I rear ended a car today. Only esthetic damage to my car. His car was ok. I guess this was a good thing because it turns out my brakes are shot to shit. This could have been a lot worse. And I don't even necessarily mean hitting a wall or anything but a few inches left and my radiator cap would be punctured and a few inches right and my headlight would be out.
The guy I hit was super nice. Could've been a huge country jerk.
I thought I was going to get yelled at. Instead my parents were super understanding. I don't know why I ever doubt them.
So my day ended up pretty normal. My parents understand, my car is (close to) fine, the insurance is handling it all, the auto-repair men are the reals ones in trouble for giving me such insalubrious brakes.
My life is awesome.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
10/10/13
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT®. It also gives you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.
The PSAT/NMSQT measures:
Critical reading skills
Math problem-solving skills
Writing skills
You have developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school. This test doesn't require you to recall specific facts from your classes.
The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are to:
Receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
See how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
Enter the competition for scholarships from NMSC (grade 11).
Help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.
Receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service.
Note About Test-Prep Product Solicitations
The PSAT/NMSQT measures:
Critical reading skills
Math problem-solving skills
Writing skills
You have developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school. This test doesn't require you to recall specific facts from your classes.
The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are to:
Receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
See how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
Enter the competition for scholarships from NMSC (grade 11).
Help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.
Receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service.
Note About Test-Prep Product Solicitations
8/10/13
COLLEGE VISITS offers the college bound student a first-hand look at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Because of our experience in working with a multitude of higher education institutions, we are able to obtain meetings with admissions representatives, student led tours, and campus housing. This helps to take the hassle and worry away from the student and parents in organizing a family visit. COLLEGE VISITS tours cover all aspects of college life. We tour small, medium and large schools, rural and urban, and public and private schools. Our tours cover almost every region of the U.S., so if there is a particular school or region you are interested in, chances are COLLEGE VISITS goes there.
We offer educational materials at the start of every tour in the form of a COLLEGE VISITS Workbook. This material gives you a specific look at each school we will visit, as well as helpful hints like questions to ask during your college appointments, and places to see throughout your visit. Information about Financial Aid is also included. The tour will enable you to get a sense of what higher education has to offer and hopefully, allow you to narrow down some choices or come up with some new ones after participating in our tours. The choice of a college or university is an important one and COLLEGE VISITS works very hard to see that the participants make the most informed decision possible.
We offer educational materials at the start of every tour in the form of a COLLEGE VISITS Workbook. This material gives you a specific look at each school we will visit, as well as helpful hints like questions to ask during your college appointments, and places to see throughout your visit. Information about Financial Aid is also included. The tour will enable you to get a sense of what higher education has to offer and hopefully, allow you to narrow down some choices or come up with some new ones after participating in our tours. The choice of a college or university is an important one and COLLEGE VISITS works very hard to see that the participants make the most informed decision possible.
28/9/13
Celebrating the feast day of the most famous figure in Czech history, a 10th century ruler known around the world as “Good King Wenceslas” thanks to the popular Christmas carol, Pope Benedict XVI closed his three-day visit to the Czech Republic this morning with a Mass in honor of St. Wenceslas, the country’s patron saint.
tThe Mass was held in Stará Boleslav, a pilgrimage destination about 15 miles outside Prague believed to be the site of the death of Wenceslas in 935. (In Czech, “Wenceslas” is rendered as "Václav" and remains perhaps the most common first name in the country.)
tThe early history of Christianity in the Czech lands is thoroughly intertwined with the story, and at times the legend, of Wenceslas. Tradition holds that his grandfather was converted by St. Cyril and Methodius, the legendary “apostles to the Slavs,” thereby becoming the first Christian prince of the Czechs. His grandmother Ludmilla, today venerated as a saint, was strangled to death by a pagan servant in a dynastic dispute.
tWhen Wenceslas came to power around 924, he promoted the development of Christianity across Bohemia, importing priests and sponsoring the building of churches. He was also said to have a great love for the poor, the quality celebrated by the Christmas carol.
"Please do not let up, as you fill our cups with hope as well as knowledge."
- A donor from Seetonk, MA
Support NCR's Annual Appeal. Donate now!
Alas, Wenceslas was never quite as adept at consolidating his power, and in 935 a group of nobles allied with his brother Boleslav succeeded in killing him.
tWenceslas went on to become remembered as a saint and the great protector of the Czech nation. According to one local legend, a huge army of knights is asleep inside a Bohemian mountain, and will awake under the command of Wenceslas when the motherland is in ultimate danger. (That led to a wry joke among Czechs groaning under almost four centuries of successive Austro-Hungarian, Nazi and Communist domination: “What exactly is he waiting for?”)
tAnother legend holds that when the nation is on the brink of ruin, the huge statue of Wenceslas astride a horse in downtown Prague will come to life. Crossing the Charles Bridge, the horse will stumble over a stone, revealing a famed sword that’s the Czech equivalent of Excalibur. With that sword, the Czechs will defeat their enemies.
tSept. 28 is the feast day of Wenceslas, and Benedict XVI praised him this morning as that rare ruler who “had the courage to prefer the kingdom of heaven to the enticement of worldly power.”
tBenedict used his homily this morning, delivered in Italian and then translated into Czech, to offer Wenceslas as a model of fidelity and holiness.
tThe pontiff asked rhetorically whether holiness is “still relevant” or whether it’s more commonly seen as “unattractive and unimportant.” In truth, the pope said, it doesn’t take a long look at people who try to live with God, and without respect for others, to see “how sad and unfulfilled these people are.”
tThe same “fear of God” that animated Wenceslas, Benedict said, remains the key to “building a more just and fraternal world” today, as well as quenching “the profound thirst for meaning and happiness in the heart of every person.”
t
Prior to the Mass, Benedict paid a brief visit to the Church of St. Wenceslas in Stará Boleslav, where a skull believed to be that of the king, adorned with a golden crown, is preserved in a small glass case.
tThe pope also spent a few moments greeting elderly clergy who live in a nearby retirement home operated by the Czech bishops’ conference. On his way out, he also waved to a youth chorus that performed during the visit.
tThe Mass was held in Stará Boleslav, a pilgrimage destination about 15 miles outside Prague believed to be the site of the death of Wenceslas in 935. (In Czech, “Wenceslas” is rendered as "Václav" and remains perhaps the most common first name in the country.)
tThe early history of Christianity in the Czech lands is thoroughly intertwined with the story, and at times the legend, of Wenceslas. Tradition holds that his grandfather was converted by St. Cyril and Methodius, the legendary “apostles to the Slavs,” thereby becoming the first Christian prince of the Czechs. His grandmother Ludmilla, today venerated as a saint, was strangled to death by a pagan servant in a dynastic dispute.
tWhen Wenceslas came to power around 924, he promoted the development of Christianity across Bohemia, importing priests and sponsoring the building of churches. He was also said to have a great love for the poor, the quality celebrated by the Christmas carol.
"Please do not let up, as you fill our cups with hope as well as knowledge."
- A donor from Seetonk, MA
Support NCR's Annual Appeal. Donate now!
Alas, Wenceslas was never quite as adept at consolidating his power, and in 935 a group of nobles allied with his brother Boleslav succeeded in killing him.
tWenceslas went on to become remembered as a saint and the great protector of the Czech nation. According to one local legend, a huge army of knights is asleep inside a Bohemian mountain, and will awake under the command of Wenceslas when the motherland is in ultimate danger. (That led to a wry joke among Czechs groaning under almost four centuries of successive Austro-Hungarian, Nazi and Communist domination: “What exactly is he waiting for?”)
tAnother legend holds that when the nation is on the brink of ruin, the huge statue of Wenceslas astride a horse in downtown Prague will come to life. Crossing the Charles Bridge, the horse will stumble over a stone, revealing a famed sword that’s the Czech equivalent of Excalibur. With that sword, the Czechs will defeat their enemies.
tSept. 28 is the feast day of Wenceslas, and Benedict XVI praised him this morning as that rare ruler who “had the courage to prefer the kingdom of heaven to the enticement of worldly power.”
tBenedict used his homily this morning, delivered in Italian and then translated into Czech, to offer Wenceslas as a model of fidelity and holiness.
tThe pontiff asked rhetorically whether holiness is “still relevant” or whether it’s more commonly seen as “unattractive and unimportant.” In truth, the pope said, it doesn’t take a long look at people who try to live with God, and without respect for others, to see “how sad and unfulfilled these people are.”
tThe same “fear of God” that animated Wenceslas, Benedict said, remains the key to “building a more just and fraternal world” today, as well as quenching “the profound thirst for meaning and happiness in the heart of every person.”
t
Prior to the Mass, Benedict paid a brief visit to the Church of St. Wenceslas in Stará Boleslav, where a skull believed to be that of the king, adorned with a golden crown, is preserved in a small glass case.
tThe pope also spent a few moments greeting elderly clergy who live in a nearby retirement home operated by the Czech bishops’ conference. On his way out, he also waved to a youth chorus that performed during the visit.
19/9/13
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, Interstate Freeway System, Interstate System, or simply the Interstate) is a network of freeways that forms a part of the National Highway System of the United States. The system is named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who championed its formation. Construction was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, and the original portion was completed 35 years later. The network has since been extended, and as of 2010, it had a total length of 47,182 miles (75,932 km),[2] making it the world's second longest after China's. As of 2010, about one-quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country use the Interstate system.[3] The cost of construction has been estimated at $425 billion (in 2006 dollars).[4]
Although the system was proclaimed complete in 1992, two of the original interstates, I-95 and I-70, are not contiguous because they are missing interchanges. Both of these discontinuities are due to local opposition, which has blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system.
Because of the cancellation of the Somerset Freeway, I-95 is discontinuous in New Jersey. Authorized by the federal government in 2004, the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project is scheduled to connect the separate sections of I‑95 to form a continuous route, completing the final section of the original plan. Construction began in 2010.[22]
There is a missing interchange between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-70 near Breezewood, Pennsylvania, where traffic must use a few blocks of US 30, which are cluttered with services, to rejoin I-70. Although solutions have been proposed through the years to complete the discontinuity on I-70, they have been blocked by local opposition.
Additional spurs, loops, and bypasses remain under construction, such as I-485 in North Carolina, which has been under construction since the 1980s. A few main routes not part of the original plan remain under construction, such as I-22 in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, and the extension of I-69 from Indiana to Texas. Officials have also identified some non-Interstate corridors for future inclusion into the system, either by construction of new Interstate routes or upgrade of existing highways and roads to meet Interstate standards.
I-49, formerly within Louisiana, was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana, to Kansas City, Missouri. The new I-49 northern expansion into Arkansas and Missouri is under construction with various new freeway sections already designated with the I-49 number. In late 2012, the northernmost section (formerly US 71) was officially designated I-49 from the I-470 junction south of Kansas City, Missouri, to the I-44 junction at Joplin, Missouri.[23]
Although the system was proclaimed complete in 1992, two of the original interstates, I-95 and I-70, are not contiguous because they are missing interchanges. Both of these discontinuities are due to local opposition, which has blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system.
Because of the cancellation of the Somerset Freeway, I-95 is discontinuous in New Jersey. Authorized by the federal government in 2004, the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project is scheduled to connect the separate sections of I‑95 to form a continuous route, completing the final section of the original plan. Construction began in 2010.[22]
There is a missing interchange between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-70 near Breezewood, Pennsylvania, where traffic must use a few blocks of US 30, which are cluttered with services, to rejoin I-70. Although solutions have been proposed through the years to complete the discontinuity on I-70, they have been blocked by local opposition.
Additional spurs, loops, and bypasses remain under construction, such as I-485 in North Carolina, which has been under construction since the 1980s. A few main routes not part of the original plan remain under construction, such as I-22 in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, and the extension of I-69 from Indiana to Texas. Officials have also identified some non-Interstate corridors for future inclusion into the system, either by construction of new Interstate routes or upgrade of existing highways and roads to meet Interstate standards.
I-49, formerly within Louisiana, was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana, to Kansas City, Missouri. The new I-49 northern expansion into Arkansas and Missouri is under construction with various new freeway sections already designated with the I-49 number. In late 2012, the northernmost section (formerly US 71) was officially designated I-49 from the I-470 junction south of Kansas City, Missouri, to the I-44 junction at Joplin, Missouri.[23]
2/9/13
TOP 10 WAYS YOU CAN CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL BACON DAY!
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to shout, but I can’t help it… International Bacon Day is coming up!! It’s August 31st, people!! I’m excited. Are you excited? You should be excited! It comes but once a year, folks. Like Christmas. Or Super Bowl Sunday. Or Thanksgiving. Only this holiday is ALL ABOUT THE BACON. One day a year to truly celebrate your love for bacon. Think of all the turkey you eat on Thanksgiving–and you don’t even really like turkey!
But you love bacon, and you need to do right by bacon on bacon’s special day. Don’t hold back on bacon’s holiday. Break out of your usual bacon routine. Give everything you can to bacon on this day of all days, and make bacon proud. Fryin’ up some store-bought bacon and eating it with your eggs isn’t gonna cut it. Not this time. Not on Bacon’s Day!
If you’re wondering how you can do right by bacon, I’ll tell you how. I’ll give you 10 glorious ways to indulge your bacon love and spread the bacon joy this International Bacon Day!
10. Cure Your Own Bacon
9. Eat Bacon With Every Meal
8. Join a Bacon of the Month Club
7. Introduce a vegetarian to vegetarian “bacon” products
6. Make Bacon-Infused Bourbon
5. Cook a Recipe from “Bacon Nation”
4. Make a Bacon Dessert
3. Throw a Bacon Tasting Party
2. Create Your Own Bacon Recipe
1. Attend the Bacon Festival in San Diego.
- See more at: http://bacontoday.com/international-bacon-day-2013/#sthash.stFsxLc0.dpuf
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to shout, but I can’t help it… International Bacon Day is coming up!! It’s August 31st, people!! I’m excited. Are you excited? You should be excited! It comes but once a year, folks. Like Christmas. Or Super Bowl Sunday. Or Thanksgiving. Only this holiday is ALL ABOUT THE BACON. One day a year to truly celebrate your love for bacon. Think of all the turkey you eat on Thanksgiving–and you don’t even really like turkey!
But you love bacon, and you need to do right by bacon on bacon’s special day. Don’t hold back on bacon’s holiday. Break out of your usual bacon routine. Give everything you can to bacon on this day of all days, and make bacon proud. Fryin’ up some store-bought bacon and eating it with your eggs isn’t gonna cut it. Not this time. Not on Bacon’s Day!
If you’re wondering how you can do right by bacon, I’ll tell you how. I’ll give you 10 glorious ways to indulge your bacon love and spread the bacon joy this International Bacon Day!
10. Cure Your Own Bacon
9. Eat Bacon With Every Meal
8. Join a Bacon of the Month Club
7. Introduce a vegetarian to vegetarian “bacon” products
6. Make Bacon-Infused Bourbon
5. Cook a Recipe from “Bacon Nation”
4. Make a Bacon Dessert
3. Throw a Bacon Tasting Party
2. Create Your Own Bacon Recipe
1. Attend the Bacon Festival in San Diego.
- See more at: http://bacontoday.com/international-bacon-day-2013/#sthash.stFsxLc0.dpuf
8/8/13
A typical day begins with a hearty breakfast at 8 AM followed by a chance to clean up and get ready for the day. Students will spend the rest of the morning with their Field Groups, exploring the site and experiencing new challenges and discoveries. After lunch, students have a little free time for rest and recreation and then get to choose two Special Interest classes. There is a little more free time after dinner and then a variety of evening activities.
Morning Field Group
Students will learn and explore with the same "field group" every morning during their stay at Nature's Classroom. During the morning field group, students will gain a better understanding of dynamic interactions in the natural world, as well as interpersonal interactions among themselves.
The classroom teachers assign each child to a Field Group, and each group is assigned to one Nature's Classroom teacher.
LEARN MORE
Special Interest Classes
In the afternoon, students have a choice of many classes which are both academic and enjoyable.
LEARN MORE
Meals...
...are served family style, with an unlimited supply of good food. Mealtimes provide a chance to interact and to share experiences with others. The diversity within Field Groups, classes and other activities facilitates conversation among the students and adults allowing them to share their excitement. Community awareness and group cohesiveness are important goals of the Nature's Classroom program. To be of service to the community, students take on the responsibility of helping as servers.
An evening field group sensory activity
Evening Activities...
...may be academic or social.
Large group academic activities may include an Environmental Hearing, a Science Exposition, or an Underground Railroad activity.
A Folk Dance, a Mingle, or a Campfire are examples of social experiences. A Night Hike may be taken by the Field Group. Not all of these activities are done consistently at every site.
Morning Field Group
Students will learn and explore with the same "field group" every morning during their stay at Nature's Classroom. During the morning field group, students will gain a better understanding of dynamic interactions in the natural world, as well as interpersonal interactions among themselves.
The classroom teachers assign each child to a Field Group, and each group is assigned to one Nature's Classroom teacher.
LEARN MORE
Special Interest Classes
In the afternoon, students have a choice of many classes which are both academic and enjoyable.
LEARN MORE
Meals...
...are served family style, with an unlimited supply of good food. Mealtimes provide a chance to interact and to share experiences with others. The diversity within Field Groups, classes and other activities facilitates conversation among the students and adults allowing them to share their excitement. Community awareness and group cohesiveness are important goals of the Nature's Classroom program. To be of service to the community, students take on the responsibility of helping as servers.
An evening field group sensory activity
Evening Activities...
...may be academic or social.
Large group academic activities may include an Environmental Hearing, a Science Exposition, or an Underground Railroad activity.
A Folk Dance, a Mingle, or a Campfire are examples of social experiences. A Night Hike may be taken by the Field Group. Not all of these activities are done consistently at every site.
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