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Driscoll Catholic High School Closing

Driscoll Catholic High School ClosingThe Beacon News has confirmed a report that Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison will close its doors after this school year. A spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Joliet said the school is set to shut down.

People affiliated with the school were informed Thursday morning, and sources say donors are trying to raise enough money to save the school.

Driscoll is part of the Suburban Catholic Conference. Othere schools in the conference include Aurora-based schools Aurora Christian (joining next year), Marmion Academy, Aurora Central Catholic and Rosary (girls only), as well as Chicago Christian in Palos Heights, Wheaton Academy in West Chicago, Guerin in River Grove, Montini in Lombard, Immaculate Conception in Elmhurst, St. Edward in Elgin, Marian Central in Woodstock, and St. Francis in Wheaton.

A conference source said a school is already lined up to replace Driscoll if the school indeed closes.

The Highlanders have won eight IHSA football and three baseball state championships and just captured the Class 2A girls basketball title Feb. 28.

Original Source : http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/stcharlessun/sports/1508578,addison-driscoll-high-closing-au040209.article



Shell Houston Open

Shell Houston OpenHigh winds bring Shell Houston Open to a halt.

What rain couldn't do Thursday at Redstone Gold Club, the wind did.

First-round play at the Shell Houston Open was halted for the day because of high winds.

Play will resume at 8 a.m. Friday, tournament organizers said.

Lee Westwood leads the field after cruising through the front nine, shooting a 4-under-par 32 on the Tournament Course.

Westwood birdied both the par-3s on the front nine, making an 11-footer and No. 7 and a 45-foot putt at No. 9.

Eight players -- including Texas natives Justin Leonard, Bob Estes and Bart Bryant -- are tied for second at 2-under.

The SHO already was running 2 1/2 hours behind schedule because of rain that soaked the area in the morning.

PGA Tour officials first determined the winds were making the Tournament Course unplayable and halted play at 12:50 p.m. The decision to call play for the day came a little more than three hours later.

It marks the first time wind has suspended play in the PGA Tour since 2007 at Harbour Town.

Original Source : http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6355627.html

Sarah Palin Bikini Video

Sarah Palin Bikini Video
Sarah Palin is still on the minds of a lot of American’s; usually the losing ticket sort of fades away into obscurity, but not if you’re one Sarah Heath Palin who just happened to model in a bikini back in 1984 in a beauty pageant. Read more, see photos and bikini video below.
Sarah Palin Bikini Video.

Bikini or not, Sarah Palin is still a favorite of conservatives, and still a favorite target of the left. Like I stated earlier, how many of you thought Lloyd Benson was a viable threat after he and Dukakis were defeated back in ’88? How many conservative hit pieces were there on Geraldine Ferraro after the 1984 election? Not many if any at all.

For some reason though, the left wing media and the democratic party are still gunning for Sarah Palin. Conservatives disagree on whether or not she is the right person to lead the Republicans back from the wilderness; my guess is if she puts on that bikini again, she would have more than just conservatives following her anywhere.



The very reason that this bikini, beauty pageant video is still making the rounds like it is, is the fact that the left wing media is still trying to discredit Sarah Palin. The only possible reason is that they saw just what a potential danger she is to their current stranglehold on power. Sarah Palin is a natural leader, whether she’s wearing a skirt, bikini, or blue jeans she has a natural ability to lead people.

Unfortunately for Sarah Palin, many Americans today still put a lot of stock into what the media has to say. The media should have lost credibility on the subject of Sarah Palin after they went after her daughter, publically ridiculing and making a mockery of her failed relationship. If the truth were known, the media probably has a bit of blame in that as well. How many teenage kids could put up with that kind of scrutiny and pressure?

Readers here at Right Pundits are free to make their own choices; make their own decisions. Do you like Sarah Palin? Do you respect her? Does the fact that she competed in a beauty pageant 24 years ago and you can see a woman who is governor of a state and was very close to being Vice-President in her bikini make her have less credibility with you?

Before you answer the last question; think about your life now, then think about it 24 years ago. How much of what you did 24 years ago do you want the world to know? Bikini video not withstanding.

Original Source : http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=3634

Flights From Hell

Flights From Hell'Mr. Poopy Pants' and fees frustrate flyers.

There was a time when airline travel was a special treat, the kind of occasion that inspired passengers to dress up.

Now, the awe people once felt about flying through the clouds is tempered by additional fees, cramped seats and horrifying tales of fellow travelers -- such as the one about a man dubbed "Mr. Poopy Pants."

"We've all had our flying hell experiences," said Gregg Rottler, creator of FlightsFromHell.com.

The site provides a venue for people to share their tales of woe, said Rottler. "It's therapeutic ... so it benefits them and provides entertainment value for others."

Rottler, a 54-year-old environmental health supervisor in Tampa, Florida, launched the site more than two years ago. Since then, FlightsFromHell.com has attracted submissions from passengers and flight attendants that have run the gamut, touching on categories that include "odors," "attendant issues," "weird people," and "luggage and delays."

Among the story headlines: "Titanic toddler creates tumult," "Wifey punched by elderly 'sleepwalker,' " and "Lip-locked tousle-haired 20-somethings."

"There's something about being scrunched up with strangers ... The seats aren't that big, and once someone starts going wacko, it just creates an extremely stressful environment that was already stressful enough," Rottler said.

TripAdvisor, the world's largest online travel community, recently released survey results from more than 1,500 U.S. respondents asked to discuss what about flying bugs them most.

The purpose was to "allow travelers to air their grievances," TripAdvisor spokesman Brooke Ferencsik said. Sure enough, he continued, "83 percent of respondents said air travelers have gotten ruder over the past 10 years" and the most annoying travelers, earning 59 percent of votes, were "oblivious parents."

Flyers griped about fellow passengers snoring, vomiting and having "excessive flatulence."

But it wasn't just crying babies, heavy perfume and strangers dozing off and drooling on their shoulders that people complained about.

Add-on fees were also a concern. These charges often hit when booking tickets, making particular seat selections and checking bags. Bringing a pet on board or getting food, blankets and pillows can also add fees. But 54 percent agreed on this: No airline fee is more annoying than the one to check luggage.

The trend of ratcheting up fees began in late spring of 2008, explained Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, an online consumer travel publication.

"Everyday it seemed a new fee came out," she said. "The consumer sees it as nickel and diming."

While some add-on charges have fallen by the wayside, such as U.S. Airways ill-fated decision to charge $2 for water, juice and soda, Banas believes other more universally instituted fees that are of great help to struggling airlines, including the ones for checked bags, are likely here to stay.

"Baggage fees get people the most upset because it's the one that's hardest to avoid," she said. "People get upset when there was a status quo and something gets taken away."

To help frustrated travelers, who become even more aggravated because the fees vary by airline, SmarterTravel created a guide to airline fees.

TripAdvisor, which collaborates with SmarterTravel (both are owned by Expedia), also instituted a fees estimator, which allows people to figure out what flights will really cost, removing the element of surprise.

When the company set out to do its survey, Ferencsik said, "We were curious to find out how much people were frustrated," by fees, such as the one for checked baggage. "Does it surprise them? And what are they doing to avoid it?"

The fact that 19 percent of respondents said they don't check bags anymore, and 39 percent said they try their best to avoid it, was proof that they're "modifying the way they travel."

But while they'll bend to deal with change, there are some talked-about fees that may be deal-breakers. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed said they'd draw the line if they were ever charged by an airline to use toilets.

Does that mean "Mr. Poopy Pants" will have company?

"I hope they would just choose a different airline," Ferencsik said.

Original Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/04/02/airline.fees.annoyances/

Katherine Olson Trial

Katherine Olson TrialCraigslist killer sentenced to life in prison for murder of Katherine Olson.

Michael John Anderson was convicted on Tuesday, then sentenced on Wednesday, for the premeditated murder of Katherine Olson.

The Associated Press is reporting that Michael John Anderson, who, in the fall of 2007, was arrested on charges of placing a phony Craigslist ad for the sole purpose of murdering its respondent, has been sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree premeditated murder of Katherine Olson.

Olson was a recent college graduate of St. Olaf College (the alma mater of this writer) at the time of her death.

Additionally, the judge in the trial ordered Anderson to pay Katherine Olson’s family $6,500 from his prison wages to reimburse her funeral expenses.

Anderson, now 20, has no possibility of parole for his role in the shooting death of Olson, 24.

In the media, Anderson was dubbed the “Craigslist Killer,” due to his using the popular free classifieds service as a means to commit his crime.

During Anderson’s trial for Olson’s murder, the duration of which was a week, prosecutors argued that Anderson deliberately placed the ad, posing as a couple who recently relocated to the Twin Cities seeking a nanny, in order to experience what it might feel like to commit homicide.

By contrast, the defense argued that the shooting was accidental in nature. Anderson’s attorneys now plan to appeal his sentencing, due to allegedly not being allowed to present evidence that Anderson has Asperger’s syndrome.

Attorneys on Anderson’s behalf additionally argued that that the disorder led Anderson to place the ad to seek romance, and then to accidentally shooting Olson when his plans went awry.

Prosecutors ridiculed this assertion by countering that Anderson himself never offered this explanation of the events, and pointing to the testimony of Anderson’s jail inmate, who stated that Anderson told him that he wanted to feel what it was like to kill.

In October 2007, Anderson was arrested for the murder of Olson after police found her body in the back of her car. In addition to finding Olson’s purse in a trash can in Savage, MN, where Anderson resided at the time, police also found a trash bag with a blood-soaked towel inside.

From there, those clues were able to lead police to Anderson.

After the verdict was read, Olson’s family immediately embraced one another. Though they gave no immediate comment to papers--including the Minneapolis Star-Tribune--after the verdict was read, Olson’s father, a Lutheran minister told The Today Show on Thursday that the trial constituted a “last of of parenting,” and that the tenet of forgiveness was helping him cope with the trial and his daughter Katherine’s death.

Olson told the Today Show that “In the New Testament the word ‘forgive’ means to cut loose or release. That’s what we’re trying to do with Mr. Anderson and his influence on our family. He’s had such a negative power in our lives, that we’re attempting to cut that free, to let it go, to release it so we can get on with the vital, loving lives that we want.”

A benefit concert for Katherine Olson will be held at St. Olaf College on May 3rd.

Our Take

It’s easy to condemn the media for focusing on sensationalistic stories--particularly when it comes to Craigslist, which is having some kind of run of bad publicity this month.

Furthermore, Katherine Olson’s father said that she had used Craigslist before to successfully find nanny jobs--in Turkey, no less.

And that’s part of what makes this case so utterly senseless.

This could have been any one of us, as we all used Craigslist for a wide variety of (hopefully) legal reasons. Just this past week, my fiancee and I picked up a new desk through the service.

Additionally, Olson attended St. Olaf College around the same time that I did. She was in the St. Olaf Choir around the same time I was in the Orchestra, and she was there for the tour that both ensembles took of Norway (though I never met Katherine).

That connection makes this case feel all the more surreal.

For better or worse, St. Olaf College preaches community as a value, and practices it by being a tight-knit Liberal arts school. Katherine’s death sent a shockwave through that community, even for those who never had met Olson.

With the sentencing of Anderson, one can only hope that the Olson family can start their long healing process, and that St. Olaf college will be there to help.

Original Source : http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/craigslist_killer_sentenced_to_life_in_prison_for_murder_of_katherine_olson_04022009325/

Smart Source Coupons

Smart Source CouponsRed Plum Smart Source Coupons Unveil Free Products.

Red Plum and Smart Source are two ways to save money and to receive free products. The companies can save shoppers money and time by printing most of the coupons online. Some coupons can save $1 on a box of cereal, while others might offer a buy-one get-one free option.

Most of the Red Plum and Smart Source coupons offer 50 cents off on products. However, it is free money to collect when checking out at the grocery store. It adds up quickly, especially if you're purchasing items that you use each day such as paper towels, soap, and food.

Red Plum and Smart Source offer the ultimate value. However, why some shoppers don't feel the same way about online coupons.

If you live near a grocery store that offers a buy-one get-one free option on products, that becomes a better ultimate value. Some coupons offered on Websites do make you pay a subscription to magazines in order to become a member. However, Red Plum is a bit different they search for special offers and deals which are relevant to you.

Publix weekly ads and Winn-Dixie can save you nearly 40 percent off on your grocery bill.

Publix weekly ads also bring value and save you more than online coupons. For example, when you purchase Breyers Ice Cream, you can one free with your purchase. Some coupons offer $2 off on purchases. Other buy-one-get-on-free products include bacon, sausage, cereal, orange juice, salads, and others.

Winn-Dixie is another store to which offers huge savings. For example, they give you coupons of $10 off when you purchase $50 or more. We decided to test these coupons to see what our grocery coupon savings would be.

We purchased the Starbucks coffee, since it was on-sale. We saved $3 on each bag. In addition, we noticed that we get a coupon for $1.50 on each bag of coffee. The coffee was already on sale, so this was a "power saving" for sure. Most of the products we bought were for our office, and mostly buy-one get-one free items.

We spent more than $50. After providing all the coupons and subtracting the savings, we paid $33 total. That's about 40 percent savings!

If you don't have a Publix or a Winn-Dixie near you, always check the weekly ads from your local grocery store. You can get the same amount of savings. It depends where you shop.

You can pick up those weekly ads by stopping at the store on the way home. Take it with you and you will probably find better deals than printing coupons from Red Plum or Smart Source. It depends on the product, but you will always save more with store specials.

Original Source : http://www.newsoxy.com/red-plum-smart-source/article11821.html