an update on the progress of your usability analysis, using prototypes or paper mock-ups to test the usabilty of your design with at least one representative member of your site's target audience.
Finally, this checkpoint should continue to update me with regards to how you are applying the material from the assigned readings toward your work on the project. The more carefully you consider this aspect of the checkpoint, the easier it will be to complete this section of the final report.
As always, these are minimum requirements; you are welcome to go above and beyond them if you feel your situation warrants.
A sample of this checkpoint submitted in a previous semester is available for you to review. The requirements were somewhat different when it was written, but it does demonstrate the level of thoroughness and professionalism I am ideally seeking.
Upon completion of this checkpoint, your team should begin implementing your site in preparation for your team project presentation. These presentations will begin in class on Tuesday, May 1st.
Due in class as follows:
You must provide me with a link to your project site's current home page at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled presentation (though you are free to continue making changes to the site itself).
Each team will have 20 minutes of class time to present the end results of their project to the class. You may choose to present as a team, or you may elect a single representative to make the presentation on behalf of the team. Presentations that occupy significantly more or less than the allocated 20 minutes will be penalized in the grading.
Each presentation should cover at least the following points:
After each team's presentation, there will be up to 5 minutes available for questions, suggestions and/or critiques from the rest of the class (and me, of course!). During this phase, all team members will be expected to be available for questions, even if they did not participate in the presentation itself.
Due Monday, December 9th no later than noon
No late submissions will be accepted!
The final report should be essentially a formalized, written version of the presentation described above. It should cover all the points outlined for the presentation above, with two additional areas of discussion: voting and team member statements. It will also involve the submission of your lessons learned coded in HTML.
Each team will be allocated one vote in each of four categories. The categories correspond to the four assigned textbooks from the first half of the semester.
For each of these four textbooks, decide which of the completed Team Projects best demonstrates adherence to the primary theme(s) of that book. Work from the notes you took during the team presentations, any questions you may have asked, and your own individual examination of the other teams' sites.
Since you must cast your votes as a team, it is important that you come to consensus before proceeding. Please note that a team may not cast a vote for itself, but you may vote for the same team in more than one category if you feel doing so is warranted. Once you are ready to cast your votes, be sure to thoroughly explain the rationale behind each vote your team casts. Your votes will not be considered in your grade, but the quality of your explanations will be.
Each team member will add a personal statement explaining what they learned from the course and the project and how they were able to apply their abilities and expertise (both pre-existing and new-found) to the team's efforts. These statements should go into significantly greater depth and detail than the team presentation did.
A sample of the final report submitted in a previous semester is available for you to review. The requirements were significantly different when it was written, but it does demonstrate the level of thoroughness and professionalism I am ideally seeking.
The lessons learned section of your final report should also be submitted as an attachment to an e-mail message. Please code up the lessons learned as one or more HTML lists (unordered, ordered, or definition), nested if necessary. Just the HTML for the list(s) is sufficient; it does not need to be a complete HTML document. This will allow me to easily include your lessons learned in the course website for the benefit of future students.
Here are links to the team projects:


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read moreI'm soo excited about this. Idol is turning out to be a big disappointment with boring judges and obvious bias and favoritism to certain contestants.
I hope this will become a success!
when mapapanood satin to? sa star world pa rin ba?
OMG! Uber excited for this one!!! Any news on who the two female judges are???
Cheryl Cole will judge US X Factor
L.A. Reid has claimed Cheryl Cole will be joining him on the judging panel of the US version of the 'The X Factor'.
L.A. Reid has claimed Cheryl Cole will be a judge on the US version of the 'The X Factor'.
According to the record producer, the British pop singer - who is already a judge on the UK version of the talent search show - will join show boss Simon Cowell and a mystery third person on the panel when it launches in September.
Speaking at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday (02.04.11), L.A. told the Daily Mirror newspaper: 'We're gonna compete against 'American Idol', which is just fine. I'm very confident. But along with Simon Cowell and Cheryl, I don't know who the other judge is.'
Simon is thought to have pushed TV bosses at network Fox, who are making the series, to sign up Cheryl even though she has a relatively low profile stateside.
A source said: 'He believes Cheryl has that rare ability to connect with viewers that few others have.
'Even though she is still relatively unknown, Simon told Fox TV executives that Cheryl will prove an instant success with viewers when the series begins.'
Speculation as to who the third judge will be has included Paula Abdul, Katy Perry, Nicole Scherzinger, George Michael and Nicki Minaj, while music legend Stevie Wonder also put himself forward over the weekend.
The 'Superstitious' singer said: 'Simon should give me a buzz. I love 'X Factor' and to be a judge would be great. Seeking out for new talent? I have an ear for it.'
-msn news.
don't get me wrong chezza fans, I don't hate her --I just thought there are better judges to choose from, I mean American Judges... anyhoo, she's obviously Simon's fave so there..
I think Cheryl was in demand.
And every major reality contests so far always has a judge, usually a female, who is more easier on the contestants.
Britain and America's Got Talent
American Idol
The X Factor UK
It's the same format of judges: 2 Males and 1 Female
One of the males is Medium in terms of standards while the other has the higher out of the 3. The female is always the 'friendlier' judge.
Wohhhooo! Excites for X-Factor US!
I love Cheryl Cole!
Sa 3 seasons nya sa The X Factor UK, she had won twice (as mentor of course)... maybe she really has an eye for talent...
^ I think she was just lucky that she got Alexandra Burke. From the moment that they showed Alex's audition, bookies are already predicting she'll win the competition and she did.
Sino bang hindi naiyak sa parang redemption arc na audition ni Alex.
In the case of Joe --hmm he's real cute and sang beautifully all through out the competition. Too bad his career was over even before it started. (or shall I say, ignited) - plus the tweens are all over him.
Oh well, let's see -nakakatuwa din namang panoorin. I'm just excited for the last judge. I hope it's Paula...
Have you also heard of Nicole being the presenter? yun and sabi ng Wiki and The Mirror. (yata)
i hope they stop making another AI. woohoo! i hope this will turn out to be amazing like the UK version.
'X Factor' USA bosses have said that the show is having two presenters because it wants to distinguish itself from 'American Idol'.
According to the Hollywood reporter, FremantleMedia North America CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz said of the upcoming show: "Our job is to make sure the two shows are as distinct as possible."
"For example - we're making sure there are two entirely different teams with no overlap in terms of individuals who are working on both shows."
"From a format and tonal standpoint, they're very different. In terms of casting the judges, again, we're making sure the looks are different. And I can reveal that we'll have two hosts on 'The X Factor'."
Simon Cowell has teased that Black Eyed Peas leading lady, Fergie, has been "put forward" to be a judge on The X Factor USA.
Speaking during a conference call with reporters in the US, SiCo confirmed that the Just Can't Get Enough singer could be taking her seat on the panel next to himself and fellow judge, L.A. Reid.
The music mogul revealed: "All I can tell you is that her name was put forward but, like with a lot of people we have spoken to, we have to check out everyone's availability,"
He continued: "There is a lot of time you have to put into this show, because it's not a two day a week job when you are in the live shows. You are mentoring the contestants and working five or six days a week. I can confirm that her name has been put forward."
Simon also admitted that he is no closer in making a final decision on the last two XF judges, claiming that everyone involved with the programme have had "nightly arguments" concerning who should be on the panel.
Cowell stated: "I'm used to this; I've done shows in the past where the day before filming we still haven't agreed on the fourth judge because people freak out, they have different ideas, another name comes into play."
According to reports, SiCo and L.A. Reid are the only judges announced for the show, despite Reid apparently confirming that Cheryl Cole is set to join them on the Stateside series.
Speaking of his apparent slip-up regarding the Girls Aloud star's involvement, the former Def Jam chairman old ABC News Radio: "It's a complete falsehood. I never had an interview about it. There have been many, many names mentioned...but no decisions made beyond myself and Simon at this point."
It is thought that the remaining two judges will be announced by the end of this month.
Simon Cowell has announced that he is installing booths in American shopping malls for wannabe contestants to audition for the US X Factor.
Aspiring performers will be able to film their audition tape at one of the MyStudio recording studios across the US from this week, if they cannot attend an open audition.
The first audition studios will open tomorrow at the Pearlridge Centre Uptown in Honolulu, and Arizona Mills, Phoenix, with additional studios opening at Coolsprings Galleria, Nashville (9 April), Dimond Centre, Anchorage (12 April), Oak Park Mall, Kansas City (15 April), and Colorado Mills, Denver (16 April).
All studios will remain open until 30 April.
The 51-year-old music mogul said in a statement: "We think they are a brilliant way to audition for people who haven't made it to the cities.
"MyStudio has kindly let us use these high-tech studios for the X Factor auditions, which record studio-quality sound and video to make the audition tape, and Im very excited for anyone who decides to use these to audition."
The auditions are open to all singers over the age of 12, with the winner taking away a $5m recording contract with Syco/Sony Music.
^ I also read that Gloria Stefan is interested to seat as a mentor...ewan lang. I still want a Simon and Paula reunion. I'm still hoping that they won't push through with Cheryl.


text: The content of this blog is just for adults! I don't have the rights of the pictures. If you recognize one of your work in my posts, please contact me. I hope you enjoy the time that you spend here! Ask me anything anytime I promise I will answer you!


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"I just wanted to write to say how pleased I have been with the level of service from the Currell staff who handled the sale of my flat recently. It was overseen by Brad Suter, who consistently offered good advice and support about how to proceed, particularly when my original buyer pulled out last minute. He re-listed the property and endeavoured to find another buyer very quickly so I could complete my onward chain. Ben Hobart handled the details of the new sale with a great deal of patience and professionalism in a very short time scale. I would also like to add that Kenny Goad managed my original sale in the same manner. I would not hesitate to use Currells in the future and recommend to friends."
Rebecca Wright
"The entire Currell team have been highly impressive."
Robert Bailey
"I'd just like to say thank you for your patience and excellent negotiating skills in helping us to purchase Belgrade Road. Ginette and I both really appreciated your help and you were always a pleasure to work with - in circumstances that were often not that pleasurable!"
Jonathan Schofield
"...the team in Islington have, to a person, all been a credit to their profession. I would have no hesitation in recommending them."
Allen & Faith Mayer
"My team deals with a high volume of transactions a year…Most of the team have a property background, and we would acknowledge that we're hard to please. Currell Residential Victoria Park were amongst the very best of the Agents we appointed in 2011"
Adam Harris - Weichert Relocation UK Ltd
"Currell exceeded all expectations with customer service and getting results with the sale of our property compared to a large and so-called 'award winning' estate agency that we were using at the same time, the gulf in class was staggering."
Ian & Marta Loh
"If ever a company earned its commission on a deal, yours did on this. We were most impressed by everything you did and extremely glad that you remained in the picture after there had been an agreement subject to contract. We had hoped, at that stage, to have been able to communicate direct with the buyers over things like chattels and completion dates, but, given their reluctance to do so, it was invaluable having you there..... many thanks for all your hard work."
Oliver Ticciati
"Very professional. Felt treated in an honest and friendly manner. Very straight forward and friendly."
Simon Wise
"We were impressed with your local knowledge and your lateral thinking for the re-marketing process. Thank you."
Jane O'Connor & Andrew Jackson
"Currell stand out amongst the crowd. Currell's professionalism and personal service made my house sale a totally painless and simple experience, my flat was bloody good though! And I am very happy to recommend them."
Martin Markcrow,
"My flat is quite quirky and Currell's immediately understood the type of purchaser who would most appreciate it. They were very courteous and thoughtful in dealing with my existing tenants when arranging viewing, and they got a sale at a good price in a difficult market. Excellent service all round."
Carol Dukes
"Currell's fast acting and wide reaching connections reulted in an extremely impressive, beyond expectations result. Within a few days of discreet marketing we had asking price offer then one above. Highly recommended."
Darren Cooper
"I found Currell to be refreshingly honest and fair on both market appraisal and appraisal of our house. Especially appreciated your good handling of our tenant during the sale process."
Mr & Mrs G Hughes
"We thought Currell were excellent overall - far better than any agent we have worked with. Best of all you sold the house in less than 2 weeks at the full asking price - what more could anyone ask? We would recommend you wholeheartedly."
Mr & Mrs Q & C Woodley
"In 20 years of working with Estate Agents, Currell stands head and shoulders above the rest. Everything they do from picking up the phone to negotiating on your behalf to following up with admin is to the highest standard. Finally there is an Estate Agent who gives the industry a good name."
Stephen Goodwin
"With Currell you don't get any nonsense, just good service."
Paul Flintoff
"After a very long and protracted sale period (15 months( we have finally sold and i felt I must comment teh team at Kingsland Road who have been handling the sale. They have been unfailingly helpful, supportive and professional at all times. They ahve helped to amke a evry stressfuk time as bearable as possible and we realise how lucky we have been to have such a good team."
Felicity Calthorp
"Just wanted to drop you a line to say how well your team has performed on Regent's 9 for us. Last one under offer today through Currell. You sold 6 of the flats and both commercial units. Your guys and girls worked really well for us."
Sean Meadows, Executec


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3402 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07307
Full-service veterinary hospital providing state-of-the-art medicine, dentistry and surgery for your beloved pet.
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If you live in Staten Island or the surrounding area in NY, then you have picked the perfect site to find a veterinarian. Dr. Michael Arpino and Dr. Lisa Sether are licensed veterinarians, treating all types of pets and animals. Your pet's health and well being is very important to us and we will
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At Staten Island Animal Hospital, we look forward to welcoming you and your pets. Everyone on our staff believes that the better we get to know your pets, the better we can provide the best possible health care for them. When you come in, you'll see exactly why our veterinarians are known for, their
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Member | Jen_K |
Location |
Mountain View, CA, USA
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Real Name: | Jennifer Kuzmic-Siddens |
Occupation: | Freelance Writer |
City: | Mountain View |
State: | California |
Country: | United States of America |
Current Look: | Classic, but with a creative edge. There isn't a shade of black or gray that I don't like, though I'll punch up an outfit with amazing shoes or a statement necklace. I'm happiest in heels, but barefoot will do in a pinch. |
Beloved childhood look: | I had a pair of red overalls that my mother made for me. She had sewn an enormous butterfly on the bottom in such a way that when I walked, the wings flapped. It was the worst day of my life when I outgrew the butterfly pants. I was four and remember crying bitterly over the loss of my look. |
Debilitating childhood look: | Laura Ashley, puffed sleeves, social pariah. |
Current Obsessions: | Statement necklaces. Sweet Moses, I'm going to move my husband out of his closet just so that I can have a place to store all of my treasures. |
Inspirations: | Isabel Dupre, Rachel Bilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, wardrobes on Rear Window and A Touch of Mink |
Trend I'm Loving: | There are SO MANY great shoes out right now, it's hard to narrow down my loves. I think what I love the most about fashion right now is that people are moving out of the "it" mentality and really just expressing who they are through their clothes. |
Trend I could do without: | Harem pants and leggings. Just, no. High-waisted anything. If you have hips, these are just insulting. I'm on the fence about jumpsuits. |
About Me
I'm a frustrated stylist, meaning I'm the friend everyone comes to for help with their clothes, yet you can often find me in jeans and a t shirt, though I'll always add in some kick ass accessories. I do what I can to keep my uniform interesting.
I enjoy shopping for others more than for myself. I just look at Vogue and Elle and point at things and go, "I WANT THIS!" and then hope that it will appear in my wardrobe via osmosis. No such luck yet, but here's to hoping.
I enjoy shopping for others more than for myself. I just look at Vogue and Elle and point at things and go, "I WANT THIS!" and then hope that it will appear in my wardrobe via osmosis. No such luck yet, but here's to hoping.


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Got totally DIY inspired by these spiked heels on A Pair and A Spare and had to do it to spice up some knackered Carvela heels I had. I sourced the studs from New Trimmings, Berwick Street (my go to accessories store if I need something quick, but you can actually source a lot of their produce cheaper off eBay if you're willing to wait for shipping from HK) It took me all of 30 minutes to do. So easy! Thanks Geneva!
I'm Elena, blogging on many aspects of my life here in London. Why not. Stick around and enjoy.
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This is the first question on the Weight and Lifestyle Inventory I had to fill out prior to my psychiatric evaluation for weight loss surgery.
I really had to think about this question hard. I can't remember a time when I DID NOT feel overweight. However, I know there is a picture of me and my Dad from when I was five. I was in a parade in a baton group. We always had to wear a red sequin leotard that looked like a swimsuit. I HATED it. I remember wondering why my best friend's thighs weren't chubby like mine. I don't know where I learned this behavior or this view. I never remember anyone specifically telling me that I was different from the the other girls but I distinctly remember feeling different. I think this is why I had such a hard time accepting myself the first time I lost weight. I don't know what normal feels like.
Another step on the journey..


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Music News
Ryan Lewis, left, and Macklemore pose backstage at the Grammy Nominations Concert Live! on Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles.
The rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis also dominated the nominations.
Recent Music News
December 5, 2013 Here's a surprise: The story of 2013's pop phenomenon has more than a few parallels with Nirvana.
December 2, 2013 Tabu Ley Rochereau, who ruled dance floors across Africa, died in Belgium on Saturday.
December 1, 2013 Hear On the Guarding of the Heart, the piece that earned the award for the Serbian-born composer.
November 26, 2013 A linchpin of "cool" jazz, especially with his own '50s and '60s bands, he was 92.
November 26, 2013 Narco Cultura looks at violence by Mexico's drug cartels and the popular culture it has inspired.
November 25, 2013 The Boss is back with his 18th album, which is due out Jan. 14. Listen to the title track now.


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Comments about 'Why haven't undecideds chosen their candidate already? Some voters like to mull'
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Kaysville, UT
They may be waiting for the further investigation into the Benghazi to see if
the President has some involvement in not protecting the 4 embassy employees and
what else may surface. If guns were part of the reason the Ambassador was in a
very unprotected and more hostile area meeting with a Turkey embassy person
could be reason he was there due a ship from Libya to Turkey. Sort of reminds
me of the Iran Contra of the 1980s that impacted on Reagan and Bush 1.
The transcripts that are surfacing and showing the timeline and the
information in each e-mail is also providing more data.
- 10:13 p.m. Oct. 28, 2012
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TUCSON, Ariz. — Lia Galdeira had 21 points and seven steals Sunday to lead Washington State to a 60-50 win over Arizona.
Taylor Edmondson scored 10 points and Mariah Cooks grabbed 10 rebounds for the Cougars (8-13, 4-6 Pac-12), who have won three in a row. Shalie Dheensaw had six points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots for Washington State, which ran off 19 straight points in one stretch in the second half.
Davellyn White led the Wildcats (11-10, 3-7) with 17 points. Alli Gloyd had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Arizona.
The Wildcats led 27-26 at halftime, but lost their fifth in a row.
Washington 74, Arizona St. 61: At Tempe, Ariz., Talia Walton had 26 points and nine rebounds and Washington won its sixth in a row.
Jazmine Davis had 16 points and seven assists for the Huskies (16-5, 8-2 Pac-12), Kristi Kingma scored 14 points and Mercedes Wetmore had 11 points.
Walton had six of the Huskies' 15 3-pointers that helped them overcome the Sun Devils' 55-29 rebounding advantage.
Washington trailed 37-29 early in the second half, but a 15-2 run put the Huskies ahead to stay. The biggest lead was the final score.
Janae Fulcher led Arizona State (11-11, 3-7) with 21 points. Promise Amukamara had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Sun Devils.
No. 4 Stanford 65, Oregon St. 45: At Corvallis, Ore., Chiney Ogwumike posted her sixth straight double-double with a career-high 32 points and 18 rebounds to lead Stanford.
Amber Orrange and Bonnie Samuelson — who hit four 3-pointers — added 12 points apiece for the Cardinal (20-2, 9-1 Pac-12).
Jamie Weisner had 13 points and Ali Gibson added 12 for the Beavers (9-13, 3-7), who trailed by as many as 16 in the first half but closed to 35-26 when Ali Gibson opened the second half with a reverse layup.
Ogwumike then scored six straight points to help Stanford regain control.
No. 6 CalIFORNIA 72, Oregon 45: At Eugene, Ore., Layshia Clarendon scored 15, Gennifer Brandon and Talia Caldwell each had double-doubles for Cal.
Caldwell finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Brandon had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Golden Bears (19-2, 9-1 Pac-12) who maintained their tie with No. 4 Stanford atop the league standings. Brittany Boyd also had 13 points and eight assists for Cal.
Devyn Galland scored 11 to lead the Ducks (3-19, 1-9), who were dominated inside, giving up 44 points in the paint. They were also outrebounded 51-40.
One game after Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer recorded her 400th career Pac-12 victory with an 86-62 win against Oregon, Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb earned her 100th career win against the Ducks.
California put this one away early, taking advantage of the Ducks' poor shooting and turnover prone offense to lead 38-19 at halftime.
No. 18 UCLA 70, Utah 42: At Los Angeles, Alyssia Brewer scored 16 points and UCLA's defense forced 18 turnovers, extending the Bruins' winning streak to four games.
Antonye Nyingifa added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Nirra Fields had 11 points for the Bruins (17-4, 8-2 Pac-12), who have won 10 of 12. They had 11 turnovers after committing a season-high 29 in Friday's win over No. 22 Colorado.
Michelle Plouffe had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Iwalani Rodrigues added 11 points for the Utes (11-10, 2-8). They've lost four straight — all on the road — and 10 of 11 after winning their first seven games.
UCLA had the game under control from the start, racing to a 14-1 lead as the Utes missed all eight of their field-goal attempts and committed nine turnovers. Utah didn't score its first basket until Plouffe's layup at 11:19.
No. 22 Colorado 65, USC 49: At Los Angeles, Arielle Roberson scored 16 points and Chucky Jeffery had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Colorado.
The Buffaloes (16-5, 5-5 Pac-12) trailed 31-26 at halftime, but scored the first eight points of the second half to take the lead for good.
Brittany Wilson added 12 points and Lexy Kresl scored 11 for Colorado. The Buffaloes, bouncing back from a loss Friday at No. 18 UCLA, controlled the boards with a 44-29 rebounding edge and held the Trojans to 28 percent shooting.
USC (8-13, 5-5) was led by Cassie Harberts with 14 points. Ariya Crook scored 10 points.
The Trojans have lost five of their last six in the Pac-12, and are 5-8 at home this season.
NO. 5 DUKE 84, NO. 11 NORTH CAROLINA 63: Chloe Wells scored a career-high 18 points to help Duke roll past archrival North Carolina.
Tricia Liston added 15 points for the Blue Devils (20-1, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who jumped all over the Tar Heels to take the drama out of this one early. Duke blew the game open with a 29-3 run over 10 minutes, led by 31 at halftime and was up by as many as 33.
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored 18 points to lead the Tar Heels (20-3, 8-2), who failed to give coach Sylvia Hatchell her 900th victory. She would become only the third women's coach to reach the mark, along with Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt.
Pac-12 Men
Stanford 81, Oregon St 73: At Stanford, Calif., Josh Huestis hit a key basket among his 16 points and then made a key block in the final minute as Stanford held off Oregon State.
Chasson Randle scored 20 points for the Cardinal (14-8, 5-4 Pac-12), who have won three in a row and five of their last seven. Dwight Powell added 14 points and John Gage scored 12.
Huestis, who also had 13 rebounds, blocked a shot by Devon Collier in the final minute that helped Stanford stop the Beavers, who were within two points.
Joe Burton had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Beavers (12-10, 1-8 Pac-12). Roberto Nelson scored 20 points and Ahmad Starks scored 15.
The Cardinal recorded a season-high 14 3-pointers.


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Home values plunged by nearly a quarter-million dollars in the San Fernando Valley during June as a record number of foreclosures flooded the market and sales continued to lag, a trade group said Tuesday.
The median resale house price tumbled 34 percent, to $431,000 - a loss of $224,000 from the record high price of $655,000 the previous June, said the Southland Regional Association of Realtors.
The price fell 4 percent, or $19,000, from May, and is now nearing the $425,000 median recorded in February 2004.
"I think that's indicative of the impact the (foreclosures) are having on the market," Jim Link, the association's executive vice president, said of the steep price decline.
"It's going to be a while yet before the (foreclosures) work their way through the market."
Most of the foreclosures are concentrated in communities dominated by first-time buyers who got in as the market was peaking in 2005. Many bought homes with adjustable loans that reset to higher rates last year, making mortgage payments unaffordable.
These discounted homes have flooded the market, dragging down the median price.
"All of a sudden, you're seeing a lot of activity, meaning buyers and investors are starting to lap up properties they think are bargains," Link said.
The association's numbers are based on closed escrows that pass through the Multiple Listing Service. Foreclosures are not included, making it difficult to quantify their impact on the market.
But Daniel Blake, director of the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at California State University, Northridge, said foreclosures are playing a big role.
Its monthly report, based on numbers that DataQuick Information Systems culls from public records, found that foreclosures accounted for 41 percent of sales in Los Angeles County.
"We think that's pretty close in our area, too," Blake said.
The Realtors report showed that home sales in June slipped 3 percent, to 671 transactions or 19 fewer than a year earlier.
There were two more sales in June than in May.
Link attributed the slow sales pace to the number of foreclosures, which take longer to close escrow. Some offers under consideration by banks could also get trumped at the last minute, further delaying escrow.
"All of a sudden, your offer is bounced out. That makes it really tough on a buyer, but that's the nature of the game," Link said.
Blake blamed the sales slump on tightened credit guidelines, which make it difficult to obtain a mortgage.
And both Link and Blake predicted it will take months for all the foreclosures to work their way through the system.
There is some encouraging news, though.
Pending sales, an indicator of future activity, jumped 21percent from a year ago, to 1,128 open escrows. It's the third consecutive month they have topped the 1,000 mark.
The report also showed that:
The median condominium price fell 26 percent from its year-ago level, to $295,000, a loss of $104,000. Sales fell an annual 6 percent, to 230 transactions.
The median home price in the Santa Clarita Valley fell an annual 26 percent, to $450,000. Sales jumped 11 percent, to 229 transactions; the median condo price declined 23 percent, to $285,000; and sales increased 26 percent, to 75 transactions.
email@example.com 818-713-3743


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Number | 22818 |
Subject | Murders |
Source | WBBM-TV (Chicago) |
State | IL |
Year | 2006 |
Publication Date | 11/13/2006; 11/14/2006; 11/16/2006 |
Summary | Murder rates in Chicago have been reduced, with the city citing better police tactics. But a WBBM-TV investigation found that that "the department may be reducing its murder rate by hiding homicides by downgrading murders." They uncovered dozens of cases where cause of death was, for instance, indicated as "Non-Criminal death or Death Investigation," though the victim showed clear signs of having been strangled. This included a particular case where the official cause of death was a heart attack, but the pathologist determined that strangulation was the true culprit. The results of the investigation put the police department at odds with the Medical Examiner's office. |
Category | Contest Finalist |
Pages | 11 |
Keywords | Muder; homicide; police; murder rates; false autopsy report; cause of death |
Related Links | |
Related Video | |
Contest Questionnaires | Only members can download contest entry questionnaires! Log in to get access. |
Ordering info | Want to place an order? Email us or call us at 573-882-3364 (Stories are only available to members of IRE. For membership information, please refer to our membership page) |


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For the past four years, the Pumpkin Run has served as a major fundraiser for the Manteca Unified Student Trust.
The Moms Club of Manteca North will be holding a Park Day at Northgate Park on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m.
LATHROP – The Sierra Composite Squadron, local unit of the Civil Air Patrol, is hosting an open house Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sharpe Depot on Roth Road in Lathrop.
Wanted: Tractors to be displayed at Ripon's downtown Main Street. The event, sponsored by the Ripon Chamber of Commerce, is the 24th Annual Main Street Day & 7th Annual Car Show & Health Faire scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those who want to enter their tractors in the car show are asked to fill out a form and indicate the make, model and year of the vehicle entry. Tractors ...
LATHROP - San Francisco International Airport has them. The Stockton Metro Airport doesn't. However, Dell'Osso Farms will soon have one.
Big League Dreams Manteca is the undisputed champ for paid attendance among the nine replica Major League Baseball sports complexes managed by the Southern California-based firm.
Manteca Police canine "Gage" reportedly suffered no ill effects in the recent capture of an alleged armed bank robber who had secreted himself in the attic of a duplex in the 100 block of South Lincoln Avenue.
Annie Banks is no stranger to the world of Manteca Idol. For the last several years, the crowd-pleasing young redhead has dazzled with everything from girlish good looks to a voice that can at times put you back in your seat and leave you blurry-eyed as you try and figure out whether this is really an elementary school student that's blowing you away. But the 12-year-old red-headed Banks – who has come a long ways ...
The Lathrop Chamber of Commerce mixer was hosted by the Manteca Youth Focus Lathrop Scholarship Competition at the Hampton Inn Suites in Lathrop.
So just who is more suave of a dancer – Manteca Councilman Steve DeBrum or Commons at Union Ranch (Premier Care) Chief Executive Officer Don Peterson?
Manteca Police Canine "Spike" took first place in the class A division for military and retired police dogs last weekend in the Lodi Police Department's annual canine trials.
The following are upcoming Manteca Parks & Recreation programs. For more information call 456-8600.
St, Anthony's Harvest Festival this weekend A Manteca staple for more than half a century, St. Anthony of Padua's 2009 Harvest Festival is set for this Saturday and Sunday on the church grounds at the corner of Fremont and Sutter streets. On tap for the two-day event are many food booths, game booths, silent and live auctions, a produce stand, bookworm booth and a host of other things that families can enjoy. In addition, ...
Passing this way but once, a honeymooning German couple was befriended by Manteca motorcycle officer John Machado after an intersection fender bender at Yosemite and Lincoln avenues Tuesday afternoon.
Work continues at the Spreckels Recreation Park BMX track at Spreckels Avenue and Moffat Boulevard. Inspections are expected to take place this week with concrete work targeted for next week which means the track could open in a month or so.
NEW YORK (AP) - After 20 years, it's possible for the details of a relationship to get fuzzy.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Arrowhead Stadium is once again the loudest stadium in the NFL.
Manteca biggest growth spurt wasn't in 1985 when 1,400 new homes bought by a tidal wave of Bay Area Transplants prompted the establishment of the 3.9 percent annual growth cap tied to sewer allocations.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Mormon congregations don't typically require members to have transportation, commit to active participation, accept assignments, be employed and forgo any church welfare.
Scott Hamilton, 34, of Manteca survived a three-car pileup Sunday morning on Highway 120 south of Sonora that claimed two lives of the occupants of an oncoming vehicle at Keystone Ranch.
QUINCY, Mass. (AP) - A couple accused of killing their 5-month-old daughter by giving her a bottle of formula with heroin in it were charged with manslaughter on Friday.
Employee handbooks don't have protocols for apocalyptic episodes.
Connor McKinney didn't sprint over to one of the pedal cars that awaited him on the speedway at Dell'Osso Farms, but he didn't quite walk either.
Nearly three scores of students added STAR power to the Manteca Unified Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. Some even shone twice as bright.
Gun control legislation is typically considered a slam-dunk in California.
Kaiser Manteca nurses are pounding the pavement today at Woodbridge at Del Webb to share with the residents their concerns about the state of health services at the West Yosemite Avenue medical facility.
A 19-year-old Sacramento man has been arrested on attempted murder charges associated with an early morning double shooting Sept. 7 in a Victory Avenue home south of Alameda Street and east of Union Road, just blocks north of the Manteca Police Department.
FRENCH CAMP –Jeffrey Michael thought of the people at "Restore the Delta" as a "bunch of hippies" when they first papered his car with their mantra.


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Group Therapies
What is Group Therapy?
Group therapy is a form of psychosocial treatment where a small group of patients meet regularly to talk, interact, and discuss problems with each other and the group leader (therapist). Group therapy attempts to give individuals a safe and comfortable place where they can work out problems and emotional issues. Patients gain insight into their own thoughts and behavior, and offer suggestions and support to others. In addition, patients who have a difficult time with interpersonal relationships can benefit from the social interactions that are a basic part of the group therapy experience.
Couples Reintegration Group
This group is for couples, one of whom is a returning ADSM. The group will focus on common relationship issues related to reintegration including communication, intimacy, family roles and stages of reintegration. It is a four week group with the option of continuing the group for up to twelve weeks as new material will be presented and discussed in three modules, each of which lasts four sessions.
A concurrent child therapy group will be held to accommodate families with children aged four to twelve. Thursdays, 1530-1630.
Spouses Support Group
This group provides support and understanding for spouses of military personnel.
It requires advanced registration and meets on Thursdays at 1100.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Men
This group is designed for men (active duty, retired, spouses) who can benefit from learning how to better manage stressors of daily life, reduce escalating of anger and/or anxiety, and who are ready to explore their power in a supportive environment.
This is a 12-week intensive skill building group that meets weekly.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Women
The goals of the Women's DBT group uses the 4 foundations of DBT:
- Mindfulness – increasing awareness of self and learning to be effective
- Distress Tolerance – building coping skills and dealing with stressors
- Emotional Regulation – understanding and managing emotions
- Interpersonal Effectiveness – improving communication and relationships
This is a 12-week intensive skill building group that meets weekly.
ACT on Anger
This group uses the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to understanding and handling anger. ACT teaches clients to evaluate the underlying thoughts creating strong emotions, like anger, and to help people refrain from needless and untrue thoughts. In addition, it enhances the client's capacity for psychological acceptance and commitment to goal directed behavior change.
Please call the Warrior Support Center at (719) 640-5445 to set up an intake to register for the group.
All groups require pre-registration.
Related Topics & Articles
Do you need help?
If you have any concerns about yourself or someone you know, please seek help at your local crisis center or emergency room.


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(Way Outside) the WSOP Europe – Day 14 Main Event final table is set
The £10,000 + 350 Main Event has now reached the final table of nine, returning Tuesday afternoon at 12pm UK time/7 am ET/4 am PT to play down to a winner, who'll earn a coveted WSOP gold bracelet and over £830,000 (~$1.3m US). Several big names fell short of reaching the final table, including Phil Ivey (19th), Viktor Blom (16th) and Barny Boatman (13th). Here's how the final table will be situated, with just a few minutes remaining in level 20: 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante:
Seat 1: Roland de Wolfe – 1,377,000
Seat 2: Marc Inizan – 349,000
Seat 3: Nicolas Levi – 428,000
Seat 4: Fabrizio Baldassari – 697,000
Seat 5: Brian Powell – 842,000
Seat 6: Dan Steinberg – 1,520,000
Seat 7: James Bord – 1,331,000
Seat 8: Ronald Lee – 1,899,000
Seat 9: Dan Fleyshman – 1,946,000
Streaming of the final table, with hole cards, on a five-hour delay will be available at www.espn3.com and www.wsop.com for European viewers. For those looking to follow the action live, PokerNews and WSOP.com will constantly be providing live updates.
Elsewhere …
TJ Cloutier Choctaw Poker Classic – Durant, OK :: Sudhakara Kattamuri takes down the $1,500 + 100 Main Event for $73,127.
Big Poker Oktober – Bicycle Casino :: Small buy-in series of tournaments through Oct. 9, NAPT in November.
PokerStars WCOOP $5k Main Event: Under 125 players remaining, one of them tbvle, winner of hand 50,000,000,000 on PokerStars at a 2/5 cent table, which included a WCOOP Main Event ticket. He's turned that into at least $17,711 and is looking for more. The PokerStars blog is providing live updates as they play down to a winner by Tuesday morning.


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I got backed up today with kids home and Tia needing the afternoon for conference calls. So I literally had 19 minutes to run and wanted to be sure I was done.
Monday, March 23, 2009
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A chronicle of my efforts to run every day, thoughts about running and health, and interesting places to run.


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Paul Zarzyski(.com)— Newsflashes & Fast Dashes | |||||||||
ARCHIVE ENTRIES © Paul Zarzyski. All rights reserved. These words may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission. |
check out www.kpfa.org for the March 18 program Sing Out for 2 hours of cowboy poetry and song from The 25th annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko this past Jan.—Hosted by Heather Hafleigh, includes 3 cuts from Hang-n-Rattle (archive expires April 1, 2009) |
© Paul Zarzyski, 2009/created 03.23.09 |