Nandcc's Word List

Comment on IT’S A TRAP!!!! by pookee feet t

*Dabbs off eye boogers* *Snorglols kitteh in warm towel* Schmoo!

Comment on The Creation by Margaret Dabbs

I find it impossible to pick only one aspect of creation as God's greatest gift to me. The tranquil peace and serenity I feel looking at the mighty ocean versus a new born baby's cry versus all the animals versus the sun by the day and the moon and stars by night leave me with the inability to pick one. As I remember the story of creation it was one that filled me with awe as a very small child in Sunday School as the creation story was told on a felt board by Miss Della. She would let us take turns putting the different days of creation in place. Whether I got to put the moon or sun or a creature I was engaged with the creation story as my faith walk itself was being created. Thanks for allowing me to remember this wonderful time in my life.

Comment on YOUR FILM RECOMMENDATIONS by Sophie Vines

The Green Mile Stephen King’s Green Mile isn’t like his normal horror trash in fact, The Green Mile is definitely an exception and a credit to King’s talent of writing. The Green Mile is a prison drama based on King's serial novel. This film is incredible, however the book is indeed better and a recommendation to read. However still, Frank Darabont does such an immense job converting the book to the silver screen, he stays faithful to King's novel while giving it an entertaining aspect on the big screen. While the original book focused on the whole aspect of prison life and the interaction between the inmates and the guards, the movie tries to follow that same footing, but also divulges deeper into the relationship between guard Paul Edgecomb and John Coffey, an immense man convicted of raping and murdering two little girls. Tom Hanks stars in the film, and plays the role solidly. His performance is not like the Oscar-nominated roles of the past, but considering the immense talent of this ensamble, he does not need to be. Hanks plays the younger Edgecomb, while Dabbs Greer plays the older Edgecomb. The older Edgecomb ends the film, reflecting on the year of 1935, and as he describes it, the year of his terrible urinary infection and also the year of John Coffey. With Tom Hanks in the film, The Green Mile automatically was tagged as the film to beat for the Academy Awards. And while Hanks's performance may not be above and beyond his normal expectation, The Green Mile should definitely be one to watch. Ironically though, Hanks does not carry The Green Mile towards near-perfection. In fact, no member of the cast truly lead the film, it was definitely an ensemble performance, and a major success at that. The ensemble definitely leads this film, but there are a few breakout performances that are worthy of note. First of all, Doug Hutchison is yet another young actor who should be garnering more leading roles as the Millenium approaches. His performance as the evil and cowardly Percy Wetmore is impeccable, and undoubtedly the best of the film. He contributes perfectly to the group, while still making a name of himself. His Percy is dead on with the character of King's novel. Secondly, Michael Duncan, whose only previous major roles came in Armageddon and A Night at the Roxbury, breaks out of his shell as the enormous, yet spiritually powerful, John Coffey. Be sure to note his initials, because Darabont makes many religious references to Coffey's powers, which both support and detract from The Green Mile. And finally, the impeccable Mr. Jingles, The Green Mile's mascot a small mouse which becomes a pet to another prisoner. Is there anything wrong with The Green Mile? Yes, as minor as they may be, there are one or two minor flaws, but nothing major. The first thing that comes to everyone's mind is the film's running time, but all things considered, The Green Mile stays entertaining for pretty much all of its three hours. When trash like The Haunting has problems even filling up two hours, The Green Mile is a fresh of breath air as its character interaction and unique entertainment and sentiment keep everyone interested for the three hour marathon. Now onto the flaws. I, for one, have read the book. While some may see that as a disadvantage, because it would prevent me from reviewing the film fairly, it is actually an extreme advantage in the case of The Green Mile. While the film is very good, when it ventures into John Coffey's supernatural powers, a lot of viewers who have not read the novel will be left in the dark. In the end, most of the loose ends of the film are tied together, but it is fairly vague to some people what is going on, which may lead to their dismissing Coffey's acts as pure pretentiousness. However, Darabont tries his best, and The Green Mile does eventually make sense, just be sure to pay attention. Those flaws may be nitpicking, but in the end, that is all The Green Mile actually fails at doing. It has true sentiment and despite its few lapses into unbelievability, The Green Mile keeps you entertained for the full three hours with an unbelievable ensemble cast and a wonderful plot. As Paul Edgecomb says, the Green Mile can be "oh so long," but in the eyes of this critic, it is also 'oh so beautiful.'

I should be packing...

I’m not really sure why, but the blog and I are in a fight right now and although it (he? she?) won the battle, I’m going to win the war. I COULD NOT get this picture to show up on … Continue reading →

Showaddy Waddy Top of the Pops Clips Recovered

MISSING Top of the Pops performances by pop group Showaddy Waddy including UK number one single Under the Moon of Love are heading back to the BBC after being spotted on YouTube.

Letter From a Birmingham Jail

Certain recent events have brought the name and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. back to the forefront of public consciousness.  In lieu of these developments, I thought it would be worthwhile to post the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” possibly the most moving composition I have ever read. As you read this letter, [...]

Trevor May to get first start for Lakewood BlueClaws in playoffs

Upon further review, it will be Trevor May (7-3, 2.91 ERA) instead of Brody Colvin on the mound when the Lakewood BlueClaws begin defense of their South Atlantic League championship Wednesday at Hickory. Prior to Thursday night's 4-1 victory over Augusta, BlueClaws manager Mark Parent said Colvin (6-8, 3.38 ERA), originally announced as the Game 1 playoff starter, will be on the mound for Game 2 Friday when the best-of-three series returns to Lakewood. Jonathan Pettibone (7-6, 3.55 ERA) will start Saturday's if-necessary third game at FirstEnergy Park. All three are right-handers. Leandro Castro hit his 10th home run, a solo shot, and Michael Dabbs' two-run double snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning as the BlueClaws (39-26, 81-54) stopped the Giants' affiliate (34-30, 75-57) before 6,157 at FirstEnergy Park. May has been Lakewood's most effective pitcher at times of late, while Colvin has been restricted to five-inning stints. "In your first day of the playoffs, with Colvin limited to five innings, your bullpen could be used (a lot) there," Parent said. "May has an opportunity to get us deeper into the game and stuff-wise he's been doing pretty good, so we'll go with that." The way the rotation is lining up, should Lakewood advance, May would pitch the opener and a decisive fifth game of the championship series. "And Pettibone and (Julio) Rodriguez (4-1, 1.61 ERA) will seemingly get a start or two in the playoffs," Parent said. May, who threw six strong innings in Lakewood's second-half division clincher Wednesday, was leading all of minor-league baseball in walks this season when he was transferred back to Lakewood from the Florida State League. In 2009 with the BlueClaws he went 4-1 and had a playoff victory. In his last 10 games May is 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA. He has struck out 88 and walked 18. At Clearwater May had struck out 90, but walked 61 in 70 innings. With Hurricane Earl churning northward in the Atlantic Thursday, Lakewood general manager Geoff Brown said he would wait until Friday before making any determination on Friday night's scheduled game with Kannapolis. . . . Former Monmouth University ace right-hander Ryan Buch (5-2, 2.86 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Intimidators.

Comment on A PLN Connection…11 years in the making! by Louise Valenciana

What a fantastic story! As a former principal and colleague of Lisa's it's wonderful that she has kept up her blogging and is making new colleagues all of the time. While I am out of work/retired now, my latest experience was at the doctor's office. As I was checking out the young lady helping me with the paper work looked up at me and said, "I think you were my elementary principal at Sparks Elementary". Weren't you? I really smiled and she said you left because you had cancer, didn't you? I explained that I did have cancer and was still undergoing chemotherapy when the district board transferred me to another school around 11 years ago. She smiled and said, "I am happy to see that you are alive". I agreed with her that my life is so important to my husband and I. At times many years go by before you run into a former colleague, a family member, a former student or even just a nice person from a community one has worked in and dedicated time and energy toward. It's a great feeling! I truly enjoyed this story, I wish we could all be sharing good stories at such a difficult time in our society! Keep up the good work Lisa Dabbs and Megan! Louise

A PLN Connection…11 years in the making!

I am excited to be able to have my first guest blogger! Even more excited that the content happens to be a shared connection between my guest blogger and me. I’m honored to have Megan Palevich as my guest blogger. She is an inspiring teacher! You can find Megan here http://middleschool101.edublogs.org/ She is also on [...]

NO LIMITS: System serves victims well; there are better ways to reduce costs

Should Michigan keep its no-fault auto insurance laws?online survey There's plenty of reason for drivers to like Michigan's auto no-fault insurance system. We need to keep it that way. For starters, Michigan auto insurance laws do not cap no-fault medical expenses; accident victims are covered for the entire duration of their injury. Other no-fault states, such as Delaware, cap no-fault benefits as low as $15,000. In cases of catastrophic injury, medical bills can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. So for many Michigan accident victims, not having a cap on auto insurance is the difference between bankruptcy and recovery. Consider that no-fault benefits make up about 20% of an auto insurance premium, compared to roughly 50% to 60% for collision and comprehensive coverage. Beyond ensuring that accident victims return to the highest possible quality of life, auto no-fault has kept a countless number of frivolous lawsuits out of our court system. Michigan law requires drivers to collect claims from their own insurance company rather than suing the at-fault driver. Accident victims must meet an injury severity threshold before seeking quality-of-life damages resulting from their injuries. It's this balance between quality benefits and the limited right to sue the at-fault driver that has made Michigan's auto no-fault system a model for the nation. That's not to say, however, that auto insurance in Michigan is perfect. In fact, without action to keep insurance rates affordable, Michigan's entire auto insurance system will be in serious jeopardy. Between 1989 and 2005, Michigan's rates jumped nearly 70%, causing too many motorists to drive without insurance. The insurance industry would have us believe that the only way to reduce costs is by cutting personal injury benefits, which ultimately pushes their expenses onto Medicaid, and restricting accident victims' rights. The Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault (CPAN) believes there are better solutions. CPAN has called for laws to end the veil of secrecy over the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association. This organization currently charges every Michigan motorist $143.09 a year to reimburse insurance providers for an individual's medical expenses in excess of $480,000. However, the only voting MCCA board members are insurance companies. Their meetings are behind closed doors and are not subject to the Freedom of Information or Open Meetings acts. Stronger regulatory powers should also be given to state authorities charged with oversight of the insurance industry. Michigan law requires all drivers to have auto insurance, yet the Michigan insurance commissioner doesn't have the authority to ensure that auto insurance companies are charging a fair price. Similar to the state's authority to regulate energy rates, the insurance commissioner should be given the power to deny rate increases and order refunds if rates are determined to be unjustifiably high. Laws must also be passed that ban insurance companies from using irrelevant factors such as credit scores, education and employment when determining rates. These factors have nothing to do with one's driving ability and unfairly target working-class families with higher rates. Michigan's auto no-fault system is widely considered the nation's best. Instead of seeking reforms that tear away at the very benefits that place Michigan in such high regard, policymakers would be wise to first require insurance companies to be transparent and accountable in their rate-setting procedures. Michael Dabbs is president of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan and spokesperson for the Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault.

Football season

I am glad football season has finally arrived.  Sports-wise, it’s my favorite time of the year. I can sit down and watch any college football teams at any time. I can’t say the same for any other sport. I know Alabama should have a great year, but I don’t know if any team can get [...]

BlueClaws set playoff rotation, defeat Augusta

Right-hander Brody Colvin (6-7, 3.28 ERA), who has pitched much better than his record, will start the Sept. 8 South Atlantic League Northern Division playoff opener when Lakewood goes on the road, BlueClaws manager Mark Parent said prior to Monday night's 3-2 ninth-inning victory over Augusta, Ga. (Giants). With a little more than one week remaining in the regular season, the opponent -- either Greensboro, N.C., Hickory, N.C., or perhaps Kannapolis, N.C. -- has yet to be determined for the best-of-three series. In the bottom of the ninth Monday, Kyle LaFrenz's two-out infield hit scored Leandro Castro with the winning run -- Lakewood's 13th walk-off victory of 2010. Eric Massingham (5-2), Lakewood's third pitcher, was the winner, hurling three scoreless innings. Left-hander Kelvin Marte of Augusta (33-28, 74-57), a 2007 free-agent signee, 22, took a five-hit shutout and a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning against a weakened Lakewood lineup (37-25, 79-53). Michael Dabbs knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly and Anthony Hewitt greeted reliever Chris Wilson with an RBI single. Parent said Trevor May (6-3, 3.05 ERA) will start Game 2 on Sept. 10 at FirstEnergy Park, with Jonathan Pettibone pitching a potential Game 3 in Lakewood. If Lakewood advances, it will begin the best-of-five SAL finals Sept. 13 on the road. Parent said Colvin, who recently turned 20 and has been limited to five innings over his last nine starts, will be followed Sept. 8 on the mound by Julio Rodriguez (4-1, 1.61 ERA). Colvin has a 1.69 ERA in his last 10 appearances. "I don't see that changing," Parent said referring to Colvin's restricted outings aimed at protecting the arm of the 2009 seventh-round draft pick. "It doesn't make sense to shut a guy down for a certain amount of time and at the end of the year build him back up." With the rotation being formulated, rarely used reliever Mike Bolsenbroek started for Lakewood on Monday. The 23-year old had thrown 14 consecutive shutout innings before his last outing Aug. 22 at Hagerstown. He gave up a run in the second inning Monday and a solo home run by second baseman Ryan Cavan of the Giants affiliate in the fourth. "We have some relievers who haven't gotten that much opportunity as of late and this will give them chance to throw, get some cobwebs out, good or bad," Parent said. "We happen to be fortunate enough where we're in a situation where we're not in a mad (division) chase, so it gives us a chance to kind of set it (the rotation) up." Lakewood played minus regular catcher Sebastian Valle (hamstring), starting infielder and leading hitter (.296) Jeremy Barnes (virus), and utility infielder Korby Mintken (neck). Though Valle (.256), who leads the team with 16 home runs and 74 RBI has been placed on the disabled list, all three players are expected to be ready for the playoffs, Parent said. Kannapolis has officially announced that former Monmouth University right-hander Ryan Buch will start against Lakewood at 7:05 p.m. Friday at First Energy Park in the opener of the final regular-season series. In two minor-league stops this season, Buch, converted this summer from a reliever to a starter, is 7-3 with a 2.76 ERA (5-2, 2.86 ERA with Kannapolis). The 2009 draftee started July 14 against Lakewood in Kannapolis, allowing one earned run in five innings. Parent said infielder Carlos Perdomo will be joining Lakewood today from Clearwater, where the 2007 free agent, 20, batted .237 with 10 RBI in 30 games.

Martin Luther King: LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL 1963

This is in no way intended to trample on the copyright ownership of this piece. It is to disseminate ideas about justice, civil rights and civil disobedience for educational purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL April 16, 1963 MY DEAR FELLOW CLERGYMEN: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent [...]

Man stabbed in Chesapeake dies

Man stabbed in Chesapeake dies — Sun Aug 29 02:38:28 UTC 2010
A man stabbed in Great Bridge late Saturday morning has died. Chesapeake Police spokeswoman Kimberly Dabbs said officers responded to a stabbing call on Hurdle Drive at 10:57 a.m. They found 45-year-old David Cantley suffering from a stabbing.
about: Chesapeake Police David Cantley Great Bridge Human Interest Kimberly Dabbs spokeswoman

Dispatches

In case you haven’t noticed (which I don’t know who in their right brain WOULDN’T have noticed because, well, come on!), it’s Friday. And Friday means one thing. The weekend. Time to hang out with your friends and family. Sleeping in. Wearing NASA T-shirts to work with a blazer and calling it good. Ahem. Well, […]

BlueClaws pull away late to beat Crawdads

The Lakewood BlueClaws took an early lead Thursday night and pulled away late, topping the Hickory Crawdads 7-3. The win keeps Lakewood (34-25) 2 1/2 games up in the Northern Division. Hickory's loss and Greensboro's win moves the Grasshoppers into sole possession of second place, with the Crawdads 3 1/2 back. While Hickory (30-28) jumped ahead early on Wednesday, it was the BlueClaws who gained the early edge on Thursday. With one out, Michael Dabbs singled, Jonathan Singleton walked and Jeremy Barnes hit a two-out double to put the first run on the board. Stephen Batts then hit a two-run single for a 3-0 Lakewood lead. Hickory came right back in the bottom of the first against Josh Zeid with two of its own. Travis Adair hit a leadoff home run and Zach Zaneski hit a sac fly to cut the Claws' lead to one. Lakewood added an insurance run in the third. After a Singleton leadoff triple, Sebastian Valle grounded out to bring him in. In the fourth, Anthony Hewitt started the inning with his ninth homer of the season to push the lead to 5-2. Leury Garcia hit an RBI single in the fourth to make it a 5-3 game, but that was as close as the Crawdads would get. Kyle Lafrenz took a foul ball off the foot to start the ninth, but on the next pitch picked up a base hit. He then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Alan Schoenberger singled him in for a 6-3 edge. Jiwan James then singled, but Schoenberger was gunned down at third with James advancing on the throw. James then stole third and came home on a Dabbs fielder's choice groundout. Josh Zeid improved to 7-4 with the win, letting up just three runs in six innings. Mike McGuire recorded the last four outs for his fourth save.

Checking In

Well it has been a week since we all last talked. Julia and I have been busy preparing for the home study. We went to the Darlington County Detention Center today to get our fingerprints taken so we can send them … Continue reading →

Peekskill to host Gospel Show and Praise Dance Competition

PEEKSKILL -- Roger Hamilton's charitable efforts, like playing Santa to city kids, are well known throughout this city and beyond. And, as usual, he remains undeterred by his medical woes, including kidney and liver transplants in 2004 and last year's double foot amputations due to complications from diabetes. "I tell everyone, I lost my legs," Hamilton said at his office on North Division Street. "I didn't lose my mind. I have to do this." Hamilton, along with comedian James "Uncle Jimmy Mack" McNair and a handful of others, is organizing the Aug. 28 benefit Gospel Show and Praise Dance Competition at the Paramount Center for the Arts. The event has two primary beneficiaries. The first is Hamilton's own Brush Foundation, a charity he named for his printing and tax consulting business that supports the National Kidney Foundation. The next is Tommy Dabbs, a renowned Peekskill singer whose recent health problems mirror Hamilton's. Dabbs is slated to headline the event, an engagement organizers say he has vowed to fulfill. Community youth programs and the mid-day meal program run by the Salvation Army will also benefit. The 8 p.m. event will be simulcast online, with proceeds from that to support plans next year to try to book Grammy-winning gospel great Shirley Caesar at the Paramount. That event would also benefit the kidney foundation. Hamilton always seems to be at the center of one community fundraiser or another. For 13 years, his annual free Christmas show at the Paramount has sent hundreds of kids home with presents they might not otherwise receive. He launched the first fundraising concert for the kidney foundation in 2006. "We didn't want to ask him because we felt Roger was recovering," said McNair, whose comic credits include Saturday Night Live and BET. "But as soon as Roger heard about it, he said, 'I want in.' " Praise dance is a youth sensation on a par with that of break dancing in the 1980s, said McNair, whose Brothers Productions is co-producing the event. It has a spiritual component, without being overtly religious, that draws young people to it. It was important to include local youth programs in the benefit, he said, because Peekskill has never had the range of programs he and Hamilton saw growing up in the Bronx. They can make the difference for a kid trying to stay on track, Hamilton added. "If I can save one or two kids out of 10, then I've accomplished a lot," he said.

Crawdads best BlueClaws in first meeting of season

The Hickory Crawdads and Lakewood BlueClaws have been battling for the top spot in the Northern Division for much of the 2010 season. Wednesday night, the Crawdads got the best of the BlueClaws in the first meeting of the season between the two teams, 5-3. The Crawdads (30-27) tallied two runs against BlueClaws starting pitcher Trevor May (6-3) in the first inning on a Zach Zineski RBI double and a Jared Prince RBI ground out. The BlueClaws came back with a run in the fourth. Leandro Castro was hit by a pitch by Neil Ramirez (9-8), stole second, and scored on a Stephen Batts double to cut the deficit to 2-1. But Hickory added two more runs in the bottom of the inning. After the first two hitters reached base, Yefry Castillo hit an RBI double and Jonathan Roof hit a sac-fly to score the fourth run for the Crawdads. Lakewood (33-25) battled back to cut into the Hickory lead once again in the eighth. With one out, Michael Dabbs reached on catcher's interference, Jonathan Singleton singled, and Sebastian Valle picked up a base hit to score a run. Castro then grounded out to bring in another run. Castillo added an insurance run in the eighth for the Crawdads with an RBI single to cement the 5-3 win. Tonight at 7 p.m. righty Josh Zeid (6-4, 2.93) goes up against right-hander Jacob Brigham (4-4, 3.14).

Comment on Comforted or Disturbed? by Matt Dabbs

Let me know what you learn as you consider the possibilities.