On Sunday December 30, BMX website The Come Up and DC Shoes are hosting a Brett Banasiewicz Benefit Jam from 6 p.m. until midnight at Rye Airfield in Rye, New Hampshire. The event, packed with a lineup of dozens of top pro riders, is a fundraiser for the Athlete Recovery Fund with proceeds directly supporting Banasiewicz, a rider who sustained traumatic brain injuries in a crash in August during the LXVI BMX Invitational presented by Vans in Virginia Beach, Va.
"Brett's been improving a lot, but he still has a ways to go," Aaron Cooke, executive director of the Athlete Recovery Fund, told . "He's working on his mobility, strength, and balance, and just being able to get around on his own, leave the wheelchair behind, and work his way back to getting on a bike." (Earlier this week, a video was posted featuring Banasiewicz pedaling a BMX bike for the first time since his crash.)
Alfredo Mancuso, one of Banasiewicz' DC Shoes BMX teammates and the chief financial officer/chief information officer for The Come Up, says it was important to him bring the BMX community together over the holidays with Banasiewicz in mind.
"We wanted to do something for Brett to not only show support but also to help chip in with the medical bills and rehabilitation therapy and all the debt he's about to be in," Mancuso told. "When he woke up from his coma he basically had to re-learn how to do everything, but he's come a long way and Brett has a lot of friends. Once word got out that we were doing this event it sort of turned into this huge BMX community gathering on pretty short notice and it's pretty cool to see all these riders and brands, so many awesome people, coming together. It's going to be an awesome time, and there's actually a chance that Brett is going to be there himself if we can get all the details sorted out."
Mancuso will be riding at the event and says the Jam will also feature Banasiewicz's DC Shoes BMX teammates Kelly Bolton, Stevie Churchill, Mike Clark, Edwin De La Rosa, Chris Doyle, Ryan Jordan, Craig Mast, and Jeremiah Smith, as well as dozens of top pros including Van Homan, Ryan Guettler, and Jamie Bestwick. Tickets to watch the event are $10; for $20 attendees can ride in the jam with the pros.
Cooke says events like this are what have kept the ARF afloat and allowed the non-profit organization to help so many injured athletes in recent years.
"It's super critical to keep reminding people about the work we do and how the Athlete Recovery Fund can help in these worst-case scenarios, and events like this are awesome for that reason," Cooke says. "A lot of riders don't realize everything we do until they need our help, but we survive and thrive off of donations from the public, from various action sports brands and event organizers, and from the riders themselves. So it's a full-circle kind of thing, and it's awesome to see The Come Up, DC Shoes, and so many great companies and riders coming out in support of Brett and of the work we do."
In addition to direct work helping injured athletes and their families with recovery and rehabilitation costs, the ARF has been working with sport organizers and lobbying the action sports industry to improve safety measures. Earlier this month the ARF announced new rule changes, effective in 2013, for the X Games, Dew Tour, and the ASA Action Sports World Tour requiring the use of Consumer Product Safety Commission certified helmets in BMX competition. Banasiewicz was wearing a skateboard helmet not certified for bicycle use when he was injured, according to Cooke.
2012年12月28日星期五
2012年12月26日星期三
There was no shortage of volunteers to handle the holiday
For those who had nowhere else to go for Christmas, Carl Perron had a place. Perron rushed in and out of the downtown Mid-City Concerns kitchen Tuesday to serve Christmas meals for seniors and Spokane’s homeless.
“This young man has a tremendous background,” said Matthew “Pops” Bolar. “Every holiday he contributes and he takes it out of his pocket. That’s the crazy part.”
He once gave away the shoes off his feet, said volunteer Ron Jemison, who remembers the moment four years ago.
“We were just getting ready to turn off the lights when a gentleman asked if I had any shoestrings. I said no, but you can go ask Carl,” Jemison said.
Now it’s a tradition. Randall Sluder, 55, who said he lost his job as a maintenance man at a downtown motel last week, was this year’s recipient of a new pair of size 11 tennis shoes.
“Oh my gosh – the soles were starting to break down and all,” Sluder said, expecting to walk a lot in the new shoes, about an hour every morning.
After organizing a warm Christmas meal each of the past 13 years, Perron, 51, doesn’t tire of the effort he makes with the help of donors and volunteers from about five local churches.
“This is my family. My mom and dad are gone,” Perron said. “I’m not sure why I’m so emotional today. Maybe I need more sleep.”
Perron estimated they served about 140 guests, who all went home with an extra plate, and about 275 more meals went out to seniors via Meals on Wheels.
There was no shortage of volunteers to handle the holiday workload. Nearly 50 showed up to help serve the exquisite meal.
One of the youngest volunteers, Trevor Tuflija, a 9-year-old who goes to Hamblen Elementary School, helped serve the meal of brisket, turkey, stuffing and scalloped potatoes.
“It’s just very nice to volunteer. Everyone is happy and likes to talk to me and laughing. They’re entertained when they talk to me,” Tuflija said. His father was cooking in the kitchen.
At the event designed like a traditional family dinner, guests came together to celebrate.
“I’m enjoying the crowd, seeing old friends I don’t get to see very often,” said Ivan Brooks, sitting with his walking stick adorned with a horse hame.
This isn’t the only Christmas joy Brooks received on Tuesday. During his morning walk, a van pulled up beside him across from the downtown library. A “very nice fellow” opened the door and offered him a wrapped gift, Brooks said. Inside was a plaid winter shirt Brooks described as “moss green.” He tucked the present under his jacket for safekeeping.
The meal’s finale was topped off with a wide variety of pies, including homemade custard and fruit pies. Some guests tried as many types as possible, but others, like Sluder, just couldn’t make room for extra.
Eventually, nearly 300 pounds of brisket and 11 turkeys were consumed. Some of the extra pies found a good home with the volunteers.
Reflecting on the day, Perron said he feels blessed by the successful feast, describing it as an extension of his dining room.
“This young man has a tremendous background,” said Matthew “Pops” Bolar. “Every holiday he contributes and he takes it out of his pocket. That’s the crazy part.”
He once gave away the shoes off his feet, said volunteer Ron Jemison, who remembers the moment four years ago.
“We were just getting ready to turn off the lights when a gentleman asked if I had any shoestrings. I said no, but you can go ask Carl,” Jemison said.
Now it’s a tradition. Randall Sluder, 55, who said he lost his job as a maintenance man at a downtown motel last week, was this year’s recipient of a new pair of size 11 tennis shoes.
“Oh my gosh – the soles were starting to break down and all,” Sluder said, expecting to walk a lot in the new shoes, about an hour every morning.
After organizing a warm Christmas meal each of the past 13 years, Perron, 51, doesn’t tire of the effort he makes with the help of donors and volunteers from about five local churches.
“This is my family. My mom and dad are gone,” Perron said. “I’m not sure why I’m so emotional today. Maybe I need more sleep.”
Perron estimated they served about 140 guests, who all went home with an extra plate, and about 275 more meals went out to seniors via Meals on Wheels.
There was no shortage of volunteers to handle the holiday workload. Nearly 50 showed up to help serve the exquisite meal.
One of the youngest volunteers, Trevor Tuflija, a 9-year-old who goes to Hamblen Elementary School, helped serve the meal of brisket, turkey, stuffing and scalloped potatoes.
“It’s just very nice to volunteer. Everyone is happy and likes to talk to me and laughing. They’re entertained when they talk to me,” Tuflija said. His father was cooking in the kitchen.
At the event designed like a traditional family dinner, guests came together to celebrate.
“I’m enjoying the crowd, seeing old friends I don’t get to see very often,” said Ivan Brooks, sitting with his walking stick adorned with a horse hame.
This isn’t the only Christmas joy Brooks received on Tuesday. During his morning walk, a van pulled up beside him across from the downtown library. A “very nice fellow” opened the door and offered him a wrapped gift, Brooks said. Inside was a plaid winter shirt Brooks described as “moss green.” He tucked the present under his jacket for safekeeping.
The meal’s finale was topped off with a wide variety of pies, including homemade custard and fruit pies. Some guests tried as many types as possible, but others, like Sluder, just couldn’t make room for extra.
Eventually, nearly 300 pounds of brisket and 11 turkeys were consumed. Some of the extra pies found a good home with the volunteers.
Reflecting on the day, Perron said he feels blessed by the successful feast, describing it as an extension of his dining room.
2012年12月24日星期一
The Buena Marching Band has much on common with the Rotary
The Marching Band builds goodwill for audiences and members alike and the band is similar to a family — it feels safe.
Also, the band teaches discipline which is illustrated as rehearsals are held at 6 a.m. and in addition provides many leadership opportunities for members, such as section leader or band officer.
The band also helps students grow and develop, focusing on achieving what the student wishes to achieve. The Buena Marching Band has much on common with the Rotary 4-Way test. Tyler plans on attending the University of Arizona and studying music.
Patricia Peterson and Krystal Speed updated the club on the collection shoes by the Community Coalition for Haiti.
Currently, 3,000 pairs of shoes have been collected and are being stored at Horizon Moving and Storage until arrangements are finalized for shipment to Haiti.
Both thanked the club for all the support provided for the collection of shoes.
Col. Roger Sangvic (Chief of Staff, USA Intelligence Center) and Rebecca Pipik (director, Kids Hope USA Mentoring Program for Cochise County) introduced the Rotary Club to the goals and objectives of Kids Hope USA which provides a one-on-one adult relationship with at-risk children in elementary schools.
This program is a partnership between a local church congregation and an elementary school which pairs at-risk students with mentors to provide a supportive adult relationship.
Pipik explained that mentors are trained and provided support materials by Kids Hope USA and will spend one hour per week reading, talking, playing and listening to a child.
The goal of course, is to help that child feel loved and valued which are essential for a child to learn, grow and succeed in life.
Col. Sangvic explained Kids Hope USA began on Fort Huachuca as a means to make a difference in the lives of at-risk students.
This program focuses on support and currently there are nine Kids Hope USA mentors available on Fort Huachuca.
Thunder Mountain Community Church was the first religious group in Sierra Vista to sponsor a Kids Hope USA mentor program and currently has 17 mentors working with at-risk students.
Recently, the Village Meadows Baptist Church signed up to sponsor Kids Hope USA mentor program at Village Meadows Elementary School.
Pipik explained all training is provided for mentors as well as the materials required by Kids Hope USA.
This is a turn-key operation and provides a positive and meaningful way for church organizations to reach out to the community.
Currently, Kids Hope USA is seeking sponsoring church organizations for other schools in Sierra Vista as well as elsewhere in Cochise County.
The goal is to have a Kids Hope USA mentor program at every elementary school in Cochise County.
Also, the band teaches discipline which is illustrated as rehearsals are held at 6 a.m. and in addition provides many leadership opportunities for members, such as section leader or band officer.
The band also helps students grow and develop, focusing on achieving what the student wishes to achieve. The Buena Marching Band has much on common with the Rotary 4-Way test. Tyler plans on attending the University of Arizona and studying music.
Patricia Peterson and Krystal Speed updated the club on the collection shoes by the Community Coalition for Haiti.
Currently, 3,000 pairs of shoes have been collected and are being stored at Horizon Moving and Storage until arrangements are finalized for shipment to Haiti.
Both thanked the club for all the support provided for the collection of shoes.
Col. Roger Sangvic (Chief of Staff, USA Intelligence Center) and Rebecca Pipik (director, Kids Hope USA Mentoring Program for Cochise County) introduced the Rotary Club to the goals and objectives of Kids Hope USA which provides a one-on-one adult relationship with at-risk children in elementary schools.
This program is a partnership between a local church congregation and an elementary school which pairs at-risk students with mentors to provide a supportive adult relationship.
Pipik explained that mentors are trained and provided support materials by Kids Hope USA and will spend one hour per week reading, talking, playing and listening to a child.
The goal of course, is to help that child feel loved and valued which are essential for a child to learn, grow and succeed in life.
Col. Sangvic explained Kids Hope USA began on Fort Huachuca as a means to make a difference in the lives of at-risk students.
This program focuses on support and currently there are nine Kids Hope USA mentors available on Fort Huachuca.
Thunder Mountain Community Church was the first religious group in Sierra Vista to sponsor a Kids Hope USA mentor program and currently has 17 mentors working with at-risk students.
Recently, the Village Meadows Baptist Church signed up to sponsor Kids Hope USA mentor program at Village Meadows Elementary School.
Pipik explained all training is provided for mentors as well as the materials required by Kids Hope USA.
This is a turn-key operation and provides a positive and meaningful way for church organizations to reach out to the community.
Currently, Kids Hope USA is seeking sponsoring church organizations for other schools in Sierra Vista as well as elsewhere in Cochise County.
The goal is to have a Kids Hope USA mentor program at every elementary school in Cochise County.
2012年12月20日星期四
That year Congress also passed Medicaid
The United States is fighting a messy war alongside an unreliable ally in Asia, residents are deeply divided between conservatives and liberals, a new health care law just took effect and the nation is struggling with racial and ethnic divisions.
What's happening in the United States in 2012 could just as easily describe the nation in the 1960s: President Lyndon Baines Johnson escalating the war in Vietnam, defeating conservative Republican nominee Barry Goldwater, passing Medicare and pushing through landmark civil rights legislation.
An insider's look at how the Texan dealt with those challenges is on display at the newly remodeled LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, where the old 1970s-style exhibits now use 21st century technology to put visitors in Johnson's shoes. Mark Updegrove, the library's director, said the reopening comes as historians take a fresh look at Johnson's efforts to fight poverty and improve the health of the nation by creating a Great Society.
"The election of 2012 was a referendum on the Great Society programs put into place by President Johnson," he said. "If you look at what is happening in America today, the Great Society is so evident, in the Supreme Court taking a look at voting rights or racial quotas, and the Congress debating cuts to Medicare or PBS."
The new permanent exhibit takes advantage of the presidential archives, which includes 643 hours of recorded phone conversations between LBJ and dozens of people. At one station, a display resembling an old telephone booth plays key conversations about civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and others. After a yearlong renovation, the library reopens Friday in honor of first lady Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday.
The library also has a Vietnam "situation room" where an interactive display provides formerly secret documents and recordings of conversations with advisers such as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The display lets the visitor decide what they would do and then shows whether LBJ agreed. The computer screen then displays the consequences, with short videos of presidential historians explaining the significance of the decision.
LBJ's biggest accomplishments, though, are the Great Society programs that extended life expectancies, reduced poverty and banned discrimination. An exhibit shows how he used his years of experience in Congress to push through some of the most iconic laws in the nation's history, including Medicare.
"Every social issue we're dealing with now, Johnson tried to tackle it," said historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University in Houston. He added that "the season is right for a revisionist look" at Johnson, with a focus on his domestic achievements.
Updegrove, who this year authored "Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency," said that when LBJ took over after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the U.S. poverty rate was at about 20 percent. It plunged to 12 percent, by the time he left office. Poverty in the United States hit an all-time low of 11 percent just after LBJ left office, then went up to 15 percent under President Ronald Reagan, where it remains today.
Medicare was the Affordable Care Act of its time, providing federally administered health care to all people 65-years-old or older. Reagan, a young conservative at the time, called Medicare a socialized medicine scheme that would bring an end to freedom in America. More than 45 years later, the program is one of the most popular in the nation.
That year Congress also passed Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for the poor. President Barack Obama tried to expand Medicaid coverage through his health care overhaul, but a dozen Republican governors around the country have refused.
LBJ also passed major civil rights legislation that guaranteed people of all races the right to vote, access to public services and to equal opportunity. Yet LBJ's decision to expand the war in Vietnam remains his foremost legacy, something Updegrove believes is changing.
"We haven't properly honored Johnson's herculean domestic achievements," said Brinkley, the historian from Rice University. "It got overshadowed by the Vietnam War. Half a century later we can see that a lot of what Johnson did has stuck."
For now, though, Democrats rarely invoke LBJ's name, and Republicans use the phrase "Great Society" to ridicule social justice proposals. But Updegrove said politicians of all stripes could learn a lot from how Johnson forged consensus.
"The conversations are a primer in how to get things done in Washington," he said. "If you listen to those conversations you can hear how remarkably effective LBJ was at getting things done and they serve as an example of Washington can do."
What's happening in the United States in 2012 could just as easily describe the nation in the 1960s: President Lyndon Baines Johnson escalating the war in Vietnam, defeating conservative Republican nominee Barry Goldwater, passing Medicare and pushing through landmark civil rights legislation.
An insider's look at how the Texan dealt with those challenges is on display at the newly remodeled LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, where the old 1970s-style exhibits now use 21st century technology to put visitors in Johnson's shoes. Mark Updegrove, the library's director, said the reopening comes as historians take a fresh look at Johnson's efforts to fight poverty and improve the health of the nation by creating a Great Society.
"The election of 2012 was a referendum on the Great Society programs put into place by President Johnson," he said. "If you look at what is happening in America today, the Great Society is so evident, in the Supreme Court taking a look at voting rights or racial quotas, and the Congress debating cuts to Medicare or PBS."
The new permanent exhibit takes advantage of the presidential archives, which includes 643 hours of recorded phone conversations between LBJ and dozens of people. At one station, a display resembling an old telephone booth plays key conversations about civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and others. After a yearlong renovation, the library reopens Friday in honor of first lady Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday.
The library also has a Vietnam "situation room" where an interactive display provides formerly secret documents and recordings of conversations with advisers such as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The display lets the visitor decide what they would do and then shows whether LBJ agreed. The computer screen then displays the consequences, with short videos of presidential historians explaining the significance of the decision.
LBJ's biggest accomplishments, though, are the Great Society programs that extended life expectancies, reduced poverty and banned discrimination. An exhibit shows how he used his years of experience in Congress to push through some of the most iconic laws in the nation's history, including Medicare.
"Every social issue we're dealing with now, Johnson tried to tackle it," said historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University in Houston. He added that "the season is right for a revisionist look" at Johnson, with a focus on his domestic achievements.
Updegrove, who this year authored "Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency," said that when LBJ took over after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the U.S. poverty rate was at about 20 percent. It plunged to 12 percent, by the time he left office. Poverty in the United States hit an all-time low of 11 percent just after LBJ left office, then went up to 15 percent under President Ronald Reagan, where it remains today.
Medicare was the Affordable Care Act of its time, providing federally administered health care to all people 65-years-old or older. Reagan, a young conservative at the time, called Medicare a socialized medicine scheme that would bring an end to freedom in America. More than 45 years later, the program is one of the most popular in the nation.
That year Congress also passed Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for the poor. President Barack Obama tried to expand Medicaid coverage through his health care overhaul, but a dozen Republican governors around the country have refused.
LBJ also passed major civil rights legislation that guaranteed people of all races the right to vote, access to public services and to equal opportunity. Yet LBJ's decision to expand the war in Vietnam remains his foremost legacy, something Updegrove believes is changing.
"We haven't properly honored Johnson's herculean domestic achievements," said Brinkley, the historian from Rice University. "It got overshadowed by the Vietnam War. Half a century later we can see that a lot of what Johnson did has stuck."
For now, though, Democrats rarely invoke LBJ's name, and Republicans use the phrase "Great Society" to ridicule social justice proposals. But Updegrove said politicians of all stripes could learn a lot from how Johnson forged consensus.
"The conversations are a primer in how to get things done in Washington," he said. "If you listen to those conversations you can hear how remarkably effective LBJ was at getting things done and they serve as an example of Washington can do."
2012年12月18日星期二
I would rather give a monetary gift to those
They spent the summers collecting and canning many jars of food for the winter. We had cows for milk and butter, meat for the table, and chickens for eggs. Kind of self-sufficient. My folks came from Germany with their clothes on their back and couldn't speak the language — yet they made it.
We got no food stamps, or welfare, and there were no government hand outs. So, our Christmases were unlike today. For presents we kids got gloves, a stocking cap, shoes or a warm coat, and we were thrilled to get them.
Unlike today, toys were pretty well out of the question. I am amazed at the expensive toys the kids of today get and I don't think they are appreciated as much as we were with our meager gifts. Go to a home today with kids a few days or week after Christmas, and see broken toys scattered all over the house, in the yard, and often covered with snow until spring.
I buy few if any gifts. I would rather give a monetary gift to those who are less fortunate than I am. Instead, I enjoy making my own Christmas cards from pictures I take on the farm. I them take them to the store for processing. I make 150 for my many friends and relatives.
My cards all say, "Merry Christmas," no season greetings, or happy holidays. I believe in keeping "Christ" in Christmas — after all, Jesus is the reason for the season. People call me and say they kept all the cards I ever made over the last 20 years or so.
The Christmas Eve service is special to us at Trinity Lutheran of Glen Savage. The little kids sing, "Away in the Manger" and other songs, then each has a recitation followed by a skit in costumes. Then there is the adult choir, singing carols, after that our Pastor Paul Yanke has the Christmas message. He teaches the word of God in its truth and purity. We Missouri Lutherans sometimes are called the "strict" Lutherans. We do not go along with churches that support abortion, same sex marriage, or the ordination of gay clergy, all which is clearly defined in the Bible. Pastor Paul may step on a few toes in these matters, but so be it. Bless you Pastor Paul!
Kids' styles were almost like adults'. The most popular designer of that era was Uncle Sam. We went directly from patched blue jeans and high-top, black tennis shoes to army-style cargo-pants and black combat boots with buckles on the top. The winter coats were wool, and scarves, ear muffs and army-green wool gloves plus knit-tassel caps with a yarn ball on the top were all the rage.
I'll admit that I had a few affectations in those days, nothing like I do today. For example, I wanted my blue jeans to have noticeably ironed creases in the front, and I loved to wear button-down-collar shirts. It was not unusual for me to wear long underwear, but these cotton long johns were always white, and I really hated when they showed in the space between my socks and my pants cuffs or rolled up blue jeans. So, I remember spending a lot of time pulling down on my pants or pulling up on my socks.
A few weeks before Christmas, my dad always managed to buy the craziest looking Christmas tree on the lot. It was usually a long-needled Scotch pine tree that always lost half of its needles by the third day of its inside existence. We had shiny, bright, very fragile glass ornaments, and boxes of lead-based icicles that we placed on the branches one-by-one, by hand, until they produced a delicate icy look. Mom and dad were responsible for stringing the lights and supervising the hanging of the balls and controlling the meticulous stringing of the icicles. Some hand-strung popcorn, and an outsized white angel topped off the decorations along with a fluffy cotton, snow-like tree skirt casually wrapped around the trunk.
Our wish lists were relatively modest with requests for things like Lincoln Logs or Block City (a precursor to Legos), a Winky Dink and You with Magic Kit (plastic screen/crayons/eraser), and a truck or some plastic toy soldiers. Of course grandmothers came through with a little cash and underwear, and aunts always provided at least one or two pairs of argyle socks.
My paper route customers gave me some handkerchiefs, a 50-cent piece here or there and plenty of hot chocolate. Expectations were carefully managed by my mom who would say, "Nicky, don't expect much from Mrs. Musser or Mrs. Coter because they are living on their Social Security checks just like your grandmothers."
I'm not sure how much Social Security checks were in those days, but if I got a $5 bill from my Italian grandparents, it was an enormous gift. My English/Scot- Irish grandmother was even more frugal with gifts that came from her change purse because she had so many grandkids, but it was the thought that counted, and even as little kids we knew not to expect much in the way of cash from our elders.
We got no food stamps, or welfare, and there were no government hand outs. So, our Christmases were unlike today. For presents we kids got gloves, a stocking cap, shoes or a warm coat, and we were thrilled to get them.
Unlike today, toys were pretty well out of the question. I am amazed at the expensive toys the kids of today get and I don't think they are appreciated as much as we were with our meager gifts. Go to a home today with kids a few days or week after Christmas, and see broken toys scattered all over the house, in the yard, and often covered with snow until spring.
I buy few if any gifts. I would rather give a monetary gift to those who are less fortunate than I am. Instead, I enjoy making my own Christmas cards from pictures I take on the farm. I them take them to the store for processing. I make 150 for my many friends and relatives.
My cards all say, "Merry Christmas," no season greetings, or happy holidays. I believe in keeping "Christ" in Christmas — after all, Jesus is the reason for the season. People call me and say they kept all the cards I ever made over the last 20 years or so.
The Christmas Eve service is special to us at Trinity Lutheran of Glen Savage. The little kids sing, "Away in the Manger" and other songs, then each has a recitation followed by a skit in costumes. Then there is the adult choir, singing carols, after that our Pastor Paul Yanke has the Christmas message. He teaches the word of God in its truth and purity. We Missouri Lutherans sometimes are called the "strict" Lutherans. We do not go along with churches that support abortion, same sex marriage, or the ordination of gay clergy, all which is clearly defined in the Bible. Pastor Paul may step on a few toes in these matters, but so be it. Bless you Pastor Paul!
Kids' styles were almost like adults'. The most popular designer of that era was Uncle Sam. We went directly from patched blue jeans and high-top, black tennis shoes to army-style cargo-pants and black combat boots with buckles on the top. The winter coats were wool, and scarves, ear muffs and army-green wool gloves plus knit-tassel caps with a yarn ball on the top were all the rage.
I'll admit that I had a few affectations in those days, nothing like I do today. For example, I wanted my blue jeans to have noticeably ironed creases in the front, and I loved to wear button-down-collar shirts. It was not unusual for me to wear long underwear, but these cotton long johns were always white, and I really hated when they showed in the space between my socks and my pants cuffs or rolled up blue jeans. So, I remember spending a lot of time pulling down on my pants or pulling up on my socks.
A few weeks before Christmas, my dad always managed to buy the craziest looking Christmas tree on the lot. It was usually a long-needled Scotch pine tree that always lost half of its needles by the third day of its inside existence. We had shiny, bright, very fragile glass ornaments, and boxes of lead-based icicles that we placed on the branches one-by-one, by hand, until they produced a delicate icy look. Mom and dad were responsible for stringing the lights and supervising the hanging of the balls and controlling the meticulous stringing of the icicles. Some hand-strung popcorn, and an outsized white angel topped off the decorations along with a fluffy cotton, snow-like tree skirt casually wrapped around the trunk.
Our wish lists were relatively modest with requests for things like Lincoln Logs or Block City (a precursor to Legos), a Winky Dink and You with Magic Kit (plastic screen/crayons/eraser), and a truck or some plastic toy soldiers. Of course grandmothers came through with a little cash and underwear, and aunts always provided at least one or two pairs of argyle socks.
My paper route customers gave me some handkerchiefs, a 50-cent piece here or there and plenty of hot chocolate. Expectations were carefully managed by my mom who would say, "Nicky, don't expect much from Mrs. Musser or Mrs. Coter because they are living on their Social Security checks just like your grandmothers."
I'm not sure how much Social Security checks were in those days, but if I got a $5 bill from my Italian grandparents, it was an enormous gift. My English/Scot- Irish grandmother was even more frugal with gifts that came from her change purse because she had so many grandkids, but it was the thought that counted, and even as little kids we knew not to expect much in the way of cash from our elders.
2012年12月16日星期日
How about putting a time limit on how long you can remain on elfare?
When I was growing up it was an embarrassment to be on welfare. It meant that you could not take care of your own family. Unfortunately nowadays the motto seems to be why take care of your family when the government will do it for you?
It used to be that welfare was a helping hand to help people get back on their feet – now it has become a way of life. But you know, what amazes me the most is that these people on welfare have money for cigarettes (which I quit smoking due to the price!), beer, cars, trucks, brand name clothes and shoes, tattoos, manicures, pedicures and let's not forget the newest cellphones that are out.
The only thing they can't afford is their actual living expenses such as rent, doctor bills and food – you know, all those pesky bills that the rest of us pay! I don't know about you, but I do without a lot of things so that I can provide for my children! If you can't provide for your child, then you shouldn't be having children. Maybe instead of handing out food stamps, free medical care and money, they should start handing out birth control!
It just amazes me when I am at the grocery store and people are paying with their “card.” They load up on junk food, sodas, ready-made food, etc. Let's be honest here – why should they be allowed to buy ready-made foods? It is not as if they don't have time to cook, since most of them don't work!
I am also aware of a “lady” who is on welfare who buys all the items she needs to run her taco stand in Somerton, so we are footing the bill for her business! This is a fact!
I guess unfortunately for me, my mother raised me NOT to lie, cheat or steal, so therefore I can't get on welfare! Whose job is it to check and verify everything regarding the applicants? I think that something needs to be done, and soon!
How about putting a time limit on how long you can remain on welfare? You get 6 months to a year to get on your feet, and after that you are on your own! I have three children, and each time I had another child my employer did not give me an automatic raise because my family was increasing – yet that is exactly what welfare does!
Does anyone not see how wrong this picture is? It is time for the hard-working Americans to stop being penalized and stop rewarding the people who don't take care of themselves or their families!
If I could afford it I would move to Australia, but unfortunately I am too busy working and taking care of my family, as well as supporting all the people on welfare!
After being blanked by Atlanta, the New York Giants have to worry about being shut out of the playoffs.
Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl champions were held scoreless in a regular-season game for the first time in 16 years. Manning threw two first-half interceptions in his worst performance in five years and the Giants were stopped on three fourth-down plays in their 34-0 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
The Giants' first regular-season shutout loss since falling 24-0 at Philadelphia on Dec. 1, 1996 cost New York sole possession of first place in the NFC East. The Washington Redskins beat Cleveland to pull even with the Giants (8-6), and the Dallas Cowboys played later Sunday with a chance to make it a three-way tie.
"Atlanta was very, very good and we were very, very bad," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "We started the game off doing exactly what we said we couldn't do, which was turn the ball over."
Manning completed 13 of 25 passes for 161 yards with two interceptions for a 38.9 quarterback rating, his lowest since a 32.2 rating in a win at Buffalo in 2007. The first interception was on New York's second play, giving the Falcons possession at the Giants 16-yard line. Asante Samuel picked off a pass intended for Hakeem Nicks. Four straight runs by Michael Turner gave Atlanta a 7-0 lead.
It used to be that welfare was a helping hand to help people get back on their feet – now it has become a way of life. But you know, what amazes me the most is that these people on welfare have money for cigarettes (which I quit smoking due to the price!), beer, cars, trucks, brand name clothes and shoes, tattoos, manicures, pedicures and let's not forget the newest cellphones that are out.
The only thing they can't afford is their actual living expenses such as rent, doctor bills and food – you know, all those pesky bills that the rest of us pay! I don't know about you, but I do without a lot of things so that I can provide for my children! If you can't provide for your child, then you shouldn't be having children. Maybe instead of handing out food stamps, free medical care and money, they should start handing out birth control!
It just amazes me when I am at the grocery store and people are paying with their “card.” They load up on junk food, sodas, ready-made food, etc. Let's be honest here – why should they be allowed to buy ready-made foods? It is not as if they don't have time to cook, since most of them don't work!
I am also aware of a “lady” who is on welfare who buys all the items she needs to run her taco stand in Somerton, so we are footing the bill for her business! This is a fact!
I guess unfortunately for me, my mother raised me NOT to lie, cheat or steal, so therefore I can't get on welfare! Whose job is it to check and verify everything regarding the applicants? I think that something needs to be done, and soon!
How about putting a time limit on how long you can remain on welfare? You get 6 months to a year to get on your feet, and after that you are on your own! I have three children, and each time I had another child my employer did not give me an automatic raise because my family was increasing – yet that is exactly what welfare does!
Does anyone not see how wrong this picture is? It is time for the hard-working Americans to stop being penalized and stop rewarding the people who don't take care of themselves or their families!
If I could afford it I would move to Australia, but unfortunately I am too busy working and taking care of my family, as well as supporting all the people on welfare!
After being blanked by Atlanta, the New York Giants have to worry about being shut out of the playoffs.
Eli Manning and the defending Super Bowl champions were held scoreless in a regular-season game for the first time in 16 years. Manning threw two first-half interceptions in his worst performance in five years and the Giants were stopped on three fourth-down plays in their 34-0 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
The Giants' first regular-season shutout loss since falling 24-0 at Philadelphia on Dec. 1, 1996 cost New York sole possession of first place in the NFC East. The Washington Redskins beat Cleveland to pull even with the Giants (8-6), and the Dallas Cowboys played later Sunday with a chance to make it a three-way tie.
"Atlanta was very, very good and we were very, very bad," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin. "We started the game off doing exactly what we said we couldn't do, which was turn the ball over."
Manning completed 13 of 25 passes for 161 yards with two interceptions for a 38.9 quarterback rating, his lowest since a 32.2 rating in a win at Buffalo in 2007. The first interception was on New York's second play, giving the Falcons possession at the Giants 16-yard line. Asante Samuel picked off a pass intended for Hakeem Nicks. Four straight runs by Michael Turner gave Atlanta a 7-0 lead.
2012年12月12日星期三
who complain about all the vacations
Great news! The outgoing Congress has passed the fewest number of laws since any Congress in the last 70 years. The Founding Fathers would be proud, and as a conservative I am pretty impressed. Instead of raising our taxes, increasing regulations, making life more difficult for citizens and businesses everywhere, the current Congress has done its part by sitting on its collective hands and passing as few laws as possible, specifically 196 at last count. This is great — let freedom ring!
Of course, you would never know of this great accomplishment by reading the NBC News First Read website. Bemoaning the low congressional approval rates, Kyle Inskeep of NBC News recently wrote that the current Congress is the “least productive Congress since the 1940’s” because it has passed so few laws. We can’t have that. The next-least productive Congress, which lasted from 1995-1996, enacted a mere 333 laws.
According to Inskeepf, an active Congress passing as many laws as possible is a good Congress. Even out-going Republican Senator Olympia Snowe got into the act, complaining that “I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies have become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.”
I hope no one on our side is falling for this. When Congress makes laws, money is taken away from someone, business is made more difficult, the fiscal hole our country is in gets dug even deeper. And when fewer laws are made, less of our freedoms are taken away and less money is blown. A Beltway reporter like Inskeep or a politician like Senator Snowe might not see it this way, but people outside of Washington DC are better off when fewer laws are passed.
Kind of reminds me of some conservatives who complain about all the vacations taken by the Obama family, or the fact that President Obama plays so much golf. A few days after the election there was a blog entry at Weekly Standard, reporting with disgust that right after the election President Obama headed to the golf course. In the past, President Obama has also been sneeringly referred to as the “Golfer in Chief.”
People, let’s be clear: the more President Obama plays golf, the less damage he can do from the Oval Office. Yes, our country is much better off when President Obama is on the golf course. For a few precious hours, we can know that things will not get worse.
Take for example President Obama’s trip to a global nuclear summit last March in South Korea. President Obama was actually caught on an open microphone telling the Russians that “after the election I will have more flexibility,” then he looked around guiltily, hoping no one else had heard what he just said.
At that point there were a number of smaller countries that were put on notice: you may be invaded by the Russians just like ex-Soviet Georgia was in 2008. Would American or NATO soldiers rush onto a battlefield because the Russians invaded some friend of ours? Possibly.
But the point is, wouldn’t we all have rather President Obama spent a nice, relaxing weekend on a golf course somewhere instead of going to South Korea that weekend? And this is just in foreign affairs. Instead of passing Dodd-Frank, Obamacare or the $800 billion stimulus, wouldn’t it have been preferable to have President Obama spend some time golfing?
As far as I am concerned we should sign up President Obama for the PGA Tour. The more time he spends on the golf course the less time he will be in the Oval Office doing damage to our country. Or maybe we can all pass around the hat and buy President Obama a membership at Pebble Beach.
Here’s an idea: let President Obama endorse golf stuff. Where is it written that a sitting president cannot endorse golf balls, shoes or clothing? In fact, “the Barry Putter” has a nice ring to it. (Well, let’s face it, a wedge might be more appropriate.) And who knows? Rush Limbaugh might even be willing to interview President Obama on his show to promote the new Obama putter.
A few years ago it was the liberals who complained whenever President George W. Bush went to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, to clear brush with his chainsaw.
And chainsaws are dangerous. With all the best-selling books, movies, plays and liberal comedians waxing so eloquently about President Bush dying or somehow getting assassinated, you would think that liberals would want President Bush out of the Oval Office and on his ranch, wrestling with his chainsaw. He could have been seriously injured by that chainsaw. But no, the liberals who hated President Bush so much actually complained when he went to his ranch in Texas! It made no sense at all.
We conservatives need to be consistent here, and we need to keep our eyes on the prize: it is a good thing when Congress passes very few laws, and it is a very good thing when President Obama takes the afternoon off to go to the golf course. In fact, President Obama needs to stay on the golf course as much as possible.
Of course, you would never know of this great accomplishment by reading the NBC News First Read website. Bemoaning the low congressional approval rates, Kyle Inskeep of NBC News recently wrote that the current Congress is the “least productive Congress since the 1940’s” because it has passed so few laws. We can’t have that. The next-least productive Congress, which lasted from 1995-1996, enacted a mere 333 laws.
According to Inskeepf, an active Congress passing as many laws as possible is a good Congress. Even out-going Republican Senator Olympia Snowe got into the act, complaining that “I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies have become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.”
I hope no one on our side is falling for this. When Congress makes laws, money is taken away from someone, business is made more difficult, the fiscal hole our country is in gets dug even deeper. And when fewer laws are made, less of our freedoms are taken away and less money is blown. A Beltway reporter like Inskeep or a politician like Senator Snowe might not see it this way, but people outside of Washington DC are better off when fewer laws are passed.
Kind of reminds me of some conservatives who complain about all the vacations taken by the Obama family, or the fact that President Obama plays so much golf. A few days after the election there was a blog entry at Weekly Standard, reporting with disgust that right after the election President Obama headed to the golf course. In the past, President Obama has also been sneeringly referred to as the “Golfer in Chief.”
People, let’s be clear: the more President Obama plays golf, the less damage he can do from the Oval Office. Yes, our country is much better off when President Obama is on the golf course. For a few precious hours, we can know that things will not get worse.
Take for example President Obama’s trip to a global nuclear summit last March in South Korea. President Obama was actually caught on an open microphone telling the Russians that “after the election I will have more flexibility,” then he looked around guiltily, hoping no one else had heard what he just said.
At that point there were a number of smaller countries that were put on notice: you may be invaded by the Russians just like ex-Soviet Georgia was in 2008. Would American or NATO soldiers rush onto a battlefield because the Russians invaded some friend of ours? Possibly.
But the point is, wouldn’t we all have rather President Obama spent a nice, relaxing weekend on a golf course somewhere instead of going to South Korea that weekend? And this is just in foreign affairs. Instead of passing Dodd-Frank, Obamacare or the $800 billion stimulus, wouldn’t it have been preferable to have President Obama spend some time golfing?
As far as I am concerned we should sign up President Obama for the PGA Tour. The more time he spends on the golf course the less time he will be in the Oval Office doing damage to our country. Or maybe we can all pass around the hat and buy President Obama a membership at Pebble Beach.
Here’s an idea: let President Obama endorse golf stuff. Where is it written that a sitting president cannot endorse golf balls, shoes or clothing? In fact, “the Barry Putter” has a nice ring to it. (Well, let’s face it, a wedge might be more appropriate.) And who knows? Rush Limbaugh might even be willing to interview President Obama on his show to promote the new Obama putter.
A few years ago it was the liberals who complained whenever President George W. Bush went to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, to clear brush with his chainsaw.
And chainsaws are dangerous. With all the best-selling books, movies, plays and liberal comedians waxing so eloquently about President Bush dying or somehow getting assassinated, you would think that liberals would want President Bush out of the Oval Office and on his ranch, wrestling with his chainsaw. He could have been seriously injured by that chainsaw. But no, the liberals who hated President Bush so much actually complained when he went to his ranch in Texas! It made no sense at all.
We conservatives need to be consistent here, and we need to keep our eyes on the prize: it is a good thing when Congress passes very few laws, and it is a very good thing when President Obama takes the afternoon off to go to the golf course. In fact, President Obama needs to stay on the golf course as much as possible.
2012年12月10日星期一
Johnson-Lynch disappointed with postseason play
Riding a 10-match winning streak highlighted by an upset of No. 3 Texas at home to close out the regular season, the Cyclones (22-8, 13-3 Big 12) were on fire.
But then Selection Sunday happened, when the team was told it would host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament as the No. 15 seed. The following day at practice, coach Christy Johnson-Lynch sensed something was different and her team wasn’t the same.
“We were great against Texas,” Johnson-Lynch said in her final news conference of the year on Monday. “I thought it was our best match of the year and after that we just never played well again.”
Against I-P Fort Wayne and North Carolina, the Cyclones needed five sets to get through each match. Prior to the NCAA tournament, Iowa State had only played two five-set matches against Texas during the entire conference season.
Senior Jamie Straube couldn’t quite put her finger on it either, but said she thought the will to win got the best of them.
“I think it was a little bit of excitement but I think in a way we were putting a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Straube said. “We had high expectations — we’re all pretty driven players and we want to do our very best — so we were on a mission I think but there’s that balance of knowing when to back off and let it happen and when to keep pushing forward.”
In both the first- and second-round matches, the Cyclones put themselves in win-or-go-home situations. Each time, Iowa State won the first set but dropped the second and third to put Hilton Coliseum on edge. The Cyclones went on to win the fourth and fifth sets both times to advance.
Johnson-Lynch noticed the nervous demeanor among her players as well.
When asked about if it was a little too much for the freshmen to handle in their first year, Johnson-Lynch was quick to point out that it wasn’t just the newcomers who were out of their element.
“I think that was everybody,” Johnson-Lynch said. “No one but [Rachel] Hockaday really put up very good numbers against Stanford, so it wasn’t like we had a lot of freshmen and we’re young.”
The Cyclones capped off what Johnson-Lynch called a really disappointing final two weeks with Stanford on Friday. Stanford handed Iowa State its first sweep since Oct. 3 at Kansas State in a match the Cyclones couldn’t seem to find a rhythm.
The Cardinal finished with 49 kills to Iowa State’s 35 and Victoria Hurtt led the Cyclones with seven. With volleyball, offensive and defensive production often goes hand-in-hand and Straube said it was one of the reasons for the low offensive numbers.
“When we’re digging balls and we’re playing tough defense, all our offense just goes with it," Straube said. "But I think we weren’t playing very good defense and they were coming at us from the outside and then they’d hit us with the middle and they just had so many great attackers.
"I don’t think we ever got into our defensive groove and that kind of affected our offense a little bit."
Johnson-Lynch was quick to note it was one of her most memorable seasons she’s ever had at Iowa State.
It’s not an easy feat to make NCAA tournament appearances year-in and year-out but now it’s back to the drawing board and maybe next year the team's NCAA tournament residency will last a little longer.
“I think most programs would kill to be in our shoes and to have been in the Sweet 16 this many times and to finish, again, in the top-16 in the country on one hand is a remarkable season," Johnson-Lynch said. "On the other hand I wish we could have played a lot better those last three matches."
But then Selection Sunday happened, when the team was told it would host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament as the No. 15 seed. The following day at practice, coach Christy Johnson-Lynch sensed something was different and her team wasn’t the same.
“We were great against Texas,” Johnson-Lynch said in her final news conference of the year on Monday. “I thought it was our best match of the year and after that we just never played well again.”
Against I-P Fort Wayne and North Carolina, the Cyclones needed five sets to get through each match. Prior to the NCAA tournament, Iowa State had only played two five-set matches against Texas during the entire conference season.
Senior Jamie Straube couldn’t quite put her finger on it either, but said she thought the will to win got the best of them.
“I think it was a little bit of excitement but I think in a way we were putting a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Straube said. “We had high expectations — we’re all pretty driven players and we want to do our very best — so we were on a mission I think but there’s that balance of knowing when to back off and let it happen and when to keep pushing forward.”
In both the first- and second-round matches, the Cyclones put themselves in win-or-go-home situations. Each time, Iowa State won the first set but dropped the second and third to put Hilton Coliseum on edge. The Cyclones went on to win the fourth and fifth sets both times to advance.
Johnson-Lynch noticed the nervous demeanor among her players as well.
When asked about if it was a little too much for the freshmen to handle in their first year, Johnson-Lynch was quick to point out that it wasn’t just the newcomers who were out of their element.
“I think that was everybody,” Johnson-Lynch said. “No one but [Rachel] Hockaday really put up very good numbers against Stanford, so it wasn’t like we had a lot of freshmen and we’re young.”
The Cyclones capped off what Johnson-Lynch called a really disappointing final two weeks with Stanford on Friday. Stanford handed Iowa State its first sweep since Oct. 3 at Kansas State in a match the Cyclones couldn’t seem to find a rhythm.
The Cardinal finished with 49 kills to Iowa State’s 35 and Victoria Hurtt led the Cyclones with seven. With volleyball, offensive and defensive production often goes hand-in-hand and Straube said it was one of the reasons for the low offensive numbers.
“When we’re digging balls and we’re playing tough defense, all our offense just goes with it," Straube said. "But I think we weren’t playing very good defense and they were coming at us from the outside and then they’d hit us with the middle and they just had so many great attackers.
"I don’t think we ever got into our defensive groove and that kind of affected our offense a little bit."
Johnson-Lynch was quick to note it was one of her most memorable seasons she’s ever had at Iowa State.
It’s not an easy feat to make NCAA tournament appearances year-in and year-out but now it’s back to the drawing board and maybe next year the team's NCAA tournament residency will last a little longer.
“I think most programs would kill to be in our shoes and to have been in the Sweet 16 this many times and to finish, again, in the top-16 in the country on one hand is a remarkable season," Johnson-Lynch said. "On the other hand I wish we could have played a lot better those last three matches."
2012年12月6日星期四
marketing in the airline industry
Many people are familiar with Delesprie's lifelike bronze sculptures: the man sitting on a bench reading a newspaper at The Promenade at Westlake, his children playing nearby, and the proud Chumash Indian holding his bow to the sky atop a fountain at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks.
The petite, attractive sculptor's clients are as diverse as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and the Rev. Robert Schuller. Subjects include animals and angels, adults and children, the familiar and the unknown.
"All my inspiration comes from God," said the Westlake Village artist, whose name means "from the spirit" in French. "It's way too much for me. I look at my work and say, 'I didn't really do that, did I?' "
Delesprie started sculpting as a teenager, living in Montreal, gathering clay from the riverbank and sculpting natives.
She came from a family of artists: her mother was a painter; her sister is a sculptor of miniatures. Her dad was a photographer working for the Montreal Star and did photo engraving.
"We all worked with our hands," she said.
Her mother wanted to send her to art school, but there wasn't enough money.
"I had been given a gift and I knew I was good at it," she said. "I was trying to hone in on it on my own it without any direction. I didn't think I could make a living at it and so I got my degrees in other fields."
Delesprie worked as a flight attendant and attended Loyola University in Montreal and CSU Northridge, earning degrees in business and counseling, but also taking art classes.
"I was planning to go into advertising and marketing in the airline industry," she said.
"But I was sculpting on the kitchen table. People would say, 'I could sell that.' "
One of those early sculptures was seen by Michael Wayne, John Wayne's son. He commissioned her for a sculpture.
"From there, it just snowballed," she said. "It was that statue that the Autrys saw, and that led to the Autry monument at Griffith Park."
From there, she received more commissions to do public and private sculptures.But despite her success as a sculptor, Delesprie had felt unsettled in her private life since childhood.
"I always had a lot of nervous energy, always felt there was something missing from my life," she said. In 1981, she met a woman, a Messianic Jew, who invited her to attend Bible study classes.
Delesprie begins her pieces by meeting with the client and discussing the mission statement.
"The best ones are when they give the artist the go-ahead," she said. "If you come up with the idea, you're going to be a lot more inspired to accomplish it."
After she gets approval for the sketch, she builds the armature, then sculpts a flat silhouette.
"You have to get it right on the inside for it to be right on the outside," she said.
"The monument of Donald Pruner at Los Robles Hospital, even though he's fully clothed with a suit, tie, shoes, I sculpted him first without, with a flat sculpture, with the bone structure, muscle structure and finally the clothing. I roll almost sausage-like forms to create fabric."
The petite, attractive sculptor's clients are as diverse as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and the Rev. Robert Schuller. Subjects include animals and angels, adults and children, the familiar and the unknown.
"All my inspiration comes from God," said the Westlake Village artist, whose name means "from the spirit" in French. "It's way too much for me. I look at my work and say, 'I didn't really do that, did I?' "
Delesprie started sculpting as a teenager, living in Montreal, gathering clay from the riverbank and sculpting natives.
She came from a family of artists: her mother was a painter; her sister is a sculptor of miniatures. Her dad was a photographer working for the Montreal Star and did photo engraving.
"We all worked with our hands," she said.
Her mother wanted to send her to art school, but there wasn't enough money.
"I had been given a gift and I knew I was good at it," she said. "I was trying to hone in on it on my own it without any direction. I didn't think I could make a living at it and so I got my degrees in other fields."
Delesprie worked as a flight attendant and attended Loyola University in Montreal and CSU Northridge, earning degrees in business and counseling, but also taking art classes.
"I was planning to go into advertising and marketing in the airline industry," she said.
"But I was sculpting on the kitchen table. People would say, 'I could sell that.' "
One of those early sculptures was seen by Michael Wayne, John Wayne's son. He commissioned her for a sculpture.
"From there, it just snowballed," she said. "It was that statue that the Autrys saw, and that led to the Autry monument at Griffith Park."
From there, she received more commissions to do public and private sculptures.But despite her success as a sculptor, Delesprie had felt unsettled in her private life since childhood.
"I always had a lot of nervous energy, always felt there was something missing from my life," she said. In 1981, she met a woman, a Messianic Jew, who invited her to attend Bible study classes.
Delesprie begins her pieces by meeting with the client and discussing the mission statement.
"The best ones are when they give the artist the go-ahead," she said. "If you come up with the idea, you're going to be a lot more inspired to accomplish it."
After she gets approval for the sketch, she builds the armature, then sculpts a flat silhouette.
"You have to get it right on the inside for it to be right on the outside," she said.
"The monument of Donald Pruner at Los Robles Hospital, even though he's fully clothed with a suit, tie, shoes, I sculpted him first without, with a flat sculpture, with the bone structure, muscle structure and finally the clothing. I roll almost sausage-like forms to create fabric."
2012年12月4日星期二
most evocative performance of the most famous
MANILA, Philippines – A lot of biopics have either hinted or explicitly suggested that Andres Bonifacio was the “more deserving” national hero than Dr. Jose Rizal. But if there’s one film that makes a good case for such an argument, it would be the Richard Somes-helmed “Supremo.”
Like his role in the late Mario O’Hara’s “Ang Paglilitis Kay Andres Bonifacio,” actor-politician Alfred Vargas, one of the few mainstream actors in “Supremo,” has big shoes to fill in this flick. But, thanks to his glowing adulation for the hero, Alfred rose to the challenge and delivered a most evocative performance of the most famous Katipunero to date.
Out of the countless biopics done in honor of Bonifacio, “Supremo” depicts the subject as person; more human and less like an unrelatable, overly patriotic war hero. That despite his great love for the country, he has had his moments of weaknesses and doubts.
Set in old Manila circa 1800s, the film traced what lighted Andres’ fire to fight for freedom against the Spanish regime; how the Philippine version of the league of extraordinary gentlemen aka as KKK (Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan) was formed; and even about the treachery he suffered in the hands of his own “Katipunero” brothers.
All these were showcased in sepia toned frames, underscored by breathtaking dusk and silhouette scenes set against vast meadows and rice paddies, which the old Manila was best known for.
For a biopic shot in just 15 days, “Supremo’s” production team sure took the time to make the best of what they have. From the hefty props and costumes of the actors, to the apt locations, and the vivid fight scenes down to the music used for the scoring, everything spelled class and creativity rolled into one.
But with students as the film’s obvious target audience, perhaps it would be wise for "Supremo" to be cut shorter than it’s original two-and-a-half-hour run? More, it needs some polishing on the transition sequences. The abrupt scene changes tend to be confusing in that one isn't sure if Andres was having flashbacks or if he was in present time.
Alfred did justice to Andres’ controversial yet courageous life. But it was theater actor Nicco Manalo, the son of comedian Jose Manalo, who was a revelation in the film as he breathed so much vigor into the character of young soldier Emilio Jacinto. Unfortunately though, Macario Sakay’s (Mon Confiado) character was overshadowed by the two, probably because he wasn’t given much lines or maybe even because his wig was in disarray the entire time.
Produced and starred by Alfred Vargas, “Supremo” opens on Dec. 5 exclusively in SM Cinemas nationwide.
Like his role in the late Mario O’Hara’s “Ang Paglilitis Kay Andres Bonifacio,” actor-politician Alfred Vargas, one of the few mainstream actors in “Supremo,” has big shoes to fill in this flick. But, thanks to his glowing adulation for the hero, Alfred rose to the challenge and delivered a most evocative performance of the most famous Katipunero to date.
Out of the countless biopics done in honor of Bonifacio, “Supremo” depicts the subject as person; more human and less like an unrelatable, overly patriotic war hero. That despite his great love for the country, he has had his moments of weaknesses and doubts.
Set in old Manila circa 1800s, the film traced what lighted Andres’ fire to fight for freedom against the Spanish regime; how the Philippine version of the league of extraordinary gentlemen aka as KKK (Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan) was formed; and even about the treachery he suffered in the hands of his own “Katipunero” brothers.
All these were showcased in sepia toned frames, underscored by breathtaking dusk and silhouette scenes set against vast meadows and rice paddies, which the old Manila was best known for.
For a biopic shot in just 15 days, “Supremo’s” production team sure took the time to make the best of what they have. From the hefty props and costumes of the actors, to the apt locations, and the vivid fight scenes down to the music used for the scoring, everything spelled class and creativity rolled into one.
But with students as the film’s obvious target audience, perhaps it would be wise for "Supremo" to be cut shorter than it’s original two-and-a-half-hour run? More, it needs some polishing on the transition sequences. The abrupt scene changes tend to be confusing in that one isn't sure if Andres was having flashbacks or if he was in present time.
Alfred did justice to Andres’ controversial yet courageous life. But it was theater actor Nicco Manalo, the son of comedian Jose Manalo, who was a revelation in the film as he breathed so much vigor into the character of young soldier Emilio Jacinto. Unfortunately though, Macario Sakay’s (Mon Confiado) character was overshadowed by the two, probably because he wasn’t given much lines or maybe even because his wig was in disarray the entire time.
Produced and starred by Alfred Vargas, “Supremo” opens on Dec. 5 exclusively in SM Cinemas nationwide.
2012年12月2日星期日
Man who races against Father Time
Fauja Singh may be older than the zip, but he's still got some. He was born before formica was invented and his collection of wrinkles will confirm it. He arrived on the planet months before Roald Amundsen discovered the South Pole in December 1911.
Most men his age are either entombed, embalmed or exhausted and even he said his buddies have all passed. So how come he's sprinting past me at the East Coast? He's 101, I'm 50, this is a mismatch. This dude is twice the man I am. A centenarian by definition, a rugged centurion from Rome in attitude.
Later, this runner who is in town for the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore's 10km event, grins and says in Punjabi: "I'm competitive."
Fauja's name roughly means soldierly and with his white flowing beard he resembles Gandalf in a yellow turban. A wizard in shoes. He runs at a neat, measured clip. His breathing is better than mine (a lifetime of no smoking and alcohol, alas, really does help). His knees lift high. "Yours don't," says his coach and interpreter Harmander Singh, to me.
Fauja is standing near the sea and I almost ask if he can walk on water. He started running marathons at 89 in 2000. He's done nine. One in 5hr 40min at 92. He does 16km a day even now of running and walking. This year, this grandfather of 16 and great-grandfather of six, finished the London Marathon in 7:49:21. When I ask if running ever brings pains to his ancient bones, he says he just runs it off.
Now he's retired from marathons. "He's got nothing to prove," says Harmander. Maybe he'll take up bungee jumping.
Where fact meets fiction in the Fauja story we don't know. He was born to a farmer in rural Punjab at a time when presumably birth certificates weren't fashionable. When he got his passport in the 1960s, to go see his children in England, his year of birth was registered as 1911. There it is, believe it or not. But how does it matter? If he was 89, or 93, would his story be less wondrous?
Fauja moved to England in 1992. Whether he ran before, or why he started running is not entirely clear. Harmander says that he would take part in short races in tournaments held to commemorate one of the Sikh gurus. Someone suggested he run longer distances whereupon he turned up to train in 1999 in sneakers and a three-piece suit.
The legend had begun. By the end of it, and Fauja tells this story with a boy's glee, he had customised adidas footwear, with "Fauja" inscribed on one shoe and "Singh" on the other. He has a book on his life called the Turbaned Tornado. And he once, reportedly, set eight world records - from the 100m to 5,000m - in one day as a 100 year old. Four of them did not even exist before.
Running is who this man is and running is what he does and running keeps him alive. If he does not flinch from familiar questions it is because he recognises his reality: "If I stop running, who will talk to me?" Bristling with positivity, he - a London Olympics torchbearer - speaks of Paralympians and says, "If they can do it, why not able-bodied people."
Fauja owns no unique secret beyond a DNA we can't see and a healthy early life lived in the fields; he follows no fancy diet though a cup of hot milk at night is essential; he takes no pills but a vitamin and what an advertisement he might be for it.
Yet as he leans back and drinks water on a hot morning, this man who cannot read or write offers us a message that is profound, familiar and literate. As the poet Samuel Ullman said: "Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
Fauja embraces life. With some style apparently. Evidently he has an Armani suit in his cupboard and arrived with nine pairs of shoes for five days. These do not include his running ones. "He's like a woman," giggled his team. He didn't respond. When last I saw him, on the beach, he was giving another interview, sitting there like patient Father Time wearing a gold watch.
Most men his age are either entombed, embalmed or exhausted and even he said his buddies have all passed. So how come he's sprinting past me at the East Coast? He's 101, I'm 50, this is a mismatch. This dude is twice the man I am. A centenarian by definition, a rugged centurion from Rome in attitude.
Later, this runner who is in town for the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore's 10km event, grins and says in Punjabi: "I'm competitive."
Fauja's name roughly means soldierly and with his white flowing beard he resembles Gandalf in a yellow turban. A wizard in shoes. He runs at a neat, measured clip. His breathing is better than mine (a lifetime of no smoking and alcohol, alas, really does help). His knees lift high. "Yours don't," says his coach and interpreter Harmander Singh, to me.
Fauja is standing near the sea and I almost ask if he can walk on water. He started running marathons at 89 in 2000. He's done nine. One in 5hr 40min at 92. He does 16km a day even now of running and walking. This year, this grandfather of 16 and great-grandfather of six, finished the London Marathon in 7:49:21. When I ask if running ever brings pains to his ancient bones, he says he just runs it off.
Now he's retired from marathons. "He's got nothing to prove," says Harmander. Maybe he'll take up bungee jumping.
Where fact meets fiction in the Fauja story we don't know. He was born to a farmer in rural Punjab at a time when presumably birth certificates weren't fashionable. When he got his passport in the 1960s, to go see his children in England, his year of birth was registered as 1911. There it is, believe it or not. But how does it matter? If he was 89, or 93, would his story be less wondrous?
Fauja moved to England in 1992. Whether he ran before, or why he started running is not entirely clear. Harmander says that he would take part in short races in tournaments held to commemorate one of the Sikh gurus. Someone suggested he run longer distances whereupon he turned up to train in 1999 in sneakers and a three-piece suit.
The legend had begun. By the end of it, and Fauja tells this story with a boy's glee, he had customised adidas footwear, with "Fauja" inscribed on one shoe and "Singh" on the other. He has a book on his life called the Turbaned Tornado. And he once, reportedly, set eight world records - from the 100m to 5,000m - in one day as a 100 year old. Four of them did not even exist before.
Running is who this man is and running is what he does and running keeps him alive. If he does not flinch from familiar questions it is because he recognises his reality: "If I stop running, who will talk to me?" Bristling with positivity, he - a London Olympics torchbearer - speaks of Paralympians and says, "If they can do it, why not able-bodied people."
Fauja owns no unique secret beyond a DNA we can't see and a healthy early life lived in the fields; he follows no fancy diet though a cup of hot milk at night is essential; he takes no pills but a vitamin and what an advertisement he might be for it.
Yet as he leans back and drinks water on a hot morning, this man who cannot read or write offers us a message that is profound, familiar and literate. As the poet Samuel Ullman said: "Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
Fauja embraces life. With some style apparently. Evidently he has an Armani suit in his cupboard and arrived with nine pairs of shoes for five days. These do not include his running ones. "He's like a woman," giggled his team. He didn't respond. When last I saw him, on the beach, he was giving another interview, sitting there like patient Father Time wearing a gold watch.
2012年11月28日星期三
Man accused of murdering Vallejo police officer
A Solano County judge Wednesday afternoon ordered a Fairfield man to stand trial for the murder of Vallejo police Officer James Capoot during a chase after a bank robbery last November.
Henry Albert Smith, 39, has been charged with murder and several special-circumstance allegations including lying in wait and killing a police officer to avoid arrest. He is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
The ruling was made by Judge Peter Foor at the conclusion of a nearly two-day preliminary hearing in Fairfield.
On Tuesday, Vallejo police Officer Peppino Messina testified that Smith looked directly at him as his Yukon Denali sped past his parked patrol car on Tuolomne Street at about 60 mph with Capoot in pursuit.
Messina also joined the foot chase but said he lost sight of the suspect and Capoot.
"I heard three shots. Two were one after another, then there was a two- to three-second pause and then the last shot," Messina said.
He said he saw the microphone that Capoot had been wearing on his uniform dangling over the top of a fence along the side yard of a home at 124 Janice St.
"I pushed the fence down to get to the backyard. I saw Jim lying face-down in the backyard. His arms were under his body," Messina testified.
Messina said he and his police dog searched the yard for the suspect then returned to help Capoot, who was unresponsive but making moaning sounds, Messina testified.
Messina and another officer who arrived took off Capoot's shirt and vest and began CPR, Messina said.
"I tried to get a carotid pulse, but didn't get anything," Messina said.
Capoot had been shot once in the back, and later died at a hospital.
The first witness to testify Tuesday morning was Jessica Arroyo, a teller at the Bank of America on Springs Road where the robbery occurred prior to the car chase.
Arroyo testified that she saw a man in the merchants' line covering his face with a bank bag, and that his skin looked strange. When he got to her station, she saw that he was wearing a mask, she said.
Bank customer Nabil Saleh testified that the robber walked to the door, then ran when a security guard shouted at him, "Hey."
Saleh testified that he saw the man get into an SUV. The security guard told him to follow the car to get its license plate number, Saleh said.
Horton said he ordered Smith -- who had opened the home's exterior security door and was standing between that door and the wooden front door -- to show his hands and get down on the ground. Smith slowly began to move to his knees, Horton said.
Officer Douglas Wilcox, who had also arrived at the scene, then pulled the security door away from Smith's body as Horton shot Smith twice with a Taser, without effect, Horton testified.
Wilcox also testified Tuesday, saying he grabbed Smith's arm after Horton Tasered him and pulled him to the ground, then handcuffed him.
He said he then pulled Smith to his feet and searched him, and found the handgun in the left front pocket of Smith's pants. The gun had a bullet in the chamber and several rounds in the magazine, Wilcox testified.
Vallejo police Detective William Badour testified that the jeans and tennis shoes Smith was wearing when he was arrested were similar to those worn by the bank robber, who was captured on surveillance video.
Henry Albert Smith, 39, has been charged with murder and several special-circumstance allegations including lying in wait and killing a police officer to avoid arrest. He is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
The ruling was made by Judge Peter Foor at the conclusion of a nearly two-day preliminary hearing in Fairfield.
On Tuesday, Vallejo police Officer Peppino Messina testified that Smith looked directly at him as his Yukon Denali sped past his parked patrol car on Tuolomne Street at about 60 mph with Capoot in pursuit.
Messina also joined the foot chase but said he lost sight of the suspect and Capoot.
"I heard three shots. Two were one after another, then there was a two- to three-second pause and then the last shot," Messina said.
He said he saw the microphone that Capoot had been wearing on his uniform dangling over the top of a fence along the side yard of a home at 124 Janice St.
"I pushed the fence down to get to the backyard. I saw Jim lying face-down in the backyard. His arms were under his body," Messina testified.
Messina said he and his police dog searched the yard for the suspect then returned to help Capoot, who was unresponsive but making moaning sounds, Messina testified.
Messina and another officer who arrived took off Capoot's shirt and vest and began CPR, Messina said.
"I tried to get a carotid pulse, but didn't get anything," Messina said.
Capoot had been shot once in the back, and later died at a hospital.
The first witness to testify Tuesday morning was Jessica Arroyo, a teller at the Bank of America on Springs Road where the robbery occurred prior to the car chase.
Arroyo testified that she saw a man in the merchants' line covering his face with a bank bag, and that his skin looked strange. When he got to her station, she saw that he was wearing a mask, she said.
Bank customer Nabil Saleh testified that the robber walked to the door, then ran when a security guard shouted at him, "Hey."
Saleh testified that he saw the man get into an SUV. The security guard told him to follow the car to get its license plate number, Saleh said.
Horton said he ordered Smith -- who had opened the home's exterior security door and was standing between that door and the wooden front door -- to show his hands and get down on the ground. Smith slowly began to move to his knees, Horton said.
Officer Douglas Wilcox, who had also arrived at the scene, then pulled the security door away from Smith's body as Horton shot Smith twice with a Taser, without effect, Horton testified.
Wilcox also testified Tuesday, saying he grabbed Smith's arm after Horton Tasered him and pulled him to the ground, then handcuffed him.
He said he then pulled Smith to his feet and searched him, and found the handgun in the left front pocket of Smith's pants. The gun had a bullet in the chamber and several rounds in the magazine, Wilcox testified.
Vallejo police Detective William Badour testified that the jeans and tennis shoes Smith was wearing when he was arrested were similar to those worn by the bank robber, who was captured on surveillance video.
2012年11月26日星期一
I had no intention of staying as long as I
It's the end of an era for the city of Odessa. After more than a decade, Larry Melton will step down as the city's longest serving Mayor and a new leader will take the reins.
For the last 11 years, Mayor Larry Melton has dedicated his time to the city he loves.
But come Tuesday night, Melton will be hanging up his hat as Odessa Mayor for good.
"We have mixed emotions," Melton said. "My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed serving. We think we have been a part of some good things for Odessa."
NewsWest 9 caught up with Melton while he was busy preparing his 864th speech since taking office. He's the longest serving Mayor in Odessa's history.
Melton was sworn in after the death of then-mayor Billy Hext.
"I stepped into his shoes and I had no intention of staying as long as I did," Melton said.
He said his time in office was filled with many highs. One of his prouder moments was being able to work a change in the contract with the Colorado River Municipal Water District.
"We can look for our own water," Melton said. "We're not totally dependent on an outside source any more. We'd been operating under the same contract for 60 years now. That's a major accomplishment for the future of Odessa."
But there were also some lows for the city leader.
"I think the worst night I ever spent in my life was the night we had our three police officers murdered," Melton said. "We went to that area and to watch the efforts of the other first responders trying to get their peers out was very heartbreaking."
Melton said his favorite part as Mayor was representing the community.
"Doing things with every segment of the community," he said. "We've attended, I can't tell you how many different functions."
It's something he'll miss but now he'll focus on family, his job. He said he'll be around to offer Mayor-Elect David Turner any advice he needs.
Deals abound for people who want to walk through a virtual mall on Cyber Monday, in search of holiday season gifts. Just don't forget about that important report your boss is interested in.
Electronic goods top the nation's wish list, says Louis Ramirez, senior features writer, a bargain-focused website that tracks the shopping frenzy. But from clothing to vacation packages, many other items are available at enticing prices.
"There's definitely more deals this year than last year," Mr. Ramirez says. And for many items, the deals will continue past Monday as retailers try to make sure that their crucial season has big sales volume.
"Don't buy toys on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. They'll be a lot cheaper in the two weeks before Christmas," Mr. Ramirez says. The caveat to remember: If there's a particular must-have toy, you need to weigh the prospect that prices may fall against the risk that the toy may sell out.
For tablet computers, by contrast, he says some hot deals have already passed by. The chance to get Apple's older iPad tablet (version three) at lower prices has evaporated, so shoppers hankering for Apple's signature tablet are looking at starting prices of $499 (fourth-generation iPad without cellular access). Similarly, don't expect to find the Google Nexus 7 tablet in stock, in its 16-gigabyte version.
"For TV's, the availability is great," Ramirez says, with retailers moving quickly to match discounts by competitors.
For the last 11 years, Mayor Larry Melton has dedicated his time to the city he loves.
But come Tuesday night, Melton will be hanging up his hat as Odessa Mayor for good.
"We have mixed emotions," Melton said. "My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed serving. We think we have been a part of some good things for Odessa."
NewsWest 9 caught up with Melton while he was busy preparing his 864th speech since taking office. He's the longest serving Mayor in Odessa's history.
Melton was sworn in after the death of then-mayor Billy Hext.
"I stepped into his shoes and I had no intention of staying as long as I did," Melton said.
He said his time in office was filled with many highs. One of his prouder moments was being able to work a change in the contract with the Colorado River Municipal Water District.
"We can look for our own water," Melton said. "We're not totally dependent on an outside source any more. We'd been operating under the same contract for 60 years now. That's a major accomplishment for the future of Odessa."
But there were also some lows for the city leader.
"I think the worst night I ever spent in my life was the night we had our three police officers murdered," Melton said. "We went to that area and to watch the efforts of the other first responders trying to get their peers out was very heartbreaking."
Melton said his favorite part as Mayor was representing the community.
"Doing things with every segment of the community," he said. "We've attended, I can't tell you how many different functions."
It's something he'll miss but now he'll focus on family, his job. He said he'll be around to offer Mayor-Elect David Turner any advice he needs.
Deals abound for people who want to walk through a virtual mall on Cyber Monday, in search of holiday season gifts. Just don't forget about that important report your boss is interested in.
Electronic goods top the nation's wish list, says Louis Ramirez, senior features writer, a bargain-focused website that tracks the shopping frenzy. But from clothing to vacation packages, many other items are available at enticing prices.
"There's definitely more deals this year than last year," Mr. Ramirez says. And for many items, the deals will continue past Monday as retailers try to make sure that their crucial season has big sales volume.
"Don't buy toys on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. They'll be a lot cheaper in the two weeks before Christmas," Mr. Ramirez says. The caveat to remember: If there's a particular must-have toy, you need to weigh the prospect that prices may fall against the risk that the toy may sell out.
For tablet computers, by contrast, he says some hot deals have already passed by. The chance to get Apple's older iPad tablet (version three) at lower prices has evaporated, so shoppers hankering for Apple's signature tablet are looking at starting prices of $499 (fourth-generation iPad without cellular access). Similarly, don't expect to find the Google Nexus 7 tablet in stock, in its 16-gigabyte version.
"For TV's, the availability is great," Ramirez says, with retailers moving quickly to match discounts by competitors.
2012年11月21日星期三
Mr Bowman went missing for a third and final time in June this year
An Alzheimer's patient who went missing from a "dementia friendly" ward drowned in a river near the hospital, his son has said.
Nick Bowman has accused Panteg County Hospital staff of not appropriately caring for his father Ronald, from Langstone in Newport, who died earlier this year.
He said that his family had been assured by healthcare professionals that his 74-year-old father was being well looked after, but after escaping the ward, which is especially designed for patients with dementia, Mr Bowman drowned in a river near to the hospital. The family believe that Mr Bowman was trying to cross the river so he could get home to his wife.
Mr Bowman was admitted to the Royal Gwent Hospital suffering with meningitis. He was later transferred to the Hafen Deg ward at Panteg County Hospital in Pontypool, South Wales. His family were told that he would be checked on by ward staff every 15 minutes. But Mr Bowman managed to escape from the ward twice, being found once in the hospital car park and in the reception.
"My family and I believe that in his confused state, he was trying to get back to my mother," his son said in a new Patients Association report. "He had been increasing agitated over the past few weeks and the state he was in when my mother left after visiting hours was getting increasingly worse. This was understandably distressing for my mother, but the constant reassurance from medical staff that she should not worry as he was being well looked after, calmed my mother down."
But despite the assurances, Mr Bowman went missing for a third and final time in June this year. Police found his shoes at the bank of a river near to the hospital. Three weeks later Mr Bowman's body was found four miles downstream from the hospital.
Aneurin Bevan Health Board, which is responsible for the hospital, wrote in the report: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Bowman following this tragic incident in July. When an inpatient leaves a ward unexpectedly an internal investigation will always take place and this case has therefore been the subject of a Serious Incident Investigation within the Health Board.
"We have maintained contact with Mr Bowman's family and have shared our investigation findings with them in a recent meeting. As this case is the subject of a formal complaint it would however not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: "The vast majority of patients get excellent care on the NHS but we will not tolerate occasions when the NHS fails its patients. That's why we are taking action to root out poor care in hospitals and care homes and make sure the quality of care is valued as highly as quality of treatment.
"These cases are shocking and tragic. That's why next year we will introduce new ways of measuring and publishing the experiences that patients have in hospital. By shining a light on those organisations which have problems, we will be able to drive up standards so that everyone gets the quality of care they should expect."
Nick Bowman has accused Panteg County Hospital staff of not appropriately caring for his father Ronald, from Langstone in Newport, who died earlier this year.
He said that his family had been assured by healthcare professionals that his 74-year-old father was being well looked after, but after escaping the ward, which is especially designed for patients with dementia, Mr Bowman drowned in a river near to the hospital. The family believe that Mr Bowman was trying to cross the river so he could get home to his wife.
Mr Bowman was admitted to the Royal Gwent Hospital suffering with meningitis. He was later transferred to the Hafen Deg ward at Panteg County Hospital in Pontypool, South Wales. His family were told that he would be checked on by ward staff every 15 minutes. But Mr Bowman managed to escape from the ward twice, being found once in the hospital car park and in the reception.
"My family and I believe that in his confused state, he was trying to get back to my mother," his son said in a new Patients Association report. "He had been increasing agitated over the past few weeks and the state he was in when my mother left after visiting hours was getting increasingly worse. This was understandably distressing for my mother, but the constant reassurance from medical staff that she should not worry as he was being well looked after, calmed my mother down."
But despite the assurances, Mr Bowman went missing for a third and final time in June this year. Police found his shoes at the bank of a river near to the hospital. Three weeks later Mr Bowman's body was found four miles downstream from the hospital.
Aneurin Bevan Health Board, which is responsible for the hospital, wrote in the report: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Bowman following this tragic incident in July. When an inpatient leaves a ward unexpectedly an internal investigation will always take place and this case has therefore been the subject of a Serious Incident Investigation within the Health Board.
"We have maintained contact with Mr Bowman's family and have shared our investigation findings with them in a recent meeting. As this case is the subject of a formal complaint it would however not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: "The vast majority of patients get excellent care on the NHS but we will not tolerate occasions when the NHS fails its patients. That's why we are taking action to root out poor care in hospitals and care homes and make sure the quality of care is valued as highly as quality of treatment.
"These cases are shocking and tragic. That's why next year we will introduce new ways of measuring and publishing the experiences that patients have in hospital. By shining a light on those organisations which have problems, we will be able to drive up standards so that everyone gets the quality of care they should expect."
2012年11月19日星期一
we have opened a new security checkpoint at Charlotte-Douglas
Nearly 2 million Carolinas residents will be on the go this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and authorities say they are doing everything possible to make it a smooth trip.
The weather and gasoline prices will add to the ease of Thanksgiving travel.
The AAA estimates about 43.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, up 0.7 percent from a year ago. Similar numbers are forecast in the Carolinas, where about 1.24 million North Carolina residents and 611,000 from South Carolina traveled for Thanksgiving in 2011.
About 90 percent of the travel will happen on roadways, but about 100,000 people from the Carolinas will fly to their Thanksgiving destinations.
Mark Haught, federal security director in Charlotte for the Transportation Security Administration, says three changes in screening policy will make it easier for air travelers this year. He says the youngest and oldest passengers won’t need to take off their shoes at security checkpoints, and the start of a Pre-Check screening process will decrease the size of lines.
“And we have opened a new security checkpoint at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport,” Haught adds.
Still, he adds, large crowds are expected Wednesday and again next Monday at Charlotte’s airport. Passengers are encouraged to arrive two hours before their scheduled departures.
Those driving to their destinations will find that highway construction projects in the Carolinas will be suspended over the weekend. The N.C. Highway Patrol says it will step up enforcement of seat-belt and other laws, in an effort to keep the roads safe.
Weather is expected to be dry and mild across most of the United States, except for the West Coast. And gasoline prices have dropped about 35 cents a gallon over the past month, leaving this year’s prices lower than for Thanksgiving 2011.
More than 1.8 million Carolinas residents are expected to drive 50 or more miles. The busiest travel times will be Wednesday, especially from noon to 8 p.m., and again Sunday. Heavy travel also is likely Saturday.
“We want everyone to make it home safely,” N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti says. That, he adds, is why police will have extra patrols throughout the weekend.
Average prices for a gallon of regular gasoline are $3.30 in North Carolina (down from $3.36 last Thanksgiving and $3.64 a month ago) and $3.11 in South Carolina (down from $3.16 last year and $3.43 a month ago).
Charlotte has some of the lowest prices in North Carolina, with the AAA reporting the average price for a gallon of regular at $3.26. That compares to $3.30 in Raleigh; $3.35 in Wilmington; and $3.40 in Asheville. As usual, South Carolina prices are lower – ranging from $3.05 in Myrtle Beach to $3.10 in Columbia and $3.18 in Charleston.
Once at the airport, the big challenge typically is dealing with security checkpoint lines. The new Checkpoint E gives Charlotte-Douglas International 20 security lanes at five checkpoints. A tip from the TSA’s Haught: “Use Checkpoint E. It’s in a more open area of the airport, and there are five (security) lines,” he says.
Haught says many travelers think they must use the checkpoint nearest their gate, but that is not the case. “If your flight is at Gate A or B, for example, you can still go through security at Checkpoint E, then walk to your gate,” he says.
The weather and gasoline prices will add to the ease of Thanksgiving travel.
The AAA estimates about 43.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, up 0.7 percent from a year ago. Similar numbers are forecast in the Carolinas, where about 1.24 million North Carolina residents and 611,000 from South Carolina traveled for Thanksgiving in 2011.
About 90 percent of the travel will happen on roadways, but about 100,000 people from the Carolinas will fly to their Thanksgiving destinations.
Mark Haught, federal security director in Charlotte for the Transportation Security Administration, says three changes in screening policy will make it easier for air travelers this year. He says the youngest and oldest passengers won’t need to take off their shoes at security checkpoints, and the start of a Pre-Check screening process will decrease the size of lines.
“And we have opened a new security checkpoint at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport,” Haught adds.
Still, he adds, large crowds are expected Wednesday and again next Monday at Charlotte’s airport. Passengers are encouraged to arrive two hours before their scheduled departures.
Those driving to their destinations will find that highway construction projects in the Carolinas will be suspended over the weekend. The N.C. Highway Patrol says it will step up enforcement of seat-belt and other laws, in an effort to keep the roads safe.
Weather is expected to be dry and mild across most of the United States, except for the West Coast. And gasoline prices have dropped about 35 cents a gallon over the past month, leaving this year’s prices lower than for Thanksgiving 2011.
More than 1.8 million Carolinas residents are expected to drive 50 or more miles. The busiest travel times will be Wednesday, especially from noon to 8 p.m., and again Sunday. Heavy travel also is likely Saturday.
“We want everyone to make it home safely,” N.C. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti says. That, he adds, is why police will have extra patrols throughout the weekend.
Average prices for a gallon of regular gasoline are $3.30 in North Carolina (down from $3.36 last Thanksgiving and $3.64 a month ago) and $3.11 in South Carolina (down from $3.16 last year and $3.43 a month ago).
Charlotte has some of the lowest prices in North Carolina, with the AAA reporting the average price for a gallon of regular at $3.26. That compares to $3.30 in Raleigh; $3.35 in Wilmington; and $3.40 in Asheville. As usual, South Carolina prices are lower – ranging from $3.05 in Myrtle Beach to $3.10 in Columbia and $3.18 in Charleston.
Once at the airport, the big challenge typically is dealing with security checkpoint lines. The new Checkpoint E gives Charlotte-Douglas International 20 security lanes at five checkpoints. A tip from the TSA’s Haught: “Use Checkpoint E. It’s in a more open area of the airport, and there are five (security) lines,” he says.
Haught says many travelers think they must use the checkpoint nearest their gate, but that is not the case. “If your flight is at Gate A or B, for example, you can still go through security at Checkpoint E, then walk to your gate,” he says.
2012年11月15日星期四
Sanchez also was ripped by unnamed teammates
Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow have talked since the spring about what a terrific relationship they have, despite being the focal points of the Jets' non-stop quarterback drama.
So here's the bright side to Wednesday's events: They now have yet another shared experience to help them bond.
Tebow was his usual upbeat self for the most part in his regular media session, despite the fact that the backup quarterback was ripped anonymously by teammates in a Daily News story that appeared Wednesday.
In the story, various unnamed sources in the organization, including players and team officials, said Tebow has not improved as a quarterback and is not a viable option to replace the embattled Sanchez as the starter for the Jets (3-6), who visit St. Louis on Sunday. Tebow was acquired in a trade with Denver in March.
"I've been in those shoes," Sanchez said. "So, if anybody knows what it feels like, it's me."
Sanchez also was ripped by unnamed teammates and members of the Jets' organization in a story in January, which portrayed him as pampered and coddled by the organization, and a player who is not a leader.
Tebow "is mentally tough enough to handle that, I know it," Sanchez said of the anonymous criticism. "He's smart, he's strong mentally and physically, and it really won't bother him. That's all you do in that situation: keep working hard, keep trusting the guys around you [and] keep playing."
In the story, one anonymous Jet said Tebow was "terrible" and another said "We don't look at him as a quarterback" but as a "Wildcat guy."
"I'm proud to be a Jet," said Tebow, who called his teammates "awesome dudes" and "great guys."
"You try to be stronger from it," added Tebow, who said he hadn't read the story but had been told about it.
"It doesn't really make me worry," Tebow said. "Negative things being said about you always can be a little frustrating or saddening, but at the same time you're always motivated to go out there and keep working. I've had to deal with a lot of negative comments and criticism in my football career, so it motivates me and pushes me to try and get better."
Earlier in the day, coach Rex Ryan was in major damage-control mode at his news conference, although for a change, the struggling Sanchez was not the subject. Ryan contended there is no fracturing on his team, which had serious chemistry issues down the stretch last season that contributed to a season-ending, three-game losing streak.
"I did address it" to the team, he said of the anonymous quotes. "It's a cowardly thing. ... If you put your name to it, people will respect you a lot more."
The one player who put his name on his comments was left guard Matt Slauson, who said the quarterback competition is "not even close. All the other quarterbacks know it. I have all the confidence in Mark. We don't really have a choice."
He also referred to Tebow as an "athlete."
Slauson said those comments weren't recent.
"It could have been Week 1," he said Wednesday. "It could have been training camp."
Still, he added, "I feel Mark is our quarterback. That's how I feel."
Tebow and Slauson said they talked and that they had no problems with one another.
Slauson "is an awesome guy and we have a great relationship," Tebow said. "He's someone you love having on your football team."
Ryan said he didn't agree with all of Slauson's comments, but added, "I have no problem with Matt Slauson because he put his name on it."
As for the chemistry of the 2012 locker room going forward, Ryan said, "This team, in my opinion, is not going to be pulled apart by outside people."
But the anonymous quotes came from within the team. Still, Ryan added, "I think this team is coming together."
Ryan also said he was on the board with the Tebow acquisition. People such as NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci have said Ryan didn't want Tebow and that is demonstrated by Tebow not being utilized very often.
"I absolutely wanted Tim here," Ryan said. "I was very honest from Day One [about that], and I've never gotten off that."
So here's the bright side to Wednesday's events: They now have yet another shared experience to help them bond.
Tebow was his usual upbeat self for the most part in his regular media session, despite the fact that the backup quarterback was ripped anonymously by teammates in a Daily News story that appeared Wednesday.
In the story, various unnamed sources in the organization, including players and team officials, said Tebow has not improved as a quarterback and is not a viable option to replace the embattled Sanchez as the starter for the Jets (3-6), who visit St. Louis on Sunday. Tebow was acquired in a trade with Denver in March.
"I've been in those shoes," Sanchez said. "So, if anybody knows what it feels like, it's me."
Sanchez also was ripped by unnamed teammates and members of the Jets' organization in a story in January, which portrayed him as pampered and coddled by the organization, and a player who is not a leader.
Tebow "is mentally tough enough to handle that, I know it," Sanchez said of the anonymous criticism. "He's smart, he's strong mentally and physically, and it really won't bother him. That's all you do in that situation: keep working hard, keep trusting the guys around you [and] keep playing."
In the story, one anonymous Jet said Tebow was "terrible" and another said "We don't look at him as a quarterback" but as a "Wildcat guy."
"I'm proud to be a Jet," said Tebow, who called his teammates "awesome dudes" and "great guys."
"You try to be stronger from it," added Tebow, who said he hadn't read the story but had been told about it.
"It doesn't really make me worry," Tebow said. "Negative things being said about you always can be a little frustrating or saddening, but at the same time you're always motivated to go out there and keep working. I've had to deal with a lot of negative comments and criticism in my football career, so it motivates me and pushes me to try and get better."
Earlier in the day, coach Rex Ryan was in major damage-control mode at his news conference, although for a change, the struggling Sanchez was not the subject. Ryan contended there is no fracturing on his team, which had serious chemistry issues down the stretch last season that contributed to a season-ending, three-game losing streak.
"I did address it" to the team, he said of the anonymous quotes. "It's a cowardly thing. ... If you put your name to it, people will respect you a lot more."
The one player who put his name on his comments was left guard Matt Slauson, who said the quarterback competition is "not even close. All the other quarterbacks know it. I have all the confidence in Mark. We don't really have a choice."
He also referred to Tebow as an "athlete."
Slauson said those comments weren't recent.
"It could have been Week 1," he said Wednesday. "It could have been training camp."
Still, he added, "I feel Mark is our quarterback. That's how I feel."
Tebow and Slauson said they talked and that they had no problems with one another.
Slauson "is an awesome guy and we have a great relationship," Tebow said. "He's someone you love having on your football team."
Ryan said he didn't agree with all of Slauson's comments, but added, "I have no problem with Matt Slauson because he put his name on it."
As for the chemistry of the 2012 locker room going forward, Ryan said, "This team, in my opinion, is not going to be pulled apart by outside people."
But the anonymous quotes came from within the team. Still, Ryan added, "I think this team is coming together."
Ryan also said he was on the board with the Tebow acquisition. People such as NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci have said Ryan didn't want Tebow and that is demonstrated by Tebow not being utilized very often.
"I absolutely wanted Tim here," Ryan said. "I was very honest from Day One [about that], and I've never gotten off that."
2012年11月13日星期二
From elegant English rose to Spanish siren
"I've never felt that I looked very British," she says. "Even so, Consuelo is a departure for me. I'd never wear what she wears – a lot of bling and a lot of make-up, probably the most make-up I've ever worn on a job. But playing a femme fatale is much more fun than playing a goody two-shoes."
For a star of her stature – she has a blockbuster, 2011's Captain America, under her belt – Atwell is distinctly unstarry. She talks frankly about her one-time resistance to red carpets. "I used to say that I didn't do them because I was a serious actress but I remember going to an event five years ago in flat ballet shoes, a skirt I got from a market and a black H&M top. I looked at the pictures after and saw how well turned out all the other girls on my table looked, and they didn't look superficial or vain, they just looked really good. I was so superior and righteous about the whole thing but I looked awful."
Since that experience, Atwell has reappraised her approach to glamming up for premieres. "You have to decide what level you're going to dress up to and what character you're being – because that's a character in itself. I always wanted to be an accomplished stage actress. I wanted to feel it was my currency. Have a craft, a feeling that I could be Helen Mirren when I'm in my sixties and still have sex appeal but it not be what I'm known for."
Shooting in Spain, she was spotted twice. "Well, I've had two people shout 'Colin Farrell!' at me. It took a moment to realise that that's because I was in a film [Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream] with him." Does the attention bother her? "People staring is a bit disconcerting. I'd much rather people came up to me than stare. Being stared at can make you feel a bit… lonely."
It annoys her when brilliant actors don't get the recognition they deserve. "I was really angry, really riled that Olivia Colman wasn't nominated for a Bafta for Tyrannosaur," she fizzes. "But it's not a fair world. There are brilliant actors whok will never really be known or shun the limelight and limit the choices they have. And then there are those who take huge blockbuster roles and that gives them huge power to go make smarter choices like Keira's done. It's a balancing act, a navigation. No one really knows anything so you make it up as you go along."
Part of Atwell making-it-up-as-she's-gone-along of course includes landing the leading lady role in Captain America (budget: $140m; box office: $369m). Was it an opportunity she found daunting? "I nailed the audition and I knew I had, so I felt I got the job off the back of what I did in the room and not how I looked. That was really empowering. Sometimes you hear horror stories of producers putting doughnuts in front of you to test you or fretting about how much weight you need to lose but I had two trainers who were there because it was an extraordinarily physically demanding part. I wasn't airbrushed in any of the pictures to look smaller. I loved that."
For a star of her stature – she has a blockbuster, 2011's Captain America, under her belt – Atwell is distinctly unstarry. She talks frankly about her one-time resistance to red carpets. "I used to say that I didn't do them because I was a serious actress but I remember going to an event five years ago in flat ballet shoes, a skirt I got from a market and a black H&M top. I looked at the pictures after and saw how well turned out all the other girls on my table looked, and they didn't look superficial or vain, they just looked really good. I was so superior and righteous about the whole thing but I looked awful."
Since that experience, Atwell has reappraised her approach to glamming up for premieres. "You have to decide what level you're going to dress up to and what character you're being – because that's a character in itself. I always wanted to be an accomplished stage actress. I wanted to feel it was my currency. Have a craft, a feeling that I could be Helen Mirren when I'm in my sixties and still have sex appeal but it not be what I'm known for."
Shooting in Spain, she was spotted twice. "Well, I've had two people shout 'Colin Farrell!' at me. It took a moment to realise that that's because I was in a film [Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream] with him." Does the attention bother her? "People staring is a bit disconcerting. I'd much rather people came up to me than stare. Being stared at can make you feel a bit… lonely."
It annoys her when brilliant actors don't get the recognition they deserve. "I was really angry, really riled that Olivia Colman wasn't nominated for a Bafta for Tyrannosaur," she fizzes. "But it's not a fair world. There are brilliant actors whok will never really be known or shun the limelight and limit the choices they have. And then there are those who take huge blockbuster roles and that gives them huge power to go make smarter choices like Keira's done. It's a balancing act, a navigation. No one really knows anything so you make it up as you go along."
Part of Atwell making-it-up-as-she's-gone-along of course includes landing the leading lady role in Captain America (budget: $140m; box office: $369m). Was it an opportunity she found daunting? "I nailed the audition and I knew I had, so I felt I got the job off the back of what I did in the room and not how I looked. That was really empowering. Sometimes you hear horror stories of producers putting doughnuts in front of you to test you or fretting about how much weight you need to lose but I had two trainers who were there because it was an extraordinarily physically demanding part. I wasn't airbrushed in any of the pictures to look smaller. I loved that."
2012年11月11日星期日
I need to be true with myself and know this is a serious situation
All around Nene, his Washington Wizards teammates were making their final preparations on Saturday for a game against the Indiana Pacers. A few were getting stretched out by trainers. Others were watching film of the opponent and some were reciting their favorite lines from comedian Dave Chappelle.
Left leg elevated on a folding chair as he received treatment on his injured left foot, and wearing a pair of oversized headphones, Nene closed his eyes and listened to Brazilian pagode music. He following the rhythms on the back of his iPad mini, tapping along as if were a percussion instrument.
With the Wizards (0-5) one of just two remaining winless teams in the NBA and John Wall also injured, Nene admitted he feels pressure to return and help on the court, not just serve as some cheerleader or sage veteran passing along wisdom. But the desire to fix a problem that has plagued him for nearly 11 months outweighs the temptation to rush back.
“I want that thing to heal 100 percent, because I don’t want to shrink my career,” Nene said. “I need to take care of it right now. I want to finish the pain, because it is still painful. I try sometimes, like, ‘Hurry up,’ when I have physical therapy. That could be a mistake. I need to be true with myself and know this is a serious situation.”
Nene, 30, visited Mark S. Myerson, the medical director at the Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, last week and said he was told that he was “probably three weeks away.” When asked to elaborate on whether that meant he would play or begin practicing in three weeks, Nene hedged off a specific timeline, simply explaining how he continues to deal with soreness as a result of plantar fasciitis near the heel of his left foot.
For the first time, Nene spoke at length about how the problem began and the frustration he feels about the injury and with outsiders who don’t understand its severity.
“They have no clue,” Nene said, adding that he actually tore a ligament in the bottom of his foot and that another is irritated and causing more problems. “They think it’s simple pain.”
Nene said he started feeling discomfort in his left foot last December in Denver, “because I worked real hard during the lockout.” The culprit may have been “bad shoes,” he said, but he also felt obligated to keep playing through it after the Nuggets gave him a five-year, $65 million contract in free agency.
Denver shut him down for a few games in January — including a win in Washington — with a “bruised left heel” and was forced to give him an extended break after he played 22 minutes in Indiana and the problem spread to his left calf. Nene missed 10 consecutive games to rest and said he also received a cortisone shot to numb the pain.
“That make my bone weak and I don’t take enough time to recover,” Nene said of the shot. “Usually, you’re supposed to take three weeks, four weeks, I just took like 10 days.”
Nene returned to play five more games for Denver before the Wizards acquired him in a three-team trade that shipped out JaVale McGee and Nick Young. But the 6-foot-11 big man admitted that during his final months with the Nuggets, he rarely practiced, choosing to tax his body — and his foot — in games instead.
Left leg elevated on a folding chair as he received treatment on his injured left foot, and wearing a pair of oversized headphones, Nene closed his eyes and listened to Brazilian pagode music. He following the rhythms on the back of his iPad mini, tapping along as if were a percussion instrument.
With the Wizards (0-5) one of just two remaining winless teams in the NBA and John Wall also injured, Nene admitted he feels pressure to return and help on the court, not just serve as some cheerleader or sage veteran passing along wisdom. But the desire to fix a problem that has plagued him for nearly 11 months outweighs the temptation to rush back.
“I want that thing to heal 100 percent, because I don’t want to shrink my career,” Nene said. “I need to take care of it right now. I want to finish the pain, because it is still painful. I try sometimes, like, ‘Hurry up,’ when I have physical therapy. That could be a mistake. I need to be true with myself and know this is a serious situation.”
Nene, 30, visited Mark S. Myerson, the medical director at the Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, last week and said he was told that he was “probably three weeks away.” When asked to elaborate on whether that meant he would play or begin practicing in three weeks, Nene hedged off a specific timeline, simply explaining how he continues to deal with soreness as a result of plantar fasciitis near the heel of his left foot.
For the first time, Nene spoke at length about how the problem began and the frustration he feels about the injury and with outsiders who don’t understand its severity.
“They have no clue,” Nene said, adding that he actually tore a ligament in the bottom of his foot and that another is irritated and causing more problems. “They think it’s simple pain.”
Nene said he started feeling discomfort in his left foot last December in Denver, “because I worked real hard during the lockout.” The culprit may have been “bad shoes,” he said, but he also felt obligated to keep playing through it after the Nuggets gave him a five-year, $65 million contract in free agency.
Denver shut him down for a few games in January — including a win in Washington — with a “bruised left heel” and was forced to give him an extended break after he played 22 minutes in Indiana and the problem spread to his left calf. Nene missed 10 consecutive games to rest and said he also received a cortisone shot to numb the pain.
“That make my bone weak and I don’t take enough time to recover,” Nene said of the shot. “Usually, you’re supposed to take three weeks, four weeks, I just took like 10 days.”
Nene returned to play five more games for Denver before the Wizards acquired him in a three-team trade that shipped out JaVale McGee and Nick Young. But the 6-foot-11 big man admitted that during his final months with the Nuggets, he rarely practiced, choosing to tax his body — and his foot — in games instead.
2012年11月7日星期三
When Javier Bardem was a young actor in Spain
Residents of Cochise County elected a new sheriff Tuesday. Mark Dannels will replace the late Larry Dever. Dever, the sheriff for 16 years, was killed earlier this fall in a drunk driving accident.
Dannels was the only candidate on the ballot, he beat write-in candidate and current acting Sheriff Rod Rothrock.
Dannels said he wants to preserve the legacy of Cochise County, "I plan on putting some actions forward to show the folks that I do care about Cochise County and those that choose to ignore our laws we're going to go after them," he said.
Dannels joined the Sheriff's Department in 1986 and said he learned a lot from Dever.
"I am who I am, who is who he was. His legacy I will safeguard for him and I will begin to build a legacy for Mark Dannels," he said.
The border is one of Dannels' top priorities, he wants to create a border team and a ranch patrol, Dannels talked about the murder of Cochise County rancher Rob Krentz.
"It's something that needs to be looked at. This was border violence and it sent a very negative message, it was a horrific crime and I think it needs attention," Dannels said.
Cochise County resident Matt Creegan agrees.
"The border is a very big thing here because people in the rest of the country don't quite understand the problems that we have here," Creegan said.
Creegan is the chair of the Cochise County Republican Party, he described scrambling to get a name on the ballot after Dever's sudden death.
"Trying to figure out what we had to do. Everyone admitted that this was rather difficult because it had never happened before."
Dannels campaigned for 46 days, though hard work he says now the real work begins.
"The biggest thing to do is earning the trust and respect of our citizens as their sheriff. I've got big shoes to fill."
Dannels will take office in January.
When Javier Bardem was a young actor in Spain, he had a powerful dream in which all of the characters he had portrayed were in the same room. Yet they had nothing to say to one another because they had so little in common.
It's a surreal concept that still motivates the 43-year-old Oscar winner, though he concedes that the idea of his growing list of characters never sharing traits is "impossible, of course."
"But chasing that idea is what gives me ...," Bardem says, struggling for the proper English, "what's the word? Inspired. It gives me hunger. It's my goal. I try to bring people to the screen that didn't exist before. When I see actors that do that, I go, 'Wow.' "
An international wave of moviegoers and critics has already been wowed by Bardem's newest addition to the room: the menacing yet quirky villain opposite Daniel Craig's James Bond in Skyfall, opening in U.S. theaters Thursday at midnight.
Dannels was the only candidate on the ballot, he beat write-in candidate and current acting Sheriff Rod Rothrock.
Dannels said he wants to preserve the legacy of Cochise County, "I plan on putting some actions forward to show the folks that I do care about Cochise County and those that choose to ignore our laws we're going to go after them," he said.
Dannels joined the Sheriff's Department in 1986 and said he learned a lot from Dever.
"I am who I am, who is who he was. His legacy I will safeguard for him and I will begin to build a legacy for Mark Dannels," he said.
The border is one of Dannels' top priorities, he wants to create a border team and a ranch patrol, Dannels talked about the murder of Cochise County rancher Rob Krentz.
"It's something that needs to be looked at. This was border violence and it sent a very negative message, it was a horrific crime and I think it needs attention," Dannels said.
Cochise County resident Matt Creegan agrees.
"The border is a very big thing here because people in the rest of the country don't quite understand the problems that we have here," Creegan said.
Creegan is the chair of the Cochise County Republican Party, he described scrambling to get a name on the ballot after Dever's sudden death.
"Trying to figure out what we had to do. Everyone admitted that this was rather difficult because it had never happened before."
Dannels campaigned for 46 days, though hard work he says now the real work begins.
"The biggest thing to do is earning the trust and respect of our citizens as their sheriff. I've got big shoes to fill."
Dannels will take office in January.
When Javier Bardem was a young actor in Spain, he had a powerful dream in which all of the characters he had portrayed were in the same room. Yet they had nothing to say to one another because they had so little in common.
It's a surreal concept that still motivates the 43-year-old Oscar winner, though he concedes that the idea of his growing list of characters never sharing traits is "impossible, of course."
"But chasing that idea is what gives me ...," Bardem says, struggling for the proper English, "what's the word? Inspired. It gives me hunger. It's my goal. I try to bring people to the screen that didn't exist before. When I see actors that do that, I go, 'Wow.' "
An international wave of moviegoers and critics has already been wowed by Bardem's newest addition to the room: the menacing yet quirky villain opposite Daniel Craig's James Bond in Skyfall, opening in U.S. theaters Thursday at midnight.
2012年11月5日星期一
Wonky-banana haters set sights on shoes
Not-so-glossy women’s title Frankie creamed the competition at last
week’s Australian Magazine Awards (AMAs). The indie craft bible
took out the coveted Magazine of the Year award, as well as trumping
its luxury rivals Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Australia to win the
Women’s Fashion category.
Published by Gold Coast company Morrison Media, Frankie has held a
firm place in the heart of craft-loving Australians since its first
issue hit stands in 2004. It’s thick matte pages serve up a massive
bi-monthly serve of everything from indie art and fashion to under-
the-radar travel and all things eco-friendly, while its simple
covers keep things classy with a distinct lack of large-font
headlines and exclamation marks.
Frankie has gone from strength to strength in recent years despite a
drop in the sale of magazines in general. After trying their hands
at a recipe book, a diary, and a calendar, the editors released a
book dedicated to their love of interior design and crochet granny
squares, and in August last year unveiled their very first men’s
title Smith Journal. At the AMAs they revealed some pretty
impressive stats including a nifty 35.47% year-on-year readership
increase for the three months to June 2012. Frankie has just
released its 50th issue.
WHEN I hear the term "nanny state," I picture Penelope Wilton, the
rabbity British actor who appears in TV's Downton Abbey as the
interfering do-gooder Cousin Isobel.
Downton Abbey is set in Britain just before, during, and after World
War I - in other words, ages ago. But as the character Isobel,
Wilton's constantly furrowed brow and air of bossy concern seem to
characterize the modern approach to all sorts of issues. Interfering
in matters that, however disturbing, aren't actually your concern,
is strangely popular all over the Western World.
That trend persists, whether you're New York mayor Michael Bloomberg
fighting obesity by banning giant servings of pop, or Britain's
Department of Health weighing schoolchildren and sending a finger-
wagging note home to the parents of those deemed too fat. There are
some things that may bother you as a leader or as a ruling body, but
they really aren't any of your business.
Outcry from warped banana enthusiasts in France, Italy, Spain and
Greece saved the day, and 14 years later these yellow misfits were
finally allowed to reappear on produce stands with the rest of the
herd. One can only imagine the celebrations among European fans of
wonky banana splits.
Class 1 cucumbers also had to abide by strict rules that demanded
they be "practically straight . . . bent by a gradient of no more
than 1/10," according to a 2008 Guardian article. You could see the
issue there, though - traditional cucumber sandwich proportions
might have been decimated. The Queen and her cronies could hardly
have been expected to eat such hideously deformed tea offerings.
Eventually, the EU saw the light, realizing that it was wrong to
encourage food waste. Europe's fruits and vegetables once again
became figures of fun, and the Queen probably switched to
watercress.
Anyhoo, the latest astonishing move is that, under new proposals
being drawn up in Brussels, European hairdressers will be forced to
toss aside their chic footwear in favour of flats with non-slip
soles. These masters and mistresses of style will also have to
curtail the number of haircuts they do in a day to steer clear of
"emotional collapse," and will be told to participate in "social
dialogue" to ensure a workplace that's emotionally well vented.
Britain's Mail Online reports that EU Coiffure, an assembly of
European salon bosses, and UNI Europe Hair & Beauty, a union for
European hairdressers, will sign the decrees.
Implementing these rules will apparently cost the UK industry alone
three million pounds in "wasted time and red tape."
This news, of course, set off alarm bells. Not only is it bizarre
for strangers to decide what a woman puts on her feet, surely this
sets a broader precedent. What next - will the Association of Flat-
chested Designers insist that even buxom women wear tops with
ruffles? Will the International Union of Tattoo Artists decree that
its motley members pass spelling tests?
If umbrella organizations are trying to force trendsetting
hairstylists to wear sensible shoes, they might as well go one step
further and ban the blondification of matrons. "You're not fooling
anybody; we totally know you're grey," EU and UNI might announce.
When I was younger and more concerned with fashion, I'd go to
stylists who seemed au courant. While they may not have been
teetering about in stilettos, they certainly never looked as though
they'd dressed to work the midnight shift in an ER. Yet that's what
our poor European friends will have to endure: the snip of scissors
on their Brigitte Bardot bangs perhaps accompanied by the
grandmotherly squeak of Keds on linoleum. Can mandated Engelbert
Humperdinck on the sound system be far behind?
We have an hour or two per appointment to look them over and then,
if possible, copy them. Otherwise, over40s who don't subscribe to In
Style are stuck aping Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, or Madonna.
Do you want the blame for that on your heads?
The aesthetic meddling is bad enough. But I predict a tidal wave of
rebellion when customers learn that beauticians are suddenly
supposed to guard themselves against stress.
"A friseur should not be entitled to her own feelings," the European
ladies will scoff. "Is she not merely a receptacle for my angst?"
I'm with them. I've always thought of stylists as spiritual air
purifiers: They take in whatever we feel like spewing, process it,
and return it to us, making it sound as reasonable as possible.
week’s Australian Magazine Awards (AMAs). The indie craft bible
took out the coveted Magazine of the Year award, as well as trumping
its luxury rivals Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Australia to win the
Women’s Fashion category.
Published by Gold Coast company Morrison Media, Frankie has held a
firm place in the heart of craft-loving Australians since its first
issue hit stands in 2004. It’s thick matte pages serve up a massive
bi-monthly serve of everything from indie art and fashion to under-
the-radar travel and all things eco-friendly, while its simple
covers keep things classy with a distinct lack of large-font
headlines and exclamation marks.
Frankie has gone from strength to strength in recent years despite a
drop in the sale of magazines in general. After trying their hands
at a recipe book, a diary, and a calendar, the editors released a
book dedicated to their love of interior design and crochet granny
squares, and in August last year unveiled their very first men’s
title Smith Journal. At the AMAs they revealed some pretty
impressive stats including a nifty 35.47% year-on-year readership
increase for the three months to June 2012. Frankie has just
released its 50th issue.
WHEN I hear the term "nanny state," I picture Penelope Wilton, the
rabbity British actor who appears in TV's Downton Abbey as the
interfering do-gooder Cousin Isobel.
Downton Abbey is set in Britain just before, during, and after World
War I - in other words, ages ago. But as the character Isobel,
Wilton's constantly furrowed brow and air of bossy concern seem to
characterize the modern approach to all sorts of issues. Interfering
in matters that, however disturbing, aren't actually your concern,
is strangely popular all over the Western World.
That trend persists, whether you're New York mayor Michael Bloomberg
fighting obesity by banning giant servings of pop, or Britain's
Department of Health weighing schoolchildren and sending a finger-
wagging note home to the parents of those deemed too fat. There are
some things that may bother you as a leader or as a ruling body, but
they really aren't any of your business.
Outcry from warped banana enthusiasts in France, Italy, Spain and
Greece saved the day, and 14 years later these yellow misfits were
finally allowed to reappear on produce stands with the rest of the
herd. One can only imagine the celebrations among European fans of
wonky banana splits.
Class 1 cucumbers also had to abide by strict rules that demanded
they be "practically straight . . . bent by a gradient of no more
than 1/10," according to a 2008 Guardian article. You could see the
issue there, though - traditional cucumber sandwich proportions
might have been decimated. The Queen and her cronies could hardly
have been expected to eat such hideously deformed tea offerings.
Eventually, the EU saw the light, realizing that it was wrong to
encourage food waste. Europe's fruits and vegetables once again
became figures of fun, and the Queen probably switched to
watercress.
Anyhoo, the latest astonishing move is that, under new proposals
being drawn up in Brussels, European hairdressers will be forced to
toss aside their chic footwear in favour of flats with non-slip
soles. These masters and mistresses of style will also have to
curtail the number of haircuts they do in a day to steer clear of
"emotional collapse," and will be told to participate in "social
dialogue" to ensure a workplace that's emotionally well vented.
Britain's Mail Online reports that EU Coiffure, an assembly of
European salon bosses, and UNI Europe Hair & Beauty, a union for
European hairdressers, will sign the decrees.
Implementing these rules will apparently cost the UK industry alone
three million pounds in "wasted time and red tape."
This news, of course, set off alarm bells. Not only is it bizarre
for strangers to decide what a woman puts on her feet, surely this
sets a broader precedent. What next - will the Association of Flat-
chested Designers insist that even buxom women wear tops with
ruffles? Will the International Union of Tattoo Artists decree that
its motley members pass spelling tests?
If umbrella organizations are trying to force trendsetting
hairstylists to wear sensible shoes, they might as well go one step
further and ban the blondification of matrons. "You're not fooling
anybody; we totally know you're grey," EU and UNI might announce.
When I was younger and more concerned with fashion, I'd go to
stylists who seemed au courant. While they may not have been
teetering about in stilettos, they certainly never looked as though
they'd dressed to work the midnight shift in an ER. Yet that's what
our poor European friends will have to endure: the snip of scissors
on their Brigitte Bardot bangs perhaps accompanied by the
grandmotherly squeak of Keds on linoleum. Can mandated Engelbert
Humperdinck on the sound system be far behind?
We have an hour or two per appointment to look them over and then,
if possible, copy them. Otherwise, over40s who don't subscribe to In
Style are stuck aping Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, or Madonna.
Do you want the blame for that on your heads?
The aesthetic meddling is bad enough. But I predict a tidal wave of
rebellion when customers learn that beauticians are suddenly
supposed to guard themselves against stress.
"A friseur should not be entitled to her own feelings," the European
ladies will scoff. "Is she not merely a receptacle for my angst?"
I'm with them. I've always thought of stylists as spiritual air
purifiers: They take in whatever we feel like spewing, process it,
and return it to us, making it sound as reasonable as possible.
2012年11月4日星期日
Wonky-banana haters set sights on shoes
WHEN I hear the term "nanny state," I picture
Penelope Wilton, the rabbity British actor who appears in TV's Downton Abbey as
the interfering do-gooder Cousin Isobel.
Downton Abbey is set in Britain just before, during,Find kids supra shoes for kids from a vast selection of Clothing, Shoes & Accessories. and after World War I - in other words, ages ago. But as the character Isobel, Wilton's constantly furrowed brow and air of bossy concern seem to characterize the modern approach to all sorts of issues. Interfering in matters that, however disturbing, aren't actually your concern, is strangely popular all over the Western World.
That trend persists, whether you're New York mayor Michael Bloomberg fighting obesity by banning giant servings of pop, or Britain's Department of Health weighing schoolchildren and sending a finger-wagging note home to the parents of those deemed too fat.Distributors and Wholesalers of Mens and Womens wholesale fashion shoes; There are some things that may bother you as a leader or as a ruling body, but they really aren't any of your business.
Perhaps you recall the European Union's great banana debate of 1995 through 2008. According to Wikipedia, that began when Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2257/94 decreed that all bananas must be "free of abnormal curvature" and no less than 14 cm. long.
Outcry from warped banana enthusiasts in France, Italy, Spain and Greece saved the day, and 14 years later these yellow misfits were finally allowed to reappear on produce stands with the rest of the herd. One can only imagine the celebrations among European fans of wonky banana splits.
Class 1 cucumbers also had to abide by strict rules that demanded they be "practically straight . . . bent by a gradient of no more than 1/10," according to a 2008 Guardian article. You could see the issue there,Distributors and Wholesalers of Mens and Womens wholesale fashion shoes; though - traditional cucumber sandwich proportions might have been decimated. The Queen and her cronies could hardly have been expected to eat such hideously deformed tea offerings.
Eventually, the EU saw the light, realizing that it was wrong to encourage food waste. Europe's fruits and vegetables once again became figures of fun, and the Queen probably switched to watercress.
Anyhoo, the latest astonishing move is that, under new proposals being drawn up in Brussels, European hairdressers will be forced to toss aside their chic footwear in favour of flats with non-slip soles. These masters and mistresses of style will also have to curtail the number of haircuts they do in a day to steer clear of "emotional collapse," and will be told to participate in "social dialogue" to ensure a workplace that's emotionally well vented.
Britain's Mail Online reports that EU Coiffure, an assembly of European salon bosses, and UNI Europe Hair & Beauty, a union for European hairdressers, will sign the decrees.
Implementing these rules will apparently cost the UK industry alone three million pounds in "wasted time and red tape."
This news, of course, set off alarm bells. Not only is it bizarre for strangers to decide what a woman puts on her feet, surely this sets a broader precedent. What next - will the Association of Flat-chested Designers insist that even buxom women wear tops with ruffles? Will the International Union of Tattoo Artists decree that its motley members pass spelling tests?
If umbrella organizations are trying to force trendsetting hairstylists to wear sensible shoes, they might as well go one step further and ban the blondification of matrons. "You're not fooling anybody; we totally know you're grey," EU and UNI might announce.
When I was younger and more concerned with fashion, I'd go to stylists who seemed au courant. While they may not have been teetering about in stilettos, they certainly never looked as though they'd dressed to work the midnight shift in an ER. Yet that's what our poor European friends will have to endure: the snip of scissors on their Brigitte Bardot bangs perhaps accompanied by the grandmotherly squeak of Keds on linoleum. Can mandated Engelbert Humperdinck on the sound system be far behind?
I beg international arbiters of workplace safety to back off. Where else do we go for ideas other than to fashionista hairdressers?
We have an hour or two per appointment to look them over and then, if possible, copy them. Otherwise, over40s who don't subscribe to In Style are stuck aping Whoopi Goldberg,Shop for high quality Wholesale Fashion wedges products on DHgate and get worldwide delivery. Ellen DeGeneres, or Madonna. Do you want the blame for that on your heads?
The aesthetic meddling is bad enough. But I predict a tidal wave of rebellion when customers learn that beauticians are suddenly supposed to guard themselves against stress.
"A friseur should not be entitled to her own feelings," the European ladies will scoff. "Is she not merely a receptacle for my angst?"
I'm with them. I've always thought of stylists as spiritual air purifiers: They take in whatever we feel like spewing, process it, and return it to us, making it sound as reasonable as possible.
"You're upset that you can only spend two nights in Whistler because you have to come back to town for your doggy's meditation class? That blows," says perpetually agreeable stylist Tantrelle, or whoever.
Downton Abbey is set in Britain just before, during,Find kids supra shoes for kids from a vast selection of Clothing, Shoes & Accessories. and after World War I - in other words, ages ago. But as the character Isobel, Wilton's constantly furrowed brow and air of bossy concern seem to characterize the modern approach to all sorts of issues. Interfering in matters that, however disturbing, aren't actually your concern, is strangely popular all over the Western World.
That trend persists, whether you're New York mayor Michael Bloomberg fighting obesity by banning giant servings of pop, or Britain's Department of Health weighing schoolchildren and sending a finger-wagging note home to the parents of those deemed too fat.Distributors and Wholesalers of Mens and Womens wholesale fashion shoes; There are some things that may bother you as a leader or as a ruling body, but they really aren't any of your business.
Perhaps you recall the European Union's great banana debate of 1995 through 2008. According to Wikipedia, that began when Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2257/94 decreed that all bananas must be "free of abnormal curvature" and no less than 14 cm. long.
Outcry from warped banana enthusiasts in France, Italy, Spain and Greece saved the day, and 14 years later these yellow misfits were finally allowed to reappear on produce stands with the rest of the herd. One can only imagine the celebrations among European fans of wonky banana splits.
Class 1 cucumbers also had to abide by strict rules that demanded they be "practically straight . . . bent by a gradient of no more than 1/10," according to a 2008 Guardian article. You could see the issue there,Distributors and Wholesalers of Mens and Womens wholesale fashion shoes; though - traditional cucumber sandwich proportions might have been decimated. The Queen and her cronies could hardly have been expected to eat such hideously deformed tea offerings.
Eventually, the EU saw the light, realizing that it was wrong to encourage food waste. Europe's fruits and vegetables once again became figures of fun, and the Queen probably switched to watercress.
Anyhoo, the latest astonishing move is that, under new proposals being drawn up in Brussels, European hairdressers will be forced to toss aside their chic footwear in favour of flats with non-slip soles. These masters and mistresses of style will also have to curtail the number of haircuts they do in a day to steer clear of "emotional collapse," and will be told to participate in "social dialogue" to ensure a workplace that's emotionally well vented.
Britain's Mail Online reports that EU Coiffure, an assembly of European salon bosses, and UNI Europe Hair & Beauty, a union for European hairdressers, will sign the decrees.
Implementing these rules will apparently cost the UK industry alone three million pounds in "wasted time and red tape."
This news, of course, set off alarm bells. Not only is it bizarre for strangers to decide what a woman puts on her feet, surely this sets a broader precedent. What next - will the Association of Flat-chested Designers insist that even buxom women wear tops with ruffles? Will the International Union of Tattoo Artists decree that its motley members pass spelling tests?
If umbrella organizations are trying to force trendsetting hairstylists to wear sensible shoes, they might as well go one step further and ban the blondification of matrons. "You're not fooling anybody; we totally know you're grey," EU and UNI might announce.
When I was younger and more concerned with fashion, I'd go to stylists who seemed au courant. While they may not have been teetering about in stilettos, they certainly never looked as though they'd dressed to work the midnight shift in an ER. Yet that's what our poor European friends will have to endure: the snip of scissors on their Brigitte Bardot bangs perhaps accompanied by the grandmotherly squeak of Keds on linoleum. Can mandated Engelbert Humperdinck on the sound system be far behind?
I beg international arbiters of workplace safety to back off. Where else do we go for ideas other than to fashionista hairdressers?
We have an hour or two per appointment to look them over and then, if possible, copy them. Otherwise, over40s who don't subscribe to In Style are stuck aping Whoopi Goldberg,Shop for high quality Wholesale Fashion wedges products on DHgate and get worldwide delivery. Ellen DeGeneres, or Madonna. Do you want the blame for that on your heads?
The aesthetic meddling is bad enough. But I predict a tidal wave of rebellion when customers learn that beauticians are suddenly supposed to guard themselves against stress.
"A friseur should not be entitled to her own feelings," the European ladies will scoff. "Is she not merely a receptacle for my angst?"
I'm with them. I've always thought of stylists as spiritual air purifiers: They take in whatever we feel like spewing, process it, and return it to us, making it sound as reasonable as possible.
"You're upset that you can only spend two nights in Whistler because you have to come back to town for your doggy's meditation class? That blows," says perpetually agreeable stylist Tantrelle, or whoever.
Saddle makers hang on as their craft shifts
As an officer, board member,
attorney,Distributors and Wholesalers of Mens and Womens wholesale fashion
shoes; lobbyist, philanthropist and volunteer, he had his heart and hands in
dozens of agencies and nonprofits including:
The Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland Ballet, Cleveland Playhouse, Shoes and Clothes for Kids, The Temple, Jewish Family Service Association, Recovery Resources, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Maltz Museum, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Federation, Sisters of Charity Foundation, Western Reserve AIDS Foundation, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Hough Area Development.
Bill loved Cleveland unconditionally.
He loved it with his wallet and his talents and his energy and his presence.
His life belonged to the whole community. As one rabbi said at his funeral, Bill did everything he could for as long as he could to improve this place we all call home.
I knew Bill as a friend who tossed homemade chocolate banana bread onto our doorstep in the middle of the night. We had to hurry to grab the bread before the skunks beat us to it.
No matter what was going on in his life, he met it with a smile or a shrug, even the cancer that roared through him in 10 short months. He was 66.
We couldn't really call ourselves mourners at his funeral last week. His life was a party, and we were all invited to celebrate how much he loved it and all of us.
We laughed as people shared how Bill was part of the Tuesday Club that met for dinner on any night except Tuesday. He loved clothes and owned hundreds of ties. Bill once gave a 30th birthday party for his yellow Mustang with the car parked on the lawn in front of his house. He once threw a 40th birthday party for himself that started at midnight.
He used to wake his son, Billy, in the dark to drive out to a wide patch of sky to watch Venus rising. His daughter, Robyn, loved waking up to classical music, fresh coffee and the sight of her dad sitting on the living room floor putting together scrapbooks.
In the weeks before he died, Bill shared his favorite quote with me, the model he based his entire life on. He carried these words from George Bernard Shaw:
"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die,Distributors and Wholesalers of Mens and Womens wholesale fashion shoes; for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
Bill told me he wasn't afraid of dying, but he had embraced life so tightly, it was hard to let go.
When we stopped at his family's home to make a condolence call, Bill's ties were hanging all over the place like party streamers. The family asked everyone to take one.
They didn't want us to tuck them away in our closets as a memento, but to wear them to the symphony, to Columbus, to fundraisers in hopes that we might run into each other, smile and say, "Is that Bill's tie you have on?"
Yes, a light has gone out, but the torch hasn't. It was handed to everyone who loved Bill Joseph and everything he loved.
Montana saddle makers may work in one of the most tradition-bound industries around, but local craftsmen are as adaptable as anyone to changing markets and tastes.
Local saddle makers say there are fewer traditional tack stores today, but the number of pros or hobbyists building saddles at home has jumped to several hundred in the Billings area.Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale,
Next door to Swanke’s shop is Buckaroo Business where Scott and Staci Grosskopf sell traditional horse gear and custom saddles built for their customers by area craftsmen.
The heyday of saddle and harness making was the early 1900s when homesteaders flooded into Montana, all needing gear for a horse-powered economy. In those days, Butte had some 50 shoe repair shops, and Billings and Miles City each supported a handful of saddle shops.
“The Miles City Saddlery did over $1 million in 1918 dollars that year and had 14 to 15 people making saddles and harnesses,” local saddle maker Mike Witt said.
But horses gave way to cars,The classic purple supra shoes in purple and white. and riding and driving horses became more of a hobby than the way most Americans made a living, Witt said.
So in January, Witt closed the saddle and tack shop he ran for three decades on First Avenue North in Billings, and downsized to a smaller store at 407 E. Main in Laurel. Today he rides the Internet, filling orders for custom-tooled leather purses, briefcases and cellphone cases and occasionally building saddles.
Three generations of Witts have been gunsmiths, so Mike Witt makes some of his own metal tools, a skill he said he just picked up from his kin.
When he moved to Billings from the home ranch near Big Sandy in 1978, Witt said there were half a dozen saddle makers in town. Now there are probably 50 or so in the Billings area and 300 within a 200-mile radius of Billings, including northern Wyoming, Witt said.
The Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland Ballet, Cleveland Playhouse, Shoes and Clothes for Kids, The Temple, Jewish Family Service Association, Recovery Resources, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Maltz Museum, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Federation, Sisters of Charity Foundation, Western Reserve AIDS Foundation, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and Hough Area Development.
Bill loved Cleveland unconditionally.
He loved it with his wallet and his talents and his energy and his presence.
His life belonged to the whole community. As one rabbi said at his funeral, Bill did everything he could for as long as he could to improve this place we all call home.
I knew Bill as a friend who tossed homemade chocolate banana bread onto our doorstep in the middle of the night. We had to hurry to grab the bread before the skunks beat us to it.
No matter what was going on in his life, he met it with a smile or a shrug, even the cancer that roared through him in 10 short months. He was 66.
We couldn't really call ourselves mourners at his funeral last week. His life was a party, and we were all invited to celebrate how much he loved it and all of us.
We laughed as people shared how Bill was part of the Tuesday Club that met for dinner on any night except Tuesday. He loved clothes and owned hundreds of ties. Bill once gave a 30th birthday party for his yellow Mustang with the car parked on the lawn in front of his house. He once threw a 40th birthday party for himself that started at midnight.
He used to wake his son, Billy, in the dark to drive out to a wide patch of sky to watch Venus rising. His daughter, Robyn, loved waking up to classical music, fresh coffee and the sight of her dad sitting on the living room floor putting together scrapbooks.
In the weeks before he died, Bill shared his favorite quote with me, the model he based his entire life on. He carried these words from George Bernard Shaw:
"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die,Distributors and Wholesalers of Mens and Womens wholesale fashion shoes; for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
Bill told me he wasn't afraid of dying, but he had embraced life so tightly, it was hard to let go.
When we stopped at his family's home to make a condolence call, Bill's ties were hanging all over the place like party streamers. The family asked everyone to take one.
They didn't want us to tuck them away in our closets as a memento, but to wear them to the symphony, to Columbus, to fundraisers in hopes that we might run into each other, smile and say, "Is that Bill's tie you have on?"
Yes, a light has gone out, but the torch hasn't. It was handed to everyone who loved Bill Joseph and everything he loved.
Montana saddle makers may work in one of the most tradition-bound industries around, but local craftsmen are as adaptable as anyone to changing markets and tastes.
Local saddle makers say there are fewer traditional tack stores today, but the number of pros or hobbyists building saddles at home has jumped to several hundred in the Billings area.Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale,
Next door to Swanke’s shop is Buckaroo Business where Scott and Staci Grosskopf sell traditional horse gear and custom saddles built for their customers by area craftsmen.
The heyday of saddle and harness making was the early 1900s when homesteaders flooded into Montana, all needing gear for a horse-powered economy. In those days, Butte had some 50 shoe repair shops, and Billings and Miles City each supported a handful of saddle shops.
“The Miles City Saddlery did over $1 million in 1918 dollars that year and had 14 to 15 people making saddles and harnesses,” local saddle maker Mike Witt said.
But horses gave way to cars,The classic purple supra shoes in purple and white. and riding and driving horses became more of a hobby than the way most Americans made a living, Witt said.
So in January, Witt closed the saddle and tack shop he ran for three decades on First Avenue North in Billings, and downsized to a smaller store at 407 E. Main in Laurel. Today he rides the Internet, filling orders for custom-tooled leather purses, briefcases and cellphone cases and occasionally building saddles.
Three generations of Witts have been gunsmiths, so Mike Witt makes some of his own metal tools, a skill he said he just picked up from his kin.
When he moved to Billings from the home ranch near Big Sandy in 1978, Witt said there were half a dozen saddle makers in town. Now there are probably 50 or so in the Billings area and 300 within a 200-mile radius of Billings, including northern Wyoming, Witt said.
which had been cordoned off for the show between P and S Streets
As a Philadelphia
native relatively new to the Washington metropolitan area, I am constantly
learning of new traditions and customs in the city. Most recently, I was
introduced to the High Heel Drag Race, an annual October event where men don
women’s clothing and their best heels and speed down 17th Street in Dupont
Circle, a neighborhood “synonymous with gay life” in the city.
This year’s 26th annual High Heel Drag Race,Dear Customer welcome to Lover women shoes manufacturer! which typically takes place the night before Halloween, was postponed to the following Thursday because of Hurricane Sandy. From the looks of it, turnout wasn’t affected at all by the changed date.
The actual event was set to start at 9 p.m., but a friend told me I should aim to be there three hours early. Feeling a little silly, I arrived at one end of what was to be the raceway at the corner of P Street and 17th Street at half past 6 p.m., dragging along my boyfriend, who learned somewhat belatedly that this wasn’t the kind of drag race that involved cars. He was a bit disappointed.
To my surprise, there was already a thin crowd gathered along the sides of the road, which had been cordoned off for the show between P and S Streets. The fenced-in outdoor areas in front of the bars were overflowing with people settling in for the race. By 7:40 p.m., the streets were starting to fill up. Around this time, I ducked into a busy McDonald’s for a quick snack, and when I reemerged 10 minutes later, the crowd was so dense that I was stuck three rows back from the street.
The most unexpected part of the whole event was the ever-present sense of calmness and normalcy. I honestly had no idea what to expect before the race — what the crowds would look like, what kind of people would be there or what kind of mood there would be. The entire event was tame and controlled,Combine comfort with style by wearing flat shoes for women. especially for something taking place outside at night on a city street lined with bars. Everyone seemed to know what to do, and I got the feeling I was the only one experiencing it for the first time. The demographic was surprising as well — I thought I’d only see young adults, but there were parents with toddlers and tons of grandparents, too.
The drag queens themselves were quite spectacular. The race itself lasted only four-and-a-half minutes, so the exciting part was beforehand — seeing all of the race participants strutting the street-turned-runway and striking poses for every willing camera, confident and seemingly oblivious to the sharp cold. Since the race was Halloween-themed, there were many in costume. The group outfits stole the show by far – four queens dressed up as the ladies from popular talk show The View and pushed around a table on wheels; a group of seven or eight donned long, thin rainbow-colored balloons and plastic fish decorations and went as “The Gay Barrier Reef.”
The race began promptly at 9 p.m. and with little warning. I was positioned in the middle, near the corner of 17th and Q Streets,Beautiful range of stylish footwear for women available with shoes for ladies. so I wasn’t close enough to the starting line at S Street to hear the starting signal.Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale, One minute, the streets were empty; the next, there was a quickly building roar of cheers that rippled down the street, and the first racer bolted past me, a blur of wig, dress and heels. It was impressive to say the least — as someone who is supposed to be comfortable in the tall, pointy death traps that are women’s dress shoes, I appreciate anyone who can walk gracefully, no less run, in heels.
CBS reported that this year’s winner was Inertia, a 26-year-old who once ran track for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, propelled to victory in her 4-inch stiletto boots.
In all, the experience was incredible — everything I had hoped for and then some. Even my boyfriend, who had come along reluctantly, said it was pretty exciting. I definitely plan to return for next year’s race, and I’m looking forward to making this quirky event a new Halloween tradition.
This year’s 26th annual High Heel Drag Race,Dear Customer welcome to Lover women shoes manufacturer! which typically takes place the night before Halloween, was postponed to the following Thursday because of Hurricane Sandy. From the looks of it, turnout wasn’t affected at all by the changed date.
The actual event was set to start at 9 p.m., but a friend told me I should aim to be there three hours early. Feeling a little silly, I arrived at one end of what was to be the raceway at the corner of P Street and 17th Street at half past 6 p.m., dragging along my boyfriend, who learned somewhat belatedly that this wasn’t the kind of drag race that involved cars. He was a bit disappointed.
To my surprise, there was already a thin crowd gathered along the sides of the road, which had been cordoned off for the show between P and S Streets. The fenced-in outdoor areas in front of the bars were overflowing with people settling in for the race. By 7:40 p.m., the streets were starting to fill up. Around this time, I ducked into a busy McDonald’s for a quick snack, and when I reemerged 10 minutes later, the crowd was so dense that I was stuck three rows back from the street.
The most unexpected part of the whole event was the ever-present sense of calmness and normalcy. I honestly had no idea what to expect before the race — what the crowds would look like, what kind of people would be there or what kind of mood there would be. The entire event was tame and controlled,Combine comfort with style by wearing flat shoes for women. especially for something taking place outside at night on a city street lined with bars. Everyone seemed to know what to do, and I got the feeling I was the only one experiencing it for the first time. The demographic was surprising as well — I thought I’d only see young adults, but there were parents with toddlers and tons of grandparents, too.
The drag queens themselves were quite spectacular. The race itself lasted only four-and-a-half minutes, so the exciting part was beforehand — seeing all of the race participants strutting the street-turned-runway and striking poses for every willing camera, confident and seemingly oblivious to the sharp cold. Since the race was Halloween-themed, there were many in costume. The group outfits stole the show by far – four queens dressed up as the ladies from popular talk show The View and pushed around a table on wheels; a group of seven or eight donned long, thin rainbow-colored balloons and plastic fish decorations and went as “The Gay Barrier Reef.”
The race began promptly at 9 p.m. and with little warning. I was positioned in the middle, near the corner of 17th and Q Streets,Beautiful range of stylish footwear for women available with shoes for ladies. so I wasn’t close enough to the starting line at S Street to hear the starting signal.Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale, One minute, the streets were empty; the next, there was a quickly building roar of cheers that rippled down the street, and the first racer bolted past me, a blur of wig, dress and heels. It was impressive to say the least — as someone who is supposed to be comfortable in the tall, pointy death traps that are women’s dress shoes, I appreciate anyone who can walk gracefully, no less run, in heels.
CBS reported that this year’s winner was Inertia, a 26-year-old who once ran track for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, propelled to victory in her 4-inch stiletto boots.
In all, the experience was incredible — everything I had hoped for and then some. Even my boyfriend, who had come along reluctantly, said it was pretty exciting. I definitely plan to return for next year’s race, and I’m looking forward to making this quirky event a new Halloween tradition.
Giving the department employees a lesson in discipline
This post comes at the
request of many of you for a focus on sweet flats for going out and the like.
Granted. I will grant most wishes, by the way.
I didn't know it was possible, but after a rootle around my favourite sites I found more than a few astoundingly chic pairs. Because they can be freakin' cute. As much as I don't like to reiterate what's bandied about the gossip rags, the obvious case in point on the subject of chic flats is Alexa Chung. And not because she's a skinny bitch - it's because she pulls off her flats with a nonchalant cool that even the best heel wearers cannot hope to claim. Her shoe choices become a part of her so much that one is hardly aware she ain't wearing heels.
And in that light of "let's get inspired by stylish flat shoe wearers" (we could also throw in images of Audrey,Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale, Carla Bruni and other widely used shoespirations but you've seen them before), here are some freakin' cool flats that are making me want to ditch the heels forever and go out and buy this whole set.
Also morphs into a loafer, which somehow morphs into a what-could-be-an-orthopaedic-nurse's-shoe-if-it-wasn't-for-the-red-snakeskin Stella McCartney-type shoe. These are the elegant flats. The wear-with-freakin'-cool-trousers and an awesome blouse and look a million bucks. Or make it known that you're cooler than everyone on the street and you don't even know it. Or something to that equation.
Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ have just been turned blood red, as remix master Andy Rehfeldt has given the classic rock ‘n’ roll track a technical death metal makeover.
Originally written by Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ was taken to new heights by ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ –Elvis Presley. Country legend Johnny Cash also had a hand in creating the concept for the ’50s track after telling Perkins a story about how a military airman, who Cash met while serving in Germany, had dubbed his military regulation air shoes as “blue suede shoes.” Shortly after, Perkins was playing a dance party when he saw a man lambast the girl he was dancing with for stepping on his blue suede shoes. Perkins began to write the classic track that very night.
‘Blue Suede Shoes’ certainly has a rich history, having been covered by acts such as Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Helloween and the Beatles, but Rehfeldt is likely the first to turn the song into technical death metal madness. Rehfeldt, who has made viral ‘Radio Disney’ makeovers of Slipknot‘s ‘Wait and Bleed’ and Slayer‘s ‘Angel of Death,’ along with death metal versions of the Jonas Brothers’ ‘Paranoid’ and Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby,Combine comfort with style by wearing flat shoes for women.’ has created another hilarious remix spliced with video of Elvis Presley performing ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’
If you want to see Elvis Presley shred on his acoustic guitar and unleash demonic gutturals while shakin’ those morally corrupting hips like only he can, then check out this death metal version of the classic, ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’
In a state where a new multi-crore scam unfolds every few days, here's a unique story of model conduct that is leading to several raised eyebrows instead of loud applause. Creating a buzz in the state's commercial tax department a new diktat by the department's chief --to not come to the office wearing flashy clothes and sports shoes--has forced employees to do a quick rethink.
Giving the department employees a lesson in discipline and professionalism, Himanshu Kumar, commissioner of the commercial and trade tax department, which generates the highest revenue for the state government, has sent out letters to the additional and zonal commissioners of his departments asking them to ensure all employees turn to a new, exemplary leaf. Instructing them to exhibit disciplined behavior, a model conduct and turn up in officers in simple, formal clothes, The senior IAS officer has sent out word he is unwilling to put up with laxity in any form.
Taking exception to departmental employees turning up for work in what is believed to be "unkempt" conditions, Kumar, it appears, has said a laid back approach to personal appearance is reflective of employees' attitude to their work.Beautiful range of stylish footwear for women available with shoes for ladies.
In fact, though a public ban on the use of cigarettes, pan masala and paan is already effective in government offices, Kumar has reiterated that the use of these products is not permitted, at least in the state's commercial and trade tax department. In his advisory to the department officials, Kumar has said the habit is not only harmful to health, it also affects people's performances at work.Dear Customer welcome to Lover women shoes manufacturer! Advising people against the habit, Kumar has also said department employees should also act as good samaritans and advise others as well, against the use of any nicotine or carcinogenic substances.
I didn't know it was possible, but after a rootle around my favourite sites I found more than a few astoundingly chic pairs. Because they can be freakin' cute. As much as I don't like to reiterate what's bandied about the gossip rags, the obvious case in point on the subject of chic flats is Alexa Chung. And not because she's a skinny bitch - it's because she pulls off her flats with a nonchalant cool that even the best heel wearers cannot hope to claim. Her shoe choices become a part of her so much that one is hardly aware she ain't wearing heels.
And in that light of "let's get inspired by stylish flat shoe wearers" (we could also throw in images of Audrey,Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale, Carla Bruni and other widely used shoespirations but you've seen them before), here are some freakin' cool flats that are making me want to ditch the heels forever and go out and buy this whole set.
Also morphs into a loafer, which somehow morphs into a what-could-be-an-orthopaedic-nurse's-shoe-if-it-wasn't-for-the-red-snakeskin Stella McCartney-type shoe. These are the elegant flats. The wear-with-freakin'-cool-trousers and an awesome blouse and look a million bucks. Or make it known that you're cooler than everyone on the street and you don't even know it. Or something to that equation.
Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ have just been turned blood red, as remix master Andy Rehfeldt has given the classic rock ‘n’ roll track a technical death metal makeover.
Originally written by Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ was taken to new heights by ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ –Elvis Presley. Country legend Johnny Cash also had a hand in creating the concept for the ’50s track after telling Perkins a story about how a military airman, who Cash met while serving in Germany, had dubbed his military regulation air shoes as “blue suede shoes.” Shortly after, Perkins was playing a dance party when he saw a man lambast the girl he was dancing with for stepping on his blue suede shoes. Perkins began to write the classic track that very night.
‘Blue Suede Shoes’ certainly has a rich history, having been covered by acts such as Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Helloween and the Beatles, but Rehfeldt is likely the first to turn the song into technical death metal madness. Rehfeldt, who has made viral ‘Radio Disney’ makeovers of Slipknot‘s ‘Wait and Bleed’ and Slayer‘s ‘Angel of Death,’ along with death metal versions of the Jonas Brothers’ ‘Paranoid’ and Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby,Combine comfort with style by wearing flat shoes for women.’ has created another hilarious remix spliced with video of Elvis Presley performing ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’
If you want to see Elvis Presley shred on his acoustic guitar and unleash demonic gutturals while shakin’ those morally corrupting hips like only he can, then check out this death metal version of the classic, ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’
In a state where a new multi-crore scam unfolds every few days, here's a unique story of model conduct that is leading to several raised eyebrows instead of loud applause. Creating a buzz in the state's commercial tax department a new diktat by the department's chief --to not come to the office wearing flashy clothes and sports shoes--has forced employees to do a quick rethink.
Giving the department employees a lesson in discipline and professionalism, Himanshu Kumar, commissioner of the commercial and trade tax department, which generates the highest revenue for the state government, has sent out letters to the additional and zonal commissioners of his departments asking them to ensure all employees turn to a new, exemplary leaf. Instructing them to exhibit disciplined behavior, a model conduct and turn up in officers in simple, formal clothes, The senior IAS officer has sent out word he is unwilling to put up with laxity in any form.
Taking exception to departmental employees turning up for work in what is believed to be "unkempt" conditions, Kumar, it appears, has said a laid back approach to personal appearance is reflective of employees' attitude to their work.Beautiful range of stylish footwear for women available with shoes for ladies.
In fact, though a public ban on the use of cigarettes, pan masala and paan is already effective in government offices, Kumar has reiterated that the use of these products is not permitted, at least in the state's commercial and trade tax department. In his advisory to the department officials, Kumar has said the habit is not only harmful to health, it also affects people's performances at work.Dear Customer welcome to Lover women shoes manufacturer! Advising people against the habit, Kumar has also said department employees should also act as good samaritans and advise others as well, against the use of any nicotine or carcinogenic substances.
We tried several different locations
Ireland still had a lot of “social capital”
that would stand it in good stead, economist and author of Economics for Dummies
Peter Antonioni told the Kilkenomics festival yesterday.
“One reason for Ireland to be optimistic is that it’s not Britain,” he said. “There’s actually social capital here. It doesn’t exist in a state of permanent rage, which is what’s going on all the time on the other side, permanent existential angst with everybody.”
Examples of social capital, he added, included being able to talk to a neighbour about a problem, engaging in conversation with people and remaining optimistic.
“You can’t really put a price on things like that.”
In Britain, Mr Antonioni said, people were more likely to “barricade themselves away from the rest of society”.
Investment banker Kiron Sarkar said tax receipts were picking up in Ireland, there was “a great demographic” of “highly educated and motivated” people and there was leverage in negotiations with Germany and other EU leaders as they did not want Ireland to default on its debts.
However, the founder member of the Rothschild International Privatisation team said going into negotiations with Germany trying to be a poster boy of Europe was a waste of time.
“Your Irish Government right now is not hard,” Mr Sarkar said. “They’ve taken a very, very soft line. You’re in a position to be able to extricate a good deal.
“Is your Government able to do that?” he asked. “I don’t think they’re there yet.Beautiful range of stylish footwear for women available with shoes for ladies. The goody two-shoes image is a complete load of rubbish.Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale,”
Matina Stevis, a journalist with Dow Jones Newswires and former editor-in-chief of Greek newspapers City Press and Free Sunday, said Ireland had “no idea how important it is that you’re not Greece” as it still had leverage when dealing with the debt issue.
Stephen Kinsella, an economics lecturer at the University of Limerick, said more children were born in Ireland last year than in any year since 1891.
“We’re a much younger rich country than Germany. In 15 or 20 years, these kids are going to be way more educated if we change our education system to allow that to happen.”
Mr Kinsella also said there were signs the property market “might be restarting” here.
I was recently contacted by my old high school and I was delighted. For many people, their school years were fraught with a combo of not fitting in, bullying and bad papier-maché puppets. I'm pleased to say only the latter applied to me. I went to a small private Catholic girls' school, which is a sentence that usually ends in "and I couldn't wait to escape" or "and they were the worst years of my life", but I loved school.
I was one of those kids who couldn't wait for school holidays to be over, and I got so worked up the day before we went back I usually had instant-onset insomnia. One time I was so excited that I found myself having a shower at three in the morning so I wouldn't miss my 7.20am tram. So the phone call from the school alerting me to the fact I'd been nominated as an "alumni of note" was met with excitement and internal clapping, not horror and avoidance.
Part of this honour was that I would be featured in a coffee-table book showcasing the 125 years the school had successfully educated girls in the ways of needlepoint and hymn-singing, human rights and Shakespeare. It was,We provide high quality women shoes factory, and still is, a lovely school that turns out smart, independent women year after year. A few that come to mind are the brilliant comedians Jane Turner and Marg Downey, as well as High Court judges and innovative doctors. Apparently you can rub shoulders with these luminaries if you make a living talking about boozies, babies and big bottoms .Combine comfort with style by wearing flat shoes for women... but who am I to object?
I was invited to come to "the parlour", a room at the school that was strictly out of bounds to anyone in brown T-bar shoes and ponytails. I was met by two photographers, who told me they wanted me to take them to a spot in the school that held memories for me.
We tried several different locations, but all to no avail. The secret air vent that we would sneak up to whisper demonic messages to the bewildered class below was shut off. The timber box built to house an airconditioner but which doubled as an excellent place for 14 breathless 17-year-olds to cram in and hide, had been removed. The year 12 common room that we had eventually been banned from for too much smoking and a rat infestation had become a tasteful breakout area for what I imagine are much better-behaved girls than we ever were.
Eventually, I settled for a shot in front of the wall on which we used to play handball when we were nine years old. One of the only memories I had of school, apparently, that didn't involve breaking the rules!
"You were pretty naughty," the photographer said as location after location fell flat. I'd always thought I was a good student. I had a ball at school, but I had no idea I was so damned badly behaved. No wonder I didn't get the marks I needed for law! I was clearly too busy plotting mischief and thinking of new ways to crack up my friends. Shame on me.
See your ad here
But maybe this is the sign of a truly remarkable school – I never felt like the bad kid. I was never defined by my naughtiness. Perhaps those nuns and teachers recognised that sometimes kids like me needed to be allowed to be a bit of a larrikin in order to survive in the world.
“One reason for Ireland to be optimistic is that it’s not Britain,” he said. “There’s actually social capital here. It doesn’t exist in a state of permanent rage, which is what’s going on all the time on the other side, permanent existential angst with everybody.”
Examples of social capital, he added, included being able to talk to a neighbour about a problem, engaging in conversation with people and remaining optimistic.
“You can’t really put a price on things like that.”
In Britain, Mr Antonioni said, people were more likely to “barricade themselves away from the rest of society”.
Investment banker Kiron Sarkar said tax receipts were picking up in Ireland, there was “a great demographic” of “highly educated and motivated” people and there was leverage in negotiations with Germany and other EU leaders as they did not want Ireland to default on its debts.
However, the founder member of the Rothschild International Privatisation team said going into negotiations with Germany trying to be a poster boy of Europe was a waste of time.
“Your Irish Government right now is not hard,” Mr Sarkar said. “They’ve taken a very, very soft line. You’re in a position to be able to extricate a good deal.
“Is your Government able to do that?” he asked. “I don’t think they’re there yet.Beautiful range of stylish footwear for women available with shoes for ladies. The goody two-shoes image is a complete load of rubbish.Offer cheap supras shoes the latest new supra shoes for sale,”
Matina Stevis, a journalist with Dow Jones Newswires and former editor-in-chief of Greek newspapers City Press and Free Sunday, said Ireland had “no idea how important it is that you’re not Greece” as it still had leverage when dealing with the debt issue.
Stephen Kinsella, an economics lecturer at the University of Limerick, said more children were born in Ireland last year than in any year since 1891.
“We’re a much younger rich country than Germany. In 15 or 20 years, these kids are going to be way more educated if we change our education system to allow that to happen.”
Mr Kinsella also said there were signs the property market “might be restarting” here.
I was recently contacted by my old high school and I was delighted. For many people, their school years were fraught with a combo of not fitting in, bullying and bad papier-maché puppets. I'm pleased to say only the latter applied to me. I went to a small private Catholic girls' school, which is a sentence that usually ends in "and I couldn't wait to escape" or "and they were the worst years of my life", but I loved school.
I was one of those kids who couldn't wait for school holidays to be over, and I got so worked up the day before we went back I usually had instant-onset insomnia. One time I was so excited that I found myself having a shower at three in the morning so I wouldn't miss my 7.20am tram. So the phone call from the school alerting me to the fact I'd been nominated as an "alumni of note" was met with excitement and internal clapping, not horror and avoidance.
Part of this honour was that I would be featured in a coffee-table book showcasing the 125 years the school had successfully educated girls in the ways of needlepoint and hymn-singing, human rights and Shakespeare. It was,We provide high quality women shoes factory, and still is, a lovely school that turns out smart, independent women year after year. A few that come to mind are the brilliant comedians Jane Turner and Marg Downey, as well as High Court judges and innovative doctors. Apparently you can rub shoulders with these luminaries if you make a living talking about boozies, babies and big bottoms .Combine comfort with style by wearing flat shoes for women... but who am I to object?
I was invited to come to "the parlour", a room at the school that was strictly out of bounds to anyone in brown T-bar shoes and ponytails. I was met by two photographers, who told me they wanted me to take them to a spot in the school that held memories for me.
We tried several different locations, but all to no avail. The secret air vent that we would sneak up to whisper demonic messages to the bewildered class below was shut off. The timber box built to house an airconditioner but which doubled as an excellent place for 14 breathless 17-year-olds to cram in and hide, had been removed. The year 12 common room that we had eventually been banned from for too much smoking and a rat infestation had become a tasteful breakout area for what I imagine are much better-behaved girls than we ever were.
Eventually, I settled for a shot in front of the wall on which we used to play handball when we were nine years old. One of the only memories I had of school, apparently, that didn't involve breaking the rules!
"You were pretty naughty," the photographer said as location after location fell flat. I'd always thought I was a good student. I had a ball at school, but I had no idea I was so damned badly behaved. No wonder I didn't get the marks I needed for law! I was clearly too busy plotting mischief and thinking of new ways to crack up my friends. Shame on me.
See your ad here
But maybe this is the sign of a truly remarkable school – I never felt like the bad kid. I was never defined by my naughtiness. Perhaps those nuns and teachers recognised that sometimes kids like me needed to be allowed to be a bit of a larrikin in order to survive in the world.
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