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Have you known anyone who died in a traffic accident?
8 comments
Not a traffic accident, but other things of course. What a morbid topic. When your time comes your time comes, move on Hook. Why would you want to dredge up sorrow amongst the six or seven readers of this site?
I agree with Doyle Hargraves here but you need to clarify this - they are not accidents - they are wrecks which could have been prevented. Wrecks happen because people drive too fast, are drunk or otherwise impared (even being tired) or verious other reasons. They are not an "oops" they are someone was not doing what they should have done or doing what they shouldn't have and it results in a WRECK. And yes, I've known several people who have died in wrecks and one that was a victim of hit and run. It is astounding to me how those who could lawyer up got off and those who didn't were put into jail. In our system there is a get out of jail card, but it isn't free.
Unfortunately, the view of death as morbid is prevalent in America. Death is a part of life and we will all experience the death of someone close to us . Those who chose to see death in a morbid light, and run away from it, will most likely suffer more than those who incorporate its reality into their daily thoughts.
I appreciate the Hook's willingness to look life in the eye and see it clearly - I like their new motto " You can handle the truth. "
The more we are able to share our sorrows with one another, alongside our joys, the stronger we will be.
Two classmates of my daughter were killed in a horrendous accident in Albemarle after a night of drinking and partying. This experience touched the lives of many of us in the community who pulled together to comfort the kids and families of those whose children had died.
I am sure this experience changed the behavior of many of these young people who are far more cautious about drinking and driving, or allowing their friends to leave a party drunk with keys in hand.
Sharing these stories is a way to heal and remember those who died. I find it a positive experience to remind us all that we will be touched by death at some point and to comfort those who are grieving and live each day with gratitude .
One postitive change that came to my life as a result of the accident that took the lives of these two young men was to become active in a program that supports those trying to conquer the disease of alcoholism. It took many years for me to confront the alcoholism in my own family and then to become aware of how many others suffer from this as well.
Alcoholics are everywhere - face it, and they are driving. One thing we can all do is fight for better treatment for this disease and hope someday there will be a cure.
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:32 King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
"grateful" it wasn't a "tragic accident" - a tragic accident couldn't be prevented except by some act of God or nature. It was a car wreck. If The Hook wants to be truthful, the fact is car wrecks are preventable - not accidents.
And don't make excuses that alcoholics are everywhere and driving - which is a fact - but if they wreck they usually cause others to die. Why if a drunk EVER hits me and I am able to, I will get the tire iron out and beat them to death. Too many are killed by drunk drivers who get a slap on the wrist and use their "disease" as an excuse.
As for "morbid" topics, I did have a child die in my arms - of tragic circumstances - until you walk that path - then you can preach to us about death and dying.
Susan Smith and Molly Hereford, died together, they were young and beautiful. I did not know them very well but I still remember how tragic that was.
Why do you people ask these stupid questions? If you're over 18 in 2011, you more than likely have known someone who has been killed or seriously injured in a vehicular accident. We can handle the truth. Can you handle doing any actual reporting? Obviously not.


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
10 most overpriced products you should avoid
the expense of the other.
Convenience, for example, comes at a price. You'll pay dearly for the luxury of enjoying a candy bar from the minibar in your hotel room. Make the effort to walk out of the hotel and the price of the candy bar drops significantly. Here's WalletPop's list of the top 10 overpriced products you should avoid if you want to save money:
1. Text messages: 6,000% markup
According to a story in the Chicago Tribune, outgoing 160-character text messages on a cell phone typically costs users 20 cents, while it only costs carriers three-tenths of a cent to process. That's a 6,000% profit.
SMS (short message service) texts are limited to 160 characters because they, in effect, piggyback on a secondary data channel necessary to coordinate voice communications. Even if you're paying 10 cents per text, that's nothing to LOL about.
"Six hundred text messages contain less data than one minute of a phone call," testified Consumers Union policy analyst Joel Kelsey at a hearing before Congress. If text data rates applied, he said, a brief cell conversation would cost customers $120.
2. Bottled water: 4,000% markup
When the business of bottled water has a documentary film made about it, you know something's awry. Estimates are all over the place for how much more bottled water costs than tap water from home. The web site Twilight Earth puts it at a 4,000% markup, partly based on the fact that it takes five bottles of water to make the plastic for one bottle of water. Blogger Jeff Berndt points out that water that is prepackaged is more expensive than a gallon of gas.
Since about 40% of bottled water comes from municipal taps, you're better off refilling that plastic bottle at home and toting it around. (Just be sure to clean it in between uses).
3. Movie theater popcorn: 1,275% markup
When a movie is first released, most of the movie ticket proceeds go to the movie studios, not the theaters. Theater owners try to make up the difference by selling more snacks such as popcorn. It's an effective method. When you pay $6 for a medium-sized bag of popcorn in theaters, you're paying a 1,275% mark up compared to the cost of buying three 3.5-ounce bags of microwaveable popcorn sold in a box for about $3 at the store.
The average movie theater makes 40% of its profits from concessions. Owners try to keep ticket prices lower, knowing that higher ticket prices would stop you from going in, and buying a soda, candy bar or bag of popcorn.
4. Brand name drugs: 200% - 3,000% markup
Over-the-counter medications were at the top of a recent WalletPop list of products to always buy generic -- and for good reason. Some estimates put the markup of brand name drugs at 600,000% when compared to the cost of active ingredients. But, on average, the markup (while still high) is much lower than that.
In the past year, the cost of brand name prescriptions has increased nearly 10%, while generics have dropped, according to American Association of Retired Persons. Between April 2009 and March 2010, the average annual drug cost for a person taking three generic medications decreased by $51, while someone taking three brand name prescription drugs saw their cost increase $706. It was the biggest brand drug price spike in eight years, the AARP said.
Generic drugs are often much cheaper than brand names, but even prices on generic drugs, such as generic Prozac, vary widely. Costco, for example, often sells generics for much less than Walgreens and other pharmacies.
5. Hotel mini bar: 400% markup
A 1,300% markup on Gummy Bears at the Omni Berkshire Place in New York may be the high point of hotel mini bars mark ups, but unfortunately it's not that outrageous. Markups of 300% to 400% are common at hotel mini bars.
Oyster.com found some crazy mini bar charges in New York City, including $10 for a bottle of water and a $12 toothpaste kit. Do your wallet a favor and keep the fridge door closed.
6. Coffee: 300% markup
Thanks Starbucks. Nowadays, it's pretty common to pay a markup of 300% or more for coffee. And even those huge profit margins still may not keep your neighborhood coffee shop in business. Just keep in mind: That $3 cup of coffee (assuming you don't tip, add shots, or buy some fancy concoction) you buy at the corner cafe can be made at home for a quarter.
7. Wine: 300% markup
It's not unheard of for a restaurant to pay $5 wholesale for a bottle of wine and charge a customer $25 for the same bottle. A glass of wine can have a higher markup because the bottle could be thrown away if all of it isn't used.
The San Francisco Chronicle's food critic says that a markup of 2.5 times the wholesale price of wine is fair at restaurants to cover the cost of stocking the wines, serving it and still reaping a healthy profit. A $10 wholesale bottle should cost the diner about $25, and about $15 retail. Since wine is a restaurant's biggest profit area, don't expect to bring in your own bottle and drink it for free. A corkage fee of $10 to $20 is likely. Always call ahead and ask.
8. Greeting cards: 200% markup
The best greeting cards anyone ever keeps, are those made by hand. Either the crayon scribble of a child or a heartfelt note by a friend, are more likely to be kept forever than a generic card bought at the grocery store for $2 or $4.
So why do people pay the 200% markup that stores put on greeting cards? For the convenience. Buying that mass-produced card is a lot easier than making one at home. If you don't want to draw your own card, then print one out online. Paper and ink cost money, but printing them at home for virtually nothing beats paying $4 at the store.
9. Hotel in-room movies: 200% markup
Like the ripoff at the mini bar, in-room movies are another way for hotels to stick it to your wallet while you're stuck in a room with nothing to do. Why risk trying to find a local theater when you can pay 200% more for the ease of watching the movie in the safety of your room?
If you want to refrain from buying the $10 to $15 movie rentals in a hotel, bring your computer with you on trips and either bring your own DVDs, find a local movie rental store or bring your latest Netflix movie from home and then mail it when you're done. If you have free WiFi at the hotel, stream movies from Netflix. Some hotels have DVD players in rooms, or loan them to guests. So if you don't want to lug your laptop with you, call ahead and see if that is an option.
10. Pre-cut vegetables and fruits: 40% markup
Like many of these overpriced products, pre-cut vegetables and fruits are a way to save time. But it's time you're paying for, sometimes as much as 40% more for. That's just one of the traps that grocery stores use to get you to spend more money. You'll likely get fresher fruit and veggies by buying them at the farmer's market or at the grocery store and cutting them up at home. Save time by cutting a few days' worth of veggies up at home for a few meals.
Aaron Crowe is a freelance journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area.


text: Whether you decide on a classic garden pond with fish, an architectural pool with fountain or for a koi pond - OASE has the right materials on hand for any requirement. The dream of water in your own garden always starts with careful planning that takes the size, position, and condition of garden and terrace into account. In addition to the right filter system, there are a few ground rules that must be complied with to ensure long-term enjoyment of your leisure paradise: Deciduous trees and conifers, as well as plants that develop strong roots, should be far enough away from the pond or protection should be provided with a root barrier. Four to six hours of direct sunlight per day, maximum, are ideal for a pond, in order to prevent excessive algae growth. To prevent the pond from completely freezing in winter, it should be at least 80 cm deep. There are virtually no limits to the design possibilities of a liner pond. A pond fleece should always be laid out under the pond liner to protect against damage due to small rocks and roots.


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Lidded Basket - White
Made in Tanzania
by weavers using local grasses and upcycled grain bags
$ 68.00 - $ 88.00
These multipurpose storage baskets are sure to add style and function to any room in your home. Each basket has been hand-woven from sustainable grasses and recycled grain sacks. Every purchase empowers artisans at WomenCraft in Tanzania.
White Lidded Basket | Sustainable Storage Décor | Fair Trade
As with all handmade items, no two pieces are the same. Variations in size, color, and design will occur.
- Small Approximately: 9.5" tall x 8.5" diameter.
- Medium Approximately: 11" tall x 10.5" diameter.
- Large Approximately: 14.5" tall x 12.5" diameter.
- Materials: locally harvested star grass, locally sourced papyrus, and recycled grain sacks used for colors.
- Care instructions: Spot clean using minimal water. Dab (do not rub) using an undyed paper towel or cloth to prevent the colors from bleeding. Dry completely to avoid molding. To preserve the natural colors and stop fading, do not place in direct sunlight.
- As with all handmade items, slight variations will occur.
WomenCraft is a social enterprise and member of the World Fair Trade Organization working with more than 300 artisans in 17 villages in Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. WomenCraft consists of 24 artisans groups, which include former refugee women, survivors of genocide, and HIV-positive artisans. Many of these displaced artisans have been living in refugee camps for decades. Previously, several of the women were once struggling subsistence farmers. And many of the artisans assume the responsibility of carrying for HIV orphans; they are the surviving children of extended family members who lost their battle to AIDS. With WomenCraft, the artisans can increase their crop yield while having a work-family life balance, send their children to school, and provide better nutrition and healthcare.
Learn More
Artisans working with WomenCraft practice a weaving technique that is traditional to Hangaza culture weaving in the tri-border region between Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi. This specialized coiling technique combines natural grasses interwoven with vibrant materials of the region. Through the time-intensive technique, artisans weave each grass coil in a series of carefully planned rows, fusing traditional weaving with a modern aesthetic. This technique is passed down from one generation to the next, specifically from mothers to daughters or women to women. It is also unique to the artisans' communities.
Learn More
The diversity of Tanzania is reflected in the various forms of its culture and traditions. Over 120 ethnic groups call Tanzania home, and amongst them over 100 languages are spoken, with Swahili being the official language. Tanzania has a large Indian population comprising Hindus, Sunni Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis and Goans. The multi-culturalism of Tanzania is also evident in its mixed and varied art scene, its traditional ethnic music, colorful paintings and sculptures of indigenous hardwoods, specifically fetish style figurines and masks, and perhaps best reflected, its diverse cuisine.
Learn More
Fair Trade Products
Fair Trade is an approach to international trade centered around equitable partnerships, transparency and respect. It seeks to empower marginalized producers by providing them safe working conditions, fair pay, and a means to establish a sustainable business free from exploitation. As a member of the Fair Trade Federation, we are committed to the Fair Trade principles.
Learn More


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Eco green kitchen paper towel
1) Material: bamboo mix bagasse pulp2) 2-ply 3) Density: 19 - 25gsm4) Sheet size: 228 x 228mm, 280 x 228mm 5) 60-120 sheets/roll, Inner packing: 2 or 4 rolls/pack 6) Weight: about 120 - 320g 7) Strong absorbency, multipurpose, easy opening 8) Other sizes also available
Company View
Test Room
Tissue Range
BSCI Certifcate
ISO9001:2008 (Quality System)
ISO14001:2004 (Environment System)
How can I get the most competitive price?
Please send us the email and provide as much detail specifications as possible. Like tissue size, material, weight, ply, package, printing, quantity etc. The more detail information, the more accurate we can quote you the price.
What Can I do if I cannot provide such detail specifications?
Please send us the information as much as you know. We will make a price for your reference which based on our experience. If you really have no idea of the specs, please try to find some photos of the products.
Can I get samples?
Yes. We can send you sample for free, but the freight is on your account.
Can you make sample according to my own specifications?
Yes. We can. But there is sample charge around USD400.00.
Is the sample charge refundable?
Yes. We will deduct the sample charge from your order.
How long does it take to make sample?
It's about 10 to 15days.
What's the production lead time?
It depends on the quantity. It varies from 20 to 45days.
Do you have any certificate or test report of your products?
We have ISO9001(quality system), ISO14001(environment system), BSCI.


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Want to join the Townsquare Media Owensboro team?
Do you want to be part of a team that's committed to helping small business owners succeed in our community? If you're driven and willing to share your vision with others, check back often for new job postings - and make sure to send us your resume!
Contact Us


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Original PIAGGIO kick-starters have a black kick-starter rubber. Coloured kick-starter rubbers are also very popular, especially when combined with a fully coloured set of frame rubbers such as the items for the side panels, the fuel tap or the brake pedal. The grey and white rubbers are especially suited to the style of the earlier VESPA models.
Helpful hint: If the rubbers are difficult to fit, leave them in very hot water for a while before mounting to soften up the texture of the rubber.
Conclusion: If you are fed up of ruining your shoes or scarring your shin-bone on the naked metal you will definitely appreciate these kick-starter pedal rubbers.
SIP-TIP: Go the whole hog for a more complete look to your VESPA. We have different coloured rubbers available for side panels, fuel taps, brake pedals and last but not least the floor rails.
SIP community user "juri68" on Art.-No. 86030000: "Good quality. Brings out the best in my VESPA."
OEM Numbers (for the purpose of comparison)


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Orange SPV Phones
I have tried and returned EVERY Orange SPV phone they've released. They are all utterly useless:
They "run" Windows, which perpetually crashes and is really slow, they have VERY poor receive sensitivity, low transmit power, poor bluetooth (both range and quality are awful), and poor battery life. In short, they're USELESS.
I'm now happily using a Treo without problems.


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- Tarotscope Memberships & Downloads
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- Aquarius Downloadable May 2020 Tarotscope
Aquarius Downloadable May 2020 Tarotscope
Do you enjoy the guidance and insights in the Zodiac Tarotscopes? How would you like an extended version, instantly downloadable!
This PDF download includes guidance and insights for the entire month of May! I read 6 cards and channel the energies within your Zodiac Sun Sign's Finances/Career, Love Life, the external influences, and a card dedicated to providing spiritual advice on how to make the most of the opportunities and challenges that you may face. Plus, a card for the New and Full Moon!
Astrology & Tarot readings are for guidance & entertainment purposes only. What you choose to do with the information including any actions you take are your personal responsibility and choice. An Astrology or Tarot reading is never a substitute for medical, psychological, financial, or legal counseling. For those who are suffering severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, or other ailments, please contact Professional Medical and/or Psychological Services in your area. The information provided in a Astrology reading is not legally binding. I can assume no legal liability for any damages, losses, or other consequences of any client decisions, subsequent to, or based on, my Astrology & Tarot readings. This Astrology/Tarot reading is provided only at the request of the person for whom it was prepared, and for entertainment purposes only. The person requesting this Astrology or Tarot reading affirms they are at least 18 years of age.


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A spoken word excerpt of my short story: "What Came Over Her":
Thanks for watching, and feel free to subscribe.
A spoken word excerpt of my short story: "What Came Over Her":
Thanks for watching, and feel free to subscribe.
Tags:Author, Bully, Bullying, creative writing, death, Excerpt, Fiction, High School, horror, Jesse Lynn Rucilez, literature, Nevada, Oregon, reading, Reno, short story, specualtive fiction, Stark City, Suicide, Teenager, video, writer, writing, Youtube
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Prologue: The Twilley Restroom
October 9th, 1992.
Hinckley, Oregon.
12:03 p.m.
Gotcha! Clint thought as he pushed through the restroom door. The husky ten-year-old had been awaiting this moment since he'd awoken that morning. Payback for what happened yesterday. His prey, a third-grader named Bobby Williams, stood at the center urinal, wearing a tee-shirt and jeans. Clint glowered at the thin, dark-haired boy. Following him here had been the easy part. Now, he had to finish it before anyone could stop him.
Just you and me, weirdo.
To his left, Clint saw a metal lunchbox on the counter. Bobby's lunchbox; the one he loved and brought to school every day. Clint's heavy gait echoed off the tile floor as he walked toward it.
"Hi, Clint."
Mid-step, Clint froze.
How could he know it's me?
"Why don't you leave me alone today? You'll just get us both in trouble again."
Clint looker over, grit his teeth.
You're lucky I slipped yesterday. You won't be so lucky this time…
Sneering, Clint walked to the counter and seized the lunchbox in his grimy hands. The lid bore the logo of Bobby's favorite movie, Void Hunter, and the face of Bobby's idol, The Almighty Ve'yn. Most kids liked Void Hunter—an outer space epic—but few idolized Ve'yn, its main villain. Half man, half dragon, Almighty Ve'yn looked quite sinister. Scaly green hide. Cold obsidian eyes. Curved black horns. A ridge of dark green fins atop its skull and down its spine. A lipless, skeletal mouth.
Very demonic.
Not that Clint cared. He didn't like Void Hunter or the character Ve'yn. Clint liked sports and hotrods and playing in the dirt; not reading all day like the creepy little kid zipping up his pants and turning toward him.
Let's see how you like this, Bobby-wobby.
The angry fifth-grader stiffened. His blue Seattle Seahawks jersey reflected:
in the mirror behind him.
Clinton Otis Gault had always been a problem child. To Roger and Christina, his stable and affectionate parents, it seemed as if he came out of the womb contentious and dissatisfied, and his long, difficult birth foreshadowed the next ten years. At age two, Clint specialized in catastrophic temper tantrums. At age three he showed great skill in throwing his toys at whoever annoyed him. Roger and Christina knew they had a monster on their hands, but didn't realize how big a monster until much later.
At age four, Clint found himself playing second fiddle to his newborn sister, Leslie. From the moment she arrived—in Clint's mind, at least—Leslie became the undisputed star of the Gault family. Aunts, uncles, grandparents; everyone gathered around her, laughing and making gah-gah noises, which always made him furious. Leslie this and Leslie that, he'd think. But all she does is make splat!
Then Clint started grade school, and his disposition went from bad to diabolical.
"How's it goin', dipwad? I found this by the sink. Ain't it yours?"
Clint never forgot the moment Bobby turned to see him holding the lunchbox. The little weirdo had sounded so calm, so assured when he'd first walked in, but now—now Bobby looked frightened to tears.
"Yeah," Bobby replied, his voice soft but firm. "Let me have it."
Clint's sneer became a menacing smirk. "Come and get it!"
Bobby blinked. Desperation shone in his eyes as he struggled to remain calm. Then, much to Clint's sadistic delight, he stepped forward, reaching out with both hands—
Still smirking, Clint let the lunchbox slip from his grasp—
The lunchbox unbuckled and sprawled open, spilling out a half-eaten sandwich. Bobby winced from the sudden clatter.
Teeth grit, Clint raised his size nine-and-a-half sneaker and stomped on the lid—
The thin metal—as well as Ve'yn's demonic face—crumpled beneath Clint's thick rubber sole.
Come on, dipwad! Let's see what ya got!
Gaping at the spectacle, Bobby froze. His tender face slackened with disbelief. He shivered, almost weeping, and took a deep, shuddery breath.
Payback time!
Relishing the moment, Clint ground his heel with the cold intent to destroy that which Bobby loved. He did a good job, too. The lid squeaked and grated against the tile floor, and when he lifted his foot, Clint saw a deep, crescent-shaped dent in Ve'yn's face.
Good! Now he'll cry…
But Bobby didn't cry. The frightened boy just stood there, trembling. Proud of himself, Clint stepped back. Then, pretending to be the star kicker for the Seahawks, the bully reared back—
—and kicked the dented lunchbox with all his might—
The tin box skidded across the tile—
—bounced off of Bobby's right shoe—
—and came to rest by the toilet stalls. The clamor echoed for several moments—music to Clint's freckled ears—then stillness returned, broken by the two boys' soft, unsynchronized breaths.
Children can be cruel. Sometimes, that cruelty spreads like a social disease. Husky and big-boned, Clint wouldn't outgrow his baby fat until his late teens. So the teasing began in kindergarten. One little smartass branded him pudgy and the term stuck like a fresh coat of paint. Pudgy this and pudgy that, everyday, until the boy snapped.
But being husky and big-boned had advantages, Clint discovered—once he'd shoved a few kids around. And by age nine, Clint had earned an enviable reputation on the Twilley playground, much to his parents' and teachers' chagrin.
Then he met Bobby Williams, and everything changed.
Fuckin' weirdo…
Clint shook his head. Bobby stood there; the ache of seeing his prized possession lying stomped and ruined on the floor evident on his soft face. When would the little weirdo lose his temper and fight back—or at least try? How much more pathetic could he be? Watching him, Clint laughed, baring pizza-stained buck teeth.
"What's the matter? Is wittle Bobby-wobby gonna cwy?"
Bobby, pale to begin with, now looked very ill. He turned to Clint with an expression of utter devastation, beseeching him with wet, flickering eyes. Crying now. Hard. Struggling to speak, his voice became a soft gurgle. A whine. A whimper of defeat which fed Clint's savage hunger.
"How about a black eye, Bobby-wobby?"
Bobby gasped. Clint curled his grimy hands into grimy fists.
Too bad, dipwad!
Bobby flinched, stumbled backward:
Rage surged through Clint's veins as he raised his right arm. His moment, at last! His moment to teach Bobby Williams a lesson! Remind the little weirdo that he ruled Twilley Elementary! That books and straight As and strange eyes meant very little in the big boy world of muscles and pain! And as he stepped forward to throw a wild haymaker, Clint growled like some vicious, feral animal, envisioning blood and bruises and broken teeth—
But the punch never landed, and Clint's triumph turned to tragedy.
Clint hadn't liked Bobby from the moment he first saw him. The thin, reclusive boy had transferred from Dale Palmer Elementary; the ghetto school. His parents lived in Stark City, not Hinckley—which made them trash. The little creep just didn't belong, and Clint—a shining example of the typical American bully—had vowed to make his life miserable.
It began with dirty looks. Whenever he passed Bobby in the halls or saw him at recess, Clint glared like a bull preparing to charge. Bobby just ignored him, spending more and more of his free time in the school library. Taking this as a challenge, Clint went out of his way to shoulder check Bobby here and there—accidentally-on-purpose, of course—just to see what kind of reaction he'd get. But Bobby always backed down. As one of the Big Kids, Clint's natural bulk struck fear into the hearts of even the sixth grade boys, and he terrified Bobby. Which just encouraged the angry fifth-grader. Soon, Clint tried to corner Bobby every chance he got, hoping he'd get the nerve to fight.
And yesterday, he'd tried again.
Pain, intense and sudden, caused Clint's haymaker to arc downward. It felt as if a steel clamp had snapped around his throat, and he couldn't breathe. Face red and bunched with agony, the bully lurched back, clutching his throat with both hands. Grappling with the invisible vise around his neck. Watching him, Bobby sighed.
"I told you. I told you I didn't wanna fight you."
Clint heard Bobby's voice, but the words held no meaning. Not then, anyway. Still struggling, he stumbled into the counter and fell to his knees—
"I hope I never have to tell you again."
Clint screamed in silent anguish as pain exploded in both kneecaps. Trembling, the bully collapsed, caught himself with one shaky arm. Help! he mouthed, eyes bulging. But the strange little boy just stood there, staring at him. Through him. As if he didn't exist.
Like yesterday, a chill swept through him. But this time, Clint couldn't deny the dark truth which lived inside Bobby Williams.
Yesterday, while skulking about the Twilley Elementary playground, Clint saw Bobby by the fence, head down, hands in his pockets. A perfect opportunity, which Clint seized by sneaking up behind him. "Why don't ya ever look at baseball cards with anybody?" he'd demanded after shoving the little weirdo down. "How come all ya wanna do is read those stupid books?" And Bobby, scared and crying, hadn't been able to answer. He'd just lied there, refusing to fight. So Clint kicked him. Hard. Still, Bobby had refused to fight. And when Clint tried to kick him again, something odd happened. It had felt like being pushed; an invisible hand slamming into his chest. Then his legs had flown up and, for an instant, Clint hung in midair before crashing to the ground. Very embarrassing. And in the midst of scrambling to his feet, Clint had locked eyes with Bobby…and felt his blood run cold.
I slipped, that's all, Clint later told himself. Slipped on the sand…
In a heartbeat, Clint's life passed before his eyes. Not his entire life, of course, but the parts which seemed crucial to understanding the way it would end. He saw himself taunting and teasing the boy who now held his life in his hands. Staring him down. Calling him names. Shoving him. Being cruel for cruelty's sake. Just because he'd felt like it. Because he didn't like school or teachers or the other kids and needed someone—anyone—to abuse. And because Bobby seemed so different—not just to him, but to everybody. Nobody ever talked to him. Nobody ever sat with him at lunch. Something had to be wrong with him. Very wrong. And now, Clint understood that he'd been right about Bobby being weird and different, but wished with all his heart that he could take it all back. All the pain. All the bullying.
But he couldn't; so now he would die.
The room—or perhaps Clint's brain—began to spin. Tiny sparks of light flashed and fluttered before his eyes. His trembling arm felt numb and ready to buckle. HELP! he wanted to shout. SOMEBODY FUCKING HELP ME!
Then, for some reason Clint never understood, Bobby said, "Almighty Ve'yn! What're you doing…" And in the brief moment in which Bobby paused, the agony around Clint's throat disappeared.
After the altercation by the fence, Clint decided to work the system. Holding his scraped elbow, he'd ran to the yard duty teacher and told her that Bobby pushed him off the swing for no reason. But his plan backfired. Both of them wound up in after school detention. And after that humiliation, Clint endured a stern lecture from his father. He'd even had to apologize to Bobby and his bitch mother right there in the parking lot. Once home, his own mother had yelled at him, grounding him for the whole weekend. And worst of all, he'd been deprived of dessert. He'd watched in sullen resignation as Leslie ate his share of ice cream, and swore he'd get even the very next chance he got.
Today, of course.
A noise like the shriek of a rusted gate escaped Clint's throat as he flopped onto his back, spasming as if electrocuted. His trachea felt bruised and swollen, his neck wrenched and stiff. Large black splotches clouded his vision; a grim reminder of how close he'd come to death. His skull ached, and he placed his hands over his face in a pitiful attempt to block out both pain and reality. I can breathe! he thought, thanking God and Bobby and—to be safe—The Almighty Ve'yn.
Just please don't kill me…
Lost in agony, Clint didn't see what happened next. Didn't see the lunchbox rise and float over to Bobby's outstretched hand. Didn't see Bobby frown at the dent in Ve'yn's face, sweep his hand across it, and make it disappear. He did, however, hear the resultant thunk! of the metal popping back into place. And as he laid there on the cold bathroom floor, he flinched. Like a frightened child.
"Thank you, Almighty Ve'yn!" Bobby said. Clint never understood that, either.
Please don't kill me…
Tears now. Crying. Cowering. Everything the bully had once harassed and berated Bobby for doing. But Clint didn't care. Afraid to move, he took shallow breaths and prayed that either Bobby would leave or someone would enter an end this nightmare. Even if it meant everyone finding out that Bobby had won, Clint prayed it would end. And his tears of fright became tears of joy when he heard footsteps moving toward the door.
Please don't kill me…
Then the footsteps stopped, and Clint's heart lurched inside his chest.
"I'll tell you why I never look at baseball cards, Clint," Bobby said, a slight echo behind his words. "Because I'd rather read than watch stupid games. And there's nothing wrong with that."
Clint shuddered at the sound of Bobby's voice. Yesterday, he'd demanded to know why Bobby never looked at baseball cards, but now he didn't care what Bobby did or didn't do, as long as he didn't go near him. As long as he didn't have to look into those dark, wicked eyes.
Please! Don't! Kill! Me!
"You're dumb, Clint. And you made me hurt you. Remember that."
I'm sorry, Bobby!
A moment passed. Silent terror filled Clint's mind. Then the sound of footsteps again, followed by the opening and closing of the restroom door.
In the silence, Clint lay there all alone. Sobbing behind his grimy hands. Thankful to be alive. Terrified of even the thought of Bobby Williams. Not just beaten, but crushed.
Forever scarred by Bobby's vengeance.
"I'm sorry," Clint whispered, breath hitching as he rolled to his side. "Sorry…"
Sweaty and numb with dread—or shock, as Dr. Brix later explained—the felled bully struggled to his feet and lurched to the door. The teachers had all retreated to their classrooms and lounges while the kids frolicked outside for recess, so he faced a short, empty hallway, leading back to the cafeteria. Beyond the cafeteria lay the main hall, which led to the principal's office. Which, for the first time in his young life, is where Clint wanted to go.
"Sorry, Bobby. Sorry…"
Thus, gasping, wiping his eyes, the disheveled fifth-grader bolted forward; away from the restroom; away from the library. And most of all, away from Bobby Williams.
Running as fast as he could on shaking, rubbery legs.
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Tags:Ache, Agony, Almighty Ve'yn, Altercation, Animal, Apologize, Attempt, Aunt, Author, Berated, Big, Birth, Black, Blood, Bobby Williams, Bobby's Fight, books, Brain, Breathe, Bruises, Buckle, Bulk, Bull, Bully, Cafeteria, Calm, Chagrin, Challenge, Chance, Charge, Chest, Chill, Christina, Clamor, Clamp, Clatter, Clint Gault, Cold, Combat, Counter, creative writing, Crucial, Cruel, Cruelly, Cry, Dale, Dare, Dead, death, Defeat, Delight, Demonic, Dent, Desperation, Dessert, Detention, Devastation, Diabolical, Different, Dirt, Disease, Dragon, Echo, Elbow, Electrocuted, Elementary, Empty, Even, Excerpt, Eyes, Family, Fear, Feral, Fiddle, Fighting, Fins, Fists, Flinch, Float, Floor, Foreshadow, Frighten, Furious, Games, Ghetto, Grandparent, Grasp, Green, Grim, Grimy, Gurgle, Hallway, Harassed, Hard, Haymaker, Heartbeat, Heel, Hinckley, Horns, Hotrods, Humiliation, Hunger, Husky, Idol, Ill, Instant, Intense, Intent, Invisible, Jersey, Jesse Lynn Rucilez, joy, Kick, Kids, Kill, Kindergarten, Las Vegas, Lecture, Leslie, Lesson, Library, Lid, Lie, life, Light, literature, Lunchbox, Man, Martial Arts, Menace, Metal, Mirror, Miserable, MMA, Monster, Mouth, Muscles, Neck, Nerve, Nevada, Newborn, Nightmare, Noise, Novella, Numb, Obsidian, October, Office, Oregon, Pain, Palmer, Parents, Parking Lot, Pathetic, Payback, Pitiful, Playground, Possession, Prayed, Prey, Principal, Prologue, Push, Rage, Reaction, reading, Ready, Reality, Reason, Recess, Reminder, Reno, Reputation, Resignation, Restroom, Rise, Roger, Ruin, Sadistic, Sand, Sandwich, Savage, Scaly, Scarred, Scary, School, Scraped, Seahawks, Seattle, Second, Shallow, Shock, Shoe, Shout, Shriek, Sinister, Sister, Skeletal, Skill, Skulking, Skull, Slipped, Smirk, Sneaker, Sneer, Social, Soft, Sole, Sparks, Spasm, Spectacle, Speculative Fiction, Spin, Spine, Sports, Star, Stark City, Steel, Stern, Stiff, Struggle, Stumble, Sudden, Sullen, Swing, System, Tantrum, Teachers, Tears, Temper, Throat, Tile, Tiny, Today, Toys, Trachea, Tragedy, Trash, Triumph, Trouble, Twilley, Uncle, Urinal, Veins, Vengeance, Vicious, Vise, Vision, Void Hunter, Weekend, Weird, Whimper, Whine, Wicked, Wild, Womb, Won, Work, writer, writing, Wrong, Yard, Years
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text:
Vancouver's high cost of housing is being cited as the major reason families are pulling their kids out of schools, a new survey from the Vancouver school board shows.
The purpose of the report is to pinpoint the cause of the Vancouver School District's declining student enrolments.
In each of the past three years, the district has had a net loss of between 600 and 700 students, the report shows. A typical elementary school in Vancouver has around 300 children.
Although the results are preliminary, three-quarters of respondents so far indicated that high housing costs are a factor in their decision to leave, said VSB vice-chairman Mike Lombardi. "Seventy-five per cent (of respondents) have already told us it's housing costs. That's the big (reason) that shows up."
Enrolment is projected to continue to drop by about 1,000 kids per year for the next three to four years, before starting to rise again, Lombardi said.
"More families than not have indicated that they are leaving the district for reasons such as the cost of housing, employment opportunities, and changes in family circumstances," the report states. The majority of the responses say their child will attend a public school outside of Vancouver.
About 575 parents have been asked to complete the survey this year and about 150 responses have been received to date. A more thorough analysis will be done this fall, when more responses have been received, the report states.
University of B.C. policy professor Paul Kershaw said he's not surprised by the results.
"It reflects an exodus out of Vancouver, as young people, who are not only having young kids, but who are also trying to start up a home, are struggling to afford housing prices today," Kershaw said. "Vancouver is a lovely place to be ... but if you're trying to get into the housing market now, it's very difficult, even for the elite."
He said even Vancouver's suburbs are expensive.
"Sure, we can go to the suburbs and people will find some modest relief in housing prices, but still they're going to be facing mortgages of half a million dollars and they've just swapped an extra two hours of driving for the privilege," Kershaw said.
This story hits home for the Woolley family, which moved to Powell River this March in the hopes of buying a place of their own.
The family of four was living in a co-op in Strathcona, a neighbourhood they loved and where they had great neighbours and friends. Pieta, 38, and her husband, Martyn, both had "fantastic" jobs in the city, while their son David, 6, literally "won the lottery" required to get a space in the French Immersion program at nearby Strathcona elementary school.
Pieta worked from home as a freelance journalist so she could look after daughter Abi, 3, while Martyn went to work for a non-profit organization.
However, Pieta and Martin were working in jobs without pensions and couldn't get a foot in the door of the city's housing market. So, like the majority of families whose kids leave Vancouver schools, they moved away.
In Strathcona, the family was paying $1,200 a month for their unit. Today, the family pays less than $900 a month for a "gigantic house with a huge yard."
"Our actual cost of living, I keep saying, has been reduced by about 50 per cent," Pieta said.
Declining student enrolment is a trend being seen throughout many parts of Metro Vancouver, said Lombardi. It spells bad news for school boards because fewer students means less government funding and difficult decisions about spending cuts or school closures.
"Other than Surrey, every school district has declining enrolment right now because of demographics. The city tells us we've got more people moving into Vancouver, but fewer have families," he said. "The projection is that five years out we will be seeing our schools filling up again, unless the housing crisis even gets worse and they decide to move out."
Lombardi said the city is trying to make housing more affordable. "They've got laneway housing and social housing, but we know it's a big issue for Vancouver. It's a challenge, but we also know that Vancouver is the most desirable city in the world."
The district also surveyed Vancouver families with preschool children in a bid to find out what would keep them in Vancouver when their kids reach school age.
"What we've heard loud and clear is that they want child care in a school," Lombardi said, adding that he would like to see before and after school care in every elementary school.
"Parents are working and they don't work nine to three. People tell us their second highest cost as a family is child care, after their mortgage."
Brent Toderian, planning consultant at Toderian UrbanWorks and former director of city planning for Vancouver, said it's important for cities to have family-friendly building policies.
"Kids are the indicator species of a great neighbourhood," Toderian said, adding that while Vancouver does require that major new developments have one-quarter of their units with at least two bedrooms, there is no requirement for more family friendly three-bedroom suites.
He also noted that 52 per cent of Vancouverites rent their homes, and that the average rents are not as "out of whack" as the cost of buying a home. He said it's important to consider factors beyond the cost of buying a home, such as the cost of transportation or well-paying jobs.
One suggestion that could buoy the school-age population in Vancouver is that schools could be community hubs, with controlled densification such as townhouse and low-rise buildings allowed in the area nearby, said Nathanael Lauster, assistant professor of sociology at the University of B.C.
"Other cities do have some solutions, as does Vancouver itself. Densification is one, and this could be more tied to the existing school infrastructure," Lauster said. "But there are a lot of other potential solutions out there, and explorations of more are great.
"As just one example, I really like co-ops as a possible solution, with provincial and even city-based subsidies and enabling acts picking up where the federal government has pulled back."
But the Woolley family was living in a co-op, and it still wasn't enough.
Real estate listings provided as examples by Woolley show a 1,578-square-foot house in Powell River listed for $139,900 and a four-bedroom waterfront home listed for $475,000. In Vancouver, the average single-family home is priced at $917,200, while in the Fraser Valley it is $549,200.
Homes advertised for rent in Vancouver include a six-bedroom home in Kitsilano for $4,000 a month, a one-bedroom apartment in Yaletown for $1,750 a month, a three-bedroom ground-floor suite in Killarney for $1,450 a month and a two-bedroom basement suite at Boundary and Grandview for $850 a month.
The Woolleys are still renting, but plan to buy a house in the next year or so.
"At the end of your life, if you've been in a co-op forever, you have no equity," Woolley said, adding that equity is even more important when you don't have a pension. "There's just something about buying a house."
Toderian calls that the "North American mythology that you have to own your home."
He says the Millennial generation — those between 20 and 35 years old — are much more open to the idea of renting.
"They don't buy into the mythology of home ownership equalling success," Toderian said. "It will be very interesting to see how they behave when they have families."


text:
Running the foundation LRG
The foundation tests consist of an LRG (long regression), SRG (short regression), and various non-classified tests (non-LRG). If any code was changed in eclipselink.core it is recommended to run the LRG. If minimal changes were made the SRG is sufficient. Depending on what was changed, running some of the non-LRG tests may also be desirable.
There are several ways to run the tests.
- ant
- Eclipse JUnit
- Testing Browser
The eclipselink.core.test/build.xml contains several ant targets for testing. The test target will run the LRG. Ensure that the eclipselink.core.test/test.properties file has been configured for your database, you may also overwrite this file in {user.home}/test.properties.
ant test
This will run the LRG, the results will be output into the report directory as html.
The following ant test targets are defined:
- test.srg
- test.lrg
Eclipse JUnit
The eclipselink.core.test Eclipse project contains launch targets in the elipselink.core.test/run directory to run the LRG or SRG through the Eclipse JUnit integration. Ensure that the eclipselink.core.test/run directory contains a test.properties file that includes configuration information for your database.
Note that the majority of the foundation tests are built using a legacy test framework which has been migrated to extend JUnit. One issue is that the total number of tests are unknown before the tests are setup, so the progress bar in Eclipse will not be accurate.
Ensure the following (Java | Build Path | Classpath Variables) are set:
- JAVA_TOOLS_LIB variable has been mapped to your JDK tools.jar
- ORACLE_JDBC_LIB variable has been mapped to your database's JDBC driver (compile-time for extension project)
- JDBC_LIB variable has been mapped to your database's JDBC driver (vendor-agnostic driver)
- Some JDBC drivers may require the system library path to be set, or dlls to be on the path
Testing Browser
Early in its existence, this product was tested with an in-house testing framework. A large number of tests are still available through this test framework. Testing is gradually being migrated to frameworks such as JUnit, but the GUI tool available in the legacy framework is still quite useful for testing. The code for this test framework is stored in the eclipselink.core.test project.
The eclipselink.core.test Eclipse project contains launch targets in the elipselink.core.test/run directory to run the Testing Browser.
You could also configure your own run target:
- Run the process.resource target of the build.xml in the base directory of the eclipselink.core.test project as an ant script. This will copy some xml files to your eclipselink.core.test/run directory.
- Create a Java Application run target on the eclipselink.core.test project - I'll call it Testing Browser
- Use org.eclipse.persistence.testing.framework.ui.TestingBrowserFrame as the main class
- Add "-Xmx256m -Djava.security.manager -Djava.security.policy==${workspace_loc:eclipselink.core.test}/resource/java.policy.allpermissions" to the VM arguments section of the Arguments tab
- Add the following to the classpath: (note these are listed by category and you may be able to run subsets of the tests without certain categories)
- your JDBC driver of choice
- jpa.core
- jpa.test
- Oracle Extensions
- eclipselink.extension.oracle
- eclipselink.extension.oracle.test
- jars required to compile eclipselink.extension.oracle - aqapi.jar, sdoapi.jar, dms.jar, xdb.jar, xml.jar, xmlparserv2.jar
- Java
- a JAVA_TOOLS_LIB variable that points to the tools jar in your java installation
- Generated classes
- Add the base directory of the eclipselink.core.test project. For some reason, this is where all java output goes. We output some java files and then compile them. They will go there.
- Run the "Testing Browser" run target
- Input you DB login information. You can do this by selecting a value from the "Quick Login" drop box and then edit the form on the right side of the GUI with any information that is different from what is already populated
- Run either the SRGTestModel or the LRGTestModel listed on the right side of the GUI by selecting it and then clicking the "Run Test" button.


text: It is a meeting of cardinals specifically to choose a new pope. Only cardinals who are under the age of 80 are eligible to vote – there will be 118 of them in next month's conclave. The word conclave originates from the Latin cum clavi – with a key – because cardinals used to literally be cloistered behind locked doors until they came to a decision.


text:
BiographiesSocialismWorld History
John Maynard Keynes's supporters still insist that he was a mild and benign liberal. In truth, Keynes supported the blood-soaked Soviet regime and called himself a socialist.
Monetary PolicyWorld History
Between 1909 and 1913, Keynes was the most important defender of British monetary imperialism in India. His faithful defense of the British Empire in those early years allowed him to become the century's most influential economist after the war.
World History
Keynes's Malthusianism indicates that he had a defective understanding of the division of labor and the law of returns. Beyond that, his population policies reveal the totalitarianism inherent in the Keynesian vision.
Historians have neglected the role of John Maynard Keynes in writing some of the worst provisions of the Versailles treaty — which sowed the seeds of World War II.
The EntrepreneurEntrepreneurship
Kerkorian was an eighth-grade dropout who would go on to earn billions, and epitomized Mises's idea of the entrepreneur.


text:
Directorate of Sport Functions Directorate of Sport Functions
Aims to forge a strong national identity, through outstanding achievements in the sport arena.
- To build and upgrade sport facilities;
- To encourage all Namibians in all the regions to participate in the sport codes of their choice;
- To increase participation in sport;
- To identify, develop and manage talent;
- To introduce and incorporate prioritized sport codes in schools and communities;
- To afford elite athletes opportunities to compete internationally with the aim of them securing professional contract; and
- To enhance the international image of Namibia through sport.
- Creation of conducive sporting environment in the regions
- Preparation and participation in Olympic Games
- Participation of people with disabilities in sport
- Provision and maintenance of basic sport facilities in all fourteen (14) regions.
- Provision of sport equipment.
- Mobility facilitation through transport provision.
- Encouragement of excellence in sport
- Financial assistance to national and international bodies.
- Establishment of the umbrella body for the people with disabilities.
- Create educational programmes on the value of sport;
- Provide regular exposure to international events;
- Introduce prioritized sport codes in communities;
- Initiate and coordinate sport policy development;
- Initiate, coordinate and facilitate the implementation of sport development programmes;
- Revive and strengthen regional sport committees;
- Monitor and evaluate the use of government funding/grants to sport associations; and
- Encourage inter-linkages and networking between all sport organisations.
- Vision 2016: Athletics Development Programme
- Westphalia Soccer Programme
- Wrestling Development Programme
- Boxing Development Programme
- School Sport Programme
Management: Directorate of Sport Management: Directorate of Sport
Mr. Edelberth Katamba
Ms. Jo-Anne Manuel


text:
Reinvented Mojo Inshore Rods Showcased at ICAST Online
"The redesigned Mojo Inshore Series for 2021 offers significantly increased performance and versatility while maintaining affordable Mojo pricing," says Alex Smay, NE Regional Account Manager for St. Croix Rod. "We listened intently to our pro staff, customers and dealers to really focus in on some key improvements that would make big differences for anglers." Smay emphasizes that the new series breaks new ground in the market place. "There's no other lineup at this price point in the saltwater inshore market that can boast such a combination of power, durability and sensitivity."
These hybrid-handled Mojo Inshore rod models also feature an Alps non-marring rubber gimble which inhibits rods - especially those carrying larger, heavier reels from banging around in the rocket launcher or holder during rough rides to and from the fishing grounds. The gimbal can also be tucked against an angler's hip during tough battles without causing the discomfort of a plastic or metal gimbal. This new soft gimbal and full handle assembly combination provide anglers the greatest leverage when trying to turn large predators away from structure like boat docks, boulder fields and bridge stanchions.
In addition to a host of upgrades and improvements, St. Croix has added eight brand new models to the new Mojo Inshore lineup, expanding the full series to 27 total rods. Now encompassing 19 spinning and 8 casting models, the Mojo Inshore Series provides anglers the flexibility to target virtually any species along every saltwater coast. "Whether you are throwing ultralight finesse baits, 9" swim shads, or full-sized popping plugs, there's a Mojo Inshore rod that's ideal for the situation," says Smay. "The range of this series is incredible.
Additional 7'11" Mojo Inshore spinning models added for 2021 come in the form of medium power, fast action (JIS711MF) and medium-heavy power, fast action (JIS711MHF) models, ideal for bombing long, accurate casts to smaller inshore species.
A pair of new 7'9" extra-heavy, moderate-fast conventional (JIC79XHMF) and spinning (JIS79XHMF) models have been designed to handle 2- to 6-oz. lures, including large metal-lip swimmers and 9" swimbaits, and to put maximum pressure on large inshore and nearshore fish. Thanks to SCIII composition and IPC mandrel technology, these extra-heavy power rods remain exceptionally light in the hand for such powerful sticks. Anglers will admire the strength and backbone of these models for everything from dragging giant snook out from under rickety docks up to popping medium, school-sized bluefin tuna. Simply put, they provide more Mojo in a lighter saltwater package. The 7'9" extra-heavy, moderate-fast, conventional Mojo Inshore rod (JIC79XHMF) is St. Croix's entry into ICAST 2020 Online's New Product Showcase in the Saltwater Rod category.
St. Croix pro-staffer and accomplished tournament angler Justin Carter of Charleston, South Carolina, agrees with Hamilton and Smay on the overall performance upgrades of the reimagined Mojo Inshore Series. "These rods provide exceptional value for the money," he says. "They're lightweight, powerful, perfectly balanced and exceptionally adaptable, with a great combination of spinning and casting models to cover the entire spectrum of inshore gamefish. And the new full cork and hybrid cork/EVA handle designs mean these rods are going to stand up to abuse even better than the originals."
New Mojo Inshore Series rods range in length from 6'6" to 7'11" and feature light to extra-heavy powers with moderate, moderate-fast and fast actions that cover the gamut of inshore saltwater presentations from finessing sea trout to launching giant swim shads and live-lining big baitfish for stripers, snook and tarpon. All are backed by a 5-year warranty plus St. Croix Superstar service.
- 6'6" one-piece, medium power, fast action (JIS66MF) $160.00
- 6'6" one-piece, medium-heavy power, fast action (JIS66MHF) $170.00
- 6'6" one-piece, heavy power, fast action (JIS66HF) $180.00
- 7'0" one-piece, light power, fast action (JIS70LF) $160.00
- 7'0" one-piece, medium-light power, fast action (JIS70MLF) $160.00
- 7'0" one-piece, medium power, fast action (JIS70MF) $170.00
- 7'0" one-piece, medium power, moderate action (JIS70MM) $160.00
- 7'0" one-piece, medium-heavy power, fast action (JIS70MHF) $170.00
- 7'0" one-piece, medium-heavy power, moderate action (JIS70MHM) $170.00
- 7'0" one-piece, heavy power, fast action (JIS70HF) $190.00
- 7'6" one-piece, medium-light power, fast action (JIS76MLF) $180.00
- 7'6" one-piece, medium power, fast action (JIS76MF) $180.00
- 7'6" one-piece, medium-heavy power, fast action (JIS76MHF) $200.00
- 7'6" one-piece, heavy power, fast action (JIS76HF) $210.00
- 7'9" one-piece, extra-heavy power, moderate-fast action (JIS79XHMF) $230.00
- 7'11" one-piece medium power, fast action (JIS711MF) $180.00
- 7'11" one-piece medium-heavy power, fast action (JIS711MHF) $210.00
- 7'11" one-piece heavy power, moderate-fast action (JIS711HMF) $220.00
- 7'11" one-piece heavy power, fast action (JIS711HF) $210.00
- 7'0" one-piece, medium-light power, moderate action (JIC70MLM) $160.00
- 7'0" one-piece, medium-heavy power, fast action (JIC70MHF) $170.00
- 7'0" one-piece, heavy power, fast action (JIC70HF) $180.00
- 7'6" one-piece, medium-light power, moderate action (JIC76MLM) $170.00
- 7'6" one-piece, medium-heavy power, fast action (JIC76MHF) $190.00
- 7'6" one-piece, heavy power, fast action (JIC76HF) $200.00
- 7'9" one-piece, extra-heavy power, moderate-fast action (JIC79XHMF)* $210.00
- 7'11" one-piece, heavy power, moderate-fast action (JIC711HMF) $210.00
- Designed for inshore specific techniques, the Mojo Inshore series puts exceptional performance rods in angler's hands at an affordable price
- Premium-quality SCIII carbon
- Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) mandrel technology
- Sea Guide Hero Hi-Grade guides with slim aluminum oxide rings and SS316 stainless gun smoke frames
- Fuji® DPS Deluxe reel seat with gun metal hoods on spinning models
- Fuji® ECS and TCS Deluxe reel seat with gun metal hoods on casting models
- Fuji® Back Stop lock nut on select models
- Contoured handle with EVA and Cork combination on select models
- Alps non-marring rubber gimbal on select models
- Kigan hook-keeper
- Two coats of Flex-Coat slow cure finish
- 5-year warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service
- Specialized inshore saltwater rods designed and built for superior performance
- Designed in Park Falls, U.S.A. and handcrafted in North America (Fresnillo, Mexico)


text:
This is a great exercise to create lower body strength to increase your power in your swing as well as segmentation of ground up force.
This exercise also creates a load in the trail leg, and a transfer of weight to the forward leg.
Start in a squat position with majority of your weight on the leg that is closest to the ball.
Then thrust your hips up and around while allowing your upper body to follow until you finish with your weight stacked over the forward leg in a finished golf swing.
Do both sides using a 6lb medicine ball and do 2 sets of 10 3 times per week.
Subscribe to ProGolfFitness' channel on YouTube and stay up to date on golf fitness videos.


text:
Ruling the runway
Regina Root, Class of 1963 Term Distinguished Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures at the College of William and Mary, has accepted an invitation to serve as president ad honorem of Latin America's largest fashion congress, Ixel Moda.
Root spent a week in Cartagena, Colombia, last December as a guest of Ixel Moda. The event, attended by some 10,000 people annually, features runway shows by prominent Latin American designers. During the day, academic sessions draw large crowds of designers, students, scholars, entrepreneurs and journalists.
An expert in Latin American fashion, Root was one of the main speakers, invited to present on sustainable design practices and the award-winning Latin American Fashion Reader, which she edited.
"At this congress we addressed the kinds of questions that designers have about ecofashion and its representation of culture. It is now widely recognized that the ecological crisis is also a crisis in design. Our discussions were relevant to the future of the fashion industry," says Root.
The presentation generated a buzz in the media, including Viste la Calle of Chile and "InFashion TV."
"With professional designer collections alongside the work of students from some of Latin America's premiere design institutions, one could see a learning process also modeled," says Root. She added that she would love to take a small delegation of her own students to the next congress.
"Fashion-studies scholars have to analyze the designer's vision as it gets represented on the runway," she said. "Sitting right beside me were prominent fashion journalists and pioneers like Susan White, now CEO of Whitespeed, who once served as vice president of marketing for Calvin Klein and president of DKNY Jeans. The insights shared and gained throughout the week were tremendous."


text:
The Industrialization of Deep Learning
- 商業白皮書 (僅提供英文版本)
- 11 pages
Deep learning is a method of creating artificial intelligence systems that combine computer-based multi-layer neural networks with intensive training techniques and large data sets to enable analysis and predictive decision making.
Download the insideHPC analyst paper and read about the origins of deep learning, the core technologies and HPE use cases.
Download the insideHPC analyst paper and read about the origins of deep learning, the core technologies, industrial grade solution components and HPE use cases.
What is Deep Learning? - 2
Why should we care? - 2
How did we get here? - 2
Why is Deep Learning important, to whom does it matter and why now? - 4
The core technologies of Deep Learning - 5
Components of an industrial grade solution - 6
Apollo 6500 / 6000 series - 7
Software framework for Deep Learning and high performance analytics - 8
HPE Cognitive Computing Toolkit / Use cases - 9
Beyond the level of human capability - 10
If IBM has Watson then what does it take to be Sherlock? - 11


text:
GK & Current Affairs Quiz: July 27, 2017
First Published: July 27, 2017 | Last Updated:March 16, 2018
[A] Brazil
[B] South Africa
[C] China
[D] India
The BRICS NSAs meeting has started in Beijing, China on July 27, 2017, which will be attended by Ajit Doval, the National Security Advisor (NSA) of India. The visit comes in the backdrop of ongoing standoff between India and China in the Doklam region. Doval is expected to hold separate talks with China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi on the standoff issue on the sidelines of the meeting. Mr Doval and Mr Yang are Special Representatives of the India-China border mechanism. Besides Doval and Yang, Minister of State Security David Mahlobo of South Africa, Minister Sergio Etchegoyen of the Office of Institutional Security of the Presidency of Brazil, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev of the Russian Federation will also attend the NSAs meeting.
[A] Madras High Court
[B] Delhi High Court
[C] Bombay High Court
[D] Kerala High Court
The Madras High Court has ruled that the national song 'Vande Mataram' be made compulsory in all educational institutions and government or private organisations in Tamil Nadu. As per ruling, the national song be played and sung in all schools, colleges and universities at least once a week, preferably on Monday or Friday and in government offices, private companies, factories and industries at least once a month. The issue pertains to a case filed by K Veeramani who lost the state recruitment board exam by a mark as he answered Bengali for the question on the language of 'Vande Mataram' while the answer key said that it was written in Sanskrit. Opposing his submission, Veeramani approached the Madras High Court and sought clarity on whether 'Vande Mataram' was written in Sanskrit or Bengali. As per ruling, it is the duty of every citizen to abide by the ideals ingrained in the Constitution and as such show respect to the National Anthem and the National Flag.
[A] Himachal Pradesh
[B] Karnataka
[C] Assam
[D] Kerala
N. Dharam Singh (80), the former Karnataka Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader, has recently passed away in Bengaluru 80. He was the 17th Chief Minister of Karnataka and was continuously elected as MLA for 7 times from the Jevargi constituency. Mr Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Bidar constituency in 2009 general election.
[A] Pune
[B] New Delhi
[C] Chennai
[D] Visakhapatnam
The Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI) is a Miniratna Indian public sector unit engaged in the business of dredging. DCI is headquartered at Visakhapatnam and it reports to the Ministry of Shipping. Recently, it is in news because a proposal for disinvestment of DCI is under consideration of the Government of India (GoI). The proposal is aimed at upgrading technology, improving capability, infusing capital to buy necessary dredgers and equipments and instilling experienced professional management to optimize the operations of DCI. This information was given by the Minister of State for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Pon. Radhakrishnan in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on July 27, 2017.
[A] Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
[B] Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)
[C] Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
[D] Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam memorial at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on July 27, 2017. The event coincides with the second death anniversary of Dr Kalam. The memorial has been designed and established by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and has been built at a cost of about 20 crore rupees. The memorial will reflect India's diversity and various cultures and will pay homage to Kalam's life, displaying replicas of rockets and missiles that the late ace scientist worked on. On this occasion, Prime Minister Modi has flagged off the mobile science exhibition bus "Kalam Sandesh Vahini" which shall travel across various States of the country and reach Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on October 15, which marks the birth anniversary of the former President.
[A] Sushil Kumar Modi
[B] Nitish Kumar
[C] Lalu Prasad Yadav
[D] CP Joshi
Nitish Kumar, the President of Janata Dal(United), has been sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Bihar for the sixth time and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi was sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi administered him the oath of office and secrecy at Raj Bhavan in Patna on July 27, 2017. Earlier, on July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar had resigned as the Chief Minister citing irreconcilable differences with RJD on corruption charges against Lalu Prasad's son and former Deputy CM Tejaswi Prasad Yadav. Then, the JDU President joined hands with the BJP to form a new government in the state.
[A] Narendra Singh Tomar
[B] Bandaru Dattatreya
[C] Kalraj Mishra
[D] Ram Vilas Paswan
Indian delegation led by Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment, participated in the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meet, held on July 26-27, 2017 at Chonqging, China. China is the chair for the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meet for the year 2017. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministerial Declaration by the BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers. The declaration covered a variety of areas that are of critical importance to all BRICS countries including India and called upon strengthening collaboration and cooperation on these through appropriate institutionalisation . These areas consisted of : "Governance in the Future of Work", "Skills for development in BRICS", "Universal and sustainable social security systems", "BRICS Network of Labour Research Institutions", "BRICS Social Security Cooperation Framework" and "BRICS entrepreneurship research".
[A] Pradeep Kumar Sinha
[B] Rajeev Topno
[C] Dharam Vir
[D] Nripendra Mishra
The Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council has formed a selection committee under the chairmanship of cabinet secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha to identify and recommend eligible persons for appointment as the chairman and members of the National Anti-profiteering Authority under GST. The standing committee is empowered to refer cases requiring detailed enquiry to the Director General of Safeguards, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) for consideration of the NAPA. The National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAPA) is tasked with ensuring the full benefits of a reduction in tax on the supply of goods or services flow to the consumers. As per provisions of law, the Authority will be headed by a senior officer of the level of a secretary to the Government of India and shall have four technical members from the Centre and/or the states. The NAPA will have the power to cancel registration of any entity or business if it fails to pass on to consumers the benefit of lower taxes under the GST regime.
[A] K. Krishnamoorthy
[B] P. N. Vinayachandran
[C] K. Gopalan
[D] K. S. Krishna
Professor K. Gopalan has been honoured with the Life Time Excellence Award at the 2017 National Earth System Sciences (NESS) awards for his significant contribution in the field of isotope geo-science. The awards are presented on the Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) i.e. July 27, 2017. The National Awards for Ocean Science & technology, Atmospheric Science & technology and Geoscience & technology has been presented to Prof. P. N. Vinayachandran, Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy and Professsor K. S. Krishna respectively. The Young Researcher Awards have been bestowed to Dr. Dhanya C. T. and Dr. Vikram Vishal for their outstanding work in Earth Science & Technology. The Life Time Excellence Award carry an award money of Rs.5,00,000/-; National Awards carry an award money of Rs.1,00,000/- each and Young Researcher Award carry an award of Rs.50,000/- each.
[A] Assam
[B] Bihar
[C] Uttar Pradesh
[D] Karnataka
The Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is a protected area and a Project Tiger, tiger reserve located 38 km northwest of Chikkamagaluru town in Karnataka. It has a wide range of flora and fauna and is a popular place for day outings. The 1,875 m above MSL Hebbe Giri is the highest peak in the sanctuary. It is home to tiger, elephant, gaur, sloth bear, wild boar, black leopard, jungle cat, jackal, wild dog, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, etc.
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I have a one question ki upsc me current affairs 2017 ka hi aata he kya
Cannot express how comprehensive these are.
GAurav RK PAndeyReply
very helpful for preperation.
GAurav RK PAndeyReply
very helpful for preparation.
Thank you gk today forever.. ..


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Rev. Hart: The most important election of our lives
Some of my neighbors have recently placed new blue signs in their yards. At least one of them says "Obama" and at least one other says "Romney." My yard, on the other hand, is decorated only by the fallen leaves, two orange pumpkins, and some pink mums. It's not that I'm against political yard signs or a citizen's right to free speech; it's that on most days my thoughts are on a different kind of citizenship. It's true, I pay my taxes and vote in the U.S.A., but I am also a citizen of God's eternal Kingdom.
When Jesus of Nazareth walked around Israel, teaching and stirring up trouble of one kind or another, he declared that "the Kingdom of Heaven is near." (Matthew 4:17) He seemed to believe that the Kingdom of Heaven was somehow more powerful and more present than even the Roman occupation.
This confused his hearers. One day, some of them asked, "Teacher... is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?"
The people wanted to know if belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven meant abandoning the responsibilities of the earthly Kingdom. So they asked him about taxes (wouldn't you?).
He responded, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."
The story continues:
"And they brought one. And he said to them, `Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said to him, `Caesar's.' Jesus said to them, `Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' And they marveled at him." (Mark 12:15-17)
The obvious take-away in this story is that people should pay their taxes. But a deeper truth lies within the narrative, and it can give some perspective on my neighbors' yard signs.
Picture Jesus standing there, answering his critics. Picture him flipping that denarius coin. It had Caesar's name and image on it, so he flipped it back to them and instructed them to give it to Caesar. There is a subtext here. Jesus knew what was written in the first chapter of Genesis: that all people are created "in the image of God."
If a coin bearing Caesar's image belongs to Caesar, then to whom does a person belong? If we bear God's image, we belong to God. This is why Jesus said, "give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." He was instructing his hearers to give their lives to God: body, mind, and soul. He was inviting them into a dual citizenship -- both in this world and in the Kingdom of Heaven. It would not be a mere political change; it would be an ontological shift.
Perhaps your yard sign or your bumper sticker is like the denarius which Jesus held in his hand that day. If there is a sign in your yard, go ahead and vote for the candidate whose name is written on it. Give to Romney the vote he deserves, or to Obama the vote he deserves. But if a sign on your lawn displays where you will cast your vote next week, consider what the image on your heart says about where you will spend eternity.
And in the here-and-now, remember what Jesus also said about the relationship between the two kingdoms. When his disciples asked him how to pray, he included the phrase, "(God's) will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10). Amazingly, we as dual citizens can witness the Kingdom of Heaven impacting our earthly situation.
So give your vote to your preferred candidate, but far more importantly, give your whole self to the One whose image you bear. It may be the most important thing you ever elect to do.
The Rev. Nathan Hart is associate pastor of Stanwich Congregational Church, 202 Taconic Road. The church's website is stanwichchurch.org.


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Ed. Dept. Makes Protecting Student Data a High Priority
'Summit' tackles challenges
Seeking to help schools protect students' privacy without inhibiting the use of digital technologies in the classroom, the U.S. Department of Education released new guidance last week on the proper use, storage, and security of the massive amounts of data being generated by new, online educational resources.
"This can't be a choice between privacy and progress," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told a gathering of privacy advocates and ed-tech leaders who gathered for a "summit" on the hot-button issue.
The guidance comes amid a flurry of activity around student-data privacy. Also in recent weeks, a leading technology trade group issued its own recommendations for protecting such data; major state legislation was proposed in California; U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., announced that he will soon introduce a federal bill; and the San Francisco-based nonprofit Common Sense Media hosted the high-profile "School Privacy Zone" summit here.
James P. Steyer, the CEO of Common Sense Media, said the confluence of efforts is a good sign.
February was a busy month for a wide cross-section of groups interested in student-data privacy:
Federal Government
The U.S. Department of Education released new guidance to help schools and districts interpret major student-privacy laws and implement best practices. Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., announced that he will soon introduce new legislation on the issue.
State Government
California state Sen. Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat, sponsored a new bill that, among other goals, would prohibit providers of online educational services from using or disclosing student data for commercial purposes, such as marketing. Bills in Kansas and a number of other states are also under consideration.
Ed-Tech Industry
The Software & Information Industry Association released "best practices for the safeguarding of student-information privacy and security for providers of school services." The recommendations focus on limiting the use of personally identifiable student information to "educational and related purposes" and improving policies related to transparency, contracting, security, and data-breach notification.
Privacy Advocates
The nonprofit Common Sense Media hosted a "School Privacy Zone" summit in Washington attended by dozens of advocates, ed-tech leaders, and government officials, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The group recently conducted polling research on U.S. voters' attitudes about student-data privacy and is promoting a set of "fundamental principles" related to the issue.
"I've never felt that industry self-regulations were sufficient to protect the interests of kids and families," said Mr. Steyer, whose organization is known for evaluating media and educational technology intended for use by children. "We want the best [private] actors to step forward, but we also need legislation and regulation and advocacy. It's the combination that works."
For its part, the federal government will seek "vigorous self-policing by commercial players" handling sensitive data about children, Secretary Duncan said, but it is "not going to wait for industry or rely on promises" to protect that information. The federal guidance is nonbinding and contains no new regulations; instead, it offers interpretations of existing laws and encourages "best practices" by schools and districts.
The 14-page document highlights the challenges of securing students' data in the rapidly evolving digital education landscape. The Education Department's short answer—"it depends"—to two frequently asked questions by school officials about how federal statutes apply to the sharing of sensitive student information with third-party vendors left some privacy advocates unsatisfied.
"The guidance really underscores the fact that student-privacy rights are under attack," said Khaliah Barnes, a lawyer for the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center, based in Washington.
Representatives from the software industry, meanwhile, commended the department's guidance.
Crafting Protective Measures
In his keynote address at the summit, Mr. Duncan touted the "extraordinary learning opportunities" associated with new digital learning tools and the vast amounts of information they generate. He cited examples of schools' use of technology and data to personalize student learning, free up teachers' time for high-value instructional activities, and engage parents.
But the secretary also stressed that "school systems owe families the highest standard of security and privacy," and he sharply criticized some common industry practices, including "take-it-or-leave-it" contracts with districts that allow companies to unilaterally and without notice change their privacy-protection practices.
"It is in your best interest to police yourselves before others do," Mr. Duncan said in a direct message to ed-tech vendors.
Many policymakers, advocates, and even industry officials say a baseline standard should be that third-party vendors use student information only for educational purposes.
The new federal guidance, however, makes clear that defining "educational purposes" in the digital age is a complicated endeavor, and that student-privacy statutes now on the books are straining to meet the challenges presented by "big data" and ubiquitous digital learning tools.
Take, for example, the "metadata" collected on students via digital devices and online learning programs, which can include keystroke information, the time and place at which a device is being used, and more.
Under some circumstances, such metadata are not protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, a 40-year-old law intended to protect children's educational records from disclosure. According to the new guidelines, it may thus sometimes be permissible for vendors to use such information for data-mining and other noneducational purposes.
The circumstances under which students' personally identifiable information may be used by third-party vendors can also be murky. As a result, the Education Department suggests that "schools and districts will typically need to evaluate the use of online educational services on a case-by-case basis to determine if FERPA-protected information is implicated."
Some privacy advocates, though, criticize the department as having weakened FERPA by regulatory changes made in recent years.
"In the process of encouraging a market in data-mining software and the outsourcing of education into private hands, [the department] seems willing to sacrifice our children's privacy," said Leonie Haimson, the executive director of the New York City-based nonprofit Class Size Matters and a frequent critic of industry involvement in student data-sharing initiatives.
Outlining Best Practices
Dozens of bills addressing data privacy have been proposed in a number of states in recent months, and at the federal level, Sen. Markey said last week that he would seek "new, updated rules" to protect sensitive student information that is transferred to private companies.
The focus of the planned federal legislation, Mr. Markey said in a statement, would be prohibiting the use of such data for targeted marketing to children, ensuring parents' rights to access information about their children that is held by private companies, and creating other new safeguards.
Hoping to get out ahead of the rising regulatory tide, the Software & Information Industry Association, a trade group based in Washington, released its own recommendations.
"We're concerned about [the possibility] of legislation that might capture very appropriate uses of student information," said Mark Schneiderman, the group's senior director of education policy. "Our intention is to create a 'trust framework,' and at the same time make sure we're not cutting off our nose to spite our face."
While the SIIA focused on best practices for industry, the Education Department focused in its new guidance on supporting smarter, more effective practices by schools and districts.
Among the federal recommendations for school systems are conducting an inventory of all online educational services now in use; developing policies to evaluate and approve proposed online educational services, including no-cost software and apps that require only click-through consent; and pursuing written contracts with all new data vendors.
But while such approaches are welcome, they might not be enough to keep up with rising parental concerns about the privacy and security of their children's data, said Joel R. Reidenberg, a Fordham University law professor who recently published a scathing review of districts' current contracts with cloud-computing service providers.
"I don't think it's a reasonable expectation that districts are in a position to police vendors and really take control of their data," Mr. Reidenberg said. "But it's great that [the department] finally got something out."
Vol. 33, Issue 23, Pages 1, 13Published in Print: March 5, 2014, as U.S. Outlines Data-Privacy Guidelines
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Ray Scupin, a professor in the Science Division at Lindenwood University, has received the school's Scholar of the Year Award for 2007. The award, which recognizes the highest level of professional scholarship on the Lindenwood faculty, was presented by President James D. Evans at the school's faculty meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10.
Scupin has a bachelor's in history, anthropology and Asian studies from UCLA and a master's and doctorate in anthropology from University of California Santa Barbara. He has taught anthropology and sociology at Lindenwood since 1981, prior to which he taught at UC Santa Barbara and Northern Kentucky University.
He has also done major anthropological research on a number of trips to Thailand, where he studied the Muslim minority, and has done ethnographic research on Native American Indians in California. Since 1992, a number of his textbooks have been published by Prentice Hall Press.
"I am truly honored to have received the President's Scholar of the Year award," Scupin said. "To be nominated, supported and respected by my peers in the Lindenwood community is something I will always cherish."
Nominations for the award are made from within the various academic departments in the university; the recipient is chosen by the Deans' Council from two to four finalists selected by the university Faculty Planning and Development Committee.


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Arnold Schwarzenegger
|Arnold Schwarzenegger
|38th Governor of California
From: November 17, 2003 - January 3, 2011
|Gray Davis
|Jerry Brown
|Maria Shriver (separated)
|Roman Catholic
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (b. Graz, Austria 1947) is an Austrian-American actor, politician, steroid-enhanced bodybuilder, and businessman, who served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Anti-Trump, Schwarzenegger unsuccessfully replaced Donald Trump on The Apprentice, resulting in a ratings collapse of that show. More recently Schwarzenegger has devoted himself to nonpartisan redistricting.[1]
Acting career
Schwarzenegger rose to fame with action movies including Commando, Conan the Barbarian and the Terminator franchise. His on-screen presence was characterized by his large stature, as well as his thick Austrian accent. Once one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, Schwarzenegger has recently returned to acting, following the end of his term as Governor.
Recall Election
After sitting Governor Gray Davis mismanaged electric power deregulation and instituted a new registration tax by executive order, infuriated citizens initiated a petition to place a measure on the ballot to remove him from office. Despite Democratic predictions that the petition would fail, it was delivered to then Secretary of State Kevin Shelley with more than the required number of signatures. In accordance with the law, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante became Acting Governor and called a special election for October 7, 2003.
The election was only the second of its kind in United States history. Approximately 180 citizens, from all walks of life, declared candidacy. Schwarzenegger was rumored to be considering a run for office, which was confirmed on an appearance on the NBC TV Tonight Show. Schwarzenegger easily defeated Cruz Bustamante in the election.
After the election was over, Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis' term. Despite a period of sagging poll numbers, Schwarzenegger was reelected by a landslide on November 7, 2006. He defeated Democrat Phil Angelides, the then-State Treasurer of California.
Political views
Despite being a Republican, he holds some liberal views. He is a supporter of gun control and environmentalism. He is a staunch supporter of a law that mandates the use of Californian taxpayer money to fund stem cell research - which is the cloning and killing of human embryos for experimentation; he is also pro-abortion. Arnold officially approved an assisted suicide measure allowing nurses to sedate, dehydrate and starve depressed or confused individuals they consider to be "terminally ill."[2] (Compare euthanasia.) Governor Schwarzenegger also campaigned against the famous California Proposition 8. He married Maria Shriver, a famous journalist who is a member of the historically liberal Kennedy Family. Because of these and other policies he is often referred to as a "RINO," a "Republican in Name Only" by many conservative Republicans. Other sources have labeled him a "California Republican," meaning that his political policies are conservative but his views on civil liberties lean to the liberal side, reflecting the general attitude of most Californians. During his time as governor, the debt of California continued to balloon, forcing the state to pay IOU's for a period in 2009. Due to the budget crisis's under his tenure, Republicans lost the state to Jerry Brown in the 2010 Gubernatorial election.
See also
- List of Conservative or pro-Conservative Hollywood stars
- Hollywood conservatives
- Essay:List of celebrities who support the Second Amendment
- List of celebrities against Second Amendment
External links
- ↑ https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/bill-whalen/article138898898.html
- ↑ California approves nurse-assisted suicide Worldnetdaily, October 02, 2008


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Ask a Physicist Answers
If photons have no mass, why is it impossible for them to reach the escape velocity of a black hole? It seems that a massless particle/wave would have no difficulty escaping the gravity of a black hole, no matter how massive the singularity.
A black hole in the galaxy Centaurus A gobbles up dust, heavy elements and even light. Submillimeter wavelengths are orange, and x-ray data is blue. Image Credit: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al.; Submillimeter: MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al.; Optical: ESO/WFI
Although photons have no mass, they do have energy, and the gravity of a black hole (or any other gravitating body) will attract them. According to Einstein's theory of gravity, it is energy, not mass, that feels the gravitational force. That's the short answer.
You might think that Einstein's famous equation, E=mc2, says that energy and mass are essentially the same thing, so how does gravity tell the difference? The true meaning of the equation, however, is that a body with "rest mass" m will have an associated energy mc2. But the body can have other forms of energy as well, such as kinetic energy — energy of motion. Although photons have no rest mass, they're always moving at the speed of light; their energy is all kinetic energy and not rest-mass energy.
The fact that gravity attracts light was corroborated in a famous experiment in 1919, less than 4 years after Einstein formulated his theory of gravity, which predicted by how much a given body should bend a beam of light. The effect was too small to be observed on Earth. However, a beam of light just grazing the edge of the sun would be bent by a tiny — yet detectable — amount.
How do you observe a beam of light just grazing the edge of the sun? You wait for a solar eclipse, and then you very carefully measure the location of a star that appears near the sun in the sky (obviously, without the eclipse, the sky would be too bright for the star to be seen). If Einstein is right, the position of the star should be slightly different in the sky from where it was, relative to other stars in the night sky when the sun is not present.
In 1919, teams of astronomers went to two locations: one in Brazil and the other on an island in the Atlantic. They intercepted the path of the total solar eclipse, and carefully photographed the positions of nearby stars. Several months later, they announced their result: Einstein was right! Before this event, Einstein was well-known inside the scientific community, but his fame soon spread worldwide.
A black hole is much, much denser than the sun, and the amount of bending is correspondingly much greater. This force can be so great, in fact, that the path of a light ray will curve back on itself and never escape from the black hole.
Answered by:
Alan Chodos, PhD
Associate Executive Officer
American Physical Society
Submitted by:
Kynan from the U.S.


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Autumn leaves…October 16th, 2013 by Gilly
It's been a long time since I updated the blog. Summer has come and gone and now here we are in lovely, misty, crunchy Autumn. Gillyflower Jewellery and Bakery are on hold while I complete the final year of my degree, so for now I will just have to dream of past baking.
I'm hoping to do a sneaky bake next week just for friends, sadly there's no time to take orders while I'm in dissertation-stress-mode! Time to get a move on with my studying and stop procrastinating…
rustles and crunches beneath my feet
as golden rays light a thousand leaves of summer
turned amber, red, brown.
Scents of warm, gentle earth
and smoky air
fill my senses and comfort me.
A deceit.
For it is stripping back:
Bare branches
Bared soul.
I must act now
in the slow, creeping autumn
before it is too late,
before the death that is made by winter.