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Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical
Laredo Theater Guild International presents:
Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical July 18 – July 28, 2019 at LC's Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center Theater.
This production will be directed by Karol Batey, produced by Dr. Celina T. Oliveira, and choreographed by Waldo Gonzalez, SDC.
One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is capturing hearts in a whole new way: as a practically perfect musical! The jack-of-all trades, Bert, introduces us to England in 1910 and the troubled Banks family. Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that "Anything can happen if you let it."
Dana Crabtree
Dana Crabtree - Mary Poppins
Dana Crabtree's performances have been well received, both in America and in Europe. She has performed in numerous genres, from Broadway favorites such as Laurey in Oklahoma!, and the title role in Kiss Me, Kate, to operatic repertoire including Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte and the title role in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment. She has appeared locally in LTGI's Cinderella (Queen), Hairspray (Female Authority Figure), God of Carnage (Veronica), Beauty and the Beast (Madame de la Grande Bouche), and The Glass Menagerie (Amanda Wingfield) as well as LLT's Mamma Mia (Donna) and Noises Off (Belinda/Flavia), and LC Opera Workshop's Once Upon a Mattress (Lady Larkin) and Into the Woods (Baker's Wife). In addition to serving full-time on the music faculty at TAMIU in the areas of voice, choir, and opera, Dana operates her own private voice-teaching studio. She is the proud mom of Nicholas and Lena Belle, and she is thrilled to step into the role of Mary Poppins this summer!
Travis Treviño
Travis Treviño - Bert
Travis Trevino (Bert) is thrilled to make his LTGI debut in this beloved Disney classic! A San Antonio native, recent productions include Cabaret (Bobby) at the Sheldon Vexler Theatre, The Rocky Horror Show (Brad Majors) at Woodlawn Pointe, Evita (Che) at The Woodlawn Theatre, and Mamma Mia (Pepper) at The Public Theatre of San Antonio. A proud UTSA graduate (BM in Music Marketing), Travis studied voice with Dr. Gary Mabry and performs regularly with the San Antonio Opera. Many thanks to friends, family, and Karol for their love and support.
Michael Gonzalez
George Banks
Michael Gonzalez - George Banks
Michael E. Gonzalez has performed previously with LTGI in My Fair Lady. Michael holds a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from TAMIU. Michael is the Director for the Small Business Development Center at TAMIU where he and his team help start and grow businesses in Laredo and South Texas. Michael thanks his family including his beautiful wife, Rosslynn, and his two daughters Madelynn and Morgan for their support. Much like George, Michael has learned that family comes first.
Alma Proa
Winifred Banks
Alma Proa - Winifred Banks
Alma Carmona Proa is very proud to be a part of LTGI's summer production of Mary Poppins. Her recent credits include The Who's Tommy and Shrek the Musical with LTGI as well as A Grand Night for Singing and Carousel with the Laredo College. Alma is a recent graduate of Texas A&M International University with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in Bilingual Education. She is currently a 4th grade teacher at Alma Pierce Elementary. Alma thanks her friends and family for their unconditional love and support.
Bella Grace Dancause
Jane Banks
Bella Grace Dancause - Jane Banks
Bella Grace Dancause is an incoming 7th grade Honor student at Trautmann Middle School. She is also a ballet and flamenco student at El Estudio and has participated in summer workshop projects with Ballet Austin and ZACH Theatre. Her previous on stage performances have included the LLT production of Beauty and the Beast, the VMT summer production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown where she was cast in the role of Woodstock, LTGIs Beauty and the Beast, and LLTs Mary Poppins. This will be her second appearance with LTGI. Bella is a member of her school's UIL One Act and was cast as Violet in their production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She also participates in UIL Modern Oratory, UIL Oral Reading, and is a member of the Lasso Dance Team. Bella is an active member of her parish and an alter server at Blessed Sacrament Church.
Adan Villarreal
Michael Banks
Adan Villarreal - Michael Banks
Adan Villarreal is thrilled to make his acting debut with the talented cast of Mary Poppins. He is 10 years old and an honor roll student at Col. Santos Elementary. He proudly participates in the school choir, basketball and chess club. Favorite pastimes include biking, playing video games and voice lessons with the talented Ms. Celia Hernandez. Adan thanks his family for their love, support and encouragement. He also thanks director, Ms. Karol Batey, and the cast for taking him under their wings.
Mrs. Brill/Bird Woman
Celia Hernandez - Mrs. Brill/Bird Woman
Celia Hernandez is the director of choral studies at the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts in Laredo, Texas. As an educator, Ms. Hernandez studied both music education and vocal pedagogy at the University of Texas at San Antonio, focusing on vocal technique. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from UTSA and a Masters of Music Education from Boston University. Her vocal direction credits range from children's shows to adult productions, including "In the Heights" and "The Who's Tommy," both produced by Laredo Theater Guild International, "The Lion King Jr." (produced by Laredo Institute for Theatrical Education), and "Little Shop of Horrors" (VMT). Her stage experience includes performances with LTGI, LITE Productions, and Laredo College Opera Workshop, appearing in such roles as Mama Morton (Chicago), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd), and Mrs. Van Daan (Diary of Anne Frank). Most recently, Celia was seen on stage as Daniela in the LTGI production of Lin Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights." In January of 2019, she taught a master class in musical theater for Waldo Gonzalez's School for the Performing Arts in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Celia is humbled and excited to serve as vocal director for this practically perfect production.
Joshua Goldberg
Miss Andrew/Mrs. Corry
Joshua Goldberg - Miss Andrew/Mrs. Corry
Joshua Goldberg is thrilled to be returning to the Laredo stage after last appearing as the title character of Shrek in LTGI's 2015 summer musical. Based out of Denver, he has been involved with the Colorado area's regional theatre scene for the past year. His most recent credits include Wizard of Oz, 9 to 5, Miss Holmes (Creede Repertory Theatre), The Diary of Anne Frank, and the world premiere of Sin Street Social Club (Arvada Center). After Mary Poppins, Joshua will be returning to the Arvada Center for their fall musical Bright Star.
Javier Sanchez
Robertson Ay/Ensemble
Javier Sanchez - Robertson Ay/Ensemble
Javier Sanchez has performed and assisted with LTGI in 11 productions, including Blithe Spirit, Yerma, In The Heights, The House on Mango Street, and Hairspray. Designing Credits: 25Th Annual Putnam County Spelling bee (Break A Leg Productions), Company Of Wayward Saints (LITE Productions ). Directing Credits: Significant Other (Break A Leg Production). Javier will be attending Texas State University this coming fall to earn his BFA in Technical Theater. Javier thanks his family & friends for being there for him and supporting what he loves.
John Maxstadt
Admiral Boom/Bank Chairman
John Maxstadt - Admiral Boom/Bank Chairman
John Maxstadt is a familiar figure in Laredo theatre, having played many roles in LTGI, LLT, LITE, LC, and TAMIU productions over the past twenty-four years, including Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof(LC), and Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady (LTGI). His most recent roles have been Max Bialystock in The Producers (LC) and Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (LTGI). John is a retired librarian and an officer on the LTGI board.
Kimberlee Arwood
Miss Lark
Kimberlee Arwood - Miss Lark
Kimberlee Arwood is excited to be a part of LTGI's Mary Poppins cast as it is her first performance in a musical. She has always been enamored with the arts and is incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Kimberlee is currently an English teacher at Johnson High School. She is thankful to her family and friends who motivated and urged her to step out of her comfort zone, especially her daughter, Kaytlin, who inspires her everyday.
Brandon Castillo
Park Keeper/Ensemble
Brandon Castillo - Park Keeper/Ensemble
Brandon Ivan Castillo (Park Keeper/Ensemble). This is Brandon's debut show with LTGI and he is beyond excited to be a part of Mary Poppins. Previously Brandon competed in the UIL One-Act play competition with Johnson High school wherein he received the best actor award at the Bi-district competition for His performance as Benedick in their production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. His previous works include Addams Family (LC Opera Workshop), 21 Chump Street (LBJ Drama). Brandon will be attending Texas State University this August.
Rafael Mangual
Rafael Mangual - Policeman
Rafael A. Mangual has been longing to return to the stage since he played the role of "Drake" in LTGI's production of "Annie" in 2011. He loves singing and is one of the lead vocalists of the Dunamis Worship Band. He has been a family physician in Laredo for 19 years. He thanks God for the gifts of theatre and music, for LTGI, and for his two most precious gifts: his dear wife, Yazmin, and his pride and joy, his daughter, Gabriela.
William Hauserman
Von Hussler
William Hauserman - Von Hussler
Jorge Dimas
Poseidon/Ensemble
Jorge Dimas - Poseidon/Ensemble
Jorge Dimas is the Associate Director for Graduate School at Texas A&M International University. He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration (2013) from the same institution. When Jorge is not assisting students continue with their graduate studies, he spends time practicing his dancing skills at the studio. His dance background comes from modern dance, salsa, hip hop, and other dancing styles. He also has experience acting in several local plays including "Significant Other", "In The Heights", "High School Musical" to mention some. Jorge enjoys being on stage and, this summer, he is excited to bring the magic to Laredo as cast member of "Mary Poppins."
Roland Vela
Mr. Northbrook/Ensemble
Roland Vela - Mr. Northbrook/Ensemble
Rolando Alexi Vela has previously performed with LTGI in its production of Beauty & The Beast. Other credits: Co-Director in The Odd Couple, Sydney Lipton in God's Favorite, Choreographer and Valentine in After Juliet, & Spinning into Butter (TAMIU Theatre); High School Musical (Laredo College). Rolando is a Barista at TAMIU Starbucks and has a B.A. in Multidisciplinary Studies: Theatre/Dance/Communication. Rolando thanks his mother and sister for always encouraging his passion for theatre.
Emilio Villalobos
Neleus/Ensemble
Emilio Villalobos - Neleus/Ensemble
Emilio is a seventeen year old passionate dancer, actor and singer. He has been dancing for ten years, and acting and singing for six at School for the Performing Arts in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Emilio aspires to keep developing and learning dance techniques, theater, musical theater and commercial skills.
In 2018, Emilio played Graffiti Pete in "In the Heights" with Laredo Theater Guild International in Laredo, Texas. In the same year, he played "The Jester" in Snow White. In 2016, he played "The Nutcracker" in "Hip Hop Nutcracker" , "Jack Frost" in "A Nightmare Christmas." In 2015, he played "The Magic Carpet " in "Aladdin", "Kidman" in "The Carnival Side Show", "Oompa Loompa" in "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and "Manuel" in "Arte por la Vida", all of which were with School for the Performing Arts.
He is training weekly in hip hop, jazz, tap, ballet, modern dance, urban, salsa, breaking, Improv, musical theater, acting and singing.
Queen Victoria/Miss Smythe
Kelly Fitzgerald - Queen Victoria/Miss Smythe
Kelly B. Fitzgerald, a local actress with a wide range, has performed in many productions, including The Foreigner (Betty), Romeo & Juliet (Nurse), & Macbeth for LTGI. Other acting credits include Dangerous Liasons (LLT), as well as Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All To You (Sister Mary), Oedipus Rex (Jocasta), & The Odd Couple (Vera) at Laredo College. She directed The Laramie Project (LLT) & is also the Executive Producer of Sex Work: The Documentary by Gabriela Trevino.
Meredith Peluffo
Fannie/Ensemble
Meredith Peluffo - Fannie/Ensemble
Meredith Peluffo had her theatre debut last summer in Laredo Theatre Guilds, "In The Heights." A senior in the American Musical and Dramatic Academy with a Bachelors in Performing Arts with an emphasis in Musical Theatre. She is grateful to her family, friends, and theatre community for their endless support and affection.
Stephanie Solis Schnyder
Annie/Ensemble
Stephanie Solis Schnyder - Annie/Ensemble
Stephanie Solis Schnyder, a veteran in Laredo's theatre community having worked, both as an actor and in production, with LCC's opera workshop, LLT, and LTGI under the direction of Dr. Joseph Crabtree, Vernon Carroll, Jose Flores, Marco Gonzalez among others. Stephanie's most recent roles are Laura Wingfield (Glass Menagerie), Camila Rosario (In The Heights), Claire Ganz (Rumors) and Mrs. Simpson (The Who's Tommy) led by her roles such as Edith Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank), Wicked Witch and multiple chorus roles (Shrek The Musical), Maria (Bless Me Ultima) and Marty (Grease), Ann Putnam (The Crucible) as part of Class on Stage, La Mujer de Leonardo (Bodas de Sangre), Antonia (Man of la Mancha), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), Bobbi (Some Girls), Elaine (Arsenic and Old Lace), Lucy (Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Lily St. Regis (Annie), Sharpay Evans (High School Musical '10 & '18) and Ensemble (Disney's Beauty and the Beast '07 & '17), among many others. She is the Choir Director at Lamar Middle School and the One Act Play UIL. Stephanie has also done backstage work as Stage Manager for A Midsummer Night's Dream and previously costumer for Little Shop of Horrors for LCC's Opera Workshop. Stephanie is excited to be part of the cast of Mary Poppins and be able to bring the show to life as we take you on a magical journey and adventure.
Marco Gonzalez
Marco Gonzalez - Ensemble
This is Marco's debut with Laredo Theatre Guild International. He has appeared in multiple shows including, Mamma Mia and Mulan Jr. at Laredo Little Theater, and High School Musical: Onstage! with LC's Opera Workshop. He is an incoming freshman at Texas A&M International University with a major in Multi-Disciplinary Studies.
Julio Rodriguez
Julio Rodriguez - Ensemble
Julio Rodriguez has been part of one of LTGI's productions, Beauty and The Beast. Julio has been several other local productions such as, Young Frankenstein The Musical, Carousel, and Bye Bye Birdie. Julio, thanks his friends and family who has believed in him.
Sophia Alonzo
Sophia Alonzo - Ensemble
Sophia Alonzo has performed with LTGI in 5 productions including Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, and Estela Garcia in Real Women Have Curves. Other Credits: HOME/LAND (Columbia College Chicago Studio 404: The Blackbox Theatre), Bye Bye Birdie (Laredo College), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Laredo Center for the Arts). Sophia is currently pursuing a B.A. in Musical Theatre with a minor in American Sign Language at Columbia College Chicago. Sophia would like to thank her family and friends for their tremendous support.
Leann Bernal
Leann Bernal - Ensemble
This is Leann's 4th production with LTGI, previous productions include In the Heights, Yerma, and The Who's Tommy. She is a recent graduate from JW Nixon and Vidal Magnet Trevino School of Communication and Fine Arts. She will be attending Texas State University in the fall to pursue her BFA in Dance. Leann thanks her family, friends, and the production team for an amazing experience.
Fabian Flores
Fabian Flores - Ensemble
Fabián A. Flores has trained at Waldo Gonzalez's School for the Performing Arts in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico since he was born. He has won multiple awards in hip hop competitions across the country, including placing 2nd in Hip Hop International and Express Your Skills Award as a breakdancer. This is his LTGI debut, and he is really greatful for this opportunity.
Ashley Muniz
Ashley Muniz - Ensemble
This is Ashley's second theatre performance, but first one with LTGI. She is a recent graduate from J.W Nixon High School and VMT. She will be attending Texas State University this upcoming fall. She would like to thank her family and friends for the never ending support.
Mia Gomez-Reyes
Mia Gomez-Reyes - Ensemble
Mia Gomez-Reyes has performed in two productions with LTGI, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The House on Mango Street. Other Credits: Lisa in Hearts Like Fists (Martin OAP), Cinderella Waltz (Martin OAP), and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (VMT Summer Lab). Mia is an incoming freshman at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing a B.A. in Theatre and Dance. Mia would like to thank her family and friends for their constant stream of love and support.
Heidy Guajardo
Heidy Guajardo - Ensemble
Heidy Guajardo has been in several plays and musicals in both Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. She most recently performed as a ensemble member for the LTGI production of "In the Heights" and " Yerma" as Hembra , a production that started her on the LTGI family. She also has a passion for dancing which has been part of her life for almost a decade and she is really thankful and honored to have been given the opportunity to be, once again, part of the magic.
Ana Martinez
Ana Martinez - Ensemble
Ana Manoela Martinez is a proud alumni from TAMIU and holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Biology. Ana Manoela is thankful to have the most loving and supporting parents ever. She made her onstage debut in the Laredo Little Theatre production of Mamma Mia and is excited to make her first appearance with LTGI in Mary Poppins.
Desiree Perez
Desiree Perez - Ensemble
This is Desiree's 2nd production with LTGI, previously seen onstage as Carla with In The Heights. Other theatre credits include: Germaine in Never the Sinner and Naomi in 21 Chump Street (LBJ Drama); Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (LC Opera Workshop. Desiress is very excited to participate with LTGI for another.
Elizabeth Sosa
Elizabeth Sosa - Ensemble
Elizabeth M. Sosa has performed with LTGI in two productions prior to Mary Poppins, including Beauty and the Beast and Shrek the Musical. Laredo Little Theatre Credits: A Charlie Brown Christmas and Jesus Christ Superstar. Music Directing Credits: Jesus Christ Superstar (LLT) and 21 Chump Street (L.B.J. High School Theatre). Elizabeth is an English teacher at L.B.J. High School and a graduate of UNT. Elizabeth thanks her Family & Friends for all their love and support!
Leanna Alfaro
Children's Ensemble
Leanna Alfaro - Children's Ensemble
Leanna Joelle Alfaro is a 10-year-old student at Fasken Elementary School. This is very exciting for Leanna as this is her acting debut. Leanna has been dancing since age 3 at Diana Rendon's Dance Academy and is a member of her school's dance team. Leanna is also a member of her school's Honor Society and enjoys presenting her GT projects. Leanna is very grateful for all the support she has received from her parents, siblings, and friends.
Zachary Averitt
Zachary Averitt - Children's Ensemble
Zachary Averitt's performance experience comes from church plays and dances at The Crossroads. Zachary learned to love the arts performing as the drummer boy and a Liam the cousin in various Christmas plays. He loves to play with Legos and sing. This summer he will be attending STEM camps as he would like to be an engineer when he grows up. He thanks his parents, sister, pastors, and teachers for always encouraging him to do his best.
Anna Fasulo
Anna Fasulo - Children's Ensemble
Anna Fasulo is a 7th grader at Lamar Middle School. For the past two years, she participated in Lamar's One Act Play under the direction of Ms. Stephanie Solis. She portrayed the roles of the Genie in Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp and Puck in a Midsummer Night's Dream. She is making her LTGI debut, and is so excited to be part of an amazing production like Mary Poppins!
Amelie Verastigui
Amelie Verastigui - Children's Ensemble
Amalie Verastigui is excited to make her musical theatre debut with LTGI. Amalie has previously performed in Lamar Middle School's UIL One Act Plays Hush Little Celia, Don't say a Word, A Midsummers Night's Dream, and Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. Amalie has also participated in TMEA Region Choir. Amalie is grateful for this opportunity to work with LTGI and would like to thank her family and friends for their constant support.
Karol Batey
Karol Batey - Director
Karol Ann Batey has performed with LTGI in 10 productions, including Blithe Spirit, Yerma, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. Other Credits: The Laramie Project & Teatro Chicano (Laredo Little Theatre); 9 to 5 and The Odd Couple (Laredo College). LTGI Directing Credits: God of Carnage and (Assistant Director) In the Heights. Other Directing Credits: Noises Off, Measure for Pleasure and Some Girl(s) (LLT). Karol is an Assessment Specialist at Texas A&M International University and her degrees include a B.A. in Theatre and a Masters in Professional Accountancy.
Celina Oliveira
Celina Oliveira - Producer
Dr. Celina T. Oliveira has owned a successful Audiology practice for ten years. She currently serves as corresponding secretary for the Laredo Theater Guild International (LTGI). She is a proud graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and serves as President-Elect of the Texas Exes – Laredo Chapter.
Her LTGI credits span over nine years and include: Makeup Artist in Agnes of God (2010), The Importance of Being Ernest (2010), Hairspray (2013) as well as serving as Assistant Producer for Annie (2011), Macbeth (2011), Bodas de sangre (2012), Romeo & Juliet (2013), 39 Steps (2014), and Shrek (2015). She made her debut as Producer in the hilarious comedy, God of Carnage (2016). She is most proud of her work as Producer in LTGI's first rock musical, The Who's Tommy (2016), Federico Garcia Lorca's Yerma (2018), and the Summer 2018 hit, In the Heights. Mary Poppins will be her 19th production with LTGI.
She is thankful to the cast and production team for allowing her to assist in the creation of Mary Poppins.
Waldo Gonzalez, SDC
Waldo Gonzalez, SDC - Choreographer
Marco Gonzalez - Artistic Director
Marco Gonzalez is the Artistic Director of Laredo Theater Guild International and Audio/Video Production Teacher At J.W. Nixon High School. He is a graduate of The University Of Texas At Austin with a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Radio/TV/Film. His directing credits include LTGI's In the Heights (2018), LTGI's Yerma (2018), LTGI's The Diary of Anne Frank (2015), LTGI's The 39 Steps (2014), LTGI's Romeo & Juliet (2013) And Imago Theatre's By The Bog Of Cats (2011). When not involved in community-based theater, Marco is the co-director of Nixon High School's UIL One-Act Play with Jose Flores. During his time at Nixon, their program has garnered two State appearances for their productions of Mother Courage and Her Children (2017) and Twelfth Night (2014). Both productions received the State Best Actress prize. The program has also earned one Region appearance for Peter and the Starcatcher (2018), two Area appearances for their all-female production of Hamlet (2016) and Romeo & Juliet (2015) and a Bi-District appearance for this year's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2019). In August of 2017, the troupe traveled to Scotland where they were invited to perform Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba at The 70th Annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival. Marco's notable forays into film include interning at The Weinstein Company in Los Angeles, CA, attending the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT and working in production on many local short and feature films. He has been actively involved in theater for over fifteen years. Marco's credits on stage include LITE Production's Side Man (Ziggy), LLT's Measure For Pleasure (Sir Peter Lustforth) and LTGI's A Midsummer Night's Dream (Quince).
Dr. Colin Campbell
Dr. Colin Campbell - Music Director
Dr. Colin A. Campbell has been an active concert organist and pianist over the past 25 years, touring across Southern Africa and Europe. He was appointed as University Organist/Assistant Professor of Music/Organ at Texas A&M International University in the Fall of 2013, relocating from South Africa. Dr. Campbell will return to TAMIU in the coming Fall semester as tenured Associate Professor of Music/Organ.
He is proud to debut as Musical Director for Mary Poppins after serving as rehearsal pianist for LTGI In the Heights and LTGI Beauty and the Beast. Colin has more than twenty years' experience as a pit musician, and his credits as music director for musical theater productions include Gigi, The Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Sound of Music. For this production of The Sound of Music he received the Eastern Province Herald's Show Time Award for the Best Contribution to Musical Theatre in 2003. His composition, Rapsodia del Río Grande for Mariachi, Organ & Orchestra was the center piece in an award winning KLRN PBS documentary, Rhapsody on the Rio Grande: A Confluence of Culture.
Colin thanks his wife Belinda, and their son, Colin Jr. for their love and support and is thankful to the cast and production team to be part of this year's production of Mary Poppins.
Casandra Canales
Casandra Canales - Assistant Director
Casandra Canales has been an active member of LTGI since 2009. She served as assistant director in The Diary of Anne Frank (LTGI 2015) and Noises Off (LLT 2014). Past LTGI production titles include, costumer- In the Heights (2018), costumer - A Midsummer Night's Dream (2016). As an actor, her titles include, Yerma (2017), The 39 Steps (2014), Bodas de Sangre (2012) among others.
Chayo Moreno
Chayo Moreno - Stage Manager
Chayo Moreno is thrilled to be returning to LTGI. Most recently she had the pleasure of being Assistant Stage Manager in LTGI's In the Heights. Other credits include: Noises Off and Measure for Pleasure (LLT). Chayo graduated from TAMIU with a B.S. in Elementary Education with a Bilingual Emphasis. She is currently working at Leon Daiches Elementary as a Second Grade teacher and is working towards her M.A. in Theatre. She would like to thank her family and friends for their constant support.
Telissa Lueckenotte Molano
Telissa Lueckenotte Molano - Set Designer
Telissa Lueckenotte Molano born and raised outside of Kansas City, Missouri, is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design with studies in both Rouen and Paris, France. After working in two major architectural firms and have migrated South down Interstate 35, she met her husband, Juan, in Dallas. She is a partner in the architectural firm, Redline Architecture. Seventeen years of drinking Laredo water and seven seasons of collaborating with LTGI, she has helped create over 17 sets including In the Heights, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Cinderella, The Diary of Anne Frank, My Fair Lady, Hairspray, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Who's Tommy, Bodas de Sangre, God of Carnage, The Crucible, Macbeth, The 39 Steps, Bless Me Ultima, Yerma, and The House on Mango Street. She played Marlene in Daddy's Dyin' Who's Got the Will. She also collaborated with the Society of Martha Washington to produce the 2016-2019 Colonial Ball sets. She is blessed to be a board member for Casa de Misericordia and LTGI.
Ariadne "Dee Dee" Diaz
Ariadne "Dee Dee" Diaz - Costumer
Ariadne "DeeDee" Diaz gladly joins LTGI as costumer for this summer's musical, Mary Poppins. She is excited to work on this fabulous show with over 100 costumes. Other shows she has costumed are Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will? (2014) and Romeo and Juliet (2012). She's also assisted Teena Arciniega with costuming Sound of Music (2010), The Importance of Being Ernest (2011), Annie (2011), and Macbeth (2011). She was also wig mistress for Hairspray (2013). DeeDee has also taken to the stage in such shows as Sound of Music (Frau Schweriger/2010), Agnes of God (Mother Superior/2011), and Macbeth (Witch/2011). She's thrilled for another opportunity to work behind the scenes on an LTGI production!
Henry Mejia
Henry Mejia - Properties Master
Henry Mejia, along with his wife Karen, is the owner of Blue Top Companies providing land surveying and printing in Laredo. He serves as Permanent Deacon at San Martin de Porres Catholic Church and is a Past-president of Laredo Theater Guild International Board where he now serves as a member. As properties master ,Henry gets to design and build some cool stuff, he also goes on a city-wide scavenger hunt for hard to find items. Henry was part of the team that helped put this amazing set together. He also helped LTGI switch ticket vendors, we hope it was a better experience for you. In this show he also is serving as the flight captain, keeping Mary's flight safe! He has been involved in most of LTGI's productions specializing in not being see by the audience. Henry is crazy in love with his amazing wife Karen and they have three children Alejandro, Miguel, and Sarah, which all have graced the LTGI stage.


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These are uncertain times in Calgary. The pandemic and the collapse in oil and gas markets have left us wondering what our future holds. We're faced with a choice: invest in our future, or retreat to our past?
Renderings showing much needed streetscaping improvements for 16 Ave N. (Source: City of Calgary).
Very soon council will be asked to invest in improved mobility, in the Green Line. Council will be asked to approve a revised Stage One plan that will finally begin to deliver improved transit services for the north and for all of Calgary. I support this plan. It's the first step to achieving transportation and community improvements for North Central Calgary. It's an investment in our future.
For years Centre Street has been the most highly transited bus corridor in the city. We recognize the greatest hurdle to adding much needed capacity up Centre Street is crossing the Bow River. Now, thanks to a $3 Billion funding commitment and a new bridge, the Green Line makes crossing the river and connecting the north a reality. If we don't seize this opportunity now, if we lose this precious funding, then I fear this opportunity will not return for a long, long time.
Our overall goal is connected LRT service through downtown all the way up Centre Street and along Harvest Hills Boulevard. I believe this is far more likely to happen with Stage One's commitment to the north literally poured in concrete across the Bow up to 16th Avenue. It will happen over time, station by station, as incremental funding comes available. This has been the pattern for almost every other CTrain extension, and there's every reason to believe the Green Line will follow suit.
The proposed new alignment will bring BRT improvements north past 16 Avenue N beyond the 2017 Council approved Stage 1 (Source: City of Calgary).
While Stage One will not yet deliver the entire train we need, it does commit to BRT improvements along the way, including priority signals, bus lanes, and improved bus shelters. It will also improve service reliability by letting BRT and express buses travel on a dedicated right of way from 13th Avenue all the way to downtown. I believe this bundle of BRT improvements is a critical part of the Stage One proposal and must be included.
Northern communities have watched for decades as other areas of Calgary receive infrastructure and transit investments. Finally, after 2 years of consultation, the new North Hill Plan offers hope for investment and community improvements around Edmonton Trail, Centre Street, and 4th Street. Foundational to the North Hill Plan is an assumption that the Green line is built to support it. This investment in community redevelopment is significantly impaired without the transit and mobility options that the Green Line will bring.
The latest drawings show much-needed streetscaping improvements for Centre Street North. (Source: City of Calgary)
The Green Line has been planned for years, with input from countless residents, businesses, and elected representatives alike. It's time to realize our return on years of investment from Calgarians. Let's move forward.
Greg Miller is a resident of North Central Calgary and a long-time advocate for mobility choice. Twitter: @GregGinYYC.
For more info on the Green Line visit the City of Calgary's Green Line engagement page>>.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


PHOENIX, AZ, December 13, 2016 – IO, a leading global provider of data center services, today announced Abacus Data Systems, Inc. (Abacus) has selected IO's data center infrastructure to support its Abacus Private Cloud customers. Abacus is using IO colocation services in Phoenix and London to deliver Virtual Desktop as a Service solutions in a reliable, high availability environment.
Abacus, the leading fully managed technology solutions provider whose next generation turnkey product portfolio is distinguished under the corporate brand AbacusNext®, chose IO because it provides highly secure, energy efficient modular data center services staffed "24xForever" with customer service, data center operations, and security personnel. IO provides Abacus the flexibility to add capacity in a pay-as-you-grow model, which makes it easy for Abacus to deliver on-demand cloud services to its SMB customers.
Founded in 2007, IO is a data center services company that utilizes the latest data center technology to deliver colocation and cloud services to businesses and governments around the world. IO's next-generation colocation data center offering gives enterprises the flexibility to deploy legacy and cloud applications in a secure and efficient environment. IO operates six state-of-the-art data centers in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Singapore and London. Trusted by some of the most demanding consumers of data center services, IO unleashes the potential for the data center to deliver sustainable business value. For more information about IO, visit io.com.


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FRED HAISE
🔒 FULL INTERVIEW: Apollo 13 astronaut recounts harrowing journey
On April 11, 1970, the Apollo 13 crew left Earth on a Saturn V rocket. Fifty-two years later at 88-years-old, Apollo 13 astronaut, and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, remembers those harrowing moments, describing them vividly in his newly released book, memoir, Never Panic Early: An Apollo 13 Astronaut's Journey.
ONLY ON 2 - 'Never Panic Early': An Apollo 13 astronaut's journey
It was a mission that captured the world's attention: a moon landing mission turned heart-stopping rescue.
Retro 51 rolls out space shuttle Enterprise limited edition Tornado pen
Forty-five years after it made its public debut, NASA's space shuttle Enterprise is being rolled out again, this time as a rollerball pen. Retro 51 announced its new Space Shuttle Enterprise Tornado, the latest in its line of collectible writing instruments.
Apollo 13 astronauts raise a toast to their recovery with new statue
Fifty-one years to the day after they survived an explosion on the way to the moon, Jim Lovell and Fred Haise came face-to-face with their post-splashdown selves at Space Center Houston. The Apollo 13 crewmates toasted a sculpture capturing their recovery.
51 years later, Apollo 13 astronauts reflect on historic mission
On April 11, 1970, three astronauts and a team here on Earth dared to attempt what was expected to be the third moon landing. However, just shy of 56 hours into the mission, the crew experienced a problem that would turn into a full-fledged effort to get the crew back to Earth alive.
New Space Explorers Club offers monthly access to astronauts
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation has launched a new program to connect people directly to astronauts in a new monthly club.
Apollo 13 astronauts statue touches down at Space Center Houston
The new Apollo 13 statue at Space Center Houston stands in honor of both the astronauts and the team in Mission Control, who worked to ensure the crew's safe return. James Lovell, Fred Haise and the late Jack Swigert have been immortalized as a bronze statue now on display at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas. The Apollo 13 statue at Space Center Houston depicts Jim Lovanniversarell (at center), Fred Haise (at left) and Jack Swigert at the moment of their recovery after the ill-fated mission. (Image credit: Space Center Houston)The Apollo 13 statue is the Lundeens' second time sculpting Swigert's likeness. Documentary filmmaker Steven Barber presented the Apollo 13 statue project to Space Center Houston and advised on its execution.
How souvenirs standing in for moon rocks helped save Apollo 13 fifty years ago
A segment of netting removed from the Apollo 13 lunar module and mounted post-flight for presentation by the crew as a souvenir of their April 1970 moon mission. Pre-flight photo of an Apollo 13 sample return container (SRC). Astronaut Jack Lousma, serving as capsule communicator, or capcom, in Mission Control in Houston, replied that he would get somebody to work on that. Apollo 13 lunar module crewman optical alignment sight (COAS), at left, and replacement lunar plaque with command module pilot Jack Swigert's name on display at the Adler Planetarium. The Apollo 13 crew mounted and presented the mirror to Mission Control.
This vintage NASA Apollo 13 documentary takes you back to the iconic moon mission
Fifty years after Apollo 13, a vintage documentary from the National Archives takes us back to one of the most iconic human spaceflight missions of all time. This documentary, "Apollo 13: Houston, We've Got a Problem," named after the famous line uttered first by Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert, is comprised of archival footage from the mission. Related: See Apollo 13 as it happened with Apollo 13 in Real TimeYou can see a full version here or watch part 1 below. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, NASA created a new documentary on the flight. Called "Apollo 13: Home Safe," the 30-minute program looks back at Apollo 13, its legacy and its lessons for future moon missions.
Apollo 13 timeline: The hectic days of NASA's 'successful failure' to the moon
Apollo 13 was surrounded by superstition from the start, the number 13 believed to be unlucky, but NASA wasnt going to let that get in the way of Science. Related: Apollo 13 in Real Time website offers new insight into missionThis article is brought to you by All About Space. Time: 55:55:20, "Houston, we've had a problem"The ground-based Apollo 13 team gather around in Mission Control to solve the oxygen cell failure problem. Time: 57:43:00, To the lifeboatThe Apollo 13 crew moved to their cramped LM and used it as a "lifeboat." It was up to Houston to find a makeshift filtration method using only items on board Apollo 13.
Failure was not an option: NASA's Apollo 13 mission of survival in pictures
On April 11, 1970, NASA launched three Apollo 13 astronauts to land on the moon. Related: How Apollo 13's dangerous survival mission worked (infographic)Apollo 13 crew(Image credit: NASA)The crew of NASA's Apollo 13 lunar landing mission, poses for a group photo shortly before the mission launched in April 1970. From left to right: Apollo 13 Cmdr. Practice for the day(Image credit: NASA)Two crewmembers of NASA's Apollo 13 lunar landing mission practice using tools from the Apollo Lunar Hand Tools and a gnomon. In the background to the left is Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise.
Moon-metal medallions, space pens and more mark Apollo 13 50th anniversary
Related: See Apollo 13 as it happened with Apollo 13 in Real Time websiteThe medallion, which is available for $25 to $35 depending on the retailer, features a design based on the Apollo 13 mission patch, amended with the years and the number "50" denoting the anniversary. Winco has also produced an Apollo 13 50th anniversary embroidered patch and a lapel pin , the latter also minted with metal flown on an Apollo capsule to the moon. A different, limited edition Apollo 13 50th anniversary lapel pin is not for sale, but is instead being offered in return for donations. "Support INFINITY during our COVID-19 closure and we'll mail you an Apollo 13 50th Anniversary Commemorative pin as a thank you. The lapel pin features art from the Apollo 13 mission patch and reproduces lunar module pilot Fred Haise's autograph.
Fred Haise: NASA astronaut and Apollo 13 lunar module pilot
Fred Haise is a former U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps pilot and NASA astronaut most famous for his role as the lunar module pilot for the nearly-catastrophic Apollo 13 mission. Haise, an ex-fighter pilot, was selected for NASA's astronaut program in 1966 and served as the backup lunar module pilot for the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions. NASA portrait photo of Fred Haise, Apollo 13 crewmember and one of the first space shuttle pilots. Related: Apollo 13: The hectic timeline of NASA's 'successful failure' moonshotHaise, along with commander Jim Lovell, was supposed to walk on the moon during Apollo 13. Related: 10 Amazing space shuttle photosHaise and crewmate Gordon Fullerton executed a series of flight tests for the space shuttle Enterprise.
Houston, we've had a delay: Apollo 13 50th celebrations rescheduled
The celebrations scheduled for the 50th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 13 mission have been delayed or replanned in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The flight plans had been filed, the logistics confirmed and the countdown was on to celebrate the 50th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 13 mission. The Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas, home to the Apollo 13 command module Odyssey (pictured), has rescheduled its Apollo 13 mission debrief and gala for November 2020. In addition to supporting the new multimedia website "Apollo 13 in Real Time," the agency will premiere a new documentary short on its television channel and website, "Apollo 13: Home Safe," at 8 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 10. Planned for April 11, the reception and dinner program was to feature Griffin, Lunney, Windler, astronaut and Apollo 13 support crew member Vance Brand and actor Clint Howard, who was in the 1995 movie "Apollo 13."
Apollo 13: Facts About NASA's Near-Disaster
Related: Apollo 13 in Real Time website offers new insight into mission, 50 years laterThe Apollo 13 astronautsThe Apollo 13 astronauts were commander James Lovell, lunar module pilot Fred Haise, and command module pilot John "Jack" Swigert. Prior to the Apollo 13 mission, 36 year-old Haise served as the backup lunar module pilot for the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions. (Note that the 1995 movie "Apollo 13" took some creative license with the phrase, changing it to "Houston, we have a problem" and having the words come out of Apollo 13 commander James Lovell's mouth.) The book, "Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13" (Houghton Mifflin, 1994), spurred the 1995 movie "Apollo 13," starring actor Tom Hanks. Related: Isle of Man marks Apollo 13 50th with new 'One Giant Leap' stampsOther biographical accounts of the Apollo 13 mission include Liebergot and David Harland's "Apollo EECOM: Journey of a Lifetime" (Collector's Guide Publishing, 2003) and Kranz's "Failure Is Not An Option" (Simon & Schuster, 2000).


Aug. 24 (UPI) -- North Korea may have been launching cyberattacks against South Korean virtual currency exchanges in the face of heavier economic sanctions.
The CWIC Cyber Warfare Research Center in South Korea stated a domestic exchange for bitcoin, the worldwide cryptocurrency and digital payment system, has been the target of an attempted hacking, Radio Free Asia reported.
Other targets include South Korean financial technology companies and smaller businesses that use online financial tools, according to the report.
CWIC's Simon Choi said it is "not only one or two exchanges where attack attempts have been made."
"Startups that use blockchain, financial technology sector companies as well as others, may have been the target" of hacking emails, Choi said.
Blockchain is a public ledger of all cryptocurrency transactions.
The emails would be sent to the employees of targeted firms.
Opening the emails and reading its contents would provide an opportunity for attached malware to be planted inside the company's computer network, according to Choi.
The emails would often claim the sender represented a government authority, such as South Korea's fair trade commission.
Other times the emails would include resumes from "job seekers."
According to CWIC, the malicious code attached to the emails was identical to viruses of North Korean origin.
Professor Lim Jong-in of the Graduate School of Information Security at Korea University said North Korea is attempting to hack online currency exchanges because "you can conceal the identity of the virtual money owner...while securing a new source of foreign currency."
North Korea has condemned the sanctions that have been adopted at the United Nations Security Council, as well as the unilateral U.S. sanctions imposed on Pyongyang by the U.S. Treasury.
Speculation is rising, however, the Trump administration may be signaling renewed interest in starting bilateral dialogue with North Korea.
President Donald Trump told supporters in Arizona that his North Korea policy may be working and North Korea's Kim Jong Un has "started to respect" the United States.
"But, Kim Jong Un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us," Trump said. "I respect that fact very much. Respect that fact."


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Bre & Co. Origami Watch
Tool. Inc.
Bre Pettis, the renowned maker who helped bring 3D printing to the masses when he co-founded MakerBot, realized he had an interesting dilemma after leaving MakerBot in 2014.
As he explained to the New York Times, "MakerBot was the holy grail of making, because we made things that made things. But after I left the company, I spent the last couple of years thinking about what's worth making, because once you can make anything, it's a real mind boggler to figure out what you actually want to make."
Turns out he decided to craft heirloom quality gifts to express to his friends and family how much he loves, respects, and appreciates them. Bre expounds upon this shift in focus on the Bre & Co. website. "I spent the last two years asking everyone I knew about things they own that are meaningful in their lives. The answers surprised me. I learned that our things become most valuable when they have stories that connect us to those we love. Our valued things connect us to each other." And so, he endeavored "to make a few unique watches as gold medals of friendship, appreciation, and admiration for the special people in my life."
It was at this point that Pettis collaborated with Tool to design and engineer his watch. Since then, he's been working with a machining partner in Kansas City to make his concept a reality, and now it's finally ready. The end result, the Bre & Co. Origami Watch, comes complete with all the facets of a Delorean, an Eterna 3909A movement inside, and a one-half-ounce American eagle liberty gold coin embedded on the back as a tactile reminder of your intrinsic value (or to save your tail in an emergency)!
Working with Bre is always a fun and exciting experience, and it is awesome to see that this project has burgeoned into a entirely new company that is "on a mission to make meaningful things." Congratulations, Bre!
Watch the video and learn more about the Bre & Co. Origami Watch at Hodinkee.
Tom Gernetzke
After growing up in the Midwest and going to school at the University of Cincinnati, I moved out to New England to join the Tool crew as an Industrial Designer. In addition to design, I love airplanes (and spacecraft), hiking, camping, illustration and animation.
BOSTON4 Beringer Way, Marblehead MA 01945
EMAILInfo@toolinc.com
SHENZHENRoom 305 of FuMing Building, ZhongHao Road, BanTian Town, LongGang, ShenZhen
WEBSITE網站
Inquires
Inventor Idea Submission
© 2019 Tool., Incorporated. All Rights Reserved


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Chauvel Cinema
249 Corner Oxford StreetOatley RoadPaddington, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2021
The Chauvel has been operating in the historic Paddington Town Hall from 1977. Formerly the Paddington Town Hall ballroom (the fully sprung floor remains under the seats) the Cinema One auditorium boasts a barrel-vaulted ceiling with proscenium arch stage. The Chauvel's second floor cafe & bar offers views over Sydney's fashionable Paddington. The Chauvel...
The Chauvel has been operating in the historic Paddington Town Hall from 1977. Formerly the Paddington Town Hall ballroom (the fully sprung floor remains under the seats) the Cinema One auditorium boasts a barrel-vaulted ceiling with proscenium arch stage. The Chauvel's second floor cafe & bar offers views over Sydney's fashionable Paddington. The Chauvel is equipped with digital projection with Dolby Digital surround sound.
The Chauvel
The Chauvel is equipped with digital projection with Dolby Digital surround sound.
249 Corner Oxford Street Oatley Road Paddington
Vibe Hotel Rushcutters Bay Sydney
The Royal Hotel Paddington


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Smith County Sheriff's Office investigating homicide at Tyler gas station
The Smith County Sheriff's Office is investigating a Sunday morning homicide in a Tyler gas station parking lot.
By Christian Terry | May 12, 2019 at 10:09 AM CDT - Updated May 13 at 3:58 AM
TYLER, TX (KLTV) - The Smith County Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide in a Tyler gas station parking lot.
Deputies responded to Food Fast in the 11000 block of State Highway 64 West just after 2:00 a.m. Sunday, according to Larry Christian with the Smith County Sheriff's Office.
When deputies arrived, they said they found the unidentified victim shot inside his vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, there is no motive or suspect information in this case.
If you have any information on this shooting or suspect, you are asked to call the Smith County Sheriff's Office.
Christian Terry
Digital Content Producer
Christian Terry is a digital producer for KLTV 7. He comes to KLTV from KAUZ in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Hummus sold at Buccee's part of recall triggered by possible listeria contamination
A voluntary recall of certain hummus products made between May 30 and June 25 has been issued.
Stephanie Frazier
Longview's Newgate Mission offers healing through art
It's just one of the things Newgate Mission in Longview offers to those in need. We spoke to an artist offering up his knowledge and experience to lend a helping hand.
Jamey Boyum
Published 5h at 11:51 AM
Marshall firefighters discover 31 pounds of marijuana at scene of wreck
Jeff Awtrey


READING, Pa., Sept. 17, 2012 – Penske Logistics recently earned two awards from Whirlpool Corporation for supply chain excellence as 2011 3PL Supplier of the Year for Warehousing, its third consecutive year, and 2011 Specialty Service Supplier of the Year.
Penske Logistics currently manages and optimizes a combined network of 11 major distribution centers for Whirlpool across the United States. These facilities encompass approximately 7.6 million square feet of warehousing space and accommodate more than 40 million units of finished goods annually. Penske was recognized for its excellence in managing and optimizing these facilities using lean processes, labor management systems and standardized processes and metrics.
Penske earned Whirlpool's Specialty Service Supplier of the Year award designation for implementing an innovative Lead Logistics approach, which reduces costs and boosts on-time delivery performance. Penske manages a majority of Whirlpool's inbound and outbound freight transportation in North America.
Using the latest technology, Penske's Load Control Center in Beachwood, Ohio, dynamically optimizes and builds shipments to minimize costs and maximize service. Then, Penske Logistics manages the activities of multiple carriers and 3PLs to ensure on-time deliveries to distribution centers, builders and end consumers. In 2011, Penske's efforts delivered a 98 percent on-time delivery record and helped reduce costs and carbon footprint by maximizing trailer utilization and reducing the number of transportation shipments required.
Penske Logistics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Truck Leasing. With operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, Penske Logistics provides supply chain management and logistics services to major industrial and consumer companies throughout the world. Penske Logistics delivers value through design, planning and execution in transportation, warehousing, and international freight forwarding and carrier management. To learn more visitwww.PenskeLogistics.com and our "Move Ahead" blog.


If you have no plans two weeks from now, be sure to keep it that way, since on June 20th Microsoft has prepared a special event, where they'll preview the looks and features of Windows Phone 8 Apollo. All the questions will be answered and maybe we'll get to see some nifty prototypes of first devices running this OS.
Best case scenario? We'll see a beautiful integration with Windows 8 and Xbox 360, at least three prototypes with different formats (full touch, touch and type, maybe side sliding QWERTY), but those are already the stuff of wet dreams for geeks. What do you think we'll see two weeks from now? What's the main Windows Phone feature that needs improvement?


Wednesday's Underground episode, '28,' marks steps backward for some of our favorites.
Literally for Noah (Aldis Hodge) and Rosalee (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), whose return to the Macon plantation in search of Ernestine (Amirah Vann) and James (Maceo Smedley) is fraught with surprises. And painfully for Cato (Alano Miller), who is suffering the aftermath of his shootout with Patty Cannon (Sadie Stratton, so good playing bad) and her crew.
Cato's immediate fate is agonizingly apparent in the episode's opening moments, which present yet another opportunity for Miller to show off the range of his acting chops. And if you find yourself recalculating Cato's good-versus-evil percentages every minute the guy's onscreen, ready your math skills. Because Devi (Rana Roy)—who delivers a humdinger of a personal assessment of her former man's nature—is caught is the middle as he and the merciless Patty negotiate the new terms of their power struggle.
Also in the episode, Ernestine's tutelage of the vengeful young Clara (Miller's wife DeWanda Wise, whose caramel eyes glitter with Clara's newfound power) takes a dangerous turn.


T G Commercials Self Drive is a principal provider of an expansive range of commercial vehicles for rent at economical rates in the UK. Hook loaders are large-scale vehicles, which are used immensely in construction transport industry to relocate heavy weighted commodities or waste from one point to another. Are you falling short of money and resources to keep up prime hook loaders? Opt for our hook loader hire in Nottingham services for the most satisfactory results.
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So what are you waiting for? Contact T G Commercials Self Drive to rent our sturdy hook loaders, lorries, vans and other vehicles to meet your business needs.
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London 2012: Tonya Verbeek is about the victory, not the spoils
By Paul HunterFeature Writer
Tues., July 10, 2012timer6 min. read
A potential story line going into the London Olympics, and it would be a good one, is that wrestler Tonya Verbeek is looking to complete her set of precious medals; that she overshot her own expectation of retirement by four years to pick up the one missing shiny bauble.
The 34-year-old earned a silver medal when women's wrestling debuted at the Athens Games in 2004. She followed that up with a bronze, and her retirement announcement, at Beijing in 2008.
But there is no plaque in her trophy case with a yawning space for the gold that would complete the Olympic hardware hat trick. In truth, her bronze medal hangs inauspiciously from a key holder. And the silver one, which she has hidden away, is missing its ribbon and has the word "duplicate" across the back.
Her original Athens prize was stolen, she believes, during a flight home after holding a wrestling clinic at St. Stephen, N.B. in 2005. Verbeek was preoccupied with a box of live lobsters she had purchased for her family and the medal was stuffed in a bag under a seat. She thought little of it until a week or two later when she needed it for another appearance and both it and a world championship bronze were missing from the bag.
"I was silly and I put it underneath," said the Thorold, Ont. resident. "You sometimes just trust so much because when you travel a lot, you don't even think about it. Now I think about it. Lesson learned."
The Canadian Olympic Committee got her a replacement but the loss underlines an essential truth about Verbeek. While she is ferociously competitive, winning means more to her than the actual spoils of those victories. After all, this is a women who once allowed her silver medal — the original one — to be passed through a football crowd at Ivor Wynne Stadium while she was on the field being feted for her Olympic success.
"The medals and all the trophies, they obviously represent and show where I've been and how I've done (but) you've got it all in here," she says tapping her chest. "In your heart. That's the most important thing for me."
Don't get the wrong idea. Verbeek desperately wants to emerge the victor at London and believes she can. She just doesn't obsess about having a gold medal draped around her neck.
"I do believe that. At my best on that day, I can win it," Verbeek says looking ahead to taking on a challenging field in the 55-kilogram division.
"But I don't like to make (a gold medal) my emphasis. We train day in and day out. It's something that we love doing. To just think of 'the gold' ... No, I want to walk away knowing that I wrestled my best. I felt I wrestled my best in Beijing and I ended up with the bronze."
If Verbeek can reach the podium at London, it would be a remarkable story of resilience and determination in an often brutal and unforgiving sport. She left little doubt after that Beijing bronze that her career, at least at the Games, was over.
"For me to finish off like this — because this will be my last Olympics — I really can't complain," she said at the time.
Several factors, however, caused her to continue getting up off the mat.
First of all, her personal coach Marty Calder and team coach Leigh Vierling cut back on the competitive workload for her and fellow veteran Carol Huynh, who won gold at 48-kilos in Beijing, realizing they'd have to be preserved if they were going to make it through another quadrennial of rigorous training. A back injury suffered by Verbeek in 2010 then forced a break that, counter intuitively, only seemed to stoke her competitive fire.
As a concession to age — her only one really — she also tweaked her workout routines adding such elements as Pilates and yoga; so much the better to keep her in tune with her body.
Key too was that Verbeek immersed herself deeper into the world of coaching at the Brock Wrestling Club. Sharing strategies, techniques and tactics helped give her a deeper understanding of her sport and made her a better wrestler.
"I think that has helped me pull it all together," she said. "It makes you love the sport more because you understand it more."
Also, understanding she was nearing the end of a storied career, she stopped looking at the big picture, compartmentalized her approach and simply enjoyed each match and competition for itself, not as a building block towards a future Olympics.
And the results were stunning. Among her accomplishments last year, she won both the Grand prix of Spain and Germany. She got a silver at the Pan American Games and, most impressively, also picked up a silver at the world championship, narrowly losing the final to Saori Yoshida, who dominates the weight class. It was her best result at the worlds.
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This year, Verbeek is undefeated, finishing first at the four tournaments at which she has competed. Since 2008, she has only missed the podium once at an internationally sanctioned tournament.
"She's looking really good right now," said Calder. "Physically and mentally, she's put it all together. I think she's as good as she's ever been. I'm sure of that actually."
Verbeek — and, yes, you've heard this before — says this will be her last Olympics but she is far from finished with the sport. She will compete at the world championship in September that is taking place just outside Edmonton. She also wants to pass on the knowledge she's picked up since, as a Grade 11 student at Beamsville District Secondary School, a PA announcement about the formation of a girls wrestling team tweaked an enduring passion.
"The sport is always going to be a part of my life. When I finish I know I will be coaching and mentoring and travelling, hopefully even with national team members and I'll hopefully be able to give back because it's just done so much in my life,' she said.
Before that, however, is one last shot at that missing medal.
"I haven't said, 'I'm going to the Olympic Games and I'm going to get the gold medal,'" she said. "I'm going to wrestle my best and be my best. I am very excited. I feel right where I need to be."
Tonya Verbeek's key competition
There is a significant obstacle to Tonya Verbeek bringing home a gold medal from London and her name is Saori Yoshida. The Japanese wrestler has dominated the 55-kilo weight class since women began competing for medals in the sport in 2004.
Yoshida has gold from the 2004 and 2008 Olympics as well as nine world championships on her resume. She once had a streak of 119 consecutive victories at the senior level internationally and she followed that up with 58-match run.
However, the 29-year-old showed her vulnerability in May, losing to Russian Valeria Zholobova at the World Cup in Tokyo. Afterwards she vowed to come up with new tactics so she could win gold at London. Verbeek faced Yoshida in the final of last year's world championship. It was a heated match with Yoshida eking out a 6-4 victory.
Another formidable opponent in the 19-women field at the Games will be Sweden's Sofia Mattsson, a silver medallist at 59-kilos in last year's world championship who will be wrestling at 55 kilograms.
Canada is sending four women and five men to London for wrestling. The competition begins Aug. 5 for men and Aug. 8 for women at the Excel exhibition centre.


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Articles by Vanessa Torres
About Vanessa Torres (12 Articles)
Vanessa is a contributing reporter for Tejano Nation. In addition she is an anchor and reporter for 309 in Studio in Peoria, Illinois. She also served as News Director for Cromwell Radio Group in Effingham, Illinois, and producer for WEEK-TV in Peoria, Illinois. She gained experience at jobs in New York, New Jersey and Tennessee over the past five years. She also contributes to EvoNews.com. Torres is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and a 2011 graduate of Business Careers High School. She received an Associates of Arts degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies from the University of Phoenix in 2014 and a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from Full Sail University in 2016.
Las Fenix talk new single 'Un Traguito De Tequila'
"Un Traguito De Tequila" is the latest single from the dynamic group of five sisters known as Las Fenix. [...]
Johnny Hernandez and Chente Barrera team up to update a Tejano classic [AUDIO]
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Grupo Kompleto releases 'Besos De Aire', lead single from upcoming debut album
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Roger Velasquez & The Latin Legendz release 'Mi Vida Mi Mundo' music video
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ANA's K2 Report: Evidence of 'Pervasive' Agency Rebate Collection
4A's, Publicis Slam 'Transparency' Report for Lack of Transparency
By Alexandra Bruell. Published on June 07, 2016.
Credit: iStock
This story has been updated with information about the holding company that cooperated with K2, as well as reactions by Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
An investigation by the Association of National Advertisers has found that rebates, including "cash rebates," and "other non-transparent practices" are pervasive in the U.S. media buying ecosystem, the trade association announced this morning.
Findings from the eight-month-long investigation conducted by independent firm K2 Intelligence are contained in the ANA's 58-page report.
The report, which alleges that contracts for rebates and other non-transparent business practices were negotiated and sometimes signed by high-level agency executives, outlines the various "non-transparent practices" by agencies, based on "detailed source accounts from dozens of confidential, personal interviews as well as documentary evidence" such as contracts and emails.
The report, however, does not name any agency groups or media vendors specifically "due to the confidential nature of the assessment," said K2. The firm cited 150 independent sources and "substantial evidence" from 41 sources who reported direct knowledge of rebate deals occurring in the U.S. market. Of those sources, 34 indicated rebates were not disclosed or returned to advertisers.
According to the ANA release, "five of the six major agency holding companies and their affiliated companies declined formal requests to make any of their current executives available to be interviewed."
A source with direct knowledge of the situation said Interpublic Group of Companies was the holding company that did meet with the report's authors.
The study found a range of instances in which paid rebates to agencies accounted for 1.67% to 20% of aggregate media spending depending on the deal, said Richard Plansky, executive managing director of K2 Intelligence, on a call to discuss the findings.
"From the beginning, this has been a study designed to shed light on certain non-transparent practices in the media-buying landscape -- not an investigation or an audit," said Mr. Plansky in a statement. "At the ANA's insistence, this has never been about pointing a finger at any individual or company."
Documentation cited in the report included emails between agency executives and media companies in which rebates were discussed in detail, according to an ANA release.
The report highlighted "non-transparent" practices, including agencies' collection of cash rebates from media vendors to selling research services that don't have much value as a way for media to send a check to an agency and get free media inventory credits. The firm also found instances in which agencies were incentivized by holding companies to direct client spend to media regardless of what was in the client's best interest. For example, former senior-level agency employees reported that they felt pressure from senior-level people at the agency or holding companies to direct spend to suppliers in which the hold company or agency held an equity investment, according to Mr. Plansky.
Markups on media sold through principal transactions ranged from approximately 30% to 90%, and media buyers were sometimes pressured or incentivized by their agency holding companies to direct client spend to this media, regardless of whether such purchases were in the clients' best interests, the firm found.
"Whether acting as agency or principal, vast changes in technology, the complex digital supply chain, and the proliferation of media outlets provided agencies with additional opportunities to increase their profit margins beyond agency fees," said ANA CEO Bob Liodice in a statement. "This has led to disconcerting conflicts of interest and a lack of transparency."
Even so, some of these non-transparent practices are apparently contract-compliant. According the ANA's statement, the study revealed that, "in many cases, advertisers were unaware of details in their agency contracts that addressed the issue of transparency, particularly because some contracts had not been reviewed or updated in as long as 10 years."
Determining the legality of the behavior was beyond the firm's scope for this investigation, said Mr. Plansky during a Q&A session.
The advertiser trade association hired two companies, K2 Intelligence and Ebiquity, last fall to investigate agencies' media-buying practices amid client concern following allegations that agencies were collecting undisclosed rebates from vendors. The ANA hired K2 to do a "fact-finding industry assessment," and Ebiquity was tasked with providing a second report containing guidelines and recommendations. A full Ebiquity report will come in a week or so, said an ANA spokesman.
The 4A's, a trade association for agencies, responded to the findings in a statement: "A healthy and constructive debate about media buying can only happen with a bipartisan, engaged, industry-wide approach -- and that is precisely the opposite of what the ANA has pursued. The immense shortcomings of the K2 report released today – anonymous, inconclusive, and one-sided – undercut the integrity of its findings. We call upon the ANA in the strongest terms to make available to specific agencies on a confidential basis all of the materials related to them."
"Without an opportunity for agencies to assess and address the veracity of information provided to K2, sweeping allegations will continue to drive attention-grabbing headlines; this does nothing to foster a productive conversation or to move our industry forward and could cause substantial economic damage to all media agencies," the agency association continued. "Faced with a report that views media buying from the perspective of only one of the three parties to such transactions, agencies are hard-pressed to defend themselves, which could cause substantial economic damage to all media agencies."
Publicis didn't pull any punches in its response, saying that "the ANA has failed its members, advertisers, agencies and the entire industry by releasing a report that relies on allegations about situations involving unnamed companies and individuals to make broad, unsubstantiated and unverifiable assertions. Despite repeated urging by Publicis Groupe and others in the industry to include names and sources in its report, the document hides behind suspicions and anonymity rather than encouraging real accountability."
Drama leading up to the big reveal
Late last week, no one outside the ANA had seen the report, but news broke on Thursday, first by the Wall Street Journal, revealing what the report would contain. Industry insiders expressed frustration, in conversations with Ad Age, about all holding companies potentially having to take the blame for a practice they attributed to only "a few bad actors." Still, many industry experts insist that rebates are indeed rampant.
While the report would simply call the practices "non-transparent," one executive had told Ad Age that the findings could trigger potential disclosures to the SEC.
"It's going to give the agency industry another black eye and it's going to further erode the trust that clients and agencies have," the person said. "It is one more blow to the trust and transparency and candor that everybody assumes you should have with your agency."
News of the ANA report prompted holding companies to issue public statements defending their practices, and ask for specific evidence on their own shops.
Attorneys for two major holding companies, WPP and Omnicom Group, on Friday sent the Association of National Advertisers letters asking the organization to back up their claims. Publicis Groupe later sent a letter, calling the ANA's potential move to allege the collection of rebates without naming individual perpetrators an "unfair and unwarranted attack on the entire industry."
Marketers react
The world's two biggest marketers expressed support for the ANA's efforts.
"Trust and transparency are critical to any relationship, so we take the ANA's findings very seriously," Luis Di Como, senior VP-global media, Unilever, said in a statement. "We support its work to ensure that as the media industry evolves these values remain a top priority. At Unilever, we are actively engaged with our agencies and the industry at large to exert greater control and responsibility around media transparency. We go to great lengths to make certain that our proprietary procedures and policies maximize our investments and fulfill contracts, in both the letter and spirit. We're confident the right steps will be taken to strengthen our industry."
Procter & Gamble said it appreciated the ANA's diligence in studying media transparancy practices, "particularly as technology is bringing a significant transformation in the industry."
"As a result of the study, it's important that advertisers and agencies work together appropriately to deal with the changing media ecosystem," a P&G spokeswoman said in a statement. "We appreciate the ANA's diligence to study media transparency practices At P&G, we want and expect strong agency partnerships based on mutual trust, transparency and teamwork. We have a 'trust but verify' approach that includes having clear and thorough stipulations in our contracts, regular audits on performance, and third party verification that ensures transparency. If we find irregularities, we will take remedial action."
Contributing: Jack Neff
Alexandra Bruell
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Foster terminated
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Selma Times-Journal
Concordia College's back-to-back USCAA national women's basketball team may soon find itself without a coach.
A month ago, the city threw Ernest Foster and his players a parade down Broad Street. He now believes he will coach elsewhere next season.
Foster said Tuesday night he was informed he would not return next year after a conversation with athletic director Steven Washington.
"He said the school is moving in a new direction. The only direction I've been moving in is winning," said Foster. "If you're moving in a new direction, the opposite of winning is losing."
Washington could not be reached for comment.
According to Foster, Washington did not discuss or specify the college's new direction. He refused to go into detail, Foster said, and gave no reason for his dismissal.
"The only thing I can say is I did my job," said Foster. "My team has performed well on the court, and my players were graduating on time. I never had any problems with my players, and they never had any problems with me."
Foster said he also learned men's basketball coach Anthony Rutledge was fired. Rutledge confirmed his termination, but declined further comment.
Concordia chief financial officer Ken Dyer said staff evaluations were taking place. He and Dr. Portia Shields, chief executive officer of Concordia, declined comment on Foster's termination.
"We don't discuss personnel issues, but as of right now, we have no intention to take any adverse action on Coach Foster that I know of," said Dyer. "Nothing's happened, and we haven't said anything was going to happen."
Foster said his players were shocked when he informed them of his dismissal.
"They're confused. It's a shock, especially for my seniors," said Foster. "They're also trying to find out what this new direction is."
Foster said that he was treated unfairly and not given the tools he needed to remain competitive. That included demands for increased office space and practice time for his team. He said he also asked for a raise that he did not receive.
Foster, a Concordia alumnus, said he would hold no ill will toward the college.
"Whatever direction they decide to go in, I'm happy for them," said Foster. "I know I'm in the right direction already."
Foster does not know where he will coach next basketball season. However, he said he has already received interest from other schools.
"Life is unexpected," said Foster. "Every good thing must end, and we must move forward."
Obituaries for Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Marcella Lightfoot Marcella M. Lightfoot, 84, of Ft. Madison, IA, passed away on Sunday, June 22, 2008 at West Point... read more


Hold fast to those dreams. I like gravel!!
It sounds like a good night! The snaps sure are lovely! I have those same worries when I bike on dirt roads, and I don't bike anywhere very often. But I can imagine how good it feels to ride like that and NOT fall, lol!
That sounds like an awesome ride! I still remember riding down a gravel switchback hill when on holiday as a teen!!!


Bert Sheffield Named Lincolnshire Disabled Sportsperson of the Year!
Bert was named Lincolnshire Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the Lincolnshire Sports Awards ceremony on Friday 7th November. What an amazing end to the year!
Darcy also had an exciting week as she and Bert visited Willoughby School. Willoughby School is an all age special school for pupils with a wide variety of additional needs where Bert is the Patron of Sport. Darcy loved all the attention from the children.
Bert will be giving a demonstration of her World Equestrian Games Freestyle test, on the 19th December at the Contessa Christmas Party !


What was your life like prior to starting seeking?
What I'd describe generously as semi-conscious seeking began when I "woke up" as a college senior to the boring prospect of working an 8 to 5 job five days a week for the foreseeable decades. Over the next 10 or 12 years I experienced periodic identity crises, as I thought of them, where I'd be flooded by feelings that my life was missing some purpose or meaning. But I would scan the horizon for what might fill that hole, and nothing that I could conceive of sounded satisfying.
What got you interested in seeking?
My wife and I had taken our kids to the local library one rainy Sunday, and she spotted a poster that she thought I'd be interested in. It was for a Zen group meeting at the local university. It took a full year before I finally got to one of their weekly meetings, which took place when classes were in session during the fall, spring and winter academic quarters. The group had formed when Richard Rose gave a public talk at the university a few years earlier. When he attended a meeting several months after I became a regular participant, he rang an inner bell I didn't know even existed. I credit that bell-ringing with an awakening of my intuition to the prospect of finding what I was looking for, within.
As seekers, we often notice, but cannot get over our delusions or beliefs. Were there any particularly traumatic or funny ones that stood out on your path?
As Charlie Chaplin was quoted as saying, life is a tragedy in close-up and a comedy in far shot. When I was seeking to find my true or real self, I was pretty much stuck in close-up. Every il- or de-lusion that got popped lifted a weight from me, but I don't recall any that were particularly traumatic or funny. I was a rationalist, though, and thought feelings were something to deal with (as opposed to something simply to feel), so I'm sure that helped obscure the reactions I felt to those belief balloons popping.
During your seeking, what did you think the path was all about?
I was tremendously fortunate in having a teacher who'd been all the way down the path, so I didn't have any pie-in-the-sky fantasies about the path. I knew it would take determined effort with no guaranteed payoff. But I also felt rather sure that I would not regret a life dedicated to searching for my real self regardless of whether the search proved successful.
Looking back, what would you say the path is all about? What is the work that is to be done? Can we gauge progress?
I'd say that the path to Self or Truth or Reality is subtractive, shaking off or seeing through faulty beliefs that obscure the truth or prevent us from accepting the truth that is always in plain view. Those faulty self-beliefs keep us asleep to the truth. The work is to wake up. There are a few discontinuities along the way that we see in retrospect as milestones. While we're on the path, though, it's difficult to gauge progress. After 25 years of effort I went through a period of feeling like I was right back where I'd started. Fortunately I had some friends whom I was working with who could provide contradictory views.
What advice would you give out to someone just starting on the path?
The only thing I can say for sure that's needed is determination to keep going even though there will likely be periods, maybe lengthy ones, of discouragement. And then keep going even when you get to the point of seeing there's nothing in it for you.
Some teachers say it's all quite simple and obvious, which we today know best as the neo-advaita. What is your view on this type of teaching?
Any belief is a potential trap.
Was Art changed by the path, by the final event, or both? What happened to your suffering?
Art's pretty much the same, although he can afford to feel his feelings deeply these days since there's no threat of extinction hanging over his head. He knows that he never really existed :-) He's still programmed to continue existing, though, and possibly every cell of his body shares that programming. Art – the bodymind self – still feels pain and pleasure. I am beyond or before or behind movement. There's no suffering where I am.
You often mention that as a seeker you were more linear, logical, rational. Looking back, what is the place of rationality on the path?
Most seekers, I suspect, lean either toward feeling or toward rational thought as their weapon of choice to try to get what they want from the world. Franklin Merrell-Wolff, a very rational guy, concluded that Buddha was the world-class teacher who had been the most balanced between the two extremes as a seeker, while Jesus was primarily on the feeling side and Shankara primarily on the thinking side. Using both thought and feeling would be great, but I suspect that most of us will stay pretty much in one rut or the other for most of our seeking. Intuition is what I believe determines progress. Intuition shows up somewhat differently in feelers and in thinkers. My advice would be for thinkers not to be afraid of intuition and for feelers not to believe all feelings are intuition.
You are known for your skills in seeing the blocks of seekers and confronting them without too much fuss. What is the method of confrontation all about?
The best confrontation is self-questioning. Our faulty beliefs mostly fly under our radar, so it's hard for us to get them into view for questioning. Working with friends can accelerate the process. Most of the helpful confrontation probably occurs by accident.
What do you know for sure? What is enlightenment? Are you sure?
The only thing I know for sure is what I am. Enlightenment is an open channel between the self-conscious mind and Awareness. The individual self of the bodymind recognizes that its existence, as the word literally means, is a "standing outside of" its core being.
Human death is like a faster version of the death of a boulder.
I am your "original face" before you were born.
Why do you teach? How do you teach?
it's an obsession." He had a dry sense of humor that I've never seen surpassed. The best explanation I can come up with is the same thing that seemed to move me along the path: momentum. I started leaning in a direction and couldn't stop. My attempts to help other seekers seem to be more of the same: stumbling along in the hopes that something will work. Another, prettier, description might be: faith. A more vanilla description might be: it's what Art's programmed to do.
What would you say to a seeker that despairs of ever finding what she's looking for?
as long as you keep on with the quest. Working without any hope of reward is the final stage of the path. Be thankful if it's quick or easy, but don't expect it to be.
What/where is the truth? Is it far away?
The Truth is that which is beyond reach by any except itself.
You can use the search-inside feature on Amazon.com to preview the contents of the Solid Ground of Being.
Stumble It! In addition to Amazon.com, Half.com and BookFinder.com are good sources of new and used books.


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Another Left-wing judge blocks Trump admin's effort to end sanctuary cities
(National Sentinel)Â Immigration Reform: Passing laws in American mean nothing anymore when federal judges and Left-wing interest groups can simply overrule them by fiat.
That's what happened again over the weekend, when a lone federal judge in Chicago — 80-year-old U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber — ruled that the federal government must continue paying out grant money to cities, counties, and other jurisdictions even though they are violating the immigration-related terms of the grants through passage of "sanctuary city" polices.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Justice Department would begin withholding funds through the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, which doles out nearly $400 million to state and local agencies each year. He imposed three conditions on jurisdictions seeking the funds; Leinenweber's ruling blocks two of the three, including the requirement that jurisdictions receiving grant money (which is taxpayer money, just to be clear) must cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
But as reported by the Washington Times, Leinenweber, in response to a lawsuit by the city of Chicago, said in his ruling: "The harm to the city's relationship with the immigrant community if it should accede to the conditions is irreparable. Once such trust is lost, it cannot be repaired through an award of money damages."
The Times further noted "that Mr. Sessions exceeded his authority by adding conditions to the Byrne grants that require cities to allow federal agents into their prisons and jails and require cities give immigration agents at least 48 hours notice that they intend to release illegal immigrants from custody."
Frankly, that's outrageous. The grants are doled out based on provisions and requirements that stem from federal law, not some presidential or attorney general whim. Those laws were constitutionally enacted and signed by duly-elected presidents. In short, they should be beyond rapproach, especially by a single federal judge. In this case, the judge ruled that the attorney general does not have complete statutory authority to formulate grant policy based on law.
Leinenweber's ruling wasn't a total loss for DoJ, however, as the Times noted:
The judge ruled that the attorney general does have the authority to impose a third grant condition, which requires that jurisdictions comply with section 1373 of Title 8 of the U.S. Code. That law prohibits state and local governments from restricting communications with federal immigration authorities "regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual."
He wrote in his 41-page ruling the argument "boils down to whether state and local governments can restrict their officials from voluntarily cooperating with a federal scheme." He noted that Chicago failed to show a likelihood of success in that argument.
"The most natural reading of the statute authorizes the Attorney General to require a certification of compliance with all other applicable federal laws, which by the plainest definition includes Section 1373," he added.
Equally outrageous: The ruling comes as yet another American was killed by another illegal alien in another sanctuary city — San Francisco.
The federal judiciary fails in its constitutional construct every time it refuses to protect American citizens by allowing lawbreaking local officials to get away with imposing policies that kill.
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Including the worst mass shooting of the year, which unfolded horrifically on Wednesday in San Bernadino, Calif., a total of 462 people have died and 1,314 have been wounded in such attacks this year, many of which occurred on streets or in public settings, the databases indicate.
in schoolrooms, in churches, in community centers.
mass killings than there have been days in this year.
by corrupt greedy media & shameless politicians.
America. Our colleges our cities and their buildings.
is here & we are plummeting headlong down.
so you can pull your soul back from ruin & wreckage.
of the rose. America listen to me let the worms wither & die.
America stop cowering in the shadow of the NRA & listen.
to the wheel & listen America listen before it's too late.


The harvest is plentiful- this phrase is used with such frequency that it is almost clique. This text should be anything but trite; it should bear great weight on how we think about the lostness of the world and what should drive our effort to reach them. Twice Jesus uses this phrase, once in Matthew and once in Luke, but the tone and context is quite different in these two locations. Looking at both verses together shows the posture that we should take towards reaching the world with the Gospel.
The passage in Matthew comes after Jesus heals several people and raises a girl from the dead. Then as Jesus is preaching in the synagogue and healing others it says, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Jesus was compelled by the crowds. When He saw the number of those who were helpless, he had compassion. He was moved by the masses as we should be moved by the 2 billion people who have never heard about Jesus. He knew that they were helpless without Him. He knew that they were going to wonder aimlessly like sheep without a shepherd if they did not follow Him. Jesus was acutely aware that Micah 5:4 prophesied that He would shepherd His flock and knew that besides following Him they would not find direction. This realization sobered Him and filled him with compassion.
In Luke, this scripture comes right after the convicting "Cost of Following Jesus" passage. This is where Jesus says that He doesn't have a home and we shouldn't say goodbye when we leave to follow him or go home and bury our father. I know that there is meaning behind these statements and should be taken with context but it is certainly not the compassion-filled message that preceded this message in Matthew. The direct context is that Jesus is sending out the 72. After He tells them that the harvest is plentiful, He warns them that they are going to be lambs among wolves and that they need to be alert. Instead of the benevolence that is displayed in Matthew, here it appears as if Jesus is worried. It is as if Jesus is telling the 72 to be attentive and to prepare for a battle.
Jesus says, "Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Laborers must be sent out, this means that they must leave where they are. We have the privilege of co-laboring with Christ in His harvest, we just have to be willing to step out and go. Sheep are helpless without a shepherd and it is our responsibility to point them in His direction.
Is God calling you to the Forefront?


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'Put your hands in some dirt': Rooftop garden delivers food, improved mental health
A rooftop garden at Youth Opportunities Unlimited in London grows fresh vegetables and herbs for the You Made it Cafe.
London's Youth Opportunities Unlimited uses garden to enhance cafe meals, create a tranquil retreat
Gary Ennett · CBC · Posted: Jun 17, 2017 5:00 AM ET | Last Updated: June 17, 2017
A rooftop garden in the heart of the city is allowing London's Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) to supply its successful street-level café with fresh herbs and vegetables.
The You Made It Café at Richmond and York streets is a social enterprise where young people can acquire skills in customer service and food preparation.
But the garden also provides therapeutic benefits, according to executive director Steve Cordes.
"You can get out of your own head space, your own challenges — even learning and training can sometimes be a challenge," says Cordes. "In a gardening space, your guard is down, you're more relaxed. You're in a beautiful outdoor space and you can just be yourself."
The project has been so successful that this year YOU hired a dedicated gardener to oversee the project. Megan Papadakos calls her working space a community-based garden because it includes the contributions of youth in the café program and others in the city including, the Alzheimer's Society.
The garden consists of separate vegetable and flower zones. The flowers help deter pests but the two zones have to be kept apart to ensure safe food handling in the café.
The vegetables grown include zucchinis, peppers and tomatoes. There's even a row of corn.
"It won't be enough to produce large amounts, but it's going to be an excellent opportunity for youth to learn that corn is both a male and female and how it germinates itself," said Papadakos.
The rooftop garden also produces a variety of perennial herbs, which she says can be a challenge. They don't always survive the winter, but Papadakos says even failures in the garden can be a learning experience for youth.
Garden work 'makes you feel better'
Ashley Wyatt, who has struggled with mental health issues, entered YOU's café program as a youth last November and was hired on recently as a mentor.
"When I first started going to therapy, my therapist told me: 'If you want to start feeling better, go outside, get some sunshine, put your hands in some dirt.'"
Wyatt followed that advice in the backyard of her home.
"Having a garden, you can watch those plants grow and nurture right before your eyes. And it makes you feel better, it makes you feel wholesome that you brought that to life."
Wyatt has watched other youth at YOU pour their passions into gardening.
"We have a couple of the youth that now want to go into horticulture. They're making life plans and life experience out of it, and that's really amazing."