Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2007 1:12 PM
Subject: Re:
> Little help!
>
> Jill and I are thinking, if we sell Beefs, I might start up an restaurant. I wouldn't make it a irish pub, but I like to call it something. I would like to use O'Dowds but I need a name in front. Do we have any cool irish names in our family. I would like Aloysious or Jackson.
>
> Any other names?
>
> E
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Fantasy Football Update
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:57 AM
Subject: Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football
YTD high points:
1. SS 1030
2. FMV 1008
3. ND 977
4. STK 973
5. SD 967
6. Bradys 958
7. MM 948
Once again no idea where Seanie Boy is?
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/182928
Subject: Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football
YTD high points:
1. SS 1030
2. FMV 1008
3. ND 977
4. STK 973
5. SD 967
6. Bradys 958
7. MM 948
Once again no idea where Seanie Boy is?
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/182928
Thursday, November 15, 2007
The Nationals New Stadium
A Thing Of Beauty
By Thomas Boswell
Wednesday, November 14, 2007; Page E01
The Nationals' new ballpark is the bomb. After decades of waiting, Washington has a winner. Within a few years, as the Anacostia waterfront development project sparks urban revitalization, we may be even more pleased. For now, it's enough to know that, after all the angst and expense, Nationals Park will be stunning. We can refine the grade later, but we know it will be high.
New baseball parks have several symbolic milestones -- unveiling architectural plans, groundbreaking, topping out the superstructure, painting tens of thousands of seats, laying the sod, then finally, after months of buffing the brass, Opening Day.
But, for me, yesterday was the day that really mattered. Ostensibly, Mayor Adrian Fenty, the Nationals and the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission merely unveiled their new Kentucky bluegrass field, celebrating another on-time, on-budget landmark on the $611 million road to Opening Day. This, however, was different. Squint, blur the rough edges, and it's already April.
The park is built to the topmost row, the light towers arcing over the banks of classy deep-blue seats. The grass field is in place, the diamond, mound and batter's boxes cut out, the outfield walls painted and even the foul poles standing at attention. The huge scoreboard, the "Nationals" sign and curly "W" are clear.
You can sit in virtually every seat, including a $17 seat in the upper deck infield gallery just beyond first base where you can see the entire Capitol, the top of the Washington Monument, the Washington National Cathedral etched on the horizon, the verdigris dome of the Library of Congress and, by turning your head, a mile expanse of the Anacostia River complete with ships at the Navy Yard. Washington doesn't have the San Gabriel or Rocky Mountains in the distance like the Dodgers and Rockies, nor the skyscraper views of Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Philadelphia framed beyond the outfield. We don't have the San Francisco Bay beyond the right field bleachers or the charm (bordering on claustrophobia) of Fenway Park or Wrigley Field.
But, for a city with almost no buildings more than 14 stories high, and no mountains or bays, this park has maximized what Washington has to offer. And it's plenty. There may be no other spot in this area where you can get a 360-degree sense of place and sweep that rivals this park.
ad_icon
The Nats' new home may also evoke the unique architectural style of its city as successfully, and bravely, as any in the majors. The park's classic modern design mirrors the motif that has won praise at the D.C. Convention Center. Constructed with the same materials by the same builder, its vast panels of glass behind home plate and along South Capitol Street allow the park to glow from within at night. "On-time and on-budget," plus more than $40 million in upgrades by the Lerner family, means that the park's exterior already looks like a glistening knockout. Wraparound views from the club suites behind home plate look across the Potomac River to landing planes at National Airport and landmarks in Northern Virginia.
Of course, red-brick retro worshipers may disagree with this light-suffused look. But the District's world-famous monuments aren't 19th-century industrial. The park, with an administrative building that pays triangular homage to I.M. Pei's East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, looks like it belongs in this alabaster city and, frankly, perhaps no place else. Just as Yankee Stadium's proud architecture says "Home of Champions," Washington's new park isn't afraid to say "World Capital."
The biggest visual surprises are the views from the ramps to the upper deck, especially on the first base side, where the panorama includes everything from Anacostia (hills covered with trees with lights twinkling at night) around to Virginia. Someday, as development encircles more of the park, these vistas will be reduced, although the most essential angles of vision -- up the Anacostia, across the Potomac and toward the Washington Monument -- are supposed to be retained. As for the Capitol dome, take a good look at it. Each year, you'll see it less.
The Nats are proudest of what team president Stan Kasten calls "proximity to the field and sightlines that are unrivaled." Most new parks claim such virtues. Except San Diego's Petco Park, I've walked every big league stadium. The Nats' new home is as cozy, with seats angled for best vision, as any modern venue. Reduced foul territory has brought every lower deck seat from 16 to 23 feet closer than the comparable seat at RFK Stadium. That's like a five-to-eight-row upgrade.
Nationals Park may have one design breakthrough. All the expensive suites are stacked behind home plate (forcing the press box to blimp level). "We don't have club seats down the lines, so the upper decks and mezzanines are closer," Kasten said. For hours, wandering the park, I marveled at how many seats in the $17 to $29 price range were dramatically better than in almost any other park.
Luckily, Elijah Griffin, 31, an electrician working near the top of the park, grabbing lights as they were lowered from the roof, gave me the best perspective on the class distinctions at Nationals Park. "They're charging the rich people so much to sit down there in the lower deck that the seats up here aren't too expensive at all. And they might be the best seats," Griffin said, as we sat in Section 230 Row N. From this spectacular $10 seat, you could see the Anacostia, the warships, the cathedral, the Library of Congress and especially the Washington Monument framed like a 555-foot-tall guest peeking into the park from beyond the left field foul pole.
At those prices, Griffin figures his son Sincere, 4, who already has Agent Zero and Clinton Portis jerseys, as well as his infant daughter Samadhi, will be able to join him for years at the park he helped build.
The Nationals say that many, if not all of the traditional "best seats" in the new ballpark already are sold. The closest box seats and all the club seats are gone. Savvy fans relocating from RFK already gobbled up the bargain 300 Level infield gallery seats for $20 to $22.
However, the best seats in the park by far, for panoramic views as well as value relative to other parks, have hardly been touched. Which ones? Study any seat priced from $15 to $29 and, believe it or not, some of the $10 seats, too.
First impressions of new ballparks are vitally important. Everything around a park changes radically within a few years -- its neighborhood, transportation issues and general urban development. But the ballpark itself, whether it's a hit or a dud, is locked in place forever from the first time you see what the finished product will be.
Does the place excite or disappoint you? Does the whole experience, from roof to box seats, including every promenade and vista, cause a thrill of surprise or make you mourn lost opportunities for a great park?
Countless amenities and levels of polish are still to come. Parking issues and problems as yet unsuspected will arrive. But Nationals Park, now so close to finished in all its most important aspects, is finally ready for our meet-your-seat inspection. To my surprise, despite such a ludicrous life-long wait and many clenched-jawed apprehensions, I loved the place. Hope you do, too.
By Thomas Boswell
Wednesday, November 14, 2007; Page E01
The Nationals' new ballpark is the bomb. After decades of waiting, Washington has a winner. Within a few years, as the Anacostia waterfront development project sparks urban revitalization, we may be even more pleased. For now, it's enough to know that, after all the angst and expense, Nationals Park will be stunning. We can refine the grade later, but we know it will be high.
New baseball parks have several symbolic milestones -- unveiling architectural plans, groundbreaking, topping out the superstructure, painting tens of thousands of seats, laying the sod, then finally, after months of buffing the brass, Opening Day.
But, for me, yesterday was the day that really mattered. Ostensibly, Mayor Adrian Fenty, the Nationals and the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission merely unveiled their new Kentucky bluegrass field, celebrating another on-time, on-budget landmark on the $611 million road to Opening Day. This, however, was different. Squint, blur the rough edges, and it's already April.
The park is built to the topmost row, the light towers arcing over the banks of classy deep-blue seats. The grass field is in place, the diamond, mound and batter's boxes cut out, the outfield walls painted and even the foul poles standing at attention. The huge scoreboard, the "Nationals" sign and curly "W" are clear.
You can sit in virtually every seat, including a $17 seat in the upper deck infield gallery just beyond first base where you can see the entire Capitol, the top of the Washington Monument, the Washington National Cathedral etched on the horizon, the verdigris dome of the Library of Congress and, by turning your head, a mile expanse of the Anacostia River complete with ships at the Navy Yard. Washington doesn't have the San Gabriel or Rocky Mountains in the distance like the Dodgers and Rockies, nor the skyscraper views of Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Philadelphia framed beyond the outfield. We don't have the San Francisco Bay beyond the right field bleachers or the charm (bordering on claustrophobia) of Fenway Park or Wrigley Field.
But, for a city with almost no buildings more than 14 stories high, and no mountains or bays, this park has maximized what Washington has to offer. And it's plenty. There may be no other spot in this area where you can get a 360-degree sense of place and sweep that rivals this park.
ad_icon
The Nats' new home may also evoke the unique architectural style of its city as successfully, and bravely, as any in the majors. The park's classic modern design mirrors the motif that has won praise at the D.C. Convention Center. Constructed with the same materials by the same builder, its vast panels of glass behind home plate and along South Capitol Street allow the park to glow from within at night. "On-time and on-budget," plus more than $40 million in upgrades by the Lerner family, means that the park's exterior already looks like a glistening knockout. Wraparound views from the club suites behind home plate look across the Potomac River to landing planes at National Airport and landmarks in Northern Virginia.
Of course, red-brick retro worshipers may disagree with this light-suffused look. But the District's world-famous monuments aren't 19th-century industrial. The park, with an administrative building that pays triangular homage to I.M. Pei's East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, looks like it belongs in this alabaster city and, frankly, perhaps no place else. Just as Yankee Stadium's proud architecture says "Home of Champions," Washington's new park isn't afraid to say "World Capital."
The biggest visual surprises are the views from the ramps to the upper deck, especially on the first base side, where the panorama includes everything from Anacostia (hills covered with trees with lights twinkling at night) around to Virginia. Someday, as development encircles more of the park, these vistas will be reduced, although the most essential angles of vision -- up the Anacostia, across the Potomac and toward the Washington Monument -- are supposed to be retained. As for the Capitol dome, take a good look at it. Each year, you'll see it less.
The Nats are proudest of what team president Stan Kasten calls "proximity to the field and sightlines that are unrivaled." Most new parks claim such virtues. Except San Diego's Petco Park, I've walked every big league stadium. The Nats' new home is as cozy, with seats angled for best vision, as any modern venue. Reduced foul territory has brought every lower deck seat from 16 to 23 feet closer than the comparable seat at RFK Stadium. That's like a five-to-eight-row upgrade.
Nationals Park may have one design breakthrough. All the expensive suites are stacked behind home plate (forcing the press box to blimp level). "We don't have club seats down the lines, so the upper decks and mezzanines are closer," Kasten said. For hours, wandering the park, I marveled at how many seats in the $17 to $29 price range were dramatically better than in almost any other park.
Luckily, Elijah Griffin, 31, an electrician working near the top of the park, grabbing lights as they were lowered from the roof, gave me the best perspective on the class distinctions at Nationals Park. "They're charging the rich people so much to sit down there in the lower deck that the seats up here aren't too expensive at all. And they might be the best seats," Griffin said, as we sat in Section 230 Row N. From this spectacular $10 seat, you could see the Anacostia, the warships, the cathedral, the Library of Congress and especially the Washington Monument framed like a 555-foot-tall guest peeking into the park from beyond the left field foul pole.
At those prices, Griffin figures his son Sincere, 4, who already has Agent Zero and Clinton Portis jerseys, as well as his infant daughter Samadhi, will be able to join him for years at the park he helped build.
The Nationals say that many, if not all of the traditional "best seats" in the new ballpark already are sold. The closest box seats and all the club seats are gone. Savvy fans relocating from RFK already gobbled up the bargain 300 Level infield gallery seats for $20 to $22.
However, the best seats in the park by far, for panoramic views as well as value relative to other parks, have hardly been touched. Which ones? Study any seat priced from $15 to $29 and, believe it or not, some of the $10 seats, too.
First impressions of new ballparks are vitally important. Everything around a park changes radically within a few years -- its neighborhood, transportation issues and general urban development. But the ballpark itself, whether it's a hit or a dud, is locked in place forever from the first time you see what the finished product will be.
Does the place excite or disappoint you? Does the whole experience, from roof to box seats, including every promenade and vista, cause a thrill of surprise or make you mourn lost opportunities for a great park?
Countless amenities and levels of polish are still to come. Parking issues and problems as yet unsuspected will arrive. But Nationals Park, now so close to finished in all its most important aspects, is finally ready for our meet-your-seat inspection. To my surprise, despite such a ludicrous life-long wait and many clenched-jawed apprehensions, I loved the place. Hope you do, too.
A Santa Poll
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 1:08 PM
Subject: Santa poll?
Kevin caught us off guard last night when he said "Santa is the parent's" We aren't prepared for this as we thought the comfort zone was around 9 or 10.
Now we may speak with him so he doesn't blow it for Katie?
Are Ryan, Jack and Christopher believers?
Criss-b?
What is the normal age when kids' figure it out?
Irv
Subject: Santa poll?
Kevin caught us off guard last night when he said "Santa is the parent's" We aren't prepared for this as we thought the comfort zone was around 9 or 10.
Now we may speak with him so he doesn't blow it for Katie?
Are Ryan, Jack and Christopher believers?
Criss-b?
What is the normal age when kids' figure it out?
Irv
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Md. Man In Casino Standoff Surrenders
Md. Man In Casino Standoff Surrenders
Reporting
Adam May
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (WJZ/AP) ―
A masked man who claimed he was armed and had planted four bombs in a casino held police at bay from a shuttle bus for nearly six hours, demanding $3 million, before surrendering peacefully early Wednesday, police said.
It was later determined through legal records that the man, identified as David B. Kilkeary of Maryland, served over three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to twice robbing a bank in Maryland.
During the standoff, the man blamed the Showboat Casino-Hotel for the suicide of his brother, who he said was a former employee who developed a gambling problem, according to a person with knowledge of the standoff who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized by law enforcement to release the information.
A search of personnel records turned up no one with the name that authorities provided to the casino, said Alyce Parker, a spokeswoman for the Showboat's parent company.
Police spokesman Sgt. Monica McMenamin said the suspect's "motivation is under investigation and shall not be released."
The suspect was ordered held without bail by U.S. Magistrate Ann Marie Donio in Camden.
Kilkeary surrendered at 4:24 a.m., obeying an order from FBI agents to strip down to his inner clothing, said state police Sgt. Stephen Jones. "He just gave up peacefully," Jones said.
The FBI charged Kilkeary, 37, of Crofton, Md., with threatening to kill people and damage property, and with obstructing interstate commerce by extortion. The first count carries up to 10 years in prison; the second up to 20 years. Both carry up to a $250,000 fine.
While on the bus, Kilkeary told police he had an explosive he described as "C-4 on steroids," that he planted four bombs inside Showboat, and that he wanted $3 million in $100 bills, the FBI complaint said.
A message left at a listing in Maryland for Kilkeary was not immediately returned He was represented in court by an assistant federal public defender, Christopher H. O'Malley, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
In 1999, Kilkeary was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison and ordered to repay over $23,000 after pleading guilty to twice robbing a branch of the Annapolis Bank and Trust near Cape St. Claire, Md.
Kilkeary was released in December 2002. At the time, he told police he needed the money to make a film from his screenplay.
The conflict in Atlantic City began shortly after 10:30 p.m., when police received a report of a man with a gun on a shuttle bus outside the casino. The driver fled after scuffling with the man,
Atlantic City Police Chief John J. Mooney said, and a passenger also escaped. Three other people who remained on the bus were released a short time later. There were no injuries.
Jones said the suspect, who had what police initially believed was an explosive device strapped to his body, had planted a suspicious-looking object in a men's room inside the casino near the House of Blues night club, but both the device on his chest and the one in the men's room were fakes, authorities said.
A sweep by technicians and bomb-sniffing dogs found nothing else, state police Capt. Al Della Fave said.
Mooney said a pellet or BB gun was found on the bus. Kilkeary showed a weapon when he boarded the bus, according to the FBI complaint.
Acting Atlantic City Mayor William Marsh said a robot delivered a cell phone to the bus so police could communicate with the man.
The man also offered to surrender if allowed to drive the shuttle van to his relatives' home and speak with them first -- a request police rejected. There was no indication what eventually prompted him to surrender.
The casino was shut down during the standoff but was allowed to reopen shortly after 5 a.m.
Casino patron Tony Demetro, of Atlantic City, said he was playing blackjack when Showboat staff fanned out across the casino floor around 11 p.m. and asked everyone to walk outside.
"They locked down all the tables, covered them with plastic covers and asked everybody to leave. It was pretty calm," he said.
Demetro said guests were temporarily put up in a ballroom at the nearby Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort.
But not everyone made it there. Doris Kinsler of Lynchburg, Va., was with her husband and two other relatives in their room on the 15th floor of the Showboat hotel, watching television the entire night. No one told them to evacuate or that there was any potential danger, she said.
"I am mad as hell, and I don't care who knows about it," she said. "If this place blew up, we would have gone with it."
Parker said only the hotel tower nearest the van and the casino floor were evacuated after authorities determined they were potentially at risk and were evacuated. She said other areas were allowed to remain occupied because they were in no danger.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Reporting
Adam May
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (WJZ/AP) ―
A masked man who claimed he was armed and had planted four bombs in a casino held police at bay from a shuttle bus for nearly six hours, demanding $3 million, before surrendering peacefully early Wednesday, police said.
It was later determined through legal records that the man, identified as David B. Kilkeary of Maryland, served over three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to twice robbing a bank in Maryland.
During the standoff, the man blamed the Showboat Casino-Hotel for the suicide of his brother, who he said was a former employee who developed a gambling problem, according to a person with knowledge of the standoff who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized by law enforcement to release the information.
A search of personnel records turned up no one with the name that authorities provided to the casino, said Alyce Parker, a spokeswoman for the Showboat's parent company.
Police spokesman Sgt. Monica McMenamin said the suspect's "motivation is under investigation and shall not be released."
The suspect was ordered held without bail by U.S. Magistrate Ann Marie Donio in Camden.
Kilkeary surrendered at 4:24 a.m., obeying an order from FBI agents to strip down to his inner clothing, said state police Sgt. Stephen Jones. "He just gave up peacefully," Jones said.
The FBI charged Kilkeary, 37, of Crofton, Md., with threatening to kill people and damage property, and with obstructing interstate commerce by extortion. The first count carries up to 10 years in prison; the second up to 20 years. Both carry up to a $250,000 fine.
While on the bus, Kilkeary told police he had an explosive he described as "C-4 on steroids," that he planted four bombs inside Showboat, and that he wanted $3 million in $100 bills, the FBI complaint said.
A message left at a listing in Maryland for Kilkeary was not immediately returned He was represented in court by an assistant federal public defender, Christopher H. O'Malley, who did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
In 1999, Kilkeary was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison and ordered to repay over $23,000 after pleading guilty to twice robbing a branch of the Annapolis Bank and Trust near Cape St. Claire, Md.
Kilkeary was released in December 2002. At the time, he told police he needed the money to make a film from his screenplay.
The conflict in Atlantic City began shortly after 10:30 p.m., when police received a report of a man with a gun on a shuttle bus outside the casino. The driver fled after scuffling with the man,
Atlantic City Police Chief John J. Mooney said, and a passenger also escaped. Three other people who remained on the bus were released a short time later. There were no injuries.
Jones said the suspect, who had what police initially believed was an explosive device strapped to his body, had planted a suspicious-looking object in a men's room inside the casino near the House of Blues night club, but both the device on his chest and the one in the men's room were fakes, authorities said.
A sweep by technicians and bomb-sniffing dogs found nothing else, state police Capt. Al Della Fave said.
Mooney said a pellet or BB gun was found on the bus. Kilkeary showed a weapon when he boarded the bus, according to the FBI complaint.
Acting Atlantic City Mayor William Marsh said a robot delivered a cell phone to the bus so police could communicate with the man.
The man also offered to surrender if allowed to drive the shuttle van to his relatives' home and speak with them first -- a request police rejected. There was no indication what eventually prompted him to surrender.
The casino was shut down during the standoff but was allowed to reopen shortly after 5 a.m.
Casino patron Tony Demetro, of Atlantic City, said he was playing blackjack when Showboat staff fanned out across the casino floor around 11 p.m. and asked everyone to walk outside.
"They locked down all the tables, covered them with plastic covers and asked everybody to leave. It was pretty calm," he said.
Demetro said guests were temporarily put up in a ballroom at the nearby Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort.
But not everyone made it there. Doris Kinsler of Lynchburg, Va., was with her husband and two other relatives in their room on the 15th floor of the Showboat hotel, watching television the entire night. No one told them to evacuate or that there was any potential danger, she said.
"I am mad as hell, and I don't care who knows about it," she said. "If this place blew up, we would have gone with it."
Parker said only the hotel tower nearest the van and the casino floor were evacuated after authorities determined they were potentially at risk and were evacuated. She said other areas were allowed to remain occupied because they were in no danger.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
FF Update
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 5:36 PM
Subject: High Points for the season
*High point getter Season First: $250
2nd place: $200
3rd place: $150
4th place: $100
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/182928
Going into Week 10:
1. Senor Skinny 969
2. FMV 915.19
3. SD 884.11
4. ND 878.51
5. Bradys 860.38
6. STK 857.77
7. MM 856.28
I dont know where Seanie Boy is????
Subject: High Points for the season
*High point getter Season First: $250
2nd place: $200
3rd place: $150
4th place: $100
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/182928
Going into Week 10:
1. Senor Skinny 969
2. FMV 915.19
3. SD 884.11
4. ND 878.51
5. Bradys 860.38
6. STK 857.77
7. MM 856.28
I dont know where Seanie Boy is????
Friday, November 2, 2007
Meals this Week
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 1:21 PM
Subject: Thanks
Big thanks for the great chicken fajita's last night--everyone other than Nicholas loved them.
It was a perfect feast/ fiesta for his first day at home. Nice and easy meal to eat.
Thanks again
Gerry and Sharon
Subject: Thanks
Big thanks for the great chicken fajita's last night--everyone other than Nicholas loved them.
It was a perfect feast/ fiesta for his first day at home. Nice and easy meal to eat.
Thanks again
Gerry and Sharon
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