text:
Extension > Agriculture > Dairy Extension > Manure > Shifting climate requires smart manure management
Shifting climate requires smart manure management
This spring's extremely wet start could have a big impact on how farmers manage manure. And it will not just matter this year. As climate changes, as it always does, farmers will need to pay more attention to every step in their manure management processes, including maintaining adequate storage capacity and being flexible with manure application timing.
Global Climate Change: http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/overview/overview
Figure 1. Changes in heavy precipitation.
As we all know, manure management does not end when the manure leaves the barn. Manure is stored and then transported and applied to crop fields where it benefits the soil and the crops. This seems simple until you get into the details. A changing climate is making those details more difficult.
At the University of Minnesota, we are urging farmers to prepare for these changes as we anticipate more variable weather in the future. Weird and variable weather patterns cannot always be clearly quantified, yet every farmer knows they exist. Just ask a retired farmer how the weather has changed over his or her lifetime. However, some trends are very clear; for the Midwest, historic trends indicate a 37% increase in the heaviest precipitation events (Figure 1) and longer frost free dates (Figure 2).
Smarter manure management begins with an understanding of the climate trends in your area as precipitation and temperature are critical parameters for good manure management. What are historic trends in rainfall and temperature? What seasons are getting drier or wetter? Do these climate trends impact the windows of time for manure application?
Outside Manure Storage: Manure storages are sized based on the amount of manure and runoff entering the system, the balance of rainfall and evaporation, and the planned frequency of pumping. Unexpected rainfall can lead to overtopping of manure storage or result in emergency manure pumping. A full manure storage is vulnerable to any intense rainfall event. Overtopping can mean fines for polluting and expensive cleanup. Outside manure storages are more vulnerable to intense rainfall events if they are capturing runoff from barns and other farm areas (roofs, lawns, fields and drives). If you are building a new storage, make sure it is designed with new rainfall data.
Smart manure management means maintaining your manure storage 1 to 2 feet below design capacity or what might be needed to handle a heavy rainfall event. This is defined as a 25-year, 24-hour storm event at any time of the year. Remember we have had several of these large 25-year events within the last few years. Extra freeboard provides flexibility when rains are heavy and unexpected. This may require that manure storages are pumped more than once per year.
Kunkle et al. Temporal Variations in Frost Free Season 1895 to 2000, 2004. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 31.
Figure 2. Frost-free days
Buffers and Treatment Areas: More intense rainfall events mean higher runoff from open feedlots. Buffer treatment areas may not be designed for volatile weather. Buffers work best when the grasses in the buffers are growing and the soils are thawed. Early and intense spring rains will increase the flow of feedlot runoff to the buffers at a time when the buffers are not very effective. Make sure your buffers are big enough to handle the increased rainfall and are maintained properly. Intense rainfall events can cause erosion and gully formation.
Manure Application: Fall seasons are becoming longer and warmer. When the soil is warm, nitrogen is volatilized leaving less nitrogen for your crops in the spring. Leaving manure application until spring is an option, but the window between winter and first planting dates is short. An ill-timed spring rain can easily result in a full manure storage basin with no place to pump. Waiting until late fall when soils are cool to apply manure is an option but there have been some recent early snow events that make this risky also.
One option that allows more flexibility is applying manure on pastures. This may take special application equipment but really allows for flexible manure management. Also, when fertilizer prices are high and corn prices are low, designating some crop acreage for manure application can be a cost effective method to reduce your risk. Simple calculations on profit per acre of cropland provide you the cost of this option versus the liability of pollution cleanup caused by an overflowing manure storage system.
The Bottom Line: Farmers need to pay attention to the shifting climate and adapt practices so they are not caught off guard. The first step in that process is education. The University of Minnesota is part of a national effort to build a community of trained professionals engaged in using the best climate science to create a profitable and climate resilient animal agriculture community. (For more information go to www.animalagclimatechange.org.)


text:
Women's Nike Reversible HeadbandItem #NIU1259
VIP:$16.19 Get This Price
Loading product details ...
Reviews (1)
Need Help?
Product Description:
Women's NIKE® REVERSIBLE HEADBAND :: Keep your head toasty warm without adding the extra bulk of a hat with the Women's Nike® Reversible Headband. You'll get cozy warmth and comfy performance from the composite fleece fabric, and you'll love the stretchy, snug fit of the Therma-FIT construction. Plus, you'll get the added versatility of being able to reverse this Nike® headband for two great looks in one awesome accessory!
Features & Benefits:
Reviewed by 1 customer
Best Uses
Comments about Womens Nike Reversible Headband Headwear:
I like the fact it doesn't cover my whole head. I run hot and don't like my hair getting wet.
Your Help Is Here
Shop with confidence knowing your team of Fit Experts is waiting to answer all your questions. You can always find your perfect product and your perfect fit. Your Road Runner Sports Fit Experts will make sure you get exactly what you want and have tons of fun in the process! Give us a call, chat, or email!
Call 800-743-3206 to
You May Also Like

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I've tried almost everything.
I got a classic t maxx 2.5. I got it in 2007. I have ran in it, 2.5, 2.5r(current engine), 3.3, durtrax .21, sh .21, dynamite .26 mach 2, axial .28, axial .32. I know all this is crazy, but I had to try to see which engine will give me the best performance. The reason I want back to the classic setup because the big block setup did not yield the results I was expecting. The major down side was the blow transmissions I had to replace.
I still have the extended chassis and looking to rebuild with all new parts. If anyone has any advise on what is best, please post all ideas. I will post pics throughout the project.
P.S I have the gearing formula, and have gone through all the gearing setups I could think of. It was the weight of the bigger engines and other parts that were used to improve the weaker parts that slowed the truck down. Can't figure out were I went wrong, but willing to try it again with help this time.
With a good .26 or .28 size engine you will need to upgrade the tranny gears with RRP gears or UE/OTB gears. Then you can take advantage of the bigger torque engines and gain the speed/durability you're looking for.
No slipper/tall gearing/power = broken parts.
whick transmission is better to work with, 2.5 or 3.3?
If using steel gears, it doesn't matter which except for the brake/slipper setup.
UE/OTB gears are not available for the 3.3 spec tranny, RRP gear are.
No slipper/tall gearing/power = broken parts.
Yeah I never understood why revo trannys seem to be more durable than the tmaxxes but yup Robison racing is a great product
The Revo has the Optidrive system, less rotational mass and better contact to the primary output gear from the gearset.
Basically that's my outlook on it...
As far as which one to go with? I like the UE setup with the aluminum OTB's and the Alloy Nitro Input gear over the RRP setup. It seems to be lighter overall but I could be wrong once the brake setups are in place,,, not 100% sure there.
But, I'll sau this, if you are running a small block, I see no reason for anything more than a stock FOC'd tranny, shimm'd... I've ran them this way and they hold up unless something is wrong, you just have to be thorough when troubleshooting and find the problems or you will be repeating your repairs... One bit of debris get's caught up in the gears and they will slowly deteriorate... Got 20 gallons on a stock FOC'd tranny that had been raced pretty hard.... Just put good bearings in it and shimmed anything that was too sloppy in movement.
All Lives Matter
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
While as far as the stock t maxx, it will be just for bashing only. I still have the extended chassis and will to build it from the ground up. My mean question is will the 3.3 tranny fit on the chassis and is it faster than the 2.5 tranny. I know there is a different gear ratio but don't know for sure which is faster if at all.
I heard tires can also make a differents in speed, is this true?
What is the deal with the losi 3.4. seen videos and it looks fast, but will it be faster than the 3.3? or at least more power.
Last edited by Rcracing6575; 01-17-2013 at 01:03 AM.
Of coarse, a lighter tire will get you up to top end much quicker than a heavy tire... That's why we use the pin styled tires on the race track, way lighter than bashing tires.....
All Lives Matter
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
do the pin tire wear down fast. think i pins on my buggy two years ago and they wore out in a short time. I could be thinking of the wrong tires.
going to the hobby shop tomorrow to get some parts, thinking about shock oil. which is best for bashing and one for racing.
should I upgrade to steel cvd's or will they add to much weight?
How should I improve the handling. What should I be buying?
And can someone give me more info on the big bore shocks.
Handling as in suspension or steering? For steering, a stronger servo will help a little, aswell as the tires and toe/camber which play a huge part as to how it will turn. For suspension, if you were building the "Perfect" T-maxx where you weren't going to cut corners, you would probably want the UE Supershock with UE shock towers and I think you need aluminum bulks to go with that. The Big Bores aren't any bigger than stock from what I've heard, they are just better build quality, with aluminum caps and a stronger body and shaft.
LHS suggest going with Proline shocks or aluminum traxxas shocks. The main problem I have with the maxx is that it flips over to easy. I will like to correct this problem or at least lower that chances of it happening so much.
BB's with aftermarket springs is the easiest route.
Dual rate(ebay), Integy pring set(the only good thing they make), AE MGT springs, all of these are aa good choice for springs.
The old Proline powerstrokes were good but they are hard to find & not cheap, parts are even harder to come by.
The newer Prolines are way over priced & not designed for the Maxx series trucks.
The best would be UE Supershocks & Knucklhead towers(about $115), you do need to use aluminum bulks or you willl find after a bad tumble the Aluminum towers have a by habbit of breaking the plastic bulkheads.
Lower the stance of the truck & learn throttle control & how to slide it around turns.
Tthe downside of the Maxx platform is it is top heavy, too fast in a turn & its going to flip if you can't/don't slide the back end around.
Look out for the tree/crunch!
LiPo? Naw NITRO!!
What would be the best tires for best performance all around?
Many people like Proline's tires, and depending on the kind of terrain you ride on, there's different options. The Road Rage is for pavement only, the Trenchers and Badlands ( probably the most popular from what I've seen) are for all terrain, and the Mashers say they're for all terrain, but they're probably better on a loose dirt type terrain. You'll want to follow the right way to install the tires, which includes things like taping them and cutting the foams. Nitronaught posted a whole guide on here going through it step by step.
I do alot of speed runs on most level surfaces, Dirt, gravel, sand, grass fields, street. sometimes will run on rough surfaces, Rock hills but I but do much jumping. also must be able to handle snow.


text:
Silver and Gold…and Cliff Lee!
Oh, Sam the Snowman…and my favorite Christmas movie. Since baseball is over, I guess it's okay to start looking forward to the Holidays. I don't really know what I want for Christmas this year.
The offseason has been relatively interesting so far. MLB Network's "Hot Stove" has been filled with news about the Gold Glovers, the Silver Sluggers, and of course, Cliff Lee.
I'd like to congratulate the three Yankees who won awards so far this year.
Congrats to Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano on receiving Gold Gloves at short, first, and second! A-Rod should've won, too, but I guess that would have seemed unfair. I'm proud to say that my Yankees have the BEST infield in all of baseball.
Robbie Cano didn't stop at the Gold Glove. He ALSO received a Silver Slugger Award!
Congrats, Robbie! Put both those beauties on your Christmas Tree this year and make Sam the Snowman proud.
Speaking of Christmas Trees, I actually do know what I want under it…
-He says he doesn't like the heat, so he might not want to stay in Texas.
-Texas says they might get Victor Martinez as an incentive for Lee to return to them.
-Cliff Lee's stupid wife claims that she hates New York.
-Ryan Zimmerman said he'd give Lee some of his salary to bring him to Washington (lol).
-Brian Cashman is God.
Jeez this is really stressful. I've been a good girl all year long…and all I want for Christmas is Cliff Lee. Oh,
Santa, Brian Cashman, is this so hard to accomplish?
These rumors are killing me. Cashman, just show him the money. I'm tired of waiting!


text:
Note: You must be registered in order to post a reply.To register, click here. Registration is FREE!
quote:Originally posted by Silent77I'm not sure why but everytime I try to load a new skin on my navigon it locks up after the orange spinning logo. I saw some other people with this problem and I tried almost everything. Any suggestions? Thanks.
quote:Originally posted by mstpubHello, for the people that are interrested to use my low battery indicator on their skin, here are the PNGs with the instructions on how to proceed.Navigon 2120/2100/2100max/7100Navigon 5100
quote:Originally posted by BLUEquote:Originally posted by Killas1moHey Blue did you ever finish my Jeep intro screen? Let me know.Sorry got caught up on my project @ work. I'm finishing it this weekend. Please check back on Sunday. I apologize again.
quote:Originally posted by Killas1moHey Blue did you ever finish my Jeep intro screen? Let me know.
quote:Originally posted by NumbersixHello--New 2100 owner and new GPS Passion member here. My 2100 came preloaded with the V1.2 software, and like a couple of others I'm finding that the existing skins seem to not work, instead causing the unit to hang at startup. Are there any V1.2 tested skins available? I'm not looking for anything fancy. Thanks all!Jon


text:
The Superior Chamber of Commerce rounded up 110 turkeys and delivered them to the Superior Food Bank in time to be distributed in the Thanksgiving food boxes. Chamber of Commerce president, Leslie Martin, coordinated the roundup with Lina Austin of the Future Forward Foundation, which provided fifty turkeys.
A thank you goes out to Art Varela, Florence Food Bank Director, who picked up the turkeys and delivered them to the drop-off location at the Caboose (Superior Visitor Center).
The Superior Chamber of Commerce, Manny Ruiz, and Dennis Van Gorpalso want to thank all the generous people who donated a turkey to the turkeyroundup and a special thanks to John Tameron for providing a refrigerated truck for two days and transporting the turkeys from the Caboose to the Superior Food Bank. The Superior Chamber of Commerce wishes everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.
To comment on this article and others visit the Copper Area News Facebook or send us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
In a discussion on interoperability of modern day enterprise applications, Web Services naturally joins the party. Web Service technologies provides J2EE with an opportunity to become truly inter operable with any other system. This is because, Web service technologies are platform-agnostic; in other words, the medium used to communicate is not specific to any combination of programming language, operating system, and hardware.
After reading this article you should be able to deploy web services in the form of servlets in Apache Geronimo and access them with different sorts of clients. This will be a good starting point to web services in the Geronimo server and to getting familiar with cumbersome JAX-RPC technologies.
This article is organized into the following sections : -
- Overview of Web Services Features in Geronimo
- Application Overview
- Configuring, Building and Deploying the Sample Application
- Testing of the Sample Application
- Summary
Overview of Web Services Features in Geronimo
According to J2EE 1.4 standard there are several options for consuming web services :
- A servlet may act as a Web service.
- A session bean may act as a Web service.
- Any J2EE component may act as a Web service client, using a reference to an external Web service.
Apache Geronimo supports JAX-RPC based Web services according to J2EE 1.4 standard. This means that a Web service application developed for the Geronimo should run on any application server. But JAX-RPC is a technology that is cumbersome and difficult to deal with.
Application Overview
The sample application referred in this article is a simple calculator which performs addition of two integers. The client application referred here is not a J2EE application, which will call a web service to carry out application functionality. Web service is exposed as a servlet in the Geronimo application server.
The following figure illustrates overview of calculator application :
The Web services deployed in the server uses CalculatorService interface as service end point interface. The important thing in this interface is it extends java.rmi.Remote interface and throws java.rmi.RemoteException from exposed methods.
The service implementation class for the web service is CalculatorServiceServlet. It implements all the methods in the service end point interface. This class will be exposed as a servlet in the web.xml file eventhough it is not necessary to extend javax.servlet.Servlet class.
Note the dependencies section of the geronimo-web.xml file. Those dependencies are mandotory to deploy web services in your web archive.
To deploy a JAX-RPC based web service, three additional configuration files have to be added into your archive. Those are WSDL file , jaxrpc-mapping file and web service description file. Those configuration files can be found under the config/servlet folder of the application.
WSDL file describes about the web service as given in the below :
jaxrpc-mapping file will map the information with service implementation.
webservices.xml file gives the locations of WSDL and jaxrpc-mapping files to services. The developer needs to have a good understanding of this file than the others given above.
How to access the Web service deployed in the server in tool independent manner? CalculatorClient.java file demonstrates how to achieve this function.
Tools used
The tools used for developing and building the Calculator sample application are:
Java Web Services Developer Kit
The Java Web Services Developer Pack (Java WSDP) is used for simplified development of secure and interoperable Web services applications. The Java WSDP is an integrated toolkit for developing, building, testing, and deploying web services, as well as web and XML-based applications. WSDP has been used to generate jaxrpc-mapping and WSDL files for the Calculator application. WSDP can be downloaded from the following URL:
The Eclipse IDE was used for development of the sample application. This is an extremely powerful and popular open source development tool. Integration plug-ins are available for Geronimo. Eclipse can be downloaded from the following URL:
Apache Ant
Ant is a pure Java build tool. It is used for building the Calculator application. Ant can be downloaded from the following URL:
Configuring, Building and Deploying Sample Application
Download the Calculator application from the following link:
After extracting the zip file, the Calculator directory is created.
Calculator application comes with an Ant script to help users to build from source code. It has to be properly configured before using it to build from source. build.properties file in the config directory has to be modified according to your environment. Set the correct path to the <geronimo_home> directory.
This build script depends on Geronimo 1.1.1. Also make sure to use "/" as you directory separator in Windows environment when you are setting the <geronimo_home> directory.
Compile Source Code
Use a command prompt and navigate to the Calculator directory and just give ant compile-web command to build. It will compile the source code into the Calculator/releases/war folder. From these compiled classes we are going to create jaxrpc-mapping and WSDL.
Generate WSDL and jaxrpc-mapping files
We have tested this application with Java WSDP 2.0 and it needs JDK 1.5
If you are not happy with given configuration files in Calculator/config/servlet and want to do some experiments, use the Java WSDP to generate jaxrpc-mapping and WSDL files. Follow these steps to generate those files.
- Copy Calculator/config/servlet/config-interface.xml to the WSDP_HOME/jaxrpc/bin.
- Create a folder called build under WSDP_HOME/jaxrpc/bin and copy classes folder from Calculator/releases/ear/war/classes.
- From command prompt issue the following command in WSDP_HOME/jaxrpc/bin.
./wscompile.sh -define -mapping build/jaxrpc-mapping.xml -d build -nd build -classpath build config-interface.xml
wscompile -define -mapping build/jaxrpc-mapping.xml -d build -nd build -classpath build config-interface.xml
- Previous step will generate both WSDL and jaxrpc-mapping file in the WSDP_HOME/jaxrpc/bin/build folder. The next step is to edit jaxrpc-mapping.xml file according to our services. Change the service-interface to org.apache.geronimo.samples.calc.CalculatorService.
- Now copy those files to the Calculator/config/servlet folder.
- Remove the build file from WSDP_HOME/jaxrpc/bin.
Create WAR file
To create WAR file use ant command while you are in the Calculator folder, from command prompt. This will create Calculator.war file under the Calculator/releases folder.
Deploying sample application is pretty straight forward, since we are going to using Geronimo Console.
- Scroll to Deploy New from the Console Navigation panel.
- Load Calculator.war from Calculator/releases folder in to the Archive input box.
- Press Install button to deploy application in the server.
Testing of the Sample Application
To test this sample application we are going to run the CalculatorClient application as given below.
ant run-client -Dval1=<num1> -Dval2=<num2>
lsf@lsf-laptop:~/workspace/Calculator$ ant run-client -Dval1=1 -Dval2=12
Buildfile: build.xml
[java] Working directory ignored when same JVM is used.
[java] Sum of 1 and 12 is 13
This article has shown, how to deploy a simple web service in J2EE specific manner. The highlights of this article :
- As a J2EE 1.4 certified application server Apache Geronimo supports JAX-RPC based Web service deployment.
- Deploy simple Web service in Geronimo as a servlet.
- Generate Web service related configuration files from Java WSDP.
- Access a deployed Web service from a client other than J2EE.


text:
we get a bodybag game with Illinois every year now.
Yeah, that's about the only plus. Damn this sucks divisionally. And to top it off, they're keeping the leaders/legends names too? Oh yippee.
Maryland prez tells regents MD, RU in Leaders Division w/OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, Purdue & Indiana. Illinois moves to Legends
Michigan will play OSU every year; other division opponents will play them once every six years. Good job, good effort Dave Brandon.
we get a bodybag game with Illinois every year now.
Yeah, that's about the only plus. Damn this sucks divisionally. And to top it off, they're keeping the leaders/legends names too? Oh yippee.
I am fully onboard with this being the worst thing ever.
But is this really Brandon's fault? This seems like Delaney's fault.
I'd blame Brandon for not pushing for us to be in a division with OSU in the first place.
That is the most idiotic statement I've heard all month.
You don't know the first THING about college athletics. And I'm not gonna throw the "I know more than you card out" ...but fuck it, I know more than. I've worked in college athletics administration for over 10 years INCLUDING in the B1G AND at Maryland.
Maryland HAD to make this move, they were BROKE --- thanks to Debbie Yow (who was the AD when I was there). Michigan has more money than they know what to do with thanks to Dave Brandon. Maryland is in DC, Michigan is in the struggling state of MICHIGAN.
Some how we've got a new Crisler, a "new" Big House, a "new" Yost, Under The Lights, The Big Chill, etc. --- and plenty more on the way.
We've started D1 LAX, we've hired Brady Hoke, we've helped our basketball team reach #4 in the country.
Yet the man who oversees all of this is incompetant. What a moronic statement.
Dave Brandon knows this will make him and his university more money --- PERIOD. People in Maryland are going to pay to see Michigan play on the road there and people in Michigan will pay for to see Maryland just like they pay to see us play Minnesota and Northwestern.
The University of Maryland just had to cut sports...do you know how BAD that is for an athletics department? Of couse not. Meanwhile, we just started a LACROSSE program --- do you know how EXPENSIVE that is?! Of course not.
Don't post on things you have no idea about.
All you really did was state the obvious: This is much better for Maryland than it is for Michigan.
It's interesting that your entire answer revolved around the finances of the relative athletic departments. And those finances are vitally important, no doubt. No one is arguing that this isn't a good move for Maryland (and I'm not sure why saving Maryland's AD enters into a discussion of Dave Brandon's, apart from a general point that an AD who is a competent financial administrator is an important thing to have). Protecting the financial standing of one's department is obviously a vital component of being a good AD.
But there are two other things that I would argue an AD is charged with that Brandon has been less successful at.
1. Preventing the teams under your perview from being at a competitive disadvantage. Some of that is financial, which Brandon (and Martin) obviously succeeded at, see New Chrisler. But other parts of it are structural. By publicly supporting the conference structure as it now stands, he has allowed Michigan to exist in a competitive disadvantage with every other team in its division, due to our protected crossover with OSU, who is sure to be the dominant team in the other division.
2. In a program like Michigan, with its history, he's also charged with protecting tradition. This is a tricky matter, particularly in the shifting age of college football as it exists. He's certainly done better than some, say Oliver Luck or DeLoss Dodd, but he has nevertheless overseen a few years in which the OSU rivalry, one of the key elements of Michigan's tradition, has seen a decline in importance. I, for one, don't believe that if Gene Smith and Dave Brandon had stood together and insisted that OSU and Michigan remain in the same division, and had marshalled the overwhelming support of their fanbases in the interest of the same, that said decline needed to happen.
They're now be visible in more homes, they'll reach the east coast more than they do and it allows their network, the best and biggest conference network in all of college sports to grow as well.
This move makes NO sense from a purely football standpoint. NO sense from a loyalist standpoint.
But this is about MONEY. This is about never having to cut sports like Maryland did. This is about continuing to build new facilities so you can claim to be "the leaders and the best."
For 15 years we said that even referring to basketball, but we weren't leading or the best of shit. Our team was average and our facility was well below average. Go walk around Crisler now --- not only do you get one of the best facilities in the country, but you get one of the best TEAMS in the country to play in it.
THAT is what Dave Brandon is responsible for --- not "OMG, we've got to play Rutgers" or "OMG, Maryland can't fill its stadium."
He's trying to run in athletics department in hard economic times in a state that has been hit as hard as anyone.
If Maryland had an AD that worried about raising money and being financially stable as much as Michigan did...we wouldn't be having this conversation. PERIOD.
My post wasn't just about money. It was also about a good AD vs. a bad AD. Debbie Yow was/is a BAD athletics director and it's showed. Proud Maryland cut sports and has no money. Kevin Anderson has had more pressure on him to get those teams back and fix the problem, this is what they had to do. But because of a good AD, Dave Brandon --- Michigan will never have those issues. Instead we're ADDING one of the most EXPENSIVE sports you can add in Men's Lacrosse.
Sidenote: At my current school, we've considered adding MLax due to pressure from alumni. We did a study and it was going to cost it at least 1.6 million ANNUALLY just to have a team. Who knows what it would cost to be good. Brandon added a sport that doesn't really do anything for the University (they were fine this long without it) and he's financially stable enough to continue to build new things for UofM.
He's far from incompetant. In fact, he's one of the best in the business.
"He's trying to run in athletics department in hard economic times in a state that has been hit as hard as anyone."
Now I'm scared to think about the way he would run it in good economic times. I don't think he is going to take his foot off the pedal. We may get Nebraska like PSD's.
Brandon always acts like he's got everything under control or everything that occurs is directly in line with what he had planned all along.
He should be furious about this, but he'll come out with some lame public statement pretending its a good thing.
Its not really his fault, but for someone who likes to pretend to be a master of the universe, this makes him out to be the regular guy that he is.
DB has been shockingly willing to be a mouthpiece for Delaney/B1G office over the last few years.
Maybe he's positioning himself to be the future B1G commish.
He has ties and a love for Michigan football which is why he moved from Dominos CEO to athletic director. I don't see him caring much about Big 10 commissioner.
What I do see is the Big 10 athletic directors collectively losing their minds in order to expand the Big 10 market. Rutgers and Maryland in no way guarentee viewership in NY and the Metro DC area.
SAM WEBB: Let's say that you're making the call on Big Ten Divisions, you are making the decision, are Michigan and Ohio State in the same division?
DAVID BRANDON: No.
And wish I had never seen it. This comment is troubling, "tradition is evolving."
No tradition doesn't evolve, it remains the same! The longetivity and familarity behind a practice or event make it a tradition. New traditions can be made but traditions by definition cannot evolve! Those new tradition must be allowed to settle and take root or else they are just fads. That is why The Game should NEVER be moved from the last Saturday in November.
None of us weren't alive when the tradition started but so many of us fell in love with The Game and much our love has to do with those who have built on and CONTINUED the tradition. We would be remissed to just tear it all down for some sort-sighted conference re-alignment.
I don't know if that's the smoking gun you're making it out to be. He could just be toeing the company line. A corporate guy like Brandon isn't going to rock the boat.
I think the fundamental problem is that a lot of schools in the league see Michigan and OSU as cash cows and absolutely do not want to go a year without playing either of us, so the league split us up to ensure that everybody gets a crack at one of the Big Two.
Either A. Brandon wants a dumb setup (which he said he did) where Michgian and OSU are in separate divisions, or B. As the AD at one of the two flagship schools in the conference he was unable to tell Purdue, Iowa, Indiana, etc. that they can suckle at the teat of our extra bowl revenue and inflated TV contracts but they can't take our traditions. Oh, and they get to play Nebraska and PSU every year so not exactly a kick in the balls.
I'm not sure how realistic option B would have ever been. Is he going to tell his colleagues, in a conference that has always been about sharing the wealth, to F off?
I also don't get any sense that OSU was willing to stick its neck out for this, either.
I agree. That's not really how business partners behave off of television.
This isn't a hard sell. In exchange for millions of dollars in increased revenue and heightened exposure that comes from being in a conference with Michigan and OSU, other teams have to accept the fact that Michigan and OSU will play a meaningful (as in they are competing in the same division) game every year at the end of the season. Just like they have always done. To make up for keeping things the same for us, they get even more money thanks to BTN/expansion and we've added another elite program that is even better at traveling to your stadium and buying tickets (Nebraska) who you get to play every year.
Not to mention, we are sacrificing exposure for this whole deal. Every Michigan game was on TV before the BTN. That was not the case for other schools in the league. Now Michigan fans are essentially subsidizing games (forced to pay for a premium channel to get games they used to see without it) between Indiana/Minnesota/Northwestern and shitty non-conference opponents.
If Dave Brandon as Michigan AD under those circumstance can't get that done then he is useless at that (very important) facet of his job.
Michigan, OSU, MSU, Minnesota, Northwestern, Iowa on one side. PSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue on the other. That isn't some insane, imbalanced scenario that people who are getting rich because of their association with Michigan/OSU can reasonably object to.
They are playing a meaningful game against each other at the end of the year.
I pay nothing additional for the BTN.
I'm not sure what you're saying, really.
1. You'll feel differently that first time we play Ohio State in the final regular season game when we're already scheduled to play them in the championship, especially if we win the first one and lose the second.
2. Congratulations on having a more expensive television package that some people cannot afford. For instance: In the past every Michigan game would have been on televison before the BTN. However, you cannot get BTN on the minimum Comcast line-up, you must pay extra.
Its quite obvious what he's saying.
Michigan and Ohio State are the Big Ten. There is no conference without them. Brandon continually either disagrees with what the fanbase wants or goes along with the also-rans in the conference to our detriment (SEE divisional alignment in the first place).
If he can't occasionally pair up with the OSU AD and tell folks how it is going to be (especially when they could have a very nice division with PSU, Nebraska, and Wisconsin) then what is the point of being the big fish?
I agree. I'm not a big fan of Brandon, but it seems silly to keep blaming him for every bad thing that happens at the conference level. Big fish or no, I'm not sure Brandon actually has the clout to simply do whatever he wants and tell the rest of the conference to get in line.
He's no DeLoss Dodds, that's for sure.
The big fish thing was just brought up for people who act like DB is a helpless child at the mercy of powerful nefarious forces from schools like Purdue.
The real problem, as Brian pointed out, is that he wants things that are dumb (like Michigan and OSU in separate divisions).
This is insanity. Nothing else to add.
"Gr8est Conference Ever!"
You owe Dave Brandon another few years of not complaining. Plus, what makes you think Brandon has the power to "fix" the divisions? Plus plus, if further expansion is possible/probable/imminent, why not wait to do the "fix" until the final situation is evident?
I posted this in another thread, but there was simply zero chance of the Big Ten allowing Michigan and Ohio State in the same conference. Really, zero. I am certain that it was never on the table.
The vote would have been 10-2 (or 12-2 if Mississippi and Rice or whoever the hell we just added get to vote).
You replied to my statement, and I see your point and haven't thought about it from your angle. However, I contend a slight variation of your argument. If a school knew they wouldn't be put in their division, they'd be pretty willing to sign up for it. So, say, if you told Wisconsin and/or Nebraska that they'd be opposite M and OSU... i'm pretty sure they'd be comfortable with that.
I agree that Wisconsin and Nebraska would have been ok with it. They can more or less fill their stadia with any schedule they are given, and they will be more competitive with Michigan and Ohio State in the opposite division.
I'm thinking more about the Indianas and the Illinoises and the Rutgerses (?) of the world. They need draws to fill their stadium, and Nebraska and Wisconsin are okay, but don't measure up to Michigan and Ohio State. Indiana, Illinois and Rutgers would pitch a fit if they were put in a division without Michigan or Ohio State--it would be a huge deal for them. Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa, on the other hand, would probably object to being in a division with both Michigan and Ohio State--they see themselves as occasional contenders for a title, and being in a division with both of those teams would pretty much take away any such chances from them.
From the point of view of the rest of the league, everything would be too unbalanced with the "big two" in the same division.
that vote is even worse (11-1/13-1).
Why wouldn't at least some of the teams that weren't in the OSU-UM division be happier to have a smoother road to the championship game? Seems like Brandon and Smith, if committed, could scare up at least 4-5 other schools to support them.
ADs have to think about the bottom line. Having U-M or OSU in your division likely means a guaranteed sellout game in your stadium.
Take a look at the Northwestern-Nebraska game this year. The TV money is split no matter what and one of PSU/Nebraska every year isn't any less profitable than M/OSU in terms of ticket sales across the conference.
There is no credible reason for not having Michigan and Ohio State in the same division.
As others have said, if this was truly such a bad deal for everyone else in the division, why wouldn't there be 6 or 7 votes for it because the other division would be that much easier?
In reality, if you assume that there are four powers, it shouldn't matter which two of the four are in your division, it should be fairly balanced. I always assumed that the problem was that people always talked about it as geographical splits and then it didn't make sense to have three of the four in one division.
Also, a point in favor of teams voting for it. Say you're Indiana, being in the same division with Michigan and OSU assures you of one big gate a year. That's probably worth voting for it outweighing having a tougher road to winning the division.
If Michigan and Ohio were in one division, that would make it easier to get to the title game if you are in the other division. So it would probably be a more even vote.
Let's say that all 14 schools are given a piece of paper, and told, "assume that you will play your biggest rival no matter what. Now given that fact, if you could have any single team in your division, which would it be?" I'm guessing that they would open up the papers and see 13 "Michigan"s and 1 "Ohio State" written on those slips of paper.
Now let's say that they are given a second slip of paper, and told, "assume you don't get your first choice. If you could have any other team in your division, which would it be?" I'm guessing that they would find about 12 votes for Ohio State.
This isn't so much about competitiveness, and it certainly isn't about TV money. It's about the appeal of the home football schedule. If you were a Big Ten athletic director, and you knew that there was a possibility that for 10 of the next 12 years, your home schedule would not include either Michigan or Ohio State, would you vote for it? The athletic director doesn't care about being in the title game as much as he cares about money. The TV money is the same no matter what, so really he mostly cares about selling season tickets.
Attractive schedules get the alumni on campus, and alumni on campus donate more money than alumni who don't return to campus.
Yeesh, the only saving grace of this was Michigan playing in DC regularly. Delany is just the devil.
They also like those giant gross sandwiches with microwaved chicken tenders and mozarella sticks.
Except that we won't, because Maryland is in the other division.
Ughhhhh. This sucks. Was this even thought through sufficiently by the higher-ups?? Stupid question, I know.
not david brandon's fault and don't get the attempt to blame him here
The only way that 14 teams would have SENSIBLY worked would have been to eliminate the cross-division rivalry, or expanding to 9 games.
They're clearly not doing the first. I doubt they do the second.
They can't do the second until 2017 at the earliest. We're stuck with this for 3 seasons at least or until we get to 16 teams and are forced to move to 9 games.
The only way that 14 teams works is to make that the maximum conference limit, eliminate OOC games and have every team play 13 conference games, with a EPL type league champion decided. Then let the conference champs play in a playoff, a la, the Champions League.
I would love that so hard.
They should get rid of the "guaranteed" matchup then. I know "The Game" is great for tradition and tv, but at the end of the day, it's going to be a 50/50 win/loss game that could adversely affect our conference win percentage right before the B1G championship.
Plus, the other matchups are downright silly - why would Northwestern have to face Rutgers every year and MSU face MD? Absolutely no reason for that... no history, tradition or desire....
It's wise not to whine about a lack of history and tradition right after advocating for cancellation of The Game in the name of an easier schedule.
Well, as Hoke says, the only thing that matters is a B1G championship... and The Game naturally puts you at a competitive disadvantage vis a vis MSU, Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa, etc.
He does end things with "Beat...Ohio" not "See you...in Indy".


text:
November 12th, 2009 by
Scottsdale Arabian Horse Farm Tours
Now in the third year, the Scottsdale Farm Tours are quickly becoming an anticipated holiday occasion and an important preceding event to the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.More
November 12th, 2009 by
All Stars Arabians Open House
All Stars Arabians Open House - December 5th 4:00 PM. Please join us for an evening of food and beautiful Arabian horses. Come see our Scottsdale Show string and the beautiful sale horses we have available in all price ranges.More
October 27th, 2009 by
XXVIIth All Nations Cup and 2009 German National Show
The first title show of the season - All Nations Cup is called one of the two most difficult Arabian events in Europe and one of the most prestigious and full of traditions in the world next to World Championships, US Nationals and Scottsdale Show.More
October 27th, 2009 by
Rio Arabian Show: A Meeting with the Sea
This year the show took place on June 31st-August 02nd and was judged by the Brazilians Lenita Perroy and Marcelo Borges and the Italian Fausto Scanzi.More
October 21st, 2009 by
Jim Andreson(1946-2009)
Jim Andreson passes away. Jim started his horse-breeding program about fifty years ago in North Dakota, but it was those Philadelphia years that really made the difference for him. Being a tall man (well over 6 feet) he wanted "more daylight" under his horses, and he was shopping for the right stallion...More
October 20th, 2009 by
Gone Too Soon - Russ Vento, Jr.
For many of us in the Arabian horse industry, Sunday, October 11th, 2009 started out like most Sunday mornings; nice warm shower, cup of coffee, throw on some barn clothes and go check the horses...More
October 19th, 2009 by
2009 Manzanita Ride, 25 Mile Course
I have dreamed my entire life of owning a beautiful Arabian that is of versatile mindset, that can and will do cross performances in sanctioned arena shows of halter/breeding in hand, arena performances, as well as off the farm on trail rides of various performance levels...More
October 13th, 2009 by
Rare offering from Beshraka Egyptian Stud
Beshraka Egyptian Stud is offering a rare Imperial Baarez daughter out of JF Bint Serenada (Imperial Kamilll x Ansata Serenada -*Jamilll) JF Serena Nadirah is in foal to Liberty Champion JF Hatim (PVA Kariim x Beshraka) for an EBC eligible foal in 2010.More
October 13th, 2009 by
Sport Horse Nationals Payback Program awards $50K
Sport Horse Nationals Payback Program awards $50K. Exhibitors at the 2009 Sport Horse National Championships raked in extra prize money for their accomplishments, courtesy of the SHN Payback Program for the second consecutive year.More


text:
Sausage Spinach Turnovers Recipe
4.5 4 7
One Christmas, I gave these tasty meat pies to our neighbors as gifts instead of sweets—they loved them! The handheld pies make a handy take-along lunch. I freeze the leftovers and reheat them later in the microwave when I need a quick meal. —Vicky Henry Aurora, Colorado
Featured In: Handheld Recipes for Busy People On-The-Go
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Popular Videos
- 1 pound Jones No Sugar Pork Sausage Roll sausage
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 loaf (16 ounces) frozen bread dough, thawed
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spinach, cheese, mustard, marjoram, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.
- Divide dough into eight portions; roll each into a 6-in. circle. Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture on half of each circle. Brush edges with egg white; fold dough over filling and press edges with a fork to seal. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Brush tops with egg white; cut slits in the top of each. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked turnovers on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag; return to freezer. To use, bake turnovers as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through. Yield: 8 turnovers.
Originally published as Sausage Spinach Turnovers in Taste of Home October/November 2001, p27
Reviews forSausage Spinach Turnovers
My Review
Click stars to rate
Any changes to your rating or review will appear where you originally posted your review
Average Rating
Reviewed Jul. 3, 2013
"This is really good!! I think it depends all on the type of sausage used. Instead of frozen bread dough, I used Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix and they turned out soft and yummy!!"
Reviewed Jan. 1, 2013
"Love these! Make a nice breakfast or lunch. Use a good sausage and extra sharp cheddar."
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2012
"I make it every Christmas eve the whole family loves them"
Reviewed Nov. 28, 2010
"I didn't like this at all. Too bland."


text:
I've been busy destroying my past.
Not in an exotic way, like removing my fingerprints with acid so the cops don't catch me.
This destruction is a chore brought on by a recent home disaster and a gnawing sense of disorganization.
In March, a water pipe in our basement broke. Everything's fixed now, but to empty the room we moved stuff all over the rest of the house. Now we're putting it back.
My wife and I have realized that paper is our demon: receipts, magazines, bill statements … you name it. We're highly skilled at keeping paper, but we struggle to store it efficiently or, better yet, get rid of it.
Now I'm spending hours looking through years- and decades-old stacks of crap, wondering why I saved it in the first place but determined not to kick the can further down the road.
I'm not talking about love letters or poems your kid wrote. You keep that stuff.
I'm talking about utility bills. Warranties for appliances we no longer own. Memos from jobs we haven't had in years.
Paper clutter is worse than most junk. Old furniture, for example, can be hauled away quickly, but you have to review paper clutter before discarding.
And paper clutter is dangerous. It's psychologically burdensome. It's a fire hazard, and in the case of our basement, it's a humidity hazard. See, every bit of paper soaks up water from the air. The less water-absorbing material, the easier it is to keep your basement dry.
Worst of all, paper clutter is candy for identity thieves.
Javelin Strategy & Research, a research firm that studies consumer transactions, reported in February that the number of identity fraud victims in the United States jumped to 13.1 million in 2013. That's the second highest number of victims since Javelin began conducting its annual study in 2004.
For sure, much identity theft comes from electronic data breaches, but not all identity theft happens online. I'll cover electronic identity theft in an upcoming column.
In fact, according to credit monitoring service Equifax (citing 2011 data from Travelers Insurance), the top cause of identity theft is not the Internet, but rather, stolen wallets and purses. Also high on the list are stolen documents that contain critical personal information.
Equifax urges people to "shred old bills and other unnecessary financial records."
What then, is an "unnecessary financial record"? What must you keep? What can you discard, and when?
By "discard," I mean shred everything that remotely identifies you, and unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule for each document, but the short answer is that you should destroy most documents sooner than later.
Look at appropriate document destruction as empowerment, notes financial guru Suze Orman. "When you consciously open, read, and file away your bills and statements, you are connecting with your money and taking control of your life," she writes.
Orman's thoughts also are the gist of a Consumer Reports how-to based on the advice of Stephanie Denton, author of "The Organized Life: Secrets of an Expert Organizer."
The easy part: Never discard birth/death certificates, marriage licenses/divorce decrees, military discharge papers, pension-plan documents, property deeds/titles, critical legal papers, or Social Security cards. Keep them in a safe deposit box.
Documents relating to investment purchases or loans, vehicle records and warranties for appliances and furniture can be discarded as soon as the loan is paid or the warranty expires.
Keep all tax returns seven years.
Just about everything else? Shred after a year, two years tops.
• Jason Akst teaches journalism and public relations at Northern Illinois University. He also serves as a board member for the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association, www.ninaonline.org. You can reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter @JasonAkst.


text:
Who predicted what reversed the growth of Phoenix, Las Vegas, Greece, and Ireland, etc?
In 2003, I published warnings of an emerging global credit crisis what would bring down real estate prices in particular as well as reduce stock prices and overall economic activity (spending and borrowing). In 2004, I specified that rising fuel prices would be the specific trigger of a wave of changing habits of borrowing and spending. I also explained then why the long-term trend of fuel prices had reversed in 1999, why that rise of fuel prices could soon accelerate dramatically (which was widely recognized by 2008), and what effect such a spike in fuel prices would have in various places depending on whether that particular area was energy-rich or energy-scarce.
First, what predictable effect would the spike in fuel prices have on oil-rich regions like Alaska and Alberta? In recent years, oil-rich Alaska and Alberta have predictably continued to thrive, even while other energy-importing states in the US and other provinces in Canada have been predictably experiencing tremendous declines in economic activity and thus tax revenues, resulting predictably in downgrades in the credit-worthiness (financial stability) of the government of many states and provinces.
"During the years of 2000-2008, Alaska GDP grew at an annual rate of 7.4%…." By 2010, it was the #2 state in the US for GDP per capita and it was still the only state to pay it's residents a dividend to reward them for living there instead of somewhere else (over $3,000 per year).
So, as oil prices rose over 1100% from 1999 to 2008, oil-rich places like Alaska, Alberta and many OPEC nations would experience a huge trade surplus. In contrast, energy-scarce places like Japan, Greece, Ireland, Phoenix, and Las Vegas would experience a huge wave of economic conservatism.
Once the first wave of conservatism resulted in a decline in global energy consumption, energy prices sharply fell (in 2008). However, any forecaster who already understood the simple geology and simple economics behind the rise of fuel prices which started in 1999 would have also known that the change in behavior arising by 2008 was just the first wave of an emerging revolution in values and behaviors.
In fact, by mid-2005, behavior had already changed in the most energy-scarce areas (the sprawling desert suburbs). Since I was expecting such a change, I reported it within a few months as the predictable first indications of the emerging shift in the US.
Prior to mid-2005, there had been a trend of huge economic growth in Phoenix and Las Vegas throughout the 20th century due to advancing technology and plummeting energy costs. As air conditioning for buildings and automobiles became more and more economical, the barren wastelands of Las Vegas and Phoenix had first become popular vacation destinations and then popular places to live, even during the intense summer heat.
By mid-2005, that trend was changing. As global energy prices spiked, the cost rose sharply of long commutes in 115 degree weather (with the auto AC cranked up, thus using far more gasoline than in the winter) and so did the cost of summer electricity bills, which even surpassed the monthly mortgage payment in some cases. Rather than moving further out in to the suburbs and getting bigger and bigger homes, people predictably started moving closer to the urban hub and in to smaller and smaller homes which reduced total energy costs.
Within a few years, most of the US (except for Alaska of course) had similar issues to a lesser degree: more spending on fuel and less spending on most everything else: construction, stock market investing, education, entertainment, and so on. The same shifts had already been evident in much of Europe starting in 1999 and in Japan starting at the end of 1989.
As the waves of economic conservatism flow across Japan and Europe and the US, consumers and owners of businesses predictably get more and more selective about how they spend their money, what sources they value as relevant and trustworthy and authoritative, and how much attention to put on personal responsibility after the decades of trends toward relying presumptively on distant mega-corporations, government bureaucracies, mainstream media empires, and even mainstream religious institutions. Who has promoted relevant adaptions and who has encouraged naivete, blame, rage and hysteria?
Did the mainstream media warn you of these issues or entice you to take actions that resulted in disappointment and then incite blame for the results you created with your choices? Did mainstream educational institutions prepare you? Did mainstream religious institutions prepare you? Did governments warn you of these issues or encourage you to be naively confident?
Many of those institutions are declining in authority. In contrast, certain individuals and networks are distinctive in their newly established relevance and leadership.
Many people may experience fear upon recognizing the simplicity of what is emerging. Some of them will respond to the fear with courage and responsibility. Others will attempt to repress the fear or project it by blaming some isolated group of villains (whether vilifying the scapegoats presented by the media or directly vilifying the corporate media and those who rule it). They may also cling to some optimism naively or even hysterically, which again may be encouraged by some institutions.
Those institutions are serving their purpose. They are distracting those who are easily distracted. They are sorting those who are ready and willing to be responsible from those who prefer the complacent luxury of another frightened blame and of another desperate hope.
While I used to think of Alex Jones and David Icke and David Wilcock and even Jon Stewart as admirable and relevant, I now assert that, to the extent that they fan the flames of hysteria and divisiveness, they simply distract those who are easily distracted. Again, that may be their entire purpose. I admit that George Carlin and Bill Hicks were witty and bold, but there are other valuable qualities that may be a higher priority. I prefer Alan Watts or Robert Anton Wilson.
If you are open to new results, then you might explore new actions and new guidance. If you recognize that you might value the guidance of one of the people who predicted the changes of recent years and recommended the actions that would have entirely avoided loss and produced enormous benefits, let me know.
Related articles
- Las Vegas – want to see more of it! – Las Vegas, USA (travelpod.com)
- When in Vegas? M!KEATTACK (mindinversion.net)
- Top Tips for Las Vegas (flightcentre.co.nz)
- City Of Las Vegas Sees Fit To Get EnergyFit (lasvegas.cbslocal.com)
- Fuel prices up by 50 thebe per litre (gabzfmnews.wordpress.com)
- It Only Took a Global Depression to Reduce Gas Prices by 40 Cents (theburningplatform.com)
- China's fuel hike will have a chain reaction (wantchinatimes.com)
- Poll: Americans concerned, but split blame on rising fuel prices (thehill.com)
- Oil hovers above $83 as traders eye OPEC meeting (mysanantonio.com)
- Oil hovers above $83 as traders eye OPEC meeting (kansascity.com)
- Oil Prices Hit 8-Month Low as Spain Optimism Fades (dailyfinance.com)
- Oil slips to near $83 as traders eye OPEC meeting (news.yahoo.com)
- Oil recovers slightly early Tuesday in Europe after hitting 8-month low near $81 (calgaryherald.com)
- Analysts Get Bullish on Energy, but Traders Waver; Seven Stocks to Consider (blogs.barrons.com)
- Oil falls to below $83 as traders eye OPEC meeting (cbsnews.com)
- Drumbeat: June 11, 2012 (theoildrum.com)
- Saudis under OPEC pressure to prevent price collapse (business.financialpost.com)
- Oil below $83 amid possible change of OPEC production quotas (panarmenian.net)
- Oil hovers above $83 as traders eye OPEC meeting (fuelfix.com)
- Iran says OPEC summit will focus on production quotas (panarmenian.net)
- Oil falls to below $83 as traders eye OPEC meeting (mysanantonio.com)
- Oil falls to below $83 as traders eye OPEC meeting (miamiherald.com)
- Canada's oil production rose 5% in 2011: BP (business.financialpost.com)
- Oil hits 8-month low as Spain bailout hopes fade (sfgate.com)
- Oil heads for longest losing streak in 13 years (business.financialpost.com)
- Oil rises ahead of key OPEC meeting (seattlepi.com)
- Oil rises ahead of key OPEC meeting (mysanantonio.com)
- Oil hits 8-month low as Spain optimism fades (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Drumbeat: June 9, 2012 (theoildrum.com)
- The Myth of Peak Oil (counterpunch.org)
- What if the U.S. becomes an oil exporter? (theglobeandmail.com)
- The age of extreme oil: 'This used to be a forest?' (theglobeandmail.com)
- Candidate Romney's Energy Plan (greentechmedia.com)
- Environment & climate – June 12 (energybulletin.net)
- Capitalism's destructive quest for extreme energy (climateandcapitalism.com)
- Canada cruising for a major oil spill crisis in the Arctic, academic warns (canada.com)
- TransCanada's Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Project Moves Ahead (snspost.com)
- Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation present grievances to Shell Chairman, board and shareholders (climate-connections.org)
- Alaska Gives TransCanada OK To Shift To Gas Pipeline (huffingtonpost.com)
- Drumbeat: May 26, 2012 (theoildrum.com)
- Reviving Arctic oil rush, Ottawa to auction rights in massive area (theglobeandmail.com)
- 'One project, one review, completed in a clearly defined time period': Excerpt from budget document (mining.com)
- Phoenix and Scottsdale heat up for summer travel (orbitz.com)
- Out of the Ashes of the Recent Bearish Voices on Gold, the Phoenix has Risen; the Gold Anti Trust Action Committee (GATA) has Landed in Vegas for the Upcoming Money Show (prweb.com)
- Dangerous 110-degree heat forecast in Southwest (usatoday.com)
- Report: open houses may not help sell homes (agbeat.com)
- Do Open Houses Help Homes Sell? (redfin.com)
- Watch Las Vegas's Growing Sprawl From Space (fastcoexist.com)
- Gas Prices Drop As Temperatures Rise (lasvegas.cbslocal.com)
- Combat rising fuel prices: sign the petition (confused.com)
- Fuel prices top UK protest poll (confused.com)
- Fears 'overblown' says ExxonMobil boss (guardian.co.uk)
- Fuel, electricity price hikes to take toll on Taiwan economy: scholars (wantchinatimes.com)
- Delta Airlines Buys Oil Refinery to Control Fuel Prices (environmentalleader.com)
- Exxon's CEO: Climate, energy fears overblown (bottomline.msnbc.msn.com)
- How You Can Profit from Fluctuating Oil Prices (dailyfinance.com)
- Federal energy data chief says crude exports would boost economy (fuelfix.com)
- What's Behind Oil's Slip in Price? (fool.com)
- Firms eye green cars In fuel crisis (confused.com)
- Exxon's CEO: Climate, energy fears overblown (mercurynews.com)
- Ogra recommends fuel price cut (dawn.com)
- Rising fuel prices mean £100 to fill up family car – but expert says more price rises needed: What do you think? (examiner.co.uk)
- Explain fuel price rise, Kibaki and Raila told (nation.co.ke)
- Peak oil – June 28 (energybulletin.net)
- Energy use set to fall for first time (eco-business.com)
- Two Cheers for House Energy Bill (papundits.wordpress.com)
- Have pump prices peaked? Some experts think so (bottomline.msnbc.msn.com)
- World's Media: Wanting it Both Ways on Greece (irishleftreview.org)


text:
I will be Failing my son. He will be repeating 4th grade.***UPDATED***
This year even though his average is 80+ this year in all the things he did do...
KEEP IN MIND THE WORDING HERE.. THAT WHICH HE DID DO.. is 80%
But 40% of the material that we were supposed to do he litterally had to do over and over and over again..
And we have only finished 50-60% of the materials.
Why you ask..
Litterally he has rebelled at every turn.
He will sit with his head in his hands twirling his pencil. He will tell me he did the work.. Then when I go to correct it.. I litterally have found doodles on the lines.(More than one time!) I have tried incentives, I have tried downright bribes. (Upto and encluding 2 weeks of camp this summer, a summer pass to theme parks and even The new wiiU) He just refused to co-operate! So I have told him he is going to have summer school. And that we will start next year with a different curriculum but that he will be doing 4th grade work again as I refuse to let him move on to new materials until he shows he is competant and has mastered the stuff from this year.
Then I also told him that starting today if he starts to act out/ say how much he hates doing school work he will be sat in a corner and left there all day long! When I say all day long.. I mean from the time he wakes up to the time he returns to bed aside from trips to the bathroom or meals. I also told him that work that I know is not up to his abilities will bring about 1 hour of the same sitting..
I know that some of you ladies won't agree with these measures.. However after an entire school year of him not getting his work done, and not co-operating.. I know it is being a bit harsh.. atleast to some! I am an old fashioned kind of momma.. I don't tolerate disobediance and I have tried everything this year to not have to get to this level.. But when he insists on making litterally the entire home a den of anger, frustration and misery for the past almost 12 months (I started him last year on homeschooling just after he got out of public school.. Hoping we could get him caught up) so we have been homeschooling him every monday-friday since June... with the exception of 3(1week)vacations. So like I said he has made us all miserable trying to fight the homeschooling.. And I have decided he won't be given the liberty of succeeding in his attempts.
Ok well I talked with a local woman who has been homeschooling here in NY for some time! To boot her husband is very up to date on laws.. So they helped me know about the legal requirements of nys! And I have been herassing myself and my son for most of the year for almost no dang reason!
So were gonna do some morning work each day during the summer but aside from some catchup stuff were taking it easy starting monday!
I will be failing him still But I have informed him it is as much my fault as his.
Thanks to all(well most of you anyhow) you ladies for letting me post this and for giving some great constructive criticizm...
I don't care no matter what he will continue all summer until he can do his first grade work.
All I know is he keeps repeating the phrase.. "They don't do this like that in school.."
And I keep telling him that Homeschool and Public school ARE DIFFERENT!
Yes you learn and have similar classes.. But they aren't "The same"
And he says he misses the kids.. And that I understand.. But I can't really help that! He spends alot of time with the children in our church so that is some help.. I hope!
Quoting MrsImperfect:
Sounds like he needs another approach to learning cause he's not interested, bored or its too hard not hard enough. Whatever his issue might be.
How old is he? It honestly sounds like maybe you need a different approach. How do you run your home school day? I know that for one of my sons he does really well first thing in the morning and likes to get his work done right away. Then my other son is not a morning person and does much better at around 10am. He also does better with doing a lesson or 2 and then having a break and then doing another lesson or 2. Maybe he would do better with a more hands on curriculum rather than seat work?
10=Language Arts
11=Social Studies
12 Lunch
2= Reading
And like I said in my post I will be changing the curriculum very soon. However I do truely beleive that children need to learn how to do as they are told. I have tried many hand's on lessons and I have even tried to do feild trips.. None of that seems to motivate him. For history one week we took him to a local place which has houses from each time period in american history. And in each of the homes there are people telling about that time period.. He sat down on one of the steps and told us all how boring history was and how he didn't want to go to any more of the homes.. After we had payed for a weekend pass to take him all through it.. so 2 days of our pass were wasted because mister cranky pants wanted to gripe and whine.
Quoting 101stwife:
How old is he? It honestly sounds like maybe you need a different approach. How do you run your home school day? I know that for one of my sons he does really well first thing in the morning and likes to get his work done right away. Then my other son is not a morning person and does much better at around 10am. He also does better with doing a lesson or 2 and then having a break and then doing another lesson or 2. Maybe he would do better with a more hands on curriculum rather than seat work?
YOu could also try a book called 1, 2, 3 Magic. It has helped so much with discipline and getting him motivated to do school typpe activities.
GOod luck.
I do understand that kids need to do what they are told. However, all people have different learning styles and it is the teacher or in this case the parents job to figure out what that is. Not every person learns the same way and it is important to find what sparks their love for learning.
Do you belong to a home school group or co-op? Maybe if you could get together some other home school kids for a group field trip that would be interesteing to him?
My daughter is the same way She is suppose to be in 7th grade but some of her subjects are 6th gr. level. But I have to argue with her just to get started.
I think that your field trip went so poorly because he's learned from the school, and now at home, how awful learning can be. He needs the opportunity to learn to enjoy it first, otherwise, you will be fighting him all the time.
I'm not saying that the kids don't need hard core old fashioned training... I just think they should have something to look forward to in their lives and to enjoy about learning.
Sounds also like you jumped straight into HSing after public school. You should do a search on the value of de-schooling your child for a while first. I have seen that value first hand in my own kids (when I DIDN'T follow the advice of others, and then later when I did)...
And finally... get excited yourself, Mama. Be the type of "teacher" that he remembers getting him pumped up about topics and projects and experiments. Be tough, no doubt, but have fun with his education yourself. Teach him to enjoy it and not see it as grueling, laborsome, torture.... You will fight less and his attitude will start changing when yours does.
I disagree with the way you are going about this, but I know you added a caveat about that, so I'll bug off, but to say that I sincerely hope things get better for you both this upcoming year! Good luck!
I am a Home Schooling, Vaccinating, Non spanking, Nightmare Cuddling, Dessert Giving, Bedtime Kissing, Book Reading, Stay at Home Mom. I believe in the benefit of organized after school activities and nosy, involved parents. I believe in spoiling my children. I believe that I have seen the village and I do not want it anywhere near my children. Now for the controversial stuff: we have traditional gender roles, we're Catholic, I'm Libertarian, he's Republican, we're both conservative, and we own guns (now there's no need to ask, lol). Aimee


text:
The Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) Respecialization Certificate in Clinical Counseling equips candidates with an in-depth understanding of the educational and clinical, mental heath issues facing students and families today.
Although this four-course certificate program is designed to be an addendum to a candidate's existing master's degree coursework in preparing to meet the educational requirements for California state licensure as a LPCC, it can also serve as a stand-alone certificate without moving on to LPCC licensure. It is designed to help retool and prepare any school counselor or school psychologist for the clinical, mental health field. This certificate also positions graduates as highly marketable counselors who are uniquely positioned to help students and families understand the impact of mental health on academic success.
LPCC program candidates must have a master's degree in counseling, clinical psychology, or a related field to be admitted to the certificate program. Individuals interested in the program who do not hold a master's degree should contact a faculty advisor in the Department of School Counseling and Psychology for more information.
Note: If program candidates intend to continue on to LPCC licensure and begin graduate study before August 1, 2012, and complete that study on or before December 31, 2018, then to be eligible for LPCC licensure, a candidate must meet the following minimum educational requirements: "A 48-semester-unit master's or doctoral degree from an accredited or approved institution, which is counseling or psychotherapy in content, includes 6 semester units or 9 quarter units of supervised practicum or fieldwork study, and contains at least 3 semester units, or 4 and one half quarter units, of coursework in 7 of the 9 LPCC core content areas, all of which must be completed before licensure." For more information about this requirement, visit www.calpcc.org/lpcc/.


text:
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A former U.S. senator brought in to monitor Penn State said Friday the university has gotten "off to a very good start" in responding to NCAA sanctions for the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal.
George Mitchell's first quarterly report as Penn State's athletics integrity monitor noted there was a looming deadline to complete a set of reforms, including implementation of a college sports code of conduct, but he said he believes university officials are acting in good faith.
"The university's efforts have resulted in tangible achievements," Mitchell wrote. "Many formal policies have been revised or adopted, including policies to govern background checks for university employees, access to athletics and recreational facilities, protection of children involved in university-affiliated activities, and the duties to report possible child abuse."
The 68-year-old Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach, was convicted this summer of abusing several boys. He's serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence but maintains he is innocent.
Three former university administrators, accused of covering up complaints about Sandusky's behaviour and lying to a grand jury that investigated the case, have been charged with perjury, obstruction and other offences. The three men, former president Graham Spanier, former vice-president Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley, who's on leave while the final year of his contract runs out, have denied the allegations against them.
Mitchell, who served as a Democratic U.S. senator from Maine in the 1980s and '90s, said more than 9,600 people at Penn State's dozens of campuses already have been trained about legal duties to report suspected child abuse. He noted that university ID is now required for entrance to athletic and recreational facilities and much more elaborate rules are in place for adults involved in programs for children on campus.
"There appears to be unanimity within the Penn State community that one outcome of this tragedy should be greater awareness of the prevalence of child abuse in society generally and the devotion of more university resources to prevent it where the university can play a role in doing so," Mitchell wrote.
NCAA president Mark Emmert said he was pleased with Penn State's progress. "Penn State has taken the first important steps necessary to ensure a culture of athletics integrity and we look forward to seeing continued progress as the (athletics integrity agreement) is fully implemented," Emmert said.
Penn State president Rodney Erickson issued a statement saying the university was proud of the progress it has made.
"While we recognize that there is much more to do, we're happy that Sen. Mitchell and his team recognize all that we have done and we are committed to continuing these efforts, in full compliance with the consent decree and the athletics integrity agreement," Erickson said.


text:
The Dolphins are back at work today, this time inside the Nick Saban Memorial Bubble (NSMB), and here is what's going on:
The Dolphins have confirmed the trade of offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe to the Kansas City Chiefs for an "undisclosed" 2010 draft choice. As I said earlier, it's absolutely a second-day pick.It is also higher than a seventh-round selection as the Chiefs already traded their 2010 seventh-rounder to Miami last April.
This trade, regardless of the compensation, is good business for Miami. Neither Alleman nor Ndukwe were going to make the Dolphins' 53-man roster. Both players were running with the second unit, Alleman at left guard and Ndukwe at right tackle. So the Dolphins get something for players they were going to cut.
The trade also speaks to the team's commitment to Shawn Murphy and his improvement in the past year. Remember that last year, even as Murphy's rookie season advanced, both Ndukwe and Alleman played ahead of the fourth-round pick. But Murphy got in the weight room, changed his body, as Tony Sparano likes to say, and moved ahead of both rivals.
Murphy has assured himself of a roster spot on the team. His role as a backup at either guard spot is solid. Brandon Frye's chances of making the team also increase today.
Sean Smith and Jason Allen, both of whom missed the Carolina preseason game after being tested for swin flu, are back at practice. Smith will be working with the first-team defense at right cornerback, according to a source.
That means Smith didn't lose his starting job while being away and Vontae Davis played well against the Panthers in his place.
Finally, Matt Roth, who missed all of training camp with a mysterious groin injury, is still not practicing.
I remind you that today is the first day practices are closed to the media with the exception of the first 30 minutes. That means there will be no play-by-play of what's happening. But here's a clue: The Dolphins will be installing their newer version of Wildcat in the coming weeks, behind closed gates.
[BLOG NOTE: Players and coach Tony Sparano will be available to the media after practice. Check back here later for their words of wisdom. Also, follow me on twitter for the real-time updates.]


text:
Winter Park's De Antonio's, Real New York Pizza With Altitude
By Ricky Liberali, Examiner.com
Having been raised on real "New York Pizza," I've been in search of the "perfect slice" ever since I moved to Grand County, Colorado.
Luckily, everything changed after trying a slice at De Antonio's Pizza & Pasta in Winter Park. Finally, my search is over; somebody has gotten it right!
Family owned and operated by Frank, Carol and their four children, Frank, Jr., Nicole, Angela and Brittany, De Antonio's bills itself as "New York Pizza With Altitude."
Frank fell in love with Winter Park and the Fraser Valley after coming out to visit a friend to play golf. Looking to move away from the big Long Island sprawl and move to "small town America," he went back east and soon was "westward ho," moving his family in 2000.
The "first" De Antonio's Pizza and Pasta was a small restaurant in Fraser.
Ten years later, when a larger restaurant space opened-up in Winter Park, Frank, Carol and the kids moved to their current location in the Park Place Center, 78737 US Highway 40.
To say that Frank's pizzas are great just doesn't do them justice! It would take a lifetime to sample every possible variation. And at this full-menu Italian restaurant, pizza is just the tip of the iceberg!
But speaking of pizza, hungry guests can either select from De Antonio's "specialty" pies, or simply build and create their own.
"Specialty" pizzas include:
• Cheese (both Neapolitan and Sicilian style);
• Chicken Marsala;
• Spinach & Ricotta;
• Broccoli White;
• Pesto;
• White;
• Supreme;
• "Stuffed" Meat Lovers; and
• "Stuffed" Veggie Lovers.
If Frank's "specialties" don't fit the bill, he's got a broad selection of both regular and premium ingredients diners can chose from to "create their own!"
The "regular" list includes: sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, ham, anchovies, extra cheese, green pepper, onion, mushrooms, black olives, jalapeno, broccoli and spinach.
The "premium" ingredients include: tomato, chicken, feta, eggplant, artichoke, pepperoncini and shrimp.
Do the math: with all these possible ingredients, the different combinations are limitless.
Luckily, life in this Italian restaurant is more than pizza alone!
Diners in search of other excellent fare can chose from a broad menu which includes appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, calzones, dinners and desserts – all certain to please.
De Antonio's signature selections, which all come with homemade garlic knots and a choice of soup or salad include:
• Lasagna;
• Baked Ziti;
• Chicken Scampi;
• Linguine With Clam Sauce (red or white);
• Chicken Parmigianino & Pasta;
• Ravioli;
• Fettuccine Alfredo;
• Shrimp Scampi;
• Pasta Primavera;
• Veal Parmigianino & Pasta;
• Eggplant Parmigianino & Pasta; and
• Spaghetti, Penne, Ziti or Linguine & Tomato Sauce.
To accompany their delicious food is an equally broad selection of things to drink.
Soft drinks includes the full line of Coca Cola products, coffee, tea and more.
For the beer drinkers, there are plenty of domestics, along with a wide selection of imports and micos.
On the wine-side of the menu, they graciously pour a wide selection of whites and reds which compliment the excellent fare.
For the "bambinos," De Antonio's has an extensive kids' menu that features everything from smaller versions of their dinner entrees to Mac and Cheese and even peanut butter and jelly.
And be sure to save room for dessert! The cheesecake – New York style, naturally – the tiramisu or a sundae all are terrific "endings" to an excellent Italian meal.
De Antonio's Pizza and Pasta is a whole lot more than merely "New York Style Pizza With An Altitude." It is a full-menu, good-value Italian restaurant with delicious, generous portions and top-notch service.
They are open daily, seven days a week, at 11 a.m., and are located at 78737 US Highway 40 in Winter Park; their phone number is 970-726-9999. On the web, at DeAntonios.com.
Come hungry, you'll be glad you did!
Tags: De Antonio's Pizza and Pasta, Italian Food, Winter Park Colorado


text:
hc1.com recently announced a strategic partnership with Interactive Intelligence (News - Alert), a provider of unified IP business communications solutions. Under the terms of the partnership, both companies will align their resources to help enhance the operational and service efficiency of medical laboratory customer service centers.
In a statement, Brad Bostic, chairman and CEO of hc1.com, said that, "In today's environment of shrinking reimbursements and increasing competition, it has never been more essential for labs to increase operational efficiency while improving service levels. The quality and speed of each customer interaction has a direct impact upon the lab's overall success. By combining hc1.com's robust healthcare CRM capabilities with Interactive Intelligence's contact center solutions, labs are able to quickly intercept client needs while seamlessly viewing a complete history of the relationship."
The partnership will lead to an integration between hc1's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) healthcare customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities, designed to provide labs with a complete view of all business and clinical activities of each provider, and the advanced contact center solutions from Interactive Intelligence.
Roger Reeves, Territory Manager of Interactive Intelligence, said that, "Interactive Intelligence enables contact centers to take a highly personalized approach to customer care. The Interactive Intelligence hc1 App provides lab staff with the intelligence and tools necessary to better anticipate and exceed customer expectations."
One of the major challenges that medical laboratories face pertains to having timely access to the huge number of data covering sales, service, and operations, within various systems. hc1.com and G2 (News - Alert) Intelligence, which recently carried out a survey, found that more than 50 percent of respondents had to log into four to six different systems if they wanted to access the information required to do their jobs.
The joint solution will now ensure that all client activities are bundled into one centralized view of each provider which can be accessed immediately, thereby driving both operational and level of service.
Interactive Intelligence is a Platinum-level sponsor of ITEXPO Miami 2013. Taking place Jan. 29-Feb 1 in Miami, Florida, ITEXPO (News - Alert) is the world's premier IP communications event. Visit Interactive Intelligence in booth #409. For more information on ITEXPO, click here.


text:
ATLANTA - Six months after Georgia withdrew from a group of states developing standardized tests aligned with the Common Core standards, state education officials say they are hoping to start the process soon of selecting a company to create the tests.
Georgia faces a tight deadline to get the assessments in place for the next academic school year, and the department's progress is being closely watched by Gov. Nathan Deal, who says he's concerned Georgia isn't as far along in the process as it should be. This week, Deal proposed $10 million be added to the department's budget for developing the new tests.
"The clock is ticking, very much so, and I have expressed my concern that that is not moving as fast as I think it should," Deal said in a recent interview. "And I would hope that even though this is an election year, that that effort would not be abandoned by the Department of Education and its staff."
It's no surprise education is a hot topic this year. Deal is seeking re-election and one of his Republican primary challengers is state schools Superintendent John Barge, who oversees the education department and has been sharply critical of the governor. Barge, along with the Democratic candidate, state Sen. Jason Carter, have argued the governor hasn't done enough to fund public education since taking office in 2010.
On student tests, Georgia in July withdrew from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, an 18-state consortium working to develop a common set of K-12 tests in math and English. At the time, Deal and Barge said they were concerned the costs associated with those tests were too high, estimated at nearly three times higher than what the state currently spends per student on standardized tests.
Also looming is a state Board of Education review, ordered by the governor, of the Common Core standards. The standards create basic requirements for math and English language arts and have been under fire from conservative and tea party groups who say they amount to federal intrusion and usurp local control.
Although the federal government hasn't been involved in creating the standards, it has encouraged states to adopt them through its Race to the Top grants. And there is an effort in the General Assembly calling for Georgia to drop the standards altogether.
The result of either of those efforts could substantially affect what the new tests will look like. But for now the plan is to release a bid next month and make a decision on a vendor by June. State education officials have been holding separate talks with Kentucky and Florida, which are further along than Georgia, on the possibility of sharing test elements made possible with the common standards. It's even possible Georgia could purchase Florida's test.
Overall, Barge said the new tests will be better aligned across grades 3 through 12 and rely less on multiple choice. By adding in writing components, the department hopes to eliminate at least four other state tests in the process.
Barge said the governor hasn't expressed any concerns to him about the process, although the two have not spoken much in the past few years. Barge had requested $12 million for developing the new tests, but said he felt the department could work under the $10 million proposed by the governor.
"I do think some of the rhetoric has been kicked up just by my candidacy," Barge said this week. "And frankly some of that is the whole reason why I am running. We have got to be committed wholly to public education in this state."
When asked why the state wasn't further along in the process, Melissa Fincher, associate superintendent for assessment accountability, said her budget only covers the administration of this year's tests and there were no additional funds available.
"By law, you cannot procure what you can't pay for and so we had to wait for the fiscal year 2015 budget," Fincher said. "The indication was that there were no funds. We would have loved to have had more money earlier."
Rep. Brooks Coleman, chairman of the House Education Committee, said he planned to meet next week with education department officials for a testing update.
"I'm concerned about the speed," said Coleman, R-Duluth. "We need to speed it up a little bit, get a timeline of what we need, what we have, the gap and the overlap."


text:
Hi Nick, it's Alex/Fairlight {where dreams are conceived}. Do you remember me? Are you the same Nick that used to work for Amiga User International, then moved to Amiga Format, and after 12 months got a back dated pay rise for 12 months and then left? Gud Ladd! Respect; what ya doin' now?
From Alex & Anna.xx


text:
HOUSTON -- A refrigerator, not a stove, might be to blame for causing a fire at a Texas home day care that killed four children and injured three others, an engineering expert told jurors Wednesday during the owner's murder trial.
Prosecutors allege that Jessica Tata had hot oil cooking on a stove at her day care when she left the children alone to go shopping at a nearby Target store. But Tata's defense attorneys have told jurors she didn't intend to harm the children, who ranged in age from 16 months to 3 years old, and that the February 2011 fire was not caused by anything their client did.
Tata, 24, is charged with four counts of felony murder but is currently being tried in the death of 16-month-old Elias Castillo. She faces up to life in prison if convicted. Read More


text:
BOSTON – In the "attacking sportswriters department," Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas hasn't stacked up to future Hall-of-Famer Dominik Hasek … yet.
But today Boston's puck-stopper managed to best the former Buffalo Sabres star in a much more important category – the ever-important statistic of save percentage.
Thomas, who already was ahead of Hasek's record-setting pace of 1998-99 (.9366) at the start of play today, stopped 31 of 32 shots in the Bruins' 3-1 win over Ottawa at TD Garden. Thomas, who's scheduled to get off for the regular-season finale in New Jersey tomorrow, finished up with a save percentage of .9382.
"Yeah, well that's great. That's awesome," said Thomas, who should be the runaway winner of his second Vezina Trophy in three years. "But there's one more game. We have to, as a team, we have to focus on taking care of business tomorrow and I'm part of that. And so I'll really, I'll reflect on it really once the season's over a little bit more than I am right now."
Thomas said that Hasek was one of the players he looked up to when he was in college and Hasek was leading the Sabres to the '99 Stanley Cup final in the midst of winning the Vezina six times in eight years (he also won the Hart in '97 and '98). The common thread between the two goaltenders is an unorthodox style, even if both have played the position differently from one another.
Thomas hopes to differ from Hasek one other way. It took Hasek until 2002, the year after his last Vezina, to finally win the Cup. Thomas will now try to be the first goalie since New Jersey's Martin Brodeur in '03 to win the Vezina and the Cup.
With starts in six of the Bruins' last seven games, Thomas feels ready for the start of Boston's postseason adventure.
"I think tonight helped. … I mean that was the goal of playing this weekend, was to get ready for the playoffs," said Thomas, who will lead the league this season with his save percentage and his goals-against average of 2.00. "We didn't want too long of a break. It was next Thursday [the start of the playoffs]. Me and Claude talked it over. It was actually my decision to play and it was, I won't say I didn't end up putting any pressure on myself, but I will say that it was probably the best thing for the team and for myself going forward to get ready for the playoffs."
With his 57th appearance, Thomas tied his NHL career high. However, he hasn't been overworked because of the reliable play of back-up Tuukka Rask. The Finnish second-year NHLer proved extra reliable after today's win when he retrieved the game puck for Thomas. That puck will undoubtedly find its place in Thomas' trophy case along with the Vezinas, the '08-09 Jennings and assorted other booty he has accumulated over the 14 years of his pro hockey career.
That one big trophy that would complete his collection, however, requires him to play at the same level he's played well into June and continue to post Hasek-like numbers.