There was a packed house during last week’s Harlem Township Board of Zoning Appeals public hearing for an application by Homewood Corporation seeking a conditional use permit in an area zoned AR-1 (Agricultural/Residential) on behalf of Rescue Me to build a 12,000-square-foot animal shelter and boarding kennel for dogs on 22 acres in Harlem Township.
The kennel’s proposed purpose is to bring in and short-term quarantine dogs rescued from under-financed and overwhelmed shelters in Ohio, primarily from southern counties, before releasing the dogs to the Capital Area Humane Society to be put up for adoption.
The kennel and shelter, if approved, would be built along SR 605 South of Gorsuch Road. The project is a collaboration between the Trinity Fund, established by George Skestos within the Columbus Foundation and the Capital Area Humane Society.
Many nearby residents object to the shelter’s location, saying a more appropriate site would not be close to a residential neighborhood. Objections range from noise of barking dogs to a stretch of the zoning code that would allow the facility at that location.
Tom Nied, a local resident, spoke in opposition to the proposed facility.
Nied and others attending the public hearing said because of the facility’s quarantine and triage nature, complete with two veterinary operating theaters, it qualifies as an animal medical facility.
Jim Lipnos, Homewood President, said Homewood is committed in writing to development standards that will ensure a building that fits the rural residential character of the area.
“The collaboration with the Capital Area Humane Society will mean a quality, state-of-the-art animal shelter operation that will save over one thousand dogs from being euthanized due to lack of funding,” Lipnos said in a statement released following the January 23 public hearing.
Lipnos said the facility would not be open to the public, but will be a private operation intended to handle overflow dogs from other shelters.
Lipnos also noted that there will be landscaping and conservative exterior lighting, adding that many adjacent neighbors attending the January 23 meeting spoke in favor of the proposal.
“In addition to strong development standards, Homewood and Rescue Me have committed to providing internships for local and college students interested in learning more about animals and pursuing careers in animal care,” Lipnos said.
Also speaking for Homewood was Homewood’s attorney, Laura McGregor Comek of Comek Law; and monitoring the situation on behalf of the township was Delaware County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Andrew King.
McGregor Comek said the proposed kennel is not a medical facility; that medical care would be limited to immunizations and minor rehabilitation procedures.
McGregor Comek also noted that a traffic study completed by EMH&T determined that there would be less intense traffic from the facility than if the acreage were used as a residential subdivision.
The BZA will reconvene at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, at the Harlem Township Hall and Fire Station, 3883 State Route 605, south of Center Village Road. BZA Chair Keith Campbell said members of the BZA would receive legal advice from Andrew King prior to deliberations during an open meeting on that date.
During that meeting members of the BZA would have the option to deny the application, approve the application, or table the application for further discussion.


The Air Force has launched a new mobile app that aims to provide airmen necessary information for their lives and careers — and might one day allow them to use Common Access Card-secured sites on their phones.
The app, called Air Force Connect, will allow all types of Air Force organizations to deliver information to their airmen, their families and the local community, the Air Force said in an April 10 release. The app now can be downloaded from Google Play and Apple’s app store.
To get relevant, local information tailored to them in the app, airmen can add their unit as a “Favorite.” They can then swipe left and right to find features such as directories, checklists, groups, polling, events, physical fitness test calculators and notifications — and customize what they want to see.
There are now about 100 units in the Favorites portal, the release said, and more are being added. The Air Force said that if an airman can’t find his unit on the Favorites list, he should contact his local public affairs office to have it added.
A boom operator instructor from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas won the Air Force’s first Spark Tank innovation prize for creating a new, more ergonomic platform for operators like himself.
The team working on the app is now beta-testing a feature that would allow them to use their CAC with the phone. Airmen would pair their device with a mobile CAC reader, plug in their card, and log on to sites such as the Defense Travel System, the Air Force Portal and Webmail to access encrypted emails.
Other CAC sites that might become available on a mobile phone with this feature include eFinance, Air Force Reserve Command Network, the Volunteer Reserve System, the Reserve Management Vacancy System and the Virtual Personnel Center.
Though Air Force Connect did not win last year’s Spark Tank contest, Air Force officials were impressed enough by the team’s idea to give them money to buy several thousand mobile CAC readers, which are being distributed to units across the force.
“You can actually file your DTS voucher completely on your mobile device,” Trinh said at the Spark Tank panel at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in February 2018.
The team intends to study information from the beta test and, later this year, make recommendations to Air Force technology leaders about whether the CAC reader idea should continue in the long term.
Other Air Force organizations, such as Air Force recruiting, the Key Spouse Program and Air Force Services, are looking for ways they can use Air Force Connect. Those programs will also have some features throughout the app.


Great corner lot in North Richland Hills ready for you to bring your builder! Seller has plans and plat for available 2,076 sqft 4 bedroom, 3 bath home. If interested in these plans all you will need to do is obtain permits and start building! Have another floor plan in mind? No problem! Property is zoned R-2 and the City of North Richland Hills requires a minimum dwelling size of 1,800 sqft. NO HOA! Great access to Highways helps make for a quick commute to Dallas or Fort Worth. Shopping, restaurants and entertainment minutes away.


Dirk Kuyt's 49th strike for the club and Kevin Davies' own goal - either side of half-time - eventually proved enough in a performance which was lacking a touch of class if not endeavour.
Rafael Benitez's side are now unbeaten in six league games, in which they have conceded just once, and remain on course to deliver the manager's "guarantee" of Champions League football next season.
Wanderers were managing to crowd out Liverpool's tight passing game in and around the penalty area but when they did break free Emiliano Insua flashed a cross through the six-yard box with Kuyt just unable to reach.
The hosts were indebted to Sotirios Kyrgiakos for clearing Lee Chung-Yong's shot off the line after the South Korean's diagonal run from the right took him past both centre-backs and goalkeeper Jose Reina, making his 100th consecutive Premier League appearance.
Liverpool's pressure eventually paid off in the 37th minute with a move started by Albert Riera's inch-perfect crossfield pass to Insua on the left wing.
The Argentinian defender crossed to the far post where Alberto Aquilani jumped highest to head back into the six-yard area, and Kuyt stabbed home through Gary Cahill's legs.
Bolton thought they had won a penalty seconds before half-time when Lee tumbled in the penalty area under Aquilani's challenge but referee Steve Bennett booked the South Korean for diving.
Steven Gerrard tested Jussi Jaaskelainen with a driven 25-yard shot which the goalkeeper parried low to his right before the replacement of Aquilani with Lucas led to the second goal.
The Brazilian midfielder headed Riera's deep cross back for David Ngog to lay the ball off to Insua who drove in a shot which was heading wide until it deflected off Davies to wrong-foot Jaaskelainen.


In a new interview with Variety, Chelsea Handler talked about — what else? — Donald Trump. She, like so many celebrities, said she would flee after his election, but stayed when her staff greeted her with hugs in the days following the election and told her that she is their “mouthpiece” and outlet. Her show, which streams on Netflix, took a decidedly anti-Trump turn and she has no regrets.
When it comes to representation, Handler and her Chelsea staff know what they’re doing. They’ve used their platform to register 17,000 voters and Handler is leading a women’s march at the Sundance Festival on Saturday.
Ultimately, she said she wants to stay funny but be serious when the moment calls for it. In her view, the media aided Trump by giving him free publicity when they should have been demanding accountability.
To find out more, like her thoughts on how Ivanka Trump will fail as an advocate for women but Megyn Kelly didn’t, go here.


Exclusively Available at MarketResearchFuture.com with titled Nerve Stimulators Market .Detail analysis on possible segments and sub segments of the Nerve Stimulators Market. Along with this regional analysis of the market which includes America, Europe and Middle East & Africa.
Nerve Stimulators Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.7% during the forecast period 2017-2023. Nerve stimulation is considered as a gold standard technique for the treatment of treat different types of health problems such as joint, or bone problems that occur in case of osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia, or low back pain, neck pain, neurological disorders, overactive bladder, and others. According to a study published in Research and Reports' Urology journal in 2014, it is found that nerve stimulation is an effective intervention for OAB patients, who are not responsive to pharmacologic therapy. Even in case of neurological disorders, complex seizures are not being controlled by medication. Vagal nerve stimulation is most commonly recommended when medications aren't effective. Among neurological disorders, nerve stimulation therapy is most commonly used for epilepsy and depression. The most commonly used nerve stimulators are deep brain stimulator (DBS), vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), and spinal cord stimulator (SCS).
Rising incidence of chronic health problems, technological improvements, increasing popularity of minimally invasive procedures, increasing geriatric population, and improvement in reimbursement policies are the key factors driving the nerve stimulators market.
However, the high cost of treatment and lack of skilled or trained physicians may hinder the growth of the market to an extent.
The global nerve stimulators market is segmented on the basis of type, application, and end-users.
On the basis of the type, the market is segmented into deep brain stimulator (DBS), vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), and spinal cord stimulator (SCS).
On the basis of the application, the market is classified as chronic pain, depression, dystonia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and others.
On the basis of the end -users, the market is segmented into ambulatory surgical centers, hospital & clinics, and trauma centers.
The Americas dominate the nerve stimulators market owing to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, a well-developed technology, high healthcare expenditure, and the presence of the leading players. According to a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal in 2017, more than 100 million adult Americans are living with chronic pain. Chronic low back pain and headaches are the most commonly diagnosed conditions. It is also stated that conditions are more prevalent in women than men i.e. 34.3% in women, and 26.7% in men in the U.S.
Europe holds the second position in the nerve stimulators market. It is expected that the support provided by the government bodies for research & development, along with a well-developed technology drives the market in the European region.
Asia Pacific region is projected to be the fastest growing region during the forecast period. Increasing need for cost-effective nerve stimulators, rapidly improving technology, and the presence of huge patient pool drive the growth of this market in Asia Pacific region.
The Middle East and Africa hold the least share in the market owing to the presence of poor and slow developing countries, especially, in the African region.


TAMPA, Fla. | Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys figure they’ll be fine without Terrell Owens.
Surrounded by a talented supporting cast that includes Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton, Miles Austin and Jason Witten — not to mention Marion Barber and Felix Jones — it’s easy to understand why.
Romo launched the post-T.O. era Sunday with a career-best 353 yards passing, including three long touchdowns that keyed a 34-21 victory and ruined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first game under coach Raheem Morris.
“Career-high passing yards? Without T.O.?” Williams asked, laughing before turning serious.
Austin avoided two tacklers on the sideline to score on a 42-yard reception just before halftime, and Williams streaked through a mistake-prone secondary on a 66-yard touchdown play early in the third quarter.
Romo teamed with Patrick Crayton, who had four catches for 135 yards, on the longest completion of the quarterback’s career — 80 yards — for a fourth-quarter touchdown that thwarted any realistic hopes for a Tampa Bay comeback.
Tampa Bay’s Byron Leftwich completed 25 of 41 passes for 276 yards and no interceptions but took a beating from a relentless pass rush once Romo put the Cowboys in control.
Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward each scored on 1-yard runs for the Bucs, who rushed for 174 yards but eventually had to abandon the running game.
Cadillac Williams, back after having knee surgery twice in 15 months, finished with 97 yards on 13 carries. Ward ran for 62 yards on 12 attempts and was the catalyst on a long second-half drive that briefly put the Bucs back in the game.
Both teams are hoping to rebound this year from December collapses that cost them playoff berths last season.
The Cowboys lost three of four down the stretch to finish 9-7, and the Bucs lost four straight after a 9-3 start and fired coach Jon Gruden, replacing him with Morris.
Dallas’ biggest offseason move was getting rid of Owens and making Roy Williams the lead receiver, a role he’s excited about after spending the first 5 1/2 years of his career in Detroit and struggling in Owens’ shadow after being obtained from the Lions at the trade deadline last season.
Romo completed his first two passes to the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Williams, but the duo remained relatively quiet until the receiver’s big third-quarter catch put the Cowboys up 20-7.
Romo, who has thrown for eight touchdowns and no interceptions in two career games against Tampa Bay, finished 16 of 27 and improved to 8-1 in September starts. Williams had three receptions for 86 yards.


Geometric vibrant Vintage Area Rug 7'9" x 9'8"
Colors found in this rug include Grey, Light blue, Orange, and more colors. The primary color is Cream.
Colors found in this rug include Orange, Red, Aqua, and more colors. The primary color is Red.
Blossom echo Vintage Area Rug 7'9" x 9'8"
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Armenian blend Vintage Area Rug 7'9" x 9'8"


Education/Youth Canal found under Maya pyramid: Gateway to afterlife?
Canal found under Maya pyramid: Gateway to afterlife?
Mexican archeologists have discovered a canal system under the pyramid containing the tomb of a Mayan ruler, suggesting the water tunnel could represent a symbolic path to the underworld.
The hydraulic system was found under the Temple of the Inscriptions, which houses the seventh-century tomb of Pakal "The Great" in Palenque, the ancient Maya city in southern Chiapas state, the National Anthropology and History Institute announced Monday.
"The presence of these canals is very important and very significant," said Arnoldo Gonzalez, the directory of archeology in Palenque.
An inscription in the tomb says that to be accepted in the underworld, the dead must be submerged in the water of a god called Chaac.
The underground network of canals has different levels and goes in different directions, and it was built "well before" the pyramid, according to the national anthropology institute.
One of the water canals discovered beneath the Temple of the Inscriptions at the archaeological site of Palenque, in the state of Chiapas.
Water was still running through the main canal when it was discovered, suggesting that its source is a natural spring.
But archeologists have been unable to determine the length of the tunnel or where it begins.
Gonzalez did not rule out the possibility that the canals were part of a drainage or water supply system.
"We must also consider that the ancient Palenque residents designed the hydraulic system to metaphorically reproduce the path that led K'nich Janaab' Pakal to the waters of the underworld," Gonzalez said.
The canal system was discovered with sonars. Archeologists initially thought it could have been a fault line but cameras mounted on small vehicles confirmed the existence of the system, which was built with large stones.


Harrah's and Harveys Lake Tahoe will enact year-round paid parking starting July 30.
It started with paid parking during special events. Next came a crackdown on non-patron parking. Now starting July 30, visitors will have to pay to park at Harrah's and Harveys Lake Tahoe year round.
The two properties, which are both owned by Caesars Entertainment, made the announcement today, stating that the new policy is in-line with paid parking programs established at Caesars properties in Las Vegas in 2016.
The paid valet and self-parking program will operate continuously around the clock throughout the year, according to Caesars.
Prices will change depending on season, with higher rates in high-traffic seasons. Rates will be fixed at $25 for self-park and $30 for valet during special event days, such as outdoor concerts, celebrity golf and holidays.
During high-traffic seasons self-parking will still be free for the first hour. Self-parking will be $10 up to four hours and $13 for four to 24 hours. Valet parking will be $15 for up to four hours and $20 for four to 24 hours.
Locals who dine in any Caesars Entertainment-owned restaurant or shopping in any outlet at either Harrah's or Harveys will receive free, validated parking with purchase from that restaurant or outlet. "Locals" are defined as those persons residing anywhere within the Lake Tahoe basin, Carson City/Carson Valley, Minden and Gardnerville, Nevada.
Free self-park and complimentary valet will still be available to "platinum and total rewards" guests. "Gold total rewards" guests will receive a $3 self-park and a $2 valet park discount. Parking charges for non-total rewards hotel guests can be billed to their room.
The move to year-round parking is only the latest in a progression of parking changes for Stateline casinos, which have been the primary source of free parking in the area. Charging during special events has become standard practice.
In December 2017, Harrah's restricted parking during ski season to guests and patrons only. The move followed complaints from guests saying they struggled to find a place to park.
"We were getting complaints from our guests and patrons that they couldn't find a place to park," John Packer, spokesman for Harrah's and Harveys Lake Tahoe, told the Tribune at the time.
Similarly, a casino official said the year-round initiative is intended to improve the parking experience for guests.
"With the exception of the hotel casinos at Lake Tahoe, paid parking has been the norm at resorts and hotels in tourist-oriented destinations for many years," Xenia Wunderlich, general manager for Harrah's and Harveys Lake Tahoe, said in a press release. "Guests who stay, game and recreate at our two Tahoe resorts have said that parking spaces and valet services have become increasingly scarce, so we believe that implementing a paid parking program will help address these issues."
The change takes effect Monday, July 30.


Reel Cinemas, the community cinema operator, is to open a five-screen cinema at The Ridings shopping centre in Wakefield after signing a deal with the centre's owner NewRiver.
The new cinema is scheduled to open in May 2019, occupying a space created by the conversion of three former retail units, with minimal structural alterations. The site has been let on a 15-year lease.
Reel Cinemas was established in 2001 and is now one of the largest independent cinema operators in the UK, with 13 venues across the country. It has plans to develop at least 10 more over the next five years. Its cinemas are in community locations and showcase the latest releases, with its competitive prices being a key differentiator in the market.
The Ridings shopping centre was acquired by NewRiver in 2016. Since the acquisition, NewRiver has undertaken a programme of active asset management works at the site, including rebranding the centre and upgrading signage, way-finding and facilities such as the customer toilets and an award-winning baby change area.
Most recently, NewRiver brought its pub expertise to The Ridings with the opening of the Keg & Kitchen, a food-led community pub located in the centre’s 240-cover food court, operated by Hawthorn Leisure, which the company acquired in May 2018.
Reel Cinemas is expected to be a major driver of footfall for The Ridings and the wider city centre, particularly in the late afternoon and evening, and will also provide a multi-functional space for community events. Its opening will mark another step in the transformation of the upper mall of this three-level centre into an affordable family leisure destination.
Director Paul Wright said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Reel Cinemas to The Ridings and to the NewRiver portfolio through this ambitious and innovative re-purposing of former retail space.
Chris Morgan-Giles, property director at Reel Cinemas, added: “Reel Cinemas is excited to soon be opening at The Ridings, providing a brand new space for the local community to watch the latest releases and more, at competitive prices.


September 12, 2012  While the new iPhone 5 has a number of new features designed to entice Apple loyalists into an upgrade, the decision to introduce a new connector could cause a bit of domestic chaos.
Do iPhone Announcements Get More Attention Than They Deserve?
September 12, 2012  Excitement over the launch of Apple's sixth-generation iPhone might seem like a no-brainer. But since when did the announcement of a new smartphone become a national event by default?
June 11, 2012  The latest iPhone Siri ads, featuring actors Samuel L. Jackson, John Malkovich and Zooey Deschanel, are entertaining enough — if you enjoy watching people talking to themselves. Sure, Apple seems to be pushing its smartphone, but the subtler message may be about something else.


STEVEN GERRARD has confessed with brutal honesty that his head was totally wrecked during the last World Cup finals in 2006.
Liverpool’s driving skipper, a warrior in either Anfield red or England white, was at times reduced to a zombie-like state wondering whether he should answer another Jose Mourinho call to move to Chelsea.
The same scenario had been played out during the previous two summers, which included Euro 2004 in Portugal.
Now Gerrard has admitted for the first time that the mix of emotions badly affected his performances on the international stage in football’s greatest tournament four years ago.
But Gerrard is keen to assure England fans that any talk this summer about moves to Real Madrid or Inter Milan will not have the same adverse affect on his displays in South Africa.
High in the Austrian Alps, at England’s pre-World Cup training hideaway, Gerrard reflected on the mind games of Germany 2006.
“You’re going back to your room, reading papers, looking at the internet. You’re speaking to people at home who are telling you that stuff is going on,” he recalled.
“I knew that Chelsea were interested in signing me because my agent was telling me. This year that won’t be happening. Every time I went back to my room I was driving myself mad. Should I go to Chelsea? Should I stay?
In fact Gerrard has imposed a news blackout on anything to do with his future until after the World Cup.
He added: “People are under strict instructions not to be talking about my future or about any speculation. Right now that’s not important. What is important is to have a good World Cup, a successful World Cup.
“So agents, friends and family have been told not to talk about club stuff to me.
“Four years ago I fell into the trap of driving myself mad, thinking about my future at club level. I won’t consider my future or think about what will happen until after the World Cup.
Gerrard celebrates his 30th birthday next Sunday, often a time for soul searching, wondering what the future holds and what has already been achieved.
There was a strong hint that the machinations surrounding his Liverpool future have simply been put on hold until England have kicked their last ball in South Africa.
He admitted: “You do assess what you’ve achieved when you reach 30. A lot of players will consider what is the best move for them in the three or four weeks holiday after the World Cup.
“For me that depends on how well we do in the World Cup and what the manager is thinking. That may be taken out of your hands. But I want to make the most of this World Cup in case it’s my last one.
“It’s been a massive disappointment at Liverpool this season. We finished second the previous season and the challenge for me was – could we go one step further? This season we’ve taken steps backwards.
“It’s been a very difficult season both personally and for everyone in the squad having to deal with the amount of setbacks we’ve had.
“I’ve got to put that behind me because there’s such a massive tournament around the corner. The focus has to change to England and to make sure I do everything I can to help this team be successful.
You can tell by the glint in Gerrard’s eyes just how much the World Cup means to him. “There is nothing I can do to change what has happened at Liverpool,” he said.
“What is in my control is what happens going forward with England. I’m excited again because it’s getting close now and I can’t wait to sample another World Cup.
“There is a lot of time after the World Cup is over to change the focus back to Liverpool. Hopefully things might happen when I’m away. Hopefully there might be players coming to Liverpool who can help strengthen the team.


A bipartisan House panel has concluded that there is no merit to the persistent accusations that people associated with the 1980 Presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan struck a secret deal with Iran to delay the release of American hostages until after the election.
"There is no credible evidence supporting any attempt or proposal to attempt by the Reagan Presidential campaign, or persons representing or associated with the campaign to delay the release of the American hostages in Iran," the panel concluded in a summary of its report, which is to be made public on Wednesday. Congressional aides distributed the summary to news organizations today.
The summary describes the report as "the most thorough and complete investigation and analysis of the October Surprise allegations to date." More than 230 people were interviewed in several countries by 10 lawyers and six investigators working for House October Surprise Task Force.
The Reagan campaign, the report said, was fearful that President Jimmy Carter would arrange a last-minute agreement to free the 52 hostages in the final month of the election campaign, or that he would spring an "October Surprise." The phrase became a catchall term to describe the entire episode, including the accusations that some of Mr. Reagan's aides worked to delay the hostages' release to deny Mr. Carter the benefit of the publicity.
In essence, the investigation concluded that the stories of Reagan campaign operatives working covertly with the Iranians to delay the hostages' release were spread by people whose testimony does not hold up against credible documentary evidence, including telephone, hotel and credit card records as well as raw intelligence reports.
In addition, one of the principal sources for many of the news reports, an Iranian arms dealer named Jamshid Hashemi, has retracted his story. Mr. Hashemi, the report said, told House investigators under oath that he had no knowledge of any efforts to delay the release of the hostages.
The House panel said it had undertaken its inquiry because the accusations, if they had been true, "would be wholly beyond the wildest excesses in our constitutional history." It said the notion that "leaders of one of our two principal parties would attempt to steal a Presidential election by seeking to prolong the incarceration of fellow American citizens by foreign terrorists is little short of treachery."
The hostages were freed by Iran on Jan. 20, 1981, the day that Mr. Reagan was sworn in as President. The theory that the Republican campaign had engineered a delay of the release until after Election Day circulated in Washington throughout the Reagan and Bush Administrations, but it attracted heightened public interest in April 1991, when Gary Sick, a national security aide in the Carter White House, wrote an article for the Op-Ed page in The New York Times saying he had concluded that the accusations were true because of the variety of sources who told similar stories.
Under the theory, in exchange for the delay, the Reagan Administration arranged for the subsequent shipment of arms to Teheran through Israel. Mr. Sick and several journalists reported that William J. Casey, the Reagan campaign chairman, met with representatives of Iran in the summer before the election in Madrid to discuss the delay and consummated the deal that fall in Paris. Mr. Casey, who later became Director of Central Intelligence, died in 1987.
The summary said the panel had obtained original records from the Madrid hotel where meetings between Mr. Casey were said to have occurred, as well as telephone records and credit card receipts. Further information was obtained in interviews with several of those said to have been involved in the meetings, the panel said.
"With respect to the alleged meetings in Madrid, the task force found that the evidence allegedly supporting each of these meetings was neither from credible sources nor corroborated," the report concluded. Of the five people cited in news reports as knowing about the meetings, the report said three had testified under oath that they had no knowledge of them.
The panel said overwhelming evidence showed that Mr. Casey did not travel to Madrid at that time. The documents that support that assertion will be released Wednesday. Nor did the summary make clear why people who disowned their stories are more believable now than they were when they initially made their accusations.
The summary of the report harshly criticizes another principal source of many of the allegations, an Israeli named Ari Ben-Menashe. Mr. Ben-Menashe has told several reporters that he was present at a meeting in October 1980 in Paris between Iranian representatives and people from the Reagan campaign. Mr. Ben-Menashe has suggested at various times that George Bush, the Republican candidate for Vice President at the time, was at the Paris meeting. The panel said it had conclusive evidence that Mr. Ben-Mehashe was not in Paris then.
The panel, led by Representatives Lee Hamilton, Democrat of Indiana, and Henry J. Hyde, Republican of Illinois, had earlier released an interim report dismissing the theory that Mr. Bush attended any meetings in Paris in 1980.


We thank you, 0 Lord, who give us this food to eat. We pray that you may also provide food for those who are hungry and gather all of us together at the table of your heavenly kingdom.
1051 The one presiding says: No one lives on bread alone. R. But on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Let us pray.
0 God, by his forty days of fasting your Son has taught us that we do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from your mouth. Help us to lift up our hearts, so that, strengthened by your power, we may truly love you in our brothers and sisters.


BOSTON (CBS) – A 73-year-old Hingham woman is recuperating at home, after being mauled by a rabid raccoon in her own bed.
“It’s something I’ll never forget. It was that scary,” said Ginny Ballou.
Ballou told WBZ-TV the raccoon managed to get into her house Wednesday morning through a pet door on her back porch.
A pet door that the raccoon is believed to have gotten in through.
"Ballou told WBZ-TV the raccoon managed to get into her house Wednesday morning through a pet door on her back porch.
A pet door that the raccoon is believed to have gotten in through."
Do you guys actually read what you wrote before you publish it?
No, they do not. Time and time again they prove that proofreading is not occurring. Despite complaints from regular commenters, the problem continues and we have to hurt ourselves trying to read some stories.


The subject matter is so intriguing as to exacerbate the sense that “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight” is something of a letdown, dramatically speaking. Anchored by Frank Langella and Christopher Plummer’s performances as Supreme Court Justices Warren Berger and John Harlan, this Vietnam-era story focuses on the court battle over Ali’s conscientious-objector status as a devout Muslim, which derailed the champ’s boxing career. Filled with interesting tidbits, director Stephen Frears’ film never quite coalesces — floating like a butterfly, all right, but delivering so little sting as to barely leave a mark.
Ali himself is presented only in archival newsreel footage and interviews, while the nine justices hash out what to do about his conviction and appeal. Cast to the hilt, in addition to Langella (who has now played both Richard Nixon and his Chief Justice) as the avuncular, patrician Berger, with Plummer as the wily, ailing Harlan, there’s Fritz Weaver (Hugo Black), Harris Yulin (William O. Douglas), Peter Gerety (William Brennan Jr.), director Barry Levinson (Potter Stewart), John Bedford Lloyd (Byron “Whizzer” White), Ed Begley Jr. (Harry Blackmun) and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Danny Glover (Thurgood Marshall, who recused himself from the case).
Despite the allure of getting a bird’s-eye-view at the often puzzling and arcane machinations of the Supreme Court — during one of the most tumultuous periods in the country’s history, no less — the movie will be most interesting for those who can parse what amount to its asides, like the fact Blackmun (who would ultimately write the Roe v. Wade decision) is perceived as being constantly aligned with the conservative Berger, who freely acknowledges his awareness of politics and friendship with Nixon in steering court decisions.
Nevertheless, if Frears’ earnest interpretation isn’t quite a missed opportunity, it’s an under-realized one. Yes, it’s worth watching for the historical moment it represents — particularly since that moment continues to echo through to the present — but it’s less compelling than it might have been.
Not that I can fully explain what would have made “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight” more satisfying. But I’d know it when I see it.
Filmed in New York by Rainmark Films in association with Sakura Films.
Executive producers, Tracey Scoffield, Frank Doelger, Jonathan Cameron; producer, Scott Ferguson; director, Stephen Frears; writer, Shawn Slovo, based on the book by Howard L. Bingham, Max Wallace; camera, Jim Denault; production designer, Dan Davis; editor, Mick Audsley; music, George Fenton; casting, Kathleen Chopin, Victoria Thomas. 98 MIN.


The Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ TV show has been renewed for its third and fourth seasons on Seeso. The semi-scripted real estate comedy series stars Dan Ahdoot, Tim Baltz, Ryan Gaul, Mandell Maughan, Tawny Newsome, Drew Tarver, and Paul F. Tompkins.
Season three of Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ will feature The Walking Dead‘s Steven Yeun. Sarah Silverman, Jason Mantzoukas, James Adomian, Lauren Lapkus, June Diane Raphael, and Dave Foley will also guest star.
Learn more from this Seeso press release.
New York, December 12, 2017 – Seeso’s real-estate Original Series ‘BAJILLION DOLLAR PROPERTIE$’ has been renewed for two more seasons. Season three is set to premiere Spring 2017.
The third season of the half-hour, semi-scripted comedy set against the backdrop of a luxury, cut throat LA real estate firm, will feature Sarah Silverman, Jason Mantzoukas, James Adomian, Lauren Lapkus, Stephanie Allynne, Mary Holland, and Erin Whitehead (AKA “Wild Horses), Eugene Cordero, June Diane Raphael, Steven Yeun, Dave Foley, Bret McKenzie and many, many more.
Catch up on the first two seasons of ‘BAJILLION DOLLAR PROPERTIE$’ on the Seeso platform.
“BAJILLION DOLLAR PROPERTIE$” is a Paramount Digital Entertainment production (“THE HOTWIVES OF ORLANDO,” “THE HOTWIVES OF LAS VEGAS,” “BURNING LOVE”), in partnership with Seeso.
A half-hour, semi-scripted comedy with an ensemble of seven real estate agents set against the backdrop of a luxury, cut throat LA real estate firm. A Paramount Digital Entertainment production created and Executive Produced by Kulap Vilaysack (“Comedy Bang! Bang!,” Who Charted?), and Executive Produced by Tom Lennon (“Reno 911!“), Ben Garant (“Reno 911!”), Scott Aukerman (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”,”Mr. Show”) and David Jargowsky (“Funny or Die Presents”). Starring Dan Ahdoot, Tim Baltz, Ryan Gaul, Mandell Maughan, Tawny Newsome, Drew Tarver, and Paul F. Tompkins as agency owner Dean Rosedragon.
Seeso is NBCUniversal’s ad-free paid subscription streaming platform. To learn more, check out Seeso.com.
What do you think? Have you watched the first two seasons of the Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ TV series? Are you glad Seeso renewed the comedy series for seasons three and four?
More about: Bajillion Dollar Properties, Bajillion Dollar Properties: canceled or renewed?, Seeso TV shows: canceled or renewed?, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: canceled or renewed?


Massage chairs can help you with maintaining your overall health and lifestyle. Massage therapy has positive effects on the physical, mental, and emotional health of people. It can also help alleviate muscles and joint tension and pain, reduce fatigue and relax the mind.
These chairs can be beneficial for seniors as well since they usually have more problems with their joints and backs, as well as illnesses such as arthritis. With these devices, you will be able to control a wide range of things, such as the length, style, positioning, heat, and all the other features that the device might have.
Different chairs come with different features to choose from. For example, Shiatsu chairs are known to target pressure points all over your body by pressing, rolling, and swaying movements. Some of the devices offer Swedish massages that use kneading movements. Then, there are also zero-gravity chairs that lean into a zero-gravity position before performing the massage. You need to try out different chairs to find the one that fits you.
Buying such a device is not going to be easy on your wallet. The price varies from a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending mostly on the appearance, features, company that manufactured it, and the quality and type of materials used to make it. Do not allow the prices to scare you from making the investment, since you can choose cheaper chairs that will, for example, not include some features like built-in players and USB ports. This will certainly make the chair more affordable for you.
As you know, most of these devices are quite large, and you cannot easily tuck them away in a corner of your home. The living room might not be the best place to put it in since they are large and usually not very pleasant for the eye. This might disrupt the overall look of the space. Since you will be personally using these chairs, the best places for it would be your home, office, or bedroom. Keep in mind that before you purchase it, you should consider the size of the room you wish to place it in.
These massage chairs are usually made of multiple moving parts, computer components, and wiring, so there is a possibility of something going wrong at some point. Since you will probably spend a lot of money to buy it, you will want to make sure that it is durable. You will want to get one that is resilient and heavy duty since you will use it quite often. Due to the weight and size of these devices, repairing them can be costly and dreadful. So, look for some chairs that have modular designs. This will make the repair work easier, as well as cheaper.
Before actually buying a massage chair, make sure that you check the warranty and what it covers. It should at least cover the labor and parts price. Also, make sure that it offers a minimum of one-month cash back guarantee. These things will indicate that the manufacturer believes that the performance and durability of their products are good enough.
Buying your own massage chair can help you cut the costs of going to a massage center and paying for the (usually) expensive treatments. You will be able to go home after a long day at work and relax in your new, modern, and helpful massage chair.


As one of the few beauty books in a struggling print market, Allure is looking at a “refresh” to keep it relevant for years to come.
Serena Williams was on the February cover of Allure, the last before an upcoming redesign.
Allure is gearing up to unveil a new look to its magazine and digital properties, but don’t call it a relaunch.
For Allure — recently the subject of plenty of industry chatter speculating its demise in print as its publisher Condé Nast has continued to shrink its operations, slate of print publications and budgets, overall — its “evolution” nevertheless means a number of changes are on the way.
Lee agreed beauty is an industry that’s taken to social media unlike any other, with brands and marketers seeing a lot of success launching product online and on social platforms without need of support by institutional brands like Allure. The coup of getting a product recommended in the pages of a magazine has been all but replaced by the measurable impact of an influencer posting about a cream or a lipstick on Instagram or YouTube.
So it’s not surprising that Lee is wanting to get ahead of the social game and have Allure do more of what influencer and social media stars do not, like invest in strong visuals and editorial content that’s researched, vetted and fact-checked.
Given the number of print titles that have closed, at Condé and elsewhere, it’s understandable that Lee would want to drive the point home.
Allure also has a something of a side hustle with its subscription Beauty Box business (also getting a “refresh,” including a new “mini-magazine” featuring Allure editors), where the Condé said subscribers grew by 80 percent last year, and a growing e-commerce business, which exceeded its revenue goal by nearly 200 percent.
Since Allure is the only beauty-centric property left in Condé’s print arsenal, it’s a good thing.


Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST) reported fiscal second-quarter results that handily beat expectations while same-store sales were strong at 6.7 percent.
RBC Capital Markets' Scot Ciccarelli maintains an Outperform rating on Costco with a price target lifted from $235 to $250.
Bank of America's Robert Ohmes maintains at Buy, unchanged $255 price target.
Raymond James' Budd Bugatch maintains at Outperform, price target lifted from $240 to $250.
Morgan Stanley's Simeon Gutman maintains at Equal-weight, unchanged $220 price target.
Costco's stock traded higher by 5.5 percent at $228.62 per share Friday morning.
EBIT of $1.2 billion was $0.1 billion better than expected.
One of the key metrics to gauge Costco's profit outlook is membership rates and this metric remained healthy in the reported quarter, Ohmes said in a research report. Membership fees were 7.3 percent higher in the quarter and the fee increase accounted for roughly half of the growth. Membership renewal rates also showed signs of improvement in both the U.S. and international markets as did growth in member households per store.
Also important to the bull case is continued e-commerce momentum, the analyst wrote. Encouragingly, online sales grew 25.5 percent in the quarter due to better online merchandising, inclusion of higher-end products, digital marketing and better delivery options. While e-commerce sales are dilutive to margins it is also EBIT margin accretive due to lower SG&A.
Costco's "impressive" report marks the continuation of comparable sales momentum over the past year against challenging prior year comparisons, Bugatch said. The company is achieving success mostly due to the strength of its business model in which new and existing members see value in what the brand has to offer.
More important to the bullish case is the consistent mid-single digit U.S. customer traffic growth, which signals management remains focused both generating growth without impacting the customer experience. The analyst said there's a reason to believe the company can continue gaining market share and members over the coming years through new club openings in both the US and international markets.
Gutman said Costco's 20-percent beat may signal strong trends in the core business, but the magnitude of the beat is unlikely to be sustainable. For example, EPS came in better than expected by 32 cents, but around 23 cents of the beat was due to higher EBIT dollars.
Around 9 cents were due to below the line items like FX-related income and a one-time foreign tax credit. Some of the remaining beat can be attributed to higher than usual gas profit but gas prices shifted higher exiting Costco's quarter.
Around 80 percent of the earnings outperformance is due to items that are unlikely to continue over the long-term and EPS growth should moderate moving forward, the analyst wrote.
Costco has now posted 12 consecutive quarters of increasing comps aided by a strong private label offering, improvements in fresh food and new technologies to speed up the shopping experience, Feinseth said in his daily newsletter.
The company also benefits from a very loyal customer base that is willing to pay an upfront membership fee to shop at its "treasure hunt-like" stores, he said. Encouragingly, the number of people willing to pay for memberships continues to increase despite the recent price increase.
"I believe further upside exists from current levels and continue to recommend purchase," Feinseth wrote.


Copley United’s relegation was confirmed when they were beaten 5-0 away to Shelf United in one of only two Premier Division games to go ahead in the Halifax AFL on Saturday.
The fixture only took place because the 3G pitch at Lightcliffe Academy was available.
The visitors struggled to adapt, long balls intended for speedy raiders Gary Ash and Lee Worrall too often running away from then.
Shelf took full advantage to make it three wins on the bounce following successes against Calder ‘76 and Warley Rangers.
They sped into a 3-0 interval lead through Billy Grogan, a Danny Thornton header from a corner and Dan Stoker.
Harry Talbot got the fourth with a good finish following a raid down the right and David Chappell went through one-on-one with the ‘keeper and rounded him before slotting the fifth.
Midgley United responded to their Challenge Cup semi-final defeat against Shelf FC with a 7-2 thrashing of visitors Greetland.
They were 5-0 up at the break, Martin Woodhouse setting the ball rolling after being set up by brother Chris.
Greg Spink doubled the lead with a fine finish from the left and good work from George Bamford, Greg Spink and the Woodhouses led to an own goal.
Spink and Martin Woodhouse put more daylight between the teams before the break.
Spink completed his hat-trick and Martin Woodhouse added his second before Aaron Dorward struck twice to give Greetland some consolation.
Four games survived Friday’s heavy rain in Division One and Sowerby Bridge battled past Elland Allstars 2-1 to stretch their lead to 11 points.
Luke Maguire got both their goals and William Nicholson replied.
Ryburn United Reserves went second with a 4-0 home win over a Calder ‘76 Reserves side who had been showing improved form.
AFC Crossleys had a fine 4-2 home win over a capable Brighouse Sports side.
Salem extended the gap between themselves and the side immediately below them, next to bottom Greetland Reserves, with a 5-3 win over those rivals at Goldfields.
Iain King scored a hat-trick for Salem while Greetland’s Scott McHale struck twice.
Only two games went ahead in Division Two and Illingworth St Mary’s Reserves took over at the top with a fine 13-1 win over Sowerby Utd Reserves on the 3G at Trinity Academy.
Saints powered into an early lead with Sowerby unable to cope with the pace of front runners Tom McGregor, Brandon Field and Robbie Wardle.
The goals flowed with McGregor scoring five, Robbie Sinclair four, Field two, Josh Langan one and veteran Jonny Baird one.
Sowerby replied when a mix up at the back saw Kyle Butler score past his own keeper.
The visitors never let their heads drop with Alex Healey and Craig Moseley the pick of their players.
Hebden Royd Red Star Reserves beat Salem Reserves 7-0 away in the other game.
It was only the Calder Valley side’s second win in 19 outings and the scale of their victory moved them off the bottom, above Sowerby Bridge Reserves on goal difference.
Watching first team boss Chris Garbutt said Star’s second string had seen numerous departures and signings throughout the campaign but was belatedly threatening to put some better results together.
A first half hat-trick from Alex Conwell put them on the victory trail. Conwell added a fourth in the second half, in which Matthew Senior, Brandon Wilkinson and Louis Beniot also struck.
Salem had a man dismissed for a second bookable offence when they were already fighting a losing battle.
The Jack Haymer Challenge Cup semi-final between Illingworth St Mary’s and Ryburn United at West Vale and Shelf FC’s West Riding Trophy quarter final at Wortley were among the games postponed.


So, you're standing on the library's threshold with the towhead of your heart beside you. The youngster looks up in dismay and speaks the words that will haunt your childrearing nights: "So, where's the good stuff?"
All Monroe County libraries are organized using the Dewey Decimal system, which arranges non-fiction according to a primary subject tied to a number from 0 to 999. This means that books about automobiles are together under 629 (though race cars are at 796). Hardback fiction has a distinct section; while mysteries, science fiction, short stories, and paperbacks are sometimes shifted to nearby shelves.
Within these sections, books are in alphabetical order by author. Biographies are alphabetized by subject matter (for example, Little Monsters, the Real Story of Pikachu by Kitty Kelley is under "P"). The libraries have a separate area for juvenile books, imitating the adult section with divisions for non-fiction and fiction. Adolescent fiction is usually placed in a Young Adult area.
Series Books: Goosebumps, Geronimo Stilton, etc.
Sports: Minnesota Twins, Soccer, etc.
Science: Why is there air?


A 22-year-old contractor at a Volkswagen factory in Germany was killed by a stationary robot as he was trying to set it up, the German multinational automaker said Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Monday at the Volkswagen plant in Baunatal, located about 62 miles north of Frankfurt, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing company spokesman Heiko Hillwig. The robot reportedly grabbed the worker and crushed him to death against a metal plate.
According to Hillwig, initial conclusions suggest that the fatal incident took place due to human error, and not because of a technical problem with the robot, which can be programmed to perform various tasks as part of the assembly process. Hillwig also said that the robot generally operates within a restricted area at the factory, where it grabs parts and manipulates them.
Another worker, who was present at the scene when the incident occurred, was not harmed, the AP reported. The Financial Times reported that the worker was struck in the chest by the robot when he was standing inside the safety cage. The reports also cited a company spokesman as saying that the robot was not one of the new generation of lightweight collaborative robots that work alongside workers in the production line.


The past year has seen a 30 percent increase in the number of non-Jews volunteering for national service in Israel. Today, more than 3,500 non-Jews are serving, over 70 percent of them Muslims.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week met with a number of these non-Jewish volunteers. He heard about how they are playing active roles in the police, fire stations, emergency medical services, schools, kindergartens and more. Netanyahu spoke with the volunteers about the challenges they face, and was told of the volunteers’ desire to fully integrate into Israeli society.
The director of the National Service Authority, Sar-Shalom Jerbi, informed the prime minister that the majority of the volunteers perform their service within Arab communities.


Freya’s icy Mikaelson exterior is finally melting on Friday’s episode of The Originals (The CW, 8/7c) with a little help from the strongest potion known to man: tequila!
Voelkel says she’s “glad” that fans seem to be warming up to the idea of Freya and Keelin’s companionship, adding her own voice to the chorus of people thrilled to see Freya’s vulnerable side finally coming out to play.
Your thoughts on Freya and Keelin’s “connection”? Drop ’em in a comment below.


Tennis Ash Barty downplays injury fears.
Tennis It broke records as the latest starting Australian Open match.
Tennis Roger Federer wary of Denis Istomin.
Tennis Day 1 action at Melbourne Park.
Tennis Roger Federer, Alex de Minaur mutual appreciation society is real.
Tennis Serena Williams social media support society has a new target.


Will Missouri legislators get a chance for a do-over after having failed to pass legislation to help the Missouri side of the metro compete better against the Kansas side in attracting and retaining businesses?
Maybe, some area lawmakers say.
Legislation to ease the way for a second nuclear power plant in Callaway County.
The “Aerotropolis” bill, with $360 million in tax credits to help turn Lambert-St. Louis International Airport into a cargo freight hub, focused on trade with China.
Fixing the state’s nearly insolvent second-injury fund, which pays claims to those with existing injuries who then have another injury on the job.
The fund is about out of money, and the state has delayed paying new claims.
“The second-injury fund has to be dealt with,” said state Rep. Mike Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit.
What does this add up to?
“I think it means a special session,” said state Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit.
Gov. Jay Nixon has publicly been cool to the idea. For one thing, legislators have a constitutionally set period of time – early January to mid-May – to get their work done, and the governor has indicated he doesn’t want to get in the habit of going into overtime.
Last year, the governor called a special session and got legislators to approve $100 million in tax breaks to entice Ford to keep its Claycomo plant going, paid for with changes to the state’s pension system. The governor said the Ford issue was more urgent and couldn’t wait until 2011. Ford later came through with a commitment to keep making vehicles at Claycomo.
Still, Kraus, Cierpiot and Rep. Noel Torpey, R-Independence, speaking after an Independence Chamber of Commerce gathering last Friday, indicated that if legislative leaders can work out a compromises on these issues, the governor might be convinced to change his mind.
“You know, I think there’s still hope with this bill,” Torpey said.


The scheduled concert tonight on the Natick Common featuring Classic Groove has been rescheduled to Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
The Concert Series is a free summer series put on by the Natick Recreation and Parks Department. For more information, go to www.natickma.gov/recreation.


Has Facebook Turned the Corner?
A good week for Facebook investors. Does this change the story for the Social Network stock?
It was a good week for Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) investors, and a rough week for LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD.DL) investors. Shares of Facebook rose on Thursday in the wake of stronger-than-expected mobile revenue. Mobile advertising now comprises 30% of Facebook's ad revenue. In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts discuss the future of Facebook.
The relevant video segment can be found between 3:50 and 5:54.


A murder investigation is under way after a man was stabbed to death in east London.
The 20-year-old victim is the fifth person in nine days to be fatally stabbed in the capital.
Police were called to Cranbrook Road in Ilford at 20:48 GMT on Tuesday and found the man with stab wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene about half an hour later. Scotland Yard said no arrests had been made.
A crime scene is in place at Cranbrook Road and the front entrance to Ilford railway station is closed. An entrance at the back of the station has been opened.
Zamirullah Stanikzai, 21, who works in a phone shop near where the stabbing occurred, said he saw two men with knives.
Another witness named Andy, who was at a betting shop nearby e said he was "terrified" and "shaking with nerves".
"The staff in the betting shop were shaking. Everyone was just really nervous and petrified.
"I'm 42 and I was brought up in the east end and I don't even feel comfortable going around London anymore because you don't see any police presence at all."
Ilford South MP Mike Gapes said he was "shocked and saddened" to learn of the man's death.
There have been 12 fatal stabbings in London this year.
Across England and Wales, there were 285 killings by a knife or sharp instrument in the year ending March 2018, the highest since records began in 1946.


The Foo Fighters documentary gets a DVD and Blu-Ray release date.
The new Foo Fighters documentary will be released on iTunes, DVD and Blu-Ray in June, it has been revealed.
The band announced on Friday that the digital and DVD/Blu-ray releases of Foo Fighters: Back and Forth will feature 35 minutes of new footage and deleted scenes.
The film was shown in cinemas in the US on April 5 and in the UK on April 7. Back and Forth was shown in 3D in select cinemas.
The movie also played on cable networks VH1, VH1 Classic and Palladia on April 8.
The film arrives on iTunes on June 7 and on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 14.
Drummer Taylor Hawkins revealed earlier this month that he didn't want the documentary to be released.
"I wish we wouldn't put the f**king movie out to be honest because I'm not really comfortable with the public sort of openness, I'm really not," Hawkins said.


The biggest increase came from atrial fibrillation product sales, which were up 10% on a constant currency basis when compared with the first quarter a year ago.
Investors, however, may have been looking for bigger sales and earnings beats. The incremental gains the company posted allowed St. Jude to only inch up its full-year projections. The company now sees 2014 sales at $5.61 billion to $5.76 billion, up from $5.60 billion to $5.75 billion. Earnings-per-share forecasts now stand at $3.95 to $4, up from $3.94 to $3.99.
St. Jude said net income for the quarter was $249 million, or 86 cents a share, compared with $223 million, or 78 cents a share, for the same period a year ago. Sales were $1.36 billion against last year’s $1.34 billion. Adjusted earnings of 96 cents a share were a penny ahead of forecasts from analysts polled by FactSet, while sales were marginally ahead of predictions.


What is going wrong in Boggs Township? For the answer, you first must ask the following questions.
Why was a roadmaster/employee of 22 years removed?
Why was a secretary of 33 years removed for having a progressive vision and helping to fulfill it?
Why was a much-needed, much-demanded and newly-hired employee removed for being an asset?
Why was the vacancy chairman removed for being conscientious, honest and fair in his responsibilities as a tie-breaker regarding the interim supervisor position?
Why were these removals necessary?
Is it as simple as a vendetta against leadership and collateral damage because illegal doings were discovered?
The new supervisor made a promise with hopes of seeing Boggs Township come together. However, to date the actions taken have only served to widen the divide.
Being honest while answering the aforementioned questions may help the situation, but only with critical thinking.
It’s my belief that the present debacle is wrought with the same disingenuousness, deception and deceit that were present in 2006 and forward with the landfill issue.
The tongue of a few is being used to destroy individual citizens’ character and reputations, as well as that of the governing body. This is NOT healing this township’s needs.
It’s also my belief that there’s a struggle between right and wrong. We, the residents, must stop it.
This must be done before moving forward and making any necessary corrections to avoid stagnation. If we allow it to continue, it’s going to be a bitter pill!?!
How do we make good of this debacle?
We attend meetings; watch and identify problems; and offer solutions.
We speak up and get heard before the bitterness of the few makes the decisions for the many.
It’s never too late to right your township.


There are clever moments in NBC's new improv series "Thank God You're Here," but you can get awfully restless waiting for them. Mostly, it is because of the unpredictably hit-or-miss nature of the improv form. It nearly is impossible to be consistently funny with the first thing that comes into your head. Comedy club audiences understand and give actors leeway; TV viewers probably won't.
Adapted from a hit Australian show by FremantleMedia North America, "Thank God" has a host, a judge and four guests each week. The host, producer David Alan Grier, introduces the guest, who then goes backstage to be put in costume. The guest returns and is thrust through a door and into a scene without knowing the situation. The surprised performer always is greeted with the same line: "Thank God you're here."
The show has a two-hour premiere Monday and then a subsequent two-hour episode the following Monday before shifting to its regular 8 p.m. Wednesday slot April 18, Wayne Knight dons a white lab coat for an interview about his line of food supplements, Jennifer Coolidge becomes a beauty pageant contestant, Joel McHale is an archeologist on the brink of a great discovery and Bryan Cranston turns into an aging rock star. Other anonymous (though often convincing) actors in the scene pepper the guests with open-ended questions. After all of the guest skits, there's a scene in which all four participate.
Dave Foley, as sole judge, gives brief and unfailingly complimentary feedback after each sketch. At the end of the show, he picks one performer to get a plastic award. That's it. No donations to charity. No playing for a member of the audience. Just the plastic award.
In between skits, there are taped pieces, which Grier said were made to help guests warm up to the process. These were much funnier than the performances before the remarkably appreciative studio audience. That's not ironic. The taped pieces were edited to include only the best ad libs; the studio show has lots of lines that go thud on the stage floor.
There's a reason improv-based shows like ABC's "Sons & Daughters" and Bravo's "Significant Others" shot take after take to come up with 20 minutes or so of funny material. And even with all that, these shows failed to click with a wide audience.
There's a way to make "Thank God" better. Stop dressing the stars in costumes. Let them figure out their characters even as they ad lib their initial responses. That would add some excitement, though probably not enough to prolong the life of the series.
NBC is under a mandate to cut production costs for some of its primetime shows. "Thank God" will certainly help do that. Whether it does anything else for the peacock network is unlikely.


BRIGHTON debutant Will Buckley was the two-goal hero after dramatically saving their house warming party from turning sour at the Amex Stadium yesterday.
Doncaster’s Billy Sharp deservedly opened the scoring in the first half for the pre-season favourites for relegation from the Championship.
But Rovers’ prolific striker was carried off on a stretcher shortly after half-time following a crude lunge from Seagulls’ centre back Lewis Dunk.
And referee Eddie Ilderton, close to losing control of a fiery clash, also sent Brighton manager Gus Poyet to the stands before the interval.
But Buckley, a £1million summer signing from Watford, scored with a rasping drive from 25-yards after 83 minutes, nine minutes after coming on a sub.
And deep into seven minutes of injury time he curled the winner past Doncaster goalkeeper Gary Wood.
“Will Buckley has won the game, and that is why the subs are there,” said Brighton boss Poyet.
“My style is to change the game and we’re lucky to have him on the bench.
On his red card Poyet added: “With the sending off, that’s just me. If I change, then I’ll go home.
The flag waving 20,219 crowd was the biggest league attendance at Brighton for 28 years. It had appeared a sentimental move from the fixture computer to hand nomads Brighton Doncaster as their first league opposition to visit the Amex.
Also the last team to play at the Goldstone Ground more than 14 years ago, Rovers are another team to have come back from the brink of extinction.
But desperately disappointed Doncaster manager Sean O’Driscoll, who also saw James Hayter carried off on a stretcher late on, said: “It has happened to us so many times before with the late goals.
“The tackle on Billy was high and late, but I don’t want to encourage anyone to send players off and a booking was maybe all he could do.


Social media shook with emotion. Headlines shouted the news. Legal scholars debated the order’s scope. But the most immediate effect of President Trump’s executive order barring refugees from entering the United States and halting entry from seven predominantly Muslim countries could be quantified on a human scale: refugees and other immigrants from those seven countries, some on their way to the United States on Friday when Mr. Trump signed the order, who were no longer able to enter the United States.
Hearing of Mr. Trump’s plan to slam the door on Muslim immigrants this week, Mr. Shareef hurried his wife and three children onto a plane in the Iraqi city of Erbil in the early hours of Saturday. They had been cleared to resettle in Nashville — a new life that Mr. Shareef considered a great opportunity. After the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, Mr. Shareef worked as a translator with American officials, and he received death threats. But after the Shareefs arrived in Cairo on Saturday, a check-in official spoke to Mr. Shareef.
Speaking by phone from an airport lounge, Mr. Shareef said he had sold the family home and car. His wife had given up her job. His two daughters, 10 and 17, had quit school. He had spent $5,000 on flights.
“Donald Trump ruined my life,” he said.
Ms. Omer, 39, is a green card holder, has lived in the United States since 1993, and graduated from Harvard University. On Friday night Ms. Omer was detained at Kennedy International Airport as she returned from Sudan, where she is a citizen, after a research trip for her anthropology Ph.D. at Stanford University.
Ms. Omer said customs officials were apologetic and appeared confused about what they were supposed to do with the detained travelers. “I have to do this,” one told her. For five hours they asked about her travels, her academic research and her views on Sudanese politics, which they admitted to knowing little about.
At one point, she said, they aggressively patted her down and handcuffed her. They removed the restraints when she began to cry, but the detainees brought in for questioning after her arrived in handcuffs, she said.
After Ms. Omer was released she said she felt like one of the lucky ones.
Hazhir Rahmandad, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, said his parents who hold green cards and split their time between the United States and Iran, were due back in Massachusetts on Tuesday to celebrate the birthday of Mr. Rahmandad’s twin children. Now they will not travel.
Professor Rahmandad set up a Google form for people from countries affected by the immigration order to report and share their experiences attempting to travel to the U.S. “I was so concerned,” he said. By Saturday evening, his spreadsheet had over 200 entries, most of them concerning people from Iran.
Mr. Abdi, 30, a Ph.D. student in anthropology at Yale with permanent residency in the United States, said he left the United States on Jan. 22 for Afghanistan, where he planned to do field research for much of the next year. He had participated in the women’s march in Washington the day before. Now, he said he was in legal limbo as he awaited a visa from the consulate of Afghanistan, unable to return to the United States even with a green card and fearful of returning to Iran because of his activism about human rights issues there.
Speaking by phone from Dubai, Mr. Abdi said his current visa limits his stay in the United Arab Emirates to about a month. The possibility that green card holders and refugees could be barred from the United States did not occur to him when he left, he said.
Nada, a Yazidi woman from Iraq, was on her way to be reunited with her husband, Khalas, who lives in Washington. The two of them, their last names not released, were granted special immigrant visas to the United States as part of a program created to help thousands of Iraqis with ties to the United States, according to The New Yorker. Khalas, a former interpreter for the United States Army, was granted his visa in April. Nada’s visa was approved about a week ago, and her passport on Thursday.
Ms. Assali, 25, a third-year medical student from Allentown, Pa., said six of her Syrian relatives had arrived in Philadelphia on a flight from Doha, Qatar, on Saturday morning, only to be detained and put on a flight back less than three hours later. The group had obtained family-based immigrant visas.
Mr. Darweesh, a husband and father of three who worked for the United States military in Iraq for about a decade, was detained after arriving at Kennedy Airport on Friday night. He was granted a special immigrant visa on Jan. 20. When he filed for it, he said he had been directly targeted because of his work for the United States as an interpreter, engineer and contractor.
Mr. Darweesh was released on Saturday after lawyers filed a writ of habeas corpus in federal court seeking freedom for him, as well as for another Iraqi detained at the airport.
Ms. Tayari, a resident of the United Kingdom who holds an Iranian passport, was unable to get back to Glasgow, where she works as a veterinarian, from Costa Rica, where she was vacationing, because her flight traveled through New York, according to The Guardian. Ms. Tayari grew up in Italy and told the newspaper that she had never experienced anything like it. She said it might cost her a month’s salary to book a new flight home.
The family members have been living in a refugee camp in Turkey, and were scheduled to fly to the United States on Monday, according to US Together, a refugee resettlement agency quoted in The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. The agency had found an apartment for them to rent with another family of Syrian refugees in Cleveland.
Those plans have been canceled after Mr. Trump’s order.
Mr. Saravi, a young scientist in Iran, had been scheduled to travel to Boston, where he had been awarded a fellowship at Harvard to study cardiovascular medicine, according to Thomas Michel, the professor who was to supervise his research. Then the visas for Mr. Saravi and his wife were suspended, Professor Michel said.
Mr. Alshawi, who worked for a United States contractor in Iraq, was detained after he landed at Kennedy Airport on Friday. He had flown from Stockholm to New York, en route to Texas to see his wife and son.
Jess Bidgood, Stephanie Saul and Declan Walsh contributed reporting.


Most of the people surveyed listened to their current radios for between one and two hours per day, with 54 per cent listening to the radio predominantly in the car. While 48 percent of respondents said they would consider upgrading their car stereos to support digital radio in one to two years, no DAB+ headunits are available in Australia. The Pure Highway, adds an external receiver for digital radio but cars must have a compatible audio input port or tune in to the Highway using lower-quality FM analog radio.
Cost is another barrier to upgrades, with over two thirds of consumers not willing to spend $150 or more to purchase a digital radio receiver. Current receivers on the Australian market, such as the Sangean DPR-99 and Pure ONE Classic, are priced well above $150.


Iranians voted in the presidential as well as the city and village councils elections on May 19, 2017. The two elections were arranged to be on the same day to boost participations and show support for the clerical regime in Tehran. The Guardian Council had handpicked six candidates and rejected the rest of more than 1600 applicants who had registered to be presidential candidates. The candidates selected by the Council were Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Mostafa Hashemitaba, Eshagh Jahangiri, Mostafa Mirsalim, Ebrahim Raisi, and Hassan Rouhani.
In three presidential debates which began on April 28, the candidates discussed their plans for solving the country’s problems. In the first and second debates, Hassan Rouhani and his deputy Eshagh Jahangiri came under attacks for corruptions in the executive branch and their failure to solve the country’s problems. The third debate on May 12, was focused on economic issues such as high rate of unemployment, smuggling foreign products imports, banking system insolvencies, bankruptcy of many factories, the country’s dependence on crude oil exports, increase in food prices, and tax collection plan. Other issues discussed were lack of success in promoting self-sufficiency in industrial and agricultural sectors, and rent-seeking in the public sector, a form of corruption common within the regime which involves selling public properties below market value to government officials or their relatives and cronies. Ghalibaf accused Rouhani and Jahangiri of buying public properties for minimal prices. He mentioned that Rouhani’s close relative (his brother Hossein Fereydoon) had engaged in financial corruptions and criticized Rouhani for increase in unemployment rate, high food prices, and his failure to collect taxes. Mirsalim accused Rouhani for increasing export of raw materials and failing to promote manufacturing industries. Raisi accused Rouhani of increasing the payments to retired employees and welfare recipients just before the elections to promote his campaign.
Few days after the debates, Jahangiri dropped out of the elections in favor of Rouhani and Ghalibaf left in favor of Raisi, the protégé of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Mirsalim did not get enough public support from a conservative camp he was representing. Also, Hashemi Taba did not gain support from his reformist camp and later he said he voted for Rouhani himself. That meant the election was mainly about choosing the president between two clerics: the incumbent Rouhani from the so-called reformist wing of the regime and Raisi from the conservative wing.
The government announcement of huge turnout on the Election Day was highly questionable. The results of presidential elections were announced by the Interior Ministry on May 21. From the 56 million eligible Iranian voters, 41.22 million or 73% voted in the election. Rouhani received 23.55 million (57.1%) votes, his closest rival, Raisi 15.79 million (38.3%) votes, Mirsalim 0.478 (1.2%), and Hashemitaba (0.52%). Critics called to question the figures announced by the Ministry. They claimed the voters’ population announced was far beyond the capacity of the polling places. The 73% voters’ participation in the election was too high to be true. Since the voters had to write the candidates’ names whom they were voting for on the ballots and the limited number of available polling places throughout the country, it was highly unlikely that so many people could have voted in one day. Especially, since the city and village councils elections were simultaneously conducted, and checking and stamping of the voters’ birth certificates, and filling out the ballots by so many voters required much more time than one day. As compared to the past elections, this time in the Capital Tehran the poor who mostly reside in south of the city did not crowd the polls at all, while the rich in the north parts had crowded some polls as were shown on the state television. That meant the conservatives have lost support among their traditional constituencies who are the poor.
After the elections, there were some complaints from the conservative camps concerning miscounting the votes and manipulating the results. The conservatives accused Rouhani of engineering the election in favor of himself. Raisi complained to the Guardian council for violations (takhalof) in conducting the election. He said in some polling places there were not enough ballots and his name had not been printed correctly on some of the ballots.
A number of factors affected the outcome of the elections. First, despite failure of Rouhani in economic and other matters, since the media was organized to promote him, he gained more votes. Also, the Western powers had planned to promote Rouhani’s re-election. Europeans wanted Rouhani to win the second term because he had signed some lucrative contracts with their firms after the nuclear agreement was finalized in January 2016. Europeans have opposed President Donald Trump’s plan to confront the clerical regime. Second, Khamenei’s pushing of Raisi as his favorite candidate backfired. Raisi’s record of being involved in mass executions of the political prisoners in 1988 and frustration of Iranians with the conservative clerics led to more votes for Rouhani who had promised to promote political reforms. Third, some supporters of the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad either did not vote or did not vote for Raisi, despite Raisi’s efforts to absorb some of Ahmadinejad’s supporters into his campaign. Fourth, some secular political groups thought boycotting the elections would lead to worst outcome if Raisi was elected. Fifth, some celebrities were shown on state TV and social media, saying they planned to vote for Rouhani. Also, the former president Mohammad Khatami endorsed Rouhani.
Overall, regardless of the highly questionable turnout reported by the Iranian government, it was a surprise election outcome. Despite Rouhani’s disastrous economic policies, his re-election against Khamenei’s favorite candidate Raisi shows how Iranians are frustrated with the theocratic dictatorship of the Supreme Leader.


President Franklin D. Roosevelt used “Keynesian Economics” to pull us out of the depression following Wall Street’s crash of 1929. It got people working again through the Civilian Conservation Core, Works Progress Administration and huge construction projects, i.e., Tennessee Valley Authority and the Hoover Dam — and smaller ones like Chico’s downtown Post Office and the Chico State Amphitheater on Big Chico Creek. The “Feds” were supporting jobs to jump start desperately-needed local money circulation.
You can imagine how the super wealthy elite of the world called Keynesian economics “Socialism.” Roosevelt’s New Deal set up Social Security, farm subsidies to guarantee food production and regulations on Wall Street to avoid future depressions. Behind closed doors, big money interests fought it and anything like it to this day.
Keynesian Economics pretty much came to a halt near the end of Jimmy Carter’s administration around 1979. Milton Friedman-type gurus raised interest rates to a whopping 21 percent. Home building plummeted. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers were disastrously affected. When Reagan said “no” to building low-income housing altogether and made drastic cuts in social services, the fate of Keynesianism was sealed. “Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” became the Washington D.C. mantra.
Today, “neoliberalism” is the U.S. economic model — deregulation, privatization, reduced government, unfettered capitalism. The effects of neo-liberalism? Fifty billion dollars more in billionaire Jeff Bezos’ bank account since Jan. 1 and increased numbers of homeless people without boots, bootstraps or a federal government that gives a damn about them.


For a bigger splurge, a club membership could treat them for up to a year and give discounts on other purchases. Rules and prices vary by wine club, but most suggest finding one that’s flexible. Some even let members choose their own wines.
Of course, knowing a person’s preferences makes the selection easier. Otherwise, sellers are happy to guide buyers toward “safe” or “middle-of-the-road” selections that appeal to most palates, such as a zinfandel that isn’t too spicy or a smooth syrah or merlot.
Pinot noir, a grape difficult to grow in most regions, can also showcase one of the Central Coast’s specialties.
For single people, half-size bottles are popular, said Gretchen Gonyer, the owner of Crushed Grape in San Luis Obispo. She offers a Santa’s Six Pack with half a dozen wines from different local producers plus chocolate in a reusable holder for $75.
Most wine shops will create custom gift bags, baskets or bundles that combine bottles with gourmet oils, salts or other items for as little as $20.
But not all can mail gifts outside California. Each state has different and often complicated rules about shipping alcohol. Depending on their licensing, some shops require buyers to be on-site at the time of purchase.
Nonalcoholic gifts can be shipped anywhere, though, and can please even the most picky. Shops provide decanters, stemware, aerators, decorative stoppers, wine glass charms and even decorative cages for those who save corks.
For the more whimsical, Morro Bay Wine Seller owner Chris Battles has mugs and T-shirts with slogans such as “Pinot Envy — Get Over It.”Colorful freezer bags keep wine chilled on the way to a holiday party or restaurant, Fredrickson said. They have become a popular hostess gift among his customers.


Jon McClure, aka The Reverend of Reverend And The Makers, caused chaos outside the King Tut’s Wah-Wah Tent at T In The Park this evening (July 12) after his scheduled gig at the festival.
At the end of the Makers‘ set inside the tent, McClure pointed outside and told the crowd of his impromptu plan.
Grabbing an acoustic guitar, McClure jumped off the side of the stage and led people, Pied Piper-style, out of the tent onto the grass outside.
Positioning himself against a security fence, McClure was soon mobbed by a huge number of fans, all desperate to capture the moment on their camera phones.
McClure managed to play two acoustic songs which were inaudible to all except those closest to him, resulting in people climbing atop the fence to get nearer to the action.
As the fence began to collapse, McClure was forced to abandon his performance by worried security guards and, after thanking the fans, ran off backstage.
NME.COM caught up with Reverend and the Makers backstage at T In The Park. Watch the interview by clicking on the link below.


Now that Donald Trump has declared he’ll skip Thursday's debate because he hates Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, he’s planning a big special Trump event that will compete for debate airtime. My guess is he’s going to double-down on the Sarah Palin endorsement.
This race is bound to get weirder so why not bring in FDR, just like Trump did recently? Let’s see if The Donald continues to call Iowa voters “stupid” this close to the caucus. Enjoy the cartoon and prep your supplies for the Final Days as the clown car speeds to the primaries!


Location is key! Proximity to May Ave, highways, Lake Hefner and Christ the King make for an ideal location while still being on a nice, quiet street. This home has character in spades with original arabesque tiling in bathrooms, original floor in entry, arched doorways and gorgeous detailed front door! Features 3 bed, 2 and a half baths, 2 living, a dining room, granite kitchen counters and original marble counters in some areas of home. A bonus room off of the living room makes for a great office or play room. Steel pergola on the patio with outdoor patio lights plus a top of the line, massaging salt water hot tub create a backyard oasis. Updated overhead HVAC and a natural gas Generac generator for storm season ensure maximum comfort no matter the circumstances. This one of a kind house also features a large in-ground storm shelter and large Liberty safe bolted in! This home is a must see in a highly sought-after area!


Sir Gareth Edwards would not be surprised if Mike Phillips starts at scrum-half in Wales' World Cup opener against Uruguay on Sunday.
Initially omitted from the squad, Phillips was recalled when Rhys Webb was ruled out by injury.
Gareth Davies and Lloyd Williams were Warren Gatland's original selections, but Edwards says Phillips may edge it.
"Mike has always been a great starter and I think Gatland may bring him on straight away," he told Sport Wales.
Wales legend Edwards added: "It will put Mike immediately in the firing line and be the game he requires, and that's not taking anything away from Gareth Davies or Lloyd Williams.
"But I like them to come on as impact players, they tend to have that little buzz and snipe about them.
"It will be physical and Mike Phillips is the sort of guy who likes an arm wrestle and it might very well be horses for courses."
Racing 92 player Phillips is the most experienced number nine in the squad, with 94 Wales appearances and five British and Irish Lions Tests to his name.
By contrast, Williams and Davies have 23 caps between them and Davies has not started a game for Wales.
Gatland believes Davies could be one of the tournament's surprise packages.
"Gareth is going to catch a few people by surprise with what he's got to offer in terms of his performances," the Wales head coach said.
Edwards, who played 53 consecutive matches for Wales between 1967 and 1978 as well as eight Test matches for the Lions, says Wales have a huge task to qualify from Pool A, which includes England, Australia and Fiji as well as Uruguay.
"My heart will be telling me that Wales will find a result from somewhere," said the 68-year-old, who is expected to be at Buckingham Palace for his knighthood investiture on Thursday.
"My head isn't totally convinced because it's so difficult to call. We can all be passionate and loyal, but I've been in the midst of many experienced players from all over the world in previous weeks and after debating it for hours, quite honestly we don't know.
"Matches could be decided by the width of a post, or width of a try line.
It's a tough shout and Wales area capable of first or second place - but it's a brave man who will put any money on it."
19:00 BST, BBC Two Wales, Thursday, 17 September. Available on iPlayer for seven days after transmission.


I am no fan of news releases announcing that some organization is celebrating an anniversary. So when my editor forwarded one saying the Junior League of Minneapolis turned 85, my finger was a half-twitch away from the delete key. Heck, as far as anniversaries go, 85 is boring.
The Junior League, an organization of women, started giving schoolchildren guided tours of the MIA in 1947-48. Members served 3,300 kids that first year, the release said. So I called the MIA, one of several calls that persuaded me to write this post.
Sheila McGuire, director of the MIA’s Museum Guide Program, said the Junior League absolutely deserves credit for starting the docent program. The Friends of the Museum took over the program and now the MIA has an entire education division with 380 guides. “It has grown immensely, into a huge program where we tour 140,000 people a year,” she said.
I picked out a few others to call, including the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery. Joel Bergstrom, development and communications director, said the Junior League was instrumental in opening the nursery in 1983. Starting in the 1970s, the League spent years researching how to reduce child abuse and neglect and concluded the area needed a place where families in crisis could bring children for a brief period while the parents worked out their problems.
The Junior League also started Free Arts Minnesota, an organization that mentors abused, neglected and at-risk children through dance, drama and other art opportunities. Erin Lauderman, Free Arts director of programs and operations, shot me an email saying the Junior League started the organization in 1997 and backed it financially for five years. It’s now a freestanding nonprofit serving 2,000 children a year. Junior League members continue to serve on the board and volunteer.
OK, enough for me. A tip of the cap and happy 85th.
The organization also is in transition. Compared to the League’s earlier years, more women work. And now there are more nonprofit organizations competing for women’s time and energy.
The League used to own its own building, but it was sitting empty most of the time, said Emily Backstrom, the League’s president. The League sold the building about a year ago; in September it moved into leased space at The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis in Loring Park, a promising fit, said Backstrom, a senior finance manager for General Mills. “It is an example of how times have changed,” she said.
League enrollment has declined since 2000, though it had a good recruiting year last year. It now has 753 members, 235 active and 465 sustainers (alumni). Dues are $160 a year and active members are expected to volunteer five to 10 hours a month.
The League has several ongoing programs, including Books 4 Kids, which has given away 200,000 books to children through schools and nonprofit agencies, and LeagueAires, a music therapy group.
It also is developing new programs. For instance, the League is talking to Second Harvest Heartland about how children who qualify for free- or reduced-priced lunches during the school week could continue to get nutritious food during the weekend. Other communities have launched successful backpack programs, Backstrom said. Volunteers get backpacks, fill them with food and children take them home on Fridays. It’s the kind of project the League would do start to finish, from planning to packing.
The Junior League will vote on that and other new projects in March. “We are going to have to continue to remain relevant to women of today and remain relevant to the community that we serve,” Backstrom said.
The Junior League also has a Helping Hands program, where it offers volunteer help to other nonprofits. For instance, its members cook meals for children at the Crisis Nursery. It also provides trained volunteers to organizations trying to launch a new fundraiser or plan a large-scale public event.
“We are always looking for new connections,” Backstrom said.


HANOVER, N.H. – In the final moments of the Democratic presidential debate here last night, after nearly two hours of wading through their differences on Iraq, health care, tax policy and a variety of other weighty matters, the candidates were asked a crisp question: What is your favorite Bible verse?
In the so-called Lightning Round of the debate, there was little time to elaborate. And none of the candidates cited a specific chapter or verse.
The answers from Mr. Obama and Mr. Richardson, for example, come from the Gospel of Matthew. The reply from Mr. Edwards also comes from Matthew, Chapter 25.
Why do we even care about candidates favorite scripture quotes? I’m sure george bush has one too and we all know what kind of “christian” he is. Leave the myths of the bible out of the political arena.
Dennis Kucinich can be forgiven for citing St. Francis, who was profoundly influenced by Jesus, believing that he had personal experience of the Crucifixion.
As for the Sermon on the Mount, I can say from my early years in India that its very moving sentiments reach across cultures and religions.
The one question I have is to what extent Presidential candidates have gone into religion because so many Americans find it so central in their lives. This may be an instance where voters sway what the candidates say, some more than others. It seems that in the present atmosphere an honest skeptic would be a vote-loser. Thomas Jefferson had his troubles on this score.
Dennis Kucinich didn’t answer the question but he gets good marks for picking a beautiful sentiment. For Barack Obama, he should note that the Sermon on the Mount is much more than a single principle. Senator Clinton likes the golden rule which is a part of virtually every religion. First prize goes to Senator Dodd. It is specific enough to be quite useful. This was a great question.
You don’t really want Iran doing to the US what the US has done to Iran, do you?
I wonder why you noted in your article that none of the candidates cited a specific chapter or verse of the Bible. I was unaware that there was a religious test for public office in the United States.
Isn’r there something in the Bible about “beware of false prophets”?
I cringed when Russert asked that question, & was baffled as to why he’d ask such a stupid question….
Why force religion on a political debate:we already have a nut case in the white house with a hot line to God.
My favorite is John Edwards- but I have always been a sucker for the underdogs, and that scripture is the perfect example of our duty and responsibility in this life. But, I have to go along with comment #6. Anyone who does not agree with Article VI truley scares me.
It’s absurd that politicians have to respond to that question to keep their political lives afloat. Why do politicians have to offer their favorite sentence or theme of a mediocre book of fiction?
every time I read a story like this I can only think of what Benjamin Franklin said at the end of the constitutional convention…”you have a republic, if you can keep it”…seems like we loose more of it every day.
It was a cheap shot, period. Religion has no place in deciding who will be our leaders. I understand completely its importance to a majority of Americans, but what a stupid question! It’s pandering and it’s pointless. And what, I can only imagine, would have been the response of a Jew or Muslim on the stage, much less an atheist? It just illustrates how dumb the politicians and media think we are or want us to be. Comment from above on Constitutional Article VI is right on.
I don’t know if I agree that most people who can recite scripture are “mean-spirited”, but I certainly agree that we shouldn’t care what their favorite Bible quotes are – that’s a ridiculous question. Are we supposed to have separation between church and state? I wish one of the candidates had the audacity to refute the question. I would have supported him/her.
Regarding article 6 of the constitution: Amen brother!
Most comments seem to be from atheists. Perhaps a Christian ought to speak too. Christians care very much what politicians think about moral and spiritual matters, and they can see through the question and the answers. Using God’s word to advance one’s self is blasphemy.
The question is relevant and very poignant. It drills down to the core of each of these candidates for the Democratic Presidential Nominee. They all court the religious vote when they need it. Do dog and pony shows in churches in New Orleans or wherever it looks good to be in church, say during the MLK weekend. But when pressed, none of them no not one can recite a Bible verse. While the U.S. Constitution does exempt candidates from a religious test, this Country was founded and that Constitution written by men who trusted their Faith in God. So when push comes to shove these Democrats will likely put their trust in man. That will lead to utter failure.
It was disappointing to hear this question as a part of a political debate. I’m not at all interested in the irrational beliefs of various candidates, and I would repeat something noted upthread; that the US Constitution states that there will be NO RELIGIOUS TEST for ANY public official.
This is nauseating. Whatever one’s religious affilations are or aren’t, it’s still their actions that matter.
Senator Joseph Biden said christ warning about the pharisees.Senator Joseph Biden does not believe in abortions.
Of all the important issues the Democratic candidates spoke about last night, we get to read about this. Outstanding.
Why do we even care about philosophies of Mike Steinmeyer; or why does he think we care? The belief system of Mike Steinmeyer is not important to who Mike Steinmeyer is as a person or how he relates to others, and his myths + facts as to how the society, the world, and-or universe really work should be internalized ad infinitum.
That was nice. I am tired of the Republicans thinking that they have a monopoly on Bible verses.
Someone should have mentioned the casting stones verse to demonstrate that Republicans are so good at casting them when they are not without sin.
Post #7, Maureen Hardman. Yes, you are right, and we all got hosed mightily by George Bush on that score. He and his band of religious rightwingers and assorted evangelists remind me of the Pharisees of whom Jesus was so critical. In the Catholic church, there used to be a saying that “the converts always sing the loudest.” Lately, we’ve had a vocal, intolerant chorus of religious ‘leaders’ outshouting everyone on the VALUES issue, and look how phony so many of them are. So, who cares what biblical verse, if any, speaks to a candidate? The true test of character is how you behave when no one is looking..how you treat the weakest among you….are you honest, and do you do the right thing even when it is hard? These values transcend all religions.
A Mob Rumble in the G.O.P. Primary?