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December 24, 2012
Development Update
It's been a great year for Pixelmator. We are extremely happy to see how Pixelmator improves with each release and that the Pixelmator community is rapidly growing. Successful releases, such as Pixelmator 2.1 Cherry, only prove that the decisions we are making are the right ones.
And, boy, we made a lot of them during 2012. We've changed from the ground how Pixelmator handles colors, we've introduced the world's fastest Healing Tool, updated Pixelmator for Retina displays, and added other cool new features. In fact, we've released more Pixelmator updates than ever before, fixing several hundred bugs and making very important improvements. The number is astonishing when you think that all of it was done by our small Pixelmator Team.
All of those constant maintenance updates aim for more than just to make Pixelmator more reliable and stable, and awesome. We've carefully crafted and laid a foundation for a couple of new features that we will introduce next year. And, you know, we just can't keep it a secret any longer, so here it goes.
We are super excited to announce that, in 2013, layer styles are coming to your favourite image editing app! But wait, there's more. Just before introducing layer styles, we have one more treat for you on the way—Pixelmator 2.2 Blueberry. Here's a hint:
That's all from us for now. Talk with you next year.
The Pixelmator Team wishes you all warm and cozy holidays!


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posted by yasmin at 11:19 AM
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I am optimistic and sentimental to the point of being annoying, especially to people who think that being cynical and cold is cool. Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh, and the ability to eat and drink.
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subset: commoncrawl


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I believe there's a lot of people out there sick of the constant whining and moaning and tearing down - after all, it's much easier to destroy than create. That's why myself, and so many other brilliant authors, are involved with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Ethics project (the SFFE) because we want to promote a positive attitude in the industry, and make and ethical stand against the constant poison and vitriol which, I think, has been invading and escalating for a long time.This, of course, begs quite a few questions, most notably: who are the motherfuckers? You can read some of the puzzled responses to Remic's statement in the Mind Meld comments, and a more vigorous discussion, with Remic himself and at least one other SFFE contributor in attendance, in the comments to this post by Martin Lewis. What you can't do is read an entry on SFFE itself titled "Some Confusion," in which Remic accused Martin and the other commenters on his site of "[hiding] behind their anonymous internet connections," because, as Alastair Reynolds points out in the Mind Meld comments and as Jeff VanderMeer notes in this post, it was deleted some time last night. In the interim, Remic has responded to further queries with tautologies ("We are out to promote the positive. Some people are out to promote the negative. We don't do that."), requests to conduct further discussions in private e-mail, and a refusal to name names (from "Some Confusion": "I assumed people would make up their own minds as to who I was referring; after all, we all get annoyed by certain things, comments, sites, people, while other stuff goes over our heads"). The closest thing to a straight answer seems to be his response to Reynolds at SF Signal, in which he excuses his decision to delete "Some Confusion" with the headache-inducing claim that "the SFFE site just didn't seem the right place to having that sort of argument," and apologizes for the 'motherfuckers' comment by saying "Yes, I presented my views badly. Yes, I presented them after a few whiskies."
I chose the name "Ethics" not because I wanted to explore the ethical contexts of novels or films, but because I wanted to make an ethical stand against the motherfuckers who, to my mind, are systematically ruining the SFFH genres. In short, I wanted to do what I believed was intrinsically, morally, ethically and intuitively right. I want to celebrate everything that is good in SFFH, because it's all subjective, right?? - and, hopefully, we can lead by positive example.
The Princess Bride jokes are left as an exercise to the reader.
As of this morning, the mission statement of SFFE has changed to "The aim of this site is to promote positive reviews of books, movies and comics" (the old mission statement can still be found on the group's old blog). This emphasis on positive reviewing as opposed to positivity in general is bolstered by comments by SFFE contributor M.E. Staton on her own blog--"It isn't that we disagree that their [sic] should be criticism in the world but that it doesn't always have to be negative and if you find you really love something the SFFE is someplace you can share that joy without the worry of ridicule." Which would be almost anticlimactic--a blog on which people can talk up the things they like, how novel--were it not for the continued emphasis on positivity and ethics. As Jonathan McCalmont puts it, "If you say "I think we should do more of X" then by definition you're saying that there's some kind of problem with not-X," and statements like Remic's and Staton's (or Neil Williamson's observations in the comments to VanderMeer's post) make it clear that there are specific people who have not behaved in a manner which the SFFE members consider to be positive and ethical, and whose effects the blog is intended to counteract. (Though it should be noted that Remic and Staton don't necessarily speak for all SFFE members; in the comments to Martin's post Jetse de Vries, for example, quickly distances himself from the fracas.)
Meanwhile, the issue of positive reviews was already on my mind due to a Torque Control post Niall made a few weeks back, in which he quotes a writer describing her experiences bumping up against a "Prominent SF Magazine"'s mostly positive reviews policy. In the comments, NYRSF editor Kathryn Cramer posts links to two essays on the subject: her own, titled "On why what people like about books is more interesting than what they don't like," and a 2004 editorial by David G. Hartwell. There are several assertions I find questionable in Cramer's essay ("There are all kinds of reasons one might react negatively to a book, many of them personal"--as opposed, one takes it, to positive reactions, which are entirely objective?), but it's Hartwell who takes the cake, with the following "hard-won guidelines for responsible reviewing":
First, as in Hippocrates, do no harm. Second, never stoop to score a point or bite an ankle. Third, always understand that in this symbiosis, you are the parasite. Fourth, look with an open heart and mind at every different kind of book with every change of emotional weather because we are reading for our lives and that could be love gone out the window or a horseman on the roof. Fifth, use theory only as a periscope or a trampoline, never a panopticon, a crib sheet, or a license to kill.To which the most polite response I can make is: um, no.
I could go through this list point by point, but they all seem to boil down to the same thing. Hartwell, and Cramer when she says things like "We publish to promote the aesthetic advancement of the field and are not a buyers' guide," are working under the assumption that a reviewing organ should be oriented towards the industry. That a reviewer is writing for, perhaps even in service of, authors and publishers. That's not an unreasonable stance, but I don't hold to it. I don't write for authors or publishers. I'd like to say that I write for other readers, but that's not really the truth either. I write for myself, because I have thoughts in my head that are clamoring to get out, and for the pleasure of being able to express them clearly and beautifully, and in the hopes of finding someone else with whom to discuss and develop them. I am not a parasite. I am a reader.
Obviously, this approach can be taken to extremes, and lead to self-regarding wankery for the sake of nothing more than the sound of one's voice. As aggravating and overstated as I find it, Anton Ego's argument about the critic's responsibility to his material is sound. I do owe something to my readers, be they publishers or authors or just people who read, but it is no more and no less than this: honesty, clarity, and the best use to which I can put the English language. I don't owe anyone positivity, and it is this frustrated entitlement that I sense at the core of the SFFE's complaints about vitriol and ruination. Like Cramer and Hartwell, it seems to me that Remic and Staton think that reviewers write for the sake of the industry, and that negative reviews represent a reviewer's failure to live up to their side of the bargain and thus constitute a meaningful, and no doubt deliberate, blow against the genre. (Interestingly, this kind of reaction isn't limited to industry insiders--check out the irate, almost injured comments to Martin Lewis's negative review of Mark Charan Newton's Nights of Villjamur by fans of the book, as opposed to Newton's own cheerful response to it.)
At the close of his editorial, David Hartwell laments "reviewers who perform to entertain the reader rather than to illuminate the text for the reader." I was all set to become outraged over this statement as a reviewer (seriously, is it that difficult to believe that we genuinely and truly didn't like the book?) when I suddenly realized that I ought to become outraged as a reader. What the hell is wrong with entertaining readers? I like to be entertained. I derived a hell of a lot more entertainment out of John Clute's takedown of Brian Stableford's Streaking, or Adam Roberts's skewering of the new Star Trek movie, than I did out of the works themselves, and in fact those reviews offered me some small compensation for having slogged through Stableford's senseless, terribly written novel, or the brain-dead experience that is new Trek. Isn't that an achievement worth celebrating? For a reviewer, isn't it worth emulating? Insight and illumination are important--good reviewers crave them--but sometimes the only insight to be had is 'this is a lousy book.' If there's any meaning to be drawn from the muddled and self-contradictory statements made by Andy Remic and M.E. Staton, it is that this is an unworthy, perhaps even unethical sentiment, and they are more than welcome to pursue their goal of a blog founded on that philosophy. But I'm staying out here, where people aren't afraid of a little negativity.


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Yes, I know — another meaningless preseason poll tossed atop the overflowing pile of myriad other meaningless preseason polls. Just take a deep breath, come to grips with it and move on.
Last year at this time, I had Ohio State, TCU, Auburn and Michigan State Nos. 1-5; only MSU finished the regular season in the Top Five. 2015 national champion Alabama was No. 7 in my preseason rankings — just behind Arizona State, incidentally — while the team the Tide beat for the title, Clemson, was 14th. Oklahoma, the other of the four College Football Playoff semifinalists, came in at No. 16.
It's at this point in the program where I introduce the word "Nostradumbass," and quickly move on. It's also at this point where I state, once again, polls should not come until at least the first week of October. But I digress.
The Big Ten, believe it or not, leads all conferences with six teams in my Top 25, including three of the first eleven. The ACC, Pac-12 and SEC are next with four teams each, with the Mountain West and Big 12 coming in at two teams apiece. The AAC and a football independent account for the other two teams.
Below is the entire Top 25, which was a consensus of polls cobbled together by myself and five other individuals who would prefer to remain nameless. Below that is a poll in which you can vote as to who you feel should start the season No. 1. Below that is where you may complain and/or whine and/or moan and/or bitch about how disrespected your team and/or conference is.
Enjoy. And complain/whine/moan/bitch away.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who should've been a Heisman finalist a year ago, returns from last year's College Football Playoff semifinal squad. So too does leading rusher Samaje Perine, as does 13 other starters. The Sooners will likely be favored heading into all 12 games this season, with three of their toughest tests, Ohio State, Baylor and Oklahoma State, all being played in Norman. At least on paper, the Sooners have one of the most talented and experienced teams in the country. Beware, however, as Bob Stoops' squad have, more times than not in recent years, failed to live up to lofty preseason rankings and fallen miserably short of high expectations.
Fun fact: 'Bama has never started the preseason No. 1 and then gone on to win a national championship under Nick Saban. Unfortunately for the Tide, that's exactly where the Associated Press has placed them entering 2016. To break that "jinx" and go back-to-back, the Tide will need to lean heavily on a once-again dominant defense as their backfield will be the most inexperienced one Saban has fielded, with presumptive starter Cooper Bateman raw while the two running backs who are expected to carry the load, Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough, have combined for 264 career rushing yards.
Last year was a quote-unquote "rebuilding year" at FSU, and the Seminoles still managed a 10-win season and a spot in one of the New Year's Six bowl games. They return nine starters on offense — one of those starters, quarterback Sean Maguire, will begin the season on the sidelines due to injury, replaced by redshirt freshman Deondre Francois — and six on the defensive side of the ball. Since winning the national championship in 2013, Jimbo Fisher has pulled in recruiting classes ranked second (2016), third (2015) and fourth (2014). So yes, there's plenty of talent. And, perhaps most importantly, they get national runner-up Clemson at home in Tallahassee.
You could easily make the case for Clemson to sit atop this list, and for good reason. They have the best quarterback in the country returning in Deshaun Watson for what should be his final season of college football. Watson is one of eight starters on offense who are back for another run at the playoffs, but it's the other side of the ball where there's the most concern. The defense brings back just three starters, and it's that inexperience that's keeping them behind the three schools in front of them. If Brent Venables can quicken the learning curve — after opening at what should be a subpar Auburn team, they get Troy and South Carolina State before opening ACC play at Georgia Tech — the Tigers will be in great shape both in the conference and nationally.
A whopping 18 starters return for the Tigers this season from last year's nine-win team, including arguably the best football player in the country in Leonard Fournette. They get Alabama and Ole Mis in Death Valley, and none of their four true road games — they play Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in the opener — feature teams currently in the Top 25. The path is there for a run to the postseason… if, as seemingly is always the case, they can merely get consistent play at the quarterback position. They don't need their signal-caller to be a modern-day Dan Marino; rather, they just need Brandon Harris to not throw up all over himself or trip over his own junk. If they get just average play at the most important position in sports, the Tigers are primed to be players in the postseason once again.
And here comes the first screams of "you're an idiot, Taylor!" Or "JT!" as the case may be. The offense will be in good hands whether its DeShone Kizer or Malik Zaire pulling the trigger, and whichever one emerges as the starter will have skill players who are talented but raw surrounding him. More than likely, it'll be a suspect defense that determines whether this ranking is way too high. The Irish do play 10 teams who played in bowl games last season, although they'll have just three true road tests. They open up and close out the season with a pair of those, at Texas and at USC, that could go a long way in determining where the Golden Domers stand nationally. Well, those and a mid-October game against Stanford in South Bend.
And here's the second. As I wrote in the Six-Pack of Storylines preview, I'm buying into the Huskies hype. Jake Browning is ready to take the next step and become one of the elite quarterbacks in the country. Additionally, UW will, once again, have one of the top defenses in not only the Pac-12 but in the country, period. Then there's the 17 returning starters. How far UW goes conference-wise, and perhaps nationally, could very well likely come down a two-game stretch in Weeks 5 and 6: hosting Stanford Sept. 30, then traveling to Oregon a week later. Those two teams have had a stranglehold on the Pac-12 North since the conference went to divisions in 2011, with one of those two teams representing the division in the league championship game every season; if UW wants to break their collective hold, they'll have to drop one of those teams, and possibly both, in that two-game stretch.
Here's one thing I can state with a fair degree of certainty: the Horned Frogs will play defense at a championship-caliber level this year, as it's done almost every year under Gary Patterson. The biggest question marks are on the other side of the ball, with just three starters returning. The hope is that either Texas A&M transfer Kenny Hill or Foster Sawyer can stabilize the quarterback position in replacing Trevone Boykin. That said, whichever of those two players emerge as the starter won't have All-American Josh Doctson to throw the ball to, which leaves the receiving corps very thin when it comes to experience and past production.
Mark Dantonio will only see 10 starters from last year playoff semifinal team take the field in 2016. Connor Cook, the most decorated quarterback in the program's history, will be the most difficult starter to replace, and arguably the most important. Playing in place of the injured Cook, projected starter Tyler O'Connor helped lead — and by "helped lead" I mean "didn't throw a pick" — MSU to its upset of Ohio State that helped pave the way to the playoffs. Last year, MSU beat both OSU and Michigan on the road; this year, they get to host both of those rivals in East Lansing. Before then, however, is a stiff early-season test: a Sept.17 date with Notre Dame in South Bend Week 3.
Year Four for Butch Jones is supposed to be the year all of the recruiting efforts under the head coach are supposed to begin paying dividends. His first class finished 24th nationally, but classes that were ranked seventh, fourth and 14th have led to high hopes, and even higher expectations, for Volunteer Nation. In fact, anything less than an SEC East championship will be considered an abject failure by most of the fan base. The Vols have 17 returning starters from a team that managed a 5-3 record in SEC play, it's best record in the conference since going 5-3 in 2006. UT ended the 2015 season on a six-game winning streak, punctuating that strong stretch run with a 39-point bowl blowout of a 10-win Northwestern team. Add in the fact that their four losses last season (Oklahoma, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama) came by a combined 17 points, and, again, nothing less than a title will sate the masses.
Urban Meyer calls this 2016 Ohio State squad probably his most talented team ever. Unfortunately for his Buckeyes, it's probably his most inexperienced as OSU returns just six starters, the fewest of any Power Five team. Whether the 2016 team can repeat what the 2014 team did — peak a year earlier than expected and win a national championship — remains to be seen. The combination of J.T. Barrett starting at quarterback all season long like he should've last year along with the talent Top-Seven recruiting classes each of the past four years has added should leave tOSU in good enough shape to contend with Michigan and Michigan State in the Big Ten East. And, depending on the rate of the youngster's growth, compete once again on the national stage.
Coming off a 13-1 season, Houston is the media's darling to crash the playoffs as a Group of Five member even as they return a mere 11 starters. One of those, though, is Greg Ward Jr., one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country and arguably the Cougar who's gained the most from Tom Herman being the head football coach of the program. Just where the Cougars stand nationally will be known right out of the gate as UH will square off with national power Oklahoma in a neutral-field opener. They also play two of their main competitors in the AAC West, Navy and Memphis, on the road, while also traveling to face an annual challenger in the East, Cincinnati. If an inexperienced secondary can improve faster than expected, the Cougars are again poised to make some noise nationally.
As I wrote in the previous preview, Jim Harbaugh has spent his first 19 months as the head coach at his alma mater Michigan making headlines off the field. In Year 2 with the Wolverines, is Harbaugh's bunch ready to make a leap back to the national stage on the field? The Wolverines find themselves comfortably inside the Top 10 of most preseason polls, so the hype os certainly there. The schedule sets up well for a strong start, with their toughest games in that stretch, vs. Penn State and Wisconsin, coming in the Big House. What will decide UM's fate are three games in October and November: at 2015 East champion Michigan State (Oct. 29), at 2015 West champion Iowa (Nov. 12) and at hated rival Ohio State (Nov. 26). Those three games will show the whole of college football whether or not Big Blue is really back.
Coming off a superb true freshman season, Josh Rosen is already considered one of the top young quarterbacks in the country. In fact, some have pegged him as the first-overall pick of the 2018 draft. While just three other starters return on his side of the ball, and the Bruins are shifting to a new pro-style offense — his coaches say Rosen had already mastered it to the point he was playing tutor to his teammates in camp — recruiting successes under Jim Mora leaves the Bruins stocked with on-paper talent to replenish those lost. The defense, meanwhile will return nine starters from an injury-ravaged unit. At the very least, the Bruins will be in contention all season long for a Pac-12 South title.
The Tar Heels allowed two touchdowns fewer per game last season than the year before, and they return six defensive starters from that much-improved squad. While they return seven starters on the other side of the ball, one of those that has to be replaced is record-setting quarterback Marquise Williams. The good news is that Williams' replacement, Mitch Trubisky, has plenty of experience, having thrown for 1,014 career yards. Last season, he completed 85% of his 47 passes, throwing six touchdowns for good measure. The schedule could prove problematic in getting back to double-digit wins as UNC opens the season on a neutral field against Georgia, then travel to Florida State, Miami and Duke the rest of the year. Still, the Tar Heels should be a factor in the ACC Coastal race throughout the year.
This is the first of a couple of teams who I think I'll end up regretting putting too low to start. Christian McCaffrey is one of the top all-around talents in the history of the game, and is poised to improve on a spectacular season that saw him in New York City as a Heisman finalist. The schedule, however, could prove problematic. They play USC at home in Week 3, then face three tough road games in a span of four weeks: at UCLA (Sept. 24), at Washington (Sept. 30) and at Notre Dame (Oct. 15). Then, later in the year, they travel to Eugene to face Oregon. It's certainly not an insurmountable slate, but it doesn't bode well for a team needing to replace 13 starters.
The second of three Group of Five teams in my Top 25, Boise is set to bounce back from a four-loss season in their second year under Bryan Harsin. The offense is in fine shape as it returns eight starters from a year ago, including true sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien. The defense is a concern, especially the defensive line as all four starters need replaced. The schedule, though, sets up well as the Broncos will face just a single team on the road that had a winning record a year ago.
After winning six of their last seven games last season, Louisville is seemingly poised to provide Clemson and Florida State with a challenge in the ACC Atlantic. The Cardinals nearly derailed the Tigers' early-season title hopes but came up three points shy of the upset. That was followed a month later by a 20-point loss to the Seminoles. With 16 returning starters, including superb dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson, the talent is certainly there for the U of L to, potentially, compete with the big boys of the division.
This is the second one I think I may have too low. Coming off a school-record-tying 11-win season, the Aztecs return 13 starters from a team that wiped the Hawaiian Islands' floor with Cincinnati in their 42-7 bowl win. Seemingly the only thing standing between SDSU and a 9-0 start to this season is a road trip to Cal in Week 2. Another road trip, to Nevada Nov. 12, could very well determine the West Division's representative in the MWC title game.
If Jimi Hendrix were alive and asked the Cowboys the question, "are you experienced," the answer would be a resounding yes. Not only does OSU return 16 of their starters from the team that won 10 games a year ago, nearly 40 players from the two-deep depth chart are back as well. After winning their first 10 games in 2015, they ended the season on a down note as the Cowboys lost their last three games by a combined 73 points. That skid notwithstanding, the Cowboys have the kind of depth, talent and experience that can help them compete with Oklahoma and TCU in the Big 12. The schedule doesn't do them any favors, though, as they face both of those teams on the road, as well as Baylor.
Back-to-back undefeated regular seasons likely won't be in the cards for Iowa, but the Hawkeyes should still be the class of the Big Ten West. There's good news on the scheduling front, though, as they again avoid both Ohio State and Michigan while they get Michigan and West rival Nebraska at home. They will, though, have to travel to Evanston to face Northwestern. The way things are set up, Iowa would have to be considered a decided favorite to come out of the West and face the surviving beast of the East.
Ole Miss finished the 2016 season on a high, beating LSU by 21, knocking off rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl and trouncing Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels have the most talented quarterback in the SEC, Chad Kelly, and get Alabama — who they've beat each of the last two seasons — Georgia and MSU at home. Just where Ole Miss stands in the big picture will be clear immediately as they will square off against Florida State in the opener.
Mike Riley's first season in Lincoln was a miserable one as the Cornhuskers' dropped seven games, the most losses since the 2007 season. That could be considered deceiving, however, as five of those losses were by five points or less — including two last-second losses and one in overtime — while the other two losses were by a combined 18 points. Th road schedule is tough this season, with games at Ohio State, Wisconsin and Northwestern on tap; there's a home game against Oregon thrown in for good measure.
Before the year is over, I have a sneaking suspicion that this positioning will be way too low. The Ducks have won at least nine games in each of the last nine seasons, and they have the kind of schedule that points to making it an even 10. Two newcomers will likely determine whether the Ducks make it to double digits in that category: Dakota Prukop and Brady Hoke. The former is the second straight FCS-to-FBS quarterback transfer for the Ducks, and he will be surrounded by the most talented skill players in the Pac-12 as he makes the transition up the college football ladder. The latter will take over a Ducks defense that was 115th in the country in points per game and 116th in red zone efficiency. Anything the former Michigan head coach provides will be considered an upgrade.
A 39-point loss to Tennessee in the bowl game put a damper on a season that saw the Wildcats win 10 games for just the fourth time in the program's history. The schedule will make a double-digit repeat extremely difficult as Northwestern will be forced to take road trips to Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State. Pat Fitzgerald, with six returning starters on each side of the ball, will have his work cut out for him this season.


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City of BrentwoodHOME Menu
Board of Zoning Appeals
- Date: 12/16/2019 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
- Location: Brentwood City Hall
5211 Maryland Way
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027
The Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled to meet on the third Monday of the month. The Board does not meet when there are no items for their consideration. Please CLICK HERE FOR THE AGENDA.
The Board of Zoning Appeals consists of five members appointed by the Board of Commissioners, who must be residents of Brentwood at the time of and during their term of appointment.
The Board of Zoning Appeals has the following powers:
Administrative review. To hear and decide appeals where it is alleged by the appellant that there is error in any order, requirement, permit, decision, determination or refusal made by the building inspector or other administrative official in the carrying out or enforcement of any provision of this chapter.
Special exceptions. To hear and decide applications for special exceptions upon which the board of zoning appeals is specifically authorized to pass.
Variances. To hear and decide applications for variance from the terms of this chapter, but only where, by reason of exceptional narrowness, shallowness or shape of a specific piece of property which at the time of the adoption of the provisions of this chapter was a lot of record; or where by reason of exceptional topographic conditions or other extraordinary or exceptional situations or condition of a piece of property the strict application of the provisions of this chapter would result in exceptional practical difficulties to or exceptional and undue hardship upon the owner of such property, provided that such relief may be granted without detriment to the public good and the intent and purpose of this chapter. Financial disadvantage to the property owner is no proof of hardship within the purpose of zoning. In granting a variance the board may attach thereto such conditions regarding the location, character and other features of the proposed building, structure or use as it may deem advisable in furtherance of the purpose of this chapter. Before any variance is granted it shall be shown that circumstances are attached to the property which do not generally apply to other property in the neighborhood.
For more about the Board of Zoning Appeals, including a roster of current Board members, please CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.


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At the 2012 Tribal Celebration, David Frantze, Keeper of the Wampum Silver Blue River, was named the 83rd Presiding Chieftain of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say.
As a youth, David was a Boy Scout in Troop 421 in Kansas City, MO where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. David became a Brave in 1971 and a Warrior in 1994. In 2002, David was elevated to Sachem and then in 2007, David was elevated to Keeper of the Wampum.
David has served in several leadership positions for both Pack and Troop 601 in Kansas City, MO including Pack Committee Chairman, Scoutmaster, and Chartered Organization Representative. David has also served the Thunderbird District as a member of the District Committee and District Chairman. David has served as a member of the Heart of America Council Board of Directors since 2004 and currently serves as the President of the council.
David has received the James E. West Fellowship Award and the District Award of Merit. In addition, David received the highest award that can be bestowed by the Heart of America Council, the Silver Beaver Award.
David is active in his community by providing leadership to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Civic Council of Kansas City, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, KC BizPAC, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Kansas City Area Development Council, and the Kansas City Area Life Science Institute.
Professionally, David is a partner with Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP specializing in real estate law.
David and his wife Geri have 4 children, a daughter and 3 Eagle Scout sons.


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3/4 cup sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon dried lavender
Zest of 1/2 a lemon, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat, set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the sugar, butter, lavender, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Turn mixer to low, add the flour mixture slowly until just combined. Fold in the pistachios and cherries with a rubber spatula.
Slightly flour both hands and transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the dough into a log. Approximately 14-inch in length and 3-inch in width. Bake for 35 minutes or until light golden on the edges. Let it cool on a wiring rack for 30 minutes.
Transfer the log onto the cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Return biscotti to the same baking sheet, arrange the biscotti cut side down. Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes or until they are pale golden. Transfer the biscotti to a wiring rack and let them cool completely.


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B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 27, 2009) – The Chinese National Team played better, but the result was the same as the U.S. Men's National Team swept a second straight match from China, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-22) on Saturday before a sellout crowd of 5,000 at the San Jose State University Event Center Arena.
The victory gives the U.S. a 5-1 record in Group A and puts them in the lead. China falls to 1-5. The U.S. Men and the Chinese team will travel to Nanjing, China to play two more World League pool play matches on July 4-5.
Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.) led all scorers on Saturday with 16 points on 13 kills, two blocks and one ace. Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.) added 12 on 10 kills, one block and one ace.
China was paced by Ping Chen with 15 points on 15 kills.
But U.S. Head Coach Alan Knipe (Huntington Beach, Calif.) singled out middle blocker and team captain David Lee (Alpine, Calif.), who had nine points on a match-high seven blocks and two kills, for special credit.
"I think the difference (between the teams) was a big dose of David Lee," Knipe said. "With seven blocks he controlled the match and set the tempo."
The U.S. Men out-blocked China 12-7. Team USA converted 52 percent of its hitting attempts into points (42 of 81) while China converted 49 percent (44 of 90). But China's serve receive showed great improvement over Friday as it finished 97 percent positive and 66 percent excellent. The United States' serve receive was 98 percent positive and 48 percent excellent.
China's head coach Zhou Jianan said both matches provided his young team with great experience.
"Both matches helped us a lot," he said through an interpreter. "The USA is a strong team. They play at a higher level.
Among other U.S. scorers, Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.) scored six points on five kills and one block. Andrew Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.) scored five points on five kills. Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai'i) scored five points on five kills.
Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) scored two points on two kills and David Smith (Saugus, Calif.) scored one point on one block.
Libero Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) was credited with five digs on 13 attempts and nine excellent service receptions on 11 attempts. Hansen was credited with 12 running sets (assists) in 56 attempts.
Knipe started Anderson and Rooney at outside hitter, Hein and Lee at middle blocker, Stanley at opposite, Hansen at setter and Lambourne at libero.
Billings substituted for Stanley in the second set and played all of the third. Smith and Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.) played as substitutes.
China came out in the first set with renewed enthusiasm after Friday's loss and took a 6-4 lead. It continued to lead 8-7 at the first technical timeout (TTO). The two teams remained close and the U.S. held a slim 16-15 lead at the second TTO. But Team USA scored the next three points behind Rooney's serve on Lee's kill and two straight blocks. A kill by Chen stopped the run, but the U.S. blockers, led by Lee who had three in the set, kept China at bay.
The United States jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the second set as Hein served for three straight points and Rooney had a kill and a block. Team USA held an 8-3 lead at the first TTO. The U.S. attack continued and its lead was extended to 16-9 at the second TTO. With Team USA leading 19-11, Dawei Yu got the serve and China's hitters rallied the team to a 19-14 deficit. Knipe called a timeout and a Billings kill helped end the rally.
Team USA reached set point at 24-19, but a China kill held off the end. Weijun Zhong took the serve and China scored two straight points on a U.S. error and a kill by Ping Chen. The U.S. called timeout, but China responded with another kill, making it 24-23. But a China serving error ended the set.
China again took an early lead in the third set and was ahead 8-5 at the first TTO. The U.S. eventually tied it at 10-10, and the two teams battled back and forth. China led 16-14 at the second TTO. With China ahead 17-14, China lost the serve on a hitting error and Touzinsky took the serve for the U.S., serving it to an 18-17 lead. China tied it at 18-18, but Team USA scored two more straight points and China never caught up.
World League Tickets: Tickets for the matches in Hoffman Estates, Ill., (July 10-11 against Italy) and Wichita, Kan., (July 17-18 against Netherlands) are on sale.
For Hoffman Estates tickets, click here.
For Wichita tickets, click here.
For more information on World League, please visit USA Volleyball's World League web site at http://usavolleyball.org/event/event/573.
To visit the FIVB World League web site, click here.
2009 U.S. World League Roster for June 26-27
1 Matt Anderson (OH, 6-10, West Seneca, N.Y., Penn State)
2 Sean Rooney (OH, 6-9, Wheaton, Ill., Pepperdine)
3 Evan Patak (Opp, 6-8, Pleasanton, Calif., UC Santa Barbara)
4 David Lee (MB, 6-8, Alpine, Calif., Long Beach State)
5 Rich Lambourne (L, 6-3, Tustin, Calif., BYU)
7 Donald Suxho (S, 6-5, Korce, Albania, USC)
8 Andrew Hein (MB, 6-11, Carol Stream, Ill., Pepperdine)
10 David Smith (MB, 6-7, Saugus, Calif., UC Irvine)
11 Brook Billings (Opp, 6-5, Santa Barbara, Calif., USC)
13 Clay Stanley (Opp, 6-9, Honolulu, Hawai'i, Hawai'i)
14 Kevin Hansen (S, 6-5, Newport Beach, Calif., Stanford)
16 Jayson Jablonsky (OH, 6-5, Yorba Linda, Calif., UC Irvine)
18 Scott Touzinsky (OH, 6-6, St. Louis, Mo., Long Beach State)
19 Alfee Reft (L, 5-10, Oxnard, Calif., Hawai'i)
Head Coach: Alan Knipe
Team Manager: Rick McLaughlin
Assistant Coach: Gary Sato
Assistant Coach: John Hawks
Technical Coordinator: Chris Jackson
Team Doctor: William Stetson
Medical Support: Aaron Brock
2009 FIVB World League Schedule and Results
Date: June 13-14
Opponent: Netherlands
Location: Rotterdam
June 13: Netherlands def. USA, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 26-24)
June 14: USA def. Netherlands, 3-2 (25-16, 30-32, 25-17, 20-25, 15-6)
Date: June 19 and 21
Opponent: Italy
Location: Florence and Catania
June 19: USA def. Italy, 3-1 (25-21, 30-28, 21-25, 25-21)
June 20: USA def. Italy, 3-1 (25-19, 18-25, 25-22, 25-20)
Date: June 26-27 (7 p.m. both days)
Opponent: China
Location: San Jose State University Event Center Arena in San Jose, Calif.
June 26: USA def. China, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-21)
June 27: USA def. China, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-22)
Date: July 4-5
Opponent: China
Location: Nanjing
Date: July 10-11 (7 p.m. both days)
Opponent: Italy
Location: Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Date: July 17-18 (7 p.m. both days)
Opponent: Netherlands
Location: Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Date: July 22-26
Event: Final Round (teams must qualify)
Opponents: TBD
Location: Belgrade, Serbia


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15 Questions for a Wedding Photographer #10; What to look for in a Photographer
15 Questions Brides Want to Know About Wedding Photography #2
One of the interesting parts of being a professional in a field for a while is you get requests from the media for comment on events, or topics relevant to that field. Recently I was asked to answer some questions for an upcoming book geared towards future brides.
I was one of several professionals who were asked questions specifically for wedding photography, so I don't think I'll be spoiling anything by revealing my answers, since I'm sure they'll use others for some of the 15 answers, plus I wasn't asked anything about catering, or how to preform a traditional religious ceremony.
I'll be sure to post up link when the book is published, but for now I'll be spreading the questions and my answers (plus maybe a little extra) out over the next 15 days.
Question #10
What should a couple look for in a wedding photographer?
The first thing they should look for is an actual photographer. Photography is an art, you shouldn't first talk to a sales person, then meet your photographer after you picked your package. Once you find a photographer who's work you like, find out if you like the photographer. I tell couples all the time, if you like my price & my portfolio, but don't like me… Walk away. You'll be with your photographer more than any other person on your wedding day and if you don't feel you have a connection, think twice about booking them.
In the era of online reviews I have had less & less requests for referrals from my past couples. While chances are a photographer isn't going to refer you to a person who had a less than perfect experience, you'll still be able to get a feel from the little details in the conversation. If someone you know gives you a good review about the photographer they used, look into it even if it's a little over your budget. Better to pay 10-15% more on a photographer with a personal referral than to have bad photos.
Coming up tomorrow
Question #11
What should a couple beware of with certain wedding photographers?
Previous Questions
#9 At what point in the wedding planning process should a couple book a wedding photographer?


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I really love to eat this kind of food. Who doesn't love a nice batch of slow-cooked short ribs, but we can get in a rut with how they're presented. That's not an issue here, as the spicy-sweet, aromatic sauce makes them anything but ordinary. We should take a lesson from the lands of curry, and realize that comfort foods don't have to be bland to work their soul-warming magic.
I'm already getting excited thinking up American curry variations for things like chicken and biscuits, Texas chili, and Irish stew. This could be fun. Of course, I'd love to hear which iconic American stews you like to see given this treatment. Enjoy!
View the complete recipe


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Friedrich optioned to Triple-A
DENVER -- Left-hander Christian Friedrich didn't earn his promotion as much as it was forced upon him following the rash of injuries to the Rockies' rotation. But after posting a 9.45 ERA over his first three Major League starts since 2012, it's fair to say Friedrich earned his return trip to Triple-A Colorado Springs Thursday.
The Rockies sent Friedrich down to make room for Nolan Arenado on their 25-man roster.
The 26-year-old former first round Draft pick surrendered at least five runs in each of his three starts since replacing right-hander Juan Nicasio in the rotation on June 21. Friedrich finishes his short stint with 19 runs (14 earned), 21 hits and eight walks allowed over 13 1/3 innings.
Manager Walt Weiss didn't say who will replace Freidrich before Thursday's game, but the Rockies are expected to make an official announcement after the game against the Dodgers.
One possibility is the recently acquired right-hander Jair Jurrjens. Jurrjens, 28, has not reported to Triple-A Colorado Springs since the Rockies swapped him for the Reds' Double-A first baseman Harold Riggins on Wednesday.
Jurrjens' last start came on June 28, meaning he would be on sufficient rest to make an appearance with the Rockies during the weekend series against the Dodgers. Friedrich's next turn in the rotation wasn't until Sunday.
Jurrjens made the 2011 All-Star team with the Braves, but has battled injury issues since and only made two appearances in 2013 with the Orioles. If Jurrjens does get the call, he'll be the 13th different starter the Rockies have used this season.


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When will be the beta for Model X come out?
When will be the beta for Model X come out?
When Tesla announces it.
When its mother allows it to.
Does anyone know how much time there was between the Model S concept car presentation at car shows and the reveal of the Betas? It might give a general indication how fast Tesla can pull it of if they want to.
i think this is not indicator for that. In the Model S Tesla has to develope the power train and the rest of the Model S. In Model X Tesla has ,,only" to develope the case and use the existing power train. For example Tesla can use the complete existent thinks from Model S and put in it the case from Model X. Later they can release the AWD, if its finished, so nowone knows when its time ...
During the call with investors discussing Q1 results, Musk made the following comment:
Looking further down the road, Musk said the company is "certainly making progress on the Model X" and will finalize the design of that vehicle in the second quarter. The company's focus remains on Model S production and service but the X "will become our top focus towards the end of this year" in the lead up to the start of production towards the end of 2014.
Nothing concrete but it does bring us one step closer to a Beta Model X. Beta's on the road by Q3?
Hopefully someone can ask Elon in todays discussion of the Q2 results if he can give an update on the statement regarding progress on Model X during the Q1 call..
If they stuck to the original plan they would have finalized the design of Model X by now since we are living in Q3.
Lets hope so!
Someone did ask this. I can't remember his exact words but they are still working on changes to the design. He did say that he thinks we will be pretty excited about some of them as he certainly thinks they're cool.
Keep in mind that they may already be running AWD test mules under Model S bodies. There have been quite a few reported sightings of "Prototype" labeled Model S's in the bay area.
A few deliveries late next year. Really beginning in 2015.
Beta Brian not delivered cars. Beta is the 2nd prototype. We've seen the Alpha already. ;-)
Would this be a real Beta since it's out on the open road?
Only if it's actually operational. It looks exactly like the X that was on display in Detroit last year and has been sitting in the design center at Hawthorne lately.
I'm going to guess, no, it's not an operational beta.


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Saving Bambi
19 comments
It's Momma will never take her back now that they got their stink all over her! When my kids came back home smelling like deer I sent them packin'!
It's not a foal, it's a fawn! Foals are horses!
That is a myth that a mother - of a fawn (or a bird) will reject it because of human smell and the same for baby birds too. One should NEVER move a fawn that is parked. I do wonder if this fawn's mother will return and if someone is keeping an eye out that it does.
generally a doe will leave a fawn in a safe place while it goes off to feed. it will return at a later time when it is done. As long as you keep the fawn that has wandered off safe and keep it the general area, the doe will retrieve it.
If it was "wandering amid the traffic", it wasn't "parked". Officers should be scanning the area to see if it's mother had been struck by a car and was in a ditch injured or dead. If so the fawn needs to be transported to the Wildlife Center ASAP for care. From the look of it, it must only be a week or two old.
Truth is we have enough deer. Now just another to run in front of you as you go to work one early morning.
Lucky fawn. I have seen a few who didn't make it through an attempt to cross the road.
That's it lady, stick the fawn under your armpit to makes sure your scent is on the fawn and it is rejected by its mother.
If you read the article CAREFULLY, you will notice that the mama was nearby, and that the girls moved the fawn out of harms way to a safe place for mama to retrieve it, which she will do. They did the exact right thing. Why are people so quick to jump to conclusions??
Well, maybe they just repeat old myths because that's easier than looking up the facts which show that the rejecting-mom idea is false. http://www.knowhunting.com/article.html?id=39
The fact is if a wild animal has a bad experience with a human it will view that scent as a danger. Stop defending a stupid action. You really do not know how a wild animal will react or are deer now domesticated creatures?
Mother deer often leave their little ones during the day to forage on their own and to keep predators away from the little ones, as the adults have a stronger smell (and are bigger, easier to see) than the fawns. I know this family acted with a good heart. However, it is best to leave babies where they are even if next to a road or trying to cross the road. The mom will return and care for the fawn when people aren't around.
Hah! Only in a Disney movie would this save that fawns life as the doe will now reject that fawn. That said, these girls did no harm as the fawn would have died in traffic anyway.
How did you people get stuck on this smell thing? The mother WILL NOT reject the fawn, Get a grip! would you rather it get squashed on the road?
Only in Charlottesville would people argue over the ethics of yanking a fawn out of traffic.
Save the fawn and throw the UVa Board of Visitors into the traffic!
Amen Davis


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"Bold, panoramic and highly readable, at times a page-turner."
–The New York Times Book Review
"A masterpiece of stunning scope, readability, and relevance. Worlds at War makes epic battles of the past come alive as illuminations of what is happening today in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan."
–Strobe Talbott, author of The Great Experiment
"A grand synthesis of military and intellectual history, political philosophy and theology, Worlds at War delivers the old-fashioned pleasures of vivid prose and lively narration."
"Absorbing . . . Pagden writes smart, fluent, lively prose. His book is a pleasure to read."
–The Houston Chronicle
"If you are going to read only one book on the Manichaean struggle between East and West, this is the book."
–Efraim Karsh, author of Islamic Imperialism: A History
"Splendid . . . learned, fluent and thoroughly entertaining."
–National Post (Canada)
"Timely and provocative . . . enlightening."
–Cleveland Plain Dealer
Winner of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Book Prize


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What we read while busting out our old vuvuzelas….
- Gene Wojciechowski chronicles his surprisingly exhausting experience at Coach K's fantasy basketball camp.
- We like stories about smart atheletes who are intellectually engaged: so naturally this piece on Ross Ohlendorf was quite enjoyable. Speaking of smart atheletes who are intellectually engaged, Elana Kagan once penned a nice little note to President Clinton.
- Speaking of athletes, the NBA Finals have people questioning whether or not Kobe Bryant is actually a clutch player. When will people learn that clutch players are a myth?
- Amid the myriad things to love about this–I mean, the puns alone are worth it–I think my favorite is the idea of a story being attributed to Craig Ehlo.
- Thom Yorke thinks the music industry is going to implode in months, so it's a good thing Radiohead already had a pretty good couple decades.
- Have you ever wondered what a conversation between Megan Fox and Zach Galifianakis would sound like? Well then I have a story for you….
- We tried icing Tim, but it turns out he kinda likes Smirnoff Ice. Totally ruins it for everyone involved.
- Duke Magazine scored an exclusive interview with Duke professor and soccer expert Laurent Dubois. How did they do it??? Speaking of the World Cup, while "Hand of Clod" has been deservedly getting a lot of attention for being the best headline coming out of that travesty of a tie, our personal favorite is "It was all going so well, then…Calamity." Who needs a game story when that's the headline?
- Feels like it's been some time since we linked to some fiction. Here's Loretta Lopez. She's a Mexican high schooler. It's good.


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Size: 2 - 2 per pack
Snook, sea trout, stripers, weakfish, Albies, and bonitos all chase these pulsating little suckers down, as do fall-running false albacore. Tied with a seductive mix of flashabou and high-quality, translucent EP fibers, these Micro Minnows sport realistic looking eyes and are deadly for a number of species.
If you have questions about the products that we offer in our online store please feel free to drop us an email or give us a call (508)977-0700.


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We're all dying to see Game of Thrones brought to our television screens next year — but it's not George R.R. Martin's first foray into televised fantasy. In the late 1980s, he was a producer/writer on Beauty and the Beast.
The television show, which ran from 1987 to 1991, featured Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton as the titular couple in then-present day New York. Vincent, the Beast, lived under the city in a subterranean area under the city's tunnels, and Hamilton's character was an assistant district attorney with the city. And Martin wrote a ton of the show's scripts, including some pivotal episodes. And true to Martin's form in the Song of Ice and Fire books, he wasn't afraid to explore the darkness of human nature — or kill off pivotal characters. Beauty and the Beast was a landmark show in the development of urban fantasy on television, and a precursor to shows like Buffy and Angel.
Martin had already worked on The New Twilight Zone prior to that. Asked about the show by Elder Gods Rave, Martin said:
It was just so beautifully done. I looked at he pilot, [creator Ron] Koslow had filmed the pilot already, and he sent it to me, and it was a quality series. If you work in television, you want to work for Hill Street Blues, not Three's Company. And you want to be associated with the highest quality of material, and I could tell looking at this that it looked beautiful, it was well directed, it was well written, the actors were superb, and I said this is the kind of show I want to do. And there was the fantasy element, of course. Koslow was also very generous. He had had the initial vision, but there was still a lot of room to create; for the other writers to add things to that vision, and not not just be executing his vision but to make their own contribution. And I appreciated that.
He told that interviewer his favorite episode was "Brothers," which certainly contains some classic Martin dialogue, like the following:
Vincent: When I walk the city streets, I wear a cloak with a hood to shadow my face.
Charles: But your face is-
Vincent: A mirror, like yours. Where frightened men see the shape of their own fears, and small men see only ugliness.
And then this exchange, later in the episode:
Vincent: When I was young, I only knew these tunnels. I would hear the other children talk about the world Above and all its wonders. I wanted to see them too. So one night, Devin took me up to the park. The lights went on forever and the night was full of sounds and smells and music, so much so that it made me dizzy. When I looked up ...
Charles: Was it an airplane?
Vincent: No. It was the moon. It was the most magical thing I had ever seen. I was afraid that if I looked away for a second that it would vanish and I would never see it again.
Here's one of the episodes Martin wrote, "Terrible Saviour":
In the book Dreamsongs, Volume 2, Martin adds:
The show was twice nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Dramatic Series. I wrote and produced thirteen episodes, did uncredited rewrites on a score of others, and had a finger in everything from casting and budgeting to post-production.
Sadly, Martin's attempts to pitch his own TV show after BatB died were unsuccessful, including a stint in development hell with a universe-hopping show called Doorways. He told Maureen Ryan that his frustrations in Hollywood were part of what drove him to create the A Song of Ice and Fire series in the first place:
My scripts were always too long, they were always too expensive. I was always having to cut them. So when I went back to books, I said, 'I don't care about any of that any more. I'm going to write a story that's going to be as gigantic a story as I want. I'm going to have hundreds of characters, gigantic battles, magnificent castles and vistas — all the things I couldn't do in television.'


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Multi-pronged investigations into exoplanetary magnetic fields
Wilson Cauley (Arizona State University)
Efforts in exoplanet characterization have led to some very precise determinations of planetary densities, compositions, and even accurate maps of active region and spot locations on stellar surfaces. Exoplanet magnetic fields, however, remain elusive. While radio observations continue to push into the low-mass brown dwarf regime, no emission from a planetary-mass object has been confirmed. I will discuss some of the efforts involving alternate methods for probing exoplanet magnetic fields and how they stack up so far against the prospects for detection via radio emission.
The Circumstellar Disks and Binary Companions of Be Stars
Drew Chojnowski, NMSU
Tremendous progress has been made over the past two decades toward understanding Be stars, but a number of key aspects of them remain enigmatic. The unsolved mysteries include identification of the mechanism responsible for disk formation, the reason this mechanism occasionally turns off or on unexpectedly, the source of viscosity in the circumstellar disks, and the cause of slowly precessing density perturbations in the disks of many or most Be stars. On a deeper level, the origin of Be stars' near-critical rotation is unknown, with one possible explanation being spin-up due to interaction with a binary companion. A better understanding of these stars is needed, with a particular focus on high-mass binaries being warranted in the age of gravitational wave astronomy. In this dissertation, I will extend the knowledge and understanding of Be stars through a series of three projects. First, I will present and describe the largest ever homogeneous, spectroscopic sample of Be stars to date. I will then focus on investigation of a rare class of Be stars found in binary systems with hot, low mass companions. The second project will present detailed characterization and modeling of HD~55606, a newly discovered member of this class. Finally, I will discuss the results of spectroscopic monitoring of seven newly discovered systems and establish or place limits on the orbital parameters of the binary components.
SHINE: code for everything
Tim Fitzpatrick, Artist, Scotland
SHINE, 'Code for Everything' is an on-going art work by Tim Fitzpatrick in collaboration with astronomer Anne-Marie Weijmans of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of St Andrews. The art takes its inspiration from the Anne-Marie's work and the science of spectroscopy and, in particular, through a series of visual and experimental representations of the individual emission spectra of the elements.
Tim Fitzpatrick's principal development of the work is through his fascination with the extraordinary level of detail – and therefore information – contained in the spectrum of starlight. As the work progresses and evolves he seeks to develop the theme of the linguistics of the light of the elements and, by extension, our reading of the light of the universe and our place in it, as described in a series of codes.


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Blogging has been, and is likely to remain, sparse... as Greenlight Bookstore prep ramps up, the rest of life ain't going anywhere, and your friendly neighborhood Book Nerd is feeling a bit under the gun. I'll try to get up here once a week or so, but forgive me my semi-absence, okay?
Still, there's time for a few links.
In e-reader news:
The IndieBound iPhone app makes me long even more for that lovely little piece of hardware. Props to the ABA for rolling this out so fast! The IndieBound app means that you can use the iPhone to find bookstores and other indie shops, search books, buy books online -- along with reading books and emailing and making calls (and, as I learned at a delicious early summer barbecue this weekend, mapping the stars... )
In the meantime, not only does your Kindle become a brick if you lose your Amazon account, but rumors persist that Apple is coming out with a more book-friendly device. E-reader enthusiasts, start your engines!
In comics news:
This Saturday, May 2, is Free Comic Book Day! Find yourself a local comic shop (there's a great locator tool on the FCBD website) and get yourself some free comics action. And buy something while you're there, why don't ya? (When, by the way, are bookstores going to instigate Free Galley Day? How about it, book industry?)
If you happen to be in my part of the world, you've got some pretty awesome options: Rocketship is hosting a signing by Wolverine writer Fred Van Lente (along with giving away a new comic about the spiky-knuckled guy), and Bergen Street Comics is hosting a showing of original art from act_i_vate.com ("where every day is free comics day!")
And, while I'm hoping to have time to stop in to one or both of these stores, I'll be spending most of my day at another venue for comics love: the PEN World Voices Festival. At Cooper Union on Saturday, McNally Jackson will be selling books for events with Neil Gaiman, Emmanuel Guibert, David Polonsky, Shaun Tan, Jonathan Ames, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, and Adrian Tomine. And of course, the Festival hosts wonderful literary events happening all week long.
It's a good week for books! Happy reading!
Book Collecting Resources
5 months ago


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Human rights abuses have been committed by forces loyal to the incumbent leader of Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo and by forces loyal to his rival Alassane Ouattara, an Amnesty International investigation reported Tuesday.
Gaetan Mootoo is one of the Amnesty researchers who went to Ivory Coast to investigate human rights abuses there. The team stayed for four weeks. ?Human rights violations are being committed by both the security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo and by the Forces Nouvelles, an armed opposition group which is supporting Alassane Ouattara,? Mootoo said.
Alassane Ouattara is internationally recognized as the winner of the November election but Laurent Gbagbo, who has been president since the year 2000, is refusing to step down.
The Amnesty research has found that forces loyal to Mr. Gbagbo have committed extrajudicial executions, rape, and used excessive force. Amnesty says a number of people have also disappeared after being arrested.
But Amnesty says the Forces Nouvelles, former rebels loyal to Mr. Outtara, have also been responsible for abuses.
Mootoo says they received credible testimonies of rape, arbitrary detention, and ill treatment by members of the Forces Nouvelles in the western region it controls. He says African leaders who arrived in Ivory Coast Monday in order to try to mediate the situation need to address violations on both sides of the political divide.
?What we would like the African Union to do is to put Human Rights on the agenda of both parties so that they are aware of what is happening in that country,? Mootoo said.
Rinaldo Depagne is a senior West Africa analyst with the International Crisis Group. He?s based in Dakar, Senegal. He says Amnesty International should make a clear distinction between abuses carried out by either side. "It's very important to highlight the abuse on both sides,? he said. ?But it is also very important not to put them in the current circumstances on the same level because they are not."
He says Mr. Gbagbo is carrying out what he calls a ?real strategy of terror?. On Monday Ivorian troops broke up demonstrations calling for Mr. Gbagbo to step down - according to witnesses several people were killed.
Depagne says the situation in the West is specific to that region. Human Rights Groups, including New York-based Human Rights Watch, say the far western regions of Ivory Coast are characterized by a breakdown of the rule of law and that assaults, rapes, and robbery are regularly carried out with impunity.


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(The Root) Have you ever felt frustrated when so-called experts blame bad parenting, societal breakdowns and the inexplicable whims of a troubled generation for the racial achievement gap in education? Ever have the sense that explanations for problems faced by black males in particular call for more fact-based and thoughtful analysis than head shaking over things like "babies having babies" and sagging pants?
If so, you're not alone. And according to Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D., contributing editor at The Root and a senior research analyst at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, as well as associate professor at Howard University's School of Education, you're not wrong, either.
Co-author of a new report (pdf), "Challenge the Status Quo: Academic Success Among School-Age African American Males," Toldson says that the most recent analysis of the available data proves that "the problem with black male achievement is institutionalized and cannot be fixed with empty rhetoric."
The report, which Toldson authored with Chance W. Lewis, Ph.D., was released this week at the Democratic National Convention at an event attended by members of Congress, school superintendents, academics and conventional delegates. It's one part of an effort by the Congressional Black Caucus' Black Male Achievement Research Collective to share research that "provides social contest and counter-narratives to the pervasively negative statistics used to characterize black men and boys in the United States," by fact-checking popular reports about black male failures, placing them in context and redirecting the focus of discussion about them from problems to solutions.
Toldson says that this particular project was inspired in part by 2012 Department of Education CRDC data (PowerPoint) showing staggering opportunity gaps between black and white children in American schools. He calls the "Challenge the Status Quo" content — analysis of national data, versus speculation, about black male achievement, plus concrete proposals for solutions — "a challenge to all who care about black children to take an active role in resolving the very specific problems with the way education is delivered to them."
Just one example of those specific problems has to do with minority kids' preparedness for college. According to the CRDC report, 40 percent of the public schools with the highest black and Latino enrollment in Prince George's County, Md., do not offer algebra II. Meanwhile, the University of Maryland-College Park requires not only algebra II but also at least one year of mathematics education beyond it.
That, Toldson says, means "some public institutions in Maryland, through omission and negligence, collude to deny thousands of black, Latino and some white students the right to attend the state's flagship university."
He says that the institutional problem with race and college preparedness hit home for him when he realized that his own high school eliminated its physics course offering shortly after he graduated, meaning that had he been just a couple of years younger, he wouldn't have qualified to attend his alma mater, Louisiana State University.
That, like many elements of the problems with black male achievement, has nothing to do with individual motivation, home life or cultural norms. The data, Toldson explains, "clearly demonstrate that the problem is institutionalized," making the DNC — packed with policymakers whose collaboration will be needed to address the issues uncovered in the reports — an appropriate place to unveil this new analysis of it.
Additional issues raised by the report include race-related gaps in teacher preparation, compensation and discipline, as well as how black boys without disabilities end up in special education classes.
Toldson will provide more detail on the report's findings in Show Me the Numbers, The Root's monthly series published in association with Howard University's Journal of Negro Education.
Developed with funding from the Open Society Foundation's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, "Challenge the Status Quo" is available for digital download on the CBCF website. Hard copies of the report were distributed at the DNC this week and will be available at the CBCF's Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., Sept. 19-22.
Read previous installments of Show Me the Numbers here.
Jenée Desmond-Harris is The Root's staff writer. Follow her on Twitter.


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Note there is NO Upgrade for 1.8.0 or 1.8.1 - reason - things (features, settings, configurations) are too different when you hit a major release on Apache and/or PHP. XAMPP 1.8.0/1 has Apache 2.4.x, prior XAMPP releases were 2.2 - big changes. The same for PHP, 1.8.0/1` has PHP 5.4.x -- XAMPP 1.7.7 was PHP 5.3.8 -- big changes, particularly in Error Reporting -
PHP Error Reporting changes - hot off the press - not findable on Google or PHP.org yet
http://community.apachefriends.org/f/vi ... 17&t=50989
CHECK with any third party scripts to make sure they are compatible with Apache 2.4.x. and PHP 5.4.x Ditto check any changes you made to any of the Apache .conf files, some common features are deprecated - most notably this would be the 'NameVirtualHost' directive and 'most' versions of simple authentication methods (mod_auth... Apache Module versions), including the .htaccess syntax
Apache's Guide to upgrading to 2.4
Going from XAMPP 1.7.7 (or other versions) to 1.8.0/1 for Windows
A. Backup
Backup your 'custom' / user added MySQL databases. You can use the phpMyAdmin export tool, MySQL Workbench (free tool from Oracle), or the mysqldump.exe Command Line tool. Take screenshots of your database names, users and settings. Make SURE you know all the passwords and they are working (you can test by logging into phpMyAdmin as those users). You will probably have to 'add-back' any users 'you' created originally (like for the WordPress 'database user') and re-create the empty databases and the user privileges, don't forget the PMA control user! This is the safest route unless you know 'a lot' about MySQL Import/Export parameters. Copy out your HTDOCS, any user added Folders that are Aliased, and any Virtual Host folders.
B. Stop XAMPP
Stop all XAMPP processes/services.
C. Complete Backup
Backup your complete XAMPP install to another location. This could be by way of a true backup program like Acronis or Fbackup or simply shutting down XAMPP and copying the entire folder to a new location.
D. Save Configurations
If you have modified the Configuration files for Apache, MySQL, PHP, and PHPmyAdmin (config.inc.php) they will likely need adjustments. (You will have to figure that out) I save them AND the log files to a XAMMP-Move folder for myself. If you are going from an earlier version, this is 'doubly true'.
E. Un-install Services
If you made Apache, MySQL, FileZilla, Mercury or Tomcat into services, un-install/remove them from the Windows service manager via the Control Panel, or by way of the Command Window using the Windows 'sc delete' command.
F. Clean UP
OK, you should be ready for this - DELETE the current XAMPP folder.
G. Install
Now either:
Use the XAMPP Installer
Expand the .7z or .zip downloads. Copy the new 'xampp' folder to the location of your old installation.
H. Start the New XAMPP Install
Start up the Control Panel and debug the new installation before you bring anything back.
I. If tis working - BACK UP!
If you are able to get to the XAMPP Welcome Page, use the test scripts and access phpMyAdmin - before you do anything else, shut everything down and make a reliable backup.
J. Check Up
CHECK (again) with any third party scripts to make sure they are compatible with Apache 2.4.x. and PHP 5.4.x - Ditto check any changes you made to any of the Apache .conf files, some common features are deprecated - most notably this would be the 'NameVirtualHost' directive and 'most' versions simple authentication methods, including the .htaccess syntax. Make needed changes to the Apache .conf files php.ini and my.ini to get your install 'like the old one' or as close as you can come. Hackattack suggests doing a side-by-side review using a diff utility (good idea) - WinMerge is a very friendly one, or you can use a programmer's editor like the excellent (and free) Notepadd++
J. Never ever try to recreate or copy application metadata
Such as the database and tables for MySQL database engine itself or phpMyadmin - which is an application/shell for MySQL. This data is specific to each installation, and is often structured differently in different version of the applications.
K. NEVER EVER copy the entire MySQL toplevel 'data' folder.
It contains metadata on the state of the MySQL installation and other data that may be specific to 'other application states'. You can, under some conditions, copy the data folders for individual databases/tables - you need to refer to the MySQL documentation before you attempt this, and understand the consequences, and the remediation that may be required. Only real MySQL experts attempt this (and usually because the database is corrupt or in an inconsistent state). I personally always user MySQL Workbench Export/Import (or Navicat). If you use the export/import methodology you will rarely go wrong.
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.5/en/ ... eries.html
L. Recreate User defined/added metadata & Re-install scripts/applications
Recreate your 'self-added' database users as described in A, and their privileges. Always check the third party scripts you are using for compatibility/version issues (as stated twice before). Once everything is stable, REINSTALL any third party scripts and follow their instructions to 'restore' as if it were a 'server' move, because that is what you have just done.
M. Restore MySQL Data
Now Restore your MySQL user-created databases using phpMyAdmin, the MySql command line, or other MySQL management tools - like MySQL workbench.
N. Finally -
Make another backup and test your applications.
Also be sure to take potty breaks and that you have adequate liquids on hand
Many thanks to Altrea for his assistance and review.
Good Luck
{edited Oct 11, 2012 to include 1.8.1}


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Wii U console requires day-one update – report
Wii U is out across Europe from November 30th, but game sites have started receiving their units for review now, revealing that Nintendo's hardware requires a day-one update at launch. Get the details below.
IGN reports that the site's Wii U required an update at first start. The site reports that the update added Miiverse, Wii U Chat, Nintendo TVii, and the eShop download store to the console, although it was unclear if other changes were included.
Wii U coverage is ramping up in the run up to the console's US and EU launch, and began with the world's first reviews of Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U.
VG247 has also had extensive hands-on time with most of the European Wii U launch titles, and we found them to be largely enjoyable, with ZombiU, Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros U and Trine 2 to be some of the best games on offer.


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As an industry innovator and a leader in corporate responsibility, we look for ways to apply our technology to address global challenges while serving as a role model for how companies should operate.
Learn More
Read the latest news and learn about Intel strategy and how we are evolving.
Browse Stock Data


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Listed 11/8/2019 | Last Updated: 8/15/2020 11:07 AM
Great investment opportunity! This property will be sold via a live foreclosure auction. The asset will be sold "As Is" and the occupancy status varies. The buyer assumes all responsibility for property condition and occupancy. Auction to be conducted by a third party. Please contact Xome for more information. Value Based Bid: reserve is expected to be at or below the current market value (as determined by seller)
Single Family
1 Full
0.9 Acres |5001999 Sq. Ft.
1,088 sq. ft


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Bremerhaven: from dying port to buzzing wind hub
"I was born and studied in Bremerhaven, but when I left in 1996, there were no career opportunities there", says Ronny Meyer.
BY the mid-1990s, the shipping and fishing industries that had traditionally dominated north-west Germany, where Bremerhaven is situated were dying, and there was felt to be no future.
"The unemployment rate was very high and anyone who had studied was leaving the city", says Meyer.
Yet this was soon to change, as the local government had identified offshore wind energy as key to the economic development of the region.
It drew up a map identifying areas for offshore wind energy development. People from the economic development agency travelled around Europe talking to companies and showing them what was on offer.
Slowly, the sector began to take off. And today, Meyer estimates that over a third of all Germany's 14,000 offshore wind energy jobs are situated in the north-west of Germany. He himself came back to his native city and is Managing Director of Windenergie-Agentur, the network for the region's wind energy companies.
"When people really realised the true impact the offshore wind energy sector had had was in 2008 with the financial crisis", says Meyer. "Almost every city in Germany saw its unemployment rate go up that year, but in Bremerhaven it was the opposite – the unemployment rate kept going down."
Read more in the current issue of Wind Directions.


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Blue Jays release Vlad from Minors deal
Anthopolous: Talks with Guerrero's agent 'completely amicable'
Toronto granted Guerrero's request to be released from his Minor League contract on Tuesday morning. The veteran designated hitter gave the club an ultimatum on Monday night to either promote him to the Major Leagues or grant his unconditional release.
The Blue Jays chose the second option, which makes Guerrero a free agent and enables him to seek employment with another organization.
"We always told him throughout the process that anytime he felt that he didn't want to be here, he had the ability to leave any time," Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "Even though we don't have out clauses, we had a handshake agreement that any time he could indicate to us that if [he] wanted to go that [way], we would grant him his release."
Guerrero's path to the big leagues hit a road block in recent weeks with the performance of David Cooper. Toronto's first baseman is off to a hot start after being called up to the Majors, entering play Tuesday hitting .314 with two homers and six RBIs in 15 games.
Cooper's presence has kept Edwin Encarnacion in the designated-hitter role, which is where Guerrero would have played if he was promoted to the big league club. Guerrero also has the ability to play some left field, but with declining defensive skills, it's unlikely the Blue Jays would have wanted to give him anything more than a spot start at that position.
The Dominican Republic native has received some positive reports on his production at the plate in the Minor Leagues, but the club felt it still hadn't seen enough to justify a promotion to the next level.
"I told [Guerrero's agent, Bean Stringfellow], 'Look, if we have to make a decision right now, we're not prepared to call him up,'" Anthopoulos said. "So if he wants his release right now, we certainly would do it. If not, I said [assistant GM] Tony LaCava is going to be there [Tuesday], and for the next three or four games. If you'd like, we can just strictly go day to day, when he has obviously has the ability to control the process and he can go whenever he likes.
"But I said if the decision needs to be right now, we'll certainly grant him his release. ... From that standpoint, he played last night and he decided that that was going to be enough for him. He felt that he was certainly worthy of a call up. We're just not prepared to do that right now."
Guerrero made headlines in late May with a strong debut for Class A Dunedin after a stint playing extended spring games. He proceeded to post four homers and eight RBIs in his four games with Dunedin before moving up to Triple-A Las Vegas.
The 17-year veteran then struggled during his first few games in the Pacific Coast League, and received a slight setback after he was hit on the hand during a game on Saturday. He returned Monday night and proceeded to go 4-for-5 with a triple, to up his overall average to .314 in eight games.
Following Monday night's game, Guerrero informed Triple-A manager Marty Brown that he had played his last game for the 51s. He returned to California and said the Blue Jays needed to decide right away whether to promote or release him.
With no clear spot on the roster, Guerrero was released, but contrary to an online report early Tuesday morning, he has not retired. Anthopoulos also disputed a report that said Guerrero was unhappy with the way he had been dealt with, and that he had been lied to by the Blue Jays' organization about what his role would be.
Anthopoulos never had any direct communication with Guerrero, and instead always went through Stringfellow. The two have developed a strong working relationship over the past few years, as the agent also represents Jose Bautista, Francisco Cordero and Luis Perez.
"We stayed in communication, we never forced anything," Anthoplous said. "It was always to make sure everyone was on board with what we were doing.
"Even when [Guerrero] was in Florida, wanted to stay in Florida a little bit longer, no problem. We really worked to the schedule -- other than being called up here -- the way they wanted it set up. We never had any problems at all."
Guerrero spent last season in Baltimore, where he hit .290 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs while posting a career low .733 OPS. Guerrero has amassed 449 home runs with a .318 average and 1,496 RBIs over his career.
Anthopoulos referred to him as a future Hall of Famer and felt there would still be opportunities for Guerrero somewhere in the American League. Just not in Toronto.
"He was getting better slowly," Anthopoulos said. "Timing was better, more hard-hit balls, but [our staff] didn't necessarily feel that he was all the way there yet. They said he was a great worker, a great teammate, played hard, ran ground balls out, did all those things, everything you want.
"Maybe just timing, felt like he just needed a few more at-bats. He didn't agree, and that's fine. But the dialogue with his agent and everything has been outstanding, completely amicable."


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Ring! Ring! (-ing) Word Ladder (K-1)
Ring! Ring! (-ing) Word Ladder (K-1)
In this mini-word-study lesson, children begin with one word, then make a series of new words by changing or rearranging the letters in the word before.
Printable Details
- Grade: K - 1
- Subject: Phonemic Awareness, Vocabulary, Blends and Digraphs, Spelling
- Number of Pages: 2
- Type: Skills Sheets


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OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada expects to be able to make enough medical isotopes through non-nuclear methods by 2016 to replace those now produced by an aging reactor and better assure an uninterrupted supply for medical imaging, a government minister said on Thursday.
To that end, the federal government will fund three research institutes developing cyclotron and linear accelerator technologies for production of isotopes on a commercial scale, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said.
Canada's only current source of the isotopes is a problem-plagued reactor at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd's facility at Chalk River, Ontario. The reactor is licensed to run until 2016.
"Our challenge now is to prove that cyclotron and linear accelerator production can be commercially viable. ... We envision a future where isotope production will no longer require highly enriched uranium — a weapons-grade material," he said.
The government will give a total of C$25 million ($24.3 million) to the three facilities for this goal.
Asked if there would be a gap between the end of production by the Chalk River reactor and the supplies from the other sources, Oliver said he did not think so, since the technology was proven and what remained was commercialization.
"That's been worked on for a while," he told reporters after making the announcement. "It's reached a fairly robust stage right now. We're talking about increasing the amount ... and we're comfortable we can meet those objectives by 2016."
Oliver also announced Canada wanted a private operator to run the Chalk River facility, a move that would take two years to accomplish.
The temporary closure of the Chalk River reactor for safety reasons in 2007 and then again from May 2009 to August 2010 caused a medical challenge and a political furor as the government scrambled to find isotope replacements internationally.
The closures dealt a blow to Nordion Inc, which as a major supplier of isotopes relied on Chalk River. Nordion had no immediate comment on Thursday's announcement.
AECL had built two more modern prototype reactors to make isotopes but eventually mothballed them after a series of problems. An arbitration panel last year rejected Nordion's claim for damages against AECL.
Oliver said the government was not seeking to close down or sell the Chalk River nuclear laboratories. In October 2011 Canada sold AECL's Candu nuclear reactor division to a subsidiary of SNC Lavalin Group Inc.
Additional reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Frank McGurty and Kenneth Barry


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Would you pay a little bit more on your monthly utility bill to help build a wind farm generating as much as 200 megawatts of electricity 12 miles or more off the coast of Maryland? That's really all Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed offshore wind bill comes down to — and yet for the past two years the General Assembly has said no.
But this year, the proposal seems to have the wind at its back, having passed the House of Delegates today and facing friendlier prospects in the Senate than in years past — thanks in no small part to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's willingness to reshuffle membership in the Finance Committee to bypass an entrenched opponent.
Most in the State House are predicting that the bill will eventually be approved and signed into law, so it's gotten scant press attention compared to controversial legislation involving guns or the death penalty in recent weeks. Governor O'Malley is deeply invested in renewable energy, and this legislation certainly would allow Maryland to be at the vanguard of East Coast states from Maine to Virginia that are attempting to nurture a U.S. offshore wind energy program.
Opponents question whether offshore wind is truly the most cost-effective green energy available and claim Maryland would be better off sticking to its goal of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020 and leave it to the marketplace to figure out how to get there. But the problem with that philosophy is twofold. First, Maryland has an excessively generous definition of Tier 1 renewable energy (including such generators as hydroelectric dams and waste-to-energy incinerators about which environmentalists have, at best, mixed feelings). Second, a start-up as expensive as offshore wind requires some assistance with infrastructure cost.
That's not to suggest that Maryland ratepayers should be the ones bearing the risk associated with alternative energy, but a project like the one Mr. O'Malley envisions requires federal tax breaks and a guarantee that utilities will purchase offshore wind (what's known as a "carve-out"). Otherwise, investors won't be able to secure the private loans they'll need. Thus, it's a trade-off — pay a little more, and the continental shelf off Ocean City could be ground zero for the start of something big.
And make no mistake, it could be very big. Not only because of the clean energy such a project will generate but because, as a leader in the field, Maryland could easily become the U.S. base of the industry's supply chain. The workers who manufacture, service and provide expertise to other start-ups could be located on the Eastern Shore. And the East Coast isn't the only region looking at this — the Great Lakes, Pacific Northwest and Gulf of Mexico states are, too.
Is that wishful thinking? Well, yes. There are no certainties with the evolving clean-energy field. The offshore wind movement has hit some rough waters and delays due in no small part to the glut of U.S.-produced natural gas on the market and uncertainties over the federal tax credit that could help underwrite as much as 30 percent of offshore wind's cost.
Mr. O'Malley's vision could easily become nothing but a forgotten breeze. But if so, Maryland consumers won't be out a dime. And if it does go forward? The local ratepayer obligation is so modest (even commercial customers are capped at no more than 1.5 percent of their monthly bills) that it's really just a sweetener — but a vital one if it puts Maryland at the head of the line. That's likely why a poll showed more than two-thirds of Marylanders favor the proposal.
Wind power will probably never be the dominant source of energy in Maryland or anywhere else in this country, but it can be a vital part of the renewable portfolio. Countries like Denmark, Portugal and Spain already rely on wind to provide as much as 30 percent of their power. The only thing that's truly missing is for the U.S. to get serious on climate change with a federal policy that weans the country from its destructive dependence on fossil fuels.
President Barack Obama has pledged to do just that, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is already moving forward with regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is too serious a threat for anyone to think the U.S. can continue to pursue an energy policy that ignores its ramifications. Wind power is clearly in our future. Isn't it worth $1.50 a month in incentives to be on its leading edge?