They returned … Thousands of them… No, they numbered in the hundreds of thousands… Faces weather beaten, tanned… Smiling as they stepped down from trains all over America. Smiling that smile, universally recognized as that 'Damn!! It's great to be home!' smile.
They were home again… Those that were left. The survivors of a generation who left their homes and families to undertake the obligation of freedom-loving men to go into combat and ultimately defeat some of the most vile proponents of evil. They wore the story of their deeds and where they had been in rows of multi-colored, mute reminders above their pockets. What they had seen… What they had done and the personal losses they had suffered, would forever be in their minds when they looked up at their national colors floating gently in the breeze.
They are rapidly passing into the cold pages of history. The awesome respect in which they were held a half-century ago has given way to the gentle view point of the Monday Morning Quarterbacking of those who have grown up in a world of safety and extravagance… Of promiscuity and excess made possible because of their self-sacrifice.
Soon it will be impossible to find a combat pilot who stared at oncoming aircraft through a rotating propeller blade… A sailor who passed 40 mm shells to a loader in a battleship gun tub… A soldier who carried rifle ammo in eight round clips and ate crap that resembled dog food out of an olive drab can… In a Dutch ditch… In the rain.
Men who fought wars that lasted years, rather than days and ended with a clear-cut result. For those of us who rode boats that went below the surface, there were men who rode our boats when the close aboard sound of fifty pounds of TNT detonating would be clearly heard through several inches of steel. That 'steel' was U.S. built pressure hull and audible public prayer could be heard in every compartment. And when it was over, hardened men could hug each other, secure in the knowledge that no one would feel that they might be gender-confused.
These same men knew the sound of torpedo hits and the telltale sound of the result of such hits as the bulkheads of an enemy target collapsed while the enemy vessel made it's way to the bottom. Pressure-folding steel is a sound most of us will never hear, thanks to what these men did.
They had executed their war way beyond the established battle lines… Deep within the home waters of the Jap Empire. At a time when the Jap emperor and his militaristic toadies were assuring their easily duped people that they were secure, the people of Japan witnessed their merchant ships burning all along their coastal horizons. Ships, whose burning hulks were disappearing nightly, compliments of ourUndersea Warriors.
So they returned … What was left of them. They crossed the brow of boats that wore freshly painted enemy flags… Flags that chronicled their kills… A silent statement of their contribution to our victorious effort in the Pacific. It may have been a Silent Service, but little Jap flags painted on the sides of conning towers made it clear that the presence of our submarine force had been felt.
And above the jumper pockets of the men crossing to the pier, could be found the sterling silver representation of a submarine. The pin itself and each star worn below it, represented a war patrol which resulted in excess of ten thousand tons of enemy shipping sent to the bottom. The man or men who wrote the requirements for the awarding of that insignia wrote those requirements in such rigid and specific terms that the pin has never been watered down and reduced to the 'Crackerjack' prize that so many other military badges have become.
Today, the U.S. Submarine Combat Patrol Pin remains a symbol of men who have gone to sea and have drawn blood in defense of their country and way of life at the risk of their personal safety… If not the sacrifice of their futures.
Someday, the powers that decide such things, will come to their senses and will stop naming our submarines after geographical locations and hack politicians and start naming our undersea warships after the heroes who wore 'The Pin'. Why they feel compelled to look elsewhere when we have such towering heroes of our own makes no sense to this old E-3. They named a whole class of tin cans after Admiral Arliegh Burke, proving that they can do it right… At times.
Volunteering for submarine duty in wartime has never been routinely expected of U.S. Sailors. Volunteering has never been an exercise in goat-roping the timid and reluctant. The Draft Board never forced any citizen to fill the ranks of the Submarine Service. Any man, who found wartime employment inside a pressure hull, was there because he put himself there.
Who in their right mind would choose a line of work that included sitting, sweat-soaked in darkness, 400 feet below fresh air and sunshine listening to canisters of high explosive detonate and shatter gauge faces and incandescent bulbs?
To buy that, would mean that our Submarine Force was comprised of the worlds largest collection of complete raving lunatics. The last idiot who called a World War II submariner a complete lunatic is still trying to get used to his new glass eye, figuring out how to talk with his new teeth and walk upright.
They are ours… They handed us an unblemished record of service 'faithfully performed'… A gallant record of deeds performed by incredibly brave and dedicated men.
Their ranks thin daily. We do not have a lot of time left to buy them a beer… Listen to their amazing stories and thank them for what they gave us and left in the pages of the history of The United States Navy.


← Spaces Still Available for OMSA and C3's International Women's Day Celebration!
suppression of civil liberties. This interactive panel will discuss the multifaceted nature of conflict in South Asia and the prospects for peace. We will highlight movements from within and outside the region that are seeking reconciliation and exploring choices for promoting peace.
Coll, S. (2004). Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. Penguin Press HC, The.
Hansen, T. B., & Jaffrelot, C. (Eds.). (2001). The BJP and the Compulsions of Politics in India (2nd ed.). OUP India.
Jaffrelot, C. (Ed.). (2007). Hindu Nationalism: A Reader. Princeton University Press.
This entry was posted in News and tagged Peace, South Asia. Bookmark the permalink.


Need to reveal long-term substance abuse? Hair follicle drug testing is an effective measure that carries a high degree of accuracy, and it can be an effective method for safety-critical positions in a zero-tolerance drug use workplace policy.
When consumed, drug traces enter the bloodstream. Some of these metabolites make their way to the hair shaft via the bloodstream and remain trapped their as the hair grows. With a sample around the diameter of a pencil, these metabolites can be detected. .
Just as is the case with toe and fingernails, hair is made of keratin. Metabolites of drugs and alcohol can be detected within hair fibers for up to three months. This can make Hair Drug Testing a great option for monitoring individuals in treatment programs.


Find the newest Whitehorn homes for sale & real estate in Northeast Calgary below. The Whitehorn neighborhood boundaries include McKnight Blvd to the north, 32 Avenue to the south, 52 Street to the east and 36 Street to the west. Residents have quick access to the downtown area and to the rest of the city via Trans-Canada Highway, Barlow Trail and Deerfoot Trail. The local C-Train station (Whitehorn Blue Line Station) is just a short walk away from the homes and the community boasts great local schools and close proximity to a variety of leisure and shopping facilities. For more information regarding Whitehorn properties for sale or to schedule a home showing, contact your Calgary real estate experts today! Read more about Whitehorn real estate.
Looking to buy or sell a home in Whitehorn? Call Justin Havre at RE/MAX First - 403.217.0003. We are local Calgary real estate agents and experts on the Whitehorn housing market.
Whitehorn is a part of The Properties residential area, which includes the neighbourhoods of Temple, Pineridge and Rundle as well. The area was annexed to the City of Calgary in 1961 and was formally established in 1973 when real estate development in the area began.
This low-density neighbourhood offers a great variety of homes for sale but most of the Whitehorn houses for sale are detached. There is a wide choice of architectural styles, designs and floor plans. There are also semi-detached houses and townhouses on offer for those seeking single-family dwellings. The condos for sale in the community are primarily in low-rise multi-family buildings.
There are plenty of green spaces and natural amenities in the laid-back community of Whitehorn. Whitlow Park is within its boundaries while Prairie Winds Park with its outdoor swimming pool, ice skating rink and toboggan hill is close by. Home buyers who enjoy cycling will like that the city's bike pathway system is easily accessible from Whitehorn. If you love golf, you won't have far to travel to get to the Silverwing Links Golf Course.
One of the major indoor recreational facilities close to homes in Whitehorn is the Village Square Leisure Centre. It has a wave pool, 2 rinks for free skating, rooms for fitness and dancing and a jungle gym for young children. The Whitehorn Community Association is highly active and it keeps busy by organizing karate classes, craft fairs and youth dances. It maintains a skating rink in the community as well.
Home buyers in Whitehorn will find there are plenty of shopping and entertainment opportunities in the immediate area. Sunridge Mall is within walking distance of the neighbourhood and features numerous stores and services such as Chapters, Best Buy, Lowes, Costco and a Cineplex theatre. The 36 Street shopping area, which is home to Walmart, Home Depot, IKEA and Canadian Tire, is also close by.
Families buying a home in Whitehorn will find the community is served by three elementary schools including Chief Justice Milvain Elementary and St. Wilfrid Elementary. The Annie Gale Junior High School is also in the neighbourhood.
Considering the purchase or sale of a home in Whitehorn? Let our team of Calgary real estate specialists professionally assist in your hunt for the perfect home or skillfully negotiate the sale of your existing Calgary house. As neighbourhood real estate agents, we know the unique dynamics of the Whitehorn real estate market. Let's expedite your home search; we'll negotiate for you today!
Call Justin Havre at RE/MAX First - 403.217.0003 today to learn more about buyer or seller representation. Are you likely to sell your Whitehorn home soon? Receive a free home evaluation, where you can calculate your property's estimated market value right away!


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Portion of Airline closed after major accident
A man is in critical condition after being thrown from his vehicle during a wreck. Airline Road between Holly Road and Meadowvista Drive is also closed in both directions until further notice due to the accident.
The crash happened just after 2 a.m. on the 2100 block of Airline near Holly Road. The driver lost control of his vehicle and hit a pole, according to officers with the Corpus Christi Police Department. The pole was damaged and lines were left strung across the road.
"The single occupant, which is the male driver, was ejected from the car. He was transported and is now in critical condition," Lt. Maria Huerta-Garcia said.
Investigators are trying to determine whether alcohol was a factor in the accident. Avoid the area while crews work to fix the utility pole and lines.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Hardware: Konus KonusPro M-30 2.5X-10X-50mm
by Adam Heggenstaller - Wednesday, June 22, 2016
"Buy the best scope you can afford" is good optics advice because you almost always get what you pay for, but what if you have only a couple hundred dollars to spend? Surely you're not going to miss a season while you save for a scope that you can't currently afford. No, you're going to look for something in your price range, and you may be surprised at what you'll find in the KonusPro M-30 2.5X-10X-50mm riflescope, which is available at many retailers for about $220.
Based in northeastern Italy, Konus is a family-operated company formed in 1979 to provide optics such as telescopes and microscopes to researchers, teachers and inquisitive consumers. Ten years ago founder Giuseppe Alberti expanded into the hunting market by offering riflescopes, and now the company's seven KonusPro lines include almost three-dozen fixed- and variable-power models at prices within most budgets. The new 2.5X-10X-50mm M-30 strikes me as a good general-purpose big-game scope, and its features reveal Konus and the Alberti family have a solid grasp on what American hunters want.
Today's market shows that deer and elk hunters are increasingly drawn to scopes with a 30mm maintube, 50mm objective lens and fast-focus eyepiece, and the M-30 I tested has all these characteristics. You won't have to compromise in these major areas to stay within your means. Nor will you have to sacrifice durability, as the M-30 is guaranteed to be waterproof, fog-proof and shockproof. It's backed by a lifetime warranty; if the scope leaks, fogs or breaks under normal use, Konus will replace it.
Lenses are fully multi-coated. "Multi" means at least two but could be many more, and Konus doesn't specify how many coatings it applies. The best way I could judge the quality of the M-30's coatings and glass was to compare the view through it to that of other scopes with the same specs. I purposefully chose two models with suggested retail prices that were higher than that of the M-30 to see what a hunter would surrender, if anything, by going with the lower-priced scope. One of the comparison models cost $130 more than the M-30; the other was $680 more.
During midday under an overcast sky, I couldn't see much difference in light transmission between the three scopes. Images presented by the M-30 appeared to be just as bright as those of the other two models. As light dwindled toward evening, the M-30's view seemed to grow darker at a faster rate than the higher-priced scopes, but it was still bright enough to make a shot 30 minutes after sunset—the end of legal shooting hours in many states.
I noticed the biggest differences in contrast and sharpness during the test, and the more expensive scopes distinguished themselves in these areas. The edges of white letters
on black road signs 75 yards away weren't as crisp when viewed through the M-30, and the detail in the gray bark of willow trees at 100-200 yards wasn't as defined. To be practical, though, you're not likely going to need this level of resolution in a riflescope, as a binocular is a much better observation device. More resolution is always a good thing if you can afford it, but you're not looking to count hairs when you point your rifle at a buck. The M-30 will show you the contours of his anatomy and help you find a place on his hide at which to aim, and that's usually sufficient in the precious seconds you have to make the shot.
The M-30 further helps you direct a bullet with its illuminated reticle. The design follows the familiar stepped configuration, with the inner 15 percent of the crosshair being narrower than the rest. A dot serves as the central aiming point, and a rheostat on the left side of the scope provides five levels of illumination—in both red and blue. I was puzzled by the blue feature; it doesn't appear as bright as red and seems unnecessary. But then I thought of a friend who is red/green colorblind—red colors look black to him—and realized hunters with the same condition might find blue illumination very useful.
Lower-priced scopes usually expose their weaknesses when it comes time to make adjustments. They don't track accurately or consistently. Initially, the feel of the M-30's adjustments didn't give me confidence. Each .25-inch click was audible, but there was some turret slack to the left and right of each tick mark on the dials. Nonetheless, the turrets moved the crosshair precisely over 96 clicks of windage and elevation. When shooting a 24-inch box drill with a Bergara B-14 in .270 Win., the final group landed virtually on top of the first. Then I rotated each turret three full turns and returned to zero by alternating rotations between windage and elevation. Again, the group I shot after the adjustments covered the initial one.
The KonusPro M-30 2.5X-10X-50mm gives you a clear view of the target in shooting light, provides a well-defined aiming point with accurate adjustments and is built to withstand the elements. In practical terms, it meets the needs of most big-game hunters at a price hundreds of dollars less than other riflescopes. I call that a value.
• Type: variable-power riflescope
• Magnification: 2.5X-10X
• Objective Lens Diameter: 50mm
• Eye Relief: 3"
• Exit Pupil: 14mm (2.5X), 5mm (10X)
• Field of View @ 100 Yds: 37.3' (2.5X), 9.4' (10X)
• Reticle: second focal plane; 30/30 w/illuminated center dot
• Adjustments: .25"
• Coatings: fully multi-coated
• Dimensions: tube diameter 30mm; length 13.3"; weight 21.6 ozs.
• Construction: one-piece aluminum tube; CR2032 battery-powered rheostat; waterproof, fog-proof, shockproof
• Accessories: flip-up lens covers
Konus KonusPro M-30 2.5X-10X-50mm konus optics hardware riflescope scopes adam heggenstaller hardware
Trijicon Announces New Huron Riflescopes


Room Four has been outfitted with a state of the art sound system, lighting and furnishings. The space has undergone major structural changes including the relocation of the DJ booth, a new VIP area, new bar and bigger dancefloor which allows the club to accommodate an increased capacity.
The space will allow clubbers to take advantage of some of Truth's best features like its extensive outdoor areas and secure parking – right in time for the summer party season.
Room Four has been renovated to create a more mature and sophisticated clubbing experience and the music programming will reflect this.


I made sloppy Joes, Cajun fries, and the yellow cake, buttercream chocolate frosting, everything came yummie I just made the cake sunday morning and most of it is gone already.
All I can say is um um good. I have been converted from a non cook to a great cook.
These came out so great! I was nervous because the meat was not seasoned in advance but now I know I will NEVER buy my sloppy joe sauce from a can!
So, what if I can't find "celery flakes" in our local grocer? How do I make it from celery? Thanks!
These we so good and super easy. My boys loved them! Thanks Monique!
This was such a yummy recipe. Everyone gobbled it up!!
If made with turkey…it is called SLOPPY JANES. You need to change the name.
OMG! I just finished cooking this meal today! It was a hit in our house! My husband said it was full of flavor and fresh. Thanks so much! Love the videos!
I made this last night and they were delish!!! I love tomatoes but hate ketchup (I know…weird), so I added in extra bbq sauce.


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Cristiano Ronaldo dismisses a return to his former club and reaffirms his devotion to Juventus.
Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing a £27 million rated midfielder who has garnered comparisons to Sadio Mane.
PSG will drop Cristiano Ronaldo in favor of pursuing a Bundesliga striker, according to reports.
Atletico Madrid pass the Celta Vigo test, and the Rojiblancos begin their title defense with the same zeal.
The following are five reasons why Romelu Lukaku will struggle at Chelsea.
0-3 Norwich City Liverpool player ratings as Reds romp to a resounding first-day victory | Premier League 2021-22
In a single game, eight Premier League players each had four assists.
Elche vs Athletic Bilbao | La Liga 2021-22 | Predictions, previews, team news, and more
Manchester United transfer news roundup: Raphael Varane joins the Red Devils, the club puts an end to its chase of the French midfielder, and more – 14th August 2021
Top 5 goalkeepers to watch in Serie A in 2021-22
Top 5 goalkeepers to watch in La Liga in 2021-22
Prediction, preview, team news, and more for FSV Mainz 05 vs RB Leipzig | Bundesliga 2021-22


"What's new in the game is it's more social, more community. On the lower levels it's easier to play so for new people who want to come into the game, you don't get booed off the stage where you did before. You can earn your way back in the game and the game will complete. You won't throw all your friends off. You can play it with any instrument. You can play it with four guitars, you can play it up to eight guitars."


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Home News CapitaLand is...
CapitaLand is putting over 20,000 solar panels on 6 of its buildings – that's enough power for 2,300 HDB flats a year
The combined solar panel facility installed atop the six properties will collectively generate more than 10,000 megawatt hours of energy every year.
CapitaLand
Thousands of solar panels are slated to be installed atop six of CapitaLand's Singapore properties by end 2019, forming what could potentially be the largest combined rooftop solar facility in the country by a real estate company.
In a statement released on Tuesday (July 9), CapitaLand announced a new partnership with Sembcorp Industries to install approximately 21,240 solar panels on six of its buildings, which will generate a total of 10,292 megawatt hours of energy every year – enough to power around 2,300 four-room Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats annually.
The six properties are:
1 Changi Business Park Avenue 1
9 Changi South Street 3
2 Senoko South Road
40 Penjuru Lane
LogisTech
The properties are held under CapitaLand's business space and industrial real estate investment trust, Ascendas Reit.
The company's upcoming combined rooftop solar facility will help to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 4.3 million kilogrammes each year, enabling its carbon footprint to be "significantly" lowered.
CapitaLand said that the move will help the company to advance its sustainability goals to generate at least 20 per cent energy consumption from renewable energy for its enlarged global portfolio by 2025.
Noting that no installation cost will be incurred, the initiative is a "good business case for sustainability", according to the company.
CapitaLand Group's chief sustainability officer, Lynette Leong, said the company's recent integration with real estate holdings firm Ascendas-Singbridge allowed it to leverage a "wider network of properties to contribute meaningfully towards sustainability".
Leong said: "We are also exploring the use of Renewable Energy Certificates resulting from the excess energy generated by the solar panels installed at the six properties to offset the carbon emissions from CapitaLand's corporate operations at its Singapore headquarters in Capital Tower and Galaxis."
She added that the company will continue to review opportunities within its enlarged global portfolio to introduce clean energy technologies to power its real estate operations.
For instance, CapitaLand's global hospitality training centre in Singapore, the Ascott Centre for Excellence, is entirely powered by renewable energy and purchases electricity derived from renewable sources.
The company also said it has signed new sustainability-linked loans with Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, Natixis bank and Societe Generale to raise a total of S$300 million (US$220 million) in an effort to match sustainability efforts with cost of funding.
According to CapitaLand, it has the flexibility to use the five-year multicurrency loans on green projects including installation of solar panels, as well as for general corporate purposes. Interest rates for the loans will also be reduced depending on the company's environmental, social and governmental achievements.
The company added that it will be making "further efforts" to reduce its energy usage, water consumption and carbon emission and aims to have its carbon emission targets approved by the Science-based Targets Initiative.
PUB is building one of the world's largest floating solar panel systems that could generate enough power for 13,500 HDB flats every year
A proposed merger of two Singapore trusts could result in APAC's biggest trust worth S$7.6 billion
Singapore's Gardens by the Bay is converting its waste into useful energy and soil conditioner
Ascendas Reit
Sembcorp


Lao People's Democratic Republic does not host any refugees according to UNHCR statistics.
We have not yet identified any NGO or law firm that is offering refugees legal assistance in Lao People's Democratic Republic. We would welcome suggestions of individuals or organizations.


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North Olmsted's Homecoming returns to Community Park
Updated: Aug. 17, 2022, 11:29 a.m. |
Published: Aug. 17, 2022, 7:02 a.m.
North Olmsted's 2022 Homecoming takes place Aug. 25-28 at North Olmsted Community Park. (John Benson/cleveland.com)
John Benson, special to cleveland.com
NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio -- After missing the last two years due to the pandemic, Homecoming returns with a bang Aug. 25-28 at North Olmsted Community Park.
"We're a little anxious, but people are excited to see it come back," Homecoming co-midway chair Jeff Peepers said. "We really missed it the last couple of years.
"It's the biggest event held in the city during the year. It brings everybody together and gets them out to meet their neighbors and see what's going on in the community."
The North Olmsted Community Council-hosted affair features food, amusement rides and vendors.
There's plenty of entertainment, with The Adjustments (6:30 p.m. Aug. 25), Eddie & the Edsels (7 p.m. Aug. 26), Hip to That (noon Aug. 27), The Diamond Project (7 p.m. Aug. 27) and the Bay Village Community Band (3 p.m. Aug. 28)
"This is the first time for The Diamond Project," Peepers said. "They came highly recommended. We're hoping to draw a good crowd."
Also scheduled are the classic car show (6 p.m. Aug. 25), the Taste of North Olmsted (3 p.m. Aug. 27) and bingo (6 p.m. Aug. 27).
Something new is the 3v3 basketball tournament for boys and girls in grades 3-8 (8 a.m. Aug. 27).
"It's going to be great to get back to something that our community has had for such a long time," Mayor Nicole Dailey Jones said.
"I'm looking forward to some of the new things on the midway, the entertainment and the culmination being able to celebrate with fireworks at the end. That's going to be awesome."
The debut of "Boom!," set for dusk on Aug. 28 at Great Northern Mall, has the community excited.
"It gives a little more closure to the event and it's something that people can enjoy," Peepers said. "I know the fireworks were very popular when the city was doing it in the past. This will be special."
Started in 1946 as a way to welcome home World War II soldiers, Homecoming normally attracts upward of 8,000 people during the four-day event.
"People are dying to get out, get involved and see things," Peepers said. "These will be memories that last for a lifetime."
Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.


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Auto News For Monday, March 7, 2016 – Not All Fleet Sales Are Bad Fleet Sales
Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Monday, March 7, 2016.
GM is progressively relying less on less on fleet volume to boost the company's overall U.S. sales volume. But that's not to say fleet sales aren't still a major factor at GM and numerous other automakers. So why is the reliance on fleet – Ford produced 36% of its February U.S. sales with fleet sales – not more troubling now, as it was more than a decade ago? – Automotive News
How long before it happens in the United States? That was a question asked by TTAC last month. But here are the facts and figures behind the Canadian market's new routine: SUVs and crossovers are consistently outselling passenger cars. – Autofocus.ca
Fiat Chrysler's namesake Chrysler brand kept building 200s, but people weren't buying as many 200s as FCA was building. So 200 production was halted while Chrysler dealers attempted to clear out the inventory glut. But sales of the 200 plunged even further. – TTAC
The Wall Street Journal's Dan Neil isn't overcome by affection for the new Chevrolet Malibu, but there are compliments. "The Malibu's front-drive chassis copes well with broken pavement and potholes, some of which are so big in Michigan they have their own names."
"The project was technically immature," FCA boss Sergio Marchionne says. He's talking about the Alfa Romeo Giulia, a Mercedes-Benz C-Class challenger you still can't buy. – Road & Track
The Chrysler 200 convertible is dead. The Volkswagen Eos is dying. So if you want a convertible that isn't tiny (MX-5 Miata) or muscular (Ford Mustang), you're likely to take a look at the Buick Cascada. You can't buy one on Canada, but Americans registered 583 Cascadas over the course of the new convertible's first two months on sale.
Best of the 2021 Buick Lineup
Best of the 2021 Chrysler Lineup
Best Small Luxury Cars For 2021
Best Fullsized Cars For 2021
The Best Selling Alfa Romeos of All-Time [Ranked]
The Best Pickup Trucks for 2020


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HomeSearchNewspapersThe%2520Lompoc%2520Record
The Lompoc Record
PO Box 578 Lompoc, CA 93438-0578
http://www.lompocrecord.com
The Lompoc Record is proud to offer We Remember memorial pages. It's the best way to honor and preserve the memories of loved ones who have passed.
Puett LaFayette Willcox Jr
Funeral services will be 9am on Monday 13 September 2021 at Rader Funeral Home in Longview, Texas. Followed by committal service with full military honors at DFW National Cemetery at 1:30pm. The funeral service at Rader Funeral Home will be live streamed for those unable to attend. Born in Amarillo, Texas to Puett L. Willcox Sr. and Ruby Bernice Cauble Willcox as the oldest of 5 brothers, one older sister, one younger sister - just the youngest brother of his siblings - Jimmy Willcox in Memphis Tennessee, remains. Puett moved to Big Spring, Texas in 1926, then to Longview, Texas in 1932. Puett Sr owned and operated a full service gas station and mechanic/tire shop. Puett Jr grew up...
Diana Dawn Rodwell
Diana Dawn Rodwell, age, 78, passed away on May 29, 2020 at Conway Medical Center. Diane was born on March 1, 1942 in Ladysmith, WI, a daughter of the late Marvin Lee and Opal Mae Noble. Diana was a graduate of Ladysmith High School in 1960 and of the University of Wisconsin, Superior in 1964. Her first teaching job was to be in Anchorage Alaska, but the earthquake of 1964 destroyed the schools. She took her second pick which was Lompoc, CA. She was employed as a third grade school teacher in Lompoc and Fairfield, CA. She also taught DOD School system in Okinawa, Japan. Diana retired September 1989. Diane worked at Conway Hospital in marketing and then Conway Middle School in the...
Lompoc, CA
Jack St. Arnonld Alchin
Jack St. Arnold Alchin, 86, of Lompoc, CA passed away of natural causes, on 27 Mar 2020 at home in Lompoc, CA, surrounded by his family. Jack was born in Los Angeles, CA to Francis P. Alchin and Eva Marie St. Arnold on 18 April 1933. He ran track at Lompoc High School and graduated in 1952. Jack was a Private First Class in the Army from 1953-55, earning the National Defense Service Medal. He then established his own business as a local handyman, designing cabinetry, electrical, plumbing and landscaping. He performed under the stage name, Jack Lamone, a tribute to his late grandfather. He traveled worldwide on the cruise ships Holland America, the Norwegian and Princess cruise lines as a...
Pooler, GA
Nancy Kratz Moyer Sevenandt
Nancy Kratz Moyer Sevenandt, 86, passed away Sunday, March 8 at her home in Savannah, Georgia. Nancy was a resident of Lompoc from 1980 through 2012. She retired from the Technical Library at Vandenberg AFB. Nancy had moved to Savannah to be near immediate family. She is preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Sevenandt. Nancy is survived by her daughters, Holly Lewis and Wendy Sevenandt, and granddaughter, Christina Lewis. Services will be held in Nancy's hometown of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday March 21, 2020, at the Indian Creek Church of the Brethren.


Ever since the first draft of the human genome was sequenced in 2001, we've heard that examining our DNA data would reveal what makes us tick and what might someday make us sick. Less than 20 years later, for the price of a nice handbag, we're able to use a genetic testing kit to learn more about our past, present, and future than we ever dreamed possible, all from the privacy of home.
In 2017, an average of 14 genetic tests were launched daily, according to the technology company Concert Genetics. A recent MIT Technology Review analysis revealed that the number of people who purchased kits more than doubled that year and now exceeds 12 million.
If you're interested in becoming better acquainted with yourself, check out this cheat sheet on what you can—and can't—get from a DNA kit.
You can: Discover where in the world you're from.
For less than $100 and a vial of your saliva or a swab of your cheek, companies like AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage DNA will reveal your ancestral origins. They do this by comparing your DNA to groups that represent regional populations from several hundred years ago, before modern migration, plus more current country populations.
In the past, the results matched lineage to vast continental swaths, but over the last two years, as companies' databases have expanded and previously unrepresented groups have been included, the tests have been increasingly able to offer more specific geographic information. For example, 23andMe used to tell customers they simply had, say, sub-Saharan African ancestry; now it can sometimes reveal if they're Sudanese or Nigerian. And AncestryDNA may be able to tell those with Irish roots whether they're from County Kerry or County Cork.
You can't: Determine your clan, class, or tribe.
"We aren't able to satisfy the curiosity of Scandinavians who wonder whether they're related to Vikings," says Scott Hadly, a 23andMe spokesperson. And while the tests may tell you that you're part Native American, they can't link you to specific tribes, few of which have shared their DNA for research purposes.
You can: Find out whether you have certain mutations that increase your risk of cancer.
Last spring 23andMe made headlines after winning FDA approval to expand its $199 consumer test to detect certain mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that increase the risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. This test, which can be taken without a doctor's authorization, identifies the three most common mutations in people of European Jewish descent, says Lisa Madlensky, director of the family cancer genetics program at UC San Diego Health.
Color Genomics offers a $99 test that looks at 30 genes associated with eight hereditary cancers. (The test must be ordered by a physician, but the company can connect you with one for free.) "While everyone has some risk of getting cancer, these tests identify people who have a much-higher-than-average risk, who might benefit from more frequent screenings that start at a younger age," says Madlensky.
You can't: Calculate your odds of getting cancer.
Even with a BRCA mutation, your individual risk of getting breast cancer varies according to the kind of mutation you have, your age, and your family and medical history. A positive result still needs to be confirmed in a medical lab, and a negative result doesn't mean you're in the clear: There are thousands of BRCA mutations not identified by these tests. People with a family history of breast cancer should talk with their doctor about more comprehensive testing in consultation with a genetic counselor.
You can: Stumble across family members you never knew you had.
You may have idly fantasized about having a secret sibling, but you've probably never considered the emotional repercussions of discovering a real-life surprise sister—or parent. Yet when genetic-testing companies compare clients' info, they may turn up relatives who share the same DNA.
The result is a brave new world of paternity scandals (mamma mia!) and pregnancies that were supposed to remain hush-hush. In fact, the private Facebook group DNA NPE Friends (NPE stands for Not Parent Expected) now has more than 3,000 members, many of them shocked genetic-test users. While the news is sometimes welcome, Timothy Caulfield, research director of the University of Alberta's Health Law Institute, advises would-be testers to think about how they'd react to finding out that Dad isn't their biological father, or that they have a mystery big brother.
You can't: Likely connect with relatives past your fifth cousins.
On average, you share 0.05 percent of your DNA with your fifth cousins (with whom you also share great-great-great-great-grandparents). So even if you're sure you're somehow related to Rihanna or Tina Fey (family rumor!), it's hard to correctly identify very distant relatives and prove it.
You can: Help assess your risk for certain cardiovascular conditions.
Geneticists have identified hundreds of DNA markers that influence your risk for developing heart disease, and now there are panels that test for several of these key genes at once. The medical testing lab Invitae offers a doctor-ordered $250 cardiovascular test that can detect DNA mutations associated with cardiomyopathy, a condition that weakens heart muscles and can lead to heart failure. "If you know you have it, then you could try to avoid heavy exercise and get frequent checkups," says Robert Nussbaum, MD, Invitae's chief medical officer. The panel also detects genes for arrhythmias, which can cause fatal abnormal heartbeats, and conditions that rupture blood vessels.
One of the most significant advances is increased testing for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which can involve dangerously high levels of "bad" (LDL) cholesterol from a young age. "An estimated 90 percent of people are unaware they have this," says Daniel Rader, MD, who specializes in cardiovascular genetics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. Yet people with FH have up to 20 times the risk for heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
You can't: Discover that you'll have a heart attack by age 50.
"These tests show only the probability of having a heart attack compared with the average person," says Rader. Still, that info can inspire you to make key lifestyle changes and to consider whether cholesterol-lowering medication is right for you.
You can: Find out if you're at increased risk for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
You can't: Know for sure that you'll get a life-changing disease.
Experts say genetic variants aren't the sole predictors of risk; the chances and timing of developing Alzheimer's or Parkinson's may be affected by other genes or lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise. At the same time, researchers continually discover new genes, so testing negative for these variants doesn't mean you're free from all risk. Learning about your genetics can be powerful, but they're only one factor in determining your fate—the rest is up to you.


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Are Environmentalists to Blame for Wildfires at Lake Tahoe?
Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Residents in the Lake Tahoe area being ravaged by that massive fire we just heard about are blaming the government and environmentalists for failing to clear dead trees — which are providing fuel for the blaze.
Angry residents jammed a school auditorium last night and complained that environmentalists had pressured the government into making the clearing and thinning of trees so difficult and full of red tape that the job didn't get done.
The Los Angeles Times reports that while more than 21,000 acres of land has been cleared, an additional 67,000 acres remains to be done.
The Sierra Club says it has advocated clearing and thinning. But a San Francisco television station reports the Sierra Club opposes a logging road near Lake Tahoe that would make the clearing easier.
One member of the South Lake Tahoe City Council says that any environmental problems created by the road would be far outweighed by the potential damage that could be caused by a catastrophic wildfire.
Endangered List
The United Nations has removed the Everglades National Park from its list of World Heritage Sites in danger — commending the U.S. for its investment of scientific and financial sources to save the site from the dangers of urban growth and pollution.
But the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports environmentalists who insist the park is still in peril are horrified at the move.
One member of the Sierra Club says the Everglades are more threatened than ever. And a woman with the Everglades Coordinating Council says of the U.S. action — "I'm speechless. I woke up in the Twilight Zone. I just hope readers don't feel the battle is won because of what the U.N. says."
Despite continued complaints about growth in the federal budget deficit — government figures indicate it is going down so fast that a huge bull market has developed for treasury bills.
With the deficit down — there is less need for the government to borrow money — so it is cutting back on the treasury bills.
Bloomberg News reports this has created the largest demand for them since the 9/11 terror attacks.
An unexpected surge in tax receipts may slice the deficit by 40 percent — to $150 billion this fiscal year.
Bloomberg says that through June 21, the government had collected almost $1.6 trillion in individual and corporate income taxes — an increase of 7.7 percent from a year earlier.
Quintuplets Parents
And the parents of 10-year-old quintuplets are going through a difficult divorce in Tampa, Florida.
The Saint Petersburg Times reports Jeff Nelson-Folkersen claims wife Gayle has "serious psychological control issues" — saying she imposes a strict vegan diet on the children — no meat, eggs or dairy.
And he says the mother restricts the children's visits with their paternal grandparents because they have leather furniture.
Vegan diets have been criticized as lacking in necessary vitamins and nutrients for growing children.
The divorce hearing is scheduled for next month.
—FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.


Lightfoot speaks at her campaign party in South Loop.
Lori Lightfoot (J.D. '89) won the mayoral race over Toni Preckwinkle (A.B. '69, A.M. '77) by a margin of nearly 50 percentage points on Tuesday night, closing off a historic runoff between two Black women, both of whom are UChicago alumnae.
In addition to being the first UChicago alumna and Black woman as mayor, Lightfoot will also be Chicago's first openly gay mayor.
With 97 percent of precincts reported on Tuesday night, Lightfoot had 74 percent of the vote and Preckwinkle had 26 percent.
Lightfoot, originally seen as a long shot in the race, increasingly drew traction shortly before the February general elections. In her campaign, she appealed to her status as an outsider unbound by the complex relationships of Chicago politics.
The Associated Press first declared Lightfoot the victor less than an hour after polls closed at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Around two hours after polls closed, Preckwinkle called Lightfoot to congratulate her. The two then spoke to crowds at their respective campaign parties.
Tuesday's runoff election, the second mayoral runoff in Chicago history, had dramatically low turnout. Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman Jim Allen predicts total voter turnout to be near 33 percent, potentially a record low for a Chicago mayoral race. In 2007, voter turnout reached a historic low of 33.08 percent to re-elect Richard M. Daley for a sixth term as mayor.
Many Preckwinkle supporters voiced concern over the low turnout.
Lightfoot's victory came as expected, based on polling leading up to Tuesday. A poll published last week showed Lightfoot with 53 percent of the vote and Preckwinkle with 17 percent of the vote.
Lightfoot, former chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Board, was originally seen as a long shot in the race. She ran against candidates with more extensive political experience such as Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President and Fourth Ward Democratic Committeewoman, and candidates with more political connections such as Bill Daley, brother of former mayor Richard M. Daley and son of former mayor Richard J. Daley.
Lightfoot gained popularity in the weeks leading up to the February general elections, emphasizing that as a political outsider, she did not have relationships that her opponents do that would make her "beholden to any political party or any unions." She tied with Preckwinkle and Daley in a poll conducted the weekend before the general elections, and led the race with 17.5 percent of the vote in the general elections.
Following the general elections, seven out of the 12 defeated mayoral candidates lined up to endorse Lightfoot, while none of them endorsed Preckwinkle. The Chicago Sun-Times editorial board had endorsed Lightfoot prior to the general elections and the Chicago Tribune editorial board endorsed Lightfoot several weeks after the general elections.
Lightfoot graduated from the Law School in 1989. While she was there, she served as student body president and worked to ban a law firm whose recruiter had made racist and sexist remarks to a Black female student. After law school, she served various positions in the private and public sector, including federal prosecutor, president of the city's police board, and partner at Mayer Brown LLP.
Critics have noted that Lightfoot has never held elected office before. Leading up to the runoffs, Preckwinkle emphasized her extensive experience serving as an elected official. Before her terms as Cook County Board president starting in 2010, Preckwinkle served as Fourth Ward alderman for five terms.
"It's easy to talk about change. It's hard to actually do it. And that's been my experience—being a change-maker, a change agent, transforming institutions and communities," Preckwinkle said while campaigning.
Preckwinkle has also implicitly criticized Lightfoot's lack of experience, claiming that mayor is "not an entry level position." Lightfoot refuted criticisms that she would not be prepared to serve as mayor, claiming that her wide experience adapting to different jobs makes her qualified.
Lightfoot, who will be Chicago's first openly gay mayor, campaigned on improving LGBTQ+ participation in city government as well as increasing safety for LGBTQ+ community members by introducing police training and hate crime investigations.
Before Lightfoot's appearance on stage at her campaign party, UChicago third-year Sarah Lewis emphasized Lightfoot's status as the first openly gay mayor.
Despite Lightfoot's social policies, some question whether Lightfoot would be a progressive choice for working class Chicagoans, having been a former corporate lawyer who defended banks, pharmaceutical companies, and other multibillion dollar industries. Lightfoot also raised concern among voters due to her policies surrounding policing, who criticized her for her past experience as federal prosecutor and chair of Chicago's police board.
Two weeks ago, Chance the Rapper endorsed Preckwinkle, citing his concerns over Lightfoot's past history as a prosecutor.
Chance's sentiment was echoed by others at Preckwinkle's election night party, such as a county employee who wished not to be named due to their employment.
On education, Lightfoot said in answers to a questionnaire by Chalkbeat that she supports a fully elected school board. Chicago's school board is currently fully appointed by the mayor. Asked if she would keep in power Janice Jackson, the current Chief Education Officer heading the school board, Lightfoot did not give an answer, saying she would "sit down with Dr. Jackson to discuss my vision and expectations for change." Turnover on the school board, particularly for the Chief Education Officer, could entail changes to how the school board allocates resources to schools across Chicago and the school board's handling of charter schools.
Lightfoot has also been circumspect—as has Preckwinkle—about how she would deal with the city's pension crisis. Lightfoot told the Chicago Tribune that she would address the pension problem through "progressive sources of revenue" and by cutting the size of city government via measures like eliminating the city treasurer's office and city clerk's office.
She chanted, "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine," referencing the song "This Little Light of Mine" and her last name.
Lightfoot will officially take office as the new mayor on May 20.
Update April 2, 11:37 p.m.: The article has been updated with additional quotes from people at the campaign parties.


Vroom, vroom. Rev those engines!
It's been a long time coming, but Full Throttle has finally been optioned for a remastered edition, and it's due out for release in 2017. Full Throttle Remastered was announced for PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and PC during the PlayStation Experience 2015 keynote by Double Fine.
Tim Schafer was on stage to announce the title, which will include all new artwork, high-resolution animations and backgrounds with repainted animation frames, and an improved soundtrack with concept artwork, commentary, and more.
Given the announcement that Psychonauts 2 is on the horizon and needs funding from fans, this is an interesting project -- but is this where those funds are going? Something to ponder as you flip through the Double Fine catalog.


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It Is As It Does
The Huffington Post offers up the juicy tidbit that Occidental College is including among its course offerings this year a class in "Stupidity." From the course catalog:
Stupidity is neither ignorance nor organicity, but rather, a corollary of knowing and an element of normalcy, the double of intelligence rather than its opposite. It is an artifact of our nature as finite beings and one of the most powerful determinants of human destiny. Stupidity is always the name of the Other, and it is the sign of the feminine. This course in Critical Psychology follows the work of Friedrich Nietzsche, Gilles Deleuze, and most recently, Avital Ronell, in a philosophical examination of those operations and technologies that we conduct in order to render ourselves uncomprehending.
Et tendentious cetera.
We note the three headlines presented immediately below that story on the HuffPo's front page:
WATCH: KFC Introduces Surreal Sandwich That Replaces Bread With Fried Chicken
Outed "Skanks" Blogger Who Trashed Model Angry At Google For IDing Her
WATCH: CNN Panel Weighs In On Spat Between Jon Stewart And Bill O'Reilly
I think I can save you some money, undergrads...
Posted by Neddie at 9:37 AM 7 comments:
The Language Problem
It has always struck me as deeply incongruous when a Nazi addresses another Nazi in English. A sequence in Where Eagles Dare leaped out at me back in the mists of time, when Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood are sent into a Nazi enclave in Wehrmacht uniforms, and manage to pass perfectly, despite addressing the enemy in full Burtonian and Eastwoodian English. Really, dude? the skeptical watcher wants to ask. Is your German that good? So good, in fact, that it passes even when it's English? Not a single Nazi so much as looks askance at them. It's very hard to overlook, a real strain on the old willing-suspension-of-disbelief neurons.
Inglourious Basterds picks up this ball of incongruity and runs it into the end zone. Four-fifths of the film is in either French or German, and the American audience is forced to do what cowardly directors swear they won't ever do: read subtitles. In Chapter One, a Nazi interviewing a Frenchman begins in French but then asks, halfway through the conversation, to switch to English. Ah-ha! the viewer says triumphantly, caught you, Tarantino! Pretty sleazy way of getting those damned subtitles off the screen!
But no. The Nazi has bigger plans.
The language-play continues later. A plot-point depends on the assumption that Germans cannot appreciate the subleties of the Italian tongue and are universally unable to detect an American accent. As it happens, the German the Basterds are trying to fool (the same English-speaker from Chapter One) has absolutely beautiful Italian, and there is high comedy indeed as he toys with the hapless Basterds.
While ostensibly an action film, Basterds is very dialog-intensive. The same trope happens repeatedly: Nazi inquisitor twigs to subterfuge, and toys with his interlocutor until dreadful violence breaks out. Reviewers have called these lengthy scenes boring; I disagree emphatically. Tarantino's artful dialog, never oblique or obscure, unfailingly keeping the viewer informed without being obvious about it, is anything but boring. Anyone bored by this dialog is bored by life.
Violent? Come on. It's Tarantino. Heads bashed in with baseball bats? Oh yeah. Prurient closeups of knives and skin? Of course. But the film is so over-the-top, so completely obviously a comedy about war films, that the viewer is never oppressed by it; it's all clearly, clearly fake, and Tarantino just winks at us throughout it.
I'll leave it to greater minds to comment on this film's place in the great panoply of film history, of WWII flicks and the movies made by the Nazis to sell themselves to the German public. It's clear (I mean, really, really clear) that Tarantino wants it to be considered in that light. The fact that a great deal of the plot involves getting the highest echelons of the Nazi apparat into a theater to watch a film extolling a German war hero -- a theater that specializes in Riefenstahl revivals -- is almost rubbing our noses in self-referentiality. To watch the film in a theater over the heads of our fellow film-goers, the view encompassing the backs of heads watching a film showing the backs of heads onscreen watching a film, is truly the only way to fully appreciate this movie.
Don't wait for the DVD, is what I'm saying.
Wait... What?
From the Huffington Post:
Did they use it like a divining rod?
O-or did Jackie O have... I don't even want to think about it.
Posted by Neddie at 11:22 AM 6 comments:
Bristol is a town that straddles the border between Virginia and Tennessee -- the state line runs down the middle of State Street. Technically, there are two Bristols (they most commonly come in pairs, amirite?) -- Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee -- but they are both run by the same city administration.
Besides its NASCAR track, Bristol Motor Speedway -- "the world's fastest half-mile" -- Bristol's main claim to fame is as the birthplace of country music. In truth, this is not really so; a more accurate assertion would be that it is the birthplace of the country music record industry. What we might consider proto-country music is, of course, much, much older than that. It was to Bristol in the summer of 1927 that Ralph Peer, producer and A&R man formerly for OKeh Records and now acting under his new position with Victor, brought newfangled field recording gear and up-to-the-minute electric microphones (introduced in 1925), and set up shop in an unused storage space over the Taylor-Christian Hat company on the Tennessee side of State Street.
He allowed it to be bruited about that he would be offering $50 a side to any local musicians he deemed worthy of recording. A very astute and far-sighted businessman, Peer recognized, absolutely rightly, that with a nascent recording business and the coming ubiquity of radio, the real money was to be made in owning the copyright to the songs he recorded, which was why he felt he could be relatively generous to his recording stable -- and $50 was mighty generous indeed to the average resident of Appalachia in 1927.
Between July 22 and August 3, Peer recorded Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, B.F. Shelton, Uncle Eck Dunford, and a host of other hillbilly acts. An industry was indeed born. The bottom would fall out of it in 1932 with the Great Depression, but radio would sustain country music through World War II, with shows like the Grand Ole Opry. When the wartime rationing of vinyl ended with the war, an entirely new, infinitely more sophisticated generation of artists, recording on vastly improved equipment, filled the need for American proletarian music. The Victor, OKeh, Columbia artists of the '20s would remain to be rediscovered on scratchy old 78s on grandparents' Victrolas, and on such eminently sympathetic compilations as Harry Smith's "Anthology of American Folk." It is worth noting that the rediscoverers -- the Ralph Rinzlers, the Mike Seegers (RIP), were not themselves rural people, but sons and daughters of urban intellectuals.
It was into this Bristol that the Jingomobile roared yesterday. (Literally. That muffler's on its last legs.) I'd bombed down 81 from Winchester in what must have been record time, the 350-mile trip having taken five and a half hours. My purpose was twofold: I wanted to see the place where Peer had his recordings done, and I wanted to retrace the route the Carter Family took to their historic recording sessions with Peer.
The outskirts of Bristol are unprepossessing indeed. Huge Baptist churches stand cheek by jowl with grubby Taco Bells and Burger Kings, which are the places where the swains of Bristol go when they want to show their girlfriends a good time. There are few other options. The squalor persists until you hit State Street itself, which is leafy, verdant, and lined with quirky coffeeshops and bookstores for the tourist trade. The Art Deco theater marquee survives -- it can be made out in a gritty photo of State Street from the Ralph Peer era. I find the building where the sessions are said to have taken place -- there seems to be some local controversy over it, but The Bristol Sessions (ed. Wolfe & Olson) confidently places it at Number 408. There it is. A large mural on a blind wall facing the railroad tracks celebrates "Bristol Tenn-Va / Birthplace of Country Music" with portraits of Peer, the Carters, Victor Records, and Rodgers giving his signature thumbs-up in his brakeman's gear, guitar in his lap.
Besides State Street, I'd wanted to see another landmark from the era -- Maces Spring and Poor Valley and Rich Valley on the side of Clinch Mountain, where all three Carters grew up, married, and started families before that Monday and Tuesday, August 1-2, 1927, when they would record "Single Girl, Married Girl," "Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow," and four other sides. The legend put about by Peer after the Carters' success was that the Carters were raggedy-assed, barefoot, iggerant backwoodsmen who'd never seen the big city before they pulled into town looking like the Beverly Hillbillies. (Come to think of it, I would not be suprised to find a distinct historic correlation between that disgusting portrayal and Peer's description.)
At any rate, it's rank bullshit, meant to sell records and legend. A. P. Carter made a decent living for himself selling fruit trees and farming, the Carters wore clothes to Bristol that, while perhaps not New York tailored, were perfectly unremarkable -- and that certainly included footwear fit for city use. A. P. was born in a log cabin -- it's now on display at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, moved down from its original, nearly inaccessible site. But the idea that the Carters were from the back of beyond and had never seen the Big City is pure nonsense -- Maces Spring is a mere twenty miles from town. A. P. Carter first heard of Peer's visit while he was in Bristol itself, visiting a cousin who ran a furniture store. They had cars (borrowed from a brother, admittedly, but they knew how to drive).
I followed the road to Hiltons, Clinch Mountain looming. It is indeed a winding road, and it is easy to imagine that its unpaved 1927 version would have been hard indeed on the balloon-like tires of the day -- the Carters took two days to traverse it, partly because of numerous blowouts, and partly because Sara was pregnant and the jostling made her miserable. But nowadays it can be driven at a comfortable 40 MPH, slowing down for the frequent 90-degree hairpins.
It is a very poor part of the world. One- and two- room houses of crumbling brick, old enough to have been passed by the Carters on their trip to Bristol, line the passage, yards weedy, reeking of desperation and boredom. Footwashing Baptist churches, though, look prosperous, well maintained, their white paint gleaming in the sun. There is ample traffic for a Sunday afternoon, and I sense impatience in drivers as they come up behind a gawking tourist who's slowing down to look at things they find completely commonplace. I pull over and let them pass.
Hiltons (Maces Spring lacks a post office and thus is not officially a town) looks prosperous enough. The town's mining concern seems to be going strong. Up past the school (also looking well off), the A. P. Carter Highway winds its way through Poor Valley to the Carter Family Fold, located at the site of the grocery store that A. P. opened after the Carters broke up -- his wife Sara having fallen in love with another. The grocery store (closed, alas, for Sunday, as is all of the Fold) looks about the size of my living room. A. P.'s birth-cabin is beautiful, rustic -- and shares architectural characteristics with the German/Scots-Irish cabins in and around my home, 350 miles north.
I can only admire from outside the little amphitheater where Saturday nights in season ("Adults $1.50, Children 50 cents") old-timey and bluegrass concerts are given.
This is the place where a dying Johnny Cash gave his last performance.
Not much more to see here. A phone call from home requires my presence, and presently I am bombing back up 81, dodging eighteen-wheelers and blue flashing lights on prowlers, headed back to 2009. I still keep the Mood Music going, though:
Far away upon a hill on a sunny mountain side
Many years ago we parted, my little Ruth and I
From the sunny mountain side
Oh she clung to me and trembled, when I told her we must part
And she said don't go my darling, it almost breaks my heart
To think of you, so far apart
Carry me back to old Virginia,
Back to my Clinch Mountain home...
Got Lurid?
The first thing I'll do with a new hardcover is remove the dust jacket and store it somewhere safe. Replace it when I'm done, of course, and ready to store it on the shelf.
This one I did with perhaps a greater degree of pleasure than usual. Yeah, OK, Southern Cali hardboiled Sixties surfer genre, pretty much calls for lurid neon type on the cover. Don't have much of a problem with that. No, it's the hideous neon-pink gradient wash the designer put on the inner flaps that does it for me. I couldn't go one sentence without my eye straying off the page and staring fixedly at the strange, strange design choice, me thinking whyyyyyy?
Picked it up yesterday, only had time for one chapter last night. No immediate impressions formed yet, up or down. I did get a pretty serious gut-laff from the stoner lawyer, Sauncho Smilax, as Doc is using his One Phone Call to try to get out of jail:
"It's like Donald and Goofy, right, and they're out in a life raft, adrift at sea? for what looks like weeks? and what you start noticing after a while, in Donald's closeups, is that he has whisker stubble? like, growing out of his beak? You get the significance of that?"
"If I find a minute to think about it, Saunch, but meantime here comes Bigfoot and he's got that look, so if you could repeat the number back, OK, and--"
"We've always had this image of Donald Duck, we assume it's how he looks all the time in his normal life, but in fact he's always had to go in every day and shave his beak. The way I figure, it has to be Daisy. You know, which means, what other grooming demands is that chick laying on him, right?"
Blogrolling in Our Time
Everybody pop on over and say howdy to the newest addition to my blogroll, a dear friend of mine from another, parallel universe: Daydreams by Candlefire, a diarist and chronicler of acute observations. In particular check out her ongoing series, "Chronicles of Snowville." (The first two installations in the series can be seen here and here.)
Posted by Neddie at 11:16 AM No comments:
The Double Steal
Potomac Nationals vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks, Sunday, August 9, 2009
It's a blistering hot August Sunday.
Top of the eighth inning. Wilmington, in a tie with the P-Nats for first place in the Carolina League, has come back from a 3-0 deficit to rack up six unanswered runs. Things may be out of hand for the home team.
Wilmington puts runners at first and third. Nats reliever Patrick McCoy winds up to pitch. As he does so, the runner on first breaks for a steal. McCoy catches it in time, and concentrates his attention on throwing him out. From our seats in Section E (close enough to home plate that Freddie and I can legitimately contest ball-and-strike calls with the ump -- the $11 seats!) we see the runner on third sneaking down the line to steal home.
Nooooo! we all shriek. Look behind you! Don't make a rookie mistake! Get the lead runner!
But no. McCoy throws to the second baseman, crabwalking for second along with the runner. Immediately, the lead runner on third breaks for home. The second baseman, far more in tune with his baseball instincts and training than those of us in the stands -- who remembers the Double Steal play from high-school ball? Certainly not me -- susses the play immediately. He's been waiting for it. He fires the ball on a smoking rope to the catcher at home, who falls on the miscreant home-stealer like a ton of bricks, and the ump punches the runner out, out, out.
I sometimes forget how much I love this game. Who laid out the bases at 90 feet apart? Such that when a ground ball goes to the shortstop's right, and he snags it and throws to first, it's always an exciting bang-bang call? Eighty-five feet, the runner's invariably safe. Ninety-five feet, he's out by a country mile. And on a tall sacrifice fly to deep center, runner at second gets overconfident and tries for home, centerfielder hits the cutoff man, who does his job and gets the ball on a line to home, the ball and the runner are there at exactly the same time, and only the ump can see through the cloud of dust to make the call?
Baseball oughta be the National Pastime or something. That's what I think.
Posted by Neddie at 7:26 AM 11 comments:
Come Up the Country!
Death appears to surround us.
Sometime early yesterday morning, a white-tailed doe chose our orchard as the site of her Calvary. Betty awoke, looked out her window, and came to report a deceased deer a-next the Asian Pear.
I investigated, in the driving rain. Yep, no question about it. Rigor mortis had set in, the crows were conversing in salivating tones, buzzards were circling overhead, and flies were buzzing, as they will. Something must be done.
I called Animal Control. They were closed (it being Sunday), but their recorded message said to call the Sheriff's Office in case of an emergency. I did not judge this to be exactly an emergency, but called anyway. The man who answered, while kind, was not inclined to jump into his prowler and race over to help. Had the deer died on a public road, he said, the Virginia Department of Transportation would send a crew to remove it, but if on private land, there was not much he could do. We are a couple of hundred yards from a public road. His recommendation was to remove the carcass to some spot remote from the house, and let nature take its course.
I contemplated dragging the thing to the road, abandoning it there, and calling VDOT, but dismissed it as an affront to the neighbors. It might take days for VDOT to respond, and in the meantime, I'd have placed an Extremely Stinky Thing within nose-shot of three other households. No, the only polite thing was to follow the good Sheriff's advice.
We maintain a clearing in the southern quadrant for the kind of yard-waste that can't be composted -- tree-wrack, out-of-date Christmas trees, what have you -- and this is far enough away from the house that (I fervently hope) the stink won't waft here. I got out the tractor-mower, clapped a length of chain to its axle (easier said than done) and the other end to the deer's hind leg, and off we went. The dragging, while undignified for the deceased, was easy enough. She wasn't particularly heavy.
I left her there, with a blessing and a... Can we atheists be said to pray? Whatever it was, I tried to be as respectful as I could under the circumstances. I don't anticipate going back there until her bones are bleached dry.
And the goddamned dogs know their boundaries. Or at least, they'd better. Or there'll be hell to pay.
Posted by Neddie at 11:56 AM 10 comments:


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Why do we charge for Metrocards?
axel-downard-wilke	Uncategorized	 September 23, 2018 September 24, 2018
The Metrocard has been with us since October 2003 and it was introduced during a time when everything around public transport in Christchurch was looking positive and upwards. The Orbiter had been introduced in 1999; an immediate hit with the public. The Bus Exchange had opened in November 2000, replacing the windswept Square with an uber-modern central bus station that attracted many overseas delegations. When the Metrocard joined the mix of improvements, users got a discount for using this card over paying cash. Boarding times improved significantly as swiping a card is much faster than handling coins, making the bus journey quicker for all passengers. Those were the times when annual patronage per capita showed a healthy growth rate.
Patronage chart and major public transport events (note that the graph uses data smoothing to hide seasonal fluctuations, hence the patronage decline following the earthquakes appears to have a delayed onset)
One significant event missing from the figure above is the fourteen elected regional councillors that were sacked by the Key government in March 2010 and replaced with seven commissioners. Under the pretence of an inability to resolve water management issues in Canterbury (by which was meant that farmers could not get further irrigation consents fast enough), the commissioners were put in place to implement policies that aligned with central government's thinking. The transport minister of the day, Steven Joyce, displayed a transport planning understanding that did not extend much beyond "people want to drive" and one of his most damaging public transport initiatives was the introduction of the farebox recovery policy. This policy was adopted in April 2010 and set a goal of "of a national farebox recovery ratio of no less than 50 percent in the medium term". In their general circular that was released by the Transport Agency at the time they stated that "we are not advocating short term measures that would have major impacts on patronage." Cynics may read that to mean that major impacts on patronage are ok over the medium term. What is meant by farebox recovery is explained in a November 2009 post on what was then the TransportBlog. That the underlying thinking doesn't make sense from a transport economics point of view was ably explained by Stu Donovan in August 2011.
The key policy document for individual regional councils is the Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) valid for 10 years and updated every three years. The 2010 RPTPs were due to be adopted by 1 July at the latest (and updated every three years thereafter), and as preparation plus consultation can easily take half a year the farebox recovery policy came too late to be incorporated into that main policy tool. The other policy tool is the Regional Land Transport Strategy (RLTS) and Auckland displayed active resistance through that document towards the fare recovery policy.
But no such problems in Canterbury, of course. With seven commissioners hand-picked by government in charge, anything can be achieved, right? In early February 2011 (i.e. before the main earthquake), the commissioners decreed that come April, new bus patrons would have to pay $10 for their initial Metrocard. From the beginning, there had always been a $10 replacement charge on the card, but the initial card had been free. ECan management's argument that people would take more care with their Metrocard if they had to pay for it thus made no sense at all as any carelessness had always resulted in a $10 replacement fee. Rhys Taylor from the pedestrian lobby group Living Streets Aotearoa lamented that the decision "was made by a roomful of unelected car drivers" and while true, the commissioners simply implemented something that Steven Joyce wanted them to. After all, the initiative was estimated to save ECan's ratepayers $85,000 per annum. None of the sacked councillors who commented at the time thought the initiative to be clever, though.
How much does an annual $85k saving represent? About 0.4% of ECan's part of running public transport. Ok, that doesn't sound like much, does it? What are the wider implications?
It's hard to attract new customers to public transport. New Zealand has one of the highest car ownership rates in the world; car availability is high. Parking, apart from the core of the CBD, can generally be found for free. Thanks to the efforts by Christchurch City Council, cycling is becoming more attractive and feels increasingly safer. To use a bus, you first need to figure out where it leaves from and where it goes to. If time is important, it doesn't help that on most routes the bus is significantly slower than driving. Figuring out when a bus leaves at a stop is also tricky as the advertised time generally refers to a location elsewhere; those with internet access have an easier task. Lastly, bus travel is perceived as expensive at $4 per zone 1 trip. That's a lot of barriers to overcome to get somebody onto a bus for the first time.
But hang on, it's only $2.65 with the Metrocard, isn't it? That's correct. Any marketing expert would advise that a good strategy for getting new clients for a product of low cost like a bus fare is to give something away; let people try it out. Charging for the initial Metrocard is doing the exact opposite to that good marketing strategy, as new customers who would like to try out a bus service without committing themselves to investing in a Metrocard pay a 50% penalty by paying with cash. It's a textbook example of how not to organise your marketing approach.
And if the desire is to save $85k per annum, why not instead increase the price for replacement Metrocards instead? That would seem a much better approach as it does not disincentivise people from becoming customers in the first instance.
I've picked an obvious and reasonably simple to understand example of the consequences of the misguided fare recovery policy. The same policy was also a key driver for the hubs and spokes model that was rolled out from 2013 onward, although the earthquake impacts certainly contributed to the underlying thinking. The hubs and spokes model is the reason for an ongoing patronage decline in Christchurch. More clear-cut is the Wellington network restructure in July 2018 that was driven by the same desire to increase the fare recovery rate; the fallout from that has been in the news ever since.
ECan is currently consulting on the 2018–28 Canterbury Regional Public Transport Plan. Maybe let them know that charging for the initial Metrocard wasn't such a good idea.
And one more thing about Metrocards – the other thing that was first introduced in April 2011 is Metrostickki. That's a sticker with an embedded chip that provides the functionality of a Metrocard and one can attach it to the back of a mobile phone, say. As far as I know, the product has never been promoted. The only place where it is mentioned on the Metroinfo website is in the terms and conditions for using a Metrocard and it is left to Wikipedia to advertise its presence. It's another curious approach to marketing.
ECan's best kept secret – a Metrostickki
Do you think it's time to scrap the $10 Metrocard fee?
Published September 23, 2018 September 24, 2018
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16 thoughts on "Why do we charge for Metrocards?"
Wayne Phillips says:
It's surely a matter of time until contactless payment via debit cards becomes an option ?- we lived in London until last year and paying via credit card with daily caps was brilliant for me as a non-regular user. TfL seemed to love it too as it shifted all the payment administration to the banks.
For a returner to Christchurch – what did the bus route map look like prior to the hub/spoke rearrangement?
I'm really enjoying your work btw
axelwilke says:
Hello Wayne, yes, they are actively working on a contact-less debit system. Question is – how long will it take? And will it replace the Metrocard system? I suspect it won't replace it; at least not initially. Hence asking for this to be thought about still makes sense.
Old network maps are in this blog post: https://chchtransport.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/network-maps/ The problem with the current hubs and spokes system is that the feeder services often have low frequencies (30 min or even 60 min headways) and there is little guarantee that you will make your connection (as the core line might be running late and there's no system in place for making the feeder services wait for a late core route bus). Whilst hub and spokes looks much tidier on a map, it's added quite some travel time for many, and a huge amount of uncertainty for most. Hence the declining patronage numbers.
There's been discussion on the Auckland transport blog about credit card payment. (https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2018/07/09/hop-improvements-stopped/). I don't knoe much about it but it sounds like they are going down that route there, in which case it's probable it will end up here too. I had a look for an old network map but couldn't find any… I think the general gist was that there were more routes, although fewer of them high-frequency routes (but still overall there were more service-kms).
Yes, the service kilometres were cut by about 10% and that was one of the main points of the exercise. Cut costs (to be more efficient) without losing patronage. The first part of the plan (cutting service kilometres) was never part of the official propaganda; this was always sold as a service improvement. Problem is that the second part of the plan did (to not lose patronage) didn't work out like that. Maybe the service improvement part isn't quite what has been achieved…
Synco Reynders says:
If you are doing a moving average of 12 months, you'll have a phase-shift of exactly 6 months. I find it's easier to graph it right, (ie, move by 6 months) then to explain to everyone why you didn't do it right in the first place. 😉
Hi Synco, haven't seen you in ages (a decade?). Hope all's well. Still living next to the cemetery?
With regards to data smoothing, all I know is that it's done (and without it, you can hardly make sense of the graph). I've never read up how to do it, but tried out a formula that made sense to me and it seemed to work just fine. If you know of a page or article that describes how it's supposed to be done, could you post a link? Or PM me via Facebook.
Hi Axel,
Reason for the comment was my confusion, as I've seen many moving averages done badly, and the first couple of points you mention as 'significant' (sacked councillors, fairbox, …), these effects are not significant on the graph. After studying your graph longer, it made more sense yet would suggest you add the real data trace so the effect of filtering can be seen.
There have been promotions where free cards were given away, but the other silly obstacle which I have always opposed is Metro's insistence that cards have to be validated before they can be used. This means people have to make a special trip into the exchange with identification before they can use the card.
I don't understand, Patrick. You can buy the Metrocard at a limited number of physical locations, and at any of those, you can show your ID upon purchase. There is thus no need to head into the Exchange. You can't buy the Metrocard online. What am I missing?
http://www.metroinfo.co.nz/metrocard/Pages/WhereToBuy.aspx
Joe CD says:
Really interesting history here. $85k it's such a tiny figure, especially considering the marginal riders that a $10 charge keeps away would probably bump farebox recovery a bit, if that was the aim.
The reason given on Greater Auckland for why our HOP cards cost $10 is that you can tag on with a very low credit and can go into negative. Apparently if you don't have the $10 price tag, people deliberately put their cards into debit and then throw them away.
But in Christchurch, I imagine the cards can't go into negative. Is that right? You tell the bus driver at the beginning how many zones to charge, and it gets deducted then. Plus, your cards have to be registered to an owner (ours don't) so a debit could be transferred to any new card purchased by that owner anyway? So I think an appropriate cost in your case would be about $2.
I agree with the stupidity of the farebox recovery target and of the disincentive to trying public transport that either a high cash fare or the upfront card cost and hassle. Particularly if you're travelling with a few children, the cost of the journey for everyone is a shock to the system.
I think you can slightly go into 'overdraft' on the Christchurch system. But I'm not entirely sure and it's not discussed in the terms and conditions.
GlenK says:
I think if your MetroCard bus fare takes into a negative balance they have no problem. If it's already negative you can't use it again until topped up (auto-topups when balance falls low is a great innovation!).
Pingback: Lies, damned lies, and patronage statistics – TALKING TRANSPORT
From an equity point of view PT cards should not be charged for. In the first instance and as its main objective PT "Public" transport is there to provide transport access and mobility to those that don't have alternative transport means.
Charging for PT cards just adds to the barriers. Let ratepayers subsidise the cards.
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Reading East MP presses Theresa May over dangers of No Deal Brexit
Matt Rodda was one of 200 MPs to raise concerns at a meeting with Theresa May
Matt Rodda MP pressed the Prime Minister over a No Deal Brexit. Credit: Matt Rodda MP
Reading East's MP has met the Prime Minister to raise his fears over a No Deal Brexit.
Matt Rodda was one of a group of MPs from all parties who wrote to Theresa May saying the UK must not "crash out" of the EU without a deal.
The group has major concerns about the impact on jobs and the manufacturing industry.
More than 200 MPS attended the meeting on Tuesday, January 8, which was chaired by Labour's Jack Dromey MP, who spoke on the potential impact of no deal.
Mr Rodda spoke to Mrs May, whose Maidenhead constituency borders with Mr Rodda's, at the meeting to raise his fears about the impact on Reading, Berkshire.
He said: "I am deeply concerned about Brexit and the impact it could have on our communities in Reading and Woodley, and on the local economy."
Theresa May at the meeting with MPs. Credit: Matt Rodda MP
Mr Rodda and his fellow Berkshire MPs are set to take part in the "meaningful vote" on Mrs May's Brexit deal on the evening of Tuesday, January 15.
In November business leaders in the Reading and the Thames Valley met MP Kwasi Kwarteng, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the EU, and stressed that any deal is better than no deal.
Any deal is better than a no deal Brexit, claim Reading businesses
At the meeting Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) discussed the withdrawal agreement with Mr Kwarteng and stressed the threat of a no deal Brexit to the Thames Valley economy.


One of the first things you should know about me (D Grant) and why this show was created has everything to do with Punk Rock.
I spent my adolescence steeped in punk, with several of my buddies in school feeding me these killer mixtapes and compilation CDs from underground bands from all over the place. It was really great music, and it was stuff that the mainstream rock and alt-rock radio stations (which was all we had in terms of music media other than MTV back in the day) weren't touching it. Punk was underground, off the beaten path, and a bit elitist. Then came the mainstream pop punk movement that birthed the careers of Blink 182, Lit, New Found Glory and others.
This week's show is about the varieties of punk as much as it is a showcasing of some truly great bands in the genre, some are known by the most ardent of punk fans (The Get Up Kids, No Motiv, Home Grown, etc), and others are fairly well-known (Green Day, Further Seems Forever, NOFX, etc), though the songs featured here are not (B-sides and album cuts at their best).
The Appetizer has been a rebel of radio shows since 2003, and will continue to serve you great music that the mainstream doesn't have a palette for, or that other indie outlets don't either. It's why you choose to listen each week.
And since you've chosen to listen, I ask that you choose to join in our community a step further. Contribute to our Indiegogo campaign which started this week to launch our Appetizer Radio App, so you can take great music with you anywhere via your mobile device. Click Here to participate in our campaign, get kickass Perk gifts, and be a more solid part of our indie community.


I was diagnosed as being in an "Anxiety State" when I was 14 after my mum noticed a change in my behaviour I was prescribed Beta Blockers but my mum wasn't keen on my taking them so I didn't. When I was 17 I dabbled with recreational drugs and took an ecstasy pill and within an hour I had what I would say was my first panic attack although I didn't know it at the time. I really did think I was going to die, I felt so scared I wanted to die everything was so distorted and I was hyperventilating and wanted to vomit. For about 3 months afterwards I turned into a recluse and by the skin of my teeth kept by job but had to take a lot of time off. I used to think it was S.A.D. as I would feel terribly low and not be able to communicate as I would normally during the dark winter months. Friends and family helped me out of it and I managed to carry on.
It wasn't until a few years later in my early twenties that I would start to get panic attacks more frequently, they would happen in social situations, brightly lit shops/shopping centres, bars or pubs I also felt paranoid that people were laughing at me and that I had done something terrible, everything seemed magnified and I was hypersensitive, I also completely lost my sense of humour which is pretty essential I feel! I was told by G.P. that I would "always be this way" to "get used to it as they will never go away". I have taken courses of SSRI's and always wanted to get off them as soon as possible as the media were publishing scare stories about them and just didn't want to become dependant on medication. I have seen physiologist and had counselling which I found difficult as it made me feel worse as it dredged up feeling and experiences from my past that were mostly unpleasant and so I didn't carry on seeing them for more than about 6 sessions.
I'm now 31 and although I have lost touch with some friends along the way I have been lucky to have some good friends (some of whom have similar experiences) and family plus a wonderful husband to support me, however I still have these bouts of anxiety that seem to come out of the blue and affect me physically and mentally. I feel that I should address the situation and do something positive instead of hiding myself away and going off sick at work every time I feel the darkness descend.
There are so many things that can help and I recently have lost sight of them but I have decided I'm going to look at alternative therapies such as C.B.T. and see what help there is in my area, look after myself more, change my thought process and ultimately not listen to the fear messages as I am going to beat this illness and can't believe its taken me so long to do anything like this.


text:
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Notre Dame College will celebrate its traditional trio of Christmas treats for the campus and extended community on Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8, in 2018.
The College greets the season with its traditional Christmas Tree Lighting and Candlelight Concert featuring the Notre Dame Choir beginning at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, Friday, December 7, at the Administration Building on the Notre Dame campus. Both events are free and open to the public.
The merriment continues with Notre Dame's annual Breakfast with Santa from 9-11:30 a.m. Saturday, December 8, also in the Administration Building. The event features breakfast and photos with Santa, crafts and a Twinkle Shop for youth.
An added attraction to the season of good cheer on campus this year is Mercury Theatre Company's holiday production of Disney's "Newsies: The Musical" with evening and matinee performances December 21-23 in Regina Auditorium on the College campus.
The formal lighting of the College Christmas tree starts with carols, hot cocoa and cookies in the foyer of the historic Administration Building, where visitors can look out or walk out onto the Notre Dame Commons while the College's outdoor 20-foot pine is first made to shine.
Immediately following the Christmas tree tidings, the College choir will perform its Candlelight Concert in Christ the King Chapel on the third floor of the Administration Building. The hour-long performance of seasonal and spiritual music showcases Notre Dame's vocal studies programs, particularly its Concert Choir, Gospel Ensemble and Chamber Singers.
Sponsored by the Notre Dame Alumni Association, Breakfast with Santa starts with pancakes at 9 a.m., followed by photos with Jolly Old Saint Nick, crafts and shopping for the children at 10 a.m. The full event is $15 for adults, $10 for children 12 years old and under and free for infants under 1 year old. Registration is available online.
Tickets for Mercury Theatre Company's presentation of "Newsies: The Musical" also are available online. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 21, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, December 22 and 23, all in Regina Auditorium.
Tickets, can be purchased at the door, too, and are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $16 for students. Discounts are offered to Notre Dame faculty, staff and students.
Notre Dame is now the permanent home of the community theatre company, which celebrated 20 years of performing throughout Northeast Ohio in 2018.
"Newsies: the Musical," with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and book by Harvey Fierstein, is based on the true story of the Newsboy Strike of 1899, when a group of orphan and runaway teens selling newspapers on the streets in New York City strike against publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst who raise distribution prices at the workers' expense.


The name Noreen is of Irish Gaelic origin, and is a diminutive form of Nora. The table below indicates the number of times the name Noreen has been given to baby girls in recent years. The last 125 years refers to 1880 through 2004; last year refers to 2004. The rank and count values are based on U.S. Social Security Administration counts for the one thousand most popular names given to baby girls in each of these years.
The table below indicates the number of times the name Noreen has been given to baby girls and baby boys each year, from 1880 through 2004. Noreen first appeared in the top thousand girl or boy names during 1914, which is the first year shown on the table. Noreen last appeared in either or both of these name lists during 1971, the last year shown on the table. A blank entry indicates that the name did not rank among the top one thousand names given to girls or boys, respectively, during the specified year.
During the last 125 years, parents have used Noreen as a girl's name nearly 100% of the time and hardly ever as a boy's name. Cumulative counts and total counts shown on the above tables are somewhat lower than actual counts because the name Noreen appears in the top 1,000 girl names only 55 times during the last 125 years.


Boogles and Bump is a small family run business based in the charming market town of Ulverston, on the edge of the Lake District.
They sell a range of good quality baby's and children's clothing specializing in organic cotton and fairtrade. You can find everything from playing out clothes, Special occasssion and Christeningwear to good quality outdoorwear with lots in between! Organic Cotton clothing not only washes well and keeps its shape, it is also perfect for babies and children with sensitive skin. Boogles and Bump have the largest selection of this type of clothing for children in the area.
Some of the many brands they stock are Frugi, Kite Kids, Little Shrimp, Toby Tiger, Sarah Louise, Emile et Rose, Angels and Fishes, Maisy May, LittleLife, TWF, Splashabout, Spotty Otter and many more.
Boogles and Bump offer a personalised service for both their online and instore customers and are happy to chat to fulfill your needs.
The shop front is directly opposite the back entrance of the market hall.
Nana bought 5 year old Matthew a Keela fleecy jacket from Boogles and Bump – he loves it and we struggle to get him to take it off in the house! Great products, lovely shop!
lovely friendly shop very pleased with the quality – nice selection of outdoor wear for children.


Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's (Henry Cavill) selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes-Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) -it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.