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Tuesday Reads: Hitchcock, Hearing Aids, and Republican DelusionsPosted: November 27, 2012 Filed under: 2012 elections, Barack Obama, John McCain, morning reads, the GOP, U.S. Politics | Tags: Alma Reville, Anthony Hopkins, Anthony Perkins, Asian American voters, Charles Murray, Grover Norquist, Helen Mirren, Jamelle Bouie, Janet Leigh, Kelly Ayotte, Latino voters, Michael Morell, Psycho, Susan Rice 34 Comments
Good Morning!!
I'm really looking forward to seeing Hitchcock, the new movie about the making of Psycho. Unfortunately, the film may not come to Muncie, IN, so I might have to just hope it will still be playing in Boston when I get back home sometime in December. If you have a chance to see it where you are, let me know how you like it.
Last night the Wall Street Journal posted an interview with Helen Mirren, who plays the great director's wife Alma Reville Hitchcock in the new film. Mirren is one of my favorite actresses!
Alfred Hitchcock once said that there were four people who helped make him who he was—one was a film director, one a script writer, one a cook and one the mother of his daughter. "Their names are Alma Reville," he said of his wife of 44 years, who performed all four roles. In the new biopic "Hitchcock," Helen Mirren rolls Reville's many facets into a singular performance.
The movie, which opened in the city over the weekend, traces Hitchcock's (Anthony Hopkins) effort to make his 1960 classic, "Psycho," from his struggle with Hollywood studios to finance the picture to Reville's pivotal role in the movie's—and her husband's—success. "I was surprised to find out about the importance of Alma," Ms. Mirren said recently.
Read what Mirren had to say at the link.
And here's an interview with Anthony Hopkins, who plays Alfred Hitchcock at "Vulture."
Do you remember the first time you saw Psycho?
When it first came out in Manchester on a wet September evening and I was knocked out by it. That was the most terrifying film I'd ever seen. I couldn't believe it: Where's Janet Leigh? She's got to come back. She's the star of the movie! I thought she perhaps escaped from the trunk of the car. So I've been watching these films over the years, long before I knew I was going to play him.
Did you talk to anyone who worked with Hitchcock? What insights did they share?
I met Janet Leigh in New York, and then later in Hollywood at a function. She said, "Mr. Hitchcock was one of the funniest men I've ever worked with. My ex-husband Tony [Curtis] and I used to go to his house in Bel-Air, and we'd laugh ourselves sick, because he was so funny, so wicked, a great practical joker." She said he wasn't an easy man to get to know, but she got on with him.
Read lots more at the link.
Psycho came out in 1960, when I was only 12 years old. My parents wouldn't let me see horror movies, which is probably why I love them so much now. I don't remember when I first saw Psycho–it must have been on TV, probably in the late 60s or 70s. By then the shock value wasn't as huge as when the movie first came out.
Entertainment Weekly has a "look back at the mystique of 'Psycho'" by Owen Glieberman
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was released in the summer of 1960, and in the half a century since, it has become the rare movie in which every image and detail and motif is now, more or less, iconic. Every moment in the movie is a piece of mythological Americana.
In a way that I couldn't quite say about any other film, I feel as if I've spent most of my movie life thinking — and writing — about Psycho. Part of the film's mystique is that no matter how many times you've seen it (and it may be the ultimate movie that you can watch over and over again), it keeps coming back to provoke and tantalize and haunt you. Its power of revelation never wears thin or gets old. It's one of the only films in Hollywood history — the others, I would say, are The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, The Godfather, and Star Wars — that is so alive, its experience so vivid and immediate and larger-than-life, that it effectively transcends time….
In the infamous shower scene, when that big, fat kitchen knife, wielded by a mysterious Victorian shrew named Mrs. Bates, came slashing down, over and over again, into the body of Marion Crane, it was also slicing through years — decades, centuries — of popular expectation that the hero or heroine of a fictional work would be shielded and protected, or would at least die (usually at the end) in a way that made some sort of moral-dramatic sense. In Psycho, murder made no sense at all; the suddenness — and viciousness — of it tore at the fabric of our certainty. What it suggested is that none of us, in the end, are ever truly protected. Hitchcock seemed to be pulling the rug, the floor, and the earth right out from under the audience. He opened an abyss, exposing moviegoers to a dark side that few, at the time, could ever have dared to imagine.
In other news, I had a big day yesterday. I've had moderate hearing loss since I was pretty young–at least since my early 30s. When I first found out I had nerve damage, I was told there was nothing that could be done. My problem was that I had trouble making out words, and hearing aids would only make the garbled words louder.
Technology has advanced over the past 30 years, and yesterday I got some hearing aids, thanks to the generosity of my mother. Suddenly I can hear things that I never heard before. I can hear the words people are saying even if I'm not looking at them and watching their lips. I can hear people when they whisper–previously I couldn't make out whispering even if the person's mouth was right next to my ear. It's just amazing. I hope you don't mind me sharing that.
Now some national news. Republicans are still trying to figure out why they lost the presidential election and, as Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out last night, they still don't want to give President Obama any credit for beating them. No, it's all about demographics, fooling Latinos and women into thinking Republicans actually care about their issues. But what about Asian-Americans, another group that voted for Obama by a lopsided percentage?
Right wing racist Charles Murray argues that the problem (with both Latinos and Asians) is that the Republican Party has tied itself to socially conservative issues (no kidding!)
My thesis is that the GOP is in trouble across the electoral board because it has become identified in the public mind with social conservatism. Large numbers of Independents and Democrats who are naturally attracted to arguments of fiscal discipline, less government interference in daily life, greater personal responsibility, and free enterprise refuse to vote for Republicans because they are so put off by the positions and rhetoric of social conservatives, whom they take to represent the spirit of the "real" GOP….
Asians are only half as likely to identify themselves as "conservative" or "very conservative" as whites, and less than half as likely to identify themselves as Republicans. Asians are not only a lot more liberal than whites; a higher percentage of Asians identify themselves as "liberal" or "extremely liberal" (22%) than do blacks (19%) or Latinos (17%). And depending on which poll you believe, somewhere in the vicinity of 70% of Asians voted for Barack Obama in the last presidential election.
Something's wrong with this picture. It's not just that the income, occupations, and marital status of Asians should push them toward the right. Everyday observation of Asians around the world reveal them to be conspicuously entrepreneurial, industrious, family-oriented, and self-reliant. If you're looking for a natural Republican constituency, Asians should define "natural."
And so on… bla bla bla…
At the American Prospect, Jamelle Bouie explains to Murray How Not to Appeal to Asian Americans. Hint: cut out the racism.
As with Latinos, Asian American movement to the Democratic Party has a lot to do with with the explicitly anti-immigrant stance of the GOP, as well as the overwhelming sense that the GOP is a party for hidebound whites, and actively hostile toward nonwhites of all stripes.
There's a policy component in this as well; the Asian American community is highly diverse (ethnically, economically, and otherwise), and there many who would benefit from the core Obama agenda of health care reform, stronger social services, and investments in education and other programs. Still, even with that in mind, it's fair to say that Asian American support for Obama is as much about inclusion as it is about policy.
Which is why this piece, from conservative scholar Charles Murray, rankles. Rather than consider Asian American political preferences on their own terms—or even acknowledge the range of experience among different Asian American groups—Murray lumps them all into a single, undistinguished mass of model minorities, and then wonders why they don't vote for Republican candidates.
But Murray's argument is based on a false premise:
It's worth noting the implicit contrast here. Entrepreneurism, industriousness, family-orientation, self-reliance—these are things that Murray sees as unique to Republican constituencies. Which must also mean that these are thing that go unvalued by Democratic constituencies, namely, African Americans, Latinos, young people, and single women.
Furthermore, as Bouie notes today's Republicans actually are a bunch of fundamentalists who are anti-gay and anti-woman. That's not just a perception, it's the reality that Charles Murray doesn't want to accept. It's not that Latinos, Asians, and African Americans are deluded about the nature of the Republican Party. But what else would you expect from the author of the racist screed The Bell Curve?
Today Susan Rice will begin facing down her Republican critics on Capital Hill.
With congressional opposition softening, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice could find her name in contention as early as this week to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state. It's a step that may signal greater U.S. willingness to intervene in world crises during President Barack Obama's second term.
As Obama nears a decision on who should be the country's next top diplomat, Rice has emerged as the clear front-runner on a short list of candidates that many believe has been narrowed to just her and Sen. John Kerry, despite lingering questions over her comments about the deadly Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. Consulate in Libya.
According to congressional aides and administration officials, Rice will be making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week for closed door meetings with key lawmakers whose support she will need to be confirmed. Those appearances follow her first in-depth explanation of her Benghazi remarks that Republicans seized on as evidence of the administration's mishandling of the attack that took the lives of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.
Acting CIA Director Michael Morell will join Rice in her meetings with lawmakers.
Today Rice will meet with Senators John McCain and Kelly Ayotte. When asked about the meeting, McCain was his usual testy self:
McCain said he would ask Rice "the same questions I've been talking about on every talk show in America." Asked whether he thinks she's still unfit for secretary of state and what he was hoping for, McCain interrupted and said, "I'm not hoping for anything. She asked to see me and I agreed to see her."
What a jerk. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in that meeting.
I'll end with this amazing artistic depiction of Republican delusion, Grover Norquist as the Wizard of Oz (via Buzzfeed).
Artist Michael D'Antuono has painted anti-taxi activist Grover Norquist as a Wizard of Oz-like disembodied head with Republican politicians bowing before him as an elephant burns, to symbolize Norquist's powerful position in the Republican party.
Now it's your turn. What are you reading and blogging about today?


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Despite the fact that feds are heading toward their third year without a pay raise, many nonpostal employees — anywhere from one-third to one-half — are earning more than they did when the White House froze 2011/2012 federal salaries at 2010 levels. Lots of workers managed to move up the 10-step pay ladder either because they got promotions or, more likely, qualified for a WIG.
The longevity step increases, or WIGs (within-grade) raises are set by law. Depending on their satisfactory length of service, workers in the first three steps of their raise generally get a 3 percent raise each year. Those in the next three get raises every 2 years, and those in steps 7, 8 and 9 get them every three years.
The WIG-driven pay raises are a good thing because federal health premiums — to be announced soon — are not going down in 2013. For many feds, even a modest increase in premiums will represent the biggest bite in their 2013 paychecks.
The six-month continuing resolution Congress is expected to okay this week includes an extension of the pay freeze at least through March of next year. President Barack Obama had proposed a 0.5 percent increase, contingent on Congress approving budgets. But…
Thanks to longevity pay increases — which haven't been tackled by Congress or the White House — federal workers who satisfactorily complete one, two or three years in their pay grade automatically get a 3 percent adjustment regardless of the freeze. Workers in the first three steps of their GS grade get the WIG (within-grade raise) every year.
Insight by Atlassian: Voice your opinion on the state of dev/sec/ops in government by taking Federal News Network's exclusive survey.
Although pay is frozen at 2010 levels, workers who get promotions or a step increase can continue to move up the ladder. In the metro Washington, D.C., area, for example, a GS-11, step one employee earns $62,467. At step five of that grade the salary is $70,794 and a move up to the tenth, and top, step of the grade is worth $81,204.
The Carter administration made an attempt to eliminate automatic WIGs or make it tougher to qualify for them. But that effort soon fizzled and the raises have largely remained under the radar scope of subsequent administrations and congressional budget cutters.
Meantime, the two largest nonpostal federal unions — the American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union — have made a 2013 pay raise a top priority. J. David Cox, the new president of the AFGE and long-time NTEU leader Colleen Kelley say they will press Congress and the White House to OK a pay raise retroactive to January 2013.
By Jack Moore
If you yelled continuously for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you could produce enough energy to heat a cup of coffee, according to the WeirdFacts.com….The best part of waking up….
Keep up with the latest commentary and interviews on The Federal Drive with Tom Temin. Subscribe today.
House to pass 6-month spending bill that extends pay freeze The temporary spending bill is needed to avert a government shutdown when the current budget year expires Sept. 30. The stopgap bill makes official an extension of the current two-year federal pay freeze. Last month, President Barack Obama proposed a 0.5 percent pay raise that would only take effect once Congress passed a 2013 budget.
Agencies, colleges share top recruiting tips in tight budget times Federal recruiters are looking to the nation's colleges and universities to boost their staffs, but finding the best candidates can be a challenge. Agency recruiters and college advisers tell Federal News Radio there are certain cost- effective and innovative techniques that work better than others when it comes to recruiting the next generation of federal employees.
GSA to centralize oversight of IT, HR after top-to-bottom review Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini will tell Senate lawmakers today about his plans to continue reforming the agency in the aftermath of the Western Regions Conference scandal. Along with consolidating CIO and human resources offices, Tangherlini wants the Federal Acquisition Service to reduce its fees. Federal News Radio has obtained an exclusive copy of Tangherlini's testimony.
Six-month CR makes extension of fed pay freeze official The six-month stopgap spending bill unveiled by the House Appropriations Committee this week officially continues the federal pay freeze until at least March. The continuing resolution, which runs through March 27, gives lawmakers more time to make appropriations for the coming year and staves off the threat of a government shutdown. When lawmakers first announced a temporary deal on 2013 funding, the full Congress had not yet approved any fiscal 2013 spending bills.
VA's Blue Button now at 1 million users, aims at 100 million soon Two years ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs' Blue Button project started with the idea that VA could improve veterans' health outcomes by giving them something they'd been clamoring for: easy access to their own health records that had theretofore been locked up in VA's data systems and visible only to health care providers.
Copyright © 2020 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Mike Causey is senior correspondent for Federal News Network and writes his daily Federal Report column on federal employees' pay, benefits and retirement. Follow @mcauseyWFED

subset: commoncrawl


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Arizona Fall League
As you will notice, nearly half of the players highlighted in this post come from the Arizona Fall League (AFL). In essence, the AFL is like the Futures Game that takes place All-Star Weekend, except with more teams and for an entire month. With so much young talent on display, the AFL gets the most coverage of any post-season league. However, since it is only a month long, it is also possible for players to perform drastically above or below their capabilities. For the most part, I focused on the players who performed the absolute best, and even though many performed equally well in the AFL, they are not of equal talent.
RP Mitch Stetter (107, 77/89), Brewers - Stetter's ERA was mysteriously high in the minors, given his impressive numbers. However, he still got a quick look at the end of the season in the majors, and then Milwaukee sent him to the AFL, where he absolutely dominated. A 6'4" left-hander, Stetter definitely deserves to be in Milwaukee's bullpen next year. His numbers suggest he could be the 2008 version of Hideki Okajima (80).
OF Sam Fuld (106, 58/75), Cubs - Fuld was named the AFL MVP, as he should of been with the numbers he put up. With that being said, he played well over his head in the league, and still is not a real interesting prospect. He should start the year in AAA, but will likely get called up at some point in 2008.
RP Dewon Day (99, 66/77), White Sox - Chicago picked Day up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft a couple years ago, and have unearthed an interesting prospect. Day racks up a ton of strikeouts, but he also racks up a ton of walks. His numbers were much more impressive in the AFL because he cut down on his walks. My guess is that his Fall League performance was a bit of a fluke, but if he continues to show improved command in Spring Training, he may find himself on the opening day roster. Actually, even if his control is erratic he may still wind up on the team. His strikeout numbers are impressive enough to overcome his great weakness.
SP David Purcey (96, 61/78), Blue Jays - Toronto's pitching staff is quite strong, so there is not much of a path for Purcey to crack the majors. However, trading A.J. Burnett (82) may change that. Purcey is no blue-chip prospect, but he should be on the radar at this point.
RP Calvin Medlock (96, 64/81), Rays - Medlock started 2007 in the Cincinnati organization, but was one of the pitchers traded to Tampa Bay for 2B Jorge Cantu (66/77). Medlock is yet to make his Major League debut, but between the Rays atrocious bullpen last season and his success in the fall league, he is in good position to make the Rays opening day roster in 2008.
RP Fernando Hernandez (94, 60/82), White Sox - Fernando is still probably a year away from the majors, but he had a very good year in AA and followed that with a terrific AFL performance. He should be ticketed for AAA for sure in 2008, and may make the majors at some point during the year.
SP Jake Arrieta (93), Orioles - Arrieta was a draft choice this year and only played in the AFL. It will be interesting to see where Baltimore puts him next year, because I am guessing they sent him to the AFL just to give him some pro experience. I doubt they expected a performance quite this good. He did not even allow a run.
OF Brett Gardner (92, 63/81), Yankees - Trade rumors have circled around OF Melky Cabrera (76/86) and OF Hideki Matsui (84), and the team is less than thrilled with OF Johnny Damon's (79) 2007 performance, especially defensively. So, it seems potential outfield spots in the Bronx may be opening up in the next year or two. Gardner has great speed, and has also flashed good hitting ability. He may develop into a solid leadoff hitter, though he is still at least a year away from really pushing for a spot in the majors.
RP Brian Anderson (91, 52/73), Giants - San Francisco already has a pretty good pitching staff, so Anderson does not figure to get much of a look this year. However, his Fall League performance was good enough to merit consideration from other teams in trades which could net the Giants some much-needed younger position talent.
OF Nate Schierholtz (88, 74/87), Giants - The Giants are not completely devoid of young position talent. Nate Schierholtz had a great year in AAA, and he backed that up with a great AFL season. He should be ready to contribute in the major leagues now, though the Giants seem pretty set in the outfield with Randy Winn (80), Rajai Davis (79/85), Dave Roberts (70), and their big free agent signing, Aaron Rowand (84). I would look to trade Winn to a team needing a centerfielder (perhaps the Braves?) and get a couple decent prospects in return (perhaps SS/OF Brent Lillibridge (62/79) and someone else?). Maybe the Braves have no interest in Winn, but Schierholtz should be starting somewhere in the Giants outfield on opening day, and there is no spot for him right now.
OF Travis Snider (85, 46/80), Blue Jays - Really, at 19 years old after a season in A ball, Snider should still be a long way from the majors. However, his AFL performance is tantalizing. He did play in a pitcher-friendly league, and exploding in 2008 after this fall league performance is not out of the question. Snider probably played beyond his actual abilities right now, but he clearly was not outmatched despite being one of the youngest players in this league.
3B Evan Longoria (83, 63/85), Rays - Any hesitancy the Rays may have had handing the hot corner over to Longoria in 2008 seem to be squelched by his fall league performance. Only an injury could stop him from starting for the Rays on opening day at this point.
OF Matt LaPorta (81, 47/78), Brewers - The Brewers top pick in this year's draft (and #1 on my 25TW list) got a little pro experience after signing, and then got more of a look in the fall league. Camparing favorably to guys like Travis Snider and Evan Longoria in a month-long season is not enough to make LaPorta a great prospect himself, but it is a promising start.
3B Matt Tuiasosopo (77, 51/76), Mariners - Tuiasosopo failed miserably in the fall league last year, so while his performance was not spectacular, it was a huge leap forward. His best attribute is his plate discipline, and if he ever shows some power his stock will go up considerably.
Hawai'i Winter League
The Hawai'i Winter League is kind of like the AAA version of the AFL. Teams are only allowed to send a certain number of players to the AFL, and often if they have other younger players who they want to get an extended look at, they ship them to this league. The Hawai'i Winter League has only four teams, and interestingly a high number of Japanese players populate these rosters. Still, a few players from major league teams are worth taking a look at.
SP Blake Wood (90, 46/77), Royals - There were some Japanese pitchers that were better than Wood, but I am guessing they already have commitments to play in Japan. Wood was the best hurler from the states, which probably says more about the talent level of this league than it does about the Wood. He had a nice year in A ball, and a very nice season in Hawaii, but that is the general them with Wood. He is a nice-looking pitcher, but not a great-looking one, and his fantastic performance in Hawai'i does little to change that.
OF Michael Wilson (88, 45/67), Mariners - Wilson had enough of a breakout year in 2006 that the M's felt the need to protect him with a 40-man roster spot. However, if it is possible for a player to un-break-out, Wilson did that in 2007 by seemingly losing all hitting ability. The only thing that salvaged his rating was his tremendous power. Now, in Hawai'i, Wilsons seems to have re-emerged again. His raw power is about as good as it gets, but everything else about his game is checkered with question marks. Because I am not sold on the quality of competition in this league, I am not convinced Wilson has turned it around.
C Matt Wieters (79), Orioles - Wieters was easily the highest profile player in Hawaii, but his performance was not eye-popping. In fact, given that players like Wood and Wilson were significantly better, it is somewhat disappointing that Wieters did not make a stronger showing. However, this was his first taste of pro baseball after sitting around for over three months. Wieters likely had some rust to shake off.
Mexico Winter League
Mexico also has a full summer season, but in the winter some major league players migrate south to join the Mexican stars. Latin America and Japan get plenty of publicity for the baseball talent they produce, but Mexico should not be overlooked. Because this league features many veterans, the competition is much stiffer than in the AFL or Hawai'i. Also, the season is longer, so the performances are a bit more telling of a player's true abilities. Looking at this league, there are several Mexican players that I think are good enough to earn at least bullpen and bench roles in the majors, and I take the time to highlight one pitcher in particular. There were also some players who for sure will be looking to make MLB squads in 2008.
RP Adrian Ramirez (92) - A number of Mexican pitchers have made strong showings in this league, but I chose to highlight Ramirez in particular for a couple reasons. First, he is still young, as he turned 24 in October. Second, he is a left-handed reliever. Listed at 5'6" and 185 pounds, Ramirez is not exactly an imposing figure on the mound, but he obviously does something that makes him hard to hit in an underrated league. Some team should give this guy a look.
SP Dana Eveland (88, 75/88), Athletics - Acquired in the Dan Haren (86/89) mega-deal, Eveland is one of the newest A's, and should have a very good chance to make the A's starting rotation out of spring training. He was injured most of 2007, so my player rater uses his 2006 numbers to determine his rating. If Eveland's Mexico numbers are any indication, it appears he has recovered from his injury well, and should be more than ready to compete in spring training.
1B Jason Botts (84, 71/80), Rangers - Botts has received some fairly long looks in the majors the last couple years, and with 1B Mark Teixeira (87/90) gone figures to have a chance to stay in the majors for all of 2008. He certainly has not hurt his chances with his showing in Mexico this winter.
1B Brian Myrow (82, 78/83), Padres - Myrow has only received nominal looks in the majors the last couple years, in 2006 with Dodgers, and 2007 with the Padres. However, his minor league numbers suggest that he could be a real contributor if given the chance. At 31 years old he is not exactly a prospect at this point, but he is good enough to be on a major league team. Myrow has not shown much power in Mexico, but his .464 on-base percentage is sensational. At worst, he should be a good left-handed pinch-hitter.
Dominican Winter League
The Dominican Republic is a great baseball country, but the winter league is strengthened by the number of players shipped to it by MLB teams for further development. Often, these players are making some major transition, such as from starter to reliever, or from bench player to everyday starter. Also, some players looking for one more chance in the big leagues will perform here, hoping to catch the eye of some MLB team.
RP Julio Manon (92, 73), Athletics - At 34 years old, Manon is a player who is not a prospect, but he also has not logged much time in the majors. He did appear in 23 games for the Expos in 2003, and 22 games for the Orioles in 2006, but his cumulative major league numbers are not that impressive (4.66 ERA, 1.70 WHIP). Manon is not on the A's 40-man roster, so his affiliation with the organization is loose at best. The bottom line is that some team with thin relief pitching (Orioles, Rays, et al.) should give Manon a try.
RP Oneli Perez (91, 62/82), White Sox - Chicago had a couple young relievers light up the AFL, but this young reliever should not be overlooked. He posted great numbers in AA, and figures to be in AAA to start 2008, with a pretty good chance to see some action in the majors before the season over.
OF Vince Sinisi (90, 70/81), Padres - I have read some rumors that the Padres are interested in trading for OF/1B Xavier Nady (76/78) to serve as their top bench player, getting spot starts in the outfield and first base. While I am a fan of Nady, I think Sinisi is an in-house option the team should seriously consider. He had a solid year in AAA that suggests he is a good bench option, and he has backed it up with a huge winter league. Between Sinisi and Brian Myrow (refer to the Mexico League section for more on him), I think the Padres bench is in solid shape as is.
RP Francisco Cruceta (90, 73/85), Rangers - Faithful Rainiers fans may remember Cruceta from 2006, when he led the PCL in strikeouts while pitching for Tacoma, earning a fleeting glance in the majors with the Mariners. The Rangers picked him up off waivers last offseason and he pitched in Oklahoma the entire year, eventually getting switched to the bullpen. He has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in the Dominican and looked very good. Texas would be wise to give Cruceta a very long look in Spring Training, because he is good enough to contribute to their bullpen.
SS Erick Aybar (74, 62/77), Angels - There is not much about Aybar's offensive game worth getting excited about, which is precisely why I am taking the time to point him out. Aybar, according to Angels manager Mike Scioscia, will get the first chance to replace SS Orlando Cabrera (79). Simply put, he will be a huge offensive downgrade. The Angels would be much wiser to give INF Maicer Izturis (79/83) the starting job, even despite the injury concerns.
Venezuela Winter League
Venezuela's winter league is quite similar to the Dominican Republic's winter league. Even though I do not think there is much of a difference in the talent level between the two leagues, I would send prospects to the Dominican if I were a major league team because of the ongoing political unrest in Venezuela (several years ago the M's pulled Gil Meche out of this league because the political tension was so high). Still, there are players in this league fighting for roster spots that have made strong showings.
RP Francisco Butto (92) - Butto has never appeared in the majors, but was with the Yankees in 2006 and made it as high as AAA. A native Venezualan, he played in the Mexican summer league this past season, where he had a 3.27 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched. Running his 2006 numbers through my player rater yielded a 56 rating, with a peak of 75. Though I doubt Butto has suddenly transformed into an incredible pitcher, his performance is noteworthy, and considering he is only 27 years old it looks to me like he has developed into a potential middle reliever.
SP Sean White (87, 65/72), Mariners - Most that are paying attention to M's in the winter leagues have focused on Brandon Morrow (75/86) and Ryan Rowland-Smith (73/84) as they have been stretched out to prepare for potential starting rotation spots. However, under the radar, Sean White has also been stretched out, and his WHIP is comfortably under 1.00 for the winter league season. White's already slim chances to make the M's starting staff effectively went to zero with the signing of Carlos Silva (75), but if he does not make the team as a reliever he has shown enough to merit regular starts in AAA.
INF Edgardo Alfonzo (86) - At 34 years old, Edgardo Alfonzo's best days are well behind him. However, in his prime, he was a pretty good player, and it looks like he still has a little something to offer. If the Mariners are serious about bringing someone in to compete with 2B Jose Lopez (68/81) for the starting job, they should give Alfonzo a look. They likely would only need to give him a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, so there would be no risk at all. I do not think Alfonzo is as good as Lopez, or maybe even the recently acquired Tug Hullett (66/78) at this point, but I think Lopez would perceive Alfonzo as a legitimate threat. A veteran like him could push Lopez to start realizing his potential, and he is the ideal option because he would not require a guaranteed major league contract.
2B Jose Castillo (86, 62/70), Marlins - Castillo was with the Pirates in 2007, and as his rating suggests, did not perform real well (even the Pirates let him go, enough said). He took a step backwards in 2007, but at 26 years old he could still take a couple steps forward. Florida is considering moving Castillo to third base, but they also are toying with the idea of switching 2B Dan Uggla (76/80) to third and keeping Castillo at second, since he is considered the superior defender between the two. Personally, I would stick the better of the two defenders at third base, because it is a more demanding defensive position. That decision is made even easier because Uggla is the incumbent at second. Ultimately, Castillo will not be in the lineup at all if he hits as poorly as he did in 2007. However, looking at his career numbers and strong showing in winter ball, he appears to be poised for a bit of a rebound.
These are only 30 of the hundreds of baseball players performing in these leagues. If history is any guide, huge performances in these leagues lead to better opportunities in spring training, which leads to major league opportunities and success for a couple players each year. The dynamic of watching older guys trying to squeeze one last chance competing against young guys just getting their feet wet as a professional adds a certain character to the winter leagues that even AAA does not have. The collision of prospects at all levels in the AFL is special to that league as well. Every league has at least a couple diamonds in the rough; the only question is if teams find them and give them a chance. They may not be stars, but a quality pinch-hitter or middle reliever is worth something.


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Syslinux is a collection of boot loaders capable of booting from hard drives, CDs and over the network via PXE. It supports the fat, ext2, ext3, ext4 and btrfs file systems.
- 1 Syslinux Boot Process
- 2 Installation
- 3 Configuring syslinux
- 4 Troubleshooting
- 4.1 I have a Syslinux Prompt - Yikes!
- 4.2 No Default or UI found on some computers
- 4.3 Windows boots up! No Syslinux!
- 4.4 Menu Entries do nothing
- 4.5 Cannot remove ldlinux.sys
- 4.6 A white block on the upper left corner appears when a kernel is loaded with modesetting on in early stage and when using vesamenu
- 5 External link
Syslinux Boot Process
At boot, the computer loads the MBR (Template:Filename). Then the MBR looks for the partition that is marked as active (boot flag). Once found, the volume boot record (VBR) will be executed. In the case of ext2/3/4 and fat12/16/32, the starting sector of Template:Filename is hard-coded into the VBR. The VBR will execute (Template:Filename). Therefore, if the location of Template:Filename changes, syslinux will no longer boot. In the case of btrfs, the above method will not work since files move around resulting in the sector location of Template:Filename changing. Therefore, the entire Syslinux code needs to be stored outside the filesystem. The code is stored in the sectors following the VBR. Once Syslinux is fully loaded, it looks for a configuration file, either Template:Filename or Template:Filename. If one is found, the configuration file is loaded. If no configuration file is found you will be given a syslinux prompt.
Automatic Install - syslinux
The syslinux-install_update script will install Syslinux, copy COM32 modules to Template:Filename, set the boot flag and install the MBR. It can handle MBR and GPT disks along with softraid.
1. Install Syslinux
pacman -S syslinux
2. Make sure Template:Filename is mounted
3. Run syslinux-install_update script -i (install) -a (set boot flag) -m (install mbr)
/usr/sbin/syslinux-install_update -iam
4. Edit Template:Filename
Manual Install - syslinux
# fdisk -l /dev/sda
or alternatively
# sgdisk -l /dev/sda
will show " GPT: not present" if it is not a GPT disk.
Make sure you have the syslinux package installed. Then install Syslinux onto your boot partition, which must contain a fat, ext2, ext3, ext4, or btrfs file system.
# mkdir /boot/syslinux # extlinux --install /boot/syslinux
You should run it on a mounted directory, not a /dev/sdXY device. /boot/syslinux/ is device /dev/sda1.
MBR Partition Table
Next, you need mark your boot partition active in your partition table. Applications capable of doing this include fdisk, cfdisk, sfdisk, (g)parted. It should look like this:
# fdisk -l /dev/sda [...] Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/sda1 * 2048 104447 51200 83 Linux /dev/sda2 104448 625142447 312519000 83 Linux
Install the master boot record:
# dd bs=440 conv=notrunc count=1 if=/usr/lib/syslinux/mbr.bin of=/dev/sda
GUID Partition Table aka GPT
Main article GUID Partition Table.
Bit 2 of the attributes for the Template:Filename partition need to be set.
# sgdisk /dev/sda --attributes=1:set:2
This would toggle the attribute legacy BIOS bootable on partition 1
# sgdisk /dev/sda --attributes=1:show 1:2:1 (legacy BIOS bootable)
Install the master boot record:
# dd bs=440 conv=notrunc count=1 if=/usr/lib/syslinux/gptmbr.bin of=/dev/sda
When you reboot your system now, you will have a syslinux prompt. To automatically boot your system or get a boot menu, you still need to create a configuration file.
Configuring syslinux
The syslinux configuration file, Template:Filename should be created in the same directory where you installed syslinux. In our case '/boot/syslinux/'
The bootloader will look for either Template:Filename (preferred) or Template:Filename
- Instead of LINUX, the keyword KERNEL can also be used. KERNEL tries to detect the type of the file, while LINUX always expects a Linux kernel.
- TIMEOUT value is in units of 1/10 of a second.
Basic Syslinux Config
This is a simple configuration file that will show a boot: prompt and automatically boot after 5 seconds.
PROMPT 1 TIMEOUT 50 DEFAULT arch LABEL arch LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux APPEND root=/dev/sda2 ro INITRD ../initramfs-linux.img LABEL archfallback LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux APPEND root=/dev/sda2 ro INITRD ../initramfs-linux-fallback.img
If you want to boot directly without seeing a prompt, set PROMPT to 0.
Syslinux also allows you to use a boot menu. To use it, copy the menu COM32 module to your syslinux folder:
# cp /usr/lib/syslinux/menu.c32 /boot/syslinux/
If /boot is in the same partition as /usr, a symlink will also work:
# ln -s /usr/lib/syslinux/menu.c32 /boot/syslinux/
UI menu.c32 PROMPT 0 MENU TITLE Boot Menu TIMEOUT 50 DEFAULT arch LABEL arch MENU LABEL Arch Linux LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux APPEND root=/dev/sda2 ro INITRD ../initramfs-linux.img LABEL archfallback MENU LABEL Arch Linux Fallback LINUX /vmlinuz-linux APPEND root=/dev/sda2 ro INITRD /initramfs-linux-fallback.img
For more details about the menu system, see http://git.kernel.org/?p=boot/syslinux/syslinux.git;a=blob;f=doc/menu.txt.
Syslinux also allows you to use a graphical boot menu. To use it, copy the vesamenu COM32 module to your syslinux folder:
# cp /usr/lib/syslinux/vesamenu.c32 /boot/syslinux/
If Template:Filename is the same partition as Template:Filename, a symlink will also work:
# ln -s /usr/lib/syslinux/vesamenu.c32 /boot/syslinux/
This config uses the same menu design as the Arch Install CD. The background file can be found there too.
UI vesamenu.c32 DEFAULT arch PROMPT 0 MENU TITLE Boot Menu MENU BACKGROUND splash.png TIMEOUT 50 MENU WIDTH 78 MENU MARGIN 4 MENU ROWS 5 MENU VSHIFT 10 MENU TIMEOUTROW 13 MENU TABMSGROW 11 MENU CMDLINEROW 11 MENU HELPMSGROW 16 MENU HELPMSGENDROW 29 # Refer to http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/Doc/menu MENU COLOR border 30;44 #40ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR title 1;36;44 #9033ccff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR sel 7;37;40 #e0ffffff #20ffffff all MENU COLOR unsel 37;44 #50ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR help 37;40 #c0ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR timeout_msg 37;40 #80ffffff #00000000 std MENU COLOR timeout 1;37;40 #c0ffffff #00000000 std MENU COLOR msg07 37;40 #90ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR tabmsg 31;40 #30ffffff #00000000 std LABEL arch MENU LABEL Arch Linux LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux APPEND root=/dev/sda2 ro INITRD ../initramfs-linux.img LABEL archfallback MENU LABEL Arch Linux Fallback LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux APPEND root=/dev/sda2 ro INITRD ../initramfs-linux-fallback.img
Since Syslinux 3.84 vesamenu.c32 supports the "MENU RESOLUTION $WIDTH $HEIGHT" directive. To use it, insert "MENU RESOLUTION 1440 900" into your config for a 1440x900 resolution. The background picture has to have exactly the right resolution however as syslinux will otherwise refuse to load the menu.
If you want to chainload other operating systems (such as Windows) or boot loaders, copy (or symlink) the chain.c32 module to the syslinux folder (for details, see the instructions in the previous section). Then, create a section in the configuration file:
LABEL windows MENU LABEL Windows COM32 chain.c32 APPEND hd0 3
hd0 3 is the third partition on the first BIOS drive - drives are counted from zero, but partitions are counted from one. For more details about chainloading, see [1].
If you have grub2 installed in your boot partition, you can chainload it by using:
LABEL grub2 MENU LABEL Grub2 COM32 chain.c32 append file=../grub/boot.img
This maybe required for booting from iso images.
Using memtest
Use this LABEL section to launch memtest (install the memtest86+ package):
LABEL memtest MENU LABEL Memtest86+ LINUX ../memtest86+/memtest.bin
HDT (Hardware Detection Tool) displays hardware information. Like before, the .c32 file has to be copied or symlinked from /boot/syslinux/. For pci info either copy or symlink Template:Filename to Template:Filename
LABEL hdt MENU LABEL Hardware Info COM32 hdt.c32
Reboot and power off
Use the following sections to reboot or power off your machine.
LABEL reboot MENU LABEL Reboot COM32 reboot.c32 LABEL poweroff MENU LABEL Power Off COMBOOT poweroff.com
Clear Menu
To clear the screen when exiting the menu, add the following line.
I have a Syslinux Prompt - Yikes!
You can type in the LABEL name of the entry that you want to boot (as per your syslinux.cfg). If you used the example configs just type
boot: arch
If you get an error that the config file could not be loaded you can pass your needed boot parameters, e.g.:
boot: ../vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda2 ro initrd=../initramfs-linux.img
If you do not have access to 'boot:' in ramfs, and therefore temporarily unable to boot kernel again
1) create temp directory, in order to mount your root partition (if it does not exist already)
mkdir -p /new_root
2) mount / under /new_root (in case /boot/ is on same partition, otherwise you will need to mount them both)
mount /dev/sd[a-z][1-9] /new_root
3) use 'vi' and edit syslinux.cfg again to suit your needs and save file;
4) reboot
No Default or UI found on some computers
Certain motherboard manufacturers have less compatibility for booting from USB devices than others. While an ext4 formatted usb drive may boot on a more recent computer, some computers may hang if the boot partition containing the kernel and initrd are not on a fat16 partition. to prevent an older machine from loading ldlinux and failing to read syslinux.cfg, use cfdisk to create a fat-16 partition (<=2GB) and format with
# pacman -S dosfstools # mkfs.msdos -F 16 /dev/sda1
then install and configure syslinux.
Windows boots up! No Syslinux!
Solution: Make sure the partition that contains /boot has the boot flag enabled. Also, make sure the boot flag is not enabled on the windows partition. See the installation section above.
The MBR that comes with syslinux looks for the first active partition that has the boot flag set. The windows partition was likely found first and had the boot flag set. If you wanted you could use the MBR that windows or msdos fdisk provides.
Menu Entries do nothing
You select a menu entry and it does nothing. It "refreshes" the menu
This usually means that you have an error in your configuration. Hit Template:Keypress to edit your boot parameters. Alternatively, press Template:Keypress and type in the LABEL of your boot entry (Example: arch)
Cannot remove ldlinux.sys
ldlinux.sys has the immutable attribute set which prevents the file from being deleted or overwritten. This is because the sector location of the file must not change or else syslinux has to be reinstalled. To remove:
chattr -i /boot/syslinux/ldlinux.sys rm /boot/syslinux/ldlinux.sys
Brain0 said: As of linux-3.0, the modesetting driver tries to keep the current contents of the screen after changing the resolution (at least it does so with my intel, when having syslinux in text mode). It seems that this goes wrong when combined with the vesamenu module in syslinux (the white block is actually an attempt to keep the syslinux menu, but the driver fails to capture the picture from vesa graphics mode).
If you have a custom resolution and a vesamenu, with early modesetting try to append the following in the kernel line in syslinux.cfg to remove the white block and continue in graphics mode:
APPEND root=/dev/sda6 ro 5 radeon.modeset=1 vga=current logo.nologo quiet splash
External link
- The Syslinux Project's website.


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Hotel Details
5302 Victory Drive
Indianapolis, Indiana 46203
United States
Check In: 3:00 PM
Check Out: 11:00 AM
Check-in Age: 21
Parking + -
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text: Hi Folks, I've been getting loads of questions recently about how I make my ketogenic "fatty coffee" at home. So I just made a video (filmed by the crazy-talented George Bryant, no less) giving you a fatty coffee recipe. As many of you know, I don't tend to eat breakfast most days of the week. […]Learn More


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31 January 2014 at 11.13am | 2 Comments
Arthur Pita's multiple award-winning The Metamorphosis is available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray in shops and online from tomorrow, 1 February 2014. The DVD is available to pre-order now at a discounted price of £19.99 for a limited time from the Royal Opera House Online Shop.
Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson, who won the 2012 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his performance, will be signing copies of the DVD at the Royal Opera House Shop in Covent Garden on 7 February at 3.30pm.
Based on Kafka's iconic novella of the same name, Arthur Pita's dance theatre production of The Metamorphosis tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a salesman who awakes one morning to find he has been transformed into a monstrous insect. Edward Watson created the role of Gregor Samsa. Read an interview with Edward about the work.
The adaptation received acclaimed from critics and audiences on both its Covent Garden runs to date, winning Southbank Sky Arts and Critics Circle National Dance Awards. Read audience reactions to The Metamorphosis.
Extras available on the DVD release include an introduction to The Metamorphosis with Mariella Frostrup, 'Bringing The Metamorphosis to life' and a cast gallery.
Edward Watson will perform in upcoming productions of Gloria, The Winter's Tale, DGV: Danse à grande vitesse and Alastair Marriott's new work. He is currently performing in Men in Motion at the London Coliseum.


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Nov. 6, 2006
Santa Clara, Calif. - The West Coast Conference champion Santa Clara University men's and women's soccer teams each found out their draw in the NCAA Tournament Monday afternoon. The women earned one of the tournament's four top seeds and will begin postseason play Friday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium as they host the USC Women of Troy at 4:00 p.m. PT, while the men's side begins their run for a national title at home on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m. PT against the winner of this weekend's Creighton-Washington match.
The women's side (15-4-1) enters the 64-team women's tournament for the 18th year in a row after securing its ninth WCC title with last Saturday's 2-1 win at Saint Mary's. Santa Clara, which boasts an all-time home record of 29-2 in postseason play, will embark on the quest to reach the program's 11th College Cup and win its second national title by hosting the first two rounds of the tournament this weekend, beginning with a Friday doubleheader featuring Santa Clara-USC at 4 p.m. followed by Stanford-Nevada at 7:00 p.m. PT. The winning sides will then meet Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1:00 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium.
SCU is led by M.A.C. Hermann Award nominee Marian Dalmy, the WCC's leading scorer among defenders with six goals and 18 points in 2006, as well as junior forward Meagan Snell, whose 11 goals and 25 points lead the squad. A solid backline of Dalmy, Dani Potts, Hillary Schwarzbach, and Lauren Zealear, along with arguably the nation's best goalkeeping tandem in Meagan McCray and Julie Ryder, has posted 11 shutouts and a collective goals-against average of 0.64 entering postseason play.
Last season, the women defeated Fresno State, Saint Louis and Boston College to reach the quarterfinals before falling to Penn State 2-1 on the road.
As a No. 1 seed in the women's draw, the Broncos, who hold the nation's longest current streak of reaching the quarterfinal round (11 years), have the opportunity to play at home in each of the first four rounds leading up to the Women's College Cup, which takes place Dec. 1 & 3 in Cary, N.C.
The SCU men, on the heels of their first WCC title since 2003 and in search of their sixth trip to the College Cup and second national title, were awarded the No. 10 seed in the 48-team men's tournament, and earned a first round bye. Santa Clara will await the winner of this weekend's Creighton-Washington match which takes place in Seattle, and host the advancing team on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium. The men's team will be making their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Santa Clara boasts a varied attack in which 13 different players have contributed a goal, led by senior Keith DeVey's six goals. DeVey and freshman midfielder Amaechi Igwe share the team lead with 13 points, as well, as Igwe has netted five goals to go with three assists. In net, goalkeeper Joseph Buttitta leads the WCC with eight shutouts and a 0.78 goals-against average, ably assisted by the strong defense of Matt Hatzke, Matt Marquess, and Jamil Roberts.
In 2005, the Bronco men defeated Ohio State 1-0 in the first round of the tournament at Buck Shaw Stadium before falling on penalty kicks on the road against California.
The men's College Cup will take place December 1 & 3 in St. Louis, Mo.
Quote Sheet:
Women's head coach Jerry Smith: "First of all, I want to congratulate all of our players, particularly our captains Marian Dalmy, Tiffany Roberts, Brittany Klein and Jordan Anegli. I think that we deserved a No. 1 seed. I am glad that we were rewarded for playing a very difficult schedule with a number of ranked opponents. We worked hard for this top seed and I am excited that we will be playing at home."
Junior captain, Jordan Angeli: "I am very happy for the team. We have worked all year to for this and now we have to start preparing for Friday. When I was a freshman, we made the Final Four, so we know how difficult it is. Every game will be tough so we have to be ready to play on Friday."
Junior Brittany Klein: "We are really looking forward to the game on Friday. It will be fun to play a powerhouse from Southern California like USC. Every player on our team has played a huge role in our success and we will need them all if we want to succeed in the tournament."
Men's head coach Cameron Rast: "We are very pleased to get the No. 10 seed and get that bye in the first round. This team has made tremendous progress this season with a lot of new players so I am very proud of the effort that they have made. We have played well at the end of the season and we are excited about getting started next week."
Senior Erik Ustruck: "We have had a good run so far and we have played a strong schedule this year so I think that will help us in the tournament. The tournament comes down to experience and the ability to win hard-fought games. Every game will be close so we have to focus on playing well and getting a win next week."
Junior Peter Lowry: "Early on in the year, we learned a lot of good lessons that helped us a lot down the stretch. The team has been playing well recently and I think that we are ready to make a good run in the tournament. Playing a lot of very competitive conference games has helped us prepare for the playoffs."


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Arvest Bank is pleased to announce it has hired Jim Secrest as a mortgage lender.
Secrest has 20 years of experience in the consumer finance, mortgage and title industries, holding positions in both operations and sales management. He most recently worked at Continental Title Company.
In his role at Arvest, Secrest will serve as a decision-making resource for customers, providing guidance to them in an effort to find solutions tailored for their unique needs. He will be based out of the Arvest branch at 7401 W. 135th St. in Overland Park.
Secrest earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Kansas, where he was a four-year letterman on the tennis team. He achieved All-American status in 1989 by reaching the NCAA Division I Championships quarterfinals.
Secrest and his wife, Shawn, live in Overland Park with their two sons.
Submitted questions will be answered by an Arvest banker and may appear on the Arvest Blog.
All Arvest banks are Equal Housing Lenders and Member FDIC.
Investment products and services are provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Asset Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Trust services are provided by Arvest Bank. Insurance products are made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc., but are underwritten by insurance companies.
Securities and Insurance Products: Not Insured by FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, May Lose Value, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by a Bank or any Bank Affiliate.


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Men's Sneakers and Sports Shoes
The Diadora's men's shoes section includes footwear for any occasion. From sports shoes for training to sneakers for your leisure time. If you love a sprint finish, our running shoes will provide the cushioning and responsiveness you need to make it across the line. The revolutionary specifications of our cycling shoes - available both for mountain bikes and racing bikes - ensure maximum performance even for the most demanding road cyclists, while grass sports enthusiasts will find styles in the football and five-a-side football sections suitable for all kinds of performance and terrain. While a pair of high or low top sneakers will give a touch of casual elegance to those who prefer the sportswear style, vintage collectors are bound to love the Heritage range of men's shoes, inspired by the legends of sport who have worn Diadora in the past. Whether you're looking for a pair of casual shoes or simply comfortable shoes for winter or summer, our online shop sells products made with the utmost care and with the craftsmanship of a great Italian brand.


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Your journey begins long before you fasten your seatbelt, so why not start your trip in style at one of our airport lounges?
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Use our lounges for free if you're an Etihad Guest Gold member or flying in Business or First with us. You can also pay to access some of our airport lounges, whichever cabin you're flying in.
How much does it cost to use a lounge?
Enjoy delicious food and premium beverages, or even treat yourself to a relaxing spa treatment. Whichever cabin you're flying in, wherever you're flying to, you can pay to access our lounges
Welcome home
Introducing The House - The home of Etihad Airways and other leading airlines, our newest lounge in London, Sydney and Melbourne for First and Business guests.
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text:
Isabelle Brasseur Gossip
Isabelle Brasseur gossip, latest news, photos, and video.
The Heart Truth 2011
It's Fashion Week in Toronto. And The Heart Truth Fashion Show is always one of the highlights. The Heart Truth campaign encourages women to identify risks and warning signs for heart disease and stroke, providing women with the tools they need to take charge of their heart health. This is especially relevant for women 40 – 60 years old. Full Story


text:
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When a page cannot be found, Smart 404 will use the current URL to attempt to find a matching page, and redirect to it automatically. Smart 404 also supplies template tags which provide a list of suggestions, for use on a 404.php template page if a matching post can't be immediately discovered.
What a superb idea! Try it out on this post. Go to the address bar and delete the word smart from the URL. It will still find this page.


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Jon Jasper enjoying the view of Zion National Park as seen from Lava Point. This area is one of main jump off points into many great backcountry canyoneering routes.
Check out more photos at JonJasper.com
Many panoramas of Zion National Park's trails, views, canyons, and peaks. Zion National Park is known for it large exposure of the Navajo sandstone's steep red walled cliffs and world classic canyons and canyoneering routes.


text: If you want to organize the making of a memory quilt, this episode will guide you through the process. Two quilts are featured-one for an anniversary, and one featuring a memories of a child's kindergarten year. Marianne Fons and Mary Fons share how to collect photos, signatures, and artwork and transfer them to fabric. They also show how to assemble the quilt, and float blocks for a unique pieced border.


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Bottom Shelf Beer: Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale
Will Gordon drinks his way through the bottom shelf of the liquor store...so you don't have to.
Somewhere on this site I've told the story of how I courageously saved a full-grown television from certain destruction after its previous owners had abandoned it on the sidewalk. It wasn't tied to a lamppost, so it was free to run away, but it instinctively knew to just wait patiently until the right savior happened by.
I was privileged to be this 120-pound black beauty's knight in shining sweatpants, and I will never regret lugging him the half-block home. We had a good six month run, but then one particularly hazy morning after a Christmas party gone wrong, Emily came into the bedroom to announce that our rescue TV had leaked all over the table.
After such a long stretch without any accidents, we'd assumed the TV was housebroken; I wondered if maybe it had leaked on purpose to protest our staying out too late. But it was something much more serious than petulance. It wouldn't turn on no matter how many buttons I mashed. I never learned what that fluid was, but I learned the more important lesson of how hard it is to drag a giant dead friend to the dumpster out back.
We weren't sure if we should replace the television. On one hand, we like to watch TV. On the other hand, TVs from the profit-mongering electronics mills aren't free. Plus we feared that if we ran out to buy a new TV, we'd really just be running from the pain, for I had gouged the shit out of my forearm fighting the old TV's corpse into the dumpster. Was I really just suggesting a trip to Best Buy because it was near our favorite new bar, where I would get the medicine I needed to help heal my hangover, my broken heart, and my bloody arm? Couldn't we do that without blowing a couple hundred bucks on a television?
After 30 seconds of debate and reflection, we decided to get a new television, because it's important to move on, and it's important to watch sports, and it's important not to kill each other when trapped inside our dark little apartment all winter.
This winter has been mild by New England standards, but it's still dark and unwarm all the damn time, so the lack of snow hasn't been enough to quell my self-diagnosed Act Like a Jerk Because Boo-Hoo Poor Baby Misses the Summer Disorder. I'm not a lot of fun to be around in the winter, so our home is better off with a glowing two-dimensional third-party arbitrator who can distract me with a Celtics game or a Law and Order rerun when I start to yell about how slowly the flavors turn over at the frozen yogurt place in the off-season. (If you're listening, Berryline, allow me to respectfully submit that six straight weeks of Oreo is seven weeks too many. Where's the vanilla cardamom?! Is cardamom not in season? It's not like I'm asking for watermelon or freshly mown grass here.)
If this barbaric season had one redeeming quality—and it doesn't—it might be winter beers. I'm not into seasonal beers the rest of the year, because I'm not overly fond of wheat, citrus, or nutmeg, but I've found that a nice winter beer can make my hateful words taste better as they leave my mouth. Though Blue Moon is hardly a bottom shelf operation, its Winter Abbey Ale is the least expensive mass-produced nationally available winter beer I could find.
Great news, gang: Another thing to complain about from now till spring! This isn't a terrible beer—I don't hate it as much as the Beer Advocate guys do—but it's certainly not worth $10 a six-pack. Emily has terrible taste in beer, which is to say taste dissimilar to my own, so she thought it was pretty good, which means my Valentine's Day shopping is done courtesy of the five leftover bottles that I have no intention of drinking myself.
It pours a deep, almost opaque brown, like a glass of Coke with one ice cube melted into it. The predominant smell is what I think of as generic BEER: slightly stale, slightly bitter malt. The flavor isn't awful but neither is it very interesting, with the BEER augmented by bits of brown sugar and spice. Winter Abbey dried out my mouth with a quality that Coors likely calls "earthiness" but which I'm going to label dirtiness. Overall, this tastes like a mediocre red ale, far inferior to the not-terribly-exciting Samuel Adams Brickhouse Red I had a few days ago.
I realize that Blue Moon was born and bred in the Coors lab and therefore lacks the true craft beer heritage of a Goose Island, which started off honest before getting Anheuser-Busched last year. But it's still positioned as the premium offering of one of the country's largest brewers, and I find the flagship bottling and the pumpkin ale to be drinkable. If we can set aside our disdain for macrobreweries and boring wheat beers, we can admit that regular Blue Moon doesn't suck. And neither does the Winter Abbey Ale, but it comes close.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ornament #3
17 comments:
YOur snowtwigmen have so much personality! Love the design detail of the half-circle face. Fabulosity!ReplyDelete
Those snowmen have a high adorability!ReplyDelete
great idea! so nice and natural! very beatiful!))ReplyDelete
You can see many things that the others can't see... It's a natural gift! You're lucky!ReplyDelete
I'm always astonished by your work and the beauty of the all of these decorations!
It's a pity that you're so far!
i agree with clara, you are a see-er.
and also, via this blog, a show-er.
i am grateful for both.
I love them. Ornaments with wood are just so rustic and cool.ReplyDelete
I am so making these. Where did I put my drill?ReplyDelete
Love your wooden snowmen!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 18, 2012 at 1:18 AM
You did it again! I love these ornaments too!!ReplyDelete
This is adorable Michele! Such cleverness :-)ReplyDelete
Priceless fun!!!ReplyDelete
Brilliant! Adorable! Genius!ReplyDelete
I just love Mr. Twiggy Snowman! This is such a wonderful, simple ornament, and is just beautiful, Michele!ReplyDelete
Hello Michele,ReplyDelete
I love this one! A wood snow man is so miuch fun and it looks great!
Thanks again for the great post.


text:
Photographer's Note
Pavement in front of the University of Hradec Králové is decorated with the first names and academical degrees of graduate students. Unfortunately, the situation in the country is very difficult for graduates, they have low chances of getting a good job and many became unemployed.
Critiques | Translate
imageme (1790) 2013-12-14 11:53
Hi Romana, A special way to graduate the students in this university. you have shown the mood of how desperate that students looking for their futures with one student's feet walking on this pavement. Great lights and angle. Thank for sharing
rbassin (27408) 2013-12-14 13:18
hello Romana
une très belle idée,la photo est très bien composée, j'aime bien; la présence des pas symbolise bien cette marche vers l'inconnu.
Bon W-E
gojo (1769) 2013-12-14 13:36
Hello Romana,
This is an unusually creative image here on TE. Great idea, excellent framing and perspective. The positioning of the legs and feet in the upper corner is splendid.
daddo (28722) 2013-12-14 14:24
Zdravo Romana. Sad image in a way of what should be a happy occasion. It's like names in a lottery for many. An image that with your note says a lot about the state of affairs in many places around the world. Pozdrav. Klaudio.
KristinsCamera (2384) 2013-12-14 16:16
Poignant commentary on the sad and unacceptable reality for all too many students in many countries. A clever and sophisticated POV to make your point, well done.
Kind regards,
SnapRJW (31631) 2013-12-14 23:45
Hello Romana - I like the way you have seen this shot with the names on the pavement forming a graphic pattern and the legs striding forth to the future. The plight of unemployment seems to be a sign of the times we live in and your creative shot is an unusual commentary on the situation. Warm regards Rosemary
Hi Romana
a minimalist picture which tells a sad story, and the legs of the young person adds life to the writings on the pavement. it's a color shot, but only white, grey and black hues are visible, enforcing the message.
Warm regards
annjackman (23019) 2013-12-15 3:41
Hello Romana,
This picture together with your note makes a very good social documentary statement. The b/w conversion and the graphic elements all work very well. The legs are so well placed in the frame. I like this picture very much.
Kind Regards, Ann
Royaldevon (65248) 2013-12-17 2:39
Hello Romano,
How lovely to see you posting.
You have created a very strong composition, here. There is no hesitation from the leads, where the walking feet complete the message and turn on the imagination.
I like this!
Have a lovely Christmas,
Bev :-)
mesutilgim (116318) 2013-12-25 13:53
Hello Romano,
Nice b&w capture with great graphical effect !
TFS and best regards
luciola (3030) 2014-01-13 23:47
Hello Romana,
Cool pic. Trampling the most modern forms of literature.
Photo Information
- Copyright: Romana Svatonova (romanaa) (8298)
- Genre: Places
- Medium: Black & White
- Date Taken: 2013-10-25
- Categories: Decisive Moment
- Camera: Sony SLT A65, Sony SAM 18-55
- Exposure: f/8, 1/320 seconds
- More Photo Info: view
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Date Submitted: 2013-12-14 11:10


text:
Planetizen Newswire
Keep up with essential planning news and commentary, delivered to your inbox every Monday and Thursday.
Blog post
Debating Smart Growth
Last Thursday I debated the merits of smart growth with 'Anti-planner' Randal O'Toole at a community forum in Langley, a rapidly-growing suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. A recording of the Debate and presenters' slide shows are available at www.southfraser.net/2012/02/smart-growth-debate-media.html. At the end more than three quarters of the audience voted for a pro-smart-growth resolution. This may reflect some selection bias – people concerned about sprawl may have been more likely to attend – but I believe that given accurate information most citizens will support smart growth due to its various savings and benefits.
Smart growth sometimes faces organized opposition by critics. It is important that planners respond effectively and professionally. Here is my critique of O'Toole's claims and some advice for planners who face similar critics.
Last Thursday I debated the merits of smart growth with 'Anti-planner' Randal O'Toole at a community forum in Langley, a rapidly-growing suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. A recording of the Debate and presenters' slide shows are available at www.southfraser.net/2012/02/smart-growth-debate-media.html. At the end more than three quarters of the audience voted for a pro-smart-growth resolution. This may reflect some selection bias – people concerned about sprawl may have been more likely to attend – but I believe that given accurate information most citizens will support smart growth due to its various savings and benefits.
Smart growth sometimes faces organized opposition by critics. It is important that planners respond effectively and professionally. Here is my critique of O'Toole's claims and some advice for planners who face similar critics.
Major Themes
Smart growth deprives people of freedom.
O'Toole claims that sprawl gives people freedom to live and travel as they want, which reflects simplistic and inaccurate assumptions about what people want and the constraints they face. Smart growth does not force everybody to live in high-rise apartments (one of O'Toole's claims), nor does it eliminate automobile travel. Sprawl may give some people more freedom to develop urban-fringe land and marginally reduce the per-mile costs of driving, but it reduces our freedom to walk, bike and use public transit, and therefore deprives non-drivers of freedom. Sprawl reduces financial freedom by increasing transport and infrastructure costs, and by increasing traffic casualty rates (four times higher in sprawled than smart growth areas) and medical problems associated sedentary living (try explaining to a car crash spinal cord injury victim that driving represents freedom), and therefore the need to subsidize medical and disability expenses. Although smart growth may restrict some activities, such as conversion of farms to housing, it increases freedom for other types of development by reducing restrictions on density and mix, and excessive parking and setback requirements.
Smart growth reduces housing affordability.
O'Toole frequently argues that sprawl reduces housing costs, based on comparisons of the costs of a single-family house in coastal cities such as Portland and Vancouver, and sprawled cities such as Houston. This analysis ignores important factors: the coastal cities are popular places to live (Vancouver is frequently rated as one of the most livable cities in the world), have higher average incomes (which drives up housing costs), and fewer residents live in large-lot single-family houses (that is a constraint that residents accept for living in such cities). Even more important, O'Toole ignored the higher transport costs faced by residents of sprawled locations. Analysis of actual household expenditures shows that residents of more compact, multi-modal neighborhood tend to spend less on housing and transport costs combined than residents in sprawled locations. These costs are likely to increase as oil prices rise in the future, and are even greater if you include indirect costs such as the additional road, parking, congestion and accident costs associated with sprawl.
This is not to ignore the importance of housing affordability. It is true that smart growth policies can increase unit land costs (dollars per acre), which will tend to increase housing costs unless implemented with policies that allow more compact and affordable residential development, including allowing more density and mix, and reducing parking and setback requirements, as discussed in my recent blog, Smart Growth and Housing Affordability
O'Toole cited a 2002 study, The Impact of Zoning on Housing Affordability as proof that smart growth increases housing costs, but this misrepresents the research. Although this study did indicate that zoning increases housing costs, it is regulations that prevent more compact, infill development and require generous minimum parking supply in areas with growing housing demand that reduces housing affordability. The study found little correlation between lot size and price, as would be expected if consumers all want large-lot housing; instead it found that restrictions which make it difficult to subdivide parcels, and therefore prevent larger-lot single-family parcels from being converted to smaller-lot and multi-family developments in existing urban areas, cause excessive housing costs. Smart growth policy reforms are exactly what is needed to increase housing affordability in such circumstances.
I described our own family's experience: because we live in a compact and multi-modal neighborhood our household saves $5,000 to $10,000 annually on automobile costs compared with a sprawled, automobile-dependent location, providing savings that finance our children's university education – that is real freedom!
Smart growth fails to reduce driving, energy consumption, air pollution emissions and infrastructure costs.
O'Toole claimed that there is little evidence that smart growth can reduce vehicle travel and associated costs. In recent years an extensive body of research has identified how land use factors such as density, mix, connectivity, transit accessibility and parking supply affect travel activity. Although individually many of these impacts may seem modest, their cumulative impacts are can be large – smart growth community residents typically drive 20-60% less than they would if located in automobile-dependent sprawl.
Smart growth and transit critics tend to use regional mode share (portion of total trips by walking, cycling, public transit and automobile) as their main indicator of transport system performance, ignoring the facts that more compact development and high quality transit tend to have leverage effects (so there are often several automobile vehicle-miles reduced for each additional passenger-mile of high-quality public transit), that transit service is concentrated on a few corridors, and conventional travel surveys tend to undercount non-motorized travel. For these reasons, per capita vehicle-mileage is a better indicator of smart growth effectiveness, and mode share on corridors with high quality public transit is a better indicator of transit investment effectiveness. O'Toole claimed that Europeans drive almost as much as North Americans, citing national mode share data, but Europeans drive about half as much, and automobile mode share in European cities is much lower, than in North America.
O'Toole misrepresented research (The National Association of Home Builders made similar claims, which I analyzed in my blog, An Inaccurate Attack On Smart Growth). He cited a study indicating that city center residents consume more total energy per capita than suburban residents, implying that denser development increases energy consumption, although the effect actually reflected city center residents' greater wealth. He also cited a study indicating that energy use per square foot is higher in multi-family than single-family housing, but that simply reflects the effects of energy consuming activities (refrigerating food, cooking, watching television) in more compact housing, which increases energy use per square foot although energy use per capita declines. In fact, there is plenty of good research indicating significant per capita energy savings from more compact development.
O'Toole claimed that research indicating that smart growth reduces infrastructure costs is "theoretical" and "ambiguous." In fact, there is abundant evidence that more compact development can provide significant savings and efficiencies.
Public transit is inefficient.
O'Toole argued that public transit – particularly rail transit – is more costly and less fuel efficient than modern automobiles, and showed a video about self-driving cars, with the implication that this will eliminate the need for public transit to provide basic mobility for non-drivers, or people out drinking.
But this analysis misrepresents the issues. Public transit is costly and fuel inefficient in sprawled areas where demand is low, but is cost and energy efficient if implemented with smart growth strategies such as bus lanes, walkable neighborhoods and efficient parking management. Self-driving cars may be appropriate for some users, but they only address one problem – inadequate mobility for non-drivers, and they exacerbate other traffic problems such as congestion, consumer costs, energy consumption and pollution emissions.
Everybody (or at least most "normal" people) want single-family homes and automobile travel.
O'Toole claims that surveys indicate that more than 80% of households want single-family homes, and that only a minority, mostly young people, want to live in smart growth communities and rely significantly on walking, cycling and public transit. That miss-represents the research and its implications for smart growth. It is inaccurate to imply that smart growth eliminates single-family housing, and although most people say that they want to live in a single-family home at some points in their life, particularly if they have children, this represents a declining portion of total households – in fact, the number of families with children is not expected to grow significantly in North America, so the current stock of single-family homes is sufficient to meet that demand. Demographic growth will primarily consist of younger singles and childless couples, and seniors, groups that tend to prefer smaller homes. A major portion of consumers say that they want to live in a walkable neighborhood with nearby services, and many would accept compact housing options (small lots or multi-family) in exchange for improved accessibility or financial savings. The real estate industry sees growing demand for smart growth.
Farmland preservation is unimportant
O'Toole argued that farmland preservation is an unnecessawry planning objective since there is no shortage of farmland in the world. But the Fraser River Valley lands are unique and serve a variety of economic and environmental functions including food production, wildlife habitat and beauty.
I started my presentation with a series of slides showing the route from my home to our local pub. I consider walkability to local drinking establishments a good indicator of a smart growth community. This lead to a discussion with the audience of the benefits of having a local pub where residents can walk rather than drive when going out for a drink. Together we identified several benefits of this type of community design: reduced drunk driving, financial savings (you can afford to drink more), improved public fitness and health (you can drink more without gaining weight), reduced traffic and parking congestion, more connection among neighbors ("community cohesion") and resulting increases in neighborhood security, reduced noise and air pollution, and more enjoyment, to name a few.
I then showed three slides that illustrate how sprawl could result from residential development in currently agricultural land near Langley, and the impacts this would have on residents travel patterns, local traffic problems, infrastructure costs, and environmental impacts.
I then discussed research on the various costs of sprawl and the economic, social and environmental benefits of smart growth. Although we had insufficient time to discuss these impacts in detail, I was able to show some highlights and mention some sources for more information about them.
Recommendations for good debates
Critics often try to make debates personal: they accuse smart growth advocates and professional planners of being selfish and elitist. If your opponent makes a personal attack, respond by saying, "Let's focus on the issues."
Speak to the audience, not your opponent. Focus on people's concerns: wealth, health and happiness.
Don't be afraid to acknowledge when your opponent raises a legitimate point, for example, that housing affordability is an important issue, but show how smart growth can reconsile that goal with other planning objectives.
To a general audience, planning issues often seem theoretical and complex; use stories and examples to illustrate how specific policies and planning decisions affect people's futures.
Be prepared to back up your statments with references (I've provided some useful ones below).
Please share your suggestions for effectively responding to smart growth critics in public debates.
For More Information
Robert Burchell, et al (2000), The Costs of Sprawl – Revisited, TCRP Report 39, Transportation Research Board (www.trb.org); at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_74-a.pdf.
CMHC (2006), Tool For Costing Sustainable Community Planning, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca); at www.dcs.sala.ubc.ca/UPLOAD/RESOURCES/links/CMHC_CostingToolUserGuide.pdf.
DVTPC (2008), Smart Transportation Guidebook: Planning and Designing Highways and Streets that Support Sustainable and Livable Communities, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (www.dvrpc.org); at www.dvrpc.org/asp/pubs/publicationabstract.asp?pub_id=08030A.
DVRPC (2008), Making the Land Use Connection: Regional What-If Scenario Analysis, Deleware Valley Regional Planning Commission (www.dvrpc.org); at www.dvrpc.org/asp/pubs/reports/08059.pdf.
Reid Ewing (1996), Best Development Practices: A Primer for Smart Growth, Planners Press (www.planning.org); at http://epa.gov/dced/pdf/bestdevprimer.pdf
Reid Ewing, Keith Bartholomew, Steve Winkelman, Jerry Walters and Don Chen (2007), Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change, Urban Land Institute and Smart Growth America (www.smartgrowthamerica.org/gcindex.html).
ITE (2010), Smart Growth Transportation Guidelines, Recommended Practice, Institute of Transportation Engineers (www.ite.org); at www.ite.org/emodules/scriptcontent/Orders/ProductDetail.cfm?pc=RP-032A.
JRC (2011), Location Efficiency and Housing Type-Boiling it Down to BTUs, Jonathan Rose Companies for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov); at www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/pdf/location_efficiency_BTU.pdf.
Jonathan Levine, Aseem Inam, Richard Werbel and Gwo-Wei Torng (2002), Land Use and Transportation Alternatives: Constraint or Expansion of Household Choice?, Mineta Transportation Institute, Report 01-19 (www.transweb.sjsu.edu); at http://transweb.sjsu.edu/MTIportal/research/publications/documents/Land_Use%20HTML/Land%20Use%20and%20Transportation_Levine.htm; also published as "A Choice-Based Rationale for Land Use and Transportation Alternatives," Journal of Planning Education and Research, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 317-330, 2005 (http://jpe.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/3/317).
Todd Litman (2005), "Evaluating Transportation Land Use Impacts," World Transport Policy & Practice, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 9-16 (www.eco-logica.co.uk/worldtransport.html); updated version at www.vtpi.org/landuse.pdf.
Todd Litman (2005), Land Use Impacts on Transport, Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/landtravel.pdf.
Todd Litman (2005b), Understanding Smart Growth Savings: What We Know About Public Infrastructure and Service Cost Savings, And How They are Misrepresented By Critics, Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/sg_save.pdf.
Todd Litman (2008), Recommendations for Improving LEED Transportation and Parking Credits, VTPI (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/leed_rec.pdf.
Todd Litman (2009), Where We Want To Be: Home Location Preferences And Their Implications For Smart Growth, Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/sgcp.pdf.
Todd Litman (2010), Affordable-Accessible Housing In A Dynamic City: Why and How To Support Development of More Affordable Housing In Accessible Locations, Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/aff_acc_hou.pdf.
Todd Litman (2011), "Why and How to Reduce the Amount of Land Paved for Roads and Parking Facilities," Environmental Practice, Vol. 13, No. 1, March, pp. 38-46; http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ENP.
Todd Litman (2011), "Can Smart Growth Policies Conserve Energy and Reduce Emissions?" Portland State University's Center for Real Estate Quarterly (www.pdx.edu/realestate/research_quarterly.html), Vol. 5, No. 2, Spring, pp. 21-30; at www.vtpi.org/REQJ.pdf. Also see, Critique of the National Association of Home Builders' Research On Land Use Emission Reduction Impacts, Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org); at www.vtpi.org/NAHBcritique.pdf.
RMLUI (2008), Sustainable Community Development Code, Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, Strum College of Law (http://law.du.edu); at www.law.du.edu/index.php/rmlui/sustainable-community-development-code-main.
SGN (2002 and 2004), Getting To Smart Growth: 100 Policies for Implementation, and Getting to Smart Growth II: 100 More Policies for Implementation, Smart Growth Network (www.smartgrowth.org) and International City/County Management Association (www.icma.org).
TransForm (2009), Windfall For All: How Connected, Convenient Neighborhoods Can Protect Our Climate and Safeguard California's Economy, TransForm (www.TransFormCA.org); summary at http://transformca.org/files/reports/TransForm-Windfall-Report-Summary.pdf.
USEPA (2009), Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Urban and Suburban Zoning Codes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov); at www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/pdf/2009_essential_fixes.pdf.
SGN (2011), What is Smart Growth?, Smart Growth Network and US Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/about_sg.htm).
Thanks to Charles Montgomery for his insights.


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Hamid Karzai's despicable response to the Quran burning in Florida.
By Christopher Hitchens
"Heinrich Heine's famous observation about book burning—that where books are burned, people also will be—was actually first made about the torching of the Quran. The Spanish Inquisition used to delight in putting heretical works "on trial," and zealously convicted the Muslim holy book before feeding it to the flames in what is one of Christianity's oldest traditions."
Read More (Slate)
Christopher Hitchens (1949 - 2011) was an Anglo-American author and journalist. His books made him a prominent public intellectual and a staple of talk shows and lecture circuits. He was a columnist and literary critic at Vanity Fair, Slate, The Atlantic, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry and a variety of other media outlets. He was named one of the world's "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy and Britain's Prospect.
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The women's team led the way, posting a program all-time best fifth place team finish (previous best was eighth) and an all-time high points total of 53 points. The previous best was 18 points which was set last year.
Dani Walker led the way for the Lady Bisons, earning All-A-Sun honors with a pair of third place finishes in the mile and 800 meters. Her mile time of 5:06.87 was also her full mile PR and a new school record, besting her own record set earlier this indoor season.
In the Women's 5000 meters, three Lipscomb women ran faster than the previous Lipscomb school record. Ashley Lehman finished fourth with a time of 17:50.91, Tessa Hoefle finished seventh in 17:57.13 and Catherine Beals finished ninth in 18:03.11. All three were under Susan Worden's previous school record of 18:03.30, set in 2007. Shelby Marvel also ran an all-time 5K PR of 18:17.26, finishing 12th.
Four out of five Lipscomb milers ran new all-time PRs. In addition to Dani, Amanda Twigg ran 5:08.20 to finish fourth, Alyssa Miller ran 5:12.48 to finish fifth and Emily Longden ran 5:17.76 to finish 15th. Priya Pappu just missed a new PR, with a time of 5:16.95 to finish 11th and win her heat.
In the sprints, Sara Stephens ran a new indoor school record of 58.63 for 400 meters, breaking her own record set last year. Rachel Smith set a new school mark in the 200 meters of 26.03. Rachel broke Sara's 200-meter record set last year. Rachel also ran a new PR in the 400 meters of 60.16.
Taylor Mason threw the weight a new personal best of 42-4.
In the women's 800 meters, Katie Bunker finished fifth overall, Alyssa Miller was sixth, Jaimie McFarland was eighth and Amanda Twigg was 10th.
The men finished seventh with 38 points, the second highest point total in school history. The highest total was last year with 49 points.
Dillon Seigenthaller led the way for the men, moving from fourth to third in the men's heptathlon. His third place performance earned him all-A-Sun honors. He also set PRs in the 60-meter hurdles, 1000-meters and posted his best ever heptathlon score. His 60-meter hurdles and heptathlon score were also new school records, besting records Dillon previously set this year.
"I was proud of Dillon in the heptathlon too," Taylor said. " He really fought for his A-Sun honors."
Adam Austin also earned All-A-Sun honors for the Bisons with a third place finish in the high jump.
Tim Muller ran an all-time PR in the 5000 meters of 15:03.05 to finish fifth.
Isaiah Greer posted a new PR of 4:20.90 in the mile.
Tucker Peabody ran a new PR of 6.98 in the 60-meter dash to finish fifth. He finished fourth in the 200 meters.
"It was a great meet for us," said coach Bill Taylor. "A lot of records fell and tons of PRs.
"The women really stepped it up, and I was very happy with our progression in the distance races. We don't focus on the indoor season and just train through it on our way to the outdoor season. So to get so many great marks and PRs is very encouraging to everyone. 'm looking forward to getting on to the outdoor season and building on what we've started."
The Bisons and Lady Bisons will rest next weekend before jumping into the outdoor season a week later at the North Florida Spring Break Invite in Jacksonville.