| Love all things surfing? Then blast off to Cocoa Beach, Fla.
I'm standing in the aisle of the main sales floor, watching a clerk restocking shell-covered jewelry boxes. She stops to help a customer looking for flamingo-themed wind chimes. They are temporarily out of stock this time of year -- they are a popular Christmas item -- but she promises to have them by week's end. Not only will they get them in, there will probably be three or four models to choose from; clerk and customer know that if they could be found anywhere, this would be the place. As the sales person says, "Ron Jon speaks for itself." New Jersey, 1959: Ron DiMenna has a developed and growing passion for surfing. He has tired of his homemade surfboards and wants to order his own custom California board. His father advises, "Buy three, sell two at a profit, then yours will be free." He does just that, and in 1961, opens a little surf shop in Long Beach, N.J.
Giuliani plans to back McCain
About 100 kids West Maple Elementary School got a huge treat on Tuesday when Elmo and Cookie came for a visit. • Saving cash in the new year: Rahomsw found ways to cut back, save money and make her budget go farther. What works for you? More on MotorCityMoms.com .
Community Happenings
COMPUTER CLASSES at Ocean County Library, 129 N. Main St., Manahawkin. Call 609-597-3381 for times, dates and topics. 'FREEDOM STAIRWAY' 7 p.m. Feb. 12, musical performance based on interviews conducted in the 1930s with former slaves by the country's Works Progress Administration, at Ocean County Library, 290 Mathistown Road, Little Egg Harbor Township. Call 609-294-1197. .
Wave window is open for Maverick's surf contest in Half Moon Bay
Flea, Skindog, Twiggy and the rest are on standby. So are the fans, the cops and the environmentalists. A VIP party is planned, licensed apparel is available and a television deal is in the works. Tickets are on sale. All we need is for that fickle special guest to arrive - swell swells. The Maverick's Surf Contest kicks off Friday, but don't head for Half Moon Bay just yet. All that's happened is that the contest window has officially opened, and now director Jeff Clark will bury his head in satellite readings, storm charts and buoy counts in hopes that something wicked will come this way from the Gulf of Alaska. If suitably tasty waves roll in before the end of March, Clark will start making phone calls. He must give surfers at least 24 hours to gear up and paddle out to Maverick's, off Pillar Point, where they will see who can best turn big danger into high style.
Latest news Transfer list Deadline rules Inside a deal
Clubs may also contact an agent to work on their behalf and ask them to find a buyer for a particular player. This situation can arise if a player is not playing games. An agent might also speak to a club who decide that for whatever reason it is in the best interests of a player to leave. An agent would be given permission to speak to other clubs and given a specific fee the sellers have in mind for the player. You then have to delve through your contacts and I will either speak to a manager or a chief scout at a club. In the summer, a player might be out of contract and you can spend quite a bit of time phoning clubs and trying to place a player at a particular club. As an agent I will also speak to managers and chief scouts and ask which positions they are looking to fill.
Suspended cornerback Pacman Jones back in front of Tennessee judge
Jones was scheduled to appear before General Sessions Judge David Loughry on Thursday morning in Rutherford County on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct from August 2006. Loughry approved a deal in January 2007 that would have dismissed the charges if Jones stayed out of trouble for six months. But Las Vegas police named Jones as the person who incited a fight inside a strip club Feb. 19 that led to a triple shooting that left one man paralyzed. Tennessee prosecutors argued in July that Jones being charged was enough to show that the cornerback did not follow his plea agreement here for "good and lawful" behavior. The district attorney asked Loughry to reinstate the charges. The judge agreed but decided July 5 to postpone the case because he wanted to see how the two felony charges of coercion in Las Vegas were handled first.
Real-Life Fears Faced In Online World
Asked about people who would consider Second Life "crazy," feeling it's a virtual world, so how can it be helpful?, Quig quickly responded, "Yeah but if it works, it works. Ask any therapist."
Psychologist Craig Kerley called Second Life "a great practice ground," adding, "One of the beautiful things about Second Life is that, if you get yourself in a situation you feel uncomfortable with, you just hit the power switch, and you've disappeared."
Kerley's brick-and-mortar practice is outside Atlanta, but he also treats patients inside Second Life, through his avatar, also named Craig. He charges a very real $100 per session. He also runs free support groups on issues such as social anxiety.
"People, when they're in Second Life, they feel a little bit protected," Kerley says, "because you don't exactly know who they are, you can't look at them, so they often feel more open and are able to get right down to the business of working, usually within the first session."
The anonymity can be risky, too, Smith points out.
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