Thursday, February 19, 2009

Raymond Charles Rolley

Thursday February 19, 2009
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Dead at age 83

Raymond Charles Rolley

Born in Ohio on Jan. 6, 1926
and Departed on Feb. 6, 2009
resident of Clarksville, VA.



Mr. Raymond Charles Rolley, 83, husband of Marylou Myers Rolley, died Friday, February 06, 2009 at Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill. Native to Ohio, Ray was the son of Charles and Mary Elizabeth McFadden Rolley. He was a World War II Navy veteran. Ray obtained a Masters Degree in School Administration and was retired from Herndon High School where he was a teacher and coached the Varsity Basketball team for 29 years. Ray was a member of Jamieson Memorial United Methodist Church and the Clarksville Ruritan Club. In addition to his wife of 60 years, Ray is survived by his son, Robert Scott Rolley; 6 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

“One of the doleful matters in growing older
is having to watch your childhood heroes die”
- LcS


Ray (& his wife, Marylou) Rolley are, definitely, heroes of my childhood.

They were the parents of one of my very close Grade School friends, Rocky. And for that, I was invited to have dinner at their Van Buren Street home in Herndon, Virginia on many occasions.
I remember on one such occasion, the Dinner fare was Pork Chops. There was a pile of them on a large plate in the center of the table but only one was placed on each of our individual plates. After I had eaten nearly all of my Pork Chop, I picked up the bone and began gnawing the peripherally hard to get at remaining pieces of meat. Mr. Rolley looked at me and in a very sympathetic tone told me not to worry about trying to get it all. He continued that I could have another Pork Chop. My reply was that at my house, the rule was, ‘if we paid for it – you must eat it” !
I pretended not to notice as he looked over at Rocky and laughingly whispered that Rocky was right, that Larry Spurlock was a funny little fellow.

But just as importantly, Marylou Rolley was my 3rd Grade Teacher. She was, still, quite young and talked with our class about her family’s home life and every day occurrences. She always referred to her husband simply as ‘Rolley’.
And since he taught High School courses right there on the entire School’s property, Mr. Rolley would, occasionally, walk into our classroom without warning. That was always fun because Mrs. Rolley would, immediately, stop whatever lesson we were working on and chat with her husband out loud so that the students could hear their remarks. And although it was never mentioned, I usually felt like I was watching a George Burns & Gracie Allen performance.

And so, I knew Ray Rolley for many years before he became one of my Intermediate School Teachers. I had him for Health & Phys. Ed..
I recall one afternoon in the old School’s back middle classroom (Mrs. Martz’ old Elementary classroom), it was a very warm afternoon and I nodded off to sleep at my desk. Mr. Rolley awoke me by coming to my desk and whispering in my ear to "wake up, Larry – there’s Pork Chops on the table."
I woke up and smiled. He had remembered .. and so had I.

Just a few years later, Mr. Rolley would become my JV Football Coach.
We only played 4 games that year but one of them was at Fauquier High School. I recall that it was cold up atop that mountain and our Jerseys were short sleeve. I complained about the cold and Mr. Rolley, jokingly, told me that I could sit on the Bus if I wanted. I knew he was kidding me and I didn’t say anymore about it.
There was a play in the 2nd Half where I was playing Defensive Halfback (what’s now known as Safety) and I intercepted a pass. As soon as I began to run with the ball, I was hit blindsided by a huge Falcons’ player and knocked silly. When I got to the sidelines, instead of going to the bench, I stumbled around where the Cheerleaders were. Mr. Rolley had to come get me and he knew I was groggy. He told one of our Trainers to take me back down to our Bus and let me lie down on the back seat. I did. I was okay after a little time had passed but soon the game ended and all the Players and Coaches were back on the Bus for the long ride home.
Mr. Rolley came back to where I was and asked if I was okay. I nodded my head that I was and he asked what I had been doing – eating Pork Chops ? He, still, remembered .. and so did I. LoL

Mr. Rolley was, of course, the Herndon High School’s Varsity Head Coach in Basketball, as well.
When I was not yet in High School, I used to sit at the games with Tommy James (HHS class of ’67). He and I would keep track of points scored by Carl Fox and Joey Hite.
Rocky told his Father about this and I was always allowed to check with the official scorekeeper after games to verify my validity.
On one such occasion after a Home game and with Mr. Rolley standing at the Official Scorer’s table – I announced that Joey Hite had scored a game high 29 points. I think Chip Jordan was the score keeper and in earshot of Mr. Rolley, Chip disagreed saying Joey had only 27 points. I remember seeing a disappointment in Mr. Rolley’s face concerning my faux pas but he did not say a word. I felt terrible fearing I had lost Mr. Rolley’s faith in me.
Regardless, the next school day, I was in the Cafeteria ready to eat my lunch when Mr. Rolley came by my table. He smiled and informed me that Chip had made a mistake in tallying up the Hornets’ final score at the last game. He was 2 points shy of the actuall total and Joey Hite was given 2 more points based on my calculations. He patted me on the back and said, “way to go, son” !
THAT was as good as it gets. To hear Mr. Rolley say those words was magical and I’ve never forgotten his smile that day.
* Note: Wouldn’t it have been perfect if the school lunch that day was Pork Chops ? But, it was not. It was Meat Loaf. But it was good !

After this had occured, Rocky expressed to me that the HHS School record for points scored by an individual in a game was 36 set by a Dentist in town by the name of Detweiler. He added that if the record was ever broken, that his Dad would take the player out of the game if Herndon was winning big.
And so it happened .. later that Season. Herndon was winning an Away game by a very wide margin and Carl Fox was scoring at will under the basket. With about a minute and a half to go in the game and the Hornets up by double digit points, the team called a timeout. I could not help myself .. I raced across the floor to the opposing scorer’s table and asked how many points Fox had. My total was 38 and that’s exactly the number the scorer had. When I hustled back to my seat, I ran by the Hornets' bench and blurted out that Fox had 38 points. During the next few seconds of play, Carl was fouled and sank both Free Throws giving him 40 points on the night and a new HHS record. Mr. Rolley took Fox out of the game and gave me a quick wink at my seat.

Good times. Good times.

Years after Ray & Marylou had retired and relocated to a southern section of Virginia – they returned to Herndon for a visit. I was in the Drug Fair at the Pines Shopping Center when they, both, entered.
I made it a point to engage them in some conversation about the old days. They seemed so happy and comfortable in their lives .. and why not. They had lived their lives as happily as anyone could hope for.
I hugged Marylou and shook Ray’s hand and told them how much they influenced my life. They were very apreciative .. and so am I.

May you R.I.P. Ray Rolley.
And God Bless you, Marylou .. and Scott.



LARRY..CURTIS..SPURLOCK
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Monday, February 16, 2009

PAT DAILEY at Sloppy Joe's Bar & Grille



Monday February 16, 2009
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Check out


Pat Dailey


At Sloppy Joe’s Bar & Grille in Key West, Florida



Every Winter since 1988, Singer / Songwriter / Guitarist, Pat Dailey has brought his act to Sloppy Joe’s Bar & Grille at 201 Duval Street (at the corner of Duval & Greene Streets .. just 2 blocks from the confluence of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean).



This year, Pat’s schedule covers Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 7:30 PM until 9:30 PM during February and the first week of March.
He can be viewed live on the Sloppy Joe’s webcam here:


http://sloppyjoes.com/sloppycam/streamcam.htm

Pat is an excellent Guitarist and Singer but his wit and humor have defined him and his shows over the last 25 years. He has many ballads and serious songs but he can really fire up a crowd with his good natured fun.



You can get a feel for Pat’s schtick by watching him on these youtube clips:
Here he is performing his hilarious Out Drinking song on the Bob and Tom radio show …


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX7FIHQwY9w

and here he sings of his home on Put-in Bay, Ohio …


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph-e-Y27VnQ


There’s many many more youtube clips that you can watch and I don’t blame you if you do .. but be sure to watch him live at Sloppy Joe’s over the next three weeks .. okay ?




LARRY..CURTIS..SPURLOCK

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Thursday, February 5, 2009

MARS Candy



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Thursday February 5, 2009
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My favorite Candy is
MARS
Snickers, Milky Way, Mars Bar, M&Ms, Bounty, Twix
and even Skittles



My best favorite candy bar of all time is the Snickers bar made by the Mars Company. It was introduced to the public in 1930.
Snickers is a chocolate bar made by the Mars family. It consists of peanut butter nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, covered with milk chocolate. Snickers is the best selling chocolate bar of all time and has annual global sales of US $2 billion.
The original Snickers was formerly sold as Marathon in the UK and Ireland. More recently, Snickers Marathon branded energy bars have been sold in some markets. In May 2008, Mars, Incorporated was rumoured to temporarily re-launch the Marathon bar.



From Wikipedia:

Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food and other food products with US$21 billion in annual sales in 2006. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, USA, the company is entirely owned by the Mars family, making it one of the largest privately owned U.S. corporations. Most of its activities in the US are based in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with the Uncle Ben's and the pet food business at the plant in Vernon, California.

The European Division, is headquartered in
Brussels, Belgium and was known as Masterfoods Europe until the end of 2007. The name Masterfoods originally came from a food business founded by the Lewis family in 1949 in Australia, and acquired by Mars in 1967.
The company announced at the end of 2007 that all business units were adopting the name Mars. Masterfoods ceased to be a business name but continues as the brand name of food products in Australia.

Mars is most famous for its eponymous
Mars Bar, as well as other confectionery such as Milky Way, M&M's, Twix, Skittles and Snickers. They also produce non-confectionery snacks (including Combos) and other foods (including Uncle Ben's and British Pasta Sauce Brand Dolmio) as well as pet foods (such as Whiskas, Chappy and Pedigree brands). Mars' purchase of Doane Petcare Company in June 2006 significantly increased its position in the US dry pet food category. In addition to these businesses, Mars also operates a chain of premium chocolate shops across the country called Ethel's. These shops are an outgrowth of the Ethel M premium chocolate business that Forrest Mars started in Las Vegas in 1980 when he became bored with retirement.

On
April 28, 2008, Mars, Incorporated, together with Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated announced the buyout of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, the world's largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion in an all cash deal. The two companies together are expected to generate sales in excess of $27 billion and unseat Cadbury as the world's largest confectioner.

Company History

Frank C. Mars, whose mother taught him to hand dip candy, sold candy by age 19. The Mars Candy Factory he started in 1911 with Ethel V. Mars, his second wife, in Tacoma, Washington, ultimately failed but it had already become a large employer, producing and selling fresh candy wholesale. By 1920, Frank Mars had returned to his home state, Minnesota, where the company was founded that year as Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis and later incorporated there as Mars, Incorporated. Forrest Mars, son of Frank Mars and his first wife who was also named Ethel, was inspired by a popular type of milkshake. In 1923, the Milky Way bar was introduced, and became the best-selling candy bar. In 1927–1928 or 1929, Mars moved the company to the Chicago, Illinois, area.
Mars is still a family owned business, belonging to the Mars family. The company is famous for its secrecy. A 1993 Washington Post Magazine article was a rare raising of the veil, as the reporter was able to see the "M"s being applied to the M&M's, something that "no out-sider had ever before been invited to observe." In 1999, for example, the company did not acknowledge that Forrest Mars, Sr., had died or that he had worked for the company.
The company argues that due to private ownership, there is no need to account to anyone but themselves. In the same spirit, Mars, Inc., does not cooperate with many widely publicized organizations, such as Fair trade, arguing that its own internal standards, rooted in the "Five Principles" deliver even better results. An example is the company's Cocoa Sustainability initiative.
Despite its secrecy, Mars Incorporated has developed a reputation across its leading markets to be excellent training grounds for managers. In the UK, for instance, many CEOs of large companies learned their trade at Mars, Inc. For example, former Mars executive Geoff Starr was appointed by Associated British Foods as the new CEO of George Weston Foods. Recently, the company caught on to that and re-branded their employer brand to "Mars - The Ultimate Business School".
Moving into fourth generation family ownership, the company recently passed from family leadership into non-family leadership; however, the business is still owned by the family. The global CEO of Mars, Inc. is Paul Michaels. Michaels is part of a new group of non-family management that has taken over since the retirement of John and Forrest Mars, Jr.. The family now oversees the business as a council or board of directors.
In the United States the company has manufacturing facilities in
Hackettstown, New Jersey; Albany, Georgia; Burr Ridge, Chicago and Mattoon, Illinois; Cleveland, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania; Greenville, Mississippi; Greenville and Waco, Texas; Henderson and Reno, Nevada; and Vernon, California.
Until sold in June 2006, a division of Mars known as
Mars Electronics International produced, among other products, coin mechanisms such as those used in vending machines. MEI also manufactured bill validators, which were among the most common bill validators found in the US.
A further Mars business - FourSquare - utilise those products formerly made at MEI in their vending machines. Four Square comprises the
Flavia and Klix brands. Flavia operates within the US, UK and Japanese markets, while Klix operates within UK, Germany and France.
In 2007, Mars Incorporated undertook a major rebranding operation which saw, among other global changes, FourSquare being renamed to Mars Drinks, the pet food division (formerly part of Masterfoods) being renamed to Mars Petfoods and Masterfoods itself (the largest division of Mars, Incorporated) being renamed to Mars Snacks[
citation needed].


For more on the Mars products – go to mars.com





LARRY..CURTIS..SPURLOCK

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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

ASSOCIATE Of APPLIED SCIENCES Degree




LARRY CURTIS SPURLOCK


FILED: September 30, 2003

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Associate of Applied Sciences
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HOTEL , MOTEL & INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT
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Northern Virginia Community College in house G.I. Bill
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*1976*
SPRING SEMESTER:
HMIM 101; Hospitality Management
Monday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum
ACT 101; Accounting, Business
Wednesday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum
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FALL SEMESTER:
HMIM 201; Front Office Management
Wednesday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum
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*1977*
SPRING SEMESTER:
HMIM 151; Hospitality Marketing
Thursday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum


*1978*
SPRING SEMESTER:
HMIM 155; Public Safety
Tuesday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum

FALL SEMESTER:
HMIM 203; Housekeeping
Tuesday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum
ENG 251; Public Speaking
Thursday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum
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*1979*
SPRING SEMESTER:
HMIM 206; Hospitality Law
Wednesday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum

FALL SEMESTER:
HMIM 252; Purchasing / Planning
Tuesday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum
ENG 256; Creative Writing
Thursday 6-10 PM 10 Weeks - 40 Hour curriculum
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University of Virginia correspondence PAID
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*1984*
PREREQUISITE:
HMIM 260; Field Experience
Self-paced COMPLETED
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George Mason University correspondence PAID
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*2003*
PREREQUISITE:
HIST 156; Civil War Studies
Self-paced COMPLETED

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* * * * * * * * * *

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48 HMIM Credits + 20 ELECTIVE Credits =

68 AAS Degree Credits

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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED




Tuesday February 3, 2009
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50th anniversary of


The Day The Music Died


Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper & Ritchie Valens



I was 7 years old and in Mrs. MaryLou Rolley’s 3rd Grade class at Herndon Elementary School on the day the Music Died but I remember it very well.
The Day the Music Died refers to a plane crash occurring on February 3, 1959, (50 years ago, today) near Clear Lake, Iowa.
The crash killed three American rock’n’roll musicians: the legendary Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson known as the Big Bopper, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson.
The term was popularized by Don McLean in his 1971 song American Pie.

On a cold winter's night a small private plane took off from Clear Lake, Iowa bound for Fargo, N.D. It never made its destination.


Performing in concert was very profitable, and Buddy Holly needed the money it provided. "The Winter Dance Party Tour" was planned to cover 24 cities in a short 3 week time frame (January 23 - February 15) and Holly would be the biggest headliner. Waylon Jennings, a friend from Lubbock, Texas and Tommy Allsup would go as backup musicians. Ritchie Valens, probably the hottest of the artists at the time, The Big Bopper, and Dion and the Belmonts would round out the list of performers. The tour bus developed heating problems. It was so cold onboard that reportedly one of the drummers developed frostbite riding in it. When they arrived at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, they were cold, tired and disgusted. Buddy Holly had enough of the unheated bus and decided to charter a plane for himself and his guys. At least he could get some laundry done before the next performance ! That night at the Surf Ballroom was magical as the fans went wild over the performers. Jiles P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper to his fans, was a Texas D.J. who found recording success and fame in 1958 with the song Chantilly Lace.

Ritchie Valenzuela was only 16 years old when Del-Fi record producer, Bob Keane, discovered the Pacoima, California singer. Keane rearranged his name to Ricthie Valens, and in 1958 they recorded Come On, Let's Go. Far more successful was the song Valens wrote for his girlfriend, Donna, and its flip side, La Bamba, a Rock and Roll version of an old Mexican standard. This earned the teenager an appearance on Dick Clark’s TV show, ‘American Bandstand’ and the prospect of continued popularity.

Later, the Beatles would use the music from La Bamba to back their Twist And Shout song.

Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (changed to Holly due to a misspelling on a contract) and his band, The Crickets, had a number one hit in 1957 with the tune That'll Be The Day. This success was followed by Peggy Sue and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. By 1959, Holly had decided to move in a new direction. He and the Crickets parted company. Holly married Maria Elena Santiago and moved to New York with the hope of concentrating on song writing and producing.

(I would be remiss if I failed to point out that the John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr named their quartet the Beatles as a trubute to Holly’s Crickets)

Dwyer Flying Service got the charter. $36 per person for a single engine Beechcraft Bonanza. No, the plane wasn't named American Pie. It only had serial numbers, N3794N.

Waylon Jennings gave his seat up to Richardson, who was running a fever and had trouble fitting his stocky frame comfortably into the bus seats. When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said, "Well, I hope your old bus freezes up." Jennings responded, "Well, I hope your plane crashes." This friendly banter of friends would haunt Jennings for years. Actually, until his death in 2002.

Allsup told Valens, I'll flip you for the remaining seat. On the toss of a coin, Valens won the seat and Allsup the rest of his life. The plane took off a little after 1 A.M. from Clear Lake and never got far from the airport before it crashed, killing all onboard. A cold N.E wind immediately gave way to a snow which drastically reduced visibility. The ground was already blanketed in white. The pilot may have been inexperienced with the instrumentation. One wing hit the ground and the small plane corkscrewed over and over. The three young stars were thrown clear of the plane, leaving only pilot Roger Peterson inside. Over the years there has been much speculation as to whether a shot was fired inside the plane which disabled or killed the pilot. Logic suggests that encased in a sea of white snow, with only white below, Peterson just flew the plane into the ground.

Deciding that the show must go on at the next stop, Moorhead, MN, they looked for local talent to fill in. Just across the state line from Moorhead, in Fargo ND, they found a 15 year old talent named Bobby Vee. The crash that ended the lives of Holly, Valens and Richardson was the break that began the career of Vee. Tommy Allsup would one day open a club named "The Head's Up Saloon," a tribute to the coin toss that saved his life.

Waylon Jennings would become a hugely popular Country singer. Dion di Mucci would enjoy a long lived solo career. Inscribed on Richie Valens' grave are the words, "Come On, Let's Go."

* NOTE:
In March of 2007 the body of J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson was exhumed at the request of his son, Jay Richardson. Dr. Bill Bass, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, looked at the remains in Beaumont, Texas. A gun that belonged to Buddy Holly was found at the crash site, fueling rumors that the pilot was shot and perhaps Richardson survived the crash and was trying to get help. "I was hoping to put the rumors to rest," the son Richardson said. Bass took X-rays of the body and found nothing to support those theories. Richardson had "fractures from head to toe. Massive fractures. ... and died immediately."





LARRY..CURTIS..SPURLOCK

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Monday, February 2, 2009

SUPER BOWL XLIII



Sunday February 1, 2009

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Super Bowl XLIII

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Pittsburgh Steelers 27

Arizona Cardinals 23

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Larry Curtis Spurlock

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Sunday, February 1, 2009

BLOG Resumption

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Sunday February 1, 2009
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The hiatus is over.
This BLOG will resume in March 2009.
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The schedule will be as follows:
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Monday = Open Mic Day.
Tuesday = Amateur Lyricist Day ( mine )
Wednesday = Novel Excerpt Day
Thursday = Professional Lyricist Day ( known recorded songs )
Friday = Anecdotes & Composition Day
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Breaking News and / or Special Features will be published appropriately.
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During February, several peretinent Posts will appear.
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Thank you, so very kindly
for your consideration.
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LARRY..CURTIS..SPURLOCK
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