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Baechtel Grove Middle School
A group of new, enthusiastic teachers have joined the Willits education community. This is one of a series of profiles prepared by The Willits News to introduce them to our readers.
After teaching all over the world, including Ecuador and China, Stephanie Roelling has found her way to Willits.
"I'm excited to be in Willits. I'm looking forward to this being my home for a good while," Roelling said.
The teaching veteran has served in the classroom and as a school librarian. During her ten-year career Roelling has taught almost every grade level. Now she's bringing her talents to BGMS where she's teaching seventh-grade English.
Roelling said her fellow teachers have made her feel welcome.
"This definitely is a team environment. The other teachers have been extremely helpful and encouraging," she said. "They always know just what to say and they're extremely helpful when you have questions like 'I don't know how to use this'. They're definitely right there to take care of you."
The California native knew that teaching was in her future when she was in high school.
"It chose me. I can't imagine being in any other profession," she said.
Roelling said her goal is to build a relationship with each of her students.
"To be able to make them realize that what they're doing now not only affects them now but affects the rest of their lives," she said. "Especially in middle school when they have so many growing pains that every child has going through the beginning of their teen years. Everything they're doing is affecting them in the long run. (I want them) to look outside of themselves, not just at the immediate 'me, me, me' kind of surroundings."
Roelling uses her travel experiences to teach an elective course on Chinese culture which helps her students broaden their perspective. Students learn an overview of Chinese art, culture, food, and language.
"It's part of growing in wisdom as well, knowing that you're not the expert on everything and being able to know that you have to look outside of yourself," she said.
Roelling uses literature to teach students a different perspective.
"We read whatever is going on in this character's life; we compare it to our own lives, and what I would've done or what the student would've done in the situation versus what the character did," she said. "So they can see that people are different. My time overseas has also helped. I can help them bring in a cultural perspective as well. They see that not only did this character react differently than I would've reacted but generally other cultures might react differently as well."


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Angela Pippinger reported on the April 12 session of the Buncombe County Board of Education meeting, from a pagan perspective:
Did you follow last night on Twitter? If not, that is okay!
We had our Board of Ed meeting in regards to new religions policies in dealing with the distribution of Bibles in a school just before winter break. As per the usual we were slammed with bible verses and hearing how Christians have to stand up and stop being bullied by the minority. I also learned that; the Bible is a history/science/poetry book (I can agree with the latter), Global Warming is a religion, that without God in schools the society will be destroyed in the Last Days, the Founding Fathers insisted on a Theocracy, without God in schools there will be school shootings, and that when bibles were first being rejected in 1963 SAT scores steadily dropped.
So basically the Bible is a textbook, we worship the destruction of our planet, God will destroy our schools, the US is a Christian Nation, only non-Christians shoot up people at school, and without the Bible we are all bumbling idiots. Deep breaths, Ang………deep breaths.
The most crazy part of the evening is when a gentleman by the name of Honeycutt called out Ginger Strivelli by name. This is not the first time he did this, he has done it at EVERY meeting and sticks by the story that this is a work of Ginger all by herself and everyone else supports bibles being school. He states this after Baptist ministers, Rabbi's, UU ministers, Presbyterians, and Catholics stand up in support of the policy! Well this time Ginger had enough. I was sitting near her on the floor listening for something tweetable and suddenly she was up in a flash. Honestly, I thought she was going to deck him. I mean had it been me, I might have. After that first meeting, the Board has been clear that ONLY the board is to be addressed and this guy blatantly ignored them. But instead of decking him, Ginger grabbed a chair and sat directly in front of the podium so that he had to look at her as he spoke. Now there was Honeycutt trying to speak over the Chairperson who was trying to nix the entire thing in the bud and get Ginger back to her seat and another man yelling at Ginger to go back to her seat. Ginger aggressively, but without the foul language I would have thought to use, said "No Sir". But a few seconds later she did go back to her seat and the Chairperson addressed the crowd that NO ONE's name was to be mentioned in any commentary. Honeycutt tried to say it related to policy but Chairperson nixed him and stated, no names. Honeycutt again began to speak about how Ginger was the sole bad guy of it all and the rest of us began yelling "NO". Because no it's not true. Why he can't get it through his head that she has a team of people working on this issue is beyond me. We are all RIGHT THERE in his face. …
Below, a compilation of Pippinger's live dispatches via Twitter:
6:09 PM Good evening lovies! I am at the Board of Education meeting re: religions policy. Supposed to vote tonight. Follow the tweets at
6:13 PM Full crowd here tonight at Board of Ed. Should be starting in the next 15 minutes.
6:35 PM Looks like a late start folks. The room is spilling out into the hallway and board members just now arriving to their seats.
6:41 PM Just did the Pledge and a moment of silence
6:43 PM Chairperson Rinehart has moved the Religions Policy issue to the top of the agenda
6:49 PM Right now we are discussing Gifted & Talented before the public commentary.
6:53 PM Superintendent is talking about the hard work of the lawyer and other members for their hardwork behind new religions policies.
6:54 PM Superintendent is also encouraging the passing of the "annual religious fair" policy, aka Policy 653.
6:55 PM Strike that, Superintendent is encouraging that policy 653 (annual religious fair) be tabled for voting on next school year.
6:56 PM And we take a break for Jan Blunt to conduct Employee Recognition
7:01 PM Taking some time to recognize students for their acheivements
7:06 PM Time for discussion on ROTC
7:15 PM We shall begin the public comments. Each person has 3 minutes and only allows the speaker to address the board.
7:16 PM I cannot live tweet this commenter, he is speaking loud enough and I only catch a word or two.
7:17 PM Excuse me, he isn't speaking loud enough.
7:20 PM Ryan Fender says Board should consider an age limit for kids being exposed to bible in schools.
7:20 PM Ryan Fende is speaking about what the bible is, A book of history, science, and poetry. Should not keep bibles out of schools.
7:21 PM Ryan Fender just wants Christians to be respected the same as all other faiths and atheists.
7:22 PM Guy Sales a Baptist minister thanks the board for protecting separation of church and state.
7:23 PM Guy Sales says that Jesus speaks about not coercing fellow man and that the Board is upholding that with the policies.
7:24 PM Guy Sales says religious groups should not need or want government assistance in professing their faith.
7:24 PM Guy Sales says that an annual religious fair is a bad idea and a role that Board should not take on.
7:26 PM Tina Chandler says without God the schools will be destroyed in these last days.
7:26 PM Tina Chandler asksBoard not toremove prayer or anything of God out of schools. Says it's always been that way &should stay that way.
7:27 PM Tina Chandler feels that without God in schools her kids will have to fear being shot or beat up.
7:28 PM Pat Hamm (sp?) says Thank You to the board for offering the time for everyone to speak their mind.
7:29 PM Pat Hamm appreciates the new policies and feels they did a good job trying to meet the desires of the community.
7:31 PM Sally Guze member of Beth Israel, teacher for many years outside of NC. Has dealt with religious issues in classrooms.
7:32 PM Sally Guze understands difficulty of finding balance. She believes that Separation of Church & State should be strongly abided by.
7:33 PM Sally Guze says children should learn to love and respect each other and NOT be divisive.
7:34 PM Frank Goldsmith feels distribution of any religious materials is a huge mistake. #avlgov.
7:34 PM Frank Goldsmith encourages the tweaking and reconsideration of "religious fair" policy before even considering voting it in.
7:35 PM Frank Goldsmith says it's wrong forany taxpayer to assume their religious should be taught to all students. It undermines parenting.
7:36 PM Frank Goldsmith says Evangelicalism and prosletyzing has a place but not in a public school setting. #avlgov.
7:38 PM Carol Rash says children can understand the bible and thus should be able to use it to encourage reading.
7:40 PM Ben Whitmire says that with heated discussion it's easy to overlook the truth.
7:41 PM Ben Whitmire wants Board toconsider age limits fordistribution ofbibles. Middle & HS could be discriminated against getting a bible.
7:42 PM Ben Whitmire says if his son can't get a bible at school than board says he isn't smart enough to handle the bible.
7:43 PM unnamed woman says schools used to learn bible in schools because parents couldn't Bring it back.
7:47 PM Clark Anderson is upset by "age appropriateness" of the policies.
7:48 PM Rosa Barns says religions is important in schools and she should have the right to pray before her basketball team.
7:49 PM Rosa Barns says no matter what happens she will continue to pray at school.
7:49 PM Rosa Barns says her praying before meals & games and professing her faith is too important for her to be able to do at school.
7:52 PM unnamed speaker says that she is a Christian and she is sorry that people are not loving their neighbors like they should.
7:52 PM unnamed speakers says a bible handed to a student is advocation not education.
7:52 PM unnamed speaker says that teachers CAN teach about religion but not advocate.
7:55 PM Bill Bullman says children should have every opportunity including receiving a bible in school.
7:55 PM Bill Bullman says his parents taught him about the bible, it wouldn't have helped him to receive one in school.
7:59 PM Rusty Smart thanks the board for all their hard work and not for allowing bullying by the minority.
8:00 PM Rusty Smart wishes Ann Franklin would have spoken more on this issue.
8:01 PM Rusty Smart says we all have the right to worship god as we see him but only one way to heaven.
8:02 PM Rusty Smart says people shouldn't complain and bully the board. They should ask how to help make things better.
8:03 PM I am paring down tweets to unique comments. A lot of repeats taking place.
8:05 PM Jackie Simms feels the weight of the job of the Board finalizing the policy is a tough one.#avlgov
8:06 PM Jackie Simms says she felt she should live by example.
8:06 PM Jackie Simms is a retired teaacher of 44 years. She never felt the weight of sharing her beliefs with students.
8:07 PM Jackie Simms has spoken with African American community about policies and they say it's simple, no distribution of material
8:08 PM Jackie Simms says keeping them out means parental control on religious upbringing.
8:09 PM David Shepard says parents are being too fearful about what will happen to their kids while at schools.
8:09 PM David Shepard non curriculum books should be handled by the library. Says a Torah in library is not harmful.
8:10 PM David Shepard says if you want God in your child's heart, teach them that. Kids are being misled that prayer is being taken away.
8:12 PM Lisa kemper also questions how the board would determine what can be handed out at religious fair.
8:12 PM Lisa Kemper says religious materials is not safe in schools, It gives bullies ammo against kids.
8:13 PM Lisa Kemper says the teachers and board have enough to do, should not be their job to religiously educate the students.
8:15 PM Thomas Penland claims that founding fathers being deists and unbelievers is a myth.
8:17 PM Thomas Penland is in short claiming US is a theocracy.
8:18 PM A child is up speaking about how wonderful Jesus is and asks board not to take Jesus from her.
8:19 PM Scarlet says that as a Christian the Golden Rule applies to all, not just those of the same religion.
8:20 PM Scarlet is reciting verses stating that Christians should support freedom of religion for everyone, not just themselves.
8:24 PM Unnamed speaker says that when bibles were beginning to be rejected in 1963 is when SAT scores went down.
8:29 PM Jerry Rice is now discussing scripture.
8:29 PM Jerry Rice says there is only one way, Jesus.
8:31 PM Jerry Rice says you can't debate Jesus, you do what he says to do.
8:32 PM Ginger Strivelli wrote her own prayer to Aries in regards to the fear and hatred in the room.
8:32 PM Ginger Strivelli says we have been forced to listen to prayers and scripture readings.
8:33 PM Sybil Sue states that she doesn't go to school for organized prayer or biblical teachings.
8:33 PM Sybil Sue speaks about how she has been bullied and excluded because she is pagan.
8:33 PM Sybil Sue Strivelli says she is pagan and in support of the policies.
8:35 PM Fred says that he can barely understand how it feels for anyone to be ostracized because they are not in the majority religion.
8:35 PM Fred is a taxpayer of Bunc Co, not a parent, and supports Separation of Church and State because it's the right thing to do.
8:36 PM Fred says parents and religious organizations should be responsible for teaching their religious education, not the public system.
8:38 PM Cathy loves God and says she absolutely supports Separation of Church and State.
8:39 PM Cathy says everyone holds the sliver of the truth yet all of us don't know the entirety of God.
8:40 PM Cathy says our children are vulnerable and will follow the majority to gain popularity.
8:41 PM Cathy says adults should respect parents and their choice to raise their kids as they see fit.
8:42 PM Rabbi Rob says all seek religious freedom and yet the same seekers would deny others religious freedom.
8:42 PM Rabbi Rob points out everyone, except Native Americans, are immigrants. Fleeing oppression and some brought to be oppressed.
8:43 PM Rabbi Rob says that after that, founding fathers declared freedom of religion to encourage the Land of the Free for ALL.
8:44 PM Rabbi Rob says we are here because times are changing and change is inevitable.
8:49 PM Leslie Lloyd says as a child she had no idea that people had different beliefs.
8:50 PM Leslie Lloyd says we are a country that respects diversity.
8:50 PM Leslie Lloyd says that as a child, her learning about other faiths was outside the school system and on her own child.
8:51 PM A rep from Americans United is speaking. Says laws strictly prohibit the distribution of religoius material.
8:53 PM Americans United reminds the board that a disclaimer does not absolve the school system from liability.
8:55 PM Ms. Pressley says that if her children are being taught they can't pray at school, then her children won't respect her.
8:56 PM Ms. Pressley says when they had bibles & prayer in school they didn't have violence in schools.
9:00 PM We are taking a bathroom break for 15 minutes.
9:14 PM weare back y'all
9:15 PM Robert Boone says Faith in something Supreme is indispensable to religion.
9:17 PM Robert Boone says Secular Humanism is a religion and Obama is to blame for Secular Humanism gaining control in our society.
9:18 PM Robert Boone says that the policy is a trap for the religious.
9:20 PM unnamed speaker asks "Why should we follow a godless board?"
9:21 PM unnamed speaker says God is truth and more important than hurting someone's feelings.
9:26 PM Christina Bowers says adults have great influence on children's lives.
9:27 PM Christina Bowers says she expects her school to be a safe place for all of her peers regardless of religion.
9:27 PM Christina Bowers says Adults are responsible for teaching children respect in regards to religion.
9:28 PM Claire Eubanks student at NBS, sees a lot of negativity and fear and says that policies will negate that negativity and fear.
9:29 PM Andrew Oliver, student NBS, speaks about the rights of all and emphasizes that our government shall not endorse a specific religion.
9:30 PM Andrew says no one has to like it or believe in it but they have to abide by the law.
9:30 PM Andrew reminds the board that the constitution is the supreme law of the land.
9:31 PM Andrew says many religions, not just christianity, uphold morals and respect to the law of the lands.
9:32 PM . @ByronBallard says policies are not perfect but are an excellent start
9:32 PM . @ByronBallard says she is standing here for the 3rd time hoping 3rd time is a charm in support of the policies.
9:33 PM Patrick Covington says he wasn't going to speak but as a Heathen he has to speak his mind. #avlgov (lol!)
9:33 PM . @ByronBallard says she looks forward to passing policy so religious leaders of all faiths can begin the work to make schools safe.
9:35 PM Patrick states he appreciates the hard work and looks forward to seeing what happens with the policies.
9:36 PM unnamed speaker says majority of county is Christian and majority should be able to defend their rights to their religion.
9:37 PM Slight upset but Chairperson had Ginger go back to original seat and told speaker to speak without bringing up Ginger's name.
9:37 PM unnamed speaker called out Ginger and Ginger stepped up and sat directly in front of the gentlemen.
9:39 PM Speaker is saying only 1 person has caused the issue. Many people shouted "NO". For the record, it was many peoplewho worked onthis.
9:42 PM Speaker says one person should not silence the majority
9:44 PM Michelle Hammond says the law of the land can't infringeon anothers religious practices. She says policies infringes on Christianity
9:48 PM Karen Byrd claims that students are now too fearful to be themselves religiously because someone complained about the bibles.
9:50 PM student says kids have told her they can't sit near her or be her friend because she is pagan.
9:50 PM student is speaking on how she has been bullied about her pagan faith.
9:51 PM Student says if English teacher is teaching with religious text that is one thing. A calculus teacher cannot promote their faith.
9:52 PM Pagan Student says if she has to pray on her own time than so does everyone else.
9:53 PM Monroe Gilmore says we should listen closely to the pagan student. Constitution is to protect the minority!
9:54 PM Monroe Gilmore says teachers and coaches are agents of the state and cannot promote any type of religion.
9:55 PM Monroe Gilmore reminds everyone that people can still pray and the fear should not take over one's emotion.
9:57 PM Cathy Friarson says everyone was brought up with God and knows Him and should not leave Him at home.
9:57 PM Cathy Friarson (sp?) is saddened that Christians have to defend God and who he is.
9:58 PM Cathy Friarson says children cannot learn anything without God.
9:59 PM Cathy Friarson is praying for everyone who doesn't know God.
10:00 PM unnamed speaker says everyone has been bullied and got through it. Says we shouldn't encourage people not bully each other.
10:01 PM unnamed speaker says religion is in school, called Global Warming. Even though it's been disproved.
10:02 PM unnamed speaker says people are afraid of the Bible.
10:04 PM unnamed speaker says that WNC Atheists aren't here and should rename themselves as WNC Phonies.
10:06 PM Don Yelton says Superintendent made a mistake by recommended that tabling religious fair policy.
10:06 PM unnamed speaker says that people are trying to take their guns away. #avlgov (not sure how this relates to bibles in school)
10:07 PM Don Yelton says religious fair shouldn't be one day but a week, month, or a year.
10:07 PM Don Yelton says that some people are fighting back like children. if you tell a kid not to learn Wicca they will learn Wicca.
10:08 PM Don Yelton is happy that TN is now going to teach Creationism along with Evolution.
10:08 PM Don Yelton says kids should be exposed to every religion as early as possible.
10:10 PM Freeman says that the bible says you have to tell others about Jesus and teachers should be able to.
10:15 PM another speaker claiming Evolution is religion.
10:16 PM Public commentary is OVER! Moving on to vote
10:17 PM Another board member wants to table the vote because of the term neutrality might cause exclusivity.
10:17 PM One board member wants to table the vote because there hasn't been a working session about the policies.
10:18 PM Board member, that is lawyer, is explaining neutrality to the other two board members.
10:19 PM Says that with neutrality, a student can spend some free time irreligiously or religiously without coersion.
10:19 PM Says that neutrality means that the school does not make a preference over religion.
10:21 PM There is question in whether or not neutrality can be replaced with unbiased. Lawyer wants more time to study that.
10:27 PM There is ALOT of discussion about the word neutrality in the policies.
10:31 PM Now we are getting into the use of the term Lack Of Bias.
10:34 PM Superintendent says he respects all religions and as Superintendent he has to protect ALL children's best interests.
10:35 PM A reminder from the Board that the policy does not hinder on wearing religious symbols, praying or, denying a child their religion.
10:36 PM The Board just voted to amend the policy. The policy is NOT in place and has yet to be approved.
10:36 PM Board reminds families that the children have to be the facilitator over their beliefs while at school.
10:38 PM Policy has been APPROVED!!!!!!
10:40 PM This means that one word in each policy will be changed BUT it IS approved!
10:41 PM I am exhausted y'all so with that, I am logging off. Thanks for following!

subset: commoncrawl


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FDA Drug Safety Podcast for Healthcare Professionals: Drug labels for the Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFα) blockers now include warnings about infection with Legionella and Listeria bacteria
Welcome, my name is Steve Jackson, a pharmacist in the Division of Drug Information. On September 7, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration issued a Drug Safety Communication informing healthcare professionals that the Boxed Warning for the entire class of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, or TNFα, blockers has been updated to include the risk of infection from two bacterial pathogens, Legionella and Listeria. In addition, the Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions sections of the labels for all of the TNFα blockers have been revised so that they contain consistent information about the risk for serious infections and the associated disease-causing pathogens.
Serious, including fatal, infections are a known risk of TNFα blockers. These infections can involve various organ systems and sites due to bacterial, mycobacterial (such as tuberculosis), fungal (such as histoplasmosis, aspergillosis, candidiasis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, pneumocystosis), viral (such as hepatitis B), and other opportunistic pathogens.
Recently, FDA reviewed cases of infection in patients treated with TNFα blockers. The addition of Legionella and Listeria to the drug labels of the TNFα blockers will provide healthcare professionals with more information about opportunistic pathogens that can cause serious infections in patients treated with TNFα blockers.
It is important for healthcare professionals to be aware of the new labeling changes.
At this time, FDA recommends that Healthcare Professionals be aware that:
- Patients treated with TNFα blockers are at increased risk for developing serious infections involving multiple organ systems and sites that may lead to hospitalization or death due to bacterial, mycobacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic, and other opportunistic pathogens.
- The bacterial pathogens Legionella and Listeria have been added to the Boxed Warning for the entire class of TNFα blockers.
- The risks and the benefits of TNFα blockers should be considered prior to initiating therapy in patients with chronic or recurrent infection and patients with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection.
- Patients greater than 65 years old and patients taking concomitant immunosuppressants may be at greater risk of infection.
- Prior to initiating TNFα blockers and periodically during treatment, patients should be evaluated for active tuberculosis and tested for latent infection.
- Patients should be monitored for signs and symptoms of serious infections while taking TNFα blockers.
- Empiric antifungal therapy should be considered in patients at risk for invasive fungal infections who develop severe systemic illness.
- Healthcare professionals should encourage patients to read the Medication Guide that accompanies their prescription for a TNFα blocker.
- Healthcare professionals should report adverse events involving TNFα blockers to the FDA MedWatch program at www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Thank you for listening. The FDA is committed to keeping healthcare professionals informed of the latest safety information. Please read the Drug Safety Communication for the complete Data Summary detailing this communication. A link to this DSC can be found at www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety. If you have drug questions, you can reach us at email@example.com.
Related Information
FDA Drug Safety Podcast for Healthcare Professionals: Drug labels for the Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFα) blockers now include warnings about infection with Legionella and Listeria bacteria(MP3 - 6.9MB) [ARCHIVED] FDA Drug Safety Communication: Drug labels for the Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNFα) blockers now include warnings about infection with Legionella and Listeria bacteria


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- 11 total posts
- 1 review
- 1 discussion
- 9 comments
Reviews & Stories
Pixel Ruined my Eyes - Fairhope, AL
I had one pixel treatment under my eyes and they are much worse. I looks as though I have aged 10 years. My skin is much more dense causing it to sag. Pixel may be fine for acne scars, but it is much to aggresive for the delicate eye area. It is not worth it! Pixel was not worth it for me. I had one treatment under my eyes. It caused my eye... READ MORE
Discussions started by Michelle33
Your skin look worse after pixel Laser?
I had 1 Pixel Laser treatment on my lower eye lids about 8 weeks ago. My skin looks much worse, as though it has aged 10 years. Any advice for making it look better, or... READ MORE
Recent comments from Michelle33
I had a terrible experience with Haley Dermatology and so have others that I have spoken with. I actually think this is a fake review. READ COMMENT
I had a similar experience. READ COMMENT
Thanks for the information. It sounds like you have suffered a lot. I just don't understand how they can market something to do one thing and it actually do another. Things like this ruin peoples lives. READ COMMENT
Have you heard that pixel may cause fat loss? READ COMMENT
Thank your for asking, but no my eyes have not improved. I am still hopeful. READ COMMENT


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Flash Draw Created Apr 27, 2007 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2007 lunalba.
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sasukesgirl May 14, 2007
xandra95 Apr 30, 2007
awesome pic i think its cool
Page 1


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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Wall Street is becoming increasingly optimistic on Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) as struggling mall retailers like it enter the back-to-school season.
"Teen retailers are fully set for [back-to-school] and are beginning the season with compelling and aggressive promotions, both in-store and online," Janney Capital Markets analyst Adrienne Tennant wrote in a research note on Monday. "In the teen space our top pick remains ANF, as new flows showcase target and trend-right merchandise and inventory levels look very clean." Tennant rates the company a "buy."
Like its teen retail competitors, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) and Aeropostale (ARO), Abercrombie is faced with a backdrop of easing mall traffic, a shift in teen preference for cheaper fast-fashion, apparel alternatives as well as online shopping, and in Abercrombie's case a controversial leader resistant to changing consumer preferences. The New Albany, Ohio-based company has seen at least nine consecutive quarters of falling same-store sales.
That's expected to continue at least for the next two quarters despite improving somewhat. Abercrombie will report fiscal second-quarter results later this month. Same-store sales are expected to fall 4%, according to consensus estimates tallied by Thomson Reuters, compared to a decline of 10% in the second quarter of last year. For the third quarter, which will include the back-to-school shopping season, same-store sales for Abercrombie are expected to decline 2.3% vs. 14% last year.
The stock is down 26% since it hit a 52-week intraday high of $52.61 one year ago. But Abercrombie shares have recaptured some of that loss. The stock closed up 2.7% to $39.44 on Monday.
Activist investor Engaged Capital got involved in the stock late last year pressuring the retailer to "reverse years of underperformance," starting with replacing Mike Jeffries, then its chairman and CEO.
Earlier this year, the company made a myriad of corporate governance changes under pressure from Engaged Capital. It stripped Jeffries of his chairman title (he's still CEO). Abercrombie also terminated its poison pill and replaced the majority of its 12-member board with independent directors, most of which have direct retail management experience. Abercrombie also created the position of Chief Operating Officer -- filled by Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Ramsden -- to help manage the "overall execution of the company's long-range strategic plan," it said in April.
Abercrombie has roughly 1,000 stores in the U.S. and internationally as part of its Abercrombie and Hollister brands.


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The Summer Set "Legendary Challenge" ends today for which fans make a YouTube video about their lives telling their funny or inspiring stories and the band picks a winner every week who get various prizes, such as autographed posters, albums.
One of the recent prizes was a session with their drummer, Jess Bowen. The band has said on their Summer Set Challenege website the point of the contest is to show others that you can "be the best version of yourself by following your dreams, overcoming your fears, and sharing your journey with the world."
The final prize, which will be announced today, is a trip from Contiki to meet The Summer Set at one of their concerts. Using the hashtag on Twitter or Instagram, #legendarychallenge, you can enter the contest for a chance to win the final prize.


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Learn to Fly
(Author unknown)
When we come to the edge of all the light we have
And we step into the darkness, the unknown
We will find something solid we can stand upon
Or I believe that we will surely learn to fly.
Three years ago, when I was new around these parts, my friend Brian invited me to play racquetball with him at the YMCA. I hadn't played in ages, and asked him if he had an extra racquet. He said no, but I should get myself one—"They're only about $20," he said.
Well, at that point, I was just getting on my feet financially and in every other way, plus I wasn't sure whether I'd play once or a lot. Twenty dollars sounded like a significant sum. So I went to the Thrift Store over here and poked around and by gum I got this racquet for the grand sum of 99 cents. The handle was sticky so I wrapped some masking tape around it, and it was perfectly serviceable.
It's not a very good racquet, but it was good enough for me and I was reasonably happy with it for quite some time. I played very seldom, anyway. Then I joined the Y, and this past summer, my friend Michele and I started playing pretty regularly, and then I started playing with some other people. I matured as a player, able to play strategically, to pace myself, to capitalize on my opponents' weaknesses. I began to see the shortcomings of my racquet, and started to wish for a new one.
Then Christmas came, and both of my regular opponents got new racquets, and the advantage of having a technically improved new style racquet started to reflect itself in the scores. Not that I'm a fanatic, but I do write down the scores on this little computer-generated grid I keep on the bulletin board in my kitchen.
I'm not really competitive or anything; I just like to keep track.
And I noticed that I was starting to lose more games than I was winning.
There was no doubt about it, I needed a better racquet if my scores were going to improve. But the old one really worked just fine. I found it hard to justify spending $20 or $30 on a racquet for myself, especially when the one I had was good enough.
* * *
As I delve into the subject of money, I come across a great deal of anxiety inside myself. I come across a perception of lack, a feeling that there isn't enough and there never will be enough. A great desire for control comes over me. I call this my Scottish genes acting up, but really I think it's been learned. At times, I react to this anxiety by trying to clutch onto every cent I can, becoming jealous and protective of my money. Generosity eludes me.
Similarly, there are times when I feel overwhelmed by all the demands on me -- emotional, administrative, all the things I am longing to do—and unlike many of you, I don't even have family responsibilities, or a pet, or even, now that I've killed off most of my housewarming gifts, very many plants. (Two particularly tenacious plants have now survived three months of my ministrations, and I'm beginning to suspect they are made of some artificial material.) When I get caught up in that feeling of being overwhelmed and exhausted, it's difficult for me to be generous with my time or my emotional presence. I start clutching on to every moment I can, becoming jealous and protective of my time.
Overwhelmed. Exhausted. Maybe even ready to give up. That pretty much describes the way Everett Unitarian Universalist Fellowship was in the early 1980's. After three decades of being a flourishing lay-led fellowship, the congregation had dwindled down to 21 people. In the 1960's, the RE program had had an enrollment of over sixty kids, but now there were no children at all. By 1983, it had become clear that the Fellowship was threatened with terminal illness. The members had to face the fact that one of their options was to close the doors of the Fellowship permanently.
* * *
Well, I finally went out a few weeks ago, on payday, and went shopping for a new racquet. I stood in front of a huge display at SportMart. They had racquets ranging from $20 to $150, and some even more expensive than that. I picked this one out. It looked pretty good and it felt pretty good. It certainly wasn't the top of the line, but it wasn't the bottom, either. I felt a certain fondness for it right away.
* * *
In 1983, a few core members of the Everett Fellowship attended a district extension program on growth. When they returned, they decided not to let the Fellowship die. They decided not to hoard, not to clutch onto the little they had left. They decided to let go, take a risk, take a leap of faith.
They spent a weekend visioning and making plans for the future of the Fellowship. They started to get excited about the possibilities. And— this is the key—people started making financial commitments to the Fellowship.
Then they did something that might have seemed illogical.
With no kids in the religious education program, they hired two R.E. teachers. For several Sundays, the teachers did nothing—there were no children to teach. But then the news spread that R.E. was starting up again at the Fellowship, and the children started to arrive. And they brought their parents. The Fellowship started to grow again.
From a membership of 35 in 1985 and a budget of $10,000, the Fellowship has grown to have a membership of 116 and a budget of over $100,000. All because of that leap of faith on the part of those core members, that refusal to clutch on to the little they had, that willingness to step into the darkness, the unknown.
* * *
I had the funniest sensation the other day. I went to put my briefcase in the trunk of my car, and saw my new racquet, and I felt this great desire to grasp the handle. And it wasn't just for the physical pleasure of holding it—I examined the feeling and the strangest words came to me:
"This is how you fly."
Flying! With a racquetball racquet? But that's it. This racquet helps me fly.
One of the biggest spiritual lessons I'm learning—over and over again— is that when I stop hoarding and clutching and protecting myself, I can fly. When I started playing racquetball, I protected myself from any extreme effort. I missed half my shots simply because I didn't believe I could get to them. I believed I'd hurt myself if I went after them, believed I'd deplete myself if I tried too hard.
Now that I've matured in my playing, I'm much more daring; and every now and then, when I'm playing as hard as I can against a well-matched opponent, I can do things that I couldn't believe I could do. I reach a ball that's hit into some remote corner of the room and I literally don't know how I got there. I come to the edge of what I thought I knew about my physical capabilities, and find that my feet don't seem to even touch the floor. I am aware of nothing but the intensity of the moment.
It really does feel like flying.
In my work, when I can let go of my worries about how I'm coming across or how good a job I'm doing or how much emotional energy or time something is taking, it also feels like flying. You know that feeling—when you're one with the thing you're doing, time melts away and there's an extraordinary feeling of freedom. You get in touch with a wild generosity of spirit inside yourself. It's exhilarating.
I think those flying moments come when there is true ministry, deep listening, going on between people—during the hush at Joys and Concerns, the hubbub in a children's religious education class, during deep sharing in the men's group, a group conversation at a circle supper, a moment of hilarity during a board meeting. When we forget ourselves and enter totally into the moment, the fellowship, the conversation. That's where the holy dwells.
* * *
People go to church for many reasons. For many of us, it's because we have come to the edge of all the light we have. We long for "something solid" to stand upon. And many churches, many healthy religious communities, offer that solid ground. There is a seemingly solid center to their belief systems that gives people something to stand upon.
Last week, I was at our District meeting in Vancouver and had the privilege of being in on some conversations with John Buehrens, the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
We were speculating about the future of our movement, and the question arose, what is the center of our faith? John said, ours is not a faith with a center. Ours is a faith of radical hospitality, a radically inclusive witness in an exclusionary world, whose core identity lies in the quality of the relationships we have with one another.
I would add to that, Unitarian Universalism doesn't offer something solid we can stand upon. No dogma, no creed, no blessed assurances, no ironclad foursquare rocks of ages.
It offers something else.
It teaches us to fly, by giving us what we need to respond to the urgings of the Spirit: permission, a sustaining philosophy, a faith in the goodness of the quest. And this Fellowship supports that, by giving us a launch pad, a safe and nurturing base from which to take off and to which we can return.
* * *
I paid an entry fee when I joined the YMCA. And I now pay dues of $35 a month. It seems well worth it for what I get.
There are no entry fee or dues at the Fellowship—when the questions of minimum pledge amounts or of charging tuition for our religious education program have come before the Board or the congregation, they have been defeated. There is no "fee for services" plan here, as there is at some megachurches. I pledge as a percentage of my salary and housing allowance. This current year, I'm pledging 2.5%, or about $66 a month. For this coming year, I have raised that to 3%, or about $1129 for the year.
It's a stretch for me, quite frankly. But in balance, it seems well worth it for what I get—a sense of ownership, a sense of pulling my weight, the knowledge that I am contributing to the larger movement, the faith that nurtures me, the institution that sustains my faith.
When I went to the District meeting and picked up my registration materials, along with my name badge, I got these ribbons. This one means that I was a ministerial delegate, entitled to vote at the business meeting on behalf of this Fellowship. This one means that this Fellowship is a full share honor society in the District, and this one means that this Fellowship is a member of the UUA's Annual Program Fund Honor Society.
The Fellowship pays its full dues to the District and the UUA, based on the number of our members, and so these ribbons really belong to all of you. This means that no matter what the other demands on your budget have been, this congregation has, time and time again, chosen to pay its fair share to the larger movement in which we have our being.
During the annual banquet on Saturday night I was engaged in a riveting conversation with my colleague Elizabeth Greene, and in the middle of it, she started snickering at me. "What's up?" I asked. "You're wiping your mouth on your ribbons," she said. So there might be a little gravy on there. But it was just a momentary lapse, and doesn't mean I wasn't very proud to wear these ribbons, because I certainly was.
I am inspired by Unitarian Universalism. I am inspired by you, by your generosity. Of the 27 U.U. churches in the state of Washington, the per-capita giving of this congregation is among the top 7. This congregation is mature. It's a mark of maturity to support the institutions you believe in.
That's not a very thrilling word, "institution." What it means to me is freedom. The freedom to not have to keep re-inventing ourselves, but to be part of something that has power, history, continuity, a sustaining beauty larger than what we can by ourselves create.
There's a Non Sequitur cartoon that shows a man sitting at a table on a city sidewalk, with what looks like a petition on the table and an arrow saying, "sign up here." Next to the table is a large wooden sign with a thermometer graphic on it. The poster is headed, "Join and help us reach our goal!" At the top level of the thermometer is the goal, "Mainstream Religion." Under that is "Sect," "Faction," "Cult," and near the bottom, "Bunch of Nuts," and at the very bottom, "Handful of Wackos."
I'm very glad that in 1983, that core group of members decided not to be content with letting the Everett Unitarian Universalist Fellowship remain a handful of wackos, but had the faith that it could grow, and mature, and adopt a new regional identity, renaming itself the Evergreen UU Fellowship, and become what your Mission Statement describes, a "liberal religious home where people find a welcoming community, a stimulating place of learning and worship, and the challenge and support to live the Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes."
* * *
Before I became serious about racquetball, when my old racquet seemed good enough, I was finding it a lot of hard work, kind of boring, even. It took a considerable amount of devotion and practice and maturing to get to the stage where I was able to feel I deserved a good racquet. To the stage where I was, at last, able to fly. I found that when you play as hard as you can, who wins the point doesn't really matter too much.
What matters is the flying, the passion, the wild generosity of
Giving our all, in the moment, is what creates the delight.
When we come to the edge of all the light we have
And we step into the darkness, the unknown
We will find something solid we can stand upon
Or I believe that we will surely learn to fly.
So may it be for all of us. Amen.
Delivered at Evergreen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Marysville, Washington


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August: Osage County wins four awards at Capri festival
Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts' new movie August: Osage County has been given a massive Oscars boost after picking up four awards at the Capri, Hollywood Film Festival. The movie adaptation of Tracy Letts' play about a dysfunctional family's reunion was named Film of the Year on Wednesday (01Jan14), while Streep picked up the Best Actress trophy and the cast won the Best Ensemble prize.
Streep's co-star Chris Cooper also picked up the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Officials at the festival, staged on the island of Capri, have a history of picking the Best Film Oscar winner – they handed their top prize to The Artist, The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire, which all went on the win big at the Academy Awards.
Other winners at the festival included Idris Elba, who was named Best Actor for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and his co-star Naomie Harris (Best Supporting Actress); U2's Ordinary Love, from the film's soundtrack, which was selected as Best Song; Saving Mr. Banks (Audience Award); The Great Beauty (Visionary Movie Award); Valeria Golino (European Actress of the Year), and Emily Ratajkowski (Rising Star).


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We interviewed both candidates for County Clerk/Recorder: Pam Teeter, and the incumbent, Candace Grubbs. We are endorsing Grubbs to continue in her position. We feel she has a capable grasp on the duties and a smoothly running department with a good reputation. She seems to be forward thinking and regularly looking to improve and innovate – something new blood is often brought in to jump-start.
Although we are concerned by the discovery that Grubbs apparently directed a subordinate to spend a few minutes on a personal project on county time, Grubbs has paid the requisite fine and learned from her mistake. Frankly, we don't believe this issue was significant enough to have come to the attention of the public in the first place and we maintain our confidence in the incumbent's integrity and professionalism.
We also don't have any reason to believe the incident was an indicator of a larger pattern of abuse of the public trust.
Grubbs has held the office for 27 years and if she lacked that kind of integrity, we certainly would have seen people coming forward with on-the-record allegations. That hasn't happened except for vague references to staff issues that smack of political opportunism in order to smear an otherwise respected public official.
Her opponent is Pam Teeter, who is married to 5th District Supervisor Doug Teeter; she emphasized to us that this position shouldn't be considered a career position.
She came across to us as civic minded and motivated to hit the ground running, but seemed to lack applicable professional experience.
But what concerned us most was when we asked about the potential conflict of interest, given her husband's position as a Butte County Supervisor. She indicated that if that were a problem she could always ask her staff to count the ballots when her husband runs for re-election.
"If"? That Ms. Teeter did not immediately see that this would require her to recuse herself raises questions about her readiness for a position with this level of political sensitivity. Moreover, we question the desirability of concentrating this much political power within any given family.
In the end, we find that Grubbs' expertise and command of the process, rules and regulations around both the recorder's office and the election department is where we get value for our money. We urge our readers to re-elect Candace Grubbs for the position of Town Clerk/Recorder.


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GULFPORT — Anthony Crawford's extended family has celebrated the Fourth of July at Gulfport Beach for 18 years, but this year required some crude hydraulic engineering.
Under overcast, breezy skies, Crawford, 21, arrived early Thursday in his blue-print Jams and sleeveless shirt to stake out a shelter for a party of 30 or so. Only one was available — and it was flooded with a half-foot of water after days of heavy rain. Crawford retrieved a shovel and leaf blower from his nearby Gulfport home and began digging a meandering trench through sand and weeds toward Boca Ciega Bay, 100 feet away.
A trickle grew into a steady flow as Crawford dug deeper and deeper. His sister-in-law Jessica Armey, 28, helped push water along with the leaf blower. Son Kaelob, 3, and niece Nevaeh, 4, romped in the ditch causing minor cave-ins that added to the chore.
At one point, water overflowed the trench and pooled under lawn chairs occupied by St. Petersburg residents Michella Pierce, 47, and Michael Roach, 46, ensconced for a kids' fishing tournament, sand castle building contest and fireworks put on by the city of Gulfport. Pierce arose and reinforced the side of the ditch with more sand to keep water moving toward the bay. She bore Crawford no animosity, she said. "We're all here to have the best time we can have.''
Crawford, who works in landscaping and lawn maintenance, knows his way around a shovel. After about 40 minutes, he took a breather to survey his progress. About an inch of water remained on the shelter floor.
"I figure it will take about an hour,'' he said.
• • •
The wind that blew around Crawford's preparations — somewhat unusual for the Fourth — is going to stick around, weather forecasters say. Bay News 9 meteorologist Brian McClure said scattered storms moved west-northwestward through the Tampa Bay area on Thursday out toward the Gulf of Mexico.
But by 9 p.m., most of those thundershowers had dissipated, just in time for fireworks celebrations throughout the area. Just a few light showers remained in the evening, especially in north Pinellas, but most of the big storms dissipated as the sun set.
McClure, however, cautioned boaters out for the Fourth: "Boating is still horrible. The winds are just really strong out there for this time of year." Windy conditions were expected to continue Friday.
• • •
LUTZ — The crowd gasped when the red-, white- and blue-bedecked man announced a 5-pound apple pie.
Tracy Gaschler's homemade creation had won the blue ribbon for best pie at the Lutz Fourth of July celebration. It took her hours Wednesday night to make the mammoth dessert.
She peeled nine apples. She made a crust from scratch. She even added decorative crust stars and a "100" in honor of Lutz's centennial.
The Lutz celebration has maintained its small-town charm over the years. The daylong event starts with a parade that draws hundreds. Then there's the election of the honorary "guv'na" of Lutz, as well as snow cones and pony rides, all centered on the historic Lutz train depot.
And, of course, there's the cake and pie auction. Bidding started at $25 on Gaschler's pie, then the shouting began.
$30! $40! $50! $60!
Gaschler's husband joined the clamor. He knew the toil his wife endured in the kitchen.
$65! $70! $80!
"Eighty, going once, going twice," the announcer said. "Sold!"
To Ron Gaschler, who won a blue ribbon for best husband.
• • •
BRANDON — Bobby Nero's family didn't want heavy rains and wind to stop their twofer birthday celebration at the 10th annual Brandon Blast.
Nero turned 35 on Thursday. The old man, Uncle Sam, was 237.
"Everybody celebrates my birthday," Nero said from the parking lot of the Westfield Brandon mall. That, he said, was pretty cool. And Nero's birthday is accompanied by fireworks every year. Pretty impressive.
His wife, Jennifer, was off looking for a bathroom with their 4-year-old son, Zachary. Nero held 2-year-old Dylan. Father and son stuck close to the family's antidote for rainy weather — a big canopy.
"You've just got to have that," Nero said.
The keys to a good July Fourth celebration, Nero said, are fairly simple. Arrive early. Stake out a spot. And make sure the kids are awake when the fireworks start.
Dad's birthday, after all, only comes once a year.
• • •
ST. PETERSBURG — They brought their American flags and their lawn chairs and, tempting fate, they left their rain gear at home.
Of the hundreds of people who found a spot in North Straub Park to watch the fireworks, some planned for the rain showers that arrived in the hours leading up to the pyrotechnic display; the rest wound up soggy.
Desiree Moore, 18, and Teresa Salvaggio, 21, sat next to each other on a blanket, overlooking the bay. They wore matching straw cowboy hats and red and white striped bikini tops.
And if it rained?
"I guess we'll just sit here," said Moore.
Minutes later, the skies opened.
Adam Kovacs, 34, and his girlfriend, Ann Heistand, 34, popped open their umbrellas and settled into their lawn chairs. Some years they've watched the fireworks from a boat, some years from Cha Cha Coconuts on the top floor of the now-closed city Pier. With the latter no longer an option, they decided to plant their chairs in a grassy spot on Bay Shore Drive.
"At least it's peaceful here," said Heistand. "And there's still a good view."
• • •
TAMPA — Mark Saunders and friends were like many of Fourth of July revelers around Tampa Bay on Thursday. Job One was finding a good spot to see the fireworks at Channelside Bay Plaza in Tampa.
Job Two for Saunders was keeping dry.
His group settled for seats on a Jersey barrier with a view. It wasn't perfect. But in the spirit of democracy, it required neither reservation nor royal pedigree.
The best seats were at the edge of the water. But only the first 3,500 people through the fence gate got those.
"I suspect many of the people there have British blood," joked Greg Martin, 64, of Vero Beach. "We feel repressed."
But their persistence, and patriotism, was rewarded: the waterworks were replaced by fireworks, which went off on schedule at Channelside.
Saunders, 58, of Lutz, said fireworks are an American tradition worth braving Mother Nature's worst.
"It's nice to be out with our friends and neighbors," he said.
Even if some of them enjoyed better seats.
• • •
ST. PETERSBURG — The sky filled with colorful explosions that lasted until 9:25 p.m.
But long after the show had ended, people continued sending their own rockets into the air, punctuating the night with the occasional blast.
Mandee Gross, 30, of St. Petersburg and her husband were among the throngs of people heading home, sleepy children in tow.
In years past, they've watched the fireworks on the beach, but they came to the city this year for the Rowdies game against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
"We loved it," Gross said.


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Daniel Pipes: Why Israeli Prime Ministers Keep Breaking Their PromisesRoundup: Historians' Take
Daniel Pipes, in the NY Sun (June 29, 2004):
Two patterns have shaped Israel's history since 1992 and go far to explain Israel's predicament today. First, every elected prime minister has broken his word on how he would deal with the Arabs. Second, each one of them has adopted a unexpectedly concessionary approach.
Here is one example of deception from each of the four prime ministers:
- Yitzhak Rabin promised the Israeli public immediately after winning office in June 1992 that"with the PLO as an organization, I will not negotiate." A year later, however, he did precisely that. Rabin defended dealing with Yasir Arafat by saying he had found no other Palestinians to do business with, so to"advance peace and find a solution," he had to turn to the PLO.
- Benjamin Netanyahu promised before his election in 1996 that under his leadership, Israel"will never descend from the Golan." In 1998, however, as I established in The New Republic and Bill Clinton just confirmed in his memoirs, Netanyahu changed his mind and planned to offer Damascus the entire Golan in return for a peace treaty.
- Ehud Barakflat-out promised during his May 1999 campaign a"Jerusalem, united and under our rule forever, period." In July 2000, however, at the Camp David II summit, he offered much of eastern Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority.
- Ariel Sharon won a landslide victory in January 2003 over his Labor opponent, Amram Mitzna, who called for"evacuating the settlements from Gaza." Mr. Sharon ridiculed this approach, saying that it"would bring the terrorism centers closer to [Israel's] population centers." In December 2003, however, Mr. Sharon adopted Mitzna's unilateral withdrawal idea.
Prime ministers sometimes complain about other ones breaking their word. Mr. Netanyahu, for example, pointed out in August 1995 that Rabin had"promised in his election campaign not to talk with the PLO, not to give up territory during this term of office, and not to establish a Palestinian state. He is breaking all these promises one by one." Of course, when he got to office, Mr. Netanyahu also broke his promises"one by one."
What prompts each of Israel's recent prime ministers to renege on his resolute intentions and instead adopt a policy of unilateral concessions?
In some cases, it is a matter of expediency, notably for Mr. Netanyahu, who believed his reelection chances improved via a deal with the Syrian government. In other cases, there are elements of duplicity – specifically, hiding planned concessions knowing their unpopularity with the voters. Yossi Beilin, one of Mr. Barak's ministers, admitted during the Camp David II summit that he and others in the government had earlier concealed their willingness to divide Jerusalem."We didn't speak about this in the election campaign, because we knew that the public would not like it."
But expediency and duplicity are just part of the story. In addition, sincere aspirations inspire Israeli prime ministers to abandon strong policies for weak ones. Here we leave the political domain and enter the psychological one. Being prime minister of Israel, a country surrounded by enemies, is a weighty one. It is only too easy for the officeholder, having been elected leader of his people, immodestly to believe that he has a special talent to resolve his country's great, abiding, and potentially fatal problem, that of Arab hostility.
Not for this great man is it enough to plug away at the dull, slow, expensive, and passive policy of deterrence, hoping some distant day to win Arab acceptance. His impatience invariably leads in the same direction – to move things faster, to develop solutions, and to"take chances for peace."
If the prime minister's initiative succeeds, he wins international acclaim and enters the Jewish history books. If it fails – well, it was worth the try and his successors can clean up the mess.
Grandiosity and egoism, ultimately, explain the prime ministerial pattern of going soft. This brings to mind how, for centuries, French kings and presidents have bequeathed grand construction projects in Paris as their personal mark on history. In like spirit, Israeli prime ministers have since 1992 dreamed of bequeathing a grand diplomatic project.
The problem is, these are undemocratic impulses that betray the electorate, undermine faith in government, and erode Israel's position. These negative trends will continue until Israelis elect a modest prime minister.
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DPS: Accident near Hereford kills 2
Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:16:00 GMT —
Around 8 a.m. Saturday morning, Juan Vasquez-Sanchez, 89 and Feliciana Vasquez, 88 both of Bushland were traveling southbound on FM 809 near Hereford in a Dodge Ram truck. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, they were towing a homemade horse trailer.
Troopers say as they were approaching a curve they traveled into the northbound lane. The driver overcorrected and went into a side skid and entered into a ditch, causing the truck to roll and the trailer to break loose.
Vasquez-Sanchez was pronounced dead at the scene. Vasquez was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital and was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon.
According to the DPS, neither were wearing seatbelts.


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Barca's Victor Valdes out for six weeks
Victor Valdes faces six weeks on the sidelines with a calf injury, meaning Barcelona look set to field veteran goalkeeper Jose Pinto for the rest of 2013.
• Messi eyes New Year return
• Ledwith: It's Neymar time
• Barca set for PR offensive
Valdes suffered the unfortunate injury while making a routine clearance during Spain's 1-0 friendly defeat in South Africa on Tuesday, in an incident which became controversial when La Roja replaced him with Pepe Reina despite having previously made all six allowed substitutions.
The keeper underwent tests on his return to Catalonia on Wednesday morning, and a club statement confirmed that the injury was serious enough to likely keep him out until January at the earliest.
"According to the club's medical services, tests carried out this Wednesday confirmed that Victor Valdes has a ruptured tendon in the calf of his right leg," the statement said. "His time out will be approximately six weeks. The Barca keeper, who replaced [Iker] Casillas at half-time in the game, had to leave the pitch in the 80th minute due to this injury. Reina replaced him."
Barca coach Gerardo Martino now looks set to turn to reserve Pinto, 38, who has regularly played Copa del Rey games during his six seasons at the Camp Nou, but has made just 24 Primera Division or Champions League appearances during that time.
The club predicted that Pinto would keep goal for eight games -- which include tricky looking Primera Division games at Athletic Bilbao and Getafe, a clash with in-form Villarreal at the Camp Nou, and Champions League games away to Ajax and at home to Celtic.
Valdes, 31, is out of contract next summer, and has repeatedly stated his plans to look for a fresh challenge elsewhere, with Monaco, Manchester City and Arsenal among the clubs reportedly interested.
The injury came with the La Masia graduate in perhaps the best form of his career, having conceded just 11 goals in 19 club games this season, even as his defence has at times struggled amid the tactical changes introduced by new coach Martino.
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In case you don't know, Publix offers several antibiotics for free! To take advantage of this great deal, all you have to do is bring in your prescription for any of the medications below, and they'll give you up to a 14-day supply at no cost to you—regardless of your prescription insurance provider or the number of prescriptions you need filled.
• Amoxicillin • Ampicillin • Cephalexin (capsules and suspension only) • Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP) • Ciprofloxacin (excluding Ciprofloxacin XR) • Penicillin VK • Doxycycline Hyclate (capsules only) • Erythromycin Stearate and Ethylsuccinate


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no subjectDate: 2012-05-23 03:37 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
How wonderful for you to have cousins who send you photos (in addition to everything else, but especially photos!). Cousins find my blog but they never seem to have photos to share. Maybe one of these days....
Nancy from My Ancestors and Me
Nancy from My Ancestors and Me


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A father has vowed to put up a bouncy castle for his disabled son's birthday tomorrow, Saturday, June 21, despite community leaders telling him that he can't.
Bryn Robinson says he has been caught up in a "turf war" over the right to determine the use of an area of common land in North Runcton known as the village green.
Although parish councillors voted against the plan at a meeting last week, Mr Robinson maintains he had already been given permission to put the castle up by the common rights holder, who is adamant it should still proceed.
And Mr Robinson is planning to go ahead with the celebration for his son Aaron, who has global developmental delay, a condition through which abilities such as perception and judgement are impaired.
He said: "We know we're going to gethung by somebody, so we might as well enjoy ourselves."
Although the parish council claims to own the land, Mr Robinson said he was initially advised to approach John Fuller, who claims he is the common rights holder for the land, about putting the castle up.
While Mr Fuller agreed to the request, Mr Robinson said he had advised him to write to the parish council to inform members of the plan.
But he said: "They took it as a request and it wasn't a request. It was stating what we were going to do in accordance with what John said."
Mr Fuller told the Lynn News that he had been common rights holder on the land for 42 years and his father had held the rights for 14 years before that.
He claims to have books and documents on the subject dating back to the 1920s.
And, asked whether the event would go ahead, Mr Fuller said: "It will happen definitely, 100 per cent."
The parish council declined to issue a statement, though it was confirmed that the issue of whether a "private party" could be held on the green was discussed at the authority's meeting last Tuesday.
Mr Robinson was formally informed of the council's decision in a letter this week.
A spokesman insisted that the parish council had owned the land since 1978, when it was given to the authority by the lord of the manor.
He added that members felt a review of the council's policies relating to village assets was also needed.
But Mr Fuller said of the council's ownership claim: "They don't know what they're talking about.
"They can't tell me what I can and can't do. I'm telling you and I'm telling them."
And Mr Robinson said the parish council had not produced any proof of its ownership of the land.
He said: "This has created a massive issue for us because we're stuck in the middle of a turf war.
"All we really wanted was a bouncy castle for the boy for a couple of hours for his birthday."


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Readers Circle: November 2012
The amazing once-a-month "enlightenment without electricity" 2012 Hoboken Readers Circle wraps up for the year this evening…
Hoboken Readers Circle
The Readers' Circle book group meets the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7:00pm in the comfortable and spacious Muller Room of All Saints, 701 Washington Street, in Hoboken. All book lovers are welcome. Bring a friend. Free coffee and cake is served. For more info write email@example.com.
Bright Lights, Big City – Jay McInerney
Tonight, Thursday, November 15th, the group will meet and discuss the book Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney.


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AMITE — The Tangipahoa Parish School Board voted Tuesday, with one dissent, to send a student assignment plan to federal court in New Orleans in the hopes it might end the school district's 50-year-old desegregation suit.
The plan would alter enrollment zones next school year to better reach a racial balance in the schools while maintaining the parish's magnet schools.
For example, the plan would move a number of black students from Hammond area high schools, which are predominantly black, to Loranger High, which is predominantly white. And more black students would attend Ponchatoula High.
The Duncan plan — named for School Board member Brett Duncan, who devised the proposal a year ago — also would retain Hammond High as a disrictwide magnet school.
The case, dormant for many years, was resurrected seven years ago. Since then, the School Board and plaintiffs have made numerous appearances before federal Judge Ivan Lemelle trying to hammer out an agreement that would free the school system from federal oversight.
Board member Sandra Simmons, who represents the Loranger area, declined to attend the executive session. "Nothing ever gets settled back there," she said.
Simmons and board member Andy Anderson tried to alter the proposal with two amendments, both of which failed.
At that point, some audience members left the meeting room, slamming the door loudly as they departed.
That prompted board member Rose Dominguez to voice her disappointment in the years of legal wrangling. "It's time it get resolved," she said.
Simmons rejoined: "I want to get this settled also, but I have to think about the people who live in the district I represent. Many of them moved there because of the quality of our schools in that area."
Duncan noted that at one point Lemelle had ordered the School Board to build three new schools and make vast changes to the school system.
"By using both voluntary student relocation through our successful magnet programs and drawing some new attendance zones we have a chance to get this thing over with," Duncan said.
When the final vote came, only Simmons voted against the measure. Voting for it, in addition to Duncan, Dominguez, Link, Anderson and McDaniel, were Christina Cohea, Ann Smith and a newly sworn-in member of the board, Michael Wells.
At the outset of the meeting, the board voted unanimously to name Wells to fill the unexpired term of Eric Dangerfield, who resigned from the board last month after being found guilty of misdemeanor Medicare fraud.


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SEEKINGBass Guitar.
"Country Music" at it's best! We play everything from Ernest Tubb to Cross Canadian Ragweed. We put on a very high energy show with lots of audience participation. Check out our website...
.clintmoody or you can also go to our record labels website... .winnersrecords
- Screen name:
- caswell2005
- Member since:
- Sep 26 2005
- Active over 1 month ago
- Level of commitment:
- Touring
- Years together:
- 2
- Age:
- years
Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggerd, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Cash, George Jones, George Strait, Alan Jackson, and we also do all of the new "Top 40". And we also know how to get the house jumping with some "Classic Rock"!!!
Members Of Band
Clint Moody-Lead Vocals, Rhythym Guitar
Scott Brewer-Lead Guitar, Vocals
Darik Caswell-Drums, Vocals
Tom Snyder- Bass, Vocals
Professional Yamaha P.A. set up, Yamaha mixer, Shure 58 vocal mics, Fender, Takamine, and Seagull guitars, DW drums, DW throne and hardware, Shure drum mics, all kinds of stands and cables. In general... GREAT GEAR!!!


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For more than 30 years, Dr. Bruce, a.k.a., Dr. Bruce A. Sherman, Ph.D., has worked to promote and enhance physical fitness, athletic training, nutrition, and overall wellness for people everywhere. He is an internationally recognized expert, and a virtual encyclopedia of facts, figures and insights, on nearly all facets of personal health and fitness as well as health facility operations and cleanliness. Included among the achievements he is most proud of are his work as a successful coach and trainer, a high-tech golf swing analysis and golf fitness instructor (AGFI certified through the titlist Performance Institute), and being the inventor of cutting-edge fitness products. On a personal level, he is a very accomplished and decorated endurance-sports athlete.
People are continually astounded by the scope of Dr. Bruce's scholarly knowledge, the depth of his industry-specific perspectives and experience, his feats of athletic endurance, and his uncanny ability to break down complex information and issues into bottom-line, common sense advice. Ask him a question – any question – about exercise and competitive training, about good and not-so-good foods, about employee wellness strategies, about health club operations – even about your golf swing. It's likely that Dr. Bruce has a great answer.
Dr. Bruce received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. He feels that the world of academia opened his eyes to the world of possibilities, in health and fitness endeavors, where he gets to apply his unique skill-set on a daily basis.
As a personal trainer, Dr. Bruce has worked with clients of all ages and levels of health and fitness – from elite athletes to wheelchair bound individuals, and from children to young adults and octogenarians.
Dr. Bruce possesses specialized expertise in corporate and worksite wellness and has worked with dozens of professionals and organizations throughout his career. In the late 1980s, he pioneered a unique on-site corporate wellness assessment program that thoroughly evaluated specific employee health and wellness levels through cholesterol, blood pressure and body composition analysis screenings. Combining that data with a health risk appraisal tool, Dr. Bruce provided employees with an in-depth report on their current state of wellness and gave them the appropriate strategies to live healthier lives. He also counseled employers on strategies to provide healthier work environments for their employees. Today, Dr. Bruce remains an active member of the Wellness Council of Northeast Ohio (under the umbrella of WELCOA, the Wellness Councils of America).
Dr. Bruce possesses 16 years of experience as a boys and girls high school track and cross country coach–a job he loved! He has coached athletes to numerous school records and impressive performances at the state level. He even coached a state champion pole vaulter.
As an ultra-endurance running and cycling event consultant, coach, planner and participant, Dr. Bruce has worked with local and national individuals and organizations to plan and provide technical support and expertise for many unique ultra-endurance running and bicycling events. These events call upon Dr. Bruce's specialized expertise in exercise physiology, coaching, nutrition and sports psychology in order to help ensure a successful, fulfilling and safe experience for the participant(s).
Here are a few examples: 1) In 1990, Dr. Bruce participated in Marathon DesSables, a 135-mile self-supported seven-day stage running-race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco. In addition to advising several athletes in the race, Dr. Bruce was the second American finisher; 2) Dr. Bruce also is a six-time Crew Chief for individuals and teams participating the Bicycle Race Across America (RAAM), a non-stop, 3,000-mile, transcontinental bicycle race.
Dr. Bruce has served as the former Fitness and Aquatics Director for the Department of Intramurals at Kent State University. During his tenure, he built the largest university-based group exercise program in the United States. Under his guidance, 38 instructors taught a variety of classes at facilities across campus. He is most proud of the largest single class in the program's history, featuring 408 participants and three instructors. Dr. Bruce also worked as the Fitness Center and Personal Training Director for a major health and fitness facility in Cleveland, Ohio. Additionally, Dr. Bruce has taught review courses for aspiring personal trainers in preparation for taking their A.C.E. certification exams.
Dr. Bruce maintains a firm belief that better fitness leads to better golf. He is fascinated by the direct correlation between physical limitations and golf swing faults (and vice versa). This fascination led him to become certified as an Advanced Golf Fitness Instructor through the Titlist Performance Institute. He also is a member of the teaching staff of the Cleveland Metroparks Academy of Golf.
Dr. Bruce regularly conducts three-dimensional golf swing analysis sessions using Advanced Motion Measurement's (AMM) swing analysis system, an electromagnetically based system that captures and analyzes swings with considerably more detail and accuracy than can be achieved with video. According to Dr. Bruce, AMM analysis is akin to an MRI of the golf swing. Dr. Bruce works closely with PGA Teaching Professionals to apply the AMM results and help golfers improve their games from both fitness and instructional standpoints.
Dr. Bruce believes that the experience of exercising in a fitness facility should be safe, efficient, effective and enjoyable – today and tomorrow. He also believes that products designed to accomplish these goals will revolutionize the fitness industry. But words alone aren't enough; Dr. Bruce has taken action.
Having spent years in and around fitness facilities of every shape and size, Dr. Bruce came to recognize a fundamental problem. Time and time again, exercisers who wanted to clean and sanitize a piece of fitness equipment before and/or after using it had to walk across the fitness center hunting for sanitizing supplies that resided on a remote shelf, window sill or wall. Or, they had to tread carefully through their workout, being careful not to trip on cleaning supplies that were randomly strewn on the floor between equipment.
Surely, he thought, a sanitizing supplies holder existed that could be attached directly to each piece of equipment. Yet in reality, such a product hadn't been invented, so Dr. Bruce decided to develop one – specifically, a spray bottle and towel holder that could be conveniently and cost-effectively attached to every type and piece of strength and cardiovascular fitness equipment.
The result: GymValet®, a holder for sanitizing spray bottles and towels that is easy-to-install and universally attachable to virtually all makes and models of exercise equipment. Its multi-purpose design makes it the perfect solution for holding fitness equipment sanitizing supplies.
The GymValet makes it fast and convenient for exercisers to clean equipment before and/or after use. Equally important, it eliminates the need for high-cost disposable paper towels and pre-moistened wipes, and it creates no paper waste.
Dr. Bruce has run at least three miles every day, without fail, since May 16, 1978. That's almost 32 years, or approximately 11,700 consecutive days of running, without a single day missed, ever. On January 22, 2010, the length of his running streak passed the rarefied one billion second threshold…in other words, on January 22, one billion seconds had elapsed since the first day of his streak in 1978.
In all the time that has elapsed since May 1978, Dr. Bruce estimates that he has run approximately 82,000 miles. That's the equivalent running 3.25 times around the Earth at its greatest circumference. And, just to add some local context, since he is a native Clevelander, he began his consecutive day running streak 2,421 days before LeBron James was born.
Dr. Bruce is currently ranked 29th on the United States Running Streak Association's (USRSA) list of active running streaks. The Association defines a running streak as running at least one continuous mile within each calendar day under one's own body power (without the utilization of any type of health or mechanical aid other than prosthetic devices).
- Dr. Bruce has completed 20 full-length marathons with a personal best of 2:34:45 (that's an average of 5:54 per mile for 26.2 miles).
- Dr. Bruce was among the top 20 nationally ranked age group Olympic distance triathletes in the 1990s.
- He was a two-time gold medalist in long-distance running in the 1993 World Macabbiah Games – the Olympics for Jewish athletes.
- He was a three time finisher in the Empire State Building Run-Up, which involved running up 86 floors, or 1,575 steps, from the building's lobby to the 86th floor observation deck. Dr. Bruce's best finish was 3rd place overall, and his best time was 12 minutes and 13 seconds.
- He is a two-time Badwater 146 participant (1989 and 1991). The Badwater event is 146-mile foot race from Badwater, in Death Valley, California (the lowest point in the western hemisphere) to the summit of Mt. Whitney (the highest point in the contiguous U.S. Bottom line: The race traverses from 292 feet below sea level to 14,494 feet above sea level during the course of 146 miles.
- Other notable races in which Dr. Bruce has participated include the 1993 Himalayan Run & Trek, a 100-mile, five-day stage race in Northern India, and World Ride '95, a 13,000-mile, 14-stage around-the-world bicycle ride for able-bodied and disabled athletes. Dr. Bruce was personally involved in the stage from Uulan Batar, Mongolia, across the Gobi Desert to the Great Wall of China near Beijing.
Comments on this entry are closed.


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The Federal Trade Commission filed comments on November 13 with the Federal Communications Commission in support of the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to make telephone bills more readable and accurate.
In the comment, the FTC agrees with the FCC's statement that "even the most sophisticated consumer would often be unable, based on information provided in the bills, to identify the services for which the consumer is being charged, or the providers of those services." The FTC also states that "unclear telephone bills have contributed to the proliferation of cramming."
The comment outlines the FTC's efforts to combat cramming -- the placing of unauthorized charges on consumer telephone bills -- and notes that during the past year, the FTC has received more than 9,000 complaints about cramming and has brought three law enforcement actions against "crammers."
In addition, the comment discusses the overlapping jurisdiction of the FTC and FCC, including the shared obligations under the Telephone Disclosure and Dispute Resolution Act of 1992 (TDDRA), which required both agencies to adopt rules to promote legitimate pay-per-call services and shield telephone subscribers from fraudulent and abusive practices. The comment notes that the FTC's recent proposal to revise the 900-Number Rule complements the FCC's proposals to ensure consumers have information sufficient to determine the validity of charges appearing on their bills and to contact the appropriate entity to resolve disputes.
The FTC supports several of the specific FCC proposals to improve and clarify the telephone bill format, including:
- A "current status" page containing a summary of a consumer's telephone services and identifying the provider of each of the various services being billed;
- A separate section for each different type of charge, such as local service, long distance service, and other types of non-carriage services that can now be charged to a phone bill;
- A brief, plain language description of the charge for each service; and
- The name of the service provider and clear and conspicuous disclosure of any information consumers need to make inquiries about charges.
The Commission vote to file this comment was 4-0.
Copies of the full text of the comment and information about the FTC's law enforcement actions against crammers and the consumer education brochure, "Cramming: Mystery Phone Charges," are available from the FTC's web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-FTC-HELP (202-382-4357); TDD for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202-326-2710.
(FTC File No. V980033)
Contact Information
- Media Contact:
- Michelle Muth,
Office of Public Affairs
- Staff Contact:
- Michael Donohue,
Bureau of Consumer Protection


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Give A Gift
Subscriber Services
At the end of the course, the teens show off their skills with their dogs at a graduation program. "They're really good with the dogs; they form deep relationships with them," Cozzolino says. "There's a lot of amazement and pride when they're doing agility, or even just teaching the shelter dogs the basics, like 'sit' and 'down.' In the first couple of weeks, the kids are reluctant [to participate], but after that, we'll ask for a volunteer, and somebody's hand shoots up."
The organization also runs programs at two Chicago public high schools to train teenagers in humane education; the youths, in turn, travel to area elementary schools and teach children what they've learned. "We talk about how to treat a dog kindly, safe ways to approach a dog, quite a few different things," Cozzolino says. One activity involves a grab bag with items such as a dog brush, rabies tag, bowl, slippers and chocolate. Children take turns pulling items out of the bag, and the group discusses whether each item is "good" or "bad" for a dog.
The Humane Society of the United States started reaching out to Chicago's urban youth in 2006 with its End Dogfighting campaign. In this innovative project, young male consultants — some of them ex-dogfighters — walked the streets in high-risk communities and started up conversations with preadolescent and teenage boys. Often, the boys already had a Pit Bull or Pit mix on a leash, enjoying the status the dog brought them. HSUS volunteers invited the boys to free dog obedience and agility classes, and the program proved to be surprisingly popular, with dozens of boys teaching their dogs new skills. Area vets helped with free vaccinations and spay/neuter surgery.
End Dogfighting was expanded into a larger program called Pets for Life, and quickly spread from Chicago to Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles. Both young people and adults now can enroll their pets in its free training classes, wellness clinics, in-home dog training and other activities. "We've found that people in underserved communities really do care for their pets," says Laurie Maxwell, the program's Chicago director. "They just don't have the resources or information they need."
Maxwell describes a man in his 20s, who was having financial difficulties, breeding his Pit Bull in his home. Then he encountered the Pets for Life program. It took weeks of education, but the man finally got his dog sterilized and vaccinated. HSUS is helping him by providing dog food and other supplies as he tries to get on his feet financially. As Maxwell notes, "It's very difficult for people to have the energy and resources to care for their animals when they're worried about their housing situation, gang violence or other problems. Sometimes, in the inner city, the problems can seem insurmountable."
Maxwell recalls a 15-year-old boy whose life was difficult. Gang violence raged on his street, frequently forcing him to stay inside his home with his younger siblings, whom he babysat. Then one day, the boy found an abandoned dog in a nearby alley. Surrounded by poverty and violence, he could easily have turned to dogfighting for status and cash. But he enrolled in Pets for Life, putting his dog through HSUS dog-training classes. He has taken the dog to a veterinarian for free vaccinations and neutering, and learned to care for him properly.
"This dog means the world to him," Maxwell says. "He keeps the dog with him. It's amazing to see the humananimal bond manifest itself in the midst of all this adversity."
Maxwell acknowledges that some feel dogs should be removed from adverse situations, and says that HSUS does call authorities when there is clear evidence of animal abuse. However, volunteers stress education, respect and the benefits of the human-animal relationship, and this approach brings good results. "People are so thankful," she says. Since January 2010, Pets for Life has reached about 2,000 people in the Chicago area alone with humane education, dog training and other services.
She added that Pets for Life refers animal guardians to community services that can help them with job training, medical care, groceries, housing and other forms of basic support, taking the pressure off and creating a better environment for the animals.
Giving L.A. Kids a New Perspective
Through a new program tailored especially to them, Los Angeles young people are learning firsthand about animal rights, animal safety and spaying and neutering from an attorney who specializes in animal abuse cases.
Bob Ferber, a prosecutor with the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, goes to a school site each month to teach and interact with students, as well as assign community service projects that they'll work on throughout the semester. Companion animals accompany Ferber on these school visits. The program is sponsored by After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles, an after-school program provider, and Voice for the Animals, a nonprofit animal protection organization.
"Inner-city youths [see] stray animals on a daily basis," says Ferber. "Sadly, [they] form many of their opinions based on the behavior of these antisocial (actually defensive) strays, as well as the guard- or junkyard dogs they pass on their way to school each day. I view this [program] as a way to potentially end animal abuse and euthanasia by educating children in the communities where the majority of it originates."
In December, After-School All-Stars students had an opportunity to visit Los Angeles Animal Services' South Central Shelter, where they saw strays and unwanted animals who were waiting for homes.
"We need as many people involved in this as possible—as many people willing to help," Ferber says. "You will find that the students do care about the animals, and maybe through empathizing, they will fully understand their part in [affecting] the outcome through prevention."
In 2001, with support from Los Angeles city attorney Rocky Delgadillo, Ferber created the LA City Attorney Animal Protection Unit, which specializes in animal welfare. He has also implemented a wide range of animal welfare projects, including humane education programs, legislation, serviceanimal protection programs and systemic changes in law enforcement to successfully enforce animal welfare laws.
View the discussion thread.
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San Francisco Run, Rock. & Wine 5/10K
Golden Gate Park-Music Bandshell
Sat 06/22/2013
1 mile, 5K, 10K
1000 Participants
This is a 5K Course and 10K'ers will be running along the 5K course for a partial repeat loop with the same finish line. There are no age restrictions for the running segment of this event. To enter the Wine/Alcohol Area you MUST have a valid I.D. Children or anyone under 21 years of age will not be admitted to the alcohol area. Strollers are allowed on the course and doing so is done at YOUR discretion and we are not responsible for any damage to strollers or delays in your run due to a stroller. We cannot allow Strollers in the alcohol service area-especially if there are young children in them. Please-no dogs, in-line skates, bicycles, or any other equipment that might cause accidents or safety hazards on the course. Please email us with any questions. Running with a large group or family? Register as a Team and save! Check our website and complete the Team Registration form! Packet Pick Up details will be announced shortly. We will have Security & Medical support at this event. We will offer a bag check booth near the Start Line Command Post. Once you have completed the race, if you would like to enter the beer garden you must check in with security at the entry gate to receive your lanyard. Race Day Registration & Pick-Up will only be available for an additional $10 fee. Please contact us with any questions! Parking: Public Parking/Carpooling is encouraged. Once online registration is closed on June 20th, 2013, you may register on June 21st @ Packet Pick-Up.. Please check back on our website for location and time details to be posted shortly. Any Registrations after June 19th are subject to having T-shirt mailed to them after the event. Thank you.
- Address:Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94116


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Research Topics
Lynn M Soban
Affiliation: University of California
Country: USA
Detail Information
- The impact of primary care resources on prevention practicesLynn M Soban
VA Health Services Research and Development HSR and D Center of Excellence, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, California 91343, USA
J Ambul Care Manage 28:241-53. 2005..Assuring high-quality prevention performance requires ongoing investment in primary care-based infrastructure...
- Primary care practice organization influences colorectal cancer screening performanceElizabeth M Yano
VA Greater Los Angeles HSR and D Center of Excellence, Sepulveda VA Ambulatory Care Center, Sepulveda, CA 91343, USA
Health Serv Res 42:1130-49. 2007..To identify primary care practice characteristics associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) screening performance, controlling for patient-level factors...


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Being a geek doesn't stop when you become a parent. In fact, your geekiness will become even worse once you have a baby because you'd want to be always connected to your child. Of course, you can't hand your kid the latest smartphone, tablet, or computer but you may use the most hi-tech toys, accessories, and anything digital or electronic in the baby gadget industry. Parents nowadays have no reason not to be in the know or connected from their children because of the gadgets available.
For the parents always on-the-go, a baby monitor app can be very useful. Dormi is one of the best baby monitors in the market today. This doesn't need any separate hardware because you only need an Android device to work as an audio hardware baby monitor compatible with the Dormi app on your smartphone.
App has been around for some time already but it just received video streaming support. Parents outside the home can monitor their child over the Internet whether WiFi, Hotspot, 3G, 4G, LTE, HSPA+, or Edge–using two paired mobile devices.
What's good about the app is you can connect different devices at once in parent mode to a single child unit. It's a baby monitor so it's sensitive to noise level. It can detect cries and can amplify sound for parents to hear better. Parents are also allowed to talk to the baby by simply pressing the Talk button.
Download Dormi Baby Monitor from the Google Play Store


text: EnvironmentCatalonians get ready for independence rally Hundreds of thousands prepare to take to the streets calling for region to break away from Spain. 11 Sep 2013 11:38 GMT | Environment, Europe, Spain Hundreds of thousands of people in Catalonia, an autonomous region in Spain that is home to 7.6 million people, are preparing to launch massive rallies calling for independence. Many of them say they want the region to break away from Spain because Catalonians have a different language and culture. However, Madrid is pushing against the movement. Al Jazeera's Emma Hayward reports from Barcelona.Source: Al Jazeera


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Mr. McINTYRE. Mr. Speaker, as we approach Veterans Day and are ever thankful for the veterans and servicemen and -women who have made our country great, I rise to pay tribute to Sergeant Jason Thigpen of Wilmington, North Carolina, who is here with us today. After his service in Iraq, Jason started the Student Veterans Advocacy Group at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to support student veterans and dependents seeking a college education.
Jason, who is a Purple Heart medal recipient, has shared with me and others here on Capitol Hill his concerns that the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act disallows out-of-state students to receive in-state tuition at public universities, thus making it cost-prohibitive for them to attend these public universities, even though they otherwise qualify. I am certain that my colleagues here would agree that our returning veterans who are pursuing an education under the GI Bill should not have to worry about whether it's in-state versus out-of-state tuition. These courageous individuals have been at the forefront defending our freedoms and our values. They should not be denied their opportunity to pursue an education. Let's support our student veterans.
Source: http://thomas.loc.gov


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Okay, Folks! There's far too many to caption each one. Rather than do so and risk not getting these photos out quickly, here's what my camera and Mark's camera captured at the 2014 Lake Perris Teardrop Trailer Gathering:
Stay tuned for selections of these photos with special notes/stories that go along with them. If you haven't signed up to follow TEARDROP ADVENTURES yet, make sure you do today so you don't miss a thing!