WHERE IN THE WORLD IS JEFF BERTHIAUME?
By the time you read this Jeff should be back in DC filling out the never ending Government paperwork required for a lengthy three country trip.
I did receive the below note in an email from Jeff the other day.
Sitting in Abuja Nigeria watching TV last night and they were showing a documentary on the Christmas Day Bomber, the flight from the Netherlands to Detroit. Anyway, the way they caught the guy was because his father is/was a well respected banker in Abuja who became concerned about his son's behavior, contacted the US Embassy in Abuja and reported it.
It put him on a watch list, plus the bomb did not fully work, but anyway, kind of neat to see the story while sitting here.
1953 hours 05-01-11 Just heard from Kathryn, Jeffrey is on the ground at Dulles. Welcome home Jeff.
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CONGRATULATIONS
Our niece Sue Brodin of Connecticut, completed her 1'st marathon this weekend in Nashville, TN.
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I had a nice email back from my niece Lindsay Fiddler who was surprised to see her picture in the last issue. She sent along a little Bio to share with you all. Also, she's on Facebook and I'm sure she wouldn't mind a little more USA contact should you wish to befriend her. She posts some great pictures on her Facebook page also.
SPORTING NEWS
Well the NFL has the Lock Out back in place, What a screwed up affair this is. They did get the Draft completed for those of us who care. For those that don't care just skip this section, sorry.
I know my grandson Tommy Palmer and my nephew Ari Ford are interested in what our Eagles are doing. There may even be a few more Eagle fans out there. There's no sense posting the pics, they're out there for all to see.
I hope you Lion and Titan fans are happy also. The Lions look to be a defense to reckon with, now if only Matt Stafford comes back healthy.
For you Freeland, PA people. I have no idea where your allegiance lies. You guys seem to lean to NYC.
This from the Philly News created some interest.
After the unceremonious end to his season in January, David Akers spoke as if he had played his last game for the Eagles.
Guess he was right.
The team took the first step toward ending Akers' 12-year run as the franchise's greatest kicker when they selected Nebraska's Alex Henery in the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday.
In most cases, there's room for only one kicker on a roster. And with Akers a free agent and the league in a work stoppage, the Eagles used this opportunity to add a record-holding kicker even though teams don't normally expend picks on specialists.
"It's more about this kid being a good kicker," Reid said when asked if Akers' days were numbered. "I really haven't gone there. It's a little different right now with where we stand with this football today as we talk. Right now, David's with us."
Technically, Akers is. But he, in essence, became an unrestricted free agent when he declined to sign the Eagles' transition tender in March just before the start of the lockout. If he had signed it, the Eagles would have had the right of first refusal had another team tried to sign him.
"I think we're going to probably skip Akers right now and just kind of move on with it," Reid said when pressed on Akers' future. "I want to concentrate on this and I'm not going to get too much into David Akers right now."
Akers found out about the Henery draft pick almost immediately after it occurred, according to his agent Jerrold Colton.
"He's taking it in stride," Colton said.
A message left with Akers was not returned.
In February, after the Eagles tendered the kicker, Colton said Akers was disappointed by the designation. Two months earlier, both sides tried to negotiate a contract extension, but talks broke off.
Akers, though, had one of his finest seasons - connecting on 32 of 38 field goals and scoring 143 points - and was voted to his fifth Pro Bowl. But he was wide right on 41- and 34-yard field goals in the Eagles' 21-16 playoff loss to Green Bay, two misses that did not escape Reid's notice.
"We can all count," the coach said after the game. "Those points would have helped."
Akers was despondent after the game and spoke as if it was his final appearance in an Eagles uniform. Later it was learned that Akers played a few days before his daughter was to undergo cancer surgery.
"The Eagles may just be taking precautions," Colton said after Henery was drafted. "With the labor situation, they don't know when free agency will begin. And David is a free agent and he's not under contract."
When the Eagles brought Akers aboard in 1999 he mostly handled kickoff duties as Norm Johnson kicked field goals and extra points. As accurate as Akers is - he made 81.9 percent of his field goal-attempts in his career - Henery will likely handle both jobs for the Eagles next season.
"He's a very good kicker," Henery said of Akers. "It's not coming into replace him, it's coming in to do my job this upcoming year is really how I look at it."
A $450,000 roster bonus the Eagles would have to pay if they cut Henery is one reason the 23-year-old will probably be the lone kicker on the roster. Akers' contract demands are another. And Henery's undeniable talent is a third.
He finished his collegiate career as the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, connecting on 68 of 76 field goals (.895) and became the first kicker taken as high as the fourth round since the Patriots selected Stephen Gostkowski in 2006.
Henery is the first kicker the Eagles have drafted since they grabbed both Manny Matsakis and Paul McFadden in 1984 and the highest they took since Tony Franklin was taken in the third round in 1979.
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THE WEDDING/MILITARY NEWS
So many people were up early on Friday to view the goings on in London. Mary Agnes was one of them. I on the other hand joined it in progress around 0615, my normal waking hour. As a piece of interest to you military buffs, William is a member of the Irish Guards. I enjoyed seeing the Shamrock on his collar.
I heard quite a few comments about how nice it was to have something positive on the news. I guess a lot of us are tiring of all the negativity.
The Trident To the men who wear the Trident, Thank you. Another job well done.
The gold SEAL Trident, worn by both officers and enlisted men, was adopted in 1970 and replaced an earlier version worn by the UDT Teams.
The anchor, the central part of the insignia, denotes the Navy as the branch of service. Be hind and above the anchor is an eagle with outspread wings representing strength, courage and the ability to operate from the air. The eagle's right talon is holding a trident which represents the sea and is symbolic of Neptune, the Roman God who Rules the world's oceans using a trident as his scepter. The eagle's left talon holds a coked flintlock pistol representing land warfare. The cocked pistol demonstrates the SEALs' constant state of readiness for action.
HEALTH & WELFARE
Dee Lataille was in town for an over nighter on her way back to NC. Dee was up visiting her mother Linda, who as some of you know has been going through Chemo & Radiation treatment for Cancer. Well she has completed her treatment session, starting to feel a bit stronger, and now has no place for her and Bob to go every day. We are all thinking of you and send our prayers along also Linda.
I got a text from Dee, she's safely back in NC. She dined well last night as we had fried chicken, baked beans and home made crab cakes. This morning I got Mary Agnes, Sarah & Kathryn Egg White, Veggie flat bread sandwiches which were consumed on Sarah's balcony overlooking the Port of Salisbury. Dee took a few pictures of baby Geese & Ducks following their mothers around. (Send them in Dee & I'll post them.)
Ground level view at Sara's Condo.
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EDITOR'S CORNER
Here it is Tuesday and I'm actually about twelve hours ahead of this edition's time to hit the street.
Belated Birthday Wishes to my sister Donna up in Connecticut, she was 39 yesterday. Ree was supposed to pass me the phone when talking to you Donna, and said she didn't hear me , and I have a hearing problem.
Welcome back to the USA Jeffrey.
Abby and I had our usual Monday routine yesterday. I go to Arby's, get the biggest Bacon Chedder Roastburger. Build on your good mood by ordering a new flavor combination made in Roastburger® heaven. Arby's signature thinly sliced, oven roasted beef is piled high and topped with pepper bacon, a slice of cheddar cheese, fresh lettuce, ripe tomato, and onions on a split top roll. The burger has been one upped! Yep, that's what she gets along with fries and a sweet tea.
I pick Abby up from softball practice and we're off yo Kumon. The sandwich is usually consumed by the second traffic light, maybe a mile.
Busy pet day yesterday. I'm house sitting for a family with 4 cats, one of which is Diabetic and gets 3 units in Insulin twice a day. The family is at their vacation retreat in Sedona, AZ for a month. Two visits a day there.
No one home Sunday afternoon or overnight at the World Traveler's. Soooo, I had Lady Liberty, (120 lb. Yellow Lab). Multiple visits to Allen including 2130 good night and 0608 good morning.
Additionally, our next door neighbor was in the hospital yesterday having surgery and their Bichon Frise, Peppermint was home alone. (Grace is the neighbor and she is doing fine.
As I close out this edition, I'm listening to a Bi-plane swooping over a local field spraying the Winter Wheat. A warm morning today, the last for the next five days. If we're lucky we will see 80, then it's all down hill from there.
This continues to be a work in progress that I'm enjoying doing. To all of you Good Health, Good Time. Good Beer!
Mary Agnes has 87 days left in Jail. In case you don't know she has been the Nurse at Poplar Hill Pre-relase facility for 21 years.
Semper Fi
