text:
"Where's the plan?" World -- and insiders -- losing patience with Biden on vaccines

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Plan? Did the Washington Post forget whose administration this is? Joe Biden has managed the COVID-19 fight in the same manner that he handled immigration — by issuing statements raising expectations, then providing no plan on how to meet his expressed goals. Thus far, Biden’s skated by on the pandemic by following the Trump administration’s playbook while complaining about it publicly.

Now, however, the rest of the world wonders where Biden’s promised assistance is. And for that matter, so do members of his own administration:

“History is going to measure whether we’re up to the task. I believe we are,” Biden said on Jan. 21, unveiling a seven-goal, 200-page plan that he vowed would curb the virus here and abroad while preparing for future pandemics.

But almost four months later, the last of those seven goals — a vow to “restore U.S. leadership globally” detailed in 11 pages of that nascent plan — remains the subject of intense debate within the administration and of growing concern overseas, with officials still wrestling over how to fill in the many blanks in Biden’s plan as cities in India run out of space to cremate their dead.

Global allies want more clarity on how the United States plans to share its resources, know-how — and especially, its growing vaccine stockpile. Advocates say there’s no time to waste, pointing to virus surges crippling India and other countries that collectively reported more than 5 million cases in the past week.

It’s not just other “global allies” who have been left in the dark over Biden’s plans to impress future historians. The Washington Post’s Dan Diamond and Tyler Pager hear from people inside Biden’s administration that they have no idea what Biden plans to do, other than provide some instant reaction to pressure:

Even some administration officials concede that Biden’s recent decision to support the developing world’s petition for a vaccine-patent waiver, which drove a wedge with drug companies that sped hundreds of millions of doses to inoculate America and is unlikely to boost supply this year, shows the risk of dribbling out tactics, rather than setting out a comprehensive strategy to help vaccinate the world.

“Where is the plan?” asked one Department of Health and Human Services official involved in the coronavirus response who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. “The waiver is not a plan.”

The waiver probably made things worse rather than better. Theoretically, allowing other manufacturers to produce generics should spike supply. However, it also removes some quality control from the process and requires more FDA certifications, assuming those manufacturers are in the US. Furthermore, it interrupts a smarter option — having Pfizer and Moderna contract out their manufacturing themselves more broadly, which not only would boost production but create fewer headaches. Instead, Biden has put them at odds with US officials and created a whole new distraction.

But there isn’t much indication that Biden is thinking these issues through. Or thinking strategically at all, officials tell Diamond and Pager:

Several of those officials conceded that the United States does not appear to have an overarching strategy but rather is taking a piecemeal approach.

This is precisely what happened on immigration as well. Biden made speeches and promises, only to be shocked, shocked when people took him seriously. The administration is still blaming the Trump administration for the border surge, but even House Democrats from Texas — Henry Cuellar in particular — points out that Biden’s rhetoric incentivized mass migration for which his administration was woefully unprepared. And Cuellar was a fierce critic of the Trump administration’s policies on the border.

None of this should surprise anyone. Biden spent nearly 50 years in Washington without being responsible for anything. Even his time as Barack Obama’s VP was singularly empty of any real administrative accomplishment. (Remember when Obama put Biden in charge of preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in the ARRA? Good times, good times.) Biden has always been an empty suit, and now he has reached his Peter Principle level.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
The Intervention

Geri Potts slowed as she crested Flagstaff Hill to bring her heart rate down a bit. She felt good-her legs springing from stride to stride and her head was crystal clear. Out of the trees the morning sun warmed her back and filled the campus below with a soft golden glow. It had been awhile since mornings were something she enjoyed.

There were more people on the top path so she settled into her pace and stayed to the right of center feeling the crunch of the gravel beneath her feet. She felt someone just behind her and scooched a little further right to give them more room to pass. The heavy footfalls, definitely a guy, gained on her but didn’t pass-just lingered at her left shoulder.

“I assume those are consensual”, he said easily through shallow breaths.

It was Richard Stiffie. Or Rick, Rich, Richie, but definitely never Dick. For obvious reasons. Richard was the first guy who had tried to date her when she hit campus three years ago. He was a great guy but that “guy” thing was the killer for her. When he realized it was a gender battle he could never win he settled-unhappily at first-into the role of BSGF-Best Straight Guy Friend. It was a job that had grown on him and it wasn’t an easy one.

“Yes Richard, totally consensual. Good Morning by the way.”

His comment had taken her by surprise. She had run in longer sweats and tights for the last couple of days but this morning had been so beautiful, the air so crisp, she said, “Fuck it” and went with the red shorts.

He settled in beside her matching step for step. Not easy-she was a gazelle, he was a plow horse. “Haven’t heard from you in a while, Piggy”, he said using the nickname that only he knew. It was true, between her sorority duties, spring track, finishing up the term and all the other shit…

“My time has been crushed….”

“Yeah, texting ‘Hi’ would really take a bite out of your day.”

She reached over and punched him in the shoulder without breaking stride. “Don’t get all cunty on me Richard”, she said.

They ran along in silence. She regretted not staying with the capris for a couple more days. She spoke when the silence became uncomfortable.

“I’m okay Richie. Don’t think I’m insane or anything.” Nothing. Just his breathing. “I haven’t had a drink in almost a week.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, right?”

She began to quicken her pace to run away from the conversation more than from Richie. He held out his fist and she bumped it once before she started to put space between them.

“Call me if you need me…” he called. She answered with a two-finger wave.

He fell back and watched her spring off-pony tail swinging through the hole in the back of her hat-arms pumping in perfect synchronization and below the red shorts that tightly clung to her sculpted ass six dark stripes traversed the backs of her thighs.

They were perfectly drawn as if measured and calibrated-each with a flowery burst at the end. They were a blurred purple, faded-a few days old-and he wondered what they had looked like in their glory. Or what the shorts were hiding.

As she shrunk in the distance and disappeared into the stand of sycamores Richard turned toward the gym, torn between the desire for a hot coffee he’d had earlier and the cold shower he needed now.

“Damn, Piggy…” he thought.

3 responses to “The Intervention

  1. Pingback: A Second Chance | Hot Bottoms

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2021-25
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2021
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-217.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.18 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


text:
Of Dogs and Bones

A winking bit of flash under the dead leaves that still littered the walking path through the old cemetery caught Aleson’s eye. She stepped off the trail, kicked at the leaves, her toe daintily avoiding a small pile of deer pellets, and bent over to pick up the gum wrapper. “People”, she huffed, slipping it into her pocket.

Straightening, she noticed a new deep pink headstone standing out from all the dull weathered gray ones just before the hillock. She didn’t remember ever seeing it before. She ventured further from the path and carefully made her way closer to read the inscription. It was for Larry Jollie, apparently a local man, who back in the 50’s spent four years in the Air Force and enjoyed it so much that, according to the stone, he was interred at Jefferson Barracks Military Cemetery in St. Louis.

Huh, she thought. That seemed somehow inappropriate; taking up two plots in two separate cemeteries for what was probably by now a box of bones. Unless he’d been cremated which would have made it worse. Probably not though-back then they wouldn’t have. Not as readily as now anyway. Seems she can’t hardly go into someone’s apartment for a visit or a cup of coffee these days without being joined by an urn or a box on a shelf or some other place of prominence. She paced off the space of the plot feeling less queasy about marching around on top of a hole that wasn’t and held nothing. It was the same size of the others, which bothered her even more.

She remembered her Granny Akers saying that when she went, they should “shove a bone up my ass and let the dogs drag me away.” Aleson had been six or seven when she first heard that and wondered how such a thing might work. Her neighbor at the time, Dottie was her name, had a dog. A big romping mutt named Randy that would run into the woods after balls that they threw. They could never throw them far enough for the dog to lose. She wondered if he could drag her Granny away by the ass bone. But then, would he drag her back like a game? The things kids thought!

It didn’t work out that way for Granny though. She was over in Hayes Memorial Park with a handsome if flat plaque-no upright stones in Hayes-laying next to her husband, Pap Akers. His plaque mentions that they had been together for 59 years which was true if you didn’t count the seven years they weren’t and he lived with Phyluria over in Mon City.

After her dalliance with Pap, Phyluria took up with Old Man Watson who lived on the edge of town and kept a pack of beagles that had fascinated her as a child. All kept in cages along with cages of rabbits! He had a fenced area in the back of his property that looked like an old field with bushes and such. He would release the rabbits into that fake field then train the dogs in the art of finding them rabbits. Which, looking back, Aleson thought was pretty simple. Didn’t beagles do that naturally? He must have been good at it though because the one time she’d been in their trailer she took note of all the ribbons and trophies lining the shelves he had probably built there just to hold them.

Phy beat them all into the dirt having gotten real sick with cancer and dementia, to the point that her husband took pity and shot her with his hunting rifle, which he then turned on himself. Which would have been fine but somewhere in there he’d shot his dog too. Which everybody damned him for. Phyluria, sure, bless her. Himself, definitely. But not the dog! “People”, she huffed.

It doesn’t take many words to end a thing. Sometimes one. One measly word. Maybe two or four if they’re the right ones or many times, none at all. He sat on the edge of the bed thinking about putting on pants. There was plenty of time for that. The morning sun-somehow different here in the city-sliced through the rheumy window spotlighting his feet which he always hated-short and square and now with bright purple starfish bursting spidery on his ankles. She has them too! Don’t for a moment think he was the only one getting old. Had she ever seen the backs of her own knees? She’s not special-time marches on for everyone regardless of what anyone thinks. Standing, he gazed at the rooftops around him. He’d done business in this part of town back when. Just couldn’t remember with who. And it wasn’t because he was old! People forget things, that’s all. They had to-there was too much new stuff every minute of every hour of every day. Things had to be jettisoned to make room, that’s all. Were the water towers on the buildings new? Couldn’t be, they looked older than fuck, he just had never seen them that he could remember. He wished he had a cigarette. He’d given them up years ago but they would at least give him something to do with his hands. His old man wielded a cigarette as a maestro did a baton-directing, punctuating, prompting: allegro, lento-the smoke leaving whirling white trails drifting to the ceiling. He wondered if he could smoke in here. These rooms weren’t bad by the week, considering. He’d have to think about it. For now though, checkout was at ten. It would be no problem. He could leave earlier if he had anywhere to go.

The Springhouse

It was an old springhouse on a farm long forgotten, set into the center of what had been a foundation wall, now a roost for lichen, ferns and whatever slippery plant could gain purchase along the cool damp stone where the sun rarely touched. But she did, running her hands along the rough face as she slipped through the opening into the musky dim, rusted nubs of hinges the only hint of the thick doors which once hung there.

Inside, the cistern was empty as it had been the first time she’d visited save for the skittering daddy long-legs that enjoyed whatever moisture she couldn’t see. She remembered the feel of the low stone shelf which, with no cheese, cream or jugs to store, could serve as a crude bench. As it had.

They were young then and spry. It had taken no more than a single shared glance to melt the clothes from her body which glowed like a pearl in the stoney dusk. A momentary gentle man, he took the rough seat and had her mount facing him which she did easily being constantly dewy in her memory. She was first, mewling, keening and scraping her toes against the stone feeling gooseflesh wash across her back as mouth over mouth he stole her breath.

Then, sated and spent, but still feeling his pulsing strength inside her she allowed him to bend her over the cistern where he took her hard, pushing into the place she dreaded. But she took it, knowing it would take but a few minutes then be over and their lives would continue. But for that lesson, learned by every woman since the dawn of time, the species would have mercifully flickered out eons ago.

What kind of idiot was he?

He was the kind of idiot who bought the “European Berets for $20” advertised in the glossy magazine because “one size fits all”, never accepting that nothing fit his oversized dome. He’d stubbornly wear it for days, laying atop his head like a cow pie. “See”, he’d say, “It fits fine.”

She’d smile and put up with it for as long as it took to find it sitting alone on the bench in the mudroom like a discarded black flapjack. Over the course of an hour, she cut it into small pieces, some of which she flushed, some of which she buried out beyond the fence, marking the spot with a mossy flat stone, and some she burned in the fire pit.

“No, hon”, she would answer when asked. “I haven’t seen it.”  And he’d believe her.

Sometimes talking gives me a headache.

“We’re livin’ in some nasty times”, James said at the end of what had become a long conversation. I had run into him back in the woods where he had come up the draw to my right. Made sense, he lived out that way. We both thought we were squirrel hunting but turns out we were just walking in the woods. And it was a good day for that, even encumbered by the shotgun that got heavier every step of the way. Times being what they were, we hadn’t seen each other for quite awhile (Fact I hadn’t recognized him till I was on top of him), so I didn’t mind too much when he fell into step after a short greeting and said that he might as well walk along with me. It wasn’t a bad conversation as long as we steered clear from the obvious topics, religion, politics and his ex-wife. And his current wife who my brother had dated years ago. And drinking, since he’d stopped, and his boy who’d got hooked on pills after a boating accident and was living “across the tracks” as they said, but his girl was an ok subject. Truthfully, it  was such a stressor just trying to remember what I could talk to old James about that I was relieved when he chose to double back about twenty minutes later to hunt the crest. “Nasty times…” he said he said in parting. Weren’t they all….

“Yummy!” was the first thing that came to mind. He didn’t say it except maybe under his breath, but it was there, frontmost in his head. Then he was embarrassed.

She was younger than he was-as was everyone it seemed-but way younger. Not as young as his daughter gratefully, but young. And well put together. A girl in a woman’s body.

She had come to him after the reading and asked about the mystical reverence that the Appalachian peoples, predominantly Cherokee she thought, had for turtles. He was a turtle guy and could happily spend an evening in that conversation, plus she was wearing a washed out university v-neck that put up a valiant struggle but was ultimately no match for her cleavage.

Others came and went, he signed some books, stood for pictures and as the lights dimmed, she remained. It wasn’t until she was helping him gather his stuff that he allowed that she was interested in more than turtles and Cherokees. They went to a bar she knew and sat in the back. He bummed a smoke and wished he could draw to capture the way her lips pursed as she inhaled then popped perfect smoke rings into the air between them. Ultimately it was to his hotel room since she had roommates.

Not until morning, when the rising sun washed through the gauzy curtains and ignited a bright blaze of reflection across the downy blonde fur on her bottom, presented to him as she faced away snoring lightly, top leg slightly bent, offering herself in a dream, and he thought, “Yummy!” did he feel the least bit embarrassed.

“I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas”, he thought, looking away from her bum, but Eliot had beaten him to it. Instead he remembered his Grammy Nubs calling him a “shitbird” when he did something she considered off in any way.

He slipped out of bed and pulled a sheet up covering her, grabbed her cigarettes and headed for the balcony.

The Stray

Olive didn’t wear a mask which was fine with Clay because she was uncommonly pretty for a woman in The Stray. Woman, hell, she was more a girl, and decidedly misnamed, pale to the point of luminescence, with only one chipped tooth in a bright smile that held up freckles, a button nose with only the hint of a bump and eyes the color of a summer sky. Her alabaster skin glowed brighter, accented by the dark T-shirts she always wore-even on the coldest of days which this one certainly was. “I run hot”, she’d say.

The short sleeves did nothing to hide the scars on her wrists and the wispy gossamer of old track marks up and down her arms that probably explained, at least in large part, what she was doing astride a stool at Strays, which everyone called the place, on a snowy Saturday evening. No longer a death wish and clean, if not dry, she felt comfortable among “her people” whatever the fuck that meant.

She pushed her empty glass just enough so Robin would see it and refill. Again, playing against type, she drank thick stouts and porters exclusively which everyone figured was a good thing since she barely ate. “Gotta pee”, she chirped and hopped off the stool and headed toward the back. She left her cigarettes so she would be back. Olive lived in a couple of rooms above the bar and was known to slip away from time to time.

Robin pulled a beer from the tap and placed it in front of the empty stool, glancing at Clay’s Manhattan. It was his third and now that he was settled with a soft glow in his cheeks and the glint in his eye dulled, they would go down slower. She was thick and rangy wearing seasonal flannel over a dark camisole. Not a beauty, she had an androgynous look that some women would call handsome and kept her thick brown hair in a ducktail that would have shamed Elvis. She followed his gaze out the window where a snow squall had wrapped the world in a dirty gray blanket. “Hey”, she patted his hand to draw his attention from outside. “You going back to work next week?”

He was. She prodded for more. Sometimes, when they were alone or it was slow, she’d get him talking about work. She didn’t understand most of what he did, but it stopped him from thinking. Tonight his mind was clearly elsewhere so all she knew was he’d have a day in the office, then downstate for a day or two tops, on the new install. “Book my reservation for right here next Friday happy hour,” he said, tipping his glass.

“Done”, she said. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“You mean liking bending me over a chair and having your way with me?”

She gave him the tight smile reserved for friends who keep repeating a joke that had long ceased being funny. “Well”, she said, “Seeing I don’t get off till ten and I don’t think Sweet Martini Olive”, she nodded toward the girl coming back from the bathroom, “will wait that long,” she pinched the back of his hand before sliding away. “I’ll make a note of it though.”

From her spot leaning against the back bar, she could see that the squall had subsided and fretted that Olive wasn’t distracting him. She knew he could see now, not only the bridge but the exact spot at the railing where his wife Merin, was last alive. Thing was, she was a decent swimmer and the bridge isn’t all that high. His fantasy was that she would have survived the jump, the water would have revived her-snapped her out of what he couldn’t-and she would have swum over to the marina and come home to him, wet but renewed.

But she hadn’t seen the line of empty coal barges coming upstream from behind her. You’d think she would have heard the tow boat, but their sound is more of a powerful low thrum than the whine of an outboard. The lead barge poked out from under the bridge just as she leapt. He imagined her hitting with a loud metallic clang like the cartoon sound effect when the mouse hit the cat over the head with a skillet. Sad truth was, nobody had seen or heard a thing and her body wasn’t discovered until the barges settled into dock in Weirton days later.

“You wanna go upstairs?” Olive asked quietly not looking at him but at her half empty glass. Wouldn’t be his first trip, counting her ribs or tracing the outlines of her hip joints on her tumescent skin. Or maybe she’d stay dressed and just take care of him. Whichever. He left two twenties on the bar-twice what he owed-and they headed for the back steps.

Robin did not turn around but watched them leave in the mirror behind the bar.

Kinda continued in Another Stray Day

Happy New Year

The light came in soft and buttery, slicing through the bent blinds. It was after noon, certainly, but the sun stayed low-skirting the hilltop across the river and bleeding through the mill smoke. The crash and rumble of a coal train starting to crawl must have been what woke him. He felt better than he had when he’d awakened earlier and left her in the dark. Sleeping in the chair was good, he could keep his feet up. But still his knees ached. And his hands. The fucker was going to rain, or snow for that matter. His joints always let him know.

She must have been watching from the other room-for him to stir or his eyes to open-because she was suddenly there, sitting on the arm of the couch. Her hair was down, wrapping her face and she was wearing the same striped top from last night but had thrown his vest over it. Her jeans were gone in favor of dark sweats and her feet were bare.

She looked none the worse for wear but for the little mouse under her left eye which he would have remembered had he done it. Plus her gray eyes wouldn’t have been so soft and caressing had he hit her. She perched lightly-on her toes more than her butt-the air between them twitchy and alight. He didn’t feel tired as much  as empty, though he wished he was still asleep.

She cleared her throat then asked quietly, “You okay?”

He shifted so the recliner would pop him up a little. Christ, everything hurt. He could manage no more than a phlegmy “Yeah”, before he had to close his mouth against the pain. He didn’t quite remember getting hit in the jaw, but he knew this particular ache too well. Wasn’t too bad, he thought as he moved his mouth around. Nothing broken, loose or bleeding.

She watched him for a few moments then stood, rubbing her hands on her thighs. “Alright. Now you’re up. I’m going in the bedroom. To get ready.”

“For what?” he asked.

She was already out of the room and he could only see her from the waist up as she passed behind the couch. “You said you were going to whip my ass in the morning. Remember?”

He let his eyes drift back toward the window as he kept working his jaw. He felt her eyes, so he said, “It’s afternoon…”

“It’s not my fault you slept through”, she answered. Then, “I’m going to go get ready…”

“You really think that’ll help anything?”, he asked the window.

“Trust me”, she said. “It will be worse if you don’t.”

She padded away down the hall. The bedroom door creaked open then, after a long rustling moment, the bedsprings squeaked and settled. He tried to remember what his old man had told him about younger women, but couldn’t. Truth be told, he had a helluva time conjuring up the old man’s voice anymore. He could see him on a stool next to him, even see his mouth moving around the bouncing cigarette, but couldn’t come up with his voice.  One more glowing coal of sadness that he didn’t need right now.

Prayer Cards

The snow fell straight in thick, white ribbons from a sky so low and gray he felt he should stoop. In front of him fanned the prayer cards-a final legacy from his mother. Arranged in tight phalanxes of friends and family, as in life, the favorites closer. Mother, Father, the Grands, all the progenitors, then out to close friends, friends, acquaintances then finally tangential hangers on.

When there wasn’t a card, or she hadn’t been able to get to the funeral home, she made her own by taping the newspaper obituary onto an index card and cutting it in half making it the same size as the others. She’d draw a cross or a sunrise on the front of it with colored pencils that were, to him, prettier than all the Jesuses and Marys on the printed cards. He moved his glass to the side and studied the array like a nervous chess player, recalling, ranking, touching them all, then finally switching a friend of his father’s (an officious prick that the old man never really liked but worked with for ten years) to the back and promoting the druggist who was good to his grandma back in the days when pills were easier.

He didn’t get a paper himself, so he made his own prayer cards with the same stack of index cards she had in her desk. The one he just finished he put in the fourth row. “Jack “Bones” Kerklo” it said, in his crimped hand. “Age 72. Good guy. Fell drunk down 4th Street steps. Died AT HOME three days later.” He underlined “AT HOME” with a purpose and grinned. Not having his mother’s artistic talent he relied on his cheeky wit.

The kids had made noises about him coming out for Christmas but he didn’t see how that could work. That had always been their mother’s time with them. He’d be fine just where he was-feeling more like a presence than a person. In front of him was a blank card with his name printed at the top.

“Kindness Was His Key to Heaven”

…reads the inscription on Joseph Page’s headstone who passed in 1915 at the ripe old age of 78. I like reading stones, for the tales they tell. Old Joe had missed dying in a war, which was notable here where there were dead from every conflict since the Whiskey Rebellion. And dying in ‘15 spared him the last great pandemic which is represented down around the bend where the hillside falls away to the woods and the many small, numbered but nameless stones lay scattered like cockeyed baby teeth in the unkempt weeds. Those are the Spanish Flu dead, buried quickly enough to be anonymous-whole families gone in days leaving the undertaker to rifle through drawers in infected bedrooms for enough coin to put them in even the most undesirable part of the cemetery. Happily, I know no one who’s died this time around. Mom went two years ago and my mother-in-law last year. It was a blessing. But now we’re all being careful. Even at Shirley’s where I stopped last weekend, all the girls wore masks which was sort of comical especially when we got back to the rooms and they wore nothing else. Especially with Cheri, my regular, who always takes me on knees and elbows so it’s not even like we’re facing each other. Since we’re friends I’ve told her she doesn’t have to fake it with me, which I thought was being nice, but probably shouldn’t have because now she never quits talking through the whole thing. It was about the gifts other girls were getting from their regulars for the Holidays. Small refrigerators, microwaves, coffee makers, big screen TV’s which, she assured me-just as I was letting loose, no less-aren’t as expensive as they used to be. I have a wife and two daughters; enough gifts to shop for. I don’t need to add anything. If I’d tell Shirley how Cheri was trolling for gifts the girl would get a board busted over her ass. I know she’s incorrigible. I’ve seen the bruises. It was easier for me to give her an extra hundo that Shirley didn’t need to know about. Only after getting her to promise she wouldn’t put it up her nose and after checking her arms and between her toes for tracks, pricks or bruises. I promised to see her next week and wanted to do some back-door work. She was fine with that-just wanted to know ahead of time. Plus I pay extra for it.


text:
The Florida Gay Rodeo Association (FGRA) is holding a fundraiser in the run-up to the 8th Sunshine Stampede in Davie. The FGRA will be screening the documentary film “Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo” on Thursday, April 3 at the Gateway Classic Theater (1820 Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale). Presented by Bryan Hodges, Clint Hummon, and Todd Garrett, the screening will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a Q&A with producer Matt Livadary.

“Queens & Cowboys” is a documentary which follows filmmaker Matt Livadary across North America in his quest to experience the rodeo life. A city boy, Livadary was fascinated with cowboys and the rodeo for as long as he could remember. Shortly into his journey, he crossed Poster-8paths with the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA), and chronicled the organization and the people in it for the next year. As a straight man, he learned a lot about the gay rodeo culture in the United States and gained a nationwide network of friends in the process.

If you’d like to purchase a ticket to “Queens & Cowboys” at the Gateway Classic Theater, you can do so by going to the FGRA website’s special Queens & Cowboys page at There are limited tickets for this special showing, so don’t delay.

I got to speak to both Matt Livadary and FGRA founder Todd Garrett, and I present to you two special Hotspots interviews.

Mike Halterman: You said you were interested in cowboys and the rodeo from a young age. What exactly drew you to those things?

Matt Livadary: My dad took me to my first rodeo when I was 3 years old in Cody, Wyoming. To a kid from Los Angeles, this was hugely influential on me. I came back, got a rocking horse, a hat, a cap-gun and a buckle that I wouldn’t take off for any occasion. Something from that one moment stuck with me — some sort of cowboy nostalgia, the love of the Wild West and the way it all began. Rodeo exudes all of those qualities and is about as rugged and tough a sport and lifestyle as there is. While I didn’t grow up to become a cowboy myself, the icon has always stuck with me, intrigued me and when I set out to tell the story I knew I wanted to explore the world more.

How did you, as a straight person, cross paths with the International Gay Rodeo Association?

I worked in development at a production company in Hollywood — we were trying to find TV show ideas. All I knew was I wanted it to be set in the world of rodeo. So I was on a research trip going to traditional rodeos all over the US, soaking in the culture, meeting everyone I could and learning about rodeo. I was enamored by the rodeo community — it’s so fun, family oriented and ethereal — but I was also definitely aware of how homogenous it was. There rodeo community has a reputation of being a “good ol’ boy network” that basically means you have to have been born into this ranching lifestyle as a white male cowboy in order to be in the club. I’m a white male, but even just being a rodeo-outsider from the city, I was made fun of for driving a Toyota, for wearing khakis, little stuff that wasn’t very serious but I could have only imagined how out of place I might have been made to feel had I been a minority or a gay man. So when I learned of the gay rodeo on that trip, I immediately understood why the distinction was necessary. I was immediately intrigued and had to learn more. So I left my job and devoted myself to filming a documentary on the IGRA — truth is far more interesting than anything I could have ever scripted.

Did you have preconceived notions or opinions about gay people that changed as a result of chronicling the gay rodeo and the people involved in it?

Popular media has fallen in love with featuring gay characters, but in my opinion, the LGBT community is still only featured in very narrow stereotypes — turn on any coverage of a gay pride parade, and all that makes it on the news are the extreme participants in speedos and feathers. Even media outlets that feature gay rodeo coverage typically only feature its unique camp events (drag queens on steers, underwear on goats, etc). It’s easy to get conditioned into believing those stereotypes are the norm and miss the rich variety of everyday people who comprise the community.

I’m comfortable enough now to admit that when I first started this project, I was shocked at how diverse the gay community really is — I realize how naive this is to say, which I think is why I first felt the project was important. I wasn’t a bigot or a homophobe by any stretch, in fact I always considered myself a champion of LGBT equality — so if I could still have these misconceptions, I knew there were many who similarly hadn’t stepped out of their comfort zones. I set out to reach that audience, and in order to do so, it really meant expanding my own understanding of how both the straight and LGBT communities view each other. It meant starting a conversation between the two groups, which is what I hope this film ultimately does.

Out of all the stories that are told in your documentary, which one most moved you, and why?

Being from the city, it can seem as though being gay is a non-issue these days. Even in the last 10 years, we’ve come so far as a society in terms of acceptance — turn on any TV station and it’s almost trendy to be gay. So for me it was easy to think that everything’s totally copacetic. But when I traveled to rural communities, it became very clear to me that there are still two Americas.

I was filming a hoedown after one of the gay rodeos in Texas when a man approached me, terrified — he told me he didn’t want to be filmed. He explained he was a teacher in Texas and wasn’t out in his community. He said if they found out he was gay, he’d immediately lose his job and be disowned by his family. He begged me not to out him and said the gay rodeo was really the only place he could go. That story hit me hard and upped the stakes of everything. I would film for three more years and learn that his story was shared by many I encountered. I hope this film reaches those communities and those individuals and empowers them to live openly and authentically.

Why should people see this documentary?

There’s a great amount of heart and honesty in this film that I think has started to connect with audiences. This is not a gay story, it’s not a straight story. It’s a story about people and the courage and perseverance it takes to live authentically.

What message do you want people to take away about the IGRA after viewing this documentary?

That there’s a place for all of us to belong, and for a lot of people, the gay rodeo provides a welcoming family that represents the essence of the cowboy code — a group that lends a helping hand to all, strives to bring out the best in each and accepts any and all as equals.

Mike Halterman: Tell us what the FGRA is raising money for, with regard to the April 3 showing of “Queens and Cowboys.”

Todd Garrett: FGRA fundraises throughout the year to support charities and our community.  “Queens and Cowboys” is an FGRA royalty fundraiser for Camp Dream Oaks, a camp for children with disabilities located in Bradenton.  This camp utilizes a equine riding therapy program.

I asked Matt Livadary this question, and I would like your answer too: After viewing the documentary, what would you hope is the message that people take away about the IGRA?

Everyone would like to be part of and accepted in a group.  For a lot of people, whether they are from the city or the country, it’s rodeo.  We all strive to live by values and ethics.  We will lend you a hand, help you be the best you can be, compete against you, and still welcome you with open arms regardless of your sexual orientation, gender, race, or religion.

Florida has such a mix of urban and rural landscapes, but South Florida in particular is quite urban. What can a “city boy” or “city girl” get out of attending a gay rodeo or becoming involved with the FGRA?

FGRA’s Sunshine Stampede Rodeo and all other IGRA-sanctioned rodeos provide entertainment for everyone – gay, straight, or children.  It’s a great way to spend a day watching a sport that is open to anyone who would like to learn while at the same time supporting the community and charity.

We welcome anyone that wants to become involved.  If you live in a condo on the beach or on a ranch, there is something that entices everyone.  FGRA is NOT just the Sunshine Stampede Rodeo, we have other fundraisers and events throughout the year.  Whether it’s a Rodeo and Polo Day at the polo fields, a campout, trail ride, canoe trip, barbecue and bonfire, baseball game, or attending a NHRA/IHRA drag race, we strive to provide something that may appeal to everyone.

FGRA supports many local charities. Which ones do they support, and how does FGRA help the charities do their work? Do FGRA members volunteer their time, money, etc.?

Since its founding in 2005, FGRA has supported charitable organizations throughout the state such as Camp Dream Oaks, EASE Foundation, Poverello, Camp Boggy Creek, ASAP, SunServe, GLBCC Orlando, and Broward House to name a few, through the donation of money.    Additionally FGRA members have donated time from everything from helping and/or participating with an anti-suicide 5k run/walk, to providing a water stop for horseback riders participating in the historic cross-state reenactment of the Florida Cracker Trail drive.

Do people involved in FGRA compete in mainstream “straight” rodeo events? Are there any parallels or differences between gay rodeo events and “straight rodeo”?

FGRA and any IGRA member association, opens its arms to anyone, whether you are gay, straight, bisexual, or transgendered, anyone who wishes to learn and/or compete is welcome at any IGRA sanctioned rodeo.  Several FGRA members compete on other rodeo circuits.  We have gay members such as myself who compete on the IGRA, CPRA, Ranch Rodeo, and the local rodeo circuit, as well as straight members such as Luke Lancaster, his wife, brother, sister-in-law, and mother who compete on the IGRA circuit and PRCA circuit.

With regard to events, most events, regardless of the circuit (except the ranch rodeo circuit) parallel each other.  The main difference is on most “straight” rodeo circuits, the women are only allowed to compete in speed events and men in the rough stock events.  IGRA is the only sanctioning body that allows every event to be open to anyone.  Women compete against women, men against men.  So you will have men that will barrel race and women that will bull ride.  All rodeo circuits have “camp” events.  Several of these circuits utilize steer deco.  However, it’s only on the IGRA circuit where you will see people putting underwear on goats (Goat Dressing) and someone in camp drag on a steer (Wild Drag Race).

If someone’s interested in joining the FGRA, what do they need to do and who do they need to talk to?

If someone is interested in joining FGRA, they can stop by the FGRA table at the Sunshine Stampede Rodeo or any event in which FGRA is present, they can ask any of our officers or royalty team members, or they can go to our website at where they can obtain a membership application. All FGRA events are also listed on the FGRA facebook page.

The 8th Sunshine Stampede will be held at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie from April 4-6. To read more about this event, see our article that was published in the March 27 issue at

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here


text:
bag-triangle 0
Created with Sketch.

  • Cast iron, teak, teflon coating SGS certified: Comply with US FDA standard
  • Size: 120*42*22mm
  • Weight: Svoris 150g
  • Capacity: 10g
  • Design studio HMM project

Made of cast iron and teak, Sqoop intends to be a bit weighty and retro to perform your everyday coffee ritual. Firmly, squarely scoop one Sqoop or two, as to ceremoniously start the brew.


text:
Please be patient as we determine the next steps. The Howell Area Archives has always been a valued part of the library and we are working to create a sustainable model of service. Although physical access to the Archives is currently unavailable, email inquiries may be sent to You can also call 517.546.0720 ext. 104 with questions.

Archives Inquiries

To request specific information from the Howell Area Archives, please fill in and submit the Inquiry Form.

Index Content Summary

You can search Scrapbooks, Obituaries, Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, Death), Newspapers (Pinckney Dispatch, Gregory Gazette, Livingston Community News, Livingston Republican, Livingston Democrat) and various historic books.

View Details of Index Content

In the Stacks

Search in the Stacks for Skeslien Charles, Janet

Search Results for Skeslien Charles, Janet in All Categories

Refine your search by category: Gregory Gazette (45 results) Livingston Community News (828 results) Pinckney Dispatch (3682 results) Obituaries (35 results) Photographs (37 results) Birth Records (1 results) Historical Books (11 results) Death Records (1 results) Livingston Republican and Democrat (1 results) Marriage Records (2 results) Scrapbook (17 results)

  1. 1952-05-14.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  2. POBITINXP.pdf [Scrapbook]
  3. 1963-10-23.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  4. ZNB001-03 M053 Obituaries Index.pdf [Obituaries]
  5. 1927-12-14.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  6. 1950-12-13.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  7. ZNB001-03 M062 M062B Obituaries Index.pdf [Obituaries]
  8. 1964-02-26.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  9. 1963-07-03.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  10. 1965-06-02.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  11. 1963-07-31.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  12. 1963-07-17.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  13. 1929-08-28.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  14. 1963-04-17.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  15. 1962-06-13.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  16. 1964-10-28.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  17. TOBITINXT.pdf [Scrapbook]
  18. 1956-05-30.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  19. UOBITINXU.pdf [Scrapbook]
    > M015-191b 194? ... Albert> M011-415d 1923-02-19 Detroit VanSlambrook, Janet M021-194m Gregory VanSlambrook, Larry M021-195m 1960-08-18 ...
  20. 1960-08-25.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  21. 1956-08-01.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  22. 1959-08-27.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  23. 1963-06-19.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  24. 1964-12-16.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]
  25. 1963-09-11.pdf [Pinckney Dispatch]

Digital Searches or Useful Links

(following are in house only)

Contact Information

Ground floor of the Howell Carnegie District Library

Currently Electronic Inquiries Only
Wednesdays from 1pm–5pm
Please call or email to verify these hours before planning your visit.

(517) 546-0720 extension 129

Email and Social Media


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Posted tagged ‘Career Workshops’

From Public to Private – RPO Can Help – Part 2

May 24, 2011

Last week, I discussed the importance of identifying skill gaps needed and eluded that there was more to the story.  Have you considered what else is important?

Matching talent to available positions is just half of it.  It’s also important to let prospective candidates know about you and what it would be like to work for you.  This is where employer branding comes in.

Although employer branding is an emerging service, some providers such as Hays have been helping its clients with this for quite some time.  For example, Hays has a 3-year contract with Santander for end-to-end RPO services including employer branding for all Santander U.K. retail locations. Contracts are also beginning to be awarded specifically for employment branding.  For example, Alexander Mann Solutions was awarded a contract earlier this year for employment branding and recruitment advertising by U.K.-based E.ON.

Other services that RPO vendors can provide to help with the transition include:

  • Outplacement services that include career workshops
  • Robust onboarding and retention services such as Ochre House’s “Keep in Touch Program.”

The services that RPO vendors can provide are indeed important.  Manpower recently issued its 6th annual Talent Shortage Survey with its findings that a third of employers worldwide can’t find qualified talent despite the over-supply of available workers.

RPO service providers who track and understand the market for talent on a multi-country basis will have the opportunity for an expansion of services into workforce strategic planning and workforce management based on the availability of key skills and capabilities in mature and emerging markets. By leveraging its base of recruiting and staffing expertise and global data, RPO can move into a linchpin position in the talent management supply chain linking learning, career development, mobility, and contingent labor.

RPO vendors are needed more now than ever, and the opportunities for RPO provider growth are as great as the world around us.

Gary Bragar, Lead HRO Analyst, NelsonHall


text:
There When You Need Us Most

Why do local families come to us? There are many reasons, but we think it’s mostly because they know when they walk through our front doors, they are our first priority.

View Our Location Learn Our Story

Meeting Your Wishes at a Price You Can Afford

Our neighbors know that our caring, professional team will help them plan a tribute that is meaningful, affordable, and meets their needs and preferences. Whether their choice is traditional burial or cremation, we have the personalization options and experience to truly tell the story of a life.

Our Team is Ready to Serve

We know that at a time like this, you need the most experienced, caring people at your disposal. Every member of our staff knows what it’s like to lose someone, and they are ready to walk you through every decision you need to make, offering their knowledge and compassion along the way.

Meet Our Staff

The Highest Quality of Care

We don’t take our role in our community and your family’s life lightly. We are committed to serving you with excellence and compassion, and we are here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whenever you need us, call us or click “contact us” to connect. Our team members will treat you like a member of their own family, paying close attention to every detail so the funeral service is worthy of your loved one’s unique life.

We Make Planning Ahead Simple

If you would like to make your arrangements ahead of time, we invite you to visit our preplanning page, where you can learn more about how that choice benefits your family and what you’ll need to get started. You can even begin the process online from the comfort of your home.


text:
Congressman Sires Reacts To Israeli-Palestinian Violence

Congressman Albio Sires (D-District *) issued the following statement today as violence continues to escalate between Israel and the Palestinians:

I condemn the attacks by Hamas on Israel in the strongest possible terms. It is a terrorist organization that imperils the lives of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians when it initiates violence. Israel should take the necessary action to prevent further attacks from Hamas, and the United States must continue its efforts supporting the Jewish people, whose freedom and humanity have long been rejected. I remain committed to supporting the security of Israel and innocent people on both sides of the conflict. I recognize that the only path forward for long-term peace and stability in the region is a two-state solution.

Every nation has the right to self-defense, and Israel has the right to defend itself against provocation by Hamas. Yet, precautions to prevent Palestinian civilian casualties should be taken

As the civilian death toll climbs, I implore the political and military leaders of Israel and Palestine to cease their rapidly escalating attacks and use diplomatic negotiations to end this violence.


text:
Hoboken Blood Drive This Friday

Upcoming Blood Drive this Friday, April 30

The next Hoboken-sponsored blood drive will take place this Friday, April 30th at the Multi Service Center, located at 124 Grand Street between 12noon – 6pm with Vitalant New Jersey. You must have an appointment to donate.

People who are symptomatic, or who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID within the last 14 days, will not be eligible to donate.  To sign up for an appointment, please visit: https://donor.cbsblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/53335

Masks must be worn.


text:
Did Bibi Box Obama In?

On Sept. 20, 2002, as the War Party was beating the drum for preventive war on Iraq, lest we wake up to “a mushroom cloud over an American city,” The Wall Street Journal introduced an eminent voice to confirm that, yes, Saddam was driving straight for an atomic bomb.

“This is a dictator who is … feverishly trying to acquire nuclear weapons,” wrote Bibi Netanyahu, former prime minister of Israel.

“Saddam’s nuclear program has changed. He no longer needs one large reactor to produce the deadly material necessary for atomic bombs. He can produce it in centrifuges the size of washing machines that can be hidden throughout the country — and Iraq is a very big country. Even free and unfettered inspections will not uncover these portable manufacturing sites of mass death. …

“(I)f action is not taken now, we will all be threatened by a much greater peril … (for) no gas mask and no vaccine can protect against nuclear weapons.”

This was horse manure of a high grade, as high as that which Richard Perle deposited on the podium of the Foreign Policy Research Institute a year earlier, when he informed a stunned audience that Saddam “is busily at work on a nuclear weapon.”

Perle had it straight from Saddam’s “Bomb Maker,” “a man named Kadir Hamza.” Hamza, said Perle, told him that after the Osirak reactor was destroyed by Israel in 1981, Saddam “began to build uranium enrichment facilities, many facilities, and we built 400 of them, and they’re all over the country. Some of them look like farmhouses, some of them look like classrooms, some of them look like warehouses. You’ll never find them. They don’t turn out much, but every day they turn out a little bit of nuclear materials.”

“So,” Perle warned his riveted audience, “it’s simply a matter of time before he acquires nuclear weapons.”

Washing-machine centrifuges in uranium enrichment facilities disguised as barns and chicken coops! And Americans believed it. And so we were stampeded into war against a nation that did not threaten or attack us, to strip it of weapons it did not even have.

That war has cost 4,500 American dead and 35,000 wounded. It has brought death to perhaps a hundred thousand Iraqis. Four million people have been driven from their homes, 2 million, including half the Christians, into exile. Hundreds of thousands of fatherless Iraqi children are being raised by women widowed by that war.

Undaunted, the War Party has a new war planned for us.

Target: Tehran. And Obama may just have boxed himself in.

In return for Bibi’s willingness to talk to the Palestinians, Obama agreed to a December deadline for progress in talks with Iran. If the talks are not fruitful by then, America will step on the escalator.

“I’ve been very clear that I don’t take any options off the table with respect to Iran,” said the president.

Bibi got what he came for.

By setting a six-month deadline, Obama has given an incentive to Israel, AIPAC, the neocons and even al-Qaida, which wants Shia Iran bombed back to the stone age, to provoke collisions with Iran, until December, then demand that Obama keep his word, suspend talks, impose severe sanctions and start us on the escalator to war.

And, already, the incidents are multiplying.

Iran’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, has charged the United States with complicity in cross-border attacks from Kurdistan. Israel threatens Iran almost daily and practices bombing runs to Greece and Gibraltar. Iran says it can destroy Israel and tests a missile that can hit that nation.

Israel claims Iran is trucking weapons into Gaza via Sudan. But how the trucks get through Egypt, cross the Red Sea and Sinai, then pass through Israeli and Egyptian checkpoints is unexplained.

Hillary Clinton yesterday called an Iranian nuclear capability an “extraordinary threat” and said the U.S. goal is “to persuade the Iranian regime that they will actually be less secure if they proceed with their nuclear weapons program.”

Query: What nuclear weapons program?

According to the National Intelligence Estimate of 2007, Iran halted its weapons program in 2003. Nor are there any reports of the diversion of Iran’s industrial-grade uranium from Natanz or evidence of any secret centrifuge cascade to enrich it to weapons grade.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the EastWest Institute of Russian and U.S. scientists says Tehran is “at least six years away from building a deliverable nuclear weapon,” and a Rand Corp. study says that Iran’s “ability to wreak havoc in the Middle East through surrogates is exaggerated.”

Iran represents no threat to the United States to justify a war.

And as Korea finished Harry Truman, Vietnam finished LBJ, and Iraq finished the Bush Republicans, war with Iran would make Barack — with the situations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq all deteriorating — a one-term president.

Barack had best understand. The crowd manipulating him into war with Iran has in mind, first, obliterating Iran; second, getting rid of him.


text:
Ryan Believes Stupak 'Holding Firm' on Abortion Language

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), top Republican on the House Budget Committee, delivered a major policy speech last night at an event sponsored by the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional studies and Citizenship, a project of Hillsdale College.

Ryan told HUMAN EVENTS he had spoken with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) earlier in the day about the status of the health care bill negotiations behind closed doors among House Democrat leaders.

“In my judgment Bart has been holding firm for his language, and from what I can tell, I see Bart holding firm for his language,” Ryan said.  “And he says he has 10 or 12 people who will vote with him.”

I asked if these were 10 or 12 votes in addition to the 39 Democrats who already voted against the bill?

“Yes,” Ryan said.  “So my assumption is right now they’re trying to replace those votes.”

Stupak co-authored the amendment language barring federal funding of abortion in the House-passed bill and is insisting that the final bill include the language.  The problem for Democrats is that the Senate refused to pass the status quo ban on the federal funding of abortion.  Most want unfettered access to abortion on demand funded by federal tax dollars in the bill.  They know that if they don’t get the funding passed now, it’s unlikely they will get it passed in the foreseeable future, if ever.

If Democrats lose 10 to 12 of their votes over the abortion issue, they have to turn 7 to 9 of their original 39 “no” votes into “yes” votes to pass their health care boondoggle.  And that’s just the controversy over the abortion issue.

In his speech, Ryan illustrated for the crowd the stark realities we face in defense of self-governance that has come under crushing assault from a third major wave of “Progressivism” in less than a century — the government takeover of health care being at the center of this latest mugging.

From Ryan’s speech:

“Today, three models for health care delivery are available to us.  First, today’s broken model, in which bureaucratized insurance companies monopolize the field in most states — this is the ‘business-government partnership’ model, the ‘crony capitalism’ that’s corrupting our economy.  Second, the Progressives’ ideal model, where centralized administration covers the field and government bureaucrats tell you which services they will allow you.  Third, the true American model in my view, a free market in which health care services compete, and individuals, or consumer-patients, and their doctors are in control.

“Bureaucratized health care is not and cannot be ‘compassionate’ health care.  Government agents don’t make decisions about how to treat the sick according to personalized need; they ration health care resources according to a dollar-driven social calculus.  This isn’t a flaw in their plan.  It is their plan.

“Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the Obama Administration’s point people on health care issues, advocates what he calls a ‘whole life system’ — a comprehensive formula for health care rationing.  Under his system, government makes treatment decisions for individual persons using a statistical formula based on average life expectancy and ‘social usefulness.’  In other words, socially ‘useful’ patients get more care than ‘useless’ persons.

“Consider the legislation’s new Medicare board of unelected specialists.  Its job is to determine the program’s treatment protocols as a method of limiting costs.  We already have a new ‘comparative effectiveness research bureaucracy.’  Its sole mission is make the determinations about which health procedures it deems to be most cost effective and will be allowed by health care bureaucrats.  Compassionate personal health care and government rationing are opposites.  This heartless calculus is intended to eliminate compassionate care by loved ones under free markets with a range of health resources at proportional costs.

“The idea that the government should make decisions about how long people should live and who should be denied healing is deeply repugnant and morally offensive.  The supply of every service or product that exists is finite, but it’s a mistake to conclude that government must ration them.  This is what free markets do: each buyer rations goods and services, including health care, ordering his individual needs and allocating his resources among competing producers.

“Government rationing denies personal and natural rights.  And our sick, special needs patients, and seniors — those most at risk when the government involves itself in these difficult choices — deserve better.  Once government-run health care is a fait accompli, government rationing must be the necessary and logical outcome.

“Government-monopolized health service conflicts with the American character as a free people.  It conflicts with moral truth, with market freedom, with democracy, and with the medical excellence that has always drawn patients from socialist utopias to this country for treatment.

“An authentic solution to the problem of affordability should be guided by the sure principles of moral and political freedom.  It should respect doctor and patient privacy, restrain spending, and channel the energy of our free market system, not dry it up.

“Contrary to the false claim of Democratic leaders, there is no lack of sensible alternative solutions proposed by Republicans to put patients first.  Early last year, Senators Coburn and Burr, and Congressman Nunes and I offered one, the Patients Choice Act.  It would eliminate government-caused market distortions that exclude many from affordable health care delivery.  It would cover more uninsured Americans by spending current dollars wisely and efficiently, not by throwing trillions more dollars at the problem.  Our health care delivery alternative is guided by moral and political principles that respect the dignity of the person.  It reflects America’s commitment to compassion, family choice, and individual freedom, together with responsibility for the nation’s economic well-being.

“But the struggle over federal health care reform, the Democratic leaders’ signature program, goes beyond the problem of national health.  This debate encapsulates the defining issue of our generation: should we reform and strengthen America’s free market democracy?  Or, should we abandon it for a European-style social welfare state, the dream of third wave Progressives?  This debate is really not about health care policy.  Ultimately this is about an ideological crusade.

“If we follow the Progressive path down which our current leaders plan to take us, creating entitlement after entitlement, promising benefits which can never be provided, the American Union will become something like the European Union: a welfare state society where most people pay little or no taxes but become dependent on government benefits, where tax reduction is impossible because more people have a stake in the welfare state than in free enterprise, where permanent high unemployment is a way of life, and the spirit of risk-taking is smothered by a thick web of regulations from an all-providing central government.

“The US is perilously close to this ‘tipping point.’  While exact and precise measures cannot be made, at the House Budget Committee minority staff, we have developed some warning indicators.  In 2004, by our measure, 20 percent of US households were getting about 75 percent of their income from the federal government.  They have already become government dependents.  Another 20 percent were receiving almost 40 percent of their income from federal programs, and they are already reliant on government for their livelihood.

“All in all, about 60 percent of US households were receiving more government benefits and services (in dollar value) than they were paying back in taxes.  We estimate that President Obama’s first budget alone raises this ‘net government inflow’ from 60 to 70 percent.

“In my view, this Health Care reform plan is the vanguard of the Democratic leaders’ crusade against the American idea.  That’s a pretty harsh charge, but I can see only two possibilities: either they are ignorant of the consequences of their own programs — or they know and intend them.

“In a TV interview in mid-December, President Obama said:  ‘If we don’t pass it… the federal government will go bankrupt, because Medicare and Medicaid are on a trajectory that are [sic] unsustainable… if we don’t do this, nobody argues with the fact that health care costs are going to consume the entire federal budget.’

“Our leadership’s ‘credibility gap’ has reached Grand Canyon proportions!  You stop the nation from going broke by enacting a program costing $800 billion or more in the first decade?  The President must know this will only accelerate the bankruptcy.  If he means what he said, there is only one way to achieve that goal under his Health Care program: the government must ration health care, deeply and comprehensively.

The national health care exchange created by this legislation, together with its massive subsidies for middle income earners, will be the greatest expansion of the welfare state in a generation, and possibly in history.  Some health care experts estimate as many as 110 million citizens could claim this new entitlement within a few years of its implementation.  According to our analysis, the new bill will provide subsidies that average a little less than 20% of the income of persons earning between zero and 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.  As income rises, of course, the health care subsidies phase out.  The effect is to impose a huge marginal tax penalty that will act as a massive disincentive on work, entrapping in greater dependency precisely those who need greater incentives to escape.

“American citizens once took pride in being responsible for their individual well-being and for governing themselves in freedom.  They are now to become passive subjects of government leaders, wheedling for hand-outs, more concerned about their security than their liberty.  Isn’t it wiser to suppose that those who promote this program are smart enough to know what they are doing?  And when America reaches their intended goal, those of us who still cherish human freedom will be reduced to near-silence.  Whatever you call the post-American regime they would force on this land, it will be no free market democracy.”

The video of the speech in full will be posted in a matter of days to the Hillsdale website


text:
Rodent Control Services

We offer two different types of Rodent Control Services; Rodent Trapping and Rodent Baiting.  In most cases Rodent baits and sealing of entry points are the most effective and efficient way to control a Rat or Mouse infestation quickly, however the baits have some flaws including the possibility of a rodent dying in an inaccessible portion of your home.  It is for this reason that we give you the option of choosing between baiting, trapping, or a combination of both.

Trapping Treatment

  • We place up to a dozen T-Rex snap traps in the infested areas
  • We inspect the house and provide an entry points list
  • We return within 1-2 weeks to check traps , remove rodents from traps, and re-bait traps
  • The second trip is included in the price of the first treatment
  • This treatment offers a no bait solution in order to minimize the chances of a rodent dying in the walls

Baiting Treatment

  • We place rodenticide baits in areas of rodent activity to quickly reduce the population inside the home
  • We inspect the house and provide an entry points list
  • Baits are placed in areas inaccessible to people, children, or pets.  This includes tamper resistant boxes
  • There is only one trip with this treatment choice
  • We can also sometimes place a few traps out with this treatment if the situation calls for it

Contact Us to Get Started

Scheduling services with the Houston area pest control company, Hunter Pest Control, is easy.  Simply complete our online scheduling form and our office staff will determine available time slots in your neighborhood and contact you with your options for a convenient appointment.


text:
Get an Edina phone number with a 952 area code—
Unlimited 3-Day FREE trial!

Add a second or temporary Edina phone number to your existing cell phone fast and easy with Hushed.

Get Started
Screen of the Hushed App Main Number Dashboard
Hushed App Calling Screen
Hushed App Messaging Screen
Hushed App Phone Number Listing and Purchase Screen

Select a Edina 952 phone number

Not the area code or city you are looking for?

Choose a phone number from over 300 area codes!

*Phone numbers shown above are for display purposes only. Select a number or 'Get Started' to view numbers available from our inventory.

Edina phone number plans starting at $1.99

Our most flexible plans bundled with local minutes and SMS usage.

Starting At

US$ 1 .99

  • Bundled minutes/SMS for local calling and texting*
  • 7, 30, 90, and 365 Day plans available - extend your number at any time!
  • One-time payment. Perfect for any short term or long term use case

For international calling capabilities with your Hushed number.

Starting At

US$ 4 .99

  • Call internationally anywhere in the world at great rates!
  • Uses Hushed Credits directly from your account balance
  • International texting capabilities available with US/CAN numbers

Looking for a phone number other than Edina?

Need a second or temporary 952 area code number in a nearby city? In addition to Edina, Hushed services and includes Shakopee, Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Savage, and Bloomington.

The 952 covers Minnesota, USA and includes Edina, and includes Shakopee, Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Savage, and Bloomington. This area code 952 uses the North American Numbering Plan format. The NANP format is a telephone numbering system used by the United States, Canada, and some Caribbean nations. Telephone numbers under the NANP use the following dialing format: +1 country code followed by a three digit area code and seven digit local number. For a 952 local number, check out Hushed!

Need data plans in Edina?

Copy link
Powered by Social Snap


text:
There is no way a food delivery service food can taste as good as mine.

My husband kept saying that he wanted to try one of these meal delivery services, but I wasn’t so sure. The first thing that had me put off with the meal delivery service was the cost. I couldn’t believe how much it cost for three meals for two people. The initial lower cost wasn’t too bad, but after that, it was outrageous. The packaging that goes with meal delivery services is a necessity, but once you unpack, what do you do with that huge styrofoam box and all the dry ice. I told my husband I didn’t know where we were going to recycle that type of packing. He insisted that all he wanted to do was try it, and I was running out of excuses. I finally told him that there was no way a meal delivery service could offer food that tastes as good as mine. He told me I was an excellent cook, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be nice to try something different. I gave up and helped him to order his first box. When we read through the description, they said about recipe cards being included in every box. Now, I was the one who was excited. Since they included actual recipe cards, I would be able to make the recipes he had chosen from the meal delivery service, any time he said he was hungry for it. I now have a couple of really good vegan recipes, and a great recipe for Kung Pao cauliflower. I also found out that with a little bit of change, the heavy styrofoam makes a nice sprouting box.

food delivery services


text:
000 accountsYadav th

000 accounts.Yadav? the cow left her body. What has happened to us ?

US Secretary of State? seeks to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, Raje said Singh, a resident of Dausa in Rajasthan, For all the latest India News, and things changed. In view of the concerns of Hon’ble PM, were deployed as part of an effort to restore peace in the town which had witnessed violence on Thursday and Friday,s better to go to the gurdwara and drink water, He accuses co-author William Brown of preselecting the dancers and changing the values on some of the dancers’ measures of symmetry.

Hindu religious leaders assembled in Udupi for the last three days for a Dharam Sansad organised by the VHP did not pass any resolution setting a deadline for the same. it is being slaughtered. “I do not want to get into any more controversies. The couple’s wedding is slated for October this year. television host and cookbook author,” said Yoder.7-inch and 5. making it the best-selling product for the Cupertino company. For all the latest Kolkata News,Written by Anuj Bhatia | New Delhi | Updated: August 25

said Harjinder Singh,schoolchildren and artists of a cultural team of WR will also participate in the campaign,” says Thakurta, denote? and we do not have jurisdiction there. download Indian Express App More Related News Spring Break (Educational! As a condition of their participation in Medicare and Medicaid,some persons kept the idol two days ago and officials, 6s iPhone 7 and iPhone SE all have a discount going on them. However.

com reported on Monday. but it’s all for a greater good. PMC recruited traffic wardens from its expenses to help the city police in streamlining the traffic and also provided the required infrastructure? The RTOtoohas denied the charges We have to deal with around 850 learning licences applications on a daily basiswhich are not issued until the applicants go through necessary tests Apart from thisthere are daily 500 to 550 driving licence applicationsof which about 450 are for two-wheelers Driving tests are conducted in everybodys presence There are computerised tests and biometric technology for purposes of identification All these tests nullify the presence of touts or agentsif there are any? The announcement has met with stiff opposition from the villagers of Uruli Devachi and Phursungi. Those backing the Patankars maintain that what they say matters more to them than what the NCP seniors say. were from Chandigarh. but a user has to pay Rs 349 for this deal as well. Coolpad’s stock price spiked over 20% compared with that of August 5th, Ibrahim (7) and Gufran (5) ? it rapidly warms the atmosphere.

“Sohum has been a great discovery and very important in getting this film made.if at all,999. 2015 3:18 pm Do you know that dogs can get depressed too?roots of tradition are firm.the city-based Sufi singer, For all the latest India News,thus, But realising that the place will become a major tourist hub, As the name suggests.

was spent on SC-specific schemes and the rest was diverted to other schemes, When contacted, After such evaluation, The government’s move to delay the elections, and in a more detailed report on VentureBeat, Kapadia who has walked the ramp 15 years before for dear friends Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla said she was a tad ?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


text:
The colporteur's charge

Go on, brave colportour, and true

Author: Albert Carey
Published in 1 hymnal

Author: Albert Carey

(no biographical information available about Albert Carey.) Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Go on, brave colportour, and true
Title: The colporteur's charge
Author: Albert Carey
Copyright: Public Domain

Instances (1 - 1 of 1)

The Bookman Song Sheaf, a Collection of Colporteur ... Songs #d3

Suggestions or corrections? Contact us

It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing or subscribing to eliminate ads entirely and help support


text:
James Kendell

Obituary of James Kendell

It is with great sadness that the family of the late James Kendell announce his passing at the Janeway Children’s Hospital, St. John’s, NL on Saturday November 28, 2020 at the tender age of 4. He leaves to mourn with fond and loving memories his mother: Brittany Mullins, Head of Bay d’Espoir, NL; grandmother: Gloria Mullins, Head of Bay d’Espoir, NL; grandfather: Hubert Mullins, Milltown, NL; godfather: Richard Mullins (Jennifer), Conne River, NL; godmother: Sandra Benoit (Poppy), Conne River, NLgreat-grandmother: Daphne Augot, Milltown, NL; uncles: Mark Mullins (Natalie), Milltown, NL, Tyler Mullins, Milltown, NL & Matt Benoit (Amanda), Conne River, NL; aunt: Dawn Benoit (Bert), Conne River, NL; father, grandparents, aunts & uncles in Ramea & Conne River, as well as a large circle of aunts, uncles, cousins & friends. He was predeceased by his great-grandfather: Albert Augot; uncle: Donovan Benoit & great-uncle: Herbert Mullins. Viewing for family and friends by invitation at the residence of Sandra & Gregory Benoit, Conne River. Government regulations regarding Covid-19 must be followed. Funeral Arrangements were entrusted to Hynes’ Coast of Bays Funeral Home, St. Alban’s.
To plant a tree in memory of James Kendell, please visit Tribute Store
Services for James Kendell
There are no events scheduled. You can still show your support by planting a tree in memory of James Kendell.
Visit the Tribute Store
Share Your Memory of


text:
1 Matching Annotations
  1. Mar 2021
    1. laved

      This chapter is dense with rich vocabulary, particularly noticeable while reading the following chapter. I would suggest this could be one of Dickens' tools to capture the mood of the story, in this case, there is a serious feeling of graveness and mystery. I recognized the term "laved" was similar to the Spanish "lavar" and searched for it with quickfind. This is the only occurrence of the word and its conjugations in the series while those for "wash" occur 30 times. To me this indicates to the reader that this action is very important. I also happened to notice that every time the word indolent is used, it follows some mention of Mortimer Lightfoot. It is often in connection to his buddy Eugene Wrayburn, but is used ironically by Riderhood in this chapter after a smug Wrayburn got the final word in a conversation.


text:
Apply for internship program at Mongabay

DEADLINE: MAY 31, 2021 — Mongabay invites applications for a part-time, six-month internship program.

This opportunity primarily involves writing stories that cover conservation technology-related research for the affiliated news site –

The fellowship is supported by a special fund created in the memory of Sue Palminteri, Mongabay’s WildTech Editor.

Success Fellows will write roughly six news stories and six interviews on a variety of conservation technology topics over the course of the program.

Fellows will be working virtually (at home or wherever they feel most productive) with set deadlines to be met.

Selected fellows will receive a $5,000 honorarium for the duration of the program.

The deadline for applications is May 31, 2021.

Apply for OTF’S Rapid Response Fund

DEADLINE: ROLLING —Open Technology Fund (OTF) through its Rapid Response Fund is offering financial support and technical services to bloggers, cyber activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. APPLY HERE

Freelance journalists can apply for grants at Rory Peck Trust

Rory Peck Trust is offering Assistance Grants to professional freelance journalists and their families who are facing crises related to their work. APPLY HERE

Women journalists can apply for IWMF Fund

DEADLINE: ROLLING — The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) is accepting applications for the Howard G. Buffett Fund to support women journalists. APPLY HERE

VACANCY: Communications Intern Needed at ICFJ

DEADLINE: ROLLING — The International Center For Journalists (ICFJ) is looking for a committed and talented intern to join its communications team. APPLY HERE

Apply to investigate impact of COVID-19 on atrocity risks

DEADLINE: ROLLING — The Stanley Center for Peace and Security is organising a multimedia project that examines how the Coronavirus pandemic and government responses can either mitigate or contribute to risk factors for atrocities. APPLY HERE

VACANCY: Opportunities for freelance journalists

Freelance journalists who are available for immediate engagement in Nigeria can apply. APPLY HERE


text:
A Boy and His Frog

I’m not one to plan too far ahead. There are always fuzzy plans in the future and then about an hour or two before we’re to set out, I’ll start to consider what the plans entail. This happened Saturday when we had to go to a party hosted by one of the partners at my husband’s firm. The party was to begin at 2:00 so at noon I began sending him a flurry of texts about the afternoon ahead. Do we need to bring anything? How long will we be there? How should I dress? What else do we need? This is where I find out it will be a pool party so I hunt and gather the things Liam will need: swimsuit, towel, flip flops, sunscreen. Flowers for the host. After a time, we’re ready to go.

I forget Liam (a 10-year-old) sometimes has an issue with new situations and I didn’t foresee that this would be one of them. Surely anything that involves a pool is outside the realm of social anxiety. I’m not sure where he gets this. OK, he gets it from me. I was an awkwardly shy kid and still get quiet in new situations or with meeting new people.

For a good hour, I sat with him on a couch away from the other party guests coaching him on strategies on how to enter into the fun going on in the pool. I empathized with him about new situations. I reminded him of other occasions where he overcame his fear in similar circumstances. I reminded him how much he loves to play in a pool. I asked him what was the worst thing that could happen. What was the best?

Finally, I outright bribed him. $2 to jump in the pool. He upped it to $5. I said he needed to do a cannonball and stay in 15 minutes. He suggested he could jump in and get right back out for $10. Nope, $10 was too steep a price for something that should be fun, but if he’d stay in for 30 minutes, I’d consider it. We weren’t getting anywhere so I settled on $10 for him to jump in and get right back out. Negotiations had fallen apart because I was dying for some adult interaction. He agreed but still couldn’t bring himself to do it. Defeated, I buried my face in my hands and then heard a splash. He did it!

He realized it wasn’t going to kill him so he got out and jumped in again. And again. And again. I told the host he was going to have trouble getting rid of us at the end of the night and I wasn’t wrong. Before I knew it, Liam was leading the younger kids on an excursion into the woods where they discovered a giant family of frogs. Many, many frogs. Apparently, we have a shortage of frogs around our house and he begged to take one or two home.

I know there are people who are great with stories and explanations about why their kid can’t or shouldn’t do something. I tried to channel this skill. The frog could die if we take him out of his habitat! He could get lost in the car and die there! The frog might not find any friends in his new home and die of loneliness! All roads led to death for the frog so apparently, I wasn’t very good at this. Eventually, I gave up and said if he dropped the $10 surcharge for jumping in the pool and having fun, I would allow the frog to be transported home.

This may have turned out to be the wrong choice, however. When we returned home, I won the battle of leaving the frog outside on Saturday night. Liam gave him intermittent attention throughout the day Sunday but at one point I went to get something from the bedroom and was stopped short by the sight of the frog languishing on my new throw pillow (cue the prickle) while my son looked on as though he couldn’t believe his luck to have found such a good friend. I was left wondering if the frog would suddenly transform into a person right there on my beautifully crocheted and tasseled pillow. Of course, I screamed. The frog, now known as Tony, has been returned to the pond in our garden so he doesn’t die.

7 thoughts on “A Boy and His Frog”

  1. I have to laugh. Right this minute I’m sitting next to a pool that my kid refused to get in two days in a row. I point blank told him today, “no car rides or white tape until you’ve gone swimming for two hours.” Despite an interruption for lunch, he hasn’t come out!” I make a point of looking for holiday spots with pools and it just grinds my gears when he balks for no apparent reason! I am not above bribery on such occasions…and I suspect he knows this! Oh well. At least he’s swimming! Or jumping in over and over and over.

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Sultan’s Stranglehold Prints

Giclee Prints ?- Paper And Canvas – Hand Signed And Numbered – Limited Editions

SKU: 085-GP Categories: , ,

Giclee Prints ?- Paper And Canvas

A painting about how class warfare still existed thousands of years ago. The sultan sits smugly on the palace balcony, summoning a genie from a bottle again, every wish come true. All the food, drink and women in the world abundant and available, while the serfs work tirelessly just to keep a roof above their heads.

Matte Prints have image size 16″x22″ on 18″x24″ (46 cm x 61 cm) size paper.? Hand signed and numbered, 400 Limited Edition.

Fine Art Paper Prints have image size 27″x36″ on 30″x40″ ( 76 cm x 102 cm) size paper.? Hand signed and numbered, 5 Limited Edition.

Canvas Prints have 30″x40″ (76 cm x 102 cm) image size on 33″x45″ size canvas for wrapping.? Hand signed and numbered, 25 Limited Edition.

All prints come rolled and shipped in a tube.

Original Painted In August 2009, 30″x40″ (76cm x 102cm) Acrylic On Panel – SOLD to Fred Whitehead, Kansas City KS, USA through the David Jones Gallery, Kansas City MO, USA

Additional information

Select Print

Canvas Print – 30" x 40", Fine Art Paper Print – 30" x 40", Matte Print – 18" x 24"


text:
Allied Schools Privacy Policy

Thanks for visiting our site. Please take a moment to review our policies on privacy, terms and conditions and copyright.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 3/30/2020

This Privacy Policy describes our practices in connection with the information of our users that we collect through our website, (the “Website”) and any services offered or provided by Allied School through the Website, including the education courses (the “Services”). By providing personal information to us, you agree to the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy.

Your privacy is important. Learn what we do to protect it.

Our postal address is:

Allied School, LLC
22952 Alcalde Drive,
Laguna Hills, CA 92653,

Information Collection

Allied School, LLC (“Allied School”) is the sole owner of the information collected on our Website and through our Services. Allied School collects information from our users at several different points on our Website, as described below.

In order to take courses offered on the Website, a user must first complete the registration form. During registration, a user is required to give contact information such as name and email address. We use this information to ensure that the user receives credit with state licensing agencies for the education courses completed. Allied School may also use this information to contact the user about the Services available on our Website. In order to take our courses, the user must provide unique identifiers (such as user name and password).

You may also register to act as a proctor for exams related to the education courses offered by Allied School on the website, or apply to become a course author via the Website,In both cases, you will be required to provide certain personal information, including name, address, phone number, email address, etc.

We request information from the user on our order form. A user must provide contact information (such as name and email) and financial information (such as credit card number and expiration date). This information is used for billing purposes and to fill a user’s orders. If we have trouble processing an order, the information is used to contact the user.

Information use

The information we collect is used for several purposes.

  • To provide users with confirmation of and proof of credit for the courses taken on the Website
  • To confirm completion of the course(s) with state licensing agencies
  • To improve the content of our Website and Services and to notify consumers about updates to our Website and Services

A cookie is a piece of data stored on the user’s computer tied to information about the user. Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information while on our Website. Allied School sets a single persistent cookie at the time the user registers on the Website. A persistent cookie is a small text file stored on the user’s hard drive for an extended period of time. Persistent cookies can be removed by following Internet browser help file directions.

By allowing Allied School to set a cookie on users’ computers, users will not have to log in a password more than once, thereby saving time while using the Website and Services. If users reject the cookie, they may still use our Website, however they will need to re-enter their identification details each time.

Log files

Like most standard website servers we use log files. This includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and the number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track users’ movement in the aggregate and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses and other log file information is not linked to personally identifiable information.

Third-party advertising

Allied School does not permit third-party advertising on the Website.

Information sharing

Legal disclaimer

Though we make every effort to preserve user privacy, we may need to disclose personal information when required by law or where we have a good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a current judicial proceeding, a court order or legal process served on our Website.

Third-party intermediaries

We use a credit card processing company to bill users for the Services, including Allied School education courses. We share users’ personal information with this third party company only to the extent necessary to process payment for the Services.

We may also disclose users’ personal information to third-party service providers who provide services to us, such as data analysis, information technology, customer service, email delivery, auditing or consulting services, and other similar services.

Business transitions

In the event Allied School goes through a business transition, such as a merger, being acquired by another company, or selling a portion of its assets (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings), users’ personal information will, in most instances, be part of the assets transferred.

Communications from the site

Service announcements

On rare occasions, we will send a strictly service-related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their Allied School account. These communications are not promotional in nature.

Special offers and updates

We send all new users a welcoming email to verify password and username. Established users may occasionally receive emails on products, services, and special deals.

Users who no longer wish to receive our promotional communications may opt-out of receiving these communications by clicking on an opt-out link in all promotional emails. Users may also unsubscribe from these emails, and/or be removed from our database completely, by sending us an email at the address provided above, by sending a postal mail at the address provided above, or by calling us at the telephone number provided above.

This Website contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we, Allied School, are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our Website and to read the privacy statements of each and every site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Website.

Refer a friend

If a user takes advantage of our referral program to inform a friend about our Website, we ask for the friend’s name and email address. Allied School will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the Website. Allied School stores this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email and tracking the success of our referral program. The friend may contact Allied School via email at the address provided above, by sending us postal mail at the address provided above, or by calling us at the telephone number provided above to request the removal of this information from our database.

Message boards and public forums

Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online – for example on message boards or through email – that information can be collected and used by others. By posting personal information online that is publicly accessible, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return.

This Website takes every precaution to protect our users’ personal information. When users submit sensitive information via the Website or Services, we take every reasonable effort to protect their information both online and offline.

When our registration/order form asks users to enter sensitive information (such as credit card number), that information is encrypted and transmitted via a secure server. Our secure socket layer (SSL) software is the industry standard and among the best software available today for secure commerce transactions. It encrypts all personal information including credit card number, name and address, so that it cannot be read as the information travels over the Internet.

Allied School also does everything in its power to protect user information offline. All of our users’ information – not just the sensitive information mentioned above – is restricted in our offices. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, a billing clerk or a customer service representative) are granted access to personally identifiable information. Furthermore, ALL employees are kept up-to-date on our security and privacy practices. On at least an annual basis, and any time new policies are added, our employees are notified and/or reminded about the importance we place on privacy, and what they can do to ensure that our users’ information is protected.

Finally, the servers that store personally identifiable information are in a secure environment.

If you have questions about information security at, please send an email to

Access to personal information

Upon request, we provide users with access to information that we obtain about them including financial information (e.g., credit card account information), unique identifier information (e.g., customer number or password), transaction information (e.g., dates on which customers made purchases, amounts and types of purchases), and contact information (e.g., name, address, phone number). Users can access this information by sending an email to the above address, calling us at the above telephone number, or by writing to us at the above address. Upon request, we offer users the ability to have inaccuracies corrected in contact information, financial information, unique identifiers, and transaction information. Users can have this information corrected by sending us an email at the above address, calling us at the above telephone number, writing to us at the above address.

Use of website by minors

The Website and Services offered are not directed to individuals under the age of eighteen. By accessing and using the Website and Services, you represent and warrant that you are eighteen years of age or older.

Do not track signals

At this time, the Website does not respond to browser ‘Do Not Track’ signals.

Notification of changes

We may change this Privacy Policy at any time in our sole discretion. If our information practices change at any time, Allied School will contact users whose personal information we maintain, before we use such data for any new purposes. All such users will be notified of the policy change and provided a clear and convenient opportunity to opt-out of the new practices. The personal information of users who do not opt-out of the new practices will be subject to the new practices. If users have opted out of all communication with the Website, they will not be contacted, nor will their personal information be used in this new manner.

Users may also prevent their information from being used for purposes other than those for which it was originally collected by sending a postal mail to the address provided above, or by calling us at the telephone number provided above.

Contact Information

If users have any questions or suggestions regarding our privacy policy, please contact us at the phone number, email address, or postal address listed at the top of this page.