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I finished dressing in silence, going over my statement again in my mind. I was very nervous about appearing before a Senate committee and having news cameras trained on me. Had the TV been turned on, I might have heard the first fleeting report of a plane hitting the North Tower of the World Trade Center at the tip of Manhattan as I walked out the door to the elevator. Instead, it was the head of my Secret Service detail, Ron Sprinkle, who leaned over and whispered the news in my ear as I entered the car a few minutes after 9:00 a.m. for the ride to the Russell Senate Office Building, adjacent to the Capitol. Andi Ball, now my chief of staff at the White House; Domestic Policy Advisor Margaret Spellings; and I speculated about what could have happened: a small plane, a Cessna perhaps, running into one of those massive towers on this perfect September morning. We wondered too if Hillary Clinton might decide not to attend the committee briefing, since the World Trade Center was in New York. We were driving up Pennsylvania Avenue when word came that the South Tower had been hit. The car fell silent; we sat in mute disbelief. One plane might be a strange accident; two planes were clearly an attack. I thought about George and wondered if the Secret Service had already hustled him to the motorcade and begun the race to Air Force One to return home. Two minutes later, at 9:16 a.m., we pulled up at the entrance to the Russell Building. In the time it had taken to drive the less than two miles between the White House and the Capitol, the world as I knew it had irrevocably changed.
Senator Kennedy was waiting to greet me, according to plan. We both knew when we met that the towers had been hit and, without a word being spoken, knew that there would be no briefing that morning. Together, we walked the short distance to his office. He began by presenting me with a limited-edition print; it was a vase of bright daffodils, a copy of a painting he had created for his wife, Victoria, and given to her on their wedding day. The print was inscribed to me and dated September 11, 2001.
An old television was turned on in a corner of the room, and I glanced over to see the plumes of smoke billowing from the Twin Towers. Senator Kennedy kept his eyes averted from the screen. Instead he led me on a tour of his office, pointing out various pictures, furniture, pieces of memorabilia, even a framed note that his brother Jack had sent to their mother when he was a child, in which he wrote, "Teddy is getting fat." The senator, who would outlive all his brothers by more than forty years, laughed at the note as he showed it to me, still finding it amusing.
All the while, I kept glancing over at the glowing television screen. My skin was starting to crawl, I wanted to leave, to find out what was going on, to process what I was seeing, but I felt trapped in an endless cycle of pleasantries. It did not occur to me to say, "Senator Kennedy, what about the towers?" I simply followed his lead, and he may have feared that if we actually began to contemplate what had happened in New York, I might dissolve into tears.
Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, the ranking Republican on the committee and one of our very good friends in the Senate—Judd had played Al Gore for George during mock debates at the ranch the previous fall—was also designated to escort me to the committee room, and he arrived just as I was completing the tour. Senator Kennedy invited us to sit on the couches, and he continued chatting about anything other than the horrific images unfolding on the tiny screen across the room. I looked around his shoulder but could see very little, and I was still trying to pay attention to him and the thread of his conversation. It seemed completely unreal, sitting in this elegant, sunlit office as an immense tragedy unfolded. We sat as human beings driven by smoke, flame, and searing heat jumped from the tops of the Twin Towers to end their lives and as firemen in full gear began the climb up the towers' stairs.
I have often wondered if the small talk that morning was Ted Kennedy's defense mechanism, if after so much tragedy—the combat death of his oldest brother in World War II, the assassinations of his brothers Jack and Robert, and the deaths of nephews, including John Jr., whose body he identified when it was pulled from the cold, dark waters off Martha's Vineyard—if after all of those things, he simply could not look upon another grievous tragedy.
At about 9:45, after George had made a brief statement to the nation, which we watched, clustered around a small television that was perched on the receptionist's desk, Ted Kennedy, Judd Gregg, and I walked out to tell reporters that my briefing had been postponed. I said, "You heard from the president this morning, and Senator Kennedy and Senator Gregg and I both join his statement in saying that our hearts and our prayers go out to the victims of this act of terrorism, and that our support goes to the rescue workers. And all of our prayers are with everyone there right now." As I turned to exit, Laurence McQuillan of USA Today asked a question. "Mrs. Bush, you know, children are kind of struck by all this. Is there a message you could tell to the nation's—" I didn't even wait for him to finish but began, "Well, parents need to reassure their children everywhere in our country that they're safe."
As we walked out of the briefing room, the cell phone of my advance man, John Meyers, rang. A friend told him that CNN was reporting that an airplane had crashed into the Pentagon. Within minutes, the order would be given to evacuate the White House and the Capitol.
I walked back to Senator Kennedy's office and then began moving quickly toward the stairs, to reach my car to return to the White House. Suddenly, the lead Secret Service agent turned to me and my staff and said that we needed to head to the basement immediately. We took off at a run; Judd Gregg suggested his private office, which was in the lower level and was an interior room. The Secret Service then told John that they were waiting for an Emergency Response Team to reach the Capitol. The team would take me, but my staff would be left behind. Overhearing the conversation, I turned back and said, "No, everyone is coming." We entered Judd's office, where I tried to call Barbara and Jenna, and Judd tried to call his daughter, who was in New York. Then we sat and talked quietly about our families and our worries for them, and the overwhelming shock we both felt.
Sometime after 10:00 a.m., when the entire Capitol was being emptied, when White House staffers had fled barefoot and sobbing through the heavy iron gates with Secret Service agents shouting at them to "Run, run!" my agents collected me. They now included an additional Secret Service detail and an Emergency Response Team, dressed in black tactical clothing like a SWAT force and moving with guns drawn. As we raced through the dim hallways of the Russell Building, past panicked staffers emptying from their offices, the ERT team shouted "GET BACK" and covered my every move with their guns. We reached the underground entrance; the doors on the motorcade slammed shut, and we sped off. The Secret Service had decided to take me temporarily to their headquarters, located in a nondescript federal office building a few blocks from the White House. Following the Oklahoma City bombing, their offices had been reinforced to survive a large-scale blast. Outside our convoy windows, the city streets were clogged with people evacuating their workplaces and trying to reach their own homes.
By the time I had reached my motorcade, Flight 93 had crashed in a Pennsylvania field and the west side of the Pentagon had begun to collapse. Judd Gregg walked alone to the underground Senate parking garage and retrieved his car, the last one left there. He pulled out of the garage and headed home, across the Fourteenth Street Bridge and past the Pentagon, thick with smoke and flame.
In the intervening years, Judd and I, and many others, were left to contemplate what if Flight 93 had not been forced down by its passengers into an empty field; what if, shortly after 10:00 a.m., it had reached the Capitol Dome?
We arrived at the Secret Service building via an underground entrance and were escorted first to the director's office and then belowground to a windowless conference room with blank walls and a mustard yellow table. A large display screen with a constant TV feed took up most of one wall. Walking through the hallways, I saw a sign emblazoned with the emergency number 9-1-1. Had the terrorists thought about our iconic number when they picked this date and planned an emergency so overwhelming? For a while, I sat in a small area off the conference room, silently watching the images on television. I watched the replay as the South Tower of the World Trade Center roared with sound and then collapsed into a silent gray plume, offering my personal prayer to God to receive the victims with open arms. The North Tower had given way, live in front of my eyes, sending some 1,500 souls and 110 stories of gypsum and concrete buckling to the ground.
So much happened during those terrible hours at the tip of Manhattan. That morning, as the people who worked in the towers descended, water from the sprinkler system was racing down the darkened stairwells. With their feet soaked, for some the greatest fear was that when they reached the bottom, the rushing water would be too high and they would be drowned. A few walked to safety under a canopy of skylights covered with the bodies of those who had jumped. Over two hundred people jumped to escape the heat, smoke, and flames. I was told that Father Mychal Judge, the chaplain for the New York City Fire Department, who had come to offer aid, comfort, and last rites, was killed that morning by the body of someone who had, in desperation, hurled himself from the upper floors of one of those towers.
The early expectation was for horrific numbers of deaths. Manhattan emergency rooms and hospitals as far away as Dallas were placed on Code Red, expecting to receive airlifted survivors. Some fifty thousand people worked inside the towers; on a beautiful day, as many as eighty thousand tourists would visit an observation deck on the South Tower's 107th floor, where the vistas stretched for fifty miles. Had those hijacked planes struck the towers thirty or forty or fifty minutes later, the final toll might well have been in the tens of thousands.
Inside Secret Service headquarters, I asked my staff to call their families, and I called the girls, who had been whisked away by Secret Service agents to secure locations. In Austin, Jenna had been awakened by an agent pounding on her dorm door. In her room at Yale, Barbara had heard another student sobbing uncontrollably a few doors down. Then I called my mother, because I wanted her to know that I was safe and I wanted so much to hear the sound of her voice. And I tried to reach George, but my calls could not get through; John Meyers, my advance man, promised to keep trying. I did know from the Secret Service that George had taken off from Florida, safe on board Air Force One. I knew my daughters and my mother were safe. But beyond that, everything was chaos. I was told that Barbara Olson, wife of Solicitor General Ted Olson, had been aboard the plane that hit the Pentagon. At one point, we also received word that Camp David had been attacked and hit. I began thinking of all the people who would have been there, like Bob Williams, the chaplain. Another report had a plane crashing into our ranch in Crawford. It got so that we were living in five-minute increments, wondering if a new plane would emerge from the sky and hit a target. All of us in that basement conference room and many more in the Secret Service building were relying on rumors and on whatever news came from the announcers on television. When there were reports of more errant planes or other targets, it was almost impossible not to believe them.
George had tried to call me from Air Force One. It is stunning now to think that our "state-of-the-art" communications would not allow him to complete a phone call to Secret Service headquarters, or me to reach him on Air Force One. On my second call from the secure line, our third attempt, I was finally able to contact the plane, a little before twelve noon. I was grateful just to hear his voice, to know that he was all right, and to tell him the girls were fine. From the way he spoke, I could hear how starkly his presidency had been transformed.
We remained in that drab conference room for hours, eventually turning off the repetitive horror of the images on the television. Inside, I felt a grief, a loss, a mourning like I had never known.
A few blocks away, in the Chrysler offices near Pennsylvania Avenue, a group of White House senior staff began to gather. After the evacuation, some of those who were new to Washington had been wandering, dazed and shaken, in nearby Lafayette Park. By midafternoon, seventy staff members had congregated inside this office building, attempting to resume work, while Secret Service agents stood in the lobby and forbade anyone without a White House pass from entering. Key presidential and national security staff and Vice President Cheney were still sealed away in the small underground emergency center deep below the White House.
As the skies and streets grew silent, there was a debate over what to do with George and what to do with me. The Secret Service detail told me to be prepared to leave Washington for several days at least. My assistant, Sarah Moss, was sent into the White House to gather some of my clothes. John Meyers accompanied her to retrieve Spot, Barney, and Kitty.
Then we got word that the president was returning to Washington. I would be staying as well. Late in the afternoon, I spoke to George again. At 6:30 we got in a Secret Service caravan to drive to the White House. I gazed out the window; the city had taken on the cast of an abandoned movie set: the sun was shining, but the streets were deserted. We could not see a person on the sidewalk or any vehicles driving on the street. There was no sound at all except for the roll of our wheels over the ground.
We drove at full throttle through the gate, and the agents hopped out. Heavily armed men in black swarmed over the grounds. Before I got out, one of my agents, Dave Saunders, who had been driving, turned around and said, "Mrs. Bush, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He said it with the greatest of concern and a hint of emotion in his voice. He knew what this day meant for us.
I was hustled inside and downstairs through a pair of big steel doors that closed behind me with a loud hiss, forming an airtight seal. I was now in one of the unfinished subterranean hallways underneath the White House, heading for the PEOC, the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, built for President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II. We walked along old tile floors with pipes hanging from the ceiling and all kinds of mechanical equipment. The PEOC is designed to be a command center during emergencies, with televisions, phones, and communications facilities.
I was ushered into the conference room adjacent to the PEOC's nerve center. It's a small room with a large table. National Security Advisor Condi Rice, Counselor to the President Karen Hughes, Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, and Dick and Lynne Cheney were already there, where they had been since the morning. Lynne, whose agents had brought her to the White House just after the first attack, came over and hugged me. Then she said quietly into my ear, "The plane that hit the Pentagon circled the White House first."
I felt a shiver vibrate down my spine. Unlike the major monuments and even the leading government buildings in Washington, the White House sits low to the ground. It is a three-story building, tucked away in a downward slope toward the Potomac. When the White House was first built, visitors complained about the putrid scent rising from the river and the swampy grounds nearby. From the air, the White House is hard to see and hard to reach. A plane could circle it and find no plausible approach. And that is what Lynne Cheney told me had happened that morning, a little past 9:30, before Flight 77 crossed the river and thundered into the Pentagon.
At 7:10 that night, George strode into the PEOC. Early that afternoon, he had conducted a secure videoconference from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska with the CIA and FBI directors, as well as the military Joint Chiefs of Staff and the vice president and his national security staff, giving instructions and getting briefings on the latest information. Over the objections of the Secret Service, he had insisted upon returning home. We hugged and talked with the Cheneys a bit. Then the Secret Service detail suggested that we spend the night there, belowground. They showed us the bed, a foldout that looked like it had been installed when FDR was president. George and I stared at it, and we both said no, George adding, "We're not going to sleep down here. We're going to go upstairs and you can get us if something happens." He said, "I've got to get sleep, in our own bed." George was preparing to speak to the nation from the Oval Office, to reassure everyone and to show that the president was safely back in Washington, ready to respond.
By 7:30 we were on our way up to the residence. I have no memory of having eaten dinner—George may have eaten on the plane. He tried to call the girls as soon as we were upstairs but couldn't reach them. Barbara called back close to 8:00 p.m., and then George left to make remarks to the nation.
We did finally climb into our own bed that night, exhausted and emotionally drained. Outside the doors of the residence, the Secret Service detail stood in their usual posts. I fell asleep, but it was a light, fitful rest, and I could feel George staring into the darkness beside me. Then I heard a man screaming as he ran, "Mr. President, Mr. President, you've got to get up. The White House is under attack."
We jumped up, and I grabbed a robe and stuck my feet into my slippers, but I didn't stop to put in my contacts. George grabbed Barney; I grabbed Kitty. With Spot trailing behind, we started walking down to the PEOC. George had wanted to take the elevator, but the agents didn't think it was safe, so we had to descend flight after flight of stairs, to the state floor, then the ground floor, and below, while I held George's hand because I couldn't see anything. My heart was pounding, and all I could do was count stairwell landings, trying to count off in my mind how many more floors we had to go. When we reached the PEOC, I saw the outline of a military sergeant unfolding the ancient hideaway bed and putting on some sheets.
At that moment, another agent ran up to us and said, "Mr. President, it's one of our own." The plane was ours.
For months afterward at night, in bed, we'd hear the military jets thundering overhead, traveling so fast that the ground below quivered and shook. They would make one pass and then, three or five minutes later, make another low-flying loop. I would fall asleep to the roar of the fighters in the skies, hearing in my mind those words, "one of our own." There was a quiet security in that, in knowing that we slept beneath the watchful cover of our own.
Waking the next morning, I had the sensation of knowing before my eyes opened that something terrible had happened, something beyond comprehension, and I wondered for a brief instant if it had all been a dream. Then I saw George, and I knew, knew that yesterday would be with us, each day, for all of our days to come.
© 2010 Laura Bush
Spoken from the Heart
Born in the boom-and-bust oil town of Midland, Texas, Laura Welch grew up as an only child in a family that lost three babies to miscarriage or infant death. She vividly evokes Midland's brash, rugged culture, her close relationship with her father, and the bonds of early friendships that sustain her to this day. For the first time, in heart-wrenching detail, she writes about the devastating high school car accident that left her friend Mike Douglas dead and about her decades of unspoken grief.
When Laura Welch first left West Texas in 1964, she never imagined that her journey would lead her to the world stage and the White House. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1968, in the thick of student rebellions across the country and at the dawn of the women's movement, she became an elementary school teacher, working in inner-city schools, then trained to be a librarian. At age thirty, she met George W. Bush, whom she had last passed in the hallway in seventh grade. Three months later, "the old maid of Midland married Midland's most eligible bachelor." With rare intimacy and candor, Laura Bush writes about her early married life as she was thrust into one of America's most prominent political families, as well as her deep longing for children and her husband's decision to give up drinking. By 1993, she found herself in the full glare of the political spotlight. But just as her husband won the Texas governorship in a stunning upset victory, her father, Harold Welch, was dying in Midland.
In 2001, after one of the closest elections in American history, Laura Bush moved into the White House. Here she captures presidential life in the harrowing days and weeks after 9/11, when fighter-jet cover echoed through the walls and security scares sent the family to an underground shelter. She writes openly about the White House during wartime, the withering and relentless media spotlight, and the transformation of her role as she began to understand the power of the first lady. One of the first U.S. officials to visit war-torn Afghanistan, she also reached out to disease-stricken African nations and tirelessly advocated for women in the Middle East and dissidents in Burma. She championed programs to get kids out of gangs and to stop urban violence. And she was a major force in rebuilding Gulf Coast schools and libraries post-Katrina. Movingly, she writes of her visits with U.S. troops and their loved ones, and of her empathy for and immense gratitude to military families.
With deft humor and a sharp eye, Laura Bush lifts the curtain on what really happens inside the White House, from presidential finances to the 175-year-old tradition of separate bedrooms for presidents and their wives to the antics of some White House guests and even a few members of Congress. She writes with honesty and eloquence about her family, her public triumphs, and her personal tribulations. Laura Bush's compassion, her sense of humor, her grace, and her uncommon willingness to bare her heart make this story revelatory, beautifully rendered, and unlike any other first lady's memoir ever written.
- Scribner |
- 464 pages |
- April 2011
Read an Excerpt
Reading Group Guide
From the flat, dusty streets of Midland, Texas, in the heart of the boom-and-bust American oil patch, to the gleaming columns and glistening marble hallways of the White House, Laura Welch Bush traveled a rare path. But many readers will find much to share in her particular story—from private family grief and a tragic twist of fate to waiting years for love and her struggle for much-wanted children. Use our reader's guide to help re-examine Laura Bush's private years and her life in the public eye.
- Laura Bush's Spoken from the Heart begins with a story of loss: the death of her premature, newborn baby brother when Laura was just two-and-a-half years old. The theme of loss is woven throughout the book, the loss of two other baby siblings; the loss of her friend, Mike Douglas, in the car crash; the loss of her father to dementia; even the loss of privacy and anonymity first when she marries into the Bush family and the
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Posted by Allison Tyler
First Ladies constitute the original First Wives' Club. They always know what's REALLY going on behind the scenes in the highest echelon of American government. The hope of reading some inside dirt is what makes their memoirs so fascinating -- how...


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About Daniel Zeller
Daniel Zeller's obsessively layered paintings and drawings exploit the visual and compositional potentials of texture and line. Using only graphite or ink and acrylic paint on paper, Zeller is grounded in traditional media, but his insistence on a limited range of materials encourages him to push their compositional limits. His rhythmic lines cohere into forms that resemble microscopic views of organic matter or topographic perspectives of landscapes. Though some works allude to actual sites, such as mining operations or even the Vatican, Zeller's paintings and drawings are perpetually grounded in the formal properties of line and texture. "While the embedded information acts as something of a scaffold or a seed from which the work develops, the process of drawing remains central and is what ultimately determines the result," he has said.
American, b. 1965, San Rafael, California, based in Brooklyn, New York

subset: commoncrawl


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Can Red Bull Fuel Better Driving?
Dutch researchers say they've found that a can of Red Bull does wonders for driving ability over long hauls, reducing fatigue while improving performance in everything from steering straight to maintaining a steady speed.
Testing volunteers in a driving simulator, they found the gap in skill between those who drank the energy product and those who didn't was as much as if the latter group had consumed enough alcohol to be over the legal limit — a blood alcohol content of 0.05 percent — in much of Europe.
Drowsy driving is linked to more than 100,000 auto accidents each year in the United States, resulting in some 40,000 injuries and at least 1,500 deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"The improvement caused by Red Bull on driving performing and reducing sleepiness lasted for the whole two hours of the test," said Joris Verster of Utrecht University, whose findings appear in the journal Psychopharmacology.
He added that, based on previous research, the effects of Red Bull seem stronger than those of coffee ounce-for-ounce, but that any energy drink with the same combination and amounts of "functional" ingredients ought to improve driving skill.
A 250 mL can of Red Bull costs a few dollars and contains 80 mg of caffeine, which gives it roughly the same kick as a regular cup of coffee. Other ingredients include loads of sugar, the amino acid taurine, whose effects on alertness aren't clear, glucuronolactone, touted as a detoxifying agent, and various B vitamins.
The Austrian beverage maker, which sponsored the new study, claims sales of four billion cans a year worldwide. Consumers in the United States have a particular thirst for the energy drinks, downing an average of three liters (about 0.8 gallons) annually, according to Mintel, a market research firm.
Verster's group studied the effects of Red Bull on 24 men and women taking a simulated four-hour car trip. Although the participants never ventured out on the road, Verster said the driving simulator reflected the chances of getting involved in a real traffic accident.
After two hours, some of the drivers took a 15-minute break during which half drank 250-mL cans of Red Bull and the rest drank sham cans that tasted like Red Bull but were missing the key ingredients (although not the sugar). They then got back in the simulator and "drove" for another two hours. A third group of volunteers drove for four hours with no breaks or drinks.
Volunteers in all three groups performed equally well in the simulator for the first two hours. But after the break, those who drank Red Bull performed markedly better than the others. They also reported feeling more alert in the second half of the test and rated their driving skills more highly.
But Dr. John P. Higgins, a sports cardiologist at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, cautioned against using the products. Just last week, he published a report raising concern about the ingredients in common energy drinks (see Reuters Health story of November 12).
For starters, Higgins said, the drinks are unregulated, poorly studied and even in healthy people have been linked to heart attacks, seizures and other potentially fatal conditions.
Norway, Denmark and France banned Red Bull after a study showed "rats that were fed taurine exhibited bizarre behavior, including anxiety and self-mutilation."
What's more, researchers have found that people who consume energy drinks are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as smoking marijuana, drinking heavily -- and driving without a seatbelt.
Many combine the drinks with alcohol, which blunts any beneficial effect that the stimulant beverages might have on driving skill, Higgins said. And some energy drinks, such as the controversial Four Loko, already hold alcohol.
"People have one, and because of the stimulant effect, they're feeling like they haven't had any alcohol," Higgins said. "The bad news is, the alcohol is still having its effect. The alcohol is suppressing their ability to see something and react, even though in their mind they think they're faster and quicker."


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How Coffee Brings The World Together
Coffee is more than a drink. For many of us OK, for me it's woven into the fabric of every day.
It also connects us to far corners of the globe.
On any random day, that truck could bring "10 bags from a farm in El Salvador; 20 bags from a cooperative in Burundi; two bags of a special coffee from Guatemala," says Kim Elena Ionescu, one of the coffee buyers for Counter Culture Coffee. She travels the world, visiting coffee farms and deciding which beans the company will buy.
The best coffee, she says, comes from high altitudes, but you cannot grow it in places that freeze, "so you need that mixture of high altitude and warm climate, which makes the tropics the place to grow it."
All across Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia, people grow coffee.
In many tropical countries, especially poor ones, it's a pillar of the economy; exports of green coffee beans, globally, are worth $15 billion a year.
Some of these farms, Ionescu says, are idyllic places, high in the mountains. Taller trees often shade the coffee bushes. Such scenes "hearken a little bit to coffee's homeland, which is Ethiopia," Ionescu says. "Southwestern Ethiopia is really lush, it's got amazingly high altitudes, it's green, misty."
But honestly, even though there are millions of small, idyllic coffee farms, they aren't producing the majority of the world's coffee.
Most coffee isn't specialty coffee. It's just coffee: big can michael kors outlet online s of it, or instant coffee.
Forty percent of all coffee comes from Brazil, and the typical coffee farm in Brazil looks more like a corn farm in Iowa, Ionescu says "coffee plants as far as the eye can see, unbroken by any kind of tree."
When it's time for harvest in Brazil, big machines roll through and strip off the cherrylike coffee fruit, with its valuable bean inside.
The second biggest producer in the world is a surprise for many people: Vietnam. "Not a lot of people, especially in specialty coffee, talk about Vietnam," says Ionescu.
Vietnamese farmers grow a species of coffee tree called robusta. (The scientific name is Cof michael kors outlet online fea canephora.) It grows fast and produces a big crop, but the bean has a bitter taste. It's often used in blends, especially in Europe. But high end coffee producers like Counter Culture avoid it. They stick to another species arabica.
This is one big divide in the coffee business. On one side is "commodity" coffee; on the other, small companies like Counter Culture Coffee, or even big ones like Starbucks or Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, which sell coffee that's been more carefully harvested and graded. These companies market coffee almost like wine, labeling where it came from and how it tastes.
At Green Mountain's headquarters michael kors outlet online in Waterbury, Vt., tasters suck in mouthfuls of fresh brew, pause to reflect, then give each sample a score and talk about what their supersensitive taste buds picked up. "Chocolate, melon, lime, subtle peach," says one taster.
Speci michael kors outlet online alty coffee like this accounts for only a small part probably 10 or 15 percent of the global coffee market.
Sometimes, these two sides of the coffee business seem to live in different worlds. But Counter Culture Coffee's Ionescu says they sometimes come together in surprising ways.
"You know, what's interesting to me is the large proportion of coffee growers who drink instant coffee, even on some of these idyllic hillsides in Central America," she says.
Instead of drinking their own top quality coffee, they export it to people who can pay more for it, such as Europeans or Americans.
Lindsey Bolger, director of coffee for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, says if you measure the amount of coffee consumed per coffee drinker, the world champions live in Nordic countries. "Depending on which country, they're up to eight cups of coffee per person, per day.
Americans actually used to drink a lot more coffee. Per person, we drank almost twice as much during World War II.
People used to divide the coffee world neatly into producers, like Brazil, and consuming countries in Western Europe and North America.
Bolger says those clear lines are getting blurred. Brazil could soon overtake the United States to become the world's single biggest coffee consuming country, she says, and "we're seeing significant growth in consumption in regions like Southeast Asia, South Korea, Eastern Europe, India and the Gulf nations."
The coffee experience, it seems, is more global than ever.
This is the first in a series of reports for Coffee Week. Along with our friends at Morning Edition, we're bringing you the stories behind the coffee in your cup from the farms of Guatemala to the corner coffee shop.


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Syria refugees top 3 million mark: UN
The civil war in Syria has forced a record 3 million people out of the country and the increasingly complex and bloody conflict has shown no sign of letting up, the UN refugee agency said Friday.world Updated: Aug 29, 2014 12:04 IST
The civil war in Syria has forced a record 3 million people out of the country as more than a million people fled in the past year alone and the increasingly complex and bloody conflict has shown no sign of letting up, the UN refugee agency said Friday.
The tragic milestone means that about one of every eight Syrians is now fleeing across the border, and 6.5 million others have been displaced with the country's borders, the Geneva-based agency, which also noted that over half of all those uprooted are children.
"The Syria crisis has become the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era, yet the world is failing to meet the needs of refugees and the countries hosting them," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.
Almost half of all Syrians have been forced to abandon their homes and flee for their lives since the conflict began in March 2011. Syria had a prewar population of 23 million.
The massive numbers of Syrians fleeing the civil war also has stretched the resources of neighboring countries and raised fears of violence spreading in the region.
The UN estimates there are nearly 35,000 more awaiting registration as refugees, and hundreds of thousands who are not registered. The refugee agency and other aid groups say an increasing number of families are arriving in other countries in shockingly poor condition, exhausted and scared and with almost no financial savings left after having been on the run for a year or more.
In eastern Jordan, for example, the agency says refugees crossing the desert are forced to pay smugglers $100 per person or more to be taken to safety.
Lebanon hosts 1.14 million Syrian refugees, the single highest concentration of them, but Turkey has 815,000 and Jordan has 608,000.
The agency says regional governments estimate hundreds of thousands more Syrians are seeking sanctuary in their borders without registering as refugees.
First Published: Aug 29, 2014 12:01 IST


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I started playing Police Quest 3 on my GOG installed version.
Is it possible to transfer my save game over to ScummVM on my Android Tablet/Phone?
I did some searching but can't find anything about it. I found lots on transferring ScummVM saves around, but they seem to be in a different format than GOG.
I'm not sure if GOG uses ScummVM for Police Quest.
IF they do, then you can simply copy the saved games over.
If they use DOSBox instead and the original Sierra interpreter, then it's not possible.
The GOG version is using DOSbox.
Thanks for the reply.


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At Office Depot and Office Max, ourPrint Services Supervisoris a full-time role, and the person in this position will have ownership of the Print Services area. S/he will be responsible for engaging and providing an exceptional experience for customers requiring Print services. He/she is expected to quickly build ongoing customer relationships and become a trusted expert by utilizing advanced Print Services knowledge to meet customers' needs.
The person in this role demonstrates a passion for the brand, print solutions, and other products offered to our customers. S/he will utilize Office Depot and Office Max's proven sales principles to proactively engage customers, in order to drive the sales of Print Services and properly assess customer needs to ensure satisfaction in every interaction.
The Print Services Supervisortakes ownership for completing all print orders correctly and within the quoted timeline, and assesses whether the Regional Print Center should be utilized. The associate in this position is also responsible for the training of Print Services Specialists and will also provide cross functional training, when needed, for other associates within the store. Additionally, s/he, will perform daily and weekly maintenance of the Print area.
High School diploma or equivalent education preferred
Minimum 3 years' experience and/or training in related field
Experience in Print Center Operations preferred
Office Depot offers competitive salaries, a benefits package, which includes a 401(k) and more, along with plenty of opportunity to move and grow within our organization! For immediate consideration for this exciting position, please click the Apply Now button.
Office Depot is committed to providing equal employment opportunities in all employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, gender identify or expression, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law.


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Pizzeria Uno
29 E. Ohio St. 312-321-1000
Put your name on the wait list at this classic pizzeria to get a taste of the famous deep-dish pizza that launched a national chain.
Ed Debevic's
640 N. Wells St. 312-664-1707
For a burger and a milkshake with a side of verbal abuse, don't miss this retro-style diner known for its comically snarky servers.
Lou Malnati's
439 N. Wells St. 312-828-9800
This pizzeria delivers with thoroughly addictive crust that's crispier and lighter than other Chicago-style options.
Green Door Tavern
678 N. Orleans St. 312-664-5496
Built in 1872, this bar doled out moonshine to mobsters during Prohibition. And no, you're not imagining it—its wooden frame does lean.
Carson's Ribs
612 N. Wells St. 312-280-9200
This barbecue institution specializes in hickorysmoked meats, with its slabs of baby back ribs ranking as a top seller.
100 W. Ontario St. 312-587-8910
This favorite does the Chicago-style hot dog proud. Sit indoors to marvel at historic city photos aplenty, or opt for the impressively speedy drive-through.
Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse
33 W. Kinzie St. 312-828-0966
The late Cub announcer's Italian restaurant-steakhouse-sports bar mashup its known for aged steaks and generous portions of pasta, with plenty of sports memorabilia and athlete sightings to go around.
Blue Chicago
536 N. Clark St. 312-661-0100
This legendary 21-and-up music club books a blues band every night of the week.
House of Blues
329 N. Dearborn St. 312-923-2000
Music fans will want to take note of the latest acts booked at this legendary venue, where some concerts are all-ages or 17-plus in addition to 21-and-up.
Billy Goat Tavern
430 N. Michigan Ave. 312-222-1525
Follow the scent of grilling burgers to this timeworn tavern, hidden away in the shadows of Lower Michigan Avenue. It opened in 1934 and inspired the famous "Cheezborger, cheezborger" skit on "Saturday Night Live."
Shaw's Crab House
21 E. Hubbard St. 312-527-2722
This classic crab house has been shucking oysters for years before their recent return to trendiness, and the lobster roll is one of the best in the entire city.


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Is anyone else experiencing severe lag with word wrap on? It doesn't seem to matter what syntax highlighting I have on, any word wrap makes sublime unbearably slow. This is on my Fedora 11 machine at work.
**EDIT*** Overall, I'm noticing sublime is a LOT slower opening files I used to open commonly, files on the order of thousands of lines long. Now a ~20,000 line file takes about a minute to open.
Also, any eta on single instance support for linux distros that done have libgio 2.26 or newer? Thanks!


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MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — A former bookkeeper for an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America synod is charged with swindling $600,000.
Sixty-one-year-old Robert Larson is charged with felony theft and check forgery in Clay County District Court. Prosecutors say Larson stole the money from the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA and an associated nonprofit for farmers and rural residents who are struggling financially.
Authorities say Larson spent more than half the money remodeling his house outside of Wolverton. A complaint says Larson would forge checks from the nonprofit payable to him and his wife. The Forum reports Larson told police he wanted to be compensated for his time devoted to the nonprofit charity and that forging the checks to himself "became a habit."
Larson did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
—(Information in the following story is from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com)


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Despite a monumental effort in last week's 50-43 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend, USA Today Sports has still picked North Carolina as 2014's biggest disappointment: "After tabbing UNC as a potential ACC and major bowl contender – again – perhaps we've all learned our lesson." Okay, we'll admit the Tar Heels have failed to git 'er done under HC Larry Fedora but if anyone's going to be down in the dumps at Chapel Hill today, our vote goes to the Bumble Bees. Thanks to three huge turnovers in their loss to Duke (Tech had turned the ball over just four times in their fi rst fi ve games), the Jackets are an offi cial 'Bubble Burster' (5-0 or greater perfect season ruined in a straight-up favorite loss) and we're not going to try an revive them. Meanwhile, the 2-4 Tar Heels fi nd themselves in an eerily similar situation to last year when they posted five consecutive SU wins after a 1-5 start to qualify for the Belk Bowl. Fedora owns a stylish 5-1 ATS mark versus a foe off a SU favorite loss and his Heels have gone 4-0 ATS of late as home dogs versus an .800 or better opponent. No doubt the visitors will get their yards as Paul Johnson's spread-option offense should move the ball against a UNC 'D' allowing 192 rushing YPG but with the Wreck now 1-4 ATS in the first of back-to-back road games – plus 2-7 ATS after dealing with Duke – we'll look for Carolina to fully awaken from its season-long slumber and take a big step toward becoming bowl eligible. Whether the spread is pick, plus or even minus, we're sticking with the Tar Heels.
ARIZONA STATE over Stanford by 10
The Sun Devils had an extra week to bask in the glory of Jaelen Strong's Hail Mary grab which gave ASU a last-second victory over USC, but more importantly, the off week gave QB Taylor Kelly an extra seven days to rehab his foot injury, and the senior is slated to make his 34th career start against the Cardinal. The Devils will be looking for some serious revenge as well, having dropped four straight games to Stanford, including two last season: a 42-28 defeat at the Farm (where they outgained David Shaw's team) and a 38-14 beating in the Pac-12 championship game. The staunch Cardinal stop unit sits only behind top-ranked Louisville in overall defense, giving up just 238 YPG, and leads the nation in points allowed (10 PPG). They have, however, struggled in the red zone on offense, converting just 19 of 28 scoring visits into points (ranked 118th in the nation). We still think highly of the Cardinal, but Stanford's 1-4 mark as favorites away from The Farm is another deciding factor. Plus Marc's 'ALL REVVED UP' Betcha Didn't Know article from the Best of the Black Book is at work here, making the Pitchforks the side today. Finally, The Clincher: ASU head coach Todd Graham is 8-0 ATS as a home dog of less than 20 points versus opponents that own at least one loss on the season.
NORTHWESTERN over Nebraska by 10
What's that sound? Was it a snap or a crackle? No, it was a big-time pop, as in Nebraska's perfect season coming apart in its last game in East Lansing. Credit the Huskers with clawing their way back from a 27-3 4th quarter defi cit to fall to Michigan State by only 5 points, but a loss is a loss and it puts Nebraska smack in the middle of another 'bubble burst' situation here. Surprisingly, this has been one of the most tightly-contested series in the entire country with Northwestern shocking Big Red by 3 points in 2011, then coming up short by just 1-point in 2012 and 3-points last year. Nebraska got the benefit of a bye week after losing to Sparty and you can bet Bo Pelini worked on ways to jump-start a vaunted ground attack that was limited to an incredible 47 yards rushing by the stout Spartan defense. The Wildcats could easily be on a 4-game win streak but
they lost at Minnesota last Saturday – even though they out-yarded the Gophers, 393-274. Northwestern has also covered three straight in the series and gets the job done when looking to exact a little Big 10 revenge, posting a 7-2 ATS mark. Not so with Nebraska who stands 1-6 ATS with rest when playing off a SU loss and 1-5 ATS as chalk versus a revenging conference foe. If you still think the purple cats are in over their heads, pay particular attention to The Clincher: our well-oiled machine reports that Game Seven 3-3 home teams off one-loss exact who were dogs in their last game are 17-4 ATS when facing an opponent off a SU loss.
Notre Dame over Florida State by 3
As the late John Lennon sang, "Instant Karma's gonna get you, gonna knock you off your feet." Well, it hasn't exactly been instant but don't you get the feeling that the unsavory saga of Jameis Winston and Florida State football is about ready to implode? We can't think of a better way for Winston and the Noles to get their comeuppance than by losing to the collegiate version of the Dallas Cowboys (America's Team) – Notre Dame. The last time Brian Kelly and his Irish took part in a showdown of this magnitude, they were unceremoniously destroyed by a superior Alabama squad in the 2012 BCS National Championship game. Rest assured that Kelly will be better prepared this time around, a notion fully supported by our mean machine: defending national champions are 10-17-2 ATS since 1980 as favorites of less than 14 points in matchups of two undefeated teams, including 1-5 ATS if the champs are allowing over 14 PPG on the season. Florida State enters with a shaky 5-13 ATS log as a home favorite of 10 or less points, including 0-5 SUATS if the Seminoles own an .800 or greater win percentage on the season. Worse, FSU's compliance department is currently investigating why 950 Jameis Winston autographs have appeared with the same company linked to suspended Georgia RB Todd Gurley. Can you say'distraction'? With QB Everett Golson back in the saddle for Notre Dame, the Irish have scored 30 or more points in five of six games this year, a nice complement to their 17.2 PPG defense. Coach Kelly ships in with a smokin' 10-1 ATS log as a dog when playing off a spread loss of 9 or more points. That's puts a spear right to the heart for Seminole nation, all of which leads to The Clincher: Irish QB Golson is 18-0 SU during the regular seaason in his career as a starter with Notre Dame.
Kansas City over San Diego by 6
The Chiefs take the field looking to get back on the winning track off their Bye Week with double-double-revenge on their minds from a pair of losses suffered to the Chargers both last season and in 2012. The good news is Andy Reid is 5-1 ATS in his NFL career in games in which his teams are seeking quadruple revenge. And speaking of Reid, he also happens to be the answer to this week's TRIVIA TEASER on page 2. The high voltage Chargers enter the contest 0-4 ATS home in games after scoring 30 or more points in each of their last three games. In addition, the Bolts are just 1-11 ATS in their fourth home game of the campaign when facing a foe off a non-division game, and 1-8 ATS in Game Seven when facing an avenging division opponent. The Featherheads' 5-1 ATS mark as a dog in their fourth away game of the season cements it. However,
if that's not enough, there is always The Clincher: Head coach Andy Reid is 16-2 SU and 13-5 ATS in games when his teams are playing with rest, including 7-0 SUATS with a .500 or less record on the season.


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Notice of Trustee's Sale:
WHEREAS, Grantors, Geromy Spor and Adrienne Spor, husband and wife, by Grantors' Deed of Trust dated the 17th day of February, 2009, and recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds for Ray County, Missouri, on the 19th day of February, 2009, as Document No. 83458 conveyed, in trust, to Lawson Bank, through Trustee Stewart D. Wieland, the following described property situated in the County of Ray, State of Missouri, to-wit:
All of Lots 13, 14, and 15, Block 3, VILLAGE of ELMIRA, a subdivision in the Town of Elmira, Ray County, Missouri.
Subject to all terms, provisions, covenants, restrictions and easements, of record;
To secure the payment of certain promissory notes, and guarantees which are described in said Deed of Trust described above; and
WHEREAS Lawson Bank, did appoint James A. Kessinger as Successor Trustee, pursuant to the terms of said security agreement/Deed of Trust; and
WHEREAS, default was made on said notes and guarantees, secured by said Deed of Trust, and default still continues in the payment of said notes and guarantees described in the aforementioned deed;
NOW THEREFORE, at the request of the legal holder of said notes and guarantees and in accordance with the provisions of said Deed of Trust, I, James A. Kessinger, Successor Trustee, will sell all of the property described above at public auction, to the highest bidder for cash, at the South front door of the Ray County Courthouse, located at 100 W. Main Street, Richmond, MO 64085, on Thursday, July 18, 2013, between the hours of 9 o'clock a.m. and 5 o'clock p.m., and more particularly at 2:00 p.m., for the purpose of satisfying said indebtedness and the costs of executing this trust.
James Kessinger,
Successor Trustee
Published: Richmond News: June 24, and July 1, 8, & 15, 2013
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9:30 pm
Lidia's Italy In America "New York: New York Pizza" Lidia shows viewers a typical New York pizza and then pays a visit to Eataly, where Sal at the cheese counter shows viewers how to make fresh mozzarella. Lidia makes traditional Italian Pizza Margherita from scratch, a Sausage and Spinach Calzone, and is joined in the kitchen by Grandma, who performs the official taste test. D
10:00 pm
Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen "Retro Desserts" Bridget uncovers the secrets to perfect Banana Pudding. Then, Adam reveals his top picks for finemesh strainers. And finally, Erin updates a lost recipe and shows Chris how to make the ultimate Chiffon Cake. D
10:30 pm
Simply Ming "Michael Ruhlman & Salt" Seasoning with salt. What could be simpler, right? Wrong! Think about how many meals you've had that were either too salty or under-seasoned! On this episode of SIMPLY MING, Ming is zeroing in on a technique that is critical to successful cooking if done with a gentle hand. Joining him is the perfect man for the job, the ultimate scrutinizer of cooking techniques, author and chef Michael Ruhlman. D
11:00 pm
Taste of Louisiana with Chef John Folse & Co.: Our Food Heritage "Rosedown Plantation" One of the most extravagant houses in the Old South was Rosedown Plantation in West Feliciana Parish. Mary Thompson, the great-, great-granddaughter of the builders of this home, gives us a glimpse of a lifestyle that is now "gone with the wind." The English are notorious for mixing their liquor with sweets. D
11:30 pm
Rick Steves' Europe "Venice and Its Lagoon" Rick samples sumptuous art treasures, and explores back-street wonders. He cruises its lagoon, stopping in fiery Murano for glass, pastel Burano for lace, and murky Torcello for a sense of where Venice was born. Part 2 of 2G


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Book a session with Shirley Marriott for Reflexology
on Sunday February 11th at 13:45PM
Phone: 01933 224454
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Looking after you is a team of dedicated professional therapists.
Find out more about the therapies we offer and how they can benefit you.
The Oxford Street Therapy Centre provides treatment for a very wide range of conditions using a variety of complementary therapies. Our therapists are all fully qualified professionals.
This month started with National Massage Day and this week is the last week of Pro- Touch Awareness month.
Massage… https://t.co/gouPC9VKug
What an amazing review from patient on Saturday and the positive outcome and improved health as a result podiatrist… https://t.co/y8lPElaXYj
5 Essential Oils to help easy coughs and colds. https://t.co/1y91lDwfoo
Well I never knew that! https://t.co/c4hJc4Y9xX
Hi all, Tomorrow we have available accupuncture with Dominic Rushmore, massage and neuro muscular transmission for… https://t.co/KnaW9Hj76A
RT @DominicRushmore: A positive assessment of Tai Chi on BBC2's Trust Me I'm a Doctor. Always good to see these things confirmed. https://t…
Let's hope that one day Acupuncture will be used in the A+E departments in the UK.
Appointments available with:
Jos… https://t.co/ZdujOJpVEq
Dynamint muscle cream available in the centre. Please ask for yours.
#aches #pains #muscles #dynamint https://t.co/mPHpwZmP1p
What does online bullying look like in real life? https://t.co/w9x3MCsSZy
Are you holding a tension in your hips, back and shoulders after a long day at work, or struggling with unresolved… https://t.co/Pc8e7xleR8


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Let's face it, holiday shopping can be a downright drag. Searching for parking, fending off throngs of eager shoppers and keeping track of altered holiday hours can wreak havoc on your holiday mojo. But be not afraid. We did the dirty work to get you an up-to-date list of holiday hours at your favorite area shopping centers, so you can plan your means of attack and hopefully avoid the crowds this holiday season.
Westfarms Mall[+] See hoursNov. 25: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.
Nov. 26: 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Nov. 27: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Nov. 28 -Dec.2: 10...


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PUB staff sparked a storm by refusing to serve pints to soldiers who had returned from the frontline, telling them: "We don't serve squaddies."
What is the point of them having the Freedom of the Borough when the soldiers can't even get a drink in a pub in the town?
Troops from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, which has had 16 men killed in Afghanistan, were turned away from the pub after a homecoming parade.
They had just been cheered through the streets of Romford, Essex, by family and friends after completing a six-month tour in the war- torn country.
The incident came as Britain prepares to mark Remembrance Sunday tomorrow, honouring the millions of servicemen killed fighting for Queen and country.
Outraged Christine Clark, 70, was with her grandson, who is in the regiment, when they tried to get served in The Bull pub. She said: "When we went in they told my grandson and his friends they are not allowed to serve squaddies.
"When my daughter asked if she could buy the drink for them they told her they are not allowed in. I felt so embarrassed."
The 600-strong battle-weary unit, known as The Vikings, had just been awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Havering for their bravery. Denise Coe, whose son serves in the Royal Anglians, said: "I think it was absolutely disgusting and they should all be ashamed.
"What is the point of them having the Freedom of the Borough when the soldiers can't even get a drink in a pub in the town?"
Last night a spokesman for the pub admitted that the soldiers had been banned.
He apologised and claimed the incident was a "a mistake" by staff.
The spokesman added: "We absolutely welcome the armed forces into The Bull and we apologise for any offence caused to the soldiers."
Today the Royal British Legion's annual Festival of Remembrance will be held at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring performances from Rod Stewart, 67, Alexandra Burke, 24, and the Military Wives' Choir.
The Queen will lead the tributes at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in central London tomorrow.


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The morning after Andy Reid's amazing quarterback flip-flop, I still can't get past one thing.
Here it is: The Eagles aren't winning the Super Bowl this season, with or without Michael Vick. They won't say that, of course, but the defense has given up the most points in the NFL through two weeks and the o-line is a sieve.
No way, no how.
And they don't have Vick under contract past this season.
So, what the, uh, heck?
What is the benefit of this move, to an organization that prides itself on always thinking of what's best in the long run? How can this possibly be the best long-term move? Are they now going to try to do an extension with Vick, figuring that at 30, he can play at a Pro Bowl level three or four more years? (If so, all that Andy talk Tuesday night about Kevin Kolb's time coming and maturation was just more lies, or as Reid called it when speaking with the team'sWeb site, him "buying time.")
Another remote possibility is that Reid suddenly sees Kolb set up for colossal failure behind this o-line, and to avert that larger shipwreck, has engineered a slightly smaller one, hoping he can still salvage Kolb when Vick moves on in the offseason.
Can you imagine what that would be like, the stories we would write. "Kolb's Ascension: This Time It's For Real (Unless Andy Changes His Mind Again).
Reid is scheduled to talk to us again in a little while here. Why we should listen to anything he says is a very good question. Your Eagletarian is not the sort of reporter who gets all self-important about the way the people we cover treat the media, but Reid's manner in these situations is incredibly insulting. A few weeks ago, when reporters brought up scenarios like the one that eventually unfolded, he scornfully asked us if he was not speaking proper English as he kept insisting Kolb was the starter.
He demands that we take him at his word, then makes fools of us when we make the mistake of doing that. Basically, he fends us off any way he can, and doesn't worry about having to sit down in front of us again after doing that, because we -- and you, the people on whose behalf we are asking these questions -- don't matter to him.
Stay tuned for more.


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Classroom Improvements at Northstar
We recently added some fresh paint and carpet squares to our classroom at Northstar Academy. Special thanks to all of the employees who helped with this project.
We recently added some fresh paint and carpet squares to our classroom at Northstar Academy. Special thanks to all of the employees who helped with this project.
Click here to donate THEN join us for our Rockin' for Autism Celebration October 28, 2017, 2-6 p.m. @ Twisted Ales Vendors wanted! Join the party and share info about your business. Download this form for more information.
We are excited to announce that our programs at The Founders Center now include our Diagnostic Assessment Clinic and our residential and community support opportunities for adults. You can learn more about these programs on our website or call Commonwealth Autism at 804-355-0300 for more information. We look forward to the future as we develop …
We are excited to announce that some of our TFC programs have a new home! Our Transition Program is now located at our Commonwealth Autism office. Our School Age Educational Program is now located at Northstar Academy. Our Behavioral Services Program for school-age children will be run out of our current program at All Saints …
The calendar highlights important dates for our educational and behavioral services programs. For general community events, check out the calendar on our Commonwealth Autism website
Helpful Links for our Educational & Behavioral Services:
Annual Supply List
Over the Counter Medication Permission Form
Prescription Medication Permission Form
Privacy Practice Notice
Spring Break
Spring Break
Apr 2 – Apr 6 all-day
TFC closed for students and staff
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Gerald R. Forsythe Collection
Heritage 10/2012:3503, $79,312 - Heritage 4/2013:4162, $76,375
Bowers & Merena 4/2008:218, $322,000 - Heritage 9/2013:6286, $105,750 - Heritage 1/2014:5168, $94,000
Rafferty Collection - Heritage 1/2018:4790, $99,000
David Hall: The 1926-S is rare in lower circulated grades and very rare in circulated grades of VF20 or better. It is really rare in mint state condition and in Gem MS65 it is the rarest non-variety Buffalo nickel and as such it is one of the most important rarities of 20th Century numismatics. I have never seen or heard of a specimen grading above MS65. Strike can be somewhat of a problem with this issue, but not as much so as with the 1920-S, 1923-S and 1925-S. It's not the strike, it's the fact that not many Gem examples exist at all. Luster is of the subdued semi-satiny type. Excluding the 1918/7-D overdate, this issue is THE key date to the Buffalo nickel series.
© 1999-2018 Collectors Universe NASDAQ: CLCT


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Anonymous is a landscape architect. Not for these placemakers the recognition given to their peers in building. Planners may stand side by side with mayors boasting of some grand projet. Architects may admire "designed by" signatures on their structures. But those who fashion rolling greenswards, transform wasted landscapes into common ground or turn sordid waterfronts into shared edges are unsung, if not unknown.
"Our contribution to the undertaking is that of the framing of the scheme rather than the disposition of flower beds," Frederick Law Olmsted, the least anonymous of these landshapers, observed. The profession's patron saint (and Nation co-founder), Olmsted invented the name if not the calling of "landscape architecture" in nineteenth-century America. A generation later, as the century turned, his stepson, John, and namesake son, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., joined a small assembly to form the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The centennial celebration of that event in the year now ended called forth a reassessment of the landscape architect's role within the field–and in a larger universe in need of the profession's conserving and redeeming powers.
Prepared by training and ancestry to tackle the everlasting and the ephemeral, to map natural systems and push politicians, plant trees and tend to the civic good, landscape architects are endowed with the skills to supervise our shopworn environs. Their dossiers are replete with work for "public improvement" as well as private pleasure, for shaping cities and chaining vast regions in tune to the genius loci–the more the frustration that these lead designers remain bit players compared with their colleagues in architecture and planning. "Landscape architecture has remained environmentally responsible, undervalued as an art form, and desperately needed as part of humanity's survival kit in the face of an impending apocalypse," James Wines, environmental designer and director of Penn State's Department of Architecture, put it on the eve of the organization's centennial conference in Boston in the fall.
So "undervalued" is this venerable profession, in fact, that its members turned giddy with the news that the Postal Service, which will blithely honor an Elvis or a cartoon character, had also allotted a stamp to Olmsted, the bearded sage nestled amid a collage of blooms and bridge. Thus inspired, celebrations were staged, panels were held, chronologies written, books published and introspective landscape architects turned inward and outward to analyze their status in this epoch of ecological challenge.
Inevitably, then, in this era of affluence and environmentalism, the potential for their vision is growing. The profession of 13,000 members (plus the same number, more or less, in unregistered ones) does coordinate many parcels into places, restoring parks and brownfields, managing ecological projects and community planning. For all their work in adorning America's sprawling multimillion-dollar McMansions, planting lawns on the nation's starter castles and decorating multidigit corporate rooftops–or greenwashing destructive projects–some have returned to the social and political ideals of their ancestors. The broader preachings of Ian McHarg's 1969 classic, Design With Nature–to repair the "raddled landscape to create new public values," to survey the bioregion, to argue for nature in the city and to advance the ecological transformation of larger systems–have currency. Environmental regulations have slowly begun to require the presence of those values at the developmental table.


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Wofford's first practice Monday night at Gibbs Stadium started with plenty of energy. But by the end of two hours, the Terriers had lost some bite.
Wofford's first practice of the football season Monday night at Gibbs Stadium started with plenty of energy, and with that came plenty of praise from head coach Mike Ayers.
But by the end of two hours, the Terriers had lost some bite. And that brought plenty of barking from the lead dog. Afterward, as they circled around him, he let them know, in no uncertain terms, that it just wasn't good enough.
"Hopefully, they got the message," Ayers said. "If not, I'll make it a little more clear tomorrow."
Wofford opened fall camp actually on Monday morning, before sunrise, as they checked in for conditioning tests. But that was no excuse, Ayers said, for not finishing the day strong 13 hours later.
"It was a long day, no doubt," Ayers said. "But at the same time, fatigue occurs in ball games. What we want are guys who can fight that fatigue and stay mentally strong to get the job done. … The first day is about teaching how we practice here, how we operate here, what it's going to take to be successful here."
At one point, when some of the defensive players walked off the field toward the sideline after a play, defensive coordinator Jack Teachey stopped the entire practice. He made everybody, even those at the other end of the field doing different drills, do up-downs on his whistle.
They did it and he made them start again.
Not everybody was counting when they did the push-ups.
The one who did perhaps the most barking on this opening day was not even a coach, but senior All-Southern Conference offensive lineman Jared Singleton. His voice was heard several times echoing around the stadium as he snapped at teammates.
"We have a lot of new guys to the program," Singleton said. "I let the guys know how we do things the Wofford way. There's a wrong way, then there's a Wofford way. We have to get their minds programmed."
Singleton said he was not told to be an extension of the coaching staff, but that he feels it is part of his job this season.
"My role is to do whatever my team needs me to do," he said. "Right now, it's to get these guys pointed in the right direction."
In what appears to be a wide-open SoCon race, especially with Georgia Southern and Appalachian State ineligible for the championship because of their moving into the FBS next season, Wofford is one of the favorites. The Terriers, who have two league titles in the past three years, were picked in a preseason poll of media members to win the title. In the coaches' poll, they were tabbed for third, behind Chattanooga and Samford.
"The thing is, we want everything right," Ayers said. "We've been fairly successful, won two championships in the last three years. We've gone into the playoffs and we've won a round or two, then one thing happens to beat us. Sometimes it's been one play. What we're trying to do is eliminate anything that had the potential to beat us. The more focused we are in practice, the more it pays off in games. What we want to do is be a mistake-free football team on Saturdays once we kick this thing off."
Wofford opens Aug. 31 at Baylor and then jumps right into the league schedule the following week at The Citadel. Georgia Southern comes to Gibbs Stadium on Sept. 14.


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Friday, September 11, 2015
Does Keppra cause vitamin deficiencies
My doctor started giving keppra as a medication for epilepsy a few months ago. Since then my hair has stopped growing long. I know that hair loss is not one of the main side effects of Keppra. I was wondering if Keppra causes any vitamin or mineral deficiencies that might cause my hair to stop growing long.
Keppra does not cause any vitamin deficiencies.
David M Ficker, MD
Associate Professor
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati


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Police Chief Daniel R. Charette says he is seeking money from the town to go after more than 100 people who have not paid $100 civil fines for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
Chief Charette said he intends to pursue the cases in small claims court, similar to an effort launched in Webster last year.
In November 2008, state voters approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. It is punishable by a civil fine of $100. Violators no longer are reported to the state criminal history board.
Webster began pursuing people who did not pay the fine in small claims court in March.
At the time, Webster Police Chief Timothy J. Bent credited Dudley District Court Magistrate Kenneth F. Candito for the idea to hold the defendants civilly accountable for not paying the fine.
Two of the first 10 Webster offenders paid the fines immediately last year.
Chief Charette said Southbridge Police Lt. Shane D. Woodson and Officer Duane Ledoux, Southbridge's court officer, met recently with Mr. Candito and other law enforcement officials in the area about the effort.
About three years ago, Chief Charette said, Southbridge transitioned to doing some of its hearings for civil violations in-house, meaning it had hearing officers for non-criminal activities such as curbside trash citations and disorderly conduct.
"We're rethinking how we're going to do that now, primarily because of the marijuana ones," Chief Charette said. "We have more than 100 outstanding marijuana 21D's (the state statue for non-criminal disposition of the violations upon payment to a city or town within 21 days) that were never paid, going back at least two years."
The civil process costs approximately $40 per citation.
The chief said he was concerned, now that marijuana laws have drastically changed with a provision for medical marijuana, about whether the courts would take seriously cases involving less than an ounce of marijuana.
Although there are more than 100 tickets, at $40 apiece for small-claims applications, Mr. Candito said, the town wouldn't likely need all of the more than $4,000 up front because it will be able to collect money from the first set of violators.
"That's something that was talked about," Chief Charette said. "I think that was a good idea."


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LONDON (AP) -- British police investigating computer hacking and privacy offenses by the media on Wednesday arrested six people alleged to be involved in intercepting voice mails for the defunct News of the World tabloid.
Authorities said the six former journalists for the tabloid were arrested in a new line of inquiry to the ongoing investigation in Operation Weeting, which is one of three investigations into press wrongdoing.
Britain's power structure has been rattled by allegations that the now-closed News of the World hacked people's phones for stories. The allegations and scandal have touched off dozens of arrests. Police say the new suspected conspiracy is believed to have taken place primarily during 2005-2006.
The six were interviewed at police stations in London and Cheshire, and searches were carried out at a number of addresses.
All but one of the suspects were released on bail late Wednesday.


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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
Today's Top SOA Links
From the Wires
CVR Refining, LP Prices Initial Public Offering at $25.00 Per Common Unit
By: PR Newswire
Jan. 16, 2013 10:06 PM
SUGAR LAND, Texas, Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CVR Refining, LP ("CVR Refining") today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 24,000,000 common units representing limited partner interests at the public offering price of $25.00 per common unit. The common units are scheduled to begin trading tomorrow on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CVRR." CVR Refining has granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 3,600,000 common units from CVR Refining at the initial public offering price. All of the common units to be sold in this offering (including the common units that may be sold to satisfy the underwriters' option) will be sold by CVR Refining. The offering is expected to close on January 23, 2013, subject to customary closing conditions.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130116/DA44089LOGO)
After the offering, CVR Energy, Inc. will indirectly own common units representing approximately 83.7% of CVR Refining's outstanding units (approximately 81.3% if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units in full) and CVR Refining's general partner, which owns a non-economic general partner interest in CVR Refining. In addition, Icahn Enterprises, L.P. or its affiliates will purchase 4,000,000 of CVR Refining's common units in the offering and will own approximately 2.7% of the outstanding common units. Icahn Enterprises, L.P. is the majority stockholder of CVR Energy, Inc.
Credit Suisse, Citigroup, Barclays, UBS Investment Bank and Jefferies are acting as joint book-running managers and J.P. Morgan, Macquarie Capital and Simmons & Company International are acting as co-managers for the initial public offering. The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. When available, a final prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from:
When available, you may also get a copy of the final prospectus for free by visiting the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov.
A registration statement relating to the common units has been filed with, and declared effective by, the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the common units in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state.
About CVR Refining, LP
Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, CVR Refining, LP is an independent downstream energy limited partnership that owns refining and related logistics assets in the Midcontinent United States. CVR Refining's subsidiaries operate a 115,000 barrel per day complex full coking medium-sour crude oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kan., and a 70,000 bpd medium complexity crude oil refinery in Wynnewood, Okla. CVR Refining's subsidiaries also operate supporting logistics assets including approximately 350 miles of pipelines, more than 125 crude oil transports, a network of strategically located crude oil gathering tank farms, and more than six million barrels of owned and leased crude oil storage capacity.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" that reflect the views and assumptions of CVR Refining's management regarding future events. These forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which may be beyond management's control and may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. CVR Refining does not assume any obligation to update or revise the information in any forward-looking statements.
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|2007-02-13, 16:53
|Link #1
School Rumble Addict
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Montreal, Canada
Best Romance/Comedy/Drama anime. Suggestion plz
Hello everyone,
I know that this may sound cheesy coming from a guy, but I really like Romantic comedy/drama anime.
Recently, I watched the first and second season of School Rumble and I so much enjoyed it... (frustrating at some time too... lol).
I also read on manga I'S and Video Girl AI from Masakazu Katsura and I'S was definitly my favorite romance manga of all time.
I would like to know if you guys have some really good romantic comedy/drama anime like the one I mentioned to suggest me.
I would prefer some *long* serie (like over 10 episodes please) and please I want it to have an happy ending if its possible ! lol
Im pissed off about School Rumble not because I dont like it (haha surely not) but because I really, but really, but REALLY dont like the dumb Tenma and Harima is still grabing her leg like a dog ! WHEN is he gonna give up on her to be with the nice ERI-chan
So I would like to heard from you guys about some suggestions please
Thanks a lot for your help.
|2007-02-13, 17:17
|Link #2
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Age: 32
Onegai Teacher - happy ending
Midori no Hibi - happy ending
Elfen Lied - horror anime, with romantic comedy elements mixed in... ending is kinda sad
Ranma 1/2 - romatic harem comedy with lots of action and silliness. Sort of frustrating in the same way as School Rumble because the main couple never seems to progress. Still good though (at least the first few seasons)
You would probably like Parallel (manga). There's also a similar, longer manga by the same author called Pastel. That one's kind of annoying though because it's taking forever for the coupe to get together.
|2007-02-13, 18:26
|Link #4
Μ ε r c ü r υ
Join Date: Jun 2004
Another great one is Nana; I haven't watched all of the available episodes, but I know the story since I follow the manga, and it is one of the bests.
There is a very old one, it is a classic, and it has a good fan base. Kimagure Orange Road, I watched it long time ago, and at that time, it felt good.
Ah, my goddess, is a newer one, and I guess it would also match your needs well.
|2007-02-13, 22:00
|Link #8
The "Paint Pirate" Yar!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Iowa
Age: 34
Hey, I`m a guy and the same way. Im always looking for comedies and the best always seem to be the romantic ones.
REC - about a girl who wants to be a voice actor
Amaenaideyo - typical harem/comedy about a priest and priestesses
I``s Pure - very good drama/romance
Kamisama Kazoku - one of my favs about a "god in training" living on earth
Maburaho - magical school life/harem/comedy
Mahou Sensei Negima - my all time fav. Do yourself a favor and watch this!!!!
Negima!? - another retelling of ^, more centered on action this time around
Midori no Hibi - good one about a tough guy whos "only gf is his right hand" and then literaly is
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - another fav. More comedy/drama
Shuffle! - first half is typical harem and then switches to extreme drama
Tonagura! - a very good one about reuniting with childhood sweethearts
|2007-02-13, 23:06
|Link #10
Saber's Husband XD
Ouran Koukou host Club ~ nice comedy/romance anime.......
Azumanga Daiou ~ comedy (lots of it I mean .... and also w/ a bit romance)
Pani Poni Dash ~ just like azumanga daiou
|2007-02-14, 02:14
|Link #13
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
don't forget Nodame Cantabile. It has a nice mix of romance comedy and drama... currently ongoing set in a music school.
if you wont mind classic, try Maison Ikkoku. Its a little old but its a goodie.
|2007-02-14, 09:42
|Link #14
AS Oji-kun
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In your bloodstream
Age: 68
The currently-running Saiunkoku Monogatari has a lot of romance, with good comic relief bits throughout. At base it's a serious historical drama, but what makes it compelling is the way it weaves the drama, comedy, and romance together, along with some excellent characterizations.
NHK ni Youkoso might be seen as a romantic comedy; some episodes have side-splitting moments. What makes this show special, again, is that it's really a psychological study of some young people with big, though not-unfamiliar, problems. My top show in 2006.
|2007-02-14, 13:56
|Link #16
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Ouran Koukou host Club has very nice comedy, clever drama (as in, you'll probably understand it when you're too old to have interest in anime anymore, unless you'll turn into an otaku ^^), and funny romance elements. Some episodes look like fairy tales, others are slapstick comedy, others are funny but they feel deeper than they look.
|2007-02-14, 15:18
|Link #18
Join Date: Nov 2004
Saikano (Drama/Romance anime)
Peach Girl (Romance anime, Shoujo anime.)
Ninin ga Shinobuden (Ninja Nonsense) (Comedy anime, doesn't have a storyline, but it's just hilarious)
Yakitate Japan (Tons of parodies... and bread baking lol)
Haibane Renmei (Drama anime, slow paced, beautiful animation)
Chobits (Comedy, romance)
Aishiteru zu baby (Drama/Romance. It's about a high schooler raising a little girl)
|2007-02-16, 15:13
|Link #20
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
There are lots of romance anime/manga where the couple is dating and boyfriend/girlfriend during the series and in a relationship.
Fushigi Yuugi
Ayashi no Ceres
Happy Hustle High
Wild Act
The Devil Does Exist
High School Debut
Kare First Love
Sailor Moon
Peach Girl
Fushigi Yugi
Bokura ga Ita
Akuma De Sourou
Sensual Phrase
Kare Kano
Absolute Boyfriend
Paradise Kiss
Ultra Cute
Black Bird
Missile Happy!
Marmalade Boy
Sailor Moon has the couple dating and boyfriend and girlfriend during the series, they get engaged, they get married, they have a child, they share lots of passionate kisses.
These series have lots of kissing and sex and dating.
Last edited by MamoruUsagi; 2010-11-01 at 12:29.
|drama, romantic comedy
|Thread Tools


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VATICAN CITY — The first day of the launch of the Vatican's new news portal, www.news.va, registered more than a quarter of a million clicks from more than 200 countries in the world.
Twenty-four hours after the site went live when Pope Benedict XVI tapped "publish" on an electronic tablet June 28, the site was been tweeted more than 77, 300 times and "liked" on Facebook by more than 7,000 people.
The story with the most hits (16, 454) was a Vatican newspaper article reflecting on Pope Benedict's recollection of his priestly ordination, which he had called "the most important moment of my life," which is also the headline of the Osservatore Romano article. The launch of the news site was meant to help celebrate the pope's 60th anniversary of his ordination June 29.
Not surprising is that the vast majority of viewers chose to read the site in English rather than Italian — the only two languages currently available. As we reported earlier, other languages like Spanish will be gradually added later.


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Tue 14 Jun 2011
Ash River UpdatedPosted by Shayne under Discussion , Uncategorized
No Comments
Finally got to posting the stage correlations between water level and CMS flows for the Ash River in Port Alberni. What a jem! Also let out the reservoir spill level secret I've been guarding so jealously for two years now! You can find it all in the Upper Ash write up.
Got to paddle the Ash twice in the past while and it continues to thrill me. That lake ramp is just a hoot to run, and the higher flows we had this past weekend put this run easily into the 5 star range of quality. The only down side in a bit of flat water for 2 km after the lake start, and the longer shuttle needed for this run.
With our snow pack, this river will be running into July for sure.


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fashion neck scarves
Fashion Scarfs and Its Popularity : Fashion Neck Scarves
The use of scarfs have become an essential part around the world fashion. For you who are situated in the winter, cool or rainy seasons, the use of fashioned scarfs probably can be trend not only on catwalk but also for the daily fashion. Vice versa, for the areas or country who are dominated with longer summer or hot temperature, the use of scarfs probably is more seldom than another cool areas. Nevertheless for those who want to look stylish with fashioned scarfs but stay in the hot areas, we have idea for you to able use scarfs without reducing its fashion values,.
Combine It With Tank Top
Combining the scarfs with tank-top becomes familiar in some countries around the world i.e. Australia and some in USA. Scarfs in this term is aimed for a fashion and style, not runs as its function to warm body. combination of tank- top and scarfs is brilliant idea, nevertheless be sure that the color of the tank top you wear is same with scarf you have. So how to use it with your tank- top?. This is so simple. At first, you need to wear your scarf as easy over the-shoulder wrap properly. In addition, you are allowed to pair it with jeans and a classy top. Let's try and good luck!
Others Way to Wear
Combine it with outfits when the cold night can be considered. Well, you can wrap the scarf around the front of the neck then leaving the tails to hang loose down of your back. This look is better without a knot. This Fashion Scarfs can be combined with right outifts.
Here is needful info on Fashion Scarfs. We have the prime substance for Fashion Scarfs. Check it out for yourself! You can gather Fashion Neck Scarves guide and view the latest Fashion Scarfs and Its Popularity in here.


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The City Commission gave final approval Thursday to sending proposed election schedule changes to the voters in the spring.
The City Commission gave final approval Thursday to sending proposed election schedule changes to the voters in the spring.
The referendum on the March 19 city ballot would move to fall elections in odd years and, to coincide with the new election schedule, lengthen City Commission terms from three years to four years.
The regular election would occur in October, with a runoff, if needed, in November.
That would be a change from the current system of three-year terms and annual elections in the spring or on the presidential preference primary ballot.
The changes passed 6-1, with Thomas Hawkins in dissent.
Hawkins noted that, when the commission's conversation started early this year, the focus was on attempting to boost voter turnout with a move to coincide with the county, state and federal election cycle. He said he saw no evidence that moving to the fall in odd years would boost turnout, which typically hovers in the teens.
Hawkins also wanted the city to commence a comprehensive charter review process instead of dealing only with election schedule changes.
Other commissioners reiterated concerns that moving to the ballot for county, state and federal offices would leave city elections and issues struggling for attention on the campaign trail and on the bottom of the ballot.
There was also skepticism if that schedule would boost turnout because the regular city election would fall on the primary ballot with a runoff, if needed, on general election day.
Commissioner Todd Chase said he felt the proposed change to the timing of elections would address the voter fatigue he ran into as a candidate in 2011, when the city election came a few months after the general election cycle.
"No one wants to talk to you," Chase said.
There was also the cost savings from ending annual elections and going to a schedule of every other year.
Speaking against the commission's plan, resident Robert Pearce said the proposed change "fails to address the most significant deficiency in the city election process" — low turnout. He said the change would bring out only "ultra-enthusiastic" and "uber motivated" voters and, in Gainesville, that would favor Democratic candidates. Pearce said he is a Democrat who typically votes Democratic but the election schedule should not favor one party over the other.
In response, Mayor Craig Lowe said he felt Democratic voters come out in full force at the general election and changing to that schedule also would be a move that favored Democratic candidates.
If the referendum is approved, there would be no changes to length of term for the candidates elected to the two offices on the ballot in March — mayor and District 4 commissioner.
Under a plan approved in early December, a phased transition would begin in 2014, with elections still in the spring, but the length of term for the three offices on the ballot extended to 3� years. In 2015, the two offices on the ballot would have 4�-year terms. In 2016, the mayor and district commissioner would be elected to 3�-year terms.
Eventually, starting in 2017, elections would move to the fall of odd years, with four-year terms for all offices.
Final redistricting vote
Also Thursday, commissioners unanimously approved new boundaries for the four single-member commission districts. The vote ended the redistricting process required after the U.S. Census.
Throughout the commission's consideration of the new district lines, representatives of the Alachua County Branch NAACP raised concerns that the minority-access status of District 1 would be jeopardized because African-Americans now constituted less than half the district's population.
On Thursday, the National NAACP Office also sent a letter to commissioners expressing concerns and pushing for approval of an alternative redistricting option on the table — one that had a majority black voting-age population.
The city's longtime redistricting consultant, University of Florida political science professor Kenneth Wald, had recommended the plan that commissioners approved on the basis of voting results in this year's primary and general elections instead of Census date. Wald said that, based on the performance of minority candidates in those races, that plan had the best chance of continuing the district's history of minority representation.


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2888 Caldwell Lane
Geneva, Illinois 60134
Anne Boland Caltabiano312.254.0200
Listing Office: Veronica's Realty
Disclaimer: The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program of Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than @properties are marked with the Broker Reciprocity thumbnail logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers.
Welcome to Geneva, with its beautiful Riverwalk, extensive parks and historic Dutch windmill towering nearly 70 feet above. Located on the western edge of the Chicago suburbs, the city of Geneva attracts residents and visitors alike. The area continues to…Learn More
School Assignment Data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics
View More Area Schools
Milwaukee District West, Union Pacific West
at Geneva Metra (2.11 miles away), Geneva


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The Pinole Fire Department shares the Public Safety Building with the Police Department.
Tours of the facility are given by appointment.
We respond to calls in both the City of Pinole and the County area of Tara Hills. We also provide backup for the adjacent cities of Hercules, Crockett, Rodeo, San Pablo, and Richmond.
Click here to view the Municipal Service Review for Fire and Emergency Medical Service Providers accepted by the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) on August 12, 2009.
Click here to view the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Regional Fire Service Delivery Study.


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Magazine: Faith
Jesus: An Ever-Present Claim
We are in a period of history never known before: a time in which the claim of Jesus has been removed from the world and must be proclaimed and defended as if it were the first time the Christian claim has been made in history READ MORE >
Opinion: Faith
Fasting: Hunger in the Service of Communion
Lent is traditionally described as a season of "self-denial." So we find ourselves thinking about what to give up. We may give up chocolate, or beer, and find ourselves lamenting over them before Lent is over. Others object, and speak instead about "doing something positive" for Lent. Rather than giving something up they advocate taking… READ MORE >
Reviews: Books
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana
"Far from pushing boundaries, or the church's buttons, Rice's portrayal of Jesus as the son of God and the savior of humankind is theologically sound. At the same time, he's also very human, with needs and cares readers can relate to. 'It's an attempt to get close to him and what he experienced, to make it historically exciting and historically correct,' she said. Writing the books 'has made me conscious of what (Jesus) suffered in the way of derision and dismissal … Just like today -- people go around making jokes about him. But he goes right on winning souls no matter what anybody does. We've come 2,000 years, and you can still sit at his feet and hear him speak and feel his hand, maybe, touch your shoulder. He survives it all.'" READ MORE >
Magazine: Faith
What's Behind the New Interest in Confession?
Is the present increase in the popularity of the confession of sins a step toward a realistic religiosity, or is it the popularity of the penitential rite of the American Church of Christ without Christ? READ MORE >
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After the most recent mass shooting involving the killing of 20 schoolchildren and six adults in Connecticut, how to prevent such horrors has been the topic of considerable discussion. Expect that to continue, both in Denver and Washington.
The problem is that such talk too often degenerates into name-calling and paranoia, neither of which advances anyone's interests. What is needed is to find common ground.
A proposal from a Denver lawmaker could be a launching point for a civil discussion of just that.
State Rep. Lois Court, D-Denver, would charge gun buyers for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation background check required to purchase a firearm. It is a proposal that has merit on several levels. It is fair, it could help the state with its budget woes, and it plays right into one of gun-rights advocates' favorite talking points.
While the taxpayers now pay for gun buyers' background checks, other people who are required to get background checks pay their own way. Teachers are one example. Why should gun buyers be different?
Plus, the state now has a backlog of 11,000 applications from gun buyers. The Colorado Department of Public Safety, which oversees the CBI, has asked for $500,000 to help it catch up. A 2010 estimate said asking gun buyers to cover the $10.50 fee would bring in $1.6 million per year.
Most important, though, gun buyers have reason to be part of any effort to stem mass killings involving guns. The saying, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people," is self-evidently true. Guns are inanimate objects. The implication, however, is that the focus of any government action should be on the people who use guns to do bad things, not the guns themselves.
That is fair, as far as it goes. The problem is how to apply that thinking to massacres in which suicide is part of the killer's plan.
That might require a recognition that while guns do not kill people, a semi-automatic weapon with a large-capacity magazine does give tremendous leverage to a crazy person with murderous intent. The only option is to try to keep guns and crazies apart.
Court's idea is to use the revenue from charging gun buyers for their background checks to bolster mental-health treatment, although how that might work is uncertain. Most people with mental illness are neither dangerous nor readily identifiable.
The privacy and ethical issues involved with mental-health professionals reporting on potential gun buyers' mental states are daunting. The very idea may be beyond the current state of the science.
Perhaps backing further mental-health research should be the aim. Perhaps mental-health experts could help improve the background checks. Maybe it will become clear that this path is a dead end.
It is still worth a look. Court's thinking respects both gun-rights advocates' point of focusing on the killer, not the gun, as well as the broader concern that we have to do something to avert mass shootings.
With that, perhaps lawmakers can get beyond yelling and begin a real conversation.
And after the Columbine massacre and the July killing of 12 people in Aurora, with another 58 wounded, the Colorado Legislature is not a bad place to start.