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Excitement Building For ASGR Summer League
One of the stalwarts of the women's basketball community will take another step forward this summer when the All Star Girls Report Summer League will make its debut. The league will feature 32 elite teams in each age group, for 17U, 16U and 15U. The best of the best will compete throughout the summer, with the League crowning its champions at the Summer Basketball Playoff in Charlotte at the end of July.
The concept immediately received a positive reaction from the summer circuit participants.
"We think this is just a great opportunity for the girls. We want to put them on the best possible platform, so this is important," said Marlon Wright of Best Choice United in Indiana. "Anything you can do that will increase the exposure for your players and present them with challenges, that's a good thing. We already have a lot of coaches following our program, but our responsibility is to get these kids the most possible exposure. We're just very happy that this all worked out."
"I know the kids are really excited about playing in a league like this. They love the competition," added Robert Hildreth of the Maryland Terps. "It's a special opportunity. You are playing against great competition, and you are playing to really earn something."
Each team in the ASGR Summer League will play three regular season games. These games will be scheduled on the days leading up to the traditional major ASGR events, including the tournaments in Raleigh, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas. The Summer League games will be separate from these main tournaments. Each League team will play in the Summer Basketball Playoff, with the regular season contests used for seeding purposes.
The 2015 titles will then be determined in Charlotte, where the intensity level should be at an all time high.
"We are excited to be involved in the league, and very excited about the challenge. We had a very good year in 2014, so we are looking forward to testing ourselves in the league events," said Ben Boyd of Arizona Select. "We know the kids will get great exposure, and there will be a high level of competition."
The All Star Girls Report was launched by White in 1995, and it has been providing the nation's most accurate player ratings for the past 20 years. White's Top Ten All American Camp has produced 175 McDonald's All-Americans since 2001, and he spent 15 years serving as a grassroots consultant for major brands such as adidas, Reebok and FILA. White, who currently serves on the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee, successfully launched the Michael T. White Signature Shoe and Clothing Line in 2008.
The fact that the event is being run by the experienced ASGR staff has been a major selling point with the travel programs.
"They have always done a great job with their events," Hildreth said. "The first big tournament the Lady Terps ever went to was the Deep South Classic, so that's where it started for us in a lot of ways. We still get a lot of our scholarship opportunities every year from that event."
Hildreth isn't the only coach who recognizes the contributions of ASGR.
"The All Star Girls Report has been established as a leader in this game for a long time," Boyd noted. "They have helped a lot of programs over that time. Programs that are national level programs now never would have reached that point without ASGR."
"We feel very fortunate to have this opportunity. I've have had a relationship with the All Star Girls Report people for over 10 years, so I know this will be run properly," added Chris Johnson from the Cy Fair program out of Texas. "They are going to provide the kids with everything they need. The tournament and the events are going to be very well organized, and the kids are going to get amazing exposure. All of those things are very important, and we're all looking forward to the journey."
For more information about ASGR, you can visit www.ASGR.info, or you can follow us at www.Twitter.com/ASGR1995. For information on league opportunities and the uniform purchase program, you can contact Mike White at (818) 298-3488.


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Thorne, South Yorkshire
Find sources: "Thorne, South Yorkshire" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
St Nicholas's Church, Thorne
Shown within the Borough of Doncaster
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Location within South Yorkshire
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17,295 (2011 census)
SE687132
DN8
53°36′30″N 0°57′30″W / 53.6083°N 0.9583°W / 53.6083; -0.9583Coordinates: 53°36′30″N 0°57′30″W / 53.6083°N 0.9583°W / 53.6083; -0.9583
Thorne is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 16,592,[1] increasing to 17,295 at the 2011 Census.[2]
The land which is now Thorne was once inhabited by Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age people. It became a permanent settlement around AD700, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The main industries in the town have traditionally been coal mining and farming.[citation needed]
Thorne lies east of the River Don, on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, and is located at approximately 53°36′30″N 0°57′30″W / 53.60833°N 0.95833°W / 53.60833; -0.95833, at an elevation of around 16 feet (5 metres) above sea level, on the Yorkshire side of the border with Lincolnshire. The civil parish of Thorne includes the village of Moorends to the north.
Culture and community
Thorne Memorial Park is the location for the Thorne Memorial Park Miniature Railway and the annual Thorne Festival. During the summer months, free brass band concerts are held at the park's bandstand.
Thorne Community Wood is a community woodland created from agricultural land by Thorne-Moorends Town Council, and The Peatlands Way, a circuitous walk around the wildlife areas of Thorne and Hatfield Moors, passes to the north of the town.[3]
Thorne's Farmers' Market is a monthly event. The area now has its own Community Radio station, TMCR 95.3.
For many decades in the twentieth century Thorne Colliery was a central focus of employment within the town, although its history was very troubled.
In recent years, employment opportunities have been increasing, most notably since the opening of Nimbus Park on the outskirts of the town, where The Range have operated a major distribution centre since 2012.[4]
Notable buildings in the town include the parish church and Peel Hill Castle. The parish church consists of material from the 12th to 15th centuries with some later additions and repairs. It is a grade I listed structure,[5] and is dedicated to St Nicholas. Peel Hill Castle is the earthwork remains of a Norman motte built by the de Warenne family. Although no structure remains, the foundations indicate that it had a circular keep. It might have been used as a hunting lodge, connected with Hatfield Chase, and prisoners were kept in its tower in the 16th century. It was demolished in the 17th century.[3] The monument is in the care of Thorne-Moorends Town Council.[6] There are Dutch-like[clarification needed] bridges over local canals, such as the Wykewell bridge. There is one remaining water tower, located on South End. Another water tower used to stand on Field Road, but was demolished in 2013. The subsequent empty land was, in 2015, earmarked as the planned location for a new Lidl supermarket. Nearby are the extensive Thorne Moors.
The town is served by two railway stations: Thorne North, and Thorne South; as well as Junction 6 of the M18 and junction 1 of the M180.
The town is served by four bus services, all of which are operated by First South Yorkshire. The services include the 87/87a towards Doncaster and Moorends, the 84 towards Doncaster, the 8/8a towards Doncaster and Moorends, and the 86 service. The latter is a local route only connecting both Thorne and Moorends with the newly built retail park. The 8/8a and 86 services only operate on weekdays and Saturdays. The 84 service operates on evenings only Monday to Saturday, and throughout the day hourly on a Sunday, this is due to there being no 8/8a service on a Sunday.
The A614 runs through the town, crossing the canal. Many residents commute to Doncaster and Sheffield.[citation needed]
In September 2005 a newly built school, Trinity Academy, opened in Thorne, specialising in Business and Enterprise. The £24 million state-of-the-art Academy has nine classes per year group, had an initial school population of 1250 children between the ages of 11 and 18, and is the third Christian Ethos school founded by Sir Peter Vardy. In 2004, 21% of students from Thorne and Moorends achieved five or more passes at grade C or above. Trinity was named as England's most improved academy in 2007, for which they were presented with an award by Sir Bruce Liddington, the Schools Commissioner in England and Wales, at a conference held in London run by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.[7]
The Academy replaced Thorne Grammar School, whose notable alumni were the opera singer Lesley Garrett; George Porter, a nobel prize-winning chemist; Charles Spencer, pianist; and Sir Graham Hall, former CEO of Yorkshire Electricity.
Thorne's rugby league side, Moorends-Thorne Marauders RLFC, play in the CMS Yorkshire league during the winter season and the Rugby League Conference during the summer.
The rugby union side, Thornensians RUFC currently play in Yorkshire Division 3 and have won the Yorkshire Cup on 2 occasions along with the South Yorkshire trophy on a record 12 occasions- the most recent in the 2014/15 season. Their home ground is Coulman Road and big games can attract crowds above 300.
Football is played by the Moorends Hornets and Stingers Junior Football Club.
Speedway racing, earlier known as Dirt track racing, was staged at a track on the southern edge of the town in 1930. Billed as "The Wembley of the North" the track followed the edge of the football pitch on the inside of the track. Rather than two sweeping bends, the track is shown on contemporary ordnance survey maps as having four corners and four straights.
The Sea Cadet unit in Thorne, TS Gambia, offers watersports and other activities to young people within the town.
The Windmill at Thorne, by F. W. Jackson, 1911.
Roy Clarke, comedy writer
Gillian Coultard, footballer
Thomas Crapper, industrialist and plumber
Lesley Garrett, operatic soprano
Leigh Jenkinson, footballer
William Pool, (1783–1856), inventor of the feathered paddle wheel[8]
Simon Worrall, rugby league footballer
Ray Holt, professional footballer
Garry Hemingway, rugby union, and rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s
Thorne Mill.
^ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Doncaster Retrieved 27 August 2009
^ "Town population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
^ a b "Thorne-Moorends Town Council: The Peatlands Way 50 Challenge Walk Archived 26 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Thorne-moorends.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2012
^ Ltd, Insider Media. "The Range seals huge distribution centre deal". Insider Media Ltd. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^ ‹The template Images of England is being considered for merging.›�� Historic England. "Church of St Nicholas, Thorne (334690)". Images of England. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
^ "Peel Hill Thorne". Castle UK. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
^ "Trinity – Most Improved GCSEs". Emmanuel Schools Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
^ "William Pool". Humber Packet Boats. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
Media related to Thorne at Wikimedia Commons
Thorne and Moorends Town Council

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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కంగనా 'తలైవి' రాక పై క్లారిటీ !
Varun Dhawan's wedding was supposed to happen here
India will be proud of Sye Raa: Surender Reddy
Published on Oct 29, 2017 1:15 pm IST
Megastar Chiranjeevi's ambitious 151st project, Sye Raa, is being highly-anticipated by millions of his fans. The film's regular shooting will kick-start in December first week. Yesterday, Sye Raa's director Surender Reddy and cinematographer Rathnavelu visited Narasimhareddy's native village, Uyyalawada in Kurnool district.
Interacting with the descendants of Narasimhareddy and the local media and hundreds of villagers, Surender Reddy said that the entire country will be proud of Sye Raa. The director went on to reveal that Sye Raa is being made with a whopping budget of Rs. 200 crore.
As part of the location scouting, Suri and Rathnavelu visited the Uyyalawada village entrance, Narasimhareddy's ancestral house, his sword in Rupanagudi village, the Durga temple where Narasimhareddy offered daily prayers, and the Jagannadha Gutta where Narasimhareddy was captured by the British and finally, the place where the great freedom fighter was hanged in Koilakuntla.


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Movie of the Day for Thursday, April 16, 2009
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The smart thing for men's entertainment kingpin Maxim to do, upon entering the film market, would've been to carefully select one film, put a lot of muscle behind it, and see what happened, then act accordingly with further projects. Instead, they instantly greenlit three seemingly interchangeable films, found low-rent young folks to make them, and called it a day.
Mardi Gras stars Carmen Electra, who you may have seen recently if someone beat you over the head until you were unconscious and then dragged you into a movie theater during a showing of Meet the Spartans, Epic Movie, or Date Movie. The plot – as such – seems to revolve around some young lads sowing their wild oats at Mardi Gras. (What, you thought it was going to be about Swiss neutrality during the Cold War?)
Also in the cast are Daneel Harris of One Tree Hill and Nicholas D'Agosto of Heroes, who were somehow suckered in to two of Maxim's in-production projects. Arielle Keebel of John Tucker Must Die and Regina Hall of the Scary Movie series are also involved. Director Phil Dornfeld and writer Josh Heald are both first-timers. The movie will be shot on-location in New Orleans, because if there's one thing that city needs right now, it's a movie about carefree privileged youngsters trying to get laid. (Sean Collier/BOP)
Vital statistics for Mardi Gras
Main Cast Carmen Electra, Nicholas D'Agosto, Josh Gad
Supporting Cast Bret Harrison, Arielle Kebbel, Danneel Harris, Regina Hall, Dan Levy
Director Phil Dornfeld
Screenwriter Josh Heald
Distributor Screen Gems
Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture
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FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN TO THE BELLY OF THE BEAST: from Communism to America
Editor's Note: This talk was presented on September 17, 2011, at the Indiana Catholic Women's Conference.
The title of my talk today is "From Behind the Iron Curtain to the Belly of the Beast." The title refers to my family's journey from Communist Hungary, where I was born, to San Francisco, where I now live.
Coming from a country where faith was persecuted, and a simple public prayer was dangerous, I'd like to take a few minutes to publicly thank Our Blessed Mother for allowing us to live in this great country. Please join me: "Hail Mary..."
As I said, my journey begins behind the Iron Curtain. I was born in a country that was ruled by a system of government called Communism. I am sure all of you are familiar with this system of government since America waged a cold war against the menace of Communism for a great deal of our lifetime. But not many of you know what it was like to be born in a Communist country and why people risked their lives and the lives of their children to escape.
So let me start at the beginning of my life. My parents were both educated by the state to be engineers. For my father that was the perfect career choice. Working with diesel engines was his passion. My mother hated engineering. She was forced into the career because the state needed engineers. They worked six days a week from sunrise to sunset, sometimes longer. Their combined income barely put food on the table.
I was their first child. The State gave my mother a twelve weeks maternity leave, and then she was forced to hand me over to a state-run daycare.
A year later my sister was born. My mother had all kinds of medical complications with her birth and nearly died. My parents were too poor to bribe the nurses and doctors to go beyond the mandatory care so my mother burned with fever, near delirium, yet no one offered her even a glass of water. My father, of course, was at work. My grandmother came to the hospital, found her daughter near death, and raised a loud protest, which finally forced the doctors to treat her. So much for socialized medicine. After twelve weeks my sister joined me in the daycare.
Sometimes we were allowed to go spend a few days with my father's parents, who had a little house with a small patch of land where my grandmother grew grapes and raised rabbits. She would go without food so she could buy such luxury items as a piece of cloth to sew my sister and me a skirt, or a little cocoa to make us chocolate milk on Sunday mornings.
Before Hungary became Communist, my grandfather had invested all his resources into buying his own barges and a beautiful tugboat. He risked his life to protect his ships and livelihood during the war, including time he spent as a POW. When the fighting was over and he was finally able to bring his boat home, the Communists confiscated all the merchant boats working the Danube in the name of the people. For a while the Communists used his tug boat as a luxury vessel to entertain high ranking officials, but eventually his boat and all the others in the harbor sank to the bottom of the river due to lack of maintenance. My grandfather was left a broken and depressed man.
My grandmother became the sole provider for them eking out a living by selling her grapes and rabbits. They rented a plot of land nearby and the kids were enlisted to help with growing gardens and selling the products. Her life was hard work and sacrifice revolving around her faith and family. Her rosary was always by her side, and she prayed it daily for us. After living through two world wars that raged all around them and countless political upheavals, they were terrified of the State and lived in a constant, broken fear.
My mother's parents were city folk. They lived and thrived in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. My grandfather was a composer, choir director, conductor, amateur mathematician, and linguist. They had thirteen children in a three-room apartment. It is a true miracle that my mother's family lived through the war. During the Second World War, Budapest was pounded for days and weeks at a time by bombs. Entire buildings collapsed and thousands of innocent people died in the rubble. Buildings were falling all around them and half their own building was torn away by a bomb. The family was in the basement of their building from December 24, 1944 to February 11, 1945 without being able to leave. They were there with all the rest of the tenants of their building. There were wall-to-wall people with hardly any room to move around. My mother's youngest sister was one and a half years old when they went to the basement, and because they could never put her down during the two months, she "forgot" how to walk and had to learn all over again after the war.
They almost starved to death. They survived by eating anything they could get: tape, toothpaste, apple peels, etc. Some neighbors braved the fighting and went up to the street and brought back pieces of dead horses that were killed during the fighting. They also scraped paint from the walls to eat since it had lime (calcium) in it. Because they tried to survive by eating anything available to them, they all suffered severely from dysentery.
They were starved and dressed in rags, but they survived. Once the gunfire stopped, my mother was sent out to check the situation. As she went out of their building, she had to step over dead bodies that littered the streets. She was horrified to see that some of the soldier's bodies had their arms and legs cut off. She learned later that the Communists would cut of the legs of the dead German officers because of their beautiful, well-made boots; and they would cut off the arms because when the German soldiers pillaged the locals, they would wear the jewelry on their arms.
My grandfather fought daily to maintain his deep faith and love for the Church when it was extremely dangerous even to whisper the name of Jesus.
Around a decade later, my father and his friends were involved in the Hungarian uprising of 1956. When the Hungarians lost their battle for freedom that year, my father had to return to his job, whereupon the Communists immediately started interviewing him and asking him about his participation. He denied it, claiming to be at home with his mother, but the Communists produced a document detailing his every move. They asked if he still wanted to deny it. He had to admit that there might be a kernel of truth in it.
Since my father is a brilliant engineer, and since the Communists were in a dire need of good engineers, they told my father that that they were willing to let him stay working as long as he was successful. They had an arrest warrant with no date and told him they could put date in at any time he did not cooperate or if he was not successful. He worked for years under this tremendous pressure. During these years he was given the hardest assignments and was constantly reminded that he had to be successful and productive if he wanted to stay out of jail. It was at this time that my father decided that at all costs he needed to leave Communist Hungary.
In 1965 a group from Cummins Diesel came for a conference in Budapest. My father was in charge of coordinating the event. It was his excellent performance at this event that caused the head of the Cummins delegation to offer my father a job. He made it clear that Cummins would not help or be involved in any way with an escape attempt, but a job would be his if he was able to make it to Columbus, Indiana.
In 1966 there was another big investigation in which the Communists accused my father of all kinds of crimes. This was the last straw and the plans for escaping were started in earnest. My father heard that escaping from Yugoslavia would be relatively simple, so plans were made to take a family vacation there and try to escape. My brother had suffered from severe eczema from birth so they were able to use his medical condition as an excuse to take a family vacation to Yugoslavia where the seawater and air were said to have healing powers.
Once in Yugoslavia, the search was on. My parents would drive around looking for any opportunity to escape. Once they were driving out in the country on an old abandoned road, and it looked as though there were an opportunity to walk to freedom. It was decided that my father would stay at the car with my brother and my mother and the two girls would start walking. If we girls made it to freedom, my father was going to run after us with my brother. As soon as we girls started across the field, guards showed up out of nowhere and pointed guns at us. Thinking quickly, my mother told us to pull down on our pants and go to the bathroom. The problem was that we didn't need to go. She insisted. The guards were apparently convinced of our innocence and let us go back to the car.
Another time my parents noticed a part of the barbed wire fence out in the country was low (probably from many others taking this route). Again my father stayed with my brother by the car and again the guards showed up with their dogs and machine guns.
The final attempt that year was going to be to swim at night along the shore of the Adriatic Sea around the border to freedom. Our parents bought rafts to put us kids on. In the middle of the night as my father turned down to the road that led to the water, the guards seemed to come out of nowhere with their dogs. These guards pointed their machine guns at us and motioned for us to turn around. My parents were devastated. Dejected we returned to Hungary. My father started a whole new plan to escape. This time we were either going to make it to freedom, or they were going to lose their lives trying.
My father had a friend who knew of a rich architect who lived in Austria. The architect was bored and looking for a challenge. My father met with him to enlist his help with our escape. The plan was that this man would drive across the border with all five of us in the trunk of his car. He was going to bribe one of the guards, whom he had befriended during his many business travels across the border, not to open the trunk of the car.
The architect had certain conditions. One of them was that we had to have the equivalent of $3,000 in a bank in Austria. He wanted to make sure that we were not destitute if the escape was successful. My parents sold everything they had (sewing machine, refrigerator, boat, etc.), but they could raise only $1,000. So my father smuggled the $1,000 to Poland where he sold it in the underground for Polish currency. Once back in Hungary he had a friend who worked at a bank who exchanged it back to Hungarian money. With the exchange rate as it was, he was able to triple his money. He had the $3,000! A friend of my father took the money to Vienna and deposited it there in my father's name so the architect could verify that we had fulfilled his request.
Once the architect confirmed that the money was in the bank in Vienna, coded telegrams started going back and forth between him and my father. It was set up that we would meet him at a hotel in Yugoslavia.
Part of the plan was to make sure all three of us kids were asleep during our time in the trunk. For four consecutive Sundays, my parents gave all of us tranquilizers to test their efficacy.
The day came and we met the architect out in the country in a clearing that was pre-chosen for its secluded location. To get five people in the trunk of his car was, to say the least, difficult. The architect had to sit on the trunk to close it. To provide air, the back seat was pulled away from the back of the car a few inches.
As soon as we were in the trunk, the architect started driving. Problem was, the tranquilizers were not working: my sister and I were wide awake. Luckily my two-year old brother was out like a light. My parents bribed us to stay quiet by promising us certain dolls that we liked. We wanted the dolls very badly — we stayed quiet.
The toughest part was the wait at the checkpoint – moving forward one car at a time. Finally the guard asked the architect if he had anything to declare. The architect replied, "You know I don't". This was the code for the guard not to check the trunk.
We were allowed to pass through the checkpoint, but it was another fifty yards to the border. When we made it passed through the border, the architect started yelling, "We got through, we got through!" He drove us to a secluded country location and opened the trunk. I still remember the elation of my parents and all the hugging and kissing. Soon after this my sister and I finally fell asleep and slept for twenty-four hours!
At this point the architect's part in our escape was complete. But he was a very good man, and decided he would walk back over the border with the license plate from his car, put it on our car and drive our car through the border so we would have more than just the clothes on our backs. We paid the architect $1,000 for his help. We had $2,000 left to live on. And we were free!
My father immediately started applying for our visas to immigrate into the United States. He went daily to the embassy to make sure that our paperwork didn't go to the bottom of the pile. He contacted Cummins, which verified for the authorities that he did have a job waiting for him. Finally the day arrived; on November 30, 1967 we flew out of Vienna on Swiss Air. Our final destination was Columbus, Indiana. We arrived on a Friday and my father started his new job on Monday.
The people of Columbus were tremendous. My sister and I were put into school, and the teachers took great care to spend time each day teaching us English. Our neighbors were fantastic also, donating things like clothes, furniture, and most importantly, their time to make sure our family got off to a good start. We even had one wonderful neighbor lady who sewed us clothes.
For the first few years in America we had to maintain silence with our family and friends in Hungary. Only coded post cards were sent to let them know we arrived safely. The Communists were searching for my father and interrogating his friends and family in Hungary. It was a very dangerous time for them all.
On April 23, 1974, we became citizens of this great country. It had taken a few years, but finally, in 1979, my mother was able to get a visa to return to Hungary to visit her aged father. Even as a U.S. citizen, my mother faced grave danger in returning to Communist Hungary. After my mother's first successful trip, I went back a few years later. One memory that stands out in my mind is a sightseeing tour I took with my uncle. I remarked how ugly a particular building was. My uncle grew quite alarmed and told me that we must not say such things in public since the building was the headquarters of the Communist party. To live in such fear of voicing an opinion was new to me. Even as a young girl, I knew how blessed we were to live in the United States.
While in Hungary practicing our faith was very difficult. My parents were around fourteen years old when Communism arrived in Hungary. People were arrested and killed for their faith so parents were reluctant to teach their children about religion. Understandably, they feared that the children might accidentally say something about God in public. But once we arrived to Columbus, we started to attend Sunday Mass. It was difficult because only my father spoke a little English. We did receive our First Holy Communion and Confirmation, but eventually we drifted away from the practice of our faith. By the time I left to attend Indiana State in 1976, I was not going to Mass at all.
I spent six good years in Terre Haute obtaining my bachelor degree in Aviation Administration and a Master's degree in Business Administration. After graduation, I ended up in Midland, Texas, working for Midland International Airport first as an operations agent and then as a supervisor. I was in charge of the daily operations of the airport. While the job itself was fulfilling, I didn't care for the Texas heat, so in 1984 I moved to San Jose, California. Coming from Texas, I was shocked at the high real estate prices, so I decided to try real estate sales. I worked successfully in commercial real estate for four years.
It was during this time that one of the most profound experiences of my life happened. It was 1988 and my sister and I were visiting my folks in Columbus over a holiday. It was a tradition of ours to try to visit our parents at the same time so that we could also visit each other. One evening during this visit we were watching television in the living room when my father came walking in mumbling under his breath. When we asked him what was wrong, he said, "Your mom is watching some damn religious show". Since he was about to commandeer the television anyway, my sister and I decided to go and give my mom a hard time about the show she was watching in their bedroom. A documentary on the apparitions in Medjugorje was just beginning.
I remember being transfixed for a solid hour. My life turned upside down. I kept hearing the Blessed Mother's response to the children when they asked her why was she appearing – "Because there is a God". I couldn't sleep at all that night. My mind was racing with the implications of everything I had seen and heard. If there is a God, then everything we do matters. Everything we say matters. Everything we think matters. Everything matters.
When I got back to San Jose, I immediately went to my local church and asked for a priest to hear my confession. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew enough to know that it was imperative that I go to confession. I sat with that priest for a half an hour pouring my heart and soul out to him. Many tears were shed that day. When I left, I felt clean. Really clean. I was on Cloud Nine. I started attending daily Mass immediately. I went to our local Catholic bookstore and bought tons of books. I devoured everything I could get my hands on. I had a hunger for knowledge as never before.
The beautiful part of this conversion experience is that it didn't happen only to me. My sister back in Houston and my mom here in Columbus both went to confession and started attending Mass and praying the Rosary. Funny thing about the Rosary: my sister calls me one day all excited saying, "Did you know there are things called 'mysteries' of the Rosary? That you're supposed to meditate on events in the lives of Jesus and Mary?" I did not know that. But I immediately went and got a book on it.
The three of us had the great privilege of going to Medjugorje in 1989. My sister was pregnant with her fourth child. We were determined to go to thank the Blessed Mother for all the many graces we had received. We also wanted to thank her for our dear Aunt who the year before our conversion had gone to Medjugorje, and on the mountain prayed in a very special way for our conversion. If there is one thing I'm convinced of, all three of our conversions were brought about by my grandmother's daily Rosary for us and by the prayers of my holy aunt on that special mountain.
During the next few years I grew in my love of God and His Church. I became a Third Order Carmelite. I attended a weekly youth prayer group. I took pilgrimages. I lived and breathed my faith.
It became quite obvious that I needed to leave my job as a real estate agent. The work was very cut throat and I was aching to do something more meaningful with my life. I finally quit my job and took a year off to discern and to travel.
When it was necessary for me to return to work, I took a job at a Fortune 500 company and started working in their contracts department. Apparently they liked me because almost right away I was promoted. While I enjoyed success at my job, I still felt empty – I knew that for me this job was meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
At my weekly prayer group meeting I met a guy who became a dear friend. This friend invited me to go to "Camp-lots-of-fun" one year. Camp-lots-of-fun is a camp that he and my future boss, Tony Ryan, started for families to come together and enjoy a long weekend of fun in the beautiful California coastal mountains. (Tony was, and still is, the Marketing Director at Ignatius Press.)
I met Tony a few more times over the next year at different events, so when I heard that his assistant was getting ready to quit to go to graduate school, I immediately called him and asked for the job. Tony's response was "Eva, you have the job. But are you sure? You might be bored". I told him I would take the risk -- and the huge pay cut that came with the job -- and gave my two week's notice. As it turned out, two girls were leaving to go back to school, so I took over both their jobs in September of 1993. Needless to say, I've been anything but bored! Ignatius Press has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.
In 1994 I met Dolores Meehan, a fourth generation San Franciscan. We were both volunteering at the Gift of Love AIDS hospice, run by the Missionaries of Charity. In 2000 we both attended the March for Life in Washington DC, and we were deeply moved by the sight of thousands of faithful walking peacefully for life. In 2004 we organized a rally and march in defense of marriage, responding to the illegal directive of our mayor, Gavin Newsom, to the county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. The outpouring of support far exceeded our expectations, with 1,500 people attending, and this gave us the courage to organize the first Walk for Life West Coast. This Walk was held on January 22, 2005.
We knew we would face intense opposition. San Francisco is ground zero for the culture of death: it has the lowest percentage of children of any major U.S. city; homosexual activists dominate city politics; and sexually transmitted disease rates are through the roof. In that expectation we were not disappointed. Ten days before the first Walk for Life the San Francisco Board of Supervisors issued Resolution # 44-05, designating January 22, 2005, as "Stand Up For Choice Day." Their press release urged people to demonstrate in opposition to our Walk: "Anti-choice demonstrators plan to descend on San Francisco to protest women's health and rights with a so-called 'walk for life'." Openly homosexual supervisor Bevan Dufty, who came to San Francisco from New York City, said "These outsiders who oppose women's rights are not welcome in San Francisco." As it turned out, the local politicians shot themselves in the foot. Because of their rhetoric, the conservative media (yes, we have some) covered our upcoming event extensively. News spread far and wide about a Walk for Life in San Francisco! It was such an outrageous thought that it was actually news.
We found we had awakened a sleeping giant. The first Walk for Life West Coast drew 7,500 people. Participation has increased every year, and this year 50,000 people attended with nine Catholic bishops in attendance. The Walk now draws persons of good will from all faiths: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Hare Krishna's—any and all religions united by respect for life. One year I even saw a sign that said "gays for life". Only in San Francisco!
As I look back on my journey, I realize that the Walk for Life has been for me both a fulfillment of the promise of America, and also a chance for me to repay the gifts given to me by this great country. As America welcomed me and allowed my family to build a new life, I think of those verses on the Statue of Liberty:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"
Roe v. Wade is not only a violation of our Catholic faith, it is a violation of the deepest American understanding of the very first right enunciated in our Declaration of Independence, the very ground upon which America rests: the right to life. If we are to be faithful to our American heritage we must welcome those children in the womb "yearning to breathe free".
Related Ignatius Insight Excerpts and Interviews:
• The Soul of Solzhenitsyn | An Interview with Joseph Pearce
• On Keeping People In: The Berlin Wall and the Shortness of Political Memory | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Comprehensive Claim of Marxism | Peter Kreeft
Eva Muntean was born April 1, 1958 in Budapest Hungary. When she was nine, her family escaped communist Hungary in a trunk of a car through the Iron Curtain. From the age of nine she lived in Columbus, Indiana with her family. Eva obtained a BS degree in Aviation Administration in 1980 from Indiana State University. In the course of obtaining this degree, she also obtained a Private Pilot's license with Commercial and Instrument ratings. She then earned a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 1982 from Indiana State University. After graduating, she worked for Midland International Airport in Midland, Texas as an Airport Operations Supervisor for four years.
After moving to San Jose in 1986, Eva worked in commercial real estate for four years and at Booz, Allen and Hamilton in their contracts department. She then took a year off to travel and study before moving to San Francisco to work for Ignatius Press in the Marketing Department in 1993. Eva is one of the founders and Co-Chairs of Walk for Life West Coast (www.walkforlifewc.com), an annual pro-life rally and walk in San Francisco.
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Dr. Walker has been involved in martial and healing arts for more than 30 years under the expert hands and watchful eyes of martial arts greats such as his teacher, Grandmaster Leon Trescott, El Bey, in addition to Grandmaster Ren Guang Yi of The International Chen Style Taijiquan Association; Master FaXiang Hou of the QiGong Research Society and Grandmaster Jiang Jian-ye of the Health Preservation Association. He has been heavily influenced by private studies with the late great renowned Grandmasters Liang Tung Tsai and Jou Tsung Hwa.
As an accomplished martial arts practitioner, he has been inducted into several national and international Halls of Fame as well as been awarded the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Service Award for his work with Tai Chi for senior citizens. As a master of the martial arts, he has created a philosophical style in the arts specializing in Taiji Quan that emphasizes the utility of self-defense to create health-defense and improve the quality of life for oneself and others, otherwise known as "Wu Xing Chuan Tao" (Way of the Invisible Fist).
Combining his expert skills, talents and experiences in self-defense and health-defense, he has created a unique and innovative manner in teaching martial arts. His methodology directs one's learning capabilities toward self-management using martial skills to capitalize on personal growth and development of the mind, body and spirit. Ironically, this was the intent of "traditional" martial artists as opposed to today's more popular development of "martial combatants or athletic skills."
As a skilled and talented martial artist, a healthcare advocate and practitioner of traditional and alternative/complimentary modalities, and hypnotherapist, Dr. Walker is able to deliver a strong case for achieving personal empowerment and success in one's life. His multicultural heritage enhances his ability to appeal to many audiences.
Dr. Walker has worked with people from many different paths in life helping them achieve their goals and attain success in their lives. He has participated in a research project at the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Osteopathic Medicine regarding the effects of Tai Chi in Alzheimer cases. He is on the North American Advisory Committee for the China Martial Arts Historical Society and a co-creator of World Tai Chi & QiGong Day. See more at www.qissagebodysystems.org.
He has solicited support from many NJ mayors, the NJ Senate and General Assembly and Governors for many years. He has been featured in major newspapers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Central to Southern New Jersey.
Most recently, Dr. Walker has released his first book, "Does That Make Sense?" Everyone's Guide to Personal Empowerment and Success. This interactive, no-frills, thought provoking book is written in a compact, direct and to-the-point style. With highlights on simplicity, it packs a punch and drives home the importance of self-empowerment.
In May 2011, Dr. Walker was awarded the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award for his extensive work bringing Tai Chi to senior citizens as an active program in keeping fit and healthy.
"If you don't say it, you won't do it.
If you don't write it, it won't get done!"
"Don't try, . . . do!"
"The road to success is paved with simplicity"
"Success is a state of mind not a financial goal"
Simplicity is the best method.
Just drop an email, phone call or postal mail to me making your request.
We enjoy creating new and innovative programs based on your needs.


I can't be the only one thinking this, right?
Let me know how that works out fo ryou.
I watched it and... well, TMI moment, I tell you.
So good. So long to wait.
Saw the gip on my friend of a friend... my journal used to be titled serenity now with a subtitle of insanity later. Yay.
Hee! But no - I want my serenity *and* my insanity now!
I'm not the only one who feverishly pressed 'refresh' for hours then had to leave the house and came back and found it *up* and then had to watch it eight times in a row... am I?
Squee! So very, very much squee.
I'm not the only one who screamed in frustration when she couldn't find a way to save the file, am I?
And how excited am I that the new logo is the same Kanji as my tattoo?


text:
Tag: Here There and Everywhere
When The Beatles' Revolver Turned 50
The other day, fellow blogger Max from PowerPop blog featured I Want to Tell You, a George Harrison tune from Revolver, rightfully noting the great opening riff and calling it very unrated. This reminded me of a post I originally published in August 2016 about the then-50th anniversary of what is widely considered one of the best albums by The Beatles.
I was about six weeks into my blogging journey. The blog was very bare-bones at the time with no embedded images or video clips in the posts. While my writing was also still evolving, I felt the content of this early post deserved to be republished. Unlike previous Musings of the Past installments, which essentially were straight reposts, I decided to enhance the Revolver post with both multi-media and some additional text at the end. I also slightly amended the headline. Here we go.
It was 50 years ago yesterday (Aug 5): The Beatles released Revolver in the UK, an album that is considered a leap from predecessor Rubber Soul, introducing more experimentation and innovative recording techniques.
On Aug 5, 1966, The Beatles released Revolver, their seventh studio album in the UK. Just the other day, a good friend of mine told me many experts consider it the best album of the Fab Four. Yesterday, I noticed a number of related articles from music sources like Rolling Stone and others commemorating the occasion. So I decided to take a closer look on this mold-breaking album.
On Revolver, The Beatles started experimenting with various new recording techniques, including tape loops, backwards recordings and varispeeding. The most significant innovation was Artificial Double Tracking (ADT), which was invented by Ken Townsend, a recording engineer at Abbey Road Studios. The technique essentially combines an original audio signal with a delayed copy of that signal. Previously, the effect could only be accomplished by natural doubling of a voice or instrument, a technique called double-tracking.
The invention of ADT mainly was spurred by a request from John Lennon who during the Revolver sessions asked for a less tedious alternative to double-tracking. ADT was soon adopted throughout the recording industry.
Revolver was also remarkable for other reasons. The title, by the way, had nothing to do with guns but was derived from the verb revolve. One of the album's highlights is the string arrangement on Eleanor Rigby, which was written by George Martin. Otherwise, the tune was primarily penned by Paul McCartney. Blending classical and pop music broke conventions. It would take another four years before another British band, Electric Light Orchestra, would take this concept to the stratosphere.
Revolver also saw George Harrison take on a bigger role in song-writing and shaping the band's sound: Taxman, Love You To and I Want to Tell You were all written by him. Love You To featured Indian classical instruments, which George had introduced on Rubber Soul with his use of the sitar on Norwegian Wood. On Revolver, he also introduced the tambura, another instrument used in Indian music, on John's Tomorrow Never Knows. Another interesting tidbit I read: The guitar solo on Taxman was played by Paul after George had made multiple unsuccessful attempts.
Apart from the above, Revolver included other gems like Here, There and Everywhere, Good Day Sunshine and Got to Get You into My Life. The sessions to the album also yielded the non-album single Paperback Writer with Rain as the b-side.
In the U.S., Revolver was released on August 8, 1966. The release coincided with The Beatles' third and final concert tour in the U.S. and Toronto. Except for Paperback Writer, the band did not perform any of the songs from the Revolver sessions.
Revolver won the 1966 Grammy for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts. The cover artwork was designed by Klaus Voormann, who had known The Beatles since 1960 when he met them during their time in Hamburg. While Revolver was well received in the UK, the initial reception in the U.S. was less enthusiastic due to John's controversial statement that The Beatles had become bigger than Jesus. Eventually, the album was certified 5 times platinum in the U.S. and platinum in the UK.
The original post, first published on August 6, 2016, ended here. Following is some additional content about two songs that are among my favorites on Revolver.
First up: Taxman. According to Songfacts, George was a fan of the 1960s American television series Batman. The music for Taxman was inspired by the Batman Theme, written and first recorded by conductor/trumpeter Neal Hefti. It was subsequently covered in early 1966 by The Marketts, an American surf rock group. "'Taxman' was when I first realized that even though we had started earning money, we were actually giving most of it away in taxes," Harrison said. Subsequently, he changed his stance about money, telling BBC Radio in 1969, "No matter how much money you've got, you can't be happy anyway. So you have to find your happiness with the problems you have and you have to not worry too much about them."
Let's wrap up with John Lennon tune And Your Bird Can Sing. From Songfacts: "Bird" is British slang for "Girl." One theory is that this song is a scolding by John Lennon of his buddy Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, who loved to brag about his bird – Marianne Faithfull – who was great, green (jealous/young) and could sing. John made it clear that Mick and the Stones wear great but could never ever match up to John and the other Beatles...The signature dual-harmony electric lead guitar parts were played live (without overdubbing) by Harrison and McCartney. Lennon played the rhythm in the "D major" position with the capo on the second fret (to account for the song being in the key of E)...John Lennon said this was a throwaway song with random words of psychedelia added in designed to sound like it meant something. He considered it one of his worst songs. Not bad for a "junk tune"!
Last but not least here is a Spotify link to Revolver:
Sources: Wikipedia; The Beatles Bible; Songfacts; YouTube; Spotify
Author christiansmusicmusingsPosted on June 3, 2022 June 2, 2022 Categories Musings of the PastTags And Your Bird Can Sing, Eleanor Rigby, Electric Light Orchestra, George Harrison, George Martin, Good Day Sunshine, Got To Get You Into My Life, Here There and Everywhere, I Want to Tell You, John Lennon, Klaus Voormann, Love You To, Marianne Faithfull, Mick Jagger, Neal Hefti, Paperback Writer, Paul McCartney, Pop, Psychedelia, Rain, Revolver, Rock, Taxman, The Beatles, The Marketts, The Rolling Stones21 Comments on Musings of the Past
My Playlist: Emmylou Harris
While I had known her name for decades, it really wasn't until July 2017 that I started paying closer attention to Emmylou Harris when seeing her in Philadelphia as part of a concert headlined by John Mellencamp. There was something special about this lady with her all-white hair who recently had turned 70. Now 73, Harris has been active for more than 50 years, released dozens of solo and collaborative albums, scored 20 top 10 hits on the Billboard country charts and collected numerous Grammy and other awards. This playlist is an attempt to shine a light on her long and impressive career.
Harris was born on April 2, 1947 in Birmingham, Ala. Her dad, Walter Harris, was a Marine Corps officer, while her mom Eugenia was a wartime military wife. After high school graduation in Woodbridge, Va., Harris went to the School of Music, Theater and Dance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on a drama scholarship. It was there where she started to learn songs by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez on guitar and develop her musical aspirations. Harris dropped out, moved to New York City during the second half of the '60s, and started performing on the folk circle in Greenwich Village while waiting tables.
In 1969, Harris married fellow songwriter Tom Slocum who wrote the title track for her debut album Gliding Bird. The folk record also included five songs written by Harris. The label Jubilee Records went under shortly after the release, so all distribution and promotion was ceased. Subsequently, Harris disowned the record. She regards her second release Pieces of the Sky from February 1975 as her official debut.
In 1971, after he had seen her perform, Flying Burrito Brothers co-founder Chris Hillman introduced Harris to his music partner Gram Parsons who became a key figure in her early career. Harris worked with Parsons on his solo debut GP from January 1973 and toured as a member of his band the Fallen Angels. Later that year, she also worked with Parsons on his second and final solo album Grievous Angel, which was released in January 1974, following his death from an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol in September 1973.
In February 1975, the aforementioned Pieces of the Sky appeared. It's the album that launched Harris' career as a country artist and established what she became mainly known, i.e., covering songs written by other artists. The album also coincided with the formation of The Hot Band, Harris' high-profile backing band until 1991. The initial lineup included James Burton (guitar), Glen Hardin (piano), Hank DeVito (pedal steel guitar), Emory Gordy, Jr. (bass) and John Ware (drums).
To date, Harris has released 21 solo studio albums, three live records and a dozen compilations. Additionally, her impressive catalog includes seven collaboration albums with artists like Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Rodney Crowell. Harris also has worked as a guest with numerous other artists, including The Band, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow and Steve Earle, among others. Let's get to some music!
While perhaps not as representative of Harris as her other records, I'd like to kick off this playlist with a tune from 1969's Gliding Bird, which was written by her: Black Gypsy.
If I Could Only Win Your Love from her second album Pieces of the Sky became Harris' first hit single, climbing to no. 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1975. Co-written by Charlie Louvin and Ira Louvin who formed the country and gospel duo The Louvin Brothers, it also marked the first of only a handful of Harris singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, in this case at no. 58. Linda Ronstadt sang backing vocals on the album.
While Emmylou Harris is best known as a country artist, her song choices can be eclectic. Here's an example from her third studio album Elite Hotel released in December 1975: A beautiful cover of The Beatles tune Here, There and Everywhere. Credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the McCartney ballad originally appeared on the Revolver album from August 1996.
Harris' next album Luxury Liner from December 1976 included the first cover of Townes Van Zandt's Pancho and Lefty, which subsequently became the revered singer-songwriter's best known composition. The tune has also been covered by other artists, most notably Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, who recorded it as the title track of their collaboration album that came out in January 1983.
Roses in the Snow, Harris' first '80s album, appeared in May 1980. Unlike her preceding country and country rock records, this album was more bluegrass-oriented. Here's a great rendition of the Paul Simon tune The Boxer, featuring beautiful harmony singing by Cheryl White and her sister Sharon White. The Boxer first appeared on Simon & Garfunkel's final studio album Bridge Over Troubled Water from January 1970.
In February 1985, Harris released The Ballad of Sally Rose, a concept album loosely based on her relationship with Gram Parsons. The record also stood out for another reason. Like her debut 16 years earlier, it illustrates Harris is more than just a cover artist. All songs were co-written by her, mostly together with her then-second husband Paul Kennerley, an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, who also produced this record. Here's White Line, one of the record's two singles.
Next, I'd like to jump to the '90s and Wrecking Ball, Harris' 18th studio album. The record became her first since Pieces of the Sky that did not make the country charts. Perhaps that wasn't too surprising, given the music moved away from her traditional acoustic to a more edgy and atmospheric sound. Producer Daniel Lanois who produced and co-produced various U2 albums like The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby undoubtedly had something to do with it. Here's the title track written by Neil Young who also provided harmony vocals. Young had first recorded the tune for his 1989 studio album Freedom. And, coming back to U2, Larry Mullen, Jr. played drums on most of the album's songs including this one.
Given the significance of collaboration albums in Harris' catalog, I'd like to at least acknowledge one: Trio II from February 1999, the second album she did together with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. All tracks had actually been recorded in 1994, but label disputes and conflicting schedules had prevented the release at the time. While I've featured it on the blog before, I just couldn't resist including the ladies' angelic rendition of After The Gold Rush, the title track of Neil Young's third studio album from September 1970. Interestingly, while the remake did not chart when it was released as a single from Trio II, it won the 2000 Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. The intensity of this version is just killing me. This is why I dig vocals!
In September 2003, Harris released Stumble into Grace, her second album of the current century. Like some of her previous records, it includes a significant number of her own compositions. She also co-wrote most of the remaining tracks. Here's the opener Here I Am, one of her tunes.
I'd like to wrap up this playlist with a track from what is Harris' most recent solo album, Hard Bargain, released in April 2011. Her two latest records are collaborations with Rodney Crowell from February 2013 and March 2015. There's also the Complete Trio Collection, a compilation of the Trio I and Trio II collaborative albums with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, which came out in September 2016. Given the enormous role of Gram Parsons, it felt right to highlight opener The Road, a tune Harris penned about her musical mentor – the first to focus on his death since Boulder to Colorado, a song from Pieces of the Sky. It's also noteworthy that Hard Bargain became Harris' highest chart entry since the above Roses in the Snow from 1980, peaking at no. 3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums. It also hit no. 18 on the Billboard 200, her highest mainstream chart success since 1977's Luxury Liner, a remarkable late-stage career success.
Emmylou Harris has sold 75 million records in the U.S. alone. She has won 14 Grammy awards out of 48 for which she had been nominated. She has also won numerous country, bluegrass and Americana awards, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in February 2008.
Author christiansmusicmusingsPosted on July 3, 2020 February 27, 2022 Categories ListsTags Achtung Baby, Americana, Black Gypsy, Bluegrass, Bob Dylan, Boulder to Colorado, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Charlie Louvin, Cheryl White, Chris Hillman, Complete Trio Collection, Country, Daniel Lanois, Dolly Parton, Elite Hotel, Emmylou Harris, Emory Gordy Jr., Fallen Angels, Flying Burrito Brothers, Folk, Freedom, Glen Campbell, Glen Hardin, Gliding Bird, GP, Gram Parsons, Guy Clark, Hank DeVito, Here I Am, Here There and Everywhere, If I Could Only Win Your Love, Ira Louvin, James Burton, Joan Baez, John Lennon, John Mellencamp, John Ware, Johnny Cash, Larry Mullen Jr., Linda Ronstadt, Luxury Liner, Merle Haggard, Neil Young, Pancho and Lefty, Paul Kennerley, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pete Seeger, Pieces of the Sky, Revolver, Rodney Crowell, Roses in the Snow, Sharon White, Sheryl Crow, Simon & Garfunkel, Steve Earle, Stumble Into Grace, The Ballad of Sally Rose, The Band, The Beatles, The Boxer, The Hot Band, The Joshua Tree, The Louvin Brothers, The Road From Memphis, Tom Slocum, Townes Van Zandt, Trio I, Trio II, U2, White Line, Willie Nelson, Wrecking Ball14 Comments on My Playlist: Emmylou Harris


I've wanted to write a blog post with that headline for a loooong time.
Even better, my new agent (*squee!*) is someone who was on my A-list, someone I consider myself very lucky to have as a representative.
Ready for it? My new agent is…Laura Bradford of the Bradford Agency.
Aside from the pure joy I felt at hearing Laura talk about why she wanted to represent my work, there's an unexpected bonus here: no more filling in spreadsheets of whom I've queried and submitted my manuscripts to, no more using QueryTracker and obsessing about response times and when to follow up.
The first year I started writing romance, I entered shed-loads of writing contests. The next year, I was more selective and had learned that not all writing contests are equal.
This weekend I spent some time looking through dozens of romance writing contests that have their deadlines over the next few months, and I found myself judging the contests themselves based on several criteria.
For those of you thinking about entering romance writing contests, my best advice would be this: First decide what you want out of the contest.
That will help you select the best contests for you.
Here are some of the criteria I use to decide which contests to enter. I'll also mention a couple of contests that I think are good examples of meeting these criteria, but please note that that doesn't mean that I have personal experience of or endorse those particular contests. Also, some of these contest deadlines have passed for 2012, but you may want to know about them for the future.
You can find a really helpful list of upcoming romance writing contests on Stephie Smith's website.


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Cease-fire by al-Sadr believed extended
Feb 22, 2008 at 12:01 AM Feb 22, 2008 at 12:51 PM
BAGHDAD -- Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has decided whether to extend his Mahdi Army's cease-fire, and he sent the message in sealed envelopes to be opened at the beginning of today's sermons, one of his officials said.
Although the content of the message -- delivered yesterday to 200 loyal clerics around Iraq -- was not known, there were strong indications from officials in his organization that the anti-U.S. firebrand has extended the six-month cessation of what had been an undeclared war against the U.S. military since 2004.
The cease-fire has been one of three important factors that have helped reduce violence since mid-2007. The two others are the influx of thousands of U.S. troops last summer, and the emergence of Sunni-dominated groups that are fighting against al-Qaida in Iraq.
In the latest violence, the U.S. military announced the deaths of five soldiers and a Marine since Tuesday. A roadside bombing wounded four British troops in the southeastern city of Basra. Police and morgue officials also said a grave with 15 bodies was found in an orchard elsewhere in the same province.
The message from the elusive al-Sadr was expected to be read during prayers in the southern city of Kufa and in Baghdad's Sadr City slum; both are strongholds of his powerful Mahdi Army militia.
According to one Iraqi legislator loyal to al-Sadr, the message was sent with strict instructions not to open it until the midday weekly Islamic services.
Earlier in the week, a Sadr spokesman had said that if the cleric failed to issue a statement, the cease-fire would automatically be lifted.
In a show of force ahead of the expiration of the cease-fire, thousands of Mahdi Army members marched through the streets of Sadr City yesterday, unarmed but dressed in black with green kerchiefs.
The march was ostensibly to celebrate battles against U.S. military forces in 2004, when the militia fought them to a standstill in the Shiite holy city of Najaf and Sadr City.
Some of al-Sadr's followers, frustrated by U.S. raids against what it terms splinter groups from the Mahdi Army, have called for their leader to put his fighters back on the streets, a step that could drastically worsen sectarian violence.
In fighting in Anbar province west of Baghdad yesterday, a U.S. Marine was killed, the military said.
Three soldiers were killed Tuesday night in a roadside bombing in northwestern Baghdad; one soldier was killed and three were wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in the northwestern city of Mosul; and a roadside bombing killed a soldier assigned to the Multi-National Division-Center, which is responsible for territory south of Baghdad.


Harvard University's 'Wellbeing Programme' is popular all over the world. Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, who previously taught two of the largest classes in Harvard University's history, Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership believes that education can make people happy, and that happiness itself is derived from believing that your life is purposeful; and in recognising both the downsides and the upsides to life. True education, therefore, should provide children with critical thinking skills, the ability to engage in constant self-reflection and a love of lifelong learning. A growing number of educators advocate that true education does not just impart knowledge, but instead also provides the skills that make a pupil capable of being competent in any subject or profession.
There are so many things to explore in the world, especially for children to whom the world is a new and exciting place like those who have finished kindergarten and progressed through the early primary school years, or children in the third grade, halfway through their primary school life who have already obtained their preliminary learning. They have established good study habits and accumulated basic subject-knowledge. This is the critical time at which they can begin to go beyond the basics, to enhance the depth of their learning and refine their thinking patterns to become successful 21st century citizens. While obtaining academic information remains important, it is the successful patterns of thinking and ways of approaching problems that are the key to future success.
A marathon could be regarded as a metaphor for learning. The interests that children gain from rich learning experiences, and the joys that are associated with academic success, further motivate children to continue working hard and pushing for even greater success. To generate rich learning experiences, that children enjoy and which results in regular feelings on success, Huili School Hangzhou adopts a curriculum which is delivered through enquiry-based education. That is, we use a themed approach to cross-curricula topics, which are taught in a way that enhances every child's understanding of the content. This understanding is further enriched, because the children learn in two languages. Rather than simply being taught and receiving the knowledge, children are instead encouraged to put forward their own questions and ideas, taking ownership of their learning and pushing forward the curriculum in each thematic unit. To this end, the study process includes plenty of discussion, research and data analysis. At the culmination of units, the children are required to present and express their ideas through a range of means, whether that is via class presentations, role-plays or other means.
For example, in a unit where the theme is "food", the children may study the sourcing, processing, nutrition and other elements of knowledge relating to food. They can do this through reading books, watching relevant videos, conducting their own research and discussing their findings among the group. In this way, the children will plan and design together as a group. They are then required to bring images, toys and various related materials to school to further enhance their learning. To demonstrate their understanding of knowledge for the topic, children will use professional software to make dynamic presentations. As you can see, a simple topic such as food can be a means to bringing together many different subject matters, including Science, ICT, Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and more.
In Maths class, children learn how to calculate currency conversions, cost budgeting and settling accounts. After comprehending these math skills, the children will then be required to create a 5-minute video, which includes buying food according to their budget and making healthy meals according to a recipe. This kind of interdisciplinary thematic learning is a means of ensuring that every child is excited about the topic and willing to actively take part. This not only stimulates their enthusiasm for learning and positive thinking, but also fosters and enhances a team spirit of cooperation.
At the same time, teachers will be continually assessing pupil progress through formative and summative assessments, according to the rigorous Huili assessment standards. Before assigning homework, not only will the assignment content be clearly explained to the children, the teacher will also explain assessment indicators, provide examples of successful results and guide pupils with suggestions and feedback. Above all, there is no single, standard answer for this type of project-based homework, which encourages children to think for themselves, to do their best, and to achieve brilliant and distinctive learning outcomes.
Every child is unique. Supported by our strong pastoral care programme, children need to face challenges with courage. They need to persist, try hard, and solve problems repeatedly. Then they will achieve success. At Huili School Hangzhou, enquiry-based learning and thematic units of study will help children to achieve intrinsic motivation and the skills that they need not only to succeed in school, but to think critically and be happier in life.


text:
"""Test workflow functionality"""
import sys
import unittest
from collections import OrderedDict
from StringIO import StringIO
from datetime import datetime
import testargs
import msgen_cli.malibuworkflow as malibuworkflow
import msgen_cli.datatransfer as datatransfer

class TestMalibuWorkflow(unittest.TestCase):
    """
    Malibu workflow test scenarios
    """
    @unittest.skip("Not a unit test.")
    def test_submit_and_status(self):
        """Submits a workflow item, assuming storage inputs
           no download"""
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow_id = workflow.post_workflow_blocking()

        self.assertTrue(workflow_id > 0)
        workflow.get_workflow_status()

        self.assertTrue(workflow.current_exit_status > 1)

    @unittest.skip("Not a unit test.")
    def test_lists(self):
        """Lists workflow items"""
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)

        workflow.list_workflows()

        self.assertTrue(workflow.current_exit_status == 0)

    def test_exit_status_states(self):
        """test exit status by result, response code and
        workflow status"""
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        result = 1
        response = 200
        status = 1000
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)

        #when only result is set, all other parameters are not considered
        result = 1
        workflow.set_exit_code(result, response, status)
        self.assertTrue(workflow.current_exit_status == result)

        #response code not in the mapping dict, default to error"
        response = 500
        self.assertTrue(response not in workflow.exit_status_by_response)
        workflow.set_exit_code(None, response, None)
        self.assertTrue(workflow.current_exit_status == 1000)

        #response code only
        response = 200
        workflow.set_exit_code(None, response, None)
        self.assertTrue(
            workflow.current_exit_status ==
            workflow.exit_status_by_response[response][1])

        #when response code is set to a value other than 200, takes precedent
        response = 400
        workflow.set_exit_code(None, response, status)
        self.assertTrue(
            workflow.current_exit_status ==
            workflow.exit_status_by_response[response][1])

        #when response is succesful, exit code is set by workflow_status
        response = 200
        status = 20000
        workflow.set_exit_code(None, response, status)
        self.assertTrue(
            workflow.current_exit_status ==
            workflow.exit_status_by_workflow_status[status][1])

    @unittest.skip("Not a unit test.")
    def test_submit_and_cancel_np(self):
        """Submits a workflow item, assuming storage inputs
           no download"""
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        args.poll = False

        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)

        workflow_id = workflow.post_workflow_blocking()

        workflow.cancel_workflow()

        self.assertTrue(workflow_id > 0)

    @unittest.skip("Not a unit test.")
    def test_submit_and_cancel(self):
        """Submits a workflow item, assuming storage inputs
           no download"""
        args = testargs.get_test_args()

        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)

        workflow_id = workflow.post_workflow_blocking()

        workflow.cancel_workflow()

        self.assertTrue(workflow_id > 0)
        self.assertTrue(workflow.current_exit_status == 1000)

    def test_display_status_with_message_and_response(self):
        """
        display_status prints a line like the following:
        [01/18/2017 17:56:28] - Message: This is unacceptable  Status Code: None  Response Code: 400
        """
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)

        real_stdout = sys.stdout
        try:
            string_stdout = StringIO()
            sys.stdout = string_stdout
            workflow.display_status({"Message": "This is unacceptable"}, response_code=400)
            printed = string_stdout.getvalue()
            self.assertTrue("This is unacceptable" in printed)
            self.assertTrue("400" in printed)
        finally:
            sys.stdout = real_stdout

    def test_display_status_workflow_short(self):
        """
        display_status prints a line like the following:
        [01/18/2017 17:58:00 - Workflow ID: 1]: Message: Queued
        """
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)

        response_workflow = {"Id": 1, "Status": 1000, "Process": "snapgatk", "Description": "Tru la la"}

        real_stdout = sys.stdout
        try:
            string_stdout = StringIO()
            sys.stdout = string_stdout
            workflow.display_status(response_workflow, short=True)
            printed = string_stdout.getvalue()
            self.assertTrue("Workflow ID: 1" in printed)
            self.assertTrue("Message: Queued" in printed)
            self.assertFalse("snapgatk" in printed)
            self.assertFalse("Tru la la" in printed)
        finally:
            sys.stdout = real_stdout

    def test_display_status_workflow_long(self):
        """
        display_status prints lines like the following:
        [01/18/2017 17:58:35 - Workflow ID: 1]: Message: Queued
	        Process: snapgatk
	        Description: Tru la la
        """
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)

        response_workflow = {"Id": 1, "Status": 1000, "Process": "snapgatk", "Description": "Tru la la"}

        real_stdout = sys.stdout
        try:
            string_stdout = StringIO()
            sys.stdout = string_stdout
            workflow.display_status(response_workflow, short=False)
            printed = string_stdout.getvalue()
            self.assertTrue("Workflow ID: 1" in printed)
            self.assertTrue("Message: Queued" in printed)
            self.assertTrue("snapgatk" in printed)
            self.assertTrue("Tru la la" in printed)
        finally:
            sys.stdout = real_stdout

    def test_wall_clock_time_returns_correct_measurement_for_under_24_hrs(self):
        end_date = "2017-01-19T00:59:34.1374134+00:00"
        start_date = datetime(year=2017, month=1, day=18, hour=23, minute=57, second=31)
        end_str, hours, minutes, seconds = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor.workflow_wall_clock_endtime(end_date, start_date)

        self.assertEquals(1, hours)
        self.assertEquals(2, minutes)
        self.assertEquals(3, seconds)
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(hours, int))
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(minutes, int))
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(seconds, int))

    def test_wall_clock_time_returns_correct_measurement_for_24_hrs(self):
        end_date = "2017-01-19T00:59:34.1374134+00:00"
        start_date = datetime(year=2017, month=1, day=18, hour=0, minute=59, second=34)
        end_str, hours, minutes, seconds = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor.workflow_wall_clock_endtime(end_date, start_date)

        self.assertEquals(24, hours)
        self.assertEquals(0, minutes)
        self.assertEquals(0, seconds)
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(hours, int))
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(minutes, int))
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(seconds, int))

    def test_wall_clock_time_returns_correct_measurement_for_over_24_hrs(self):
        end_date = "2017-01-19T00:59:34.1374134+00:00"
        start_date = datetime(year=2017, month=1, day=17, hour=23, minute=57, second=31)
        end_str, hours, minutes, seconds = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor.workflow_wall_clock_endtime(end_date, start_date)

        self.assertEquals(25, hours)
        self.assertEquals(2, minutes)
        self.assertEquals(3, seconds)
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(hours, int))
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(minutes, int))
        self.assertTrue(isinstance(seconds, int))

    def test_transform_workflow_for_output_with_finished_workflow(self):
        workflow = {
            "Id": 3167,
            "Status": 20000,
            "CreatedDate": "2017-02-08T00:57:16.3403168+00:00",
            "EndDate": "2017-02-08T01:23:37.0531197+00:00",
            "FailureCode": 0,
            "Message": None,
            "Description": "process_args",
            "Process": "snapgatk-20170207_1"
        }
        expected = OrderedDict()
        expected["Workflow ID"] = "3167"
        expected["Status"] = "Completed successfully"
        expected["Message"] = ""
        expected["Process"] = "snapgatk-20170207_1"
        expected["Description"] = "process_args"
        expected["Created Date"] = "Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:57:16 GMT"
        expected["End Date"] = "Wed, 08 Feb 2017 01:23:37 GMT"
        expected["Wall Clock Time"] = "0h 26m 21s"
        expected["Bases Processed"] = ""
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow_executor = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        transformed = workflow_executor.transform_workflow_for_output(workflow)
        self.assertDictEqual(transformed, expected)

    def test_transform_workflow_formats_gbases_correctly(self):
        workflow = {
            "Id": 3167,
            "Status": 20000,
            "CreatedDate": "2017-02-08T00:57:16.3403168+00:00",
            "EndDate": "2017-02-08T01:23:37.0531197+00:00",
            "FailureCode": 0,
            "Message": None,
            "Description": "process_args",
            "Process": "snapgatk-20170207_1",
            "BasesProcessed": "127434222576"
        }
        expected = OrderedDict()
        expected["Workflow ID"] = "3167"
        expected["Status"] = "Completed successfully"
        expected["Message"] = ""
        expected["Process"] = "snapgatk-20170207_1"
        expected["Description"] = "process_args"
        expected["Created Date"] = "Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:57:16 GMT"
        expected["End Date"] = "Wed, 08 Feb 2017 01:23:37 GMT"
        expected["Wall Clock Time"] = "0h 26m 21s"
        expected["Bases Processed"] = "127,434,222,576 (127 GBase)"
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow_executor = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        transformed = workflow_executor.transform_workflow_for_output(workflow)
        self.assertDictEqual(transformed, expected)

    def test_transform_workflow_for_output_with_unfinished_workflow(self):
        workflow = {
            "Id": 3167,
            "Status": 1000,
            "CreatedDate": "2017-02-08T00:57:16.3403168+00:00",
            "EndDate": None,
            "FailureCode": 0,
            "Message": None,
            "Description": None,
            "Process": "snapgatk-20170207_1"
        }
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow_executor = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        transformed = workflow_executor.transform_workflow_for_output(workflow)
        self.assertIsNotNone(transformed)
        self.assertEquals(transformed["Workflow ID"], "3167")
        self.assertEquals(transformed["Status"], "Queued")
        self.assertEquals(transformed["Message"], "")
        self.assertEquals(transformed["Description"], "")
        self.assertEquals(transformed["Process"], "snapgatk-20170207_1")
        self.assertEquals(transformed["Created Date"], "Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:57:16 GMT")
        self.assertEquals(transformed["End Date"], "")
        self.assertTrue(transformed["Wall Clock Time"]) # not None and not an empty string

    def test_transform_workflow_for_None(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow_executor = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        transformed = workflow_executor.transform_workflow_for_output(None)
        self.assertIsNotNone(transformed)
        self.assertTrue(len(transformed.keys()) == 0)

    def test_get_input_output_dict_handles_one_file(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        args.input_blob_name_1 = ["file.bam"]
        args.input_blob_name_2 = []
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        inputs, outputs = workflow.get_input_and_output_dict()
        self.assertEquals(inputs["BLOBNAMES"], "file.bam,")

    def test_get_input_output_dict_handles_one_file_with_sas(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        args.input_blob_name_1 = ["file.bam?sas"]
        args.input_blob_name_2 = []
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        inputs, outputs = workflow.get_input_and_output_dict()
        self.assertEquals(inputs["BLOBNAMES"], "file.bam,")

    def test_get_input_output_dict_handles_two_files(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        inputs, outputs = workflow.get_input_and_output_dict()
        self.assertEquals(inputs["BLOBNAMES"], "chr21-10k_1.fq.gz,chr21-10k_2.fq.gz,")

    def test_get_input_output_dict_handles_two_files_with_sas(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        inputs, outputs = workflow.get_input_and_output_dict()
        self.assertEquals(inputs["BLOBNAMES"], "chr21-10k_1.fq.gz,chr21-10k_2.fq.gz,")

    def test_get_input_output_dict_handles_multiple_files(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        args.input_blob_name_1 = ["chr21-10k_1.fq.gz", "chr22-10k_1.fq.gz"]
        args.input_blob_name_2 = ["chr21-10k_2.fq.gz", "chr22-10k_2.fq.gz"]
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        inputs, outputs = workflow.get_input_and_output_dict()
        self.assertEquals(inputs["BLOBNAMES"], "chr21-10k_1.fq.gz,chr21-10k_2.fq.gz,chr22-10k_1.fq.gz,chr22-10k_2.fq.gz,")

    def test_get_input_output_dict_handles_multiple_files_with_sas(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        args.input_blob_name_1 = ["chr21-10k_1.fq.gz?sas", "chr22-10k_1.fq.gz?sas"]
        args.input_blob_name_2 = ["chr21-10k_2.fq.gz?sas", "chr22-10k_2.fq.gz?sas"]
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        inputs, outputs = workflow.get_input_and_output_dict()
        self.assertEquals(inputs["BLOBNAMES"], "chr21-10k_1.fq.gz,chr21-10k_2.fq.gz,chr22-10k_1.fq.gz,chr22-10k_2.fq.gz,")

    def test_construct_optional_args_returns_empty_dictionary_without_args(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        args.bqsr_enabled = None
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        optional_args = workflow.construct_optional_args()
        self.assertDictEqual(optional_args, {})

    def test_construct_optional_args_returns_nonempty_dictionary(self):
        args = testargs.get_test_args()
        args.bqsr_enabled = True
        workflow = malibuworkflow.WorkflowExecutor(args)
        workflow.datatransfer = FakeDataTransfer(None)

        optional_args = workflow.construct_optional_args()
        self.assertDictEqual(optional_args, {"BQSR": True})

        args.bqsr_enabled = False
        optional_args = workflow.construct_optional_args()
        self.assertDictEqual(optional_args, {"BQSR": False})

class FakeDataTransfer(datatransfer.AzureDataTransfer):
    def __init__(self, storage_account_info):
        self.input_container = "in"
        self.output_container = "out"

    def create_input_blob_sas_url(self, blob_name, sas_token_hours):
        return blob_name + "?sas"

    def create_output_sas(self, sas_token_hours):
        return self.output_container + "?sas"

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Increasingly public schools have to do far more for children than teach reading, math and other subjects. They've become the first line of defense against poverty for the school kids and their families. Services from nutrition and health, to housing, child care and mental health have become necessities for schools to handle – if they want the students to be in school and prepared to learn. Chris Bolt spent some time in Franklin Elementary School and found out school social workers are an indispensable link between poverty and school success.


My heart breaks when I pick up the newspaper only to find another story about baby formula that is potentially harmful to babies and infants produced in this particular case by big multinationals Nestle and PharmaCare.
The Age newspaper, a Fairfax editorial reported on Sunday that Nestle's NAN HA 1 Gold and Nature's Way Kids Smart 1, had tiny, needle-like nanoparticles that are potentially toxic in its formula.
Sign up for our newsletter to make sure you are up to date with all our news and events.


text:
Defense Motions Denied in Leftwich Murder Case
From the Beckley Register-Herald:
Note: In the article below, I bolded a quote from Judge Kirkpatrick that immediately stood out to me. He says that the previous blood-alcohol testing that was done for the prosecution was done by the State Medical Examiner's Office, not by an expert chosen by the prosecution. Well, if you have read any of my prior posts regarding our State Medical Examiner's office, you would know that the prosecution couldn't hire a better expert for their side if they had unlimited funds to do so. Being that many things in our state are backwards, the State ME's Office and the State Crime Lab are basically appendages of the police and prosecutors. When they testify at trial they are trained to slant the evidence and their testimony towards the prosecutors. They are hired guns basically. If anyone contests this, then I will be glad to give examples. The end result is that none of their conclusions can really be trusted without independent testing and independent experts looking over their shoulders. Just "google" the WV State Crime Lab and you will find examples of what I am talking about. – John H. Bryan, West Virginia Criminal Defense Attorney.
Leftwich loses bid to suppress evidence
Michelle James
Register-Herald Reporter
A Raleigh County judge Wednesday denied a motion from Thomas Leftwich requesting suppression of a search warrant and the evidence it allowed officers to obtain from the accused police killer's South Fayette Street home.
Leftwich, charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in the shooting death of Beckley Police Detective Cpl. Chuck Smith, is scheduled to go to trial March 10.
Defense attorney Mark Hobbs questioned the probable cause for the warrant, the second issued in the hours after Smith's Aug. 29, 2006, death. That warrant led to the seizure of a numerous items, including a variety of weapons, ammunition, drugs, videotapes and computers.
Raleigh Sheriff's Detective Cpl. James Canaday, who signed the affidavit for the warrant, and State Police Sgt. Craig Light, who carried out the search, testified as to probable cause during a pre-trial hearing Wednesday.
The officers told the court that items seen while carrying out the first search warrant led them to obtain a second warrant.
Circuit Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick denied Hobbs' motion for suppression, telling him there was probable cause for the second search warrant and adding a second warrant was not actually needed and the officers were simply exercising "extreme restraint and caution."
Kirkpatrick also issued a pre-trail order intended to determine "pending motions, as well as establish parameters of inquiry of witnesses and remarks of counsel."
Through the order, Kirkpatrick denied Hobbs' Feb. 21 motion to be supplied with a sample of Smith's blood in order for the defense to perform its own testing to determine Smith's blood-alcohol level at the time of his death.
The order mentioned chief deputy prosecutor Kristen Keller's assertion that the "BAC of the victim is entirely irrelevant when a defendant claims self-defense." Also, Kirkpatrick pointed out the previous blood test had been completed by the state medical examiner's office, not an expert of the state's choosing.
Kirkpatrick also denied Hobbs' request to enter as evidence the City of Beckley's general policy manual for police officers. In the order, Kirkpatrick stated there was no written guideline for policy and procedures for undercover operations and said a general policy manual would have no relevancy.
Also, because speculation became a problem during the trial of Leftwich's co-defendant, Michael Martin, the order prohibits "sheer speculation concerning supposed motives attributable to the victim."
Martin was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.
The order also states the court will not allow the victim's character to be "trashed."
Kirkpatrick's order permits the defense to inquire about and address testimony pertaining to all activities and events surrounding the shooting.
This entry was posted in Judges, Medical Examiners, Murder, Police, Prosecutors, Self Defense, Trials by johnbryanlaw. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Iran Sends Mixed Signals as Tensions With US Ease
Special Report: Nearly Half of Fresno Unified Students Below Grade Level
Russian Scientists Present Ancient Puppy Found in Permafrost
Opinion: How to Be Black in 42 Million Ways
School Bond Backers Have Some Selling to Do, Poll Shows
The move is the latest battle the Trump administration has picked with California. (Shutterstock)
EPA Targets California Over Poor Air Quality
The Trump administration on Tuesday blamed California's worst-in-the nation air quality on shoddy paperwork, calling on the state to overhaul its plans for cleaning up toxic smog or risk losing billions in federal road dollars.
The government's warning is the latest battle between the Trump administration and California. It comes days after the Trump administration moved to block the state's emission standards for cars and trucks, a move that would eliminate California's most important weapon for combating its biggest source of pollution.
"It makes no sense. What they are doing today is basically punishing California for EPA's own inaction." — Gay MacGregor, a former senior policy adviser for the EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality from 1983 until 2016
Tuesday's announcement by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler chastised California for its backlog of pending rules and regulations to reduce pollution in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards.
But Wheeler's letter to the California Air Resources Board puzzled state regulators and even former EPA officials who say the backlog exists because the federal government has not approved the plans.
"It makes no sense," said Gay MacGregor, a former senior policy adviser for the EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality from 1983 until 2016. "What they are doing today is basically punishing California for EPA's own inaction."
The federal government sets rules for how much pollution can be in the air. Lots of places in the country don't meet those standards. But no state has more problems than California, where 85% of the population — 34 million people — breathe dirty air.
The Government Would Punish the State by Withholding Federal Road Dollars
Federal law requires states with dirty air to come up with a plan on how to reduce pollution. Those plans must be approved by the EPA. The federal agency has a backlog of these plans awaiting approval, and California accounts for more than 130 of them, or about one-third of the total.
Wheeler blamed California for the backlog on Tuesday, saying most of the plans are "inactive" and have "fundamental issues related to approvability." He asked the state to withdraw the plans and come up with new ones. If they don't, the government would punish the state by withholding federal road dollars. But that punishment involves a process that could take up to 18 months.
"California has failed to carry out its most basic responsibilities under the Clean Air Act, and as a result, millions of Californians live in areas that do not meet our nation's air quality standards," Wheeler said in a news release. "EPA stands ready to work with California to meet the Trump Administration's goal of clean, healthy air for all Americans, and we hope the state will work with us in good faith."
Related Story: 23 States Sue Trump to Keep California's Auto Emission Rules
Wheeler's announcement, detailed in a letter sent to California regulators, "contains multiple inaccuracies, omissions and misstatements," according to Richard Corey, executive officer of the California Air Resources Board.
The letter lists six California plans it says are not in compliance. It includes one for Ventura County for the 1997 federal ozone standards. But Ventura County already meets the 1997 standards, so a state plan is not required, said Ali Ghasemi, division manager for the Ventura County Air Quality Pollution Control District.
The letter also chastises Southern California's Coachella Valley for an inadequate plan addressing the 2008 ozone standard.
The EPA Says It Plans to Issue $40 Million in Grants
"That's news to us," said Philip Fine, deputy executive officer for Planning and Rules at the South Coast Air Quality Management District. "We work very closely with the (EPA) to make sure everything we submit is approvable and staff there told us there were no issues with it. We were expecting approval."
"California and other states had to go to court, repeatedly, to get the EPA to implement the strict smog standards it claims to be worried about." — Richard Corey, executive officer of the California Air Resources Board
Much of California's smog problem comes from its 35 million registered cars and trucks, the most of any state. But the problem is also compounded in Southern California, home to two of the world's largest ports where much of the country's freight passes through and is carried away on diesel trucks and trains.
Only the federal government can regulate emissions from trains, planes, ships and heavy-duty trucks, according to Corey, the executive officer of the California Air Resources Board.
"California and other states had to go to court, repeatedly, to get the EPA to implement the strict smog standards it claims to be worried about," he said.
The EPA says it plans to issue $40 million in grants to help areas around the country meet federal air quality standards, including several communities in California.
Separately Tuesday, California sued the EPA over the federal agency's March determination that salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area are not "waters of the United States" that are protected under the Clean Water Act. That reverses a 2016 decision by a regional EPA office.
A private company owns the salt ponds, and Becerra said the EPA's move aims to fast track development.
Californiaemission standardsenvironmental policieshighway fundspoor air qualityTrump administration
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