News
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Hill Hoods (The Judge Report)
I hope that my political antagonists don't read too much into this, but when I was a teenager I belonged to an organization known as the Hill Hoods. Now, we weren't hoods in the traditional sense of juvenile delinquent hoodlums of that era, though some might have considered us a bit mischievous from time to time. Pretty much every kid who lived on Market Hill in Amsterdam was a "member", and most of our friends no matter where they lived. It didn't even matter if we went to Amsterdam High or St. Mary's/Bishop Scully. It didn't matter whether we hung out at Fariello's or Mac's or Vidulich's Bakery or just sat on Jack Fitzgibbon's porch making up awful puns and watching the trucks go down Glen Avenue. It didn't matter if we were male or female. A good number fell in love for the first time and had first dates over nickel cokes without ever leaving the hill. Some even married ultimately. The largest group of Hill Hoods were within a couple of years either way of my class of 1969, though with baby-booming our legacy passed on to the younger siblings for quite a while thereafter. Back in 1981 Tim Kelly was getting married, so Tim Blanchfield organized the "First Annual Tim Kelly Stag Party and Hill Hood Reunion" and it was a smashing success, a lovely afternoon in Shuttleworth Park. So the following year we had the "Second Annual Tim Kelly Stag Party and Hill Hood Reunion". We did this off and on for a number of years, back when most of us were starting families and bringing the kids along. After a while, though, it petered out. But the friendships didn't. Friendships of your youth seem to be the ones that last forever, the ones that seem most natural, the ones that don't require whole lots of conversations about what are you doing and how many kids and what are they doing. Mostly we can just pick up where we left off years or decades ago, and exchange a laugh again about some near-forgotten piece of foolishness. After a long time, the 27th annual Tim Kelly Stag Party and Hill Hood Reunion took place this past Saturday. Most of our kids are grown now; some of the hoods have grandchildren. Something like a hundred people showed up, including some of the parents. "I don't know, Bob. Do I qualify as a Hill Hood?" asked Mrs. Labate. Yeah, you do. Her son Jim, originator of the Labate Invitational (2-man basketball) Tournament (LIT), and author of two charming novellas about the old neighborhood, Let's Go Gaels and Mickey Mantle Day in Amsterdam , was there, and his sisters Marie and Kathy and their Dad. Tim Kelly himself made a rare appearance. Tim Blanchfield, or course, and brother Dan. Lots of Rileys and Quandts and Hrycaj's. Sue was my Senior Ball date, a fact barely mentioned in one of her books (not available at Amazon) and not at all in mine (not available anywhere except this blog). There was a good turn-out from the McDermotts. They always lived on Division Street and not Market Hill. But they had relatives on the hill, so that qualified, I guess. Though not formed as a political organization (not formed at all, really), the Hill Hoods did have one bright shining moment, the class elections of our sophomore year, 1966-67 at the brand new Bishop Scully High School. We ran Joe Cushing for president and Tim Kelly (of perennial stag party fame) for treasurer. Tim Blanchfield made signs saying "Free Shots from Dr. Kelly if Tim Wins" (Tim's dad was a prominant local physician). Balloting took place during our lunch period, and on the honor system. At the time there were about 120 members of our class. Tony Centi, future restaurateur, shocked the principal, Father Oathout, by coming in first in the three way race for president with 250 votes, so much so that his votes were thrown out for this grave dishonor to the school, and Cushing, with 125 votes, was declared the winner. Kelly swept in on his coat tails. Orest Babiak didn't show up at the reunion for some unknown reason. This six foot five concrete mountain, son of Ukranian immigrants, is one our more colorful members. He was my partner in the first LIT. Besides having the memorable line, "FLIGHT 36 FOR GLOCCAMORA LEAVING IN FIVE MINUTES" in our eighth grade play, he is also known as a man of some deep mystery. About a year before the first Tim Kelly Stag Party, he tracked down Dan Blanchfield at his father's camp at the end of a dirt road in Galway toward the end of nowhere. "Banchfield! I hear you're getting married!" "That's right, Orest." "Where?" "New Jersey." "I'll be there!" No date, no time, no place, no invitation. He showed up, of course. I could have used his skills this Sunday when I found myself in New York City, on the day that my blogger friend The Nightfly was tying the knot somewhere in New Jersey, just a tunnel ride away. How neat that would have been. Probably the highlight of the party was the surprise appearance of Virginia Raiano, co-proprietor with her husband of Mac's, the local confectionery, sundries and minor groceries store (they sold a lot of eggs around Halloween), the place where most of us gravitated. A good number of the girls worked there at one time or another. The Welches were well-represented at the party, Barbara and my classmates Bernie and Gail and their spouses. Once, over Christmas break in 1965, when we were 14, I met Gail at Mac's and bought her a nickel cherry coke and had one myself. Funny the things you remember. Read and comment on my novel The Evil Has Landed . Free!
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I've Committed Murder (Gang Starr Remix) - Macy Gray featuring Mos Def
I've Committed Murder (Gang Starr Remix) - Macy Gray featuring Mos Def
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GIS Mapping Salesperson-OR (Geoline Positioning Systems)
Geoline Positioning Systems is seeking a sales person to sell mapping grade products to GIS users from an existing customer database along with developing new customer relationships.net.net. The individual will work out of their home in Oregon with company providLocation: Tigard, ORSource: Jobs
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Candidates
What a conventional lot we are! The Grimsby Telegraph sent a questionnaire to all 51 candidates for N.E. Lincs`s 15 Wards.Our daughters, dosh and lives are safe in their hands. Boring to Southern Sophisticates may be, but no signs of radicalism anywhere. The only people at risk are yobs, hooligans, vandals, naughty teenagers and druggies. Labour has the youngest candidate, Matthew Patrick, 24. The National Front(standing in a respectable middle-class area not a problem zone) is second at 32. The Conservatives have the oldest at 71. Same as Jim Tattersdale who is now, after his pilgrimage from Labour through the Lib Dems to “Independent”, our senior statesman.
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Create a Photo Album with Project Zero&REST (25 Oct 2007)
Combine Yahoo!'s Flickr with existing Zero components to create a photo sharing service that supports many of the same functions as Flickr. Flickr provides a user friendly, scalable and extensible service, and is an excellent example of an RIA, validating Zero as an RIA platform as well. Also learn more about RESTful design, connecting components via HTTP, and the use of JavaScript to provide a function that isn't already part of Zero.