text:
|Forum Rules
|Firearms Safety
|Firearms Photos
|Lost Password
|Email Changes
|Today's Posts
|Mark Forums Read
|View Poll Results: What will you risk in defense of a stranger?
|I am unwilling to place myself at risk in the defense of a stranger (dial 911 only)
|I am willing to place my finances at risk (possible being sued)
|I am willing to risk my freedom (possibly facing prison)
|I am willing to risk my life but not the safety of bystanders. (no chance of gunfight)
|I am willing to risk my life and increase risk for bystanders. (will risk a gunfight)
|Voters: 59. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread
|August 5, 2010, 01:29 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 28, 2000
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 705
Total percentage of answers adds up to 100 = one answer to each customer.
I suspect many (most?) of those willing to risk the gunfight are also willing to risk finances and took it as "obvious" that if they were willing to risk their lives as well as those of others, they would also take lesser risks. (I didn't answer the poll.)
There's also a quite logical path to explain how "zero risk to personal finances" and "willingness to risk self and others for societal gain" can be compatible. I prefer a different method of assessing personal liability, working directly proportional to the assessment of risk/gain and who is taking the risk vs. who is expected to gain by the action taken … but some think I'm just cracked.
My answer to the poll question would be that I am willing to risk all, plus a few things not mentioned.
But … Whether or not I took various risks would depend upon the assessment of both the situation and my abilities.
This is a separation, but not a disconnect.
It' operating with an ideal goal, while realizing that the best you can actually do, is the closest approximation to the goal.
Keep smiling ... it'll just make 'em wonder what you're up to...
|August 5, 2010, 03:16 PM
Join Date: July 7, 2008
Location: Upper midwest
Posts: 5,098
It's not at all "obvious" that people who say they are willing to risk their or other people's lives as an act of "altruism" are automatically willing to incur a financial loss. This is another point that Glenn E. Meyer has made repeatedly in these discussions. He has demonstrated over and over that most people's perception of "moral obligation" is very limited: it's easy to say that we all should be willing to risk our own lives to help a stranger; but the people who say this would not be willing, if their lives had been saved at the cost of someone else's, to support the family of that person.
For example:
What the poll actually "proves" is that the results you get depend on how you ask the question. Poll options two and three, "I am willing to place my finances at risk (possible being sued)" and "I am willing to risk my freedom (possibly facing prison)" are, IMHO, just different ways of presenting option five, "I am willing to risk my life and increase risk for bystanders..."
If the poll choices really represent a continuum of risk to the actor, there ought to be a continuum of responses: at least some people would take the "small" risk of financial loss (being sued).
That's not the case: the poll results show a bimodal distribution where the modes are (1) The "first do no harm" stance (or, if you prefer, "the ignoble and cowardly" choice) and (2) The "noble and heroic" stance (or the "fools rush in" choice, depending on your point of view).
Being willing to risk one's life tends to be seen as noble and heroic, so it's no surprise that several people express a willingness to do so. But what outcomes will result in being sued and/or going to prison? Well, they'll most likely be the ones that involve harm to bystanders.
So when the "noble and heroic" choice is couched in terms of its possible negative consequences, such as going to prison, it doesn't look so heroic any more.
No takers for those unheroic options? Hmm.
Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.
Last edited by Evan Thomas; August 5, 2010 at 08:29 PM. Reason: to fix ambiguity in last line.
|August 5, 2010, 05:14 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 16, 2010
Posts: 1,654
You have a point. Everyone, including myself, have misconceptions about how things will pan out. There are an infinite number of outcomes for any given scenario. A plan is just a list of things that don't happen. No way to know what your willing to do until its shoved in your face. Until that fateful day its all speculation.
|August 5, 2010, 05:38 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 4, 2009
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 362
I don't know for certain til the moment happens, but I hope I would be able to help out. I carry a gun for protection of myself and my family or friends. Friends, in my mind, extends to anyone I am able to help. If waiting for the police is an option, it is the best one, but may not be possible.
2 gangbangers someone mentioned? Hopefully they will kill each other. I'll try to get people near me to a safe place and not enter the fight.
A bunch of thugs harassing and threatening an old lady? Call 911 if I have time, then step to her defense.
The child issue hits me too. I've had to manhandle my feisty daughter out of places when she had tantrums. She's a different race than me too, so that would raise suspicions from the start if people didn't know us. If someone pulled a gun on me, I hope I'd set her down and tell the guy the story. At that point, she would likely settle down enough to verify me being her dad. I wouldn't pull mine on him, he was trying to help, albeit too hasty. Best to get a cop or security guard if available, to check things out.
I want to go for another pistol course. Would like to find one similar to the obstacle course thing cops do. Walk down a street, things pop up from nowhere, out of doors or around corners. Is it a thug with a hostage or a kid on a bike? A bank robber running out or a mom with a stroller? That sort of thing would be good training.
Remember the American heroes of Flight 93.
|August 5, 2010, 06:15 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 16, 2010
Posts: 1,654
Cool tag BTW ncpatriot not enough people remember Sept 11. let alone the heros of flight 93. I respect your respect for our excellent country. That being said, I would love to do something like your talking about. I took a little training but it was kind of informal and not as professional as I would have liked. Did learn a bit about SD though. I want to get on a course like you talk about and run through that. I really want to do more extensive training but time/cost factor is an issue right now. I still shoot often and practice what I know though.
|August 5, 2010, 08:08 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 28, 2000
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 705
I don't buy into "continuum of risk". I think each type of risk represents an additional dimension of risk to the act, rather than an increased level of risk.
…. And IMHO, those who do subscribe to "continuum of risk" tend to think in a linear way, rather than considering all dimensions at once. The risk of highest value becomes their focus and they answer accordingly. I think some intuitively recognize "lesser" risks as fitting into a different dimensional set and view them as separate, thus forming opinions of personal responsibility that appear to conflict on the surface.
While I'm in the "alternate dimension" …only masochists should read further
If one considers the interests of society to be in conflict with the interests of the individual, acting selfishly is then in direct opposition to acting for the society and that the morality of an act can be described along a line with selfishness represented as bad and altruism as good….
I consider this approach a fallacy and don't mind standing much of today's moral views (which includes personal responsibilities) on their heads. In my view, acting for the benefit of self is separate from acting for the benefit of society, though they do relate to one another. This adds a dimension to the equation of how one should properly act rather than necessarily creating a conflict of interests between self and society. To form the most simplistic graph of their relationship, one would draw an x and y axis in Cartesian coordinates for the interests of each entity. X for self-interest and Y for the societal interest. Each axis has a positive and negative side to represent help or harm, and a point can be plotted to describe an action.
Societal interests, though an society is an entity itself, are only a summation of the interests of each individual (including self) rather than a standard to define good and bad. The good and bad is found in how individuals and entities interact with each other. Due to the multitude of self interests and inevitability of conflict, absolution collapses concerning any action, leaving behind only varying degrees and differing dimensions of guilt.
One can then define one dimension as a culpable offense and another as not, but these definitions are only of value in relation to society … in order to differentiate between maliciousness, negligence, recklessness, involuntary, justifiable, and such. One can also define civil liability and degree of financial exposeure similarly.
The really neat thing is that you can define your own values instead of having society do it for you or take on the values of your chosen religion, as long as they do not directly infringe on the rights of others. The separation of powers between levels of govt. and the people make sense in a slightly different way too. Different jobs defined for different entities that operate in different dimensional sets, basically. Far preferable to destroying the individual in favor of the collective, imo.
Oh yeah, the zero point of the coordinate system might still be said to be one of zero guilt. However, according to my personal view of correct operation, there is an obligation to always act to the best of my ability (including weighing risks correctly) to achieve a good result. Therefore, the zero point effectively does not exist unless I am incapacitated, or am unable to find a way to act positively. Essentially, as long as one is able to make a positive difference, he is obligated to act, and mistakes are inevitable. Responsibility is attempting to limit mistakes to the best of your ability. Justice is us trying to convince ourselves that everything is OK because perfection exists only in hope.
Keep smiling ... it'll just make 'em wonder what you're up to...
|August 5, 2010, 08:25 PM
Join Date: July 7, 2008
Location: Upper midwest
Posts: 5,098
Didn't mean you.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on ethical behavior... it's always interesting to see how someone who is trying to work out his/her own basis for "how to act" goes about it.
Although I'm an entirely secular person, I'm partial to Rabbi Hillel's remark: "What you yourself hate, don't do to your neighbor. This is the whole law; the rest is commentary. Go and study."
Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.
|August 5, 2010, 11:11 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 28, 2000
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 705
Hey, no apologies necessary, but the thought is appreciated. Sorry if my post alarmed you.
Yeah, I can see your point about options 2 and 3 linked to 5.
I saw 2 and 3 more as willing to risk the ability to support dependents … with 3 also involving the dire risk of personal honor (defined as following your personal code of ethics and serving as an example to others)
Personal honor is an unpopular notion nowadays, but I value it higher than my own life. It's value is less than the life of those I love, however. We all see the value in things a little differently, no? … and I don't deny that you are right in the way you looked at 2 and 3. The different values seen in the same concept build the "dimensional set" in my weird little world.
I like Rabbi Hillel, judging from what little I've read by him, but I never cared for that remark except as a reflection of the good in him. Imo, it works well when speaking to a good person or of their good desires, but it fails when speaking to the bad person or bad desires.
I would prefer, "All of the Law describes commerce, the action inherent to the system. By logically dissecting it by the concept of theft, we can find what is valuable. By recognizing it's written form was for man to follow at the time it was given, we can strip off the veil of language placed by man and see the principles governing that action which have held true for all of history. This, I think, is the Law of God ; explained by the motive of love and it's ultimate demonstration.", but that's just me.
Of Hillel quotes, I like, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?". Strangely enough, this might actually be directly on-topic (in principle, at least).
I would respectfully disagree with your self assessment as "entirely secular". IMHO, secular is worldly, or "of nature". If that were true, you would be no more than a sophisticated animal, operating out of instinct and personal desire. I think the first transcendent quality of man may be the willingness to take responsibility and the second, a perceived need for forgiveness of wrongs committed against others. This might show you are reaching beyond what you begin as, to find a code to govern your actions, and define yourself as part of mankind. To those who have found or made such a code, it becomes their god. For those who have a God, it is only a way He speaks to them.
Btw, for simplicity's sake, I usually refer to myself as an agnostic.
Apologies to all for veering so far off-topic.
Keep smiling ... it'll just make 'em wonder what you're up to...
|August 5, 2010, 11:21 PM
Join Date: April 30, 2010
Location: 'sub-urban' to rural desert
Posts: 64
Interesting question but..
I would agree that you really need more info, and would probably have voted for something closer to 'I'd rally the troops around the victim to help/ call 911 / whatever.'
With what I imagined the density of people around the area from the description, pulling a gun out didn't seem like a smart idea to me (unless the assailant came at you and you decided to club the guy with the weapon)
But, I like these questions, what would you do. Tough to tell but probably good to consider pre-need.
|August 6, 2010, 12:01 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 27, 2009
Location: Northeast, Maryland
Posts: 441
I voted for the first one. I am not killer either. I dont seek fighting and would hate to shoot anybody. I reserve that as a true last resort if the BG is targeting me and trying to kill me. But I would stay on the Phone with 911. I would wish to do more but know full well what might happen to me (prison, death,etc). Not things I am ready to experience.....
ANTI-GUN is ANTI-AMERICAN!
|August 6, 2010, 12:53 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 28, 2000
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 705
Big Tom, I know you took a lot of flak lately in another thread. Whether or not the posts were true over there they did display immaturity, imo. This post of yours, however demonstrates a realization of personal limitations and is the first step to maturity. It is the foundation of whatever you are willing to work towards, and build yourself into whatever you desire to be.
Choosing to fight physically is not for everyone, but choosing to fight is. Fighting is nothing more than work. Whether you're working towards subduing fears, working to provide for a family, or working to make life better for others and yourself, it's always a fight. We each choose how we fight, whether nonviolently or violently, and as long as we do so to the best of our ability, we become builders and men. jmo
Keep smiling ... it'll just make 'em wonder what you're up to...
|August 9, 2010, 10:47 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 27, 2009
Location: Northeast, Maryland
Posts: 441
Ya I realized a lot about that night. It taught me to look over my strategy. come up with new game plans, it also taught me that if it came to it I could pull the trigger. But all the while I would never want to have to. I wish to get along with everyone to be totally honest with you, however in the world we live in thats not always the case. I have learned much about guns but much more is still needed. It pains me to know how unprepared I was for that night. But it has made me stronger and my father and I have upped security measures should something else happen. We now sleep with a phone, a light and a shotgun next to us. Just in case.
ANTI-GUN is ANTI-AMERICAN!
|August 9, 2010, 11:18 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 12, 2006
Posts: 1,512
Heard about a pair of thugs in Baton Rouge that were mugging folks with a tactic of one would pretending to beat the other one and when someone came to help the pretend victim. The pretend victim would get up and help hold up the real victim with a gun.
|August 9, 2010, 11:32 PM
Junior member
Join Date: June 4, 2010
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 67
I heard
I heard a story of a lady who tried to stop a band of ruffians trying to rob some guys is nice suits, just to discover while she was been arrested for obstruction of justice the ruffian looking people were actually federal agents trying to arrest a band of narcos
The point of the story told by a lawyer is, When you act in such fashion, you are taking on this persons rights and responsibilities, weather that be a criminal or a victim. How can you know? apart from the obvious?
Never assume anything
|August 10, 2010, 12:11 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 8, 2010
Posts: 1,191
Ill make it short and to the point, so as not to contend with the lengthy insights (lol).
I'm Kind of a big picture guy, in general. If someone i don't know in a situation entirely unknown to me with many unknown variables is at risk i would weigh heavily on my actions.
A Kid getting beaten/raped/kidnapped, you bet your a** im stepping in. a guy reaches over and grabs money from a cash register, mutual fight, mugging, jumping, etc. I most likely would play the role of bystander calling the police.
I am more important to myself and my family then Joe Blow is to me. period. there are so many stories about vigilantes finding themselves beaten, coma, dead, or behind bars for being what i like to refer to as a comic book hero. I will assume little to no risk in most situations as, bad as it may sound, joe blow/jane doe dying or getting hurt, while terrible, is not something i would allow be a factor in potentially negatively affecting me and my family (ie my dying or being sued, etc.)
The Day You Get Comfortable Is The Day You Get Careless...
|August 10, 2010, 02:45 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 1, 2008
Location: Athens, GA
Posts: 1,420
I voted for calling 911.
An interesting thing happened to me a few months ago...
I was walking out of a movie theater with my brother, it was the late movie, and the parking lot was not well lit.
As we walked down one of the aisles, someone of another race popped out behind a car and just started booking it right towards me. I thought, "Well, I guess this is really happening. I hope I can stop this guy, and that my brother can get some hard licks in on him."
The guy ran on by me, as I walked on I saw/heard his three friends talking about how he had forgotten his cell phone in the theater.
How many folks here might have drawn on this guy?
If you had, how about the three friends?
Something to think about, not everything is as it seems... really changed my perception of things.
|August 10, 2010, 10:01 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 28, 2000
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 705
GoldenState, gee, a lot of that was pretty much common sense and illustrative of what you value. Family is #1, pretty much the same here
It sounds bad, but I might pass on stepping in to protect a kid that many others (maybe you) would try to protect. The kid might represent greater innocence, and thus "greater gain" if the gamble is successful, but to me that's mostly just another unknown. My focus is weighing the dangers against my abilities rather than a greater imagined payoff. If I don't think there's a high likelihood of winning, I don't take the gamble, no matter how innocent the "victim" appears. While I might risk all on a bet, it's only when I consider the bet safe (protecting family and friends excepted, of course). The main concern is determining what's a safe bet and when it's best to consider the victim "already lost" … and leave it to the comic book heroes to act based on what they think they might gain, imo.
Vigilantism is an entirely different thing. That's more like hunting, and the cops have the only hunting licenses. You can lawfully deter nuisances and remove threatening animals without a license, including helping out a neighbor.
Keep smiling ... it'll just make 'em wonder what you're up to...
|August 10, 2010, 11:20 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 27, 2009
Location: Northeast, Maryland
Posts: 441
Dr. Strangelove,
Ya some people are just dumb as a mule. Being in customer service for 6 years I can tell you that I am no longer astonished by the idiots of the world. I have seen, studied, watched others and can not believe how dumb they are. I seen so many dummies from Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asians, you name it I seen it. I've seen people with Government checks telling them EXACTLY WHAT TO GET in plain writing and STILL are dumb founded.
An example of this is:
A woman has a Wic check, IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS to buy a certain type of item and they go and pick up something completely different. Then they look at you and say, "oh I didn't know that." OMG IT SAYS IT ON THE CHECK WHAT YOU GET! When you first sign up for them they tell you what you can and cant get and you even get a list of stuff to remind you. NOT ONLY THAT but everything WIC Approved is STAMPED! Then they say "oh thats not fair." ITS FREE! WHATS NOT FAIR? THAT YOUR SAPPING THE LIFE OUTTA MY PAYCHECKS FOR FREE STUFF? I could go on but thats one of the examples that gets me most.
It holds up all the poor folks trying to get home to the kids, make dinner for the family, during rush hour and they get held up for the idiots. Then I feel all bad about it after even thou I know its not my fault in the first place. Stupidity really gets under my skin and gets me all worked up.
I was unclear on what you were getting at in the last post please go on...
ANTI-GUN is ANTI-AMERICAN!
|August 11, 2010, 04:12 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 3, 2009
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,543
Sometimes what seems so obvious is not what we thought it was.
When I was in my early teens I was in the truck with my uncle, and my cousin. We were on our way home from hunting turkey, with shotguns in the truck. This was a year or two before concealed carry became legal in Texas.
We hear a woman sceaming for help. We see what appears to be two gang bangers man handeling her. She was struggling, and screaming for help, with a few get your hands off of me, let me go in there also.
My uncle grabbed a shotgun stepped out of the truck. Racked the slide loudly. Yell at the guys let her go. A split second later there are cops everywhere. We are surrounded at gunpoint by cops. Turns out those gangbagers were actualy under cover police. The woman was being arrested for selling them narcotics. My uncle was taken to jail. My cousin, and I had to wait for my aunt to come pick us up.
Charges gainst my uncle were dropped the next day, after our family attorney showed up at the DA's office explaining what was going on.
What may appear to be so obvious, might not be what you thought it was.
No matter how many times you do it and nothing happens it only takes something going wrong one time to kill you.
Last edited by m&p45acp10+1; August 11, 2010 at 04:14 AM. Reason: typo
|August 11, 2010, 11:06 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 27, 2009
Location: Northeast, Maryland
Posts: 441
ANTI-GUN is ANTI-AMERICAN!
|August 11, 2010, 11:14 AM
Join Date: July 7, 2008
Location: Upper midwest
Posts: 5,098
Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.
|August 11, 2010, 11:22 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 8, 2010
Posts: 1,191
anyways, commmon sense aint so common, and my point was for the majority i could give two ____'s about what happens to someone else, because i wont let it jeopardize me, because i owe me to my family. there are exceptions to everything and for me the kid me raped is just that.
The Day You Get Comfortable Is The Day You Get Careless...
|August 11, 2010, 01:07 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 28, 2000
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 705
so sue me. Hey, I either twisted or redefined it too … maybe you can ask for punitive damages if you can prove malice.
We just take our exceptions differently : for me, it's when I'm confident I can win. "Might be able" to win doesn't cut it.
Yeah, I'd want to help the kid being raped more than an adult being beaten, but the desire to help only causes me to consider taking action. Whether I actually take action depends entirely on the chance of success.(What's happening to the other guy becomes irrelevant if I don't think I can help.)
Dunno which is best. My method has the potential to do more things. Focusing on the severity of the crime has the potential to do greater things.
No kiddin on "uncommon sense" (TM?) … careful there, you don't want a suit filed against ya. lol
Keep smiling ... it'll just make 'em wonder what you're up to...
Last edited by animal; August 11, 2010 at 03:25 PM.
|August 16, 2010, 01:57 AM
Join Date: December 26, 2008
Location: Bonney Lake, WA
Posts: 77
While my nature is to jump in, I learned a hard lesson when I was working in Colombia back in the 70's. I walked out into a parking lot one hot afternoon, and a guy had a woman by the throat, and shoved against a car, just beating the hell out of her face.
I spun him around (he only came up to my chin) and started to re-arrange some of his face asking him how he like this? BANG and a shot went by my head. This woman laying on the ground who could hardly see out of her bloodied eyes, had a gun in her hand saying "leave my husband alone".
I spun him around and used him as a shield then threw him on top of her...
(And I thought I was being the good guy).
|August 19, 2010, 11:55 AM
Join Date: September 27, 2008
Location: Foothills of the Appalachians
Posts: 12,130
Several years ago, I was walking to my car in a gas-station parking lot. Two pumps over from my car was a newish Mustang with a teenage girl in it. A young man came running across the parking lot, banged on her window and yelled, "gimme the car $#*!"
Oh my gosh! Do I blade 45 degrees and draw from retention?!? Is this "my time?!?" Imma be a hero!
Two seconds later, the occupant of the car said, "shut up, Barry," and they both laughed.
So why didn't I immediately pole-vault to the top of the force continuum? Observation.
A co-worker was with me and asked me why I didn't go into fight mode, and I explained this. I explained that my life would have taken a drastically unpleasant turn had I shot the guy, and his response was that a jury would have presumed my actions to be based on reasonable concern for the girl's safety given the circumstances.
He didn't realize it, but that was an incredibly callous view of things. We're talking about taking human life. I own every bullet I shoot, and I have to live with my actions. I can't imagine how I'd have felt if I acted wrongly in a case like that.
I'm not directing this at anyone here. In fact, I haven't caught a whiff of it in this thread, but I've seen and heard far too many conversations the last couple of years that revolve around "can I shoot in this situation?" "Well, how about this one?" "Hey, what if the guy does this?"
It's incumbent for us not to look for confrontation, and to avoid it if at all possible. While I may have to act in defense of another at some point, I won't know until the situation presents itself, and I likely won't be leading with the gun.
Stuff like this is hard to predict and impossible to prejudge.
Sometimes it's nice not to destroy the world for a change.
--Randall Munroe
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread


text:
Top infoTECH News
Software News
Hardware News
Security News
Networking News
infoTECH Editor's Pick
infoTECH Awards
What's Hot in Information Technology?
infoTECH Services
infoTECH Media Kit
IP Phones
Power Protection
Software Licensing
Software Monetization
infoTECH News
[May 13, 2013]
Modesto's Davis High adapts to enrollment drop, other challenges
MODESTO, May 12, 2013 (The Modesto Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- In the spring of 2006, Davis High School was bulging at the seams with more than 3,000 students. Its test scores were among the highest among Modesto City's seven comprehensive high schools.
Seven years later, its enrollment is less than half that. Its principal has been fired. Test scores are down. Staff morale is low and Davis students say they are tired of hearing it called "the ghetto school." Davis lost attendance as Enochs and Gregori high schools opened, and many families within the Davis boundary are opting for different schools instead, pushing the numbers even lower.
Lower enrollment means fewer activities for the students who remain. "It is a worry for clubs and teams. This year, we did not have an Academic Decathlon team," said Principal Lynn Lysko.
Davis also did not have a full complement of sports teams this year. The school newspaper folded and attendance is way down in the yearbook class for next year, said Modesto Teachers Association Executive Director Megan Gowans.
"At some point, we're concerned about Davis not looking like a full and comprehensive high school," she said.
Davis' enrollment shrank as Enochs and Gregori high schools opened in the past decade. School boundaries were redrawn in 2005, but failed to allow for the recession's impact on family housing, Superintendent Pam Able said.
"Based on the information we had at the time, the boundary changes would have resulted in Davis at approximately 1,800 students in 2012-13," Able said, adding the district "absolutely planned for balance" among high school attendance areas.
Instead, Enochs has swollen to nearly 2,500 students, while Davis is projected to drop to 1,250 next year. Johansen, with 1,778 students, is the next-smallest Modesto campus.
Neighborhoods with students attending Davis and Johansen had high rates of foreclosures and vacancies, with many families moving away during the recession. The number of 10- to 14-year-olds living close to Davis fell steeply between the 2000 and 2010 census counts, the age group that now would be in high school.
"Ironically, this didn't occur in the Modesto High attendance area (the most crowded campus). We believe some families moved to the southwest and more affordable housing," Able said.
Administrator Mike Coats, former principal at Enochs, said parents also chose the new schools at higher numbers than expected, adding to the imbalance.
The glamorous, airy architecture at Enochs and Gregori outshines Davis' lumpy concrete walls and compact rectangles. In 1961, when Davis was built, the tilt-up concrete technique that was used was all the rage. Walls were poured over softball-size river rocks in hopes of discouraging graffiti, said Associate Principal Mike Rich. With an upsurge in spray paint, however, "it just makes it harder to clean," he said with a chuckle.
But inside those melted-marshmallow walls, students and staff feel the sharp pain of having far fewer people. As senior Amberlee Paradise put it: "Sophomore year, the halls were packed. Now, not so much." Modesto City Schools board member Sue Zwahlen said each high school's opening meant transition for others. "I remember when Davis High opened, people were concerned Downey would never be the same. Beyer opened the year after I graduated and there was concern Davis would never be the same. It goes on and on," she said.
Zwahlen and husband Lynn, her high school sweetheart, are Davis alums, Class of 1972. Five of their six children also sported the green and gold. "It has a long, rich history," she said.
For now, Davis' lower profile creates some staffing issues. "Many sports teams have walk-on coaches because the teachers we have left are teaching six classes instead of five to try to maintain programs," said Lysko, the principal.
Fewer electives and classes of core subjects are needed. Fewer stipends can be earned for extra teaching or club advising. Some teachers may have to cover more topics or split their days between campuses next year.
Last month, the teachers union met with the district over "unresolved concerns" about Davis, Gowans said, adding, "No grievance has been filed at this point." Language Institute teacher Lindsey Bird was one of those given a notice she would teach half day at a junior high campus next year. However, MTA President Doug Burton said her position was renegotiated to support the language program and Bird will return there full time for next year.
But the larger problem of portioning out fewer assignments remains. "They don't have the numbers," Burton said.
Situation seen as temporary The district sees the downturn as temporary, noting that Downey's numbers were decimated when Johansen High opened in 1990. "(Downey) had a loss of enrollment, loss of programs -- all that negative connotation, but it has been a marvel to me how it has reinvented itself," said Associate Superintendent Ginger Johnson.
To help start Davis on its path, Modesto City Schools shifted boundaries earlier this year despite vocal opposition by Enochs and Beyer families being moved. Able said the shift "will, over time, bring Davis enrollment closer to its as-built capacity of 1,800 students." Working against raising those numbers: --Families paying extra taxes to build Enochs and Gregori by law get first choice to go to those schools.
--Open enrollment each fall allows families to choose other campuses.
--Other schools offer unique programs, such as robotics at Beyer or veterinary science at Enochs.
--Federal sanctions demand that students be allowed to transfer to a higher-scoring campus if their home campus has missed No Child Left Behind targets for two years or more.
Davis has missed targets for three years, dropping this year to the lowest among Modesto high schools. It's average state score is 712, a stinging 112 points below Enochs, and a slim 18 points above Denair High, lowest in the county.
Part of the lower scores is simple math. The Language Institute, in its third year at Davis, garners high marks for helping its students. But English-only testing of those 140 non-English speakers drags down the school average.
For example, results released last week show 90 percent of Davis sophomores outside the Language Institute passed the high school exit exam given in March. But add in those new arrivals and the number drops to 71 percent in English, 75 percent in math.
Some of the slide could be from low morale alone, according to research cited by veteran administrator Walt Hanline. Hanline, now serving as Denair Unified interim superintendent, said a lesser facility will lower scores 4 percent. "Your working environment makes a difference. Facilities matter, for kids and adults," he said.
Investment in fixes The district has invested in fixes and refurbishing at the campus this year, including a makeover for the Little Theater, and the campus enjoys staunch alumni support.
Parent Susan Narducci, responding to a Bee Facebook query, said her five children have all gone to Davis. "I hear a lot of negative stuff about Davis -- gangs, is dangerous, is ghetto. I do a lot of volunteering at Davis and all of those comments are not true. People's perceptions of Davis are very wrong," she posted. "Come and take a tour. ... You will see a wonderful school that is trying to survive and shine against all odds." That's the type of testimonial Zwahlen said Davis needs right now. "We need to market what they have that is so strong and so positive," she said.
Johnson said the district will "overstaff" Davis to a certain extent next year to offer a better range of classes, and pledged better communication to help parents see what the school offers.
One key staff member will not be back. Lysko is one of four principals notified in December she would lose her job. With a doctorate in education but no California teaching credential, Lysko said she is seeking employment elsewhere.
A familiar face will take her place. Rich, the associate principal, got the appointment in March after being selected as a finalist by an interview panel that included Davis teachers and staff.
He walks to school each morning from his home in the neighborhood and said he loves the family feel of the campus.
"It's a perception battle," he said. "Word of mouth needs to change -- we have a great school." Bee education reporter Nan Austin can be reached at email@example.com or (209) 578-2339, on Twitter, @NanAustin, www.modbee.com/education.
------ LOOKING UP Davis High has had a tough year, but as the Modesto school marks its 50th commencement this month, it also has some things to celebrate. Among them: --STURDY BLEACHERS: The replacements for the ones that collapsed during a 2011 basketball game hang ready to expand around a gleaming new gym floor. Accessible restrooms and Wi-Fi came with the upgrade. The record board has returned, daring students to beat T. Kearns' 1966 record of 103 sit-ups.
--ADVANCED PLACEMENT: The school will have a full complement of AP classes this fall.
--LOTS OF DRAMA: The Little Theater has been refurbished inside and out. The drama club bought new lights. High-energy dance classes pirouette and strut on new flooring. Dancers pull off the occasional flash mobs during lunch and perform at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The Davis band participates in outside events.
--COOL PRESCHOOL: Davis child-development students get hands-on training three days a week. Twenty little charges stop in for two hours each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday while classes of high schoolers rotate through to play, sing and teach.
--REAL RESPONDERS: Davis Public Safety Academy students train with the pros and have their own fire engine and police car. Health Career Academy students can spend a stint working in a hospital.
--AQUATICS CLASS: The pool is put to nonteam use during seventh period, offering exercise and swim lessons.
--LOOKING AHEAD: Coming next year, incoming Principal Mike Rich says, is a single lunch period, allowing kids to eat with friends, teachers to collaborate and simplifying school scheduling. The year will start with a neighborhood picnic. The track will be fixed and the pool will sparkle with a new filter. A sports medicine class will be added to the school's health career offerings.
Source: Modesto City Schools administrators ___ (c)2013 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) Visit The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) at www.modbee.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
InfoTech Spotlight's Homepage
comments powered by Disqus.
blog comments powered by
infoTECH Headlines
Using Technology for Information - Colleges and Universities Transfer
Why Low-code Development Platforms Are So Much More Than a Beginner's Tool
Quality Over Quantity: The Art of Software Normalization
Surprising Places to Find Discount Software Online
The Business Value of Automation
8 Fastest Growing Cybersecurity Companies Right Now
What to Look for When Hiring an Android Developer
When Androids Attack: Protecting Against WireX Botnet DDoS Attacks
Is It Possible to Decrease Online Fraud with Blockchain Technology?
Top 6 IT Asset Management Tips
Subscribe to InfoTECH Spotlight eNews
InfoTECH Spotlight eNews delivers the latest news impacting technology in the IT industry each week. Sign up to receive FREE breaking news today!
FREE eNewsletter
Streann OTT Hopes to be the Evolution of TV
Rich Tehrani
FixStream: Enterprise-Grade Operational Intelligence Across Hybrid Cloud
Rich Tehrani
Why iPhone X Sales Will be Epic
Rich Tehrani
Why Google will Buy Bose
Rich Tehrani
Coinbase Finally adds Support Line
Rich Tehrani
Rich Tehrani speaks with Jim Lochry of ConnectLeader
Rich Tehrani speaks with Jim Lochry of ConnectLeader
XKL at TEX 2016
TMC's Rich Tehrani speaks with Colleen Gallagher of XKL at TEX 2016
Richard McFarland of Voice4Net at Real Time Web Solutions 2016
Richard McFarland of Voice4Net talks WebRTC at Real Time Web Solutions NYC 2016
Bent Rye of Temasys at Real Time Web Solutions 2016
Bent Rye of Temasys talks WebRTC at Real Time Web Solutions NYC 2016
infoTECH Whitepapers
What is Information Tehnology
What is Information Technology?
The History of Information Technology
Today's Most Desired Information Technology Skills
Information Technology Careers
Ten Information Technology Companies of 2011
Powered by
Technology Marketing Corporation,
35 Nutmeg Drive Suite 340, Trumbull, Connecticut 06611 USA
Ph: 800-243-6002, 203-852-6800;
Fx: 203-853-2845
Contact us
Technology Marketing Corp. 1997-<%= curyear %> Copyright.
infoTECH Resources
Editor's Pick
infoTECH News
Software News
Hardware News
Security News
Networking News
What's Hot
Media Kit
infoTECH Communities
Call Recording
SIP Trunking
Unified Communications
infoTECH Channels
IP Phones
Power Protection
Software Licensing
Software Monetization
Virtual PBX
Workforce Management
Power Protection
Other Industries
IP Communications
Cable Spotlight
Satellite Spotlight
Smart Grid
Sports Techy
M2M Evolution

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Download some of this year's award-season screenplays. At a Beverly Hills Q&A for Captain Phillips, four days before the Oscar® nominations were announced, screenwriter Billy Ray was moved to explain why the competition means so much to him. "It's not that I'm looking for awards or honors," he said earnestly. "It's that I look at...
Terence Winter
What's New in the Nov/Dec 2011 Issue of Script
Margin Call's J.C. Chandor, From Script to Screen: The Rum Diary, Writers on Writing: J. Edgar, Final Draft, Inc. Hall of Famer Steven Zaillian, Terence Winter's Boardwalk Empire, Pacing Your Script, Talking to Hollywood, Secrets of Action Screenwriting, and Much More!
PRIMETIME: Learn to Write TV with Screenwriting Legend Norman Steinberg
TV writers need to learn how to take a punch, a mandatory eight count and then get up and go back at it. They also have to know how to throw a punch.
WGA News: 2011 Writers Guild Award Nominations
The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television, news, radio, promotional writing, and graphic animation during the 2010 season to be honored at the 2011 Writers Guild Awards on February 5, 2011, in Los Angeles and New York.


text:
UBB widow: 'I just knew'
here.BECKLEY, W.Va. -- Joel Price never took time off. But he had worked the previous Christmas and Thanksgiving, so he figured he deserved a good vacation.His wife, Dorean, had a conference to attend in Florida, so it provided the perfect getaway for the couple. They spent a week at Walt Disney World."There was no work, no grandkids, just the two of us," Dorean Price recalled.They got home on Friday, April 2, and spent Saturday with their grandchildren. On Sunday, they went to church.The next day was April 5. Price went back to his job operating the longwall mining shearer at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch Mine.Sometime around 3 p.m. that day, Price was deep underground. A massive explosion tore through the Raleigh County mine. Price and 28 of his co-workers were killed.Looking back now on the Disney trip, Dorean, 52, remembers her husband showering her with gifts."During that time, I can't describe it . . . . I just wanted to ask, 'Why are you doing this? But I didn't,'" she said. "You know how you get the feeling that things are too good? It was almost like things are so nice, I'm looking for the other shoe to drop."Upper Big Branch was the U.S. coal industry's worst workplace disaster in more than 40 years -- since the day that 78 other West Virginia miners died at Farmington in November 1968.And the Upper Big Branch disaster was the low point of the coal industry's deadliest year in nearly two decades.Through Friday, 48 coal miners had died on the job across the nation, the most since 55 were killed in 1992, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. West Virginia accounts for 35 of this year's deaths, the most in the state since 36 were killed in 1979.Eight months after the deadly blast, federal and state investigations drag on. Criminal authorities continue to look into Massey's safety practices, while company CEO Don Blankenship plans his retirement.Two weeks ago, federal lawmakers in Washington voted down a mine-safety reform bill. Political leaders in West Virginia never even debated such a measure.Coal prices are up, driven by heavy demand for steel and the potential for a cold winter.In Southern West Virginia, 29 families are bracing themselves this week for their first Christmas without husbands, sons, brothers, fathers."It was pretty tough," Dorean Price says. ". . . And then, this time of the year, it's even worse."'I just knew'Dorean Price looked at her TV and wondered, "Which mine?"It was just after 3 p.m. on April 5. She was cooking a pot of black beans -- her husband's favorite. Her grandkids were playing in the yard.On TV, a reporter was talking about an accident at a Massey mine. She expected Joel home from Upper Big Branch a little after 6 p.m."When the reporter said it was UBB -- my mine -- I said, "I've got to find out where he is,'" Dorean recalled.Her son, who used to work for Massey, called the mine. She's had him call before when Joel was late, to find out if everything was OK. The men at the other end of the line always had an answer. Usually, they said the miners had worked over and were on their way out. This time, they told her son to call another number."I knew then he was involved," Dorean said. "I just knew."She rushed to the mine site, along with dozens of other families. Blankenship gave the families the news that there were at least 24 dead. Joel was one of the ones not yet accounted for. "Someone was screaming, 'He'd better get out of here before I do something to him,'" Dorean recalled. The room was filled with yelling and crying, she said. One of the miners yelled at Blankenship, "Who's going to mine your f---ing coal now?"'I wanted to hold out hope'By April 8, Dorean had been sleeping in her car at the mine site for four days, only going home to shower and change her clothes."We were waiting, praying, hoping that the folks unaccounted for were still alive," she said. "It was awful . . . as the days went by, they would give us tidbits of information, but it didn't look good."Dorean met with Blankenship -- alone with her family. It was the first time she had seen him since Monday. He was meeting privately with the families of each of the four miners still missing.Blankenship let Dorean and her family ask questions about what had happened. Her husband's brothers asked about the location of the blast."Looking back on it, I think he was trying to tell us in a roundabout way to really prepare ourselves for the worst," Dorean said. "He said it was highly unlikely that they would find any survivors . . . . He basically told us that it was highly unlikely anyone survived a blast of that magnitude."By then, Dorean knew in her gut that her husband hadn't made it."But I wanted to hold out hope," she said. "I was trying."Investigators and independent mine safety experts believe the Upper Big Branch explosion involved an ignition of methane gas that was the made far more powerful and deadly by a buildup of highly explosive coal dust underground.The blast ripped through more than 2 1/2 miles of underground tunnels "in an instant," according to independent investigator Davitt McAteer. Underground rail tracks "looked like they'd been twisted like a pretzel," officials have said."It was a very violent explosion," said Kevin Stricklin, MSHA's coal administrator. "It included a large area and there was massive damage."Federal investigators say they have found a widespread failure by Massey throughout the mine to apply adequate amounts of "rock dust," or crushed stone meant to prevent coal dust from turning a minor ignition into a major mining disaster. No miraclesAt about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, April 10, then-Gov. Joe Manchin made the public announcement: "We did not receive the miracle we prayed for."The families had already been informed. But whoever told Dorean Price that her husband was dead is lost to her memory. What she remembers of the announcement is the outpouring of emotion, the anguish and the anger."People were screaming, turning over chairs, yelling," she said. "We were trying to get out of there."Dorean and her family, including Joel's brothers, made their way out of the room and out the back of the mine building where the families had gathered.Her sister, Alice, didn't make it out with them. She had stayed in the hallway when the mine officials said they had a big announcement."We got outside to the parking lot and one of the ministers said I'd better go back in and get my sister. She was sitting in the hallway, just crying."Two weeks later, on April 25, President Obama led a memorial service in Beckley for the Upper Big Branch miners.White crosses, one for each miner and each with a miners' cap, lined the front of the stage at the Raleigh County Convention Center. A photo display of the men served as the backdrop."Day after day, they would burrow into the coal, the fruits of their labor, what we so often take for granted: the electricity that lights up convention centers like this; that lights up our churches and homes, our schools and offices; the energy that powers our country and the world," Obama told the crowd. "Most days, they would emerge from the dark mine, squinting at the light. Most days, they would emerge, sweaty, dirty, dusted with coal. Most days, they would come home. Most days, but not that day."Dorean Price and the other families met privately that day with the president."If it hadn't been under those circumstances, it would have been the highlight of my life," she said.The entire event -- with Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Nick J. Rahall and the ailing Sen. Robert C. Byrd -- was overwhelming. Dorean recalled that Obama and Biden both spoke knowingly about the disaster."[Obama] talked about it, knew what was going on. He said he was very concerned and wanted to get to the bottom of it," Dorean said.The day after that, Massey Energy's Board of Directors held a news conference in Charleston. The company began what's turned into a full-court public relations press, aimed at blaming the disaster on ventilation changes ordered by MSHA.Board member Bobby Inman told the media that sometimes mining accidents just happen, and challenged statements by regulators that all coal-mine explosions are preventable."All accidents are preventable if you shut down production," Inman said. "Mining is -- there is no way around it -- is a dangerous business."At first, Dorean paid close attention to the investigation. But as it drags on, keeping track of developments becomes more difficult."I want to know why it happened," said Dorean, a supervisor at the Beckley VA Medical Center. "Safety is our first concern for our staff, for our patients. I don't think they took it serious enough."MSHA has promised to regularly update the families, and to hold public hearings into the mine disaster. But so far, all investigation interviews have taken place behind closed doors, and MSHA hasn't met with the families since mid-September.In an interview last week, MSHA chief Joe Main said his agency simply hasn't had anything new to report.Main said mine explosion investigations are complicated and doing them right takes a long time. He noted that the federal probe of the 2001 Jim Walter Resources explosion that killed 13 Alabama coal miners took nearly 14 months."I believe that the families are owed a thorough investigation of Upper Big Branch and a clear answer," Main said.Back to the coal mineJoel Price would have been 56 on Dec. 1. Dorean knew the day was coming, but for some reason she was thinking there were 31 days in November."I guess that's what made it somewhat difficult," she said. "I kept getting texts from family saying, 'I love you.' I was wondering what was going on."It wasn't until Dorean talked to her secretary that she realized she'd gotten her days mixed up.Joel and Dorean were married for 10 years. Joel was a day treatment specialist at a mental health center in Fayette County when they met, but went back into mining after they got married. The work was physically demanding, but the money was better."I left it up to him," Dorean says of that decision.Three years ago, Dorean was treated for breast cancer. She's been cancer free ever since, but the treatment wasn't easy. She and her sister would drive to Charleston, fly to Philadelphia, spend the night there, and then she'd get her treatment and fly back.Joel had cared for her during the exhausting treatments. She remembers him finding her in bed after her first treatment when he got home from the mine."He was used to seeing me up and about and very active . . . . He just choked up from seeing me in bed," she said.Dorean's treatments were finished by May 2008 and the two would have another two years together.Now, she lives in their house in Beckley, alone. She's getting used to changing her own oil, sweeping the snow off her walkways -- doing the things Joel used to do for her.One night during the Disney vacation, Joel and Dorean ate at Planet Hollywood just outside their hotel. Then they walked around, talking about who they would to invite to their wedding vow renewal ceremony in June. They had already picked out the rings.As they walked, Joel seemed so happy to have time away from work and with his wife."But then I remember him saying, 'The guys I work with, they'll stick their necks out for you. I know that every guy I work with, they have my back and they know I've got their back.'"In Monday's Charleston Gazette: MSHA chief Joe Main looks back on the coal industry's deadliest year since 1992.Reach Ken Ward Jr. at firstname.lastname@example.com or 304-348-1702.


text:
Group Booking Terms and Conditions
Because you are making a Group Booking, there are additional Terms and Conditions that apply. Please read them and click 'I Accept' below to continue with your booking
General Group Booking Terms
By making a group reservation through Hostelworld.com you agree to the following terms and conditions as set by Hostelworld.com and as set by the hostel in question.
- In order to make a group reservation on Hostelworld.com it is necessary to pay a deposit. The balance is due directly to the hostel according to their payment conditions.
- The booking deposit is non-refundable.
- Please note that any cancellations must be notified directly to the hostel at least 24 hours in advance of your scheduled arrival date, unless otherwise stated in the hostel's conditions.
- Hostelworld.com are not responsible for changes or amendments to your reservation once it has been processed. All correspondence with regard to changes to your booking need to be dealt with directly with the hostel.
- Cancellations for reservations must be made directly with the hostel and must conform with the individual hostels cancellation policy (see below)
- It is your responsibility to pay the balance of your accommodation cost to the hostel in accordance with their payment conditions (see below). Failure to do so may result in your reservation being cancelled by the hostel.
- Individual hostels may have special booking conditions relating to group stays, please read the hostel booking conditions carefully before making your reservation.
Hostel Specific Terms & Conditions
The remainder of the amount due will be charged to your credit card 2 weeks prior to arrival. Should numbers or room selection change, the per person deposit times the number of people who actually travelled will be deducted from the total accommodation charge levvied by the hostel.
Cancellation / No Show & Reduction in Numbers Policy
Una vez pagado, que sera 2 semanas antes del dia de llegada, no se podra reducir el grupo (ampliar si, bajo peticion de disponibilidad). Una vez pagado no habra devolucion del dinero en caso de No Show o en caso de cancelacion del grupo.
The following group types are not accepted by this hostel: Holiday with Friends, Junior / Primary School, High / Secondary School, College / University, Business Trip, Stag/Hen/Bachelor Party, Sports Group, Cultural Group If you have misrepresented the type of group you are booking for, your booking may be cancelled by the hostel.
Additional Info:
Seran habitaciones dobles, triples y cuadruples con baño compartido.
Las habitaciones triples y cuadruples son con cama de matrimonio + individual.
No confirmamos que esten todos en un mismo piso.
Any cancellations resulting from agreement to these terms and conditions under false pretences will result in loss of deposit.
Wkrótce się wyprzedadzą
Opis nieruchomości
Najnowsza opinia
" We stayed in a private room and it felt like a hotel. The staff weren't enthusiastic and didn't show us any facilities. Our room had an airconditioner but no remote to turn it on. The room was neat and had everything we needed except a safe (just make sure you lock the door). The toilets and plumbing is very loud, and our shower had no curtain so water went everywhere. The traffic is also loud in this location. For one night it was okay though. It was okay for "- Anonimowy
Mobilna aplikacja Hostelworld
Rezerwuj w dowolnym miejscu i czasie korzystając z nowej aplikacji mobilnej Hostelworld
Wyszukuj i rezerwuj wybierając z ponad 33 000 obiektów noclegowych w ponad 170 krajach z dowolnego miejsca.
Sesja wygasła
Wpisz hasło do konta <% email %>


text: I'm not into dismantling important things like cameras, so I will take = Richard's advice and get a shutter CLA by someone who knows what they're = doing. Besides, if I ever decide to sell the camera, a bonafide shutter CLA = sweetens the deal, as they say. The only camera I will do hacking on are = my trio of plastic Dianas. R.J. via Blackberry direct office =3D (202) 434-3429 direct cell =3D (202) 549-9137 -----Original Message----- From: rollei_list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx = <rollei_list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tue Jan 11 17:41:28 2005 Subject: [rollei_list] Re: OT: Question re shutter CLA and Ronsonol On Tuesday, January 11, 2005, at 02:22 PM, Fox, Robert wrote: > Thanks Jerry. Can you recommend where I should be able to buy = Ronsonol? > > R.J. The corner store. Costs about 3 bucks. Cheers. Ardeshir <http://homepage.mac.com/ardeshir/AllMyFiles.html>


text:
Officials with South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association are looking to send two local students to Washington, D.C. for the co-op's 2012 Youth Tour Contest. The two students will spend a week with two dozen other students from across Louisiana on a "Government in Action" Youth Tour of Washington, D.C.
To enter the contest you must be a high school sophomore or junior and electricity to the home residence or parent's business must be provided by SLECA. Entries must be postmarked no later than Feb. 1. For information, call SLECA at 876-6880 or 1-800-256-8826.
Senior Center news: Officials with the Bayou Blue Senior Citizens Center are planning a November 2012 trip to Gatlinberg, Tenn. If anyone is interested, call Ruth Deroche at 872-3440.
SLECA news: South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association customers have the option to pay their bill online. For information, call the office at 876-6880.
Sing-along: The Open House Gospel Sing-a-Long is scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. the last Friday of each month at the SLECA building, 2028 Coteau Road, Houma.
Admission is free. If you have any questions, call James Lee Savoie at 868-1819 or 217-7949.
School news: The last day to order yearbooks is Monday.
Bayou Blue Middle School's winter formal is scheduled from 6 to 8:45 p.m. Friday at the school.
Bayou Blue Elementary school is collecting box top labels from Community Coffee, Campbells, and Surefine and Surefresh products to help provide funding for kindergarten students.
Sympathy: Messages of sympathy are sent to the family and friends of Robert Pitre who died recently. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Knights news: The LLAA 2012 state bowling tournament is scheduled for Saturday in Slidell.
The Knights of Columbus Council No. 7657's Ladies Auxiliary are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. today at the club home, 1810 Bayou Blue Road.
Library news: A fleur de lis acrylic painting workshop is scheduled for Thursday at the Bayou Blue Branch Library, 198 Mazerac St.
A grief-support meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Jan. 25.
Church news: Members of St. Louis Catholic Church's pastoral council are scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the church, 2226 Bayou Blue Road.
St. Louis Catholic Church is a need of a fifth-grade CCD teacher. There are only 13 classes left for the year. For information, call the office at 876-6686.
Placement tests for admission to Vandebilt Catholic High School for the 2012-13 school year are scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday on the school's campus. Applications may be printed from Vandebilt's website, www.vandebiltcatholic.org.
Birthdays: Kate Degruise, Shirley Pontiff, David Landry, Craig Dinger, Jan. 18; Jules Pitre Jr., Douglas Authement, Henry Stevens, Lloyd Daigle, Allen Rini Sr., Mickey Gaubert, Bryson LeBouef, Jan. 19; Shirley Rogers, Craig Becnel, Ricky Richoux, John Ordoyne, Rudy Crochet, Jordan Blanchard, Jan. 20; Trent Rogers, Matthew Robichaux, Loretta Hebert, Jan. 21; Tate Rogers, Gwen Allemand, Crystal Guidry, Carey Vice, Jan. 22; David Donally, Stella Cobb, Russell Marie, James Lovell, Dwayne Hotard, Scott Price, Cynthia Bollinger, Partick Reading, Jared Naqin, Austin Broussard, Wayne Patrick, Jan. 23; James McCaa, Hervey Stein and Kayla Kibodaux, Jan. 24.
Anniversaries: Davis and Gloria Naquin, Jan. 18; James and Catherine Rodrigue, Jan. 22; and Gary and Mary Blanchard, Jan. 24.
BAYOU BLUE: Jan. 18, 2012
Officials with South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association are looking to send two local students to Washington, D.C. for the co-op's 2012 Youth Tour Contest. The two students will spend a week with two dozen other students from across Louisiana on a "Government in Action" Youth Tour of Washington, D.C.


text:
Sheer Jersey Tie Top
Availability: In stock
Regular Price: $24.95
Special Price $12.48
Item number: CONFIG-w-jr841-DSC
Quick OverviewJersey tie top.
- Details
Jersey tie top
- Deep V-neck front.
- Ties at front.
- Long sleeves.
- Sheer Jersey.
- Another WT Original made in the USA.
- Wash cold – Dry flat.
Similar To
Sheer Burnout Black Jersey Peasant Tie Top
Regular Price: $24.95
Special Price $12.48


text:
CSSI news
CSSI is hiring!
International Workshop on Financial System Architecture and Stability seeking papers
The second annual
WWF-Canada's David Miller at Gustavson
WWF-Canada CEO
Distinguished Service Award for Leadership
MBA team wins Business for a Better World 2016
Mukesh Dhatwalia, Bhupinder Dulku, Dorothy Pan, and Laurent Sevigny explained how Norway can decarbonize its USD940-billion pension fund - and the Business for a Better World judges loved what they had to say! Read more on
UVic on Princeton Review's Green Honor Roll for the second year in a row
The University of Victoria is the only Canadian school to have earned the highest possible score on The Princeton Review's
- New deadline for paper submissions!
- Kindness comes to IdeaFest
- 2014-15: a very good year for sustainability at Gustavson
- We were there!
- Celebrating awesome
- Dr. Matt Murphy receives Excellence in Research Award
- Leat Ahrony, BCom '15, is UVic's Student Sustainability Champion!
- Cars, coffee and coding
- Hooked on speed: Dr. Tima Bansal's Lansdowne Lecture
- Hooked on speed: Lansdowne Lecture February 19, 2015
- Sustainability in entrepreneurship at IdeaFest 2015
- IdeaFest 2015
- CSSI Year in Review 2013-14
- UVic on Green Honor Roll
- Local businesess on PRME
- Martin Guinto, COM 14, at EcoCAR 2
- Dr. Monika Winn receives Gustavson Excellence in Research Award
- MIIISsion Impossible on PRME
- Sustainability rocks COM 470
- PRME Sharing Information on Progress


text:
Mia Jones I listen to "All I Want For Christmas Is You" all year round and used to have "Hip Hop" shaved into the back of my head. Sometimes I drink a lot.
SHARE THIS PAGE View Viral Dashboard ›
Drag to highlight one or more parts of the screen.
We got your feedback, and we'll follow up with you at
Sadly, an error occured while sending your feedback. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com to let us know.


text:
SANTA FE, N.M. — Veterans Day will be celebrated in Santa Fe on Monday with a downtown parade and ceremony.
The parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. in front of Fire Station #1 at Bishop's Lodge and Murales roads. The parade will proceed south on Bishop's Lodge Road through downtown Santa Fe and the Plaza, before ending at the Santa Fe Veterans Memorial at the northwest corner of the Bataan Memorial Building at Montezuma Avenue and Galisteo Street. There, a ceremony will be presented by VFW Post 2951.
All veterans are encouraged to march or ride in the parade, and the public is invited to watch the parade and follow it to the ceremony. This year's parade grand marshal is Pete Comstock, state commander of the New Mexico Military Order of the Purple Heart.
The theme of this year's ceremony is "Honoring Purple Heart Recipients." Comstock will give the keynote speech.
After the ceremony, VFW Post 2951 will host a free luncheon at 307 Montezuma Ave., one block west of the ceremony site.


text:
so, exciting news readers! as you read this, i'm having my gallbladder removed. yes, i know TMI. you may have seen my tweets about this recent discovery that, yes i have gallstones. bleeck, right? it's really painful. like the kinda pain you don't even wish on your worst enemy, so out goes the gallbladder. bye-bye. i'm trying to envision the tiny stones look like these pretty gemz, by amber ibarreche. wouldn't that be nice? all pretty and shiny. but i'm sure they actually look nothing like this. but one can pretend when one is about to go under the knife. and, honestly, i can't even say that which makes it oh so less dramatic, because nowadays they do it laparoscopically, so no "nurse, 10 blade, please". just some crazy gizmo to take the bloody (no pun intended) thing out. anyway, i digress. i do that when i'm a little nervous. but i'm hear to tell you that i'll be out for a week recovering, but you'll be in the good hands of some lovely guest bloggers, so never fear — plenty to see here next week!
• i'd much rather be sticking these ban.do love riots in my hair, than getting surgery. but hey, we can't always have the stones we want. you gotta love the stones you're with. or something like that. but, aren't these pretty? maybe i'll wear them with my green hospital gown.
• perhaps i shall bead the hellish little stones, like this aLCHEMY Australian Found Wood Necklace. made from fallen and salvaged Australian timber, these are 'organic' too — just like my little stones, only made from wood. it could work, right?
• i think i may deserve a little 'reward for good behavior bauble' for myself today, too. how about one of these stones? a vintage cocktail ring from BHLDN? yes, i do think one of these would do nicely and fancy up my hospital gown.
• maybe i'll grab myself some rock candy swizzle sticks like these from hostess with the mostess for my tea. wouldn't that be fancy-pants? or better yet, swizzle some pain-numbing cocktail with them.
• and maybe i'll just listen to the rolling stones all week while i recover. perhaps a little sympathy for the devil? sympathy for someone — namely me! i'll miss you guys and be thinking of you. see you back here in a week!


text:
With the World Series in our rear-view mirror, the majority of us outside of the Boston area can begin to focus on the off-season. More specifically, the free agent class.
I posted a piece about position players last month, so this one will be all about pitching.
Here's a tentative list of starters scheduled to become free agents. The asterisk indicates there is a team/player option for 2014, while the text in parenthesis indicates my prediction.
Note: Some of the names on the list above may have already agreed to a new contract, had their option declined, or opted for free agency. I will briefly discuss two of those names.
Tim Lincecum – signed, San Francisco Giants
On Oct. 25, the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner decided to remain with the only club he's ever played with when he finalized a 2-year/$35 million contract. Will he be able to return to such form? Lincecum's thoughts: "It gives you that freedom that I've done it with this group before. I feel like we can do it again, and personally, I feel like I can succeed there again.''
I feel like $17.5m per year for a fading star is a tremendous waste of money, but at least they were intelligent in offering only two years.
James Shields* – $13m option picked up by the Kansas City Royals
James Shields gave life to a Royals team that hadn't had a winning season since 2003. Although it was an obvious decision to bring him back for the 2014 season, there's no guarantees that Kansas City will be in the market to keep him beyond that. They just don't have the financial resources to compete like other teams do.
Shields will be 32 in December and is coming off his seventh straight season of pitching 200 innings or more. He added 228 this season, a career high. He is a workhorse and was that for the Royals, but can he continue his production? Or will his arm eventually tire out?
Shields posted an ERA of 3.15 this season, an ERA+ of 131, had a WHIP of 1.23 and struck out 196 hitters. Kansas City needs their ace to be healthy and produce similarly in 2014 if they're going to have a shot at the playoffs.
Matt Garza – (5-year/$90m contract with the Seattle Mariners)
I know what you must be thinking: this guy is joking, right? Not so fast. After all, it was reported in December of last year that the Mariners allegedly offered Hamilton 4 years/$100m guaranteed, although Hamilton himself never confirmed that. If true, however, it means Seattle has some money to spend.
Garza will be the most expensive pitcher on the market this time around. He'll be 30 at the end of the month, but coming off his worst season of the previous three. Before the trade deadline he was solid again for the Chicago Cubs, posting numbers such as 62 strikeouts in only 71 innings of work and a WHIP of 1.14.
It wasn't until he got to Texas that he had issues: One area of concern for Garza is that he saw his ground ball rate drop from 47.3% in 2012 to 38.6% in 2013. That won't help him reduce his rate of home runs per fly ball, which has been an unsightly 16.3% and 11.6% the past two seasons.
Seattle needs to start putting pieces together around King Felix in order to be successful. Imagine those two at the front end of a rotation. If the Mariners do indeed have money to spend, they should start by going after Garza. Based on his career production and reliability, a contract of this stature is plausible.
Ubaldo Jimenez* – (2-year/$30m contract – with team option for 3rd year with the New York Yankees)
Jimenez is quite the enigma. 2010 was the best season of his career – an ERA of 2.88, 214 strikeouts, a WHIP of 1.16, and he logged 221 innings. Since then, but prior to 2013, he hadn't posted an ERA under 4.46, hadn't posted a WHIP under 1.33, and looked utterly lost.
If the Cleveland Indians extend a $14m qualifying offer (which they should), they'd be ensured a first round compensation pick if he were to sign elsewhere. He made $5.75m this past season; will he get more this time around? Yes. Should any team risk a long-term deal on this player? Not by a long shot.
Ubaldo's 2013 campaign saw him return to his 2010 form late due to his 4-0 September in which he allowed just five earned runs in six starts. What many people fail to realize is that four of those six starts came against the Chicago White Sox (twice), The Houston Astros, and the Minnesota Twins. Hardly the best in show.
Jimenez shouldn't even fetch Edwin Jackson-type money (Hell, neither should Edwin Jackson) and he doesn't deserve a long-term deal. He needs to prove he's consistent before teams take a risk on him. With the Yankees lack of pitching (CC is in shambles, Pettitte retiring), this move would make sense and temporarily fill a void left by New York's ace(s). Plus, we all know New York can afford it.
AJ Burnett – (accepts $14.1m qualifying offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates)
After a disastrous stint as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, Burnett revitalized his fading career with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the last two seasons. In two seasons with the Pirates, Burnett has logged 393 innings, struck out 389 batters while walking 129, has a WHIP of 1.22, and an ERA of 3.41. Coupled with Francisco Liriano, the Pirates found great success in 2013 and will be looking to continue their competitive run through 2014.
It's been reported that Burnett doesn't have any interest in signing with another team, so the qualifying offer might not be necessary. Also, Burnett will be 37 in June, and I don't see any team offering him more than a 1-year contract anyway. However, a qualifying offer should be the most likely scenario because in the event of Burnett signing with another team, at least Pittsburgh would get compensated for it.
I don't see Burnett landing anywhere else in 2014, and I see him giving the Pirates one last good year before he rides off into the sunset.
Ervin Santana – (signs 4-year/$60m contract with the Cleveland Indians)
It's somewhat of a bold prediction, for sure, but in losing Ubaldo Jimenez to free agency the Indians are in need of a starting pitcher. We'll see how desperate they're willing to get, depending on how much Garza and Jimenez will seek in free agency. Should Santana get this kind of money? No, but that's the way the market is. If I were a general manager, I wouldn't offer him more than two years. If I were a general manager, I wouldn't last long, as moves like that would ensure no free agents ever signed with my club.
It is fully expected that Kansas City will offer the 1-year/$14m qualifying offer to Santana, but knowing he can get multi-year contracts from several clubs will lead to him declining the offer. Also, with the limited financial resources in Kansas City, a multi-year contract makes little sense to a player who has problems displaying consistency.
MLB Trade Rumors suggest, "Any team in search of pitching figures to at least place a call on Santana, meaning that the Orioles, Blue Jays, Yankees, Twins, Indians, Mariners, Giants, Rockies, Pirates, Cubs, Nationals, Phillies and Mets should all have varying degrees of interest."
Santana's 2013 campaign with the Royals was arguably the best of his inconsistent career: A 3.24 ERA, 161 strikeouts, only 51 walks, and 211 innings pitched were all much-needed contributions to a Royals team who took a chance on Santana after his dismal 2012 season in which he surrendered 39 home runs and posted an ERA of 5.16. The home run ball has always been Santana's kryptonite; he gives up 26 per season on average.
Do I expect him to produce in 2014 like he did in 2013? Absolutely not – the proof is in this pudding. Do I expect him to get paid a lot in 2014? Absolutely. He doesn't deserve it, but that's what happens when you have a great season in an inflated market: teams spend foolishly.
Josh Johnson – (signs 1-year/$11m contract with the Kansas City Royals)
I know what you're thinking: why doesn't Kansas City just pay Santana? Two reasons:
- The Royals don't have the money for a big multi-year contract, and
- Santana is guaranteed a multi-year contract; Josh Johnson shouldn't be.
Let's get two more things out of the way:
- Johnson, although his velocity is still intact, had an abysmal 2013, and
- He's a health risk. He needs to prove his worth; he's owed nothing.
Is that a little harsh? Perhaps, but in two of the last three seasons, he's failed to start more than 16 games. Between 2007 and 2008, he started in just 22 games combined.
On the other hand, when he's been able to stay healthy, he's been productive. In four full seasons, his worst ERA mark was 3.81, he's good for 160+ strikeouts, and he doesn't walk tons of batters. Again, it comes down to his health.
No logical general manager is going to look at his 2013 line of 81 innings, 6.20 ERA, and 1.66 WHIP and think: 'Hey, I'm going to offer this reliable veteran all of the money!' No, what it will take is a fairly big one-year contract, laced with incentives and options for one, maybe two more years depending on 2014 performance.
Remember when the Royals took a chance on Ervin Santana and were mocked because of it? Well, it worked out for them. I'm not saying lightning will strike twice but if the price is right for Kansas City, it's worth a shot.
That's all I've got for notable starters who I think will have an interested market this off-season. Sure, aged pitchers like Roy Halladay, Johan Santana, and Bronson Arroyo will catch on somewhere, but it won't be because they're the studs these five free agents could prove to be.
Am I missing anyone you'd like to see on here? Do you think I'm way off in my predictions? Let's discuss below, shall we? Until then, 146 days until Opening Day!
See related post:


text:
What TV Show Can You Watch Over and Over?
Subscribe to 95.7 KEZJ on
I can watch original Star Trek reruns over and over. It doesn't matter how many times I've seen them or how well I've memorized the dialogue or the ending. If it's on, I'll stop and watch.
What show can you watch endlessly without getting sick of it?


text:
SC motorists can get cash for old batteries
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina motorists can get cash for every auto or marine battery they turn in during a cleanup effort that runs the rest of this month.
AAA Carolinas is offering $5 a battery during the Great Fall Battery Roundup. The recycling effort starts Tuesday and runs through the end of the month.
AAA Carolinas president David Parsons says improperly disposed batteries hurt the environment. In the past three years, AAA Carolinas has collected and recycled more than 150,000 batteries.
AAA collects and recycles more than 1 million batteries a year nationwide.


text:
Analysis: Medicare will be insolvent by 2016 if Obamacare is repealed
Posted by Jenny Jiang on Monday, September 10, 2012 · 2 Comments
Repealing the Affordable Care Act will accelerate Medicare's insolvency, bankrupting the program within 4 years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The Kaiser analysis was released as Republicans escalated their campaign rhetorics to undo the 2009 health care law.
Read more: Paul Ryan: "Let's get this done"
"The greatest threat to Medicare is Obamacare, and we're going to stop it," said Republican vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan, during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
But, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, repealing Obamacare would reverse the $716 billion in cost savings, thereby accelerating Medicare's insolvency by 8 years, from 2024 to 2016.
"As a result, within four years, Medicare would not be able to fulfill its obligations to pay for all Part A covered services", concluded the Kaiser analysis, "Repealing the Affordable Care Act: Implications for Medicare Spending and Beneficiaries."
According to the Social Security Administration, Medicare Part A covers "inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing care, hospice care and other services." Therefore, Medicare insolvency would necessitate lawmakers to impose: 1) a tax increase; 2) drastic cuts to Medicare provider reimbursements that would reduce seniors' access to medical services and significantly increase their out-of-pocket costs; or 3) a combination of options 1 and 2.
How the Affordable Care Act saves Medicare money
The Affordable Care Act enacted several reforms to save Medicare $716 billion over the next 10 years, thereby extending the life of the Medicare program by 8 years.
The Medicare cost savings where achieved by:
- reducing over-reimbursements to private Medicare Advantage insurers;
- increasing premium levels of higher-income Medicare beneficiaries, such as individuals who report annual incomes above $87,000 a year and couples with annual incomes above $170,000 a year ;
- providing financial incentives to "reduce preventable hospital readmissions", thereby holding hospitals accountable for the quality of patient care;
- imposing "an additional payroll tax on higher-income workers and a fee on the manufacturers and importers of branded drugs."
How 'Obamacare' strengthens Medicare benefits
The $716 billion Affordable Care Act cost savings were then used to strengthen Medicare prescriptions drug benefits and provide free preventive care to help seniors stay healthy.
By closing the Medicare Part D "donut hole" (or coverage gap), about 5.4 million American seniors have saved more than $4.1 billion on their prescription drug costs so far this year, averaging $768 in savings per senior.
Read more: HHS: 'Obamacare' saved Medicare seniors $4.1 billion in prescription drug costs so far this year
Moreover, under the Affordable Care Act, many costly preventive health services – such as annual wellness exams and cancer screenings – are now provided free of charge to seniors on Medicare. The free preventive health services not only lower seniors' out-of-pocket medical costs but they help seniors stay healthy and save Medicare money in the long-run by treating illnesses and diseases before they worsen.
During his speech at the Democratic National Convention, former President Bill Clinton criticized Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's vow to repeal Obamacare.
"[Romney] actually wants to repeal those savings and give money back to the insurance companies. He wants to go back to the old system which means we'll re-open the donut hole and force seniors to pay more for drugs, and we'll reduce the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by 8 full years," said Clinton. "So if he's elected and if he does what he promised to do, Medicare will now go broke in 2016. Think about that. That means after all we won't have to wait until their voucher program kicks in 2023 to see the end of Medicare as we know it. They're going to do it to us sooner than we thought."
Learn More:
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Data Note: Repealing the Affordable Care Act: Implications for Medicare Spending and Beneficiaries
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Repealing the Affordable Care Act: Implications for Medicare Spending and Beneficiaries – Sept. 10, 2012 (PDF)
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Video tutorial of the Affordable Care Act and Medicare featuring Tricia Neuman, Vice President & Director of the Medicare Policy Project at the Kaiser Family Foundation
- Social Security Administration: Differences between Medicare Parts A, B, C and D
- WhatTheFolly.com: HHS: 'Obamacare' saved Medicare seniors $4.1 billion in prescription drug costs so far this year
- WhatTheFolly.com: Paul Ryan: "Let's get this done"
- WhatTheFolly.com: Mitt Romney: "Time to restore the Promise of America"
- WhatTheFolly.com: Transcript: Bill Clinton's remarks at the Democratic National Convention
- WhatTheFolly.com: Analysis: Republican budget will cripple Medicare, Medicaid & children's health insurance
Category: Analysis, Congress, Current Events, Economy, Election 2012, Government, Health care, News, Politics, Social Services, Transcripts, U.S. · Tags: Affordable Care Act, Bill Clinton, Democratic, Democrats, DNC, economy, election, election 2012, government spending, health care, health care law repeal, health insurance, hospice, hospital, insurance premiums, insurers, Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part A, Medicare Part D, Mitt Romney, nursing homes, Obamacare, Paul Ryan, prescription drugs, presidential election 2012, preventive care, Republican, Republican National Convention, Republicans, seniors, Social Security, tax increase, U.S., United States
2 Comments on "Analysis: Medicare will be insolvent by 2016 if Obamacare is repealed"
Pingback: Transcript: Remarks by GOP VP nominee Paul Ryan at the 2012 AARP Expo | What The Folly?!
Pingback: Analysis: Romney cites Massachusetts health care law as proof of his "empathy" | What The Folly?!


text:
I've spent many weekends looking into this problem and thought I'd best blog it so some one else at least gets the benefit of it.
The issue I am talking about centres around the following error message.
"The connection cannot be used to perform this operation. It is either closed or invalid in this context."
The above error message has been a true bane to me. It was an issue on a classic ASP site that was quite happily ticking away for many years. I spent ages looking through the code ensuring that the SQL Connection was properly closed after each use and that ADODB.Recordsets were being used correctly. The error didn't make sense to me because the problem only happened occasionally and I was convinced it was either an issue with MDAC or the version of IIS (we had moved to a new server a few months ago) .
The solution To cut a long story short, the solution I discovered was in SQL Server 2005! Looking through the SQL server logs I discovered that after the last request SQL Server would "Auto Close" the connection and release resources. When the website made another request SQL would be busy spinning up which would then return the error above!
To stop this happening right click on your database in SQL Server Management Studio, select properties, then select Options and set "Auto Close" to false. I believe this option is now removed in newer versions of SQL Server.
Welcome to my blog, I'm a bit of a technology geek and have been in the coding/ developer/ consultancy arena for over 10 years.
I love coding, solving problems and tinkering with new technology - you could say I am passionate about technology :)
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent
my employer's view in anyway.
Page rendered at Saturday, 23 September 2017 18:22:15 (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)


text:
Grab a friend!
Ok, here's the 1st puzzle I've seen where you can physically dual it out with a friend. First you'll need some string. And if you're at work, why not ask the person sitting next to you to give it a try?
Here we go:
Take 2 pieces of string and tie it around the wrists as shown below. The puzzle is for both of you to release yourselves without untying the string!
If you can solve this in your mind's eye with pure brute force mental rotation/visualization power, then I bet you can probably score high on this brain game?
will unmask solution(s) submitted in about 2 days


text:
With about four months to go, the Mesa United Way's 2011-2012 Pledge Campaign is about two-thirds of the way toward its $2,825,000 goal. But donations are starting to taper off.
As of Friday, $1,993,540 had been raised.
"It's been slowing down a bit because people are still cautious," Linda Haskell, resource development director for Mesa United Way, said in a news release. "Our regular donors are still with us, but many of them have cut back this year due to the economy.
"We're inviting others in the community who haven't given in the past to step up now because the needs are greater than ever."
The goal for this year's campaign is slightly higher than last year because demands for essential services by people in need have been increasing, said Mesa United Way President Dan Wollam.
"If you haven't participated in your workplace campaign, this would be a great time to get involved," Wollam in the release.
Mesa United Way helps fund 26 non-profit organizations, which administer 41 programs that benefit youth, homeless and low-income individuals and families, and people with disabilities. Volunteers from local businesses assist the United Way staff in screening agencies to determine which are best suited to meet community needs.
There are many ways to donate: organized workplace campaigns, direct online one-time or recurring donations, contributions in honor of a person or special event such as a wedding, Legacy Fund investments that can grow over time, and even donations of old cars. To learn more about these and other tax-deductible options, click on the "Give" section at www.mesaunitedway.org.
If your business doesn't have a workplace campaign and you'd like to help organize one, contact Haskell at firstname.lastname@example.com or (480) 834-2108.


text:
It only takes a minute to get started. Fill out our simple sign up form and login to the site.
This step is discretionary but will seriously increase your chances of having members look at your profile. Type a little about yourself, your pasttimes and attach any nice photographs of yourself.
Utilise our website's cutting-edge search to encounter members who match your needs. Or just browse through listings and encounter daters that seem interesting.
Located someone who could be interesting? Drop them a line or just a wink and see what they say. With a little luck you'll be on your way to true love.
It's really quick


text: Learn to sing shape-note music in a workshop taught by one of the most acclaimed singing instructors, whose students have ranged from inner-city kindergarteners to Nicole Kidman and Jude Law in the film "Cold Mountain." Shape-note singing is one of America's most vital homegrown musical practices, and its repertoire ranges from "Amazing Grace" to the toe-tapping "fuging tunes" of early New England, all harmonized for four-part social singing and written in a unique and practical notation system. This workshop, addressed to absolute beginners and more experienced singers alike, begins with the basics of the human voice and group singing and includes an introduction to reading shape-note music, notes on important aspects of traditional practice and lots of full-on singing. No prior experience required.


text:
Photo: Basem Wasef
The American Motorcyclist Association has issued an "Action Alert" opposing reform of our health care system. That opposition appears to stem from the unsubstantiated belief that reform could somehow lead to an "unelected commission or board" denying motorcyclists access to medical care. Not only is this claim spurious, ill-informed and worryingly reminiscent of the moronic "death panels" rumor started by Sarah Palin, but it also acts in direct opposition to the greater good of American motorcyclists.
Update: AMA spokesperson Peter terHorst has responded in comments.
What's being proposed by President Obama and various members of
Congress isn't a European-style government-run healthcare system, but
rather reform of our health insurance industry. We're not getting
government-run hospitals and federal employees as doctors, what's
proposed are measures to increase competition among health insurance
providers and some checks to prevent the more flagrant abuses of those
insurance companies, things like denying coverage to people with
pre-existing medical conditions. Overall, this has the potential to
make healthcare more affordable and give more people access to it.
Competition among insurance providers across state lines is more likely
to bring costs down and coverage up than it is to reduce available
coverage. As a consumer, motorcyclist or not, that would mean more
options, not less. If an insurance company is reluctant to cover
injuries sustained on a motorcycle, you'll have a better chance of
finding another company that does. In a free market, demand is met with
supply; if motorcyclists want coverage, they'll have options to
purchase it. That's sadly not the case with the current system, which
doesn't allow competition between states, locks people into whatever
insurance company their employer decides to use and doesn't offer any
realistic single-payer options at all.
A good friend of mine currently pays $1,200 a month for health
insurance in New York; as far as we can tell, he won't be covered if he
ends up in a hospital after a motorcycle accident. There is no other
plan or provider within his price range that would cover bike-related
To our minds, the single greatest threat to motorcycling as a pastime,
community, activity, means of transportation or an industry is the
ever-increasing risk averseness of American society. As Americans
become more averse to risk, they're less likely to become or to stay
In 1998, the NHTSA estimated that motorcyclists were three times as
likely as passenger car occupants to be injured in a crash. According
to The Washington Post, the cost of health insurance increased 36
percent between 2000 and 2004, four times the rate of inflation, while
at the same time the level of care provided decreased. The National Coalition on Healthcare estimates that there are 46 million Americans,
about 18 percent under the age of 65, that don't have healthcare.
By increasing the risk of significant financial hardship should a
person be injured on a motorcycle, our broken healthcare system is
combining with our society's increasing risk averseness to reduce the
number of people that are willing to ride motorcycles. It's sort of the
perfect anti-motorcycle storm and it's getting worse; the NCHC estimates that national health spending will double to $4.4 trillion a
year by 2018. Will there be anyone left willing to accept the risk of being bankrupted by medical bills and take up riding in a
decade's time?
The AMA's mission statement is, "to protect and promote the interests
of motorcyclists while serving the needs of its members." We strongly
urge it to reconsider its position on healthcare reform to better align
itself with those interests.
Oh, and that's me in the picture above, getting ready for a $1,600 ambulance ride.
You can read the AMA's Action Alert here


text:
Plant Genetic Resources Abstracts [16 journals]
Hindawi's journals are indexed in hundreds of Abstracting and Indexing databases. A full list of the databases that cover one or more of Hindawi's journals is available here. The following is a list of the journals covered by Plant Genetic Resources Abstracts. A complete list of the databases that cover a particular journal can be viewed by clicking the link for that journal below.
- Applied and Environmental Soil Science
- BioMed Research International
- Biotechnology Research International
- Enzyme Research
- Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- International Journal of Agronomy
- International Journal of Ecology
- International Journal of Forestry Research
- International Journal of Plant Genomics
- Journal of Botany
- Journal of Food Quality
- Journal of Parasitology Research
- Malaria Research and Treatment
- Psyche: A Journal of Entomology
- The Scientific World Journal
- Veterinary Medicine International