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Mt. Pleasant church to hold Thanksgiving meal
For the 13th year, members of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant are inviting members of the community to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them.
"The main focus of this event is for people to have a place to go where they can be with others and not be alone," said Wanda Permuka of Mt. Pleasant, the church's council president. "Holidays can be lonely times and we want provide a warm, friendly place where people can come and enjoy meeting new friends or connecting with those they have met there before."
The goal of the event is to provide that kind of atmosphere along with a good meal, she added.
The free meal will be served at the church located at 822 W. Main St. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Permuka said volunteers serve between 160 and 180 people from the Mt. Pleasant area each year.
"There are a core group of people who do not have family and have no place to go on Thanksgiving, so this has become their family," said the Rev. Karen Thompson, pastor of the church. "It's free and open to everyone. It's not about the money; it's about the social aspect."
Those who attend will partake in a traditional Thanksgiving meal made by members of the church and Kings Pointe Catering of Tarrs.
The feast will include turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls/bread & butter.
A selection of pies will be available for dessert.
Beverages consist of coffee, hot tea, iced tea, orange drink and water.
For those who are unable get to the event on their own, transportation is available within a five-mile radius.
Those in need should call 724-547-5941 to arrange a pick up time.
At least 75 volunteers from the church, the local community and as far away as Charleroi, Donegal, Scottdale and Greensburg give of their time each year to make this event happen, Permuka said.
She added that several local businesses and churches donate funding and supplies. It will be the third year Noah Ponko, 13, of Mt. Pleasant will volunteer at the event.
While other kids his age are playing with their cousins or watching football on television, Ponko will be helping out in the dining room by taking drink orders.
"I think it's really great that the church does that and I like to be part of it," Ponko said. "I like seeing all the people being happy and talking with each other. You usually don't see somebody not happy at the Thanksgiving Day meal."
Those interested in volunteering the day of the event can call the church at 724-547-5941.
Linda Harkcom is a freelance writer.


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The Rangers have confirmed "an earlier report":http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=252547&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_nhl that Alexei Cherepanov, their first round draft pick from 2007, died in a game played this evening in Russia.
"We are extremely saddened by the tragic passing of Alexei," Glen Sather said in a statement. "On behalf of the New York Rangers organization, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family. Alexei was an intelligent, energetic young man, with tremendous talent and an extremely bright future."
According to TSN, Cherepanov collapsed on the bench during the third period, but not as a result of a specific hit or play. The site quotes head coach Wayne Fleming as saying medical personnel tried to revive the player, but without success.
Cherepanov had seven goals and 12 points in 14 games this year for Omsk, where he was a teammate of Jaromir Jagr. The Russian wing was the 17th pick overall in the 2007 draft, although most scouting services had him rated much higher.
Although he had come to a Rangers prospect camp immediately following that draft, he never came back to New York. At the time the player expressed his desire to play in the NHL, but given the precarious relations between the NHL and the upstart Continental Hockey League, there were increasing questions about whether Cherepanov would ever play for the Rangers.
Still, this is a tragic blow — a devastating loss of an immense talent, and a player some saw as a significant part of the Rangers future.
Update, 4:22 p.m.: Spoke to Jay Grossman, Cherepanov's agent.
"It's completely shocking, completely devastating," Grossman said. "This 19 year old kid who was a great kid, he had a great smile and was a tremendously talented kid. It's a situation that you can't even describe."
According to Grossman, who spoke to people at the game, Cherepanov collapsed once on the ice, and collapsed again on the bench. I realize there have been reports that he collided with another play, but I haven't been able to confirm that, and Grossman knew nothing about it.
Finally, I asked Grossman about whether Cherepanov had any history of heart problems.
"Not that we know of. He was here attending training camp two years ago there was no indication of this whatsoever."
Update, 5:16 p.m.: Most players hadn't heard of Cherepanov's death before arriving at the rink.
"Some fan just told me outside," Brandon Dubinksy said. "It's terrible."
Tom Renney hadn't talked to Jaromir Jagr tonight, but he had spoken to the Rangers captain about Cherepanov in recent weeks.
"Jaromir thought he could play on our second line," Renney said.
Still to come are quotes from Mike Pelino, who had visited Omsk and spent time with Cherepanov from Aug. 29-Sept. 4.
Update, 5:23 p.m.: Very few players on this team knew Cherepanov. One who at least played against him was Marc Staal, who faced Cherepanov in the World Junior Championship, and then took part in the same prospect camp with him in June, 2007.
"He was very highly touted going into the draft, and when the Rangers drafted him, I was very excited to get him because he was such a talent," Staal said. "From what I had heard he was playing great and having a great year in Russia. So I'm sure he was going to be a big part of the organization's future."
Also, in another conversation with Grossman, the agent refuted reports that a collision with another player triggered Cherepanov's collapse.
Update, 5:30 p.m.: By way of "the Slap Shot blog":http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/, the Russian daily Sport-Express reported Cherepanov's collapse was not a result of a collision with another player or blows to the head or chest. The player was pronounced dead at 10:55 local time.
Update, 5:38 p.m.: Rangers assistant Mike Pelino had visited Omsk in late August in part to check up on Cherepanov, but also as a gesture of goodwill between the Rangers and the Russian team.
"When I went over I was really excited after I got to spend a little bit of time with him," Pelino said. "First of all, he was very very engaging as a young man. He was very excited about the opportunity of when it was going to happen for him to get to New York. We went out to dinner, with him myself, Jaromir and a couple of the other guys on the team. He was just full of energy, full of enthusiasm, really excited… He said he was really looking forward to the day when he could come play for the New York Rangers."
I asked Pelino if he got the impression Cherepanov could play for the Rangers as early as next season.
"I'd have to say if we were in a position to give him an opportunity and he was able to take advantage of it, he would have stuck with us," Pelino said. "He looked good."
Update, 7:39 p.m.: Rangers vice president of PR John Rosasco spoke to Jaromir Jagr, who told him that he and Alexei Cherepanov had just come down on a 2-on-1 together and skated back to the bench before Cherepanov collapsed. Contrary to earlier reports, Cherepanov never collapsed on the ice.
Also, Jagr said there was no issue with medical equipment, as had also been previously reported.
Update, 7:57 p.m.: The video below speaks for itself. It's a tragedy when anyone this young dies, it doesn't matter how many goals they can score.
But Alexei Cherepanov was obviously a special talent.
<object width="425″ height="344″><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c5SJSG9AW54&hl=en&fs=1″></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c5SJSG9AW54&hl=en&fs=1″ type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425″ height="344″></embed></object>

subset: commoncrawl


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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 2:41 pm and is filed under OH, Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
very sexy, but so bad you don't tell the name of the photograph! ^^


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Little Rock Shop - Dunedin selling rocks minerals and fossils from around New Zealand especially from around Otago. Also sells a large range of material from around the world along with jewellery and beads.
Located in the Octagon, 5 George Street on the edge of Dunedin's Octagon, beside the NZ Shop (and located within the DCC Civic Centre Building).Facebook page click on Little Rock Shop
Phone: 03-4777-657
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Rotorua Lapidary Rock & Mineral Supplies Ltd of Rotorua, New Zealand is the Australasian Lortone Agent. We have been in business for 26 years importing and exporting lapidary equipment world wide as well as rocks and minerals, and have had many inquiries from around the Otago area wishing to purchase our Lapidary equipment and accessories. If we can be of any service to you please feel free to contact us via email or phone.
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Ph/Fax: 03-332-0940
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Neil and Sue Courtney's collection. Have a look at the micro minerals collected by two New Zealand
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Craig McGregor is the former secretary of the Canterbury Mineral and Lapidary Club. His website shows the lapidary work he does, and offers a contact for trading in New Zealand materials.
Website: www.craigsgems.co.nz/


text:
SEATTLE – A reputation for building high-performance cars and utility vehicles has brought one thing to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s Infiniti brand: lots of men. But Infiniti is trying to change the perception its products are geared only for those possessing XY chromosomes. Infiniti's renewed effort at wooing more women into its showrooms is the new G37 coupe, debuting in the U.S. Aug. 21. "One change we see on the new (G37) is we are targeting 40% female buyers," says Steve Tomaso, ...
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text:
A series of weather systems in the westerly flow moved across the country during this U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week. In the West, the systems moved across the Pacific Northwest, leaving the Southwest dry. Cyclonic storm systems energized over the central third of the country and moved east, trailing cold fronts in their wake. Several of these systems followed a track along the Gulf Coast and up the Atlantic Seaboard. The combination of moisture and cold Canadian air resulted in widespread snowfall. Snow has a lower moisture content than rain, so it takes more snow (on average, about ten times as much) to equal the same amount of precipitation (meltwater equivalent) that would fall as rain. These winter storm systems brought above-normal snowfall but below-normal rain to many drought areas, giving the impression of wet conditions when, in fact, total precipitation was below normal.
The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: Above-normal precipitation fell over parts of the Northeast that were drought-free, but the rest of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic had below-normal precipitation this USDM week. Long-term deficits continued to mount, with parts of Virginia falling 3 inches or more behind normal for the last 30 days and parts of Pennsylvania to Virginia more than 4 inches behind for the last 60 days. Streamflow levels were significantly below normal (in the bottom ten percentile) across much of the Gulf Coast states to southern Pennsylvania, with record low levels observed at many North Carolina and Virginia streams. Soil moisture models indicated continued drying potential, but the cold temperatures have minimized agricultural impacts. The abnormally dry (D0) area was expanded further into West Virginia and Pennsylvania and moderate drought with hydrological impacts (D1H) was extended into central Virginia. An area of D0 was introduced into northern New York, around the Adirondacks, where 90-day precipitation deficits approached 6 to 9 inches in places.
Southeast and Gulf Coast: Above-normal rainfall over southeast Texas to western Mississippi, and much of central Florida, benefited the drought areas, but the week was drier than normal across the rest of the region, especially northern Alabama to the Carolinas. Widespread 1-2 inch rains fell over Louisiana on the last day of the week, resulting in pullback of D1, severe drought (D2), and extreme drought (D3) where the heaviest rain fell and long-term deficits were smallest. In central Florida, D2 and D3 were pulled back where 1-2 inches of rain was measured. The AH impacts boundary was pulled back to the Georgia-South Carolina state line, leaving H impacts over the Carolinas. Long-term precipitation deficits resulted in low groundwater and stream levels and reduced inflows into reservoirs, with some streams in North Carolina reaching record low levels for the day, week, and month, but the cold weather minimized agricultural and other impacts there.
Great Plains and Midwest: Widespread above-normal precipitation occurred from the northern High Plains to the central Plains and over southeast Texas, and precipitation was locally above normal in a few other places. But generally the week was drier than normal across the rest of the Plains and the Midwest. It has been especially dry in west Texas where many stations reported less than 25% of normal precipitation for the last 90 days. Del Rio received only 0.12 inch of precipitation for October 1-January 25, which was the third driest such period on record in the last 105 years. Lake levels continued to drop, with January 25 reports ranging from 58% of capacity at Oak Creek Reservoir to 3% at E.V. Spence Reservoir. The January 24 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Crop Report indicated that, statewide, 49% of wheat, 48% of oats, and 51% of the range and pasture land in Texas was in very poor to poor condition. The USDA report stated that topsoil was very short to short (very dry to dry) in 100% of the Trans-Pecos district, 90% of the Southern Low Plains district, 88% of the Edwards Plateau district, and 80% of the Cross Timbers district. The Farm Service Agency reported significant crop loss in several western Texas counties, with up to 70% loss of wheat for grazing in Shackelford County. Based on these data, D2 was expanded in the Trans Pecos, D1-D3 expanded in the Edwards Plateau, and D0 expanded in the Edwards Plateau and southern Low Rolling Hills climate divisions.
The West: Above-normal precipitation occurred across parts of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies this week, but the rest of the West was unusually dry. Temperatures averaged above-normal in most areas, with continued melting of the winter snowpack. With the exception of the coastal Northwest and southern portions of the Southwest, mountain snow water content continued near to above normal. Snowfall from this week's systems improved mountain snowpack to above normal in all of Wyoming's basins, but D0H was kept in place to reflect long-term precipitation deficits in the lower valleys. D0 and D1 expanded in eastern New Mexico and an area of D2 was added to southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico to reflect growing precipitation deficits.
Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico: Like last week, no changes for Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico this week. In Hawaii, even with the return of moisture, many of the Islands are not showing immediate improvements to drought conditions as the long-term drought has definitely impacted many, especially agricultural and water supply interests. Above-normal precipitation fell over southern Alaska this week, but the D0H area was kept in place to reflect longer-term deficits.
Looking Ahead: Winter weather systems will move across the northern, central, and eastern United States during the next 5 days (January 26-30), bringing rain and/or snow to the Pacific Northwest, western Gulf of Mexico Coast, and Mid-Atlantic to Northeast. The systems will bring warmer-than-normal temperatures ahead of them and cooler-than-normal temperatures behind them, with very cold air masses forecasted to move into the central U.S. by February 3. During the first week of February, a strong upper-level ridge will become entrenched over the West with an upper trough holding sway in the East. Below-normal temperatures are expected February 1-9 from the southern Plains to Northeast while above-normal temperatures should dominate from Alaska to the Northwest. This circulation pattern will bring drier-than-normal weather to western Alaska and much of the West, central Plains, and Midwest, while the weather is expected to be wetter-than-normal along the Gulf of Mexico Coast, Atlantic Seaboard, northern Plains to western Great Lakes, and southern Alaska.
Author: Richard Heim, NOAA/NESDIS/National Climatic Data Center
Dryness Categories
D0 ... Abnormally Dry ... used for areas showing dryness but not yet in drought, or for areas recovering from drought.
Drought Intensity Categories
D1 ... Moderate Drought
D2 ... Severe Drought
D3 ... Extreme Drought
D4 ... Exceptional Drought
Drought or Dryness Types
A ... Agricultural
H ... Hydrological


text: Culture 2 December 2011 Cancer biography wins award Guardian First Book award goes to Siddhartha Mukherjee's book, The Emperor of All Maladies Sign up for our weekly email * Print HTML Siddhartha Mukherjee's "biography" of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, has won the Guardian First Book award. The book has already been awarded a Pulitzer prize for general non-fiction. Mukherjee, an American oncologist, spent years writing the book - often on the bus to and from work. Its expansive narrative covers the history of the disease, how cancer remained a societal taboo well into the 20th century and our attitudes towards it today. Throughout Mukherjee includes moving stories and case studies of his patients. Click here to read an interview with Mukherjee in the NS, and an essay by Will Self on why the fear of cancer haunts us all. › Tackling climate change will require local, national and international action Sophie Elmhirst is features editor of the New Statesman Subscribe from just £1 per issue More Related articles How to talk about Harry Potter if you've never read Harry Potter Everyday superheroes - how pop culture can help overcome trauma Upon Remembering Westminster Bridge Subscription offer 12 issues for £12 + FREE book LEARN MORE Close This week's magazine


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Vancouver Canucks sign Ryan Miller; Tanev, Kassian, Santorelli still unsigned
The Vancouver Canucks have signed free agent goaltender Ryan Miller to a three-year deal worth $18 million total, a $6 million average annual hit to the team's roughly $17.75 million in cap space.
(That number is now down to $11.75 million with Miller's signing, according to CapGeek.)
The Canucks still have unrestricted free agent Mike Santorelli and restricted free agents Chris Tanev, Linden Vey, and Zack Kassian to either re-sign or let walk.
"He really wanted to see if he could stay in Vancouver," said Santorelli's agent JP Barry, to The Vancouver Sun's Iain MacIntyre last week. "He really liked the hockey team and we were hoping something could get worked out. But it doesn't look like it."
Miller's signing in Vancouver has been rumoured about since last week, and he was in the city on Monday to meet with general manager Jim Benning – the same man who had a hand in drafting Miller 138th overall in 1999, when Benning was the Buffalo Sabres' Director of Amateur Scouting.
He will presumably become Vancouver's No. 1 goalie, playing ahead of both Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom.
Lack played 41 games for the Canucks last season, including 19 starts in a row when Roberto Luongo was traded to Florida. Markstrom has played just 47 NHL games in parts of four seasons in the league, including four with Vancouver at the end of last season.


text: The whole original character thing depends on the series, yes. Characters like Marth and Pikachu are still around, so them being in makes a lot of sense. For smaller franchises, that is not always the truth. Series that come to mind are Golden Sun and Sin & Punishment (like you said) on top of Advance Wars, Custom Robo, etc. When it comes to Isaac, yes he was in more games. That is his plus. Matthew's plus is being the current hero in what is the start of the main story. In the Golden Sun regards for Matthew vs Isaac, I have come up with 3 reasons for each. And I did not have to use the Original Character Card for Isaac. Isaac: 1. In all of the games so far 2. Popular/Well-Known 3. Original Move-Set Matthew: 1. Hero is latest game, start of main series 2. A character Camelot might want to advertise more 3. Original Move-Set The reasons for each almost balance each other out since they both have reasons for inclusions. Back to the topic of Sin & Punishment though, I did the same thing for Isa vs Saki and was FORCED to use the Original Character Card for Saki to even balance him out with Isa in 3 reasons. Saki: 1. Original Character 2. "Well-Known/Popular" 3. Original Move-Set Isa: 1. Current Character (maybe even future character) 2. Localized Hero 3. Original Move-Set + More While Saki comes close to Isa in terms of reasons (based on my list), IMO Isa stands out more. But of course, like you said, it depends on the franchise. Especially the smaller ones since they tend to change the most. Advance Wars has got a new cast in its last game (and I could see Intelligent Systems using both universes for games, or even making new ones). Xenoblade was its own thing, now Monolith Soft is doing X (which may even be in the same universe). Custom Robos tend to have new Ray characters each games. Etc. Etc. It is just that I find too many people playing the Original Character Cards when it only works in certain situations and not others.


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Less than three hours before Graeme Smith took the field on Tuesday during his last international cricket match for South Africa, he was at his one-year-old daughter's bedside as she was being wheeled into theatre for surgery.
It is understood the Proteas skipper's daughter, Cadence Christine Smith, who was born in July 2012, was burnt in an incident during the second Test match against Australia in Port Elizabeth, two weeks ago.
Proteas team manager, Dr Mohamed Moosajee, confirmed to the Cape Argus this morning that Smith had been with his wife Morgan at his daughter's bedside at Life Kingsbury Hospital in Claremont shortly before the start of the fourth day's play on Tuesday.
Cadence went into surgery shortly before 8am and Smith was back at Newlands and took to the field when Australia resumed their second innings at 10am.
Moosajee said the surgery had gone well. "Like any father, it was important for (Graeme) to accompany his daughter to surgery. At the Proteas we have always emphasised that family is as important as our players' cricketing careers," Moosajee said.
"As professional cricketers our players are expected to perform in a high-pressure environment, but they are also human beings with family responsibilities," Moosajee said.
Smith, 33, shocked the cricketing world when he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket late on Monday evening, effective immediately after the end of the final Test match which ends today.
"I have a young family to consider, and I felt that retiring at Newlands would be the best way to end it because I have called this place home since I was 18 years old," Smith had said.
The couple also have a young son, Carter, born in July. – Cape Argus


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The founding members of Daybreak Embrace are no strangers to pleasing crowds with their edgy brand of soulful hard rock. Pulling influences from multiple genres, D/E strives to make music that showcases meaningful lyrics against a musical backdrop of raw energy. Having released two EP's, Daybreak Embrace has set their sights on touring and bringing their blend of aggression and soul to the masses. ... more
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By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
tWrapping up his three-day trip to Lebanon with a Mass staged on the Beirut waterfront, Benedict XVI urged Christians in the violence-torn region to be peacemakers.
t"In a world where violence constantly leaves behind its grim trail of death and destruction, to serve justice and peace is urgently necessary for building a fraternal society, for building fellowship!" the pope said.
"I pray in particular that the Lord will grant to this region of the Middle East servants of peace and reconciliation, so that all people can live in peace and with dignity," he said. "This is an essential testimony which Christians must render here, in cooperation with all people of good will."
As an application of that principle, Iraqi Archbishop Louis Sako of the Chaldean church told reporters today that last night Benedict spoke to a group of Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East, urging them to "love Muslims" and to "pray for them," because "we are all brothers."
We refreshed our website! Drop us a line at email@example.com to tell us what you think. We value your feedback.
On his fourth trip to the Middle East, and his first in the wake of the Arab Spring, Benedict did not lay out a specific vision for the transformation of the region, nor a set of political marching orders for the Christian minority.
tInstead, he seemed to call Christians to an almost apolitical role of service, beyond the region's partisan alignments.
t"Service must also be at the heart of the life of the Christian community," the pope said in his homily, delivered in French.
tThis spirit of service, the pope said, should "find particular expression in an effective commitment to serving the poor, the outcast and the suffering, so that the inalienable dignity of each person may be safeguarded."
tThroughout the three-day trip, both Benedict and his Lebanese hosts seemed determined to broadcast images of tolerance and respect, in contrast to the violence that has swept across the region in recent days.
tCalling service "a foundational element of the identity of Christ's followers," Benedict said that "the vocation of the Church and of each Christian is to serve others, as the Lord himself did, freely and impartially."
tThe crowd at this morning's Mass was largely composed of Lebanese, though there were also pockets of believers from other parts of the Middle East, including Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian Territories, and Egypt – all places where, for various reasons, many Christians perceive themselves to be at risk.
tRather than taking sides among the forces seeking to shape the Arab future, Benedict's implicit calculation here in Lebanon seemed to be that the best hope for Christianity is to carve out a profile for nonpartisan humanitarian service.
tThe crowds which turned out for Benedict XVI over the last three days were generally enthusiastic, though smaller than the last time a pope was in town, which was John Paul II's 1997 trip. This morning, for instance, some 350,000 people attended Benedict's open-air Mass, while an estimated half-million showed up for John Paul.
tThat trip, however, came under a unique set of circumstances, when Lebanon faced occupations by both Syria and Israel, and the pope's presence had clear political subtext.
tBenedict returns to Rome this evening after an ecumenical meeting with Lebanon's other Christian denominations, including both Greek Orthodox and Protestant leaders, and a brief farewell ceremony at Beirut's Rafiq Hariri airport.
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HH Road Race Official Rules
The "HH Road Race: Race To Win" Sweepstakes 2013 Official Rules.
1. The HH Road Race: Race to Win a (2) Tickets and (2) Meet/Greet Passes Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes") begins 3:00:01 PM Eastern Standard Time ("EST") October 10th, 2013 and ends 11:59:59 PM EST on December 7th, 2013 (the "Sweepstakes Period").
2. Eligibility: Sweepstakes is offered only in the United States to legal residents of the 50 United States (and the District of Columbia) excluding Puerto Rico & Canada, who are at least 13 years old at time of entry and had Internet access on or before October 10th, 2013. Employees, officers, directors and agents of Warner Music Nashville ("Sponsor") and their respective parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotional agencies and the immediate family (spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, ward, daughter or son) or members of the households of each (whether or not related) are not eligible.
3. Entry: Beginning 3:00:01 PM Eastern Standard Time ("EST") on October 10th, 2013 navigate to the HH Road Race available at http://www.hunterhayes.com/hhroadrace/ ("Registration Page"), and follow the instructions to participate including submitting your first name, last name, street address, e-mail address, and zip code. In order for electronic entries to be valid, entrants must click on the "I Accept" button on the website. Limit 1 entry per email address. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, stolen, mutilated, damaged, incomplete, illegible or misdirected entries or for malfunctions of electronic equipment, computer hardware or software, or any other technical problems related to website entries. Entries become property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Any attempt at entry except as above stated is void. Sponsor's computer will be the official clock of the Sweepstakes.
4. Winner Selection: Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible participants competing during the Entry Period.
5. Prize: The winner will receive a (2) Tickets to see Hunter Hayes on the Blown Away Tour and (2) Meet/Greet Passes (Approximate Retail Value: $150.00). Any and all taxes on the prizes, and any other costs, fees, and expenses not explicitly stated herein are the sole responsibility of the prize recipient. If a prize is won by a minor, it will be awarded in the minor's behalf to the winner's parent or legal guardian who must sign all required releases. The prize is not transferable. No prize substitutions or transfers allowed, except at the Sponsor's sole discretion. The prize will be awarded. In the unlikely event that any portion of the prize is cancelled or undeliverable for any reason, the winner agrees that Sponsor has no further obligations to the winner other than delivery of the remainder of the prize.
6. Winner Notification/Releases: The potential winner will have 3 days from the moment such notification is issued to respond to such notification by following the instructions provided therein. If the potential winner timely responds to such notification, the potential winner (or the potential winner's parent or legal guardian if the potential winner is a minor) may be required to sign, notarize and return an Affidavit Of Eligibility/Liability And Publicity Release and all necessary tax forms within 7 days of the date of notification or prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner selected. Return of any prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. If a potential winner does not reply to the notification within 3 days of its issuance, is ineligible, or cannot or does not comply with the Official Rules, he/she will be disqualified, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner may be selected, at Sponsor discretion, in a second chance drawing of all eligible entries received during the Entry Period. By entering, entrants agree (i) to be bound by these Official Rules and Sponsor's Privacy Policy: www.wbrnashville.com/privacy-policy (ii) that the decision of the judges are final and binding on all matters relating to the Sweepstakes; (iii) to be contacted by Sponsor by email, telephone or mail; and (iv) to release and hold harmless Sponsor and it's parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, distributors, suppliers and advertising, promotional and judging organizations and each of their respective employees, officers, directors, shareholders and agents (collectively, the "Releasees") from and against any and all liability for injuries and/or damages (including death) sustained in connection with use and/or misuse of a prize or related to participation in the Sweepstakes. Except if a winner is a resident of TN and where prohibited by law, by accepting a prize, the winner consents to the use of his or her name, voice, picture or other likeness for advertising, promotional and other purposes in any media as determined by Sponsor without further approval or compensation.
Sponsor reserves the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or the Registration Page or any web site related to the Sweepstakes; to be acting in violation of the Official Rules; or to be acting in a non-sportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. Any use of robotic, macro, automatic, programmed or the like entry methods will void all such entries by such methods. In the event of a dispute as to entries submitted by multiple users having the same email account, the authorized subscriber of the email account used to enter the Sweepstakes at the actual time of registration will be deemed to be the entrant and must comply with these rules. Authorized account subscriber is deemed to be the natural person who is assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization, which is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Potential winner may be required to provide the Sponsor with proof that the potential winner is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the potentially winning entry. Sponsor may prosecute any fraudulent activities to the full extent of the law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.
7. Limitations of Liability: The Releasees are not responsible for any lost, late, illegible, misdirected, mutilated, incomplete, incorrect or inaccurate entries or entry information, whether caused by web site users or by any of the equipment, computer hardware or software or any other technical operation or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes, and the Releasees assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission at the Registration Page or any web site related to the Sweepstakes, or for communications line failure, or for theft or destruction, tampering, or unauthorized access to entries and/or entry information. If, for any reason, the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, tampering, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor which, in the sole opinion of Sponsor, corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, Sponsor reserve the right at their sole discretion to void suspect entries and/or to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes and select the winner from among all eligible entries received prior to such cancellation, termination or suspension. IN NO EVENT WILL THE RELEASEES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE INTERNET SITES, REGISTRATION PAGE OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM SAID SITES.
By entering this Sweepstakes, entrants agree that Releasees shall not be liable for personal injuries, death, dismemberment, damages, expenses or costs or losses of any kind resulting from participation or inability to participate in this Sweepstakes, or from acceptance of or use or inability to use the Prize or parts thereof, including without limitation claims, suits, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, dismemberment, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light (whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory. Winner releases the Releasees from any and all liability and responsibility with respect to the prize (including any property loss, damage, personal injury or death). Winner acknowledges the aforementioned individuals and entities have neither made nor are in any manner responsible for any warranty, representation or guarantee, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, related to the Prize.
8. Arbitration/Choice of Law: Except where prohibited, entrants agree that (i): any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes, or any prize awarded, or the determination of the winner shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (ii) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Sweepstakes but in no event attorney's fees; and (iii) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Releasees in connection with the Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A., without regard for conflicts of law doctrine, and all proceedings shall take place in that State.
9. Winner's Name: For name of the winner, please visit http://HunterHayes.com/HHRoadRace Online Sweepstakes and reference your event.
10. Removal From Future Sweepstakes Mailings: By submitting an entry on the Registration page, Entrant will be opted-in to the Hunter Hayes Email List. To have your name and email address removed from their mailing list or from Sponsor's future sweepstakes mailings please click the applicable unsubscribe link in the latest email received from Warner Music Nashville. Sponsor will process your request within 60 days.
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Let us know when your receive great advice so we can thank our lawyers and point others with similar questions in the right direction.Got it!
i let a friend borrow my car and he damaged it. he agreed to pay me back the fines so far totaling $620+ because the car still needs more work. i had him sign a contract saying he'd pay me back and i said in the contract that i would take him to court if he broke his payment agreement. i later found out that he lied to me about having a license and is on probation for prior felonies.
He's only made one payment so far so it isn't an issue yet. I just want to be sure I can take him to court if I have to. I'm trying to get one step ahead and cover myself as much as possible.
if he stops making payments, take him to court.
That's exactly what I state in the contract. I just wanted to make sure I could. Thanks so much for your help!
If my comments were helpful, please note such on AVVO - thanks
Whether or not he has his license is immaterial. If your insurance won't cover, take him to small claims court. Good luck.
Licensed in PA & NJ. 29% Contingency Fee. Phone: 215-510-6755 www.InjuryLawyerPhiladelphia.comAsk a similar question
Thank You!
If he is currently paying you, then so what about the other information. If he stops paying then take him to small claims court.
Good luck.
DISCLAIMER: David J. McCormick is licensed to practice law in the State of Wisconsin and this answer is being provided for informational purposes only because the laws of your jurisdiction may differ. This answer based on general legal principles and is not intended for the purpose of providing specific legal advice or opinions. Under no circumstances does this answer constitute the establishment of an attorney-client relationship.Ask a similar question
If you are involved in a business agreement, one of the first things to determine is whether the promise or agreement at issue will be considered an enforceable contract under the law. While contracts usually involve promises to do something (or refrain from doing something), not all promises are contracts. How does the law determine which promises are enforceable contracts and which are not?
Is the Agreement a Contract?
Courts look at a number of factors to determine whether an agreement should be enforced. The court must initially determine whether the agreement constitutes a contract or not. In order for an agreement to be considered a valid contract, it must satisfy certain requirements. One party must make an offer and the other party must accept it. There must be a bargained for exchange of promises, meaning that something of value must be given in return for a promise. In addition, the terms of a contract must be sufficiently definite for a court to enforce them. Fraud:
When one party fraudulently induces the other party to enter into a contract, the defrauded party can void the contract. Fraud means that one party makes a false representation of a material fact that he knows is false, or believes to be false, in order to induce the other party's agreement. A material fact is a fact that a reasonable person would consider important in reaching a decision on the contract. However, if the other party should have discovered the fraud with minimal effort (for example, by simply reading the contract), he cannot avoid his contractual obligations.The enforcing contracts topic assesses the efficiency of the judicial system by following the evolution of a commercial sale dispute over the quality of goods and tracking the time, cost and number of procedures involved from the moment the plaintiff files the lawsuit until payment is received. The most recent round of data collection was completed in June 2012A contract is an agreement entered into voluntarily by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing, though contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific performance of the contract or an injunction. Both of these remedies award the party at loss the "benefit of the bargain" or expectation damages, which are greater than mere reliance damages, as in promissory estoppel. The parties may be natural persons or juristic persons. A contract is a legally enforceable promise or undertaking that something will or will not occur. The word promise can be used as a legal synonym for contract.[1], although care is required as a promise may not have the full standing of a contract, as when it is an agreement without considerationThe elements of a breach of contract claim are: 1) the contract; 2) plaintiff's performance or excuse for nonperformance; 3) defendant's breach; and 4) damage to plaintiff. You cannot be in breach yourself while claiming that the other party breached, unless your performance was made impossible by the defendant. Not every hypertechnical lapse is a breach; whether or not a breach is "material" enough to be actionable depends on the facts. Similarly, the "no harm, no foul," rule generally applies, so you must be actually damaged to make a valid claim.
The materials available at this web site are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Use of and access to this Web site or any of the e-mail links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between Howard Roitman, Esq. and the user or browser. The opinions expressed at or through this site are the opinions of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of the firm or any individual attorney.Ask a similar question
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text:
Google+ killer feature hits iOS
6 Comments
1. Jphones (Posts: 235; Member since: 10 Feb 2012)
Google+ definitely a Facebook killer. Just like MySpace was hot back in the day Facebook killed it and Googl+ will eventually catch up to Facebook once more people start using it and find It's way better than Facebook. Social sites always have A life expectancy get on board early people.
2. _idan_ (Posts: 10; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
"Instant Upload, for those who may not know yet, is probably the best feature available for casual Google+ users, because you can get value from it even if you don't really use Google+. " you're joking right?
while a fan of g+, lolz, its funny that all those i know, this is the first feature they turn off. why would anyone want to waste all that bandwith backing up pics and videos that are auto compressed and useless for long term storage?
for sharing? hell anything i want shared i can upload then and there from my gallery.
4. MichaelHeller (Posts: 2720; Member since: 26 May 2011)
1) I'm talking about casual users, not professional photographers here.
2) you can set it to only upload on WiFi if you're that worried about your bandwidth usage.
3) Images are compressed to 3MP, which is still far bigger than most casual users would ever need, especially when sharing on the web.
4) why is it useless for long-term storage? do you expect Google to go out of business soon, or lose your data?
5) Sure, you can upload anything you want to share, but there is absolutely no harm in having an automatic backup of your data.
6. _idan_ (Posts: 10; Member since: 14 Feb 2012)
You misunderstand. I am not talking about professional photos here either, but my phone comes with 8MP.
Those being converted to 3MP makes them not worth as a backup for future download and reprint or editing and therefore long term storage, still having to use dropbox or copy files manually to a hard drive. Videos that are also resized from 720p or 1080p to whatever and can not be downloaded even through data liberation option...
So why would i upload every single pic and video if I'm gonna share 1 out of 100 on g+ taking above into consideration.
Bandwidth concerns and Google going out of business has got nothing to do with that.
See, this is where I think Nokia was on the right track with OVI Share (don't think it will survive much longer). Even though pics and videos were resized for the web purposes, you the owner, can always get to the original uploaded files and thats what made them valuable. Sadly with g+ picasa you can't.
5. remixfa (Posts: 14605; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)
I have a daughter and love the fact that every picture I take is backed up.. especially with all the stuff I do to my phone. and it only uses 3g if u tell it. u can set it to wifi uploads only as well as on a charger only so it doesn't take battery life..
3. ReformedCtrlZ (Posts: 13; Member since: 16 May 2011)
Windows Phone 7 shipped with the ability to do this without google+ or any other app. I think its turned off by default (for lower data consumption) but every picture I take now is automatically uploaded safe on my skydrive... in other words, instant upload is not a "Killer Feature."


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The Internal Revenue Code does not limit the number of deductible charitable donations you can make in a single tax year. The same rules apply whether you donate one car or 500 cars. However, you must ensure that you satisfy all requirements for each separate vehicle donation. Initially, you must ensure you make the donation to a qualified nonprofit charity that promotes charitable, humanitarian, educational, scientific, literary or religious causes.
Annual deduction limitations
Although there is no limit on the number of cars you can donate, the IRS does limit the amount of your total charitable contribution deduction each year. Generally, you can deduct the value for all vehicles you donate if the total does not exceed 50 percent of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). If you have insufficient AGI to claim the full value of your donations in the current tax year, you can deduct the excess in any of the next five tax years.
Valuing your car donations
Unlike other property you donate to charity, the IRS imposes more restrictions on how you can assess the fair market value of a car. It requires you to reference a used-car price guide when assessing value. There are multiple guides you can use; however, you must reference one that considers the vehicle's make, model, year, mileage and condition in its price assessment. In addition, taxpayers may only use the private-party sale prices rather than the price a used-car dealership charges for similar vehicles.
Documenting your car donations
For each vehicle that you value at more than $500, you must deduct the smaller of its fair market value or the gross proceeds the charity obtains in a subsequent sale. Charitable organizations that accept used vehicles must provide you with a Form 1098-C that reports the proceeds of the sale. When the organization sells the vehicle for $500 or less, the IRS limits your deduction to the smaller amount — either $500 or the fair market value of the vehicle on the date of contribution.
Reporting your car donation deduction
To claim the charitable contributions deduction for your cars, you must be eligible to itemize your deductions by incurring total deductible expenses during the year that exceed the standard deduction amount. If eligible, you must include all charitable donations on the Schedule A attachment to your personal income tax return. You must also complete an IRS Form 8283 if any single donation results in a deduction of $500 or more. The IRS imposes severe penalties on taxpayers who grossly overvalue their vehicle donations. If you report a car value that is 150 percent or more of its true value, you may incur a penalty of 20 percent calculated on the underpayment of tax that directly results from the overvaluation. The penalty increases to 40 percent for values that are 200 percent or more of actual value. The IRS provides a guide for determining the value of donated property.


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Ticks are small, insect-like creatures that live in woods and fields. They can attach to people or animals as they brush past bushes, plants, and grass. Ticks can be fairly large, as big as a pencil eraser, or so small that they are almost impossible to see. While most ticks do not carry diseases, some ticks can cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.
Review Date 7/14/2015
Updated by: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.


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Haestad happy with Wigan choice
By Mark Buckingham
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
Kristofer Haestad is satisfied with his decision to join Wigan Athletic.
Kristofer Haestad is satisfied with his decision to join Wigan Athletic, after revealing Morten Gamst Pedersen tried to persuade him to sign for Blackburn Rovers.
The Norway international has linked up with Wigan on a six-month loan deal from IK Start, with the option of a permanent arrangement.
Galatasaray had also been interested in the midfielder, but Haestad revealed the Premiership was where he wanted to go.
"I have been watching the Premiership since I was a little kid," Haestad told Sky Sports News.
"It's big for me to come down here and finally get the chance to play.
"Wigan were the first club that gave me the opportunity and they were the first club after me, so I didn't really have to think that much about it.
"I'm satisfied with my choice and I look forward to playing for Wigan for the next six months."
Haestad, though, admitted his fellow Norwegian, Pedersen, made a late attempt to talk him into a switch to Blackburn.
He added: "I got a call from him (Pedersen) as I was sitting at The JJB Stadium and just about to sign the contract.
"He said 'don't sign, don't sign', but I'm happy with my choice and he thinks it's fun I'm getting the opportunity to play in the Premiership."


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Have Relationship Questions? Ask a Counselor for Answers ASAP
Hi Kate,
i'm slowly getting myself together, sorting the cottage, almost there, it's so good it's got everything needed to live without having to bring too much from home, just favourite mugs and my pressure cooker etc. Poppy has been with me the whole time, not been to see D, not asked about him, avoided going home for stuff when he's there, but she did say yesterday she supposed she ought to go and see him.
Sam has spent most of his time at the barn, did sleep here last night but didn't come over til late, up in time to drive himself to college, but I have seen him very little, njot even had supper here tonight. he was here doing his homework when I came home from work having a bad day, was late for his lesson this morning, missed registration and the worksheet (no teacher) so went into town, tried to work when he got in but was struggling, said to remind him to take his pills tomorrow. I am missing him, but know he is at the barn bc of his friends and it's how he always is, in and out, it's just bc I'm not at home to see him when he's in and out that I don't see him!
But he did tell me that he had offered to clean the house for D, but for pocket money, I said if he does he needs to be paid up front, but I'd rather D did it himself. I think Sam is still hoping to do that, wants the money (lots of expenses now, drugs, car, clothes, he told me he took some savings out today. It makes me sad that I spent 18 years saving up for him, now he can use it as he pleases, but he wants to be thrifty, took some out to buy a new stereo for his car, but went out tonight to get it, finding they were all too expensive. I'm glad in a way bc what he has is just fine. He also said he would buy some supplies for D while he was out, again I said make sure he gets the money first, but he should really let D do his own shopping (and for dog food), otherwise he isn't going to learn. This evening when I went to feed the animals at about 5.30 D came back in his van; I put the dogs in after a run and he said he'd just had fish and chips from the van, said it's ridiculous cooking for just one, I said you're going to have to, many people do. There are still raedy meals in the freezer, more in the shops, but he just wants to not be bothered. My guess is he's been eating some nights at the pub when he's been gone all hours (I only keep an eye bc of the dogs). I know he has no money in his accounts, in fact the bank have refused some payments, I have witheld transferring money (nopt from my account, between his) until today, just want him to know, so he has had a letter from the bank giving him all the charges that will be against his account with each day he is over his OD limit. So, I am guessing, bc the pub owes him several hundred pounds, unable to pay bc of lack of funds, he is taking advantage and drinking/eating on tab so that he gets paid it one way or another. For someone who can't afford bread milk and eggs he certainly is out a lot.
So, I asked him how he was this evening, he said not alright really. I said you'll be fine. At least he has Sam coming and going, Sam has said he seems fine, but he obviously isn't working. Sam told me that mark was there today, and they were discussing a new 'business plan' to trade on Ebay, buy and sell. That'll be an onus on Mark bc D is not computer savvy, maybe he'll be able to do the buying, just up his street, and Mark the selling. Good luck to them. I found a job advert in the local shop on Monday, couldn't help myself, had to copy the details down and leave them for D to find the next day. I don't know if he phoned them or not, I think I'll move on.
This evening though I have written him a letter about the expenses for the Barn, how they are currently being paid, and that he can continue to pay me a weekly sum to cover some of them, and pay the rest directly, and that he needs to apply to the Council for a reduction in community tax bc he is a sole adlut at the property. That will be for him to apply for, but I have let them know and are sending him the forms.
otherwise he has been keeping away for the moment, I hope it stays that way but I doubt it.
today my mo9ther has had her surgery, I can't get hold of Dad to see how she is, and when I phoned the ward there was just a message from another nurse who wasn't looking after her so I don't realloy know how she is. I do understand, I phoned not long after the night staff came on duty and they didn't know their patients, and her nurse was busy. Anyway I wanted to talk to dad, tomorrow will have to do.
Yesterday late afternoon mum phoned to borrow some things for her admission and I went for a chat, we had to talk about AA's affairs, my dad is getting very stressed with the complications of her estate, and the other woman who lives there, and mum was getting upset bc AA had paid a lot of money that was her mother's (my grandmother's) into the property, and there are no deeds to say what had been purchased etc, now we need to try to recoup some money to buy AA's care, which might be several years worth, it's all rather convoluted. Anyway, my brother arrived, I didn't know he was coming, he always makes me feel on edge, he can barely look me in the eye. He is AA's Godson and executor to her estate on her death; mum dad and I had been talking for many minutes about things before he arrived, I felt equal, but then I felt like the invisible one that I had been all my childhood, I felt like all the hours and hours that I had spent with her, knowing her inside out were extinguished, and taken over by my brother who had seen her once or twice in the last year, and she didn't know him from the gardener. I had to make my excuses and leave, had an appointment with K, but just as I was leaving he asked me how things were with me, and I felt like I had to defend the position of my affairs. Oh, and he said a few weeks ago that he'd like to come with me to visit AA bc she knows me not him, and that freaked me out, having to do something so personal with him, maybe travel in the same car, said to K that I'd rather travel with a stranger, I feel terrible, bc he obviously doesn't feel the same now. Seeing K last night was good, I talked so much, and cried so much about my brother, she told me they were angry tears, I felt I was being ignored and treated as knowing nothing which is how it always was with my parenhts and him bc he's bright and he can talk and I don't feel brighyt and can't talk.
But how am I doing? I am better I think but too much is happening and I am confusing my feelings and struggling to take stock. I don't know how I will get on seeing Adele tomorrow, I didn't see hert last week when I really needed to and I felt she didn't want to see me, which I know is silly. But I do at least feel I have space to breath and not have to deal with D, even for 3 mins or so this evening when putting the dogs in he was grilling me about AA's affairs, I really don't know why, had to say it was being dealt with by dad (about the cottage)
I haven't replied to my solicitor yet, I must tomorrow. he sent me lots of letters all at once last week, and a draft of the letter he was proposing to send to D once I OK'ed it, but it doesn't say anything about him moving out to allow us occupancy, just that if he wants to buy me out he can, otherwise it will be valued and sold. I don't think I want that, but he did say he deliberately didn't say he would be removed if he didn't vacate, maybe so as not to rile him, but I want him to clarify that we can move back in a few months.
Can't remember if I wrote that I have written to D this evening laying out all the Barn's outgoings that he will have to be responsible for. I'm sure that won't be received well.
I'm sorry I know I've been rambling, I'm some and some tonight, need to sleep, still so exhausted all the time. I told Kitty today about the happenings, I was glad to have shared with her, she had been getting bits and pieces on a weekly basis, but hadn't pushed me if I didn't want to share. She was lovely, of course. Her Jack Russel puppy is arriving next week, i'll look forward to meeting her (she's taking the week noff)
OK, gotta go to bed, Poppy has gone before me, very unusual!
Hope you're happy with the election results (you don't need to answer that!)
Goodnight Kate, good to talk, ((( hugs )))
Hilary Rosexx
Ah, thank you Kate, I like feeling you here with me at the cottage, especially as you have seen pictures of it and so you can imagine it better.
I have had a tiring day again, tried to write to Mark my solicitor, get all his letters in order and a response to his draft to D mentioning that I'd like to move in to the barn with the kids til Poppy is 18 and not sell just yet, it's too much for me to consider, especially with things rather uncertain with Mum, so I have asked him to amend his letter to D.
Thank you for your prayers for mum, I know you have helped. She is doing OK, they approached the surgery with minimal incisions (laparoscopically/ vaginally) which means less time in hospital, so she should be allowed home tomorrow all being well. She could do with another day or two of enforced rest really, Dad said she had wanted to come out today and help at AA's cottage tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! I don't think she realises the extent of her surgery. Dad has declined meals, has eaten at the hospital today and found some leftovers yesterday. I am relieved to be honest. I had a long chat with Dad again about AA's affairs -I've had enough, he needs to hand it over to a solicitor- I suggested he write out a summary of everything we know, and what we want to know, and what we want to happen. It's the other woman being very 'cagey' not giving us information that is making it so difficult for us, we can't do it ourselves, it has to be done properly, so down the legal route we go, but we can justify spending her money for her ultimate best interests.
I took a chance this morning while D was out to gather up a few remaining things from the Barn that I wanted to have over here, and spend time with the dogs. I collected things for Poppy too, she still hasn't been back since Saturday so not seen D for days. The Barn is a mess but I just shut the door, don't want to be there, love being here, feels like a proper house and home. I've had the dogs here this evening bc D is out, I have been feeling distressed and guilty that they are having to spend so much time alone and inactive, especially Lola who just wants to play and play all the time. I sat out in the utility room on the garden bench with a cup of tea and the back door open, outside light on, throwing a piece of bark over and over, each time the bark getting smaller and more bits everywhere, but I was so happy just being with her and playing a monotonous game that she never tires of. I have just put the back in the barn, heard the air ambulance circling round and round, had heard it for at least half an hour before. Poppy said there had been an accident on the valley road, so I instantly thought of Sam (then D), Poppy phoned his girlfriend, and yes, he was back, he'd passed a landrover upside down being attended by a fire crew. I haven't seen Sam since I took him to the bus this morning. I hope he starts to come here more often, I miss him.
I worked with Kitty this afternoon, I felt closer to her today than I have done, maybe bc I have shared with her and I have no more skeletons. She is getting her Jack Russel puppy next Wednesday, I'm excited! I said yesterday anytime she wanted a puppy sitter..... So today she asked if I would 'sit' next Saturday when they all have to be out for several hours. I was happy- said I could bring Poppy. Poppy was happy too!
I saw Adele today, it was good to see her. We just talked about the divorce mainly, kept the rest of my worries away, apart from Sam, but we decided he could wait a little bit longer, I just need to get settled with how things are and get the letters sorted, about finances for Barn expenses, and the letter from Mark.
I must get to bed, seems strange not writing to you from my bedroom, it's good to be able to 'use' the house. That being said I haven't been able to relax and settle tonight, I have wanted to be tidying, putting things in place, just looking around me, what else would I like to do to make it perfect here... And eating....... too many biscuits!!
Goodnight Kate, talk tomorrow, thank you for your thoughts of me in my cottage, they make me feel warm and comfited
thank you. I have had a really tiring day and can't wait to go to bed! I spent the morning with my sister, sister-in-law and parents at AA's cottage sorting more stuff. Dad went to collect Mum at 10am and called at the cottage on their way home, they didn't stay long, mum wasn't feeling great, but she was glad to be out. So the 'sisters' and I bagged up stuff to take home for ourselves, (I didn't want much, had towels etc the other day), but they seemed to take forever! I wanted to go home for a quiet cup of coffee before seeing Ziggy, but it got too late.
Ziggy was great, she made me feel OK about how D was behaving, and to be tough against him. She went on a Tyco drumming weekend last weekend, the leader was a Buddhist, and at some point they had to recite a mantra- Abhaya- (meaning fearless as you may know) Ziggy gave me a copy, mostly repeating Abhaya in various ways, but also 'Space', 'Peace' and 'Fearless'. It's very strong, especially when I repeated 'Peace' over, 10 times quickly, 10 times gradually slowing. It was very 'wow'!
I went to the Barn to feed the ponies when I got home, it was beginning to get dark. I let Lola out to play while I was there, but unfortunately D was home too, heard me open the door. He came across the field to me, started talking quietly to me as I was busy with the feed, had to keep asking him to repeat himself, it was annoying having him there. You'll never guess what he was trying to tell me.................................
The accident in the valley was a drunk trying to outrun the police. He overturned his landrover on a bend and ran off into the woods. The helicopter was a police search copter, I thought it was odd that it was circling round and round for so long with a red light beneath it.
Hey Kate,
thank you :) A good day, not seen D, shopping with Poppy this am, home stuff this afternoon. This evening Poppy and I watched Finding Nemo, aww, so cute, I've never seen it through though we have the dvd. After I went to check the dogs knowing D was likely out. I brought them home here, left a note for D to say I had them. Lola has wanted to play ball ever since, Rubin just happy with a chew in his basket by the radiator. Now they are lying on my feet, a huge bed and no room to move!
It's 23.30, D has just been banging on the front door, the dogs heard it but didn't bark, I'm glad. I didn't answer it but it has set me feeling anxious in my tummy, it's sore enough as it is. I'll try to settle and sleep.
Yes the accident did make me think of D, I wondered why the police were in the valley anyway, they only usually come if they are tipped off, or if an accident happens like with D 5 years ago. He didn't 'run', but he left the scene before the police arrived, came home scared and opened a bottle of wine to try to cover up his alcohol intake before driving. The kids watched as the police arrived, questioned him, breathalised him and arrested him, took him to the cells in the city police station.
OMG he's banging on the door again, I am feeling afraid. I know, I should call the police..... he's banging and banging......
At last. He's gone.
Must sleep, goodnight Kate, need hugs
I am so glad that you are ok, Hilary Rose. And I'm sorry that Dave did that to you. How awful. But it is wonderful that you called the police and got them involved. You did the right thing. Dave needs to know that he cannot just abuse you like that and that if he tries, there will be consequences. Plus if he would try to escalate this, you already have a record of what he has done with the police.
Let me know how things go today and how you are feeling.
Thank you Kate,
Yes I'm kinda glad there is a logged incident, though they didn't see anything nor get to speak to him while he was drunk...
I know he was drinking for nearly 6 hours and that he was very drunk, Poppy told me she saw him briefly when she got back from her friend's house at about 1am. I told her that there might be a visit from police either here or at the barn and why. She said he only wanted the dogs. She said she had walked past a stationary police car AND an ambulance just down the road from here on her way home which was at about the time they must have been leaving me. I said that must have been something else, the ambulance had nothing to do with me. But it did, I remember the police woman speaking code into her walkie talkie, then one police man came back here to get the car keys, said I'd better move. It was at the point when I was struggling to speak and hold my head up bc I'd had my night pills and she asked me if I'd taken too many pills and whether I'd had any alcohol, I'd had a glass of wine earlier; but they didn't come in and they didn't say anything.
No news today though and no sign of D. I'm feeling really drowsy again, will go and have a rest while I can.
Hilary Rose
Thanks for keeping me up to date. It sounds like Dave is not handling this situation very well. And it is unlikely he wanted the dogs. It is more likely he was looking for a way to harass you. You mentioned that he never showed interest in the dogs before, so suddenly caring about them is most likely not going to happen.
I hope you are resting well. Talk to you soon,
thank you, XXXXX XXXXX been some and some, but now I'm over stressed and over done and can't talk though I want to badly. A police officer called on D, then came to see me, I just wanted a big hug from him he was so nice and kind, I cried a lot, and he was very reassuring that I must use all the help that I need.
My evening has been difficult, but i'll talk tomorrow, glad of a day off alone (or so I hope)
Hugs (needed) goodnight
Poppy is better today thanks.
I'll try to accept again in the morning, has been denying me access :(
I'm glad to hear that the police are giving the situation with Dave the attention it needs. Rest tonight and we can talk tomorrow if that works for you.


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I continue to hold tight to my belief that out of the bad comes some good. Out of 911 and Hurricane Katrina has come some good…the concept and realization of WishUponAHero.com.
Wish Upon A Hero
There is a website I want you to visit. It is WishUponAHero.com. Wish Upon a Hero is better than any other networking site I've come across. This site is dedicated to connecting people who are in need with those who are able to fullfill those wishes. The site was founded by a New Jersey marketing executive because of the needs exhibited after 911 and Hurricane Katrina.
The mostly anonymous hero members who have joined WishUponAHero.com helped find siblings, matched people who have items to exchange, found or provided medical care for those without insurance, provided transportation to much needed services, clothing for out of work families…and the list goes on. There are no wishes too big or too small. Small wishes that have been granted, as you'll see when you visit the site, are postage stamps, stickers, birthday cards on a birthday, books, Pepsi Codes…and so on. As you can see, there are wishes waiting to be granted that are very doable!
By helping others, we also help ourselves.
The good samaritan website draws in more than 40,000 users a month and has spawned weekly local radio and internet television shows. Chapters can be found as far away as Austrailia. A nonprofit foundation has recently been formed to help solicit money to grant large wishes.
If you want to help one person with one small wish, this is a good opportunity to introduce your children or grandchildren to community service. Organizations can help with many or larger wishes. Please visit WishUponAHero.com and read through the requests. If you are a teacher, as I am, get your students involved as part of your curriculum. Our Career Education Class earns money to help people in need through their small business activities. The ties to Civics, Economics, Character, Career, Science, and Consumer Education are endless.
*Wish Upon A Hero items can be purchased through CafePress.com. Purchases help support the Wish Upon A Hero Foundation.


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Social Media Management – Lesson from the Airlines: Don't Leave Comments Up in the Air
When it comes to engaging the consumer and handling customer service on social media, airlines seem to soar above the rest.
By Sarah Garcia
According to a recent study, only about 48 percent of comments on brands' social pages are actually responded to. In case you missed that – that is less than 50 percent. This means more than half of the queries, comments or messages on brand pages are left "up in the air." The problem? Social media is a two-way process. Interaction is crucial to fostering an active following and community on social media. These guys call it "Social Devotion," and they say that out of all industries, airlines do it best. Let's take a look and see what their formula is for staying above the rest.
Make it a Priority
Social media platforms are becoming increasingly popular for consumers to provide their feedback — positive or negative. According to this infographic from Liveops, a whopping 65 percent of consumers prefer contacting companies and brands on social media rather than by phone.
Some companies have even created their own teams to stay on top of these platforms and manage interactions. JetBlue created their "Real Time Recovery Team," which is a group of crew members who work in their customer support department to monitor social media in real time, interacting and helping direct customers to the right resources. A small company won't need an entire fleet of respondents, but someone should be in charge of interaction, and it should not just be done on the fly. You should make it a priority and have a plan in place.
Provide a Personalized Response
Consumers do not like automated phone systems, and they don't want a canned response on social media, either. That is why they are seeking it out as an alternative. Keep your interaction fresh and real and consider personalizing it. Use the fan's name when responding, like JetBlue did in this scenario below. If you want to take it one step further, sign off with a name to show that a real live human being is the one responding. Nicely done, JetBlue!
Using names (yours and theirs) will help personalize a response on social media.
Give it Some Personality
Personalization is one thing. Personality is another. Southwest Airlines is known for their distinct customer experience offline – a somewhat humorous and mildly laid-back approach – and they let that same personality shine through online as well. When appropriate, it is OK to jazz up your online interactions with a bit of personality. Let your brand's social presence portray the same image it does offline.
Southwest Airlines portrays the same fun and friendly culture on social media as they do offline.
Speak Their Language
Airlines serve a wide range of consumers, both on and offline. It's important to acknowledge all responses equally, and sometimes that may mean doing a bit of translation. For large companies who employ a social media team, they may have a bilingual member. For small businesses, an online translation tool can be helpful. Aside from literally speaking their language, you may also want to consider responding differently based on the tone of a particular comment.
Here, JetBlue responded to a comment in Spanish on their Facebook Page.
Social media continues to grow as an important communication tool for companies, and consumers are coming to expect timely interaction and response. When you ignore consumer feedback on social media, you aren't just making your brand look bad, but are missing this invaluable opportunity to show that you care. Responding to both negative and positive feedback can help highlight your brand's image, build relationships, improve consumer perception and ultimately drive ROI.
Sarah Garcia is a writer and community manager for BallywhoSocial. Find her on Twitter @SaTorrens or follow our BallywhoSocial account for social media tips, news and more @BallywhoSocial.


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Environmental groups have no constitutional right to demand grazing leases on state land even when they outbid ranchers, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
In a brief order, the justices upheld an appellate court ruling rejecting a challenge to the legality of the procedures used by the state Land Department to determine who gets to lease state land. The justices gave no reason for their decision.
Tuesday's order most immediately benefits Galyn and Roxanne Knight who lease about 6,200 acres adjacent to property they own near Springerville. The ruling leaves undisturbed the decision by the Land Department of accept their bid of 40 cents per acre per year even though WildEarth Guardians said it was prepared to offer more, saying it would have resulted in an extra $79,344 over the 10-year period
It also throws a permanent hurdle in the path of environmental groups who hope to use their resources to put stretches of rangeland off limits to grazing.
Attorney Tim Hogan said Tuesday's ruling likely ends this case, as seeking U.S. Supreme Court review is likely to prove fruitless.
Hogan said there may be a new way for environmental groups to press their case the next time a similar issue arises: File a claim in federal court that Arizona is violating the Enabling Act, the federal law that allowed Arizona to become a state in the first place in 1912.
Arizona got 10 million acres of land when it became a state; more than 9 million acres remain.
Those lands are held in trust for various interests, notably the state's schools, and the Arizona Constitution requires that they be leased to the "highest and best bidder at a public auction."
In this case, Hogan said, the agency never even opened the bid by WildEarth Guardians, instead determining that the ranchers would be better stewards of the land. Maria Baier, who was land commissioner at the time, accepted recommendations of a hearing officer that the Knights had an overall superior offer.
In its ruling last year, the Court of Appeals acknowledged that requirement for leases to be made to the highest and best bidder, and that leases not made in "substantial conformity" with this requirement are void.
But Judge Kent Cattani said state law allows the land commissioner not to take bids if one bidder's right or equity on the lease outweighs an offer of additional rent. He said that meets what the Arizona Constitution requires.
Looking specifically at Baier's decision, Cattani said she considered the ability to protect the land.
The Knights, Cattani said, monitor the land daily, with at least 10 people who live within eight miles of the property. By contrast, WildEarth indicated the land would be monitored once every two weeks.
Cattani said the property has sand, gravel and timer, includes "irreplaceable Native American ruins and fossil beds" and has been the target of illegal dumping and looters. The judge said the record shows that the Knights have better ability to monitor and protect the land, which they had leased for 28 years.
Hogan, seeking to overturn the appellate ruling, argued that the constitutional requirements to take and open bids are mandatory, and all that trumps the statutory authority given to the land commissioner.
He also said that, if nothing else, requiring the Land Department to open the bid from WildEarth would have given the agency the opportunity to ask the Knights if they were willing to pay more. That, he said, never happened.


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Rarely does pro football emulate the college game. But that's exactly what's taking place in the NFL. The home of the West Coast offense and pocket-passing quarterbacks is giving way to the zone-read option and mobile signal-callers.
The spread read option was previously only seen in bits and pieces in the NFL. But shifty quarterbacks were all the rage during the 2012 NFL season. Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and Cam Newton have put an end to the age-old question, 'Is there a place for mobile quarterbacks in the NFL?' And they've done so emphatically.
But the tour de force behind the movement is Colin Kaepernick. A lightly regarded three-star recruit, Kaepernick accepted the lone Division I scholarship offer he had – Nevada. It was in Reno that head coach Chris Ault discovered Kaepernick was the perfect quarterback to head his new pistol offense.
Ault had come up with the then-radical idea in 2005. The Wolf Pack were mired in a stretch of mediocrity and he believed the way out was through a new revolutionary offensive system. The idea would prove to be ingenious.
Running the football is central to any team's success. Ault was aware of that and he also like having quarterbacks line up in the shotgun. Voila, he thought. The quarterback and running back could line up side-by-side. This would put the ball into the running back's hands quicker or allow the quarterback to keep the ball based on what he saw defensively. No matter what, the offense would have the advantage and function more efficiently. Defenses would be indecisive and that slight hesitation could be the difference between a two-yard gain and a touchdown.
When Ault first presented the idea to fellow coaches around the country and his own staff, he said the reaction was one of bewilderment. His assistants thought it could be a career killer.
"I said, 'Here's what I want to do. Here's what I want to do all spring. I want to try to reinvent something to give us our own identity,'" Ault said on The Herd on ESPN Radio. "I'm pretty sure when that meeting was over, they all went and got their resumes ready because they thought they weren't going to be working here next year. It was that far out."
Then spring practice came and the results didn't exactly strike confidence into anyone.
"It was ugly," Ault said. "The ball's all over the place. The kids are thinking, 'Oh, my God, hang on.' But we never took a step backward. I never said we're going back, because I felt we had to make a statement for our university to try to get its own identity. If it didn't work, I'd step aside and say get back to the other stuff."
There was no need for a new coaching staff, not after Nevada went 9-3 and won the WAC and the Hawaii Bowl during the 2005 season. Over the next eight seasons, after the change to the pistol, Nevada went 65-39, won two conference titles and went to a bowl game every season. The high point was a 13-1 record and No. 11 final ranking in 2010.
During Kaepernick's four-year reign of terror, he was twice named WAC offensive player of the year. He also became the first – and still only – FBS quarterback to throw for over 10,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000 yards in a career. Kaepernick also is the lone quarterback to pass for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season three times in a career.
It was those numbers and the extreme athleticism Kaepernick possesses that attracted Jim Harbaugh to him. During the 2011 NFL Draft, San Francisco traded up in the second round, giving Denver three draft picks, just to get Kaepernick.
It's a decision the 49ers haven't regretted.
The returns on Kaepernick were not immediate. He played well in a wildcat role during his rookie season, but the 49ers used him sparingly. The re-emergence of Alex Smith put Kaepernick's development on the backburner. The offseason courting of Peyton Manning made it look like Kaepernick's career would take more years to get off the ground. But Manning opted for the Broncos and a midseason concussion sidelined Smith, giving Kaepernick his first NFL start. He's started every game since and will do so again when San Francisco plays Baltimore in the Super Bowl next Sunday.
Kaepernick is 7-2 as a starter, but what really got people's attention was his performance in the playoffs against Green Bay. He rushed for a quarterback playoff-record 181 yards and two touchdowns and added 17 completions for 263 yards and two more scores. All told, the 49ers' offense, headed by Kaepernick, rolled up 579 yards of offense.
NFL defenses, chock full of some of the world's best athletes, have been completely dumbfounded by Kaepernick's (and RGIII) ability to execute the zone-read option. Defensive linemen that weigh as much as dump trucks and linebackers than run 4.4 40s are the first lines of defense. But arithmetic still applies in the NFL, and read plays re-order that arithmetic back towards the offense. For that, they can thank the likes of Ault and Urban Meyer.
"There's times where you look at things and think if you should have done something, but no regrets on that," Ault said. "It was fun taking (Nevada) to where we are and creating the pistol, and seeing that go to the NFL is really a special thrill."
Ironically, fundamentals betray NFL teams in limiting the effectiveness of the zone read. Linebackers are taught to crash the line of scrimmage, which works wonderfully against a traditional offense. But against the zone read, it makes them vulnerable to being out of position and missing tackles. Tyler Replogle understands the nuances of slowing down the pistol and zone read; Clay Matthews does not.
In the NFL's history, the term "running quarterback" wasn't always in a literal sense. Steve Young and Michael Vick are pass-first quarterbacks that scrambled from time to time. Kaepernick, RGIII, Wilson and Newton run frequently – and it is often by design. Kaepernick has the 49ers positioned for a sixth Super Bowl title, Griffin led the Redskins' offense to a league-best 6.2 yards per play this season, Wilson and the Seahawks were this close to being in the NFC Championship Game, and Newton had one of the best rookie seasons ever in 2011.
The evolution of the quarterback has steered the direction of football since the sport's founding sevenscore and four years ago. It is easy to forget that every NFL team ran the 'single wing.' The ball was directly snapped to the tailback who would run or throw. The 'quarterback' position was little more than a blocking back (hence the use of the term 'quarter'--they were closer to the line of scrimmage). But that all changed in the 1940 NFL championship, when Sid Luckman and the Chicago Bears unveiled the 'T' formation in a 73-0 demolishing of the Washington Redskins. Ever since then, the NFL generally put their quarterbacks under center, where their role was to pass or hand off.
College football has a more schematically varied past. It evolved during the age of the option and wishbone before giving way to pass heavy offenses, until finally the age of the dual-threat quarterback emerged. The grand showcase for the new age quarterback is Super Bowl XLVII. That Baltimore is the defense faced with slowing the attack is appropriate. For more than a decade, the Ravens have been the gold standard of barricades.
For the next week, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will try his darndest to understand how brother Jim makes his offense go. In Columbus, Ohio, Meyer will be doing the same. But he doesn't want to learn how to stop it. For the next seven months, like he often does, Meyer will be searching for any wrinkle he can find to stay ahead of and catch the competition.
"I haven't watched much pro football," said Meyer, on a recent addition of the Dan Patrick Show. "I saw some highlights that looked exactly like the stuff we run. It's phenomenal. It's pure spread offense. That means you're reading one defender, and the quarterback is, in essence, a ball-carrier if the defender reacts a certain way."
Some new offensive variations also sprung up as Meyer tuned in to NFL games. One such wrinkle was used by San Francisco, where the h-back blocking across the line of scrimmage would also read the defensive end and either kick him out or avoid him, depending on his actions. Meyer said the Buckeyes would be doing the same thing in the fall.
Meyer owes much of his success to high-powered offenses. In both national championship seasons at Florida, the zone read resulted in flustered defenses. The same can be said for Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller in Year 1 under Meyer. The Big Ten's offensive player of the year could run, pass or handoff. Regardless of what he did, opponents were largely confused. Miller finished the season with nearly 1,300 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.
The most effective defenses were at slowing Miller was when he suffered injuries. Therein lies the rub with having mobile quarterbacks. RGIII's injury in the playoffs is the most high-profile case yet. He suffered a serious knee injury and could miss part of next season.
"How long can you go taking shots like that?" Meyer said. "That will be the question with how long you can use that style offense."
The answer: until defenses stop it.


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The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill allowing Ulster County to reinstate its 4 percent sales tax, bringing a temporary end to a bitter battle between the county's executive and a state assemblyman.
The bill, which passed 55-4, will allow Ulster to charge the 4 percent share from February through December. After that, the county would be able to extend the tax another year only if it takes on the full cost of the Safety Net welfare program from its municipalities.
Ulster's sales-tax rate had been at the center of a months-long struggle between County Executive Mike Hein and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston.
While state law allows counties to charge a 3 percent sales tax, the state Legislature frequently passes two-year "extenders" that allow them to charge an extra percentage point. But Cahill objected to putting a simple extension to a vote in the Assembly, instead pushing the county to take on the Safety Net costs before granting the extension.
The bill also became tangled in a debate over New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's call to increase taxes on the city's wealthy to pay for pre-kindergarten costs. According to Capital New York and the New York Daily News, Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, had temporarily blocked the bill from coming to the floor; Klein had previously hinted at blocking "home rule" bills if New York City wasn't given the ability to increase the income tax.
In a statement Thursday, Klein said the Ulster bill is "an example of the state legislature working with a local government to raise its sales tax to 4 percent in order to address urgent county needs."
By voting in favor of this legislation, Republicans have made it clear that they are willing to raise taxes when local needs hang in the balance.


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MOSCOW—Exhausted after years of failed attempts to establish order out of political and economic chaos, Russian officials finally gave up Wednesday, ceding power to a flock of geese that happened to be flying over the Kremlin.
"To hell with this," Russian President Boris Yeltsin said. "I have no idea how to establish a free-market democracy. From now on, the geese will lead us."
In a historic ceremony, Yeltsin laid a gavel symbolizing control of the Russian Duma at the feet of the geese, who signified their acceptance by preening and glancing about.
Outgoing Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko said he is unsure which goose is the leader of the flock and, by extension, Russia. "When we saw them flying, we assumed the leader was the goose at the head of their V-formation. But when they landed, we lost track of which one it was."
The geese themselves have not been forthcoming in identifying a leader. "They mostly flap their wings and peck at little bits of bread," Kiriyenko said.
The geese's first official action as leaders of Russia was to walk around Red Square, avoiding pedestrians and periodically honking at one another.
"We are not sure the meaning of this act," Kiriyenko said, "But they did it with a great air of unity and purpose."
Next on the geese's agenda is a Geneva arms summit which President Clinton and the leaders of five other industrialized nations are scheduled to attend. "I very much hope the geese can secure a lasting peace in the global community," Yeltsin said.


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But enough abou my beliefs, a little about me physically. I'm tallish (6' 0") in decent shape (185 lbs and lean). I not pretty, but I know I'm not ugly either (I look like an adult sized 'Webster' I'm smart, well travelled, and a master of whimsy. I have a sunny disposition and laugh easily and often.
I am sardonic, passionate, and philosophical
In my professional life I am a corporate mouthpiece. The official name is Technical Sales. It means I explain complicated thing to simple people for a fee. I am currently trying to upgrade to a better employer with better corporate benefits that' more recession resistant.
I'm currently learning Chinese for fun?!?!
Favorite Music: Elvis Costello, DMB, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Monk, John Mayer, Movits, classic rock
Favorite movies: LOTR, The Philadelphia Story, Grosse Pointe Blank, Much Ado about Nothing, Marvel Studios (What can I say, for all my education and refinements, I'm still just a guy, actually just a big kid.)
My Sanctum sanctorum (a place to brood, contemplate laugh and question)
Friends and family
My toys (camera, bike, iWorld - iPhone/MacBook/iPad)
I want you to know
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.
If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.