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Main Page
GenGIS is a bioinformatics application that allows users to combine digital map data with information about biological sequences collected from the environment. GenGIS provides a 3D graphical interface in which the user can navigate and explore the data, as well as a Python interface that allows easy scripting of statistical analyses using the Rpy libraries.
GenGIS version 1.0 is now available! Below you can find information about the software, data sources, tutorials, and the manual. The manual is still under development, but the tutorials give a good overview of how to use the software.
From here you can:
Visit the documentation page (Tutorials, manual, FAQ's)
See our list of links for data and application support
- (May 28, 2009) Demonstration of using GenGIS to visualize the mobility rates of HIV-1 subtype B in Europe as proposed by Paraskevis et al. (2009) has been added to the example gallery.
- (May 24, 2009) A video showing the spread of the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak has been added to the H1N1 outbreak example.
We are building a gallery of example applications using GenGIS, including tracking of the current H1N1 outbreak and the spread of HIV-1 subtype B in Europe.
Citing GenGIS
Please cite GenGIS if you use it in your work. Currently the best citation for GenGIS is:
Beiko, R., Whalley, J., Wang, S., Clair, H., Smolyn, G., Churcher, S., Porter, M., Blouin, C., & Brooks, S. (2008). Spatial analysis and visualization of genetic biodiversity. Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G), Cape Town, South Africa (September-October 2008). (Abstract) (Full Paper)
Other papers and conference proceedings related to GenGIS:
- Parks, D.H. and Beiko, R.G. (2009). Quantitative visualizations of hierarchically organized data in a geographic context. Accepted to Geoinformatics 2009, Fairfax, VA.
- Parks, D.H., Porter, M., Churcher, S., Wang, S., Blouin, C., Whalley, J., Brooks, S. and Beiko, R.G. GenGIS: A geospatial information system for genomic data. Currently submitted to Genome Research. This will become the main GenGIS reference when it is accepted by a journal.
- Wang, S., Beiko, R.G., & Brooks, S. (2007). Collapsible 3D Terrains for GIS Visualization. Geovisualization, NUI Maynooth (September 2007). (Full Paper)
Contact Information
GenGIS is in active development and we are interested in discussing all potential applications of this software. We encourage you to send us suggestions for new features. Suggestions, comments, and bug reports can be sent to Rob Beiko (beiko [at] cs.dal.ca). If reporting a bug, please provide as much information as possible and a simplified version of the data set which causes the bug. This will allow us to quickly resolve the issue.
Funding of GenGIS
The development and deployment of GenGIS has been supported by several organizations:
- Genome Atlantic
- The Dalhousie Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics, and the Tula Foundation
- The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- The Dalhousie Faculty of Computer Science


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Russia! Introduction
from Russia!
- $2.99
- $2.99
Publisher Description
Providing an introduction to the exhibition catalogue Russia!, James Billington discusses the development and culture of Russia, looking particularly at its geography, its religion, and its perplexing relationship with Western Europe. Billington provides a background on Russian icons, the Orthodox Church, the nation's architecture, the lineage of tsars, and the Soviet era.
Between the birth of a popular national culture in the tsarist nineteenth century and its destruction in the Soviet twentieth century, Russia produced one of the world's most innovative explosions of artistic modernism. This extraordinarily creative period between the late 1890s and the outbreak of World War I is sometimes called the Silver Age, but is also more accurately described as the Russian Renaissance.
Like the earlier Renaissance in the West, this belated "rebirth" in Russia began with the rediscovery of a forgotten ancient culture. It was radically different from either the populist realism that came before or the socialist realism that came later. Music looked back to real or imagined pre-Christian antiquity for its leap into the pioneering, discordant modernism of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (1912) and Sergei Prokofiev's Scythian Suite (1914–15). Painters were dazzled into pure abstraction by the restoration (newly possible) of icons that now revealed their pure lines and colors, long obscured from view by a dark overlay from candle smoke.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ashton Kutcher learns 'the hard way' about privacy
Ashton Kutcher was so public when he was with Demi Moore. We saw them all the time. But those days are over, of course.
And the Two and a Half Men actor says as much to Elle. Although the interview is focused on his upcoming movie role as Steve Jobs, he does address his relationship with Mila Kunis.
"You know, I've learned the hard way how valuable privacy is," he says. "And I've learned that there are a lot of things in your life that really benefit from being private. And relationships are one of them. And I am going to do everything in my power to have this relationship be private."
Kutcher and Kunis met when he was 20 and she was 15 on the set of That '70s Show. Elle writer Mickey Rapkin poses the question: Are they like high school friends who later realize love was right in front of them all along?
"People will fill in the blanks however they want," he says. As for what his relationship with Moore's children is like these days, he says, steely eyed: "There are some things that are better left private."
Kutcher adds after a moment, "Someone once told me, 'If anyone wants to be rich and famous, let them be rich first and see if they still want to be famous.' "


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A Brothy Bunch
December 8, 2011 by © Joan Miller - Luxegen Genealogy.
Filed under genealogy
This photo of "A Bothy Bunch" was found in my Granny Kerr's photo collection. Granny was born Elizabeth WILSON (1884-1973) in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, not to far from Peterhead. She immigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1909 and married Homer KERR who was homesteading not to far from her brother Alex WILSON's homestead. We have no other [...]


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Coffee Connections - Fort Riley - June 12
Join the USO as we host a small gathering for military spouses to connect with each other while enjoying a cup of coffee. This is a great way to network, share advice, discuss local events, and meet new friends! All spouses are welcome.
More from the USO
Nov 8, 2019
What Do the Marines Do?
What do the Marines do? From their roots in the Revolutionary War to their reputation today as a military branch of expeditionary operations, grit and honor, the Marines have led the charge for the past 244 years. Here are just five of the many things that the Marines do.
Nov 8, 2019
Meet the 2019 FedEx Football Fellows
FedEx Corporation, in collaboration with the USO and NFL teams the Washington Redskins and the Tennessee Titans, has created the FedEx Football Fellowship – an opportunity for service members to gain professional experience as they transition from military to civilian life.


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What Black Men Should Do Now: 100 Simple Truths, Ideas, and Concepts
Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2002 - Social Science - 205 pages
Foreword by Tavis Smiley,From health, religion and education to,relationships, family and career, this,life-affirming book offfers practical,plain-talking advice for men, whether 18 or 80,for living a fulfilling, successful life. Each,subject is introduced with quotes, anecdotes and,words of encouragement, followed by bulleted,actions that readers can put to immediate use,helping them to be the best men they can be.
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That's him
Drew Barrymore was at the Laker game last night, looks like she was flirting up a storm, flanked by two men who – photo assumption! – appeared to be competing over her affection. As you can see, blonde Drew was all dolled up and ready to party.
She hit up a couple of clubs afterwards, seen at both Avalon and Bardot.
Also seen at Bardot – an actor called DJ Qualls. You don't know the name but you must know the face. He's the ubiquitous dorky guy and you know it, HE IS TOTALLY HER TYPE.
Not to be mean but … look at him. Is there any doubt? She prefers the offbeat ones. Always!
So did they meet? Did they speak? Is she moving in with him?
Don't know, not sure. But if you see them making out at a sushi restaurant in two weeks…don't be surprised.
Photos from Wenn.com and Splashnewsonline.com


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|Sega Dreamcast
|Wednesday, 01 December 1999
Page 1 of 2Introduction
Some of you may be a bit surprised to see a review of a video gaming system here in the pages of Audio Revolution. Home video game systems can be a significant part of home entertainment and are relatively inexpensive and easy to add to your home theater.
The Sega Dreamcast is the current king of the hill and will not face any serious competition until Sony's second generation Playstation is out (reportedly later this year). The Dreamcast is a technical powerhouse with many new and innovative features.
The Dreamcast has a 200 mhz, 128-bit CPU. Coupled with the unit's NEC VR chip set, this allows intricate three-dimensional graphics to be drawn quickly and smoothly. Most other console games have either 32- or 64-bit processing. The Dreamcast's 128-bit processor allows processing of data in groups two to four times larger in size. The result is faster and smoother gaming.
For audio processing, Sega went to Yamaha. Yamaha has been manufacturing some of the best mass-market surround receivers for the past couple of years, making them a logical choice. The Dreamcast features 26 Mb of RAM and a proprietary double-density GD-ROM drive, capable of storing up to 1Gb and reading it at high speed. Two other features unique to the Dreamcast are the visual memory unit and the modem. The modem is a 56k model which allows the player to compete against other Dreamcast players or to download game information or even to stream actual sports scores while playing a sports game. The visual memory unit (VMU) is similar to the memory cards in other systems, but with one big difference: this unit also has a LCD screen and controls. This credit card-sized device allows the player to download miniature games to play on the move, as well as to save game information. The VMU also allows for setting up secret plays in sports games. If all of this were not enough, Sega also includes a high-speed serial port for future expansion.
The Games
Sega has an ever-growing array of games for the Dreamcast. I was fortunate enough to test several of them. In addition to playing the games myself, I found my friends more than willing to come on over to help out. I also had a few video game "experts," the young children of co-workers, evaluate the system. (A word of advice: do not lend the Dreamcast to the children of friends, unless you want the kids to beg and harass their parents for their own units.)
The first game I played was "Sonic Adventure." I was able to choose from six characters to play. Wanting to be the hero, I usually chose to play Sonic. The game starts with a short movie scene, in which a liquid creature called Chaos is set up as the villain. The game continues as the character you select travels through various scenarios, battling a variety of enemies and uncovering treasure, encountering different challenges and settings along the way. The scenes are rich with amazing graphic and audio effects. In one section, your character is being pursued by a killer whale. The graphics, coupled with the involving soundtrack, provide strong incentive to flee. I must admit I did not do nearly as well on this game as my younger counterparts. One element of this game that really stood out was the CHAO. In an area known as the CHAO garden, players can create and raise little creatures known as CHAO. These CHAO can then be saved on the VMUs and continue to be "raised" there in a manner similar to the virtual pets of recent memory.
The role-playing games are fun, but the guys and I were looking for some good action games. Sega did not disappoint here, either. We first played some racing games, Flag to Flag and Sega Rally 2. Flag to Flag is a track racing game that allows us to race 19 different CART circuits, while choosing between a variety of CART drivers and teams. The graphics are great, drawing the player in and making the crashes that much more painful. It took a while to get used to the controls and some fiddling with the set-up of the cars. In this game, it makes a big difference how you choose to set up your vehicle. Sega Rally 2 is an off-road racing game, which is a little more forgiving when it comes to crashes than Flag to Flag. Sega Rally 2 abounds with set-up choices: there are 19 different cars, transmission options, suspension choices, etc. Once the car is set up, you then get to select your course. This game is a lot of fun. Racing around in the dirt, hitting things and watching parts of your car fly off proved to be quite addicting. It was hard to go really fast and stay in control, but everyone had a blast playing the game.
The games that really show Sega's strength are the sports games. The games available so far are NBA 2K, NFL 2K and Rippin' Riders, a snowboarding game. NHL2K is expected out very soon. The NFL and NBA 2K games have many features in common. Both games utilize over 1,000 motion-captured moves, which allow the Dreamcast to depict the characters much more realistically than was ever possible before. Custom plays can be programmed and teams can be chosen from an amazingly accurate database, or you can create your own team. I was amazed to see the detail of the players and stadiums. If you ever watch sports on television, you will be in familiar surroundings. The arenas, stadiums and players are very recognizable. The TV-like replays and commentaries add to the realism. The plays are very authentic and the movements of the players are much closer to the real thing than in any other sports game. The motions are not jerky and artificial; they are smooth and maintain the complexity of real life play, something most other video games lose in sports games. The complexity can make these games more difficult to master, but the tutorial and practice modes can help a lot.
Rippin' Riders is a snowboarding game with six courses that allows the rider to perform a variety of stunts. As with the other games, this one is not easy to master and practice definitely pays off. Rippin' Riders also resembles the previously-mentioned Sega games in the intensity of its graphics. I cannot yet vouch for the realism of the winning moves, as most of my own downhill runs have been made on my rear or tumbling end over end.
There are several other games that I tried. One noteworthy game was Armada. In this game, the player's goal is to save civilization by defeating the Armada. The characters can develop and grow as the game progresses. My science fiction-loving friends particularly enjoyed this game, which finally made it necessary to kick one of them out after hours of playing so that I could finally go to sleep.


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Culture Collide 2012 Day 3 Recap w/ Niki and the Dove, of Montreal & More
By Staff; Photos by Damian Tsutsumida, Danielle Supola, Ashley Ramirez, Chelsea Glass, Chad Yanagisawa, Gian Acosta on October 7, 2012
All the fun people came out to play on day 3 of Culture Collide. Packed houses, drinks flowing and tons of energy on this glorious Saturday night.
Efrat Ben Zur – 5:00pm
Music started to flow at 5pm for our final day at Origami courtesy of Israel's Efrat Ben Zur. Starting out gentle but slowly building to a rolling boil, the group complete with a stand-up bass and lap harp was quite the site and sounds for a first band of the night.
Immanu El – 6:00pm
Immanu El had the wonderful task of performing during the special Swedish Music Happy Hour in TAIX's front lounge area. Not only were the drinks-a-flowing, but the band was blasting the crowd with dance beats and demanding yelp-styled vocals.
Moss – 6:00pm
At 6 p.m., Netherlands indie rock quartet, Moss, served up a short but sweet 20-minute set at Origami—enough to get mouths watering for their midnight show at the TAIX Front Lounge. "We're a band who's not afraid of heights," joked the frontman from up above, moments before executing a sick guitar solo too close to the edge of the loft. Moss' set was one of the smoothest flowing shows thus far at C.C., complete with tambourine-bashing, manly harmonies, and howling and haunting lead vocals, like if Thom Yorke collaborated with a tornado.
Ewert and the Two Dragons – 7:00pm
The second the scruffy, folky four-piece started their set at Origami, whistling could be heard from the beer-chugging Culture Collide partygoers. Their relatively new and upbeat tune, "Pictures," was a gorgeous success, as well as a country-inspired track they tested out—"or at least as country as us Estonians can get," laughed the singer/xylophone player. They also played a catchy song "about an evil woman named Jolene," according to the frontman's intro. Perhaps it's the exact same chick Dolly Parton sings of.
Young Buffalo – 8:00pm
USA dwelling Young Buffalo had a packed room at TAIX where they brought the spirits up high with their brand of indie pop-rock. The crowd responded well to the change in pace and answered back to their energy with dancing the entire set.
Mimes of Wine – 8:30pm
The Church was the perfect space for the experimental quartet, Mimes of Wine, to showcase their beautifully solemn and multidimensional tracks. There weren't any actual mimes, however these Italians were total masters of evoking mournful-sounding messages through song.
Ewert and the Two Dragons – 9:00pm
At 9 p.m., Ewert and the Two Dragons hit the stage again, though this time it was at the Echoplex, with the lights low and foggy. The band from Tallinn, Estonia's capital, performed another cohesive and animated show with a setlist that varied from their previous one at Origami—an awesome treat for fans who attended both shows.
The Lighthouse and the Whaler – 9:00pm
Fresh back from meeting the infamous Peter Gabriel (because they won our "So" Cover Contest), TLATW brought the anthematic vocals and amazing indie-rock energy to the room complete with keys and a violin.
Funky Sole – 9pm
Beginning around 9 p.m., The Echo was off to a funky fresh start, thanks to the seven-piece East L.A. natives, The Delirians, and their original tracks and funktastic covers. The dancefloor was a giant free-for-all, as the audience twisted, swayed, and unleashed their inner freaks to ride along on the soulacoaster (…yeah, that is a reference to R. Kelly's autobiography…).
Breakestra – 10:00pm
Is it a crime to have an orgasm on the dancefloor? Who knows, but if it is, then everyone at the jam-packed Breakestra show should have been arrested. This local psychedelic/jazz ensemble flew in from France earlier this afternoon for your ass-shaking, pelvic-thrusting pleasure and delivered a set with incomparable intensity and soul.
Gold Fields – 10:00pm
At 10 p.m. at the Echoplex, Australian act, Gold Fields, cranked up the energy with their top-notch electro/pop tracks, super heavy on the drums, and brilliantly paired with angelic vocals. The Echoplex had instantly become L.A.'s hottest nightclub.
Admiral Fallow – 10:30pm
Scotland's Admiral Fallow started their set in the champagne room with "good evening sexy people of Los Angeles," obviously they were a classy bunch. The man/woman vocaled group kept the entire room captivated as they effortlessly floated from one song to the next, making everyone forget how hot and crowded the room was getting.
Laetitia Sadier – 10:30pm
Almost every seat was filled for Laetitia Sadier, regardless of the relentless stuffy heat. The former/current vocalist of Stereolab kept the excited fans pleased with a blend up captivating slow tunes and more upbeat rock tracks that seemed to gain steam as the set went on.
Icona Pop – 11:00pm
Swedish female pop duo, Icona Pop, continued the clubbing that Gold Fields kicked off. These two chicks crafted some seriously sweet electronic beats while facing each other, completely in sync. Their dense and glitchy dubstep made the pair an instant favorite amongst guys and girls at Culture Collide.
The Kavanaghs – 11:00pm
There is a good chance we will catch crap for this one, but this band rocked the room with tunes similar to early Beatles style and catchy rock tracks.
of Montreal – 12:00am
To get a proper view of the indie pop Georgia six-piece led by Kevin Barnes, you would have had to crowd around the Echoplex stage an entire half hour before the set. In fact, the room was so crowded, you most likely chewed on the chick's ponytail in front of you—more often than you'd like to admit. The scent of weed appropriately wafted throughout the audience, accompanied by kaleidoscope-esque projections during a throwback anthem off The Sunlandic Twins LP—a song that nearly the whole crowd was screaming the lyrics to.
Niki and The Dove – 12:00am
Arriving 5 minutes early was still not good enough to beat the crowd for the Niki and The Dove show. At capacity, the set was filled with dance track after dance track while singer Malin Dahlström captivated the audience, making them forget the heat. The Swedish duo pleased the crowd the entire set, never giving up for a minute.
Look below for more photos from tonight.
Tomorrow is our final day of Culture Collide which we will be closing out with our annual Block Party! Be sure to RSVP HERE while you still can.


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Woodpecker ORNAMENT
Woodpecker ORNAMENT
Ornaments are double sided with the same image permanently reproduced onto both sides.
They are 3", made of porcelain and include a matching satin ribbon.
*Depending on what's in stock, ribbon colors may vary from photographs.
Ornaments are sold individually and come packaged in their own gift box.


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Meth Lab Bust in Vienna
Related Story
VIENNA, Mo. - During the late evening hours of February 8th, 2013, members of the Maries County Sheriff's Office and Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group conducted a narcotics investigation at 12036 Highway V near Vienna, Missouri - approximately 71 miles south of Columbia. During the course of the investigation, officials located numerous items related with the manufacture of methamphetamines, and suspected methamphetamines.
Members of the Sheriff's Office arrested four suspects, who were taken to the Maries County Jail. Chargers have been filed against George Puckett, age 46, of Dixon for attempt to manufacture a controlled substance - a class B felony; Puckett remains in the Maries County Jail on $100,000.00 bond. The same charges have been filed against Matthew D. Romine, age 40, of Dixon, who is also being held on a $100,000.00 bond. Two women were also arrested through the investigation, though nothing has officially been filed against them yet. One women may also be facing legal issues out of Phelps County for purchasing items with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance; that news is expected later this afternoon. The remaining two suspects' names are being withheld until formal charges are filed.
For drug tips please contact the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group at 1-800-351-TIPS, or the Maries County Sheriff's Office at 573-422-3381.


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Extend your dining table and create a space large enough for all to gather or take leaves out when you want to create a smaller, more intimate dining space. Add leaves to create a table that can be large enough to accommodate a large dinner party or your growing family. By adding or subtracting table leaves you can have a piece that fits your needs and changes up the look of your dining room effortlessly.
Host your next family gathering with the inviting detailed intricacies of the rectangular dining table and chair set. The table includes one 24-inch leaf that extends this table to 108-inches. The double pedestal base and edging of the table feature extravagant carvings, while a sculpted back and cabriole legs of the dining chairs complete an unforgettable pair.
The Tabitha 7 Piece Dining Set by Coaster at AHFA in the area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
Turn back time with the glorious design of the Tabitha dining collection. Rich birch solids and veneers are set in a Cherry finish. A traditional style comes alive with intricate carvings, sculpted bases and legs, comfortable upholstered seat cushions and brushed metal hardware. Find the right look for your home with the dining arm and side chairs, rectangular dining table, round glass top dining table, buffet, hutch and complete china cabinet.
The Tabitha collection is a great option if you are looking for Traditional furniture in the area.
These images are representative of this group as a whole and may differ from this item.
This item has been tagged as: Table, Dining Tables, Table Set, Dining Table Set, Table and Chair Set, Dining Table and Chair Set, Dining Chairs, Chairs, Arm Chair, Dining Arm Chair, Side Chair, Dining Side Chair, Pub Table, Counter Height Table, Bar Table, Pub Table Set, Counter Height Table Set, Bar Table Set, Counter Height Stool, Stool, Bar Stool, Dining Room Furniture, Entertaining Furniture, Furniture Sets, Game Table Set, Gaming Tables, Kitchen Tables, Kitchen table Sets, Bistro Table, Bistro Table Sets, Dining Room Table Sets, Dinette, Dinette Set
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


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Valentine's Day can either be a pleasurable occasion or stress filled with high expectations and disappointment. If you have that special relationship, Valentine's Day can be a time to show love and affection. For singles, the day can be a reminder of loneliness or a missing relationship.
Even people who do have significant others can wind up hating Valentine's Day. The problem is that Valentine's Day often comes with a predetermined set of expectations. Someone may expect a certain gift, a special night out, or some other gesture. Disappointment results whenever expectations are not met.
Surviving For Couples
Valentine's Day isn't a day of amnesty or a single opportunity to fix problems in a relationship. Issues don't pop up overnight nor can they be fixed that way. If you anticipate repairing a relationship in one day, you will be disappointed.
Don't get caught up in the commercialization. Relationships portrayed in advertisements don't necessarily reflect reality. You can show you care with the use of your heart and imagination. Do simple things that say, "I'm thinking of you."
Don't rely on your partner to read your mind. If you have specific desires, share them. Give without expecting anything in return. Small, thoughtful gestures mean a lot, don't overlook them.
Not everyone gets enthusiastic about Valentine's Day. If your partner isn't that excited, don't read too much into it. Do whatever feels comfortable and be okay with it. You don't have to do anything you are uncomfortable with. Simply saying, "Happy Valentine's Day. I love you." sends the message that you are thinking of your partner.
Surviving For Singles
Accept your emotions. If you are sad and lonely, it's okay. You feel what you feel. Just because you may not happen to be in a relationship for Valentine's Day does not mean there is anything wrong with you.
Be social. Organize a group of other singles for dinner out or some other social activity. You may not be involved romantically, but you have more people in your life who care about you than you realize.
Treat yourself. Buy or do something special. Splurge a little. Rather than fixating on not being in a relationship at the moment, be thankful for what's good in your life. Ironically, singles spend a lot of time hoping for a relationship, while many in a relationship lament the freedom of their single days.
Valentine's Day is as commercialized as Christmas. Look at all the money and stress you save by not being caught up in the frenzy. Immerse yourself in other activities. If you are busy, you won't even notice Valentine's Day. Help others in need. When you do, you will also feel better.
If you want a relationship, be proactive. Don't wait for a relationship to find you, go out and look for one. Stay upbeat. A happy person is much more attractive than someone with a perpetual frown. No one wants to spend time with a person who is bitter or resentful.
If there is someone you are interested in, take the initiative. Invite them to get together with you. Stay sociable. Get out and about. Involve yourself in a variety of activities. There are many opportunities to meet people. Join a gym, take a class, volunteer, join a singles group, and pursue your hobbies.
Regardless of your situation, keep in mind that Valentine's Day is only one day. Good or bad, it goes by quickly.
Bryan is the author of "Dare to Live Without Limits." Visit www.DareToLiveWithoutLimits.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a self-development expert, syndicated columnist, and professor. E-mail Bryan at email@example.com.


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Error 0x87DD001E occurs on Xbox One
You get the following error on either Xbox One or PC:
This means you're having trouble connecting to Xbox services.
On Xbox One
- Restart your network device (most likely a router).
- Test your connection to Xbox Live:
- Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
- Select System > Settings > Network > Network settings.
- Select Test network connection.
If you see packet loss greater than 5 percent, try the Xbox One Network Connection Error Solution.
On PC
- Launch the Xbox Console Companion app.
- Select Settings > Network.
- Under Network status, make sure the app says "Connected."
If you keep getting this error, see Xbox Live server connectivity on Windows 10 is blocked.
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Pentagon Contractor Used Iran for Project
Supplier to U.S. Forces in Afghanistan Shipped Through Iran, in Possible Violation of Sanctions
The company that holds the multibillion-dollar Pentagon contract to supply U.S. forces in Afghanistan with food and water brought in supplies to build an Afghan warehouse through Iran, in a possible violation of U.S. sanctions.
Anham FZCO used Iran's Bandar Abbas seaport last year to land equipment and building materials that were then transported across Iran, according to business executives involved in the process and corporate emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Completing the warehouse at Bagram military base near...


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Executive Session proposals will be accepted through 5pm EDT on Friday, February 3, 2012.
This year the AAA created a new online portal for executive session proposals. For the first time, with few exceptions organizers and panelists must register for the meetings in order for the session to be considered. We also are strongly encouraging, but not requiring, individual paper abstracts to be submitted and not just the names of panelists. We have received emails from organizers who have expressed concerns about both of these changes.
With respect to early registration, if a panelist needs to delay his or her registration, the organizer may contact the executive program chair (firstname.lastname@example.com). Also, please be aware that the AAA has always had a policy of reimbursing registration fees if a panelist cannot attend because his or her panel was not chosen.
With respect to paper abstracts, more information about the session simply helps the executive program committee make a more informed decision. Given that these changes were a surprise for a few session organizers, we are extending the deadline for panel abstracts until February 3, 2012.


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Temasek's Watson Deal Doesn't Look Elementary
Hong Kong's 'Superman' Resorts to Plan B
Even Hong Kong's Superman has to resort to Plan B sometimes.
Li Ka-shing, Asia's richest man, said Friday that he is selling a quarter of his retail business to Singapore state investor Temasek for $5.7 billion.
That's an oddly low price for these crown jewels. Mr. Li, nicknamed "Superman" in Hong Kong for his knack at buying low...


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Evergreen Printing Names New Production Director
Jim Hager has joined Evergreen Printing as production director. In this capacity, Hager will be responsible for overseeing production and operations of the company including customer service, pre-press, press, post press, I.T., shipping and receiving and maintenance. Bringing considerable experience to Evergreen, Hager was previously plant manager at AFL Web overseeing plants in Voorhees and Secaucus N.J.
Evergreen prints magazines, newspapers, and periodicals with daily, weekly, and monthly distribution. Complete printing, bindery, inserting, tip-on, polybagging, mailing and circulation fulfillment services allow Evergreen to be a complete solution for publishers. Located in Bellmawr N.J., outside Philadelphia Pa., Evergreen takes pride in serving regional, national and international publishers.


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PITTSBURGH, March 22 (UPI) -- Evgeni Malkin scored Pittsburgh's first and last goals Thursday and the Penguins clinched a playoff berth by rolling over Nashville 5-1.
Pittsburgh won for the 13th time in 14 games, with the lone loss in that stretch having come in overtime. The Penguins moved within two points of the idle New York Rangers for the best record in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.
Malkin opened the scoring 1:23 into the game and the Penguins ran off the first four goals of the contest. His slap shot 1:59 into the third period produced his 45th goal of the season, second-best in the NHL.
Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke and Chris Kunitz also scored for Pittsburgh, which has not lost in regulation time since Feb. 19 at Buffalo. James Neal had four assists and Sidney Crosby, playing for the fifth time in his most recent return from concussion issues, assisted on two goals.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots and became the first NHL goaltender to reach 40 wins for the season. The only goal Fleury allowed came from Alexander Radulov, his first in the NHL in four years.
Radulov is back with the Predators after winning two MVP awards in Russia's professional league.
Pekka Rinne allowed five goals on 23 shots.


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Publication Archive
This archive contains all documents published by cep over the last few years:
cepAdhoc: Incisive comment on current EU policy issues.
cepPolicyBrief: Concise 4-page reviews of EU proposals (Regulations, Directives, Green Papers, White Papers, Communications) – including a brief summary and economic and legal assessments.
cepInput: Impulse to current discussions of EU policies.
cepStudy: Comprehensive examination of EU policy proposals affecting the economy.
The analysed Proposal for a Directive is part of the Pharmaceutical Package to improve the safety of medicinal products. The Proposal focuses on the protection of distribution chains from manufacturers to pharmacies against the entry of falsified medicinal products. During debates held previous to the Proposal the Commission opted for maintaining parallel import trade. To this end, the measures proposed now are restricted to prescription medicines, which constitute the majority of medicinal products traded through parallel import.
The Communication continues the "more economic approach" in competition law in a much diluted manner: The Commission wants to pursue only cases in which certain behaviour of a dominant company "forecloses" a market.
The Commission proposes highly ambitious climate protection targets for both developing and industrial countries. To this end, emissions trading is to be extended. In addition, financial support to developing countries is to be partially financed through EU bonds.
The creation of freight corridors aims to establish a European rail network and to increase the competitiveness of rail transport. As a consequence, freight transport will be given priority over passenger transport.
According to the EU Commission, all credit rating agencies in the EU should be registered and should fulfil certain requirements on their independence and transparency. Banks and other regulated financial service providers should be allowed to use ratings from such agencies only, when calculated the own funds they must retain.
The Commission's Proposal aims to establish a harmonised legislative framework for the provision of information to the general public on medicinal products for human use subject to medical prescription. In particular, clear boundaries are to be set between information provided by pharmaceutical companies and prohibited advertising.
The Capital Requirement Directive ("Basel II"), which is mainly based on negotiations held by the international Basel II Committee of the Bank for International Settlements, constitutes the core of banking regulation. The Commission's new proposals aim at improving the effectiveness of the existing Directive and at increasing the stability of financial markets. The Commission's proposal focusses on inter-bank credits, securitisation and the restructuring of supervision. With its Proposal the Commission expedites the process: It is no longer willing to await the results of the Basel II Committee. The amended Directive is scheduled for adoption for early June.
Regarding mass claim cases the Commission wants to open up the possibilities of collective redress for damages claims or develop existing possibilities. To this end, in its Green Paper it presents different options to address the issue which have an effect on cross-border cases as well as purely national ones. It further considers to introduce standardised judicial procedures for collective redress.
The Proposal by the Commission serves to recast the Directive on the energy performance of buildings. In future, when undergoing major renovations all buildings will have to comply with national minimum requirements for the energy performance of buildings. Member States are to set minimum requirements as to ensure that the total costs for the investment, maintenance and operation (incl. energy costs) of a building are minimised during its life-cycle. In addition, the energy performance of a building must be stated in all advertisements for sale or rent and the energy performance certificate must be shown to all prospective buyers or tenants.


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Aretha Franklin
Lady Soul.
The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Franklin was an artist of passion, sophistication and command, whose recordings remain anthems that defined soul music. Long live the Queen.
All hail the Queen of Soul.
In Aretha Franklin's sprawling career, she has taken on many roles—the devout gospel singer, the sensual R&B siren, the pop crossover phenom, Lady Soul—and dominated them all.
Aretha Franklin is the "Queen of Soul" and the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
She is a singer of great passion and control whose finest recordings define the term soul music in all its deep, expressive glory.
"I don't think there's anybody I have known who possesses an instrument like hers and who has such a thorough background in gospel, the blues and the essential black-music idiom," noted Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records, where much of Franklin's best work was done. "She is blessed with an extraordinary combination of remarkable urban sophistication and deep blues feeling...The result is maybe the greatest singer of our time."
Aretha was born in Memphis and grew up in Detroit. Her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, was the charismatic pastor at New Bethel Baptist Church, which he turned into a large and thriving institution. His services were broadcast locally and in other urban markets around the country, and 60 of his sermons (including the legendary "The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest") were released in album form. One of the best-known religious orators of the day, Rev. Franklin was a friend and colleague of Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and other key figures in the civil-rights movement.
On the musical side, some of the greatest vocalists of the gospel age were acquaintances and guests in the Franklin household. Aretha and her siblings—sisters Erma and Carolyn and brothers Cecil and Vaughn—grew up hearing the likes of Clara Ward (her greatest influence), Mahalia Jackson and James Cleveland both in their father's church and the family's living room.
From an early age, Aretha sang at her father's behest during services at New Bethel. Her first recordings turned up on an album called Spirituals, recorded at the church when she was only 14. (It also included material by gospel singers Sammie Bryant and C.L. Franklin.) Spirituals was released locally on the J.V.B. label in 1956 and re-released on the Battle label in 1962. Aretha's five tracks formed the basis of the 1964 album Songs of Faith: The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin, issued on Checker (Chess Records' companion label), with additional material recorded by Franklin at services in other locales. In her autobiography, Aretha notes that some of it came from a performance at the Oakland Arena. As a teenager, Aretha accompanied her father on gospel bills and services as far away as California and the Deep South.
Although she was firmly rooted in gospel, Franklin also drew from such blues and jazz legends as Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughn as she developed her singing style. On the male side, she was inspired by Ray Charles, Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke (both with and without the Soul Stirrers). From the emerging world of youthful doo-wop groups and early soul, Aretha enjoyed the likes of LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, Little Willie John, the Falcons (featuring Wilson Pickett) and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.
Out of an array of influences both sacred and secular, Franklin forged a contemporary synthesis that would speak to the Sixties generation in the revolutionary new language of soul music. As Jerry Wexler, Aretha's longtime producer, observed: "Clearly, Aretha was continuing what Ray Charles had begun—the secularization of gospel, turning church rhythms, church patterns and especially church feelings into personalized love songs."
It took Aretha awhile to find that fire in the studio. Before she signed with Atlantic, she spent six years at Columbia Records. She was signed to the label in 1960 by John Hammond, the label's legendary producer and talent scout, who'd heard a demo she cut in New York. Her tenure at Columbia yielded nine R&B hits (the most memorable being "Today I Sing the Blues" and "Runnin' Out of Fools"). She also scored some pop crossovers ("Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody" and "Won't Be Long") that were far removed from the fiery, gospel-fueled soul for which she would become known.
Hammond produced Franklin's most satisfying Columbia sides, but overall the nine albums she cut for the label failed to fully tap her capabilities. Paired with pop-minded producers, she dabbled in a variety of styles without truly finding her voice. Franklin was never averse to the idea of crossover music, being a connoisseur of pop and show tunes, but she needed to interpret them in her own soulful way. In Hammond's words, "I cherish the albums we made together, but Columbia was a white company who misunderstood her genius."
Jerry Wexler was waiting in the wings to sign Franklin when her contract with Columbia expired. With her switch to Atlantic in 1966, Aretha proceeded to revolutionize soul music with some of the genre's greatest recordings. Her most productive period ran from 1967 through 1972. The revelations began with her first Atlantic single, "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Loved You)," a smoldering performance that unleashed the full force of Franklin's mezzo-soprano. Offering call-and-response background vocals on this and other tracks were Aretha's sisters, Carolyn and Erma. The Sweet Inspirations, a Memphis-based vocal quartet that included Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney), also contributed background vocals to Aretha's work in the studio and onstage.
Franklin's greatest triumph—and an enduring milestone in popular music—was "Respect." Her fervent reworking of the Otis Redding-penned number can be viewed in hindsight as an early assertion of selfhood in the women's movement. It was the opening track on I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You (1967), her classic first album for Atlantic. Other memorable tracks from this pivotal release are "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Dr. Feelgood" and her cover of "A Change Is Gonna Come," Sam Cooke's civil rights-era anthem. The Rolling Stone Album Guide contends that I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You "may stand as the greatest single soul album of all time."
Of her work at Atlantic Records during that charmed period, Franklin offered these recollections in her autobiography: "Jerry [Wexler] handled all the technical aspects and made sure I put my personal stamp on these songs. Atlantic provided TLC—tender loving care—in a way that made me feel secure and comfortable...Putting me back on piano helped Aretha-ize the new music...The enthusiasm and camaraderie in the studio were terrific, like nothing I had experienced at Columbia. This new Aretha music was raw and real and so much more myself. I loved it!"
Working closely with producer Jerry Wexler, engineer Tom Dowd and arranger Arif Mardin—a production team that was on-board for Franklin's greatest work at Atlantic—she followed her debut for Atlantic with a torrent of strong recordings. Her next three albums—Aretha Arrives (1967), Lady Soul (1968) and Aretha Now (1968)—included "Chain of Fools," "Think," "Baby, I Love You," "Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)" and a soulful rendering of Carole King's "A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)." Her fifth Atlantic album, Aretha in Paris (1968), was recorded live before an appreciative European audience.
It was during the triumphant year of 1968 that Aretha was anointed the Queen of Soul. Legendary deejay Pervis Spann, the Blues Man, did the honors, ceremoniously placing a crown atop her head during a performance at Chicago's Regal Theater. The honorific has endured, and no one disputes it.
The Seventies brought continued success to Franklin. In the early years of that decade, she released such critically acclaimed albums as Spirit in the Dark (1970), Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971), Young, Gifted and Black (1972) and Amazing Grace (1972). Spirit in the Dark and Young, Gifted and Black found Franklin tapping into themes of resiliency and empowerment. Spirit in the Dark was her most autobiographical album, featuring five songs penned by Franklin—more than on any other album of hers, before or since—and thematically driven by the highs and lows of a recent divorce and new relationship. The title of Young, Gifted and Black tapped into the African-American zeitgeist, while the album itself "may have been my most personal—and most romantic—album to date," according to Franklin. "Aretha reflected a pride in every facet of the blackness we were fighting to preserve every day," journalist A. Scott Galloway wrote of the album in Urban Network.
Aretha Live at Fillmore West, by contrast, introduced the Queen of Soul to a hip, white audience. It was recorded over the course of three nights at Bill Graham's San Francisco venue with a crack band that included keyboardist Billy Preston, guitarist Cornell Dupree, drummer Bernard Purdie, saxophonist King Curtis and the Memphis Horns. Ray Charles was brought onstage from the audience by Aretha herself for an impromptu duet on "Spirit in the Dark." Amazing Grace found Franklin accompanied by James Cleveland (former music director at her father's church in Detroit) and his Southern California Community Choir. It was a landmark gospel recording that returned Aretha to the music of the church.
In addition to making albums with Jerry Wexler—the 14th and final of which, You, was released in 1975—Aretha tried working with other producers while at Atlantic. Her collaborators included such renowned figures as Quincy Jones (Hey Now Hey [The Other Side of the Sky], 1973) and Curtis Mayfield (Sparkle, 1976). Her tenure with Atlantic came to an end in 1979 after twelve years and nineteen albums. During this same year, her father was shot during a home robbery, leaving him in a coma from which he never recovered.
Aretha signed to Arista Records, a label founded by former Columbia Records president Clive Davis. In the Eighties, she recorded everything from dance pop to sacred gospel for Arista. She began scaling the upper reaches of the charts again with "Jump to It" and "Get It Right" (both produced by rising star Luther Vandross). She followed these with two more sizable mid-Eighties dance-floor hits, "Freeway of Love" and "Who's Zoomin' Who."
In 1987, Franklin scored the second Number One pop hit of her career—"I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)," a duet with George Michael—which came exactly 20 years after she topped the charts with "Respect." Aretha teamed up with Keith Richard in 1986 for a rousing version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" that appeared in the Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same name.
Also in 1987, Aretha returned to her roots by recording a gospel album at New Bethel Baptist Church, the very same Detroit institution at which her father had presided for so many years. Entitled One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, it earned strong reviews and won a Grammy for Best Soul Gospel Performance. On the pop side, she struck more gold at decade's end with "Through the Storm," a duet with Elton John, and "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be," a duet with Whitney Houston.
The Nineties started off slowly for Franklin, with only one major hit ("Willing to Forgive," in 1994) to show for most of the decade. However, one of the stellar moments of her career occurred at the Grammy Awards ceremony on February 25, 1998. Subbing at the last minute for Luciano Pavarotti (who was too ill to perform), Franklin brought the house down with her resounding performance of the operatic aria "Nessum Dorma," from Puccini's Turandot. Proving her continuing viability as a contemporary artist, Franklin scaled the charts soon after with "A Rose Is Still a Rose" (Number Five R&B, Number Twenty-Six pop), which was written and produced by Lauryn Hill (late of the Fugees).
The hits have come as recently as 2003, when "The Only Thing Missin'" and "Wonderful," from So Damn Happy, became popular album tracks. Incidentally, with the release of that album, Aretha had now been with Arista longer than Atlantic. Moreover, she'd managed the incredible feat of having hits in five consecutive decades.
As a measure of her impact, Aretha Franklin has charted 43 Top Forty singles since 1961. Franklin has also earned 18 Grammy Awards, the most recent coming in 2007. In addition, she has sung at the inaugurations of two U.S. presidents (Bill Clinton and Barack Obama) and received the Presidential Medal of Honor from another (George W. Bush).
Franklin suffered some health issues in 2010, including broken ribs and a major surgery. However, she released a new album in 2011 (A Woman Falling Out of Love) and returned to live performing in better health and high spirits.
All along, the basis of Aretha Franklin's success—and the essence of soul music—has been her ability to communicate. "Music is my way of communicating that part of me I can get out front and share," she told Essence magazine in 1973. "It's what I have to give; my way of saying, 'Let's find one another.'"
Inductee: Aretha Franklin (vocals, piano; born March 25, 1942, died August 16, 2018)


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Very affordable
'Operates slowly - especially when using the Yahoo Widgets feature.'
'Natural image quality • Excellent 200Hz mode • IPTV content is unparalleled • 3D option is handy.'
'Motion handling was very good, and movies in either Blu-ray or DVD format were smooth and free of any compression noise (blockiness).'
Built-in wireless capability
'Television sets with bigger screens are large enough for the whole family to enjoy and will probably be too much for most small bedrooms.'
'superb picture quality'
'Equipped with a full Wi-Fi internet browser. '
'Using Netflix requires Sony account.'
Impressive 2D and 3D picture quality.
'The images are absolutely razor sharp with the contours visible distinctly against the background.'
The picture and sound both look and sound great
'Rich, lush colors. '
'Its 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio ensures that the E320VL's picture is even more impressive, allowing for deeper blacks and brighter whites.'
'It has a high refresh rate of 60 Hz especially designed and crafted for flicker free video viewing.'
'VIZIO's E320VL32" LCD HDTV packs a powerful punch at a price that doesn't break the bank withtop of the line features such 100,000:1 contrast ratio delivering a picturethat is crisp, clear and awe inspiring.'
'Less uniform screen'
'highest resolution HDTV reception'
'We were quite happy with the excellent black level and the correspondeng contrast ratio.'
'very simple yet elegant design'
'A cluster of keys at the top of the remote can command other gear that's compatible with the HDMI-CEC control-over-HDMI scheme, but the remote can't control other devices via infrared.'
'impressive 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio'
'great product'
'Sony KDL-46W5100 built-in BRAVIA Internet Video feature allows you to access select on-demand entertainment available through your broadband connection.'
'acceptable image'
'Affordable price compared to other 240Hz TVs.'
'wonderfully sharp, rich image'
'Clumsy switching between inputs..'
'excellent black level'
'* Doesn't outperform its predecessor (TH-50PZ800U). * Color reproduction doesn't match the HDTV standard, being more vivid.'
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W.H. threatens to veto farm bill
The White House warned Monday that it would veto the House farm bill as it now stands and signaled strongly that the fastest path to some compromise this summer would be by taking savings from crop insurance to offset Republican-backed cuts from food stamps.
The most severe of the food-stamp savings would come from reimposing tighter income limits and an outdated asset test that could force more than 2 million beneficiaries off the rolls. The estimated savings are $11.5 billion over the next 10 years, and the administration made note that its own crop insurance reforms could save an almost equal sum, $11.7 billion.
Story Continued Below
The release of the White House statement came as Democrats are slated to caucus Tuesday morning with the farm bill on the agenda. The House Agriculture Committee leadership hopes to win what could be a close vote on final passage, but this still relies on getting close to 50 Democratic votes, given the number of defections on the right in the GOP.
Navigating through this week will be difficult, then. The administration's statement seemed designed to serve two purposes: put down a veto marker that will give liberal Democrats some comfort but at the same time try to keep the process moving into conference with the Senate.
"The administration supports enactment of a multi-year Farm Bill that includes a long-term extension of disaster programs and promotes rural development, preserves a farm safety net, maintains strong nutrition programs," the statement read in part.
Time and again, it also tried to temper the veto warning with a more conciliatory tone.
"The administration looks forward to working with the Congress to achieve crop insurance and commodity program savings," the statement said, "while at the same time strengthening the farm safety net in times of need and supporting the next generation of farmers."
Left unsaid is the fact that this White House has been remarkably absent from the farm bill debate thus far. President Barack Obama skipped over the issue entirely in his State of the Union address last winter. At a recent White House meeting with outside lobbyists and political operatives on the president's agenda, it didn't come up.


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Wat is inbegrepen?
California is what surfing dreams are made of. The blue Pacific, constant sunshine, and beautiful, friendly people make it the perfect surfing destination for everyone. Join our experienced and helpful surf guides, who will teach you how to ride the world-class waves in a fun and safe environment. You'll get to try out surf locations on pristine beaches between San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. You'll have time to explore the tranquil beach cities and in the process make friends for life. The time you spend at our surf camp is sure to give you a taste of the easygoing life - living the California dream.


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The UN Road Safety Collaboration partners are currently working on the following joint projects:
Mandated by the UN General Assembly, the Decade was launched on 11 May 2011.
Practical and user-friendly manuals provide step-by-step guidance on implementing specific road safety interventions.
UN encourages countries to commemorate the third Sunday in November every year as a World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Avenue Appia 20
CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 4308
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Conditions We Treat
Mount Sinai's Division of Rheumatology provides advanced treatments for rheumatic diseases and related disorders such as the following.
- Amyloidosis: A rare condition, amyloidosis occurs when proteins called amyloids build up in tissues or organs, most often the kidneys, heart, spleen, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system. Symptoms vary depending on the organ affected, but can include leg swelling, weakness or fatigue, weight loss, shortness of breath, and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.
- Ankylosing spondylitis: A chronic inflammatory disease, ankylosing spondylitis causes arthritis of the joints, mainly in the hips and spine. This condition can also cause inflammation of the heart valves, lungs, or eyes.
- Behcet's disease: A rare, chronic condition, Behcet's disease involves the inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. It is marked by recurring eye inflammation and oral and genital ulcers.
- Gout: This condition results from the build-up of uric acid crystals in the joints, which causes the joints to become inflamed. Pseudogout is a type of arthritis that occurs when calcium crystals, called calcium pyrophosphates, build up in the fluid surrounding joints.
- Inflammatory muscle disease: Two forms of inflammatory muscle disease include polymyositis (an uncommon inflammatory disease of the skeletal muscles causing weakness, swelling, and damage) and dermatomyositis (a muscle disease marked by inflammation and skin rash). Symptoms of these conditions include difficulty swallowing and muscle pain and weakness.
- Lupus: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, complex disease involving inflammation that can affect the joints, skin, organs (such as kidneys and lungs), and nervous system. Most commonly occurring in women, symptoms can range from mild to severe and include rashes, fatigue, arthritis, and fever. Most patients experience periods of active disease followed by remission.
- Osteoarthritis: A joint disease typically affecting people who are middle-aged or elderly, ostearthritis (OA), is characterized by deterioration of the cartilage, ligaments, and bone. This form of arthritis most commonly occurs in the hand joints, hips, spine, knees, and large toes. Symptoms vary between patients but can include pain, stiffness, and swelling of the affected joint.
- Polymyalgia rheumatica: An inflammatory disorder, polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) causes muscle pain and stiffness in the body, most commonly affecting the shoulders, hips, arms, and thighs.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: The most common type of autoimmune arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic condition that involves joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, most often in the hands and feet. Symptoms include stiffness that is worse in mornings, loss of energy, loss of appetite, and low fevers.
- Scleroderma: A rare disease of the connective tissue, scleroderma can cause the tissue in joints, internal organs, and skin to thicken and soften.
- Sjogren's syndrome: An inflammatory disease that can involve many parts of the body, Sjogren's syndrome most commonly affects the saliva and tear glands, causing symptoms that include eye irritation, dry mouth, swelling of the glands around the neck and face, and difficulty swallowing. This condition can sometimes develop as a complication of another rheumatologic disease, such as RA or lupus.
- Wegener's Granulomatosis: A rare condition, Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) causes the walls of blood vessels to become inflamed (called vasculitis), limiting blood flow to tissues. This disease can affect any organ in the body.


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Trip Report: Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant (Oakland, CA)
Posted by TheShot on 24 Mar 2009 | Tagged as: Foreign Brew, Machine, Restaurant Coffee
Last month — after publishing a few trip reports of nearby Cole Coffee, the Spasso Coffeehouse, and Peaberry's Coffee & Tea — Luigi DiRuocco of Mr. Espresso asked if we tried the espresso at Oliveto.
We last updated our review of Oliveto a couple years prior, so the focus of our most recent Rockridge tour was to explore some cafés we hadn't evaluated before. However, Luigi pointed out that, last year, the downstairs Oliveto Cafe was entirely remodeled and that Mr. Espresso installed a beautiful, original Faema E61. We last saw one of these machines in operation at Cafe Noir in Monterey, CA four years ago — which has since been swapped out now that it is now known as Café Lumiere. (Curiously enough, the E61 at Cafe Noir was also installed by Mr. Espresso, so it could be the same machine.)
Luigi also mentioned that they did a new round of trainings for the Oliveto staff — a continual need that plagues any coffee roaster that sells to independent retail locations. And, simultaneously, Christian of Man Seeking Coffee fame contacted us with the idea of another joint review. Thus, Christian and I decided to check them out again this past weekend.
This restaurant has existed on this Rockridge corner since 1987, albeit in different forms. The latest generation is a higher end Italian restaurant upstairs with a popular trattoria/café downstairs. Downstairs there's some rather limited outdoor seating, a number of wooden tables and chairs (which replaced the shared, long tables in their previous interior design), and meals that rely heavily on the simple organics. Upstairs it is white tablecloths and a more extensive menu — with the same espresso shots running about $0.50 more.
Using their older, two-group, Mr. Espresso-supplied Faema, they produced adequate results. While its replacement with an even older, more classic, three-group E61 Faema constitutes serious espresso machine eye candy, we were hoping some of the recent training would come through in the shots it produced.
They still pull shots with a thinner layer of dark brown crema. It's more substantial than the shots they pulled with their previous machine (which often had a thin ring of light or medium-to-light brown crema). However, there still seems to be plenty of room for improvement. The body of the shot is thinner — it's a touch watery even — with a flavor more of pungent herbs than the previous mild spice and wood flavors here. The finish is subtly sharper, but it's still not nearly as bright as you would expect of a well-made espresso.
Some readers here can make the (logical) conclusion that we're huge fans of Mr. Espresso, given our ratings of places such as Coffee Bar. More accurately, given the inconsistency of preparation that so plagues roasters, we are much bigger fans of Luigi's barista skills with Mr. Espresso beans than anything else. While it was a decent cup, we found Oliveto's improvement over their previous shots to be marginal. (Rumor has it, however, that daytime shifts during weekdays may produce better results.)
Served in traditional brown, thick-walled Nuova Point cups with a modest pour size. Oliveto is also one of those few places that offer to top off your empty espresso cup with filter coffee at brunch, which we don't particularly mind.
Read the updated review of Oliveto Cafe & Restaurant.
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[…] But as a way of making up for lost time, I arranged a second visit for lunch, along with Greg of The Shot and Coffee ratings. I figured it was time for a reunion run of our dynamo review of an upscale […]


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HOT ROD Founder Robert E. Petersen Died in 2007. His Wife, Margie, Passed in Late 2011. Here's Likely the Last New Interview You'll Ever See
Unbelievable: 31 years after the fact, HOT ROD Deluxe Editor Dave Wallace unearthed an interview with Bob and Margie Petersen that's never before been seen. Journo Fred Gregory explains, "I wrote the Petersen story on assignment from People in 1982. Unfortunately, the movie E.T. came out, and it was such a hit that they blew the story out for more E.T. stuff, and it never got back on the schedule.
"I did the interview, taped, with Pete and Margie at lunch at [the Hollywood restaurant] Scandia, which they owned at the time. She left after a couple of hours and Pete and I stayed there drinking very expensive wine till after dinner. He was very charming and said he'd answer any question I had except one: He didn't want to talk about his gun collection. Was he afraid people would think he was a gun nut? No, he was afraid of getting robbed. I think a lot of that collection went to the Smithsonian."
Indeed, Petersen's extensive collection of priceless, historic firearms is at the Smithsonian's National Firearms Museum. Before Margie passed away, she donated $100 million to ensure the viability of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, which she and Pete founded in 1994. In addition to myriad charitable contributions, those collections are the living legacy of one of America's greatest success stories. Well, that and the continuation of HOT ROD magazine, where it all started 65 years ago in January, 1948. Here's Gregory's rare glimpse into the Petersen's world as seen in a snapshot in time, roughly halfway through what we now know as the magazine's history. There's one story here that even we have never heard—the one about how Petersen and cofounder Bob Lindsay split up. Also, for what we believe to be the first time in HOT ROD, this article reveals a personal tragedy that we couldn't bring ourselves to print when the Petersens were alive. Read on for Fred Gregory's unedited story from 1982.
People may not be buying many cars these days, but they haven't stopped reading about them. The booming sales of magazines such as Motor Trend, HOT ROD, and Car Craft (with a combined circulation of over 2 million copies a month) helped make the past couple of years the best in the history of the Petersen Publishing Company.
It's founder, chairman, and sole owner, Robert E. Petersen, has a ready explanation for the paradox. "Interest in cars hasn't died. The problem with the car companies is that they build dull and unimaginative cars…so what happened is that a lot of people said, 'I'm going to take my old car and make it a little more exciting.' They went to our magazines to find out what kinds of spoilers, what kinds of paint trim, what kinds of interiors to use to make their old car look good. I think that's what brought our magazines on."
Writing with enthusiasm about exciting cars is a formula that's made Bob Petersen a publishing tycoon. His 14 monthly magazines are bought by nearly 5 million people who want to read about cars, motorcycles, boats, photography, hunting, guns, and skin diving. Their titles are familiar to any newsstand browser: Guns and Ammo, Photographic, Motorcyclist, Sea, Skin Diver, and—the only non-macho book in the lineup—Teen. He also puts out more than 40 one-shot publications each year covering topics that range from NFL football to painting cars.
And publishing is but the main ingredient of an empire that includes real estate, oil, fine art, and a famous Los Angeles restaurant. Bob Petersen hesitates to estimate its worth, "How do you put a value on a magazine? Ten times earnings? I don't know. It's worth over $100 million. How much more, I don't know."
It all began in 1947 with an investment of $400. Bob was just 21 and newly laid off from a job as a "low-grade publicity writer" at the MGM studios. He and Bob Lindsay, another young MGM casualty, were working as freelance publicists on a campaign for Earl "Mad Man" Muntz, the original eccentric Southern California car dealer. One of their promotions was a hot rod show.
This particular car craze was just beginning in California. "The car you bought from a dealer was a pretty dull piece of rolling stock," Bob says about those days. "These people came in and started changing them, making them more exciting." The hot rodders chopped tops, channeled frames, hopped up engines, and made the cars swoopier, sexier, and faster.
Bob Petersen got caught up in it all. His father, an immigrant from Denmark, was a mechanic, and Bob "grew up in a garage." He decided to combine his knowledge of cars with the writing and photography skills he'd picked up in the studios to start HOT ROD magazine. He and Lindsay each borrowed $200 from their parents and "with a little float from the printer," financed the first issue.
They peddled the magazine out of the trunk of a car at drag races, car shows, speed runs at the dry lakes—anywhere hot rodders congregated. "I would stand in the pits and shoot pictures during a race, and between heats I would go up and sell copies in the stands," Bob recalls. HOT ROD was an instant success. A national distributor was soon found and "it only took about a year before it really got going."
Other car magazines, including Motor Trend and Rod & Custom, were added to the roster as the company prospered. California car consciousness—which would later be chronicled by Tom Wolfe, celebrated in American Graffiti by George Lucas, and sung about by the Beach Boys—was spreading across the country. The magazines stimulated the movement and grew with it. "Our magazines actually taught people to like cars," Bob explains.
By 1951, Bob and Lindsay agreed to a friendly parting of the ways. They settled the ownership of the company over drinks in a Hollywood bar. Each wrote a sum on a piece of paper; the one with the high number would buy the other out for that price. Bob's $250,000 was the high bid. "In that time, it was a hell of a lot of money," he says.
There was plenty more where it came from. Though Bob Petersen had come to be to sheetmetal what Hugh Hefner was to flesh, his interests didn't stop with cars. Bob is a solidly built, rugged outdoorsman and a lifelong hunter. His trophies, gathered on expeditions around the world, fill his home and offices. A 12-foot-tall polar bear that he shot with a handgun greets visitors to the seventh-floor executive suite of his headquarters on the Sunset Strip. Bob's hobbies came to be reflected by his magazines: skin diving, boating, hunting, and photography among them. "I could have put out a magazine like Playboy," he reflects. "But I feel I should do what fits me, and what I like, and what suits my personality."
Not that the playboy lifestyle wasn't a part of that personality. Young, rich, and handsome, he was a part of the '50s Hollywood scene. His friends were celebrities and movie stars. He had a plush hilltop home and expensive sports cars (a combination that once resulted in a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing coupe floating in a downhill neighbor's pool after its parking brake slipped). "I had a good time," he says. It was a glamorous life that extended even to the office. "All our secretaries were girls from the studios…starlets who didn't have any work, so they came to work at our place when they were between pictures."
His life changed when he met Margie McNally. A stunning redhead, Margie was a top New York model. She'd won the title of Miss Rheingold, a sort of New York City Miss America at the time, and had been in numerous magazines and ads. Work in movies and commercials brought her to Hollywood. She and Bob were married in 1963 and settled down to a life of luxurious domesticity in a Beverly Hills mansion.
Margie became active in charities and Los Angeles society, and Bob tended to his expanding business. They traveled the world when it suited them, and in California, they split their time between Beverly Hills, a mountain ranch, and a shorefront apartment in Newport Beach, where they often entertained on the yacht, the Sea Rod. They had two sons and lived a life anyone would envy.
Then tragedy struck. In 1976, the family went on a Christmas skiing trip to the Rockies. The last leg of the voyage was in small planes, and the family split up. The plane with the Petersen's two young boys aboard crashed, killing them instantly.
Bob and Margie were devastated. "When it first happened I didn't know if I would ever get out of it, nor did Bob," she says. She can speak of it now, but her grief was all-encompassing at first. Margie found the strength to confront it. "If you have something like that happen to you, are you going to go into a mental asylum? Are you going to become an alcoholic? Or are you going to deal with it?" Margie found comfort in her Catholic religion. "If it wasn't for faith, I never would have made it," she says. Bob plunged himself in to his business. "I kind of lost myself in my work and tried to keep my head busy. That's the only thing you can do. I just tried to keep myself so busy I didn't think about it."
"The problem with the car companies is that they build dull and unimaginative cars." — Robert E. Petersen, 1982
They overcame their despair together. "If we didn't have each other I don't think we would have made it," Margie reflects. Others—friends and strangers—also helped. Debbie Reynolds persuaded Margie to immerse herself in the Thalians, a noted Hollywood charity. Other parents who had lost children offered understanding and comfort. "We found so many people with the same problems we had, that it's like a great big club," Bob says. "It's a terrible club to be in, but…"
As they pulled their lives together, the Petersens found themselves working harder than ever. Bob's passion for collecting American Western and sporting art led to the opening of a gallery on Beverly Hills' exclusive Rodeo Drive. Among its prized paintings and sculptures are works by Fredrick Remington and Charles Russell. "We deal mostly in art I like," Bob says, but he's also found room for some "Monets and other French Impressionists."
They also acquired Scandia, a Sunset Strip restaurant that ranks among the best in Los Angeles. It had long been a favorite of the Petersens, and when its owner decided to retire, they bought it. Margie spends a great deal of her time helping run the restaurant. She sees to everything from the smallest detail on the menu to the redecorating, a talent she's also applying to Petersen Publishing offices in New York, Chicago, Detroit, and other cities.
Together, the Petersens spend most evenings and weekends at charity or business affairs. "We're in so many different things," Bob says. "On weekends, we'll be with a bunch of skin-diving guys; another weekend we'll be at a race in Daytona and another time we'll be with a group of boat guys."
"A lot of our fun and our friends have come out of the business," says Margie. "We're exposed to the most interesting people in the whole world," but whenever they can, they go off by themselves for some quiet time at the ranch or on the boat. "We never run out of things to talk about," Margie says.
Some of the talk is about the future. "We're looking for some nice things to do," Bob says. "We're pretty deep into a lot of charities." A great deal of their time and money goes to the Thalians, the Orphans Guild, Boys Clubs, the Los Angeles Music Center, and other worthy causes, but not to the neglect of the business that makes all the good works possible.
Having prospered in today's harsh climate, Bob Petersen is proceeding cautiously. "Now is a good time to consolidate," he advises. "I'm not a pessimist, but I think a lot of people will be washed out that should have been. But, I think business is always ups and downs. If a person can survive this down, the up will be fantastic."
And he has some advice for Detroit. "Make the cars more exciting," Bob says. "You can give people gas mileage and performance; they can both go in the same car. They may have to rethink some of their basic ideas, but it's doable. They've proven that in Germany; the Japanese have done it…we have some good people in the industry, but they can't look on our public as people who just want a cheap car that goes so many miles to the gallon. The car is an ego thing and they're never going to change that."
Did You Know…
Robert E. Petersen's middle name is Einar. In Petersen Publishing's CARtoons magazine, the editors spoofed with a character named Uncle Einar. Curiously—and certainly unrelated—Ray Bradbury wrote a short story with the same name in 1955.
The Other Originals
Whenever the story of HOT ROD's origins come up, it's always about Robert E. Petersen, his co-founder Bob Lindsay, and first editor Wally Parks (who, it may surprise you to know, was not hired until the July '48 issue). Here are all the names and titles from masthead of the Jan. '48 issue of HOT ROD. We recently did an interview with photographer Lee Blaisdell, but where are these other folks? The only familiar name is Anthony Grantelli, which was a misspelling of the famed Andy Granatelli (whose first name is really Anthony).
Other bylines throughout the first issue are Richard Lane Bernstein (author of the issue's longest story, a tedious, fictional tale), George Riley (the famous hot rodder), and Dorothy Sloan.
Associate Editors, Robert R. Lindsay and Robert E. Petersen
Advertising, Richard Sobokta
Staff Photographer, Lee Blaisdell (whom we know to have been a volunteer)
Assistant Photographer, Gordon Forslund
CARtoons, Donald Miller
Distribution, Hugh Gilbert
Reporters, Anthony Grantelli [sic] and John Lelis
Department of Coincidences
GiGi Carleton became Petersen's executive secretary in 1967. Prior to that, she had worked at the Erwin Wasey ad agency along with Jim Freiburger, father of HOT ROD's current editor in chief. GiGi continued working for Mr. and Mrs. Petersen until Margie's death in 2011.
The First Advertisers
The fact that HOT ROD was an instant success is reflected in the high number of advertisements in the very first issue. Most, if not all, the ads were created by the magazine, and there are some interesting typos, most notably "Barriss' Custom Shop."
Here are the ones we know are still in business, or have come back, presented in the order in which they appeared in the mag.
- Navarro Racing Equipment
- Smithy's (mufflers)
- Faith Chrome Plating
- Bell Auto Parts (though extremely far flung from the original shop, the Bell name is still used)
- Sta-Lube
- Hollywood Trophy Company
- Vim Tools
- Blair's Auto Parts
- Sharp Speed Equipment
- Barris Custom Shop
- Cannon Engineering


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Today I found two new records for my great grandfather, Charles Edward Robb. I've finally discovered the date of his death – it was in the last quarter of 1934, in West Ham. The record states that he was 83 years old, which fits with his being born in 1851.
A photograph found in my late grandfather's wallet, assumed to be of his father, Charles Edward Robb (image reversed)
More interestingly, I've also found the record of his baptism. Ancestry recently added London Non-Conformist Registers to its online collection, and it was there that I found a record of the baptism of Charles Edward Robb, son of William and Fanny Sarah Robb, at Great Queen Street Chapel in the borough of Camden, on 25th May 1851. The family's address is given as 16 Queen Street Soho.
Great Queen Street Chapel was a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, demolished in 1910, in the area between Drury Lane and Lincoln's Inn Fields (William Robb's second wife, Marianne Mansfield Palmer, and her family were living in nearby Wild Street in 1841 and in neighbouring Duke Street in 1851).
This record is significant in two ways. Firstly, it establishes that the Robb family's association with Methodism began before William's second marriage to Marianne Palmer (which would take place in 1854). I'd hazard a guess that William, who had been baptised and brought up an Anglican by his Scottish (Episcopalian?) parents, derived his Methodist connection from his first wife, Fanny Seager. I've yet to find any Seager baptisms in the Non-Conformist Register, though we know from other sources that they were indeed Nonconformists, and Fanny herself was buried at the Tabernacle in Tottenham Court Road. My great grandfather's devotion to Wesleyan Methodism would be lifelong: he worked for a time for the East End Mission and was a sworn teetotaller who raised his children along similar lines.
The other point of interest is that this record places Charles Edward with his father in Queen Street, Soho, in 1851. Charles was born on 22nd January at 33 Old Compton Street, and his mother Fanny died on 26th February at the same address. The 1851 England census was held on 30th March, at which time William and his older son William Henry were living at 16 Queen Street, but the infant Charles Edward must have been elsewhere at the time (I'm still looking for the record). His christening took place two months later, in May, by which time Charles had returned to his father's home.


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A few days ago a senior labor union leader stated that pension payments under the Labor Pension System are less than the benefits payable to members of the poorest grade of low-income families, and that he was opposed to both of the alternate pension reform plans proposed by the government.
He said he was against extending the number of years worked, for which the average salary earned is used as a basis for calculating retirement pensions. He also said he was opposed to cutting the income replacement rate of pensions and to increasing the premium rate.
These complaints aim to safeguard workers' interests. However, seen from the aspect of long-term sustainability of the pension fund and balancing the rights and interests of different generations, younger workers might not agree with the aforementioned standpoints.
The Labor Pension Fund is like a reservoir. It needs to have fresh water fed into it all the time, in the form of contribution payments and good investment performance, if it is to provide sufficient outflow in the form of pension payments.
The way pension contributions are calculated is something that politicians have hitherto been unwilling to consider, and it is a point on which doubts have been aired concerning professional unions — those that handle labor and health insurance for people who do not work for a specific employer.
It creates a loophole that encourages workers not to pay contributions honestly based on their real incomes. As long as workers pay more premiums when they come close to retirement, they will still receive higher annuity payments — but who ends up paying for this?
Another issue is, while some people oppose raising pension fund premium rates, they also want to increase the income replacement rate. Consider for example an older worker who receives an average pensionable monthly salary of NT$25,200 (US$845) and has been working and paying pension fund premiums for 30 years. The worker's self-paid premiums will add up to no more than NT$140,000.
Once the worker starts drawing a pension, he or she will be paid NT$140,000 in the first year and NT$700,000 in the first five years, which equals the sum of all the premiums paid by the worker, employer and government. During the sixth to eighth years of retirement, the pensioner will collect the yield, but who will pay for their pension during the ninth to 24th years of retirement?
The government is largely to blame, for siding with capitalists. It dares not increase the differentials for workers' pension fund premiums, or recognize that the second layer of professional pensions is paid out of workers' salaries. It uses capital from workers' pension funds to prop up the stock market and the fund is poorly managed. Consequently, the pension fund shortfall keeps growing. We cannot keep evading these problems.
The mistake should not be made of comparing social relief payments with basic pensions, otherwise what need would there be for national pensions?
To safeguard workers' interests, the issue of payouts must be honestly addressed. Not reforming the system may be an option, but it would accelerate the bankruptcy of the Labor Pension System and would fail to look after intergenerational rights and obligations. It would mean that those who retire and get their pensions first would be winners, while the outcome would be three times worse than otherwise. That is the situation that the pension scheme for civil servants and teachers is already in.


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The Unlocked Cell-Phone Revolution Begins Now
Too much power always corrupts. Wireless carriers have way too much power. By locking phones and locking Americans into contracts, they've made cell phones a lot cheaper, but at the price of innovation, freedom, competition and customer service.
The recent Copyright Office ruling on unlocking phones shifts a tiny bit of power back to consumers. But we need a lot more. Phones are the personal computers of the twenty-first century, full of our personal information, capable of entertaining us, connecting us and informing us. If we buy them, we should own them; we should be able to install the programs and features we want (at our own risk, of course), take them to whichever wireless carrier we desire, and customize them to our tastes.
Subsidies have worked well to bring cheap phones to the masses. Carriers give people $150 or $200 off the price of a phone, in exchange for locking them into a contract. It's essentially a rent-to-own installment plan, the same way a lot of people used to buy furniture.
But once the installments are paid off, you still don't own your phone. You can't take it to another carrier, you can't sell it on eBay to someone who uses another carrier, and you're not supposed to upgrade the features or fix bugs that the carrier hasn't approved of. Now, Cingular, Nextel and T-Mobile users are at least a little bit freer: they can bring their phones with them when they switch carriers, and they can buy used phones from other carriers at cheap prices. Sprint and Verizon must follow.
The carriers argue that activating un-approved phones even if they're the exact same models they sell, like a Sprint RAZR on Verizon will somehow damage their networks, or give a less-than-adequate experience. The first argument is the same nonsense AT&T used in the mid-20th century to force people to rent landline phones, and it's just as empty. As for the second, shouldn't the consumer be allowed to decide?
More unlocked phones means more advanced phones, too. Right now, carriers have Americans snowed into thinking that they're the only places you can buy phones. They only carry a limited set of phones, and they keep consumers coming to their stores through the crack cocaine of subsidies. But if unlocked phones become commonplace, independent cell phone shops will be more comfortable selling the advanced phones that carriers didn't decide to pick up. That means consumers, not carriers, will decide which phones we get to see, buy, and use.
The carriers won't go willingly, of course. Their anti-consumer regime works quite well for them. We'll have to go over their heads say, to FCC chairman Kevin Martin, who has the power to regulate the carriers. E-mail him at [email protected] and say something like this:
"With more than two-thirds of Americans owning mobile phones, the FCC must protect consumers against the predatory policies of the wireless carrier cartel. The FCC should mandate that once you're out of contract, Americans should be able to use any phone with any carrier, radio technologies and E911 readiness permitting. That will have minimal impact on the carriers' bottom lines, improve competition, and increase consumer choice."
Let's see if we can make a difference.


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>>>boxscore game 1
>>>boxscore game 2
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Georgia College & State University softball (8-12) ended a five-game slide in a big way Wednesday, winning a pair of run-shortened games over St. Andrews Presbyterian College (3-14) 12-1 and 11-3, both in five innings.
In game one, the Bobcats put up eight in the first two innings, adding another four in the fourth. Freshman third baseman Kelsea Martin (Dacula, Ga.) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a double and a run. Across the diamond, sophomore first baseman Jessica Solomon (Douglasville, Ga.) went 2-for-2 with a double, driving in three. Junior leftfielder Lauren Potts (Gray, Ga.) added her fourth home run of the season, finishing with four RBI.
Sophomore righty Haley Burnett (Columbus, Ga.) benefitted from the run explosion, improving to 5-6 with five innings of work. She allowed just two hits and a single run, fanning five. Ashley Disque got the loss (3-9) tossing 3 2/3 innings.
Game two was more of the same when down 2-1, the Bobcats put eight runs up in the second to power ahead. Potts and Kali Carswell (Acworth, Ga.) each hit two-run doubles in the inning.
Martin was 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, and catcher Carswell finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs. Kayla Smith (Lexington, S.C.) went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs, while Brandie Monroe (Guyton, Ga.) also had a multi-hit game at 2-for-2 with a run and RBI.
Freshman Kristi Rodriguez (Marietta, Ga.) evened out her record at 3-3, tossing four innings with two unearned runs. She struck out three and scattered four hits. Daisy Mendez fell to 0-3 lasting just 1 2/3 innings.
Potts had a big day with six RBI, while Martin totaled five hits in six at-bats, scoring four and driving in four.
The Bobcats are back in action Friday, March 5 at 4 p.m. against Carson-Newman College to kick off the Mid-South Classic in Spartanburg, S.C.
The GCSU Department of Athletics, winners of the 2008-09 PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, GCSU prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username GCSUSID for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame.


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Shooting at Emcore
Three dead, four injured
A gunman entered the solar panel company's campus on Eubank this morning. He killed three people, including himself, and injured four others. Two are in stable condition, and two are still in the ER. The shooter was a former employee, according to police, and his wife or girlfriend, who still worked at Emcore, was his target.


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Posted: Apr 10, 2011
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Golden Eagles road struggles continued as they dropped the third act of their series to SIU Edwardsville 6-5 in eight innings.
Tech played catch up throughout the game, as the Cougars built three separate leads, only to see the Golden Eagles battle back each time to knot up the score.
SIUE notched two unearned runs against Tech starter Claudia Harke in the first inning, only to have Tech answer right back in the top of the third with a two-run home run off the bat of Chanelle Spalding.
Having given up another pair of runs in the bottom of the third, the Tech offense responded with another two-run homer in the top of the fifth, this time off the bat of Callie Schmidt to tie the score up at four.
SIUE took the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, but the Golden Eagles put together a seventh-inning rally as they scored the tying run on a wild pitch from Lindsey Coleman, to force extra innings.
An RBI single by SIUE's Whitney Davis in the bottom of the eighth ended the game 6-5, in favor of the Cougars.
Coleman improved to 5-1 on the season, in two innings of work, while Holly Thomas took the loss, falling to 10-7 in 5.1 innings pitched.
The Golden Eagles (15-18, 6-11 OVC) continue their road trip Wednesday, as they take on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, at 1 p.m.


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This video (soundtrack, really–listen to the lyrics of the entire song) goes with a FABULOUS post by Peterr over at Firedoglake. His post is as moving as the song sung by the all-gay a cappella group The Flirtations. Recalling a concert he saw in the 1990's, Peterr says:
Then at the end came the most powerful moment of the evening, which is indelibly printed in my memory. After the applause died down following a song, the Flirts told the crowd that we were coming to the end of the concert.
"BOOOO!!!! NOOOO!!!!" replied the audience.
"Yes," said the Flirts, "Yes, we are."
You could almost see people going back into their closets or back into their battles being out, putting on the armor they had taken off as the concert progressed. People were anticipating going into the night air, back to their homes, their jobs, and everything else, and it hurt. It had been such an incredible night, filled with joy and camaraderie and pride . . . and now it was almost over. Damn.
"Yes, we are," said the Flirts, "but we want to leave you with a lullaby. Imagine how different you might be — how different the world might be — if more parents sang lullabys like this to their children."
Then, in the stillness of the night, to an audience that almost dreaded leaving, they sang . . .


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The Onion Joe Biden Lives On in New 'Autobiography'
There's a new Joe Biden "autobiography" out, but it's not written by the actual vice president.
Instead, The Onion, the satirical newspaper which has parodied Biden over the years, is releasing a new e-book written titled "The President of Vice: The Autobiography of Joe Biden." It will be available on the Kindle Singles store for $2.99 starting Friday, ABC News has confirmed.
"Hombre, you've just done Uncle Joe a real solid buying this book," begins the foreword of the book. "I ain't the kind of guy who forgets his debts. Next time we meet there's a tallboy of ice cold Beast on me. And if you're a lady, I know a few tricks to repay you with interest, if you catch my drift."
"My one and only 1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. I still get butterflies fluttering around in my stomach every time I lock eyes with those gold snowflake rims," Onion Joe Biden writes later on, according to excerpts provided to ABC News.
Of course, the real Joe Biden wrote an autobiography of his own in 2008 - "Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics" - which became a New York Times bestseller.